Chapter Twelve

"Attention, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in London in approximately ten minutes. The weather report calls for sunny skies and a pleasant temperature of 70 degrees. Please fasten your seatbelts and remain seated until the plane has completely stopped. Thank you for flying with us and enjoy your stay in London."

Chris raised her eyebrows. "Only 70 degrees? I’m gonna freeze! It’s a good thing I wore my jeans."

Kevin shook his head. "You’re just used to Orlando."

"Yeah, you’d better get ready," Howie said. "Because we’re going to be traveling in all different types of temperatures."

"And right now my temperature is rising," AJ whispered in her ear. Chris whipped her head around, looking at him with wide eyes. "Oh, baby, that only makes me hotter."

"You really need some sleep, Alexander," Chris said, with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"And you keep leading me on."
"Guys, can you kinda move it down to a G-rating, please?" Brian pleaded. Emily punched him on the arm.

"Like we’re never that way," she said.

"That’s right. We’re not."

"Brian!"

"Yeah, Brian," Nick echoed. "Stop lying. You’re Mr. Religious, after all."

"Yikes," Howie said. "I think we need to be separated for a while after we land."

"Um, Howie?" Chris said, raising her hand. "I think I’m the only one here who’s never been out of the States. Don’t leave me all alone in a strange land. I might pick up a really hot foreign guy."

"Oh, Chris," Kevin groaned. "No more caffeine for you. Ever."

"Need I remind you that I have not had any caffeine yet today? And what time is it, anyway?"

AJ looked at his watch. "It’s about 2:00, Florida time so," he paused, doing the calculations, "it’s almost seven. Practically time for bed."

"So I’m finally going to experience jet lag?" Chris asked. "I’m really excited about it."

"You’re kidding," Brian said.

"Correct," Chris replied, a smile on her face. "I’m too excited to be lying."

Kevin looked out his window. "Hey, look! There’s the airport!" AJ leaned back in his seat so Chris could lean over and look. He put his hand on her back.

"Wow!" she breathed. "I made it!"

"Of course you did," Emily said. "What would have you think otherwise?"

"Nothing," Chris said. "Nothing at all."

The airport was chaotic, Chris could sense it as they prepared to exit the plane. Nick had told her that someone else was going to pick up their stuff and put it on the bus. The Boys’ job was to get off the plane and out of the airport as fast as they could. Of course, he was telling her this as the group put on hats and sunglasses.

"What about me?" Chris asked. "Am I going to be trampled?"

"No one recognizes you as part of the group yet," Emily replied, giving her a hug. "Don’t worry. Just stay with us and you’ll be fine."

"And walk as quickly as you can without drawing attention," Brian added.

"The limo’s at the bottom of the steps. We’re not going through the airport," Kevin said.

"It’s like we’re the President or something," Howie said, his eyes twinkling. "Unfortunately, we have to move a little faster than he does. We really don’t want to draw attention to ourselves."

"Is it safe to get off right here?" Chris asked, a little worried.

"It’s better than getting trampled. Ready, guys?" AJ asked. Seeing everyone nod, he took Chris’s hand and headed toward the front. "Let’s move ‘em out!"

"Are you sure getting run over by an airplane is safer than going through the airport?" Chris asked AJ.

"Absolutely," he replied, throwing open the door and standing at the top of the steps which led down to the ground. Chris looked down and stifled a shriek. Waiting by the limo was a huge group of young girls. When they noticed AJ standing outside the plane, they screamed and waved their arms.

"Were you expecting this?" she asked over the noise. AJ squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry. Just stay with me."

Chris looked behind her as they started down the steps. Kevin and Howie were right behind them, followed by Brian, Emily, and Nick. Kevin lifted his hand in a wave, and the girls went ballistic. When all seven were safely down the steps, security guards surrounded them as the crowd of girls moved in. Chris started to panic. AJ turned around to make sure she was okay and, seeing the look in her eyes, pulled her toward him and put an arm protectively around her waist.

"You’re fine. Just take a deep breath," he said in her ear. "Go straight to the limo."

