Chapter 1
Rachel's POV
I rushed out of theater at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, frantically looking for the stage doors outside. I hadn't even noticed the weather until I was finally standing still. Once I'd located the stage door, the barricades, and the masses of people that were pressing me against the barricade, I looked up. Blinking ferociously as snowflakes and raindrops dropped into my eyes. Well that's peachy I thought to myself. Now it was just time to wait. My friends had all left, not as engrossed in the fun. fandom as I was, saying they needed to catch their train home, I have an apartment in the city though. I stood there patiently, texting gloves on, phone fully charged, and securing my spot right behind the barricade. Time moved so slowly while I was waiting out, alone in the cold, for the band to make their appearance.
I was about to give up and just say fuck it, and go to my apartment, when I saw a flash of light come from the building, and girlish screams and squeals erupted all over. I climbed up onto the barricade, my feet on the lower bar, leaning over to see as Nate, Jack, and Andrew made their way out, dressed appropriately for the weather. Slowly they made their way down the row of screaming fans. As they neared closer, I felt my body being pushed more and more into the barricade. Shit I thought to myself, feel the barricade rocking but no way to step down off of it. Before I knew it, Nate was in front of me, signing autographs. In an instant, the barricade came tumbling down, taking me along with it. Crazy fangirls ran all around me, and I had no way of getting up. Finally, security was able to get everyone under control. I looked up, my face bright red from the cold, and a hand was extended to help me off of the ground. I didn't even think to look at whose hand it was, I grabbed it and clumsily got to my feet.
Once I was steady back on my feet, I looked up to see a smiling Nate Ruess standing before me, my hand still in his. "Hi" I said, my cheeks brightening more than they already were from the cold. "You took quite a hard fall there" he said with a smirk, his face lighting up. I brushed myself off and laughed "Just a little bit" I said, looking down at my hands to see red pooling on top of my phone "Oh shit" I blurted, not even taking note of what was happening around me. "Are you okay?" Nate asked me, looking down at my blood soaked glove and the red pooling by my phone. I couldn't manage any words, the shock from meeting Nate, and the pain that was arising in my hand taking over me. "Hey, can we get her on the bus or something to take care of this?" Nate asked someone, I'm not quite sure who for I was still staring at my hand. "Come on" he leaned down and said to me, our hands still together and guiding me to the bus.
Nate's POV
Settling onto the warm bus, I realized I still had the fan's hand in his. "Sorry" I said sheepishly, I'd never been so smooth exactly, more awkward really. "It's okay" she nodded with a smile. I went and grabbed some paper towels and wet them "Here, put your phone down" I motioned to the table "and take off your gloves, or at least this one" I said awkwardly, helping her remove the bloody gloves from her hands.
"Thanks" she said, dropping the reddened object onto the table that I'd put a towel down on. "Holy-" I looked down at her hand, a gash running from the base of her thumb across her palm. "What happened?" I asked her.
She was visibly shaking and nervous, but I looked past it while she explained. The shakiness in her voice was cute, she was pretty cute. She was wearing a winter coat, the same converse as him, leggings, and her hair was up with a bandana headband tied around her head. I felt terrible, I mean, it was slightly my fault anyway. "What's your name, by the way?" I asked, realizing I was helping this girl without even being polite enough to ask her name.
"Rachel" she said confidently, the shakiness and nerves seemed to be subsiding now. He froze for a second at the name. It must be the name he thought to himself, realizing she had the same name as Jack's sister, his ex-girlfriend. "Let me help you" I said, reaching for the wet paper towels I'd brought over and cleaning her bloody hands. "You don't have to, really" she said sincerely. "My fan, gets hurt at my concert, therefore I should only help her" I smiled. "Sorry if this hurts" I warned as I gently cleaned on top of the wound. "Stay there for a second?" I half asked her, as I went to retrieve the bandages. When I came back, she'd taken her coat off and I could see what she really looked like. She seemed to be around 23. The awkwardness in the air was so thick, you could practically touch it. I wrapped the bandage around her wrist, went to the freezer and wrapped some ice in a towel, and held it to her hand. "I can hold it" she said, feeling bad that Nate was helping her. "Nonsense" I told her with a smile, she really was cute…
Rachel's POV
Was I really sitting on fun.'s tour bus right now, having a normal conversation with the Nate Ruess while he tends to my stupid hand? It didn't matter, I felt bad really. I looked up at him with a sincere, slight smile "Thank you" I told him, as I'd given up on protesting his help. I wasn't sure if I should go or what to do, it was a situation I never would have imagined. Then I realized my phone was trashed. "Oh no" I said out loud, at the realization. "Everything okay?" Nate asked, concerned. "Yea, it's just my phone," I sighed "it's trashed.." "Oh shit" he replied.
Think of something to say! I kept telling myself, you are sitting with fucking Nate Ruess, do something! But it felt so normal. Nate broke the awkwardness "So where are you from?" he asked, what appeared to be genuinely curious. "Well I grew up out on the island, but I have an apartment here in the city now" I told him, he looked happy when he heard I lived in the city. Being the fangirl that I was, I knew he did too. At that moment I'd made up my mind that I didn't want to overstay my welcome, being lucky I'd made it onto the tour bus at all. Jack and Andrew had been making their way onto the bus now and I was about to thank him again and get going when Nate stood up first "Hey guys, this is Rachel" he introduced. I sat their, dumfounded. The two waved and said hi, and I returned the greeting, and they made their way to the back of the bus. Now was my chance, "Well thanks for the help and all, but-" I was saying before Nate interrupted me. "You don't think you're going out there without a cell phone in this weather and craziness, do you?" he asked, concerned. "I don't want to be a bother" I replied sheepishly. "We could use a new friend" Nate said, getting up to close the door to the bus, telling the driver to head to their hotel.
What was happening right now?