~ Chapter 23 ~
The fourth of July dawned sunny and warm. The band and dancers were busy transporting chairs, towels, and coolers down to the lake as everyone else got ready.
Leighanne knocked on Shae's door. When Shae opened it, Leighanne saw she was still in her boxers and t-shirt. "Why aren't you dressed yet?"
Shae bit her lip. "I don't think I can go through with this. It isn't me."
Leighanne came in and shut the door. "You wanted my help and I gave it to you. You aren't backing out now."
"But Leighanne," she protested, "I don't have the body nor the guts for this."
"Stop whining. Gee, you and Nick have a lot more in common than I thought." She grinned at Shae's annoyed expression. "Come on Shae. If you want Nick Carter to show you some interest, you're gonna have to do more than sulk and walk around in these dull clothes. Now put on the clothes I bought you."
"Alright! You win. But if I get one weird look, I'm outta there."
Leighanne smiled. "Trust me. I'll see you downstairs in half an hour."
Shae-Lyn opened the dresser pulled out the shorts Leighanne had bought her. They were the ones that looked like a skirt in front and shorts in the back. They were a soft ice-blue color and went down to her top of her knees. She took out the tank top. Eek. She usually only wore these around the house. It was a nice tank top, long so her stomach didn't stick out. White cotton with a bit of embroidery at the top. She pulled it over her head and looked in the mirror. She had a nice tan thanks to the European sun. The white top showed off her tan nicely. She also noticed that it settled snugly around her breasts. Although there was no visible cleavage, she was sure it would attract attention. 'I don't think I want every male ogling me,' she thought despondently. She pulled the shorts on, but not before putting on a girtle to suck everything in. She eyed herself critically. 'I don't look too bad, actually.' The girtle flattened her stomach and butt. She pulled on some white sandals and groaned as she eyed her hair. 'What to do with this mess?'
Her hair had grown a lot. It was down to the middle of her back. She hadn't cut it since last Winter although she had streaked it blonde before coming to Europe. She grabbed a clip and pinned it up, letting some curls fall to the side. It actually looked good. Satisfied, she added some water proof mascara and she was ready to face Nick. She took a deep breath before walking out of her room.
Nick and the guys were already down by the lake by the time Leighanne, Loreto, Shae showed up. AJ and Howie were racing some of the female dancers. Brian and Nick were sitting on beach chairs talking to different people, and Kevin was playing some game with Tommy. Brian spotted the girls first. "Hey baby," he greeted his girlfriend with a kiss. " 'Bout time you graced us with your presence."
"I was helping Shae. Remember our plan?" she whispered conspirationally.
Brian nodded devilishly. He looked at Shae and let out a low whistle. "Look at you! Don't you look fine!"
Shae blushed a deep red. Nick had his back to them, but turned around when he heard Brian whistle. He glanced at Shae, taking her in from head to toe. His eyes widened. Brian noticed his friend's expression. "Doesn't she look great, Nick?" He prodded his friend.
Nick recovered from his shock. "Yea, you look real nice," he complimented her. "I like the tank top. Looks great with your tan."
Shae felt her insides shaking. "Thanks." Her face was on fire.
Loreto elbowed her. "I bet he likes the tank top," she whispered. "But I don't think it's because of your tan. I think those DD cups of yours is what he thinks looks great with it." She giggled at her own joke.
"Shut up," Shae whispered back.
"Shae?"
Nick's voice made her forgot Loreto's comment. "Yes?"
"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"
Not trusting her voice, she nodded and glanced at Leighanne and Loreto before following him. They were both grinning like a cheshire cats.
They walked down to the pier in silence. Nick was carrying a plastic bag. He sat down, dangling his feet in the water. He was wearing blue shorts and a white wifebeater. She could make out the tattoo on his back. She had never seen it. It was a musical note. She sat down beside him, removed her sandals, and dangled her feet next to his. "What made you get the tattoos?" she asked.
Nick noticed the interest and friendliness in her voice. If this was any other time, he would have told her to mind her own business. But he had to make an effort. "I wanted one for a while now. At first I was too young. Then our old management didn't want me to ruin my clean cut image so they didn't allow it."
"When did you get them done?"
"Back in April. In Tampa."
"Did it hurt?"
"Yea. It did." He grinned sheepishly.
"They look nice on you."
"Thanks," he said shyly. A gentle breeze was blowing, whipping Nick's hair into his eyes. His hair had grown quite a bit since the tour had started and was now a bit below his ears. She watched as he pushed the hair to one side, putting it behind his ear.
They watched as Howie and Aj sped by trying to over take the girls. Kevin had jumped in the water and was trying to get in on the fun. "Looks like Kevin's doing a bit better," Shae commented.
"Yea. Remember that plan we discussed...." he paused. 'That was right before our fight,' he said to himself. 'It's now or never Nick.'
He turned to face her, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Shae, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've said that was mean or hurtful. I didn't mean it. I'm so angry with myself that I take it out on whoever I can. I shouldn't have involved you in my problems nor dumped any on you."
"If you're talking about Gent, I wanted to help you. As for saying what you did, yes, it was mean and hurtful. Not so much your words, Nick. But your actions. They always say actions speak louder than words. When you pulled away from me, I felt your disgust. It cut to the quick. I don't know why you did that. I don't think I deserve to be treated like that because I don't measure up to your standards. I have feelings. You hurt them. The only way I could make myself feel better was to make you feel as miserable as I was. That's why I said what I did."
"I'm really sorry. I feel awful. I'm not a bad guy, Shae. I'm really not. I have so much going on in here," he pointed to his head, "that it's driving me out of my mind. I guess I was afraid that if I was nice to you, you would think that I like you and I didn't want to deal with that."
"That's lame, Carter." She smiled to soften her words.
"Yea, it's lame. I want us to be friends. I like the fact that you're sympathetic and a good listener. And you're observant. You understand a lot about this business. I need a friend like that. But that's all I need, Shae. I hope you understand."
Shae sighed. She understood, but she wanted more. She would have to take his offer of friendship. At the very least she could be friends with him. "I understand, Nick. Truce?" She held out her hand.
He ignored it and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Surprised, she looked at him. "That's for all the bad stuff I've said to you. And this," he handed her the bag, "is a thank you for putting up with my shit."
She opened the bag and peered inside. "Nick! You didn't have to do this!" she exclaimed. She pulled out a new discman and a few CDs including Millennium. "How did you know that I wanted Ricky Martin and the Wild Wild West CD?"
He grinned. "I asked Loreto. After I apologized to her and bought her flowers. Speaking of which, I got you some, too. Orchids. I didn't want them to die so I left them in the kitchen in a vase."
"Oh!" She was speechless. She loved Orchids. Loreto must have told him that also.
"So we're cool?" he asked.
"Yes. Thanks for this, Nick."
They smiled at each other. A truce was formed. Little did they know that trouble was looming not far in the future. The truce they knew would soon be shattered by another revelation. A revelation so powerful, things might never be the same again.
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