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Chapter 1

The four men stood on the stage like they had hundreds of times before, but for one of them this time was different. She had to know that he loved her, that he had loved her since the moment he met her, even if it was only a short time ago. If she went home, he'd never see her again. And if he never saw her again, his life would be over.

  Hold on little girl, show me what he's done to you

Stand up little girl, a broken heart can't be that bad

  ONE MONTH AGO

  “I can't believe we're on an airplane, on our way to Ireland, going to a Westlife concert.” said to her best friend , who sat beside her. Any minute, they would be landing in Ireland. After almost an entire lifetime of friendship, had decided two weeks ago to tell that her cousin was none other than . confessed that she had known as a child when she had taken trips to Ireland to visit her family, but didn't know that he was a member of Westlife until they had become fans already. Since high school, the girls had gone to college straight through the summers so that they could finish in less time. They graduated in June and as a graduation present, presented with a plane ticket to Ireland, a front row ticket to a Westlife concert, and a backstage pass. After the concert, they would be staying at 's Aunt and Uncle ' (Nicky's parents) house. 's boyfriend, John, had forbidden her to go. He had cheated on her repeatedly which made him suspicious of 's actions despite her loyalty and faith to him. She decided to go anyway. Lately, she had grown tired of John. He hurt her in every way possible. He had even hit her a few times. She knew that his behavior was unacceptable, but she loved him. He was her first kiss, her first love, and her first intimate partner. He knew her better than anyone, besides . He would forgive her for going once she was home. “Maybe you'll meet , you'll fall madly in love with each other, and you'll leave John.” sighed and shook her head. hated John. She was the one who had caught John cheating on the first time in high school. He had done it repeatedly since then. She had even seen John hit once, but she couldn't do anything because wouldn't press charges.

  “I'll make you a deal. If wants me to leave John to be with him, I'll let YOU be the one to give John the news.” She laughed. grinned.

  “I'd be honored to.” The stewardess came on and told everyone to buckle their seat belts for the landing. They were already dressed for the concert. wore dark blue skinny jeans, a brown tube top, and a gold belt and heels. wore a denim mini skirt, black tights, and a pink halter top and heels. Nicky's driver was going to pick the girls and their bags up from the airport, drop the girls off at the concert, and drop their bags off at Nicky's parent's house. As soon as they had their bags, they noticed a man holding a sign with 's name on it. They loaded their bags into the trunk and headed for the concert. The stadium was almost full when they arrived. The usher led them to their seats in the center of the front row. They wouldn't have time to go backstage until after the concert. A teenage girl tapped on the shoulder.

  “How'd you get these seats?” She asked.

  “Connections.” grinned and turned around.

  “I turned my cell phone off.” said to . “I don't want John harassing me during the concert. I am so excited. I can touch Mark's ass from here.” She laughed.

  “Tell me about it!” replied. The lights in the arena went out one by one. The concert was starting. When the curtain went up and the lights came on, the members of Westlife couldn't have been standing five feet from the girls. thought looked even more gorgeous in person. couldn't keep her eyes off of . They started the show with the up tempo, She's Back. The guys were all over the stage. The next song was a ballad. When they sang Swear It Again next, the guys were sitting on stools right at the front of the stage. caught 's eye and winked. and Shane's eyes connected. He tried not to stare at the girl in front of him, but he couldn't help himself. She was gorgeous. As sang, his eyes fell on the girl sitting next to Nicky's cousin. He thought there was something naturally beautiful about her. She was prettiest girl he had ever seen. When the song ended, the guys went off stage for a costume change.

  “Your cousin is hot!” said to as he pulled off his shirt in preparation for a new one. slapped him in the back of the head. “She is, she's gorgeous. I can't wait to meet her.”

  “Can you hear yourself?” laughed. “You can't wait to meet her? Shouldn't it be the fans that can't wait to meet you?”
  “Shut up, you're past the puppy love stuff. You're married with children. Your opinion doesn't count.” pulled his new shirt over his head.

  “Who's the girl she's sitting with?” asked as nonchalantly as possible.

  “Her best friend.” replied. “Let's go, we've got to get back out there.” The guys returned to the stage. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the concert. swore kept making eye contact with her and was sure kept looking at her, too. Before the finale, he took off his Westlife t-shirt, exposing his undershirt, and threw the t-shirt right to . She had taken plenty of pictures during the concert. After the show was over, called one of the security guards over to her.

  “Listen ladies, the show's over. Time to go.” laughed and the girls showed him their backstage passes.

  “I'm Nicky's cousin.” A few of the girls around them seemed shocked to find out this new bit of information, but before they could be hounded with the questions, the security guard escorted them towards the back. “Sorry about that, right this way ladies.” The security guard showed them a door that had Westlife's name across it. The security guard knocked, before opening the door and escorting them in. The guys were sitting on a few sofas in the far end of the room. “Guests are here.” The security guard announced and left the room. looked up and smiled. He walked over to the girls and greeted with a hug.

  “Look at you, you're all grown up.” He stood back and eyed her. “You look just like your mum.” blushed. “You must be , it's a pleasure to meet you.” shook her hand.

  “It's good to meet you, too.” She smiled politely.

