“The backup landed and is on the way here,” announced AJ as he joined the group at the table. Kaci nodded her head, understanding what AJ meant, but Roslyn and Serena looked back and forth at each other completely clueless.

“Backup?” Serena asked, a little agitated that AJ and Kaci seemed to be speaking in a code language and only the two of them understood. Kaci looked up from her menu, and at seeing the puzzled expression on her friend’s face, she started giggling.

“AJ’s bodyguard, Marcus,” she responded casually, as if everyone has a body guard and the definition for the term “backup” is common knowledge.

“And Nick,” AJ added quietly, waiting for the reaction he would surely get from his fiancé. Surprisingly, it was Serena that spoke up first.

“Nick? As in Nick Carter? As in the hot blond guy in your group that I’ve had a crush on since I was fourteen?” She sounded like a pubescent girl on the verge of a rather embarrassing attack of the star-struck giggles slash hysterical crying.

“That would be the one,” responded Kaci, amused. “Promise me, Serena, and this is important so listen carefully….Promise me that you won’t scream, cry, or lose consciousness when you see him, okay?” AJ and Roslyn started laughing while Kaci struggled to keep a straight face.

“Whatever,” muttered Serena as she rolled her eyes. Ros, Kaci and AJ continued staring at her, waiting for her promise.

“Well?” Kaci coaxed.

“I’m 24 years old,” responded Serena defiantly. The stares continued. “I am a mature adult!” Still nothing. “I took the posters of him off my wall years ago!” She was almost pleading now, hoping they would turn their attention from her back to their menus. They still stared relentlessly and finally she sighed and she took her white linen napkin off the table, waving it in the air comically. “Fine, I surrender. I promise I will not scream, cry or lose consciousness when I see him, happy?”

“I might though, depending on who we are talking about,” a male voice said from behind Serena. Kaci and AJ, who were seated directly across from Serena, covered their mouths and laughed as they watched Nick walk up behind her. Serena knew that voice, and she sat frozen in her seat, refusing to turn around, afraid that she might not actually be able to keep her promise if she did.

“Remember See, you promised,” snorted Kaci, unable to control her laughter any longer.

“You guys all suck,” murmured Serena as she covered her face in embarrassment.

“Serena, let me introduce you to Marcus, my bodyguard, and Nick Carter, your favorite Backstreet Boy.”

“Nice to meet you both,” she said loudly, her hands still covering her face. The table erupted with laughter as Nick and Marcus took their seats in the two empty chairs between Serena and AJ and picked up the menus.


“Will there be anything else?” the waiter asked an hour later as he placed the bill on the table. Everyone shook their head no and he began clearing away the empty plates.

“I got this,” said AJ casually as he grabbed the bill off the table and pulled out several large dollar bills from his wallet. He stood up and took the bill up to the bar to pay while everyone else finished their beverages.

“Sh it, guys, sorry to break this up, but I gotta get going,” said Serena reluctantly as she glanced at her watch. Roslyn gave her puppy dogs eyes, making Serena giggle. “Don’t give me that look. If you want your cousin to have a wedding cake and food at the reception then I have work to do.”

“Fine, but don’t forget to be at The Blue Note by eight,” Roslyn reminded her as she stood up and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” responded Serena with a smile. She said goodbye to Kaci the same way and then waved at Nick and Marcus. “Guess I’ll see you around,” was all she said before heading towards the bar to bid farewell to AJ. When Serena was gone, Kaci turned to Roslyn with excitement in her eyes.

“Are you singing tonight?” she asked her cousin, a huge smile on her face. Roslyn just nodded her head in affirmation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Roslyn shrugged her shoulders. “When have I really had a chance? Besides, it’s not that big of a deal. People are going to be more interested in you, AJ and Nick than they will be in me anyway.” She looked away from her cousin, feeling unsure of herself now. Sometimes, being related to Kaci was hard on Roslyn, especially when it was her time to be the star.

She had been singing at The Blue Note since she started working there two years ago. At first, she just filled in as a backup singer for the featured singer, Skyla, whenever one of the regulars couldn’t make it, but sixth months ago Skyla got a record deal and someone needed to fill her shoes. Roslyn has been singing there twice a month since.

“Don’t say that,” said Kaci softly. “People go there to see you and you know that.” Roslyn smiled and decided to just let it go. She didn’t want to argue or debate the issue. She didn’t even want to sing tonight with everything going on.

