Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 00:27:04 GMT From: Allan B Subject: Backstreet Bet 1 Backstreet Bet by Allan Thank you for choosing to read another story about the Backstreet Boys. There are so many boy band stories out there and I hope to provide you all with an original story that you will hopefully enjoy. There will not be much sex in the early episodes because I want to develop the characters first so you feel like you know them. I should also warn you that this is a drama story so there will be a lot of tears but with the tears there will also be a lot of cherished and happy moments. Thank you to all the talented writers out there for sharing your work with all of us and thank you also to NIFTY for providing us with an outlet for releasing our creavtivity. You are all the inspiration for this story (along with the BSB of course). :-) Onto the legal disclaimers; This story contains sexual relationships between males, if you are under age or if this sort of material is illegal where you live, please leave and do not read this story. This story is purely fictional and also does not imply that any of the Backstreet Boys are gay. All other characters are the figment of my imagination. Now, on with the story... Part 1 Since their last visit in 1996, Nick tried his best to convince management and the other guys that more visits to the land Down Under were needed. But try as he might, his nagging did him no good. They had to concentrate on breaking the US market and bring the success back home - nothing was more important than that! All the hard work was paying off now and they were so well known in the US that no Backstreet Boy member could go to the local mall without having it wind up in the news. Ok maybe not that popular but close enough. Nick couldn't believe it! Was this really happening? Sometimes it all seemed so surreal, like it was too good to be true. And finally after three years they were on a jumbo jet in first class seats, returning to one of his favourite places in the whole world... Australia. All this excitement was wearing Nick down and he could feel himself slowly drifting off to a deep, peaceful sleep - which was just as well, the plane trip to Australia wasn't a short one (13 hours in fact) and Nick never really liked flying that much. "Good morning passengers, this is Wayne Rogers your lead flight attendant. The captain has switched on the seat belt sign and we will soon be landing. Please fasten your seat belts and ensure your seats are in an upright position. We trust that you all slept well and on behalf of QANTAS, we wish to welcome you to Sydney, Australia - home of the 2000 Olympics." "Hey Nick wake up man! We're about to land, you don't wanna miss this." Brian said as he shook Nick. "Wha.. What's going on?" Nick said in a groggy tone, almost forgetting where he was. "Damn Bri, did you have to wake me up like that? You know how much I hate landings" Nick said. "Yeah I know, that's why I woke you up bro" laughed Brian. Before Nick could give Brian a playful punch on the shoulder, the plane had landed. "See, that wasn't so bad afterall, was it now?" Brian said in a reassuring manner. "Yeah it was ok, I'm glad we're on the ground now though and hey... we're in Australia!" Suddenly Nick's exuberance had returned and he was more excited than ever. He wasn't sure what it was about Australia that he liked. Maybe it was because it reminded him of home, the people were so laid back and friendly and the beaches were so clean and so unspoilt. Maybe it was the way Australians spoke, he was definately enchanted by the Aussie accent - it was so cute he thought. He even tried to pick up an Aussie accent on their last trip here but he just couldn't say "G'Day" or "mate" like a true blue Aussie. The other guys were excited too but they seemed to be taking it in their stride. Brian and Howie were looking forward to the two weeks vaction they would all have in Australia after they finished their concert commitments and AJ was looking forward to catching up with some friends he had met last time they were here. Even Kevin was excited but he didn't show it as much, he was too busy making sure that everything was on schedule and going according to plan. As they were all disembarking, Kevin reminded them of the schedule. "OK fellas, security has arranged a special exit for us so we shouldn't have to face all those screaming fans." "Thank goodness!" The other four guys said in unison. They all loved their fans - afterall where would they be without them? But sometimes it got a little bit too much and the last thing they wanted to see after a 13 hour flight and at 7 am were hundreds of screaming