CHAPTER 12
"What's all this Justin?" Zoe asked as they entered the presidential suite of the hotel. The other guys had gone to bed. The room had been decorated with softly lit candles and a fire blazing in the fire place. On the mantle some incense burned, giving the room a vanilla aroma.
"Oh, nothing. Just a little "I missed you and I'm glad you're with me again" party."
"Ahh," Zoe replied with a small smile. Justin led her over to the fireplace where a couch was positioned comfortably close to the blaze. Justin sat down and Zoe lay across the rest of the couch with her head resting in Justin's lap. He ran his fingers lazily through her hair as they silently watched the fire.
"I could spend forever like this," Zoe sighed contentedly.
"Maybe you will," Justin whispered quietly. He started to stand and Zoe lifted her head. He got off the couch and sat on the floor in front of her. Laying her head back down, she met him at eye level.
"Zoe, I have something to ask you. I want to get all this out of me so I'm doing this now. At this moment, it happens to be Valentine's Day. I don't know how else to tell you this but to simply say, I need you. I want to be old and gray and hold you in my arms every night. When I look in your eyes, I see the children that we may have some day. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want to give you everything you've ever wanted or could ever possibly have. Would you let me do that?" He pulled out a tiny box from his pocket. "Would you be mine eternally? Will you marry me?" he asked finally, a lone tear trickling down his cheek. Zoe reached up and brushed it away. Sliding off the couch, she sat next to him and sighed.
"Absolutely," she said through her tears. "Yes."
Justin placed the ring on the third finger of her left hand. She let out a little gasp as she absorbed it's beauty. She looked back up at Justin, then pulled him close. She kissed him tenderly as their tears of joy mixed together in front of the fire.
******
The next morning, Zoe awoke in Justin's arms. The fire had died and she realized that they had fallen asleep in their clothes and hadn't gone back to their rooms. They had slept on the floor in front of the couch, covered in an afgan. The sun was rising through the unshuttered window and bathed the room in a reddish glow. She looked down at the ring on her finger. I can't believe this is really happening. I'm marrying the man of my dreams and I've never been happier. Maybe my feelings happen to me after all. I've got to tell Ayla. She stood up slowly and covered Justin back up with the blanket. She made it halfway around the couch.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice mumbled sleepily. She looked down and smiled at her fiancée.
"I'm going to find Ayla and tell her the good news. If I don't tell someone soon I think I'm going to burst."
"Well, by all means, go, tell someone. I'd like to marry a whole human being if you don't mind. Just hurry back."
"O.k.," she smiled again as she made her way out the door. Quickly, she sprinted down the hall towards her room. She heard a door open behind her and spun around. Ayla saw Zoe as she began running down the hallway.
"I'm getting married!!!!" they screamed in unison. Both girls stopped abruptly and stared at each other. In the next instant they were cracking up laughing, hugging and talking a mile a minute.
"Did he ask you? When? What did he say? Did it make you cry? Let me see your ring? I don't believe this is happening."
The girls giggled some more, finally sitting in the middle of the hallway to have a just-engaged powow.
"A guy tries to get some sleep around here and look what happens."
The girls turned to see a grinning J.C. "I take it they asked you?"
"You knew?" Zoe exclaimed.
"So that's why you guys were acting so weird before the show," Ayla said, catching on. "You were afraid you were going to spill the secret."
"Yeah, I suppose that's why," J.C. said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Congratulations you two. Glad you're part of the family."
The girls stood and hugged their friend. They chatted for a minute, then said goodbye as he retreated to his room.
******
"You didn't hurry," Lance complained with a grin as Ayla entered his hotel room.
"Sorry, snuggles. We had a lot to talk about."
"I'm sure you did," he laughed, kissing her. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Not again," Ayla grumbled. "Zoe, I know you've got your clothes and I don't see why you're coming down here considering this isn't your room......" she sighed, opening the door. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think it was you."
"That's o.k.," Ethan, from the night before, replied. "I was wondering if you could tell me where the other guys were. We have an hour before we do the next soundcheck and I needed to ask them a few questions." He grinned at her. Ayla didn't like the look in his eyes. She was starting to understand what Zoe had felt last night.
"Um, I think they're still sleeping so you might want to find Johnny and have him wake them up. It was a long night last night."
"I guess I'll do that then. Thanks," he grinned again as she shut the door. Locking it, Ayla got a chill. She really didn't like that guy and would have to ask Zoe exactly what she had felt last night.
"Was that Ethan?" Lance asked as Ayla walked back to him.
"Yeah. He was looking for you guys. Said there's a soundcheck in an hour."
"Damn," Lance cursed. "I forgot about that. Guess I had more important things on my mind," he said, reaching up and stroking the side of Ayla's face. "I better get up and get ready."
"Good idea," Ayla replied. "I've got to go talk to Zoe some more. There's something I need to ask her."
******
"I really wish you didn't have a show tonight," Zoe said as Justin pulled off the sweater he had slept in. She tossed him a North Carolina shirt.
"Me too. But we do. Besides the tour's over next month and then I'll be back home. Then we can start making the necessary arrangements," he winked as he pulled the shirt over his head. With the shirt only partial around his head and shoulders, Zoe tackled him to the floor. Tickling him, she kissed his abs, then moved up to his smiling face.
"What did you do that for?" he asked through his laughter.
Zoe smiled. "Couldn't control myself," she responded. There was a knock at the door and a feeling of panic washed over her. Justin walked to answer it. He spoke to whoever it was, then came back to the room. He saw Zoe's drained face as she gripped the edge of the bed.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her. "You look terrified."
"Was that that guy from last night? Was that Ethan?" she asked in a whisper, not really needing an answer.
