Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“Mollee, how do I look?!” I asked frantically running to the front of the bus where Mollee was sitting with Nick

“Stunning” She said with a smile that I returned quickly. I had taken the quickest shower imaginable after the show because I didn’t want to be sweaty but had reapplied the same style of makeup and hair. I had on a tight black dress made of a material that shimmered in the right light and some tall red pumps.

“I think the word you’re looking for is hot” Nick amended and I smiled at him too

“Thanks guys. Ah I’m so nervous!” I said pacing in front of them

“I don’t know why. It’s not like you two haven’t been dating this whole time” Mollee commented and I shot her a look

“It wasn’t dating before. It was hanging out. This has expectations attached to it. This could be the beginning of everything or the end of the relative peace and quiet my life has finally settled into after weeks of chaos. What am I doing messing with a good thing? I should cancel. I’m going to cancel. Where’s my phone?” I asked as Mollee and Nick laughed

“Stop it. This is a good thing. It’ll be fun” Mollee said as I resumed my pacing

“Ok you need some boy talk” Nick said standing up

“What?” I asked as Nick blocked my pacing route

“I’m going to tell you like it is, man to man” He said grabbing my shoulders

“You’re not giving me confidence that I look good by calling me a man” I said before meeting his stare

“Listen to me” Nick said seriously “You are going to go dancing with a guy who adores you. You are going to get to the club, the music is going to calm you down and you will dance with him. The world will not end. Your life will not fall apart. Nothing bad is going to happen because you have Aj at your side and he would never let anything bad happen to you. Now repeat after me. The world is not going to end”

“Nick” I protested but he wouldn’t let it go

“I can’t hear you” He teased and I rolled my eyes

“The world is not going to end” I repeated begrudgingly

“My life will not fall apart” He continued

“My life will not fall apart” I repeated again trying not to admit that it was making me feel better to affirm this to myself

“Aj and I are going to make sweet love and everything will be back to normal” Nick said with a smirk and I smacked him in the chest just in time to hear a knock on the door

“I’ll get it” Mollee said jumping up from the couch where she had been laughing at me and Nick

“Go get him tiger!” Nick said smacking my ass causing me to giggle

“Kat your date is waiting for you” Mollee said smugly holding the door to the bus open

“Thank you” I said grabbing my clutch and kissing Nick on the cheek

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” Mollee whispered in my ear before giving me a hug and all but shoving me out the door “Aj, take care of my girl!”

“Always” Aj replied with a smile “I’ve so been looking forward to hearing that again”

“Strange” I said with a nervous grin as I took in his adorable ensemble. He had on black skinny jeans with his usual checkered converse, a tan shirt and a black suit jacket on top. Wrapped around his neck was a brown scarf and on his head was a fedora with a little red feather on the back.

“You look amazing” He said kissing my hand as he helped me down the stairs

“You too” I said with a smile before squeezing his hand. Then I giggled

“What’s so funny?” He asked as we started to walk across the lot

“I was thinking about how nervous I am and how I wish I had you here to calm me down. But you are here. And you are the thing that is making me nervous! I need my friend Aj to calm me down about dating this guy Aj, who I like” I explained sounding a little crazy

“Ok” Aj said pulling his phone out of his pocket

“What are you doing?” I asked

“Hey, is it cool if I make a phone call? I have this friend who is really needy” He said and I rolled my eyes as my phone rang

“Hello” I said picking it up

“Hey precious, what are you doing?” Aj asked and I giggled a little

“I’m actually on a date right now” I said feeling ridiculous

“Really, how’s it going?” He asked

“Ok. I mean he’s on the phone with this friend right now” I said with a smirk

“Sounds rude” He said

“And I think it’s a girl” I whispered

“Oh girl you have to get out of there fast! He is probably still in love with an ex or something! You don’t want to get tangled up in that mess” He said and I laughed

“Thanks for the advice. I feel better now” I said hanging up the phone

“She hung up on me!” Aj said putting his phone back in his pocket “That bitch”

“We’re here” I said through my giggles as we approached the club

“We are. After you” Aj said leading me up to the front of the line and then letting me go ahead of him into the club. I noticed a few groups of girls who may have come right from the show tonight who started furiously whispering when we passed and I sent a little plea up to the sky that they would give us some privacy. I didn’t need the extra pressure tonight from being watched.

