Nola POV

"I'm sorry I missed your birthday." It was a week after her birthday when she called up Ronan wanting to hang out. When he saw her new car she told him it was a gift for her birthday. "I wished I could have spent it with you."

Why was he so darn sweet?

She reached over and kissed him.

"It was very nice. I should have invited you to the party. I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet. "Sometimes I don't know who I can trust anymore."

He took her hand. "You can trust me, No."

They walked a bit in the park. That was easy for him to say, he had not been pushed into the limelight unwittingly. People friended her to get close to her family, for their personal gain. Tori wanted to get close to Icee. This Ishii girl seemed like a super fan of Tennille, and she was skeptical of that. Now she was working for Tennille and going to live in her house. Not to mention she was in love with CJ.

She could see it in her eyes. CJ was not meant to settle down with one person, the poor girl.

But it was not her business.

"Did you have fun? Get everything you wanted?"

"I have no idea what that means. I didn't want anything. No, let me rephrase. The things I want are not physical. I just want to be left alone."

"You're always so closed off Nola, keeping everything inside. I can't imagine what you've gone through in the last year, but trust me, everyone is not the enemy. You have to trust someone."

She trusted no one. Not even herself. Maybe she trusted her family, and they would not try to harm her. Everyone else was into her for their selfish reasons.

"Why do you like me?"

"What do you mean? I think you're gorgeous and-"

"Beyond the physical things Ronan, because that can change. Tell me what you like about me that is more than my appearance."

"I tell you all the time but you don't listen." He touched her temple. "This right here. You have something special. I don't even think you see it in yourself yet. Trust yourself."

His words resonated in her brain as they finished their walk. Then she did something she was not sure she was ready to do.

"Want to come back to my place?"

He had been to her house, but that was Thanksgiving with her family there. She had never invited him there just the two of them. Maybe she was ready to move things up a notch.

He followed her back to her place and parked his car behind hers. They walked to the front door and she opened it and he followed her inside.

"We should have stopped to get something to eat. Pizza or something, so we could watch a movie and-"

She grabbed him into her arms and started to kiss him. "I am not interested in eating anything." She rubbed her hand down his chest. "Do you want to go to my bedroom?"

She was ready to kick things up a notch.

"This is a surprise," he said with a smile. "And I like it but-"

He pried her away from him, walked to the sofa, and sat.

"But what?" She walked over to sit beside him. "What is it? You don't like me anymore, right? I waited too long and now you're just...you found someone else."

"No...and even if I met someone else the only one I will ever want is you."

She smiled at that.

"I'm crazy about you Nola, and I want you, in every way but I don't want you to just rush things along because you think that's what I want. I'm in this for the long haul."

She bit her bottom lip. She did not deserve a guy like Ronan, not when she also liked Drew. She had to pick, but she did not know Drew well, she felt as if she was not giving him a fair shot.

The rest of the day she watched movies, and ate junk food with Ronan, something she had not done in a long time. Ronan was becoming her closest friend. She still did not know if she could trust him one hundred percent. She was so paranoid everyone was after something from her, she could not believe he liked her just for her.

"Hey sis, I might want to come out and visit soon," she called to let Tennille know. She needed a change of pace.

"I am booked and busy, but you can stay at the crib, it's all cool."

Then she would be out in L.A. all alone. Her sisters were all too busy while she was bored out of her mind.

"Oh, maybe you and Tone can hang out with his wife or some shit," Tennille snickered at that. "Poor thing."

She was not thinking about that boy. She moved on, and hoped he moved on, there was no going back.

"How is your new assistant going?"

"Girlllll, Ishii is the bomb, period. It's pretty cool having a fan be on my beck and call, handling the little things I'm too big for. She is a gem. Poor CJ hates it," Tennille said with a cackle. "He still won't admit he's fucking the girl, but he ain't gotta lie to me. I see it all over their faces."

"She's a pretty girl, so I don't understand why he denies it."

"That's what I am saying, but I tend to stay out of grown people's business...speaking of, when am I gonna see that cutie of yours? Bring him out to L.A., that would be nice"

She rolled her eyes. Things were firmly in the friend zone with Ronan. Maybe things would kick up with Drew.

After she got off the phone with Tennille she called CJ.

"Hey, bro."

"Hey, sis."

"I miss hanging with you. We need to do something together?"

"I'm off to New York, tomorrow," he said. "I'm on the Good Morning America Show, lil sis. You going to watch me on it?"

She had not talked to her brother since her birthday. Just as they were getting to know each other, she felt they were growing apart now. She hated feeling this way, that none of her sisters, and now brother, wanted to spend time with her.

"Great CJ." He really was about to do big things, and she was happy for him. "Hey, I want to let you know, I like Ishii. I think she's a nice, sweet girl, and you two look great together."

"Wait...who said we were...we're just friends."

"Sure, CJ."

"No, really. She's a family friend, lives with my mother...or should I say, lived with. She dropped out of school to go follow NiNi around the world. Her mother is furious, but my mother thinks it's pretty cool."

"Nowadays college degrees don't guarantee you a glamorous life. Can't say I don't blame her."

Even being an assistant to her sister was better than the boring life she had right now. After talking with her brother, she went downstairs to the gym and let out some steam, going a few rounds on the punching bag. Then she jumped rope and did squats, crunches, and pushups. After working up a nice sweat. She drank the rest of her daily water, then headed to the shower.

The house was so quiet, as it always was. She was so lonely.

She washed her hair, shaved her legs and underarms, then rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed her terry cloth robe and put it on, drying out most of her hair with a towel, then brushed it back into a low bun on the back of her head.

She put on a facial mask on her face and painted her toes while she watched her favorite show, Criminal Minds for the hundredth time.

Maybe she would go visit Kitty and the babies. It was kind of late on a work day, but she was sure Kitty was up. When she reached her phone she saw there was a text from Drew.

WYD

She smiled upon hearing from him. She thought he was mad at her because she pretty much ghosted him. She texted him back.

Hanging out bored. Wyd

Same. It's tough being a nerd, huh?

She chuckled and texted back: not a nerd. We're just extremely smart, focused people

No shame in being a nerd. People leave me alone because of it

Hey, want to come over and be bored together?

She did not know why she invited him over, but at least she would not have to talk to herself or the characters on the TV show.

Sure. Txt me ur address.

This was the second time this week she was letting someone into her domain. Maybe that's all she needed, was to let go and live.

A/N: Poor Nola. Hope she has some fun times with Drew.😈