“Yes, on tour,” Christian said with that adorable English accent I loved so much.
I could have fainted right there. It had been two years since I’d left the United States and I wasn’t looking forward to going back. I’d worked for the American pop group NSYNC from ages twenty to twenty-four when they did the most horrible thing to me than I can fathom anyone doing to anyone. I’m sure you remember. I moved to London soon after my 24th birthday and began working for a few of my father’s clients, publicly known as British boy-band BBMAK. The groups own heartthrob Christian Burns and I had hit it off from the very beginning and soon started dating. It was one year and two months to the day when he dropped this on me. We were going on tour again, in America, alongside my worst nightmare - NSYNC.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It won’t be that bad sweetie,” Christian said at JFK’s baggage claim.
“It’s been two years, I’m sure they’ve changed. People change.”
“Not these people.” I said bitterly. I remembered having this very conversation with Steve Fatone about these boys. He’d been right, I’d been wrong.
“Oh come on Abby, be a sport. I love you and that’s all that matters. I promise I won’t let them hurt you.”
I looked into his blue-gray eyes and let myself trust them completely. He’d never let me down and now was sure as hell not the time to start. I watched in admiration as Christian pulled my bag off of the conveyer belt and set it gently down next to me. What a gentleman, and he was mine. He loved me, I loved him. The love went both ways. A crazy feeling I know but, I didn’t think life could get any better.
“Mark, move over!” I said playfully and pushed my brown-haired friend further into the limo.
“Sit on Christian’s lap, I need to stretch out.”
I jumped on top of Mark and forced my way in between him and my boyfriend who kissed my cheek and hugged me.
“Getting pushed around by girls now Mark?” Ste asked and laughed.
“Well she’s older and, she’s got boobs.”
We all laughed as the limo driver boarded the on ramp to the highway.
“I love you guys,” I said and wrapped my arms around all of their shoulders.
“We love you too Abigail.”
I smiled but it soon turned into a frown. I couldn’t stop thinking about where this limo was headed. The Plaza Hotel. NSYNC would be there no doubt. I’d see them, they’d see me, their faces pursed in cocky smiles and smirks while they put on their “nice guy” facades for my boyfriend and my friends. It got me so steamed, I could barely stand it.
There was one person I was somewhat looking forward to seeing however and that person was Regina Hunt. She had been my true friend through it all. I’d heard rumors of her having left NSYNC to work for O-Town but those rumors were never confirmed so there was still a slim chance of being reunited with my former best friend.
As our limo pulled into the hotel’s portico, my worst nightmare came true and I saw NSYNC’s limo parked directly in front of ours. My heart sped up as I watched the guys standing by the bellman who was loading their suitcases onto his cart. They talked and joked just as they had before but they had aged and it was very much visible. Especially on Chris. He was 32 years old now and all of the heavy physical exertion had taken it’s toll. He didn’t look bad but he didn’t look as tight as I’d remembered.
“Who cares?” I forced myself to think, “After what they did to you, they could all be blind, deaf and dumb and I wouldn’t think twice about it. Poetic justice I say.”
“Christian!” I heard one of them shout. It was Justin. He jogged over to Christian and gave him a one armed hug. “Hey man, how’s it been?”
Christian went on to fill Justin in on what’s been going on since they were last on tour together but every once in a while Justin would let his eyes wander over to me. He’d look me up and down, letting his ocean blue’s linger on my face for a few seconds and then look to Christian again.
What was he thinking? I didn’t trust any one of these guys one bit. I turned around to ask Ste what he thought but to my dismay, he and Mark were already conversing with the other four NSYNC men.
“Abby?” I heard Christian ask.
I looked to him, “Humm?”
“Babe, Justin is asking you something.”
I looked at him with abhorrence in my eyes. “What?” I asked rudely.
“How are things going with you? How’s London?” Justin asked.
“Beautiful. Wonderful. I like it better than here.”
Justin laughed melodiously. “I know what you mean. Sometimes you go out of the states and you realize what true beauty is but once you come back to the land of the free and the home of the brave, you take it for what it is and you fall in love with it all over again.”
What the hell was he trying to pull? “I don’t think that’s the case for me. I love England and I don’t think I’ll be coming back.”
He shrugged, “I understand.”
He understands? Ok they were SO up to something. This just reminded me of how much I hated them. Christian took my hand and led me into the hotel. At least he was there to protect me if anything got out of hand. “This is going to be okay,” I told myself and took a deep breath. I was standing in the exact spot NSYNC had brought me to tell me about their master prank. This time, instead of standing here in tears, I was standing in the arms of my loving boyfriend. However, Joey’s eyes looked exactly as they had that day, crisp, clear and intense. He hadn’t stopped looking at me since we’d entered the hotel.
“Can we go up to the room now?” I asked Christian, my voice cracked a little.
He looked at me in concern. “Sure sweetie, whatever you want.”
With that we were headed toward the elevator. I exhaled and leaned against the rail as Christian pushed the button for the sixth floor. How was I ever going to make it through this?
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