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They just stared at each other with their mouths hanging half-opened, as flashes of memories came whirling back to her and him.......
~4 years earlier~
> Day One
"Whoa! This place is heaven!"
Nick expressed his astonishment loudly, making clouds of breath from his
nostrils. He immediately dropped off his bags and ran further into the
snows, wanting to be involved in the beautiful scene.
"You bet it is!" Brian said,
followed suit. The others exclaimed similar lines, also leaving their bags
behind.
The five of them stood there
on the snows, staring peacefully to the white mountains with pine trees
here and there and few cabins in which one of them was rented for them
and their crew. The whole scenery was so white and pure that they couldn't
think anything else than a successful video making. And they were sure
enough that the video would be fantastic. With a romantic song and a romantic
setting like this, nothing could ever go wrong.
"I see you boys already enjoying
your time here," Louis J. Pearlman came up behind them, satisfied at his
boys' amazement. "You guys're lucky cos the girls haven't arrived yet."
"What girls?" Nick asked sheepishly.
"The fans know we're here?"
"No, not the fans. The girls
who are hired to play as your girlfriends," Lou explained half-heartedly,
shaking his head. "Didn't you hear anything I said on the plane?"
"Sorry. I kinda hope Brian
would play as my boyfriend," Nick replied jokingly.
"Aw Nicky! I never knew you
loved me!" Brian hugged his buddy and they fell to the ground making smooching
sounds.
"Never act like that especially
in front of the press! They would print you on the front page with Backstreet
Gays as the headline!" Lou warned seriously.
"Chill, Big Poppa! We aren't
that famous yet," AJ said cooly. "So what do we do now without the models?"
"Do what you wanna do. It's
your free time."
All five of them screamed
happily. They ran through the snows and Brian stumbled on the way, rolling
down the white hill a couple of feet. Nick had started a snow fight
with AJ and Kevin, and Howie was running back to the cottage to get a ski
gear. A few minutes later the others joined him. They were tired and insanely
happy when they returned to their rooms to unload their suitcases.
A couple of hours later the
models arrived.
They were 16 up to 20 years
old, and were busy doing the ooh's and ahh's.
"Isn't this just beautiful?"
Jamie, the oldest of them girls, said. Jamie's hair was black and she just
cut it really short. She was the only one with the short hair now amongst
the others.
"If only I've brought my man
over!" Marie, 16, sighed dreamily. She had long and curly black hair and
hazel eyes, and she had the cutest France accent in her voice.
"I'm gonna go see the bedroom!
They told me we're gonna get the one that heads to the mountains," Christine,
18 years old, was the most enthusiastic on the whole video making and not
to mention, having the wonderful snowy Canadian mountains as bonus. Christine
had a wavy, blond hair and her posture was tall, for she was a model for
the catwalks. "That's cool! We're sharing!" Marie said enthusiastically
and followed Christine into the cabin.
Samantha pulled her windbreaker
zipper higher and re-adjusted her ski hat to cover her ears. She always
hated freezing weather, but neither could she deny the beauty of pure whiteness
that laid in front of her. She was 19, a blue-eyed beauty with long, straight
dark-blond hair. Her eyes were sharp and witty, and she seemed to be the
most serious from the models. "Do you think the band's already here?"
she asked her fellow model, Dionne, 16, who worked in the same modelling
agency.
"You see those big buses parked
over there? That one on the left has a banner saying 'Backstreet Boys Canadian
Tour 1995'. I don't know. Maybe they aren't here yet."
"Don't be so sarcastic on
me. I didn't see it cause I slept along the way, you know that."
"Believe me I do. You didn't
have to snore so loud." Sam protested and scoffed. "Come on, Sam, aren't
you the least bit excited about this? I mean, they chose us and not our
seniors! We're gonna be in a video!"
"A music video."
"Whatever! Our careers will
take off from here!"
Samantha shrugged at her younger
and hyper friend and lifted her suitcase. "I'm going to take a nap. We
free today, right?"
"I'm not sure. Ask Jamie.
I think she knows." Dionne stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes.
"Don't you just love her?"
"A bit bosy but she's nice.
