Story Notes:

Life absolutely has gotten in the way this month so apologies for this being in just under the wire. 

Just a fun story to celebrate the birthday boy on what is probably a regular weekend for him.

Candice sighed into her Maker’s Mark on the rocks as she took in her surroundings. She knew Nashville had a reputation for being the “it” town of the moment but all she saw were drunken blonde college girls drinking pink colored concoctions and yelling “WWWWOOOOO” every 30 seconds. Ok, so they were probably in their mid-twenties but Candice felt her bones ache with age as she watched them, remembering with envy a time when she was that age but swearing she was never that obnoxious.


Now, here she was, too close to 40 to think about, taking an extra day after her “Advancements in HR Administration” conference to actually see Nashville since she had never been. Back home in Arizona sat her husband Tony, probably being completely overwhelmed by their 4 month old son, Russell. Candice’s face gave way to a small smile as she thought about how many times Tony must have called his mother by now to ask for advice.


Candice was certainly feeling guilty for leaving the boys all alone and had intended to come straight home but her husband insisted she take an extra day for herself as parenthood and sleep deprivation were taking their toll. She felt selfish to take advantage but the thought of finally getting to sleep in was too tempting to pass up.


So like a good adult, she should have grabbed a nice dinner and went to bed to enjoy the extra slumber. Instead, like a good adult who’s been locked in a house with an infant for 3 months and has only just started having social interaction again since returning from maternity leave, she went down to Broadway and picked the diviest bar she could find. 


It became rapidly clear she couldn’t hang anymore as she watched these young girls flirt with damn near every man in the place, with their practically matching outfits and cowboy boots she was sure were bought that day. Candice motioned for the bartender to bring her check as she sipped the last remnants of her drink and prepared to leave before the activities got too out of hand; which really meant not wanting to see one of those girls inevitably puke. She got puked on at least once a week as it was from her kid, she didn’t need someone else’s grown child to do the same.


As Candice handed over her credit card for payment to the bartender, she heard a large murmur that turned into a full blown cheer. Candice craned her neck to see what all the commotion was about but couldn’t see over the small crowd of people that had surrounded someone.


“Oh shit, we’re in for it now,” she heard her bartender remark to a co-worker with a laugh as she returned with the credit card receipt for Candice to sign.


“What’s going on?” Candice asked her as she added her tip and quickly noted her signature.


“Do you remember *Nsync?” the bartender asked her.


Candice stared for a moment, surprised by the question. “Yeah,” she said skeptically, wondering where this conversation was going.


“Chris Kirkpatrick just walked in,” she was informed. “He’s, I guess, a semi regular. Not always in but when he does stop by, you know it is going to turn into a wild party night.” Candice turned back to the crowd and tried to see over them again but was unsuccessful as the bartender continued. “Honestly, you want to experience a real Nashville night, stick around for another drink or two. Promise you’ll go home with a great story.”


Candice turned back to face the bartender who just put down another Maker’s for her. “On the house,” the bartender smiled and walked away. Candice looked down at the drink and then back at the crowd once again. She too smiled as she sat back onto her stool and tried to eck out a glimpse of the boybander, silently being thankful the bartender had clearly picked up that she wasn’t a local when she initially came in and had chatted about places to visit before she flew out.


A flood of memories swept back to Candice as she watched the crowd move around Chris. In her mind, she was instantly transported back to senior year of high school, rushing to her friend Emily’s house as soon as the bell let them out to watch TRL together. Watching every award show, Chili’s commercials and late night guest spot she could. Calling radio stations incessantly to win tickets and beg to play *Nsync songs on repeat.


“Crap, I was that obnoxious,” Candice thought to herself with a groan and a sip of her drink. That had been so long ago; she and Emily lost touch after college and life moved on. Her passion for the band had dwindled with time and she was surprised to find herself a little flustered by the sheer idea that one of the members was breathing the same airspace as her.


A gaggle of young ladies broke her train of thought as they pushed into the bar next to her. One started ordering drinks, loudly, for the rest of the group as the others reapplied lipstick and adjusted their boobs.


“So, who is this guy?” Candice heard one of them ask.


“He’s like old Harry Styles, I think,” another said.


“He’s not Harry!” a short girl exclaimed. “He’s definitely more the Liam of the group”.


“I just googled and he’s the same age as my dad!” a fourth girl laughed hysterically as she reached for her drink as they were passed back from the bar.


“Well, I will not be flirting with you tonight” a voice rose over the girls. Candice knew it instantly and whipped around to see Chris Kirkpatrick standing feet from her, small smirk on his face.


“No no no, it’s like, a total compliment” the girl who compared him to Liam stated as she ran up to him. “Her dad is like way hot.”


“Ewwww, don’t talk about my dad like that,” the previous girl said, smacking her friend’s arm.


