[Karie]

I didn’t have my first kiss until I was fourteen and it was at my cousin’s Sweet Sixteen birthday party and held it at the football field. It was pretty cool and after the partying was winding down, the guy I liked took me under the bleachers and asked me out before kissing me.

It was a horrible kiss.

It was a French kiss and I had no idea how to do that. I felt his tongue in my mouth but after practicing a few minutes, I got the hang of it.

I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good kisser. It’s my favorite part of being with a guy and I don’t just try to kiss anybody anymore. I guess that’s why when Nick backed away from me, I freaked out a little. I wasn’t planning on kissing him but it just came out in me. I felt comfortable with him and I was just in the moment.

I feel bad for freaking out on him but I think he understood where I was coming from. I just hope that I wasn’t pushing a issue on him when he had no intention of ever kissing me or anything of the sort. I mean, he did say that it was a date so at least I don’t feel like such a complete idiot.

Okay, now I hear someone walking around in my apartment.

I climbed out of bed, seeing my oldest cat, Scarlett, asleep on the foot of my bed. I walked up to my door, cracking it open. I suddenly smelled food being cooked and knew who was there.

“Karie, are you up?” I heard my mother ask as I sighed, opening my door more and walking out of my bedroom. “You slept late today.”

“What time is it?” I asked, looking at the time on my DVD Recorder. Great, it was past noon. “I just, just tired,” I said, pushing my hair out of my face. I walked over to my laptop that was set up on the dining room table and opened it up. I had left it on when I left to go out with Nick and never turned it off.

“Well I had to go to the store so I figured I would come over and cook you something to eat,” my mother said as I smiled, seeing I had an email from Nick. I opened the email and leaned closer to the monitor, reading it.

Karie, Karie, Karie….

Listen… I just got back to my hotel room and I was doing some thinking while I was waiting for the cab to come pick me up outside your place and then we got stuck in traffic so I had plenty of thinking time. I feel bad for what happened tonight because I felt like it was my fault you know. It’s nothing to do with you or your weight or anything like that and I know girls are sensitive about that stuff but it’s nothing to do that with that. It’s just surprising how you tell me things you know. You lead me to a bar and I find you singing. You take me to the spot where you write to tell me you write songs.

Hopefully we can hang out tomorrow. I don’t even know your number. I lost your card. We’ve hung out twice and we’ve only emailed. How crazy is that?

See you tomorrow,

Nick

“Are you even listening to anything I’ve said?” I heard my mom say as I jumped and looked at her. “Did I startle you? What are you reading?”

“Nothing,” I said, closing my laptop and looked at her. “Mama, can I ask you a question?”

“What?” she asked, bringing me some orange juice.

“Do I need to try to lose some weight?” I asked as she looked at me as if she were confused. “Like, have I gained any weight since we moved up here?”

“If anything you’ve lost some because you work your ass off,” she said as I nodded. “No, you don’t need to go on a diet. You’re fine the way you are.” I sighed, taking a sip of orange juice. “Why are you asking that kind of question, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” I said, taking another big sip of orange juice. “I need to go shower and get dressed.” I stood up and watched my mother walk into the kitchen. “What are you doing today?” I asked as she shrugged.

I walked into my bedroom, shutting the door and sighed.

I walked out of my bathroom in my bra and panties. I had already blow dryed my hair after washing it and all I needed now was to put on a little bit of make-up and get dressed. I could get my mother out of my apartment and sit and wait for Nick to come.

What the hell was wrong with me?!? Wait for a guy to come see me?

How low had I sunk?

“Don’t worry Karie, I’ll get it!” I heard my mother yell. I froze. Was someone at my door?

“Shit!” I muttered, grabbing my white robe and tossing it on. I opened my bedroom door as I tied the robe around me and my mother was pale as a ghost. “Mama, what did you say?” I asked, looking over to see Nick walk in. “Fuck,” I hissed.

“Karie, Nick Carter is here to see you!” my mother exclaimed. I closed my eyes and heard Nick laugh. “Nick, I am such a big fan of the Backstreet Boys,” she started to say as I put my hands over my face.

