Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 17:13:13 -0400 (EDT) From: bsbwriter@altavista.net Subject: Adam, Zach and BSB, parts 31-33 Legal Note: Please don't read this if you are under the age of 18 years or the particular age of permission where ever you live.The story below is in all parts fictional. All portayal of the Backstreet Boys and other persons mentioned is in no way based on fact. All other characters are completely fictional. All names, songs, events, and other liscensed material remains so. Thank you. Hey guys. Here's the long awaited parts 31, 32 and 33 such as they are. Its pretty short, and quiet, but I promise, the next part is going to be full of action. That should be out next week or so. I am just about smothered with school work. Thanks to Kevin P. (not R.), mystery guy T, yuli the humble, Jeff the romantic, Rich the busy scholar, bob the exclamatory, and the very nice Mr. Motto. My readers are really the only ones that can motivate me. Also, to thanks to my informal editor, DLS, (author of Brian&Me) for fixing everything up. As always, write me with comments, critiques and compliments. Also: So what do YOU think the plan is? e-mail me! the mystery remains EG p.s. e-mail me if you want a folder of 100+ Kev pics... Part 31 I stormed out of the office and found Kevin sitting in the waiting room. I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the elevator. "What's wrong?" he asked with a pained tone. I just shook my head, determined to hold back tears. We got to the car. It was only after we were on the road that I let my tears out. They were fear stricken, brokenhearted, uncontrollable sobs. I refused to let myself think about all the different levels of this forced ejection. Instead, I just focused on the pain radiating from heart. Kevin finally got us to the compound and I ran into Kevin's house and flopped down onto my bed. "What is it?" Kevin said. I told him all about the conversation with Sean, and, as I did, he held me. When I finished, eyes red, Kevin was enraged and stricken. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "What can I do? I have to leave. Otherwise they'll arrest me." "But, that's," he let out a strained, somewhat delirious chuckle. "That's ridiculous. I just found you. You-you can't leave," Kevin started to whimper. "You think I want to?" I asked, sadly. "No, its just-" Just then we both heard footsteps. Looking up, I saw AJ. "What's wrong?" he asked. I told the story again, broken by my sobs. He hugged me and told me to call Zach. It was a good idea, since it would no doubt affect him too. The phone rang and he wasn't in his hotel room. Kev suggested calling Nick's. He was there, and so was Zach. "Hi," I said, attempting to sound normal. "Hey, what's up?" "Um," I drew in my breath, loosing it, "It's something important. Could you come over?" "Okay, is everything all right?" "Not really, I'll explain it when you get here." "Okay." We hung up. In a few moments, Kevin let the knocking Zach and Nick in and led him to the living room where we had relocated. For the third time, I told the story of the meeting. Zach didn't react, or perhaps he did, by not reacting. He sat there, in complete silence, breathing lightly and eyes wide open. Nick hugged him and he buried his face in Nick's shoulder. "Guys," AJ said. "This is dumb. We can't let Sean and the management do this to our friends-" he looked at Kevin and Nick, "and your boyfriends. Don't you think we can do something?" "Yeah," Kevin said, getting up, "but lets call Brian and Howie first so they know what's going on." Everyone nodded and AJ called the two. They came after a few minutes, and the next few hours were a fusion of tears, yells and hugs. In the end, we had decided what to do. We comforted each other and gathered ourselves. For now, it was business as usual, and there was a party to get ready for. All of us decided to go shopping-we split up. I went with Zach, (I wanted what I wore to be a surprise to Kevin), Kevin went with Brian, and Nick, Howie and AJ headed to a trendy, expensive area an hour away. Nick gave us his car for the day. I like to shop; Zach doesn't. Because of this, we got his shopping over with first. That way, he could head back to the hotel while I spent the rest of the day shopping for me. I don't mind shopping alone. Actually, its better if I do. I have a method in which I pick four or five