Boy Meets BSB, Chapter 5

By luckylou@badpuppy.com

Warning: This is a fictional story, describing erotic relations between consenting adult men. If this makes you uncomfortable, or if it is illegal for you to read something like this, then go find something else to do.

The following story is entirely a work of fiction, and is not intended to imply anything about any real people. All of the characters in the story are fictional, and must not be confused with any real people. The characters in this story may have the same names as some real people, but the characters are in no way supposed to actually represent any real people.

Permission is hereby granted for this story to be distributed solely by the Nifty Archive: http://www.nifty.org/. You may of course keep a copy for your own use, but you may not redistribute it.

Before this chapter starts, I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who have taken the time to express your appreciation of the story to me. Your comments have been uniformly kind, and have made writing this much easier. I'd also like to thank Elon for his help with this chapter, and his encouragement to get on with it. Please feel free to send me any comments you may have.


Matt was lying on his back in the dark. He was warm, comfortable, relaxed. He seemed to be floating. He could feel softness beneath him, supporting and holding him. It was very still, very quiet. There was no sound, no suggestion of anything or anyone other than himself. He was alone in the dark.

Then he felt it. A hand touched his left knee. Tentatively at first, then with more strength and purpose, it caressed his knee. It slowly moved further up his leg, pressing against the muscles. Another hand found his right thigh, and together the two hands stroked his skin.

The hands worked, sending shivers up his spine. The hands moved underneath him, lifting and spreading his legs. He was helpless to resist. The hands continued down his thighs, coming to a rest on his hips. They paused there, and then moved beneath him, into the small of his back. Somehow, the surface he was on supported him, yet allowed the hands to do whatever they wished. His legs were suspended in the air above him, yet it was no effort to keep his legs up.

Those hands resumed their motion, moving slowly from the small of his back to his buttocks. They moved in a circular pattern, caressing the muscles, feeling the muscles, and moving him in ways he'd never felt before.

A new sensation arrived. He felt a sudden warm breath of air at the base of his turgid cock. He tried to groan, but all sound was lost. The hands were slowly continuing their track, moving slowly towards each other. Then the warm breath was replaced by sudden warmth as lips caressed his cock. The fingers met, and continued to probe. The lips were opened and a tongue tasted flesh. The mouth inched ever upward, licking, caressing, tasting. The fingers moved beneath him, stroking, searching.

He was lost in the sensations. His heart was racing, his breath coming in short gasps. He tried to cry out, but all sound was lost.

The fingers found their target. Deftly, without pain, he was suddenly awash in sensation as they penetrated. The lips had found their goal, and he was engulfed in warmth. Gasping for breath, heart pounding, he felt the surge of liquid as he erupted.
 

Again and again. As the waves of pleasure slowly faded away, the world returned. Matt was lying on his back in his bed. The bedclothes were thrown off, and the cum pooled on his chest, slowly cooling. Damn, that was some dream! So vivid. So wild.

It had been years since he'd woken up like that. Wet dreams were a faded memory now. They'd come often at one point, but as he grew older they rarely troubled him anymore. Why would they suddenly return now? He'd worked so hard to rid himself of them. To bury the memory of the way his body felt. To forget the images that accompanied them. To deny the desire.

Matt sat up and looked at the clock. After trying to make sense of the blurry numbers, he gave up and found his glasses. It was only six o'clock--far too early to get up on a Saturday. His heart was still pounding, and he had this mess on his chest. Well, no sense laying here, wasting time. Matt got up and went into the bathroom.

He was going with Joey to the concert today. He sighed--they weren't supposed to be at the hotel for another six hours. He had plenty of time for some more sleep, but he wouldn't sleep now he knew. He looked at himself in the mirror. A wet facecloth quickly cleaned off the drying cum. Well maybe he'd shave today anyway. Normally, he tried not to shave on the weekends, but he'd make an exception today. If what Howie said last night was right, it was possible that somebody would be taking pictures today.

After a quick shave, he took a shower. He wondered what the concert would be like. He remembered going to the concerts Joey gave a few years ago. It had been hard to hear the music for all of the screaming. Matt hoped that the Backstreet Boy fans were better behaved.

