“I’m so glad your home,” JC whispered, kissing my hair. I smiled weakly and looked into his eyes as he pulled back.
“So am I,” I said, softly, brushing my hand against his cheek. The two of us were sitting in his dressing room while the others, along with Chris, were onstage performing. We stayed there for a few moments, only gazing at each other. Then, JC pulled me it to his arms and I laid my head against his chest.
“How are you?” he asked, kissing the top of my head. I shrugged.
“Okay, I guess,” I responded, not really sure.
"And Josh?” I nodded.
“He’s at home with Shayna,” I said, referring to my brother's girlfriend. “He was the one who convinced me to come here in the first place.”
“When’s the funeral?” JC asked, hesitantly.
“Sometime next week,” I said. “Josh is going to call me to I know when to come back up.”
“The rest of us are coming, too,” he said. I sat up.
“You don’t have to-“
“We want to,” he insisted, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “I don’t want you out of my sight.” I gazed at him for a moment, then a smiled formed on my face.
“I knew I was right about you,” I whispered, kissing him softly.
“What about me?” he asked, confused, but smiling.
“What you said to me that night I announced I was leaving,” I said. “When you told me you would always love me and always be there for me. As you walked out of the room, I fell in love with you all over again.” Tears welled up in JC's and he tightened his arms around my waist, kissing me passionately.
"Okay, I really don't need the show, here." The two of us broke apart and turned to face Claire, who was standing in the doorway.
"Who are you?" JC asked. I giggled.
"JC, this is Claire," I explained, motioning towards her. "She's the one I stayed with all last week." JC nodded and waved slightly, putting his head on my shoulder.
"Hello to you, too," Claire said, rolling her eyes. The two of us giggled.
"Where were you?' I asked her. She shrugged.
"I was bored so I started to explore," she said, simply. "And exploring led me here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just be leaving the two of you in peace. You can go back to you little hockey game." I rolled my eyes as she winked and left. Smiling, I turned back to JC.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" I asked. He lifted his head off my shoulder and looked at me confused.
"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked.
"Because I left," I said. JC chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Of course, I'm not mad at you. No one else is, either," he assured me. "What made you think that?"
"I thought that when I got back, everything would have changed," I admitted, sheepishly. "I'm not sure why, but I thought it would have." Kissing my cheek, he shook his head.
"None of my feelings for you have changed," he said. "Have yours?" He looked at me warily, like he didn't even want to know the answer. I nodded. He swallowed hard. "They have?"
"Yeah," I whispered, brushing my hand across his cheek. "They've gotten stronger." A tear streaming down his cheek, he kissed me passionately. When we broke apart, we leaned our forheads together. "I scared ya for a second there, didn't I?" I joked. He smiled.
"Don't ever do that again," he growled, playfully. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"And if I do?" He smiled evilly and I knew what was coming next.
"Then, I'll just have to do this!" Grabbing my waist, he threw me back on the couch and started ticking me mercilessly. I giggled hysterically, trying frantically to make him stop.
She's back for not even an hour after four months of being apart and we're already back where we left off, I thought as Alex snuggled up against me after her laughing fit. Everything seems so perfect . . . I wonder what'll happen next to screw it up.
"Nothing's gonna happen." I looked down at Alex incredulously. She was looking up at me, her eyes compassionate.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" I asked. She smiled softly.
"You looked so upset, like someone was gonna take me away," she said. "I swear, Jay, nothing is gonna happen to us. You know it won't." I sighed and smiled down at her.
"I know," I said. "It's just that the fear is still there."
"And it probably won't ever go away," she said. "I have the same fear, but you have to have faith."
Faith, I thought. Now, there's something I have.