A whole lotta loving and a shower later, we decide to drive out to the studio to see if Ali needs any help wrapping up the shoot. Outside the studios, I start to head inside but Brian pulls me back and into his arms. We kiss for a while and then he rests his head against mine with a sly grin.
“So which actor do you like?”
“Huh? Well, they’re ALL very nice guys. Except Ryan Phillippe, he’s just a jerk.”
Brian laughs. “No, really… Which one?”
I give him a look. “You don’t wanna know.”
“I do!” He rests his hands on my hips. “Just tell me Jady.”
“Ugh!” I roll my eyes. “You are SO annoying.”
“Oh c’mon!” He laughs. “So…?”
I sigh. “Ok, there’s two I guess I kinda have a little crush on…”
“Two?!”
“Hey, you asked. Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walker.”
“Hmm… Ok,” he says slowly. “Let’s go on in.”
I put a hand on his chest. “I’m warnin’ you now… If you do that caveman thing…”
“What caveman thing?”
“Y’know, the way you acted with AJ when we first started dating. The whole ‘she’s MY girl’ routine.”
“But you are.”
“Yeah, I know that and YOU know that, and we’re the only two who count.”
“Ok,” he holds his hand up. “I swear.”
“NOW we can go in,” I say and head inside the building.
“Ooh, is that Josh Hartnett?” Brian whispers as we pass wardrobe.
I laugh at his tone and head inside. “Josh, meet Brian.”
“Hey Brian,” Josh greets before studying him closer. “Hey, I know you. You’re in that group right?” Brian looks pleased but before he can say anything, Josh puts his foot in it. “*NSync, yeah!” Brian winces slightly and I smother a giggle.
“Backstreet Boys actually.”
“Oh yeah! God, I’m sorry. You guys did that I Want It That Way song... Man, I loved that!”
“Thanks,” Brian grins at him.
“So, are you gettin’ photographed as well?”
“Naw, I’m on a break from the tour. I’m just hangin’ out here with my…” He glances at me and changes his ending, “Jade.”
“Oh right.” Josh grins at me. “Mark was lookin’ for you before. But Ali’s dragged him into the studio.”
“What’d he want?”
“You probably,” Josh winks and I laugh.
“Don’t we all,” says Brian dryly and I push him out of the room and into the next one where the other guys are all hanging out. We head over to the pool table where Heath and Joshua are playing. “Hey Pacey,” says Brian.
“Hey Backstreet Boy,” replies Joshua, giving Brian a quick high five. “How you doin’?”
“Good. Halfway through the second leg of our American tour. You?”
“Beating Heath at pool and I have 4 weeks off from Dawson’s. So, great.”
“Jade, about last night,” Paul comes over and walks me away from the others. “I was kinda gettin’ the idea you liked me and then when I go to kiss you… Nada. What is with you?”
“Uh, sorry Paul. I’m just… I have a boyfriend,” I tell him uncomfortably.
“A boyfriend?” he repeats. “Jeez, why couldn’t ya tell me that BEFORE I went and made a fool of myself?”
“I just… I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Damn right you weren’t!” he says angrily. “It’s that Brian guy, right?”
“Uh…yeah.”
“I knew it! God, I can’t believe you Jade! I thought you were pretty decent and you fuckin’ LIED to me and you…”
My cell phone breaks into his diatribe and I answer it gratefully, walking away from Paul as quickly as I can, “Hello?”
“Hey, did the Terrible Twosome reach ya ok?” asks AJ.
“Hey AJ, yup. They’re here.”
“Cool. Whatcha up to?”
“Hangin’ around the studio. You?”
“Fuck all. I’m gonna go wake Howie in a minute. I wanna SHOP!”
I laugh, “Whoa, that’s a surprise.”
“Hey, you know me,” he laughs. “Well, I guess I used up my free talk time for the day so I’ll say adios.”
“You’re really weird AJ, you know that?”
“I do. Bye Jady,” he hangs up and I laugh.
I join Brian and Joshua who are chatting away non-stop. “How do you guys know each other?” I ask.
