Chapter One
She let herself fall on the couch before her hand snuck out and picked up the hand set beside her. Her fingers moved quickly on the keypad, while her eyes stared numbly at the blank television screen. Hearing it ring, she waited, before someone finally picked up with a cheerful greeting. “It’s finished,” she chimed back, a smile spreading on her face.
The other line was silent for a moment. “Wait, did you just say what I think you did, New York?” Brooklyn Turner smiled again, brighter this time. “You finished your album? That’s great. When does the tour kick off?”
“Not for a little while yet,” she said, chewing on her lip. “We just finished the last track today. Kind of funny how the first song that I recorded ended up to be the last one finished. Still, Let Him Fly is on there, and I am so happy that it’s over.” Just hearing his voice brought a smile to her face. It wasn’t all that long ago since they had seen each other last. Her mind raced back to the time before that he had spent with her, after what was dubbed by the magazines and newspapers as the “Fiancé Fiasco”. For some reason, her mind wouldn’t leave the airport that he had left in, and the moment before he had stepped on the plane. That kiss that seemed to have rocked her to the core...and the one that she was trying desperately to forget.
There were no real feelings behind it, she reminded herself. It was just a moment of weakness, and a feeling of not wanting to be alone. Maybe it was the loss of Tim Croft, her one time boyfriend and fiancé. She really didn’t want to remember what had happened that night in the very room that she was sitting in. Sometimes, she still had dreams about it and woke up in a sweat, wanting to call him, but never having the nerve to. Didn’t he say that if there was anything she needed, she could go to him? Anything at all?
Then again, Brooklyn Arizona Turner was a strong person, and she didn’t need anyone to lean against...except maybe JC Chasez. For a short period of time, after the kiss had happened, she wanted more than anything to lean against him. That was over and done with, though, she thought. There was no chance in hell that she was going to go back to that. No matter what. “So, the album is done, the tour is in the planning stages...how are you? You’re sounding a lot better.”
“I’m feeling a lot better. Of course, I would feel even better if you were here.” Where did that come from? That wasn’t what she wanted to say, but it went over all right. At least, he didn’t make a comment on it.
JC’s soothing voice came back to her, even if they were states apart. “Well, I’m sorry that I’m not there, but I did send you a little something. In about three...two...one. That would be the doorbell. Go answer it.”
She stood up and laughed into the phone. “Oh, this would be my surprise? What is it, roses? Judging by how many bouquets you’ve sent me, it almost looked like a funeral had taken place in here for a little while. I love the smell of roses, though.” She laughed again at her ramblings before she unlocked the front door and swung it open.
In front of her was another bunch of roses. She smiled and took them from the person when her eyes traveled up from the belt buckle to the shirt to...the famous blue eyes that she was so used to. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at JC and the phone slipped out of her hand, bouncing on the foyer floor. “JC?” she asked quietly, still stunned.
He chuckled and put one finger under her chin, causing her mouth to shut. His eyes twinkled as he looked at her. She looked the same as she had before he left the last time, when she had sat in the recording studio for the first time since the attack, only she didn’t have tears rolling down her face. The same green eyes that he loved, the same tanned skin, the same honey brown hair and honey blonde highlights. It was all the same. SHE was all the same. “I said that I brought you something, I just didn’t say that I came along with that something,” he said with a mischievous smile, winking at her as he leaned against the door jamb.
“But you...you said that...”
“Since when do you stutter, sweetie? I said that I was sorry that I wasn’t there. I was sorry that I wasn’t in the living room at the moment so that I could get the good news face to face, but I did see you from the window, and I saw your smile. That was enough for me.”
She was still staring, almost dumbfounded, before she finally laughed and reached for him. He picked her up off the ground and spun her around once before putting her back down, before she could complain that she was dizzy. “Come on in. God, you always surprise me somehow,” she said, punching his arm lightly before she closed the door behind her. “You can stay in either the guest room or Austin’s. He’s not home for a little while yet.”
Grinning, he walked into the kitchen, almost like the house was his own. Brooklyn didn’t mind at all. “When does he get home?” he asked, taking a can of soda out of the fridge. “Want one?”
“Sure, grab me a raspberry ginger ale, please,” she said, pulling herself up on the counter. “Austin? He won’t be home for another month. I still have a little while before my tour starts up...two and a half months, I think. Mia’s making me doing the media circuit again, and I have an appearance on Oprah in...damn, three days. Are you still going to be here?” she asked, turning to look at him as she opened the can of pop and sipped from it.
