|
Everything Your Heart Desires Chapter 48 The group returned to their hotel and Kevin pulled Kristy into his arms as soon as they were inside their room. "So what was that about �waiting till you got me home�?" Kristy teased as she smiled seductively at her boyfriend. Kevin groaned. "I'm afraid we're going to have to postpone what I had in mind... the management set up a last-minute interview for tonight." Kristy sighed and nodded. "I knew it was too good to be true. So what does this one involve?" Kevin shrugged. "Actually, I only caught a few details... I had other things on my mind at the time," he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows as he pulled her to him again. "Kev!" Kristy admonished. "The interview... Remember?" "Yeah, yeah." Kevin reluctantly went to the bedroom to change for the evening. "I think we're supposed to have the interview over dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, then stay and party for a bit." He turned. "Why don't you just come along? The guys won't mind." Kristy shook her head as she followed him into the bedroom. "Thanks, but no thanks. Actually, I wanted to call Cheryl and see if she caught TRL and see how she's doing." Kevin walked over to where she'd sat on the bed and kissed her on top of her head. "You are just so sweet. I'm very lucky to have you in my life," he said sincerely. Kristy smiled up at him and replied just as sincerely, "Thank you. I feel the same way about you." He leaned down and kissed her slowly, the interview forgotten... until they heard a knock at the door. "Ah crap, it's the guys," Kevin said as he grabbed a change of clothes and hurriedly dressed as Kristy left him to answer the door. "Hey Kris... aren't you coming with us?" Howie asked as he eyed her shopping attire. "Nah... room service is calling my name." Kevin emerged in a fresh pair of tailored black slacks and a royal blue short-sleeved sweater. He grabbed his leather jacket and paused to give Kristy a kiss. "Okay, so forget dinner. Meet up with us afterwards... please?" he pleaded with a smile. Kristy pretended to give it serious thought, prompting Kevin to try to persuade her with a thorough kiss. "Oh, okay."Kristy ordered a chicken Caesar salad and iced tea from room service and then called Cheryl. After first trying their apartment, she got ahold of her friend on her cellphone at the Doroughs'. As she'd expected, Howie's "almost-public" apology had been a hit. Kristy also heard about Howie's behind the scenes preparations to have the flowers delivered at his parents, Polly's re-occurring role as co-conspirator, and the family's viewing. She giggled as Cheryl recounted the Dorough's evaluation of her on-screen performance and groaned as she heard about the inevitable discussion during the "You Drive Me Crazy" video. "And with the audience there, I couldn't even smack Nick, A.J. and Brian until AFTER the show!" Kristy grumbled with a laugh. "I hope you smacked them for me too." "Of course!" The two friends giggled. "But I spared Kevin and Howie... D had just done such a good job with his message to you, and I'd put Kevin through enough, that I thought they deserved a break." �So, what big city plans do you have for the evening?� Kristy could hear a touch of sadness in her best friend�s voice. �I�m supposed to meet up with the guys after they finish a dinner interview and go clubbing.� �Oh, sounds fun.� Kristy reassured her friend, �Not nearly as much fun as it would be if you were here too. I miss my partner in crime!� �Trust me, I wish I were there too.� Kristy debated on whether or not to mention Howie again, and instead asked Cheryl about her plans for the evening. �Just a nice, comforting evening at the Dorough�s.� �Momma D�s cooking? That beats out clubbing any day!� Kristy giggled. Cheryl laughed with her friend. �Yeah, then Polly and John mentioned a movie marathon... I�ll probably just crash here.� Kristy was happy her friend had Howie�s family to turn to. She herself wished Kevin�s family lived closer so she could continue to build her relationships with them. �Speaking of family... when do you plan to introduce D to your dad?� Cheryl chuckled. �I�m not sure if he�s recovered from meeting Mom and Chris yet! But we have talked about it... probably fairly soon. What about you? When do you meet the rest of the Kentucky clan?� Kristy smiled. �After Kevin meets my family... fair�s fair. I�ve already gone through the stress once, it�s his turn next!� The girls continued to talk for awhile, confirming their plans for Cheryl to pick Kristy up at the airport the next evening before they said good-bye. Kristy then got ready and called downstairs for the doorman to get her a cab. She arrived at Hard Rock shortly after their designated meeting time, and smiled as she saw a tall blond waiting by the door. "What's wrong, Nicky? Won't the big boys let you play with them?" she teased the youngest member. "Ha ha. I'm actually waiting for you." "Oh." Kristy's forehead creased briefly, then she smiled up at the young man she considered another little brother. "Lead the way." She followed Nick to a large table towards the back of the club-part of the building. She was greeted by A.J., Howie, and Brian � the latter one whistling appreciatively at the sight of his cousin's girlfriend in one of her new outfits. Kristy smiled as she removed her light wrap and revealed her new "little black dress" � an elegant, sleeveless number with straps from the shoulders criss-crossing across her back. "Looks like I missed one hell of a shopping trip today," Brian said with a grin as he made a production of eyeing Kristy from head to toe. "You did," Howie chuckled. "Kev actually bought more stuff for Kris than he did for himself!" Brian inhaled sharply and Nick fanned him with a napkin. "Help! I'm feeling faint! Is it true?" Kristy nodded. "What's next? Kevin giving up closet space for your stuff?" Kristy grinned smugly. "Already has." It was A.J.'s turn to act surprised, although he wasn't really acting. "Willingly?" Kristy smiled, but didn't answer as she looked around the room for her boyfriend. "So, where is Kev?" She continued to scan the crowd for him, missing the silent looks exchanged between their friends. "He and Mel, the reporter, are on the dancefloor with some