Never Again

It had taken three long hours for Taylor Swift to gush about her wedding dress ideas. She wanted a long, flowing dress, no straps, no veil, no neckline, no ruffles, no over-the-top layers, no detail but intricate patterns, a shimmer material, no frills or lace, something that was practically stain-free. Throughout the entire thing I scribbled down her orders on a piece of paper before bidding her goodbye. As she flounced from the boutique I turned to Jennifer. “Holy-”

She cut me off from swearing. Jennifer hated foul language. “Tell me about it,” she sighed. “Did you manage to get all that down?” She asked me, stepping out from behind the counter to where I stood with my planner.

“As far as I know.” I stared down at the notes a little dazed. “…she’s asking for the impossible.”

“Not exactly.” Jennifer argued, smiling at me. “You’re amazing at designing dresses, Rose. You’ll be able to do it. Believe in yourself.”

I smiled and set down my planner. “Well I’ve definitely never designed anything so… demanding.” I turned to my seamstress. “Ignore what she said, Janice. You’re the best in the business.”

The middle-aged woman turned to me and offered me a lazy grin. “Thank you for the flattery, Rose sweetheart. That girl’s a handful isn’t she?” I agreed in my head. “You don’t have to accept y’know Rose. You can turn it down.”

“I know.” I said simply. Believe me, I wanted to. I weighed my options up in my head before coming to a conclusion. “It’s one dress. It’s a high profile wedding. It’ll give me another kick-start. And Jan, I know you were only scheduled in for one fitting, but will be able to do the Fanning one?”

“For Dakota? Of course!” cried Janice. “The girl’s a sweetheart. I’d be happy to. Now, drinks anyone?” I smiled and nodded as she bustled out of the store, Jennifer quickly placing her order with the older woman. “Be back ASAP.”

As Janice left I collapsed into the chair by the doorway. The boutique was decorated beautifully in a pale shimmering pearl that denoted the flowing material of wedding dresses. Trailing up the walls were black and grey stencilled roses that curled prettily over the framed wedding photographs. On the cash register sat a bouquet of white lilies that were replaced every three to four days. It was exactly how I’d always imagined it to be. “I should probably start brainstorming for Swift’s dress.” I stood and walked through the curtain that separated the store to the fitting room and stock area. I had a small office located in the far back where I kept information on all of my designs. Unlocking the door with my keys I slumped into the chair, allowing a frown to mar my face. I was to design Joe’s fiancé’s dress? For a split second I felt as though I couldn’t breathe.

I shook of the slight feeling of dread. I had to remain professional even though I could feel the heartbreak ebb in my chest. I had to remain professional. This was work. Not high school.

“Oh forget it,” I mumbled, laying my head against the table, my cheek feeling the cool wooden surface. “Who am I kidding?”

XXX

At seven-thirty that evening I waved goodbye to Dakota and her PA Molly Addis. Dakota was ridiculously sweet and courteous, she was a star. The dress looked simply amazing on her, but it needed a few alterations on the height and bust. Other than that she looked like an angel. Closing up the shop I waved goodbye to Jennifer and Janice. Janice lived back in New Jersey with an hour long commute. Jennifer shared an apartment with her boyfriend down near Queens.

Shivering in the city’s cold air I pulled my jacket around my body and my mind flitted back to Taylor’s greeting to me earlier that day.

“You’re Rose Fletcher? The Rose Fletcher?” She asked, eyes looking me up and down.
With a cool stare I nodded and she scoffed. “You’re a designer yet you leave the house dressed like that? I’m not sure I’ve come to the right place.

I glanced at my attire. The Bowie shirt had a small coffee stain and the jeans were clean on. I shrugged. “I like my outfit, thank you.” I countered. “Besides, it’s not a fashion shoot, it’s work.”

“Clearly,” mumbled Taylor. “So where are your dresses?” She asked, searching the room. “The nice ones that don’t look appalling.”

Shaking away the memory I took one glance at the boutique before crossing the street, avoiding a yellow cab that zoomed past at an alarming speed. I wandered the streets, deciding against the subway. I wanted to think and if I could prolong my commute then I would. There was also the high possibility of stepping into Walgreens to pick up some things. Heading towards Times Square’s busy streets I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out I stared at the screen, my brow puckering.

Private Number Calling.

Hitting the answer button I held the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Rose?” asked a familiar voice that I recognised instantly.

“Nick?”

“Rose! Seriously, please don’t put the phone down-” He instructed as I wavered on what to do. I had no problem with Nick. “Just.. Wow.”

“What’s ‘wow’ Nick?”

“Nothing… I just expected you to put the phone down is all.”

I smiled lightly. Nick sounded beyond relieved. “No worries. I didn’t expect you to call.” I told him, handing some cash over to the man at the drink stand, taking my lemon iced tea. “Why are you calling?” I asked, mildly curious.

“I just wanted to see if you were okay?”

“Nick, that sounded more like a question.” I laughed a little and carried on with my route home. “But I’m fine thanks. How’re you? And... everyone else?”