“I think there are some fans here” I said to Aj once we were in the noisy club

“It’s ok. I’m sure they’ll give us our space” Aj said clearly not concerned “Relax precious it’s just me”

“I’m trying to” I said shaking out my hands and taking a deep breath

“Why are you so nervous?” He asked taking me into a quieter corner of the room

“I don’t know something just doesn’t feel right” I said and Aj kissed me lightly on the forehead

“Maybe I pushed this on you too soon. Should we go?” He asked after searching my eyes and clearly not finding anything reassuring there. I thought about it and then I remembered how strong I had felt when I was out with Camie and how nothing could touch me. I wasn’t a broken nervous girl anymore. I’d grown.

“No. I’m ok. Let’s dance” I said summoning that courage from deep within me and pulling Aj to the dance floor. Once I let the music hit me everything else washed away as I let all of my emotions out on the floor. The more we danced the more comfortable I became and the more I gave into the intense dancing chemistry that had always served us so well on stage. On stage, however, there was the audience as an outlet for some of that chemistry. Here it was just Aj and I sending everything we had at one another, thrilling in every touch, our breaths synching with the music, our pulses pounding in unison with the beat. Every touch carried electricity and I felt like I was on fire. I could feel the trace of where his body met mine. His hands left heated imprints on my waist as I grinded into him and I was acutely aware of every time his pelvis brushed mine. When I spun to face him he put his hands to my cheeks which effectively blocked out anyone else in the club. The songs bled into each other as I slowly let go of all of my doubt and feelings of forbidding and replaced them with our passion and love. Then the beat changed to a new song and everyone cheered.

I came to dance I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans

I’m wearing all my favorite brands give me some space for both my hands

The energy in the club multiplied and I let it ease the last of the tension and anxiety from my body. I let the lyrics do the talking and relaxed as I acted them out, showing off my dance moves and my clothes when the lyrics called for it.

'Cause it goes on and on and on.......
And it goes on and on and on......

Aj started really getting into it as I let the beat bring us closer and closer together. I could feel every particle of my being as it flowed with his

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes

Singin' AYO gotta let go

I wanna celebrate and live my life

Singing AYO baby let's go

Aj mouthed the words at me and smiled. Come on Kat. Just let go. Celebrate, live and love. I smiled wide and really started showing off with my dancing as the next lyrics fueled the newly freed exhibitionist in me

Cause we gon' rock this club, we gon' go all night,

We gon' light it up like it's dynamite

Cause I told you once, now I told you twice

We gon' light it up like it's dynamite

It seemed like we were the only two there dancing in the club. Our energy was enough to set the air cackling with electricity. As the next verse played I began to feel a heat build in me that had nothing to do with the temperature in the building. Aj and I moved as one and each look left me breathless.

I'm gonna take it all. I'm gonna be the last one standing

High over all. I'm gonna be the last one landing

Aj’s eyes met mine and I felt like I could hear his voice saying the words to me independent of the song.

Cause I believe it and I just want it all...

I just want it all...

And I did too. In that moment I knew what was right. After everything Aj was still here, still standing tall above anything else in my life. All of the fights and tears and hurtful words were only a veil to hide the fact that the love we had was epic. It was the stuff of fairy tales and it would never crumble and never melt away. No matter what happened in my life there was only one thing I would ever be certain of. And he was standing right in front of me.

I'm gonna put my hands in the air

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders

Hands, Hands in the air

He pulled my waist to him and I leaned in so I could feel his breath play on my lips

Put your hands in the air!

The electronic voice repeated into a crescendo and my mouth hit his with the force of the blood rushing through my veins. It was like standing on the highest peak of the tallest mountain screaming as loudly as I could that I was in love with this man and would always be and nothing would ever change it. Lighting flashed around me and fireworks rang in my ears as he tangled his hands in my hair and we made out passionately in the middle of the dance floor. After forever and no time at all I pulled back and looked into Aj’s hungry eyes. It was then that I noticed that some of the lighting in my mind was actually flashes from cameras as fans caught our reunion kiss on their smart phones.

