Chapter 24

AJ walked Rachel to her room, both of them stumbling over eachother's feet. She fished around in her purse for her key, and began trying to jam it in the hole, missing each time. When she finally succeeded in opening it, she collapsed, after putting two much weight on the door. Rachel sat stunned, but then burst into delirious laughter. AJ offered a clumsy hand to help her up.
"Upsie daisie!" he sang.
This made Rachel laugh even harder, making her sides hurt.
"Well time for bed," he muttered, already feeling a headache coming on. He began walking out the door, when Rachel yanked him back and pulled him into a kiss. AJ tried pulling away, a warning going off in his head that what was about to happen would be a mistake, but gave up as soon as Rachel began tugging on his belt buckle.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked cautiously.
"Positive" she answered back. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing but she knew it felt good, and so she continued to remove his shirt. Her head was spinning and the next thing she knew she was lying on the floor of the hotel room, with AJ smiling down on her.

Nick was now back in his room by himself, lounging lazily on the couch near the window. He had put on his Journey c.d. and was humming the tune to "Faithfully," his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. He had sobered up a little since getting back from the club, but was still intoxicated to the point of disorientation. His R&R was interrupted when the phone rang.
"What's that?" he thought, confusedly. He didn't recognize the sound, all due to the alcohol still in him, so he followed the constant ringing, and finally came upon the phone. He picked it up carefully, stared at it for a minute, and a voice come through the receiver. He held it up to his ear and waited for more voices, being quite amused by this fun game. When nothing happened he banged the phone on the night stand, and looked at it another time. "Damn thing's broken" he said out loud. He slammed the hand set back down on the holder, huffed, and went back down to his place on the couch.
But the phone rang again, and so he got back up picked up the phone and listened for more voices. There was a silence on the other end and then a very cold "Nick?!"
"Korrie? Is that you? How did you get over to Europe so quick?"
"Nick what the hell are you talking about?"
"Korrie, I'm confused. I can hear your voice, but I can't see you. Are you hiding in the bathroom?
"No-I'm-!"
"Wait, let me guess, you're in the closet"
"Nick I'm at home. What's wrong with you? Are you making fun of me or something?"
"Korrie, I'm sorry, but this game isn't funny anymore. Where are you hiding in my room?"
"You're drunk aren't you?"
"Well, if your not going to tell me where you are, I don't want to hear you anymore." Nick dropped the phone and went back to the couch. He turned his music a little louder and began beating on the back of the seat pretending it was a drum. He eventually dozed into a state of drunken sleep.


"Jackie, I'm sorry you had to see my friends like that. They normally aren't that bad, but sometimes being on tour gets the best of them and they just can't help themselves."
"That's ok"
Howie and Jackie were sitting in a small coffee shop after escaping from the club. They had just arrived, and were quietly talking while sipping their hot drinks.
"So where did you say you were from in the States again?"
"Washington"
"Oh, Washington" Howie just sat there, staring down at this cup of coffee, stirring it slowly, trying to think of something to say."If Mary were here they would have so much to talk about" Howie thought bitterly. He erased these thoughts from his head and focused back on Jackylyn. He felt a little guilty knowing that he didn't plan on making their relationship go any further than it already was. He had only met her that day, in the hotel gym. She was using the stationary bike, and he had been trying to fix his, after the pedal had loosened while he was using it and had flown off onto the other side of the room. She had helped him fasten it back on, as soon as he had retrieved it from underneath a nearby treadmill, since he didn't want to soil his hands with grease from the joints of the bike. He laughed at himself for being such a clutz, and she smiled at the breaking of the tense silence between them. They spoke a while longer, and then decided at around 11, they should call it a night. Howie walked her outside and helped her into a taxi.
"I had a really good time tonight Jackie. I wish I could see you again, but we're leaving Milan tomorrow afternoon."
"I had fun too Howie. Look, here's my number, and if you're ever in the Washington area, give me a buzz"
"Will do" he said cheerfully. They shared a smile and the taxi pulled away from the curb. Howie shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking back to the hotel.


