FicWad

A/N: All right, so I really wasn't able to stray too far away from the whole Christmas thing. You might be thinking, 'what the Hell is she talking about?', but it'll all make sense once you start reading it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "In a Second"

Song Used: Aly and A.J.'s "In a Second"

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Forty-Six: In a Second
Puppet: Paige Waters

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Don't know where you are,
Wish I just could be near you,
I would sail oceans,
To get a glimpse of how you feel...

There he went again, racing through my brain at a most inopportune time. I momentarily blanked out and let conscious thought go, willing to give in this time if it meant I could escape from math homework. That handsome face, those dark, well-kept curls, those crazy mahogany eyes, that calm smile, that bubbling laugh...

Absently, with my mind barely even there at all, I sketched a little heart on the margin of my paper, which quickly multiplied into dozens and dozens of the simple little shapes. Ms. Byrd was probably going to ask me who all these minute hearts beat for, her voice wheedling and her eyes peeking skeptically over the tops of her glasses the way she often did when speaking down to her students. The kids around my seat would probably giggle and murmur amongst themselves, or pretend that they weren't leaning in to listen to my answer when they truly were.

I didn't care.

But even if I did, there was a way to answer that for her now, wasn't there?

With the deliberate intent of saving myself the embarrassment of being asked in class, I wrote his initials on one of them. 'N.J.'

Nicholas Jonas. Nicholas Jonas. Nicholas Jonas.

I sighed heavily and looked forlornly at the hearts, homework forgotten as I wished vainly that he was nearby. I was not so presumptuous as to put my initials next to his, but it was tempting. I liked to hang out – literally in a corner – by the library during my off period, but it was very rare for even my best friend to come eat lunch with me or do a little studying there.

Surely if he were around I wouldn't feel so lonesome.

We were friends, he and I, and usually we saw one another at least once a day and said hi. He and my best friend – though she wasn't my best now – since kindergarten, Becca, had broken up about a month ago. I had thought it odd then that he had only started to talk to me on his own accord after that, but I, a lonely girl with a hopeless crush on him, had gladly accepted the new attention.

More than once I had caught him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, and with an awkward clear of his throat he would say hello and ask how I was doing. I had thought nothing of it, dismissing it as a mere polite gesture despite the obviousness that it wasn't. Why would he be interested in me, the girl next door, when he had already decided that Miss America wasn't good enough for him?

But recently he had stopped doing that and had faded even further from me, going from a shadow that I saw flash by in the dark to completely non-existent, save in my dreams. I missed him. I wanted to be with him. I wanted him to look at me like that again.

You're all the things I'm looking for everything and so much more...

Of course, it was almost impossible for anyone who had seen a picture of him to not like him. There was just a soft, yet strong look to him that drew people (mostly girls, but guys too) to him; he looked kind, and it was our natural instinct as human beings to seek people like that out.

But I'd met him, too. I wasn't restricted to pictures or video clips; I could talk to him, face to face, if I truly wanted. He was a sweet, sensitive little guy, and I'd found myself accidentally in love within the first few minutes of conversation. He was friendly, polite, and warm; almost the complete opposite of most of the guys I was friends with.

At first, I'd been horribly ashamed of myself for developing this awful crush on him. The only reason I knew him, after all, was because he was my best friend's boyfriend. I couldn't really help the way I felt, but I had felt guilty for it anyway; he belonged to someone else. To my dismay, the longer I knew him, the more intense the feelings got.

It had been so lonely, not being able to tell anyone about it.

Of course, one can only imagine the hopelessness I felt, knowing the fact that had I not known Becca, he never would've given me a second glance.

But none of that really mattered now. I didn't have to feel guilty because he didn't belong to anyone anymore. I could daydream all I wanted about my would-be lover without feeling like I was doing something bad to my friend.

Of course, the more I dreamed, the more I wanted to be a part of him. He was only everything I could ever ask for.

What I think,
You are just perfect,
Could it be,
That I am worth it?
Is this thing an open door?
Walk right through to something more,
You and me,
My life would change in a second,
In a second...

Likewise, he wasn't the only one who'd been caught staring. It was hard not to look at him, after all.

Perhaps it was just my girlish dreams of true love and princes rescuing lonely princesses from a tower, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, the reason why he'd been looking at me that odd way was because perhaps he liked me, too.

Just the thought made my heart skip a beat. I could only imagine how happy I would be if he returned this...this thing that was beginning to look less and less like a crush.

Chewing anxiously at the inside of my cheek, I carefully placed my initials beside his. 'P.W.'

Don't know how you feel,
You seem to keep it to yourself,
Would you climb mountains,
To show me this is something real?

“Hey, Paige!”

At first, the sound of his voice didn't even register. As if in a trance I slowly glanced up to see none other than Nick Jonas smiling a little, hopefully expecting a friendly greeting in response.

Instead, my eyes widened in shock and I hurried snapped my notebook shut before he could see what I'd drawn (and written) there, hoping desperately that he hadn't already seen. I cleared my throat with an awkward, startled cough. “Uh, hey! What's up?”