The other five came up behind AJ and Chris, and ushered them to the limo, occasionally turning and smiling at the crowd. AJ didn’t ignore the fans, either, although he kept one hand on Chris the entire time. One of the security guards opened the limo and Brian and Emily got in first, followed by Kevin and Nick. Howie let Chris get in before him and AJ got in last. The security guard closed the door and the limo pulled away slowly from the crowd that pounded on the windows and ran along side.

"Guess they know who’s in town," Emily said.

"Yep. Should we tease them?" Brian asked, preparing to roll down the window.

"No. I don’t think so," Kevin said. "We really have to be on guard now."

"But the hotel’s secure, right? And the concerts aren’t for another two days," Nick said. "So what do we have to worry about?"

"How quickly you forget, Nicky," AJ said.

"Why are we here so early?" Chris asked. "I honestly don’t know."

"Let’s rearrange seats first," Howie said. "Don’t get me wrong, Chris, I like you. But I’m a little uncomfortable having you halfway in my lap."

In their rapid attempt to get in the limo without getting killed, all seven had somehow ended up on the same side. Chris was squished in the middle with Nick and Howie on either side. AJ was on the floor, while Kevin was beside Nick, and Emily was sitting on Brian’s lap.

"Yeah, the other side does look a little lonely," AJ said. "Nick, get over there."

"Alright, alright," Nick said. He got up uneasily due to the motion, and sat down in the opposite seat. Kevin, Brian, and Emily followed suit.

"Ah," AJ said, settling back in the seat. "More room."

"Better?" Chris asked as Howie shifted down.

"Yes. I’m sorry if I offended you," Howie apologized. "I just don’t think AJ would appreciate it if we were sitting that close."

"Good call, Howard," AJ joked. "And the answer to your question, my dear, is because we need time to go over the show on a real stage."

"That, and it gives us a chance to get back into the routine," Kevin added.

"Which hotel are we staying in? Is it close to the venue? What about the fans?"

"Chris! Slow down!" Nick said. "You’re making me tired!"

"She’s just excited," Emily said defensively.

"But I want to know! And I want to see everything! I’ve never been out of the United States!" Chris was bubbling over with excitement. She looked above her and saw a sunroof. Reaching across AJ, she pressed a few buttons until the sunroof started to open. Then she stood up and poked her head out of the opening to look at the city of London.

"Guys! You have to see this!" she called back down to those in the car. "It’s absolutely gorgeous!" Her hair was still in its braids, and Chris reached up to unbraid it. She shook her head and let her hair whip around and behind her. The city was beautiful, and Chris just stood there looking at everything pass by, not saying a word, but merely absorbing everything.

AJ looked at Kevin with a question on his face. "She’s nuts!"

Kevin smiled. "One thing you’ll learn when you’re with Chris is how to look at things through her eyes. You grow to appreciate life."

AJ shook his head, smiling. Howie, also watching Chris, moved over to the sunroof and partially stood. "Do you mind if I look with her?" he asked AJ.

"Be my guest."

Howie popped his head out and then stood completely. Chris turned when she sensed someone beside her.

"Hey!" She shouted over the wind when she saw him. Her hair was blowing out of control and a piece whapped Howie in the face. "Oh! I’m so sorry!"

"It’s okay! Boy you have a lot of hair," he replied, rubbing his face. Howie looked around. "Wow! It is beautiful up here!"

"Thank you! I told you so!" Chris seemed to really and truly enjoy the scenery. Her face was animated, her eyes lit up with excitement. Her smile was bright and full of life, making her already beautiful face even more so. Howie couldn’t help but wish that he had made the move first. After a few minutes of looking, Howie’s head started to hurt from the force of the wind and he sat back down.

"So, what’s it like?" AJ asked.

"It’s cool," Howie replied. "You should go see."

"I think I will." AJ looked at Kevin slyly and put his hands on Chris’s hips as he came up through the sunroof. Chris looked down with a look of surprise, but relaxed when she saw it was AJ.

