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Just like riding a bike






By the time I stepped off my plane, I had a super sized headache, I mean HUGE! I’m sure the crying baby in the seat two rows in front of me didn’t help any. So much for first class huh? I don’t mean to sound like a snob, I love kids, I love planes, I love life but being delayed for almost two full hours and then to be loaded onto the plane right as this child started to cry was not amusing to me at all. What made it even worse was the fact that I KNEW she was going to sit right near me. I just knew it because that ladies and gentlemen is my luck.



Served me right for being so whiny before, I could hear those words coming out of Kristin’s mouth, along with that cute little smile of hers, I already missed her. How pathetic is that?



“Kevin!” Through the drone of people endlessly chattering all around me, I looked up when I heard my name.



Sure enough there was Howie standing there waving at me, looking like he was flagging me down or something. I smiled and made my way over to him and he looked like he was tired and whiny as well. Nice way to be welcomed back, but then again it could have been worse, it could have been Nick.



I extended my hand to him before pulling him into a hug. My carry on bag hitting him as we touched, “Sorry,” I said pulling away and adjusting the strap as we walked down to baggage claim.



“How was the flight?” He yawned in the middle of his question which of course got me doing the same.



“Long, what about yours?”



“Same.”



“Is everyone else here?”



“No, Nick is still MIA but Brian is here. We drew straws to see who would come and get you.”



“So you lost huh?”



“Yup.”



“What about AJ?”



“He is driving.”



“Driving?”



“Uh huh, he said it’s a long story, which means he missed a plane.”



“Sounds about right.”



I yawned again and ran my fingers through my hair. I hated the way my hair felt after a plane ride, no matter how clean I was; it always felt greasy. All I wanted was a shower and a bed. Any bed would do, “So where are we staying?”



“The Hilton.”



“Cool, a suite?”



“Yup, for now I figured a suite would do for us so that’s what I booked.”



“Thanks man, I’m beat.” We made our way to the baggage carol and stood around patiently waiting for my luggage to make its way down the chute. Every few seconds Howie glanced down at his watch, making me feel guilty he had to come out to get me. If I had gotten here on time, we all would have just met here and taken a cab together or something but no…stupid airports.



“So Nick is MIA? Meaning we have no clue? Or he’s just running on Nick time?”



Howie glanced over at me and shrugged, “You think he actually called one of us to let us know?” That statement was followed by a laugh, the kind that typically came when Howie tried to play worried off as something else.



It was then, that I took a long look at my friend. Howie and I talked a bit during our hiatus, not ever quite losing touch. At first we talked about twice a week, then that turned into once a month until we were maybe receiving that quarter of a year phone call. I was incredibly surprised and pleased when he phoned me while I was on Broadway saying he was traveling into town to see me. That was D, I really didn’t hold out hope for the others to come, but I secretly knew Howie wouldn’t let me down.



That night I was the most nervous I had ever been, isn’t that ridiculous? I wanted him to be proud of me. Too funny, now I AM beginning to sound like Nick.



“You know I could have just taken a cab.”



“I know that’s what I said.” I laughed at his honesty.



“But I guess Brian was against that then?”



Howie winked at me, “No, we both were. You know how the cabs are here, hailing them down is a chore plus a boatload of money and besides we don’t want people to know what we’re doing right?”



“Right.” I said but not really understanding why I was agreeing. The time had long past when we would have a flurry of fans waiting for us at every location known to man. It got so bad that we did start to call them our secret service. How they knew where we were all the time baffled me considering some of us, mainly Nick, never had a clue ourselves.



And would it be so bad if we did let our fans know that we were back in the studio recording? I mean after every single performance of Chicago, that’s all they ever asked me. When were we getting back together? I always felt bad for them, because there was actually a time briefly when I was sure as a heart attack the answer to that question was never. I’m glad that changed.



“So AJ is driving from where?”



“His mom’s house.” By now my luggage had finally made the fall onto the belt, one of the last ones naturally, and as I went for one bag, Howie took the other.



“How far away is that?”



“I have no clue; my guess is about four hours or so?”



“How is AJ?” I asked as Howie led me to his rental car. It dawned on me then, that we had been together for almost thirty minutes and not once had he made or answered a single phone call. That had to be some kind of record in Howie time.



“The last time we talked, he seemed to be doing great! I’m proud of him; I think he has finally gotten his act together.”



“Yeah I think you’re right, now if only we can say the same about Nick.” He looked over at me and nodded in agreement.



That all too familiar feeling of responsibility and worry hit me all at once, it was just like riding a bike I guess, suddenly you just kind of fall back into the routine.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~






Country music is going to be the death of me I swear to God! Why was it whenever I had a long drive somewhere the only station that ever came in clearly was a country station? Who listens to this stuff anyway? I took a deep breath and bent my fingers back and forth on the steering wheel.



