Chapter 11

"It’s good. I can’t believe I forgot my CD. It’s not like Maria will listen to it anytime soon," Sarah said. Emily smiled. "Jacob has the best voice. Oh my God, he’s like, so…"

"I know, Sarah. You haven’t stopped talking about him since you got here," Emily interrupted. "How old is he again?"

"He’s twenty-one. That’s only three years older than me, so it’s okay," Sarah said, smiling.

"Is he even interested?" Emily asked. Sarah shrugged and blew on her toenails.

"He was so busy when I was with them, we didn’t really have a chance to hang out. Maria is friends with all of them, so I’m sure I’ll get to see them again when they come home. You’ll get a chance to meet them, too," she said. Emily continued to play her guitar with a small smile on her face. Her cousin was so different from her; where Emily was quiet and reserved, Sarah was bubbly and overly enthusiastic about things. Emily liked her and they were getting along well despite their differences. Maria returned tomorrow, though, so Emily hoped that she wouldn’t have to move. She didn’t really want to be alone, but if that were the case, so be it…she’d survive.

Daytona Beach

Alex sat at the edge of the water, watching some seagulls diving for fish or whatever food they could find out on the water. Erik walked over and sat down beside her.

"Are you ever gonna talk to me, or not?" he asked softly. Alex turned to him.

"I want to, Erik, but it’s hard. I don’t know if you’ll understand and I don’t want you to see me as a horrible person," she said.

"I would never think that you’re horrible. Just tell me what’s been bothering you," Erik implored. Alex decided she might as well tell him.

"Well, my older brother was released from jail not so long ago. He’s a convict, Erik," Alex said, not looking at him. Erik frowned.

"That’s it? Why would I think you’re a horrible person if it was your brother who was in jail?" he asked.

"Because I never went to see him. He was in jail for three whole years and not once did I go to visit him. Miguel, my younger brother, went to see him almost every weekend. He now resents me for ‘abandoning’ Carlos. I love my brothers and it hurts that everything is so screwed up." Erik put his arm around Alex and pulled her to him. He didn’t really know what to say…he just had to be there for her.

"I don’t think that you’re a bad person because you didn’t go to see him. It was your decision and I’m sure you had your reasons as to why you didn’t want to see him. You’re being too hard on yourself."

"I’m scared about seeing Carlos again. I don’t know what he thinks of me or how he’ll act," Alex said, nervously. Erik couldn’t tell her that Carlos would understand or that everything would be okay because he didn’t know if those things were true. Alex sighed as they sat together in silence.

Jacob watched from his beach towel as Ashley and Maria were apparently trying to drown each other. Trevor joined them and teamed up with Maria. Together, they ganged up on Ashley and did a good job of dunking him. Jacob knew that Trevor still liked Maria. He always caught Trevor staring at her or smiling at her. Trevor was so shy around girls that he liked, though, that it never escalated to actual flirting. Maria treated him like a kid brother. Although Trevor would be hurt if he knew that Jacob and Maria were ‘getting along’ again, Jacob wasn’t about to not be with Maria because of him. It sounded selfish, but Jacob wanted her too badly to even think of giving up his chance to be with her…even for one of his best friends. The attraction was too strong.

"Have you decided what you’re gonna do about her?" Dan asked. Jacob turned quickly. He hadn’t even realized that Dan had sat down beside him.

"Who?"

"Oh, stop it, Jake. I see you looking at Maria. Anyone can tell that you’ve got it bad for her. So, what are you gonna do?" he asked again. Jacob smiled.

"She invited me to her room tonight," he said. Dan laughed.

"Wow. That’s pretty forward," he said.

"I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that," Jacob told him.

"How do you know?" Dan asked.

"Because, I just do. I would never take advantage of her anyway," said, burying his feet in the sand.

"You care about her, that’s why," Dan said. Jacob didn’t answer. He had feelings for Maria, but he wasn’t sure what kind of feelings. Was it just lust? He wasn’t sure. Maria screamed and Jacob looked out at the water again. Ashley was holding Maria under her arms and Trevor was holding her legs. They easily raised her and swung her so that she went flying into the deeper water. She came up sputtering and promptly jumped on Trevor’s back. He suddenly dunked himself bringing Maria with him. Jacob smiled. She sure wasn’t the same stern, workaholic that he had met back in April. The more that she had gotten to know the guys, the more comfortable she had become and her personality had really come out. She was fascinating and Jacob was smitten.

