"Ahhhh!"

The door to my room busted open a second later. "What’s wrong? Are you okay?" It was Katie, my roommate and best friend.

"I…I…I won." I barely got the words out; this is definitely one of the most exciting times of my life. I’d just called in to a radio contest and won a pair of meet and greet passes for my favorite band, Rascal Flatts. I had only been to one of their concerts in the past and loved ever minute of it, even though my seats were far back. But this time as a special surprise my mom got me front row tickets. I heard that you can get meet and greets if you join their club but I had no extra money to spare on something like that now.

"What did you win?" Katie asked.

"Meet and greet passes!" This time I screamed it, having regained my voice.

"Ohmigod! How? When? Why?" Katie is also a big RF fan, and very partial to Jay. I’m a JD girl myself, just can’t get enough of him.

"The show, Friday night. I just called in the answer to their trivia question."

"What was the question?"

"What does ‘Levox’ mean?"

"Wow, that’s an easy one."

"Well not for some people I guess. Ten people tried before I did and none of them got it right."

"How many did you win?"

"Two," I said slowly.

"I love you!" she said with a sweet smile.

"Of course I’m taking you! God how couldn’t I? You’re the only person I know who loves the guys as much as I do. Plus I’d never let you pass up the opportunity of meeting Jay."

"Jay," she said dreamily. "Do you think he’ll fall in love with me once he sets his beautiful blue eyes on me?"

This got me laughing big time. "Maybe, ya never know."

"You should call your mom and tell her. After all she is the one who got you the tickets."

"You’re right. Wait, what time is it?"

"Like three fifteen."

"She wont be home now. I’ll call her once she gets back from the doctors."

"Hello!" cried a faint unfamiliar voice.

"What was that?" asked Katie.

"OMG, the phone!" I reached for the phone that had dropped onto the floor when I had let go and screamed. "I am so sorry! I just got a little excited."

"It’s okay," said the dj. "Happens all the time. I just need to get your name and stuff like that."

"Oh, okay." I told him my name and the name of my guest who’d get the other pass. He said I could pick up the passes at the venue box and the meet and greets would start an hour before the show.

"Wow," said Katie again after I’d hung up.

"Yeah, I know."

"How do you think I should do my hair? And what should I wear?"

"Doesn’t matter, he’ll get knocked off his feet no matter how you look." Which of course was the truth. Katie is a natural beauty with light long blonde hair and looks great in almost anything she throws on. She had baby blue eyes and a medium flawless complexion. She has had many offers in the past for modeling jobs, but she turned them all down to pursue her dream as a pediatrician.

"Hey, can I do your hair?"

"Maybe."

"Do you hear that? Sounds like the hallelujah of angels!" she said sarcastically. "You’d actually let me do it?"

"Yeah, I mean this is very important. Everything must be perfect."

"That might take awhile," she said with a smile. But it wasn’t mean at all. I have hair that never does what I want it to do. eyes and okay skin. I’m pretty much average in every sense of the word when it comes to my appearance.

"Hey, what happens at a M&G anyway?" I asked.

"Oh, I had one a few years back for Kenny Chesney. Basically you wait in a line forever, but eventually get to the front where the guys are waiting. You get a picture with them and they sign something of yours. You can give them a gift too if you want. And that’s about it."

"Really? How long is it?"

"Only about 30 seconds."

"What! At an hour before the show?"

"Well there are a lot of people there too. Like 30 or 40. Plus they have to get ready afterwards."

"Wow."

"Yep, but it’s well worth it."

"I’ll bet. So are you gonna give Jay anything?"

"I was thinking a wedding band."

We both laughed at that, finding it funny that if she could Katie would do it.

"Doesn’t he already have one," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but mine will be better. So much better in fact that he’ll return his old one."

"You wish!"

"Hey, a girl can dream ya know."

"Oh I know alright. I do plenty of dreaming myself."

"Yeah that’s right you do. You want me to pick up tow wedding bands then?"

"Ha ha, very funny. No I think if I were to give him something then it’d be my tape."

"Uh-huh."

"What, is there something wrong with it?"

"Not a thing. Just, I dunno, it sounds so…"

"It’s different and more personal."

"True, maybe you should. Who knows, maybe they’d like it so much they’d want you on tour with them."

"Now I’m not even close to being that good."

"No you see it’d be perfect. You tour, I come with you, being the best friend that I am. Jay falls in love with me and we have a fall wedding."

"Oh boy, there you go again."

"C’mon, you cannot sit there and tell me that man is not fine."

"Now I didn’t say that. He is very hot, but JD’s better."

"Is not."

"Is so."

"Not."

"So."

Katie picked up a pillow and threw it at me. "Not!"

So what do I do? I throw it back! "So!"

"Okay, there’s only one way to settle this."

"No, not that again."

"The Magic 8 Ball!" she said with a grin.

"When’re you ever gonna listen to me?"

"When it tells me to." Then turning to the ball, "Oh Magic 8 Ball, tell me is Jay hotter than JD?" She shook the ball a few times and read out loud what it said. "That’s Debatable."

"Ha!"

"Okay then, is JD hotter than Jay?" Again she shook it and read what it had to say. "That’s Debatable."

"Why don’t you ask if they’re of equal hotness?"

"Okay. Is one hotter than the other?" She repeated the shaking and got another answer. "No. Well, that’s a lot of help."

"Maybe it’s telling us to agree to disagree."

Katie thought about that for a second. "Yeah, I could live with that."

We both laughed again, it seemed like we were doing that a lot lately. But why shouldn’t we? We had tickets to the best band on earth for Friday and we just got a pair of meet and greets. At this moment life couldn’t get any sweeter.

· · ·

"Hey man, c’mon. We gotta get goin."

"Yeah, okay I’m coming."

Five states away from Alice and Katie’s laughter the band and crew of Rascal Flatts was packing up the last of the equipment form last nights show.

Joe Don was tired, he’d been up all morning helping the crew pack up. They’d all agreed on staying the night before heading off the next day. But he’d only gotten three hours of sleep and was trying to make up for it now that he had nothing urgent to do.

"Hey Joe Don, you ready?" called Jay.

Joe Don stuck his head out from behind his bunk curtain. "Yep, let’s get goin."

"Alright then, here we come!"

Chapter 2

"It’s Friday!" yelled Katie as she entered the kitchen, like a small child on Christmas day. "Only nine hours till show time."

I was at the kitchen table making our posters when she came bounding in. We’d decided last night that our posters would have two sides to them. The front being a type of saying dealing with the band in general, and the back a saying to our respective favorites; Jay for Katie and Joe Don for me. I was just finishing up mine while Katie made her lunch.

"There, I’m finally done," I said.

"Let me see." Katie walked over to the table, lifted it up and read outloud what it said. "All I want to be is where Rascal Flatts is!" She flipped it over to see my Joe Don comment, it was set up like a math sentence. "Long blonde hair + Deep green eyes = One sexy man!" She started to laugh, "That’s too cute, I think he’ll like it. So what’re you gonna do for mine?"

"Huh? I’m not dong yours," I said.

"Please? You’re so much better at it."

"No."

"Fine." She went back to finishing her lunch. "Hey what time are we leaving tonight?"

"I’d say about six. Maybe quarter till. Why?"

"Just wondering how much time I had to prepare. ‘Cause you know I’ve gotta look fabulous." We both laughed at her emphasis on fabulous. "I also have to do you. Make you all pretty and irresistible."

"Hey now, all I want is a natural look. Maybe a little foundation or something like that."

"What about your hair?"

"Well I definitely want it down. If you can get it under control with little product and not make it all hard or sticky, fine. Then you can do my hair."

"Awesome! This will go down in history as the day you got your hair and makeup done."

"Oh boy, what’ve I gotten myself into?" I sighed and laid my head down on the table.

"Don’t worry. You can trust me."

"Uh-huh. Remember what happened last time I let you do one of your mini makeovers?" Awhile back I had let Katie do my over for a date I had. It was horrible, my hair looked like it’d been in a hurricane and I swear I looked like a clown. Obviously the date didn’t go so well. I even think I scared him a bit. But in the end it made for a good laugh every now and again.

"That was different," Katie replied. "I was young and I didn’t know what I was dong."

"It was barely a year ago!"

"Yeah well I’ve matured since then. Besides natural’s in anyway and I’ve got it down pat."

"If you say so."

"I do." She paused for a moment as if deciding on what to say next. "so, what do you think I should put on my poster?"