teenagers. "We've got the rest of today free so get as much sleep and rest as possible because we've got concerts and promotions for the next four days." "Yes dad!" AJ said sarcastically. "I don't know about you guys but I'm headed for the beach!" Brian said. "Yeah count us in too" Nick and Howie said enthusiastically. As soon as they arrived at the hotel the guys checked into their rooms and Nick, Brian and Howie went straight for the beach while AJ and Kevin stayed at the hotel to get some rest. The next three days went off without a hitch. There was the rare occasion where a few of their devoted fans recognized them at the shopping centre but they were able to keep that in control by signing a few autographs and obliging to photo requests. The guys got to see a lot of the city - Sydney Opera House and the Habour Bridge, do some shopping and visit Bondi and Manly beaches. On the night of their last concert in Sydney, Howie decided he'd have some fun with Nick. It had been a while since Nick played a prank on anyone so Howie thought twice about what he was about to do, but he couldn't resist, "Hey, Nick it's been really cool these past few days, but I'm starting to get kind of bored. You know what I mean?" "Um, not really, actually I'm having a blast, I still can't believe we are actually here. What's on your mind D? You sound like you are up to something huh?" Nick asked inquisitively and with a sly grin on his face. 'Ha!' Howie thought to himself, he's taking the bait. "Well, it's been a while since any of us have gone on a date and um..." "Hold it right there D!!! You're not about to ask me out are you? You know I'm not gay." Nick stated nervously. Ironically though, he was gay, but none of the other guys knew it and he wanted to keep his secret so he pretended that he wasn't interested in guys. May be one day he would tell them all but right now he was still getting used to being gay and if anything he couldn't confide that sort of thing to Howie, may be to Brian but not Howie. "Of course not! I was thinking more along the lines of a bet." Howie said proudly. "What did you have in mind?" Nick asked, he knew this was going to be good if the smile on Howie's face was anything to go by. "Well, you know how tonight is our last concert here in Sydney?" "Yeah, and then we have a few days off again before going to Melbourne" Nick replied; he knew the schedule like the back of his hand thanks to Kevin drumming it into them thousands of times. "Well, at the concert tonight I'm gonna choose someone in the crowd and you know what?" Howie grinned. "No, what?" Nick asked nervously. "You are gonna take them on a date and make them fall in love with you." Howie said proudly. Nick didn't know what to think at first. It all sounded easy enough and then it hit him... Howie was probably going to pick the ugliest girl in the audience tonight. The first part (the ugly part) didn't matter but the second part did. 'Oh no' Nick thought to himself, 'he's gonna choose a girl and I won't know what to do with her.' "Um, I don't know about this Howie, someone's feelings could get hurt and um..." "You're not chickening out on me now are you Nicky boy???" Howie said in such a condecsending way. "Hell no! You're on buddy! What happens to the loser?" Nick asked. He couldn't believe that he had agreed to this but there was no way he'd let Howie get away with calling him a chicken and Howie would never let him live it down. "The loser has to do the winner's laundry for a year!" Howie stated. "No way!!!" Nick exclaimed, "We're only here for a few more weeks after this concert and that's not enough time for some one to fall in love." "Well it should be easy for the 'heart throb' (Howie knew Nick hated that label) of the group. So you still up for it?" "OK, but how will we know if the person you choose loves me?" Nick questioned. Howie explained that the person he chose had to say "I love you" to Nick and he handed Nick a small tape recorder so he would have proof. Nick was still hesitant about the whole bet but the thought of watching Howie do his laundry for a whole year was too much and Howie was so convinced that Nick wouldn't be able to make the person fall in love with him so no one would get hurt anyway. That night during the concert, Nick was so nervous that he almost forgot the lyrics to his solo, "I Need You Tonight." He survived though and while Brian was alone on stage singing "That's What She Said", Howie grabbed Nick by the shoulder and dragged him to the side of the stage and pointed out who the person was. "Ok Nick, the person is sitting in the fourth row, third seat from the left." Howie said proudly. Nick looked at the seat and couldn't believe his eyes. It was a guy! 