“What can I get you?”

Kyra looked up to see a handsome man standing in front of her from behind the bar. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the hotel’s emblem on it. She could tell even in the dim lighting of the bar that he had very beautiful eyes but she couldn’t tell what color they were. She smiled her most winning smile and leaned forward slightly, lowering her eyelashes in what she thought was her most seductive gaze. “What do you recommend?”

She saw a smile start tugging at his lips as he planted his palms down onto the bar, widening his stance as he took her in. She let him do that quietly, glad that she’d showered and changed before coming down to the hotel bar to meet with her literary agent. After washing off flight germs and changing from her comfortable travel outfit, she’d put on her new A-Line Kelly green dress and paired it with a thin tan colored belt around the waist. She’d even put on her tallest heels and let her hair down.

She’d wanted to clear her head; needed something else to think about for a few hours.

Ever since she’d found out that he was in the same hotel she hadn’t been able to think about anything else. She was distracted, jumpy and slightly irritable. She didn’t want to bump into him now, not after they hadn’t seen or spoken in three and a half years.

Of course, the chances of them bumping into each other accidentally was pretty much nil, she at least took some comfort in that.

She figured that they had an entire floor booked for him and everyone travelling with the tour. They did it that way so they could control who came and went for security’s sake. It was also so that they guys didn’t feel shut into their rooms as much; they could roam the hall any time they wanted, going to each other’s rooms or visiting band mates without needing security escorts everywhere.

She assumed that’s how it still worked. It was how it had worked three and a half years ago when she’d come to visit him on the Ain’t No Stopping Us Now tour. They had been big then but now they were gargantuan.

On second thought they probably had two floors blocked off.

She didn’t think there was a remote possibility that any of the guys would come down to the crowded hotel bar and restaurant. So, she figured she’d come down early and have a drink or two before her meeting. God knows she needed to steel herself for the next few hours of talking with Alison in person.

Alison was confident and abrasive; so basically everything Kyra wasn’t. She pushed Kyra hard because she knew she could do it, but at times she was…overwhelming. It was easier when Kyra was in Boston and Alison was in New York to simply let the phone got to voicemail or to send an email instead of calling her, but now that Kyra was in New York she had no excuse to avoid Alison.

“…or a Screw me Sideways?”

Kyra blinked a few times; she’d forgotten about the whole flirting thing with the bartender. She cleared her throat softly and smiled again, leaning forward to look at him. “How about a Slippery Nipple?”

His brow arched and he smirked as he started grabbing bottles to make her drink. “Coming right up, beautiful.”’

She watched him make her drink, his movement fast and efficient.

A Slippery Nipple? What the hell.

She didn’t even know what was in that drink. It was the first dirty drink name she could come up with in a short time. She really sucked at trying to be sexy.

When he placed the drink in front of her, her eyes ran up the length of his large hand to his forearm where he’d rolled up the sleeve of the white dress shirt. She could see the very tip of some kind of tattoo peeking from the edge of the sleeve.

Tattoos.

He doesn’t have any. He’d never get any.

You need to stop thinking about him.

Now.

She reached down and picked up the drink and then held the tiny red straw between her thumb and forefinger as she leaned down to take a sip as the bartender watched intently.

“Mmmm.” She smiled up at him seductively before nodding.

He grinned, winked at her and said, “It’s on the house,” before moving away to go help someone else at the other end of the bar.

As soon as she was no longer in his sight she brought the glass back up to her lips and as daintily as possible spat the drink back into the glass.

Blech.

“You better not fuckin’ do that during dinner with the publishers’ tomorrow night…”

Alison.

If she hadn’t just spit into her drink she would have downed it in one shot at that point. But she had, so she straightened her shoulders and turned on the bar stool to smile at Alison.

“Well hello to you too.”

Alison rolled her eyes and leaned forward to give Kyra the apparently obligatory New York big shot air kisses on each cheek.

Gah, she’s fake.

“Nice to see that you did something to your hair, it looks nice for once,” she said as she took a seat on the barstool next to Kyra’s and commandingly tapped the bar with a long manicured nail. “Glass of red.”

As Alison watched the sexy bartender pour her a glass of red wine, Kyra self consciously ran her fingers through her hair. She’d decided to change it up for the press tour and had dyed it a flattering auburn color. The new layers that the hairdresser had put into her cut framed her face nicely when she let her hair down and for once she actually felt pretty.

It was a nice feeling and the wink the bartender gave her when he placed Alison’s wine glass in front of her felt even better.

“So everything is set for your morning show interview tomorrow morning. Your call time is seven-twenty a.m., make sure you get to the studio at least an hour beforehand so they can do your hair and makeup. Then it’s off to the book signing from one to three-thirty pm, lastly we have reservations at 8 for dinner with the publishers. Don’t be late for anything.”

Kyra started to speak as Alison took a sip of her wine but got cut off by her as soon as the glass had left her lips. “How is the second book coming? How many chapters do you have done?”

Nice to see you too, Alison.

My flight was great. The hotel is nice.

Kyra wasn’t usually the type of person to let someone else walk all over her but this was different.

She’d been shopping around for a literary agent for years and had finally found one that was interested. When she’d met Alison she’d thought she was abrasive, but she’d also been pleased that Alison was willing to use that abrasiveness to sell Kyra’s manuscript. She had the teeth and the connections to make it work.

And although the loudness and the pushiness at times could become overwhelming, Kyra had been pushed to the limits of her writing with Alison and it had resulted in her best work.

“I-Um, sure, yes…” Kyra replied, stumbling over her words when she sort of didn’t know which question or statement to address first. “I mean, I won’t be late. And the second book is…coming along. I’ve got a couple of chapters that are in very rough draft right now. I’ll send them along when I’m comfortable with them.”

“Good. You know we’re still on a timeline,” Alison said before she sighed theatrically and took a long drink of her wine, effectively draining it. “Well, I must leave you. I have something else scheduled tonight.” With that she reached down and grabbed an expensive looking leather bag. She pulled out a thick envelope from its depths and handed it to Kyra. “Read this over; email me any questions you have before we meet with the publishers’ tomorrow night.”

Kyra accepted the package and placed it on the bar next to her glass with a nod. After a few more instructions from Alison and the slightly condescending request from her to try and wear something nice, Alison was gone leaving behind her empty glass of wine and a strong lingering perfume smell.

Guess I’m going solo for the night.

“Can I get you something else?”

The sexy bartender was back and he was smirking down at her untouched drink. This time when he looked up at her, he was close enough that she could see that his eyes were a piercing blue. She sighed and dropped the sexy act.

She didn’t do blue eyes, not anymore.

Not when each time a blue eyed man batted his eyes her way made her compare them with his.

Because no one’s could ever compare with his.

“Tequila. Straight up.”


******************************

That had been the very first of several bad decisions that night.

