Brian and Coral were in a cab on their way from Boston to Skylar Cove, one of the smallest town Massachusetts had to offer. To both of their surprise, in the past week they have been getting along. They didn’t even fight once. Coral showed Brian around the city and he enjoyed every minute. The two found some common language they didn’t know they shared before. Coral liked the way Brian calmed down since the time he was on tour or even in the hospital when Destiny was admitted. They were silent most of the trip, neither one of them wanting to ruin the magic they experienced in the past week.
“Do you have some gum?” Brian asked while opening and closing his mouth, trying to get his ears to pop.
“Um, let me check.” She searched through her purse.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything.” She apologized and put her hand on his knee in a comforting manner.
“It’s okay...I’ll deal with it.” Brian said
“You want I should stop near gas station?” The foreign cab driver asked.
“Uh, sure. Thanks.” Coral agreed.

She looked at the large, green colored sign the car just zoomed by. Two miles until the nearest exit. They drove for a while and the car turned at exit 78. The place seemed rather desolate. They were two cars parked in front of the mini mart. The cab driver double parked his vehicle and allowed his passengers to exit.
“I’m keeping the meter on.” The cab driver informed them.
“Yeah, sure, okay.” Brian said still trying to get his ears to pop.
“Is it bothering you that much?” Coral questioned.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t you travel by plane all the time, though?”
“I usually sleep.” Brian shrugged.
“I’m sorry, Bri.” Coral said, really feeling sorry for him.
“I don’t think it’s terminal, Corz.” He playfully poked her in the ribs.
“I know, I know.” She laughed.
“Something else bothering you?” He said as he opened the door for her.
“A gentleman, I see. Um, other than the fact that one of my best friends died on this week? And that I have to go to her memorial service tomorrow?” She entered the store and grabbed a pack of bubblegum from the stand on the counter.
“I’m sorry. That was really insensitive of me.”
“Brian, it’s fine. I’m just kinda always quiet around this time. Don’t mind me.” She gave him a pat on the back and pulled out some money to pay for the gum.
“You really don’t have to pay for it.”
“I can afford 99 cents, Brian.” She gave him half a smile and paid.

“Hold still, down to the floor and keep your hands where I can see them. Don’t try any funny stuff. I’ve been in this business for too long. If you follow my instruction, you’ll leave safely. If for some reason, you think you can be an hero in order to impress someone, you’ll leave with a bullet in your head. Am I clear or do I need to repeat myself again?” A man wearing a ski mask asked from the corner of the store. A gun was tightly cradled in his hand and he was pointing it at the sales clerk.
“Empty all the money and put it in one of those brown bags for me, will ya?” The criminal told the frightened man behind the counter. The man nodded, not intending to argue.
“And you two, empty out everything that’s in your pocket and in your purse, sweetie.” He turned to Brian and Coral who were glued to the wall of the store. They acted slowly but did as he told them to.

“That’s right. Very smart of you three.” The man nodded in approval.
“Here you go.” Coral grabbed hers and Brian’s belongings and carefully handed them to the man.
“Wait a minute, I know you.” The man shoved Coral out of the way and pulled Brian towards him.
“You’re that Backstreet fag.” The crook showed his yellow teeth.
“Uh...” Brian was frozen. He couldn’t get himself to speak.
“Aw, is sissy boy scared?” The man laughed and smacked Brian around.
“What do you want?” Brian finally got himself to say.
“I want you to use that cell phone that I know you’re keeping somewhere. By the way, not very smart hiding that from me. And I want you to call your management people and tell them I’m holding you hostage and that if they don’t get me exactly what I want their pretty boy is going to be dead meat.”

Brian gulped and removed the phone from his back pocket.
“On second thought, let me have that phone and when we’re ready, we’ll do it together. Wouldn’t want you to call 911 or anything, now would we kid? Because If you did, this pretty lady will pay the price.” The man grabbed the phone from Brian’s hand and put it in his ski jacket.
He signaled for the clerk to move closer to Brian and Coral and then forcefully moved them to the back of the star, by the freezer. The three moved closer to eachother, trying their best to stay warm while the man grabbed a beer from the fridge and looked at them with amusement.

