Still four more hours before show time and Kayla had nothing to do. The guys were doing interviews all morning and she had no idea when they'd be back. She'd finished everything in wardrobe, made a feeble attempt to help the stage crew set up, and ran laps down the hallways of the stadium for exercise. Now she was faced with a choice: Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, or bottle water? She knew the water would be the smart choice, but went for the Mountain Dew instead. Maybe the caffeine would keep her awake. Grabbing two cans in case she found someone to talk to, she headed off in a previously unexplored region of the arena. Lost in her own thoughts about her conversation with Kevin the night before, Kayla continued around a corner where she was met by a wall of freezing cold water.

At the sound of Kayla's loud gasp, Nick jumped guiltily from his hiding place on the other side. "Oh, my . . . Kayla, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you. I thought you were Brian! He got me first, see, and I was gonna get him back! Oh, I'm so sorry, Kay!" While Nick was trying his best to convince Kayla of his mistake, she was observing her dripping hair and clothes. Noticing the cans of soda she was still holding, she looked up and smiled at Nick.

"It's okay, Nick. I'm alright."

Nick smiled in relief. "Oh, good. I really didn't mean it." What Nick didn't notice was that Kayla had tucked one can of soda under her arm and was in the process of shaking the other one. Just as Brian, Howie, and AJ rounded the corner with buckets full of water balloons, she opened the can and sprayed Nick with a Mountain Dew shower. As Nick stood there with his mouth gaping open and an empty bucket in his hand, Kayla felt a surge of adrenaline flow through her. Hearing the guys' whoops and laughs spurned her on even more. Grabbing the other can she started to shake it up to, until Nick started backing away from her with his hands up in front of him. Knowing she couldn't reach him now, she turned and held out her hand to Brian for a balloon. Kayla launched it at Nick as soon as she had a grip on it and it hit him square in the forehead.

What followed could only be described as an uneven battle. Brian, Howie, AJ, and Kayla all chased Nick through the maze of halls until Howie started to feel sorry for him and took the majority of the balloons over to Nick's side.

Now with three against two the water war took on a more strategic aspect. Brian and Kayla circled around to sneak up on Nick and Howie while AJ stayed behind as the decoy. Just as the three of them were about to close in on the two victims, Kevin came from out of nowhere and halted the whole event.

"Whoa!" From the large creases in his forehead, they could all tell that he wasn't pleased with their behavior. "What's going on? You guys are making a mess! I can just see it on the front page tomorrow: "Backstreet Boys Trash Stadium!"

"Come on Kev, we were just having a little fun!" Brian's comment was backed up with a round of "Yeah"s from the other guys. Kayla was standing to Kevin's right and had a mischievous look on her face.

"I agree, Kevin, we were way out of line. We just got a little carried away that's all! We'll clean it up right away." Giving the four younger members of the group a conspiratorial wink, Kayla gave Kevin a pat on the back . . . with a very large water balloon. She didn't get the reaction she expected from Kevin, but the guys sure did love it. Kevin slowly turned around to face Kayla, biting his lips together in thought. He should've been mad, but seeing her there, smiling with her face all lit up and her eyes sparkling, he felt anything but mad. The way he did feel, made him think about taking a cold shower. Cold shower, now there was a thought.

Seeing Kevin's slow grin spread across his face, Kayla knew he was up to no good. She did the most reasonable thing she could think of. She turned and ran! Knowing Kevin's long stride would soon catch up to her, she ran around as many corners as she could until she came to a dead end hallway, with the only doors being padlocked shut.

Kayla tried to spin out of his reach, but his arms were too long. Despite her efforts of escape, she ended up over his shoulder anyway. "Kev, let's be reasonable about this. Surely you don't want to do anything crazy do you?" Getting no response, she tried again. "Kevin, remember, I'm in charge of your clothing. I'd hate to see a huge iron mark mysteriously show up on one of your favorite shirts!" Still no response. "You know, you really should pick on someone your own size!" No answer.

Kayla tried to struggle again, but he had a steel grip on her legs. She decided to give up and try to figure out where they were instead. This was a part of the building she wasn't familiar with. As she'd run through it, she'd noticed that it appeared to be the sports oriented side of the arena. Vaguely, she remembered seeing a sign that said "Locker Rooms", but that's all she could recall. "You're enjoying this way too much!"

What Kayla didn't know was that she'd run exactly in the direction Kevin had wanted her to. Reading the signs over the doors, he found the one he was looking for.

From her rear-view position all Kayla could see was a room full of empty lockers and benches and a stack of towels. Towels? Towels meant showers. Showers meant water!

"Oh, you wouldn't! Kevin, you DO NOT want to do this! You're a really nice and responsible guy! Think about how you'll regret this later!" He still didn't say anything. There was nothing left to do but wait for her punishment.

Kevin walked into the large shower area with her still over his shoulder. Knowing she would try to escape, he turned the water on first before he set her down right in the middle of the stream of ice cold water.

Kayla's face froze in a shocked expression and for once she couldn't think of a thing to say. She just stood there being drenched. Finally, after getting his full amusement out of the situation, Kevin decided to have mercy on her and reached behind her to turn the water off. Kayla wasn't about to give him the chance. While he was standing precariously to one side, she grabbed as much shirt as she could and pulled!

