Oreos for Breakfast: Nick BSB Fiction

Oreos for Breakfast
Chapter 7: On The Road

By The Paperbag Princess and The Pumpkin Coach

What was that noise? There was a ringing, a buzzing… nevermind. Silence. Nick pulled me closer, and I sighed against his chest, drifting back to sleep. I loved sleeping with him, I loved how he wrapped himself around me like a blanket, one leg thrown over mine, like he couldn't be close enough to me.

Fuck.

Moving away from him, I looked over his shoulder to the clock. 6:46. At least I hadn't quite slept through the alarm. He had, there was no sign on his sweet face that he'd actually woken up when he turned it off. Was he like that with all alarms? Was he more used to wake up calls? Did he have a special alarm clock that he took on the road that actually woke him up, or did someone have to come into his room and wake him up every morning? Somehow I imagined that was in Frank's job description. Someone always had to get me up, I hated getting out of bed.

Tomorrow morning it would be Jeremy's voice on the other end of a hotel phone getting me up. Damnit. Even at this terrible hour, I far preferred waking up in Nick's arms. Tomorrow I'd be in a hotel room. Or the bus? Where the hell was I tomorrow? I knew Minneapolis tonight, I wasn't sure beyond that. I'd study our schedule on the flight this afternoon, then I'd be ready to face this tour.

It was the tour of our lives, our one big chance to make it, and all I could think of was staying here in this bed, listening to this man breathe against me. I couldn't do this. He was too young and gorgeous and famous, he would surely forget about me once he went back to his real life, I could not fall in love right now, especially not with him.

Love. Getting ahead of yourself, as usual, Rache. I looked at him, and my heart melted. Maybe not love, but definitely… something. More than just good sex. Sometimes he looked so young, and first thing in the morning was one of them. His hair was sticking straight up, it was still wet when we'd started fooling around last night, and his face was so peaceful as he slept. I missed him already, this week had been a dream, being with him nearly every minute. I almost forgot why I spent so long saying no to him. What kind of fool was I?

He said he wanted to come on tour with me last night. And the other day. He'd said it a few times, he was the one that brought it up. Maybe he meant it. I did. I wanted him around when I had those long drives from city to city, I wanted him to watch every show, and I wanted him in my bed at night. I didn't know what this was, but I didn't want it to end yet. He'd probably get bored when I was working, but he was used to tours, wasn't he? This might even be fun for him, we'd decided last night that he didn't need to bring Frank. He liked being normal, for him it was different and exciting, to not have a bodyguard at every turn.

Maybe this could work. Maybe.

The alarm went off again, and he groaned. "Rache, make it stop…" he whined. Smiling, I leaned over him to switch it off, coming back to his arms. His eyes were open, and he flashed me his best sleepy, sexy smile, running his hands down my back. "Morning," he mumbled, nuzzling my neck.

I was such a sucker for that smile.

"We gotta get up, bunny," I said softly. "We have things to do today, planes to catch." We should have gone to the city last night, even getting up this early, it was going to be a rush to make our flights, between the traffic and getting James and parking my car… but I didn't want to spend our last night in the city. I wanted to spend it here, in my bed. He started kissing my neck, nibbling on my shoulder, and I sighed.

"We can catch a later flight," he pleaded, flipping me over on my back and moving his tongue lower.

"You can," I protested, "but I have to work." But then I whimpered as his tongue carefully circled my nipple. Fuck work.

He stopped what he was doing, looking over at the clock. "We have to have time. I promise, it'll be quick."

Laughing, I stretched my arms above my head. "We have to be in the shower by 7:30, or the whole plan falls apart."

He grinned. "Oh, we can do it twice then!"

I glanced over at Rachel and James in the long line, laughing as she scowled at me. We'd walked into the airport and she'd immediately started bitching, seeing the length of the line for coach, and only two people in the line for first class.

This was right, wasn't it? Mom booked my ticket, it had to be first class. I was so bad at this real life stuff. Usually we just got swept through airports, private security check, Frank pointing me in one direction or another, blah blah blah. There were reasons for that, and I pulled my ballcap lower on my head, glancing around quickly. No one would expect to see me here, right? There would be no mob scene.

