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Chapter Sixteen


March 22

Traveling around the globe feels a lot like traveling by time machine. In reality I had only jumped 12 hours into the future, but it seemed like a totally different millennium. Even though I'm not exactly a travel virgin, I felt my jaw drop as we walked into the Hotel Maya. Its location near the Petronas Towers made it convenient for the guys since that was where they were performing. The lobby was modern with black, gray, and glass the predominant scheme. The building hinted of the past only by the wood touches on the ceiling and the dark wood of a gorgeous twisting staircase.

"Nice, right?" Nick said, smiling. Parker was fast asleep across his shoulder, his small face pressed into the crook of Nick's neck.

"Ya!" Rielynn was a totally different story. She squirmed to get down, her eyes showing no sign of sleepiness. I laughed, struggling to hold on to her. "Beautiful."

"You got her a suite, right?" Brian asked, coming up behind Nick.

"Of course I did. We should all be on the same floor," Nick jostled Parker. He smiled at me. "As the youngest member of the group, they all think I'm incapable of planning ahead 'cause y'know, 33 is so old." He jerked his thumb towards Brian. "Brian is an old fogey though."

"Hey!"

"Don't listen to the two apes," Kevin stepped away from the desk. He handed me a fob, his eyes twinkling.

I laughed. "Thank you."

"Uh-ooga-uh!" Brian grunted, scratching under his arms. He ape-walked towards the elevator. Nick's mouth met my ear again. "I hate to break it to you, but you haven't seen weird yet."

I laughed again. Call it travel delirium, but I was finding the random hecticness amusing.

"Good."

Nick chuckled. Kevin brought up the rear of our group. We piled into the elevator and ascended up, up, up. Rie stuck her fingers into my hair and began to play. Her chatter became soft and playful. I turned my body side to side, hoping I'd lull her asleep.

and I'm so glad I stayed
Right here with you
Through the years


Brian crooned along with the elevator. Kevin joined in.

through the years
Through all the good and bad
I know how much we had
I've always been so glad to be with you


"You'll find foreign countries have a fierce loyalty," Nick explained, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter as Brian swung an arm around Kevin's waist. "They'll love Backstreet and Kenny Rogers forever."

through the yeaaarrrrrssssss the duo warbled.

And just like that, we were at our floor.



Forty five minutes later I was sitting in the middle of my bed in the biggest suite I had ever laid eyes on. Rielynn was asleep in a beautiful dark wood port-a-crib. There was a large living room and a high-ceiling bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, but perhaps the most eye catching piece was the stand alone tub right between the bedroom and bath. It reeked of romance.

It was late afternoon in Kuala Lumpur but it felt like it was still the middle of the night. My eyes felt like sandbags. The bed cushioned my like it had been custom made for my body. I sank back, letting my head hit the pillow and exhaled. I was really here. I was on boyband overload.

I was tired as fuck.


The sound of knocking woke me up from a good dream. I couldn't recall the details, but I knew it was good. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked over at the crib. Rie was snoring softly, her mouth open and her booty up in the air.

I got up and made the trek to the door. The soft knocking grew louder as I approached. I peered through the hole in the door.

Brian.

I unlocked the door and undid the chain. He grinned when he saw me. "Hello."

He looked as fresh as a person that had just slept fifteen hours. I could smell the shower fresh radiating from his pores. He wore a dark blue polo shirt, the collar flaps slightly askew. "I was wonderin' if you'd join me for dinner."

"Dinner?" I repeated. My stomach was telling me it should be breakfast.

"Yeah, it's this meal that most people eat," he teased. "I'd love for the two of you to be my guests."

I glanced back into the room. I heard a soft moan. "I haven't taken a shower or anything," I said, turning back around. He wasn't deterred.

"I can watch peanut if you want to shower," he said sweetly.

"Well...." a thought popped into my mind. "I might have to watch Parker."

"Nope, Nick and Parker are fast asleep," Brian assured me. "I tried his room before I came to you. I hate to dine alone. Please?"

My excuses ran out. I opened the door a little farther and smiled. "Okay."

He walked in and I closed the door behind him. His hair was thinning, but he was trying to wear what he had a little longer. The blonde strands curled at the nape of his neck and made him look extremely boyish.

"Mama, mama, mama."

He followed me across the suite. I scooped Rielynn up. She was smiling, a good sign that her mood would be cheery until she hit the need for her night's full sleep. She spotted Brian and smiled.

"Hi-hi."

Every since she learned how to say the word, she said 'hi' to everyone. Brian laughed.

"Hi."

I set her down and saw her curiosity level go through the roof. We both watched as she headed towards my large bed.

"I say this from much experience," Brian said seriously. "Go take a shower while she's distracted."

It was then that I knew exactly what Nick was saying about OPDS. The only difference was that I was suffering from OPMS. I smiled. “Actually, she could use a shower too. Why don’t you come back in twenty minutes? Is that okay?”

“Absolutely,” he said breezily. “Take your time. I’ll swing back in twenty.”

I walked him back out and closed the door. Suddenly, a little hand was right on my leg. I scooped Rielynn up and smiled. “Let’s get cleaned up stinky girl.” Her face crinkling in excitement, she clapped her hands.

“Tinky!”



True to his word, twenty minutes later Brian was knocking on the door. Rie was clean and dressed and so was I for the most part. My hair was still damp, but it was nothing my trusty ponytail wouldn’t fix. I swung open the door without looking.

“H---Hi?”

It came out a question just because I was surprised. Brian wasn’t alone and he didn’t look extremely happy about it. Hovering right behind him in a tattered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt and uncombed hair, looking just like he rolled out of bed, was Nick. Parker didn’t look much more put together. Nick gave me a grin.

“Let’s eat. I’m starving.”