Moments In Time

Chapter 8

Present Day....

Zayn couldn't believe it when Kacey told him she was flying to New York two weeks later.

"I'm going to do AGT," she said as they took a walk in the Grove. They had just made up for their cancelled friendly lunch date, which they'd made clear to the surrounding paps. Their friendship was a hot topic lately, mainly due to the chemistry they'd always had together on stage, and the closeness of their friendship back in the day.

"You sure it's not too soon, Kacey?" Zayn asked as they walked into a bookstore together.

He shouldn't have been surprised. Kacey was almost always like this. In a time of crisis, she shut down for a few days, but always came back to do her job with a vengeance. This time was apparently no different.

"No," she replied, picking up the latest Nicholas Sparkes novel. "I need to work. This is just until I find out what I want to go next in my career. Speaking of, what are you doing?"

Zayn shrugged.

"I'm actually taking a bit of a break," he admitted. "I just finished a tour. I guess I'm going to write for my next album, do a few songs for other people, and lay low for a while."

"You'd deserve it," Kacey said as they took a seat on one of the store's plush couches. "You've worked hard."

Zayn smiled and then frowned. He was going to miss talking like this with her everyday. Her going to New York was going to suck, and when she took the job it meant she'd be moving there long term.

He'd find a way to keep touch with her, but he was going to miss her being within driving distance.

"Hey," she said, noticing his glum face. "It's going to be alright. It's just New York, it's not like I'm on the other side of the world, like the rest of you Brits and Irishmen."

Zayn smiled and pushed the bad feelings aside for now. It was all about keeping Kacey happy, and if New York was what did that, then he'd be supportive of it no matter what.

.....

Kacey was in New York City two days later, walking into the NBC studios with Teresa, her shoulders squared back as she did.

The boys had all gone back home after she insisted she was going to be fine. No one was fooled by this, but since Louis, Zayn, and Harry were living close by, Liam and Niall didn't feel too guilty about going back.

Kacey decided to agree to be a judge for America's Got Talent, and was coming to New York to sign some contracts. She was looking forward to this, it gave her some time to figure out what she was going to do and she'd be getting paid. She didn't know who her other judges were other than Howard Stern. She knew there were going to be another, but since Howie Mandel was gone, she didn't know who that was going to be.

"Excited?" Teresa asked. Kacey nodded as they rode up in the elevator, tapping her hand against her thigh. She was mainly nervous, since this wasn't something she'd done before.

The door opened and an assistant was waiting for them.

"They're in there waiting for you, Ms. Owens," she replied sweetly.

Kacey gave her a polite smile as she walked in the office, where her new bosses were.

"Good afternoon, Kacey," Mr. Smith, one of the show's main producers, said. "I'm glad to have you on board, and let me just extend my condolences to you about the recent passing of your brother."

"Thank you Mr. Smith," Kacey replied. "I'm just ready to start a new chapter, sir."

"As we all are," Mr. Parker, the other producer, responded. "So these are your basic contracts. A season of AGT, going to the promos and auditions, doing commercials, the works. No talking about the process to anyone, all that business."