Kevin ran his hand across his face as he sat on the red leather couch. Howie was sitting on the other side of the room. He was on the phone with what it seemed his wife. AJ was out with some girl he met at a club a few nights ago. Brian was with Leighanne. Why were they even in this damn hotel?!? It was useless, they all should be in their homes, the tour was over, the band was over. There was nothing left to do…except do the hardest thing they have ever done in their whole career. Tell the fans that the Backstreet Boys have broken up. No! Kevin just wouldn’t accept that. There had to be some way to fix this mess. Nick had to be reasoned with. The only reason he wasn’t in the group anymore was because the other guys…AJ mainly was attacking his girlfriend and Nick felt like he was protecting her by leaving. Kevin could feel annoyance and anger build up inside of him as he thought about that. Was he really that stupid?!? Did he want to lose everything all because of one girl? His thoughts were torn when he heard Howie’s voice, and they were towards him.
Kevin looked at him with his tired eyes, “What?”
“I said,” he repeated as he sat down on the couch next to his band mate. “That Leigh is in Cali helping her mom with stuff and doesn’t know when she’ll be back.” He then looked at Kevin with serious eyes, “So what’s going on? When are we gonna tell management that the band is over?”
Kevin looked at him a little surprised. Howie was always the one fighting to fix things between the band members. He was the peacemaker. Suddenly he was just giving up, “So you’re just gonna give up just like that?”
Howie looked at him confused, “What are you talking about? Nick left the band, without him there is no more Backstreet Boys. You know that…hell, I even know that and it’s hard for me to even accept. We can’t just keep on milking that Nick is sick. Sooner or later the fans are gonna catch on…they always do.”
Kevin sat up a bit and leaned forward. He ran his hands through his spiked dark brown hair and looked at Howie, “I’ve been thinking about something. Nick is just…in a bad place right now. We gotta help him out of it.”
Howie cocked one of his brown eyebrows, “In a bad place?” He questioned, “He’s with a girl who he claims he loves! He’s probably the happiest he’s ever been. When’s the last time you saw him defend someone like that?”
Kevin knew that he was probably right, but he couldn't give up. Not when they had so many years together. They can't end...not like this. Not with so much tension. Nick was his little brother, he didn't want to lose him, “We just gotta get him to talk to us. I think if we all talked about this calmly and like adults we’ll be able to get through to him. I mean come on, do you really think this girl wants him to throw his whole life away? If she really loved him?”
Howie sighed, “Yeah you’re right, but he won’t talk to us! He’s been ignoring our calls for the past what…month! There’s no way in hell he’d even get in the same room with us.”
Suddenly Kevin had a devious look come into his eyes, “I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now. I think we have a talk with Angel. If anyone can get through to him it’s her. Maybe we can arrange to meet a place that Nick’s at? That way there’s no way he can get away from us and we can talk about everything…and I think if his girlfriend is there, it’ll be harder for him to leave. She’ll want him to talk to us…I hope.”
Howie nodded, “That is a good idea, but what about AJ? He doesn’t like her very much. If he so much as looks at her wrong Nick will jump all over his ass. What we gonna do about that?”
“I’ll talk to AJ,” answered Kevin in a firm tone. “He will not step out of line this time. All our careers are in the line! Including his.”
Howie took a deep breath, “Okay…well when do you want to do this?”
“As soon as we possibly can.” Kevin then took out his phone and scrolled through the names and then when it landed on the name he wanted, he clicked it. “Hey Angel, it’s Kevin…listen I gotta talk to you, it’s really important. It’s about your brother. Is there anyway we can meet up…” he sighed into the phone, “I know, but I want to work things out with him…you know as well as I do he can’t just leave the Backstreet Boys because of some girl, he can’t make it solo…I’m not trying to make him choose between him or his new girl…please Angel, I’m asking you as a friend. I need your help….thank you. Okay, I’ll meet you there in a few hours. Bye.” Kevin then hung up the phone and looked at Howie who was looking at him with anxious eyes, “Well, it’s all set.”