'Oh no' Nick thought, 'does Howie know about my secret? Does he know I'm gay?' "Um Howie, there's a guy in that seat" Nick said hesitantly. "Duh! You think I didn't see that. I never told you I was going to choose a girl and I didn't say this was gonna be easy did I?" 'Phew' Nick though to himself, 'so he doesn't know my secret'. A rush of relief ran through his body and then Howie asked "So does that mean you'll be doing my laundry?" "No way man, I'm gonna win this one" Nick sounded confident but inside he was so scared. He looked at the guy Howie had chosen. The guy was about 6 feet tall, had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and was kind of on the large side, he was a little over weight. Nick thought that he probably wouldn't be interested in this guy if it wasn't for the bet but may be if the guy was a little thinner he would have caught his eye. After accepting the bet, Nick assured Howie that he wasn't gay and that he wouldn't kiss the guy. Howie was fine with that, all he wanted was for the guy to say "I love You". Easy enough. "Hey, guys get ready, we're all up next with the finale." Kevin ordered. Right before they hit the stage again, AJ noticed Nick looking a little concerned. "Hey Nick, is everything ok, you look like you're about to hurl man." "Nah, I'm fine AJ just anxious to get this concert wrapped up that's all." "OK man but if you puke on stage it's not gonna do much for that pretty boy image of yours" AJ joked. "Pretty Boy" was another label Nick detested so he gave AJ one of those friendly punches before they all headed on stage to perform "All I Have To Give". After showering and getting changed into some sweat free clothes, the guys prepared to meet some fans backstage. Howie organized it with the ground crew for the "bet" guy to be there too. The guys happily signed autographs and had their picture taken with the fans and that's when Nick approached the "bet" guy... "Hey man what's up? I'm Nick" he said offering his right hand. "G'Day! Um, yep I know who you are. I... I... um... I'm Lachlan but my friends call me Locky. I'm a big fan of you. I mean of you guys." Lachlan said in an embarassed tone. "Well it's nice to meet you and that's a nice name you have there." "Nice to meet you too and thanks." Instantly Nick wondered whether or not Lachlan was gay, he had a feeling that he was but may be he was just hoping so the bet would be easier for him. Nick almost ignored the other fans and paid so much attention to Lachlan. Lachlan noticed this and it made him feel really happy, as though his spirits were soaring. Every so often, Howie would glance in Nick and Lachlan's direction to see how it was all going. 'I wonder if Nick is gay. Gee I hope he is. Could he possibly be interested in me?' Lachlan thought to himself. 'Nah, probably just wishful thinking.' So he passed it off as Nick just being glad to talk to a guy fan for a change and just decided to go with the flow. Nick and Lachlan chatted for a while about a lot of stuff; the beach, movies, and even song writing. The strange thing was, they had a lot in common. Well may be it wasn't so strange, afterall, they were both the same age and it was common for guys that age to have the same interests. Nick found it easy to open up to his new friend. Lachlan was so down to earth and although he seemed a little nervous at the start of their meeting, he seemed unaffected by Nick's fame. He spoke to Nick like a 'normal' person and although this was new to Nick, he welcomed it and it made him feel like a 'regular' person again. At one point in the evening, he even forgot about the bet. Oh yeah, the bet. He was beginning to wish he hadn't taken that stupid bet because he liked this new friend he had made and even if it wasn't for the bet he would probably still want to be friends with him. "Sorry, everybody..." Kevin announced, "...but we have to be going now. Thank you all for being here tonight and we hope you enjoyed the concert." The small group of fans let out a sigh of disappointment and headed for the exit. "Well, Nick, I guess that's my cue. It was really cool to meet you" Lachlan said "Yeah you too! Um... Locky your a really cool guy and everything and I was wondering if you'd like to hang out or something tomorrow, it would be cool to have a local show me, I mean, us, the sights and sounds of Sydney." Nick asked "Hey I'd love to. I'm on summer vacation now and I've got nothing better to do any way" Lachlan excitedly responded. "Cool, I'll leave your name with the front desk at the Hyatt Hotel and they'll give you the access code to the Penthouse suite. How about we meet at 10am and have brunch?" Nick asked "Sure, that sounds like a plan so I'll see you then." "OK, bye!" Nick couldn't believe it. He had made a new friend and what's more, his new friend was so genuine. What he like most about Lachlan was the way he smiled and how his face seemed to brighten up when an idea or thought popped up in his head. Lachlan opitimized everything Nick liked about Aussies, he was so laid back and approachable, had a great sense of humour and even though he had only spoken to him for only an hour, he had a feeling that they would be good friends. And then it hit him again. 