stores and survey. Then, I go back to each store and look more thoroughly, try stuff on. We entered the first shop we found on the street, which had a mix of higher and lower end designers. It was a wash, and Zach managed to look horrible in everything he put on. Its not that he has a bad body. He's just more frat boy built than model type. So, I, of course, did what a good friend would do-tease him. I even got one of the sales ladies to crack a smile. Leaving that store, we found a Guess across the street. We went into it at my pleading. Zach was ready to go to the party in a t-shirt and jeans. Instead, the first outfit we found him was perfect. Since it was a pool party, we wanted to go casual. The shirt was light blue, with a navy Hawaiian flower print across the chest. The pants were navy blue, with very thin strips of light blue going down the sides. We bought him a pair of plain black sandals at Aldo, and a Jamaican shell necklace at a little accessory shop. I took him back to his hotel and set out for my own shopping adventure. First I went to a store called Youth Revolution. I specced the clothing and waved off the goat-eed sales guy. Then I went back to the Guess, and then a vintage place called Ver Unica. Then I really shopped. I tried on the final outfit in the Guess dressing room. A sales girl behind me watched as I modeled for myself in the mirror. I wore a white sleeve-less t-shirt, (Guess) a red quilted vest, (YR) and a pair of nicely fitting aged jeans (Guess) rolled up once at the bottom. The shoes, from Ver Unica, were matte black buckled sandals. The clerk sighed. "You have really good taste," she smiled into the mirror. I turned and said, "Thanks." "So, are you gay or famous?" "Why do you say that?" "Look at that outfit." "Um" I said, giving her a mischievous smile, "Maybe both." I said, pausing, "Maybe neither?" She laughed and went to the cash register to ring up a waiting customer. I bought the jeans and t-shirt and left with my packages. I felt noticeably better in contrast to this morning. I headed back to the compound and gathered my stuff up. The boys were still all out, and it was already five. Part of our plan to avoid my arrest was to move to a room in Zach's hotel. I called a taxi and loaded my luggage. For the first few minutes, the cabby was very quiet. Then all of a sudden, he said, "I know you from somewhere." I swallowed hard and asked, "Where?" "I dunno," he said, glancing at me in the mirror. "Are you famous?" "No," I said, with a contrived laugh. "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. "Well, you know, as sure as a person can be..." I said, smiling again. "But you look to familiar," the cabby said, pressing on. I shrugged. "Ever been in Cuba?" "No," I said. "I'm from Cuba," he grinned, "when I was a little boy, my father, an American soldier, took my mother and me into the states as soon as he had saved up enough money for a house. I've lived here since I was eight. But I go visit my aunts and uncles there a lot. I thought maybe I recognized you from there..." I breathed a sigh of relief. "No, I've never been to Cuba-not many Americans have.." "Yeah I guess you're right.." The cabby was quiet for a while and then said, "This is going to bother me all night." He pulled up to the hotel. "I'm sorry I can't help you," I said, honestly, and paid him along with a large tip. He helped unload the bags and put them on the luggage cart. He shook his head smiling, and muttered to himself. I waved goodbye and went into the lobby. I gave the woman at the desk my name and credit card, and she gave me my key. The bell boy led me up to the room, I tipped him, and closed the door. The room was quiet. It was going to take some getting used to not seeing Kevin as much, but it was a sacrifice for later riches. I laid down on my back, on the bed, and closed my eyes to think. Part 32 I awoke to the ringing of the hotel phone. I shook myself conscious and answered it. "Hello?" "Hey!" It was Kevin. "Hi!" I said, brightening. "Where've you been?" "Oh-" he was right. "I fell asleep." "I was worried about you, when you didn't call." "I'm sorry...What time is it?" "Ten." "Oh! Do you want to go dancing?" "Its ten in the morning, Adam." "Oh." I said. Its Saturday morning. I had been asleep for a very long time. "And its Saturday, right?" Kevin laughed despite himself. "Yeah, yeah it is. What'd you do, sleep for, like, sixteen