Chapter 8
The music blared and the party was hot as Hannah nervously stepped into the spacious room packed full with celebrities, photographers, and hopeful fans. Twitching her hand she stayed in the doorway, too scared to cross the threshold into the death pit. Her assistant impatiently nudged her from behind, “Let’s go Hannah, what’s the deal?” Gripping her wrist she smiled at him and took a few steps into the sea of people. Thankfully there was no sign of anyone she knew as of yet and there was plenty of champagne to drink to kill some of her edge. Reaching for a glass her hand was slapped back, “No drinking. We’re here to work not party remember?” her annoying assistant lectured her. Maybe she should have brought Zach along instead of this James character who insisted on annoying the shit out of her.
“I was just going to take a sip, no need to spaz,” she assured him walking away. She pulled out her notebook which listed the questions to be asked. Thankfully she had known ahead of time how nerve racking this evening would be and she’d taken the time to scribble a few things down so she wouldn’t have to think on her feet. Even though the Backstreet Boys were all her friends, there was a lot riding on this evening…ex boyfriends aside.
Parting through the people she tried to focus herself before getting down to work. She took plenty of deep breaths and kept her mind on the job’s task, not everything else that came with it. Pushing past a group of men standing around with drinks in hand she spotted him. Stopped cold on her feet Hannah stared as Nick wrapped his arm around a woman’s shoulders to brace himself in laughter. His hair was longer than when she had last seen him, and he appeared to have gained a little weight. But overall, he looked spectacular. ‘Of course he looks fabulous, he is a celebrity, that’s what celebrities do,’ Hannah thought as she still couldn’t take her eyes off of him. For a moment it appeared like he look directly at her but he turned his head. ‘He so hates me, I’m invisible.’
“Hannah?!” someone squealed coming up from behind and spun her around, “Is that you?! Oh my goodness it is!” Leighanne embraced her in a huge bear hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“Leighanne,” Hannah hugged her back, “Wow, you look marvelous.” She was relieved to be with a familiar face, a face she knew she could trust and have fun with.
“Well, what are you doing here? No one mentioned you coming! What a pleasant surprise!”
“I…they…no one knew I was coming,” she said raising her voice over the loud music. “I’m here on a job.”
“A job? What are you talking about?” Leighanne questioned with a huge grin on her face.
“I work for People magazine if you didn’t know, and well…I got lucky and this is my first assignment as a reporter.”
“Are you kidding me? Wow! Oh my gosh! I’m so happy for you, that’s really great. Nick told us you’d taken an internship there, but I thought it was just for the summer.”
The mentioning of Nick’s name caused her to almost choke on her tongue and seeing him over Leighanne’s shoulder was just enough to make her want to cry. Leighanne noticed a change in her facial expression and turned to see what was bothering her so much, “Is he why you didn’t come to my wedding?” she asked turning back to face Hannah.
“Yea, you know I would have loved to come but I couldn’t go with him there, I’d lose it. Almost like I am now,” she laughed to fight back the building sadness in her throat.
“I understand,” she sighed, “Nick told us you’d left him but I’m starting to sense it was the other way around,” she said looking into her eyes inquisitively.
“That obvious huh?” Hannah smiled and cocked her head. “Well yea, he did tell the whole world I left him, learned that much from his mother, but it might as well have been me. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him to start.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not true and you know it. The two of you were great together, while it lasted…but not all things are made to last. It just wasn’t meant to be forever that’s all.”
“Hannah Banana, what are you doing here?” Kevin beamed walking up to her with a drink in his hand and a wife at his side, “Nick didn’t tell us you were coming.”
“Oh, I’m not here with Nick, I’m here for People Magazine.”
“You don’t say?! So I guess things, uh, really worked out for you there didn’t they?”
“Kevin, Hannah was just telling me that Nick was the one that left her like we’d suspected,” Leighanne broke into the conversation. Kevin looked at her and nodded and then smiled at Hannah.
“Well, whatever, are there any questions I can answer for you?” he asked, “I bet you’re ready to get this over and done with as soon as possible with Nick here right?”
“Yes,” she sighed, “How does it feel to be back in public with a new album?”
“Feels great, absolutely wonderful. We spent months putting this one together and really worked to make it individual to me and the other guys. Every song on there we either wrote or picked for a precise purpose. I’m so excited to get back out on the road and see the reaction from all our fans.”
“Thanks, I got every word,” she smiled finish the last sentence and looking at her notes for another question. She asked him a few more, and respectfully he was quick to answer completely. “I guess that’s enough from you,” she folded her notebook closed.
“I can get the other guys for you,” he offered. “They’re all around here some place.”
“No, that’s alright I’ll find them. Right now I need to go find my assistant and tell him what kind of pictures I want to be taken. But I’ll catch up with you later,” she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It was great seeing you again and congratulations on the album.”
“Congratulations on the job, you’re doing great,” he hugged her before watching her fold into a sea of people.
‘Doing good, you’re doing good,’ she assured herself trying to shake the building nerves from seeing Kevin again. She had expected it to be hard seeing Nick, but not his friends. Even Leighanne shook her a bit, she wanted so badly to just relax and calm down but the tension grew and grew with every minute. People, music, drinking, and Backstreet Boys. The room was busy and moving, Hannah powerless to hold onto anything for reality. The music overpowered her as she paced through the crowds, fleeing from Nick’s direction. Spotting ahead a man carrying flutes of champagne she pushed forward. Reaching out she took a glass and swished the bubbly down. “Looking back on the things I’ve done” she started singing to herself under her breath, “I was trying to be someone.” ‘Oh the misery I’ve put myself through, thinking I had a chance with someone like him, the same guy who’s the guest of honor at this party. All these people are here to celebrate him. How could I think I was good enough?'
Stunning, absolutely stunning she looked in the form fitting Gucci dress and strappy stiletto heals she’d bought for the monumental evening. Her fingernails with an elegant French manicure and her toes a shining pink. Everything was picture perfect, a beautiful evening with charming and talented people and perfect music. The irony of it all, the misery she felt as she nearly cried through the night of her dreams. Success as a writer and failure of the heart. Contradictions that plagued her to take another glass of champagne, the urgency behind her beating heart. Her watch confirmed that she needed to finish her job, do what she was there to do. Bittersweet reunions with three members of the largest group in the world. AJ was flirtatious. Howie was sensual. Brian was charming. All glad to see her, all commenting on her exquisite beauty. All fighting the questions they were dying to ask her. Focused on her job and the interview she clung to her pad of paper as her safety net. “Thank you for all your help, you’ve given me more than enough to write an article.”
“It was our pleasure,” Howie winked at her, “Are you leaving now? You’re not going to stay and dance the night away with us?”
“Yes, I think I’m going to get going.” She smiled a fake smile and impatiently waited for the conversation to end so she could escape before being seen, or facing the possibility that she had been seen but was ignored.
“Alright, but you keep in touch with us. Don’t go getting famous and forget the small people,” AJ hugged her tightly.
“Oh riight,” she laughed. “I’ll try and keep that in mind but you know how it is. Once you get that first taste of fame, all you simple folk seem like a waste of time.” Giving a slight wave good-bye she turned around and started towards the door. Thirty paces and the night was over, thirty steps and she was free. Thirty paces and she would have completed her job and survived the party. Thirty paces too many as she was immediately stopped by a tall man before her.
His jaw dropped in utter surprise, “Hannah?” asked the blond superior as her eyes drifted downward.
Chapter 9
Lost in the Rain Main
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