Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 17:23:11 -0400
From: Writer Boy <writerboy69@hotmail.com>
Subject: jc's hitchhiker - part 100

Obligatory warnings and disclaimers:

1) If reading this is in any way illegal where you are or at your age, or
you don't want to read about male/male relationships, go away. You
shouldn't be here.

2) I don't know any of the celebrities in this story, and this story in no
way is meant to imply anything about their sexualities, personalities, or
anything else.  This is a work of pure fiction.

Questions and commentary can be sent to "writerboy69@hotmail.com". I enjoy
constructive criticism, praise, and rational discussion. I do not enjoy
flames, and will not tolerate them.

Back to the story in progress.

***Jack***

I felt Josh shift and sigh against me, and smiled, stroking his hair as he
lay against my shoulder, asleep. He hadn't meant to drift off, but we'd
been sitting in the airport lounge for almost two hours, and even I was
tired. Andrew had gone to look for a snack, making me promise that neither
of us would go anywhere, and that I would yell loudly for help if anything
out of the ordinary, or even if anything ordinary, happened. Josh and I
weren't to split up, and if we wanted to go anywhere other than the bench
we were sitting on, we needed to go to the cafe up the concourse and get
Andrew to accompany us. I listened to all of this, nodding my head, as Josh
snoozed lightly against me, and then I went back to my book.

We were supposed to be flying out to Colorado, finally, having finished our
tour of the capitol. We'd seen everything we wanted, waiting in line to
tour the White House rather than playing the celebrity card to get in,
riding around the subways, eating out and shopping, and now we were ready
for the second half. We'd spent a little more time bonding with Andrew,
getting a better feel for him as he did the same with us, and we were all a
lot more comfortable with each other, although we still had some friction
about space. We had flown out of Baltimore, and through some sort of
airline routing plan that would never make sense to me, had flown into
Detroit, on our way to Denver.  That's where we ran into trouble. First our
plane had some sort of mechanical difficulty, and after we all boarded and
sat on the runway for an hour and a half, the plane had taxied back to the
gate, and we had all grumpily disembarked. Then, before we could get back
onto another plane, there had been some sort of massive fuel spill across
one of the runways, and the cleanup crews had been working for a while now.

"I bet this isn't how you guys thought you'd spend your honeymoon, is it?"
I heard from behind me.

I turned wondering who had recognized us. It wouldn't be too hard, since
Josh had taken his hat off a while ago, and his sunglasses had slipped
while he was sleeping. I still didn't wear disguises in public, to the
extent that Josh's accessories could actually be called a disguise, but if
you looked at Josh, and saw me sitting next to him in an Nsync concert t-
shirt, it wouldn't take a genius to put it all together. The guy looking at
us, a small pile of newspapers on the empty seat next to him, was dressed
casually. Longer, black hair peeked out the back of his baseball cap in a
ponytail, and he had a scruffy little goatee.  His brown eyes peered at me
from beneath thick eyebrows, and I knew that I knew him from somewhere. I
tried to put it together, fighting the nagging voice in my head that told
me it should be obvious.

"I've met you somewhere," I said, running faces through my head. He smiled.

"Only once," he said. "And it was kind of a busy night for you. I met you
and JC after the awards show, the night JC came out."

"Oh my God, you're Kevin Richardson!" I blurted, and immediately blushed,
clapping a hand over my mouth as he laughed. "Ooops. I'm sorry. I never do
that."

"It's ok," he said, holding out his hand again. I shook it, feeling his
firm grip. "I get that a lot, actually."

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you," I said, shaking my head. Josh
shifted against me, and suddenly I felt a little shiver of panic. "Um,
Kevin, are all of the Boys here?"

Nick and Howie were the last people I wanted to see, especially on my
honeymoon.  Mainly I just wanted to grab them and beat them, and God only
knew what Josh would think or do if he woke up and found them here. He
shifted against me again, and I waited for Kevin to answer as I tried to
decide whether or not to wake him.

"Oh, no, it's just me," Kevin answered, shrugging. "Well, and my bodyguard
over there."

I followed his gesture and saw a large bodyguard watching us carefully from
a few benches away. Wherever we went, and whoever we saw, bodyguards always
looked the same. No matter how much they tried to blend, they always just
put out this sort of bodyguard vibe, a kind of subliminal intimidation. I
must have been really tired to miss him sitting over there, and I couldn't
believe Andrew hadn't mentioned it. I would have expected the two of them
to circle each other like mongrel dogs in the junkyard, sniffing and trying
to outdo each other.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, curious.

