Summer Lovin'

The next week and a half went pretty uneventful. Marley was swamped at the store, and we didn't have time to talk, so I just stayed home rather than get trampled by crazy locals who thought they absolutely needed a pair of sunglasses or sunscreen right that second. I didn't hear from Nick lately, so I just didn't bother with it. I figured he must be surfing or something.

Mom and Dad don't give me the light of day anymore. Either Dad has some business thing to take care of all day, or he's out with Mr. Jonas. And Mom sure as hell barely gives me any attention anymore. She's either shopping with Mrs. Jonas, doing some type of work related thing, or just "too tired" to even speak to me.

And right now, my best friend Addie is really mad at me because I haven't called her back or anything since we arrived here, so she refuses to answer my calls or texts.

So I'm stuck in my room, on the computer, doing absolutely nothing, and just on Facebook talking to all of my other friends back home. And they're really boring because we don't have much to talk about since I'm not home.

If I were back home, I'd be with my best friend and all my other friends at a party, dancing with all of them having a great time. Or I'd even be shopping for all I know. Bottom line: I'd actually be doing something other than sitting in my room on my computer. I haven't even sspoken to them since the day I hung out with Nick.

It's times like these when I wish I had a sibling. I've always wanted an older brother. You know, the type of brother who doesn't fight with you, and he's really overprotective, and it sometimes gets annoying but you don't care because you love him and you know he's just looking out for you. The type of brother you can do almost anything with.

But no, my parents decided that I was enough and didn't want any more kids. That they didn't even think about my future boredom.

Whatever, I guess being an only child has its perks. Being able to have a ton of presents on Christmas and birthdays, and not having to fight with your sibling all the time. Not having to guy Amy extra gifts, or have someone bug you all the time. Getting more attention from your parents.

It's great, being an only child.

Some of the time.

"Nahla! Come here please!"

I shut my laptop, sighing a little when I heard my father's stern voice break the silence through the air. What could he possibly want? "Where are you?"

"In our room!" My mom answered, and I walked over to their room.

"Yes?" I asked, not bothering to step beyond the door.

"Go get ready. We're having dinner at the Jonas's tonight." My father instructed, looking in the mirror to compare the two shirts in his hands. He's put one up to his neck, stare for a minute, then put the other one up. Frankly, they both looked the same to me, but whatever. Whatever floats his boat I guess.

My stomach flipped a little when I remembered that Nick was part of the Jonas family. At least I'll have someone to talk to I guess. "Yes, Father."

&&SL

"Daniel! Anne! So good to see you again! Oh good, you brought Nahla with you!"

I gave Marley's best friend's mom a polite smile and stepped in the really big house right behind my mom. The house was very elegant, more modern though. The furniture was brand new, a light look to the house. The woodwork was expensive, a very dark wood that matched perfectly with it's furniture. And the walls to match even more. Everything was spotless, and anyone could tell they had a maid. That they had a lot of money. The whole house looked like a beach house, and it was, but it looked more like a perminate home than a vacation house.

"Honey, Nick is upstairs if you'd like to go up and see him." Mrs. Jonas smiled at me, causing all the parents to stare at me.

My mom was giving me the 'You better go up there or else' look. So I gave Mrs. Jonas a nod with a forced smile.

"Great! His room is just upstairs and the third door on your right."

I gave the parents a wave, knowing it was useless when they all had their backs turned towards me as they walked into the living room, already in deep conversation. I made my way up the grand staircase, looking at all the pictures of family that hung on the walls. The boys were cute when they were little.

I followed Mrs. Jonas's instructions, slowly walking down the hall as I continued to look at the pictures that hung on the wall. I thought Kevin had the cutest pictures when he was younger. His curly hair was just to die for. I thought Joe looked Chinese in his pictures, but he still looked absolutely adorable, and Nick was just flat out the best looking in his pictures. His face was even flawless then.

A strum of a guitar caught my attention, slowly drawing me towards the beautiful sound. The strumming continued, and I made my way over to a room on the left side. I peeked behind the door that was cracked open slightly, inhaling a little when I saw a figure with very curly brown hair sitting on a bed with his back towards me. He was humming softly, saying the words here and there, a beautiful voice to match the flawless guitar playing.

It was...Kevin.

I leaned forward a little more so I could get a better listen, but the door quickly rushed forward, creaking loudly as I fell to the floor. The strumming stopped immediately, followed by a small scream.

