Chapter

The bartender announcing the "last call" was the first sound to penetrate the privacy at the small table in the back of the bar.

Kevin leaned back in his chair, and risked a glance at his watch.

"Dang...I sure have been talking for a long time. Why didn't you stop me? I can't be that interesting," he said, his drawl becoming more pronounced the longer he spoke. He looked away suddenly becoming very self conscious, and slightly embarrassed.

"Kevin......give yourself a break. You just told me some of the most interesting, fun, loving and believe it or not, NORMAL stories I have ever heard. YOU are a normal man....your alter ego, well, I think we'll save him for another day," Kaylee replied with a giggle.

Kevin looked at her again, sitting there, still listening to him. It had been so long since anyone really cared to hear his family stories. The stories about his dad, him leaving home, his brothers, and his mom. And, here she was, not only willing to listen, but apparently hanging on his every word.

"Well...yeah...but.....ya know.......I don't remember even breathing.......I haven't talked that much in a long time. But, I'm sorry....so sorry....I didn't mean to talk that long...you never even got a chance to tell me about yourself. And, now we're gonna get kicked outta here......without you even.........oh, wait a minute........," Kevin stopped speaking and stood up abruptly, almost knocking the chair over, "don't move.....stay right there.....I'll be right back...........," his voice trailed off as he walked away from the table, and went straight to Luke, who was still sitting at the bar.

Kaylee watched him walk away. She was enjoying herself way too much. He seemed too good to be true. He's stunningly handsome, loves his family, cares about other people, and certainly is not the least bit impressed with himself. She could listen to him all night.....his soft soothing voice, the expression in his eyes, his hands...he spoke volumes with his hands and eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She put her face in her hands and started to laugh.

She felt his hands on hers...gently lowering them to the table...and then he leaned close to her, almost whispering in her ear......

"Do you have a jacket," he asked.

"Aaaahhh...well, I do .. upstairs .. why?" Kaylee could not believe that she was suddenly shivering, and it was not from the temperature in the bar.

"Forget it......we'll deal with that later if we need to....."

Just then Kaylee noticed Luke leaving the bar.

"Where's he going? He's not supposed to leave you like this, is he? Kevin....Kevin???"

"Would you relax pretty lady....he went to get a hat for me...he'll be right back. There's no one here to worry about....now......come with me," he said, as he bowed and extended his hand to her.

Kaylee looked up at his face. His hair had started to fall out of the ponytail, and little pieces were falling around his face. She was finding it increasingly difficult to not stand closer to him. She looked into his eyes, and saw them twinkling back at her. She reached for his hand and stood up.

"Mr. Richardson.....what are you going to do with me? Where are we going?"

Kevin almost gasped when he came in full contact with her hand, and then when he met her gaze and saw how happy she seemed to be....he had to shake himself.

They both quickly turned their eyes away, and started to mumble stupid little things, but Kevin never let go of her hand, as he steered her toward the door.

He stopped to talk to a couple of the dancers that were leaving at the same time, and then he saw Luke approaching.

"Let's go darlin'.....see what trouble we can get into."

Luke got to Kevin's side, and handed him a UK baseball hat that Kevin promptly put on his head.
He turned up the collar on his jacket, after offering it to Kaylee for the umpteenth time, then took her hand, held it tightly and headed for the front doors.

"Kevin......w..www .. what are we doing? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Luke interrupted before Kevin could answer...."Kaylee..the one thing you'll learn about Kevin right away....he does what he wants. Don't matter what I say."

"Yeah, the man speaks the truth...and right now I want to take a walk......to the park......so...will you do me the pleasure, and join me?"

Kaylee tried to protest, but realized that what she said was not going to matter. She saw that Luke was right, when Kevin set his mind to something .. he was going to do it.

"Well, kind sir, I would be honored to take a walk with you," she replied and looked up at him with a smile that almost took his breath away. Kevin couldn't remember the last time he'd received that kind of response to such a simple suggestion. No, just taking a walk was not Trish's style...a walk on the red carpet, yes, that was her style. But to just go outside and walk, to be together...she was always too busy...or it was too boring. Kevin shook his head, and started to really wonder what he had been missing for the last year and a half.

"Kevin....Kevin," Kaylee called to him from outside the revolving door, "am I going on this walk alone?"

"No darlin'....we are takin' a walk .. together .. got something I've wanted to do for a long time now...and I'm finally gonna do it!"

Kevin and Luke made their way through the revolving doors without incident. But, as soon as they got outside...two women approached them.

"Kevin......Kevin Richardson," the one asked, as they got closer. "Oh wow...it is........"

Kevin slowed down and spoke to the women. They wanted an autograph, and Kevin obliged, even asked if they had a camera for a picture. Kaylee stood off to the side...amazed at what she was seeing. He didn't care at all that fans were starting to gather now. Luke kept one hand on his back at all times....and Kevin continued to smile, pose and sign. He glanced up at Kaylee once, with pleading eyes, and mouthed..."give me one minute". She nodded and smiled back. After a few minutes, Luke started to move Kevin forward and as a natural part of the process of two men moving, one large and one extremely large, the crowd parted. They were directly in front of Kaylee, when Luke took her elbow, and moved her along with them. He didn't let go of either of them until they rounded the corner. He then removed his hands from both of them, and disappeared behind Kevin.

