Chapter 26
It was
There were too
many memories.
Memories so
sweet that he ached.
With a heavy
heart he crept into the living room and sat down on the couch. There, his
scowl gave way to an expression of sorrow, hopelessness...despair. Months
had passed and yet the pain of losing the only girl he'd ever truly loved was still
as fresh as it was the first day of the wretched year. How could it
not? Katarina was the only girl who made him
feel like Nick Carter, the man. Not Nick Carter, Backstreet freak.
His agony filled eyes surveyed the once cheery room. Sure, it still
looked the same...but the light...
The light was
gone.
Nick sighed
and put his head in his hands, remembering all too well the precious moments
they'd shared in this room.
"I...I'm
just so happy Nick...being here with you...makes me so happy."
His eyes darkened.
Was it that easy for her to lie? Was he that easy to fool? Nick
stood and moved to the window, staring not at the trees illuminated by the
moonlight, but his horrid reflection...the dark circles under his blank
eyes...his shaggy locks...the scars that would forever mark his face...
And he
realized just how pathetic he really had become.
Am I really
letting some girl ruin my life any more than it already is...? Am I
really that stupid?! He shook his head in disgust. This had to stop. A
sheet of frigid ice froze over the emotions that flickered in his eyes and he
retreated to his bedroom, once again letting the anger win. He would get
some rest. He would wake up early in the morning and ask Caroline to cut
his hair. He would hide his face from the world once more.
And he would
live the rest of his pitiful existence hating the woman he loved more than his
own life.
***
Rachel applied
her ruby red lipstick, smiled at her radiant appearance and left her washroom
in a hurry to see her boyfriend of 5 months. She grinned when she saw him
sitting on her couch, looking relaxed and unbearably sexy.
"Hi!"
Kevin's lips
curled into a smile. "Hey Rach."
She sat on the
couch and snuggled up against him, placing a hand on his chest and running it
up and down his torso suggestively. "So...what are we doing
today?"
"Well, I
thought we'd just stay in an--"
That was
enough for her. She pounced on him, pressing him into the couch.
"Good," she grazed her lips against his, hardly aware that he
stiffened in revulsion, "I wanna stay in too."
"Rachel,
that's...not exactly...OW! You bit me!!"
She
laughed. "Sorry...I guess I got a little carried away."
"I
guess..." he sat up, forcing her to get off him.
Rachel was not
amused. "Kevin! We've been seeing each other for months
now! I was hoping that--"
"Rach, I told you that I like taking things slow," he
smiled again, "besides, it's not like we haven't done it before
right? I'm sure that you can wait a while longer."
She tamed her
appetite as soon as those words left his lips. The last thing she needed
was for him to figure out that she was so desperate because she HADN'T bedded
him. She smirked inwardly. But I will...all I need is a little
patience...
"Why
don't you tell me about your family?"
Rachel rolled
her eyes. "What family? My dad left after I was born. My
mom was a waitress. The end."
Kevin
frowned. "Surely there's more to them than that."
"Why do
you care?"
"Because...you're
my girlfriend. Why wouldn't I care?"
An odd feeling
stirred in her stomach then. He cared about her?! She frowned.
Kevin raised
an eyebrow. "What?"
"I don't
understand..." She shrugged off her sudden inhibitions and forced a
playful smile on her face. For now, she would concentrate on her boy
toy. "Never mind. How about if we go out for lunch
today...?"
***
Brian answered
on the first ring. "Any change?"
"No,
nothing's working Brian! I don't know how much longer I can keep this
up. I can only throw up so many times..."
He swallowed a
chuckle. The issue was too serious and he knew that Kevin wasn't kidding
around. "She hasn't even slipped once?"
"No...but
she sure as hell is getting more antsy to get me to sleep with her
again...well, maybe not again...I don't know! Shit this is bad!"
Brian shook
his head. "Kevin, don't you quit now. You need to get Kristin
back."
"That's
just it Brian...this has gone on for so long that I'm beginning to think that
even if I find out the truth it'll be too late."
"She
loves you man. I know she does."
"I used
to think so...but lately she's just been so distant." His voice
wavered. "I haven't even seen her lately. She keeps making up
excuses not to meet me..."
Brian hated to
admit it, but that didn't sound good. Not one bit. "Kevin,
just...just hang in there okay? You can't let Rachel win. You're
not a quitter." He heard him sigh.
"I'm
gonna keep tryin' Cuz. I'll give it everything I've got, but I can't help
wondering if it's all in vain..."
***
"I knew
it was a good idea to see her!" A.J exclaimed in satisfaction while grinning
at Sarah from across the bedroom.
She laughed.
"For
once, you were right A.J," Howie chuckled, "but if you tell anyone I
said that, I'll deny it!"
"Whatever
dude! So, what's the plan now?"
"Well,
she's going to break off the engagement."
"It's
about damn time!" A.J followed Sarah, their hands intertwined, downstairs
and into the kitchen, where their adorable dogs were waiting with tails
fiercely wagging. "This Kris guy sounds like a real prick."
"You're
telling me! I've never wanted to physically hurt anyone this badly in my
entire life!"
It was A.J's turn to chuckle. "Well isn't that
interesting? Sweet D wants to kick some ass!"
"Anyway,
Billie's coming to
"And of
course, you'll be heading back to your place for some boo-tay!"
"A.J!"
Both Howie and Sarah exclaimed at the same time, causing him to laugh his head
off.
"I'm just
messin'! Geez you two..."
***
"Are you
sure you're going to be all right here all by yourself?" Billie eyed
her sister warily.
Katarina rolled her eyes. "Billie! I'm going to be 20 years
old in a matter of days! I think I can handle being on my own for a few
hours!"
"I know
you can. It's just that you've been so out of it lately..."
"I'll be
fine. Go have fun with Howie. You both deserve it."
Billie
sighed. "All right..." she cleared her throat, "uh...I
might not come...home tonight..."
Katarina smiled. "You don't have to explain. Just have fun
and...uh...well, you know."
They laughed
and shared a bear hug. "Love you sis."
"Love you
too."
As soon as she
was out the door, Katarina locked it and retreated to
Billie's bedroom. Okay Rina...think.
Where was the last time you saw it... She began to search through her
sister's belongings, hoping to God that she would find what she was looking
for. Nick's life was depending on this. After rummaging
through some pictures of Kris, she finally found it. Her address
book. She sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. Please let
it be in here... She opened the book and immediately went to the
L's.
Larroby....Landon...
She jotted
down the address on a separate sheet of paper, put the address book back where
she found it and flew into her own bedroom and grabbed her telephone.
Minutes later, she had a seat on the plane leaving for
And that
person was Brian Littrell.
With Kris out
of town on business, it was the perfect time to set her plan in motion.
It was time
for Brian to learn the truth.
***
