11pm and I’m standing in the lobby waiting for Britney. No surprise cos she’s always late. I adjust the straps on my dark green top and sigh. I’m not exactly dressed to kill – more casual than anything. I hear voices and look up just as Brian and Nick walk into the lobby from outside. I vaguely wonder where they’ve been as Nick notices me. He looks away quickly and keeps his head down. It hurts. I always thought of him as one of my best friends but things have changed now. Nick says something which makes Brian laugh, then he catches sight of me and his smile fades. I smile cautiously and he walks over.
“Hey Jade,” he smiles lightly. “You ok?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah, we just went for dinner and ended up seeing a movie,” he tells me as Nick joins him.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, we saw the Star Wars movie.”
“Was it good?”
“Oh yeah,” he nods. “Me and Nick really want light sabres!”
“Available from all good toy stores,” I joke and he laughs.
“I know. So, what are you up to?”
“Waiting for Britney. She’s always late,” I roll my eyes.
“Britney’s here?!” they both ask.
“Yup, she found out Justin was here and…”
“Justin’s here?!”
“Yeah, he came to give JC a little support against you guys. Britney’s here to give ME support. Dumb I know but I couldn’t stop her,” I shrug.
“You feel like you need support from me?” Brian asks.
“No, I don’t. Not at all. I mean, I’m the bad one in all this,” I add.
“You’re not,” Brian tells me.
“She is!” Nick mutters.
“Nick, I’m real glad you’re here for me but,” Brian faces him, “butt out ok?”
“She’s using you!” Nick complains. “And you’re just gonna let her walk all over you and fuck you up! You can’t SERIOUSLY want her back?!”
“Nick, did you not hear me?” Brian says calmly.
“He’s right,” I say. “Why don’t you just let me go?”
“Because I love you and I promised you that I would never give up on us,” he whispers.
“Oh God Brian!” I sob and throw my arms around his neck.
“Jade,” he murmurs into my hair and wraps his arms around me.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell him, holding onto him tightly and he holds me closer to him. It feels so good to be back in his arms again and all I want is for him to kiss me. It’s almost as though something inside me has clicked. All the things that I thought were wrong with our relationship are the things that mean it is going to last forever. He makes me safe, he calms me and he understands me. Jay was right – Brian is the only man who could be with me forever. My thing with JC was just because I’m scared of commitment, of settling down. I just saw him as a way of escape, of freedom. All these things rush through my mind as Brian holds me. I step back from him and look into his blue eyes. He smoothes back my hair and cups my face in his hands.
“Is it over now?” he asks. “Have you decided?”
Before I can answer, Britney joins us and he lets go of me.
“Sorry I’m late Jade,” she smiles and looks at the other two. “Hey guys. Jade, we gotta go already,” she grabs my hand and pulls me after her.
“JADE!” Brian yells and I look back at him. He throws his hands out by his side in a question and I nod slightly. His face slowly breaks into a big smile.
“C’mon!” Britney snaps my attention back to her as we get outside. “We don’t wanna be late.”
“For what?!”
“You’ll see,” she grins.
Two hours later, I’m dancing in a dark club with Britney to an R ‘n’ B act. They’re pretty good actually and I’ve had a good time already.
“These guys are good,” Britney yells in my ear.
“Yeah!” I agree. “Real funky.”
“Totally!” she laughs and we carry on dancing. A few minutes later, they walk off stage to a wall of applause and the DJ takes over.
“Ok, it’s the slow song section!” he yells. “Time for y’all to get smooching and to kick it off, we have a VERY special surprise guest. Two of ‘em in fact! Please give it up for… From NSync! JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake!”
“I throw Britney a look as the two guys walk on to applause a quite a few screams. “This is your plan?”
“Yup,” she nods. “This way you get to hear JC sing.”
“Fine,” I roll my eyes and look back at the stage, glad that the club is dark and JC won’t be able to see me. He looks kinda nervous and Justin perches on a stool beside him with a guitar.
“Hey y’all!” JC greets with a big smile. “Wow, thanks for that welcome! We just wanna do one song for y’all and it’s called Something Like You.”
Justin grins and starts to strum the guitar as JC gets ready to sing.
“I don’t know that song,” I whisper to Britney.
“It’s one of theirs. Justin wrote it.”
“For you?”
“Hardly,” she rolls her eyes.
“So many times I thought I held it in my hands,” JC closes his eyes as he starts to sing.
“But just like grains of sand
Love slipped through my fingers.
And so many nights,
I asked the Lord above
Please make me lucky enough
To find a love that lingers
Something keeps telling me
That you could be my answered prayer
You must be heaven sent I swear…”
Justin supports JC’s soulful voice on the chorus and they harmonise perfectly.
“Cause something happens when you look at me I forget to speak.
Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak.