They had walked a block away from the hotel, before Kaylee spoke.

"Wow...you're amazing. Bombarded like that all the time I'm sure...and you're still so gracious and humble."

Kevin felt himself blushing, and hoped that the darkness...and the hat...would help to hide it.

"Well....the fans are important...too many artists don't get that. Without the fans, we'd be nothin' Kaylee...and I will never .. ever forget them.

"Like I said.....you're amazing! You really get it.....but, I'm sure not all the fans are as respectful of you and your time as they were...."

"No...," he laughed, remembering all too well how many incidents there had been. "Maybe someday I'll tell you about some of them....but right now......I wanna play in the park."

Kaylee was stunned. Not by his last comment, but by the 'maybe someday' comment. Holy cow, she thought, he's thinking he'll tell me something someday...that means, oh god Kaylee...don't go there....it probably just came out that way.....he can't mean it literally, could he?

She was startled back quickly when Kevin grabbed her hand and started to run.....that's when the LAST comment kicked in..........he REALLY wanted to play! He pulled her toward the swings, jumped on one, and challenged her to see who could go higher.

Kaylee got on the swing next to him....and just watched him. She knew that it didn't matter if she was on a swing .. she was higher than she had been in a long time. She was just afraid of going too high.......afraid that the higher she got.......the lower she would drop.....the harder she would hit.......and the more it would hurt.

Kevin yelled over, "if you don't start swingin' lady...ya ain't gonna get higher than me!"

Kaylee started to laugh at the sight of this man.......this very tall....long legged man ... this popstar....sitting next to her on the swings...pumping those long legs to get as high as he could.

"Fine mister! You're on.........I can beat you...I was a swinging champion in school," she yelled back, as she started to pump her legs, and get higher.

Kevin knew that it didn't matter how high she got that swing.....he would still be the winner.
For the first time that he could remember, he felt like a man......a normal man. And, she was responsible for it. How much higher did he need to go on the swing....he was already flying.

Luke took in the entire scene from the bench. He knew that this was a side to Kevin that had been hidden for a long time. He had been kept down for so long that it made Luke wonder if he'd ever be able to go back to being the man that he'd seen flashes of in the past. He glanced at Kaylee, and knew she didn't have a clue. She had no idea the depth of the hurt and pain that Kevin had experienced. But he knew .. all too well. He was always there to pick up the pieces each time Trish broke him.

"Kevin......you can do this man," Luke caught himself talking outloud. "You deserve this....try to hold onto this one .....cause if you do.....I think that maybe....just maybe, I can put the glue away."

The laughter was almost deafening. Kevin was on the ground, in a heap, hootin' and hollerin' as he liked to call it, and Kaylee was now doubled over laughing, too. Luke snapped back to attention, and ran over to Kevin.

What's up?? What did you do now??"

"He...he......oh god, I can't breathe......we.....well.......we slowed down .. he slowed down......cause he knew he couldn't win...and.....and then......his foot.........," Kaylee was laughing considerably harder now, and couldn't even finish.

"Shush up woman," Kevin said rather indignantly, as he stood up dusting himself off. "OK, so I slowed down, so SHE could catch up....and....damn.......my foot caught in the dirt......it stuck...the swing kept movin'...spun me around....and..and...DAMN you two.... I fell off."

At this, Luke burst into a fit of laughter, and Kaylee, still hysterical, slid off her swing to the ground.

Kevin walked over behind Kaylee....leaned over and grabbed her under each arm, lifting her off the ground. He dragged her over to the grass, kicking, protesting, and laughing the entire way. He held onto her as he looked up into the sky, moved her around a bit, then when he was finally satisfied with a spot....he gently sat her down in the grass. She was still laughing, but not quite as hard, when Kevin sat down next to her. Luke went back to his bench, laughing the entire way.

Kaylee looked over at Kevin, and quickly stopped laughing. Somewhere along the way, his baseball hat had fallen off, and he had just reached up to remove the band holding his hair back. He was running his hands through his hair when he turned to look directly at her.

"Oh God," she whispered, a little louder than she planned.

"What? What did you say," he asked as he leaned closer.

"N.....nnn....nothing....nothing at all," Kaylee was barely able to choke out the words, as she sensed the atmosphere around them had suddenly changed. When he reached up to push his hair behind his ear, she caught herself wishing it was her hand touching his hair. Almost as if her hand had a mind all its own, she did reach over and tuck the last stray piece of hair behind his ear. Kevin grabbed her hand in his and held it to his cheek....he closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. He took her hand to his lips, kissed her palm, and then closed her hand and held it tightly. Partly because she was trembling, and partly because he just didn't want to let go. He then laid down on his back, in the grass....and without much of a tug on her hand, he pulled her next to him.

They laid there looking at the stars, neither of them saying a word. Yet the silence spoke to them both, in volumes. They searched the nighttime sky for answers...each one of them afraid to see, that the answers weren't really in the stars...they were right there....on the ground...beside each other.