"Nicky, I swear I have not been able to forget about my birthday. That was seriously THE best birthday I have ever experienced!!" Lisa told her friend as they sat down in some lawn chairs, breaking from their basketball game in her backyard. He laughed, looking up at her from his bent-over position.
"Well, it's the best I can do for a good basketball buddy!" Nick smiled at her. Lisa loved that adorable smile so much. She just wanted to grab him and plant a kiss on those parted lips. Of course, she couldn't. That would ruin her entire friendship with him.
"Yeah I'm leaving tomorrow for LA, but I couldn't come back and not spend one day with my bball homie! Hey I got you a Christmas present!" Lisa's face brightened.
"Aw Nick you didn't have to!!" she sighed.
"Too late!" He pulled out a bag and handed it to her.
"Uhhh nice wrapping," Lisa joked, taking notice of the fact that the bag was the store bag he had gotten when he bought her gift. She pulled out something in tissue paper and unwrapped it to find a Chicago Bulls jersey. "Oh my gosh Nick this is sooo awesome! Now I can match you!" Lisa wrapped her arms around Nick in a hug.
"That's the whole point! I know everyone wants to be like me...." Nick joked.
She swatted at his shoulder, trying to contain laughter. "HEY!"
"Well...Nick...I have something to confess," Lisa suddenly changed her tone. Nick gave her a worried look. "I like LFO now..." Nick stood up and threw his arms in the air.
"I KNEW IT!!!" he pretended to be upset.
"Oh, big baby, you aren't jealous now are you?" she teased. Nick sniffed, as if he was upset.
"Must be the Abercrombie and Fitch..." he whimpered. Lisa hit him with the empty plastic bag. "OWWWWWWWAHHHH!!! What did you have to do that for?!" Nick put on the act of the big baby. Lisa rolled her eyes, laughing.
"Nick look at the time. Are we gunna finish playing, or eat lunch?" Lisa changed the subject.
"Grab your Sunday bests, kids, cuz we're goin to MCDONALD'S!!!" Nick declared. She slapped her hand across her forehead, laughing even more. Nick picked up the keys lying on the table and walked out of the backyard, a crazed Brighty behind him.
"Danielle, how come you never told me you wrote songs?!" Kevin asked as they sat together in his mini studio.
"Oh I keep 'em to myself most of the time. The girls know a few of them, but they're just written for fun," Dani tried to explain to him.
"Baby, I could write some songs with you or have you collaborate with us on the next album!!" Kev exclaimed. Danielle blushed. "These are great. You have such a talent for writing...and singing...songs, hun." He gave her a kiss.
"Oh come on! I do not! Amanda sounds better than I do!" Dani tried to deny her talent.
"Well Brian can take care of Amanda just fine. You are in my hands and we are gunna work on this demo for ya!" Kevin told his girlfriend, giving her another kiss. "Now get in that studio and try the song again, baby!" Dani smiled and made her way back into the studio.
After singing one song, Danielle studied the music a little bit. She knew something wasn't right. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head. She fingered for Kevin to join her in the studio. Hesitating, he went in. Dani shoved some sheets into his hand and smiled.
"Sing," was her one command. Kevin gave her a bewildered look, but knew what
she meant.
"Okay okay okay. Dude, Ed, this is crazy! Some of the girls have never taken classes before!" I cried. One of my friends walked into the room, a duffle bag and jug of water in hand. I ran up and gave her a hug.
"LINDS!!! Hey girl I missed ya!!!" I cried. Lindsay giggled and said hi. I introduced her to Ed and Swoop. She threw her things in a corner of the studio and put on her sneakers. The first to arrive. Not long after, my girl Yvianna popped in. I embraced her, happy to see my 'kid sister' after a year away. Before long, Shivani showed up. I missed her since October. Finally, Theresa showed up. She was dressed in a pair of sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt. I looked at my witty friend and smiled. That girl surely hadn't danced in a long time.
