Chapter 6: A Security Measure It had been a month later, and Laura had begun her internship.  The people at Stratton Entertainment didn’t hole her up in a sea of paperwork as she had thought, but they brought her into every aspect of the firm, and Laura loved every second of it.  Meanwhile, her relationship with Alex was growing by leaps and bounds.  They went to clubs, dinner, but the best times were when they were just alone, either at a park, or at each other’s place, having conversations that seemed to last forever. But it seemed more of a secretive thing, because not only was their relationship growing, but his fan base was growing also.  A couple of times when they were out, they were interrupted by fans wanting a picture, or an autograph, or even following them when they were taking a walk.  It wasn’t that she minded the attention that Alex was getting, but it was the attention that she was getting from the girls;  looks that could kill, or rude comments under their breaths.  She was starting to feel afraid, but didn’t let this on to Alex. Lou Pearlman, the Backstreet Boys’ manager, had invited them to a dinner party at his home to discuss business.  Lou had invited Laura along when Alex had told Lou about her. Alex picked her up that night, and went to the party.  As they arrived, Laura was in awe of Lou’s estate when the wrought iron gates swung open. “Wow,” was all she could mutter.  “It gets more amazing each time I see it,” Alex agreed.  They pulled up and rang the doorbell.  A plump man answered the door.  “Hey guys,” he said.  He gave Alex a hug. “Lou, this is Laura.  Laura, this is Lou Pearlman.” Lou warmly shook Laura’s hand.  “It is a pleasure meeting you.  AJ has told me so much about you.” “Thank you for inviting me.  Your house is beautiful.” “I’ll be sure to give you a tour later on.  Please come in.”  Alex and Laura stepped into the living room where the other guys were waiting.  After they all exchanged hellos and had some cocktails, they all sat down to dinner, which was delicious: Chicken cordon bleu, fresh garden salads, and chocolate mousse for dessert. After a pleasant dinner conversation, Lou stood up.  “Alright guys, let’s go into the living room to talk business.”  They all went to the living room and settled in.  “As you all know, you all have been getting a lot more attention from the fans lately.” “Yeah I know, It took me an hour to buy milk and bread from the store last night,” quirked Nick. “That’s because ‘Quit Playing Games’ has risen to number 2 on the charts, as you all have known.  We’re not in ‘no-fan land’ anymore guys.  And we have to take the proper precautions.” “Such as?” Kevin asked. “Like security purposes, going to the store late at night, maybe picking up a hat to disguise yourself when you go out, and especially, hooking up with a security company for trips that you can’t go to late at night, like the mall.” “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Brian sighed. Laura looked at Alex with a sense of worry.  “And one more thing.”  Lou continued. “What?” asked Alex suspiciously. “You know that I don’t pry into your personal lives,” said Lou.  “But from this moment on, you guys are single, girlfriend or not.” “Come on man!” Alex stood up.  “Are you telling me that I have to break…” “No! I mean that if you are in a relationship, keep it a secret.” “Oh,” Alex said.  He sat back down.  He looked at Laura, who kept her gaze to the floor.  He put his arm around her for comfort. “That’s why I invited Laura here,” said Lou.  “I wanted to make sure this was OK with her.” “Lau?” asked Alex.  Laura looked up.  “Yeah… yeah it’s OK.” ~*~ Laura was silent on the drive back.  Alex was glancing at her occasionally, as she was looking out the window. “You wanna head back to my place for a night cap?” “Hmm?  Yeah sure.” They reached Alex’s apartment and went inside.  Laura put her bag on Alex’s couch.  Alex headed into the kitchen.  “Is soda OK?” he called. “Whatever you got.”  Laura settled herself on the couch. Alex came back with two glasses of Coke.  He gave one to Laura and sat down next to her.  He put his hand on her knee.  “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” “Come on.” “What?” “It’s about before isn’t it?” “No, it’s not.” “Laura…” “Alex…” “Why won’t you…” “BECAUSE I CAN’T!” she screamed.  She stood up abruptly and turned to face him sitting on the couch frozen.  “Do you know what it was for me to sit there, and to have your boss tell me that I can’t acknowledge that you are with me?!” “He didn’t say that, he said for me to say that I was single.” “Same thing!” “It…” “It is too!”  Tears streamed down her eyes.  “Alex, I can’t go back to New York in two months and have my friends come up to me and ask ‘So what did you do this summer, meet any guys?’  What am I supposed to say?  ‘Uh sorry guys, I met the most incredible man in the world but I can’t tell you about it!’”  She turned around to face the window. Alex stood up, went to her and put his hands on her shoulders.  “I know this will be hard on you, it’ll be hard on me too.  And Lou wasn’t saying to keep it a secret from everyone… just to be inconspicuous about it.  Don’t you think that I’m not hating this?  I’m so pissed that I’m in this business right now… because what I do is hurting you.  I didn’t ever want this to happen.” “Too late.” “I’m sorry, if you want me to call Lou and call the whole thing off…” “No,” Laura turned around to face him and wiped away her tears.  “I’m gonna have to get used to this.  I knew this was going to come soon.  Just not now.” “Hey, we’re still here, right now, in the moment.  We’re Alex and Laura, sitting in my apartment, having a drink.  And we’ll be together, even if I’m a thousand miles away.” “Promise?” “Promise.” “Good, because there’s one thing I have to tell you.” “What?” Alex sat on the couch.  Laura followed suit. “Remember I told you about my best friends from New York?” “Yeah, Veronica and… Laura, like you right?” “Right, well, I forgot about it until a couple of days ago, but they’re coming down from New York City next month, when my internship ends.  I’ll have another month here, and they want to spend it here with me.  Is it OK that I tell them what’s up?” “Yeah, yeah sure, no problem.” “They wouldn’t tell a soul.” “I know.  It’s cool.  Hey, how about a drive down the beach?” “Sounds great.” Alex led her to his car for a midnight drive. Chapter 7 Contents Chapter 5