Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 00:27:04 GMT
From: Allan B <ab4ngc@hotmail.com>
Subject: Backstreet Bet 1

Backstreet Bet
by Allan

Thank you for choosing to read another story about the Backstreet Boys.  
There are so many boy band stories out there and I hope to provide you all 
with an original story that you will hopefully enjoy.  There will not be 
much sex in the early episodes because I want to develop the characters 
first so you feel like you know them.  I should also warn you that this is a 
drama story so there will be a lot of tears but with the tears there will 
also be a lot of cherished  and happy moments.

Thank you to all the talented writers out there for sharing your work with 
all of us and thank you also to NIFTY for providing us with an outlet for 
releasing our creavtivity.  You are all the inspiration for this story 
(along with the BSB of course). :-)

Onto the legal disclaimers; This story contains sexual relationships between 
males, if you are under age or if this sort of material is illegal where you 
live, please leave and do not read this story.  This story is purely 
fictional and also does not imply that any of the Backstreet Boys are gay.  
All other characters are the figment of my imagination.

Now, on with the story...

Part 1

Since their last visit in 1996, Nick tried his best to convince management 
and the other guys that more visits to the land Down Under were needed.  But 
try as he might, his nagging did him no good.  They had to concentrate on 
breaking the US market and bring the success back home - nothing was more 
important than that!  All the hard work was paying off now and they were so 
well known in the US that no Backstreet Boy member could go to the local 
mall without having it wind up in the news.  Ok maybe not that popular but 
close enough.

Nick couldn't believe it! Was this really happening? Sometimes it all seemed 
so surreal, like it was too good to be true.  And finally after three years 
they were on a jumbo jet in first class seats, returning to one of his 
favourite places in the whole world... Australia.  All this excitement was 
wearing Nick down and he could feel himself slowly drifting off to a deep, 
peaceful sleep - which was just as well, the plane trip to Australia wasn't 
a short one (13 hours in fact) and Nick never really liked flying that much.

"Good morning passengers, this is Wayne Rogers your lead flight attendant. 
The captain has switched on the seat belt sign and we will soon be landing. 
Please fasten your seat belts and ensure your seats are in an upright 
position.  We trust that you all slept well and on behalf of QANTAS, we wish 
to welcome you to Sydney, Australia - home of the 2000 Olympics."

"Hey Nick wake up man! We're about to land, you don't wanna miss this." 
Brian said as he shook Nick. "Wha.. What's going on?" Nick said in a groggy 
tone, almost forgetting where he was.  "Damn Bri, did you have to wake me up 
like that? You know how much I hate landings" Nick said. "Yeah I know, 
that's why I woke you up bro" laughed Brian.  Before Nick could give Brian a 
playful punch on the shoulder, the plane had landed.

"See, that wasn't so bad afterall, was it now?" Brian said in a reassuring 
manner.

"Yeah it was ok, I'm glad we're on the ground now though and hey... we're in 
Australia!" Suddenly Nick's exuberance had returned and he was more excited 
than ever.  He wasn't sure what it was about Australia that he liked.  Maybe 
it was because it reminded him of home, the people were so laid back and 
friendly and the beaches were so clean and so unspoilt.  Maybe it was the 
way Australians spoke, he was definately enchanted by the Aussie accent - it 
was so cute he thought.  He even tried to pick up an Aussie accent on their 
last trip here but he just couldn't say "G'Day" or "mate" like a true blue 
Aussie.

The other guys were excited too but they seemed to be taking it in their 
stride.  Brian and Howie were looking forward to the two weeks vaction they 
would all have in Australia after they finished their concert commitments 
and AJ was looking forward to catching up with some friends he had met last 
time they were here.  Even Kevin was excited but he didn't show it as much, 
he was too busy making sure that everything was on schedule and going 
according to plan.

As they were all disembarking, Kevin reminded them of the schedule. "OK 
fellas, security has arranged a special exit for us so we shouldn't have to 
face all those screaming fans." "Thank goodness!" The other four guys said 
in unison.  They all loved their fans - afterall where would they be without 
them? But sometimes it got a little bit too much and the last thing they 
wanted to see after a 13 hour flight and at 7 am were hundreds of screaming 
teenagers. "We've got the rest of today free so get as much sleep and rest 
as possible because we've got concerts and promotions for the next four 
days."

