Nick was flung across the sofa backstage, a Santa Claus hat draped across his head, watching ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas when I got there. He barely even looked up, transfixed by the Heat Miser.
“Hey Cuz!” Brian shouted when I walked into the room, dusting snow off of my navy blue pea coat. He wrapped his arms around me and beamed. “It’s great to see you!”
Nick glanced over from the sofa as though he hadn’t noticed me before, “Oh hey Kevin.” He turned back to the TV again, grabbing a bowl of popcorn off the coffee table to his left and propping it on his chest.
“Thanks,” I said. I shrugged off my coat and laid it neatly over the back of a director’s chair that was beside me. “Where’s AJ and Howie?” I looked around.
“AJ went to get coffee and Howie’s not here yet,” Brian replied. He looked at his watch, “He should be here soon, though, his flight landed at Logan at 2:30 and it’s almost 4…” he smiled. “You look tired, Kev.”
“I’m okay.” I sat down. “So what have you all been up to?”
Nick was chewing the popcorn especially loudly.
“We were doing some taping last week,” Brian replied, “Down at Nick’s studio in Franklin…”
I looked at Nick, “You have a home studio now?”
“Yeah, why not?” he asked, shrugging. He laughed and pointed at the TV, “Oh dude, I love this part right here.”
“You were never into the technical part of the trade before, that’s all,” I answered.
Nick shrugged, “Shit changes, Kev.” He stuffed his mouth with popcorn.
I looked at Brian, who shrugged. Brian laughed, “G’Lord Kev, it’s great to see you here again, seriously.”
“Yeah, it’s cool being here.”
“Any chance you want to get on stage with us tonight?” Brian asked with a laugh and a wink.
“Well actua—“
“KEVIN!!!!” AJ’s volume echoed off the walls, interrupting me. “Shit man you came! This is great!!” He wrapped me in a hug. “Awesome, awesome. Here’s my real Christmas present, right here.” AJ grinned ear-to-ear. “I miss you dude.”
AJ’s girlfriend Rochelle hung in the doorway behind him, an almost shy expression on her face. I only recognized her from the pictures of her I’d seen on the Internet after AJ proposed to her. I’d never actually met her before now.
I saw another girl, who I assumed was Lauren, bend down over Nick and lower a cup of coffee into his hand. She kissed him on the mouth upside down, her hair hanging over them like a curtain.
AJ grabbed Rochelle and tugged her forward, “Kev, this is my fiancé, Rochelle. But I call her Monkee. Rochelle, the infamous Kevin Richardson.”
“Hey!” she said, grinning, “Great to meet you. Alex doesn’t shut up about you.”
“My apologies,” I laughed, “I must be a terribly boring subject.”
Rochelle’s cheeks reddened.
“And you must be Lauren?” I said, turning my gaze at Nick and his curtain of black hair.
The woman looked up and then glanced at Nick. She straightened up. “Yeah, I’m Lauren Kitt,” she held her hand out to shake and I did. She stared at my arm before letting go of my hand, then forced a smile and turned back to Nick, who grabbed her hand back and promptly pressed her palm against his cheek and grinned like a naughty child before pretending to bite her fingers.
We started talking and were promptly interrupted as Howie arrived, Leigh in tow, with baby James strapped to his chest in a blue carrier. James’ legs hung down and his arms were around Howie’s neck. He was asleep. Nick leaped up off the couch, and wrapped his arms around Howie from the back and patted James’ back. He grinned and squeezed Howie, “D! You’re here!” he cried.
Brian glanced uneasily at Nick, then at me, before turning back to Nick and Howie. I knew what he was thinking. It was the same thing I was thinking. That’s what Nick should’ve reacted like when I walked in the room.
Nick squeezed Howie until Howie shrugged him off, “Okay dude that’s enough now,” Howie said in a slightly Latino accent. Nick laughed, but obeyed and tossed himself onto the sofa again, and Lauren nestled down in front of him, pulling his arms around her.
“So you gonna perform with us tonight?” AJ asked, play-punching my arm once everyone had settled down from the Dorough’s arrival.
Nick looked over.
I took a deep breath, “Well that’s actually something I wanted to talk to you guys about…” I answered.
Nick’s arms tensed around Lauren and she glanced back at him with a questioning stare that he didn’t respond to. He stared at me, his face blank. AJ’s eyes lit up, and Howie looked eagerly at me. “What’re you sayin’, Cuz?” Brian asked.
“Well I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and if the door is still open—“
A lot happened at once. AJ let out a whoop of glee and Brian jumped at me to hug me. Howie started gushing about the door always being open… and Nick… Nick shoved Lauren out of his way, which merited a cry of protest from her, got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
The commotion of the other three fellas’ reactions died immediately as the door seemed to hum with the anger that had caused it to close so harshly. We stared at the door. AJ looked at me. “Ignore him, he’s just being a shit.”
Something in my stomach turned. “Has he been like this long?” I asked.
AJ looked puzzled. “Long? No he was goofing off this morning. We were planning a prank on How—“ AJ stopped. He looked at Howie, whose eyebrows were raised. AJ grinned.
“He was fine, Kev,” Brian agreed. He paused, “I think he… he was nervous about you coming.”
“Nervous?” I asked, “Or pissed off?”
Lauren looked up from the couch, “Pissed off,” she answered.
“At least someone’s going to be point blank with me,” I said, glaring at Brian. I looked at Lauren, “Why?”
Lauren shrugged, “Why does Nick feel any of the quirky little things he feels?” she asked. “I just listen, you know? I don’t know the intricate workings.”
I sighed. “I’m gonna go find him.” I pushed my way out the door, leaving the other guys and their girls collected in the dressing room.
