Rhonda's View

When I woke up in the morning the guys were in the kitchen. I guess we slept in – probably because we were all hung over from playing "I Never". Howie was cleaning up the mess from last night's dinner and talking on his cell phone. Nick and AJ were still enthralled in the fan fiction stories on the internet.

"Morning honey," I said as I snuck up and put my arms around him.
He jumped, "Um yeah, if I have to come out there I will. I'll get on the next flight," He ended the conversation pretty quickly.
"What was that about?" I asked.
Howie turned around to finish up the dishes. "I have to go out to California today. I forgot that I was suppose to do an appearance for the foundation." Howie wouldn't look at me. I knew something was going on. "I better call the airlines to see if I can get a flight," he said as we walked out of the kitchen. AJ quickly followed him.
Missy came into the kitchen, "Coffee – give me coffee." Nick jumped up and handed her a cup. After finishing her cup in one sip, Missy realized that there was some tension in the room. "What's going on here?"
"I don't know – why don't we ask Nick?" I said.
Nick looked up from his bowl of left over lasagna, "I don't know anything – and if I did, I couldn't tell you anyway."
Howie came down the stairs with his backpack. "If I leave now I can just make a flight out to California." Howie could tell I wasn't very happy about this. "Don't worry honey, I'll be back tonight. I promise." He gave me a quick kiss and left.

I grabbed my cup of coffee and sat down next to Nick. "Nick – what's going on?"
"I think I need a little salt and pepper for this lasagna," he said as he tried to get up from the table.
"Nick – tell me what's going on!"
"What makes you think something is going on?"
"It's not like Howie to forget about making an appearance, especially for the foundation. Besides he couldn't look at me when saying that so I knew he was making it up. Why did he leave?"
"Look if you and Howie are having communication problems, that's between you guys."
Missy was now on her third cup of coffee and realized what was going on. "Nickolas Gene Carter! You tell us what is going on right now!"
Nick sat back in his chair and knew he was in a tough situation. "I promised Howie wouldn't say anything. I just happened to be here when he got the phone call."
I was beginning to get very pissed off. I didn't know whether I was madder at Nick for not telling me what was going on, or Howie for doing whatever he was doing. "I can't fuckin' believe him! How could he..."
Nick suddenly realized where my mind was wandering off to, "Oh no!! Nothing like that!! Howie would never do that to you – he, he loves you very much."
Missy sat on Nick's leg, "then what is Howie doing?" She began to play with his hair and tickle his neck.
"Agh!! Don't do that!! You know I hate being tickled!!" he yelled.
Missy and I looked at each other and knew that we could get Nick to talk. I climbed onto Nick's other leg. "Ready Rhon?"
"Ready Miss." We began to tickle Nick to death until he started to talk.
"Okay, okay. Howie really went out to California. That's the truth. But it wasn't for an appearance. He had to pick something up."
"He's picking something up?" I asked. Nick was relieved cause we stopped tickling him for a minute as we thought about what it could be. "What's he picking up?"
"I won't tell you," he said as he stood up and knocked Missy and I off his lap. Nick began to run into the living room. We tackled him onto the couch.
"What's he getting Nick?" Missy asked as she sat on his stomach and tickled his sides. I sat on his legs to prevent him from kicking her off.
"I refuse to tell you!!" he shouted back.
"Alright then the feet get it!" I yelled.
"NO!!!!!!"
Nick held out for about 5 minutes. I was actually impressed that he held out for that long.
"Okay – okay I'll tell you. But get off of me first." Missy and I stopped tickling him but didn't get off of him. "Geez, you guys should work for the government trying to get spies to talk!"
"Start talking Nick or else we'll start again," Missy said.
"Okay, okay. A few weeks ago when we were in LA shooting our video...oh god Howie's going to kill me if I tell you this…"
"I'm going to kill you if you don't tell me," I sneered at him.
I guess Nick is more afraid of me than Howie cause he immediately answered, "a ring – he ordered you a ring and it came in so he went out there to pick it up. Are you happy now?" Nick seemed very upset with himself.
"Why would Howie order me a ring?" I asked not yet getting the fact that it was a ring.
"OH MY GOD!!" Missy screamed. "Howie bought Rhonda an engagement ring!?!?!" She jumped up and down and hugged me. Nick moaned in pain cause we were still sitting on him. "Opps! Sorry babe," she said to him. I just sat there in shock. "When is he going to ask her?" Missy said.
"That wasn't part of the deal," Nick answered. "I said I'd tell you what he was getting, not when he was asking. He wants it to be a surprise. If he finds out that you know, he's going to wait even longer to do it."
Missy and I looked at each other and knew there was more info to get out of Nick. By the time we were done with him, we found out where Howie bought the ring, what it looked like and that Howie was planning to ask me sometime after Halloween but before Christmas. But I had to promise to act surprised.
"Come on you guys – I have to go to the bathroom," Nick whined. Missy and I decided we got enough information and let him up.
"Well I guess Howie's leaning more towards the 'no less than two' rather than the 'no more than five', huh?" Missy said as she winked at me.
"Yeah I guess so," I answered as my mind began to wander.
"Are you okay Rhon? You should be excited!!"
"I am – I really am but how am I going to last until he asks me? And now I feel bad for being mad at him for leaving this morning. I need to do something special tonight."
"Well," Missy said, "I'll just have to take my Nicky out tonight then so you guys could be alone."

