Loving Blind to Ignore the Pain

By:  Julie

It started somewhere between here and there, off the bus and between albums.

It wasn’t about a relationship. It wasn’t about the sex. It was about the comfort.

At first, they didn’t really realize what was going on. Of course, there WAS sex, and there was a semblance of a relationship. But it wasn’t really a relationship. Just a convenience when there wasn't anyone else around.

Joey realized that it was more of a relationship when he desperately wanted someone to go clubbing with him. Not just someone, but a certain person who didn’t particularly care for going out, a certain person with brown wavy hair and blue eyes.

That’s when Joey realized that he enjoyed having JC around. He liked having to try to figure out what JC was saying. It gave him something to do, more or less. He enjoyed the way JC’s skinny body pressed against his, the way the lips felt on his own.

Of course, he enjoyed the sex too.

But it was only a convenience.

Really, they couldn’t be a couple. Joey had a girlfriend. He had a baby. JC had his supposed girlfriend, and he had Justin.

That disgusted Joey to no end.

Justin didn’t deserve JC. Justin didn’t deserve to have anyone like that. JC may not have been brilliant, but he was still a beautiful person.

Joey was the only one that knew about the fights that got out of hand aside from JC and Justin.

"JC, what happened?" Joey asked the first time he saw them, finger shaped bruises on JC’s arms, bruises on his chest and back.

"I fell," JC lied. Joey sighed. JC wasn’t a good liar.

"That’s not the truth," Joey stated flatly.

"Well, it’s like, we fight… and we fight… but it’s not like arguing…" JC said. He looked at the floor.

"You two physically fight?" Joey asked, wrapping his arms around JC’s naked upper body.

"No," JC said. Joey buried his nose in JC’s hair and inhaled the spicy, musky sort of scent it had. Joey wasn’t exactly sure what made it smell like that, but he liked it.

"Then why do you have bruises," Joey asked. He had learned to be patient with JC.

"Cuz we got in a fight."

"He hit you then."

"No…"

"Where’d the bruises come from?"

"Justin."

"He hit you."

"I guess."

Joey didn’t talk to Justin for the rest of the time they were recording. And after that, only when necessary. Justin made Joey sick.

"Just get away form him," Joey told JC one night. "Just break it off."

JC turned and looked at Joey, looking away from the window.

"I love him," was all JC said.

"He doesn’t love you if he can hit you," Joey said.

That was the last time that JC came over.

Joey had to sit through lots of mornings. Lots of mornings where JC tried to explain why he had a black eye, or why he had a bruise on his face. Joey knew the other guys didn’t buy it, but there wasn’t any concrete proof, and JC wouldn’t listen even if they told him that what was happening to him was wrong.

Joey really did love JC and wanted it to stop.

But Joey was only an off time convenience to JC, something to fill the time while Justin was busy making it look like he loved Britney. JC loved Justin.

So Justin could do no wrong. Even though what he was doing was wrong.

But there was no way for Joey to make JC see that.

The End

Tell Julie what you thought of this story!