  “Come on over and meet the guys.” The girls followed where his band mates were already waiting to meet the girls. “ , , as I'm sure you already know, this is , and .” Everyone said their greetings over one another. “I'm really glad you could come. Mum is looking forward to seeing you, too. Why don't you ladies have a seat?” sat down beside on one of the sofas. and glanced at each other. There was one seat beside and one beside . Perfect. The girls thought to themselves. sat down beside and beside .


Chapter 2

“How do you like the shirt?” whispered into 's ear. A chill ran all the way down to the tips of her toes. She tried to compose herself and whispered back.

“It smells like you.” grinned.

“Sorry.”

“I didn't mean it in a bad way.” She blushed.

“So,” began to make small talk. “What's been going on little cos? Any men in your life?” He winked at who had apparently suggested ask that question.

“Just dad.” She laughed. “Been too busy with school.” moved an inch or two closer to . “This might sound a little cheesy, but do you think we could get some pictures with you guys?”

“Not cheesy at all.” grabbed 's camera from her hands and started snapping pictures of everyone. They all posed for several pictures. “I'll want a copy of that one.” whispered into 's ear as he turned the camera on himself and and snapped a picture. blushed.

“So, ...” began. “What about you? Any men in your life.” choked.

“If you could call him a man.” rolled her eyes.

“I'd rather not talk about it.” shrugged. She would worry about her lying, cheating boyfriend when this night was over.

“Would you ladies like a drink?” asked.

“That would be lovely.” sighed. handed each of the girls a beer. Their conversations started to break off.

“What are you ladies doing this weekend?” asked .

“Not really sure.” replied. “We don't really have any plans, yet.”

“The guys and I are getting together to play some football tomorrow, if you'd like to join us.” smiled.

“I'm assuming you mean the UK version of football, then?” She asked. nodded. “I'd love to.”

“Great.” said a little louder. “You can replace on my team. He sucks.” laughed aloud.

“If I'm being too forward...” began, talking only to now. “Just say so, but you don't seem too thrilled when you mention your boyfriend. Care to tell me why?” cringed.

“We're having some problems. He didn't want me to come. He's afraid I'm going to cheat on him because he's done it so many times to me, not to mention all of the times he has hit me.” didn't know why she opened up to the way she did, but he made her feel comfortable. 's eyes widened.

“Well, why are you with a guy like that?” He asked.

“I love him.” She shrugged. “It's comfortable. He's the only guy I've ever been with. He's all I know.”

“If you were my girl, I wouldn't treat you like that. You deserve to be treated like a lady.” blushed at his comment and put her face in her hands. “Sorry if I offended you.”

“No you didn't.” She looked up at him. “I've had the biggest school girl crush on you since forever, and now here you are in front of me, looking a million times better in person than in any picture or video I've ever seen, your voice more seductive as I've ever heard it, and if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that even though you know I'm taken, you're hitting on me.” was now the one who blushed.

“I wouldn't say I was 'hitting on you'. That sounds so vulgar and disrespectful, maybe wooing you.”

“I need another drink.” shook her head and laughed. The girls and Westlife continued to drink and acquaint themselves. found to be quite charming, and she wasn't sure why, but she could tell he was sincere. Simply thinking these thoughts made her feel like she was cheating on John. and were really hitting it off. It turned out they had a lot in common. kept giving a look that read 'you better not think about screwing my cousin and ditching her' and responded with a look that said 'I really like her, back off'.

“They're going to be throwing us out of here soon. You ladies can come back to our suite with us. We have a big one with four beds and a living room and everything. I'll call mum.”

When it's true, it's true, fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby, come on over, let me be the one to show you

“John isn't going to like the fact that I'm staying in a suite with four gorgeous guys.” said as she walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing the shirt had given her and a pair of boxer shorts that she had borrowed from him. was sitting on the edge of 's bed because he wouldn't let her sit on 's. She was wearing a pair of 's sweat pants and one of his t-shirts.

“Maybe we should get some sleep.” suggested. “We need to be well rested for our game of football tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I'm tired.” yawned and lay down on 's bed. He'd gone in a few minutes ago to sleep on the sofa. “Goodnight.” As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. was already sleeping and fell asleep as quickly as had.


Chapter 3

“I'm not sleepy yet.” yawned. “Mind if I sit down?” She asked . He was sitting with his back against the head board and his legs stretched out on the bed. He smiled and patted the spot beside him, signaling her to sit down. She sat down indian style beside him. “I shouldn't sleep in bed with another man, you know?” She sighed.

“We're in a room full of people. We're not going to do anything we shouldn't.” They had both had quite a bit to drink, but were still in control of themselves, for the most part.

“Why are you so charming?” asked him. “Is this just an act you put on to get into a girl's pants?” laughed.

“Don't need to, I've already got you in mine.” He pointed towards her outfit. She laughed a little. hesitantly put his arm around , pausing to see if she protested, which she didn't. “Maybe if I'd met you a few years ago, then I could tell you what I think about you without feeling guilty.”

“Same here.” sighed.

“Would you like me to tell you anyway?” He asked. nodded. “I think, that you made me believe in love at first sight.”

“What are you trying to say, ?” She asked him. She knew what the answer was, and she knew it was wrong for her to make him say it when she didn't feel the same way. But the fact of the matter wasn't that she didn't share the same feelings, it was that she shouldn't.

