Scarred Soul (Nemi)

Part 6

"Good morning, Miss Lovato." He said.

When Demi heard the voice, she turned around, her eyes widening as she saw the man standing in the doorway. She could feel her heart literally skip a beat. There he was. Nick Jonas.

Nick stood in the doorway, one hand in his pocket, staring at Demi, who was apparently surprised by his appearance. He took a minute to study her features as his heart pounded with joy at the sight of the face he had been missing for days. "Hi, Demi," he said, a grin forming at the corner of his lips.

"H-hi." Demi responded, freezing in place. Surprise was all over her face. She could hear her heart thumping hard in her chest. She thought she could stop thinking about him, but she was dead wrong. And there he was, standing just a few feet away from her, looking so handsome in his casual outfit – the white t-shirt underneath the maroon bomber jacket paired with dark jeans and black Chukka shoes accentuated his good look.

After a few seconds of silence, Nick spoke, "How are you?"

"I'm good." Demi tried not to sound nervous in her response, but her voice failed her. So she cleared her throat, regaining her composure.

"I saw you in the lobby, so I guessed you were invited to the open session." Nick attempted to continue the conversation. He could see that she was still surprised and nervous. The fact that he was Nick Jonas probably made the encounter awkward, but hopefully not in a bad way. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know what to expect." There was a slight tremble in her voice. "I hope I don't screw up." She said while fidgeting with her fingers.

"Don't worry. Just sing like you always do at the open mic. I'm sure they're going to love you." He said it confidently. "And honestly, I'm glad someone has finally noticed your talent."

"Um...w-what are you doing here?" She recognized the question could mean something different as soon as it left her mouth. So she rephrased it. "I mean, what are you doing here in LA, not here as in this building. Coz this is a recording company and you're a music producer, it makes sense that you're here." She gave a sheepish grin.

Her antics amused Nick, making him silently chuckle. It was incredible how such a tiny gesture could bring a big grin to his face. "I landed yesterday. Actually, I'm here because..." He paused and cleared his throat, "I work here in LA, with this company."

Demi's brows sprang up as she looked at Nick. Surprise was all over his face. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. Honestly, she was dumbfounded. Just days ago, she figured there would be no chance for her to see him again. And now he was here, working in LA. "For real? I-I thought you had a job in New York."

Noticing the surprise on her face, Nick knew he must clarify the situation, but it wasn't the right time for a long explanation. "I was. Long story short, I'm here for a project-based job."

"Oh," was the only thing she could say.

At that moment, a man entered the room. Demi and Nick instantaneously turned to the man. "Hello." He extended his hand to Demi for a handshake and introduced himself. "I'm Phil McIntyre, the Manager. Thank you for accepting our invitation, Miss Lovato."

"Just call me Demi." Demi took Phil's hand with a smile. "I'm the one who should say thank you for the invitation. It's an absolute honor to be invited to such an exclusive open session like this. This invitation means a lot to me, considering I'm just a music teacher who sings for fun."

"Aww... you're being modest, Demi. I came across a video of one of your performances at an open mic session. I must say I'm impressed. So that's why we invited you today. As you know, we're looking for the next best singer-musician-songwriter so we want to see everything you've got with our very own eyes." Phil then shifted his eyes from Demi to Nick. "I see that you've already met our Producer. Nick Jonas. Do you two know each other?"