Dani opened her door to see a teary-eyed Justin,
“Hey.” She said gently and pulled him into her room, shutting the door behind him.
“Sorry to wake you-”
“No, hon, it’s okay. Obviously it was important. What happened?”
“I got a call from Wade today.” He said softly, trying desperately to hold back the tears.
“Hey now, come here.” She said pulling him into her arms. Justin held her tightly and took a couple deep breaths. “Take your time Justin.”
“Britney cheated on me.” He said and she was silent for a second,
“Jesus Justin, that sucks.”
“I just didn’t know where to go. I didn’t want to be in my room and I didn’t want to-”
“You’re always welcomed here shorty.” She interrupted him and he sighed a sigh of relief,
“Why did this have to happen now?”
“I don’t know honey. Come on and sit down.”
“Okay.” He sighed, “I’m really sorry for doing this to you…” Dani pulled him down on her couch.
“Shh…that’s what friends are for.” She rubbed his head affectionately, “Did you talk to Britney yet?”
“Yeah, she didn’t deny it. It’s happened more than once. She was really upset about the whole thing.”
“Nice time to be upset about it.” Dani muttered, “They’re always sorry afterward.” She looked away bitterly,
“Dani?” Justin asked and she let out a deep breath,
“Don’t mind me.” She shook her head, “I just understand all to well what you’re going through.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, about a year ago, the same thing happened to me. It was my boyfriend, Dale and a good friend of mine from college, actually she was my roommate. It hurt so bad when it happened, like my heart had been ripped-”
“Out of your chest and stomped on multiple times?”
“Exactly.” She shrugged, “He was all like ‘She didn’t mean anything to me, it was a mistake, I still love you, give me another chance, blah, blah, fucking, blah.” She shook her head of the memory and Justin stared at her,
“Were you eavesdropping on my conversation with Brit, because that’s exactly what she said.”
“I guess there’s a trend with mouseketeers.” She sighed and leaned back against the couch. Justin narrowed his eyes,
“Mouseketeers? You mean Dale, Dale? Tony’s Dale?”
“Yep, the one and only. But not all you mouseketeers are bad.” She squeezed Justin’s hand lightly, “Must be Nsync.” She smirked and Justin grinned,
“Nah, I think it’s Chris.” Justin said and she burst out laughing,
“Chris huh?”
“Yep.” He smirked and laughed with her. They sat there after they had stopped laughing just looking at each other, “Thanks Dani.” He said pulling her over into a hug.
“Thank you.” She replied,
“I’m really glad you’re here to help me.”
“You do the same for me Justin.” She said and laid her head on his chest with a sigh, “Good thing we have each other huh?”
“Yeah, a definite good thing.”
“We’re gonna try to work things out.” He stated and her eyes flew up to meet his,
“You are?” She said instantly taking his hand in hers,
“Yeah, I love her so much and I’m willing to give it a chance, you know?” She squeezed his hand with a nod,
“As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. That’s all I want for you.” Justin cocked his head at Dani. She wasn’t judging him either way for his decision, just supporting him.
“Thanks, that’s all I want too. She makes me happy.”
“Then be with her.” She smiled warmly and squeezed his hand,
“Thanks for that night. You don’t know how much it helped me.”
“Anytime Shorty.” She nodded and he smiled,
“Well I’ve got to go, dinner tonight?”
“Sure, sounds great. See you later babe.”
“Bye Dani.” He waved walking away and Dani simply smiled as she watched him go. That boy was in over his head, but that was his decision to make. Just then Tony walked up to her,
“You are in so much trouble.” He said and she turned to him,
“What did I do now?”
“We had to pay for another bed cover because you ruined it with paint.”
“Sorry.” She shrugged as she took a bite of her honey dew,
“Sorry? That was the tenth one you’ve ruin! They’ve been charging us an arm and a leg for them and now I’m in trouble for it.”
“I’m sorry I don’t mean to.”
“Why can’t you paint on a fucking easel like a normal artist?” He hissed,
“No artist is normal.” She replied,
“Dani you can’t keep doing it. You get an easel or I’m gonna take away your art supplies.” He threatened and she rolled her eyes,
“How the hell are you going to do that?”
“Just fucking do it. I don’t need people breathing down my neck because of your stupid stunts.”
“Look I said I’m sorry, what more do you want?”
“I want you to be more responsible and act your age!”
“Act my age? Look who’s throwing the temper tantrum, real mature Tony!”
“I’m not throwing a temper tantrum.” He said stomping his foot and she rolled her eyes,
“Please you’re one step from throwing yourself down on the floor, kicking and pounding.”
“You know I could just send you home! It’s a privilege to be here with me!”
“A privilege? When did this become a privilege? It’s more like a fucking babysitting job to me!” She screamed back, “If you don’t want me here why DON'T you just fucking send me home!”
“Maybe I will! Then you could ruin anything you wanted with paint!”
“Whatever! I’m not dealing with you today, you’re irrational!” She said stomping away,
“Fine stomp away!” He screamed after her,
“I will!” She yelled over her shoulder,
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
“Dani, you don’t have too.” JC said and she shrugged,
“I ate, I can clean.” She said and put the dishes in the sink, rinsing them off.
“Well, I won’t let you do it all by yourself.” He said and got up to help her clean. They chatted lightly about the tour as they moved easily around each other in the kitchen. It was like they did this everyday.
Justin sat back and watched the two interact together. Seeing them together just seemed normal. He hit Chris in the arm,
“What?” He asked and Justin nodded in the direction of the kitchen. Chris looked and shrugged, “So?”
