"And he told you he loved you, just like that?"

Audrina sat on her bed, cradling her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she spoke to Aundrea, who was waiting to get back onto an airplane to meet her in Dallas. "Yeah, well, no ... he admitted to liking me way back when and attempting to stop when JC and I got together, but he never fully got over me. And, then I kind of asked him if he still did. He said he thought so and that was really the end of it."

"So he doesn't know if he loves you?"

"I think it's more along the lines of he doesn't know if he wants to admit it to me," she said softly, picking at her nail cuticle and sighing deeply. "C'mon, would you want to get into a fucked up relationship with me?"

"So you thought about being with him?!"

Laughing slightly she pulled herself off of the bed and shut the tv off, shimmying out of her lounge pants and into a pair of jeans. "No ... well, yes, I have. He's an amazing guy, Drea; maybe a little troubled, but aren't we all a bit fucked up? I mean, seriously, look at who you're talking to and who I dated. Don't get me started on him."

"Aubrey told me he's not continuing on with the tour."

She frowned. "No, he's not. I mean, I can't blame him. If you would have been a fly on the wall when I flipped ... I don't blame him."

"It was kind of deserved -"

"And a major weight off of my shoulders," she concluded, "but it still wasn't right for me to go off like I did. He knows how I feel. I know how he feels. It's a silent understanding and it should have stayed that way. He won't even look me in the eye. Even worse, is that he won't even stay for more than five seconds in the same room with me. People have started talking about our song and how different it sounds now. And it does. It's almost painful to watch when they play it back for me."

"Sound-wise?"

"Sound-wise, it sounds remarkable," she said, shrugging, "it's ... emotion-wise. We're both torn between each other, Drea. It's a hard thing to deal with and us being on tour together probably ruined what little we had left that kept us getting along. I've probably lost him for good and I don't know whether or not it's a good or bad thing."

"Then, who are you touring with?"

"I'm going it alone," she sighed. "They're going to just pick up random well-known bands from around the area to be my openers in every city so it's going to be even more awkward because I'll be the only person I have with you and Bree going off to tour with Day 26. JC will be here, working on his album and my brother and AJ will be with the Boys on their tour."

"Well, maybe you'll cross paths ..."

"Twice. Management made sure that we'd be able to promote together in Osaka and Melbourne. That's it. They're keeping us busy enough that there is no time between to even fly out to visit for a day. I'm going to have no one. Yet again."

"And we all know how you are alone."

"Preaching to the already knowing congregation, Drea," she said softly, "hold on. I need to change my shirt." She put the phone down, pulling off her own tour shirt that she had used as pajamas, the tank top resting on the hotel dresser being pulled on shortly as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Though she looked tired, she felt a lot better than she had in the last few days. Most of the reason was because Brian had kept her busy, kept taking her out before soundcheck to movies, to lunch and after shows to see the city and for a late dinner just so the siblings had time together. AJ was still her late-night visitor, always keeping her spirits up when she felt them slipping, and never hesitated to give her a hug when she looked like she needed it. And though she gave Aundrea and Aubrey some credit, it definitely was more the two men who kept her happy than she was able to.

Picking up the phone once more, she greeted her friend. "But I am better. I promise."

"Well, good. I want to be greeted Wednesday morning with a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Audrina. Not a sad one."

"Well, my brother and AJ are leaving this afternoon. I don't know exactly how happy I'll be."

"Very," she pressed. "Trust me, all right? It's all going to blow over and you're gonna wake up one day with this big smile on your face and love life."

Audrina opened her mouth to speak, stopping for a moment when she felt the familiar chest flutter, knowing she had too much caffeine, it triggering the slight flutter. Breathing deep, she continued, "I hope so."

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said softly, "just gotta go take my medicine. Lots of fluttering the last few days."

"Maybe you should call your cardiologist?"

"So he could tell me to continue taking my medications? I already know that, Drea," she laughed. "I'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," she said, turning as she heard a light knock on her door. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in Dallas, okay? 36 hours?"

"About that, yeah," Aundrea replied, the smile evident in her voice. "It'll be good to get away again."

"Trouble in DK paradise?"

"Like no other," she mumbled, "but we'll talk about it later. I'll let you go."

"Okay," Audrina said, kicking her shoes out of the way of the door, "I love you, have a safe flight."

"I love you too, girl. See you in a day and a half."

