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Nick, sweaty from the Florida sun, dribbled a basketball. He and Brian were playing a few games of one-on-one on the sunny afternoon. It had been a while since Brian and Nick had a chance to do the things they used to before Brian became a family man.

“She was so beautiful and nice. Man, she was really great!” Nick kept dribbling the ball. His eyes were glazed over and his mouth was hanging open. Brian thought he sort of looked blind because even though Nick was talking to him, his gaze was fixed a little left of Brian’s head. This made Brian laugh. Nick didn’t even look at Brian to see what was so funny. Instead, he kept dribbling the ball while talking about Rachel.

Brian waited, knees bent, for Nick to try and pass him. He waited, swaying right and left to get ready for which ever direction Nick would take. Nick just dribbled in the same spot and continued yapping about the raven haired beauty he met two nights ago over and over again. And over, and over, and over. Brian sighed. Nick had been talking about this mystery girl for two games! He was getting tired of hearing him go on about “Rachel this and Rachel that”. At first he was happy that Nick met a girl who put such a big smile on Nick’s face. But, the longer Nick went on about her, the more Brian wanted to beat his best friend up just to get him to shut his face.

Brian cleared his throat in attempt to clear Nick’s thoughts, but Nick still continued on about Rachel with details Brian blocked out. This is our day to spend quality time together and he’s been talking about a girl for almost two hours! Brian sighed as loudly as he could, hoping Nick would get the hint that he was rambling. No such luck.

“She was such a breath of fresh air from all the girls that I’m used to, you know? She was sweet and smart and so down to earth. She just made me feel normal. Like I wasn’t Nick Carter, Backstreet Boy, at some big club. She made me feel like I was a normal guy on a Friday night talking to a normal girl at some club.” Brian rolled his eyes, still waiting for Nick to start playing.

“Didn’t you only talk to her for, like, five minutes?” He said, placing his hands on his knees to rest.

Nick sighed. “Yeah. I know it, but I really liked her in those five minutes.” Nick stopped dribbling. “I didn’t even get her number.” He began dribbling again, but this time Brian came over and stole the ball from Nick, hoping that this move would snap Nick back into the game. He made his way down the court and took his shot. The ball sunk right into the hoop.

“Nothing but net, bay-bee!” He hooted. Turning around, he saw that Nick was still standing in the same spot and made no effort trying to get the ball back.

“I guess this means that we’re done for the day.” Brian mumbled under his breath as he passed his tall, blonde friend. He sat on a bench and took a long drink from his Gatorade bottle.

“Oooh! And she had the most spectacular eyes! They were so light and pretty like those…”

Brian groaned and covered his ears while Nick kept talking about the girl from the club.


“He’s a Backstreet Boy!” Rachel stuffed a fork-full of salad into her mouth and continued talking. “I mean, he’s a Pop star, for goodness sakes!” She finished down her bite and took a sip of her sweet tea.

Eva bit into her sandwich while groaning. “Exactly!” she exclaimed, with her mouth full of food as well. “He’s rich, famous and fucking sexy!” Eva swallowed her food and took another bite. “There’s nothing wrong with dating a Backstreet Boy. It’s a very good thing. You’ll get a lot more publicity if you two date.” She sipped her diet coke and put her sandwich down. “You’ll be everywhere! On TV, newspapers, magazines. So, it’s all good!”

Rachel pouted. “But that’s just it. I don’t want to be all over TV and magazines. Especially if it’s only because I’m Nick Carter’s girlfriend.” She took another drink from her tea and then moaned. “Why are we even having this conversation? I only met him for, like, five minutes!”

“You never know, he might be interested. He could be telling all his friends about the sexy babe he met at some club. And I bet he wants to see you again. We should go back to the club. Oh, or better yet, play hard to get! Drive him crazy and he’ll call eventually.” Eva said, giving her best friend a serious look.

Rachel rolled her eyes and placed her head into her hands. “I bet he doesn’t even remember me considering how many girls throw themselves at him every night. And he doesn’t even have my phone number! How’s he going to call?”

Eva laughed and reached over the table for Rachel’s bread sticks. “Honey, you’re in Hollywood and its Nick Carter! He doesn’t need to know your number!”


A month later

Nick’s cell phone rang as he drove through the streets of L.A. He reached into his back pocket to take it out.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” It was Howie. Nick had come back to L.A. for a few days to attend a premiere of some big new movie that he was invited to. Nick asked Howie if he could crash at his place and now Nick was on his way to Howie’s house from the airport.

