The next morning Kayla woke up to a faint ringing of a phone. She rolled over and blinked her eyes a few times to wake up enough to figure out where the annoying ringing came from. She glanced at the clock and realized it was almost ten. She looked around the hotel room and saw her purse shaking gently from the noise of her cell phone. She rolled out of bed and slowly got up, hoping that the person on the other line would hang up soon. Then she remembered it might be Bryce, or even more importantly, Mr. Collins. She quickened her pace and dug into her purse, eventually dumping the whole thing out on the table frantically.
She finally found the ringing cell phone and flipped it on, “Hello?”
“Hello Miss Kayla, rise and shine,” a voice said on the other line.
Kayla rubbed her eyes and yawned silently before responding, “Hi Mr. Collins and how are you today?”
There was a chuckle on the other line, “I’m just fine and how about yourself? Are you enjoying yourself so far?”
Kayla smiled, “Very much so, thank you so much for sending me on this trip!”
“That’s no problem, but I’m calling on behalf of your return.”
Kayla’s shoulders fell and she sighed, “In a few days right?”
Mr. Collins cleared his throat, “Yes I believe that’s what’s scheduled, then Susan will join up with the tour crew and spend the rest of the tour with them.”
“Susan? The other secretary?”
“Yes, she’s the one,” he replied.
“Lucky girl,” Kayla mumbled to herself.
“Excuse me? I didn't catch that last comment.”
“Oh nothing, just thinking out loud,” Kayla blushed. “So my flight is for Saturday around noon right?”
She could heard Mr. Collins lean back in his chair and shift, “Yes, will you have someone meet you at the airport or would you like me to arrange a ride back?”
Kayla shook her head, “No that’s ok, I have someone meeting me there.”
“Very well then, I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing,” he said clearing his throat. “Since you seem to be ok I’ll let you get back to sleep and look forward to seeing you soon.”
“Thank you once again Mr. Collins and I’ll see you Monday morning, bright and early,” Kayla replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“Bye Kayla.”
“Bye.”
She hung up the phone glumly and trudged back to her bed, crawling back in. She buried herself deep in her covers and sighed. She didn’t want to leave this world she was living in. She didn’t want to go back to all the stress and problems she worried about constantly, but most of all she didn’t want to leave Lance for such a long time. They had just started to establish a close relationship and going back home and not seeing him for almost 2 months made her want to cry. She feared that he would meet someone else, or he would forget those incredible kisses they had shared so far.
She turned over in her bed and closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out all her thoughts and go back to sleep.
Lance rubbed his eyes for the fourth time and yawned for the tenth. He widened his eyes and tried to open them as much as he could, but failed, only to have his eyes close again. His head fell forward slowly and he was just about to fall asleep when someone nudged him.
“Lance....Lance! Wake up man.”
He sat up straight and looked around, a little startled. “Huh? Oh...yeah...”
Justin gave him a questioned look and laughed quietly. “I know the feeling man.”
Lance smiled weakly and sat up straight in his chair, he just wanted to fall over and go to sleep, but work called so there he was, up at 9 and sitting at the breakfast table with the other four guys who had the same look and feeling as him.
“Think of something that always makes you happy, that can wake you up a little more because you get all giddy,” Justin whispered.
Lance immediately thought of Kayla and a smile quickly spread across his face. He thought about the night before and his smile grew even broader.
Justin watched Lance get caught in his own little daydream and couldn’t help but smile himself. He wondered what was going on between Lance and Kayla, but got a pretty good idea when he saw them kiss in the hallway the previous night.
Alyissa had called him in an excited tone and told him to look out the peep hole on his door. He quickly got up with his phone and peered out the small peephole and caught Lance and Kayla holding hands, about to kiss. Alyissa was going on and on about Lance needing to make a move and to hurry the hell up, while Justin watched, laughing quietly at Alyissa’s reaction. When they had stopped kissing and started backing up Alyissa said a quick good-bye and hung up the phone. Justin ran back towards his bed and made a flying leap onto the bed, tossing his phone into his suitcase and pretending he was asleep.
Now he wondered where those two stood with each other, but hoped it would move in a positive direction. Lance was one of his best friends and Kayla was a sweet girl that was good for him. They both just needed to realize that and get together, though he doubted they were going to have trouble establishing that. Especially after that previous night. He just wanted to see then both happy, hopefully together.
