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Thanks to Ayleen, Anita and Anastacia for reviewing 17! Sorry it took so long for me to update. I had major writers block, but I eventually got a new chapter done! Thanks for being patient and enjoy 18. Can't wait to hear what you think!!!

Chapter Eighteen

“We’re on in five,” Kevin yelled loud enough so that all the Boys and the dancers could hear him. Adonica jumped a little, for he was standing a mere three feet from him, his loud voice startling her slightly.

It was three days later, and two shows later. Avoiding Rich had been a huge challenge, but she’d managed to do so for this long, and decided that she still needed a few more days to decide what she was going to do. Her emotions were mixed, both wanting to gave and run back to him, yet wanting to ignore him for a little longer. Adonica smiled as Kevin walked right up next to her.

“How’re things going?” he asked.

Adonica shrugged, “Alright,” she replied, “It’s getting harder and harder to not go near him, but I’m doing it somehow.”

Kevin smiled, knowing that this was true. When you shard a hotel and the stage with the guy practically every night, it could be difficult to keep your distance from someone that you didn’t particularly want to be with.

“Well, you’re doing great,” Kevin grinned, “Keep it up...you’ll make your decision sooner or later. I promise.”

Kevin knew what he wanted her to do, but had come to the conclusion that he just wanted Adonica to be happy in life. He would support her choice either way. Kevin felt ashamed at the way he’d acted over the past months, and was embarrassed with singing that song that he had sang a week before. He didn’t know how he’d had the nerve to do such a thing, which reminded him that he still had to call Clay and tell him how things went...which, in his opinion, had been disastrous. How had he let his feelings get so out of control?

“Yeah,” Adonica replied with a sigh and a tired smile, interrupting his thoughts, “Thanks for helping me out though.”

Kevin shrugged, “Any time,” he told her, giving her a friendly hug, wishing it was more than just that, “I’m gonna head out. Good luck tonight.”

“You too,” she waved as he walked off.

Just as he was out of view though, Alaura and Dulcia came over to her, grinning away. She looked at them strangely, wondering what had gotten in to them.

“You and Kev look awfully cozy,” Dulcia remarked.

Adonica rolled her eyes, “We’re just friends. He’s helping me out with a problem that I’m having...that’s all. “

”Would that problem be, oh...I don’t know. Rich?” Alaura teased.

Adonica said nothing, her face flushing a shade of crimson. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t suspected it though. They were all best friends, and got vibes from one another, even when no words were spoken aloud.

“We’re up, dancers, get ready.” someone barked out, a voice that none of them could place a name with.

“Well, here we go, another day in the life of a dancer,” Dulcia said as she took place backstage, ready to go out and start the opening scene for the Boys first performing song. She knew the routine down pat, and wished that just once, she could spice things up a little and make things different, and interesting. Something that wasn’t planned out. That, she knew, would result in her being replaced. Therefore, she decided against it...for now.

Adonica cringed as she walked past Rich without so much as a glance. She could feel her entire body tense as she strided in the direction of the stage with the other dancers to take action like she’d done so many times before.

“Adonica,” Rich tried, cringing for letting himself become this weak as to be the first to cave, and so soon yet. He hadn’t expected to do so, but her not giving him the time of day was doing something to him. It was driving him crazy. He didn’t want to lose Adonica, and it seemed that he already had because of his bruised, jealous ego.

Adonica drew in a breath, holding it, willing herself to go on without saying a word to him. She had to do this for herself. She had to take a few days to think of what she wanted, without Rich in her life. If he was there, she knew that her decision would be to stay with him, which at this point, she didn’t think that it would necessarily be the best choice that she could make. Adonica continued to walk past, leaving Rich further and further behind. He stood helpless, staring at her in bewilderment. Adonica didn’t even turn around to look at him as she entered the stage to dance, therefore, she couldn’t even see the hurt look that was etched upon his face.

