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Chapter 3: Love Connections

Right now you should already be feeling a little momentum building as you anticipate the events that unfolded in the club that night. And if you close your eyes, you should be able to envision that dark, crowded club that was filled to the brim with beautiful single people in their twenties out to have a good time; all of them hoping to make a love connection.

That force? The one that sucks you in and makes you want to not only hear their story, but feel it and experience it? That force is love. Love is powerful and everyone has it in their heart somewhere. Well that night at Club Element, love was in the air and everyone was feeling it.

Jessica and Stacey were the first to arrive that night because if you’re not on the list, arriving early is the only way you’ll ever get inside, and even then it’s a crapshoot. But the God’s were watching over our girls that night. They got in without any problems, and Jessica was beyond ecstatic.

Although she wasn’t as reserved as Stacey, and knew the Palm Springs nightlife well, she’d never actually been to a real Hollywood club either, and as they wandered the place looking for a spot to settle themselves, she was practically giddy. “Can you believe this, Stacey? I’ll bet there are famous people here. Did you see the paparazzi outside?”

“I saw them frown as we walked by.”

“Do you think we’ll see Orlando Bloom?”

“Jess,” Stacey sighed, “if you act like a groupie they’re going to kick you out.”

“They are not,” Jessica laughed. “Would you stop being such a party pooper?”

Stacey couldn’t help being a party pooper. It wasn’t that she was trying not to have fun, she was actually very curious about it all, it’s just that she was way too out of her element.

Heh, element, no pun intended.

Stacey was uncomfortable. She was willing to admit the stretchy jeans and silky backless top Jess picked out were kind of cute. But she felt ridiculous in four-inch heels, and the huge earrings made her feel like she belonged outside on the corner. “I can’t help it, would you look at these people? We don’t belong here.”

“Why not? You can dance every bit as good as anyone here.”

“Yeah, but they’re all stylish and skinny. And probably rich.”

“Ugh!” Jess groaned. “We are not going to have the ‘you’re not fat’ conversation again, and I told you a hundred times, you look hot! So would you please stop worrying about a bunch of strangers and just have a good time with me? It’s your birthday, live a little!”

“Fine,” Stacey finally huffed in defeat. “Didn’t you promise me a Vodka Red Bull?”

“That’s my girl!” Jess smiled and then happily grabbed Stacey’s hand and dragged her toward the bar.

The next to arrive was Nick, because while Beth new it was important to be fashionably late if you want to get noticed, Nick was just excited to get out. He’d been looking forward to tonight for two days and when he arrived he was nearly bouncing off the walls with energy. He was in such a good mood that he even smiled for the cameras on the way in and told the photographers to look out for “A Backstreet concert near you.”

He entered the club with his chest slightly puffed and his head bobbing along to the music. He headed straight for the VIP room where he knew his friends were waiting for him, but stopped suddenly as he passed the bar.
Now, the skeptics of the world, and the heartbroken crowd, will tell you that he stopped because he simply wanted a drink, but Madame Rue will tell you a different story. There’s a theory that every soul on this Earth has its one perfect match, and when those two souls come close enough together, they can feel each other’s presence. They fight to connect with one another.

It used to be that that tiny pull was enough to lure two people together, like in the old Rock Hudson/Doris Day films, but, the more our society is littered with one-night stands and divorces, and we lose sight of the value of marriage and the sanctity of true love, our souls cannot compete with our brains, and that power when two souls connect feels like nothing more than a strange sense of déjà vu. That’s what really happened to Nick Carter that night. Coincidence had nothing to do with it.

Nick stopped as he passed the bar because his soul could feel its mate reaching out for him, but Nick noticed the drinks before he noticed the girls ordering them. He made his way across the room just as the bartender tender was placing two vodka Red Bulls on the counter. He looked down at the glasses, and as he struggled to make a decision on a drink of his own, Stacey held out a twenty-dollar bill. “Don’t you even think about it!” Jessica hollered as she snatched the cash and put it back in Stacey’s purse. “I told you the drinks are on me tonight, birthday girl.”

Neither Jessica nor Stacey were aware of the man standing next to them until Jessica tried to pay the bartender and Nick stopped her. “I’ve got it,” he said smiling to the bartender. “And why don’t you make me up one of those too, those look good.”

Jessica and Stacey watched curiously as Nick paid for their drinks. When he turned his attention back to them, Jessica froze, trying not to squeal, completely stunned by the familiar face. Stacey on the other hand, didn’t recognize Nick and instead forced a polite smile and held out her money. “Thank you, but you don’t have to pay for our drinks.”

Jessica’s face paled, and Nick smirked as he watched the star struck girl forcefully elbow her friend in the side. “I insist,” he laughed, “I’m in a really good mood tonight, and every woman deserves to have a man buy her a drink on her birthday.”

Nick started to flash a flirtatious smile, but then gave Stacey a peculiar look. “Have we met?” he finally asked after he’d stared just a second too long.

And that was the moment. The moment in the story where for a split second the two souls connect and the audience starts yelling at the main characters that they’ve found each other. But of course they don’t realize it. Even when it’s make-believe it’s never that simple, so in real life our two love birds had no clue what was happening.

Stacey took a moment to look Nick over. She interpreted the strange feeling inside her as a warning. There was something about him, something that felt familiar, but logically there was no way she could know him, so she looked at the smile on his face and decided that his question was nothing more than a ill attempted pick-up line, and she was not the type of girl to hook up with strange men in clubs. “I don’t think so,” she responded in a tone that clearly suggested she wasn’t interested.

Nick took another moment to size up the two girls in front of him. He knew full well he intended on taking someone home with him tonight, but even though both girls were kind of cute, he understood Stacey’s meaning. He also knew there would be plenty of other options come closing time, so he shrugged and picked his drink up off the counter. “Ok, well, I can take a hint, but you have a happy birthday anyway.”

