[Karie]

Great, I’m walking down the stairs of my apartment about to go out with a Backstreet Boy. Okay, so it’s not a date, I swear! Then why did it take me almost an hour to get ready for it? Why did I take a shower, wash my hair, blow dry it and curl it a little? Why did I change clothes three times before finally settling on a long shimmery black top that’s low in the front, a short jean skirt, and black cowboy boots.

God, I must look like some kind of cowgirl.

I reach my apartment building door and I already see Nick standing by the taxi through the glass. Take a deep breath. I opened the door trying to remember what my mother told me the night I went out on my first date when I was fourteen.

Just don’t do nothin’ stupid!

Just as I thought of that comment, I waved at Nick and almost tripped over my own feet, catching the outgoing mailbox in front of the building so I didn’t bust my ass.

“Hey, new boots?” Nick asked, walking over to me. I looked at him, looking down at the white buttoned up shirt and jeans that he had on. He didn’t look half bad cleaned up. “Karie?”

“No, just, I’m a klutz,” I sighed as I stood up and straightened my skirt. “Thanks for inviting me to this,” I said as I climbed in the back of the taxi and he got in behind me. “I’ve only gotten to go there twice but never for the songwriters stuff.”

“So you know what it’s about?” Nick asked, looking at me.

“Yeah, it’s where songwriters are basically sitting in a circle, talking about songs they’ve written, why they wrote them, and then playing a little of it,” I said as Nick nodded his head. “The Bluebird is a really historic place,” I said as he looked at me again. “Garth Brooks performed there when he was just getting started up here in Nashville. I think everybody’s performed there.”

“You?” he asked, smiling. I shook my head and laughed. “Oh come on, you were pretty good last night.”

“I sing for fun, I told you that,” I said as he sunk down in the seat a little more. “I like writing a lot more. That’s my passion. It just took me longer to find that out.” Nick smiled at me. I saw his eyes move down to my legs and back up to my top. “What?”

“Dressing kind of flirty tonight, are we? You gonna try to find you a man at this place?” he asked, laughing. I rolled my eyes and turned my head. “Hey, we talked about all my girl problems yesterday and I barely know you. I assume you don’t have a boyfriend since you’re going out with me tonight, right?”

“Not at all,” I muttered.

“Did I piss you off?” he asked, sounding confused.

“No,” I sighed. “It’s just that I get really tired of people asking me the whole, you know, when are you getting married or do you have a boyfriend. I get it all the time from my family back home and stuff.”

“I guess that would get annoying,” he said as I nodded.

“Then, my Mom is wanting me to go to this high school reunion so bad and I don’t want to go.”

“Why not? I mean, if I went to high school like a normal kid, I would want to go.”

“Because, I hated myself back then and I don’t want to go there. Plus I’m like the only one who isn’t married with kids or any of that crap, you know? I don’t even have a boyfriend, much less a husband,” I said as I looked at him. “I’m not really looking for all of that. I just found myself and who I want to be and I’m still finding myself in a way.”

“You know, I think I’m trying to find myself too in a way,” Nick said as I smiled. “I get what you’re sayin’.” I smiled, seeing the driver pull up to the Café and my smile grew. “This is it?”

“This is it,” I said as we both got out of the Taxi and I went to give Nick some money for the ride.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already taken care of it,” he said as the cab drove off. I shook my head and kept trying to give him the money as we walked towards the front door of the Café. “Dude, seriously. It’s cool.”

“You’re hard-headed,” I said as he laughed, telling the receptionist his name as we walked in. She walked us to our seat which was in the corner but still had a great view of the performance area. We both sat down and she handed us a menu and I laughed.

“You’ve already ate right?” Nick asked as I nodded, looking at the menu.

“I didn’t eat much though,” I replied. “I can get some cheese sticks or fries or something.” Nick smiled, looking down at the menu, telling the receptionist what he wanted to eat and then telling her to bring an extra set of cheese sticks for me.

“I want a Bud Light to drink,” I said as Nick agreed, giving her his menu. I gave her mine and I watched as he walked away. “Going Bud tonight?”

“Eh,” he shrugged, causing me to laugh. “It doesn’t really matter to me and hey, tomorrow is Saturday so you don’t have to work… wait do you?” I shook my head and smiled. “Sweet, you can get drunk!”

“Nah,” I laughed. “I should probably go to the office but I don’t have anything planned work wise tomorrow. Do you?”

“Nope, Brian’s gone back to Atlanta where he lives until Sunday night. He’s got some church thing, so we’re taking a few days here.” I glared at him and he smiled. “I decided to check out the city some more with my favorite tour guide.”

“Is that my new title now?” I asked as the waitress brought us our drinks. I took a sip of my beer and he laughed. “Better than ‘that journalist chick who thought Howie was Mexican’ I suppose.” He laughed, almost spitting his beer out. “Hey,” I said, seeing people with guitars sitting down in the circle of seats, “I think it’s starting.”

“Sweet,” Nick said, smiling. I couldn’t help but smile back before turning back to watch the songwriters get set up.

For some reason, Nick seems a little different tonight. I can’t really put my finger on it but why do I have a feeling that he is thinking this is a date? Could he really be thinking that or is it my overactive imagination being over imaginative again?

[/Karie]

[Nick]

Sitting across from Karie and watching her as she watched the songwriters sing and talk about their music was almost as amazing as watching the songwriters themselves. She’s serious when she talks about how into music she is. I thought that maybe she was just saying that stuff to me last night, but she was telling the truth.