hours straight?" "Yeah, I guess," I said sheepishly. "Okay, Rip Van Winkle, want to go out for brunch?" "Mmm. Rather stay in..." "I think we can arrange that." "So you comin' over?" "Yeah, in a little bit..." "Okay, see you then, love..." "Bye-ee.." I blushed as I hung up the phone. I smelled some stale, rank odor, and I looked about for its origin. Then I realized it was me. About time for a shower. I scrawled a little note telling Kev the key was on the top of the molding of the door and to let himself in. Ducking out, I balanced the key carefully and wedged the note in the door. I jumped in the shower. I let the warm water envelop me. After I had washed my hair, I let my eyes close half way. I must have fallen asleep again, (who knows why I was tired), but my eyes flew open when I felt a rush of cool air on my back. "Nice ass," someone said, who then laughed. Please let it be Kevin. I spun around, using the curtain as a cover, and saw Kevin smirking sweetly. "Hey lover!" I said. "Heyyy." "Why don't you leave for a sec, and I'll be out in a moment, k?" "K." he said, giggling. When I emerged in a white hotel bathrobe five minutes later, I saw Kev sitting on the edge of my bed. My heart stopped. "Hi there," he said. "Hi," I said and raised my eyebrow seductively. I sat down lightly next to him on the bed. He leaned in for a kiss. We kissed for a few moments, but he pulled away after biting my lip lightly. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I'm just too worried about the Sean thing." "Well, me too, but I'm trying to stay calm about it..." I trailed off. "How can I stay calm?" Kevin started to cry. "Its (sob) illegal (sob) to (sob) be with (sob) the man I (sob) love." I wrapped my arms around him. "We have the plan...If it works out..." "And if it doesn't?" he sniffed. "It will," I said, looking him in the eyes. "It has to, right?" I smiled. "Yeah, it does." "Come on, cheer up. I'm hungry..." "You really are hungry?" He looked surprised. "Yeah, what'd you think?" I said, coyly. "I dunno..." Kev smiled his beautiful smile as I picked up the phone for room service. "What do you want?" I asked. "You!" He said, grabbing me at the waist, and biting me lightly on the earlobe. I giggled. "No, really!" "Ummm....strawberries, and...rice crispies!" "Rice crispies?" I laughed-he was such a little boy sometimes. "Yes." he said with the assured expression of a small boy. I kissed him on the cheek and dialed room service. I ordered Kev's rice crsipies and strawberries and my grapefruit and coffee. They said it would be up in a few minutes. I thanked them and hung up. I fell back on the couch. We watched television, for a little while. I wanted to watch MTV, but Kevin refused. "I'm not in the mood for ego-stroking," he said firmly with a touch of a smile. Instead we settled on an 80s Christian Slater movie on a cable channel. In a little while we knocking and a voice saying, "Room service!" Kevin pointed to himself and then the bathroom, and I nodded. Meanwhile, I turned off the TV and went to the door. I looked through the peephole, and it was indeed a guy about my age in the hotel uniform. I opened the door. He wheeled in the food, I signed the bill and tipped him. He smiled amicably and I wished him a goodbye. When he was gone, I said a little loudly, "NO! Kevin Richardson in NOT hiding in my bathroom (pause) Well if that's they way you feel, you can go check!" I laughed to myself and made large steps over the to the bathroom and knocked loudly. In a deep disguised voice, "Mr. Richardson?" I bellowed. There was no answer. I opened the door and Kev was no where to be found. Then I zeroed in on the slightly rustling shower curtain. I smiled a Cheshire Cat smile and tore open the curtain. "AHHHHHH!!!!" Kevin screamed and screwed his eyes shut, crouched in the corner of the stall. I bent down and kissed him squarely on the lips as his eyes flew open in surprise. He stood up quickly and flung me over his shoulder. I flailed around until he deposited with a gentle force on the bed next to the table. I was suddenly aware I was in a bathrobe. "Lemme go get dressed, okay?" I said, and he nodded. I grabbed a ball of jeans and a black polo shirt. I got dressed, and when I came back, I saw Kev with his ear to his bowl of rice crispies. I crept over and whispered, "What are they saying?" He sat up and said, "They were asking how I got so