Not This Time

Jon: January 5, 1986

     "See ya, Doc," I called as I stepped out of my manager's office. I walked down the hall, rubbing my face and running my hands up into my hair. I was too tired and preoccupied to notice anything around me as I descended the stairs and waltzed through the lobby of the Doc's office building. Out the door, down the front walk, across the sidewalk to my car.
     I unlocked my car door and opened it at the same time that, out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention at the front of the building. I looked up to find a familiar face.
     Nina slipped the paper she'd been looked at into the folder in her other hand as she walked down the front walkway. She looked amazing. Her hair had grown out and now hung about halfway down her back. Those pretty blue eyes of hers were glued to something else in the folder. I watched her turn the corner toward me, but she didn't look up.
     "Hey," I called as she crossed in front of my car. She finally looked away from her folder and up at me. Her gaze paralyzed me for a second. Suddenly I felt like that kid sitting on the end of the diner counter with a cup of cold coffee. She paused on the sidewalk in front of me and, closing the folder slowly, turned to me with what appeared to be a confused expression.
     "Hey," she echoed, sticking her free hand in her coat pocket. After a couple seconds of awkward silence, she added, "Been a while."
     "Yeah," I agreed, "Where'd you go?"
     "I, uh," Nina began, "Home. I had to go home. There was a....thing.." she trailed off, tucking her folder under her arm and putting that hand in its coat pocket as well. Then she just stood there, gazing at me expectantly. She probably figured I was going to say something else.
     "Oh," I answered stupidly, unsure of what else to say. I blinked and squinted at her as the sun came out from behind a cloud. "It's Nina, right?"
     Nina smirked. "Look at that, a celebrity knows my name," she snickered as she stepped to the edge of the curb so that there was less distance for our conversation to cross. Her sarcastic enthusiasm brought a smile to my face, but I rolled my eyes at her.
     "I'm not a celebrity," I replied, leaning on my car door and shaking my head.
     She scoffed. "Don't lie." I grinned at her and she chuckled at me. "Speaking of celebrities, I heard you dated Diane," she said with a smirk. I leaned back off my door at the thought of Diane. Sticking my hands in my pockets, I shifted on my feet and sighed, looking down at the ground.
     "Yeah," I confessed as I glanced back up, "I did." Nina raised an eyebrow. "You were right," I admitted, "It didn't end well." I shrugged and looked down again at the slushy snow. Nina uttered a soft, humorless chuckle.
     "Well," Nina sighed, tilting her head to the side, "I hate to say I told you so, but.." She trailed off. I looked up at her with a wry smile and she giggled lightly. Her amusement softened my smile and we were silent for a minute.
     We were, that is, until my stomach took the liberty of making itself heard by rumbling audibly. I slapped a hand over my stomach and closed my eyes in embarrassment. When I opened my eyes again, Nina was obviously trying to contain a smile.
     "Sorry," I groaned, still embarrassed, "I slept through breakfast."
     Nina raised an eyebrow. "You should probably eat then," she advised. If I hadn't know better, I'd have said she looked concerned. I dismissed the idea quickly, though. It was ridiculous and I was probably imagining it.
     I nodded. "Yeah, I was about to go grab some lunch," I told her, putting a hand on my car door.
     I considered inviting her to have lunch with me. Would that be weird? I mean, we knew each other, but I wasn't sure if we were really friends. She wouldn't think it's a date, would she? Did I think of it that way? I couldn't be sure. These thoughts flew through my head in a span of two seconds and then I went for it.
     "Why don't you join me?"
     Nina looked surprised, as if nobody had ever asked her to lunch in her whole life. I watched her expression turn from surprise to confusion. Her gaze shifted this way and that as if she'd find an answer written on some nearby object. I couldn't believe I'd flustered her that much.
     Finally, she smiled a little. "Okay, yeah, sure," she answered with a slight laugh, "Why not?" She shrugged and shook her head. "I, uh, I-I guess I'll follow you."
