CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE-“The Way Things Should Be”

 

It was our second night in Minnesota, the guys and Lina had just finished off another flawless performance.  We were all in AJ’s hotel room.  We had decided that instead of going out tonight, we would stay in and watch a movie in our pj’s.  We were watching “Final Destination.” Since it was rare that the guys got a chance to do the whole movie thing, films and videos were sent to them on occasion.

 

I was sitting on the floor, my back to the sofa.  AJ was reclined on the sofa, resting his head on Lina’s lap, and Kristin and Kevin were sitting in the loveseat across from the television.  Brian was directly across from me, sitting next to Howie on one of the chairs from the table.  And Nick was stretched out on the floor, his hands crossed behind and under his head, his legs crossed over each other.

 

“I’m sorry, but I can not watch this.”  Brian announced getting up from the chair he’d been sitting in.  “I’m going to bed. G’night.”

 

There was a dreadful plane crash scene, in the very beginning, and Brian had a fear of flying.  I didn’t know just how severe it was till the day we flew back in from LA, and before we boarded the plane, Brian kissed his hand and placed it over the wing of the plane saying, “Get us there safe, Big Bird.”

 

“Yo, Brian, why not?” Nick called after him, but he was already gone.

 

“You know how Brian feels about flying, Nick” Howie said.

 

“Yeah and after watching this.  I think I might develop a fear myself.”  AJ added.

 

“Ya bunch of wusses.  It’s only a movie.”

 

We continued to watch the movie. 

 

“Why do they keep playing that dumbass John Denver song throughout the movie?  It’s annoying.”  Nick commented.

 

“What’s the name of the movie, Nick?”  Lina asked him.

 

“Final Destination.”  He answered.

 

“What’s the name of the song?”  AJ asked.

 

“Final…oh I see…shut up.” 

 

Just before the movie ended, I made my escape.  “Hey Lina, I’m going to bed.  Are you coming back to our room?”

 

“No, I’m gonna stay here tonight.”  She said.  AJ had already drifted off to sleep on her lap.

 

“Alright.” I said.  Perfect, I thought.  “Goodnight everyone.”  I said.

 

“G’night, Isabelle,” they all called back.  Instead of heading back to the room like I’d said I would, I went towards Brian’s room.

 

I opened the door, and stepped in.  Candles lit the room, scented candles; the aroma of Jasmines was captured in the air.  I went over by the couch, where a bottle of wine was being set to chill in ice. There were two crystal glasses set at its side.  I looked at the bottle, and picked it up.  1961,the sweet bottle of wine read.  I don’t know much about wine, but I knew the older the grapes, the better the wine, and the older the bottle, the more expensive. 

 

Inevitably, there was a Brian McKnight song running on the CD player.  It was coming to an end, and I could hear Brian’s voice coming from the bedroom.  He was talking to someone…no, more like arguing.

 

“I just don’t see why you can’t wait till we get there.  It’s twice the trip for you.” I heard him say.  “But why do you need to do that, I will see you in less than two weeks.  Why take a second trip out…. Yes, I miss you too.”  There was a pause.  I walked up to his door, and peeked in.  “Fine,” Brian finally gave in, though he didn’t sound happy about it.  “I’ll order you the ticket, and pick you up at the airport when we get to Washington…yes, alright.  Bye.”  Then he whispered. “Yes, of course I do…You know I do.  Fine…I love you too.”

 

He put the receiver down and let out a sigh as he let his head fall to his hands.  He was sitting on the bed.  I wondered if I should let him know I was here, then decided, no, if he wanted to tell me what that was about he’d do it.  I quickly walked back to the couch, but not before my clumsy self bumped into the small stand in the walkway, knocking over the Italian vase.  “Shit!” I cursed beneath my breath while trying to catch the vase before it hit the floor. I succeeded.

 

“What are you doing?”  Brian asked coming out of the bedroom.

 

“Nothing.”  I said, meanwhile I held the vase in my hand.

 

“Nothing?” he asked.  His expression was inquisitive, as if I were a mischievous child whom he needed to look after.

 

“Well…” he said walking up to me and taking the expensive vase, he placed it back on the stand.  He then took his hands and wrapped them around my waist, inclining his body over me.  “It took you long enough to get here.”  He said.

 

“Well, I didn’t want to make it obvious, and leave right after you.  I mean, that’s like telling them we’re…” I stopped myself before I said it.

 

“We’re what, Belle?”  Brian’s expression changed, and I could feel his body go tense.

 

I looked away. And he loosened up again.

 

“Baby…hunny…sweetie…” he said while with his hand he softly turned my face so he could look into my eyes.  “ I know you weren’t about to say, affair.  Right?”

 

I looked him intently in the eyes.  “Well, technically, Brian, we are.”

