|
Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 22 Kevin heard the doorbell ring as he turned two slices of French toast, the bottom sides now golden brown. He glanced around the quiet condo and, not yet seeing either of its occupants, went to answer the door. �Hey D.� Kevin left the door open and returned back to the kitchen, his friend following him. �Kev?!� Howie had stopped by to surprise Cheryl with an early morning visit before the guys had rehearsal. Entering the condo, he watched his friend�s retreating form, dressed in black Nike warm-up pants and a black wife-beater. More specifically, Howie noted Kevin�s damp, spiky black hair. �Get caught in a freak rainstorm on the way over?� Kevin shot Howie a wry smile. Although he hadn�t publicized that he�d stayed over at Kristy�s a couple of times now, he didn�t think it came as too much of a surprise. Kevin chose not to respond to his buddy�s teasing. �Here. Make yourself useful,� he said, passing Howie some strawberries to slice as he removed the first two slices of sweetly battered bread from the pan. Kevin paused in the process of dipping two more slices in the egg-mixture, as he heard the sound of light footsteps descending the stairs. He poured a fresh cup of coffee, added a hint of milk and sweetener, and turned, handing it to Kristy as soon as she entered the kitchen. She took a grateful sip, and then kissed him on the cheek as he turned back to the stove. �Morning Kristy,� Howie said, his voice tinged with amusement at the scene he�d just witnessed. He also noticed Kristy�s appearance � khaki cotton shorts, crisp white sleeveless blouse, and damp blond hair pulled back in a claw clip. �Have a nice shower?� Kristy saw Howie�s smirk and correctly assumed what he was thinking. �Get your mind right out of the gutter, Howard.� Howie grinned at his two friends who were now working flawlessly as a French toast-making team. �Well, isn�t this the picture of domesticity?� Cheryl giggled as she silently appeared in the doorway. �Wanna come join the fun?� Howie asked, kissing her softly as she entered the spacious kitchen. Kevin handed Cheryl some other pieces of fruit to peel and slice, ending her idleness. �Sheeze. Always the slave-driver,� Cheryl teased the group�s known perfectionist and organizer. �See what I have to put up with?� Howie chuckled, gesturing to Kevin. �Kris, ya sure you know what you�re getting yourself into here?� �You mean the detail-oriented, schedule-following, goal-making thing? Now what would a pharmacist know about that?� �Oh God, there�s two of them!� Howie gasped. �And they�ve found each other!� Cheryl cried dramatically. �And we�re going to take over the world with our superior organizational skills,� Kevin deadpanned. The group of friends laughed and continued to prepare breakfast and chat companionably. �Spunky, could you hand me the�� Kevin stopped mid-sentence as Kristy placed a large spatula in his hand. �Thanks!� He leaned over to kiss her softly. Cheryl and Howie exchanged an amused glance and resumed their �fruit-salad-duty.� Kristy turned to open a cupboard, looking for a desired serving piece. �I think it�s still in the dishwasher,� Kevin said, answering her unspoken question. Sure enough, that�s where she found the large platter for the French toast slices. �So, when did you two start sharing a brain?� Howie quipped. Kristy grinned, realizing that she and Kevin had been starting to finish each other�s sentences recently. �Oh, about the same time we started sharing a bed,� Kevin replied, expecting � and receiving � a smack in the chest from Kristy. �Kevin Scott Richardson!� Kevin, Cheryl and Howie all cringed at the use of his full name. �Ahh Baby, I�m sorry.� Kevin wrapped his arms around a somewhat resistant Kristy. Kristy didn�t protest, but kept her arms raised between them, preventing Kevin from pulling her completely against him. �You know I was kidding.� Kristy gave him an even stare, and Cheryl was fairly impressed with her friend�s ability to resist him thus far. Kevin gently rubbed her back with his large, strong hands and leaned forward. Kristy felt her resolve start to crumble with the combination of his touch, incredible hazel-green eyes, deep sexy voice and soothing words. �Angel.� He kissed her forehead. �Princess.� He lowered his head and kissed her on the nose. �I love you.� Kevin knew any trace of resistance had dissolved as he drew her lips to his for a long, sensual kiss. Kristy�s hands, which had initially been keeping him at a slight distance, now lay flat on his chest, and as the kiss continued, she slowly moved them up to his shoulders. Cheryl smiled as she turned to Howie. �See? I told you they have this weird affinity for the kitchen!� Howie smiled in return, but was somewhat surprised by his friend�s proclamation. �You don�t play fair,� Kristy said with a mock-pout after the kiss ended. Kevin grinned down at his girlfriend, still wrapped tightly in his arms. �You know what they say� �all�s fair in love and war�!� �Hmmm,� Kristy said with a mischievous smile. �I�ll have to remember that.