I'LL NEVER FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU
~~~I'LL NEVER FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU~~~




Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18



Chapter 13

Lauren awoke to the sound of whispering. Her eyes slowly opened, as she realized where she was. She was lying in bed with Brian, her arms wrapped around his stomach and his arms wrapped around her whole body. "Shhh, I think she's awake!" whispered Nick, loudly. She shifted her position a little, which promptly woke Brian up.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. There sat Gray and Nick, both grinning widely. "Good morning!" said Nick cheerfully, "and how are we all doing?" Lauren looked down at herself and realized she was wearing the same thing she had worn to dinner the night before. Then, she looked at Brian as he sleepily sat up as well.

"Have a good sleep?" asked Gray in a teasing voice. Lauren knew that they were both just eating this up. "Shut up Gray," she mumbled, as she rubbed her eyes again. "Well aren't we just Mary Sunshine this morning?!" he laughed.

Lauren said nothing, as she made her way to the bathroom. After she was done, she came out. Brian was more awake, and she could tell right away that Nick and Gray were giving him hell, as usual. "So, what did you two do after we fell asleep?" Nick asked, with a hint of mockery in his voice.

"Nothing," said Brian, hiding a smile, "we just fell asleep."

"Like that?! You just fell asleep on each other?!" asked Gray incredulously. "I was scared!" exclaimed Lauren, whacking Gray on the arm, "Brian, being the good person that he is, was comforting me! That's more than you did!" Nick laughed, and said, "You guys are always at each other's throats! It's so funny!"

Brian said, "Well, I don't know about any of you, but I'm starving....anyone up for breakfast?" Nick jumped up and said, "I'm there! I think I better change though....I feel kinda dirty!"

"How about we meet at the dining room in half an hour?" suggested Gray, looking at his watch which told him it was only nine in the morning. It was agreed, and Brian and Nick left the room. Gray opened his mouth to say something after they were gone, but Lauren cut in before he could say a thing, "Before you say anything, Gray, I just want you to know that I'm not listening to you...I'm not gonna listen to anything you have to say to me about last night!"

"Whoah there," said Gray with a smile, "Don't get so defensive there, Laur....I'm not gonna say anything!" Lauren gave him a skeptical look, as she headed for the bathroom again. "Hey guys!" called Bailey's voice from outside the bathroom, "are you guys okay?"

Lauren exited the bathroom and saw both Faren and Bailey standing with Gray. "Laur," said Faren, "how about that storm last night?! I've never seen anything like it!" Lauren nodded, but Gray said, "Yeah...Lauren was so scared, she was practically peeing her pants! But then again, she did have Brian to protect her!"

Lauren slapped him on the head, as Bailey and Faren stood there totally oblivious. "What did the two lovebirds do this time?" asked Faren with a laugh. Before Lauren could defend herself, Gray blurted out, "They slept together!!"

Bailey's mouth dropped open and Faren, for once, was speechless. "We did NOT sleep together, you asshole!" Lauren exclaimed, "we just fell asleep on the same bed! What's the big deal?!"

"Good work, Laur," said Faren, patting her on the back, "macking up the Backstreet Boys! I've taught you well!" Lauren smiled, but didn't incriminate herself further by saying anything. The four were soon ready, and made their way up to the dining room.

************************

"Lauren, can you trust me?" asked Nick. The group of nine were sitting by the pool, tanning and swimming. Despite the previous night's storm, the sky was cloudless and it was warm. As the boat sailed, Nassau could be seen out in the distance, as they would arrive there late that night. Lauren was in the pool, along with Nick.

"What are you talking about?!" exclaimed Lauren, looking skeptically at Nick. "Can you trust me?" he asked again, looking totally serious. "I think you have serious problems!" she laughed, as she swam over to a floating raft and hopped on, "I think all the sun has damaged that brain of yours! Why would you ask that?"