“I’m sorry,” Rich nearly whispered as he uncapped his bottle of iced water, taking a drink to cool off,. He shook his head sadly, wondering what he could do to make things better again. He wanted more than anything for their relationship to go back to how it used to be. That would take time and work though. “I really fucked up.” he muttered, shaking his head as he joined his bandmates and tell them that he was heading out to their own bus. There was no use for him to stick around any longer. He didn’t have Adonica to wait for, and wasn’t sure if he ever would again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alaura grinned as she walked in to the doctors office with both A.J. and Devin by her side. She was going on three months pregnant now and it was time for her monthly doctors appointment to check up on things, the first appointment that was actually in the states instead of overseas. The tour was over and they were back in the states again. Alaura was beginning to show the slightest bit, which caused excitement to jolt though Devin and A.J. both. Devin had fought some emotional problems, going from loving Alaura to being angry with her about the whole pregnancy with a kid that wasn’t his own. He’d eventually made up his mind though to be there for her, and stay in a relationship with her. He didn’t want to put his girlfriend on an emotional roller coaster, causing stress that she didn’t need during the pregnancy.

“I can’t believe how fast time has gone by,” Devin whistled, “Damn...three months along.”

Alaura just beamed. She was thrilled about the fact that she was going to have a child in just a few short months. In fact, nothing could make her happier. True, she wasn’t even that old, but she would be twenty-one by the time the child was born, so she figured that she would be okay. She was happy that she’d become pregnant towards the end of the tour. She would have hated to have to quit part way through because of th fact that the motions were too much for her body to handle and, the obvious that she would be looking rather large. There would now be a break that would last for about nine months or so. The Boys would take a month or so off for themselves to relax. After that, they would start getting material together for their new album, then start recording while doing promotional type stuff. The album would be released, and then a new tour would start a few weeks after. It was the same routine every time. Nine months would be the shortest time off. It could be up to a year and a half. Either way, her baby would have been born by the time the new tour started, and she would have had a few months to get back in to shape to take stage again. It was perfect how everything had worked out in a timely fashion.

Devin walked over to the front desk to check Alaura in as his girlfriend and A.J went to find seats. He soon joined them, sitting on the other side of Alaura, draping an arm lightly around her shoulder and Alaura leaned in to him. She could tell that he was a little tense, which caused a slight stress to inflict upon her. Taking Devin’s hand in hers, Alaura stood up, tugging gently at him.

“C’mon...lets walk to the end of the hall and back,” she suggested, “I want to talk to you about something.”

Devin got up, walking by her side at a slow, leisurely pace. Neither said anything for a short minute, Alaura unsure of how to bring up the subject. She took a deep breath though, deciding to just start talking. However it came out would have to do.

“Are you sure that you’re okay with me going through with this pregnancy?” she asked, “I mean...half the time, you seem fine, then others times...I’m not so sure that you’re just staying with me for the hell of it.”

“What?” Devin asked incredulously, “Alaura, I really love you. Sure, it’s strange knowing that you’re carrying A.J’s biological child, but I want to be the best father that I can be to it.”

Alaura smiled, “Okay...just making sure that your not uncomfortable with it. I mean...if you’re not, then it isn’t too late to consider abortion yet.”

Devin drew back, apparently not expecting the suggestion from her. In fact, it was the last thing that he had thought that Alaura would bring up.

“No...I don’t want you go do that. I’ll love this child as if it’s my own,” he grinned, “I swear to you that I will..”

Alaura didn’t look quite as convinced. She wanted to believe Devin, but if the situation were reversed, she wasn’t so sure that she wouldn’t be quite so calm as he was. In fact, if he’d cheated on her, she wouldn’t put up with it for a second.

“Don’t you want us to have kids together though?” Alaura asked, her eyes full of questioning and wonder.

“Of course,” Devin stated as they reached the far wall and turned around to head back to A.J, “And we will, eventually. Maybe after the baby is six months old or so, we can start trying.”

Alaura smiled, getting up on her tip toes to kiss his chin, “Thank you for being sweet about all of this. It means a lot to me.”
“I guess when you’re in love, it has no boundaries,” Devin joked.

Alaura smiled as they took their seats again by A.J, who was now reading a magazine. Alaura couldn’t help but stifle a giggle when she saw that it was an issue of Parenthood. She figured that he must have really been bored during the five minutes that they’d been gone. Looking to his side as he felt someone sitting down next to him he smiled, realizing his friends were back.

