“You have no idea,” she growled. He kissed her again, probing her mouth with his tongue, passion growing deep within himself from their skin to skin contact.
Still kissing, he pulled his body away from hers slightly, placing his hand on her breast, fondling the nipple between his fingers. “Hmm... Must be cold out...” he joked. “Maybe I should warm you up.” Mary moaned as he kissed down her neck and breast,
taking her nipple into his warm mouth, suckling like a baby, lightly nipping at the sensitive flesh. Feeling he was neglecting her other breast, he replaced his mouth with his hand and moved to the other. He circled her nipple with his velvet tongue, gently scraping his teeth across it. Slowly, he kissed back up to her mouth.
“How about we test this Jacuzzi, Howard?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he grinned. With a growl he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the Jacuzzi that faced the San Francisco night. Planting her on her feet, he tugged at the buckle of her gray pants and slid them down to her ankles with her black
lace underwear. “Planning something tonight?”
“When aren’t I?” she asked, unlatching his belt and sliding his pants and boxers off. He grinned and pulled her close again, his hands on his bare ass. “Now Mr. Dorough, a gal could get used to this,” she smiled.
“Be careful, or I’ll make sure of it,” he kissed her again, never moving his hands from their spot, only to lightly caress her bare flesh. He stepped down into the tub and brought her into the warm water, caressing her lips with his, her body with his hands.
“Don’t tease me, Howard...” she moaned.
Turning them around so he was sitting, he kissed her passionately, their tongues warring. “You don’t have to ask twice.” He pulled her onto himself, cradling her ass in his hands. Wrapping her arms around him, she guided him inside of her, and holding tight, she had one knee on either side of him. Slowly, she rocked back and forth on him until they found their pace together as one. Biting into his shoulder to muffle her screams, she climaxed, and soon after, he followed. Never letting him out of her arms, she kissed where she had bitten and then kissed his lips. He pulled his hand from beneath her in the water and wiped the beads of sweat from her brow, smiling at her.
“Never had anything like that?” she asked breathlessly.
He shook his head. “Only slow,” he responded. “That was a nice change of pace,” he grinned and kissed her. She laid her head on his shoulder and struggled not to fall asleep. Sensing her tiredness, he stood, pulling her up with him, dried himself, then her. Taking his satin button-down night shirt, from his bag, he wrapped it around her and buttoned it. He slid the pajama bottoms on himself and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. “You may like that dominant stuff sometimes, but I’m still a romantic at heart,” he smiled. Placing her under the covers, he slid in beside her and cradled her in his arms. “I love you, Mary.”
“Love you, Howard...” she mumbled and nodded off to sleep.
...
Mary woke earlier than Howie and decided to surprise him by getting breakfast. In the lobby, she ordered it and was set to head back up to the room when something in the gift shop caught her eye. Walking in, she picked it up and looked it over.
...
She paid at the counter and proceeded back to the room. Inside, she opened the paper to the article.
She glanced and the picture and smiled. She giggled. The picture was captured just after Mary told Howie to ‘kiss her like he meant it.’
Moments later, there was a knock on the door. Mary opened it and greeted the person. “Breakfast,” the man smiled.
“Thank you, uhm... Just bring it on in, over by the windows please.”
“Such a big breakfast just for you, ma’am?”
“No Sir, my husband’s still asleep. The way to any man’s heart is through his stomach, right?” she smiled. She tipped him and the man left. Being careful not to make too much noise, Mary laid out the plates of food on the table. Just as she was pouring the coffee, she felt Howie’s arms around her and jumped.
“How sweet darling, you cooked,” he greeted and kissed her neck. Mary clenched her teeth and smiled at him, nodding. “Smells good.”
She put down the coffee pot. “Well, dig in, I have to run to the bathroom.” She turned and nearly sprinted to the faucet. “Damn coffee pot...” she muttered, looking at a large red mark on her hand.
...
“Mary, aren’t you right handed?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Then why are you eating with your left hand?”