“Rok….he listens to this stuff…and great, now I’m talking to myself.”



I scanned the radio stations again hoping that I would hear ANYTHING but twangy guys talking about how they lost the love of their lives but then just decided to shut it off completely when my search failed. Silence was golden.



“I am SO going to get a refund for this stupid ass car without a stupid ass CD player! And here I go talking to myself again…blah!”



I checked the time on the console, shocked and amazed that there was actually a digital clock there and not a sundial. Three hours I had been driving already and let me tell you, I felt every single minute of it. I only stopped once to get gas and pee. I even decided on a drive thru window instead of stopping somewhere for a quick lunch.



“This was a stupid idea.” I said to the steering wheel, the ugly tan and unpadded steering wheel.



I briefly wondered if the guys had all arrived yet. By now flights were probably coming in to LAX. Howie said that he, Brian and Kevin would all be getting in roughly around the same time but he neglected to say when that would be. I hated being last, out of all of us I am the most punctual Backstreet Boy. I mean for awhile I wasn’t even close to punctual for anything but then again I was an addict wasn’t I? That thought made me grab my cell phone to check if Matt, my sponsor had called me.



“No messages for me…” I was just about to throw my phone down beside me when I smiled and picked it up again, dialing and hoping he would pick up.



“Hello?”



“Rok, I’m bored out of my ass please entertain me.” Brian laughed and I smiled.



“Where are you Bone?”



“I have no idea I’m on this long ass road and the only thing I can get on the damn radio is country. You’d like it here.”



He laughed again.



I steered with one hand and drove with the other, it made me feel cool for some reason, now that I had perfected the art of talking and driving at the same time. “Is it legal to talk on your cell while driving?” I asked him, now thinking about it.



“I guess you’ll find out. If you see flashing lights behind you the answer is no.”



“Gee, thanks what a big help you are.”



“I try.”



“So, I take it you are there already?”



“Yup, Howie and I got here at the same time.”



“What about Kev and Nick?”



“Kevin’s flight was delayed…”



“Of course it was and I bet he was very happy about that too.”



“Thrilled, anyway we drew straws as to who was going to get him and Howie lost so…”



“Good for you, and Nickers?”



“Good question.”



“Ah, so maybe I won’t be the last Backstreeter to arrive then?”



“Probably not.”



I nodded and shook my head when I saw Los Angeles 20 miles. “I am never going to get there.”



“Why are you driving knuckle head?”



“Long story…so is Nick taking a plane or what?”



“He was supposed to call Howie with details but never did.”



“That kid, I tell you what.”



“I know; do you have his cell number AJ? I was thinking of giving him a call to make sure he at least remembered to leave his house.” Now it was my turn to laugh.



“I am sure I do somewhere, hang on let me see if I programmed him in.”



“Am I programmed in?” He asked me in that southern twang of his, just thinking of that twang brought back painful flashbacks of the music I had endured for the last hour or so.



“Of course.” I said without a moment’s hesitation.



“I feel so special.”



“You should. Aren’t I in YOUR cell?”



“Um…yeah sure you are.” Brian cackled.



“You suck.”



“So you have it?”



“Yup, he’s in here. Maybe I’ll just call him because I’m bored as hell and he’ll make the time go by.”



“Did he tell you not to give me his number or something?”



“Uh…no he did not.” I had to laugh at B, he was so paranoid sometimes. For whatever reason, he felt like Nick hated him. Truth is; Nick idolizes his ass….still after all this time, which is annoying.



“Tell him to check in okay? We’re worried.”



“I will, so where the hell am I driving to again?”



“The Hilton, same one as always.”



“Okay gotcha, I’ll be there in about another century or so.”



“Looking forward to it.”



I hung up the phone and shook my head as I dialed Nick, knowing he’d probably not even answer his phone. He never answered his phone.





~*~*~*~*~*~*~




“Okay I’m here now what?” I looked up at the gate numbers, trying to find baggage claim. I have been to this airport SO many times but no matter what, I get lost every damn time I try to find the baggage claim area.



I’m such a retard.



I rubbed my tired eyes, feeling a headache gradually making its way across my temples. I knew I should have not done the clubbing thing last night and gone to bed early instead. It’s not like you can just say no to Tommy Lee though. “Sorry Tommy, I have to be in bed by eleven o’clock.” Yeah okay.



I have a really hard time saying no to anybody, which usually gets me in trouble from time to time. Like now for instance, lost on the way to baggage claim, not remembering where I’m supposed to go even after I get my luggage. These going to bed at 6 A.M. days have to stop.



