February 13th
5:15pm

Maxine Thompson wasn’t very fond of Valentine’s Day. Not for a lack of trying to have a good day, but because it never turned out how she had hoped. Year after year, she’d get her hopes up to have someone to spend the day with and year after year, she was met with disappointment.

Not that she spent the whole day alone. Jack Daniel always made an appearance late in the night. Without fail, he was able to coax her out of her bad mood long enough to get her in a love-drunk kind of mood. He could warm her insides and get her out of her clothes and into a long flannel shirt faster than any other sweet talking man probably could.

In the end it always ended the same way: as a regretful one night stand. Jack would leave after a long night and would be gone in the morning all without giving her the courtesy of holding her hair back as she threw up all the chocolate she would undoubtedly eat to fill the hole of loneliness in her stomach.

Valentine number one was her first boyfriend. And then he up and left her for the next girl who had the bigger box of candy hearts. He and that girl got married the next time recess came around and were together for a pretty long time. Kindergartners could be so cruel.

Valentine number two was all about collecting as many girlfriends as he could. As if they were baseball cards or something. Two could play that game. Or three as it turned out. All of the girls quickly found out and spent Valentine’s together, talking about boys of course. How stupid they were, how much they wanted boyfriends. What else could pre-teens want?

Valentine number three was her first real boyfriend by anyone’s definition of the word. They held hands, walked each other from class to class, sat together at lunch, and went on group dates. Phone conversations were things romance novels were made of filled with cracking voices, “uh-huhs”, “yeps”, “uhhs”, and “umms.” Real talk. And then a girl from the UK with big boobs came and no one looked at Maxine twice. It was the accent; no one can resist an accent.

Valentine number four she just didn’t ever want to bring up again. Let’s just say she got tired of seeing the color red around this time of year. And it also made her hate hearing the words “Maxi Pad.”

From then on, Valentine’s was something she tried to avoid. If she could, she’d wipe the thought of the holiday out of existence for the rest of her and everyone else’s lives. She was doing them a favor. Seriously. There were other holidays to get lovey-dovey with someone like…Christmas. Or New Year’s. Or the 4th of July. Ok, maybe Valentine’s was really the only one that promoted celebrating love and happiness and all that.

But, to Maxine, it was just another day. But, it was her day and damn it, the day she treated herself to the best chocolates and the best beer she could find, and she was going to celebrate it right…with half off drinks at the local bar. Why pay full price for a bottle of Jack Daniel when you could pay half? You didn’t have to splurge too much when you were going out for yourself? The Valentine’s special was always a hit: half off whatever you drink if you’re by yourself, if the bartender thinks you’re hitting it off with someone, you get your drinks for free.

Good deal.

If only she could get up off the couch. It was a problem, really. Her flannel pants and oversized Giants jersey were just too comfortable. Not to mention it took time to get in the perfect lounging position and now that she was in it, her butt had the perfect placement in the couch cushion; not too far forward and not too far back. The curve of her neck was supported by the arm rest of the couch, she was in perfect view of the television, and snacks were only an arm length away. She could spend the rest of her night watching Friends and joining Camp Chandler in being “hopeless and awkward and desperate for love.”

Minus the desperate part of course.

“Alright, that’s it.”

The screen went blank faster than Maxine could blink. That did not just happen. “Hey!” She sat up in her seat before twisting to see her roommate, Laura, standing above her, hand on hip, flipping the remote in her hand in the air before catching it.

“I can’t just sit by and look at you be like this all weekend,” Laura said as she pulled the remote up over her head as Maxine reached for it.

“Then don’t look,” Maxine replied, her eyebrows shifting upwards.

“Come out for drinks with me,” Laura said with a roll of her eyes. “Live a little. Let’s go shopping for boys. Can you believe this is the first Valentine’s where I don’t have a date way in advance?”

“No,” Maxine replied with a single blink. “No, I can’t.” Seriously, I can’t.

With Laura’s wavy blonde hair and piercing brown eyes, she wasn’t surprised whenever she came home with any guy. That’s not to say that Maxine wasn’t good looking. She did have those three boyfriends at one point in time. “It’ll be fun. We can make fun of the drunks trying to dance.”

“While that does sound like a good time, I’m perfectly content getting rock hard abs by watching Friends and laughing. A lot,” Maxine said, slapping her stomach for emphasis. She then stopped taking in the tight jeans, light brown knee high boots, and off the shoulder shirt Laura was wearing. “You look nice.”

“Thank you,” Laura replied with a smile, sliding her hands down her legs as if saying “These old things?” She pointed her toe, smiling. “Come on, Max. You’ve had a long week at work; you deserve some time to unwiiind.” She sang the word as she waved her arms up and down miming a wave. “You’re wound tighter than a jammed corkscrew.”

Maxine bobbed her head back and forth to think about it. Working as one of the few cooks at Flambelle's Grill and Bar, she did have long, demanding weeks. But, she loved to cook. Scones, muffins, cookies, bread, Sheppard’s pie, pizza, anything and everything called her name to make it at least once. Hot fudge cookie sundaes and chocolate-strawberry champagne flutes were her specialty and a hit around the holiday season. All in all, no one ever had to worry about her being able to keep herself alive at the idea of living on her own.  

“You haven’t been out in a while, all you do is sit at home,” Laura said as she set the remote down onto the table before pushing the bowl of chips aside to sit down. “That’s not healthy.” She paused, reaching for the bowl of chips before grabbing a handful, stuffing them in her mouth. “Neither are these, but they’re good.”

“Mmhmmm,” Maxine said with a smile.

Laura licked her fingers before swallowing thickly before picking up where she left off in their conversation, “It’ll be fun and the first round will be on me.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

“I doubt that,” Maxine replied with a single, loud punctuating laugh.

“No one said you have to merry the guy,” Laura said, reaching out her hands to brush Maxine’s dirty blond hair out of her brown eyes, tucking the strands behind her ears. “Just get your hair out of your eyes, put on some mascara, maybe a little eyeliner—you don’t need a lot—some cheek tint, and you’re good to go.” She patted Maxine’s cheeks before giving her a bright smile. “My beautiful best friend will have the attention of every guy wherever we go. Have fun, no strings, no commitments, no expectations, nothing.”

“No expectations?” Maxine repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. Ha! And double ha! If not nightclubs, bars were the easiest place to go with hook ups in mind. “At a bar?”

She already worked in a grill and bar. She had seen the many types of couples that walked in. The first date nervous type, the first date one was way more into it then the other, married couple, old married couple, couples where one was having an affair, you’d be surprised at what could easily spill out of people’s mouths after a couple of shots. The things you learn in a restaurant. It was some good stuff. Seriously, if someone wrote a tell-all book about it, it’d be snatched up like hot cakes. Pun definitely intended

Laura paused for a moment. “Like I said, it’s not like you have to marry the guy,” she said before clapping her hands together. “Now, let’s get you changed. I think I have a skirt that’ll make your legs look great. Ooh, and some heels, too. Come on, Goldilocks, we’ve got some bears to hunt for.”

Shaking her head, Maxine got to her feet and followed Laura to her room and over to her closet. She pulled the doors open with a flourish and held her arms out wide at her side. “Take whatever you want, best friend,” she declared, “because tonight it’s not about the lovin’ you can get from a guy, but to show how much you love yourself. And to show yourself how much you love yourself, you’re going to treat yourself to some eye candy of the handsome variety.” She bumped her hip against Maxine’s.

That’s not a contradiction if I heard one. “Oh, God,” Maxine said, reaching her hand up to run her fingers through her hair. Just get it over with. It’s only for a few hours and then you don’t have to listen to her go on and on about not going later on. “Alright, alright, I’m in.”

“Yes!” Laura cheered, punching the air with her fists, kicking a leg up in the air. “Whoo! We’re going to have so fun.”

The last time those words came out of her mouth, Maxine had found out that she was allergic to grapes. It really came in handy that Laura was a med student in that point of time, of course she had to talk through their hysterical laughter to get any sort of aid to her friend. It was a painful, and itchy, few hours and they hadn’t ever gone to squash grapes (or even drink lots of wine for that matter) since that day but there was never a dull moment between the two of them.

Their first day in a math class at UCLA, all Laura had to do was turn around in her seat, give a bright smile and say, “I’d like to be comforted with the idea that I’m not going to drown alone?”

So did Maxine; they had been inseparable ever since.

“Try this on.”

Maxine’s world went dark—much like she knew it would later on that night—as a shirt was thrown at her head. She removed it from her face and peered down at the orange top before turning it around, holding it up to her chest. She let out a low whistle. “I don’t have the boobs for this neckline,” she said with a small laugh, handing it back to her friend. “Or for the lack of this neckline.”

Laura merely shrugged her shoulders before tossing it into the back of her closet. The plastic hangers clacked against each other as they were pushed from side to side. “I know I have something in here for yoooou,” she said. “Ah ha!” Maxine ducked as she violently pulled the hanger off of the bar holding up the other garments before pressing the light pink top to her chest.

“Cute,” Maxine said, her eyebrows shooting up as she looked over the pink strapless top. “This would look good with those new skinny jeans and jean jacket I bought.” Maybe it won’t be so bad.

“Now you’re talking,” Laura said with a bright smile, snapping her fingers. “The boys aren’t going to know what hit them. Oh, but we should come up with some sort of code or symbol so we know when someone wants to leave.”

“Like what?” Maxine asked with a laugh. “Leggo my eggo?” She clapped her hands together. “Ooh, I know. I could fake a heart attack and you can drag me out. Only, wait…” She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “I might not be joking.”

Laura stopped what she was doing and turned to face her friend, a frown crossing her face. Her eyebrows knitted together just slightly as Maxine’s laughter faded. “You’re really nervous about this, aren’t you?” she asked quietly. “The dating thing.”

Maxine shrugged her shoulders. “Trust me; everybody is no matter how old you get.” Laura brushed her hair back from her face and planted her hand on her hip. “Those butterflies never really go away, especially when you find a guy that’s worth it.” She reached out a hand and tapped Maxine under the chin. “And it might just be the two of us spending Valentine’s Day together and nothing’s wrong with that. I’ve been known to throw some awesome parties; we can have a girl’s night and be each other’s dates. No one knows what we like better than ourselves. Besides, I haven’t had a lot of time to spend with my friend because of classes.”

“True,” Maxine replied, a thoughtful look on her face. It suddenly hit her. Boy, am I dumb. “That’s why you want to go out tonight.”

“I can’t find an excuse to spend some time with my best friend?” Laura asked, lifting her eyebrows.

