**************************************************      Disclaimer      **************************************************

The following story contains homosexual activities and is not suitable for younger viewers.  You must be at least 18 years of age.  I in no way know the true sexuality of Kevin Richardson or any of the members of Backstreet Boys.   This story is strictly fictional.

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*Author's Note*

Just fair warning, Chapter 1 is in fact Chapter 1, although it's more of a prelude.  You'll notice that this chapter starts off with "**One year later*".  I did this for a reason.  I wanted it to stick out that it had taken Rick almost a full year to get over his hurting, and his pain from what James had done to him.  It's a key element to this story, and future installments.  *hint* hehe.  Enjoy!

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Light In The Ashes
Chapter 2

**One year later*

I pulled my keys out of my pocket and fiddled to get it in the door.  They fell.

"Damn it!" I said to myself as I bent over to pick them up.

"Nice view." a voice said from behind.   I hadn't noticed that a car had pulled up, nor had I heard the car door shut.   I swung around to see someone I did NOT want to see at this moment.

"What is it James?" I said as I continued to unlock my door.

"Is this how you treat all your ex lovers? he said with a half smile.

"No.  Only the ones that leave me for someone else." I said not smiling back at all.  Don't get me wrong, I was completely over it, but I didn't want to let him think that he'd won.  I was going to rub this in his face till the day I died.  To make sure he knew just how much he hurt me.

"Ouch." he said.

As I opened the door, I stepped in and faced outward towards him and asked him again what he wanted.

"Just wondered if you were free for dinner.   Haven't talked in a long time, and wanted to catch up on your life." he said, as sincere as possible.

"What's the matter?  Wifey not talkative?  Or are you divorced?" I said sarcastically.

"Well, actually no.  We never married.   After what happened between us, I realized that marriage wasn't what I wanted." he sounded like he was going to go into detail so I stopped him.

"No, I'm not free for dinner.  Nor do I care whether you're married or not.  We, are over James.  You hurt me really bad.  I have nothing more to say to you.  Don't come back." I said as I closed the door.  I heard him swear and mumble something, but I didn't care.  I continued into the living room where I put my briefcase down.  I sat for a moment, just to quickly think over what had just happened, and decided I needed food.

As I ate my sandwich, I thought more about what had just happened.  It was the first time in a year since I'd seen James.  He'd tried calling a few times, but I wouldn't answer to phone when I saw it was him.  I didn't care to speak to him about anything.  In my eyes, there was nothing more to say.

Just then the phone rang.  I picked it up, "Hello?"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I GOT THEM I GOT THEM!" the voiced screamed in my ear.

"Heather...screaming into a phone like a crazed madwoman...doesn't become you.  Ok wait..yes it does.." I said as a smile formed on my mouth.

"OH shut up!  I got them!" she screamed again.

"Got what?" I asked.

"The tickets!  The Backstreet Boys tickets!!!!" she started screaming yay again in my ear.

"Oh cool." I said not realizing how enthusiastic I really sounded.

"Hmm.  You don't seem happy.  Do you want me to go with someone else?" she asked a bit concerned.

"OH!  No.  Sorry.  Just in a weird mood is all.  James stopped by today." I paused.

"And?" she asked.

"And nothing.  I told him to leave." I said confidently.

"Good!  Jerk.  He deserves it.   Anyway, are we still gonna go to the concert???" she started to get excited again.

"Yes of course.  When is it again?" I asked.

"On Friday!  YAAAAAAAAAY!" she started screaming yet again.

"Ok ok! Hahaha.  What time do you want me to pick you up on Friday?" I asked her, realizing that Friday was the day after tomorrow.

"Um..how about 8?  Cause the concert starts at around 9:30." she said all giggly and happy.

"Sounds good.  8 it is.  I'll see you on Friday at 8 then?" I confirmed.

"Yup!  Talk to you later hon.   Love ya!" she said.

"Love you too!" we hung up.

Backstreet Boys.  Wow.  I'd heard some of their music recently, and it sounded pretty decent.  I don't think I would have gone and bought tickets to one of their concerts, but they were ok never the less.  I went up to my room to see if I had anything special to wear for the concert, and was totally shocked to find nothing I felt comfortable wearing at a concert.  I decided to go shopping.  Something I really enjoyed doing anyway.