I rolled my eyes. "How about ‘Magic 8 Ball Says…’ then have a pic of one with it saying ‘Jay’s Hot!’

"I love that idea," Katie laughed. "It’s so original. So eccentric. So…me! Hey can you draw it for me while I go get ready?"

"Uh-uh, this is yours."

"You draw better."

"Fine I’ll draw the ball, but you have to do the rest. Okay?"

"Deal. In just a few short hours we’ll be screamin and singin our heads off so loud we wont be able to talk for a week!"

· · ·

"It’s the girls in the front row singin. It’s the boys with the whe– "

"Wait, stop!" yelled Jay.

"What now?" asked Gary.

"It’s wrong, all wrong."

"What is?"

"Joe Don," he said turning to point at the man. "You’re supposed to be over here with me pointing to the girls."

"No that’s later, towards the end," said Joe Don.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you’re the one who organized it. Remember?"

"Okay then. Sorry everyone, carry on." Everyone at the rehearsal seemed to sigh at Jay, which happened often right before a show. They were in and they were doing the last run through before the final preparations. They were well into the tour and still weren’t tired of it. It seemed as though with each show they got more and more energized about the tour. The lights, the music, and all the screaming fans were like a drug, but better than any dope dealer could supply. It was the kind you get with dong what you love and getting an awesome reaction in return. It was the kind you get with pure joy and just getting lost in the music.

Joe Don loved this part of his job; the performing. Every time he stepped out onto that stage his stomach was filled with the butterflies, like the first day of high school. Then once they get goin and he sees the excitement coming from a crowded room he just gets lost in the moment and loves every minute of it. However, the downside to all the touring was, of course, the little time he had to spend on a love life.

He was currently dating Tiffany Fallon, a model that he met through Jay’s wife, Allsion. They seemed to click right away and now have been dating for almost a year now and were living together in his house in Brentwood, Tennessee. She’d seemed perfect in the beginning, but recently thing’s hadn’t been too great between them. It wasn’t anything alarming, just little things he’d noticed. Like the phone calls that were shorter and the "I miss you’s" less frequent. He’d been thinking of breaking it off but then came to the conclusion that having someone was better than no one, and to wait till she called it off. Which, he feared, would be soon.

But he wasn’t thinking of any of that now. The only thing he had on his mind was the concert tonight and what he needed to do to prepare himself so he could give his best and put on an amazing show.

· · ·

"There," said Katie. "The makeup and hair is done. I wasn’t so bad, now was it?"

"Oh just torture," I replied rather sarcastically as I turned to look in the mirror. Actually she’d done a really good job. The makeup was light and evened out my skin perfectly. She’d used a product called Bare Minerals that I’d heard a little about in the past and seen on one of those infomercial channels. Then there was the hair. Somehow she’d managed to tame it with a little product and some head from my blow dryer. It looked amazing and I was glad I let her do it for me. I swear she could of been a beautician if she wanted.

"So?" she asked.

"I…uh…" I had no words to describe it. Finally I came up with something close. "Amazing."

"Good, I like it too. But I still think a little eye shadow wouldn’t hurt."

"No thanks, it’s perfect."

"Cool, now that I have your approval let’s go."

"What time is it?" I asked worried that we were late.

"Five."

I sighed with relief. "Jeez you almost gave me a heart attack, I thought we were late or something. You know we don’t have to go yet."

"I know, but I want to be early. So let’s go. You know you wanna."

I had to admit, going early did sound good, maybe we’d even get a glimpse of the guys. Besides what was I gonna do for an hour? "Okay, let’s go," I said.

"Yes!"

"Hold on, let me get the tickets and ID."

"Oh, on the way there we have to listen to FLT, so grab it too."

"Of course we will, it’d be like a sin not to. Anyway it’s already in the car’s player." So we got all the stuff we needed together; the tickets, posters, cameras (with extra film), CDs, and of course if we were gonna meet the guys we had to bring mints.

Chapter 3

"Here’s to you!" Katie and I were singing our lungs out with the CD as I parked in the venue lot.

"I am so excited about this," said Katie as she got out of ht car. "I swear I have butterflies and we haven’t even left the parking lot yet."

"You’re not the only one," I said. I’d had butterflies ten minutes after I found out I won the passes, and I didn’t think they were going to go away anytime soon.

"Okay, I have my poster, camera, extra film, gift for Jay…Oh yeah!" She popped a mint into her mouth. "Ready!"

"Alright, I’ve got all my stuff too," I said. "Off we go then." We walked up to the front of the building where out passes awaited us. "I’m here to pick up my meet and greet passes," I told the lady.

"Name?" she asked.

"Alice . And she should have one too," I said pointing to Katie. "Her name’s Katie McGuire."

"Here ya go. Just place them so they’re visible. The meet and greet entrance is down that way," she pointed to her right. "You can’t miss it." She smiled, "Enjoy."

"Thanks." I looked at the passes and saw that they were rascal stickers. "Awww, how cute. Look Kate." I showed her the passes.

"Cool, Rascal’s my man," she said.

"I thought Jay was your man."

"He is. So I guess Rascal is…my…dog! Yeah that’s it, he’s my dog." She started to laugh. We placed the stickers on our shirts and being so impatient we practically raced down the hall. As we got closer we could hear the excited murmurs of people not that far off. Sure enough, we came to a door with a sign that said Meet and Greets, and a guy standing next to it, obviously there to check for passes. We approached the door and showed him that we had ours and he opened the door for us.

"Do you know when the guys will be out?" I asked him.

"Five, maybe ten minutes. But you girls are the last to arrive so I’d expect a longer wait than that."

"Okay, thanks." We walked in and not four yards ahead of us the line started down a long hall. The guard was right, we were in for a long wait.

· · ·

"I love this part," said Jay.

"The meet and greets?" asked Gary. They were in the Flatt Shack, five minutes before the meet and greets were to start.

"Yeah, it’s so cool. You get all the fans to come and see you and they’re just awestruck at being able to meet us. Then when they tell us how much our music has done for them, it really gets to me right here," he pointed at his heart. "Yep, if only we could throw them all a party, ya know to say thanks."

"We do," said JD. "During fan fair, at the fan club party."

"Yeah, but that’s for the club members only. What about all those fans who can’t join?"

"You’ve got a point."

"Why don’t we pick out some random fans in the crowd and have a small hang out back here?"

"Sounds cool," said Gary. "But maybe we should ask Brandon first."

"Ask me what?" Brandon had just walked in to tell them it was time to get going when he heard his name.

"Oh, Jay had a really cool idea he wanted to run by you," said JD.

"What is it?" he asked turning to Jay.

"I was wondering," started Jay. "If we could have a little party here in the Flatt Shack after the show."

"I don’t have a problem with it."

"And invite some fans," Jay added quickly.

"What?"

"Yeah see I was thinking, they do so much for us, why not pay them back with a little get together?"

Brandon thought about it for a moment. "Okay," he said. "But how many fans are we talking about?"

"Thirty?"

"Make it twenty and you can have your party."

"Yes!"

"I’ll send someone out to get some snacks. So how’re you going to pick the fans?"

"We could throw darts at a map of the venue seating," said Gary.

"Okay," Brandon said nodding. "I’ll do it you guys are performing and figure out some way to get them here without too much commotion. Now it’s time for you guys to meet the fans. You’re already late." They started to leave and just as JD was walking out the door Brandon thought of something and called out. "And if you guys meet anyone you want there just let me know!" He doubted they all heard him but it was no big deal, twenty was plenty.

· · ·

After waiting the good part of an hour we could finally see the guys with ten people in front of us. I had my camera ready and my gift out. I’d decided to run with my idea on giving them a copy of my demo. They’d probably think it’s horrible but I really couldn’t think of anything else. I’d learned to play the guitar five years ago when an old boyfriend agreed to teach me. After that it was kinda self taught, but it’s fun and I love doing it.

The butterflies in my stomach still hadn’t subsided. If anything they’ve probably gotten worse. When we first started waiting me and Katie decided that she’d go first. We’d thought about going together earlier but realized that could get more time with them if we went separately. The waiting continued, but it went somewhat faster now.

Eight people…

Five people…

Four…

Three…

Two…

It was now Katie’s turn and she looked like she was about to pass out from all the anxiety and excitement. Then she did something I never thought she’d do. She ran the rest of the way to Jay and wrapped her arms around him in a huge bear hug. The look on his face was so funny I was barely able to get my camera up and take a picture. Then once I knew I wasn’t going to drop it, I busted out laughing.