“We see each other a lot on MTV and stuff,” says Joshua. “The other guys around?”
“Just Nick.” Brian turns his attention to Heath, “You must be Heath.”
“That’s me. I recognise you but…”
“Brian,” he says.
“That’s it. Hey Brian.”
“Hey,” Brian looks him up and down and then turns to me. “So, anybody else ya want me to meet or can we get outta here?”
“Brian,” I say dangerously low and he shrugs.
“I didn’t come to Tampa to hang out in a dark studio Jade.”
“Ugh! You promised,” I tell him before stomping over to where Paul and Josh are sitting. I ignore the dirty look Paul throws my way and sit on the armrest next to Josh. “How you feeling guys?”
“Whacked,” Josh groans. “I knew that third bottle of tequila was a mistake.”
I giggle and rest my hand on his arm, casting a secret glance back at Brian. He looks pissed. The muscle in his jaw is working like hell.
“You look pretty good though Jade.”
“I do? Aww, thanks,” I flirt with him and he grins. “I feel pretty yucky though. I think I’m gonna have to go to bed real early…” I manage to make the last comment sound innuendoey.
“Me too…” he winks. I giggle again and turn to look back at Brian again, but he’s gone. I sigh and stand up. Winding Brian up really is no fun.
“Well… I better go see how Ali’s doin’,” I give Josh a smile and head out of the room and into the studio. Ali is shooting Mark and Nick and Brian are muttering in a corner. Before I can head over to them my cell rings again. I check the display and see it’s Britney. I hesitate before answering because I know why she’s ringing. I sigh and open the phone up.
“Hey Brit,” I greet brightly.
“Hey Jade,” she responds. “How you doin’?”
“I’m good. Back in Tampa until tomorrow.”
“How come?”
“I’m helping Ali with a photo shoot. Correction, she’s shooting, I’m drooling.”
“Over who?”
“Mainly Mark Wahlberg, but Paul Walker and Josh Harnett are pretty easy on the eye too…”
“I am SO jealous!” she exclaims.
“Oh and did I mention that Joshua Jackson and Heath Ledger are here too?”
“Ok, now I hate you.”
“Sorry!” I laugh and she sighs heavily.
“I am seriously missing home and y’all right now.”
“Aw. Where are you?”
“Stockholm in Sweden. I have ANOTHER CrossRoads premiere to go to tonight. But another week and I can come home.”
“Cool. We’ll have to meet up.”
“Definitely,” she says. “Jade, some real fucked up stuff happened this week.”
“Yeah?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“I got a call from Justin at like 3am and he dumped me.”
“Oh no!” I act. “Why?!”
“I have not got a CLUE! He said it was cos we barely see each other right now and he’d moved on and all those other damn clichés.”
“I’m sorry Britney.”
“Yeah. I so didn’t see it coming Jade!” she suddenly wails. “I LOVE him for fuck’s sake! I asked him to wait until I get back so we could talk but he said no, he’d made his mind up and we’re over.”
“I don’t know what to say honey,” I sympathise.
“Me neither!” she exclaims and then calms down. “It’s not your problem Jade.”
“It is. You’re my friend!”
“Thanks. I just wanted to touch base with you.”
“I’m glad you did. Just one week and you’ll be back home and things will seem so much better.”
“I know.”
“And Justin is not worth it.”
“I know,” she laughs weakly. “God, I have to go. Manuela is threatening me with an eyelash curler.”
“Sounds painful,” I giggle. “Bye Brit. Call me any time you need to talk.”
“Thanks Jade. I’ll call you when I get back,” she hangs up. I put my cell away and sigh. I hated lying to her but if I told her that I already knew, it would make it worse. I walk over to Nick and Brian.
“I’m just BORED,” I hear Nick whine.
“I’m gonna go to my place,” Brian tells him. “Come along.”
“You’re leaving already?” I join them and Brian glances at me before answering.
“Yup.”
“I’m not. Ali’ll kill me if I leave already,” says Nick. “So if I wanna sleep in her bed tonight…”
“Gotcha,” I laugh.