Kevin's head passed right under the shower stream and his clothes got soaked as well. By the time he caught his balance he had replaced Kayla under the water and she was leaning up against the opposite wall laughing at how he looked like a drowned rat. A sexy drowned rat, but a drowned rat nonetheless. Their faces became serious as they both took notice of the state of their clothing. For Kevin this wasn't much of a problem, but Kayla's arms shot up in front of her when she realized what she must look like. Her T-shirt wasn't doing much to hide her figure or her undergarments.

Noticing her embarrassment, Kevin turned the water off and reached for a towel. He gently wrapped it around her shoulders, but kept a firm grip on the edges. Looking up, she saw such an intense look in his face that she was almost afraid to guess what it meant. Kayla reached up to flick a drop of water off of the end of his nose. But leaving her guessing was the last thing on Kevin's mind. Giving in to the temptation he'd been fighting for weeks, he lowered his head and slid his lips across hers. Staring straight into her dark eyes, he waited for her reaction. Kayla's eyelids drifting shut was all the reaction he needed and with a low groan, he deepened the kiss that he'd deprived himself of the night before.

Kayla's mind was being seduced by sensations: the taste of his warm mouth, the water slowly sliding down their faces, his strong hand lightly grazing her jaw. She felt like she was melting inside, yet every nerve ending in her body was alive like never before. But the opiating feeling was short lived. Kevin's sharp intake of breath caused Kayla's eyes to snap open as she was forced back into reality. The situation was quickly brought into focus as Kevin, who was reluctant to break eye contact with her, stepped back and shot his arm out to the side to block the lens of a small video camera. Stepping out from her hiding place against the shower wall, Kayla met the gazes of their four friends with not-so-convincing innocent looks on their faces. Not sure how much they'd seen or what she should say, she just followed Kevin's lead out into the main locker area. Grabbing another towel off of the pile, he looked around at each one of them in turn.

"Well, don't just stand there, help the lady!" Sending an apologetic look towards Kayla, Kevin left them all standing there staring at his back as he left the room and took her heart with him.

Two months into the tour and they finally had a two-day break. It had been so long since Kayla had taken any time for herself, that she didn't know what to do with it when she got it. They were in the western part of the country so that ruled out visiting her family in central Ohio or her apartment in Atlanta. She finally decided to do some sight seeing and maybe a little shopping.

The day was pleasant as Kayla walked down the sidewalk. She was grateful that she could walk down the street and not be mobbed by crowds. Some of the stories she'd heard from the guys made her cringe. They also made her take back all of the wishes she'd made as a child to be a famous movie star or musician. Feeling through her blouse for the plastic ID tags that almost constantly hung around her neck, Kayla wondered how many of the people she was passing on the street would give a million dollars for the chance to wear them. It was true that her life on the road was hectic, but she thanked God every day that she was able to do something she truly enjoyed.

It hadn't taken long for the guys to form a protective brotherly attitude toward her. All except Kevin who had started to distance himself from her whenever they were alone together. It hurt Kayla to see the new way he acted toward her. She had naively thought there could be more than friendship between them, at least until he had kissed her. From that point on he had behaved as if she were trying to invade his life in some way.

Being a level headed person, she tried to see things from his point of view. If she were a world-famous star, she probably wouldn't pin all of her attention on one person either, especially since women a lot more beautiful than she threw themselves at him at every opportunity. It still didn't stop the pain from creeping into her heart every time she saw him enter a room.

She tried to console herself with the thought that at least she had the memory of those few unforgettable moments to cherish. Unfortunately memories weren't something tangible to hold onto. Out of the mood to shop because of the turn her thoughts had taken, she decided to return to the hotel to look over the gifts she'd purchased for her family.

Upon entering the lobby of the large hotel, Kayla's attention was caught by someone calling her name from overhead. Looking up, she saw that AJ and Nick were leaning on the railing of the fancy balcony and waving for her to come up to them.

It didn't take long for her to reach them with the elevator and soon she was being dragged toward an unknown destination. Realizing that they were heading in the direction of the lounge, Kayla wondered what surprise awaited her this time. With these guys one never could tell. Entering the nearly empty lounge through a side door, Kayla still couldn't tell what was going on other than that Howie and Brian were apparently waiting for them to arrive. After seating Kayla in a chair set apart from the rest, the guys' intent was revealed as they each produced a wrapped package from hidden places around the room.

"What is this all about?" Kayla had her suspicions, but wanted to know for sure. Brian stepped forward first with a slightly bashful look on his face. "Earlier today while you were gone, your friend from Atlanta, Lisa . . ." "Lucy." Kayla corrected with a smile. "Yeah! Lucy. Well, anyway, she called Donna to see if she knew where you were since you weren't answering your cell phone and your little secret was let out." "My little secret?" "Your birthday, Silly!" Nick blurted, not able to handle the suspense any longer.

The other guys all turned and gave him a look as if to say, "Duh, Nick, she knew that." "Oh, that. I didn't want anyone to make a fuss over it." The truth was that it made her feel wonderful that someone knew and cared other than her family. AJ used his whole body to point toward Howie and announced, "It was Howard's idea, this mini party thing." Howie blushed at being singled out and shrugged. "I just thought it would be nice if someone did something to celebrate your day. Here you go. Happy birthday." He handed her the brightly wrapped box then stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets to watch her reaction.