“You shouldn’t have to, that’s the point,” Maxine said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well then you should consider yourself popular, Goldilocks,” Laura replied with a grin. “Now let’s get changed and have a good time. On the bright side, if things don’t work out, we have Ross, Chandler, and Joey to come home too.”

After settling on a pair of dark wash, straight legged jeans, a white jean jacket, and black boots, Maxine threw on a light amount of makeup and quickly put a few curls in her hair with a small flat iron, she and Laura were ready for a night out on the town.

As they stepped through the threshold of the bar, loud music pounded her ears and rocked her body. The place wasn’t packed but it was filled with patrons on the dance floor and those scattered around tables trying to shout over the music to hear each other. Maxine’s scalp itched and prickled with sweat as the body heat from the bar patrons swept her up in the center of its’ cyclone.

“There are some seats empty at the bar,” Laura shouted, pressing her lips to her friend’s ear as she looped her arm through her friend’s. “Let’s hurry before they get taken.”

God forbid.

---

JC Chasez set down his shot glass with a slight tap before swallowing the burning drink, letting out a breath of air, his face screwing up just slightly as the liquid burned a hot trail down his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut and smacked his lips together just slightly before giving a brief shake of his head. As he let out a throaty, “Ahhh” he put his weight on his forearms.

So much for free drinks.

Not that he didn’t have any possible suitors—he had plenty of women coming up to him with a wink and a flirty lilt to their tone—but none that he would give his whole attention to. It just wasn’t much of a thrill after being in European bars and having screaming fans chant his name every night at a big show. There were days where he liked the attention, and days where he wondered if women wanted to get to know him, or wanted to get to know the his band.

He was proud of his work and what he had accomplished with his friends, but being in a band made it hard to have a real relationship with anybody. When he found someone to have that relationship with him, it was hard to work around his schedule to have things be normal for not just him, but for her. She deserved to have a full time boyfriend, not just one that she had to work tirelessly to schedule to see.

Most importantly, they had to like Chris, Joey, Justin, and Lance, too. Not just as his fellow band mates but at his brothers. His often times tactless, funny, stupid, loyal, and fun brothers. They were his family and it was important for his family to like whomever he thought he could bring into his life for the long haul. Just like he did for Justin, Joey, and Chris, and he knew they were grateful for the gesture.

All in all, he was happy for the night off. While Justin, Joey, and Chris went out with their girlfriends, Lance decided to spend the night in calling home to his family, and he decided to spend the night out on the town. That ended up being a mistake. Working and performing day in and day out in city after city, in country after country for months allowed him to forget what day of the year it was let alone where he was.

He had completely forgotten it was Valentine’s Day.

“Half off drinks for the night, buddy,” the bartender said as he had sat down at the bar earlier that evening. “Find yourself a girl, hit it off, and drinks are on the house.” He glanced around the room before he threw a wink in JC’s direction as if silently hinting that he would have no problem finding someone.

JC had let out a short laugh and had ordered himself a shot. For a moment, he wondered if the man really knew who he was or was just trying to butter him up to buy more alcohol. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t blame the man at all if the latter was true. Despite that, he ordered himself a second shot. And then a third.

As he set down his fourth, and decidedly, last, he grasped his coat, and got to his feet. He reached into his coat pocket for his wallet and removed it before tossing a folded bill onto the table. “You’re heading out?” the bartender asked, taking his empty shot class, setting it down on his side of the wooden table top. He lifted a damp rag into his hand and started to clean off a beer glass. “So soon?”

He either wasn’t going to find someone that night or he would and would have to leave them sooner rather than later. Bette to duck out now. “Yeah, man,” JC replied with a sigh and a nod of his head. “Just not feeling it tonight.”

“You sure none of these ladies can change your mind?” the bartender asked, lifting his eyebrows. “Huh?” JC laughed good naturedly.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said, tucking his arm under his chest. “Not today.”

“There are a few more coming in now,” the bartender said in a sing-song voice. JC used his teeth to pull a small chunk of skin off of his bottom lip, nose wrinkling just slightly as he shook his head. “Oh, well. Have a good Valentine’s Day, regardless. Everyone deserves that at least.”

JC laughed. Can’t argue with that. “Thank you.”

As he turned to leave, he walked straight into the girl standing behind him. The first thing he noticed about her were her radiant looks. Her dark eyeliner and long eyelashes really made her eyes pop against her cashew color tanned skin. The lights seemed reflected the warm glow as they widened in surprise.

That wasn’t fair.

February 13th
8:45 pm

Maxine let out a squeal, jumping back as a tall stranger slammed into her. She stumbled in her ankle boots and stumbled backwards, landing on her butt. She felt the chilly liquid soaking through her jeans and underwear before she even realized that she was sitting in a puddle of spilled and stinky beer.

“Maxine.”

“Aw, man.”

Laura grasped one of her arms, a bigger hand tightly gripping the other and a second later, she was hauled to her feet. Still not gathering her balance, she stumbled against the strong chest that she had run into only moments before, throwing her hands out in front of her to stop herself. Everything moved in slow motion.

The stinging smell of alcohol was briefly snuffed out by the combination of Old Spice and brown sugar—and odd combination that had quickly left her intoxicated. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep lungful of that peculiar scent. The pads of her fingers gently stroked the deliciously soft garment he was wearing. She could feel the slight ridge of abs under his shirt especially when they moved as he asked her something.

He was asking her something. Her chin bounced just slightly against him as he spoke. She managed to mutter a response into his chest. If she could call it that. She couldn’t form a single sentence and managed to get out a random string of words she knew no one would be able to decipher if their life depending it. Not that it was really an intelligent sentence, anyway.

Snap out of it, Max. She finally removed her hands from his chest and took a small step back at him, angling her head backwards just slightly to look him in the eye, face burning.  She was sure those few seconds—which felt like an eternity—would make casual reappearances whether she wanted it to or not.

“Are you ok?”

First thing she noticed were his blue eyes and the intense worry they held. “I mean…I’m fine,” Maxine said, managing a weak smile, swallowing thickly. “I’m ok.”

“You sure?” he asked, eyebrows lowering before they knitted together just slightly. His hands, she just realized, were on her shoulders, the heat seeping into her.

“Yeah, are you sure?” Maxine turned to face Laura and she felt the removal of the warm hands from her shoulders. Laura had a look of amusement on her face as she side-eyed the stranger. She widened her eyes slightly as she put her attention back on her friend. “That was a hard fall.”

“At least I didn’t fall in any vomit, right?” Maxine asked with a weak laugh. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she felt her underwear start sticking to her bottom. “Ugh, it doesn’t smell that way.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” the man said with a frown.

“Guess that makes two of us, I didn’t see you either,” Maxine said with a fleeting smile. But she did see that he certainly was a handsome man.

His chestnut brown hair looked soft despite the gel that spiked it up in the front. His jaw was cut somewhat square shaped, little curved indents framing his nervous smile as he revealed a row of straight white teeth; the most beautiful set of pearls she had ever seen.

On anyone.

Guy or girl.

“Come on, toots, we should go get you cleaned up,” Laura said, looping her arm through Maxine’s. She practically bit off her friend’s ear as she pressed her mouth to the side of her friend’s face. “Like, now.” Maxine turned to give Laura a confused look and Laura gave a wide eyed look in return.

“What?” she asked her friend.

“Uhh…” The man reached up a hand and pushed aside the black chord around his neck, scratching at the indent it put on his skin. He then glanced down at his coat in his hands before holding it out towards Laura with one hand.

“Thanks,” Laura said with a hurried smile as she grabbed the coat, practically ripping it out of the man’s hands. “I’m Laura by the way.” Maxine let out a small grunt (that’s attractive) as Laura gave a hard pull on her arm, practically dragging her across the floor.

Her shoes slid over spilled puddles of beer, whiskey, or scotch that dotted the floor before getting stuck to the drying or dried patches on the way to the bathroom. Maxine felt the zipper to the dark coat scratch her shoulder as Laura placed it around her shoulders.

“What is it?” Maxine asked, blinking against the harsh light that practically seared her corneas. “Apart from the fact that you just blinded me?”

“Yeah, well, you’ll want to go blind after noticing,” Laura replied, steering her towards the full length mirror. Before Maxine could ask, again, what was going on, she saw the problem. The wet spots surrounding her crotch area would’ve been a normal occurrence at a day care—and yeah, maybe at a bar, too—but this was just…typical on today of all days.

“At least everybody around here was probably too drunk to notice,” Maxine said with a heavy sigh as she moved toward the paper towel dispenser. Laura peeled the coat from her shoulders and followed her, tossing it and her purse onto the sink counter. She reached the dispenser first and quickly pumped the handle, allowing a long line of brown paper towel to spill out before she tore it off.

“Yeah, that’s the least of your problems,” Laura said as she balled up the paper towel before she started dabbing it at Maxine’s bottom.

“Uggggh, don’t tell me!” Maxine groaned, tilting her head back towards the ceiling. The high ceiling made her words echo around the room. She twisted to the side to gaze at the dark wet spot on her backside. Laura let out a huff of annoyance as she spun in a circle as if she was chasing her own tail.

She only stopped when Laura grabbed her legs, forcing her to stay still and nearly knocking her over. “Great. Not even five minutes here and I’m walking the walk of shame and I haven’t even slept with anyone.” She didn’t even look at Laura as she lifted her finger, pointing it in her friend’s face. “Not that I plan to either.”

“Did I say anything?” Laura asked, her voice slightly high pitched. She gave a small laugh. “Girl, this is definitely going to be a Valentine’s Day you won’t forget.”

“It’s not exactly that funny,” Maxine said with a frown, falling forward, catching herself against the red painted brick wall with the palm of her hands. She pressed her forehead to the cool wall. I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t have gone out. Valentine’s Day is cursed. I just know it.

“Not now it might not be, not to you, but believe me, it is,” Laura said with a giggle. “I mean, just imagine if there was a hand dryer in here.” She snorted. “We could stuff your pants at least, make sure you get some good looks out of this night.”

Maxine let out a single, loud “HA!” before she giggled along with her best friend. Having a phone book sized pad between her legs was one thing during that special time of the month, but to have an enhanced butt without the surgery? Yeah, right. She wasn’t that insecure.

“Maybe we should just go home,” Maxine suggested, removing more paper towel from the dispenser, ripping it out of the dispenser to start rubbing at her jeans front. “I stink and these clothes are starting to stick to me.”

“Which would happen anyway with how much you’d undoubtedly sweat,” Laura said in a sing-song voice. She then got to her feet, hiking her purse up her shoulder. “We just got here. Let’s stay here for a little while longer, ok? Pretty please?”