When he started looking for something to wear, he found the pile of CDs and videos that Nick had sent. One of the videos caught his attention, because it looked like it was filmed live. Yeah, that would be a good way to spend some time. Matt was a good student--it was time to apply his study habits to something other than schoolwork. He'd spend the morning trying to learn more about the Backstreet Boys. Maybe he'd be able to at least recognize some of the songs at the concert tonight.

Matt finished getting dressed, and then went out to the kitchen to get some cereal. And coffee of course. He gathered everything up, and went back to his room to eat. He could watch the video, and start studying while eating breakfast.

A few hours later, Matt had finished the videos, and gone through most of the other stuff. He'd read all of that silly trivia that they always seem to put into these things. He'd always thought questions like 'what's your favorite color' were stupid. But they were all there, along with the answers.

One song from one of the videos kept coming back into his head. It was from the video 'A Night with the Backstreet Boys'. In it, Nick sat and sang this song solo. It was apparently called 'Heaven in Your Eyes'. The lyrics were haunting somehow. Matt played that song on the video a few times.

Well, at least if Nick asked, he could say that he knew at least one song. Actually, that's not a bad idea. Since this song kept going around and around in his head, why not memorize the lyrics? That would really surprise Nick.

Matt replayed the video, again and again until he thought he had the words down. He checked the clock and discovered it was already 10 o'clock. It was time to call Joey and let him know the plans for today.

"Uh, hello" a sleepy voice said.

"Morning Joey. It's about time you got up." Matt said cheerfully.

"Is that you Matt?"

"Yeah, it's me. Heavy date last night?"

"What time is it?"

"It's ten already. I figured it was time to get you up."

"Thanks, I think" Joey said. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"The guys are expecting us at the hotel at noon."

"Good. That gives me enough time to wake up. How about I come and get you about 11:30?"

"Sure. That'll give us lots of time to get there."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye." Matt said. Well, what was he going to do for the next hour and a half? Work. He needed to work.
 

It was about ten when Nick woke up. Brian was sitting on the couch, looking like he'd been up for hours. Some cartoon was playing on the TV. "What time is it?" Nick said.

"Oh, sleeping beauty wakes!" Brian laughed. "It's almost ten."

Nick groaned and got out of bed. "Is there anything to eat?"

"I'll order you something. Go and get your shower." Nick nodded, and stumbled his way into the bathroom. By the time he was out, room service had delivered his breakfast.

"Aren't you eating today?" Nick asked as he was getting dressed.

"I already did."

"Oh." Nick ate breakfast, and watched a few cartoons with Brian. "Turn that thing down will you? I want to make a phone call."

Brian muted the TV and asked, "Who are you calling?"

"Aaron. Matt said something last night at dinner that got me thinking. I don't talk to Aaron often enough. I thought I'd try and track him down."

"That's a good idea. Why don't I get out of your way. I'll meet up with you for lunch--it was at noon, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks Brian."

Brian left the room, and Nick picked up the phone. He dialed the familiar number for his parent's place. After a few rings, someone picked it up and said "Hello."

"Dad? Hi." Nick said.

"Oh, hi Nick. How are you?" Nick talked to his father for a few minutes. Nothing really was said, just the usual small talk. That's all it ever seemed to be when he talked to his father--small talk.

"Dad, do you have a number for Aaron? I know he's on the road somewhere, but I don't know where he is now."

"Sure, it's here somewhere. Any reason why you're looking for him?"

"Not really. I just haven't seen him for a while, and thought it'd be nice to call him."

"That sounds like a good idea Nick. Ah, here it is." Nick's father gave him the phone number, then they said goodbye.

When Nick dialed the number, it rang for a few times before someone picked it up. "Hello."

"Hi. Is Aaron there?"

"Who's this?"

"Tell him it's Nick."

"Hang on." Nick could hear the phone being put down. After a minute, he could faintly hear someone talking. Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched, excited yell.

"Nick!" Aaron said, entirely too loudly into the phone.

"Hi buddy. How are you doing?"

