“What
are you gonna get Kev?” Brian was peeking over his cousin’s shoulder. The
menu he had been given was so big, and had everything printed on it from corn
dogs to linguini.
“Brian,
we have the same menus, what’s the point of you looking over here at mine?”
Kevin rolled his eyes and shut his menu, “I’m gonna get bacon, pancakes, and
eggs, Brian.”
Brian
groaned, “But that’s so boring cuz! Why don’t you order the Shay Lomay?”
“The
what?” Howie gazed over at Brian setting down his menu.
“The
Shay Lomay, look…it’s right there!” Brian pointed at his menu.
“Brian,
that is not how you pronounce that word, and it means ‘drinks.’ Not food.
It is labeling the drink column!” Howie pointed out snickering as Brian
blushed.
“I
knew that,” Brian muttered as everyone continued to laugh at him. He
flipped his napkin out and used it to hit Nick who was sitting beside him,
“What are you gonna get Frack?”
Nick
grinned devilishly, “Not the Shay Lomay, I can assure you of that one,” he
snickered. Brian smacked him again with the napkin.
“Kev,
what you’re gonna get sounds good enough for me,” Howie said setting down his
menu.
“I
want a burger,” AJ said flatly.
“For
breakfast?” Nick made a face at him.
“Yeah,
and what are you getting? The happy face pancakes?” AJ shot back, and
Brian giggled.
Nick
frowned thoughtfully, “They have those?” He reopened his menu to check.
Kevin
chuckled. Then the waiter came and kindly asked for their orders.
Kevin ordered first. Orders of pancakes, eggs, and bacon for three
people, one burger, and a grapefruit were recorded. Then the waiter
smiled and left.
“A
grapefruit?” Brian questioned raising an eyebrow at Nick, who had retreated
back to playing his Game boy. “That’s all you’re gonna have? You sure?”
Nick
gazed up from his game and over to Brian, “Yup.”
“Nick,
we’re gonna be busy all day, and may not break early for lunch. You’re gonna
need more energy than what that grapefruit is gonna give you,” Kevin said,
“Maybe you should order something else to go along with it.”
Nick
frowned, “It’ll be fine. If you haven’t noticed I like my size, and I am
working to maintain it.” He returned to his Game boy.
“Yeah,”
Howie said pausing Nick’s game, “But don’t you think its time you stopped?
With the dieting, I mean. You look great Nick, you don’t need
to lose any more weight.”
Nick
sighed and turned his game off, he looked around the table, “You guys aren’t
gonna back off till I order something else are ya?”
He
got the look times four, and sighed deeply, “Fine. Somebody get the
waiter back. I want to order pancakes, bacon, and eggs.”
Brian
Littrell sat outside the bathroom listening to the retching and gagging noises
from inside. After 5 minutes they stopped and water was running.
“Can I come in now?” Brian asked impatiently from the outside of the
door. He heard the lock to the door click, and he turned the knob to let
himself inside. Nick studied his pale reflection in the bathroom mirror.
He pouted at himself and splashed more water on his face.
“Feeling
better?” Brian asked patting Nick’s shoulder, and putting down the toilet lid
so he could sit on it.
Nick
nodded at Brian through the mirror, he never turned to face him, “Sorry.
I guess I ate too much, or something.”
Brian
nodded, not wanting to mention that Nick hadn’t even finished half his plate at
breakfast. “Listen man, maybe you should think about seeing a doctor
sometime this week. I bet we can get off tomorrow.”
“For
what?” Nick asked, his reflection studying Brian oddly.
“Dude,
you don’t eat enough to feed a bird, and when you do… well…”
Nick
shrugged, “It won’t happen again, relax Brian. You’re beginning to get as
uptight as Kev.” He rubbed the bottom of his nose and ran a hand through
his hair. He turned to Brian for the first time since he entered the
bathroom, “Lets get back to the party, shall we?”
Brian
stared at Nick uncertainly. Was it just him, or did Nick act funny?
Not funny but different from how Brian remembered him ever acting before.
“Brian?”
Nick was looking at him now. Brian stood slowly, but still hesitated, “Are
you sure…”
“I’m
great, excellent, wonderful!” Nick assured him rolling his eyes and grabbing
his arm, “Lets go before Kevin comes in here!”
Brian
allowed himself to be dragged. But as they returned to the photo shoot,
Brian could not help but think something was up his baby brother.
Brian watched Nick teasing AJ about something and laughing as the
photographer was trying to line up shot of them. Maybe he was crazy,
maybe he was just paranoid, but he knew, something told him, Nick wasn’t as
perfect as he came off to be. Why he felt that way he did not know, but
he was sure as hell gonna find out.