Nick shrugged and said, "I'm being totally serious.....do you trust me?" Lauren looked at him, and through the pathetic puppy-dog look he was giving her, he looked like he was trying to say something serious for a change. "Of course I trust you, Nick....why would you even doubt that?"

He shrugged again, then said, "I don't know....we've only known each other for like 5 days...I just wanted to make sure we're..ya know, friends."

"Of course we're friends!" Lauren laughed, "but I think there's another reason you're asking me all this...isn't there?" Nick smiled sheepishly as he pushed his hair out of his face, "Can I ask you something?"

"If this has to do with Brian, I'm telling you now, Nick, that......" Lauren began, bur before she could finish, a loud voice startled her. "LAUREN!" she heard Gray's voice call from the pool deck. "What?!" she called back, turning away from Nick and facing him. "Come here!!" he called, motioning for her to get out of the pool. To Lauren, his voice sounded a little off.

"What?" asked Lauren, as she swam to the side of the pool where Gray was standing with Nick close behind her. The others were tanning and talking. "I think you better get out of the pool," said Gray monotonously. Lauren hopped out, a little nervous that something was going on. "What's wrong?" asked Lauren again, grabbing her towel. Gray took a deep breath and said, "Okay, well you know how I just went back to our room to get my towel and sunscreen?" he asked, fidgeting with his fingers nervously. "Yeah," she said nodding, wondering where this was leading. Nick was also out of the pool and listening in on the conversation.

"Well, while I was in there, I heard ringing, and I realized it was coming from my backpack...my cell phone was still in there from before we left because I had forgotten to take it out. So, I answered it, a little confused about who it could be, because it's a long distance call and everything....."

"Does this story have a point?" asked Lauren impatiently. "Yes, just let me finish!" exclaimed Gray, "anyway, I answered it, and it was Nathalie's mother."

"Nathalie's mom?" asked Lauren confused, "why would she call you?"

"Lauren," he said, looking her straight in the eye, "Nat's in the hospital."



Chapter 14

"What?!" exclaimed Lauren, at the same time that Nick asked, "Who's Nathalie?"

"Nathalie's my girlfriend," explained Gray, with no expression on his face as Nick raised his eyebrows, "and the reason she's there is because she got really sick while she was traveling...according to her mom, she's not doing so well."

"W-where is she?!" asked Lauren, totally baffled by this whole thing. "She's back in Orlando," answered Gray, "they rushed her home from Spain or something, and now she's in the hospital."

"Wait, wait," said Nick, "you have a girlfriend?"

"Nick!" cried Lauren, "that's not the point! The point is that one of my best friends is in the hospital, and we can't do anything about it!" Nick held out his hands defensively, and Gray said, "I haven't told Bailey and Faren yet....I'm going to though....what are we gonna do?"

"Well, we can't just swim back to Orlando," said Lauren, "there's no way we can get there until the cruise is over." Gray nodded, and said, "Yeah, well I'm gonna go tell the others." Lauren nodded back, as he went over to where they were sitting. Nick was still standing there in pure shock. "He never told me he had a girlfriend," he mused, "what about all those women he tried to pick up?"

"What's going on?" asked Brian, who had suddenly appeared.

"Gray just told me some bad news....Nathalie's in the hospital," Lauren said solemnly. "Are you serious?!" exclaimed Brian, "that's awful....I'm sorry." Lauren gave a small smile, as Nick said, "Wait, hold up....B-rok, you knew about Nathalie?"

"Yeah, she's Gray's girlfriend, isn't she?" he replied. "How does everyone know her except me?!" Nick said, throwing up his hands, "I didn't even know Gray HAD a girlfriend!"

"Nick?" said Brian, turning his way. "What dude?" he asked. "Shut up!" Brian exclaimed, looking back at Lauren, who was staring off into space. "What are you guys gonna do?" he asked gently. "Well, we can't really go anywhere....I guess we just have to wait until we get off this boat to be able to see her," she answered, staring off in a daze.