Could it be true this is what God has meant for me cause baby
I can't believe that something like you could happen to me
Something like you…”
“Girl in your eyes, I feel your fire burn,” JC’s eyes seem to search the audience and I step back a little. I don’t want him to see the effect this song is having on me. All the things that had seemed so simple in Brian’s arms now seem harder again.
“Oh your secrets I will learn
Even if it takes forever
With you by my side
I can do anything
I don't care what tomorrow brings
As long as we're together.
My heart is telling me
That you could be my meant to be
I know it more each time we touch…
“Cause something happens when you look at me I forget to speak.
Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak.
Could it be true this is what God has meant for me cause baby
I can't believe that something like you could happen to me
“Something magical,
Something spiritual,
Something stronger than the two of us alone.
Something physical,
Something undeniable.
Nothing like anything that I've ever known...
“Cause something happens when you look at me I forget to speak.
Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak.
Could it be true this is what God has meant for me cause baby
I can't believe that something like you, something like you
That something like you could happen to me.
“Something happen
Can't believe that you happened to me…”
JC finishes and the room erupts into applause. The two guys take a quick bow and head off the stage as Britney looks at me.
“Well?” she asks, arms folded.
“I’m still in shock,” I mutter and she laughs.
“Told ya! Now c’mon,” she grabs my hand and pulls me away before I manage to stop her.
“Where to now?!”
“To see JC!”
“Uh, no,” I shake my head. “I think I’m just gonna stay here awhile.”
“JADE!” she begs and I shake my head again. “Fine,” she sighs. “I’m gonna get a drink. You want?”
“No thanks.” I watch her head off to the bar and then walk back into the crowd a little. I stop when I see JC and Justin a little ahead of me, surrounded by women. I watch them a while, paying attention to the way JC talks and the way he smiles. He must sense somebody’s looking at him cos he looks up and makes eye contact with me. He smiles slowly and I smile back. A few seconds later and he’s standing in front of me. “Hey,” I smile.
“Hey,” he says back quietly.
“I really liked hearing you sing.”
“Really? I didn’t make you mad or anything? I was worried you might think I was playing dirty or something.”
“No,” I laugh. “I enjoyed it.”
“Cool,” he nods. “You wanna dance with me?”
“Sure,” I smile and he takes me into his arms. I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head against his chest. He rests his head gently on mine and we dance slowly to the music. “I don’t recognise this song,” I tell him.
“Me neither,” he admits. “I like it though.”
“Me too.”
“Maybe we should ask somebody so it can become our song.”
“Maybe,” I murmur.
“Jade, I have to leave tomorrow.”
“You do?” I look up at him and he nods.
“I wish I didn’t but we have some interviews scheduled, including TRL. So I can’t exactly pull out. Neither can Justin.”
“Of course not.”
“You wanna come with me?” he asks hopefully.
“Uh… I don’t know,” I say honestly.
“Well, at least it’s not a no,” he laughs. “Yet.”
“What time do you leave?”
“We have a car booked at 10am to take us to the airport.”
“Ok,” I smile. “I’ll remember.”
“OK,” he nods. “If you don’t come, I’ll know you’re with Brian and I’ll stay out of your life. I promise Jade,” he whispers and bends his head to kiss me softly.
“Uh, I better go already,” I step out of his arms. “Thank you.”
“Take care,” he smiles and I walk away without looking back.
Brian picks up the room phone and dials Jade’s room again. It rings and rings. He wonders why she’s still out and what she’s doing. Is JC with her? He sighs and hangs up. When she had thrown her arms around him earlier he had really thought that this whole nightmare was over, that she had finally chosen him over JC. But then she had left with Britney and she still isn’t back. And now he’s starting to doubt that it’s over. He switches the TV on and decides to watch a movie to take his mind off of Jade.
Two hours later and the movie is over. He had watched Analyse This with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. It hadn’t taken his mind off of Jade because halfway through he had remembered that DeNiro is her favourite actor. As the credits roll he reaches for the phone again. This time she answers.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi, it’s Brian.”
“Oh hey, how are you?”
“I’m good. Just been watching a movie – Analyse This.”
“Oh me too! I saw the last half.”
“It made me think of you,” he confesses.
“Gee thanks,” she laughs. “You sayin’ I need therapy?”
“Well…” he jokes. “Naw, Robert DeNiro.”
“Oh yeah,” she giggles. “He’s amazing.”
“I know.”
“Aren’t you all movied out anyway?”
“Yeah!” he chuckles. “I just wanted to let you know that we have a 1pm flight out tomorrow and the car leaves at 11am.”
“It does?”
“Yeah. Will you be with us?” he asks nervously.
“I… I don’t know,” she confesses and he feels his heart sink.
“Oh. Ok. Well, you know what time anyway.”
“Yeah, I do. Thank you Brian.”
“Ok. Well, bye,” he mumbles and hangs up the phone.