Chapter 14

            Kelshie and Jess turned around when they heard Heather talking to someone and they almost fell to the ground in shock.

            The man standing behind Heather, who the girls knew as DJ Lani, answered, “Yes, it really is me…Rich.”

            “How is this possible though?” Heather asked breathlessly, “I… we thought you were… were…”

            Kelshie finished the sentence, “We thought you were dead!”

            Rich nodded his head, “I have a lot of explaining to do, but I’m alive and I actually found you three after all these years.” He smiled brightly at the girls.

            Heather jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t say anything. She only breathed in the warm, subtle cologne he was wearing, it was the same one he wore the last time they had seen each other. She could feel tears stinging her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn’t cry but tears were threatening to escape her eyes.

            “Do you want to come with us so we can talk?” Heather suggested after they released each other.

            “No I’ll let you guys get your rest,” he replied. “I’m pretty tired myself and besides I’ll be up all night explaining everything so I’ll let you four go.”

            “Before you go,” Heather took out her cell phone, “Number please.”

            Rich grinned, “Of course. Just text me so I can have yours. Maybe we’ll meet up tomorrow?”

            “Sure. Oh speaking of meeting, this is our friend Melina from Germany. Melina this is Rich.”

            Rich smiled at her, “Nice to meet you Melina.”

            She cordially replied, “Nice to meet you too.”

            Rich clapped his hands together, “Alright ladies I’ll let you go before the light changes again. Get a good night’s sleep. Hope you all enjoyed the show.”

            “Oh trust me we all did,” Jess said as she hugged him first, “It’s really good to see you’re breathing Rich.”

            “It’s better to see you three.”

            Kelshie was next to hug him, “You’ve got a lot to explain mister.”

            “I know I do and I’ll explain it all tomorrow I promise.”

            Heather looked at him and smiled, “I missed you so much Bud!”

            “I think I missed you more,” he said in a hushed voice as he looked into her eyes. “Good night.”

            “Good night,” all four girls said before Rich turned toward the rest of Backstreet’s tour staff.

            Heather watched him leave and she just shook her head.

            “Hermie lets go before the light turns green again,” Kelshie lightly tugged on her arm and snapped her out of the little trance she was in.

            The Backstreet Buds dashed across the street just before the light changed and allowed the city traffic to continue.

            Heather didn’t say a word as they walked up to their room. Jess and Kelshie were blabbing a mile a minute about Rich’s miraculous return while Heather couldn’t find any comments to add.

            “Hermie, do you have anything to say about this?” Jess asked when they got in the room.   

            She shook her head, “The only thing I can say is wow! I mean first we go to the sound check party and I’m finally able to thank Backstreet for being who they are and for singing Never Gone, then we stand right next to the stage to watch that amazing concert, Backstreet gives all four of us roses during INBYH, we go to the After Party, win the Karaoke Challenge, become Backstreet’s dates for the night, Nick Carter asks me out on a date and Rich turns out to be DJ Lani! What else is there to say except ‘wow!’?”

            Kelshie raised her eyebrows as she looked at Heather and asked, “What did you say about him?”

            “Rich?”

            “No Nick.”

            “Oh shit! I let that slip didn’t I?” she thought. “The only thing I said about him was that I was his date for the evening and he gave me the rose. That’s all.”

            Jess chuckled, “Oh Hermie you suck at lying to us! What was the last thing you said about Nick before you said that Rich turned out to be DJ Lani?”

            “Come on tell us! You know you can’t hide anything from us,” Kelshie pushed.

            “Please blood sis tell us!” Melina begged.

            “Ok, ok you’re right; I can’t keep anything hidden from you three. And you two,” she pointed at Jess and Kelshie, “would never stop bugging me if I didn’t tell you. Before I tell you though, you have to promise me that you will keep this a secret. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone but since I let it slip I have to tell you three.”

            “We promise,” her three best friends said in unison.

