Kevin quietly unlocked the hotel room door and tried to slip into the room as quietly as possible. He had just come from his tour bus where he’d met Jordyn for the fifth night in a row. He’d determined it was easier to convince Abigail that he was working in his studio on the bus. At least he was being honest about his whereabouts. It had become habit for Kevin to take a shower before he joined Abigail in bed. 

When Kevin finally came to bed, Abigail was still wide-awake. It was 1:30 in the morning and Kevin had been gone for almost two hours. She wanted to believe that Kevin was working in the studio, but when she questioned the other guys, they weren’t aware that Kevin was working on any new material. Their relationship was changing and she feared that she was loosing Kevin. But she feared that Kevin would be offended if she questioned him about it, so she opted to keep her concerns to herself and give Kevin more time. Abigail needed to know that Kevin still wanted her in his bed, so she rolled over and hoped that Kevin would take her in his arms. 

“Hey, I hope I didn’t wake you.” Kevin said as he gladly took Abigail in his arms and placed a light kiss on her forehead. 

“No, I was having problems getting to sleep.” Abigail said as she relaxed in Kevin’s arms. 

“I know you sleep better in my arms. I promise I’ll be here tomorrow night.” Kevin said. Jordyn had nearly lost it when Kevin told her that they were moving on to the next city after the concert the next day and he’d be unavailable. Kevin took the opportunity to point out that she was getting what she wanted because Kevin was beginning to sense Abigail’s apprehension. “You will accept this. I don’t think Frank’s ready to reveal his plan just yet.” Kevin had said to her, as he got dressed. Jordyn knew that he had a point and backed off. She confided in him and told him that she had become so accustomed to being with him every night that she didn’t want to go a day without him. “Don’t start getting all emotional on me Jordyn. I don’t have an ounce of compassion for you. I will keep reminding you until this charade is over that I’m doing this for one person and one person only. I DO NOT want Abigail hurt, and that’s the ONLY reason I’m here.” Kevin had reiterated. 

Abigail couldn’t help but notice how tense Kevin was as she lay in his arms. She remembered the days when Kevin was totally relaxed when they were together. She made slow circles with her hand on Kevin’s stomach, knowing this had always helped calm him down in the past. 

Kevin wanted to cry when Abigail started making a slow and soft circular motion on his stomach. This told him that Abigail was picking up on the tension and made it clear that he was not doing a good job at hiding his tension. Kevin was finally able to drift off into a restless sleep a short while after he felt Abigail relax in his arms. He desperately wanted to run away with Abigail and tell her what Frank was doing, but he knew he’d be jeopardizing Abigail’s safety. It was just unfortunate that the only option he had was to break her heart. 

************************ 

The following afternoon, proved to be difficult for Kevin. He’d managed to have a relatively normal morning with Abigail which started with them making love. Kevin realized how much he hated having sex with Jordyn. Whenever they were together, it was fast and furious. Jordyn called it wild sex. Kevin just wanted to get it over with. He saved all his love and compassion for Abigail. He’d slowed down his lovemaking with Abigail, in hopes of savoring every moment that they were together. 

Kevin needed to get out of the hotel room and offered to take Abigail for lunch. Due to the increasing number of fans that surrounded the hotel, they had to settle for lunch at the hotel restaurant. Kevin was just beginning to relax and enjoy himself, when he saw Jordyn walk by as she was escorted to a table where she sat alone. So far, Jordyn hadn’t placed any demands on Kevin while he was with Abigail, but he sensed that was going to change. 

Jordyn kept her distance until Kevin was paying the bill. That’s when she approached the table and said, “I hate to bother you like this Kevin, but I just needed to come by and say hello. We met a couple weeks ago and I was just wondering if you remember me? My name’s Jordyn.” 

Kevin clenched his teeth together and answered, “I think I recall meeting you.” 

“I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the show that night.” Jordyn said. She could tell that Kevin was annoyed; mission accomplished. 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Kevin said. 

