Izzy was fixing herself a sandwich in the kitchen of the bus when JC came up behind her and placed his hands on her waist.
“So do I have you all to myself for a little while? No working for Joey?” He whispered into her ear,
“He’s my boss. If he needs something I need to do it.” She smiled back,
“But right now…?”
“I’m free.” She said and he pulled her against him,.
“Good.” He replied and she giggled,
“Someone’s being frisky today.” She mused,
“You got that right.” Izzy wiggled her butt against him and he pulled her tighter,
“You’re asking for it.” He growled playfully.
“What am I asking for?” She asked innocently and JC whipped her around and pressed her against the counter. He kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, “Oh that.” She said in between kisses and JC began grinding against her making moans escape from her throat. He pulled both of her legs up around his waist, sitting her on the counter and grinded harder.
“Mmm, Izzy I want you.” He said breathlessly kissing her again,
“What do you,” she paused for another kiss, “want to go at it right here?” She said and JC grinned,
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He said and she giggled as she pulled him in for another kiss.
Lance and Chris walked in on their make out session.
“Aw man not the kitchen! Couldn’t you two at least make out on the floor?” Chris shouted and the two broke apart,
“Sorry, we got, uh, a little carried away.” She said wincing a little, Lance’s hurt look was killing her,
“Yeah, well go get carried away in your bunk, where we don’t have to see it.” Chris half joked,
“Okay.” JC said picking her up in his arms and carrying her to his bunk.
“Jace, my sandwich.”
“It can wait till later.” He smiled and placed her on his bunk. JC crawled in and pulled the curtain shut.
“Whatever you two do, keep it quiet.” Chris shouted after them,
“Might be a problem since Izzy’s a screamer.” JC yelled back and she smacked him, “Ow! Hey no rough playing.” He teased pulling her close again. He went to kiss her when he noticed her face,
“What’s wrong?” She sighed,
“Nothing, just Lance, we should be careful around him, that’s all.” She whispered,
“Izzy, we’ve been through this. We can’t walk on eggshells around him because he doesn’t like us together.”
“I’m just saying that we should be more considerate.” She said angrily,
“Whoa, why are you getting so upset?”
“Because you’re being an asshole. He’s your friend and you should care that he’s hurting.”
“I do care, but really, we’ve been hiding this for so long that I don’t want to anymore. I’m finally able to say I love you in front of people and I don’t care who hears it.”
“I know, I know, I feel the same way, but others don’t. It’s a little weird for people and we just have to be careful that’s all. I mean what we were doing in the kitchen was a little much.”
“You didn’t think so then…” JC said trailing a finger from her jaw to the valley of her breasts.
“I know, it’s just so easy to get caught up with you.” She whispered and he played with the buttons on her shirt. Slowly he popped each one undone,
“I can’t help it, when I’m around you I just wanna touch you, hold you, feel you and never let go.” JC eyes were filled with desire and Izzy pulled him down into a passionate kiss.
“Hey, sweets, can I sit?”
“I guess.” He mumbled not looking up from the papers he was reading. She reached over and gently touched his arm,
“Can we talk?” 0
“Can it wait? I’m kind of busy.” He said coldly and lifted the papers slightly. Izzy dropped her hand and looked down,
“I guess it can. When will you be done?” Lance couldn’t take the hurt in her voice and in her eyes.
“Right now.” He sighed placing the papers off to the side. “What did you need to talk about?”
“Us.” She said quietly sitting down across from him, “I miss us. I miss my friend. Next to Joey, you were my closest friend on this tour and now I feel like I lost you.”
“Izzy, it’s too hard for me.”
“Why?”
“Because every time I see you and JC together I feel like my heart’s been ripped apart! I can’t sit back and watch you be with someone else, especially JC!”
“So you’re going to cut me out of your life, forever?”
“It’s a little hard to do that, now isn’t it?”
“Lance, we never used to talk about JC and me. We had really great talks about everything else. We always had fun together, why can’t we be like that again?”
“Because things are not the same.”
“You can’t just forget about me and JC?”
“Not when it’s shoved in my face 24/7.” Lance shot at her and she was quiet for a moment,
“So where does this leave us?”
