“Well, we wouldn’t expect anything less from the man who jumped off his own stage for a kiss.”
He lifted one shoulder. “What can I say? Nicky has that effect on me.” A throat behind him cleared, and Becks turned to find a rosy-cheeked Nicky, loving how just about anything could make him blush.
Nicky sat in the final empty chair. Becks slid the latte in front of him, and Nicky gave him a confused look.
Becks leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I remembered.”
Shifting away from Becks, Nicky looked to Latisha. “Hi,” he squeaked.
She smiled. “Let’s get started, shall we? Tell me how you two met.”
Nicky rubbed his jaw. “I don’t really remember the exact point we met.”
“It was raining,” Becks cut in. “Just coming down in sheets. It was spring. I was a high school sophomore, and my football coach sent me to the St. Germaine house. Nicky’s brother, Avery, had been in an accident months before where his best friend died. He’d stopped showing up for school, and Coach was worried. I stood on the doorstep, waiting for someone to answer. I probably looked like a drowned rat by the time Nicky appeared.”
He sent Nicky a smile as he remembered that day. He’d instantly liked the kid; something about him just drew him in. Maybe it was the complete honesty in his eyes, or the loneliness that accompanied it.
“What did Nicky do?” Latisha leaned in.
“He told me Avery wasn’t in any shape to see me but that I should come back because he could just tell Avery needed me in his life.” For years after the accident, Avery treated Nicky horribly. Yet, Nicky never stopped caring about him. “Nicky was the first person to think I could make a difference in anyone’s life. He believed in me.”
Latisha wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “That’s beautiful.”
“I don’t remember that day,” Nicky whispered.
Hearing the words cut Becks, but he only shook his head. “It’s okay. I didn’t just become friends with Avery after that. I became friends with you. No one had ever needed me like you two did.”
“But you two didn’t date in high school, correct?” Latisha eyed them both.
Nicky shook his head. “I wasn’t really important to him back then.”
Those words would haunt Becks long after this interview. “Nick-Nick, of course, you were.”
“Then why?”
“Why what?”
Nicky lowered his voice and spoke as if he forgot the reporter was even there. “You cut me out. For two years. After you graduated, you left Twin Rivers in your past, and it kind of felt like that’s where you left me too.”
Both boys turned at the scratching sound of Latisha writing on her notepad. That would have to be a conversation for another time, not when everything they said could end up printed in a magazine.
“You cut me out.” He had. Without realizing it, he’d abandoned Nicky. He wanted more than anything to take his hand, but part of him knew that wouldn’t be well received.
Latisha, as if sensing the discomfort, changed topics. “Beckett, your rise to country fame has been rather fast. What has that been like for you?”
Becks pushed thoughts of Nicky’s pain from his mind, putting his Beckett face back on, calm, collected, and happy. He leaned back in his chair and sipped his Frappuccino. “Well, I had a bit of an advantage when I came to Nashville. My cousin has connections. Within months of my move, I had a record deal with my friend Nari. The label found us two more band members, and Quinn and Harrison have become like family. That’s what really matters to me. Playing music with people I care about.”
“In your first band, Anonymous, your sister was your drummer, is that right?”
He smiled at the mention of Wylder. “She’s the best drummer I’ve ever known. No offense to Harrison. I’m a bit biased, but she’s damn good.”
“What does she think of your fame?”
Nicky released a laugh. “Wylder kind of just makes fun of him for it. She’s made a sport out of it, actually.”
Becks shared a private smile with Nicky. For once, it felt like they were on the same team. “I love my sister more than anything. I’m assuming you’ve seen the video of her singing?”
Latisha nodded. “She has a bright future ahead of her.”
Becks shrugged, knowing Wylder would laugh in this woman’s face. She couldn’t care less about fame. They spoke more about Becks’ career to that point. Latisha even asked Nicky a few questions about what he thought of everything Beckett had accomplished.
