Alex sighed as she woke up. It had only been about 12 hours or so since her and Brian had been in that room together. She frowned looking around the room; Cori was nowhere to be seen. It was probably better that she wasn’t. She didn’t really want to tell Cori about what happened with her and Bri. AJ already knew, so it was best that for now he was the only one who had seen what he saw.
    “At least today is the final half of the shoot,” she muttered to herself. “That’ll keep my mind off of Brian for awhile.” She put on her robe and went out of the room in search of Cori. She walked across the hall over to Nick and AJ’s room where she assumed most of the people would be hanging out at. She gently knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.
    “Yeah,” Bri asked opening up the door. He stared at Alex for the longest moment, not being able to speak.
    “Um..um…is Cori in there,” Alex murmured. She felt his eyes looking over every part of her body, as she lowered her eyes. His piercing gaze made her feel nervous. Not scared nervous, but excited nervous.
Brian slowly shook his head as if to clear it. “No she and AJ went down to get some breakfast.”
Alex sighed for a moment. “Look Bri, whatever happened yesterday didn’t happen. It was in the heat of the moment that’s all.”
    Brian nodded, his heart dropping, but he didn’t understand why it was. I mean he was in love with LeighAnne wasn’t he? “Right. We still have AJ to worry about though. He knows.”
    “All we have to do is talk to J and make him understand that we didn’t mean it. That nothing happened.” As the words came outta her mouth, she didn’t quite understand why she felt so empty inside. Like she wanted to take her words back, but yet she couldn’t.
    “So what do we do around everyone?”
    “Forget what happened and move on with it I suppose.”
    “You make it sound too easy.”
    She sighed in frustration. “It has to be made easy because if it’s not, it’ll go down harder on all of us and most of all Leigh and I don’t want to do that to her.” She turned around. “I should go get ready. Tell the other guys I’ll be waiting for them down in the lobby okay?”
    Brian nodded and with that Alex walked back to her room and shut the door.

**************

    AJ sat next to Cori, a frown graced his handsome features. Cori looked at him her pretty face filled with concern.
    “What’s wrong,” she asked him after he looked at the ground for a long moment.
    AJ looked around for a moment. “I don’t think I can tell you.”
    “Why not?”
    “I’m not sure if the parties involved would want me to tell.”
    Cori nodded for a moment. “I understand, but you can’t expect someone to try to understand when they don’t fully know what’s going on you know.”
    “You have to promise not to tell anyone about what I am about to tell you. Not even the two people that are involved in it.” He turned to her; desperation filled his troubled eyes.
    “I won’t.”
    AJ nodded. “Yesterday….I walked into the room where Bri and Lexy were in..and well….”
    “Keep going. AJ it’s all right you don’t have to hide it from me.”
    “I walked in on them kissing.”
    Cori gasped her eyes wide. “A full tongue in mouth kiss?”
    “Yep.”
    “I knew it! I knew there was something going on between them.”
    “No, no you don’t know. Not to them at least.”
    “I know!”
    “I don’t know what to do about it though.”
    “Hook them up!”
    AJ looked at her like she was completely nuts. “Cori, Brian’s got a wonderful girlfriend that loves him and he loves very much. We can’t screw that up.”
    Cori frowned. “I know, but I think Bri and Lexy were meant to be together. I mean, why would they kiss like that if there wasn’t something going on?”
    “Heat of the moment maybe? I don’t know. I can’t explain their actions. What I can explain is that I won’t ruin Brian and LeighAnne’s relationship just because I saw him and his best friend in some weird embrace.”
    “I could never do that,” Cori said quietly after a moment.
    “Do what?”
    “Keep the man I love at arm’s length because he has someone else.”
    “I understand you wouldn’t, but this is Lexy and Bri, not you and…not you and someone you love,” AJ quickly finished up, thinking he saw someone coming. He gently nudged Cori, confirming his suspicion, and they went over to the others.
    “We all ready to go,” AJ asked Nick as they all gathered in the lobby. Cori wandered over by Alex, who was kinda off away from everyone.
    “You okay hon,” Cori asked her.
    “Yeah I’m just tired,” Alex lied. “I didn’t get very much sleep last night.”
    “Thinking about me I suppose.”
    “Of course. By day I dream about Lance Bass, but by night it’s all you babie.”
    Cori laughed. Even though she knew Lexy was upset about Bri, she still had her sense of humor.
    “What are you two talking about,” Kevin asked the girls as they all walked over to the big black van they were to ride in that day.
    “Oh how much Lexy thinks about me during the night.”
    Nick shook his head. “Ya know, I don’t wanna know.”
    “I’m sure you don’t,” Alex dryly commented. “You don’t wanna know what I dream about in my fantasies of Cori all hot and wet and…” She stopped because both she and Cori were laughing too hard at the guys’ facial reactions.
    “Geez closet lesbians again,” AJ asked with a grin.
    Cori turned to Lexy and licked her lips seductively, making everyone groan in annoyance.
    “Please get a room you two,” Howie muttered covering his eyes.
    “Oh God you guys are wimps,” Cori said grinning. “Can’t even handle two girls playing around like that. I guess you’ll never be into lesbian sex then?”
    “Hardly,” Brian said with a smile. “I prefer one man one woman love.” LeighAnne smiled as she nuzzled his neck, but what she nor nobody else, except Lexy had seen was Brian looking straight at Lexy when he said it.
    They all sat inside the van and were quickly driven to the place of their shoot. Once they were there, they were quickly brought inside where Wayne had instructions for them for the day.
    “Good you’re all here,” Wayne said as he walked over to them. “Since Alex and Nick, Howie and Christina went yesterday, today’s going to be Kevin and Adele, Brian and LeighAnne, and AJ and Cori for shooting. After that, we want all 5 guys together singing for some shots, that way it’ll look even better. We must get this done as soon as possible that okay with you guys?”
    They all nodded and Wayne went to work, taking Brian and LeighAnne with him to have them get ready for their scene. The others all relaxed and played around.
    “This’ll be some video won’t it,” Howie asked the others.
    “Hopefully,” Cori said. “Gosh I can’t wait to see it once Wayne puts it all together and how it looks. You never really appreciate the hard work and beauty until once you see it.”
    AJ nodded and smiled at her. “That’s exactly how I feel sometimes about our other videos.”
    “Whoa you two think alike, maybe you should go out,” Kevin teased. He could only guess what their reactions would be.
    “Not,” Cori said smiling. “J and I are only friends and that’s how it’ll be.”
    “Yeah,” AJ said. “It’s fun to poke fun at her and still be her friend.”
    “And you know I poke fun at you too Alexander.”
    AJ made a face. “That so sounds like my mom about ready to yell at me.”
    “Cause you know she usually did,” Nick said laughing.
    AJ gave a little glare at Nick and then grinned.
    “All right quiet everybody,” Wayne cried out. “Brian, LeighAnne take your places.”
    As Brian and LeighAnne, took their places, everyone else kept quiet and went their own ways, except for  Alex, who was half watching the set and half reading a magazine. AJ and Cori went over to a little spot to talk again about Lexy and Brian.
    “Look J, you have to seriously consider the both of us hooking up Lexy and Brian,” Cori spoke to him in a low voice. “Listen I understand your feelings about LeighAnne and all, but I see both of them hurting because they are denying their feelings for one another.”
    AJ shook his head. “No Cori I can’t do it. I can’t break up a happy couple for your weird thinking that those two are meant to be.”
    “They obviously aren’t a happy couple if those two kissed.”
    AJ frowned. He knew his morals were right that Brian and LeighAnne were happy together and he didn’t want to break that up for some crazy notion that Brian and Lexy have some secret connection that is more then best friends.
    “Come on J please do this for me. Not only for me but for Lexy and Bri as well. Your two friends.”
    “I don’t want that on my head breaking up a happily loving couple.”
    “It won’t be.”
    “How do you know?”
    “UGH you suck.”
    “Only if you ask nicely,” AJ said with a grin.
    “There’s nothing that will change your mind?”
    “Hardly. Look I’ll be right back okay? Please get that crazy idea out of your head by the time I get back all right?”
    Cori sighed. “Fine if that’s what you want.”
    AJ nodded and left.

