If I’m Not The One

Chapter One

            ”I hate green!”  Cassandra yelled out.  “Look at this place.  Green walls, green curtains, green blankets!  Don’t the designers know any other color but green?”  Her brown eyes blazed momentarily with anger.

            “Cassandra, it’s a hospital.  It’s pale green.  Green is supposed to be a soothing color.” A younger woman whose image practically mirrored Cassandra’s spoke in an almost condescending tone.

            Cassandra glared at the younger woman.  “That’s bull and you know it, Marissa!  They could have used light blue, beige, or light yellow, anything else.  But, they chose green.  God, how I hate green!”

            A blonde-haired, blue-eyed nurse entered Cassandra’s room.  A stethoscope hung around her neck and she pushed a machine that was used to take temperatures.

            “Good afternoon, Miss Hamilton.  I’m your nurse, Sandy.  I’ll be on duty until 11:00 o’clock.  Now, I need to take your vitals.”

            “Sure, why not!”  Cassandra replied with a sardonic tone.

            “So, from what I overheard, green is not one of your favorite colors, huh?”  The nurse asked.

            Cassandra looked surprised.  “Was I that loud?”  She asked.

            “Just a little.”  Sandy smiled as she wrote down Cassandra’s blood pressure on her chart.  “Open wide, I’ll take your temperature.”

            Cassandra did as she was instructed, sitting quietly with the thermometer under her tongue, her lips closed.  The machine beeped, indicating it had finished its measurement.

            “Good, 98.8.  Now, let me get your pulse.”

            “Oh, trust me.  I still have one.”

            “My, my.  You’re a little testy tonight, aren’t you?” the nurse asked as she checked her watch and counted the pulse thumping in Cassandra’s wrist.

            “I want to go home!” Cassandra stated in a very matter of fact tone.

            Sandy made another entry into Cassandra’s chart.  When she was finished, she capped her pen, placed it in the pocket of her smock, and looked dead on at Cassandra.

            “Miss Hamilton, from what I can see, you’ve been battling a very strong virus.  You’ve been unable to keep solids down; you’re dehydrated; and this is the first time in three days you’ve had a normal temperature.  Going home at this point in time is not an option.  Now, I’m sorry you don’t feel well; I’m sorry you hate the color green; and most of all I’m sorry you’re so miserable.  As soon as you realize that we are here to help you, not torment you, I believe you’ll be on the path to going home.  Until then, you are stuck here, with me, with the I.V. in this green room.  I will do whatever I can to expedite your healing process, but you have to help as well!  That does not mean ripping off my head or that of any of the hospital staff.  Do you think you can work on that?”

            Cassandra was stunned.  She looked at the nurse with wide brown eyes.  Then she looked at her sister.  Cassandra couldn’t remember the last time anyone had spoken so matter-of-factly to her.  “I, I, I’ll try.”  She stammered.

            “Good.  Your supper tray, albeit a liquid diet, should be here soon.  Please try to eat something.  I’ll be back in a while to check the I.V.”  The blonde turned and walked out.

            “I believe you have been told!”  Marissa smiled at her sister.

            Cassandra glared at her younger sibling.  “Where does she get off talking to me like that?  Just who does she think she is?”

            “Oh, calm down, sis!  You were acting like a spoiled brat.  You deserved everything she said!”

            Cassandra laid back on her pillow and looked at the ceiling.  It was green, too.

            “You know what, Sis?  I’m getting really tired.  Would you mind leaving for a while?  I’d like to sleep for a bit."”   

            Marissa’s brown eyes opened wide in surprise.  She opened her mouth to argue a bit, but then thought better of it.  “Sure, sis, no problem.  I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”

            “That’s fine.”  Cassandra’s whole demeanor had changed to withdrawn and sullen.

            “Are you sure you don’t want me to call Thomas for you?”

            “Marissa, there’s no reason to.  I’m no longer a concern of his.  He made that very clear when he walked out 4 weeks ago.”

            The younger brunette walked over and leaned down to kiss her sister.

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

Across the hall the patient was much quieter about his dislikes.  He had heard the majority of the exchange from the opposite room and could only shake his head.  His deep, blue eyes had remained fixed on the ceiling with his left hand casually resting on his pillow behind his head.  Blinking himself back to reality, he realized the neighboring patient had finally grown quiet.

“At last,” he said out loud.  “Peace and quiet.”

A visitor suddenly shattered his peace and quiet.

“Hey, C!  What’s shaking?” a tall, curly headed blonde man smiled a killer smile.

The man in the bed shook his head and grinned tiredly.  “Not much, Justin.  What’s going on with you?”

Justin bounded into the room and reached out to shake his friend’s hand.

“Hey guy.  I really miss you.”  He looked at the dark haired man solemnly.  “How much longer do you have to be stuck in this hell-hole?”

“Hopefully not much longer.  I can’t get them to take out this damned I.V.  They claim my blood work still indicates I haven’t been fully hydrated.  What a crock!”

“JC, how many of those bags have they given you since last night?”

“I just finished the second one, Justin.  They claim they’re administering it slowly for better results.  I think they know that I’m JC Chasez and the nurses are getting their jollies by seeing me down and out, hooked to I.V.'s with my butt sticking out of a hospital gown.  Plus to top it off, there’s some spoiled little bitch across the hall bellyaching about hating the color green!  I listened to that for nearly thirty minutes.  Boy, would I like to smack her just to shut her up!” 

Justin looked at his friend surprised.  “C, that’s not like you.  Why not kiss her into silence?”

“Hey, this is a hospital, Justin.  God knows why she’s here.  Besides, she’s probably a real dog!”

Both men laughed.

“Wait!”  Justin held up a finger.  “I’ll go peek.  You just wait here.”

“Don’t bother.”

“It’s no bother.  Stand by.”

With that, Justin turned and walked out of his friend’s room and headed straight across the hall.  He looked inside and saw a petite, pretty brunette lying in the bed, her eyes closed.  At first he thought she was asleep.  As he turned to leave, Justin thought he heard something.  He turned back around and saw the girl wipe her cheeks.  He realized she was crying.  Silently he retreated across the hall.

“C.  I don’t know what you heard earlier, but that girl is no bitch!  She’s there, by herself, crying.”

            JC seemed surprised.  “What?”  He was incredulous.  “There’s no way!”

            “Way, man!  I almost went to her, but I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

            JC ran his hand through his short, dark brown hair.  He shook his head and drew a deep breath.  Nothing bothered him more than girls crying.

            “She’s really cute, too!  Hey man, why don’t you take your portable I.V. there for a walk?  Maybe she needs a shoulder to cry on.  You aren’t going anywhere anyway.”

            JC’s blue eyes met Justin’s blue eyes.  “Are you crazy?”

            “No.  I’m serious.  Give it a try, C.  One can never have too many friends.  Besides, I have to go now.  Joey and I are going clubbing and I’ve got to make myself more perfect than I already am!”  A toothy grin lit up Justin’s face.

            “You’re an egotistical S.O.B.  Go on, J.  Have fun.  I’ll call you later.”

            Justin shook hands with his best friend and left the hospital room.  JC lay on his bed for a few minutes, silently debating if he should take Justin’s advice.  Heaving a deep sigh, JC got off the bed, grabbed the I.V. rack and headed out of his room.

            Sniffling could be heard as soon as JC crossed the threshold of Cassandra’s room.  For a moment, he just stared at her.  Her eyes were closed but the moisture was evident on her cheeks.  He brown hair was just a little longer than shoulder length and her body was very petite.  Her hands were clenched into fists and grabbing the edge of the blanket to her chest.  His brow creased as he studied her.

            “Do you need the nurse?”  JC heard himself asking.

            Cassandra jumped as she opened her eyes, gasped and looked at the intruder.  Quickly she released the blanket and wiped her eyes.  Fear filled brown eyes met his blue ones.

            “Wh, wh, what?”  Cassandra managed to stutter.

            JC walked closer to the bed.  “Do you need the nurse?”  He repeated.

            “Wh, wh, why?”

            He arched an eyebrow.   “You were crying.  Are you in pain or something?”

            “No.”  She managed.

            “Can I get you something?”

            Cassandra’s eyes searched the stranger’s face and then she noticed his hospital gown and portable I.V.

            “How can you?  You don’t seem to be in any better shape than me.” A weak smile played at the corners of her mouth.

            “Well, I don’t mean to correct you, but I’m not in my bed crying.”

            A wider smile appeared on her face.  “How right you are.”  She said.

            JC approached the bed and held out his right hand, the one without the I.V.  “I’m JC.”  He smiled.

            A genuine smile brightened Cassandra’s face as she extended her right hand also.  “I’m Cassandra.  It’s nice to meet you.  You look familiar to me.  Do I know you from somewhere?”

            Unprepared for a confrontation, JC withdrew his hand and cast his beautiful blue eyes downward  “You might.  I’m not sure.  Maybe I’ll be able to explain it later.”

            His avoidance bothered her.  It lasted only momentarily.  His blue eyes looked back up to her, a twinkle visible in them.

            “So, do you really hate green that much?”  He asked.

            Cassandra cocked her head, showing her lack of understanding.

            “I overheard your tirade earlier, and now you’re crying.  Certainly it can’t just be over the color of your room.”

            “You heard me?”  Cassandra blushed at the realization of how loud she had been.

            “You weren’t terribly quiet about it.”  JC raised his eyebrows.

            “I’m really sorry.  I didn’t mean to get carried away.  It’s just really been a rough 4 weeks.  This hospitalization just caps it off.  I really just want to go home.”  Cassandra felt the tears welling up again.

            JC looked around the room and spotted the visitor’s chair on the opposite side of Cassandra’s bed.

            “Do you mind if I sit down?”

            “No.  Go ahead.”  Cassandra seemed surprised that this stranger wanted to visit.

            He walked around to the chair and sat down.  He looked into her brown eyes, seeing tons of pain there.  He reached up and took her small hand between his larger hands.

            “Why are you here, Cassandra?”  He asked softly.

            “Dehydration caused by a flu virus.  This is my fourth day and I’m just plain fed up.  I want to go home!”

            “Is someone waiting for you there?”  Why did he ask that?

            “No.  I live with my sister.  It’s just that it’s home and it’s where I want to be.”
            JC smiled at Cassandra.  “I can certainly relate to that.  Will your boyfriend come by to help look after you?”  He did it again!

            “Nope.  No boyfriend.  I’m a free agent.  Have been for a few weeks.”  Cassandra felt her lower lip begin to tremble but willed it away, along with the tears and the hurt.

            JC noticed, but made no mention of what he saw.

            “Have they said when you might go home?”

            “Maybe tomorrow.  But if not, definitely the next day.”

            “That’s not too bad.”  JC smiled.  “I’m supposed to leave tomorrow or definitely by the next day.  Maybe we have the same doctor.”

            “Why are you here, JC?”

            “Almost the same as you, dehydration and exhaustion.  I’m supposed to get lots of rest.  Not much else to do here but sleep!”  He commented.

            “How are you feeling?”  Cassandra asked sincerely.

            “Truthfully, much better.  I’ve really done a lot of sleeping and now if they’d take out this damned I.V., I’d really be all set.”

            “I know that.  They seem to think that I’m gonna need one more bag of solution.  I really just want them to leave me the hell alone!”

            “Here, here!”

            The ringing of Cassandra’s telephone interrupted their conversation.  As Cassandra reached to answer the phone, JC stood up to leave.

            “Hey, maybe I’ll catch you later.”  He smiled as he came around the bed.

            “I’d like that.”  She answered as she picked up the phone.

            “Hello?”  She said into the receiver.  “Oh, it’s you.  I’m fine, really.  Just what is it you want?  That’s none of your business.  No, not anymore!  You took care of that.  No, I will not!  No, I said!  Why don’t you just leave me alone!  Haven’t you done enough?”  Cassandra slammed down the phone with a loud curse.

