Chapter 21 - Chapter 21

The following weeks after that, Roxie and Fifth Avenue Square worked vigorously on the next album. Day after day and night after night; Roxie would be either helping the boys out with songwriting or talking to Cassie about her flight arrangements for her trip to the UK. Roxie enjoyed the many of times that she spent to help Fifth Avenue Square on their next album. She especially loved spending most of the day with Nathan. Whenever she was up in Nathan's private loft with Nathan; Roxie felt as if she was in another world. No matter what Roxie was doing, Nathan always made each moment that they spent together memorable. It had finally came to the day of Cassie's arrival in the UK and Roxie was in the band's car with Paul, Landon and Calvin driving to The Smouldering Hog to get everything ready for Cassie's arrival.

"Does the pub get busy during the day?" Roxie asked the boys.

"Not really; there's an occasional drinker every now and then, but it doesn't get busy like it does in the evening." Paul replied.

"Oh, cool."

"Roxie, everything is going to be fine. All you have to do is just sit back and relax while me, Paul, Landon and Nathan deal with Scott." Calvin reassured her.

"I know that; it's more of Cassie that I'm worried about." Roxie told him.

"I thought Nathan has already met Cassie." Landon told her.

"Oh, believe me Cassie and Nathan have met already; just not in person." Roxie admitted.

"Hold on; I thought you said Nathan and Cassie talked to each other on that Face Chat system that you have on your laptop." Paul said.

"Yeah, but that was only a one time thing. The conversations after that one were just between me and Cassie." Roxie explained.

"Look; let's just hope that everything goes smoothly at the airport between Cassie and Nathan. We don't want to have any panic attacks before Cassie gets here." Calvin stated. Pretty soon the van was in the back parking lot of the pub. The group then got out of the car, unloaded everything from the trunk and walked over to the pub's back entrance. Once they have made it to the back entrance; Tom was standing and holding the door for the group.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess that Paul wanted to get all of you here really early." Tom said sarcastically.

"Actually Tom it was more of Roxie than myself this time around." Paul admitted.

"Oh, well in that case my mum said that you can put all of the boxes in the lounge area by the fireplace. I'll go tell Annie that you're all here." Tom stated.

"Cool; thanks mate." Calvin smiled. The group then walked into the dining area and placed the boxes in the lounge area.

Meanwhile at the London airport, Nathan was at the VIP waiting area looking for Cassie. Earlier that morning; Roxie sent Nathan a picture of Cassie to his cell phone so it could be easier for him to spot her in the busy airport. The five of them planned the pick up time to happen when there wasn't that much traveling during the week so that there wasn't any commotion with any fans or paparazzi. To Nathan's surprise, when he did get to the airport; there were hardly any fans or paparazzi to be seen. Nathan eventually knew that somebody would post a picture of him at the airport while he was waiting for Cassie, but he pushed the concern to the back of his mind.

For some reason, however; Nathan couldn't get what he and Roxie have been the last few weeks. Since the night that he had showed Roxie his secret loft; Nathan had slowly opened up to Roxie. Besides writing songs for the band's upcoming album; Nathan has included Roxie when he plays video games, watching T.V. with Paul and the other boys and, on some occasions; whenever he visited his aunt and uncle's pub and inn. Nathan especially loved the moments when he and Roxie were alone together. It was in those moments, Nathan showed a side of himself that only very few people knew about; which made the moments even more special for Roxie. To Nathan, every opportunity that he had done with Roxie was unforgettable. Roxie would tell Nathan all of her crazy stories that she and Cassie did in college and around New York. He loved how Roxie would light up with excitement whenever she would talk about her writing career. Nathan also liked how Roxie's eyes would sparkle all mesmerized whenever Nathan would talk about the country's he and the other boys travelled to when they went on tour. He even loved hearing the sound of Roxie's laugh whenever he or one of the other boys told Roxie a funny story or joke. But the one thing that Nathan absolutely loved about Roxie was her smile. Every time Roxie would smile at Nathan; his heart would skip a beat. Roxie's smile made Nathan go weak at the knees and forget pretty much mostly anything and almost everything that was going on around him. However; Nathan knew that his time with Roxie wouldn't last long. It was almost a month since Roxie had come to the UK and so far there has been no success with getting any publisher offering Roxie a publishing deal. What made the news even more stressful was that Scott was going to be coming back from his business trip the following week. The band's album was nearly complete and all the band needed to do was pick a song to choose as their next single. Nathan, Paul, Landon and Calvin kept discussing the issue but every time the band came to a conclusion; one of the boys would change their mind. Today was the band's first break from working on the album and for the most part it was turning out to be a long day. Pretty soon Cassie entered the VIP lounge area and Nathan walked over to her.

