Star Struck (3/?)
“Well that’s always comforting. I almost dated a girl once that I’m not even joking you there was a poster on every inch of every wall of her apartment, it was really kind of freaky.” He shook his head for a minute before opening the driver’s side door. “Did you want help inside or would you like to walk?”
“I think I can walk.” I responded as I looked at him opening the door slowly as I did before crawling out despite the fact that I hurt and hurt didn’t even really begin to explain the pain. Finally managing to stand up straight I let out a sigh. “Alright, Alright, you’re right I’m in no shape to be at work.” I sighed not wanting to admit that I was had been wrong, but he was right, I had to give him that didn’t I?
“Now you’re getting it. Now you go crawl in bed, will the beast let me take him for a walk?”
“Might or might not, but if you open the back door he’ll go out in the back yard. Make yourself at home, if watching yourself bothers you then you can turn the DVD player off I’m sure there’s something on TV.” I responded managing to make it to the top of the stairs before I waited on him, fiddling with the key in the door. I could hear Gage inside having a fit.
“Actually oddly enough, I can watch it, it doesn’t really bother me. There are days where I look at it and go did I really do that? It’s really a very strange thing sometimes. I’ve seen most of them other than the new season though, so it’s not so odd for me. I’m more curious though as to how you look at it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I opened the door. “Hush up you big baby, come on lets get you outside.” I said attempting to move towards the back door but was quickly beat there by Nicholas instead. Gage stopped and looked at him leaning out to sniff him he let out a tiny growl.
“Oh hush up.” I said shaking my head as I watched the dog move out the back door. Pulling it shut once he was outside Nicholas moved back over to the living room. The house wasn’t a sprawling mansion or anything, but for what I needed it was large enough. Downstairs there was a kitchen, living room, guest room and a small bathroom, while upstairs also had a living room, my room and a rather nice sized bathroom. “How do I look at it?” I asked moving towards the stairs. “Depends on which one we’re talking about. Some of them I enjoy, some of them I despise, some of them I think are true, some of them I sympathize with you, others I want to scream at you, and there are others yet that I do yell at the TV. You’re welcome to come on up if you’d like, or there’s a bed in the guest room, or there’s a couch down here, there’s one upstairs too if you’re interested.” I took the first step and realized that that was a bad idea.
“Here let me give you a hand upstairs and then I’ll settle in somewhere.” Before I could protest he had already scooped me up and was headed up the stairs. “So does the mutt always give that warm of a welcome or am I just an exception?”
“He’s not real big on men. He’s been abused, and the vet thought there was a good chance that he’d been fought once or twice, but not enough to make him mean or anything.” I shrugged as I looked at him. “In fact I wouldn’t feel at all uncomfortable leaving you alone with him, he’ll growl but he’s never bit anyone.”
“I’ve got a golden lab at home, she’s a good girl, and she spends the majority of her time outside unless I’m home, and I don’t like leaving her outside but I can’t leave her inside with some of the days I pull shooting.” He sighed and shook his head setting me down on my feet at the top of the stairs.
“Well as long as she’s good with other dogs, you could drop here off here in the morning and let her play with Gage. They say he’s been fought before but I’ve never had trouble with him with other dogs. I think if anything he was a dog that they brought in to be chewed on by the more vicious dogs because he’s a big baby. After all I’ll be home all day this week, since I don’t have to be to work, so then she wouldn’t have to be alone outside during the day.”
“I will definitely consider that. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind someone to keep her company; you should see her when she gets to go to the studio with me, that’s the best thing for her. She doesn’t know what to do then, who to go and see first. Now go to bed, you look exhausted but then again that could just be the pain medications they gave you too. I’ll be in to wake you up in about half an hour to make sure you’re going to wake up.”
“Why am I going to sleep for half an hour?” I asked looking at him for a minute. The truth was, as silly as it seemed I was almost afraid that if I went to sleep, I’d wake up and find that all of this was just a dream, that he would be gone and I’d find that I’d gotten my hopes up for nothing.
“Because you have a concussion, remember?” He asked as he looked at me offering a small smile, his dimples beginning to show as he did.(describe) “In other words I’ll be in to make sure you haven’t slipped into a coma or anything like that.”
“Well thank you.” I responded a little more sarcastically than I had meant. The thought of it not being over with though scared me, in fact it did more than scare me, and it sent chills up my spine.