"Yes dad!" AJ said sarcastically. "I don't know about you guys but I'm 
headed for the beach!" Brian said. "Yeah count us in too" Nick and Howie 
said enthusiastically.  As soon as they arrived at the hotel the guys 
checked into their rooms and Nick, Brian and Howie went straight for the 
beach while AJ and Kevin stayed at the hotel to get some rest.

The next three days went off without a hitch.  There was the rare occasion 
where a few of their devoted fans recognized them at the shopping centre but 
they were able to keep that in control by signing a few autographs and 
obliging to photo requests.  The guys got to see a lot of the city - Sydney 
Opera House and the Habour Bridge, do some shopping and visit Bondi and 
Manly beaches.

On the night of their last concert in Sydney, Howie decided he'd have some 
fun with Nick.  It had been a while since Nick played a prank on anyone so 
Howie thought twice about what he was about to do, but he couldn't resist, 
"Hey, Nick it's been really cool these past few days, but I'm starting to 
get kind of bored. You know what I mean?"

"Um, not really, actually I'm having a blast, I still can't believe we are 
actually here. What's on your mind D? You sound like you are up to something 
huh?" Nick asked inquisitively and with a sly grin on his face.

'Ha!' Howie thought to himself, he's taking the bait. "Well, it's been a 
while since any of us have gone on a date and um..."

"Hold it right there D!!! You're not about to ask me out are you? You know 
I'm not gay." Nick stated nervously.  Ironically though, he was gay, but 
none of the other guys knew it and he wanted to keep his secret so he 
pretended that he wasn't interested in guys.  May be one day he would tell 
them all but right now he was still getting used to being gay and if 
anything he couldn't confide that sort of thing to Howie, may be to Brian 
but not Howie.

"Of course not! I was thinking more along the lines of a bet." Howie said 
proudly.

"What did you have in mind?" Nick asked, he knew this was going to be good 
if the smile on Howie's face was anything to go by.

"Well, you know how tonight is our last concert here in Sydney?"

"Yeah, and then we have a few days off again before going to Melbourne" Nick 
replied; he knew the schedule like the back of his hand thanks to Kevin 
drumming it into them thousands of times.

"Well, at the concert tonight I'm gonna choose someone in the crowd and you 
know what?" Howie grinned.

"No, what?" Nick asked nervously.

"You are gonna take them on a date and make them fall in love with you." 
Howie said proudly.

Nick didn't know what to think at first. It all sounded easy enough and then 
it hit him... Howie was probably going to pick the ugliest girl in the 
audience tonight.  The first part (the ugly part) didn't matter but the 
second part did.  'Oh no' Nick thought to himself, 'he's gonna choose a girl 
and I won't know what to do with her.'

"Um, I don't know about this Howie, someone's feelings could get hurt and 
um..."

"You're not chickening out on me now are you Nicky boy???" Howie said in 
such a condecsending way.

"Hell no! You're on buddy! What happens to the loser?" Nick asked. He 
couldn't believe that he had agreed to this but there was no way he'd let 
Howie get away with calling him a chicken and Howie would never let him live 
it down.

"The loser has to do the winner's laundry for a year!" Howie stated.

"No way!!!" Nick exclaimed, "We're only here for a few more weeks after this 
concert and that's not enough time for some one to fall in love."

"Well it should be easy for the 'heart throb' (Howie knew Nick hated that 
label) of the group. So you still up for it?"

"OK, but how will we know if the person you choose loves me?" Nick 
questioned.

Howie explained that the person he chose had to say "I love you" to Nick and 
he handed Nick a small tape recorder so he would have proof.  Nick was still 
hesitant about the whole bet but the thought of watching Howie do his 
laundry for a whole year was too much and Howie was so convinced that Nick 
wouldn't be able to make the person fall in love with him so no one would 
get hurt anyway.

That night during the concert, Nick was so nervous that he almost forgot the 
lyrics to his solo, "I Need You Tonight."  He survived though and while 
Brian was alone on stage singing "That's What She Said", Howie grabbed Nick 
by the shoulder and dragged him to the side of the stage and pointed out who 
the person was.

"Ok Nick, the person is sitting in the fourth row, third seat from the 
left." Howie said proudly.

Nick looked at the seat and couldn't believe his eyes.  It was a guy!  'Oh 
no' Nick thought, 'does Howie know about my secret? Does he know I'm gay?' 
"Um Howie, there's a guy in that seat" Nick said hesitantly.

