Never Again

Denise was the first to greet me. “Rose!” She said, blinking with a surprised smile. She stood and strolled over to where her son and I stood, pulling me into a gentle hug. Her warm voice whispered quietly into my ear, “It’s so good have you back.” As we pulled away, she placed her hands on my shoulders, staring at me intently. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

“Thanks Denise,” I said, feeling very awkward. A certain Jonas brother had yet to take his eyes off of me. I shifted my weight to my other leg, glancing back at Nick in a desperate SOS tactic. Noticing my plea, he stepped forward.

“I saw Rose in the lobby.” Nick lied to his family, smiling a little in my direction. I wanted to smack him over the head for his ploy; lying wasn’t very becoming on him. “So I figured we could maybe hang out a little?” He asked of his parents, throwing them an award winning smile.

Paul Jonas turned to us, “Well it‘s lovely to see you again, Rose. How‘ve you been?” He asked me. A small smile played on his lips and I shrugged as casually as I could.

“Good,” I answered with a smile. “Really good.”

“That’s great,” he said. He turned to his son, “Nicholas what were you doing down in the lobby at this late hour?” Nick shrugged and leaned against the wall. I envied his acting skills; the boy had talent.

“I just needed to get out.” Nick answered. “The hotel’s a little stuffy.”

I wanted to roll my eyes: their suite was enormous. The living area was larger than my entire apartment, with four doors exiting off to different rooms and areas. It was decorated in a luxurious gold and warm shades of brown. With so much free space I didn’t understand how he got away with it.

“Okay.” Paul said. “Rose, how long are you staying for?”

“Oh. Well, I-”

“Well, her apartment’s like way over town,” interjected Nick quickly. “And it’s late.”

“Yes it is late,” Denise humoured her son, eyes twinkling.

“Sooooo, I figured she could stay the night. We could catch up.” Nick grinned at his parents, watching their faces closely. After five seconds, Denise nodded and yawned.

“You’re more than welcome to,” she said, fighting back another. She stood as did Paul, leaving me and the three brothers alone. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Boys, you have an interview tomorrow, don’t forget.” And with that the two Jonas parents left, leaving myself smack bang in the middle of two old friends and an old flame.

Kevin smiled over at me as the door to his parents’ bedroom clicked shut. “You look amazing.” He said, grinning. “Love the shirt.”

I rolled my eyes. “Your brother’s already reminded me that you bought it,” I said, stroking the soft flannel material of my shirt. “So!” I said as brightly as I could, trying to get over the awkwardness. Noticing this, Nick stepped forward, grabbing my arm.
“Want to watch a film?” Nick asked me deftly, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. I wanted to hug him there and then, how many times had he come to rescue in the last ten minutes? But, then again, he had been the one to guilt trip me into this situation.

I nodded, trying to appear eager so I had an excuse for wanting to leave in a hurry. “Sure, sounds great!” I felt my palms begin to sweat a little - those hazel eyes had yet to stop gazing at my face. Under the scrutiny I was uncomfortable, and was immensely pleased when Nick bid a quick goodnight to his brothers, pulling me in the direction of one of the doors. But my hope shattered when he spoke.

“Rose?”

Nick stopped as did I. I couldn’t not speak to him, it would be immensely impolite. And, seeing as the two brothers didn’t know the full story… I bit my lip, drawing a small trickle of blood and turned.

“Yes, Joe?” I turned and saw him gazing at me, a small confused pout on his face.

“What were you doing in the hotel anyway?” He asked me, catching me off guard. Nick opened his mouth to speak but before he could I blurted out the biggest lie I’d ever told in my life.

And as soon as the words were out I instantly regretted them. Not only for the immensely ridiculous scenario I’d placed myself in, but for the look that flashed across Joe’s face.

“I was visiting my boyfriend.”