“Oh, hey. What’s up?”

“Can you run to the store and pick up some beer for tonight? I figured we’d barbeque and chill at my place.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Just for us two?”

“Yeah, a six pack should be fine.”

“Alright. I’m turning into the parking lot right now. Later.”

“Thanks man. Bye.” Nick pulled into a parking space and shut the engine off.

He sighed while taking his seatbelt off. Leaning his head against the steering wheel, he groaned. While on the flight from Florida to California Nick reminisced about the last time he was in L.A.

His head against the wheel, he looked down at his feet and whined. “I just want to see her again!”


“My feet hurt!” Eva whined.

“I know, you told me a billion times. But I really to find a dress.” They had been shopping for nearly three hours now. Rachel needed a dress for her movie premiere and had put it off to the last minute. Tomorrow night was the premiere and she still didn’t have any idea on what she was going to wear. Although she had looked at dozens of dresses, none of them really grabbed Rachel’s interest. She wanted something fun and girly. Her perfect dress seemed to be hiding from her and Eva was growing impatient as Rachel searched for it.

“Well, hurry up because I’m getting tired.”

They walked into Chanel. Eva helped Rachel look through the store, pulling anything off the rack and asking Rachel “How about this?” Each time Rachel scrunched her face and shook her head. After spending 10 minutes in the store, Eva announced that she would be sitting on the sofa waiting for Rachel to get done.

Rachel slowly looked up and down a rack of dresses. After the eighth dress she pushed back, she found it. The perfect dress. It was a black poofy taffeta dress with white, light yellow, blue and, pink squiggly frills all down the dress. It was strapless and looked like it would hit just above her knee. She slowly pulled it out and smiled.

“I found it!” Eva came running over. Eva wanted to be able to talk Rachel into buying the dress in case she changed her mind. She’d say anything was pretty just to get the shopping over with.

“Oh, pretty!” She touched the garment and grinned. “You totally should get it! It’s great!” Eva really meant it. When she saw the dress she immediately thought it was cute.

Rachel rolled her eyes. “You just want me to hurry up.”

“Yes and no.” Eva laughed. “Really, I think it’s beautiful.” Rachel made up her mind. She picked her size and walked to the counter. Eva told Rachel she would wait outside as she bought the dress.

“How much was it?” Eva asked when Rachel walked out of Chanel, making Rachel cringe.

“All my energy is going into not answering that question.” Eva laughed. They started down the sidewalk.

“That expensive, huh?”

Rachel scoffed. “You have no idea.”

“Oh, you can afford it. Stop complaining!” Eva joked.

“I’m not complaining! I did buy it.” Rachel laughed. They continued down the street and turned the corner. Eva asked Rachel if they could go get a late lunch because she was starving. After arguing over where to eat, they both decided to eat at a small sandwich shop a few blocks away. Almost to their destination, Rachel abruptly stopped and stomped her foot.

“Oh no! I forgot my purse at the store!” Rachel frowned and jumped up and down.

“You ditz! Hurry, go get it!”

“I’ll be right back. You can just go on ahead and get us a table. Oh, and can you order me a salad and an Arnold Palmer? I’ll be there to take the rest of my order.” Rachel handed Eva the box in which her dress was put in.

“Okay. Hurry back, you know I hate waiting at restaurants alone.” Rachel nodded and hurriedly walked down the street back to Chanel.

When she returned to the store, the lady who sold her the dress immediately came over to her. She was a pretty woman who looked as if she were in her early to mid-thirties. Her hair was sandy and her skin was fair. Her green eyes popped with color.

“Here it is.” She handed over Rachel’s purse and smiled.

“Thank you so much. I was trying not to keep my friend waiting. I guess I forgot it here.” Rachel blushed while explaining herself, she was obviously embarrassed.

“You should be more careful sweetie, if some fan got a hold of your purse, you could get some crazy calls at home. Maybe even get stalked.” Rachel’s jaw dropped. Does she know who I am? Nah, she doesn't know... right?

“You know who I am?” No one had ever recognized Rachel before. She always figured that she didn’t have a high enough celebrity status that a hat and some sunglasses wouldn’t cover.

“Oh, honey. I love all the movies you’ve done. I can wait to see your new film!”