“Ok, so, this has become awkward,” Chris remarked with a chuckle.


“You all are fucking embarrassments,” the girl who ordered the drinks chided the other girls. “Can we at least get a picture?” she asked Chris, literally batting her eyes.


“Sure, no problem,” Chris smiled and moved into the thick of them. A flurry of cell phones came out, ready for selfies from every angle.


The drink orderer clearly was either the smartest of the bunch or the most sober as she shook her head and tapped Candice on the shoulder. “Pardon me Ma’am,but would you mind taking a picture of my friends and I?”


Candice briefly considered saying no because she was certainly not old enough to be called Ma’am but since the girl was actually polite about it, she took the girl’s phone and hopped off her bar stool to assist.


“Wait, no selfies?” Chris asked. “I was fully prepared to do my duck face,” which he quickly demonstrated.


“We can do duck faces!” a girl in the back exclaimed as the group posed with pursed lips for the picture.


Candice took a quick series of photos and then returned the phone to the girl, who thanked her. The girls continued to hang around Chris for a few more minutes, grabbing individual selfies and generally ogling over him. Candice went back to her drink, half feeling embarrassed by association at the whole thing and half think how terribly she would have handled meeting a celebrity at that age.


She felt movement next to her again and was surprised to see Chris take up the stool next to her. As he sat, his drink was presented to him. Candice guessed as a “semi-regular” the bartenders must have known what his usual order. 


Chris took a long sip then turned toward Candice. “Hi, I’m Chris,” he said, extending his hand. “Thanks for helping out back there.”


Candice took a second to mentally compose herself. Why was he talking to her? And why was he introducing himself?! “Candice,” she responded, shaking his hand, “and no problem.”


“Your dad isn’t my age, right? It’s safe to flirt with you?” Chris asked her.


Candice couldn’t hide the shock on her face at what Chris had just said. Why on God’s earth would he be remotely interested in her?!?!? Her teenage self was absolutely freaking out and she fought has to hold in any squeals or giggles that threatens to escape.


“Aren’t you married?” she finally stumbled out.


Chris’s face broke out into a full grown grin. “First of all, I’m married but I’m not dead. Second, how did you know that?” he asked, leaning into her but keeping the grin on his face.


Candice was truly flustered now, realizing he had called her out and having no idea how to get herself out of it. “I mean, I know stuff,” she lamely responded before giving in a tad. “I mean I used to be a fan.”


“Used to be!” Chris reeled back in mock offense. “Where’d we lose you? Was it the Christmas special that had no Christmas songs? Was it Lance trying to go to space cuz that’s still off putting to me?”


Candice laughed and instantly felt at ease. She may have only thought about him and his band mates a handful of times over the years but countless teenage hours of pouring over sit down interviews and red carpet quips to “know” each member as much as possible came flooding back as Chris’s humor and personality felt like an old friend. “Actually, it was the brightly colored pimp outfits from the Billboard awards...sorry, just couldn’t get past them,” she joked.


“That shit was Joey Fatone’s fucking idea and I’m going to tell him off about it AGAIN next time I see him!” Chris protested and Candice let one of those damn giggles sneak out. 


Candice lost track of time as she and Chris continued to chat. As comfortable as she was, she still cross checked every question in her brain before actually asking it. They talked a bit about the heydays of *Nsync but mostly talked about the eating and shitting habits of infant boys. Occasionally other fans came by for a picture and Chris always graciously obliged. Candice kept waiting for Chris to get bored but after 2 additional drinks each, it hadn’t seemed to happen yet.


“So, this is always my favorite question to ask fans,” Chris stated as he finished his latest drink. “Who was your crush out of us? Don’t worry, you won’t offend me by not saying me, it’s never me.”


“Why do you assume it’s not you?” Candice laughed.


“Is it me?” Chris asked hopefully.


Candice pretended to ruminate on the question and even debated lying but settled on the truth, if only to see his reaction. “It was Lance,” she confessed sheepishly.


“But Lance is gay!” Chris yelled.


“Well, I didn’t know that!” Candice yelled back, laughing.


“I assumed you were gonna say JC. I’m keeping a mental tally and most people say JC.”


“I assumed you meant during the touring years. I think we needed more maturity to appreciate JC so I would guess people would say that as of current.”


“If you go with during the popular years, it’s almost always Justin.”


“I absolutely love Justin and am in awe by his talent and success but when it comes to *Nsync, my feelings are….complicated.”


“So are mine,” Chris said with a grin. At that, Chris jumped to his feet and clapped his hands. “Come on, you’re in Nashville. Let’s dance!” He extended his hand once again and this time Candice took it to stand. She wobbled just slightly as those 3 extra drinks were taking their toll and she mentally noted to switch to water when she sat back down again.


