We've Only Just Begun

Part 30 - A Better Day

I couldn't get to sleep that night. I didn't realize this job entailed everything that it did, and I didn't want to crack under the pressure. I had to prove Scooter wrong, and I was going to do just that. Nathan, not to mention all of these boys, meant too much to me.

I was tossing and turning for a good hour before Nathan grabbed me and held me to him tightly so I would stop moving. 

"Sorry..." I muttered pathetically into his chest. He let out a tired laugh. I fell asleep about ten minutes later cuddled up in his arms. 

The next day I woke up at noon and Nathan wasn't in the room. I walked out to the balcony to get some air and to look at the view. I wondered how Tom and Maria were doing, I was dying to hear some news but I didn't want to pry. 

I looked down at the beach and saw some people kicking a soccer ball around, and then realized that it was Max and Nath. I brushed my teeth and changed into my bathing suit, throwing my hair up in a ponytail on the way out the door. When I got to the beach I saw Ollie and Steph laid out on beach chairs, and Siva was in the water with Becca. Tom and Maria were nowhere in sight, and that worried me.

"Morning sunshine!" Nathan said running up to me with a soccer ball in his hand. "Did someone get enough beauty sleep?" He asked playfully.

"You could've woken me up." I said flattly. 

"Didn't wanna wake you, love. You had a bad day and needed rest." He replied and then put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled my head toward him, bringing my forehead to his lips.

"You're too good to me, Nathan Sykes." I grinned up at him.

"Wanna join?" He asked backing away from me, he rolled the soccer ball in my direction. When the ball got to me I wedged my foot underneath it and flipped it up into my hands, then looked at Nathan who had a slightly shocked, but impressed look on his face. 

"Sure." I smirked back at him, then punted the ball really hard down the beach to Max who was about 40 yards away. He caught it and looked up at me, his mouth hanging open. 

"Holy shit!" He yelled and then started running toward me. "You can play?!" He asked with a huge smile on his face once he got to me.

"Yeah, Nath didn't tell you? Played pretty much my whole life, then I hurt my knee." I replied.

 "What'd you do to your knee?" Max asked. 

"I have really thin tendons, I was actually born with the condition, but the pain didn't set in until I was a junior in high school, which was weird since I've played sports my whole life. But as long as I have a brace, I can do whatever I want." I smiled. 

"And do you have one?" Nathan asked me skeptically.

"...No. But as long as I don't overdo it, I should be fine..." I replied. He looked at me and shook his head. "You worry too much, babe."

"Stop being such a downer, Nayf! Let's get this thing goin'!" Max said excitedly, running away from us to get the others. 

"If it starts to hurt will you please be honest and stop playing? I seriously don't want you to hurt yourself." Nathan said. 

"I promise." I replied and gave him a kiss. "Where are Tom and Maria?" I asked trying to change the subject. 

"Think they just wanted some privacy today. Maria didn't leave, if that's what you're wondering." He replied. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Thank God." I said. 

We set up boundaries and goals, and played four on four. Me, Nath, Ollie, and Jay against Seev, Max, Becca, and Steph. It was the most fun I've had in a while, and I definitely needed it. Some of the group was skilled at playing, and some weren't, but it was still a great time. 

We were playing to five points, and we were tied. "Game point." Max taunted me before kickoff. I looked over at Nath and winked, then back at Max and smirked. He kicked off, straight to me on purpose. I passed to Ollie, who juggled it for a couple seconds, then she kicked it upfield where Siva was lying in wait. He flipped it up with his foot and headed it back to Max, who started to dribble it down the beach. I charged and slide tackled him, kicking the ball straight to Nath, who dribbled it toward our goal. I got up and sprinted to the other side of our field, Max right behind me, Nath passed it to me, and I swiftly kicked it in and scored the winning point.

"WOOOOO!" I heard my team cheering. Nathan ran up to me, picked me up, and started twirling me around. I felt extremely accomplished. 

"Hey Nath... she's a keeper." Max said, and winked at me. "You got a hell of a kick!" 

"Told you. Been playing all my life." I replied proudly. "This was fun, guys. I needed it. I wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow." I pouted.

"We'll be back when we go on tour." Siva chimed in. I smiled but wondered in the back of my mind if I would still be around by then. I shook the thought out of my head, of course I would be. I wasn't about to give this up.

I felt my stomach growl. "Time for food..." I said with a small grin. Nathan put his arm around my shoulder and led me back to the hotel. We didn't go out, we just ate at the hotel's little restaurant  by the lobby, just Nathan and I. I sat down at a table and winced as I felt a sharp pain shoot through my left kneecap. 

"What?" Nathan asked worriedly. "Is it your knee? Damnit Abbey." 

"I'm fine, this happens all the time!" I reassured him. "I just need to ice it." He rolled his eyes and shook his head, then got up and walked away. He came back about three minutes later with a bag of ice wrapped in a paper towel. 

"You're staying off of it today."

I looked up at him and took the ice. "Yes, master." I replied playfully, then propped my leg up on the chair opposite of me and placed the ice over my knee. "Seriously, babe. I've lived with this for five years, it's not as bad as you think it is. It's just flared up, I promise." He didn't say anything, he just nodded. He wasn't convinced.

About fifteen minutes passed, and Nathan and I were just having casual conversation when I looked up to see Tom walking toward us. I dropped my fork and looked up at him concerned. 

"Wow, real smooth babe." Nathan said to me.

"Hey..." I said to Tom, giving him a light smile. 

"Heya." He said scratching the back of his head and taking a seat next to Nath. I didn't know what to say, or if I should ask, so I just kind of sat there in silence, awkwardly playing with the food on my plate. A couple seconds later I heard Tom chuckle and I looked up to see him laughing and looking right at me. 

"What?" I asked confused. 

"Everything's fine with me and Maria, Abbs." He replied. "She's still a little shaken up, but she's not going anywhere. And I have you to thank for that." He smiled.

I smiled back at him. "I'm glad. Scared me for a minute there." 

"A minute?!" Nathan blurted out from across the table with raised eyebrows. "It took you an hour and a half to go to bed last night. You were tossing and turning so bad, I had to hold you down to get you to finally get to sleep."

"Cheeky." Tom replied with a wink. 

"Oh not like that you idiot!" Nathan said shoving his shoulder, both of them were laughing.

I leaned back in my chair and rested my hands on my stomach. Finally, things were back to normal.