“What happened?!?” He demanded.
Kevin looked at Howie with a relieved looked, “Angel said we can meet her up at her place around six.” He glanced at the clock, “It’s two now. Angel wants what’s best for Nick, she loves him. She even told me she knows he’s going to regret leaving the group. But she’s worried that we’re gonna make him choose Kim over us. Nick is crazy about the girl…probably more than even we realize.”
“Well…if she does love him, she’ll want what’s best for him. I doubt she’ll want him to be bagging groceries for the rest of his life. Being a Backstreet Boy is all he has.”
Kevin nodded, “I know.”
“Do you think…do you think we should tell Brian?”
He shook his head, “No. I don’t want Brian or AJ knowing. AJ will fuck it all up…you know how he is.”
Howie nodded, “I know, he’s just upset. He doesn’t know how to deal with this. He loves Nick, and I think he’s just scared…he just doesn’t know how to show it. He knows he fucked up big time with him. He knows he’s the reason why Nick left.”
“We’ll tell him after we talk to Angel and set something up, but for now we just gotta keep it on the down low.”
“Okay. So what do you want to do in the meantime?” He wondered.
Kevin looked at his watch, “Kristin wants to meet for lunch in half an hour, so I gotta do that.”
“Okay, don’t be late! Angel lives like an hour away.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in time,” he reassured his band mate. “Well, I’m gonna get ready. See ya in a bit.”
Howie nodded, “Okay.”
“And remember, do not say anything to AJ, you got that?”
“Yeah, I won’t say anything,” he promised.
“Okay, good.” With that said, Kevin left the hotel room to meet with his wife.
Kimberly woke up to feeling Nick’s arms cradling her. She didn’t even know what time they got in last night, all she knew was that it was late. She couldn’t hide the smile that stretched out across her face. She felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. The king sized bed she was laying on didn’t even feel like a mattress; just a big, soft cotton ball. She could feel her stomach flip as she thought about what had happened last night. She was finally free from Laura. She actually stood up to her…with Nick’s help of course. He really was her rock. Without him she knew she would still be getting verbally abused by her roommate. She would still feel lower than low, but Nick came. He saved her. He was her hero.
She heard Nick make a soft groan and a few seconds later he opened his eyes. He turned his head so that he was looking at her and he grinned, “Morning, Baby Angel,” he mumbled.
She smiled, “Morning.”
“How’d you sleep?”
“Oh My God. Soooo good! I love your bed.”
He snorted, “Good.” He pulled her into him, “You may love the bed, but I love you.”
She laughed and shook her head, “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”
He cocked an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Because you’re so corny.”
“What, you don’t like that?” He asked, as crawled on top of her.
She giggled, “Well…I never said that.”
He smirked and his lips went onto hers, “I’m so glad you decided to stay with me.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Me too.”
Nick then got off of her and sat up, “So are you in the mood for breakfast?”
Kimberly glanced over at the clock and laughed, “Breakfast? More like lunch. Shit, it’s nearly two-thirty! I never sleep that long!!! Ugh!” She threw her back against the cloud like mattress, which caused her to bounce a bit.
Nick looked at her and laughed, “What’s so wrong with that?”
“That means I’m gonna be soo lazy today and want to do nothing but stay in bed,” she answered, with a half smile.
Nick grinned and repeated, “And what’s so wrong with that?” He crawled behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a sweet kiss on her neck, “Not like you have anywhere to be…except in my arms.”
She could feel her face glowing, “Mmm, you may be onto something, Carter.”
“I think I am,” he huskily whispered into her ear, as he nibbled on her earlobe. Kimberly could feel her heart rate pick up and chills running down her spine. She felt Nick’s hands slide inside the large T-shirt she was wearing. He grabbed the hem of it and pulled it over her head and tossed it onto the floor, “As much as I love when you wear my clothes, they look so much better on the floor.” He couldn’t hide the smirk as he saw she didn’t bother putting on a bar. He laid her down on the bed and hovered over her body and crashed his mouth down onto her. As his mouth was working with hers, his fingers slid inside the thin straps of her panties and slid them down her legs. When they were to her calves, she kicked them to the floor.
