At three o'clock in the afternoon sharp, Nick showed up in a truck. I heard the engine and looked out the window. There was someone else with him. My heart started pounding as I wondered if I was doing the right thing, trusting a stranger to help me. There was a knock at my door and I stood in place for a few seconds. They knocked on the door again, this time louder. I walked over and opened the door.

Nick smiled down at me. "I was beginning to think you changed your mind."

"No, I haven't." I blushed a little. And I am not someone who gets easily embarrassed. "Come on in."

Nick and his friend walked in and looked around. I was expecting them to be sort of disappointed. Judging from the Camaro and truck Nick drove, these guys were used to big fancy things, and the motel I was staying at was hardly that. But they smiled at their surroundings.

"Nice and homey," said Nick's friend with a slight southern accent. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "I like it."

"Yeah, it's just like an apartment," Nick agreed.

"It's not much, but it was all I could afford," I said in an apologetic tone.

"No need to feel bad," Nick said, putting a comforting arm around me. "Everyone goes through bad times every now and then."

"So, everything all set and ready to go?" Nick's friend said.

"All ready," I said. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"Oh, man, where are my manners. I'm Brian Littrell, Nick's best friend." He held out his hand.

"Rosary Novales. Nice to meet you." We shook hands.

"Now that everyone knows each other, let's start loading up the truck."

Nick and Brian grabbed everything their hands and arms could carry and walked outside. I picked up some of my bags and brought them out to the truck.

"Nice truck," I commented.

"Thanks," said Nick. "It's not mine."

"Whose is it?"

"My cousin, Kevin let us borrow it," Brian said.

"Oh. I'll have to thank him." I threw my bags over side of the truck.

Nick and Brian looked at me. "Weren't those bags heavy?"

"Not really."

They shrugged. We got the rest of my things and put them in the back of the truck. I returned my room key to the front desk, while the guys waited for me by the truck. When I got there, Brian opened the door for me and I got in. Nick took the wheel, while Brian sat by the door. There was plenty of room for me to move around, but then, me being 5'3", I'm not all that big.

We drove into Tampa, Florida. I waved goodbye to the small town I was in. We listened to the radio all the way to Nick's house. We talked every now and then. But there was one particular moment when Nick and Brian tensed up. It was when I song I liked called, "All I Have To Give" came on the radio.

"You like the Backstreet Boys?" Brian asked me.

"I've heard a few of their songs," I told them. "They have really nice harmonies. I've never seen them perform live or anything. Actually, I don't even know what they look like."

"You don't?" Nick looked at me for a second, then turned his attention back to the road.

"No. I don't watch TV all that much, and I don't listen to English music much. The only time I really watch TV is when I watch movies. I love to watch movies."

Relief seemed to flow from their bodies like a river. "You're gonna love living with Nick then," Brian smiled. "He has a big screen TV. When you watch movies, it's like you're in the movie theater."

I looked at Nick with excitement. "Do you really?"

"Yeah. Our rec.... I mean, some friends gave it to me as a sort of housewarming present, this being my first house and all."

"This is your first house?"

"Yeah. My family moved Los Angeles, California, but I opted, I guess you could say, to stay here."

"How old are you? If this is your first house, you can't be that old."

"I'm nineteen."

I looked at him surprised. He seem to act so much older, not a exactly shown in most guys his age. Brian laughed at my expression.

"He's pretty mature for his age," he said. Then he took a closer look at me. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Now it was my turn to laugh. Brian looked like he'd just seen the London Bridge fall down. He didn't have time to say anything more because we had reached Nick's house. I looked out the window and saw a gorgeous, two-story house. All of us got out and I stood there looking in awe.

"You live here?" I asked Nick.

"Yeah. You like it?" He looked at me expectantly.

"I love it. It's beautiful. Muy bonita."

"Do you always speak Spanish when you see something you like?"

"Sometimes. Mostly, it just comes out without my thinking about it."

"Oh. Well, let's get you moved in."

Together, me, Nick, and Brian hauled all my things inside. Nick showed the way to my room. It was huge. I loved it right away. It was a soft purple color. The bed had white blankets and purple bedsheets to match the walls. Some pillows were white, some were purple. It had it's own bathroom, too. After bring all my stuff into my room, Nick and Brian gave me a tour of the house. His house was beautiful. His bedroom was a down the hall from mine. He had a pool in the backyard, where I saw four little pugs running around, playing. But the highlight for me was seeing the big screen TV. Nick had to drag me away to see the rest of the house.

After the tour, Nick and Brian left me to get settled in. I walked to my window and saw the two of them playing basketball. I watched as Nick moved gracefully around the driveway. As if he could feel me looking at him, Nick looked up and waved. I waved back, then turned away from the window. I put all of my things away, then went downstairs. I looked around at all the pictures Nick had up on the walls. I assumed they were of his family. Then I saw pictures of him with four other guys, one of them being Brian. Finally, I picture that looked like it had been taken at a high school prom, of Nick and and pretty blond girl. There was a little caption at the bottom of the picture: "A night full of love and memories."

Nick and Brian came in and found me looking at the pictures. They asked if I wanted to go out to eat. I told them I was tired and went up to my room to take a nap. I feel asleep on top of the covers still in my clothes. When I woke up, it was dark outside my window. I looked at the clock: 10:30pm. I got up, changed into my night shirt, got under the covers and fell back asleep.