“You're just going to think I'm saying this because I'm drunk.” pouted.

“PLEASE don't pout that lip.” groaned. “It's like my kryptonite.” smiled.

He leaned in so close to her ear that she could feel his breath on her. “I love you.” He whispered. cuddled up beside him and they both laid down to prepare for sleep.

“You know I can't love you back.” She said sleepily as she wrapped her arms around 's body.

“That doesn't mean that you don't.”

I'm the one who wants to be with you, deep inside I hope you feel it, too

had gotten the girls up early and driven them back to his mom's house. They spent some time with and before going upstairs, unpacking, and showering. The girls had not yet had a chance to talk about their night. Once they were both dressed, they sat down on their beds.

“I am at a loss for words.” said, turning towards her best friend. “I am the love interest of the most gorgeous man in the world, a man I never dreamed would even know I existed, and suddenly I have an overprotective cousin who won't even let me near said gorgeous man. Give me a break.”

“I think it's cute.” laughed. “He's making up for all of the years he couldn't be your overprotective cousin.”

“You have him then.” rolled her eyes. “Although, I'm not too sure I'd want to be you right now either.”

“You can say that again.” sighed. “Here I am being 'wooed' as he put it by possibly the greatest man whose ever stepped foot on this planet, and I won't do anything about it because I'm in love with someone who probably doesn't even care if I live or die as long as he gets to say when and where. You know, I had ten text messages from him this morning, and not one of them inquired about my well being. Each one of them accused me of doing something horrible. I slept in bed with for the love of God and I didn't so much as kiss those lips. Do you know how hard that was? I beat myself up on one hand for sleeping in his bed while I have John at home and on the other hand for even considering the possibility that I could be his.”

“Give me your phone.” insisted.

“What? Why?” asked with a tone of confusion in her voice.

“You said if wanted you to leave John for him, I could call and give him the news. So, hand it over.”

“This is no time for joking.” pouted. They were interrupted by the sound of 's phone ringing. could only hear 's side of the conversation. “Hello? Yeah, I got them. We went to the concert and then we were so beat, we came home and went right to sleep. I'm sorry. Yeah. Okay. I love you.” The other line went dead. flopped back onto the bed. “The fact that he's such an asshole doesn't make this any easier.” knew that she should leave John, not for , but for herself. He made her feel terrible. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard him say I love you or tell her she was beautiful, but he was all she knew. She wouldn't leave him, especially not for . Sure, he sounded sincere, but even if he did love her, when would she ever see him?

“EARTH TO !” shouted, bringing back to the present. “ just yelled up here, time for football.” The girls hurried down the stairs and out the back door to meet us with the boys, who had already gathered. The guys each wore a pair of track pants and white t-shirts. “Did you guys plan that?” laughed.

“Hahahaha. Very funny.” laughed. “Me and are team captains. You're on my team .”

“You're kidding me, right?” groaned. This was getting old, fast.

“Nope.” He grinned.

“Well if you've got , I've got .” said.

“ .” stated.

“I feel like the loser in gym class.” laughed and shook his head.

“We better stretch.” suggested. “We don't want any of you old men pulling anything.”

“I resent that!” protested, hands on his hips.

“You should.” The girls sat down beside each other to stretch. Meanwhile, the guys started rough housing. “Still think it's cute?” asked, a tone of disgust in her voice.

“Okay, I guess it probably is a little annoying.” giggled. came over and sat beside her. “What do you want, home wrecker?” She asked. laughed loudly.

“Hey, I haven't wrecked any homes, at least not that I know of.” She knew he was kidding, but she couldn't help noticing a flick of hope in his words.

“I remember what you said last night.” looked over at him, wondering if he could recall last night's events.

“I do, too. And I still stand by it.”

“I was hoping you wouldn't say that.” sighed.

“Anyway,” ignored her. “I'm on someone else's agenda right now, but pretend we're talking. ...” He said, still looking at . “ would like to take you out tonight to dinner. So, you two dress casually and meet us in the center of town at seven.”

“ , you know I can't go on a date with you.” said. She punched him in the shoulder.

“I said no such thing. It's not a date. Not even two friends hanging out. Just you and I keeping busy while two of our friends go on a date.” That didn't sound too bad. could live with that. “Now, let's play some football!” The game proved to be rather entertaining. kept tripping on purpose, even though they were on the same team. She also proved to be a rather lousy football player. had offered to give her private lessons and kicked him in the shin.

Waited on a line of greens and blues, just to be the next to be with you.

Chapter 4

didn't get too dressed up for the date for fear that would become suspicious. She wore fitted black pants and layered spaghetti strap tank tops, pink on the bottom and red on the top. wore blue jeans, white sneakers, a white t-shirt, and a white hoodie on top. They told they were going shopping and noted that they would have to buy some things so that they'd have bags when they returned home. When the girls arrived in the center of the town, they didn't see any sign of the guys anywhere. spotted walking towards them from the opposite side of the street.

“I would be the one to get stood up.” sighed and shook her head.

“How could you get stood up?” laughed at how ridiculous her best friend sounded. “I thought it wasn't a date.”

