Part 6:
Let The Stars
Overwhelm You
“Leslie?”
Pushing open the front door Kristin loaded in three large shopping bags as well
as her gym bag depositing them in the entryway.
“Hey
stranger.” Grinning down over the upstairs railing Leslie came down the stairs
Nate curled up in a bundle in her arms.
“I’m
sorry I’m so late.” Signaling to the bags on the floor Kristin sighed. “After
my workout I could just hear Bloomindales calling my name!”
“Oh
what did you get.” Feigning interest Leslie waited while Kristin dragged hanger
after hanger out of the bag showing her each item, never once stopping to give
Nate a kiss or to tell him hello.
“So
what do you think?”
“I
think you had fun.”
“Oh
hey little Man, how’s my boy doing?” Reaching out Kristin pulled Nate into his
arms his bright eyes shining.
“Les,
will you take this stuff upstairs for me please.” Kristin asked planting soft
kisses all over Nate’s cheeks.
Picking
up the bags a scowl on her face Lily wondered when she had become the woman’s
maid instead of nanny.
“Oh
hey Leslie.” Lily stood up a big smile on her face, the bags draped over her
arms. “Did my husband call while I was gone?”
Shaking
her head Lily headed upstairs. “Nope, you got a few calls from salesmen but
that was it.”
“That’s
strange.” Kristin mumbled to herself following behind Leslie upstairs. “I
wonder why he wouldn’t call?”
*
* *
Kevin
walked out onto the balcony of his hotel room his cell phone in one hand a good
stiff drink in the other.
Looking
up at the sky, so thick with pollution he thought he could make out the tiniest
smattering of stars desperately trying to blink their way through to the city
below.
It
wasn’t like nights growing up in Kentucky. The nights where he and his friends
would climb up onto the roof of his home and count the stars until they fell
asleep.
Punching
the digits of his home phone into his cell he waited patiently as it rang the
mandatory four times until the voice finally picked up. Frustrated he pushed
the end button and tossed the phone to the chaise lounge in the corner.
“Where
the hell are you Kris?” Taking a swig of his Gin and Tonic he braced his elbows
on the balcony railing watching the lights from the traffic below.
For
some reason he had just assumed that this wife would be sitting by the phone
waiting for him to call for an update on her and their son. He expected her
tone to be frazzled, her mood to be sentimental. He expected to hear his son
whimpering in his mother’s arms wishing his daddy would scoop him up in his
arms and sing him a lullaby.
But
instead all her heard was the monotone computer message on the other end of the
line taunting him with the fact that he was hundreds of miles away from the
ones he loved.
Shifting
his weight from one foot to the other he winced at the pain in his back. Pain
from sitting on that god forsaken bus all day long with nothing to do but try
and avoid a “hopped up on Fun Dip” Nick.
Sure
he was able to stretch out in the Queen sized bed in his room and rest once and
awhile. But even then the bumps of the uneven road made him uncomfortable and
the hum of the tires on the blacktop irritated him so he wound up back up front
sitting on the couch staring at the t.v. until his head hurt.
God
how he hated the road.
He
hated the confinement and the rigidity. Especially after being free to do as he
pleased for so long. The only time he had really enjoyed the road was when he
and Lily had been together.
Lily.
Fuck,
he hadn’t thought of her name in so long it made his stomach clench.
Whenever
he found himself wandering back to that time in his life he was quick to snap
himself back to the present before her name could stroke his consciousness.
How
the hell had it slipped through?
It
had slipped through because the last time the band had been on tour was during
her pregnancy with Kayden.
At
the time Kevin craved each hour, each minute, each second with Lily and being
on the road was magical to him, knowing what awaited him at the end of each
small journey.
He
loved the feeling of sneaking away from the prying eyes of his bandmates, the
media and the fans to return to the home he and Lily had shared in St. Thomas.
It was his own little world in the middle of the madness of being a Backstreet
Boy. Everything had been so perfect.
Glancing
back up to the sky again he thought he could see a few stars breaking through
the thick layer of pollution. It reminded him of Lily and how much she had
loved the stars. How she liked to lie in the grass, feet bare, arms
outstretched and let the stars overwhelm her.
The
first night Kevin had seen her doing it he remembered laughing.
“What
are you doing baby?” He smiled as he stood over her blocking her view of the
night sky.