Nick and Aaron talked for almost an hour. Nick couldn't remember ever spending so much time on the phone with Aaron before. Aaron was very excited to get a call from Nick. Nick felt guilty about this--until Matt had mentioned it, he'd never really thought about calling Aaron.

Finally, Aaron said he had to go. Nick told Aaron that he'd call him again in a few days, which just seemed to excite Aaron all over again. Nick decided that he'd have to do this more often. If they couldn't be together, at least he could talk with his little brother.

When the phone call was over, Nick looked at the clock. He had about fifteen minutes before Matt and Joey would be here. Well, that was enough time to do something else he'd been meaning to do. He found a baseball cap, and a pair of sunglasses. He put them on, grabbed the room key, and left the room.
 

With Joey driving, Matt had a bit better view of the group of fans camped outside of the hotel. "I think there are more of them than there were before," he said, pointing at the cluster of girls on the street.

"That's probably because the concert is today," Joey said. "Where should we park?"

"Oh, in the underground lot. It's a lot easier. We can get into the lobby without having to get through those fans."

Matt showed Joey the entrance to the lot, and they found a good spot to park. Matt led the way to the elevator. They waited for a few minutes for one to arrive, and then they rode the elevator to the lobby. They were about five minutes early.

When they stepped out of the elevators, Matt led the way towards the front desk. He was surprised when he heard the fans outside start to scream. Thinking that one of the guys was around, he stopped and looked around. "You see any of the guys Joey?"

Joey looked around. "Nope. However, I think it's you that they're screaming at."

Sure enough, the fans were clearly pointing at him and trying to get into the lobby. So far, the security guards that were out there today seemed to be able to control them.

"Hey guys, over here," someone said. Matt thought it sounded like Nick. He could see somebody in a florist shop motioning to him. Well, that seemed like as good as plan as any, so they trotted over to the shop.

"I told you they'd be looking for you." Now that they were closer, Matt could tell it really was Nick. With the baseball cap and sunglasses on, it was hard to tell from a distance. Seeing Matt's look of surprise, Nick said "You like the disguise? It always amazes me--all I really need to do is hide my hair, and nobody recognizes me."

"You're right Nick--I didn't recognize you" Joey said.

"You guys are right on time. Let me just finish up here, then we'll go up to lunch." Nick led the way to the counter. He handed a card to the clerk, and then finished writing the address onto a form. Looking at the clerk, he said, "This won't get delivered until Monday, right?"

"If that's what you want" the clerk said.

"Good. Tina won't be there today." Nick paid the clerk.

As they started toward the exit, Matt asked, "Who's Tina?"

"Oh, she's the one that sent those packages to you. I thought I should let her know how much I appreciated that."

As they left the shop, the fans started screaming again. Joey and Nick laughed as they watched Matt's discomfort. They found an elevator, and went up to the room they were using for lunch. They were the last to arrive. Kevin looked up as they got there and said "Late again I see Nick. At least, you found our guests."

Nick scowled at Kevin. Matt laughed, and said, "Hey, he's not always late. He was at least ten minutes early for breakfast yesterday!"

Kevin looked really surprised. "He was early?"

Nick introduced Joey to the rest of the guys, pointedly ignoring Kevin. Finally, he said "And the old, ugly guy is Kevin."

Kevin laughed, and shook Joey's hand. "It's nice to meet you Joey. I hear we've got a lot in common."

"That's what I've been told. Nick says that you're the only one who pays attention to business. I'd have thought that the rest of you would be interested in where your careers are going, but Nick at least doesn't seem to care."

"Actually Joey, I think it's more that we trust Kevin to look after the business stuff" Brian said. "Of course, that gives the rest of us more time to have fun."

"You see what I have to contend with?" Kevin said with a smile. They all laughed.

For whatever reason, they formed into three groups while eating. An assortment of sandwiches, veggies and junk food had been delivered to the room, and they were all eating at various couches and chairs. AJ and Howie spent most of the time in a deep conversation. Kevin and Joey obviously found lots to talk about, as they sat off to one side. Matt found himself on a couch between Brian and Nick.

Matt soon found out why Brian and Nick were such good friends. They seemed to share a sense of humor, and the antics of the pair soon had Matt laughing. Brian seemed to be genuinely nice. There wasn't any pretense in anything he said. It was almost as if the three of them were old friends.