“Well, you know what I meant.” pouted. walked up and put his arm around ’s hip. He kissed her softly on the cheek. 's face turned bright red.

“You ready?” asked her. nodded. “Meet you back here around ten.” said as he grabbed by the hand and they turned to walk away.

“Great.” groaned and kicked a rock across the ground.

“What'd the rock do to you?” The familiar Irish voice made goose bumps pop up all over her body. She turned to see leaning against a tree, fifteen feet away from her.

“I thought you weren't going to show.” She walked towards him.

“I thought you weren't.” He grinned. “I wouldn't miss the chance to spend a few hours with the love of my life.”

“It sounds so wrong for you to say that.” said as she stopped in front of . She could smell his aftershave from where she stood. He had dressed casually in jeans, a hoodie, and a baseball cap. “Yet I like it... a little.” She shrugged.

“Well, let’s go. I’m going to take you shopping.” shoved his hands in his pockets. “Don’t worry, I don’t want anything in return. Just your company.” He began walking. had to jog the first few steps to keep up with him.

“You can spend some money on me if you want.” She giggled. “But I will think of something to give you in return.”

Meanwhile…

sat across from at a table for two in a small pizza shop. They were sharing what was apparently ’s favorite topping, Hawaiian. wasn’t too fond of it, but seemed to be enjoying it.

“I can’t believe how ridiculous is being about this.” said as ate some of her pizza. “When I first mentioned I was attracted to you, he was all for it, then suddenly he changed his mind. I think he’s being overprotective, but it’s coming off as overbearing.” swallowed her food and took a drink of her soda.

“I’m not a fan of this sneaking around.” admitted. “I really like you and I don’t feel like we should have to hide it.”

“I agree. I think will warm up to it, though.”

“I sure hope so.”

“Where’ve you been, ?” asked. “It’s chilly out here. You said you’d be right back. It’s been nearly a half an hour.” had left sitting outside of a coffee shop with a cup of hot chocolate while he said he was going to take care of something. They had done some shopping. eventually tried to protest buying her anything, but he was being stubborn. He kept buying her clothes, even though she wouldn’t tell him her size. He would hold them up to her and estimate. He kept saying that his girl would like nice in the things he was buying. felt guilty. She felt so loyal to John, but he had never made her feel this way. She adored the attention that gave her. She knew that John didn’t care about her the way did and she barely knew him.

“I’ve been buying my girl a gift.” He grinned. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to her feet. pouted.

“I really wish you’d stop calling me that. You’re making this much harder on me.”

“I’m sorry.” frowned. He had let go of her hand and they were walking down the street beside each other. “I don’t mean for you to be troubled by my words. Maybe we should spend less time together after all.”

“I really wouldn’t like that very much. I wish I had met you years ago . Then I would be your girl.” She felt embarrassed immediately. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s alright.” They walked quietly for a while and stopped in a small park that overlooked a small body of water. wasn’t familiar with the area, so she didn’t know if it was a lake or a river or what it was. “I like it here.” said. “It’s peaceful.”

“Would you sing to me?” asked . blushed and turned to look at her. Her eyes were beautiful. She stared back into his eyes. He looked vulnerable. He cleared his throat and began to sing to her.

“In your eyes, I found the greatest prize, You and I could not be closer, And in your arms, is everything I want, Now I know my search is over. And I don't know where you take me, But it's exactly where I wanna be. It's where the stars line up It's where the ocean's touch It's in a place you've never been that feels like home It's in the air right now It's when you give your all, and give a little more I've never been so sure, that's where you find love.” When he stopped singing, looked away. reached and took her right hand in his. She felt something cool on her ring finger. When he pulled away, she looked down to see a white gold ring with a huge diamond solitaire in the center. She couldn’t speak. When she finally managed words, “ …” was all she could say. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if the tears were because she was honored, or mad at him for being so persistent, or mad at herself for the stupid choice she had continued to make.

“When you change your mind about me, we can move it to the other finger.” She knew that he was sincere, he didn’t mean to pressure her, he was just sure they were meant to be together. Without realizing what he was doing, he leaned in close to kiss her. Just before his lips met hers, she pulled away. looked down apologetically. She longed to feel his lips on hers. Those lips were one of the hardest things to resist.

“I almost forgot.” grinned, changing the subject, and trying to relieve of his guilt. She reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out her camera. “I brought my camera.”

“You know, for someone who isn’t in love with me, doesn’t even LIKE me for that matter… you sure like to take a lot of pictures of me.”

“First of all , don’t be so dramatic. Second of all, fine. I don’t want pictures of you, anyway.” She turned to walk away and grabbed her and threw her over the shoulder. “PUT ME DOWN!” She laughed. “Someone’s going to steal our stuff!” She pointed at their bags that were scattered across the ground.

“Now who’s being dramatic?”

Build up your confidence so you can be on top for once
Wake up, who cares about little boys that talk too much

“GO AWAY!” yelled from her bed and pulled her pillow over to cover her ears. Someone was banging loudly on the bedroom door.

“GET UP!” They could hear yelling from the other side of the door. “POOL PARTY!”

“PARTY!!!!????” groaned. “It can’t be any later than eight in the morning.”

“It’s noon! NOW GET UP!” The banging stopped but both of the girls were now wide awake.