Mary sighed and lifted her hand above the table. “Coffee pot.” Noticing Howie squirm, she quickly added, “But at least I didn’t get you.”
“Did you put anything on it?” he asked, walking around the table, kneeling beside her, and taking her burnt hand.
“Ointment. All I had.”
“And what would you usually use to dress a burn in the hospital?”
...
After calling room service for the supplies he would need, Howie wrapped up Mary’s hand. “Why didn’t you say something then?”
“Didn’t want this morning to start off bad,” she shrugged. “I didn’t think it was too bad of a burn.”
“All right... But let’s get going,” he smiled. “We have a date with Alcatraz.”
...
The day of supposed relaxation at the Alcatraz Island was spent taking pictures and writing autographs. Mary excused herself while Howie took a few pictures and suddenly felt a tug on the sleeve of her sweater. “Are you Mrs. Howie D.?” a girl, maybe seven years old asked.
“Yes I am, darlin,” Mary smiled and crouched down to look her in the eye. “What can I do for you?”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Mary. What’s yours?”
“Mary,” she giggled. “Can I give you a hug?”
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Mary smiled and picked the girl into a huge hug. “Did you get to talk to Howie yet?” she giggled, realizing that she had never called her Howard ‘Howie’ before. The little girl just shook her head no. “Would you like to?” She nodded again. Mary took her hand and walked back over to Howie. Tapping him on the
shoulder, she turned around. “I have someone special who wants to meet you.”
Seeing the little girl, he crouched in front of her. “Hello, sweetheart,” he smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Mary,” she giggled again.
“You know, I love that name. That’s my wife’s name.”
“I know,” she giggled again. After a few pictures, autographs, and hugs, Mary and Howie continued on with their tour of the prison.
“That was really sweet of you back there, with that little girl.”
“But she recognized you first. You have some fans now,” he nudged her side.
She rolled her eyes. “Just what I need.”
Howie shrugged. “How’s your hand?”
“Better, still hurting some though. I think you started to make it feel better.” She sighed. “I looked just like her when I was little.” Howie smiled, thinking of the little girl. Soft, pale skin, flowing curls of hair that changed color in the sunlight, light, almost icy blue eyes.
“And someday, we’ll have someone that looks like her,” he whispered, just loud enough for Mary to hear. “I want her to look just like her mother, so beautiful.”
“Or a little boy... Looking just like his father... The curly dark hair, eyes I get lost in...” He pulled her closer for a kiss, the couple falling in love all over again.
...
Days later, the couple returned to Orlando. “The last few days were nuts,” Howie explained. “Whenever, where ever we went, someone spotted us. Mary was even spotted once.”
“Yeah, this little girl came up to me, she was so cute.”
“And her name was Mary too.”
“I thought you two were supposed to be on your honeymoon?” AJ asked,
smirking. “Maybe there won’t be any Backstreet Babies any time soon then.”
“No, none yet, Bone,” Mary replied. “But I’m going to go to bed, flights always kill me and I’m not feeling great. Night boys,” she smiled and walked up the stairs.
Once she was out of sight and the door was heard closing, Nick asked the all important question. “So, tells us what really happened...”
“Dear God, one night, the night we got to San Francisco, she was so aggressive...”
...
He woke again and looked at the clock. 1 AM. Mary was sobbing again. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and tried to comfort her some, not knowing what was wrong. She was shivering. “Sssshhh... Mary, Mary calm down... What’s wrong?”
She rolled over and held him tighter. “I’m so cold...”
He pressed his cheek to her forehead. “Damn, Mary, you’re burning up... Come on, let’s go downstairs and I’ll make you some tea.”
“I hurt so much... I don’t know if I can...”
“I’ll carry you if I have to, don’t worry.”
Downstairs, Mary sat on the couch with a thermometer in her mouth, shivering and crying. It beeped and she removed it from her mouth. “102.5,” she sighed. Howie returned to the living room with her tea and sat next to her, wrapping her in his arms and in a blanket. After laying together for an hour in silence, Howie was asleep. The television played quietly, and out of no where, Mary began to cry again and was mumbling.
