After spending amazing holidays in the Canadians Mountains, I got back home in São Paulo, Brazil. I was exhausted and at the same time feeling great. As soon as I arrived home I received a letter from my cousin. I had written to her while traveling, just to tell her how incredible the place was but I guess she didn’t get it right away. That place was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever been to. Besides I was with the man of my dreams. I couldn’t believe he was able to find this time in his busy schedule to travel with me, just the two of us. Actually, his friends and he had gone on vacation because of this trip. Well, I guess it must be really stressful to be with the same four guys for so long. Not that I don’t like them or that they are annoying, no way! They are cute and friendly. But when it comes to business nobody is always friendly. But, anyway, this holiday was perfect. Just he and me, all alone in a comfortable cottage, lost in those white mountains covered by snow flakes which didn’t make them cold. On the other hand, it was the perfect landscape for what we called [i]“our sweet honeymoon”[/i]. Yes, it was our honeymoon trip and it couldn’t be more perfect.

            Kayleigh had written me telling about her holidays in the always hot lands of Hawaii and Caribbean. She was having an affair with one of my husband’s best friends and the biggest love of her life. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read they were…together. They guy was already married and as far as I knew his marriage wasn’t in a bad moment. Anyway, she told me they were there enjoying the hottest sun and that he had divorced his wife to be with her. Incredible how the media didn’t find out about it. At least I had heard nothing about this shocking news.

            Despite my shock, I couldn’t help laughing at the scene she was describing. Brian, dressed as a hula-hula dancer, dancing to her in that paradise. And she even told me their plans. In a couple of days they would be leaving for Europe passing by aphrodisiac places to bless their union. Gosh! Only my cousin could say things like that. But somehow I got a feeling she was for real this time. And the most incredible was the fact that [i]“their house”[/i] in Orlando would be ready by the end of February that year, it was less than two months and they already had a house being built in Orlando?!?!?! I had just got married and didn’t even know where we could live…Nick hadn’t decided yet. We were only thinking about the good part: trips, cruises, fun…

            Suddenly I heard a key noise at the door and when it opened I saw my husband with a large grin on his face. Then I realized that he had something in his hand. I ran to him and asked, “What’s this, baby?” He waved the paper in front of my eyes and all I could read was the word Switzerland. It was our tickets to another part of our honeymoon. Too many surprises for only one day.

            I immediately jumped on his neck and kissed his lips gently. I was so happy! He kissed me back and lifted me carrying me to our bad. When we got at the bedroom he rested me carefully on the bed and opened the wardrobe looking for the suitcases. I just stared at his movements. I didn’t know what to do. Not that I needed, he started packing for both of us. After about one hour he had five suitcases full of clothes, coats, shoes…Oh my god! I barely had time to meet my mom and I was leaving again! I really needed to get used to that backstreet life, and it was because they were on vacation. I couldn’t imagine when they started touring again.

            While he packed, I was just watching him and every once in a while he looked at me and sent me sweet kisses or winked at me. He was so cute. When he finished packing I went to have a shower and he went to call a cab for us. In forty minutes the cab was at out driveway and we left for the airport.

The next day, I woke up and couldn’t move on the bed. There was something on the blankets hooking it. As the room was dark because of the dark curtains I couldn’t see what was around me. With some effort I could uncover my arm and reach for the lamp on the night stand aside my bed. When I turned it on, Nick was at the door for the bathroom watching me. (Bastard, he didn’t even help me…) As I looked at the bed I saw a lot of packages (could they really hook me on the bed that way? Only them?). I looked at Nick in disbelief.

            He slowly walked to me and sat beside me. “Good morning, my love! Won’t you see the gifts I bought for you?”, he said stroking my face. The only reaction I had was to cup his face and cover him in kisses. I didn’t care for the gifts (but I gotta assume they were really helpful. It was freezing there and my coats weren’t enough.) He helped me with the packages and as soon as we finished we had breakfast and went sightseeing. Switzerland was incredible, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, if not the most.

            We spent all morning just walking and visiting interesting places. We had a wonderful time, with lots of laughters and funny old stories from when we were children. He loved to tell me funny stories about the guys, all his tricks to make fun of the other boys. I loved to listen to him. He was so active and he had a light in his eyes when he told me this. I think it was the best time of his life.