     She started to head for her car, but I stopped her again, asking, "You don't mind a drive, do you?"
     Nina shook her head slightly. "No, wherever you wanna go."
     "Great," I retorted as I sank into my driver's seat and closed the door. I watched Nina continue to her car as I started the engine. She was so weird. That exchange was so painfully awkward. I didn't know why I'd asked her to lunch.
     I pulled out of my parking spot and waited for her at the lot entrance. A beautiful blue mustang convertible pulled up behind me and Nina waved me on from the driver's seat. That was her car? With an amazed shake of my head, I pulled out of the parking lot. I led her out of New York, through the Holland Tunnel, and into Jersey.
     I glanced up at my rearview every once in awhile to make sure Nina was still behind me, and every time I would see that mustang and try not to marvel at it. She followed me all the way to this hole-in-the-wall restaurant I knew of in Newport. I pulled up into one of the parking spots and looked over just in time to see Nina pull up beside me.
     "That car is beautiful," I complimented as I got out of my own vehicle. She looked over at me and offered a tight-lipped smile as she shut her car door behind her.
     "Early birthday gift," she sighed, shaking her head, "From an overly generous friend."
     I grinned. "Hey, if you don't want it, I'll take it," I joked. I stepped onto the sidewalk to meet her, still looking at the car. "What is it, '68?"
     "Close. '67," she corrected. I looked up at her and smirked.
     "I'm jealous," I chuckled, taking one last glance at her car before turning to open the door for her. She smiled at me, shaking her head at my comment. She thanked me for holding the door and I followed her inside.
     "Welcome to Través la Frontera," greeted one of the servers, "Anywhere you like is fine."
     Nina looked at me and I motioned for her to make a choice. She looked around and then started off for a table in the corner. I didn't say anything as I followed her across the restaurant. Nina took off her coat and rested it on the back of chair before sitting down. Once she'd settled, I took my seat on the opposite side of the table and smiled.
     "Través la Frontera," Nina began in a conspiratorial voice, "Mexican food, right?"
     I nodded. "Best mexican food you've ever had in your life," I assured her.
     "Try me," she challenged right back, "I've had my fair share growing up in un estado fronterizo." I could feel the surprise on my face. She knew Spanish? I asked her what it meant, and she smirked. "A border state," she translated.
     "I didn't know you knew Spanish," I chuckled, crossing my arms.
     She laughed. "I don't," she admitted, "Maybe a few words here and there, but I am in no way fluent."
     "Hello," a man's voice interrupted as he approached. Nina and I both looked up at him as he places a couple menus on the table. "My name is Sergio," the man informed us, setting a basket of chips on the table between us and a small bowl of salsa next to it, "I'll be your server this afternoon. Can I start you off with some drinks?"
     "Just water for me, please," Nina told him, opening a menu to look at her options.
     Sergio looked to me. "Water, too," I said.
     "Alright," said the waiter, "I'll be right back." Nina nodded to the waiter, but said nothing, returning her attention to the menu just as soon as he'd walked away. I opened my menu, but didn't really look at it. I held it up to hide my face. Over my menu, I watched her reach toward the basket of chips. She wasn't looking and her hand was hovering dangerously close to the salsa.
     I grinned. "What are you doing?" I snickered. She looked up at me, then down at her hand and withdrew it. When I looked back up, she looked embarrassed. Timidly, she reached for a chip and dipped it in the salsa. I shook my head, but I couldn't stop the smile creeping across my face.
     Sergio returned and set a water glass down in front of each of us. "Do you need a few minutes to look over the menu?" he asked.
     "Please," Nina said softly with a nod. Sergio nodded too, and told us he'd be back in a few minutes before stepping away. Nina shrugged at me. "Sorry, I've never been here before."
     "Take your time," I said, reaching for a chip. She took only another minute or so and then closed her menu. She looked around the restaurant, and then at me. I took another chip and dipped it in the salsa. "A border state," I prompted, "Which one?"