Not knowing what to say, Kayla directed her attention to opening the wonderful gift. The box, once she worked the tape loose, revealed a little red dress with spaghetti straps. "Howie, this is so nice! It's so . . . sexy. Did you pick this out yourself?" Kayla was amazed at the gift. She'd never received a piece of clothing from a guy before. Not one that she actually would wear out in public anyway.

"We all thought that since you're always dressing us, we should dress you for once." This was offered up by AJ who handed her his gift next. This box was much smaller than Howie's and opened a lot easier. Inside was a pair of matte silver Calvin Klein sunglasses. It was a very appropriate gift since she'd broken her last pair and had failed to replace them. "These are so cool! Thank you so much, AJ. I honestly don't know what to say to you all. This really is a surprise.

"Don't say anything, just open this!" Brian handed her a large shopping bag with a haphazard bow tied around the handles. "Sorry about the wrapping. I got here right before you did and didn't really have time to do anything better."

"It's perfect, Brian." Kayla smiled at the fact that he actually took the time to pick out a gift for her at all. Brian's gift, she concluded later, fit his personality and fashion sense perfectly: A white Nike sweatshirt and navy jog pants to match. Looking at the perfectly sized clothing, a thought entered her mind. "How did you guys know what size to buy?" She'd never seen so many red faces in one room.

"Um, that's a funny story really. We'll tell you about it sometime." Nick tried to brush it off, but Kayla wasn't going to let them off that easily. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Alright, out with it." AJ, the most eloquent speaker of the four offered up a small hint. "Let's just say it had something to do with Nick in his underwear, a little white lie to the housekeeping lady, and a small case of breaking and entering."

"It wasn't breaking and entering! We had a key!" Nick smiled apologetically at Kayla and handed her his gift as a peace offering. Shaking her head from side to side and laughing, Kayla peeked from between the fingers of her hand which she'd put to her face to hide her laughter at the image her mind conjured up of the guys' charade. She didn't even want to know all of the details that went into this scheme of theirs.

Instead she focused her attention on the rectangular box Nick had given her. It was a beautiful soft cashmere sweater in, what else, forest green. It was Nick's favorite color. Before Kayla's eyes could mist over too much, she stood up and gave each man a hug to thank them. Despite her happiness, Kayla had to push aside the thought that the fifth man was absent once again. AJ helped her gather up her gifts and carry them to her room. At the door, he paused for a second and turned toward Kayla. "Not that it excuses him or anything, but Kevin did get you something. I'm not sure where he's at, but he missed out."

"Thanks for being my friend, AJ. I don't know what I'd do without you." Kayla smiled and gave him another hug before unlocking her door and taking her packages inside.

As AJ rounded the corner of the hallway, Kevin came from his hiding place at the other end. He had been on his way to find Kayla when he'd seen her and AJ having a quiet conversation outside her door. Up until that moment, he'd never even considered that maybe Kayla would be interested in one of the other guys. Looking down at the beautifully wrapped package in his hand, he realized he'd been arrogant in assuming that she would be pining away for him all this time. After the way he'd been avoiding her, he was surprised she even spoke to him anymore. Kevin ran his free hand through his short black hair, trying to decide what to do. Letting out a disappointed sigh, he turned and walked away in the opposite direction from Kayla's room. He'd planned to give her his gift away from the rest of the guys, but now he wondered if he should give it at all. What good would it do?

He knew she didn't deserve the treatment he'd been giving her these last couple of weeks, but how could he explain to her that he didn't want to cause her the pain he'd caused another not so long ago. Now it appeared like he didn't even have to worry about it. From the hug she and AJ had just shared, she looked like she was well taken care of. Pushing down the feelings of jealousy that came with the disturbing thought, he headed back to his own room to try to get his feelings under control. Maybe he could find a way to stop his heart from hurting at the same time.

"What on earth is that?"

"It's the only thing we could get, Sir."

"I asked for another tour bus, not a jalopy! They told me it would be a tour bus!"

"I'm sorry, Sir."

Kayla watched as the man from the bus company turned and left Jeff glaring daggers at his back.

Jeff continued to yell even though the man didn't seem to care whether he liked the bus they'd given him or not. "I can't believe this. What are we supposed to do with that . . . that . . . dinosaur?!" At the man's shrug Jeff let out a very loud roar, "AHHHHHHH!"

Kayla decided it was time to step forward and try to bring some sanity to the situation. It had all started around noon that day when one of the crew bus drivers had called Jeff to say that one of the two huge tour buses was temporarily out of service. The whole afternoon had been spent trying to get the bus fixed and just in case that didn't happen, to obtain a rental bus. However, tour buses weren't exactly common so the repair and the search had been frustrating feats.

The Boys were due to go onstage in an hour and the ridiculously old charter bus that had been left at Jeff's disposal only made the problem worse. They were supposed to be leaving in the buses right after the concert in order to make it to the next city by morning. Lightly laying her hand on Jeff's shoulder so as not to upset him more, Kayla gave him an assuring smile. "It'll be okay, Jeff. It's only for one night. They said our bus would be fixed and delivered tomorrow, right?"

At Jeff's weary nod, Kayla continued. "We'll just have to use our imaginations!" The both of them looked back at the old bus and couldn't help but laugh at the horrible thing. The paint was a faded baby blue and was chipping in several places. The windows had no tinting on them for privacy and from the seventies-style body frame they guessed the inside didn't look much better. Feeling better after releasing some stress, Jeff shook his head. "I just can't believe it. We represent the hottest band in the world right now and we've been reduced to this!" After one more reassuring smile, Kayla left to see if she was needed yet. She was finally getting used to the touring routine.

