*Three Weeks Later*
"I didn't think three weeks
would pass by so quickly," Bianca said as Brianna cranked her car and
pulled away from the gas station.
"I know. I miss
everybody," Brianna replied changing the radio station. She stopped when
she heard "I Want It That Way." Smiling at the sound of his voice,
she said, "I missed Kevin, too."
"I know. Everybody
knows," Bianca smiled. "Y'all talked on the phone, like, the entire
three weeks we've been gone. Maybe you should've just brought him with
you."
"We'll that would've
worked."
"Yeah, I could really see
that happening."
"Me, too," she grinned
mischievously.
"I'm really excited about
touring next week, but I'm so nervous," Bianca said as the song went off.
"I'm afraid the fans are gonna hate me."
"Bean, nobody's gonna hate
you. They're directing all that to Britney Spears. They'll love you as long as
you're not slutty like her," Brianna told her best friend sincerely.
"Everything's gonna be fine."
"I guess. It's just new and
new things make me nervous."
"I know."
Just as Brianna was about to
change the station, the DJ started talking about the Backstreet Boys; she left
it there.
"If you all didn't
know," he began, "these guys are kicking off their tour next week."
"Yeah, we know," Bianca
said talking to herself.
"Shhh, I can't hear."
"Well, if you don't know,
they have an incredible opening act who is about to break into the music scene
with a huge impact."
"Omigosh! Bianca, that's
you! Can you--"
"Shhh, now I can't
hear."
The DJ continued talking for a
second before introducing Bianca. "All right, people, I know you're ready
to hear it, so here we go. Here's Bianca Parker with the first single off her
self titled debut album. "The song's called "Without You."
Both girls let out a loud shriek
of excitement as the music drifted through the car. "Omigosh! I can't wait
to tell Nick."
"What did you just
say?!" Bianca asked, faking amazement. "Tell who?"
"Shut up." Bianca said
blushing. "He's cool, you know. We're friends."
"That's not it. You, my
dear, have a crush on a certain blond heart-throb." Bianca took a minute
to reply.
"Well..., well... I can't
think of anything cute to say right now, but when I do..." Both girls
burst out laughing at Bianca.
"Look. We're back in
Florida. One more hour and we'll be at Sierra Suites. Oh yeah. I'm going out
tonight. You can come. Nick and
the guys might be there."
"Where?"
"Kevin's house,"
Brianna said with a sly smile.
"Guess I won't be seeing
y'all much after we get there," Bianca joked.
"Make me sound like a ho,
why don't ya?! You have no faith in me!"
"I know you're not a ho. You
just like to 'be close!' " Bianca explained herself. "I know you've
never had sex."
"Well, when we get back to
the hotel I'm gonna call Kevin and let him know we're back."
"I got the shower
first." Bianca said. Brianna shot her a 'who cares' look and the girls
laughed and continued to drive, happy to soon
be reunited with their newest
friends.
*At The Hotel*
"Hello?"
"Hey, sweetie. It's me.
We're back at the hotel."
"Great! When can you be
here?"
"Can you give us about an
hour? We wanna change."
"Sure thing, baby. The guys
are all here, so I'll tell them you and Bianca are on the way."
"Okay. Bye, honey."
"C-ya later."
"Hurry up, Bean!"
Brianna yelled to Bianca in the shower. "We have an hour!" Brianna
had to look perfect tonight.
*At Kevin's House*
"I heard a car," Kevin
said excitedly as he jumped up from the couch.
"They're here," Howie
called when he saw Brianna's black accord breeze up the driveway.
Kevin went out the front door and
ran to Brianna's car. Brianna stood up and let Kevin run to her. Sweeping her
up in his arms, he
spun her around playfully.
Kissing her deeply, he put her back down. "I missed you, baby,'' he
growled into her ear only loud enough for her to hear.
"Hello, did you forget about
us?" Howie asked jokingly. "Hey, Brian, I don't think we were
missed."
"Don't be so sure,"
Bianca said climbing up the porch steps. I couldn't wait to get back here to
you guys."
"Aw, now I feel
special," Brian joked as he gave Bianca a hug. The gesture was repeated by
Nick, Howie, and even A.J.
Kevin and Brianna were still
making their way up the driveway when Kevin called out to the others.
"Everybody head to the kitchen.
Everything's ready."
*2 Hours Later*
Bianca popped the last bite of
steak in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Kevin, you're a really good
cook.," she said.
"Thanks," he said,
wiping his mouth. There's ice cream in the freezer if anyone wants
dessert."
Replies of "no, thanks"
and "I'm stuffed" came from around the table.
"Well then why don't y'all
go chill in the living room while Brianna and me clean up the kitchen,"
Kevin said as he reached for Brianna's leg under the table. As he placed his
hand on her thigh, Brianna gave Bianca a little wink.
The gang moved the conversation
into the den and settled into the furniture around the big screen t.v. Bianca
sat in between Nick and Brian on the overstuffed couch.