“Justin...come on we gotta leave,” Lance said, tapping Justin on the shoulder.
Justin looked up, brought out of his thoughts and nodded his head in response. He stood up and followed the guys out of the dining hall.
“Kayla...your phone’s ringing again,” Alyissa mumbled underneath her pillow, covering her face.
“Hm?”
“Your phone...it’s ringing again.”
“My...? Phone...OH! My phone!” Kayla exclaimed sitting up in bed.
She pushed her covers to the end of the bed and got out of bed. She walked over to her phone that was on the table with her emptied purse and her belongings thrown around.
She fumbled with the controls and finally answered it, “Hello?”
“Hey honey, long time no talk,” a friendly voice said on the other line.
“Hey Bryce,” Kayla said tiredly.
“Did I wake you up?” he asked, noticing her tone of voice.
“Umm...kind of, what time is it?” she asked, looking over at the clock beside her bed. “Oh shit it’s almost 11, well I was gonna get up anyway.”
Bryce chuckled softly, “How’s it going? Do you have time to talk?”
She sighed and sat down at the table, “Yeah, I have a little time.”
She started to shove things back in her purse while listening to Bryce talk.
Alyissa tossed and turned a little longer before finally giving up on going back to sleep and getting up. She made herself get out of bed and pushed her hair out of her face. She walked towards the bathroom, dragging her feet. She closed the door behind her and a few minutes later Kayla heard the shower start to run.
“Ok, now I can talk,” Kayla said, making sure Alyissa couldn’t hear her.
“All right, someone else in the room or something?” Bryce asked.
“Yeah...” Kayla trailed off. “So how’s Casey?”
“Cass is fine...and so am I, thanks for asking.”
“Sorry...and how are you Bryce?” Kayla asked apologetically.
She could hear Bryce smile on the phone, “I’m doing all right. We’re both a little lonely without you, we’re coming to pick you up at the airport on Saturday right?”
Kayla sighed, thinking about leaving the tour life, “Yes,” she finally replied. “On Saturday, my flight leaves at noon from my airport, so I could be there by three at the latest.”
“Well we’ll be there at around two just in case, ok?”
“Sounds good,” Kayla said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“So how are those guys in action?” Bryce asked curiously.
“Action?” Kayla asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“In concert...what did you think I meant?” Bryce asked in slight confusion.
Kayla laughed and scolded herself for thinking otherwise, “Nothing...never mind...ignore me...ok...their great in concert, last night was the first night I got to see them from the front row...it was the first and last time, but it was definitely a memorable experience.”
“That’s great, it sounds like your having a blast,” Bryce said.
“You have no idea,” she replied in a low tone. She directed that more towards herself than to Bryce, but he didn’t catch on to her hidden meaning in her phrase.
“All right, well I have to take Casey out to lunch because I promised her I would, so I’ll let you go because I’m sure you have things to do,” Bryce said.
Kayla smiled, “Tell Cass I love her and miss her a lot.”
“Will do.”
“I miss you too Bryce...and thanks...for everything,” she said softly.
Bryce’s shoulders fell, relaxed and he sighed, “No problem.”
“Don’t spoil Cass TOO much, if you haven’t already,” Kayla joked playfully.
“Well there goes that rule down the drain...I don’t think we can take back the new pony and the room we just redecorated,” Bryce played along.
Kayla laughed lightly, “You better find a way how.”
Bryce all the sudden got serious, “Kayla I have something really important to talk to you about...sometime when you get back.”
Kayla’s smile fell and her expression turned serious, “Is something wrong? Cass hurt? You hurt?”
“No, no, nothing like that...it’s...just...oh don’t worry about it, we’ll talk about it when we can,” he replied.
“Ok...” Kayla said hesitantly. “Call me if you need anything or anything happens.”
“Of course I will.”
“All right then, see you soon, love you, miss you more, bye,” she said quietly.
“Bye,” Bryce replied, hearing the phone click on the other end.
