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A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes Chapter 25 The girls were the last to enter the hotel's restaurant the next morning. Erin and Toni could see Kristy looked drained � emotionally and physically � and correctly guessed she hadn't gotten much sleep. The three women sat at the table, Erin between A.J. and Howie, and Toni on Howie's other side, next to Dennis. Kristy hesitated slightly as Kevin rose and gently took her hand, guiding her to her chair between his and Nick's. "Hey, Kris!" Nick grinned at his friend as she sat down. "Morning, Nicky, everyone." She smiled around the table at friendly faces. Most of the band and dancers were at various tables in the private dining room. Brian grinned at how well all the girls fit with the dynamics of the group, especially watching Kristy as Nick elbowed her arm and she poked him in the rib cage. The group chatted about miscellaneous topics, but the general atmosphere was strained as Kristy and Kevin remained fairly quiet. The entire room was grateful for the interruption by Denise with the review of the previous night's concert. Brian grabbed the article and read it aloud. "A high energy show that stimulates all the senses," Brian quoted as A.J. wiggled his eyebrows. "Whatta ya think, Erin? Were you stimulated?" Erin didn't respond, but smirked as she ran her hand along the inside of A.J.'s thigh under the table � ending his laughter. Brian continued, "The Boys and their band and dancers rocked the house last night in a sold-out show. Thousands of fans of all ages danced, sang, and screamed along to each of the songs in the near two-hour concert. From the first glimpse of the boogieboard-riding-Boys to the last note of their encore, BSB didn't disappoint� with one exception." The room stilled as Brian paused and looked across the table at his cousin. "The one regret this reporter has is that we didn't get to hear Kevin Richardson's new song that he's been performing at other recent concerts." `Oh shit!' Nick thought to himself, glancing warily at Kristy and Kevin. He and the other guys had realized Kevin had left it out of last night's show, but he didn't know if everyone else had. One look at Kristy now confirmed that this wasn't the first she'd heard of it. "`Once Upon a Time' � a romantic ballad � was cowritten by Richardson and a close female friend. According to other reviews, the song was a definite highlight of previous shows and it's clear these two make a great team, both professionally and � as rumor has it � personally. We'll probably never know why it wasn't a part of last night's show, but this reporter will continue to listen for it and look for future collaboration from this couple." Brian finished reading and looked up. Everyone in the room was looking at Kristy and Kevin � except Kristy and Kevin. Brian met his cousin's glare, but didn't flinch. He turned his attention to Kristy who was staring intently at her coffee cup. "Well�" Nick started, looking at the strained faces around him. "I guess I'll be the sacrificial lamb here and ask the question that's on everyone's mind � why DIDN'T you do `Once' last night, Kev?" Kristy felt her cheeks redden. This wasn't how she'd imagined her weekend with Kevin. "Nick, he doesn't�" "He doesn't what, Kris? He doesn't owe you an apology? Or, at the very least, some sort of explanation? Cause actually, I think he does." Kevin tried to check his anger as his bandmates turned disappointed eyes to him, then looked at Kristy. He could see the hurt in her eyes and a glimmer of hope. He knew she was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Kevin thought it was ironic that one of the things he loved most about Kristy � her optimism � was what was making this so difficult. Kristy always believed in him and them. She couldn't believe he would ever intentionally hurt her. Kevin debated what to say. Part of him didn't feel he had to justify himself to Nick or anyone else, but he knew everyone was wondering about his behavior lately. He didn't want to lie to Kristy, but he also couldn't very well tell her the truth. "It's really no big deal. I was distracted last night and when I went to play it, my fingers had a mind of their own and reverted to pre-Portland days. