~ Part One ~
Yawning, AJ opened his eyes and gazed over at the sleeping girl on the other side of the bed. Still tipsy from last night’s binge at the club, he stumbled to the bathroom. After he washed his face, he checked his watch.

“Oh, shit! I have to meet the guys in less than ten minutes and she is still here.” AJ walked over and sat on the bed next to the girl who had joined the rather long list of his drunken one-nighters. Grinning to himself, AJ remembered how much of a surprise Sabrina had turned out to be.

In bed, they laughed and teased, and she stimulated him like no other girl had done before. And not just physically either. The quiet girl that seemed so straight-laced loosened up after getting a few drinks under her belt. It was almost like she was a different person, but she still seemed to remain as inspiring as when they first met.

During last night’s concert, he saw the slender blonde standing in the front row next to a young girl who was hysterically crying.

Sabrina was enjoying the concert even though her young cousin was caught up in the moment of being right in front of her favorite band. Kristy was only 15 years old and when Sabrina won two front row tickets to the Backstreet Boys concert, she immediately asked Kristy if she wanted to go.

Sabrina liked the group, but she couldn’t decide which was more entertaining: the five attractive guys on-stage or the girls clamoring for their attention.

During “Get Down” AJ noticed Sabrina singing along to the music and he tried to catch her eye. When the guys broke off from their choreography, he slid over to stand in front of her. Their eyes met and when she smiled back at him, he felt like a little kid who had a crush on his baby sitter. Not to be put off, during his solo, he positioned himself at her end of the stage during some of the more sultry moments.

When he asked one of the bodyguards to give her a backstage pass for after the show, they told him that Kevin had beaten him to the punch. Shocked, he managed to finish off the show with only the thought that he would be seeing her up close very soon running through his head.

~ Part Two ~
Backstage, Sabrina was patiently listening to Kristy go on and on about how lucky they were to be chosen to go backstage. The two girls were sitting on some chairs along the wall when AJ and Howie came out.

AJ’s eyes went to Sabrina and when she steadily returned his gaze, he thought that maybe all was not lost. But when Kevin came out, her eyes softened and AJ knew that he didn’t have a chance against Kevin. When the two began to talk, AJ turned to her young cousin. He was glad that Kristy and Howie were carrying on the conversation so he could check Sabrina out.

About 5’ 7” tall with long blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked sweet and elegant. Seeing how well she got along with the oldest member of the group, AJ noticed how she was dressed.

“How on earth did I pick her?” Sabrina was wearing blue jeans and a dark blue sweater with light blue and white stripes running around the sleeves. “Normally, I would go for someone dressed like her cousin.” Kristy was wearing a tiny black mini-skirt and a pale yellow sweater set. When Brian joined their group, AJ slipped over to where Kevin and Sabrina were talking with Nick.

“Hi there! My name is AJ.” She smiled at him and when he heard her speak, he was lost.

“Hello. I’m Sabrina. I noticed that Kristy was chewing your ear off over there. Sorry about that. She hasn’t stopped thanking me for bringing her along for the show.” Her voice had a soft huskiness that sent chills down AJ’s spine.

Kevin grinned when he saw the horny star-struck look on AJ’s face and made a mental note to warn him off. He turned back to Sabrina who by this point was talking to Nick about college.

“Yeah, I am in my third year at NYU, where I am studying photography. I figured since I spent so many years in front of the camera, why not learn what happens on the other side.” The two blondes laughed as AJ looked on confused.

“What do you mean?”

Sabrina turned back to AJ. “Well, I modeled for about sixteen years before I joined the cast of ‘90210’ and when they killed off my character three years ago, I decided to take some time off and go to school.”

“So that makes you 20, 21?”

She smiled. “Actually, I am almost 23. I got my first modeling gig at eight months for a Gerber commercial, and I started college when I was almost 20.”

AJ’s heart dropped again as he realized that woman standing before him who he was so attracted to was out of his league. Not only was she almost two years older than he was, but by the way she presented herself, he knew that Kevin had him beat hands-down. Fighting the urge to scream at the thought of losing, AJ scowled when a cell phone began to ring.

~ Part Three ~
Everyone scrambled around looking for their phones when Kevin found his and answered it. “Hello? Yeah… Already? Okay, I’ll catch the next plane out, Mom. Wish them luck! Bye!” A huge grin was plastered across his face as he turned to the rest of the group.

“It’s a girl! I’m an uncle!” The group gathered around the tall man to congratulate him as Denise went about getting him on the next flight to Kentucky.

