Mr. Bad Influence

Chapter 4

"Kerri ..."

"I'll be fine. We'll do all right. I guess people still think I'm heartbroken over what you did to me. As long as I can convince them that I'm fine and we're on good terms, I think a large amount of hate will stop."

He sighed and reached for her hand. It was so natural to do so, and the thought that she might not appreciate his touch occurred only after he had done so. He waited for a moment, but she didn't pull her hand back. "You don't have to do this for me. You don't owe me anything."

"You're my friend, Nick. This is the least I can do for you. It isn't fair to you. You've always taken the blame for whatever mistakes I made, and you've never complained."

"Kerri—"

"I'll be fine, I promise. If I can't handle it, you'll know."

He would. He could always sense when she was upset. He might not know what upset her, but he would know when. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

"I've already said I'll do it. I'm sure they've set everything up. We can't bail now."

"I don't care. If you want, I'll leave with you right now."

"I know." She leaned forward. "But I want to do this."

He sighed softly.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm sure it isn't as bad as you've imagined."

"We'll end it whenever you want."

She nodded as Dana came back into the dressing room with two cups in her hands.

"I'm sorry, but they have to mic you two up," Dana said, handing one of the cups to Nick.

"Thanks." Nick took it and stood. "I'll see you in a bit."

Kerri nodded again.

Less than fifteen minutes later, he and Kerri sat across from each other, a long white table between them. Two glasses of water were on the table, one on each side. Next to each glass was a stack of thick white cards. Nothing was printed on the side facing up, so he supposed the questions were on the other side of the cards.

He looked at Kerri as she took a sip of water. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded.

"We'll be in another room, so it'll be just the two of you here," the producer said as the other guy checked the angles of the three cameras in the room.

"Okay," she said.

"The cameras are rolling, and the microphones are recording. You can start whenever you're ready." With that, the two guys left the room, leaving Kerri and him behind.

"Who starts first?" Kerri asked.

"You," Nick said. If he could, he would answer all the questions.

"Okay." Kerri reached for the first card on her side of the table. She grabbed the card and lifted it to her face.

He sighed softly when she broke into a small smile.

"Do you remember the first time we met? When was it? And what was your first impression of me?"

"Backstage of the music awards. I thought you looked stunning, and all I could think about was getting your number so I could have a chance at seeing you again."

She laughed. "I didn't want to give you my number."

"What?"

"I thought you were cocky."