Chapter Text
“Yo” Nick says into the phone as he picks up the call, he tugs on his boot while holding it between his ear and shoulder.
“Hey Nicky, I know we met like three weeks ago, but I had a question and perhaps a request?” Cassandra spoke back, Nick perked up a little, pausing.
“Uh yeah, what’s up?” He responds, swallowing hard. Cassandra Swift is an amazing person, and maybe that’s why she’s so intimidating to Nick, who is definitely not an amazing person. Sure he only recently met her, at a bar with his bandmates no less, but she was hot, funny, and nice. If he had a list of his standards for relationships, she hit three boxes! All three!! (Maybe his standards are a little low, so what?) Maybe Nick was into her, but he really isn’t as confident as he acts like he is. But Cassandra is! Count that as a fourth box, actually, he’s adding more, she’s too perfect for only three. They’ve been texting frequently since they met, and Ellory, his band’s bassist, will not stop teasing and pestering him about it. Ellory’s basically like the older sister he never had, she practically raised him when his Dad didn’t, met her when he was twelve and she was twenty three at some bar, she never asked why he was there. She just helped him out, let him stay on her couch when things were hard, took care of him when he was black out drunk or greening out. She is also there to knock some sense into him, regarding his stupid crush for a girl he practically just met.
Regardless, this is the reasoning for Nick being nervous with the way this call has started, he’s tying the laces on his boots, sitting on the foot of his hotel bed. He’s staying in San Francisco at the moment, having played the last set of their tour last night. Which means he’s going back to LA tonight. He was lucky enough to get his own room instead of having to share with one of the other guys in the band, so he’s alone while he stops tying his boot and holds his phone up in anticipation. He can see his reflection in the mirror on the wall, and he looks like an idiot, but he ignores it.
“So, I’m taking a bunch of my friends out to Orlando to stay at the resort that my Dad owns, but…one of them had to cancel last minute, and I have an extra spot available…thoughts?” Cassandra says, her voice smooth and velvety. Nick loves her voice it’s- Focus Nicholas!!
“Woah? Your Dad owns a resort?” Nick asks, caught off guard a little by that detail. Cassandra laughs.
“Yeah, my parents are pretty rich, and I’m kinda pissed at him right now so he’s trying to make it up to me by giving me free vacation time with friends…so? Would you want to come along?” Cassandra says, her voice a bit sing-song-y.
“You- you’re inviting me?” Nick laughs a bit, trying to make it so he sounds way more smooth and casual than he is. Cassandra laughs again, music to his ears.
“Yeah dumbass, I am.” She says. “Look, everything's already paid for, my Dad’s covering literally everything we do, and most of the resort is going to be empty for the month we’ll be there-”
“Woah, woah- A month?” Nick stands, eyes wide.
“Er- uh yeah, are you busy? I know you had your tour but I thought you just finished that up?” Cassandra sounds a bit nervous now. Nick swallows, debating things. Fuck it, he’s been non stop working on writing music and playing at sets for three years, he deserves a break! He can speak to Ellory about it and she’ll cover for him, definitely. If he can convince her anyway.
“No, I’ll be free.” Nick throws himself back onto the bed, laying on his back staring up at the popcorn ceiling of the hotel room. “When’s the plane?”
“5:30 pm tomorrow? It might be a little awkward because I’m sure you don’t know any of my friends, but there’s an extra room at the resort already, I’m like 100% sure everything is figured out.” Nick hums. “Just, you me, and my seven other friends-” Nick blinks. Yeah, obviously Cassandra has a bunch of friends! She’s Cassandra Swift, four boxes! All four!
“Nice, nice okay…” Nick bites his thumbnail. “I’ll have to talk to my manager, but we shouldn’t be back on tour till October.”
“So…you’ll come?” She asks, her voice sweet.
“Yeah! I’ll be back in LA tonight…might not be the most happiest though because I got voted to drive the tour bus,” Nick laughs, and so does she.
“Cool! We’re all getting to the airport at 3:30 to get through TSA together, just text me when you get settled tonight maybe?” Cassandra says, her voice sounding happier now. Yup, that’s why he’s saying yes to this. Seven fucking strangers, a resort on the other side of the country, and a night to prepare…why does he do this to himself? He’ll have to talk to their manager, Maya, have to bring stuff to work on writing music while he’s there, talk Ellory into covering for him with the rest of the band, a month without practice, who knows what Cassandra’s friends are like! What if they don’t like him and he’s stuck with them for a whole fucking month? Cassandra sounds so happy though…he’s only known this girl for like three weeks and yet he’s this down bad? Is he insane? Yes, yes he is.
“Yeah, for sure.” Nick says, he yawns a bit. “I gotta get out there to get gas into the van, but I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Alright! Bye!” She hangs up and Nick drags a hand down his face. Oh my fucking god what have I gotten myself into.
—
“Are you an idiot?” Ellory asks, sitting in shotgun of the van while Nick flexes his fingers around the steering wheel. He frowns deeply.
“Yeah.” He answers. “Look, Cassandra is an amazing person-”
“So you’re willing to go AWAL for a month in Florida of all places for her? At a resort? Where did the Nick who ranted for an hour about anti-capitalism and how stupid resorts and vacation destinations like that go?” Ellory raises an eyebrow at him.
“The same place he went when he got to go to Universal for a week with you last year?” Nick says, shrugging and smiling at her sheepishly. Ellory puts her hands over her face.
“That’s nerdy Nick and it was a birthday present we planned in advance, this is school girl crush Nick who’s doing impulsive rom-com movie shit, you’ve lost your grip man!” Ellory groans. Nick sighs. “I mean, not only are you going to a resort across the country with a girl you just met, but also seven strangers- what the fuck are you thinking Nicky?” She scolds him like a mother. Well, she’s the closest thing he has to a mother, so he guesses it makes sense.
“Uh…you only live once? Plus we just got off tour, I need a breather that isn’t just rotting in my apartment and scrapping different songs.” Nick sighs. “Look, I’ll work on more music when I’m over there, but I think we all deserve the break. Maya was talking about visiting their family in Hong Kong anyway.”
“Yeah but I have to plan that-” Maya says from the back seat. Nick hadn’t realized they were awake now. “I’d definitely be more prepared to see my parents than you are to chase a girl to Florida.” Nick grumbles.
“Y’all are supposed to be supportive of my endeavors.” Nick says, tapping a red painted nail on the steering wheel.
“Not when you’re being an idiot, man.” Sam, their drummer says from the back as well.
“Is everyone just listening to this conversation right now?” Nick whines a little, frowning. Sam laughs.
“Nah, Robbie is conked out. Surprised he isn’t snoring.” He adds.
“He seems like a honk-shoo type of guy,” Maya comments. Nick sighs, maybe they are right. This might be a little impulsive.
“Whether or not we say anything, I know you’re going to go.” Ellory says, sighing. “Just be careful, Nicholas.” She only ever calls him Nicholas when it’s serious. He huffs.
“Yeah I will, promise. I’ll call you a bunch.” He responds. She smiles at that, seeming relieved.
“Now drive, driver boy.” She says, slapping him on the shoulder. Nick rolls his eyes.