Breanna awoke to the feel of Howie's arm pulling her closer to him. He held her tightly in his arms as Breanna nudged him with her foot. "Hold me any tighter and I won't be able to breathe." She said giggling. He immediately let go of her as she looked over her shoulder into his eyes. He looked hurt. "What's wrong? You can still hold me. You were just a little tight." She said as she reached back to caress his cheek.
"I'm sorry, I thought I hurt you." He said smiling as he held her again.
"No, you didn't. I don't think you're capable." She smiled.
"It's noon. We've slept all day." Howie noted as he kissed Breanna's head.
"Oh my God!! We have to get up, get ready, and go out! We only have today left!" She said excitedly as she jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Howie stayed in bed laughing at Breanna. She made him laugh over the littlest things without really trying. "What are you waiting for? Get your ass out of bed!" Breanna shouted at Howie. She stood in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground while blowing a piece of hair out of her face. She tried to act angry but it was hard. Howie laid in bed with the sheets covering half of his naked body, his chest exposed, his arms resting comfortably behind his head as he smiled back at her.
"Make me get out of bed." He said smoothly.
"I'd love to but we don't have time." She said as she walked towards him. She leaned down to give him a kiss. He looked extremely tired. "What time did you go to bed?" She asked him as she looked at his eyes. They were red and a little glossy.
"I don't remember. I went to AJ's room last night," He started explaining as he pointed to the note he had left her on the nightstand. "and we talked for awhile. Mya called him to bed so I came back here and just kinda hung around downstairs cause I didn't want to wake you. Around 5:30 or so I went to bed but I couldn't sleep. I just watched you. Ya know you move around a lot when someone isn't right next to you? I've noticed that. The minute I get out of bed you're all over the place." He said smiling up at her.
"Really? I never noticed that." She said as she thought to herself.
"Well, probably cause you're asleep." He said laughing.
"Oh shut up and let's get going! I want to spend as much time together as we can." She said as she tugged on his arm. He got up and stretched as Breanna went to the bathroom.
"Bree, skip the shower. We took a bath this morning, remember?" He asked her as he slowly walked to the bathroom behind her.
"I know but I feel dirty." She said.
"Why would you? We never did anything wild." He said smiling to her as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush.
"Should we have? Do you regret not doing anything this week? We still, um, have time." She said looking into the mirror to his reflection.
"No, no I don't. I'm glad we haven't. I want to wait. Call me ol' fashioned cause I want to wait until everything is right. Your life back to normal and my life back to hectic. Anyway, if we did, I'd never want to stop." He said laughing. She frowned. She wanted to leave him with something to remember her by, to keep him from straying. In the back of her mind she was convinced that he could have any beautiful woman he wanted and probably would when he got home. She shook her head to erase the negative thought. "I love you." He smiled at her reflection as she absent mindedly brushed her teeth. She nodded her head sadly in agreement with his declaration of love. He knew she was having a hard time dealing with them splitting apart the next day.
He turned around and walked back into the bedroom and started slowly packing his suitcases. He had a lot of things to pack and he wanted to try and get some of it done while Breanna was getting ready. After she brushed her teeth Breanna washed her face and brushed her hair. She secured her hair on the side with her favorite butterfly clips that Brian had worn. A memory that made her smile everytime she thought about it. Breanna walked back into the bedroom slowly as the radio played. She stopped in the doorway to watch Howie pack. She couldn't believe the week was over. She watched him absent-mindedly fold his favorite black Tommy t-shirt singing along to the radio as tears came to her eyes.
He realized someone was staring at him and turned around. Breanna looked down as he turned around so he couldn't see her crying. She walked to the other side of the room and grabbed one of his shirts off the back of a chair and folded it. She placed it in the open suitcase on the bed as Howie stood next to her watching her every move. He noticed she kept her head down. He stopped her and pulled her head up with his finger and stared at her tear stained face. "Oh, don't cry! I'll see you in two weeks! I promise, I'll clear my schedule for that weekend". She started crying more as she listened to what he was saying. "I'm not supposed to make you sad, Breanna. I only want to make you happy." He said as he pulled her close to his body. She dropped the other shirt she was folding and clung to him as she sobbed.
"You make me happy but it's going to be hard getting used to being back at home without you." She said.
"Hun, that shouldn't be a problem. I was never home with you." He said laughing, obviously trying to make the situation easier.
"I meant being without you, period." She said.
"I know what you meant." He said letting go of her. "Please don't be sad. It's our last day. Let's try to leave with good memories." Howie said as he wiped a tear off of her cheek. She nodded her head.
"You make me happy. I love you." She stated as another tear rolled down her face.
"Then don't cry. Smile, laugh, or even get angry with me and yell! Just don't cry. I can't stand seeing you like this." He pleaded with her.
"I'm sorry! I just...." she said as she looked around the room trying to avoid his eyes.
"You just, what?" He asked.
"I can't tell you. I'm confused." She said as they sat down the edge of the bed.
"What's wrong, Breanna? You're only going to be more confused if we leave here without clearing everything up." He said trying to coax the information out of her.
"I just.....I don't know!" She screamed as tears came to her eyes.
"You need to tell me, Breanna." He said calmly as he rubbed her back.
"Fine! I'll tell you everything, okay!?" She screamed at him. He didn't know how to reply. He could only nodd his head.
"I lied." She stated.