“Kat I love you” Aj said gruffly onto my lips which were still mere centimeters away from him

“We’re being watched” I answered without breaking his eye contact

“Shall we go someplace a little more private?” He asked and I nodded and bit my lip a little in embarrassment “You drive me crazy when you do that”

“Do what?” I whispered

“Look at me like I’m the only guy in the world” He answered simply and then broke our gaze to pull me through the crowd and out the door. He dodged the fans and cameras but we were only really certain of our privacy when we made it back to the confines of the lot patrolled by the Backstreet security

“Wait” I said as he attempted to pull me towards his bus

“What’s the matter?” He asked nervously. I just smiled and pulled him into another kiss and he pulled me close to him as he inhaled deeply against my lips. We made out for some time in the parking lot and when we pulled back I felt even less satisfied. Now that I had a piece of him I wanted all of him

“What are we?” He asked quietly into the silent night that wrapped around us

“Human” I echoed to him from a long ago conversation

“Puzzle pieces?” He echoed back to me

“Perfectly matched” I whispered onto his lips before I pressed mine to them in another kiss

“Please be my girlfriend Kat? Please say you’ll be mine” Aj asked desperately pulling back before the kiss could get more intense

“Silly boy don’t you know that I’ve always been yours” I whispered back with sheer bliss pulsing through me. Aj’s smile at that statement warmed me completely and even if a million people had been watching it wouldn’t have stopped me from meeting his lips and making out hungrily in the brisk December air.

“You are amazing” Aj said a short while later when we pulled back again for air. I shivered a little and Aj smirked “Amazing and cold. Come back to my bus with me?”

“Sounds good” I said with a smile as we walked hand in hand across the lot.

“What’s that?” Aj asked as we walked towards his bus and saw a bag sitting on the steps. I approached it and grabbed the note that was resting on top of it

“Don’t you even think about coming home tonight. Here is a change of clothes and everything you need to stay over. I love you” I read out loud

“That sister of yours is something else” Aj said with a smile picking up the bag and opening the door for me so we could get out of the wintry air

“She sure is” I said holding out the condoms that were hiding in the front pocket of the bag with a note saying ‘be safe’

“Do you think she knows?” Aj asked looking at the note

“Do you think she’d be so friendly to you if she did?” I asked and Aj’s smile faded a bit

“We’ll have to tell her eventually” He said with worry on his face

“Stop that. This is not a night for thinking about our past” I said taking the bag from his hands and dropping it on the floor. I locked the door and then pushed him lightly onto his couch

“Then what is this a night for?” Aj asked with a small smile

“This” I said simply and bent to meet his lips. He pulled me onto his lap and we made out hungrily while he ran his hands up and down the curves of my body. His lips left mine to create a trail down my jaw bone and towards my ear. His hands found their way to the zipper at the back of my dress and so discreetly that I didn’t even notice at first, he began to unzip. When I felt his hand on my bare back I pulled back a little and rested my forehead against his, meeting his blazing eyes.

“What are you doing?” I asked flirtatiously

“Feeling you” Aj answered simply, letting my dress fall to my waist. It was not the type of dress you could wear a bra with so I sat in front of him, completely naked from the waste up, feeling a little shy but majorly turned on at the look he was giving me. Slowly he ran his fingers on my stomach, around my belly button, and up to my breasts, cupping them gently before leaning in and kissing me on my most sensitive currently kissable spot, the base of my neck

“Aj” I breathed letting my head fall back. He peeled his jacket and shirt off in one motion and pressing his hands flat against my bare back, brought me to his naked chest and held me close. My heart sped up in response to our naked skin touching and I took some deep breaths to regain my composure. After a few charged minutes of holding each other I bowed my head and rested it on his chest so I could listen to his heartbeat

“You are an amazing woman” Aj whispered to me while stroking my hair

“I’m just trying to keep up with you” I said with a smile “Let me change and I’ll meet you in bed”