Don't be so hard on everyone." Sam smiled at Dionne and carried on to their
room. They shared a large room with 2 double beds plus an extra bed. They
thought they were able to see the whole Canada from the window.
"It's so romantic!" Marie
screeched, holding Sam's hand. "I really should have taken my boyfriend
with me!"
"And the rest of us are single,
yes, thank you for reminding," Christine joked. "I hope the shooting works
out fine. Of course with the love scenes in store..." The girls laughed.
They continued to un-pack their things until there was a knock on the door.
"Who's that?" Dionne walked
to the door and waited.
Silent.
"Play the 'knock-knock who's
there?' game!" Jamie whispered. Just then, like their visitor had a phsychician
ability,
"Knock knock!"
Dionne's eyes danced. She
just loved it when people's getting less and less serious. "Who's there?"
Sam and the others switched
looks and giggled.
"The Backstreet Boys!"
"Backstreet Boys who?"
"Brian, Nick, and AJ."
Dionne un-locked the door
and swung it open. Three mischevious grins were shown from three different
guys, each of them looked just as cute.
"Hi. We're coming to get you."
"And which one are you?" Dionne
asked playfully, examining the good-looking guy with such act.
"I'm the AJ one," AJ extended
his hand.
"Hi. I'm Dionne." AJ bowed
and kissed her hand. And then he stepped two steps forward volunteeringly.
"Hi!"
The girls grinned and went
up to the door while Dionne was facing Brian.
"I'm the Brian and this is
the Nick," Brian said. "He's in love with you just right about now."
Dionne smiled and looked past
him to a childish looking guy behind, with crimson face and honey-colored
hair. Aww shucks! Maybe he's fourteen or something! But he's cute and
tall, she thought to herself and smiled.
Meanwhile, Samantha and the
rest were busy lending her hand to be kissed by AJ.
"What are you guys here for?"
Jamie asked. "I thought we're free until tomorrow morning."
"The director wants us to
get to know each other. Plus we do like to make friends. If, that doesn't
bother you..." Nick explained shyly, though he was brave enough to look
right into Dionne's eyes. Dionne smiled an approval.
"He wants us to 'blend', whatever
that means," AJ spreaded out a meaningful grin.
"Pervert!" the girls chorused.
"Great going, AJ. Now they
definitely won't bother to talk to us anymore!" Brian said, hanging his
head down.
"Oh but they will! Let's go
get some hot chocolates, girls!"
"Oh yaay!" Brian screeched
in a womenly voice and got some pillows thrown all over him by the girls.
"You didn't sound like us!"
AJ motioned the girls to follow
him, and then after they all gladly left their suitcases he led them into
the big kitchen downstairs. Along the way, the guys picked out Kevin and
Howie.
"What's the song you guys
are gonna sing?" Jamie asked while munching on some brownies.
"Ballad. Pure ballad," Kevin
replied, settling his butt next to Christine, who was busy eyeing AJ on
the corner of her eyes. "It's called I'll Never Break Your Heart."
"Can you guys sing it out
for us so we know what kind of video we'd be making later?" Sam offered.
The guys smiled and said nothing. "Come on! Do we have to pay you first?"
"We are really generous guys
you know," Brian finally replied. "But we need encouragement."
The girls clapped their hands
with their mimics expressing how tortured they were by doing that.
But the second after, their
eyes widened when Brian's voice chimed in to the chorus with the other
guys providing excellent harmonies. Their voices echoed and the girls felt
it as a hair-raising experience. The guys finished the accapella and Brian
and AJ saluted to their audience.
"You guys are good," Christine
commented. "My baby-sitter, she was about my age back then, she listened
to the New Kids, but I always thought they were awful. Not to mention they
dressed strange."
"Maybe it's because you were
so little. Kids hate us too nowadays, you know." AJ said as he turned a
wooden seat toward her and sat down.
"That's why we always try
to get AJ to dress appropriately," Nick said, bugging AJ's wild sense of
styling again. "But I guess that's one of his smooth ways of getting a
lady."
"Tell me, is that what he's
trying to do now?"
"Yes he is, Christine. You'd
better watch out."