            Though JC had left the room he had stood outside her doorway and listened to the one sided conversation.  The hurt and anger in Cassandra’s voice was extremely evident.  JC felt a strong urge to go back into her room to be certain that she was all right.  He fought that urge, knowing they had just met moments before.  Why did he feel such a strong need to protect her, to be there for her and to hold her?  Why, indeed?

            As the public address system blared the evening announcement that visiting hours had ended, the floor nurses were going room to room with evening snacks for the patients, as well as taking night time vital statistics on each one.

            Upon entering JC’s room the nurse had a big smile on her face.

            “Hi, there Mr. Chasez.  I have some good news for you.”  Sandy was smiling brightly.

            His blue eyes glanced up from the newspaper he had been reading.  “What might that be?”  He asked.

            “Your doctor phoned and I’m here to remove your I.V.”

            Smiling brightly he threw his back against the pillow.  “Hallelujah!  Let’s get it over with!”

            Sandy laughed.  “I thought that would make you happy.”

            “Does this mean I’m going home in the morning?”

            “Actually, no.”

            “What?  Why not?”  JC’s eyes grew large with disbelief.

            “It seems the doctor wants us to observe you for twenty-four hours.  If you handle everything all right, then you’ll be able to go home.”

            He rolled his eyes.  “Oh, brother!”

            “Well, I’m afraid that’s the best I can do for you.”

            He was disgusted.  “Fine.  Let’s get it over with.  By the way, what about the girl across the hall?”

            The nurse furrowed her brow and looked confused.  “Do you mean Miss Hamilton?”

            “I don’t know her last name, her first name is Cassandra.”

            “Yeah, that’s Miss Hamilton.  I really don’t know.  Your doctor didn’t mention anything about her.”

            “My doctor?”  He asked.

            “Yes.  Dr. Simpson is her physician, too.”

            “Really?  What a coincidence.”  His mind was racing.

            Sandy pulled out the needle and placed a cotton ball on the entry point.  “Here.  Hold this while I get a bandage for you.”

            JC placed his opposite hand on the cotton ball.  After placing the plastic strip over the site, Sandy patted his shoulder.  “You certainly handled that better than when I put the I.V. in.”  Sandy smiled.

            “You can’t know how much I hate needles!  What a relief to finally be rid of that!”  He flashed a genuinely happy smile at Sandy.

            “Well, Mr. Chasez, I’ve got to finish my rounds.  Enjoy your newfound freedom.  If you need anything, just press your call button.”          

            “Thanks, Sandy.”

            She turned to leave.  As she reached the door, JC had a thought.  “Hey, Sandy.”

            She turned to face him.  “Yes.”

            “If Dr. Simpson calls, tell him I need to talk to him.  Okay?”

            “Sure, no problem.”

            Sandy then left, leaving JC and his mind to plot out a course of action.

            JC felt an overwhelming need to go across the hall and share his good fortune with the patient resting there.  He left his bed, threw a robe over his shoulders and left his room.

            Softly he knocked on the door of Cassandra’s room.  Her eyes were fixed on the large television that was mounted on the wall across from her bed.  Glancing toward the door, but not really seeing who was there, she responded absently.  “Come in.”

            JC bounded into the room.  His blue eyes were smiling as brightly as his lips.

            “Hey girl!  I’ve been sprung!”

            Cassandra turned her head to look at JC, their eyes meeting.

            “Wow.  You’re free.  I guess that means you’re leaving, huh?”

            JC approached the bed.  “Actually, no.  I’ve got to be under observation for twenty-four hours.”

            At the first sight of JC without his I.V., Cassandra felt saddened to think he might be leaving.  Then, when he said he couldn’t go for at least twenty-four hours, she actually felt a little relieved.

            “That’s too bad.”  She managed to say, even though it was contrary to how she was actually feeling.

            “Guess what I found out!”  He reminded her of a little boy with a big secret.

            “I can’t imagine.”  She smiled at his enthusiasm.

            “We have something in common.”

            Cassandra arched an eyebrow.  “Really?  Do tell.  What could that be?”

            He leaned in close, like he had a secret to share.

            “We have the same doctor.”  He whispered into her ear.

            His warm breath seemed to caress her neck as he spoke.  Cassandra felt a chill run through her and goosebumps came up on her arms.  She shivered visibly and JC noticed right away.

            “Are you cold?  I can get you another blanket.”

            “Um, no.  I’m fine.  I just had a chill.  Don’t worry about it.

            “Now tell me, how do you know we have the same doctor?”

            JC smiled.  “What’s your doctor’s name?  Mine is Dr. Simpson!”

            Cassandra cocked her head.  “Really?  So is mine, but” she held up a finger.  “Maybe it’s a different Dr. Simpson.”

            Shaking his head vigorously, he sat down on the edge of her bed.  “Sandy, the nurse, told me we have the same doctor.  I asked her if you were going to get sprung like me, but she said no.  That’s okay, though, because I told her that when he calls back, I want to talk to him.”

            “Why?”  She asked.

            “So I can get you sprung!  You’re doing just as well as I am.  I think you need that damn needle out of your hand, too.  I hate needles as much, if not more, than you hate the color green.”

            Cassandra smiled brightly.  He loved her smile, he thought to himself.

            “Thanks, JC.  Any intervention is greatly appreciated.  I hope Dr. Simpson will listen to you.  God knows he doesn’t listen to me.”

            JC patted her hand.  “What are you watching on the boob tube?”

            He noticed she blushed and glanced at her lap.

            “What?”  He asked.

            “Take a look.  It’s a cartoon, South Park.  I know, it’s strictly toilet humor, but I just needed some kind of pick-me-up.”

            “Oh, my God!”  He yelped as he turned to look at the television.  “ I love that show!”  He looked back at Cassandra over his shoulder.  “Do you mind some company while you watch it?”

            Raising her eyebrows she smiled.  “Not at all.  I’d love to have someone to watch it with.”

            Together they watched the animated series.  Both were aware how they each laughed at the same parts.  Then they both stopped, looked at each other and laughed out loud after they had simultaneously yelled out, ‘Oh my God, they killed Kenny!’”

            “This is wild!”  JC said as the show ended.  “Thanks for letting me watch this with you.”

            Cassandra smiled.  “My pleasure.  Maybe you could come by for another visit some time.”  She said.

            His eyes became dark and his expression turned serious.

            “I’d like that very much.    Can I take that as an open invitation?”

            She seemed stunned by his reaction.  “Of course, anytime.”  She said quietly.

            JC leaned over, placing his hand on the bed next to her hip for support and leaned in to gently place a kiss on Cassandra’s softly parted lips.  She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of his lips gently pressing against hers.

            Sandy, standing in the doorway cleared her throat and abruptly interrupted the kiss.  “Excuse me.”  She said, obviously upset by what she walked in on.

            JC jerked his head up and around as Cassandra self-consciously pulled the blanket up around her.

            He flashed a look of anger at the nurse.  “What is it?”  He practically demanded.

            “I’m sorry, Mr. Chasez, but Dr. Simpson is on the phone.  You did say you wanted to speak to him, didn’t you?”

            JC shot a look at Cassandra and then back to Sandy.  “Yes, I did.  Tell him I’ll be right there.”

            “Certainly.  Come to the nurses station.”  She turned on one heel and walked away.

            “I’ve got to talk to him.”  He looked apologetic.  “I’ll be back in a minute.  That is if I may come back?”  He seemed concerned that she wouldn’t want him to return.

            “That’s fine, JC.  I’m not going anywhere.”

            He jumped up, seemingly lighter than she thought possible.

            “See you in a sec.”  He bounded out of the room.

            Cassandra’s mind was racing.  There were mixed feelings playing on her mind.  How could she have any feelings for someone she had just met?  He was compelling, obviously.  She felt drawn to him; an overwhelming desire to get to know him better.  Then it dawned on her, what had the nurse called him?  ‘Mr. Chasez?’  His name was JC Chasez.

            “Oh my God!”  She whispered to herself.  “It can’t be!”  But she knew it was.  He was one of the lead singers of the musical group *NSYNC.  “How?”  She asked herself, raising her fingers tentatively to touch her lips where he had kissed her.  Now she understood why he seemed so familiar to her that first time they had met.

            His reaction when she had asked if they knew each other was now understandable.  Should she admit to him that she recognized him?  Cassandra thought long and hard about it and decided to let JC keep his anonymity for the time being.  Otherwise, she thought, she may lose this newfound friend.  That was a risk she wasn’t willing to take at this time.

            Eagerly JC picked up the receiver of the white hospital phone.  “Dr. Simpson?  JC Chasez here.”

            “Hello there, young man.  What can I do for you?”

            “Look Doc.  I need a big favor.  Your other patient, the one across the hall from me,”

            “Yes.  That would be Cassandra.”

            “Yep!  That’s her.  I want you to have the nurses take out her I.V. tonight.  Basically so we can be on the same discharge schedule.”

            The doctor exhaled loudly.

            “What?”  JC asked curiously.

            “JC, I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”

            “Why not?”  His brow creased as he listened to the doctor.

            “You need to remember, she’s not in there for the same reason as you.  JC, she has a virus.  I need to keep her there, on the I.V. until her blood counts stabilize.  She still has an elevated white count.  That means the virus is still active.  It’s my responsibility to make sure she’s healthy enough to remove the medications and send her home.  Otherwise it is inevitable that she’ll have a relapse.”

            “So, how long should this take?”

            “That’s hard to say, JC.  Her improvement is remarkable, but not complete.  She needs at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours more.”

            “So that means she could be here even longer than the day after tomorrow?”  He asked.

            “It’s a possibility.”

            At first JC was stunned, then the wheels started turning.

            “Look, Doc.  You’ve got to do something else then.”

            “JC, I can’t let her go early!”  The doctor was adamant.

            “Fine, fine!”  He nearly yelled at the doctor.  “That’s not even close to what I was going to say.”

            “Then what would you like me to do?”

            “Keep me here.”

            “Are you crazy?”

            “Maybe, but it’s what I want you to do.”

            “I have to have a reason to keep you in the hospital.”

            “You do.  It’s my request.”

            “I mean a medical reason.”

            “Alright, then.  I’m still sick, exhausted!  Don’t send me home.  I might relapse!”

            “Maybe you’d like a new I.V. while we’re at it.”

            Cringing visibly, JC glared at the phone momentarily.  “Don’t even try it, Doc.  Absolutely no more needles near me!”

            The doctor chuckled.

            “I’m serious, Doc.  Keep me here until you send her home.  Got it?”

            “I’ll see what I can do.  I’ll see you in the morning when I make my rounds.”

            “Right!  Bye.”

            “Good-bye, JC.”

            They hung up simultaneously.

            He walked back to Cassandra’s room stopping just outside the door.  Instead of entering her room, he turned toward his own.  He rushed to the edge of the bed and reached for his phone.  He dialed the seven digits and waited for the connection to be made.

            “Hello?” There came a deep voice on the other end.

            “Johnny, this is JC.”

            “Hey, man!  How are you?  I’m coming out tomorrow to see you.”

            “Wait.  I’d rather you took care of some business for me.”

            “Really?  What kind of business?”

            “Well,” JC smiled.  “You might call it monkey business.”

            “Alright.  What do I need to get for Suzie and why?”

            He stopped cold.  His eyes were wide.  “Suzie?”  He sounded surprised.  “Uh, no.  I don’t need anything for Suzie.  But, I need flowers sent to the young lady across the hall from me.”

            “Are you serious?  JC, what are you up to?”

            “Johnny, you’re my manager, not my father.  Please, just do what I ask.  Now, I need flowers, nothing overpowering.  I would like just something that’s delicate – and by the way – make sure there are no green flowers in the arrangement.”

            “What?  You know florists always put green ferns and what not in their arrangements.”

            “Hey, that’s fine.  I just don’t want any green flowers!”

            “Okay.  I’ll get right on it.”

            “Wait.  There’s something else.”

            “What?”

            “I need you to get in touch with Dr. Simpson and tell him I have to stay here a few more days.”

