As for Roxie; Andrew's announcement could not have come at a worse time. Since her evening dinner party at Angelo's and the news that Kyle was not able to join her on her promotional tour (plus the fact that she now had to tell Nathan and the others that she is somehow currently dating Kyle); Roxie had been contemplating on whether or not it was a good idea to meet up with Nathan for lunch. It wasn't that Roxie didn't want to spend some time with Nathan; she was worried that she might slip up in front of Nathan while they were having lunch. Luckily Roxie was texting Cassie all morning about her little adventure with Nathan that afternoon. At first; Cassie thought it was strange for Nathan to ask Roxie to have lunch with him so early in the day, but Cassie also thought that it was a good idea for Nathan and Roxie to at least meet up and at least talk with what happened at Angelo's. So Roxie reluctantly got herself ready and called herself a taxi to take her to where her and Nathan were going to meet up.
Once Roxie had made it to the cafe; she found herself a table that was near the cafe's main entrance, but had a decent view of Times Square. As she was waiting for Nathan; Roxie ordered herself some iced tea and a sandwich. After Roxie had finished ordering her food; Nathan had arrived.
"Hey, sorry I'm a bit late. The traffic coming over here was pretty horrendous." Nathan said.
"It's fine; um I hope you don't mind but I had already ordered what I wanted to drink plus I also got myself lunch." Roxie stated.
"Oh, ok; then I'll go place my order. I'll be right back." Nathan then went to the front register of the cafe and ordered himself a cup of coffee.
"So thanks again for taking the opportunity to have lunch with me. At first I didn't think you would even reply back, let alone say yes with your busy schedule." Nathan smiled.
"No, of course; I just thought with the fact that I'm now joining you boys and Cassie on the promotional tour; it'd be a good idea to at least come up with a cohesive plan for all of us to follow." Roxie mentioned.
"Oh well I'm pretty sure Lexie and Andrew will come up with something that will benefit everyone," Nathan sighed. All of a sudden there was an awkward silence between both Nathan and Roxie as the were receiving their food. "Ok; this is completely ridiculous!" Nathan retorted.
"What do you mean?" Roxie asked as she finished taking a sip of her iced tea.
"Look; before the others and I came to New York; I asked both Annie and Tom to join us because I wanted someone to at least make sure I don't act reckless or like a complete idiot around you just in case we were to run into each other and, with what happened yesterday at the Early Morning Show and Angelo's; I've come to realize that there's no need for me to feel anxious or nervous anymore. I mean you and I used to talk for hours back at the house in my loft. What makes that different from what is going on right now?" Nathan explained.
"If I'm being honest; I have no clue. I completely agree with you that it's stupid that the two of us can't have an open conversation with one another without feeling either anxious or nervous. A part of me wants me to believe that maybe the reason we both feel this way is because of me not keeping in touch with anyone since I've returned to New York, but there's also the fact that it could be because you and I aren't the same people we were back then." Roxie admitted.
"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean we have to go on pretending what you and I developed was nothing. Roxie; if there is one person I don't want to embarrass, it's you." Nathan pointed out.
"God; you can be so charming! Even when I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you." Roxie giggled.
"How about we go explore the city for a bit; eh? If I remember correctly; I did give you an excellent tour of London a while back. The least you can don is return the favor by giving me my own personal tour of New York City." Nathan suggested. Roxie just laughed and shook her head with complete shock at Nathan's remark. At first Roxie thought Nathan's suggestion for the two of them to go and explore New York City was absurd. But, then again; Nathan's idea was a bit more exciting than sitting in a cafe talking about the group's current situation. So Roxie agreed and the two colleagues got up from where they were sitting and walked outside. Once Nathan and Roxie had gotten outside; Roxie started to wave down a taxi.
"A taxi cab; really?" Nathan asked sarcastically.
"What? You're not embarrassed are you? Besides you said you wanted a full on New York experience." Roxie stated.
"True; but I was hoping for something a bit more practical." Nathan then started to walk towards an alley way that was next to the cafe that Nathan and Roxie had walked out of earlier. Roxie then followed Nathan through the alley to see what he was talking about. To Roxie's surprise; Nathan had led her to Nathan's motorbike.
"Is that what I think it is?" Roxie asked him.
