A Day in the Life Of.. (Day 124) Philadelphia - Baltimore
- Howie Dorough, Confession footage, Day 125
Howie sits on the couch, looks at the camera. "You ok, Chris?"
"I'm fine."
"I saw the episode last night."
"Of the show, you mean?" her voice, off camera, a little hesitant.
"Yeah." He looks down, "I'm so sorry that had to happen to you, that was awful."
"It happens..."
"And man, Nick, I've never seen him act like that. He really took charge, didn't he?"
"You're supposed to talk, Howie, not me," Chris' voice is soft. "Do you want to talk about Nick, then?"
"Whatever, I guess," he picks up the bottle of soda he'd brought in with him, drinks. "Nicky's growing up so fast, it's scary. It's like, one day I just woke up and he was a giant. And now I feel like I woke up again and he's suddenly a man. I guess it's all just part of growing up, I mean he's what, 20, watching it is just weird. He's like a brother to me, and I know growing up isn't easy."
"Growing up on the road has got to be tough."
Howie nods. "Yeah, he was this hyper teenager, and we're all telling him to shut up. We want to go out to the clubs and party, Nicky wants to play Nintendo. It was hard to get him to calm down, get into the studio and sing. Performing on stage was never a problem, though, Nicky always gave his all on stage."
"What about you? Studio vs. stage?"
"I love being on stage. But being in the studio is very cathartic, gets you back down to the art, ya know? I love the Jon Secada style solo stuff, and I generally only get the chance to show that side of me, beyond my solo in the show, in the studio."
"You don't seem to get as many solos as the other guys. How do you feel about that?"
Howie purses his lips, looks up. "The first tenor's fate. Just like the female alto lead always gets the guy. Ever notice that?"
"As a first soprano, I noticed it often." A laugh from off camera. "Would you like to record a solo album?"
"Someday. But once a Backstreet Boy, always a Backstreet Boy."
"I bet. And you're acting."
"Oh yeah, acting's fun. I like being given the chance to become another person, ya know? Step out of your skin for a while. It's very cathartic."
"So you're going to be spending some time off camera, starting Friday. Thursday night, technically."
"And I can't wait." He grins from ear to ear. "Let me just say THANK YOU MTV," he yells at the camera.
"I bet they just heard that in New York too."
"It's gonna be great. Not that I really notice the cameras around much anymore, but it's still a constant thing hanging over my head, ya know? The someone's watching you thing. I can't wait to get away from that."
"Only 4 more months. A little over halfway there."
"That's it?" He looked surprised. "This ends, when, in June? Damn, time goes by so quickly. Every day's the same on tour, ya know? Just a different city. Gonna be weird not seeing you every day, Chrissy," he said mournfully.
"Yeah, it's gonna be weird."
End confession footage
**************************************************
A Day in the Life Of.. (Day 125) Baltimore
Nick had been trying his best to avoid Kevin all week, keeping Chris' advice not to say anything to heart. But Kevin seemed dead set on cornering the younger man, and finally did so successfully in the bathroom after rehearsal Thursday. "Hey Nick."
Nick groaned when he heard the older man's voice behind him, and slowly turned to face him. "Hi Kev."
"How are you doing?"
"Ok."
"How's Chris?"
Nick wanted to punch Kevin for even daring to mention her name after what had happened. "She's ok."
"Talkative today, aren't you," Kevin said nervously.
"Yeah." Nick looked towards the door. "Look, I want to get back to the hotel."
"Nick, I just wanted to talk to you for a second," Kevin sat him down. "You know I love you like a brother, and I've seen you and Chris together. I just want to make sure you don't get hurt."
"What?" Nick looked at Kevin in astonishment. "Hurt? How?"
"Chris is older, more mature than you are, Nick. She may be used to things that you're just not old enough to know," Kevin shrugged. "She's 27, you know."
"I've had my share of experience, Kevin," Nick snarled. "And since when are you one to give me sex advice?"
"I'm not talking sex, Nick. You're a CHILD. The mere fact that you think this is about sex proves as much," Kevin said harshly. "You're growing up, sure, but Chris is an adult used to dating men. I don't want to see you get your heart broken." He felt bad after the words came out, he hadn't intended to phrase that quite so directly. "I dated a woman Chris' age when I was your age, it ended badly. I don't want the same to happen to you."
