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March 16, 2006

Lucky stood in the wings of Madison Square Garden and watched as the Boys finally finished their Spring Tour. She breathed a sigh of relief as they bowed for the fourth time and the lights finally turned off long enough for them to run off stage. Nick grabbed her for a quick and sweaty hug and then ran to the showers. When the House lights came on and the arena was empty, Lucky walked onto the stage and savored the silence.

She smiled to herself as she thought about the past three months. Hers and Nick’s relationship had slowly begun to develop and she was getting closer to the reason she was in New York in the first place. She sat down at the edge of the stage and her thoughts were broken by a male voice.

“Hey Lucky, you coming to the wrap party tomorrow?” Lucky looked up and saw Jesse, the drummer of the Backstreet Band.

She smiled at him and said, “Of course I’ll be there. Will you?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Well, this was a good tour. Good seeing you around!” Jesse said as he exited the stage, after picking up a set of drumsticks.

Lucky got up from the stage and wiped off the back of her jeans and put her hands into the front pocket of her Backstreet Boys hoodie. She smiled at the empty arena and went backstage, just as Nick emerged from his dressing room. He grabbed her hand and they walked out to an awaiting car and cuddled the entire ride back to Nick’s apartment.

The drive was a lot shorter than either of them wanted and they slowly walked through the doors of Nick’s building and Lucky placed her head on Nick’s shoulder once they get inside the elevator. As she yawned, Nick looked at her and said, “You are tired tonight!” He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled with closed eyes.

Once they arrived in Nick’s foyer, Nick walked Lucky over to the plush couch and she sank into it, falling asleep almost immediately. He walked into his room and pushed play on the answering machine. Hearing Aaron’s voice over the speaker, Nick stopped to run his hand through his hair and yell “Shit!”

As Lucky was just about to fall asleep, Nick’s yell filled her head and woke her up. She got up from the couch and walked into his room to see him pacing frantically. “Nick, what’s wrong?”

“I completely forgot that Aaron, Angel, and Leslie are coming into town tonight!” Nick said, still pacing. “They’re coming in for the wrap party tomorrow night. Damn it! I completely forgot.”

“Well, what’s the problem?” Lucky asked, groggily, putting her hand on Nick’s shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“Well, I can’t just leave them to themselves in New York City tonight! Ugh, I’ll put them up in a hotel and stay with them there.” Nick said, and went into his closet to find a duffle bag.

“Why don’t they just stay here with us?” Lucky offered.

“There’s not enough room. They each need their own room, and I only have two spares.” Nick said. He emerged from his closet and sat down on his bed. He put his head in his hands and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Well, I can stay at a hotel tonight then. One of the girls can take my room.” Lucky said, hoping that Nick would ask her to stay with him, in his bed.

“You would do that? Oh Lucky, you’re wonderful! You always solve my problems.” Nick said and hugged her tightly. He placed a light kiss on her forehead and handed her the duffle bag. “I hope you don’t mind. I’ll call the hotel and book you a room and have James drive you over and drop you off.”

“Um, ok. I’ll go pack right now. Should I bring my dress for tomorrow night, too?” Lucky asked and Nick said, “Yeah, you might as well.” He walked out of the room and Lucky retreated to her own side of the penthouse. She began packing and looked around her room. Suddenly, it felt empty and she felt alone. A single tear dropped down her cheek onto the t-shirt she was packing.

She looked up and saw Nick standing in the doorway. “You ready?” He asked and took her bag. She nodded silently and looked at her watch. It read 11:18 p.m. She couldn’t believe that she was leaving her own comfortable room this late, and Nick hadn’t even asked her to stay.

He hugged her goodbye at the elevator and she closed her eyes and leaned against the cool metal wall. Once she arrived downstairs, she mindlessly walked outside and handed James her bag and climbed into the car. She looked out the windows on the trip to the Rihga Royal. It’s a good thing Nick put her up in a good hotel, she thought to herself. If she was in some kind of the Holiday Inn, she was going to be beyond pissed.

