Just One Kiss

“I have to make sure Nick is ready!” Stacy called back to someone as Nick walked down the hallway toward her. Stacy, looking back to whomever she was talking to, turned around just in time to avoid bumping into him.

“Oh, hey. I was just coming to get you.” Stacy said, looking up at him. “I thought we’d ride on the bus, so you can get to know some of the others a little better.”

“Sounds good to me,” Nick nodded, dragging his suitcase behind him. He followed Stacy out of the hotel and to a very large tour bus.

“It looks so ordinary,” Nick pointed out, expecting something a little more extravagant.

“There’s too many people to have a bus like yours.” Stacy reminded him. “It works though. Just claim a row for yourself when you get in there though. Otherwise you’re stuck with someone for five hours or longer.”

“Noted,” Nick muttered as he left his suitcase with the driver. Adjusting the strap to his carry on, he reached to grab Stacy’s hand, who smiled back at him and intertwined their fingers.

“So, introductions before we take off,” Stacy said from her seat behind Nick. “There’s not as many people on for this trip as I thought there would be.” She pointed to a man sitting at the front of the bus. “That’s Paul Levesque, he’s better known as Triple H around the arena. Obviously you know Mike, or Miz. The guy behind him is his tag team partner John Hennigan. His stage name is John Morrison.”

“Yeah I know him,” Nick said. “I’m kind of a fan of their tag team.”

“They are a good team.” Stacy nodded, looking behind her. “Oh, that’s Adam Copeland, he’s known as Edge. You know my idiot brother John, Randy, Nikki.” She looked forward when someone else walked onto the bus, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Mark!” she exclaimed as the man sat in the row in front of Nick.

“Hey Stacy.” Mark smiled, waving hello to everyone else on the bus.

“I thought you were out for a while.”

“I was, but I’m coming back for promotions.” Mark replied, suddenly noticing Nick. “New guy?”

“Not really. This is Nick Carter. He was on the show a few months ago. He’s joining the tour so I can help him with his cardio.”

“Good luck,” Mark replied.

“Nick, this is Mark Calaway, he’s known as The Undertaker in the business.”

“I remember him. I was always a huge fan.” Nick replied. “What do you mean good luck?”

“I was lacking in my own cardio workouts, and John suggested I talk to Stacy. I’m telling you, I’ve been in the business 16 years, and I have never had a female wrestler work me as hard as Stacy did.”

“Well, I like people to keep their cardio up,” Stacy shrugged.

“To prevent them from ending up with what you have,” Mark raised an eyebrow, making Stacy advert her eyes to the floor.

“Does everyone here know about you?” Nick asked Stacy. She just nodded, not looking up at all.

“She kinda had to tell people. No matter what she does, she doesn’t get any better,” Mark mumbled.

“But, you don’t get any worse do you?”

“A couple times I went to the doctor they said my heart muscles were weaker, but only slightly. For the most part I stay consistent.” Stacy saw the worry in Nick’s eyes, and knew what he was thinking right away. “Everyone’s different Nick. What keeps me constant, could be what saves your life.”

“Wait, you..” Mark said, looking toward Nick.

“I don’t know how much you know about me, but I entered the music business when I was 11. I saw a lot of things, tried a lot of things that led into addictions.”

“Stop right there, no need to say anymore.” Mark nodded his head in understand. “You wasn’t born with it the way Stacy was. So you can probably reverse it. Just keep working hard at it and follow what Stacy tells you.”

“I will,” Nick promised. The bus the rest of the ride was pretty silent. Some people were sleeping or listening to music, or just reading a book. Nick was dozing off with his headphones over his ears. Nikki glanced up to see Stacy was reading a book, but was trying to subtly glance toward Nick every once in a while.

“So, first date last night. How did it go?”

“I think it went good. What about you with Aaron?”

“We’re not dating,” Nikki said quickly. “He’s just trying to do what you’ve been doing for the past few years.”

“Break the nut out of the shell?” Stacy asked with a smirk. “It seems to be working. I saw a different side of you last night.”

“It kinda is,” Nikki admitted. “I’m still fighting him with it, but not as much as I used to.”

“That’s good, I’m proud of you,” Stacy smiled at her friend.

“I know it was just one date, if you could really call it that,” Nikki spoke up suddenly, looking between Stacy and a now sleeping Nick. “I just want to say, I see this working, way better than it did with you and Randy. With Randy, you were dating your brother’s best friend, and that hardly ever works out. I don’t know why, but I really do see this relationship lasting for a long time.”