"So, how excited are you
about the tour?" Brian asked to strike up conversation. Howie, A.J. and
Nick seemed to be engrossed in a program about the mating habits of beetles.
"Gosh, I can't wait!"
Bianca gushed. "On one hand, I'm really excited and then again I'm scared
that everybody's gonna hate me. Girls especially."
"Why would they hate
you?"
"Because I'm touring with
the one group that almost every girl in America wants to be with."
"Everything will be fine
once everybody sees what a wonderful person you are."
"Thanks, Brian. That really
did make me feel a lot better. I think I'm gonna go get a soda. Anybody want
anything?
"I'm thirsty, too,"
Nick spoke up. "I'll go with you to the kitchen."
*At The Same Time*
Brianna stood at the sink washing
the last dish when Kevin came up behind her. Putting his arms around her waist,
he put his head on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're back, baby. I thought
about you like crazy."
"Oh, did you?" she
asked softly, turning to face him.
"Yeah," Kevin whispered
kissing her softly on the lips. "What do you say we spend some private
time alone?"
"I say I'd like that."
Kevin took her hand and led her up the kitchen staircase to his bedroom.
Brianna kicked off her sneakers
and sat down on Kevin's bed he sat down beside her and for a moment they were
silent and still, gazing at one another.
Kevin leaned over and kissed
Brianna forcefully, and she returned his kisses with just as much aggression.
Lying back on the bed, Brianna pulled Kevin down with her; he kissed her
hungrily. "Damn, baby. You did miss me," Kevin said jokingly. He
brushed her dark hair away from her eye and kissed her again. She looked at him
seriously.
"Kevin, I.." she wanted
to continue, but fumbled for words. Kevin interrupted her.
"Brianna, I know I might be
taking a risk saying this, but I have to. You're not like anyone I've ever met
before. You make me feel so different. All I've thought about lately is
you...and me...I've been going crazy for the past three weeks and even though I
haven't known you all that long, I feel like I've know you forever. No one's
ever had this effect on me before."
"What are you trying to say,
Kevin?"
"That I think I love you,
Brianna."
"I feel the same way, Kevin.
Except I know I love you. Don't ask me how I can be so sure so soon. I can just
feel it. You seem so right beside me. I feel so right here with you now."
Kevin gathered her in his arms
for another kiss and placed one hand on her leg. As they kissed, he let it
slide up her thigh, under her skirt. His kisses moved lower and Brianna closed
her eyes, losing herself in the moment. She ran her fingers through his lush
hair as he kissed her neck and shoulders, gently tugging her delicate tank top
straps to the side with his teeth.
She let out a sigh of contentment
and he turned his gaze to her face, staring into her deep brown eyes. he bent
down and brushed
his lips against hers again in a
short, teasing kiss. Brianna cupped Kevin's face in her hands and pressed her
lips against his more passionately. Soon, they were locked in a tight,
soul-burning kiss, their tongues exploring each other like never before.
Brianna wrapped one of her legs around one of Kevin's and put her hands on the
back of his neck. They finally pulled away, breathless.
Kevin's hand was still resting on
the inside of her thigh.
"I wonder if they've missed
us yet?" Brianna said meeting his piercing green gaze.
"If they have, they can keep
missing us," Kevin answered. We've got some catching up to do." He
picked her hand up and kissed it, running his tongue over her middle finger. As
Kevin sucked gently on her neck, Brian couldn't help but think she couldn't
agree more.
*In The Kitchen*
"I wonder where Kevin and
Brianna are?" Bianca asked Nick with a knowing smile.
"I have a pretty good
idea," he replied looking toward the staircase.
"Yeah," she said
getting two sodas from the refrigerator and sitting down at the table beside
Nick.
"So, you are ready to
tour?"
"Yeah, I'm ready to see how
everything goes. It's gonna be fun," she smiled at him.
They both fell silent trying to
think of something to say.
Finally, Nick broke the rather
uncomfortable silence. "I'm glad, too. That way I'll get to see you
everyday."
Bianca, who had been fidgeting
with her soda can, was now staring at Nick with a shocked look on her face. No
guy had ever been that honest with her about something like that.
"I like you, Bianca. I don't
know what else to tell you. I had to tell someone and I figured I might as well
tell you while I had enough courage."
"I, uh, I...," she
blushed. Looking at him and smiling sweetly, she said, "I like you, too,
Nick."
"Really?" he couldn't
believe his ears.
"Yeah, but I don't want to
rush into anything. You know? I like to take things slow and be friends with
someone first. Like us."
"I understand completely,
and I totally respect that," he said placing his hand on hers.
Bianca smiled and let him keep
his hand there. 'He's so cute,' she thought as she felt her heart speed up.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she said breaking the silence.
"What?"
"My song was on the radio
today! Can you believe it? My song. On the radio."