"Hey; you must be Roxie's roommate Cassie, right?" Nathan asked.

"Yep, that's me and you must be Nathan Hendrickson. You're a lot much taller than on T.V. then again everyone is when you meet them in person." Cassie replied.

"Yeah, I get that reaction sometimes. Anyway, we should get on our way to the pub. Roxie and the lads should be over there waiting for us by now." Nathan told her. Then both Cassie and Nathan went to the baggage claim, picked up Cassie's belongings and went to Annie's car that was parked outside of the airport that was waiting for them.

Back at The Smouldering Hog; Roxie and Annie were busy setting the lounge area for Cassie's arrival in the UK along with the help of Paul, Landon, Calvin and Tom.

"Hey, Nathan just texted me and he said that he and Cassie have just left the airport and are on their way over to the pub. Nathan also mentioned that they might be a little late because traffic is starting to get a little hectic in London right now." Paul said as he entered the lounge area.

"Well it's about noon, so everybody and their mum would be out eating lunch right now." Annie said.

"God; don't remind me. You should see how horrible the traffic in New York is around this time. It's a total nightmare," Roxie mentioned. "Anyway, Annie and I are almost done with setting things up in the lounge area. How's it going with you and the other boys?" she asked.

"Eh; it's alright. Though it would be nice to not be stuck in the kitchen all the time." Paul sighed.

"Yeah, but that would mean you boys would be helping me and Roxie with all of the decorating which probably wouldn't go well with your boys' image." Annie pointed out.

"Good point then I'll just head on back to the kitchen and go back to chopping vegetables." Paul said.

"Paul; two more minutes and then you boys are done." Roxie smiled. Paul then ran over to Roxie, picked her up and spun her around in a circle.

"Well, that must have made his day." Annie giggled.

"I try to make the boys happy every so often, but the happiness ends quickly once I get the four of them to working again." Roxie admitted.

"Its no wonder the boys really want you to be their new personal assistant. You keep them on their toes practically throughout the whole day." Annie said.

"Yeah; its great working with them. I especially like working with Nathan. I never knew he could be so talented in songwriting and the way he tells all of the stories that he and the boys go through while their on tour. It's like-I can't describe it, but I feel like I've known Nathan from somewhere." Roxie stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever connected with somebody because they remind you of someone else that you know? That is exactly how I feel whenever I am around Nathan," Roxie replied. "I don't know how to explain this, but before I ran into your cousin I was originally supposed to meet this one guy that I've been talking to online. Here's the crazy part: whenever Nathan and I are alone together or he tries to get me to do something, he does something that is similar to what the guy that I'm talking to online does." she added.

"So you're saying that this guy that you've been talking to is somewhat similar to Nathan?" Annie asked.

"Maybe; I don't know. You know what let's just forget about what I just said and continue with getting everything set up in here." Roxie said.

"Roxie; don't feel embarrassed or anything. Do you by chance know this guy's online username or something?"

"Yeah; he calls himself Fifth Avenue Boy." Roxie told her.

"Wait; can you say that username again?"

"What; Fifth Avenue Boy? Why, have you heard that username before Annie?" Roxie asked.

