Epilogue

“This is too hard!” Vanessa exclaimed. “I just can’t do it.”

“Sure you can, you just need practice,” Kevin said.

“No, I need a fork. Where’s a fork?”

Kevin playfully tapped her hand. “Oh no you don’t! You wanted to learn how to eat with chopsticks, so here you are.”

Vanessa laughed and looked to Brooke and AJ. They were having as much trouble with it as she was. AJ was concentrating intently on his carton of lo mein noodles. His shades were perched precariously on his head.

The four of them were sitting around the rug in Kevin’s living room, open cartons of Chinese food sat in the center. Kevin was the only one who was successfully eating anything.

“Aha, there you go, come on,” AJ coaxed his noodles.

They all stopped to watch as AJ got two noodles between his chopsticks and slowly started bringing them to his mouth. Just before he could grab them with his teeth, they slid from the sticks and went back into the carton.

“Dude!” he exclaimed. “I’ll starve before I get the hang of this!”

Brooke giggled.

“Oh,” her boyfriend said. “I don’t see you doing any better, Miss Thang!”

“Here,” Kevin said, “watch me.” He once again demonstrated the proper use of chopsticks. “See, it’s easy.”

“Right, easy for you,” Brooke said. “How exactly do you eat rice with these things?”

Vanessa laughed at how silly everyone looked.

“I give up!” AJ said loudly. He tossed his chopsticks to the floor. “God gave me fingers and I’m damn well gonna use them!”

“AJ!” Kevin protested, trying to sound angry, but he was laughing too hard.

AJ dug into his noodles with his fingers. “Ha, see, these work just fine.”

It was obvious that the chopsticks were a hopeless cause.

“I’ll go get some forks,” Brooke volunteered, getting up.

“I’ll come with you. I need more to drink. Anyone else want anything?” Vanessa asked.

“Another soda, please,” Kevin said.

“Me too,” said AJ.

“All righty then.”

The two women walked to Kevin’s kitchen, giggling.

“Can you believe things turned out this way?” Brooke asked, opening drawers in search of forks. “I mean, who would have ever thought that we’d end up with two of the Backstreet Boys?”

Vanessa nodded as she grabbed three more sodas from the fridge. “I love Kevin so much, I can’t imagine myself with anyone else.”

“I can’t either. I’m so glad you came to your senses about Eddie.”

“Well, he kind of shoved them in my face,” Vanessa pointed out.

“Yeah. Jerk.”

They headed back to the living room. Vanessa sat down again next to Kevin. He kissed her.

“I missed you,” he said, grinning at her.

“Well you can see me all you want,” she said, “later.”

“Is that a promise?”

She grinned wickedly.

They continued eating. Vanessa couldn’t help but think about the last few months.

After she and Kevin had made love that rainy night, they’d fallen asleep side by side. The next morning, Kevin called his management and told them he had to stay there for at least another day. Then he went back with her to her apartment and helped her move her stuff to Brooke’s place. Eddie had been there, and Vanessa explained to him the situation. He was shocked, and pissed that he’d ended up getting the bad end of the deal.

Kevin just stood off to the side, silently helping her pack. It wasn’t until the last box was loaded into her car that he gave Eddie a good crack across the jaw. Eddie didn’t know what hit him.

Kevin had promised to see her again soon. He swore up and down and she knew he would move heaven and hell to get to her.

They continued their long distance relationship. She would sometimes fly to Orlando, or he would fly her out to wherever they were performing, or he would visit her when he had a day off. Brooke and AJ did the same.

When it was time for them to graduate from college, the Backstreet Boys had caused quite a commotion by showing up for the ceremony. That was when the press was officially given a statement about Vanessa and Brooke. Not long after graduation, they had given up the apartment they shared and had moved to Orlando. Brooke moved in with AJ, and Vanessa moved in with Kevin.

Things were going smoothly. The Boys were on their way to Europe in a couple of weeks for a tour and Vanessa and Brooke were going with them. Everything was perfect.

Kevin put his arm around Vanessa. “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh nothing. Just how much I love you, no biggie,” she grinned.

“Aha, I knew you loved me.”

And then he kissed her passionately.

“Ack! My eyes!” AJ exclaimed, making them break apart.

Kevin threw his friend a dirty look, and then a chopstick.

“Hey! I was kidding!” AJ cried, covering his face with his hands.

“Uh huh, sure.”

AJ then pulled Brooke into his arms and kissed her.

“Ack! My eyes!” Vanessa and Kevin said in unison and then burst out laughing.

The four of them looked at each other and smiled. Vanessa caught Brooke’s eye and they both knew what the other was thinking.

Could life get any better than this?