Nick stood up, his eyes shooting daggers. "I'm not you."
"Nick," Kevin got up and put his hand on Nick's arm.
"Don't touch me!" Nick shook off Kevin's arm with a growl as Brian walked into the room.
"What's going on here?" Brian looked around cautiously.
"Your cousin here was giving me some dating advice." Nick said sarcastically. "About how Chrissy needs a real man. I think he's got his sights set on her."
"I'm a married man," Kevin protested.
"Like that's ever stopped you before." Nick shot back. "First you almost get her raped, now you're making a play for her yourself. That's just cold, man."
"What did you just say?" Brian's face paled.
Nick froze. "I didn't mean to say that..."
"What did you say," he repeated.
Nick looked at Kevin, "Chris caught your cousin fucking Julia in the bathroom New Years Eve. That's why she left."
"Get out of here, Nick." Brian said softly.
"Frick..."
"Nick, please, get out. We'll talk later." Brian said harshly.
Once Nick was gone, door safely shut behind him, he turned to his cousin. "You swore to me."
Kevin just shook his head, looking at the ground.
"What about Kristen?" Brian's voice was sharp.
"What about her?" Kevin asked.
"You staying married? This just a little fling?"
Kevin nodded.
Brian paced back and forth. "How could you do this? You said you were done cheating on her, you swore you loved her!"
"I do," Kevin held his head in his hands. "I was just lonely..." his voice trailed off.
"That's no excuse." Brian hissed. "Not to mention, Julia? Discretion, Kevin, seriously, why don't you just advertise."
"Julia's not like that," Kevin protested.
"It doesn't matter, Kevin! Chris, Nick, god only knows who else Julia's told." He paused, shook his head. "You better pray that Kristen never finds out."
Kevin stared at the floor.
"What did you say to Nick to set him off? He looked like he was going to punch you when I walked in." Brian went back to his pacing.
"Just some friendly advice about Chris." Kevin shrugged. "Don't want to see the little guy's heart get broken, I can tell he's falling for her."
"Oh no, what did you say to him? And they're falling for each other." Brian corrected him.
"Just that she's older, may be used to more....adult...kinds of conversations and such. That he should be careful."
"Chris isn't Tami," Brian remembered Tami all too well, it had taken Kevin years to get over her leaving him for an older man.
"But Nicky's Nicky." Kevin looked up at Brian. "Do you really think he can take his heart getting broken again?"
"It's not for you to protect him." Brian said sternly. "Chris makes him happy, what's your problem with that?"
"Tami made me happy too."
"Kevin, you fuck up your own life enough. Don't go screwing up Nick's. Stay away from him until you get your head straight, understand?" Brian sounded like he was reprimanding a little child, not his older cousin.
Kevin nodded. "I just want Nick to be happy."
"He is, Kevin. It's that you can't see it that scares me."
***********************************************************
Chris and Julia went were shopping. Both women figured they could use some bonding time alone together, and they needed to get the best in proper 'Caribbean attire', as Julia put it.
"What about this?" Julia held up a slinky bikini.
"Very cute, Jules."
"For you, I mean," Julia held it up to Chris. "Gotta get something to make Nick drool."
"Please," Chris pushed the bathing suit away. "I can't wear that."
"Sure you can..."
"No, Julia, I really can't." Chris sighed. "My stomach's still one big bruise, I even have a nice brown footprint."
Julia's face fell and she hugged her friend. "I'm so sorry, Chris, I shouldn't have pushed."
"That's ok," Chris pulled a one piece out of the rack and looked it over. "This is nice..."
"That's really nice."
"Jules?" Chris put down the bathing suit and looked at her friend, eyes sad. "I screwed up."
"What happened?"
"I told Nick about Kevin and AJ last night."
Julia sighed and grabbed her friend's arm. "Come on, let's go get a coffee and talk."
They found a Starbucks, got their coffee, and sat down.
"I always figured you'd tell him," Julia confessed.