"I'm not sure. That name does sound a bit familiar but I can't remember from where. You know what I think I left some decorations in the kitchen. I'll be right back." Annie replied. Annie quickly left Roxie and rushed to the kitchen to find either Tom, Paul or Calvin. Annie eventually ran into Paul while he was entering through the back entrance with a box filled with more food.

"Annie; you look like you saw a ghost. Is everything alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it's just I just found out from Roxie that she was supposed to meet this guy named Fifth Avenue Boy. Did Nathan happen to tell you, Calvin and Landon about this guy when Roxie has been staying with you guys at the house?" Annie remarked.

"No, I mean from what I've heard Roxie was supposed to meet this guy here at the on the night Nathan had saved her; but that's generally about it. I can ask Nathan about it when he get here." Paul suggested.

"No; I'd rather you didn't. Nathan is barely starting to trust us again and I wouldn't want things to go back to the way they were before especially with Cassie coming here and also the fact that Scott is coming back from his business trip pretty soon." Annie replied. Paul then shrugged it off and went to the dining area to go help Roxie.

Meanwhile; Nathan and Cassie were just leaving the bustling city traffic of London and heading over to The Smouldering Hog. The two of them had been driving on the road for almost a half hour and so far both Nathan and Cassie were not making that much progress. Every so often the two of them would hit an immense amount of traffic; making the trip somewhat tiring for the two of them.

"How much longer do we got left until we get to the pub?" Cassie asked Nathan.

"Well; now that we've gotten out of the city, it should take us roughly about 30 to 45 minutes. I already texted one of my good friends that we were on our way to the pub." Nathan said.

"Let's just hope we get to the others on time. Roxie is not that great on the whole 'patiently waiting on someone' idea."

"You and Roxie seem to be really close."

"Of course we are; we've been roommates ever since we started college at NYU. It's actually how we met." Cassie replied.

"Really; were you girls dorm mates or something like that in college?"

"Kind of; Roxie was originally supposed to be living with this one girl, but the room schedule for all of the ladies that were living at NYU got switched up accidentally. Roxie was already unpacking her stuff in her dorm when I showed up and the next thing I know I'm eating some New York pizza and unpacking my belongings with Roxie right before the head leaders for the girls dorms walks in the room to explain the whole situation to us. From that day on; Roxie and I have never separated." Cassie explained.

"Wow; that's a pretty unique way of meeting a best friend."

"Yeah, Roxie is a great girl." Cassie said.

"I can agree with you on that part. Since I've met her; I've been getting to know Roxie a little bit more and more each day and it amazes me how great of a person she is. It's funny; whenever I have a bad day I would usually go to the pub or a night club, but nowadays I go over and talk to Roxie and for some reason she does something that makes me feel 10 times better." Nathan explained.

"It seems to me that you are starting to have a little crush on my best friend."

"What; no, that's insane. I barely know Roxie. Besides I promised Roxie that I would keep my relationship with her professional." Nathan stated.

"You're seriously going to give me that excuse? I thought you were the type of guy who always broke the rules." Cassie remarked.

"I do. It's just when it comes to Roxie-I don't know; it's hard to explain."

"No; you just don't want to admit what you actually feel. Believe me; I've seen this look with a ton of guys who have tried to impress Roxie and as you can see those guys have failed; except for you. You, for some odd reason; have kept Roxie interested." Cassie explained.

"Are you saying that Roxie has feelings for me?"

"Maybe, but that's not my place to find out for you. You've got to do that part on your own." Nathan knew that Cassie was right. If Nathan was ever going to make this relationship work with Roxie; Nathan knew that he had to find out on his own.

Pretty soon Nathan and Cassie had arrived at The Smouldering Hog. To Cassie's surprise, the pub and inn seemed pretty decent. It had the old rustic British culture that Roxie loved and a little bit of a modern twist that Cassie enjoyed as well.

"So this is it." Nathan said.

