CHAPTER 9

Monday came and went and there was still no word from Kevin. By this time, management had become suspicious and had to be told that no one seemed to know where he was. Management was not happy and neither was the label. They knew nothing of his blow up with Tristan and assumed that he was making some sort of statement about the labels insistence that Lily stay on board the tour. They suspected that he was staging a walk out or strike. When Tuesday morning came and there was still no word from Kevin. Jive lawyers started shuffling papers, preparing to file suit if the tour was canceled.. There were a few who had considered the stress factor and felt that Kevin hadn’t been ready to return to a full blown schedule yet. Regardless, the time had come to decide whether or not the police should be notified. He had been missing for over twenty-four hours. Executives of the label had requested a meeting with the boys and their management. Some action had to be taken quickly before word leaked to the press about the missing Backstreet Boy.

“I think Tristan should have a say here.” AJ said thoughtfully. “Where is she, anyway? Wasn’t she told about this meeting?”

“Tristan Mallory doesn’t have any legal or official say in this matter.”, one executive stated firmly. “They aren’t married!”

“But I think they are....” AJ smiled.

“What? Are you saying that Richardson has gotten married and not told us? Did you guys know about this?”

“When did this happen?” another one shouted.

AJ slammed his hand down on the table to silence the shouting. “Listen to me you pompous assholes! Kevin and Tristan are as ‘married’ as any two people I know whether it’s official or legal or not! She’s not a fling that you can sweep away or ignore to suit your purposes!” AJ took a breath and continued his rant. “Look, we all know the shit they’ve been through, so let’s fuck the games, alright? If you have to make some kind of decision - fine - just include her in the process. She’s his partner as much as anybody in this room.” AJ finished his speech and slumped into his chair. He often grew weary of being perceived as a robot with no connection to anyone or anything but the Backstreet Boys.

As the rest of the group affirmed their agreement with AJ’s opinion, Brian’s cell began to ring. He apologized for the interruption and spoke quietly into the mouthpiece.

“Brian?”

Brian’s eyes grew wide. He glanced across the table at Nick who was watching him. When Nick saw the expression on Brian’s face, he punched AJ who followed his stare. They both knew who was on the other end of Brian’s phone. Brian slipped out of his chair and moved to the far corner of the room as management and label execs began to argue about the matter at hand.

“Kev? Where the hell are you, man? Everybody’s going nuts here! They’re getting ready to send the cops out looking for you!”

“Shit...I’m sorry. I just had to.....hell, I don’t know what I had to do. I can’t explain, Brian.”

“You need to call Tris, Kevin. She’s losing her mind.” Brian immediately regretted his choice of words but there was no time to be delicate.

“I don’t think she’ll be wanting to talk to me, Brian....”

“Call her, Kev!”

“Not yet. I can’t talk to her yet.”

“What about the tour?”

“I’ll be there. I swear.”

Brian was worried. “Are you sure you’re ready to handle it, Kev?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Kevin paused. “I just have to clear my head.”

“Can I tell these assholes that?” They’re already getting their lawyers in on this.” Brian glanced over his shoulder. They were waiting on him. “What about the rehearsals and promos?”

Kevin’s voice rose. He was becoming agitated. “Shit, Brian! I don’t know. I’m sorry, but....”

“Okay, okay....Don’t worry about it. You know the stuff and we’ll cover for you. Just call Tris, okay? Please, Kevin.” Brian paused for a moment but Kevin didn’t respond. “You need her, man....” Brian heard Kevin sigh deeply.

“Just call off the cops and tell them I’m alright. I’ll see you later.”

“I’m counting on it, Kevin.”

Kevin hung up with no further comment. Brian folded his phone as he walked back to the table. He continued to stand until he had everyone’s attention.

“Gentlemen, that call was from Kevin....” The men at the far end of the table began murmuring to each other. “.....He’s fine and he’s ready for the tour. I guess that ends this discussion.” With that Brian walked out of the room. The others soon followed.

“Did he call Tris?” Nick asked him when they got outside.

“Not yet, Nick.” Brian answered “I’m not sure he will. Not yet, anyway.”

“But she’s got to know! It’s not right, Brian - you know that!”

“I’ll call her.” Brian sighed.

Brian gave them all a run down of his conversation with Kevin and then called Tristan before returning to rehearsals.

**********

Brian hadn’t been able to tell Tristan much, just that Kevin had said that he needed to ‘clear his head’ as he had put it. For two nights now he had been away from her and she ached for his return. Two nights seemed to be very little compared to other events, such as extended tours, which had kept them separated for weeks at a time. However, those occasions were planned and your partner was far away. The separation Sunday night had been unexpected and Kevin was close by - somewhere. He could come home if he wanted to.

