[Nick]

“I… uh…” I said, stuttering over my words.

“You’re….”

“You’re, I mean I’m…” I said, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m falling in love with you,” I said, looking back at her. “Yes, there, I said it first, before you, so I’m the pansy here now. Thanks.”

“I love you too, Nick.”

Yeah, that’s probably what should have happened last night, but it didn’t. She went into the bathroom, came out thirty minutes later and went to sleep. I, on the other hand, sat on the floor, against the wall all night wondering what the hell I had done.

When the hell did I decide that I was falling ‘head over heels’ in love with her? Sure, I knew I was falling for her, but not falling in love.

I never use that word - never.

I’ve never used that word before to a girl. Sure, I’ve told my sisters that I love them, my mom, sometimes, and a few other people, but never someone, a girl, in that way. I think I scared her and myself when I said it and I can’t blame her for being freak out.

This relationship has happened so fast.

Three weeks ago, meeting a girl was the last thing on my mind. Sure, I wouldn’t have minded getting lucky with the random girl that I probably would never see again or see simply when I came back to town. I wasn’t looking to meet a girl like Karie and fall in love, fuck, why do I keep saying that?

Why do I keep saying that word?

She woke up this morning and I already had our stuff packed. I didn’t sleep any and she slept it off, or at least I think she did. I heard her call her mother this morning to tell her that we were on our way home. She mentioned seeing her ex and a few other people but that was it.

As we were leaving the hotel, we ran into Matthew and Tracy. Karie gave them her phone number and told them that if they ever came to Nashville to let her know and they’d have dinner, which shocked me but I think the whole evening and weekend was some closure for her of some kind, yet, I had to go open a whole new problem.

That word.

Love.

We didn’t talk the entire flight back to Nashville. She listened to her iPod and I listened to mine while playing on my laptop, coming up with some lyrics. I did reach over to touch her hand once and she looked over at me and smiled, only to look back out the window. That was a good sign. At least she didn’t glare at me or give me the finger. A smile was good.

I can handle a smile.

I had a car waiting for us at the airport that would take us back to her apartment where the rest of my things were that I didn’t take to Florida with me. I had checked out of the hotel before we left for Florida because there was no use in paying for a hotel room when I was paying for another one in another town and she agreed.

That meant we had to talk eventually… I just didn’t know what was going to be said.

As we made our way to her floor, I rolled both of our rolling suitcases up to the door and watched her as she unlocked her door. She walked in and immediately put down her things and picked up her two cats, Scarlett and Prue. I, on the other hand, put our things inside the door and stood there, watching her pet and hug her two cats.

Something had to be said.

Something needed to be said.

[/Nick]

[Karie]

He said he loved me. What the hell do I say to that? Is he upset with me because I didn’t jump up and proclaim my love for him? I know I’ve fallen in love with him. I knew I was falling in love with him, but all I want to do right now is hear my cats purr.

Purr.

They love me, too, although I’ve never really left them for more than a few days, at least my Mom came over to feed them.

God, what the hell do I say to Nick? We haven’t spoke in hours.

HOURS.

“I guess I should just go get my stuff,” I heard him say as I looked up, still holding onto Prue, my youngest cat. His voice cracked as he spoke and I could tell that he was nervous. “Go get my hotel room back,” he said, walking into my room.

“Why?” I finally asked, looking at him as he stopped in his tracks and looked at me.

“If we’re not going to talk anymore, then I can’t stay here -”

“Why did you say that to me?” I asked as he rolled his eyes and looked away. “Don’t roll your eyes, Nick.”

“I don’t know,” he finally said, putting his hands over his face. I stood there watching him, rubbing Prue under her neck. He started laughing hysterically and moved his hands from his face. “I’m fucking in tears and I don’t cry. I never cry!”

“Why are you crying?”

“I don’t say I love you to just anybody!”

“Then why did you say it to me?”

