This Story's Going Somewhere

Chapter 13 - Patrick

Two nights later, we were in a brand new hotel room in Salt Lake City. This time, we would be staying for two nights; the night before our show and the night after, before we had to head towards Texas for the next show. I was sharing with Nora again, but while she was showering after the long car ride, I was in the other room, with the rest of the guys, trying to figure out how I was supposed to tell the mother of my child that I had feelings for her. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was a much more difficult feat than it seemed.

    Andy and Joe were sitting on one bed, while I sat on the other, and Pete was pacing back and forth, deep in thought, like he was trying to come up with the cure for cancer. "Alright," he said finally, "Here's what you do —"

    "Whatever you're about to say," I cut in, "The answer is no. I don't want this to be some big production, Pete, I just want to tell her."

    "Why don't you just ask her out, then?" Joe asked, as if it were that simple.

    "Because I don't want to do that," I explained, "I just want to let her know that I do still have feelings for her. I'm going to let her do with that information what she will, because I doubt she feels the same way."

    Pete, Andy, and Joe all stared at me for a moment, and then Andy rolled his eyes. "Just ask her out, Patrick," he stated, getting up from the bed, "She won't say no." I watched him walk towards the other side of the room.

    "How do you know?" I asked, and Joe chuckled from beside me.

    "Because it's obvious," Andy yelled back, before disappearing into the bathroom.

    I sighed and looked back at Pete and Joe. "Do you guys think so too?" I asked, and they both nodded, Pete doing so a little too enthusiastically. I took another deep breath and nodded. "I hope you guys are right."

    A few minutes later, I wandered back over to my room. When I walked in, Nora was already dressed, though her hair lay damp against her back. She was sitting up in her bed, the TV on, and she was watching reruns of Friends. She glanced at me and smiled as I walked in. I smiled back, almost considering climbing into my own bed to watch TV with her this time, but I thought better of it and climbed up beside her instead. She quickly made room for me, leaning against my side as I wrapped an arm around her waist.

    "Hanging out with the guys?" She asked, watching the TV as she spoke.

    I did the same, nodding. "Yeah, just talking for a bit."

    "You know, you don't have to feel bad about leaving me alone here," Nora said suddenly, making me look at her curiously. "I mean, I know none of you planned to have a girl on tour with you. I don't want to come between you guys."

    "You're not," I said quickly, gently squeezing her waist. "The guys love you. And they know I like to be close to you because of the baby. And besides, you keep me grounded, in a way." I couldn't believe I'd told her that, but she turned to meet my gaze with a smile.

    "Really?" She asked.

    I shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, Pete likes to get into trouble, and Joe kinda goes with it. Andy usually does his own thing, and I kind of get caught up between all of them. With you, though, I can just relax. Like I don't have to go along with anything, you know?" I stared at her, hoping I hadn't gone too far, and she began to blush.

    "Thanks, Patrick," she said softly, laying her head on my shoulder. I felt my own face heating up now as I laid my head on top of hers. We sat silently for some time, just watching TV together, and eventually Nora made herself even more comfortable. She stretched out her legs and wrapped her arm around my stomach, gently hugging me closer to her. I couldn't help but panic slightly, but I remembered what the guys had told me. It was obvious to them how interested she was in me, so I should just go for it.