"Thought you’d never join me," Chris teased.

"I was coming. I just sent Howie up to see if it was safe."

"You’re bad."

"I know. So, how long do you plan on staying up here?"

Chris cocked her head to look at him. She scrunched up her face and pretended to think. Then she looked down at her watch and then back at AJ again. "I think until I get my first kiss standing up in a limousine going 65 miles an hour in a foreign country."

"You nut," AJ said, putting his arms around her and clasping them behind her back. He lowered his head and she raised hers until their lips met. Like every time before, they felt an electric shock that ran through them to the floor. The kiss started out gently, but grew more passionate. Chris put her arms on his shoulders, her hands behind his head and leaned into him. AJ raised moved his hands up her back as their kiss deepened. They didn’t even feel the limo stop at the traffic light.

Meanwhile, Kevin and Brian exchanged glances as they took notice of what was going on. Nick whistled and Emily punched him in the arm. Howie just rolled his eyes. Outside, there were people passing by and as they caught a glance at the couple kissing, they began cheering and whistling. Chris and AJ pulled apart for a second and Chris got a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Let’s give them something to talk about," Chris said.

"Huh uh," AJ warned. "Not here. Not with the press. We’d better sit back down."

"Oh, okay. But," she began.

"But what?"

"Just this," Chris said. She stood on her tip toes as if to whisper in his ear. "I love you," she whispered, then nibbled on his ear.

"You are too bad, woman," AJ said, pulling away with a smile on his face. "We’ll finish later, okay?" The two of them sat down in the limo with sheepish looks on their faces, and Kevin closed the window.

"What are we going to do with you two?"

"Get us a room."

It was about twenty minutes later when the limo pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. The group of seven piled out of the limo and went into the lobby to check in. Using an alias, the Backstreet Boys got their keys and went up to check out their rooms. Emily and Chris were able to use their own names, because they weren’t recognizable as part of the Backstreet group. After they got their keys, they went up to the Boys’ floor.

"What room do you have?" Chris asked Emily as they got into the elevator.

"813. You?"

"Oh, man! I’m not even on the 8th floor!"

"How can that be?" Emily said, taking Chris’s room assignment and reading it over. "You’re on the 18th floor!?! You know if you didn’t want to come with us, you could have just said so instead of being snobby and booking another room."

"Do you honestly think I want to be that far away in a foreign country?" Chris looked scared like a little girl, and Emily gave her a hug.

"Don’t worry, hon. We’ll get it figured out. If anything, you can room with one of the guys."

"And listen to them snoring? I don’t think so."

The elevator doors opened and the two women stepped out. They passed two security guards who nodded at Emily to let her pass, but stepped in front of Chris.

"I’m sorry, Miss, but you can’t be up here."

"Why not? I’m with her." Chris pointed toward Emily.

"That’s right," Emily said, coming back. "She’s with AJ."

"Oh. Beg your pardon. Go right ahead," the guard said. "And accept my sincere apology."

"Thank you." Emily pulled Chris down the hall. "You’re not having a good start, are you?"

"I guess not. I really feel like the third wheel." Chris lowered her head and bit her lip. I’m not going to cry. Not here. It’s not that important. Emily stopped in front of room 813 and put the key in the lock. It was one of those credit card-type keys and it took her a few tries to get the door opened. When it did, Emily went in and Chris stayed in the hall. After a moment, Emily opened the door again and looked at Chris.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m standing here."

"I see that. Would you please come in?"

"Oh. I didn’t know I was allowed."

"You’ve had a sheltered life, girl," Emily said. "You have to take charge and start assuming things."

Chris stepped into Emily’s room. To her surprise, Brian was sitting on one of Emily’s beds. "Hi, Brian!" Chris said.

"Hey, Chris! How’s your room?"

"Haven’t checked it out yet."

"But it’s on the 18th floor," Emily contributed, a look of anger on her beautiful face.

"Eighteen!?! How’d that happen?" Brian was shocked.

