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A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes Chapter 16 "So, is this how you girls thought you'd be spending your Monday?" Brian asked Kristy and Erin as the Backstreet Boys tour bus pulled out of the hotel's parking lot, leaving behind dozens of excited fans. The girls had taken vacation days at work and had arrived at the hotel to join the Boys for breakfast before they all headed up to the Seattle-Tacoma area for that night's concert. With the appearance of their tour bus in the parking lot, so appeared the fans. Kristy and Erin had stood inside the lobby of the hotel, unsure of what to do. Denise had suggested the girls go on the band's bus and then join the Boys later down the road, but Kevin wouldn't hear of it. "They're coming with us now," he said, the tone of his voice and the look in his eye telling everyone that the matter was not up for debate. The rest of the Boys nodded their silent agreement. Denise smiled at the group of attractive young men and the two lovely ladies with them. She'd met Erin at breakfast and had instantly liked her. She'd heard from AJ and some of the others about their day with Kristy and Erin's family and wished she could've met the people responsible for raising two such incredible young women. Kristy looked up at the man she'd spent the last two wonderful days with and smiled as her eyes met his. The chanting from the fans outside of the hotel raised to a loud cheer as Nick, Brian and Howie exited the hotel to sign some autographs before boarding the bus. AJ squeezed Erin's hand as she glanced over at her sister. In less than forty-eight hours she'd gone from someone who dismissed the Backstreet Boys and their music, to someone who was traveling with them to their next tour stop so she and her sister could see them perform. Kevin leaned down and gave Kristy a soft kiss. "See ya on the bus," he said, then headed out the door with AJ to the screams of their fans. Denise waited until most of the fans had gotten signatures and pictures with at least a couple of the Boys, then led a somewhat nervous Kristy and Erin to the bus with a couple of the Boys' security team following closely. The girls boarded the bus and waited several minutes before the first guys joined them. Kevin and Brian made their way to the back of the tour bus and sat next to the girls at the table. Soon the others appeared and finally the bus pulled away from the hotel. "I don't know how you guys do it," Kristy said, looking into Kevin's face. With all the guys at the table now, Kristy was sitting on Kevin's lap while Erin was wedged between Brian and AJ. Kevin was a little afraid of what she meant. When Kristy and Erin had walked past the crowd onto the bus, Kevin and the others had heard a few snide remarks and a few people had recognized Kristy from the concert. He knew she was strong and would be able to handle being a "Backstreet Girl", but just because he was in the public eye, didn't mean Kristy should have to be. "What do you mean?" Kevin asked, hoping she wasn't referring to dealing with the public. The other guys' girlfriends often had difficulty getting used to the attention at first. While some of the fans were glad to see the guys with girlfriends if it meant that they were happy, the majority of the time people didn't take it well. That was why they all denied being in relationships for so long earlier in their career. They were supposed to belong to the fans... but Kevin wanted to belong to someone he could share the rest of his life with. "You guys are so successful and have millions of fans who adore you and put you up on this pedestal, but you're all still so down to earth and caring and fun... how do you do it?" There were so many musicians and actors who'd let all the fame and success go to their heads, and their lives had been destroyed in the process. Kristy thought of how many people, if in the Boys' situation, would be using - and misusing - everything and everyone they came into contact with. Kristy knew from her interactions with the five men before her that it didn't matter how famous or popular they became - and right now they were arguably one of the most popular groups in the world - they would still be the same incredible people they'd always been. Kevin smiled at his bandmates and saw that they were as proud of Kristy as he was. He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "We surround ourselves with wonderful, caring, fun people who help keep us grounded," he said and kissed her leisurely.Erin glanced over at her sister's sleeping form and smiled. The concert had been amazing, and Erin was now a full-fledged fan. The guys were all incredible, and she was so impressed by their talent and hard work. She and Kristy had hung out with them before and after the concert, and had gotten front row seats. All the Boys had paid special attention to them throughout the show... especially Kevin and AJ. Now they were headed back to Portland via a limousine Kevin had arranged for them. Erin's smile broadened as she watched Kevin pull Kristy closer in his sleep. Erin reached for her camera and snapped yet another picture. Over the last two days, she felt like someone was always capturing a "Kodak moment"... just like now. Kevin had his arms wrapped around Kristy, who sat next to him. Her legs were draped across Kevin's lap and her head rested on his shoulder, while his head rested on top of hers. "Have you ever seen anything so cute?" Erin asked AJ in a whisper, still watching her sister and Kevin. AJ wasn't paying as much attention to his friend and Kristy as he was to the woman beside him. "Never," he said quietly. He gently turned her head to his, his hand caressing the side of her face. Erin's eyes widened slightly and a faint blush colored her cheeks as she realized he was talking about her. AJ leaned his head forward and lightly brushed his lips over Erin's. Erin wrapped her arms around him and the kiss deepened. Breathlessly, they broke apart and Erin searched AJ's face. "What happens after this?" "The limo's going to take us back to Seattle..." AJ started, grinning as he saw Erin roll her eyes. "Oh, you mean AFTER that?" He chuckled as she lightly smacked him on the back of his head. "I guess I deserved that. I won't lie Erin, I like you... I've had a lot of fun being with you the last few days, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do the long-distance thing like Kev is. I guess I'd just like to play it by ear." Erin nodded and smiled. "I know, I feel the same way. I think we both agree we're not in this as deeply as they are," she said, nodding to the sleeping couple across from them. "I'm almost glad I'm not in their shoes." AJ nodded his agreement. "I know they've only known each other for a couple of days, but..." Erin finished, "They belong together." Kristy had finally told her about "Once Upon a Time," and while Erin was surprised to learn about that side of her sister, she'd been extremely impressed with the story and understood Kevin and Kristy's immediate connection after reading it. "But it's going to be so hard for them to not be 'together' together... ya know?" "But if anyone can make it... I think we're looking at them."Next: Chapter 17 |