"Thank you, Kevin."
Sam watched as Christine and
AJ happily went into a conversation and she decided that the two flirts
were obviously meant for each other. Then her eyes switched to a cup of
coffee offered under her chin. It smelled real good and she was about to
grab it before Brian took it away. "Smells good, huh?"
"I bet it tastes even better
in my throat. Give me!" she demanded. Brian shook his head. "Give me or
you'll have to sing another one of your songs."
"Gosh! Don't! Anything but
that!" Brian acted all panicky. "Here you go."
"Thanks."
"No problem. You know, our
room is just eleven steps away from yours."
"You count?" Sam asked, amazed.
"But whose room is next to us then?"
"Donna's and Johnny's. Our
managers. I think they already know we're vicious towards young girls.
They try to separate us as far as they can."
"I see. So..... you guys have
girlfriends?" She deliberately put it in plural, but her face still changed
red anyway. She thought the guys were all charming, and Brian was without
a doubt, according to her, the sexiest.
"No. No serious relationships
at the time." Brian's eyes were blue enough to set her lost in a dream
land. She immediately shrugged it off and returned his gaze. "How about
you?"
"Me, or all the girls?"
"You."
"Yeah.... You know..." she
felt un-easy and shifted her eyes somewhere else. "No I'm pretty much on
my own. Hey, I guess Christine and AJ are gonna have a blast this week.
They're so identical!"
"Tell me about it. Gee, this
coffee gets cold fast."
"Mine too. Can you..... get
another one for me?" Sam asked, smiling playfully.
"Here, take mine. I lied;
mine's still hot."
"No way! You've already drunk
it!"
"Well pardon me! I don't happen
to have any kind of disease right now!"
"People have to be extremely
careful these days, especially with 'vicious' hormone-raging guys like
you!"
"Aw. You got me. Okay I'll
get a new one for you."
"Don't! I was just joking!
Brian!" Sam called out when Brian took her cup away.
"Yes I'm gonna get you a new
one!"
"No!"
"Yes I am"
"No you don't!"
"Am am am!"
"Are we lamely speaking or
what today?" Dionne said out-loud as she walked past by and winked to Sam.
Sam glared at her.
"Some people just don't keep
their ears to themselves, right Brian?"
Brian smiled and ran to the
coffee table. Sam groaned and ran after him. "Brian you don't have to!"
"Uh... Everyone's heavily
flirting around here. Maybe because of the cold air." Dionne shook her
head pityfully, observing the area.
"Yeah. The mountains are always
so..... what do you girls call it? Romantic?" Nick asked sheepishly.
"So you know! Yeah, it's so
romantic. We young-uns should flirt, you know. It's our nature."
"Hummm, maybe I should take
notes."
"I don't think you guys need
any more notes about how to net a girl. I'm assuming you guys already have
a thousand girlfriends all over the world, right?"
"No we don't. Um, how old
are you, Dionne?"
"I'm 16. What? You need a
playmate?"
"16? And you're a model already?"
"I'm new. Just got in the
agency last summer. And how about you, Mr. I-know-I'm-older-than-everybody-else?
I bet you're not even half of my age!"
"I'm 15 by the way," Nick
said proudly.
"Huh? So young?"
"Well, what can I say? I'm
talented."
"That's very generous of you."
"Thanks, I'm flattered." Dionne
stucked her tongue out and pretended to die.
Jamie walked over to the fire
and added more wood. "What is that for?" Kevin asked, not minding his own
business. "The fire's not on yet."
"I know. I always do that.
I'm a bit of bosy and perfectionist. Not everybody can live with that."
"Whoops! Looks like I've finally
met a girl of my kind!"
"You are a perfectionist too?"
"That's what the fans know."
Jamie looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Don't worry. It's true."
"Uh-huh. I bet you aren't
as bad as me. I went to my aunt's cabin here last year and I couldn't help
not to clean up the whole snow on her driveway!"
"That's real easy. When I
was ten, I re-arranged my locker every weekend. Now how about that?"
"Whoa! You are a perfectionist!
No doubt!"
"I'm honored. Can I get you
more brownies? I know you like them." Kevin eyed her playfully. She groaned.
