DISCLAIMER: Not for people under the age of 18 years. Includes homoerotic material that may be unsuitable for some readers. This is a fictional story (how I hate to say it) involving celebrities. This story is in no way meant to imply or suggest the sexual orientation of anyone involved.
-------------- The Real Kevin -------------- by Neil e-mail me at NeilsANerd@aol.com
Part IV -------
"Inspiration? Is that what they call it now?" Kevin asked, smiling ear to ear.
"Oh, shut up and get your face over here." He obeyed and kissed me.
"Have you thought any more about our job offer?"
"Crap! I totally forgot, with all this...emotion going on. I think I'll take you up on that offer."
"You will?!? GREAT!" He hopped up off the bed and ran for the door, but I stopped him. "You think you might want to zip your fly and put on a shirt before you go out there?"
"Oh....yeah....I guess that would be a good idea, wouldn't it?"
After he had returned to his room, I decided to join Brian and Nick in the game room. I snuck into the door. Nick bounced the cue ball off the side rail to sink the 8-ball. "Good shot!" I remarked. They both spun around with surprised looks on their faces. "Oh, I scared you, sorry."
Brian replied, "That's alright."
Nick said, "Yeah, at least somebody else got to bask in my glory." I laughed as Brian got Nick in a headlock. "Hey, let go, you stupid queee...."n He trailed off.
"Queer?" I asked. Brian let go of Nick.
"Look, I'm sorry. I really didn't...."
"I know, Nick. Believe me, I know." I picked up a cue stick. "I now pronounce you FORGIVEN." I tapped the stick on both his shoulder as a king would knight a warrior. Nick just laughed. Brian started to set up the balls again.
"What are you doing? Haven't I beaten you enough already?"
"No, I am going to win one game, even if we both have to miss the show!"
To that I said, "Nick, I will break both of your hands if that's what it takes. But you two are going tonight. Now, I think I'll leave you two alone and get myself ready for what I'm sure will be an enjoyable evening."
On my way through the living room, I grabbed the cordless phone to call Shannon. I saw Howie and AJ sleeping on the couches (separately).
"Hello?" came her voice on the other side.
"Gettin' ready yet?"
"Just on my way to my room."
"What a coincidence. I should only take a minute to get ready. You want me to pick you up?"
"Sure thing. Like I would say 'no' to an encounter with the Backstreet Boys. Of course, you get to live with them for a few days." I grinned.
"Yeah, about living with them...."
"What?"
"Well, you see...they kinda hired me AS ONE OF THEIR DANCERS!!!"
"OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU JOKING ME? YOU LUCKY PIECE OF CRAP!!!"
"Hey, I'm going to get ready now. I'll see you in a bit. Bye."
I dressed in a loose pair of khakis and one of my tighter shirts, a blue ribbed one. Everyone said I looked good in it, so I figured I would wear it to my first Backstreet concert. I then told the guys that I was picking Shannon up and that I shouldn't be long.
Shannon's mom answered the door. "Hi, Neil. Just go on up; she's in her room."
I knocked, knowing that she might be getting dressed. "Come in."
"Wow, what a knockout outfit" I complimented her.
"Thanks. You think AJ will like it?"
I smiled and said, "You won't give up, will you?"
"Hey, it worked for you. By the way, what the hell do you mean you're going to be one of their dancers?" I told her how they went to my recital, then one of the dancers was quitting, so Kevin suggested hiring me. She just listened with disbelief. "How I told you lately how much I hate you?" she asked.
"Not lately. But then again, I wasn't always friends with *AJ MacLe ugh!" She had hit me in the stomach.
"Just shut up. Is my hair alright? Are you sure you like this outfit? Do I really look alright? Do I have on enough makeup?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Do you want to leave now or what? I mean, if you would rather be here pampering yourself than spending time with the Backstreet Boys, I could just pick you up later."
"I'll get my jacket."
When we arrived, Howie had woke up, but AJ was still sleeping on the couch. "Oh, great. There goes my quality time with AJ." Shannon complained.
Shannon, Kevin, Howie, and I went to the game room to talk with Brian and Nick. "Hey, Shannon!" Brian said.