“You’re a pig. Don’t you know that it’s more ladylike to drink out of a glass?”
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. “So sue me. When have I ever been ladylike, anyway?”
He leaned against the opposite counter and thought about what she had asked him. “The ACMAs. You looked great.” She blushed, like she always did when she was paid a compliment. “And modest, too. You have to like that. Anyway, I’m still going to be here. I have a whole week off to spend with you. This you’ll get sick of me?”
“Is the sky blue?” she asked, deadpanned. “Please. I need some sort of company around this place. Mia swears that she’ll never spend the night here again, Joe’s too busy working on the tour and everything to go away on a vacation with me, Austin’s still in France. Who else am I supposed to hang out with? Maybe I should get a dog,” she said quietly. “No, I forgot. Austin’s allergic to dogs. Well that sucks.”
“What about a cat?” he asked before walking over and pulling himself up on the counter beside her.
Her head shook and she took another sip of her soda. “Nope. He’s allergic to those, too. Maybe I should get some fish. I would never get one of the hairless cats. I would be laughing too hard every time I looked at it to actually love it.” Snickering, she leaned back so that her head rested against the cupboards. “Maybe I should get a bird. I could teach it to call you an ass so that I don’t have to do it all the time.”
His eyes rolled. “That was intelligent, New York.” As soon as he used her nickname, her hand traveled down to feel for her necklace, even though she never took it off. She never would take it off. “Hey, do you have a copy of her new album here so that I can listen to it?”
With a grin, she jumped off of the counter. “Hold on and...hold onto this.” She thrust her can at him and ran out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs towards her room. She opened and shut the door behind her before walking over to her desk and picking a CD case off of it. Her eyes looked at it curiously before smiling. It wasn’t the copy that was going to be released to her fans. Instead, this was the one that was going to be released to a few select members of her fan club. It was also a copy that she had snagged for JC.
There was another disk waiting underneath, with a different picture and different track listing. Holding them in her hands, she walked back out of her bedroom and down the stairs, taking it a little slower this time. As soon as she came into the kitchen, she grinned and showed him the cases. “Check it out. I got you both copies of the CD,” she said, handing them over to him.
He took them and looked at them before flipping them over and looking at the different songs. “Why do you have two copies?” After she explained it to her, he looked up with a impish smile. “So, does that mean that the original recording of Let Him Fly is going to be on this one?” JC asked, holding up the special album.
“Why would you want to know if the first recording is on there? You should know that usually, first recordings aren’t on there, or if they are, it’s just a small piece that they added to the track. JC, you ARE supposed to know this stuff.”
Again, he smiled before opening the original album, looking at the picture inside. “You had so much emotion in your voice that I figured they would use it,” he said quietly, as he closed the case. When he saw her astounded look, he laughed and pushed her. “New York, I was standing out there, listening and watching you. I was supposed to go and pick you up then, but you were in the studio, so I just pretended that I spent too much time down in the stores.”
She smirked, staring at him. “I’m giving you a head start. You’re supposed to tell me about these things, JC.” He jumped off the counter, Brooklyn on his heels as they ran through the house. “Next time that you want to spy on me, why don’t you try it when I’m taking a shower. It would probably be more interesting, and you seem like the sick person that would do that,” she added, laughing as he ran into another room.
“Thanks. Do you know how much I love you?”
“Likewise, sweetie. Likewise,” she said before she tackled him.
“New York, are you cooking tonight?” JC asked as he came into the music room, looking at her. She was stretched out on the worn couch, her guitar in her lap. She looked up with a questioning look. “I asked if you were planning on cooking tonight.”
She made a face and strummed her guitar idly. “Do I have to? Why don’t we just order pizza. I haven’t had pizza for the longest time,” she said wistfully, reaching behind her to put the guitar back on the stand. “Besides, I don’t know what’s in the house. I think I was supposed to go grocery shopping today, but when you came over, I forgot about it. Until now, that is.”
He walked in a little further and sat down on the couch, prompting Brooklyn to raise her feet and put them in his lap, leaning her head against the arm rest. “Why don’t you just do that tomorrow? Let’s go out for dinner instead,” he asked her, leaning back his head and yawning. “I’ll even go shopping with you if you want.”