Katie was laying on the floor of her bedroom, screaming and kicking as Brian tickled her rib cage. She screamed for mercy and pushed weakly at his chest, trying to throw his weight off, but was unsuccessful. Her 3 shots of vodka, 2 glasses of champagne , and 1 tall glass of beer that she stole from Nick was really affecting her at that moment. Brian was almost as bad and wasn’t even really sure where he was.
“Where the hell are we?” he asked, looking up from his tickling.
“In my room silly”
Katie giggled and pushed him off her. He laid on the floor next to her staring up at the ceiling, but got up seconds later declaring he was thirsty. He grabbed the little key to the mini bar and opened the door. He grabbed two miniature bottles of Jack Daniel's and threw one over to Katie who caught it and popped the lid off like an expert. She bounced on the bed and lay back on the pillow. Brian joined her and they both took a big sip of their drinks.
“We’re such drunks” Katie laughed. Her head began to spin, and every time she closed her eyes she felt as if she were about to black out. She shook it off and took another swig. She glanced over at Brian who had an intense look on his face.
“What you thinking about?” she slurred slowly.
Brian paused a moment. “I wonder who thought up the names for alcohol. “Slippery Nipple” and “Sex on the Beach”?” He giggled like a little boy at the word “nipple.” Katie just laughed and slammed her bottle down onto the night table, when the last sip was gone. Brian chatted with himself, about his earlier question saying things like “I wonder if a “Slippery Nipple” is better than a “Dry Nipple on the Rocks?” or “Is the drink “Sex on the Beach” better than real sex on the beach?” He laughed at his own questions, since Katie had zoned out and it appeared she was sleeping. He turned over and looked at her a minute, before bending down and lightly pressed his lips against hers. When she didn’t wake up, he kissed her again, this time a little deeper. Her eyes fluttered open and it took her a second to recognize the face in front of her. She smiled as Brian’s gentle eyes stared down at her intently. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down on top of her so she could feel his weight pressing against her chest. As they got focused more and more on eachother, the outside world got dimmer and dimmer, until they both slipped into a deep abyss.


Kevin held Lauren’s hand tightly while they walked towards Kevin’s mysterious destination. They talked softly with eachother and strolled slowly down the sidewalk, trying to defy the fact that the night would eventually have to come to an end.
“Kevin, being here with you makes me dread going home. I’m afraid I’ll be so restless and anxious as soon as I get back to the States”
“Well you won’t have to miss me for too long. By the time you get home, you’ll only forego seeing me for a couple of weeks. This half of the tour ends near the beginning of August and its already July 16th.”
“Hey, who said anything about missing you? I was talking about this city.”
Kevin turned red at his self confident assumption.
“Kevvy, you’re so gullible. Of course I was talking about you!” She stood on her tip toes and placed a kiss on his smooth cheek. In return he brought her hand up against his lips gently. “You’re beautiful” he whispered. “Thank you” she replied, also in a whisper. They looked at eachother a while longer, and then continued walking. They rounded a corner.
"Here we are" Kevin said, and looked pleased when Lauren's eyes got big and round.
"Kevin its beautiful here"
The two were standing in what looked like a town square. There was a large fountain, illuminated by lights, in the middle of the courtyard, and it was surrounded by benches.
"Right now we're in the Piazza del Duomo, and that over there is the Duomo, or cathedral" Kevin recited, pointing to a large cathedral made of white marble. He then turned 90 degrees and pointed to the southwest end of the Piazza. "That is the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, and that building near it, is the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. I want to get married in that church someday" he said wistfully.
"Really?"
"It's beautiful inside, and I love Milan. I would be perfectly happy living right here with my future wife if I could"
"You're such a hopeless romantic" Lauren laughed.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Of course not. I like it here too. Thank you for bringing me here Kevin. It means alot to me"
"I'm glad I got to share it with you"
Lauren brought his face close to hers slowly, hesitated a moment and kissed him deeply. "Can we stay here for a little while?"
"Whatever you want" he said, leaving Lauren wondering how she deserved such an amazing man to spend time with.