Nicky seemed to relax as the interview went on, and Becks even caught a hint of pride in his eyes when he spoke of the music. Becks reached over, testing Nicky’s temperament by taking his hand. For once, Nicky didn’t pull away.
Becks went further, intertwining their fingers, smiling when Nicky squeezed his hand.
Latisha finished her questioning and packed up her things before wishing them well. When she was gone, Nicky stared down as his hand, still holding Beckett’s.
“Nick-Nick.” Becks met his gaze. “I need to know we’re in this together. I know it’s asking a lot of you and you aren’t happy about your life being turned inside out, but this is new territory for me too. If you’re going to be angry with me for the next month, I don’t know if I can keep this up. It’s killing me that you feel that way. Nic—”
“Stop,” Nicky cut him off. “Stop talking. My turn, Becks. I was angry. For a long time, I wondered why someone I thought was my friend cut me out of his life. Two years. It hurt when I realized you were never my friend, only Avery’s.”
“I didn’t—”
“I said stop talking.”
Becks clamped his lips shut.
“Those two years have nothing to do with this. I promised I was in this, and I am. I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk, but do you realize how nervous this makes me? The cameras and reporters and general lack of privacy terrifies me.” When Becks didn’t respond, he sighed. “You can talk now.”
“What can I do to help make it better?”
“Just give me space when I need it.” He slipped his hand free. “And seriously, I know you’re this touchy-feely dude, but stop holding my hand. I-I can’t handle that.”
Becks pushed out a breath. “Okay.”
Nicky offered him a smile, so rare since he’d come to Nashville. Becks wanted to bottle it up and keep it with him always. He’d always felt that way around Nicky. Maybe that was why he’d been drawn to him since that first day he’d stood on his porch in the rain.
Around Nicky, he never felt like he had to be anyone else. He didn’t have to hide who he was, and it was a feeling so unfamiliar it scared him.
It wasn’t until right then Becks realized the answer to the most important question Nicky had asked. Why hadn’t he spoke to him for two years?
Because Nicky St. Germaine was the only person in this world Beckett Anderson feared.
Nerves tumbled in Beckett’s stomach like they were practicing for the Olympics. He brushed a hand through his light brown hair, suddenly hating the way it looked messy no matter how long he fussed with it. It had always been what girls loved about it. Why? He didn’t know at the moment.
Staring into the long mirror, he realized he had no clue what a straight dude wore on a fake gay date. No, not gay date. Just a fake date. He had to make himself stop thinking of everything as straight or gay. It wasn’t fair to Nicky for him to treat this as anything other than normal.
But a normal date didn’t make Beckett’s hands shake.
For a normal date, he didn’t change his clothes five thousand times.
A knock on his door made him jump. Before he could walk toward it, his saviors strolled in. Sky and Sofie took one look at him in his slacks with no shirt and shared a laugh.
“You’re kind of hopeless, cousin.” Sky shook her head, her grin widening.
Sofie scanned Becks from head to toe as she pursed her lips in concentration. “Don’t wear those pants.”
&n
bsp; “What?” Becks looked between the girls. “These are the fifth ones I’ve tried on.”
“You’re hopeless.” Sofie put a hand on his bare shoulder. Once, he’d wanted to kiss her every time she touched him. But that feeling was gone, and he wasn’t quite sure why. Now, she was just Sofie, his assistant and friend.
Skyler strolled into his walk-in closet. “Black?” she called back.
Becks was about to ask her what she meant when he realized the question wasn’t for him.
Sofie joined her. “Yes, definitely. And green. That’ll bring out his eyes.”
When they emerged, Sky handed him a pair of black skinny jeans and a light-green button-down shirt. “Cowboy hat?” she asked.
“I’m not wearing a cowboy hat,” Becks said at the same time Sofie said, “Of course. He’s a country star.”
Sofie turned to Becks. “You’re not dressing for Nicky. You’re dressing for the cameras.”
“No hat.”
She sighed. “Fine. Get dressed.” She crossed her arms.
“Uh…are you guys going to leave?”
“No.”