When she pulled up, she let herself out of the car and took her bags with her. She walked up to the front desk and checked herself in. After making her way up to the room, she saw that, while it was beautiful, it felt empty and she felt extremely lonely. She put her bags down on the couch and dug out her pajamas. After changing, she crawled into bed and looked over at the clock on the stand next to her. It read 12:02 a.m.

“Happy Birthday to me.” Lucky said to no one in particular. She rolled over, and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, Lucky woke up and the events of the night before played through her mind. She looked around the room to find that it was in the same state as she had left it when she had fallen asleep.

Rolling over, she grabbed the phone on the bed stand next to her and dialed the front desk to be transferred to room service. She ordered a huge breakfast and smiled as she placed the phone back in its cradle. “I guess today won’t be so bad.”

After her breakfast arrived, Lucky wrapped herself in a hotel-provided terry cloth robe and sat in front of the flat screen television the living area of her suite. She turned on Live! With Regis and Kelly and watched their morning banter.

After the morning talk show, Lucky decided to spend some extra time tanning by the pool so that she would look especially tan in her dress later that evening. She changed into her bathing suit and cover-up, grabbed a towel and put on her flip-flops. She went down to the mini store near the lobby and picked up the newest issue of Cosmo and made her way to the pool deck.

After searching for a secluded area, she sat down, opened the magazine and set the alarm clock on her phone for 30 minutes. She looked at her phone and saw that there were zero service bars in the left hand corner of her phone. “Well, at least I’ll have this time to myself if there’s no service out here.” Lucky said to herself aloud and put the phone on the ground next to her chair.

After her time was up, she rolled over onto her stomach and set her phone again. She repeated this cycle 2 more times and by the time she was reaching three hours at the pool, she was lying on her stomach and heard a low whistle. She smiled, hoping it was Nick.

Then she heard an unfamiliar male voice say, “Ooh baby! I'm a love pirate and I'm here for your booty! ARGH!” Knowing that there was no chance in hell that Nick would talk to her like that, she turned over and looked up to see a tall, gangly boy who looked to be about 18 years old, standing at the edge of her lounge chair.

“Excuse me?!” Lucky asked, half laughing and half serious.

“You heard me baby! You’re hott!” The boy said.

“How old ARE you?! You can’t be older than 18.” Lucky pointed out.

“Yeah baby. Right bold age too. You know, I’m at the height of my sexual peak. I’m pretty sure I could please you!” The boy said and Lucky just looked at him and laughed.

“I’m pretty sure you’re wrong, but nice try.” Lucky said, trying to go back to her tanning position. With her back to him, she heard the poor kid say, “So that’s it? You’re not even going to give me a chance?”

“Are you kidding me? With a pick up line like that, you’d be lucky if a blow-up doll gave you a chance. But, you’ve got guts kid, I’ll give you that.” Lucky said and turned over, giving up her hopes of finishing this tanning session. The boy sat down in the chair next to her and stuck out his hand.

“Thanks. The name’s Fisher, Kenny Fisher.” He said, introducing himself. Lucky shook his hand and introduced herself also.

“So Lucky, you’re sure I can’t get lucky tonight?” Kenny asked her.

“Yeah, I’m sure. You know how I know? Because my boyfriend’s the one that’ll be getting lucky tonight, if you know what I mean.” She said and gathered up her stuff. She walked away, shaking her head in both amusement and confusion.

She laughed at Kenny’s balls, but was confused because she wasn’t really sure at all where she stood with Nick. All night she dreamt about asking him what they were and what they meant to each other. He could have just asked her to stay with him last night. That’s all he had to do. She’d met his brother and sisters before, it’s not like she was some tramp off of the street.

Lucky got up to her room and heard her stomach growling to be fed. She went to the phone to order room service and saw that the message light was flashing. She dialed the message service and heard Nick’s voice come over the ear piece.