“Excuse me, miss.” A customer said, referring to the sales lady that Rachel was talking to. “Do you have this is a different color?”

“I have to return to work. Good luck with the new movie and enjoy the dress. Oh, and be careful with your belongings dear.” She winked at Rachel and left to tend to the customer.

Rachel walked out of the store and towards the restaurant without a smile leaving her face. She practically skipped down the sidewalk. She recognized me! Oh my gosh, Eva is going to flip! Her thoughts were interrupted. She turned and looked around as she heard her name being yelled through the streets.


Nick returned to his car from the store with two six-packs of beer and a few bags of chips. He went unnoticed for about 2 minutes. Two young girls spotted him waiting in the check out line. He was glad that they didn’t scream or jump up and down, but instead they shyly came up to him and asked for a picture. He posed with them, wrapping his arms around their waists as one girl extended her arm to snap the photograph.

Nick turned the ignition on and began driving to Howie’s house. He had completely forgotten about Rachel until he stopped at a red light. He was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel while listening to the radio. He gazed out the windshield, watching the pedestrians cross the street in front of him.

That’s when he saw her. She walked in front of his car with a huge grin on her face. Nick’s eyes went wide and followed her to the other side of the street. As soon as the light turned green, Nick made a u-turn and parked his vehicle at the nearest parking meter. He ran out of his car and down the street as quickly as he could. I must be crazy. He thought as he jogged up to her yelling her name.

“Rachel! Hey Rachel!” She turned and looked around, not recognizing anyone familiar. When her eyes finally spotted Nick, she smiled. She came walking towards him.

“Hey, stranger.” She flashed him her pearly whites and placed her hands on her hips. Standing there, staring into Nick’s eyes, he felt himself start to shake a little. Whoa, get a hold of yourself, Carter.

“Hi.” He was a little out of breath from the short jog, which embarrassed him. She giggled and he laughed at himself.

“Nice to see you again. It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you remember me.” She placed a hand on his arm and Nick’s knees almost let him down. But he regained his composure before noticeably losing his balance. The last thing he needed was to get weak in the knees in front of her just because she touched his arm.

“Yeah, it is nice. And of course I remember you! How could I forget how you felt me up that night?” They both burst into laughter. “In fact, I was hoping that maybe we could see each other again.” He didn’t want to waste time with her. He wanted her so bad. He was also afraid that he wouldn’t see her again if he didn’t make his move at this very moment.

She looked taken back that he asked so suddenly, but she also looked pleased. “Um, yeah, sure. I’d like that!” She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “How about I give you my number?”

Nick’s hand went to get his phone from his back pocket so he could save her number, but realized he left it in his car.

“Shit, I left my phone in the car. Guess you’ll have to write it down.” Nick frowned. He didn’t’ think she would have paper.

“Okay, hold on…” She dug in her purse. “I don’t have paper or a pen. But I do have… this!” She pulled out a eyeliner. “Just be careful not to smudge it.” She grabbed his hand and Nick wrote her number down on his palm. Nick closed his eyes as she held his hand. I’m so crazy about her and I don’t even know her!

“There!” She let go of his hand. He stared at her number and then looked at her.

“Great. I’ll definitely call you sometime.” Nick opened his mouth, ready to ask her if she had any plans at the moment, but she beat him to the punch.

“I have to go. I left my friend waiting at a restaurant. I’m glad we bumped into each other though.” Nick chuckled. More like I chased after you.

They said goodbye and Nick watched as she walked down the street until he lost sight of her through the crowd. A smile never left his face.

I saw her again! Howie won’t believe this!


“Eva! Oh my… You are so not going to believe this! Today is like the best day ever!” Rachel happily skipped over to the table and sat in her chair. She couldn’t wait to tell her best friend all about how she was recognized by a fan and that Nick Carter had her number and was going to call her. For a date! She mentally squeaked.

“Oh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Eva sat up and propped her elbows in the table, her attention fully focused on Rachel. “This better be good! I hate it when you get me all excited for something and it ends up being real silly and boring. I mean, geez, that one time with the Harry Pot—”

“Eva! Shut up and let me tell you my news!” Rachel rolled her eyes. “Okay, so I went back to Chanel and—”

“Oh! You saw someone famous!” Eva jumped in her seat.