“I’m a big fan of your daughter,” Nick said as my mother quickly turned around to look at me. “She didn’t tell you last night at dinner that we went out afterwards?”

“Karie!” she yelled. I moved my hands from my face and glared at them. “You told me you were going to get me an autographed picture, not get me a son-in-law!”

“Mama!” I yelled, causing Nick to crack up laughing. “Seriously Mama, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Oh it is,” she said, looking back at Nick. “Karie was always school and work and never had much of a love life…”

“Mama, seriously,” I grunted as I walked out and grabbed her arm. “Nick, just sit down. My Mama is coming in here with me.” Nick nodded, knowing I was pissed off. I practically dragged my mother in my bedroom and shut the door, looking at her.

“Karie, why didn’t you tell me about Nick?” she asked as I glared at her.

“Because there’s nothing to tell and besides, I knew you would act just like this,” I explained. “We went to this songwriters thing last night, that’s it.”

“And he’s coming over to your apartment now?”

“This is the first time he’s been here! I’m an adult, Mama!” I said. “I told you that I didn’t want to leave you in Florida alone but that you couldn’t run my life up here.” I walked into my closet, finding a top to wear and tried not to look at her because I knew she was upset with me.

“It just surprised me, that’s all,” she said as I walked out of the closet wearing black t-shirt with a weird white and pink design on it. I slipped on a pair of dark jeans. “Is this why you asked me if you needed to lose weight, Karie?”

“I’m not talking about this with you,” I said, looking at myself in the mirror. “I look like crap,” I hissed as she walked into my closet, pulling out a girly looking blue top that could pass for a sundress if I was brave enough to wear it that way.

“Put this on with some shorts or a jean skirt,” she said, handing it to me. “He should like you the way you are.”

“It’s not like that, Mama,” I said, taking the top off. I put on the top she was holding and walked back into the closet to change my jeans.

“And I’m not dumb,” she said as I looked to see her walking out of my room. I sighed, slipping on a jean skirt, different than the one I wore the night before. I looked in the mirror and sighed. The outfit did look kind of cute and she was right. I didn’t need to try to dress up to impress him.

After putting on a little bit of foundation to even up my skin tone on my face, I put on a little eye makeup and lip gloss. God only knew what my mother was outside telling Nick. She probably was telling him about the first time I had my period.

“I like Howie and Kevin, but I always liked you too,” my mother said to Nick as I opened my door. I couldn’t believe she was turning into a fangirl on him. “I was just telling Nick about the time I went to their concert with my sister.”

“I told you she was a big fan,” I said as I glared at my mother.

“I should probably get going,” my mother said, telling Nick that it was nice to meet him.

“Well it was a nice surprise to meet you too,” Nick said as I smiled, walking my mother to the door.

“Don’t give it up so easily,” my mother whispered as I gasped, practically pushing her out the door.

“I’ll call you later, Mama, love you,” I said, shutting the door and thanking God that she was gone. “Nick,” I said as he stood up, laughing, “I am so sorry you were subjected to a fifty-year-old teenybopper.”

“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I wasn’t even sure if you were up. I didn’t get a reply to the e-mail –“

“Yeah, I just woke up not long ago and didn’t get time to reply because she was here,” I said as I looked down at what I was wearing. “So what do you want to do today?”

“Show me around Nashville,” he said as I smiled. “Let’s just go out and have some fun.”

I nodded. “Okay, let me go change,” I said as I saw him shaking his head. “What?”

“Just put some shoes on unless you want to go barefooted,” he said as I looked down. “You look cute. There’s no need to dress up,” he said, looking down at what he had on. “I’m just in an old t-shirt and jeans.”

“Okay,” I smiled, turning to go back in my bedroom. I grabbed a comfortable pair of flats, quickly put some perfume on and walked back out of my bedroom door. “Ready to see all of Music City?” I asked as he smiled, holding his arm out for me to hold onto.

[/Karie]