“Mary, what’s wrong?” Howie asked, yawning.
“Why does this always have to happen to me?” she sobbed.
“Why does what always have to happen to you? No, wait, take your temperature first,” he said, reaching for the thermometer, knowing that a high fever can cause delusions.
“102.1,” she sighed again.
He nodded and stood, walking to the kitchen. He returned with a small container and a spoon. “Italian Ice. It’ll help get your fever down.” Mary sobbed quietly and ate slowly. Once she finished it, he asked her the same question. “Now, Mary, why does what
always have to happen to you?”
Mary looked down, playing with her rings again. “You married me and you still don’t know everything, Howard...” she mumbled.
“I want to, Mary, but you have to tell me.”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I don’t even know where to start...” she sighed. “Howard... I have what’s referred to as an ICI, or Invisible Chronic Illness. I have Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome.”
“So...” he thought, “you’re just tired all the time?”
“I wish... I don’t have an immune system... When someone catches a cold, I get the flu. That’s one reason I continued being a doctor, I could find out what was wrong with me.” She looked at him to find a blank face, trying to think up questions to ask. “You probably want to know how bad things get, huh?” He nodded. “I get that a lot...
All right, a ‘normal’ person on a ‘normal’ day usually says that they feel 100% right? On a good day, I hover around 80%. When I was first diagnosed my doctor looked me straight in the eye and said something I’ll never forget. ‘The good news is that you won’t
die from this, but the bad news is that you won’t die from it, either.’”
“It’s that bad?” Mary sighed and nodded. “So... how do you feel now?”
“Maybe 55% and falling...”
“And this never showed up before now? Why?”
“I was sure to keep myself healthy. Flying usually doesn’t get to me, but this time it did, I don’t know why. I’m usually good for a while, say a year, maybe two... then I get smacked back down again, to what I was when I was diagnosed.”
“And that was...?”
“When I was fifteen. I’ve been on medication ever since... If I don’t take it, I start relapsing quicker.”
“I just don’t understand it...” he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
Mary stood, shaking, and stumbled to the bookshelf across the room. “When I moved in, you probably never questioned the books I brought with me. This one should help.” She handed him a book, Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tried, Living with Invisible Chronic Illness by Paul J. Donoghue, Ph. D., and Mary E. Siegel Ph. D.
He accepted the book and flipped through it. “What are these highlighted passages?”
“Oh, just things that helped me,” she responded and slid the book from his hands. “There’s this one poem in here...” she flipped through the book and landed on page 72, chapter 6. She read the poem to him:
“Be patient with all that is unresolved in your heart,
And try to love the questions themselves.
Do not seek for the answers that cannot be given,
For you would not be able to live them,
And the point is,
to live everything.
Live the questions now,
And perhaps, without knowing it,
You will live along some distant day
Into the answers.
By Rainer Rilke”
She flipped through a few more pages, landing on chapter 7, page 79. “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, ‘When you’re cold don’t expect sympathy from someone who’s warm.’” She sighed. “That’s how a lot of people are. They don’t understand it, they can’t give sympathy. But you, Howard... I know you can understand it.”
“I can? How?”
“Lupus is an ICI. That’s why Caroline and I were so close. I let her read this book and she totally agreed with it. No one understood what she had, no one understands what I have, ergo, no sympathy. When you read it, Howard... there’s a passage on page 65 about a lady named Margaret. I think you’d be interested in it.” She coughed and held her stomach. “Nausea... it comes and goes.”
...
The next day, Mary barely ate a thing. She tried drinking some chicken broth, but after the first taste, she put the cup down and shook her head. Hours later, she jumped from the couch and ran to the bathroom. She returned moments later, tears of frustration
on her cheeks. “Whatever was in my stomach isn’t there anymore.”