'Oh damn it!' he thought, 'Why the hell did I agree to that bet?' As he thought about it, Brian noticed the confused look on his face and approached him. "OK Nick, what's wrong??? We've known each other long enough for me to know when something's up with you." Brian said expressing his concern. Actually Brian was a little more than concerned than he let Nick believe. He had noticed that Nick spent an aweful lot of time with that fan and when the fan left, he noticed the worried expression on Nick's face. 'Could Nick have feelings for that guy?' Brian thought 'surely not, I've known this kid for almost seven years now and I'd know if he was gay. You just couldn't hide something like that for so long.' It wouldn't have bothered Brian one bit if Nick was gay. Nick was like a brother to him and he loved him very much, infact as much as he loved his family so he would accept Nick no matter what. "Is there anything you wanna talk about bro?" Brian asked Nick hesitated a little and then said, "No thanks Bri, I know you're only looking out for me but everything is fine, really. May be the jet lag is just finally catching up with me that's all." Brian decided to let it go. If Nick wanted to talk he would do so when he was ready. The important thing was that Nick knew Brian would always be there for him. At exactly 10am the next morning, Locky arrived at the Hyatt and the concierge gave him the access code to the Penthouse floor and explained that Nick was in room P08. As he got out of the elevator, he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and headed for Nick's room. He knocked on the door and was immediately greeted by Nick who had a smile on his face. Nick was really looking forward to this and asked Locky what he had in stall for the day. "Well I thought we could go to Australia's Wonderland, it's not Disney World or anything but they've got some pretty cool rides so it should be fun anyway" Locky responded. "Hey that should be cool, but it looks like the rest of the guys won't be joining us, they've decided to go to the country side and visit some friends we made the last time we were here. Is that ok?" "Sure. No problem. So, are you ready to get going?" "Ya, let me just leave a note for the guys so they know where I've gone." "Ok, cool" The drive to Australia's Wonderland lasted for an hour but the time passed quickly. The new found friends had so much to talk about. As soon as they arrived, Lachlan and Nick hit the biggest and scariest rides first - it seemed as thought they both had a penchant for rollercoasters; another thing they had in common. During lunch Lachlan was telling Nick all about his dreams of one day becoming a successful singer too. "I wanna be just like you guys; so successful and so nice to your fans. It takes a really special person to be able to keep their fame and success in check." "Gee thanks Locky, that's a really nice thing for you to say but fans like you are so easy to be nice to." Nick replied. He was really touched by the comment but what touched him more was his new friend's sincerity. And then that's when it hit him. Was he falling for Lachlan? But he couldn't be falling for him, he'd only know this guy for a day but not matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, he WAS falling for Lachlan. The rest of the day went off without a hitch. In fact it was perfect. They had a wonderful time. They were both worn out and didn't say much during the drive home. When they finally reached the Hyatt, Nick decided he would come clean about the bet. Afterall, he liked Lachlan for who he was, not because of some bet. So before he got out of the car he turned to Lachlan and said, "Um, Locky, there's something I need to tell you..." "Yeah Nick what is it?" "Well you have to promise that you won't get mad first ok?" "Well, sure you can tell me anything, we're friends aren't we?" "Of course we are, so..." "Um, Nick may be I should tell you something first." Lachlan interupted "Oh ok go ahead" "Well, you seem like a pretty cool guy and I really like you so I wanna be completely honest with and if you can't handle what I'm about to tell you, I'll understand and may be we weren't meant to be friends in the first place." Nick noticed that Lachlan was getting a little upset. "Locky, you can tell me anything and I promise I'll understand." He had a feeling what Lachlan was about to tell him so he was pretty comfortable with saying what he just said. "Ok here it goes... Nick, I... I... I'm gay" Lachlan couldn't believe that he'd actually said it. He waited, breathlessly. 