The Story of Us (Book 1 of "The Story of Us" Series) [Completed]

Chapter 14 - It Ain't Easy

[Nick]

I'm not going to lie... seeing that Harley has already planned our wedding freaked me the hell out. I mean, sure, I knew when I was a lot older and ready to settle down, she was probably the only girl I could see myself doing that with at that point in my life. But then? Hell no. I was still figuring out who I was and other things I wanted to do with my life. I was 23-years-old and Harley was only 21. I knew there wasn't going to be a wedding anytime soon so that dress she had picked out would surely be out of style by the time or if I ever decided to marry her.

I'm sure that sounds bad because I was in love with her. Her mother had just died and she had been through so much the past two years that I couldn't just freak out on her, breakup with her and leave her. Plus, I wouldn't want to do that.

So right after I found her wedding plans, I ended up practically moving to Los Angeles. I started filming this horror remake of the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" for television and I was recording some more solo material. Being out there, making friends with some actors and stuff, I started getting into the L.A. nightlife and it was pretty fun but I knew my limits. It was also fun because my girlfriend wasn't around and I could hang out listening to a D.J. until three in the morning and not having to worry about my girlfriend who was back at my new place worrying about me or her falling asleep beside me.

Harley was in Nashville and Atlanta mostly at that point, working on her new album. She finally hired new management that was out of Los Angeles and New York which would give her an excuse every few weeks to come see me in L.A. She was starting to become the old Harley again. She always had a smile on her face and even though she missed her Mom calling her to bug her about some interview she needed to give, she had a butt load of songs, good songs, that she had written.

She was finally starting to get her groove back, but I was still hella freaked out.

[/Nick]

[July 2003]

Harley sat in her cushy seat of the private jet that she had hired to fly her to Los Angeles. It was July 9th, the two year anniversary of her leaving Nick that lead to their first breakup and she wanted to be with him. They hadn't seen each other in almost a month. He had been so busy filming his movie and making new friends that he hadn't had a chance to come to wherever she was recording.

But now that her new management had an office in Los Angeles, she had more of an excuse to come. While she was only visiting for two days, she had a meeting with her management and record label executives about the progress of her record.

The album itself still sounded a little depressing too her. There were too many slow songs and she needed a few more faster cuts. She wanted at least another month of recording time before turning the album over to make the final mix. She knew they would hate it, but she didn't care. She wanted it.

As the flight landed, she smiled seeing Nick stand off to the side of the tarmac, holding a yellow umbrella, with a black BMW next to him. It was drizzling rain outside but she didn't care. She was ready to get off the plane and see him.

But as soon as the stairs were unloaded from the plane, she ran down them, forgetting her bags and up to Nick, hugging him tightly.

"Oh my God, you need a haircut," she breathed, causing him to laugh.

"It's for the movie so I can't cut it until it's over," he said as the stewardess walked up with Harley's bags. Nick took them from her and held the umbrella out some so Harley wouldn't get even wetter. "Flight okay?"

"Yeah, I think from now on, I'm definitely never going to fly commercial again," she said as they walked up to the car. "Is this yours?"

"Brand new," he smiled, putting her luggage in the backseat. "You like it?"

"I do," she smiled, climbing inside the passenger side.

"Wait until you see my new place," he said as she looked at him. "What? I told you that I'm really moving out here. You didn't believe me?"

"I did," she smiled. "I guess just seeing it with my own eyes makes everything more real."

"Well listen," he said, pulling out of the smaller airport that Harley's flight had landed in. "I have to go back to the set and I know you have that meeting today so I'm going to let you take the car. You know your way around L.A. right?" Harley nodded, reaching over to turn the defrost on because the car was fogging up. "Then I'll just call you when I'm done which shouldn't be too long and then we can go home."

"Not going out tonight?" she asked as he shook his head. "That's what I was hoping. I'm only here for two days. I don't want to have to share you with a bunch of people I don't know."

"You wouldn't like the scene out here anyway," he said as she watched him. There was something about him that bothered her. He didn't kiss her after they hugged. Whenever they saw one another after being away from one another for even a few days, they would always hug, then kiss. There was no kiss.

She listened to him talk about the movie and some of his cast members as he pulled into the lot where they were filming some of their scenes that week.

"Okay, when I call you, just pull right back in here. I have the sticker up in the window so they'll let you in," he said as he got out of the car and watched Harley as she moved into the driver's seat. "I know I was supposed to be done for the rest of the day... I'm sorry."

"Its fine," she smiled. "I have work stuff to do too."

"Okay, see you in a little bit," he said, backing up from the car. She watched him as he turned around, walking towards one of the buildings and sighed. No kiss then either.

"Alrighty then," she sighed, turning around in the parking lot and made her way back out.