Howie stood and walked over to her, putting his arms around her. The rest of the Boys, who sat in the living room, knew something was wrong with her but didn’t know the full extent until Mary ran to the bathroom. “What should we do now?”
“I don’t know...” They returned to the couch and laid together for quite some time, until she headed to bed at 10. An hour later, while Howie slept, Mary tiptoed downstairs. “Hey Alex,” she whispered.
“Hey Mary, feeling better?” he asked, looking up from the newspaper he was reading.
“Not really, but if I don’t eat something I won’t make it through the night.” AJ looked at her in disbelief. “And, I figured y’all wouldn’t want some unconscious girl in the house. It’s not easy taking dead weight to the hospital.”
“So what are you hungry for? I’ll make it.”
“I don’t know... I’m afraid it won’t stay down...”
He looked around the kitchen. “I know when Brian had the flu last, he had some French toast, I think it stayed down. How about we try that?” She nodded and he stood to make her the food. He turned, tossing a thermometer to her. “D. told us to keep an eye on that temp of yours.”
After a moment, it beeped. “100 degrees, it’s going down at least.”
“Good. Now you just relax and let the Bonedaddy take care of you,” he smirked.
Mary sat back and sighed. ‘I may have lost some of Josh, but there’s a lot of him in Alex...’ “Thanks for helping me, Alex,” she finally spoke after he placed a plate of food before her. “Especially tonight. I didn’t want to wake Howard again.”
“No problems, darlin,” he smiled. “I don’t mind at all.” Mary fell silent, eating. After a few moments, she finished the French toast and looked as if she wanted to say something, like she was searching for words. “Something on your mind, darlin?”
“I honestly thought I was going to die last night, I was so afraid.”
“D. told us about it. Ya could have woken us up.”
“I didn’t want to worry everyone.”
AJ nodded. “But you should get back to bed now that you have food in your stomach. It looks like you’ve been losing weight.”
“I haven’t eaten much lately, I couldn’t. I lost five pounds last week,” she sighed.
“Then you get to bed and get rested.” He kissed her forehead and shooed her upstairs.
...
The next morning, Mary woke and walked downstairs, greeting the Boys, Sam, and Josh. “Morning all,” she smiled. She rushed to Sam and Josh and hugged them both. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Howard called us,” Josh explained. “He said how you got sick again.”
“We got worried about you,” Sam finished.
“I’m feeling much better today. Alex made me some French toast last night and I kept it down. All I needed was some food in my tummy I guess.”
“I spend a lot of days with you, Howard...” Mary said, confused.
“But today is special. I’m taking you out shopping for an outfit for you to wear tonight.”
“What’s tonight?”
“We’re going to a movie premiere and I want to show you off,” he smiled sweetly, pulling her hands behind her back and kissed her softly. “I missed that,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.
“Me too.” Since she was ill, they hadn’t kissed, let alone had much contact at all the past few days besides some offhand coddling. “I missed you, Howard.”
“Me too, darlin, me too. But lets get going, I’m going to make you look like... like... You’re going to be beautiful, that’s all that matters. Oh, and AJ wants to see ya before ya get dressed, I don’t know why.”
“Fine by me,” she smiled and walked to the dresser, pulling out an outfit to wear for the day.
...
After a day of rigorous shopping, Howie and Mary found the perfect outfit. Back at the house, Mary went to see what AJ wanted. “I’m going to make you look like the Rat I know,” he grinned.
“Oh no...”
...
Carefully dressing, Mary smiled as she looked into the mirror. She wore a light purple short sleeved lycra top with a knee length skirt with diagonal stripes in every color, electric blue fishnet stockings, and her silver Mary Janes. Thanks to AJ, her hair was
partially pulled back but in braids. Outside the theater, Mary was questioned about the look when they all arrived. “I blame AJ,” she smiled, her right arm intertwined with Howie’s left. He smiled at her proudly, happy that she was beginning to feel comfortable
before the eyes of the press.
...