“Don’t be long” Aj said seductively “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to resist when I know you are close by and mine.” He ducked quickly into his bedroom and I watched the door close before letting out my breath in a huge huff. Once I had regained a little composure I rummaged through the bag Mollee had left me and found she had packed my most risqué lingerie.  I changed quickly while rolling my eyes at my meddling sister and then slowly opened the door to the bedroom. The light shining in behind me was all there was to light the room and I struck a particularly seductive pose against the door frame

“My sister seemed to think this would be appropriate bedroom attire” I said sexily but added with a grin “I think she likes you”

“Finally” Aj joked and opened his arms so I could jump into them. He was in a pair of boxer briefs and a wife beater and I impatiently tore off the shirt so I could press my cheek against his naked chest. I stopped and closed my eyes, concentrating solely on the beating of his heart, and let out a little sigh

“This is what life is supposed to be” I whispered and I felt Aj’s chuckle echo through his chest before he wrapped his arms around me and slowly lowered the both of us until we were lying on the bed, him balancing on his elbows over me. I was instantly overcome by the desire to be as close to him as possible and I maneuvered him next to me before intertwining my legs in his and squeezing him tightly while burrowing my face into the crook of his neck

“Are you ok?” He asked quietly into the darkness

“I’m amazing” I said happily and I felt him relax a little. Apparently my need to be so close to him had confused him. I suppose I cling to him in a manner similar to this when I panic. The ironic thing was that panic and anxiety were the farthest from my mind that I think it had ever been. It was like a film had been lifted from in front of my eyes and I was only just now seeing the beauty of life around me “I’m thinking ridiculous and romantic things”

“Me too” He confessed holding me still closer to him “You’re mine. You’re here and you’re mine. I’m trying to convince myself this is real and not a dream I’ve had a million times”

“You dreamed of this?” I asked with a smile

“I’ve dreamed of you every night since I lost you” Aj said with a tinge of sadness

“Well you’ve found me. And I’m not going anywhere” I said taking a deep breath of his wonderfully familiar scent

“Do you promise?” He asked with a real vulnerability that made my heart groan

“I promise. This is forever, you and me” I said tenderly. More than anything I wanted to assure him that all the hard things in our life were done. We were together and everything was going to be ok. Somehow I had never been more certain of anything in my life

“This is us” He said with a goofy grin that I could feel through the darkness. I supposed it looked a little like the grin that had been plastered to my face all night. We breathed in unison, our hearts beat as one and the world and everything on it aligned just for us. The sexual tension had suddenly transformed into something much deeper and much lovelier as we snuggled close and took comfort in each other. Slowly we transitioned into a blissful sleep, calmed by the singular fact that we were together and utterly in love.

I awoke with a slight start a little later but as I took in my surroundings I immediately relaxed. Aj was still sleeping with his arms wrapped around me and the morning light was peeking in his window to signal the start of a new day. I wasn’t entirely sure what had roused me from my peaceful slumber until I heard my phone alert that I had a voicemail chiming from the other room. Knowing I’d never get back to sleep until I knew who had left me a message I crept carefully out of Aj’s embrace and clumsily found my phone from where I had dropped my clutch on the couch. I yawned and groggily typed in the password to my voice mail while stealing glances back towards Aj’s sleeping face. Hs features were completely relaxed, more so then I had recently seen them and a small smile curled at the corners of his lips. I became lost in his serene expression but was abruptly yanked out of it when music blasted from my phone.

Time is ticking almost done

What we hated we've become

About our picking on our thumbs

Something wicked this way comes

I'm coming to get you

I'm coming to get you

I'm coming to get you

I dropped the needle, pick it up

Don't you worry you're old enough

Times are changing, so am I

Time's a wasting, it's time to die

I'm coming to get you

I'm coming to get you

I'm coming to get you

I dropped the phone on the ground and stared at it like it was a venomous snake. I could hear the music continue but couldn’t make out any more of the words. My heart pounded in my throat and my knees started to shake but then I felt strong arms wrap around me and soft lips on my neck

