Chapter Eight

The night continued with the game. Everyone was enjoying themselves as Marie began to yawn. Nick turned to her asking if she wanted to leave. They both were tired and decided to get to their own room. The game died once the first couple left, and soon after, AJ left too, leaving Brian, Jackie, Nicole and Kevin.

The four sat around talking about the night and how much they enjoyed themselves. The topic ran over to the next stop of Chicago and Nicole got excited. When Jackie asked about her delight, Nicole told them she would be seeing her old friend from college, Maggie. She hadn't seen her in over a year because of the job and was looking forward to it. The guys offered Nicole to invite Maggie to stay with them in the hotel, sharing Nicole's room. She thought it was a great idea and decided to call Maggie the next morning about it.

Brian was feeling tired and thought it would be best for him and Jackie to get some rest since they were leaving by ten the next morning to head off to Chicago. Kevin was wide-awake and stayed in the room, asking if she minded.

"No, of course not. After all, I owe you a night of staying up, right?" They both chuckled.

She decided to change, grabbing some clothes and going to the bathroom. She came out wearing the same polar bear pajama pants from the night before and a navy blue T-shirt. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Got your heat back huh?"

She answered, "Yeah, it's amazing what they'll do when you make fifteen complaints." There were a few moments of silence between the two when Nicole turned to Kevin. "Why'd you come back?" He asked what she meant. "When you came back here again to join us? What happened?"

"Oh, that. Um, nothing really." She could tell he was holding back and asked him to tell her. He actually felt comfortable with her so he decided to talk. He sighed deeply and continued. "I went back to the room and she just asked if I told you guys to be quiet. Then she rolled over to sleep. I just sat there in the chair wondering what happened."

"What do you mean, 'What happened?'"

"Well, she was never like that. She never cared to have people be quiet. In fact, she usually was the one wanting to be in here. We didn't always join everyone, but she at least expressed an interest. And tonight she just went to sleep, and that was another thing." Nicole asked what he meant by his last comment. "In the beginning, she slept so peacefully and I could sit and watch her sleep for hours. It's like the night you stayed in my room-" he cut himself off realizing where he was going with this.

"What do you mean, when I stayed in your night? How is that like her?"

He tried to change the subject, "Why did you tell Kristin you left your shirt in my room?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Don't avoid a change." She sighed, not wanting to argue with him. Nicole told him about the attitude Kristin always addressed her in. This upset him. "So that's why you told her again to ask me about it?"

"I didn't tell her to ask again. I simply asked if she had asked you yet." Kevin just shook his head. "She gave you shit, didn't she?" He nodded his head. "I didn't mean for it to happen like that." Nicole place her hand on his that was resting in his lap. "I just meant to upset her because she was bothering me. She wasn't right, and neither was I."

He looked up into her eyes and barely broke a smile, holding her hand. "A girl admitting she's wrong, I don't think I'm used to that."

Nicole knew he was talking about Kristin. Their conversation began as Kevin told Nicole about his relationship with Kristin and explained how excited he feels when he knows she's coming.

"When we're home together, it's her. It's the real Kristin." But, once she would come on the road with him, he would feel like he's chained to her. Nicole told him she observed when Kristin was around on the tour; he seemed to perform with more energy than before. "I guess that's because I know she won't criticize that. And she can't. She says a lot about a lot of things that she shouldn't, but she also knows where not to go. My job being one of those places, I'd suppose. The only real complaints she gives about this is that I'm always away. She wants me to quit."

Nicole was struck with surprise and her face showed.

He nodded his head to her surprise. "No kidding. She thinks I’ll just walk away from this. Yet, when she gets to travel to New York or California, stay in big hotels and attend these shows, she has no complaints."

Nicole shook her head in disbelief.

"I know what you're thinking, how could I stay with her?" She nodded to answer. "She's great when we are home. She's anything I could ask for."

"What about all the other times? When you aren't at home? Times like now? I mean, this is more of your life than being at home." He didn't have a real way to answer and he just shrugged his shoulders. There were a few moments of silence. "What did you mean earlier when you said you watch Kristin sleep just like when I stayed in your room?"

He tried to avoid the subject. "You wouldn’t understand. Besides, I've told you enough. Why don't you answer the question from before." She looked puzzled. "If you could be with any one of us, who?"

She breathed deeply and turned her head away from him. "Why?"