“I think you’re right,” she said, when her mouth parted from his. “Nothing is wrong with staying in bed all day.”
“Nope, nothing at all,” he answered, with a sly grin. He quickly pulled down his boxers and kicked them off onto the floor. He then grabbed onto Kimberly’s legs and she grinned when she saw how forceful he was being. He had her wrap them around his waist as he positioned himself right in between, “I love when you look at me like that,” he said, with a devious smirk.
Kimberly grinned, “What look?”
“Your bedroom eyes.” He chewed on his bottom lip, “How you’re looking at me like you want me to do everything to you.”
She flashed a bright smile, “Well baby, I do want you to do everything to me.”
“Mmm,” he groaned. “Well, your wish is my command.”
With that said, Nick plunged himself into Kimberly’s core. She let out a cry as he entered her. Nick then grabbed onto her hips as her legs were still locked around him and began to thrust into her with everything inside of him. Loud grunts were escaping him as he felt her tight walls closing in on his member. He then dropped her hips and hovered over her once again; her legs still securely around him. He pressed his lips onto hers.
“I love you,” he breathed over her mouth.
“I..love…you too,” she moaned.
He smiled and held her tight as he continued to make love to her.
Both Howie and Kevin pulled into the driveway of the large brick house. He turned off the car and looked at Howie, “Ready?”
He nodded, “What are we going to say to her?”
“Just let me do the talking.”
They both then got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Kevin rang the door bell and a few seconds later Benny opened the door. He stared at them for a moment before allowing them inside. Howie could feel his stomach tie into a knot. He followed Kevin’s lead. They both sat down on the couch in the living room. Benny sat down on the blue love seat with his eyes glued to the two like they were some sort of disease. Kevin could see how uncomfortable it was making Howie and he almost snapped and asked this guy what was his problem. Thankfully for him, Angel walked in and sat down on the love seat next to her boyfriend.
Kevin smiled when he saw her, “Hey, Angel. Thanks for having us.”
“Well, this does involve my brother and I want what’s best for him.”
“Us too,” he agreed. “Nick is like my kid brother and I feel like we need to look out for him.” He then let out a sigh, “I’m just worried he’s throwing away his life and doesn’t realize it.”
Benny glared at Kevin, “Wait, hold up. So why do you think he’s throwing his life away now? Because of whom he’s with or because there is no Backstreet Boys without him?” He shook his head in annoyance, “You’re not doing this because of Nick, you’re doing this because of yourselves. The Backstreet Boys are nothing without him and you’re freaked the fuck out.”
Kevin and Howie both looked at him in appall, “What?!?” Growled Kevin in outrage, “Nick barely finished high school. Without the band he has nothing to fall back on!”
Angel was staring at Benny in disbelief, “Baby, how can you even say that? Kevin and Howie have been there for Nick since he was just a kid.”
Howie glared at Benny, “Yeah, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh no?” Benny stood up, “So this has nothing to do with Kim? The kid is finally happy with someone and you’re pissed off because she’s not a fucking super model.”
Kevin looked at him infuriated, “What?!?” He jumped up to his feet, “What are you implying?”
“Come on! Nick told me and Angel everything. He feels you guys are treating her like shit because she isn’t walking on a runway or something. I bet if you were nicer to her and accepted her into your little circle Nick would come back. But the way you treat her pisses him off…it would piss me off too!”
“You’re confusing us with AJ,” Howie interrupted. “We never had a problem with the girl. It was his lack of good judgment. He ditched us to see her, he skipped out on a meeting and bailed on a photoshoot. So yeah, we’re pissed off that he rather drop all his duties to see her. But we’re not angry because he’s seeing her, we’re mad at what he’s doing because of her!”