"Really?"
Julia nodded. "You tell him everything, don't you?"
Chris thought about it, then nodded slowly. "I didn't realize that."
Julia snickered. "Chris, you're so smitten, you really should just accept it. We're going to the Caribbean tomorrow, camera free. Enjoy yourself."
Chris shook her head. "I'm going to swim and sleep a lot, nothing else."
"So how did Nick take hearing about Kev?"
"Not well," she sighed. "This whole experience, it's changed Nick. It's horrible seeing that happen to him."
"You can't make him stay a kid forever."
"I don't want him to be a kid...he's not a kid. Just has parts of a kid inside of him. And I think those parts are getting smaller."
"It happens to all of us," Julia said lightly.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Julia asked, confused.
"How are you taking all of this?"
"All of what?"
"Kevin, AJ. Everything."
Julia shrugged. "I didn't mean to have sex with Kevin, Chris, you've got to believe me on that. I was just extremely drunk, and the man can be so damn seductive when he tries."
Chris couldn't help but smile. She would never forget her reaction the first time she saw Kevin. "I can imagine."
"AJ and I are truly friends, and for that I'm thankful." Julia laughed, "I've even been getting along with Amanda lately."
Chris shuddered, "now that's scary."
"We'll all be in the Caribbean together, we might as well get along, right?"
"Might as well."
***********************************************
A Day in the Life Of.. (Day 126) Baltimore - St. Maarten CAMERAS OFF
Chris stepped out of the airport in St. Maarten, shading her eyes as the brightness of the sun hit her. "Oh wow," she breathed. "It's 8pm and it's like this??"
"It's gorgeous down here, isn't it?" Brian slipped on his sunglasses and looked around. "We've come down here a couple of times, it's really nice."
"It's so...bright." She shaded her eyes, squinting. "Us New Yorker's aren't used to sunlight, ya know."
"A little sun won't kill you," Nick said, looking for the hotel bus that was to meet them there.
"There it is," Leighanne pointed.
Chris gathered her bags and followed the group to the bus. They'd said goodbye to the cameras at the airport in Baltimore, and now were alone. "I keep looking for our crew," she remarked to Julia.
"Me too," Julia replied. "Although I could get used to this."
Half an hour later, they were pulling into the gates of the resort. Kevin went inside and checked them in, returning with some pamphlets and keys. "Someone's going to drive us to our bungalows, I guess they're a bit away."
A man came out and waved to them, pointing to a bus parked nearby. "I'll take you in that."
They all piled in. While they drove, the man explained the setup of the resort to them. They had been given a private compound within the resort. It had one central house with a recreational room, gym, kitchen, and several living rooms. Spread out around the house were the bungalows, consisting of a bathroom, living room and bedroom. Then there was their private beach and pool. If that wasn't enough, they could walk the 2 miles up the beach to the main resort, where there was a club, some bars, a salon, restaurants...you name it, they had it. When the man finished, nobody could wait to get to the place. The bus finally stopped, and they jumped out.
"Wow." Chris looked around her, speechless. It was beautiful, green grass, the bungalows, the sunset reflecting off the ocean.
"I say we just grab the one we want," AJ grabbed Amanda's hand and waved. "See you all Monday!" They ran to the nearest bungalow and disappeared.
"They'll be in bed until then, I'm sure," Leighanne said scornfully.
"That's not a bad thing, honey," Julia rolled her eyes. "I'm going there." She pointed, and left.
"I'm going over to the beach," Chris pointed. There were two bungalows that were nearly on the sand. She wanted to be there.
"Me too," Nick followed her. "This is great, isn't it?" He asked as they walked.
"I can't believe we're here." She smiled.
"Look at that!" He grinned, swinging his bags as he walked. "You do remember how to smile. I was starting to miss that."
They got to the first bungalow and Chris pointed, "I'm going to take a bath until I turn into a prune. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Awww, I can't come?" he pouted.
Chris laughed and waved him off. "Good night, Nicky."
"Sweet dreams, Chrissy."
