The next day Sarah and Molly slept in late, which wasn't really surprising. Molly had fallen asleep with AJ on her mind, and he was still there, when she woke up. Sarah was still sleeping, so Molly quietly tip-toed into the bathroom.
In the meantime, while Molly was under the shower, Dawn knocked on the door to the girls' room. "Saaraaah!" she said with a smile, to wake Sarah up. She lightly shook her and Sarah opened her eyes.
"Oh, hey Dawn! What time is it?"
"11:20!" Dawn answered.
Sarah sat up straight in bed: "Oh whoa, I'm sorry we slept so long!"
"No problem", Dawn smiled. "I understand!" She handed Sarah the phone: "There's a phone call for you girls."
Sarah looked puzzled, but took the phone. "Hello?....Oh hey, Kaylee!....Yeah, we slept well, just a li'l long!....That would be great!....Let's say in an hour?....Ok, cool, see ya later!"
Dawn had left the room again, so Sarah got up and decided on what she wanted to wear that day. Just a minute later Molly came back, already dressed and ready to go. "Oh hey", Sarah smiled, "Kaylee just called and asked, if we'd like to hang out today. She wants to show us a bit of Minnesota, so she's coming to pick us up in an hour."
"Oh! That's cool, but...I can't go!"
"What do you mean?" Then Sarah's eyes lit up. "OH! You have a date with AJ?"
"No..." Molly had already been thinking about how to tell Sarah that she was going to meet the girls, Mandy and Araysa, alone. She felt bad about leaving Sarah, but they just needed some time alone. When Sarah was around, Molly always felt like she had to make sure that Sarah had fun and that she gave her some attention, but what was worse was that the girls couldn't talk openly. Although Sarah was not a stranger for Araysa and Mandy anymore, they didn't get that close in only a few days, that they would open up their hearts to each other. That's why they needed some time alone. So Kaylee kinda helped her out on this one. "Sarah, I'm already meeting Mandy and Race. But that's ok, just go and have fun with Kaylee alone. Or why don't we all meet later back here? Let's say at 5pm?! Then we can hang out together."
"Yeah...ok..." Sarah said, a little disappointed. "Aren't you meeting AJ today at all?"
"I don't know", Molly said honestly. "See ya later, bye!" With that she left.
~~~~~
Five minutes later Araysa stopped her car in front of the Wolsburn's house and picked Molly up. Mandy was with her, of course.
"It's a miracle that we're here on time", Araysa smiled, while Mandy yawned. "We didn't wake up too long ago!"
"Same here", Molly said. "Umm...did you guys already eat?"
"Nope!" Mandy said.
"Anyone wanna go to McDonald's?!" Araysa asked laughing, which was greeted with cheers. McDonald's wasn't far away, so the actual conversation they were all waiting for didn't start 'till they all had a seat and their food in front of them.
"Ok, who's gonna start?" Araysa asked.
"YOU!" came the chorused reply from Mandy and Molly.
"Always the one that's asking", Molly smiled, taking a sip of her coke.
Araysa gave them a wide grin, saying: "Ok. Well, when we got into his hotel room..."
"No no no!" Molly interrupted.
"We want EVERYthing", Mandy agreed. "Start at the club, woman!"
So Araysa began telling the story of everything that happened between her and Nick, and how one thing just led to the other. "Then we were finally alone again. I was so mad at Sarah 'cause...oh sorry, Molls! I hate to say it but I was so jealous first because she kept hanging around Nick all night and she was SO obviously flirting with him."
Molly just nodded sadly: "I know, you don't have to apologize. I tried to talk to her about it, but I don't know if it helped. But...I wanted to talk to you 'bout that later anyway. Now on with the story!" She smiled again.
Araysa continued: "Well, we stayed at the dance floor and then the song - OUR song now, it was "Iris" - was on and we started dancing. I was still unsure because of the whole Sarah-thing, ya know - if he probably liked her, too or if he was just flirting with both of us or...I don't know. Anyway, I asked him about it and please don't ask me what happened next 'cause I was in a daze. All I still know is that I got the very best kiss of my entire life!" Araysa was smiling from one ear to the other, and her eyes were sparkling. The other two girls could tell how happy she was and that Nick already meant a lot to her - but that wasn't really new! Suddenly Araysa made a frown: "And then we had to go, damnit!" The three laughed.
