After half an hour, each guy gathered, with the five questions they each made up, in the cozy living room. Kevin and Nick left the room and trotted down the stairs into the basement to find a piece of cardboard and masking tape. They quickly searched the large rooms, found it and hurried back up the stairs, out of the chilly air.
Nick threw the tape to Chris, who started taping the corners of his white cards with questions. The questions for the Backstreet Boys were white and the ones for *N SYNC were yellow. Kevin and Nick hurriedly propped up the board, while Joey found a roll of double-stick tape, mailing tape, and electrical tape, but no normal tape.
Once everyone had taped their cards, they placed them, all fifty of them, on the large board. Then the game began. They flipped a coin and the Backstreet Boys won first turn. They all agreed that Nick got to choose the first question because it was his idea. He grabbed a white card from the top left corner.
"The strangest possesion of Brian's. HINT: He bought it for more than twenty-five dollars and less than seventy-five," Joey read aloud.
Brian started laughing hysterically and choking out the words, "I know! I know!"
"Well obviously you know. It is about you!" A.J. exclaimed.
Justin rolled his eyes and looked to J.C. for his reaction.
"That's his water bed. He got it for fifty bucks!" Nick answered.
"Yay!" Brian exclaimed, red-faced from laughing.
Chris went next.
"Two things J.C. does not have or get much of," Kevin read.
"Kindness and forgiveness!" Chris exclaimed.
The Backstreet Boys became confused and *N SYNC just groaned.
"Dude, let my best bud alone! He is, like, twenty thousand times nicer than you and forty thousand times a better friend!" Brian shouted. Then he glared at Chris with a look that could kill.
Someone sniffled. Brian looked over to the couch to see Nick crying softly on Kevin's shoulder, but not softly enough.
Everyone in the room stared at Brian.
"What? What did I do? Nick? Buddy, are you okay?" Brian asked, concerned, as he stood to comfort him.
"Don't 'buddy' me! What was that? Best bud?! I'll show you best bud! Hey, Justin? Are you my 'best bud'?" Nick exclaimed angrily.
"Nick, don't do this to yourself," Justin softly said.
"Nick, friend, slow down! J.C. is my best friend outside of the group. You are my best bud in the whole universe to eternity. You're like a good brother. Well, a brother that is the opposite of Harold. He's a mean brother. You are the one I share a room with, you're the one I tell all of my secrets to, you're the one I whisper to as I fall asleep, and you're the one I spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with!" Brian explained. "Are you okay, man?"
"Sure," Nick choked out. "Let's go outside."
"We'll be back in a bit!" Brian called to the others.
The two boys walked to the closet, put on their coats, hats, boots, and gloves, then walked outside.
"Ohmigosh! Aaron?! Air? AARON!!!! What are you doing here?" Brian exclaimed. "Frack, get over here."
"Dude, A.C.! What's up?" Nick said.
"The sky," Aaron said.
"Did J.C. tell you that or are you turning from Sweet Shorty to Brat?" Brian said laughing.
"That's what J.C. said when I talked to him on the phone," Aaron stated matter-of-factly.
"Did everyone else know?" Nick asked.
"Well, Mom said I could come up for your birthday, but decide it would be a surprise, so we told everyone else. Then we were about to tell Brian, but decided not to because it wouldn't be a secret anymore. You two share a brain!" Aaron explained.
"Do not!" they both exclaimed in unison and then joined Aaron in his giggles.
"Where's my heavenly friend? Aaron, you didn't leave her at home, did you?" Brian asked.
"Huh?" the two boys replied in unison.
"Where's Angel? You know, Aaron, not only are you siblings, but whether you like it or not, you're twins!" Brian said.
"I'm right here, Brian," Angel said softly as she emerged from behind a bush.
"Hi, sweetie. You got taller over the summer," Brian said.
"I know," Angel replied.
"You're going to make a wonderful model," Brian commented.
"Thanks," Angel said as she blushed.
"Aren't you even going to hug me? Every time I see you we become closer friends, then we are separated. Every reunion, you are shyer," Brian said.
Man, Brian makes a better brother than Nick and Aaron combined, Angel thought, and he isn't even my brother!
Brian stood up, but Angel did not let go so she was hanging from Brian's neck. He swung her around to his back and gave her a piggy-back to the pile of bags near Aaron and Nick. He swung her down and the four of them started carrying the bags inside.
Once they had all of the bags inside, they took off their winter clothes. Brian, who was wearing khaki cargo pants, a white undershirt and a blue V-neck sweater, hung up his coat, Aaron's coat, and Angel's coat, but left Nick to get his own. Nick took care of his coat, grabbed Angel's hand, and led him into the living room to see the others. Brian followed with Aaron on his back.
They walked in, only to see and hear everyone arguing. They all looked up when Nick, Brian, Aaron, and Angel entered.
Aaron ached to be dressed like them. All of the Backstreet Boys were wearing the same thing as Brian, but Nick was in a green sweater, Kevin in black, Howie was wearing purple, and A.J. had yellow. The members of *N SYNC were all in white long sleeved tee shirts with different colored wind pants. Lance was in red, Joey in purple, Justin in green, J.C. in blue, and Chris in black.