“I HATE your cousin.” said as she climbed out of bed and walked over to her luggage. “I could have sworn I packed a swimsuit.” She looked curiously through her bags.

“I reminded you to.” said as she pulled out her bathing suit. “Maybe I should borrow one of Aunt ’s. would like that.” They both laughed.

“UGH!” complained. “It seems as if I didn’t pack one and now I’m going to have to wear the one bought me.”

“It looks like he went a little overboard.” said, motioning to all of the bags that had yet to unpack.

“You have to see this thing. I’ll go shower and put it on.”

“Me too.” The girls each went into one of the bathrooms to shower and get dressed in their swimsuits. The two girls each looked flabbergasted when they saw the other. Both girls had recently lost significant amounts of weight. They were not models by any means, but this was the first summer either of them had felt comfortable in a bathing suit. wore a unikini. The chest was bright pink and the rest was leopard print. wore a halter top bikini. It was black and had different colored neon hearts all over it. She wore a dangling heart in her navel piercing. “WHAT IS ON YOUR FINGER?!” yelled, noticing the ring.

“Keep it down.” whispered. She had never even considered taking it off, in fact, she had considered its implications and started to lean in the direction of allowing to put it on her other hand. “ bought it for me. He said when I change my mind, he’ll put it on my other hand.” ’s jaw dropped.

“We’re both gonna marry members of Westlife!” laughed and shook her head.

“So, you’re marrying , are you?”

“Well… maybe.” She grinned. “After he sees me in this.” She grabbed a pair of huge sunglasses and put them on. “So, are you gonna leave John?”


Chapter 5

“We have a party to get to.” ignored her question and walked out the door. followed behind her. As they walked through the living room, they got compliments on how ‘adorable’ they looked from who said she’d be joining them soon. could see through the glass sliding door. He wore a pair of blue swim trunks, a white t-shirt, and black sunglasses and looked like he had a terrible case of bed head. “If you want me to wear this…” She began before anyone had noticed her presence. All of the guys looked up. looked at her over his sunglasses. He couldn’t help but compliment himself on his choice. He thought she looked breath taking and caught sight of the fact that she still wore his ring. She had her left hand behind her back. “You’re taking this off.” She tugged at his t-shirt.

“Come on, love…” He begged. “I have to lose a few pounds before I go walking around with no shirt on.”

“Have you seen this?” She asked, grabbing a piece of the fat in her love handle area. licked his bottom lip and almost died. Does he HAVE to draw attention to that lip?! She thought to herself. “OFF WITH IT OR I’M GIVING THIS RING TO AND YOU CAN ASK HIM TO MAYBE MARRY YOU SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE!” Everyone except looked at the two of them curiously.

“I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about…” began nervously. “But I’m not marrying fatty! You better take that shirt off!” leaned down and put his mouth dangerously close to ’s ear.

“If I take it off, will you give me a kiss?” He whispered, sending chills down her spine. grinned.

“ , I don’t want our first kiss to be like that.”

“Does that mean we ARE going to have a first kiss?” He asked hopefully.

“It could.” She shrugged.

“Well… when you put it that way.” He pulled his shirt over his head. was completely turned on by him. He was over exaggerating his weight and she badly wanted to caress the hairs on his chest.

“OH!” pulled her left hand from behind her back, revealing her camera. “I don’t leave home without it.” She started looking through the view finder and snapping pictures. As walked out towards the pool, walked over and attempted to wrap her in a towel.

“This bathing suit is unacceptable!” He protested. As snapped a picture, shoved into the pool. Everyone erupted in hysterics.

“I guess I deserved that.” laughed when he emerged from the water. “I’m done trying. If you two wanna have at each other, go ahead.” He sighed and swam back under the water. continued taking pictures. She didn’t feel bad anymore. She had stopped receiving text messages from John. The truth was, he had probably been waiting for her to leave home so he would have the opportunity to cheat on her again. took ’s camera from her and started taking pictures. walked over to , she needed some advice on something.

“Do you think I’d look totally desperate if I ask out?” grinned and slapped her on the arm. “Stop, I’m serious. I was going to see if maybe the two of us and you and could go dancing or something.”

“I think he’d be flattered.” insisted. “Let me know what he says and I’ll talk to .” turned around and noticed that had been taking pictures of her.

“Idiot.” She walked over and snatched her camera back. “Take me out on a date.” raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Your boyfriend might not like it.” glared at him.

“Don’t push it. I WILL give the ring to .”

“Okay, okay, I give in. Where do you want to go?”

“I was thinking we could double date with and , since they’ve gotten permission from God… I mean .” They both laughed. “Dancing.”

“You’ve got it. Tonight.” said victoriously. “AND the last show of our tour is next Friday. Please come sit in the front row. The same spot where I first laid eyes on you.”

“I will.”

Well I see it all go down, Your game of love is all rained out,
So come on baby, come on over, Let me be the one to show you.