'How is he gonna handle this?' he tought to himself. 'I was right' Nick thought to himself "Well, it was nice meeting you Nick..." "Hey, hang on, I haven't said anything yet." Nick couldn't believe his luck. He had met a truly beautiful person and there was a chance that they could fall in love for real. It didn't matter what Lachlan looked like because what mattered to Nick was the person. At last he was beginning to understand what people meant by "Beauty is skin deep." "You didn't have to, your silence tells me that you don't want anything to do with me." "No, Locky wait. That's not what it is, I was just quiet because I thought it was something big - like you'd killed someone or something. There's nothing wrong with being gay." Nick tried to assure him. "Really? Wow, I'm so happy you feel that way." "Well, the reason I understand so much is because I um... I am gay too!" Nick couldn't believe what he'd just said. He got taken by the moment and just came out and said it, but it was okay because he trusted Lachlan; not only that, he was falling in love with him. "You sure know how to make a guy feel better don't you?" "Well, there's more you see? I don't want to scare you off or anything but I think I may be falling for you." Nick said hesitantly, he couldn't believe how brave he was being but he was sure of how strongly he felt so he took the chance. Lachlan couldn't believe his ears. Did the hottest guy in the world just tell him that he was falling for him? Surely he was just hearing things. He just sat in his seat completely stunned by what Nick had said. "Aren't you gonna say something? Tell me it's ok, tell me to get lost, anything!" Lachlan looked deep into Nick's eye's which were starting to well up with tears. He couldn't stand to see Nick like this, he wiped away the tears and slowly leaned forward and lightly kissed Nick on the lips. "Does that answer your question?" Lachlan asked. Nick smiled. Thousands of emotions were running through him. He was so delighted and could only muster a shy "yes". "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about in the first place?" Lachlan asked. 'Oh that's right' Nick thought to himself, 'I have to tell him about the bet but I can't do that now - right after I just told him that I was falling for him'. So he lied. "Yes" Nick answered, "that's what I wanted to tell you." It was hard for him to lie but there was no way Lachlan would understand now. He knew that he had to come come clean about being gay to the other Backstreet Boys, call the bet off with Howie, and tell the guys about his new found love. "Nick I hate to do this but I have to go home, it's getting pretty late." "OK, but we've got another day off tomorrow so can we get together again at the same time and do whatever?" "You bet. Sounds like fun." Lachlan said with a mischievous grin on his face. "Oh Locky, one more thing..." "Yep, what?" "381" "what?" Lachlan asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "381" Nick repeated, "It's a saying we have - three words, eight letters, one meaning." Lachlan caught on to what Nick was trying to say but decided to play dumb. "Nick, I don't know what you are talking about" "I love you!" He looked so cute when he said that. Lachlan thought he'd pass out but thank goodness he didn't. And managed to say "I love you" back to Nick and drove off. They both had the biggest smile on their faces. That night Nick decided to tell the guys about his little secret. It wasn't going to be easy but these guys were like family and he was absolutely sure they would support him. And he was right! Kevin, Brian, AJ and Howie were all pretty shocked at first when they heard "I am gay" from 'young Nick's' mouth but after a minute or so, they reassured Nick that he had their support. Nick was like their little brother and they would never let him down. They all got into a big group hug - definitely a Kodak moment. As they broke away from the hug, Kevin made sure to tell Nick that this had to be kept a secret. "No one must know about this - it could ruin us". "Well" Nick said, "I have another confession..." 