“What?” Brian asked in disbelief.
“This isn’t working Brain, you know that. We hardly ever see each other and when we do, all we do it fight. I still want to be friends though.”
“Friends?” he asked, a tear slowly making its way down his cheek, “You want to be friends?”
“Yeah, you’re special to me and I don’t want to lose our friendship.”
“I’m sorry Chloe, but I can’t,” he said, standing up.
"Why not?”
“You’ll understand one day why I can’t be your friend,” he said as he walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Chloe sat in her car, silently cursing the Houston traffic. She let out a long sigh and turned on the radio. It was 6:00 PM and time for her favorite DJ Atom Smasher to come on.
“Hey, you’re listening to the Atom Smasher show. We’ve got a special treat for you tonight. Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell is calling us about his solo project and unveiling his first single ‘Friends.’ It’ll happen in a few minutes, so stay tuned.”
Chloe stared at the radio in shock. It had been over a year since the day that she’d broken Brian’s heart and he slammed the door in her face. They hadn’t spoken since. Chloe silently wondered how he was doing.
“All right, we’re back. Roula, do you have Brian on the phone?”
“Yep, we’re all set.”
“What’s up Brian?”
“Not a whole lot tonight, I’m sitting in my hotel room, waiting for a fax.”
“I’m gonna do something totally not like me and get right to business.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Your album is called ‘Pathways,’ why?”
“Because I believe that everyone has a pathway that they have to follow.”
“I’ve got to ask the question that Roula and I have been fighting over before she strangles me.”
Brian laughed, “Okay.”
“Now that you, AJ, Nick, Howie, and Kevin have all started doing solo projects, are the Backstreet Boys breaking up?”
“No, we’re actually working on material for our next album right now. We just took a year off so that we could pursuer the solo thing. We’ll always be together.”
“How much did you write on your album?”
“I wrote all the lyrics and co-wrote most of the music. This is a very personal album for me. It really describes what I’ve been through in the past year and a half.”
“So what is ‘Friends’ about?”
“The song really explains itself in the lyrics. Just listen to them really close and you’ll know exactly what I meant.”
“Why don’t you introduce it?”
“This is Brian Littrell, and you’re listening to my first single ‘Friends’ on the Atom Smasher show on 104 KRBE.”
You say you want to be friends
But that’s a newly sharpened blade
That’s a dagger to the heart
Of the promises we made
That’s a chapter full of pain
A season full of rain
A dark and stormy night
Spent all alone
Friends
Get scattered by the wind
Tossed upon the waves
Lost for years on end
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you now and then
But you wanna be
Just friends
You say you love me very much
And you’ll always hold me dear
Those are the sweetest words
I never wanna hear
What’s a love without desire
A flame without a fire
Can’t warm me late at night
When I need you most.
Friends
Get scattered by the wind
Tossed upon the waves
Lost for years on end
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you now and then
But you wanna be
Just friends
Friends
Slowly drift apart
They give away their hearts
Maybe call you now and then
But you wanna be
Just friends
Darlin’ can’t you see
This is killing me
We could never be
Just friends
Chloe’s eyes watered as the notes died out. The traffic had begun to move, so she pulled off the main roads to take the back way home.
“Hey Brian!” Michael, his manager, called out, “You’ve got some mail!”
Brian’s head popped out of the bathroom, “Who’s it from?”
“Chloe.”
Brian wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the hotel room. He took the envelope from Michael’s hand and sat down. He stared at it for a minute before opening it.
Dear Brian,
I understand now.
Chloe
Brian smiled sadly as he put the letter down and walked back to the bathroom to take his shower.
Wanna read the sequel?? Go here.