Ok, I'm back. I tried to update a BIT sooner than last time, the weather in Idaho SUCKS, and I haven't been able to write for some reason. A big thanks to everyone that e-mailed me last time. Thanks go to Nimm, for her invaluable help and support.
Disclaimer: This story is copywritten 2001 by Aaron R. DeLorean, All Rights Reserved. Any alteration to this story or use without the authors express writen consent will result in legal action. The characters portrayed herein, although fictisious, are not meant to discribe the actual behaviour of any people living or dead. For more literature: aarondelorean.com
"Specter"
Aaron DeLorean
Chapter Seven
"And the world turned 28 times, In 14 days and nights, And I sure messed up my life, In two weeks." -- The Excentrics _______________________________
I snatched the phone up from its cradle.
"Hello?" I asked tiredly. SILENCE. I slammed the phone back down.
I sighed. My fucking GSW still hurt. Steph looked up at me from the couch where she was reading one of the many books she had retrieved from my collection.
"Who was that?" She asked. I shrugged,
"Beats me."
Nick hung up the phone in a flash. Fuck. Why couldn't he talk to Akira? He wanted to tell him so many things. How his heart ached to be so close to him but yet...so far away. Nick cursed at himself and made his way into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Steph was shouting at me through the bathroom door.
"Akira, hurry up!" She whined. I was screwing with my hair. I was spraying volumizer on my roots then blowing the sections dry. I could just SEE Steph stamping her foot and rolling her eyes on the other end of the door. Suddenly, Steph burst through the door, wet her hands in the sink and ran them through my hair. I gasped as I looked at myself in the mirror. How did she do that?
"How the hell did you do that?" I asked astonished. She sighed.
"Akira I'm starving!" She declared. I laughed to myself,
"Alright babe, let's go." I tromped through the living room in my Docs with Steph following. I've got to do something with that TV one of these days, I thought to myself.
"I cannot believe we are going to dinner with a boy-band." Steph said with a sarcastic eye-roll as I Iocked the door.
"Yeah, but they're cuties!" I said in defense of BSB as we made our way next door. We walked to few steps to Nick's flat.
"Well that was quick." Steph said sardonically as I knocked on the door.
"Stick a sock in it, shorty." I replied. Steph rolled her eyes. A tall, dark, and extremely good-looking man answered the door.
Okay?
"Did Nick move out?" I asked curiously. The man laughed,
"Naw, we couldn't DRAG him out of here if we wanted to." He said. Oh. He must have been one of "Them". He held out his hand,
"Hi I'm Kevin, come on in, Nick's been waiting for you guys." Steph coughed beside me,
"Yeah Queenie here had to do his hair or we would have been here by now." I turned around shocked.
"Stephanie!" I said loudly. God...Out me to a bunch of superstars before I have the chance to warn them first. Luckily Kevin just laughed.
I sat down on the sofa and Mr. Dark and Brooding sat down next to me – extremely close I might add. Okay... Kevin made introductions and Nick walked out from the kitchen.
"Hey Aki!" He exclaimed with that SMIRK. He hugged me then hugged Steph. Well someone's happy to see me. "So who's ready for dinner?" I looked at Steph.
"Stephanie certainly is." I said. She smiled lightly. Poor thing, I could tell she was still missing Holly just as much as I was, if not more.
"Since when do you cook, Nick?" Brian asked. Nick shrugged,
"I've always been able to cook, I just don't like to."
Well, that makes one of us, I thought.
As we sat down at the dinning-room table A.J. somehow passed a mental note to Brian by wiggling his nose. Brian blushed. I looked over at Steph and she was smirking in their direction.
And what do we have here? I wondered, although I already knew the answer. I suspected that I wasn't the only Queen at this dinner.
I winked at Steph and she nodded her head, smiling. Cool.
General conversation about our various backgrounds and careers passed quietly through the meal of chicken Alfredo with fociasa bread. My favorite meal. How did Nick know that? Hmm...Interesting. Kevin repeatedly flirted with me throughout the entire meal. I flirted back of course. He was so adorable sitting there and flirting with me.
Suddenly Steph coughed and nudged my knee with hers. I looked over at her. She mouthed out "look at Nick". I turned my head back again and looked at Nick. He was glaring coldly in Kevin's direction.
Whoa, dude, what's up now? I rolled my eyes. Men...Go figure. Nick stood up from the table quickly and began clearing away dishes.
