Red
I Found You - Nathan
“No! You are not!!” I ran after Tom who held the video camera in his hand.
“We’re playing Nicely!” Tom yelled as he circled around the studio trying to stay away from me.
“Nicely!” The rest of the fellas shouted. I stopped where I was and stared at Tom holding the flip.
“Baby Nath met a girl while he was away. He likes her very much. He wrote a song about her. He won’t admit that though. What’s the name of the song Nath?”
“I Found You.”
“Does she know who you are? Wait, let me rephrase that, does she know you’re Nathan Sykes of The Wanted?”
“No.”
“So when we fly to Seattle tomorrow to debut this song you’ve written and we’ve recorded, she won’t have an idea.”
“No.”
“Not a clue?”
“No. Are you done yet?”
“Nicely!” Jay yelled from behind me. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Tom.
“Is there anything you want to say to your fanbase?” I knew where Tom was going with this question. This was the point where I could beg and plea for our fans to not hate that I may be interested in a girl.
“Well, she did inspire this song, and I think it sounds great, but we’ll see what you think. Well, I truly believe everyone should have a chance at love, and I think I have a right to that as well. Nothing may come of it though, who knows. She might toss me aside when she finds out how incredibly awkward I am.”
“You are pretty awkward.” I reached out and smacked Tom on the cheek before I took off running. To be honest my nerves were shot through the roof and that most definitely didn’t help. The last thing I wanted was to talk about Eliza for Wanted Wednesday, but I was ambushed. I was nervous as to how she was going to react when I tell her what I do for a living. And then to throw a song on top of that. Was it all too much?
The song came so easily to me. Eliza and I had been texting back and forth when she said she was happy she found me. It was like a light bulb went off inside my brain and I had the song written and demoed within six hours. The next day the blokes and I spent an easy fourteen hours recording it to gold perfection. We were still finalizing the editing when Jayne managed to set up a radio interview for us with the pop radio station in Seattle.
This was too much. It had to be. I’d gone crazy out of my mind. Right?
She was too high on the totem pole for me. One look at what I do, and who I really am, she’ll be gone. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see she was calling.
“My darling Eliza, how are you today?”
“So much better now that I hear your voice. I’m calling to ask a favor of you,” she sighed heavily and I waited patiently to see what she wanted. “My mother is having a birthday party for my father Saturday night. She’s been pestering me to go.”
Silence drew between us. Saturday night would be the night after we debuted the song, would she want anything to do with me then? “You want me to come with you . . . or . . .?”
“Yes! Would you please? I know it’s not an ideal thing to do on a Saturday night, but it would make my life just a little bit easier.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “Sure.” Max tapped me on the shoulder signaling that they were about the play the final cut of the song. “I would love to go with you. Right now though, I have to finish something. I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“Yes, of course, I can’t wait!”
I said my goodbye and hung up, joining the boys in the studio. Jay hit play and we all danced around listening to our newest song. It was amazing how we pulled this off so quickly and how catchy it became with the track behind my lyrics. When the song ended we all came in for a group hug.
“Nath, when she hears your solo she’ll beg you to marry her. Every woman will,” Tom laughed poking me in the side.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here boys. I’m gonna head back to the hotel. See you in the morning.”
--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.—
Seeing Eliza again was everything and more than I had expected. She was even more breath taking than I remembered. She met me at the hotel shortly after we arrived in Seattle and I was planning on briefing her before we went to dinner with the boys. We both laughed when we saw what the other was wearing. It was like we had walked out of the same closet. Dressed in red and black. Of course she outshined me and it was clear to everyone around us that she was way out of my league. I’m sure the boys will soon agree.
“So there’s something I wanted to tell you before we meet my friends at the restaurant,” I explained as I sat down with her on one of the oversized couches in the hotel lobby.
“You’re not British mafia or something are you?” She asked laughing nervously.
“Not exactly. Have you heard of the band The Wanted?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m in the band. It’s a boyband.”
“A boyband? Are you serious?” She asked laughing. I closed my eyes, this was it. This is when she wants nothing to do with me. “Oh my God, you’re serious. Are you popular?”
I pulled out my phone and opened the YouTube app. I typed in a search for the Gold Forever music video and handed it to her. I watched her face as she watched the video. Her mouth was slight ajar, her eyebrows pinched together. When the camera focused in on me on the stairwell her mouth dropped completely open and her cheeks turned bright red. Why was she blushing? She covered her mouth with her free hand but her eyes never left the screen of my phone.
Her next reaction wasn’t one I expected. She began to giggle. Uncontrollably. The song ended and she swiped her fingers over the screen a few times before one of our live performances of ‘Glad You Came’ started playing.
Video, after video she played before finally, after another live performance of ‘Gold Forever’ she handed my phone back to me with a huge grin on her face.
“Boybands have come a long way since NSYNC,” she laughed giving me an unexpected kiss on the lips. “So are these the guys we’re going to dinner with?”
“They are. We have an interview with a radio station in the morning, I want you to come.”
“Of course! I would love to do that. I can’t wait to meet your bandmates!” I stood up and held her hand as I walked her out of the hotel and down the street to the restaurant where the guys were already waiting.
“Hey there he is! Holy shit,” Tom yelled out and I pulled out a chair for Eliza to sit down. I shot Tom a look telling him to shut up. I went around the table and introduced everyone.
“So let me get this straight, you two just met, and you’re already sharing a closet?” Jay asked pointing his knife at me.
“We can’t help that we both look good in red,” Eliza smiled giving my hand a squeeze. I knew the guys could sometimes be intimidating to be around but she was fitting right in and I absolutely loved that. There was no reason for me to worry.