As she pulled back onto the road and stopped at a red light, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was back to the shade of blonde it was when her first single came out. She went back blonde because her mother always loved the color on her.

As she waited for the red light, she reached into her purse, grabbing her cell phone and dialed Scarlett's number before putting it on speaker phone.

"Hello?" Scarlett asked.

"It's me, I'm in LaLa Land," Harley said as she started back driving when the light turned green. "Do you think it's weird that I haven't seen Nick in a month and he didn't kiss me when we hugged or before I dropped him off to go back to work?"

"Kind of," Scarlett said. "You two are all about the P.D.A. Is he acting weird?"

"A little," Harley sighed. "I mean, he's so into this Hollywood life now it seems. He even bought a house out here and I'm just kind of what the fucked by it. He swore he would never move from Florida."

"Just wait until you guys are alone tonight and see. If he's been away from you for almost a month and doesn't try to get frisky, then you should be worried," Scarlett said as Harley sighed, knowing she was right. She was going to pull out all the stops tonight and if he didn't fall for her charms, she knew something was up.

Harley walked into the living room of Nick's new house that evening, not knowing where to sit. She hated the house. It was too modern looking and very art-deco. To Harley, it reminded her of a doctor's office.

She walked over to the sofa and sat down. It was so uncomfortable. It looked cute, but it didn't feel like a sofa should feel.

"So you never said, how did the meeting go?" Nick said, walking into the room. He sat down in the recliner across from Harley, snacking on a bag of chips.

"It was fine," she said, crossing her legs. It was odd that Nick didn't sit down next to her. "Went over some marketing stuff. I'm going to do a charity show next week to try and get used to performing again because it's been so long. They also think I should look into doing a movie again."

"I think that's a good idea," Nick smiled, staring at her. Harley sat there, looking down at her bracelet. She had six charms on it, all of them from Nick except for one that her mother had bought her. She looked up at Nick, seeing him stare at her as he ate his chips.

"Why are you all the way over there?" she asked as he shrugged.

"I like this chair, it's comfortable."

"Unlike this couch," Harley said as Nick started to laugh. He watched her as she walked over to where he was. He smiled as she took the bag of chips, sitting them on the table next to his chair. She crawled into his lap, facing him and smiled. "What's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, putting his hands on her hips. "Nothing is wrong."

"Then why haven't you kissed me yet?"

"You just crawled into my lap."

"I meant today in general," she said, watching him as he looked down at the Rascal Flatts t-shirt she had on. "When I got off the plane, Nick. We hugged and you didn't even kiss me."

"I'm just tired, babe," he said, looking up at her. "I didn't even notice. I'm sorry," he whispered, leaning up to kiss her softly on the lips. She smiled, deepening the kiss and Nick started to laugh, breaking away. "Considering we haven't really done it since your Mom...."

"Well I didn't want to fuck right after the funeral but... it's not like I put on a chastity belt, Nick," she said as he nodded. "Is something wrong? I mean, are we okay?"

"It's just a lot is going on right now," he said as she looked down, putting her hands on his chest. "I'm so busy with the movie and working on some new music and you're so busy...."

"I came out here for you, not for that meeting," she whispered, moving her arms around his neck. She leaned in, hugging him and he sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "I just feel like you're changing again."

"It's a part of growing up," he said. "I'm experiencing new stuff, babe."

"And that's starting to scare me," she whispered, seeing the confused look he was giving her. "Nick, you're so happy out here it seems and this out here isn't me and I am so hopelessly in love with you that it scares the hell out of me."

"And you don't think that scares me?"

"What?"

"That you love me and depend on me so much," he said as she stared at him. "Usually everybody depends on me for money or a hook-up, especially my family but no one depends on me like you do and it scares the shit out of me." Harley nodded, knowing what he was talking about. "Sometimes I don't know what to do about it and it freaks me out."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry..."

"Then why do I feel like something bad is going to happen soon?" she asked as he shook his head and his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Babe, you've had a long day with the flight and the meeting, why don't you go on up and take a shower, or a bubble bath and relax," he said as she nodded, crawling out of his lap. "I'll be up in a little bit."

Nick watched her as she walk out of the living room and up the stairs slowly. He hated knowing that she felt like he was acting different, but she was right, he had changed. Something weird was going on with him... something he hadn't experienced in a long time and he didn't know what to do about it.

He took his cell phone out of his pocket and smiled, seeing a text message.

niiiick when r we going 2 hang out again? cant wait 2 hear from u xoxo P

He hit reply on the message, typing soon, that he had company and sent the message. He went to close his cell phone and put it back in his pocket when he got a reply.

that's hottt see u soon xoxo P

He jumped, hearing Harley call for him upstairs.

"Coming!" he yelled, standing up from the recliner and put his cell phone back in his pocket.

Nick just wasn't sure how to tell Harley about the new friend he had made.