Tristan was alone in the house. Mason had flown to New York for a few days and when he returned he would be moving into the apartment Tristan had leased last year. She was just as glad. Although she loved Mason dearly, she did not want his mothering right now. She didn’t want his comfort. She wanted Kevin. After Brian had told her about Kevin’s call, she had thought that he would call her. She hadn’t dared leave the house, but no call came. By Tuesday night, Tristan’s nerves were shot. She walked back and forth through the house, doing nothing. She tried to play the piano but her mind wouldn’t focus on the music. The house was full of windows and Tristan caught herself staring out of them, almost in a dream state, imagining that he was coming through the door and that everything would be alright again.

Finally, late into the evening, Tristan sighed and pulled herself up from the sofa. She had been reading for an hour and had yet to turn a page. Her mind was still racing and worried but her body was tired and so she decided to soak in the tub for a little while. She needed to unwind and went up the stairs, turning the lights off behind her.

The light in the bathroom seemed harsh to her so after she began to run the water, she dimmed the light and went to a cabinet to get a candle. Maybe a little aromatherapy would help her to relax. Next to the candle was a bottle of Kevin’s bubblebath. Tristan smiled sadly, took the bottle and poured some of it under the running water. For a few minutes, she watched bubbles form under the flow, remembering the baths that she and Kevin had enjoyed together. The memories were bittersweet tonight. Every thought that entered her brain had Kevin’s brand on it. When the tub had filled, she lit the candle, stripped and clipped up her hair, which seemed to be growing quickly. It now brushed below her collarbone. Tristan eased herself slowly into the warm water and leaned against the back of the tub. Maybe the bath had been a bad idea. The porcelain felt cold and unyielding against her back and she longed to be leaning against Kevin. She closed her eyes and could feel his arms wrapping around her, his hairy thighs rubbing against her smooth ones. She could feel her buttocks pressing up against his groin.....she shuddered. It became impossible for her to fight the tears so she let them spill, praying that sleep would find her quickly tonight and leave her dreamless.

Tristan lay under the water until it had become tepid and the bubbles had dissipated. She remained sitting until the water had completely drained, mesmerized by the circular motion of the water as it entered the pipe. Then she pulled herself out of the tub and dried herself. Tristan stared into the now empty tub before she blew out the candle. She couldn’t remember the last time she had taken a bath by herself.

***********

Kevin had parked his truck outside the gate and let himself into the yard. He stood in the darkness, watching the house, trying to come to some sort of decision about what he should do. He wasn’t sure. He had watched through the windows and had seen Tristan moving restlessly from room to room. She would often stop and gaze into the darkness. Once or twice he thought that she had actually seen him there. She seemed to have been looking right into his face. His heart didn’t know how to react when he saw her. Part of it dropped at seeing her sad expression, realizing that his cruel words and disappearance had hurt her. Another part of his heart soared at the sight of her knowing that she had the power to heal and comfort him. As a result of this conflict, his heart remained frozen. Finally, the lights began to go out downstairs and he couldn’t see her anymore. Kevin walked around the perimeter of the house following the lights as they were extinguished. He looked upwards and saw the soft light of their bedroom snap on and then the bright lights of the bathroom. After several minutes, the bathroom light went off and was replaced by a dimness. He knew that she had lit a candle and was probably in the tub.

Kevin closed his eyes, imagining himself with her, climbing into the tub behind her, feeling her weight against him and knowing that she felt safe in his arms. He remembered the times they had laid in the tub content just to feel themselves against each other. She would run her hands down his thighs and he would stroke her stomach. Their intimacy at these times was not always sexual. This wasn’t foreplay - it was comfort. God, he needed comfort now. Comfort and forgiveness - again.

When Kevin opened his eyes, the candlelight was gone and the bathroom window had darkened again. He blinked away the wetness on his lashes and watched the bedroom window until, at last, the light went out. Then he let himself quietly into the house and waited for Tristan to fall asleep.

********

Kevin sat in the dark living room for an hour before he decided it was time to go upstairs. Stepping over the squeaky step, he walked slowly to their bedroom. The door was open and he stepped inside. Light from a full moon shone through the window and he could see the outline of her sleeping form on the bed across the room. Kevin gazed at her for a few moments, wondering how she would react if he climbed in the bed beside her and pulled her against him. He turned, walked to the dresser and slowly opened the top drawer. He couldn’t see inside the drawer but his hands would recognize what he was looking for. He glanced over his shoulder occasionally, making sure that Tristan was still sleeping as he rifled through the drawer in the dark. He couldn’t find it. He continued to push things around, searching and knowing that he was making a mess. His hands grew more desperate as the seconds passed.