Normally, it took fifteen minutes to get ready, but today it took nearly two hours. She wanted to look absolutely perfect. She had finally decided to leave John for . The whole situation terrified her because John was the only guy she had ever been with and was, well, he was . She knew that if she made any other choice, she would be miserable never knowing what could have been. She had finally decided to wear one of the dresses that had bought for her. It was brown and strapless and tight. will love it. She thought to herself as she looked in the full length mirror. She wore gold heels and gold earrings and, of course, her ring. took an unusually long time getting ready as well. She had decided on a dress as well. She wore a tight, short, black halter dress with bright pink accessories (belt, earrings, shoes, bracelet). The girls had been on a few other double dates in their lifetime, but this would prove to be, by far, the best or so they hoped.

I’m the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too


Chapter 6

The sound of the doorbell made nearly jump out of her skin. Her heart started to race and a million thoughts coursed through her head. Could she really do this? Could she leave John? Did really love her? Could a relationship between them really happen? What was he wearing?... Those lips… She snapped out of it, hearing greet the boys at the door. She heard offer to let them know the boys had arrived, but knew they had declined when she heard two sets of feet running up the stairs. There was a light tapping on the door. grinned at and tried her best to smile back. She was nervous.

“Come in.” spoke just loud enough for the boys to hear. The door opened and walked in first. lost her breath. He looked absolutely gorgeous. He wore brown dress pants, a tan shirt, tan shoes, and black sunglasses. He was just as taken aback by . He walked over and kissed her softly on the cheek.

“You look amazing.” whispered in her ear.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” She replied. “Looking good, !” said as walked through the door. He was wearing white dress pants, a white t-shirt, and a yellow button-up shirt that only had one button done in the center. He also wore a pair of glasses, which were obviously an accessory. Once again, he looked like he had bed head, he must have known how much adored it. He took a few seconds to admire how beautiful she looked, and once again checked her finger, and she was still wearing his ring. He walked over and embraced her.

“By the end of the night, that ring will have a whole new meaning.” assured her.

“You think so?” She asked.

“I know so.” He replied. “Shall we?” He offered her his arm, which she quickly accepted. They decided to take a cab, just in case they were all too intoxicated to drive. When they arrived, there was already a full house. There were no tables, but they had all eaten before they got ready anyway, so they went to the bar to get drinks. The bartender already knew the guys and would put all of their drinks on the tab.

“What’ll the ladies have?” The bartender asked.

“I’ll have a Jack on the rocks.” grinned. narrowed his eyes at her. “What?” She shrugged and giggled.

“And you?” He asked .

“I’ll have what he’s having.” She pointed at . The bartender returned a minute later with ’s drink and three mugs of Lager.

“What’ll we toast to?” asked, looking from to .

“To love.” answered before either of the girls had a chance to.

“I’ll drink to that.” grinned and held up his glass. sucked down her drink and placed the empty glass on the bar. The bartender filled her back up. She was trying to loosen up. She still hadn’t told about the decision she had made. sucked down her second drink as quickly as the first. “Let’s dance.” grabbed by the hand and led her to the dance floor. They danced so closely and so provocatively that other people on the floor moved away from them. “You’re absolutely lovely.” said to her and kissed her softly where her jaw line met her ear. “I’ve never met a girl quite like you. I can’t believe you’re going to go home soon. I wish you’d stay.” He sighed.

“That wasn’t really an offer .” She continued dancing with him, pretending what he said hadn’t affected her, when in reality she was torn up. She knew she would have to go back to the United States soon. Even if she did want to stay, she didn’t want to put her aunt and uncle out much longer.

“It was meant to be.” He replied. stopped dancing and looked up at . She looked shocked, confused, and slightly honored. “I mean, I know we aren’t officially a couple or anything, well yet, but I don’t know what I would do if you left. I know your family is in the States, but you don’t have a job there yet. You can get one here. And you can fly home to see your folks whenever you want. I want you to be my girl. You can move into my place tomorrow.” She opened her mouth to respond, but no words escaped her mouth. “You don’t have to answer me right now.” He had a slightly disappointed tone in his voice.

“I want to answer right now, I’m just not sure what I want to say.” sighed, he was about to say something, but put her finger to his mouth. “I would love to. I would love to be your girl. And I would love to live with you, but what would everyone say?”

“Who cares what they’d say. All that matters are you and I. Our friends support us. , I know this sounds crazy, but I love you.” She felt like she could no longer stand up. Her legs turned to jelly and she almost fell to the floor, but caught her and helped her stay balanced. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, no tongue, just lips. grinned at him.

“I love you, too.”

“We can go home together and I’ll meet your parents and we can talk to them. I have a way about me, it’ll be fine.” He grinned that award-winning grin. They’d never be able to resist their daughter deciding to spend her life with him. “And you might not be very lonely.” nodded towards and . They were sitting next to each other on two bar stools. had her right hand resting on his thigh and he had to try his hardest not to think about it in order to stay calm enough so that his body didn’t react the way it wanted to. “I think has similar plans with your friend.”

“She told me tonight that she’s leaving John for . So, I think her plans are the same as well.” Meanwhile, placed his hand on top of ’s.

“Being with you feels like the most natural thing in the world.” He said to her. “I just wish you felt the same.”