'Oh boy' Brian thought, 'he's gonna kill me, my heart can't take any more.' "You see guys, I've met someone, his name is Lachlan and he knows. But I trust him and love him, and he understands that this has to be kept quiet." Nick explained Howie laughed and asked, "It's the 'bet' guy isn't it?" but he didn't need an answer because the expression on Nick's face gave it away. "What 'bet' guy?" Brian asked Howie explained the bet to the rest of guys and although they did not approve they all agreed that it was better for this bet to be kept a secret and let Nick have his happiness. The only problem was, Nick forfeited the bet so it meant he would have to do Howie's laundry for the next year - 'a small price to pay' Nick told himself. Nick slept like a baby that night. It truly was as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He didn't have to keep his sexuality a secret from the guys anymore and he was falling in love with an amazing guy. He also didn't feel bad about the bet any more because no matter what, he felt that he was destined to fall in love with Lachlan. The very next morning, Lachlan was at Nick's door at precisely 10 am. "G'Day, Nick" he said in that Aussie accent that always made Nick smile. Nick had just woken up and was only dressed in his green silk boxers. He had a morning hard-on which was tenting out. Lachlan noticed. Nick saw this and turned red with embarassment. "Hey, happens to me all the time mate - no big deal." Lachlan said reassuring Nick. Nick loved the way Lachlan could say something to make him feel comfortable in such an awkward situation. "Please come in, I just woke up and I gotta get dressed." "Why? I think you look great just like that!" Lachlan said with that same misheavous grin, "May be we should do something about it?" "Oh man!!! You don't know how turned on I am right now but Kevin and the rest of the guys are expecting us for breakfast and we gotta go soon." Nick replied "What??? You mean you told them?" "Ya, last night I came out to the group and told them about us too." Nick said proudly "Well how did they take it?" "Pretty shocked at first but I have their support and they wanna meet you at breakfast today." Suddenly Lachlan was nervous. What if the guys didn't like him, what if they wanted him and Nick to call it off. Nick noticed this and assured him that everything would work out. "Nick, I couldn't get to sleep last night and I wrote something for you. It needs a bit of work though but I wanna read it out to you." "You wrote something for me? WOW! I'm touched. Let me hear it please" "Well you know I wanna be a signer and songwriter one day so I wrote this song for you. I don't want to scare you with my terrible voice so I'll just read it out to you ok?" The truth was, Lachlan had an unbelieveably powerful and soulful singing voice. He was just a little embarrassed to sing in front of one of his singing idols so that's why he told Nick that he couldn't really sing. "Ok but hurry, I'm dying to hear it" Nick said impatiently "OK the song is called 'You are my song' and it goes like this; You are the song, playing so softly in my heart. I reach for you, you seem so near yet so far. I hope and I pray, you'll be with me someday, Cuz I know down inside, you are my, and I'm your true love. Please no more dreaming How can I? Each time I try, we say goodbye You are there, you look my way I touch the sky. We can share, tomorrow and forever more, I'll be there to love you so, you are my song! I know for sure that we were meant to fall in love. I look in your eyes, I know what you're thinking of. I try not to say the words that might scare you away Cuz I know down inside, you are my and I'm your true love... You are my song." "WOW!" Nick said as he wipped a tear from his left eye, "That was incredible, you have a gift. I wish you could have sung it for me though, instead of just reading it out." "Well I am happy you liked it" "Liked it? I loved it!" "Thank you, it means a lot. Oh shit, I don't wanna make a bad first impression so you should definitely get dressed Nick" "Damn, I was hoping you could help me out with my big problem here first." Nick begged "There'll be plenty of time for that later, but right now you need to get dressed." Lachlan ordered. Nick gave Lachlan a quick peck on the cheek and said, "Ok wait right here and I'll get dressed, don't go anywhere ok?" "I'll be right here - and don't take too long." Nick went into the bed room and picked out a pair of jeans and a plain grey t-shirt. While Nick was getting dressed and fixing his hair, Lachlan sat on the comfortable couch in the main room of Nick's suite. Suddenly the door burst open and he turned to see who it was. It was some guy carrying a huge pile of what looked like dirty laundry. Actually it was Howie but Lachlan couldn't