"Same as you, I think," he answered. "I'm waiting for a plane. I've been
sitting here, but didn't know if you guys would want to be bothered, so I
didn't say anything.  I was just reading about you, though, so I figured
I'd say hi."

"Reading about us?" I asked, glancing at the papers. Kevin handed me the
one on top, and I saw that he was reading the gossip columns. There was a
blurb about Josh and I being out at that gay club the other night, although
it wasn't negative, just a mention that we were out and had been seen
dancing and kissing and very much in love.  "Oh, one of those. The press
just seems to find us everywhere."

"I know how you feel," Kevin answered. "I remember when Kristen and I got
married it was this big thing for a while to try to get a picture of us in
public.  Luckily it's more or less worn off."

"Yeah, it can be kind of annoying," I agreed. I pointed at his hat, and
then at the folded sunglasses in his lap. "Fortunately you all seem to shop
at the same disguise store."

Both of us laughed, and Josh groaned sleepily against me. He shifted again,
his arm sliding up to my shoulder, and he rubbed at his eyes.

"Jack? Who are you talking to?" he asked, not opening his eyes yet as he
rubbed his face sleepily against my arm. I leaned over, kissing him on the
forehead, as he looked up.  "Oh, Kevin, hi."

"Hi," Kevin said, squinting as he seemed to catch a little of the
reservation I heard in Josh's tone. It wasn't unfriendly, just hesitant,
and I knew what Josh was thinking.

"Kevin's here waiting for a plane," I said quickly. "By himself."

"Oh," Josh said, smiling a little wider now. "It's good to see you. How
have you been?"

"Pretty good, actually," Kevin answered, smiling back. He had really good
teeth, and his smile lit up his face. "I've been kind of busy, but, you
know, my life hasn't been quite as exciting as yours
lately. Congratulations, both of you."

"Thanks," we said together. I giggled, and Josh leaned over and kissed me,
twining his fingers through mine.

"Still enjoying the honeymoon?" Kevin asked. Both of us blushed, and he
grinned.  "Yeah, I remember that. I saw some shots of the wedding in a
magazine. It looked really nice."

"It was," I said, squeezing Josh's hand. "Everything was beautiful."

"Because Jack was there," Josh added, letting go of my hand to put his arm
around me.

"So, where are you guys going?" Kevin asked. "I'm heading to LA."

"Colorado," Josh answered. "Honeymoon, part two."

"Ahhh," Kevin said, nodding. "What are you guys going to do?"

Josh looked at me, wondering what he should say, and how much we should
share. Kevin seemed nice, but just the thought of his band bothered me, and
I could tell Josh was a little uncomfortable, too. Maybe it was a little
prejudiced of us both, but he was the third Backstreet Boy I'd met, and the
last two hadn't turned out to be anyone I wanted to know. Kevin seemed
fairly innocuous, just making idle chatter with an acquaintance, and he and
Josh were more or less equals on the celebrity scale, so they had a lot in
common.  It had taken us long enough to tell our friends about my
parentage. I wasn't about to just lay it out for an almost complete
stranger in an airport lounge, especially not one who worked so closely
with two people who had injured my friends so badly.

"We're going to look up some family," I said, shrugging. It wasn't a lie,
so I didn't feel too bad.

Before we could say anything else, Andrew appeared at our side, holding a
cup. He also had a bottled water, which he handed to Josh, and a Mountain
Dew, which he held out for me as we both nodded and thanked him. On seeing
him approach, Kevin's bodyguard quickly stood, but Kevin motioned him back
into his seat, giving a little shake of his head.

"Andrew, do you know Kevin Richardson?" Josh asked. "Of the Backstreet
Boys?"

"Nice to meet you," Andrew said quickly, shaking his hand. He turned back
to us, more or less ignoring Kevin. I guess if you meet enough famous
people it stops being a thrill.  "The girl at the counter says that it's
going to be at least another hour or two before they're cleared to fly
again."

Josh and I both winced at the same time.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I do speak English, yes," Andrew answered, and I blushed a little.

"Sorry," I said, smiling. I turned to Josh as Kevin sighed and walked over
to his bodyguard. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm kind of tired, Jack," Josh answered, frowning a little. "I know this
is your half of the trip, so if you want to wait and fly out tonight, I'm
ok with that. I mean, it's not like I have trouble sleeping at the
airport."

"That's true," I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Why don't we go
check into the nearest hotel, and fly out tomorrow? We can stop at the desk
on our way out and change our tickets over. Do you want to see any of the
city?"