Gary and JD turned to see who was laughing and found me bent over with tears in my eyes. Noticing that they were staring at me I stood up straight and called out to Katie. "Don’t squeeze too tight, Kate! You might suffocate him!" Then, realizing I was a friend of hers, they too started to laugh at the situation.

Finally she let go of him and gave him her gift. She’d gotten Jay a black t-shirt that said in white letters "I Am Loved!" It was a big joke that Jay never got enough love and attention, so Katie wanted to let him know she loved him. But I think the hug practically shouted it.

"Hey you," called Gary.

"Me?" I asked.

"Yeah, Brandon took off on an errand so can you take the picture?"

Looking around I saw that the guy who takes the pictures was gone. "Sure." I went over to Katie and had to just about pry the camera from her. Then backing up a bit I told them all to strike a pose, and let me tell you they may sing great but their modeling needs a little work. Katie had her arms around Jay with a look of bliss on her face while he was doing his DeNiro face. Gary looked like he’d froze in the middle of a little groove, and JD was flexing his muscles like the Hulk (I almost fainted at that!). It was so funny I took two, one for Katie and one for me. Then they all went normal and asked if she had anything for them to sign.

"Uh-oh," said Katie looking at me. "I got so caught up in all the other stuff I forgot something for them to sign!"

"It’s okay," said Jay. "We could sign your shirt."

"But it’s too dark, the marker wont show."

"I have a silver sharpie," I said. I dug into my purse and handed the sharpie to Jay.

"Thanks," he said. He turned Katie around and signed the back of her shirt. The look on her face was priceless, to have his hands on her back. The marker got passed and so did Katie, then her turn was over. She walked towards me and took my camera pushing me to them. The butterflies exploded then and I was sorta normal again, but still in awe.

"Hey gurlie, what’s your name?" asked Jay.

"Alice," my voice was barely audible.

"Huh? I didn’t hear you."

"She said Alice," said JD.

Hearing his voice I made the biggest mistake of my life, I looked at JD right in the eyes. It was like I got the wind knocked out of me, I was completely speechless and immobile. But was he gorgeous!

"Hey, Alice," said Gary as he gave me a huge hug. Turned out it was just what I needed to bring me back in control.

"Hey," I said returning the hug. I could feel JD’s eyes on me as I turned then to Jay for a hug. I’m sure he was expecting me to get one from him too, and even a stranger would know I wanted to. But I still couldn’t look at him in the eyes without freezing up.

Finally I turned around and there was JD with his arms open. I was pulled into his embrace, and oh what an embrace! With his strong arms around me I felt an odd sensation. I felt safe, like I could stay here forever. Then it was over and he released me, his scent still clinging to my senses.

"What’s that?" he asked looking at the CD case in my hand. "You want us to sign it?"

"No," I said. "It’s a demo disc of me playing various things."

"Guitar?" asked Jay.

"Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything else," I added lamely.

"Cool," said JD. "I’ll give it a listen."

Then I did it again. But it was easier to control now and I could see past those eyes of his that were like shining emeralds, to the sweet guy behind them.

"Okay smile!" called Katie.

We all turned toward Katie, who was holding my camera, with JD and Gary on either side of me. Then I realized something. "Wait," I said before Katie took the picture.

"What?" asked Gary.

"Could we do something a little different?"

"Whaddya mean?" asked Jay.

"Well I wanna stand by all of you so I was thinking there could be one person on each side and one standing behind."

"Sure," said Gary.

"Okay with me," said JD.

"Who do you want behind you?" asked Jay.

"Doesn’t matter to me," I said.

"How about who ever is taller," said Katie.

Gary and Jay looked at JD. "It makes sense," said Gary smiling.

"Yeah, she has a point," said Jay.

"Okay," said JD. Then he moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. But it wasn’t like the other hug, light and fleeting. This one was strong and lasting, and he seemed to be holding me tighter than before. After Katie took the picture it seemed as if JD held on for a few extra seconds. No, of course he didn’t. It had to have been wishful thinking working on my mind. We broke apart and I brought out my CD cover for ‘Feels Like Today’ and handed it to them to sign. They passed it around and it was over. We said good bye then me and Katie left.

We were walking down the hall and talking about what was going through our heads at the time and who got the better picture when I heard my name from behind us.

"Alice! Wait, Alice!"

We turned around and it was JD. Katie gave me a wink and stepped to the side.

"Hey, what’s up?" I said.

"You forgot something." He handed me my camera.

"Omigod, thank you!" Without thinking I reached my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. Then, suddenly embarrassed, I backed off. "Sorry. I didn’t mean…I just…was uh…"

"It’s okay," he said with a big smile. "Wouldn’t want you to miss any good photo opportunities." Then he turned around and jogged back to the door that they’d just left.

"Did you really just do that?" asked Katie, as soon as he was out of earshot.

"I think I did."

"Dang girl! Three hugs from that man. You have no idea how lucky you are."

"Oh I know alright," I said with a smile. "Okay, now let’s go find out seats."

"Where’d you go?" asked Jay as JD returned back stage where they were getting hooked up.

"Alice forgot her camera." They still had ten minutes until show time and JD decided he needed some music. Every night right before a show he’d put something in to get them in the mood. He decided to listen to Alice’s demo. She’d really surprised him tonight, she was calm but it was still obvious that she was just as hyped about it as her friend was. JD laughed to himself at the memory of Katie hanging on to Jay and the look on his face, he put the CD in his player and earphones in. The first song he recognized instantly as . Listening to the music he turned his thoughts back to the girl that had captivated him.

She had this presence about her that, though subtle, he picked up on instantly. She seemed shy, but the kind of girl who you could have a lot of fun with just by talking to her. She might not have been drop dead gorgeous, but he liked that about her, it made her more real, down to earth. Then during the picture it felt good to have his arms around her. He’d been somewhat reluctant to let go, holding on a beat or two longer. Though he doubted she had noticed. He wanted to see her again but had no way of knowing where she sat so he could tell Brandon t invite her to the post-concert get together. Hopefully he’d see her in the audience and be able to point her out to him.

Suddenly Jay, pulling out his right earpiece, interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, c’mon. It’s show time."

"Coming." He turned off his player and stood up stretching his tall frame as far as it would go. Okay, he thought, let’s get this show started. And try to keep your eyes open for Alice or her friend, since they’d more than likely be sitting together. He made sure all the wires were tucked in right and left for the stage.

· · ·

We were in the front row a little off center, towards the left. They were amazing seats and we were more than ready. Then the music started and, of course, it was ‘Here’s To You."

Then we saw them! JD playing the beginning of the song with a huge smile on his face. Gary, already jazzed, dancing even before he started to sing. Then Jay loving all the attention.

"What’s up Fargo!" yelled Gary. We screamed in return and he began singing.

As Gary sang we were standing up against the stage, dancing and singing right along. Then when he got to the part about the girls I looked up at JD and saw he was scanning the front row, creating a wave of screams. Then he got to me and our eyes locked. I smiled and waved at him, his smile just grew all the bigger.

· · ·

There she is, thought JD. He had to be prepared to go out searching into the farthest corners of the crowd for her. But there she was, front row looking right at him and waving. Now all he had to do was get Brandon’s attention.

Before going on stage he’d told them that during the show he would go into the crowd and tell the selected fans about the party and give them a card to show as proof to get in.

JD hadn’t had time to tell him about Alice, but even if he couldn’t tell Brandon he’d try to catch her after the show.

Chapter 5

"Thanks so much for comin out here tonight! We love ya! Goodnight!" yelled Gary as they walked off stage with the screaming crowd behind them.

"I can’t wait! I can’t wait!" said Jay as they took off all their gear. "This is so awesome. I gotta go take a shower, and I’ll meet you guys at the shack."

"Alright, see ya," said Gary. "Hey man, you okay?" he asked turning to Joe Don.

"Yeah, fine," he replied. "I guess I’m pretty excited too."

"Aren’t we all?" he started to laugh.

"I think I’m gonna go shower too," said Joe Don.

"Okay, I think we’re all kinda sweaty from performing. But make it quick cause I know Jay’s gonna take forever in there."

"Okay." Joe Don went into to grab some fresh clothes. He didn’t want to be dressed up, but didn’t want to look too grungy either. I want to impress her, he realized. But why? What’s so special about a girl who I spent about a minute with and hardly talked to? Well, I may not know what it is, but I’m going to find out.

