"Stephanie, I need to talk to you."

"What is it, JC?"

JC looked at Chris then back to Stephanie. "How do you really feel about Chris?"

"What are you talking about?" Stephanie played innocent. It was too early for her to think about this.

"You know what I'm talking about. He's making us all miserable."

"And this involves me because...?"

"Don't play innocent with me. Since the whole Ben incident neither of you have been the same."

Stephanie rubbed her closed eyes. "Listen, JC, now is not the time to talk about this."

"Then when is?" JC pressed.

"How about lunch tomorrow? I don't think you guys are busy."

"Okay. We've got to talk about this though."

"I promise. Don't give me that look. We'll talk."

"About what?"

"That's none of your business, Chris."

"If you're going to go out with one of us I think we should know. Just make sure your judgement doesn't get blocked because you're dating one of your clients."

"So I shouldn't go out with any of you because you're my clients?"

"Right." Chris saw how this hurt Stephanie but he was hurting too. "It wouldn't be right for you to date any of us." Except me.

"JC and I are going out to luch to talk. It's not a date. I wouldn't consider going out with JC. No offense, JC. I don't see myself going out with a musician." Except you.

"Good. As I said before, you shouldn't go out with a client." Except me.

"I wouldn't think about going out with a client. Especially one of you guys." Except you.

"Clients and employees shouldn't go out with each other. I wouldn't do it either. Go out with someone we hired." Except you.

JC needed to put an end to this bickering. "Okay, you both made it clear that a client and the people who employ them shouldn't go out and there are no exceptions."

Chris and Stephanie nodded and stared at each other. Except you.

JC left the two and joined the others in the back lounge.

"What's going on up there?"

"Well, I think they are still staring each other down?"

Justin sighed. "I wish they would talk rather than just stare and fight."

"Yeah, Stephanie's really hurting over this mess and I know it can be fixed easily." Winnie interjected.

"Only if they cooperate. If they don't it will be hell."

"I don't think it can get much worse."

Lance looked at Winnie quizically. "How do you know about what's going on?"

"Simple. Stephanie told me."

"She told you?"

"Yup. Why?"

Lance looked at the others. "Guys, I think this is what we've been waiting for."

Four confused faces turned towards him and said simultaneously, "Huh?"

"Think about it. Stephanie's talking to Winnie. Now we can know Stephanie's side to things. Not just Chris'."

"Good thinking, Lance."

"Hey, what's everybody doing back here?"

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

The bus drove around dropping it's occupants at their respective address. Justin decided to get off at Winnie's and try to talk to her. Since Winnie's was the first place the bus stopped everyone else began to talk about them.

"Alright, boys, we've got to get those two together, and it's got to be soon." Stephanie was the first one to break the silence.

Lance sighed. "We've been thinking the same thing."

"Actually, it should happen within the next two weeks," JC said with a smile.

"And why do you think that?"

"Because I lost a bet."

"Since you lost a bet you know when Justin's going to make his move?"

"Yup. He has two weeks to tell her or I will. I know it's petty but it's the only thing I could think of."

"No, JC, I don't think it's petty." Stephanie looked down embarrassed. "I kind of have the same thing with Winnie."

She's beautiful when she blushes. Stop it, Chris! She doesn't have feelings for you. Thinking anything could happen is foolish. Why do you keep beating yourself up over this? Chris took a quick glance at Stephanie and the truth was undeniable. Because you love her.

"You do?" Stephanie nodded. "Then we have to wait to see who makes the first move."

Joey looked confused. "But what if nothing happens? We're not going to help them at all?"

"Of course we are, Joey, but we're not going to be obvious about it."

Lance nodded his head. "Yeah. We will watch them and give little hints and gentle pushes here and there."

"You guys are pros at this." Stephanie was amazed.

"Hey, there are five of us. You know how guys need help with the first step. We've had many experiences with this."

"Some guys can take the first step," Chris exclaimed. "It's not always the guy's fault things don't work out."

"Chris, we know." JC sighed.

"But..."

"But nothing. We are talking about Justin and Winnie."

Stephanie did not like the tension in the bus. "Okay. We talking about the two of us that are not here. Not you and some girl, Chris."

The bus stopped in front of Stephanie's house and she got off. Chris watched her walk up her yard and into her front door.

Me and some girl? She doesn't even realize I was talking about me with her. What am I going to do? She can't live with me and I can't live without her. Chris continued to stare out the window as Stephanie's house disappeared from view.