Inside the theater, the group of ten sat in two rows, getting comfortable. The movie was boring, but Mary was enjoying the experience. Out of no where, she felt Howie’s hand on her thigh. She looked at him quizzically. “You look beautiful tonight,” he smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “And I especially like the fishnets. They look very sexy.”
“Oh, Howard...” she played, smiling at him.
He put his hand behind her head and gently but quickly pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss. “I’m missing you.”
“So am I...” she murmured, gazing at him. “Keep me warm tonight?”
“All night, sexy, all night,” he promised.
AJ looked around, bored. After some whispering to Melissa, he tapped Mary’s arm. “Time to blow this joint, pass it on.”
The group left the theater discreetly and agreed on heading to a club downtown. “I’m going to make a run to the bathroom,” Mary announced when they found a large table. Jade stood to accompany her, along with Melissa. They carefully made their way through the crowd to the other side of the club.
“Damn girl, you look great tonight!” Melissa cheered inside the bathroom. “The way the two of you were makin out during the movie... I can tell Howie likes your look too.”
...
“She looks hot tonight, D,” AJ commented once the girls were out of sight.
“Man, you have no idea. Those stockings... They’re doin something to me,” he grinned and sipped his beer.
Shortly, the girls returned. Mary took a rather large swig of Howie’s beer and tugged on his hand. “Dance with me,” she smiled. Howie nodded and stood, accompanying her. On the dance floor, several fast songs played, one after another. By the seventh dance, Howie and Mary were dancing very close, practically having sex on the
dance floor.
“What do ya say we get out of here?” he suggested.
“Nah, I want to torture you a little more,” she smiled and pulled him close for another kiss. “You look too good tonight for me to hide you out at home.” She grabbed a hold of the front of his navy satin shirt and pulled him close, kissing him roughly. “But you’ll be mine all night,” she grinned. Howie smiled and swallowed hard, both in
anticipation and fear of the night ahead of him. "And those leather pants... Very sexy..."
A few danced later, Howie whined, “How much longer do I have to wait?”
“Just a little while longer, darlin. The torture is half the fun,” she grinned.
...
“That it, you, I can’t take it anymore,” Howie pulled Mary close and kissed her deeply. It was 1 AM and the group was still at the club. “Guys, we’re heading home,” he announced and pulled Mary outside to the waiting limo. Once inside and alone, he pulled
her onto his lap and kissed her passionately. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” he whispered huskily.
At the house, Howie fumbled with his keys but finally opened the door. He quickly closed it again once they were both inside. He continued to kiss her passionately as she unbuttoned and took off his shirt. “Maybe you should lock it?” she asked. He turned around to latch the lock and turning back to face her, he saw Mary running for the stairs, giggling. He quickly followed right behind her, up the stairs, into his room, and shut the door. No Mary.
“All right, where’d you go?” he asked. “You know I’ll find you...” He poked around the room carefully, looking for her. There was a giggle from outside the bedroom, and Mary stepped in.
“Bathroom, Howard,” she smiled. He turned around to face her and his jaw dropped. She leaned against the door frame, her braided hair undone and laying messily about her face, wearing Howie’s shirt from that evening. Just his shirt. “I take it you like this look, huh?”
“Oh God the things you do to me,” he growled and closed the distance between them. He put his arms around her and kissed her again. Placing his hands beneath her bare ass, he lifted her so she could latch her legs around him and be carried to the bed.
...
“So, was the waiting worth it?” she turned to Howie and asked. She wiped some sweat from his upper lip and kissed him softly.
“If you wear my shirt like that, it’ll always be worth it.”
“Got it!” she called back and picked up the extension of the phone next to the computer. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mary? This is Dee from Bop Magazine (yay teenie bopper magazines are fun) and I was wondering if I could schedule an interview with you and the rest of the Backstreet girlfriends.”
“Is that what we’re called?” she laughed. “Let me ask them first, and the Boys so it’s OK with their management,” she said, covering up the mouthpiece. “Jade, some teenie bopper magazine wants to interview us and the other ‘Backstreet girlfriends,’” she giggled. “Think the girls would be willing?”