Brian nodded, as he watched Gray tell Faren and Bailey the same news. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but their expressions were the same. "Well we get into Nassau tonight....you can call her from there and make sure everything's okay," he suggested, sitting down on the deck chair beside her. "Yeah, I think that's what I'm gonna do," she answered, finally able to look him in the eye. "I could come with you if you want," he offered.

Lauren smiled and said, "Thanks Brian...I'd like that." She put her hand on top of his and rubbed it affectionately.

*************************

Lauren stood out on the deck, looking out at the setting sun, which was almost fully set. She had gone to dinner, but only half-heartedly joined in the conversation. Faren, Bailey and Gray also lacked a certain enthusiasm. The boat had already docked, and from what she knew, Gray had gone off to explore, along with Faren and Bailey and Nick.

"Whatcha doing?" a voice said from behind her. It was unmistakably the voice of Brian. "Hey Brian," she said, "I'm just thinking about stuff......." as she trailed off. "What sorta stuff?" he asked, taking his place beside her on the rail. "About everything that's happened today.....like Nathalie," she replied, brushing her hair out of her face.

"You know everything's gonna be alright, right?" he asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "everything's gonna turn out alright." Lauren shrugged and said, "I've been trying to tell myself that all day, but I can't help but think the worst...I just wish there was something I could do. I feel like I wanna start crying, but for some reason, I can't. I can't think of her in the hospital...it just doesn't make sense."

Brian leaned over and embraced her in a hug. "Do you wanna go call her?" he asked. She nodded, as she grabbed his hand. Together, they walked hand in hand off the boat into Nassau. People were bustling everywhere, and the night just seemed to come alive as they ventured into the town. "There's a pay phone," he said, pointing to a side of a restaurant.

They made their way there, as she reached into her pocket for her phone card. She dialed the pin number and waited for it to be cleared. "Hello, can you please put me through to the Orlando General Hospital?" she asked the operator, after calling Nathalie's house and getting the answering machine.

Within 30 seconds, the other end was ringing. "Hello," the lady said on the other end, "Orlando General Hospital, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I was wondering if there is a patient there by the name of Nathalie Conn?" Lauren said nervously, reaching again for Brian's hand. He took it and waited patiently by the phone. "One second please," the woman said, and then continued, "Yes, she's on floor sixteen....would you like to be put through to her room?"

"Yes please," Lauren said, while the line was clicked over and began ringing again. It rang three times before someone picked up. "Hello?" a voice which sounded like Nathalie's mother said. "Hi, it's Lauren calling....." she said, not really sure what she should be saying.

"Lauren, hi!" she exclaimed, "where are you now?"

"I'm in Nassau and Gray just told me the bad news," she answered, squeezing Brian's hand tighter, "how is she? Can I talk to her?"

"I'm afraid not," her mom said, her voice saddening, "about 3 hours ago Nathalie fell into a coma."



Chapter 15

"Uh huh....yeah....okay, okay...bye," said Lauren, as she hung up the phone on the side of a restaurant in Nassau. "Is everything okay?" asked Brian, who noticed the worried look on her face.

Lauren shook her head no, biting her lip to prevent the tears that were rimming her eyes from falling. "What's wrong? What happened?" asked Brian, getting a little more frantic. She took a deep breath, and said, "Nat's mom just told me that she went into a coma."

"A coma?!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening, "how? How did that happen?!" Lauren shrugged, afraid that if she spoke, she would start to cry. She didn't really want to cry in front of Brian. "Her mom said that she has some sort of blood poisoning, along with some other kind of disease that made her lose consciousness," she managed to say, her voice quavering a bit.

"Oh, Laur, I'm so sorry," he said, holding out his arms. She went into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. One tear that had been lingering on her eyelid fell swiftly down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before Brian saw. "I have to tell Gray," she said, pulling away from the hug, "oh my God, he's going to be so upset!"