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he slid his backpack off his strong (though they weren't too brawny) shoulders and dropped it next to mine. Then he pushed his back up against the wall and slid down into a sitting position next to me. He looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, obviously trying to figure out why I'd been in such a hurry to close my notebook. “Oh, ya' know, stuff,” he answered with a careless wave of his hand, “what's goin' on with you?”

I resisted the urge to ask what kind of 'stuff,' thinking it better to not act like I'd been thinking about it too much. “Same,” I answered carefully, “just studying some math notes.”

He nodded in response, but his lips didn't move, for he didn't have anything to say. My eyes strayed for a moment, looking for something to talk about, but then found his and there they stayed for a long, long moment. He didn't flinch or look away, but held my gaze.

Do you feel something there?

You're all the things I'm looking for everything and so much more...

Only after I realized that I'd stared a little too long already was when I finally looked away, feeling a familiar heat rushing up into my cheeks. He too, must have been a little embarrassed, because he coughed the same way I had just a few seconds earlier.

“Sorry.” We both said in unison.

I couldn't help but giggle a little, amused that we'd said the same thing at the exact same time. Of course, I was too tangled up in my own clumsy thoughts to be able to think of anything to say, so I stayed quiet.

Nick was more confident then I was, but guessing from the way his voice shook a little it wasn't by a whole lot. “Don't be sorry,” he said with the tiniest hint of a smile in his tone, “that was cool. You're braver than I think people give you credit for.”

“There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity.”

I could've kicked myself. He was just trying to be nice, and here I was throwing it back in his face.

What I think,
You are just perfect,
Could it be,
That I am worth it?
Is this thing an open door?
Walk right through to something more,
You and me,
My life would change in a second,
In a second...

He laughed, and that made me feel a little bit better. “I don't think you're stupid.” He said in a calm, reassuring tone, as if he thought I half believed I really was.

Which, sometimes, I guess I did. Still, I couldn't help but feel flattered. That was what happened when one was left on one's own for too long; they started to feel like they had to cling tightly onto any human interaction they could find, whether it was good or bad. I was just lucky it was good this time. “Thanks.”

I almost went back for my notebook again, feeling odd that I wasn't doing any school work. Then I remembered the page full of hearts with our initials on them and decided against it; there was only a small chance that he would see it, but I didn't want to take any risks at all. I wanted to see what he thought of me first.

I could hear him digging something out of his backpack before he spoke again. “What did you think of that science final yesterday?”

It felt good talking to him, even if it had only been for a little while. Could I be worth his time?

Could it be?
Could it be?
You and me,
You and me,
Do I see?
Do I see?
Clearly?

“Easy,” I said before I could stop myself, only too late remembering that that sounded cocky, “Mr. Gray babies us.”

“Ya' really think so?” Nick asked, sounding more surprised than I thought he would be, “Maybe I need you to help me study next semester, then.”

I glanced up at him with a quizzical look. He sat across the room from me during 8th period science and I'd been able to watch him through most of the year; he never seemed like he was having trouble understanding the information. “If you really do need some help,” I chose my words carefully so as not to sound like a fool, “I really like science and could probably give you a hand.”

He smiled that million-dollar smile. “That'd be great. Thanks!”

What I think,
You are just perfect,
Could it be,
That I am worth it?
Is this thing an open door?
Walk right through to something more...

I smiled back, charmed by his manners as always. He was always so precise, so careful with his manners that it was hard to resist. I could only wonder if I somehow had the same power over him, but doubted it.

But what if I did?

After another awkward pause full of hopeful sidelong glances and twitching fingers, Nick cleared his throat. “Hey, Paige?” he asked slowly, as if he was afraid of whatever it was that he had to say, “Do you think...do ya' think you and your family would like to come over for Christmas Eve? We'll have mistletoe.”

My eyes went big and his quickly followed. He shook his head vigorously from side to side. “I mean food!” he blurted, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling nervously, “Yeah. I meant...we'll have...dinner.”

To be honest, the invitation was more shocking to me than the actual mistake was, even though it was an extremely revealing error. It wasn't a date, because he'd said 'my family and I,' but to spend Christmas Eve, just a week from now, with the Jonas's, with him...this could very easily be the start of something beautiful.

My head spun with the strange spontaneity of it all, wondering blindly where this had come from and why, but at the same time being so happy that it was happening that none of it really mattered anyhow. I grinned joyously at him, wishing he could understand just how happy he'd made me. “That sounds great,” I confirmed, remembering that I still had to talk to my father first, “I'll ask my dad and get back to you tomorrow.”

His smile was happy, but shy and quiet, silently rejoicing my answer. It looked like he had something else to say, and after waiting a moment he asked it. “There's another thing I've been wanting to ask you, but it sounds kinda dumb,” he said softly, “I...I was wondering if i-it's okay to hold your hand?”

I said he could and, from that mere moment on, my world was officially turned upside down.

What I think,
You are just perfect,
Could it be,
That I am worth it?
Is this thing an open door?
Walk right through to something more,
You and me,
My life would change in a second,
In a second.

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A/N: I really liked writing this one. Paige and Nick are so awkwardly cute, and I think I can safely say that I sort of know how Paige feels. I was kinda able to write this using experience, which was cool.