“They’re good.” Nick said happily into the speaker. “Mom and Dad are with Frankie back home. We’re in New York.” He said.

“You’re in the Big Apple?” I asked him, checking the road before crossing it with dozens of other people.

“Yeah. And you’re crossing the street.” Nick said, startling me. I looked up, from left to right before safely making my way across the street. “…you can see me?”

“Yep.” said Nick simply. “I like your shirt. Didn’t we buy it you for your sixteenth birthday?”

I nodded, knowing that he could see me. “Nick… I’m not into the whole stalker business, seriously, where are you?” And suddenly there was a tap on my shoulder. Spinning around I jumped as Nick Jonas stood in front of me. I refrained from calling out his name in the midst of the crowds, and he pulled me into a hug.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him quietly, pulling him to the side of the street, narrowly avoiding a comedy club rep. “Why don’t you have anyone with you? Security for instance? You’re seventeen-years-old and you could get mobbed, stabbed!”

He rolled his eyes and smiled. “Nice to see you too,” he joked, eyes shining. “But I was hoping to catch you actually. I was going to wait by the boutique but that could’ve made things more awkward.” At my blank look he elaborated: “Taylor.”

“Oh,” I said dumbly. “Yeah. She swung by. But that doesn’t explain why you’re playing stalker one-oh-one on me.”

Nick sighed, running a hand through his mop of tightly wound curls. “Know any places we can eat… in private?”

“Not in Times Square.” I answered, pulling him into a walk. He pulled out a beanie hat from his pocket and stuffed it on his head. “Nice try.” I said, rolling my eyes at his lame disguise. “There’s a place near my apartment. It’s usually pretty quiet. Cheap, too.”

“I’ll pay.” Nick said.

I rolled my eyes again. “You Jonases and your chivalry. It’s about twenty blocks. You sure you’re up to the trek?”

“Sure. I’ll get the subway back to the hotel later.”

“Nu-uh.” I said, glowering at him slightly in a maternal manner. “I am not letting you walk back by yourself. And you’re not getting a death cab or the subway. You don’t know what sort of people travel on them at night. I’ll drive you.”

“No one drives in New York City,” commented Nick, digging his hands in his pockets. I smiled at his naivety and we fell into a comfortable silence, Nick trying to blend into the crowd as I tapped on my bottled tea. After fifteen minutes of silence we finally ended up at the small café that stayed open til late in the morning. We slipped inside, Nick taking off his coat, keeping the knit hat over his unruly curls.

I unbuttoned my jacket and took a seat, Nick parking himself in the seat across. He pulled his wallet as a waitress slipped over towards us. “What can I get you?” She asked in her thick east coast accent.

“Two diet cokes,” I answered, getting a nod of approval from Nick.

“I’ll be right back,” she said before scuttling off.

“This quiet enough for you?” I asked the third Jonas brother as I glanced around. The only other occupants of the café were an elderly couple and a mother and her two toddlers.

“It’s a greasy spoon.” Nick smiled. “I’ve not been to one of these in years.” He admitted, picking up a plastic menu and scanning it. “Burger, definitely.” He decided, handing it to me.

“Pizza.” I finalised, placing it back. I stared at him and he stared back. “What’re you doing here, Nick? Really?”

“I wanted to talk,” Nick told me. “I mean… you just left, Rose. Not just Joe. All of us. I was getting used to having you back.” He smiled a little. “And we miss you. Even Joe. Frank won’t stop asking when you’re coming back. I don’t think he understands…”

“And you do?” I asked him as the waitress returned with our cokes. We thanked her and ordered our food. As she left again I stared at him expectantly.

“Not all of it. It’s not really all of my business.”
I admired his maturity as I sipped my drink, Nick had always been the most polite of all his brothers. I smiled at him in gratitude.

“Thank you, Nicky.”

“You’re welcome, Rosie.”

“…that’s not all of it though. What’s the rest?”

“I know you know about Taylor and Joe. And I want to say sorry because it’s gonna be a blow to you. Don’t deny it, Rose. I know it will. I’m not that much younger than you and I’m pretty mature for my age. But… it’s not all that great.”

“Oh really?” I argued. “Joe’s dating a beautiful, successful Disney girl. She’s great for him. How could she not be?”

Nick sighed and chose his words carefully. “….Taylor and Joe. It’s difficult.” I waited for him to carry on. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s… they’re not…. I don’t how I can see it without saying it outright.”

“Well… why don’t you just spit it out?” I asked him.

Nick shook his head. “Can’t. Contract. It refrains me from speaking of the inner works of Disney and the record company.”

“I’m not going to lie.” I said slowly, “I’m a little confused.”

“I get that.” Nick laughed a little and smiled somewhat. “Just don’t believe everything the press say. It’s a…. public wedding.” He said, emphasising the second to last word. I frowned and Nick shrugged as our food was placed in front of us. “Just… trust me on this, okay?”
As I looked up from my pizza I nodded, still feeling confused as I dined with Nick.

“Okay.”