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Twenty Five

~ Fort Lauderdale, FL~

There’s something about being in a hotel that makes people go crazy. You find yourself doing shit that normally you wouldn’t do at home. I think it’s probably the sense of losing control. For example, when you’re at home and you want to eat Oreo’s in the middle of the night you can. And if you don’t have Oreo’s, you can go to the store and get them. In a hotel though, the act of getting Oreo’s in the middle of the night isn’t exactly easy. Especially if you’re a Backstreet Boy. It’s not all about Oreo’s though. It’s just being closed in. Knowing that you can’t go out and do whatever the hell you please whenever the hell you want. It gets to you… even on the first day of a yearlong tour.

"Baby, come on…" AJ whined as he stood on our bed in the hotel bouncing on it. "Jump with me."

"AJ, I can barely walk right now let alone jump. I’m not jumping on the bed with you. I promise that as soon as I can walk without pain, I’ll jump on the bed with you…" I snapped a picture and smiled up at him, "That one was called ‘Twelve Hours.’"

"Twelve Hours? Why?" he asked, still jumping on the bed.

"That’s how long we’ve been on tour…" I laughed.

"That’s all? Only twelve hours? Oh, god…"

I giggled, "You’ve just got pre-first show jitters…"

"Then let’s DO something!"

"What do you want to DO?" I grinned.

"I dunno…"

"Well we can’t leave the hotel. Too many fans downstairs, it’s nuts." He sighed and plopped onto his butt on the bed. "We could find something to do here though."

"Like what? There’s only so much you can do in a hotel…"

I shook my head and sighed, "Have you no faith in my ability to find fun in every situation?" I reached for the phone and dialed a room number. "Hey it’s me… yeah… it’s time… pass it on…" I laughed and hung up the phone.

"What the hell was that all about?"

I smiled then stood up and held my hand out to him, "It’s time you find out about an old hotel tradition… Come on, I need a ride."

He laughed and got off of the bed turning his back to me so that I could ride piggyback, "And where might I be taking you my dear?"

"Big Daddy Kev’s room…"

AJ and I giggled as he carried me down the hall to Kevin’s room. I playfully sucked at his neck and he nearly dropped me which only made us laugh harder as I clung to his body. Once at Kevin’s door though I reached over AJ’s shoulder and knocked our secret knock on the door. We’d been knocking that way since the guys had stopped rooming together on tour. That way without even getting up to look through the peep hole we were able to tell it was one of the six of us. Kevin finally opened the door and shook his head at the sight of me on AJ’s back. He looked past us into the hallway and looked around, "What’s the password?"

"Password?" AJ asked. "Kev, what the hell are…"

"Shh baby…" I said patting his head. "I’ve got the password…"

"Spill it…" Kevin smiled.

I held my camera up and gave him a wink, "Nude photos…"

He laughed and opened the door further, "Welcome…"

"Y’all are nuts…" AJ laughed as we all went into Kevin’s room.

AJ carefully set me back onto my feet and I started going through Kevin’s mini bar. "Okay this place sucks… Tell me you brought your own stash of alcohol…"

Kevin smiled and opened a cupboard above my head pulling a bottle of tequila out, "You mean like this?"

"Ahh… I love you!" I grinned and took the bottle. I grabbed a collection of glasses and handed them to Kevin. He carried them to the coffee table in the middle of the sitting area of the suite and I sat down next to him and began pouring shots.

AJ stood and watched us, "Um… Y’all planning doing a lot of shots or what?"

Kevin and I laughed, "Get the door, Age…"

"What? No one knocked…" As if on cue the secret knock was heard on the door of Kevin’s room. "What the…"

"Get the door, honey…" I smiled and waved him away.

"Party time!" Brian shouted as he came into the room carrying a bag of limes.

Kevin and I laughed as AJ tried shutting the door, "Hey…" Howie called as he stuck his foot in the door. "Not so fast Tattoo Boy…"

"Sorry, D… I didn’t see you…" AJ laughed as he shut the door again.

"Baby?" I asked AJ from the couch where I was opening up a bag of chips that Howie brought with him.