“Let me at least go back home and change,” Maxine said with a sigh. “Valentine’s Day has always sucked for me, but the least I could do is not make it suck for my best friend.”

“And your best friend thanks you,” Laura said, planting her hands on her hips, popping her foot into the air before setting the heel down with a loud clack. She then reached for her purse on the counter. “And this is why you always bring extra underwear. Also for the off chance your ‘little friend’ comes to visit unexpectedly.”

“Just as long as it’s not a thong,” Maxine said with a sigh, opening her hand for the garment.

“With my period? Yeah, right,” Laura said, digging around in her purse. She let out a soft “ah ha” before pulling out a Ziploc bag. She pulled open the plastic bag and pulled out the underwear, handing it towards Maxine.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, girlie,” Laura replied, locking the bag shut with a flourish.

Maxine sighed, making her way into the stall, closing the door behind her. She closed and locked the door behind her and quickly changed into the dry article of clothing before slipping her jeans back up over her legs, sliding her feet into her socks, and pushing her feet into her shoes. “You don’t happen to have any dry pants in there, do you?” she asked as she unlocked the stall door, swinging it open.

“Nope, no room in Small Sam,” Laura said with a sigh, patting her side of her purse. “A bar is no place for Big Bertha. Movie theaters is her favorite location, but…tonight wasn’t her night.” Maxine rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Look, why don’t you stay here and freshen up and I’ll run back home—not literally of course—and get you a change of clothes? Cant waste an opportunity to meet someone and get free drinks to boot.”

“I guess I could at least give the guy his coat back,” Maxine said as she reached out to grab the black material. She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging the coat to her body.

“And who knows,” Laura said, putting her arm around Maxine’s shoulders, “maybe this’ll be your first step in the right direction. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a big deal, remember?”

“But—“

“And we live together, we can do girl’s night anytime,” Laura continued, facing the mirror to run her fingers through her hair, fluffing it up. “It won’t take long. Just a few more minutes and if you really want to leave, we can leave.”

“Ok,” Maxine said with a nod of her head. She gave a smile. “But, only because I know you’re worth it.”

“Damn, right, I am,” Laura said with a wink into the mirror, sending it in her friend’s direction. Maxine chuckled before following her out of the bathroom. Laura gave a quick squeeze of her arm. “I’ll be back faster than two shakes of a puppy dog’s tail.” She swung her hips from side to side to prove her point (as if that makes sense) before slipping out of the room.

“Ok, Mystery Man,” Maxine said as she craned her neck to look around the bar, “where did you go?” She twisted her mouth to the side, letting out a sigh through her nose. She stepped towards the center of the room, slowly spinning in a circle. She spotted him standing near the door and made her way over towards him. “Hey.”

“Hi,” the man said, pushing himself up off the wall. His lips twitched upwards into a brief smile. “Is everything ok? Your friend ran out in a hurry.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Maxine replied with a nod of her head. “And sorry, again, for bumping into you.”

“I should be the one apologizing,” the man said, offering his half smile. “I should’ve been paying more attention.” His eyebrows narrowed into a curious glance. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Oh, no, but thanks,” Maxine said, waving her hand in the air. “Laura’s helping me out. Thanks…again.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Again.”

“No problem.” With a tilt of his head, the Mystery Man indicated the bar. “I’ve paid for a couple rounds for you and your friend. Have a great night.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Maxine said, feeling her eyes grow wide.

“It’s the least I could do.” He gave a nod of his head before reaching for the door handle. “Enjoy your night.” A blast of damp, cool, air rushed over the two of them as he pushed the door open. A frown crossed his face and a hum rumbled in his throat. “Wonder when it started raining.”

Maxine leaned forward just slightly to glance up at the darkening sky. “Looks like a storm is rolling in,” she said to him. “Hope you can catch a cab.”

“You and me both,” he replied. “See you.” With that, he ducked out into the darkening evening sky, the sun getting blotted out by the charcoal gray clouds second by second. He ducked his head against the raindrops as he hurried to the street corner to flag down a cab.

“He’s crazy to go out there without…a coat…” Maxine glanced down at the black mass in her arms, feeling her stomach drop down to her feet. “This coat. The very same coat I’m still talking to.” You’re still doing it, Max. “Hey!”

Maxine darted out into the rain, a shuddering gasp slipping past her throat as the cold droplets bulleted down on top of her. “Wait up!” The soles of her shoes slapped against the pavement as she hurried after the man. “Your jacket! Hey!”

The man stopped, turning to face her, a confused look on his face before it cleared when he spotted the black coat in his arms. “Oh.” He reached out and took his coat back from her before lifting it up over their heads, shielding themselves from the rain. “Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m J…Josh…ua. Joshua.”

“Hey. I’m Maxine.”

 Someone up there must not have been a fan of hers despite her good deed as in that next instant a car went speeding by, covering both her and Joshua in a wave of murky brown rain water.

 

---

 

This is not happening.

JC slowly blinked, too stunned to do anything else. He was already shivering as the cold water seeped into his clothes instantly making them stick to his body. Water dripped off his eyelashes, nose, chin, and arms. His bottom lip trembled just slightly.

“Great,” he said lowering his arms. His coat wasn’t really helping at a time like this. If falling into a puddle of beer wasn’t bad enough, she looked like—and he knew he was going to get some payback from the man upstairs for this thought—a drowned puppy.

Her hair was stuck to her face and forehead, clothes hanging limply off her body, steadily dripping water. He didn’t think he could’ve looked much better, but at least he wasn’t alone in this situation. Embarrassment was better experienced with someone else. With Justin, Chris, Joey, and Lance they would be in a fit of laughter at this point, making jokes at the way they all looked, leaning on each other, clutching their stomachs as they tried to support themselves.

But, he didn’t know how…Maxine was it…was going to take it?

“Are you ok?” JC asked.

“Just peachy!” Maxine said through clenched teeth. She dropped her arms down to her sides with a loud, wet, smack. “This is just perfect.”

“Look,” JC said, clearing his throat. “I know this is very forward, but my place isn’t too far from here…give you a chance to dry your clothes and get out of the rain.” If he wasn’t already feeling like he was offering too much, the look on her face cemented that thought in his mind. Might as well wrap a chain around that cement block and push him into the ocean attached to it. “It won’t take long, get you out of this rain.”

“I can’t,” Maxine said with a shake of her head. She reached up her hands and pushed her wet, stringy, hair out of her face. “My friend—“

“Won’t be making it back here without a canoe,” JC said, interrupting her. He spread out his arms, indicating the rain drenched city around him. The rain started falling harder, more steady, filling the streets with backwash and covering the city in a layer of cool air. “No one’s going to make it down here let alone get out if they wait much longer.”

“But—“

“Look, take a picture of my drivers license when we get back to the hotel—“

“Hotel?”

“Yes,” JC said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. He lifted his voice to talk over the rain. “That’s where I’m staying, a hotel.” He felt a bubble of annoyance rise in his chest. “You’re either going to get soaked walking with me to the hotel—“

“Walking?”

“Do you really think a cab is going to take either of us soaking wet, let alone drive out here to take us to any place we need them to go?” JC asked, crossing his arms over his chest, grimacing when a loud squishing sound hit the air. “I’m not letting you walk out here alone. Your place or mine? Which will it be?”

Maxine chewed her bottom lip as she looked down the street to, where he assumed was in the direction of…wherever it was she was staying. She was a well thought out woman; he could figure that out in an instant so he didn’t blame her for being worried. In all honesty, she didn’t know him from a sack of beans. At least those were dry.

“This storm is going to get worse by the looks of it, standing here isn’t going to make it any better,” JC said to her, lifting his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “You can take a picture of my driver’s license and text it to your friend if that’s what you want. But, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I let you walk or hitch hike home by yourself not only soaking wet, but with the added risk that something could happen to you in this storm.”

JC watched as her look of uncertainty in her eyes slowly faded. “Warm shower, get your clothes dry.” She pursed her lips just slightly, peering over at him. “I’ll pay for whatever meal you want from room service. It’s a lot closer than where you’re going”

“And how do you know where I’m going?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“You’re wearing sensible shoes,” JC replied, pointing down at her feet. Maxine’s right eyelid slowly lowered in time with her jaw dropping a fraction of an inch. “Either you walked all the way over here, or you planned on swapping footwear once you got here.”

Maxine’s eyebrows shot up before she shook her head back and forth. “You don’t have to do that,” she said, lifting her hand into the air.

“I don’t want you catching a cold or anything,” JC explained. A simple “yes” or “no” or thank you” would suffice. He took it back, she wasn’t being realistic and cautious. She was being downright stubborn. She was a strong woman, no doubt. “Besides, like I said, because of this rain, who knows how many more cabs are coming this way?”

“Laura will worry about me,” Maxine said, raking her fingers through her hair.

“I think she’d be happier knowing you have a safe place to stay in this storm and not stuck with this weather, trying to make it back,” JC continued to reason with her. Maxine gave him a pointed look. “What?”

“I’m from Florida,” she replied, pointing upwards towards the sky. “This is not a storm. This is a…is a shower.” As soon as the words slipped past her lips the sky was briefly illuminated with a flash of lightning shortly followed by a loud clap of thunder. JC flinched as Maxine let out a loud, “Ahhhhh!”

 ““Gee, I’d hate to see what you’d call a storm, then,” JC said, his words dripping with sarcasm.  “At the risk of being fried and being berated by my mom when she finds out I left a girl out in the storm, might I suggest--?”

“This is not a storm, ok?” Maxine insisted. “I know storms. This is just California acting like they’re sinking like Atlantis.”

“Yeah, those storms you’re talking about are called hurricanes,” JC replied. Maxine blinked before she bent at the waist, her lips pulling back into a smile that brightened the area around them. JC found himself chuckling. “I know what you mean, I’m from Florida, too. Kind of.”

“Really?” Maxine asked, as she straightened, giving him a look of surprise and amusement.

“Yeah, really,” JC replied with a nod of his head.

Maxine tilted her head back and let out a long, loud sigh. “Ok, fine,” she said, throwing her hands into the air. She then pointed a finger in his face before putting her hands on her hips. “I’m doing this for your mom you know.”

“Good to know,” JC said with a short laugh. He spun on his heels and headed down the street, Maxine hurrying to fall into step with her. They were silent for a moment and JC shook out his coat before holding it up above their heads.

“Thanks,” Maxine mumbled. “This is very nice of you, Josh-ua.”

JC let out a single chuckle. “You’re welcome and don’t worry about it.”