"So what happened at the hotel?" Mandy asked. "Give us all the juicy details!" Again laughter.
"First I was really nervous about it. I mean, after we kinda ran out of the club and rushed away, we didn't have the time to talk at all, so I was like: ok, what now? Do we have something going on or was he just playing around? But as soon as I saw him again, I knew that wasn't the end. He immediately took my hand and asked me, if I wanted to get away from the group for a while. God, he was SO sweet - and he really really is so shy!" Araysa laughed as she remembered the incident in the elevator. She told the girls about that, too, of course and they had a good laugh, but not in a mean way. They were pretty impressed that Nick wasn't so sure of himself - after all he was one of the world's most adored guys! "Oh yeah, AND...", Araysa continued, "I even already found out that the videogame-obsession is also true. But I guess I never really doubted that!" She laughed.
Molly looked at her with a raised eye-brow: "Race, please don't tell me you two played video-games..."
Araysa laughed even more: "Nope! Definitely NOT!" Molly jokingly let out a little relieved "Phew!", while rolling her eyes, then she also laughed. "So what is it with the video-games?"
"When I asked him, why the boys had separate rooms, he said that they usually get separate rooms on promotion tours or for short stays in some cities. They just don't have their own rooms, while on tour, so that they can save some money to buy new video games."
Mandy and Molly were cracking up, but Araysa didn't know why until Mandy said: "I asked Brian the same, and he answered exactly the same, except that he said they buy new videos with the saved money because they watch so many movies on tour!"
By now Molly was in hysterics... When she got some extra-air (not just enough to keep her alive), she explained: "AJ said they spend the saved money at McD.'s!" They all broke out into laughter again, and all the people in the restaurant were staring at them, but the girls didn't notice - or they just didn't care! :o)
AJ sat down opposite of Brian in the hotel's restaurant, where the guys were having breakfast. Kevin and Brian were the first ones down, Howie and Nick were still in their rooms.
"B.! I'm surprised to see you", AJ joked. "Shouldn't you still be sleeping?!" Everyone knew how much Brian loved to sleep. Brian just looked at him and gave him an amused smile. "What?" AJ asked.
"So...", Brian asked. "How was your time with Molly?"
"Aren't we the nosey one today?!" AJ smiled. Then he suddenly grinned: "Did you know that she has her tongue pierced?"
Brian started laughing. "Did you SEE or did you FEEL that?"
"You know how the gentlemen do it", AJ replied smiling. "That's for me to know and for you to find out!"
"Yeah, right, now spill the beans!" Brian laughed. Then he calmed down and asked: "No, seriously - you two get along quite well, right? Do you think it could be more?"
AJ thought about that for a minute. His eyes stared past Brian, but he wasn't looking at anything really. He remembered all the time he had spent with Molly yesterday. He remembered her smile and laughter, the way her eyes sparkled when she was happy about something. He remembered all the fun he had with her, but also the serious moments they had shared, and how he felt when she was around. And of course he remembered how they had said good-bye... AJ looked up at Brian and answered: "To me it's more already. Brian, I think she could be the one. I know it sounds crazy, I hardly know her, but it feels so right. I can't get enough of her already. I... I don't know, I've just never felt this way about anyone. Not even Amanda."
Brian nodded, hardly noticeable: "She's special, I know." He looked AJ straight in the eyes, then stated: "I'll say this a second time and then never again: don't hurt her. I know I can trust you, Bone, that's why I wish you two all the best. But you and me will have serious trouble, if you break her heart! Don't fool around with her. Get it?!"
AJ nodded and shared a ritual hand shake with Brian. Then he smiled: "Damn, you sound like her brother!"
"Could be", Brian replied, "but most of all I sound like her best friend!" He took a sip of his orange juice. "Now what about the piercing? Did you kiss or what?" Both laughed and AJ finally spilled the beans! :o)
After they had finished their "late breakfast" at McDonald's, where Mandy and Molly had also given a detailed report about last night's events, the girls had driven to Winona and now hung out in Mandy's dorm room. They were waiting for a radio interview with the BSB, that would air in a couple of minutes.
"Earth to Mandy", Molly joked, when Mandy sat in a chair, deep in thought. Mandy looked up at her and forced a smile. Molly turned serious and asked: "What's up, missy?"