“Kevin,
you’re in my way!” She giggled tapping his ankle with her foot. “If you’re
going to be out here you have to either lay down and share the moment with me
or go back inside.” Looking around as if to make sure nobody was watching them,
Kevin sat down rolling onto his back beside her his hand resting on her swollen
belly.
“So
if I’m choosing to share the moment with you what do I do now?”
“Okay,
just close your eyes and relax your body.” Her voice was smooth as silk making
him want to do a hell of a lot more at that moment then relax his body.
“Are
you relaxed?”
“Not
exactly.” Moving his hand up her body he rested it on one of her breasts a smile
on his face.
“Kevin!
I’m serious.” Picking up his hand she tossed it off of her. “If you aren’t
going to take this seriously then you have to go back inside.”
“Okay,
okay. I’ll be serious.”
“Thank
you. Now, are your eyes closed.”
“Yes
Baby.”
“And
is your body relaxed?”
Exhaling
he let his body melt into the thick carpet of grass beneath him.
“Yes
baby.”
“Okay,
now on the count of three open your eyes and let the stars overwhelm you.”
“Huh?”
Opening his eyes he propped himself up on one elbow trying to etch a permanent
picture in his memory of her at the moment. Lying on her back in the grass the
moonlight casting a pale glow around the silhouette of their unborn child.
“When
you open your eyes your going to feel like the stars are surrounding you,
pulling you up to meet them. Overwhelming you.”
“Have
you been drinking?”
“Kevin
for once just trust me.” He could see her lips part in a smile making him grin.
“I
always trust you Lily.” Lying back in the grass he again relaxed his body,
closing his eyes as he slowly counted to three.
“Okay
Kevin open your eyes.”
Opening
his eyes he expected to see the same black sky with it’s twinkling stars but
instead what he was experiencing was incredible.
The
stars were overwhelming him.
“Do
you feel it?” She whispered taking his hand in hers.
“I
feel it Lily.” Kevin smiled, as each star seemed to find its place around him
making him one with the sky.
“What
do you feel Kevin?”
“Lily,
I feel alive.”
“Kev?”
Jumping,
Kevin dropped his glass to the balcony floor.
“Shit.”
A.J. lunged forward to try and save the glass but it was too late as tiny
shards of glass mixed with liquid shattered into a zillion tiny pieces all over
the stone floor.
“Sorry.”
A.J. shrugged as Kevin reached for the phone and dialed the front desk.
“Yeah,
can we get a someone up to penthouse three. I dropped a glass on the balcony
and need it cleaned up immediately. Thanks.”
Looking
at A.J. with a scolding look on his face A.J. just smiled.
“Those
looks don’t work on me anymore you know.”
“Yeah
I know but I thought it was worth a try.”
“Did
you get in touch with Kris yet?” Moving to the side to let Kevin back into the
penthouse as A.J. fell in step behind him.
“Nope,
Nate’s probably asleep and she’s letting voice mail pick up.” Throwing himself
on the couch remote control in hand Kevin turned on the t.v.
“Didn’t
the nanny start today?” Flopping down beside him A.J. kicked his feet up onto
the iron and glass coffee table signaling for Kevin to change the channel.
“Yup.”
Despite pretending to not be uptight about not being able to get in touch with
Kris A.J. could tell it was burning Kevin up inside.
“So
maybe they all went out to dinner or something?”
“You
could be right.” Stopping on a baseball game A.J. reached for the remote
yanking it out of Kevin’s hand.
“Next.”
He deadpanned quickly flipped the channel.
“So
where’s my roommate?” Even though he had to share the bus with Nick he had
wound up with Brian for his roommate on the tour.
“He
and Nick and drawing straws to see where he go for dinner.”
“No,
really?” Grabbing for the remote control Kevin punched it forward off of the
VH1 documentary on Debbie Harry that A.J. had selected.
“They
have to get their kicks somehow. This tour is going to make us all feel like
we’re twelve again.” Rolling his eyes A.J. stood up stretching out his legs.
“So
you going to come with us to dinner once those two decide?”
“I
don’t know.” Glancing at the silent phone in his hand Kevin willed it to ring.
“Hey
Kev, she has your cell phone number and you have your cell phone. You can call
from the restaurant.”
Feeling his stomach growling Kevin
smiled.
“You’re right. I could use some fresh
air after being cooped up on that bus all day anyway.” Standing he grabbed for
a hat and his cell phone and followed A.J. out the door.
***
