*Nate*

For the first time in a long time, I had an amazing interview. Shocking, I know.

I was expecting the reporter to be female since that's what Trisha told me, but it wasn't. The reporter's name was Noah Cameron and not only was he very respectful and didn't cross the line once, he stayed in his lane and the topics were focused on my music, my tour, my writing styles and what the songs meant.

Not once was Mila's name mentioned, and he kept Julia's name out of the interview as well.

When I first walked in, I thought the good-looking guy was a model clearly in the wrong room.  The dude was tall like me and thin with brown hair and blue eyes resembling Richard Madden. He really did miss his calling as a model or an actor.

"Well, I think that's it. Hey, thanks again for coming down. It was a pleasure to meet you." Noah stands up and shakes my hand.

"I've gotta hand it to you, mate. That's probably been the best interview I've had in a long time." I admit as we walk out of the studio together.

"Really?? Wow. Thanks! Good rating for my first interview."

"Wait, what??" I look over at the guy.

"I'm not technically a reporter. I was just filling in." Noah admits.

"You did great. You kept to the subject matter - my songwriting and music - and kept my private life just that... private."  We both plop down in our chairs so our make-up ladies can take off our makeup for us. "Whoever you are filling in for should be happy with that interview."

"Yeah, my older sister. She practically runs this place but is on maternity leave. She was so disappointed she couldn't be the one to interview you, but my baby nephew didn't care about that. Came three weeks early! Healthy as can be."

"That's great to hear. Please send her my best." I say as Holly gets working on removing all the shit she puts on my face for TV. Leslie and Trisha sit on the couch going over the agenda while waiting. Paul is in bodyguard mode by the door.

"She didn't want anyone else snagging you for the interview, so I thought I'd help her out. She's been trying to get me on the screen forever now, and I finally gave in." The man continues.

"So you're not a reporter, not an actor. What DO you do? Modeling?" I ask.

"No, not at all. I put out fires."

"Oh, a publicist."

"No real ones. I'm a firefighter." Noah says.

"Wow. Ok then. Well, I gotta hand it to you. You'd make an outstanding celebrity reporter." I continue.

"Oh God, don't let my sister know. She's been on me for years, saying I missed my calling. I tend to shy away and prefer to be behind the scenes. Hailey is great, though. She's been holding a microphone since she was two."

Both Holly and Noah's make-up girl are done, so we both swivel around in our chairs to face the ladies.

"What's next?" I ask and see Trisha flip through her binder a little flustered. Does she have a thing for this guy??

"Oh, sorry. Noah, this is my tour producer, Leslie, and my personal assistant, Trisha." I smirk at Trisha and introduce them to Noah, who leans over and shakes Leslie's hand and then Trisha's.

"Nice to meet you both." Noah says, but his eyes don't falter from Trisha's. They gaze at each other a second too long before Trisha looks away. Ok. There is clearly chemistry between the two of them.

"And my bodyguard, Paul."

Paul gives Noah a silent nod while standing at the door with his arms folded over his chest in his usual bodyguard stance.

Trisha looks back down at the agenda. "Right, so now it's just your concert tonight, and then you are off for three days."

"Three days in Paris. Weather is supposed to be excellent too." Noah smiles at Trisha and she fucking melts.

"Good to know. Well Noah, you're welcome to join us back at the Venue for lunch and tonight's concert. On me. For a great first interview." I give Trish a little wink and she throws daggers for eyes at me.

"Really?? Wow.. I'm actually a fan of your music. Can't say no to that!"

***

"What the hell are you doing, Nate?" Trisha whispers once we walk out of the studio.

"What?" I shrug while we climb into the SUV.

"Inviting that reporter to meet us back at the Venue and giving him concert tickets to a sold-out show?" She slams the door while we wait for Leslie who took a call.

"Oh please, there's always extra seats somewhere. He can take Julia's seat." I frown. Julia has only seen one of my shows, the first one, and even then, left halfway through when Mila was spotted.

"He's a REPORTER, Nate. What if Julia has one of her... you know... whatever she has going on." She scoffsalways finding a way to put Jules down.

"Noooo, he's a firefighter. And his eyes were on you the whole time." I wink at her but get a middle finger in return.

Noah pulls up behind our SUV in a silver Toyota Tundra Truck right as Leslie hops into the SUV.

"All set, Sammy." I tell my driver once Paul and Leslie are in. Trisha could use a little something new, Noah could be that something new. This could be fun. 

*****

*Julia*

"I wonder what the hotel room will look like." I ramble on while helping James with PT. Today was about working his coordination and hand muscles. The subject to hold was a pencil and James is struggling with it.

"I'm sure he went above and beyond. Probably booked some huge suite. Is it gonna be awkward for you since you guys aren't together? Damn." He accidentally drops the pencil. "I can't do it, babe."

