Remember Me This Way

Chapter Eleven

"Come on baby, we can go back to my tour bus..." Nick slurred into a girl's ear as their bodies danced slowly together upon the floor of a random nightclub he didn't know the name of.

"You are so wasted."

"No, no no no..." Nick shook his head, almost stumbling. He'd only had a few drinks, but in combination with the Exelon it caused him to feel drunk far sooner than he would normally. "I...am fine. Fiiiiiiiiiiine."

The young woman laughed. She was his old type. Bottle blonde hair, in her mid twenties, skinny, and legs that could go on forever. Her green eyes met his and he just laughed some more. "You don't believe me?" His words blurred together, making it hard for her to even decipher what he was saying.

"I wouldn't have guessed you to be a lightweight."

"I-I-I ain't. Well I am liiight. I dunno."

She watched him with a raised brow. "I think it's time to get you back to your tour bus buddy." She sighed. "Call Brian or AJ. Just be happy I'm a fan and not some random groupie who'd use you."

Nick shook his head, which ended up shaking his whole body with his complete lack of coordination. "Noooooo I'm mad at Brian. I...I ain't calling him. Noooope." He laughed and pulled her close once more. He didn't even know her name, but right then, he didn't really care.

She pulled away as the neon strobe lights danced around them, showing a mass of bodies moving sensually to the music around them. "Come on, give me your phone. I'll call AJ then. You need some rest; don't you have another show to do tomorrow?"

Evidently declaring Nick was no longer in any condition to make the decision himself, she snuck her hands into his pockets in search of his infamous Blackberry. He grinned, pulling her against him as he nuzzled her neck. "No AJ...you and me..."

She pulled away, staring at Nick sadly as the music boomed around them in an upbeat melody. "You know, I used to dream of this when I was a teeny, and now..." The girl shook her head as she flipped the phone open, scanning his phone for AJ's number. "I can't even say yes in good conscience." She called the number, muttering. "Damn my morals..."

The conversation she had went unnoticed to Nick as he once again tried to pull her into his warm embrace. All he wanted was to escape. To feel. He felt so distant anymore, separated from those he cared about. They thought he was back to his old addictions, and he couldn't even correct them. Instead all he could do was plead for them to trust them. Which, thanks to his own damaged history, they simply couldn't do. After the first accusation, Jen approached him with the same questions. As did Howie. Only AJ had held back as of yet. All it did was add to his ever-growing frustrations. It led to a night of drinking and clubbing the pain away. He'd known he shouldn't, and he just didn't care anymore. One day he'd just forget this anyway. That had been his logic when he caught a cab downtown immediately after the concert that night in Miami.

As always, the way the tour had been set up was a bit random. Tomorrow was another show in Miami, then Orlando, before making their way along the southern states going west. The tour ended in Las Vegas in a month, giving them a break for Christmas and New Years before going overseas. Leighanne and Baylee had joined them on the tour only the night before, causing Brian to finally get his own bus rather than share Nick's much to his relief.

A hand waved before his eyes, causing him to stagger and come back to reality as best as he could within his drunken stupor. AJ stood in front of him, his lime green polished nails danced before his eyes. He smiled at the girl who handed him Nick's phone.

"Thanks for calling me down."

She just nodded. "No problem, I mean he's my fave...but I couldn't take advantage of him like this."