"Duh! You think I didn't see that.  I never told you I was going to choose a 
girl and I didn't say this was gonna be easy did I?"

'Phew' Nick though to himself, 'so he doesn't know my secret'.  A rush of 
relief ran through his body and then Howie asked "So does that mean you'll 
be doing my laundry?"

"No way man, I'm gonna win this one" Nick sounded confident but inside he 
was so scared. He looked at the guy Howie had chosen.  The guy was about 6 
feet tall, had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and was kind of on the large 
side, he was a little over weight.  Nick thought that he probably wouldn't 
be interested in this guy if it wasn't for the bet but may be if the guy was 
a little thinner he would have caught his eye.

After accepting the bet, Nick assured Howie that he wasn't gay and that he 
wouldn't kiss the guy.  Howie was fine with that, all he wanted was for the 
guy to say "I love You". Easy enough.

"Hey, guys get ready, we're all up next with the finale." Kevin ordered.

Right before they hit the stage again, AJ noticed Nick looking a little 
concerned.  "Hey Nick, is everything ok, you look like you're about to hurl 
man."

"Nah, I'm fine AJ just anxious to get this concert wrapped up that's all."

"OK man but if you puke on stage it's not gonna do much for that pretty boy 
image of yours" AJ joked. "Pretty Boy" was another label Nick detested so he 
gave AJ one of those friendly punches before they all headed on stage to 
perform "All I Have To Give".

After showering and getting changed into some sweat free clothes, the guys 
prepared to meet some fans backstage.  Howie organized it with the ground 
crew for the "bet" guy to be there too.  The guys happily signed autographs 
and had their picture taken with the fans and that's when Nick approached 
the "bet" guy...

"Hey man what's up? I'm Nick" he said offering his right hand.

"G'Day! Um, yep I know who you are. I... I... um... I'm Lachlan but my 
friends call me Locky. I'm a big fan of you. I mean of you guys." Lachlan 
said in an embarassed tone.

"Well it's nice to meet you and that's a nice name you have there."

"Nice to meet you too and thanks."

Instantly Nick wondered whether or not Lachlan was gay, he had a feeling 
that he was but may be he was just hoping so the bet would be easier for 
him.  Nick almost ignored the other fans and paid so much attention to 
Lachlan.  Lachlan noticed this and it made him feel really happy, as though 
his spirits were soaring.  Every so often, Howie would glance in Nick and 
Lachlan's direction to see how it was all going.

'I wonder if Nick is gay. Gee I hope he is.  Could he possibly be interested 
in me?'  Lachlan thought to himself. 'Nah, probably just wishful thinking.'  
So he passed it off as Nick just being glad to talk to a guy fan for a 
change and just decided to go with the flow.

Nick and Lachlan chatted for a while about a lot of stuff; the beach, 
movies, and even song writing.  The strange thing was, they had a lot in 
common.  Well may be it wasn't so strange, afterall, they were both the same 
age and it was common for guys that age to have the same interests.  Nick 
found it easy to open up to his new friend.  Lachlan was so down to earth 
and although he seemed a little nervous at the start of their meeting, he 
seemed unaffected by Nick's fame.  He spoke to Nick like a 'normal' person 
and although this was new to Nick, he welcomed it and it made him feel like 
a 'regular' person again.  At one point in the evening, he even forgot about 
the bet.  Oh yeah, the bet.  He was beginning to wish he hadn't taken that 
stupid bet because he liked this new friend he had made and even if it 
wasn't for the bet he would probably still want to be friends with him.

"Sorry, everybody..." Kevin announced, "...but we have to be going now.  
Thank you all for being here tonight and we hope you enjoyed the concert."  
The small group of fans let out a sigh of disappointment and headed for the 
exit.

"Well, Nick, I guess that's my cue.  It was really cool to meet you"  
Lachlan said

"Yeah you too! Um... Locky your a really cool guy and everything and I was 
wondering if you'd like to hang out or something tomorrow, it would be cool 
to have a local show me, I mean, us, the sights and sounds of Sydney." Nick 
asked

"Hey I'd love to. I'm on summer vacation now and I've got nothing better to 
do any way"  Lachlan excitedly responded.