She hung the phone up, opening her door and being greeted by the bright smile of her brother. "Hey, Brian. I thought we were meeting down in your room in an hour?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets, giving her a slight shrug, still smiling. "Well, we were, but I thought I'd come up and keep you company since you've been a hotel hermit this afternoon."

"I'm just being lazy today, it's my day off," she chuckled, opening the door wider as he walked past. "But you know I always love company."

"This, I know," he smiled. "That, and I kind of wanted to talk to you about something."

"Something, good or something, bad?"

He held his hand up, making a so-so hand gesture. "Something, interesting, I think."

"Oh, well, have a seat," she cleared off her clothes that she had been folding, giving up a long while ago. "What's it have to deal with?"

"The latest tabloid," he chuckled, reaching back behind him and pulling out a folded in half magazine from his back jean pocket. Opening it up and handing it to her, he watched as her eyes widened, taking in the very same photo that he had seen when he walked into the lobby earlier that day. "Seems that suddenly, JC isn't part your love story, but our own Alex McLean is."

"And this is what you wanted to talk to me about?"

He nodded. "I mean, c'mon, Drinie, you don't walk around holding everyone's hands, do you?" He stopped. "Well, yeah, you do. But is this really what you want the world to think of now? Was this just a ploy to get the JC stories involving you out of the paper?"

She shook her head. "I honestly didn't even think of any of this when he and I went out. We always held hands, and you knew that." She shook her head, the title in big, bold letters Audrina Littrell's New Love Affair Rocks Backstreet! "I mean, he and I talked about stuff, but it wasn't -"

"He told me everything," Brian said, Audrina looking up at him in shock. "Oh, don't give me that. You knew he would. He's one of my best friends and his best friend's brother. We share a mutual friend, Drina. If he's concerned, he's gonna go to the other. He also told me he confessed to you what he felt so many years ago and that you asked him if he still did."

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have asked."

"I don't want my friend being your rebound, Audrina. I don't want your friend being your rebound. He's too good for that. I love J, he's a good guy, but you're my sister and I know you more than you would like me to. You'll fall into him and then one of you is going to be hurt. He said he would never overstep his boundaries because he knows when it's wrong, but I need to know how you feel about this whole thing."

She sat down next to her brother, shrugging. "I don't know, Bri. I really ... I mean, yeah, we didn't have a normal teenaged life, with you gone and me always going in and out of school because I missed you and would rather just go and be with you, so I did; in a way, yeah, I liked him. A lot. He was my brother's friend and I had a thing for him. Off and on for a couple of years. But he was always so far away and so out of reach in that aspect that I settled into being one of his best friends, too. And now, it's all brought upon me, and it's the only refreshing weight I've had on my shoulders in a long time. I feel good about it, though. For once in, well, a while, I'm close to being happy. You're here, he's here and once you guys go, I'll have Aundrea again. I have my support system and I really don't have anything to complain about."

"No, Drine, I don't think you understand where I'm going with this," he reached over, grabbing his sister's hand and catching her complete attention. "How do you feel about the whole thing? About AJ? I mean, I know it's not technically a rebound since it was two years ago, but it is. Do you really want to try to fix things with JC or are you completely done? And what about AJ? Are you going to tell him how you feel about him?"

She licked her lips, pursing them in thought. "I'm done with trying with JC. We've hurt each other too much. That book is closed and locked up. As for AJ, I don't know. I ... I haven't really thought about it other than the fact that when he told me the other night that he thought he still did love me, it made me feel good. It made me smile because I knew he meant it. I didn't have to look at him in the face like I did with JC and wonder where his next lie would be coming. I ... I knew JC loved me, but his motives were all wrong near the end and it just didn't mean what it used to."

"So you care about AJ?"

"Of course I do," she said, looking confused, "he's one of my closest friends and -"

"But do you care about him in the sense of a romantic ... type ... way?"

A pitiful laugh escaped her throat as she looked at her brother, the uneasiness of asking his sister just exactly how she felt for his best friend after only a few days of recouperating from her blow-up at JC slightly disturbing to him. "You want to know if I love him back? If I reciprocate those feelings?"

"Not necessarily love, but feel something towards him; feel that you may want to try and start something with him."

She looked down at the magazine, a photo of she and AJ walking out of the hotel and down the stairs, he holding her hand and leading her towards the valet to wait for his car. Her head was down, but it was unmistakable who the woman was, and his tattoos could be pointed out from a million miles away, curly hair hidden beneath a baseball cap and peaking out from the bottom in the back.