The second had been to order another. Then another. Then another and finally, another.

When sexy bartender, who she was no longer able to look in the eye, cut her off she’d left the bar quite tipsy carrying her rather tall heels in her hands. When she’d made it to the elevator, she’d lost her patience when it seemed to be taking eons for it to come.

What the hell, I’ll take the stairs.

That had been the third bad decision. She’d slowly but surely made it up to the fourth floor and pushed the door to the hallway open.

Or at least she’d tried. She ended up sliding against the door slightly as the apparently locked door wouldn’t budge.

Come on! They can’t lock these…isn’t it against some kind of code…like fire code…or something?

Maybe it’s just stuck.

So she’d started to pull on the door really hard, shaking it as hard as she could to try and get it open.

When that didn’t work she banged her hands against the door a few times and then decided she was tired and slid all the way to the floor where she sat and looked around.

A few moments later said door started to slide open slightly, pushing against her back. “You can’t stay there, ma’am,” came a deep voice and she looked up to see a very large, very imposing African American man who was staring down at her.

“I don’t want to. The door was stuck! I just want to get to my room…” she said trying to get up as efficiently as possible, which wasn’t working out in her current state.


The large man leaned down and helped her up before saying, “Your room isn’t on this floor.”

“Yes it is! It says it right on here…” she said taking her hotel keycard clumsily out of her clutch. “See? Right there…four…ohhh…seven.”

The man shook his head and repeated his statement. “Your room isn’t on this floor.”

Kyra sighed and tried to slip her way past him in the small crack that was left between the door and him. When he tried to stop her she struggled against him and screeched, “Let me go!”

“What’s going on here?” Another voice joined in and Kyra was able to separate herself from the large man and stand on the other side of the door with him, now surrounded by an additional man.

“I just want to get to my room! I’m tired, I had a liiiitttllle bit to drink and I just want to go to bed!”

*******************************

Tonight’s show had been good. The crowd had been wild, the mood had been great and the energy had been high. And although JC had given his 110% as he always did, tonight he’d been more on auto pilot than anything.

All he had been able to think about was Kyra.

It had been over three years since they’d seen each other, let alone spoken. He’d always regretted the way they had left things and tonight it had been on his mind.

Earlier when he’d done a quick search of her name on the internet, he’d seen that she was also in New York this week. She was doing a press tour which included a book signing tomorrow afternoon.

He’d been going back and forth all day as to whether he should go. It would take a lot of pleading and compromising with security but he figured he could make it work. Put on a hat and shades, cover his face. Maybe even try to get the bookstore to shut down for a few minutes so he could go in. He never liked using his celebrity for things like this, but sometimes you just had to work with what you have.

I promise I’ll be the first in line to buy your first book.

He still remembered that day when he’d promised her that. He didn’t want to break it.

With that in mind, he stepped out of his room in order to go down the hall to try and find Lonnie so they could try to figure out their best action plan.

As he stepped out of his room, he was immediately aware of a commotion happening at the other end of the hall. When he got close enough he could see that two of the security guys, including Lonnie, seemed to be arguing with a woman.

Probably an overzealous fan. Plus, she sounded as if she’d had a few drinks too many.

He stopped his step for a moment as he considered if he should still go down the hall. He didn’t want to make any security incident worse.

After a bit of consideration and hearing more of the conversation, he chuckled a bit at the thought that even if she did get a glance of him that she probably wouldn’t remember in the morning.

When he resumed his walk down the hall he couldn’t help but think that there was something familiar about her voice. As if he’d heard it before.

Many times.

Kyra?

No. You’ve just been thinking about her all day, that’s all.

She’s in New York.

C’mon man, what would be the odds?

Apparently the odds were very good because as he turned the corner and set his eyes on the woman standing there, it was most definitely Kyra.

JC stopped mid-step a few yards away from Kyra who was still surrounded by Lonnie and Max. Naturally a small woman in stature, she looked even smaller near the hulking bodyguards.

She also looked different than she had the last time he had seen her: her hair which she’d usually kept quite short or tied up was loose and wavy on her shoulders, its color was what seemed like a dark red instead of its usual chocolate brown and she was wearing a very pretty dress.

His Kyra wasn’t one to walk around in sky high heels and dresses except on very special occasions, preferring her jeans, her flats and her pony tail. She was a creature of habit, which was probably why they had hit it off so well when they were little and kept a strong friendship all the way into their early twenties.

They understood each other.

They used to understand each other.

He wondered if the heel of her left hand still had the perpetual ink stain that it used to.

Well, she wasn't his Kyra anymore.

With that thought, JC shook his head and stepped forward. “Hey guys, I’ve got her.”

Lonnie and Max looked up with questioning looks on their faces. “Is she with you? She’s not on this floor…” Lonnie asked.

“Yeah, she’s with me. I’ll get her back to her room; thanks guys.”

The two men moved away from Kyra, still looking as if they weren’t sure about leaving her alone with JC but they still did.

He approached Kyra who had stayed quiet the entire time and seemed to not be very steady on her feet. “Ky?”

She didn’t answer, her eyes narrowed as she took him but didn’t seem to recognize him. “You…you look just like him.” She swayed slightly as she walked forward and poked her index finger into his chest. “Just like him”.

JC sighed and reached for her arm. “How ‘bout we get you back to your room?”

This was strange. His Kyra wasn’t one to drink that much, let alone drink copious amounts of…he sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose.

Tequila.

She wasn’t one to get drunk and argue with random people or walk around without her wits about her. He needed to get her back to her room before she made a fool out of herself, got sick all over herself or even worse, someone with less than good intentions got their hands on her.

She moved her arm out of his reach. “Listen buddy, I don’t do guys with blue eyes anymore, you’re cute and all…but I’m just going to go back to my room. It’s riiiiiight, down there,” she said, closing one eye as she aimed her index finger over his shoulder.

“Actually they switched your room…they brought your stuff and everything. You have to take the elevator. I’ll show you.”

She eyed him skeptically for a moment before tiredness seemed to win her over.

This time when he reached, she let him take her arm. He leaned down and grabbed her shoes which she’d dropped onto the floor and then they slowly made their way to the elevator.

Thankfully it came quickly and JC pressed button for the fourth floor. As the elevator made the quick ride down one floor, she leaned up against him. “You smell just like him too…”

JC shook his head again as they left the elevator and started walking down the hallway quietly. She seemed to be losing steam the more they walked and she started leaning against him more heavily. She was still clutching her keycard against her clutch purse so he grabbed it from her and used it to unlock the door to her room.

As the door swung open he got a whiff of her perfume and he smiled. She still wore it.

“We’re here, Ky. Let’s get you into bed.”

“I’m so tired, Josh,” she said quietly and he turned his face quickly to look at her.

She recognizes me now?

Easy.

“Ky, do you-“ he started to ask when she suddenly turned white as a sheet and started to bring a hand up to her mouth.

