The Backstreet Boys were back in Europe in March and April while we we spent time recording and learning some new material. They took a break from touring for several weeks after Brian had his heart surgery in May. We spent some of May in the studio then got invited to open for N’Sync, who were starting to make a name for themselves as well, likely catapulted by the BSB’s rising popularity. Joey Fatone turned out to be a fantastic way to get my mind off of Kevin Richardson.

“Hey, uh...whatcha doin?” I sensed the presence in the business office of the hotel we were staying in before he sat down at the conference table across from me.

I looked up from my laptop, where I had been furiously typing away for the past hour. “Working on a research paper for this online class I’m taking.”

Joey grinned at me. “I’m impressed. You’re the only pop star I’ve ever met that takes college classes while touring....or ever really.” He chuckled.

I buried my face back in the laptop screen. “It’s just one class at a time, and it’s English 101, so it’s easy stuff. Just have to find the time to get it done and an internet connection. Hence, I’m in the business center.” I smiled at him and went back to working.

“You must be pretty talented to be calling it easy. I’d be flunking out.”

“I guess.” I shrugged. “I just want to have something to fall back on, you know?”

 “I don’t know, actually. This is all I’ve really got going for myself, so I just have to hope and pray we’re successful, I guess.”

 Yeah, well, you’re in a famous boyband and I’m just a girl in your opening act. There’s a difference,” I replied nonchalantly.

 Are you serious? Have you heard yourself sing? Seen yourself dance? Taken a look in the mirror?” He lowered his voice with the last question and I jumped when I realized he was now standing with his hands pressed on the table, his face hovering just inches away from mine. My breath hitched in my throat and there was a mechanical beeping as my hands fell down on the keyboard haphazardly.

 What?” I stared up into his honey-colored eyes incredulously.

 You’re gorgeous....and talented...and apparently smart too.”

 What?”

 He jerked upright and rubbed one hand along the back of his neck looking down at the ground, obviously embarrassed. “Sorry, I um...”

 I looked back at my laptop and started erasing the stray characters I’d left on the document I was working on. Was this guy serious? Honestly, most of the time I felt mediocre at best.

 “Do you want to go out to dinner with me sometime?” He was now crouching down beside my chair so that his lips were right at my ear. My god, this man was apparently a ninja.

 "You mean like a date?" I asked wide-eyed.

 "Yeah, like a date. And by date, I mean you, me, and my bodyguard Kenny in case there are any pre-teen girls at the restaurant. He promises to sit at another table, though, unlike my last date." I raised an eyebrow. "I'm kidding," he whispered.

 “Oh, and the ninja thinks he's funny,” I thought to myself.

 "I think we're safe as long as we don't bring Justin along."

 Okay, maybe he was a little funny. "I know what you mean. We couldn't take Nick anywhere," I giggled. So, I accepted and found myself sitting outside on the deck of a little Italian restaurant for lunch the next day. Once we got to thinking about it, dinner wasn't going to be so practical unless we waited until the tour was over, which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

 “I hope you like pasta,” Joey said, unwrapping his silverware and placing the cloth napkin in his lap. “This place kind of reminds me of my mom’s cooking, so I try not to pass it up whenever I’m in town. I hope it’s okay.”

 “It’s great!” I smiled and grabbed a breadstick, breaking off a piece and chewing it thoughtfully. “I love pasta, and breadsticks obviously.” I was on my second already and they’d only just taken our orders.

 He laughed and grabbed a breadstick of his own. “I love a woman who knows how to eat.” He grinned across the table at me. “So, tell me about Emily Rose.”

 Well, um....what do yo want to know?” I took a sip of my water.

 "Everything.” My eyes nearly bugged out of my head and my heart started racing. He was being very forward, which was making me nervous. “I’m sorry. I’m being a little too forward aren’t I?” Wait. I didn’t say that out loud did I? “I just think you’re pretty great.” He reached a hand across the table and it landed gently on top of mine. For a second, I wanted to pull it away, but I didn’t.

 “Well, I’m 19. I grew up in this tiny little town in eastern Kentucky that you’ve never heard of. I love to sing, I love to dance, I love pasta, I love my family, I miss my family.....”

 “Tell me about them,” he encouraged, rubbing his thumb lightly on the top of my hand.

“Well, um...I have an older brother, Ryan, who just finished his first year of medical school at Columbia....”

 “So he’s smart like you.”

 “Ha! Smarter, of course,” I scoffed.

 “I doubt that. In case you forgot, I think you’re amazing.” His eyes caught a glint of sunlight and he smiled at me again. Man, he smiled at me a lot.

