Chapter Thirty - One

The day that I have been preparing for, for the past almost three years. Not only is the it the day of the Second Annual CMT Flameworthy Awards, but - it’s the day that people find out that Nick and I know each other and that yes, we are a couple. I’m nervous. In fact, I’m really, really nervous. I could barely sleep last night although I was so tired that I couldn’t even stay away to talk to Nick. But then I would wake up nervous as hell.

We rehearsed early this morning and I’ve basically had the day off, since I’m not hosting any of the shows this time, I’m just a regular attendee. Plus that’s how Andrew wanted it since I was attending the awards with Nick, so we can walk down the red carpet together.

Oh joy.

I’m still nervous. I don’t know why I’m so nervous really. So what? I have a boyfriend. So what? He’s a musician. So what? He’s in a pop band and is a solo rock singer. He’s not country and that’s what I work with. I hope they don’t call me a trader or anything. I doubt they will but still.

Now I’m sitting here in the bedroom of my apartment. CMT sent over a stylist to help me with my hair, which she made completely straight with some bangs. They put way too much eye make up on me and then made me wear a short black skirt with a jacket, a tight looking shirt with some weird design in blue on it, and some knee go-go boots. Then she had a matching jacket to wear with it. It was weird looking but they picked it out. I’m just wearing it. Looks like something Madonna would have worn a long time ago.

I think I look like a slut.

“Elisabeth,” Nick said as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, after the stylist had left. He looked down at the buttoned up black shirt he had on which was opened showing a back wife beater and jeans. He looked over at Aaron who had the same exact thing on. Asshole just had to copy him, didn’t he? “Elisabeth!”

Up here!

“I know that,” Nick said as he started to walk up the steps, slowly. He reached the top and looked over at Elisabeth who was standing in front of her body length mirror. He stood there watching her, playing with her new freshly cut bangs. She ran his fingers through her hair so that it would fall onto her shoulders. She tilted her head a little, smiling and then crossed her arms across her chest.

She turned around a little, looking at her backside in the mirror and closed her eyes, twirling around. She stopped, looking back in the mirror and ran her hands down her stomach. She looked down, to see that some cleavage was showing and then shook her head, wanting to laugh a little.

Nick stood there, smiling at her. He knew she was nervous but he loved when she was nervous for some reason. She was so anal but he loved that about her, “You look hot,”

“Huh?” Elisabeth asked as she turned around, looking at him. Nick stood there, leaning against the doorframe, smiling at her,” Are you sure? I think I look skanky,” Nick nodded his head no, walking up to her slowly and looking at her from top to bottom, “I feel different,”

“Well it’s a special night. You should look different. It’s an awards show,” Nick said as he smiled, reaching down to take her hand in his. He smiled down at her, taking a peek inside of her shirt and looked back into her eyes, “I like it - a lot.”

“I bet you do,” Elisabeth said as she leaned up, and began kissing his lips slowly. Nick began kissing her back, letting go over her hand and moved it to her hips, rubbing it slowly as Aaron walked up the stairs, standing in the doorway, watching them. Aaron shook his head at them as Nick moved his other hand around her hips and they started to kiss each other more deeply, “Nick,” Elisabeth whispered as she backed away, whispering against his lips lightly. Aaron wanted to laugh at them.

“Hm?”

“Awards,”

“Right,” Nick whispered as he started to kiss her again and Elisabeth opened her eyes, seeing Aaron stand there. She stopped kissing him and backed away, walking back over to the mirror to check her make up again. Aaron cracked up laughing and Nick looked over his shoulder to see him standing there.

That asshole.

“Aaron, damn,” Nick said as he shook his head and looked back at Elisabeth. Elisabeth looked over at her shoulder at them smiling, and then looked back in the mirror, reaching over for her lip-gloss to touch it up a little. Aaron stood there with a smirk on his face and his arms cross, looking a lot like Nick, “Aaron, give us a minute a lone and we’ll be down. The limo’s already waiting,”

“Alright man,” Aaron said as he began walking down the stairs and Elisabeth put her lip gloss away, turning around and looking at Nick. Nick smiled at her as she walked back up closer to him, looking into her eyes. She smiled back at him, looking into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. Nick just smiled in return, causing her to laugh lightly.

“I just wanted to tell you that I don’t care what anybody says about us,” Nick whispered as Elisabeth moved her arms around his neck, looking him in the eyes, “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ll wait on you as long as I have to even if it’s until we’re fifty years old. I’ll wait on you,”

“I love you too,” Elisabeth whispered as she smiled, leaning up to kiss him lightly on the lips, “And you’re not going to regret it,”

“I know I won’t,” Nick said as he leaned over kissing her again, causing her to laugh, “Ready to go Madame?” he asked as he ran the back of his hand across her cheek lightly. Elisabeth nodded her head, smiling at him as she moved her arms from around his neck. She walked over to her bed, grabbing her jacket off of her bed and slipped it on, while smiling at Nick. She reached over, picking up her little matching purse.

“Let’s go,” Elisabeth said as she reached over for Nick’s hand, smiling at him. Nick smiled back as they walked out of her room, and down the stairs, holding each other’s hands.

“Okay,” Elisabeth sad as she sat in the limo, beside Nick, holding his hand and looked over at Aaron who was giving her a smirk. He was really too much like his brother, “Aaron, just let us talk okay?” Aaron shrugged his shoulders and looked back out the window as Elisabeth looked at Nick, “He’s so not listening to me is he?”