“ … “ She caught his eyes. They were beautiful, but slightly sad. “You have to have known this whole time that the reason I wasn’t with you was NOT that I did not reciprocate your feelings. I have never met anyone like you. I was not in a happy relationship when I came here, and knowing you has made me understand that. I have never been treated the way you treat me. My experience with men is with ONE guy and it hasn’t been a great experience, but you’ve shown me that that doesn’t have to be the case. I wish I had realized all of this sooner, or accepted sooner as I think I have realized it a long time ago. I don’t know where we stand right now, or what the future could possibly hold for us. All I know, is that right now, I am here with you, and I wouldn’t rather be any place else.” grinned from ear to ear, he couldn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say. turned to the bartender and ordered another drink. had known that had feelings for him, too, but she was loyal and didn’t what to jeopardize what she had with John to have something with a man who might not even really want her. But did want her. And she wanted .

“Dance with me, my love.” He took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor.

Waited on a line of greens and blues, just to be the next to be with you

By the end of the night, could not have been any drunker. and had both only had very few drinks and were feeling fine. had slightly more to drink than the boys and she decided that her aunt and uncle probably shouldn’t see them in their current condition. They decided that the girls would stay in their suites. and ’s were next door to each other. They had switched hotels since the last time the girls were there.

laid in bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. climbed into bed beside him. She wore one of ’s t-shirts and a pair of his shorts. She snuggled close to him. kissed her on top of her nose. “I love you, .” She said. looked at her adoringly. It was hard to make out ’s expression, considering she was completely lit.

“I love you, too.” wrapped an arm around her and pulled her body close to his. looked up at him and leaned in closely for a kiss. pulled away. “Now, now.” He laughed. “Didn’t you say you wanted our first kiss to be special?” He asked her.

“This is special.” She insisted, and tried again. pulled away.

“Sweetheart, you’re drunk and won’t even remember our first kiss come tomorrow morning. I think you’d regret that.”

“No I wouldn’t.” pouted. She kissed on his shoulder and ran her hand over his tummy. When she began to tug at the elastic in his boxers, he sat up and pulled away again.

“We’re not doing this.” stated, distancing himself from her. was mortified. After all this time, she had finally decided to put the moves on and he was rejecting her. He loved her, but he wouldn’t kiss her, wouldn’t be her man in the way she wanted him so badly at that moment. He could tell she was upset. “I don’t want it to be like this.” He reached his hand out to her, but she stood up. She began to put on her shoes. “Where are you going, love? Come back to bed.” He insisted. She flew out the door and slammed it behind her. He quickly rushed to the door, in boxers only. As he opened the door to his suite, he saw and appear at the door to theirs. looked at who was still in his boxers.

“I’ll go.” She ran down the hall after her best friend.

Why be alone when we can be together baby?
You can make my life worthwhile, I can make you start to smile.


Chapter 7

“She’s gone.” sighed and sat down on the bed beside . sat on the floor in front of the bed. “By the time I caught up with her she was already in the cab. She called me and said she was getting on the first plane to the United States and not to follow her , she would call once she got home.” ’s eyes were red and blood shot. He had tried to call ’s phone dozens of time but she never answered. He left her voicemails and texted her. She didn’t respond. couldn’t say anything. “It’s not your fault.” assured him. “You did what you should have. She’s not used to gentlemen.”

I’m the one who wants to be with you, deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues, just to be the next to be with you

’s eyes couldn’t cry anymore. Her plane was about to land in the United States. She just wanted to get home and lay in her bed. She had decided to go to John’s and talk to him first. At least with John she expected to be let down. She hurt so bad inside. She had let herself fall in love with even when her better judgment told her not to. Why would an international pop star really love her? When she had finally decided to give up her life for him, he gave her the cold shoulder. She ignored his calls and didn’t even bother to listen to the voicemails. She couldn’t bear to hear his voice. His text messages begged her to listen. He wanted to explain that he wanted her more than anything in life, but didn’t want her to regret sharing their “firsts” while she was too drunk to remember. It didn’t matter what he said. When she landed, she hailed a cab to John’s house. She got out of the cab, paid the driver and walked up the driveway. She could hear voices inside as she approached. It was John’s voice that she made out first. He was laughing. She almost missed the sound of him laughing. Then she heard the second voice. It was female. Before she knocked, she leaned to the side and looked in the window. That’s when she saw John with her. It was a woman she had never seen before, but they were hugging and kissing and dancing. was crushed. She turned and walked from the house. There was no point in knocking. Before heading home, she sent John a text message. If it was over, you should have told me. That was the last time she ever saw him.

When it’s true, it’s true, fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby, come on over, let me be the one to show you

couldn’t stand to be in his suite any longer. It was where he had last seen her, where she had walked out of his life. He decided to pack his things and head home to Sligo for a while. As he packed his belongings, he found ’s camera. He smiled briefly to himself. She had taken it everywhere. It had meant so much to her. Since they had met, there was a picture of them doing almost everything together. When she left him, she didn’t even care to take it. He turned the camera on and switched it to view mode. He grinned when he looked at the pictures from the first day they had met. He loved the picture he had taken of the two of them. As he scanned through the pictures, he could feel a lump forming in his throat and the back of his eyes were on fire. He turned the camera off and stuffed it into his bag.