“I love my job.” He said and opened the can.
“You call this a job?” Coral said in mockery.
“Watch your mouth missy. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to your pretty head.”
“Oh I’m so sorry Mr. Ski Mask person.” Coral rolled her eyes.
“You’re not being very smart, lady.”
“I never said I was smart, mister.”
“Do you want a bullet in your head?”
“Do you want a kick in the crotch?”
“That’s enough.” The man pulled the trigger of the gun and a shot was heard.

Brian slowly opened his eyes, never letting go of Coral’s hand. He looked to Coral’s side and saw her breathing heavily. He was relieved to see no blood. Coral looked him in the eyes and pointed at the ceiling above the crook’s head.
“Next time, you won’t be so lucky. I’m being nice enough, warning you and all.”
Coral nodded and didn’t dare to open her mouth again. She leaned her head on Brian’s shoulder and he held her tightly. Tears started flowing out of her eyes but she didn’t make a sound, not wanting to anger the man. He quickly wiped away the tears with his thumb, hoping he could wipe away her pain and fear with them. He gently stroked her head and kissed her forehead.
“None of that lovey-dovey stuff!” The man growled angrily.

Another ten minutes passed and the man looked at his watch. He signaled for Brian to come closer to him and without any questioning, he did.
“It’s time kid, do you think you can handle the pressure without peeing in your pants?”
Brian nodded with annoyance and started dialing the number but as soon as he pressed send, about five people cracked open the glass doors that the man locked. They were policeman, all armed with guns and eventually surrounded the man. He hopelessly dropped the gun and kicked it away from him. It landed between Brian’s feet but he didn’t make a move to pick it up. Coral stretched and picked it up instead. She nervously held on to the gun, not wanting to trigger it by mistake. Two policemen ganged up on the man and shoved him down to the floor, his legs and arms spread wide open. They searched him up and down checking for more weapons. None were found. They handcuffed him and forcefully stood him up and dragged him out of the store into the police cars which were positioned in a perfect row outside.

A policeman approached the three frightened figures and helped them stand up.
“Are you okay?” The policeman asked.
“Yeah, he didn’t do anything to harm us.” The clerk assured him.
“Okay. We would like to ask you a few questions and then you’ll be free to go.”
“Sure.” Coral agreed, wondering who managed to call the cops.
They followed the policeman to the cars outside and answered all of his questions. Coral retold the story to him, detail by detail. Brian just nodded and held her by the waist. The police officer thanked them and returned them their belongings and money. He allowed them to leave while he questioned the clerk about the criminal’s appearance. Coral and Brian thanked the policeman for his kindness and returned to the cab which was now parked beside the gas pumps.

“I see you back in one piece, yes?” The cab driver, who was leaning on the car, observed.
“Yeah, thank you.” Brian said, regaining his ability to speak.
“Much good.” The cab driver said and opened the door for them.
“Thank you that’s very sweet of you.” Coral said, unexpectedly cheerful.
The cab driver hopped right into the drivers seat and started the car again.
“Excuse me, sir. Is the meter still on?” Brian asked in fright.
“Silly little man. I no charge you for hootage.”
“Hootage?” Coral winced her eyes in bewilderment.
“That what you call it, no?”
“Hostage.” Brian corrected.
“Police said something like that.” The man shrugged and pulled back into the highway.
“The name of me is Oscar.” The cab driver introduced himself.
“Brian.”
“Coral.” She introduced herself as well.
“No worry, I no speak very good but read well, I can. I will get you to your location.”

“We trust you.” Coral said and handed Brian over the gum.
“Oh, thanks.” He smirked.
“So Oscar, do you know who called the cops?” Coral wondered.
“I call the cops, miss.”
“You did?” Coral asked, flabbergasted.
“Yes. I saw the gun hold in hand. I called the police quick but they no understand me, so it took a while.”
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t do that, sir.” Coral smiled brightly.
“No problem.” Oscar said and waved his hand at her.
Brian cringed and shoved gum into his mouth. He started making bubbles. He chewed loudly and then made one of the biggest bubbles he has ever made. It was about the size of his head. He dreaded for it to pop but as all bubble do, it eventually splatted all over his face. He moaned and tried to peal of the gum bits. Coral burst out laughing and tried her best to help him.