            Johnny’s eyes almost bugged out of his head.

            ‘JC, are you absolutely crazy?  Why in the hell would you, with all of your fear of needles, want to stay in that God forsaken place?”

            “Don’t question me or my motives!  I need to stay here.  I need you to help me get this arranged.  I talked to Simpson earlier and he doesn’t seem thrilled with the idea of keeping me here.”

            “Probably because you don’t need to be there.  JC, what is going on?”

            JC stopped, raised his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed the tense muscles.  He wasn’t sure if he could answer that question at the moment.  He drew a deep breath before continuing.

            “Johnny, I don’t really know.  I only know that if I don’t stay here a little longer.  I’ll never have an answer to that question.”

            “What’s her name?”

            “Who?”

            “The girl the flowers are for.”

            “Oh, it’s Cassandra.  Cassandra Hamilton.”

            “And just what is it you’d like me to tell Suzie?”

            There was silence.

            “You do remember Suzie, don’t you?”  Johnny asked sarcastically.

            Shaking his head, JC closed his eyes tightly.  “Look, Johnny.  Of course I remember Suzie.  Right now, don’t tell her anything.  Let her think you don’t know where I am.  I need some time to work through some things.  I need your help, alright?  Just cover for me, any way you can.”

            “Man, you don’t ask for much, do you?  I’ll do my best C, but it really isn’t going to be easy.”

            “You’ll take care of things with Simpson, too?”

            “I’ll do my best.”

            Thanks, man!  I knew I could count on you.  I’ll be in touch, Johnny.  Thanks again.  Bye.”

            “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

            “Me, too.”

            Setting the telephone down, JC got up and headed back to Cassandra’s room.

            The realization of who she had been talking to and watching television with took Cassandra by surprise.  She knew if she told him that she knew who he was, he would be gone from her life quicker than he had entered it.  Her plan was to continue on the same mode as she had.  They would be newfound friends until he decided to tell her who he was.

            “I hope I can do it!”  She said her thought out loud.

            “Do what?”  She heard his cheery masculine voice through her doorway.  His eyes were bright, blue and exuding happiness.

            She looked at him surprised.  “Huh?”  It was all she could manage to say.

            “What do you hope you can do?”  He smiled as he sat in the visitor’s chair next to her bed.

            Thinking quickly, Cassandra responded.  “I hope I can go home very soon!”  She told him emphatically.

            JC lowered his gaze.  “I’m sorry, but I kind of hope you won’t.”

            Cassandra’s brown eyes opened wide in disbelief.  “What!”  She nearly yelled at him.  “How can you say that to me?  Here you’ll be going home tomorrow and you’re hoping I’ll have to stay?  I thought you understood how I felt.  I can’t believe you could be so mean!”

            “I’m not.”  He brought his eyes up to make contact with hers.

            “You most certainly are!”  Cassandra demanded.

            “Cassandra, I’m not going home tomorrow.  That’s what Dr. Simpson wanted to talk to me about.”

            Immediately she looked at him remorseful.  “You aren’t?  Why not?  They took out your I.V.”

            JC looked down at his hand.  “Yeah. I guess that was for show or something.  He said he was sorry, but I wasn’t ready to be discharged.”

            “But you said they’d keep you under twenty-four observation.”

            “Well, I guess because of my job, he doesn’t feel it’s wise for me to leave just yet.  I even called my manage – my boss and tried to get him to intervene, but Doc says no!  You know, no one will mess around with anyone in the medical profession.”  JC hoped Cassandra hadn’t noticed his near slip when he was referring to Johnny Wright.

            While Cassandra was happy that JC would be staying longer, she felt bad for him.

            “Hey, who knows,” he said rising to his feet.  “You may go home before me.”  He started to walk toward the doorway.

            Cassandra’s mind was racing, her eyes blinking rapidly.  “Hey,”

            He stopped and turned to look at her.

            “Where are you going?”

            He shrugged.  “Back to my room.  I’ll let you rest.  Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”  He sounded like a sad little boy.

            “Why?”  It was the only thing she could manage to say.

            “Well, you did sound kind of upset a minute ago and, really, I’m kind of bummed out.  I don’t think I’d be very good company for you.”  He sounded so dejected!  The look in his blue eyes was so puppyish (even though inside he was fighting with himself not to smile).

            Cassandra struggled to sit up on the edge of the bed.  “JC, I’m not angry.”

            “You aren’t?”

            “No.  And I certainly would rather have you be here with me than both of us sitting alone in these god-awful green rooms!”  She smiled tentatively at him.

            “You would?”  His face seemed to brighten.

            “Of course I would.  After all, if we both are stuck here, we might as well make the most of it.”

            He arched an eyebrow.  “Oh, really?”

            Cassandra laughed out loud.  It was the first time JC had heard her laughter.

            “I didn’t mean that!”  She responded.

            “Damn!”  He smiled at her as he approached the bed.

            “You know, you’d probably better lay back down, Cassandra.  Let me help you.”  With that he helped rearrange the covers while she shifted her slender legs under them.  He noticed the silky texture of her bare skin as one leg casually brushed against his fingertips while he was holding the covers for her.

            Before they knew it, hours had flown by.  They had talked about so many things, nothing in particular and everything in general.  He never talked about his job, and Cassandra never mentioned she knew what his job was.  The conversation had been light hearted and they shared chuckles, giggles and laughter.

            Cassandra was beginning to tire but refused to say anything because she didn’t want to be alone.  More importantly, she didn’t want him to leave.  However, Sandy, the night nurse, had other plans.  Gently she knocked on the door to Cassandra’s room as the late night news was beginning.

            “Excuse me, folks.  It is eleven o’clock.”  She said in a matter-of-fact tone.  “Don’t you think it’s time to call it a night?”

            “Who are you, my mother?”  Her tone, attitude and mere presence in the room agitated JC.  Cassandra quietly reached out and touched his forearm with her hand.

            “JC, it’s alright.  I am kind of tired.  Maybe we should get some sleep.”

            The nurse looked at him with an “I told you so” look and grinned.  “My point precisely.  Now, I’ll be leaving in about ten minutes, but Mary will be on duty.  If either of you needs anything, she’ll be happy to help you.

            “I’ll take your vitals, Miss Hamilton, and then you may turn in for the night.”

            “Alright.  Good night, JC.  Sweet dreams.”  She smiled brightly, if not tiredly.

            “Good night, Cassandra.  You too.  I’ll see you in the morning.”  He waved to her as he walked out the door.

            As she was about to dose off, Cassandra heard the door open and a ray of light came from the hallway, silhouetting the person coming in.

            Blinking tiredly, she tried to focus on who was approaching.

            “Mary, is that you?”   

            “Shhh!  I don’t think so.”  A male whisper responded.

            “Then who…”

            “It’s me, JC.”  He whispered next to her ear.”

            She sat up a little trying to fully rouse herself.

            “What…”

            “Shhh.  I had to come back.”

            “Why?”

            “I can’t sleep just yet.”

            “Why not?”

            “Because I forgot something.”

            “You did?  What did you forget?”

            “This.”  He whispered.  Moving ever so slowly, he lowered his head to hers and gently kissed her lips.  He moaned softly when he felt her respond and kiss him back.  “I needed a good night kiss.”  He said breathless as he pulled back. 

            “Me, too!”  She said as she found her voice.

            He knew she couldn’t see him in the dark, but he smiled.  “I should sleep very well, now.  How about you?”

            “Yeah.  I think so.”

            “Good.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

            “Good night.”

            With that, she heard her door close, smiled and closed her eyes.

            The past thirty-six hours had gone by in a blur.  Cassandra had nearly forgotten she was in a hospital.  JC had done so much for her.  He even sent her flowers.  They were beautiful.  It was a gorgeous arrangement of multi-colored carnations, ferns and baby’s breath.  He had been sitting with her, watching cartoons and laughing out loud when the nurse brought the flowers into the room.

            Her eyes widened as she looked from the flowers to the nurse.

            “These can’t be mine.”  She said incredulously.  JC simply smiled.

            “Oh, but they are.”  The nurse said.

            “Who are they from?”

            “Now how would I know that?”  The nurse almost sounded sarcastic.  “I guess you’ll have to read the card.”

            The nurse set the flowers on the night table, handed the gift card to Cassandra and left the room.

            “Well,” JC said.  “Who are they from?”  He bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling.  “Come on, read the card out loud.  It must be from a secret admirer or the boyfriend you didn’t tell me about!”

            As she pulled the card out of its small envelope, she looked at JC and noticed how hard he was fighting the smile that played at the corners of his mouth.

            Cassandra glanced down at the card for a moment, and then looked up into two of the happiest, bluest eyes she had ever seen.  She read the inscription on the card.

            ‘Cassandra, beautiful flowers for my beautiful new friend.  Glad we were held captive together.  JC’

            She looked at him again as her eyes filled with tears.  JC was so glad he had called his manager, Johnny, a second time to tell him what he wanted the card to say.

            “Hey, honey!  Don’t cry!  They’re meant to make you happy, not sad.”

            A single tear slid down her cheek.  JC reached up to gently brush it away.

            “I am happy JC.  It’s just, “ she looked down at her lap trying to avoid making eye contact.

            He crooked his finger under her chin and raised her face until she had no choice but to look him in the eye.

            “It’s just what?”  JC asked with a raised eyebrow and gentle voice.

            “I’ve never had flowers from anyone before.”  She almost looked embarrassed to admit it.

            He couldn’t believe what he had heard.  “You have got to be kidding me!”

            All she could do was shake her head.

            “Then I’m glad I got to be the first to give you flowers.”  With his finger still under her chin, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.  It was sweet and quick, but as he started to pull back, Cassandra placed her hand on his arm and moved toward him, trying to lengthen the kiss.  JC accommodated her by leaning back in and wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against the wall of his chest.  Feeling her part her lips slightly, he took advantage of the moment and allowed his tongue to slip inside the warm recess of her mouth.  Their tongues touched tentatively as if both participants were unsure how far this kiss should go.

            The ringing of the telephone pulled the couple apart.

            ‘My God!  I think I hear bells!”  JC smiled brightly, even though his breathing needed to slow down.

            Cassandra smacked his shoulder.  “You silly goose!  It’s the telephone.”  She drew a deep breath to recover.

            He laughed and reached over to pick it up for her.  He handed her the receiver and his fingers brushed hers.  She swore she felt a charge of electricity run through her.

            “Hello?”  Cassandra answered as she smiled at what had to be the most handsome man she had ever met.

            “Hey, sis.  What’s going on?”

            “Hi, Marissa!  Not much, really.  I’m just hanging out waiting to see the doctor.  I’m gonna try to get him to send me home today.”

            “Cool.  Did they take out the I.V.?”

            “Not yet, but the nurse said she thought they might after lunch.  I’ll call you if I need a way home this afternoon.”

            JC’s ears perked up.  Home?  This afternoon?  He had to make plans – and he only had a short time to do it.

            “Alright, Cassandra.  I’ll wait to hear from you.”

            “Thanks, Sis.  I’ll talk to you later.”

            The girls hung up and Cassandra was lost in thought.

            “Hey, a penny for your thoughts.”

            Cassandra blinked herself back to reality.  “Oh, it’s nothing really.”

            He looked skeptical.  “Come on.  You can tell me.”

            She drew a deep breath.  “You know, it’s kind of funny, but after all of my moaning and groaning, the thought of going home doesn’t seem so great.”

            “What?  Why not?”  He seemed genuinely surprised.

            She looked into his blue eyes.  “Because of you.”  She said honestly.

            His eyes grew wide.  “Me?”

            Cassandra nodded.  “You’ve made this whole ordeal so much easier to handle.  Two or three days ago I was just a royal bitch on wheels.  Now,” she hesitated, searching for words.  “I don’t know.  I just really am not concerned about going home.  I could stay here just as long as the doctor wants, as long as you’re still here.”

            “Oh, man!  Now you’re condemning both of us to an indefinite stay in hell!  I think I’d prefer something a little more conducive to rest and relaxation.”