She flipped it open, searching for the article and then skimming through, reading only a few sentences.

"They've always been so close. When JC came into the picture, he stepped aside and let him be the man in her life, but now that the two are on the outs completely, she's turned back to AJ for support and love. The attraction has always been evident when those two are around," a source said, adding, "AJ has been in love with her from the moment Brian introduced her to all of them (with the exception of Kevin, who is Littrell's cousin). They do things a couple would do, only on their terms: frequent pecks on the lips, hand holding, long hugs that Audrina lived for when she was younger."

... Another source adds, "AJ waited for six years for Audrina to come around, and, years after he tried to move on, it seems that she slowly is and welcoming what could be a very interesting, sweet relationship. She's exactly what he needs in his life right now and his support for her is what she needs."

McLean was seen numerous times slipping into Littrell's hotel room late in the night to be there for her as she struggles to get over her heartbreak. "JC was the love of her life and he'll be a very tough act to follow. AJ is willing to take the challenge though, he believes that Audrina is worth it." The only thing holding him back is the feelings of her brother, who is a bandmate of McLean's. "If he had Brian's 'OK', he'd take the step to make Audrina know he wanted to be with her. Not many people know that she wanted to be with him a year before she and JC started dating, and now that JC is gone, she still sees in him what she saw in him then. He's got a troubled past, but you could not ask for a more compassionate, nurturing man than him. He's exactly what she needs to get over JC."

"You know how they say to not believe everything you read?" She asked softly, holding up the magazine as Brian nodded, "well, believe this."

Brian chuckled. "And that means what, exactly?"

"That it's gonna take a while, but maybe. Maybe I want to see what would happen between J and I. There's a lot of things holding me back and I'm not quite sure that the 'love' he has for me is what it used to be, but I know he cares about me. I know he'd do anything for me and that means the world. I just ... I don't have that push. Everyone is right: I do need to get over JC, but it's going to take more than a few days for me to -"

"It's been more than a few days, Drina. It's been two years and some odd months. It has been time to move on for quite some time."

"I know, and I will. I just need ... I need that wave of realization that I'm ready to. It just hasn't hit me yet. I mean, you'd think that Lucy would have been the reason I got over JC, but it only made me more pissed off that he got over me."

"I don't think he'll ever be over you, Audrina." Brian stood up, standing face to face with his sister as he studied her features, smaller, yet so similiar to his own. "Of all his girlfriends, I don't think he knew what love was until you. You lasted the longest, he craved you since day one. And God, that sounds horrible coming from me, but it's true. He never wanted his girlfriends around as much as you. Everyone knew it. Howie even said that. You were what his world revolved around and if you were in a bad mood, so was he. If you were deliriously happy, he was, too. And then, when you got sick, I've never seen someone so worried than he was. He's got a lot of growing up to do, Audrina. If he ever does. Some men aren't the marrying-type, and you can't change that no matter how much you love them and they love you. But sometimes, they change when they realize what they'd gain is so much better than what they'd lose. I prayed he'd come around, but it's been two years. If he hasn't by now, he probably never will."

"I know."

"I just, I don't know if this whole AJ thing would be a good idea for you if you should ever consider it."

She raised an eyebrow. "I've started to, Brian. There really isn't any way for you to stop how I feel."

"But I -"

"Do you not want me happy?"

Brian took a step back, slightly bothered by his sister's question. Why would she even think to ask him that? "Of course I want you to be happy," he said softly, voice barely above a whisper, "there's nothing more that I want in my life right now than to see you happy."

"Then maybe AJ will make me happy."

"It's AJ, Audrina. Are you ready to be a part of that life he has? It's a constant battle with his sobriety and his depression when it kicks in ..."

"I'm not a fucking child anymore, Brian, I'm 29, in case you have forgotten. I'm not exactly your baby sister."

"C'mon, don't swear at me -"

"Then don't talk to me like I can't handle things like that! In case you haven't realized, those pills that sit on my bathroom counter aren't exactly Midol!"

He cringed. "I know. I'm just trying to look out for you. I want what's best for you. I always have."

"Then let me decide what's best for me. I know that you're trying to help, but seriously -" she stopped. "Seriously. Just. Stop."

"All right."

It was quiet between the two of them as he looked towards the wall, she looking at her feet. "Why am I getting into a fight with everyone this week?" She asked softly, shaking her head. "First, I flip on JC ... okay, so that really wasn't an argument, but it involved me yelling; then AJ, now you. I don't fight with you. Ever."