     Nina's smile fell just a little, but she responded, "Texas." She looked like she didn't really want to talk about it. "I, uh," she hesitated a moment, "..moved..away when I was fifteen." I could tell that wasn't the whole story, but she didn't offer anymore, and I didn't push it. The expression on her face made me want to change the subject.
     "So were you there to see Doc?" I asked. Nina shook her head.
     "I just needed to sign some papers to get my job all set," she replied, "Apparently they'd tried to contact me for the last tour but couldn't get a hold of me, which," she shrugged, "makes sense. In any case, they called me up a couple days ago and offered me the position for this tour."
     "That's because the guys and I insisted," I said. She tilted her head in confusion. I grinned at that. "We wanted you back for the second tour, but when they couldn't reach you, I made them promise they'd book you for the next one." She gaped and me and I laughed, "Doc said, 'You make sure there's a third tour, and I'll make sure she's on it.' Good to know he's keeping his word."
     Her face got a little flushed, probably at the idea that we'd ask for her. She shook her head, speechless. After a minute or two, she finally found some words. "Well, thank you, then," she managed, "I'm just glad he's booking me early, I want to have a vacation before I get back to work."
     "Like what?"
     "I dunno," she mumbled with a small smile, "I like Ireland; I'd really like to see it, but that's expensive. Probably someplace like Montreal or-"
     "Vancouver," I suggested. She stared at me. I couldn't even believe I'd said it, but I felt the need to explain my outburst. "Sorry, you said Montreal, and I was thinking Canada and that made me think about Vancouver because Doc and I were just discussing where we're going to record."
     "In Vancouver?" She guessed. I nodded. She raised an eyebrow. "So," she snickered, shaking her head, "Maybe I shouldn't go there too. That might seem a little odd."
     I frowned and shook my head. "Nah, don't let that be a deciding factor for you. Go where you want to. Vancouver's a big city, I'm sure we wouldn't even see each other."
     She smiled at me and took a sip of her water. "Whatever you say, Mr. Bon Jovi."
     I grimaced. "Oh God," I groaned, "Don't call me that. It's just Jon."
     "John-ny?" she tried, bringing the pitch of her voice up on the second syllable.
     I shook my head and pointed at her. "Don't make a habit of that. It's Jon," I said firmly, dropping my hand, "There are only two women in the whole world who can call me Johnny."
     "Oh yeah?"
     "Yeah, my mom and my girlfriend."
     Nina smirked and stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Rockstar," she snickered. She took another sip of water. "So is Dorothea going with you?" she asked, setting her glass down, "To Vancouver, I mean." She mimed throwing up. I smiled sadly but shook my head.
     "Dotty and I aren't together," I informed her, glumly, "And we probably won't be getting back together anytime soon."
     She frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed."
     "It's alright," I sighed, "You couldn't have known. She started dating someone halfway through my relationship with Diane," I explained, "When tour ended, I tried to get her back, but she was with him, so.." I trailed off and shrugged. "I missed out."
     Nina reached forward and dipped a chip into the salsa, shaking her head. "It's meant to be," she retorted emphatically, "She'll take you back, don't worry about it." She looked me dead in the eye and bit into her chip. I raised an eyebrow at her.
     "You sound confident."
     Nina beamed. "Having someone who loves you more than anything else in the world is an opportunity that only an idiot would pass up," she said, "And Dorothea's not an idiot." I stared at her as she paused and thought about her words. "Not to imply that you're an idiot either," she added, "Sorry, that all worked out better in my head."
     I laughed at her and she smiled slightly. "Thanks for trying," I chuckled. Another blush colored her face, but this time I couldn't tell why. I watched her with that same infatuated fascination I'd had when she'd first arrived in Sayreville. I knew much more about her now than I had then, but I got the feeling I still wasn't even close to knowing her. She smiled shyly at me and then looked up at the waiter as he stepped over to the table.
     "Ready to order?" he asked.