Izzy woke to her phone ringing the next morning. She groggily answered it,
“Hello?”
“Isabella Angelina Mariani! How dare you?!” It was her sister Gina.
“Gina?” Izzy asked completely confused.
“Yes, it’s Gina, you’re older sister remember?” Izzy looked at her clock, it was 6 am.
“Gina, it’s 6 am why the hell are you calling me?”
“Were you ever going to call me and tell me that you got engaged? Or do you have so many sisters that I just got lost in the shuffle?”
“Engaged? Gina I’m not engaged. What the hell are you talking about?
“Oh don’t play innocent with me young lady. It’s all over the news, you and Lance got engaged. You announced it at the award show last night. So were you ever planning on telling me?” Izzy was completely awake now.
“Gina, I’m telling you that I’m not engaged, I swear. I’m not even seeing anyone right now. It’s just a rumor.”
“Please I saw the pictures.”
“Gina,” Izzy sighed, “if I got engaged don’t you think the first person I call would be mom? Then I would call you, dumbass.”
“Uh huh sure. Turn on your television then.” Izzy found her clicker and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels till she hit MTV and Ananda Lewis was doing some morning program.
“Lance Bass is engaged girls! Word has it that his finance is Isabella Mariani, Joey’s Fatone’s personal assistant.” They flashed a picture of her and Lance from the awards show last night. It was from when they were talking to the reporter. Lance had his arm tightly around Izzy and was kissing her cheek. Her left hand was laying on his chest displaying her grandmother’s ring. Izzy sighed and flopped back in her bed.
“Gina that’s Nana’s good luck ring I’m wearing not an engagement ring.”
“It’s is?”
“Yes, so do you believe me now when I say that I’m not engaged to any of the Nsync members?”
“Yeah, I guess well you might want to call mom then, cuz I kinda all ready-”
“Gina.” Izzy whined, “Okay, fine I’ll talk to you later, bye Gina.”
“Bye Izzy.” Izzy hung up the phone and then dialed up her mother.
“Hello?” An excited voice answered the phone.
“Mother? It’s Izzy.”
“Oh hello dear how are you?” She was barely able to contain the excitement in her voice.
“Fine, look mother, I’m not engaged.” She spat out,
“Oh, congra- What?!” Her mother said shocked.
“It’s just a rumor mother, I swear. I was wearing Nana’s good luck ring and things got construed. I’m not engaged to Lance. Gina saw the news and got over excited.”
“Well what a way to play with an old woman’s heart. And hear I thought that I might actually be able to see one of my children walk down the aisle before I died.”
“Oh, please mother, stop it.”
“Well it’s the truth, I’m not getting any younger you know. Are you sure that you’re not engaged?”
“Yes, mother I’m sure. Why don’t you go bother your other three children about getting married?”
“Oh, Isabella stop.”
“Okay, well I’m going mother.”
“Bye dear.”
“Bye.” Izzy hung up the phone and sighed. It wasn’t like she was going back to bed now. She got up and went down to Lance’s room. He sleepily answered the door shortly after she knocked.
“Izzy? What’s up?” He asked rubbing his eyes.
“We’ve got a situation and it involves us.”
“Huh? What? Is this about last night? Look I said I understood-”
“No, not that, come here.” Izzy said dragging him to the TV and turned it on. She flicked around till she found what she was looking for, a morning news program.
“Fans hearts everywhere are breaking this morning. Lance Bass of mega pop group Nsync announced his engagement at the awards show last night in New York. His fiancé is Isabella Mariani, a close friend of Lance’s band mate Joey Fatone. In other news-” Izzy turned off the TV and Lance stood there in shock.
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“My sentiment’s exactly.”
“Izzy, I never said anything about us being engaged I swear.”
“I know you didn’t. I’m just trying to figure out where they got this idea from.” She sat down on his bed. “My sister woke me up this morning freaking out that I didn’t tell her. Then my mom was heartbroken.” Izzy flopped back onto the bed. Lance sat down next to her,
“Oh geez, my mom!” Suddenly a phone rang in his room and he picked it up. “Hello…Yeah, hi mom…no, I’m not…yeah it’s just a rumor…I know…yeah…okay…love you too mom, bye.” Lance hung up his phone and sighed.
“Lance let’s go to breakfast and get away from all of this. We can talk more there.”
“Izzy, it’s like 6:30 in the morning, what restaurant is open this early?”
“Dunkin Donuts , open twenty-four seven. Get dressed, I’ll be back in a few.” Izzy went back to her room and pulled on pants, a tank top and a sweatshirt jacket. She left her room to catch Lance coming down the hall to meet her.
“Hey future, Mrs. Bass.” He joked and she smiled,
“If I didn’t know any better I’d say that you were enjoying this.”
“Hey, I’m engaged to a beautiful woman. How can I go wrong?” Izzy just shook her head laughing,
“Come on, I’m starving.” Dunkin Donuts was just down the street and since it was early in the morning they didn’t bother with security. They sat in a back corner so that they wouldn’t be noticed.
“So,” Izzy said taking a quick sip of her apple juice, “how do you think they came up with the fact that we’re engaged?”