"Ok." He said calmly as he rubbed her back.
"I don't love you." She cried even harder as he kept rubbing her back.
"Ok." He said again.
"I don't love you..." She tried to say something else but couldn't.
"You already said that." He said flatly.
"No, it's not that! I don't love you cause..." she was bawling. She was filled with emotions she had never felt before and she couldn't picture going home without him near her. He was going to be a phone call away but that was still too far for Breanna. Howie was still rubbing her back. He was being so patient with her. The phone rang but he ignored it. It drove Breanna crazy that he was so perfect. She stopped sobbing by that time. Only tears fell down her face. Howie leaned over the other side of the bed to get some tissue off of the nightstand. He handed it to her as she wiped her eyes.
"Okay?" he asked her calmly.
"No. I wasn't finished. Let me finish." She stated.
"Ok..." he agreed.
"I don't just love you cause I'm *in* love with you. I lied to you to cover up how I really felt cause I figured if I kept telling myself that I loved you and that I wasn't in love with you then maybe I'd start to believe it. I've never felt this way and after only one week it's hard for me to understand what I feel. I picture going home without you by my side and it freaks me out. I'm afraid you're going to find someone better back at home when you leave tomorrow. You'll find some beautiful blonde." She said as she wiped her eyes. Howie was still rubbing her back. He let out a long sigh as he comprehended every word she had just said.
"AJ was right." He mumbled to himself.
"Wha? AJ?" She asked. "Yeah, we talked about you last night and I told him I loved you and that you told me first but you said you weren't in love with me and he said you were lying to cover up how you really felt cause you wanted to convince yourself that you only loved me but you weren't *in love* with me." Howie finished explaining.
"That AJ knows his women." Breanna half laughed.
"Yeah, sometimes." Howie stated. "Um...maybe I should tell you a few things, Breanna." Howie said with a little anger in his voice. "First off, I would never leave you for some blonde. Yeah, I admit that I have always had something for blondes but that's different. It was just a preferance. No big deal. Second off, you should know me way better than that. I'm not like any of your ex's or any typical guy for that matter. I'm in love with you and I would never hurt you like that." He stated.
"Fine. Now go get dressed." She said half smiling at him.
"No. You feel better now?" He asked her.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm confused. Give me a while to get used to this." She said.
"I'm sorry, too. You need to know me in order to trust me, Breanna. I would never hurt you like that. Never! It hurts me to think that you don't already see that yet. It may be only a week since we've met but you should know better." He said as he lifted her chin up so her eyes were looking into his.
"I knew that, already, but it's my insecurities talking." She admitted to him. He nodded his head and stood up.
"C'mon. We'll pack later." Howie said as he grabbed her hand and helped pull her up. He pulled her into an embrace as she snuggled down into his arms burrying her head into his chest.
After an hour they left the hotel hand-in-hand and ran into a group of fans who were waiting in the lobby. "Howie!" Two of them screamed as they got up and ran over to him with cameras and CDs in their hands. Breanna jumped back behind Howie in order for them to get only Howie in the photos. Howie smiled at his fans and started talking to them as he signed their CDs and posed for pictures. "How'd you all know we were still here?" He asked smiling.
"It's all over the internet!" One of them said.
"Internet? Wow, that thing has a lot of information. Sometimes too much information." He laughed as he posed for a picture with one of the fans.
"Where's Nick?" the youngest girl asked.
"Oh, you missed him by three days! He went back to Tampa." Howie said.
"What about Kevin?" Another girl asked.
"He's around. Somewhere with his girlfriend." Howie said as he signed another autograph. Breanna stood in the background smiling as she watched Howie treat each girl like a princess. It was obvious that he was extremely gracious.
"Where's Brian?" The oldest girl asked.
"You know him and Nick, Frick and Frack, they left together." Howie stated.
"Is AJ still with Mya?" Another girl asked.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Howie asked as he pointed to AJ exiting the elevator with Mya in tow. Four of the girls ran over to AJ as the others stayed with Howie to finish getting their CDs signed and posing for pictures. Mya saw Breanna watching Howie and wondered over to see how she was.
"Hey girl!" Mya greeted as both girls embraced.
"Hey!" Breanna said happy to see her.
"First time?" Mya asked pointing to the autograph seekers.
"Yeah, I think I jumped 10 feet back as they came running towards us." Breanna commented laughing.
"You'll get used to it and if you don't...well, just remember, it never goes away and the guys are extremely thankful to their fans and will stop at nothing to make them happy. And your guy is the most gracious. He once got mobbed by fans and was knocked on his back! AJ always laughs about that cause D had on a huge backpack and he landed on his back with his legs and arms up looking like a turtle." Mya was cracking up as she told the story and Breanna was in tears from laughing so hard picturing the entire scene in her head.
"Can I have your autograph?" One young girl around the age of 10 asked Mya.
"Sure, sweetheart." Mya said smiling to her.
"Can I have yours, too?" The little girl asked.
"Me? Why me?" Breanna asked as she lowered herself down to the little girls level.
"Aren't you Howie's girlfriend?" the little girl asked.
"Yes, but I'm not famous." She said smiling.
"Yes you are! You're Howie's girlfriend!" The little girl explained happily.
"Um, oh, okay." Breanna agreed as Mya handed Breanna the autograph book and signed it.
