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No one in the room had had more sex in their life than Christofol Sandoval and Gustavo Deloro.  Tofu would do it with any reasonably attractive woman, and Gus didn’t limit himself to one gender.  And they both took one look at Nick and Mel and knew exactly what had happened the night before.

Mel was already at the table, when Nick walked in with Toby and Jeff.  She was listening to Rashad tell a ‘proud papa’ story and twitched visibly, when Rashad said in mid-sentence, ‘Yo, Nick!’  Her head swung slowly and deliberately around. 

The two lovers made eye contact and nodded slightly to each other.  Then both turned carefully away. 
“You were saying?” said Mel to Rashad. 

Nick asked Toby about orange juice.  Gus and Tofu looked at each other and grinned. 

“Hey, did anyone know that Rafe’s going to be in Toronto?” asked Nick, suddenly. 

Melody twitched again.  Only Jeff noticed this time. 

“Are you sure?” asked Toby.  He liked to be in the loop on these things, and this was a surprise to him.

“Yeah, I just found out myself.  Tamara told me she’d seen him there.  Surprise inspection, I guess.”  Nick shrugged and wandered over to the buffet table to make his selections.

Rashad continued his story, and Mel listened, a bright smile on her face.  But she wasn’t hearing a word.  Her brain couldn’t get past the word ‘Tamara’.

Nick had talked to Tamara.  This morning.  After being in Mel’s bed last night.  Mel knew that she was being…well, she guessed ‘insane’ was the best word for it.  She had told Nick that they would only have one night together.  Hell, she had insisted he sleep with Tamara in Toronto.  But couldn’t he have waited?  Did he have to phone the model so soon…?

“Mel?”

She blinked.  The story was over, and still she sat there, beaming like an idiot.  Some kind of comment was called for.  She sure wished she knew what it was. 

Once again, Gus saved her.  “You should write a book, Rashad.  You should write down all these stories about your kids.  You’re a great storyteller, right Mel?”

Mel nodded and agreed with Gus.  She was seated at the back of the table, and she suddenly felt very hemmed in and claustrophobic.  She needed to get up.  She needed to get out of this room.  She needed to do it now!  She could feel panic setting in.  She twisted her hands together in her lap, and her breathing became labored. 

Suddenly, she felt a hand over hers.  She looked to her left.  Tofu leaned into her and whispered in her ear.  “Did I ever tell you that I want to suck your toes?”

Melody stared at him for a second and then burst out laughing.  “You’re too much, Tofu,” she said and then threw her arms around her lifeline.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow Melody made it through the rest of the meal and all the details of departure.  They boarded the buses, ready to head out.  Tom rushed in at the last minute and begged Nick to do a phone interview with a local radio station. 

“They couldn’t say enough good things about the concert last night,” said Tom.  “A surprise phone call would be great.”

Nick made some notes, and then Toby dialed the number Tom had given him.  After a couple of words of small talk, he handed Nick the phone.

“Hey, Mike, how’s it going?”

Jeff and Melody pressed their ear to the radio that was playing on low in the background.  They heard Mike almost pee his pants on air, when he made the announcement that he was talking to none other than Nick Carter, the subject of his recent glowing remarks.  Mike told Nick how great the concert had been and how the phone had been ringing off the hook and the emails were piling up.

“That’s great,” said Nick.  “I really like coming to Ottawa.  The fans are great here.” 

Nick had learned to stop saying ‘the Canadian fans’.  That pissed them off.  After all, he didn’t say, ‘I love coming to Milwaukee.  The American fans are great.’

Well, the fans sure loved him, insisted Mike, and then he told Nick a couple of stories about what some fans had been willing to do to get tickets to the concert.  Mel was horrified, and it showed on her face.  Nick laughed at her expression and then told Mike that really, he didn’t understand that, that people would do that.  He sure hoped that no one had done anything too dangerous.  He would hate it if anyone got hurt.  Mel could hear the swooning all over Ottawa at that comment.  Oh, Nickkkkkkkkkkkkk…

Mike talked about a few of the things that happened at the concert…different songs…the band.  Nick gave the stock answers, referring to the page in front of him, so that he wouldn’t do something stupid, like not know the name of the venue. 