            Solemnly she met his gaze.

            “Guess that won’t be happening any time too soon, will it?”

            “Why not?”

            First, Cassandra looked down at her hands.  Then she looked back at JC.

            “JC,” she swallowed hard.  “I know who JC Chasez is.  I have an idea what your life is like.  I know that once you and I leave here, we’ll be going in our own separate directions.”

            “Why?  Is that what you want?”  His stare never wavered from making eye contact with her.

            “What do you mean?”  She asked JC a bit dumbfounded by his question.

            “I mean, don’t you want to see me after we leave here?  Does who I am have to change what we seem to be finding since we met here?”

            “That’s not what I meant.”  She said.

            “Then, maybe you should explain just what is it you meant!”

            “I don’t know if I can.”

            “Then let me see if I have the right picture.”  He took her hand into his.  “I like you.  You seem to like me.  We enjoy spending time together doing inane things like watching South Park and other cartoons.  But, because I’m some kind of celebrity, we can’t be together.  So, when we get discharged, I go back to my ivory tower somewhere and you’ll take your flowers, and memories, and go home to your little sister and just forget about everything we shared for these few brief days.  Does that about sum it up?”  He almost sounded angry.

            Cassandra didn’t respond.  She wasn’t sure what she should say.  He had pretty much said everything she had been thinking.

            Releasing her hands, he jumped to his feet and stood facing her.  “Damn it, Cassandra.”  He practically shouted at her.  “What kind of shallow, insensitive S.O.B. do you take me for?  Have I ever come across that I didn’t want to see you after we leave here?  Have I?”  He was demanding an answer.

            “No.”  She whispered to him.

            “Then don’t presume something about me that you know nothing about.  Man, that really pisses me off when people think they know things about you when they really don’t have a clue!”  He turned and started walking toward the door.

            “JC?”  She softly called after him.

            He stopped short, but didn’t turn around.  The last thing he needed right now was to see her dark eyes misted over with tears of sorrow.

            “Please don’t leave.”  Her voice broke with emotion.  “I’m really sorry.”

            He hesitated for a moment, drawing a deep breath.

            “I need time to cool down, Cassandra.  I’m gonna cool my heels for a while.  Maybe I’ll see you after lunch.”  He walked out of her room silently.

            Hesitantly she looked over at the flowers sitting on the night table.  A single tear slipped down her cheek.

            Why did she cry?  Why did she care if JC left her room?  Why did it matter?  Cassandra couldn’t answer those questions.  She only knew she cared about him leaving her and it mattered a lot.

            Time seemed to drag on the rest of the morning.  The phone was silent in her room.  No doctors stopped in to check on her.  No visitors came by to visit.  The nurses were even too busy to stop by due to new floor admissions.  The TV was silent, as Cassandra had turned it off right after JC had stormed out.  Sleep was elusive as well.  All she could do was sit and stare out the window.  Her mind replayed the events of the past few days.  JC had made her feel so much better about herself.  He was kind, considerate, and thoughtful and, she thought as a smile played at the corners of her lips, he was extremely handsome.

            “Miss Hamilton?”  Her thoughts were intruded on by Nurse Sandy.  “I have some wonderful news for you.”

            Blinking quickly Cassandra tried to tune in on what the nurse was trying to tell her.

            “Good news?”

            “Yes.  I have orders to remove your I.V.  Then, we’ll complete a little paperwork, and you should be out of here by 3:00 o’clock.  Now, let’s get that thing out before your lunch tray arrives.”

            Sitting on the edge of the bed, Cassandra was dumbfounded.  She reached for her robe for the first time since she’d been admitted.  She slid her feet into her slippers and headed out of her room.  Instinctively she moved herself to the room across the hall from hers.  As she reached the door of JC’s room, she could hear his rich voice.

            “No, I tell you.  Not just yet!  I’ve got to make her understand!”  His voice wasn’t angry any longer; it sounded excited maybe, but not angry.

            “I’ll let you know when I’m ready Johnny.  Just have things in place for me.  I want to walk out of here without any problems when the time is right!  Alright?  Thanks, Johnny.  You’re a pal.”  Just then he turned and saw Cassandra standing in the doorway.  “Hey, I’ll talk to you later, Johnny.  Thanks again.”

            JC hung up the phone and stood there, silently looking at her.

            First Cassandra bit her bottom lip, and then swallowed hard.

            “I, um, came to show you that, um, I’ve been set free too.”  She said quietly holding up her left hand, her head hung like a shy schoolgirl with eyes looking up at him from across the room.

            “That’s great.”  He said equally as quiet.  He held fast to his position next to the bed.

            “Um, Sandy said that I should be leaving by three o’clock.”

            “Three o’clock, huh?  Only a few more hours for you then.”

            Cassandra didn’t like his indifference.  “Well, um, just thought I’d tell you.”  She turned to walk away but stopped and looked back over her shoulder.  “Oh, thanks again for the flowers, Mr. Chasez.  They really are lovely.”  She started walking away.

            The use of his formal name snapped him out of his solemn mood.

            “Cassandra, wait!”  He raced to the door.  She was already at the threshold of her room.  She froze on the spot but did not turn around to look at him.

            He walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  She shivered involuntarily at his touch and he felt it.

            “Cassandra,” he whispered.  With a gentle pressure he turned her to look at him.  There was sadness in her eyes he hadn’t seen since the first time he’d met her.  His blue eyes met her brown eyes.

            “Look, this ‘S.O.B.’” he used his own words of earlier, “owes you a major apology.  I’m really sorry for going off on you like I did.”

            “That’s alright.  You don’t owe me anything, Mr…”

            Quickly he pressed a finger to her lips in an effort to silence her.  “Don’t you dare!  If you won’t call me JC or one of my nicknames, then don’t call me anything.  I will not answer to ‘Mr. Chasez’!”  He arched an eyebrow.  “Do you understand?”

            She could only nod.  He smiled.

            “Now,” he turned her around to face her room and gently pushed her inside.  He guided her towards the edge of the bed.  “Sit down, babe.  We’ve got some plans to make.”

            She looked at him puzzled.  “Plans?”  She questioned.  What was this, him calling her ‘babe’?

            He nodded.  “Definitely.  We are going to walk out of here together and we’ll have plans of things we’re going to do.”

            “My sister will pick me up.” Came her absent response.

            Drawing a deep breath, JC steadied his gaze on her.

            “No, Cassandra.  I want to take you home.  I want to spend more time with you getting to know you.  I want to leave with you.”

            “But, why?”

            “Because,” he leaned in and gently touched his lips to hers.  “I want to.”  He finished as he drew back.

            “JC,” she began.

            He smiled when she said his name.

            “I’d like that.”  She finished with a smile.

            “Good.  No more presumptions about each other, either.  Okay?”

            She nodded.

            “Alright.  Now listen,” he sat down next to her and held her hand.  “We’ll have some lunch.  Then we’ll get our things packed and wait for that damned doctor to let us out of here.  Then, we’ll get you home and start making plans.  The first thing is, we’ll rent a movie for tonight and get some kind of take-out for dinner.  Then,” 

            Raising her hand, she tried to slow down his enthusiasm.

            “What?”  He asked.

            “Aren’t we moving a bit fast here?”

            “Am I?”

            “Maybe just a bit!”

            “Oops, I’m sorry.  Let me try it again.  Could we get a movie for us tonight?”

            Smiling, Cassandra answered him.  “That would be nice.”

            A chuckle escaped his lips.  “Cool!  How about dinner?  Maybe a carry-out order or something.”

            “That sounds good to me, too!”

            Now he laughed out loud.

            “Girl, you are too much!”

            “Thanks, I think.”

            Shortly thereafter the lunch trays arrived and JC and Cassandra ate together in her room.  They chatted excitedly, working on plans for that evening.  They chose a movie to view, decided on Chinese food and decided they would do everything at her place.

            When lunch was finished, JC suggested they get themselves packed so they could leave as soon as the release papers were signed.  He left Cassandra’s room for his own.  His first action was to pick up the telephone and call his manager.

            “Hey, Johnny, it’s JC.  Do you have everything ready?”

            “You’re all set, Jace.  When she walks, so do you.  She must be someone pretty special, huh?”

            “No questions, Johnny.  Just trust me, okay?”

            “Okay.  There is one thing I have to ask you, though.”

            “Not about her.”

            “No.  It’s about Suzie.”

            JC’s whole demeanor changed.  His back stiffened, his grip tightened on the telephone and the sparkle left his eyes.

            “Damn it, Johnny!  Why did you have to bring her up?”

            “Because, Jace, she’s been calling.  She doesn’t like not knowing what’s going on with you and not knowing where you are.”

            “Well, isn’t that just too damn bad?  I do not want her to know where I am or why I’m here.  You can put her off any way you want to, but keep her away from me!”

            “JC, if you don’t mind my asking, what the hell happened between you two?”

            Drawing a deep breath, JC closed his eyes momentarily.  “That’s none of your business, Johnny.  She knows very well why I moved out on her.  I told her I needed some space.  She doesn’t need any other information than that.”

            “That doesn’t seem to be enough for her, Jace.  Give me something else I can tell her.”

            “No!”  JC stated emphatically.  “Johnny, you’re my manager.  Manage my career, not my life.”

            “But…”

            “I’m serious, Johnny.”  His body started to relax.  “Look, I’ll take care of Suzie, you take care of me and my career.  Now, is everything ready for me?  The car will be here at three o’clock, right?”

            “Right.”  Johnny confirmed all the final details and assured JC that everything would go according to plan.

            The two men finished their conversation and hung up.  JC went about his business, packing all of his belongings and rounding up any last minute items.

            “Mr. Chasez?”  Sandy, the nurse, came in.

            He turned to face her and smiled.

            “Yes?”

            “Dr. Simpson has released you and I’ve been told your car is downstairs waiting for you."

            His eyes brightened.

            “Great!  I’m ready.  Is Cassandra ready across the hall?”

            “Not quite yet.”

            “What?  Why not?”  Anger flashed in his eyes.

            She seemed surprised.  “Excuse me?”

            JC stopped and made direct eye contact with the nurse.  “I asked you why she isn’t ready to leave?”

            The nurse was undaunted.  “She isn’t ready because her paperwork isn’t completed.  Now, let’s go over your after care discharge papers.”

            “Screw it!  Get her paperwork finished!  I know what I have to do.  I’m taking her home and I’d like her to be ready when I am.”

            The nurse looked at him skeptically.  “You know, Mr. Chasez, I hate to argue with you all of the time, but I believe there’s someone here to pick her up.”

            He looked at her incredulous to her words.  “What?” was all he could say.

            “There’s someone there now helping her finish packing.”

            JC relaxed.  “Oh, I’m sure that’s her sister.”

            “Excuse me.  It isn’t her sister.  It’s a man.”

            JC’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.  He pushed past the nurse, heading to Cassandra’s room.  He stopped abruptly as he saw a dark-haired man closing and locking Cassandra’s suitcase.  The man looked up and saw JC standing dumbfounded in the doorway.

            “Can I help you?”   The stranger asked.

            Cassandra turned her head to see JC standing there, a million questions shown in his blue eyes.

            “JC!  Come on in.  I want you to meet someone.”  Cassandra said stiffly.  She was tense, JC noticed, but she needed to tell JC who this man was.

            “JC, this is Thomas.  Thomas Wood.  Thomas, this is JC.” Cassandra said flatly.

            Thomas walked over to JC and extended a hand.

            “Nice to meet you, JC.  Cassandra was telling me how helpful you’ve been to her while she’s been here.”  He drew his hand back.

            Cassandra noticed the confused look on JC’s face.

            “Yeah, I’ve tried to be as ‘helpful’ as I possibly could be.”  JC’s eyes darted between the two, stopping at Cassandra.

            “What’s going on here?”  He finally asked.

            “Excuse me?”  Thomas asked in response.

            “JC, he just came to visit me.  He didn’t know I’d be going home.”