"I don’t know. Maybe I just wasn’t meant to come here." Chris’s eyes began to water but she tried to smile. "I’m sorry. The little things have been setting me off lately."
"It’s okay, Chris. We’ve all been up for a long time. Maybe you should just get some sleep."

"I probably should. Do each of you have separate rooms?" Chris asked. Just then, a door opened on the other side of Emily’s room and Howie walked in. "I guess that answers my question."

"Hey, guys!" Howie said. "Nice place we’ve got here."

"You sure do." Chris said.

"In answer to your question, no. We all share rooms," Brian said. "I think Howie and AJ are next door that way," he pointed to the left, "and Nick and Kevin are over there," he pointed to the right. "Emily and I share a room, but not a bed because we’re not married yet."

"Yet." Emily said.

"Where are you staying, Chris?" Howie asked.

"Somewhere on the 18th floor."

"What are you doing there?"

Chris shrugged.

"We’ve got to get that fixed. I’ll call down right away." Howie turned towards the phone but Chris stopped him.

"You don’t need to do that. I’ll be okay."

"No, it’s not right. We’re a group, and we stick together." He dialed down to the front desk. "Hello?...Yes, this is room 813. I have a member of my party whose room is on the 18th floor and I am requesting that the room be changed....Yes, sir we’d prefer to have her nearby...No, not a troublemaker...Oh, I see...Uh, huh...No, that’s not an option...Well, then how about a cot?....The entire hotel’s booked and you can’t spare a cot!?"

Chris shook her head when she caught Howie’s eye and mouthed for him to just let it go. He ignored her request and continued to state his case. "I’d prefer it if you would find a way to fix this....Christine Richardson....Yes, I’m sure that’s her real name...No, she doesn’t want to be that far...Okay, fine. We’ll deal with it. Cancel her room and move her luggage and stuff down to one of our rooms....811, 813, or 815...Thank you....Good night." He hung up the phone.

"You didn’t have to do that," Chris said. "I’d be okay."

"No, it’s not right for you to be alone on your first night out with us," Howie said. "They’re going to bring your luggage down to one of these rooms and you can stay with me and AJ."

"Who’s staying with you and me?" AJ said, coming into the room. His hair was wet and his clothes changed. Chris’s heart flipped. "Hey, babe." He walked over to Chris.

"Chris is. Somehow the desk screwed up her room assignment and she was on the 18th floor. I called down and tried to fix it, but they gave me some line about the whole place being booked and all. So I told them to cancel her room and bring her stuff down here. She can sleep in our room. I don’t think it would kill us to share a bed, do you?"

"Actually," AJ began, but at Emily’s glare he stopped. "I think I can handle it. It’s only for three nights."

Chris ran over to Howie and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

"It was nothing. I’m just sorry it didn’t work out like I wanted it to," he said, returning her hug.

"I promise not to take up too much room in the bathroom or anything," Chris promised. She yawned. "I’m exhausted."

"Why don’t you get in the shower and hit the sack? We won’t think you’re a party pooper or anything," AJ suggested.

"I would, but I have no clothes. Or toiletries, for that matter."

"I have stuff in my suitcase, if you want," Emily offered.

Chris shook her head. "You guys are too nice. I’m going to be fine. I think I’ll just lay down for a minute. I’ll get done when my stuff comes. I don’t want to take advantage of you."

"You’re not taking advantage of us," Brian said. "We have to help Howie when his luggage gets lost. And that’s when the hotels started putting shampoo and soap and stuff in the bathrooms. Because of people like Howie."

"Gee, Brian, thank you." Howie said, rolling his eyes.

Just then there was a knock at the door. AJ was the closest, so he opened it. A minute later, he returned with two of Chris’s suitcases. Chris rushed over to him and reached for one, but AJ pulled them away. "Let me get them. You just get ready to do whatever." He took them and went into the room he and Howie were sharing and set them on one of the beds. Chris followed him and opened one of the suitcases.

"Don’t you let anyone do anything for you?" AJ asked.