“Alright maybe that was a little more nonchalant then I intended for it to be.” Nicholas answered quirking an eyebrow (describe) “You’re going to be fine, they wouldn’t have released you if you weren’t. Would you feel better if we found something on TV to watch and you fell asleep that way?”
“”Yea I guess it kind of would.” I responded offering a small shrug. “Would you mind if it was CSI?”
“You mean you can actually fall asleep with that on?”
“Yea, I know it seems kinda morbid but I’ve always figured it was because it was like being with friends and you know you’re safe. There’s a few of them that I just cant watch but mostly, yea. Nicholas?”
“Call me Nick. You were going to ask something though.”
“Why did you stay?” I moved towards the couch sinking into it as I did, I couldn’t figure out which hurt more, standing or sitting, it was in fact obvious to see that there was no comfortable position to be found though. ”I mean I know you said I reminded you of your sister but once you knew I was ok, once you knew everything was going to be fine, why did you stay?”
“I told you, a part of me thought I was falling for you.” He responded moving to sit with me on the couch. “And then there was the other part of me that never really leaves work and wanted to figure out what happened to you. More than anything though, I saw a girl who needed a friend, I didn’t know anything about you other than what we talked about at the bar. I didn’t even know if you had family here in town to call, the least I could do was be there when you woke up so that you didn’t wake up alone.”
“I have a grand father in the area, but I’d rather die alone than listen to him drunk and thinking he knows everything.” I sighed, settling back against the couch cushions. “I cant stand being around him. When I first moved out here, I lived with him but after about 6 weeks of that I found a place of my own. The rest of my family is scattered around the country but no ones within about a five state radius.”
“Get some sleep Stephanie, you’re going to need it if you’re going to start feeling better.” Grabbing the remote off the coffee table he turned the TV on, reaching for the DVD remote he turned it on as well. “Ahhhh yes, the episode we did with Kevin Federline.”
“This is one of my favorites actually.” I responded pulling my knees up in front of me curling up against the side of the couch as I did. I was beginning to have trouble holding my eye lids open though, I supposed that wasn’t a bad thing since I had seen this one at least four times before.
“I don’t mind this one either.” He responded looking at me raising an eye brow. “Do you have a cat?”
“Yea, a pair of them in fact.”
“ Well this one kind of looks like a baby mountain lion.” I wasn’t really sure his eyes could get much wider than they were right now. “Can you really call that a cat?”
“That’s Simba then.” I said with a small yawn. “He’s friendly, probably headed for his food dish and yes I can call it a cat. Nala’s just a kitten still, so don’t be surprised if she hops up in your lap to cuddle.”
“Alright I will keep that in mind.” He leaned over pressing the play button before he got up, “Be back in a minute, I’m going to go let the pooch in.” He said heading for the stairs again. I didn’t make it until he came back up the stairs because I had already managed to fall asleep. He was right, I was exhausted.
The next thing I knew it felt like the couch was beginning to shake me. “Stephanie?” His voice sounded almost velvety as he spoke. (describe better). “Come on Stephanie, time to wake up.”
“What time is it?” I somehow managed to mumble cracking an eye to look at him to make sure that I wasn’t just imaging this. Yet, there he was standing there in all of his wonderful beautiful glory. It was obvious that I had been asleep longer than the half an hour that he said he’d wake me up in because it was obvious he had run home and took a shower and gotten changed as well.
“Oh about 5, figured you could get up, shower, we can go get your car, tell the ass hole that you’re not going to be there for a couple of nights and then we can grab something to eat. Unless you just want to call him and tell him that you wont be there and then I can make something for you and we can go get your car later on tonight.” He reached up running a hand through his hair, which was still damp, as he looked at me. “And I hope you don’t mind but Maverick came to visit as well, she’s down playing with Gage right now.”
“No that’s fine.” I responded offering a small smile as I looked at him, “and if you hand me the phone I’ll make the call.” I couldn’t help but laugh as Gage and what I assumed to be Maverick came running up the stairs together. “Well at least they get along well together.”
Nick laughed softly as he watched the two of them shaking his head before he picked the phone up off its base bringing it over to the couch as he did. “I’m going to go and investigate the kitchen and see what’s down there for food.”