"We'll do it together...don't worry, it'll be fine," assured Brian. They wandered around the town aimlessly for almost an hour, when they came across Nick, Gray, Faren and Bailey sitting in a small coffee shop. "Hey guys!" exclaimed Nick, waving them over, "what's up?"

"I have something to tell you all," said Lauren right away, sitting down at the table. "What?" asked Bailey, putting down her coffee. "Well, I spoke to Nathalie's mom an hour or so ago," she began.

"Oh my God," whispered Faren under her breath, but Lauren continued, "and she said that Nathalie fell into a coma this afternoon."

There was silence. The first one to speak was Lauren again, who said, "apparently she has blood poisoning and something else...all I know is that she's not doing so well."

Lauren looked at Brian, who gave her a sympathetic glance, then she looked at the four sitting around the table. Nick was staring at his hands, Faren's eyes were wide open, Bailey's mouth was open, and Gray looked devastated. The silence continued on.

"Are you guys okay?" Lauren asked, after the silence had gone on too long, "I didn't mean to dampen the mood, but I thought it was important that you all know." Faren and Bailey nodded solemnly, but Gray didn't move or say anything.

Lauren winced at the sight of Gray looking so depressed. "Gray, are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered dazedly, "I think I'm gonna head back to the ship....I'm a little tired and we have that tour of the island tomorrow....I'm just gonna go to sleep."

Lauren nodded, as he got up and walked slowly out the door and back towards the ship. "Well," said Faren, "I think we better go back too....see you all tomorrow." Bailey and Faren also left the coffee shop, leaving Brian, Nick and Lauren alone. Lauren could almost feel her heart breaking inside of her chest. "What have I done?" she asked the two rhetorically, "I've single-handedly ruined all three of their nights!"

"That's not your fault," said Brian, "this isn't any easier on you...you had to tell them that Nathalie is sick...it's just a shock for them!"

"Yeah," said Nick, "It just needs to sink in...tomorrow it'll all be better." Lauren rubbed her head and said, "The thing is, Nick, that it won't be better tomorrow! Tomorrow, one of my best friends will still be in the hospital in a coma! And I can't do anything about it!"

She put her head down on the table as another two tears trickled down her face. Not wanting Brian and Nick to see her cry, she wiped them away. "Laur, are you okay?" asked Brian leaning down.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said, sitting up, "I think I better go along back to the ship as well...see ya guys." With that, she quickly walked out of the shop.

"What did I do Frack?" asked Brian, "was it something I said?" Nick shook his head and said, "No....she's just stressed out now..don't worry about it."

*********************************

Lauren opened the door to her room and saw Gray lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey Gray...how are you doing?" she asked, stepping inside and closing the door. He shrugged, and continued to stare.

"Gray, I'm really sorry," Lauren apologized, although she really wasn't sure why she was apologizing, "I know this must be hard and all." Gray sat up and said, "Lauren, you don't have to be sorry....I mean, this must be hard on you too...you've known her for longer than I have."

Lauren kinda shrugged, but then said, "Well, all I know is that we all have to get through this together...if you ever need someone to talk to or anything, I'm here."

"Thanks," he said, smiling a bit, "ya know, Laur, even though we fight a lot, you're still a good friend to me."

"Well, sometimes you're not too bad!" joked Lauren, sitting down on his bed. "Yeah, well, I just wanna say thanks....I guess I'll go to sleep now," he said, pulling back his blanket. "Good idea," she agreed, grabbing a pair of pajamas and changing quickly in the bathroom. When she retreated from there, Gray was still awake and he said, "Oh, and don't worry, I won't make fun of you and Brian again."

"Thanks Gray," she said, climbing into her own bed. "But you like him, don't you?" he asked quickly.

"Good night Gray."



Chapter 16

Lauren, Bailey, Faren, Gray and the Backstreet Boys sat in an open monorail that took them all through the city of Nassau and the outskirts. Lauren tried to put Nathalie out of her mind, but everything she saw on that tour somehow reminded her of her.