            At lunch time, we stopped at a restaurant that made me feel like home, so comfy it was. Then suddenly, he told me about his best friend and my cousin. (He knew about them and didn’t tell me anything before!? Why was I the last to know?) He told me their house in Orlando was almost ready, but when I asked what happened and since when they were together he pretended not to know. He said Brian was so happy and that maybe we could even meet each other, as they were in Europe too. I couldn’t wait to see Kayleigh so she could tell with details how that happened.

            But then I understood why Nick was talking about Brian and Kayleigh. He was telling that our house would be ready soon too. I didn’t expect that, I mean, I wanted to be involved in it since the very first moment… but he was telling me how big it was and when he described the view of the living room, it hit me; the house was California, My jaw dropped. I would have to leave my mom! I never imagined leaving her and moving to a different country… No problem for me! I was in love, of course I’d do anything for him. And come on, it’s California we were talking about. I was laughing inside and it showed because he looked so happy looking at me.

            “Nick, as soon as this trip is over I wanna go to California and see my new house!”, I said between giggles. He said I would have time. We still needed all the furniture and supplies for the house and I’d be the responsible for that.

            Just like when I was a child and pretended to arrange everything for my doll’s houses, now it was my own time to do it by myself, for real. Well, you know, not all by myself, Nick would help me. I wanted our house to be a reflection of ourselves. And I didn’t waste time. I started buying some little things there, in Switzerland. I bought some portraits and lots of ballerinas, little angels and a board where I intended to put some of our pictures, like writing our love story with images. Nick bought a lamp that when turned on reproduced the deep sea on the walls (any doubt he loves the sea?). Okay, I have to say that I always wanted one of those, but never imagined having it in my house, after married.

            But hey, that trip was not t buy things for the house. We were in Switzerland, I needed some chocolate!!! In the first day, we bought only a box of bonbons, uhmm delicious. I still can taste them. They were filled with liqueur. The strawberry liqueur was amazing, I still have some of the packing that I kept as a remembrance.

            At the end of the day, my cell phone rang. It was my mom. Poor mom, I hadn’t talked to her yet. We spent half an hour on the phone, and believe me or not, it was not time enough for me to tell her all the news.

            When we got back to our hotel room I just let myself fall on the bed, letting go a deep breath. With my eyes closed I rolled over and my sweet baby made me a massage. How relaxing. A massage and a bath were all that I needed. That night I slept like a baby.

            One day I sent an email to Kayleigh asking how things were with them and of course I asked every detail about their relationship. Not that I expected an answer soon but I thought it was worth trying. Nick said he also needed to talk to Brian about their tour. The other boys had called to set a meeting, but they couldn’t find Brian. So I told Kayleigh about the meeting, hopefully she would check her mailbox.

The rest of the trip was incredible. We visited all the important places, incredible parks, we watched beautiful plays and great concerts. He had some friends over there and we usually went out together, we had a great time. But everything that’s good lasts short and we had to come back.

            Of course I made him take straight to our house. It was beautiful, very big and comfortable. It was almost ready. We could move in in two weeks. Until then we would stay either in my house in Brazil or in his in Florida.

            We went to AJ’s house to spend that weekend. I had received an answer from my cousin. She sent me an email before I left Switzerland but I didn’t have time to check it then. She said they were back in Brazil, enjoying the Carnival from Salvador. She tried to make me envious telling me about the hot guys dancing axé, the typical dance of Bahia. Uh, who cared about hot guys, dressed only in trunks, shaking their sculptural bodies when I had the sweetest man by my side? Okay, I may be married but not dead” Hot guys and the groove of Bahia’s Carnival was impossible to resist. And hey I was in the cold lands of Europe. I missed the hot air of a tropical country. Thanks God we were back in California. It wasn’t as hot as Salvador, but it would do!

            I didn’t waste any second: I went shopping for the house right away. Poor Nick, he just wanted to enjoy the beach and I dragged him with me to furniture stores, malls, department stores. At least he can’t deny he didn’t have fun. Sometimes we acted like kids, sitting on every couch just to check which was better, laying in every bed just to feel in which room we’d be more comfortably fit. Gosh, fortunately the security didn’t chase us after our little make out session in the bedroom’s department.