He hung up the phone and continued to stare at it. Casey was still in her room getting changed so it gave Bryce a few minutes to organize his thoughts. Kayla seemed so relaxed and happy on the phone, but she also sounded like she got nervous and uptight when she recognized his voice. At first he wasn’t sure if she even recognized his voice on the phone, she sounded hesitant and a little unsure at first. He debated on telling her about trying to call before and having a guy pick up the phone, but decided it would be pointless because he was pretty sure he had just dialed the wrong number.
Bryce heard Casey walking into the kitchen and put a smile on his face when she entered the room.
‘Did you talk to mommy?’ she signed curiously.
Bryce nodded his head, ‘She’s coming home this Saturday.’
Casey’s face lit up and she clapped her hands excitedly. ‘What else did she say?’
‘She said she loves you very much and misses you even more,’ Bryce signed, standing up.
He walked over to her and scooped her up into his arms, causing her to giggle. He flashed a goofy grin and headed towards the door, with her still in his arms. He grabbed his keys and wallet on the way out, checking his pocket for the small velvet box, making sure it was still there. He couldn’t afford to lose that, he had saved for too long to get that and it was an important part of the issue he needed to discuss with Kayla, a very important part.
“Your turn,” Alyissa said, walking out of the bathroom.
Kayla placed her phone back in her purse and stood up, stretching slowly. She walked over to her suitcase and picked out an outfit for the day, then walked into the bathroom to shower and get ready.
A half hour later, both girls were talking loudly in the dining hall over lunch. They were making plans for the day and talking about the upcoming concert that night.
“What am I gonna do without you after this Saturday?” Alyissa asked worriedly.
“You’ll survive I’m sure,” Kayla replied, trying to hide her sadness.
Alyissa rolled her eyes, “That’s what YOU think.”
Kayla giggled and took another bite of her sandwich. She chewed and swallowed, taking a sip of iced tea to wash down the last bite.
“You’ll have Susan here,” Kayla offered.
“Yeah...but your so much more fun...and Susan’s kind of old,” Alyissa said scrunching up her nose in distaste.
Kayla grinned, “Well then make her young again, go shopping and make her wear revealing clothes to turn on the guys.”
“EW! Don’t put that picture in my head! When I said old, I MEANT old!” Alyissa exclaimed.
Kayla laughed and leaned back in her chair for a brief second. “Well, if you don’t like her, you could always take her to a spa and force her to have the lady that attended you last time.”
A sly grin spread across Alyissa’s face, “Oooohhh...nice plan...but her pores won’t be as cute as mine afterwards.”
Both girls laughed.
“Definitely not...no one has as cute as pores as you!” Kayla agreed.
Alyissa grinned, “Well...you know...we can’t ALL be blessed with cute pores.”
Both girls broke into giggles.
“Well this means we only have a few days to go out and have a good time...no...a GREAT time!” Alyissa said throwing her hands up in the air enthusiastically.
Kayla smiled, “I’ve already had a great time.”
“No no, you’ve had a good time...you definitely haven’t had a GREAT time...those boys can party until all hours of the night...you just have to find a night when they can. They sure as hell surprised me the first night we partied together, then again when are they NEVER full of surprises?” Alyissa went on.
Kayla shrugged her shoulder, “I couldn’t say.”
She watched Alyissa talk with amusement, she was always full of energy, well at least when you pumped some caffeine in her. Kayla knew she was going to miss her when she went back home, her and Alyissa had really bonded during the past week. They spent sleepless nights talking about guys, clothes, make-up, everything girls do at sleep overs. They went shopping together, attended concerts, and of course hung out with the guys any chance they could. Alyissa always knew when she could speak her mind and when to hold her tongue, but at the same time got her point across. Alyissa managed to make Kayla feel comfortable and like she really belonged, including her on jokes and pranks, while also taking away a lot of shyness Kayla possessed.
“Hey! You still with me?” Alyissa asked, waving her hand in front of Kayla’s face.
“Huh? Oh yeah...sorry,” Kayla said snapping out of her thoughts.
Alyissa studied her for a second, “Are you thinking about that cute, blonde, single, Mississippian that we all know and love?”
Kayla blushed, “No...but now that you mention him...I wish I could have seen him before they left.”
Alyissa watched her for another second before pushing her chair out and standing up, “Oh but we can see them NOW.”
Kayla looked up in wonder, “But...we don’t know where they are...and if their working then I don’t want to disturb them or--”
“Distract them?” Alyissa grinned slyly.