            JC arched a dark eyebrow.  “Oh.  Well, that’s why I came over.  The car is here, we need to be ready to go.”

            At last Cassandra smiled.  “Great.  I’m just about ready.  I’ll hurry.”

            Seeing her enthusiasm, JC visibly relaxed.  He smiled a genuine smile at her.  “Anything I can do to help?”

            “No.  I’ll finish and…”

            “Well, wait.  Since I’m here, there’s no need to put JC to any trouble.  I’ll just take you home.”  Thomas offered.

            JC’s back straightened instantaneously.  “It’s no trouble, actually.  Cassandra and I already have plans.”

            That information took Thomas by surprise.

            “Whoa, I’m sorry, man!”  Thomas stepped back a step and held up a hand.  “I hadn’t realized.  Look, Cassandra, I just came by to check on you.  Obviously,” he walked over and kissed her on the cheek.  “You’re doing fine.  I’ll get going.  I’ll be in touch.”

            “Nice to have met you, JC.”  Thomas said as he walked out of the room. 

            JC just looked at Cassandra.  Silence hung in the room as neither JC nor Cassandra knew exactly what to say to each other.

            Clearing his throat, JC broke the silence.  “Why don’t you finish up?  The car is waiting downstairs.  I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

            He turned on his heel and walked away.

            The ride to Cassandra’s place was carried out in silence.  There was no discussion about their plans.  There was no mention of the movie rental.  There was no order placed for Chinese take-out.  In fact, other than Cassandra giving the driver directions to her place, no conversation occurred.

            JC sat two seats away from Cassandra.  His arms were folded across his chest, his head laid back against the seat.  His eyes were closed.  Was he asleep?  Cassandra couldn’t tell.  His breathing was deep and steady.  The silence was tearing at her.

            She stared outside the window, noticing that they were getting very close to her house.  When the driver made the last turn onto her street, Cassandra picked up her purse, looked inside, and retrieved her house keys.  As quietly as she could, she singled out the door key.

            With moisture-ladened lids she glanced at JC.  Unsure of why he seemed angry, Cassandra looked longingly at his strong features.  She wanted to kiss him goodbye, but was afraid of either waking him or having him reject her kiss.

            The limo pulled to a stop in front of her small home.  Cassandra drew a deep breath as the driver disembarked and went to the trunk to gather her things.  Then he opened the back door for her to leave the confines of the vehicle.

            Quietly she picked up her purse, looked over at JC, whose eyes were still closed, and rose to leave the limo.  As she placed her foot outside of the car his deep voice came to her.

            “Who the hell is he?”

            Cassandra stepped out of the car and turned back to him.  She drew a deep breath.  “Does it matter?”

            JC turned toward the open door, his blue eyes dark with emotion.  Cassandra wasn’t sure what emotion she saw, but it appeared to be anger.

            “Yes, it matters.  It matters very much!”

            “I don’t know why, but, for what it’s worth, he’s my ex-boyfriend.  We broke up last month.  We’ve stayed in touch, but I’m not serious with him.”

            “You’re ex?  How can that be?  Are you expecting me to believe that he was your boyfriend after you told me you had never been given flowers by anyone?”

            “Are you calling me a liar?”

            “No, of course not!”

            “But, you don’t believe me, do you?”

            He didn’t answer.

            “You know, I really don’t need this!  We seem to fight way too much for just being friends.”  Cassandra drew herself up straight.  “Thanks for the ride home.  I appreciate it.”  She turned; grabbing the car door and flinging it closed behind her.  She felt a sudden burst of air as the door bounced back at her.  JC stopped the doors’ motion and reversed it with his foot.  He jumped out of the car to stand in front of her.

            She looked up at him defiantly.  “There’s one thing I’m going to tell you, I am not a liar!”

            He took hold of her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.

            “Then tell me who he is!”

            She met his gaze head on.  “I told you already.”

            “There’s more to this, then, that you aren’t telling me.”

            “You’re right.  There definitely is.  I just don’t see where it’s any of your business.”

            He pulled her closer to him, his eyes boring into her.  His eyebrow arched, his lips were set in a firm straight line and she noticed how that tiny muscle in his jaw twitched.

            “I’m making it my business, don’t you understand that?  I’m making you my business.”

            His grip tightened as he pulled her closer, yet.  Lowering his face to hers, he touched his lips to hers.  At first she didn’t respond, the anger she felt keeping her from answering his kiss.  Then he started to gently nibble her bottom lip and she was lost in the sensation.  She responded by leaning into him, slightly parting her lips.  The silent invitation beckoned him, and JC followed his instincts.  His tongue found hers and a low moan escaped her throat as the tips touched each other.  He forced himself to pull back, his breathing heavy with desire.

            “Let’s take this inside.”  He said in a raspy voice as he released her shoulders.

            All Cassandra could do was smile.  Her voice would betray her emotions if she spoke.  She wasn’t certain what was going on between them, and until she knew, she had to be cautious.

            The limo driver had used his time to pile Cassandra’s belongings on her front porch. Discreetly he returned to the limo and vanished into the driver’s seat.

            Slipping the key into the lock, Cassandra turned it and pushed the door open.  She moved forward, but JC reached out and stopped her.

            “What?”  She was confused.

            “Just curious, but are we going to be alone?”  She noticed the twinkle in his blue eyes.

            Cassandra smiled shyly.  “We will be for a while.  Marissa’s at work until six o’clock.”

            Looking at his watch, then at her, a wicked smile played on his lips.  “Hmm, that gives us two hours.  Hope that’s enough time!”

            “For what?”  She laughed.

            “For, whatever!”  He winked at her and followed her inside, guiding her with his hand protectively placed on the small of her back.  Cassandra was painfully aware of the closeness of his body to hers.

            She stopped to set her purse on the chair just inside the door and then turned to look at him.  The darkness in his eyes was gone and she noticed what a deep, beautiful blue they were.  Finding her voice she offered him something to drink.  He declined.

            “Well, why don’t you make yourself comfortable.  I’m going to bring my things in and then I’ll give you the twenty-five cent tour.”  She turned back toward the front door.

            Quickly he stepped in her path.  “No you don’t!”

            “What?”

            “You go and sit down.  I’ll bring your things in.”

            “You don’t have to do that.”

            “Oh, yes I do.  Just tell me where you want the stuff.”  He opened the door, stepped onto the porch and picked up the suitcase, hospital bag and the flowers he had sent to her.  “Point me in the right direction.”

            Shaking her head, she grabbed the flowers and pointed down the hallway.  “It’s the first room on the right.”  She set the flowers on the coffee table.

            Without hesitation, he headed toward the room.  He set the two items down in the corner by the dresser.  Taking a brief moment to look around, he noticed the delicacy of the items in the room.  There was lace over the window, a lacey table runner on the dresser and a white eye-let comforter on the queen size bed.  The colors were feminine, mauve and pastel pink and pale blue.  He smiled as he looked around.  Suddenly he realized he needed to return to the living room.  Turning quickly, he bumped right into Cassandra who was standing in the doorway, watching him.

            “So, do you like what you see?”  She asked.

            He lowered his face.  “Very much!”

            She placed her hand against his chest.  “No, silly!  I’m talking about the room.”

            A chuckle rose from his chest and Cassandra could feel it vibrate beneath her fingertips.

            “It’s a beautiful room.  It suits you to a tee.”

            “Come on, JC.  Let’s go out to the living room.”

            “Uh, uh.”  He stood fast.

            “What?  Why not?”

            “I want my twenty-five cent tour you promised me.”

            She smiled at him.  “Alright.  Come on.”

            They stepped into the hallway.  She pointed to the next room and identified it as her sister’s room.  The one across the hall was the bathroom.  To get to the kitchen, you had to double back through the living room.  “There you have it.  It’s not much, but it’s home.”

            “I think it’s great.”

            She moved toward the living room.  Suddenly, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.  She grabbed the wall to steady herself.

            “Cassandra!”  JC yelled out, grabbing her from behind.  “What’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

            She drew a deep, steadying breath.  “I think so.  I just need to sit down.  I guess I’m a little tired.”

            Before she knew it, JC had reached to scoop her up in his arms.  She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.  He carried her to the black leather sofa.  Gently, he laid her down.  For a moment he looked deep into her eyes.  He tenderly brushed a fallen tendril of hair from her face and allowed the back of his fingers to linger on her cheek.

            “Are you alright?”  His voice was just above a whisper.

            A weak smile crossed her lips.  “Yes.  I think I’m just tired.  It’s hard to believe that after laying in a hospital bed for so many days that I could say that.  But, I am tired.”

            “That’s to be expected, hon. You need to rest.  Look,” he looked around for a second and noticed an afghan draped over the back of a nearby chair.  He raised himself up and walked over to retrieve it.  He quickly brought it to her and, opening it, he laid it over her.

            “You rest here.  I’m gonna send James to get our dinner and movie.  After we eat, if you’re not too tired, we’ll watch the movie.  If you are too tired, we’ll watch it tomorrow and you’ll sleep tonight.”

            “You’re being awfully sweet, JC.  I’m really not all that hungry, anyway.”

            “Don’t be difficult!  Now, stay put while I give this man his mission.”  He turned toward the door, went outside and approached the limo.

            By the time he returned from giving the orders to James, he found Cassandra sound asleep.  He smiled, walked over to the opposite chair and dropped down.  He put his head back against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

            JC woke with a start.  He sat up and looked around.  He had heard something.  He wasn’t sure what it had been.  He looked over at Cassandra.  At first glance she appeared to still be sleeping.  Then he heard the sound again.  It was coming from her.  She was making a sound somewhere between a whimper and a cry.

            She tossed her head from side to side.  Her right hand shot out in front of her as if she was shielding herself from some unseen danger.  There was a sheen of perspiration on her forehead.

            Quickly, JC made his way to the sofa.  JC knelt down beside it.  Cassandra started kicking and thrashing about, almost uncontrollably.  He knew he had to wake her, and he knew he had to do it cautiously.

            “Cassandra,” he whispered.  “Cassandra.  Come on, honey.   You have to wake up.”

            Her moans were getting louder.         

            “No!”  She screamed in her sleep.  “Stop.  Please, stop.  Go away!”

            Without even knowing it, she was breaking JC’s heart.  What could be so awful that it would cause a nightmare of this proportion?

            She started to cry out again.  He could take it no longer.  He grabbed her up into his arms and held her against his chest.

            “Cassandra,” he said in a firm, loud voice.  “Damn it, wake up!”

            He felt her body trembling.  She struggled against him briefly, then woke up and looked up at him.  Tears fell freely down her cheeks.  He gently brushed his hand over her cheek.

            “Shhh, baby.  It’s okay.  I’m here.  Everything’s going to be alright.”  He rocked her back and forth. 

            Her sobs were calming and he relaxed his hold on her.  “Are you alright?”  He asked.

            Her eyes were wide with fear.  “I, I, I think so.”  She stuttered.  She drew a shaky breath.

            “What the hell were you dreaming?”

            Cassandra pulled away.  He eyes were wide, like a deer caught in the glare of headlights on the highway.

            “I’m not really sure.”  She said.  “How long have I been asleep?”

            JC took a quick look at his watch.  “Only about twenty-five minutes.  That must have been long enough to get you into a deep sleep.  Are you sure you don’t remember the dream?”

            She shook her head.

            “Let me get you a glass of water, okay?”

            She nodded.

            JC went to the kitchen, searched the cupboards for a glass, then took one down, filled it with cold water and carried it back to her.

            “Here, honey!  Drink some of this.”  He said handing her the glass.

            “Thanks, JC.”

            She took a long, calming drink.  As she swallowed, there was knocking at the door.  Cassandra jumped, panic seizing her.

            “Who could that be?”  She nearly screamed at him.

            “Relax, babe.  I’m sure its just James with our dinner.”

            “How do you know?”

            “I don’t know for sure, but he’s been gone about 30 minutes.  Let me go and see.”

            “Be careful.”