"I had the band's set crew make sure my motorbike would be here in the US for our promotional tour in one piece. Luckily; it had gotten here safely right before the tour had even started," Nathan explained. "Now; how about we take this beauty out for a spin." he suggested as he handed Roxie her helmet. Roxie just giggled, put on the helmet and sat behind Nathan on his motorbike. Pretty soon; both Nathan and Roxie were riding away from the cafe and enjoying a nice afternoon exploring New York City.
Throughout most of the exploring; Roxie and Nathan would either enjoy the scenery of the location they were exploring or glance at one another. Every once in a while, one of them would make the other person chuckle, giggle or have a brief conversation; but for the most part, the two former colleagues would stay silent which made the afternoon more awkward.
"So I hear that your guys' world stadium tour is nearly all sold out. How does that feel?" Roxie asked Nathan as they were walking along the New York Harbor.
"Fine; I guess. Don't get me wrong; the lads and I are very eager to get back on the stage performing. Its just that Scott really wants this tour to be successful so throughout our promotional tour, the lads and I are going to squeeze in some time to rehearse for the tour while we're here in the US." Nathan stated.
"Geeze; and I thought my touring schedule was abnormal. Your boys' schedule is even more hectic than mine!" Roxie gasped.
"Yeah, but luckily for the four of us, we've at least already started rehearsing for the tour before coming over here so its really not that big of a deal. Anyway; I heard that you were being invited to some up and coming author's gala in Colorado. That must be a huge accomplishment for your career." Nathan mentioned.
"Sure; if you call spending an evening at some banquet hall dressed in an elegant gown for several hours talking to other publishing companies and local newspaper editors a huge step in my writing career," Roxie remarked. "Honestly; I thought that the life of a celebrity would be at least somewhat decent in the beginning. Turns out its just as stressful before I had a publisher even consider publishing my book." she sighed.
"Not going to lie; I could have told you the 'spotlight' isn't all what it seems; especially in the public eye, but after a while you'll get used to the lifestyle." Nathan chuckled.
"That's easy for you to say, you and your band mates have had a steady career for the past couple of years. Me and Cassie, on the other hand; we're barely just starting our careers as young independent women trying to make it in industries where men are the main forerunners in the spotlight." Roxie replied.
"True but at least the lads and I are willing enough to give you ladies the spotlight when its necessary." Nathan chuckled. Roxie smiled and agreed with Nathan's statement. Since the time Nathan and his band mates had offered to help both Roxie and Cassie with their careers of being a musician and an author; all four boys have given both girls equal opportunities to speak their minds on what they both wanted in their contracts and for their individual careers. For the most part; it was a nice stress reliever, but once Roxie had returned to New York, the idea of helping both Roxie and Cassie became more of a toll once Roxie had stopped communicating with Nathan and the others. After a while Roxie and Nathan were getting a bit tired so the two of them decided to end their little afternoon adventure.
Once Nathan had made it to where Roxie was currently living; he was stunned with Roxie's new lifestyle.
"Wow; and here I thought the lads and I were living the high life. This is a nice upgrade for an up and coming author." Nathan whistled as he admired Roxie's brown house.
"Yeah; well luckily for me, my team is at least helping me with all of the mortgage, insurance and utilities," Roxie admitted. "Anyway; before I forget, do you and the boys know when you're going to hit the road?" she asked Nathan as she handed Nathan her helmet.
"According to the schedule; we should be leaving either tonight around 6 pm or early tomorrow morning around 4 am. Why?"
"Well; I was just thinking, since we are touring together; you, the boys and the others could meet up somewhere with me and my team before we leave just to get acquainted with one another." Roxie replied.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. How about this: I'll have Lexie text or email Andrew the address of the hotel that the others and I are currently staying at and from there we'll leave to the next city on the tour." Nathan suggested.
"Sounds like a good plan to me. Anyway; thanks again for today Nathan. I had a nice time." Roxie smiled.
"Glad I could help." Nathan stated. Roxie then turned around, walked towards her front door, took out her keys and unlocked the door. Nathan then waved goodbye to Roxie and Roxie smiled and waved back to him before heading inside. Nathan then turned on his motorbike and rode away into the distance with a smile on his face.