“I don’t think I could do all that--”
“But you were thinking about ways you could,” Alyissa cut in, grabbing Kayla’s wrist. “Come on, finding out where they are is no problem, besides we have nothing else to do today, might as well make it fun.”
Kayla followed Alyissa as she was half dragged, half walking on her own, out the door. Alyissa led her out to the street’s and managed to catch a taxi, quickly climbing in with Kayla close behind.
“Where exactly are we going?” Kayla asked, looking out the window nervously.
“To surprise those to cute blonde’s...well one blonde and one half blonde,” Alyissa smiled mischievously.
Kayla nodded her head and knew not to argue. She smiled to herself and her stomach did a small flip, knowing she was going to go see Lance.
“Are we almost done?” Chris complained tiredly.
“Once you perfect this move you can take a lunch break,” Darren replied, watching them through the reflection of the mirror.
“Can’t we just stop now and work a little later? Pllllleeeeeeeaaaaaaaasssssseeeeee,” Chris whined again.
Darren rolled his eyes, “Show me that one move ONE more time and I’ll think about it...this is for your performance, you NEED to get this done.”
Chris sighed and nodded his head, “All right then play the song over again.”
He looked around at the other guys who were almost as tired as him, arms hanging lazily by their sides, waiting for the chance to collapse onto the floor. Darren hit the play button the on cd player and they all stood up straight to go through the dance routine one more time.
“What are we doing here?” Kayla asked curiously, looking at the big warehouse in front of her.
She squinted her eyes and shielded them with her hand, gazing up at the building. She looked around and didn’t recognize anything. Alyissa paid the taxi driver and waved good-bye before walking up, next to Kayla.
She linked her arm into hers and started to lead her into the building entrance. She led her up a flight of stairs and onto another floor, where they could hear a stereo blaring in the silent warehouse, sound echoing off the halls.
They finally reached a door where the music was the loudest and opened the door slowly. Alyissa let go of Kayla’s arm and peeked in cautiously. She opened the door quietly and slipped in, motioning Kayla to follow her. Kayla obediently slipped in after her and stayed with her back along the wall. The two girls crept along the wall to the back of the room and sat in the corner, unnoticed.
The guys were so focused on their dance routine, they didn’t notice anyone sneak in, neither did Darren.
“Step up, kick, arm, arm, back, stomp...right ok...one more time...next move...good, good...all right Chris here’s the part...ready...?...” Darren instructed, voice filling up the room and bouncing off the music’s beats.
Alyissa watched closely while Kayla watched in pure awe. She had seen them perform this dance for the past week, but it was different to see them rehearsing it. It was like a private concert. She watched their faces closely as they had looks of determination and concentration locked in their expressions. She could see the fire in their eyes and the hard work they put into their performance. She envied them for being able to tolerate all this, give up their personal lives, practice all day and all night, eat, sleep, and drink music and still maintain their down to earth personalities. That, in Kayla’s opinion, was true talent.
The music stopped and Darren turned off the cd player, “All right good job guys, lunch time!”
Chris collapsed to the floor and Justin fell right next to him.
“I’m ssssssooooooo tired,” Justin moaned.
JC and Lance sat down beside the two guys sprawled out on the floor and Joey laid down beside everyone else. They were all catching their breaths when they heard clapping in the room. Darren had just left so they all swung around to see where it was coming from. They found Alyissa clapping and Kayla staring.
“When did you get in here?” Joey asked, surprised to see them.
“A few minutes ago,” Alyissa replied casually, standing up.
Kayla stood up with her, still staring intently at all five of them. They walked over to them and sat beside them. Alyissa scooted over to Justin, who was laid out on his stomach, eyes shut. She watched him for a few minutes before tickling him on his sides, up to his neck. Justin giggled and drew his shoulders up. He opened an eye to find Alyissa staring face to face with him.
He grinned and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Hey.”
She didn’t say anything just smiled and started rubbing his back. Kayla sat a few feet away from Lance and smiled shyly, looking around the room.
“How did you guys know where we’d be?” JC asked curiously.
“Unlike guys...girls actually LISTEN when someone talks to them,” Alyissa said.
She grinned as everyone except Kayla, shot her looks. Kayla giggled and Alyissa just ignored all the looks.