            “Ok when Nick and I went to his dressing room to get the stuff we bought and our popcorn buckets he asked me out on a date and we exchanged numbers that’s all.”

            “What do you mean ‘that’s all’?!” Kelshie was flabbergasted.

            “You said yes to the date didn’t you? Tell me you said yes,” Jess stared down Heather.

            “Like I would say “no” to Nick Carter! Come on Jess it’s like you don’t know me at all!”

            Her best friends all jumped up in the air and screamed!

            Heather laughed as her friends exclaimed, “I can’t believe you are going on a date with Nick Carter! You lucky bitch!”

            Once the girls settled down, tiredness hit them like a ton of bricks. They changed out of their dresses and into their pjs and flopped on the beds ready to pass out. Before Heather lay down she opened Violet and excitedly wrote down the events that took place from the beginning of the day to the ending which was technically beginning of the next day because of the late night hours blending into the early morning.

            She ended her entry with, “This can’t be real! I mean all in the same night Nick Carter, the one and only Nick Carter asks me out on a date and Rich rises from the dead after six years like it’s some kind of soap opera! If this is a dream I don’t want to wake up from it! Ever! Oh I forgot I have to text Rich so he can have my number. We’re going to meet up somewhere so we can talk before he has to go back on tour with Backstreet. Also Nick is going to call me in the morning so we can set up our date. I can’t wait for either of those days! I’m pretty sure I have said this already but I am in total shock! I mean I get asked out by my number one celebrity crush and my long lost best friend turns up alive! Today was awesome! But I think tonight was the best night I’ve had in a long time. I have to go text Rich before I forget and then I’m heading to sleep because I’m dead tired. I’ll write more later I promise. HMH.”

            She sent Rich this text message, “Guess who this is =).”

            He replied, “Heather? My long lost Bud?”

            “Bingo! You must explain why you are not dead lol if that makes sense.”

            “It makes sense but I’ll explain tomorrow. We both need a good night’s sleep tonight. Good night Bud.”

            “Good night Rich.”

            Heather fell asleep with a smile on her face. How could she not? Nick Carter had flirted with her practically all night and she was correct about Rich; he was alive after all.      

            The next morning the girls were awoken by a ringing cell phone.

            Jess moaned, “Whose is that?”

            Kelshie, who was lying next to her, picked up her head and answered, “Oh crap it’s mine.”

            “Who is texting you this early in the morning?”

            “Jess its 11:30 in the afternoon already.”

            “Oh. Well open the text already and make the music stop.”

            Melina giggled, “Someone’s a little grumpy in the morning huh?”

            “Yeah just a little,” Heather answered still half asleep, “Jess has never been a morning person not even when we were kids.”

            Kelshie started giggling uncontrollably.

            Heather sat up in bed and gave her best friend a questioning look, “What’s so funny?”

            Kelshie continued to laugh as she replied, “Steph texted me!”

            “My sister?”

            “Yeah.”

            “What did she say?”

            “She said “Hey Kelshie! How was the concert? I’m texting you because I have a feeling that my sister is undergoing charges for rape right now or her phone is off. If she is in jail for rape the first offense shouldn’t be too bad. Hope you guys had fun.” You’re sister knows you way too well Hermie!” Kelshie was practically squeaking as she was laughing out her answer.

            The rest of the Backstreet Buds started cracking up. Then Jess’s phone rang.

            She quickly read the text message and nearly shouted, “Oh my god! Rose is too funny!”

            “Oh god what did she just send you?” Kelshie shook her head.

            “She said, ‘I know you four are either sleeping off the concert, trying to make Hermie’s bail, or you’ve all shacked up with a different Backstreet Boy but I wanted to know if you all had a good time? And if Hermie is in jail do you need extra money to get her out?’”

            Again the hotel room exploded with laughter.

            “I’m going to yell at both of them when I see them!” Heather said shaking her head. “They’ll probably be at the house when we get home so I’ll scream at them then! And they’re probably together now because they sent the texts at the same time. Only my sister and Rose.”