**At the mall*

As I walked into the mall, I noticed that it wasn't swarming with teenagers tonight.  I wonder why.  Usually it's really busy.  The only thing I could come up with, was maybe there was an all ages dance or something.  There are a few clubs in this city that do that quite often.  I walked through the mall occasionally stopping to look at some clothes.  I couldn't seem to find anything interesting.  Then I came across Le Chateau.   "They're SURE to have something." I said to myself smiling.  I walked in and made my way over to the men's clothing area.

I sifted through some shirts, and some pants.   Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something.  Someone was staring at me.   Before I had the chance to turn and look, one of the employee's came up to me.

"Is there anything I can help you with here tonight sir?" she asked smiling.

"Actually, I'm just looking thanks." I replied returning the smile.

As I turned back to the shirts, I still felt like I was being watched.  I turned and notice the guy turn his face quickly.   He was short, with reddish hair.  He looked kind of cute actually.  I decided to find out just what it was he was looking at.  I walked over to him.

"Hi there." I said smiling.  He turned and looked at me and his face went white.

"Uh..hi there.." he managed to stutter out.

"Was there something in specific you liked so much about me?  Or is what my best friend tells me true?" I grinned.

"Uh..what does your best friend tell you?" he asked trying to hide that he was ashamed.

"Well, she says I'm irresistibly gorgeous." I laughed.

He chuckled.  "I'm not sure of either." he grinned.

Just then one of the doors of the dressing rooms, which were right beside us, flew open and a tall dark haired green eyed god walked out rather quickly.

"What do you think?" he asked excitedly, obviously asking the red head.

"Uh...it looks good.." he said trying not to blush.

"Really?" the taller one asked smiling.

"Uh yeah.." he said laughing.   "Um..this is...Kevin..my cousin.  I'm Brian.  Kevin, this is..." he pointed to me curiously.

"Oh!  My name's Rick." I extended my hand, "Nice to meet you Brian, and Kevin."

They both shook my hand, and Kevin gave Brian an odd look.

"I guess I'll get back to my shopping.   It was nice meeting you guys." I said rather hesitantly.  As I turned to walk away, I noticed Kevin had been staring at me from the corner of his eye and smiling.   God what a gorgeous smile.

I walked back over to the clothing I was previously looking at, and began sifting through them again.  I couldn't help but notice how weird that was back there with those 2 guys.  I shrugged it off.  I found a cute little shirt and some great pants and walked to the cash.  I paid for my items and made my way to the entrance of the store.

"Hey Rick!" I heard from behind me.   "Wait up!"

I turned and notice Brian was jogging to catch up to me.

"Hi!" I said.  "What's up?"

"Nothing much.  Kevin and I were just wondering whether you'd like to join us for lunch.  We're from out of town, and we really don't know this city that well.  What do ya say?"

"Uh...sure..I guess." I was puzzled.

"Ok great!  Kevin will be right out." he smiled.

Ok this was just too weird.  To good looking guys, are asking me out to lunch.  And neither of them now I'm gay.   Ok...so I was over-reacting.  It could be exactly what they said.  They were from out of town and need someone to show them around.  I don't know.  My hormone's were taking over.  I just HAD to get to know these guys a bit better.

A moment later, Kevin joined us and smiled.   "Is everything ok?"

"Yup." Brian replied giving him a funny look.

"Uh..ok.  Did you guys want to stay here?  Or did you want to go to a restaurant?" I asked.

"Well, a restaurant sounds nice." Brian said.

"Do you guys have a car?" I asked.

"Nope." Kevin replied.  "Do you?"

"Yup.  Follow me." I said with a smile.  And they did.

Ok..now my mind was racing.  I'm taking these guys to lunch.  What am I doing?!  And where's Heather?!  What would she do?  Actually...I don't need to ask that.  She'd probably have these guys in her car undressed and begging for more before they could tell her their names.  I laughed out loud by accident.

"Are you ok?" asked Kevin.