Fuck!

Instantly he reached forward, pressed one of his hands over hers and quickly turned her toward the bathroom. He half pushed and half carried her over to the toilet where they made it just in time for her to wretch into the bowl.

He crouched next to her as she heaved, holding her hair back with one of his large hands as he used the other to search through her things on the bathroom counter.

Where the hell are they?

For a girl that used to live in a ponytail, he couldn’t seem to find a hair band for the life of him.

After a few more seconds of searching and a few muffled swears later, his fingers finally grasped one and he leaned down to gather her hair with it as best he could.

This’ll have to do.

When her heaving seemed to have mostly subsided he ran his hand soothingly across her back for a few minutes then said gently, “Okay?” She nodded weakly, her eyes still closed and watery. “Let’s sit you up, honey.”

With a small nod on her part, he flushed the toilet and shut the cover before helping her up delicately and making her sit on the seat. Once she was settled he reached above her to the towel rack and grabbed two face cloths. After moistening them both with cold water, he used one to wipe her mouth and then used the other to gently pat her forehead and finally the back of her neck. Leaving it to rest on the back of her neck he then filled a small glass with water and brought it to her lips. “Don’t drink it, just rinse and spit.”

After she complied, he crouched down in front of her again and tried to catch her eye. “Ky?”

Her head lifted just enough for their eyes to meet and although hers were hooded and cloudy, she still seemed to be able to look at him. “Josh.”

He smiled sadly and nodded his head. “Let’s get you into bed,” he said as he leaned forward, picked her up in his arms and carried her over to her bed.

She seemed to settle back against the plush mattress and thick pillows instantly. He reached down and undid the small belt that was wrapped around her waist, not wanting it to dig into her as she slept. Once removed, he grabbed the thick throw blanket at the end of the bed and covered her with it.

As he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead , she sleepily mumbled in the most vulnerable voice something that broke his heart.

“You left me behind…”


********************************

Oh what fresh hell is this?

Kyra groaned as she stirred in bed awoken by the alarm clock on the nightstand apparently very close to her head.

Though she didn’t remember having it set at jet liner engine volume level, it was a good thing she had remembered to set it before she had gone down to the bar last night. She had anticipated the possibility that she wouldn’t remember to set it later.

With a disoriented hand, she patted her nightstand until she was able to hit the snooze button and quiet the infernal roaring.

With a sigh, she licked her lips and found them dry; come to think of it her mouth was really dry as well. Planning on getting glass water, she started to get up out of bed but suddenly with a soft gasp she fell back against the pillows clutching her head.

Oh god…

Why had she had so much to drink last night?

This wasn’t something she did often. She could count on one hand how many times she’d gotten this drunk and she didn’t plan on doing it many more times.

She just had a lot on her mind.

She had him on her mind.

His blue eyes swam in her mind’s eye and she blinked her own open.

Stop thinking about him.

With a steadying breath, she gathered her strength and slipped out of bed. As she slowly made her way to the bathroom, she looked down at herself and noticed that she was still wearing her dress but her belt was missing.

She looked around and saw it resting on top of her open suitcase near the door. When she scratched her cheek, she also realized that her hair was in a clumsy ponytail low on her neck.

Strange.

In the bathroom she started looking around her things and noticed that her travel makeup and toiletries bag was mostly unpacked and things were strewn all over the counter. Two balled up facecloths were in the sink and the toilet bowl cover was shut over the lid.

Even more strange.

She had been really drunk last night and didn’t even remember how she’d made it back to her room. Maybe she'd made this mess trying to get ready for bed.

Thank god she hadn’t brought Sexy Bartender back with her.

She leaned over and turned on the shower spray and closed the curtain. As she grabbed the facecloths from the sink and noticed that they were still a little damp, his eyes started to swirl around in her mind again.

Like she’d seen his eyes recently.

Like last night.

Oh. My. God.

Josh.

“Kiss me.”

‘Wha-?” JC glances up at her from his spot on the carpet, a spoonful of chicken fried rice halfway into his mouth.

“Kiss me,” Kyra repeats as she gets off of the couch and sits in front of him on the carpet of her mother’s living room.

JC chews his mouthful of food as he watches her skeptically, he swallows and speaks flatly. “No.”

Kyra whines. “C’mon Josh. Please? It won’t mean anything.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Won’t mean anything?” He shakes his head and sets his take out container on the floor next to him. “What’s up with you Ky? Why do you want me to kiss you?”

Kyra stays quiet for a few moments as she looks down at her clasped fingers nervously. “I have a date with Jeremy next week. He asked me to the Winter Formal.”

“Killam? The kid down the street?”

She nods as she gets into a crossed-legged position and crosses her arms over her chest, already getting defensive. “Yeah.”

“Isn’t he a senior?”

“So?”

“You’re a sophomore. He’s too old for you.”

“What? You’d be a senior if you were still at school.”

“That’s different, we’re not dating.” It’s his turn to cross his arms; he raises a brow. “Anyhow, what do you want with him anyway? Isn’t he still a brace face with lots of pimples?”

She shakes her head. “He’s over six feet now and he plays on the basketball team. He’s got this great shiny, curly mane of hair and his lips are…” she drifts off as she sees JC’s expression.

“Soooo sensuous? Mmmmmm? He’s super dreamy,” he says in a lofty voice, using his hands to overdramatize his words.

She rolls her eyes. “Shut up. He’s cute. I like him and maybe he likes me.”

He laughs. “And all that causes you to ask me to kiss you because...” he questions, his hand motioning her to finish the sentence.

She sighs; he can be so daft at times. “I’m scared he’ll try to kiss me.”

“Okayyyyy,” he says and when she doesn’t elaborate he sighs. “Again, what does that have to do with me kissing you?”

She shrugs and her cheeks turn crimson. “I…I just thought that maybe if you kiss me first. You know, get rid of the whole nervousness of a first kiss and everything…” She trails off and licks her lips.

It’s his turn to look embarrassed and he scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably, “I thought you kissed that Ben kid on the playground like six years ago?”

She makes a pained face, “It wasn’t really a kiss…our lips touched. That’s basically it. I’m talking about…a real kiss.”

They sit there across from each other, not saying anything for what seems like a really long time. She takes a final stab at it, “Please? I don’t want to be really bad at it and then he tells the whole school and then my life is ruined forever and then-“

“Oh, shut up Ky. You’re so dramatic,” he says exasperated before he leans forward and presses his lips against hers gently.

She feels like she can hear her heart skip a beat as he exerts a little pressure against her lips but then his lips are gone too soon. Much too soon.

“That’s it? C’mon Josh!It’s like you were kissing your Mom.”

He makes a grossed out face. “I don’t kiss my Mom like that, and what more can you want?”

She blushes again. “Kiss me like you were kissing that girl...”

