****
At the doorbell's persistant ring, a dark haired man sauntered to the front door, pulling it open to reveal Mo standing on the front step. Her grin fell quickly as she saw who it was.
"Pssh." He scoffed, holding the glass door open for her as she stepped inside of the Fatone home. "Joe. Your woman's here." he yelled with as little enthusiasm as possible. "So hey, you screwin my brother?" he asked bluntly in a thick accent, leaning up against the entry way.
"Oh Steve you're such a joy. Find a fucking hobby." Mo muttered, disgusted by his question. Then, tucking her long locks behind her ears, she brushed past the older Fatone and entered the living room where Joey sat watching TV.
Looking up, Joey smiled at Mo as she entered the room. She playfully tousled his uncombed hair as she sat down next to him, folding her long legs under her as she plopped onto the couch. Leaning her head on his shoulder, a content look washed across her face as he slung an arm around her shoulders and the duo sat in silence.
As a commercial aired, interrupting the movie they had become engrossed in, Mo spoke softly. "Have you heard from Rachel lately?" she inquired, not moving her head from his shoulder.
Joey cast his eyes downward as he frowned, "No."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Mo questioned.
"I'm not sure."
"You know we can only keep this charade going for so long Joseph." Mo reminded him of the plan to spark Rachel's jealousy. "This pretending thing is starting to worry me."
"Why's that?" Joey asked, looking out of the corner of his eye at the woman next to him.
Mo stayed silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "It worries me because..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish.
"Come on Momo, you can tell me. We're friends." Joey said, squeezing her shoulder.
"It worries me because...sometimes...oh shit. SometimesIthinkI'mreallyfallingforyou." she mumbled out quickly, causing the words to all run together.
Joey pulled his arm away from her shoulders, slightly taken aback as she sat up straight and looked down at her hands. Shaking his head, he looked at her in disbelief. "What?...How?...Huh?" he finally sputtered out.
Mo mustered a small smile as she looked up at him, "It's nothing, really. It just worries me that's all. Like when I have to convince myself that it's just a charade, and that Rachel's the one that has a hold of your heart."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on." Joey said carefully, stepping gingerly around her feelings.
She nodded understandingly. "I know Joey, it's just not meant to be. And you didn't lead me on, you merely played your part in the game." Finishing, she rose to her feet and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before turning to leave.
Walking to her car, she turned to see Joey standing by the front door, watching her leave. She sighed, sad, but at the same time feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted off her chest. Knowing that she did the right thing, she opened the door to her car and starting the engine, backed out of the driveway.
****
"Hello? Jordan?" Justin's voice sounded concerned as the phone dangled over the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?"
Trying to regain her composure, Jordan pulled the phone back up by it's cord, her hands still shaking slightly. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm feeling a little lightheaded. I'll call you later."
"Alright. Bye." Justin replied as she pressed the reciever down, ending the phone call. Holding the phone tightly between her trembling hands, she leaned her forehead against it and sighed.
A few moments later, Jordan lay the phone back on the base and leaned back in the bed. Her thoughts began to jumble as she drifted off into a troubled sleep.
****
"Jordie?" April kneeled down beside the bed, her gaze concerned as she looked at the woman who tossed fitfully in her sleep.
"Hmm?" Jordan murmured, opening her eyes to see her friend sitting next to her.
April sat on the edge of the bed as Jordan rubbed her tired eyes and sat up slightly. "I just got back from MTV and wanted to make sure you were feeling alright."
Jordan felt a lump form in her throat as she looked at her friend. "Can I talk to you about something?" she blurted out, tears starting to form and spill out onto her cheeks.
The light haired woman's eyes became instantly concerned. "Sure, you know ya can tell me anything, girl. What's wrong?" she asked, reaching out to draw a crying Jordan in for a tight hug.
After being released from the embrace, Jordan wiped her hazel eyes as it all came rushing out. "...and...I...I just don't remember." she finished, looking down in shame as her eyes filled with salty tears once more.
Scooting closer and wrapping her arms around Jordan as if she were a small child, April sighed, resting her chin on the top of Jordan's head. "I think you need to have a talk with JC." she concluded, pulling away to look into Jordan's eyes, her own expression showing blatant concern. "I'll come with you if you want, but you're gonna make yourself sick worrying about it here in bed all day." Sniffling and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Jordan nodded her agreement.
****
Lance hurried around his Mississippi home, trying not to forget anything as he packed. Muttering to himself, he mentally checked things off as he threw them into his large suitcase. Not one to be running behind, this last minute trip to LA wasn't one he was happy about. Hearing the driver honk as the black luxury car pulled into his driveway, he zipped the suitcase closed and grabbed his sunglasses off his dresser as he quickly made his way downstairs. Stopping short, he heard the phone ring but due to his hurry, couldn't stop to answer it. He sighed wistfully, opening the door as he heard the answering machine click on and Leigh's voice filter through the large house.
"Lance, hey it's Leigh. Um...it seems like we keep missing each other. I haven't talked to you in quite awhile. Hmm..I hope you're doing okay, I suppose you're probably just really busy with everything. Call me if you get a chance, you've got my number. Bye."
Lance frowned slightly as the beep signifying the end of the message resonated through the quiet house. Shaking his head, he turned on the alarm system and locked the door, pulling it tight behind him.
****
Hearing a knock on the door of his suite, JC removed his lanky frame from the couch where he had been resting and walked swiftly toward the door. Glancing quickly through the peep hole, he opened the door to reveal Jordan standing nervously in the hallway. Leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, JC greeted her with a questioning gaze, a smirk dancing on his sculpted features.
"Hi..." Jordan said, her dark eyes rimmed in red and her silky hair pulled into a low ponytail. She felt JC's eyes slide over her as she stood outside of his suite. Looking down, she cleared her throat. "Can I come in?"
A cocky gleam in his eyes, JC opened the door wider, his arm still braced against the edge of it. Looking her up and down, a wry smile slid across his face. "Come back for more? I thought last night would have been plenty for someone like you."
Jordan's mind raced and her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him in shock, blatant hurt and anger flashing in her dark eyes.