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Chapter 2
Later that night at Club Fever
I sat at the bar drinking my 3rd beer. It was loud that night. A lot of people came. It was a Friday and of course everyone parties on Friday. The guys were laughing at a table a few feet away. I glanced over there every few minutes to make sure they hadn’t left.
At the table
“Yo Brian, that girl keeps looking your way.” AJ nudged Brian.
She was wearing a blue, thick strapped, knee length dress, and black sandals with strings that tie up around her ankle. She had straight brunette shoulder length hair, brown eyes, she seemed to be around 5’ 5 but then again she was sitting, and she seemed well built.
“I don’t think so.” Brian looked over at the girl then back down towards his drink.
“She is Frick. Go talk to her.” Nick stared at her for a moment. “She looks familiar.” He shrugged. “Oh well, maybe it’s just me.”
Brian laughed. “Frack you’re weird.”
“Stop insulting me and go talk to her!” Nick pushed Brian out of his chair.
“OK, I’m going.” Brian gained his composure and walked over to the girl. “Hello, I’m Brian.”
Stunned the girl looked at him intently. She swallowed hard. “Hi. I’m Veronica. Nice to meet you, Brian.”
Maranda as Veronica
I can’t believe this. This sucks. Here I am carrying on a conversation with my subject! Great, can it get any worse? You’re probably wondering why it’s so horrible. Well even though I like Brian, I’m not to have ANY contact with my subject…Brian.
“Your friends are watching us expectantly. What are they hoping to happen?” I noticed over Brian’s shoulder the guys were staring.
Brian looked then turned his attention back to me. “I guess they’re waiting for me to ask you to dance.”
“Well, I’m a little buzzed so I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
I saw the disappointment in his eyes, although he tried to hide it. “Oh.”
“Do you want to take a walk?” I did not just say that!
“Sure.” He’s smile returned. What a cute smile.
I got up walked with Brian outside. We chatted as we walked down the sidewalk. He really was nice to talk to. Very funny. Work was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Oh look a vendor. Let’s go get a pretzel.” I walked over and ordered a pretzel and a coke.
“Let me pay.”
“No. I’ll buy it.”
“Come on. Let me.”
“Well someone needs to.” The vendor owner was cranky.
“Fine I’ll pay for the pop and you pay for the pretzel. OK?” Brian was trying to compromise the situation.
“Fine.” Brian handed me 2 dollars to pay for the pop. I gave him his change and the pop. I broke off a piece of the pretzel and fed it to him. Then, I broke myself off a piece and ate it. We walked back towards the club talking and eating.
“So do you want to meet the rest of the Backstreet Boys?” We stood in front of the club.
“No.”
A confused expression came over Brian’s face. “What?”
“I want to meet your friends, though.” I smiled. Brian gave me the cutest smiled back.
Ok Maranda…stop! You’re flirting now! What’s wrong with you? You want to meet his friends? How could you have said that? This is work…Not play time! Control yourself! I scolded myself forcefully, but a smile remained none the less.
We walked inside and found the guys were still sitting at their table.
“Hey guys, I want you to meet a new friend of mine. This is Veronica. Veronica this is Kevin, my cousin. That’s Nick, A.J. and that’s Howie.”
I shook everyone’s hands and said hello. “It’s nice to finally meet the hottest group of guys around.”
“Thanks, although, I don’t think we’ve ever meet someone as pretty as you.” Aj kissed my hand.
“Well, you’re quite the charmer. Thank you.” I smiled. Brian pulled a chair out for me to sit.
“Can I get you anything?” A woman came over with a note pad.
“A Miller Light, please.”
“Tap or bottled?”
“Tap, please. Could you bring some salt, too?”
“Sure thing. Can I get you boys anything else?”
“No thank you.” Kevin was very polite.
“So what do you do Veronica?”
“Please, call me V.” I didn’t like the name Veronica too much, but it was the first thing that popped into my head.
“V? OK that sounds good.” Howie shook his head with approval.
“Well I work with computers.” I looked over at Nick and noticed he was staring. “What?”
“Oh, nothing. Sorry you just really seem familiar. I know I’ve met you somewhere before. I just can’t place where or when yet.”
“Oh, really?” Please don’t let him remember! Please don’t let him remember!
“I know!” Oh, now here we go. “AJ let me see your shades.”
“Nick, you’ve really lost it.” AJ handed him his sunglasses and shook his head.
Nick put the sunglasses on me. “You’re her! Aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” I looked down at my drink that had just been brought to me. “You’re quite the detective.” I smiled. Nick beamed.
“She’s who?” Brian looked at me then Nick.
“She’s the girl from the gas station that helped us out!” Nick was so excited I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Man, we can’t thank you enough!” AJ hugged me.
“You’re welcome.”
“How come you wouldn’t give me your name then?” Nick remembered his failed attempts at revealing my identity earlier.
“I wasn’t doing it to get noticed. You guys were in a jam and I figured I’d help out.” I handed AJ back his shades.
“Well, thank you. We probably wouldn’t have made it here on time otherwise.” Kevin was the responsible one, I could tell.
“Well, don’t thank me. It was really fun. I wish I had a camera when I told them that the Backstreet Boys ran down the alley and told them to go after you guys.”
“I’ll bet.” Howie laughed thinking about how they must have looked. “So where did you two go off to?”
“We took a walk.” Brian leaned back in his chair.
“So how late are you staying out tonight?” AJ sipped his drink he had previously.
“Till it gets boring around here, I get so tired I’m falling asleep, I can’t walk strait or something to that effect.” I’m not leaving until Brian’s safe in his hotel room. How’s that? I laughed inwardly at my soundless comment to AJ.
“So basically when ever you feel the need to leave. Correct?” Nick laughed.
“Yep.”
“So where you from?” Kevin started up the conversation.
“Originally or recently?” I need to think…what am I going to be? I really hadn’t planned all this.
“Both.”
“Well originally I’m from Vermont and now I live just out side LA in a small town.” That’s pretty good. As far from my real home base as possible.
“A Vermont girl? Interesting.” Aj gave me a sly look.
“And what is that look for?”
“What look, I don’t have a look. I’m a perfect angel.” He grinned.
“I’m so sure.” I laughed.
“So how come you’re in Louisiana?” Kevin continued on with our conversation.
“I travel a lot. I love to travel and thank fully my job allows me to do that. Whenever I feel the need I just pack up and go places. I’ve been all over.” I am such a good liar when I want to be! OK so I guess that’s not REALLY something to brag about, but considering the bind I’m in and that I’m doing this all on the spot I’m pretty good!
“I've seen your concerts in other countries. That’s so cool how you learned other languages so you can sing a song to them. I think that’s the sweetest thing.” I really thought that was cool.
“V, you wanna dance?” Brian smiled at me.
“How could I
turn down a smile like that?” I put my purse on the table and walked with
Brian down to the dance floor.
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