Sky turned her back on him, but Sofie watched as he stripped out of his pants, pulling on the black jeans as quickly as he could. They were so tight he had to jump to get them on, making Sofie giggle as she bit her fist.
Once he was dressed, Sky considered him. “The hair. Something needs to happen with the hair.”
They forced him into the bathroom where they gelled his hair, twisting it this way and that until it no longer looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. Sofie opened her bag, pulling various makeup brushes out.
“No.” Becks backed away. “I’m not wearing makeup.”
“Beckett, this is the most important date of your life. Trust me. I’ll make you camera ready.”
The most important date of his life? As if he wasn’t nervous enough already. He’d spent the last two days with Nicky doing various radio, TV, and blog interviews. Yet tonight, it would just be the two of them for the first time in a long time. Sure, the paparazzi would be following them, but they wouldn’t be close enough to hear anything that was said.
Sofie and Sky brushed powder over his cheeks, but he stopped them before they put eyeliner on him. They both sighed but relented. Looking at his phone, Becks cursed. He was supposed to pick Nicky up twenty minutes ago.
Kissing both women on the cheeks, he headed to the door. “Good luck,” they called after him. Out in the hall between Beckett’s apartment and Avery’s, he took a deep breath, reveling in the brief moment of silence.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he lifted his hand to knock. As he waited, he realized it was probably the first time he’d knocked on this door. He had a key and usually just walked in. But he wanted to do this date right—even if it wasn’t real. Nicky deserved that.
Second-guessing his outfit, Becks ran a hand down the buttons of his shirt. He should have worn a suit, right?
When the door swung open, he was relieved to be face to face with Nari rather than either of the other two options. She looked him up and down, a smile coming to her lips. “You look handsome, Becks.”
“Thanks, Narisaurus.” He clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking.
Nari didn’t miss much when it came to him. They knew each other too well for that. “You’re nervous.”
“What? No.”
Her grin widened. “It’s cute. I like that you’re nervous. Just…be careful with Nicky, okay?”
“Of course, Nars. We’ll just be hanging out like old times.”
“In these old times you speak of, you didn’t have to pretend anything, Becks.” She stepped back, and he followed her inside.
Avery appeared from one of the bedrooms, grimacing as he looked at Becks. “Dude…I don’t know what to do here. Do I play the big brother and threaten you, or do I play the best friend and tell you to have fun?”
Nari gripped his hand. “Remember it’s not real, Avery.”
“Yeah, but my best friend is still showing up at my place to take my brother on a date.”
Becks didn’t get a chance to respond because Nicky rounded the corner, stopping when he spotted Becks. His eyes widened. “Uh, hi.”
“Hey, Nick-Nick.” Becks met his gaze, unable to look away.
Nicky cleared his throat. “You, um, ready to go?”
“Yeah. We have reservations.”
They left Avery and Nari staring after them as they walked in silence through the halls. A car waited at the curb out front, and Becks opened the door for Nicky to slide in the back.
Nicky’s lips twitched. “Becks Anderson is a gentleman?”
The statement snapped the tension between them, and Becks laughed. “As if you had any doubt.”
They talked the entire car ride about nothing and everything, never lacking for what to say. The restaurant wasn’t far, but when the car pulled up, they didn’t get out.
Becks turned in his seat to face Nicky. “Carmichaels is where people go when they want to be seen in this town. The label pulled some strings to get us a table on such short notice. You can bet there’ll be paps as soon as we open these doors. You ready for that?”
Nicky stared at him as if he were his lifeline. He reached forward, brushing something off the collar of Becks’ shirt. “Beckett Anderson.” His voice lowered as he tried to suppress a laugh. “Are you wearing makeup?”
Becks meant to push his hand away but gripped it instead, holding it to his chest. “You can tell me if you’re not ready for this, Nick. I know I’ve been asking a lot of you, but I never want to push you further than you’re prepared to go.”
Nicky’s fingers dug into Becks’ shirt. “I can do this.” He said the words as if trying to convince himself. “We only have a few weeks until we’re free of this fake relationship. I won’t back out now.”
