Heavy Wears The Crown

Thirty

"We lived a life time in a week before you left. But I'm still stuck here and all I have left are those nights."

--------- My Lifetime In a Week - Ice Nine Kills ----------

                When I woke up I was still in Nolan's bed. My head was on his chest, hand buried under his shirt and both of his arms were holding me against him.

I grimaced and shifted slowly. I wasn't supposed to fall asleep here, I'd had an extra sweet tea darn it! Was there no caffeine in these things? Nolan was supposed to be the one to fall asleep and I was to discreetly slip out and return to my own room. How I had fallen asleep...

"You snore." Nolan said and I flinched hard. He should be asleep.

I jerked my head up to be able to look him in the eye. There were still dark bags circling them and he looked pale and irritable. "I do not!"

"For a little girl, you've got a big snore. I thought there was a helicopter flying overhead."

"You did not!" I insisted and sat up completely, his arms released me as I sat up.

"Oh yeah." He brought his thumb along my burning cheek and I jerked backwards.

"Did you sleep?" I asked in a curt tone and turned my eyes to the ground.

"A few hours." 

"Define a few."

"Two, two and a half if we're being generous."

"Go back to sleep. You have a show tonight you need more sleep. Maybe without the helicopter around you can catch another two hours."

He sat up. "I'm fine."

"Nolan you need to sleep."

"I need to get ready for sound check. I'll be fine."

"Nolan." I called out when he started away. "What are you going to say? To the guys? Will they be able to tell I mean?"

"I don't know baby." He sighed. "I don't want to yet...if I fail-"

"You won't though."

"But if I do, I would prefer to do so without an audience."

The man who made his fortune in front of a crowd, the man who thrived before the swarm or paparazzi and adoring fans, the man who had a chunk of coworkers following his every move just wanted to be alone. "Audience of one."

"You're different...I'd like to tell my sister but I don't want to break her heart if it doesn't happen."

"Don't talk like that. It'll happen." I began stripping the bed and he watched me. The first time we had stayed in a hotel and I'd done this he'd asked me if I was having a stroke. I insisted it saved a little bit of work for house keeping to which he gave me a blank stare and said that's their job. I was a courteous person, what could I say? If I could make someone else's day easier with almost no effort on my part why wouldn't I? Now when I began stripping the sheets he didn't even bat an eye. Interesting to think that I would only do this one more time before we would go our separate ways.