Kyri Jackson took a long drag off her cigarette.  This touring crap was getting a little out of hand, and if she was totally honest, she’d admit that it stressed her out.  She slumped down against the building, her knees pulled to her chest.

“Mind if I bum a smoke?” a male voice asked beside her.

 Shit.  “I don’t smoke.” she automatically responded.

“Is that right?” he asked, with a chuckle.

She crushed out the cigarette and looked up.

“Yeah that’s…” she stopped.  She was staring into a pair of eyes that were bluer than the bluest sky she’d ever seen.  It sounded horrible and clichéd, but she’d never seen anything quite that blue.

“It sure looked like you were smoking,” he raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.  Oh lord.  She remembered her teeny bopper years.  That face that the smirk was attached to had been the star of many of her fantasies.  And here she was acting like an idiot just as she would have 8 years before.  Good one Kix.

“Sorry, I thought you might be someone else,” her face heated to a deep crimson.

He laughed again.  “Even if I was, it was pretty obvious that you were smoking.”

“Yeah well…” she slid her feet down so her legs were straight out in front of her.

“So can I have one or not?”

“Should a Backstreet Boy be smoking?” she chided.

“Well, that answers the probing ‘does she know who I am’ question, I suppose.” He replied.

“Yeah I know who you are, Brian.” she grinned.

“I’m--”

She held up her hand.  “I know, Nick.  I had to.  Your ego precedes you.”

Nick blushed. He had a cute smile.

She dug a smoke out of the box for him and handed it up.

“Thanks.  Light?” he asked.

She passed her lighter up.

“For someone who doesn’t smoke, you seem really well prepared,” he teased her.

“Stress.  I don’t usually smoke.”

“Okay.  So, what’s your name?  Or can I just call you Joe Camel?”

“Enough with the cigarette jokes, Nick.  I’m Kyri Jackson.”

“Nick Carter,” he replied.

“I think we established that.”

“So what are you doing sitting out here?  Besides not smoking?  Sorry!  Sorry!” he tagged at the glare she delivered.

“I’m on tour.  I needed a break.  The band is doing sound check and I told Jess I was going to the bus to take a nap.”

“Jess?  Like Jessica Larsen that’s opening for us tonight?”

“The one and only.  You’re pretty observant, kid.”

“I don’t get why her manager got her a gig opening for the BSB.  She sings country music for Chrissakes.”

“Well, I’m actually a close personal friend of her manager.  She told me she did it because she wanted Jess to have the exposure she could get for opening for BSB.  Plus this is Jessica’s hometown,” Kyri replied.

“Oh. Sure.  Who’s her manager?” Nick asked.

Kyri stuck out her hand.  “Kyri Jackson.  Pleased to meet you.”