************

    Alex sighed as she watched Brian and LeighAnne pretend to be a happy couple, which wasn’t very hard considering they were a happy couple. She then turned to the magazine trying to concentrate on what was inside rather then what was outside around her.
    “Cut,” the director said interrupting Alex’s thoughts. “You guys are doing good, but I need a little more loving touches and actions coming from you two okay? You guys act like a couple, but I really need you to ACT like a couple. Understand?”
    “No,” Brian replied grinning.
    “UGH you are sometimes way too funny for your own good.”
    “But that’s one of his good qualities,” LeighAnne pointed out.
    “Thank you honey at least someone appreciates my talents.”
    Alex got up and started walking to another room towards the back of the set. “God what does it take to keep a person sane,” she muttered, not aware that AJ was close by and heard every word she said.
    She walked inside a small room with a chair, and sat in the chair. She gently laid her head on the table and closed her eyes.
    “God what the fuck is wrong with me? I like so got upset at hearing those stupid comments and that was all it took for me to leave here?”
    Lexy frowned as she faintly heard Brian’s voice singing from the CD that they were playing as they filmed Brian and LeighAnne. She never fully thought about it until now.
    Why does that bother me so, she wondered. Why does that song strike me as something familiar in my life that I can’t control? She turned to the set again, her heart sinking as she watched Brian and LeighAnne together. That’s my best friend. I can’t believe I kissed him. I can’t believe I enjoyed it. I can’t believe I’m so jealous at his relationship with someone who finally appreciates him.
    Lexy tried not to pay attention to the song but found she couldn’t stop paying attention to the song. Could it be though that I’ve fallen in love with my best friend? UGH hardly. It’s just the song, yeah that’s it. You’re feeling lonely without a man that you take that lame song into context.
    “God I need something to cheer me up,” she muttered noticing a radio nearby. “Finally the wonders of a video shoot never cease to fail me.”
    She turned on the radio and started flipping through stations.
    “Boring,” she muttered as she heard people talking and turned to another station. “UGH Juvenile’s not for me.” She turned to another one again. “Too sappy.” She finally stopped upon hearing Britney Spears’ “Stronger”.
    Lexy grinned slightly. “Even though Britney’s not really someone I like she does have a good song.”

