“It’s over!” Nick Carter exclaimed backstage after the last concert in Australia, ending the Never Gone tour for the Backstreet Boys.

“Finally I can rest!” He yelled again. All four of his band mates nodded in agreement. The boys always looked forward to their tours when it would start. But, as the days would count down to the end all they could do was pray that time went by faster.

“I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed.” AJ said as he walked off to a table on the other side of the room full of snacks and drinks. He grabbed a wattle bottle and chugged the whole thing down. Brian nodded. He pulled his shirt over his head and stuffed it into his small backpack. He pulled a white tank top on in exchange.

Thinking of his family back home, Brian smiled. “I can’t wait to wake up every morning next to Leigh and play with Bay all day.” Brian giggled. “Hey, that rhymed!” He softly said aloud to himself.

Kevin grabbed two bottles of water. “Hey Nick, heads up.” Kevin hollered just before he threw a wattle bottle in Nick’s direction. Catching it, Nick spun around, throwing his hands in the air.

“Touchdown!” Nick yelled. He started to do a little victory dance, shaking his bottom in each guys direction. Brian joined Nick and Howie chuckled while walking over to AJ. Kevin stood next to Brian and smacked his cousin on the head. Brian stopped dancing and pouted.

“What are you laughing at, Howie?” Nick asked while walking over to the table, meeting up with the rest of the guys. Nick grabbed a bag of chips and opened them. Kevin frowned at Nick, but let him eat his junk food.

“I’m laughing at you, you big dork!” Howie replied with a big smile, stuffing a mini muffin into his mouth before grabbing some of Nick's chips.

“Hey, I’m not a dork! You’re just jealous ‘cause you can’t catch as well as I can.” Nick pulled his bag away from Howie and slapped his hand. Howie scoffed.

“Sure, uh huh. If you say so, Nick.” He patted Nick on the back and rolled his eyes. He started walking away from him, but Nick tackled him and placed him into a headlock. Nick gave Howie a noogie and laughed maniacally. The rest of the guys stood by, laughing at the two men.

After a few more minutes of horseplay, Kevin started grabbing his stuff. “Come on guys,” Kevin said “let’s get outta here and go home!” Kevin could not wait to see his wife and finally get to spend quality time with her back home.

Nick grinned and wrapped his arms around Brian and AJ’s neck. “Yeah! I can’t wait to get away from you guys!”

---

“Cut!” a short, robust man with a red baseball cap screamed. “That’s a wrap for today! Good job everyone. You all did an excellent job of working out here in the cold at two in the morning. I’ll see you all tomorrow 6 a.m. sharp!” The director jumped out of his chair and walked over to his assistant who was telling him the details of the next day.

Rachel Hewitt climbed out of the lake that her scene required her to be in. She was shooting the last few scenes of her movie in Canada. She had just spent three hours doing a long scene that required her character to fight her attacker in a lake.

“Gosh! I’m freezing my butt off!” She shivered. She loved being an actress and even freezing her butt off had her feeling content.

“Here honey, take it nice and slow.” Rosita, a young Hispanic woman said as she gently wrapped Rachel in towels to keep her warm. Rosita was Rachel’s assistant during the making of the film.

“Thank you Rosita. You have no idea how cold that water is!” Rachel laughed. She shivered again, goose bumps forming all over her body. Rachel scrunched her face up. She hated goose bumps.

“Well, at least you’re such a sweetie about it and haven’t been complaining. I’ve know dozens of young actresses who would be whining their heads off right now!” Rosita explained while leading Rachel to her trailer just off the set. “Now go inside and warm up with some tea before you step into the shower. I don’t need you catching something to put off tomorrow’s shoot.” She moved a piece of Rachel’s dark chocolate locks off of her neck. Rachel giggled.

“Yes mother. Although, I wouldn’t mind staying here longer.” She said while looking down at her feet. “I’m going to miss everyone. I can’t believe tomorrow’s the last day.” Rachel always had a hard time leaving her co-workers behind. After months of getting to know people and building relationships, saying goodbye and leaving only made the experience feel bare. She tried to avoid thinking about it, but tomorrow was the last day. It was inevitable.

Rosita opened the trailer door and accompanied Rachel inside. She began making tea for the two of them.

“Aw, I know that it’s the sad part, but I got family to return to. Mama misses her sugar daddy!” Rachel laughed and plopped onto her bed.

“I just wish that I didn’t have to say goodbye to everyone so soon.”

---

Shit! Where are my keys? I know I left them here somewhere…

Nick Carter looked around the living room for his keys. Dressed in a gray sweat suit, he was ready to go for a run at the gym. He threw the pillow off of his black leather couch. He lift the cushions up enough for him to check if his keys were underneath. No sign of them there. Nick had a problem when it came to his belongings. He never could remember where he last put things.

“Come on, I just saw them!” He said through his teeth, putting the cushions back into place. When bending over to look under the couch, he heard his keys fall from the hood of his sweatshirt.

“Aha! I knew they were somewhere nearby!” He smiled to himself and grabbed his wallet from the coffee table, heading out for his workout.

While driving to the gym, Nick’s cell phone began to ring. Picking it up, he saw that it was his friend Kevin Zegers. He and Kevin had worked in a movie together while the Backstreet Boys were on a break.

“Hey Kev, what’s shaking?” The blonde answered on the phone. He pulled up to a red light and shifted in his seat. His friend’s voice sounded far away, but Nick could still make Kevin out.

“Hey. There’s this really cool club that’s opening here in L.A. this Friday. Everyone is going to be there. I was thinking maybe you’d like to come and check it out.”

Nick held the phone close to his hear and bit his bottom lip. It had been almost a month since the tour ended and Nick barely went out partying. He was about to say ‘yes’ quickly, but a disturbing thought crept into his head.

“I don’t know man… a new club means that you-know-who will probably be there. I don’t think I want to see her gallivanting—”

“Come on!” His friend said, cutting him off. “Just ‘cause she’s going to be there doesn’t mean that you should restrain yourself from coming. I mean, you’re over her right?”

“Hell yes!” He spat into the phone. “Of course I’m over her!”

“Then what does it matter?”

Nick pondered this for a moment. What would it matter? He thought to himself. I’m sure that AJ wouldn’t mind coming along. Maybe even Howie, too.

“Why not?” He replied, sighing. “Look, I’m driving. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay. Later.”

“Peace.” He hung up the phone and tossed it to the passenger’s seat.

“What am I doing?” He whined aloud. “It’s totally going to suck!”

---

Rachel looked into the short, Filipino’s eyes. “Please, just stop bugging me about it. If I wanted to go, I would have said yes the first time you asked.”

“Come on! Everyone’s going to be there! Don’t starve me from celebrities, Rach! I need them!” Rachel’s best friend, Eva Clarke, pounced on her in a desperate attempt to convince her into attending a new club opening. She had been begging Rachel since they went shopping for the day, about four hours ago. Lunch had been so frustrating for Rachel that she actually stopped talking to her friend.

“Just go with one of the girls! Let me stay home and relax. I've only been home for a few weeks.” Rachel really didn't want to spend her time off going to a club. She came all the way to L.A. to live with Eva for a few months so she could catch up with her friends, as opposed to staying at her apartment in New York and sleeping all day.

“Not just anyone can waltz up to the door and go in! You need connections! And that’s where you come in!”

“So that’s all I am to you, a connection? I see how it is.” Both girls laughed and continued to shop around in the Fred Segals boutique in L.A.

“Please, let’s just go. It will be fun!” Eva picked up a red shirt with black music notes on the front and held it up to her chest. “Does this look cute on me?”

“Definitely cute. And my idea of fun isn’t being surrounded by stupid, drunk, loud, crazy people all night long!”

“Hey, I’m not that bad!” Eva joked, flashing her pearly white teeth in a wide smile.

“You know what I mean. Unless it’s you and the girls, I hate being around drunk airheads.” Rachel hated going to celebrity party clubs. She could handle her friends when they were drunk because she loved them and watching them do stupidly funny things made her laugh. But, her tolerance would not remain high around strangers. Especially around snooty celebrities.

Eva flipped her long black hair over her tanned shoulders. “Hmmm, I wonder if they have this in a small. You need to get over the whole ‘I’m-better-than-everyone-else’ thing and go mingle!” Eva looked through the stack of the red shirts, searching for her size.

“Hey, I do not think that I’m better than everyone else!” Rachel looked over at Eva who wasn’t paying attention to her. “Give me that!” Rachel grabbed the red shirt out of Eva’s hand and walked over to the sales lady on the other side of the store.

“Do you have this in a small?” She smiled and handed the petite woman the shirt.

“Let me check. I’ll just be a minute.” The lady turned and left in search of the size.

“Rachel, please. I really want to go!” Eva pushed her full lips into a pout and raised her eyebrows. “Please…” She whimpered.

Rachel glanced at her friend and sighed. That face worked on her every time. She could not count the times her friend had pulled that face on her starting from junior high.

“You better not ditch me for some air headed beefcake!”

Eva jumped into the air and hugged Rachel tightly, kissing her cheek repeatedly. Rachel laughed and pushed her friend off.

“I promise. You’ll have the time of your life!”

---

The time of my life, my ass! Rachel thought as she sat on a stool at the bar even though she didn’t have a drink. She had been sitting there for the past two hours, turning down the frequent offers to dance. She watched as Eva danced with a young man on the dance floor. Some would call him handsome or ‘hot’, but Rachel thought he looked just like another Abercrombie & Fitch clone.

I’m leaving. She sighed, reaching for her purse in the chair beside her while keeping her eyes on Eva. As she began pulling away, her hand grazed something.

“Hey!” A male voice exclaimed, whipping around to face who violated him.

Rachel looked up in horror into a tall, handsome, blonde man’s face. She recognized him instantly. It was Mr. Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter.

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to grab your butt; I was just getting my purse and I wasn’t looking!” Rachel explained, struggling to get her words out. She didn’t understand why she was so flustered. He made her really nervous for some reason and that was something that she wasn’t used to.

