“You have a Facebook account?”

“Yes, of course.”

I peer on his shoulder and take a closer look at his laptop to make sure I’m seeing it correctly.

“Whoa,” I murmur.

Nate turns around and pinches me on the cheek.

I scowl at him until he lets go. I still remember what he did when he scared me to death. I thought he was dying.

“How can we communicate with our friends and family if we don’t have social sites?” he says.

I shrug. “I thought you’d rather text and call.”

He rolls his eyes. “We’re normal people. Like you, we enjoy chatting and commenting, and liking our friends’ posts.”

I purse my lips as I consider what he said. It makes sense. But I’ve spent many hours before, searching their real account. I wasted my time and effort because I didn’t even find one of them.

“Can I add you?” I ask.

“I’ll think about it.”

I slap his arm impulsively.

“I’m just kidding,” he mutters. “You’re offensive.”

I ignore his remark and look at the name of his account.

“You’ll not find me, and you can’t send me a friend request if we don’t have a mutual friend,” Nate says. “I’ll just add you.”

“So all the celebrities have a Facebook account?” I ask.

“Yes, basically.”

“How do you distinguish the real ones from the posers?”

“We just do,” he says. “If you’re in this business, you’ll get used to it. We use our second name for our real account. Some even go to the length of using their mother’s maiden name.”

“Are you friends with Hollywood actors then?” I ask, trying not to sound too eager.

“Some.”

“Can I see their—“

“That’s just invading their privacy,” he interjects.

I pout.

Nate ruffles my hair. “Maybe someday I’ll even let you see the timeline of the Queen of England.”

Who am I kidding? I shouldn’t have let my hopes up. Just because I can find their profile doesn’t mean I can add them. They will surely block me.

“Sorry for bothering you,” I say as I get up from the couch. He needs to rest, but I’m taking his quality time with his friends.

“You’re not a bother. Did I offend you—“

“No, it’s okay,” I interrupt, “I understand. I need to go and check some things for your tour tomorrow.”

Nate doesn’t look convince but I continue my way to my room.

I’ve already double checked everything and I’m sure that all the things needed are ready for tomorrow.

I open my laptop and check my own account instead. I have notifications from my friends, and posts asking what’s going on with my life. I tell them that I’m working, which is true.

I’m glad that I’m not friends with any of my relatives because they will find out about my leave from the university.

I have an unread message from Naomi.

She’s asking what happened during my visit in KY’s home.

I give her a short version of what transpired the day before yesterday; that I met KY’s family; his parents were approachable and kind, and his sister has a huge crush on Nate. Hmm maybe I’ll ask Nate what he feels about that. I also include Seth; KY’s handsome cousin. I miss his humor and jokes which is weird because I only talked to him for a couple of hours.

I wish I have an uncle like Andre. He’s funny, no wonder Seth is easy to talk to. And Driana is amazing. Their children are lucky to have them.

I share the love story of Mr. and Mrs. Swift even though KY told me that he and Stella don’t believe their parents story. They said it was impossible. They just made it so that it would be romantic.

Mrs. Swift said that it was just a bet at first, and then they fell in love for real. It was wonderful, like a fairy tale. So maybe KY is right; it was just his parents’ made up story. But I saw the way Mr. Swift looked at Mrs. Swift, like she’s his. . .

I pause and think for the right term, but I can’t.

Ah, I know. The way he gazed at her, it simply spells love. It’s cheesy, yes, but I felt their affection for each other that day even though they didn’t do any kissing or making out. It screamed with how they moved, spoke, and touched.

It makes me jealous; I want that kind of romance. . .

With their son.

But KY is. . .

Difficult.

After the storytelling, we had to go home because it was already late. KY’s mom wanted us to sleep over but KY didn’t want to. He told them he’ll just visit soon.

I know soon is far away because his schedule is full with concerts and tours.

As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen him since then. He’s not around, and the guys either don’t know where he is, or they just don’t want to tell me. Not that I’m asking. I’m afraid my questions and curiosity will be the death of me.

There’s a beep, sounding like a new notification, and I find I have a friend request from Nate.

When I accept him, I suddenly realize I have information on my profile that can get me caught. I quickly change my setting and put everything on private mode— the only one who can view the information, photos, and posts by my friends is me.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

That was close.

When adrenaline kicks in, it’s so easy and quick to do something.

After, I look at the guys’ profiles. Like Nate said, Lance and Zeke use their middle names as well. It takes a few more minutes to search KY’s. I put Taylor instead of Swift.

Bingo.

Yves Taylor.

I click add.

I pray to God that he will accept me. I’m afraid he’ll just ignore me or worse, block me.

I have a brilliant idea. I search Seth’s account, and add him as well. I don’t know why I feel giddy. It’s just Seth.

Well, Seth cute, funny, and awesome. I’m sure he’ll accept me.

I have a new notification; it’s Lance. He accepted my friend request. He even sent me a message.

“Bri, is this really you?”

“Yes.”

“How did you find my account?”

