When You Look Me in the Eyes

I woke up with my head resting on something really hard. I was warm, so I didn’t move for a minute. I finally realized that I was using Nick’s muscular stomach as a pillow. Ouch much?

I tried to sit up and found that his arms were holding me in a death grip. Looking at the clock, I saw that we really needed to wake up. “Nick.” I shook him gently. “Come on Nicky, wake up, we have to go eat breakfast, before John decides to stop at IHOP again.” He groaned as we both thought of what would happen if Joe and Kendall both had that much sugar. And if they were both cooped up in the bus, with all of us...

I shook him harder. “Nick, wake up NOW!”

“Baby leave me alone...” He needed to GET UP! Wait...

“Did you just call me ‘BABY’?” I asked him incredulously. That got his attention. Kind of.

“What? No, of course I didn’t, what are you talking about Laura?” He rolled over, pulling me with him, his eyes still closed and his arms still around my hips.

“Nick, if you’re not gonna get up, then at least LET GO OF ME!” I practically yelled in his ear.

“Fine,” he grumbled, releasing me. I rubbed my legs where he had been cutting off my circulation, holding onto me like I was his teddy bear.

My feet hit the floor with a thud and I walked into the bathroom to grab a cup of water. I took it back to the bedroom and reached over Nick’s head, letting the water splash on his face.

“HEY!” he spluttered, turning over to glare at me. Apparently it was cold.

“Yes Nicholas?” I asked him sweetly.

“What was that for?” he said, drying his face on his pillow.

“Well, I thought you might want to wake up so that you could have a say in where we go to breakfast, so that we don’t end up anywhere that involves SYRUP.” I emphasized ‘syrup’ by pouring more water on his curly brown hair. His eyes widened as the shock of cold water hit him in the face and then continued to widen at the thought of Joe, cooped up on the bus, anywhere within a mile of the word ‘syrup’. He jumped out of bed.

“JOHN!!!” Nick yelled, running into the lounge in his pajamas, which happened to be blue boxers and mismatched socks. No shirt. I couldn’t help but stare at his perfect muscles.

I laughed at him, back to his normal self. He needed some insulin this morning, before his blood sugar drove him crazy. I looked at him, bouncing up and down in front of John, telling him that he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere that might possibly even contemplate involving anything that even resembled syrup or any type of sugar. Period.

Yea, he needed insulin.

“Nick,” I called, ”come here.” He turned around and looked at me. I motioned to him.

“Yes?” He was using his mad voice.

“Whoa, attitude check babe.” He was never rude. Weird.

“Sorry,” his face softened. I gave him a hug.

“It’s ok. Go get dressed and put on your Omni-pod. Check your blood sugar. I’ll go too and you can help me pick out my outfit today, ok?” Him and Kevin loved to help me with my clothes. The way they dressed me sometimes depended on their mood, so I was slightly scared, but I would deal. It would be fine.

He nodded. “Ok, sure.” His lips brushed lightly across my cheek before he walked into the bedroom to grab clothes. I looked in the mirror and, sure enough, my face was the color of a tomato.

I brushed my teeth and did my hair and make-up, waiting for Nick to help me with my clothes. Not that I needed help, but we liked to coordinate sometimes. Nick walked out of the bedroom, without a shirt on, insulin pump in hand.

“Laura, come here.” I walked over to him.

“Problem Nicky?”

“It doesn’t want to stay put.”

I grabbed his waist and turned him around. My fingers ran lightly over his hips, looking for the spot where it would stick. His hand twitched towards my arm, as if to reach out and touch me, but then he stopped himself.

“Give it,” I demanded. He handed over the Omni-pod and I pressed it against his lower back, where it didn’t move an inch.

“You rock,” he said. I smiled at the compliment.

“Go put on a shirt.” I smacked his butt. Nick grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the closet, pushing aside all of his brothers clothes and the bands. He reached for my performing outfits.

“Hey, I dare you to wear this today.” He grinned, holding up my black sequin dress and my silver scarf, with the red gloves and the black leggings, boots, and jacket. It was my favorite concert outfit and I never wore it except onstage. Never.

“Truth or dare was yesterday dummy.” I smacked his arm this time and he poked me in the stomach, making me giggle.

“Wear it anyway. Or are you scared?”

“Why would I be scared to wear my favorite outfit?”

“That’s what I want to know.”

I made a face, but grabbed the clothes from him and tossed them on the bed. “Fine.” I reached into the closet and pulled out his tuxedo from the White House banquet on Memorial Day. I shoved it in his face. “Here.”

“What?” He exclaimed loudly. I looked at him. “Fine!” He stomped off.

I grabbed my clothes and pulled the leggings on under my lace nightgown. It was really short, so I couldn’t bend over in it without flashing the whole world and it was annoying me. I slipped the dress over my head and then pulled my nightgown out from under that. I had lived on a bus with eight guys for the past 3 months and had learned how to change without it being really embarrassing if one of them walked in on me. It didn’t even bother me to change in front of them anymore. I sat down on the bed and slipped into my boots, pulled on the jacket, wound the scarf around my neck, and tossed the gloves back into the closet; who wears gloves to breakfast?

Nick had his back turned to me and was fixing his bowtie. I reached up and tugged on it. “There you go.”

“Quit it Laura. ”

I moved my hand away from him, my feelings hurt by his tone. I walked to the lounge and sat down on the couch, where Kendall was still asleep.

“HEY!” she yelled at me when I sat on her head. “Move your big butt!”

“Only if you promise to get up and get dressed.”

“Fine, now move!” I stood up and then immediately dropped to the floor next to the couch. I must have looked sad. “What’s wrong?” Kendall asked me, looking at my face.

“Nothing, Nick’s just having a tough day today.” I looked down at my hands, twiddling my thumbs.

“That doesn’t mean that you have to have one too.” She informed me, all-knowing gypsy that she is.

“Yea, but it just kills me that his diabetes affects his life that much. I know he doesn’t want charity, but I just feel so bad for him and I have no idea what to do about it.” I sighed

“Just be nice to him Laura. He’s feeling a little down today,” John said as he walked towards the bathroom, just as Nick came out of it.

“Hey, I heard what you said,” he told me quietly, sitting on the floor next to me.

“I’m gonna go change,” Kendall said, standing up.

“I’m really sorry that I’m in such a bad mood today,” Nick said after Kendall left.

“It’s ok, I understand.” I looked at him cautiously before scooting closer to him and leaning back against the couch. He put his arm around my shoulders and smiled at me.