"He kissed you?!" Vicky asked her sister.
"Yeah..." Lily said, absently touching her lips.
"So how was it?"
"Wonderful...but it was really awkward afterwards," Lily said.
"What do you mean?" Vicky asked as she climbed in her bed.
"Well, he didn't say much to me and he wouldn't look me in the eye," Lily said with a sigh.
"Well, maybe he was just nervous," Vicky said.
"Maybe..." Lily said, turning off the light.
"I kissed her," Brian blurted out the next day at rehearsal.
The guys looked confused at his sudden outburst. "Kissed who?" Nick asked.
"Lily," Brian said, quietly.
"Way to go, Bri! She's hot!" AJ exclaimed, receiving glares from the other guys. "What?!"
Kevin shook his head. "So, what's up, Bri? You don't sound too happy."
Brian sighed heavily. "I shouldn't have kissed her."
"Why not?" Howie asked.
"Because everything was fine before the kiss. We flirted, but it was nothing serious. When I kissed Lily, it complicated things; took it to another level. I'm not ready to go there yet...not even with Lily."
Nick watched Brian closely. In the two years he had known him, Brian had become his best friend and a big brother to him. They were so close, the other guys called them Frick and Frack; Brian being Frick and Nick being Frack. Nick could almost always tell how Brian was feeling and what he was thinking. Now was one of those times. "You really like Lily, don'tcha Frick?" he asked.
"Yeah, I do, Frack...and it scares me," Brian said.
"Is it because of Rachel?" Kevin asked quietly.
Brian hesitated for a minute and then nodded. "I still love her and I miss her so much...and I'm so scared of getting close to Lily and opening myself up like that because I have this fear of losing her."
They were all silent for a moment, then AJ spoke. "Have you told Lily this?"
Brian looked down. "No...After the kiss, I freaked. I couldn't even look at her...I feel so bad...The last thing I wanna do is hurt her," Brian said.
"You need to talk to her, Brian," Howie said.
"I...I don't know what to say to her."
"Just tell her what you told us. She'll understand," Nick said.
"Just don't lead her on," Kevin said.
"Hmm...What should I wear tonight? The halter or the skirt and tube top?" Vicky asked, pulling about half of the contents out of her suitcase.
Lily let out a sigh. "I dunno...they're all nice..." she said in a sad tone.
"Lily? You okay?" Vicky asked, concerned. "You've been all weirded out for the past couple of days...What's goin' on?"
"Bri..." Lily replied simply.
"What about him? He bein' a jerk?"
"No...Nothing like that…he just...he doesn't talk to me anymore. It seemed like we were getting close for a while. We went out with the baby...shopping...we used to be able to talk about all kinds of stuff, but ever since Saturday night...he's been so ...ugh, I dunno. He's just always making excuses not to be around me or not to talk to me. And when we are together, I get this weird vibe from him now. Maybe the kiss just sucked for him...I don't know what's going on..."
Vicky put an arm around Lily. "I'm sorry, sis...but don't let some guy bug you like that. You know how they are...They're always confusing like that...Look, there's gonna be an after party for the concert tonight. Why don't ya come to get your mind off stuff?"
"Nah...Bri'll be there, and I gotta watch Caitlin."
"Well, then order some ice cream in the lobby and spend the night indulging yourself and watching TV!" Vicky suggested with a smile.
Lily perked up a bit and smiled back. "Maybe I will...thanks, Vicky."
"Hehe...good...glad you'll at least be enjoying yourself...Now really...which outfit is gonna give AJ an heart attack?"
Lily laughed. "Umm...I'd saaaay...The tube top...definitely...sooo, you plannin' on gettin' serious with him?"
"AJ? Uh...well...maaaaybe...but...he's so damn annoying!"
"Oh, you know you're in love with him," Lily teased.
"Ugh!!! As if!"
Lily sat in her sweatshirt and boxers, watching some infommercial on TV about a wood polish. With the remote in one hand and a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in the other, she sat back into the comfortable hotel bed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to let Brian or anything else ruin this night. She was planning on relaxing and enjoying herself.
After half an hour or so, Lily ran out of ice cream and decided to head down to the lobby and grab some more. On her way down the hall, she bumped into a guy heading in the opposite direction. "Oof! Sorry!" she exclaimed immediately.
"Oh! No problem! Really, it was my fault," a familiar voice replied.
Lily looked up slowly until she met a face. A wide grin grew across her mouth. "JC!?!" she squealed happily.
"Lily! Oh, wow! What are you doing here?!?!" JC's excitement could only be compared to Lily's. The two hugged and laughed as if they'd known each other for years- and they had. JC had been Lily's childhood friend before going to star on the Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club" as a teen. With all the busy schedules and many other factors, they'd lost touch over time.
"I've been working as a babysitter for this guy touring with his band! What are you doing here?!?"
"Really!?! I'm in a band starting out myself! How long you stayin' here????"
"Ummm...I think the schedule says for a few more days."
"I'm gonna be here for the next week...we should get together!" he suggested.
"Of course! Hey...you doin' anything now?" Lily asked.
"Actually, no...Have anything in mind?"
"I was just watchin' some TV...actually, I'm about ready to get some more ice cream-"
JC cut her off. "Ben & Jerry's cookie dough and chocolate chip?"
Lily giggled. "You remembered!"
"Of course I did! How could you lose faith in me!?!" he said, swinging an arm around Lily's neck.
"I was a fool..." the two laughed and caught up with lost time for the rest of the evening. It seemed as if they'd never lost touch at all.