lucky." "And what'd you say?" "I told them it was fate." I smiled and kissed him on the neck. We ate our breakfasts, and decided we would go shopping for Howie's birthday presents. We ended our meal with a strangely seductive sharing of the tooth brush. part 33 It was Monday morning. I woke up with a headache and remembered what a Sunday it had been. Saturday had gone smoothly, Kevin and I had gone out to get Howie's presents. Only once had he been recognized, by a small girl whose screams had been quieted by an autograph. Even Saturday night went well, when the boys and I had a pizza party in Zach's hotel room. Despite Sean's warnings, Nick and Zach seemed to only get closer. It was the same with Kev and I. Then Sunday came-the Sunday of the Plan, and what was, to Sean's knowledge, Zach's and mine last Sunday with the Backstreet Boys. * * * We all spent Sunday morning jet and water skiing on a lake a few minutes from the compound. Tans were perfected. Kevin, Nick, Zach and I were too worried about the execution of the plan in mere hours to loosen up. AJ, Amanda, Brian and Howie had enough fun for all of us, though. Fans brave enough to approach any of the boys got a smile, a hug and an autograph if they had a pen and something to write on. At five, we all headed back to our respective rooms to get dressed and readied ourselves for the party. We met again at the party location at seven. Zach and I arrived in a taxi and made a grand entrance in our party duds. New clothes can definitely make a guy feel at least a little better. The catcalls from the laughing group of our own personal pop stars didn't hurt either. Kevin walked up to me and motioned for me to follow him. He led me to a small alcove in a little out-of-the-way hallway. Drawing me in close, he kissed me and I kissed back. We held each other in a strong embrace, and then he pulled away. "Are you ready for tonight?" I nodded. "Are you?" "Yeah. Its gonna be hard, but I can do it." "Are you sure you want to?" "Yeah, I'm sure. This may sound corny, but I'm more sure about this than anything...ever." I ruffled his hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Okay then, let's go." Kevin squeezed my hand one last time, and we broke apart. T minus 10 minutes to party time. to be continued Legal Note: Please don't read this if you are under the age of 18 years or the particular age of permission where ever you live.The story below is in all parts fictional. All portayal of the Backstreet Boys and other persons mentioned is in no way based on fact. All other characters are completely fictional. All names, songs, events, and other liscensed material remains so. Thank you. Hey guys. Here's the long awaited parts 31, 32 and 33 such as they are. Its pretty short, and quiet, but I promise, the next part is going to be full of action. That should be out next week or so. I am just about smothered with school work. Thanks to Kevin P. (not R.), mystery guy T, yuli the humble, Jeff the romantic, Rich the busy scholar, bob the exclamatory, and the very nice Mr. Motto. My readers are really the only ones that can motivate me. Also, to thanks to my informal editor, DLS, (author of Brian&Me) for fixing everything up. As always, write me with comments, critiques and compliments. Also: So what do YOU think the plan is? e-mail me! the mystery remains EG p.s. e-mail me if you want a folder of 100+ Kev pics... Part 31 I stormed out of the office and found Kevin sitting in the waiting room. I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the elevator. "What's wrong?" he asked with a pained tone. I just shook my head, determined to hold back tears. We got to the car. It was only after we were on the road that I let my tears out. They were fear stricken, brokenhearted, uncontrollable sobs. I refused to let myself think about all the different levels of this forced ejection. Instead, I just focused on the pain radiating from heart. Kevin finally got us to the compound and I ran into Kevin's house and flopped down onto my bed. "What is it?" Kevin said. I told him all about the conversation with Sean, and, as I did, he held me. When I finished, eyes red, Kevin was enraged and stricken. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "What can I do? I have to leave. Otherwise they'll arrest me." "But, that's," he let out a strained, somewhat delirious chuckle. "That's ridiculous. I just found you. You-you can't leave," Kevin started to whimper. "You think I want to?" I asked, sadly. "No, its just-" Just then we both heard footsteps. Looking up, I saw AJ. "What's wrong?" he asked. I told the story again, broken by my sobs. He hugged me and told me to call Zach. It was a good idea, since it would no doubt affect him too. The phone rang and he wasn't in his hotel room. Kev suggested calling Nick's. He was there, and so was Zach. "Hi," I said, attempting to sound normal. "Hey, what's up?" "Um," I drew in my breath, loosing it, "It's something important. Could you come over?" "Okay, is everything all right?" "Not really, I'll explain it when you get here." "Okay." We hung up. In a few moments, Kevin let the knocking Zach and Nick in and led him to the living room where we had relocated. For the third time, I told the story of the meeting. Zach didn't react, or perhaps he did, by not reacting. He sat there, in complete silence, breathing lightly and eyes wide open. Nick hugged him and he buried his face in Nick's shoulder. "Guys," AJ said. "This is dumb. We can't let Sean and the management do this to our friends-" he looked at Kevin and Nick, "and your boyfriends. Don't you think we can do something?" "Yeah," Kevin said, getting up, "but lets call Brian and Howie first so they know what's going on." Everyone nodded and AJ called the two. They came after a few minutes, and the next few hours were a fusion of tears, yells and hugs. In the end, we had decided what to do. We comforted each other and gathered ourselves. For now, it was business as usual, and there was a party to get ready for. All of us decided to go shopping-we split up. I went with Zach, (I wanted what I wore to be a surprise to Kevin), Kevin went with Brian, and Nick, Howie and AJ headed to a trendy, expensive area an hour away. Nick gave us his car for the day. I like to shop; Zach doesn't. Because of this, we got his shopping over with first. That way, he could head back to the hotel while I spent the rest of the day shopping for me. I don't mind shopping alone. Actually, its better if I do. I have a method in which I pick four or five stores and survey. Then, I go back to each store and look more thoroughly, try stuff on. We entered the first shop we found on the street, which had a mix of higher and lower end designers. It was a wash, and Zach managed to look horrible in everything he put on. Its not that he has a bad body. He's just more frat boy built than model type. So, I, of course, did what a good friend would do-tease him. I even got one of the sales ladies to crack a smile. Leaving that store, we found a Guess across the street. We went into it at my pleading. Zach was ready to go to the party in a t-shirt and jeans. Instead, the first outfit we found him was perfect. Since it was a pool party, we wanted to go casual. The shirt was light blue, with a navy Hawaiian flower print across the chest. The pants were navy blue, with very thin strips of light blue going down the sides. We bought him a pair of plain black sandals at Aldo, and a Jamaican shell necklace at a little accessory shop. I took him back to his hotel and set out for my own shopping adventure. First I went to a store called Youth Revolution. I specced the clothing and waved off the goat-eed sales guy. Then I went back to the Guess, and then a vintage place called Ver Unica. Then I really shopped. I tried on the final outfit in the Guess dressing room. A sales girl behind me watched as I modeled for myself in the mirror. I wore a white sleeve-less t-shirt, (Guess) a red quilted vest, (YR) and a pair of nicely fitting aged jeans (Guess) rolled up once at the bottom. The shoes, from Ver Unica, were matte black buckled sandals. The clerk sighed. "You have really good taste," she smiled into the mirror. I turned and said, "Thanks." "So, are you gay or famous?" "Why do you say that?" "Look at that outfit." "Um" I said, giving her a mischievous smile, "Maybe both." I said, pausing, "Maybe neither?" She laughed and went to the cash register to ring up a waiting customer. I bought the jeans and t-shirt and left with my packages. I felt noticeably better in contrast to this morning. I headed back to the compound and gathered my stuff up. The boys were still all out, and it was already five. Part of our plan to avoid my arrest was to move to a room in Zach's hotel. I called a taxi and loaded my luggage. For the first