He wiggled his toes in his shoes, hearing how they squished and squelched from the water continuing to fill his shoes. To think he had planned on spending the night by himself, nice and warm in his hotel room in sweats.

You’ve just been brought up with good manners, he told himself over and over again. He was stupid to think he would get to go to a bar and not have anything happen with a girl. He was asking for trouble and he knew it.

February 13th
10:15 pm

JC bent his head, allowing the warm water of the shower to roll down the back of his neck, sending waves of heat and steam flowing down his body. The walk home took a lot longer than he had imagined with the traffic of everyone trying to get home as quickly and safely as they could.

And with compensating for Maxine’s small form swimming in her soaked clothes, he’d be a jerk if he pushed her out of the way to get into the hot shower first. Let alone, push her out of the hotel room altogether. Having a girl around put him on edge.

Having a girl around that he wasn’t romantically interested in and not being sure if she was interested in him was just…different. Good different. There were no expectations, no underlying tones, nothing. He was being the thoughtful man he was raised to be and helping someone out.

He could hear her muffled voice on the other side of the wall, talking to her friend. He had left his driver’s license out like he had said he would. But, he didn’t know what they were talking about. He was stupid to think he’d be able to keep his identity a secret. Not that it really was something he was trying to hide, just something he wanted to get away from for a while. He didn’t want to be “JC the musician” but “Joshua” at least once.

 If only for a little while.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone by that name. He couldn’t even remember who this Joshua was as a kid, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t figure out how he was as an adult. First things first: he knew he was not the type to spot which was the most attractive girl in the audience during a show.

With a sigh, he reached over and turned off the shower water, Goosebumps instantly rising at the lack of heat soaking into his skin. Who was he kidding? Whoever he was in that moment or whoever he was going to be the second he gets back on that tour bus, he was JC Chasez. It was who everyone knew him as and knew him to be.

And unless we stop, NSYNC, that’s how it’s always going to be, he thought with a sigh pushing the curtain back, reaching out to grab the fluffy white towel sitting out for him. He quickly dried himself off and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of baggy gray sweatpants. He let out a sigh as he exited the bathroom, furiously rubbing his hair with the hand towel.

“You know there’s a reason why you shouldn’t take a bath or anything when it’s storming,” were the first words out of Maxine’s mouth as JC tossed the damp towel onto the back of the hotel chair sitting in front of the dark wood desk.

She was sitting cross legged in the center of his bed, repeatedly pulling up the sleeves to his cotton pajama top. Her feet barely poked out from the bottom of the plaid pajama pants. A thick lump sat across her stomach from where he assumed she rolled the waist band multiple times to keep them sitting somewhat comfortably on her frame.

“And yet, having you have the cooks in the hotel turn on just about every electronic around here to make you food is a good idea,” JC said, hiking an eyebrow as he turned to face her.

Maxine chewed on her bottom lip, shifting her gaze from the TV towards him. “Ok, I get your point,” she said after a moment of silence. JC chuckled as she went back to flipping through the channels. “That chocolate lava cake was calling my name, ok? Maxiiiiiiineee. Maxiiiiiiiineeee.” She closed her eyes, rocking back and forth as if she was impersonating a ghost. “And, filet mignon is pretty much a stable Valentine’s dinner, no?”

“Prime choice of meat, candy, flowers, chocolate, candle lit dinner, the whole shebang,” JC agreed, dropping down onto the side of the bed. The mattress rippled as he did so. He glanced over at the window when the curtains briefly illuminated with lightning before a low rumbled was heard in the distance. “Did you get in contact with your friend? Laura?”

“Yeah, she’s glad that I found a place out of the storm,” Maxine replied. She flipped the remote into the air and caught it in her hand. “Even if it’s with some guy from a bar she doesn’t know.” She waved it in his direction. “But, she trusts you.”

“Did you show her my driver’s license?” JC asked.

“No,” Maxine said with a shake of her head. “You offered and that was enough for her. Most guys don’t do that.”

“It’s also because I offered to pay for your drinks, isn’t it?” JC asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the headboard, a pillow supporting his back.

“That too.” JC laughed. “She’s sad she’s missing out.”

Silence fell over the two of them. It wasn’t awkward and yet it was just slightly uncomfortable. He took the time to look over at her as she put her attention back on the TV, continuing her scrolling to try and find something to watch. Or something to brake the silence the slid over the two of them. Her damp hair left a large wet spot on the back of her shirt. She sat hunched over, one knee pulled to her chest, chin resting on her knee cap almost as if she was trying to defend herself.

She was going to be a tough one to get to open up. They were stuck in a hotel together for God’s sake, who else did they have to talk to?

“Are you here by yourself or…?” Maxine suddenly asked. JC paused for a moment. It was a bit of a loaded question. “Uh…apart from me, anyway. I mean…do your friends know where you are. Y’know, in case they’re trying to get in touch with you or anything.”

“They’re not,” he said flatly. He had shot them a quick text as soon as he got to the building but only got a response from Lance, not that it was a huge surprise for him. It was one of their first days off in a long time (one they had pretty much requested), he’d have company over if he could as well. Not that she wasn’t company. Just…silent company. “They’re spending time with their significant others.”

“You sound jealous.” If JC didn’t see the corner of her lip pull back from her profile, he would’ve quickly shot out a retort. She was teasing him.

Two could play that game.

“I have you,” JC said with a shrug of nonchalance and a sigh.

“Gee, thanks,” Maxine said, twisting slightly to face him, hiking an eyebrow. JC lifted his eyebrows in return and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head, facing the TV before she flipped it off, swinging around to face him, sitting cross legged. “I happen to be excellent company.”

“Yes, but are you a good dinner companion?” JC asked, lifting his hand to run his fingers through his hair. “Are you a talker or are you the more silent type?”

Maxine’s lips twitched into a hint of a smile. She set her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on top of her fists. “Why? Are you screening me for a date?” she asked. “It’s a nice plan, too: the day before Valentine’s Day.”

 JC blinked in surprise at her sudden burst of sassiness. A large clap of thunder rumbled. Oh, she was definitely going to be trouble.

February 13th
10:35 pm

Maxine practically let out a moan of delight as the juicy, tangy bite sized morsel of filet mignon touched her tongue twenty minutes later. How funny was this? Barely having a great Valentine’s Day and here she was practically getting her jollies off on meat. No pun intended. Or maybe pun intended; it would spice things up from an otherwise dull day.

Who was she kidding?

This whole holiday hadn’t even started and she was already seeing vast improvements. For one thing, she was having, dare she say it, fun spending time in the room with this, kind of stranger. She still barely knew a thing about him, but he somehow brought out a joking side to her she wouldn’t normally show unless they were actually on a date.

And this was an expensive pseudo-date.

He did offer to pay, Maxine reminded herself as her knife cut through the meat like a hot knife in butter. That was one thing she missed about dating; a well cooked meal instead of macaroni, applesauce, and bologna sandwiches whether it be homemade or in a restaurant without her being the one to make it.

“So good,” she said before shoving a mound of mashed potatoes into her mouth. She only got a series of clinks and the scrape of Joshua’s fork and knife on the plate sitting in his lap. Plates with brownies, a slice of key lime pie, a slice of apple pie, and chocolate lava cake sat around them.

“Mmmhmmm.” Joshua nodded his head up and down as he chewed.

“Thanks,” Maxine said, her cheek bulging as she moved the mashed up mound of food in her mouth to her cheek, giving her enough space to talk. “For everything. You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I did,” Joshua instantly replied, reaching for the napkin propped on his knee. He dabbed at his lips before swallowing. “And stop thanking me, it’s the least I could do.”

“Touchy, touchy.” Maxine smiled as Joshua let out a laugh through his nose. “But, I seem to remember that you paid for drinks at the bar that I never got. Does that also apply to this lovely evening here?” A thoughtful look crossed Joshua’s face before he gave a short nod of his head.

“Sure,” he replied. He set his fork and knife down onto his lap and carefully transferred the plate from his lap onto the mattress. He then leaned towards the bedside table and picked up the phone, holding it to her ear.

A part of her wanted to stop what he was doing. She had partially made that comment in jest, but he had been the one to make that offer in the first place. Only now she was…expecting it?  Maybe it was his politeness? His easygoing attitude? Knowing it was close to Valentine’s Day? No matter what it was she was starting to feel like she was taking advantage of his generosity. He’d start viewing her as someone desperate to have someone blow money on her or that she was a gold digger or something.

“Uh…you don’t have…” her words died on her lips as Joshua talked to whoever picked up on the other end of the phone.

“What do you like to drink?” Joshua asked, putting his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. Maxine opened and closed her mouth once, twice, three times before answering.

“Whiskey sour,” Maxine said, watching as Joshua’s eyebrows shot up into a look of amusement. Like a cook didn’t know what kind of alcohol was great for things more than cooking. Whiskey Sour had always been her go to drink after her good buddy Jack Daniel’s of course.

“Ok, it should be up shortly,” Joshua said as he set the phone into its cradle.

“Th…cool,” Maxine said, stopping herself before she could thank him again. Joshua set his plate back into his lap, his P popping when he said “Yep” in response to her. “I’m surprised you don’t have a date lined up for tomorrow. You’re good looking enough, and nice, and good company.”

“Good looking enough?” he repeated with a laugh.

“Not like…bad,” Maxine quickly backtracked. Hell, no, he wasn’t bad looking at all. She didn’t know how he didn’t have a girlfriend. She would be spoiled, that’s for sure or at least well taken care of, no questions asked. “I mean…yeah, you’re good looking.” You’d have to be crazy not to think that. She said her thought out loud, too. “Any girl would be crazy not to find you attractive.”

“Thanks,” Joshua said with a hint of a laugh. He got to his feet when a series of knocks sounded on the heavy door. For a second time, he set his plate aside and went to answer the door. Maxine continued to eat, listening to the two male voices making small talk at the door.

It didn’t look like the storm was going to be letting up soon and she suddenly realized with the sense of dread filling her stomach that she’d be spending the night. She felt the coppery taste that proceeds an influx of saliva in her mouth.

Normally, that meant she’d soon be making a few calls on the big white phone so to speak, but this was just a warning. The bathtub looked like it had enough room, but how to bring it up without it being awkward.

She could be blunt when she needed to be, but not on this subject. He was a man and all men thought about one thing at one point or another and here she was sitting on his bed. Her night was quickly spiraling out of the conscious realm of what she thought could happen; it didn’t involve a hotel room and it definitely didn’t involve a guy. But, maybe she was too cynical and this was just something she needed.

