Summary: It was a funny little thing Nate had gotten himself into. And her name, the one name he tried to push from his mind on a regular basis, was Caitlyn. Nate/Caitlyn
Camp Rock, of course, was the basis for many accomplishments, Nate duly noted, sitting atop the empty Beach Jam stage in the dead of night. Shane stopped being the biggest jerk in pop culture, Mitchie was discovered for her amazing voice, Tess was put into her place,
Jason had finally gotten the birdhouse he wanted, and he... well, he met someone at Camp Rock.
She was very pretty. With green eyes tinted with hazel, and dirty blonde hair that fell in waves to her shoulders. She wore clothes that were brightly colored and flamboyant to match her personality. She could dance and sing, and her dreams to be a music producer would probably be realized.
Her name, the one name he tried to push from his mind on a regular basis, was Caitlyn Geller.
She had been to Camp Rock two years in a row, but he hadn't known that until she told him one day after performing Shane's new song, Play My Music. In fact, they had talked for a long time that day, well into the night. More than he had ever talked to anyone in his life, though that wasn't saying very much.
But she seemed... different. Unimpressed by who he was or star struck by their fame. It was strange. As a matter of fact, it slightly unnerved him. Almost every girl he'd ever met had been, at some level, a crazy fangirl. Which was fine, as fans went of course. But if he was looking for someone to date... that wasn't really one of the traits he wanted. Down to earth, funny, talented, kind, serious about her music...
Those were what he wanted.
And Caitlyn was all of those things. He could think of an instance from the few times he'd seen her that fit one of those qualities. But she had been aloof since Tess had gotten her and Mitchie in trouble, and he hadn't seen her since they had performed in the Jam Session at the end of Final Jam. He sighed. And they were going home tomorrow, which means that, most likely, he would never see her again.
He strummed a minor chord on his guitar in his irritation. Why didn't he just talk to her when he had the chance? If he had maybe he wouldn't be stressing out like this. But it was too late now.
Nate rubbed at his eyes and stood from the stage. He needed to get to sleep, soon, if he and Jason and Shane were going to record that song to show the record company. Preparing to jump down from the stage, he stopped when he heard someone call, "Nate?"
For a moment he was stunned. He recognized that voice.
Caitlyn stood by the end of the stage, her hand on it as if she was about to climb up onto it. "Caitlyn?" he asked, even though he knew exactly who it was. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"I could say the same for you," she replied with a smile, pulling herself onto the stage and crossing her arms over her chest. She was wearing the pink cheetah pajamas she had on during the Pajama Jam. They walked towards each other and met in the middle of the stage. "What are you doing up so late?"
He shrugged. "Can't sleep."
"Got something on your mind?"
"What?" Nate stared at her for a moment. How does she know?
Caitlyn smiled. "Famous musician, you're bound to have a lot to think about, right?"
"Oh... right." He set his guitar down on the stage carefully and straightened up. Her head was tilted and their eyes met, silence falling around them. Caitlyn licked her lips and glanced to the ground, rubbing at her arm and Nate stared off into the distance, looking at the lake. It was pretty, reflected silver in the moonlight. "What about you?" he asked suddenly.
"Couldn't sleep either," she replied with a shrug, holding her elbows as she stared at the stage. Nate watched her silently, not sure what to do. This was his chance to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He had been regretting his unspoken confession, and now, when he could do it, he choked.
"Something on your mind, too?" he questioned lightly.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I don't want to bother you with the details."
Intrigued, Nate held a hand out to her. "I don't mind." Caitlyn watched it for a moment before tentatively taking it, and he pulled her down to sit next to him on the edge of the stage. She sat beside him, her eyes towards the stars. He kept her hand in his, loosely, but neither of them seemed to notice it.
"There's just... someone," she started softly after a moment, "that I just can't get off my mind. I can't stop thinking about him. And... I don't know. He'd never see anything in me." Caitlyn sighed and Nate furrowed his brow.
He asked, "What makes you think that?"
"He's a famous pop star, like Shane, and I'm... nothing. Not really." He was stunned. Caitlyn... she was thinking about Jason? He felt his heart fall into his shoes.
So much for that brilliant idea.
Trying to hide his hurt, Nate insisted, "But Mitchie got Shane's attention. And she was nobody, you know. She was alone at that time, too. You were practically her only friend, because of her lying."
"But Mitchie has that amazing voice," she responded, taking her hand from his to push a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. She shrugged and smiled mirthlessly. "But what can I do? If I looked like Tess and could sing like Mitchie, maybe he would notice me."
"No," he said firmly, making her blink in confusion. "You just have to look like Caitlyn and sing like Caitlyn and dance like Caitlyn. If Jason doesn't notice you because of those things, which wouldn't be too hard to believe, then he's not the one for you. You're amazing just the way you are." He smiled. "And I think you're pretty great, myself."
Her expression turned from surprised to crafty. "Now, Nate," she said deviously, "whoever said I was talking about Jason?" His eyes widened as she took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.
"Whoa," Nate breathed when she pulled her face away. "That... I wasn't expecting."
She smiled. "I know. The situation was ideal."
"How so?"
Caitlyn laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
He frowned. "Yes I would." She jumped down from the stage and put her hands behind her back, winking at him as she backed away.
"You'll have to catch me first Nate!" she announced, and she began to run. Sighing good-naturedly, he slid down from the stage as well, stretching his arms.
"Ready or not, here I come," he murmured to himself, and began to run after her, the faint lingering sensation of her mouth against his still on his lips.