"THERESA!!!" I exclaimed. I walked over and gave her a hug. "How are things?"
"Awesome! They are so awesome!" Theresa cried, bouncing around like she was known to do when really happy. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Swoop and Ed laughing.
"She reminds me of a mouse!" Swoop said.
"How'd you know?!" Theresa wanted to know. We all gave her confused looks. "My boyfriend calls me Mouse!" Everyone busted a gut as Theresa's smile grew big. Once we had begun to contain our laughter, Ed declared that we needed to start dancing. So we did.
So many girls, so many different levels, so many different heights and styles. The dance moves we had thought up were incredibly cute though. Ed and I were proud of ourselves for our job well done. Swoop cracked up when he would watch the two of us bustin a move and trying to do the dances we had choreographed. My big dancer brothers and I had way too much fun together.
Luckily, as we began to dance, we could tell that I had picked the right group of girls who got along well and enjoyed each other.
"Hey wait Howie! Before you guys leave, there's something we haven't given you yet!" Paula cried out. Howie stopped where he was and waited as his mother hustled back to his old room. There were still pictures of the two of us everywhere, but we had taken most of them and placed them around my house, which we now shared. We heard her call her husband's name, then watched as he, too, rushed back to the room. They came out with a huge box. Everyone was confused. They set it on the ground at D's feet. With a wrinkled brow, he opened the card.
"What? It's from Paula Wideman..." Howie told me, even more confused. He tore off the wrapping paper and was handed a pocket knife to cut open the box. Once he did, his eyes lit up when he saw a black guitar case. I smiled. Thank goodness I hadn't bought that for D. I was thinking, but wasn't sure about it. He lifted the case out of the box and opened it. Sitting on velvet purple lining was a beautiful acoustic guitar. Paula had definitely gone all out. Spoiling D was exactly what she had in mind! Of all the things he needed, a new guitar was definitely one of them. The strap was a really nice royal purple color. It matched the case's lining perfectly. All of the family members crowded around as we checked out his new gift.
Unfortunately, we had to get home to have our first intimate Christmas together as a couple, so we said goodbye to every person who had crowded his or her tiny body into the Dorough house, and were soon on our way back home, my mustang loaded down with presents.
We got home to a very un-Christmasy household. The dogs were allowed in and they found their spot in front of the TV. I turned on Christmas Vacation for a little bit, but then Howie wanted to light all the candles and turn on the music. So I obliged, trying to train myself to get used to his romantic ways.
"So babe, wanna do gifts now?" D asked me as we got comfortable on the couch.
"Sure! Lemme go run and get yours," I told him, getting up and running to the hat room. I came back out with a small box.
"Stephhhhh...you didn't have to get me anything, hun. You already gave me your house!" Howie tried to point out. I shrugged and handed him his present. He opened it up and burst out in such unexpected laughter that he made the dogs jump. He stuck the hat on his head and gave me a big smile. "I shoulda known..."
"Yeah well I decided you needed your own hat cuz I was tired of trying to locate mine after you steal them when you want to go out!" I explained. D laughed some more.
"Okay, now my gift for you," he said with a now more calm voice. I sat in my spot as Chachi jumped onto my lap and Oreo lay her big head beside my leg. Howie came back in with a box that was a little bit bigger than the one I had given him. I eyed it curiously.
"Here you go," he replied, handing me the box. I opened it and found a hat.
"D...don't I have this one in my room?" I asked. Howie laughed and nodded his head. "You are such a dork!"
"Ah...but wait..." he softly declared, before pulling a much smaller box out from behind his back. I quieted down and took it from his hand. I unwrapped the box and found it to be a jewelry case. My curiosity brewing, I snapped open the case and looked at the gift....
A diamond necklace with each diamond cut into a heart shape.
My mouth dropped, as I couldn't possibly get teary-eyed. I looked at it some more and then picked it up. A heavy little sucker. I looked back up at Howie, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"How can I get you to not spoil me, boy?" I joked. He chuckled.