An evil smile appeared on her face as she thought about that. “Okay, we’ll do that, but only if I get to pick out the restaurant tonight,” she said, crossing her fingers.
One of his eyes opened cautiously. “Wait, let me get this straight. I have to go grocery shopping with you, something that happens to be one of the most boring things in the world...and you get to pick the restaurant tonight? How does this even out?”
Laughing, she looked carefully at him. “JC, I happen to think that it’s a very fair trade. Besides, has there been one thing that has been incredibly boring when you’ve been with me?” He shook his head. She had no clue what was going on. Maybe it was just a natural reaction to flirt with someone. Granted, the two of them flirted a lot in the past, but all for trying to get a laugh out of the other person. It seemed like everything had changed during that kiss in the airport, and Brooklyn had to admit that it wasn’t the most earth shattering kiss that she ever had, but it definitely ranked up in the top ten. Most of them in her life ranked up in the top ten. “Fine, I’ll let you pick the restaurant. What did you have in mind?”
“Hm...the all mighty Brooklyn Turner said that I can pick my own restaurant for dinner, and she didn’t rule anything out. How in the world am I going to make her regret this.” She groaned and fell back against the couch, her eyes shutting peacefully. “No, I’ve got it. I know the perfect place. I always wanted to go out there, but we’ve always eaten at the diner or here.”
“Not true. Once we ate at that little restaurant in Nashville,” she murmured, not opening her eyes.
He laughed and grasped her hands, pulling her up. “No, you’re not falling asleep on me. You’re going up to take a shower and getting dressed in something that should make the knees of every man in that restaurant go weak. Myself, included, and remember, I’ve seen you in some of your best stuff.”
Her finger came out and pointed at him. “Don’t you dare mention the ACMA dress. You can only comment on it so many times.” Playfully, he leaned forward and tried to bite her finger. It came back quickly. “You’ve seen the movie Silence of the Lambs far too many times,” she muttered, looking at him sharply.
“True. Look, just go upstairs and get ready. Something really fancy, New York. I’m talking about a really expensive restaurant here. According to the write up that I read on it...what? There was nothing to read in the airport while I waited for my luggage, so I read some restaurant thing. Anyway, it’s THE most prestigious restaurant in Nashville. Please, New York. It looks pretty good.”
A frown appeared on her face before she smiled quickly and jumped off the couch. “Fine. Give me an hour, tops, all right? See you then.” She ran out of the room and up the stairs, heading to her bedroom. As soon as the door shut, she knew exactly what she was going to wear and how she was going to look.
The shower didn’t take very long. As soon as she was out, wrapped in a fluffy yellow towel, she walked into her bedroom and looked through her closet, pushing past the clothes that were hanging to find the perfect outfit. Once she did, she laid it on the bed carefully and looked over at a picture that was sitting on her desk, trying to recreate how she looked.
Styling her hair the way it had been before was the hardest, but she managed to pull it off quite well, adjusting the mess of hair at the back of her head that she made by pulling back a half ponytail, and letting the rest land on her shoulders. The next thing she did was start on her make up. That was probably the shortest thing she had to do, she realized, as she stood up and dug through her drawers to find what she needed.
When she finished getting dressed and looked in full length mirror, she smiled. The last thing she needed was a pair of heels, which were hiding under her bed. She bent down and swept her hand underneath the bed until she found her heels and pulled them out. “Well, hello again, you death traps from hell,” she said with a small smile to the shoes before slipping them on.
She walked back into the bathroom to add a spritz of perfume before she readjusted her necklace and took a deep breath. Nodding, she started towards the door, listening to the knock that sounded against it. “Are you ready yet?” JC asked, and from the noise, she figured that he leaned against it.
Instantly, she froze. Was this what she really wanted to do, what she wanted to wear? Why was it such a problem now whenever she was around JC. “Um...give me another few minutes, okay? I’ll meet you downstairs.” He sighed and she listened as he walked down the stairs. She hurried back to the mirror and looked at herself, smoothing her hands over the material. “Damn it, I don’t know if I have anything else to wear,” she said, going to the closet before she stopped herself.