I scrambled to my feet, my cheeks hot with humiliation. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that. I was just trying to listen bur the door opened to quickly! I'm so sorry!"

A few moments passed, and I wondered if Kevin could hear how loud my thumping heart was. My eyes were glued to my shoes, and I was barely breathing. "I'm so sorry…." I managed to choke out one last time.

"Wait...Nahla?"

I only gave him a nod.

He chuckled, causing me to look up in confusion. "Nahla, don't be so embarrassed. It's alright. I don't mind if you were listening."

I swallowed hard, my heart still thumping. "I shouldn't have been listening. You were in your room and it's your privacy." My eyes quickly caught sight of my shoes again. Right now, they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Hot arms snaked around my body quickly, causing my heart to skip a beat. "Nahla, it's perfectly okay that you were listening. I wanted someone to hear it."

I looked up, seeing a handsome boy smiling at me. His smile made my heart melt. "Really?"

He nodded, his smile getting a little bigger. "Really. It's something I've been workin on lately. Do you want to hear the rest?"

I nodded, biting my lip so I could keep myself from smiling so much. He lead me over to his large bed, sitting me down in the middle and went to grab his guitar.

He sat in front of me, a smile dancing on his lips. "Okay, Nahla, this is something I've been working on for a little while now, and I want your honest oppinion when I'm done, alright?"

I nodded quickly, giving him a huge smile since I was so excited to hear what he came up with.

He took a deep breath, starting to strum a half a second later, and the air was soon filled with soft music.

His eyebrows were scrunched up, looking as if he were to forget how to play the song all of a sudden, but his eyes showed a different story. His hazel eyes had light shining through them, knowing he wasn't going to forget the song. They were gorgeous eyes, a look of happiness dancing in the them as they sparkled.

"What'd you think?"

I shook my head, realizing I was staring and gave him the biggest smile I could. "That was amazing, Kevin!"

His cheeks tinted pink with a shy smile to match. "Really?"

"Scout's honor." I smiled, holding up two fingers. "That was seriously amazing, Kevin. You have real talent."

"Thanks." He smiled, and gave me a small nudge. "But not as much as you. You're ten times better than me."

My ears were hot, and I knew I was blushing. "Thanks, but that's a lie. You're way better."

"N-"

The door slammed open then, and a figure quickly appeared in its place. A figure with a thin, muscular body, brown curly hair, warm chocolate brown eyes, and a flawless face.

"Hey, Kevin?" The boy asked, his eyes veering towards me. "Nahla!" His lips played a smile without showing his teeth, and his eyes lit up. "Hey! I didn't know you were here yet."

I gave him a shrug, my ears hot again as I felt my heart speed up a little. "Uh, y-yeah. I got here not too long ago, actually. Then I heard some guitar playin' and I had to come and see what it was. And I damn right near killed myself 'cause of it."

Kevin laughed, a hilarious and adorable laugh, causing me to laugh also. "You have the cutest accent I've ever heard."

My ears were instantly hot again. "Me? Your laugh is so adorable! It's so addicting!"

He laughed again, causing me to laugh also, until we heard a clearing of the throat. We looked over, still laughing a little. "Sorry, man. Whatcha need?" Kevin asked, giving a little glare at his younger brother. I raised an eyebrow. What?

"Uh, n-nothing. I was just wondering when the Stahr's were going to get here." He stuttered, looking slightly at his feet as he cheeks turned pink.

"Well, I think you got your answer." Kevin mumbled, glaring at the floor.

"Uh, Kev, I think I'll go with Nick for a little bit, since ya know, he's dying to have us over." I smirked, dragging out the 'Dying' for a few seconds. I stood up, string him on the shoulder and followed Nick to his room.

"Wow, it's huge."

Nick laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess. Not as big as yours though."

I laughed lightly, looking out his window. "Trust me, that's a vacation home. That's the biggest room I've ever had. Back home, I got a room about a quarter of that room. Don't even get me started on my room in Tennessee."

The view was gorgeous from his room. It looked over the whole town. And in the background, you could see the whole ocean.

"How come you moved from Tennessee?"

I sighed, leaning my forehead against the window. "Dad got transferred. His job went all the way to Chicago. We had to leave everything."

"Do you miss it?"

