The red-hot singer's two-year relationship has ended... is it over for good? Here's the story...

Without a doubt, Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, 19, is one of the most sought after guys in all of pop music. There isn't a rock 'n roll town on the planet that doesn't know him, and there isn't a BSB, Brian - Howie - Kevin - AJ - loving fan who doesn't also think that Nick is all that. Landing this cutie has been a dream of millions of girls ever since he set foot on a stage with the Boys - well, one such girl did, and now that relationship appears to be over.

Dr. Love
No, Nick didn't meet her on tour. No, she wasn't at a press party or celebrity schindig. No, she's not a publicist, agent, manager or any such thing. Her great fortune was to share the services of the physician as Nick and his family. Seems as though Nick's doctor happened to mention this lovely 15-year old patient who also happened to sing; the then 17-year-old Nick called her, they palled around for a bit and then wound up in a relationship.

Of course, getting to know one another is difficult enough without one of the members of a relationship going off on tour all the time, but the couple did try to make time for each other. A Backstreet insider reveals that Nick was caught in a lot of push and pull back then. He had little time for a private life, and whatever time he did have, he had to split between his girlfriend and his family. In fact, the pressure of it all actually broke the two up for a few weeks after their first two months together. They did iron things out, but the pressure continued from every which way.

It got to the point where Nick's girlfriend postponed some of her goals just to spend more time with him. It was a difficult and painful dilemma for Nick too, one which he doesn't necessarily feel he handled all that well.

Change
With Backstreet Boys' ever-growing popularity, Nick was away on business more and more. And with each of the Boys also trying to have a private life, occasionally the guys would find themselves at odds. How in the world were they going to make room for work, private lives and loved ones? How would that affect their relationships with one another? There were moments that were incredibly trying for everyone concerned.

When Nick turned 18, things really began to change. Among other things, he decided to buy his own home in Florida. Why? A) Because he could. He was now a legal adult, he'd earned the money, so there were no obstacles to spreading his wings a bit. B)The Carters began talking about relocating to California in order to help young Aaron Carter land a TV pilot, sister Leslie a record deal, and to support sisters' Angel and BJ's desire to act (BJ's already done extra work on 90210). Nick's parents weren't all that thrilled by his choice to live on his own this early in life, but they also understood that many older teens want to begin a truly independent life as soon as they can.

While Nick and his girlfriend maintained seperate homes, they became even closer. When Nick's family moved to the West Coast, and he had some time off, he'd have to decide whether to go to Florida or to California. He wound up seeing less of his family than ever before, and it bothered him. Then the Boys went to Europe to start their world tour, and once again Nick experienced the push-pull of trying to be everywhere, for everybody, all at the same time. It began to take its toll.

Recently, Nick realized he was at a crossroads. He didn't feel he was being fair to anyone in his personal life, stretching himself and his time thin the way he was. Being totally devoted to the Backstreet Boys and their music and being totally devoted to his family, he realized he'd made a huge commitment in his relationship that perhaps he was just too yound and too busy to keep. He didn't want to be unfair to his girlfriend, so he decided it was time to let the relationship go.

And More Change
Don't let anyone tell you that breaking up is easy- after two weeks, two months or two years. It doesn't matter who said what to whom, who did what first or who left whom first, there's more than enough emotional pain to go around for both people involved.
As we go to press, Nick's relationship is over. Is there a chance it could be mended? When love's the name of the game, anything is possible - but BSB insiders don't think it's likely. As for Nick, he hopes when the heartache dies down, that he and his ex can be friends. In spite of his positive outlook, however, he's left with a deep sadness. Telling him that time will make things better doesn't help very much right now, even though Nick knows it's true. He'll have the U.S. leg of the BSB tour to keep him busy, along with lots of loving fans. Still you can't help feeling for this cutie with a broken heart.