He looks embarrassed again and she remembers the time she’d gone to visit him on the MMC set and had accidentally walked into a supply closet looking for a bathroom. She’d found him in there with a very pretty girl, pressed against the wall, attached at the mouths.

It had totally embarrassed her, but for the rest of that week every time she’d see him she’d see the way he looked kissing the girl. It had stirred some strange feelings inside of her; especially jealousy which she’d been surprised had been the most prevalent feeling.

He shakes his head and starts to stand up so she grabs his arm. “Please? Just once? It’s not like we’re going to get carried away and end up in a supply closet...” she teases and he laughs dryly.

He takes another moment to mull it over before finally, he takes a deep breath and rolls his eyes. “Fine. One kiss. For your reputation’s sake.” He settles back down. “Come closer.”

She nervously gnaws on her bottom lip as she scoots closer so that their legs now press up against each other. She watches as the tip of his tongue peeks out and moistens his lips as he reaches forward and places his thumb and forefinger on her chin to pull her face towards his. This time when his lips press against hers, they feel softer and more relaxed.

Her eyes drift closed as he slowly uses his bottom lip to stroke her top one, and then pulls her bottom lip between his own to tug on it gently. He repeats this a few times before she feels the tip of his tongue tenderly run across the seam of her lips. She breathes in through her nose, flooding her lungs with some much needed air as she parts her lips and her tongue joins his. The kiss is slow and gentle, their lips and tongues move in a slow dance as he coaxes her to explore his mouth and does the same with his own.

She gets lost in the moment as their lips move apart slightly, just enough for the both of them to take a breath until their lips return to each other unbeknownst to either of them who initiates the second kiss. His hand slides up to frame her face and her hands press against his chest, grasping the material of his t-shirt tightly between her fingers.

Soon they have both moved up onto their knees, her arms have moved up from his chest and have wrapped themselves around his neck while his arms have slid around her waist where he presses their bodies together.

He angles his head and she digs her fingers into the back of his neck, tangling them in his hair while she feels him use his teeth to gently nibble on her lip. Just as a small moan of pleasure escapes her lips they are interrupted by the ringing the phone.

They pull apart with a gasp and are both breathing heavily with flushed faces as they watch each other as it rings a second time.

A third.

A fourth.

“That...was more than just one kiss...” He says quietly and runs a hand over his face. “I’ve-I’ve got to go...”

As the phone rings a fifth time and the answering machine picks it up, she hears the front door shut while she continues to just sit there with a stunned look on her face.


“Here, you look like you really need it,” Kyra heard Alison say, breaking her out of her memories to find a large cup of coffee held up in front of her face. “What happened last night?”

Kyra sighed as she accepted the coffee and took a large gulp of it. It burned all the way down but she didn’t care. “Thanks. Nothing. Had a few drinks, went back to my room,” she lied and took another sip.

“Right,” Alison said in a skeptical tone as she handed her a handful of colorful sharpie pens. “Anyway, I don’t really care. Here, you can use these to sign the books.”

“Think anyone will actually show up?” Kyra asked, her eyes scanning the mostly empty bookstore. After all it was a Wednesday afternoon; she didn’t think many people would take off work to come to a book signing.

“Probably not, but it’s good to get out here. Sign a few books, get people interested…it’s good publicity and you know what our ultimate goal is…”

“Get a movie deal, I know,” Kyra answered automatically. Alison had been on her ass forever to let her submit the book to a screen writer friend of hers. She really thought there was no way that anyone would want to make a movie out of her book, so she’d finally relented and let Alison submit it just to shut her up. They hadn’t heard back yet, but Alison seemed really hopeful.

“So um, we have you all set up over here,” Alison said as she led her over to a table in a corner of the book store. The table was piled with her book and there was a tall poster standing next to her chair of the cover art. Alison looked down at her watch. “We’re set to start in about ten minutes, so if you want to walk around or something in the meantime, do whatever you need to do to get ready to talk to-“

“Excuse me, um…Kyra?”

Kyra and Alison turned to find a tall, slim man standing nervously at the table, his face shaded by a ball cap tucked low over his face. He looked up enough for them to be able to see his face which was also covered up with wide sun glasses.

She didn’t need to see his eyes or his long curly hair, which he’d seemed to have hidden under the cap, to know who he was.

Josh.

“Hi,” she said quietly, looking up at him all the while fidgeting with a sharpie she had clutched tightly in her hand, clicking and un-clicking the cap.

“Hey,” he replied, his lips breaking out into one of his signature smiles. He seemed to gain confidence and he removed his sunglasses so he could look at her. She felt Alison still and then grab her forearm tightly.

Very tightly.

Her nails were digging into her arm.

“Ow…” she said under her breath and she pulled her arm out from her grasp before turning more fully toward JC. “What are you doing here, JC?”

His eyes narrowed at the use of his nickname, which she’d used on purpose because she knew it would bother him, but he answered anyway. “I wanted to come buy your book.”

“You didn’t have to come all the way out here to do that. You could have had someone from your…team come buy it for you. I know you’re busy…and stuff.”

She eyed the store again and didn’t see or hear a throng of crazy fans which she assumed was the usual when he went out nowadays. It must have taken some quick thinking and organization to get him here without him being recognized or followed.

Then in her peripheral vision, she saw two very large men who seemed slightly familiar to her hovering around very closely trying to look nonchalant but who were very obviously bodyguards that didn’t want to cause a scene.

Aha.

His smile faltered a bit and he shook his head. “Nah, I wanted to be here. I promised.” His last statement was punctuated with a serious look.

The look didn’t stay on his face for very long before he smiled again and reached for one of the books. “Here, can you sign it for me please?”

As she accepted the book from him and opened the front cover, the tip of her sharpie hovered over the blank page.

She was torn.

She wanted to hard and unfeeling. She wanted to not be happy that he had come.

She wanted to forget that he’d been there for her last night.

But she couldn’t.

They had been best friends at one point.

They’d loved each other like siblings until…they didn’t.

Things had changed.

And he hadn’t cared enough to come after her.

With a sigh, she made a quick annotation inside the book before handing it back to him. When the tips of her fingers brushed against his during the exchange, she couldn’t help but look up at him. As their eyes connected, she couldn’t help the feeling of yearning that creeped up from her stomach and took over her entire body.

It had been years since she’d admitted to herself that she missed him. But now, as he stood in front of her with his most familiar blue eyes trained on hers, she couldn’t help but admit it.

The moment was broken as one of the large men she’d noticed earlier came up to him and quietly told him, “We’ve got to go.”

Kyra suddenly became aware of the people around her again; Alison who had been apparently struck speechless, which was an accomplishment in itself, still stood next to her, the two body guards who had quietly moved on each side of him and finally a small group of girls that had seemed to have amassed out of nowhere and who were giggling and talking to each other excitedly as they pointed toward him.