"Hi" she said, still a bit shaken up. We chatted about the concert and their tour for a few minutes. Then Kevin chimed in, "I guess Neil told you about his new job?"
"Yes, he did. That is so amazing! I want you all to take good care of him. By the way, how do you think you're parents will react?"
"I didn't even think about that....I'm sure they'll be happy as long as I am."
Before we knew it, it was time to go to the concert. AJ still hadn't woke up, so we let Shannon do the honors. She jokingly laid right on top of him and yelled, "AJ!! OH MY GOD! AJ, WAKE UP!!" Everyone bursted with laughter as AJ woke up startled and tried to get up. Shannon jumped off of him and joined in the laughter. "What the...? You know, I'm really starting to hate you all, espcially you, Shannon."
She got a hurt look on her face. "You hate me? Oh, geez. Do you know what it's like to have the person you most admire tell you that he hates you?" She hid her eyes, turned around, and sniffled.
"Come on, Shannon. I was just joking. C'mon, stop crying."
She turned to face him and busted out laughing again. All of us thought she was serious, so we all started laughing too. "Alright, it's official. I DO hate you all."
"Grab your jacket, AJ, it's time for the show" Nick informed him.
We left, the Boys in the van, and Shannon and I following in my car. The concert was great. Except for the thousands of screaming pre-teens. We had seats in the third row. AJ made a point to sing a lot of his parts to Shannon, which made her scream in delight. I caught Kevin looking at me several times. After the show was over, a security guard came over to escort us backstage. We waited in a small room for a few minutes before the Boys and their dancers came in. Kevin said to the dancers, "This is our newest recruit, Neil. He'll be taking Mark's place." I said hello to them all and got their names. They were all very tired and excused themselves back to their hotel.
"Great show, guys. I've waited years for that." Shannon told them.
"Thanks, hon" AJ joked and kissed her on the forhead. She rolled her eyes back into her head and sighed.
"I think I'd better take her home before AJ ends up filing for a restraining order. I'll see you guys back at the house. Bye!" They waved to us as we left.
I dropped Shannon off at her house and returned home. I walked into the kitchen to get a drink before I went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a hectic day. My parents were going to be home in the morning, and I still had to tell them. Then I had to pack. I wasn't sure what time the tour buses were leaving. I barely had enough energy to change my clothes before I fell into my bed and immediately went to sleep.
I woke up early in the morning, despite being so exhausted last night. I slowly opened the door to Kevin's room. I saw him sleeping peacefully. "Now, now. Don't get any ideas." It was Howie. I chuckled and said, "Good morning. You're up early."
"Yeah, I don't usually get a lot of sleep."
"I was going to make some breakfast. What kind of eggs do you want?"
We enjoyed our breakfast at the table. Then I heard a banging at the door. It was my dad kicking the door because his hands were full. "Oh, hey! How was your trip?" I asked as I took some luggage from my dad.
"Just fine. Everybody there says Hello."
"Let me help you with that" Howie said.
Mom answered, "Oh, no, young man. We couldn't ask our guests to do that. My name is Sandra. I'm Neil's mom. That's Richard, my husband."
"Nice to meet you both. I'm Howie." We finished unloading the luggage, so we all sat down at the table to talk.
"So, Howie, what brings you to Cleveland?"
He just smiled. "I'm a singer, and I had a concert last night."
"Oh, that's nice. Goodness, who are these fellows?" Mom asked as Brian, Kevin, and AJ walked into the room. Now, I know she knows who the Backstreet Boys are (she thinks Nick is "sooo cute!"), but she hadn't realized that it was them.
"Mom, this is Kevin, Brian, and AJ...." I picked up the tone to clue her in.
She gasped when she realized. She angrily mumbled, "Neil, why didn't you tell me? I am such a mess!"
AJ said, "No, you're not a mess. What I don't understand is why your parents took you on their trip but didn't take your brother." He motioned to me.
"Oh, hahaha. I really like you." She smiled back. Then she saw Nick come into the kitchen.
"Uh-oh, watch out." I warned them all.
