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Chapter Three
The boys watched the girl turn around and face them. Kevin stared as he saw her face fully. She was beautiful. She had huge hazel eyes that seemed to fill her face and contrast with her reddish-brown hair.
“Only me, it could only happen to me,” said Colleen slowly.
Ashleigh nodded in agreement.
“So you think Kevin’s hot, huh?” said Nick with a grin.
“Cherry stem tying skills?” asked A.J. with a raised eyebrow.
Colleen felt like dying. But she forced herself to smile and laugh. “Yeah, well.” She quickly looked at Kevin and he smiled. He must think I’m an idiot, thought Colleen. “Hi, I’m Colleen. And yeah, Kevin’s hot. But who wouldn’t think so?” Colleen thought, well, I already dug myself a hole, why not dig deeper and then maybe bury myself in it to die.
“Well, personally, he’s not my type,” said Brian as he looked Kevin up and down.
Colleen laughed nervously. “Okay, enough embarrassing me. It was really nice meeting you guys. I like your music. But I’m hungry, so bye.” Colleen turned, eager to get away and die of embarrassment. She had a smile on the outside but was kicking herself on the inside. She just wanted to get as far away from the Backstreet Boys as possible. “Okay, Ashleigh lead me to my booth,” Colleen said as she saw her cousin wasn’t exactly cooperating with her plan of running away.
Colleen jumped as Brian stepped up beside her and linked arms with her. “Actually, it’s OUR booth,” he said.
Colleen turned to Ashleigh. “You gave them my booth?” Great, now she was going to die of embarrassment AND hunger.
Nick came up on Colleen’s other side and slung his arm around her shoulders. “Actually, when B-Rok said our booth, he included you. You’re eating with us.” Colleen just closed her eyes, what next?
Ashleigh felt really bad for Colleen. She knew Colleen was practically dying on the inside but trying to put up a good front. So she cleared her throat and tried to take the attention away from her.
“Okay guys, booth’s this way. Tonight’s specials are. . .”and Ashleigh rattled off the specials, filling the silence as she led them to a big booth in the back.
Howie slid in first and Brian pushed Colleen into the booth after him. Just as he was about to sit next to her, A.J. shoved him out of the way and sat down. Brian scowled and Kevin just shook his head at their actions. Nick slid in on the other side, then Kevin, and finally Brian at the end.
Colleen grabbed her menu and put it up in front in her, seemingly absorbed in trying to choose what to eat and also providing a good barrier between her and the guys. The guys were busy deciding what to eat. The waiter came and after they ordered their food, the waiter took their menus.
After the waiter left, Colleen stared down at her fingernails, wishing she had her menu back to hide behind. She looked up and saw Kevin looking at her. She quickly looked down again. Why did she have to be sitting across from him? He must think she was the village idiot. Then Colleen looked up as she heard her name. Nick had asked her a question.
“Oh sorry, what did you say?”
“I said, so why are you in Maryland, Colleen? Your cousin mentioned you came from Illinois.” The rest of the guys turned their attention to Colleen, wanting to know all about their dinner companion.
“Oh well, I’m here to celebrate with my cousin Ryan, Ashleigh’s sister.”
“Celebrate what?” asked A.J.
“Well, you guys are looking at the new cardiologist at the University of Chicago hospital,” said Colleen with a look of pride, forgetting about her embarrassment as she remembered with joy her new job. The guys were impressed.
“How old are you? Aren’t you a little young to be a doctor?” asked Kevin. She didn’t look older than him, but he knew that most doctors were at least twenty-five before being a doctor.
“Well, I’m twenty-two.” The waiter arrived with their drinks and Colleen smiled and did a little dance as he set her lemonade in front of her. Brian laughed.
“Somebody’s a little excited about their lemonade,” he said.
“Do beverages normally make you this happy, cause if they do, do want my coke or another lemonade or anything?”
Colleen bit her lip and did a cute little shrug with her shoulders. “I just love their lemonade. See the lemonade itself is freshsqueezed and very tart.” Colleen sat straighter and pointed to the rim of her glass. “But notice the sugar that has been rolled on the rim, similar to salt on a margarita.” She looked up at with a mock serious face as if she were teaching the latest techniques in heart valve replacement. The boys nodded dutifully, with sham somber faces.