JC put his sunglasses back on and handed the book to the man on his left before he reached into his back pocket. “I’ve got to go…but I’d really like it if you would come out to the show tonight.” He pulled out two lanyard necklaces from which plastic coated identification cards hung. “Bring your friend.” He smiled over at Alison who was still standing as still as a statue.

Kyra hesitated for a moment to accept the lanyards until he placed them in her hands and squeezed them. “Please, Ky. We need to talk. It’s been too long.”


Finally she nodded and he smiled before he walked away. She watched as he went up to the small crowd of girls and spoke to them, signed a few outstretched things and then offered a few hugs before waving goodbye.

Before she knew it, he was gone.

JC sits quietly by his bedroom window. He likes this time of night, well technically morning, when everything is quiet and the moon’s soft glow casts a mysterious shadow on everything in his backyard. He likes to leave the window ajar so that he can feel the cool breeze of the early summer night on his skin.

He likes the quiet.

He rarely gets much quiet time to himself anymore when you take into account all of the practicing they’ve been doing and the constant activity and buzzing that inevitably happens when five guys move in together.

When they do get a few days off and he’s able to come home to Maryland, he always makes sure to appreciate every moment he can get.

He yawns and looks down at his watch, it’s well after one am. Just as he is about to slide off of the window seat, movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention. He turns back toward the window in time to see a shadowy figure walk across the lawn and head toward the small, long out of use, tree house which sits on a large tree which borders both his and Kyra’s backyard.

There is no mistaking who the figure is, especially when he watches her take off her heels and hike her gown high above her knees with one hand then uses the other to expertly climb the ladder up into the tree house.

He wonders what she’s doing out there tonight of all nights.

Tonight was her senior prom. He’d seen her off earlier in the evening along with her mom and his parents. They had taken the obligatory neighbor kid �“ oh look how they’ve grown! �“ pictures before her date had shown up.

Douche sac.

Dude hadn’t even told her how pretty she looked in her lavender dress.

Or helped her across the lawn in her unsteady heels.

Worst of all, he hadn’t even thought of a corsage.

Douche rag.

She’d said it was fine and she didn’t need one anyway, but JC could tell that she was a little disappointed.

It seemed like Dude had already started partying earlier in the day and that he wasn’t going to be much company that night.

What a douche bag.

When JC had noticed the smell of liquor on his breath, he’d offered to drive them to the hotel where the Prom was taking place in the ballroom.

When Dude declined, JC told him he would be driving them.

He had hated to leave her with Douche/Dude but she’d chosen him as her date and she seemed excited to be going with him. He hadn’t wanted to ruin her night by getting into Dude’s face so he’d been a good little boy and he’d dropped them off at the hotel and waved them off with the wishes of a good night.

Apparently it hadn’t been that great of a night.

He sighs as he sees her make it to the top of the ladder and disappear into the little tree house.

That place can’t be very safe anymore. It has to have been years since he’s been up there, probably years since either Tyler or Heather have either.

So much for sleep.

He stands up and slips his feet into a pair a flip flops, pulls on a sweater and quietly makes his way downstairs and outside into the backyard.

When he’s at the bottom of the ladder he calls up in a loud whisper. “Ky!” When he doesn’t get an answer he calls her name again.

Again, no answer.

“Ky? Are you okay? Just…just come down, honey. It’s not safe up there anymore.”

After a few beats, he hears her say “I’m fine Josh, go back inside.”

He sighs again and shakes his head, “I’d rather you come down before I do, I don’t like it that you’re up there.”

“It’s fiiiiine. I come up here all the time.”

JC eyes the ladder for a moment while gnawing on his thumb nail. With a groan he shakes his head again and makes his way up. When he ducks his head in order to enter the little room, he is surprised to find that it is softly illuminated by the glow of twinkle lights on the ceiling. The rough wood planked floor is littered with colourful different sized throw pillows, a couple of sleeping bags and some blankets.

“Well, this is the coziest den of death I’ve ever seen…”

He grins at his own joke but she doesn’t even crack a smile. He shuffles carefully across the room to where she is sitting on a well worn bean bag chair.

“How come you’re back so early? Didn’t you ‘have a room booked with Jennifer’?” he asks, using his fingers to motion them into air quotations to accompany his smirk.

She chuckles softly and licks her lips. “You didn’t fall for that one either huh?”

He laughs and takes a seat on a large pillow near her. “Nope. So what happened with Douche…I mean Dude…I mean…What the fuck is his name again?”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Duke.”

“What kind of name is that?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know, I didn’t name him. Anyway, I don’t really care what his name is anymore…”

He leans back on his hands. “What happened?”

She stays quiet for a moment and picks at her dress. “He was a jerk. He started drinking from his flask as soon as we got there. He only danced with me once and then he disappeared for a while. When I found him again, he was making out with a girl from the cheer team. There’s six months of my life I won’t get back.”

He makes a face. “I’m sorry Ky. I could have told you from minute one that he was a jerk.”

She sighs. “I know, I know. It’s just that he was my first real boyfriend…I’ve known for a while that it wouldn’t work out.”

He narrows his eyes at her. “Then why didn’t you break it off? Why did you go to Prom with him?”

“I just…I didn’t want to end up with no date you know? I figured we’d go to Prom, get the pictures, have the experience and then I wouldn’t have to go off to college a virgin.”

He coughs when the saliva in his mouth somehow goes down the wrong pipe and it takes a few moments for him to catch his breath again.

“You were going to sleep with him?!”

She shrugs again and he can tell that she’s blushing a bit. “Maybe. Yeah. I guess.”

“Why would you want to sleep with that guy? He doesn’t deserve you.” He clears his throat when he realizes that he’s said the last part out loud.

“I don’t know… I guess I just didn’t want to go to college super lame and boring.”

He laughs. “That doesn’t make you lame and boring. You’re anything but.”

She looks up and smiles at him a little and he’s happy to see that she’s getting out of her funk slowly. He notices that she is rubbing her bare arms and figures that she is cold, so he grabs a thick blanket from close to him and motions her forward.

“Come here, you must be freezing.”

She seems to hesitate for a moment and he bites his lip. Ever since they’d kissed a couple of years ago, they had been extra careful about prolonged physical contact. It had been easy as he’d been in Florida most of the time since and when he came home they never usually had very much alone time anymore.

He tried to convince himself that this wasn’t on purpose but who was he kidding.

He smiles his most disarming smile and motions her forward again. “Come on. As long as this doesn’t turn into a ‘be my first kiss’ style conversation in regards to sleeping together, I think we’re good.”

She laughs, rolls her eyes and then carefully makes her way closer to him. When he pulls her against him, they recline against a few think pillows and she nestles her head in the crook of his neck.

“I miss having you around, Josh. A lot.”