“Hey Lucky, it’s Nick. Um, I’m just calling to see how you’re doing today. Sorry about last night, making you pack up and leave in the middle of the night like that. I should just trust my family. Anyway, speaking of them, they’re driving me nuts and I miss you. I’m so sorry, please call me back.” His voice sounded pathetic and sad, and Lucky felt bad for him, but only for a second.

The next message was also from Nick. “Lucky, it’s Nick again. I’m just wondering where you are and why you haven’t called me back. I’ve tried your cell a few times and haven’t been able to get through. I hope everything’s ok. Call me.”

And of course, there was yet another message. And yes, it too was from Nick. “Lucky, listen. I’m really, really sorry about last night. I don’t know how else to say it, or to tell you, but I feel really bad about how I acted. I hope you’re not mad at me, and if you’re ignoring me, I guess I deserve it. But please call me back when you get this.”

Lucky erased the messages and looked at the phone. She picked it up and decided to continue ignoring Nick and dialed down to room service. She smiled at herself because she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she walked into the ballroom later that night, looking better than she ever had before.

*****


A few hours later, Nick was moping on his couch back at home. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Lucky’s hotel and asked for her room number for the fourth time that day. He heard the familiar ring and the automated voice mail pick up. He decided not to sound too desperate and leave yet another message.

He hung up the phone and with an exasperated sigh he threw it at the lazy chair directly across from him. Just as he put his hands in his face, Leslie walked into the living room and sat down in the chair. She picked up his phone and tossed it back to him.

“Still not answering?” his sister asked, knowingly.

“I know she’s so mad at me, but I can’t figure out what for.” Nick said and rubbed his temples lightly with his fingertips.

“Well, let me ask you something. Where do you guys stand? I mean, are you official or just dating or friends with benefits, or what?” Leslie asked and Aaron came into the room and sat down next to him on the couch. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, flipping the channel to Sports Center.

“I honestly don’t know. That’s why I’m so confused!” He said, growing more and more frustrated.

“Well, if you don’t know, then she probably doesn’t either.” Leslie offered. “Aaron, can you turn that damn thing off? Nick and I are having a conversation!”

“Geez Les, do you have PMS or something? God!” Aaron turned off the TV and threw the remote on the table, almost mimicking his brother’s earlier actions. He got up from his seat and ventured into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water and sat down at the counter bordering the kitchen and the living room. “What’s your problem Nick? Maybe I can help.”

“Yeah right Aaron, we’re dealing with adult problems here.” Leslie said, completely blowing off her younger sibling.

“Um, in case you have forgotten, I’ve been in some pretty adult situations. I was dating Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff at the same time, my car blew up on the side of I-95, and I went through our parent’s divorce. Don’t tell me I’m not an adult Leslie.” Aaron said in his own defense.

“I guess you’ve grown up a lot since we all spent time together last.” Nick conceded and looked back at Leslie, giving her the eye to agree with him.

“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged. “Whatever, you can listen to our conversation and see if you can offer us some help.”

“Well, what’s the problem? Nick wants to know what’s going on with Lucky?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah. I’ve tried calling her all afternoon and she hasn’t called me back and I’m starting to get worried.” Nick said and looked at his phone, praying that it would ring.

“What are you worried about? The fact that she’s mad at you, or the idea that maybe she’s met some other guy who is going to take your spot.” Aaron asked, taking a sip of his water, deliberately planting the seed in his brother’s mind.

Nick shot him the meanest glare he could conjure up and tried to wrap the idea around his brain.

“Well, do you know what you did? I mean, other than kicking her out of her own apartment at midnight last night. And have you mentioned in any of your messages that it’s her birthday?” Leslie asked.

“Umm, no. But I don’t want to make her feel even worse knowing that I basically asked her to leave right before her birthday.” Nick said and put his head in his hands.