"Come on, guys!" Mike C. yelled. The guys moaned and headed for the beach. Jacob stood up and stretched. They all began picking up their stuff. Maria came running up the beach and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Jacob asked her. She smiled at him.

"A little. I’ll be okay," she said. Jacob nodded and helped pick up the rest of their things. Trevor had noticed the exchange. Maria and Jacob were once again friendly. He sighed as he bent down to pick up his shirt that lay discarded on the sand. ‘I’ve got no chance,’ he thought. ‘Absolutely none.’

Back at the hotel, everyone changed to get ready to go to the show. Maria had put on black leather pants and a tight, white, sleeveless shirt with a low neckline. She wore the choker that she had worn to the awards ceremony and black, high heel sandals. Her hair was down. She had blow-dried it, so it was straight and only slightly curly.

Alex came out of the bathroom. She had on a short jean skirt and a tight red blouse. "I don’t even want to go," she said, tiredly.

"It’s the last show, Alex. We have to go," Maria told her. "And, listen, I wanted to ask you. Do you think that you can maybe room with Dianna tonight?" Alex raised her eyebrows.

"Why?" she asked, a smirk appearing on her face. "Are you having company?"

"It’s not like that. I just asked him over to hang out," Maria said.

"Which one? Jacob or Trevor?" Maria frowned.

"Jacob. I’m not interested in Trevor. Have I been leading him on to make you think that…or to make him think that?" she asked, worriedly.

"No, but he likes you. I think he knows that you’ve got a thing for Jacob, though, so I wouldn’t worry about it," Alex told her. "So, you got smart and decided to go for Jacob, then? Good for you. Have fun. Don’t worry, I’ll find a place to sleep. I actually talked to Erik and we’re okay again. He doesn’t really know what to say to me, but he’s being cool about it, so that’s good." Maria smiled.

"I’m glad and thanks. I don’t intend on doing anything with Jacob, though. It wasn’t that kind of invitation," she said. Alex just smiled. ‘Yeah, right,’ she thought. "Stop smiling like that," Maria ordered. Alex laughed, but before Maria could hit her, she ran to the door and left. Maria shook her head. She then followed Alex.

Maria and Alex stood directly in front of the stage, in front of metal barriers keeping O-Town’s screaming fans at a safe distance. Maria had turned around a couple of times and had gotten glared at. She just smiled and turned back around. It was still amazing to her to think that these girls idolized the five guys in O-Town. They were just normal young men who happened to sing and dance. Maria shook her head. ‘Well, they could have worse role-models,’ she thought as the familiar notes to Liquid Dreams started.

One would never know that Jacob had a bad back from the way that he moved so smoothly across the stage. Maria couldn’t take her eyes off of him while he performed. Alex leaned over to Maria.

"How are they not sick of these songs?" she asked loudly. Maria smiled.

After All Or Nothing, Mike C. came to get Maria and Alex and he led them back to the dressing room. The guys had a meet and greet after the show, so they were brought there, wherever ‘there’ was. Maria and Alex hung out in the green room, talking, until the group got back. Then, after they had returned, they had all headed back to the hotel. It was close to eleven o’clock, so it was still early.

Maria changed into a long, knee-length tee shirt. She wanted to be comfortable, but she didn’t want Jacob to think that she was too comfortable. She put her hair up in a ponytail and walked barefoot to her bed. Alex was getting ready to leave.

"Well, have fun," she smirked. Maria glared at her.

"Will you stop it? We’re just going to hang out. That’s it," she said.

"Oh, come on. Do you expect me to believe that? The way the two of you practically have sex with your eyes. This may be your last chance for a long time and if you don’t do it, you’ll regret it because you’ll be left wondering what ‘might have been,’" Alex told her.

"Have you done it with Erik?" Maria asked, her hands on her hips. Alex shook her head.

"No, but it’s different with us," she said.

"How?"

"You and Jacob are, like, I don’t know. You guys have a lot of sexual tension going on; whereas, Erik and myself are just taking it slowly, enjoying each other’s company before we even think about doing anything," Alex said.