"How are you?" asked Brian, who was sitting next to her on the train as he comfortingly put his hand on top of hers. "I'm okay," she replied, "I've been better, but it's all good."

Brian smiled sadly, as the tour guide announced another one of the sights that was coming up on the left. "I have to admire Gray though," she added, turning around and looking at him laughing with Nick in the seat behind her, "he's taking this really well."

"Can you believe that after today there's only three more nights on this cruise?" asked Brian, shaking his head, "this time has gone by so fast!"

Just then, Lauren heard ringing coming from behind her. "Gray, that's your phone!" she said, turning around. "Is it really?" he asked sarcastically. He took it out of his backpack and said, "hello?"

He was silent for about a minute, and then he said, "Okay...sure...yeah, okay...bye."

"Who was that?" Lauren asked, trying to keep herself calm. "It was Nat's mom again," he answered, "she just called to tell me that everything's still the same as it was when she talked to you."

Lauren turned back around, silently wishing that she would stop calling and worrying them all, even though she knew it was for their own good...it was just making it hard for her, Gray, Bailey and Faren to relax.

"Do you think I can ever meet Nathalie?" asked Brian, "when we get off the boat, I mean."

"You'd wanna come meet her?" she asked, almost incredulously, "you mean with us?"

"Well what do you think?" he asked, laughing, "did you think that after this whole thing we'd never speak to each other again?!" Lauren shrugged and said with a smile, "I dunno....but you have Backstreet Boy stuff to do!"

Brian laughed, and said, "Well we do have Backstreet Boys stuff to do, but it doesn't take 24 hours a day to do it...close, but we still have personal time!" Lauren giggled and shrugged. "I just figured maybe you guys would be too busy to see us after this cruise is over," she said with a fake pouty look on her face.

"No way!" he exclaimed, putting his arm around her, "that would never happen!"

"Oh, for God sakes, why don't you guys just kiss already and get it over with?!" AJ exclaimed, who had suddenly turned around and had apparently been listening to their whole conversation.

Lauren looked down and smiled shyly, but Brian just leaned over and punched him on the arm. He blushed embarrassingly, but still kept his arm around her.

Soon, the tour ended, and the group decided to stop for some food. "I am STARVING!" announced Howie rubbing his stomach, "I say we go for some food!"

"I sure wish there was a Mc Donald's here or something!" chimed in AJ. "Yeah," agreed Nick, "I could seriously go for a Big Mac now!" Finally, they all decided on a restaurant, and sat down. Just as they did so, Gray's phone rang again. "Goddamn it!" he exclaimed, opening his bag and taking it out, "I think I should turn this bloody thing off!" but then answered it.

Lauren watched him talk out of the corner of her eye, while Nick was trying to explain to her the difference between a Whopper and a Big Mac. "Have you even been listening to anything I'm saying?" he asked, exasperated. "Yeah, sure I have Nick," she answered, still watching Gray, "I just need to hear what Gray's saying." Nick made a noise, but stopped talking. At that moment, Gray pressed the off button. "So?" she asked anxiously.

"So," said Gray, "her mother is calling me now every two hours! I mean, I'm concerned and all, but I can't go on like this......she's making me so anxious! I think I'm turning it off....if it's terribly important, she'll leave a message."

Lauren nodded, relieved that the phone wouldn't ring again. "I just wish there was some way we could talk to her," commented Bailey, to no one in particular, "it'd just be so much easier."

The day went on, and the group ventured out to see parts of Nassau that they hadn't seen yet. They were scheduled to leave the port around seven or so, and then make their way back to Orlando.

Lauren stood on the basketball court on the ship after dinner, after watching the boat sail away from the Nassau port. She was all by herself, as she bounced the basketball which someone had left out on the court. Along with her thoughts of Nathalie, she also thought about how weird it was going to be after they got off the ship.