Joshua thanked the man at the door before wheeling a cart into the room. Sitting on top of the cart was a tray filled with glasses, and two dark bottles. With each rotation of the wheels, the glasses shook and clanked against each other. Joshua quickly poured Maxine and himself a drink.

Maxine reached out for the glass, her fingers brushing over his before she tilted her head back, quickly downing the drink in a few gulps. The whiskey and sweet lemon juice tasting drink burned as it slid down her throat as she downed the goldenrod colored liquid. She let out a soft “ahhhh” before smacking her lips together.

“Can I have another?” she asked, breathing heavily just slightly before wiping her wet lips with the back of her arm.

Joshua blinked once before taking her glass, filling it up with the alcoholic drink. He then took his glass of red wine and set it on the bedside table before taking his place back on the bed. “You don’t seem like the red wine type,” she said to him and Joshua let out a snort.

“And what type is that?” Joshua asked, lifting his eyebrows.

Maxine didn’t answer as she gave a shrug of her shoulders. She peered closely at him as he went back to finishing his meal. Silence fell over them, stretching longer and longer between them, broken up by the rumble of thunder, the sound of rain hitting the windows, whatever program the TV was on, and the scraping of the forks and knives on the plate.

“So…if this isn’t a storm, what would you call it?” Joshua asked. Maxine blinked in confusion for a moment before spotting the half smirk on his face.

“Ha ha.” She rolled her eyes before flinching slightly when a loud bang shook the room. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, a wave of heat rushing up to the crown of her head.

“You ok?” he asked, his eyebrows narrowing slightly.

“Oh yeah you know I’m just…” Maxine trailed off before swallowing thickly. “I hate storms.”

“I used to be scared of storms, too,” Joshua replied. “Not as bad as needles. I’ve never gotten over that fear.” An embarrassed smile crossed his face. “Once kicked a nurse in the face just because I had to get a shot before I went overseas.”

“Ohhhh, no you didn’t,” Maxine said around a laugh, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “So a tattoo is out of the question. What about the dentist?”

“I skipped out on any appointments where I needed to get a tooth pulled and I’m glad I never went,” he replied, putting his hand up in the air, turning his head away just slightly. Maxine chuckled. “To get over my fear of storms, I used to think of it that fireflies were playing tag and the lightning was whenever they collided with each other.” His eyes lowered, eyelashes casting a light shade over his cheekbones. “That sounds stupid, I know.”

“No, it’s ok,” Maxine replied, waving her glass in the air before taking a long sip. “I always thought of the giants bowling thing.” She pursed her lips after she swallowed. “Never seemed to work well though.”

“Obviously, you haven’t gotten over your fear,” Joshua said, as more of a statement than a question, silently prompting her to explain. Maxine was silent for a moment, tapping her fingernails against the side of her glass.

“I fantasize,” she slowly admitted, feeling herself blush. Her blush scorched her cheeks at Joshua’s attempt at hiding his look of amusement. His eyebrows twitched before he lifted his glass to his mouth, taking large gulps of wine to cover the silence.

“That totally came out differently than what I’m actually thinking,” Maxine said with a laugh.

“I’m sure it totally did,” Joshua replied with a swallow, smacking his lips. He gave a lazy smile. “Care to explain anyway?”

“You know it’s…just kind of a crazy thing I do sometimes,” Maxine said as she lifted a hand to scratch at her forehead. “If I have plenty of time I fantasize about a lot of things. Like…if this building was flooding and I needed to find a way out to survive. Or if this room would suddenly burst into flames what would I do.” She shrugged her shoulders. “That kind of thing.”

“So what are you fantasizing about in this case?” Joshua asked and Maxine felt her lips pull back into a smirk. “You know what I mean. You have these thoughts a lot?”

“I’m not crazy.”

“I never said you were.” Joshua crossed an arm over his chest, using his fist to prop up the elbow to the arm he was using to hold his glass of wine. “So what would you do in this situation? Say we were trapped in a hotel room for who knows how long and only have each other for a sense of entertainment. What would you do?”

“To get over my fear of storms?” Maxine asked. Joshua nodded his head and she hesitated. It was a sure fire way to get her to stop being so worried about storms. She had always been scared of storm and to go off to a different place, a different world, allowed her to get her mind off of her fear until the storm passed. “I’d…build a fort.”

“A fort?” Joshua repeated, blinking rapidly.

“Yeah, you know those things kids like building with everything in their house or up in a tree that they’ll eventually fall out of and break their arm? Or leg?” Maxine explained. “A fort.”

“Something tells me you had a very…colorful childhood,” Joshua said. Maxine gave him a look that was a cross between annoyance and amusement.

“Well, what kind of childhood did you have?” she asked, fixing him with a stare.

“A good one.” A muscle twitched in his jaw and he took a long sip of wine. He lifted his shirt collar and wiped at his lips as he did so. “A little…off the beaten track I guess.”

“Well, you can tell me all about it in the fort.” Maxine reached forward and patted his knee, practically pressing the soft cotton over her stomach into the Worcestershire sauce puddle on her plate. “And bring the dessert.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

February 14th
12:45 am

JC lay back, staring up at the floral print ceiling to their fort. His head swam and his gaze blurred along the edges, dulling his sense just slightly. But not enough for him to ignore the dull ache in his back, and tailbone from the hard carpeted flooring. His fingers were threaded together, hands clasped on his stomach, slowly lifting and falling as he breathed in and out of his nose.

Empty dessert plates were scattered around the fort they had somehow managed to create with the bed, TV, dinner cart, chairs, ironing table and bedside table. JC had to thank the hotel for accommodating him with more linen then he would ever need in his short stay.

He groaned as his stomach cramped, trying to digest all the food he had eaten in rapid succession. A slight pounding behind his eyes indicated a hangover that was to come. He rolled his head to the side, looking over at Maxine who was lying on her side, curled up in a ball, arms wrapped around her stomach, knees pulled up to her chest. Her face contorted with pain, eyes squeezed shut.

“That’s the last time I eat without chewing,” she groaned. “I’m an expensive date, I’m sorry I ordered so much food.”

“Maybe I should screen my dates,” JC thought out loud. He felt a sharp blow to his shoulder and spotted the small glare on Maxine’s face. “You either have those who talk too much, don’t talk enough, some talk too much about themselves. Why is it so hard to have conversations with you girls on dates?”

“Uh, because we don’t want to look like idiots?” Maxine replied, her glare melting away. She slowly unfolded herself, wincing just slightly before she propped her head up with her hand. “Some guys like smart girls, don’t talk, don’t look stupid.” Her nose then wrinkled. “Why do guys talk about themselves all the time while on dates?”

“To talk themselves up,” JC replied. “Want to look like the perfect guy.”

“And we want to look like the perfect girl, so stop harping on us about taking a long time to get ready for dates,” Maxine replied with a smirk. JC let out a single “ha!”

“You do take forever,” he said, forcing himself to sit up to face her. Maxine’s eyebrows shot up before JC started talking in his best falsetto. “Give me a minute and I’ll be ready.” He then glanced at his bare wrist and tapped it, pretending to check his non-existent watch. “And then it’ll take you ten more minutes, at least.”

“Well, I mean, if you don’t want us ladies to look good enough for you to show off,” Maxine said in a ho-hum type of voice. She lifted a finger in the air. “Here’s a tip.” She leaned forward slightly and started talking in a whisper. “We don’t really do it for you.”

JC let out a short, startled laugh. He was never one to really complain about women and their grooming procedures. Guys had their own ways to freshen up and prepare for events with the worries of wearing too much cologne, or not enough cologne, if their breath smelt good or if it smelt bad, and all throughout the date worrying about pit stains, sweaty palms, and being the one having to initiate any sort of romantic moment.

“Then who do you do it for?” he asked.

“Other girls,” Maxine replied. She lifted her hand and raked her fingers through her hair. After spending hours drying, her hair had settled into a slight wavy texture that made her look more…different, more soft then she looked from the get go. “I mean, yeah, we show off for guys, but it’s also to show other girls how good we can look.”

“Interesting.” Ha! Interesting was a huge understatement. If only he could always get this insight on girls on a daily basis. He’d finally get all his questions answered: Why did they travel in packs? What was so funny that had them laughing all the time?

“What? You guys don’t do that?” Maxine asked.

“Hell, no,” JC replied with a laugh. “We’re too busy…”

“Ogling,” Maxine finished for him.

“I like to call it laid back watching,” JC said, his eye narrowing just slightly as he took on a defensive tone. Maxine snorted before she broke into a small fit of giggles. He grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. He hated talking about his feelings. He was a man, damn it. He ran a hand over his face, the pads of his fingers pushing down the sides of his mouth as he threatened to smile.

“ ‘Laid back watching’ ?” Maxine repeated. “You’re such a guy.”

“You’re such a girl,” he shot back with a half grin. Maxine’s eyebrow shot up. “You were the one who freaked out at my mention of staying in a hotel earlier.”

“Ok, I’ll admit that,” Maxine said after a moment of silence and JC nodded his head. “But, guys do some crazy things like that just to get girls.” She nodded her head. “Uh-huh. Yeah. And it’s not just you, but, like all guys. You’re a gentleman.”

“Thank you,” JC said, putting a hand to his chest. “I was brought up that way.”

“I want to meet your mom,” Maxine said and JC froze. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was that she had just said. “I-I mean. Well, I do want to her meet her because, well, you’re really nice. It’s nice to find a well raised man talking about his mom in a positive light. That’s all.”

“Mmhmm,” JC said, nodding his head.

“Would you look at the time,” Maxine said, holding her wrist out to look at her watch, “it’s past midnight.” She blinked and did a double take. “It’s past midnight. It’s Valentine’s Day.”

He watched her demeanor change. Her eyes flickered towards him before dropping her gaze down to her lap. She clasped her hands together, twisting her fingers together. Her shoulders slumped, back curving and she took on the shape she had pulled herself in when she previously sat on the bed, scrolling through TV channels, trying to find something that wasn’t romantic driven.

“I…guess it’d be bad to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day?” he asked, his eyebrows knitting together just slightly as he watched her. Gone were the traces of humor and amusement. Now she looked…different. Solemn.

“I hate Valentine’s Day,” she said, her nose wrinkling slightly as she looked up at him. “I never do anything like this. Normally, I stay at home all alone on Valentine’s Day.”

“You don’t make a habit out of this?” JC asked with a grin. Maxine laughed before reaching for one of the pillows behind her, throwing it at him. JC caught it against his chest before hugging it to himself. “Bad past experiences?”

