Chasing our Fate

I danced around Nick’s house with a light box of his bedroom things. After a few weeks of renovations, painting the rooms the proper colors, (with the help of his mother) picking out furniture, all that was left to do was to put all the loose items in their proper places. I laughed as Nick grunted with a heavy box of his records, struggling to get up the stairs. I smiled at the color of the bathroom, dark blue, and gunmetal grey as I put bottles under the sink. Teenage Dream’s electro-pop, dance tunes blared through his massive speaker system that he had installed throughout the house. His neighbors weren’t close so he could blast music as loud as he wanted, I was quickly falling in love with the house, especially with the upgrades he made.

“Babe, come down stairs and take a break,” I heard when the music was cut off, “the pizza’s here.”

I hopped to the intercom, excited to use it again. Every time you wanted to talk to someone, you could choose the specific room or the entire house and it paused the music for you. The control on the wall resembled the first version of an IPad with a touch screen and could control the entire house, from the lights, the security system, the air conditioner, the heater, to even the televisions. He had one installed in almost every room. Luckily, there were locks that controlled who could use them and when. I was jealous because my dad wouldn’t even have them installed in our mansion back in Chicago, he was too old school for high-tech gadgets.

“Kay!” I replied and giddily ran down the stairs to meet him. Dodging boxes and misplaced furniture, I finally found him in the kitchen setting up a little romantic display for us on the island (his dining room tables had not come in yet). I grinned from ear to ear as I admired his work. He had placed paper and plastic ware out in two perfect plate settings next to each other, paying attention that the fork and knife were on the right side and a napkin. The brand-new chrome barstools matched the chocolate wood cabinets and the state of the art stainless steel refrigerator. I laughed at the size because there was no way it would ever be completely full. Nick didn’t drink anything but vitamin water, tea, coffee or plain water, including his daily Starbucks runs. As for eating, he ate a lot healthier when he was home. Grilled chicken, fish and many vegetables was what he mainly consumed. Occasionally, he’ll have a steak and a few other unhealthy foods. He was practically a garbage disposal if I didn’t watch his diet, he could (and has) eaten entire pizza pies by himself. Most of the time he ate out if I wasn’t there to cook, so I wasn’t expecting much use out of the gorgeous refrigerator.

“Aww,” I cooed as I sat down. Nick smiled shyly and placed two wine glasses down next two us.

“So…” Nick began as he bought out a wine bottle to my surprise, “I know how much you liked your wine, and I know how you quit drinking, but I’m sure you miss it. So, I got this as a replacement, and I thought this would make our dinner a little more special.”

He placed the bottle of non-alcoholic red wine in my hands, waiting for my response.

“I love it!” I decided, “It’s perfect…for us.”

I gave him a bear hug and caught him secretly sighing in relief. It made me wonder who he convinced to buy it for him because you still had to be 21 to buy it.

Nick quickly opened the bottle and even, surprisingly poured it correctly into the glass too. I was impressed. Next, his struck a match and lit the single candle he must have picked up and lowered the lights in the kitchen to dim. Once again, “Come in from the Cold” by Marc Broussard played in the background, completing the romantic setting. Even though we were eating the local pizza joint’s pizza and we were eating on paper plates, I felt just as special if we were in a fancy restaurant.

Nick held out a glass to me and held his out to toast.

“To…being an adult, and hopefully learning how to cook in the future…I have this amazing kitchen and I want to be able to woo you in it with my awesome cooking instead of takeout,” Nick laughed.

“It would be a shame to let it just go unused,” I replied, “don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of days to cook together. To…growing up…together…and new experiences. Trust me, you’re going to flip out the moment you find out that this is your place and you’re all alone.”

“Well, not for long…Elvis is moving in tomorrow,” Nick replied as we toasted our glasses,

“It’s going to be weird having my own mailbox…and bills coming in them…but I like it. I like the idea of living on my own and truly having responsibilities. You’ve been this way since you were sixteen and I’m a honestly a little jealous. But, now I get to be all adult-ish like you are.”
I laughed as I bit into my supreme pizza. “Okay…are you sure you can handle it? It takes a lot to be an adult…you’d actually have to go grocery shopping for groceries and not game day snacks you know? Don’t forget, you also have to dust and keep your plants watered.”
Nick playfully shoved me, taking out another piece of pizza. “Hey, give me a chance first…meaning you can’t do anything for me for a while. I wouldn’t mind if you cooked when you here though.”

“You’d starve if I didn’t…besides, you don’t even have any pots or pans yet,” I reminded him,

“Let alone many dishes.”

“Yeah…I realize that,” he replied, “but, I’m working on it. It’s part of being an adult.”

I shook my head and laughed. Nick was adorable, but he had no idea what he was in for. Living alone can either drive you crazy or break you down. I hated being alone, but I got used to it once I realized I could do what ever I wanted with no one to judge, even if that meant dancing around my apartment in my underwear.

“Okay…how about we work on my bedroom?” Nick suggested as he slipped the rest of the pizza in the fridge and cleared our eating area.

“Meet you there,” I called after him, making my way upstairs.

Nick’s room was one of my favorite rooms in the house, mainly because of it’s largeness and open space. The ceilings were higher than the rest of the house and light wood floors covered the area. We added a large soft rug to cozy it up a bit and I was planning on add some curtains to the tall windows behind his king sized bed. Boxes of clothes were stacked neatly in a corner while boxes lined the opposite wall. I began with a box of books and unpacked them on a bookshelf next to his desk. After a few minutes, Nick arrived with yet another box. He had completely underestimated how much stuff he owned.