Chris maneuvered his way through the crowd with Candice trailing behind. Again, he stopped for many hugs and pictures along the way until they stopped at a small opening in the dance floor. Candice couldn’t remember when the band had actually started playing but the crowd was certainly enjoying their selection of classic 80s & 90’s country songs. The finishing chords of Chattahoochee where wrapping up as they found their space and the lead singer spotted them.


“Ladies and Gentlemen, I see a familiar face in the crowd tonight which means his wife got sick of his shit for one evening. Chris Kirkpatrick of *Nsync, how the fuck are you?” the singer shouted out to the crowd.


“Well, I just got done seeing your wife so I’m pretty fucking great,” Chris yelled back, followed by a raucous cheer from the crowd around him. 


The singer shook his head and laughed. “Oh, hilarious. Well I tell you what, Chris. Since you think you are so smooth with your old boyband swagger, I’ll play this one especially for you.” He quickly signaled to the band and the unmistakable opening strands of Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy rang through the place. Both Chris and the singer pointed at each from afar and smiled.


Chris turned his attention back to Candice. “You heard the man,” he directed as his arm slid around Candice’s waist and pulled her flush to him. Candice could feel her face turning pink as he rocked his hips against her. She tried not to truly think about the fact that the guy directly in front of her with the beautiful brown eyes and shit eaten grin had graced the walls of her childhood bedroom for more years than she’d care to admit. And now here he was, doing things to her she’d only fantasized about in that room. She hadn’t lied, Lance was her favorite, but she had crushes on all of them. Chris was the mischievous one, the bad boy in sheep’s clothing. There was always something hot about wondering what his next move would be and this night had certainly confirmed that.


“Thinking about how sexy I am,” Chris’s voice cut through her thoughts.


Candice couldn’t help but blush harder but refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Instead, she opted for the lesser truth. “I’m just kind of overwhelmed this is even happening,” she admitted. “It’s like one of my old posters came to life”.


“Did you make out with the poster?” Chris asked, cocking an eyebrow.


“So many papercuts,” she responded back with a devilish grin.


Chris pulled Candice even tighter as he leaned to one side and whispered huskily in her ear, “Would you like to know how it is for real?”


Candice felt her brain turn off at the suggestion. Yes, she desperately wanted to know. She’d dreamed about it more times than she could count and 20 years later, her literal teenage dream was going to come true. She closed her eyes and turned her head towards his lips.


She leaned over and didn’t find him. She leaned over more. Confused, she opened her eyes and did not see Chris’s face in front of her but could still feel his body against her own. She turned to face frontward and saw him standing before her, trying hard to suppress a laugh.


“What are you doing?!” Chris pretended to be in shock. “You’re married. I’m married! This is a ‘Do not pass Go, do not collect $200’ situation.” He couldn’t hold it together and burst out laughing. 


Candice blinked a few hard times as reality came back to her. “You….fuck!” she shouted incredulously as she too started laughing and gave him a shove. She should have known better; all those years of trying to figure out who these guys really were should have warned her that Chris will always take the joke as far as he possibly could.


“You wanna kiss me, you wanna love me,” Chris sang a la Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. Candice went to swat him again but he backed up, both still laughing.


“So not funny,” Candice attempted to pout.


“Completely funny,” Chris insisted. “It’s my superpower. I make people feel 20 years younger and forget all their cares.”


Candice wanted to make a smart ass comment back but realized she couldn’t. He hit it right on the head and she genuinely smiled at him. He got it. He understood the impact he, his bandmates, their music, everything about *Nsync had on that time in their fans’ lives. She could have kissed him for a whole different reason now.


Seeing the emotion on her face, Chris quickly lightened the mood. “Look, if we had met 10 years ago, I would have given you the best 32 seconds of your life. But now my balls are tied and all I can do is flirt. But know, just know, if I could I would.”


Candice smirked crossed her arms, deciding, if anything, she would try to go toe to toe with him. “That was way more than flirting. You are a goddamn pussy tease and you know it.”


Chris mimicked her stance and reaction. “Yes, yes I am. I may have a leash, but I’m still a dog at heart.” He then promptly barked loudly and reached around her waist again, this time smacking her squarely and firmly on the ass. Candice jumped and laughed. A small part of her could not believe she was letting him get away with this. Technically, he was a stranger. But he didn’t feel like one and she knew he knew that would always be his play. He knew exactly how to walk the edge of the line and it was weirdly impressive from her point of view. Oh, but God bless his wife!


“Here, I’ll make it up to you,” Chris said as he headed off toward the front of the stage. Candise had no idea what was about to happen as she saw the guitarist lean down to speak to Chris and then motion him to the side of the stage.