� Kevin�s pulse quickened at the seductive glimmer in her eyes."Okay guys, don't make me look bad in front of my girl," Howie said as they stood in their starting pose for "As Long As You Love Me." Cheryl and Kristy sat against the mirrored wall of the dance studio where the Boys were practicing their choreography for the upcoming U.S. "Into the Millennium Tour." "Like you need us to make you look bad?" Nick teased, causing Howie and Cheryl to both send him the "evil eye." "Ooh, rough crowd!" "Let's do it!" A.J. commanded, as the music started. Nick started singing, the rest of the guys performing the well-established moves. Although technically still sitting, both Cheryl and Kristy's bodies moved in time with the music - a fact that was not lost on Howie or Kevin. On the line "People say I'm crazy..." both girls grinned at A.J. who improvised some "colorful" choreography. During the chorus Kevin moved into position, singing directly in front of Kristy and making eye contact with her. As chorus ended, Kevin noted the smirk on her face and wondered what she was up to. As he joined Brian to harmonize in the second verse, Kristy held his gaze and slowly licked her bottom lip as he sang the line "Feels like it's deep within me." Kevin's eyes widened and he completely stopped singing and dancing, while Kristy smiled mischievously. The other guys didn't catch exactly what Kristy had done, but couldn't help but notice how Kevin struggled to pick up the moves again. The Boys moved into the section of the song with the choreographed chair routine and Kristy smiled contentedly as she watched her boyfriend and his friends perform with �attitude� as Fatima called for. Cheryl�s gaze slipped from Howie to A.J. as they continued the synchronous hand and body motions. She stared intently at him, transfixed by his movements. Kristy glanced over at her friend and gave her a light elbow in the side, rolling her eyes as Cheryl finally glanced away from A.J. Both girls chuckled quietly as they thought of Cheryl�s fetish for watching A.J. during the chair routine. Despite her long-standing attraction and recent affection for Howie, Cheryl had always been drawn to A.J.�s �style� during that portion of the routine. They finished the song without any other disruptions, and Kevin made his way over to Kristy as soon as it was over. "Damn, girl! You know I'm never going to be able to sing that line again without having seriously impure thoughts!" Kristy giggled and kissed him lightly. "Remember, �all's fair...�� He groaned as he pulled her closer for a deep kiss. "Since Kevin is already taking a break, why don't we make it official? Ten minutes guys," Fatima called out from the far side of the room. Cheryl joined Howie near the stereo and started flipping through the CD holders, looking for some background music. Brian and Nick also gathered by the stereo system, laughing between themselves as they slid a light pink CD into the changer. "I think it's the girls' turn to perform for US!" Brian said with a wide grin. Kristy sent Cheryl an apprehensive look. "What did you have in mind?" Cheryl asked as Howie smiled and pulled her towards the middle of the room. Kristy likewise was moved to the middle of the room, as Kevin walked forward with her still wrapped in his arms. The two girls groaned as the familiar intro to "Baby, One More Time" started. "You've got to be kidding!" Cheryl giggled with a roll of her hazel eyes. Kristy shook her head and whispered something to Cheryl who smiled broadly and nodded. Kristy then walked over to the stereo and selected another track on the CD, filling the room with the light percussion dance beat of "Drive Me Crazy". Cheryl started moving her hips to the beat while Kristy "fluffed" her hair ala Britney and pivoted, strutting back to the center of the floor in step with the music. The two girls danced and sang along, and while they didn�t follow the choreography of the video exactly, they certainly had the general idea. "Every time you look at me... My heart is jumpin', it's easy to see..." Howie watched with a broad smile as Cheryl danced towards him, enjoying the view she presented. Dressed in black linen shorts and a bright blue silk sweater, she was much more conservative than Britney in the "Crazy" video, but Howie thought the way Cheryl moved her body could rival the teen singer any day. Cheryl turned back to the middle of the room, rejoining Kristy as they faked the flirty choreography for their appreciative audience. "Baby thinkin' of you keeps me up all night!" The two girls then grinned at each other and walked towards the back of the room where the Boys had deposited their folding chairs after they'd finished the last routine. Kevin and Howie's eyes widened slightly as the girls drug the chairs behind them and placed them directly in front of their respective Boy. They then sat and mimicked Britney's infamous "cleavage shot", finishing the song with some other familiar dance moves. "Well, I certainly enjoyed that!" Howie chuckled as he drew Cheryl to him for a leisurely kiss. "How 'bout you Train?" Kevin didn't answer Howie's question, since his lips were otherwise occupied.Next: Chapter 23 |