I wrote this chapter while eating Fun Dip and drinking Red Bull so....yeah. XD Sorry for any typos. And sorry that this chapter has a bit of a Mel/Kevin focus in Ashley's sequel. But I wanted to do a cute interlude. Bre and Nick will probably have one at some point later on. More drama to follow. =]
Chapter Seven
The day dawned just as sunny and warm Tuesday morning, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach drifting in through the open windows. The curtains billowed in the warm sea breeze, making for a lovely wake up and meaning we all should have been in happy, cheerful moods.
After the awkward night we experienced, however, no one was all that chipper. Joe had been the first one up and immediately left the room, mumbling something about taking a walk. He had been absolutely silent last night, and it was extremely eerie not to have the usual talkative Joe hanging around. Ashley had returned from lunch the day before with a grim smile on her face, laughing shortly with Scott as if to prove that she enjoyed herself. Joe was still barricaded in the dressing room, so she soon cut her conversation with the assistant director short in favor of some alone time, clearly losing interest in Scott’s long-winded stories of his old football triumphs. Looking just a bit discouraged, he left to actually do his job, and Bre and I had exchanged a glance.
We were with Ashley for the rest of the filming, but no one brought up what had happened at lunchtime. Joe had appeared from the dressing room and rejoined his brothers with renewed concentration on the album promo. He no longer glanced in our direction, remaining completely focused on the task at hand. Kevin and Nick would still glance over, but their expressions were much more tense than earlier. They had finished around five o’clock and we all left for the hotel and dinner.
I think we confused our poor waitress in the hotel restaurant. She would get rather flustered upon approaching our table, obviously able to feel the tense atmosphere. Ashley and Joe were sitting as far apart as possible, and the rest of us would glance between them with worry.
Once the six of us were back in the room, everyone split up almost immediately to head to bed, exhausted from the somewhat overwhelming first day. Nick and Bre had plopped onto the couch, cuddling through the last forty-five minutes of a TV movie before hitting the sack. In their own beds. Or so I giggled as she passed my room. “Hush, Mel,” she whispered. Which only made me giggle harder.
I wasn’t laughing this morning, though. None of us were. Following Joe’s disappearance, Ashley spent the morning on our balcony, staring out into the distance. I sat down on the couch next to Kevin and Bre with a sigh. Things had not cleared up after everyone got some sleep like I had hoped. Nick entered the room, stretching, his t-shirt lifting slightly. Bre blushed at the quick flash of tummy, and I was once again fighting back giggles. But then Nick glanced outside, seeing Ashley. His shoulders deflated as he perched on the arm of the couch.
“Is this driving anyone else crazy?” he murmured. “They’re perfect for each other, but nothing’s happening…” he paused, rethinking what he said. “Well, nothing good is happening.”
Kevin made a face. “That’s for sure. No offense, but maybe this group trip wasn’t the best idea…things were going just fine with Ash and Joe before we got here,”
Bre was the saving grace, keeping a relative level of optimism. “Well, things were going fine before Cora and Sean, and before cabin fever too. And then they blew up,” she flicked a piece of fuzz off her pajama bottoms. “And then they worked out in the end,” she said pointedly, giving me and Kevin a look, and then smiling up at Nick.
“That is true,” I admitted. “So things may get better in time…I hope,”
We had to be at the set in two and a half hours, having strangely woken up much earlier than we had to. Bre and Nick opted for poptarts in the room, having found a common breakfast food to love. As they headed for the kitchen in the guys’ room, I glanced at Kevin and found him looking for me.
“How many miles?” I grinned.
“Four point five in a northwesterly direction,” he laughed.
“That’s impressive accuracy. Your Starbucks sense is strong,”
“…Or I saw it on the drive in. Whatever sounds more remarkable,” he smirked, hopping off the couch. “Wanna take a run and get some coffee and food?”
“Sounds good to me,” I smiled, anxious to get out of the somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere that had invaded our hotel rooms. We changed quickly and headed out, Kevin grabbing the car keys off the counter and letting Nick and Bre know.
We arrived at the Starbucks five minutes later, parking in the small lot and heading inside. I got my usual caramel frappuccino and a muffin. Kevin had just placed his order next when a small squeak got our attention. Turning, we came face-to-face with a gleeful looking thirteen-year-old girl. She had her pink camera phone out and snapped a picture with a big smile. “Like OH MY GOSH, you’re Kevin Jonas!” she squealed, gaining the attention of everyone else in the café. “Is Nick here too?” her question was drowned out by the sound of chairs scraping against the floor.
Despite our surroundings, I had basically forgotten that we were in California and therefore in the land of paparazzi. And apparently we had chosen just the perfect time to go to Starbucks, right when a bunch of photographers had decided to stop for breakfast. Suddenly swarmed with people, I was shocked to have a camera pushed in my face. “Kevin, Melissa, any words for your fans?”
…I have fans? Yeah right.
“How are Disney’s sweethearts doing this morning? Is filming going well?”
“Melissa, how’s the relationship going?”
“Everyone’s asking about the two of you. Any engagements in the future?”
I could have laughed at the look on Kevin’s face if I wasn’t so surprised myself. Clearly he wasn’t expecting that particular question either. He didn’t respond, and we stood for a few pictures before he wrapped his arm around me, ducking out of the café. We hurried to the car and shut the doors quickly. Only then did we both burst out laughing, Kevin clutching at the steering wheel for support. I set my cup in the holder so I didn’t spill, wiping away tears of laughter.
“Wow! Did you hear them?” I giggled breathlessly. “ ‘Disney’s sweethearts,’ huh?”
“That was…different,” Kevin chuckled. “Apparently they’re expecting a wedding sometime soon,” he grinned, eyes twinkling. That thought made me blush, to Kevin’s amusement.
“I don’t know how you could ever get used to that,” I smiled, shaking my head as Kevin put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. “It’s nuts,”
Minutes later, we stepped into the room to find Bre and Nick quite intently going at it. I giggled, still hyper from the adrenaline rush of our breakfast run. Ashley entered the room just after us from the balcony and made a face as the two broke apart in embarrassment. “Get a room you two,” she laughed slightly.
Nick raised his eyebrows. “We have one. You’re standing in it,” he grinned.
Mood somewhat lightened, I hoped we could look forward to a less intense day at the set.