"Let's try one more time before moving on, ok? No, it won't be awkward. You'll be with us. And the dog." I put the pencil on the table again for James to try to pick up.

"He's gonna want you to sleep in his room with him."

"No. He knows. We're gonna do all the fun things planned but we're not together." This is what we agreed on. Nate knows this.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but he literally took care of you completely today, including calming you, dressing you-"

"I know, I know. Listen. I get it ok. He knows how to handle me. He also knows how to hurt me, and we need a break from each other." I try to convince James, but he sees right through me. He drops the pencil again and gives up.

"Yeah, I'm done." He rubs his hands like they are sore. Because they probably are. I take his hands in mine and begin to massage them for him.

"You'll get there."

"Moretti, Jonah wants you to eat lunch." Paul walks into the rec room which means Nate and Trisha are back until the concert tonight. 

Jonah is now taking a shower, and Casey is walking the dog for James. Nate walks in with some new guy I've never seen before. But this guy.... he's fricken hot. Who the hell is he?

"Hey, this is Noah. He's gonna hang with us and check out the concert tonight." Nate says nonchalantly. Hang with us? Does Nate just pick up random hotties and invite them over now?

"Hey, nice to meet ya." James shoves his hands into his pockets, hoping the man won't want to shake hand or notice his coordination issues from the brain injury. He suddenly looks embarrassed, and I catch on right away, rub his back, and shake Noah's hand instead.

"Nice to meet you. This is James. I'm Julia." I smile at the good-looking guy.

"James and Julia. You guys make the perfect couple." Noah smiles, James beams and Nate furrows his brows.

"Oh, they're just friends. Here, help yourself." Nate doesn't miss a beat and corrects him, then walks over to the buffet and passes a plate over to the guy.

"Jules, are you gonna watch the concert tonight or...." Nate glances over his shoulder at me.

"I think I'll hang out here." I say. Why is he asking me this in front of this guy? Is he TRYING to embarrass me?

"Great. You can take Julia's seat." Ahhh... Now I get it. He wants to give Noah my ticket.

"Go for it." I huff and grab a plate before Jonah gets on my case about eating. "Sorry, Noah, is it? Yes, you can definitely have my ticket. I've already seen enough of his show." 

"Jule..."

"Nate." I raise my brows at him.

"Sorry, man. They were together, but now they're not." James fills Noah in while me and Nate glare at each other.

"I see. Well, thanks for the ticket and lunch. My sister is gonna have a cow when she finds out what she missed." Noah seems unfazed by the tension and smiles at me.

"Noah interviewed me today while his sister is on maternity leave and did a great job. His first interview ever." Nate says.

"Hailey would have done better, but thanks. I think I'll stick to putting out fires. It was fun, though."

"So, you're not a reporter?" I raise a brow while grabbing food and helping James as well.

"No firefighter. Was just filling in." Noah answers.

"So you guys are not a couple, yet you have a beautiful woman waiting on you hand and foot. How'd you do that?" He chuckles while watching me plate food for James. He really doesn't know who we are, does he?

"You really aren't a reporter, are you? You don't know who we are?" I ask as we all sit down together at the table. We have been plastered on the news enough that even people in France would know our background by this point.

"Well, I know who Nate Hollan is... but no. Should I?" The man is thoroughly confused.

"Well, sir. You save lives, and James is a survivor. He was in a car accident and was in a coma for a while. He's still recovering from brain surgery. He is doing amazing with it all." I smile up and James proudly.

"No shit. Brain surgery. A coma. That's insane! And now you're standing here with us. I never would have guessed. You look good, man. I was about to recruit you to my station. We could use a few strong fellas like you." Noah has a bit of a stunned look and no longer questions why I'm helping James with the basics the way I am. I put the sandwich in James's hand and make sure his grip is good before letting go. He begins to eat, and I nod.

"Still have a long way to go, but I can at least talk now."

"You really are a walking miracle..." I nudge James a little. And he really is. There was a time when I wasn't sure if he would even survive or wake up or talk at all. Now look at him!

"Jule... eat." Nate says now, seeing me struggle to begin to eat. But it draws unwanted attention to me, and I feel James rub my back with his. he can tell Nate embarrassed me by calling out my eating disorder in front of this reporter slash fireman. 

"We all have our crosses to bear."  James says, and both Nate and Noah nod. Noah looks down at his own food, now understanding. When he isn't looking, James nudges me, waiting for me to take a bite now.

"Yeah, I know." I say under my breath and take the first bite.

"You sure you don't mind giving up your ticket like that?" The firefighter asks.

I look up at Nate when I answer Noah.

"Positive."

***** 

*Nate*

Julia is making it VERY clear that we are no longer together and stabs me every time she does it. I try not to pay attention because I'm not giving up on her.  After we eat, I give Noah a little tour of the facility where I will be having tonight's show as well as my dressing room.