These days it was hard…it was always some corporate thing…the Corel Centre in Ottawa, the Staples Centre in L.A.  Chicago had Bell Cellular Field.  Rochester had the Blue Cross Arena.  Nick was waiting for the day that he played a concert in Kleenex Park or Charmin’ Stadium.

Then Mike referred to Alias Me.  He talked about how the song had been number one in Ottawa for several weeks now, and that it was one of his favorites, but somehow when Nick did it live, with the guitar player singing along…um…

Nick helped him out.  “Melody Jones.”

“Yes, yes, that’s it.  Thanks, Nick.  Well, that was a moment, I can tell you.  The harmony.  And the way the two of you blend together.  Amazing!”

Nick and Melody stared at each other. 

And then Jeff knew too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrived in Toronto six hours later.  An accident on Highway 401 slowed them down.  They  lost nearly an hour.  Nick and Mel were so twitchy that Jeff wanted to get out and push the wrecked cars off the highway himself.

It was impossible for them to avoid each other on the bus, and for some reason, they wanted to.  Jeff didn’t get it.  He figured he knew what had happened between them.  Maybe it had been a mistake, but if they both realized that already, then they had set some kind of world record.  Finally, when it reached the boiling point, Jeff grabbed at the only straw he thought might work.

“Music,” he said. 

Toby had no idea what was going on between Nick and Mel, but he had sensed the tension as well.  Toby figured Mel had done something else to piss Nick off but that he was too polite to tell her off in public.

“Yes,” said Toby, agreeing with Jeff.  “Let’s have some music.”  He didn’t care if they turned on the radio to AM.  He just wanted the oppressive silence to end.

Nick and Melody both reached for their guitar.  Then they looked at each other and grinned.  Nick ran his fingers over the strings.

“Play with me,” he said, and he started Who Needs the World? He didn’t sing.  Melody played along with him. 

“Sing with me,” he said when they were done, and then he played it again. 

Melody didn’t.  They both played, and he sang.  She merely added the syllable ‘Ahhh…” in harmony where she felt like it.  It wasn’t often.  It was enough, however, to make him fall in love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, Nick.  Over here!”

Nick turned to see Rafe striding toward him and Jeff.  He was dressed for going out somewhere, Nick thought.  No tie.  The Spaniard was wearing a black suit with a white shirt.  Crisp cuffs peeked from the bottom of the sleeves.  The shirt had no collar and was made of textured linen.  The girls would be all over him, Nick figured.

The men shook hands.  Rafe invited Nick to join him in the bar for a drink.  They leaned on the bar and made small talk for a few minutes, discussing the tour and the new video, which they were going to shoot while they were in Toronto.  So much for a day off, thought Nick.  Jeff got himself a club soda and sat at a table by the door.

Nick set his empty beer glass on the counter and looked at his watch.  Because of the accident, he hadn’t got to the city in time to talk to Tamara before she went off to her fashion show.  He was meeting her afterward for dinner at Sassafraz.  He had the name and address written down.  It would be some trendy place, Nick knew, probably with overpriced mediocre food, but lots of ambience.  The kind of place Rafe would probably like.

Rafe looked at his watch too.  He chuckled.  “The amount of time we spend waiting on our women!”  Then he looked at Nick.  “But I guess maybe you missed Tamara.”

Nick nodded and wondered who Rafe was waiting for.

Rafe drank the last of his Scotch and then blew Nick’s world apart.  “I told Mel seven.  She’s never late, so that gives me another few minutes.  Another beer?”

“Mel?”  Nick wasn’t processing.

Rafe signaled to the bartender and circled his finger over the two glasses.  Another round.