"We just have to get used to each other, Gills," Howie told me. I put the necklace back in the box, deciding to save it for the appropriate moment. I gave D a kiss. "I love you, Steph."
"I love you too, D. Thank you sooooooooo much!" I answered back.
"So sweetie, what do we do now?" Danielle asked as she and Kevin sat in the backyard, watching the sun set. It was a beautiful night on the Florida coast. The ocean could be heard in the distance. The soft ocean breeze made the air just perfect for them to cuddle together to stay warm, but not too cold for them to get a blanket. The demos had been coming along great, and Danielle loved living in the same house as her boyfriend. People still came up to the house, but only randoms. Kev tried to be as secluded and secretive about his whereabouts as possible. Nobody who didn't know the boys personally knew who Danielle was. Those who knew were sworn to secrecy. Kev really didn't like having people know everything about his lifestyle. For him, it was just more comfortable that way. He could live without every person in the world knowing his every move. It was a really smart way for Kevin to go about life. I would've preferred to have it that way, but I had learned to deal with things just being open. It was no longer a big deal to me.
"Let's just sit here. I like the peace and quiet, baby," he said to her. Kevin was surely at peace with his arms around the woman he loved. If there was a way he could stay like that forever, he knew that deep down inside, he would.
"Can't we just stay like this forever?" Dani asked outloud. Kev chuckled to himself, thinking about how he had just had that thought in his mind.
"You know, when we went to New York last June, we took a trip out to Central Park and laid under the stars at night. I couldn't stop thinking about you then. I made a wish on a shooting star that you were there. I don't know how I denied my feelings for you back then. It was almost unreal. I guess I was just unsure of how things could turn out," Kevin told his girlfriend. "I couldn't be happier to share my house with you now, baby." Danielle smiled. She got up from her spot leaning against his chest and turned around to give him a kiss. Kev grinned as she turned back around.
"I love you," Danielle sighed.
"I love you too, baby," Kev answered in that deep voice that was so familiar to fans all across the world.
After a few minutes longer, once the sun had finally gone down and the chill factor had set in, they decided to go inside to stay warm. Dani asked him to stay where he was once they got resituated on the couch, and quickly disappeared to go grab the present she had gotten her boyfriend for Christmas. In her hands was a flat box. Kevin studied it, curious as to what it could possibly be. Danielle handed it to him, then made herself comfortable beside him on the couch. Kevin opened the box and lifted the thin tissue paper. He found himself staring at a pair of Billy Joel concert tickets with watery eyes.
"How did you get these?!" he begged to know.
"Oh I have my ways. You like?" she replied. Kevin leaned over and gave her a kiss. She studied his glistening green eyes.
"I love baby. This is Billy Joel's last concert EVER!" Kev exclaimed.
"I know," Danielle whispered, smiling mischievously. Kevin quickly wiped his eyes before he could let the tears of sheer joy soak his cheeks. "And you know you could meet him before the concert hun..." Kevin smiled and gave Dani another kiss.
"Don't know how anything could ever surpass what you just got me, but perhaps I can try," Kevin sighed, getting up to go get Danielle's present.
"What is it?!" she cried, watching as he walked back into their room.
"Hold your horses!" he answered. He came back out with a larger box. It was wrapped in shining gold paper, something Dani knew Kevin couldn't possibly have done himself.
"What is it?!" Danielle repeated.
"Woman, you have no patience with curiosity do you?" Kevin joked, laughing to himself.
"HECK NO!" Dani complacently answered. Laughing, Kev set the box in her lap and waited her for to rip off the wrapping paper. She did and, under tissue paper, found a scroll, tied in blue ribbon. She untied the ribbon and unrolled the paper. It was the original copy of the music to "Back To Your Heart." Now it was Danielle's turn to cry.
"Wait baby. There's more," Kev stopped his girlfriend from putting the box aside.