see him behind all those clothes. "Hey Nicky" Howie said "Um", Lachlan was about to say something but Howie cut him off... "don't think I've forgotten about the bet buddy. Oh and the rest of the guys thought you could do their laundry too in exchange for not telling Lachlan about our little bet." Howie said in a cocky tone. "What bet?" Lachlan asked innocently. Howie dropped the pile of clothes he was carrying and his heart sank when he saw who was standing in front of him. As this was happening Nick walked into the room, oblivous to what had just transpired. "Nick, what's Howie talking about? What's this bet that the other guys can't tell me about and why do you both look like you've just seen a ghost?" Nick was floored, he was speechless. How was he going to get out of this one. He turned to Howie who was just as stunned. Neither of them could find the words to explain. "Will someone please just tell me what's going on here?" Lachlan was getting worried. That's when Howie came out and said it; he felt partially responsible so he thought that seeing as Nick was speechless he should explain. "Well, you see Lachlan, um," this wasn't going to be easy, "I made this um, bet with Nick that he would go out on a date with a person that I chose from the concert and um, try to make them fall in love with him. And um, I chose um, you." Howie was about to explain that he was sorry for doing this and that he truly believed Nick loved him but before he could say any thing, Lachlan, trying to contain his anger and trying not to show he'd been crushed, turned to Nick... "Well, is it true Nick?" he asked in disbelief. In a matter of seconds he went from utter joy to sheer heartache. Nick just stood there. "Was I just a f@#king bet? Wow, I bet you guys had a jolly old laugh last night huh? Well, didn't you even think for one minute that you were dealing with another human being here! I honestly believed you and all that time you were probably just laughing at every emotion I poured out to you. Well I hope it was worth it because now I only have two words to say to you and Howie and the rest of the freaking Backstreet Boys; f@#k you!" Nick tried to say sorry but before he could get the words out, Lachlan stormed past Howie and headed straight for the elevator. The other guys heard the screaming and ran staight to Nick's suite catching a glimpse of Lachlan as he got into the elevator. Nick tried to run after him but the guys held him back. "Just let it go for now lil bro," Brian reasoned, "give him time to get mad and deal with it and then try and work it out with him ok." Nick just broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. Why did this have to happen? He wanted to get mad at Howie for initiating this crazy bet but how could he get mad? He was just as much to blame for taking the bet in the first place. He should have been honest with Lachlan straight away, and maybe none of this would have happened. And then he realized, he didn't even have Lachlan's phone number and he didn't know his last name either, so how was he going to even get in contact with him? He had to fix this and tell Lachlan that he was sorry and that his feelings were real. "We'll think of something ok!" Kevin reassured him, "but for now you gotta calm down and try to get yourself together." Although Nick had just woken up an hour ago, his emotions had taken their toll on his body and he was feeling sleepy and somewhat drained. He felt an unfamiliar feeling of emptiness and sorrow. For the remainder of the day he slept, and when he wasn't sleeping he just lay in bed trying to figure out ways to fix this. If there was one thing he had going for him, it was the fact that he was a determined individual and he was very determined to fix this mistake. Meanwhile, while this was all happening, Lachlan stormed out of the Hyatt and drove straight home. He was torn and couldn't think of anything other than how foolish he had been for letting Nick take advantage of him like that - he was furious and hurt and sad at the same time. He drove home without paying attention to any road rules or signs and it was a wonder that he didn't have an accident or get arrested. When he reached the driveway, he ran straight for his room. His mum had heard him come in. "Hey, honey, weren't you supposed to go out with that wonderful guy you were telling me about last night." she asked. She was oblivious to the fame and popularity of her son's new friend and hence referred to him as 'that wonderful guy'. She and Laclan had always been close (more like friends rather than mother and son) and she accepted him for the person he was, it was so uncharacteristic for him to just head for