Fourteen
Justin
yawned and stretched, opening his eyes.
He smiled a sleepy smile. “You’re
watching me.”
“I
can’t help it.” JC reached over and brushed a curl from Justin’s forehead. “You’re beautiful.” JC then blushed. “I cannot believe I just said that. How gay did that sound?”
“Are
you ashamed of being gay?” Justin said softly.
JC sat up and crossed his long legs under him.
“No...but
in my life, I have to hide it.”
“In
the creative world? I find that hard to believe,” Justin teased.
“I
know. I mean, Nick’s obviously gay, and
I know AJ is bi. Christopher I’m never
really sure about. He’s a mystery. But...where I come from, very few people
know about my sexual preference.” JC
thought of Kevin. “My family doesn’t
approve...and it’s not something I’ve ever advertised.” JC looked at Justin. “You’ve thrown my world for a loop, Justin,
but if I had to tell the world about you today, I would. If it would make you
mine forever...”
“I
told you, JC...I can’t promise you forever,” Justin said sadly. “When Joseph finds out about us...”
“He’s
not going to,” JC said. “By the time
this show goes on, I’ll have talked you into going away with me.”
“You
think so?” Justin said, laughing, but he sighed wistfully.
“Where
would you like to go?” JC asked, lying back down.
“I
like the beach,” Justin said. “I mean,
I would, if I’d ever been there.”
“We’ll
get a little apartment at the beach.
You’ll get a job singing in a little club, just you and a piano or you
and a guitar. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful,”
Justin sighed, snuggling closer. He threw an arm over JC’s waist, and JC
noticed for the first time the gold bracelet around Justin’s wrist.
“What’s
this?” JC held up Justin’s hand. “It’s
pretty.”
“Yeah.
It, uh, was a gift.” Justin tugged his
hand away.
“Justin...”
“Don’t,
okay?” Justin sat up and got off the bed.
“He offered it to me. He wants to buy me things...who am I to stop him?”
“Justin,
calm down. I wasn’t going to say anything like that. You deserve all the beautiful things I can’t begin to buy
you. I just...I wanted to say be
careful. You’re used to men trying to
buy you...but Lance Bass is the one man who can. And all he’s doing is just that...buying your body.”
“Men
do it all the time,” Justin muttered.
“I’m
not doing it. I want your heart...your body is just something special that
comes with it,” JC said. Justin smiled
and sat back down. JC looked at
Justin’s clock. “Damn...I got stuff to
do.” JC stood and pulled on his shoes.
“When
will I see you again?” Justin asked.
“Tomorrow
at rehearsal. Make sure you actually LEARN some of the music, okay?” JC ruffled Justin’s curls.
“Of
course.” Justin rolled his eyes.
“Be
ready to leave as soon as morning rehearsal is done. I have a surprise planned for you.”
“Leave? Joseph won’t let me leave with you!”
“Is
Lance Bass coming over tonight?”
“Probably,”
Justin said, frowning.
“Tell
him that Lance wants to meet you somewhere.
There’s no way Joseph would ever question what Lance wants. I’ll meet you by the side door and we’ll go,
okay?”
“Okay,”
Justin said happily. He grabbed JC by
the sweater and gave him a tender kiss.
“I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“Consider
yourself lucky then,” JC said in a teasing manner, but his eyes didn’t smile as
he said it.
“You
look like shit,” Kevin said as soon as JC walked into his office. “And I don’t appreciate you calling me when
you’re drunk off your ass.”
“Sorry...a
little emotional difficulty,” JC said, flopping onto a chair.
“Joshua
Chasez has emotions? How nice to hear.”
Kevin leaned back in his chair.
“What’s going on, Josh?”
“I’m
getting to know this Justin kid. Maybe it’s not his fault. Maybe his boss and surrogate dad, Joseph
Fatone, pushed him into it. He took
Justin in when he was just a kid, you know.”
“He
could get outta there,” Kevin insisted.
“Josh, I can always trust you to keep your distance when it comes to
these things. What the hell’s going
on?”
“Nothing,”
JC promised, sighing. “I’ll get the
information you want.”