"Really sweetie. This is all. You didn't have to go and get me more!" she told him. Danielle dug deeper into the box and found a smaller one at the bottom. She flipped it open and found a pair of diamond earrings.
"Well, Amanda. Our first Christmas together...alone...what are we going to do, baby?" Brian asked after they cleared away the table. She sat down on the couch in their house and patted a spot for him to sit down beside her.
"I think we should just sit here and relax. Haven't done that in awhile now, hun," Amanda told him. Brian sat down on the couch and put his arm around his girlfriend. She cuddled up close to him and closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"Well the sun hasn't quite gone down yet. Do you wanna take a walk out to the beach?" he suggested.
"Silly, we're in our pajamas!" she cried. Brian laughed.
"Nothin wrong with that!!!" he joked.
"Let's just stay here, babe. If we go out to the beach, then there's bound to be fans who will find us," Amanda pointed out. Brian agreed. Suddenly, Lil' Tyk bounded into the room and found a spot on the couch beside them. Amanda looked at him and was reminded of Leighanne. "So, how was your weekend with Leighanne back in November?"
"It was fun. I hadn't seen her in so long and it was a great chance to get caught
up with each other's lives. She's a really good friend and I missed her. The movie was good. I personally enjoyed it. Pretty cute. My cameo with Tyk was a little random but hey it was cool. I'm glad that you don't mind my talking about her anymore. That means a lot to me, baby," Brian explained. Amanda smiled.
"She seems like a sweet girl. So, tell me, what are the plans for the break?"
"All with you, baby. I hear that you have some voice. We might have to sneak over to AJ's house and check out his studio for a day or two. You and I could try a duet or two," Brian enlightened his girlfriend. Her eyes lit up.
"You're kidding me! Really? What for, though?" Amanda begged to know.
"Just for the two of us. Who knows. Maybe we can get the managers to check it out. You could be the next Jessica Simpson and we two could have a few duets on your album," Brian said.
"Oh Bri that would be awesome!" Amanda cried, wrapping her arms around her favorite Backstreet Boy.
Earlier that day, Amanda had done some quick shopping with Danielle and Emily, for Christmas. When she got home, Amanda found a dozen roses sitting on the kitchen table with her name on a card beside the vase. She and Brian took turns calling their parents to wish them a Merry Christmas and see what they were up to. Then, for dinner, he had cooked up a gourmet meal and they ate a nice candelit dinner.
"You want my present now baby?" Brian asked after they had sat for a little while, in silence. She smiled and told him she did. Brian went into his room to get what he had bought for her. He came out of the bedroom to stand directly in front of Amanda as he handed her a small box. She clicked it open and found herself staring at a gorgeous diamond ring. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up to find Brian on his knee in front of her.
"But Brian....we haven't even known each other for a year yet!" Amanda tried to protest. Brian rested his chin on his hands, which were placed over her crossed over knee.
"Baby...sometimes...when you know, you just know," he sighed. "And believe me, I know. I haven't found this much happiness in awhile. I have known since that night you left that I could never live life without you. I don't want to lose you. Baby, I love you more than anything...will you marry me?" Amanda's tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes remained locked with Brians.
"Yes."
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I smiled to myself, remembering it was Christmas morning, and sat up in my bed. I glanced over at the spot where Howie should have been and noticed something in his place. I picked up a frame with paper in it that had a poem inscribed on it and a few dried rose petals pressed underneath the glass. My eyes got teary but did not overflow as I read the poem.
With the glance of a smile,
the touch of a hand,
i found you beside me.
No fair warning,
doubts disappeared,
my heart was yours if only asked.
Watching for eternity,
with all in my life - but faith for us,
it was hard to see.
As years pass by i don't think what i missed,
but what i had the whole time
in your friendship,
in your trust,
as my best friend,
and now...
as my one,
true,
love!