With a big smile on his face, he turned to Sabrina and surprised the whole room by pulling her in for a hug and started to waltz her around the room. Kristy looked on as the room laughed at their antics.

“He’s this happy about his niece? What is he going to be like when he has kids of his own?”

Brian smiled at her. “He probably will be so overcome that he’ll start crying. He is just so happy because his brother and his sister-in-law have been trying for years to have a baby, and the doctors weren’t too sure if this one was going to make it. Kevin has been miserable being away from them.”

“So is he going home to see them?” Howie, who was listening, nodded.

“He wanted to be there for them, but she has had four false labors this past month, and Kev couldn’t leave the tour, so he’s had to wait until the baby was born before he could leave. Denise is booking him on a flight right now.” By this time, Kevin stopped spinning Sabrina around the floor and they were sitting on the couch laughing.

“AJ? AJ? Honey, are you alright?” AJ had been sullenly staring at the two when his mother’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, Mom?”

Denise looked closely at her son. “Are you okay?”

When he nodded, she continued. “Could you let Kevin know that his flight leaves in about forty minutes and he needs to leave for the airport as soon as possible?”

“Sure, Mom.” Denise watched her normally outgoing son shuffle over to where Kevin was talking with Sabrina.

“Hey Kevin, your flight leaves soon. Mom has a car ready to take you to the airport.” Kevin nodded and turned to Sabrina.

“Could you ride to the airport with me?”

When AJ saw her smile, he walked over to the other side of the room without hearing her response. “I would love to, but I really need to get Kristy home.”

“I understand. Will you walk with me to the car?” Kevin stood up and reached out his hand. Sabrina smiled and allowed herself to be pulled up from the couch.

“I’d love to.” AJ watched as Sabrina left the room with Kevin with her hand still in his.

~ Part Four ~
Sighing, he went into his dressing room to gather up his things. When he came out into the main room, he found Sabrina looking for her cousin.

“I thought you were leaving with Kevin?” She turned when she heard AJ’s voice.

“He asked me to, but I have to get Kristy home. Is there a phone I can use? I need to get a cab.”

“Didn’t you drive here?”

“Nah, I only live about three blocks from here, and Kristy was dropped off at my place. We had a ride, but since we came backstage they weren’t about to sit around waiting for us.” AJ nodded and pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. She looked down to see his cell phone in her hand.

“Why don’t you call her parents and I can drop you off on my way to the hotel. I think that all the others have left, so we’d have the limo all to ourselves.” Sabrina laughed at his not-so-subtle comment, but agreed.

“I think that Kristy would be thrilled to ride home in a limo. Thank you.”

After finishing her call, she returned AJ’s phone to him as Kristy came running into the room with Nick.

“So what’s going on?” Kristy asked as she ran up to where her cousin was talking to AJ.

“Well, it’s after midnight and since our ride left, AJ has offered us a ride home. You ready to go?”

Kristy shook her head. “Nope. I’ve decided to quit school and join the group. Sorry Nick, but you’re out. There is not enough room for both of us.” The group laughed at the shocked expression on Nick’s face.

Sabrina and AJ laughed even harder as Nick grabbed the young girl and dragged her out of the room shouting, “Never!” AJ picked up Sabrina’s jacket and held it for her as she slipped into it. Then he grabbed his bag as they walked out the door to the waiting limo.

Stepping inside, the two were pelted with Skittles. When their supply ran out, Kristy and Nick hid under his jacket as Sabrina and AJ threw them back at the younger duo. Sabrina opened the window between the backseat and the front seat, and gave the driver directions to Kristy’s house. Twenty minutes later, the long car pulled up in front of the brick house in the middle of a quiet suburb.

When Sabrina started to climb out of the car, AJ pulled her back. Confused, she looked at AJ, and when he motioned to her to look outside, she understood. Nick was walking Kristy up to the door. Sabrina smiled at AJ as she settled into the seat and waited for the eighteen-year-old to come back to the car.

When Nick came back, he refused to say anything except that Kristy’s parents said thank you to Sabrina. AJ tried to tease his young friend, but Nick wouldn’t say a thing and he would just look out of the window.

~ Part Five ~

Since the hotel was on the way back to Sabrina’s house, they dropped Nick off and AJ insisted on making sure she got home safely. Turning the corner from the hotel, AJ noticed a long line stretching down the block.

“What is going on?” Sabrina peered outside.

“Oh, it’s for Marcel’s. It’s this hot new dance club that just opened up.” She could see AJ’s eyes light up.