She shot the ball into the air, as it fell perfectly into the net. "Nice shot," Brian's voice said from behind her. "Geez, you scared me!" she laughed, retrieving the ball. "Sorry," he apologized, "why are you out here all by yourself?"

Lauren shrugged, as she passed the ball to him, "I guess I'm just thinking again...I'm doing way too much of that these days!" Brian smiled, as he walked closer to her. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, "it makes me sad to see you so depressed!"

"I'm fine Brian, I promise," she answered, smiling honestly, "it's just been a crazy time, hasn't it? I mean, I know it sounds kinda bad, but I kinda wish that Nathalie's mom hadn't called us.....that way maybe we all could have enjoyed the end of our vacation a little more...not that I haven't enjoyed it!" Brian laughed, and she continued, "I've had a really, really good time with you guys...especially with you."

Brian smiled and blushed, as he moved closer to her. Lauren noticed right away how his blue eyes practically glowed in the dark, and the smile on his face was bright enough to light a thousand rooms. He looked into her eyes, as he brushed a stand of hair from her face. His hand lightly touched her cheek, as she smiled shyly.



Chapter 17

Brian's face was about six inches away from Lauren's. Butterflies swarmed around in her stomach, as he drew his face closer to hers. He gently placed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss.

The two stood there, kissing for what seemed like an eternity. Lauren became oblivious to the world around her, as she realized how much she had liked Brian the whole time she had been on the cruise, she just hadn't admitted it to herself.

He pulled away and smiled. "I've been wanting to do that since I met you," he said gently, his arms still wrapped around her waist. Lauren was speechless; she didn't know what to say at that moment without sounding incredibly corny! She just stood there, smiling like a goof ball. "So..." he said, but was immediately cut off by Lauren leaning over and kissing him again.

*****************************

"Do you think anyone's on the court?" asked Gray, as him and Nick made their way up to the top deck. "Naw," answered Nick, "what time is it? It's almost nine...there's no way people are playing now....everyone's probably at the bar and stuff!"

Gray nodded, as the two rounded the corner to the court. "I don't hear any...." Nick announced, but stopped dead in his sentence when he saw Brian and Lauren kissing on the court. He pushed Gray back around the corner, as he stood there with an amazed look on his face.

"Dude, I wanna see!" Gray exclaimed, in a loud whisper, trying to get past Nick so he could have a clear view. "I can't believe that they're kissing!" Nick whispered back, only letting Gray peek around, "it's taken long enough!"

Gray laughed loudly, and all of a sudden the kissing couple stopped. "Did you hear that?" whispered Lauren to Brian. "Yeah, it sounded oddly enough like....."

"Gray!" she finished in a whisper. All of a sudden, they heard Nick say loudly, "Dude! Shut up! Do you want them to hear us?!" Lauren giggled, her arms still wrapped around Brian's neck. "It's too late!" answered back Brian, as Nick and Gray emerged from the corner with guilty looks on their faces.

"We didn't mean to spy," confessed Nick, "but we were gonna play basketball, and we just happen to see you guys, uh....."

"Kissing!" exclaimed Gray, with a huge smile on his face. He giggled, and Nick giggled along with him. "Okay guys," Brian said, taking Lauren's hand, "we'll let you have the court."

"Good, now you guys can go do your dirty business elsewhere!" Nick exclaimed. Lauren laughed, as Brian led her off the court. Right before she left, however, both Nick and Gray gave her a thumbs up sign. Lauren smiled at them, feeling as though she was on top of the world.

"So, where do you wanna go?" asked Brian, walking with her down the deck, hand in hand. "Well, how about to your room?" suggested Lauren, slyly. "Lauren!" he exclaimed, putting his arm around her, "I didn't know you were that kinda girl!"

She shrugged and smiled. "Well, my room it is...at least we know Nick won't be here!" he said, sliding his card key through the lock.

