Loverboy

Gemma found herself drawn more to Nathan in the weeks that had followed that eventful night. Despite being with all the guys, following their daily routine in the studio, it was Nathan she latched onto. It was Nathan who she now considered one of her closest friends, and she hadn't had many to begin with. They could laugh about the silliest things and be serious when needed. Their inside jokes expanded by the day; as did their fondness of one another.

Nathan, who was enjoying the attention, found himself falling deeper into a hole of emotion with her. As cliche as it sounded, she truly wasn't like other girls he had known. She didn't go out of her way to impress him. She didn't make it all about her. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She went out of her way to make sure he and the rest of the guys had opportunities that would further advance their careers. Nathan admired her.

Nathan was good at making her relax and forget about the stress she had been under. And that day in the studio had been no different from any other time it had happened. Max was in the booth tracking his vocals with the rest of the guys lounging on the couch outside the studio listening. Gemma and Nathan locked in a heated thumb war when her phone beeped.

"Shouldn't you answer that?" Nathan asked, trying to trap her thumb under his, careful not to scratch himself.

"It can wait," she answered, eyes focusing in on their locked hands. "Stop trying to distract me, Sykes."

"No need." He answered. "You're going down." He crushed her thumb under his and she screamed out in pain. Nathan immediately pulled back. "I-I'm sorry. Are you okay? Gem?"

"Aha!" While distracted, Gemma swooped in and topped his thumb with hers. "I win!" She threw her arms up in victory.

"You cheated." Nathan grumbled, falling back against the seat of the couch.

"Oldest trick in the book." She smiled, following Nathan's lead and leaning back against the couch. "Weak sauce."

"You're weak sauce. Shut up." She pinched him and he laughed lightly, pushing her hand away.

Gemma picked up her phone, seeing she had a new email. Thinking it might be from Jayne reminding her of another meeting, she quickly opened it. It wasn't from Jayne, instead Maxim. They were the photos from the final spread she did, and like always, they were sent to her before being published.

Frosting decorated her face to blend in with the makeup. She was surrounded by cakes and cupcakes. Her hair extensions artfully covered her chest, the only clothing being that of some hot pink lacey panties. The first picture of her finger dipped in cupcake icing, seductively putting it to her mouth. The readers of Maxim would love it. It would have been a fun photo shoot if Gemma's eating disorder hadn't been at an all time high then. Even she would have thought the photos were hot; all she saw was the lifeless hair they had tried to volumize, the dull skin they tried to cover up with makeup, and the bones that were photoshopped to the best of their ability.

Gemma felt ashamed.

"You okay, Gem?" Tom asked, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Uh yeah." She answered, not looking up from her phone. She was only torturing herself by continuing to look. "I just..." Not bothering to finish her sentence, she quickly got up and rushed out of the room.

Tom looked at Nathan concerned and confused. Nathan shrugged and got up following Gemma out. Something was wrong, it was obvious and hopefully it would be a situation he could easily remedy.

Nathan knocked lightly on the bathroom door hoping she was in there. If not, then that would be awkward. "Gem, you in there?"

He heard a nose blow, followed by Gemma's voice, "I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." Nathan knew she wasn't okay and there was no downplaying it. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then stepped into the women's bathroom.

Gemma stood in front of the sinks, wiping the tears away furiously from her eyes. It shouldn't have gotten to her. They were just pictures. But pictures of a girl that she no longer recognized. A girl she didn't want a remember. A girl she was trying so desperately to forget.

"Gemma." Nathan cautiously stepped forward.

"Nathan." She turned around shocked. "You can't be in here." She blew her nose again and quickly began to compose herself. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"You're not okay." He said, walking to stand beside her now. "What's wrong?" He grabbed her hands trying to purvey that he was there for her.

She picked up on his willingness to listen and knew there was no point in trying to hide it. She handed her phone to him and he took it from her, eyebrows furrowed. But as he began to look through the pictures, realization dawned on him and he understood why she was upset. He set her phone down and pulled her in his arms.

"You are not that person anymore." He said.

"Then why won't the universe let me forget?" She sniffled, not pulling away. Had this been different day, a different set of problems she might have reveled in the way he smelled: like cinnamon and laundry detergent.

"Because the universe sucks." He said. Pulling away, he grabbed some paper towels and gave them to Gemma. She blew her nose again and nodded.

"It does." She agreed, offering a pathetic smile.

"What do you say we go out tonight?" Nathan suggested. "Hit up a club, dance out our stress, drink away our problems. The lads would love an excuse to party."

Gemma snorted. "As if they needed an excuse."

Nathan laughed and nodded in agreement. "What say ye?" He asked regally.

"Aye! Lets get shitfaced!" She answered as they both laughed.