As the current song ended, the guitarist went to the lead singer and pointed over at Chris, now in the wings. The lead singer come to the microphone to address the crowd. “Oh, big surprise, Chris doesn’t have the spotlight on himself so wants to come up and sing a song,” the singer overexaggeratingly rolled his eyes.


Chris walked onto the stage. “Whah whah, go cry me a river,” he quipped. The drummer quickly hit a rim shot and Chris shot him the finger. “I just want the crowd to hear some good music.”


“So you’ll be singing something from the Backstreet Boys catalogue?” the singer questioned, which was met with a resounding “OOOOOHHHHHH” from the audience.


“Hilarious. Never heard that joke before, super original,” Chris deadpanned before the two laughed and embraced. Chris whispered something to the singer as the guitarist had been speaking to the rest of the band. Soon, the guitarist launched into a riff that Candice was very familiar with and had her already in fits of laughter.


“I know a girl who’s tough but sweet, she’s so fine she can’t be beat, she’s got everything I desire, sets my sun on fire,” Chris sang out to the crowd before turning the microphone for them to sing back.


“I want Candy!” the crowd responded. “I want Candy!”


Candice couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she allowed herself to completely fan girl out finally. For the first time all night, her phone came out to record this ridiculous spectacle before her. She moved closer to the stage as she filmed, letting out her own “WWWWWWOOOOO!!!!” as Chris hit the chorus again. Guess that confirmed she was one of “those” girls when she was younger.


She reached the edge of the stage and Chris leaned over the sing directly to her camera lense. “Some day soon I’ll make you mine, then I’ll have Candy all the time,” he winked at the phone before leaning over and full on licking up the front of it. Candice shrieked in laugher and disgust as she turned off the video mode and wiped the phone on her jeans. Feeling young and being young are still two different things she realized as she knew there was a time she probably would have licked the phone herself to have any sort of connection with Chris. Now she could only laugh and how bizarrely wonderful he was.


Chris finished the song and bowed until the singer pushed him off the stage. Chris made his way back to her slowly as the crowd was renewed with interest in getting pictures and giving him hi-fives. Once he returned, he smiled. “So sometimes girls’ named Candice have the nickname Candy, so you see what I did there.”


“Really? I’ve never heard that. My nickname was Cameron growing up. You know, like DJ from Full House. I thought everyone’s was with that name.”


Now it was Chris’s turn to fold his arms and pout as Candice laughed and hugged him. “It was more than I ever could have dreamed of, thank you,” she told him and give him a peck on the cheek.


“You mean that wasn’t one of your hot and heavy fantasies about me. I thought that was for sure in there.”


“Oh, it was, but it was Lance,” Candise grinned as Chris feigned being offended as they walked back to the bar to close out the bar tab once again. After several minutes of arguing who would by who drinks, Chris literally strong armed his credit card to the bartender.


“If I come to Arizona, you can get me then,” Chris stated. Candice wanted to argue more but knew it was useless. “When do you fly out?” Chris asked.


“Tomorrow around 5 so I can sleep in and then I’ll probably tour the Grand Ole Opry before I head to the airport.”


“Then yes, time for you to go to bed, young lady,” Chris told her matter of factly.


Candice smiled at him. “You are like Bill Murray; literally no one is going to believe this story.”


“You took video, there’s proof.”


“Of your tongue!”


“Which reminds me, clean your phone. I think I found a loose graham cracker piece wedged in there,” Chris remarked, making a disgusted face. He then smiled back and said, “Come on, everyone else wanted pictures tonight, I bequeath you one without even asking.”


Chris wrapped his arm around Candice’s waist as she pulled out her phone. She took two quick pictures of them posed and then asked, lilting her voice up an octave, “Like, should we do our selfie duck faces?” 


“Oh my God, totally!” Chris reacted back with equal enthusiasm. They posed again with lips puckered as Candice clicked the camera again. For the last one, Chris turned his face inward and kissed her cheek as she opened her mouth in surprise, able to capture the moment perfectly. She lowered the camera and turned towards Chris as they embraced in a long hug.


“Thank you,” she stated again.


“Always like to show people a good time,” Chris told her and she knew irrefutably that he meant it. “Now, I must away to my adoring public,” Chris stated, turning dramatically to face the now mostly empty dance floor as the band had taken a break. “My adoring public must have taken a smoke break,” he reasoned as they laughed, engaged in a quick hug once more and then Chris was off to hang out with the band backstage. Candice watched him go and disappear as she shook her head, still trying to wrap her brain around the evening.


“Now, aren’t you glad you stayed?” the bartender hollered over to her with a large smile and a wink. 


Candice smiled equally wide back. “You said I’d have a story and you weren’t kidding!”

 


Completed
ShadesofNsync is the author of 5 other stories.


You must login (register) to comment.

Story Tags: chris