He decided on a white sleeveless shirt and jeans. He got his shampoo, conditioner, towel, and washcloth. In the bathroom he shut and locked the door. Just standing there he looked at himself in the mirror. He never really saw himself as special, just a regular guy who was able to do what he loved. But here he was, in Fargo, North Dakota. He just finished playing a sold out show and was about to meet 20 people who would do anything to meet them. And what was he worried about? Alice. But she wasn’t just any girl, she had caught his attention in a way no one ever had before. Not Kassidy, Tiffany, or anyone else he’d dated.

He knew his relationship with Tiffany was winding to an end and it would be only days before she called and told him they needed to talk. He didn’t want to seem like the jerk that leaves his girlfriend for someone he just met. Then again she might not even like him. She might think he was crazy and turn him down. But it wouldn’t hurt to spend time with her and just talk.

Deciding that he wouldn’t do anything rash tonight he turned on the water, undressed and stepped under the hot water. But not even that could clear his thoughts of tonight. He knew he’d be surrounded by fans all wanting to get his autograph, a hug, to talk to him or just see him. It was going to be hard to be able to just talk to her, but he knew that if he tried, and she wanted to then it could happen.

He finished his shower, turned off the water and got out. He dried off and got dressed then went to look for Gary. He found him in the Flatt Shack on the phone with Tara.

"I know honey, I miss you too. But we have a 4 week break coming up soon and no one will be able to keep me away from you guys." There was the faint but recognizable voice of his wife on the other end. "Yeah, put her on … Hey baby, how are you? … Really? … Is that what she said? … Well I’m glad you had a good time. Are you helping Mommy take care of Brooklyn? …That’s my girl. Put Mommy back on okay? Love you." He heard Tara’s voice again. "Alright, I’ll let you go. Give the girls a kiss for me … Love you too … Bye."

"Tara and the girls?" asked Joe Don.

"Yeah. I swear I miss them more every day we’re away."

"I know, and they know it too. You’re a great father and husband, but one with a demanding job. You do all you can to see them, every time we’re in a state that surrounds Tennessee we take a detour to stop by, even if it’s just for an hour. Every time you have a day off you’re there."

"I know, but it just doesn’t seem like enough."

"It never does. Well I’m done and the shower’s all yours. Is Jay still in the shower?"

"Yeah, and singing."

"Oh God! How come he has an awesome voice, but in the shower he can't sing a single note?"

"I don’t know. It must be the eight wonder of the world." They both laughed. "Okay, how much time do we have?"

"About fifteen minutes then Brandon’s gonna let them in."

"Okay, you better tell Jay to go and hurry up or else we’ll sic that girl from the meet and greet on him."

"Was she invited too?"

"Yeah, I saw Brandon give her and her friend a pass for the party."

"Are we gonna need security?"

"No, hopefully her friend will be able to control her. What was her name again?"

"Alice."

· · ·

"Alice."

"I know, here he comes." We were sitting down in our seats, the first time for that night, as Brandon was coming down the aisle to get the ‘chosen ones’ as me and Katie called them.

"I’m so excited. Ya think they’re gonna have security to keep me from kidnapping Jay?" asked Katie.

I started to laugh, "No there’ll probably be others there just like you."

"Yeah, probably."

"All right girls, c’mon," said Brandon as he got closer. He led us back to the entrance and out the doors. "There’s no direct way to get there from in there, except the stage and the crew’s packing up so it’s a mess." All twenty-one of us followed him down a long hall. We were mostly girls, but there were some guys here too; I counted five. Everybody looked anxious and excited; I could tell that most of them had never met the guys before.

We went through the room where the meet and greets were held then beyond it into another room with just a couch and TV. Then we crossed the hall to a large room with two couches a few chairs and tables with snacks. The guys were sitting on the couch against the right wall just talking and eating chips. On girl in the group squeaked, another whistled, and one had to hold onto the wall for support.

The guys stood up and walked towards us.

"Hey guys, welcome to the Flatt Shack!" said Jay.

"Yeah, make yourselves comfortable," said Gary. "So how’d ya’ll like the concert?"

"I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was awesome," said one of the few guys.

"I second that," said the girl who squeaked.

"Hi, Jay!" that was Katie. She went up to the front of the bunch so he could get a good look at who had spoken to him. His face clearly told me that he had no idea she was invited. "Remember me?"

"How could I forget," he replied as Gary and Joe Don started to laugh.

"Don’t worry Jay, I’ll watch her," I said.

"Hey, Alice. It is Alice right?" said Jay.

"Yep," said Joe Don. I looked over at him and he smiled.

"I have something to ask you," I said to him.

"Yeah, I’m sure you do. But later." He turned to the group, "Okay guys c’mon this is supposed to be a party. What kind of music do ya’ll like?"

"You!" we all replied. The guys started to laugh.

"How about a certain CD?" Joe Don smiled and looked at me.

"No!" I said.

"I’ll just plug in my blackberry," said Jay. "We can listen to my music."

Everyone was a lot more comfortable with the guys then and started to spread out, eat snacks and talk with the guys.

"Alice, c’mon let’s go see Jay," said Katie.

"Okay, but if you go after him I wont stop you."

"I’d hope you wouldn’t," she laughed.

So we walked over to Jay, there were five girls and a guy around him, all trying to talk to him at the same time. He looked a little overwhelmed but it was easy to see he was having a lot of fun. He looked up and saw Katie and me coming towards him and smiled.

"Hey, Katie. Come for another hug?"

"No, but I see you’re wearing the shirt I gave you."

"Yeah, I thought it was appropriate," he laughed.

At that moment I realized that I was developing a headache. I wasn’t sure why; I didn’t do anything that stressful today but if I didn’t get my medicine soon then it’d advance to a migraine.

"Hey, you’re not gonna attack him are you?" I whispered in her ear.

"No," she replied.

"Alright, I need to find a quiet place for a few minutes," I told her.

"Headache?"

"Yeah, I’m gonna take something then maybe go out to the car."

"If you leave, they might not let you back in the building. Why don’t you use that room across the hall that we went through? It has a couch, it’s dark, and I don’t think anyone uses it."

"Yeah, I might just do that."

"How bad is it?"

"Not bad, just maybe a few minutes and I’ll be okay."

"You want me to come?"

"No, stay with Jay, and behave," I smiled.

"I’ll try," she gave me a sly smile.

· · ·

He was sitting on the couch with two girls on his right, a girl on the arm of the couch on his left and one of the guys sitting on the coffee table talking to him about how he wanted to become a musician and just picking his brain. But his brain wasn’t on what the guy was saying it was on Alice.

She was standing with Katie over by Jay, who was just soaking it all up, and just having fun. Katie mentioned his shirt to Jay then her and Alice started whispering to each other. Katie seemed to look a little worried about what she was saying, and Alice looked like she was in some sort of pain.

He saw her walk over to the table with drinks and pick up a bottle of water. She opened up her bag and pulled out a change purse and dug something out. She put it in her mouth and washed it down with the water. Then she stopped by to tell Katie something then left the room. Now he was worried that something was wrong with her.

"Um, can you guys excuse me for a sec? I need to use the restroom," he told the people around him. He stood up and left the room to go find her and find out what was wrong.

· · ·

I went into the room across the hall and found it empty and dark. I’d brought the water with me just in case I got thirsty. The couch was comfy; it was black leather but not a full couch, like between a loveseat and full sized couch; in other words, perfect. Laying down I felt like I could of fell asleep right then and there. The concert had taken a lot of energy out of me, what with all the jumping, screaming, clapping and things like that.

I was on the edge of sleep when I heard something. I sat straight up and looked around. It came again; it was a knocking on the door. Not wanting to reply because I thought I’d get caught being where I wasn’t supposed to, I kept my mouth shut. The door opened just a crack and light spilled through as the person on the other side entered; I held my breath.

"Hello? Alice, you in here?"

"Joe Don? Yeah I’m here. What’re you doing?"

"I came looking for you. I saw you take something back there and was wondering if you’re okay."

"Yeah, just got a headache. That’s all."

"Did we play too loud?"

I started laughing, "No, of course not. Did you want to sit down?" I sat up to make room for him and he sat down.

"Like the concert?"

"Of course. Uh…I have a question for you."

"I’m sure you do," I could hear the smile in his voice. "Ya know it’s kinda dark in here. Do you want me to turn on the light? It has a dimmer so it wont be too bright."

"Sure."

He got up, went over to the wall and pushed the knob that was the light switch, then turned it to dim the lights. "There, better?"

"Yeah, I can see now. So, I’m sure you know what I’m about to ask."