They only had about three more weeks left before the tour took a break for the holidays. Inhaling the warm air around her, Kayla felt it hard to believe that Christmas was so near. She was used to cold snowy weather in her hometown, rather than the hot summer-like weather of the Southwest United States. Upon entering her temporary "office" for the night, Kayla's thoughts shifted from her holiday plans as she noticed her newest assistant, Heather, day dreaming over one of AJ's many hats. Knowing exactly what the young woman was probably feeling, Kayla walked over to where her coworker stood.

"Heath, believe me, you won't get AJ's attention by not having his clothes ready for him to change into during the concert." Kayla softened her reminder with a sympathetic smile. Heather jumped a little at hearing Kayla so close to her. "Oh! Hey, Kay. You startled me a little. I'm sorry, my mind was wandering a little." She turned and walked off to continue her work still holding the hat carefully in her hands.

Usually a very good worker, Heather had only been on the wardrobe crew for a little over a week. Kayla had received a call from Lucy one day asking her to take Heather under her wing since Lucy didn't have an immediate position open at Hutton & Hughes until after the new year. Kayla had agreed after consulting Donna and Heather had flown out to meet them two days later. Kayla had been glad for the distraction of training someone new to take her mind off of the ever-increasing tension between Kevin and her. However, the girl's attraction to AJ had started almost immediately and Kayla recognized it, being in a similar predicament herself. With a sigh she set to work too knowing the guys would be done with their meet and greet session soon and would need to get dressed to go on stage.

The bus dilemma reared its ugly head again after the concert when it came time to decide who would get to ride in the bus from hell. The bus that had broke down was the one that had been nicknamed the "girl" bus since it didn't carry any of the actual "boys". It carried Jeff, Kayla, the wardrobe crew, and anyone else who didn't ride in the large transfer trucks that moved the stage, lights, and clothing. When the Boys, their band, and their bodyguards realized this, their chivalry kicked in and they all insisted on giving up their comfort for any unfortunate women who usually rode on the other bus.

Their good intentions were shot down, however, since Jeff wouldn't even hear of it. He pointed at the group of men like a fifth grade teacher. "You have to be rested for tomorrow! All of those teenage girls aren't paying to see us!"

With that order given, he stopped to think of what should be done. "Alright, we're going to draw straws." From somewhere a box of plastic drinking straws was procured and half of them cut off short.

As each eligible person drew a straw, a mixture of groans of dread and sighs of relief could be heard. Kayla bravely pulled hers and saw that it was short. Resigning to the inevitable, she went to gather her overnight bag. Sitting next to her small piece of luggage was a very dejected looking Heather.

"You got a short one too, huh?"

Heather nodded.

"Well, at least we'll have each others' company." Truth be told Kayla was dreading the over night trip. Like everyone else, she'd been spoiled by the luxurious tour bus and was not looking forward to spending the night in an uncomfortable seat while trying to sleep. AJ's abrupt movement next to her startled her as he shoved something into her hand.

"Follow my lead. Come on."

Kayla looked down at her palm to find two long straws. Realizing that he meant for Heather to follow too, Kayla handed her one and they hurried to catch up with him.

"AJ, what are we doing?"

"We are getting on our bus."

"Um, AJ, we drew short straws." Not wanting to state the obvious, but feeling like it needed to be said, Kayla waited for AJ's reply.

"Shhh! Just follow me." Stopping suddenly as though something had just occurred to him, AJ turned around and held out his hand. "Where are the short straws? I need them." Both women produced them and AJ told them to wait for him a minute. From Kayla's view in the crowded parking lot, she watched him walk over to two of their bodyguards and hand them the unwanted items. Noticing the unhappy looks on their faces, Kayla started to figure out how AJ was pulling off his little trick.

When he returned, Kayla asked in a low voice, "So, what did you bribe them with?"

Giving her and Heather a wicked grin and rubbing his hands together, he leaned over to reveal his secret. "One million dollars." He sounded just like Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies, and both of them burst out laughing at him.

They had reached the door of the bus and received a suspicious look from Jeff when they produced straws that were a lot longer than he remembered. Since it was just the two of them, he let them pass, but rolled his eyes at them just so they'd know what he thought about it. Feeling like she was back in college, Kayla looked back at her assistant and both started to giggle. However, her happy expression only lasted the length of the bus, because as soon as he saw the trio enter the seating area at the back of the vehicle, Kevin got up from where he'd been reading and excused himself to another room.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to spill out, Kayla found a seat in the farthest corner she could find and tried to melt into it. If only she could disappear, maybe she wouldn't be such a nuisance to other people.

AJ stepped over Nick's legs and made his way to the front of the bus. For the past hour and a half Kayla hadn't said a word. She just stared out the window at the darkness outside. He wasn't going to watch anymore. He hadn't arranged for her to be on this bus for nothing.

Lightly kicking him in the leg to break his attention away from the window he was taking an apt interest in, AJ motioned for Kevin to follow him.

AJ stopped in the midsection of the bus where the bunks were and checked to make sure no one was close by before speaking.

"What's the deal, Kev?"