“Hey there,” he greeted, setting the magazine down

“Hi,” Alaura said, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. She was slightly afraid of what the outcome of the doctors appointment would be. She hoped that everything was going okay so far in to her pregnancy.

Reaching over, Alaura took Devin’s hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately. She had something that she had to talk to both men about. It was a slight problem that she’d been thinking about for awhile, and needed to get their opinion as well about it, for they were a major part of it. Alaura sighed, knowing that she couldn’t afford to put it off much longer.

“Alaura,” a voice called out.

Alaura looked up, seeing a nurse, knowing that it was her turn to go in for her checkup. Standing up, she took a deep breath and started towards the door.

‘Do you want us to go with you?” A.J. asked before she could get too far.

Alaura shook her head, “No...I can go in alone this time.”

Both men were slightly hurt with her decision but didn’t argue. Devin wanted to be there for his girlfriend, A.J. for his unborn child and friend. They just watched as Alaura disappeared behind the heavy, wooden door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dulcia smiled, content as she slumped down on her bed in her own home. It felt great to be back home. Everything was going good...well, almost everything. She and Brad were still together and going strong. Alaura was going on with her pregnancy, and Devin was supporting her, considering the circumstances. Her other friend, on the other hand, was in a real mess. It had been three months since she had last spoken to Rich. She’d gone the remainder of the tour in Europe not talking to him, and still wasn’t. Rich kept trying to get Adonica to speak to him, but she refused, walking past him as if she didn’t even see him there. She had confided in Kevin to talk to about her problems, and he was there for her. Dulcia personally wished that Adonica and Kevin would get together, but she knew that Adonica wasn’t ready to give up on Rich yet, for she kept making plans for the wedding, carrying through as if everything was fine. That right there told her that her friend was planning on marrying Rich still. The question was...when?

Dulcia was distracted from her thoughts when the phone rang. Rolling over, she picked it up, bringing to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey babe,”

Dulcia smiled. It was Brad. She’d only seen him hours before, yet she missed him already. Dulcia wondered what was getting in to her. It was completely out of character for her to be this way over a guy. She figured that it was just Brad. He did things to her brain, and made her melt, even after the months that they’d been together.

“Hey baby,” she greeted back, “What’s up?”

“Not a lot...just got in. Packing some things for the flight tomorrow.”

This caused Dulcia to grin even wider. After deciding that they couldn’t go long without being together, beings they were used to spending every waking moment with one another, more or less, Brad had decided to move in with Dulcia.

“I can’t wait til I see you again,” Dulcia told him, “Everything sucks without you here.”

Brad laughed, “Won’t be long, sweetie,” he promised, “I just thought that I would call and let you know that I got back okay and all.”

“Thanks...and call me when your flight lands so I can pick you up.” she reminded him, “You’ve never been to my house...might get lost if you rent a car and try to find it on your own.”

“Right,” Brad laughed again, “Will do.”

There was a brief pause. Neither one could believe that the tour was over now. Some points of it seemed like it was going so quickly, while others made it seem like it would never, ever end. It had though, and Dulcia was regretful of that fact. She loved dancing for the Boys, and already looked forward to a new tour. Brad, though, wasn’t so thrilled. During the next tour, he and LFO would be going separate ways than BSB and Dulcia. He didn’t know what would come of their relationship. He hoped that it was strong enough to survive the time apart until the tours ended again next time. Only time would tell.

“Well,” Brad stated, I guess I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“Yep, see ya,” Dulcia replied.

“I love you,” Brad got up the nerve to say for the first time since their relationship had started.

Dulcia drew in a deep, sharp breath at the sound of the strong word. Sure, she felt it towards him, but saying it aloud was a completely different thing all together. Brad was waiting though, and she knew that she had to try.

“I...I love you too,” she got up the courage to say.