"I know, I know ‘why did I invite you here?’ Honestly I don’t really know myself; I guess I just wanted to get to know you better. Don’t ask why cause I wouldn’t have and answer for you."

"Uh-huh. Well what do you want to know?"

"Well, I hope this doesn’t sound inappropriate, but do you have a boyfriend?"

I started to laugh again, "No I don’t. But you have a girlfriend."

"Well, not really."

"Whaddya mean?" I curiously asked.

"Don’t tell anyone, but things haven’t been going too well between us."

"How come?"

"Probably the same reason it didn’t work for many others; the job."

"I’m sorry."

"Don’t be, it was a gradual thing that will probably end in a few days with her calling up and saying ‘We need to talk’."

"Oh I know that call. Very depressing."

"You’ve gotten it before?"

"Oh yes, plenty of times."

"I find it hard to believe."

"Why’s that?" I looked up at him.

"Well look at ya; you’re pretty, smart, funny, unique, and sensible. Anyone who would give you that call would have to be put into an asylum."

"Really? And what about you Mr. Hotshot? I’m sorry but I think the job excuse is just bull, a cover up. If someone really loved you, they would deal with it and stick with you. And anyone who lets you go is crazy."

"I don’t think so, I’m not exactly Casanova."

"No, you’re better. And you know why? Cause you’re you, Joe Don Rooney. A man that is sweet, talented, hot, down to earth; every girl’s dream."

He started laughing, "Yeah, right."

"Seriously. If you went into that room over there and said ‘I’m looking for a girlfriend’ do you know how many offer’s you’d get? Hell, the guys wouldn’t turn you down."

"Okay, change of subject. So, do you have any pets?"

"No, I live in an apartment with Katie and there’s no pets allowed. Do you have any?"

"You don’t know?"

"Know what?"

"About Cocoa, she’s a Bull Mastiff. Everyone on the pound and fam know."

"I’m not a member of either. Fam’s too much for me right now, and I don’t have Internet. I have to go to the library for research."

"Oh, that would explain it. So you hardly know anything about us."

"Yeah, only what I hear on the radio."

"I don’t think any DJ has ever mentioned Cocoa," he laughed. "How long’ve you lived here?"

"In North Dakota? My whole life. You grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, right?"

"Yep, Picher."

I leaned back in the couch and shut my eyes. My headache hadn’t gotten better and it was getting hard to think.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Yeah."

"No, you’re not. I shouldn’t have come in here and bothered you like this. Here, lay down."

"No, stay. I’m okay. Plus I like having you as company."

"At least lay down."

"Then you’ll have no place to sit. No, I’m okay."

"Here, stand up for a sec." He helped me off the couch then sat down on the couch and stretched out to where he was laying down. "Now c’mere." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me on the couch with him.

"Umm…Joe Don."

"Don’t worry, nothing’s happening. You get to lay down and rest, I’m tired and my feet hurt, and we can enjoy each other’s company."

"Thanks."

"No problem, I like being in your company too."

"Uh huh."

"Hey, Alice?"

"Hmmm."

"Would you—"

I didn’t hear the last part of what he said. I was already deep in a dreamless sleep.

· · ·

"—ever be with me?"

Too late, she was already asleep, and probably never heard a word he’d said. Why did I do that, he asked himself, I told myself I wouldn’t do anything rash. At least she didn’t hear and I know I wont bring it up again. God, I love how she feels laying here; her warm body on top of mine, and the sweet smell of her shampoo…

Soon Joe Don was asleep as well, but awoke a few minutes later to the sound of the door opening.

"Joe Don? Hey, Joe Don are you in here?"

"Gary? Shhh," whispered Joe Don.

"What are you doing in here?" he whispered back. Then he saw that he wasn’t alone. "Who’s that?"

"It’s…uh…Alice."

"What, why, when?" Gary said confused.

"Well…she came in here. She had a headache and came to lie down. I came to see what was wrong, we started talking, and well she needed to rest, but didn’t want me to leave her alone. So I had her stand up, I laid down and had her lay with me. Don’t worry, she’s been asleep the whole time."

"I don’t care if she’s asleep or not, twenty minutes ago you said you were going to the restroom and instead you decide to comfort a fan. What’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing. You might not’ve noticed but she’s been on my mind since the meet and greet. How did you think her and her friend got here? I invited her, and then her friend just got lucky. Gary, I don’t know what it is. She was like no other person I’d met, she literally captivated me. The way I feel when she’s around, on me like this, I’ve never felt like that before."

Gary thought about this for a moment. "Okay, fine. I don’t really mind that ya came here, but you better hurry up and get out there. And I’m not gonna cover for you, you have to come up with your own excuse."

"Okay, I’ll be out in a sec."

Gary left and shut the door behind him. Slowly Joe Don sat up a little, trying to be careful and not knock her to the floor. He looked at her laying on him and sighed, what was he gonna do? He was practically head over heels for a girl he’d known hardly an hour; and more than likely she didn’t she had no interest in him. So he did the only thing he could at that moment.

· · ·

"Alice. Alice. C’mon, ya need to get up."

Groggily I opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark, but I was still able to see a little. I wasn’t sure where I was then suddenly realizing where I was and what had happened I jerked to the side and fell off the couch.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" said Joe Don surprised at her sudden movement, and trying to help her off the floor.

Completely embarrassed I tell him I’m ok and get up on my own.

"I’m so sorry I feel asleep, I really didn’t mean to. I…just…like I said, I’m sorry."

"It’s alright, I know what it’s like to get a major headache. Besides I dozed off for a bit too."

"How long have we been in here?" I asked worried.

"About twenty minutes."

"Ok, we need to get back. But you go first, that way it doesn’t look like anything."

"Sure, but I need a reason to why I was in the bathroom for twenty minutes." We both laughed at this, because there was only one way out of that. He sighed, "I guess I’ll have to go with the obvious huh?"

"Yep, sorry."

"It’s ok, they probably wont say anything anyway. I’ll see ya in there in a few, k?"

"Yeah."

Joe Don left the room and I was left to get myself composed. I was a little worried, and not sure why. I met my favorite member of a band that I love, a guy that, I’ll admit have dreamed about some. But I didn’t just meet him; I’d talked with him about relationships, pets and hometowns. I fell asleep on him, and it was his idea. For some reason this troubled me and just didn’t settle well. It wasn’t bad; I liked laying on him, the rise and fall of his chest with his breathing. The smell of his cologne mixed with his own scent. The way his arm naturally fit around me, and his strong arms.

What am I doing! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was falling for Joe Don. But that was impossible, he’s way out of my league and he would have absolutely no interest in me. I’m just wasting my time, and I need to get back; I told Katie it would only take a few minutes for me to recover, she might worry. So I grabbed my purse and water bottle, punched the light knob, walked out and crossed the hall to the party.

"Hey," said Katie when I returned. "Better?"

"Enough."

"Good, well it was awesome. Me and Jay talked for a bit, like real people and not psychopathic fan to artist," she laughed.

"I’m glad you’re having fun, that’s what this was all about right? Them getting to know the fans better."

"Yeah, I just wish I could know Jay like Jay. Know what I mean? Not the performer, artist, talented guy Jay, Jay the person."

"I know exactly what you mean."

"Hey, have you talked to Joe Don yet? He left for a bit earlier; I think he went to the bathroom or something. But he just now got back, why don’t you go over?"

We both looked over to where he was sitting. There were more people around him. Some were talking to him, hugging him, and others were just watching in awe.

"No, I think he’s a little occupied right now. Maybe in a few minutes."

"Okay, but you have to at least grab his butt sometime tonight!"

Chapter 7

"You guys have to come back soon," said one of the girls as we were all leaving.

"How couldn’t we?" said Jay.

Looking around the room I saw some girls crying, happy that they had one of their dreams come true of meeting the guys, but also because it was over and time to go home. I could tell that Katie was trying to be strong and not cry too, she’d had the time of her life and she was reluctant to go home. I was less sad than the others. I was still very thankful that I was able to meet all the guys and hang out with them for awhile but I didn’t want to be around too long; I was afraid Joe Don would try to talk to me and I didn’t want to think about it now.

"You guys be safe on your way home," said Gary as he came up to me for a hug.

"We will," I replied.

Next was Joe Don, but he just smiled at me and casually put his arms around me for a hug. As he bent down he whispered in my ear, "Hey, sorry if I freaked ya out tonight. When you get home look in you’re bag for a green piece of paper, k?" Then he left me to say bye to Katie.