"What deal? What are you talking about?"

"Why are you treating Kayla like she has the plague or something?"

For the first time Kevin met AJ's eyes. "Look, I'm really happy for you two, but I don't have to sit and watch . . ."

"Happy for us? Wha . . .?" So that was it! All of the pieces suddenly fell into place. Letting out a chuckle of relief, AJ put his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Mr. Richardson, I have NO clue where you got the idea that there was something between Ms. Nichols and I." AJ flattened his hand against his chest for emphasis. "Believe me, big brother, as wonderful as I think that lady is, she does not have eyes for me, and just in case you're still thinking it, I only think of her as my friend."

Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Man, I'm so sorry, AJ. I don't know what's happening to me lately."

"It sounds like an open and shut case of Cupid's arrow to me, and you don't need to be apologizing to me." Pointing toward the back of the bus, AJ emphasized, "There's a beautiful and intelligent young woman sitting back there and I haven't seen her smile in almost two hours."

Kevin looked in the direction AJ was pointing where a very noisy video game tournament was taking place between Nick, Howie, Brian, and one of the bodyguards who was fortunate enough to make it onto the nice bus.

"AJ, I don't even know what to say to her."

"You could start with, "Kayla, I'm an idiot . . ."

Kevin cut him off mid-sentence. "That's not what I'm talking about. How do I get close to her when I'm afraid of what might happen?"

"Gee, Kev, I didn't realize being attracted to someone was such a bad thing."

"AJ, you know what I mean. I don't want Kayla to end up getting hurt like Anna."

Nodding to show he understood AJ jerked his head in the direction of the rear of the bus. "You could at least let her know that you don't hate her."

"You know I don't hate her."

"Yeah, but I'm not that girl in there that's been staring out a window that she can't even see through."

Kevin half way smiled when he realized he'd been doing the same thing. "Thanks, AJ." As AJ returned to the noisy back room, Kevin sat down on the edge of his bunk and rested his elbows on his knees. If only it was as easy as singing a song. He could think of at least five ballads right off the top of his head that said exactly what he wanted Kayla to hear. Instead he had to run the risk of pushing her away even more if he said something wrong.

A picture flashed through his mind just then of Kayla smiling at him and it became perfectly clear that she was well worth the risk.

Kayla turned from her inspection of the dark window to see why the room was suddenly a lot more quiet than before. The video game was paused and everyone's attention was focused on Heather who was proudly showing off two tattoos that previously had been hidden from Kayla's knowledge; one on her ankle and one on her shoulder. This started a round of body marking show-and-tell since all of the guys except Howie had at least one tattoo. AJ was the worst, though. He had them all over from his waist up to his neck and never shied away from displaying them. The best part, Kayla later thought, was that Heather's face was beaming at the attention she'd won from AJ. She wished it were always that simple.

A movement caught Kayla's attention out of the corner of her eye and as she turned, she was surprised to see Kevin enter the room for the first time since the buses had started moving. Afraid of what she might see if she looked at his face, Kayla focused her attention on the floor at his feet instead. What she couldn't figure out was that his feet were moving straight toward her. Thinking maybe someone else had sat down next to her and she hadn't realized it, Kayla glanced around, but she was the only one in the corner of the couch. She looked up to find him holding his hand out to her. Obviously expecting her to go with him, Kayla didn't know what she should do. Looking to AJ for some support, he gave her an encouraging wink.

Kayla took a deep breath and braced herself for what might be ahead of her. Putting her hand in Kevin's she let herself be pulled up and lead to the dimly lit bunk area. He didn't say anything until he'd closed the curtains at both ends of the narrow passageway.

He motioned for her to sit down on a lower bunk. "Welcome to my bunk." He blew out a short breath of air through his nose when he realized how unfunny his little attempt at humor was. "Um, Kayla, I . . ." It was harder to say than he thought. "La La, I just wanted to apologize for being so completely stupid these last few weeks."

Kayla noticed that for the first time, he had used the playful nickname that Nick had given her one day, and that the rest of the guys had been using ever since. Not sure what to say, she just looked down at her hands in her lap.

Thinking he was failing miserably, Kevin pressed on. "I know it seems like I've been treating you horribly for no apparent reason, but I really thought I had good cause. I just found out a few minutes ago that I was wrong. I . . . I don't know what else to say to you." Knowing he should tell her the whole story about his past, he just couldn't seem to get the words out.

Realizing she was making it harder on him than it had to be, Kayla finally looked up, but stared straight ahead. "I feel like I should be the one apologizing. Obviously I did something to make you feel the way you did or you wouldn't have acted that way."

Sitting down next to her, Kevin took her hand in his. "Kayla, the only thing you did was act like your beautiful self. Believe me, you didn't do anything wrong." Loving the way her hand felt in his, Kevin rubbed his thumb across the soft skin. "Friends?"

With the way he was touching her hand and his closeness, Kayla was having a hard time breathing normally. She finally managed to utter one word. "Friends."

Now that the air had been cleared, both of them realized that they didn't know what else to talk about. Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Kevin reached into a storage compartment under his bed and shyly pulled out a beautiful cherry wood box with a gold bow wrapped around it.

Not sure whether it was for her or not, Kayla asked, "What's that?"

"It's your belated birthday present, even though it didn't have to be. I thought that since I was on a roll, I'd better apologize for missing your birthday party too."