few minutes, the cabby was very quiet. Then all of a sudden, he said, "I know you from somewhere." I swallowed hard and asked, "Where?" "I dunno," he said, glancing at me in the mirror. "Are you famous?" "No," I said, with a contrived laugh. "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. "Well, you know, as sure as a person can be..." I said, smiling again. "But you look to familiar," the cabby said, pressing on. I shrugged. "Ever been in Cuba?" "No," I said. "I'm from Cuba," he grinned, "when I was a little boy, my father, an American soldier, took my mother and me into the states as soon as he had saved up enough money for a house. I've lived here since I was eight. But I go visit my aunts and uncles there a lot. I thought maybe I recognized you from there..." I breathed a sigh of relief. "No, I've never been to Cuba-not many Americans have.." "Yeah I guess you're right.." The cabby was quiet for a while and then said, "This is going to bother me all night." He pulled up to the hotel. "I'm sorry I can't help you," I said, honestly, and paid him along with a large tip. He helped unload the bags and put them on the luggage cart. He shook his head smiling, and muttered to himself. I waved goodbye and went into the lobby. I gave the woman at the desk my name and credit card, and she gave me my key. The bell boy led me up to the room, I tipped him, and closed the door. The room was quiet. It was going to take some getting used to not seeing Kevin as much, but it was a sacrifice for later riches. I laid down on my back, on the bed, and closed my eyes to think. Part 32 I awoke to the ringing of the hotel phone. I shook myself conscious and answered it. "Hello?" "Hey!" It was Kevin. "Hi!" I said, brightening. "Where've you been?" "Oh-" he was right. "I fell asleep." "I was worried about you, when you didn't call." "I'm sorry...What time is it?" "Ten." "Oh! Do you want to go dancing?" "Its ten in the morning, Adam." "Oh." I said. Its Saturday morning. I had been asleep for a very long time. "And its Saturday, right?" Kevin laughed despite himself. "Yeah, yeah it is. What'd you do, sleep for, like, sixteen hours straight?" "Yeah, I guess," I said sheepishly. "Okay, Rip Van Winkle, want to go out for brunch?" "Mmm. Rather stay in..." "I think we can arrange that." "So you comin' over?" "Yeah, in a little bit..." "Okay, see you then, love..." "Bye-ee.." I blushed as I hung up the phone. I smelled some stale, rank odor, and I looked about for its origin. Then I realized it was me. About time for a shower. I scrawled a little note telling Kev the key was on the top of the molding of the door and to let himself in. Ducking out, I balanced the key carefully and wedged the note in the door. I jumped in the shower. I let the warm water envelop me. After I had washed my hair, I let my eyes close half way. I must have fallen asleep again, (who knows why I was tired), but my eyes flew open when I felt a rush of cool air on my back. "Nice ass," someone said, who then laughed. Please let it be Kevin. I spun around, using the curtain as a cover, and saw Kevin smirking sweetly. "Hey lover!" I said. "Heyyy." "Why don't you leave for a sec, and I'll be out in a moment, k?" "K." he said, giggling. When I emerged in a white hotel bathrobe five minutes later, I saw Kev sitting on the edge of my bed. My heart stopped. "Hi there," he said. "Hi," I said and raised my eyebrow seductively. I sat down lightly next to him on the bed. He leaned in for a kiss. We kissed for a few moments, but he pulled away after biting my lip lightly. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I'm just too worried about the Sean thing." "Well, me too, but I'm trying to stay calm about it..." I trailed off. "How can I stay calm?" Kevin started to cry. "Its (sob) illegal (sob) to (sob) be with (sob) the man I (sob) love." I wrapped my arms around him. "We have the plan...If it works out..." "And if it doesn't?" he sniffed. "It will," I said, looking him in the eyes. "It has to, right?" I smiled. "Yeah, it does." "Come on, cheer up. I'm hungry..." "You really are hungry?" He looked surprised. "Yeah, what'd you think?" I said, coyly. "I dunno..." Kev smiled his beautiful smile as I picked up the phone for room service. "What do you want?" I asked. "You!" He said, grabbing me at the waist, and biting me lightly on the earlobe. I giggled. "No, really!" "Ummm....strawberries, and...rice