Miles Away | Nick Mara

Twenty Six

Zion saw us first. With an instant smile, he dropped his mic onto the ground and ran up towards up. He rubbed his hands together, staring at the colorful drinks, sandwiches and cupcakes in the bags we were holding. He reached in, grabbed a sandwich and started to eat. After taking a bite, he called out to the others.

"Come get your food before I eat 'em all." he yelled.

From behind him, the rest of the boys ran out, racing each other to the food. Edwin and Austin ran as fast as they could while Nick trailed behind them, taking his time. He walked up with a smile, greeting me with a hug and kiss on the forehead.

We sat on the edge of the stage, eating and drinking, talking about how fast tour had gone by. The boys laughed and joked around as they remembered funny times from the previous concerts. Nick sat beside me, my legs on top of his, my head resting on his shoulder as I sipped my drink. Behind us, around twenty crew members checked and re-checked the equipment, making sure that nothing would go wrong during their last show.

"Sound check!" Someone yelled from behind.

We looked up at the speakers as a song began to play. Edwin stood up with Tiffany and began to dance. They laughed, spinning and twirling around the stage, Edwin's arm around Tiffany's waist.

I watched, their happiness radiating through the whole venue. I could see Nick from the corner of my eye, looking at me with his soft brown eyes, a smile on his lips.

After a while, he stood up and held out his hand. I laughed as he pulled me up, simultaneously pulling me into a hug. We rocked back and forth, his arms wrapped around my shoulders, my head resting in the curve between his neck and collarbone. 

Austin stood up. "I'll be right back."

He ran to the back of the stage with his phone in his hand, a huge smile on his face. We watched him run off. A second later, Zion stood up and decided to follow him. The music turned off. We looked up, confused.

"It's probably a glitch," Edwin said. "I think."

Just as Nick was about to check what was going on, another song began to play. I'd never heard it before. The familiar sound of Brandon and Nick's voice echoed through the stage, accompanied by a melody played by the piano. Nick sighed with a smile, burying his head into my shoulders in embarrassment.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," he laughed. He turned to yell at Austin behind the stage. "TURN IT OFF"

We all began to laugh. Austin walked out, Zion trailing behind him, collapsing with laughter. 

"Nick and Brandon were making a song about you and Charlotte in the other room and me and Zion recorded it." Austin grinned.

Embarrassed, Nick let go of my shoulders and ran away from the stage. He headed towards the waiting rooms backstage, leaving the rest of us laughing. I smiled to myself; seeing him happy made me happy.