    Here I go, on my own
    I don’t need nobody, better off alone
    Here I go, on my own now
    I don’t need nobody, not anybody
    Here I go, alright, here I go

    Stronger than yesterday
    Now it’s nothing but my way
    My lonliness ain’t killing me no more
    I’m stronger

    “At least this makes me a lot stronger,” she commented to herself. “At least Brian and LeighAnne don’t affect me. No they don’t.”
    As she finished saying that, she looked up and saw both Brian and LeighAnne again still doing their scene. She smiled, watching them. After a moment, her eyes widened as she saw Brian run his fingers through LeighAnne’s blond hair and gently kiss her cheek. She suddenly back up against the corner of the wall, as tears, unexplainable tears, filled her eyes, Britney’s music suddenly getting louder to her. She felt smothered in the small room, listening to a song that no longer helped her.
    Suddenly, she shoved the radio to the ground, a loud thud being heard. “Oh my God shut the fuck up Britney! You can’t sing about shit,” Lexy screamed. “Your stupid bubble gum pop song will NOT help. You are stuck in the fantasy world not the real world you stupid blond hair bimbo! God I don’t know why I ever liked your stupid “Stronger” song in the first place. Just…just shut the fuck up!”
    She suddenly looked up and noticed everyone staring at her from in her small room. She couldn’t believe that she had been screaming that loud in order to have had everyone heard her all the way back in the room that she was in.
    Cori ran over to the door. “Is everything okay hon?”
    “Yeah..yeah I think everything’s fine.” She looked out at everyone who was staring at her, most of all Brian. She couldn’t read his expression, and nor did she really want to stay and find out. “Would it be okay if I went out to the van and lied down?”
    “It’s fine, but will you be okay? You know how much I care for you.”
    “I know…I just need to go lie down for a little while.” She hugged Cori tightly. “Love ya girl.” With that, she then left to the van.

***********

    “Cori,” AJ asked as he sat next to her.
    “Hey welcome back,” Cori said with a forced smile. “Don’t worry I won’t bug you about the whole Lexy and Bri thing.”
    AJ looked over at Brian and LeighAnne. Things had calmed down and went back to normal somewhat after Alex left to the van. He started thinking that maybe Cori was right. After he had heard Lexy a little while before and now that fit especially right after Bri and Leigh had kissed each other on the cheek, it started making sense. Maybe Bri and Lexy….maybe they just were…
    “Cori,” he started again.
    “Yeah?”
    “Maybe…you are right.”
    “About what?”
    “About Lexy and Bri.”
    Cori’s eyes lit up like Christmas trees. “I knew you’d come to see it the way I did!”
    “Whoa whoa whoa hold it. I only said maybe. I never said oh yes let’s hook them up. I only said that you could possibly be right.”
    “UGH bite me.”
    “Where?” He grinned.
    “Gosh perverted much?”
    “Always for you babie.”
    Cori rolled her eyes and grinned. “Seriously though, please try with me and hook them up. Come on I promise if you don’t think it’s worth your time after just one try, then we’ll stop.”
    “Give me another moment to think on that offer okay?”
    “Sure take your time.” Cori got up to get something to drink.
    AJ looked at the scene before him. Brian and LeighAnne. LeighAnne and Brian. The seemingly perfect couple. But were they really? He couldn’t deny Lexy’s reactions to everything he had witnessed today and the kiss both her and Bri shared. It looked like a lot more then a heat of the moment kiss to him. He also didn’t really want to pass up Cori’s offer of trying at least once either. But then again he had Leigh to think about…
    Cori walked back to where AJ was sitting with a glass of lemonade in her hand.
    “Welcome back,” he said after a moment.
    “Thanks,” she answered back to him. “You have your decision yet?”
    “Not quite. Geesh this is hard to decide on.”
    Cori gave him a knowing smile. “I understand. Take your time. I’m not pressuring you into making a choice right now. Whatever you come to an agreement on with yourself, you’ll let me know what that answer is.”
    “I think I have my answer now.”
    Cori nodded and waited to see what it was.
    “I’ll do it. I’ll help you just once and if I don’t find this job worth it, I’ll blow the whistle so to speak and you have to stop okay?”
    Cori’s face lit up again at his answer. “You won’t think it’s not worth it I promise!”
    “I just don’t know what we are going to do though and how we go about doing it.”
    “Don’t you worry about that! We will think of something!”
    AJ and Cori grew very quiet for a moment each lost in their own thoughts as to how they would try to hook Lexy and Bri up. After a couple minutes, Cori’s smile turned into a big grin.
    “What,” AJ asked looking at her, now rapidly becoming an evil grin. “Or do I even want to know what it is?”
    “Trust me this is worth it,” Cori exclaimed.
    “Oh lord I can’t wait to find out.”
    “No seriously. I’ve just gotten the best idea on how to hook up those two denying best friends and we can so pull it off!”