“No. This is what I want to wear, and that’s that. Besides, he told me to make all those guys’ knees weak. I don’t know if I can, but this would sure be a strong contender,” she whispered to herself before smiling and walking to the door. She opened it and shut it softly behind her. No matter how quiet she was, she knew that JC heard it by the way that his footsteps sounded until he reached the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her. His mouth dropped open when he looked at her and she giggled, walking down the stairs.
JC managed to snap out of his daze, and walked to the bottom stair, extending his hand. She took it with a smile and stepped down to the ground, turning for him to see. “Well, you couldn’t stop talking about the ACMA dress, so I figured...what the hell? You seemed to want to see it so badly, now you’ve got it.”
“I think my knees just went weak,” he murmured, looking her over. At this rate, if she kept up the way she was now, that promise that he made himself wasn’t going to last very long. He took a deep breath and smiled finally, his eyes sparkling brightly. “I guess we should go. Do you want to take my car? I rented the convertible again.”
Laughing, she walked over to the coat closet that he had never seen her open and looked in there before taking out a thin white coat that tied around her waist, open still at the top and bottom, just as long as her dress. “I suppose. You seem to have a thing for that car.”
“Hey, it crushed your cell phone, didn’t it? I’ve never seen you wear that coat before.”
“Because I never dressed up for anything when I went out with you. I haven’t worn it for a few years. I’m surprised that it still fits.”
He laughed, escorting her outside to the car. “You do look beautiful, New York. It’s much better seeing you like this in person than on television.” Her cheeks flushed quickly before she smiled back at him.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “Whoa, I just realized what you were wearing. I don’t think I’ve seen you in a suit before, but after tonight, I only have one thing to say.” He looked at her curiously. “Can I keep you?” she asked with a laugh as he opened up the passenger side door for her. She slipped in and he shut the door softly.
“New York, you can’t get rid of me. Do you want me to keep the top down? It’s pretty warm tonight.” Her head nodded and she reached over her shoulder for her seat belt, securing it quickly. It didn’t take long for JC to get into the driver’s seat and start the ignition, pulling out of the driveway.
Neither of them talked over the roar of the wind, but instead, Brooklyn sang along with the radio, and hit JC every time he would start to laugh. Every now and then he would look over at her and smile. He felt blessed to be in the presence of such a wonderful woman, even if they were just friends now. He repeated the mantra to himself over and over. As soon as they entered Nashville, however, Brooklyn reached to turn down the radio and smile at the shops and people as they drove by. Every now and then, someone would recognize the two of them, since JC was becoming a common sight in Nashville over the past few months, and they would wave back, or in Brooklyn’s case, assure one driver at a red light that she was just fine and yes, the new album was coming out soon.
They were laughing as they pulled up to the restaurant and immediately, the valet came to open Brooklyn’s door before helping her out. “Miss Turner, it’s wonderful to see you,” the man gushed, smiling brightly. She nodded, trying not to laugh as JC got out and handed him the keys, waiting for a ticket. He nodded crisply and took the car away as the two of them headed up the stairs to the quiet and dimly lit restaurant. The doorman held open the doors for them as JC walked up to the hostess, giving his name quietly as Brooklyn looked around.
However, the hostess got her attention back. “Miss Turner, Mr. Chasez, we are so pleased to have Nashville’s most adorable couple at our establishment.” JC looked over at Brooklyn when the woman practically squealed and raised his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. Brooklyn just smiled, putting her hand on her arm.
“I think you’re mistaken...Mandy,” she said, looking at the nameplate on the desk. “We’re not dating. We’re only friends.”
Mandy smiled and winked at Brooklyn, who sighed quietly. “If you say so, Miss Turner. You don’t have to worry. Our staff and guests don’t gossip to those...dirt sheets,” she said with a perfect toothpaste smile. “Please, come right this way. We reserved a special table for you. It is so nice having musical royalty with us.” Brooklyn and JC smiled until the woman walked ahead of them. As soon as she couldn’t see them, they dropped the smiles and rolled their eyes.
She looked over at JC and smirked. “You picked a winner,” she whispered, laughing as they followed behind the hostess. Mandy seated them at their table and hurried to take Brooklyn’s coat, pronouncing it to be the “cutest thing she ever saw”, in a high, grating voice. Once she left, Brooklyn leaned over the small table, which was in the center of the restaurant. So that was what the hostess meant when she said that they reserved a special table. “JC, I really have to thank you for this dinner, but you’re going to be paying for my aspirin if we get out of this alive.”
