We'd been waiting all day just to see them. It was fairly chilly as we stood outside the venue, hoping for a glimpse of the four guys before they went inside to get ready for the show. I wasn't quite sure how my friends had talked me into this, how they'd convinced me this was a good idea, but nonetheless, here we were, huddled against each other for warmth, trying to keep the wind out of our faces, watching the buses that pulled slowly into the parking lot.
After what felt like an eternity, they emerged, bundled up against the cold, big grins on their faces. They'd had a few days off to recover from the first few shows of their tour, and now they were brimming with energy again, and ready to greet the fans.
Nick was the last to get to us that day, taking his time as he moved down the line of girls, laughing and joking with everyone, giving hugs and taking pictures, the usual stuff. My stomach knotted nervously as he came toward us. He was beautiful, no doubt, even in his white ski cap and heavy down jacket. The cold seemed to make his blue eyes that much clearer, and his smile that much wider. My heart raced, waiting for him to get to us.
We were at the end of the line, so he had a chance to linger a bit. My friends got their pictures with him, and he signed their shirts and programs, but when he got to me, I wasn't sure what to say. I felt really stupid for standing there for hours, waiting for him, and now not having a single thought in my head beyond how amazing he was to look at. I suddenly felt really, really shallow.
"What's your name?" he asked, taking the program from my hand and signing it quickly. His hand hovered over it, waiting for my response.
"Uh, Myckaila," I stuttered, knowing he wouldn't spell it right. No one ever did.
"That's pretty," he said as he scrawled something over my program. He handed it back and reached for the camera that was hanging limply in my other hand. "Should we use this?" he teased. His warm fingers brushed my cold ones as he took the camera from me, and I felt my body lurch in response.
"Lean in close now," he instructed, putting his arm around me and pulling me toward him. I jumped a bit when I felt his cheek against mine, but thank goodness I remembered to smile as the flash went off. The fact that he was touching me, had one arm around me, and his face against mine, was making it hard to form a coherent thought.
"It's a good one," he said, handing the camera back to me. "Thanks for coming out today!" He gave me a brief wave and a wink, and headed toward the venue, rubbing his hands together against the cold.
"That was smooth, Myck," my friend Jillian chided me as we moved away from the fence, in search of warmth and, hopefully, coffee. "I'm surprised you remembered your own name."
I blushed, which was probably a good thing, as it brought a rush of heat to my face. "I wasn't expecting him to be that close, or that friendly. He just caught me off-guard."
"See, I told you you'd enjoy it if you came with us," Meegan teased, nudging my arm. "That was awesome!" She pulled out her camera and began scanning back through the pictures she'd just taken. Of the three of us, Meegan was probably the biggest Backstreet Boys fan, but we'd all loved them since we were kids.
After we'd had a chance to warm up and get some hot liquid into us, we went back to the venue to line up for the show. Somehow Meegan had managed to score us front row seats, so we were beyond pumped about that. I just hoped I'd be a little more cool when faced with Nick a second time. I don't think my pride or my ego could handle it if I ended up a bumbling idiot again. Thank goodness there was the distraction of the show itself to keep me from concentrating on him too much. Sad, the whole situation was just very sad.
"These seats are fantastic," Jill commented as we sat down, right at the front of the stage, almost dead-centre. "Who'd you fuck for these babies?"
Meegan laughed. "No one, but I did fuck over my bank account for them." She laughed and glanced at the stage. "Scalpers aren't cheap, you know. But it was so worth it."
Jill and I had offered to pay for our own tickets, but Meegan wouldn't have it, so neither of us even knew what the seats had cost her. She was always doing things like that for us, and while we loved her for it, it was a little hard to take that much generosity sometimes.
We chatted quietly, took some pictures together, and made quick trips to the bathroom as we waited for the show to start. I don't even remember who the opening act was, some chick who played the piano, but I didn't catch her name. I wanted to see the group, to see Nick, to try to be cool this time. I knew from hearing stories that he interacted heavily with the first couple of rows, so I hoped I could handle it.
When the first raging beats of the first song filtered through the arena, the screams were deafening. Jill, Meegan, and I jumped to our feet immediately, going right up against the barrier in front of us, as close to the stage as we could possibly get. This was it, this was the show we'd been waiting weeks for. And after having met the Boys in the parking lot that day, we were even more excited.
I let myself get lost in the music, in the lights, in the adrenaline that pumped through me. These guys were good, they were downright fantastic, and their charisma was unmatched. We danced like morons, throwing our hands in the air, reaching out to the guys when they came near us, just generally being unruly, and loving every minute of it.
At one point, Nick and AJ jumped down off the stage and came toward us, behind the barrier, teasing the crowd about kisses and hugs for all the single ladies. I thought I would pass out right there. AJ grabbed a girl a few seats down from me and planted a big kiss right on her lips. The girl was so happy, she cried. We screamed and clapped for her, ecstatic that she'd received such a treat.
Nick hadn't chosen his victim yet, and I tensed as he moved ever closer to where we were standing. My heart sped up, my palms grew sweaty, and I felt like I was rooted to where I stood. When he looked up and caught my eye, I had to fight to stay on my feet.
He smiled, a smile of recognition, and suddenly his intention was clear. It was going to be me he chose, I would be the one he kissed. I didn't have long to prepare myself before he was right in front of me, reaching out to me over the barrier.
Everything went in slow motion then, and the noise around me fell away. He slipped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close, hugging me as best he could against the barrier. I had the presence of mind to hug him back, thank God. He was sweaty and didn't smell all that great, but I didn't care. He had me in his arms and was squeezing me tightly.
He pulled back from me after a brief second and grinned down at me. "What was I saying about kisses?" he teased, then leaned down swiftly and pressed his soft, sweaty lips against mine. Electricity shot through me, through every inch of my body, and I forgot to breathe. It was just the briefest peck, but it could have been full-out sex for the way my body responded. I hadn't expected him to kiss me on the lips, hadn't been at all prepared for it, so I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with it.
By the time I came back to my senses, he'd moved away and was back on the stage, gyrating his hips, pretty much right in front of me. Meegan and Jill were hugging me and squealing, but I couldn't move, I couldn't react. I stared up at him, knowing damn well that he was looking right at me, and a slow smile spread over my face.
It was in that very moment that I realized how much I wanted him.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Flashbacks are in italics, Nick's POV flashbacks are in bold italics, and Nick's present POV is in bold.
Chapter End Notes:
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