The blonde just laughed. “It’s alright.” Rachel looked away blushing. She couldn’t but think he was incredibley handsome.

“My name’s Nick Car—”

“Carter” she finished. “I know.”

Nick smiled warmly at her. “Is it safe to sit down? Or are you going to try and get another feel?”

Rachel laughed and nodded her head. “The coast is clear. See?” She placed her hands in her lap. Nick sat down on the stool beside her and asked the bartender for a beer.

“Do you want a drink? It’s my treat.”

“No, I don’t drink.”

“Well, how about a water or soda?” Rachel furrowed her brows in thought for a minute.

“I wouldn’t mind a sparkling water.”

“You heard the lady, one sparkling water for…” He turned to Rachel, waiting for her to say her name.

“Rachel.” she answered shyly.

Nick smiled at her and extended his hand. She started to lend her hand over to his, but just then an intoxicated man stumbled behind Nick, bumping him into Rachel. Nick held his hands out to catch his fall, only to land on Rachel’s chest. Her eyes widened and she pushed Nick off of her.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to reach for… those.” Nick’s face turned crimson in a matter of milliseconds. “I guess we’re even now.” He laughed nervously.

“What? That’s not even! Even is touching my butt, not my boobs!” Rachel laughed with him. He’s so adorable when he blushes!

His expression turned into a sincere apologetic look. “I really am sorry.”

“Its okay, it’s not like you meant to do that on purpose. Right?” She smiled, raising an eyebrow. She was fully captivated by him now.

“Hmmm, you never know.” He leaned in, raising his eyebrow also.

This sent chills down Rachel’s spine. Normally, she wouldn’t be flirting with someone who had a reputation like Nick’s. But there was something about him that made it impossible for her to turn away.

Just then, Eva came waltzing over with her boy toy in arm. Rachel silently prayed that Eva wouldn’t say anything to embarrass her in front of Nick.

“Wow! Thank God! You found a guy, too! I’m going to leave since you have company. See you at home.” Eva kissed Rachel’s cheek and looked over at Nick.

“Oh, he’s delicious. I could just eat him right—” She whispered in Rachel’s ear.

“Okay, buh-bye now, Eva!” Rachel said quickly cutting her friend off and pushing her towards the opposite direction. “Have fun!” She watched as Eva left with her date.

Rachel turned around, eager to continue flirting with Nick. But she was met with Nick’s back instead of his face. She listened as Nick talked to another Backstreet Boy, Howie. It seemed that Howie was a little tipsy and wanted Nick to take him home to insure he’d be alright.

“Yeah, D., I’ll take you home. Don’t worry. Just let me finish chatting with my new friend.” Nick whispered, pointed his head in Rachel’s direction signaling Howie to leave the two alone.

Howie shook his head. “Nooo! I need you to take me home now! I don’t feel so well.”

“Now?”

“Yes!” Howie whined. Nick looked back over to Rachel.

“I’m really sorry; I need to take my friend home.”

“Oh, no, it’s not a problem.” Rachel forced a smile. Her thoughts did not reflect her expression. Stupid, stupid Howie! Don't take him away from me! Grrr!

Nick got up and extended his hand again. She extended hers and they shook hands. Jolts of electricity shot through her body. She almost didn’t want to let go.

“It was nice meeting you, Rachel.”

“It was nice meeting you, Nick.”

Nick grabbed Howie, who had been tapping his foot impatiently and reluctantly turned to leave. Rachel sat in her seat watching the two men leave her all alone at a club she didn’t even want to be at in the first place. Rachel crossed her arms. She had finally met a guy who really got her interest and his friend was taking him away! She couldn't help but get a tiny bit jealous. Ugh, this sucks!

Nick, sweaty from the Florida sun, dribbled a basketball. He and Brian were playing a few games of one-on-one on the sunny afternoon. It had been a while since Brian and Nick had a chance to do the things they used to before Brian became a family man.

“She was so beautiful and nice. Man, she was really great!” Nick kept dribbling the ball. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was hanging open. Brian thought he sort of looked blind because even though Nick was talking to him, his gaze was fixed a little left of Brian’s head. This made Brian laugh. Nick didn’t even look at Brian to see what was so funny. Instead, he kept dribbling the ball while talking about Rachel.

Brian waited, knees bent, for Nick to try and pass him. He waited, swaying right and left to get ready for which ever direction Nick would take. Nick just dribbled in the same spot and continued yapping about the raven haired beauty he met two nights ago over and over again. And over, and over, and over. Brian sighed. Nick had been talking about this mystery girl for two games! He was getting tired of hearing him go on about “Rachel this and Rachel that”. At first he was happy that Nick met a girl who put such a big smile on Nick’s face. But, the longer Nick went on about her, the more Brian wanted to beat his best friend up just to get him to shut his face.

Brian cleared his throat in attempt to clear Nick’s thoughts, but Nick still continued on about Rachel with details Brian blocked out. This is our day to spend quality time together and he’s been talking about a girl for almost two hours! Brian sighed as loudly as he could, hoping Nick would get the hint that he was rambling. No such luck.

“She was such a breath of fresh air from all the girls that I’m used to, you know? She was sweet and smart and so down to earth. She just made me feel normal. Like I wasn’t Nick Carter, Backstreet Boy, at some big club. She made me feel like I was a normal guy on a Friday night talking to a normal girl at some club.” Brian rolled his eyes, still waiting for Nick to start playing.

“Didn’t you only talk to her for, like, five minutes?” He said, placing his hands on his knees to rest.

Nick sighed. “Yeah. I know it, but I really liked her in those five minutes.” Nick stopped dribbling. “I didn’t even get her number.” He began dribbling again, but this time Brian came over and stole the ball from Nick, hoping that this move would snap Nick back into the game. He made his way down the court and took his shot. The ball sunk right into the hoop.

“Nothing but net, bay-bee!” He hooted. Turning around, he saw that Nick was still standing in the same spot and made no effort trying to get the ball back.

“I guess this means that we’re done for the day.” Brian mumbled under his breath as he passed his tall, blonde friend. He sat on a bench and took a long drink from his Gatorade bottle.

“Oooh! And she had the most spectacular eyes! They were so light and pretty like those…”

Brian groaned and covered his ears while Nick kept talking about the girl from the club.

---

“He’s a Backstreet Boy!” Rachel stuffed a fork-full of salad into her mouth and continued talking. “I mean, he’s a Pop star, for goodness sakes!” She finished down her bite and took a sip of her sweet tea.

Eva bit into her sandwich while groaning. “Exactly!” she exclaimed, with her mouth full of food as well. “He’s rich, famous and fucking sexy!” Eva swallowed her food and took another bite. “There’s nothing wrong with dating a Backstreet Boy. It’s a very good thing. You’ll get a lot more publicity if you two date.” She sipped her diet coke and put her sandwich down. “You’ll be everywhere! On TV, newspapers, magazines. So, it’s all good!”

Rachel pouted. “But that’s just it. I don’t want to be all over TV and magazines. Especially if it’s only because I’m Nick Carter’s girlfriend.” She took another drink from her tea and then moaned. “Why are we even having this conversation? I only met him for, like, five minutes!”

“You never know, he might be interested. He could be telling all his friends about the sexy babe he met at some club. And I bet he wants to see you again. We should go back to the club. Oh, or better yet, play hard to get! Drive him crazy and he’ll call eventually.” Eva said, giving her best friend a serious look.

Rachel rolled her eyes and placed her head into her hands. “I bet he doesn’t even remember me considering how many girls throw themselves at him every night. And he doesn’t even have my phone number! How’s he going to call?”

Eva laughed and reached over the table for Rachel’s bread sticks. “Honey, you’re in Hollywood and its Nick Carter! He doesn’t need to know your number!”

---

A month later

Nick’s cell phone rang as he drove through the streets of L.A. He reached into his back pocket to take it out.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” It was Howie. Nick had come back to L.A. for a few days to attend a premiere of some big new movie that he was invited to. Nick asked Howie if he could crash at his place and now Nick was on his way to Howie’s house from the airport.

“Oh, hey. What’s up?”

“Can you run to the store and pick up some beer for tonight? I figured we’d barbeque and chill at my place.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Just for us two?”

“Yeah, a six pack should be fine.”

“Alright. I’m turning into the parking lot right now. Later.”

“Thanks man. Bye.” Nick pulled into a parking space and shut the engine off.

He sighed while taking his seatbelt off. Leaning his head against the steering wheel, he groaned. While on the flight from Florida to California Nick reminisced about the last time he was in L.A.

His head against the wheel, he looked down at his feet and whined. “I just want to see her again!”

---

“My feet hurt!” Eva whined.

“I know, you told me a billion times. But I really to find a dress.” They had been shopping for nearly three hours now. Rachel needed a dress for her movie premiere and had put it off to the last minute. Tomorrow night was the premiere and she still didn’t have any idea on what she was going to wear. Although she had looked at dozens of dresses, none of them really grabbed Rachel’s interest. She wanted something fun and girly. Her perfect dress seemed to be hiding from her and Eva was growing impatient as Rachel searched for it.

“Well, hurry up because I’m getting tired.”

They walked into Chanel. Eva helped Rachel look through the store, pulling anything off the rack and asking Rachel “How about this?” Each time Rachel scrunched her face and shook her head. After spending 10 minutes in the store, Eva announced that she would be sitting on the sofa waiting for Rachel to get done.

Rachel slowly looked up and down a rack of dresses. After the eighth dress she pushed back, she found it. The perfect dress. It was a black poofy taffeta dress with white, light yellow, blue and, pink squiggly frills all down the dress. It was strapless and looked like it would hit just above her knee. She slowly pulled it out and smiled.

“I found it!” Eva came running over. Eva wanted to be able to talk Rachel into buying the dress in case she changed her mind. She’d say anything was pretty just to get the shopping over with.

“Oh, pretty!” She touched the garment and grinned. “You totally should get it! It’s great!” Eva really meant it. When she saw the dress she immediately thought it was cute.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “You just want me to hurry up.”

