Chapter Seven

The light tap at her door grew louder, startling Melanie. She'd been sitting in a dazed state, in her room, since she'd returned from the club. That had been an awfully close call, and yet, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. When would the roller coaster ride of emotions grind to a halt? It was wearing her down.

She and Sam had an agreement that, in an effort to avoid embarrassing situations, they would warn one another of unexpected guests. As she turned down the volume on her television, she could hear her roommate ask, "ya decent? Can I come in?"

"Uh huh."

"Hey, whatcha watching? Anything good?" Sam seemed reluctant to look her roommate in the face as she plopped down on Mel's bed, and focussed her attention on the small screen.

"No. Not really."

"What happened at the club? Were you really sick, or did you just want to get away from Adam?"

"Oh, so you noticed, huh?"

"Hell yeah, you were getting pretty annoyed with his lame-ass come-ons. I wasn't surprised you said you had to go. Uhm. . . listen, I brought home a really sweet guy. Gawd, he is so hot." Mel grinned at her gushing. "I hope you don't mind."

"That's cool. Thanks for the warning."

"Wait. . . I kinda have a favor to ask you." Melanie eyed her suspiciously. It had been going along very smoothly, almost too smoothly. She unconsciously held her breath, dreading the favor.

"His friend drove us home." Mel fought the urge to interrupt. The other shoe was about to drop. She refused to be fixed up with someone's pathetic friend. She was off men. She'd certainly had her fill of them for awhile.

"Anyway," Sam continued hurriedly, "we were all hungry and thought we'd continue the party here. He and I want to go get some burgers, on our own, maybe get to know each other a little better. Would you mind if the friend chilled here in the living room, watched TV or something while we're gone for about a half hour or so?" It wasn't as bad as Mel had anticipated although she had other concerns.

"Do you know anything about this guy? He's not some axe murderer or anything is he, or some kind of psycho?"

"No, he's a good guy. You don't have anything to worry about. He has a reputation at stake." Mel didn't understand but let the statement pass. "Why don't you come out and meet them. You won't be disappointed. I have excellent taste in men."

"Yeah well, everyone thinks that. It's hardly subjective," Mel answered dryly. "Besides, I'm not dressed, and if I come out there, and I don't think he's a madman or anything, I'll end up having to babysit him or entertain him, which I don't want to do."

"Come on," Sam urged her gently, the alcohol she had consumed making her bolder. "If you don't get a good vibe from him, I'll respect your decision, and we'll take him with us. You can signal me. Okay, what can we use? A sort of SOS. If you don't mind him staying, I'll just say that you're tired but I insisted that you come out and meet them. You can go back to bed. How about it?" she asked, still sensing Melanie's hesitation.

Mel rose from the bed and looked at herself in the mirror behind the door. She looked younger than her 23 years without makeup on, her disheveled long hair framed an attractive oval face. She wore lose shorts, her fat clothes, and a teeshirt which said in french, "the more I know men, the more I love my dog". She hadn't exercised regularly since she'd left Howie's place. Her eating habits were erratic and she'd lost herself in her studies. To most people, she was very attractive but after being around people whose very existence depended on how they looked, she felt downright dowdy. She bit her lip apprehensively at the woman she saw in the mirror.

Sam didn't understand. She knew very little about Melanie. They'd shared insights, some family history and even political views but there was a reticence about Mel that gave her an air of sadness. Samantha was two years Mel's junior but many more in experience. The younger woman had never left Missourri until last year when she transfered from a local college to come to Florida. Mel had more worldly sophistication compared to Sam's fresh faced enthusiasm but they were a complimentary pairing.

"You look great in those shorts and teeshirt. Why don't you put a little lip gloss and mascara on if you want want, and just say hi. You may never see these guys again anyway. It's not like they're students here. What do you care?" Melanie smiled at her. She liked the other girl's mid-western down-to-earth approach to things. Sam was right, what did she care? They worked out a psycho sos signal while Mel threw on a little makeup.

The two men were looking through Samantha's CD collection when the women entered the room. Mel froze in her tracks as a pair of blue eye met her uncertain stare. Despite her desperate attempts to avoid Nick, there he stood, dwarfing the surroundings of her small Tampa apartment.

"Nick!" she gasped.

"She recognized you right away, Nick. I wondered if she would. Isn't this the coolest, Mel? Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys in our apartment. Do you believe it?" Mel wrestled the urge to smack Sam for her overt jubilation.

"Mel!" both Brent and Nick replied in unison.

