Rosalina POV

"Guys, this really isn't necessary anymore." I complained loudly as Cati hauled me into the elevator.

"Nope. The doctor said to keep you in this for one more week. Don't even think for a second that we're going to let anything else happen to you because you're too stubborn to sit in a wheelchair." Lianna said sternly.

"Honestly Rosalina, it's like you don't want anyone caring about you." Lisa sighed exasperatedly. I rolled my eyes.

"It's not that! It's just…well, I don't want anyone wasting their time worrying. I'm fine!"

"Rosalina Tai!" Maya exclaimed. "If I ever hear you saying that crap again, I swear!" She turned around and glared as the doors opened to our floor.

"You listen, and you listen good girly. We are your band, your best friends, and we, and yes this includes the Naked Brother's Band too, we do not care at all about anything right now except for making sure you're back to full health!"

"I just don't see why,"

"You got shot! For God's sake, you were shot, and no one slept at all until you finally wok up. Rosalina, you had us worried sick and so yes we are going to worry about you,"

"And care for you," Cati added.

"And wait on you," Lisa chimed in.

"And help you," Lianna retorted.

"As much as we think we need to!" The girls were positively bright red from trying not to yell to loud. I sighed again.

"Fine!" I grumbled. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Nat POV

"Yo! Did you hear the news! Rosalina's finally back!" Alex came sprinting into our room where the guys and Christa were just hanging out.

"Really?! We should go see her!" Just then, the Star Rockers knocked on the door.

"Hey guys, do you care if we come in? We have a couple of favors to ask you." We all looked at each other, shrugging.

"Of course you can!" Christa called from the bed. "What's up?"

"Well, as you know, Rosalina's back. Except the doctor put her on wheelchair rest for a whole week, and I'm sure you guys know how she is…" We all looked at each other and sighed.

"Stubborn."

"Determined."

"Headstrong."

"Obstinate."

"Did we mention stubborn?" The girls chuckled as Maya continued.

"Exactly. So she is going to try and play strong for the next week, and escape from the wheelchair. But Dr. Pelletier said she's still sore and weak, and he's afraid the wound will open again. We need help…actually, we need you guys to help us be on Rosalina duty." The girls exchanged sidelong glances before continuing.

"I know you guys had a huge fallout, but I'm hoping a lot of that was resolved from her finally spilling her guts about Matt Pinfield. I know what we're asking to do is a lot, but…"

"Don't worry ladies. We understand. And we take care of our family, no matter what. What do we have to do?" Cooper questioned.

"Well first, just keep an eye on her. If she wants something, she's not going to ask for help, even if it's out of reach when she's in her wheelchair. Can you help us make sure she's not standing or walking to get to things all the time?" We nodded.

"Also…we need to help keep her occupied. Like, find stuff to do while she's in the chair. She'll probably get bored easily and want to do something active, so keeping her relatively calm and still will be hard to." Lianna added.

"Basically, keep her in the chair for a week." The girls chorused.

Quassim sighed, flopping onto the bed, before replying:

"I hope you girls know that you gave us the hardest task of all, right? Rosalina, who went mom-mode on us all the time is not going to appreciate the fact that we're babying her for a week." Alex nodded.

"Yeah, remember when she broke her leg and was on crutches for a month? She wouldn't have been on them for so long if she had just rested and stayed in bed, but it was finals week." Thomas nodded exasperatedly.

"The teachers told her she could take them at home! In bed! Who doesn't jump at the chance to do that!"

"Rosalina," David retorted. "And then she tried going to her math final, which was on the third floor…and Amigos High doesn't have an elevator." He threw his hands up in the air.

"She was on the crutches two whole weeks longer because she tried climbing the stairs in crutches, slipped, and fell down a whole flight."

"And she still wouldn't let us help her!" I exclaimed. That month was the longest for our band, as we tried (and failed) to keep Rosalina in her house so she could heal properly. The girls only chuckled.

"Well this time, we have double the people to keep her in line. She doesn't have a choice in the matter, because there is no way she's injuring her stomach again, and going back in the hospital because of more blood loss. Got it?" We all nodded.

"Got it." They nodded, satisfied.

"Good." Cooper stood up suddenly.

"Quick question. Who's watching Rosalina right now? I mean, if all of you are here, who's to say she didn't try to up and leave?" The girls only looked at each other and groaned.

Rosalina POV

"Aren't you supposed to be in a wheelchair?" I groaned inwardly, as I tried to move a little closer to the railing on the fire escape.

"Don't even start Nat Wolff." He chuckled.

"You really should listen to them, you know. They just care about you." I rolled my eyes as he sat down next to me.

"Let me guess, as soon as they left my room, they barged into yours, asking you, Christa, and the guys if they could help keep me tied to that stupid thing."

"Close. They asked if we'd help look after you, make sure you don't do anything stupid, make sure you don't needlesslyescape from the wheelchair, fall, reinjure yourself, open your wounds, and wind up back in the hospital in worse condition you were in before." I finally looked over at him, trying to crack a smile.

"I'm pretty sure I can't be in any worse condition than before, Nat." He didn't smile.

"This isn't funny Rosalina. Dr. Pelletier told the girls that if you open up your wounds, you'll lose a lot of blood again, and your body is already weak from blood loss. If you lose any more…we're just worried, okay?"

"There's nothing to worry about Nat!" I retorted, a little more harshly than I meant to.