“You alright?” She asked when his face was finally clean.
“Yeah, does your family have somewhere I can wash up?”
“No Brian, we folks in Skylar Cove don’t have all that fancy pipes yous people use in the big cities. We go down to the lake, sonny, and wash ourselves there, naked as the day we were born. The same water is used to wash our faces, our behinds and our clothes.” Coral said.
Brian looked at her shocked.
“I was kidding, Brian. We have sinks with working taps. We even have toilets in the house. Brian, it’s not medieval city. It’s just a small town.” Coral said amused.
“I knew that. I was just checking if you knew.” Brian said.
“Sure you were.” She laughed and looked out of the window. The scenery was becoming more and more familiar. They were nearing home.
“This your exit, ma’am?” Oscar asked.
“I think it is, yes.” She corresponded.
“Busy lanes won’t let me move, but we’ll find a way.” Oscar swerved like a maniac between lanes and finally found himself on the furthest right lane. He exited and asked for the exact address. Instead of telling him, Coral wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. They soon arrived in a flush town. It was green everywhere. The lakes were crystal blue and they sparkled like diamonds. They were inviting to anyone. Literally saying, come on in and swim. Brian chuckled as he realized they probably could bathe in the clean, pure water. Coral’s eyes got teary as they drove passed the different houses. They were grand looking. Each house had its own garden and none of them were neglected. They were all carefully taken care of, a unique piece of land, symbolizing the owner. Oscar finally stopped in front of a Victorian looking house. The bricks were red and so was the roof. The steps to the house were chipped to give it an old looking sense. Coral gently opened the door and breathed in the fresh air. She fell to the floor when Snuffles, her dog tackled her and ruthlessly licked her face, excited to have her home. Her cat, Banana Boat ran in to join the party and jumped on his master.
“it’s good to be home.” Coral said as she tried to stand up.

“CORAL!” Cheyenne, Coral’s sister called as she ran out of the house.
“Chey!” Coral gently pushed off her pets and went to hug her sister.
“I missed you so much.”
“It’s good to be home.”
“It’s even better to have you home, sis.”
“And who’s this young man?” Cheyenne pointed to Brian who was paying Oscar and bidding him farewell.
“Always a mother figure.” Coral said in amusement.
“You got that right.” Cheyenne laughed. Ever since their mother passed away when they were both toddlers, Cheyenne took care of her sister as if she was her daughter. Coral could always count on her for support and protection.
“I was kidding. This young man is Brian Littrell.” Coral hopped over to Brian and grabbed his hand. She slowly led him to face her sister.
“Nice to meet you ma’am.” Brian held his hand out.
“Aren’t you polite? I’m Cheyenne, nice to meet you.” Cheyenne smiled and shook his hand.
“He isn’t always that polite.” Coral winked.
“Oh no?”
“Nah, why don’t you enlighten my sister.”
“What is she talking about?” Cheyenne grew more curious by the second.
“We had a falling out when we first met.” Brian explained.
“Well, if you just met I don’t think you could call it a falling out.”
“Why not?” He questioned.
“Because you were never in.” Cheyenne said.
“I guess that’s right.” Brian chuckled.
“But we’re okay now. Knocked some sense into the boy.” Coral said.
“Did she do it literally?” Cheyenne asked knowingly.
“No. Would she have?” Brian asked in fright.
“You never know...” Cheyenne said.
“Hey!” Coral objected.
“We’ll talk later.” Cheyenne whispered to Brian.
“Yeah, yeah. Lets just go in.” Coral said and barged into her childhood house.

“Serenity...can we go?” AJ asked while he fiddled with the tie he was wearing.
“Hold on! It takes a while to look as good as I do.” Serenity said, not moving from in front of the mirror.
“I think you’re fine the way you are.” AJ said and leaned against the wall.
“Don’t you want me to look good?”
“No, of course I want you to look good.”
“Is that your goal AJ? To get me to look all ugly so no other guy would want me? Are you that insecure with yourself? No, I don’t think so. I’m going to keep applying my makeup so just be quiet.” Serenity bursted out saying, completely ignoring his comment.
“Okay honey, I’ll be downstairs.” Before he left the room he picked up an object hidden on the top shelf of his large walk-in closet. He exited the room and quickly trotted down the stairs.