"Cool, I'll leave your name with the front desk at the Hyatt Hotel and 
they'll give you the access code to the Penthouse suite. How about we meet 
at 10am and have brunch?" Nick asked

"Sure, that sounds like a plan so I'll see you then."

"OK, bye!" Nick couldn't believe it.  He had made a new friend and what's 
more, his new friend was so genuine.  What he like most about Lachlan was 
the way he smiled and how his face seemed to brighten up when an idea or 
thought popped up in his head.  Lachlan opitimized everything Nick liked 
about Aussies, he was so laid back and approachable, had a great sense of 
humour and even though he had only spoken to him for only an hour, he had a 
feeling that they would be good friends.  And then it hit him again.  'Oh 
damn it!' he thought, 'Why the hell did I agree to that bet?'  As he thought 
about it, Brian noticed the confused look on his face and approached him.

"OK Nick, what's wrong??? We've known each other long enough for me to know 
when something's up with you." Brian said expressing his concern.  Actually 
Brian was a little more than concerned than he let Nick believe.  He had 
noticed that Nick spent an aweful lot of time with that fan and when the fan 
left, he noticed the worried expression on Nick's face.  'Could Nick have 
feelings for that guy?' Brian thought 'surely not, I've known this kid for 
almost seven years now and I'd know if he was gay.  You just couldn't hide 
something like that for so long.'  It wouldn't have bothered Brian one bit 
if Nick was gay.  Nick was like a brother to him and he loved him very much, 
infact as much as he loved his family so he would accept Nick no matter 
what.

"Is there anything you wanna talk about bro?" Brian asked

Nick hesitated a little and then said, "No thanks Bri, I know you're only 
looking out for me but everything is fine, really.  May be the jet lag is 
just finally catching up with me that's all."

Brian decided to let it go.  If Nick wanted to talk he would do so when he 
was ready.  The important thing was that Nick knew Brian would always be 
there for him.

At exactly 10am the next morning, Locky arrived at the Hyatt and the 
concierge gave him the access code to the Penthouse floor and explained that 
Nick was in room P08.  As he got out of the elevator, he pinched himself to 
make sure he wasn't dreaming and headed for Nick's room.  He knocked on the 
door and was immediately greeted by Nick who had a smile on his face.  Nick 
was really looking forward to this and asked Locky what he had in stall for 
the day.

"Well I thought we could go to Australia's Wonderland, it's not Disney World 
or anything but they've got some pretty cool rides so it should be fun 
anyway" Locky responded.

"Hey that should be cool, but it looks like the rest of the guys won't be 
joining us, they've decided to go to the country side and visit some friends 
we made the last time we were here. Is that ok?"

"Sure. No problem. So, are you ready to get going?"

"Ya, let me just leave a note for the guys so they know where I've gone."

"Ok, cool"

The drive to Australia's Wonderland lasted for an hour but the time passed 
quickly.  The new found friends had so much to talk about.  As soon as they 
arrived, Lachlan and Nick hit the biggest and scariest rides first - it 
seemed as thought they both had a penchant for rollercoasters; another thing 
they had in common.  During lunch Lachlan was telling Nick all about his 
dreams of one day becoming a successful singer too.

"I wanna be just like you guys; so successful and so nice to your fans.  It 
takes a really special person to be able to keep their fame and success in 
check."

"Gee thanks Locky, that's a really nice thing for you to say but fans like 
you are so easy to be nice to."  Nick replied.  He was really touched by the 
comment but what touched him more was his new friend's sincerity.  And then 
that's when it hit him.  Was he falling for Lachlan?  But he couldn't be 
falling for him, he'd only know this guy for a day but not matter how he 
tried to convince himself otherwise, he WAS falling for Lachlan.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch.  In fact it was perfect.  They 
had a wonderful time.  They were both worn out and didn't say much during 
the drive home.  When they finally reached the Hyatt, Nick decided he would 
come clean about the bet.  Afterall, he liked Lachlan for who he was, not 
because of some bet.  So before he got out of the car he turned to Lachlan 
and said,

"Um, Locky, there's something I need to tell you..."

"Yeah Nick what is it?"

"Well you have to promise that you won't get mad first ok?"

"Well, sure you can tell me anything, we're friends aren't we?"

"Of course we are, so..."