“Yes and no.” Eva laughed. “Really, I think it’s beautiful.” Rachel made up her mind. She picked her size and walked to the counter. Eva told Rachel she would wait outside as she bought the dress.

“How much was it?” Eva asked when Rachel walked out of Chanel, making Rachel cringe.

“All my energy is going into not answering that question.” Eva laughed. They started down the sidewalk.

“That expensive, huh?”

Rachel scoffed. “You have no idea.”

“Oh, you can afford it. Stop complaining!” Eva joked.

“I’m not complaining! I did buy it.” Rachel laughed. They continued down the street and turned the corner. Eva asked Rachel if they could go get a late lunch because she was starving. After arguing over where to eat, they both decided to eat at a small sandwich shop a few blocks away. Almost to their destination, Rachel abruptly stopped and stomped her foot.

“Oh no! I forgot my purse at the store!” Rachel frowned and jumped up and down.

“You ditz! Hurry, go get it!”

“I’ll be right back. You can just go on ahead and get us a table. Oh, and can you order me a salad and an Arnold Palmer? I’ll be there to take the rest of my order.” Rachel handed Eva the box in which her dress was put in.

“Okay. Hurry back, you know I hate waiting at restaurants alone.” Rachel nodded and hurriedly walked down the street back to Chanel.

When she returned to the store, the lady who sold her the dress immediately came over to her. She was a pretty woman who looked as if she were in her early to mid-thirties. Her hair was sandy and her skin was fair. Her green eyes popped with color.

“Here it is.” She handed over Rachel’s purse and smiled.

“Thank you so much. I was trying not to keep my friend waiting. I guess I forgot it here.” Rachel blushed while explaining herself, she was obviously embarrassed.

“You should be more careful sweetie, if some fan got a hold of your purse, you could get some crazy calls at home. Maybe even get stalked.” Rachel’s jaw dropped. Does she know who I am? Nah, she doesn't know... right?

“You know who I am?” No one had ever recognized Rachel before. She always figured that she didn’t have a high enough celebrity status that a hat and some sunglasses wouldn’t cover.

“Oh, honey. I love all the movies you’ve done. I can wait to see your new film!”

“Excuse me, miss.” A customer said, referring to the sales lady that Rachel was talking to. “Do you have this is a different color?”

“I have to return to work. Good luck with the new movie and enjoy the dress. Oh, and be careful with your belongings dear.” She winked at Rachel and left to tend to the customer.

Rachel walked out of the store and towards the restaurant without a smile leaving her face. She practically skipped down the sidewalk. She recognized me! Oh my gosh, Eva is going to flip! Her thoughts were interrupted. She turned and looked around as she heard her name being yelled through the streets.

---

Nick returned to his car from the store with two six-packs of beer and a few bags of chips. He went unnoticed for about 2 minutes. Two young girls spotted him waiting in the check out line. He was glad that they didn’t scream or jump up and down, but instead they shyly came up to him and asked for a picture. He posed with them, wrapping his arms around their waists as one girl extended her arm to snap the photograph.

Nick turned the ignition on and began driving to Howie’s house. He had completely forgotten about Rachel until he stopped at a red light. He was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel while listening to the radio. He gazed out the windshield, watching the pedestrians cross the street in front of him.

That’s when he saw her. She walked in front of his car with a huge grin on her face. Nick’s eyes went wide and followed her to the other side of the street. As soon as the light turned green, Nick made a u-turn and parked his vehicle at the nearest parking meter. He ran out of his car and down the street as quickly as he could. I must be crazy. He thought as he jogged up to her yelling her name.

“Rachel! Hey Rachel!” She turned and looked around, not recognizing anyone familiar. When her eyes finally spotted Nick, she smiled. She came walking towards him.

“Hey, stranger.” She flashed him her pearly whites and placed her hands on her hips. Standing there, staring into Nick’s eyes, he felt himself start to shake a little. Whoa, get a hold of yourself, Carter.

“Hi.” He was a little out of breath from the short jog, which embarrassed him. She giggled and he laughed at himself.

“Nice to see you again. It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you remember me.” She placed a hand on his arm and Nick’s knees almost let him down. But he regained his composure before noticeably losing his balance. The last thing he needed was to get weak in the knees in front of her just because she touched his arm.

“Yeah, it is nice. And of course I remember you! How could I forget how you felt me up that night?” They both burst into laughter. “In fact, I was hoping that maybe we could see each other again.” He didn’t want to waste time with her. He wanted her so bad. He was also afraid that he wouldn’t see her again if he didn’t make his move at this very moment.

She looked taken back that he asked so suddenly, but she also looked pleased. “Um, yeah, sure. I’d like that!” She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “How about I give you my number?”

Nick’s hand went to get his phone from his back pocket so he could save her number, but realized he left it in his car.

“Shit, I left my phone in the car. Guess you’ll have to write it down.” Nick frowned. He didn’t’ think she would have paper.

“Okay, hold on…” She dug in her purse. “I don’t have paper or a pen. But I do have… this!” She pulled out a eyeliner. “Just be careful not to smudge it.” She grabbed his hand and Nick wrote her number down on his palm. Nick closed his eyes as she held his hand. I’m so crazy about her and I don’t even know her!

“There!” She let go of his hand. He stared at her number and then looked at her.

“Great. I’ll definitely call you sometime.” Nick opened his mouth, ready to ask her if she had any plans at the moment, but she beat him to the punch.

“I have to go. I left my friend waiting at a restaurant. I’m glad we bumped into each other though.” Nick chuckled. More like I chased after you.

They said goodbye and Nick watched as she walked down the street until he lost sight of her through the crowd. A smile never left his face.

I saw her again! Howie won’t believe this!

---

“Eva! Oh my… You are so not going to believe this! Today is like the best day ever!” Rachel happily skipped over to the table and sat in her chair. She couldn’t wait to tell her best friend all about how she was recognized by a fan and that Nick Carter had her number and was going to call her. For a date! She mentally squeaked.

“Oh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Eva sat up and propped her elbows in the table, her attention fully focused on Rachel. “This better be good! I hate it when you get me all excited for something and it ends up being real silly and boring. I mean, geez, that one time with the Harry Pot—”

“Eva! Shut up and let me tell you my news!” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I went back to Chanel and—”

“Oh! You saw someone famous!” Eva jumped in her seat.

“Eva! Let me tell my story!" Eva clasped her hands around her mouth and nodded. "I didn’t see a celebrity, well, not at Chanel. But I did get recognized! Like, a fan recognized me!” Eva squealed. She loved Rachel so much and totally supported her best friend when it came to her career. She knew that Rachel had great talent, but after Rachel’s fourth film and still not getting much public attention, Rachel always questioned how talented she was. Now that someone recognized her, Eva knew that Rachel’s self-esteem would skyrocket.

“Sweetie, oh my gosh, I’m so proud of you! This is so great! You’re a big movie star!” Both girls giggled and hugged each other over the table. Eva felt tears start to sting in the back of her eyes. She was really happy to see how much her friend's life had turned around for the better. For a second she peered back in the painful past, but quickly pushed the dark thoughts aside. Don’t think about that anymore! She barked at herself. Eva broke her mental flashback and focused on Rachel’s story again.

“Now, you said something about a celebrity? Spill!” Eva playfully slapped Rachel’s bottom as the two went to sit back down.

“Oh, yeah! The other great thing was… well, I saw Nick! And I gave him my number!” Eva’s jaw dropped.

“Rachel, holy shit! Nick Carter is going to ask you out on a date!” Eva’s voice was a little too loud.

“Shhh! Someone might hear!” Rachel looked around at the various people at their tables. No one seemed to be looking, let alone paying any attention.

“Do you know what this means Rach? This means you two will become Hollywood’s new golden couple! America’s sweethearts! To hell with Brad and Angelina, it’s Nick and Rachel! Oh my gosh, and you two will have the biggest wedding in history! Aw, and the most beautiful kids and a gorgeous house! You have to get one of those castle like houses, you know, real fancy and junk. You two are going to be so—” Rachel cut her off.

“Whoa, calm down! I haven’t even gone on the date yet. I mean, who knows? He might not even call.” Rachel took a bite from her salad.

“Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it! You know he’s going to call. Why wouldn’t he? And if he doesn’t, well, then fuck him.” Eva laughed while comforting her friend. If Nick didn’t call Rachel, Eva would forever call him a jackass every time she saw his picture.

Rachel looked down at her menu not really focusing on the words. “I just hope he calls.”

---

“I was thinking maybe I could invite her to that premiere? I’m sure she’d have a great time.” Nick was putting together his cheeseburger in the kitchen while Howie was a few feet away from him out on the back porch grilling the meat.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea for a first date. Plus, I bet she doesn’t even have anything to wear on such short notice.” Nick walked over with his burger and leaned on the opened sliding glass door. All he could think about on his way to Howie’s was the date he would take her out on. He wanted it to be something really nice. He was out of fresh, original ideas. He had used all his good ones on his disastrous relationships before.

“I could buy her something. I don’t mind.” Howie frowned while flipping a few burgers over. He really hated how Nick had the mindset that he needed to win girls over with his credit card. Howie sometimes felt that Nick thought if he didn’t shower girls in expensive gifts, that they’d get bored with him and leave. He wanted Nick to find a girl who truly wanted him, not his fame and fortune.

“Nick…” Howie started. He knew that Nick understood his concerns.

“I know, I know. I just meant that if she didn’t have anything to wear, I could help her out. But yeah, you’re right.” Nick sighed and went in to take a bite from his burger. As he bit down, mustard leaked out from the bottom and fell on his white shirt.

“Shit.” Nick mumbled with his mouth full, trying to wipe the yellow substance off his shirt, only having more drop down onto his hand. Howie laughed.