Fifteen minutes later Serenity slowly walked down the stairs, trying her hardest not to trip because of her high heels shoes. When she was finally downstairs she did a spin in front of her boyfriend. She was wearing a sparkly evening gown, her hair was up and she was all dolled up.
“You look beautiful.” He said.
“Thanks and look at you, you’re wearing a suit.” She said in surprise.
“Yeah, well you said you wanted a night like this so, I organized it.”
“You’re so nice to me.” She said with a smile.
“I try. Although I have an incredible urge to run in there and change to jeans and a t-shirt.”
“But there’s no way in hell I’m going to let you do that.” She grabbed him by the arm and pushed him outside the house. Serenity had moved most of her clothes and belongings to AJ’s house and decided she was going to be a permanent visitor. AJ didn’t object, he allowed her and welcomed her into his house.

“Brian are you okay?” Coral approached Brian who was sitting in the corner of the guestroom.
“Do I look like I’m okay?” He lifted his head to show her a teary face.
“What’s wrong?” She scooted over so that she was sitting beside him.
“I’m such an idiot.” Brian admitted.
“Why in the world would you say that?”
“Today in the store...I didn’t do anything. I was sitting there, frozen. I should have protected you.” He said softly.
“Brian, that man had a gun. You’re only a human, you don’t have superhuman powers. You did the smart thing. I opened my mouth and look where it got me. I was nearly shot.” Coral said.
“I should have been a man.” Brian said.
“You were.”
“I was a wimp. I was everything that man called me and more.” Brian said as he smacked his head against the wall.
“Oh don’t do that, hun. Your head has enough problems as it is.” Coral tried to lighten the mood.
“Hardy har har. Do you want a cookie for making a funny joke?” He rolled his eyes.
“Brian, I’m sorry!” Coral said, sincerely.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Coral. You were more brave then I ever was or ever will be.” Brian sighed.
“Brian, remember when he shot the ceiling and I was terrified?”
Brian simply nodded.
“You comforted me. You gave me so much support that I knew that we were going to be okay because we were together and I was so happy to have you there. I mean who was going to do that? The 16 year old sales clerk? Brian, being in your warm, welcoming arms is so much better than having you lying dead on the floor. That’s what would have happened if you stood up to that jerk. Do you understand that? You would have been dead or injured and how would that help any of us?” She looked him in the eyes.

“Maybe I could have overtaken him.” He turned away from her.
“Brian, no maybes. You live in the present. You’re a smart man and thank you for being there for me.” She embraced him and eventually he hugged her back, his arms never wanting to leave her.
“Thanks...” He whispered in her ear.
“Anytime.” She smiled.
They stayed in this position for what seemed to be forever to both of them. Sitting there in silence was enough to make both of them feel better. Two people who couldn’t stand eachother had just been through an experience that made them closer than friends are. They shared the trauma and now they’d share the healing.
“Brian, I hate to move but my butt really hurts.” Coral said honestly.
Brian laughed and they used eachother as support to get up.
“Shall we move this to the bed?” Brian wiggled his eyebrows.
“Excuse you church boy?”
“I was kidding.”
“I know.” She smiled but soon tears came to her as she reflected on the day.
Brian rubbed her back in a circular movement. They sat on the bed and eventually fell asleep in eachother’s arms.

“This is beautiful.” Serenity said and took a bite out of the piece of cake they were sharing.
“I planned this according to that ‘perfect date’ story you told me about last week.” AJ said.
“And you remembered every little tiny detail. You are too cute.” She pinched his cheek.
“Serenity?”
“Yeah?” She said, wiping the corners of her mouth with the cloth napkin.
AJ got out of his chair and got down on his knees.
“I know that we’ve only been dating for a while but we’ve known eachother our entire lives. I’ve been fortunate enough to see you grow from this playful, childish girl into this amazing, confident woman. A woman who I love so dearly. You are my world and I don’t know how I could ever live without you. And I don’t want to find out anytime soon. What I’m saying is, would you do me the honors and marry me?”
Serenity’s eyes widened and a few seconds later a bright smile came to her face. She nodded fiercely.
“Yes!” She shrieked