I can’t miss another show though or they will replace me, she thought, remembering back to the night two months ago when she couldn’t perform.

“Rob, I don’t have time for this. I have to be there in twenty minutes!” she screamed at him, trying to get him to move out of the way.

“You have all the time in the world. You don’t go unless I say you go and…” he started, grabbing her around the throat, “don’t you ever yell at me again.” He pushed her against the door, choking her as he did so. “You’re not going to sing tonight, you’re not even going to be able to talk tonight, and if you try to defy me again, I’ll make sure you can never sing again,” he told her as she started to run out of air, her eyes rolling back into her head. He had lifted her off the ground by this point, but when he noticed she was losing consciousness he dropped her like a rag doll and she crumpled to the floor.

She tried to stand up, but she couldn’t. She coughed as she tried to catch her breath, and Rob just stood over her, watching her. She opened her mouth to speak but only air came out, and she knew he was right; she wouldn’t be able to sing tonight.

She stood up from the table abruptly and excused herself to the bathroom. She almost ran AJ over as he walked back to the table. “What’s wrong?” he asked, oblivious to what she had been thinking about.

“She’s worried about singing tonight with us there,” Kaci explained, also in the dark about what was really bothering Roslyn. “She thinks that everyone will be more interested in us and Nick than her.”

That didn’t really seem like what was bothering her, thought Nick. I don’t see why that would cause her to run off.

“What is the problem with her anyway?” Nick asked, taking the opportunity to satisfy his curious mind since they were on the subject of Kaci’s cousin. “Marcus said we had to come out early because there’s a problem.”

“I’ll tell you later,” AJ whispered as he saw Roslyn walking back towards the table. “Is everything okay Ros?” he asked as she got closer.

“I just want to take a nap,” she told him as she picked her purse up from the table.

“Then let’s get you home.” He led her out of the restaurant, followed by Kaci, Nick and Marcus.

On the walk back to Ros’s apartment, fire trucks and ambulances went speeding past them with the siren’s blaring, causing a pit to form in their stomachs.

“What the h ell is going on?” Kaci wondered out loud as they quickened their pace. When they turned the corner she got her answer; Ros’s apartment complex was engulfed in flames.

“Oh my God!” Ros gasped as she took off running towards her home.

“Ros, no, get back here!” Kaci yelled, but Ros didn’t listen. She didn’t stop until the fireman holding back the crowd grabbed her around the waist as she tried to get by him.

“This is my apartment complex; I live here!” she screamed, trying to get him to let go of her. “How did this happen?”

“We won’t know for sure until the blaze is put out and it can be investigated, but from what everyone is saying, the fire started in apartment 3D and just grew too quickly to contain it.”

“That’s my apartment!” yelled Roslyn in disbelief. “I haven’t even been home all day!” Nick, AJ, Marcus and Kaci had now caught up with her and had heard what she had just said. One of the policemen walked up to them and asked them to come with him.

“Ms. Bushman,” the officer said once they were out of earshot from the crowd. “Some of your neighbors claim they saw a male matching the description of Mr. Manzke on the fire escape outside your apartment. We believe that he broke into the apartment that way and when he discovered that you weren’t home he set the fire out of anger.”

“I need to lie down,” whispered Roslyn.

“Okay sweetie, we’ll get you to our hotel,” Kaci told her, rubbing her back gently. “Excuse me, Officer….?”

“Brooks, Miss, Officer Brooks.”

“Okay, Officer Brooks, can I take her back to my hotel room?” Officer Brooks look at Roslyn and nodded his head slowly.

“Yeah, I think that would be a good idea,” he said quickly, putting his index finger up as a signal for them to wait a second. He walked over to one of the other officers as whispered something in his ear, and then came back.

“I’ll take her,” he said, placing his arm gently around her back. “My car is right over here.”

“I’ll ride with,” said Marcus. Maybe he had been working as a bodyguard too long, but he had a bad feeling about this guy. “Here,” he said, tossing the keys to the rental car at Nick, “you guys walk back to the restaurant and get the car, then meet us at the hotel.”

They nodded, and Marcus and Roslyn followed Officer Brooks to his car. “Don’t worry honey,” Marcus told her as he helped her into the backseat before scooting in right next to her. “You just stick with me. I don’t have any loyalties to your boyfriend; I’ll keep you safe.” He said it just loud enough for Officer Brooks to hear, and somehow he knew he had hit the nail right on the head.