“Well, the sugar counteracts the tartness with its own sweetness, making for a delightful combination. Pay attention, there will be a short quiz after the lesson.” Colleen kept her serious face for a while before she finally gave in and cracked up along with the guys.
“I take pleasure in small things,” she said with a cute little grin that made the guys just want to grab her and give her a big hug.
Nick smiled. “So do I. But you were telling us how you were a doctor at twenty-two.”
Colleen looked a little uncomfortable. She hoped they wouldn’t make a big about her skipping grades. She hated when people started to treat like she was Einstein or something. “I went through school a little faster than normal.”
“What do you mean faster than normal?” asked A.J.
“Well, I graduated from high school when I was fifteen and went through college and med school in five years. Then for two years, I did my residency.” Colleen was a little embarrassed. The guys couldn’t believe it. Colleen quickly changed the subject to them.
“So where did you guys just come from?” The boys started talking about Europe and their recent tour. They talked for the rest of dinner about their performing and traveling all around the world. They had just ordered their cheesecake and were having fun stealing and trying bites of each other’s cheesecake.
“I have to say that Colleen’s white chocolate macadamia nut cheesecake is the best,” Nick said with supposed authority.
Colleen laughed. “Well, it’s been my favorite for a long time.” She noticed the wanting look Nick was shooting her cheesecake.
“But I’m so full that I don’t want anymore.” She looked around innocently. “Anyone want it?”
“ME!” Nick hurriedly grabbed the plate and inhaled the cheesecake. Colleen started laughing so hard that she was crying.
“Hope you enjoyed that, human vacuum cleaner boy,” Brian said.
Nick blushed and the rest of the guys laughed.
Colleen stopped smiling suddenly. “Ouch.” All night, with all the guys long legs, there hadn’t been much leg room and her long legs had been suffering. She had been getting a leg cramp all night and it had just seized up. Kevin noticed her look and immediately asked what was wrong.
“Well, there isn’t much leg room under the table and I have a really bad cramp in my leg. I sometimes wish my legs weren’t so long.”
Nick smiled. “I know what you mean, about the leg room. Tell you what,” Nick scooted away from Kevin a little more. “Why don’t you put your legs up on the bench?”
Colleen smiled. “Thanks.” She painfully stretched out her leg on the opposite bench.”
“Better?” Nick asked with a smile. Colleen nodded painfully.
“Yeah but my legs still has a huge cramp in it.” Immediately Kevin shifter her leg into his lap and started to rub the cramp out.
“How does this feel?” he asked.
Colleen was desperately trying not to blush. “Umm, great, thanks.” He nodded and just kept rubbing the spot where she told the cramp was.
He was having trouble rubbing her leg with her leather boots on, so he slowly unzipped them and let the sides fold down to expose her leg. Then he continued with his massage. Colleen closed her eyes, it felt so good. Then she heard Kevin ask her something.
“What?”
“I was just saying that I like your boots,” he said with a smile. The rest of the guys nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I love girls who wear kick ass boots like this,” said A.J. “Of course, any leather anywhere on a girl is cool,” he said with a grin.
Colleen playfully punched him in the arm. “Shut up.” Just then her watch beeped and she looked down at the time. “Hey guys, I gotta get going.” The guys all groaned. Kevin looked down, disappointed. He zipped her boot up.
“Do you have to?” asked Nick, pouting playfully.
“Ahhh, how can I resist a face like that? Easily,” she said with a grin. “Just joshing you. Yeah, I have to go. My cousin Ryan closes her restaurant at eleven and we are going to go clubbing.”
A.J. laughed. “You have another cousin who owns a restaurant? What’s with your family and restaurants?”
Colleen laughed. “I know. She has a much smaller restaurant. It’s called Ole Hickory Grille. They have great food there. My favorite is the grilled chicken sandwich with red and green peppers and this awesome jalopeno pepper mayonnaise. It is so good.” The guys smiled at her enthusiasm.
“So you are going clubbing with her?” asked Nick. Colleen nodded.
“We love to dance for hours, plus I have to work off this fattening dinner.”
“Man, that sounds like fun. We are probably just going to go back to the hotel and hang out,” said Nick as he slumped down in the booth and frowned.