“Aj” I started but he pressed his lips to mine and because his kiss was still so new and beautiful and powerful I abruptly forgot about the message as we kissed tenderly in the early morning light

“I woke up and you weren’t there” Aj said with a pout

“I had a weird voice mail” I started but Aj was back to kissing my collar bone which made it very hard to focus

“What was weird about it?” Aj asked between kisses as he began to explore my silky slip with his hands

“I’m having trouble concentrating on it funnily enough” I said as his hand crept farther and farther up my leg “Hey now”

“Sorry. You have nice legs. I get carried away” He said not sounding sorry at all but lifting me up and tossing me lightly on the bed before climbing over me. We were making out in bed when my phone began vibrating like crazy from the floor

“Aj” I mumbled through a kiss

“Ignore it” He whispered back before kissing me again. It stopped vibrating so I put it to the back of my mind but then it started again a minute later

“It’s not going to go away” I said pulling back from a kiss

“I’m going to hurt whoever it is” Aj said with a groan as I slid out from under him to retrieve my phone. It vibrated again and as I put it to my ear Aj wrapped his arms around me from behind and started placing sweet kisses on my shoulders

“What’s up?” I asked as Aj continued his assault via kisses

“Where have you been?” Mollee asked with stress coloring her tone

“Here at Aj’s. You told me to stay. You packed me a bag” I said unsure of why she sounded so angry

“I know but you weren’t picking up your phone. Have you been awake long?” She asked and Aj moved to kissing my neck

“No I just got up. What’s wrong?” I asked trying to focus but being thoroughly distracted by Aj

“Have you been online?” She asked and Aj moved to the spot right at the nape of my neck which he knows drives me crazy. My knees actually wobbled beneath me and I felt him giggle a little into my neck

“No I haven’t” I said trying to keep my voice in control

“Well you’re all over it” She said and Aj abruptly stopped kissing my neck

“What do you mean?” I asked slowly

“You and Aj are all over the place going all kissy faced at the club. It’s on fan pages and news rags. Entertainment weekly even has a story about it on the front page of their website” She said and Aj groaned a little but this time not in pleasure

“I don’t understand” I said sitting down on the bed and Aj sat next to me

“Well you two couldn’t keep it in your pants while you were in public and you made a stupid decision to go out to a club that was around the corner from the venue we had just finished a show at. There were tons of fans there that all recorded your escapades and posted them online. It’s a firestorm. They figured out that you were his dancer so now your name is everywhere. Way to be discreet you dumbass” Mollee said and I sat still for a minute listening to the silence. And then a giggle bubbled out of me “Are you laughing?”

“No” I said through a laugh “Ok, yes”

“Kat this is not funny! This could make your life hell! Do you want the media making stuff up about you? Do you want them digging around through your past to find skeletons about mom and dad and me?” Mollee asked and I tried to get myself under control as Aj caught my giggles

“Molls, it sucks but I’m not hiding it. Anyone can know that Aj and I are together. Honestly, I’m surprised no one put it together sooner” I said and I could hear Mollee sigh in annoyance

“I thought you hated extra attention. You could have at least TRIED to be careful” She said

“Oh Molls it’s ok. Everything will be fine. It’s big news this morning but then something more interesting will happen and it’ll be over. Maybe I’ll leak you and Nick to distract from me and Aj” I joked

“Ok you jerk” She said but she sounded a little less stressed “Well I just wanted you to know that you were all over the internet so you didn’t have to find out from someone else”

“I appreciate that. Thanks Mollee” I said

“Love you” She said and then added slyly “So how was your night?”

“Goodbye Mollee” I said with a fake note of exasperation at her nosiness before hanging up the phone

“You’re really ok with everyone knowing you’re mine?” Aj asked and I shrugged

“I’m not embarrassed of you. Most of the time” I joked and Aj shoved me playfully “So what are we doing today?”