fans." Kristy smiled as she pictured Kevin and some middle-aged reporter surrounded by teenybopper fans. "C'mon Nicky, this should be entertaining," she said as she tugged on Nick's hand. She didn't see the other guys nod Nick on, knowing that his and Kristy's brother-sister type bond might prove to be valuable. Kristy stopped short of the large dance area as she finally spotted Kevin... surrounded by several attractive young women. One in particular stood out, a tall, gorgeous brunette in a very short skirt that revealed legs that never seemed to end. However, it wasn't the woman's appearance that drew Kristy's attention... it was the way she was acting towards Kevin. "There's Kevin and Melissa." Nick stood back slightly, realizing that Kristy had seen Kevin and his entourage even before he pointed them out. The reporter, Melissa, was clearly flirting with Kevin... Nick could see that across the dancefloor, which meant Kristy had DEFINITELY seen it. Nick turned his attention to Kristy, trying to read her facial expressions. Kristy stood frozen as she watched a few of the women vie for Kevin's attention, while the tall brunette rested her hand on Kevin's chest and said something that made him laugh. Kristy's eyes widened as she saw him move his head to say something in the woman's ear, and the seductive smile she gave him in return. Melissa reached for Kevin�s hand, leading him away from the rest of the group of women to a more open spot on the floor. She placed his hands around her waist as she began dancing in front of him � her movements deliberate as she rubbed up against him. Kevin watched with an amused smile as her provocative dance continued and she sank slowly to the floor, sliding her body against his as she rose up to look him in the eye. She repositioned his hands lower on her back, while Kevin made no effort to remove them as he joined her in dancing. Kristy turned away from the dancefloor and the scene before her, shutting her eyes and exhaling slowly as she tried to rationalize what she'd just witnessed. 'Kevin loves me... and he knew I was coming. He wouldn't cheat on me.' She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. 'He's just with some fans... and that reporter, Mel... Melissa." Kristy's eyes opened and Nick watched as the hurt and sadness in her blue-green eyes was replaced with a flash of anger. "Nick, maybe I should've asked this earlier... how'd the interview go?" Nick cleared his throat in a nervous gesture. "Umm, fine. As usual, I didn't get to say much," he laughed stiffly, trying - unsuccessfully - to lighten the mood. "Mel was really interested in what we have planned for after the tour, our next album, outside interests..." "Kevin's interests?" It was more of a statement than a question. Nick nodded. Throughout the entire interview, it'd been pretty obvious what Melissa's main interest was... namely, Kevin. Kristy nodded slowly and crossed the dancefloor, making her way through the other club-goers, directly to Kevin. She took a deep breath and willed her voice to stay calm. "Hi, Kev." Kevin turned from his dance partner with surprise at the sound of his girlfriend's voice. "Kristy! Hey, Angel." He draped his arm over her shoulders and kissed her lightly. "Kris, this is Melissa - the reporter that interviewed us tonight. Mel, this is my girlfriend, Kristy." Kevin made sure to get the "girlfriend" part right, remembering their fight in Boston too vividly. Melissa eyed Kristy carefully and Kristy recognized the envy in her eyes... like Kevin had said, it came with dating him. "Girlfriend? Hmm, I guess 'the girlfriends' never came up tonight, did they, Kevy?" Melissa asked with saccharine smile. "How convenient," Kristy replied with an even stare. She heard a chuckle from behind them, and turned to see Nick standing there. He caught her eye and winked, making her smile slightly. She turned back to Melissa, wrapping her arm around Kevin's waist as she did so. Kevin could tell Kristy was not happy about Melissa's flirtations, and he correctly guessed she was even more upset with his. Ironically, "Don't Wanna Lose You Now" started to play, and Kevin excused themselves for a dance. Kevin held Kristy close, then tipped her face towards his. "I know what you think you saw... but you've got it all wrong." Kristy arched her eyebrows. "Oh really? 'Cause I think I saw some woman flirting pretty hard with you... even more than the others gathered around you. And I saw you flirting back. What'd I miss?" Kevin sighed. He knew she was upset by her sarcastic tone. "Kris, it didn't mean anything. It's just part of 'the business'... it's another one of those things you have to get used to." Kristy frowned. "Why? Because you said so?" She shook her head in frustration. "What if I don't want to get used to it?" It was Kevin's turn to be frustrated. He could've guessed she'd overreact. "Then you'll just have to trust me." Kristy took a deep breath. "I do trust you... it's 'the business' that I'm not so sure of." Kevin rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Kevin... This is the same business where musicians have groupies and women in every city. So forgive me if I have some problems with 'getting used to it.'" "You know perfectly well, I'm not like that - none of us are." He paused. "I don't really know what else to say, Kristy... It didn't mean anything, so don't let it bother you." Kristy was thankful when the song ended. She WAS bothered by it, and by Kevin's "I'm always right when it's important" attitude. She loved the man, but Lord, he was stubborn! Kevin knew the issue was far from over, but he was tired of dealing with it. Normally Kristy was so easy to get along with, but when she was upset she became impossible. She was just so stubborn! The guys watched their friends finish their dance and head off the dancefloor in opposite directions. "Looks like the green-eyed monster isn't easily vanquished... even when you have such great background music!" A.J. noted, referring to their song that had been playing during the couple's heated discussion. "Nick, you and D go talk to Kristy, and Brian and I will talk to Kevin." A.J. rolled his eyes as Melissa made a bee-line for Kevin as he stepped off the dancefloor. "After we figure out how to get rid of Melissa."Next: Chapter 49 |