"Thank you for being such a sweet young lady, Breanna Winterson." The little girl read aloud. "Wow! This is so cool! Thank you!" The little girl commented. Breanna gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"You're welcome. What's your name?" She asked.
"Emily Mayfair!" The little girl replied.
"That's a lovely name! Definitely lots of potential in that name." Breanna commented as she caught Howie's eye while he finished signing autographs.
"Thank you! Oh, I gotta go! My sisters calling me! Thank you Breanna! Howie, your girlfriend is really nice!" Emily yelled as she ran away.
"Thank you!" he called out after her. After all the other girls heard that Breanna was Howie's girlfriend they all ran up to her for autographs. Breanna was having a hard time trying to think of new things to write to them all.
"Hun, after a while you just have to write your name." Mya informed her.
"I know but it's not very personal." She said. After an hour Breanna had signed 20 autographs - each personalized to the best of Breanna's ability, and posed for countless pictures, a few with Howie, and a few with Howie, AJ, and Mya.
"I give you until tomorrow morning at the latest before you picture is posted on every website, newsgroup, and mailing list!" Mya said laughing. "Get used to the bashing, too. Some of these fans can't handle the guys dating and will cut us down to size. It's painful, some of the things they say but you just have to take everything with a grain of salt." Mya informed Breanna as they finished signing the last autograph.
"Thank you!" One girl around the age of 15 said to Breanna. "Don't worry, if they say anything bad about you on the internet I'll set them straight. You're really nice and you're shy. Howie seems to love you a lot. He was talking about you the entire time he was signing stuff." The girl said.
"What'd he say?" Breanna asked.
"Nothing much. He loves you a lot and you both are very happy." The girl informed Breanna as she started walking away.
"Thank you! And thanks for the internet thing." Breanna yelled to the girl.
"You're welcome!" The girl yelled back.
"Well, you did great!" Mya said, putting an arm around her new friends shoulder as they walked up to the guys who were posing for their last picture.
"Hey AJ!" Breanna greeted.
"Hello, Beautiful!" AJ said smiling. "Have fun signing autographs?" He asked her as Howie listened.
"It was hard!" Breanna explained. "I didn't know what to write. I had writers block!" Breanna complained with a laugh.
"You just write your name!" AJ informed her as he put an arm around Mya's shoulder.
"Not Breanna." Mya commented. "She signed each and every single one with something personalized and she talked to each girl for like five minutes!" Mya said with a laugh.
"Yeah, she's perfect for you, D! Pretty soon she'll look like a turtle, too!" AJ said laughing at Howie.
"You personalized them all?" Howie asked in disbelief.
"Yes, I wasn't just going to write 'Breanna Winterson'. That wouldn't have been very nice." She commented.
"Hun, there are going to be times when you might be hounded by 100 fans and you only have 10 minutes. You're going to have to sign your name only and then sometimes you don't have time to sign 100. You feel bad but that's just how it goes." Howie tried to explain to Breanna.
"Ok, fine, when I get hounded by 100 of *your* fans I'll only sign my name but until I get hounded by 100 fans I'm going to write something nice for each one of them." Breanna said stubbornly to Howie. He only laughed and kissed her head.
"Ok, fine, until that day comes let's go and have some fun." Howie said as he put an arm around her.
"Oh, AJ, you were right last night." Howie said.
"About?" AJ asked. Breanna looked up at AJ while annoyingly blow her hair out of her face.
"He means that you were right about my being in love with him. Yeah, I am. I admit it today. Happy?" Breanna said to AJ with a smile. He laughed at her.
"Breanna, you're a sweetheart but a major pain in the ass." He informed her.
"Finally someone to piss off D. None of us have ever been really good at it. You can touch his hair and that pisses him off but other than that nothing does." AJ said laughing.
"Well, you're wrong AJ. She hasn't been able to piss me off yet." Howie laughed as both happy couples exited the hotel towards two different waiting limos outside.
The day went too fast for Breanna and Howie. They left the hotel around 2pm and got back around 1am. They both had to pack their things and Breanna needed to talk to Eve about their morning plans. The guys were scheduled to leave on an 11am flight which meant they had to be out of the hotel no later than 9am. The hotel rooms were booked until 2pm so both girls could leave any time before that.
Breanna and Howie went out for a late lunch at a secluded restaurant and instead of taking the waiting limo they used Breanna's car. They wanted to avoid as many fans as possible so Howie wore his trademark desguise, a baseball cap. Breanna hadn't seen Kevin or Eve in the past three days and she didn't think she would until later that night or the next morning. She had a feeling that Eve and Kevin were more involved than she had previously thought. "As long as she's happy." Breanna thought to herself as she and Howie drove around town talking about some of the funnier things that had happened that week.
"I can't believe Brian got that drunk!" Howie said laughing remembering their first day together.
"He's never been that drunk before?" She asked him as they drove down the strip.
"Never! Well, a few times but it's always been us around. But this time you both were there and he was acting like a ham. He's always a ham but he was acting like a bigger one!" He laughed.
"Must be fun with you guys on tour." Breanna commented as she read the street signs trying to think of a place to go.
"Want to go with us on the next tour?" He asked Breanna as he turned in his seat to look at her.
"When will that be? And where?" She asked.
"It probably won't be for a year at the least. We're going back into the studios in a few days and we'll be there for at least 9 months. We'll be flying back and forth between Sweden and Florida for that. When the tour starts it'll probably be a world tour so we'll be all over the place for about 9 months." He explained.
