Chapter 9: Buried Secrets

~LATER THAT NIGHT~

"Kate are you sure you're okay?" Nick asked me for like the one millionth time.
"Yes, I am," I lied. Truth was this whole thing with Kaylee was getting to me and I knew it shouldn't.
The guys talked on and occasionally threw a question or two at me. They were mostly talking about Brian and how he hadn't said much about what the doctor had told him was wrong. They were still quite concerned. That was the only thing I heard really.
"Kate, are you ready to go?" Nick asked me, standing up to pull my stool out from under me.
"Uh yeah," I replied, tuning back into the real world.
"I'll see you guys later," Nick said, slapping their hands.
"We hope we don't see you tonight Nick," A.J. smartly replied, winking at Nick.
Nick slightly blushed.

~BACK AT MY APARTMENT~

We walked in and I set my purse and coat down. Nick looked at me worriedly.
"Okay, that's it McBride, sit down," he ordered, pointing towards the couch.
"What, why?" I asked, staring back at his blue eyes.
"We need to talk, sit."
I walked over to the couch and sat down. Nick sat down next to me and placed my legs on his lap.
"What's wrong?" He questioned.
It was unlike me to just blurt out my problems, but his face was soft and his eyes sincere. I couldn't say no.
"It's Kaylee, she's just trying to get to me," I mumbled with a look of disgust.
"And let me guess, it's working, isn't it Kate?"
"Yeah. I mean, I know it shouldn't. But I've worked so hard to get this job and I don't want her to take it away from me," I whined. And I knew I was whining, but I didn't care.
"You're cute when you whine," he commented, pulling my chin up to look at him.
"Why don't you tell me a bit more about Kaylee, I think maybe I can help if I understand more."
I sighed. I didn't want to, but he deserved some sort of explanation. After all I was convinced that she had followed us to the night club and attacked Brian to really just get to me. Brian was Nick's best friend and he deserved to know why Brian was exposed like he was.
"Kaylee and I went to college together, back at NYU. When I first arrived there she was in her third year and was the most popular girl in school. She was in every sorority, had a different guy every night, went to all of the parties. Well, to make a long story short, she moved into a better hall that year to live and since I was transferring I got put in the same dorm and the same room. She absolutely hated me. I was different. I didn't have a boyfriend. I hung posters of music groups and pictures of my friends. All she had hanging was her pom-poms from high school and her parents' picture. She resented me because I was quiet and kept to myself and I stayed in every Friday and Saturday night. I don't really want to get into it, but after a while we learned to become friends. We were both journalism students and we both liked the same music. Not much to build a friendship on, but it was a good start. Anyway, about two months before graduation her friends, who hated me, made up some really bad rumors about me, like a ton of them and told her about them. She began to hate me with pure disgust," I gulped back the tears. He couldn't know what happened, so I was going to skip over it as calmly as I could.
"So Kaylee and her friends came up with some pretty awful things to do to me and say to me...and...it was just really bad Nick," I said, looking down at the ground.
"Hey, it's okay, what did they do?" He questioned with love in his eyes.
I avoided the question.
"Anyway, we both landed jobs here about a year or so after we parted separate ways at graduation. I guess she still keeps that resentment inside of her or whatever it is, I have no idea. And so she makes my life a living hell. I mean her friends are almost all living in other states, she's out of college, but she still makes me feel like crap. And especially since she got a higher positioned job not too long ago. We were equals, but not anymore. She only uses it to make my life worse," I sadly replied.
Nick gave me a troubled look.
"I'm sorry," he quietly said, placing his hand over mine. "Come here," he whispered, pulling me up and into his arms.
I buried my head into his chest. I didn't want to cry, so my body took on the emotional distress. It became weak and as if to notice he swooped me up into his arms and carried me into my room. He laid me on the bed and looked down at me.
"I don't know what she did to you Kate, but it hurts you, I can see that. I don't like seeing you hurt. If there's anything I can do -"
"Nick, it's over with. It's okay. It's in the past. It's buried away."
"But that's just it Kaitlyn. It's buried and you never healed from it and having her around you, treating you like this..." his face crinkled up and he looked down. He was truly worried about me.
"I want to take you away from this. I just - I hate seeing you hurt like this," he whispered as if someone was going to hear the manly Backstreet Boy Nick Carter speak so kindly and emotionally.
"Nick, it's okay. You don't even really know me yet, I could be all the things she makes me out to be..."
"Don't say that!" He yelled. "Never lower yourself to her level. You are not a bad person Kate. I knew from the minute I saw you that you were just the most amazing person I've ever laid eyes on. If I hadn't thought that I wouldn't be here right now. Most girls only want me because of what I do, not for who I am. And I can spot that a mile a away. I'll get to know you better, but I already know all I need to know about you, right here, right now." He said, sitting down next to me on the bed.
"What's that?" I asked, sitting up so my chin was on his shoulder.
"You have a good heart and have a really great head on your shoulders. That you're a beautiful woman inside and out. And your personality, it's just...it makes me feel so good about myself and I am so happy when I'm around you. The world disappears," he admitted.