"I've been here before," Josh said. "I'd really rather just have a quiet
night with you, unless you want to get a car and go see the city."

"I think I'd rather stay in, too," I said, shrugging. "Let's go get checked
into the hotel."

Andrew stood patiently as Josh and I collected our carryon bags, tucking
everything back in. Josh pulled his hat back on, and held his sunglasses as
he waited for me to finish. I slung my bag over my shoulder, and we both
turned to Kevin.

"It was nice meeting you again," I said, shaking his hand.

"I'm sure I'll see you somewhere," Josh said, shaking his hand as well.

"Yeah, you guys, too," Kevin said. "Congratulations again, and enjoy the
rest of the honeymoon."

He waved as we walked off hand in hand, Andrew trailing along at Josh's
side. We got the tickets transferred over, and took the airport shuttle to
the hotel.  There was no reclaiming our bags, as the airport insisted it
would be easier for us to just get them tomorrow, so we bought some basic
supplies at the hotel gift shop and decided that we would just wash our
underwear in the sink and wear the same clothes tomorrow. I wondered if we
should start carrying spare outfits in our carryons, since the airline
could lose your luggage at any time, but Josh didn't seem to think it was a
big deal. Josh looked around our hotel room a little dubiously, and I had
to agree that it was a little small.

"Sorry for the accommodations, Mr. Big Time Celebrity Pop Star," I said,
sitting on the painfully hard mattress. "I know that you're used to suites
and silk sheets, but, you know, this is the kind of room that us common
folk are used to staying in, down below your lofty heights."

Josh grinned at me.

"You know, Jack," Josh began, standing with his hands on his hips as I sat
innocently on the bed. "We stayed in rooms like this when I was little, and
back before we were big, huge stars. If you saw some of the places we
stayed at in Europe, or back when we were getting started out and playing
in malls and stuff, you'd die."

"Somehow I doubt that," I said. "I mean, when I was in college and stuff,
we stayed in some pretty crappy rooms."

"So we're going to fight about who stayed in worse rooms?" Josh asked,
kicking off his shoes.

"Did you have a better idea?" I asked, untying my shoes. It wasn't really
late enough for dinner yet, and I wondered if Josh was thinking what I was
thinking.

"Actually, I did kind of have an idea," he said, walking toward the bed.
Before I could say anything he suddenly leapt up, crashing down on top of
me. "Bonzai!"

I screamed and laughed, batting playfully at him as he began to tickle me,
his hands scrabbling up and down my ribs. We rolled around, almost falling
off of the bed, as he continued to tickle me, and I drummed my feet on the
mattress as I squirmed and struggled, laughing too hard to get away. I
managed to get my hand free to grab one of the pillows, and I clobbered him
over the head with it. Before he could recover I rolled over, on top of
him, and walloped him with it again.

"That's for tackling me!" Whap! Whap! "And that's for tickling me! Who's
the boss now, huh? Who's your daddy?"

"Jack, stop!" Josh laughed from below me. His voice changed, and he
suddenly stopped laughing. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

"Am I?" I asked suddenly, pausing. I slid the pillow aside and was about to
apologize, but then saw his grinning face below me.

"No!" he answered, grabbing my wrists.

He bucked, arching his back like a fish flopping on the beach, and rolled
me over, ending up on top again. I struggled beneath him, but he had his
legs on either side of mine, and he stretched my arms out to either side,
holding them to the mattress. His face was right above mine, both of us
breathing hard, and he grinned down at me. His eyes were sparkling as his
hair hung down, disheveled, over his forehead.

"So, you like to hit people with pillows, do you?" Josh asked, licking his
lips.

"Only people who tickle me," I answered defiantly, still trying to squirm
out of his grip.  He smiled as if he was effortlessly holding me in place,
but I could feel him straining.

"And what was that you were saying?" Josh asked, pressing his groin down to
mine. On the one hand, he was using it to hold me down, but on the other I
could feel his rapidly swelling cock against mine. "I believe you were
asking who my daddy was? Was that it?  Who's your daddy, Jackson Parker
Springer Chasez?"

"Not you, Joshua Scott Chasez Springer," I answered, shaking my head. Both
of us were right on the verge of laughing again, using matching teasing
tones.

"That's not what I think," Josh said, leaning in closer. His nose brushed
mine as his eyes locked onto my own, right above me. "I think there's only
one daddy in here, Jackie, and that's Big Daddy."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, almost getting a hand free.