Angel stood up and walked over to her boyfriend and put her hand on his arm, “Let’s hear them out. I don’t want Nick to jeopardize his career because of a misunderstanding. Please?” He sighed and sat back down on the couch. Angel sat down next to him, “So what do you guys want us to do to help?”
“Nick will listen to you,” began Kevin, as he sat back down on the sofa. “We just need to get all of us together at one place. I know if we invite him he’ll decline.”
“Maybe we can say we’re gonna go on a double date,” suggested Benny, whom sounded everything but enthused about this idea.
“Ooh!” Squealed Angel, “That’s a good idea. Maybe if Kim was there with him and the other guys, Nick will see that they don’t hate her. Nick has this idea that you’re out to get her because of her appearance. Prove him wrong.”
Howie looked at Kevin concerned and Benny caught that, “What’s with the look?”
“Uh…it’s AJ,” answered Howie.
“What about him?” Questioned Angel.
Kevin let out a loud sigh, “I think he is the main reason why Nick left.” He then looked up at Angel, “He was always taunting Nick about his girlfriend, saying that he could do better. That she basically wasn’t attractive enough to be seen with him.”
“He even once asked if he had to put a paper bag over her head when they were having sex,” said Howie in a shameful voice.
Angel’s brown eyes shot open, “Oh My God! What an asshole. Nick came over that day when you guys did that interview and said that he said stuff about her on live TV, but at first I thought he was maybe…exaggerating a bit.”
Howie shook his head, “No, I wish.” He then shrugged, “I don’t know why he has such a hate towards this girl.”
“So if Kim is there with Nick when all the other guys are in the same place, is AJ gonna say vicious things to her?” Demanded Benny.
Both Kevin and Howie and looked at each other. Kevin then looked at Benny and honestly said, “I don’t know.”
“Talk to him,” ordered Angel. “Tell him if he wants the band back together then he has to accept that Kim is a big part of Nick’s life. He loves her…I mean really loves her. If AJ makes him choose between her and you guys, I can honestly say that he’s gonna choose her.”
Howie nodded, “I know.”
Benny’s watch began to beep and he sighed, “Well, I gotta get to work.” He gave Angel a soft kiss before getting up, “Thanks for coming over.” He then left and headed towards work.
“What does he have against us?” Asked Kevin.
“He doesn’t like when someone makes judgments on a girl like how apparently AJ is doing with Kim. I met Kim and she is really a nice person. I think he thought you guys were in on not wanting Nick to date her because of her appearance.”
“She’s not ugly,” said Howie. “So I don’t know why Nick thinks we think she’s this hideous person.”
“Maybe AJ corrupted his mind?” Thought Angel, “So now he think all you guys are in on it too.”
“So what’s the plan?” Asked Howie.
“Well you guys gotta talk to AJ about getting his ass in gear and leave Nick and Kim up to me. We’ll go out tomorrow night. I’ll call you with the details.”
Kevin smiled, “Thank you so much, Angel.” He then stood up, “Come on Howie, we gotta talk to AJ.”
“Angel, you are a life savor!” Said Howie with a wide smile.
She smiled, “I try. See you guys tomorrow.”
Kevin and Howie then left and Angel ran a hand through her hair. She prayed this worked. She didn’t want Nick to stop doing something he loved because of Kimberly. She knew she wasn’t to blame, but she hated how protective Nick was of her. He couldn’t give up his passion, not for one girl. Not because AJ was shallow as hell. They had to look past this. AJ had to learn to accept Nick’s girlfriend and Nick had to learn to accept not everyone was going to like her. But still, no one deserved to be put through that kind of torture what AJ was doing to the poor girl. She understood where her brother was coming from and she admired him for that…but still, this was his life that he was gambling. She couldn’t see him doing anything other than singing; it was his life it was who he was. Being a Backstreet Boy was something he had to be to open more doors of opportunity for him. How was she going to pull this off? How was she going to get the band together again? She prayed Howie and Kevin had more of an idea than her.