“So, I think getting my room, the bathrooms, and the music room set up should be our priorities tonight,” He decided.

“Okay, hey I was thinking we could move your shoes and coats to the smaller closet so it’ll free up some space in your main closet,” I replied to him. Nick had two full walk-in closets in his room, assumingly for a husband and a wife (the husband having the smaller closet of course).

“Um…I already kind of had an idea for that closet,” he explained.

“Oh, okay…what are you thinking?” I asked, “Maybe just a storage place for your suitcases or something?”

“No…clothes…just not my clothes,” Nick replied with a smile,” Come sit down honey.”

“Okay…” I replied, gaining suspicion, “What’s up?”

Nick’s chocolate brown eyes met mine as he took my hands in his.

“So…with this move and everything…it’s got me thinking…even though we haven’t even had our one-year anniversary yet, I feel like it’s been so much longer. I can’t even remember not being with you. I know that this move was a big thing for the both of us and it’s going to have an affect on our relationship. But, I don’t think it will be a negative one. Look, we’ve made it past this summer and I feel like we can make it past anything. I promised myself I’d spend as much time as I can with you and I will…but, I just feel like we’re closer than just visits. I want us to be more. So…I was thinking…you’re still going to be flying back and forth from here and Chicago and…well…I was thinking that instead of crashing at your parents place, you could have a more permanent place to stay….here…with me.” Nick paused to read my slightly shocked reaction. “It’ll be great you know…You won’t have to live out of a suitcase because you could keep a smaller wardrobe here too…you have enough clothes to do that. We’ll talk to your parents if you want to and don’t worry, I’ll make sure Elvis doesn’t get to your shoes. So…what do you think?”

I hesitated to reply, not sure, if it could work out. I was fine with the idea, I actually loved it, but I was more worried about his parents than mine. Nick smiled shyly, expecting an answer.

“I don’t know…honestly…Nick, you were so against couples moving in together before marriage. I mean…technically, I wouldn’t be living with you because when I did stay it would only be a few days. However, it’s still the idea of us living together in general…I don’t think you’re ready for that…it’s sweet of you to offer though. But, you need to have this experience by yourself…in the future, on the other hand…I definitely know that we’ll be ready for that big of a commitment to each other. Besides…how would your parents feel about his?”

Nick sighed, “I decided that I didn’t need their approval. I am an adult, therefore I could make my own decisions…unfortunately, they don’t always go how I plan…but I think I understand what you’re saying. If it means anything…that closet will always be available…you know, if you change your mind.”

I couldn’t help but smile, as I pulled him into a hug. Nick quickly responded by tackling me on his bed, causing me to fall on my back. He nuzzled into my neck and began tickling my sides as I tried and failed to contain my giggles. I escaped from his grasp and ran away, his deeper chuckles mixed with mine, echoing throughout the house. Just as I thought I had lost him in the music room, he popped out of nowhere and picked me up by the waist, hoisting me over his shoulder. My butt was promptly put on display as I hung upside down.

“If you fart, you’re dead,” I threatened him. I assumed a giant smirk was on his face as he sashayed through the house, showing off how easily he could carry me. I turned my head away from his butt, I didn’t need or want to be that close to it.

“Oooh, and I did just have Mexican food for lunch,” he replied smugly.

I squealed and yelled for him to put me down, knowing he had no intentions to listen to me. Despite the unfortunate situation I was in, I couldn’t help but smile. I loved that pompous, pretentious, and sarcastic man-child. He either was going to be the end of me or the father of my children.

<->

“Be careful…” I warned Stevvie as she shifted downward. We sat peacefully on a part of my roof. It was a place Stevvie discovered where you could see a view of the city perfectly, if you looked up, even with the bright lights, it was dark enough for the sky to fill with stars. I had a feeling I was going to be spending a lot of time out there, it was the perfect place to separate yourself from the world and clear your head. I felt philosophical as I let my mind wander. The topic it continued to circle around was Stevvie…specifically our future.

“So…what is the plan for this month?” Stevvie asked as she looked out.

I sighed and scratched my head, trying to recall what was going to happen. “Well…for the month of September…you’ll be still in school, with the gang…and I’ll be here, recording the new Jonas Brothers album with my brother.”

“…you’re turning 20 in two weeks…any plans for that?”

I smiled and pulled her closer to me. “Yep…spending the day with you…I don’t care what we do…I just want to be with you.”

“Would you be apposed to a little get together?” she suggested.

I smiled and shook my head. “No parties though…I’m only turning 20.”

“I never said it was going to be a party…a get together is totally different,” she argued playfully.

“As long as there is nothing big or flashy…got it?” I compromised with her, “and not a lot of people…close family friends are enough.”

“You know I’m not big and flashy…and crowds aren’t my thing…” she reminded me. “as long as you treat my birthday the same.”

I smirked and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know if I can keep that promise…all I got you for your birthday last year was a Build-a-bear…I have to make up for it.”

Stevvie bumped me, causing me to barely even move. “I’m going to miss you.”

Stevvie looked away, knowing that our temporary bliss was about to be interrupted. In October we would be going back on tour to complete the South American leg of the tour. After that, November was dedicated to school and December was all about the Administration.

“So…this is goodbye?” she muttered.

I sighed, and finally decided a kiss would only suffice. She barely kissed me back at first, until I soften my kiss, causing her to melt into my arms.

“Never goodbye…just a see you later,” I whispered.