As we were leaving I didn’t want to believe what he just said, didn’t want to think about what’d happened or what might be in my purse. It not like earlier was traumatizing, I was just surprised from it and still a bit shaken. Yet, I was curious as to what the paper was. It was obvious he’d put it in while I was asleep because that was the only time it wasn’t in my direct sight and was around him.

Katie was going on about the party and her time with Jay not realizing that I wasn’t paying any attention. But I could pretty much guess what she was saying, and I knew she’d repeat the while story a thousand times over the next month so I wasn’t worried too much about getting details.

We got to the lot and Katie had finally calmed down. I think she was a bit stunned by the whole thing. We got into the car and I decided I couldn’t wait till I got home to look for the paper. So while Katie was still talking I opened up my purse and there it was, folded in half nice and neat right on top. My hand was shaking as I unfolded the note and read it.

After reading it I figured I have three choices: I can keep it and call him at midnight, throw it away and forget about it, or go back and demand an explanation. I decided I’d keep it and wait to see if I’d call him or not.

"So, what’d ya think?" Katie asked me.

"Huh? Oh the party. It was amazing, definitely a once in a lifetime experience." Yeah how often did you get to sleep on the couch with your favorite artist?

I started the engine and pulled out of the space. I was a bit angry with Joe Don for giving me the note, and not really sure why. I didn’t really think it was a number I could use to contact him, but it probably was a real hotel and room number, that I didn’t doubt. But even if it were real, why would he give it to me? He said he wanted to ‘talk’ but I didn’t think there was anything to talk about.

"Ohmigod! Alice, stop the car!" Katie suddenly shouted at me just as I was about to pull out of the lot and onto the main road. She’d turned around in her seat and was looking behind us, eyes as large as dinner plates. And she had a good reason, because coming up behind us was a huge coach that had purple-blue lighting underneath. The driver honked the horn to get our attention.

"Is that who I think it is?" I asked Katie.

"You bet it is."

I had no idea what my facial expression looked like, but I knew that inside I was terrified, intrigued, excited and angry.

"What’re we gonna do?" she asked. But we didn’t have to do anything because in just a moment Joe Don was tapping on my window, trying to get my attention.

I rolled down the window and looked out at him. "Yes?" I asked.

"Did you read the note I gave you yet?"

"Yeah."

"Huh? What’re you—" started Katie, but I waved my hand impatiently at her until she stopped.

"There’s been a change in plans," he said. "Turns out we switched hotels and they didn’t tell me till just a few minutes ago." He handed me another piece of paper. "I’m more accessible at this number, and it’s almost always on. Later." He left the window and started walking back to the bus. Now I was furious, how dare he do this to me! I am not someone who will sit here and play these little note games.

I got out of my still running car and went after him. I had no idea what I was gonna say, but I knew it had to be good.

"Hey!" I shouted. He turned around and smiled. "Don’t you give me that smile of yours. Why did you do this," I said holding up the paper. "Why the notes? Why the games? I do not play games. I don’t care if you are in my favorite band, I will not let you continue to play games with me!" I was breathing hard and starting to calm down. "Now I have just one question for you. Why?"

"Well, like I said, I want to talk. I want to get to know you better, and maybe become friends."

"But why?"

"I dunno; I like you. You seem like a really interesting person, and I just wanna know more about you." I had no idea what to say to this. But luckily Katie came out of the car and was now standing next to me.

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine," I told her. "He was just going back to his bus."

"Oh, ok. Uh, Alice, I think we’d better get going now. It’s kinda late and we have work in the morning."

"Yeah, you’re right. Good bye," I added to Joe Don. We got back in the car and started on our way home.

· · ·

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Katie when we were halfway home.

"Um, well it’s a long story."

"We have time."

"Ok, but you can’t say anything till I’m done telling you. Okay?"

"Yeah, I’ll keep my mouth shut."

"It all started when I got my headache." I went on and told her everything. What happened in the room, how embarrassed I’d felt. Then I told her about the note. She only interrupted once, to ask to see the note. I handed it to her and she read it to herself. Then I told her why I had gotten mad and what I said to him when we were outside. She kept her promise and didn’t say a single word till I was done. But she was even silent for a while after I’d finished.

"Well," she said after a few minutes. "What’re you gonna do?"

"About what?"

"The note. Are you gonna call him tonight?"

"Well, basically I have two choices; I call him or I don’t."

"Do you know which yet?"

"No. What do you think I should do?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. You’re gonna have to make this decision on your own."

"I was afraid of that."

· · ·

"Hey, what was that all about?" asked Gary as Joe Don got back on the bus.

"Nothing," Joe Don replied.

"That wasn’t nothing," said Jay. "I saw the look on her face, she was pissed."

"Well…I put a note in her purse to call me later with our hotel and room number."

"No."

"Yeah. Then when I realized we changed hotels, I wanted to tell her so she wouldn’t be angry. So this time I gave her my cell number."

"Joe Don you’re impossible," Jay told him. "Do you really think she’s gonna call you now? Besides what about Tiffany?"

"Yeah, about her. I didn’t want to say anything earlier but…it’s over between us."

"Why?"

"It’s almost like she’s bored with our relationship. She doesn’t like to talk anymore and hardly calls; and when we do talk she’s distracted. Then when I tell her I miss her she says something like ‘Yeah okay honey. Bye.’ I was going to call her tonight and talk to her about it."

"Dude, you’ve got serious relationship issues."

"I know. But it just feels right, I was thinking about it last night and realized that I didn’t want to be with her anymore either. Then today after meeting Alice, I dunno, I’ve just got this gut feeling that I shouldn’t let her go."

"Okay, if that’s how you feel then you should go with it."

"For once I agree with Jay," said Gary. "I remember how you were talking about her tonight and I for one think you need to find out more about this girl."

"Well it’s all in her hands now," said Joe Don. "I just hope she calls, I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t."

"I think she’ll call more out of curiosity than anything else at first," said Jay. "Then once you guys get talking you can know more about her and she wont be as mad."

"I hope you’re right."

"When aren’t I?" They all started to laugh, glad that the mood had finally lightened some. "What time did you ask her to call?"

"Twelve tonight."

"Well, I know you don’t want to, but if you wanna pursue anything with her, you’re gonna have to break up with Tiffany first."

"I know. Where’s my phone?" Jay handed him the cell off of the couch. "Thanks. I’ll be outside." Joe Don left the bus and decided to take a walk while he called her, away from others. He wanted to make the call and get it over with, yet he was a little afraid at the same time. Just do it, he thought. You’re gonna have to if you want to be with Alice.

Finally he was ready and punched in her number from memory. It rang a few times then the machine picked up and he heard her short message that she was out and would call back as soon as she could.

"Hey," he said to the machine. "It’s me. Um, could you call me back tonight sometime? Don’t worry, I’ll be up. Bye." Now what? he thought. What if she doesn’t call back before twelve?

Just as he turned back toward the bus his phone rang, the readout told him it was Tiffany. "Hey," he answered.

"Hey yourself, I couldn’t find my phone," she laughed. "So, what’s up?"

"We need to talk."

He heard her take a deep breath. "Yeah, I think we do."

"I hate to do this over the phone."

"Don’t, I really don’t mind. We both knew it was coming right?"

"Yeah, but I didn’t think so soon."

"Me either."

"So, how long have you felt like this?"

"Two or three months. You?"

"Less than that."

"I’m sorry."

"It’s ok. Why didn’t it work?"

"I don’t know, it was great at first. But it just kinda…I dunno…it changed somewhere, somehow."

"When are you gonna move out?"

"I already have."

"Oh." This caught him off guard.

"Yeah, I was gonna talk to you when you got back. And don’t worry about Cocoa, I’ve been going over everyday to feed her, let her out and just give her attention."

"Thanks."

"No problem. She’s a real sweetie."

"Yeah, she is."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Do you have anyone else?" he asked.

There was short pause before she answered. "Yes."

He closed his eyes. I knew it, he thought, she’d had someone else. That’s what had changed. How could I be so stupid to not notice, am I that dumb?

"You there?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Is there anyone for you too?"

"No."

"Oh my God, I’m so sorry."

"It’s ok, at least you told me the truth."

"Yeah, well…"

"Hey."

"Huh?"

"I’m glad we talked about it."

"Me too."

"Um, I need to get going. I’m expecting a call soon."

"Oh, okay."

"Bye."