“You guys told me your schedule yesterday, I think...and I remembered,” Alyissa shrugged.
Justin started to snore lightly. Alyissa looked down to find him sleeping lightly. “Well what do you know? I put the boy to sleep.”
“He’s not the only one you can put to sleep with your yapping,” Chris mumbled, lying on his back, hands folded over is stomach.
Alyissa shot him a look, “Did I ASK for you opinion?” she challenged.
“No...but I thought I’d state it anyway, keep talking so I can get to sleep,” Chris grinned.
“Your lucky I'm tired and I don’t have enough energy to come over there and whoop your ass...” Alyissa threatened.
“Uh huh I’m sure,” Chris egged on. “Your just too much of a wuss.”
Kayla grabbed Alyissa’s wrist and held her down, “Let it go.”
Alyissa took a deep breath and smiled sweetly, calming herself down. “One of these days...he’s gonna pay for all those smart ass comments he makes...one of these days.”
Chris opened an eye and peeked over at her. He shook his head and closed his eye again, trying to get more comfortable on the hard floor.
“I’m hungry,” Joey complained.
“So am I,” JC agreed. “Let’s go get something to eat so we won’t collapse from malnutrition when Darren comes back.”
“I’m gonna collapse anyway, starvation is just a better excuse then ‘I’m tired’,” Chris said shifting again.
JC got up with a small grunt and Lance got up after him. He held his hand out and Kayla took it, standing up and brushing herself off. Alyissa leaned down and laid beside Justin who was still sleeping peacefully. Chris finally mumbled something about it being impossible to sleep on that hard floor and got up. Joey was the last one to get up.
“You coming with us?” Kayla asked Alyissa.
She shook her head and snuggled closer to Justin. “I don’t want to wake him, I’m just gonna stay with him,” she whispered.
Kayla shrugged her shoulders, “We’ll be back soon.”
Alyissa nodded her head in response and looked back at Justin. She carefully moved his arm and wrapped it around her. When she rested it on her back he subconsciously pulled her in closer. Alyissa smiled and buried her face in his shirt.
Chris and Joey were already out the studio with JC close behind. Kayla smiled at the two laying on the floor, while Lance watched from the doorway. Kayla turned around and headed for the door, smiling softly. Lance waited for her to reach him, before holding out his hand. Kayla was surprised to see his hand waiting for hers, but placed her hand into his and let him lead her out the door.
Justin moaned and shifted, finding he couldn’t move because something was in his arms. He opened his eyes halfway and looked down to find Alyissa sleeping lightly in his arms. He smiled to himself, then realized he was on a hard wood floor. He looked around and finally recognized the warehouse studio. He must have fallen asleep. He hugged Alyissa tightly and kissed her softly on her forehead.
Alyissa stirred and rubbed her eyes. She groaned softly from the discomfort of the floor. Justin smiled and waited for her to wake up completely.
“Wake up sweetheart,” he whispered softly.
“No,” Alyissa mumbled in reply.
Justin chuckled and moved his arm in order for her to wake up. “Come on...you can do it...open those beautiful eyes of yours so I can see them.”
A smile crept across Alyissa’s face, “Well if you put it that way...gladly.”
She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Justin. He was smiling at her and she smiled lazily in return. She stretched slowly and yawned, “What time is it?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he replied, stretching.
Alyissa sat up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked down at her watch and groaned, “We’ve only been asleep for a half hour.”
Justin was still laying on the floor, stretching slowly. “That’s it? It feels like I’ve been asleep for hours...I wish I’d been sleeping for hours...”
“Did Lance catch you last night?” Alyissa asked suddenly.
Justin smiled, “Of course not...it’s ME we’re talking about, I’m slick like that.”
Alyissa rolled her eyes playfully, “Oh please.”
“Did Kayla catch you?”
“I didn’t think so...but then she asked if I thought it was pretty good, she was referring to the kiss, and my automatic response was ‘Oh hellz yeah’, and she caught me,” Alyissa said sighing. “I could have sworn she thought I was asleep.”
“She probably did, but decided to test you,” Justin said, grinning at her story.
Alyissa shrugged her shoulders, “Well from the looks of that kiss, I think their gonna be going out soon.”
“Not as soon as you think,” Justin replied.