“Go clean it up before it spills all over my floor!” Howie joked. Nick walked over to the kitchen counter and placed his burger down. The mustard oozed all over his hand. He went to the sink and began washing them. Then he realized…

“Nooo! No, no, no, no! Fuck!” Nick stopped rubbing his soapy hands and patted them dry on a dish towel trying not to smudge the remaining numbers on his palm. He stared at his palm and groaned. Nick could only make out two numbers. The rest was just a big black smudge. Howie came up behind Nick with a plate of burgers and hotdogs.

“Is that her phone number?” Howie said, smiling. He couldn’t help it. Only Nick was capable of pulling something like this off.

“Shut up.” Nick buried his face into his arms on the counter. I can’t believe I washed her number off! He yelled to himself. Why didn't I save her number in my phone as soon as I got back to the car?"

“Man, it sucks to be you right now.” Howie laughed and patted Nick on the back. He walked over and took a hotdog from the plate.

“Wiener?”

“Damn, did you get the right size? I can’t get this zipper up!” Eva pulled hard on the zipper. She stopped when she heard a little tiny rip. “Oops. I hope that isn’t serious.”

Rachel sighed. It was 7 o’clock. She had to be at the premiere in less than an hour and she still didn’t have her hair and makeup done. She was starting to regret her decision in turning down a professional stylist to come over and help her get ready. Yet, she wanted Eva to do her hair and makeup because she was really good at it. However, Eva didn’t come home from work until five minutes ago and Rachel was getting antsy.

“Is it just stuck or is it really too small? I mean, I got a size 6.” Eva raised her eyebrow and stopped pulling.

“You went a size up? Since when?” Rachel blushed and shut her eyes. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She had been a size 4, but with all the stress from making her new movie, she moved up a size. Rachel was upset and even with Eva, her best friend since the 6th grade, she was embarrassed about it. It also didn’t help that in the back of Rachel’s mind she constantly thought of her mother.

“Since production started. Please, don’t make it a big deal.” Rachel whispered pain in her eyes. Eva frowned. She hated seeing her best friend insecure like this. Her mother has totally changed her for the worst. It just broke Eva’s heart.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. You know that. I was just asking. I mean, as your best friend it’s my job to always know your size. You know, in case I buy you clothes. And you know a size 6 isn’t big, Rach. It’s, like, actually perfect considering how you’re so tall. So, don’t think about it… or her.” Rachel frowned. That’s easy for you to say, you’re like a freaking size 0! She silently hoped that Eva would just drop the conversation immediately. The last thing she needed was to think about her mother all night while at the premiere. Eva continued talking. “And I don’t think it’s too small. I think something’s caught in the zipper. I can’t seem to pull it out like this though. Here, take the dress off.” Eva zipped her down. Rachel shimmied and stepped out of her dress. She waited uncomfortably in her underwear while Eva pulled out the material stuck in the zipper. She was embarrassed for Eva to see her body. She watched as Eva zipped the dress up and down and few times to make sure it was working.

“All set. Put it back on.” Rachel gladly slipped it back onto her body and Eva zipped her up.

“There. Now let’s do your hair. I was thinking of something really cute. Like maybe a side bun with a sleek part. Maybe even put something pretty in your hair like a flower or a barrette. And as for makeup, totally smoky eyes with a pink metallic shimmer over them. This will bring out your hazel eyes. Oh, and of course, bubble gum pink lips! Then for the cheeks, I’ll do this—”

“Eva! No time for your rambling! Get cracking! I’m late!” The last sentence was a high-pitched screech, a drastic change from Rachel's low, buttery voice. Rachel was getting very nervous. This was her first big premiere! And she was the star of the movie! Everyone was going to be there, watching the film and judging her. She sat, eyes closed, letting her thoughts drift to all the different scenarios that could take place during the night. Then, Eva snapped her back to reality.

“Done!” She exclaimed. “I think I did an awesome job. Take a look for yourself.” Rachel turned her chair around and stared into the mirror.

“Wow! I look great! Like a real movie star. Thank you so much Eva.” Rachel got up and hugged Eva.

“You’re welcome. And you are a real movie star!” Eva laughed and touched up Rachel’s hair. “Now, get a move on or you’re going to be late for your own premiere.”

Eva pulled Rachel away from the mirror and dragged her into the living room. As Rachel was being dragged towards the front door, her cell phone began to ring. Immediately knowing who the person calling was, she answered.

“Hi Caroline.” Rachel answered, rolling her eyes. It was her agent.

“You’re not in the limo. You’ve got 10 minutes to get here before I hunt you down young lady.” Caroline jokingly barked her orders.

Eva pushed Rachel out of her front door.

“Relax; I’m on my way out the door right now.” Rachel turned around just as the front door slammed in her face. She knocked on the door. “Clutch, please.” Eva nodded and ran to get Rachel’s clutch.

“What?” Caroline asked.

“Nothing, I wasn’t talking to you.”

Eva returned with a glittery black Prada clutch. Then, after handing it to Rachel, slammed the door again while yelling “You’re late!” Rachel laughed and began walking down the hall of Eva’s apartment complex.

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes, tops. Don’t worry Caroline. I love ya, bye.” Rachel hung up the phone while descending the stairs. When she reached the first floor she saw the black limo parked out in the front. That’s when it hit her. Oh my gosh. This is my premiere. Holy shit!

When she reached for the door with her shaky hand, a man ran beside her and pushed her hand away.

“Let me, ma’am.” The chauffeur offered. He opened the door and helped Rachel slide inside.

“Thank you.” She responded before he shut the door. Okay, Rach, deep breaths. In… out… In…

---

Nick! We’re going to be late. Do you want to be late? You know I hate being late. Please, hurry up so we won’t be—”.

“Late. I know, don’t worry. Just let me change my shirt real quick.” Nick ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. He walked into Howie’s guest room and searched through his bag. Nick really wanted to wear his new shirt but couldn’t find it earlier. Now, he remembered where he put it. As he dug through his bag, he heard Howie’s muffled voice float through the air.

“Change your shirt? You’re shirt is fine! This is the fourth time, Nick! Nick!” Howie yelled to the younger man upstairs. “You’re worse than I am, man.” Howie mumbled. He waited, leaning on the rail of the stairs. He did not want to be late. A few minutes later, Nick came down, dressed in a black t-shirt with a dragon on the front. Howie rolled his eyes. He really doesn’t think I’m going to let him wear that, does he?

“You changed into that? Nick, do you know where we’re going?” Howie grabbed Nick’s shirt and looked at it, raising an eyebrow. Nick looked at the ensemble Howie was wearing; a white button down shirt with a Black blazer. Howie even wore dress pants and shoes. Nick thought he looked a little too overdressed.

“What’s wrong with this? It’s a cool shirt.” Nick tilted his head to the side while looking at his shirt which was still in Howie’s hand.

“It’s just not the appropriate attire. Go upstairs and change.” Howie pointed upstairs while pushing his friend along.

“I thought you didn’t want to be late?” Nick laughed while climbing the staircase.

“I don’t, but I want you to at least dress nicely tonight.” Howie chuckled. After waiting for another five minutes, Nick came back down with a baby blue button down and a navy blue blazer with an emblem of a skull on the left breast.

“That’s better. Now let’s roll out g-dawg!” Howie headed towards the front door. Nick stopped at the bottom of the stairs. I cannot believe he just said that!

“Dude, don’t ever say anything like that again!” Nick laughed on his way to the door while Howie frowned at his younger friend.

“Hey, I’m gangster.” This brought Nick to laugh harder.

He wiped the tears that formed in his eyes. “As gangster as Peewee Herman.”

---

On the ride to the premiere, Rachel was a mess. She was hyperventilating while shredding napkins into little strips, a nervous habit of hers. All she could think about was that this was her first big premiere. Hollywood style. That meant the paparazzi would flock to the location, equipped with flashing cameras for shots of all the movie stars and other celebrities that would also be attending. Everyone would focus on her. If she made a fool out of herself, everyone would notice. These thoughts caused more hyperventilating and her throat became really dry and itchy. She started drinking cup after cup of water. She went through all the bottles until there was none left. After searching for more water, she sat back and tried to take deep breaths. Her wheezing in the silence of the limo started to sound funny, which sent Rachel into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. That’s when she got them.

“Nooo!” Rachel groaned. “Not the hi—” She hiccupped. “—ccups.” She frowned. I’m in trouble now! she thought. Once Rachel got the hiccups, there was no way of stopping them until they died down on their own. Her hiccup spells could last for a whole day. She usually got them when she was extremely nervous or scared. Although she was completely capable of handling pressure, the few occurrences were she was unable to control her jitteriness, she was a total wreck. And at the very moment, in the limo ride, Rachel was the Titanic of shipwrecks.

Just my luck. she thought. I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten any worse. Just then, a wave of tingling sensations came over her. Oh no. She twisted her legs shut. Oh my gosh! I have to pee! She started bouncing up and down in her seat, wiggling, and crossing her legs all the while hiccupping a storm. How long is this damn car ride gonna last?! She was growing incredibly impatient. When the driver began slowing down in front of the premiere, Rachel grabbed a mirror out of her purse and checked up on her face. Straightening her outfit, she embraced herself on the side of the car as the driver opened the door. A sudden burst of camera flashes hit her face. This is it. She told herself. Don’t blow it, Rachel.

---

Nick and Howie sat at a table with AJ in a small fancy restaurant. Nick was stirring his soup with a frown on his face. AJ had shown up to the restaurant in his usual attire and Nick was jealous.

“Come on, Nick. It’s not a big deal. It’s just clothes. I promise that I’ll let you wear whatever you want to the premiere tomorrow.” Howie offered. He honestly didn’t think that Nick would take this so seriously.

“Yeah. You better.” Nick pouted. He really hated that Howie had made him change but didn’t even mention AJ’s attire when he walked through the doors. Why was it that all the guys thought they could tell him what to do? Probably because you always listen to them!

“You’re such a baby, Nick. Suck it up. Boo hoo.” AJ laughed while taking a sip of his water.

Nick threw a crouton at AJ. Howie sighed and shook his head.

“Nick, don’t do that here. This is a nice place.” Nick rolled his eyes. AJ laughed at Nick.

