The Way You Said Hello ~ Epilogue

I never expected to fall in love this way. Especially not with a fan. But Becky was definitely NOT your average fan. With her, it wasn't about the money, or the fame, or the attention - even though those things came hand in hand with our being together. And she dealt with them very well. But with Becky, it was about just me being me and her being her. Two people with real feelings and real problems. That was who we were - who we still are. Time won't change that in the slightest.

It's been a few weeks since we got back together, and things are working out quite nicely. We had spent so long away from each other that we needed some one-on-one time - no distractions. So the morning after I came back, we packed our bags and got on the next flight to Paris. I'm a big fan of spontaneity. This is our favorite city, so here we are, alone together. It's perfect. The guys agreed to put the tour on hold for a while - damn good friends. Gotta love 'em.

It took so much courage for me to fly back to Florida, all the way from Europe, just to beg for one last chance. I didn't know I had it in me. I was risking everything, but it was worth it. While I was gone, she had miraculously realized that being apart was wrong, that being together was the only right thing there could ever be. And she told me that she loved me. That was the best night of my life.

Oh, I know you're wondering about something. Don't deny it. You want to know about the sex. Well, let me tell you - it was un-fucking-believable, no pun intended. And it wasn't just sex - it was so much more. Months of this indescribable tension had been leading up to this night, and something just exploded in both of us. Sorry I can't be more descriptive, kids, but I don't want to get myself in trouble. That's just how it goes.

We had a nice long conversation while lying in each others' arms the next morning. That was when we decided a vacation was definitely in order. Four hours later we were in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. We'd never been happier. I think we must have actually been glowing - that's what it felt like. When you've been apart from the love of your life for that long, thinking you're never going to see each other again - well, let's just say that life had never been better.

I think…something between us has grown, has changed - it happened while we were apart. Maybe when we realized that we just couldn't live without each other, for a while we forgot about all the difficulties we'd had and saw things for what they really were. We needed a love without inhibition: it would be difficult, but we had to give it our all.

It was especially hard for Becky to let go of her fears. After someone's been through what she has, there's a lot of reluctance to be put in a position where the same thing might happen again.

Now, I would rather die than see her in pain - it tears me apart on the inside. So the thought that somebody else might do it to her makes me want to put my fist through the wall. (And I have, on more than one occasion, but she doesn't need to know that.) Okay, so I get a little overprotective, but can you blame me?

Of course I'm not saying that she needs me to protect her. Actually, she sometimes gets offended when I try to. "Thanks, AJ, but I can take care of myself," she tells me. But I just want to be there for her… It's something I want, not something she needs. I think in the long run it will make both of us feel a hell of a lot better.

Well, I guess I should fill ya in on what's going on with everybody else, huh? Let's tie up some loose ends.

Hmm…first we have Howie. He's doing great with his new girlfriend Keri. She's not even that "new" anymore. They've been going out for over a month now! Damn, time flies! Anyway, they go great together…they've been friends for years without even knowing they were in love. It's awesome.

And Gillie is totally fine with the whole thing. I don't know why Becky thought she wasn't. She's always thought of Howie as more of a friend, anyway, so she wasn't upset about their breakup or Keri. Pretty amazing, but then Gil's a great girl. I just know there's a guy out there for her somewhere.

Next…Ryan and Nick…what can I say about those two? They are, of course, incredibly in love. They have been ever since they met. It's incredible. Their personalities match perfectly - both fun-loving and a little immature, but in a good way. They just act like big kids. Nobody in our little group thinks that they'll ever break up…it's too hard to imagine. Of course it might happen sooner or later, but we don't need to think about that. For now, Ryan and Nick are as happy as two people can be.

Brian and Eilene…oh man. That was the biggest screw-up we made, without a doubt. They're just not gonna happen, that's for sure. Eilene would have the guilt of breaking up Brian and Jenna on her shoulders, and she's just not the kind of person who can deal with that very well. This was one relationship that was just not meant to be, no matter how great they would go together. Looking back on how Becky and I tried to set them up, I regret doing it. It might have saved a lot of trouble in the end…but at least Brian is away from that bitch Jenna. See, the cloud does have some silver lining.

Kevin and Anne are doing great too. Their relationship is more mature since they're both a little older. Who knows how long they'll last…but they seem to really be settling down! We always joke around with Kev, calling him "Grandpa" and all those names, just as a joke - but maybe he really will be the first one of us to settle down with a woman. It wouldn't surprise me a bit, from the way he and Anne have been living together. After all, things are a little bit easier with Eva gone.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that Eva is gone? I know, I know, she's my cousin - but that doesn't matter to me as much as her disgusting attitude does. I kicked her out of the house a long time ago, right after she started talking smack about me to Becky at Kev's party. The peace and quiet has been restored at my house since she's been gone.

So there ya have it. I know I might be leaving you hanging here, but this story's gotta end sometime. Well, our story won't be ending for a long time…we have our whole lives to live out. But if I told you everything else that ever happened to us, that would get a little out of hand, don't you think? I'd be talking forever…and there are things I'd rather be doing, ya know?

Becky and I have a lot of work to do. We have so much future ahead of us…so we really don't want to rush into anything. Our relationship is going to need a lot of time and patience - no matter how much we love each other, we've still got to open our hearts and let ourselves trust. So now we're just gonna take everything nice and slow. As long as we've got each other, that's all we need.

But I have a secret to tell you. There's no ring on her finger…yet…but we might just have to see about that. Somehow I get the feeling that Becky is the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Don't tell her now, though. I don't want to scare her or make her anxious. The two of us can discuss that…in time.

Okay, I've gotta say something else, too. I know it sounded like just a line, but there really WAS something about the way she said hello. The first time I talked to her…on the phone…her voice held so many secrets, but at the same time didn't hide a thing. I'd never met anyone like that before.

So that was how it all started. It's funny to think about it now, after all we've been through. I do know one thing for sure, though. If I loved the way she said hello that much…I never want to hear her say goodbye. And if I have anything to do with it, I never will.

Fini

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