 

I regretted it immediately.  He looked at me; his eyes filled with hurt then he walked away from me and sat down on the couch.  I walked over to where he was, and put my arms on his shoulders, and began to rub them.  He was still tense.

 

“Brian, don’t be mad with me.  I didn’t mean it in that sense.”  I told him as I kept rubbing his shoulders and down his back.

 

“Belle, I’m not mad at you.”  He said.  But his voice was stern, so he was mad.

 

“Well, I’m still sorry about it.  I didn’t mean it the way it was going to sound.”

 

“I know, Belle.  It’s not you.  Of course, it’s not you.”  He said taking my hands and guiding me around the couch over to his lap. 

 

“Then what’s bothering, baby?”  I asked kissing his forehead, coaxing him to confide in me.

 

“No, I don’t want to ruin tonight.  I had it all planned out.”  He said looking over at the wine bottle.  He picked up the remote from the coffee table, and hit play on the CD player.  It did a change around, and “You Sang to Me” began to play.

 

“I didn’t know you liked Marc Anthony.” I said.

 

“I’m not a big fan.  This is actually, Howie’s CD.  He told me how much you liked him, and I asked him to borrow it.”

 

I kissed his lips this time.  “You are just amazing.  I love you, Brian.”

 

“I love you too.”  He said, but he turned away quickly.

 

“Brian?”

 

“I’m sorry, Belle.” He said looking back at me.  “Would you believe I’m feeling guilt?”

 

I didn’t respond.  I didn’t know how to.  I was just confused.  Now you felt guilt?  I thought in my head.  He must of read my thoughts because he said, “No, Belle, I mean towards you.  Ah,” he sighed.  “I just got off the phone with Leighanne.  And well, before she hung up, she said, I love you…and I guess, well I don’t know…I…”

 

“It’s ok if you said it back, Brian.”  I let him know.  I rested my head against his, I was happy he didn’t try to hide it from me.  “She’s your fiancée.” That felt so strange saying, while being so intimate with him at the moment.

 

“I was so tempted to tell her over the phone, you know.  I was ready to call it off, but like always we got into an argument.”

 

“Over what?”  I asked a bit too hurriedly.  I need to learn to mind my business, or at least be subtler about things.  He didn’t seem to mind though.

 

“She wants to fly into Washington, the last weekend we’re there.”

 

“But aren’t we going to LA after that?”  I asked him.

 

“That’s exactly why I told her she should just stay in LA, we’d be there in less than three days. But whatever, she’s flying in, flying of all things, three days before we leave Washington.  It’s ridiculous.”

 

Again, I didn’t know exactly what to say.  I mean, it was ridiculous that she wanted to come in just three days before we were suppose to fly out to LA, but I didn’t want to say anything, at least not in reference to her.

 

“Ok, baby, lets not let this ruin tonight.”  I said after I noticed this was going to occupy his mind all night if I didn’t do something.  I reached over and grabbed the glasses from the small table. 

 

He smiled and reached over for the bottle. “You’re right.”  He said, taking on a French accent.  “Why should we let a beautiful bottle of wine go to waste.  After all, I am with the most beautiful girl, and we have a beautiful night ahead of us.”

 

I smiled. 

 

“Now, lets see what we have here. Ah, a 1961 Francois Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens, imported above all for you, madam, directly from Burgundy, France.”

 

I laughed. He sounded just like the Candle Stick from Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.

 

But he continued, without breaking character.  “Les Rugiens is the finest premier cru and since there are no grand cru, the finest vineyard in the village of Pommard.”  He twisted the top off and poured some into the crystal glasses I held.  “Wines from here tend to be extremely long-lived, needing at least 15 years in a good vintage to reveal their full potential. Francois Gaunoux 1961 Pommard Rugiens is a prime example of the site and is a wonderful wine to consume, and enjoy with the one you love.”

 

I smiled.  “Wow, Brian, I’m impressed.  I didn’t know you knew so much about wines, and vineyards.”

 

“I don’t, madam.  I was just reading the label on the back.”  He said with a chuckle, while turning the bottle around for me to see for myself.

 

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I should have known.”

 

He laughed too.  He was beginning to forget already.

 

“Actually,” he said in his regular voice. “I’m not much of a drinker.  I really don’t know much about wine, just that it comes from grapes, and the older the better.” He said turning it around to look at the age.  “Howie got this for me too.”

 

“That was sweet of him.”  I said.

 

“Yeah, Sweet D, living up to his name.”

 

“You know what else is sweet?”  I asked him.

 

He smiled and I leaned in toward his lips, passionately kissing him.  He took the wine glass from my hand, without breaking the kiss, and laid it down next to his on the table.  Then he lowered me down on the couch, his lips still on mine, his tongue still entwined with mine.