            “What time are we leaving anyway?” Jess questioned.

            “I have no clue. We can check out whenever we want to and I have to call Rich. Maybe he can come to our room so we can just talk for a while before we have to leave. Let me call him now actually.”

            She reached for her cell phone lying on the bed side table.

            The room got quiet as Heather waited to hear Rich’s voice, “Good morning Bud!”

            “Well it is technically the afternoon but good morning to you too.”

            Rich chuckled, “I figured that you four just woke up that’s why I said good morning.”

            “Damn Rich we haven’t seen you in six years and you can still figure us out.”       

            “I’m amazing what can I say?” he joked.

            Heather chuckled, “Same old Rich.”

            “Well that’s what we have to talk about,” he sighed.

            “That’s what I called you for. We can check out any time we want to and we figured that it might be easier if you come to the hotel room so we can talk before we leave to go home. 

            “Pick a time and a place and I’ll be there. Did you four have breakfast yet? If not I’ll bring something over for you.”

            “We didn’t have breakfast yet but we were going to order room service.”

            “Don’t do that. They probably won’t serve you guys breakfast now. I’ll bring doughnuts or bagels or something.”

            “Fine. I’m not going to argue with you anymore because I know how hard headed you are. Let me ask what the girls want for breakfast,” she looked at her friends and asked, “Any breakfast orders?”

            “Bagels!” all three replied.

            “Bagels it is then Rich.”

            “Ok then,” he paused for a second, “I’ll be over in about ten minutes?”

            “We’ll be here. We’re in the hotel right across the street from the concert hall in room 284.”

            “Alright Bud I’ll be over in ten.”        

            “Take your time.”

            “No!” Kelshie screamed, “Hurry up! I’m hungry!”

            Rich laughed, “Just because she said that I’m going to take all the time in the world.”

            Heather grinned, “You better not do that! Kelshie will rip your head off!”

            “She hasn’t changed one bit huh?”

            “Nope!”

            Heather heard him chuckle, “Ok then I’ll be right over.”

            He was laughing and Heather couldn’t help but smirk, “See you in a few.”

            She shook her head as she hung up the phone.

            “What’s the matter?” Jess questioned.

            “I…I…” Heather stammered back, “I just can’t believe he’s alive.”

            “Me neither,” Kelshie added.

            “I mean after six years he rises from the dead and now we can go back to being the best friends we were before he… he…” she quickly looked up toward the ceiling to hold back tears.

            Jess got up to hug Heather.

            “Awe Hermie!” Jess nearly squeaked as she wrapped her arms around Heather’s shoulders.

            “Thanks Jess but I’m not going to cry over him anymore. I’ve done enough of that every single year on the anniversary of getting that damn letter.”

            “I can understand you being tired of crying on the same day for six years,” Kelshie agreed.

            “I’m just going to be happy that he’s back and start to make plans of spending time with him.”

            “That sounds like a good plan Hermie,” Jess said.

            “Now I’m going to throw on some clothes before he comes,” Heather got out of bed and grabbed a pair of shorts from her overnight bag and the shirt she bought at the concert.

            “That’s a good idea,” her three best friends commented. They too got out of bed and started changing.

            Jess reached for her makeup bag and Heather became slightly puzzled, “What are you doing Jess?”

            “I’m going to put on makeup.”

             “Who are you going to get fancy for?”

            “A guy is coming to our room right?”

            “Yeah but that guy is Rich. He’s seen you without makeup before hasn’t he?”

            “You have a point there. I feel too lazy to put my face on anyway.”

            Just as the girls finished getting dressed someone knocked on the door.

            “Who is it?” Heather asked.

            “My name starts with R and ends in ich.”

            Heather grinned as she opened the door, “Come in Rich.”

            “And I brought fresh bagels. They’re still warm too.”

            “Yes!” Kelshie exclaimed, “It’s good to have you back Rich. You still remember my weakness for fresh bagels!”