“I’ll make sure to get a big bottle, because I think I’m going to need some, too.” They both laughed softly. “You have to admit, though. This place is pretty nice.”
Looking around, she nodded. It WAS a beautiful place. Her favorite part about it was the band that was playing very softly in a shadowed corner. “Yeah, okay, but still...” she whined with a laugh. “You know that we didn’t have to come to a place like this, though, right? I mean, I’m just as happy with some Burger King.”
He grinned from across the table. “I know, but New York, you can’t live on burgers.”
“I’d love to try. I’m sure I could. I just wouldn’t look that great after a little while.” She smiled and took another chance to look around. From what she had read on the place before, it was the place where a lot of celebrities and musicians liked to come for dinner when they were in town. It didn’t look so bad, and it was a nice change for one night, but she knew that she wasn’t going to come back every week. “JC, you never said anything. With a comment like that, you’re supposed to say something to the effect of ‘you don’t have to worry about that. You’d still look great to me’ or at least a little shake of the head. Boost my ego. That’s why I keep you around.”
“Uh huh. Thanks,” he said dryly, as the waiter came up to their table and left them with menus. Brooklyn shook her head and opened hers, looking at it.
She sighed and took his out of his hands. “I hate these places that give the men the prices and leave the women with the food listings. Let me see how much I’m blowing on dinner tonight,” she said, opening his. Her mouth dropped open before it shut quickly and she looked at him over the menu. “You are going to be doing a hell of a lot of grocery shopping with me if you expect me to eat here. Holy crap,” she whispered, her eyes looking down the list. “I don’t think there’s anything under a hundred dollars on here.”
For some reason, one that she couldn’t fathom, he started to laugh. He tried to keep it quiet, but they ended up attracting a little bit of attention anyway. Brooklyn just smiled sweetly before kicking him under the table. “Ow,” he complained, one hand going down under the cloth to rub his shin. “New York, I don’t think you understand the whole process behind this. I’m taking you out, therefore, I’m paying.”
“My ass you’re paying. JC, you know me better than this.”
They stared at each other, not speaking in their hushed whispers for a moment. Finally, they both blinked at the same time and looked away. “Has there been one time that the two of us have gone out together and you haven’t paid for all of the meal or at least your portion?” Her head shook stubbornly. “Then, it’s about time that I started to pay you back. Don’t pout, it doesn’t go well with the dress,” he said with a smirk when she looked back at him.
“Don’t smirk. It doesn’t go well with the tie. You are not paying for me, and that’s final. I can more than afford this, but the problem is that you didn’t TELL me that I was going to be spending this much on dinner when we could have just ordered a pizza and left it at that.”
His head shook with a small laugh before he looked over at her again. This was the Brooklyn that he liked the most. The one that would defend herself and her choices to her dying day. The one that would get riled up in such a classy place and still try to contain herself. “I just came from a tour where I was eating fast food and pizza quite often. Don’t you think that I could use a little break from that stuff? Besides, your cooking isn’t as great as you think it is.”
Neither of them could believe what she did next, but she never stopped herself. Instead, she stuck her tongue out at him, and then blushed when she realized where she was. “Oops. That’s one for the papers.”
“It can be this place’s claim to fame. Brooklyn Turner stuck her tongue out at her date at this very table,” he said, imitating the hostess’ voice. Brooklyn just shook her head and giggled softly.
Dinner went by without another fight. When they were finished, they ordered desert and Brooklyn looked around for a moment. “I’ll be right back. If my chocolate thingie comes before I get back and I see that you took a bite out of it, I’ll kick your butt from here to China.”
“Thanks,” he said with a bright smile, standing up when she left the table. As soon as she was out of sight, he motioned to the waiter. His hand went to his back pocket and he took out his wallet, passing him a credit card. “Thanks,” he said, putting his wallet back and drumming his fingers on the table as he waited. He wanted the waiter to come back before Brooklyn did, and he was lucky enough for that to happen. He signed the bill and took his card back, putting his wallet back just in time.
Brooklyn sat back down across from him and smiled when the chocolate “thingie”, as she called it, was placed in front of her. “Oh, wow. I’m not going to fit in the passenger seat if I keep eating like this. First the Caesar salad, then the lobster, and now this? I’m in heaven.” Her eyes flashed towards him.