"Yeah," Josh answered. "But maybe you need some convincing."

Before I could think of another snappy comeback he leaned down and pressed
his lips to mine. I was getting more and more used to the feeling of his
smooth chin, and had decided that I liked it a lot more than the beard. His
tongue, warm and soft, slid over my lips, and then gently inside, probing
my mouth. I blinked, but his eyes stayed open the entire time, watching
me. He pulled back, but then leaned down, pressing his mouth more firmly to
mine, and I felt his teeth through his lips, pushing against my own. His
tongue snaked into my mouth again, more insistently, exploring every
hollow, tasting me, and when he finally pulled back again I felt empty,
staring up at him in need.

"How was that?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

"I think I might need some more convincing," I said.

I stretched my tongue out, sliding it over his bottom lip, and he nipped at
it playfully, trying to catch it with his mouth. Giving up, he brought his
mouth down to mine again, and our tongues fought in the closed space, both
of us moaning a little. Our mouths vibrated against each other, our tongues
sliding smoothly over each other like eels, and I savored the unique taste
of Josh's mouth, inhaling his scent, luxuriating in the feeling of his soft
lips gently massaging my own. He pulled back, purring, letting out that
low, contented sound he made when he was turned on, a noise that wasn't
quite a moan. It was a sound I loved to hear, especially knowing that I
helped create it.

He let go of my wrists and sat up. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt with
both hands, he rolled it up over his head in the smooth, torso baring
motion that I'd seen a thousand times in sex scenes in movies. When his
head slid out from under the fabric, framed by his upraised tanned arms, he
smiled at me again, but it wasn't his playful, mischievous smile. Now it
was a glazed, flushed smile of lust and want, and he reached down and
grabbed my shirt. I leaned up a little from the mattress, letting him slide
it over my head, and then he threw it to the floor with his. Dropping back
down, his hot, hard chest scraped against mine as he began to kiss me
again. He held my head with his hands, turning my face toward his, his
fingers on my jaw, pressing at my cheeks to keep my mouth open. My eyes
were closed, and I felt his nose brushing mine as he lifted off my mouth
again and buried his face under my chin.

There were parts of Josh's body that I loved, his hands, his nipples, the
muscles of his back, and it was safe to say that he was in love with my
neck. Any time we started kissing Josh's head ended up below my chin, and
some days it seemed like I was carrying more hickeys around than a squad of
junior high cheerleaders. Josh liked to run his lips up and down my skin,
and he would scrape his teeth along my jugular, nipping at my neck like a
vampire. When I moaned and sighed, my neck vibrating, he got even more
turned on, and would respond with more fervor, sucking and licking and
almost biting at me. He would turn my chin back and forth, diving from one
side of my neck to the other, and all I could do was twine my fingers
through his hair and pull him against me, groaning.

When he was done consuming and orally worshipping my neck Josh began to
slowly slide down my body, dragging his mouth across my collarbones. He
grabbed my arm and jerked it up, burying his face in my armpit. I'd never
done this to him, and hadn't ever had any inclination to, but it felt
incredibly hot as he sucked and licked at me there, running his tongue
around the edges of the patch of hair, mouthing the entire area with his
wide, wet lips. He slid over, across my pec, and brought his mouth to my
nipple. He sucked hard at it, swiping his tongue over the tip at the same
time, bringing another high pitched whine from me as I replaced my hand on
his head. He caught the tip in his teeth and nibbled at it lightly as he
continued to suck, his lips in a tight ring around it. I groaned as he
sucked and licked his way across my chest to the other nipple, sighing his
name as I writhed beneath him.

Josh began to lick his way lower, opening his mouth wide and caressing my
abs with his lips. He was leaving a spit trail all over my chest, guided on
by my moans and sighs, and I felt his hands at my belt. He undid it,
running the tip of his tongue in a circle around my navel, almost tickling
me, and then he began to wash his tongue up and down my abs as he
unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I lifted my ass as he began to tug them
down, hooking his fingers in the tops of my boxers, dragging his tongue
down the little trail of dark hair below my navel until he came to the head
of my cock, dripping and wet. His hands continued to tug at my pants,
sliding them down my legs, as he inhaled deeply and then slid his mouth all
the way down my cock, pulling it into his throat. My fingers clenched
tightly in his hair pulling and twisting it, and my hips bucked up,
pressing my pubes against his face.

