Anna glanced around the rather empty dining area of the hotel where she had been served a continental breakfast. She shoveled some of her eggs into her mouth, trying to hurry so she could get to Hollywood before it got too busy. As she glanced around the lonesome dining hall, she noticed different types of people. There was an elderly couple sitting to her right. They seemed to be so in love as they stared back at each other with small smirks on their faces. She couldn’t imagine waking up and seeing the same person morning after morning, spending every moment with someone. She wasn’t sure she believed in that. Straight ahead of her was the complete opposite; a family of five that oddly resembled her family growing up. The mom and dad were struggling to make sure every child had food on their plate and were satisfied. Her family was very similar. She had been the oldest growing up with two younger brothers, Jason and Colton. She didn’t understand how after all those years of the bickering and differences her parents could still be madly in love, but they were. Her eyes drifted to the left of her and nearly popped out of their sockets. There he was. Mr. Alexander James McLean. She chuckled as she noticed that he spotted her. He immediately began walking over and took his seat.
“Funny seeing you here,” he grinned, bringing his plate of fruit over to join her.
“I was about to say the same to you. What are you doing up so early?” She asked and took a sip of her cranberry juice.
“Ah, I’m here on business. Every morning begins at the crack of dawn,” he smiled a cheesy grin. “It’s wonderful being a rock star.” He rolled his eyes. “What’s your excuse?”
“I’ve never been to California before,” Anna shrugged. “So I thought I’d wake up nice and early and do a bit of site seeing. My friend is here with me, but she got into the room really late last night and quite intoxicated, so I thought I’d save her the hang-over.” She smirked.
“Good idea,” AJ smiled. He lifted his mug of coffee and took a sip. “This black stuff they call coffee really isn’t too bad. You should try some. You had a pretty late night last night.”
Anna shrugged and smiled. “I’ve never really been much of a coffee person. I tried to force it down in college but it wasn’t any use. I hated the stuff.” She scrunched up her nose in a way that was meant to show disgust, but AJ thought it was cute. “What?” She laughed when she noticed he was chuckling.
“Oh, nothing,” AJ shook his head and stirred around his coffee a little. “Just…that thing you did with your nose…” he pointed to her face. “It was cute.” He shrugged. Anna rolled her eyes and laughed a little, finishing off her cranberry juice.
“Morning AJ,” a female voice said from behind them. Anna turned to see a tall blonde woman with a little boy about the age of five walking over. Immediately questions began running through her mind. Oh my God, is he married? Does he have a kid? That kid looks nothing like him! Anna couldn’t help the thoughts pouring in, but she was confused. Why did she care so much? She didn’t even know this guy.
“Bay-mister!” AJ winked at the little blonde boy that climbed up in the chair next to him. He kissed his cheek and winked up at the woman. “Leighanne, this is my friend, Anna. Anna, this is Leighanne and her son, Baylee.”
“Nice to meet you,” Anna shook the woman’s hand. She still wasn’t sure who this woman was or why she was there, but she didn’t feel like it would be appropriate to ask. “Well, thanks for having breakfast with me, Alex. It was nice meeting you.” She turned back to Leighanne. “I should get going. See ya.” And with that, she hurried off.
“Bye!” AJ called after her.
“Alex?” Leighanne frowned, sitting down where Anna had just been moments before. “Since when do you tell girls your name’s Alex?” She laughed, sipping her own coffee slowly.
“I-I don’t know,” he shrugged, watching the door where Anna had just walked through. “When I first met her, she didn’t know I was a Backstreet Boy.” He sighed. “And it’s not what you’re thinking. She’s staying at this hotel.” He wanted to reassure Leighanne he wasn’t falling back into his old touring days where he’d work during the day and save time for girls at night.
“Interesting,” she nodded.
“Momma, I’m hungry,” Baylee interrupted. Leighanne nodded and walked over to the buffet with him to help him make a plate. AJ sat there completely dumbfounded. Anna had walked into his life so quickly and so abruptly. She came at one of the worst times, yet he felt such a weird connection to her. And running into her again that morning at breakfast? Was there something there he was missing? He wasn’t sure and at that point, he wasn’t sure he’d ever find out.
“Keri, would you hurry it up please?” Anna grumbled as the two girls hurried down the street in the pouring rain. They had such big plans for the day since neither of them had ever been to Hollywood. Keriann Preston, Anna’s best friend, had slept through the morning thanks to a pretty heavy-duty hangover from the night before but met up with her later in the day.
Keriann tried keeping up with her friend, but along the way stopped and glanced up at a billboard. “Anna, look!” She grinned. Anna’s gaze followed Keri’s finger to the big sign. There, plastered up for all of Hollywood (or that part of Hollywood, at least) to see was a picture of the Backstreet Boys and that day’s date, June 29th. “The Backstreet Boys are here on tour!” She chuckled.
“So?” Anna sighed as she finally managed to make it under the shuttle bus overhang to try and not get too much more wet, if that was even possible. She made a sour expression when she realized she was pushed up against other wet, smelly people.
“So?” Keriann seemed surprised. “So we should go to their concert tonight. They’re playing at the Kodak Theatre.”
Anna gulped and glanced back up at the billboard. Her eyes were instantly drawn to AJ. The way his lips turned up in a small smile and his eyes seemed to stare her down. She contemplated telling her best friend that she had shared a taxi ride and breakfast with that man only hours before. Instead of opening an entire new can of worms, she decided not to. Besides, even if they went to that concert that night, she probably wouldn’t see him. And she never really planned on seeing him again.
“I loved them growing up,” Keriann sighed, thinking fondly back to the days of the Backstreet Boys. “It’d be neat seeing them in concert again. Besides, what else are we going to do? It’s raining and everywhere else is going to be packed with tourists trying to find something to do since the weather’s so bad. We’d just be cooped up in our hotel room.” She gave plenty valid reasons as to why they should go to the concert.
“Well, as long as it isn’t sold out, I guess we can go,” Anna shrugged. She didn’t really care. She had never been the world’s biggest Backstreet fan…or fan of anything, for that matter. She never really got into the whole “music-pop star” craze.
“Awesome!” Keriann seemed truly excited and that made Anna happy enough. Besides, she knew she wouldn’t run into AJ. It just wasn’t possible. It was like a one in a million chance, right?
Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the first chapter :). Thanks for all the reviews! Please keep on telling me how you're liking it or even not liking it...both positive feedback and negative feedback are welcome!