crispies!" "Rice crispies?" I laughed-he was such a little boy sometimes. "Yes." he said with the assured expression of a small boy. I kissed him on the cheek and dialed room service. I ordered Kev's rice crsipies and strawberries and my grapefruit and coffee. They said it would be up in a few minutes. I thanked them and hung up. I fell back on the couch. We watched television, for a little while. I wanted to watch MTV, but Kevin refused. "I'm not in the mood for ego-stroking," he said firmly with a touch of a smile. Instead we settled on an 80s Christian Slater movie on a cable channel. In a little while we knocking and a voice saying, "Room service!" Kevin pointed to himself and then the bathroom, and I nodded. Meanwhile, I turned off the TV and went to the door. I looked through the peephole, and it was indeed a guy about my age in the hotel uniform. I opened the door. He wheeled in the food, I signed the bill and tipped him. He smiled amicably and I wished him a goodbye. When he was gone, I said a little loudly, "NO! Kevin Richardson in NOT hiding in my bathroom (pause) Well if that's they way you feel, you can go check!" I laughed to myself and made large steps over the to the bathroom and knocked loudly. In a deep disguised voice, "Mr. Richardson?" I bellowed. There was no answer. I opened the door and Kev was no where to be found. Then I zeroed in on the slightly rustling shower curtain. I smiled a Cheshire Cat smile and tore open the curtain. "AHHHHHH!!!!" Kevin screamed and screwed his eyes shut, crouched in the corner of the stall. I bent down and kissed him squarely on the lips as his eyes flew open in surprise. He stood up quickly and flung me over his shoulder. I flailed around until he deposited with a gentle force on the bed next to the table. I was suddenly aware I was in a bathrobe. "Lemme go get dressed, okay?" I said, and he nodded. I grabbed a ball of jeans and a black polo shirt. I got dressed, and when I came back, I saw Kev with his ear to his bowl of rice crispies. I crept over and whispered, "What are they saying?" He sat up and said, "They were asking how I got so lucky." "And what'd you say?" "I told them it was fate." I smiled and kissed him on the neck. We ate our breakfasts, and decided we would go shopping for Howie's birthday presents. We ended our meal with a strangely seductive sharing of the tooth brush. part 33 It was Monday morning. I woke up with a headache and remembered what a Sunday it had been. Saturday had gone smoothly, Kevin and I had gone out to get Howie's presents. Only once had he been recognized, by a small girl whose screams had been quieted by an autograph. Even Saturday night went well, when the boys and I had a pizza party in Zach's hotel room. Despite Sean's warnings, Nick and Zach seemed to only get closer. It was the same with Kev and I. Then Sunday came-the Sunday of the Plan, and what was, to Sean's knowledge, Zach's and mine last Sunday with the Backstreet Boys. * * * We all spent Sunday morning jet and water skiing on a lake a few minutes from the compound. Tans were perfected. Kevin, Nick, Zach and I were too worried about the execution of the plan in mere hours to loosen up. AJ, Amanda, Brian and Howie had enough fun for all of us, though. Fans brave enough to approach any of the boys got a smile, a hug and an autograph if they had a pen and something to write on. At five, we all headed back to our respective rooms to get dressed and readied ourselves for the party. We met again at the party location at seven. Zach and I arrived in a taxi and made a grand entrance in our party duds. New clothes can definitely make a guy feel at least a little better. The catcalls from the laughing group of our own personal pop stars didn't hurt either. Kevin walked up to me and motioned for me to follow him. He led me to a small alcove in a little out-of-the-way hallway. Drawing me in close, he kissed me and I kissed back. We held each other in a strong embrace, and then he pulled away. "Are you ready for tonight?" I nodded. "Are you?" "Yeah. Its gonna be hard, but I can do it." "Are you sure you want to?" "Yeah, I'm sure. This may sound corny, but I'm more sure about this than anything...ever." I ruffled his hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Okay then, let's go." Kevin squeezed my hand one last time, and we broke apart. T minus 10 minutes to party time. to be continued