Howie returned home around 9:00 that night. I ran around all day getting stuff for dinner, candles, flowers, and bubbles– all the romantic stuff. Missy was able to get Nick out of the house without a problem; Amber and AJ on the other hand needed some taking into. Amber was still a little upset about what happened in the woods and AJ was a little upset about some of the things he found out during our "games" last night. I finally convinced AJ that he had to have some "make up" time with Amber – but told him not to forget anything this time. Thank god I reminded him cause he ran back upstairs. When he came downstairs he said, "Thanks! I don't want to go through that again!"

Howie walked in the door and looked around, "Hello? Anyone home?" I came down the stairs in my new red dress and Howie's mouth dropped to the floor. He turned around and looked at the door and looked back at me. "Am I in the right place?"
"I would have preferred something along the lines of 'wow you look beautiful', but I guess 'am I in the right place will do," I said sarcastically.
"Sorry honey. You do look beautiful – it just when I left this morning you weren't exactly happen with me."
"I know I wasn't and that's why I planned a special evening. I feel bad for being so upset." Howie pulled me into his arms and his kiss had never tasted sweeter.

Amber's View

"So let me get this straight, Rhonda finds out Howie bought a ring and all of a sudden we all get kicked out of the cabin?" I asked Missy as we waited for the guys to come back from the movie concession stand.
"Yeah I guess she wants to make sure she gets it," Missy said laughing.
"What's so funny?" AJ asked trying to move past Missy's legs over to his seat.
"Nothing just your regular old girl talk," I said knowing that if AJ ever found out the whole secret would be blown and Rhon would never get her ring.
"So what are you two planning to do on your night in town?" Nick asked sitting down in the seat next to Missy.
"Honey, it's Amber and AJ – we don't want to know."
"Why do you people think all me and AJ do is have sex?" I asked. All three of them gave turned to stare at me as if I was crazy. "Never mind," I said.
"Actually I saw this pretty nice looking bed and breakfast just on the edge of town. I thought we might try it out seeing as we've been ordered out of the cabins till tomorrow."
"What are you two doing?" I asked.
"We don't know yet, but we'll think of something." Missy said reaching over to hold Nick's hand.

"Room 8 this is us," AJ said opening the door to our room.
I walked in and looked around. "Well it's definitely… different," I said as I took in the lace doilies that covered everything.
"Yeah…it's uh…" AJ tried finding the right word. "Interesting."
"Hey it's only for one night we can make do." I said dropping my bag onto the bed.
"I think we can make do," AJ said falling onto the bed and pulling me with him. He kissed me softly as I lay on top of him. "Say it again."
"Say what again?" I asked confused.
"That you love me."
"I love you."
"That you didn't love those five guys in college."
"Why did you bring that up?" I asked pulling back. "I thought we went over this cheating thing last night. Is this about Amanda?" I could see a flash of pain in his eyes.
"It's nothing. I don't know why I brought it up." He tried to get off the bed.
"AJ tell me! Come on…"
"She cheated on me – okay?!" he said rather upset now.
"I kinda figured that part out."
"Well did you figure out it was with your friends ex-fiancée JC?!" AJ pushed me off him and sat up.
"JC?! That would explain what happened between him and Missy."
"Yeah well whatever I could do to help Missy and Nick get together," he said sarcastically.
I crawled over to where he was sitting and took his face in my hands. "Look at me. I am not her just like you are not any of the guys in my past. I think we both need to realize that. I love you and only you!"
"I love you too!"
"So do you think we can make the best of this situation?" I asked.
"I know we can," he said pulling me back onto his lap.

Rhonda View

"You're packing already?" I mumbled to Howie. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was 7:00 in the morning.
"Yes! I want to make sure that we don't leave anything behind."
"But its freakin' 7:00! I don't think roosters are up yet!"
"I try not to be like AJ and leave my stuff behind. If I have to get up earlier to make sure I get everything, then I get up earlier."
"Well do you have to make so much noise?" I mumbled pulling the blankets over my head.
"Gee, someone really isn't a morning person huh?" Howie laughed. I sat up in bed and shot him the look of death. "Sorry babe. I know that you don't like to be reminded of that." Howie came over and tucked me into bed. "I'll go pack up stuff downstairs." I heard him laughing all the way down the stairs as I began to fall back asleep.

Amber's View

"I can't believe we have to leave already," I whined as I carried one of my bags out to the car.
"We've been in this cabin for 5 days, aren't you ready to get back to Florida?" Rhonda asked taking my bag and shoving it into one of the trucks.
"You've been here five days, the rest of us only got four."
"Aww poor baby," she said giving me a fake sad face.
"Rhonda have you seen my green bag?" Howie yelled out the door.
Rhonda sighed and began taking the bags out of the already crowded trunk in search of the green bag. "You could help you know!" she said struggling with an oversized bag that was stuck.
"I could," I answered as I turned and walked back towards the cabin. "Now we're even for that last day!" I yelled over my shoulder. I ignored the name she called me.