“Yes,” he said, and then he added, “You know, Nick, I’ve been wanting to apologize for that little ‘Mel is gay’ story that I told you.  Obviously, it isn’t true.”

Nick didn’t say anything.

“It’s just that…well, to tell you the truth, I guess I was a little jealous.  You’re a pretty hot guy, and if Mel was going to…well…um…turn to anyone, shall we say…I figured it would be you.  I thought if I could keep a little distance between the two of you until you were into the tour, then you would just be…I don’t know…pals, buddies, whatever…”  Rafe’s voice trailed off. 

Nick thought Rafe sounded almost humble. 

“Don’t blame Tom,” said Rafe.  “He was just backing me up.  I told him it was about the music.  That nothing…”

“…should get in the way of the music,” finished Nick. 

Suddenly, he was on a train looking out at the English countryside.  That was what Mel had said when she told him she wasn’t gay.  When she told him not to talk to Rafe about it.

“So you and Mel…?”

“…are going to the Fashion Benefit tonight.  The one Tamara’s in.  Say, why don’t you tell me where you two are having dinner.  Maybe Mel and I could join you.”

“I…uh…I don’t know…we’re…uh…we’re meeting here…we…uh…we might not even go out.”

Rafe gave Nick a knowing nod.  “Gotcha.  I guess it’s been a while since you’ve seen each other.  You’ll want to make up for lost time.  I hear you on that one.”  He signaled for the bartender and slid his credit card along the bar.  “I told Mel I’d meet her at the elevator, and you know how punctual she is.  I’d better get my ass out there.”

“Thanks for the drink,” mumbled Nick.  And the kick in the stomach.

Rafe patted him on the back as he went out.  Then he walked to the elevator with a smug smile on his face.  If this bullshit story held up as well as the last one, he could keep them apart for the whole tour.  Rafe asked himself if he was willing to fuck Mel to give the story verisimilitude.  He decided that he was.

Nick watched from the bar.  The elevator doors opened, and Mel stepped off.  She was wearing that hot outfit she’d had on in Atlanta.  She looked around and spotted Rafe.  She smiled at him.  Nick couldn’t get anything out of the smile.  It wasn’t a big, beaming grin or a sexy leer.  It was just a smile of recognition. 

The kiss, however, was something altogether different.  Rafe approached her and touched her hair.  Then he kissed her…on the mouth.  She looked startled and backed away.  She looked around. 

No, not startled, Nick decided.  Guilty.  She looked guilty.  And she looked around like she was afraid someone would see her.  And then she said something.  Nick read her lips.  Hi, Lover.  Then they turned and headed for the door, Rafe’s hand in the small of her back, almost on her ass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melody couldn’t believe it when Rafe kissed her.  What was up with that?  She spotted him when she got off the elevator.  Melody was never late for anything, but she sure as hell kept her eye on the clock this time.  She was a bit rushed, what with the accident and all, but she knew better than to be late for Rafe.

Rafe walked up to her and touched her hair.  She knew he liked the new color.  He’d said so more than once in Tampa.

“It’s getting longer,” he said, with a smile.  “It looks good.”

“Thanks,” she said and got no further because he kissed her…on the mouth.  He startled her, and she stepped back.

“Do you like it?” he asked. 

Mel looked at him.  What?

“Your hair,” said Rafe, as if the kiss had never happened.

Mel nodded.  “I love it.”

“Let’s go,” said Rafe, and he put his hand on her back to guide her to the exit. 

His hand was a little low, thought Mel, but she didn’t say anything.  If he moves it one inch lower, though, she decided, he’s going to lose it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you tell him yet?”

Tamara turned and wrinkled her nose at him.  “No, Terence.  I didn’t get a chance yet.  His bus was late getting in.  There was an accident on the highway.”

“Really?  Anyone get hurt?”

“They weren’t in the accident.  It only slowed them down.  You’re a bad boy.”

Terence laughed.  “Hey, I don’t want him hurt or dead.  I just want him out of your life.”