"It's cute. It kind of has that home feeling to it." Cassie pointed out.

"Thanks; my aunt and uncle were actually going for that look. Anyway, shall we head inside?"

"Lead the way." Cassie smiled. The two of them then walked towards the entrance of the pub. Once Cassie and Nathan entered the pub, Cassie's eyes went wide. To her surprise; Cassie saw the lounge area of the pub decorated with string lights and "Welcome to the UK Cassie" poster with Roxie and the other members of Fifth Avenue Square.

"Surprise!" the others yelled.

"Oh, my gosh!" Cassie gasped. Roxie then walked over to her best friend and hugged her.

"Welcome to The Smouldering Hog Cassie." Roxie smiled.

"Thanks and I've got to say; I'm somewhat impressed about all of this especially with your so called relationship with Nathan." Cassie whispered.

"Ha, ha; very funny. Anyway let me introduce you to everybody." Roxie said sarcastically as she led Cassie to the other boys and Nathan's cousins. Once Roxie was done introducing Cassie to everyone in the lounge area of the pub; Roxie, Cassie and Annie went upstairs to Annie's room to talk.

"Hey Nate; how was the ride over here with Cassie?" Calvin asked Nathan.

"It was alright; can't complain much. Did you lads enjoy helping out with all of the decorating?"

"Funny that you say that; we didn't do that much decorating actually. All that me, Landon and Paul did was help out in chopping all of the food for our meal tonight." Calvin admitted.

"Mate, can I get your opinion on something?"

"Sure; what's up?"

"Now that Roxie and I have started to get to know each other a bit more; does it seem obvious that we like each other?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. From what I've seen so far is that you and Roxie have become really good friends. Are you starting to have a crush on Roxie?"

"Maybe." Nathan said.

"Ok; this calls for a little band meeting. I'm going to get Landon and Paul."

"Wait; let's talk outside in the back parking lot." Nathan said. Calvin then left to go get Paul and Landon while Nathan headed towards the back entrance of the pub.

Meanwhile upstairs the girls were busy getting ready for Cassie's little dinner party.

"So Cassie how was the ride over here to the pub? Did Nathan treat you respectfully?" Annie asked her.

"It was alright; I guess. Nathan and I just talked about some stuff, but the main topic that he and I talked about the most was Nathan's growing relationship with Roxie." Cassie teased.

"Ok; how many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing going on between me and Nathan. We're just friends." Roxie said.

"Oh, please; I saw the way you looked at him when Nathan walked into the lounge. Your eyes lit up and went all googly-eyed." Annie chuckled.

"Ok; yes Nathan and I have been hanging out a lot recently and that we've gotten pretty close, but-I don't know?!" Roxie whined as she plopped onto Annie's bed. Cassie and Annie then looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces. The two girls then stopped what they were doing and joined Roxie on the bed.

"Are you ok amiga?" Cassie asked Roxie.

"Cassie; I don't know what to do at this point! Nathan is a really great guy; it's just I was really hoping to meet Fifth Avenue Boy and now there's a slight chance that I could be having feelings for Nathan. I just don't want whatever I have with Nathan to end up like my last relationship." Roxie sighed.

"Roxie; take some advice from someone who's related to Nathan. If Nathan likes you, he'll do whatever it takes to get you to go out on a date with him. Trust me; I've seen him do that to a whole bunch of girls. You, on the other hand; have not given into his little game and is probably driving him mad." Annie told her.

"Annie's right; you're somewhat changing Nathan, Paul, Landon and Calvin's lives with the amount of time you've been staying here in the UK. And who knows, maybe Nathan feels the same way about you too. You just got to try." Cassie reassured her.

"You guys really think that Nathan likes me?"

"Girl; you are a California girl who lives in New York City that wants to become an author. I'm pretty sure Nathan is head over heels about you by now." Annie chuckled. What Roxie didn't know; was that Annie was correct on what she said about her cousin.