He decided this was his favorite taste of all time. He'd tasted many things. He had many favorite foods, especially corn dogs, but this beat all of that by a mile.

"Ow."

Aw, the taste went away. Well, he'd just have to get it back, wouldn't he? Ah, there it was.

"Carlos!"

"Alexa!"

"Carlos!" she repeated rubbing her head.

"Sorry," he replied bashfully. He patted his helmet knowing he had bonked his girlfriend in the head with it while making out. Real romantic. He hoped no one made a rule that he couldn't wear his helmet while making out. The helmet already wasn't allowed at the dinner table, interviews, and photo shoots. If he didn't know better he'd think everyone was trying to get rid of the helmet. But, no. This helmet had saved his life on many occasions.

Wait, why was he thinking about his precious helmet when he should be thinking about the wonderful taste of his girlfriend's lips? There, that's better.

"Carlos!" Alexa sat up. "You did it again!" She slowly rubbed the helmet. "You know, when you wear that I can't run my fingers through your hair."

"It's pretty short so there's not much to run your fingers through." He sat up into a better reclining position against the pillows on his bed.

"Your helmet is not sexy!" She exclaimed.

"What?!" A pained expression spread across his face. "Is too!"

"Well, all right, I do have to admit you look cute wearing it."

"Told you." He stuck his tongue out.

"I'm going to see what the rest of the boys are up to." She kissed him on the cheek.

Carlos pouted. He wanted to taste her again. He was enjoying it so much and now she took it away!

"Ow!"

"Not my f—" He looked up to see Alexa had stubbed her toe on the nightstand and was now hopping around on one foot. "Oh-oh."

Carlos hopped off the bed, stepped over to his girlfriend, bent down on his knees, and allowed her to hop on his back. He then ran down the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen with Alexa on his back, depositing her on a counter stool next to James, both of them giggling the whole while.

Alexa had popped in this morning with none of the other boys knowing so they, well, James and Kendall being the only boys in the kitchen with Logan at class due to it being Thursday, were surprised to see her. But, then, they were used to her popping in, so they weren't completely surprised.

"Lucy's coming tomorrow!" James said typing something on his phone. "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy."

"Hey, maybe we can double date this weekend," Alexa suggested. "I should be sticking around until Sunday or Monday." She smiled at Carlos.

Carlos smiled back, but he didn't fail to see the face Kendall made. He knew Kendall missed Jo, but Jo was a busy working actress. Not that Alexa wasn't. She was busy, just that…she was able to visit more often.

"What're you thinking about? You've got that scrunched up look on your face," Alexa asked.

"Oh, sorry." Carlos unscrunched his face and returned to the smile.

"I'm gonna go work out. Wanna join me, Carlitos?" James hopped up wrapping a purple bandana around his forehead. Kendall tossed him a bottled water.

Down in the basement next to the entertainment room was a gym with a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical, free weights, bench press, and other weight machines Carlos didn't know the name of. When the boys discovered the room James squealed like a teenage girl. The past few years he had gotten the other boys into working out themselves, but they still weren't as excited about it as James.

"No," Carlos shared a look with Alexa. He did sort of want to join James, but he knew Alexa didn't. "We're going to play the Wii."

"No we're not," Alexa immediately responded.

"OK, I've got to go make myself beautiful," he wiggled his fingers, "for Lucy tomorrow." He then flexed his biceps. "You like that don't you?" He asked Alexa, waggling his eyebrows.

"No, she doesn't." Carlos popped James in the bicep. "Stop flirting with my girlfriend."

"You're just afraid she'll want to get with this instead of that!" James called as he headed down the stairs.

"I'm making a sandwich for lunch. Would you like anything?" Kendall offered the two as he pulled sandwich meat and fixings from the fridge.

"Corn dog," Carlos exclaimed without thinking.

"You ate the last one last night."

"Darn it!" His eyes suddenly brightened as he turned to his girlfriend. "Hey, you wanna skateboard," he added quietly, "or continue making out?"

"OK."

"Skateboarding or making out?"

"Skateboarding, but I don't have a helmet."

"You can wear mine."

"What are you going to wear?"

"My helmet." He gave her a "duh" look while patting said helmet.

"We both can't wear the helmet, Carlos."

"Oh, yeah." He thought for a second. "We'll go buy you one, come on."

"And we can pick you up some corn dogs as well."

"That's why she's my girlfriend!" Carlos said to Kendall as Alexa dragged him out of the room.

After the two put on their shoes, black Vans for Carlos and brown sandals for Alexa which Carlos said weren't good for skateboarding but Alexa told him they were fine for shopping, Carlos popped his head back into the kitchen.