His three friends watched him silently and knew what their oldest member was thinking.

Stephanie watched as the bus pulled away. She exhaled the breath she did not know she was holding.

I'm so glad the next stop was here. I don't know if I could've taken any more time with him.

Stephanie saw the beeping light on her answering machine. She walked over and pressed the 'new messages' button.

Hey, Stephanie. It's Ben...

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

"You just came back from a week away and you want to spend time with me and not your family?"

"I'll see them later. They're all asleep anyway. Winnie? Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"No, not at all." Winnie turned to face Justin. "What is it?"

"Umm...how come you met us this morning?" Justin could not believe he asked that question, but he could not get himself to ask the one he wanted to voice.

Winnie shrugged. "I don't know. It sounded good at the time. But not much sounds bad at four o'clock in the morning."

"Four in the morning? What were you doing up at that ungodly hour?"

"Oh, Stephanie and I were having a girls' night on Friday. We stayed up talking and baking."

"Baking?" Justin knew why he came into the house but the mention of food made him think about the bite of airline food he tried that morning. He was hungry.

"Yes, baking. And look here," Winnie pulled a plastic bag into view, "leftovers. Want some?" She waved the bag in Justin's face. The hunger in his eyes made her laugh.

"If I could. Before I eat tell me this. What is that?"

"Oh, just some oatmeal raisin cookies." Winnie stopped waving the bag and pulled them out of Justin's reach as he grabbed for them. "If you want some you gotta catch me."

"You little brat." Justin took off after Winnie. He followed her throughout the apartment. He thought he had her cornered in the bathroom but she stepped in the tub and ran around him. Finally she ran in the kitchen and trapped herself in the corner.

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh is right. Now that I've got you will you give me the cookies?" Justin walked closer and reached his hands up for the cookies.

Winnie tried to hold them over her head, but Justin was taller than her and could easily reach the bag. Justin brought his hands down. The hand without the cookies landed on her shoulder as his other hand tried to keep the bag away from Winnie.

They stopped kidding around immediately. Justin moved his hand from her shoulder to her neck and began to lean in.

Winnie's heart was pounding. She had been waiting for this moment since she met him. She closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to touch hers.

Their lips lightly grazed each other's and Justin pulled back slightly. He looked for a reaction in her face but saw none. Since she did not push him away he started to lean in again and...

**RING**

They both sighed.

**RING**

Winnie reached over to answer the phone. Of all the luck. I wonder who has such good, or should I say bad, timing.

"Hello."

"Hey cuz!" Came the voice from the other line.

Winnie's eyes opened in excitement. "Oh my gosh, Linda?"

"Yup. How are things?"

"Good." Winnie looked at Justin. He had a disrtacted look on his face. "What's up? Why are you calling?"

"Well, since I just graduated my parents told me I only have to work half the summer."

"Very cool." Winnie loved her cousin but she wanted to talk to Justin.

"And since I don't have anything to do I was wondering if you could use some company for a week or so?"

"You want to come here? Geez, girl, you know you're always welcome."

** BEEP BEEP**

"Hey, Linda, can you hold on a sec? I'm getting a beep."

"Yeah, no problem."

Winnie click the phone to the other line. Justin watched her restlessly.

"Hello?" She paused as she listened to the other person. "Sure. I'll tell him. Bye."

"Who was that?" Justin asked curiously.

"It was your mother. Your whole family is at home waiting for you."

"Then I guess I better go." He turned to leave. "Wait a minute I don't have a car here. Can you take me?"

"Sure. Let me tell my cousin I'll call her later." Winnie paused and looked at the phone. She forgot her cousin was on the other line. She quickly brought the phone to her ear. "Linda?"

"Well hello there, Miss 'I've got a guy over and forget about my favorite cousin.'

"Linda, you're my only cousin."

"I know, but that way I know I'm your favorite. By the way, don't think I'm not about to ask about the guy who's there at seven o'clock in the morning."

"Listen, I've got to take Justin home. Can I call you later?"

"Justin? Justin Timberlake? You've got Justin Timberlake in your apartment and you're letting him out? What's wrong with you girl?"

"First of all did I say it was Justin Timberlake? No. Secondly, if it was him I wouldn't want to make him stay here."

Justin was hurt when Winnie all but denied that he was there. Staying there would be his first choice. She wouldn't have to do anything to make me stay.

"Bye, Linda. We'll talk about this later."

Winnie looked up and did not see Justin. "Justin? You ready?"

