Laurie Carlisle walked miserably down the street. She was having an awful day. That morning she was late to work, then her boss piled on the work which caused her to miss lunch and then as she was leaving, the heel on her shoe broke which meant that she had to walk to the nearest shoe store to get a pair of sneakers to wear home. She just wanted the day to be over. As she walked from her bus stop to her house, a car drove along the street, dangerously close to a giant muddy puddle in the road. Before she could even think, the car drove straight through the puddle, splashing Laurie with a giant wave of muddy water. She shrieked and the car stopped. The car�s driver Brian Littrell jumped out of the car and rushed to Laurie�s side.
�I�m so sorry! Is there anything I can do to help?� he asked
�No, this is just the luck I�ve been having today.� she replied
�Here, take my jacket.� he said, handing her his coat.
�Thanks.� she said, taking her jacket off.
�Do you want a ride to wherever you�re going?� he asked
�Seriously?� she asked
�Sure.� he said
She smiled and got into the car as he held the door open for her. He walked around and got into the car. He started the car and sat for a minute.
�I�m Brian Littrell by the way.� he said, extending his hand.
�Hi. Laurie Carlisle.� she said, shaking his hand.
�Where to?� he asked
She gave him directions to her house, which wasn�t really that far away. As Brian drove, they made small talk and got to know each other. Laurie couldn�t believe how nice he was. She had been having the worst day ever and then Brian came along and made it seem a little bit better. They pulled up to her apartment and Brian parked the car.
�Do you want to come in for a drink or something?� Laurie asked
�Sure. Thanks.� Brian replied
�It�s the least I can do.� she said
He got out of the car and walked around to open Laurie�s door. She climbed out and walked to the front door. She opened it and Brian followed her inside. She rang for the elevator and they went upstairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door and they walked inside. Her puppy Prowler barked and she came running out. Laurie bent down and kissed the puppy�s nose.
�Hello Prowler! Did you miss your mommy?� she cooed
The dog barked excitedly and Laurie kissed him again. She turned to Brian.
�I hope you like dogs.� she said
�I do. I have one at home. His name is Lil Tyke.� he said
�Cute! What kind of dog is he?� she asked
�A Chihuahua. What kind of dog is this little guy?� he asked
�He�s a Shi Tzu.� she replied
�He�s adorable.� he said
�Thank you.� she said
They walked into the kitchen and Brian sat down at the table. Laurie opened the refrigerator and took out a drink.
�Do you want anything? Iced tea, soda, apple juice, water?� she asked
�Iced tea will be fine thanks.� he said
She took out the iced tea and a glass and poured it for him. She placed it in front of him on the table.
�Do you want something to munch on? I have chips, pretzels, crackers, cookies...� she said
�No, I�m fine thanks.� he replied
�Okay.� she said
She sat down and they began to talk more about their lives.
�So, what do you do?� he asked
�I�m a paralegal.� she said
�That�s cool.� he said
�Oh yeah. What about you?� she asked
�I�m a singer.� he replied
�Really? Are you famous?� she asked
�Yeah, you can say that.� he replied
�I�ve never heard of you before.� she said
�I sing in a group.� he said
�What group? Maybe I�ve heard of them. No guarantee of course.� she said
�The Backstreet Boys.� he said
�Backstreet Boys? What song do you sing?� she asked
�We have a lot.� he replied
�Well what�s the most famous?� she asked
�I Want It That Way.� he said
�Sing it.� she commanded
He cleared his throat and thought about what part of the song to sing. He chose the chorus and began to sing.
�Tell me why, ain�t nothing but a heartache. Tell me why, ain�t nothing but a mistake...� he sang
The song started to become familiar to Laurie so she joined in.
�Tell me why I never wanna hear you say...I want it that way.� she sang
�You do know it.� he said
�Yeah, I so loved that song! I didn�t know you sang it.� she said
�Yeah I do.� he said
�That�s awesome. I really like that song.� she said
�Thanks. I figured you would know that song. Everyone knows that song.� he said
�Yeah my little cousin used to be in love with the blonde one.� she said
�That�s Nick.� he said
�Is he the one with the cute little brother?� she asked
�Aaron, yeah.� he said
�Cool! I can�t believe you�re a celebrity. That�s so cool.� she said
�I hope it doesn�t make you think of me differently.� he said
�No of course not. It�s just cool is all.� she said
They sat in the kitchen and made small talk for a little while longer before Brian announced that he had to go. He and Laurie exchanged phone numbers and agreed to go out to dinner the next night. Brian left and Laurie sat on the couch. She thought about how shitty her day had been until she met Brian. He was like an angel sent from heaven to make her feel better. The whole day had been worth it because of him. If she had been having a good day she might not have met him. Maybe her bad was luck was actually good luck in disguise. As she sat thinking, Prowler climbed up onto the couch and licked her hand. She looked at him and smiled.
�Okay puppy, time for a walk.� she said
Prowler barked excitedly and ran over to where his leash was. Laurie threw on a pair of sweat pants and sneakers. She hooked Prowler�s leash onto his collar, grabbed her keys and they were off for their walk. They walked through the park until Laurie�s legs were tired. She led the dog back to the apartment and they went upstairs. Laurie went about making them dinner. She got out some leftover steak from the night before and warmed it up a little before covering it in gravy and putting it in Prowler�s dish.
