Crushed and Created- Tangled series (Overprotective famous brothers)

A walk by the beach

ALISHA

“Thanks.” Mike helped me down of the car and took me to the café we were supposed to meet. After lunch, the Jonas had left for their hotel. They had two reasons to live there. One, we didn’t have enough rooms, and two, the fans would drive our security crazy.

“Hey there.” Nick entered the café with Big Rob. Nobody had followed me here, because Leo managed to get rid of the paparazzi following. And it seemed that Big Rob managed to ditch their fans and paparazzi too.

“Thanks for coming Nicky.”

“No formalities for Heaven’s sake. Now, shall we?” he pointed his chin towards the beach and I nodded. It was a weekday and late afternoon, so the beach was almost deserted. As if knowing I needed support, he slid his hand on my waist and we got outside. Big Rob and Mike kept their distance from us, giving me the much needed privacy.

I wanted to talk to Nick ever since I was diagnosed with PF. We did have a small talk over the phone and then skype, but meeting and talking was completely different.

“I loved that song.” I broke the silence.

“Thanks. I was having a bad day, and wrote it down at a hotel ballroom.”

“You are so much stronger than I am.” I looked at the waves clashing against the shore.

“You know what? I feel you are stronger. After I was diagnosed with bêtes, I was struggling for weeks to accept the fact. You did it in four days flat.”

“I didn’t. I still forget, I still mess up. Just now I forgot my meter and Mike ran back to get it. How can I live with this thing, killing me slowly?” I was so dumb to forget the thing that was gonna help stay alive for my entire life now. I wasn’t cut out for being organized and prepared.

“So what Lee? I mess up even after two years. I forget to test, or bolus, or end up not attaching the omnipod. I make mistakes too, and it’s perfectly fine.” He shrugged. His curls were perfectly set today, just like he was. In every way, he was a perfectionist. He needed to get things right, get every single thing right. He had always been mature for his age, and it seemed bêtes just inflated that.

“It’s not. I hate to rely on people for help, I hate to depend on anyone or anything. And now I need to…it’s horrible.” My voice choked and I stopped mid sentence. Nick sensed what was about to come and hugged me. Not hugged me like Salman or Joe who could squeeze every cell of my body out, but hugged me in a genuine, warm way.

“A little bit longer, and we’ll be fine.” He whisper sang and I closed my eyes. Pulling away, he kept walked aimlessly.

“Nick?” I asked and he looked at me with eyebrows raised.

“You know, you think I’ll be able to do it? Don’t lie to make me feel better, but answer truthfully. You know what it takes to go through a disease which won’t leave you ever.”

“I think you can. Simply because I know for a fact that you are a fighter. Ever since you were little, you never lost hope, and kept fighting to get what you wanted. I know you’d do the same. But I think you should also know that it is difficult.”

“I know it is. I already feel so useless when the low oxy levels control my brain. It’s horrible.”

“I know, highs do that to me too. The emotional strain these diseases put on a person is almost worse than the physical effects it has.”

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth fighting for, if this life is worth fighting for.” I looked into the vast ocean, which just reminded me how insignificant I was in the scheme of things. I was expecting Nick blasting off, but instead he pointed his chin towards my left and I scanned the beach.