            He looked at her quite suspiciously.  His brow furrowed as he headed to the front door.  Peering through the crack of the door as he opened it, the tension left his body as he saw the larger man standing on the porch holding a brown paper bag.  He took the bag and offered his thanks to the burly man.  Quickly he closed the door and headed through the living room to the kitchen.  He glanced over at Cassandra as he walked past.  Her head was tipped back on the arm of the sofa and her eyes had closed.

            He searched through cupboards and drawers until he found two place settings and set them on the table.  He opened the take-out containers and put spoons into each of them.  He filled the two glasses with ice cubes and opened two bottles of spring water and poured it into the glasses.  He stepped back to study his handy work.  Snapping his fingers in the air, he rushed to the living room.  Spying the flowers on the coffee table, he scooped them up and returned to the kitchen and placed them as the centerpiece in the middle of the table.

            “Perfect.”  He smiled to himself.

            He returned to the living room and quietly approached the sofa.  He was unable to determine if she was asleep.  He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her brow.

            Her eyes fluttered open.  “Hi.”  Her voice was hoarse with sleep.

            “Hi, yourself.  Are you ready to have some dinner?”

            She drew a deep breath.  “I’m really not terribly hungry.”  She looked apologetic.

            “Now see here!”  He feigned hurt feelings.  “Here I’ve slaved over a hot cardboard container to fix you one of the finest meals money can buy, and you’re going to refuse to eat it?  I don’t believe I can tolerate that!”

            “But…”

            “No ‘buts’ about it.  Now, you can come to the table of your own volition, or I’ll carry you.  It’s entirely up to you.”

            Cassandra laughed.  “I think I’ll walk there on my own.  I just don’t promise how much I’ll eat.”  She cocked her head to one side.

            “You’ll eat something because you don’t want to go back to that damned green room at the hospital and have another I.V. hooked up, right?”

            “Right.”  She replied, almost timidly.

            Quietly they ate their dinner.  JC noticed how very little of the food actually went into her mouth.  Cassandra spent a good deal of the time pushing the food around her plate.  She stared absently at it, never raising her gaze to his.  He was confident something, most likely the dream, was bothering her.

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            She set her fork down on the plate and looked up at him.  “Talk about what?”

            “Whatever is bothering you.”

            “Nothing’s…” she started to say.

            JC held up a hand in front of her.  “Don’t even try that line!  I don’t know you very well, but well enough to know that there’s something bothering you.  I’ll bet it has something to do with that dream you had.”  He lowered his head and tone just a bit.  “Let’s talk about it.”

            Her eyes searched his face.  Why, she thought to herself, did he have to be so enticing?  She noticed how blue his eyes were, how one dark brow arched upward as he waited for her response, and how that small jaw muscle kept twitching as his gaze burned into her.  Then he slowly pushed his plate away from him and leaned forward, somewhat closing the gap between them.

            “Well?”  He asked in a near whispered tone.

            She drew a deep breath and pursed her lips together.  Cassandra came with a lot of so-called baggage.  In her heart she knew she didn’t want to unload any of it on this wonderful person whose company she adored.

            Swallowing hard she met his gaze.  “You know what?  I really don’t think this is the time for this.  I’m really enjoying being with you, and that topic of conversation would really be a downer.  Let’s save it for another time, okay?”  She reached out across the table and patted it in front of him.  JC reached over and held her small hand between his.  A shiver raced through her.

            “It’s him, isn’t it?”  His gaze never left hers.

            Confusion was etched on her face.  “Him, who?”

            At first the look JC gave her was skeptical.  Then he realized she really had no idea who he was talking about.  “The guy you introduced me to at the hospital.  This is about him, isn’t it?”

            “He’s not important.”

            “You said he was your ex.”

            “That’s right.  That’s why he’s not important.”

            “Why was he at the hospital.”

            “To visit me.”

            “But if he’s your ex, why did he come?”

            “Maybe you should ask him these questions.”

            “Maybe, but I’m asking you.”

            She pulled her hand back out of his grasp and stood up.  “It’s not something I want to talk about.”

            “Why not?”

            She looked at him exasperated.  “Because I don’t!”  She nearly shouted at JC as she stood up and pushed the chair away from the table.  “Do you want to watch a movie or something?”  She said trying to change the subject.

            Leaning back in his chair he eyed her thoughtfully.  “Is that what you want?”

            Her eyes were wide and sad.  He could have sworn he saw tears welling up, but she blinked and any moisture he thought he’d seen was gone.

            “Sure.  Let’s do that.”

            She spun on her heels and headed back to the living room.  As she bent to pick up the remote control for the television the telephone started ringing.  She froze in place, just staring at the coffee table.

            Seeing that Cassandra wasn’t going to answer it, JC reached for the handset.

            “Hello?” his deep voice drawing her out of her daze.

            She drew herself upright and stared into his blue eyes.

            “Yes,” he said.  “She’s right here.  Hang on.”

            JC handed the handset to her.

            “It’s your sister.”

            “Oh.  Thanks.”  She said as she took the telephone from her.

            “Hi, Marissa.”

            “Hey, sis.  Who was that?”  Her sister inquired.

            “JC.  The guy from the hospital.”

            “Oh, he’s still there?”

            “Yeah.  We just had dinner.  Now we’re going to watch a movie.”

            “You know, Thomas wants to stop by.”

            “And you know I don’t want that.”

            “Yeah.  But Cassandra, he says he’s really sorry about things.”

            She arched an eyebrow as she looked over at JC who stood silently watching her.

            “Does he?  For what?”

            “Cassandra, I don’t think that’s fair!”

            “You don’t!  Really!  Well, let me tell you something.  What he said wasn’t fair either.  I don’t want to see him here.  You can call him and tell him, for me, don’t come over!  Do you understand?”

            “Yes, sis.  I understand.  But I still think everyone deserves a second chance.”

            “He’s had a dozen chances, Marissa.  I can’t take him anymore.  Now, new topic!  What time will you be home?”

            “Oh, I’m not coming home tonight.  I’m staying with Jennifer at her house.  That is okay, isn’t it?”

            Cassandra dropped to the couch.

            “Sure, Marissa.  Go ahead.  I’ll just go to bed early tonight.  Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            “Thanks, Cassandra.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            “Goodnight.”

            She dropped the handset on her lap.  For some unknown reason tears slipped down her cheeks.  JC came around, picked up the handset and returned it to its cradle.  When he turned back to Cassandra, she had curled up against the armrest of the sofa and her head was resting in her hands, her body shaking with tears.  Carefully he sat beside her.

            Gently he took her shoulders and turned her toward him.  He drew her into the warmth and safety of this embrace.  He pulled her against his chest and whispered soothing, caring words against her hair.

            After several moments he felt her draw a deep, steadying breath and felt the shaking of her body subside.

            “I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you the whole story.”  She said into his chest.  “If you still want to hear it.”

            As his fingers gently traced her arm up and down, she knew JC wasn’t going anywhere.

            Cassandra pulled away from JC and stood up, her back to him.

            “Where are you going?”  He asked.

            “Nowhere.  I need to show you something.”  She responded softly.  “ I want you to look at my back.”

            “What?”  He had a puzzled look on his face.

            She turned back to face him.  “If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”

            He stood up, towering over her petite frame.  “I don’t mind.  Turn around.”  He knew this was leading somewhere, though he wasn’t sure where.

            She turned her back to him again and he noticed the rise and fall of her shoulders as she drew a deep, steadying breath and then slowly released it.

            “Okay,” he started.  “You have a very nice back.”

            Looking back over her shoulder, she smiled weakly.  “No silly, that’s not what I mean.  You have to look at my actual back.  Raise up my shirt and look at it.  It will explain the real reason I was in the hospital.”

            “Do I know you well enough for this?”  He joked quietly.

            Her response was a raised eyebrow.  Then, after a moment, she turned back to face him.  “You’re right, JC.  This is totally silly.  Never mind.  Let’s sit down and watch our movie.”

            As she went to move past him, his right arm snaked out and caught her by the waist.

            “Whoa, girl!  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make light of the situation.  Please, show me what it is you want me to see.”  His blue eyes were sincere and sad.

            Her eyes searched his face, hesitating to continue any further.  A realization came over her.  This whole ordeal could ruin this newfound friendship.  At that moment, Cassandra knew she didn’t want to jeopardize the friendship.  For whatever unknown reason, JC was very important to her.  It was at that moment she decided to stop trying to reveal her unspoken misfortune to him.

            She forced a smile to her lips and her dark eyes met his alluring blue eyes.

            “Gotcha!”  She grinned.

            “What?”  His brow creased with confusion.

            “Gotcha!”  She replied again.  “I was just kidding.  You thought I was serious, didn’t you?”

            His confusion began to turn to anger.  “What in the hell are you talking about? What’s with the ‘just kidding’ crap?”

            Cassandra placed a hand on JC’s forearm.  “Oh, come on!  You didn’t think I was serious, did you?  Come on, let’s watch the movie.  Why don’t you put it in the DVD player?”

            With a sharp movement, JC pulled away from her.  “I don’t think I like your sense of humor, Cassandra.”  There was anger in his eyes.

            “It was a joke.”  She shrugged.

            “It was a damn poor joke!”  He snapped back.  “You know, I think I’d better get going.”  He turned toward the door.

            Cassandra turned, incredulous that he was so angry.  “JC wait!  Where are you going?”

            “Home!  I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

            “I don’t believe this.  You’re going home because I made a bad joke?”

            “Something like that.”  His hand was on the doorknob.

            Cassandra came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.  “JC, please don’t leave.”

            Her touch had a calming effect and JC felt his anger subside.  He slowly turned and looked down into two dark pools that were her eyes.  He rested his hands on her shoulders and lowered his forehead to rest on hers.

            “I really have to Cassandra.  Your bad joke aside; I have an early day tomorrow.  I need to get home and get a few things done.  In case you’ve forgotten, I haven’t been home since we left the hospital.”

            “I know that.  I just don’t want you to leave angry.”

            “I’m not.”  He finally smiled.  “I don’t like what you did, but that’s really not why I’m leaving.  I’ve got some business to take care of.”  He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, afraid that if he allowed his lips to touch hers, he might not leave at all.

            “Okay, if you’re sure.  But please don’t be angry.  I really didn’t mean anything by it.  I know it was bad judgement on my part.”

            “Look, babe, if there’s anything you need to tell me, I’m all ears.  But don’t mess with my mind.  Absolutely no mind games!  Understood?”

            “Better than you think.”  She practically whispered as he pulled away from her.

            “Great.  I’ll see you later.  You get some rest.  I’ll call you soon.”

            “But I didn’t give you my number.”

            “I have my ways.  Now,” he kissed her forehead again.  “I’ve really got to be going.  Goodnight.”

            “Goodnight, JC.”

            Standing in the middle of the living room, Cassandra listened as JC’s car pulled out of her driveway.  She turned and walked solemnly down the hallway to her bedroom.  She dropped on the edge of the bed and lowered her head into her hands.  Sobs racked her body for nearly thirty minutes.  Finally, spent and exhausted, she crawled up on the bed, curled into a ball and fell asleep.

            At about that time, JC arrived at his friend Justin’s house.

            “Hey, dude!  What’s happening?”  The blonde curly headed friend asked ushering JC in.

            Reaching up, scratching the back of his head, JC looked at him helplessly.  He had no answer for his friend.

            “Jace, what’s going on, man?”

            “I honestly don’t know.”  It was a simple reply.

            “Let’s sit down.  You can fill me in.”

            The two men headed toward the living room.  Justin sat down in the armchair facing the black leather sofa that JC dropped down on.  For a few moments the two just looked at each other.

            “Come on, Jace.  What the hell is going on?  Problems with Suzie?”

            JC rubbed his hands over his face and then gave his friend a stunned look.

            “Damn!  I haven’t even called her yet.”

            “Haven’t called her?  JC, she’s been ringing my phone off the hook all day.  Why haven’t you called her?”

            “Let’s just say I’ve had other things to do.”