At the counter, I handed the guy my license, but told him my fake name. He gave me a funny look, but then my name came up on the computer and he nodded, checking my license again with a raised eyebrow. I picked up the pen lying on the counter. There were going to be autographs soon. "Yes, Mr. Carter, everything's fine. Nervous flyer?"

Mom! God, why did I let her book my ticket? I hated to fly, but did the whole world need to know that? I sighed at him. "I'm fine."

"We'll take good care of you. Are you checking any luggage?"

"No." I pulled my backpack higher on my shoulders. It was pretty full, after Rachel and I had gone shopping, but still just a backpack's worth. I'd left the PlayStation at Rachel's, for the girls. I didn't need it. I hoped I'd go back to that house someday and get to use it again.

Please, please, please, let me go back there. In a few weeks or months, whatever, let me still be with Rachel, let me belong to that house.

"Then let me print out your boarding pass. The first class lounge is right beyond the security gate, perhaps you'd like to wait there?"

I hadn't even thought of that. I wanted to wait with Rachel. I knew listening to her and James talk would distract me from the thought of flying. I hated flying alone, with no one else to talk to. He asked me for an autograph for his niece, and I scribbled one out, not really noticing. I shouldn't wait at the regular gate, who knows how many little girls might be on my flight? But I wanted to wait with Rachel…

The guy handed me my boarding pass and I glanced at his name tag. "Tim. I have friends over there, waiting to check in for the flight to Minneapolis. Can I get them bumped to first class?"

I wasn't entirely stupid all the time. Rachel and James would love me, and I'd get another 20 minutes or so with her. Everyone was happy, thanks to AmEx Platinum. He asked for their names, and I told him, reaching for my wallet. "They're already flying first class, actually." I blinked at him for a minute. They were not. They were just bitching that EMI wouldn't pay for first class. "Yes… arranged this morning, by a Ms. Manueli." He smiled at me. "Why don't you go get them?"

I turned around, but Rachel was already looking at me. We had a two minute conversation where I waved her over, and she rolled her eyes, and I insisted that she come over, and finally she left James with the luggage and came over to me. "What?"

"Who's Ms. Manueli?" I asked her.

"Lola," she answered. "Why?"

"Because she had you and Mr. Packard upgraded to first class," Tim told her. She just looked at him for a minute, then giggled.

"She is so my new best friend! Excellent!"

"Get out of that horrible line and I'll take care of you right away, Ms. Connor," Tim said, and she grinned, then ran back to James. I leaned against the counter, smiling at her. "She's not used to traveling first class, is she?" He asked me, and I laughed.

"No. I'll show her the ropes. You should ask for her autograph, she's in a band, too. Sudden Silence. They'll be big soon, you'll thank me later."

He did just that when she and James came back, lugging their suitcases. One each. I don't know how they did it, I always had like four or five. Then again, I never carried my own luggage anymore. Checked in, boarding passes in hand, we breezed through security and found the first class lounge. Rachel and James tried to be cool, but I could tell they were totally excited. "Bet Jeremy didn't get to fly first class," Rachel snickered, taking a seat next to the windows. I sat next to her, dropping my backpack next to us.

"Darien!" James suddenly remembered, and they looked at each other, worried. They were supposed to meet him at the gate.

"Beat ya to it, man," Darien said, dropping into a chair across from us. "You shoulda got here earlier, the drinks are free. Hey! Stephanie!"

A pretty waitress came over to us with a smile. Obviously Darien had been here for a while. "Yes, Darien?"

"These are my friends. Is it noon yet?"

"No, only 11:15."

I checked my boarding pass. Twenty minutes, and I had to be on the plane. I took Rachel's hand as Darien got us all Bloody Marys. "We need to toast Ms. Lola, we love her. Hey! It's the Backstreet Boy!" He exclaimed, suddenly noticing me. His eyes got wider as he noticed we were holding hands, and he shot Rachel a look.

"What?" She asked. "You thought I'd be able to resist him for any longer?" He laughed, holding out a hand to her, and they high-fived. I relaxed. Two band members down. Darien smiled at me.

"Are you coming, too?"