“We’re playing Nicely!” Tom yelled as he circled around the studio trying to stay away from me.
“Nicely!” The rest of the fellas shouted. I stopped where I was and stared at Tom holding the flip.
“Baby Nath met a girl while he was away. He likes her very much. He wrote a song about her. He won’t admit that though. What’s the name of the song Nath?”
“I Found You.”
“Does she know who you are? Wait, let me rephrase that, does she know you’re Nathan Sykes of The Wanted?”
“No.”
“So when we fly to Seattle tomorrow to debut this song you’ve written and we’ve recorded, she won’t have an idea.”
“No.”
“Not a clue?”
“No. Are you done yet?”
“Nicely!” Jay yelled from behind me. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Tom.
“Is there anything you want to say to your fanbase?” I knew where Tom was going with this question. This was the point where I could beg and plea for our fans to not hate that I may be interested in a girl.
“Well, she did inspire this song, and I think it sounds great, but we’ll see what you think. Well, I truly believe everyone should have a chance at love, and I think I have a right to that as well. Nothing may come of it though, who knows. She might toss me aside when she finds out how incredibly awkward I am.”
“You are pretty awkward.” I reached out and smacked Tom on the cheek before I took off running. To be honest my nerves were shot through the roof and that most definitely didn’t help. The last thing I wanted was to talk about Eliza for Wanted Wednesday, but I was ambushed. I was nervous as to how she was going to react when I tell her what I do for a living. And then to throw a song on top of that. Was it all too much?
The song came so easily to me. Eliza and I had been texting back and forth when she said she was happy she found me. It was like a light bulb went off inside my brain and I had the song written and demoed within six hours. The next day the blokes and I spent an easy fourteen hours recording it to gold perfection. We were still finalizing the editing when Jayne managed to set up a radio interview for us with the pop radio station in Seattle.
This was too much. It had to be. I’d gone crazy out of my mind. Right?
She was too high on the totem pole for me. One look at what I do, and who I really am, she’ll be gone. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see she was calling.
“My darling Eliza, how are you today?”
“So much better now that I hear your voice. I’m calling to ask a favor of you,” she sighed heavily and I waited patiently to see what she wanted. “My mother is having a birthday party for my father Saturday night. She’s been pestering me to go.”
Silence drew between us. Saturday night would be the night after we debuted the song, would she want anything to do with me then? “You want me to come with you . . . or . . .?”
“Yes! Would you please? I know it’s not an ideal thing to do on a Saturday night, but it would make my life just a little bit easier.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. “Sure.” Max tapped me on the shoulder signaling that they were about the play the final cut of the song. “I would love to go with you. Right now though, I have to finish something. I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“Yes, of course, I can’t wait!”
I said my goodbye and hung up, joining the boys in the studio. Jay hit play and we all danced around listening to our newest song. It was amazing how we pulled this off so quickly and how catchy it became with the track behind my lyrics. When the song ended we all came in for a group hug.
“Nath, when she hears your solo she’ll beg you to marry her. Every woman will,” Tom laughed poking me in the side.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here boys. I’m gonna head back to the hotel. See you in the morning.”
--.--.--.--.--.--.--.--.—
Seeing Eliza again was everything and more than I had expected. She was even more breath taking than I remembered. She met me at the hotel shortly after we arrived in Seattle and I was planning on briefing her before we went to dinner with the boys. We both laughed when we saw what the other was wearing. It was like we had walked out of the same closet. Dressed in red and black. Of course she outshined me and it was clear to everyone around us that she was way out of my league. I’m sure the boys will soon agree.
“So there’s something I wanted to tell you before we meet my friends at the restaurant,” I explained as I sat down with her on one of the oversized couches in the hotel lobby.
“You’re not British mafia or something are you?” She asked laughing nervously.
“Not exactly. Have you heard of the band The Wanted?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m in the band. It’s a boyband.”
“A boyband? Are you serious?” She asked laughing. I closed my eyes, this was it. This is when she wants nothing to do with me. “Oh my God, you’re serious. Are you popular?”
I pulled out my phone and opened the YouTube app. I typed in a search for the Gold Forever music video and handed it to her. I watched her face as she watched the video. Her mouth was slight ajar, her eyebrows pinched together. When the camera focused in on me on the stairwell her mouth dropped completely open and her cheeks turned bright red. Why was she blushing? She covered her mouth with her free hand but her eyes never left the screen of my phone.
Her next reaction wasn’t one I expected. She began to giggle. Uncontrollably. The song ended and she swiped her fingers over the screen a few times before one of our live performances of ‘Glad You Came’ started playing.
Video, after video she played before finally, after another live performance of ‘Gold Forever’ she handed my phone back to me with a huge grin on her face.
“Boybands have come a long way since NSYNC,” she laughed giving me an unexpected kiss on the lips. “So are these the guys we’re going to dinner with?”
“They are. We have an interview with a radio station in the morning, I want you to come.”
“Of course! I would love to do that. I can’t wait to meet your bandmates!” I stood up and held her hand as I walked her out of the hotel and down the street to the restaurant where the guys were already waiting.
“Hey there he is! Holy shit,” Tom yelled out and I pulled out a chair for Eliza to sit down. I shot Tom a look telling him to shut up. I went around the table and introduced everyone.
“So let me get this straight, you two just met, and you’re already sharing a closet?” Jay asked pointing his knife at me.
“We can’t help that we both look good in red,” Eliza smiled giving my hand a squeeze. I knew the guys could sometimes be intimidating to be around but she was fitting right in and I absolutely loved that. There was no reason for me to worry.