European
Memories
****NEW
YEARS EVE: PARIS, FRANCE****
"Have
you seen my shoes?" Bianca ran around searching frantically for the
remainder of her stage outfit.
"Over
there." Brianna pointed to the far corner of the dressing room, barely
even looking up from the magazine she was flipping idly through.
"Sorry
to bother you," Bianca grumbled, rolling her eyes at Brianna's laziness.
Brianna
just kept on talking as Bianca stalked to the other side of the room. "Can
you believe we're actually in Paris? I've wanted to come here all my
life!"
"I
know." Bianca flopped down on the couch. "The most romantic city in
the world on New Years Eve. It doesn't seem real."
"It's
just so amazing," Brianna sighed. "Tonight's gonna be perfect. I just
know it."
"Alright,
c'mon, Bianca," one of the many stagehands yelled over the bustle.
"It's almost time for you to go on."
****************
The guys stood talking with a reporter to do a quick interview before showtime.
The girl all huddled together talking excitedly.
Bianca
stopped when she heard the ringing of her cell phone. Retreating to a quiet
corner of the small room, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey,
Bianca." She could barely hear the vaguely familiar voice.
"Um,
how did you get this number?"
"I'll
see you later my sweet," the gruff voice replied before the line went
dead.
Bianca
just stood there. "That was weird." Silently, she tried to convince
herself that she should remain unfrightened.
When
she walked back over to Brianna, Nicole, and Ivy they all looked at her
expectantly. "Well, who was it?" Brianna asked.
Oh,
it was a wrong number," she said forcing a smile she hoped wasn't too
noticeably fake. For some reason she didn't have a good feeling about that
call.
Just
then, the guys appeared. Kevin slid his arms around Brianna and asked,
"Are we ready?"
Bianca
walked to the curtains and peeked out at the crowd. She nearly fainted at who
she saw. Nick grabbed her when she tried to take off in the other direction.
"What's
wrong? Baby, are you alright?" He pulled her to him and noticed she was
shaking.
"I'm
not going out there," she sobbed. "I can't!"
The
other walked over and Brianna placed a hand on Bianca's shoulder. "Bean,
sweetie, why not? Everything will be okay...why can't you?"
"Please
don't make me do this. Please?" she looked up and pleaded with Nick.
"Baby,
you know you don't have to; we can say you're sick. You can stay with the girls
and everything will be okay." He gently stroked her hair. "Will you
tell me what you saw?"
Brianna
gently pulled Bianca away from Nick and guided her away from the group,
motioning only for Kevin and Nick to follow. "Bean, what made you so
scared?" Kevin asked from behind Brianna.
"I-I
saw Eric." She started crying again. "He was out there and that phone
call had to be from him," she said as Brianna gave her a hug.
"Phone
call? What phone call?" Apparently Nick was furious.
"Someone
called her cell phone right before this. She told me it was a wrong number, so
I didn't think much of it."
"Are
you sure it was Eric?" Kevin asked.
"Yes,
I'm positive. It was him," she said softly. Shuddering she added, "I
know he saw me 'cause he smiled."
"Baby,
you're gonna be fine. I promise," Nick said wrapping his arms around her.
"Come on, let's get you back to your dressing room."
"NO!
Please don't make me stay in there alone!" Bianca replied frantically.
"Shhh,
darlin'. You'll be with Brianna, Ivy, and Nicole." He kissed her forehead.
"I promise nothing bad is going to happen."
"Okay,"
she agreed reluctantly.
Kevin
leaned closer to Nick. "Um, Nick, I think you're forgetting something. Are
you sure you want them to sit out the performance in the dressing room?"
He kissed Brianna on top of the head and patted her stomach.
Nick's
eyes widened. "Baby, you and the girls should watch from the side of the
stage. Security will be there."
****************
Bianca,
Brianna, Ivy, and Nicole sat in their seats surrounded by security next to the
make-shift stage. It was cold outside, but the stage lights gave out a warm
glow that made the chill only slightly uncomfortable. In the near distance was
the Eiffel Tower, ready to explode with fireworks at midnight.
As
the guys took their places on the stage in their white satin suits, Brianna
felt a twang of loneliness for A.J. She felt so bad about him being all alone
and wanted to kill Cassie for what she did to him. Kevin's voice brought her
out of her trance.
"HELLO
PARIS!!!!" Kevin shouted excitedly over the crowd of mainly teen-age
party-goers. "Tonight we're gonna change things a little. Is that alright
with you guys?" The frenzied response of cheers and screams was
thunderous. Brianna laughed at the thought her unborn baby placing tiny hands
over even-tinier ears to protect itself from the noise its daddy was causing.
Nick
stepped up to the front and took over. "Tonight, we're doing a medley of
our special love songs so all the love birds in the audience can ring in the
MILLENNIUM in a special way." The music started and A.J. stepped from the
shadows.
"From
the first day...that I saw your smiling face..." The crowd
went nuts as the boys sang only their sweetest songs, finishing with "No
One Else Comes Close." Each girl got special attention from their own
Backstreet Boy-friend; A.J. just blew playful kisses at Brianna, much to the
amusement of her and Kevin.
As
soon as their set was over, the guys were escorted off stage and the girls were
ushered to their dressing room. "You guys were great!" Ivy exclaimed.
"Actually,"
Howie answered, "Nick and Kevin came up with the idea.
"I
loved it," Bianca told Nick softly.
Brianna
rushed into Kevin's waiting arms and kissed him deeply. "You'll see
tonight how much I liked your little surprise," she whispered against his
ear. Her whisper, though, wasn't as quiet as she thought and Bianca over-heard.
"Y'all
are gonna fuck again? Is that all you two ever do? Damn, Brianna, I'm gonna
start callin' you Thumper 'cause you two go at it like rabbits!
Kevin
shot her a stony glare and then looked over at Brian with a wink. Brian cleared
his throat. "Hey, guys, what do you say we stay to watch the
fireworks?" Everyone agreed and on their way out, Kevin took Brianna's
hand and motioned for a couple of security guards to follow.
"Baby,
I thought we could take a walk alone. Well, kind of alone," he said
chuckling at the security guards behind them.
They
found a quiet, private spot behind the stage with a wonderful view of the
tower. Kevin pulled her back against him, opened his jacket, and stretched it
around them both. Nibbling lightly on her ear he whispered, "Baby, I love
you." Brianna closed her eyes and mumbled her response as she leaned her
head back on his shoulder. "Darlin', how do you think we'll be spending
next New Years?"
"I
don't know," was the nervous reply. "Things will be different,
definitely. I mean, we'll have another person to take care of. Kevin, honestly,
I'm really scared. What if things change too much between us?"
"Baby,
I hope the only thing that's different next year, other than us being parents,
is that you'll be Mrs. Brianna Richardson instead of Miss Brianna
Chambers." Brianna spun around quickly to look at him; shock was written
all over her face.
Kevin
knelt and looked up at her through tear-filled green eyes. "Brianna will
you make me the happiest person alive and say you'll spend your life with
me?" Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the small, black velvet box.
Brianna
looked at the large, princess-cut diamond, platinum ring in absolute disbelief.
Kevin took her hands, shaking partly from the cold and partly from anxiety, and
slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger. "Please say yes, boo."
Brianna
stammered, clearly taken aback by everything that had happened. "Kevin,
I--I--," she stopped.
"Kevin,
I'm sorry...I can't."
***