his room like this without even acknowledging her. She went up to his room and knocked on the door. "Hon, can I come in?" "Yes Mum" as he said this, his lips started to quiver and the tears started flowing again. He collapsed into a heap in the corner of his room. His mum couldn't stand seeing her son like this and experience taught her to be there for him and let him open up to her in his own good time. She placed a hand on his shoulder, those broad shoulders always looked like they could carry the weight of the world but not right now; right now he was quite frail, as brittle as a bird. "Lachlan, I'm always right behind you and I understand that you need time but honey, understand that this too will pass." "Thanks ma, but I just want to be left alone for now ok?" he said through his tears "Ok, hon, I'll be downstairs if you need me." The next day Kevin and Brian thought of a way to find Lachlan. They knew that he would have had to sign in when he came to visit them, so they asked the concierge for the sign-in sheet and sure enough, there was Laclan's name with a his last name and a contact number next to it. The concierge explained that sign-in sheets were confidential but given the circumstances, he made an exception. They were proud of themselves for being so resourceful and quickly headed to Nick's suite. Nick was relieved that he could contact Lachlan but also nervous at the same time. He was anxious but he psyched himself up. He had to fix this and he was going to, so as soon as Kevin and Brian left his suite to give him some privacy he dialed the number. "Hello" it was a woman's voice so Nick assumed it was Lachlan's mother. "Hello Mrs. Nash, my name is Nick, I am a friend of Locky's and um, could I please speak to him." "Yes, let me just call him for you." she replied not knowing that the caller was the reason for her son's distress. Lachlan took the call in his room. "Nick, I have nothing more to say to you, I don't know how you got my number but please leave me alone." Lachlan said in an emotionless flat tone - there's was no way he'd let Nick hear him in pain ever again! "No, wait please Locky, I need to tell you something." Nick pleeded. Lachlan was ready to hang up but he knew that deep down, a part of him really wanted to forgive Nick so he just waited for Nick to continue. "Locky, first of all I want to say I am sorry. I wanted to apologize yesterday but you left before I could say sorry. I also want to tell you that it is true I made the bet with Howie but my feelings for you are real - I love you and I want you to give me a second chance if you can find it in your heart." Nick's voice was quivering now, he was ready to break down and cry but there was one more thing he had to do so he started signing into the phone... "...if I wasn't such a fool, right now I'd be holding you. There's nothing that I wouldn't do, Locky if I only knew... The words to say, the road to take, to find a way back to your heart. What can I do to get to you? And find a way back to your heart." Nick was about to continue when Lachlan spoke up. "Nick, please stop." Nick's signing touched him deeply and he was ready to give into his emotions, but memory of the hurt and pain he felt yesterday came flooding back... "I don't ever wanna feel so hurt ever again and all I have to say right now is thank you... you made me a stronger person by breaking my heart. I don't think things could ever work out between us and it would be best for us to never speak again." he sounded so cold but underneath he was falling to pieces. "Lachlan, I am sorry" the tears were flowing again as he hung up the phone. The very next day, Nick was on a flight back to Orlando to be with his family. He needed to be with them right now. The other guys wanted to go back with him and cancel the remainder of the Australian tour but Nick insisted that the show had to go on without him - they owed it to their fans. The remainder of the Australian tour was not the same without Nick. The fans were disappointed to say the least and to make things worse, rumours starting flying around that the Backstreet Boys had split up. This was of course far from the truth and a press release was issued, stating that Nick Carter flew home to settle some personal matters. To be continued??? Thank you for reading, I had a wonderful time writing this and hope you had just as much fun reading it. I would love to hear from all of you so please feel free to send me an email on ab4ngc@hotmail.com I did not write the lyrics to "You Are My Song". It is a song that was originally recorded by a Filipino artist named "Regine Velasquez", so the credit goes to her for singing such a wonderful song.