Justin appeared in the doorway. He shook his head. "Yeah. Are you sure you don't mind driving me home?"

"No. Don't worry about it. Now that I'm up I won't be able to go back to sleep." She grabbed her keys. "Let's go."

The first five minutes of the trip were quiet. Neither Winnie or Justin knew what to say. They were both too shy to bring up the near-kiss.

"So, that was your cousin on the phone?"

Winnie shook her head. "Yup. She lives in North Carolina."

"Anywhere near Chapel Hill?"

"Right outside. Next year she's going to be a freshman at UNC."

"Great school."

"Yeah right 'great school.' Do you know anything about the school other than it's basketball team and it's school colors?"

"Hey. A friend of my mom's went there. I do know that it's a great school academically also. Did I hear something about her coming to visit?"

"Yeah. She wants to come visit me and I bet I'm not the only person who's in this car she wants to see."

Justin looked around pretending he did not know what she meant. "Who else is in this car but you and me? I have no idea why she'd want to see me? I've never met her before."

"Well, I think the fact that you're in one of the hottest groups out right now might be a factor."

"So you think I'm hot, huh?"

Winnie blushed. "No I said the group you're in is hot. As in very popular. I wasn't talking about your looks. My someone's conceited."

"I'm not conceited. I just want to know where I stand with you."

"Stand with me as in...?"

Justin opened his mouth to answer her but they had pulled up to his house and his little brother was running to the street to meet them. Justin sighed and got out of the truck.

"You coming in?"

"Nah, I think I'll let you spend some time with your family. I'll see you tomorrow." Winnie shifted out of park and drove off.

Justin watched her truck pull out of site. He felt someone pull on his pants. He looked down and saw his brother smiling up at him.

"Hey, Jon, what's up?" Justin swooped down to pick his brother up, but his eyes never left where he last saw Winnie.

"So when are you going to tell her you like her?"

Justin jumped. "Mom, you scared me. How do you know I like her?"

"You've been my son for almost eighteen and a half years. I think I know when you like someone. Plus, her name is written over every little piece of paper strewn throughout the house."

He blushed. "Did I really doodle it all over the house?"

His mom nodded and laughed. "Aww, my poor baby." She reached out and gave Justin a hug.

"Hey, don't forget about me. I'm here too."

Justin looked down at his brother. "We could never forget you, little bro. No matter how hard we try."

Justin's mom hit him in the shoulder but she laughed.

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

"Hey, Winnie."

"Hey, JC."

It was the next day and Winnie was glad Justin was not the first person she encountered.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much. My cousin might come down in two weeks."

"Really, my brother's coming down around then."

"TJ's coming? Cool. I'll finally get to meet him. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about my cousin coming."

"Why?"

"Because she wants to come and doesn't know how she'll get down here on her budget. I told her I'd see what I could do and ask you if there was a possibility you could get her a deal on plane fare."

"I could see. Let's go in the office and you can give me the info to check it out."

Winnie shook her head. The two of them walked into the office and Winnie took a pen and pad out of her desk.

JC took the pad and pen. "Where's she coming from?"

"Right outside Chapel Hill."

"I think I can get it free. That is if she's willing to come by car."

"What are you talking about?" Winnie was lost. She did not know what JC meant.

"Listen. My brother's driving down next Friday. I could talk him into doing a side trip to Chapel Hill."

"Isn't it out of the way?"

"Yeah, but he'll do it if I give him little incentives."

"Little incentives? I'm sure I don't want to know."

JC laughed. "Nothing sick or perverted. Just some money for food and gas."

"How do you know he really spent the amount of money he tells you?"

"Little things called receipts."

Winnie laughed and tapped JC's forehead. "Good thinkin', Lincoln."

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

"Stephanie, I'm leaving for lunch."

"Alright. I'll see you when you get back."

Winnie grabbed her lunch and made her way to the park. She sat down on a bench and waited for Alex. After waiting almost ten minutes she saw him coming towards her.

"I almost thought you weren't going to make it." Winnie looked at her watch for emphasis.

Alex shook his head. "Nah. I wouldn't stand a pretty girl up twice." He sat down and they both began to eat.

"So, Alex, tell me about your job."

"Well, I'm kind of between things right now."

"What? Between jobs?"

"Kind of. One thing just cooled off and I'm waiting for the next to heat up."

Winnie shook her head.

"So why don't you tell me about your job. The job that brought you to Orlando making it possible for me to meet you."

Winnie blushed. She did not know how to take his compliments.