He nods quietly and closes his eyes as he takes a deep inhale of her hair. “Yeah…I miss being around too.”

They stay quiet for a few more moments before he tells her what he’d been keeping from her until now. “We’re moving to Germany.”

He feels her literally stop breathing for a second before she speaks in a small voice. “Oh? That’s...great. When?”

“In a few months. We still need some work here before we go for a showcase there. There’s a record company interested in us. We just need to get Lance caught up to what we’ve been doing before we go.”

“It sounds like…a great opportunity. I’m happy for you.”

He nods and presses his lips to her cheek gently. “You’ll be off to college anyway, and you won’t have time to miss me.”

She chuckles sleepily as she settles against him more comfortably. “I’ll always miss you. Will you write to me?” He nods and she adds, “Maybe one day you can write me a song…” She yawns and her eyes flutter closed slowly.

As he watches her drift off to sleep, he presses his lips to the top of her head gently and whispers, “I already have.”

*********************************

Lance pushed open the “Quiet Room” door and walked in. He’d seen JC go in there straight after sound check and wanted to make sure he was okay.

Although the guys were mostly used to JC’s ever changing moods, his behavior last night was out of the ordinary. Even for him.

As the door shut and the noise from the hallway got muted, he heard the soft strain of a piano melody coming from the other side of the room.

Figures.

Lance didn’t immediately recognize the song so he listened for a moment before his eyes settled on a hardcover novel sitting on one of the coffee tables. He picked it up and looked at the front cover, then flipped it over to see a picture of someone familiar on the back.

He’d seen that girl before.

When he turned the book so he could look at its spine and see the author’s name, a click happened in his head.

Kyra.

JC’s friend from way back.

She’d been around often when they first started but come to think of it, JC hadn’t mentioned her name in years. Lance seemed to remember her being on tour one day and gone the next and since by principle the guys kind of didn’t snoop into each other’s private lives without invitation, he’d never asked what happened.

So she’d written a book?

He thumbed through the pages quickly until a message written in a bright orange sharpie caught his eyes.

JC,

I miss Josh.

x, Ky

Instantly Lance felt like he’d breeched some sort of privacy/bro code so he put the book down and made his way to the back of the room where behind a screen JC was still playing a melody on the keyboard. As Lance stood behind him, JC started singing

Remember when, we never needed each other

The best of friends like

Sister and Brother

We understood, we'd never be,

Alone


Those days are gone, and I want you so much

The night is long and I need your touch

Don't know what to say

I never meant to feel this way

Don't want to be

Alone tonight


What can I do, to make you mine

Falling so hard so fast this time

What did I say, what did you do?

How did I fall in love with you?


I hear your voice

And I start to tremble

Brings back the child that, I resemble


I cannot pretend, that we can still be friends

Don't want to be,

Alone tonight


He started feeling like a Peeping Tom again so he cleared his throat and then said quietly, “New song?”

JC jumped slightly in surprise, his fingers hitting a few wrong notes. “Uh…No, an old one actually,” he answered and turned on the seat to face Lance. “What’s up, man?”

Lance shrugged. “I was just wondering if you’re doing alright. You seemed really out of it last night…”

JC smiled uncomfortably and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess. I’m just sort of reminiscing….I saw Kyra today and last night. I asked her to come to the show tonight.”

Lance nodded and bit his lip. “So, um. Is that song about her?”

Color flooded JC’s cheeks and he picked at something invisible on his pants before he nodded.

“So, is she going to come tonight?”

JC shrugged again. “Not sure. I hope so. We sort of…ended on a weird note. I’d really like to be able to talk it out with her a little. Get a few things off my chest, you know?”

Lance nodded and turned as he heard the unmistakable sound of Chris and Joey busting through the door of the room.

So much for getting into his head.

He watched as JC stood up from in front of the keyboard, grabbed his notebook from the stand and stretched. They both chuckled and rolled their eyes at the sound of a heavy body hitting the floor with a huff and the high pitched giggle of Chris.

Here we go.

*******************************

“So, tell me again how you know fuckin’ JC Chasez?” Alison questioned Kyra in the car on their way to the concert venue.

Kyra sighed and fidgeted with the buttons on her jacket. She’d been hoping that Alison wouldn’t be able to make arrangements to reschedule the dinner with the publishers tonight.

Of course Alison had been able to sweet talk her way into changing it over to tomorrow night instead.

Why didn’t she ever sweet talk Kyra?

A large part of her hadn’t wanted to go to the concert but the other small part really wanted to go. It had been years since she’d watched him perform and she missed the sound of his voice. She missed the way his whole body and soul got into a song and he closed his eyes to feel the music.

“Kyra!”

Kyra had had enough and snapped at Alison gruffly. “Would you cool it? Jesus Christ!”

With Alison looking somewhat demurred by Kyra’s uncharacteristic outburst, Kyra took a deep breath and answered in a somewhat more mollified voice, “We grew up together.”

Alison nodded. “He said you hadn’t seen each other in a while?”

“Yeah, a few years.”

“I don’t know how you stayed away. That man is sex on legs. Did you ever sleep with him?”

Kyra’s eyebrows shot up and she narrowed her eyes at Alison. Where the hell did she get off asking her personal questions like that? She’d never been interested in having a friendly relationship before.

Apparently unperturbed by Kyra’s facial expression, Alison repeated her question.“So? You ever sample the goods?”

Yes.

“No,” Kyra answered flatly and tries to cut off any further conversation by looking out of the window. She wondered what they would say to each other when they were alone again.

Would they be alone again?

Did she want to be alone with him again?

As she stepped out of the car and flashed her VIP pass at a security guard, she couldn’t help but think about how she absolutely wanted to be alone with him again.

Kyra couldn’t help but smile as JC bounded down the stage toward where she and Alison were standing in the VIP section. It was impossible to not get caught up in the massive amounts of energy being created by the thousands of people in the arena screaming and singing.

It had been years since she’d watched him and the guys perform in person and she wasn’t surprised to see that they had only gotten better. And although all five of the guys were insanely talented and entertaining, it was hard for her eyes to not follow JC everywhere he went.

His energy was crazy. He really came alive anytime he walked onto a stage.

His insane amount of vocal power along with the dance moves that seemed so fluid and easy to him, let his entire body get into a song which could drag even the most reluctant audience members into the frenzy. She was always amazed at how music could turn his mostly mellow and methodical personality into the energetic and enthralling person running up and down the massive stage.

Earlier when they’d attended the VIP Meet and Greet before the show, she had watched him from her corner of the room interacting with the fans and the other guys. He was obviously happy and so personable. He seemed humble and truly thankful for every fan that came up to him and wanted a picture or a hug.

She’d lost track of him as more and more fans had come into the small room for the event but eventually toward the end, his all too familiar voice had surprised her as he’d snuck up behind her.

“I’m glad you were able to make it.”