"I still haven't been able to comprehend how big you guys are. I probably won't until I get back home and talk to my little cousin. She's about 12, actually she's turning 13 in two weeks! Maybe you could sing to her as a surprise!" Breanna said excitedly to Howie.
"Well, I'll hopefully be there with you. I'll sing for her. Anyway, you haven't answered my question." He said to Breanna as the stopped at a red light.
"Come'ere." Breanna told Howie as he leaned in for a kiss. "Yes. You know I would love to go with you." She smiled at him as the light turned green.
They spent the entire afternoon and evening talking about everything from movies, to music, to world politics and religion. He realized that she was incredibly intelligent and had a strong mind. She was ambitious and knew what she wanted in life. She told him about how she wants to own a record label one day. She explained that she was studying music production and business while Eve was studying business and law. They both planned to get together on that idea of theirs when they graduated from college. Throughout the entire conversation with Breanna, Howie realized that she probably knew more about the business side of music that he did. He was thoroughly impressed.
By the end of the evening they were both in high spirits laughing, talking, hugging, and stealing kisses here and there. Luckily none of the fans noticed Howie, and Breanna was glad. She loved his fans but she wanted their last day together to be just theirs.
After 11 o'clock they decided it would be best if they headed back to the hotel and packed up everything. Howie estimated that he had about an hour worth of packing to do and Breanna had possibly more. He made a mental note to remember that Breanna loved clothes with a passion and she wore a size 8. He knew of a boutique near his house that had so many things that would look nice on her and he planned to send as many outfits as he could find in the limited amount of free time that he would be having soon. As they left the restaurant, he led her to a small nicely landscaped park for a walk in the moonlight. "Ya know, I've thought about this week over and over in my mind and I feel like I've known you forever." He said as she smiled at him.
"I know what you mean. It's only been a week." She murmured to herself as he looked up at the sky.
"See that?" Howie said pointing at the sky.
"See what? The stars?" She asked him.
"Yeah, the stars. See that one, the orange colored one?" He asked as he pointed at the all-too-familiar star.
"Yeah, that's Beetleguese, the armpit star of the constellation Orion the Hunter." She explained to Howie. His jaw dropped as he looked at her in awe.
"What!?" She asked laughing. "I wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger because I loved astronomy so much and I wanted to be the first woman on Mars." She explained as he stared back and forth between Breanna and the star.
"An astronaut? What changed your mind?" He asked.
"Physics. I hate math with a passion, especially scientific math that uses long systems of equations. I don't have the attention span to work on those. Anyway, I'm barely 5'2". I would barely qualify for the program, if I qualified at all." She explained the inner workings of NASA to Howie as he kept staring between the star and Breanna. "I'm sorry...why did you point to the star?" She asked remembering that there was a reason for it.
"I wanted it to be our star, that's all. If you're lonely at home and I can't call you cause I'm in the studio or something then just look at the star and think of me. I'll probably be looking at it at the same time." He explained. This was the first mention of the next day and it pained her more than she thought possible.
"I'll see him in two weeks!" She told herself as Howie stared at her frowning face.
"You okay?" He asked. She shook her head.
"Not really but I'm going to have to get used to it. I can't expect you to be by my side all the time." She said smiling.
"So, Beetleguese is our star?" She asked him as he held her in his arms, the both of them staring at the star.
"Yup!" He said happily.
"We better get going!" She said as she glanced down at his pager to see the time.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"Past midnight." She said looking up at him as she shivered. A cool breeze blew through her dress. He pumped his hands up and down her arms to help warm her while he stared back at the sky.
"Howie? Hun? Wanna go?" She asked.
"Give me a minute." He whispered.
"Okay, whatever you want." She said as she leaned her head against his chest while he warmed her arms. He was acting odd and she couldn't figure it out. He wouldn't look at her, opting to look at the sky instead. She finally pulled herself away from him so she could see his face. She couldn't figure out why he had a love for the stars all of a sudden.
"Howie!" She said quietly as she reached up to touch his face. He had been crying but he didn't want her to see.
"I'm sorry." He whispered looking down at her while trying to wipe away the tears.
"Sorry for what?" She asked. Breanna grabbed his hand and led him over to a bench and sat him down so he could talk.
"I'm just as upset about leaving you as you are, I just couldn't show you. I didn't want to make you more upset. I wanted to be strong for you, but I can't." He explained. He wasn't exactly crying but the tears rolling down his cheeks weren't for happiness.
"Hun, don't worry. You're not making me more upset cause I don't think it's possible. I just keep reminding myself that I'll see in a couple of weeks. No biggie. I'm not going to worry cause you're a phone call away and now you're a star away, too." She said smiling at him. He felt better and smiled back at her. She had a way with him that made him feel so much better.
"You're right but I'm going to miss you." He said to her.
"Me too." She whispered as he kissed her softly.
"Okay, we really gotta get going or we'll never be ready to leave tomorrow." He stated as he pulled her up. They walked hand in hand back to her car and this time he drove while Breanna told him how to get back to the hotel. When they got back to the hotel Breanna jumped on Howie's back as they played around in the lobby on the way back to their room. It was a Friday evening and the hotel was abnormally quiet. The hotel employees all stopped working to watch how happy Breanna and Howie were together. Mark was on a break downstairs talking to the manager as he watched them go by to the elevator.