Suddenly the room was bright and Kevin, startled, whirled around to see Tristan sitting up in the bed with the blanket wrapped around her, staring at him. They continued to stare at each other for several moments before Tristan spoke.

“This is your house, Kevin. You don’t have to sneak in.” She paused and bit her lip before asking, “Weren’t you planning to stay?”

Kevin slumped against the dresser and looked down at the floor before raising his eyes to meet hers.

“I don’t have a plan, Tris. I thought I’d get some clothes. I...I didn’t want to disturb you.” His eyes fell to the floor again.

What?” Tristan whispered in disbelief. “You didn’t want to disturb me?...Disturbme?....You don’t think I’m already disturbed?” Her eyes grew wet and she blinked several times.

“I don’t know what happened to me, Tristan. I know I scared you. I scared myself.” Kevin sighed and shook his head before looking at her again. His voice was full of emotion. “I just couldn’t stand to see you like that on the floor. I couldn’t take the look on your face! I can’t be with you if you’re afraid of me. I can’t stand it....” Kevin said hoarsely......”and you were afraid of me, baby. Not that you didn’t have every right to be....”

Tristan looked at him sadly. “So now you’ve come to get some clothes to tide yourself over. Until when, Kevin? Until the tour?”

She got no response.

“Well, Kevin, you go ahead and get your clothes....but you seem to have forgotten that the drawer you opened has my clothes in it.” Tristan spoke quietly, without anger. “Or maybe you’re looking for this....”

Tristan pulled the blanket off of her body, revealing the pink camisole. She began to quickly unfasten the small pearl buttons.

“Here, Kevin - if this is what you want - take it.” She tossed the satin to his feet.

Kevin didn’t pick up the camisole, but instead just stood gazing at Tristan. She was now up on her knees wearing only satin panties. Her straw colored hair hung past her shoulders, almost to the top of her exposed breasts. She didn’t attempt to cover herself from his gaze.

“Tris...”, he began.

She raised her hand and whispered to him. “Why, my love, do you settle for so little, when you could have so much?”

Kevin hung his head and rubbed his hands on the back of his neck.

“I don’t know what you mean....”

“Look at you.....here you are, rifling through a drawer in the middle of the night, looking for a little piece of sanity when what you need....what you want....is right here. I’m right here, Kevin - and I’m not afraid of you. I told you a long time that your only crime was loving intensely. Now you have to trust intensely.”

“I want to Tristan...I really do...but it’s hard.....”

Tristan heard Kevin’s voice crack. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"There have been so many times when I trusted - when I let my guard down and was run over.” Kevin began to pace. “People I thought were my friends turned out to be users. People I thought were honest turned out to be crooks. People I loved.....”

“....left you?” Tristan asked.

“...or lied to me.” Kevin finished.Kevin stopped his pacing and turned to her.

“Do you think I lied to you?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know, Tris....I just know....Shit, Tristan!” Kevin stepped to her. His voice dropped remembering the magazine offers. “All I know is that when I think of other men gawking at you....When I think of you....” Kevin was having trouble finding the words to express himself. “Fuck! I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a chauvinist ass...”

“Just say it, Kevin!” Tristan commanded.

“Alright...” Kevin turned and sat on the edge of the bed, his back towards her. He played with the rings on his fingers and every so often he would speak to her over his shoulder. “I feel like you belong to me. You’re mine! When I saw those offers and proposals from those magazines....well.... I’m just not willing to share - that’s all! I know what guys do with those magazines and I don’t want them doing it with you!” Kevin shook his head, frustrated, knowing that his feelings weren’t rational. “I can’t help it! I don’t them imagining what you feel like or smell like. I don’t want them thinking about how you taste! Those things are for me!” He turned and looked at her, pleading for perception. “ Do you understand at all what I’m trying to say? I mean, God damn! A million dollars? They must want you bad!”

Tristan’s face softened and she smiled as she moved up behind him and tenderly wrapped her arms around his neck. She bent her head down and whispered in his ear.

“They didn’t think I was worth a million dollars until I was with you. Don’t you think I’m worth a million?”

Her breath in his ear was driving him crazy. His hands reached up and held hers against him. He smelled honeysuckle. “Baby, to me, you’re priceless.”