"Bye." He hung up and leaned against the building. He thought about what she’d said about moving out and already having another boyfriend. It hurt. He’d known it was over but he didn’t expect her to replace him so soon. She hadn’t even waited till they were officially apart. He was glad they had small break coming up soon in the tour. True it was only a week, but he needed to be home now, just for the comfort of it. He’d also have to figure out what to do with Cocoa. She had gone on tour with them before but then he had Tiffany to watch after her when he couldn’t.

He started on his way back to the bus. His thoughts switched from Tiffany to Alice. It was eleven fifteen and he was nervous. From the way she’d acted it looked as if she wouldn’t call, but there was something in her eyes that suggested that she was intrigued, it was that look that gave him hope. He was counting on that interest and curiosity to push her to call. Besides if she didn’t call he was sure that her friend would, asking for Jay. He laughed as he thought of Katie realizing the number was real and begging to talk to Jay.

He reached the bus and dreaded the conversation to come. He knew the guys would ask him what happened and they would obviously see there was something wrong with him. He sighed and went in. It was eleven thirty.

· · ·

I walked into my apartment at eleven forty five, and I still hadn’t decided on what to do. The rest of the way me and Katie had come to a silent agreement not to talk about the note. So not knowing what to say, it was a very quiet ride home. I set the keys on the hall table and dumped all of my stuff on the overstuffed chair in the living room, too exhausted to put it all away. I flopped on the couch and sighed, staring at the paper in my left hand and the phone in my right.

"Hey," said Katie as she walked in from using the bathroom. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. I have no idea what I’m going to do. I want to call him, but I’m afraid I’ll get all defensive and hang up on him then change my number and never talk to him ever again."

"Do you really think you’d ever do that?" she asked skeptically.

"No."

"Okay then." She came and sat down next to me. "You’ll figure out what to do. But personally, after thinking about it, I think you should give him a call. I mean what’s the worst that can happen?"

"He laughs at me and hangs up."

"He wouldn’t do that."

"What makes you so sure?"

"From the way you described what happened tonight, it just doesn’t fit. Besides he’s a really sweet guy and cares about people."

"True."

"So, are you gonna call him?"

"Maybe."

"Well you’ve got ten minutes to figure it out."

"I know, I know. Don’t rush me."

For the next ten minutes I was racking my brain for a solution. Call him or don’t call him, I thought over and over. I went over the advantages and disadvantages in my head about a million times. And I came to the conclusion that I was afraid. I was afraid that he would reject me, I was afraid that he’d want to talk, and most of all I was afraid that he was honest about his feelings and wanted to know me better. I was also afraid that he would develop any kind of interest in me. I mean he had a girlfriend and even if something did happen, which I highly doubt, then I would look like the girl who drove him away from some beautiful model. And what was I? I was a girl who was born and raised in North Dakota, had a normal job, went to school. There was nothing special about me; I was normal.

It was twelve and Katie was watching me expectantly. I sighed, and looked at her. She nodded, not needing me to say anything to understand what I was about to do. I put everything on the table and headed for my room. I was tired and I just made a huge decision that I know I’ll regret but had to make.

But little did Alice know, as soon as she shut her bedroom door Katie picked up the paper on the table and looked at it, knowing what she had to do. She checked to make sure Alice was in her room for good, then stepped out into the hall and dialed the number that Alice couldn’t. The phone rang three times before he picked up.

"Alice?"

"No, it’s Katie."

Chapter 8

Katie? Joe Don thought. Why is she calling? "Hey, um, is Alice there?"

"No, and I think we need to talk about that."

Uh oh, he was worried now. She’s having her friend turn me down. "Look," he said. "I know why you’re calling and I get the point. Alice doesn’t want to talk to me so she’s having you tell me. Am I right?"

"Partially. She didn’t want to call you; actually she’s in her room now. But I thought I should."

"Katie—"

"Wait, hear me out."

"Okay."

"She thought about what she was going to do all the way home and up until twelve, and she decided against it. But I could tell she wanted to. She had this look on her face when she talked about you that even though she was a bit angry, still showed through. I think she’s just afraid of what could happen. And so am I. I want to know what your real intentions are. I care very much about my friend, and will not allow you to play with her like this. Do you know how upset she was today? I’ve never seen her like that before. Now if there’s anything else to this I want to know, and I want to know it now."

Wow, he thought, she’s really concerned. What should I tell her? I could completely spill my guts to her and she could help me out, or I could walk away from it. This is my once chance at her, I need to take it.

"You wanna know the truth?"

"Every bit of it."

He sighed. "Okay, well I guess it started at the meet and greet tonight but I’m not really sure; it came fast and hard." So he went on to tell her how he’d fallen for her friend. He wasn’t sure how to explain how he felt so he did the best he could under the circumstances, putting as much conviction and emotion into his words as he felt. Then she asked him why he gave her a note.

"Well it seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn’t want to wake her or go through the awkwardness of telling it to her and have her feel obligated to give me hers when I wanted it to be up to her to call or not. I guess I just didn’t want to impose. I really like her, Katie. I dunno what I’ll do if she doesn’t want to talk to me. I know I probably sound really melodramatic, but that’s how I feel."

She was silent for a few minutes before she spoke. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"I’m gonna help you."

"Really?"

"Yes, I think if you two hooked up it’d be the best thing that’d ever happened to her."

"Thank you."

"No problem, you seem like a really cool guy. But aren’t you guys touring right now?"

"Yea we are, but we have a short one week break coming up."

"What time are you guys leaving today?"

"About three. We have one more show to do then we’re off for that week."

"Okay, can you deal until your break to just talk with me?"

"Yes, I think I can manage," he laughed.

"K, now what I’m thinking is you come up here and surprise her during your break."

"How’re you gonna arrange it?"

"I’m not sure yet. What day does your break start?"

"Next Thursday."

"Okay, can you be here that afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, let me think for a sec." It was quiet on her end for a bit. "Alright, I got it. Her and I haven’t gone out in awhile, she’s off work that day, I can get out of it and neither of us have classes. So I’ll suggest we go out to lunch, just the two of us, and you just magically show up. Of course she’ll get suspicious and a bit ticked, but once we convince her to stay I know she’ll forgive us."

"Do you really think it’ll work?"

"Should. I don’t know where we’re gonna eat yet, but I can call ya and let you know where it is once we figure it out."

"Okay, just call me every now and then, as a little check in thing."

"I can do that."

"Hey, Katie."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, so much."

"Hey, I had to find out what you were like first. Make sure you’re trustworthy and have good intentions."

"And do you think that now?"

"No doubt in my mind."

"You guys are really close aren’t you?"

"Yeah, we are."

"How long’ve you guys known each other?"

"A few years, but we’ve also been through a lot together."

"Like what?"

"That’s for another day."

"Okay." He didn’t push her; he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea about him.

"Hey, I better get in. If Alice comes out and sees me gone she’ll start getting suspicious."

"Okay, I’ll talk to ya later."

"Bye."

"Bye." He hung up the phone and set it down. He couldn’t wait. He didn’t want to seem like a fool to Katie and told her he could manage, but he knew it was a lie. He would see her in six days, not even a whole week, he thought. It wasn’t so long. Their next stop was in Montana, which wasn’t that far and as soon as they finished up there he was going to take his car and drive all the way back to see her. Gary and Jay were going home to spend time with their families. He decided he’d tell them he wanted to visit a friend for a while. He was pretty sure they’d buy that.

He laid on the soft mattress arms and legs spread out into a large X. He didn’t want to sit in the room for the rest of the night, he felt like he needed to get out and do something, but he wasn’t sure what. He could go into the gym, but it was too confining and quiet. Maybe he’d go for a walk; that seemed like the best option here.

So, mind heavy with thoughts of the days to come and how he’d get through, he put on his jacket and left the hotel. The night air met his face like a cool and reassuring friend. It helped to clear his head and his thoughts drifted in no particular order. He thought of a song he was working on, trying to find the right words. He hadn’t told Gary or Jay about it yet, he wanted to surprise them. He was hoping maybe they’d like it enough to put it on the next album, and that he’d finish it in time for them to at least think about it.

He ended up walking for two hours.

Katie sighed and walked back into the apartment.

She was glad she called Joe Don, but afraid of what Alice would say if she found out. Surly she’d be angry at her, meddling in her life like this. But it had felt like the right thing to do and she truly believed that Joe Don, no matter what he did for a living, would be good for her.

· · ·

Katie was sitting on the couch I came out of my room, unable to sleep.

"Hey," said Katie.

"Hey, I thought you’d be in bed by now," I said.

"Yeah well, you know how it is."

"Yep."

"Couldn’t sleep?" she asked.