Rachel answered. "He just followed me home, can I keep him, huh?" She teased, making all of us laugh. "He's sooooo cute! Look at that face!" She kissed me quickly, grinning. Yeah, I'd be her puppy, I'd be whatever she wanted. "Seriously, D, that's the plan. You gonna be the swing vote?"

Bands were much better with an odd number of members. Never a tie. Darien considered Rachel and I for a moment. "Do you need my vote? He's here now."

"Oh, no, he's going off to be with his family for a couple of days. He'll catch up with us after I talk to Jeremy." She let go of my hand, leaning towards Darien. "Have you talked to him recently? Tell me he's hooked up with some new cutie, so he won't be on my case about mine."

James caught my eye, raising an eyebrow. Now I'm her 'cutie'? Our drinks arrived and Darien proposed a toast. "To Ms. Lola, our most excellent tour manager." We clinked glasses, and after taking a sip, Darien shook his head at Rachel. "Haven't talked to him, don't know. But he's gonna freak, Rache, you know that."

"I know," she sighed, settling back against me, her drink in one hand. "I would, too. But…" she didn't finish her sentence, looking into her glass.

"But it's stupid to live your life worrying about what Jeremy thinks, Rache," James said, and I looked over at him. Was James sticking up for me? "Jeremy has got to realize that you have your own life. If the rest of the band doesn't care if Nick comes with us, Jeremy is gonna have to suck up and fucking deal."

"Is this gonna be weird?" I asked. "Is this like, breaking a band rule or something?"

They all laughed. "Hell, we had significant others in the van with us, bunny," Rachel smiled at me. "No, it's just Jeremy being jealous. On a tour bus, we'll have lots of space, he has no reason to freak out besides jealousy."

"And freak he will," Darien warned again, and James waved him off.

"He'll get over it. Nick plays Pounce, D." Darien looked at me, interested. Pounce was the card game James and Rachel had taught me the other night. It was something like solitaire where you played off each other's cards. But it was really just a great opportunity to hurl insults at your best friends. "Better than that, he sucks," James finished. I did suck. It was still fun.

"Then he is so coming with. Dudes! We'll get to play on the bus! No stupid ass van." He grinned at James and Rachel, and they grinned back. They were collectively too cute, so excited about this tour. When was the last time I was excited about a tour? When we got our own jet for the Black and Blue promo tour. That was pretty cool… but flying first class was normal to me, sharing a bus with the band would just suck.

Rachel was leaning forward, talking to James and Darien, and I stroked her hair, making her look back at me with a smile. "What, bunny?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. You're just so cute sometimes."

She sat back, next to me, letting James and Darien talk. "I am not the cute one. I'm the wanton sex goddess."

I kissed her forehead. "Sometimes you're cute." I held her to me for a second, breathing her in. She was lots of things, cute and funny and sexy and smart.

She moved away, looking at me seriously. "If you come, there is going to be lots of time with my band."

I thought about that for a second. That'd be okay. Besides Jeremy, I think that James and Darien kinda liked me. At least they went along with it because Rachel did. It was nice to be sitting here with them just being… normal.

I nodded. "They can kick my ass at Pounce."

"And N*Sync Uno!" Excited again, she turned back to the boys, grabbing her bag. "Dudes, look at this! N*Sync has Uno!" She'd bought that at the mall last week, and forgotten about it until last night when she was packing. I got the impression they played a lot of card games on the road to pass the time.

"Nicky, why don't you have Uno?" James teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"Because we like to think we have an ounce of integrity?"

"Integrity does not pay the bills, man," Darien chimed in, looking at the cards. "When we have Uno, I get to be yellow. What's the mean nasty evil color? That has to be Jeremy."

That made all of us laugh. Did they all hate Jeremy? Why was he in the band, then? I'd never gotten the full story from Rachel… and I wasn't getting it now, the nice Stephanie approached our group to tell us my flight was boarding in about ten minutes. How did she know what flight I was on? My buddy Tim probably told her. She had that autograph look in her eyes, too.

I hated flying. It was just a few hours to Florida, right? Everything would be fine, right?

Rachel kissed my cheek, and I looked at her, startled. I'd gotten so caught up in worrying I almost forgot she was here. She stood up, offering me her hand. "I'll walk you to your gate. Watch my stuff, guys?" James and Darien looked up from their discussion of the rules of Uno and barely nodded.

