Superstar

Chapter 6 - Today Was a Fairytale

Today was a fairytale
I wore a dress
You wore a dark grey t-shirt
You told me I was pretty
When I looked like a mess
Today was a fairytale
- "Today Was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift


Nick stood at the window of a small cabin, staring at the open field that could have gone on for miles. He finally had three whole days to himself to do something but just be himself. He hadn't had that in so long.

Of course, he wasn't technically by himself.

Taylor came with him. She was hesitant at first, very hesitant but Nick was persistent as usual. He told everybody else that they were going for a photo shoot, which was kind of true. They just wouldn't understand if he had told them that she made him feel normal for once in his life.

AJ didn't buy it though.

"You are so going up there and getting her into bed, man," he told Nick.

But they had separate bedrooms on the opposite side of the cabin. Taylor made sure of that. There also weren't any condoms so that if something was to happen, it wouldn't because one thing Nick Carter learned from a lot of friends of his, just once without wrapping it up could lead to a lifetime of heartache.

Or herpes, either one.

"Hey Nick," Taylor said, walking out of her room. Nick looked back seeing her in black boots, a long black skirt and a dark grey top. "Hey we match," she said, pointing to his dark grey t-shirt. She put her camera strap around her neck and smiled. "Did you want to wait until tomorrow to play around with the cameras or did you just want to chill today"

"Chill I think," Nick smiled, watching her pick up her black jacket from a nearby chair. "Going out?"

"Yeah, I think I want to do some shooting," she said, walking up to the window that he was looking out of. "It's so pretty out there, all the different colors."

"Have fun," he said as she smiled and walked out the door.

Nick stood at the window and watched Taylor as she began walking away from the cabin. Sometimes he totally got her, understood her but other times, she was a complete mystery to him.

He didn't understand why sometimes when he would be on stage performing and he would smile her way or point at her, that she would become bashful and hide behind her camera. He wasn't sure why she was so dead set on keeping their relationship strictly professional.

Sure, it's not like he was going to ask her to marry him or anything, but they could be friends, like he had said before, great friends.
He couldn't lie to himself and say that she wasn't pretty and wasn't his type. AJ was right. She was exactly Nick's type – tall, blonde, big blue eyes – but smart and independent didn't fall into that category. Taylor was definitely smart and independent. She was probably the smartest girl he had ever met. If she had been any other girl, or any other fan, he would have had slept with her the day he met her.

But with Taylor, it wasn't like that.

He had thought about it, sleeping with her and what it would be like. Would she be passive or aggressive in bed? What would she look like without any clothes on and if she was a moaner.

He was a red-blooded guy, of course he had thought about it. He just didn't want to ruin the relationship they had together.

Nick watched her as she walked up to a swing, hanging from a tree and sat down on it, swinging back and forth slowly.

He sighed, walking away from the window to pick up his leather jacket. Putting it on, he walked out the door and began walking to the swing that Taylor was swinging on.

"It's freezing out here," he said as Taylor smiled more. "You're not cold?"

"I'm kind of hot natured so I love cold weather," she said, looking up at him. "What brought you out here?"

"I guess I didn't realize that going to a cabin with no television or internet would make you think a lot," he said as he motioned for her to hand him her camera. "I got to thinking about some whack stuff, so I just decided to take my mind off of it."

"Don't take my picture," she said as Nick smiled, watching her through the viewfinder as she looked away. "Seriously, I hate getting my picture taken and I look like a mess right now."

"Why? You look beautiful," he said, snapping a picture as she stared at him. She swung slowly back and forth on the swing as her boots dragged the grass below her. "What?" he asked, moving the camera from his face.

"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Have you looked in the mirror?"

"I mean like this," she said, pointing at herself. "With my hair a mess because I haven't really done anything with it and I don't have any make-up on."

"Yeah, I do," he said, sitting down on the grass in front of her. "Why do you seem so shocked?"

"Just wasn't expecting that, I guess," she said. "Not from you anyway."

"Why not?" he chuckled, looking at the photos on the camera that he had already taken.

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this," she smiled, standing up from the swing. She started to walk past Nick and he grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Sit down, here, beside me," he said as she sighed, pushing her skirt up under her as she sat down on the grass next to him. "Look at this."

He showed her a picture of herself that he had just taken.

"Beautiful," he said as she looked from the camera to him, looking him in the eyes. "You just seem to not have any self esteem, especially after what you told me about that guy."

"I have self esteem, I just..."

"Just what?"

"Nick, it was a mistake for me to come here with you," she said, crawling up to sit on her knees.

"Why?" he asked as she shook her head. "Tell me..."

She knew she couldn't hold it in much longer.

"Because you have to remember that I might be your photographer and we might be friends now, but first and foremost, I'm a fan..."

"I know that..."

"That has lusted after you for years," she said, causing him to stare at her. "I was 18 years old and I wished that you would see me in the audience and fall madly in love with me. I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to be your girlfriend on your arm at award shows. I wanted to lose my virginity to you for fuck's sake..."

Nick was speechless.

"And then I get this opportunity and it's so amazing Nick, it really is but I watch you on stage and all I can do is wish the things that I used to," she said, swallowing hard. "Then you sit here and tell me that I'm beautiful..."

"But you are," he said as he felt something fall on his nose. They both looked up to see that it was beginning to snow. "Why didn't you tell me all of this?"

"Tell you what? That I have this huge crush on you and can never tell you no?"

"Yeah."

"Because Nick," she said as he watched him look down at her photo on the camera. "I was trying to be professional. Photography is my job, my life and this is a huge opportunity for me."

"I never even thought of you like that," he finally said. She sighed and started to get up until he grabbed her, pulling her back down on the ground. "I meant, that you thought those things about me."

"I didn't want you to know but you keep saying all of these things, this trip, I'm beautiful and I couldn't hold it in anymore, Nick," she said. "It's like one of my biggest dreams and one of my biggest fears coming together all at once."

"What fear?" he asked.

"That you wouldn't take me serious as a photographer if you knew that I was such a big fan," she whispered.

"I didn't ask you here because I wanted to get you into bed or because you're just my photographer," he said, staring at her. "I like you, Taylor and I'm not saying it because I think I should, but its how I feel."

Taylor looked away and sighed.

"You understand me, Nick, not Nick the Backstreet Boy," he said. "The other day when we went walking after I got into the fight with AJ, we connected like I haven't connected with anybody in a really long time. That's why I asked you to come with me here. I needed to be Nick, not Nick the Backstreet Boy. We're two totally separate people."

"I know that and that's what freaks me out a little," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because I like the real Nick more than the Backstreet Boy," she said as he smiled. "I just, I couldn't keep it in any longer, Nick."

"Is that why you get bashful when I look your way during a show or point at you?" he asked as she nodded.

"I've watched girls scream for you to show them the smallest amount of attention, Nick," she said. "I used to be one of those girls and now, you point at me during 'I Got You' and it just..."

"Just what?" he asked as she shook her head.

"Nothing," she smiled. "I'm glad we've got this stuff cleared up."

"Me too, although I didn't know we needed anything cleared up when I came out here," he said, watching her laugh. He watched her lips as she pressed them back together and then looked at her eyes, looking into his. "Is it okay if I kiss you right now?"

"You're my boss, kind of," she said, pressing her lips together.

"Then file a sexual harassment claim," he said, cupping her face with his right hand. He leaned in, kissing her lips gently, before parting them to deepen it. Taylor kept her eyes open, staring at Nick until she closed them, giving into the kiss.