"I try not to. I think it makes me look meek, weak, and helpless," Chris replied, pulling out an old T-shirt and a pair of flannel pants. She dug through and pulled out a pair of socks and a pair of underwear. After setting them down in a pile on the bed, she closed the suitcase and started to pull it off the bed, but her foot slipped and Chris landed on her backside with the suitcase on top of her. "Oof."

AJ bent over and picked the suitcase up off of Chris and set it aside. Then he reached out his hand to help her up. She took it and pulled herself up. AJ was shocked again at how light she was. Chris was definitely the lightest of all his girlfriends.

"Thank you," she said, "for everything."

"You’re welcome for everything. But I think I deserve a little reward. After all, that suitcase was heavy."

"You think of yourself a lot, don’t you?" Chris asked, turning toward the second suitcase on the bed. She opened it and started sifting through its contents.

"Not really. I was thinking of you, too," he replied. "And I usually get what I want." When Chris turned around to question him, AJ picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" she cried, laughing.

"Nope! Not until I get my reward!" AJ began to jog around the room with Chris over his shoulder.

"Stop! I’m getting dizzy!"

"Why? I’m not turning around like this," he said, spinning around. Chris squealed and shut her eyes.

"You’re evil!" she cried. After a few spins, AJ was getting dizzy. He was close enough to the bed without the suitcase to fall back on it. Chris ended up on top of his arm, and even though she was dizzy too, she tried to crawl away from him. But she wasn’t quick enough and AJ reached up and grabbed the back of her jeans and pulled her across the bed. Chris again tried to get away, but AJ soon had her pinned down and she started to laugh.

"You’re so beautiful when you laugh," AJ said.

"You’re putting me on," Chris said between laughs.

"That wasn’t the answer I was looking for."

"Oh, sorry. How about this?" she asked, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Close, but I think you can do better."

"Hmm. I think I need a little time to think about it. Why don’t you let me get in the shower and I’ll give you my answer after? That’ll give me time to think of another one."

AJ sighed. "I guess I can wait. Yeah, you’d better get in the shower. When you’re nice and clean I’ll be able to tolerate staying near you."

Chris tried to hit him, but AJ was still holding her down. "Are you going to let me go?"

"Just to the shower." He released her and she sat up. "I’m going to check out the hotel with the guys while you’re getting done. I’ll be back in a few, okay?"

"Sounds good." Chris stood up and went back to the suitcase to pull out her toiletries. After taking them to the bathroom, she picked up the pile of clothes, and headed back to the shower. AJ waited until the water started running before he went to get the guys. Half an hour later, he and Howie returned to the room. When AJ turned on the light, he found Chris curled up in a ball asleep on the floor with a pillow and a spare blanket.

"Would you look at that? We must have really tired her out." Howie whispered.

"I think I’ll move her onto the bed," AJ said. "You can have the other bed, and I’ll share with Chris."

"Do you think that’s a good idea?"

"I’m not going to take advantage of her, if that’s what you mean. I just don’t want to sleep with you."

"Very funny, AJ. Okay then," Howie said. "I’m gonna turn in then. Can you get her up alright?"

"No problem, ‘D." AJ knelt down to get Chris up. She awakened a little, and AJ whispered, "It’s okay, Chris. It’s time for bed."

"Okay," she said in her sleep. With AJ’s help, Chris stood up and leaned back against him. After he pulled the blankets back, he guided her onto her side of the bed and covered her with the blankets. He bent down to pick up the other blanket and found a little stuffed frog. Smiling, he placed it under her arm and threw the blanket in the corner. AJ changed into a pair of sweat pants and a tank top and slid beneath the covers on the other side.

"Good night, ‘D," he said quietly.

"’Night, AJ."

Right before AJ fell asleep, Chris rolled over in her sleep and threw an arm over him as if in a hug, and rested her head on his chest. AJ took his right arm and put it around Chris and felt her sigh and relax.

"I love you, AJ," she murmured.

"I love you, too," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. This time before he fell asleep, he started thinking of ways he could ask Chris to be his forever.

Chapter Thirteen