"I'm interested. Besides, I've told you all about Kristin. No one else knows as much as you know." She asked why he told her about the relationship and he said because the guys wouldn't understand if he tried. "Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone." She began to creep out a smirk and was avoiding eye contact with him. "Come on, what does it matter if I know. Unless it’s me?" he asked, jokingly, thinking her answer would be AJ or Brian, not considering himself.

She bit her lower lip, sighed and turned her head away. He was beginning to think he was the one she would pick.

She tried her best to save face. "I wouldn't be able to pick just one." He looked at her wanting to hear more. "You each have your own attributes that I love. I couldn't pick just one." He asked her to elaborate on what she liked about each. She could feel the spotlight on her, but decided to go with because he did tell her a lot about his relationship. "Where do I start?"

"Howie?"

"He's real sweet and nice. He seems like he would now how to woo a girl."

Kevin laughed, "Woo?" She swung her arm at him to playfully punch his arm. "Alright, alright. Nick?"

"Even though I hate being called Nickie, he’s got the nickname and everyone calls him Nicky. That would be enough to do it for me." They both laughed. She was feeling much more comfortable now. "He's real playful and innocent." They continued with Brian. "He's such a clown. I love that guy. Besides the accent is great."

He laughed. "Accent?" he asked playfully, trying to make his accent more prominent.

"Yeah, I love accents." He smiled back at her raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, where were we?"

"AJ?"

He noticed her face as it lit up with a smile. "He's real sweet. Knows how to talk to a girl. And he's a total flirt which I love. And probably one of the most sincere people I’ve met in a long while." She stopped, thinking she was done when he looked at her waiting for her to continue. "What?"

"What about me?" He had a smile, waiting to hear what she had to say.

She smiled back at him and bit her lower lip trying to think of how to phrase it. She didn't waste many words; "Just look in the mirror."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Are you playing dumb or what now?" She laughed before he leaned his head towards her and asked again what she had meant. "You, you're just gorgeous," she spit out not thinking. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deep. "Boy, how I always know to say the best things." She laughed at herself.

He was just staring her, trying to remember the last time someone told him he looked good, not including a fan. The first thing that shot into his mind was when she told him at the party that he looked great in the short jacket. He smirked, then his face dropped.

"What?"

"I can't remember the last time Kristin told me I looked good."

She laughed at him; "You sound like my brother's girlfriend." Nicole rolled her eyes thinking of the girl who was dating her brother. "She always complains he doesn't compliment her enough."

"It's just nice to hear it, ya know?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered firmly with a smile, thinking of when AJ first saw her earlier in the night and told her she looked beautiful.

"So, if it were looks alone, I'd win, huh?" he asked in a playful fashion.

She chuckled, "By a landslide." They both laughed and continued to talk through the night; not realizing the sun was beginning to come up. She walked to window and opened up the shades, letting light through. "Oh my God. It's beautiful." He walked over and stood behind her admiring the sunrise. "I can't remember the last time I watched a sunrise."

He placed his elbows on her shoulders looking just around her head watching the auburn colors of the sky. "Me neither. We're either sleeping, or on our way to work."

She looked at her watch, "Kev, it's 6am. We have to be up a in few hours." She turned to face him.

He dropped her arms from her shoulders. "Should we get to sleep?"

She laughed softly, "What else did you have in mind?"

"Well, can I stay here? If I go back now, she'll be pissed."

"What are you gonna do when you finally have to go back there?"

"I'll just tell her I slept in one of the guy's rooms." She shrugged her shoulders not caring, actually glad he wanted to stay in her room. They both laid down and talked for a few more minutes until they fell asleep.

Nicole rolled over to see the clock read 8:30am and shot up. She looked over in the bed and saw Kevin lying next to her. She felt deja vu, until she realized what had happened last night. Her next thought was that Kevin needed to leave her room, and real soon. She began to nudge him to wake up. When he finally opened up his eyes, he looked up at her. Sleepily he responded with a smile, "Good morning." He slightly stretched. "Not ditching me this morning like last time?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"No, because this is my room. You better get back to your room."

"Yeah I will." He grabbed the pillow and scrunched it under his arm closing his eyes again. A knock came at the door. Nicole slightly opened up the door, scared it was Kristin.

"Well, good morning," Jessica said happily. "Thought I would make sure you're up on time this morning, and hoping you didn't stay up late again last night."

Nicole ran a hand through her hair. "You got the first part right." Just then the door across the hall opened up showing Kristin. She looked down the hall both ways then to Nicole and Jessica.