"Things change," Brian chuckled. "We grow up."

"I guess so."

"I wouldn't mind if you dated him," Brian said softly as she turned to look at him, surprised. "I mean, it's my best friend and my sister. It'd be odd, but it'd be nice that the two of them found happiness with each other. If he would make you happy, then you have my blessing. And I know he'd try his damndest to make you happy. He thinks the world of you."

"Yeah." Clearing her throat, she put a hand to her fluttering chest, annoyed with it's appearance once more. "You know, I need to stop getting so worked up because these palpitations don't like it."

Brian took a hesitant step towards her. "You're having one now?"

"Yeah. I get worked up and it brings my stress up, I suppose. I excused it as caffeine, but the stress thing makes more sense. I need to stop being so crazy about this. It's not good for my wanting to keep a normal breathing pattern without having to stop and catch my breath."

"Have you called your -"

"Cardiologist? No. I'm fine. I feel fine. I know what it is, he told me what kind of signals to look for. That is kind of a warning for me to stop being so stressed and to calm down. I need to calm down is the problem. I just need to calm down." She sat, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Feeling her brother's worried gaze on her, she spoke softly, "don't freak, Brian. It's happened before. Just go get my pills and I'll take them now rather than later."

His footsteps were heard from the foyer and towards the bathroom, door opening and pills shaking against the bottle as he picked them up, wordlessly putting them into her hands once he came back into the master bedroom suite. "You're sure you're okay?"

She opened her eyes, the palpitations done. "Yeah, perfect. Just a little tired, though."

"You don't have to come to the airport with us, Drine; you can go to sleep. Rest?"

"No, nonsense. It's my day off, I'll sleep when I get back. After I hold the celebratory party you're gone," she added, winking as she looked on in shock. "Ah, you know I'm kidding. I'm gonna miss having your nagging ass around."

He pushed her playfully, glancing at his watch. "Why don't we go down and meet Bone? He's probably half-passed out and not even packed yet."

"Sounds fine by me," she said, getting up and following him out the door, grabbing her phone and key on the way. "Hey, Brian?"

He turned to look over his shoulder, looking at her. "Hmm?"

"Thank you. For being a nagging ass."

He chuckled. "Anytime, baby sister; anytime."

He sat at the desk in his room, laptop open and staring at the pictures that graced the screen in front of him. They were all of Audrina and AJ as they walked the streets after the show two nights before, she holding his hand tightly as they walked from the hotel to the valet. Some were actually from the show, she, Brian and AJ all photographed leaving the back of the arena to the awaiting car, her hand still holding tightly to AJ's, gripping Brian's bicep as they led her through the crowd, bodyguards in front of all three.

Exiting out of the page with an angry sigh, he typed in the familiar URL, her voice welcoming him as he immediately clicked to her main photos. The site hadn't updated the photo gallery much, photos from 2002 still there as his fingers slowly reached up, grazing the screen at a picture of the two of them, a black and white finish with the two of them dressed in typical 50's housewife meets working husband attire. She had deep red lipstick on, hair curled just so with a sailor dress on; he dressed in a suit and tie with his hair slicked back.

It brought a chuckle out of his lips, remembering the day perfectly. He stood straight, one hand adjusting the tie while the other held to the suit jacket, a smirk adorning his face; Audrina stood, leaning into him with one foot popped, merely inches away from his face, close to planting a lipstick-imprinted kiss to his cheek.

He wanted to go back to those days. Back when he was happy, when she was happy ... when they were happy. Back when he thought nothing about four years away, nothing about her being sick, nothing about losing her like he had.

Back when they loved each other desperately.

He hadn't been able to even look at her since her well-deserved blow-up on him that day at soundcheck. After all the racing thoughts went through his head about how much he hated AJ at the moment because he got something out of her that he hadn't in a while (a smile), it made him crack, made him think things he shouldn't have. Made him regret ever falling in love with her. But then, suddenly as she and AJ sang their song together, it telling a story of what could have been between them if he had let it go further than his mind would let him, he fell for her again.

And then she snapped. She broke like he knew she would, but it still came unexpectantly. She went on and on about things he knew were rattling around in her brain for a long while, some things he never thought she would say, some he did.

And then she told him he was dead to her.