"Oh...sorry.." I blushed.   "This is kind of weird.  I don't normally invite strangers to come in to my car.  I was just thinking about what my best friend would do in this situation."

"Oh hehe." Kevin giggled.

Oh my god.  He's so gorgeous, and cute, and sooooo...um...not my type.  I've never been attracted to giggling.  What am I saying?  I don't even know these guys.  And here I am wondering which one I'm attracted to most.  This is just sad.

Once we reached my car, Kevin said he would sit up front, and Brian only flashed him a smile without any argument.  I found that really strange.  They smile at each other lot's.

"Ok," I said before I unlocked the doors.  "Let's get one things straight.  Are you guys mass murderer's that are going to cut me up and sell me on the black market for millions of dollars after we grab a bite to eat?"

They both looked at me and burst into laughter.

"No." They answered in unison.

"Ok good." I unlocked the door and chuckled to myself.

We drove around a bit, and I showed them a few things I found worthy of pointing out.  Then we pulled up to a little place I frequented.  It's called, The Spritz.  It's a little club that serves food during the day.  It's actually rather elegant looking during the day.  At night, it looks like a big warehouse with a dance floor from one end to the other.

We walked in, and were seated by the waitress.   We ordered something to drink and engrossed ourselves in the menu's.

"What do you suggest?" Brian asked.

"Well...I like the Steak." I said smiling.

"Hmm.  Are the ribs any good?" Kevin asked.

"I think they are.  I've had them once.  They weren't that bad." I answered.

"I think I'm gonna have the burger." Brian chuckled.

"What else is new." Kevin retorted.

I chuckled a little.

We ordered our food, and as we waited for it to come, we indulged in some small talk.  I told them about a few more places, and some clubs and bars and what not.  They mostly nodded and smiled the whole time.   About 10 minutes later, our food arrived and we ate.

After we ate, I asked them if they had enjoyed their meal.

"Yes!  Very much so!" Kevin said with a smile.  "Thank you for bringing us here."

"Mmmmm" Brian said with his mouth still full of what was left of the burger he had just inhaled.

"I'll take care of the bill." Kevin said standing up.

"No no!  It's ok.  I've got it." I said standing up as well.

"No.  I insist.  It's the least we could do for having you bring us here." he smiled.

"Ok then.." I said sitting back down.   Hey, I wasn't about to argue with this gorgeous hunk of a man!

Kevin went and paid the bill and returned.

"We should get going.  We have a busy day tomorrow." Kevin said to Brian.

"Did you guys need a lift?" I asked

"Sure, if that's ok with you?" Kevin asked.

"Not a problem." I said as I smiled.   Ok.  I must have just imagined something here.  Cause I could have swore Kevin just winked at me.  Oh my god.  Did he really just wink at me?  I flashed him a smile, and he smiled back.  Ok this was just too weird.

I asked them where they were staying, and they named the hotel.  It was one of the big ones, and was located downtown.  It took about 10 minutes to get there through all the traffic.

Once we reached the hotel, I stepped out of the car with them.

"Thank you very much Rick!." Brian said as he turned and walked towards the hotel.  I thought that was kind of rude.   See if I ever take another stranger out to lunch!  Kevin on the other hand, shook my hand and thanked me with a smile.  Err..what's this?  He put something in my hand.  I just shoved it into my pocket and smiled at him.

"See ya around!" he said as he headed into the hotel.

I smiled and nodded and quickly jumped into my car.  I took the paper out and opened it and read it.

Hey Rick!

Just wanted to thank you for this evening.   We had fun.  Eh...this might sound a little forward, and maybe a little awkward, but I'd really like to get to know you better.  Give me a call!

Sincerely,

Kevin
<phone #>

Ok..now I was just blushing uncontrollably.   I started on my way home, but instead of stopping at my driveway, I just continued to Heather's.  I parked the car and ran to her door.  She had seen my pull up and had already been at the door waiting.

"Why....are you running?" she asked looking at me like I was a freak.

"Oh my god...you are so not going to believe this..." I said barging past her into her house.

"What what?!" she got all excited.

I handed her the note.  She read it and giggled.

