New York Beauty

Part 1: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What're you gonna do about Leslie?" Nathan asked me.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. It was too early in the morning to think properly, plus the fact of how drunk I got the previous night.

"You've really hit it off with Jasmine. I guess you're lucky the press haven't found out about it yet," he replied as he prepared his usual morning tea. It kind of amazed me how the lad seemed so alert this morning. "You know Leslie's gonna go mad jealous about it."

"First of all, Jas & I aren't even dating, okay?"

"You're just a guy going out with a friend who happens to be a girl?" Nathan said.

I sighed. "Yeah. But I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

"Mate, this is the girl you've been staring at in that photo for months before you met her and at first I thought it was just because you found her to be gorgeous - which she is - but it's been months after and you still can't go a day without looking at that picture at like 3 times a day. That says something else, bird."

"Well look at you being all smart this early in the morning," I said before stealing the cup of tea he had poured himself and out of the little kitchen of our hotel room.

"Always stealing my damn tea," I heard Nathan say. "Besides, I have quite a lot of time to do some deep thinking about things since I'm still a few years too young to get into clubs here."

Although what he said did get me thinking. Not about stealing his tea, or him doing deep thinking about random things, or about him being too young to enter clubs in America, but about Leslie. The girl I had dated for close to a year before I finally managed to crawl out of the honeymoon stage, barely making it out alive (figuratively, of course) to realize what a total bitch she was. Right after we broke up I saw received that photo with Jasmine in the background and right before I met her, Leslie had called asking to get back together - to which I declined, of course. When I did, she said "Which ever girl dates you after me is looking for some trouble." I just hoped whatever she planned on doing wasn't going to kill Jasmine. That is if we did end up dating. Honestly, hearing rumors about me dating Jasmine would be satisfying enough.

"Hey, bird! I'll be there in a few minutes." Jasmine texted me later in the early afternoon. The lads and I were still doing some promotion in America, but our time here was soon coming to and end, and my relationship Jasmine (I'm not sure what kind it is yet) was going to face the same fate.

"Alright, I'll wait by the lobby :) x" I replied her and then yelled to Nathan that I was going to meet Jasmine.

I always loved my time with Jasmine. She made me forget I was even famous. She always spoke to me the way my friends back home spoke to me. It was really comforting. We could spend hours just sitting and talking. But instead, we go out for lunch & dinner, I bring her shopping and sometimes a movie.

"Hey, so when're you guys going back to England?" She asked when we had stopped for some frozen yogurt.

"Next Tuesday." I said, and saw a look of sadness flash on her face - the look that reflected exactly what I was thinking. I knew I had to go home, I wanted to, too. So I could see my family and friends and hang out with the full band in pubs. But the stubborn part of me that still craved a normal life wanted to be able to stay in New York for as long as I wanted just to spend time with Jasmine.

"I'm actually..." She trailed off, leaving me in suspense. "Jess and I are gonna be staying in London for 3 weeks with our grandparents."

"No way, when??" I said, probably a little too excited.

"3 weeks from now. I know it's still quite a while but I just thought I should let you know that we can still hang out even after you leave New York."

"Definitely! I honestly was a bit gutted this morning when I remembered I couldn't stay here forever. You're one of the best friends I've made in a while."

"Aww, Jaybird.."

She smiled at me, smiled with that beautiful smile that could make the toughest grown man's heart melt - with the way her beautiful blue eyes sparkled, her rosy cheeks always became redder when she did. "I don't remember her cheeks constantly being that red, smiling to anyone." Jessica once told me.

I could totally imagine myself with Jasmine as a couple. But she seemed so sweet, so innocent. I was afraid that the attention from the fans and paparazzi would destroy that. But at the same time, that could have been just and excuse I was giving myself to hold back how I felt about her... And then of course there was Leslie.