“Have you ever been there?”

She nodded. “My brother is the head bartender in the main lounge.” Sabrina laughed when she saw the look on his face. “Do you want to go?”

“YEAH! Let’s go!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the seat when he went to stop the driver.

“Hold on there, AJ. I need to go home and change first. You’ll fit in fine, but I’ll stick out like a sore thumb. We can stop by my place quickly and then we can head over there, okay?”

“Sounds perfect. So I get to see where you live?”

“Yeah, it’s just around the corner.” Sabrina leaned forward and talked to the driver.

A few seconds later, they stopped in front of an elegant brownstone in the middle of the block. Sabrina stepped out and led AJ up to the main door and when AJ looked at the intercom, he noticed that there were no other names next to the call box, except for one S. Adams. She led the way inside and dropped her keys on the hall table.

“AJ, the living room is to the right and the kitchen is at the end of the hall if you want anything to eat. I am just going to run upstairs and change quickly.”

“Do you mind if I look around a bit?” AJ asked as she headed up the stairs.

“Go ahead. If you want to change at all, you can use the guest room at the top of the stairs.” He heard her moving around on the floor above him, so he went into the living room. Framed photographs lined the mantle and a few were strategically placed on the baby grand piano in the corner.

“Wow! Check out that piano! It looks just like the one that Kevin has in his house.” AJ said to himself as he walked over to the fireplace to look at the pictures. Many of them were black and white, and when he looked closely he realized that the faces were quite familiar. A young Sabrina stared back at him from a great number of them and she always seemed to be with the same handsome young man.

Stunned at the jealousy that he was feeling, AJ moved away from the photographs and headed up the stairs to the room that Sabrina said he could use. The bedroom was simple in its design but very inviting. His eyes immediately strayed to the large king-sized bed that dominated the room. Shaking his head, AJ dropped his bag on the bed and headed into the connecting bathroom for a quick shower.

Stepping out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, he grinned and adjusted his towel when he saw Sabrina sitting on the bed.

“You do have a wonderful voice, AJ, but I never would have thought you to be a Madonna fan.”

He blushed slightly then grinned. “I’ve always been a fan of Madonna. She a woman after my own heart.” Sabrina laughed at his leering expression and walked out of the room to let him change.

“Yeah, I can see you as a ‘Material Girl’ AJ.”

Ten minutes later, AJ emerged from the bedroom and went looking for Sabrina. Curious, he walked down the hallway and peered into each of the rooms. A bathroom, a linen closet, and another empty bedroom.

The last room at the end of the hall was obviously Sabrina’s bedroom. A large bed, similar to the one in the room he used, was directly next to the door. A window seat with comfy pillows overlooked the front of the house. He could see a rather large bathroom extending off to the right.

“This is definitely Sabrina’s room. It looks just like her. As he was leaving the room, AJ scowled as he thought of how well Sabrina and Kevin were suited for each other. “I really shouldn’t be here.” He said to himself as he walked downstairs to find Sabrina.

~ Part Six ~
“Sabrina?”

“I’m in the kitchen.” He walked down the hall and all thoughts of how much Sabrina wasn’t meant for him fled from his mind as he saw her.

She was wearing a pair of dressy black pants that slightly flared at the bottom over a pair of chunky heeled black shoes. A maroon satin tank top showed off her slightly muscled shoulders and arms. A black choker encircled her neck, and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun with many tight curls escaped from. Her makeup was more dramatic, but professionally applied. By the time his gaze made it to her face, she was smirking at his obvious perusal.

“Do you want something to drink before we leave?”

“What do you have?” She led the way out of the kitchen and into the study.

“The bar is over there. Make me whatever you are having.”

She sat down on a couch and checked him out as he mixed their drinks. His hair was still rather short and tonight it was black with dark red tips, and was almost entirely hidden under a dark blue baseball cap. His baggy jeans were a dark blue and he wore a black muscle shirt under a long-sleeved black jacket-like shirt. AJ wore many silver rings on each hand and had two silver chains around his neck.

When he turned around with their drinks, Sabrina noticed that he wasn’t wearing his traditional glasses. When she asked about them, he smiled and pointed to his shirt pocket where she could see them peeking out.

“So what is this?” She asked as she took a sip.

“It’s a Sex on the Beach. You like?” His pulse shot through the roof when she grinned at him over the edge of her glass. The two chatted as they finished their drinks. Checking her watch, Sabrina stood up and took their glasses over to the sink.