She’d turned to find his all too familiar blue eyes staring at her. “I…yeah. I guess I didn’t have anything better to do.” She’d meant for her words to be rather harsh but they had ended up coming out with a cheeky smirk.

When his teeth had flashed at her in a smile, her heart had fluttered in ways it hadn’t in years and she’d averted her eyes quickly.

“I don’t have much time now…but, um…maybe after the show? I could um…come by your room again?”

She’d winced slightly at the reminder of the night before and then raised a shoulder in what she’d hoped was in an indifferent manner. “I guess. You won’t be too tired?”

He’d shaken his head, the long curly hair he now wore so confidently reacting to his movements. “Nah. I’m always really wired after a show, you know that. I’ll need a shower…bad.” He’d chuckled and her stomach had done something weird. “But after that I can sneak down there.”

She’d nodded. “Okay.”

He’d grinned again and reached forward to squeeze her hand warmly. “I’ll see you later.”

She’d nodded again and watched him walk away quickly toward where the rest of the guys were exiting through a side door.

After the show had ended, she’d taken a separate taxi from Alison back to the hotel. After all, she could only take so much of that woman in a day.

She’d quickly taken a shower to wash off the layers of glitter, body spray and teenage hormones she felt like her skin had absorbed through osmosis in the concert venue. As she looked in the mirror and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, she heard the knock at the door and took a deep breath.

As she walked to her hotel room door and looked through the peephole unnecessarily, she couldn’t help but think about the last time she had slammed a hotel room door in his face.


“C’mon Ky...I know you want to...” JC whispers in her ear hotly, the combination of his warm breath and the cold outside air against her skin makes her shiver. He’s tipsy and so is she and it would be so easy to just give in, wouldn’t it?

They had decided to go out to a club after the show and the evening had started out pretty innocently until the drinks had started flowing and the dancing had gradually become...not so innocent.

Now he has her pressed up against the freezing brick wall outside the side door of the club with one of her legs hiked up against his hip. The smell of stale cigarette smoke hangs in the air but the heavy bass of the music inside the club seems to only intensify the mood between them.

The tips of his long fingers find their way up the side of her skirt while his other hand cups her cheek, his fingers pressing the back of her neck close as they kiss with purpose.

She looks up into his stormy blue eyes. “I don’t know...” She breathes out and licks her lips.

As his eyes follow her tongue’s trajectory she can see his breath come out in small puffs before he leans in and kisses her again. Her resolve weakens even more as he then runs his lips up her neck while her fingers tangle into his short hair as he questions her seductively, “Aren’t you curious to know what it would be like compared to last time?”

She takes a breath and nods. “You have no idea…I’ve been thinking it about it forever…”

He chuckles huskily and squeezes her upper thigh with his fingertips. “Then let’s go back to the hotel...”

After a quick ride back to the hotel and a frenzied rush to his room they soon find themselves in various states of undress making out on his bed amidst discarded clothing and tangled bed sheets. As Kyra lays soft kisses along his neck and watches his beautiful blue eyes flutter closed, words she had been holding back for a long time bubble out of her lips. “I love you, Josh.”

His eyes snap open and she knows right away that it was the wrong thing to say.

She’s been holding it in for years...but she probably should have held it in a little longer.

A lot longer by the look on his face.

“I-uh....thank...you...”

She feels her heart break into a million little pieces as she hears him stutter out the words. Her eyes flood with tears as she sits up and starts looking around for her shirt. She finds it tangled in the bedspread at the end of the mattress and starts pulling it on as the tears slide down her now reddened cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She swipes at her cheeks angrily and starts to stand up. She feels one of his hands grab her arm but she pulls it away and gets off the bed.

“You can’t just say something like that and then leave.” He sits up on the edge of the bed, zipping his jeans and buckling his belt.

“What is there to talk about, Josh? I just told you I’m in love with you and you thanked me!” She cries, angrily grabbing her skirt off of the floor and pulling it on in jerky movements.

“What did you want me to say, Ky? That I love you too? You know I love you! I just...I can’t really love anyone that way right now!” He rubs his eyes before continuing. “I’ve got so much going on; I don’t even know what day of the week it is most of the time. Christ, I haven’t even told my girlfriend I love her yet!”

It's her turn to look surprised as she stops dead in her tracks and looks up at him. “Your what?” She hisses dangerously.

He sighs loudly and runs a hand over his face. “My girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?! When were you going to tell me that you have a girlfriend?” She moves closer to him pointing at his chest accusingly, punctuating the word girlfriend with as much disdain as possible. “Between the phone calls and the letters, you never even thought to mention that you have a girlfriend? These last three days I’ve been on tour with you, you never thought to mention that you have a girlfriend? Just now, with your tongue down my throat you never thought to mention that you have a girlfriend?” She slaps his bare shoulder and he grabs her wrist tightly. “What is wrong with you?!”

Her tears of sadness and embarrassment have now turned to tears of fury as she struggles with him to get her wrist back.

“Calm down, Kyra,” he warns her in a low voice.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! When were you going to tell me? Were you even going to tell me at all? Don’t you think she’d be hurt that you cheated on her?"

He shrugs indifferently. “Then I can just get another girlfriend.”

She audibly gasps but he goes on anyway, apparently ignoring her indignant reaction. “Plus, you always get so weird with me when I’m with a new girl. I just wanted us to enjoy these few days we finally had together after so much time apart. Guess not.”

She pulls on her wrist hard again and he stands up. He seems to tower over her, the indifferent look on his face fuels her anger even more and she starts slapping at his chest angrily.

Finally his usually calm demeanor cracks, the mixture of alcohol and emotion fueling them both to dramatic actions uncharacteristic to either of them. He grabs her other arm and tries to restrain her as best as he can without harming her. “Kyra! Quit it!” he yells and she finally snaps out of it.

With a stare down that would rival the most vicious of alpha male fights in the animal kingdom, she finally twists out of his embrace and pulls away.

“I’m leaving.” She grabs her purse off the chair near the bed and slips her feet into her shoes. The tears on her cheeks have mostly dried and her eyes are no longer moist. The anger has taken over the sadness at this point and she feels her heart beat very fast against her chest as she unlocks the door and pulls it open.

When she looks over her shoulder to him still standing near the edge of the bed, she spits out the last words she’ll speak to him for more than three years: “I don’t know who this cocky JC asshole is, but let me know when Josh comes back around. Maybe we’ll talk then.”

With that she steps out, slamming the door behind her.


*

JC waited outside Kyra’s hotel room for what seemed like forever. He started to get nervous and pulled the bill of his baseball cap down even lower over his eyes as he knocked again softly.

What if she had decided that she didn’t want to see him after all? He really wanted to get the chance to talk to her again. Apologize for what happened the last time they were together. Try to mend some fences.