"Um, Nick may be I should tell you something first."  Lachlan interupted

"Oh ok go ahead"

"Well, you seem like a pretty cool guy and I really like you so I wanna be 
completely honest with and if you can't handle what I'm about to tell you, 
I'll understand and may be we weren't meant to be friends in the first 
place."

Nick noticed that Lachlan was getting a little upset.  "Locky, you can tell 
me anything and I promise I'll understand."  He had a feeling what Lachlan 
was about to tell him so he was pretty comfortable with saying what he just 
said.

"Ok here it goes... Nick, I... I... I'm gay" Lachlan couldn't believe that 
he'd actually said it.  He waited, breathlessly.  'How is he gonna handle 
this?' he tought to himself.

'I was right' Nick thought to himself

"Well, it was nice meeting you Nick..."

"Hey, hang on, I haven't said anything yet."  Nick couldn't believe his 
luck.  He had met a truly beautiful person and there was a chance that they 
could fall in love for real.  It didn't matter what Lachlan looked like 
because what mattered to Nick was the person.  At last he was beginning to 
understand what people meant by "Beauty is skin deep."

"You didn't have to, your silence tells me that you don't want anything to 
do with me."

"No, Locky wait.  That's not what it is, I was just quiet because I thought 
it was something big - like you'd killed someone or something.  There's 
nothing wrong with being gay."  Nick tried to assure him.

"Really?  Wow, I'm so happy you feel that way."

"Well, the reason I understand so much is because I um... I am gay too!"  
Nick couldn't believe what he'd just said.  He got taken by the moment and 
just came out and said it, but it was okay because he trusted Lachlan; not 
only that, he was falling in love with him.

"You sure know how to make a guy feel better don't you?"

"Well, there's more you see? I don't want to scare you off or anything but I 
think I may be falling for you."  Nick said hesitantly, he couldn't believe 
how brave he was being but he was sure of how strongly he felt so he took 
the chance.

Lachlan couldn't believe his ears.  Did the hottest guy in the world just 
tell him that he was falling for him?  Surely he was just hearing things.  
He just sat in his seat completely stunned by what Nick had said.

"Aren't you gonna say something?  Tell me it's ok, tell me to get lost, 
anything!"

Lachlan looked deep into Nick's eye's which were starting to well up with 
tears.  He couldn't stand to see Nick like this, he wiped away the tears and 
slowly leaned forward and lightly kissed Nick on the lips.

"Does that answer your question?"  Lachlan asked.

Nick smiled.  Thousands of emotions were running through him.  He was so 
delighted and could only muster a shy "yes".

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about in the first place?"  Lachlan 
asked.

'Oh that's right' Nick thought to himself, 'I have to tell him about the bet 
but I can't do that now - right after I just told him that I was falling for 
him'.  So he lied.

"Yes" Nick answered, "that's what I wanted to tell you."  It was hard for 
him to lie but there was no way Lachlan would understand now. He knew that 
he had to come come clean about being gay to the other Backstreet Boys, call 
the bet off with Howie, and tell the guys about his new found love.

"Nick I hate to do this but I have to go home, it's getting pretty late."

"OK, but we've got another day off tomorrow so can we get together again at 
the same time and do whatever?"

"You bet. Sounds like fun." Lachlan said with a mischievous grin on his 
face.

"Oh Locky, one more thing..."

"Yep, what?"

"381"

"what?"  Lachlan asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

"381" Nick repeated, "It's a saying we have - three words, eight letters, 
one meaning."

Lachlan caught on to what Nick was trying to say but decided to play dumb. 
"Nick, I don't know what you are talking about"

"I love you!"  He looked so cute when he said that.

Lachlan thought he'd pass out but thank goodness he didn't. And managed to 
say "I love you" back to Nick and drove off.  They both had the biggest 
smile on their faces.

That night Nick decided to tell the guys about his little secret.  It wasn't 
going to be easy but these guys were like family and he was absolutely sure 
they would support him.  And he was right!  Kevin, Brian, AJ and Howie were 
all pretty shocked at first when they heard "I am gay" from 'young Nick's' 
mouth but after a minute or so, they reassured Nick that he had their 
support.  Nick was like their little brother and they would never let him 
down.  They all got into a big group hug - definitely a Kodak moment.

As they broke away from the hug, Kevin made sure to tell Nick that this had 
to be kept a secret.  "No one must know about this - it could ruin us".