“It’s almost midnight. Do you need to let anyone know where you are going to be?” AJ shook his head as he stood up.

“Nah, Nick knows that I am with you. Besides, I know that the others were going to be heading to bed early.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I was, but now I am ready to go out. Are you ready to go?” Sabrina nodded and grabbed her bag from the front hall and locked the door as they left. She was surprised to see the limo still waiting outside for them.

“Darren is supposed to wait for me whenever I am not with the group. This way whenever I am going out, I can drink and I don’t have to worry about a ride home.”

“Works for me!” AJ held the door open as Sabrina climbed in.

~ Part Seven ~
When they arrived at Marcel’s, the line stretched even farther down the block.

“How are we going to get inside?” AJ was looking at all the people waiting in line. Sabrina smiled and instructed the driver to let them out at the entrance to the club. She walked up to the bouncer, and after chatting to him for a few minutes, they were waved inside.

“What did you tell him?”

“Only that you were with me.” Sabrina led AJ over to the bar in the main lounge. “Hey there Marcel!” AJ watched as she leaned over the bar and gave the burly man serving drinks a hug. She gestured to AJ to come closer.

“Marcel, this is AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys. AJ, this is my older brother, Marcel.” AJ hid his surprised expression as he shook hands with him.

“Marcel? As in Marcel’s?” The bartender smiled and AJ recognized him as the boy in Sabrina’s pictures.

“Yup. That’s me. Sabs, why don’t you head on up to the VIP lounge. Terri is working up there tonight.” She smiled at her brother one more time before turning and taking AJ’s hand to lead him up to the VIP lounge.

After ascending a few steps, they entered the room to find it pretty crowded with rich and famous people of all sorts. AJ glanced around the room before following Sabrina over to the bar.

Terri was a lively redhead with long fingernails and loved to wear tight clothes that showed off her dancer’s body to perfection. Her flirty nature appealed to AJ’s baser instincts, but then he caught a whiff of the scent that Sabrina was wearing and his thought returned to the woman who was not-his-type, but attracted him in ways that he couldn’t explain.

Sabrina introduced the two and laughed when Terri seductively grinned at AJ. “Hey there handsome. Just because you are so turning me on, your drinks are on me.”

Sabrina and Terri shared a look of amusement when they saw AJ’s reaction. Terri laughed and handed the two a drink each. “Have fun you two!” Sabrina led AJ over to a table near the dance floor.

“Terri certainly has a way with words, doesn’t she AJ?” AJ took a sip of his drink. A long sip.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Sabrina grinned.

“Marcel agrees with you. On the night he proposed to her, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to ask her to marry him because she kept talking so much.”

“They’re engaged?”

“Married, actually. For about three years now.”

“He’s a lucky man.”

“Yeah, he really lucked out, but I still can’t understand why she would want to spend the rest of her life with a guy like my pesky older brother.” They laughed and when they finished their drinks they headed for the dance floor. The hours slipped away as Sabrina and AJ danced up a storm and competed to see who could out-drink the other.

~ Part Eight ~
Around five in the morning, Terri cut off their alcohol supply, so they decided to head home. Since they sent the limo driver away, and AJ's hotel was just around the corner, they stumbled into the lobby and headed for the elevator. Luckily, the only fans in the lobby were sound asleep.

AJ barely managed to make it to his room, with Sabrina hanging on his arm. Trying to suppress their laughter, they walked into AJ’s hotel room and Sabrina fell on the bed. AJ closed and locked the door before heading over to the bed to collapse next to Sabrina.

“I tink I out drink you, AJ.”

“You ‘tink’? Nah, I beat you hands down, Sabs.”

Still giggling, Sabrina sat part-way up and looked over at AJ. “Only my brother is allowed to call me Sabs.” She said as she poked her finger into his chest. AJ grabbed her hand and pressed it flat to his chest so she could feel his heart beating.

The teasing mood left as Sabrina leaned down to meet AJ’s lips half-way. AJ kissed her with all of the desire that he had for her.

Their tongues meshed franticly as their hands traveled all-over each other. AJ rolled them over as his kisses moved from her lips down her face to her neck. He slowly pulled the strap of her tank top down as his soft kisses followed the same path.

Sabrina’s hands were just as busy as they struggled to pull AJ’s long-sleeved shirt off his arms. Laughing slightly at her struggles, he leaned back to pull the shirt off. When he started to lean back down, she put her hand on his chest to stop him and tugged at his muscle shirt.

“Demanding, aren’t we?” She smiled.