***************************************************
A Day in the Life Of.. (Day 127) St. Maarten CAMERAS OFF
Chris woke up in Nick's arms, slightly unsure of what was going on. Then she remembered. In the middle of the night, the door had opened. Nick didn't say a word, just slid into bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. She snuggled in, they both went back to sleep. She looked up at his sleeping face and smiled. He was so adorable, and looked so sweet and innocent like this, his mouth slightly open, his head hanging back. His eyes slowly opened and he looked down at her.
"Morning."
"Morning."
"You been up long? You need to sleep, you know."
Chris laughed lightly, "You don't have to worry, father Nicky, I got all the sleep I needed."
"Just checking," he grumbled, running his hands through her hair. "Wanna stay here all day?"
She couldn't stop the involuntary shiver than ran through her body at his touch, but, "I need coffee."
He laughed and kissed her forehead. "Sheesh, stay in bed with me, or drink coffee. Ya know, I THOUGHT I was the most popular Backstreet Boy."
Chris tickled him, "oh, you are, but where are your fans now?"
"I bet I have a few in St. Maarten," he said laughing, trying to bat her hands away. "I'm ticklish, stop!"
She grinned and continued her torture as he begged her to stop. When tears were rolling down his face she finally stopped, grinning at him. "Now wasn't that fun?"
"Oh, I'm getting you back for that." Nick said in a voice that suggested things she didn't want to think about.
"Are you now." She disentangled herself from him and got up. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Me too!" Nick jumped up.
She looked him up and down. "You do look damn good in those boxers, but....I think you'd better shower in your bungalow."
"Who said I was offering?" He said over his shoulder, laughing, as he walked out the door.
"Very funny," she muttered, making her way to the bathroom.
Chris showered and headed up to the central house, in search of coffee. She found Julia inside, pot freshly brewed.
"There you are!" Julia was smiling ear to ear, and poured her a cup of coffee. "So?"
"So what?" Chris gratefully accepted the coffee and sipped. "This is fantastic coffee."
"Jamaican." Julia grinned. She carried the coffee to a table outside facing the beach, and sat down.
Chris sat down across from her and smiled. "That's why the grin! Giggle happy coffee."
"You bet." A pause. "SO?"
"So what?" Chris drank some more of the coffee, reveling in its flavor. She'd had real Jamaican coffee a handful of times in her life, but damn, was it good.
"Nick?"
"What about him?"
"You guys didn't...."
"Julia!" Chris set her cup down on the table, surprised. "No!"
"Weird." Julia examined her coffee cup. "I'd pretty much taken it as a given he would have jumped you the first night."
"Julia, Nick and I are very good friends, nothing more."
"Only because the cameras are on, and you both are too sappy romanticy types to go do the deed in the bathroom." Julia stated matter-of-factly.
"That's so not true."
"Did you two sleep in the same bed last night?"
"He came in at some point during the night. I don't remember much." She shrugged. "So we've been alone together without the cameras, and nothing happened."
"Hey girls," Leighanne joined them. "Hope I'm not interrupting?"
"Not at all, have a seat." Chris waved to the chair next to her. She liked Leighanne, despite the girl's tendency to be a little...dense...at times. Leighanne loved Brian dearly, that much was obvious, and for that alone, she had to like her.
"It's amazing here, Chris, I don't think I could ever thank MTV enough."
"Me neither." Chris gazed out at the ocean. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk on the beach."
"I'm gonna stay here and drink a pot of coffee." Julia smiled. "Have fun."
"I'm with Julia," Leighanne waved.
Chris went back to her bungalow to drop off her sandals, and walked down to the beach. Kicking at the sand, she admired the bright clear blue of the water...she'd never seen anything like that before. She walked down to the edge of the water and splashed around, the water warm on her feet. Now this was relaxing.
"There you are." Nick ran up to her, wearing only a navy bathing suit. He slipped his arms around her and hugged her. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."
"Just went for a walk." She smiled. "You going for a swim?"
"You're not wearing your suit?" He tried to pull her shirt up to check, laughing when she told him to stop.
She shook her head, "Just going for a walk."
"Swim with me."
"Later," she turned to continue walking.
"Now!" Nick scooped her up and, ignoring her screams, ran into the waves, dunking her when he was in deep. When she surfaced, sputtering, he told her, "that's for this morning."