"Does it show that much?"
"I promise I won't tell anyone."
Kevin extended his little finger and Jamie hooked it with hers. They were
smiling when Marie approached them.
"Hi you two! I'm just wonder--
Oh God! Sorry to disturb you!"
"Huh?" Kevin and Jamie stared
at their fingers and quickly pulled apart. "Disturb what?" they asked again
in unison.
"You guys were..."
"Marie." Jamie stared at her
with the nicest eyes that said 'shut-up'. "What were you going to ask?"
"I want to find the tissues.
Do you have any idea of where they might put them?"
"I think AJ's doing the puppet
show with the tissues," Kevin explained, pointing to AJ doing precisely
like he said. "He has talent and we hate him."
"Why?" Marie asked sheepisly
with concerned eyes that made Jamie wants to laugh and cry at the same
time.
"Because we envy him," Kevin
smiled. "And because he can talk with his stomach so he can bug us in the
middle of the night without being caught."
"So you guys always share
a room for five?"
"Not always," Howie joined
them. "This time we want to because this cabin is too small. In hotels
it wouldn't be this small."
"Why aren't we staying at
a hotel then?" Marie crossed her arms in front of her chest, pretending
to look un-satisfied.
"There are no hotels around.
Besides, it's prettier in here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it's pretty much tollerable."
"I say we kill her, Howie."
"Right on, Jamie."
"Aaargh! My hair!"
"What's all the commotion
back there?" Lou enterred. One glimpse at the scenery could get him the
idea that his boys were having fun with the beautiful young ladies.
"Big Poppa!" the boys exclaimed
altogether. "Are you here to tell us to go to bed?" AJ whined.
"I was going to tell you that
dinner's ready. But I guess I'm not wanted so..."
All the guys circled their
big man and patted his back playfully saying "Aww".
Then they introduced Lou to
the girls and after everybody was acquainted, they all headed to the dining
room laughing and hitting each other. There they met Johnny and Donna and
their daughter, Marissa.
> By the end of the day, when
everyone were happily curling under their blankets.
"The guys are really nice.
Can't wait to start working with them!" Marie exclaimed, tugging to her
pillow excitedly.
"I guess that AJ is the big
talker," Christine said. Sam and Dionne giggled. "What?" Christine acted
dumb.
"You two get along so good
that we think you two are the big talkers," Jamie answered in behalf of
them all. Christine was obviously flirting with AJ all day today.
The girls broke out in laughter. "I thought
noone was looking!" Christine shouted frustatingly, throwing pillows to
everyone.
"I think Brian's looking out
for you, Sam," Dionne said, playing with her eyes. "I saw him getting you
coffee and helping you with that ridiculous job of picking meatballs for
your plate."
"For your concern, they were
slippy and I couldn't fork them," Sam said, turning her back to a grinning
Dionne on her left.
"Was Brian a much help?"
"Yeah! He's a brilliant guy
with the fork!"
"Then why were you two so
long that Nick was yelling at you to hurry?"
"Dionne! There were only Brian,
me and Nick and you in the line! And you guys weren't even interested in
the meatballs!"
"We were just digging for
gossip when everything's so dry and cold."
"Whatever. You should know
that Nick likes you."
"He's 15 and I'm 16. That's
something you should think about."
"Age is nothing," Christine
said, her eyes wandered on the ceilings. "I'm 18. AJ's..... I don't know
how old he really is."
"Seventeen," Jamie peeped.
"Howie told me."
"Oh no! Age IS a difference!"
Jamie choked and Dionne groaned.
"Thank you! You're very helpful, Chris!"
"No problem."
"Anyway, let's not talk about
love yet. We've only gotten to know the guys' names! Can't you girls calm
down a bit?"
"We know, Sam. You are always
the cool one. We know, we know."
"What is that suppose to mean?"
"Dionne, Sam," Jamie called
in a warning tone. "Take a look at my bed mate."
Marie, curling securely under
the warmth of her blanket, was snoozing and her lips formed a small delighted
curve.
"She is the happiest chap
I've ever seen!" Christine whispered. They all just had to smile.