*******************************

"So, where's everyone else?" asked Faren, who was sitting at a table in a bar with AJ, Bailey, Kevin and Howie. "I'm not sure," answered Kevin, "Nick and Gray are probably together, and most likely Brian and Lauren are together."

"Those two better get busy already!" exclaimed AJ, laughing a little, "they've been flirting for the past week and neither of them will make the first move!" Howie laughed, and Bailey said, "Yeah, I've noticed that too! It's taken them long enough already...enough is enough!"

*******************************

"I'm kinda afraid to go back to my room!" said Nick, after him and Gray had finished their game, "I don't wanna walk in on Brian and Lauren!" Gray laughed, and said, "Well, I have to stop off at my room anyway to see if Nathalie's mom left any more messages on my phone, so we'll be safe in there!"

The two boys walked down the hall to Gray and Lauren's room, and opened the door. There, they saw once again, Brian and Lauren kissing on her bed. "Damn!" called out Nick, letting the two know they had visitors, "don't you two ever give up?!"

Brian was on top of Lauren, but sat up quickly, embarrassedly. Lauren also sat up, smiling a bit. "Why are you guys even in here?" asked Gray, reaching for his backpack. "Yeah," added Nick, "why wouldn't you guys be in my room?"

"Well we were," explained Lauren, "but then we figured you'd go back there, so we moved here." Nick and Gray both laughed at the same time, as Gray checked for messages. "Well, whatdya know? I have three new messages!"

He punched in his code, then listened. "All from Nathalie's family....all saying the same thing," he reported, hanging up his phone again. "Well, that's all well and good," said Lauren, who was getting a little anxious having both Nick and Gray watching her and Brian on the bed, "but do you think you guys could....I don't know....um, leave?"

Brian nodded, and Gray said, "Oh, I see! So, now I'm not even allowed in my own room! Fine, I can take a hint....let's go Nick!" With that, he twirled around dramatically and left the room, with Nick close behind him.

Lauren shook her head disgustedly at his performance. "He is so melodramatic!" she laughed, kissing Brian again gently on the lips. "Well, at least they're gone," Brian said, his lips making their way down to her neck.

*****************************

"Well, you guys will never guess what!" Nick announced, approaching the table in the bar where Bailey, Faren, Howie, AJ and Kevin sat. "What....you've finally reached puberty?" guessed AJ, laughing.

Gray laughed, as Nick stuck his tongue out at AJ. "No," he said indignantly, "Brian and Lauren finally got together!"

"Really?!" exclaimed Bailey and Faren at the same time. Gray nodded and said, "Yeah, we've already walked in on them twice!"

"That's so good!" said Bailey, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Kevin smiled and said, "All I can say, is it's about time!"



Chapter 18

"I just cannot believe that by this time tomorrow, we will be off this ship," mused Howie, as the group sat on the top deck of the boat, by the pool. They had formed kind of a circle formation, and they were all sitting on deck chairs. "It definitely doesn't seem like it's been two weeks," added Bailey.

"I think it's kinda sad," said Lauren, who was sharing a chair with Brian. His arms were wrapped around her and she was situated in his lap, "I mean, we've all become such good friends and all...it's gonna be weird not being with all of you every minute of the day."

Brian kissed the top of her head, and Nick said, "Well, we all live close by...we can visit each other." Kevin nodded, but Faren said, "Yeah, but we all know that it can't really be the same...you guys are Backstreet Boys for God sakes!"

All of a sudden, a chill went down Lauren's spine. She knew exactly why, but didn't say anything about it at that time. "Isn't there a big party tonight?" asked Gray looking up from the skateboarding magazine he was reading. "Yeah, in the common room," replied AJ, "it's like a goodbye party or whatever."

It was only noon, but Lauren was sure that the time between now and when they were to leave the ship was just going to fly by. "Are you guys going straight to the hospital after we get off the boat?" asked Kevin, somewhat out of the blue.