"Girl, why did you leave the club? I asked you to wait for me. I looked all over for ya. He thought I was whack, trying to piss him off, weren't ya Nick? See, I told ya I saw her."

Sam looked curiously at each of them, trying to comprehend the scene. Nick and Melanie's gaze remained constant. Not a word was spoken between them although their silent stare told its own story.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute. . . You all know each other? What has Mel's leaving the club got to do with you? You mentioned Howie's ex took off but. . . Oh my God.... Melanie & Howie?" A light suddenly went off in Sam's head.

"Brent?" His nod confirmed her conclusions as he walked towards Sam. He too had some unanswered questions. He couldn't fathom the inexplicable tension between his best friend and Mel who had once behaved like carefree buddies.

"So what's going on between them?"

"Damned if I know." Brent and Nick usually told each other everything but it became apparent to both spectators that they were witnessing a reunion of strained friends. Sam nudged Brent towards the kitchen to continue their conversation.

"Now, I'm really confused. Did you say that Mel was Howie's ex? I had no idea. I don't know a lot about her. I'm blown away. Why'd they break up?"

"No one knows for sure. We probably never will. They were pretty tight too. Whatever it was, it was huge."

Both looked towards the small living room where Melanie and Nick spoke in hushed tones.

"Looks like those two have plenty to talk about. Maybe this is our chance to grab those burgers and have a little time of our own." Samantha curled her fingers into the collar of Brent's shirt, pressing her warm lips to the exposed skin above the opened button of his shirt. His hand rested on the small of her back, lightly massaging the skin exposed just above her jeans.

"Good idea."

"Uhm. . . you guys. . . we're going to pick up some burgers." Sam announced, "Mel, do you want the Vegetarian? How about you, Nick? Ya want the double with cheese and bacon? Fries or onion rings? We've got plenty to drink here."

After confirming the order, Nick threw some bills towards Brent, and asked him to fill up the Durango. Nick noticed the way Samantha and Brent looked at each other. The flirtacious interaction between the couple excluded both him and Mel. This could prove to be an interesting night, he thought as he turned his attention back to woman before him.

Melanie was agitated when Brent and her roommate left. She inwardly cursed Sam for forgetting her promise although the oversight was understandable, in light of the circumstances.

"Nick, it was nice seeing you again but I really have to go back to my room to study."

"Whoa, hold up! Why? I haven't seen you in ages. We're like long lost friends. How can you just leave me out here on my own?"

"I just came out to meet the people Sam had invited. I wasn't planning on staying out here, ya know. I left the club because I wasn't feeling well."

A slow smile crept across Nick's face. His eyes provocatively travelled the length of her body.

"I could help with that, ya know."

"I doubt it." She replied, and as she walked away, she muttered to herself, "What a dawg."

If she thought he didn't hear, she was sadly mistaken. In two long strides he overtook her and stood directly in her path. His blue eyes darkened to the color of the tempestuous sea, flashing angrily at her while he demanded she repeat what she said.

"Well, obviously if you're so pissed off, you heard. . ."

"You and me, it was both of us. . . or don't you remember it that way."

"Yes. . ."

"What?" Nick demanded. He was still prepared to argue and her immediate agreement disarmed him.

"I said yes, I remember it that way too. I'm sorry. It's just easier to blame you. God, Nick, I miss him so much." A sob betrayed her crushed spirit, opening the flood gates of her tightly-held emotions.

For the life of him, her reaction was the last thing he had expected. Her grief had blind-sided him. She had always seemed so resilient and self-sufficient, much like Howie. Nick didn't know how to cope with emotion. He'd been a master of suppression and her abject misery scared him. He surprised himself by gathering her in his arms and trying to console her.

"He misses you too. I know he does." Melanie sniffed, lifting her head off Nick's chest despite the comfort she felt in the crush of his arms.

"Did he say so?"

"Howie'd never say that but I can tell. He was stupid to let ya go. I'da never let ya go."

"It's over, Nick, and I'm just going to have to accept it. I thought I had until I saw you." She tried feverishly to wipe her tears with her hands. Nick's mouth twitched at the corners. He had difficulty hiding his smile when he saw her mascara smudge. Her uncharacteristic vulnerability was almost irresistable.

"Let me get you a Kleenex." He returned with a few dampened tissues and dabbed the smudged black makeup. She would be miserable later if she realized how he had seen her. "Come sit down with me. I have a feeling they're gonna be awhile."

He took her by the hand and led her to the couch. It was there that Brent and Sam found them the following morning, snuggled against one another with Nick's body providing a generous pillow for Melanie.