“Nick, you are such a douche-bag. Why did you kick her out?” Aaron asked.

“I didn’t kick her out; she offered to stay at a hotel.” Nick said, feeling worse and worse.

“But why did she even feel like I she needed to leave? Was it because of us?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah, I told her I was gonna get a hotel for you guys and stay with you there. But then she offered to go, so I gave her my duffle bag and she packed up to go.” Nick said, feeling like a complete and total jackass for his earlier decisions.

“You are such a dumbass.” Leslie offered and threw her hands up in the air. “Please tell me that’s not really how it happened. Nick, I can’t believe you didn’t ask her to stay.”

“What was I supposed to do? There wouldn’t have been enough room for all of you if she stayed in her room.” Nick said, trying to make sense of everything.

“No, but there would have been enough room for her if she had stayed with YOU! Geez Nick, you really ARE an idiot!” Aaron said and finished off his water bottle. He aimed at the garbage can on the other side of the kitchen and expertly sank the bottle like a basketball.

“I couldn’t have asked her to stay with me. She probably would have thought I wanted something.” Nick said and continued to feel dumber and dumber. He couldn’t believe his baby brother was actually making more sense than he was in this situation.

“Oh, you mean like a relationship? I thought that’s what you wanted Nick! You are so confused because you don’t know what you are, yet you don’t do anything about it. You really represent the male species in the best of lights.” Leslie said and looked at her watch. “Look, it’s time to get ready for the party, so Nick, I hope you think long and hard about what you’re going to do when you see Lucky tonight. And it had better be good.”

She got up to start getting ready for the event and left the two brothers to sit in the thick silence and leaving them to think about the night ahead of them.

*****


Meanwhile, Lucky was in her rented hotel room and heard her phone ringing. She instinctively knew that it was Nick and decided not to answer. Just as the phone stopped ringing, she heard a knock at her door. She got up to answer it, looked through the peephole and saw that it was her friend and BSB tour hairstylist Ashley Carson standing on the other side with a cart of hair products.

She opened the door and embraced the other girl while she moved into her room. Ashley smiled at Lucky and said, “Let’s get to work girl!! You’ve got a party to look fabulous for!”

*****


Nick walked into the ballroom at the Righa Royal hotel and saw that it had been beautifully decorated, yet he couldn’t help to see that it felt dim and lonely. He missed having Lucky on his arm. Hell, he missed having her in the same room with her. It took him everything he had not to go down to her room and see her. His siblings followed him in and they all took their seats. Nick looked to his left and saw that Lucky’s name was printed in gold on her place setting. He sighed at the empty feeling in his chest.

About 30 minutes later, the rest of the Boys and the Band members had all arrived and taken their places. Nick smiled as he saw the “Happy Birthday Lucky” banner hanging over the table where everyone had placed their gifts. He hoped she would be surprised when she found out that he had helped to turn the wrap party into a surprise birthday party for her too.

The entrance music began to play and when someone let out a low wolf call whistle, Nick turned his attention to the direction of the attraction. He drank in the sight before him and blinked a couple of times to keep his eyes from watering up. Lucky had just arrived.

She walked into the room and her face lit up as she saw the banner and the table of gifts and all of the people there for her. She looked absolutely amazing in a navy blue silk strapless, empire-waist dress. The bodice was decorated with carefully placed rhinestones and she was wearing hanging diamond earrings, and simple diamond choker and a thin diamond bracelet on her left wrist.

Her fiery red hair was carefully pulled up out of her face with only a few strands hanging down. Nick immediately knew that Ashley was responsible for her hair and he made a mental note to thank her later. She entered the room gracefully and smiled at everyone who was staring at her, even stopping to hug a few of them.

Making her way to the table, she said hello to Aaron, Leslie, and Angel and put down her handbag. She grabbed her camera out of it and disappeared without a word to Nick.

