A few days later my best friend Danielle came over. She was lying across my bed as I was working on school work for the following week. “You devote too much time indoors. It’s always homework, homework, homework. You need to get out more. You need to come with me.” She moaned.

“Come with you where?”I responded.

“I don’t know. Out; Away from the house and school; we should go to a club tonight.”

Usually I didn’t drink and I wasn’t much into clubs since most of the club experience was drinking. However, I did love to dance and knowing her, she wasn’t going to give up; so with not much hesitation I agreed to her plans.

We weren’t at the club more than half an hour and although my friend was enjoying herself shot after shot I decided to hit the dance floor. Of all songs for me to dance to the DJ put on Aaron Carter’s new song Dance with me.

I was a pretty good dancer and never minded dancing alone although that didn’t last more than five minutes. I found myself surrounded by guys. I was trying to ignore them allowing myself to focus on the song and Aaron’s voice as much as I could over the loudness of the people and the speakers itself. Next thing I knew a guy was all in my ear singing along to the song, not that I could hear him very much but I could feel his hands around my waist. I just wanted the song to be over so I could get away from this drunk guy hanging on me.

~I LIKE THE WAY YOU DO YOUR THING, BABY U LIKE MY SWING AND I KNOW U WANNA DANCE WITH ME THEY’LL REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE ‘CAUSE YOU’RE DANCING WITH A STAR AND I KNOW YOU WANNA DANCE WITH ME~

When the song was over I opened my eyes to see not only Aaron standing right in front of me but it was his hands around my waist. I was so speechless.

“I take it, you like my new song?” He yelled leaning close enough for me to hear him. He smelled so good.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out.

“Guessing the same thing as you.” He said. “I’m here with a couple of my boys and I saw you. I recognized you from the other night. Autumn right.” That wasn’t a question. He remembered my name.

“You drinking?” What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I put a full sentence together? I felt so dumb but with the loud music, hopefully he wasn’t noticing.

“I am twenty-two you know.” He laughed. Now I felt really dumb. “Let me buy you a drink.” He offered. I followed him through the crowd to the bar. “My friend.” I said remembering I had left her even though she was most likely fine on her own. “I’ll buy one for her to. What’s your preference?” He ordered drinks for us and we met up with Danielle who was dancing with some random guy. After a few drinks…even though I don’t normally drink, I couldn’t turn one down from Aaron, I loosened up enough to really enjoy myself and danced a little more with Aaron. By the end of the night, Danielle and I joined him and his friends in the VIP area. Thank goodness we took a cab.

“Thanks for coming out with me the other night.” Danielle said folding clothes. I was hanging out with her at work. “I still can’t believe who we were chillin’ with! And you never told me you dated him!” She hissed at me. Danielle was my best friend. I met her in middle school when we were both dating the same guy. Instead of hating each other, we chose to hate him and have been best friends ever since. We tell each other everything sparing no detail.

“Okay I was never dating him nor was the movie a date.” I corrected her.

“Still you should called me right after! I would have called you. Aaron’s really grown up.” She told me with a smirk on her face.

“Whatever, he’s still young.” I replied as a matter of fact.

“That’s right, so the fight over Nick continues.” Only one guy was worth us fighting over and that was Nick Carter. It was a crush we both had in common.  “But hey, he looks just like him so why not.”

“Why not what?” I wasn’t quite following her.

She spun around holding a piece of lingerie. “He would love this on you.” She said winking at me.

“Okay.” I said rolling my eyes at her, “I’m outta here.”

“He’s a guy autumn, that’s all I was saying.” She called out after me. She preferred the fantasy world over reality but I loved her anyways, she was my crazy and I was her normalcy.

I walked out of her store and wondered aimlessly out into the mall.  I grabbed a bite to eat and sat down in a corner of the food court.

“I find it hard to believe you are sitting here alone again. A pretty girl like you should have boys going crazy over you.” Aaron said placing his food and sitting down with me.

“What the….? We gotta stop meeting like this” I laughed. I’ve bumped into him for the third time this week and still he got my heart racing every time.  “What are you doing here? You don’t even live in this town. Are you stalking me?”

“I kind of enjoy meeting like this.” He laughed. “For a fan, you sure don’t act like one.” He smiled as he stuffed his face full of burger. If only he knew. “Oh my gosh, aaron carter is sitting at my table!” I squealed in the best high pitched voice I could do. I made him almost choke on his food with my impersonation. “Wow.” Was all he managed to choke out. Were we flirting? Was I flirting with him? I quickly shook that thought out of my mind and drank my coke so I wouldn’t say anything else stupid. “I actually live in Miami now and no I’m not stalking you but it is odd how we keep running into each other like this.” He continued.

“This isn’t Miami lost boy. You’re in Orlando.” I told him. Oh my goodness, I was flirting with him. “Really? Damn, I thought I was someplace else.” He joked back. We finished our lunch together and walked around the mall…..together. I couldn’t help but notice ever since Danielle pointed it out, how much Aaron did resemble Nick in a lot of ways; He even had the same traits as Nick did; shopping.

“What are you still doing here?” Danielle asked me as I approached her. “I just spent the afternoon with Aaron Carter and I’m pretty sure we were flirting!” I blurted in one big breath.

“Oh you like him don’t you?” She said too calmly for what I just told her.

“Did you hear me? He was flirting with me! I was flirting back!”

“He is a little hottie! You can have him and I’ll take Nick.” She joked.

“I can’t have him and I can’t like him like that either. He’s too young for me. Even if he were my age I’m not dating him.”

“Ok first of all, you’re only four years older, not that old. And second, he seems into you.”

“How would you even know that? He’s just a flirt, just like Nick is. It’s his personality. He’s not into me.” I said.

“Well he’s coming this way.” She pointed out.

“Hey autumn can I talk to you for a minute?” He asked. Oh how I melted hearing my name from his mouth. Danielle walked a little in front of us giving him some privacy but I noticed her looking at us from the corner of her eye. Probably analyzing every detail of our conversation. I waited for him to start and he looked as if he didn’t know where to begin.

“I don’t usually do this but I thought, how often do I run into the same girl in one week? I’m actually going back to Miami tomorrow and I was wondering if I could get your number? I’ll give you mine if you promise not to give it out.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Um…sure.” I gave him my number and he put his in my cell. “I’ll call you.” He smiled. “Hey what’s your last name?” He asked me. “Summers. Autumn Summers.” I told him. “It’s been a pleasure hanging out with you Autumn Summers.” He smiled and walked away. Only two guys could walk away and leave me breathless like that, both had the last name Carter.

Of course when he was out of sight, Danielle and I resorted back into our inner teen and couldn’t believe that really had happened!

That night as I lay in bed, I randomly put his music on the first thing to play was One Better. *You should know that I can Be more than you will ever need I’ll show you something new to see I'll be the one you can believe I’ll be one better*

I always looked at Aaron as young; Nick’s little brother. Now don’t get me wrong, I never in a million years thought I would ever be with Nick let alone Aaron. This was a fantasy that would probably go nowhere but I was having fun while it lasted.