"Yeah?"

I smiled, "Door…"

He looked at me puzzled again and then heard the knock. He turned around and opened the door again to let Nick in. "Hey, everyone…"

The room all mumbled assorted hellos to Nick and AJ shut the door and looked at me, "Are we expecting any more guests, Oh Psychic One?"

I laughed and looked around the room, "Five Boys and me… nope, we’re all here…"

AJ walked across the room and sat on the couch with Kevin and me, "So, Kel?"

"Hmm?"

"Call me clueless, but how did this happen?"

Kevin smiled, "Well, Clueless, it’s the Kel & Kevin Party Train…"

AJ looked at us and sighed. I laughed, "Remember the call I made? ‘It’s time… pass it on…’"

"Yeah…"

"Those are the code words. It’s time, means it’s time for a party, pass it on means call the others and meet in the room of the person who got the first call."

"And you all knew this?" AJ asked the rest of guys.

"Yup…" they all responded in unison laughing.

"Where the hell have I been?"

"Amanda’s pants…" Nick chuckled as he picked up the telephone and began dialing.

We all laughed and I threw a pillow from the couch at Nick. "When we first started doing this you were with Her. I was bored, and the rest of the boys and I started having these little parties while you were busy screwing the hussie."

AJ laughed and shook his head as Brian spoke up, "Yeah but see now that you’re with Kel and we all actually like her…"

"LOVE me!" I corrected with a giggle.

"Oh my bad… yeah since we all actually love Kel, you’re invited to join the party now."

AJ looked around at everyone busing him or herself with something and clarified it out loud, "Kevin has the tequila, Rok brought the limes, D brought the chips and salsa, Kel organized the whole thing and is setting up shots… What the hell is Nick doing on the phone?"

"Ordering a bitch-load of room service for when we get the munchies…"

AJ chuckled and nodded, "Okay I’ve got it… but I have one question."

"Yeah?"

"Now that I’m a part of this little tradition, what’s my job?"

I giggled and patted his leg, "You’re my horse, baby…"

Kevin laughed and groaned, "Oh, god… don’t tell him that! We’ll be hearing how he’s hung like a horse for the rest of our lives…"

"Giddy up, baby…" I laughed. "You get to carry me to the party, and then lug me back to the room and take advantage of me after I’m highly intoxicated."

AJ smiled, "Sounds good to me… And I am you know…"

"What?" Brian asked from the other side of the coffee table where he was sitting on the floor cutting limes.

AJ grinned, "Hung like a horse…"

The room groaned, "Kel!"

I giggled, "My bad…"

~~~~~

"Can I take a picture of you with the first hang over of the tour?"

"No…"

"Can I scream really loud like a fan?"

"No…"

"Can I jump on the bed now that my knee doesn’t hurt as much?"

"No…"

"Can I cuddle up to you and snuggle?"

There was a pause and AJ pulled the pillow off of his face that he’d been mumbling from behind, "Yes…"

I smiled and slid back into bed with AJ and as promised cuddled up to him to snuggle. We’d been up way too late in Kevin’s room drinking our way through two bottles of tequila and then returned to the room and made love until we literally passed out. Spending the time together drinking and hanging out had been exactly what we all needed. Each of the guys had been pacing around their own suites worried about how the first concert of the tour was going to be and the more shots we did, the less the concert worried them. I took a bunch of pictures, most of which would never make it into the book because of their lewd nature, but we had fun nevertheless.

"Why aren’t you hung over?" he mumbled into my neck where his face was buried.

I laughed, "I stopped drinking before you did. After Brian and I finished doing the Macarena we stopped drinking because we were so dizzy. You, Nicky, Kev and Howie kept going though. You must have had a good four or five more shots after that."

"Damn…"

I laughed again and started to pull away, "I’ll get you some aspirin…"

His arms tightened around my body, "No…"

"No?"

"Nut uh…"

"What’s wrong, baby?" I smiled and pulled him back to my body.

"Cuddle…"

I chuckled and ran my fingers slowly through his hair, "Okay… we cuddle…"

~~~~~

Watching the guys rehearse the concert in an actual venue was amazing. It hit me at that moment how far they really had come. Compared to the first concert they ever did and even compared to the Into the Millennium tour, they’d grown so much. I couldn’t help but have tears in my eyes as they sang "Time" and by the time they’d finished the rehearsal I gave them a standing ovation which made them all laugh.

