Remember Me This Way

Chapter Fourteen

"Nick, come on, you said you'd come down."

Nick glanced out the window of his hotel in Tampa. He wondered how long he could hide out in his former home state before he was discovered. He smiled at the ocean, it crashed against the shores invitingly, beckoning him to go out into the surf. The sun was setting, beautiful as always. For the first time in quite awhile, he got the urge to go grab a drawing pad and go sketch it like he did during his younger days on tour. Drawing, now there was something he missed doing.

I should do my own artwork for the solo album.

"Nick?" He could hear his brother's voice whine over the phone. It scared him, how much Aaron sounded like him. How much he acted like he did at that age. Making all the wrong choices, listening to all the wrong people, sinking lower and lower without a clue how far he was really going.

"I know, but..." He trailed off. But what? He wasn't planning on telling Aaron just yet. Or any of his family. Not until after he told AJ and Howie, probably not until he had to. He was the one who'd told his family he'd be down in Tampa for New Year's Eve. So why was he trying to back out?

I don't wanna do this. I need to, but I don't want to. I can't fix them. He sighed, maybe that was the problem. He wanted to fix his family, make them become a real one, rather than accept they never would be. "...but nothing. I'll just be a little late is all. No big Airboy, I'll be by mom's soon and meet y'all there."

"Do we have to do this with the family? You and I should go out, live it up a little. It's New Year's Eve! This ain't the time for family bonding."

Now there's a really bad idea for you. "Yes it is, we agreed. Dude, even Leslie came down."

"But not with Mike and her kid." What Aaron said stung, Nick had at least figured she'd bring his nephew. He barely knew him, due to her isolation from the rest of them. Despite all the assumptions that being in a big family meant they all had each other when no one else was there, it was far from true. Despite his large family, Nick normally felt like an only child with a lot of hanger-ons hoping for a handout. The thought depressed him.

"Don't matter. I'll meet you there." He hung up, sliding his phone back in his pocket, staring out at the ocean again. If only he could just escape it all, swim in the ocean and become a dolphin. Nick knew he'd be happier, for one. It'd be easier as well.

His phone buzzed against his rear in his pocket. Reaching for it, he answered it, completely agitated. "Look Aaron, we're not going to some damn club when we're supposed to have a family bonding session! For the love of Holy fucking Howie, the Carters are gonna try and act like a family for one damn night!"

A pause. "Do I wanna ask what mini Nick did to piss you off?"

Nick felt a bit bad as he went back to the bed, lying back against the pillows while grabbed the remote. He turned the TV on and began to channel surf. "Sorry AJ."

"It's alright man. How was your country Christmas?"

"Better than Christmas with the Carters."

"That sounds like a reality show."

"Ugh, hell no. I am never making that mistake again." Nick reached over for his mountain dew, and sipped it idly. Caffeine was definitely his new addiction, and if the doctors were right, it would only help his memory. That, and he was developing a fondness for mountain dew and its various flavors, the Code Red one in particular.

"So why you doing this? You know you could've done New Years right, with me and D."

"I felt bad for skipping out on them to go be with Brian and Kev's family." Which this wasn't a completely lie. Because of that, Nick felt less guilty, and considered it an upgrade from his current trends as of late.