Mandy sighed. "It's nothing really, just... Don't get me wrong, I'm mad happy for you two, but hearing how your dreams have come true always reminds me that mine didn't. Of course, the dream of meeting the Boys came true and I had such a wonderful day - everything should be fine. But Brian and I...there's nothing. At least not what I want it to be!"
The other two girls could tell how sad she was. First they didn't know what to tell Mandy. Somehow she was right and they could understand her sadness, they even felt kinda responsible: Araysa had Nick, and Molly, it seemed, would soon have AJ - but that's not the way it was planned. How often had they imagined meeting the Backstreet Boys and all of them hooking up with their fave guy?! But this here was real, and many little things had already taught them that there was a big difference between their dreams and reality.
What WAS there to say? Araysa and Molly knew if they had been in Mandy's place they would be sad also. But they also knew that Mandy was honestly happy for them at the same time, and had it been the other way around, they would have been happy for her as well.
"Oh guys", Mandy suddenly said. "It wasn't my intention to bring you down!" She smiled a more happy smile now. "Don't worry 'bout me. I feel loved 'cause you share my sadness, but you two really have better things to do now than to be down. I'm fine, don't think about it anymore."
"Mander", Araysa started hesitantly, "I'm not really sure what to tell you, but if you're sad I think we should talk about it. There's probably not much we can do, but you might feel better afterwards. I don't want to see you sad like that!"
Molly agreed nodding. "I don't know if that will cheer you up, but Brian definitely likes you and you should be happy about that. He's a good friend and he'll bring a lot of happiness into your life, believe me."
"How do you know that I'll see him again? They'll be gone in only two days and I don't see why he should stay in contact with me...", Mandy said. Her insecurity caused her biggest fear: losing Brian totally. She could live with the fact that he wouldn't fall in love with her, but she knew there would be an empty hole in her life should she lose Brian completely.
"He doesn't forget people he likes", Molly said, smiling at Mandy. "I'm the best proof for that! Even after all that happened between us, still here we are today. And I'm sure that I've found a friend for life in Brian." Mandy kept looking down at her hands. "Mandy?" She looked up at Molly, who bit her lower lip and giggled lightly: "You know... probably Brian just isn't one of the fast kind. It might take him a while to realize that you're not only a wonderful person and friend, but also a wonderful GIRL!" She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, as Mandy smiled back at her.
"You know", Mandy said, "you better not give me hope!" Both laughed.
Molly had wondered if she should give that hope to Mandy, but for some reason she was pretty confident that it was right. She didn't know why, but she had a good feeling about Brian and Mandy, which was more than she could say about her feelings for AJ and herself. Ever since Molly had met Brian they had had this kind of special bond. She felt that she knew him better than she could after just the short time they had spent with each other, but she also knew that he felt this way about her, too. They understood each other without words and there were things that could remain unspoken between them, but they would still know. And she just had this feeling about Brian and Mandy...
"Yeah", Araysa smiled, "after all he just broke up with Leighanne about two months ago, and we know that Brian isn't the guy to walk around and find someone new immediately!"
"Ok, ok", Mandy laughed, "now stop that! You've cheered me up already!" Then she calmed down and said: "Isn't it great how we don't think about the guys as the Backstreet Boys anymore?! At least I don't think I'm the only one who doesn't. They've become just a bunch of regular guys. Well, a bunch of pretty hot and great regular guys, but still...I don't feel like I'm hanging out with the Backstreet Boys when I'm with them." Araysa and Molly nodded. They knew what Mandy meant.
"It was so strange, when I was with Nick, when it plopped into my mind just once that I was actually lying in the arms of Nick CARTER! I remembered how I had imagined him to be, when I didn't know him, and I realized that that had been a totally different guy. The Nick Carter I got to know was a complete stranger for me, and definitely way better than the one I thought I knew before. And the whole Backstreet Boys thing suddenly seemed so odd, it was like all that doesn't belong to my Nick. I lay there in his arms and that was all I knew. That was just Nick and me, the Backstreet Boys didn't exist anymore..."
