Chapter 15

Everyone was rushing around trying to get ready for the awards show tonight and there was basically total chaos on the bus.

"Anyone else need anything ironed while I have the iron out?" Amanda yelled as she hung her black dress on a hanger.

"Could you do my dress?" Alex asked as she passed Amanda the dress and her cell phone began to ring. " Shit."

"Sure. Looks like you're in a bigger rush then everyone else." Amanda laughed.

"Damn!" Alex exclaimed, hanging up the phone.

"What's wrong Alex? Need some help?" Leighanne asked her cousin.

"They had to re-arrange the performance lineup and now I'm on first!" Alex exclaimed. "Thanks. I could use the help, Leigh."

Just then Howie noticed that the bus had stopped from his position in his bunk. He jumped up and ran outside. Everyone began to laugh at this.

"Someone has to piss badly." AJ laughed as he and Kevin continued their game of cards.

"Don't think so, Bone. Take a look. He asked Ebony to be his escort tonight, and is gone to find her. I'm sure he'll get some action tonight." Kevin laughed. "Alex isn't having her dancers come with her tonight." Both he and AJ looked out the window and saw Ebony give Howie a hug and a kiss.

"Oh. How did you know before me? I'm suppose to be his best friend." AJ asked.

"Well, when you are busy with a certain brunette and he doesn't want to interrupt, he comes and talks to me." Kevin said.

"Ah.... And a good thing he doesn't interrupt or the Backstreet Boys would be short one falsetto voice." AJ laughed.

Leighanne was on the other side of the bus helping Alex with her hair and makeup.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me. How much longer to we have before we get there?" Alex asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. But no problem about helping you. What else are cousins for?" Leighanne smiled just as Kevin walked by.

"They're great for beating the shit out of." Kevin joked, answering Leighanne's question.

"Funny, Kev. Funny." Leighanne said sarcastically and then stuck her tongue out at him.

At the show, Nick sat beside AJ, then it was Amanda, Leighanne, Brian, Kevin, Ebony, then last of all, Howie. Nick was beside an empty seat, then there was the aisle. Alex was going to be sitting beside him. He was in heaven, but right now she was backstage getting last minute touch ups before she came on in about 10 minutes.

Since the beginning of the tour, Nick and Alex had learned to carry a decent conversation without being embarrassed or shy and could probably be classified as friends again. Begin in the audience was a weird experience for Nick. The last time he was in the audience for Alex's performance was when they had been on tour together. All he knew was that she was going to be singing her latest single, I'll Love You Always, and it was a slow song. He had listened to it on the radio, and even had her CD, but he had never sat in the audience to hear her perform it.

All of a sudden, all the lights went down and a single spot light shone on the stage and the arena went quiet.

A white piano appeared on the stage and a man in his thirties began to play. Just then a panel in the floor opened up and smoke began to fill the stage. Then she appeared. Alex rose out of the stage and smiled. She was wearing an ankle length beautiful black dress. Nick's jaw almost fell to the ground he saw that Alex was exposing more cleavage then usual. The light made the sparkles on her arms and chest glitter immensely. Nick also noticed that she was wearing a necklace. Squinting his eyes, he swore it was the one he had given her.

'No, it can't be. It must have just gone with the outfit.' Nick said to himself and then watched on as Alex lifted her microphone to sing. Nick listened to the lyrics, as she sang them passionately and full of emotion.

You told me you loved me
You told me we'd meet again
I told you I loved you too
But I want to know when
No matter how hard I try
To get you out of my thoughts
Your face keep coming back to haunt me
But all I want to know is when

Baby that was then
And this is now
We went our separate ways
But that day we promised
I'll love you always

That day stays in my dreams
Boy, it has been a long time
I wish just once, and only once
That fate would have chosen a different path
No one thought we would last
Baby we proved them wrong
So many days have passed, many years too
And still all I think of is you

Baby that was then
And this is now
We went our separate ways
But that day we promised
I'll love you always

Maybe it would have worked
Maybe we could have tried
But love lasts forever
Don't you see
Maybe it has been too long
Maybe I'm wasting my time
I just want you to remember

Baby that was then
And this is now
We went our separate ways
But that day we promised
I'll love you always

Nick was appalled at the lyrics, and the emotion Alex had put into singing that song. It seemed almost like she was singing to him. But that was ridiculous. She told AJ that she didn't love him any more.

As Alex took her bow, Nick couldn't help but applaud with everything inside him.