Okay, that was how the party started. There was eating, drinking, and conversation. After about a half-an-hour, it looked like everyone was done eating, so the DJ started the music. The first song played was the Macarena because it was one that everyone knows and it would get everybody up on the dance floor.

Everyone but me, that is. (Just for the record, I absolutely, positively hate the Macarena.) I know the dance, but it's stupid. Jamie and Joanne love it. The two of them grabbed me, Maribeth, and Rachel by the hands and dragged us onto the dance floor. Brian, Nick, and AJ scooted out of the way to make a path for us.

"Oh no, you don't. If we have to do this, so do you," Maribeth said to them. We got hold of them with out free hands and pulled them after us. As soon as we were on the dance floor, Joanne went to get Kevin and Howie while Jamie stayed with us to make sure we did not try to escape.

All of the sudden, Justin, JC, and Joey come up behind me, Rachel, and Maribeth. They grabbed our hands and started mimicking the movements.

"All right, all right!" I said. "I'll do it, just let go!" Justin let go of me and went over to Brian, trying to do the same to him. He escaped over to me and hid. JC and Joey let go of the girls, grabbing Justin by the arms and pulling him over to a chair. The girls and I started doing the moves on our own.

Joanne came up with Howie and Kevin in tow. Then she and Jamie joined us. Gradually, the guys began to dance. It took a few moments, but I finally got into the swing of things. As soon as the song ended, I was ready for the next one. We danced for a few more songs, then the music paused for a second. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the DJ put on Mariah Carey's "Whenever You Call" (which is, for those of you who are musically deprived, a slow song).

Bob came up and told N'Sync that they were singing next, so they went up front to get ready. I paused for a moment and looked around. Rachel was already in Nick's arms, Maribeth in AJ's, Joanne in Kevin's, and Howie was just walking up to Jamie. They all seemed happy and content.

"May I have this dance?" Asked a voice from behind me. A hand stuck out in front of me and I knew immediately who it was.

"Of course," I said, putting my hand in his and turning to look into Brian's sparkling-blue eyes. He smiled at me and pulled me close, enveloping me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled back.

"Are you having a good time?" I asked.

"How could I not be having a good time when I have the most beautiful girl in the room in my arms?" He said to me.

I smiled and chuckled lightly. "Do you always use cheesy pick-up lines when sweet-talking a girl?"

"No," he said simply, "just thought I'd try something new." Then he looked at me hopefully, "Did it work?"

"Of course," I said, standing on my toes and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Ooh," he said, his eyes lighting up. "I should use cheesy pick-up lines more often."

"Don't even think about it," I said. "The fact that it worked this time was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

"Awe, man," he complained. Then he thought for a second and shrugged. "Oh, well," he said before cupping my face in his palm and bringing me in for a kiss. After a moment, we broke apart and I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat for the rest of the song.

When the song was over, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I broke away from Brian and turned around to see Chris standing there.

"You tapped?" I said.

"Yeah," he said. "The guys and I wanted to know if you'd sing with us tonight. We're supposed to sing "Music of My Heart," but we usually sing it with Gloria Estefan and, as you can see, she's not her. So, you up for it?"

"Sure, I'll do it," I said, glancing at Brian, who smiled at me. "but make it for later."

"Great," he said. He turned and went back to the rest of the guys. He took the microphone off the stand and turned it on.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" he asked. Everyone cheered, especially the drunks. "Great, now you can all go home." Everyone groaned. Chris has been making that same joke ever since the first time he stood up and spoke in front of the yacht club, which was when he was 10 (he's 27). "Okay, okay. I know you're getting restless, so I'll make it short. Lets Party!!!" The entire room broke into "whoops" and hollers. As N'Sync began to sing the dance version of "Tearin' Up My Heart," Brian and I went to find Rachel and Maribeth (Joanne and Jamie were still jumping around the dance floor). We found the girls talking near the bar (as you've probably noticed, we end up there a lot. (Just know we are not drunks). They waved me over, so I pointed the guys out to show Brian where they were (they were close by the girls, but having a conversation of their own) and went over to the girls.

"So," I said, "why aren't you dancing?"

"We were," Maribeth said. "Now we stopped."

I groaned. "Okay, how come you're not out there dancing now?"

"We got tired and kind of light headed," Rachel said.

"What, dancing with your man got you a little too hyped up?" I asked in mock-surprise. "I guess I'll have to have a chat with lil' 'ol AJ and Kid Nicky. They don't seem to be doing their jobs."

"Well, excuse me!" AJ said, coming up to our group and putting his arm around Maribeth's waist. "I can't help it if I take her breath away."

"Yeah," Nick said, coming up and wrapping his arms around Rachel's shoulders from behind her. The rest of the guys followed him and listened in on our "private" conversation. "It's not our fault that we're so darn cute."

"Who said you were cute?" Rachel said. "We just said we were getting hot from dancing."

"Well, I, uhh . . ." Nick stammered. Maribeth and I laughed while Rachel rolled her eyes

"C'mon girls," I said. "It doesn't look like we're gonna get any talking done, so we might as well dance." They followed me over to the dance floor where we joined Joanne and Jamie. We started dancing to the beat. I looked over at N'Sync and Justin waved to me. I waved back, smiling happily. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see Brian standing there with a dejected look on his face.

"You ditched me," he whimpered.

"Awe, you poor baby," I said. "C'mon, lets go outside for a sec. It's getting really hot in here." I looked at the girls (who were dancing pretty close with their boyfriends). "I'll be back in a few." They nodded and turned back to the guys. I took Brian's hand and led him outside.

We walked out to the steps by the pool (which was right next to the restaurant, so you could see in the windows. On the other side, it overlooked Fairly Creek). I looked up at the sky and sighed. It was 9 p.m., so it was already dark. There were stars . . . millions of them, shining like diamonds and one full moon. The sight was breath-taking.

"It's beautiful out," I said quietly. Brian came up and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

"The perfect night," he whispered in my ear. He kissed the top of my head and set his chin on my shoulder. We stood there silently for awhile, watching the waves. Then Brian whispered something.

"Alex," he said, then hesitated.

"Yeah?" I said.

"I can't believe I'm saying this so soon because I know I just met you yesterday, but I just had to tell you that I, I . . . I love you."

I froze. I stood completely still, unable to move from the spot I was in. Then my legs started to shake.

"I'm sorry Brian," I managed to say, stepping out of his arms. I didn't dare turn to face him. "I . . . I can't." I ran away as fast as I could, leaving Brian behind.