A/N: Heeyyy ignore my typos! I'm tired :(. Love you all.

EXACTLY HOW YOU HEAR IT

"Connor?" A soft knock on the door was enough to wake me from my distant slumber. "Are you still mad?" It was Dee.

"Yes," I mumbled, throwing the wet sheets from my body and pulling the door open. Delilah was holding two beers, looking so pathetic in her bright red glass and sweats she basically swam in (obviously, Joe's). I couldn't deny that. When I moved just enough to let her in, she squealed, running past me and jumping on the bed.

"I'm so so so sorry Connor. You have no idea. We just didn't want you to freak, or not come. You were in rehab for the wedding; we haven't seen you in two years." Dee's words were rushed, like she was afraid of the response.

"It's okay, Delilah. Don't worry about it." I'm sure my expression contradicted my words, but it was obvious she was going to take what she could get.

"We told your mother, but it must have slipped her mind."

"Must have." Mom hadn't told me for a reason. It could've been for 'my own good', or it could've been for hers. She needed her seventeen-year-old drama child out of her hair.

A knock on the doorframe sent both of our gazes shooting in that direction. There stood Nick Jonas, clad in a simple pair of swim trunks. His curls were weighed down with water, sticking to his face and dripping to the floor. Okay, so the enemy was hot. So what? They were still the enemy! Sadly, I couldn't stop staring as my jaw hung open slightly. I felt Dee place her hand on my chin, forcing my lips closed as Nick watched us, looking completely freaked out.

"I'm sure you understand why we betrayed you now," Dee whispered into my ear, winking as she pulled away. She walked over to Nick, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You don't stand a chance." Then she walked away, leaving me with a sopping wet Jonas in my doorway.

"Uh, I came up here to ask if you're okay. Joe was gonna, but he's convinced it's personal." I watched Nick rub the back of his neck wearily. It was clear he didn't want me here as much as I didn't want to be here.

"I'm fine. Just pulled a classing Connor Sullivan diva move," I responded with a laugh, rolling my eyes for good measure. I watched as Nick's eyes slowly got wider.

"Connor Sullivan? THE Connor Sullivan?" I nodded, slightly disturbed by his reaction. If I thought I was shocked when I learned I'd be living with the Jonai, Nick seemed to be going into full breakdown mode at the realization of who I was. "Oh shit. This is personal." So they knew how they beat me out of work and into a way early retirement.

"Very," I managed to say lightly, though my throat felt dry and my lungs constricted.

"So that's that then, huh?" I looked up, catching his eyes. They were welcoming, a smile seemingly always present in the deep brown orbs. I didn't want to look away. I actually wanted to stay like this forever. With the enemy.

"That's that." He nodded, obviously catching the sadness in my tone. He backed out of the doorway slowly, backtracking to his room. His eyes never left mine. The enemy.

--

Cabin fever is a bitch. I'd been trying to keep myself locked in my room, but the loud rumble in my stomach forced me to do otherwise. As soon as I opened the door, the scent of fresh biscuits sent chills down my spine. Ashley's cooking, oh how I missed it.

Though my feet were hesitant, I made it down the steps and to the kitchen fast. Ashley was placing a platter of chicken on the table, humming along to the radio that was conveniently blasting one of Dee's latest hits. I snuck up being her, wrapping me fingers around her wrist. She screamed, turning towards me, hand poised and ready for a slap.

"Holy shit, Connor. You scared the crap out of me." Her hand flew to her chest as she attempted to steady her breathing. I let out a laugh.

"Sorry Ashley. You know me when it comes to food: completely impatient."

"That's true. You do have a tendency to be a bit scary around dinner. Take a seat." Ashley pulled out the closest chair, patting the seat gently. "Gorge yourself."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Chicken, potatoes, asparagus, cranberry sauce. There was enough to feed five families. I was sure to put a heaping spoonful of each on my plate. I grew up with four brothers for God's sake; I knew how boys ate. The rest of the "family" seemed to arrive, as I was about to take my first bite.

Dee collapsed to my left, Kevin to my right. Straight across from us were Ashley, Nick, and Joe. I tried to smile at the boys, but it seemed that the sides had been divided. It was Jonas versus Sullivan, the Harts in between. I could only imagine how bad this could be.

"Guys, don't you have something to say?" Kevin's clear voice cut the awkward silence between us. I watched as both Nick and Joe rolled their eyes, muttering a half-hearted apology, most likely for ruining my career. "Sorry for what, guys?"

"Sorry you're a coke-head dive with an attitude problem." Kevin shot just the nastiest look until he realized my reaction. I was laughing so hard I had doubled over. I was grasping at the edge of the table just to keep my balance. Confusion was obvious. "You thought that was funny?"

I did, but I wasn't going to voice it. It wasn't really the fact that Joe was attempting to hurt my feelings more then it was that they actually thought I was the bad guy. Obviously, the pressures of being a worldwide super band weren't leaving the jaded or anything. No, not at all.

"It's a 'funny 'cause it's true' kind of thing," I giggled again, looking down at my plate and pushing the foot around in small circles. I looked up again, wanting to judge their reactions, but instead my eyes met Nick's again. He was mimicking my actions, a playful smile on his lips. I felt my face grow hot. I needed to focus on something else. He was the enemy for God's sake. I couldn't like the enemy! That was blasphemy!

But what if the enemy is ridiculously good looking?

The rest of the dinner was full of small talk and long silences. No one wanted to touch the subject I knew we were all thinking about. All we knew was I was supposed to hate the trio, and vise versa. Too bad that already seemed too hard for me.

I excused myself early. I was still tired and had yet to unpack. I wanted to go home, but home wasn't there anymore. Home would be the white room with the rickety bed and my old roommate Blair. Home had become rehab. In other words, I no longer had a home.

So I unpacked. That was depressing. I thought I had packed a lot, but my whole collection barely covered two drawers. I'd have to fix that. Shopping!

"Delilah? Dee?" I walked down the hallway, knocking lightly on the solid oak door on the other end.

"She went out." I spun around to see Nick standing in his doorway. "With Joe. Ashley and Kevin too."

"Oh," I replied quietly. Even though I'd met the boy only ten hours ago, everything about the failing relationship between us was bad. It all referred back to our first meeting, colliding into each other. It just sucked.

"Not that staring at each other isn't fun, but I don't really feel like standing here all day," he turned back to his room, closing the door slowly. I don't really know why I did it, but I did. Before I even had a chance to think about it, my foot was jammed between the molding and the door, forcing it back open. Nick turned towards me, cocking a brow.

"Wanna hang out?" What was I, twelve? But I had asked anyway. And Nick seemed to be seriously considering this.

"Sure."