�Prowler! Food time!� she yelled.
The dog ran into the kitchen and skidded over to his food dish. He sniffed the food excitedly and began to eat hungrily.
�Wow, that walk sure built up your appetite bud.� she said smiling.
She looked in the cabinets and found dinner for herself. She wasn�t very hungry so she took out a box of pasta and put water up to boil. As she was stirring the water, the doorbell rang. Prowler barked. Laurie shushed him and walked to answer the door. She opened it and her friend Darla stood there.
�Hey there darlin�.� Darla said
�Hey. Come on in. What�s up?� Laurie asked
�Nothing. I didn�t want to eat alone so I figured I�d come over here and eat with you.� Darla said
�Super. I�m making pasta. I hope that�s okay.� Laurie said
�That�s fine.� Darla replied
Prowler barked again and Darla bent down to his level. She pet him on the head and then he dropped to the floor and rolled on his back.
�Oh, so you want your belly rubbed huh? Well you�re lucky I think you�re cute.� Darla teased
�And you talk about me spoiling him.� Laurie chastised
�Whatever. I�m his Auntie Darla. I�m allowed.� Darla replied
Laurie shook her head and went back to cooking. Darla sat in a chair and folded her hands.
�So, how was work?� Darla asked
�Shitty. I was late so the rat bastard made me do extra work which meant I missed lunch.� Laurie said
�That sucks.� Darla agreed
�Yeah, then as I was leaving the heel on my shoe snapped off so I had to limp to the nearest shoe store to get a pair of sneakers.� Laurie said
�I�m sorry sweetie.� Darla said
�Oh it�s okay. As I was walking from the bus stop, a car drove by and splashed me.� Laurie said
�Damn.� Darla said
�Oh no, it gets better. The guy driving gets out and offers me a ride home.� Laurie said
�Nice! Was he cute?� Darla asked
�Yes!� Laurie exclaimed
�And no trace of a wedding ring?� Darla asked
�Nope. No mention of a girlfriend either.� Laurie said
�Did you get his number?� Darla asked
�Yeah. We�re going out to dinner tomorrow night.� Laurie said
�Good job Laur!� Darla exclaimed
�Thanks.� Laurie said
�So, what is dream boy�s name?� Darla asked
�Brian Littrell.� Laurie said
�That name sounds familiar.� Darla said
�He�s a Backstreet Boy.� Laurie explained
�That�s how I know the name! You bagged yourself a Backstreet Boy? Nice!� Darla said
�I didn�t bag myself a Backstreet Boy. I made friends with one.� Laurie said
�Just think about what it would be like to have a husband who makes that kind of money. You wouldn�t have to work if you didn�t want to.� Darla said
�I guess. But it�s not about the money.� Laurie said
�Of course not. I was just saying.� Darla said
�I know. Dinner�s ready.� Laurie said
The girls sat down and ate their meal, talking about millions of things. After they ate, they sat in the living room and watched �Sex and the City� while Prowler slept at their feet. After the show was over, Darla went back to her apartment and Laurie went to bed.
The next morning, Laurie got up early and went to work to make sure she wasn�t late. She got there early and got started with her work. That day seemed to be much better than the day before. When she took her lunch break, she checked her phone for messages. She had one from Brian telling her about the dinner reservations he had made for that night. She smiled at the thought of seeing Brian again. He was a really awesome guy and she was lucky to have met him. She would have liked if their meeting didn�t involve her getting soaked with water but she worked with what she got. After work, she went home and took Prowler out for a walk before getting ready for her date.
She showered and went into her room to get dressed. Prowler lazily walked into her room and hopped up on her bed. She looked at the dog.
�Okay Prowler, help Mommy pick out an outfit. One bark for yes, two barks for no.� she said
The dog looked at her strangely but seemed to understand her somehow. She pulled out her first outfit, a cream colored sweater and black pants and put it on. She turned to the dog and gave him a look. He barked twice and she changed her outfit. This time she wore a brown skirt and a green top. Again the dog barked twice. They played that game for a half hour until Laurie flopped on her bed exasperatedly.
�What do you want me to wear then?� she asked
Prowler jumped off the bed and walked into her closet. He sniffed around before jumping up and pulling a red dress out. He trotted back over to Laurie and dropped it at her feet. She looked at the dog curiously before putting the dress on. She twirled around and stopped in front of Prowler.
�So?� she asked
He barked once and she knew she found her outfit. She put the dress on and started on her hair. She brushed her long brown locks into large ringlets and set the brush down. She put her makeup on and by time as she was finished, Brian was ringing her bell. She put her shoes on and jumped up to get the door. Brian stood there holding a small bouquet of flowers. He held them out to Laurie.
�These are for you.� he said
�Thank you so much!� she said taking the flowers.
Laurie went to put the flowers in water. She checked on Prowler and got her jacket and purse before leading Brian out. They got into his car and drove to the restaurant. Laurie was amazed at how nice the restaurant was. They sat immediately and ordered. After they ordered, they sat and talked about many things. Brian told Laurie about the new song the guys had recorded and Laurie told Brian about the new case the firm had gotten. They ate an enjoyable meal and after dinner, they took a drive around town. When Brian dropped Laurie off, he kissed her softly and told her he would call her the next day. She nodded and went upstairs. She knew she had found the one.