I’m the one who wants to be with you, Deep inside I hope you feel it, too

had finally managed to get in touch with . They were best friends and no matter how much wanted to ignore her calls because she knew was telling to call, she just couldn’t ignore her friend. begged and pleaded with to come back to Ireland for the last Westlife concert of the tour. had decided that she was moving there with . She and were on their way to the States to break the news to ’s parents and they wanted to take back with them. would miss her best friend when she moved. She knew she would see her as often as possible, and they would talk all the time, but they had never been apart. She caved in and decided she would go to the concert, but only if and agreed that while she was staying with them, would not show up at the house. ’s parents could not resist ’s charm. They were sad to see their daughter go, but pleased that she had met someone who loved her as much as obviously did. They knew that he could support their daughter and they wanted her to be happy. flew back to Ireland with and to stay at their home. The concert was scheduled for the following evening. told that she had let know that she was in Ireland.

could not have been happier about ’s return to Ireland. He knew that she was still upset with him and that she was hurt bad. He had never meant to hurt her. What she saw as rejection, he saw as chivalry. He did not want their first kiss or any of their other firsts to occur while was clearly intoxicated, but the past was the past and only had one night to change ’s mind about him and he had a plan.

decided not to let the current situation ruin her last night with her best friend. They had been Westlife fans for ten years. They were going to enjoy the concert whether liked it or not. Even if did have to sit there and watch him for three hours. Even if he was the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. Even if she was madly in love with him.

Waited on a line of greens and blues, just to be the next to be with you
Yeah, just to be the next to be with you

and sat front row at the concert. They wore matching fitted Westlife t-shirts and jeans. straightened her hair and wore the front in a puff. loaded her hair with gel and scrunched it to give it the wet and wavy look. Her t-shirt came just above her jeans so you could see part of her belly ring dangling on her bare skin. She admitted to herself that she wanted to eat his heart out. looked at her friend and sighed.

“We’re sitting front row center at a Westlife concert. A few weeks ago you would have been beside yourself at the thought. Now you look like just killed your dog.” couldn’t help but smile. Just then, the lights went down in the arena and music began to play. took in a deep breath of air. This could be the last time she would see her best friend for a long time. It was also probably going to be the last time she’d ever see the love of her life. She shook her head, unable to believe she even considered him as such. She had hardly noticed that the stage was now lit and the four men on stage had begun to sing. She tried to keep her eyes off of him. She tried to focus on at first, but he kept making eyes at and felt the need to vomit. She was happy for her friend, but envious all the same. Sometime during the concert, her eyes drifted in his direction. She could feel his glances burning holes through her. He looked amazing. He always looked amazing. He was literally her dream come true. She wanted nothing more than to rush the stage and wrap her arms around him and kiss him and hug him and tell him so. She turned her eyes to the girl beside her. She had never seen so happy. If nothing else, maybe she’d see again at and ’s wedding. The song ended and the boys disappeared for a costume change. She knew this would be the finale, the last time she’d ever see him again. She was surprised when the music to That’s Where You Find Love began to play. Her mind wandered back to the night that sang to her beneath the tree, the night he gave her the ring. She brushed her left hand over her right ring finger where she still wore her diamond. No matter how hard she tried to bring herself to take it off, to put it away, she couldn’t. She became aware of a pain in her side as elbowed her hard in the rib cage.

“!” had apparently been trying to get her attention.

“What?!” snapped. shook her head and pointed at the screen above the stage. She froze when she saw the pictures flashing on the screen. They were her pictures. Her and on the plane to Ireland, the girls with backstage, and , and , and when she met him for the first time, elbowing into the pool… she couldn’t take her eyes from the screen. began to sing his verse. She could hear his voice, but couldn’t look away from the pictures. People pass, and listen to us laugh, wishing that they had the same thing. She jumped when she felt a hand grab a hold of hers. She looked up to find singing to her. He stared into her eyes. And our friends they ask, how we made it last. I just smile and say the same thing. As took over the lead, mouthed the words I love you, released her hand and took the stage. Almost immediately, tears began to fall down her cheeks. She felt take her hand and squeeze it. She didn’t take her eyes off of for the rest of the song and he didn’t take his off of her. When the song ended, the lights went down, and he was gone. She could feel the eyes of envious fans on her and she wanted to run. She didn’t want to stand there, the image of him standing in front of her burning in her eyes. She used her hands to wipe the tears from her face. She was jolted by grabbing her by the arm and pulling her. She couldn’t tell where they were going, she could only feel her body colliding with other people as they went. Finally, their pace slowed and she could no longer hear fans screaming. She opened her eyes and looked around. was taking her backstage. She should have figured that. She knew that she would soon be face to face with him again. She had no idea how she would react, she only hoped that this time she would make the right decision.

Yeah, just to be the next to be with you

entered through the boys’ dressing room door. stood outside for a moment, fidgeting with the ring on her left hand, unsure of what to do next. looked questioningly at when she entered. smiled sweetly as she walked over to and kissed him softly on the lips. She motioned towards the door. sighed deeply and headed in that direction. He and collided as each of them tried to pass through the doorway. They both laughed nervously. made the first move. She took ’s left hand with her right. He looked at her curiously and looked down at her hand. She had moved the ring from her left hand to the right.

“ … I’m so sor…”

“Shhhhh…” cut him off. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. His lips were softer and more amazing that she had ever imagined. She pulled away and grinned from ear to ear.

“I guess this means I don’t have to marry him after all.” chuckled.


THE END



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