Mom got up and ran to Nick. She just grabbed him and started jumping up and down. She pinched his cheeks and said some stuff that we couldn't understand, butI thought I heard the word 'cute' about a thousand times.
"Sandra. SANDRA! Calm down!" My dad called.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry" she said to Nick after she let go of him.
Brian replied, "Nick gets that all the time."
Nick continued, "But not quite like that!"
We all continued talking in the kitchen. Eventually, Kevin mentioned that I had quite an opportunity awaiting me. My parents looked at me confused. Then I told them. They seemed really happy. Then reality set back in with them. "What about college? What about your friends and family? What if this doesn't work out?" They had a thousand questions, and I told them that I had also thought about these same questions. But it was my life, and I saw an opportunity that I would be a fool to pass up. They understood and wished me well. I thanked them, then excused myself to my room. I had a lot of packing to do.
"You need some help?" Nick asked, standing in my door.
"Well, if you really want to. Just grab some clothes out of this dresser and put 'em in these bags." He came in, followed by Kevin. I didn't take long at all before all my bags were overstuffed. I then grabbed a few personal items and toiletries. I got my CD player and CD's, and we walked out of my room. "Well, I guess that's it." I said.
"I hope you have a lot of fun. Take care." My dad hugged me.
"I hate to leave since you two just got home, but I don't have much of a choice."
"We understand. Now, fellas, you take good care of my little boy here. I love you, sweetie." Mom kissed my cheek. Everyone said their goodbyes.
We left the house and threw the last bag into the van. We drove to the hotel to get the buses. In all the choas of the moving, Kevin pulled me aside. "How are you doing?"
"I'm just fine. A bit sad about leaving, but I'll be fine."
"Well, we gotta ride the buses for ten hours to the next stop. I'm really going to miss you." He looked around to make sure nobody was around, then kissed me quickly on the lips.
"I'll miss you too. But I have a few people to get to know, and a few dance routines to memorize, so I think I'll be pretty busy." One of the bus drivers walked up to talk to Kevin, so I just left. I got onto the second bus and sat down. Moments later, the other dancers came on, and we started talking.
The bus ride wasn't bad at all. I really got to know everyone, and they showed me what dance routines they could in a moving bus. I had a lot of fun, but I really did miss Kevin. I wonder what he's doing now? I would just find myself tuning everything else out and thinking about him. Was I really falling in love?
We eventually made it to the next city. We checked into the hotel. The dancers' rooms were on the floor below the Boys'. I had to share a room with three others, so there wasn't a lot of time that I could see Kevin. I did volunteer to get my roommates some drink from the vending machine. I quickly ran up the stairs and knocked on Kevin's door. He answered the door, and he went to the vending machines with me. We just had small talk. I told him about how much I liked everyone else, and that I was already starting to learn some of the dances. He was really glad that I was enjoying myself.
"Well, I guess I gotta go. These are pretty cold." I had my hands full of ice cold cans.
"Then I'll see you later." He jokingly slapped me on the butt, knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it. I just turned around and smiled at him.
The tour really turned into a big routine. We would just ride buses or planes to a city, check into the hotel, we dancers would practice every waking moment (our choreographer was extremly strict), then we would do a show or two and leave. Kevin and I both tried our hardest to find time to spend together, but it would only be about a day every two weeks. When we were together, we would mainly talk. It was heaven for me, being with the man I loved, and who loved me back. I really enjoyed being on this tour. I went new places and did new things. And just when I thought I had finally settled into this life, tragedy:
One evening the buses stopped at a rest area. I went to the restroom, and when I came out, I wanted to find the Boys. From a distance, I saw Brian and Kevin on a bench in a little park area. I decided to sneak up on them, and I did.
Brian: "Why do you say that?" He put his hand on Kevin's shoulder.
Kevin: "Because I don't know if I'm in this because of love, or if he was just the first opportunity that I grabbed. I really...I just don't know."
I would've been happier if I were struck by lightning or if osme stranger came by and slit my throat.
Brian: "Come on. Let's talk more on the bus. You never know who will hear us out here."
Me: "Yeah, you never know."
They turned. They both had shocked looks on their faces. "How long were you listening?" Kevin asks.
"Long enough."
To Be Continued....