"So, did you ever get a chance to listen to the CD?" Nick asked.

"Actually, I did. I liked it. It was easy to sing along with, and has a good beat," Matt said.

"Any song you liked more than the others?" Brian asked.

"There is one that keeps playing in my mind. Don't you hate it when that happens?"

"Well, don't keep us in suspense. Was it 'That's what she said'?"

"Actually, I think it's called 'Heaven in your eyes'. I saw it on one of the videos."

"Ha!" Nick said. Seeing the look of confusion on Matt's face, he said, "Brian wrote 'That's what she said'. He's not exactly unbiased when it comes to that song."

"I'm sorry Brian. I didn't realize. It was one of the best ones from the CD, but when I heard the video..."

"It's okay Matt. 'Heaven in your eyes' sends shivers up my spine when Nick sings it too."

Now, it was Nick's turn to look surprised. Just then, Kevin stood up and announced that it was time to get to the arena.
 

It was a bit cramped with seven of them in the limo, but it was a short ride. Once they got there, Joey and Matt watched as the band got set up, and the guys did a few sound checks. They didn't do any full songs, just the odd verse here and there.

When it was apparent that they were properly set up, Kevin said "Hey Joey. Do you want to do a song tonight? Maybe we can give you a bit more exposure."

Joey looked happy at this idea. "That would be great. Do we have time to work something out?"

"We won't know until we try" Kevin said. They got Joey set up on the piano, and he started to play 'Never Gonna Change My Mind'. The band started to join in after a few minutes, and after working at it for a while, they managed a passable rendition. As he was sitting there watching with the rest of the guys, Matt was surprised to hear them start to harmonize with Joey as he played.

It took some urging from Matt, but eventually he managed to get the Backstreet Boys up there, singing backup to Joey. Matt was amazed at how well it all went together.

Matt sat and watched them practice for another fifteen minutes, before Joey announced he was satisfied.

"Okay, it's your turn now Matt" Nick said.

Matt looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've been sitting there watching us all work. It's time you got up here and showed us whether you can carry a tune."

Joey laughed, as the rest of the guys joined in urging Matt up onto the stage. "You'll never get him to sing" Joey said. "He likes to pretend that he's too shy."

"Fair's fair." Brian said, as he dragged Matt up onto the stage. "Nick, sing 'Heaven in your Eyes' with Matt. That way, he's not all alone up here."

"Sure. Come on Matt."

Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to work his way out of this one, Matt gave in and accepted a microphone. He sat on a stool beside Nick. Joey and the rest of them left the stage, and took seats out front.

"I'll just help out in the chorus, okay Nick?"

"Okay, that sounds like it'll work. Fewer words to forget that way."

Matt realized that he already knew the words, but he really didn't want Nick to know that now. "Okay, how does the chorus go?"

Nick recited the words to Matt a couple of times, and Matt pretended to learn them. "Let's get this over then."

Nick signaled to the band to start playing. As the music started, Matt concentrated on the music, trying to forget where he was. He closed his eyes, and listened intently to Nick sing the first verse. Taking a deep breath, he started to join in softly when the chorus came up. Forgetting himself in the words, he sang along, first quietly, then with more strength as the song finished.

He was surprised when he realized that the music had stopped, and that they were all cheering. "Oh, so you didn't know the words?" Nick said. He had this big grin on his face.

"Well, I...I sort of memorized the words this morning. I thought I'd use it to prove to you that I'd actually listened to something."

Kevin arrived on the stage. "That was amazing Matt. Your voice just fit right in there with Nick."

Matt looked away, and started to blush.

"Really, it was good bro" Joey said. "Why wouldn't you sing before when I tried to get you to?"

"I just didn't want to Joey. It's hard enough for me to get onto a stage. I don't like being out there all by myself" Matt said. "Besides, it was a long time ago when you asked me to sing. My voice has changed since then."

"It has indeed," Joey said.

Matt was saved at this point, when the stage manager announced that they had to wrap it up for now. There was only an hour and a half before the concert would start.

