Georgianna
I don’t think I’ve ever been more shocked than when I saw Howard standing in that hotel room. It didn’t seem to make sense. We just stood stock still and stared at each other. No one else said a word. From the corner of my eye I saw Brian glancing back and forth between us.
“So I take it you two know each other?” he finally ventured. I nodded and quickly walked over to Howie, throwing my arms around his neck.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here!” he said as he held me tightly.
“We’ll take that as a yes then,” someone answered Brian. I looked over - it was AJ, otherwise known as Alex, that puppet kid from Howie’s auditions years ago. After a minute I pulled away and smiled at Howie, then Brian.
“We were friends in high school,” I told him. He raised his eyebrows.
“Really? Small world,” he laughed. Howie was looking at me, but when I caught him he switched his gaze to Brian.
“You said your girlfriend’s name was Annie.”
“It is,” Brian said. I squeezed his hand.
“Howie used to call me Georgie.”
“Georgie...George...hey, you’re Georgianna?” Alex asked, looking surprised. I laughed.
“One in the same. How are you, Alex?”
He grinned. “Great, but it’s AJ now,” he corrected, adjusting his sunglasses a little. I thought it was strange that he had them on inside but didn’t press the issue, just nodded and smiled.
“Ah, I see - showbiz.” I glanced at Howie to see him still looking at me. There was so much I wanted to say all of a sudden but had no idea how to do it. I hadn’t seen him in almost two full years - no communication whatsoever.
He’d tried calling many times right after we’d had our confrontation, but I’d never returned any of his calls and after awhile he got the hint. I couldn’t - for a long time just the thought of him made me cry. A month later I’d moved out of my parents’ house and gotten an apartment in Gainesille. I’d been attending the University of Florida for three and a half semesters now. In fact, I’d met Brian at a Florida-Kentucky basketball game almost five months earlier. He spoke very little about the guys in the group - only about Kevin, who’d been at the game with him and who he shared an apartment with, and occasionally Nick too. No mention had ever been made of Howie or Alex, and Brian had only described his group as one that travelled from school to school performing. I thought of him as one of those “entertainers” that would get us out of class for an hour or two in junior high. I was almost annoyed that he hadn’t prepared me for this in some way, but then thought, how would he have ever known?
“All right, well, cool - I’m glad you’ll have someone else here to amuse you...y’know, when I get sick of you,” Brian teased, resting a hand on the small of my back. I smiled at him.
“You mean when I get sick of you,” I corrected, giving him a wink. He pouted.
“You’re going to get sick of me after a week?” he asked. I raised my eyebrows.
“A week? Shoot, I give it two days, max.” Kevin and Alex laughed, Howie smiled slightly. I was uncomfortable then. Brian rubbed my back.
“Wanna go for a bit?”
He‘d read my mind, although he didn’t know it, or at least I doubted it. “Sure,” I answered. I smiled at the rest of the guys. “See you all later.” Howie locked eyes with me.
“Maybe we could hang out later,” he suggested casually, or at least almost casually. I knew him too well to miss the look in his eyes.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” I wanted to, in a way, but at the same time I was afraid to. Brian put his arm around me and we said goodbye, then headed out the door. As soon as we were in his room he put his arms around me. His beautiful eyes alone made my heart race. Brian and Howard were so different that it amazed me I had been attracted to both. He leaned in slowly and kissed me.
“I missed you,” he murmured, putting his hands in my hair. I kissed him again.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“I’m glad you could come.” Another kiss.
“I’m glad I could get you in trouble.”
He laughed. “It’s worth it.” We kissed again and then he wandered over to his suitcase. I sat on the bed next to him and watched him unpack. “So you know D, huh?”
“Who?”
“D. Howie.”
“Why do you call him D?” I asked as I lay back.
“His ‘group name’ is Howie D.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Clever. What ever happened to Tony?”
Now it was Brian’s turn to look confused. “Tony?”
“He used to use the name Tony Dinetti. Someone told him he’d be more successful if he ’marketed himself’ as Italian.” Brian looked at me in surprise.
“Really?” he marvelled. “I never knew that. You knew him pretty well then, I guess?”
I shrugged. ’You have no idea,’ I thought. “We were friends,” I bowed out. Brian flashed me a teasing look.
“Should I be jealous? Will I have to keep an eye on you two?” he questioned sternly. I rolled my eyes.
“Oh you know it, baby. C’mere,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him towards me. He smiled and leaned over me, and we shared a long kiss.
“Well, he can try to get you later, I’ve got you now.” His blue eyes glinted mischieveously, climbing onto the bed. I wrapped my arms around him.
“That you most definitely do.”
Chapter 3