Chris pushed him back, and he fell over in the water. "The taller they are, the harder they fall."
Nick found his feet again and reached for Chris, slinging her over his shoulder. "What am I going to do with you." He started pacing back and forth in the water, ignoring Chris' feet kicking around by his head.
"Put me down!" Chris shouted. She looked up and saw AJ and Brian standing on the beach, watching them. "We have an audience, Nick, put me down!"
"No way," Nick continued his stroll. "Just a casual walk on the beach between friends."
Chris grabbed the waistband of Nick's swimsuit and yanked up. She was rewarded with a howl, and she went crashing into the water.
"Now that's playing dirty," he glared at her.
"I told you to put me down." She insisted.
"Now you gotta kiss it and make it better." Nick pouted.
Chris laughed, and made her way to AJ and Brian on shore. "Hey guys!"
"Aren't you two having fun." Brian hugged her.
"Nick's insane." Chris grinned.
"Where's the bikini, huh?" AJ asked, spinning Chris around in a bear hug. "Gimme skin!"
"This is all the skin you're gonna get, Bone." Chris laughed, pointing to her wet tank top and shorts. "Although, I gotta go get into some dry clothes."
"Can I watch?" AJ waggled his eyebrows.
"Isn't your girlfriend around here somewhere?" Chris asked pointedly.
AJ laughed, "yeah, she's up with Leighanne and Julia sunbathing by the pool."
"We're going to explore the beach." Brian pointed. "You want to come? We can wait?"
"No, thanks, I think I'm going to join the ladies." Chris decided.
"Nick? You gonna come?" Brian yelled to Nick, who was still splashing around in the water.
"Yah, B." He called back, and started making his way in to shore.
"See you guys later." Chris waved.
********************************************************
"Sunbathing just isn't my thing," Chris muttered a few hours later, letting herself in to the central house. A little too inactive for her. If she had a good book, maybe, but she wasn't much in the mood to read, either. She roamed the rooms of the house until she found the gym. She wanted to see how much of her flexibility she'd lost since the accident. She found the room and instinctively closed the door behind her. Feeling the space close in on her, she pulled the door back open, leaving it open wide.
Walking to the gym mat in the middle of the room, she started stretching out. She'd loved doing yoga when she was at home, and attended a class at least twice a week at her gym in NYC. It was very relaxing, and surprisingly strenuous, a great workout for her. She started ran through some of the moves, crying out as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. "Not that far yet, huh." She sighed, and moved on to something else. She worked her arms and legs first, and then lay down on the floor for the hard part.
Lifting up her shirt, she examined her stomach. It wasn't so bad. The brown and yellow footprint was still there, and there were still a few scattered purple spots, but she was pretty much back to normal. She lay on her back, and pushed herself up into an arch. "Aah," she gasped, falling back to the floor. She doubled over in the fetal position, holding her knees. "Shit." Rolling over, she pushed her back against the floor. She rubbed the discolored skin on her stomach, waiting for the pain to subside.
"Hey," she heard Nick say softly.
Chris sat up, startled. "Hey."
"Whatcha doing?" he came into the room and sat down on the gym mat next to her.
"Just stretching."
"I thought I heard someone scream, that's why I came back here." Nick looked into her eyes. "Was that you?"
"Just trying to do something I shouldn't have. I'm not back to where I was before..." her voice trailed off. "My own stupidity, that's all."
"It's not stupid, wanting your body back to normal." He told her.
"I guess." She hugged her knees. "How was your walk?"
"We found some really cool rocks to go diving from." Nick grinned. "You wanna see?"
"Maybe tomorrow?" Chris stood up. "I think I'm going to go find dinner."
"Now that I can do."
The two found a menu in the main house from the resort's restaurant and ordered 2 picnic dinners, taking them down to the beach when they arrived. They ate dinner and talked for hours, getting to know each other better, if that was even possible. Chris discovered Nick had an imaginary friend named Toddy when he was a child, Nick heard all about Chris' strange baking hobby (as she called it). Telling each other all those things that friends tell each other, as they become more than friends.
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