“Well, I already have a bed for the night,” Brian states folding his arms at me.
“Have you?” I look at him until he meets my eyes before continuing. “Well, see… I’m kinda in need of a bed… Seein’ as the blonde dynamo is in my house tonight…”
“Hey!” Nick yells and Brian stifles a laugh.
“I was kinda…” I start pouting and twirling my hair, “Hoping…”
“You were?” Brian says with a raised eyebrow.
“I was.”
“Hmm…” he reaches out his hand to me and I take it with a big smile. Brian may be crap to wind up but he certainly forgets his moods easily. “Lemme just see what I can do.”
“Cool,” I say reaching up to kiss him.
“Oh puhlease!” Nick says rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. “Take it outside.”
“Who just called?” Brian asks me as I snuggle into him.
“Britney. Justin finally told her it’s over.”
“Huh?” Nick’s ears prick up. “Britney SPEARS got dumped?!”
“Uh huh,” I nod.
“That boy don’t know what he’s missing,” Nick chuckles dirtily.
“Was she ok?” Brian ignores Nick’s dirty mind.
“Not really,” I sigh. “She’s real homesick as well. I wish Justin could have waited a little.”
“Does she know he talked to you about it?”
“Nup,” I shake my head. “And I hated lying to her. I had to pretend to be all shocked and stuff.”
“You couldn’t have told her though. She’da been pissed,” he reasons.
“I know.”
“Hey guys,” Mark walks over to join us. “I loved your last album.”
“Thanks,” Nick and Brian say together.
“Wait here,” I move away from Brian and walk over to Ali who’s changing her camera film. “Hey Ali, how’s it going?”
“Good. A few more shots of Mark then I can get started on the group shots.”
“Blondie over there’s getting impatient.”
She looks over at Nick and laughs. “Aww, well he’ll have to get impatient. I got a job to do.”
“Do you need me? At all?” I ask hopefully.
“You wanna go?”
“Uh… Maybe.”
“Oh go!” she laughs. “Blondie can be my assistant.”
“Oh yeah?” I raise an eyebrow suggestively. “Gonna do the whole master thing?”
“Hey, you know it!” she giggles and whistles for Nick to come over.
He obeys and then puts his hands on his hips, “Hey, what am I? A dog?!”
“You came,” Ali tells him and he pulls a face. “Wanna be my assistant?”
“Uh…ok.”
“Wow, knock me over with your enthusiasm why dontcha!” Ali laughs and turns back to her camera.
“Ok!” Nick yells and barrels into her, knocking her down onto the cushions Mark had been lounging on minutes earlier.
“NICK!” Ali screams.
“Enthusiasm!” he says before kissing her.
“Whatever blondie. Just pull me up. I got work to do.” Nick laughs and pulls her up. Brian and Mark join us laughing.
Nick nudges Brian. “She got WORK to do…”
Brian laughs. “What time is it?”
“Time to go to work!” Nick yells. “What kinda work?”
“Hard work! HUH!” Brian and Nick yell simultaneously before high fiving each other and grinning.
Mark looks at me and Ali. “They always like this?”
“Always,” we roll our eyes.
“C’mon blondie, go find me a chair for Mark to sit on.”
“Ok,” Nick runs off happily.
“C’mon Dopey,” I tell Brian, heading out of the room.
He follows me, “What’d you just call me?!”
“Dopey. As in the seven dwarves.”
“I’m NOT Dopey!”
“You SO are,” I tell him with a giggle. “Isn’t he?” I appeal to Ali who giggles.
“Yup, he is. If anybody asks him something, he never hears them right. You’re just in your own little world Bri.”
“Huh?” he asks us and we start laughing. “What?!”
“Point proved,” Ali says going back to her camera.
I grin and walk outside with Brian.
“What point?”
“I’ll tell ya later, but right now I need food,” we climb into my car.
“Can you hold on until my place?”
“Nup. We’ll stop on the way. Maybe by the beach?”
“Sure,” he agrees and turns the radio on as I start the car.