"I give them a year before they announce an engagement." Mark said smiling to himself.
After they got back to their room they both ran around trying to sort out who's things belonged to who and how they were going to pack everything. "I want to finish getting packed in an hour!" Breanna shouted from downstairs as she looked under the couch for anything she may have left.
"An hour? Hun, I don't think that's possible. You have too much stuff!" He laughed.
"Oh shuddup!" She said as she ran back upstairs with a pair of shoes that she found.
"Make me!" He teased her while he finished zipping his last suitcase.
"I will when I'm done packing. You're done already? How?" She asked as she looked around the room. The only thing left in their room were her belongings.
"I started packing yesterday. Need help?" He asked.
"Yeah, fold all of that but leave my white mini skirt and black tank top out. Oh, and my black bra and panties. I'll just wear these sandals." She said pointing to a pile of clothes.
"Um, okay." He said smiling. It was nice to have someone in his life again and she was definitely more different than any other girl he had dated in the past. After an hour she sat on her suitcase as he helped her zip it. "God girl, how much did you bring?" He asked laughing.
"Not a lot but I went shopping with you this week! Oh, stop spoiling me, by the way." She said kissing him.
"I'm not spoiling you. You deserve everything I can give you." He smiled back.
"Oh puh-leze!" She laughed.
"Oh please? What are you asking for?" He said slyly.
"I'd give you a heart attack! You couldn't handle me, hun." She said getting off the suitcase with Howie's assistance.
"I probably couldn't. But oh well!" He said picking her up and throwing her on the bed. They didn't do anything that they hadn't done before but it was a lot harder to control themselves. "I still want to wait." He said to her in between kisses.
"I know. I don't really want to but I can handle it...for now." She said smiling at him with her arms wrapped around his neck. The spent most of the early morning hours in each others arms talking and laughing and wrestling around. Howie knew Breanna was ticklish. He tickled her until they both tumbled out of bed with her screaming
"Stop Howie! Stop!!" It wasn't until 6am that they actually fell asleep.
Two hours later came the wake-up call. Actually it was a visit. "Get your horny ass out of bed, D!" AJ screamed from downstairs.
"Oh shit..." Howie mumbled as Breanna turned towards him half-asleep burring her head under the covers.
"Alright, I'm awake AJ! Give me half an hour before I'm ready to leave!" Howie yelled half asleep.
"Alright, want me to have these taken to the lobby?" AJ shouted upstairs indicating the luggage.
"Yeah, thanks!" Howie yelled back.
"See ya!" AJ yelled as Howie heard the door close.
"I gotta get up." He told Breanna.
"NO!" She shouted while throwing her arms around him.
"C'mon hun. You know I have to go." He said quietly.
"I know. Can I go with you to the airport?" She asked.
"Of course you can."
"Okay, let me jump in the shower first." She told him.
"We don't have that much time." He explained.
"That's easy. C'mon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. They showered together and got dressed quickly.
"You're wearing that?" Howie asked.
"I told you yesterday." She said laughing.
"Yeah, but I didn't know it would be that short. I mean, it looks great, but everyone's going to be staring." He told her.
"And that's a problem for you? They can stare all they want but it's you I'll be going home with, soon." She smiled.
"I know. Well, okay, we gotta go!" He stated as he took one last look around the hotel room. Nothing was left that belonged to him. The only thing left was Breanna's laptop and her luggage downstairs. They walked hand-in-hand to the elevator while he pulled his small pilot suitcase that he planned to carry-on. There were fans in the lobby but Q explained that the guys were going to be late if they didn't get going soon. Everyone piled into the limo except for Kevin and Eve.
"They went ahead." Q explained as everyone nodded.
"Hey Mya." Breanna said as a very sleepy Mya smiled back. She had on her sunglasses and her hair in a ponytail.
"I had to drag her lazy ass outta bed." AJ explained as Mya playful nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.
"When are you coming to Orlando for a visit?" Mya asked while yawning.
"Soon I hope. I really don't know. I have school until May. That entire month is going to be out for me cause I'll be studying for finals. Eve and I were planning on moving out there in August but I don't think I'm gonna be able to wait that long." Breanna said smiling as she leaned back into Howie's chest while he kissed the top of her head.
Letting go of Howie was one of the hardest things Breanna had done in a long time. She tried to act like it wasn't that big of a deal because she would be seeing him soon and he told her he would call her that night. Eve was at the end of the gate saying good bye to Kevin and it was obvious that she wasn't taking it too well.
"I have a feeling driving home today isn't going to be as exciting as it was last week." Breanna said to Howie as they both watched Eve and Kevin.
"He looks crushed. I haven't seen him that way in a long time." Howie said with a concerned look.
"Do me a favor." She told Howie.
"Anything. What is it?"
"Talk to Kevin for me. Eve is very closed when somethin's bothering her. Something's been on her mind for the past nine months and she's totally changed. I'm worried about her. If anyone would know anything about her it would hopefully be Kevin." Breanna was explaining as the last call for their flight was announced.
"Argh!" Breanna growled. Howie took one long look at Breanna and pulled her into his arms.
"I'll call you tonight as soon as we get home. Actually, what time do you think you'll be getting home?" He asked.