"You cried didn’t you?" AJ asked as I joined them on stage.

I stuck my tongue out at him, "Yeah so?"

"I love you…" he smiled.

"I love you too…" I smiled back and leaned in to kiss him softly.

"No kissy-face on stage!" Brian giggled as he ran by us with a basketball.

"Bite me, Brian…" I laughed and he made a face at me.

"Come here and I will…" he smiled with his trademark grin. I snapped a picture of him and then handed the camera to AJ.

"Pardon me…" I ran after Brian and grabbed his basketball with a grin of my own. "Ooh, Rok, a girl just stole your ball…"

"Just cause you cheated…" he laughed as I began dribbling the ball and held him off with a hand. "You really think you can keep that ball away from me?"

"Always have before… or did you block out all of the times that I kicked your ass at basketball?"

Brian groaned and tried getting the ball from me with no success, "I just go easy on you because you’re a girl…"

"Oh please!" I said rolling my eyes. "You suck and you know it…"

Nick laughed from where he was sitting and shook his head, "She’s got a point there, Brian…"

"Shut up…" Brian laughed.

"Thank you, Nicky…" I smiled.

"I thought you hurt your knee…" Brian asked as he again tried to get the ball but a quick change in my direction kept the ball in my possession.

"Feels better today… got any other excuses?"

"I’m hung over…"

"Bullshit… you stopped drinking when I did you lush."

"I just finished rehearsal and I’m tired…"

"Mmm hmm… whatever… you want me to give you your ball, baby?" I asked as I stopped dribbling and held the ball on my hip with my arm.

"Yup…" he smiled.

I gave him a dirty look, "Whatcha’ gunna’ do for me?"

"Let you take pictures of my cute ass…" he smiled and turned around raising his tee shirt to show off his shorts covered ass.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Uh… try again."

"Kel…" he whined.

I laughed, "Bri…"

"I want my ball…"

"Tell me that I’m better at ball than you…"

"No."

"Then you don’t get your ball."

"You suck."

"We’ve already discussed whether or not I suck, honey… All you have to do is say it." Brian looked around the stage at all of the other guys and I smiled, "They aren’t going to help you are they?"

Brian sighed and smiled, "I love you…"

"I know you do…"

"And you’re the best photographer that we’ve ever had."

"Thank you."

"Can I have my ball back?"

"No."

"Kel!"

I giggled and shook my head, "You either tell me that I’m better at ball than you are, or there’s one other thing that you could say that’ll get your ball back."

"What is it?"

"I’m not telling. But if you think back you can figure it out."

Brian stood there dumbfounded for a moment and looked at me, "You’re my goddess?"

We all laughed and I shook my head, "You’re pitiful… and no, that’s not it."

"What then?" he sighed.

"Why did I take your ball?"

"Because you’re mean and you’re into torture?"

"Beside that…" I smiled.

"Because I told you that I’d bite you?"

"Yup…" I nodded.

Brian was still clueless. He looked to Nick for help shrugging. Nick laughed and blew kisses at him. Slowly the light above Brian’s head flickered on, "Oh! Kissy-face!" I laughed and AJ walked up behind me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Y’all can do kissy-face on stage all you want…"

"Very good…" I smiled.

"Can I have my ball back now?"

"Kiss me…" I giggled. He kissed me and we both laughed as I handed him the ball.

"You’ve got a mean woman…"Brian mock pouted to AJ.

"Nah… you’re just a pansy ass who can’t stand up to a beautiful woman…" Nick laughed as he stood up and grabbed the ball from Brian.

I smiled at Nick and he grinned at me before running off of the stage with Brian trailing him. I shook my head and looked at AJ, "Boys…"

"You just make it worse you know…" he smiled.

"Yuh huh…" I smiled. "It’s more fun that way…"