“K,” I managed before dialing the phone waiting on Johnny to pick up. Once he did I filled him in on what was going on, and he also decided it was best that I not come in that week. Personally I was pretty sure that he was just glad I wasn’t going to sue him for any of the repercussions of anything that had happened. Hanging up the phone I set my feet back on the floor, carefully pushing myself up to my feet I sighed as I did, it hurt, but I was going to get used to that, I would not sit here all day for the next week.
Once I managed to get to my feet, I set the phone back on the base before heading for the stairs. Getting there I stopped at the top looking down them as I did. That was when it hit me; I sat down at the top of the stairs carefully sliding down each one as I did until I was at the bottom. “Well if only that worked as well on the way back up.” I said with a small sigh.
“What was that?” Nick asked poking his head back into the living room area for a minute before his face looked horror stricken. “Are you alright? You didn’t fall did you?” He asked quickly moving to my side as he did kneeling down before me as he did.
“No, no, I didn’t fall.” I said offering a small smile as I looked at him. “I just figured sliding down the stairs was the easiest way to get down the stairs that’s all. Now if only it worked to get back up them too.” I laughed lightly as I looked at him but it was easy to tell he wasn’t seeing the humor in it. “Come on smile for me, I’m fine, honest.” I sighed watching him as I did. “Besides what are you doing here still, shouldn’t you be at work or something?”
“No, they didn’t need me on set today. I can leave if you want me to.” He stood up starting to head up the stairs to get the dog as he did.
“No, no I didn’t mean that.” I responded forcing myself back up to my feet as I did. “I just, I guess I’m a little surprised that you’re still here is all.”
“I’m wondering how you live on what’s in the kitchen, what do you do order out most of the time?” He asked looking at me shaking his head as he did. “I think we need to take you on a grocery shopping trip.”
“I’m not home enough to eat, I eat on my way to work in the morning. Pop tarts, it’s called breakfast, lunch I normally eat while I’m at the first job, dinner I tend to eat while I’m at the bar, but it depends on the day. Sometimes I actually get out of work long enough to run somewhere and pick up dinner. I don’t cook well though, so it’s rare that I eat actual food.”
“I’ll teach you, now granted I don’t eat a whole lot of home cooked food but I wouldn’t mind teaching you and being your guinea pig. We can take a run through the grocery store when we get your car, and we can start tomorrow when I get done on the set.” Nick shrugged as he looked at me for a moment and then stepped down the last four steps, taking them two steps at a time. “Because god knows that you need to start eating real food. Pop tarts do not constitute as breakfast, and while you eating a real lunch is a start in the right direction, you’re still going to have to eat a real dinner or else you’re going to start getting sick.”
“You know you’re starting to sound like you really are my boyfriend.” I responded crossing my arms across my chest as I looked at him which caused him to chuckle as he gazed back.
“Yea, about that.” Nick responded reaching a hand around to the back of his head to run a hand through his hair. “I’ve been thinking about that since you went to sleep, in fact I’ve been thinking about you for awhile now. I know we just met, I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but I do and I was kind of wondering, you don’t have to use the term girlfriend if it’s too early for that but would you consider it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked at him, part of me didn’t believe that this was happening, it was sure that I was still upstairs asleep and soon I would wake up from this dream to find that it had all been a horrible nightmare. Not that seeing him was a nightmare; oh no it was the exact opposite, in fact.
“I’ll take that as a no I guess, I’m starting to think that this was a really bad idea, just let me get the dog and then I’ll be gone. I’m sorry.” He turned to head back for the stairs to head up them.
Grabbing hold of his arm, I prayed that he didn’t pull away, because if he did then he would be gone for the rest of my life, because there was no way I could hold him back, and I couldn’t live with that. “Please, don’t, it’s not wrong. I’m the one who should be sorry; I didn’t mean to make you feel like you were feeling something that you shouldn’t be. It’s just; you don’t know how long now I’ve wanted to hear those words that I’ve wished you’d say them. I just, I guess I didn’t believe I was hearing them really. But yes, I would consider that, I would beyond consider that, in fact I would consider it enough that I would put it into motion.”
“Really?” Watching his face I couldn’t help but smile watching it light up like a Christmas tree. “You’d really consider seeing me? You’d really learn to deal with me not being around much because I’m taping. God though, when I am around, I promise you’ll be the one and only priority I have.”