“Yeah, Nick. Don’t you have any class?” AJ grinned cheekily.

Nick threw another crouton and AJ caught it in his mouth. He smiled wide and raised his eyebrows. “I’m pretty good, huh?”

‘You two need to grow up.” Howie took a bite of his salad. “I wish Kevin was here.”

“What? Are we not fulfilling your entertainment needs?” AJ asked. “Here, how about we act like Kevin?” AJ sat up straight and made an expressionless face.

“I was watching a man make a chair from scratch once. It was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. He took each piece of wood and skillfully carved the pieces, making such intricate details. I watched him for hours. It was as beautiful as a summer day back in Kentucky.” AJ spoke in slowly. Nick and Howie both started laughing. As much as they loved their eldest band mate and brother, they could never pass up an opportunity to make fun of Kevin.

“Yeah, like,” Nick sat up straight and tried to pretend he was Kevin. “Yeah, I watched paint dry on the walls once. It was… fun.” Nick stopped. He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

AJ and Howie burst out laughing. Nick had a look of deep concentration on his face as he searched his brain for something witty to say. AJ patted Nick on the back.

“It’s okay. Don’t hurt yourself thinking of something, little man.” He and Howie chuckled.

Nick blushed and stirred his soup again.

“I was done anyway, thank you very much.”

Author’s Note: If you don’t get Nick’s little joke, think “Welcome Back Kotter”. I’m not sure if anyone’s really seen that show, but yeah, it’s from there. And I’m not good with cars. So don’t laugh at Howie’s choice! ;D I just picked something expensive. Haha. Enjoy!


“… I. Have to. Pee.”

Laughter filled the small apartment.

“Okay, rewind it! Rewind it, Lauren, rewind it!” Eva screamed, bouncing up and down on the couch while hitting the Asian sitting next to her.

Eva had taped Rachel’s premiere. Now she and their friend,Lauren, were watching the tape over and over again.

“Ow, okay! Hold on. Alright. Okay! Stop hitting me!” Lauren laughed and pushed Eva off the couch as she stopped the tape.

“Miss Hewitt! Miss Hewitt! Can you tell us how well you think the movie is going to go?” A female reporter asked as her face filled the T.V. screen. Then the shot went to Rachel who had an uncomfortable look on her face. She was hiccupping and squirming around. Her makeup was a little smudge and her hair was coming undone. She was really nervous.

“I’m. Sor. Ry. I. I. Have to. Pee.” Rachel stuttered in between hiccups. The camera stayed on Rachel as she quickly walked, almost ran, towards the building.

“OH MY GOD! I CAN’T BREATHE!” Lauren yelled as she doubled over and fell off the couch with laughter, her long black hair covering her face.

Eva cackled and hit the floor continuously. Tears were spilling down both girls faces.

“Wait, rewind it again, Lauren! And this time play it in slow-mo when she's walking away!” Eva sat up, eagerly and waited for the tape to start over.

The two watched as the reporter asked Rachel a question and Rachel responded. Then, Eva grabbed the remote and pushed the slow motion button.

“Watch! Watch!” Eva quickly crawled to the T.V. screen and pointed at Rachel as she slowly ran to the building. “She trips on her heels!” Just then, Rachel wobbled to the side, almost falling before regaining her composure and continued, never slowing down.

This caused Lauren to explode with laughter. Eva slammed the remote on the floor and fell on her back.

“Rewind!” Lauren yelled. Eva nodded and began to rewind the tape. Just then, the front door opened.

“… Have to. Pee.”

“Oh my gosh, you guys! Stop watching it! I hate you!” Rachel ran to the T.V., shutting it off. The two girls continued to roll around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Rachel scrunched her face up in anger. “I hate you both. You guys are evil. That was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me!”

Both girls stopped laughing and looked at each other. Lauren got up started walking towards Rachel, arms open for a hug. Then she pretended to wobble, reenacting the trip, causing Eva to grab her sides and struggle for breath as she laughed.

“Lauren! That is so not funny!” Rachel stormed into the kitchen.

“You know we love you!” Eva screamed as Rachel walked off.

In the kitchen, she opened the fridge and took a bottle of juice out as Lauren and Eva giggled in the other room. She could hear Lauren yell at Eva.

“Rewind it again!”

---

Nick looked in the mirror while combing his wet hair to the side. He smiled as he thought of last night. He had a fun time with his two brothers just talking and laughing. He even told AJ all about his mystery girl. AJ had been merciless in taunting Nick as he told him how he washed the number off his hand. Nonetheless, AJ had also been very supportive in Nick’s little obsession. He told Nick that if he really liked the girl he should find her. Hunt her down, even. Howie on the other hand, said it was fate that lead Nick to wash the number off, therefore he should leave things be. But Nick still couldn’t stop thinking of Rachel, so he opted to listen to AJ.

He finished combing his hair and went to the duffel bag sitting on his bed. He dug out the dragon shirt and pulled it on. Howie said he could wear whatever he wanted and he wanted to wear his new dragon shirt. Plus, if he played his accessories off well enough, he’d look still fashionable for the premiere. Howie had a tendency to overdress for things anyway. Nick pulled out a belt, a necklace, and some bracelets out from the duffel. He put them on and checked himself out in the full length mirror. Hey, looking good, Mr. “Cart-air”. He laughed at his joke while giving himself two thumbs up.

He walked out of Howie’s guest room and over to Howie’s room. He stood in the doorway as Howie messed with his hair.

“Are you ready yet, Howie?” Nick yawned, still tired from staying up all night with him and AJ.

“Yeah, I am. You?” Howie walked over to his dresser and grabbed his cologne. He sprayed some on himself and offered it to Nick.

“What? You think I smell?” Howie laughed.

“Finally you get the hint!” Howie winked and walked towards the doorway. “Let’s go.”

The two men walked out of Howie’s luxurious Beverly Hills home. Howie offered to drive and Nick accepted. Nick knew that he was probably going to get a little buzzed from the after party and Howie had said the night before that he wouldn’t be drinking. The two got in Howie’s black Lamborghini and drove off.

---

“Rachel, we’re sorry. Don’t get mad. It’s just so funny. If it was one of us, you’d be laughing your ass off, too!” Lauren pleaded to Rachel at the kitchen table. The girls were done watching the tape and were now apologizing to Rachel.

“I’m not mad that you find it funny or that you’re laughing your asses off. I’m mad that you’ve rewound that scene over and over for the past 3 hours!” Rachel hissed. She was completely embarrassed that she made a fool of herself at her first big premiere. Not mention it was on national television.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s so…” Eva started laughing. She bit her tongue and covered her mouth. “I love you!” She added with a look of guilt on her face.

Rachel sighed. She really wasn’t mad at them. She was mad at herself for being such a spaz. She didn’t blame her friends for finding it so hilarious. Lauren was right, if it had been someone else, she probably would have been rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter.

“What am I going to do? I’ll forever be remembered as the girl who ran away practically peeing herself.” Saying this made Rachel laugh out loud, her two friends following in a fit of giggles.

A knock at the door silenced the girls and Eva jumped up out of her chair to answer it.

“It’s the girls!” Eva ran to the door and opened it. Standing in front of her in the hallway were four uniquely beautiful girls. “Yay, all the bitches are here!” She smiled and let the four girls into her home.

A short sandy blonde with long hair skipped into the kitchen and hugged both Lauren and Rachel.

“I saw the mishap on E!, Rachel. I’m sorry.” She frowned and leaned in for another hug.

“Thanks, Kim.” Rachel forced a smile and sighed.

Then, a very tall girl with short black hair came into the room.

“Where’s Rachel? Oh, Rachel. I’m sorry about the premiere. That must have been so fucking embarrassing.” She came over and plopped into Rachel’s lap, wrapping her arms around Rachel’s neck. “My poor baby!”

“Oh gosh, get off me Shellie!” Rachel pushed Shellie off her lap and laughed. “It was embarrassing. Now can everyone just drop it, please?”

A short half Filipino girl with long black hair and a tall girl with similar hair came in to join the rest of the group.

“What are we talking about, Rachel’s spastic moment last night?” The last girl said.

“Shut up, April! Rachel doesn’t need to be reminded of her freak attack!” The short half Filipino said, slapping the tall girl on the arm.

“Geez, Natalie. Stop hitting me!” April hissed.

“It’s okay. I don’t think I can ever forget it.” Rachel laughed. Not because she found it funny, but because she found it sad. “But seriously guys, what am I going to do?”

“We are going to go party like there’s no tomorrow! By the end of tonight, you will have completely forgotten all about this little incident.” April smiled. “I’ll make damn sure of it!”

“I don’t really feel like going out tonight. I don’t want to show my face anywhere for a long time.” Rachel looked at her feet. She heard all the girls groan.

“Don’t let this thing get to you! So you announced that you had to piss and ran to the bathroom on national television. It wasn’t a sex tape, or getting busted for lip-synching. Don’t take it too hard.” Eva rubbed Rachel’s shoulder. “It’s really not that bad. Really.”

“Yeah, it could’ve been worse. Like, you could have actually peed yourself. That would totally have sucked like a million times more.” Kimberly added. Everyone laughed.

“Yeah, so come on. Let’s forget about hiccups and bladder problems and let’s go have fun!” Lauren pulled Rachel out of her chair and hugged her. “You’re still a sexy mama and you need to get your freak on!”

After an hour of getting ready, all seven ladies walked out of the door looking hot and stylish, striding on the sidewalks on their way to the club.

---

Nick smiled and posed for the cameras. Flashes went off all around him. Then Howie pulled up beside Nick, causing the media to go crazy. They stood outside in front of the cameras for about 10 minutes before going inside.

After the movie was done playing, Nick and Howie discussed whether or not they would attend the premiere party at a club. Nick had wanted to go before, but after the premiere he didn’t really feel like staying up all night and partying with these people. Howie confessed that he’d rather go out for some buffalo wings and beers at a nearby bar than party with a bunch of snotty young celebrities that starred in a crappy teen movie.

