"So I stayed in overnight..." Nick explained, getting sick of the sound of his own voice. "They took the stitches out just recently."
She turned her head slightly to look to see if there was a scar. Nick's face read-what are you doing? She giggled.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude." She mumbled through her food. She covered her mouth with her hand as she spoke.
He smiled at her. "It's ok." He assured her. "So tell me more about you." Nick asked as standard. She rested the remainder of her toasted sandwich on her plate and finished what was in her mouth before speaking.
"Well…" She began. "I'm 21, and I'm a student. I have my own place not too far from here and work part-time at the restaurant when I'm not studying." She listed.
"What do you study?" Nick asked leaning back in his chair in a chilled out position.
"Business ethics and journalism." She announced proudly. Inside Nick sighed-he was in the presence of paparazzi-in-the-making. He nodded as if he was impressed though. A link in eye contact made each smile freshly at each other. She broke the locked gaze shyly, and looked at her watch. She eyed it panicking.
"I'm so sorry but I have to go." She hunted frantically in her bag for her purse, when Nick saw her pull it out he refused to let her pay for anything.
"No, please, I'm not comfortable with that…" She insisted, but Nick insisted further.
"No, please it's fine. I got this." He persisted. "I'm going to hang around for a little while longer so, it's fine." Nick smiled, and she gave in. She gathered her jacket and bag hastily, and turned to look at him. He waited patiently for her to say something.
"I'm glad you're alright." She said kindly. "This was fun." She confessed. She then pulled a small piece of paper and a pen from her bag and scribbled on it, leaving it on the table in front of Nick. She leant in and kissed his cheek affectionately before smiling and walking out of the café and into the busy street. She faded into the crowd. Nick's mobile phone rumbled in his pocket. A pleasant text message from AJ made him smile. He was texting back when a mother and her nine year old daughter approached him. Nick smiled up at them from his chair, leaving his phone temporarily to rest on the table.
"Go on honey…" The mother encouraged tenderly, and the little girl began to blush. Nick smiled at the little girl, waiting excitedly for what she was going to say.
"You're my favourite Backstreet Boy." She confessed shyly and sweetly, keeping hold of her mother's shirt as she did so. Nick's heart was warmed by this little girl- he was surprised a girl as young as she, knew who he was. She blushed further and Nick began talking to her.
"I am, am I?" He asked her playfully. "Do you not think AJ's is better looking?" The girl giggled and shook her head. Nick offered them a seat each- he got up and moved a chair for the little girl, picking up two fresh napkins from the counter as he went. He also borrowed a pen from a waiter.
"We're sorry to bother you like this…" The mother said empathetically. Nick shook his head.
"It's no problem, none at all." He promised. "Especially when I get cutie little girls like you coming up to me…" He said smiling at the nine year old again, who persisted to giggle every time he looked at her.
"I just thought I'd bring her over to say hello." The mother explained. "I was listening to "Get Down" when this little one came into the world." The mother stroked the head of her daughter. "She's been a fan ever since." The mother said laughing. Nick smiled.
"That's wonderful." Nick confessed. He was overwhelmed that this small, nine year old had been a fan her entire life, from her very first breath. He was touched deeply by the two. "So what might your name be?" Nick said manning himself with the pen, and a napkin. "Aimee." The little girl whispered bashfully as ever.
"Dear Aimee…" Nick wrote on the tissue carefully. "…I love you sweetheart, thank you for being our number one fan! Lots of love, Nick…" Nick smiled at her. "That's for you gorgeous." Nick said handing her the tissue. She smiled widely.
"What do you say Aimee?" Her mother prompted.
"Thank you." Aimee squeaked.
"Aimee why don't you go and get your little hand bag honey…" Her mother suggested, and Aimee leapt up sporting her tissue paper and headed to the other side of the café, showing it off to a waiter on the way. "Thank you very much Nick." The mother for some reason had tears in her eyes, this saddened Nick and set off his curiosity. "She was recently diagnosed with Leukaemia, and will begin treatment next week. I know this has meant a lot to her." Nick's swelling heart had been pierced by this knife of tragedy. This poor, innocent girl- what could she possibly have done to deserve anything as horrible as that?
"I'm so sorry." Nick confessed, shaking his head. "That's awful." "Well, we'll get by. I just wanted you to know that we thoroughly appreciate having some of your time." As she said those words an idea popped into his head. Why not give Aimee all that she wanted? No more than an hour later, Aimee and her mother Grace were sat in the recording studio listening to the five perform acappella versions of "All I have to give" and " Show me the meaning of being lonely."- one request from Aimee, and one from her mother. Grace had wept a few tears and Aimee was in her element. Nick had simply called in a personal favour. They were not recording today; their uniting for a few hours was to decide what the title of the album would be, and to listen to a few final cuts of some songs- a business meeting really. Their two person audience clapped and cheered like a two-thousand person audience would have. Aimee shed a few tears as she received an autograph and a hug from all five of them. Grace talked to Kristen as the five entertained her daughter. Aimee was very sad to go when her mother declared that it was time.
"Say goodbye now Aimee." Her mother instructed. "And say thank you." "Thank you." Aimee began, clutching a handful of autographs, and a demo CD with newly recorded tracks on it, that Kevin had let her keep- he refused to let her go without giving her something a little more special than an autograph. "I love you Nick." She said as he knelt down to hug her.
"I think I'm gonna cry." Brian teased, mimicking crying, and wiping his eyes.
"I love you too." Nick returned back-he had never loved a fan like he loved this one right in front of him. He was reminded how important his music was not only to him, but to his fans. He told himself that from now on, until he could be full ready for another relationship, that his music was his girlfriend.
"Thank you so very much." Grace expressed once again. The boys made sure she knew that it had been a pleasure. The five waved off her car as it pulled away from the studio. They stood in unison for a moment before joining in a group hug, and said a prayer for their beloved fan which Nick had brought them; knowing that twenty minutes of their time, had made that child's lifetime, was too much to handle individually, so they prayed for her, and thanked God for Nick's chance encounter with her.
