girl next door ☆ c. sturniolo

2.6 sorry, i don't mean to freak you out

Nick was staring at his phone in complete utter shock. He didn't know how the hell he was supposed to respond, it was a LA phone number so his first thought was some random fan found out about Addie and thought this would be a funny prank. They had always been careful about Addie, not wanting the fans to try and dig into something that had settled so long ago.

Nick deeply sighed, going downstairs to see if Matt and Chris were up yet. It was only noon so he wasn't surprised when he peeked into Matt's room, to find him sleeping. Nick started pacing, wondering if he should wake them up and see what the fuck they should do. Nick entered and left Matt's room four times before he decided he was going to go alone.

If this was a prank, he didn't want Matt and Chris to be upset over nothing. Addie's parents had stopped reaching out to their parents, so they hadn't spoken in a good year and a half, but still. Why wouldn't they call anyone up and let them know their daughter was alive? Nick quickly put on his shoes before making his way outside, and climbed into his uber.

The entire ride was silent, his mind racing over the possibilities of this actually being Addie or not. 20 minutes later, the uber driver had pulled over in front of a cute little house. Nick stared at it for a few seconds, and was brought back to reality when the driver cleared his throat. Nick quietly thanked him before getting out, unable to move from his position on the sidewalk.

What if Addie opens that door?

Nick began pacing, regretting coming alone. He should have begged Madi to come with him, but when he had checked her location she wasn't home. After a few minutes of pacing, Nick approached the door. It was a simple white door, with a gold knob. Whoever is on the other side of that door could drastically change his life. He lifted and lowered his hands several times, scared to knock.

He decided to text Matt and Chris, telling them to meet him at his current location as soon as possible. If it turned out not to be Addie he would just give Matt a call and beg him to hurry. Once the text was sent he put his phone away, resuming his mental battle with working up the courage to knock or not.

So when the door slowly creaked open, Nick nearly took off sprinting. The now open door revealed a man, Nick's worst nightmare. The guy was wearing a suit, holding a coffee in his hand as he began to exit the doorway, but stopped once he saw Nick.

"Can I help you?" The guy asked, now taking a step back. Nick had no choice now, not wanting to cause a scene. He took a deep breath, running his thumb over his ring trying to ground himself.

Nick finally shook his head, "I'm um, here looking for someone. I'm not sure if it's her or not..." He trailed off, making the guy nod. Nick didn't want to say too much, in case this was some sort of sick joke.

"You must be Nick." He softly replied, offering his free hand to shake, "I'm Ryat."

"Like.." Nick trailed off, barely gripping Ryat's hand. This was Addie's fucking uncle, the one her parents had shipped her off to all those years ago.

Ryat grinned, "Yes I'm Adeline's uncle." He spoke, turning around when he heard shuffling behind him. "It was nice to meet you, Nick, but I've got to get going." Ryat walked off, heading to a black SUV parked on the street. Nick turned back around, and was brought to instant tears.

Adeline Rose Manson was standing 3 feet away from him, with a fucking smile on her face.

"What the fuck." Nick whispered, as he felt the first of many tears slip down his cheeks. Instantly they each took a step forward and wrapped their arms around each other. Nick was nearly crushing Addie, but neither of them even cared. Silent sobs were shared into the hug, Addie bringing her hand to comfort rub Nick's back, a habit she had anytime she comforted someone.