Colleen just sat there for a moment and then said slowly, “Well, if you guys want to come along, I would really like that.” They waited for what like seemed forever to answer and Colleen taking this as a no, hurriedly started to take back her offer. She had been afraid they would turn her down. “You know, I bet you guys are really tired and you wouldn’t really think clubbing so fun after all the stuff you’ve done, and”
“Colleen!” Colleen stopped talking as A.J. shook her to get her attention. “We would love to go.”
Colleen’s whole face brightened as smiled and Kevin once again just stared at how beautiful she looked.
“This is going to be so cool.” They all chipped in their money and left the restaurant, waiting for a couple of minutes as Colleen hugged Ashleigh, promising to see her when she got back to the Morgan’s house.
They walked out into the parking lot and waited outside the bus as Kevin went in to tell Donna that they were going to clubbing with Colleen. Colleen started to frown. “Hey guys,” Colleen looked thoughtful. “You know, I can’t fit all of you in my Jeep.”
“You have a Jeep? What color is it? What year? Do you like it? I have been thinking about getting one.” asked Nick enthusiastically.
Colleen nodded her head. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
“Hey Nick, Colleen was saying that something,” Brian said, smacking Nick up the back of the head.
Nick grinned. “Sorry.”
The guys turned their attention back to Colleen. She cleared her throat. “So anyway, you’re not really going to be discreet going around in a big tour bus with the license plate BSB.”
The guys nodded in agreement. Kevin walked up behind her. “So we need another car?” he said. Colleen jumped.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Colleen said, slapping him on the arm.
"Ouch, who are you Mike Tyson?" Kevin asked playfully as he rubbed his arm.
"Well, she's got the high pitched voice," said Brian, laughing.
Colleen laughed. "Shut up, little man!"
Nick started laughing. "Ha, ha, she's got you there, Frack!"
Nick started running as he noticed the look on Brian's face, and the rest of the gang started laughing as they watched the two guys chase each other around the parking lot.
All of a sudden, A.J. snapped his fingers. “Hey guys, Lonnie has a Jeep too!” as he got the gang's attention back to their previous problem.
“Yeah, that’s right,” shouted Nick as he stopped running.
“Lonnie can go to the hotel on the bus and we can borrow his Jeep.” He turned smiling to Colleen.
“Great, but one thing.” she said, looking a little confused.
“What?” asked Kevin.
“Who’s Lonnie?”
The guys laughed. “Oh yeah, you have no idea who Lonnie is. He is our head bodyguard,” A.J. explained.
Colleen looked incredulous. “You guys have bodyguards?”
Brian nodded. “You know Colleen, not all of our fans just smile and shake our hands saying ‘It’s so nice to meet you. I like your music!’” he said in a high pitched voice, imitating one of his many female fans.
“Really, what do they usually do?” asked Colleen, grinning at Brian’s imitation of girl.
“Well, for one thing there is a lot of screaming,” said Howie.
“Yeah, a lot of screaming. It’s amazing we aren’t deaf,” A.J. said, unconsciously rubbing his ear.
Howie continued. “And then there’s the chasing and grabbing of clothes.”
A.J. pointed to his infamous sunglasses. “I don’t know how many pairs of shades I’ve lost.”
“Or how many ripped shirts I have,” said Kevin.
Colleen’s eyebrow rose. “I would think that would just make the girls look like idiots to you. No matter who the guy was I wouldn’t scream or attack him.”
“Well, some faint.” Nick said seriously.
“Some cry. I remember this one girl just started crying from happiness at meeting us,” said A.J.
“Oh please. I mean you guys are great and all but I’m not going to react like that.” Colleen looked sorta disgusted.
“Well, Colleen you have to understand, meeting us is a life long dream of theirs,” Kevin started to explain. “When anyone fulfills a life long dream, their emotions overwhelm them. It’s such a compliment to us that their dream includes us.”
Colleen nodded. “Yeah I can see that. Plus the fact that you guys are pretty gorgeous doesn’t hurt,” she said with a mischievous grin. The guys blushed. She looked at her watch. “Jeepers, we’ve got to go. Ryan is going to be mad. Hopefully, bringing hotties with will help soothe her anger.” She started walking to her Jeep. The guys looked at each other.
“Jeepers?”
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