“What do you mean?” Alyissa asked, looking down at him.
“Kayla leaves this Saturday,” Justin said.
“So?” Alyissa asked, turning herself to face him, folding her legs Indian style.
“So...Lance won’t see her for almost a month and a half...that’s a long time not to see someone,” Justin continued.
“We’ve gone longer haven’t we?”
Justin shook his head, “Besides...if we did, we’re officially dating, their just establishing everything, there’s no telling what might happen.”
“Their gonna get together...” Alyissa started. “If it’s the last thing I do...their gonna end up together...their too perfect for each other to not see that themselves.”
Justin shrugged, “Maybe their TOO perfect for each other to see that.”
Alyissa shook her head, “That’s not possible...is it?”
“I couldn’t say, I’ve never been in that situation.”
Alyissa sighed.
“Besides...who was the one who said that we should ALL stay out of their relationship and whatever was meant for them, should be left alone?” Justin asked, raising and eyebrow.
“I don’t know who would say a thing like that,” Alyissa said looking around the room. “Probably JC.”
Justin smiled.
“Oh all right, but I meant it back then...now they both need a little push.”
“Give a little time ‘Liss, they just kissed for the first time last night...don’t rush things, it can end up blowing up in their faces AND in ours.”
“And since when did you become Dr. Zhivago?” Alyissa asked playfully.
Justin grinned, “I’ve had a little experience myself.”
“Well TIME is something they don’t have right now,” Alyissa continued.
Justin thought about that and nodded in agreement, “True...but remember, we’re always going to go back home.”
“Speaking of going back home, I’m gonna have to leave a little earlier than planned,” Alyissa said.
“When would that be?” Justin asked, trying not to get too disappointed.
“Instead of staying for the whole tour I’m gonna have to leave three weeks before it ends.”
“Why?” Justin asked, sitting up for the first time.
“I just can’t afford to take all this time off, I need to start looking for jobs and checking out other classes, plus the fact that I still don’t know my major,” Alyissa explained. “By the time I get back from the tour and try to get everything in order, school it going to start again.”
“Can’t you leave two weeks before it ends? I mean three weeks is a long time to be gone,” Justin pleaded gently.
Alyissa shook her head, “I already arranged everything, when you guys go back to Florida for your concert, I’ll just stay there, while you guys move on for the rest of your tour.”
Justin pouted and sighed, “Ok.”
“Justin, come on you’ll see me before you know it...three weeks will fly by with your tour schedule.”
Justin nodded his head, “Yeah I guess so,” he mumbled.
Alyissa leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, “Don’t worry about it.”
He smiled weakly and returned her kiss. He laid down and rested his head on her lap. She started running her fingers through his bouncy curls and they continued talking, their first real chance to be able to be together for no special reason with no one else around. It was peaceful.
“Waitress!” Chris called, waving his hand up in the air. “Excuse me! Miss!? Over here!”
Kayla laughed at the sight of Chris frantically trying to catch the attention of an arrogant waitress who decided to ignore all his calls for service. She scooped another spoonful of ice cream out of her bowl and ate it slowly.
“I don’t think she can hear you,” Joey grinned.
Chris shot him a look, “WAITRESS!”
The woman came walking towards them as Chris finally put his arms down in relief. She reached their table, then walked straight past it.
“Did you just see that?” Chris asked in disbelief, staring at the back of the waitress walking over to another table. “She just completely ignored me!”
“That’s not the first time a girl ignored you huh?” Joey laughed.
“I wouldn’t talk Joe...in fact you don’t have much room yourself to say anything,” Chris said looking over at him challengingly.
Joey rolled his eyes, “I bet I could get the waitress’ attention,” he mumbled.
“Fine! If you think your so great, get her attention and get her to get me a refill on my drink!” Chris shot back.
Joey stared at him for a second and realized Chris was serious about the challenge he had just dished out. Joey shrugged his shoulders and waited for the waitress to come back past their table. She started to make her way back when he grabbed her arm gently. She looked down at his hand and looked back at him, flashing him a dirty look.
“Excuse me Miss,” he said politely. “May I have a refill of my drink?”
She hesitated for a second and studied his face.
Joey smiled sweetly, “Whenever you have a chance?” he asked again.
Her face softened and she nodded her head, taking Chris’ glass. “Pepsi right?”