“Very good answer, Kevin....” Her mouth moved to the back of his neck. She nipped at his skin there and began to suck. “Do you have any sugar in this bowl for me?”, she teased, trying to bring him out of his torment.

“Tris.....” he sighed. Although his tone was one of slight protest at her advances, she noted that he bent his head to give her better access to his neck.

Tristan removed her arms from his neck and began to pull his jacket from his shoulders and down his arms.

“Aren’t you warm, Kevin?” she asked coyly. He felt her breasts brush across the neckline of his tee shirt to his shoulder.

Kevin tried to keep his mind focused on the subject at hand, but he was growing harder by the second. His jeans became uncomfortably tight. So much for ‘loose fit’.

“We’re not finished with this, Tris....are we?”

He was still so serious. Tristan raised his arms and began pulling off his long sleeved tee. She smiled to herself as kicked off his shoes and socks, cooperating with her efforts to undress him but still fussing and insecure. When his shirt was off, she snaked her hands around to his chest and scraped her nails across his nipples making him gasp.

“God dammit, Tris!......We’re not done....”

“Do you want me to stop, Kevin?” she murmured.

“Yes!....No!...Shit....”

He could feel her breasts pressing into his back. Her nipples were hard. He was hard.

“There’s only one thing you need to know, Kevin...” Tristan's mouth was once again at his ear. Her hands were gently stroking a path from his navel to the top of his jeans. “It comes from the title of a song I heard this guy sing once.”

“What?” he sighed, enjoying her light touch on him.

Tristan deftly unsnapped Kevin’s jeans and reached down inside of them. She put her lips against his ear and whispered softly, sending chills down Kevin’s spine.

“’Noboby but you’, Kevin. Nobody....but you....” Tristan began caressing his erection and felt his body stiffen.

Kevin groaned loudly. “ Jesus, Tris..... oh fuck...” He began to raise his hips to meet her touch and pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs.

Tristan slipped off the bed from behind Kevin and knelt down in front of him, taking his swollen length in her hands.

“Nobody but you, baby,” she repeated looking into his eyes and then leaned forward to suck on his nipple.

One of her hands caressed his sac as she stroked him and he held her head against his chest moaning her name over and over. Tristan began to move down, creating a small wet path with her tongue. Kevin’s breath began to come in short bursts, anticipating the next sensation her tongue would bring him.

His hands moved from her bare back and locked onto her head. When her tongue found his tender tip, he began to tremble. Tristan’s tongue was warm and wet against him and he felt himself pushing her down on him farther. Her teeth scraped against the underside of his shaft and he closed his eyes, never wanting this to end, while at the same time his body screamed for release. When she began to suck on him forcefully, he pulled himself out of her, not wanting to cum down her throat. Not tonight. Still grasping her head, he brought her lips to his and began to thrust his tongue into her mouth, causing a moan to rumble in her throat.

Kevin pushed Tristan onto the bed, flipping her on her back and entering her hard and with no preamble. As her smooth wetness slid around him, he wondered if it was possible to die from pleasure. He raised himself up and opened his eyes to watch Tristan as he ground against her, harder and faster. Drops of sweat fell from him and splattered onto her breasts. He could see her screaming and saw her lips pronounce his name but he couldn’t really hear her. He was far too high. But he could feel her. He could feel the inside of her grasping, clenching at him. Did she really have any idea what she did to him? What she did for him?

Tears began to spill from Tristan’s eyes. Kevin knew instinctively that they were not tears of pain and began to lick them off of her face, still pounding into her relentlessly. He felt her tense again and this time he tightened with her, sending his cum deep inside her. His shoulders trembled and he fell on her, groaning and slippery with sweat. He was weak but not yet fully spent. He continued to move gently and could still feel himself emptying small amounts of himself into her. His orgasm had been unquestionably intense and unrelenting, lasting much longer than it usually did.

Kevin didn’t move from Tristan right away. After a few moments her chest rose under his weight as she tried to refill her lungs. He felt her hands combing through his hair. He couldn’t stop the single tear that fell from his eye onto her body. He removed himself and laid beside her, pulling her close. Then he closed his eyes once more and moved his mouth down to her breast where he began to suckle her gently.

Tristan continued to stroke his hair and caress his cheek as he completed his search for comfort.

“Nobody but you, Kevin....”