Regardless of him already being blown away by her completely going postal, that was what hit him hard in the stomach, knocking every last bit of breath out of him, he struggling to breathe as he watched, speechless (and breathless) as AJ carted her away. She was kicking and screaming the entire time, AJ's voice bellowing in the low tenor her brother's name, her higher soprano screaming to be put down.

And all he could do was gawk at the space that she had once occupied.

Memories flashed back at him then, of the last time the two of them shared a stage as a couple when he brought her out to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her, family picnics in Kentucky with the Littrell's, family reunions in Maryland with his own family. Shortly after she had become sick, though it wasn't meant out of spite, his sister said, 'guess you might wanna get that engagement ring before she gets too sick, right?'

He knew his sister was clueless as to what exactly was wrong with Audrina, but they all knew that the sickness, dealing with the heart especially, could be fatal. That was the nail in the coffin for her. He became way too fidgety, mind going miles a minute. He began questioning everything, playing the blame game. He even blamed her for pressuring him into taking the relationship as far as it had already gone, though, as he knew, it took two to get that far and he was partly to blame.

And then he left.

And now, here he was, nearly 32 and still fighting bachelordom like it was some sort of disease. But it was useless to fight it, since he fought every feeling he had for Audrina every step of the way. So what if he loved her? He didn't deserve her and he knew that. She could get better. Though, better being AJ just drove a knife into his heart. AJ was one who wanted to marry. What if she married him? He'd have to live his life seeing her face grace magazines with he and their children. He'd get cards. Hell, he was AJ's friend, too - that entitled him to Holiday cards. Holiday cards that would consist of photos of their smiling faces, their happy faces with the children she's always wanted, the children he spoke of. The boys she wanted, the little girl he wanted to spoil.

He could give her those little boys. Hell, he'd give her the little girl she said she didn't want, though he knew she did.

He let out a cry of frustration, unable to even understand himself. How the hell had he gotten himself into such a predicament? He loved her. He'd die for her. Now, there was someone moving in on his territory and there was nothing he could do about it because he couldn't even gather the balls to face her. There was someone else who loved her, who would die for her, and he had no doubt that AJ would.

He was so glad the tour ended in two and a half weeks. The distance would be so good to him, be such a welcoming thing. He'd be able to walk without hearing how she was since she was across the world, be able to be photographed without her around with some sort of tabloid rumor involving the two of them yet again. He'd be able to live without the constant reminder of her ticking in his brain. He didn't have to worry about her anymore.

She made that very clear.



"All right, this is where we depart," Brian said, giving his sister a weak smile and dropping his bags down, tucking his ticket into the back pocket of his jeans. "Get over here and give me a hug or I'm not talking to you our entire tour."

She smiled weakly, tears warming up her eyes as she stepped into his opened arms, letting him hug her tightly, she returning it just as tight. "Be good," she mumbled against his shoulder as he laughed, "I'm serious. Don't tease your fans too much like you like to do."

"I should say the same thing for you," he said, placing a kiss to her temple as he pulled away, "behave. Cut JC some slack, all right? He's hurting, too. Just, don't get all soft and welcome a friendship with open arms like you would do."

"I'll try," she said softly, watching as he reached back for his ticket, picking up his bags. "I still need to go get these bags to claim. I'll call you later on tonight when we land, okay?"

She nodded. "Be safe, Brian."

"I will. I'll see you in Osaka. I love you, be careful."

She smiled, swiping at tears as she nodded once more. "I love you, too." Her gaze turned to the man standing beside her, fidgeting in his stance. "What, you think you're just gonna stand there and say nothing and just leave?" She crossed her arms, looking at him teasingly. "Do I not get a hug?"

"Obviously, you do," he said softly, letting his bags drop as he walked over, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging her with every ounce of strength he had, she laughing aganst him. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call me - even if it's 4 in the morning and I'm just dragging my ass into bed. I'll be there as best as I can being so far away, but I will drop everything I have if you need me to. I will drop everything to be there by your side if it gets tough on you. Don't doubt that."

She nodded, burying her face into his shirt and inhaling deeply, his arms running gently up and down her back sweetly. "I know. And thank you. For that, and everything you said the other night. I don't think you understand how much that meant to me. How much you mean to me."

He pulled away, cupping her face and running his thumbs across her tears, ridding of them on her skin. "Probably as much as you mean to me, babygirl," he said softly, eyes studying hers. "Just remember: when you feel as if no one understands you, no one is there for you, I am. When it feels like no one cares, that no one loves you, I do."