Greeting many of the people in the room, and stopping to take pictures of them or with them, Nick watched in envy as she worked the room like a pro. He found himself watching the familiar scene play out before him when Lucky graciously said hello to Hunter and continued to have conversations with other people.

He ordered a glass of water from the waiter and ran his fingers over the cool condensation when the sound of Lucky’s infectious laughter interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to see Lucky sitting at Jesse Black’s table. She had her hand on his forearm in an intimate gesture and his was on her knee. It took Nick every ounce of self restraint to sit there and watch her act in such a way with a man that wasn’t him.

He watched as they laughed and took pictures together, making faces at the camera and smiling like they were together. She called Kevin over and had him and Jesse take a couple of pictures together and she hugged Kevin and Jesse before leaving and returning to the table.

Nick looked up and attempted to smile at her. He looked into her piercing green eyes and wondered what he ever did to deserve her giving him the time of day in the first place. “You look beautiful tonight Lucky,” he managed to say.

“Thank you.” She said and blushed. She took her seat next to him and turned to face him. “I’m glad to see you’re not drinking.”

“You know I quit that a while ago. Listen, I tried calling you all day today.” Nick said, hoping that would open the lines of communication.

“Yeah, I know.” Lucky said and looked up as a waiter brought her a water as well. “I just don’t get it Nick.”

“Lucky, I am so sorry baby.” Nick said, and tried to reach for her hand.

“Baby?! Baby?! You have the nerve to call me baby after last night?” Lucky asked in a low tone so only the two of them could hear her. In one smooth motion she was out of her chair and making her way to the lobby.

Nick stood up to go after her and Aaron placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Nick, listen to me. Go out that and apologize profusely. Tell her what you want from the relationship and admit to making the mistake. Tell her you were scared to make that step because you didn’t know if that’s what SHE wanted. But also let her talk. Go and be the good, caring guy I know you can be sometimes.”

Nick looked at his brother and smiled at him for the vote of confidence. Making his way towards the doors to the lobby, Nick heard Lucky’s indignant voice with another male voice.

“Jesse, please just leave me alone.” Lucky said as she tried to shrug off Jesse’s unwanted affection.

“Lucky, you were acting differently in there. You know you want me.” Jesse said and stepped forward again, this time pulling Lucky to his body. Lucky placed her arms on his torso and tried to push.

“Jesse, let me go. Please, I’m asking you again, leave me ALONE.” At the second act of desperation, Nick decided to make his presence known.

“Let her go Black. She’s asked you twice now. Leave her alone.” Nick said, pulling Lucky into the safety of his arms. He felt so complete with her there and thought that he never wanted her anywhere else.

“She doesn’t want to be with you either asshole. Now that the tour’s over, I don’t have to deal with you and your drama shit. I’m out of here.” Jesse said and left the hotel completely.

Lucky moved out of Nick’s reach and looked down at the ground. “Thank you.” She said quietly and blushed both in embarrassment and relief.

“Lucky, I’d do anything to protect you.” Nick said and reached for her hand. He laced their fingers together and pulled her chin up so that her eyes were looking into his. “I am so, so very sorry for how I acted last night. I didn’t ask you to stay with me because I didn’t know if that would make you think I expected something. I didn’t know what you wanted from me. I’m so sorry and I never want to let you go again. Please, please accept this as my apology and my invitation for you to stay with me, and I mean, WITH me tonight.”

Lucky snuggled against his body, leaning her head on his chest and heard the solid beating of his heart. She smiled as she finally heard exactly the words she wanted to hear. She hugged him tightly and then pulled away, but keeping their fingers interlocked.

“I accept. I accept one hundred times over.” Lucky said and reached up and kissed his lips softly, yet passionately.

“So this means we’re a couple? We’re official?” Nick said and smiled the largest and truest smile Lucky had seen in a while.

“Yes, but Nick, there’s something I need to tell you …” Lucky trailed off.