“Yeah, if not, we can do it ourselves. I know Melissa will be in on it.”
“Kool beans.” She uncovered the phone and spoke again. “Dee? Let me call ya back, gotta see what the guys think. All right, the Hilton downtown, room 507. Check ya in 10.” She hung up. “That’s bullshit,” she snarled, her mood instantly changing. “Now the teenie boppers will hate us.”
“Just see what the guys think, then we’ll see if we want to do it.”
...
The Boys and their management agreed, so three of the girls, Mary, Jade, and Melissa drove downtown the next day for a 10 AM appointment. “Sarah and Melissa couldn’t make it,” Jade announced and sat in the booth. Mary quickly jumped in beside her, and then Melissa. Dee sat opposite from them.
“Any particular reason?”
Mary shrugged but decided to keep her mouth shut. She really didn’t like Dee for one reason: the month prior, her face was plastered in an article written by Dee with some very false and mean comments. Instead, Jade continued. “Sarah’s out of town, and Amanda’s one of the dancers for our Boys. She’s at rehearsal with them now.”
“Sounds good,” Dee nodded. “Let’s get this started. How did you meet the Boys?”
“I bought Brian’s old car.”
“Jade introduced me to Nick first, but then I hooked up with AJ when things didn’t work out.”
“And I took care of Howard in the ER at Orlando General one night.”
“Really? What happened?”
“He was at the same club I was at one night, I was on stage singing. I had to leave, and a few hours later, he got hit on the head by a flying beer bottle. I stitched him up.”
...
The magazine came out the next week. All the girls got great reviews in the article and there were a few pictures of them alone and them with their boyfriends. The magazine included a copy of Mary and Howie’s wedding picture. “These girls are some of the nicest you could meet, and hope to be with the Backstreet Boys. The guys are very lucky to have each of them. ‘We were friends since we met,’ Mary had said. ‘While Howard and the Boys were off touring at one point, the girls kept me company so I wouldn’t feel too alone. We’ve had a lot of bad times, but I wouldn’t change them for the world. We were friends through it all.’”
...
“We’re starting the next tour soon,” Howie whispered that night in bed before they fell asleep. “Management wants you to come back as our medic. Would you?”
“Of course, I don’t work otherwise,” she yawned.
“And maybe bring Sam and Josh and a few other folks along?”
“Why, Howard?”
“Because management got the idea that maybe you’d like to help out by being the opening act on some nights.”
“Howard where did they get that idea?” She propped herself on her elbow to look at him.
“A little birdie?”
Mary giggled. “You’re just lucky you’re cute, Dorough, or I would have killed you. I have to make sure folks are free though, you know that.”
“Good, you have until next week to decide on the opening act part.”
“It might take me that week to get a hold of those folks...”
“Yeah, this is James.”
“James? It’s Mary Dorough... errr... Goode. Remember me?”
“Of course, Mare! How could I ever forget you?”
“I know, not easy, but I had to ask. Hey, is Zack still around? And some of the other freaks from the Dennisons?”
“Yeah, we’re still jammin, why?”
“Y’all interested on being the opening act on a world tour?”
...
The next day, a large group of people gathered in the living room of the large house. Jade stood in the doorway to the kitchen, just watching everything. The Boys came home from rehearsals soon later and the conversation calmed. “All right, folks, time for introductions,” Mary smiled and stood. She kissed Howie gently and smiled at him. “Howard, AJ, Kevin, Brian, Nick, this is James, Zack, Justin, Cory, and you already know Sam and Josh. Guys, these are my Boys.” Everyone greeted one another.
“Y’all look familiar,” Kevin started. “Did I ever meet you before?”
“I was playing with them the night of Howard’s ‘accident,’” Mary giggled.
“And we haven’t seen her since,” James joined in. “Cory came back to the band right after that, so Mary just up and left us. I can tell by the rock on her finger that she hasn’t been lonely.”
“Not for two years now,” Howie smiled proudly.