“Not the greatest I’ll admit,” Maxine replied with a wry smile. “So, I try not to…try.” A thoughtful look crossed her face. “You know how people always say to wait for the special someone to come to you?”

“I’ve heard that, yes.” JC gave a single nod of his head.

“Sitting duck over here,” Maxine said, waving her hand in the air. She blew her bangs out of her face. “It’s not that I don’t want a relationship, it’s that I don’t want something so…serious,” Maxine explained, letting out a sigh through her nose. JC blinked. “Ok, that sounds bad. What I’m trying to say is, whenever Valentine’s Day comes around, you feel like you have to have a boyfriend, or you have to have a date, or get your significant other something good.”

JC could agree with that. There were a couple of times where he felt like he was bending over backwards just to try and make the night special and something to remember for his significant other at the time. That’s not to say it wasn’t worth it, but it was a lot of hard work for one day. “I just want, just for once, to have fun with someone. To just hang out, have a good time, and enjoy each other’s company without all that stressful bullshit. Valentine’s Day can be for friends, too.”

“Noted, awesome,” JC rattled off. “And I’m kind of shocked. I thought girls liked the romance and the flowers and everything that went with the day.”

“Oh, we do, trust me,” Maxine said with a short laugh. “Who would want to give up a day of being pampered?”

“So, what about this Valentine’s Day?” JC asked. “You said you wanted a day where you could just hang out with a friend, so…” He lifted his hands indicating the area around him. “Is this anything like you dreamed?”

Maxine’s eyebrows collided. “Are we friends?” she asked. “I just met you tonight.”

“True,” JC agreed. “Tonight didn’t start out great, I’ll admit, but this is the most relaxed Valentines Day I’ve had and it just started. I can only hope it won’t get too stressful. I mean, you’re not going to have an ex-boyfriend come crashing through here looking for some sexcapade or something, is he?”

Maxine let out a single, “Ha!” shaking her head. “There’d have to be an ex-boyfriend somewhere for that to happen.” She put a hand in the air. “Not that there would be any sexcapades of some sort.”

“No, of course not,” JC agreed with a nod of his head.”But, to answer your question…we’re stuck in a hotel together after I accidentally pushed you into a puddle of beer, making you look like you pissed your pants. Oh, and let’s not forget the movie-classic drive by tidal wave. If you can’t be that many embarrassing situations at one time and not come out as friends, there’s something wrong.”

“Well, you’d have to be honest with someone to be their friend,” Maxine pointed out, pursing her lips just slightly. She was silent for a moment. “I know who you are.”

JC froze, feeling his heart start to ram against his ribcage. He swallowed thickly, trying to rid his mouth of all the saliva that suddenly flooded the cavern. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, making it hard for him to breathe. You’re an idiot for thinking you could get away with this for so long, he thought to himself, running a hand over his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were, JC?” she asked quietly. JC shrugged his shoulders. “I saw your driver’s license, that’s why I didn’t send the picture to Laura. Didn’t want her freaking out or anything like that. I mean, you looked familiar to me, but…”

“Thanks,” JC replied quietly. But, he was confused. She knew who he was the whole time but never said anything about it. On the one hand, he was grateful for it, but at the same time, it was just weird. He was so used to having screaming girls, crying girls, girls who could barely string together a coherent sentence just because he smiled at them. “So you’re not a fan?”

“It’s not that,” Maxine instantly replied.  “I mean, I am, but…I never thought I’d ever meet someone like you. I mean…I don’t know if I wanted to believe it was you.”

“I don’t follow,” JC replied.

“I mean , I don’t know, I think I felt better telling myself it was just someone that looked like you so I wouldn’t be so embarrassed,” Maxine said, a small grin coming to her face. She bowed her head in embarrassment, peering up at him through her hair.

“Let me let you in on a little secret,” JC said, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning forward slightly to give her a smile. “Even guys like us get embarrassed, too. I wiped out down a flight of slick stairs the other day. Right in front of a whole bunch of fans with cameras.”

Maxine let out a laugh, a hand flying up to cover her mouth. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, well, I think I bruised my ass more than I bruised my ego,” JC said with a shrug of his shoulders. He peered over at her. “You’re not like other girls.”

“Because I’m not falling all over myself?” she asked and JC nodded. Maxine shrugged her shoulders. “I haven’t known you as JC from NSYNC. You’re just…Joshua.”

JC smiled. That was enough.

---

 

2:15 am

Maxine smacked at the pillow underneath her head as she rolled over for the umpteenth time, trying to get to sleep. She didn’t think she’d be able to do that knowing JC was that close to her. He had insisted on sleeping in the bathtub be she had insisted even more that sharing the bed would be fine.

They were both adults, she said.

It’ll be fine, she said.

Ha.

She could only listen to his deep, even breathing for so long without A: being jealous that she couldn’t get to sleep and B: just knowing that someone else was sharing a bed with her. Not only was it just a foreign concept to her, but he was taking up her sleeping area. Admittedly, it was pretty much the whole bed, but she wasn’t talking semantics.

“…So for this Valentine’s Day I must’ve done something right.”

“What?” Maxine asked, startled. She stopped moving before rolling back over to face JC. His warm breath repeatedly blew over her arm, sending shivers down her spine and raising bumps on her arms. She slid her arm underneath her pillow, trying to rid the…wonderful feeling.

“I mean…they…those other guys who’ve made you hate Valentine’s Day,” JC replied, his voice barely above a whisper, punctuating the darkness. “I must be doing something right if you’re thinking this is the best Valentine’s Day you’re having.”

“Did I say that?” Maxine asked, her eyes widening. Not that he could see it. Who was she kidding? Spending the night—in the most innocent way possible—with a member of one of the hottest boy bands out at the time? Uh, yeah, this knocked every last Valentine’s Day out of the park!

“Not exactly,” JC admitted. His deep chuckle rumbled towards her. “But, I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Sadly, yes,” Maxine replied. She felt her face burn at the implication. “I mean…I didn’t mean—“

“I get it, don’t worry,” JC said, his words drowned out with his yawn. “Having trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah.” Maxine blinked at the softness of her voice. “You?”

“I always do,” JC explained. “My mind’s always on something. A new project, a new song, what event I have to go to the morning, trying to figure out what city I’m going to…” Maxine felt his hand brush her side as he lifted his hand to rub at her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out his form underneath the sheets. “I don’t think it’s ever been able to turn off.”

“Well…let’s put it to good use then.” Maxine threw back the covers and clicked on the bedside lamp. Turning back to face JC, she watched as he pushed himself up onto his arms, squinting against the sudden harsh light. A glint of light bounced of the necklace that rested on his bare chest. He shifted into a seated position, the soft sheets sliding off his torso, pooling into his lap—contouring each ridge of his abs.

“What are you talking about?” JC asked, his shoulders slumping with a sigh, looking over at her.

“You doted on me for Valentine’s Day and now it’s my turn to do it for you,” Maxine explained, pointing towards the clock. JC looked over at the glowing red numbers and his lips parted back into a grin. “So let’s go.”

“Where are we going? Exactly?” JC started fighting his way through the massive bundle of sheets, comforter, towels, and pillows from their makeshift fort that they had thrown on the bed when they were too tired to stay up. He set his feet to the floor and stood, massaging his lower back before pulling up on the band of his sweatpants.

“ ‘And yet, having you have the cooks in the hotel turn on just about every electronic around here to make you food is a good idea’ , ring a bell?” Maxine asked, lowering her voice to try and match his tone. JC turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest, silently nodding his head. “Good. Then follow me.”

Maxine didn’t wait for him to respond before she unlocked the hotel door, pumped the handle, and pulled it open. She was halfway down the hall before JC fell into step beside her, his torso covered in a t-shirt, sliding his wallet into his pants pocket. “What are we doing?” he pressed.

“Well, I can only imagine how many orders the cooks here have to prepare not only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but whenever someone like me wants room service,” Maxine said as she adjusted the sleeves to her borrowed shirt…again. “Especially on a day like today, they’re probably working at all hours and still has to prepare for the morning. So, I thought I’d put my talents to use and make something for them. Chocolate pizza and chocolate-strawberry champagne flutes a dish that is definitely best served cold.”

“Chocolate…pizza?” JC repeated as they reached the elevators. He reached out his thumb and jabbed it into the elevator. “That’s a thing?”

“It tastes better than you think,” Maxine said, waving her hand in the air. “I’m sure there are weirder things you’ve eaten on the road.” JC’s lips curled upwards as Maxine took a cheerful step into the elevator before grabbing his arm with both of her hands, pulling him inside after her, noting the twitch of his muscles beneath her finger tips. “Bottom floor, Jeeves.”

“Yeah, yeah,” JC said with a sigh before he pressed his index finger into the circular 1 before pressing the door close button. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and glanced down at her hands. Maxine quickly pulled her hands back as if they were on fire—they sure did feel that way.

“Sorry!” she squeaked out, her throat suddenly tightening. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” JC gave her a half smile before proceeding to watch the red buttons slowly count down until it hit the bottom floor. The doors slid open and Maxine walked out into the brightly lit lobby taking a sharp right and leading the way through the dining room towards the back.

“Home, sweet, home,” Maxine said as she took in a deep breath of air, flipping on the lights. “Go wash your hands.”

“Yes, ma’am,” JC said, waggling his eyebrows in her direction before stalking over towards the large, deep sink. Maxine slapped a hand over her mouth, stopping the giggle-bubble that rose in her chest, threatening to burst. “So this is what you do? Cook?”

“Yep,” Maxine replied, making her way over to the refrigerator. She punched the air with her fists when she pulled the door open and came face to face with mounds of pizza dough. Looks like the dough has risen enough. She grabbed a large chunk wrapped in plastic wrap. “Flambelle's Grill and Bar. Been working there for a couple of years now.”

“Nice,” JC said over the loud sound of water hitting the bottom of the sink. “I make a pretty good piece of toast.”Maxine let out a laugh as she allowed the refrigerator door to swing shut. “Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Butter, cinnamon sugar. It’s good.”

“I’ll take your word for it but it’s not high cuisine,” Maxine said as she pulled her lips downwards into a mocking apologetic look. “Sorry.” JC shrugged his shoulders as she set down the pizza dough with a thump. She then closed her eyes, putting her fingers to her temples as she started to think. “Ok, we’re going to need melted butter, some Nutella, and chocolate chips.”