 I blushed furiously. “So, then there’s my parents. My dad is a railroad engineer and the assistant girls basketball at the local high school.”

 “A railroad engineer? That’s awesome.” He said it like he was an eight year old boy and I giggled.

 “Well, we live in coal country, so they transport a lot of coal. My mom’s a special education teacher and the most patient person I’ve ever known. I guess she had to be, growing up as the youngest child in a family of nine brothers and sisters. Which brings me to the rest of my family....I obviously have a lot of aunts,uncles, and cousins. Family get togethers are crazy, but I love them.”

 Joey chuckled. “I know all about the big and crazy family get-togethers,” he said knowingly.

 “So tell me about your family,” I said, happy to get an out.

 “Well, we’re Italian and from Brooklyn, so we’re big, and loud, talk a lot, and eat a lot of awesome food.” He smirked.

 “Brooklyn, huh? That’s a lot different from a little old town in eastern Kentucky. How come you don’t have an accent?”

 "Well we moved to Florida when I was thirteen, and the voice lessons and acting classes kind of made me lose it along the line, I think." When I started to reply, he tensed a little, though it took me a little while to understand why.

 "I'm sure Johnny and Donna are wishing we'd taken those acting classes and voice lessons. I don't think they're too fond of our accents. I think I heard some promoter say once that maybe we'd be better off doing country music." I rolled my eyes.

 "I happen to think your accent's pretty sexy.....oh crap, I'm sorry." He pulled his hand away from mine hastily. His eyes darted back and forth as he grabbed the napkin from his lap and dabbed at his mouth then cleared his throat and straightened up in his seat

 I sat there dumbfounded wondering "What the heck just happened here?" but soon noticed Joey look over his shoulder and give Kenny a quick nod. Kenny winked and settled his gaze on something, or rather someone, who must have been behind me. I heard footsteps coming from my right side and turned my head to find a young teenage girl, probably about thirteen or fourteen, hurrying towards our table.

 "Oh my gosh!" she shouted excitedly. "Aren't you....?

 Joey stood up and held his hand out cordially. "I'm Joey. Nice to meet you"

 "Oh yeah...you're Joey from N’Sync. Nice to meet you too, but I was talking to her," she said politely, gesturing towards me.

 "Oh." Joey sat back down dejectedly and I had to bite my bottom lip for a few seconds to keep myself from laughing before turning my attention to the girl.

 "Who? Me?" I asked, pointing to myself in surprise.

 "You're Emily. From Forever, right? You guys opened for the Backstreet Boys when I saw them in concert a few months ago. I thought you were awesome! My big brother has a picture of you on his bedroom wall that he stole out of my Tiger Beat magazine. You're dating Howie D., right?" She was talking so much that I’d assumed I have time to take a sip of water to wet my suddenly dry throat before I had to talk to her, but she asked that question just as I was swallowing. It must have gone down the wrong way because suddenly I was coughing and sputtering and Joey had jumped to his feet and rushed to my side to rub my back.

 "You okay?" he asked once I had pulled myself together.

 "Yeah. Thanks." I turned my attention back to the girl who grinned sheepishly and held out a napkin and a Sharpie. I took them both and scribbled out my signature, then handed them back to her. " Thank you so much, and no, I'm not dating Howie. He's more like a big brother figure to me. It was really nice to meet you,um..."

 "Samantha," she finished for me.

 "Yes, Samantha. Thank you so much."

 She turned to Joey. "Can I have your autograph too, Joey?"

 He beamed and reached for the napkin and marker. "Absolutely." I leaned over and watched as he scratched out a personal message to her then signed his autograph. We posed for a couple pictures and she bounced away happily.

 "I didn't even think to write a message to her," I sighed.

 "Oh, I took care of that. Mine said, 'We had a blast meeting you' and I signed my name right next to yours,” Joey replied proudly.

 "Thank you." I was grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I have a fan!" I squealed. “And I didn’t even know our pictures were in Tiger Beat!”

 "Oh, I'm sure you have more than one fan," he said seriously, placing his hand back where it had been on top of mine before we were interrupted. "You've probably got at least a dozen or so.” I laughed and smacked his arm playfully. “And as for the pictures in Tiger Beat, of course your picture is in Tiger Beat. You’re hot!” I could feel myself blushing again. "Now what's this I hear about you dating Howie?"

 "I assure you, I'm not dating Howie, or anyone at the moment for that matter," I answered him

 He smiled and squeezed my hand and I felt his foot canoodling with mine under the table. "That's very good news, but about the whole ‘not dating anyone’ thing..... What if you were dating me?"