He raised his glass to her before taking a sip and laughed lightly at the disappointed look on Jessica’s face. “You make sure she has some fun tonight,” he instructed before changing course back to his original destination.

“I’m trying my hardest,” Jessica replied, sighing at the charm of the man now walking away from them. “Thank you!” she called out again before turning to hit Stacey for her stupidity.

And that was that, Nick and Stacey’s first encounter. It was nothing exciting, and just like 99.9 percent of all soul mate encounters, it was the missed opportunity of a lifetime with neither party the wiser. Or rather, it would have been a missed opportunity if it weren’t for the second chance they were given by Beth, who ironically is not only the villain of our story, but secretly the hero as well.

And since we’re now on the subject of Beth, it’s time we fast forward about an hour or so, to when she finally arrived at the party looking as hot as anyone could, anxious to meet her dream man, and determined to make him hers forever.

This was not Beth’s first time at a VIP party. She often mingled with celebrities, so when she finally came face to face with her infatuation, and he kissed her cheek hello, she kept her cool like a cat stalking its prey. And honestly, that analogy really wasn’t that far off.

From the moment they were introduced, Beth did her best to stick to Nick like glue. She kind of reminded him a little of his ex, Paris, in the way that she acted, so it took a few drinks before he started paying her any attention. But once he was a little tipsy he only saw how incredibly sexy she was, and was more than happy to get a little provocative on the dance floor.

Beth was disappointed at first when Nick didn’t seem all that interested, but the more they danced the more his hands wandered and the more Beth was certain her plan was going to work. She was only waiting for the perfect moment. Like the gypsy woman said, she only had one shot. She had to wait until they were alone. She couldn’t risk someone else touching her and falling under the spell instead of Nick.

It was 1:15 when Nick led Beth across the club toward the exit, and it had been hours since he’d met Stacey. She hadn’t crossed his mind any more than she would have thought of him, had Jessica not kept trying to convince her that she blew off the famous Nick Carter.

Stacey was sure it wasn’t him because not only had Jessica been seeing stars that weren’t really there all night, someone like Nick Carter would never talk to someone like her, much less be nice and buy her a drink. She’d had a good laugh over it, though, and the drink that he bought her, along with one or two more, had since had time to take effect, finally allowing her to relax on the dance floor.

That’s when Nick noticed her for the second time that night. He stopped for a moment, as several other guys had done before him, to watch the way she swayed gracefully to the music. “How come you don’t look like that when you dance?” he asked Beth with a giggle, in his drunken state.

Beth’s eyes fell upon Stacey and a serge of anger raged through her body. “Because I don’t have a fat ass to shake.”

Nick removed his arm from around Beth’s waist with a roll of his eyes while he studied Stacey from behind. “That is not a fat ass,” he argued, “It’s quite a nice ass, actually.”

Beth frowned as Nick continued to watch Stacey with a smile on his face. “It wouldn’t kill you to put a little weight on your pretty little ass either,” he smirked. “It gives us guys something to squeeze.”

Nick began slowly drifting toward Stacey as if he was actually going to dance with her and you can only imagine the thoughts speeding through Beth’s mind at that moment. She could no longer wait to get Nick alone. It was now or never, so Beth removed the little blue velvet pouch from her purse. She grabbed Nick’s hand right before he could reach Stacey and gave him the most seductive pout she was capable of. “Weren’t we going somewhere?”

Nick’s eyes fluttered back and forth between Stacey and Beth, and Beth took a deep breath as she pulled the cap off the tiny bottle in her hand. After making the decision that Beth was the easier option, Nick smiled and abandoned the idea of dancing with Stacey. He held out his hand to escort her from the building and that’s when he noticed the tiny little bottle in her fingers. “What’s that?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Beth replied nervously, “just perfume.”

“Let me smell.”

Beth was nervous, but she didn’t want Nick to be suspicious so she hesitantly handed him the bottle. Nick put it to his nose and instantly pulled it away with a cough. “Ugh, what is that?” he laughed.

Beth’s heart fluttered at the way he was drunkenly waving the open bottle around and she reached out for it. “Be careful with that, it’s rare.”

“Seriously, you can’t put this on if you’re coming home with me tonight.”

Nick playfully pulled the bottle away from Beth and laughed when she panicked. “Come on, Nick!” Beth yelled. “It’s not funny, it was expensive.”

“So I’ll buy you some new stuff that doesn’t smell like my grandma.”

Nick started laughing and Beth reached for the bottle again but her urgency only made Nick want to tease her more. He began to taunt her until she was practically wrestling him for it. When she finally grabbed the bottle she pulled it from his hand forcefully, sending the liquid inside flying into the air. Then, just as Madame Rue had seen in her crystal ball, the potion landed all over Stacey’s back.

Beth stood there staring at the now empty bottle while Stacey turned around to find out what she’d just been doused with. When Nick recognized the woman he’d been watching dance, to be the same woman he’d bought a drink for earlier, his face lit up. “It’s the birthday girl!” he said and reached out to wipe the perfume from her skin. “I’m sorry about that,” he began to say until his fingers came into contact with her.

To all the unaware club goers it was as if nothing happened, but to Beth, who knew exactly what was going on, it looked as if Nick and Stacey were never going to end their staring match.

To Nick, time seemed to stand still. It was like he stopped breathing but had no need for the action because the only thing that mattered was the angel standing in front of him. Everything around him faded away and the only thing left was the beautiful soul of Stacey Vasquez. His fingers tingled from the electricity that pulsed through him as they touched, and finally, the two souls that were meant to be one found that connection they’d been longing for.

For Stacey, however, the moment Nick’s fingers touched her skin everything simply faded to white.