"Well, it was different with Brian", Mandy said. "He really was the guy I had imagined him to be, if not better. But he was this nice, funny and lovable guy that you know from TV. I think he can't fake a personality that he's just not - he's just naturally always. But when we were shopping I never thought that this is Brian "the Backstreet Boy" Littrell I was walking with. He was only Brian Littrell, who told me how he fell off a horse home in Kentucky." The other girls chuckled. "And when he sang 'Spanish Eyes' to me, he was Brian, who has a great voice and knows how to play the guitar, but never a Backstreet Boy who was singing to me. And that just feels so much better than hanging out with a celebrity."
Molly laughed lightly: "Is it my turn now? Well...I totally agree that the guys we got to know are Brian, Nick, Howie, Kevin and Alex, and they are so normal it makes you wanna ask 'Backstreet Boys who?'!" The others laughed. "And Alex...he's a mystery to me! At times he is this guy I had dreamed about for ages, and than again he shows me feelings and sides of his person I never thought would be typical for him. But... I definitely like him the way he is!"
"Why do you call him Alex anyway?" Araysa asked.
"Hmm..." Molly smiled. "I think it's exactly because of what we were just talking about. To me he's not the Backstreet Boy AJ, he's Alex McLean, the guy I met yesterday on a street in Minnesota. All the world knows him as AJ, thousands of girls claim to love this AJ, and even I thought that AJ was the guy of my dreams. But now I've found Alex, and he's what I want and that is why he isn't AJ to me anymore." Then she grinned: "Oh yeah, and besides I just love the name Alexander. I planned on giving this name to my first-born son, so..."
"That will be an Alex jr., then, huh?!" Mandy grinned.
"No way!" Molly protested laughing. "Should I ever have kids with a guy that's called Alex, then I'll find another beautiful name for my son. I just hate it when a child is a 'junior'!" They all laughed again, clearing the atmosphere of all probably left traces of sadness and kept waiting for the interview...
~~~~~
Mandy turned up the volume a little, when the Backstreet Boys interview began. The girls listened quietly, only chuckling or laughing about some things the guys or the radio DJ would say. The interview started with the usual stuff: questions about the soon-to-be-released new single "I Want It That Way", about the up-coming album and the tour that should follow. But after a while the DJ dared to go into the more personal stuff:
"So, Brian - is it true that you're a single man again?"
"Yeah, that's true!" the girls heard Brian say.
"I know it's none of our business, but many people are dying to find out what the reasons for the break-up are. A lot of rumors are going around, so do you care to tell us what the truth is?" the DJ asked.
"I'll only say this much to stop the rumors: it was absolutely no bad break-up", Brian answered. "Leighanne and me are still the best of friends, she'll always be part of my life and very special to me. And that's all I'm gonna say!"
"Ok, I hope that stops the bad and dirty rumors!" the DJ said. "On to the other boys: who's single and who's not? Who's single and LOOKING?"
The boys laughed lightly, then Howie began: "I'm single, but not looking."
"Not looking?" the DJ asked incredulous. "Why's that?"
Howie hesitated with his answer: "Let's say the career is a problem."
"It seems Howie D. is hiding a story behind his words..." the DJ said.
Howie calmly replied: "No big story. But I never get any further than dating - if at all - because there's not enough time to make things serious!"
"The price of fame... What about you Nick? I think that's what most girls want to know! Is Nick Carter single?"
Nick giggled uncomfortably: "Well, I don't know..."
All the other boys and the DJ started laughing. "You don't know?" the DJ asked.
"There IS someone special, but I don't really know how she sees things and it's all really fresh, so..."
Mandy and Molly chuckled, while Araysa squealed with wide eyes.
"What's her name?"
"No no no!" Nick said. "That was all I'm gonna say."
"I'm sorry for all the ladies out there", the DJ said, "but I can't force him to give away who the lucky one is. But...congrats to her!"
"Whohoo!" Molly laughed. "Congrats, Race!"
"Go, Race, go!" Mandy giggled.
"Good Lord, I can't believe he just said that! I can't believe he's talking about me!"
"Now what have we been talking about before?!" Molly chuckled. "We don't see the guys as Backstreet Boys anymore?" She laughed. "Guess it's another thing when they talk about one of us on the radio, huh?"
"Sshhhh", Mandy silenced her. "Let's listen to the rest!"
Kevin said: "Well, my answer still is the same as so many times before: I'm single and although I'm looking, my career probably makes a relationship impossible at the moment."