She nodded, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead. "Call me as soon as you can, okay? Tell me about the crazy stewardesses and the mishaps with peanuts."

He laughed. "Yeah, because everyone in my aisle will probably be wearing them when I'm done opening up the wrapper." He caught her gaze as he picked up his suitcases, winking as he slowly stepped away, straining his neck to catch a glimpse of her brother who was little ways down. "Behave, D. I don't want to come back and have to cart your ass away from JC's face or something after clawing his eyes out."

She nodded. "Okay."

"And I meant what I said before, D. Whenever you feel alone, know that someone does love you." He turned, walking slowly away as he handed his bags to a bag check man, turning and giving her one last wink before focusing solely on the people asking him questions.

Her heart pounded. Pounded so heard that she felt it in her ears, in her chest. "To be happy," she murmured, song lyrics immediately popped into her head, "you are all I need to make me happy ..."

She bit her lip. The first step in moving on was realizing it was time to. The second, was finding someone to move on with. The third was to catch him before he got too far away. "J," she called, voice barely croaking out, he stepping through the metal detectors and calling out to Brian with a grin as she walked quickly towards them. "AJ!"

She knew he was ignoring the name. He thought it was some frantic, paranoid fan. He continued walking to where he was almost out of her sight without standing on her tiptopes. She had to get to him, she had to get his attention. "Alexander!"

The black baseball cap that adorned his head that she clung to when he walked away stopped, slowly turning. "Audrina?" He put his bags down, not even worrying about them as he pushed his way through the crowd, going around the metal detectors as his body came into complete line of sight to her. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?"

"Alex," she said softly, eyes searching his, feeling the familiar lump in her throat grow as she got more nervous, he stepping closer to her with every breath she took. "I want to try."

He stopped, mid-step. "What?"

"I want to try this. With you."

"D, where is this coming from?"

She bit her lip, shrugging slightly. "I'm not sure, but I think from here," she said, putting her hand to her heart. "It's just really weary of getting hurt again ..."

He frowned a bit, shaking his head. "You know that'd be the last thing I'd want to do to you and your heart. I just, I didn't know you -"

She stepped into his body, holding onto his shirt with a hand as she stared at the fabric, trying to form words, fingers scraping against the hard skin beneath the skirt. "Well, now you do," she said softly, his hands hesitantly going to her arms and holding them, unsure of what else to do as she dragged her gaze up his chest and to his eyes. The intense gaze he gave her was one of confusion, one of adoration. How she had never caught that gaze was beyond her, perhaps because she was too stupid of a teenaged girl to see it, too stubborn. But she saw it now. She saw it.

She took a slow breath in, standing slightly on her tiptoes to reach his frame, pressing her mouth to his. For a moment, he stood, frozen, unsure of what to make of her actions. But slowly, he responded, one hand pressing in at the small of her back, the other cupping just beneath her chin. His lips were warm and moist from he licking his lips prior, molding to her dry, nervous ones. It sent a jolt down her spine as she pressed into him, holding his shirt firmly.

"Bone!"

He jumped against her lips as Brian's voice called for him to leave, he pulling away from her slowly, eyes still closed as he put his hand to his mouth. "Okay, so that was different," he chuckled, eyes fluttering open as he met Audrina's gaze. "A good different, but shocking, nonetheless." He ran a hand up and down her arm, still somewhat confused. "Let's just ... take this one step at a time, all right? I don't want you to dive into something when you're still nursing open wounds."

She nodded slowly, licking her lips and tasting the peppermint of the lifesaver he had been eating earlier on her lips, bringing a slight smile to her face. "One step at a time."

He nodded. "The first step," he murmured, ignoring Brian's calls for him to come on, eyelids dropping as he placed another kiss to her lips, it light, though lasting, he pulling away, "is being able to get through a tour without seeing you as often as I would like."

She chuckled, feeling the red crawl onto her lips. "We'll ... figure something out."

He nodded, placing a sweet kiss to her cheek. "Until then, I'll see you in Osaka."

She held her hand up, fingers slowly dropping in a wave as he hurriedly picked up his bags, Brian laughing from his spot just beyond the metal detectors, AJ having to get searched once more. Taking a deep breath, she turned on her heel, walking slowly out of the airport, sunglasses that were on top of her head now back on her face, hat over her head.

Once she got into the waiting car, she felt her heart start to beat hard again. She just kissed AJ. She now was involved with AJ McLean.

Oh, this was going to fare over well with the media.