CHAPTER 10

Kevin’s eyes slowly cracked open in the semi darkness of their bedroom. It was almost light outside and he had to get up. Rehearsals were beginning at seven AM. The view directly in front of him was of Tristan’s breasts. She was on her side facing him, her arm draped across his shoulder. He tilted his head to verify that she was still sleeping, a look of peaceful satisfaction playing on her face and mouth. He vaguely remembered attaching himself to her last night. Kevin’s arm lay across her hips and he pulled her to him one more time, burying his face in her cleavage. Tristan sighed and he felt her fingers play at the nape of his neck, still sleeping. Then the alarm screamed, breaking sharply into their contentment. Damn! Tristan jumped and her eyes flew open. Kevin didn’t move.

“Kevin!” she whispered, shaking his shoulder. “Wake up!”

“Noooo….” He mumbled into her breasts. His grip on her tightened and he could feel her pelvis against his stomach.

“Come on, Kevin….I’ll go make some coffee.” Tristan began to untangle her legs from his thighs.

“Noooo….”

He pressed his thighs together, holding her in place. Tristan began to laugh and slapped him on the back. Her breasts shook against his face with her laughter. Kevin moved his head and caught her soft nipple in his mouth, feeling it grow hard as he flicked his tongue across it. Tristan gasped and stiffened.

“Jesus…”, she moaned, gripping his neck.

Then she heard him groan against her breast. “Okay, I’m going!” Kevin pushed himself up and started to get out of the bed.

“What?” She grabbed his hand. “You’re going now?” Tristan let out an exasperated sigh.

“You told me to get up. I’m getting up!”, he teased, pressing his erection against her thigh. Tristan reached down to stroke his stiffness. “Shit…”, Kevin moaned softly. “Maybe I’ll be a little late…”

Kevin arrived at the studio half an hour late. The other four were in the middle of a routine and didn’t see him at first, which gave Kevin a few seconds to take in the atmosphere and personalities. Nick was dancing with Kevin’s partner, apparently splitting his time between her and Lily so they could both get their practice time in. Lily sat on a chair facing the back of the room looking into a pocket mirror and applying lip gloss with her finger. This was the first time he had laid eyes on her since that fateful night when he had been crazy enough to let her into his bed. He suddenly felt tired and wished he had skipped this today and stayed home in bed with Tristan.

Lily had seen Kevin come in through the refection in her mirror. He was staring at her. Couldn’t stay away. She stood up with her back towards him and bent forward from the waist, legs apart, pretending to adjust the strap on her shoe. Her provocative pose didn’t seem to have the desired effect, however, because when she straightened herself and turned to face him, he was speaking with Brian who had spotted him soon after he arrived. Lily pouted and Holly chuckled having watched the entire scene from her seat across the room. Holly began drawing on a page in the notebook she always carried and tore out a sheet of paper. She walked over towards Lily who welcomed her approach with a scowl. AJ had also seen enough to know that some cattiness was about to occur so he moved closer to the center of the predicted action. Nick only saw Holly walking towards Lily with a sheet of paper in her hand and a smirk on her face. He hadn’t seen Kevin come in. Jeez, what now?

Lily crossed her arms at Holly’s approach. “What do you want, Mand…oh, I mean Haley?”

Holly ignored the barb. “Well, Lily, I couldn’t help but see you waving your ass in Kevin’s direction like some sort of baboon mating ritual. You didn’t seem to get much of a response.” Holly sighed in mock sympathy.

“What do you want?” Lily repeated impatiently.

“I think you should wear this….” Holly waved the paper. “Turn around and stick your ass back up here.”

“What is it?” Lily grabbed the paper from Holly and looked at the drawing of a large target. There was an arrow, which pointed to the bullseye, which read ‘STICK IT HERE’.

Lily frowned and then put on her dazzling smile. “Oh, Haley…you are so clever! But, believe me, Kevin doesn’t need any help - he knows exactly where to ‘stick it’” Lily shook the paper in Holly’s face, laughing.

AJ, who had been standing a few feet away, raised his eyebrows along with his head as he glanced towards Kevin.

“The sign isn’t for Kevin, it’s for me. I want to be sure I don’t miss that ass of yours when I stick my foot in it!”

“Oh, I don’t think you can miss it……” AJ remarked, successfully butting into the conversation.

“You two are so funny.” Lily said with a straight face. “I expect I’ll be seeing you on ‘Hollywood Squares’ any day now…Sorry I can’t stay and listen to your witty repartee, but I see my partner has arrived.” Lily shifted her hips and wiggled over to where Kevin and Brian were standing.

“That bitch has balls of brass…” AJ muttered under his breath.

“Yeah…. and a head to match.” Holly nodded.