“Only when I know what I want.” His breath caught in his throat when he saw the desire in her eyes. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside.

When he leaned down and she stopped him again, she laughed when he looked frustrated. She sat up and rewarded him when she reached down and pulled her own tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor.

The desire in his eyes amazed her and fueled her own desires. Their kisses grew even more intense as they leaned back on the bed. Soon, the remainder of their clothes joined their shirts on the floor as their passion extended well into the night.

~ Part Nine ~
The next morning, after he got dressed, AJ leaned over the still-sleeping Sabrina and kissed her awake.

“You know, I could get used to this.” He smiled down at her.

“Morning sleepy-head. I didn’t want to leave you without saying good-bye, but I have to meet the rest of the group to discuss tonight’s show. Do you want to stay here until I get back, or do you want me to get you a cab?”

She yawned and stretched before sitting up. AJ’s eyes glazed over as the sheet slipped slightly.

“Nah, I can get my own ride home from here. Do you have a shirt that I could borrow though? I really don’t want to walk out of here wearing the same thing I wore to the club last night.” She stood up and wrapped the sheet around her body as she gathered up her clothes from the night before. He stopped her before she went into the bathroom to change.

“Are you okay? I mean, with this?” Sabrina looked AJ in the eye and smiled.

“Trust me, AJ. I am absolutely okay with this. If I wasn’t, you would definitely know.” She grasped his shirt front, pulled his head down, and kissed him soundly. “If I wasn’t, you would definitely know.” Then she slipped around him and went into the bathroom to change.

AJ heard a knock at his door. Glancing over at the closed bathroom door, he went over and opened it to see Brian’s grinning face on the other side.

“So, Boner. Did you have fun last night?” When AJ grinned, Brian started laughing and pushed his way past his friend before AJ could stop him.

“AJ? Do you have that shirt?” Brian looked up to see Sabrina coming out of the bathroom. Her head was still down as she was brushing her hair into some semblance of order. When she lifted her head, she met Brian’s startled expression with one of her own.

“Hi there Brian. How are you?”

“F-F-F-Fine thanks, Sabrina. And you?”

“Good, thanks.”

“Umm, Sabrina, would you excuse us for a second?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Brian pulled AJ out into the hallway, but didn’t close the door all the way.

“AJ are you crazy? Sabrina was Kevin’s girl! Kevin’s! How could you?” Before AJ could respond, Sabrina came out into the hallway and glared at Brian.

“How could he? Honestly Brian! Do you think that I didn’t have any say in the matter? I am 23 years old. And who says I was Kevin’s girl? Maybe he was the one who brought me backstage and maybe if he hadn’t left, this morning’s greetings might have been a little different, but that doesn’t mean that I am bound to him forever. I am my own person, Brian. I make my own decisions. And you don’t need to yell at AJ for something that happened between us.”

She pulled AJ’s shirt around her shoulders and grabbed her bag. “Bye AJ. Give me a call sometime, okay?” When he nodded, she reached up and gave him a kiss before heading to the elevator on her way home.

Brian just stood there in amazement as Sabrina entered the elevator and the doors closed. Then he turned to look at his friend. “I’m sorry I yelled at you AJ, but I really didn’t know what to think when I saw her come out of your bathroom.”

AJ grinned. “Hey, no worries B-Rok. I think everything will turn out okay. And I have to agree with you. She does seem more like Kevin’s girl than mine, doesn’t she?” Brian couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What are you saying? That now that you’ve slept with her, you’re going to let Kevin have her? Since when do you share?” AJ cuffed Brian on the back of the head as he locked his door and they headed for the elevator.

“I am not sharing. I just know that if we hadn’t had anything to drink last night, or if Kevin had been in town, she would not have spent the night. Nothing is going to come of this between us, except for maybe a friendship.” Brian looked at his friend in amazement.

“You know, Bone, I think you are finally growing up.” AJ just smiled weakly at Brian as they got off the elevator.

“Growing up? Is that why letting her go seems so painful?” He thought as they climbed in the limo and headed for the arena.

~ Part Ten ~
Kevin walked into the dressing room thirty minutes before sound check with a huge smile on his face.

“So how’s the little one?” Howie asked.

“She’s beautiful. Looks just like her mom, which is a good thing. Have you seen my brother lately?” The two laughed as Kevin pulled out a couple of pictures of the baby to pass around. While the group was ooh-ing and aah-ing over them, Brian pulled AJ aside.

“Are you going to tell him?”