It was written in his sloppy printing, but that's what made it all the more sacred. By reading the poem, I realized that this man did love me more than I had ever imagined. We were more than just boyfriend and girlfriend. We had always been soulmates. Why else would we have been put on this earth only to become best friends since day one? I put the frame down on the nightstand, slipped my feet into the leopard print slippers, and walked out to the kitchen in my pajamas and messed up hair.
In the kitchen, Howie was baking cinnamon rolls. His mother had made some up for him and he had stuck them in the oven. I could smell the rolls halfway down the hall. I walked up behind him and rest my chin on his shoulder.
"How do I deserve you?" I asked him. Howie looked over at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled.
"I love showering my girl with gifts," he told me. I laughed. I should've remembered that. "Merry Christmas, Steph."
"Merry Christmas Howie," I replied. "Now we have to find a spot to put that poem...which was awesome, by the way. Did you have help writing it?"
"Nope. Wrote it all by myself!" Howie declared.
"Wow...I had no clue you had that talent in you!" I teased him. Howie wrinkled his nose at me, then hit my nose with his finger. "You know, one day you just might get all this romance stuff drilled into my system..." D chuckled. "HOWEVER..." I stopped him. "I don't think I'll ever get into the hang of being all dressy, Sweet D."
"Aw shucks. You crushed all of my hope in you!" Howie joked, before winking at me. I let him know I was letting the dog in, and then went and opened the door so Oreo Thingy could make her way in. I gave the big cow dog a kiss and began to rub her vigorously as she covered me with licks. Muchacho got a little jealous and began to bark in a whining way.
"Oh you poor little puppy! Left out of everything!" I cooed, picking up my tiny chihuahua. I pet him, then let him lick Oreo on the nose. I got up from my squat and walked back into the kitchen, Oreo following me. Howie had just gotten out the cinnamon rolls and I could feel my mouth watering. He poured some milk and set the cinnamon rolls on the glass table as I took the dogs out with me to go get the morning paper.
I set the paper on the table as soon as I got back inside, and began to sift through it. I handed D the important stuff and grabbed the comics for myself.
"Hey Steph. Check this out. It says here that Brian is engaged. That he got engaged recently to his longtime girlfriend, who's name has been withheld," Howie read to me. My jaw dropped.
"Gosh. That's news to me. How would they get such information like that?" I was curious to know.
"Well, from the jeweler he bought the ring from. The person would easily tell somebody else that a Backstreet Boy came in and bought an engagement ring and it could turn into a big fiasco," Howie explained. I decided to call Brian despite the fact that I knew he would've told us if he was planning on getting engaged.
"Hello?" a tired voice answered the phone.
"Hey Brock. I'm really really sorry about calling early but...by the way, Merry Christmas," I interrupted my frantic mini-speech.
"Thanks," he yawned.
"But anyways, where did they get here that you were engaged?" I asked. "It was in the paper today."
"Oh I'll bet the jeweler got over-excited and told everyone and they just overreacted," Brian explained.
"Huh? So you're not engaged right," I said.
"Now Steph, I didn't say that," he sighed.
"So you ARE!!" I exclaimed. "How come you never told any of us?"
"Well the guys knew it would happen sooner or later. We went Christmas shopping together. But we decided not to tell you girls," Brian told me. A huge smile spread across my face.
"Brian--congratulations! I'm sooo happy for you too!!! Is Manda up? Lemme talk to Manda!" I cried.
"She's asleep right now. I'll have her give you a call later today, Gill," he calmly replied.
"Okay. Congratulations again, Brock. And Merry Christmas," I exclaimed.
"Same to you and Howie," he answered, before we hung up.
"Well. It was a little early for the press to know, but Brian and Amanda got engaged last night," I enlightened Howie. He smiled.
"I knew it. That's great for him. Amanda must be thrilled," Howie said.
"I can't believe it. They haven't even known each other for a year," I cried.
"Well, hun, when you know it's the right thing, chances are, you're right," he told me. It just struck me as eery at how confident about that comment he was.