"Well" Nick said, "I have another confession..."

'Oh boy' Brian thought, 'he's gonna kill me, my heart can't take any more.'

"You see guys, I've met someone, his name is Lachlan and he knows.  But I 
trust him and love him, and he understands that this has to be kept quiet." 
Nick explained

Howie laughed and asked, "It's the 'bet' guy isn't it?" but he didn't need 
an answer because the expression on Nick's face gave it away.

"What 'bet' guy?" Brian asked

Howie explained the bet to the rest of guys and although they did not 
approve they all agreed that it was better for this bet to be kept a secret 
and let Nick have his happiness.  The only problem was, Nick forfeited the 
bet so it meant he would have to do Howie's laundry for the next year - 'a 
small price to pay' Nick told himself.

Nick slept like a baby that night.  It truly was as if a weight had been 
lifted off his shoulders.  He didn't have to keep his sexuality a secret 
from the guys anymore and he was falling in love with an amazing guy.  He 
also didn't feel bad about the bet any more because no matter what, he felt 
that he was destined to fall in love with Lachlan.

The very next morning, Lachlan was at Nick's door at precisely 10 am.

"G'Day, Nick" he said in that Aussie accent that always made Nick smile.

Nick had just woken up and was only dressed in his green silk boxers.  He 
had a morning hard-on which was tenting out. Lachlan noticed.  Nick saw this 
and turned red with embarassment.

"Hey, happens to me all the time mate - no big deal." Lachlan said 
reassuring Nick.  Nick loved the way Lachlan could say something to make him 
feel comfortable in such an awkward situation.

"Please come in, I just woke up and I gotta get dressed."

"Why? I think you look great just like that!" Lachlan said with that same 
misheavous grin, "May be we should do something about it?"

"Oh man!!! You don't know how turned on I am right now but Kevin and the 
rest of the guys are expecting us for breakfast and we gotta go soon." Nick 
replied

"What??? You mean you told them?"

"Ya, last night I came out to the group and told them about us too." Nick 
said proudly

"Well how did they take it?"

"Pretty shocked at first but I have their support and they wanna meet you at 
breakfast today."

Suddenly Lachlan was nervous. What if the guys didn't like him, what if they 
wanted him and Nick to call it off.  Nick noticed this and assured him that 
everything would work out.

"Nick, I couldn't get to sleep last night and I wrote something for you. It 
needs a bit of work though but I wanna read it out to you."

"You wrote something for me? WOW! I'm touched. Let me hear it please"

"Well you know I wanna be a signer and songwriter one day so I wrote this 
song for you.  I don't want to scare you with my terrible voice so I'll just 
read it out to you ok?"

The truth was, Lachlan had an unbelieveably powerful and soulful singing 
voice.  He was just a little embarrassed to sing in front of one of his 
singing idols so that's why he told Nick that he couldn't really sing.

"Ok but hurry, I'm dying to hear it" Nick said impatiently

"OK the song is called 'You are my song' and it goes like this;

You are the song,
playing so softly in my heart.
I reach for you,
you seem so near yet so far.
I hope and I pray, you'll be with me someday,
Cuz I know down inside,
you are my, and I'm your true love.
Please no more dreaming

How can I?
Each time I try, we say goodbye
You are there, you look my way I touch the sky.
We can share, tomorrow and forever more,
I'll be there to love you so, you are my song!

I know for sure that we were meant to fall in love.
I look in your eyes,
I know what you're thinking of.
I try not to say the words that might scare you away
Cuz I know down inside,
you are my and I'm your true love...
You are my song."

"WOW!" Nick said as he wipped a tear from his left eye, "That was 
incredible, you have a gift.  I wish you could have sung it for me though, 
instead of just reading it out."

"Well I am happy you liked it"

"Liked it? I loved it!"

"Thank you, it means a lot. Oh shit, I don't wanna make a bad first 
impression so you should definitely get dressed Nick"

"Damn, I was hoping you could help me out with my big problem here first." 
Nick begged

"There'll be plenty of time for that later, but right now you need to get 
dressed."  Lachlan ordered.

Nick gave Lachlan a quick peck on the cheek and said, "Ok wait right here 
and I'll get dressed, don't go anywhere ok?"

"I'll be right here - and don't take too long."

Nick went into the bed room and picked out a pair of jeans and a plain grey 
t-shirt.