"We're allowed to stay at the hotel unti 2pm but there's no reason to stay that long. I think we'll just leave as soon as we get back to the hotel. It's 5 til' 11. We'll probably leave before noon and get into town around 3 or 4. That'll be around 6 or 7 your time, right?" She asked him while he rubbed his hands up and down her back.
"Yeah. We should be arriving at the same time." He stated.
"Okay, well you have my cellphone, home, fax, and pager number and my email address, right?" She asked him smiling from ear to ear.
"Yes! What, no car phone number?" He asked her teasingly as he kept giving her pecks all over her face.
"Haha! No, sorry, I have enough numbers to remember." She smiled as she closed her eyes so he could kiss her eyelids.
"Ahem" AJ said.
"Oh, yeah, we should go." He said sadly.
"Alright." Breanna smiled as tears came to her eyes.
"No, no, not now!" He said wiping the tears away from her cheek.
"I know. I'm sorry!" She said, still smiling.
"Oh hun...." He sighed. He pulled her into his arms and rocking her lightly.
"Hey D! They're gonna leave without you!" Kevin said nudging his friend. Eve was off to the side of the gate watching as tears streamed down her face. Kevin looked as if he had been crying as well.
"Yeah, man. Let's go." He said grabbing his pilot case and letting go of Breanna.
"Bye Bree! I'll call you." He said turning slightly around and mouthing the words "I love you" as he turned back around to walk towards the plane entrance. He had tears building up in his eyes but he didn't want Breanna to see him cry.
Breanna and Eve slowly walked hand in hand back to the limo waiting outside the airport. They both crawled into the limo without saying a word. Breanna already missed Howie but knew she would be okay without him. She had to admit that she was in love with Howie in less than a week but she was also strong enough to live without him were something to happen to him and/or their relationship. Eve, on the other hand, was never quite that strong. Once she fell in love, she fell hard. Eve sat in the limo accross from Breanna with tears streaming down her face as she stared out the window. Breanna felt she couldn't cry anymore. She had no reason to cry. She knew that Howie was going back to Florida and she would soon be talking to him later that night. Eve needed Kevin. It was written all over her face. Eve was a hard one to figure out. She seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve as the ol' saying goes, but in reality, Eve hid her heart from the world, including herself. She loved few, and let even fewer love her. The fact that Eve had fallen in love with Kevin so soon and let him love her back shocked Breanna but she knew it was too soon to talk to Eve about it. It took Breanna 3 years to figure out most of Eve. It took Kevin one week. Eve had been having problems that entire year but she never told Breanna. Breanna knew that forcing Eve to talk to her about her problems was like pulling teeth. It wouldn't happen. If anyone knew anything it would be Kevin but Breanna wasn't holding her breath that Kevin would tell Howie anything.
The girls walked into the hotel and went straight to the elevator. "You're not hungry?" Breanna asked quietly as she fished for her room key.
"No." Eve stated staring at the ground. Breanna felt so hopeless for Eve. Her friend was falling apart but there wasn't anything she could do.
"Hey Eve?" Breanna said.
"Yeah?" Eve asked still looking at the ground.
"I love you." Breanna said smiling. Eve looked up for the first time since they entered the hotel with wide, bright eyes.
"Me too, Breen." Eve said.
"I know you miss Kevin. We'll see them soon, hun. I promise. Just remember that he's a phone call away." She told Eve. Eve smiled.
"I know. I miss him but I'll get used to him not being around. I just need a day or two." Eve stated as they arrived on their floor. Mark was on duty smiling at the girls as they walked out of the elevator with Breanna's arm around Eve's shoulder and Eve's arm around Breanna's waist.
"Hey Mark!" Breanna greeted as she ran towards Mark to give him a huge hug.
"Hello, Miss Breanna! And how was the departure?" He asked smiling.
"Sad. We miss them already." She said still smiling.
"Oh, I know those boys. They probably miss you more!" He said happily.
"You think so?" Eve asked with wide eyes. Mark knew that this one was probably very vulnerable, and easier to break than a glass vase.
"I've known them for what seems like their entire life. I've seen Howie dating but never in love. The same with Kevin. Since I've known him, he's been with different women, but never truly in love with them. A few he loved, I must admit. But, not like this." Mark said lifting his chin to indicate Eve. Eve's eyes dried instantly as she smiled from ear to ear.
"Thanks, Mark!" Breanna said throwing her arms around him again whispering "Eve needed that." into his ear.
"You're welcome." He said. Both girls, much happier than they had been, walked arm in arm back to their rooms.
"Eve, we really have no reason to stay here. Wanna leave now? We'll be back in the city by the time the guys touch down if we go now." Breanna explained. Eve didn't reply to Breanna other than nodding. Instead she opened her door, grabbed her two suitcases and her backpack that were waiting by the door and walked to Breanna's room. Breanna opened her door and burst into laughter.
"I take it you wanna leave now?" Breanna asked laughing.
"Yes! Now! Let's go!!" Eve shouted as she paged a bellboy from downstairs to come up and help with the luggage.
"I'll go downstairs and check us out." Breanna said.
"No need to. Kevin said that we're automatically checked out by 2pm. The record company paid for all of this." Eve said smiling.
"Oh great! Okay, I'm ready to go!" Breanna said throwing her laptop bag over her shoulder and backpack over the other shoulder.
"Okay, let's go!" Eve said as the bellboy arrived.
"Gianni, right?" Breanna asked. He nodded.
"But weren't you in the room down there?" He said pointing down the hall.