So, the two Backstreet men went to a bar on the strip and ordered food and beer. With the movie still fresh in their minds, Nick initiated the bashing.

“That movie sucked ass, didn’t it?” Nick asked as he grabbed a chicken wing and munched on it.

“Yeah, I mean, how vulgar and inappropriate can something get? I actually felt a little sick at some parts. Like the mayonnaise scene.” Howie stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“Yeah, don’t remind me. I mean, seriously, I’m eating here.” Nick laughed, trying not to think about the movie.

“So, what are you going to do about that Rachel chick?” Howie asked out of the blue while taking a sip from his beer. He was hoping that Nick would take his advice.

“Well, I can’t really do anything unless I see her again. But I have a feeling that I will.” Nick smiled. He saw her twice, a third would be inevitable.

“I still think that it’s a sign. You’re not meant to be, Nick.” Howie grabbed a wing and took and bite. “But hey, what do I know about chance happenings, right?” He saw Nick’s face fall when he said his previous statement, so he added the last part to keep Nick in a good mood.

“Yeah, right.” Nick replied softly. Both men jumped slightly when Nick’s cell phone abruptly rang. He reached to pick it up.

“Hello?” There was no answer on the other line. “Hello?” He said again before hearing a gasp and then giggling. Then the line went dead.

“What the heck?” Nick shut his phone and put it back into his pocket. “That was weird.”

“What was?” Howie asked, his mouth full of food.

“Someone called and then hung up.”

“Maybe a wrong number.” Howie shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe.” Nick took a swig of his beer and shrugged his shoulders.

I wonder what she’s doing right now. Is she waiting for my call? Does she even care? Should I just forget about her?

“Hey, Nick, you really like this mystery girl, huh?” Howie asked.

“Yeah, I think I do. Crazy, huh?”

Howie lied. “Nah.”

---

“Why do they call is a cocktail? ‘Cause I’m sure they didn’t name it after what I’m thinking of!” Shellie burst out laughing, slipping out of her chair. “Whoops, that was a close one!”

Rachel laughed as she watched her five inebriated friends talk and do silly things. She was having such a fun time and truly had forgotten all about her embarrassing incident, her weight gain, and even Nick.

Kimberly and Rachel were the only ones who hadn’t drank that night. Rachel had her own reasons to why she didn’t drink, besides being underage. But Kimberly’s only hindrance to drinking was the underage thing. She never had a single drop of alcohol in her life. She was waiting until she was the legal age. Rachel really admired that about her friend. Unlike April, who was also underage, she didn’t feel the need to rush to have drunken fun.

“A toast! To Rachel for almost falling on her ass in front of the whole world!” The five girls cackled while clinking their shot glasses together, spilling tequila all over the table.

Rachel frowned at the toast, but laughed at her friend’s attempts to drink from their tiny glasses. They were missing their target as tequila dripped from their chins. Rachel laughed and tried to help Shellie find her mouth.

“I don’t need help, woman!” Shellie pushed Rachel softly and tried to drink her shot again. Rachel giggled and directed her.

“To the left, sweetie. Up, up. No, no, no. Down, a little bit more. There you go!” Rachel laughed as Shellie finally got the glass to her mouth, only to find it empty.

“Someone drank my tequila!” Shellie yelled her face full of genuine shock.

Lauren giggled and poured Shellie another shot. April sat in the corner of the table, against a wall. Her eyes were closed and her head was resting on the wall. April wasn’t fun to be around when she was drunk. She got really mean and scary. Once, she tried to bite Kimberly on the face as a joke. Only she missed Kimberly’s face and fell out of her barstool. Then she started crying and Rachel had to attend to her like a baby all night.

The girls only partied like this every few months. They were so busy with their jobs and individual lives that they barely got together as a whole group except for every now and then. And tonight was one of those nights. They decided to go clubbing instead of the previous plan to stay at Eva’s apartment and watch movies all night because of Rachel’s misfortune. So, now all seven girls were having a blast.

April opened her eyes and screamed. Everyone looked at her. She laughed and took the tequila bottle away from Lauren.

“I’m thirsty!” She slurred.

Just then, a whole group of people came into the club. They looked really familiar to Rachel. After watching a few people pass by, she realized that they were celebrities and a few of them were actors from a new movie that had premiered tonight.

A few guys stopped at their table, talking to Rachel before asking her to dance. She turned them all down.

“Why on earth did you turn them down?!” Natalie screamed at Rachel, spitting on her face.

Rachel wiped her cheek and cleared her throat.

“I just didn’t want to dance with them, that’s all.” Rachel knew the true reason why she didn’t want to dance with them. They were all stuck up and fake. They didn’t interest her like…

“Is it because of Nick? Honey, he totally hasn’t called you yet! Just go have some fun!” Eva yelled… at Kimberly.

“Why are you yelling at me?” Kimberly asked, laughing.

Eva squinted her eyes while tilting her head. She looked at every girl until she found Rachel. She leaned her head back with wide eyes.

“Oh, there you are! When did you move?” Eva asked, leaning forward, touching noses with Rachel.

“I didn’t. You’re drunk.” Rachel laughed, kissing Eva’s forehead.

“I’m not drunk! You’re drunk!” Eva flipped Rachel’s hair. She tried to fall back into her seat, only she missed it and landed straight on her ass. “Whoa! Who moved my chair?” She giggled and tried to pull herself up only to fall back down.

The other girls laughed while Lauren and Natalie tried to help Eva back up.

Kimberly asked out loud the question that had been gnawing at her for the past 5 minutes.

“Who’s Nick?”

All the girls nodded at each other.

“Yeah, who’s Nick?” They all asked in unison, including Eva.

“Um, just some guy I met at a club one night.” She didn’t want to mention his occupation in fear that one of the intoxicated girls would leak the information to someone at the club unknowingly.

“Yeah, and I went home with him!” Eva exclaimed.

“What?” Rachel laughed. Eva had the worst memory when she was intoxicated.

“That was someone else, baby.”

“Really? Who? Holy shit! I can’t believe I went home with Nick and someone else!” Eva turned to Natalie and shook her shoulders. “I went home with two guys! Geez!”

All the girls laughed. They continued to drink, leaving Rachel to her thoughts for a moment. She really wanted Nick to call her. She sat in her seat, surrounded by her best friends, hoping that when she got home there would be a message on the machine with his voice booming through the speakers saying how he’d love to meet her for some coffee. Please, please, please call!

“I had a really fun time tonight, Nick” A bubbly blonde breathed in his ear. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. “You’re one hell of a dancer, great moves. Maybe, you’d like to show me some more at my place?” She planted a wet, lustful kiss on his lips. He moaned into her mouth while nodding his head. After a few minutes he broke the kiss.

“Yeah, I’d love to show you what I got.” She giggled. They got out of Nick’s car and headed towards her house. Why do I feel so guilty? he asked himself as he stepped through her front door. It’s not like she’s my girlfriend, Nick told himself, thinking about Rachel. Still, Nick’s guilt took over his mind. Yet all thoughts escaped him as he saw the voluptuous blonde slide out of her skin tight dress.

“Follow me,” That’s all she said. Nick followed her lead as she took him to her bedroom. As soon as they stepped inside, the blonde jumped into Nick’s arms and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Show me what you got baby,” She licked his ear.

Nick moaned and whispered “Oh Rachel,”

“Uh, my name is Caitlin” She stopped kissing him and looked him in the eye. Nick mentally rolled his eyes. Like she really cares who I’m thinking about. This girl has been around more than a town mailman!

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Caitlin,” Nick bluffed as he placed her on the bed. He was horrible at lying. The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Yeah, whatever.” She rolled on top of him and straddled his chest. “Just do me.” She demanded. Nick nodded his head and pushed her back on the bed, placing her under him. He nibbled her neck and quickly discarded his clothing. When he looked at the blonde’s face, he cringed slightly, but covered it with a smile. She had way too much fake tan and makeup on. He closed his eyes and envisioned Rachel’s face. That’s better.

---

Rachel sat on the couch, staring at the phone. It had been almost a week since Rachel gave Nick the number to reach her. He said he’d definitely call me. Why hasn’t he? Rachel stayed home tonight in case Nick called. Tonight, Eva and Shellie had gotten together with some guys to go clubbing. They had invited Rachel since the guys had brought an extra friend, but Rachel said she had “important” things to do. Eva knew what those “important” things were; it was waiting for Nick’s call. Yet she had decided to let Rachel stay home all night in hopes that she would finally get the clue that Nick wasn’t going to call.

“Ring! Damn it, just ring!” Rachel hit the phone repeatedly. “Why isn’t he calling?” Rachel threw herself down on the couch, her head hitting the surface of its armrest. She lay there and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. She jumped into an upright position and grabbed the phone before the first ring could completely finish.

“Hello!” She practically yelled into the phone.

“Ow! Are you trying to make me go deaf?” Rachel’s face dropped. It was Natalie. Just stupid old boring Natalie!

“Yeah, what do you want?” Rachel hissed into the phone. She really didn’t want to hold up the line in case Nick was trying to reach her at this very moment. I’m so pathetic.

“Eva informed me that you’re pathetically wallowing around at home. So I assigned myself a mission. To take care of you for the night!” Natalie chirped through the phone. Rachel narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not wallowing, I’m not pathetic, and I don’t need a damn babysitter!” Rachel got up from her seat and began to pace back and forth in the living room. She could never sit down while talking on the phone. She always had to get up and walk around.

When a knock came at the front door, Rachel went to answer it, as she continued to tell Natalie that she was fine. She opened the door and found Natalie standing in front of her with a plastic bag, still on the phone.

“Okay, so why are you home on a Friday night talking on the phone with me?” Natalie closed the phone and grinned while pushing herself past Rachel. She walked into the living room and placed her plastic bag down on the coffee table. Rachel turned her phone off and closed the door.

Referring to Natalie’s bag, she raised an eyebrow and asked “What’s that?”