The next morning


AJ woke up to the light of the new day shining in his eyes. The curtains hadn't been shut, he realized. He looked down and noticed Rachel's head resting on his chest, her long hair feathered out across her shoulders and the top of her back. AJ could see that all his clothes including his boxers were lying in a heap near a corner of the room, and he could feel Rachel's bare legs entwined in his own. He tried to remember what had happened the night before, but everything seemed like a big haze. All he knew was that what had inevitably happened, shouldn't have, and would probably cause some problems. He looked down at Rachel again. How he wished he could wake her up and the could spend all morning just lying in bed talking or doing...other things. "Had she consented to what had happened during last night's course?" he wondered. No she was more intoxicated then he was. AJ finally decided to get up out of bed carefully, making sure he didn't wake up Rachel, and to not say a word about it. If she remembered, she remembered, if not, great, than he was in the clear of being the cause of their "session" that past evening. He slid from beneath her and pulled on his clothes quickly. He stood over her a few minutes and watched her sleep. "Your beautiful" he said out loud. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, and then tiptoed out of the room and back to his own.
Brian and Katie both woke up at the same time.
"I do not feel well at all" Katie moaned loudly.
Brain put a hand to his forehead and groaned also. "I have a splitting headache"
"Brian, what did we do last night?"
He laid there for a moment, lifted up the sheet, and then got an ashamed look on his face.
"The same thing we did last time we got drunk together."
"But do you regret it this time?"
"Yeah, cuz I don't remember what it was like. Plus it makes me feel like......like I did something wrong. I always told myself that when a man and a woman share a bond so sacred that...it should be truly special each and everytime."
"So you regret it?"
"No, just next time I want to remember it"
"Me too Brian. So lets make a promise that the next night we spend together, we'll make it really special. Is that a good idea?"
Brian didn't answer, and instead he smothered her with kisses.
"I guess that's a yes. Mmm, your nice and warm" Katie said, cuddling up against his chest and laying a soft kiss on his scar. She laid like that a few minutes longer. "Alright B, I gotta go and take a shower, so I can kick this hangover feeling, but don't go anywhere, I'll be right back"
Brian nodded and Katie disappeared into the bathroom.
Brian could hear the water running and Katie humming a very high pitched "I Want It That Way."
"Must be rubbing off on her" he commented to himself, and chuckled. He rolled over on his side and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly and was promising a beautiful day. They would be leaving Milan to go to the next city at around 2 that afternoon. Sound checks were scheduled 4 hours before the concert that day. Brian dreaded sound checks, they were so long and boring. But he was excited for that nights concert, in Rome, since there was a big meet and greet scheduled, and it would be Katie's first time at one of their concerts. He smiled, and promised himself to work especially hard to make it a great show.
Katie returned from the bathroom still humming. She had a towel wrapped around her head, and was holding another around her body.
"Sorry, I'll be dressed in a minute" she said, blushing at her "outfit."
"Don't worry about it. I don't mind" Brian said, and smiled at her reassuringly.
Katie grabbed some clothes from her suitcase and went back into the bathroom. She was finished getting dressed a few minutes later, and came sat by Brian on the bed. He had fallen asleep, and was breathing softly, his hands folded on his chest. She pushed his curly blond hair away from his forehead, and kissed it softly. She decided to let him sleep, and got up to order breakfast.