“No, I don’t know anything about this type of music man.” Aaron said as he rolled his eyes, “I’m just tagging along, waiting to see Shania Twain man,” Nick laughed in return. The boy did have a good point. Suddenly the limo stopped and Elisabeth leaned up, looking out of the window to see that they were in front of the red carpet, “Here we go,”

“Oh boy. Why can’t I just interview people? Why must they put me through this torture,” Elisabeth muttered as the driver opened the door and she stepped out of the limo, looking around. There was Chris Cagle talking to Lance now with the CMT cameras. That’s where they needed to go. She looked back to see Aaron stepping out of the limo and Nick behind him. She smiled at Nick as he stepped up beside her, taking her hand.

Nick and Elisabeth started walking down the red carpet together, holding hands and standing close to each other. Aaron tagged along behind them, posing for cameras so that he wouldn’t be completely bored out of his mind. Elisabeth’s heart was about to beat out of her chest and she could feel it beating in her ears. Maybe her blood pressure was rising? Either that or she was about to pass out.

She looked over at Nick who smiled at her as they walked up to where Lance was standing and waited for him to finish interviewing Chris Cagle, who Elisabeth thought was pretty cute but at the moment, she could careless who was standing there. She was nervous and was showing it pretty well.

“And now we have a familiar face,” Lance said as Elisabeth stopped looking at her feet and up at Lance who was motioning for her to come over. She knew he was doing the pre-show and that they were live on CMT. That only made her more nervous, “Elisabeth, you’re not working tonight?”

“Nope, they gave me the night off and I’m presenting an award,” Elisabeth said as Nick held her hand a little tighter and she looked over at him and back at Lance, “Nick and I are presenting ‘Most Stylish Video’,”

“And who are your dates tonight?” Lance asked as Elisabeth looked back at Aaron who was looking bored, standing behind her and Nick and then back at Nick. She kind of paused, wondering how she was going to say it. She didn’t know how she should say it.

“My boyfriend Nick and his brother Aaron,” Elisabeth said as Nick smiled at her. Elisabeth took a deep breath and smiled, feeling as if a ton of bricks had been lifted off of her shoulders. Lance stood there explaining who Nick was, how he was a member of the Backstreet Boys and now had a solo career, and explained who Aaron was.

“So how long you two known each other and dated?” Lance asked as Nick looked over at Elisabeth who was looking at him. She smiled at him and then looked back at Aaron, seeing what he was doing. Nick started to cringe because she was letting him answer it. Damn her.

“Well we’ve known each other almost three years, and we dated for a little while in the past and we’re just starting to date again,” Nick said as he smiled, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek unexpectedly, “I love her more than anything.”

Elisabeth froze, looking at him in shock. Her heart sunk down all the way down to her feet and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t believe he actually would say that out to the public. Lance was saying something to him but she couldn’t hear him. All she could hear was Nick saying ‘I love her more than anything,’ over and over in her ear.

“Well you two have fun tonight,” Lance said as Elisabeth snapped out of her daze, looking back at him. They told him goodbye and began walking down the red carpet slowly. Aaron tagged along, checking out some girl his age as she walked by with what seemed to be his father. He looked up at Elisabeth and Nick standing there smiling at each other and he rolled his eyes, realizing they would kiss again any minute now.

“I love you more than anything too,” Elisabeth said as she leaned over, giving him a quick kiss, holding his hand tighter as they passed by some other interviewers and began walking into the auditorium. Elisabeth showed their passes to security and a guy began showing them their way to their seats.

“Who are we sitting by?” Aaron asked as he looked around, putting his hands in his pockets, seeing another girl his age and smirked at her, nodding his head back. Nick looked over at him, hitting him upside the head as the chauffer pointed them to their seats, “Whoa, front row?”

“Yeah,” Elisabeth said as her and Nick sat down in their seats, Nick to her left and Aaron sat down in the seat next to Nick on his left, “I do work here you know?”

“Damn skippy,” Nick said as he intertwined his fingers with Elisabeth’s and she smiled at him, “I can’t wait to go to Daytona,”

“Me either,” Elisabeth said, leaning up to give him a little kiss when they heard someone clear their throat. Elisabeth moved her lips from Nick’s and looked up to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill standing there, looking at them. It’s kind of scary seeing them both standing there and you’re not expecting it, “Hey!”

“Hey there,” Faith said as Elisabeth stood up and hugged both her and Tim, “Are you two here on a date?” she asked as she looked over to see Aaron who was looking back at another girl, “With the younger brother?”

“Yep,” Elisabeth said as she smiled, “This is sort of our coming out party thing. We’re dating again,” Dating again? Coming out party? How much dorkier could she actually get?

“Well that’s great,” Tim said as he walked over, shaking Nick’s hand, saying something to him. Elisabeth looked over, not really understanding what was being said as Faith sat down in the seat next to her.

“Are you guys sitting here?” Elisabeth asked as Faith nodded her head yes, “Wow, why did they put us up front like this? We’re not singers, well I’m not,” she said as Faith looked over at Nick and back at her, “Oh yeah, have to show off and get gossip,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

“It’s always about that unfortunately,” Faith said as she looked in her small purse, turning her cell phone on incase there was an emergency at home, “So you two are actually boyfriend and girlfriend again?” Elisabeth just smiled at that question for she couldn’t help herself.

“Yes, I do think he’s the one. I’m sure he is,” Elisabeth said as she smiled, looking down at her hands in her lap as Tim walked back over, sitting down beside Faith. She was about to tell her something else until she looked up, seeing someone standing there.

Joe Don.