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Annie awoke to the sound of a ringtone she didn’t recognize, then felt movement on her bed that, surprisingly, didn’t seem to make her nauseous. Nick bolted upright and pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket. “Hello?”

“Nick!” AJ hissed. “Where are you? You need to come get your hair and makeup done before we’re late!”

“Man, if I had a dollar for every time I heard that line......How sad is that?”

“Eh.” He imagined AJ shrugging in indifference on the other line. Knowing AJ, hair and makeup probably would have been a part of his daily routine regardless of his career choice. Well, the make up anyway. The hair was probably better left alone, lest more fall out. “Where are you anyway? Brian’s about to flip his lid because he thinks you’re still in Annie’s room. Are you still in Annie’s room?”

“Um....no?” He looked over at Annie who was sitting up in bed watching him quizzically.

“You dawg!”

“It’s not like that, J. She was sick. I was helping her get settled into bed, and I guess I fell asleep too.”

“Right.”

“Honestly!”

“Well, hurry up. We’re already running on Backstreet time as it is, and you’re not even dressed. We’re all in Howie’s room.”

Nick hung up and looked at Annie. “I’m being summoned. How are you feeling?”

She stretched and yawned, then sat still for a minute, feeling the gentle rocking of the boat that was still apparently in relatively rough waters. When her stomach didn’t seem to protest, she smiled. “Better, actually.”

He climbed off the bed and gave her a grin. “Good to hear. I better go. Will I see you later, then?”

“Yeah, I think so. She stood up and headed for her suitcase. Tell Jen I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you guys get ready, but I feel gross and need a shower before I get ready myself.”

“No big deal. We’re always late for everything anyway. Will you hang out with me on deck, or are you still afraid of starting rumors?”

She pursed her lips and thought about it. “I’ll do whatever you want, Nick. I at least owe you that much for taking care of me today.”

“You’ll do whatever I want, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She rolled her eyes. “Anything platonic.”

“Oh.” He pouted dramatically. “Fine, then. See you soon.” He flashed her another smile as he walked out, but did actually feel a little bit of disappointment due to the “platonic” statement as he walked down the hall to Howie’s room.

“Hey Nick. We’ve got to hurry! How’s Annie?” Leighanne said all in one breath when she opened the door for him.

“Annie’s better,” he answered as he reached for the costume Leigh held out to him. “Where’s my wig?” Howie chucked the long blonde wig in his direction.

“You know, Nick, Leighanne or I could have gone to check on Annie if you were that worried about her.”

“Brian, don’t talk. I’ll smear your eyeliner,” Leighanne scolded.

“Annie and I are friends, Brian. After she took care of me when I got that case of food poisoning on the way to Toronto last month...” He shuddered at the memory of being so sick. “She gave me her number, and we talk a couple times a week. It’s....platonic.” He spat out that last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Seriously?” Brian turned to look at him, causing Leighanne to leave a black streak of eyeliner across his face.

“Husband, you’re killing me,” Leighanne grumbled as she grabbed a washcloth and started wiping his face.

“Yes, seriously.” Howie gave him a little smirk and shook his head. He knew better.
___________________________________________________________________________

“What are you wearing?” Nick laughed when Annie found him out on deck later that night. “Is that a New Kids on the Block t-shirt?”

“Yes, and it’s an original. I got it at a concert in 1989 when I was eight.”

“And it still fits?”

“Well, it used to be more like a nightshirt.”

“I see. You know, this is a Backstreet Boys cruise, not a New Kids,on the Block cruise,” he joked.

“And if it was 90’s night I’d wear a t-shirt from the Backstreet’s Back tour. Besides, after the NKOTBSB tour, it’s kind of like I’m still showing you guys a little love, right?” She cocked her head to the side and smiled.. He took in the rest of her ensemble as he took a swig of his beer. She wore a black New Kids t-shirt that had their faces painted on it in an Andy Warhol-esque fashion in bright neon colors. She also wore a lime green scarf in her hair with the ends tied in a big, sideways bow on top of her head, and a hot pink ruffled mini skirt atop black calf-length leggings. On her feet, she wore silver high-top Converse All-Stars with thick, scrunched neon yellow socks, and on her hands, she wore hot pink, lace fingerless gloves. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder what those gloves might feel like trailing over his body.

“Nick?” Annie stepped in front of him and looked up at him.

“What?” He snapped his head down towards her, embarrassed that she caught him daydreaming.

“I was telling you about how ‘epic’ your hair was. It’s very.....fluffy,” she teased, running her fingers through the ends. “And that bandana. So....shiny.”

“Well, they didn’t call them hair bands for nothin’. Do you want something to drink? Can I get you a beer, or.... one of those fruity things the rest of the ladies are drinking?”

“Eh-” She crinkled up her nose. He really loved it when she did that. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea after the afternoon I had.”

“True. Diet Coke, then?”

“Sounds great--” She trailed off as she looked over Nick’s shoulder. “Oh my gosh! Brian! Look at you! I say this should be the cover photo for your new album.” Brian stopped as he walked by and turned around in a slow circle, modeling his get-up for her.

“Very funny. So, are you having a good time so far? Aside from the whole seasickness thing, I mean.”

“Well, that definitely put a damper on today’s festivities, but I think maybe I’ve gotten my sea legs now. Plus, I get to meet Kevin tomorrow!” she squealed happily.

Nick chuckled and walked away shaking his head. He didn’t really have anything to be jealous of, did he? Still, the truth of the matter was that he was jealous. He sauntered up to the bar and ordered Diet Cokes for Annie and himself, deciding that he’d probably already had plenty of alcohol for the first night of the cruise. “So, Nicky...” Howie crept up behind him and climbed onto the stool next to him. “Sit.” Nick eyed him warily, then glanced across the deck to see Annie and Brian still talking animatedly, and sat down next to him. Howie ordered a drink and turned to look at Nick. “Platonic?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Huh?” Nick feigned ignorance.

Howie sighed. “You and Annie? Just platonic?”

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

Nick sighed and took a big gulp of his soda, then slammed the glass back on the bar. “Honestly, Howie. We’re just friends. She’s a widow. Lauren and I only broke up a couple months ago. Sure, I like spending time with her…”

Howie interrupted him. “You sound like Brian.”

“Yeah, well. There’s all of that, and then there’s Brian.”

“What about Brian?”

Nick shrugged. “He doesn’t really approve, I guess.”

“And what do you think?”

“I kind of agree with him.”

“Hmm.” Howie narrowed his eyes at him in concentration. “I think there’s a but-“

“A but?” There’s no but-“ Nick insisted.

“There is so a but-“

He licked his lips nervously and looked down at his glass, then leaned towards Howie and lowered his voice. “But I’m crazy about her.”