Lauren looked at Faren, who shrugged, then looked at Bailey, who looked about as confused as Faren. She then looked at Gray, who answered, "I think we have to...or else my phone may explode!"

Nick giggled, but Lauren was still concerned. She was concerned about many things, one being Nathalie, the other being Brian.

*********************************

"Laur, you look absolutely gorgeous," said Brian, taking her by the hand and pulling her close to him for a kiss. She blushed and said, "Thanks....you also look so handsome!"

They were on their way to the goodbye party the ship was holding for all the guests. The affair called for black tie optional, and thankfully Lauren had chosen to bring one of her fanciest dresses. "You laughed at me when I brought it," she had said to Gray while they were getting changed, "and you also laughed when I told you to bring a fancy suit....guess who was right, as usual?!"

Gray had just scoffed at her, but was wearing it anyway. The truth was, Bailey had found out somehow ahead of time that there may be fancy occasions, so she had told them all to pack accordingly.

Brian was also wearing a suit, and so were the rest of the guys who were standing close behind him. AJ however, being the rebel he was, had chosen the oddest suit Lauren had ever seen! It totally fit his personality though!

The group walked toward the entrance to the room, and as soon as they entered, Lauren had to gasp. The place was all done up in decoration and there was a live bland playing on stage! "Wow, I can't believe they went to all this trouble to throw us a party!" she exclaimed, to no one in particular.

"Well, you can be my date for the Grammy's...if we ever get there!" joked Nick, readjusting his tie. Lauren laughed, along with Brian. Lauren almost couldn't believe that this was their last night together as a group. "Hey, do you wanna dance?" asked Brian, holding out his hand. "Of course I do...although I'm warning you....I'm not a very good dancer!" she answered, giggling a bit.

Brian smiled and led her out to the floor. The band was playing a slow song, as Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck, moving closer to him. There was already a whole bunch of people on the floor, as they swayed back and forth. "So, what are you guys gonna be doing once you get back into the swing of things?" she asked.

"Well, we're gonna be doing a lot of promotional stuff at home, as well as in New York and maybe even Canada and the UK....see, our album is coming out there in August, so we're gonna be there doing stuff like that," he answered.

"Oh..." she trailed off, realizing just then how much a Backstreet Boy actually traveled. Brian could sense the unsureness in her voice, and said, "Don't worry €bout it....ok?" His smile and the way his eyes seemed to just twinkle made Lauren feel better.

They danced for a while more, and then went back to the group, who had periodically been up on the dance floor. "Lauren?" said Nick, from across the table where they were sitting, "may I have this dance?"

"Sure, Nick," she answered, getting up and joining him. Ya know," he started, "I'm really happy for you and Brian...I know we sometimes make fun of you and stuff, but I'm really glad things worked out."

"Thanks Nick!" she said, surprised at his sincerity, "I really appreciate that!"

"And, I know you're worried about what's gonna happen after the cruise is over," he continued, "but trust me....Brian really, really likes you, and he's not gonna let any simple thing get in the way of you two."

Lauren's mouth almost dropped open in shock. "Nick!" she exclaimed, with mockery in her voice, "you can be so nice when you want to!"

"When I want to?!" he answered, still dancing with her, "what are you talking about?! I'm ALWAYS nice!"

Lauren laughed, and said, "I know, I know.....you're a really good friend Nick...thanks." And with that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled shyly to himself and blushed, as they continued to dance. The night went on, and more dancing was done, and all in all, they had a fun time. Soon, it was almost two in the morning and time to leave.

Lauren sighed, as Brian walked her back to her room. "What's wrong?" he asked, "that was one heavy sigh!"

She moved closer to him, and he put his arm around her. "I don't know," she said, "It's just so weird that tomorrow we will all be in different places...."

"Well it won't be THAT different," he answered, "It's just that I'll be working, and you'll be around, taking care of Nathalie." Lauren shrugged, but couldn't help thinking to herself if things were gonna be the same.



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