"YOU ALMOST DIED, ROSALINA. Don't you dare say that. You didn't see what we went through. They actually thought you wouldn't make it. They were debating on asking your dad when he was going to pull the plug. If you had been asleep for a few more days, then no one knows what would have happened! You almost never woke up!" He shouted, and his hands started to shake.

"But Nat, I did. I woke up to a life full of people who care about me, and I couldn't have asked for anything more."

"But you don't let us care about you, Rosalina. You don't let anyone help, you're stubborn, and you have to do everything on your own! I don't understand, none of us do." I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall.

"At first, it was because I didn't want you guys to be hurt, you know? All of this, it was always so that scumbag wouldn't lay a hand on any of you. And this…this being cared for thing has always been new to me, Nat. Ever since my mom died, I got used to taking care of myself. My dad goes on business trips all the time, the babysitters he hired only looked after half as much as they should have…It wasn't until I met you and the guys that," I hiccupped, trying to keep the tears down.

"That you found stability and people who would always be there, I know. I remember." I heard him whisper. I only nodded.

"And the girls, they've been so great. But I don't want to hold them back…I mean, we're in Boston! There's so much to do, and I hate that they feel they have to take care of me day and night, because of something I did."

"You're not holding them back, Rosalina. They're choosing to look after you, because they love you. You're one of their best friends, their band mate. They're not going to leave you behind just to go shopping." I frowned a little.

"I thought you didn't like them." He sighed again.

"I didn't like that you had changed. And, and I know that you don't let anyone make decisions for you, but I was so angry that you decided to leave again…I made myself believe that it was them, who made you change, who made you not like the Naked Brothers Band anymore…who made you move on." The wind around us whistled softly, rustling our clothes.

"I never moved on, Nat." There was a pause.

"Are we still talking about you and the band?" My breath caught in my throat. I could tell him right now, or I could pretend that it was only the band I missed. After all, where would a relationship get us, with him in New York and me in Tennessee? He was waiting for an answer, I knew. But I didn't know how to explain everything I still felt. Even though I never wanted to leave, I did. And because of that, there still felt like a giant rift between us, as if we were both on the edges of different cliffs, just looking at the wide expanse between us.

I took a deep breath. Baby steps would get me where I needed to go

"I never wanted to leave." I felt his gaze on me.

"I didn't mean those words I said." So this was how it was going to be, a confession for a confession. I give a little, and he gives a little more. I smiled inwardly, still hopeful.

"The only picture I brought to Tennessee was the one with you kissing my cheek at the end of a concert."

"I still have your picture in my wallet." I took a breath. He had to know everything, and I knew I couldn't leave anything out.

"I started dating Jared because I needed to forget you: It hurt too much to remember."

"I've called Christa by your name seven times, and four of those times were when we were kissing."

"I started to actually like Jared, he was the one who really made me feel at home in Tennessee."

"I hated you for so long." Ouch. "In order to forget, every time I thought about you, I asked Christa on a date." Double ouch.

"When Jared cheated on me, I didn't want you to know. I wanted you to think I was okay, that I could live without you, that there were other guys out there for me."

"When Jared cheated on you, a part of me felt like you finally understood what it was like when you kissed Michel. I was happy about that." I frowned.

"I hated that you were dating Christa, because I knew from day one that if you weren't, she and I would have been best friends."

"You still could have been," I shook my head, cutting him off.

"I hated her for dating you too much."

"I broke up with Christa."

"I know." He faced me all the way this time, turning my chin towards his.

"What?" I shrugged.

"You guys weren't near each other at all at the hospital. And the way you guys smiled at each other…it was just friendly. Nothing more." I paused.

"I was really glad when I figured out you guys broke up." He chuckled.

"We can't do this forever, you know. Just confess things that happened." I tapped my toes absentmindedly.

"Why not?"

"You told me to ask you about that second conversation."

"Aren't we having it?" I asked slyly. Hearing him sigh, I knew I struck a chord.

"I don't want to talk about Christa or that jerk Jared."

"I'm not sure I want to talk about us."

"Why?"

"Because we both know the answer Nat, right? It doesn't matter if I tell you that you're the only guy I've dreamt of for the past three months. It doesn't matter if I say that I'm sorry, and you forgive everything I've done, and we want to get back together. It doesn't matter if you ask me on a thousand dates and I say yes to all of them. In the, we both have to go back home." He shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't understand. That means we're both staying in New York after this." I shook my head.

"Nat, I can't abandon the Star Rockers. They don't have a bassist. The Naked Brothers Band does."

"Rosalina, we're not talking about band positions right now. And for the record, if everything you said is true, then it does matter. It matters a lot."

"Of course it's true!" At this point, I was exhausted. I was tired of playing cat and mouse, bait and switch with the one person I knew I really wanted in my life. Do you honestly think I would have gone to these lengths if I didn't love you?"

My rant was sealed with his lips on mine. I smiled into the kiss; it had been so long since he had kissed me, so long since I had been this close to him. I tangled my hands in his hair as his found my waist.

For a moment, nothing mattered. Not Matt Pinfield, not the tour, not the Star Rockers or the guys or Christa or Jared or the fact that I had no idea where home was at the moment. Nothing mattered except for the fact that Nat was kissing me again and I was kissing him back and I knew…Every inch of me knew that I was never letting this boy get away from me ever again.