“Honestly,” Stacy whispered, staring at Nick’s sleeping face. “I hope it does. I’ve never felt so strongly for a guy after such a short time. It honestly feels like if we don’t work, it really will kill me.” Without Stacy knowing, John had been listening to the entire conversation. He was happy his sister was finally moving on, but with her last statement, he was afraid she was getting in way too deep already.

“Stace,” he said, not able to hold his thoughts back. Stacy looked back at him, and rolled her eyes and moved to sit next to him as Nikki turned around.

“You know I’m happy for you, but just, be careful okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’m fine Johnny.” Stacy replied. “Really, if things don’t work out, I’m not really going to die.”

“Stacy, you know that I know your condition better than anyone, even you. Too much stress, and…”

“I know, I’m fine John.” Stacy tried assuring him again. John just sighed as he watched Stacy walk back to her seat, unconvinced that things will be okay if the relationship ended badly.

~Two Weeks Later~

“Come on Nick, just another five minutes,” Stacy said, watching Nick running on the treadmill in the gym. It’s been two weeks since they started their routines, and Stacy was already seeing a difference in Nick with his energy and stamina.

“I can’t go anymore,” Nick muttered, stepping off the belt and shutting the machine down.

“You had two minutes left Nick, then you would have been on there for forty five minutes, that was good.”

“I reached my limit Stacy,” Nick panted, grabbing his bottle of water and taking a huge swig out of it.

“You felt your limit, that’s when you should have kept pushing yourself Nickolas. That’s how you get better, by pushing your limit and going the extra mile, or the extra two minutes.”

“I’m not discussing this.” Nick growled, picking up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

“Whoa, that might work with your friends, but not with me,” Stacy snapped, pulling his duffle bag off his shoulders and out of his hand as easily as if her brother did it.

“I thought you would go a little easy, be a little understanding, but I guess not. This isn’t working Stacy. I’m going home.”

“Oh, sure, give up!” Stacy shouted. “Because that’s exactly what I did when I nearly died!” Nick, who was storming toward the front door, stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back around.

“That’s a good one,” Nick mumbled, walking back toward Stacy and grabbing his bag.

“Why would I make that up?” Stacy asked, looking up at him. Nick could almost swear he saw tears swimming in her eyes.

“What happened?”

“I was sixteen,” Stacy mumbled. “I just wanted a normal life without heart medication and exercising all the time. So, I gave it all up. I went to the library instead of a gym. I managed to cut out all my meds without my parents or John realizing it.”

“How?”

“The perks of being sixteen with your own bathroom.” Stacy laughed humorlessly. “I would say I took my pill, and they believed me, but really I just flushed them down the toilet. One day, I was getting ready for school, and I had a bad pain in my chest.”

Nick waited as Stacy took in a deep breath, which she let out with another humorless laugh.

“The doctor called it a ‘minor episode,’ but I knew it was a heart attack.”

“How long were you off your meds when that happened?”

“About four months. Thinking about it, I could tell it was coming on, but I ignored it until it was too late. That’s why I’m so concerned about everyone keep their hearts healthy, because I know it’s true that you can have a heart attack at a young age, because it happened to me.” Nick looked back at the treadmill for a minute before looking back at Stacy.

“Two minutes right?” Nick asked.

“It’s too late now. We’ll pick it back up next time.” Stacy smiled. Nick nodded, and thought for a minute. They were in LA today, so he knew a lot of places around here.

“You’re free tonight right?” Nick asked Stacy.

“Yep, well, besides a photoshoot with John, but that’s really nothing.”

“When is it?”

“About an hour, so I have to start heading.”

“Okay, I have a few things to do, but I’ll meet you back at the hotel okay?” Nick said. Stacy nodded and Nick picked up his duffle bag again. He bent and kissed Stacy on the cheek before winking at her and running out of the gym.

“Ready to go? I know you need to clean up after your workout with Nick,” John said from behind her.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Stacy nodded, walking with her brother out of the gym and to the elevators. After a quick shower and a change of clothing, she met up with John in the lobby.

“Let’s get this over with,” John mumbled.

“Got plans?”

“Yep, I was able to make reservations for London and me at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in West Hollywood.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Looks like Nick had something planned for the both of you as well.” John commented as they started walking down the sidewalk.

“I guess he does, he didn’t tell me anything though.”

“I’m sure it’s not something completely crazy,” John smiled as he walked into a building. He introduced himself and Stacy to the woman behind the desk, and followed her to the back studio.

The entire shoot, the only thing Stacy could think about was what Nick had up his sleeve.