“Brian, I hate wearing tuxes,” Nick muttered as he stood awkwardly in the mirror. “Couldn’t I just wear--?”
“Nick, would you stop complaining for one night, please?” Howie Dorough practically begged as the boys all tried on their tuxedos for the night. “This night means a lot to Brian.”
“There have been a lot of nights that have meant a lot to Brian,” Nick sighed. “I’m tired of attending them.”
“Gee, thanks Nick,” Brian muttered sarcastically from the other side of the dressing room. “It’s just for a few hours, anyway. There are going to be a lot of gorgeous women there tonight, Nick.” Brian tried to make his best friend interested in going.
“It’s fine,” Nick muttered, slightly interested at the mention of “gorgeous women”.
Nick needed a beautiful woman for tonight. He was almost on the verge of calling that woman that he had met at the club to invite her to the benefit. Her awkwardness, however, didn’t sit well with him and he figured he would be able to find a beautiful girl tonight at the concert and dinner.
With Alex
“This one is so…revealing,” Alex mumbled with a look of disgust on her face as she was forced to spin in the mirror.
Kerstin and two sales associates marveled at the miracle in the mirror. “Allie, it looks absolutely perfect! I’m not even lying. You look like a movie star.” The strapless black dress clung tightly to her chest, the cups for her breasts making a “V” in the middle to show off some cleavage. The dress was tight all the way down her body, but flared out nicely around her calves. The material was something Alex had never felt before. It was very thick and very soft like satin; however it wasn’t as light as satin. There was something heavier underneath. Whatever it was, it felt nice. However, the revealing nature of the dress repelled her.
“I feel like a slut,” Alex mumbled as she tugged at the dress a little more to make her feel more comfortable.
“You are not a slut,” Kerstin sighed and shook her head. “You look beautiful. We’ll take it.” She smiled at the sales clerk and the clerk went away to ring up the purchase. “You are going to look absolutely stunning tonight.” Kerstin smiled as she played with Alex’s hair.
“I don’t feel stunning,” Alex mumbled as she felt the emotional part of her taking over. She felt the tears begin to well in her eyes. After blinking a few times, she was able to ward them off. “I-I just want to leave.”
Kerstin frowned at her friend’s sudden disinterest in the entire outing. She thought for sure Alex would love being pampered and taken care of. Nick was a gorgeous guy and Kerstin knew Alex could win him over if she just started acting more like a normal twenty-four-year-old. She watched as Alex disappeared back into the dressing room to change. Kerstin handed over her credit card and walked to the front of the story to check out.
“Kerstin, is that you?” She heard a voice from behind her. She smiled as she turned around and saw her friend Christy who had gotten them into the benefit for the night.
“Hey Christy! Thank you so much for tonight,” Kerstin smiled. “I really appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem, really,” Christy smiled. “I decided to go shopping to show Leighanne around. This is Leighanne Littrell, she’s the wife of the man that is throwing tonight’s benefit.” Christy introduced the beautiful blonde woman standing next to her. “Leighanne, this is an old friend of mine, Kerstin Andrews.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Leighanne smiled with a strong southern accent and shook Kerstin’s hand.
“You too,” Kerstin responded with a big smile.
“That man that you mentioned, Nick Carter, is in Leighanne’s husband’s band,” Christy went on further to explain. Kerstin blushed a light pink color at the mention of Nick. She didn’t really want anyone to know they were going to the benefit simply to run into Nick again. It would sound too much as if they were stalking him.
“How do you know Nick?” Leighanne asked curiously. Kerstin tried to think of a way to say the truth. Nothing was coming to mind.
“Oh…well,” she mumbled and watched as her best friend walked over with the dress in hand. A small smile graced her lips as she saw the strangers. “This is my roommate and best friend, Alex McIntosh. She’s coming to the benefit with me tonight.” She quickly changed the subject. With the new introduction, Leighanne seemed to completely forget about her previous question. “This is Leighanne Littrell. Her husband is the man that is hosting the benefit. And you remember Christy.”
“Nice to meet you,” Alex smiled. Leighanne reciprocated the gesture and the two women shook hands. “Hi Christy.” She smiled at the old friend from college. Christy nodded with a smile and Kerstin turned back to the register to hand the woman the dress so they could be on their way. “We were just shopping for tonight.” Alex smiled, not really sure what to say.
“Same with us,” Leighanne smiled. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something different about Alex, the girl. Something very innocent and naïve. She seemed like a sweet girl. “Have you lived in New York long?”
“Since college,” Alex answered. “I actually grew up in Pennsylvania and then Alex and I moved to Syracuse for school.” She explained. Leighanne nodded, intrigued. “Ever since, New York has just kinda stuck as our home.” She shrugged.
“That’s great, to feel like you actually belong somewhere,” Leighanne smiled. “That’s how I feel about Georgia. It just has this homey feeling to it.” She agreed.
“Well, we better get going,” Kerstin smiled. “It was nice meeting you, Leighanne. I guess we’ll be seeing you tonight, then?”
“Absolutely,” Leighanne smiled at both of the girls. “Nice meeting you both.”
After their goodbyes, Kerstin and Alex made their way out of the store and down the New York City road once more to find other things that they needed for the day. “That woman is married to the man that is running the benefit for tonight.” Kerstin said again. Alex frowned and nodded.
“Your point?” Alex asked as she tugged the bag with the dress in it up higher on her shoulder so it wouldn’t drag on the ground.
“My point is that he is in the band with Nick. They’re friends,” Kerstin emphasized the word ‘friends’. “That means if you get on good terms with the wife, maybe she’ll push you towards Nick!”
“Kerstin, you’re getting more into this whole thing than I am,” Alex rolled her eyes and laughed. Originally, Kerstin hated the idea of her completely using some random guy. Now, it was almost as if it were a game.
“No,” Kerstin jumped back defensively. “I just really want this to work for you,” she shrugged and took a sip from the bottle of water in her hand. Alex shook her head and laughed. Sure. That was all Kerstin was in it for. She didn’t believe that for a second. “Let’s head back to the apartment and start getting ready. I can work on your hair and your make-up…and I should have a pair of shoes to go with the outfit…”
“Wait, what about your dress?” Alex frowned. Throughout all of the chaos of the day, she had completely forgot about her friend.
“Oh, I already have one,” Kerstin smirked. “It’s from this dinner I went to with my family last year. Don’t worry, I’m not ditching you tonight.” She laughed. She knew Alex was worried from the second the question came up. She wouldn’t leave her friend alone tonight. She’d need the cues and tips about men every second she could get.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you for all the reviews! I started doing this in the last chapter, but whenever I switch settings (going from Alex to Nick or Nick to Alex) I’m italicizing “With ___” or whatever. If it’s too complicated or if you have a suggestion, please let me know! Thanks!