I looked up and happily saw the sign pointing me towards my baggage “Woohoo!” I said out loud, only to get a very odd look from an elderly couple standing next to me.



“Sorry, I’m happy so I woohooed.” Now I was apologizing for woohooing.



They both looked at me and smiled, “Well isn’t that wonderful.” The lady said before grabbing her husband’s arm and walking away.



I’m an idiot.



After finally grabbing my luggage, I made my way out into the nice, thick, polluted Los Angeles air. I haven’t been to LA in at least a few months, it felt good to be back. Because we will be staying here while we work on the album, I’m going to probably end up getting my own place here but for now, I can stay at Tommy’s.



“Woohoo!” Wouldn’t you know who walked by as I said that?



“Oh look it’s the happy boy again dear.” I giggled when I heard the old lady whisper that.



The happy boy, now I’m glad that none of the guys heard that one. Speaking of them? I wonder if they were already here. I guess I would just call them when I got to Tommy’s place which brought up another good question, how was I getting to Tommy’s place? He gave me directions but I didn’t have a car here.



I turned to go back into the airport, “I guess I will rent.”



Yeah that didn’t turn out to be a very good idea. Did you know that you have to be 25 years old to rent a car? I wish I had known that, how the hell had I managed to get cars before?



“I seriously can’t be this blonde can I?” I felt my ass tingle and reached for the pocket that held my phone.



“Hello?”



“Nick, why do you sound confused?” I walked away from the rental counter and plopped myself down on the chairs, looking around for my luggage that I hadn’t bothered to carry with me to the rental counter in the first place.



“Hi AJ… I sound confused?”



AJ laughed and coughed, it was a smoker’s laugh, “Yeah buddy you sound really confused.”



“Did you know you can’t rent a car until you’re 25?”



“I thought that was common knowledge, but some places let you rent at 21. I have gotten cars before I turned 25.”



“Well at the airport you have to be 25.”



“So, I’m guessing that’s where you are then?”



“Uh huh.”



“And let me guess you tried to rent a car but couldn’t?” He was sounding amused by this which wasn’t a big surprise.



“Yup, that’s correct.”



“How come you didn’t call D? You were supposed to do that so they knew when you’d be getting in.”



“Damn! I knew I forgot to do something.”



I stood up, having a mini panic attack about my luggage. Did I bring it outside with me when I left? Of course I did…duh?



“So how long have you been there?”



“Been where?” I asked walking towards the exit, happy to see my bags just sitting there in their unattended glory.



“LAX”



“Oh, not long. Probably about thirty minutes or so…damn.”



“Damn what?”



“These aren’t my bags.” I said as I read some foreign name on the tag.



“You’ve been carrying around someone else’s luggage?”



“No, I kind of misplaced my bags and thought these were them.”



“You misplaced your bags?”



“Yes…they have to be here somewhere.”



I realized that I was talking more to myself than AJ at this point, to which he sounded amused and annoyed. “Did you check the baggage claim area?”



“I’m going back there now…I know I’m going to get lost.” He laughed at me.



“I knew this was going to be an amusing conversation.”



“I’m glad you think this is so funny Bone, why don’t you come and pick me up?”



“I am about an hour away, well now maybe 45 minutes.”



“What?”



“I’m driving.”



“Why?”



“Long story.”



“Are you anywhere near the airport?” I asked once again lost on the way to baggage claim. I wasn’t about to tell him that though.



“I think I might be, okay Nick, I’ll come and pick your ass up, but you’ll be waiting for a little while. Maybe you should take a cab.”



“I still haven’t found my luggage.”



He laughed; I could tell he was finding this all very funny. “Okay I’ll be there in about 30 minutes or so. Try not to get lost between now and then. What terminal are you in?”



“Delta I think.”



“You think?”



“Delta.” I rolled my eyes at the phone.



“Okay I’ll be there. Why don’t you sit your ass down by the rental place and wait for me okay?”



“Yup, thanks J.”



“Not a problem, next time don’t forget to check in, everyone was worried.”



For some reason that brought a smile to my face, maybe things would be back to normal after all. Now if only I could find baggage claim.

Thanks for reading and reviewing :O) it's time for me to plug Mel's Tree again lol I haven't done it in awhile so bare with me for a second...

Mel's can really use some reviews over at Amazon.com so here is the link to my book over there, You probably would have to copy and paste:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1413771149/qid=1118957672/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8049727-8906520?v=glance&s=books

Just remember the real world isn't aware that this was a fanfic so if you are kind enough to go review don't mention BSB okay? lol And hey if you want to buy a copy while you're there that would be awesome! :OP lmao Sorry, I don't like to plug myself but where else can I do it if not to the people who gave the story so many hits when it was a fanfic right?

I'll be back next Monday with the next chapter :O) have agreat week!