"Wow. This is insane. Hailey is gonna kill me when she finds out what she missed! She's a big fan of yours." Noah looks around my dressing room.  He sits down on the couch, and I sit across from him to shoot the shit for a bit before my soundcheck. "Thanks again for doing this for me!"

"My pleasure. Like I said. You gave a great interview today. I'm glad you could come back and see some of the behind-the-scenes stuff."

"So... Julia. I take it she has an eating disorder?"

"Among other things." I let out a sigh.

"She seems really nice. And the way she takes care of her friend like that..." God, does EVERYONE have to have a thing for Julia??

"Yeah... she's not single. I'm still hopefully. You really don't know any of our background, do you?" I raise an eyebrow at the man who shakes his head.

"Sorry, man. I kinda like to keep to myself." 

I quickly give Noah the short version of our lives. The very short version.  As well as make it known Julia was my fiancé and I'm not throwing in the towel on that yet.  Never. He understands and was very respectful. The mate seems like a good guy. I really don't know why I brought him here. It's not like me. But I saw the way Trisha looked at him and thought my matchmaking skills could come in handy. I didn't realize he would show interesting in Jules.

"Soundcheck, Nate." Trisha walks into the room with her head down while texting and looks up to see Noah here. "Oh..hi. Sorry, I thought he was in the Rec room with everyone else."

"You're more than welcome to hang out in the rec room with everyone until tonight's concert." I stand up now, ready to leave, knowing I have to get back to work.

"I can walk him down." Trisha offers before Noah can say no. He shrugs and smiles and follows her out.   Paul and I leave as well and walk in the opposite direction towards the stage. Right as we pass the woman's room, the door opens, and Julia walks out, almost bumping into me.

She looks up at me with teary eyes.

"Why would you embarrass me like that?  Putting the attention on me and telling me to eat in front of that stranger making it known I was having a hard time?" She sniffs, and my heart drops. That was not my intention at all.

"What? I didn't mean to -"

"You know what? Whatever, Nate." She cuts me off and shakes her head at me, walking away while wiping her eyes.

"Shit." I drop my shoulders. I really didn't even think about it. I just saw she wasn't eating and by habit told her to.

"Good job, boss." Paul looks straight ahead but is clearly pissed off at me. Lovely.

  ****

We have a little change in the setlist that we tweak during the soundcheck. Something that has been planned for a while for this specific night. I just hope I can follow through with it without bursting into tears tonight.

It took some time, but after we finally got ahold of a newer artist, 22-year-old Benson Boone, I got permission to sing one of his songs to dedicate to my dad tonight. Boone was not only ok with me singing one of his songs but ecstatic over it. He is really taking over the charts right under me the last two weeks in a row. I still hold number one on the charts, but he is doing well for his age at number two with one of his new songs.

 Benson Boone is letting me sing "Into The Stars" tonight for my dad. The hard part? not getting too emotional. We had to practice three times before I could sing it on key without my voice cracking.

"I'm still holdin' on to everything that's dead and gone

I don't wanna say goodbye, 'cause this one means forever - And now you're in the stars and six feet's never felt so far - Here I am alone between the heavens and the embers 

Oh, it hurts so hard - For a million different reasons - You took the best of my heart and left the rest in pieces."

I'm finally able to get it right and put my guitar down. Tommy is the first one to come over to me.

"You did great, Mate. Your dad would be proud." He pats my back, and I give him a nod.

"Thanks."  I wipe my eyes and head back to my dressing room to get ready for tonight.

*******

*Julia*

"You really sure you don't mind?" Noah asks when someone from the production team hands him a backstage pass lanyard to wear around his neck.

"I can watch it from here." I point to the three huge screens around the room that broadcast the concert. "I prefer it."

"Wow. Thanks. God, the last time I've been to a concert was...." Noah's voice trails off for a moment, and he changes his tune. "A while back."

"I take it you didn't like the band very much?" James asks while walking over to sit on the couch with me.

"Oh... yeah, no. It was a great concert. Ed Sheeran. I just..." Noah runs his fingers through his hair and shrugs his shoulders. "I bought the tickets to bring my wife but by the time the concert came, we were already separated. We all have our crosses to bear, right?" He repeats what James said earlier, and we both nod. Guess this guy Noah fits right in with our clan.

"You ready, Fireman Noah?" Trisha comes into the room. She looks amazing wearing a skintight hot pink spaghetti strap little dress with really high heels.  Her blond hair is curled and brushed out, giving her these pretty waves, and as always, her makeup is perfect. I look down at my T-shirt, leggings, and hair up in a ponytail and frown, knowing I haven't put any thought into caring for myself lately with all that's been going on in my head.

"I can show you where to go." Trisha continues.