I gasped as he pulled off of me, the air in the room cold against my spit
soaked cock, and he began to slide back up my body as he tossed my pants
and boxers aside.  His hands slid up my chest, his curled fingers
scratching lightly over my skin, and then they grabbed my face, turning my
mouth toward his again. He draped his body on top of me, writhing against
me, and I opened my legs a little, letting him slide between. He groaned
against me, pressing his fabric covered cock to my naked, hard one. I slid
my hands down between us as Josh ground against me in a slow, dry hump and
undid his button and zipper. I tried to tug his pants down, but the angle
was all wrong, and he didn't seem interested in helping. Instead he just
kept driving his tongue into my mouth as his hands slid all over my chest
and shoulders. My legs were hooked around him, my socked feet scraping up
and down the back of his calves, and I slid my hands down his back and into
his pants. Pressing my fingers beneath the waist of his boxer briefs, I
cupped his ass, feeling the smooth muscle shift beneath my palms as I
pulled him against me.

Josh pulled off of my mouth again, biting at my neck again as I gasped for
air, and then he leaned back, holding himself up with one arm. I rested my
hands on his shoulders, clutching at him, digging my fingers in as I tried
to pull him back down to me. He gazed down at me, his face flushed, spit
glistening around the edges of his mouth, which hung open, and he used his
other hand to tug his pants and boxer briefs down. His whole body twisted
as he clawed his own clothes off, and his hard cock sprang out, slapping
against his abs as he kicked his pants away. They got hung up on one foot,
but Josh wasn't interested in getting them all the way off. He just wanted
them out of the way, and when they were he grunted and dropped back down on
top of me, his throbbing cock grinding against mine, both of them leaking
sticky streamers of precum against each other. Josh's body was hot against
me, his skin warm velvet, his muscles shifting beneath as I ran my hands
possessively over him, and his hands crawled over me in the same way.

Josh pulled off of my mouth again, catching my bottom lip between his lips
and sucking at it before kissing his way over my chin, across my adam's
apple, and through the hollow of my throat. He slid down the center of my
breastbone, mouthing my chest, and then over my abs, dropping down toward
my cock again. He ran his tongue over and around the head, licking and
caressing it, and then began to lick up and down my shaft.  My hands
crawled up from his shoulders to his strong neck, clutching at it, and then
I was twining my fingers through his hair again, feeling the sweaty strands
slip through my fingers and tangle around them. Josh opened his mouth and
began to slide the tight circle of his mouth down my shaft, massaging it
with his tongue as he swallowed me again. I pressed my head back into the
mattress, my eyes closed, as I gasped his name, feeling my head slide down
into his throat. I realized that I wanted him, too, right now, the same way
he had me, and I let go of his hair, tugging at his shoulders again.

"Josh," I whispered. "Turn, baby."

He understood, and slid back off of my cock as he shifted his body, being
careful to keep himself raised above me and not crushing me. I guided his
legs as they went past me, figuring that getting kicked in the face would
probably kill the mood, and Josh raised himself onto all fours, supporting
himself with his arms and legs to keep from suffocating me. I looked up and
saw Josh's cock above me, hard and throbbing, and I curled my tongue out,
scooping up a drop of salty precum from his slit. Josh let out a high
pitched sigh, and then returned his mouth to my cock, sucking just the head
in now, washing his tongue around it. I did the same, mirroring his action,
swirling my tongue over the spongy dome, tasting his salty lube. As Josh
began to slide down my shaft I again followed him, rolling my lips down
his, feeling him stretching my jaw open.  At the angle we were both at, we
easily speared into each other's throats, and I relaxed, feeling Josh slide
inside of me. He began to bob up and down on my cock, and I grabbed the
backs of his thighs, pulling him toward me in time to his movements.

Because I was on the bottom, I couldn't really move my head much, so I had
to pull at Josh, guiding him, silently urging him to go faster with my
clutching hands.  Even as I did, he began to work harder and more urgently
at my cock, coating it with spit, sucking hard at it. I massaged his shaft
with my tongue, sucking in my cheeks around him to create a tight, wet
tunnel, and even as I felt him moaning around my cock I realized that I was
groaning, too. Josh's chest danced over me, brushing the tops of my abs,
and his legs flexed as he thrust in and out of my mouth. Both of us were
gasping for breath, loudly sucking in air each time a cock slid far enough
out for us to breath, and I could feel that I was close. I knew I would go
soon, and I wanted Josh to go with me. I slid my hands further in, my
fingers sliding into his ass crack, and I brushed his hole with my
fingertip.  He yelped around my cock, his hips bucking against me, and
before he could recover I jammed a finger inside, pushing toward his
prostate.