"Apology accepted. You really didn't have to do this, though."

"Trust me, I did." Feeling a little more relaxed than before, Kevin leaned back on his elbow to watch her open his gift.

Kayla turned sideways a little so he could see her better and gently pulled on the shimmering ribbon. What she found inside made her eyes start to fill up immediately with tears. Digging her hands into the box, she pulled out yards of the most beautiful midnight blue silk she'd ever had the pleasure of touching. To her greater delight she found another piece of the same silk in the deepest shade of black beneath it. Amidst her pleasure she recalled that they were Kevin's favorite colors.

Misunderstanding the tears in her eyes for disappointment, Kevin sat up. "If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it. I can get you something else."

Putting her hand to his mouth to stop his chatter, Kayla swallowed the lump in her throat. "Kevin, this is the most wonderful, thoughtful, unusual, creative, sweet . . . did I say wonderful?. . .gift anyone has ever given me.

I couldn't possibly love anything more."

Wiping his thumb across her cheek to dry a tear that had escaped her dark lashes, Kevin smiled at her pleasure with his gift. "I just thought that you could design something better than anything I could've bought in a store."

Reaching over to give him a hug, Kayla couldn't help but let a couple more tears fall for the happiness she was feeling. "Thank you. I'll make the most beautiful garment anyone has ever seen."

Letting go of her and leaning back on his elbow again, Kevin thought to himself, It won't be the most beautiful garment it you're not wearing it.

The two new friends sat and talked for a couple more hours, until just about everyone else had gone to bed. The guys had kicked them out of the bunks and made them find somewhere else that wasn't taken up with a sleeping body.

Before Kayla finally drifted off to sleep with her head resting on Kevin's leg, she knew that even though their relationship had been mended a lot that night, there was still something he was keeping from her. Something he would have to reveal in his own time.

From the way Kayla was humming and the new bounce in her step, no one would've guessed that she was running on three hours of sleep. She'd been awakened that morning when the bus had stopped at its destination. Finding herself alone on the couch with a blanket over her, she had started to think that the night before was just a dream. That was until she tried to sit up and almost stepped on Kevin who was asleep on the floor at her feet.

Smiling to herself at how handsome he had looked even when he was asleep, she made her way to her newest wardrobe room. Carrying her cup of hot cocoa and her sketchpad she found a table to sit at in the ordinary cement floored room. She was hoping to sketch a few ideas for a dress before anyone else showed up. After seeing the beautiful deep shades of the silk Kevin had given her, she couldn't get a certain concept out of her mind. The deep blue and black reminded her of a midnight rendezvous in a secret place.

Letting her hand glide over the paper, Kayla soon had copied exactly what her mind had been seeing. The faceless model was wearing an evening gown that needed very little decoration. The front of the gown started with a sleeveless apron-like bodice that rose to lie flat across her collarbones. Attached to it were two slender spaghetti straps that wrapped themselves over her shoulders to attach under her arms at the sides of the gown. It ended in a floor-length ball gown skirt that gave the illusion of being a column dress in the front while the back split from the small of her back to the hem to reveal an inset of the black silk which extended into a small train. The most stunning aspect of the dress was that it was completely backless from the waist up except for the almost invisible straps that held it on. Cocking her head to the side, Kayla played with the idea of adding a design of small moons and stars across the hem of the train and across the bodice in black hand-sewn beads. Not sure what to do, she just made a note of it at the bottom of the page. Simplicity had always been her personal style and she felt that the dress in front of her showed it perfectly. Satisfied with her creation, she sat back and drank her forgotten cocoa while she admired it.

A light tap at the door brought her attention back to where she was, but figuring it was someone on the crew, she didn't bother to turn around. "Come on in."

"Ms. Kayla Nichols?"

Not recognizing the strange voice, Kayla turned to find a Fed Ex deliveryman standing in the doorway. "Oh, I'm sorry. I figured you were someone else. I'm Kayla, what can I do for you?"

Looking down at the purple and orange envelope in his hand he said, "Uh, I have a package that I need you to sign for."

Wondering who would know where to send her a package except her family, Kayla looked perplexed as she signed the man's clipboard. On top of not knowing whom it was from, she also noticed that the package had been sent overnight delivery. Someone was in a big rush for her to see something.

Kayla pulled the strip that opened the stiff envelope. Inside was smaller envelope, this one of a heavy stationary. Guessing it was some kind of invitation, she tore it open to see what event she was requested to be at.

What she read made her mouth fall open.

That's exactly how Kevin found her a few moments later when he entered the room. "You know, you're gonna swallow a fly if you don't stop that."

Snapping her mouth shut, Kayla incredulously stared from the piece of finely engraved paper in her hand to the tall man standing in front of her. Still in shock the only thing she could say was "Kevin."

Realizing that she was obviously stunned about something, Kevin lightly tugged the paper out of her hand to look at it. Reading the invitation for Kayla to become the newest fashion designer for the prestigious name of Dolce and Gabanna, he smiled down at her. "Kayla, this is quite an honor."

Finding her tongue, Kayla grabbed the paper out of Kevin's hand to stare at it again. "I didn't even know they knew about me!"

"How could they not? Our video is played all over the world every day. Besides, didn't you work with a lot of celebrities before we snagged you?"