            “What could be…” Justin cut himself off as a reality dawned on him.

            “Man!  That new chick!  The one from the hospital, that’s it isn’t it?”

            JC stood up and paced back and forth in front of the sofa.  “She’s different, J.  She’s not like any other girl I’ve met before.  She’s unassuming, natural, almost indifferent to who I am.  She treats me just like anyone else.  There’s no pretense about her. I’m so totally comfortable with her.  Yet…”

            Justin’s brow creased as he tried to understand everything his friend was saying. “Yet, what?”

            “There’s something she’s hiding.  I’m not sure what it is, but she almost told me.  But something stopped her.”

            “Maybe the fact she doesn’t know you very well.”

            “We know each other better than you think.  It’s like we’ve known each forever, not just a few days.  Yet, she’s got one wall I can’t break through and it has to do with her ex.”

            “Is he still in the picture?”

            JC stopped pacing and sat down on the sofa again.  “It seems so.  He was at the hospital just before we left.  While we were at her house though, her sister called and said he wanted to come over.  She was adamant that she didn’t want to see him.  I’m not sure if it was because I was there, or if there was something else going on.  J. I got jealous, man!  I kind of lost my patience.  That was when she acted like she had something to tell me.  Then, just as quickly, she said she was joking and changed the subject.”

            “What did you do?”

            “The only thing I could think of, I left.”

            “What?”

            “Damn!  I wish I hadn’t, but I felt angry, jealous and unsure.  What else could I do?  And why would I feel jealous?”

            Justin rose to his feet and approached his friend, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.  “Maybe because you care about her.”

            “But, I’ve got Suzie.  The last thing I need is a complication to that relationship.  You know better than anyone, how damned possessive she is.  Cassandra would make that whole situation ten times worse.”

            “True.”

            He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  Pressing the buttons, he looked at Justin as he waited for the connection to be made.  Then he heard her.

            “Hello?”  Her voice was syrupy and sing-songy.  “Josh, is that you?”  Thank God for caller I.D.

            “Yeah, baby.  It’s me.  Sorry it took me so long to call.”

            “That’s okay.  As long as you’re alright.  I was just missing you, you know.  Justin said I shouldn’t come to the hospital so I’ve just been waiting.

            His eyes rolled up into his head.

            “I know, baby.  You do that so often and so well.  I really appreciate your understanding.”

            “So, can I come and see you tonight?”

            Drawing a deep breath, he looked at Justin.  How could he tell his girlfriend he really didn’t want to see her without hurting her feelings?

            “No, I don’t think so, Suzie.  I’m really exhausted and I’d just like to crash tonight.  How about lunch tomorrow?”

            “Well, if you’re sure.”  Disappointment sounded in her voice.

            “Yeah.  I’ll pick you up at one o’clock and we’ll go to the Hunan Palace.  Okay?”

            “Okay, Josh.  I’ll see you then.  Maybe we can talk about you moving back in. I love you.”

            “Okay, bye!”  JC broke the connection.

            “Boy, you did it now!”  Justin broke into JC’s thoughts.  He had deliberately avoided her comment about any discussion of him moving back in with her.

            “What?”

            “I could hear her.  She said ‘I love you’ and you responded with ‘okay’.  Man, are you going to be in the doghouse.”

            Both men laughed as they eased back into their seats.

            Deciding to relax for the remainder of the evening, Justin turned on the television, grabbed the X-Box controllers and dropped on the floor, set to play video games all night.  The two men sat for nearly an hour, acting like teenagers.  Their game playing was cut short by a knock at the door.

            “Are you expecting anyone?  Geez, it’s eleven-thirty, man.”  JC asked.

            Pressing pause on the controller, Justin rose to his feet.

            “I can’t imagine who that could be.”  He opened the door.  “Hey, hey L.B.  What do you know?”  He greeted his friend.

            “Hey, dude!  What’s shaking?”

            Justin ushered the blonde-haired, green-eyed man inside.

            “Whoa, video games!  Another dull night with two-fifth’s of the most popular boy band in the United States!”

            “Shut up, Lance.  What the hell are you doing here?”

            “I wanted to see if you guys wanted to hit the club scene.  Maybe we’ll pick up a couple of hot little ladies, and basically just have a great time.  Joey and Chris have already gone and should be holding a table for us.”

            “Hell, yeah!  That sure beats video games.  Come on, C.  Let’s hit it!”

            JC ran his hand through his hair.  He shook his head and stood up, heading for the door.

            “Nah.  Not tonight guys.  I think I’m gonna go back and check on Cassandra.  I left kind of rudely, and I want to make sure she’s okay.”

            Lance looked confused.  “Cassandra?  Who is Cassandra?  Shouldn’t you be checking on Suzie?”

“Man, if you guys are so worried about Suzie, why in the hell don’t you go take care of her?”

            JC walked out, slamming the door behind him.  His two friends just looked at the door dumbfounded.

            “Geez, what’s biting him?”  Lance asked Justin.

            “Could be a little thing called ‘love’.  But I don’t know for sure.”  Justin responded.  Clicking off the television, the two men headed out for a night of fun.

            Opting for privacy, JC snuck out of his house and chose to drive his dark blue Jeep Cherokee rather than having James take the limo for him.  Once the limo and the driver were of no concern, he headed out. 

So many thoughts ran through his mind as he traveled the streetlight-illuminated street.  Numerous questions he couldn’t answer crossed his mind.  Why did his friends’ comments upset him?  Why was he tired of being asked about his girlfriend?  Why did the mere thought of her annoy him?  Why did his new friend, Cassandra, keep coming to his mind?  Why did he see the sadness in her eyes, the way she tensed when he questioned her about the ex-boyfriend, the way she clung to him when he had carried her to the living room?  Why couldn’t he forget the way her lips tasted when he had kissed her earlier?  And the most nagging question, why did he feel compelled to go to her now, at twelve o’clock at night?  After all, it had been his decision to leave.  In fact, she had told him he didn’t have to.  He insisted, though, citing a busy and early next day.  Why hadn’t he just ignored his jealousy and stayed with her?  He knew he had no reason or right to be jealous but just the mention of her ex by her had him seeing the green-eyed monster. 

So why was he heading back to her place now?  He didn’t know why.  He just knew he had a gut feeling that he needed to check on her.  He felt she was hiding something; something that she felt she had to cover up so he wouldn’t know the truth about her.  There was a reason she was hiding it from him, and he wanted to know what it was.  No, he thought to himself, he needed to know what it was.  This new person in his life had come to him very unsuspecting and guarded.  They had created a tight friendship in just a short time and JC felt they had a chance at something more if she wouldn’t push him away, either physically or emotionally.  Whatever the final outcome, JC knew he wouldn’t be happy unless he tried to pursue it, with or without her cooperation.

As his car approached her house, an uneasy feeling stirred in the pit of his stomach.  The house was dark, almost too dark.  He knew she was alone, remembering her sister’s phone call earlier in the evening.  He knew Cassandra had been upset when he left her.  He remembered the sadness in her eyes as he turned to leave.  Seeing the house as black as pitch, somehow didn’t seem right.  He knew she didn’t like being alone.  He felt certain some type of night-light should be on somewhere in the house.  As he pulled into the driveway, he was all too aware that no light shone through any window.

“Something’s wrong.”  He said to himself.  His brow was creased as his eyes scanned the property for a sign of any activity, anything at all.  Hesitantly he got out of the car, closed the door, and put his keys in his pocket.  Slowly he walked around the Jeep and headed toward the front door.  He couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.  He peeked in the living room window as he walked by it.  He could see nothing.  Yet he just kept feeling that something was wrong.

As he approached the front door, he stopped cold, with one foot on the sidewalk, the other foot on the porch.  The door was ajar.  Had he left it that way when he left?  He replayed the moment in his mind.  No, he thought.  He remembered hearing it click behind him as he walked away.

Had Cassandra’s sister come home and forgotten to lock it?  He shook his head, knowing that two girls living alone would not be that careless.

Then what could it be, a faulty lock, a burglar, or an ex-boyfriend?  The last thought shot more fear into him than the other two.  He didn’t know why.  He had met the ex at the hospital.  He seemed friendly enough.  But Cassandra didn’t want him there, for whatever reason.  That was good enough for him.

Quietly and ever so slowly, he brought himself to the door, pausing to listen for a second.  Nothing but silence was all he heard.  Pressing on, he pushed the door open slowly.  Trying to peer into the dark structure proved nearly impossible, but he was being cautious.  As dark as it was, he was sure no one was in the living room area.  He turned his head toward the hallway.  Still no lights were visible.  He took a couple of steps toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms.  He stopped suddenly, sure he had heard something.  He listened intently.  He heard it again; it sounded like crying.  ‘God,’ he thought, ‘did I make her cry?’  As he went to take another step, he heard a hushed voice, male, but hushed.  It was obviously someone who didn’t want to be heard, but who was it and why did he sound so angry?  JC stood silently trying to hear what was being said.

“Damn it, Cassandra!”  He heard.  “Why do you make me do these things?  Why do you create these problems?  Just who do you think you are, telling Marissa I can’t come over?  I’ll be here any time I damn well want to!  Not you, or Marissa, or that hotshot singer friend of yours will stop me.  Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”  That was her timid response.

“Good.  Now, I’m leaving.  Thank God I didn’t turn on the lights because the sight of you would only make me sick.  Clean yourself up in the morning.  I’ll be back at ten o’clock and we’ll get all of this shit ironed out.”

JC heard his footsteps and made a quick move to the living room area.  His eyes were fixed on the door and he saw it open, a shadow go out, and close behind the man.  Stepping to the window to watch, he noticed the man walked straight off the porch, across the grass and to a car waiting across the street.  When the car pulled away, JC breathed a sigh of relief.  The man had never looked toward the driveway, thus not noticing JC’s Jeep parked there.  He walked over, made sure the door was locked and reached for the light switch.  As he flipped it on, he could hear Cassandra, still in her room, crying.

“Cassandra, it’s JC.”  He called out to let her know she was not alone.  “Where are you?”  He asked, knowing full well where she was.

She didn’t respond.  Emotionally she couldn’t.

“Cassandra, come on honey!  Where are you?”  He called again as he approached her door.  Pushing the bedroom door back, he stood motionless as his blue eyes froze on her crouched, curled figure in the corner next to her bed dimly illuminated by the light reflecting from the hallway.  The covers were strewn about, obviously the telltale sign of a struggle.  Her face was buried in her hands and her knees were pulled up tightly to her chest.  He thought how much like a small, frightened child she seemed.

Quietly he repeated her name before he took the few steps it took to close the distance that separated them.  She showed no sign of hearing him.  Only her shoulders moved, shaking as she cried silently into her hands.

JC crouched down in front of her.  Carefully he placed his hands on hers in an attempt to pull them away from her face.  She gasped audibly as she felt his touch, tried to pull away from him rising to her feet, and screamed out the word ‘no’.

Quickly he grabbed her by the shoulders.  “Cassandra, honey, it’s me, JC!  You don’t have to be afraid.  Come on, look at me.”  His blue eyes finally connected with her brown eyes.  She stared at him, not making a sound.  His right hand held her shoulder, but his left hand came up to touch her cheek and brush away her tears.

“JC?”  Her voice was weak and shaky.

“Yeah, honey.  It’s just me.”

He felt her strength drain away as she collapsed against him.  He scooped her tiny being up into his strong arms and turned to lay her on the bed.  Then he reached to the bedside table and turned on the light.  He looked at her still form lying beside him.  Her eyes were closed, breathing shallow, but there was something else. He looked at her hard in the dim light.  At first he thought it was a shadow on her skin, but the harder he looked he realized the awful truth.  That was no shadow on her left cheek.  It was a cut, and blood had trickled down her cheek, leaving a dark, ugly trail.  Carefully he touched it, feeling her flinch as she opened her eyes.

“Don’t.”  She whispered.

He pulled his hand back.

“What happened, Cassandra?”