“Because I fucking love you!” he yelled, glaring at me. I stared back at him. “I knew I was feeling this way and I knew that I was crazy about you but I never fall in love with someone. It’s not me. I don’t do that shit!” I closed my eyes, pressing my lips together.

“I don’t cry,” he said, laughing. “Fuck, I even wrote a song about the shit because of an old relationship. I don’t cry and I don’t say I love you and it scared the utter shit out of me last night when I said it and I know it scared you too.”

“It didn’t scare me,” I whispered, trying not to cry myself.

“It didn’t?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Then why did you just shut yourself off after I said it and all the way back here?” he asked. I felt him lift Prue out of my arms and then felt his hands on the side of my face.

“Fine, I was scared,” I said, finally opening my eyes to look at him. “I was scared because no one has ever told me that before and I knew they meant it.”

“What about Matt-”

“He never meant it, I could tell.”

“I meant it.”

“I know and then you look confused and I just wanted to give you time to rethink it in case you wanted to take it back.”

“There’s no taking it back.”

“When did you know?” I asked, feeling the tears roll down my cheek. I tried to fight the tears as long as I could.

“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess I knew subconsciously and then I said it without thinking and that’s when it hit me.”

“Listen, you can’t hurt me okay,” I finally said as he wiped the tears from under my eyes. “I have this rock solid wall up and I won’t let anybody hurt me. Just tell me that you made a mistake and we’ll stay friends.”

“Shut up,” he said as I closed my eyes again.

“Don’t tell me to shut up.”

“Yeah, I am,” he said as he laughed. “Just shut the fuck up. I’m not taking it back.”

“Take it back.”

“I love you,” he said as I shook my head. “I’d live and I’d die for you. Steal the sun from the sky for you.” I opened my eyes and started to laugh and cry at the same time. I couldn’t hold it in. “Words can’t say what love can do…”

“I love you too,” I finally said, tears falling from my eyes. “God help me, but I love you too. I knew it all along. I knew it from the night that you actually went to the bar and I sung. I knew it when you sung me to sleep when I was kind of drunk and I knew it last night.”

“Should I go get my hotel room back?” Nick asked as I shook my head, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugged him. “Want me to stay here?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay,” he whispered, kissing me on the neck. “Just promise me one thing. Well two things.”

“What?” I asked, leaning my head back, looking him in the eyes.

“One… don’t write bad things about me in the paper,” he said as I laughed, wiping the tears from my face. “Two… don’t ever not talk to me again because that scared the shit out of me,” he said as I nodded, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. He deepened the kiss when his cell phone started playing “Rico Suave” and we both started to laugh. “It’s Howie, hold on.”

“Okay,” I said, backing away from him and tried to straighten my face up a little.

“What? Now? Seriously?” Nick said, talking on his cell phone. “Seriously, right now is a bad time, D. We just got back and, well, yeah. Okay, I’ll be there in a few.” He hung up the phone and looked at me.

“Gotta go?” I asked as he nodded.

“I started writing this song before we left and Howie and AJ finally got a beat for it. Brian’s there and they knew we got back today and they were waiting on me,” he said as I nodded. “You wanna come?”

“No, you go on. I need to wash some clothes and check my e-mail and all of that stuff,” I said. “I’ll be here when you come back.”

“You promise you won’t sneak out of the country?” he asked as I nodded. “Okay, well I’ll be back later, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, leaning up to kiss him on the lips gently. “Tell the guys I said hey.”

“I will,” he whispered before walking towards the door. He looked back and smiled at me before walking out and shutting the door behind himself.

I fell back and collapsed on my sofa. Did that really just happen? Did he really just confess his love for me? Sure, I thought last night was a hoax, but he really told me he loves me and I told him I loved him.

Scarlett and Prue both climb onto the sofa, trying to get my attention and I smiled.

He loves me.