Using the only tone she seemed to reserve for Nicole, she asked the two ladies, "Where is he?"

Jessica answered, "How the hell should we know?" She turned to Nicole and saw panicked eyes. Jessica's eyes bulged out wondering, one, where Kevin was and two, why Nicole was up late. Jes shook her head and whispered, "You have some explaining."

She responded in a quiet voice, "Yeah, yeah. I know, just get her out of that room," pushing her away from the doorway and shut the door.

"Kristin, come on with me. I think I know where they went to eat breakfast." She threw her arm around the "enemy" and walked her down the hall to the elevator.

Meanwhile, Nicole was freaking out and jumped at the bed waking Kevin up. "Get over to your room now." He was still groggy. "Kristin is looking for you now." His eyes shot open and he looked at her like a deer in headlights. "Jessica just took her downstairs, get over there."

He jumped up and out of the room. Nicole sat down on the edge of the bed, knowing how close it was that Kristin was looking for him now. She then smirked enjoying the sneaking around, even though nothing was happening. She went to shower and got dressed when she was done.

While getting ready, she opened the door to a knock. AJ stood in front of her. "Good morning," he said in a lifted tone. She pushed the door to keep it open and walked back into her room as he followed her in. "Not gonna talk to me now?"

She turned to him, "Whatcha want?" She knew this visit wasn't an honest one. He had something on his mind to talk to her about.

"Well, let's just say, I know who Kristin's looking for and I know who's keeping him." He walked around the corner, glancing every way, looking to see if anyone else was in the room.

She continued to pack her stuff up and shook her head. Finding they were alone, he found it safe to approach the subject; "I saw him leave your room this morning."

"Yeah? What's your point?"

"Is this becoming habit?" He snickered at his own comment.

"Nothing happened."

"Are you sure this isn't your way to get back at Kristin?"

She turned to AJ becoming agitated and raised her voice. "If I wanted to sleep with Kevin, my reason wouldn't be to piss her off."

Jessica came through the door using her extra key. "You slept with Kevin?" she asked in a hushed voice, closing the door behind her.

"Nooo. Nothing happened."

Jessica walked over and sat down on the bed next to the bag Nicole was packing. "Honey, you are spending way too much with this boy to have nothing happen." Nicole tried to be mad but couldn't hold back a laugh. She had used the same line on Jessica when Jes first starting seeing her present boyfriend. Changing the subject she asked, "Brian told me Maggie's gonna stay with you. How is she getting to the hotel?"

"Damn, I forgot to call her." She threw down the shirt she was just about to pack, picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, is Maggie there?... Hey what's up Mags!" She got an exciting shrill in her voice while she talked. "Yeah, we're leaving this morning in a few hours.... Hey, guess what? You're staying in the hotel with me... Yes, it's totally cool with everyone." Jessica and AJ exchanged glances while they both felt Nicole was talking like she was in high school again. "Yeah, I so cannot wait to see you, dear.... Alright, I'll give ya a call when we get into the hotel and stuff.... Alright talk to you later.... Love ya too...Buhbye." She hung up the phone and looked at the two spectators. "What?"

AJ laughed and said in a girly voice, "It's like so totally cool with like everyone." The three of them laughed and Nicole grabbed a pillow throwing it at AJ. "Hey, we know what happens when you start this shit."

She laughed, "Yeah you get thrown off the bed." He stuck out his tongue at her like a little child. Jessica just sat and watched the bickering. "So what happened with Kristin?" she asked Jes.

"God damn, I hate that girl." They all laughed. "Nah, it's ok. I took her to the restaurant downstairs and of course he wasn't there. I took my time, so by the time we got back up here, he was just walking out the door, dressed and showered, saying he was just looking for her. He made up some garbage about getting breakfast earlier without her to let her sleep or something. I don't know, and I don't care. What I do care about is what's going on with you two."

"Nothing is going on." Jessica shook her head not believing her friend. "We just talked about stuff." She turned to AJ and smirked, "He asked me about why I didn't answer Nick's question last night."

He snickered, "Oh, really? What did you say?" He sat down on the bed wanting to hear more. Nicole explained to Jessica about the drinking game and how Nick asked which one of the guys she would want. She continued with how she answered Kevin. They both laughed when she told them she called him gorgeous. "So then what?"

"Nothing, he just took it as a compliment."

The other two looked at each other, not believing how innocent last night was; "I gotta talk to this boy." AJ got up to leave the room, "See ya gals in a few."