They all left the stage, and went into a big dressing room. There, they found food waiting for them, as well as the various costumes that everyone would be wearing for the show. Matt's mood brightened as Nick and Brian started joking around again, and everyone had a good time.

After dinner, Nick came over and sat down next to Matt. "You really were good out there, you know," he said.

"Um, thanks Nick." Matt decided he'd rather talk about something else. "So, when are you leaving town?"

"We're leaving early tomorrow morning. Actually, it's probably more like late tonight. I think we're sleeping on the bus."

"Oh" Matt wasn't quite sure what to say. They were both silent for a moment.

"I called Aaron today. Thanks--it was a really good idea."

Matt smiled. "I'll bet he was excited."

"Boy was he ever excited! Oh--it looks like it's time to get changed." Kevin was trying to get everyone to get changed. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Nick went over, and got changed into the first outfit for the show. The rest of the guys started to get changed as well.

Joey came over and sat next to Matt. "Nick was right. I've had fun today talking with Kevin. And this is going to be great tonight, singing in the show."

"I'm glad" Matt said. "It has been a fun day."

"It's not over yet," Kevin said as he came across the room. "Let me show you where you can watch the show tonight." Matt and Joey followed Kevin as he led them out of the room. After a moment, Matt discovered that Nick was following along behind.

Kevin showed them an area on one side of the stage, where a number of people were seated. The chairs were folding chairs, and the area was sectioned off with some ropes. The section seemed to be full of excited girls. Kevin pointed to it, and said, "That's where the contest winners are. You know, those girls that won whatever contests the local radio stations were doing."

Seeing the look on Matt and Joey's face, Kevin laughed. "Don't worry--we've arranged something better for you."

"Those girls would be all over you Matt" Nick said, with a huge smile on his face.

Kevin led them over into the wings of the stage, and pointed to a couple of chairs. "You should be able to see from here, without getting into anyone's way."

"It's not as good a view as you'd get from the audience," Nick said.

"Thanks--I don't want to be out in the audience," Matt said.

"I can't say as I blame you for that. Somehow I wonder whether they hear anything. They seem to scream continually, from the time we go onstage, until the lights come up."

"This will be great" Joey said.

"Okay, we'll see you later. Enjoy the show" Kevin said.

Joey and Matt sat in the chairs, and settled in. It was only about ten minutes before the show started. Matt was surprised by the energy that the guys showed onstage. Their dancing looked exhausting. He couldn't imagine being able to sing while dancing like that--they really must be in great shape.

Matt found himself singing along to some of the songs he recognized, although he didn't know all of the words. He was even more surprised to discover Joey singing along too. He looked at Joey, and saw him smiling at him as he sang along. Matt realized that he was glad that Joey had come along today.

A few costume changes later, everyone left the stage except for Brian. The lights went down, and Brian sat on a stool in the middle of the stage, with a guitar. He started playing, as one of the musicians backed him up on another guitar. The sound seemed strange after hearing the entire band all night. As Brian started to sing, Matt looked up to find Nick standing beside him.

"He's got an awesome voice, doesn't he?" Nick said to Matt.

"He sure does" Matt said. They listened to Brian sing 'That's What She Said'.

"He worked so hard on that song," Nick said. "Oops, I gotta go. It's my turn now." Brian waved to the crowd and started to walk offstage. Nick walked onstage.

Nick stood in the center of the stage, and turned to the audience. "Some of you may have heard that I made an appearance on the TV show 'Boy Meets World' yesterday." The crowd cheered. After waiting for the noise to go down a bit, Nick continued. "Well, let me tell you how that happened. I went to the show yesterday, expecting to watch my friend Mathew Lawrence..." Nick had to stop again, as the crowd had gotten loud again at the mention of Matt.

Matt was squirming in his seat. Somehow, he didn't think he liked the way this was going.

"Well, to make a long story short, Matt put me to work, rather than letting me watch the show." Nick turned and looked at where Matt was sitting. "So, since Matt is here tonight to watch the show, I decided to return the favor." The crowd started to get loud again, but Nick went on. "So, come on, let's get Matt out here."

"Go on Matt" Joey said with a smile. "I think he's got you."