“A whole lot of being on the bus” Aj said motioning towards the window which showed the European country side we were quickly driving through

“How did I not notice we were moving?” I asked shaking my head at my own distraction “It must be that when I’m with you nothing else really registers much”

“I know the feeling” He said with a dreamy sigh before intertwining his hands in mine

“Do you have any food? I’m hungry” I said and Aj laughed

“I should. Tray usually stocks me up before a long bus ride” He said leading me towards the kitchen unit

“How are you going to live over the break without people taking care of you every minute?” I joked as he opened the fridge to show a variety of pre-prepared foods

“Maybe I’ll have to find someone to take care of me” Aj said with a coy smile “Are you free?”

“Ugh I don’t know. I have to talk to Mollee. I want to be” I added quickly as his smile began to fade

“Well you better talk soon. We have four days until we go back stateside. And we need to be packed before we fly to our last show in Dubai” Aj said grabbing some frozen waffles and struggling to open the bag without letting go of at least one hand that was holding onto me

“It went by so quickly. I didn’t even realize we only had two shows left. Crap, I have so much packing to do!” I groaned as Aj won his battle with the plastic bag and triumphantly stuffed the waffles in the toaster

“Well you’re trapped on the bus with me all day today. We won’t be in Serbia until late tonight” Aj said calmly while rummaging for Belgian waffle toppings

“Are you packed?” I asked as my slight OCD tendencies began to take my good mood and convert it to nervous energy

“Well…” Aj trailed off while glancing in the direction of his closet which was completely trashed with clothing

“Looks like I found what we’re doing today” I said following his gaze

“Not exactly what I had in mind for the first day of you and I back as an official couple but I’ll take it” Aj said handing me a plate of perfectly constructed Belgian Waffle glory

“I’m not going to do all the work while you sit and stare at me” I warned before taking my first bite. Oh what delicious artery-clogging bliss!

“I would never!” Aj said pretending to be offended through a huge mouthful. I rolled my eyes and Aj gave me a whipped crème filled smile.

Oddly enough, even though it took our entire day off, packing with Aj was an amazing way to spend our time. It was something normal that we could do together and we were both so happy to just be able to complete this mundane task without any stress that we were giddy with our good moods. By the time all of Aj’s clothes and games and decorations collected across Europe were neatly packed in boxes that were stacked by the door of the bus we were parked in a lot with the sun low in the sky. Both of us were exhausted but going a little stir crazy from so much time on the bus so before I could collapse onto the little remaining space on the couch, Aj had grabbed a blanket and pulled me outside. It was freezing but before I could complain he brought me around to the back of the bus and hoisted me up on the back bumper. He threw the blanket up onto the roof and then climbed up after it. I stared after him, marveling at his ease in climbing and then his head popped back over the edge of the bus.

“Coming?” He asked with an adorable grin. With a laugh I followed his path up the back of the bus and eagerly cuddled into his chest under the blanket. Once I warmed up we both lay back to watch the sun set over Belgrade.

“This is one of the best days I’ve had in a long time” I said after a moment of silence watching the sky bloom into pinks and purples as our breath made puffs of clouds in the air

“There will be many more like this to come” Aj said happily nuzzling into my shoulder

“Well, definitely one more. I still have to pack all of my stuff” I said with a sigh

“You don’t ever relax, do you?” Aj asked with a smile as he inhaled deeply at my neck

“Not often” I answered slyly

“We’ll have to work on that” Aj said through closed eyes

“Well we’ll have plenty of time. Now that I’ve got you I don’t think I could bear being away from you. Certainly not across the country and certainly not for two months” I said and I watched with amusement as Aj tried to hide his excitement that I had come to a conclusion that he had been pushing for all day. He thought he’d been subtle in his constant hints that being anywhere but with him for the break would be terrible but I wasn’t going to burst his bubble. His happiness was more than enough reason for me to do anything.

“What is Mollee going to say?” Aj asked and I shrugged

“I bet she has been trying for the past few days to break to me that she wants to spend the two months off with Nick. She’ll probably be relieved when I bring up my wanting to stay with you. I mean, it will be the longest we’ve ever gone not under one roof but maybe it’ll be good for us. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?” I asked as a shot of anxiety raced through my body. Ever since our parents had died, well, ever since we could remember really, Mollee and I had been everything to each other. I knew it wasn’t realistic to assume that a girl could spend her whole life down the hall from her sister but the reality was hitting me that the day of our separation was frighteningly close. In fact, it may have already passed.

