I woke up but I was unfamiliar with my surroundings and the cologne "...mmm...." I bit my lip and realized that we must have fallen asleep. I looked at my watch it was 11:15. I got up & went downstairs. Lisa was on the phone writing something down. I sat at the counter and she poured a glass of orange juice for me. I tried to catching onto the conversation but didn't know what she was talking about.

"OK...thank you Mr. Krieg I'll come by and take a look at around 4 than...all right buh bye." I finished my drink and peeled a banana. "Who was that?"

"Shawn Krieg, he owns a shop that he's selling because he's moving across the country and is trying to get rid of the property."

"Cool so you're going to check it out?"

"Yeah, and hopefully it will be a lot nicer and bigger than the other places." I nodded "Where's Kevin?"

"He had to leave early, Magazine Interview or something like that."

"Oh."

"Where's Greg?"

"He's upstairs sleeping."

"Oh. Did you guys..."

"No! God Lisa. We just fell alseep."

"I was going to ask if you guys finished the movies."

"Oh..No you weren't," she smiled "I know." I rolled my eyes and hopped down from the stool.

"I'm going o take a shower. Tell him I'll be right out if he comes down," she nodded and started flipping through the pages of her new issue of Vogue After my shower I went back downstairs. Lisa was talking with Greg.

"Hey sleepyhead," he smiled

"Sorry 'bout that didn't mean to doze off on you."

"Don't worry about it I think I fell asleep before you did anyway"

"Well I had a lot of fun, we should do it again sometime," I smiled

"Sure."

"All right I better be going then. I'll call you later?" I nodded.

"I'll walk you out," we walked out to his car. "OK so I"ll call you later. Maybe we can hang out at my place next time."

"OK."

"Bye Sam," he touched my cheek with his hand and gave me a kiss good-bye. I went back into the house, and up into my room.

A sharp pain to my left shoulder woke me up rudely. I fell to the floor.

"Shit. What was that for!"

"C'mon Nicky we have an interview remember and if we're both no ready by the time Kevin gets here we're both going to die."

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Nick please for all the Backstreet fans all over the world just be sport and let's go." I go up and surprisingly managed to put on a clean shirt and get my hair to look semi decent. Kevin pulled up and Brian dragged me into the car. I slept on the way there. I was punched again repeatedly.

"OK! enough I'm going, just leave me alone!" Brian looked hurt. I didn't care. I was miserable and the last place I wanted to be was talking to a nosy reporter who just wants to print your life up in a teeny-boppper magazine.After the interveiw I was ready to jump off a bridge. They of course asked do you have a girlfriend. Do I? I don't even know. So I went with the safest answer which is No. Then they couldn't have asked A.J or Howie. No they had to ask me.

"Nick what have yout past relationships been like?" what the hell kind of question is that. Brian luckily saved the day and told the reporter that there's been nothing too serious for any of us. And the interviewer shut up and moved on to the next question.

"Hey Brian thanks for covering for me in there I guess I just choked." "Yeah." and he then went over by Howie. He was still mad probably from when a I snapped at him. I didn't care. I just wanted to get home. I sat in my room and stared at the sunglasses that sat on my dresser. I picked the, and my car keys up. I drove past her house and her car wasn't there so I figured she was on the beach. I went out back and looked in the distance and noticed her sitting on the dunes a few houses down. I took a deep breath and starting walking. when I reached her I didn't know what to do. She didn't look up but we both knew what the other was thinking. We sat in silence staring out at the ocean. I didn't take my eyes off the water, but softly spoke, "I thought you might need these." I placed her sunglasses in the sand and our eyes locked. As if she had read my mind she said, "Sometimes eyes seem so crystal clear but they have so much to hide and protect." we sat in an awkward silence again. I knew it was all about to end. Neither of us spoke. We were both too afraid, knowing that the words that we would say would end each of our worlds. Especially the one we shared. Her body started shaking even though there was a warm Florida breeze. I took her into my arms. She rested her head against my chest and sat on my lap. We sat like that for awhile. Words were too painful, so we each took the cure of silence. She looked up at me with a tear-stained faced. "I Love you." she whispered. "Don't Sam, don't make it any harder than it already is." She flinched as if I had hit her, she looked at me as if to say 'how could this get any worse?'. She inched her face closer to mine, possibly for a kiss of forgiveness but I turned my head and looked at the water. The rejection slapped her in the face. Kissing her would only make me want her more though. I started laughing, she looked at me. What could possible be funny right now? Was I laughing at her? No. If I didn't laugh I would cry. She played with the ring I gave her last year for Valnetine's Day. She sat against my body, I felt her tremble beneath me. She was sobbing. I didn't know what to do. "We can fix it." she said between sobs. She looked at me her eyes darted around my face desperately.

"Please we can fix it." she turned around so she could face me, sitting back on her heels she placed her hands on my knees. "I don't think we can."

"But..." she looked me over, maybe thinking it wasn't me but it was and I can't believe it was me saying it either. She placed her hand on my cheek. I kissed her fingers as tears streamed down my face. She kissed the tears from my cheeks away. She moved her lips over my eyelids. Then she kissed my nose she always did that, she said it was luck. She picked up her sunglasses and stood up. I took her hand. I wanted to shout out 'No wait we can fix it! Just sit here with me please we can figure it out, I need you.' but I didn't I just waited holding onto her hand knowing that when I let go she might never come back.

"I do..love you Nick. I always have, I always will." her voice cracked and she started crying harder, "but if you don't want me, I understand go ahead leave. I guess That was then, This is Now. Maybe there will be a next time." she kissed my thumb and put her sunglasses on and turned around and walked in the opposite direction of my house. I didn't move I wouldn't was that it? Did I really mess up that bad that it's over now? How could she leave just like that?

>>>>>

.