"I guess I'd better get dessert." He said roughly.
"May I take you're plate, Akira?" Kevin asked through a smile FULL of white teeth. I felt a tingle in my stomach.
"Sure hun." I smiled.
Nick dropped a plate into the sink loudly. I jumped. My MOTHER did the same exact thing when she was angry. I laughed as I thought about my short little Japanese mother.
Steph went into the kitchen to help Nick. A.J. and Brian were much too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to what was going on in the Land Of The Single. I followed Steph into the kitchen. She dropped a heavy serving platter into the sink. It made contact with the bottom of the sink with a resounding CRACK and split in two. Everyone jumped and I whipped my head around to face her.
"Stephanie Fremont! Apologize to Nick right now!" Oh Christ I sounded like my mother. God Forbid. Stephanie looked at me angrily.
"For what? All I did was bring everyone out of their coma." I sighed.
"Look, I know you're upset about Holly..." A tear ran out of her eye.
"It wasn't fair," She said through a surprisingly steady breath. "Holly never did anything to anyone. Now who's...who's gonna take care of me?" She said as she sniffled.
My heart shattered right there and then. I grabbed her up into a tight hug and held her while she cried.
"Shhh sweetie it's okay. You have me now and I'm gonna try my best to be a good parent." Still Stephanie cried. "Oh hun, how about this? I'll take you to the home where I grew up and you can meet my mom, okay?" I asked. She sniffled and looked up at me through dark eyes.
"Okay." Suddenly the shield of maturity she tried so hard to maintain sprung back up and she was her regular morose self once again. I sighed for her. I knew exactly how she felt. I felt her small hands wiping tears from my face – I didn't even realize I had been crying. "Go wash your face, it looks bad when you're puffy." She said quietly. She was mature, just like Holly was many years ago when we were both Stephanie's age, before Stephanie was born. Memories flashed into my mind of Holly through the years as I made my way to the bathroom.
Stephanie sat down at the bar on the other side of the wall separating the kitchen from the dinning room. She heard muffled voices arguing in the dinning room. Interesting, she thought to herself as she put her ear to the door.
"Just back the fuck off Kevin. I am not going to see Akira hurt." Nick exclaimed as his voice rose steadily louder.
"Why? Did it EVER occur to you, NICK, that I may very well LIKE him?" Kevin bellowed out in Nick's face.
"Oh CUT the BULLSHIT Kevin!" Nick yelled, "I know ALL about you and the games you play. You're perfect one moment then the next you're gone for the next ass you see walk by that you HAVEN'T fucked yet!" Nick stepped back and took a deep breath. "So back OFF. He's reserved!"
"For who? YOU?" Kevin laughed loudly. Nick took a step back, seemingly hurt.
"Yeah, ME!" He stood defiantly in Kevin's face. "I could take you down any time Kevin." Nick snarled through tight lips. Kevin laughed evilly.
"We'll see Nick, we'll see."
Steph stepped back from the door and took a breath. Wow.
I came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. It was just one thing after another this week. Sheesh. I walked into the dinning room just in time to see Nick take a swing at Kevin. Nick's fist connected nicely with Kevin's jaw. Kevin barely moved. He stepped back and punched Nick cleanly in the nose. Nick went flying across the room. He made contact with the wall and slid to the floor.
OH.
MY.
GOD.
I ran over to Nick and was beside him in an instant.
"Oh my god! Nicky! Are you ok?" I asked as I grabbed a napkin and held it to Nick's nose. Nick groaned. I helped him sit up and tipped his head back, pinching it just under the bridge with my fingers. "Breathe deeply." I told him.
I laid Nick down on his bed.
"Don't leave..." he whimpered out. I couldn't say no to that now could I? Steph spoke up,
"I'm tired, can we go home?" she asked wearily. I tossed her my keys.
"If you need me you know where I'm at." Steph nodded.
"Well, goodnight all," She said as she twinkled her fingers sarcastically, "It's been a real slice." She rolled her eyes and was out the door.
I lay down next to Nick on his bed and peaked under the napkin to look at his nose. The bleeding had stopped, thank god. He'd have to go in for x-rays tomorrow.
Just as I was about to drift off to La-La Land, Nick put his lips to my ear.
"I love you Akira, thank you." He said softly.
Whoa...
dude...
...........To be continued...........