“Eva! Let me tell my story!" Eva clasped her hands around her mouth and nodded. "I didn’t see a celebrity, well, not at Chanel. But I did get recognized! Like, a fan recognized me!” Eva squealed. She loved Rachel so much and totally supported her best friend when it came to her career. She knew that Rachel had great talent, but after Rachel’s fourth film and still not getting much public attention, Rachel always questioned how talented she was. Now that someone recognized her, Eva knew that Rachel’s self-esteem would skyrocket.

“Sweetie, oh my gosh, I’m so proud of you! This is so great! You’re a big movie star!” Both girls giggled and hugged each other over the table. Eva felt tears start to sting in the back of her eyes. She was really happy to see how much her friend's life had turned around for the better. For a second she peered back in the painful past, but quickly pushed the dark thoughts aside. Don’t think about that anymore! She barked at herself. Eva broke her mental flashback and focused on Rachel’s story again.

“Now, you said something about a celebrity? Spill!” Eva playfully slapped Rachel’s bottom as the two went to sit back down.

“Oh, yeah! The other great thing was… well, I saw Nick! And I gave him my number!” Eva’s jaw dropped.

“Rachel, holy shit! Nick Carter is going to ask you out on a date!” Eva’s voice was a little too loud.

“Shhh! Someone might hear!” Rachel looked around at the various people at their tables. No one seemed to be looking, let alone paying any attention.

“Do you know what this means Rach? This means you two will become Hollywood’s new golden couple! America’s sweethearts! To hell with Brad and Angelina, it’s Nick and Rachel! Oh my gosh, and you two will have the biggest wedding in history! Aw, and the most beautiful kids and a gorgeous house! You have to get one of those castle like houses, you know, real fancy and junk. You two are going to be so—” Rachel cut her off.

“Whoa, calm down! I haven’t even gone on the date yet. I mean, who knows? He might not even call.” Rachel took a bite from her salad.

“Don’t say that! You’ll jinx it! You know he’s going to call. Why wouldn’t he? And if he doesn’t, well, then fuck him.” Eva laughed while comforting her friend. If Nick didn’t call Rachel, Eva would forever call him a jackass every time she saw his picture.

Rachel looked down at her menu not really focusing on the words. “I just hope he calls.”


“I was thinking maybe I could invite her to that premiere? I’m sure she’d have a great time.” Nick was putting together his cheeseburger in the kitchen while Howie was a few feet away from him out on the back porch grilling the meat.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea for a first date. Plus, I bet she doesn’t even have anything to wear on such short notice.” Nick walked over with his burger and leaned on the opened sliding glass door. All he could think about on his way to Howie’s was the date he would take her out on. He wanted it to be something really nice. He was out of fresh, original ideas. He had used all his good ones on his disastrous relationships before.

“I could buy her something. I don’t mind.” Howie frowned while flipping a few burgers over. He really hated how Nick had the mindset that he needed to win girls over with his credit card. Howie sometimes felt that Nick thought if he didn’t shower girls in expensive gifts, that they’d get bored with him and leave. He wanted Nick to find a girl who truly wanted him, not his fame and fortune.

“Nick…” Howie started. He knew that Nick understood his concerns.

“I know, I know. I just meant that if she didn’t have anything to wear, I could help her out. But yeah, you’re right.” Nick sighed and went in to take a bite from his burger. As he bit down, mustard leaked out from the bottom and fell on his white shirt.

“Shit.” Nick mumbled with his mouth full, trying to wipe the yellow substance off his shirt, only having more drop down onto his hand. Howie laughed.

“Go clean it up before it spills all over my floor!” Howie joked. Nick walked over to the kitchen counter and placed his burger down. The mustard oozed all over his hand. He went to the sink and began washing them. Then he realized…

“Nooo! No, no, no, no! Fuck!” Nick stopped rubbing his soapy hands and patted them dry on a dish towel trying not to smudge the remaining numbers on his palm. He stared at his palm and groaned. Nick could only make out two numbers. The rest was just a big black smudge. Howie came up behind Nick with a plate of burgers and hotdogs.

“Is that her phone number?” Howie said, smiling. He couldn’t help it. Only Nick was capable of pulling something like this off.

“Shut up.” Nick buried his face into his arms on the counter. I can’t believe I washed her number off! He yelled to himself. Why didn't I save her number in my phone as soon as I got back to the car?"

“Man, it sucks to be you right now.” Howie laughed and patted Nick on the back. He walked over and took a hotdog from the plate.

“Wiener?”