"Thanks! Will you be joining me?" He asks, trying to keep his eyes on hers and not let them falter to her cleavage.

"No, I stay backstage in case Nate needs anything. The job of a PA. But Casey and Jonah will be with you, and you'll have Paul there as a bodyguard, though I don't think you need one." Trisha squeezes Noah's bicep and bats her eyes. She's seriously flirting with the guy!

"Thanks again, Julia. Really." Noah says before Trisha takes his arm and shows him the way.

"You good here, Moretti?" Paul comes into the room from backstage to check on me before the concert starts.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Nate walks by but doesn't say anything. He looks good but also looks.... nervous? That's not like him. I wonder what's up there.

"All right, Nate Holland band. Go out and knock em dead." Leslie says to the band as everyone heads out to the main event. I get up to peak out and see the crowd, and for a moment, I wish I hadn't given that guy my ticket. I've yet to sit through a whole concert. 

"I hate to say it, but I think that guy has a thing for you." James smirks while petting Maggie, and I walk back to the couch.

"Who are you talking to, me or Maggie?" I cock a brow at my best friend.

"You, you whack-job! You didn't see the way he was looking at you?" James asks.

"Um no. I'm pretty sure Trisha takes the cake wearing that little number tonight. And no. I'm not interested either so don't even go there."

"Good. You have enough men." James says right before I throw a pillow at him.

*****

Halfway through the concert I notice James start to fall asleep. I put a blanket over him and decide to walk closer to the backstage to watch the concert. Paul sees me while standing down near the front row but way off to the side and nods his head for me to come down. He's letting me go down near the aisle for a better view and stands next to me as my bodyguard.

"Thanks Paul." I look up at the man who still keeps his arms crossed bodyguard stance and nods. 

Then I notice something different. I know the setlist by heart and am a bit confused when the lights dim. This isn't the time for the slow songs. I watch curiously as someone hands Nate a specific guitar. That's his dad's guitar. I know that much. Nate sits on the stool and one single spotlight is on him now. He looks nervous.

"Tonight, we are changing things up just a little. As some of you may know. Today is the anniversary of my father's death..." He begins and a lump forms in my throat hearing the emotion in his voice. No. Oh my God. Nate never told me today was the day his dad died. I've been giving him such a hard time and trying to avoid him all day when I should have been there for him, consoling him, helping him get through one of the toughest days of the year. My eyes tear up instantly. I can't believe I wasn't there for Nate the way he needed me to be.

I stand next to Paul, frozen while listening to Nate. He glances over and sees me but then looks back to the crowd with sad eyes.

The crowd quiets down to the point you could hear a pin drop now, out of respect as Nate talks. He talks about his dad a little and has the entire room's attention.

"So, yeah. It's been seventeen years and it just doesn't get easier. Anyways... a friend of mine gave me permission to sing this song tonight. This one's for you dad." Nate looks up at the ceiling and a few people in the crowd give him a little whistle to cheer him during a silent moment. Some fans are already crying.

Then....

He plays the song.

Into The Stars by Benson Boone. I know this song. I know it word for word. It's a favorite. My stomach ties into a knot as I hear Nate sing the lyrics perfectly and play the song on his dad's acoustic guitar. Tears stream down my face, like the rest of the crowd

Nate sings his heart out and his eyes fill up with tears. He sounds amazing and the crowd is completely hypnotized by him. Even that guy Noah looks to be completely into it. And when the song ends the stadium is quiet for a moment.

"Thank you. Miss you dad." Nate stands up and heads backstage and the lights go out. The sudden uproar from the crowd cheering is unbelievable.  I rush to meet him backstage but I'm too late. He is crying in Trisha's arms right now.

 I fucked up. I fucked up so bad.

*****

*Nate*

"Ok, you have a minute to take a breather while the band sets up the next set. A few more songs to go, ok? You've got this, sweetie." Trisha reminds me and pulls me off her. Holly fixes my hair, and I take a sip of water before heading back out to the stage.

I finish strong and it is the best performance, the best concert of the tour so far. It was perfect. Me and the band bow at the end and soak in the standing ovation before walking off the stage for the night.

"I'll shower and head right back here. You look nice, by the way." I rush past Trisha, with Paul right behind me to go get ready. Paul guards the door for me as I quickly jump in the shower.

The second the warm water hits me is when I lose it. I cry...no I fucking sob...letting it all out. Missing my dad. This is the first time I'm doing this sober and I'm feeling every fucking thing. I'm usually completely wasted by now and numb, so I don't have to feel the pain of my dad not being alive. I lean my forearm on the shower wall and drop my head to it, letting it all out while the hot water soothes me.

"I miss you so much dad." I choke out through my sniffling. I know there's no way Paul can hear me. He is guarding the dressing room door.

I feel a rush of cold air making me lift my head and turn around.

"Jule?"

******