| Chapter Seven �Hey guys,� Patty greeted. �Hi,� Kevin cooed. �Hey, Patty, how have you been since this morning?� Nick asked, kissing Patty�s cheek and putting his arm around her shoulders. �Just fine, sweets,� Patty answered, kissing his cheek. �Let me introduce you all to JC Chasez from *Nsync.� Brian nodded, recognition lighting his features. �We�ve never been formally introduced.� His southern accent sounded so genuine. �How do?� He asked, extending his hand to JC. �Fine.� JC shook his hand. �Thanks for asking.� Kevin shook hands with him, then AJ, and then Howie. When JC looked around to shake Nick�s hand, he noticed that Nick and Patty had broken away from the crowd and were talking quietly. �So,� JC started to break the silent tension, �how are sales?� Brian yelled and lunged towards him. �I�m gonna fucking kill him!� AJ and Kevin grabbed Brian and held him back. Patty and Nick looked over at the commotion but continued talking. Howie was trying to talk Brian calm. JC had stepped back, and was staring at Brian, shocked. �Brian, damn it! Calm down!� Howie demanded. �We don�t need this shit right now.� �He didn�t have to be so fucking smug,� Brian hissed. �He was trying to make conversation,� Kevin reasoned. Brian took a deep breath. �Let me go,� he whispered. When Kevin and AJ didn�t respond, Brian yelled, �Let me the fuck go!� Kevin, AJ, and Howie jumped back. Brian ran a hand through his short blonde curls. He walked up to JC, who had been watching silently. Brian extended his hand. JC shook it hesitantly. �Sorry, man,� Brian apologized. JC nodded, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. �It�s cool.� �Really?� Brian asked. �Yeah. No hard feelings.� �Okay, I�ll take your word for it,� Brian said and grinned. The incident had been forgotten. JC was staring at Nick and Patty. So that�s her boyfriend, he thought, dismayed. Jeez. *~*~* Patty was trying to get it through Nick�s head that it would not be a good idea to try to finish the new album in a week. Patty sighed. �It will sound better if we take our time on it. Besides, the last album has only been out a couple of months.� Nick�s eyes got sad. �But I want to have a life also. I miss my mom.� Patty touched his face. �Is that what�s been bothering you?� she whispered. Nick nodded. He looked into her dark brown eyes. They were alight with tenderness and concern. What I would do to kiss her right now, he thought. They heard Brian yell and that broke the spell. Patty stared wide-eyed as Brian made to punch JC. When she stepped toward the fight, Nick grabbed her arm and pulled her back. �Hey, it�s okay,� Nick assured her. �He does this all the time. I always get the bad rap for being the one with the temper, but Brian�s the one with certain buttons that can�t be pushed.� Patty shrugged. He didn�t hurt JC, she thought, so it�s okay. Nick�s eyes narrowed when he saw Patty�s concern for JC. He was instantly jealous but vowed to stay calm. Patty may be starting to like JC, but Nick would change that. Nick grinned to himself. Yeah, he�d get this girl. Definitely. Patty was busy watching Brian shake JC�s hand and sighed in relief that the tension was gone. Nick was busy watching her. She�d felt a tinge of attraction for him when she touched his face and looked into his ocean blue eyes and didn�t know what to make of it. She smiled to herself. After a two-month dry spell, she now had a choice between two of the most sought after men in the country. It�s the dress, she thought. It has to be. Chapter Eight HOME |