AJ thought for a moment. “I know that I should, but I don’t want to upset him.”

Brian nodded. “Well, do what you gotta do.”

As AJ walked over to talk to Kevin, his pager went off. It was Sabrina’s number. He excused himself from the group and walked into another room to call her.

“Sabrina?”

“Hey there AJ! How are you?”

“Good, and you?”

“Pretty good. Listen, I was wondering if I could see you before the concert tonight.”

“Are you coming to the concert?”

“No, I don’t have tickets, but I really wanted to see you before you talked to Kevin.”

“Well, he’s here, but I haven’t talked to him yet. Can you come over now?”

“Sure. I will be there in about five minutes.” He gave her directions and after they hung up, he let security know that she was coming. Without talking to anyone else, AJ waited for Sabrina to arrive.

“AJ?” He looked up to see Sabrina walk through the main doors. She was wearing a pair of cargo pants and a blue button-down shirt. He pulled her in for a hug and they ducked into an unused office to talk.

“Here’s the thing, AJ. I really like you a lot, and I had a wonderful time last night, but do you honestly think that this is going to work? That we are going to work?” AJ looked down at his feet and then back up at Sabrina.

“Last night meant a lot to me, Sabrina, and if you wanted it – us to work, then I would love to make it happen.”

She sighed. “Kevin called me this morning, and we met for lunch. I didn’t mention last night other than you and I went out dancing.” Sabrina took AJ’s hand in hers.

“AJ, Kevin and I have been seeing each other off and on whenever he came to town. We have always been friends, with the understanding that it wasn’t exclusive. He knows that I still date other people and occasionally it leads to something more. Like what happened last night. It’s the same way with me. I know how difficult it can be to carry on a long-distance relationship, and having an understanding like the one that Kev and I have works out better for both of us.”

AJ sat there silently as he realized that what he got himself into was so much more than what he could comprehend. “So are you going to tell him that we slept together last night?” Sabrina shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Maybe one day, but now is not the time or the place for him to know. But if you want to tell him, then that’s okay with me. But if you do, please tell him to call me, and remind him that it wasn’t just your decision. And if he doesn’t understand that, I’ll kick his ass, okay?”

He laughed at the thought of the slender girl in front of him beating up the weight lifting built father figure of the group. Sabrina smiled and pulled AJ up and into a hug.

“I’m glad that we can still be friends, AJ.” He pulled her close and held her tight one last time before she left the room in search of Kevin.

~ Part Eleven ~
Brian caught AJ before he walked back into the dressing room. “Do you know that Sabrina is here?” AJ nodded.

“She called me and we talked.”

“Did she explain how she and Kevin have been seeing each other?” Brian’s earlier words came racing back into AJ’s mind.

“So that’s what you meant by her being Kevin’s girl.”

“Yeah, they didn’t want anyone to know, but Kevin was so excited to see her again that he told me about their relationship right before we got to town.”

“Do you think that they will ever be serious?”

“You mean, do you ever have a chance with her?” AJ nodded. “Sorry, Bone, but I think that this is the real deal. But who knows?” Once again, AJ nodded as they walked into the dressing room.

When he saw Kevin and Sabrina talking together, he felt his heart break a little as he realized that he would never have a chance with her. But he saw how strong the feelings that Kevin and Sabrina had for each other, and he wondered how he never noticed the attraction before. When he sighed, Brian turned questioningly to look at him.

“Maybe you’re right, Bri. Maybe I am growing up.” Brian smiled at his friend.

“Maybe so, AJ. Don’t worry, you’ll find your ‘Sabrina’ soon enough.” AJ grinned back at his friend, but he knew that it would be awhile before he got over her, if he did at all.

~ Epilogue ~
To this day, AJ has dated many girls in search of his ‘Sabrina’.

Kevin and Sabrina are still dating, but they have gone exclusive.

Every time that AJ sees them together or hears Kevin talk about her, (which is pretty often,) he still gets a little sad, but he has realized that he and Sabrina were never meant to be.

He has still been known to mutter under his breath about the pains of “growing up”, and Brian just smiles and continues to reassure his friend who he knows will mope for awhile then revive and hit the club circuit again.

For Brian knew that while AJ wasn’t ready for the type of relationship that Sabrina and Kevin had, he knew that AJ longed for the affection that his flings didn’t give him.

The group noticed that AJ had matured slightly, and they attributed it to him growing up, but AJ was the only one who knew the real reason for his ‘growing up’ and he didn’t like it.

He had learned the meaning of being lonely.