"Of course I do." I said, shaking my head and looking at him. I left all my friends, and my family, and...everything." I whispered, sitting on the floor. I didn't care if there was a couch behind me. I watched as Nick sat across from me, unbottoning the top button of his shirt to reveal a little skin. It made me blush and my stomach twist. "My family was...somethin else." I smiled. "They were crazy. Damn hillbillies, too. Stereotypical rednecks the lot of them. Well, on my Mom's side. My dad's side is the richer part of the family. But we're a close. I love my family."

"Yeah, my family's like that too. All crazy, but I love them all the same." Nick smiled, playing with his shoelaces. "Joe is the craziest though. The jokester. He's always cracking jokes."

"Doesn't it get annoying sometimes?"

He sighed, nodding his head. "Sometimes. I mean, it's really funny most of the time, but sometimes I wish he were serious about some things. And Kevin, Kevin is really big into music. He loves to play his guitar."

"He's really good."

"Yeah, he is." Nick smiled slightly, but then sighed again. "But I really love music too. I mean, sometimes I wish I wasn't into surfing."

"How'd you first get into surfing?"

"Well, since we moved out here, my brothers and I loved going to the beach. We went pretty much every day. Then, I tried surfing one day. And...I loved it. Instantly hooked. I taught myself, and I got...really good. And I entered competitions, and I lost a few, then I pushed harder. And...I won. I actually won." He smiled, obviously remembering that day he won. "And...I started to win...all of them. Then, I went to the state competitions. And I got fifth." He smiled.

"That's awesome. Everyone must've been so proud of you." I smiled, and he shrugged.

"Well, not everyone."

"What do you...oh, Kevin. Yeah, I kinda noticed that...." I mumbled. "What happened between you two?"

"More like three."

"Huh?"

"Joe too. Before I started surfing...we were really close. I mean, they were my best friends. And when I started surfing, they were happy. We hung out for awhile and they watched me practice. But then, my head got into it and nothing else. And...they got really mad. And they stopped coming, and they wouldn't talk to me. And...they...STILL don't talk to me...."

I swallowed, watching as he ran his finger along the carpeted floor. His adam's apple went up and down and he shook his head.

"I miss them, Nahla. A lot."

My stomach flipped when he said my name, making my mind go fuzzy for a second before I shook all my thoughts away. "Tell them. Talk about it."

He huffed, shaking his head as he looked up at me. "It's not that simple, Nahla. We haven't talked in five years. Talking about our feelings isn't the first thing I want to talk to my brothers about."

I sighed, looking at my hands. "Well, I mean...I could do it for you if you want...."

He shook his head. "I could never ask you to do something like that. It's not your burden."

I bit my lip, patting him on the knee. "Well, you'll have to find a way, cause you can't go living the rest of your life not talking to your family. It's not worth it."

He gave me a smile, making my mind going fuzzy and if I was already sitting down, my knees would give out and I'd fall straight to the floor. "You're amazing, you know that?"

My ears got hot, and I knew I was blushing. I shrugged, giving him a smile back. "Eh, I get that a lot."

He started laughing, causing me to laugh too. "You're crazy, Nahla. But...I guess that's what makes you so..."

"Weird?"

"Incredible."

My cheeks were instantly red as I looked down at my shoes. "You lie to me too much...."

"Trust me, I don't lie to you...."

I tucked some hair behind my ear, revealing my continuously pink cheeks. "Everyone else does...." I whispered.

"Huh?"

"N-Nothing."

"Don't you dare lie to me."

I looked up at him, my eyes sad, but I gave him my best fake smile and sucked it up. "Another day, another story."

"I hate when you say that." He mumbled.

"I've only known you for a few days, Nick, I can't tell you about everything in my life."

"You told me about Aiden."

"Everyone knows that story."

"You told me it the day you met me."

I bit my lip, opening my mouth, then smiled. "You just won't give up, will you?"

He gave me a shrug. "I want to know everything about you."

I smiled slightly, standing up. "Nick, you're amazing, you know that?"

He raised his eyebrow at me, giving me a confused look.

"Kids, time for dinner!"

I smiled, holding out my hand for Nick. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."

He smiled, grabbing my hand and I helped him up. His touch sent a spark through my body. "Nahla, you're really somethin' else, I hope you know that."

I shrugged, giving him a smirk. "I've been told that once or twice."