“Right now, I don’t know.”
“Could you tell me when you do?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks.” She said getting up from her seat. Izzy paused a minute as if to say something but didn’t and walked away. Lance put his head down on the table. How the hell was he going to deal with this?
“Hey Izzy-bell?”
“Yeah Joe?”
“Can you get me a water?” She looked up at him with relief.
“Yeah sure.” She turned to the rest of the guys, “Do you guys want anything?”
“I’ll take an ice tea, Iz.” Justin said.
“Mountain dew for me, please.” Chris chipped in and she turned to Lance who was quiet,
“Lance?”
“No, I’m fine.” He said without meeting her eyes, Izzy closed her eyes and turned to JC.
“I’ll take a water.” He paused when he saw her face, “Why don’t I help you get those drinks.” He said and got up from his seat,
“No, I can handle it, you sit.” She said and got up from her seat.
“It’s okay hon, I don’t mind.” Izzy winced at the hon part and gave into JC because she didn’t want to cause a scene,
“Fine.” She said quietly and walked away without waiting for him. JC quickly caught up to her,
“Hey are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said not looking at him. JC gently grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
“Are you sure?” He asked cupping her face and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“I’m fine, I need to get the drinks.” JC didn’t let her move away,
“Throw me another line of bullshit.” He said sarcastically, “Look at me Izzy.” She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his. They were filled with pain and edged with tears. “Baby.” He whispered and pulled her into his arms. She resisted and pulled away from him. “What?” He asked softly and her eyes shifted back to the group quickly before going back to him,
“I have to get those drinks.” She said and walked away from him. JC looked back to the group and met Lance’s angry eyes that were glaring at him. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Nothing in their relationship was going to be easy. He caught up with Izzy at the food table as she pulled out the drinks that were requested.
“Izzy, please can we go and talk? You look like you’re going to explode. We can go somewhere else and talk, we don’t have to do it here.” He said calmly and reached out for her hand. She pulled back,
“Don’t, not here.” She whispered,
“Then come and talk to me.”
“The drinks…” JC pulled the bottles out of her hand and handed them to one of the crew guys who was standing near by.
“I’ll give you ten bucks if you run these over to the guys.”
“Sure.” He said,
“Jace, no.” JC didn’t listen to her and handed the guy ten bucks. JC turned back to Izzy,
“Now will you come and talk to me?”
“I could have done it.”
“Now you don’t. Come on.” He waved her over the table and she followed. He lead her to a side dressing room that was unoccupied and shut the door behind them. She walked in and leaned against the counter.
“What do you want to talk about?” She mumbled crossing her arms,
“Why you’re so upset.” He said and slowly crossed over the room. He stopped in front of her,
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah right. You looked ready to cry out there. I think I know why, but I don’t want to assume. Can I touch you now?” He asked gently and she looked up into his eyes. She realized that what she was doing was hurting him and that he only wanted to help. Izzy folded herself into his arms and laid her head against his chest. JC sighed a sigh of relief and held her tight.
“I’m sorry, I just hate this. I hate what we’re doing to Lance. It makes me feel that this is all wrong.”
“No, don’t you ever think that Izzy.” He whispered into her hair.
“I know it’s not. I just can’t take the way he looks at me whenever I’m near you. I feel so awful and I can’t do anything about it. Cause if we stay together then I’m hurting Lance but the other way I’m hurting you. I get hurt either way.” She said and a tear slipped down her cheek. “Either I lose one of my best friends or I lose the man I love. I don’t want to lose either.”
“I don’t want to lose you either. You know what though? Lance WILL get over this, he has too, because I’m not letting you go, not after six years of looking for you, not again and definitely not without a fight.” He said more to himself than her. “What do you want me to do?” He asked, “I’ll do whatever makes it easier for you. I hate seeing you this way.” He stroked her hair gently.
“I don’t know. I guess, just try to really cool it around Lance. Don’t be so touchy feely, I want to be with you but…”
“I understand, I’ll let you make the first move as long as it only happens around Lance. If he’s not around all rules are off.” He smiled at her and she smiled back,
“That’s fine with me.” She leaned up and kissed him,
“Good.”