AJ and Holly watched Kevin for a few moments and then turned to each other, recognizing the knowing smiles on each other’s faces. They both knew at once that the other had the ‘gift’. The ‘gift’ was the relatively useless ability of knowing if a person had recently had a sexual release. It was almost a vibration and hard to describe. Holly and AJ could read people’s sex lives in much the same way that Edgar Cayce could read auras. They both were remembering Christmas dinner at the Richardson’s. There had been no vibrations from the couple and this had concerned them both privately.

“I’d say that Kevin’s gone back home, wouldn’t you, Holly?” AJ asked her, grinning.

“Oh yeah…..” Holly turned and winked at AJ.

“We’ll have to talk about this sometime.” AJ looked over the top of his glasses into Holly’s smiling eyes. She responded with a nod.

Nick saw their exchange when he tried to capture Holly’s attention from across the room. He waved his hand and then his arm but she and AJ seemed involved in some sort of funny conversation. He saw her wink at him and found himself a little peeved.

Kevin walked to a corner of the room and dropped his bag on the floor. As he leaned over to pull a towel from the side pocket, he felt a gentle pinch on his backside.

“Good to see you back, Kevvy…”, Lily said slowly, her hand now resting on Kevin’s hip.

He stepped away from her, making no reply and walked to his place on the floor. Kevin could feel everyone’s eyes on him, gauging his reactions to Lily’s advances. He couldn’t lose his temper and she couldn’t lose the challenge. His complete lack of reaction mystified her and almost made her more determined to get to him. She lined up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders, ready to begin the first steps of the routine. Just as Kevin was turning to glare at her, the assistant dance coach spoke up.

“Lily! You’re down here, remember?” she said, pointing towards Nick.

Kevin continued to glare at her until she moved away from him to the other end of the line and was replaced by Kevin’s new partner. For the next few hours, Kevin could almost forget that Lily was in the room, the key word being ‘almost’. Whenever he glanced at Nick, Lily caught it and this seemed to be her signal to turn on the sensuality. Simple hand gestures turned into provocative touches - always accidental, of course. This may have gone unnoticed unless someone was looking for it. Unfortunately, Holly was looking for it and so was Kevin. Nick wasn’t looking for it so when Lily’s hands lingered or when he felt her press herself against him he was surprised and wondered if he wasn’t being a little paranoid. His questioned was answered when he looked at Holly’s face.

“Break!” the coach called out, not a moment too soon.

Lily laughed and ruffled Nick’s hair playfully, crossing Holly’s line of tolerance. Kevin saw Holly shoot up out of her chair and he headed in Lily's direction, determined to intercede and fearing that Nick might require some back up. AJ, realizing that he was at risk of missing something, followed on Kevin’s heels, ever hopeful for a little hair pulling or clothes ripping.

“Whoa, Holly!”, Kevin shouted, grabbing Holly by the back of her shirt before she could make physical contact with Lily who was hiding behind Nick. She peeked over his shoulder and smirked. Holly recalled seeing a similar expression on Lily’s face the night that Tristan had made her discovery.

“Gosh, Haley! What’s the matter?”, Lily asked, feigning ignorance.

Kevin gave Holly’s shirt a yank - a veiled warning not to play into Lily’s hands. Holly took a breath and tried to calm herself down.

“Why nothing really, Lily. You just seem to be having a little trouble with your hand placements. Your timing seems to be a little off.” Holly said evenly, staring into Lily’s eyes.

“I don’t know what you mean! That’s the way I danced with Kevvy and he had no complaints…did you Kev?” Lily turned and smiled sweetly at Kevin. Then she pouted “Gee, I’m just trying to show Nicky a few little things - you know- like Kevvy showed me…” Her implication was unmistakable.

“Lord have mercy! Get me the Pepto Bismol!” AJ groaned as Kevin rolled his eyes heavenward. Nick was speechless. Holly was not.

“You don’t have to show Nick a damn thing, Lily!” Holly shouted. “I think he knows all he needs to know!”

Nick smiled. That’s my girl…

Then Holly finished. “I didn’t realize you were so damn desperate!”

Nick frowned. Hey! Ouch…

AJ’s head bobbed back and forth between the two women like he was watching a tennis match. His mental scoring had Holly in the lead.

“Oh my, Haley!” Lily put her hands up beside her face faking surprise. “You’re absolutely right! I don’t have to show Nicky a damn thing! Nick’s ex has already done that. Candy, Sandy…whatever…”

“Mandy.” Nick interjected, wishing immediately that he had kept his mouth shut.

AJ let out a low whistle. Oooooh. Very low blow. That was a definite double foul from Lily and Nick.