“And where does the chocolate come into all of this?” JC joked as he started to move around the kitchen looking for what she had just listed off. Maxine opened her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Since the pizza dough is already made so we don’t have to worry about that,” Maxine continued as if he didn’t ay anything as she unwrapped the plastic from the cold dough. She looked around and spotted a knife block. She grabbed the handle of the biggest one and swiftly brought it down into the dough, cutting it in half. “We just need some flourrrrrr.”

She held out the word as she looked around before finding a container with a slanted F on it. She popped off the top of the container and shook out a mound onto the counter in front of her before setting one off to her side. After quickly washing her hands she joined JC at the island in the middle of the room. Drying her hands off on a towel she lifted her hands and twisted her hair up into a ponytail.

“What?” she asked when she noticed JC watching her, slowly blinking.

“Nothing,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He cleared his throat, scratching the side of his jaw. “I just don’t know how girls do that.”

“We have to have some  mystery to rope you boys in, now don’t we?” Maxine asked, her eyebrows shooting up. JC shifted his head towards the ceiling, his lips twitching upwards into a smile.

“So do what do we do first?” JC asked.

“We roll out the dough,” Maxine replied, lifting a chunk of dough, setting it down into the pile of flour in front of her. JC jumped back, but a thin layer of white stuck to his shirt. “Sorry.”

“No sweat,” he replied before starting to brush his hand along his shirt before reaching for the dough. He made a face as he pushed his fingertips into the refrigerated dough. “Kind of hard to do.”

“It’ll warm up and be easier to mold, trust me,” Maxine said, dismissing his complaint as she crossed over to the oven to turn it on, preheating it to 450 degrees. “The flour will help. You just sprinkle some more on top to help you out.”

“I do.” Maxine blinked at the sudden comment and lifted her head to look at him, the words sinking in. He barely knew her and yet he could easily allow those words to come out of his mouth. Strangely enough, she felt the same way.  “So how do you do this?”

“Well,” Maxine said, starting to lift up onto the balls of her feet, pushing her weight down onto the dough, “one it gets warmed up enough, you spread it out—we’re looking to get it to be about...nine inches in diameter—and then you start to toss it in the air.” She quickly worked through her dough before she found it ready to be tossed.

She balanced the dough on her finger tips before she started tossing it up into the air, twisting her wrists as she did so. She watched as the dough spun in the air before falling back down towards her. “Ta daaa!” She grinned as she caught the dough and started twirling it again, watching it as it expanded while in the air.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I can do that,” JC said, his voice cracking as he watched her.

“You don’t even want to try?” she asked, briefly glancing upwards to catch the dough a second time. JC shook his head back and forth. “Come on, it’s not so bad.”

“Ok, ok, ok,” JC said with a sigh, walking around the counter to stand next to her. “What do I do?” JC held out his hands and Maxine wordlessly put the dough in it, keeping it balanced on her hands as well. “Uhhhh.”

“Relax,” Maxine replied, saying it not only for him but for herself. She could feel heat from his fingers as they gently grazed hers. “Ok, you’re going to have one hand in a fist, and one hand palm out.” She felt JC’s fingers slowly curl into a fist underneath the dough. “You’re going to use the back of your fist to catch the dough, ok? But the palm hand is what you’re going to use to toss the dough; it doesn’t have to be high, but you want to toss it up. Ok?”

“Ok,” JC replied with a nod. “I think I can do that.” He cleared his throat before setting his feet shoulder-length apart. Maxine removed her hands from under the dough and JC tossed it up into the where it did a some sort of a side spin before falling back down onto his face.

Maxine gasped, her hand coming up to cover his mouth. She pressed her hand tightly against her lips as JC reached up and pulled the dough off of his face, a puff of flour shooting into the air as the dough was pulled from his hair. A snicker escaped. Then a snort. And then a laugh.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to squeak out before bursting into loud laughter. JC rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he pulled strips of dough from his face. “You just…oh, my gosh…you look so…so funny.”

“Yeah, yeah,” JC muttered.

“Maybe it would be a better idea not to have you do this,” Maxine said as her laughter died down.

“You make it look easy,” JC complimented, balling the dough between his fists.

“If it makes you feel any better, I was in your place not too long ago,” Maxine said as she reached up a hand to brush the flour out of his hair. JC laughed through his nose, setting the dough down before shifting his gaze back on her, seeming to freeze as her fingers slid down the side of his face. She used the heel of her palm to brush the flour from his cheek bone.

Her lips parted as she locked her eyes onto his blue ones. JC swallowed and Maxine felt the movement underneath her fingers. His eyes closed for a brief moment as her fingernails grazed the hairs at the base of his neck. Farther down her fingers slid, following the curve of his jaw, her thumb just brushing the outside corner of his lips.

“Thanks,” JC said, his voice barely above a whisper, slowly blinking.

“No problem,” Maxine replied just as quietly. She then sucked in a deep breath of air, pulling her hand back from his face, dropping her arm down to her side with a loud, punctuating slap. “So, uh, I guess it’s better if…strawberries. In the refrigerator. We also need champagne and champagne flutes and chocolate. Which we already have.” She cleared her throat, quickly stepping past him. “Right, then.”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was watching her every move.

..

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Maxine asked, smiling across the table at JC before lifting the last of her chocolate pizza slice to her mouth. She popped it into her mouth and chewed, wiping her hands on her chocolate stain covered napkin. The candles sitting in the middle of their table seemed to illuminate the dark area around them more, adding to the brightness JC’s smile cast into the room.

After taking up the task of finishing making the pizza, snagging a few slice for themselves, JC had partially sliced strawberries and painted chocolate onto them with a basting brush before setting them into the refrigerator to cool. Once those were hardened enough he carefully slid them around the rims of glasses, poured in the champagne and everything went into the refrigerator with a note.

Now they were enjoying the fruits of their labor (no pun intended) in the dining area. It was JC’s idea to bring out the candles, reminding her that it was Valentine’s Day and that he had neglected to create that atmosphere earlier on in the night. Not that she was complaining.

“It was fun I’ll admit,” JC said, slowly nodding before his tongue darted out to lick at the glob of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“It’s nice to get out of your comfort zone for once in a while, right?” Maxine asked.

“I don’t know, is it?” JC asked, lifting his eyebrows. Maxine gave him a confused look and JC angled his chin downwards just slightly, staring pointedly at her.

Oh.

Right.

Maxine bowed her head, feeling herself blush. “This is fun,” she said quietly, looking back up at him.

“Good. I want to keep ahead of those other guys that made your Valentine’s so terrible.” Maxine rolled her eyes as JC chuckled. His smiled faded just slight as he  reached out a finger and slid the pad down her nose. “You have some…flour.”

“Oh.”

A small giggle slipped out past her lips. She felt her eyes widen and she quickly reached for napkin and shook it out to its largest size. Hiding behind it, she wiped at her nose and mouth. How embarrassing. And how stupid of her to be embarrassed to even look at him right now! It was just flour! She’s gotten it all over herself before.

And it was all over him not too long ago. She sighed. She could feel the smooth, yet rough skin just around his mouth all over again. His blue eyes searing into hers as he had thanked her.

“So, I’ve seen you in your world,” JC said, prompting her to look over at her, “now I want you to see me in mine. A glimpse of it, really.” He gave her a questioning look and Maxine founder herself nodding her head. “Come on.” He held his hand out towards her as he pushed his chair back from his seat. Maxine hesitated for a moment before sliding her smaller hand into his; his fingers curling to wrap over hers, taking her hand in a protective group.

Maxine quickly blew out the candles before stepping out from behind the table.“Where are we going?” Maxine asked, allowing him to guide her through the maze of tables and chairs.

“Not far,” JC replied. And then she saw it; a piano, sitting in the corner of the dining area. He showed her over to one of the tables sitting right by it and pulled out a chair for her. Maxine gave him a warm smile as she lowered herself into the cushioned chair. JC sat down on the piano bench, the object creaking as she did so. “It may sound stupid but…this is where I feel the most at home.”

He slid his hand over the top of the sleek black piano before lifting the key cover. Maxine watched as he placed his feet on the pedals before gently placing his fingertips over the keys. “It’s not stupid,” she reassured him. “I get it.”

JC quickly played a run on the piano, moving hand over hand, his fingers twitching on the keys before they moved onto the next one, a string of notes curling together to form a beautiful melody. JC rocked back and forth as he played, closing his eyes, pressing and removing his feet from the pedals as he did so.

And then he stopped. He sat frozen for a long moment, holding out the last note before he removed his foot from a pedal, dropping his hands into his lap. “This is the song I learned for my audition for the Mickey Mouse Club,” he said quietly. “I go back to it and listen to it, or sing it, or play it whenever I just need  to relax and get my head around things, so I don’t forget where I came from, that kind of thing.”

He then let out a breath of air, placed his fingers back on the keys and started playing a familiar opening tune. He then opened his mouth and started to sing. “Ocean's apart day after day, and I slowly go insane. I hear your voice on the line, but it doesn't stop the pain.” His eyebrows knitted together, eyes squeezing shut as he sang.

His voice started out quiet, slowly growing in strength as he got to the chorus and Maxine then recognized the song. “If I see you next to never. How can we say forever. Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks, I will be right here waiting for you.”

And while the song wasn’t directed towards her—or maybe that was what she was telling herself—but she believed him.

February 14th
11:45 am

Bzzzz.

Maxine sucked in a breath of air through her nose as she woke up. She curled in on herself, pulling the blankets towards her stomach with her knees, her pillow coming downwards with her hands. A sigh tumbled past the curve of her lip before she started to pat the cool mattress top in search for her phone.

“Ow.” Her knuckles slammed into the corner of her phone before she grasped it in her hand. She retrieved it from under the covers and squinted one eye open to peer at the screen. A little icon of a ringing phone shook back and forth on the small display before Laura’s name appeared. Maxine hooked her thumb in between the two halves of the phone before shoving it between her ear and the pillow. “Hello?”

“Girl, I’m glad you answered,” Laura said, sounding relieved. “Cell signal was down for a while and I couldn’t get a hold of you and I was worried about you. But, you’re ok?”

“Course I’m ok,” Maxine replied, eyes closed. She cleared her throat after hearing how gravelly her voice sounded.

“Well, I didn’t know if you were drugged or something,” Laura  replied, her voice getting high pitched. Maxine was sure her eyebrows were lifted, throwing her free hand into the air before twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, and pacing back and forth.

“What are you talking about?” Maxine asked, becoming more and more awake as the seconds ticked by.

“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never slept in until noon,” Laura pointed out. And there goes the pursed lips, the hand on her hip, and the sucking of her teeth.