Looking down at the paper again, Kayla could feel the butterflies in her stomach already. "Kevin, I can't believe this. I've always dreamed of designing for a famous house of fashion."

"So, does this mean we'll have to visit you in Italy from now on?"

Realizing what he was implying, Kayla's blue eyes took on a thoughtful gaze. "I guess I'll need to do some serious thinking about this."

Remembering why he'd gone in search of her in the first place, he pushed aside the unwelcome thoughts of not seeing Kayla every day. "Come on, I have a surprise for you. You can do your serious thinking later." Kayla could tell by the look on his face that whatever this surprise was, he must've been proud of it.

"Okay, let me put this somewhere safe." Kayla tucked the envelope in-between the pages of her sketchpad and took one last look at her design before she closed it. "Alright, I'm re . . . what's that?"

Kevin stood with what looked like a black scarf in between his hands. "Your blindfold."

Kayla's eyebrows shot up at her sudden interest in what this mysterious surprise was. Allowing the black cloth to be tied around her head she learned a whole new meaning of the word trust as Kevin held her hand and told her where to step and when to turn. Finally, after walking for about four minutes, they stopped and Kevin untied the scarf.

"Voila!"

Expecting to be able to spot what the surprise was, the empty room she was standing in confused Kayla. The only visible object was a CD player. "Okay, I give up."

"Welcome to Kevin's School of Dance, Mademoiselle." "School of dance? Oh, that's right you're some fancy teacher aren't you?" Kayla used her best Georgia accent. "So, what are we going to start with, the polka or clogging?"

"Funny. I just thought I'd make good on my promise to help you learn, and since I'm looking for a beautiful young lady to accompany me to the Christmas Charity Ball, you'll need to know how to dance."

"A ball?"

Kevin led her to the middle of the room where he left her just long enough to start a CD playing. "It's something we go to every year. The proceeds go to help children who are battling cancer. So, what do you say? Will you accompany me to the ball, my good lady?" Kayla batted her eyelashes up at him. "Sir, are you implying that you, the teacher, would like to take me, the student, out on a date? Why, what will people say?" She put her hand to her chest to pretend to be offended.

Chuckling, Kevin arranged one of her hands on his shoulder and the other one in his before he put his free hand on her waist. "If we don't get started, they'll be saying one of two things: You've got two left feet, or I'm the world's worst dance teacher."

He started off with some well-known dances like the waltz and the swing, but Kayla was too uptight to really absorb what he was showing her. Realizing this Kevin decided to try a new tactic.

He took off the shirt he'd been wearing over a white tank top and changed the music to a Latin sound. "Okay, the next dance will be the Salsa."

"The what?! Isn't that sort of complicated?"

"No, not really."

Kayla knew what the Salsa was. She'd seen it on TV. She also knew it involved a lot of body contact. "Um, well isn't it a little . . . um . . ."

"Racy?"

"That would be a good adjective, yes."

"Don't you trust me?" He was having fun with this topic.

Kayla swallowed visibly. By now he had kicked off his shoes and was walking back toward her. How was she supposed to concentrate on dancing when he looked so sexy in his loose fitting blue jeans and bare feet?

"Alright, off with 'em."

"Huh?"

"Your sandals. I don't want my feet to be bleeding for tonight's show."

Kayla looked down past her gray T-shirt that stopped just above the waistband of her khaki pants to study her chunky Sketchers sandals. Yep, they would definitely leave a bruise. Reluctantly she bent down and removed them.

Kevin beckoned her with his finger and a devilish look on his face. "Come here my little pretty."

She stopped about a foot in front of him. The same amount of space he'd had between them for the first two lessons. Kevin closed the gap by pulling her so close that she had to crane her neck to look up at him. Kayla's eyes grew large and her face started to burn when he grabbed her hips and moved them aside so that their legs were intermeshed.

Not wanting him to see her obvious embarrassment, she just stared at his chest. That's when she noticed his laughter. Jerking her head upward she gave him a puzzled look. They hadn't even started dancing yet. How could she have done something wrong already?

"Kayla?"

In a small voice, she answered, "Yes?"

"I was just teasing you. I wanted you to relax a little. You're taking this way too seriously."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Kayla laughed a little. "Oh good. I was sweating a little there." But when she tried to take a step backward Kevin held her firmly in place.

"Oh, I didn't say that you weren't going to learn some Latin dances. We're just not going to do the Salsa. Not right now anyway."

"Ah." Was all she could think to say. What if she was horrible at this too? He'd really be able to tell with her so close to him.

Kevin soon put her at ease, though. As he showed her how to move her body to the music, she realized that this type of dancing didn't really require learning steps. It was more about learning the rhythm. Once she started to relax, it was easy to pick up on and Kevin worked some specific steps in every once in a while.

When she felt comfortable enough, they moved on to some other common dances like the mambo and the Texas two step. Kevin was finally satisfied after about two hours and Kayla flopped down in the center of the floor.

"Next time we'll do some dances that Fatima choreographed for us."

Kayla laid down flat on her back. "Oh good, and I thought we'd be doing something difficult."

Kevin laughed and let his body fall forward into a makeshift push up on the ground next to her. He rolled over on his side and smiled at her. "It's not as hard as it looks and I don't think you'll have any trouble with it. You're a much better dancer than you thought. You've got a low center of gravity so you have good balance."

"That was a short joke, wasn't it?"