"I did not invite Jacob over to have sex with him. I’m not some pathetic, sex-starved groupie, Alex. Besides, we’re in a hotel. How sleazy is that?" Maria asked.

"Are you kidding? This is a nice hotel," Alex said and laughed as Maria chased her to the door. Alex headed for Dianna’s room as Maria closed the door and leaned against it. She wanted Jacob, but she didn’t want to look desperate. He had told her that he didn’t have casual sex anyway.

"He won’t do anything," Maria said out loud. "He wouldn’t. We’re just gonna hang out and…talk." The thing was, Maria didn’t want to just talk to him. She wanted him.

"What, Ash?" Jacob asked as he pulled a black tee shirt on over his head. Ashley was lying on his bed smiling widely at Jacob.

"You and Maria. That’s cool, man. I’m happy for you," Ashley said. Jacob sighed and shook some water from his hair. He’d just taken a shower and was about to leave to go to Maria’s room. He pulled on his sneakers.

"There is no ‘me and Maria.’ We’re just gonna chill out and talk," Jacob said. Ashley laughed.

"I may be the youngest, Jake, but I’m not that stupid or that naïve. You guys have the hots for each other bigtime. It’s the last night you’ll be together with her like this. When we get home, who knows what will happen. You’ll probably never see her, especially since we leave for some PA’s soon. Our schedule is hell. Take advantage of the time you have with her. She digs you, dude. Don’t let her get away," he told him. Jacob sighed. Ashley was right…to a point. Jacob probably wouldn’t get to see Maria much once they got home. O-Town’s schedule was hell. Jacob knew that Maria liked him, but he refused to take advantage of her. Plus, he didn’t have casual flings. Jacob didn’t know what Maria had planned. He’d just play it by ear.

"See ya," Jacob said, grabbing his guitar as he left the room. Ashley smiled at the closed door.

"See ya…tomorrow," Ashley said to the door.

"What do you think will happen?" Erik asked. Dan shrugged.

"Man, I don’t know. Jacob won’t talk and, lately, Maria’s been acting like she doesn’t even like Jacob. It’s messed up," he said.

"God, will you stop talking about them already? It’s none of our damn business what Jacob and Maria do with each other. Talk about something else for God’s sake!" Trevor said angrily as he went into the bathroom and slammed the door. Erik and Dan looked at each other.

"Oops. I forgot that Trev has it bad for Maria, too," Erik said.

"I think he knows what’s going on and he’ll get over it," Dan told him. Erik frowned.

"I don’t know, man. He looked pretty upset to me. And did you see him with Maria at the beach today? I think that Trevor may have it worse for her than we thought. Maybe Jake can talk to him," he said. Dan nodded.

"That might be a good idea. If Trev knew where he stood with both Jacob and Maria, it might make it easier for him to see them together."

"I’m still wondering what’s gonna happen between them. I mean she invited him to her room. If that’s not an invitation…" Erik said suggestively.

"Erik, don’t go making assumptions as to what’s gonna go on. We’ll just have to wait and see. We’re not gonna be seeing Maria a lot when we get home, so it might not be a good idea for them to hook up right now," Dan told him.

"That’s true, but Jake’s been so down since he broke up with Janie, it’s good to see him interested in someone else. And Maria’s like a female version of Jacob. They’re perfect for each other."

"We know that, but they might not. After all, they’re both stubborn and might not want to admit their feelings just yet," Dan said. Erik smiled.

"Wasn’t it fun to watch them fight their feelings, like they have been this past month?" he asked. Dan smiled.

"No," he said. Erik laughed and threw a pillow at Dan, who caught it and lay down on it.

Jacob took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Maria and Alex’s room. When no one answered, he knocked again. Maria opened the door. She had been standing behind the door the whole time, but didn’t want to appear anxious, so she had waited a minute before answering.

"Hi," she said, smiling. Jacob walked into the room and Maria closed the door.

"Is Alex here?" Jacob asked, looking around. Maria shook her head.

"No. She’s rooming with Dianna tonight. I feel sorry for Dianna. She’s so distant and just seems very…aloof. Alex thought it would be nice to keep her company."