"But..." Matt said.

"You'll be fine" Brian said. He'd joined them when he got offstage. Joey and Brian pushed Matt a bit, forcing him to stand up. "Go on--listen to them. The crowd wants to see you!" Brian said. Brian handed him a headset microphone, and gave him a little push.

Matt sighed, and started walking onstage. When he got into view of the audience, the noise level went way up. He walked over to Nick and whispered to him "Somewhere, somehow, I'll get you for this." Nick just smiled.

Matt put on the headset, and waved to the crowd. Nick signaled to the band, and they started to play 'Heaven in your Eyes'. The crowd quieted down, once they heard the music start.

Nick smiled at Matt. Matt was looking terrified. Nick leaned over and whispered "Just concentrate on the song. It was great this afternoon, and it'll be great now." Matt seemed to draw a bit of strength from this.

Matt focused his thoughts, shutting out the audience, and tried to forget where he was. He concentrated on the music, and the sound of Nick's voice. Just as he'd done this afternoon, he joined in at the first chorus, first quietly, then with more strength. He sang the rest of the song with Nick.

It took a moment before Matt realized that the song was finished. He looked up, and saw that the crowd was screaming and jumping up and down. Nick was waving to the crowd, and smiling at Matt. Once again, Nick's smile was too much, and he started grinning back. He gave the crowd a wave, and allowed Nick to lead him off the stage.

The crowd continued to carry on, finally quieting down when Howie started his solo number.

Matt was surrounded by Joey, Kevin, Brian, AJ and of course Nick when they got backstage. It was hard to talk while Howie was singing, but it was clear that everyone thought Matt had done a great job. Despite that, Matt was quite sure he didn't want to go through that again.

AJ did his solo routine after Howie. Kevin was next. When Kevin had finished, he got up from the piano and walked to center stage. He waited for a moment, to let the noise level die down. "Well, we've got one more surprise for you tonight. You've already heard our friend Mathew Lawrence sing..." the crowd prevented Kevin from continuing. He waited for a minute, and then went on. "Matt is here with his brother Joey tonight. Now, while Matt says he can't sing..." again, the noise level got too loud to continue. "Joey is a musician. Actually, he's just released his second CD. Please join with me in welcoming Joey Lawrence." The crowd cheered as Joey walked onstage, and went over to the piano. The rest of the Backstreet Boys walked onstage after Joey, and took their places.

Joey performed 'Never Gonna Change My Mind' with the Backstreet Boys singing backup. Matt thought it sounded ever better than it had this afternoon. When they finished, it was obvious that the crowd appreciated it as well.

The show was over after one more set. The crowd clearly wanted more, but it had been a long night. Nick had dragged Matt onstage again at the end, to wave to the crowd, and Joey had joined them as well. Then they all went back to the dressing room.

Joey and Matt got something to eat and drink, as the rest of them got changed. There was a line up for the shower, as the five of them each wanted to use it first. Somehow, Nick won, so he joined Joey and Matt first.

"That was awesome." Nick said as he flopped down onto the couch.

Matt grinned. "Yeah, it was. Do you guys always dance that hard out there?"

Nick nodded. "It's what keeps him from bouncing off the walls all the time" Brian said, as he joined them. "If we don't make Nick dance, all that energy just goes to waste."

Nick looked like he wanted to retaliate, but he didn't seem to have the energy. He settled for a nasty look at Brian.

One by one, AJ, Howie, and then finally Kevin joined them. Only Brian and Kevin still seemed to have some energy left. The rest of them looked beat.

"Okay, we're not finished yet. Come on guys, we've got to go and talk with those contest winners" Kevin said. There was a collective groan from everyone. Slowly, they all started to their feet.

Matt smiled at Nick as he was staggering toward the door. "Have fun" he said.

Kevin looked back, and saw that Matt and Joey were still sitting on the couch. "Hey, you guys too. I'll bet they'll want to see you too."

Seeing the look on Matt's face, Nick laughed. "Come on Matt. This is one of those rare occasions when Kevin is right."

That earned him a playful whack from Kevin. Nick pretended to be knocked over onto Matt, who was forced to keep Nick from falling over. They laughed, and brought up the rear as they went over to the fans.

