[Nick]

I had never seen so much of one city in one day than I did today with Nashville. Karie took me everywhere. We went and had lunch at the Hard Rock café and went everywhere. She took me to the Country Music Hall of Fame, General Jackson, Nashville Zoo, and a few other places. Now we’re sitting in the Ryman Auditorium watching some country singer, forgot his name, sing at the Grand Ole Opry.

I can honestly say that I love Nashville. It reminds me of Central Florida a little and Los Angeles, but it’s full of music, whether it’s rock or country or Christian, it’s full of music. I’m completely worn out but she’s still sitting there, singing along to the song that this guy is performing. I don’t know how she could have so much energy but she does.

“Karie,” I said, leaning over to her. “Do you mind if we leave? I’m tired and this is putting me to sleep.” She laughed, leaning over to look me in the eyes. “So you want to leave me and go to sleep?”

“I don’t want to leave you,” I laughed, pointing at the guy who was singing.

“We can go,” she smiled. “I know him so it’s not like I haven’t seen him before.” I watched her as he stood up and we scooted by the people that we were sitting next to.

“Thanks because I’m all for music but I can only take so much country at a time,” I said, causing her to laugh. We walked out of the Ryman and both stood there, looking around. “You wanna just go to my hotel? It’s right over there.”

“Sure,” she smiled, running quickly across the road and looked back at me.

“What are doing?” I asked, laughing at her. I watched as she took out her cell phone and I shook my head.

“I’m taking a picture of this… a Backstreet Boy in front of the Ryman Auditorium.”

“Don’t put that online.”

“Oh don’t worry,” she laughed. “It’s for my own collection. Where are you staying? The Renaissance?”

“Yeah, it’s just around the corner,” I said, walking across the street to her. “Or do you want to go back to your place?”

“We can go to yours,” she said as we walked up the steep hill in front of the Ryman. We turned the corner, laughing at some drunk guy on the opposite side the street and turned the last corner, finally seeing the front of the hotel. “This is a nice hotel. The paper put me up her when they flew me up here to interview for them.”

“Yeah, I like it,” I said as we walked in. I told her to wait where she was and I walked to the front desk, asking if they could send some champagne up to my room. I don’t know why, but I just felt like having a little bubbly.

“Come on,” I said to her as we walked around the corner to the elevators, hitting my floor. We stood there in the elevator, not saying anything to one another. Of course, I was tired but I’m not sure why she was quiet.

“Here we are,” she said as we walked out of the elevator and I pointed to the left.

“This one,” I said as I took my key card out and unlocked the door. I held the door open for her and prayed that room service had cleaned up my room which they did.

“A suite. Fancy,” she snickered as I tossed my key card on the table. “Are you sharing a room with anybody?”

“Just me,” I said as I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door and room service rolled in a service tray with champagne on it. I looked at Karie who rolled her eyes and I couldn’t help but smile. “Here you go,” I said, tipping the man and shut the door behind him.

“Would you like some champagne, Miss Hamilton?” I said as she nodded. I popped the top on the champagne, pouring some in both glasses before sitting the bottle back in the bucket of ice. “I hope you know I’m not trying to seduce you.”

“Champagne doesn’t make me horny,” she said, causing me to spit champagne out of my mouth. “I like champagne though.”

“I’m glad,” I said, walked over to open up the curtains on the window, letting the city lights light up the room. “So I don’t know if I told you or not,” I said, turning the lights down low in the room, “I had a lot of fun today.”

“Still thinking about getting a place here?” she asked as I nodded. “So what are you doing exactly if you’re not trying to seduce me?” I laughed, walking back to where she was.

“I like doing the lights like this,” I replied, pouring myself more champagne. “It’s relaxing and I’m tired as hell. Besides, you’ve showed me all about you and this is something about me.”

“Honestly, I do this a lot to,” she said as she took her shoes off and walked over, sitting down on the sofa. “Instead of champagne though, I usually have a beer.”

“You know, we have a lot in common,” I said as I took my shoes off and walked over to sit down beside her. “Except you’re an only child, right?” She nodded and I smiled. “And you have a college education and you’re smart as hell.”

“I’m not that smart,” she said, leaning her head back on the sofa and looked over at me. “I’m just good at what I do, I guess. I’m good at certain things, I guess.”

I leaned my head back, looking at her to see her smile. “I like hanging out with you,” she whispered. “I don’t really have many friends here. I’ve been so focused on trying to get my career going so that I can write about the things I want to write about and not what I’m told.”