While Nick was getting dressed and fixing his hair, Lachlan sat on the 
comfortable couch in the main room of Nick's suite.  Suddenly the door burst 
open and he turned to see who it was.  It was some guy carrying a huge pile 
of what looked like dirty laundry.  Actually it was Howie but Lachlan 
couldn't see him behind all those clothes.

"Hey Nicky" Howie said

"Um", Lachlan was about to say something but Howie cut him off...

"don't think I've forgotten about the bet buddy.  Oh and the rest of the 
guys thought you could do their laundry too in exchange for not telling 
Lachlan about our little bet." Howie said in a cocky tone.

"What bet?" Lachlan asked innocently.

Howie dropped the pile of clothes he was carrying and his heart sank when he 
saw who was standing in front of him.  As this was happening Nick walked 
into the room, oblivous to what had just transpired.

"Nick, what's Howie talking about? What's this bet that the other guys can't 
tell me about and why do you both look like you've just seen a ghost?"

Nick was floored, he was speechless.  How was he going to get out of this 
one.  He turned to Howie who was just as stunned.  Neither of them could 
find the words to explain.

"Will someone please just tell me what's going on here?" Lachlan was getting 
worried.

That's when Howie came out and said it; he felt partially responsible so he 
thought that seeing as Nick was speechless he should explain.

"Well, you see Lachlan, um," this wasn't going to be easy, "I made this um, 
bet with Nick that he would go out on a date with a person that I chose from 
the concert and um, try to make them fall in love with him. And um, I chose 
um, you."  Howie was about to explain that he was sorry for doing this and 
that he truly believed Nick loved him but before he could say any thing, 
Lachlan, trying to contain his anger and trying not to show he'd been 
crushed, turned to Nick...

"Well, is it true Nick?" he asked in disbelief.  In a matter of seconds he 
went from utter joy to sheer heartache.  Nick just stood there.

"Was I just a f@#king bet?  Wow, I bet you guys had a jolly old laugh last 
night huh?  Well, didn't you even think for one minute that you were dealing 
with another human being here!  I honestly believed you and all that time 
you were probably just laughing at every emotion I poured out to you.  Well 
I hope it was worth it because now I only have two words to say to you and 
Howie and the rest of the freaking Backstreet Boys; f@#k you!"

Nick tried to say sorry but before he could get the words out, Lachlan 
stormed past Howie and headed straight for the elevator.  The other guys 
heard the screaming and ran staight to Nick's suite catching a glimpse of 
Lachlan as he got into the elevator.  Nick tried to run after him but the 
guys held him back.

"Just let it go for now lil bro," Brian reasoned, "give him time to get mad 
and deal with it and then try and work it out with him ok."

Nick just broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.  Why did this have to 
happen?  He wanted to get mad at Howie for initiating this crazy bet but how 
could he get mad?  He was just as much to blame for taking the bet in the 
first place.  He should have been honest with Lachlan straight away, and 
maybe none of this would have happened.  And then he realized, he didn't 
even have Lachlan's phone number and he didn't know his last name either, so 
how was he going to even get in contact with him?  He had to fix this and 
tell Lachlan that he was sorry and that his feelings were real.

"We'll think of something ok!" Kevin reassured him, "but for now you gotta 
calm down and try to get yourself together."

Although Nick had just woken up an hour ago, his emotions had taken their 
toll on his body and he was feeling sleepy and somewhat drained.  He felt an 
unfamiliar feeling of emptiness and sorrow.  For the remainder of the day he 
slept, and when he wasn't sleeping he just lay in bed trying to figure out 
ways to fix this.  If there was one thing he had going for him, it was the 
fact that he was a determined individual and he was very determined to fix 
this mistake.

Meanwhile, while this was all happening, Lachlan stormed out of the Hyatt 
and drove straight home.  He was torn and couldn't think of anything other 
than how foolish he had been for letting Nick take advantage of him like 
that - he was furious and hurt and sad at the same time.  He drove home 
without paying attention to any road rules or signs and it was a wonder that 
he didn't have an accident or get arrested.

When he reached the driveway, he ran straight for his room.  His mum had 
heard him come in.  "Hey, honey, weren't you supposed to go out with that 
wonderful guy you were telling me about last night." she asked.  She was 
oblivious to the fame and popularity of her son's new friend and hence 
referred to him as 'that wonderful guy'.  She and Laclan had always been 
close (more like friends rather than mother and son) and she accepted him 
for the person he was, it was so uncharacteristic for him to just head for 
his room like this without even acknowledging her.  She went up to his room 
and knocked on the door.