Maxine’s eyes flew open before she sat up in bed, removing her phone from her ear. She glanced down at the display, her jaw dropping just slightly when she saw the time. It was almost 12 o’clock. No wonder she was worried. Laura was right: she never slept in. Not that she didn’t try, she was just used to getting up early due to school, some of her jobs, and especially to maximize her time in practicing her cooking skills.

“I’m fine,” Maxine said, putting a hand to her head. She then twisted in the bed and found  the area next to her empty. Her eyebrows knitted together before she looked around the room, stopping when she noticed the bathroom door was closed, light shining underneath. “We just stayed up late last night. That’s all.”

Laura gasped. “Oooh, doing what?”She asked. Maxine’s shoulders slumped as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Nu-thing,” she replied, putting as much emphasis on the word as she could. “We just talked and got to know each other. We fell asleep talking, that’s it.” Maxine felt her face flush as she thought back to that night. Making pizza, being serenaded on the piano, and just talking until they fell asleep.

Actually, she faked going to sleep for his sake. As the dark morning dragged on, they could find just about anything to talk about. And in his line of work, he needed to get as much sleep as he could get, and she would give it to him. As their conversation wore on, and she knew he was getting tired, she purposefully responded after more and more delay.

Yes, he had kissed her cheek in good night, but only when he thought she was asleep. And yes, there was some cuddling. Let’s be honest though, cuddling with a person was better than cuddling with a pillow. But, that was it. Nothing else happened.

It was so simple and natural.

And nice.

“Awwww. That’s so cute.” Laura made a high pitched squealing sound. “I want full details when you get back. By the way, when do you think that’ll be? I mean, I don’t know if you two planned anything for Valentine’s Day or…”

“Uhhh.” Maxine trailed off. She blinked once, twice, three times.

She hadn’t thought of that herself. Did he want her to stay? Did she want to stay herself? An ache formed in her stomach at the thought and it surprised her. JC would be out finishing the rest of his tour and be immersed in that lifestyle all over again and she’d be back at work. She didn’t know what to expect from him or the situation at all.

Truth be told, she had enjoyed the break from her life and hoped he was enjoying himself as well. Working on a tour was a lot harder than catering for a graduation party or a wedding party or anything like that. They were just from two different worlds and had a chance meeting. No matter what, she’d always remember this Valentine’s Day.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Well,” Laura said just a quiet, seeming to pick up on how she was feeling, “just let me know either way, girl. Ok?”

“I will.” Maxine nodded her head despite knowing her friend could see it. “Talk to you later. Or…see you when I get home.” She removed her phone from her ear and jabbed her thumbnail into the small END button. She set her phone down into her lap, glancing towards the closed bathroom door a second time. “Uh, I think I’m going to go.” Once I find my clothes.

“Just…hold on and I’ll get you your clothes,” JC called back his voice muffled by the heavy door. “I’ll let you in here to change.”

“Ok.” Maxine shrugged her shoulders. There wasn’t much she could say about it. Maxine gathered the sheets and blankets around her before flopping back down into the pillows. She lifted her hands and ran her palms over her face before sliding her fingernails over her scalp. She took in another deep breath of air, her nose wrinkling when she smelled smoke.

Smoke?

She sat up in alarm, her heart hammering in her chest. “Uhh, is everything ok?” she asked, her voice quivering just slightly. She bunched the muscles in her leg getting ready to launch herself out of bed and into the hall the second the fire alarm went off.

“Fine.”

“Oh, yeah, because smoke coming out of the bathroom isn’t anything to worry about.” Maxine rolled her eyes before taking another whiff. It didn’t smell like cigarette smoke.

Of course he couldn’t smoke due to his line of business, but maybe it just took the edge off things. A lot of her coworkers smoked to calm their nerves. It didn’t smell like anything caught on fire. She had accidentally set too many wash cloths on fire to know what that kind of fire smelled like. But, it was familiar. Almost like…

“A candle?” Maxine’s nose wrinkled when she spotted the small white and pink striped candle that sat in the container of brownies in JC’s hands. “What the-?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” JC said with a smile. He handed Maxine the brownies before he stepped up onto the bed, lowering himself into a seated position. He crossed his legs as best he could. “Go on, blow out the candle.” He put a hand in the air. “I promise, despite being made in the bathroom, they’re really good.”

Maxine leaned forward and extinguished the flame with a single puff. “Where did you get these?” she asked, removing the candle from the center.

“I bought it a couple days ago. To be honest, I kind of hid them from Joey and Chris because I knew they’d eat them before I got the chance to have any,” JC said with a roll of his eyes, getting a laugh out of Maxine. He shrugged his shoulders. “I thought it’d be nice to have if I was going to be by myself, but now I have someone to share with  so…” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet,” Maxine said, bowing her head, feeling herself blush.

“Sure,” JC replied. He reached out a hand and carefully worked out a piece of brownie. “Just don’t tell Joey or Chris.” Cupping his hand underneath his mouth, JC took a bite out of the brownie.

Don’t tell them about the brownies or about me? Maxine hated that the thought came dive bombing into her thoughts and she tried to shake it away. She gave JC a smile of thanks before leaning forward and planting a kiss on his cheek.

JC’s eyes widened as his chewing paused for a moment. “What was that for?” he asked, a chocolaty smell emanating from his mouth.

“For all of this,” Maxine replied, waving her hand in the air. “You didn’t have to do any of this for me.” She then gave him a teasing smile. “But, I wouldn’t want you to have to feel the wrath of your mom.”

“Thanks for that,” JC said with a laugh, his deep timbre mixing in with hers. “But you can stop thanking me. It’s no problem.” He then clapped his hands together before pointing his fingers at her. He back rolled off of the bed before crossing to the closet, pulling the sliding door open. He reached for the top shelf and carefully pulled down her clothes. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Maxine took her clothes and hurried into the bathroom to change out of her borrowed clothes. As she folded the shirt and pants in her hands, she felt her muscles tense as she really fought the urge to lift the shirt to her nose to take in a final smell. It probably smelled more like her now anyway. At least that’s what she told herself. “What do you want me to do with--?”

Maxine’s words died on her lips as she watched JC’s abdominal muscles ripple as he lifted a clean shirt over his head before he pulled the hem down to his waist. He raked his fingers through his hair. “You can just throw that in the closet.” Maxine nodded her head as she made her way around the bed for her shoes, throwing the clothes to the floor of the closet.

The sound of rain hitting against the window pane caught her attention and she paused for a moment to push the curtains back. The clouds looked more puffy and a lighter gray in comparison to the dark, threatening storm clouds from before. It was almost all over and with a weight in her stomach, Maxine realized how symbolic it was to her situation.

“So, I guess I’ll head out.”

“Can I get your number?” Maxine whirled around to face JC, allowing the curtains to swing shut. “Just in case you leave something.”

Duh! “Right, sure,” Maxine replied with a half smile. JC reached for the pen and hotel stationary on the bedside table and handed it to her. She quickly scribbled down her name and number before handing it back to him. She quickly slipped on her shoes and located her wallet and phone, making sure she had them.

Do I hug him or…? She stood awkwardly by JC’s bed for a moment before forcing another word of thanks out of her mouth before she made her way towards the door.

“Don’t forget your brownies.” Maxine looked back at JC and saw that he was holding the box out towards her. His demeanor had changed. His gaze was shifted towards the ground, he shifted his weight from foot to foot, and he scratched at the side of his jaw.

“You can keep them,” she replied.

“I  can fend off Joey and Chris,” JC said with a half smile. He shook the box, insisting on it. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Thanks.” Maxine grasped the box in her hand, reaching behind her with her other hand to unlock the door and pull it open. She held the door open with her foot and waved before slipping out into the hallway. She willed her legs forward, guiding her to the elevators. Once inside she slumped into the corner. What did you expect was going to happen? He’s a famous pop star for crying out loud!

Shaking her head from side to side, she tried to get rid of the thought, to shake out the nerves, to try and counter act the rapid beating of her heart. The elevator lowered her to the first floor and the doors slid open with a ding. After stopping at the front desk to call her a taxi, she stepped out the revolving door to wait. She realized that she didn’t have an umbrella and that fact didn’t bother her.

It matched her mood, it matched the situation and a part of her hoped it’d wash all thoughts of JC from her mind. The rain water was cold enough to attempt at shocking the thought of her. The initial droplets of water hitting her skin robbed her of her breath, not unlike the feeling of JC wiping flour from her face the night before.

Suddenly, it stopped raining around her and Maxine looked up to see JC standing over her, holding an umbrella above her head with one hand. She parted her lips, but no words came out. He, on the other hand, had no trouble talking.

“Look, I don’t know how we’re going to work this out, if we want to work this out because of our schedule, my schedule, but I’m going to call you later and I hope you answer,” JC said, his words pouring out of his mouth before Maxine could even form a syllable in her mouth. “Because I’d like to hang out with you again.”

Maxine opened and closed her mouth a couple times before a smile pulled the corners of her lips upwards. “Yeah, I might not pick up,” she answered. JC swallowed. “Because of my changing work schedule and all. But, if you don’t want to resort to having bathroom-made brownies for dessert, I think I can work something out.”

JC let out a startled laugh, shaking his head. He brought his bottom lip into his mouth with his teeth, smiling. “You’re terrible,” he commented, locking eyes with her.

Maxine’s eyebrows twitched upwards. “You have no idea.”

JC gave her a peaceful smile, lifting a hand to brush her hair from her face. He cupped her cheek in the warm curve of his hand and rubbed small circles on the ample curve of her cheek before dipping his head, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

Maxine’s eyes fluttered shut as she looped her arms around her neck. He removed his hand from her face and gripped her hip, pulling her closer towards him. The world slowly faded around her, the sounds of slow raindrops falling, birds chirping, and cars speeding by decreased as if being lowered by a volume dial…

Bzzzzzzzz.

Maxine let out a small huff of annoyance before she pulled her ringing phone out of her pocket, flipping it open with her thumb. “Hello? Hey, Laura. Yeah, on my way back now, waiting for my taxi.” She pursed her lips, lifting her eyebrows as she looked over at JC as Laura’s response slid into her ear. “Yeahhhh, I’ll let you know when I get back. Mhm, all the details like I promised.”

JC chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, a grin on his face, blue eyes bouncing from object to  object  as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

“Yep. Yeah, I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Maxine closed her phone against her hip and slid it back into her pocket. She dropped her gaze to the sunlit pavement before lifting her head to look up at JC. He gave a half smile, his bottom lip catching between his teeth, earning a smile from her as well only to be smothered in another kiss.

All that mattered in that time was who she was with on that Valentine’s Day.

The best Valentine’s Day of all.