"Yes, but my boyfriend was staying in this room so I gave up my room to stay with him." She explained as he loaded the luggage onto a cart to drag downstairs.
"Ah, a Backstreet Boy?" He asked smiling.
"Yes. I suppose so." She said as Eve followed them down the hall.
"Bye Mark! I'm gonna miss you." Breanna said as she gave him one last hug.
"Oh, we'll see each other again. The next world tour. They will be staying here." Mark explained.
"I hope so! I'll cross my fingers." She said as she entered the elevator with Eve and Gianni.
"Bye Mark!" Eve said as she ran out of the elevator to give him a hug.
"Goodbye quiet one." He said hugging her back. After getting back onto the elevator the girls spoke little.
"I just wanna get home and wait by the phone." Eve said laughing.
"We're gonna turn into those girlfriends who have to wait for their boyfriends 24/7. We won't have a life or anything!" Breanna said laughing with Eve.
After they exited the elevator and loaded up the car both girls tried to decide what to listen to. "Eve, grab my backpack and see what CDs are there." Breanna said.
"Okay...let's see...you're CDs aren't in here." Eve stated as Breanna glanced into her backpack.
"Damn, I packed 'em!" Breanna shouted as they drove down the street towards the freeway.
"Well, I think I have a few CDs in my backpack that we tossed in when we arrived last week." Eve said smiling.
"Okay, what'd we throw in there?" Breanna asked.
"Garbage and Depeche Mode and, wait, where'd I get this?" Eve questioned as she pulled out a small wrapped box. "I haven't really opened my backpack until today. I don't even know why I brought it other than to carry home all the quarters I planned to win using the slot machines." She said with a giggle.
"Well, open the box!" Breanna exclaimed excitedly. Eve opened the box as Breanna turned onto the freeway heading home. "CDs!" Eve yelled.
"CDs?" Breanna asked.
"Yeah!! And a note!" Eve added.
"Well, read the note first!" Breanna demanded as she giggled.
"Um, okay....'I promised you that you could borrow that CD with the song "Set Adrift On Memory's Bliss" that we danced to last Friday night. Well, I lied. You can have it. I don't need it back. I have many copies of it. Haha! And I added a few extra CDs just like it. I hope you like them. Love your lil' bro, Nick.'" Eve read aloud.
"Nick?" Breanna asked.
"Oh I remember! We were dancing to this song and I loved it. He said he had the CD and would let me borrow it but he never did. I totally forgot!" She exclaimed happily as she held the four CDs in her hands.
"What CDs?" Breanna asked.
"Um...Backstreet Boys!" Eve exclaimed.
"I had no idea that was their song! They didn't sing it at their concert and we never listened to any of their CDs yet. Wow, I need to call Nick and thank him." Eve was extremely happy.
"Okay, let's make this a Backstreet trip home!" Breanna stated.
"It might make us feel better." She added.
"Or worse." Eve frowned.
"No, Eve! No thinking like that! We'll see them soon and we'll talk to them tonight." Breanna stated as Eve slowly popped in the Millennium CD.
"I wanna hear this CD first cause it has a nice picture of Kevin on the cover." Eve smiled. The first song to come on was Larger Than Life.
"That's definitely AJ!" Both girls said together. "Boy is that man wild!" Breanna exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'd like to see exactly how wild he is." Eve mussed. Breanna shot Eve an amazed look. "Well, if he and I were both single and um, willing to mingle? Hehe, hmmmmm." Eve mumbled. Breanna laughed.
The entire trip home was filled with Backstreet music. The up tempo songs were blasted while the ballads were turned down slightly so the girls could talk. Eve and Breanna had a giggle while listening to the CD Backstreet Boys. "Nick sounds so little!" Breanna giggled. After listening to that CD twice, once to figure out who was singing what part and the second time to just enjoy it, Eve popped in Backstreet's Back.
"Oh AJ sounds so hot!" Eve shouted as the song "That's The Way I Like It" came on.
"Eve! You must have some crush on AJ!" Breanna yelled over the music.
"Just a sexual attraction. I could never do anything about it. I love Kevin too much." Eve said. After a couple of hours of driving, the girls saw the McDonald's that started it all.
"Wanna stop and grab something quick? We're making good time." Breanna asked as she turned down the radio to speak with her friend.
"Yeah!! I'm starved." Eve smiled. They both ordered the same thing that they did the week before and sat in the same spot.
"I can't believe this place! It brings back such memories." Breanna mussed.
"Um, Breen? It was only a week ago." Eve stated as she leaned across the table and ruffled her friends short hair.
"Are you Breanna Winterson?" A girl around the age of 14 asked.
"Yes. Do I know you?" Breanna smiled back.
"No. I saw your picture on the internet. You're Howie's girlfriend, right?" She asked.
"Yes I am." Breanna stated.
"Is he here?" The girl asked excitedly while looking around.
"No, I'm sorry. He flew back to Orlando this morning." Breanna frowned in sympathy.
"Oh okay. I was just wondering." The girl stated.
"What's your name?" Breanna asked as the girl turned around to walk away.
"Miranda Tallerston." She stated happy that Breanna took interest in her.
"Well, I'm Breanna." Breanna stated as she held out her hand to Miranda.
"And this is Eve Lexington. Kevin's girlfriend." Breanna said introducing her friend to Miranda.