"Dianna’s cool. You’re right, though. She doesn’t say much while she works on my back, either," Jacob told her. Maria just nodded. She still didn’t like the thought of Dianna’s hands all over Jacob, even if it was just his back. "Hey, how’d you get two doubles?" Jacob then asked, looking at the beds.

"Just lucky, I guess." Maria smiled. She went over and took her notebook from her bag. "I want you to read this. It’s the finished article and I want to know what you think. Not that I’m asking for your ‘approval’ or anything, but I wanted you to see it before it was published." Jacob wasn’t sure if this was the reason he’d been invited over, but he’d humor her. "You can make yourself comfortable on my bed," Maria added. Jacob walked over, put his guitar down and sat on the bed, pushing himself up so that his back was leaning against the headboard. Maria didn’t know where to sit. Jacob looked over at her and patted the bed next to him. She walked over and sat down beside him, making sure not to sit too close.

Maria studied him while he read. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated on what he was reading. He glanced over at her after a few minutes. "Your writing sucks," he said. Maria frowned.

"It does not!" she exclaimed.

"I mean, your penmanship. This is a mess," Jacob told her.

"I told you that I don’t like computers and that’s what a written article looks like before it’s been proofread or revised. You can still read it," she said.

"You spelled my mom’s name wrong. It’s M-E-C-H-E-L-E," he said. Maria shook her head.

"Sorry, I’ll fix it." Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. "You’re very critical of something you don’t know much about," she remarked.

"Critical? You spelled my mom’s name wrong. I’m just correcting you. Besides, I know about writing, just not photography or the one hundred other things that you excel at," Jacob said. Maria smirked.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" she asked. Jacob shook his head.

"No. Now be quiet, I’m trying to read," he said. The article was long, so it took a while for Jacob to read it. Maria got bored and unconsciously she slid her fingers up Jacob’s arm. He noticed and turned to her. Her touch sent shivers through him. Maria looked at him as he looked at her.

"Well?" she asked. Her eyes were the most unusual color Jacob had ever seen. He’d seen strange colored blue, almost violet eyes before, but never turquoise. "Hello? What did you think?" she asked again. Jacob tore his gaze from her face.

"It’s good. Very honest and ‘intellectual-sounding,’" Jacob said.

"Not everyone cares about what kind of underwear you wear," Maria told him. She took the notebook from him and got off the bed. Jacob reached over and picked up his guitar. He began strumming it and Maria turned to look at him. Now what? She’d used her distraction. ‘I’m not a groupie. I’m not a groupie,’ she thought as she watched him. He suddenly looked up at her. Maria smiled. Why was she so nervous? He was just a guy. "So, what’s the new O-Town album gonna sound like?" she asked as she went over and perched on the edge of the bed, facing him, her legs crossed under her.

"More rock, definitely. Me and Ashley and even Dan wanted to go for a harder sounding album. But, there will be R+B material, too," he said. "It’s hard because the five of us are so different, but a lot of our influences are the same, so we are going to be able to make the album diverse, like the first one."

"Any sappy ballads?" Maria asked with a smile. Jacob smiled as he looked at her.

"Probably. We are a boy band you know," he said. "I won’t get to sing those, though. My voice is too ‘different’ for those kinds of songs." He rolled his eyes slightly.

"You harmonize well. Or did they bury your voice under the others during, like, The Painter?" she asked.

"You did listen to the album. I’m impressed," Jacob said. "I’m there, you just can’t hear me much," he told her.

"You were there when I was listening to the album, so shut up," Maria said, smiling. "I like your voice. It’s very sexy." Jacob looked at her.

"You think so? Thanks." Maria didn’t know what else to say. The small talk was annoying. She was fighting herself to not crawl over and just do what she wanted to do to him. And she wanted to do a lot. Why didn’t he make the first move?

While Maria was thinking, Jacob stopped playing and put his guitar aside. He saw how Maria was biting her lip and looking around distractedly. Was she waiting for him to do something? He was still unsure of her intentions. She hadn’t exactly greeted him in lingerie. The tee shirt she was wearing was anything but revealing, although it did show a lot of leg, it wasn’t enough to make Jacob think that she had wanted him all over her.