His words were like a million tiny ice cubes shoveled into Becks’ shirt, cooling his heated skin. The time limit on this should have been a comfort to Becks, but he enjoyed having Nicky at his side. Most of the time, he was alone in his career. Yes, he had a band, but they weren’t the headliners. They didn’t understand. Right now, Nicky shared the spotlight with him, taking some of the burden away.
But it was more than that. With his friend by his side, Becks felt like he could do this. His dreams were attainable.
“Only a few more weeks.” Becks dropped Nicky’s hand. “We can do this.” As soon as he opened the door, flashes went off. Pulling Nicky from the car, he rushed into the restaurant. The hostess recognized them and seated them immediately.
Carmichaels did a good job of keeping paps outside, but they stayed by the windows and waited at the doors.
“Your life is crazy, Becks.” Nicky shook his head as he lifted the menu.
He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, but if it means I get to make music for the rest of my life, I’ll deal with the chaos.”
“Can I confess something?”
“Being that you’re my boyfriend, I expect you to.”
Nicky laughed. “I’m kind of a Beckett Anderson junkie.”
“You listen to my music?”
“All of it. I know the words to every song.”
Becks leaned forward. “Which one is your favorite?”
Nicky hesitated. “‘Small Town.’ When you sing about leaving people behind, I always wondered if I was one of those people. The line ‘I still think about how it was’ hit me hard the first time I’d heard it. I missed you, and it was the first inkling I had that maybe you missed me too. It was stupid though because you left a lot of people. I know it wasn’t about me.”
“It wasn’t.” Becks hated the way Nicky deflated. “But I missed you like crazy. You know I love you, Nick, right? Always. No matter what happens, I could never just forget about you.”
Nicky shrugged as if he didn’t believe him. Becks scooted his chair around the table so they sat side by side. “Nicky, look at me.”
When Nicky met his eyes, the l
ook he gave him reminded him of the boy he’d first met who’d been an open book.
A shadow fell over the table, and Becks looked up to find a tall man holding a camera. Somehow, one of the paparazzi got into the restaurant. “Beckett Anderson,” he began. “What do you say to the rumors that your entire relationship is a PR stunt?” He held his camera up, catching the stunned look on Becks’ and Nicky’s faces.
Becks recovered first. “I’d say I love my boyfriend.” He turned to Nicky, trying to communicate his next actions with his eyes.
Nicky sucked in a breath with a nod. Their first kiss wasn’t planned. Becks rushed through it, just wanting to wipe the sadness from Nicky’s face. He hadn’t taken the time to consider what it meant. This time was different.
He leaned forward, capturing Nicky’s lips with his own, exploring the shape and feel of them. It wasn’t like kissing Sofie. She’d given him full control, softening under his touch. Kissing Nicky was a battle of wills, both boys wanting to take everything they could from the other.
Nicky wrapped a hand around the back of Beckett’s neck. Gone was the stunned boy Becks kissed at the concert. This was a man who took what he wanted.
And for the first time, Becks felt what Nicky wanted was him. He pulled back, letting Nicky rest their foreheads together. Both breathed heavily.
The photographer was gone, having been escorted from the restaurant.
“Nicky,” Becks whispered. “What…” He couldn’t finish the question. He knew what that was supposed to be. The pictures of them kissing would be all over the internet by morning. Fans would flip for them.
Yet, now, the paparazzi was gone, and all Becks wanted to do was try that again. Nicky scooted his chair away and released a long breath. “Ever thought of doing movies, Becks?” He shook his head with a sarcastic laugh. “You sure sold that.”
Sold it? Yeah, he guessed that was what he’d done. Acted. Pretended.
“Can we just go?”
“You want to leave?” The restaurant or Nashville? He didn’t ask because he feared the answer.
“I’m tired, Becks. We’ve been doing this PR shit for days. I’m not even hungry.”
Dating Him: The Series Page 7