After what had happened that last night on tour, he’d gone away mad. He’d fumed at her overblown, dramatic reaction because to him she’d overreacted. His anger coupled with the all consuming stress and pace of his career had made it almost easy to not think about her for a short while. Then, within a couple of weeks he’d started missing her. He’d started to realise that what had happened had been absolutely more his fault than it had ever been hers.

She’d bared her heart out to him and he’d basically laughed in her face. It wasn’t until after she was gone from his life that he’d realised how much he relied on her. Her down to earth attitude, her ridiculous jokes that always made him laugh even though they really weren’t that funny and probably most of all, what he used to think was her unconditional friendship and love for him.

He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he’d had an inkling of her feelings for him going back to a few years before that night.

He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he’d sort of relied on the idea that whatever happened in his life he could always come back to her. That she’d always be there waiting for him.

He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he’d started taking her for granted.

And he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he had started to feel something for her too at some point.

Things were different from when they had been kids. Everything had become more complicated.

Much more complicated.

Life was busy. He’d been trying to get his career to take off, she’d been starting college.

And then her mother had died and everything had changed.

She’d been scared to feel and he’d been feeling too much.

It had become a bad timing, star crossed lovers kinda thing and he'd always figured that they'd end up finding their time eventually.

But now he wasn't so sure.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes as someone walked by him rolling a suitcase down the hall, effectively pulling him from his thoughts.

It wasn't a good idea for him to be standing there alone.

Just as he was debating running back up to his room to call down to hers, the door opened a crack and he saw her smile at him somewhat hesitantly. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Here goes nothing.

*

JC watched as Kyra seemed to hesitate for a moment before she finally opened the door wider and he was able to step inside. He stood uncomfortably near the door as she shut it behind him, unsure of what he wanted to do.

When she walked past him and sat down at the end of the bed and motioned for him to have a seat in the wingback chair in the corner of the room, he toed off his shoes near the door and walked over to the chair to sit down.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered some food. They are going to deliver it here. I’m starving,” he said as he took his hat off and placed it on the small coffee table next to him.

She nodded as she watched him shake his head slightly and run his fingers through the still damp curls. “That’s fine. You burned a lot of energy on that stage tonight.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. It was a good show. How did you like it?”

“It was great. Really great. You’ve really done well for yourself, JC. You should be proud.”

Although he really disliked how she kept calling him by his nickname he thought it best not to address that at this point. There would be time.

He hoped.

“Thanks. I’m happy you enjoyed it. Did your friend have fun as well?”

She laughed dryly and got comfortable on the bed, crossing her legs beneath her and leaning back on her palms. “She’s not really my friend.” When he looked at her questioningly she continued. “She’s my literary agent. She’s pretty much a straight up New York bitch.”

He chuckled and leaned back into the chair, putting his feet up on the ottoman in front of him. “Seriously? Why do you keep her as your agent then?”

She shrugged. “She makes me work hard and she is a bulldog for me, so as long as I stay far away from her most of the time I’m good. I can sort of avoid her phone calls and emails when she gets too much if I’m in Boston and she’s here.”

He picked up a stray hair on his jeaned thigh and flicked it away as he mumbled under his breath. “Yeah, you’re real good at avoiding those…”

He felt bad instantly when he looked up and he could tell that she had heard him. Although the room was dimly lit by the side lamp next to the head of the bed, he could see red creeping up her neck and cheeks.

He needed to tread carefully. He was the one coming back to her with his tail between his legs. He shouldn’t be antagonizing her.

Speaking softly, he explained. “I tried to contact you for weeks, months. You wouldn’t answer your phone or answer any of my letters or emails. Then your number got disconnected and your letters were being returned as a wrong address-”

“You could have asked your parents...they always had my contact information.”

He bit his lip and kept picking at the thread of his jeans nervously. “I didn’t want them to know we weren’t talking.”

“For three and a half years?”

“Yeah, well you didn’t tell them either.”

This quieted her and she looked down at her crossed legs. With a sigh he said, “It’s just that I knew if they found out we weren’t speaking that they’d want to know why...and I just couldn’t bring myself to have that conversation.” He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

She looked up and watched him quietly for a moment then spoke. “Honestly, even if you had gotten my new contact information I’m not sure I was ready to talk to you for the longest time. I was...really, really mad at you. After I was done being mad, the hurt took over and I just couldn’t…”

She trailed off as she leaned forward and crossed her arms over her chest.“I just couldn’t do it. Then the calls and the messages stopped. We finally sold the house and I was able to move on with my life, finish school, move to Boston…” She shrugged again. “I figured you’d given up. That you really had become this...stranger and that even if I tried to contact you, you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “How could you have thought anything like that? You know what you mean to me, what you always have.”

It was her turn to narrow her eyes. “Do I? Do you?”

Touché.

He slipped his feet off of the ottoman and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “KyKy…” He said softly, looking up at her.

She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t call me that.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Don’t call me JC.”


*


They stared at each other challengingly until thankfully the tension was broken by a knock at the door accompanied by someone identifying themselves as Room Service. He started to stand before she stood up and raised at hand to stop him.

“Let me. You’re not in your room…security hasn’t checked them...” She said as she waited for him to nod and sit back down in his chair, tucking the hat back on with the bill low.

Don’t call me JC.

She unlocked the door and smiled at the woman behind it standing with a cart. “Hi,” she said as she signed the outstretched receipt in the leather billfold. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take this in. My husband just got out of the shower…”

The woman smiled and nodded before wishing her a good night and walking away as she tucked the billfold in her apron. Pushing the door open wider with her hip, she wheeled the cart backwards into the room and then turned to lock the door once more. Barely five seconds later she slammed into JC who already had a mouthful of fries hanging out of his mouth as he stood at the cart.

“Jesus!” she cried, clutching her chest for a moment as she caught her breath.

“Nah, still just Josh,” he smirked with his mouth still halfway full.

She couldn’t help it. Her lips broke into a large smile and a giggle escaped them. The sight of his eyes sparkling at the sound made her heart swell and she was completely unable to keep her eyes from welling up too.

She felt so stupid standing there with tears streaming down her face in front of him. She’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t let him break her in any way after what had happened. But she missed him. So much. People change right? And people could change back right?

“Ky...Can I…” He spoke softly, reaching for her hesitantly.

She hesitated for a moment before she stepped forward and accepted his embrace. His arms felt like heaven. They felt like protection. They felt like home.

They stood there holding each other for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. Her nose was buried into the crook of his neck and his fragrant hair. His lips were level with her ear and he whispered the words she’d been aching to hear for a long time. “I’m so sorry, Ky. I’m ashamed of what I did. Ashamed of who I thought I was. I promise I’m still Josh...just...just give me a chance to prove it to you. Give me a chance.”

When she looked up to find his eyes moist and pleading, she was unable to keep herself from nodding slowly.

Give me a chance.

Apparently, this story wasn’t over after all.