“Were you told to write about us?” I asked, causing her to smile. She nodded and I chuckled. “I’m glad you wrote about us.”

“God,” Karie muttered, sitting up on the sofa and shaking her head.

“What?” I asked, looking at her. “What’s wrong?” She said nothing. “Karie,” I said, scooting closer to her. She shook her head and looked down at her hands. “Hey, talk to me. You just did a 160 here, man.”

“I don’t want to end today like we ended last night,” she said, moving to sit on her knees and facing me. “I just can’t help it.”

“Can’t help what?” I asked, moving my face closer to hers.

“Nick…”

“What?”

“Nick,” she whispered as our lips were barely touching. “I…

“You what?” I asked, running my fingers through her hair.

“I need to kiss you,” she whispered. I could feel her breath on my lips and to be honest, I could hardly contain myself. “I really need it.”

“Why?” I asked, opening my eyes. She was looking into mine and was about to cry. “Why do you need it?”

“I just need you to kiss me,” she begged. “You don’t have to fuck me, make love to me, or want me, just kiss me, that’s all I –“

Before she could finish her sentence, my lips were on hers. My hands cupped her face and the girl took control of the kiss. I was starting to lose myself in it. Our tongues were slowly wrestling one another until I felt her slowly move away, sucking my bottom lip.

I opened my eyes, seeing that her eyes were still closed.

[/Nick]

[Karie]

I won’t open my eyes. I can’t open my eyes. What if he looks disgusted? What if he’s already ran into his bedroom and shut the door? What if he’s calling security on his phone telling them that some weird girl is in his hotel room?

“Open your eyes,” I heard him whisper against my lips. I felt his lips against mine, kissing me lightly and I finally opened my eyes, seeing him before me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t know what got into me or what’s gotten into me the past two days because I don’t do this stuff,” I said as I stood up and walked away from the sofa. “I don’t get involved with guys and I don’t beg them to kiss me.”

“You didn’t have to beg me,” he laughed.

“This isn’t me,” I tried to explain to him but he smile on his face was driving me crazy. “This isn’t Karie. Karie works hard and does her work and is always dependable.”

“Karie can have a little fun too,” Nick said, standing up and walking towards me.

“I want you,” I whispered as he walked up to me. “I don’t know if you want me and I don’t even care if you do, but I want you and I don’t know why I’m even feeling this way.”

“Because it’s natural,” he said, pushing a strand of hair out of my face.

“You know how I’ve been telling you that I don’t want o go to my high school reunion?” I asked and he nodded. “I wasn’t me in high school,” I said.

“Who were you?” he chuckled.

“Let’s sit back down,” I said as we both walked over to the sofa. I sat there, watching him as his chuckling went away and he looked confused.

“Karie, just talk to me,” Nick said.

“When I was younger, in high school, I was kind of wild and did some bad stuff,” I said as Nick raised his eyebrows. “Like, I had my first kiss at fourteen and as soon as I did I just kind of went wild and was wild –“

“Wild how?” Nick asked as I sighed. “You did drugs?” he asked as I shook my head. “Slept around? Hell, I’m not virgin, so don’t worry about that –“

“I slept around some and my boyfriend let me,” I said as Nick raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “We would switch partners and do it in front of each other. I was like seventeen and doing this stuff, like two guys at a time.”

“A lot of people have threesomes, Karie,” he said as I shook my head.

“And this was the normal stuff I did and my Mom had no idea this stuff was going on until the night of graduation. There was this huge party and things got a little freaky. I didn’t want to do anything and my boyfriend and his best friend kind of made me,” I explained.

“They raped you?” Nick asked as I shook my head.

“I went along with it but the whole time I just kept thinking about if I was going to spend the rest of my life doing that stuff and I didn’t want to,” I said as he shook his head. “I told my Mom that I was raped and we went to the hospital and stuff and I didn’t file any charges because technically, I wasn’t raped. I just told my Mom that. I wanted to be a singer and I left and came up here and tried but ended up going back home and went through this weird depression and finally started college and it was work and class, work and class, work and class because I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life there.”

“That’s why you weren’t you in high school,” Nick said as I nodded. “It’s okay to feel the way you do now though.”

“It’s weird for me because it’s like I’ve become asexual or something, you know? Then I meet you and you make me feel all of these feelings and it takes me back there and I don’t want to be that girl again,” I explained as he laughed. “Nick, it’s not funny.”

“Just because you have these feelings of wanting me, doesn’t mean that you’re going to do the stuff that you used to do,” Nick said as I sighed. “It’s normal to have those feelings.”