Grinning, he answered her. “Don’t worry, New York. No matter what, you’ll still look great to me,” he said automatically, laughing when she smiled.
“I’ll have you wrapped around my little finger yet. Don’t you worry about that. So, how much do I have to fork over for this?” she asked, taking a bite and groaning. “Never mind, if you say one word to interrupt my little orgasm moment with a piece of chocolate...thingie, I’ll be very mad.”
He waited until she finished to talk. “Uh...it’s a little late, New York,” he said quietly. He had forgotten that he would have to tell her that he paid already. “See...the waiter came over with the bill when you were gone and I...uh...yeah, that’s it.”
“And I...uh...yeah, that’s it? You paid,” she said, her face showing her understanding. “You ass, I told you not to.” Despite the fact that she was smiling, the words were coming through her gritted teeth, and sounded sweet. She definitely put on a good show when she didn’t want people to know that she was upset. “I told you not to.”
Recovering, he dropped some extra cash from his pocket on the table and stood up, pulling out her chair for her. “It’s a little too late for that, sweetie,” he said, escorting her to the front. The hostess stopped them to give back Brooklyn’s jacket and made a few more comments about them before they walked outside, into the fresh air. Brooklyn smiled and didn’t say a word until the valet brought the car around and they were inside, driving away.
Her fist came out and pounded him on the arm. JC was laughing, mixing in protests at the same time. “You ass. You ass. You ass. Why did you do that? I told you not to.” Each word was followed by a quick punch. “I cannot believe you. Turn right here,” she said, watching as he did so, a confused look on his face. “Don’t give me that look. We have one more stop to make.”
“Is this some sort of punishment for paying?” he asked, trying not to smile.
“If you say one more word about that, I don’t care, I WILL, seriously, kick your butt. I may not be wearing shorts underneath, but I can so a hell of a lot of damage.” She crossed her arms and slumped in her seat. “Turn left.” He did and his eyes brightened when he realized where she was taking him. Without another word, he pulled into the parking lot and stopped. As quick as possible, he came around to her door to open it before she got the chance to. “You know, playing the perfect gentleman now will not help you one little bit.” Taking his arm, she marched him inside the roller rink and went up to the counter.
The person behind it gawked at them like they were crazy. Both of them were dressed to kill...and they were rented roller skates and Rollerblades? Still, he rented them out to them and the duo left their shoes in the locker, after Brooklyn reached underneath the counter to pick up a pair of socks to wear with the roller skates. “You ready?” she asked, looking at the mainly teenaged crowd skating around. It was a Friday, after all, she realized.
“Let’s go,” he said with a laugh, taking her hand and pulling her out onto the skating surface. Quite a few people stopped to look at them when they noticed that two elegantly dressed people were out there, skating around without a care in the world. Brooklyn turned around and skated backwards, waving at someone who stared blankly at her. “Hey, have you noticed something funny around here, New York?” he asked.
She looked up at him and smiled brightly. “Yeah. For some reason, people seem to be staring at us. I wonder why.”
“I have no clue,” he said, turning her around to skate forward when the song that was playing finished and another one started up. “Wow, how old is this one?” he asked, when he recognized her voice.
“I was...nineteen, I think, when they released this one. That was a LONG time ago,” she said with a chuckle. Suddenly, she stopped and looked towards the center. “Okay, I know that we both have bad memories of this, but they’re starting to play Crack The Whip. Want to join in?” she asked.
Not like she gave him the chance to answer. Before he knew it, he was pulled to the group, and again, like the last time, they joined in the middle. The only difference, besides the clothes, was the fact that they weren’t being chased by autograph seeking teenage girls. They also weren’t going to create a pile up in the center of the rink, like before.
JC couldn’t help grinning when he watched Brooklyn. The way that her head fell back when she laughed, and the way that she squealed whenever someone decided to start a tight turn. Even the sound of her skirts rustling in a circle as she was turned, the simple way that her necklace, the one that he had given her, caught the light. Everything about her seemed so much more happy, like she was letting her life get back to normal.
Then again, and ignoring his promise for a moment, his heart still beat a little faster whenever she directed her smile towards him.
“JC, are you crazy?” she asked, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes to look over at him. “If you keep this up, I’m going to make you hold my purse.”
A horrified look went over his face before he pushed her and laughed. “New York, anything but that. Not the purse.” She smirked and threw it down in the top of the shopping cart, pushing it through the door. “I’m serious. Come on, how many times have I come out to Belleview to visit you?”