Mandy, Araysa and Molly looked at each other slightly confused, shrugging their shoulders.
"Why is he saying he's single?" Mandy asked. "Brian told me he's with Caroline for over three months now."
"Probably they're still too 'fresh' also, you know?!" Araysa figured.
"I just heard that there's some complication in their relationship", Molly said.
"OH! It's AJ's turn", Araysa exclaimed. The girls were silent at once.
"Is there anyone special in your life?" the DJ asked AJ.
"Yeah, my mom!" AJ joked. The boys laughed.
"So no girlfriend? No girl you've lost your heart to?"
"Umm...no!"
Molly felt a cold shiver run through her body. Not that she had expected him to say that she was his girlfriend or that he was in love, but the way he had said this "No" was so resolute, so sharp, like a knife in her back. Araysa and Mandy just looked at her shocked and sympathetically. They could see that she was just as shocked.
"So I guess that's good news for all you AJ fans out there", the DJ said. "We'll be back after this song..." He played Savage Garden's "To The Moon & Back".
"Molls", Mandy began, "probably...he just said that 'cause...you know, they can't ALL say they have girlfriends...they..."
"Mandy", Molly said bitterly, but her bitterness was not directed at Mandy, "Nick was the only one who admitted to PROBABLY have a girlfriend! It definitely wasn't a PR thing..." Molly saw that Araysa wanted to say something, but Molly cut her off even before she started: "Guys, it's alright! You don't need to find excuses for him. I haven't allowed myself to think of last night as anything serious anyway, so..." Molly's eyes spoke a different language. In them the girls could see that she was hurt by his words, that she felt misled.
"You're not being true to yourself", Araysa said softly. "And I'm sure he has an explanation for it."
Molly let out a sharp breath. "He was bullshitting me! All the stuff he said about Cologne...and even Brian said...I don't get it?!"
"Huh?" The other two were confused, when the words Brian and Cologne were mentioned.
Molly hadn't told them that AJ had seen her in Cologne, and that he was the one recognizing her in the car yesterday. She didn't want to seem big-headed telling them how he couldn't forget her, even 'though they didn't know each other - and besides she couldn't believe it herself. And she sure didn't believe it after this... But Brian wouldn't lie to her, would he?
"Care to explain that?" Mandy asked confused.
Molly sighed: "Both Brian and Alex have told me that Alex remembered me from the time in Cologne and-"
"Wait! Didn't you say you never met him there?" Araysa asked.
By now Molly was pacing the room: "We did never meet there! But he saw me there a couple of times, and when we finally got to know each other here, he told me how he had always been thinking about me, and even talking to the guys about me and shit like that! And Brian started the whole thing! When we had that toast at the barbecue and..." She let herself fall onto Mandy's bed: "Sucker!"
"Oh, come on, Molls! Just trust him, you know how the business is. They have to lie about stuff like that!" Araysa said.
"Are you kidding me? How should I trust him?! I've only known him for a day!"
"But you trust Brian, don't you? Why can't you also trust AJ?"
"With Brian and me, that's a totally different thing. Brian is...Brian is totally different from Alex and...he's special."
"Then", Mandy said, "I suggest you talk to Brian about it."
"To The Moon & Back" started playing and AJ looked nervously at Brian. Brian scooted closer to him and whispered: "I hope she doesn't listen! She'd be pissed!"
AJ sighed: "I know...shit!"
"Why did you say that anyway?" Brian asked.
"It's because of Amanda. She still thinks that probably she and I will get back together and I didn't want to kill all her hopes over the radio. It's not fair like this. I want to talk to her personally and tell her about Molly, I owe her that!"
Brian nodded and smiled at AJ. A part of him was proud of AJ, but another part was worried about what Molly could think right now. He hoped she would let AJ explain it to her and that she would believe him. Brian wasn't sure if AJ had done the right thing. Amanda couldn't listen to the interview anyway, and until she could read about it in some magazines or on the internet, they would probably be back home in Florida already, and AJ could've explained it to her. But then Brian smiled and pushed the thought aside. It couldn't turn out into such a big thing anyway. AJ would explain the whole deal to Molly and that was it. The DJ got his attention again, as they continued with the interview and an a capella performance...
Back to chapter 12, part II
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