Howie knocked on AJ's door, and waited patiently until he opened it.
"Hey AJ. How did your night turn out in the end?"
"Bittersweet"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Don't worry. More importantly, how was your night? Is Jackie still asleep?"
"Huh? Oh, no, she went home last night"
"Man, I'm surprised you're not in some type of sexual withdrawal"
"The Latin Lover is never sexually frustrated"
"Riiiight" AJ replied, raising his eyebrows.
Howie followed AJ in to his bathroom, where he was getting ready for the day. He rubbed some gel into the palm of his hands and spread it into his hair, making it spiky. "D, do you think I should get my eyebrow or tongue pierced"
"Neither"
"It is kind of trippy huh?"
"Definitely"
"So what's going on with your love life anyways? Are you like dating Jackylyn or are you with uhhh, what's her name...Mary, that's it"
"Well I'm not with Jackie, we just weren't for eachother. As for Mary, she said she was coming in to visit Rachel near the beginning of August"
"Oh sweet"
"Yeah, I can't wait"
"I'm sure you can't. Hey did you know Shannon's coming to visit next week?"
"No, when did you hear that?"
"She called me like ten minutes ago. I'm not supposed to tell Kevin or B-Rok, she wants to surprise em'"
"Oh right. Well then you better not tell Nicky, cause he'll probably tell Brian"
"Yeah, good idea"
"Well hey, you still coming with me to the shopping center before we leave Milan"
"No doubt I am. I'll be ready in ten"
"Great I'll be back over in a little bit then"
"Whateva"

Nick groaned and opened his eyes. He noticed as soon as he could see, that was looking at a pool of water."What the?" He lifted his head up and realized was bent over into a toilet. He pulled his blond locks back from his face and stood up on his shaky legs. He must of been throwing up all night. There was a dull ache in his head, but at least he didn't feel sick anymore. He poured a glass of water and sipped it back quickly. Then he pulled of his T-shirt and boxers and stepped into the shower to rinse off. When he was finished he rubbed a towel over his head and walked into the bedroom. He was surprised to see the phone hanging off its hook. He hung it up, and walked over to his closet wear he picked out his outfit for the day. He pulled an Orlando Magic basket ball jersey over his still dampened body. There was a knock at the door, and Nick panicked, since he still only had on his jersey and nothing else.
"Uhhhhhh, hold on a second." Nick raced around his room trying to find a clean pair of boxers and when he couldn't he grabbed a baggy pair of shorts. He jumped for the door and flung it open.
Rachel smiled and greeted him.
"Hi, sorry it took me so long, I was getting dressed"
"And I see you didn't finish"
"Huh?" Nick looked down at his shorts and noticed they were slightly see through. "Oh my god! Can you hold one second?" he cried, covering himself up with his hands.
"Yeah no problem" Rachel laughed.
Nick closed the door, and finally recovered a pair of boxers, and slid them on, and then replaced his shorts.
"Your such an idiot" he thought to himself, his cheeks heating up as he remembered the look on Rachel's face moments ago. He re-opened the door, and coughed with embarrassment. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to flash you there"
"Sure you didn't"
"I really didn't!"
"I know I know. So, do you want to go and get some breakfast with me? I kind of need to ask you about something"
"Sure. Let me just grab some money"
Nick ducked into his room again and grabbed some bills off his night stand. He smiled at Rachel and they made their way down to the hotel restaurant.


Lauren's lips rounded into a grin as she brushed her hair and recalled the past night's events. After their walk, Kevin and her had taken the long way back to the hotel and he had bought her a gold bracelet from a little shop a couple of blocks away. She twirled it on her wrist and fiddled with the clasp. Kevin came and wrapped his arms around her while she looked at it.
"You still like your bracelet?"
"I love it"
"Good. I'm glad" he said, kissing her on the back of the neck and running his hands down her arms.
"You know Lauren, I missed spending the night with you"
"What do you mean Kevvy? We spent last night together"
"No sweetie, I mean really spending the night together"
"Oh that kind of together"
"Yeah that kind of together"
"Well I was hoping we could wait, you know, until tonight...to celebrate my first time at one of your concerts"
"Mmmmm, that's not a bad idea"
"That's what I thought"
"Well, Kevvy's gotta go for an early radio interview, all by himself, so I will see later this afternoon. Are you still gonna ride the bus with me?"
"I guess, if there is enough room"
"Of course there is Lauren baby. Always enough room for you"
"Ok Kevvy, well I'll see you on the bus then. Have fun at your interview."
"I'm sure I will" He pecked her on the lips, and left for the radio station.

Chapter 25
INDEX

Email The Author


A Story is a Wish your Heart Makes