Nick looked towards Kevin first, hoping for some encouragement, but he was greeted with a silent stare. Shit. Then he turned slowly towards Holly. She gazed at him with her mouth open and her eyes wide in disbelief. Nick wasn’t sure if she was angry or hurt until he saw her eyes start to fill. Then she whirled around, grabbed her bag and bolted for the door with Nick chasing after her.

Damn! Knockout… AJ shook his head.

Kevin was finally compelled to speak. His four words to Lily said it all.

“You are a bitch.”

“Yeah!” AJ concurred. “You really push the limits of PMS, Lily!”

Lily hung her head dramatically. “You don’t know how much I wish it was PMS….”, she said softly. “The fact is that I haven’t experienced PMS for about three months…”

Lily’s last remark was slammed directly towards Kevin. She turned to walk to the dressing room door and stopped, giving her statement time to sink in.. It sank into AJ right away. He looked up a Kevin who was staring at Lily with an expression of anger and denial. Lily had managed two knockouts in one round. She smiled sweetly, brushed her fingers across her abdomen and pushed through the doors.

“Kevin,” AJ began, “don’t start jumping to conclu…”

Kevin turned abruptly and went to the corner to pick up his bag, oblivious to the stares of the others still in the room. They had heard every word. Brian tried to stop Kevin as he headed for the door.

“Kevin - look! Don’t go off about this now…”, Brian said, grabbing onto Kevin’s arm.

Kevin stopped and glared at Brian’s hand gripping his forearm and Brian reluctantly released it.

“I’m going home.” Was all he said before he left.

“Holly! Stop running away from me!” Nick screamed as Holly made a run for the Durango. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m getting away from you! What do you think?” Holly had gone from hurt back to mad. “Maybe you can get Mandy to show you why I’m going! She’s shown you so many other things!” Holly pulled the door open as Nick caught up with her. He slammed his fist against the door, forcing it shut again.

“Will you just calm down! I didn’t mean anything by what I said! I was just trying to end the confrontation in there! Jesus….!”

“Well thank you, Nickolas! Your plan worked. I just didn’t expect the sucker punch to come from you!”

Nick was becoming angry as well. “You’ve really got nerve, Holly! Telling Lily that she must be desperate to make a pass at me….”

“Oh! You admit that she was making passes and you were…”

“I don’t admit to anything!” Nick cut in. “It looked to me like you were plenty busy in there, making a few passes yourself - and AJ was the receiver!”

“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” Holly laughed bitterly. “You think I’m making passes at AJ?”

“Unless you have somehow caught Howie’s ‘winking disease’! What the fuck was that all about? I’m in there acting like an idiot, trying to get your attention and you two have your heads together like you have some secret!” Nick shouted.

“Maybe we do!” Holly yelled back.

“Care to share it with me?”, he asked angrily, removing his hand from the door and waving it in her face. He glanced at the spot where his hand had been. “Damn, I’ve dented the door…”

Holly jerked the door open, climbed in and started the engine. “Don’t worry, Nicky. I’m sure Mandy can show you how to fix it! She’s shown you so many other things!” Holly slammed her foot on the accelerator and squealed out of the parking lot.

Nick turned and slammed his fist again, this time into the hood of the vehicle in the next space. He took several deep breaths before he noticed the damage. “Shit!” he said out loud. Then he recognized the SUV. “Double fuckin’ shit!” He had dented the hood of a black 4-Runner and the owner was approaching quickly from behind. Kevin looked beyond upset. He stopped on the other side of his truck and gazed at Nick with a furious scowl that Nick mistakenly thought was for him. Kevin studied the dent Nick had made, raised his fist and slammed it into the other side of the hood, causing even more damage. He looked at Nick again, threw his bag in the back, climbed in and sped off, never saying a word.

Kevin saw Nick’s Durango in the drive when he got home and knew that Holly had come to vent to Tristan. He actually didn’t know whether to be frustrated or relieved. He stepped on the brake and his hand instinctively went to the florist’s box that lay on the passenger seat. Kevin sat in the truck for a few minutes trying to devise some sort of plan. Should he say anything yet or not? He was going to have to tell Tristan about Lily’s implications before someone else did. But he was also trying to consider AJ’s advice, which had only begun to sink in on his way home. Don’t jump to conclusions. Could it possibly be true? He rested his forehead on the steering wheel. When would this trial by fire ever end? Lily had intimated that she was pregnant and that Kevin was the father. He was going to have to confront Lily before he could talk to Tristan.