“Nate told me.”

“Cool! Now we’re friends.”

It makes me smile that even though we live in the same house, we’re chatting. I also wonder why I didn’t thought of this before— adding them on their social accounts.

“What are you doing?”

“Chatting :D Lol”

“Funny -.-“

I’m about to chat him back when I notice he’s still typing.

“I’m hungry. Come bring me food.”

I roll my eyes and type, “I’m not your slave.”

“Please?” He adds a sticker that is so cute. I’m not sure if it’s a bear or a rabbit.

“Okay, fine,” I relent. “What do you want?”

“A sandwich!”

“I’ll be there in a sec.”

“Thanks! See you in a few!”

I log out of my account and put my laptop into sleep mode. Then I go to the kitchen and prepare three sandwiches; two for Lance because I know one isn’t enough, and the other one is for me.

When I’m done, I go to his room and knock at his door.

“Come in!”

I turn the doorknob and walk inside.

It’s my first time to be in his room. Posters are posted on his walls. There are two guitars hanging beside his closet. And for a guy’s room, it’s neat.

“Thanks Brielle,” Lance says. He’s wearing a white shirt, and blue shorts; very homey.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I give him the plate containing his sandwiches.

“Just chatting with old friends,” he answers. He pats the space beside him on his bed and says, “Take a seat.”

I don’t think it’s a bad idea, so I sit beside him. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.

“Where’s KY?” I ask Lance.

“I don’t know,” he says as he munches on his sandwich.

“Didn’t you ask him where he went?”

“We grew used to him coming and going when he felt like it.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“No, he’ll be back.”

That’s insane. I thought they at least knew where he is.

Apparently, not.

“Does he have a secret lover?” I ask without thinking.

Lance bursts out laughing. “Brielle, your theories are funny,” he says amusedly. “As far as I know, Yves' not been involved in a romantic relationship since—“ he stops midsentence and clears his throat.

I’m no genius but I know he almost said something that he’s not supposed to. “Since what?”

Lance doesn’t meet my eyes as he says, “Sorry, forget I said anything.”

I grit my teeth in frustration. Why are these guys so secretive?

“Yves will kill me when he finds out I’m talking about him,” he continues.

“I won’t hold it against you,” I say, forcing a smile.

After talking with Lance, I clean the house. It’s unusual when it’s silent. The guys are probably sleeping, or who knows, maybe like KY, they went out without telling me.

It hurts. But like I said to Lance earlier, I won’t hold it against them. They’ve been betrayed before so they have trust issues.

I decide to go to bed early because it will be a long day tomorrow. I already cooked dinner for the guys and leave a note on the refrigerator telling them that I won’t eat with them.

I’m about to turn off the lights when I hear someone outside my door.

At first I ignore it, but it only grows louder by every minute. I get up from my bed and open the door.

I’m surprise when I find Nate outside, looking a little bit upset.

“Hey,” I say.

“Listen, I want to apologize for what I did earlier,” he says.

I frown. “You didn’t do anything.”

He scratches the back of his neck. I’m not sure if it’s the light, there’s color in his cheeks. Is he embarrassed? Why is he blushing?

He looks so cute; I want to pinch his cheeks.

“I acted like a jerk,” he says, glancing down, finding the carpeted floor interesting.

Nate is adorable; I have the urge to kiss him—

Wait, what?

Brielle, stop.

Don’t be stupid.

That’s against the rules, hello.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. “Nate, it’s okay,” I say. “If I were you, I would do the same. You’re just protecting the privacy of your friends. Besides, we just knew each other for a month.”

“I’m sorry; I’m not good with this.”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Being close with a girl.”

I raise my eyebrow. “You had previous band managers before, right?”

He nods. “But they aren’t my age.” He mutters something under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says.

I notice that he’s fidgeting. “Are you nervous for your concert tomorrow?”

“What?” he asks, taken aback.

“See?” I say with a sigh. “You’re out of focus.”

“I’m not.”

“You can talk to me,” I say.

Nate moves closer to me and pushes my hair away from my face.

I freeze; surprised at his action. I just stare at him, my heart beating fast. There’s intensity in his gaze; I’m trapped in his green eyes. I feel like drowning in them. I can smell his breath; it’s cool and minty, a sign that he’s not drunk, that what he’s doing now is his choice.

I purse my lips to have something to do.

I realize it’s a bad move when his eyes glance down.

I swallow the lump in my throat.

I have to push him away, but I don’t want to.

“Brielle,” Nate murmurs. I like the sound of my name in his lips.

He steps closer and closer until only an inch separates our faces.

I close my eyes, anticipating his next move.

To my surprise, I feel his lips on my cheek.

I open my eyes.

“Good night,” he says, leaving me staring at his retreating figure.

Relieved or disappointed?

I’m not sure which weighs more.

*****

I hope you liked it! Don’t worry, the characters of TB will return soon. ;)

Who do you like: KY, Nate, or Seth?

The song is Slow Dance Night by This Century.

Thank you for reading my story! <3