Josh's hips jerked against me, and I tried my best to pull back, and taste
as much of his seed as I could. I felt his cock jumping in my mouth, felt
it throb each time he shot another jet down my throat. He was covered with
sweat, and his body trembled above me as he shot. As he recovered, his hips
not jerking anymore, he remembered that my cock was still in his mouth, and
he redoubled his efforts, sucking and bobbing.  He grabbed my balls with
one hand and squeezed them, not too hard, but just enough, and I felt
myself spasm over the edge. I shot into Josh's mouth as he milked me with
his throat, swallowing again and again around my cock. When I finished,
Josh pulled off of me, and I felt his softening cock slide out of my
mouth. He rolled off of me, and then turned, collapsing next to me on the
other pillow.

"Hey," I said, rolling onto my side. My fingers danced lightly over his
sweaty chest as he smiled at me.

"That was intense," he panted, smiling.

"Sure was, Big Daddy," I said, laughing. I took his hand, tugging him
gently off the bed with me. "Let's go rinse some of this sweat off, and
then maybe see about getting some dinner."

"Where do you want to eat?" Josh asked, following me into the tight
confines of the tiny bathroom.

"There's a restaurant downstairs," I said, turning on the shower. "Why
don't we just go there, get something quick, and then come back here and
watch TV, or play chess, or something."

"Sure," Josh agreed, holding the curtain aside for me and then following me
into the shower. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?" I asked, ducking my head under the spray.

"Let's sneak out to the restaurant," Josh said. "It's just the two of us,
and we're staying inside the hotel. As long as we don't split up, we won't
be in any danger.  Let's not call Andrew."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, a little worried. "Andrew will
be pissed if he finds out."

"Jack, we pay him," Josh said. "I feel like having a nice quiet dinner with
you, outside of a hotel room, without having Andrew at our table or the
next table, hovering over us. I know we need a bodyguard, but I want some
time with you, just being normal."

"OK," I said.

When we were done in the shower we dressed again, and then went down to the
restaurant. It was a little more crowded than I thought it would be, and
the little bar attached to it was packed with people. Josh asked the
hostess to please sit us in the back, away from everyone if possible, and
pressed some money into her hand. She happily led us to the rear of the
restaurant, and left us at the table with our menus.  As we looked them
over, I thought back to the airport earlier.

"You know, Kevin seemed pretty nice," I said.

"Yeah, he always does when I talk to him," Josh said, shrugging, as both of
us perused the selections. "He makes me feel a little, I don't know,
unsettled, I guess. I mean, I know it's wrong, but I just feel a little
unsure of him, because of the others."

"I know what you mean," I agreed. "He seems ok with us, though."

"Well, Howie did say that Kevin was ok with him being gay," Josh said,
shrugging again.  "It was mostly just for the band that they agreed that
Howie needed to keep it quiet."

"I guess it makes sense, kind of," I said. "I'm glad you don't have to live
that way, though. Maybe if Howie could be more free, more himself, he
wouldn't be like he was.  It's really kind of sad."

"I know," Josh said, reaching out to pat my hand.

We finished looking over the menus, and gave our orders to the waitress as
she came back over. She brought us our drinks, and told us that my soup and
Josh's salad would be right out. As she walked away I glanced up, and was
surprised to see Kevin approaching our table, apparently also having given
his bodyguard the slip.

"Hey guys," he said, smiling. "I decided to wait for tomorrow, too. I came
to grab some dinner, and just thought I'd say hi again, since I keep
running into you."

"Hi," we both said.

I looked at Josh, raising my eyebrow questioningly, and he gave me a little
shrug. I turned back to Kevin.

"Kevin, do you want to eat with us?" I asked. "I mean, rather than sitting
at a table alone?"

"Are you sure I won't be imposing?" he asked. "I mean, it is your
honeymoon."

"No, really," Josh said, pushing out one of the other chairs with his foot
as I motioned for the waitress to come back over. "Have a seat, hang out,
order something scary."

"Thanks, guys," Kevin said, sitting down. He smiled at us, and I smiled at
Josh.

The Backstreet Boys couldn't all be evil, could they?

***

To be continued.

Side note: 100 chapters??? Oh my God! I never thought I'd get this far.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me, both through e-mails and in the
BBSA's, and to those who have read but never written to me. (No time like
the present.) For those who haven't been so supportive, thanks for at least
reading, even if you didn't like it.