CHAPTER 3: FIRST IMPRESSIONS, AGAIN
Nick’s POV:
“What time are you getting back?” My brother Joe lay on my bed, eyeing me eagerly.
“Why do you care?” I asked.
“Oh just wondering… I might need to borrow the rover for a date tonight” He replied.
Liar, I thought. Joe did not have a date of any kind tonight. Since Demi Lovato’s representatives had called about me singing with her on her opening show for her new album, Joe had been stuck to my hip, always with the questions. He, as much as I, was shocked when the call had come from Selena Gomez a good friend of mine. We hadn’t seen Demi in over a year and this phone call was a major pageturner. She had distanced herself from us following her rehab stint as well as her breakup with Joe. Joe who I saw, had begun to regret breaking up with her. He had been through 5 girlfriends since he broke up with Demi. But the end of their relationship had somehow affected my friendship with her as well. Joe may have dated Demi but everyone knew it was I who was closest to her. Before she and Joe had even dated, we were best of friends. We would pull pranks on each other and laugh at each other’s jokes while everyone else scratched their heads at us. We would share our relationship troubles and deepest secrets with each other. We would throw each other birthday parties and celebrated each other’s every little achievement. Often people would say we were meant for each other, but ours was a platonic relationship strictly. But we knew we meant the world to each other. And never could I imagine her not in my life. But all that changed. She left the tour and stopped keeping in touch. I tried so many times to call her, text her and so on but she was living a new life now and had no time for us. Personally I knew she was avoiding me as part of her plot to forget the boy who broke her heart, my brother. We were a part of her old life. Was this changing now?
“I don’t know” I said to Joe. “They said the audio and band is all ready, the only thing they need now to start rehearsing is the vocals, which is me. So I might be a bit late if they wanna do a few runs”
“Wouldn’t you need to get back earlier incase Delta dropped by to see you” Delta was my girlfriend. I had met her on a vacation to Australia and had been seeing her for 3 months. She was also a singer and was a real sweet girl. I found myself falling for her as our relationship progressed and even introduced her to the whole family.
“Nah she told me she has a gig tonight at some club so I’ll see her tomorrow” Delta had moved to LA a month before to be closer to me and to pursue her music career.
“Wish I could tag along…….I don’t know” Joe shrugged.
We both knew that was not possible. Demi was just getting ready to see one Jonas brother, not two let alone include the one who used to make her cry endless nights on tour while I held her. My brother had not been smart to bring his new girlfriend Ashley on tour with Demi back then. Demi withdrew from her usual bubbly self on seeing Joe with Ashley. Little did anyone know, her troubles ran deeper and eventually got to a point where even I couldn’t help her. No, Joe was to stay as far as possible from Demi right now. He had hurt our friendship once, I wasn’t about to let it happen twice.
“That’s not even viable right now and you know it” I retorted. Grabbing my jacket and walking out of the room while Joe sat defeated on my bed.
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The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles was ancient. But beautiful. With its red velvet drapes, chairs and beautifully carpeted floors. It reminded me of the Broadway theatre I had left. It was 6 years ago when my brothers and I had first performed here on our own tour. It felt weird how long ago that was, I shuddered. I was turning 20 this year, yet I still felt like I was still 15. The years had passed by much too fast.
I had just walked into the venue and was standing at one of the rear entrances. I turned toward the stage and beheld the scene before me. Speakers, audio equipment and technicians filled up the stage. There were dancers in front of the stage practicing what looked like some routine. There was a woman standing on a chair in front of the stage yelling out orders to a bunch of different people. A few men in suits sat in the front row seats talking amongst themselves with papers and pens in hand. The band was making a ruckus with the loud noises of drums, bass, guitars; I think I even heard a fiddle somewhere in there. This was the concert life, I thought as I smiled to myself.
“Still the same scene isn’t it?”
I snapped to attention when I heard the voice behind me. I turned around to see who had spoken and standing there behind me with the biggest grin on her face, was Demi.
“The noise is definitely still the same” I chuckled, as the noise of the drums started to envelope the whole theatre.
“Oh yeah, but it’s exactly how I like it” She replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat. For a moment I was taken back to 2010. She was a vision. She still had the same flowing long dark brown hair with the bangs, the same mischievous brown eyes with the sparkle, and the beautiful 10000 watt smile. But she was also different. There was now a womanly matured aura about her that made her beautiful beyond her years and I found myself surprisingly attracted to it.
I wonder if she has a boyfriend, the thought popped into my head out of nowhere. Well I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, a lot of guys out there would give anything to find a woman (yes woman) this attractive. Suddenly the thought of Joe popped into my head. My brother is not going to be prepared for this, I chuckled inwardly.
"Yeah well you were always a loud one” I teased.
She laughed out loud at this, the same old laugh that used to put smiles on everyone’s faces. So infectious and genuine.
“Still feisty as ever I see’’ she laughed, ‘’It’s sooooo good to see you again Jerry!” she continued as she hugged me with a devilish grin. She knew how much I hated to be called by my middle name. Well two can play that game too, I thought amusedly…
“Same for you too Demetria” I retorted laughing as she made a face. She hated being called her full name as well.
“Oh shut up!” she laughed it off, “C’mon now let’s go we have a few things to do and I’m not sure you can keep up with me vocally anymore” And with a laugh and a twinkle in her eye she continued to prance down the walkway toward the stage.
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Demi's POV:
He looked good.
He was not the youngling I remember with the mop of messy hair and the scrawny little body. This Nick Jonas had replaced the long curls with a short crew cut that suited his now more muscular and toned frame. He had grown taller as well, towering over me despite the fact that we used to be the same height a year or so ago. His shoulders were so broad and I could see the muscle rippled through his flannel shirt. There was no longer that boyishly cute boy. What I now beheld was a fully grown, handsome young man.
I felt almost giddish, and shy talking to him. This wasn’t how I usually was with Nick. The feeling just pounced on me unannounced.
Wait! Demetria are you becoming attracted to NICK?? NO WAY, I pinched myself. This is the last person you would ever see yourself with. He is your friend; you’ve never thought of him and him you, as anything more than THAT! And you can’t be attracted to him; you still have feelings for JOE!
My mind was in utter chaos. I threw a guilty glance across the stage where Nick stood chatting to Jeff and my mom, he had been introduced to everyone by now and we were about to start singing. He was laughing at something mom had said, he had his arm around her shoulders and she around his waist. My mom was happy to see Nick again. What a picture they made. I wasn’t the only one who had missed him. For a moment the former guilt ridden thoughts that caused chaos in my mind moments earlier were forgotten as I stood and admired the view before me.
My mom had always said Nick was the type of boy a mother wants her daughter to bring home. How ironic the thought seemed now, I thought. With me standing here checking him out from only a few feet away. Ughhhh. But this is nonsense I thought. This physical attraction I had to him right now was nothing more than exactly that, physical. Any girl would look at Nick and be attracted to him, you’d have to be blind not to. It happens, and I guess I could partially blame it on my lack of male interaction for the past year. Joe was my LAST boyfriend and even that was more than a year ago. JOE. Yes he was on my mind now. You had broken my heart so many years ago, but I can’t seem to move on from you… Did he ever think about me? Is he thinking about me now? Why can’t I get over him? Maybe if I see him again I’ll forget all about these nonsensical feelings I was having for Nick. Yeah that’s exactly what it is. Nonsensical.