“This, my friend, is the quintessential wallowing sustenance. We’ve got Chunky Monkey and New York Super Fudge ice-cream and I bought you a box of chocolates. It was expensive. I expect to be repaid.” Natalie smiled and plopped down on the sofa. Rachel walked over to the table with the bag on top. She opened it and pulled out the box of chocolates.

“You got Godiva? You know I like the cheap chocolates!” Rachel whined. Natalie’s jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed down on Rachel’s.

“Are you complaining? Gosh, how inconsiderate!” Natalie grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels.

“I got some movies, too”

Rachel dug through the bag and pulled out two DVD cases. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween? What the heck? How are these supposed to cheer me up?” Rachel was dumbfounded. Usually, romantic comedies or dramas were the typical choice for situations like these.

“They’ll take your mind off of how he stood you up. If we watched a romance flick, you’d still be thinking about him. So I got those two. I would’ve gotten scarier movies, but I don’t want you to cry and be scared to shower again”

Rachel pouted when Natalie referred to the time in high school when the girls all watched Psycho. Rachel wouldn’t shower with her curtain closed for a month. She just couldn’t help that she hated scary movies. Well, she technically did like scary movies; it was just the part after the movies that she hated.

“Well, thanks for sparing me the emotional trauma,”

Natalie grabbed the DVD’s and popped them into the DVD player while Rachel turned off the lights. They spent the rest of the night watching the slasher-flicks with Natalie laughing and Rachel curled up on the sofa as they ate chocolate and ice cream. When the movies were done, Natalie turned the lights back on and the television off.

“See, now haven’t you completely forgotten all about Nick not calling you?” Natalie asked as Rachel’s jaw dropped.

“Yeah, until now, bitch!” Rachel playfully pushed Natalie then brought her legs up to her chest. She really did want to know why Nick hadn’t called after he said he would.

“Why do you think he didn’t call me?” Rachel’s voice was almost a whisper. “What’s wrong with me?”

Natalie leaped across the couch and hugged her friend tightly. She planted a kiss on Rachel's cheek.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, sweetie. You’re such a catch; he’s stupid for not calling you. He’s probably intimidated by girls that are sexier than him. Oh, unless!" Natalie pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in thought. "Oooh, do you think he saw what happened to you at the premiere on T.V. and hasn’t called because of that?” Rachel’s eyes widened. The thought never crossed her mind

Rachel groaned as she buried her face into a pillow. “Now I do!”

---

“Hello? Hello? I swear, if you call again… Ugh… I’ll do something, you hear me?” Nick screamed into the cell phone before he hung up. Ever since the night he and Howie had attended the premiere Nick was receiving unpronounced phone calls throughout each day. He was getting extremely frustrated of the late night rings, so he told his manager about it. He was reassured that the situation would be taken care of soon. I’m still waiting!

Nick put his phone back in his pocket and continued on his route to meet the guys at a restaurant for lunch. All the guys would be there, including their female companions. Nick felt sort of glad that he wasn’t the only single guy, but that AJ would also be unaccompanied by a lady. He would hate to be the only dateless guy there. Maybe AJ could be your date? Nick joked as he walked through the restaurant doors. Spotting his large group of friends, he walked up to their table.

“So, what’d I miss?” He asked as he sat down in between Kristin and AJ.

“We were just talking about you,” Brian grinned. “And your obsession with that Rachel girl,” Nick blushed and grabbed the menu, covering his face as he read the lunch options.

“Weren’t you just with a girl the other night?” Howie asked as he folded a napkin in his lap. “I distinctly remember you coming in early in the morning with a disheveled appearance. You definitely got laid.”

Leighanne wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Please, there are ladies present! Be a gentleman, Howie!” Leighanne joshed. Brian nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah, Howie! Have some respect!” Brian added cheekily. He kissed his wife on the cheek and added “I have respect, baby. Don’t I?” He cooed. She nodded and rubbed her nose against his.

“Oh, please! Save the mushy shit for later! I don’t want to throw my lunch up!” Nick said while laughing. He wanted to avoid further discussion about his action the other night since he was still disgusted by it.

“You’re just jealous because I have someone to rub noses with!” Brian threw a crumpled napkin at Nick and stuck his tongue out. Nick rolled his eyes, but in his mind he agreed with Brian. I do wish I had someone to rub noses with, Nick shook his thoughts his away as Kevin began speaking about going sea fishing sometime. All the guys agreed that it sounded fun for the weekend.

The group ate their lunch while chitchatting about little things here and there. Brian and Leighanne were trying to have another baby; AJ met a girl at a club the other night, Howie and his girlfriend, Stacy, were moving in together, and Kristin had a new acting gig. Nick managed to go through the whole lunch without anyone mentioning Rachel.

As everyone got up to leave, Nick announced that he had to go to the restroom. Too many iced teas, Nick told himself as he arose from the table, a slight pang hitting his bladder. Walking down the corridor of the restaurant, Nick glanced out of the large glass window to his right. He scanned over the crowd on the street. Then something caught his eye. Holy shit! It’s her!

Nick abruptly stopped and spun around, dashing down the hall, heading for the exit.

“Hey, Nick! Where you going to, buddy?” Kevin yelled as Nick ran past the group, bolting through the doors.

“Rachel!” Nick shouted as he dodged people through the streets. She was standing on the street corner opposite of the restaurant. It’s fate! This is totally fate! How else could I happen to see her again in a big city at a crowded place?

He ran across the street, waving for her attention. Nick wasn’t sure if she saw him because she wasn’t acknowledging his presence. But, he didn’t understand how she couldn’t see him as he screamed and waved her down. When he moved close enough, he found that she did see him, but wasn’t reciprocating his excitement.

He strolled up to her with a look of confusion spread on his face. “Hey, Rachel. What’s up?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. What’s up? What’s up! I’ve been waiting for your call, that’s what’s up!

“Nothing,” She lied. She turned her eyes to a trash can beside her. Just act like you’re totally uninterested, she told herself.

“Sorry about not calling. I really wanted to, but I accidentally washed the number off my hand.”

“Oh, that’s nice” Rachel scoffed. Like anyone is that stupid!

“Look, I’m really really sorry. I do want to take you out sometime. Honestly.” His brilliant blue eyes pleaded as he looked to her face, which was turned away from his.

“I’m sure,”

Nick ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. What can I say to convince her? Then, he came up with a solution.

“Here, instead of waiting for me to call you, why don’t you call me? I’ll give you my number so that way, the ball is totally in your court. I really want to go out with you sometime.” Nick smiled when she turned her head to look at him. She bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows, inhaling slowly.

“Okay…” She said softly with a small smile forming on her lips.

Nick jumped and pumped his arm in the air. “Okay, put this on your phone so you don’t lose it.” She giggled and whipped her phone out. He recited his number to her and she punched the numbers into her phone, saving it.

“So, you better call me. I’ll be waiting,” He leaned in and placed a hand on her shoulder. “As I said, I really want us to go out sometime.” She sheepishly nodded her head.

They said goodbye and Nick walked back across the street to where everyone was standing, waiting for him.

“So, that’s Rachel, huh? She is really pretty,” Brian affirmed. He turned to Leighanne and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Not as pretty as you, though.” He planted a kiss on her lips.

They all started down the street and Nick turned around to wave at Rachel. She returned his wave with a little bounce and a big grin. They turned the corner and Nick sighed in contentment.

“My goodness, Leighanne, isn’t she the girl from T.V.?” Kristin asked the blonde as she looked at Nick with a smile on her face.

“Oh, you mean that chick who embarrassed herself? Oh my gosh, I think it is! What was her name?” Leighanne’s eyes went towards the sky in thought.

“Rachel… Hewitt!” Kristin exclaimed. Both she and Leighanne burst into laughter.

Nick, completely unaware of Rachel’s profession, stared at the two women in shock.

“You know her? She was on T.V.?”

“Oh, honey, she’s an actress! And she just embarrassed herself on national television a while ago.” Kristin informed the confused blonde as they continued down the sidewalk.

“Really? She’s famous? Nah, she can’t be!” Nick dismissed the information he had just received.

---

Rachel continued waiting on the street corner for 2 minutes after Nick left before the individual she was meeting showed up through the crowd.

“Hey!” He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi.” She chirped. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t go out for lunch today. Something suddenly came up. But, I’ll catch you later!” Rachel patted him on the back and waved goodbye, leaving her date standing with a confused expression. She proceeded to skip down the streets. I’m going out with Ni-ick! she sang as she rushed home.

---

“Oh my God!” Nick yelled at his computer screen. “She is famous!” AJ and Howie rushed to his side.

“Wow, click on that picture! Damn, she’s smokin’!” AJ leaned closer to the screen observing Rachel’s body in the photograph.

“Stop! Stop ogling her!” Nick screeched as he covered Rachel’s picture with his hand. Nick still couldn’t believe that she was an actress. How could I have not known?

“Wait,” Howie pointed to a link on the fan site. “Click on that link, it’s a video.” Nick followed Howie’s instructions and clicked on the link. A window popped up and began to load.

As they waited for the video to upload, Howie’s house phone rang. Howie answered it then handed the phone to Nick.

“Hello?” Nick asked as he waited for the video to start.

“Nick, it’s me, Mark.” Mark was their manager's assistant. “I talked to the phone company and I fixed your little stalker problem. No more strange calls in the middle of the day anymore, I just got your number changed.” Nick’s eyes practically bulged out of his head.

“You what!” Nick stood out of his chair and yelled into the phone. Walking over to the sofa, he planted himself down and rubbed his temples. “You changed my cell number?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?” Nick sighed. Shit. This fucking sucks! Why does this keep happening to me?

Just then, Nick heard a roar of laughter from the two guys sitting in front of his laptop. Curious, Nick hung up the phone and walked over to see just what was so funny.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again.”

Rachel groaned and threw the phone on the sofa. Once Rachel had gotten home, she wanted to call Nick and tease him about how he washed away her number, hoping that the conversation would settle on making definite plans for a date. However, when she first dialed his number, she had gotten the operator telling her to dial again. Rachel had called five times throughout the day and every single time she got the same message. Now, she was pissed off.