“Doesn’t it look right?”
“Got me, it’s just JC and Dani.”
“They just look like they belong together.”
“He’s her brother’s best friend. They’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Exactly, they’re perfect.” Justin smiled to himself as he began to formulate a plan of action...
“Hey Dani.” He said plopping down next to her.
“Hey Justin.” She said only lowering her book to see who was there.
“Whatcha reading?” Justin asked and Dani sighed, putting her book down.
“Nothing because obviously you want to talk.” She said lightly teasing him,
“No, well, yeah. I just want to ask you something.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Have you ever thought of being more with JC?” He asked and she raised an eyebrow at him,
“What? Speak English boy.”
“Have you ever thought of JC, as in more than a friend?”
“Uh, no. He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“You’ve never even thought of him that way, ever?” Justin inquired suggestively,
“Where are you going with this?”
“I just see how well you two go together and-”
“Whoa, Justin stop the thought train right there. JC’s a nice guy and all, but he’s just Jace. He’s like a brother to me or at least a cousin. He’s been that guy that I can count on to help me when Tony can’t. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Okay, okay, I was just throwing the thought around, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well put that thought down, you’ll hurt yourself.” She laughed picking up her book again, “That would be a riot, me and JC together.” She said to herself and Justin got up from the seat and went into the back. He saw JC sitting there reading a book too. ‘They don’t realize how alike they really are.’ Justin smirked and sat down next to JC,
“Hey C.”
“Hey Jay.”
“Can I talk to you?” JC sighed and put down his book,
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I have a question.”
“Okay, shoot.” Justin smiled at the phrase,
“What do you think of Dani?”
“Dani, she’s cool. Why?”
“That’s all you think of her, that she’s cool?”
“She’s my best friend’s little sister? I’ve known her since she was thirteen? What are you trying to get at?” Justin shrugged,
“I was just thinking about how good you guys get along, that’s all.”
“Of course we get along, we’re friends. Friends tend to get along.”
“Have you always seen Dani as Tony’s little sister? Nothing more?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever wanted to be more than friends with Dani?”
“No! She’s like my sister!”
“Really? You’ve never thought that Dani was hot? You’re a man and she’s a gorgeous woman.”
“Yeah, I mean she is a pretty girl. What are you trying to tell me Justin?”
“I just thought that you two went well together that’s all.”
“Yeah, okay, that’s never gonna happen. It’s Dani.” He stated picking up his book again signaling to Justin that the conversation was over. Justin sighed and got up still going over his thoughts. ‘They do go well together, maybe if they just saw it.’
JC looked over at Dani and caught her looking. He smiled at her. She waved quickly before turning back to her magazine. He sauntered over to her,
“Like what you see of the C monster?” He teased doing muscle man poses. Dani didn’t even look up from her magazine.
“The cookie monster? He’s okay, a little too blue and hairy for me.” She replied nonchalantly,
“I’ve got something that’s hairy and blue if you’re hungry.” He said naughtily. Dani looked up at him and shrugged,
“Well, okay, if you’re offering.” She reached for his belt to undo it and JC jumped back,
“Hey, I was kidding!” He shouted and Dani started laughing uncontrollably.
“Aw, Chip,” She laughed even harder, “that was too much.” JC put on a wife beater and sat down next to her. She was still laughing, “You should have seen your face.”
“Ha, ha, Dani. I should tell Tony about this.”
“Go ahead, remember we’re betrothed?” He chuckled and sat back on the couch,
“That’s right, so if you’re offering…” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes,
“Nope, not gonna happen. No friendship head for you.”
“Friendship head?” He questioned and she laughed,
“You’ve never heard of friendship head? Sexually frustrated friends helping each other out?”
“No, but it sounds like something I SHOULD have known about.”
“Oh, well, maybe you should read Maxim more often.” She said lifting her magazine up a little,
“You read Maxim? Now I know you’ve hung around Joey and Justin too much.”
“I’ve read Maxim ever since I moved in with Tony. It’s hilarious, I love it.” She reached up and pulled her hair out of the messy bun she had it in. Her deep auburn tresses tumbled in soft waves down her back as she shook it out. JC was slightly mesmerized by it, it looked so soft and smooth. She noticed his gaze, “What?”
“I didn’t realize that your hair had gotten so long.”
“Yeah, well most people don’t, because it’s always up.”
“You should wear it down more often, especially if you go to all the trouble of doing it.” He reached out and fingered a few locks. It was as soft as it looked and even smoother. Dani looked at him,
“I didn’t do my hair today. I washed it and pulled it up, this frizz just happens.” JC grew more bold and ran some through his fingers,
“You mean all this happens naturally?”
“I guess, you think it looks good?” She cocked her head to the side,
“Yeah, most girls would die for their hair to look like this naturally.” His strong hands massaged her scalp, fingering her hair. She closed her eyes and leaned back towards him,
“Chip, that feels so good. You’re hired.”
“For what?”
“To do this.”
“Think you could afford me?” He joked,
“You’ll be begging for a job when you can’t wiggle that ass anymore.” She teased, “If you’re nice to me, I’ll hire you.” She joked and JC put both of his hands in her hair,
“You know I have other talents besides singing and dancing.”
“Mmm hmm, but I bet they’re not as good as this.”
“You wanna bet?” He said seductively and she looked him up and down,
“You’re certainly sure of yourself.”
“So are you.” He said with a smile and she shook her head,
“On that note, I’m gonna find Justin.” She laughed as she got up, “See you around, Chip.”