"*You're* Kevin's girlfriend!?" Miranda asked excited.
"Yes, I am." Eve said unsure.
"You're shy? How sweet! You look perfect for Kevin!" Miranda stated.
"Um, thank you." Eve said managing a smile.
"Where are you from?" Breanna asked Miranda.
"San Francisco. You?"
"Los Angeles." Eve stated as she popped a french fry in her mouth.
"But don't the guys live in Orlando?" Miranda asked bewildered.
"Yes. We were accepted to the University of Central Florida in Orlando before we even met the guys. We'll be near them soon." Breanna explained as she sipped her coke.
"Wow! I can't believe you're trusting me with this information." Miranda said.
"Well, sooner or later it's gonna be all over the internet. Might as well have correct information." Breanna stated.
"Sounds cool to me! Well, I better leave you two alone. Tell the guys I said hello!" Miranda said as she walked away.
"You told her all of that!?" A confused Eve asked.
"If we're going to date them we have to accept the fact that we're gonna lose some privacy." Breanna said as she glanced at her watch.
"We better get going. You okay with all of this?" Breanna asked about Eve's first incounter with a fan.
"Not really but I'm gonna have to get used to it fast. I'm not going to give up Kevin because of all of this. I love him too much." Eve stated as they got up and dumped their trash.
"Well, let's get home and see how we will manage our lives and loves." Breanna said giggling as she and Eve walked out to the car.
"So, what song shall we listen to?" Eve asked as they both got in the car and buckled their seatbelts.
"I'm not sure. I Want It That Way!" Breanna exclaimed.
"Howie sang that song to me the other night when I couldn't fall asleep. It worked." She said smiling.
After another hour of driving they entered LA. "This is so strange!" Eve said looking around.
"I don't even feel like I'm home. I feel like I'm visiting." She added.
"I know what you mean. Well, with the way traffic is, we'll be home in about 20 minutes." Breanna said staring straight ahead. Both girls lived in Santa Monica, a 3 minute drive apart.
"Okay, we'll be home in 5 minutes!" Breanna stated as they exited the I-10 freeway.
"Wanna go to the beach tomorrow?" Breanna asked.
"Only after we figure out the guys schedule." Eve smiled.
"Okay, deal! Well, call me tonight if you and Kevin can manage to tear yourselves away from the phone." Breanna stated as she pulled into Eve's driveway.
After leaving Eve at her house Breanna headed home. A block away from her house her cellphone rang. Breanna was too busy driving to read the caller ID.
"Hey Eve! I bet you didn't get your phone call from Kevin yet and you're crushed." Breanna said laughing.
"Well, I'm sure she's on the phone right now with him." Howie laughed. Breanna slammed on her brakes.
"Howie!" She screamed happily.
"What the hell was that?" He asked after he heard the screaching of her tires.
"Oh, you freaked me out and I kinda slammed on my brakes." She laughed into the phone.
"Well, we just arrived at the airport and we're taxi'ing in right now. I just wanted to call you and let you know." He said smiling. "I'll let you go. I don't want you getting into a car accident. I couldn't handle that." He added, only this time he was frowning. He couldn't handle the thoughts of anything happening to her. She understood him like no woman before. She didn't treat him like a celebrity. She treated him like he was the only person on the planet, a normal person, the man she loved. He smiled thinking about her.
"I just pulled into my driveway." She stated, breaking his thoughts.
"Oh, you did? Well, I have to go anyway. We're getting off the plane." He told her.
"Oh, okay. Call me later on my regular phone. I don't want to use up all of my minutes just yet." She explained.
"Oh that's right. You're on your cellphone. We will have to do something about that." He mentioned.
"So, you're gonna call me?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'll call you after I get in and check my messages. I'm sure Nick and Brian left me a million." He smiled into the phone.
"Oh, okay." She said quietly as she sat in her car parked in the driveway.
"Hey..." He said just as quietly back to her.
"What?" She asked, close to tears. The truth about where he was and where she was finally hit her like a ton of bricks and she missed him more than she thought she would.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you." She replied trying not to break down.
"I know you're about to cry. Please, baby, don't. I'm gonna try and visit you this weekend. I have business in LA. Just don't cry. I can't handle it." He stated as AJ handed Howie his pilot suitcase. Kevin, AJ and Mya all walked out of first class to the plane exit as Howie walked ahead of the group to talk to Breanna privately.
"I'm sorry. I just realized how far you are from me. I miss you. That's all." She said smiling in between tears.
"I know. Me too." He couldn't think of anything else to say to her.
"Well, you should go and do whatever you need to do. I have to unload my car and deal with my family and breaking the news of who I'm dating." She said laughing. She actually sounded like she was happy.
"Okay, good. You sound happy. That's all I want to hear from you is happiness." He demanded.
"Hun, you make me happy. Don't think you don't. I'm crying cause I miss you not because you don't make me happy." She stated. He smiled at her words as he made his way towards the escalator to the baggage claim with Q following closely behind just in case fans recognized him.
"I know. I just...I don't know. I miss you more than you could possibly know." He stated.
"Hmmmm...I truly doubt that I couldn't understand." She laughed at him. "Okay, go! This is the longest good-bye I've ever had to deal with." Breanna joked.
"Okay. I miss you." Howie replied.
"I know. Me too. I love you." She told him.
"I love you. Bye Breanna." He said.
"Bye." She hung up.
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