"Hon, can I come in?"

"Yes Mum" as he said this, his lips started to quiver and the tears started 
flowing again.  He collapsed into a heap in the corner of his room.  His mum 
couldn't stand seeing her son like this and experience taught her to be 
there for him and let him open up to her in his own good time.  She placed a 
hand on his shoulder, those broad shoulders always looked like they could 
carry the weight of the world but not right now; right now he was quite 
frail, as brittle as a bird.

"Lachlan, I'm always right behind you and I understand that you need time 
but honey, understand that this too will pass."

"Thanks ma, but I just want to be left alone for now ok?" he said through 
his tears

"Ok, hon, I'll be downstairs if you need me."

The next day Kevin and Brian thought of a way to find Lachlan.  They knew 
that he would have had to sign in when he came to visit them, so they asked 
the concierge for the sign-in sheet and sure enough, there was Laclan's name 
with a his last name and a contact number next to it.  The concierge 
explained that sign-in sheets were confidential but given the circumstances, 
he made an exception.  They were proud of themselves for being so 
resourceful and quickly headed to Nick's suite.

Nick was relieved that he could contact Lachlan but also nervous at the same 
time.  He was anxious but he psyched himself up.  He had to fix this and he 
was going to, so as soon as Kevin and Brian left his suite to give him some 
privacy he dialed the number.

"Hello" it was a woman's voice so Nick assumed it was Lachlan's mother.

"Hello Mrs. Nash, my name is Nick, I am a friend of Locky's and um, could I 
please speak to him."

"Yes, let me just call him for you." she replied not knowing that the caller 
was the reason for her son's distress.

Lachlan took the call in his room.

"Nick, I have nothing more to say to you, I don't know how you got my number 
but please leave me alone."  Lachlan said in an emotionless flat tone - 
there's was no way he'd let Nick hear him in pain ever again!

"No, wait please Locky, I need to tell you something." Nick pleeded.

Lachlan was ready to hang up but he knew that deep down, a part of him 
really wanted to forgive Nick so he just waited for Nick to continue.

"Locky, first of all I want to say I am sorry.  I wanted to apologize 
yesterday but you left before I could say sorry.  I also want to tell you 
that it is true I made the bet with Howie but my feelings for you are real - 
I love you and I want you to give me a second chance if you can find it in 
your heart."

Nick's voice was quivering now, he was ready to break down and cry but there 
was one more thing he had to do so he started signing into the phone...

"...if I wasn't such a fool,
right now I'd be holding you.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do,
Locky if I only knew...
The words to say,
the road to take,
to find a way back to your heart.
What can I do to get to you?
And find a way back to your heart."

Nick was about to continue when Lachlan spoke up.

"Nick, please stop."  Nick's signing touched him deeply and he was ready to 
give into his emotions, but memory of the hurt and pain he felt yesterday 
came flooding back... "I don't ever wanna feel so hurt ever again and all I 
have to say right now is thank you... you made me a stronger person by 
breaking my heart.  I don't think things could ever work out between us and 
it would be best for us to never speak again." he sounded so cold but 
underneath he was falling to pieces.

"Lachlan, I am sorry" the tears were flowing again as he hung up the phone.

The very next day, Nick was on a flight back to Orlando to be with his 
family.  He needed to be with them right now.  The other guys wanted to go 
back with him and cancel the remainder of the Australian tour but Nick 
insisted that the show had to go on without him - they owed it to their 
fans.

The remainder of the Australian tour was not the same without Nick.  The 
fans were disappointed to say the least and to make things worse, rumours 
starting flying around that the Backstreet Boys had split up.  This was of 
course far from the truth and a press release was issued, stating that Nick 
Carter flew home to settle some personal matters.

To be continued???

Thank you for reading, I had a wonderful time writing this and hope you had 
just as much fun reading it.  I would love to hear from all of you so please 
feel free to send me an email on ab4ngc@hotmail.com

I did not write the lyrics to "You Are My Song".  It is a song that was 
originally recorded by a Filipino artist named "Regine Velasquez", so the 
credit goes to her for singing such a wonderful song.