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~*~Chapter Thirteen~*~

Kevin swallowed as he spotted Zania sitting off away from everybody else under a tree. Her back was against the massive trunk, her legs pulled up as she held a journal in her hand, writing in it. Kevin couldn’t help but smile, wondering what the girl actually wrote in the thing. He hoped that it was good stuff about them and that they weren’t letting her down in any way. Sadness filled the inside of him for the young girl though, for they were all that she really knew. She had eighteen years of lifes experience that had pretty much been washed down the drain in the event of a car accident. Eighteen years that she couldn’t even remember. All she knew was the past three.

The reason he’d been searching for her though wasn’t to interpret how she felt about them though. He had something else he needed to talk to the girl about, and found himself walking towards her with confidence and a smile that he hoped would convince her that it was nothing bad. After all, whenever he wanted to talk, people tended to jump to their defenses without even asking him what he wanted. They automatically thought that he was there to judge and yell.

“Hey Zania!” Kevin greeted as it sat down next to her.

Zania looked up slightly startled as she closed the journal. She smiled brightly at him in return as she shifted her body to face him more easily, “Hey Kev,” she replied, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, “What’s up?”

Kevin shrugged, “Not too much. Just getting away from the group for a moment,” he looked to the others and Bianca caught his eye. She looked gorgeous that day. Man, how he wanted to be able to call her his girlfriend. Just maybe..., “How are you? Everything okay?”

Zania nodded, “Can’t complain I guess.” she offered him a smile, “How about you? Is something wrong?”

Kevin laughed. This was exactly what he meant. Every time he wanted to speak to somebody...about anything at all...everybody always thought that something bad had happened. Maybe it had something to do with him being more serious than the rest, however he didn’t feel that he came off as a negative person. If anything, he tried to keep things positive and running smoothly.

‘Everything is perfect,” Kevin promised her, “Just wanting to talk to you...see what’s going on with you and how you’re feeling. We haven’t exactly had the chance to talk much in awhile. Just catching up.” he smiled at her.

Zania eyed him for a minute, giving the man a strange look. Kevin gulped. Was she on to something? Did she know that he had something on his mind or had already decided that he’d like to see Bianca? The look was unnerving and Kevin wondered if possibly, he’d made a mistake by wanting to discuss things with her. He couldn’t turn back time though. He’d just have to go with the flow of things and hope for the best.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Zania asked him, sitting the journal under her legs on the ground, “I know that look, Kevin.”

“I’m just wondering how you’re getting along with the girls.” he asked sincerely, “I mean...if you’re more comfortable with it.”

Zania hesitated. She really didn’t know what to say. The question had been pretty unexpected, and to be honest, she hadn’t really put much thought in to the two girls being there. She’d just been living with it and dealing. Going with the flow, so to speak. After all, it wasn’t something that she could change, and complaining would only annoy the Boys after so long. Now that she was being put on the spot though, forced to think about it, Zania had come up with a decision and a way to answer his question.

“Bianca isn’t so bad...” she let her voice trail off slightly, ‘We’ve talked and she’s pretty nice actually. I can trust her. Darcy on the other hand...” she paused with a frown, “I’m still not too keep on her. She is a treat to me, I feel. I don’t know...but I guess that I’m okay with her sticking around...as long as she keeps her distance.”

Kevin chuckled at this. Zania sure was straight and to the point. That much was obvious. She wasn’t anything like the girl, who they’d found three years ago. That girls name had been Abrianna. She’d been quiet, timid. A little bit shy. Little by little, she’d opened up though and now, she said it how it was. The quality was admirable most of the time, although sometimes she ended up hurting peoples feelings and really didn’t care.

‘That’s great to hear,” he stated, “Because there was something else I was wanting to ask you about.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. See, your friendship means the world to me. I would never go behind your back or betray you or that might ruin that friendship. I respect your wishes and opinions. So if you disagree with me or tell me you don’t want me to, then I won’t.”

“Kevin...your rambling. Just get on with it.”

Kevin laughed, “I know...I’m just nervous I suppose,” he took in a deep breath, ready to spill himself, “See..I really like Bianca. A lot. I’d like to go out with her...more than a date. Like, go out as in a relationship status. As I said though, if it will come between our friendship because you’re not comfortable with it, then I won’t.”

Zania said nothing for a moment. She just bit her lip in concentration, thinking about how to reply to Kevin. She could see by the look on his face that he was serious. The thing was though, she didn’t know how she felt about this. True, her and Bianca were at least on speaking terms, but she was still nervous about letting her, and especially Darcy in too close. She was still afraid that their intentions weren’t honorable, somewhat leery about what they were really there for, even if they had been friends before. Kevin however, was an excellent judge of character. Not only that, she could see that her procrastinating with an answer was causing him to become fidgety with nervousness.

“You really like her, don’t you?”