"James!"

Her voice was curt, startling both James and I and his head snapped to attention. That was the voice she used with the nieces. "Watch her." She nodded to her guitar case and James laughed at her.

"I know. I know, no one touches her, no one opens her, I got it, Rache. How long have I known you?"

"Just checking," she smiled interlacing her fingers in mine and turning around.

Wait. I'd seen the inside of that guitar case… it was full of guys names and numbers. How many were in Minneapolis? Hell, even AJ had signed it. Without thinking I let go of her hand and grabbed the case, quickly opening it as she hollered after me and James and Darien burst into hysterical laughter. I found her silver pen and autographed the inside and then added my email address and cell phone number.

She came up behind me and threw her arms around my neck, hoisting herself up on my back to peer over my shoulder. "Just in case you were tempted by any of the others, Rache." I whispered and she smiled, kissing my cheek playfully.

"As if! Come on, you're gonna miss your flight!"

"See you soon, Nick," James called as Rachel pulled me toward the door, and I smiled.

"I'll be practicing Pounce, I'm gonna kick your ass."

Darien snickered. "Watch out for your girlfriend, she is the Pounce master. Later, dude."

"Later." I grabbed my bag and followed Rachel to the door. I got waylaid by a few autographs, but we were out the door in a minute, back into the crowds. We started down the hall to my gate, then she dragged me into an empty space. It was a corridor to offices or something, but no one was around, and she kissed me deeply, moaning lightly when I pulled her into my arms. What was I going to do without her for the next few days? I'd gotten spoiled, she hadn't been out of my sight for about two weeks. We kissed for a moment, then she stepped away with a sigh.

"Is that you? Tampa?"

I hadn't even heard the announcement. "I guess."

Smiling, she kissed me again. "You really hate flying, don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes." Did it show?

"You're gonna be fine, bunny. Call me when you land."

"You too." What if something happened to her plane? That would be worse, god, if… stop it, Carter. Everything is going to be fine. She hugged me, leaning her head against my chest.

"I will. Have fun with your family."

"Have fun with your tour. You're gonna be so great, Rache. I can't wait until I get to see you onstage again." I started to stroke her hair, but she moved away, taking my hand and leading me towards the gate.

"I'll talk to Jeremy soon, and we'll figure out when you can come."

"The first show is tomorrow, right? I could be there." We both knew that wasn't happening, and she laughed.

"Yeah, and your mom will hate me. I've had the golden child enough, I'm sure. We'll talk later, figure out a time."

We were at my gate, and they were already boarding first class passengers. She kissed me again, trying to be quick, but I wouldn't let her go, wrapping my arms around her, loving how she melted against my body. I didn't want to let her go, I didn't know when I'd see her again. I was just going to see my family, I knew that mom would want to talk about AJ, and know about Rachel, and I didn't know what to say about either of them. "Let me go, sweetie," she whispered, and I did, sighing.

She stepped away with a smile, waving at me to go. "You'll be fine, and we'll talk soon. I have very good vibes about this plane, it'll be a great flight."

"Call me when you land. Promise."

"Promise, bunny. Now go, or you'll have to board with the heathens in coach."

Laughing, I turned around. She was still there, smiling at me, when I walked through the door to the plane.

I should just walk away, right? But I couldn't. I stood there at the window, grinning stupidly at his plane. I didn't even know where he was sitting. Probably the other side of the plane. He was probably chatting up the stewardess already. Was he? Oh god, it didn't even last five minutes and he was already flirting with another girl. When he got to Tampa there would be all those fans that followed him and…

Jesus, Rache! Stop it.

He's probably sitting in his cushy first class seat trying not to panic. I smiled at the thought. He'd told me he was a nervous flyer, I'd have to get one of the other boys to spill the beans and tell me embarrassing Nick stories. I bet when he was 14 and flying all over Europe, he was insufferable.

Hell, he was probably insufferable now.

That's okay, I'd listen to him whine in my ear during a long plane ride. Yeah. That'd be okay.

His plane backed away from the gate and like a dork, I waved at it. Jesus. I was so fuckin' crushed out it was pathetic. Jeremy was so gonna tease me about all this.

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