Her lips pursed as she thought about it before she stopped at the camera display in the front of the store. “Too many times to actually count, I guess,” she said distractedly as she threw three packages of film into the cart and moved on.
“Exactly. And how many times have you come out to Orlando to visit me?”
“That’s an easy one to count. Let’s see...” She stopped beside a table of fruit and looked through it, reaching for a bag. Three oranges dropped into it before she put that beside her purse. “Zero. Math was never my strong suit,” she said with a bright smile as she went past him towards the apples.
Rolling his eyes, he hurried after her and leaned against the display, crossing his arms. “There you go. I think, out of all the Frequent Flier Miles that I racked up coming out here, you can at least come out to see me once. It’s not that hard to book a flight, is it?”
“Impossible for someone with my mentality. I thought that you knew that I had a lot to do with this new tour and album. Besides, I know that you guys have quite a lot to do.”
That confused him. He hadn’t told Brooklyn what they were going to be doing soon, so he didn’t know how she could actually know. He was still thinking of it as she pushed the cart a little further into the store, looking around for what she needed. “How do you know what we’re doing?” he asked finally. There was no doubt that he was going to be embarrassed if she told him that he told her.
Her head turned back and at the same time, her small ponytail moved slightly. “Oh, Lance e-mailed me a copy of your schedule coming up. Didn’t he tell you?”
A frown settled on his face for a moment. Lance. For some reason, it always came back to Lance. Not that JC had any problems with the fact that they were friends, but sometimes, he wondered about their relationship. He wasn’t worried, because he had no ties to Brooklyn at all, but for some reason, every time he was confused, it was Lance. Before, it had been Tim. Now? One of his own friends. “I didn’t know that you guys were still setting the record for sending e-mails,” he said softly, leaning against a display of lettuce now.
“Of course. We just don’t know if there is a record for that. Oh, you might want to move,” she said with a hint of a smile as she placed the bag in her cart and looked at him.
He shook his head quickly. “Why would I want to...” He trailed off when the water mist above the lettuce turned on, sending a wave of cold air on his back. He jumped quickly and walked away, shaking his head again at her laugh.
When she raised her head, she winked at him. “Uh oh, the great Joshua Scott Chasez is shaking his head at me. Am I outcast from the world now?” she asked, rolling past him towards the salad dressings on the opposite wall.
His eyes coursed around the super market, and for a moment, all the people made him stop thinking about what he wanted to do. Then again, he was known for being in front of people. Trying not to laugh, he ran up to Brooklyn, causing her to turn, with a confused look. Suddenly, he dropped down to his knees and grinned up at her. His hands made the age old pleading gesture and she covered her mouth with her hand to stop her laughter from coming out. “New York, if you ever do one thing for me, and forget about the whole coming out to see me thing, but if there is ONE thing that you do for me, please let it be the fact that you call me by my full name every single time?” he asked, biting the inside of his cheek so that he wouldn’t burst out into laughter.
Tears rose in her eyes as she finally let her laughter out, holding herself around the waist. Everyone had turned to look their way, but Brooklyn took no notice of them. Instead, she wiped away her tears and looked down at him, her eyes sparkling. “I think I need to write myself a note or tie a string around my finger to remind me that I’m NEVER calling you by your full name again. Something tells me that you’re getting just a little too hot and bothered by that. Where’s Mia when I need her?” she asked, walking away from him.
By the time he had gotten up off the ground and ran after her, she was looking through cartons of eggs. “I don’t think that they’ll hatch if you stare at them. They’re not in the store for that reason.”
“Are you calling me an old hen or something?” she asked, putting the carton down carefully and walking a little further towards the butter. “I saw that evil gleam in your eyes. If you so much as go near the toilet plungers, my foot will be so far up your ass, it’s not funny.”
His mouth dropped open. “How did you know I was going to do that? New York,” he whined.
With a smile on her face, she walked closer to him and crossed her arms, propping them on his shoulder as she looked at him. “Are you scared, JC?” she asked, making sure to put an emphasis on his nickname.
When she let go and started to walk away, he called out to her. “New York? I think you have it the wrong way. YOU should be the one that’s afraid of ME.”
“I’m terrified, really.”
And how that would ring true, even if she didn’t realize it.
Chapter Two
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