"Yeah, how did you know? Oh wait. You got one of those feelings again. Zoe, I really don't know why you get feelings like that. Ethan's a great guy. One of the coolest people I've met actually."
"I'm sure he is," Zoe replied, forcing a smile. "I just can't explain it."
"Don't worry about it," Justin said, kissing her quickly. "Ethan's a nice guy. Really. But now I've got to run so I'll see you tonight at the show?"
"Of course."
"I love you," he called as he walked out the door.
"I love you too," she whispered back. "But whatever you say about your friend has yet to be proven."
******
At the show that night, Zoe and Ayla hung around in the boys' dressing room while they were doing the meet-and-greet. They talked excitedly about wedding stuff and everything that needed to be planned.
"Have you guys decided on a date yet?" Zoe asked Ayla.
"No, not yet. We had been talking about whether we wanted a spring or fall wedding. Maybe summer or winter," Ayla threw her hands into the air. "I think it's still to early to decide. But knowing you and Justin, you guys probably already have the guest list set, don't you?"
Zoe laughed. "We're not quite that far, but we did decide when. It'll be September 27. I told him that was the day I wanted to get married, ever since I was fifteen. He smiled and said it sounded good so there it is," she sighed with a grin.
"You guys really are too much," Ayla chuckled. "Why don't you just..." she trailed off as there was a knock at the door. Zoe didn't move to answer it, so Ayla walked over and turned the knob.
"May I come in?" Ethan questioned from the other side.
"Is there something you need?" Ayla asked him, a touch of haughtiness in her voice.
"Actually, I left something very important to me in here. I never go onstage without it and I remember that I left it here. Could I please come in to get it?"
Ayla didn't reply, but quietly moved out of the way and walked over to Zoe. Zoe watched Ethan with wary eyes as he entered the room and shut the door. Moving to a pile of discarded clothing, he began rifling through it. Suddenly, he stopped, looked up, and with feline reflexes, grabbed Ayla.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?!!!?" Zoe screamed. She swiftly ran to her friend's aid, but had underestimated Ethan's strength. With one arm controlling a struggling Ayla, he punched Zoe and set her reeling into the back wall, her head colliding with a loud crack. Ayla watched helplessly as her friend crumpled, unconscious, to the ground. Jerking Ayla around, he slammed her into the nearby wall and pushed her up roughly.
"So, you thought you could get snotty with me and get away with it?" Ethan hissed through clenched teeth. "You know, I get really tired of beautiful women telling me off. You think just because you have a famous boyfriend, you're too good for me. Well, now you've got another thing coming," he stated calmly. Yanking Ayla by her hair, he threw her down to the ground and pinned her arms above her head.
Oh God, her mind pleaded. Please, let someone help me. Lance, where are you? Zoe, wake up!!!! her mind screamed as she looked at her friend, laying still on the floor nearby. Ayla could see a small trickle of blood that was seeping from Zoe's skull. Ayla turned her head to the door. Opening her mouth, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. It was silenced by Ethan, who shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth. Ayla gagged as she tried to get it out.
"Oh, no you don't," he whispered menacingly. "You're not going to attract anybody's attention. They're too busy with their ten year olds to bother with you." He ripped Ayla's shirt and she began to cry.
This is not happening! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!!! Ayla turned her head as she saw the knob of the door turn. Someone's here!!
"Hey, Ayla! Open the door!" she heard Lance cry. She didn't realize that Ethan had locked it when he shut the door.
Ayla tried to scream again, but all that came out was a muffled moan. She jerked her leg and kicked over one of the folding chairs that had been placed in the room.
Standing outside the door, Lance heard the chair crash. "What the hell are they doing in there?" he asked as Justin and Chris approached him.
"Can't you get in?" Chris asked.
"No, they locked the door. I think something's wrong," Lance replied, a worried expression on his face. All three men turned as they heard another crash inside the room.
"Now what did you do that for?" Ethan seethed, observing the second chair Ayla kicked over. "That was very stupid, little girl." He tugged his belt through his belt loops and whipped Ayla in the side with it. As the belt scorched her flesh, Ayla cried out again. Ethan looked up as he heard someone banging through the door.
"Again!" Lance cried as he and the other three men, now joined by Joey, attempted to break down the door.
On the third time, it caved in with a crash, and the men stared at the sight before them. Ayla lay with her shirt ripped and her side bleeding as Ethan straddled her. Beyond them, Zoe lay crumpled on the floor, her head now encircled in a small pool of blood. Ethan started to jump up, but Lance's foot crashed into his head before he had the chance. Ayla crawled over to the other side of the room where Zoe lay and threw her arms around her friend. Picking Ethan up slightly off the ground, Lance smashed his head into the wall before them. By this time, the screaming and slamming had attracted the attention of some bodyguards who came in and pulled Ethan out of Lance's lethal grasp.
"Get him out of here!" Justin barked, as he and the other men held Lance back from attacking the man again. Lance lost some steam and turned to Ayla. He ran over to her and picked her up off of Zoe.
"Are you o.k.?" he asked, his voice breaking at the sight of her. She cried as he pulled her to him and stroked her hair. "You'll be o.k. I promise." He helped her walk to an armchair nearby. Justin stepped around them and kneeled next to Zoe. Not sure if he should pick her up, he reached slowly to touch the side of her face.
"Someone call an ambulance," he whispered hoarsely. When he turned and saw everyone staring but no one moving, he screamed. "NOW!!!!!" Chaos ensued soon after. The ambulance came and took the two girls to the hospital. The group followed in rented cars as the red and white truck screamed down the road. The police came and took Ethan away. The concert was cancelled due to a "family emergency" of one of the members of *NSYNC.