“I don’t know, the press can take three little words and blow it up and make it a war. I remember when Christina Aguilera wrote a note to Carson Daly saying, ‘Sorry I missed you, looking forward to meeting you soon.’ And the press blew it up to be that she had a secret crush on him and was stalking him.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. The only thing that I can think of is that my Nana’s rings looked like an engagement ring but everyone’s been saying that we announced it.”
“I know, I don’t remember saying that.” He said,
“I don’t remember dating you either.” She joked and Lance got real quiet. “What, did we date and I forgot?”
“No,” he took a deep breath, “What would you think if you and I, you know started dating? I promise not to ask you to marry me until at least our third date.” He smiled hopefully at her. Izzy laughed and gently held his hand,
“Lanceton, I would love to date you but, I’m kind of involved with someone right now.”
“Oh,” Lance said sitting back in his chair and playing with his cup of coffee, “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”
“That’s because I haven’t really told anybody, but things are really messed up right now and I’m so confused. It just wouldn’t be fair to you to get involved. But if things clear up and I’m free, I’ll definitely take you up on your offer. Can you believe that I’m turning down Lance Bass of Nsync?” She said and he chuckled, “God half of my sorority would kill to be me right now, hell they’re going to beat me up for saying no to you.”
They sat there talking for a while till Lance looked at his watch,
“It’s 7:30 we should be getting back. We have that interview on the View to get to.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right, well I’m ready.” She stood up and threw away her garbage as Lance slowly got up and yawned.
“Oh don’t tell me that you’re tired.” She poked.
“Well I did get woken up at six this morning.” She grabbed his hand,
“Aw poor baby. Want me to carry you?”
“Yes.” He retorted and Izzy rolled her eyes at him,
“Let’s go lazy boy.”
The rest of the boys were just getting up to go to the interview when Lance and Izzy walked down the hall together.
“Where have you guys been?” A sleepy Justin asked scratching his head.
“Discussing our engagement.” Lance replied.
“Okay.” Justin mumbled and walked by, then he stopped and turned around. “What?” Lance and Izzy could barely contain their laughter.
“Lance and I got engaged.” Izzy said and JC walked out of his room at the end of Izzy’s sentence.
“What?!” JC exclaimed.
“Yeah, didn’t you hear us announce it last night cause, every reporter that was there heard it.”
“Whoa, what?” Joey said and now all of the guys were in the hall now gaping at the two who were giggling to each other. “What do you mean you and Lance are engaged?” Joey asked, “When the hell were you two dating?” Izzy shrugged her shoulders,
“Got me, we couldn’t figure that out either, no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t find where we had dated, guess we just jumped in with both feet.”
“Wait so you’re not engaged?” Justin asked.
“No, but the rest of the world thinks we are.” Lance said,
“Yeah it’s all over CNN.” Izzy continued,
“Aw man sometimes I hate the press.” Justin spat.
“Hey this time the press worked in my favor.” Lance joked putting and arm around Izzy. JC glared at Lance,
“Why would they think that you two are engaged?” He said with a touch more hostility than he wanted too. Izzy turned to him and saw his face,
“It was because of my Nana’s good luck ring, I guess it looked like and engagement ring and since me and Lance went to the award show together, I guess they put two and two together.” She said gently,
“You mean that huge rock that you inherited from Nana?” Joey asked,
“Yeah that’s the one.”
“Okay yeah, I could see that then. The press never ceases to amaze me.”
“You’re telling me.” She agreed, “But you guys need to get going so you’re not late for your interview, kay? Now scat all of you.”
“Okay, Mrs. Bass.” Chris joked,
“So, future Mrs. Bass, you wanna help me get ready?” Lance joked along and Izzy rolled her eyes and pushed Lance away towards his room.
“Go now.” She laughed and shook her head as she went into her room to get ready as well.
JC turned and went into his room. The whole engagement thing was really bothering him even though it wasn’t really true. Izzy should have gone with him to the awards show, if she did they would be jokingly calling her Mrs. Chasez and it would be all over the news that they were engaged. Wait, what was he thinking?
“Hey sugar, where’d you go?” Bobbie’s voice drifted from the bed and he froze. He had totally forgotten that she was there.
“Oh, just some stuff happened with Lance and Izzy.”
“Oh,” she said dryly, “that gold digging slut that Lance brought to the award show last night?” JC narrowed his eyes on her,
“You don’t even know her.”
“Please, I know her type, I see it all the time.”
“Well you obviously don’t because Izzy is nothing like that.” He raised his voice a little,
“Why are you getting so upset over this, Josh. If I didn’t know better I’d say you had a thing for Izzy. But I do know better.” She said getting out of bed and walking up to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled his close. She leaned in and kissed him, the only thing was that all he could think about was Izzy. He pulled away,
“I’ve gotta take a shower before the interview.”
“Want me to join you, sugar?”
“Nah.” He said and walked into the bathroom and locked the door.
JC pondered about Izzy in the shower, he couldn’t believe the things Bobbie had said about Izzy. She was so wrong about Izzy, she was so different, so interesting. Then he stopped himself, why was he thinking this way about Izzy? This was the girl who had made his life hell for the first month or so that he knew her. Then he thought of the night on her deck and how much fun it was to talk to her. He remembered the way her beautiful green eyes showed everything she felt. How soft her long dark hair felt when he ran his hands through it. Her laugh was infectious and could be heard for a mile around. He loved the way she lit up a room when she walked in. Wait, did he just say love? JC smiled to himself, he did.