"Is he cute?!" she giggled louder.

"He's gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed.  "It was so fucked up though..."

I went on to tell her the story.  When I mentioned their names, she kind of had this weird look, like she was in deep thought or something.  But as I continued the story, she stopped.  After I finished telling her, she got all excited again.

"It's about time!" she yelled.

"I know!" I said almost yelling with her.

"Are you gonna call him?" she asked.

"I might.." I grinned.

She yayed and gave me a huge hug.  We talked for a bit after that, and then I went home to sleep.  I slept rather good.

The next morning, I awoke much earlier then usually, and found that I was completely refreshed.

I showered, brushed my teeth and was just about ready to dress myself for work, when I realized I didn't work today.  Joy.  What was I going to do now?  As I pondered this, I noticed the little note that Kevin had given me yesterday sitting on the counter.  Should I or shouldn't I?  It's only been a day, and I wouldn't want to sound too anxious.  I decided to call Heather to see what she had to say.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Heather!" I almost screamed.

"Rick!  What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing much.  I forgot that I don't have to head in to work today." I said smiling.

"Oooo.  You gonna call Kevin?" she laughed.

"I'm not sure.  Maybe I will." I laughed with her.

"Well you do that.  Then let me know what happens.  I kind of have to go.  I have a few errands to run, and there's something I want to look in to." she said as a matter of factly.

"Ok.  Talk to you later Heather!" I giggled.

As soon as I had hung up with her, I decided to call the number Kevin gave me.

"Hello?" A voice asked on the other end.  It was about time.  It had rung like 20 times.

"H..hi.  Is Kevin there?" I asked hesitating.

"That's me!" Kevin said.

"Hey!  This is um...Rick.  From yesterday?" I said making it sound like I was asking him if he remembered.

"Oh!  Hi there!  How's it going?" he sounded really excited.

"It's going.  Apparently I don't have to work today, so I have a lot a free time." I said trying not to sound over excited.

"Oh that cool.  I have some free time as well.  Feel like doing something?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Sure.  What did you have in mind?" I asked getting a bit excited now.

"I'm not sure." he laughed, "What do you suggest?"

"Well.  I do have to go run a few errands.  If you'd like, you could tag along, and we could get some lunch or something?" I suggested rather proud of myself for not just blurting out, 'Come over!   Let's have sex!'.

"That sounds like a plan!  Sure!   I'll meet you at the hotel's entrance in about a half hour.  How's that?" he asked.

"Sounds good!  What about Brian?   Will he be coming along?" I asked, afterwards kicking myself for even suggesting it.

"Um...no...actually...Brian's a bit...busy..is that ok?" he started to sound a bit disappointed.

"Nope!  That's ok.  It'll just be the 2 of us then." I chuckled without even realizing it.

"Ok great!  I'll see you in a half hour then." he sounded excited again.

After we had hung up, I ran around the house looking for something to wear.  Thank god I did laundry the other day.

I was soon dressed, smelling nice, and in my car on my way to Kevin's hotel.  It took me about 10 minutes to get there.  There wasn't much traffic, but he was on the other side of the city.  Once I reached the hotel, I noticed Kevin standing there waiting for me.  God did he ever look gorgeous.   He noticed me pulling up and smiled.  I couldn't help but blush and giggle.

"Hey Rick!" Kevin said extending his hand.

"Hiya Kevin." I said, also extending my hand.

We smiled at each other, and I began to drive away...

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There you go!  Chapter 2.  Oh boy do I have soooo much to write.  My mind has been going ballistic over the past couple of days.  I have so much planned for this story.  I hope that I can keep you guys interested long enough to see all of it take place.  Just a fair warning, this is NOT a quick fix.  And no, you may not email me and ask me to add more sex.  I refuse to ruin the sentimental value, romance, or the sadness that this story will have.  This is meant to give your emotions an orgasm, not your hard on.  I'd be glad to see some thought's/ideas/comments/suggestions/and even tasteful criticism if you have the time (Just don't ask for me to implement more sex scenes.  I stand firmly on that subject.).   I'm available via: gussie@neoncrayon.com