Kevin, interested in the matters of the upcoming tour, butted back into the conversation. “All right, love birds, time to get down to business.” He sat down on the couch across from most of the people, motioning for the Dennisons to take a seat. “We’ve heard Mary sing and we’d like her to sing again on the tour.”
“Wait, wait, so all we’d be is, like, backup?” Justin asked, almost as if he was hurt.
Brian nodded. “That’s what the agreement to our management was. She needs more folks to back her up on some songs. I thought she explained that to you.”
“I did!” Mary defended, looking at James.
“Oops... I guess I forgot to tell y’all that part...”
“You’ll get paid less than she does, of course.”
“Why less?” Zack asked.
“She’s doing two jobs for us. She’ll be singing and...”
“Giving you head?” Justin spat. He was getting peeved. First, he’d only be in the backup band, now he’d be getting paid less.
“She’s our medic...” Kevin started to say before he was interrupted.
“Justin, out!” Mary hissed.
“Mary, he’d be part of the band, just think about it...” AJ tired to break in.
“Alex!” She glared at him. She turned back to Justin. “I know you never liked me. Money is money, whether you’re in the spotlight or not, Take our offer or leave it. You should be happy I even asked you.”
Justin shook his head. “Fine by me.” He stood and walked to the door. “You guys coming with me?”
“You left her out before, and you see what you missed? I’m staying,” James smiled proudly.
“Me too, it’s a job and it should be fun,” Zack agreed. Cory just nodded. He didn’t know Mary too well, but she seemed nice and this would be a good experience. Justin just walked out the door shaking his head.
Mary took a deep breath. “So, boys, what songs should we do?” she asked her new band.
“‘Time After Time,’” Howie immediately said. “You do it great.”
“But it’s only good when I sing it with you, Howard...”
“I’ll sing it with ya, Mare,” Sam offered. She turned to face him, almost shocked. “Honest. It would be an honor.”
“And ‘Hotel California,’” Josh said. “We’ll have enough people for all the instruments, it should sound good this time.”
...
A few hours passed with the Boys and Jade offering their suggestions to the newly expanded Tainted Love. Days later, the packing ritual began. “I want us all to go out to dinner tonight,” Brian proposed. “The Backstreet Boys, Tainted Love, and Jade.” Everyone agreed and met up at a small pizzeria at 7 that night.
“Wow, packed house,” the waitress commented when she took the group to the table. “Any occasion?”
“Not really,” Nick responded. “Just a night out with friends.”
She nodded and placed fifteen menus around a few tables which were pushed together. After the pizza came, the conversation dimmed. Mary looked around the table and her gaze landed on Nick. “Blondie, you’re going to get fat. Don’t complain to me when you’re having trouble breathing on stage.”
“Hey, give me a break, I’m a growing boy,” he smirked and shoved a slice of pizza into his mouth. He grabbed two more and planted them on his plate. He felt Mary’s gaze on him still and attempted to look innocent. It didn’t work.
After a half hour, the pizzas were gone and the drinks were drying in the bottom of glasses. Brian cleared his throat for everyone to listen. “Folks, I’m glad we all got together here tonight before we leave for Europe in a few days. But there’s something I want to get off of my chest before we leave.” He looked at Howie and smiled and
received a wink in return.
“What’s going on?” Mary whispered to him.
“You’ll see,” he smiled.
“I don’t know what I’m doing, I guess I’m trying to be like D. I don’t know. But, still,” he took a deep breath, stood, and got down on one knee before Jade, “I want you to be my wife, Jade. Please marry me.”
Her face went pale and she almost fainted. She looked from Brian to Mary to Melissa and to back Brian. “Y.. Yes...” she stammered.
The table let out a collective sigh of relief and then cheered as Brian slipped the ring over Jade’s finger and they kissed. “And we’ll keep this quiet this time,” Mary snickered, looking at Josh.
“I don’t have anything against Jade or Brain. Don’t need to blackmail,” he grinned.