“Is this your girlfriend Abigail? I’ve heard so much about you. It’s so nice to meet you.” Jordyn said as she extended her hand in Abigail’s direction. 

“It’s nice to meet you as well Jordyn. It’s always a pleasure to meet fans.” Abigail said, trying to ignore her uneasiness. 

“Well if you’ll excuse us Jordyn, we have somewhere we need to be. It was nice meeting you again.” Kevin said as he stood up and held out his hand to Abigail. 

“Of course. Maybe we’ll run into each other again some time soon.” Jordyn said as she watched Kevin literally pull Abigail through the restaurant. Implementation of Phase 2 was in place. 

Meanwhile in the elevator, Abigail was questioning Kevin’s odd behavior. “What happened back there Kevin? You’re normally very tolerant with the fans.” Abigail questioned. 

“You know how I hate being bothered when I’m eating.” Kevin snapped. 

“But she had the courtesy to wait until we were finished.” Abigail pointed out. 

“Jesus Abi. What’s with the third degree? You know how difficult it is to “be on” all the time. I’m just not in the mood to deal with fans this afternoon. That’s all.” Kevin said, instantly regretting the fact that he snapped at Abigail. 

“Sorry I asked.” Abigail said as she walked off the elevator. As soon as they were in the room, she said, “I think I’ll just stay here this afternoon. I don’t think I’m in the mood to deal with YOUR attitude this afternoon.” 

“You can’t stay here Abi. We need to be packed and ready to by 4pm.” Kevin said. 

“Fine, then I’ll stay on the bus.” Abigail sulked. 

“Grow up Abi! You are not staying on the bus.” Kevin said. 

“Fuck you Kevin.” Abigail said as she glared at Kevin. She was thoroughly confused by Kevin’s behavior. She’d noticed his moodiness over the past couple of weeks, but this was the first time he’d exploded. 

Kevin grabbed Abigail’s arm to ensure that he had her attention. “Don’t EVER talk to me like that again, understand?” Kevin yelled. 

“Ouch.” Abigail said as she tried to break free of Kevin’s grip. 

Kevin instantly let go of Abigail’s arm when he realized he was hurting her. “Oh god Abi. I’m so sorry.” Kevin said as he tried to bring Abigail into his arms. 

“Don’t EVER touch me like that again. I will not tolerate that kind of abuse Kevin.” Abigail said in a raised voice. She glared at Kevin for a few seconds to ensure he knew how serious she was and then she headed for the door. 

“Where are you going?” Kevin asked in a desperate voice. 

“I don’t know. My stuff is packed. I’ll see you on the bus at four.” Abigail said. 

“Please stay Abi. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Let me make it up to you.” Kevin pleaded as Abigail opened the door. 

“Kevin, I almost feel like I don’t know you anymore. I beg that you give me some space. I’ll see you on the bus at four.” Abigail said. 

As Abigail slammed the door in Kevin’s face, he picked up the closest object and threw it across the room. He jumped when he heard the vase break against the wall. Jordyn and Frank were winning. 

Abigail didn’t go far. She simply walked up the hall and knocked on Howie’s door. She could tell that Howie was surprised to see her there. “Hey, what’s up?” Howie asked. 

“Kevin and I just had a pretty bad fight. I was wondering if I could just hang here until the buses leave? I just want to lie down for a little while.” Abigail said. 

“Sure, come on in. I’m all ready packed so you can just go ahead and lie down in the bedroom.” Howie said as he let Abigail in. 

“Thanks Howie.” Abigail said as she made a beeline for the bedroom. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Howie asked as he leaned against the door. 

“No, but thanks Howie. I just need to lie down for a little while.” Abigail said. As soon as Howie closed the door and she knew she was alone, she let the tears fall. She had no idea what was happening between her and Kevin but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was afraid that Kevin didn’t love her anymore. It would be some time before she saw the irony in the situation. In fact Kevin loved her enough to risk their relationship if it meant she remained safe.