As my chin lay on his shoulders I smiled up at him and mouthed a "thank you."
He reached over and pushed the lingering pieces of hair behind my ears. I closed my eyes as his hand brushed my face.
"Nick?" I quietly said.
"Yes?"
"Will you hold me tonight?" I pleaded in almost a whisper.
"Right now?" He asked, moving around to put his arms around me.
"No, not right now," I said, putting my hand on his face. His eyes questioned mine.
"All night," I said in the same quiet voice.
"Are you sure?" He said a little hesitant.
I leaned in closer and put my mouth next to his ear.
"It's hard for me to admit that I need someone, especially a guy. But, I need you to hold me. I need to feel you next to me, feel safe in your arms, hidden from this world. I need you to take me away from here Nickolas..." I pleaded, turning his face to face mine. I slowly placed my lips on his. His hands fell from the top of my arms down to my waist, making me tingle all over. His mouth covered mine slowly as my hands went up and onto his back.
I brought them around and ran them softly down his chest. I pressed against the strong and solid build of his chest. Still kissing, I reached the bottom of his sweatshirt and tugged on it. He broke away and looked at me. Without a word he took off his sweatshirt. To reveal his black wife beater. My heart jumped and my body got a chill. My eyes studied his almost bare chest, shoulders, and neck. I leaned over and placed my lips against his again, opening my mouth and pushing myself into him. I placed my hands back onto his chest and traced his toned muscles gently. I studied him carefully, exploring each inch with precision. My fingers raised up and over his shoulders. I ran them down his triceps slowly passing the tattoo on his right arm in the shape of a vine all the way around his arm. My other hand passed the shark on the top of his left shoulder with ease as I found my way to his hands, which were still placed on my waist. We broke away from out long kiss. I placed my head on his chest as he pulled me up onto his lap.
He held me close.
"Ready to go to sleep?" He asked, stroking my hair.
I smiled.
"I'm going to go change into something more comfortable. I'll be right back," I said, releasing myself from his arms. As I was walking out of the room he called my name.
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you want me to stay here tonight?"
"More sure than I've been of anything," I replied with my head held high.
I washed my face and changed into some pajama pants and a top. I took my hair down out of its clips and returned to my room. Nick was on my bed with the remote in his hand watching Jay Leno. He laid comfortably on his back with his legs crossed and one arm behind his head.
"Hey, one of those boy bands are on Leno tonight," Nick informed me while he pointed to the television.
"Really? I need to do my story on boy bands tomorrow. Let me pop in a tape," I said, walking over to the VCR and setting the timer on it.
"Come here," he begged.
I walked over to the side of the bed he was on and stood before him. He studied my body closely.
"You look cute in those p.j.'s," he replied.
"Shut up Carter. Just cause you know you're hot in those boxers and that tank top," I yelled, trying to reach for a pillow across the bed.
"Well I can take them off if you'd like," he teased.
"Don't tease me," I smirked.
And to do just that he reached down and pulled his wife beater over his head.
What did he want me to do, pass out? Geez, ohmigod was he cut. (A word for someone really buff.) He had sure changed since the Backstreet's Back days.
"Are you staring?" He teased.
"Of course I am!" I yelled, giving up on my pillow.
"Are you wearing anything under there?" I asked, pointing at the sheets.
"Just boxers," he played with my mind. "But sorry, those stay on," he said smartly.
"They better or we're in big trouble," I replied, laughing.
"Why is that?" He asked.
"Because I can't keep my hands off of you WITH your clothes on Carter," I said, crawling over him to my side of the bed. He grabbed me midway and turned me over on my back and sprawled me out over his legs.
"And where do you think you're going?" He joked.
"THAT side of the bed," I said, tilting my head back to see it.
"Uh uh uh. I took my shirt off, your turn," he teasingly replied.
"Nuh uh!" I yelled, squirming to get away. I was laughing so hard I didn't have any strength.
"Okay, I'm teasing, but I think I'll still tickle you," he decided, reaching down to my waist and digging his fingers in my sides.
"NOOO!!!" I screamed, laughing hysterically.
"What can I do then....can I kiss you?" He offered politely.
"I'd rather you do a lot of other things than tickle," I replied, trying to push his fingers away from my sides.
"Ummmmm..." He started.
"No! You knew what I meant! Horny-boy!" I yelled, lightly hitting him in the chest.
With that he leaned down and kissed me. After a quick kiss he reached over and shut off the light. He then reach back over to me and moved me to my side of the bed. He followed me over there and laid the upper half of his body on me, suspending himself lightly with his arms. We kissed intensely, our breathing getting heavier. He went straight to my neck and kissed it gently. I moaned loudly. He followed my neckline once again. He was right above my right breast now. He kissed me softly and then slightly bit down. A tingle shot straight downward.
"N-i-c-k," I moaned quietly, throwing my head back and burying it into the pillow.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and let ecstasy fill every inch of my body.
All of the secrets of the past seemed to float away and get buried where they belonged. The only thing I could concentrate on was the feelings and emotions that ran through every part of me at this moment.

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