[/Karie]

[Nick]

Life can’t get much better than this. Okay, so we could have a number one album and things would be the best that I have ever had it in my life, but I’m realistic… we’re not gonna have a number one album. At this point, I don’t even care. I’m getting along great with the guys, we’re making the music we want, and I have a girl that loves me and she made me cry.

Yeah, that sounds weird, but to me, it’s a good thing, trust me.

“Nick!” AJ yelled as I walked into the studio to see him, Howie, and Brian sitting in the control room and I laughed. “Dude, about time you got back!”

“How was the reunion?” Brian asked as I smiled, sitting down in a chair across from them.

“I don’t know if I want to tell you guys or not,” I laughed, resting my hands behind my head. I leaned back and smiled as they looked at me eagerly, wanting to know what happened. “You guys are going to think I’m crazy.”

“We already know that,” Howie laughed. “So, how was the reunion?”

“The reunion, it was fine. I met her ex…. He seems like a decent guy now. She got over some of her past issues, and other than that, we pretty much ignored everything else dealing with the reunion,” I said as AJ rubbed his hands together and smiled, already knowing that we had slept together.

“You love her,” Brian said as I looked at him, saying nothing. “I knew it.”

“How?” I asked, saying nothing else.

“I heard it in your voice when you left the voicemail with some more of the lyrics with that song the other night,” he said as smirked and looked at AJ.

“You’re in love with her?” Howie and AJ both said at the same time. I nodded and started laughing.

“I told you that I’m crazy,” I said, standing up and walking around the room to pick up a guitar. “I have never felt this way before,” I said, looking back at them. “I know she’s not the typical girl that I would go after, but in a way, she is. She’s everything that I’m not and I’m everything that she isn’t. It’s like we mesh together and make each other equal out. Does that make sense?”

“He’s whipped,” AJ said, looking at Howie. “The girl, she’s whipped him.”

“Tell them the lyrics to the song,” Brian said as I looked at him. “Sing it along with the beat because the beat goes exactly with how you sung the first part before with us and with what you had on my voice mail the other night.”

“The whole thing?” I asked as Brian nodded. I sat down, propping the guitar up in the chair beside me and listened as the poppy sounding music began playing. “I like it,” I said, nodding my head and closed my eyes.

Its 3 am, I can’t sleep
Too late to call this is not like me
But I’m still lifted from the tattoo on the small of your back
The angle of your chin when you were looking back

See, god you’re beautiful and I’m still coming down
I’d like a one-night stand, that had to stick around
But I’m still floating from the perfume you left on my sheets
I haven’t changed a thing since your goodbye to me

Tonight I stare out the window…
Knowing I’ll never again be alone

Last night you changed my life
And I’m stuck in the moment that you kissed me the first time
Last night you saved my life with your love
Saved my life
Last night you saved my life

AJ paused the music and all three of them smiled at me.

“I think I have the other lyrics,” I said, standing up and pacing around the room. “I came up with them today on the flight home.”

“Sing ‘em,” Howie said as I nodded and AJ began playing the music again.

Your fingernails running down my spine
All day I hear your voice like velvet in my mind
It’s like I knew you all my life even though we just met
My children in your eyes, something you don’t expect

“Oh my god,” AJ said, leaning back to stare at me.

I had to stop myself from calling all day long
I’m glad you called me first, I wanted to be strong
But you were laughing ’cause I answered after just one ring
I tried to play it off
But you knew everything

“Then come back with the chorus,” Brian said as I smiled at him. “It’s perfect, Nick.”

“You think?” I asked as Brian walked up to me. I was afraid he was going to punch me until I felt his arms wrap around me, giving me a hug. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I laughed. “I think.” Brian backed away from the hug and patted me on the cheek. “Can we get to work on this so that I can go back to her place?”

“You’re not going back to the hotel?” AJ asked as I smiled. “Ho-ly shit,” he said as I laughed, putting my arm around Brian’s neck and headed inside the recording room.

[/Nick]