“Stop worrying” Aj said using his pointer finger to gently smooth the worry lines that creased my brow as I thought everything over “Nick lives about fifteen minutes from me. You won’t be living with Mollee, but you could probably ride a bike to her”

“I’m living with a Backstreet Boy and you think I’m going to ride a bike?” I joked and let out a little bit of my stress. Fifteen minutes was completely manageable.

“What am I supposed to buy you a car, gold digger?” Aj joked back

“Oh sugar daddy, like you don’t have a million cars that I could take out for a spin” I joked in an over the top sexy voice

“You’re not wrong” Aj grinned and I pressed my lips to his

“Sorry, you were adorable and I was overcome” I said when I had pulled back

“Never apologize for kissing” Aj said leaning back in for more. We made out for a while longer while the sun sank lower and lower into the sky, transforming it slowly from a firestorm of color to pinpricks from the lights of the stars thrown against the velvety blackness of the night. We were taking a moment to stare goofily at each other, making faces and giggling like morons, when I heard my name

“Is someone calling me?” I whispered and Aj nodded “Should I pretend I’m not here?”

“I’m ok with that” Aj whispered with an adorable grin

“Kat I know you’re in there and I need you” Mollee yelled from below before banging on the bus door. I rolled my eyes and Aj sighed, knowing I was incapable of disappointing my sister for long

“You’re wrong, I’m not in there” I said loudly causing Aj to giggle

“Where are you?” She yelled. I rolled over a little and stuck my head over the front of the bus

“Look up, nerd” I yelled down to her

“Katrina Rose what on Earth are you doing up there?” Mollee asked with a bemused smile

“We’re watching the sun set. Can I help you?” I joked as Aj ran his hand lazily up and down my back

“I’m coming up” Mollee said disappearing around the back and I snuggled back into Aj’s arms

“You’re a pushover” Aj teased giving me a squeeze

“It’s freezing, move over” Mollee grunted as she hoisted herself up onto the roof with us. I moved closer to Aj and she cuddled in next to me with a shiver

“Hi” I said with a goofy grin that Mollee returned

“You’re happy” She observed with delight “You must have figured everything out”

“We did” I said nuzzling Aj’s arm that was wrapped around me

“Well I won’t intrude for long, I promise, I just wanted to talk to you about the tour break” Mollee said nervously and I laughed

“Let me guess. You want to stay with Nick?” I asked and she nodded slowly, bracing herself for a blow “Do you know who lives fifteen minutes from one Nick Carter?”

“David Hasselhoff?” She guessed and my eyes grew wide

“Is that true!?”

“It sure is. How cool is that?” Mollee asked giddily and I squealed with her

“As if catching two of the Backstreet Boys wasn’t enough…” Aj joked and we both turned and shushed him at the same time

“Well Aj does too” I said after we had regained our composure “So we can still see each other all the time”

“Are you sure it’s ok?” Mollee asked and I freed a hand from Aj to take one of hers

“Mollee we’re growing up. You’ll always be my sister, no matter where we live. And Aj insists that we can bike to each other if we want to” I said meeting her eyes

“We can bike? Why date a Backstreet Boy if you’re going to ride a bike?” Mollee asked causing Aj and me to dissolve in giggles “What?”

“It’s nothing, you two are just so alike it’s scary” Aj said with a grin

“Ok. So it’s settled then. I’m going to pack tomorrow before the show and we need to decide who is getting what” Mollee said and I groaned

“That is going to be worse than sorting through possessions in divorce court” I joked

“Well it has to be done. As soon as you wake up head on over. He can come too” Mollee said and I nodded “Alright, I’ll leave you to the gross stuff you were doing”

“Hardy Har” I said to her back as she slid out of the blankets and over the side of the bus. I listened to her laughing to herself all the way across the lot until the sound of the door to Nick’s bus being shut echoed across the quiet lot

“See? Easy as pie” Aj said with a grin

“You win” I said happily leaning in for another kiss.