"Wanna join us?" He asked Kendall who had sat down at the counter and begun eating his sandwich.

"That's okay. You two go on and have fun."

Two hours later the happy couple returned with a light blue helmet for Alexa, a box of frozen corn dogs for Carlos, and one fresh corn dog each from a street vendor for both of them.

While Carlos was out having fun with Alexa Kendall was alone. He wasn't into working out like James was. He did enough of it to keep in shape, but he wasn't about being buff or having six pack abs. Jo had told him on more than one occasion that she liked his body the way it was and that was fine with him. So, that left him alone.

He retreated to his bedroom, which was in the middle of the hall upstairs, pulled his guitar out, sat on his bed, and began strumming. He played two scales before just randomly strumming whatever popped into his head.

"Josephine, I miss you, Josephine. Where are you and what are you doing?" He sang. "You are my Josephine, my little Josephine…" he let the line trail off not knowing where to go. He took a notebook and pencil out of his guitar bag and scribbled the words down. "Well, that was pathetic! What would Jo think?"

"Jo, Jo, I miss you," he started singing in different keys until he switched over to a very slow acoustic rendition of the chorus to their song "Boyfriend."

He flipped some page in his notebook to get to a song he'd been working on privately. He felt it was more mature than anything BTR had done in the past, but with the boys getting older and their fourth album coming up, maybe it was time.

"I can't get you out of my mind," he mumbled. Was he talking about Jo or the song? He didn't know. He couldn't get either out of his mind. He missed Jo completely. He had been away from her for three months and then only got to see her twice before being sent here for five months!

As for the song, he wanted to take that step. No, not a solo act. Not that step. Any kind of breaking out he planned on doing would involve hockey. But, as long as he was part of Big Time Rush he wanted to do something, be something. He wanted to be more than just a teeny bopper boy band singing manufactured pop songs. Not that there was anything wrong with that! It did get him to where he was. He did love his fans. They were cool, he had to admit, even screaming teenage girls. Never thought he'd have that! Without them none of this would even be possible. He didn't want to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing to make them think he wasn't grateful. No, no, no, no, no. But, he wanted to go one further. Not like writing a sexual song! Not that kind of mature. Just, more…ugh! Why couldn't he figure out what he was trying to say or rather think?

Fortunately, he didn't have to dwell on it longer because his phone rang.

"Hey, Baby Sis."

"Hey, Big Brother. Guess what? Mom just booked us tickets to Aspen for next week," she finished without giving him time to guess.

"That's great. I've missed you guys and I'm sure the others have missed having someone mother them."

"Because that's all mom's good for."

"You know what I mean!"

"I do. What's up with you four?"

Kendall put his guitar down, scooted toward the head of his bed, and leaned against the headboard. He liked talking to Katie. He explained what everyone was up to—Logan with his classes, Carlos and Alexa, James getting ready for Lucy's visit, and—

"You're sitting there pining for Jo," Katie concluded.

"I'm not pining for Jo!"

"I know you, Big Brother. It's okay. She's pining for you."

"She is? I mean, oh." He actually wished he could be having this conversation with Jo and not Katie, but Jo was so busy it was hard getting her on the phone for more than a few minutes at a time.

"She leaves for filming the same time we start school so we usually bump into each other in the morning."

Kendall heard someone thundering up the stairs and then Alexa burst into his room holding onto Carlos's arm.

"Katie, I need to go. Carlos had an accident," Kendall explained.

"Yeah, I've got things I need to do, too." Carlos had plenty of accidents so Kendall was not surprised Katie was unfazed by the news.

"You're not still text-stalking Austin?"

"It's none of your business."

"As your big brother it is my business." Even though he couldn't see it he knew Katie rolled her eye at him.

"Love you, Big Brother."

"Love you, too, Baby Sis." Kendall hung up his cell and turned to Alexa and Carlos.

Carlos held a bloody paper towel against his chin.

"Dr. Logan's not here, unfortunately, but there's a first aid kit in his bathroom." Kendall got up to help them with it.

I hate coughing. That has nothing to do with the story, but I have been coughing up a storm for two weeks and cough drops and medicine don't work. Obviously, it doesn't take away from my inspiration to write. Maybe it adds to it. When I get over this cough I'll no longer have the inspiration to write (which not many people will complain since only 4 have this on alert and 3 have it on favorites ;) Nah, each and everyone one of you is important even if it's only one).

I hope I didn't insult anyone with the "teeny bopper boy band singing manufactured pop songs" line. I know in real life they've written a handful of their songs, but on the show they've only written one to my knowledge and that was a bonus track. I don't think Kendall thinks of his band as a "teeny bopper boy band." That's why he back tracks his thoughts when trying to rationalize it with himself.