It took a while to satisfy the fans. This time, Matt was a bit better prepared for some of the questions. He was a bit surprised by how much attention they paid to him. He knew from his research this morning that Nick was easily the most popular of the 'boys'. Maybe it was just because he was new, but he swore that he signed as many autographs as Nick did. When they were finished, he discovered that everyone else had left--it was just Nick and him left.

"Come on, I think we're done for tonight" Nick said.

"Good. I'm beat."

Nick laughed. "You're beat! Try spending a few hours dancing and singing, then tell me you're beat."

They rejoined the rest of the group back in the dressing room. Everyone was just sitting around, talking and resting. Joey and Kevin were talking again in one corner. AJ looked like he was napping. Howie was talking quietly on a phone. Brian brightened up as they entered, and they joined him on the couch.

"So, did you enjoy the show Matt?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, I did. You guys really put on a show. It's a hell of a lot more than just sitting up there and singing."

"It's the dancing that kills me," Nick said. He seemed to have run out of steam, now that he was sprawled on the couch.

"So, are you ready to quit your quiet life, and start touring with the band?" Brian said with a smile.

"No way" Matt said firmly. "I don't ever want to do that again." Matt looked at Nick, in the hopes of making sure he understood that.

Nick giggled. "Well, I did owe you."

"Well next time, I'm not going out on stage. I don't care how much you push."

"Does it really bother you that much Matt?" Brian asked. "I'd have thought that you would be comfortable on a stage."

"It's different when I'm in a TV show, or a movie. On a movie, there's no audience, which is great. On the TV show, I'm never on stage all by myself, and if I screw up, we just do another take. Being on stage live like that is terrifying."

Brian looked thoughtful. "I guess I can understand that. It's easier to record in the studio than it is to perform live."

"And doing those award shows is the worst" Nick said. "We don't ever get enough time to warm up, and it's one song and we're done."

"Yeah, and those dance numbers always seem to be aimed at killing me" Brian said with a laugh.

They were quiet for a minute. Then Matt turned to Nick and said "Never again. Understand?"

Nick laughed. "Okay, I give. I won't pull you onstage again."

Matt turned to Brian and said "Understand?"

Brian grinned. "Okay."

They all sat there, lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes. Matt was thinking how strange this all was--just sitting here, not talking was comfortable. Silence is often hard to handle--someone always seems to feel like it needs to be filled. However, they were just sitting here, and nobody seemed to feel the need to say anything. The room was surprisingly quiet. The only sounds were the quiet conversation that Kevin and Joey were having, and Howie as he talked on the phone. Neither conversation was loud enough to make out any words.

Howie hung up the phone, and got up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get going. I'm beat. The sooner I get onto the bus, the better."

AJ looked up, from where he was dozing. "Yeah, I could sleep now."

Joey said, "Okay then. Matt and I will get out of your way."

Kevin said, "Well, we do have to get back to the hotel. We've got about an hour before the bus will be there."

"Let me go and see if the limo is ready to go," Howie said, as he left the room.

"So, where are you off to next?" Matt asked Brian.

"Oh, I don't know. Wherever the bus takes us I guess."

"You're as bad as Nick." Matt laughed.

Howie reappeared, and announced that the limo was here. They all got up, and trooped out to the limo. It took a bit longer to return to the hotel, as there were still quite a bit of traffic around the arena.

The limo let them off in a back entrance to the hotel. Joey looked at Kevin and said, "Well, I guess this is where we get off. It was really nice talking with you Kevin."

"Yeah, it was fun Joey. I'll let you know what I find out, and give you a call."

Nick turned to Matt and said "I really had fun this week. I wish we were sticking around for a while longer."

"That would be nice" Matt said. "I had fun too."

"I'll give you a call sometime, okay?" Nick asked.

"You better" Matt said.

Matt and Joey spent a few more minutes saying goodbye to everyone, then went into the hotel lobby. Once again, the fans outside started making noise as they came into view. They found an elevator down to the parking garage, and made their way to Joey's car.

Both Matt and Joey were quiet on the way home, lost in their own thoughts.

 
To be continued...