Joey nodded his head and let go of her arm, “Thank you so much.”
She smiled shyly, “No problem.”
When she walked away, Kayla, JC, and Lance burst into laughter at the look of pure disbelief and shock, mixed with a hint of embarrassment, plastered all over Chris’ face.
“I can’t believe...she just...and you just...ohmigod...what is wrong with this picture?...and you didn’t even have to offer her concert tickets...” Chris trailed off in broken sentences.
Joey smiled proudly and gave Chris a look of triumph. “It’s that Italian charm of mine, not many people know about it, but it’s there.”
“Italian charm my ass, she probably just likes your hair better than mine,” Chris shot back.
He took another bite out of his sandwich and chewed hostily.
Kayla took a deep breath from laughing so hard and put her spoon down, not able to eat anything else. She sighed and leaned back in the small booth of the restaurant they were in, holding her stomach. Lance watched her from across the table. He smiled when she caught him staring, but this time didn’t break his gaze away like he usually did.
“Kayla are coming to our concert on Saturday? We have front row seats for you,” Joey said in a luring voice, breaking them both out of their staring moment.
Kayla looked up and her smile fell, “No, I have to leave Saturday around noon.”
Joey pouted, “Why?”
Kayla forced a smile, “Because I have to go back to work and Susan is coming to join you guys on tour.”
“Susan’s coming?” Chris asked, eyes widening.
Kayla nodded her head, “Are you ok with that Chris?”
Chris shrank into his seat and shook his head, “That woman...that woman...”
“Be nice,” Kayla warned.
“Is just MEAN,” Chris finished. “I don’t know what ever crawled up her ass, but it’s been stuck there for a LONG time.”
“CHRIS!” Kayla exclaimed. “That’s not nice!”
“Well SHE’S not nice!” Chris argued back.
“I’m sure she’s a sweet lady and you’ll be fine when she gets here.”
“Oh man...does ‘Liss have to room with her?” JC asked with a small grin.
“I couldn’t tell you, I think she might have to,” Kayla shrugged. “I’m gonna miss you guys though,” she added quietly.
Joey was sitting next to her and grinned. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and gave her a big hug.
“Joey...bone’s...crushing...ow...” Kayla choked out.
They all laughed and Joey flashed a huge grin, finally letting go.
“We’re gonna miss you too!” he exclaimed.
“But we’ll be back before you know it,” JC added, trying to sound helpful.
Kayla nodded her head slowly and looked down at the table. “I know,” she mumbled. “But a month and a half is a long time to NOT see someone.”
They all grew quiet and looked directly over at Lance. Lance caught all their looks and gave then questioned looks in return.
“It’s not long enough to forget about someone, or even THINK about forgetting someone,” Lance said in a low tone.
He fixed his gaze on Kayla and ducked his head down to try and make eye contact. The guys around him nudged each other and exchanged looks with sly smiles on their faces. Kayla looked up at Lance and smiled weakly.
“I know I wouldn’t forget someone after only a month and a half,” Kayla replied.
Lance smiled and took her hand in his. “You better not,” he joked softly.
“You neither,” she said in return.
There was a brief silence between everyone when it was suddenly interrupted.
“Excuse me? You ordered a refill on a Pepsi?”
Everyone looked up and Lance immediately let Kayla’s hand go. The waitress was standing there holding a Pepsi and a straw in her hand, looking down at Joey with a sweet smile on her face.
Joey looked up confused for a second before remembering he had ordered the drink, “OH! Yes, that’s me.”
She placed the Pepsi on the table and put the straw next to it, “Is there anything else you need?” she asked him.
Joey looked around the table with a smirk on his face, “No...no I’m fine thank you.”
Chris rolled his eyes as the waitress flashed another smile at Joey and walked away. Chris pulled his drink in front of him and took a sip.
“Hey Chris you need anything else?” Joey asked, nudging him.
“No,” Chris mumbled.
All of them broke up into laughter at the sight of both of them. Joey grinned in Chris’ face and Chris pushed his face away from his.
“Maybe I can get her number for you,” Joey joked.
“Give it a rest Joey,” Chris grumbled.
Joey decided enough was enough and turned back around to face everyone else and laughed.
Kayla was going to miss moments like this.