Kevin nodded, “She’s the first woman I’ve been interested I since the divorce.” he mentioned, which said a lot.

After only another moments pause, Zania finally smiled up at Kevin as she squinted in to the bright sun by saying, “Then you have my permission to ask her out.”

A huge smile broke out on to the older mans face, showing how much this meant to him as he thanked his friend. He couldn’t wait to tell Bianca, feeling like a teenage boy again instead of the thirty-four year old man that he was.

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As AJ signed a few autographs for fans as he ran from his tour bus to the hotel, he couldn’t help but notice how stunning Zania looked. She looked more and more ravishing each day, or possibly it was all in his mind because his love and adoration grew for her every day. It had been for over three years now. All he wanted was to take her in to his arms and hug her, kiss her. Shower her in affection. Was that too much to ask for? Obviously it was, because God just wasn’t delivering his prolonged wish to have the girl as his girlfriend rather than just a very good friend.

“AJ!” a voice rang out just as he was about to reach to door through a tunnel of security guards. He turned his head and saw a medium height girl waving her arms in the air, figuring right away that it had been her to call his name. He stopped when she yelled, “Could you please sign this for me?”

“Sure thing, babe,” he smiled, grabbing the pen and a Backstreet Boys calendar from 2001. He scrawled his name across it before handing it back to her with a wink, “Have a great night!” he called to her, ducking in to the large hotels back stairwell just as the doors were closing. He struggled to keep his large suitcase strap on his shoulder as he made his way up the stairs, watching Jaime from behind.

Things were honestly getting harder and harder. He was becoming so frustrated with himself because he honestly liked Jaime. Why didn’t he have the courage to just ask her out already or tell her how he felt? It really wasn’t that hard, actually. And not only that, there had to be a way for him to hint around and dig for information about how he felt with being subtle. That way, if he got a positive vibe, he could ask her out, and if it was a negative vibe...he would just carry on as her friend as if nothing had happened. She would never catch on...

...Or would she? Girls were special like that. They picked up on things and took hints almost as if it were a sixth sense. Hell, she probably knew by the way that he looked at her and laughed at him mockingly when she was alone in her room at night. If she were really interested in him, wouldn’t she have come and asked him out already? Then again, maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move. AJ growled in frustration. Why was he making such a big deal about this? He was letting a woman affect his mind, body, heart...just everything. It was pathetic really, but one the heart was involved, nothing mattered or made sense. It didn’t even matter if you made a complete ass of yourself. You didn’t care. All that mattered was that one special person who could make a difference in your life...

“AJ!”

AJ let out a low, muffled groan at the sound of this voice. Darcy. Would she not ever get the hint and leave him be? He honestly was beginning to think not. And sad thing was, they were just checking in to the hotel. In two hours, they’d have to leave for their show that night. That would be at least six hours of having her over his shoulder, chewing at his ankles like a stray dog. Go figure. The girl he wanted to leave him alone was constantly around and the girl he was crazy for didn’t even realize his existence...or so it seemed.

AJ tried to ignore Darcy as he quickened his pace though. That didn’t do a thing however. She just quickened her pace behind him as well, calling out his name and before he knew it, he felt her hand on his shoulder just as he was reaching his room, pulling the key that had been given to him from his back pocket. He’d been caught and cornered with no way out of it unless he pushed her aside and made a run for it.

“AJ, didn’t you hear me calling?” Darcy asked.

“I thought I heard a voice...but was hoping it was just in my head.” AJ remarked harshly, giving her an impatient look, “What can I do for you?”

Darcy shrugged, her greenish eyes looking up at him, “Well...to wish you luck tonight and to see if you wanted to go out for a drink after the show.”

“I don’t drink.”

“By ‘drink’, I didn’t necessarily mean alcoholic.” Darcy told him, “I know you don’t drink...could have meant a coke, water, hell...orange juice.” she laughed but it died when she saw that AJ was less than amused.

“I need to get ready for the show,” he told her without another word, making it so the conversation was officially over.

“Alright...well...good luck, since Bianca and I are heading out a little after you.” she smiled at him one last time before walking away three doors down to her own room.

AJ breathed a sigh of relief, happy that she’d left. To be honest, if they were the only two people left in the whole world, he’d rather be alone on a separate continent than with her to stick it out together. It all came back to her being a threat though, afraid that Zania would leave for good if she snagged her wretched claws in to the girl who’d once been best friends with her. If that happened, AJ was honestly at loss of what he’d do.

As he was unlocking his hotel room door, AJ spotted Zania a few doors down also entering her room. She stopped and turned her head and caught him staring at her. With a small smile and wave, AJ felt his heart flutter just a little bit higher. Only seconds, she disappeared leaving AJ wondering what it would feel like to kiss her. It was then that AJ realized that he needed help...and fast...before his emotions got too out of hand because it was becoming clear that nothing would ever come of the attraction.