“I’m just kind of… I don’t know. This stuff totally turned you off, I know.” I stood up again and walked over, grabbing the champagne bottle. “I just need to go back to being Karie the writer and good girl, you know, the journalist!”

I felt his hands on my shoulders and I sighed, turning around to face him.

“It didn’t turn me off,” he whispered as I tilted my head a little, looking at him. “It just made me understand you a little more.”

“You promise?” I asked as he smiled, moving his lips closer to mine.

“At least I know you’re probably awesome in bed,” he whispered against my lips. I couldn’t help but smile before kissing his lips softly. “But,” he whispered, backing away from the kiss, “I’m not going to show you how much of a man I am tonight.”

“Oh please,” I laughed, rolling my eyes.

“Well, I don’t want to treat you like they did –“

“Why do you want to be with a fat girl?”

“You’re not fat.”

“Fine, pleasantly plump. Why do you want to be with a girl who is pleasantly plump?” I asked, causing him to laugh.

“Honestly?” he said as I nodded. “You’re bigger than most girls who I’m interested in. I won’t lie but it’s a part of what makes you who you are I think.” I looked down at the bottle of champagne, realizing we were almost out. “I’m not going to jump in bed with you though and it’s got nothing to do with the fact that you’re a size 12 –“

“16 actually, well it depends, sometimes I can wear a 14,” I said as he put his finger over my lips.

“Fine, it doesn’t matter if you’re a size 14, 16 or if you’re a size 2. I’m in this weird place in my life right now, you’re in a weird place in your life right now and for once, I just feel like taking things slower than I normally take them,” he said, finishing his sentence from before.

“Slower?” I asked. “What are we taking slower?”

“Every look. Every move,” he said, pushing my body closer to his. “Every kiss. Every touch. Everything.”

“Then I should probably go home,” I whispered, taking a step back, only to stumble into a chair and start laughing. “Maybe I’ve had just a little too much bubbly.”

“You sleep in the bed,” Nick said, taking my hand and helping me up from the chair I stumbled on. “I’ll sleep out here,” he said as I sighed, letting him lead me to the bedroom of the suite. He began turning the cover back on the bed and I slipped my jean skirt off and my top before I realized what I was doing. “Whoa, well okay,” he laughed as I looked down and shrugged my shoulders.

“Sorry,” I said as I put my hands on my hips. “See, I’m not godly overweight,” I laughed, causing him to reach over and grab a t-shirt out of his suitcase.

“Here,” he said, tossing it to me. It dropped on the floor and I leaned over to pick it up. “You have a tattoo?”

“A music note, down on the bottom of my back,” I said, looking back at him.

“Just sleep tight, okay?” he said as I walked over to the bed.

“You didn’t laugh,” I whispered as I climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chest.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink and if you knew you did that in the morning, you’d be horrified,” he chuckled, leaning over to kiss my lips gently. “Listen,” he whispered, looking me in the eyes, “I have a past just like you and I’ve done some things I’m not proud of either. All of that is in the past, okay? That’s what makes us stronger.”

I moved my hand up to his face, feeling his stubble against my skin. “Will you sing something to me?” I whispered as he smiled at me. “I don’t care what you sing, just sing something.”

“Okay,” he said as he sat there for a minute and I closed my eyes. Suddenly he started lightly singing a song, one that I recognized.

I guess this time you’re really leaving
I heard your suitcase say goodbye
And as my broken heart lies bleeding
You say true love it’s suicide

Suddenly I recognized the song and started to smile.

You say you’ve cried a thousand rivers
And now you’re swimming for the shore
You left me drowning in my tears
And you won’t save me anymore

Now I’m praying to God you’ll give me one more chance, girl

I couldn’t help myself. I opened my eyes, looking at him and started singing softly along.

I’ll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I’ll be there for you
I’d live and I’d die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can’t say what a love can do
I’ll be there for you

“That’s my favorite Bon Jovi song,” I whispered to him as he leaned over, kissing me gently on the lips. His lips moved up to my forehead and I smiled.

“’Night Karie,” he said as I told him goodnight. I watched as he grabbed something to change into and he shut the door, leaving it cracked lightly.

I couldn’t believe that I had told Nick what I did. Nobody knew about those things except me and the people involved. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into now but I knew that I was somehow falling for a pop star that I had met only days before. I threw myself at him, telling him my darkest secret – the one that’s been haunting me since the moment I left high school.

There’s a part of me that wants to go to sleep and wake up to find that this has all been a dream.

[/Karie]