Kevin tried to put himself in Tristan’s place, imagining her reaction to this situation. She knew that he had slept with Lily and he honestly felt that she had forgiven him and had tried to put it behind her, although she didn’t want to be reminded of that time in their lives. He didn’t want to be reminded either but it was unavoidable as long as Lily was around. He was in a no-win situation. After the shock, Tristan would eventually begin to wonder about how the pregnancy happened. Kevin had been a little drunk at the time, but Lily had an IUD - or at least she used to. Tristan might ask if he had used a condom. He honestly couldn’t remember. If he had, she would wonder why he even had any since they never used them. He had been so screwed up that he just hadn’t been thinking. If a condom hadn’t been used, then Tristan might consider the possibility of STD’s. He had been clean, but who the hell knew about Lily? Kevin was drowning in deep shit and needed some practical advice from someone. Who? He realized that he couldn’t say anything to Tristan until he knew what was going on for sure. Hopefully, Tristan wouldn’t hear about this for awhile and by then he should have some facts. Kevin raised his head from the steering wheel and went quietly into the house.

Kevin could hear Holly’s voice coming from the kitchen. He peeked into the room and spotted the two women sitting at the table. Holly had been crying and Tristan was comforting her, trying to be the voice of reason. Holly did seem better now. He gazed at Tristan unobserved. She still had such a calming effect on people and was sincerely concerned when she saw her friends hurting. Kevin closed his eyes and prayed that he would be able to affect her the same way when this came to the surface, as he knew it would. He fought the urge to barge into the kitchen and hold Tristan tightly against him. God, he loved her so much! Would the aftershocks of his betrayal ever end? Must the punishment go on forever? Kevin’s unanswerable questions were interrupted by Tristan’s voice.

“Kevin! What are you doing home? Rehearsals aren’t over, are they?”

She walked quickly to him and threw her arms around his neck. Kevin closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, Holly was watching him intently, wearing a puzzled expression. Kevin smiled at her briefly but he knew right away that Holly had realized that something was amiss - something more than the fight between her and Nick. Fortunately, Tristan detected nothing.

“We cut out early today. We’re just too good, I guess…” Kevin said, still hugging Tristan. Tristan laughed against his shoulder but Holly could see that Kevin’s expression was humorless.

“Did Nick and I screw things up today?” Holly asked quietly. “I’m sorry…”

“No, no Hol…” Kevin slowly released Tristan and kissed her on the top of her head. “Everyone really needed a break.”

“I asked Holly if she and Nick would like to spend the rest of the week with us.” Tristan said absently, moving to the refrigerator. She guessed that Kevin must be hungry.

Kevin and Holly locked eyes at Tristan’s statement. Holly sensed that Kevin was trying to tell her something - something he couldn’t say in front of Tristan. Something was wrong.

“Uh…no thanks, Tris. I guess Nick and I had better battle this one out in private. The apartment is really nice, anyway.”

“Well then. You’ll both come for dinner tonight! I rented a couple of movies….okay?”

Tristan still had her back to them. Holly glanced at Kevin. He nodded.

“Sure, that sounds good. I’ll bring dessert.”

Tristan turned to her friend, smiling. “Something vanilla, I bet!” she laughed.

“Maybe..maybe…I gotta run, Tris. Thanks for the shoulder.”

“Anytime Hol!” Tristan answered, hugging her friend.

The three of them walked into the foyer where Tristan spotted the long white florist’s box on the table.

“Kevin, did you bring these with you?” she asked expectantly.

“Yeah, baby. Thought we needed a little color around here to fight off the winter blues.” Kevin chuckled.

Tristan lifted the lid off of the box and looked down at the two dozen roses that Kevin had brought home.

“Tropicanas!” Tristan shouted gleefully. “I haven’t seen Tropicnanas since…” she paused, “…..well, for a long time!” She ran over to Kevin and hugged him again. “You are the sweetest! I love you!”

“I love you, too, Tris.”

Tristan broke the hug and took the flowers into the kitchen. It was not lost on Holly that Kevin’s embrace had seemed a little more intense than the occasion called for.

“Has something happened, Kev?” Holly whispered to him as he led her out of the door. “Does it have to do with Lily, Nick and me?”

Kevin sighed. “It doesn’t have anything to do with you or Nick.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “What about Lily?”

Kevin shut his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead. “Look Holly, something did happen today after you and Nick left. I’m sure that Nick will know all about it by the time you get back. He can fill you in. I’m just trying very hard to avoid any references to Lily right now. Okay?”

“Okay, Kevin. Are you sure we should come tonight? We don’t have to…”

“No! Please come. We’ll relax, have some wine. It’ll be good.”

“If you’re sure….”

“I’m sure.”

Email Grace

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