"Well. I'm an intern at a P.R. firm near here."

"The one that handles music groups?"

Winnie shook her head. "Yeah. I'm working with *N SYNC right now."

"*N SYNC. I bet you were happy to hear about that."

"Yeah, I am, but not half as excited as my sister." Winnie laughed at the memory of her sister's reaction.

"So you're sister's a big *N SYNC fan?"

"BIG is underdoing it. Katie's obsessed with *N SYNC. By the way she told her friends about my job you'd think she was the one who was coming down here."

"So you're sister is obsessed with *N SYNC. How about you?"

"Am I obsessed with *N SYNC?"

"Not necessarily obsessed, but do you like their music."

"Yeah, I do. I like it a lot."

"What about Backstreet Boys?"

"Uh-oh."

"What? What's wrong?"

"If you said those words in my house you would have committed a cardinal sin."

"What words? Backstreet Boys?" Alex looked at Winnie in disbelief.

"Oh yeah. My sister is one of those girls who insist they're different but can only like one but not the other. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah. Being from around here you get a lot of that. I could never understand it."

"I know. So you claim they're different, but you can't like one because you like the other. Where's the sense in that?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Winnie. So you don't know much about the Backstreet Boys?"

"Nope. I've listened to a few of their songs, but not much. As I said if they were mentioned or heard in my house my sister would go berzerk."

Winnie and Alex continued to talk and eat for the rest of the hour. Winnie left the park and walked into the office to find Stephanie and Chris in a heated argument.

"Chris, how many times do I have to tell you I don't care what your opinion is on this topic," Stephainie yelled.

"I guess you have to do it more since I'm never going to stop giving it to you," Chris returned.

Winnie looked at JC and Justin who were also in the room. They shrugged their shoulders.

"Well, Chris, I'm going to stop listening to you." She turned toward JC. "Ready for lunch?"

JC shook his head.

"Good. Let's go." Stephanie grabbed her purse and JC followed her out the door.

Chris walked to the window and watched the pair get in his car and drive off. He was still staring out the window when Justin came behind him.

"Don't worry, man. They're just going to talk. JC's not trying to sneak in on your woman."

Chris tried to hide the bitterness in his voice. "She's not my woman. She has no ties to me. She can do as she pleases. Why should I care?"

"Umm, because you love her?"

Chris shook his head in disgust. "It's too late to do anything." Justin openned his mouth to respond but Chris kept on going. "It may be too late for me, but it's not for you." Chris nodded his head towards Winnie who was on the phone. "Tell her before it's too late. Do it now." Chris turned and walked out of the office leaving the two alone.

Justin sat on the couch waiting for Winnie to get off the phone. He raised his eyebrows when Winnie raised her voice in frustration.

"Chad, will you stop that. I told you it's over. If I remember correctly you are the one who broke it off. What the girl you dumped me for didn't want you?"

There was silence on the other end.

"I guess that gives me my answer. Bye, Chad."

Chad stuttered trying to find his next words. "Winnie, th-th-that's not it."

"So there wasn't another girl?"

"There was another girl. There I said it, but she was nothing like you and I had to break it off." Winnie laughed. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I know the truth. I know the other girl was Deidre."

There was a shocked silence on the line. Chad finally had a voice to speak. "You know that," he wispered.

"Yup. Now I don't think we have anything else to talk about. Do we?"

"No. I guess not. Bye, Winnie."

"Bye, Chad." Winnie hung up the phone and sighed. She thought about the previous conversation and forgot Justin was there.

"If I'm not prying. Who was that?"

Winnie looked up and put a hand over her heart. "Justin, you scared me."

"I didn't mean to." He walked over and sat on the desk.

"I know. Who was that?" Justin shook his head expectantly. "That," Wiinie pointed to the phone, "was my ex-boyfriend Chad from back home."

"Ex-boyfriend? When did you guys break up?"

"About a month before I came out here. He said he 'needed some space' so I gave it to him. A few days befoe I left I found out that 'space' was getting filled up with one of my ex-friends Deidre."

"Ex-friend as in not a friend anymore?"

Winnie shook her head. "Yeah. She started spreading lies about me and it got so bad even my parents believed at least one of them. You should have seen the relief on their faces when I assured them there was no way I was pregnant." Winnie smiled at the memory.

"This girl told everyone you were pregnant? I would have dumped her too."

"Thanks. Now that she got Chad away from me she doesn't need him anymore."

"Ah, I see. She dumped Chad when she knew there was no hope in you two getting back together."