They both laughed. Kevin couldn't believe how good it felt to hang out with her. It was so interesting to explore her world. He wished they could just talk for the rest of the day, but he knew he had to leave in a few minutes to get ready for an interview with a local radio station.

He looked over at Kayla with her hair spilled out around her on the floor and her cheeks flushed. I could look at her forever. Clearing his throat, Kevin pushed aside the romantic thought and stood to his feet.

"I'd say same time, same place, but that wouldn't really fit with our schedule would it?" He pulled her to her feet and they both collected their belongings. "Maybe we'll have some time tomorrow or the next day. How's that sound?"

With a mischievous smile Kayla gave him her idea. "We could always practice on the bus."

"And that would be so practical too, with all of three feet to move around in." They both smiled as they headed for the door. Kevin escorted her back to wardrobe where he softly swiped his thumb across her lips and said goodbye. It was an ongoing battle to resist the urge to kiss her. This time around he wanted to do things right. If only he could get the memories of what he'd done to Anna to leave his head.

"Ouch!" Kayla stuck her bleeding finger into her mouth for what seemed like the twentieth time that afternoon. She was sitting in the floor of her living room with the almost-finished dress in front of her. The only things left to complete were the hundreds of tiny glass beads that had to be hand sewn to the fabric. Normally she would've paid someone to do this for her, but she wanted to know that this particular dress was perfect. She couldn't make the right impression if she thought something wasn't perfect about it.

The first part of the tour had been over for a week and everyone had returned to his or her homes to rest before the ball and the upcoming holidays. Before breaking up to go their separate ways, the guys and Kayla had all arranged to meet up again in New York City where the ball was to be held. With only a week until the festive event and two weeks before Christmas, Kayla felt like she had a million things to do.

Looking at her battered finger, Kayla cringed. Although she was an excellent seamstress, she had never mastered using a thimble. She decided to take a break to find something to eat for lunch. Just as she opened the refrigerator door the phone rang. Delighted to hear Lucy's voice on the other end of the line, she and Kayla quickly agreed to meet for lunch to catch up on the last few months.

As they waited for their meals to be brought, Lucy sat back in her chair. "So, how are you doing? How is life as a Backstreet roady?"

Kayla's face lit up with a smile as she remembered the last days of the tour when she and Kevin had spent as much time together as possible to catch up. "It's definitely a job that takes a lot of stamina! I love it, though."

"From that look on your face, it sounds to me like you enjoy a lot more than just the job."

Kayla blushed a little at Lucy's observation. "The guys are really great to work with. They're like a bunch of crazy brothers to me." Not able to hold it in any longer, she finally mentioned the subject she'd been dying to tell someone about. "Kevin has been so great. We've become really good friends and he's even teaching me to dance!"

"Hmm, dancing, huh? Are you sure there isn't something more there than just friends? It's about time for you to find Mr. Right you know."

Kayla let out a nervous laugh. She didn't want Lucy to know how much she wished that Kevin were her Mr. Right. "I don't think so, Luc. He doesn't seem to be looking for that kind of relationship."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "I think you'd be surprised. I know he's not old, but he's got to be close to thirty. Most men start looking around at that age you know."

"He's twenty eight."

Lucy eyebrow went up even more at Kayla's correction. She had to keep herself from smiling at how her friend had completely missed the fact that she'd been teasing her. "So, tell me about him." Lucy pretended to just be mildly interested. What she was fishing for were Kayla's true feelings for her friend.

Kayla's eyes took on a sparkle. "He's really great, Luc. You should see him with the other guys. He's like a father and a big brother at the same time. He's got a really great personality and he's so easy to talk to. Sometimes we just sit and talk for hours." Kayla's face and words told Lucy all she needed to know. "He's so talented too. He writes music for the band and plays the piano. And you should see him dance!!!" "He sounds almost . . . perfect." Lucy couldn't think of any man she'd ever met that she could brag on that much! "Yeah, and, Lucy, you should see the beautiful fabric he gave me for my birthday! You would love it! I'm making it into a dress to wear to a ball next week." Remembering her big news Kayla almost raised up to lean across the table. "Oh! Lucy, I've got the most exciting to thing to tell you! You won't believe it. I've been offered the position of being one of the head designers for Dolce and Gabanna!" Lucy gave her a hug and congratulated her. "Well, are you going to accept it?"

Unexpectedly Kayla's stomach started to flutter with butterflies. "I . . . I don't know. I mean, I can't just leave the guys without a stylist. I told Kevin I'd have to think about it." Kayla stared down at the tablecloth in front of her. Lucy cleared her throat to get her friend's attention again. "It sounds like this decision has more to do with what happens with Kevin than anything else.

If so, you really do have a lot to think about. He may only need a shove in the right direction, you know." She finished her advice with a conspiratorial wink. "Maybe you're right, Luc."

Noticing the mixture of emotions that played across Kayla's face, Lucy made an excuse about having to getting back to the office. It looked like her friend needed some time to figure a few things out.

Kayla sat at the table a little longer. She finally admitted to herself that Lucy was right. She was putting her decision on hold until she received confirmation of Kevin's feelings for her. She already knew that she was in love with him. She'd admitted defeat on that point a long time ago. Maybe she would be able to see things more clearly after the weekend in New York. Frowning at her unusual procrastination, Kayla left a tip for the waiter and went home to mutilate her finger some more.