“Let’s not go that far.” I responded shaking my head as I looked at him. “I don’t want to be anyone’s priority; I merely want someone who’s going to be my best friend through everything I go through. Someone who’s going to let me rant for simply no reason at all even if it means I’m ranting just to rant.”
“I think we can manage something like that.” Nick responded as he looked at me. “Now come on, let’s get some food in this house, get your car and then I’ll give you your first lesson, chicken catchatori. I promise it’s no harder than making spaghetti but it tastes a lot better.”
“Can we run and get the car first? I can hardly walk right now, and I’m sure that I hardly look presentable at this point. I mean I can go if you insist but,” I couldn’t help but trail off, after all I wasn’t even really sure the end of the sentence.
“No, no it’s fine. You can bring your car back here and I’ll run to the store. I guess I wasn’t thinking about it really, I forget that despite the fact that you’re still just a s beautiful as you used to be you’re still in pain and you probably don’t feel like doing much. You can still learn though, I wont make you do anything, we’ll start you off easy.”
“That’s a plan I can work with.” I offered a smile as I looked at him “So do you only do Italian or are you a master of all types of food?” I started to move to grab my purse from where I’d hung it up in the entry way on my way in sliding my shoes on since I’d left them there as well.
Following after me Nick laughed softly. “I do a lot of different types of things. However, this is one of my favorites, and it’s rather simple so it seems perfect for your first lesson. So what plans did you have for tonight?”
“I don’t actually have any plans, I would normally just be getting up and getting ready for work, but when I actually get a night off, I try to find a Tigers game on that I can actually watch and settle in to that. It was something that my father and I shared before I left, and now it’s one of those things that makes me feel like I’m back home again. Its not so much that I miss it, there wasn’t a lot to do around there, but it’s home, and I wouldn’t mind going back sometime I guess.” The truth was it was where I wanted to be, but yet there was something about here, that just wouldn’t let me go, and now I had him, that was a defining factor, I wouldn’t go home, because the chances of losing him were far too great that way.
“I’m sure eventually you could manage to go home to visit if that’s what you really want to do. As for a Tiger’s game, I’m sure somewhere there’s probably one on tonight. Ya ready to go?” He asked as he looked at me. “Oh and by the way, the mountain lion had been fed twice now, and the mini has had a really great nap.” He shook his head as he looked at me. “You’re sure you can call that thing a cat? How does he chase mice at that size? I mean, don’t the mice out run him or something?”
“Don’t you make fun of poor Simba, he catches mice just fine, and no they don’t out run him. I’m not so sure that I can date you if you can’t leave my poor cat alone. As for am I ready? The answer is yes.” Pulling the door open and stepping outside the cooling evening air hit me in the face, compared to the days on this side of the country, the nights were mostly bearable, the way they used to be back home.
“So what actually brought you out here?” Nick asked pulling the door shut behind himself as he did. “Did you want to act? Model? Dreams of being a singer? There’s so much about you that I just don’t know.” Who was he fooling? There was a lot about each of us that the other didn’t know, I didn’t regret my decision to tell him that I would in fact date him, but there as a lot about each other we were eventually going to have to learn.
“I needed out of the little town I was living in, I’ve always wanted to sing and with grandpa out here and he complained that none of the family was out here, it seemed like the right choice. Just a little while after I started living with him though, I realized what a horrible decision it had been. He hated having someone living with him and I realized it was time to get a place of my own or go home. I hadn’t lived here long enough to find out if I had lived to my potential or not so I moved into an apartment and met my ex, and well you know the story from there.” I responded opening the passenger’s side door and crawling in.
“Mhm, and you write your own lyrics? Or at least that’s what I gathered from what you said last night at the bar. Do you write about anything in particular or is it just whatever hits you at a certain point in time?” There was something about the way that he asked that made me understand that he wasn’t asking just to ask, he really wanted to know, he was really curious.
“I write most of my own, yes. I started out as a story writer, I write about whatever strikes me as a good idea, I can hear something on the radio and it’ll trigger a good story idea or something like that. I then decided to take a try at dabbling in poetry and that lead to song writing. I’ve never shared my ideas with anyone though, that was supposed to be the first but it just doesn’t seem right yet.” I let out a small sigh, that was true there was something about it that wasn’t sitting right with me just yet.