Aaron and Angel walked around the room and hugged everyone. Then they came and hugged Brian and Nick again. The room filled with love and the argument was forgotten.
Nick went back to his spot next to Kevin and Howie. Brian sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Aaron squeezed in between Nick and Kevin. Angel sat next to Brian.
"So, what else have you planned for Nick's birthday?" Brian suspiciously asked and looked around the room.
"Well, um, you know it's Joey's birthday, too, and, uh, we wanted to have separate celebrations, so, I guess, it's Nick's choice!" Lance explained.
"Oh, okay," Nick said. "That's settled, but what about Justin's birthday?"
"Well, that party has a, uh, limited guest list," Chris stuttered.
"How many 'guests'?" Howie asked.
"Four, not including Mr. Birthday, himself!" Joey answered.
"'Kay," A.J. answered.
"Hey, Angel, what are you doing on Valentine's Day? Eleven guys, one girl. Hmmm..." Kevin hinted.
"Why, Kevin? Are you looking for a date a decade and a half younger than you?" Angel answered, laughing.
"No, but I am sure you won't try to be Aaron's on Nick's valentine. Maybe Justin, but he's a good little boy whose mother is his valentine. You don't know Joey, Lance, or Chris very well. Howie might spend it with his sister. That leaves Bone, B-Rok, and J.C. Who's your pick?" Kevin said.
"Scratch Bone off your list. Bone has a date!" A.J. said laughingly.
"I am going to try and contact my old girlfriend fom D.C. and get her to come up. So, I guess that leaves B," J.C. stated.
"Yay!" Brian exclaimed.
"What's your plan?" Angel asked.
"My plan is to be with me valentine sweetie, Angie," Brian said.
"Oh. I guess, Nick, Aaron, we can do a Carter thing?" Angel suggested.
"Why? Shorty, you're my valentine!" Brian exclaimed and kissed her cheek.
"Oh," Angel said as she blushed, and then glared at Nick and Aaron who were laughing.
"What're we gonna do for my birthday?" Nick asked.
"Let's order a cake. Let's see we have two days. Cake and friends and cheese piled on the pizza by the pounds and mint chocolate chip ice cream and Coke. Sounds like Nick's favorites," A.J. said.
"Did anyone notice Nick is gone?" Kevin asked. "So are Angel, Aaron, and Bri!"
"Ha ha ha, that was so funny!" Angel gasped between bursts of laughter from Brian's back. "Did you see their faces when they saw we had left?"
Once Angel and Brian got up to the room that Nick and Brian shared, they found Aaron sitting on the floor watching Nick set up the PlayStation. Since Brian knew Nick so well and Angel knew Aaron, they figured the two brothers would be engulfed in the game until they got hungry. So Brian started planning ahead. He was thinking about where Aaron and Angel would sleep. They had five bedrooms, each with two single beds. Upstairs, Nick and Brian shared a room, J.C. and Howie shared a one, Justin and Lance in another, and finally Kevin and Joey in the last. A.J. and Chris slept in the extra room, that was supposed to be an office, but they turned into a bedroom.
"Angel, darling, do you have any plans about where you and Aaron will sleep?" Brian gently asked.
"No, I'm sorry," Angel answered.
"Don't be."
"Huh?"
"Don't be sorry. We'll work something out. Everything will be fine. You two did know that once you got here Nick and I would keep you as long as possible."
"That's one of your '10,000 Promises'!"
"Yes it is, 'Darlin''. Another is that 'I'll Never Break Your Heart'."
"Good, because I'd go 'Anywhere For You' because 'Every Time I Close My Eyes' I think about how much 'I Wanna Be With You', but I know 'Just To Be Close To You', it'll cost 'All I Have To Give'."
"That was a good one!"
"Thanks."
"I can't top that, kid."
"We need knew interests. We're being really lame! What were we talking about?"
"Bed arrangements, Angel."
"Oh yeah! So what are my choices?"
"Well, Nick may disagree with this, but he's the baby of the Backstreet Boys-"
"I heard that!" Nick exclaimed.
"That's nice, man, but we are in the same room," Brian shot back.
"Nick's the oldest and the youngest," Angel said knowingly.
"Yep!" Brian continued. "So he doesn't always get his way. But you could each sleep on a couch downstairs, or it could be one of us-Nick and me-and one of you down and one up. Another choice would be you get our beds and I sleep downstairs on the couch with Nick. And the last choice is to sleep on the floor-in anyone's room- with a pillow and blanket. I don't know how you like to sleep, like if you like a night light or anything, so you choose."
"How about this? Aaron and me, we start down on the sofas. If we have any problems, we come up here, so you guys have the blanket on the floor set up, too."
"That's good, but remember A.J. and Chris sleep down there in the next room, so if you here any weird noises, it's probably them. If they're snoring, hit them! Or if you have problems you can wake them up. They like being bugged."
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