I’ve never met a girl like that before.

Now that the café performance was over, we decided to leave but where we were going, I have no idea. She told the cab driver something and told me that she was paying for this ride. If she was that adamant about it, then I let her. What do I have to lose?

“Where are we going?” I asked as she turned and smiled at me. Great, she was being mysterious. Was this chick going to take me off and kill me?

“We’re almost there,” she said as I sighed, looking out the window. Suddenly the cab stopped and I got out of the car, looking around. We were at some river. What the hell? Were we going fishing?

“Thanks,” she said, paying the cab driver as he drove off. “So, we’re here,” she said walking up to me.

“And this is?”

“The Riverfront,” she said, pointing at some big stadium across the river. “That’s the stadium were the Titans play over there,” she said as I nodded. She took my hand and started leading me towards the river and I couldn’t hide the confused look on my face.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked as she stopped at a huge rock and looked at me.

“This is where I write,” she said, letting go of my hand.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, looking out at the moonlight and the light from the huge bridge reflecting in the river. “You work here?”

“Not my journalism work,” she said. “Those writers talked about where they went to write and stuff.” I nodded. “This is where I come to write. I come out here and just watch the water sometimes. During the season last year, I would come out her during a game and listen to the crowd cheer and I could hear them way over here.”

“So, you’re telling me you write music?” I laughed. She nodded and smiled. “Let me hear something.”

“I don’t know the stuff off the top of my head and besides,” she said, “I’ve never shown anybody the songs I’ve written.”

“Would you show me?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I asked. She grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Why would you show them to me and not someone else?”

“You’re cool.”

“I’m just cool?”

“Just cool.”

“I’m insanely hot too, aren’t I?” I asked causing her to laugh and look away. Her face suddenly became flushed and I laughed. “You think I’m insanely hot, don’t you?”

“You clean up nice,” she confessed, walking closer to me. The girl was tall and her boots made her completely at eye level with me. “Nick, you know you’re hot, so why are you making me tell you that you’re attractive?”

I smiled, looking her up and down, and looking her back in the eyes.

“And I’m not hot,” she said. “I’m fine with that.” She started to walk away and I grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “Well I’m not,” she said, grabbing my hands and putting them on her waist. I looked down at her waist, moving my hands to her hips and looked back into her eyes. “I’m not your type, so don’t stand here and try to make me think otherwise. “

“Why are you so hard on yourself?” I asked as she laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Your last girlfriend, that I know of, well I’m like four times her,” she said as I laughed. “It’s not funny.”

“She’s skin and bones,” I said as she shook her head. I saw her looking in my eyes and before I knew it, she was moving her lips closer to mine. “Karie,” I said, stopping her. I pushed her away with her hips and turned my back to her. “Fuck.”

“I so need a backspace key in my life,” she hissed, causing me to laugh. I looked over my shoulder to see her with her hands over her face. “The fat girl had to go fuck it up all over again,” she said as she started to walk away from where we were standing.

“Hey, Karie,” I said, walking after her. She wasn’t answering me. “Karie, I’m fine. You were just in the moment, that’s all. You’ve had a few beers, too.”

“I’m not drunk,” she said, stopping. She turned to look at me and her make-up was smeared. For some reason, I felt a huge lump in my throat. Why did I feel like a complete asshole? A dickhead? A stupid mother fucking fuck?

“I didn’t kiss you because I don’t want to –“ I tried to say as she interrupted me.

“I should have just left it at last night,” she said, looking at me. “That was awesome. You’re awesome. I’m just… so freakin’ ordinary and I just, I need to go home.”

“At least let me take you home,” I said as I walked up beside her. I looked up to see the Hard Rock Café and tried to look at her face but she kept turning her head. “Karie, what’s wrong? I know we’re just getting to know one another, but seriously…”

“I try,” she muttered. She stopped walking and stood before me but looked down at our feet the entire time. “I just felt like kissing you,” she whispered, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess I just got the wrong idea out of this even though I was telling myself that it wasn’t a date –“

“It was a date,” I said, interrupting her. “And I had a great time and you’re fucking great and it was just unexpected, that’s all, because I wasn’t expecting it from you.” She sighed and looked me in the eyes. “We’ve both had a few beers and you’re this professional chick and I don’t want to impose on that.”

“It’s not, you know, how I look?”

“You look great tonight,” I said, looking her up and down. “Just let me take you back to your place and we can talk tomorrow, okay?”

“I live right around the corner, two blocks up,” she whispered as I held my arm out for her to hold onto.

My heart was beating out of my chest as we walked in silence towards her apartment building. To be honest, I wasn’t sure why I stopped her from kissing me. I wasn’t the whole professional thing like I told her. The truth is, I don’t know why I stopped her. Hell, it could be my sub conscience stopping her because she’s different than most girls that I’ve met. Maybe it was the weight thing although I don’t think that’s it.

Maybe I just didn’t want to ruin what seemed to be the beginning of a good thing?

As we walked up to her apartment building, she let go of my arm and looked at me, saying nothing.

“We’ll talk tomorrow?” she asked as I nodded. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart,” I said, causing her to snort. “You’ll hear from me before you even miss me.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” she whispered as I nodded and watched her as she walked into her apartment building. I opened my cell phone, calling the taxi company that I had called earlier in the evening.

[/Nick]