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late to turn back. So I just left `Once' out� besides it's not like it's part of the official program or anything." Nick could hardly believe his ears. Kevin was acting like a stranger � he was never distracted during concerts and he never just blew things off. Nick couldn't believe he was behaving this way � especially to Kristy. Kristy nodded her head slowly, ignoring the looks exchanged between the others at the table. "You're right, it's not part of the normal tour. I� I guess I just got used to hearing it." Kevin looked at Kristy, torn between love and frustration that she was being so tolerant. "If it means that much to you, I'll put it back in for tonight � I promise." Kristy reached out for his hand and smiled sweetly. "Thank you."Everyone returned to their rooms to gather their things before they loaded the busses. Erin was watching her sister, confused by what was going on. She'd seen how upset Kristy had been the night before, but this morning she was acting like everything was fine. Erin knew her sister tended to put up with a lot more than she would herself � at least in her own relationships � but she never let herself be taken advantage of. Erin was somewhat surprised Kristy hadn't confronted Kevin on his behavior lately, but Erin decided to stay out of it � for now. The group gathered in front of the busses. Erin and Toni would be traveling with the band since A.J. was with them too. Kristy hesitated and looked to Kevin. More than anything, Kevin would've loved to simply pull Kristy on to the Boys' bus and spend the entire drive talking and cuddling with her in his bunk... but he knew he couldn't. Instead he tried to appear nonchalant � while also trying to steel himself against Kristy's eyes. Kevin had never met anyone whose eyes reflected every emotion they felt like Kristy's did. He avoided making direct eye contact with her and shrugged. "I have a lot of work I need to do, so you can come with me if you want, but I probably won't be able to spend much time with you. Or you can go with Erin and Toni on the band bus and I'll be able to focus on you once we get there." Kristy wished she and Kevin could use the long drive to talk, but realized he wasn't likely to be open in his current state of mind. She wanted to change that state of mind for later. She nodded and smiled sweetly. "I'll go with the girls and the band." She stepped closer to him and poked him lightly in his muscular chest. "You, get your work done, `cause once we're off those busses..." She lowered her voice and hooked her finger into the front of Kevin's shirt, pulling him towards her. "You're all mine." Her eyes twinkled as she leaned even closer and slowly brushed her lips across his. Kevin inhaled as Kristy's lips continued to tease his. The kiss was soft and sensual... and he could feel the emotion behind it. She wanted to get his attention... and she had it. 100%. Kristy traced the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip and felt a surge of power as Kevin's hands grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him. The kiss deepened as their tongues stroked each other's � then Kristy pulled away, using the palms of her on Kevin's chest to push back. "Have a good trip." She bit back a smile as she turned towards the band bus and her friends. Despite his blas� attitude lately, his reaction to her kiss gave him away. She glanced over her shoulder as she neared Erin and Toni who were both grinning at her. Kevin remained where she'd left him, a dazed, frustrated look on his chiseled face. In addition to his facial expression, Kristy had felt his body respond as her hands rested on his sculpted chest and her hips pressed against his. She might not be riding on the same bus as he was, but she was fairly certain she wouldn't be far from his mind during the trip.Nick struggled to hold back his laughter at the scene that had just transpired. He had to give Kristy credit. True, playing on basic male instincts wasn't horribly original, but it was effective. Nick watched Kevin take a step towards Kristy, then pause and run a hand through his hair, before turning and boarding the Boys' bus. Howie turned from their bus, where Kevin had just disappeared, to the band bus, where Kristy remained standing. "How... how does he just walk away from that?" Nick and Brian shook their heads. "Better question..." Nick said with a wry smile, "Why is he trying?"The busses started up and Howie and Brian moved to join Kevin on their bus. Nick hesitated, glancing at Kristy climbing aboard the band's bus. "Uh, guys... I'm gonna ride with the band." Brian cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "Maybe A.J. and I can talk to Kristy about what's up." The other two guys watched the youngest member hurry across the parking lot and step on the other bus. "Think they're going to be okay?" Howie wondered aloud. "Kristy, Kevin... or Nick?" Brian pondered with a shake of his head.Next: Chapter 26 |