“Bye,”

“Bye,”

Dulcia slowly hung up the phone, hoping that they weren’t making a mistake of moving in together. It was a huge step for her, and she was afraid of getting hurt more than anything. Dulcia took a deep breath, knowing that she had to trust Brad and his intentions. Here was to the next step in her life. Dulcia sighed, snuggling under the covers of her bed. She hoped that she was making the right decision for herself. Only time would tell. She hoped that it worked out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Adonica groaned as she walked out of the door to her house. All she wanted to do was pick up her mail, but what she saw, she did not like at all. Rich was sitting in her driveway in his red Camero, obviously waiting for her to come out. She had half a notion to go back inside the house and lock the door. Three months of ignoring him, and now he was gong to stalk her.

Go figure Adonica thought bitterly.

She didn’t want to break up with Rich, but she simply wasn’t ready to talk to him yet either. He’d hurt her a lot by his words to her and the way he’d tried to control her life. It was something that she didn’t want to put up with.

Walking down the steps to the driveway, Adonica walked over to Rich’s car, stopping at the drivers side window. He turned the music off immediately, rolling down the window.

“What do you want?” Adonica asked coldly, her hands placed on her hips impatiently, “And better question...how the hell did you find where I live? I never told you.”

Rich winced at her harsh, unwelcoming tone. Even though he knew he should have, he hadn’t been expecting the treatment, to say the least.

“It wasn’t hard to find out where you live,” Rich stated, “And I had to see you...I had to talk to you. You wouldn’t do it in Europe, during the rest of the tour. I figured if I came here, then you would have no choice.”

Adonica rolled her eyes. She, by all rights, should have a choice of talking to the man, but she felt trapped, and like she had to speak to him.

“You’re an ass,” Adonica stated bluntly, “A huge ass.”

“I know,” Rich admitted shamefully, taking Adonica by surprise, “I have been. That’s why I came. I had to apologize for everything I’ve done.”

Adonica moved her hands from her hips to crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn’t believe the nerve that Rich had.

“You expect me to forgive you in one second, after all of the shit you’ve put me though? And after putting one of my best friends through more crap than me?” Adonica asked incredulously, giving him a look of disbelief.

“Well, it would be nice,” Rich admitted.

Adonica threw her arms into the air, “I don’t believe this.” she nearly yelled before spinning around and heading back towards her house and away from Rich.

Panic overcoming him, Rich knew that he had to think of something fast if he was going to hold her attention. He had to say something, and mean it Opening his car door, he got out and stood still on the outside of the car, ready to try once more.

“Adonica, hear me out,” Rich pleaded, watching as her pace slowed down and then stop completely. She kept her back towards him, but she was listening, “I know that I screwed up. I was acting like a jealous pig. It was only because I was afraid of losing you to Kevin. I should have trusted you. I miss you though, and can’t stand being without you anymore. Please forgive me, and give me another chance. I...I love you Adonica, and if you still want to, I want to get married in four or five months, like we originally planned. If you don’t, I don’t care. I just want us to be together.”

Adonica could feel herself letting her guard down, her heart softening for Rich. It was exactly what she hadn’t wanted to do yet, but she couldn’t help it. His words had been so sweet and he seemed sincere and truly sorry for acting like he had. Closing her eyes and swallowing, Adonica turned around, staring at Rich.

“I want us to be together too,” she said softly, tears forming in her eyes, “But when you act like you have, it’s a real turnoff.”

Rich’s masculine shoulders dropped slightly, “I know...I’ll try harder to be like I was in the beginning...that is, if you give me another chance.”

Adonica hesitated before nodding that she wanted to try again. Rich held his arms out and Adonica ran in to them. She missed the feeling of being in his arms, and she felt a slight tingle of excitement shoot through her body, knowing that she shouldn’t have given in this easily. She’d always been a softy though, and had gotten the feeling as soon as she’d seen Rich that things would end up good between them again by the time he left.

“Thank you,” Rich whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Adonica said nothing, just enjoying the feeling of having Rich back in her life again. She’d obviously proved her point by ignoring him. But there was just one thing that she had to ask.

“You won’t scare Kevin away, will you?”

Rich laughed, “No...I won’t. I believe that you don’t like him in any romantic way. I’ll leave it alone if I see you talking.”

Adonica smiled. Yep, she’d proved her point. Everything was perfect again.