"That's great, Bianca!"
he said hugging her. "Just wait till next week when we're touring and you
see all those people cheering."
Just then, Brian came through the
kitchen door. "Well, well, well. What have we here?" he asked with a
grin when he found Bianca and Nick in an embrace.
"Oh, I was just telling Nick
that my song was on the radio today."
"Really?! that's
awesome!" he said giving Bianca a brotherly bear hug.
"I'm in a state of
shock," she said as they headed back into the living room.
"It'll seem really
unbelievable for a while," Brian said sitting down.
"What?" Howie asked
looking at Brian.
"Bianca heard her song on
the radio today."
"Wow, you must feel really
cool," he said smiling. "The first time you hear your song on the
radio is amazing."
"It's weird, though," she
said seriously. "I've always wanted this to happen, and I've always felt
like I could handle anything. But now, I dunno, I feel so unprepared for it
all."
"That's normal. It will feel
weird. It will feel like you're having a really good dream and you're about to
wake up," Howie said as Bianca sat down on the couch.
"That's exactly what it
feels like."
"Hey, peoples," A.J.
said turning his attention away from the television. "I don't know about
y'all, but I'm hungry again."
"You know, I wouldn't mind
having some ice cream," Bianca said with a grin.
Everyone agreed and followed her
into the kitchen where she got the ice cream, five bowls and five spoons.
"Okay, y'all can get your own. Those hands aren't broken."
*20 Minutes Later*
"So, you'll be 18 next week,
huh?" Howie asked as he placed is bowl in the sink.
"Yeah," she blushed and
gave Nick a questioning look.
"I told 'em," he
smiled.
"Yeah," Brian began.
"We're gonna do something for your birthday. You only turn 18 once."
"No, really, that's okay.
Y'all don't have to," she said.
"No," Nick said lacing
his fingers between hers. "We want to."
"Well," she began
reluctantly, "fine, but nothing big."
Just then Brianna and Kevin came
walking down the stairs hand in hand with everyone staring in surprise.
"Nice of you to join
us," Bianca said with a giggle.
Brianna turned a deep shade of
red. "We didn't know you guys were in the kitchen," she said stopping
at the bottom of the staircase.
Walking up behind her, Kevin
crossed his arms around her waist and put his hands on her stomach. He kissed
her on the side of the head. The others were surprised by the way Kevin and
Brianna were acting. They had gotten awfully close in such a short time.
"Good thing we ate all the
ice cream, cause they don't need anymore dessert!" Brian joked lamely.
Everyone laughed and the tension was broken.
Brianna sat down on the empty bar
stool next to Bianca and Kevin stood behind her, resting his hands on her
shoulders. His thumbs gently ran up and down the back of her neck, and Brianna
closed her eyes. To the others it appeared as if they were in their own little
world.
"Well, aren't y'all just
precious," Brianna said with exaggerated sweetness when she opened her
eyes and noticed Bianca and Nick holding hands under the bar.
"Yeah, we are," Bianca
shot back, matching Brianna's sarcasm.
"Baby, we'd better get
going," Brianna said turning to face Kevin. "It's gotta be way past
midnight by now."
"Wow!" Kevin said with
disbelief. "How long were we upstairs?"
"Long enough!" A.J.
shouted from across the room. Howie and Brian laughed loudly.
"Bye, guys," Brianna
said coolly, not giving them time to answer before pulling Kevin out of the Kitchen.
Bianca still held Nick's hand
and, after she said good-bye to the guys, pulled him out of the kitchen with
her.
Stepping out onto the front
porch, they saw Kevin and Brianna kissing in front of her car. "Ill be
glad when they get out of that," Bianca said looking at her best friend.
"But then again, Brianna might never stop. She thrives on emotion."
"Nah, Kevin needs her,"
Nick replied. "He's been by himself way too long. I know Brian was getting
worried about him." Looking down at the couple, who were oblivious to the
conversation, Nick hinted, "you might even be like that one day."
"Maybe...," Bianca
smiled slyly, "but I have to meet Mr. Perfect first."
Nick picked up Bianca's hand and
kissed and gave her a tight hug. "You better go now before Brianna gets
mad at you." Looking
down from the porch they saw
Kevin close the door of Brianna's car and begin to walk toward the porch.
"Bye, Nick," Bianca
said sadly. She almost hated to go.
"Bye , Bean." Nick gave
her one last squeeze and she ran to Brianna's car.
Kevin reached the porch steps and
sat down watching the girls drive off. Flopping down beside Kevin, Nick sighed.
"I think I'm in love."
Kevin looked at Nick and smiled a
knowing smile. "I don't just think. I know," he answered dreamily.
With that the two friends sat in silence in the warm night air, listening to
the summer sounds around them mixed with the noisy t.v. inside--those damn
beetles again. Neither Nick nor Kevin paid any attention to this, however. They
were too busy thinking about Bianca, Brianna, and how good it felt to love.