"Yeah, but the relationship was rocky to begin with so she didn't have to do much to get him."

The sad look on her face pained Justin. "You want to talk about it?"

Winnie looked at Justin. Something about him made her want to tell him everything.

"Okay. Remember how when we talked last week I told you blue eyes have been trouble to me?" Justin nodded his head. "Well, Chad is a prime example?"

"What happened?" Justin felt the need to know everything that had hurt Winnie.

"Do you really want to hear about this?" Justin shook his head for Winnie to start. "Well, it all stared two years ago, right before prom."

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

"So, JC, how was last week?"

"Stephanie, you know that's not going to work with me. I came here with a topic in mind and that's who we're going to talk about."

They had gone to a restraunt in downtown Orlando and had just been seated.

"I know. So how was last week?"

JC sighed. She was going to make this difficult. "It would have been great, but one of the guys couldn't stop thinking about a girl long enough to be anything else but miserable."

Stephanie knew where JC was leading, but she did not want to go there so she tried to stall as much as possible. "So Justin was that bad, huh?"

"Stephanie, that's not who I was talking about and you know it. Stop trying to stall this conversation." JC called her bluff.

"I know. I just got used to not talking about it I guess it's second nature to change the subject or stall. When I do that it usually gets dropped."

"Not today. All of us are tired of watching you two go through this. We know he loves you and that you must have feelings for him since you broke off your engagement to Ben. Or at least you did."

Stephanie hung her head. She knew there was no way of getting out of this conversation. "You're right I do have feelings for him, but I doubt if he still has any feelings for me. After I broke up with Ben, because I couldn't forget about his kiss, he woul-"

"Wait a sec. What do you mean because you couldn't forget about his kiss? He kissed you?" This was all news to JC. He knew Chris had confessed his feelings but the older man said nothing about acting on them.

Stephanie shook her head. "Yeah, he kissed me."

"And?"

"And.. and I haven't wanted to feel anyone else that close to me except him. Alright? Is that what you wanted to know?" By the end her voice had risen a few notches and people were beginning to look at them.

"So you love him?"

"Of couse I love him, but what am I supposed to do when he stops loving me?"

JC's look of disbelief surprised Stephanie. "You think he doesn't love you anymore?"

Stephanie slowly shook her head.

"Stephanie, look at me." She raised her eyes to meet his. "He loves you more now than he did then."

"Then why doesn't he show it? He never does anything but fight with me."

"And you do nothing but fight with him. I've seen you two and it's not just him that starts it." JC saw the tears in her eyes and decided to change the subject. "So. Did you get a lot done with us out of your hair last week?"

Stephanie smiled. She reached across the table and rested her hand on his. "Thanks. Yeah, it's amazing what can get done when you don't have five oversized boys running around."

~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

Everyone was at Justin's house waiting for TJ and Linda to arrive. Over the past week and a half Justin and Winnie got closer, but still never mentioned their near-kiss. Stephanie had been talking to Winnie but she still made no move to talk to Chris. Chris also made no move to talk to her despite the constant nagging of his groupmates.

"What time is it?" Winnie was anxious to see her cousin.

"Only about five minutes after the last time you asked. How long has it been since you've seen your cousin?" Lance asked her the question to keep her from asking the time again.

"Oh, at Christmas. We live a few hours a part and we alternate years on who's family has it." As she finished a car pulled into the driveway. "Is that them?"

Justin got up and offered his hands to Winnie to help her up. "Yup."

Winnie took his hands and pushed off the ground as he pulled. The combined force made her knock into Justin. They stood there for a moment before both pulling away, blushing.

TJ got out of the car and ran to the other side to open the door for Linda. She accepted his hand and he helped her up. After he closed the door the two walked hand in hand towards the rest.

"Hey, JC, it looks as if your brother has found himself a girl." Joey commented to JC before turning towards the couple. "Well, lookie here. It looks as if little TJ has found himself a girlie-friend."

TJ blushed. Linda laughed and answered Joey. "Yeah he has." She grabbed Joey's collar. "And if you ever call me girlie again you'll be answering to that also. Got it?"

Joey looked at Winnie. "She's definately your cousin."

Winnie laughed as she walked over to hug her cousin. "You think so?" Joey nodded. She turned toward Linda. "I think you bruised his little Italian ego." She looked at Linda and TJ's hands, which were still entwined. "So it looks as if you had a great trip."

Linda shook her head. "Yup. You never know where you might find love." TJ brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.