“That fucking asshole!” Rachel wrung her hands in a strangling motion. She couldn’t believe that she had let her guard down to be humiliated again. This definitely was not her summer as far as romance went. I thought he really liked me. I guess Eva was right! Rachel was glad that Eva had to work late tonight and wouldn’t discover her calling Nick’s fake number all day. She had no intention of telling Eva that she had bumped into Nick again, allowing herself to be duped for the second time. She would only tell me she told me so…

She needed to take her mind off of him, off of everything. She began to clean Eva’s apartment. Being a neat freak, Rachel couldn’t stand the way Eva carelessly managed her household. And now, with the stress of Nick and the premiere night, all Rachel wanted to do was clean the house top to bottom. Eva’s apartment wasn’t very big at all, so Rachel didn’t take long to finish cleaning. Plus, all the anger and humiliation from the past two weeks only fueled Rachel to scrub, sweep, and vacuum furiously.

After putting away the cleaning products into the cabinet under the sink, Rachel went into the living room to retrieve the phone from the sofa. Walking back into the kitchen, she dialed the number that hung on Eva’s refrigerator.

She ordered her chicken teriyaki and sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the doorbell to ring. She sat slumped over, her elbows propped on the table top, the tips of her fingers pressed against her forehead as her thumbs rubbed at her temples. As much as she wanted to forget about her horrible week, she couldn’t help but go over everything and analyze her actions. Just as much as she liked to clean, she would reflect on situations that plagued her.

So deep in thought, Rachel barely heard the phone ringing beside her. When she was jerked away from her surmise of her misfortune, she quickly grabbed the phone and pressed the call button.

“Hello?” She held her breath as she answered, hoping and half daydreaming that it was a certain oceanic-eyed blonde that had finally called to apologize while professing his deepest affections and propose to take her out on a candlelight dinner by the beach.

“Hi, Rachel, it’s me.”

The object of her imagination had not called; instead it was a silver-eyed brunette, the very man that she had left on the sidewalk earlier in the day.

Kyle Hundley was an actor making his debut into Hollywood after years of staring in Indie films. Rachel met Kyle a few months ago at an audition for their upcoming movie that would start filming in the winter.

“Kyle, hi. Sorry about today. I didn’t mean to just leave you standing there. I’m so sorry.” Rachel honestly felt bad for just up and leaving Kyle. But I was just so excited about Nick!

“It’s alright. You can make it up to me tomorrow night at dinner. How does eight o’clock sound to you?”

“Uh…” Rachel hesitated in answering but, she knew deep down that she had to get past Nick. There was no use in getting hung up on someone that she never even went out with, let alone only talked to for a little more than five minutes. “Yeah, eight sounds great.”

She hung up the phone after making vague plans with Kyle. A few minutes later, a knock came from the front door.

As Rachel silently ate her food at the table she felt like she was back in her apartment in New York. All alone. It was what she desperately wanted to avoid, which led her to stay with Eva in L.A. She couldn’t bear to go back to New York knowing that she had nothing to return home to.

After finishing her take out and cleaning up, Rachel decided to call it an early night and began getting ready for bed.

Easy, I'm gonna fade away
I'm gonna find my way around
Knee deep, I get no where from sleep
I'm running out of sheep to count
Not right, I sit alone at night
And on the bed I write it out
No time for giving up that line
Or making up your mind
You've got a right to pine about
Lying on her bed, starring at the ceiling as the blue-gray light dimmed her room, Rachel thought of malicious ways to avenge herself on Nick. Except, all her plans seemed to revolve around making Nick incredibly jealous, which led to grand, romantic gestures from him. After what felt like hours of thinking about him, she slowly found herself falling asleep.

I'm feeling you tonight
In the dream I think I'm falling
Bouncing off of the satellites
In the dream I think I'm flying
I feel you, I feel you
Reach out and touch me will you
I'm feeling you tonight
She dreamt that Nick had called her the first time and they went out on a wonderful first date. The dream continued skipping to various parts of their future. Them moving in an apartment together in New York, him proposing to her at a fireworks display on the Fourth of July, and then the two of them sitting on their house porch as an old couple rocking in their rocking chairs reflecting on how they first met and fell in love.

“I love you, Nick.”

“I love you, too, Rachel.”

I can feel you, in the dream I think I’m falling
I can see you, in the dream I think I’m flying
I feel you, I feel you
Reach out and touch me will you
I’m feeling you tonight
Rachel woke up, startled at the sound of the front door slamming shut. While letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and listening to Eva settle down from her day at work, Rachel thought about the dream she just had. Did she really want all that with Nick? Or do I just want that with anyone who could be the one?

She thought about the question a little longer before making up her mind and returning back to sleep.

Then my eyes start focusing

Nick clicked the link which led to the synopsis of Rachel’s newest movie. He had watched the video and unlike AJ and Howie, he did not find it that funny. After researching about Rachel on the site, he discovered that the premiere was her first Hollywood appearance. She must have seen so nervous. The poor thing…

He took a sip from his beer bottle while reading the information given about her movie. It was called Survival. In it, she plays a young high school student who has a middle aged male stalker. The premise continued describing how her character fights for her life as the man’s encounters with her become more violent.

Note to self: rent all her movies and try to catch her new one…

Nick went on to look at a page of photo shoots she had shot. There weren’t many, only a couple. He studied her face, all her curves. He noticed how in all her pictures, her face was unsure, shy, and timid. Nick found her face full of self doubt, but her eyes were still beautifully strong. It was so different from most stars, let’s say, a certain heiress who, when getting her picture taken, looked so full of herself.

But Rachel, she was different. She wasn’t yet corrupted by the gilded appearance Hollywood and its triteness. She was new, raw, pure. Nick was sure of this. She just had to be. A breath of fresh air, right?

This ain't about the things I've done
Where I've been or what I won
Stand on your corner a thousand time
Lose what I got, keep what I find
It's about you
It's about you
Nick turned his laptop off and wandered into Howie’s kitchen. His Latino friend had gone over to AJ’s before heading out to a restaurant with Stacy. This left Nick alone in someone else’s house with nothing to do, since he didn’t feel like clubbing.

This ain't about the things you say
Or how you make me feel this way
Stand on your corner a thousand time
Lose what I got, keep what I find
It's about you
It's about you
Nick grabbed his car keys and left to the nearest DVD rental store. He searched for the three movies that Rachel had done prior to her new film. It took him awhile to find, but he found one of her movies.

And when I get this feeling
It's hard for me to come back down
And when I get this feeling
It's hard for me to come back down
And I could be
That everything you need
And I know this could be
That free fall back to me
Nick was in the middle of watching The Darkest Hour when Howie returned home.

“What are you doing home? I thought you’d be staying over at Stacy’s?” Nick shouted to the corridor, his eyes still on the movie. He heard a depressive sigh from Howie so he turned around to find his friend sitting on the bench beside the staircase with his hands over his face.

“We got into a fight. Over something really stupid.”

“What?”

“What color wallpaper we want for the apartment.” Howie laughed. “She wants cream, I want blue. So we argued about it until she told me to get out because I was causing her a headache and keeping her from sleeping.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry, man. Need a hug?” Nick grinned, planning on how to cheer his brother up.

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Howie shook his head.

Just then, Nick leaped from the couch and ran to Howie, who had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look upon his face.

“No! Nick! Stop!” Howie squealed and turned to run, but it was too late. Nick grabbed a hold of Howie and lifted him in a tight bear hug. He leaned back, squeezing Howie and swinging him back and forth. Howie kicked his legs and swatted Nick’s arms in protest, but his laughs were genuine, leading Nick to believe that he was accomplishing his task.

“If you don’t put me down, I’m going to fart on you!”

Nick put his shorter friend down, watching as he whipped around and put him into a headlock.

“Hey! I just wanted to comfort you with a hug! No need to get violent!” Howie proceeded to give Nick a noogie. They continued to wrestle around until Howie’s eyes became transfixed on something in the living room, causing him to go slack and allowing Nick to tackle him to the ground.

“Um, Nick, why is Rachel kissing some guy on my T.V.?” Nick mentally kicked himself for leaving the T.V. on as Howie pushed Nick off of himself and walked into his living room, sitting down on the sofa. He noticed the DVD case on the coffee table and lifted on up to read.

“The Darkest Hour? Rachel Hewitt? Nick, this is borderline obsessive.” Howie frowned as he put the case back down on the table and turned towards the blonde standing in his corridor.

“I’m just curious to see what she’s been in. It’s not obsessive.”

Howie only raised an eyebrow as he got up and headed out the room. He walked past Nick by the staircase and began his way up. Halfway to the top, he turned around leaving Nick with his final remark.

“I thought you wanted a breath of fresh air, as you said. Not another Hollywood bimbo. What makes her so special?” Nick watched his friend finish his course up the stairs, fading into the dark shadows on the upper floor.

But keeping you ain't easy
With everyone that sees me
Telling me get back on the ground
It never could be easy
Instead of you just pleasing me
You're keeping me down
And I know this could be
That freefall
Come on jump to me
Nick fell asleep before finishing the movie.

And as he slept, he dreamt that all his former girlfriends and Rachel were lined up in a row. His ex's were holding up signs with numbers on them. Nick found that the numbers were the dates in which they had dated.

He watched them through the glass window seen in crime shows, looking down the line as if he was searching for his assaulter. He went through the selection, hesitating on each girl before finally resting on Rachel.

“That’s her. Right there, she’s the one.” He told the police officer beside him, pointing at Rachel excitedly.

“Are you sure?” The officer now transformed into Howie. “What makes her so special?” He asked.

“It’s her eyes, I can tell by her eyes.” Nick pressed his hand on the glass tracing his finger over Rachel’s face. Her face was uneasy; her eyes shifting back and forth down the line of girls at her sides.

“So unsure and shy, but still beautifully strong.”

It’s about you