            Finally we bought a king sized bed, which by the way was the one that served as scenery for our make out session. Why would that be? Great memories? Funny memories? Yeah, probably second option, of course the feeling of being caught would help improving the environment in our bedroom. God, I guess I’m getting as insane as my cousin…

            Well some days later, Kayleigh called me. She was still in Bahia. The Carnival there starts before than the rest of the country and finishes later. I bet she was having the best time of her life. She always loved that and it was typically her. She told me she participated in the Summer Festival and believe it or not she sang on the stage with Ivete Sangalo. Ivete is the most known singer of Bahia and makes success all over the country with her dancing songs that contaminates everyone who listens. As I read the letter I pictured Kayleigh on stage, probably as drunk as always, maybe even more. That girl knows how to enjoy every little bit of her life.

            Poor Brian, I bet he was kinda lost in that crowd watching Kay on the stage. But the funniest image is him dancing axé, trying to catch up with the dancers and the choreographies. Hilarious! I have difficulties to dance those songs… But Kay sure taught him some nice steps.

            Two weeks later my cousin and Brian came back to Orlando and the boys got back on tour. Nick and I barely had time to enjoy our house and he had to leave. Of course the boys talked during this time. They used to have conference calls every other day and they spent like hours on the phone. I remember about three days before the tour resumed, they stayed all day long in a hangar rehearsing the steps and the singing thing.

Me and the other girls had three days just for us! We laughed a lot together, they’re just awesome. I thought they wouldn’t accept Kayleigh very well, but for my surprise, she already knew some of them and all of them got along pretty well.

            We joked with AJ’s girl that they would be the next to get married. She looked a little pleased but later that night when we told him the same thing he looked a bit annoyed…so we changed subjects. We talked about every thing that night. The guys couldn’t stop making fun of Brian in the pictures Kay showed us of their trip to Salvador. He tried to change the subject again, turning it to our house, but it took us more than 20 minutes to do so. Everybody was happy and having a good time. It was incredible how much they looked like a real family, for sure with some arguments, but with a lot of love too. I felt so good there among all of them.

Me and the other girls usually attended to their shows. We had a lot of fun in the backstage, commenting every move they made on the stage. It was difficult to listen to each other due to the loud music and the screaming girls. While they were on rehearsal or doing some interview we usually walked along together, meeting nice people, even fans. They treated us so well, but some dissed us, they just couldn’t get along with the idea of their idol was married or had a relationship with any girl but them. But little by little, we learned how to get over these unpleasant things.

            And then came the day when the boys announced on television they would get a break on the tour because of AJ. He went to rehab and the other four guys went their separate ways. For almost five years their contact was very rare. Nick started his solo career, which he wanted so much… He used to tell me he felt like doing that for such a long time and he was so happy.

            Kayleigh and Brian are still together and they were the only ones who kept in touch with us often. Kay sent me a letter or email a week and every time she wrote I knew they were in a different place in this planet. They went to all countries in Europe and some amazing places in Oceania. Sometimes we traveled together. Nick and I had bought a house in Caribbean. He could enjoy the beaches and I could enjoy the Latin rhythm that I always loved. And guess what?! Kay convinced Brian to buy a house in Salvador. She’s incredible! Nick and I had gone there for Carnival and he simply loved it. Well, with the pretty women, I couldn’t expect any other reaction. Brian and he exchanged looks sometimes that I could tell what they were thinking. In response, I just looked at my cousin and we both nodded and shrugged, just to confuse our men.

            After AJ left rehab he went to Salvador with us. We were all scared and didn’t know how to act in front of him. We tried to avoid drinks as much as we could, but he was a nice boy and had control. In few days everything was back to normal. We spent some time at Ivete’s house (as my cousin and she became like best friends). It was a blast!

            All of us used to go out together and party as much as we could. Every time we met was a different experience, not to say a crazy and wild one. But sometimes, we just reunited at somebody’s house and we had our party there. We didn’t need much to have fun, we were the fun for ourselves.

            Until today when I remember those happy moments I laugh, actually I miss that time. Oh, no! nothing’s really changed. We’re still the same and we still are together, but as time passes we find interest in other things, if you know what I mean… But old memories are always good to be remembered. They remind us that we lived and not just passed by life.

            As I lay on my bed with this pen and the paper, I look around and see how much my baby has given to me and how much I have to offer to him. Maybe we will need another party to celebrate it all…Where did I let my phone book? I gotta make some phone calls…

            “Valerie…Valerie…we’ll have a party tonight. Can you take care of the food and drinks? I’m calling the guys…”

            And here we go again…I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow I am in Thailand… Our parties always end in nice trips…