"Nope. I keep thinking about him, stupid subconscious." And it was true, I couldn’t get him out of my head, conscious or subconscious. His smiling face kept popping into my head just as I’d start to drift off, and when I just laid there my thoughts always roamed back to the feel of his arm around me, or the way he said my name.

"Hello, Alice!" said Katie.

"Huh, what?"

"I asked you a question. But you must be daydreaming about your boyfriend again."

"He’s not my boyfriend. I just spaced out for a sec. What was it that you asked?"

"Well with school at a kind of lull and nothing too stressful going on, besides your internal struggle of your boyfriend, I thought we could go out for lunch soon. We haven’t just gone out and treated ourselves to a sit-down place and talked for a long time. I thought it would be nice and relaxing."

"Sure, sounds like a great idea. What day were you thinking?"

"How about Thursday? Neither of us have classes that day, you’re off work and I can give them some excuse. I need a day off anyways," she added with a laugh.

"Good, sounds like a plan to me. I think I need a bit of a break too."

"So, ya wanna tell me about why you can't sleep?"

"Um…well…not really."

"Okay, but ya know if you want to I’ll listen."

"I know. It’s just that he’s so…so…oh I dunno!"

"Frustrating?"

"Definitely that."

"A Jerk?"

"Can be."

"Sweet?"

"Yes."

"Caring."

"Oh yea."

"Girl you’ve got it bad," she smiled.

"You think so?"

"Yep."

"Maybe I should call him. I mean it’s not too late is it?"

"I dunno…"

"What, earlier you were telling me I should and now you’re saying no?"

"Well it’s just that it’s now one and after waiting an hour he might be a bit upset you didn’t call."

"Yea well better now than never."

"True."

"Okay, where’s that paper? I’m gonna call him." Katie pointed to the table where I had left the paper and phone. There was something in her face, worry maybe? No it couldn’t be that, what did she have to worry about?

I punched the number into my cell and waited for him to pick up. After two rings his voicemail picked up and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. His phone was off and for some reason I was relieved. I hung up without leaving a message.

"No answer?" asked Katie.

"He has it turned off."

"Oh." Was that a look of relief I saw on her face? Nah, it’s probably just my tired eyes playing tricks on me. "Well I’m gonna try and get some sleep," she said. "Work and all."

"Yeah ok. Good night."

"Night." Katie went into her room and left me on the couch to think. I was thinking about my rash decision to call Joe Don and thought myself very stupid. What would I’ve said? Hey Joe Don, it’s Alice. Um sorry I didn’t call at twelve I started to worry about us and freaked so didn’t call? Yeah right!

Night.” Katie went into her room and left me on the couch to think. I was thinking about my rash decision to call Joe Don and thought myself very stupid. What would I’ve said? Hey Joe Don, it’s Alice. Um sorry I didn’t call at twelve I started to worry about us and freaked so didn’t call? Yeah right! I surprise myself sometimes at how I don’t think things through first.

     I sighed, spread out on the couch and turned on the TV. I flipped through the channels trying to find something but of course every channel had infomercials on. Ugh, I hate those things! I found a music station that was still playing videos and watched through half closed lids as I slowly slipped into a deep sleep.

Chapter 9

     “You sure you don’t wanna come back home?” asked Gary as Joe Don dropped them off at the airport.

     “Yeah,” said Joe Don. “Like I said, there’s a friend of mine around here who I haven’t seen in forever and would like catch up with. I might come down later though.”

     “Okay man if ya say so.”

     “Oh bellboy!” said Jay to Joe Don. “Get my bags please.”

     “Get your own bags,” said Joe Don with a grin.

     “But I’m weak.”

     “Yeah right.”

     “Fine, I’ll get them.” Jay reached into the trunk of the car and pulled out his only bag, which was a carry on. There was no point in packing all their stuff cause they were going home, and they needed those clothes to stay on the bus anyways.

     “Alright guys,” said Joe Don. “I can't go any farther with ya, so I’ll catch up with you guys later, either back home or at the next city.”

     “Ok, bye,” said Jay.

     “Bye,” said Gary.

     “See ya guys later,” said Joe Don.

     As Joe Don went back to the car he was feeling a little bad. He’d lied to Jay and Gary. But it wasn’t a full lie, he was visiting a friend…she just didn’t know it yet. Today was the day that they were having lunch and he was going to “accidentally” come across them in the middle of it. Needless to say he was very nervous. They were eating at a small place called The Blue Door Café. It had outdoor seating and Katie had it planned so that they would sit outside, then he’d walk by and Katie would shout out his name in surprise. He’d act confused then come over and try to strike up conversation.

     It was now twenty to one, Katie had told him to be there around one. That gave him enough time to drive by the café and find it, then park the car and stroll on over. He wasn’t dressed in any way special; he had on a pair of shorts, t-shirt, a hat and sneakers. But he supposed that was best because if he were in clothes he’d wear for a concert he’d be recognized, and if he were dressed too nice then Alice would know something was up.

     He followed the directions that Katie had given him yesterday and finally found the little place after he’d passed it twice. It wasn’t very big, it was tucked in between a place for designer tees and antiques shop on one of the main streets. As he passed it that third time he looked out the passenger side window and saw her.

· · ·

     “This was a really good idea,” I told Katie. We were at one of my favorite places in town. It was the perfect little café; they had amazing food at very fair prices. I hadn’t been here in a long time and was grateful for the break.

     “I told you you needed it. So what’re ya gonna have?”

     “Not sure, I wanna try something new…maybe.”

     “There’s never anything new on this menu, you know that,” she laughed.

     “I know, I’ve tried just about everything on it,” I laughed along.

     “How about their Island Salad,” said Katie. “It’s sooo good and they make it look all pretty.”

     I laughed again. “Of course it’s good, but I’m not in a salad mood, too leafy. I think I’ll just get a burger and some fries.”

     “Ooh, that does sound good.”

     “Copycat.”

     “Hey, you said you think, not that you were,” she laughed.

     “Ok, I am.”

     “Now who’s the copycat?” she said.

     “Not I.”

     “Well it doesn’t matter cause we’ll both end up getting it anyways.”

     “Oh probably.” We talked for about ten minutes more while before the waiter came to take our orders. We told him what we wanted, which turned out to be (surprise!) two orders of burgers and fries. After he left we completely forgot what we were saying and turned to a subject that we never tire of.

     “I still can't believe you got Joe Don’s phone number,” said Katie.

     “Will you stop talking about that?” I said annoyed. “I didn’t do anything with it and it’s way too late to now…so just drop it ok?”

     “Fine, fine…but you still got three hugs from him.” She smiled.

     “That I did,” I said with a sigh. “And it was amazing.” I started to remember how it felt with his arms around me, and the smell of his cologne. The way he said my name…

     “Hello! Alice, you’re doing it again.” Katie said waving her hand in my face.

     “Huh? Doing what?”

     “Spacing out and thinking about Joe Don.”

     “Who said I was thinking about him?”

     “No one, but I know you and that look on your face.”

     “Guilty.” Katie started laughing and was about to say something when she completely froze. “Katie? Hey, Kate what’s wrong?”

     “Um, that guy…looks a lot like Joe Don.”

     “Who? Where?” I said turning around.

     “Oh my I think it is him!” I looked in the direction she was staring at and there he was, Joe Don. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it had to be a look a like, a wanna be, a poser…something! But no, I couldn’t deny the fact that it was him.

     “Hey!”

     “No don’t you dare…”

     “Joe Don! Over here!”

     “Did you just…I can't believe you…oh my, hide me!” I sunk lower in my seat trying futilely to hide myself.

     “Oh calm down, and sit up!” She put a big smile on her face as Joe Don walked over with a slight look of confusion on his face.

     “Hi Joe Don, you probably don’t remember us…”

     “Of course I do, you’re Katie,” he said to her then turned to me, “and you’re Alice.” I actually think I almost squeaked when he said my name.

     “Yeah that’s right,” said Katie.

     I couldn’t take it any longer, so I cut in. “Joe Don I am so sorry!”

     “For what?” he asked turning to me.

     “Um, not calling you.”

     “Oh it’s ok. I guess I kinda freaked you out, considering how you kinda exploded at me in the parking lot.”

     “Yeah, sorry about that too.”

     “No problem, you can repay me with lunch.” We all laughed at this, but agreed for him to sit with us.

     “What’re you still doing here?” I asked him.

· · ·

     Uh oh, Joe Don though. Better come up with something quick before she catches on.

     “I mean you guys had a concert in another state just yesterday, right?” she continued.