 

The pitter-patter of rain falling against the window was the only thing that could be heard, besides our heavy breathing.  He began to undress me, lifting over my head the dark green top I was wearing, as I undid the loop in his pants. The glow from the candles, fell across his face as he lowered his head to my neck.  This time his lips were more demanding, his kisses putting me on fire.

 

When we wakened it was dawn.  The candles had melted away into nothing; only one remained slightly lit but would die away soon.  We were both awake, but neither of us said a word.  We just lay there in each other’s arms, letting the stretch of silence between us pound with sensuality.  I saw him gazing at me, as I stared at him, studying my face when I was observing his hands…

 

“Let’s spend the entire day together.”  He said.

 

I smiled, delighted with the idea. “Ok.”

 

“No, I mean outside.  It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.  The rain stopped last night.  We could go to a nearby park, have a picnic or something.”

 

I laughed at how excited he sounded.  “Brian, it’s freezing out.”

 

“We could go to…I don’t know, anywhere.  We’ll just walk.  All day, just us two.”

 

“Well what about that little problem.”  I said, reminding him.

 

“What little problem?”  He asked.

 

“The one where you get attacked wherever you go.  You know…cuz your famous and all.”

 

“Oh that, well that’s nothing a forwards cap can’t fix.  Trust me we’ve all done it plenty of times before.”

 

“I don’t know, Brian.  What do we tell the others?”

 

“Nothing, we’ll sneak out.”  He said, whispering it as if someone might hear us.

 

“Don’t you think they’ll wonder why we both are gone?”

 

“So what, Belle.  Let them wonder.  I’m tired of hiding you from the rest of the world.  I’m tired of keeping this a secret.  I love you.”

 

I smiled.  “I love you too.  Ok, lets do it.”  I said.

 

I snuck back into my hotel room.  Oh god, I thought as I heard the shower water running.  A few minutes later, Lina came out of the bathroom.

 

“Hey,” she said.

 

“Hey.”  I said back.  “Um, when did you get back in here?” I asked her, she was supposed to have spent the night with AJ.

 

“Just a few minutes ago.  You were already gone.  I thought you must have gone down for something to eat, but why are you still in your pj’s?  She asked staring at me suspiciously.

 

“I didn’t, I didn’t go to um…get something to eat, well I did, but um…see, Kristin had asked me to bring her over something, and Kevin and her had already ordered breakfast, so they asked me if I wanted to join them, and I did.”  I said, as innocent as I could.  I walked over to my bag, to get something to wear.  When I was about to go into the bathroom, she looked at me again…then over at my already made bed. 

 

“What time did you get up?”

 

“Like about an hour ago.” I told her.  “I didn’t sleep very well, those beds are really uncomfortable.”  I continued to lie.

 

“Oh, ok. Well, hmmm…” she thought for a moment, then smiled to herself.

 

“What?”  I asked her.

 

“Nothing.”  She said rather chipper.  She turned around, and began to dress herself. 

 

My curiosity was getting the better of me, but rather than give her any more ideas, I decided to drop the subject.

 

I was standing near the back entrance of the hotel, wearing black denim pants and a gray top when I saw Brian approaching me.  He was, like he said he would be, in a black Yankees baseball cap.  He looked like any other guy you might bump into on the streets, but his face was still pretty distinguishable.

 

He came up to me with a grin on his face.  He leaned over and kissed my lips.  “This is going to be great.”  He said, taking my hand and leading me towards the exit.  “C’mon.”

 

We were so unprepared for what lay ahead, this idea had to be the biggest mistake we could have ever made.  Then again, some things are unavoidable.

 

As we walked out the door, we headed towards the end of the alleyway that led into the streets.  Little did we know that the press would be waiting for us.  Now, normally the press wouldn’t be stalking outside a hotel waiting for the Backstreet Boys to come out and just say hello.  They needed a story behind it.

 

They came to us in a rush, and they didn’t care who it was.  They just knew that if they were trying to sneak out it had to be someone very important.  It was unbelievable, there were so many of them.  They had cameras, and mics and they were all yelling, all of them, yelling the same thing.

 

“Brian, is it true?”

 

“Brian are the rumors true?”

 

“Is the report true…are you really getting married this coming fall?”

 

My heart sank, and I let go of Brian’s hand as the reporters just kept drilling him with their stupid question.  I got separated from Brian, and lost in the sea of reporters.  I couldn’t believe how persistent they were of him; it was frightening as they pushed me out of their way to get to him.

 

“No comment!” I heard Brian yell as he found his way back to me.  He took hold of me by the arm, more forcefully than he would have.

 

“Just give us a quote, Mr. Littrell.  Something for us to go by!”

 

“No comment!”  He yelled again, as he guided us back into the hotel, where it was safe.  They weren’t allowed to follow him in.

 

I looked over at Brian, and his expression was just as horrified as mine.  How in the world had they found out?

 

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