JC saw tears well up in her eyes.  She squeezed them tightly shut.  She turned her head to try to hide the cut.  Tenderly JC took her chin with his fingers and brought it back around for him to look at her.

Timidly her gaze met his.

“Talk to me, honey.  What happened here?”

“I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“You don’t have to tell me.  But if you want my help, then you need to give me something to go on.  Do I need to call the police for you?”

“No.”  She brought her hand up to touch his.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?  Do I need to get you an ambulance or take you to the hospital?”

A weak smile crossed her lips.  “How can you be so sweet?  No, JC, I’ll be alright.  Please don’t call anyone.  I just need a little time to pull myself together.”  Her voice was timid and soft.

Closing her eyes, she drew a shaky breath and managed to calm herself.  When she re-opened them, she was met by two of the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.  Concern filled them as he watched her every movement.

“What’s going on, Cassandra?  I mean, I’m no rocket scientist, but obviously something is very wrong here.  Why are the covers all thrown around?  Why were you all curled up on the floor?  How did you cut your cheek?

            “Maybe it’s none of my business, but I am your friend.  I’ve never seen anything like this.  Please, tell me what’s happening.  Tell me why you were crying.”

            Slowly she pulled herself up to a sitting position so she could meet his gaze.  She winced visibly as she felt soreness in her ribcage as she pulled herself up.

            “Are you okay?”  He asked when he saw her squeeze her eyes tightly at the shooting pain.

            “I will be.”  It was all she could answer.

            She shook her head for a moment and a sad chuckle escaped her throat.  Cassandra opened her mouth to speak, then stopped abruptly as she realized he had returned to her house unexpectedly.

            “JC, what are you doing here anyway?  I thought you were kind of angry when you left earlier.”

            Again he raised his hand to her cheek.  “I wasn’t angry, Cassandra.  I think more like confused or even hurt would be a better words.”

            “Why?”

            “Because you acted like you had something to tell me or show me.  But then you just totally blew me off when I tried to find out what was bothering you.  What did I do wrong?”

            Her hand came up to touch his.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  I just got scared.  I was afraid if I told you what was going on, I might not see you again.  I didn’t want that because I felt so comfortable with you.  It was so good having you here, having you as a friend.  I didn’t want to lose that, so I decided to keep my dark secret to myself.  Then I ended up losing you anyway.”

            JC’s brow furrowed at her confession.  “You didn’t lose me.  My God!  Look where I am at right this minute.”

            “But, why?”  She asked.

            “I guess because a little voice in the back of my head kept telling me to come here and check on you.  For some reason, something just didn’t seem right.  So, here I am.  Obviously at a good time, I might add.”

            “I don’t know about that.”  Came her sad response.

            “So, tell me.  Cassandra, what happened here tonight?”

            “You know, JC, I’m not even sure where to begin.  The hospital, earlier with you, or the pieces of me you’re picking up as we talk.  Where should I start?”

            “That’s easy.  Pick it up at the hospital.  That’s where we met.  Earlier you seemed to want to tell me something about it, so let’s start with that.”

            Momentarily she looked down at her hands that had become folded in her lap like some prim and proper charm school student.  Without looking up, she started.

            “I wasn’t there for dehydration, exhaustion or any virus.”  She swallowed hard.  “I had been injured and had some bad bruises and internal bleeding.  When I first got there, I was in bad shape.  I had already been there a week, I think, when I met you.”

            “How did you get hurt?”

            “You probably won’t believe me.  I said something utterly stupid, and because someone didn’t like what I said, I got my fanny kicked.”

            His blue eyes opened wider than one would think humanly possible.  “Who?  Who in the hell would do that kind of thing?”  Anger sounded in his voice.

            “Do you remember the man that was in my hospital room today?”

            His brow furrowed again.  “You know that I do.  Don’t tell me…”

            She cut him off.  “He has a very bad temper.  This isn’t the first time I’ve had to pick myself up off of the floor.  But actually, it is one of the mildest attacks from him.”

            “We’ve got to call the police!”

            “There’s no point.  I’ve done that several times.  He usually ends up with a slap on the wrist and goes on his way.”

            “Let’s get a restraining order against him.”

            “What good will that do?  The man is hell-bent on getting to me.  Then he takes great pleasure in telling me how angry I make him and I cause all of this to happen.”

            “No way!  This is not your fault!”

            She smiled weakly at him.  “I know that, JC.  Maybe now you can understand why I told Marissa I didn’t want him here.  That’s what sent him over the edge this time.”

            “Why would she even put you in that position?”

            Cassandra looked down at her hands again.  She watched as JC reached over and intertwined his fingers with hers.

            “JC, she doesn’t know what he does.  I’ve always hidden it from her.  I’ve hidden it from everyone.”  She looked up at his him.  “You’re the first person who’s even remotely close to me that I’ve told.”

            “What can I do to help?”  The sincerity in his voice brought tears to her eyes.

            “You have already helped, more than you can ever know.  It feels so good to tell someone.”

            His right hand broke free and rose to gently caress her left cheek.  Carefully, so as not to hurt the wound there, he rubbed his thumb across her cheekbone.  “I want you out of here.  I’m taking you someplace away from here tonight, right now.”

            “I have no where else to go, JC.  There’s no place I can go to as a retreat.”

            “What about your family?”

            “They don’t know anything about this, and I want to keep it that way.”

            “Never mind.”  He stood up.  “You go freshen up.  I’ll throw a couple of things together for you and we’ll find someplace for you to go.”

            “I don’t need to go anywhere.”

            “Yes you do.  I heard him say he’d be back at ten o’clock.  You will not be here!  Now, let’s get moving.”

            “But, where…” She started as she rose to her feet.

            “I’ll figure that out.  You just get ready.”  JC patted her on the derriere as Cassandra turned toward the bathroom.

            “Hey!”  She smiled as her voice feigned indignation.

            “Nice butt!”  He returned with a sly smile.  “Let’s hurry.”

IF I’M NOT THE ONE

CHAPTER 7

JC’s jeep rolled along the side streets in silence.  JC kept his focus on the road ahead of him.  Cassandra remained silent, watching the passing scenery without comment.  It was two o’clock in the morning.  She had tried to persuade him to just let her stay at her place.  JC would have none of that.  He had insisted that she had to leave and do so right away.  So many thoughts were racing through her mind.  Where was he taking her?  What had he packed for her in her overnight bag?  Why was he even trying to help her?  There seemed to be no answers to any of her questions.  So she continued the ride in silence.  She watched as road sign after road sign zoomed past.  Periodically she could feel JC’s eyes looking in her direction.  She was afraid to return the look.  She didn’t know why, she just knew she could not meet his gaze.

            “Cassandra?”  He began, finally breaking the looming silence.

            “Hmmm?”  She responded without looking at him.

            “Talk to me, honey.  What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

            At last she allowed herself to look in his direction.  He smiled at her when their eyes met.

            She looked at him wide-eyed.  “Basically, there’s only one thing I’m thinking.”

            “What’s that?”

            “Where in the hell are you taking me at this ungodly hour?”

            A low, throaty chuckle escaped JC’s lips.  “Well, I could play hard to get here and not tell you.”

            “You could.”  She responded.

            “But, I won’t.  I’m taking you to my place.”

            Her eyes widened in disbelief.  “What?  No, JC, I don’t think that would be a good idea.  Just take me back home.”

            “Why?”  He looked at her curiously.

            “Trust me, JC.  It just isn’t a good idea.  I do not want you involved in this any more than you already are.  You do not want me at your place.”  Her tone sounded nearly panicked.

            “Don’t be silly, honey.  Of course I want you at my place.”

            Cassandra shook her head as she turned toward JC.  “No, please, you have to listen to me.  It’s a terrible idea.  Look, JC, just take me home.  He’ll never be any the wiser.  I can handle this.  I’ve still got a few hours before he comes back.  I’ll be prepared for him and nothing will happen.  He just took me by surprise when he came in tonight.”

            Without warning, JC pulled the Jeep over to the shoulder of the road.  Stopping the car, he threw the gearshift lever into park and looked at her sternly.

            “You know, Cassandra.  I don’t know what kind of power this asshole has over you, but I can tell you it is going to stop right here and now!  You don’t honestly expect that I will take you back there and let you deal with this idiot on your own, do you?  Give me a break!  I walked out on you once tonight, I sure as hell am not going to do it a second time.”

            “It’s not your battle!”

            “I’m making it my battle.”

            “Why?  Why do you even care?”

            Suddenly at a loss for words, JC decided that actions would speak louder than words.  He unfastened his seat belt and leaned over toward Cassandra.  Placing his hand at the back of her neck, he pulled her closer and lowered his lips to hers.  His mouth moved gently and sensuously over hers.  His tongue darted out and traced the outline of her lips.  Cassandra raised her hand to rest against his muscular chest.  She moaned into him.

            “That’s why!”  He managed to say as he pulled back from the kiss releasing her.  “There’s something between us.  I don’t know what it is, but I am damn well going to find out.  I refuse to let some prick like Thomas interfere with what I’m feeling for you.  Don’t you let him come between us, do you understand?”  His voice came out angry and stern with his last statement.

            Cassandra swallowed hard as she found her position in her seat again.  “Yes.”  She whispered.

            That one word response hit him almost like a ton of bricks.  It was the same tone she had answered Thomas in just before he stormed out of the house.  JC remembered and it made him cringe.  Wearily he rubbed his hands over his face.

            “Damn, honey.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to sound so demanding.  Please don’t look at me like that.  You know I have no intention of hurting you, don’t you?”

            Cassandra looked down at her hands folded together on her lap.  She made no effort to respond.

            Shaking his head, JC cursed to himself.  “Shit!  Please don’t shut me out, Cassandra.  I want to help you.  I want to be here for you.  I know you feel what I feel.  I see it in your eyes when you look at me.  I can hear it in your voice when you talk to me.”  He lowered his gaze and looked up at her.  “I can feel it in that little shiver that goes through your body every time I kiss you.”

            She looked back up at him.

            “You do don’t you, honey?”  He asked softly.

            “Yes.  It’s just that…”

            He raised a finger to her lips to quiet her.  “I know.  It’s just that I scared you.  I sounded too demanding, just like that asshole!  I’m sorry.  I promise I won’t do that again.  Do you believe me?”

            “Yes, JC.  I do.”

            “Good!  Now, let’s get going.  It’s late and we both need some sleep.”

            JC returned his attention to the road.  He threw the car into gear and pulled away from the shoulder of the road.  He sped along allowing his hand to rest on her hand that was sitting on her lap.  He squeezed her fingers in a gesture of reassurance.  His eyes met hers briefly, and a smile crossed his lips as he saw her smile at him.  Turning his attention to what was going on in front of him, he told himself that everything would be alright.

            As he pulled his Jeep into his driveway, he looked over at Cassandra.  She had dozed off; her head was lying against the headrest turned toward him.  She looked so peaceful as she slept.  He felt guilty knowing he needed to wake her before he took her inside.  He didn’t want her to wake up and be frightened.  He knew how exhausted she must be.  Here she had just come home from the hospital earlier that day, fought with him that afternoon, been attacked that evening and now hustled out of her home and dragged out into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.  That was a lot for a healthy person to deal with, let alone someone who had just been discharged within the past twenty-four hours.

            Leaning over, JC unbuckled her seat belt and allowed it to retract into the holder behind her head.  Gently, he took the back of his hand and rubbed her cheek with it.  She stirred slightly, but did not wake up. 

            “Cassandra,” he whispered.  “Come on, honey.  You have to wake up.  We’re here.”

            She turned more into the seat and nestled her head against the headrest.  Her eyes did not open nor did she respond to his request.

            He bent over and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.  “Come on, baby.  Wake up for me.”

            Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked into the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen.  “Hmmm?  What?  Are we there?”  She asked groggily.

            “Yep.  Come on.  We’re going inside.”

            She sat up straight and looked around at her surroundings.  “JC, you know it still isn’t too late.  Why don’t you just turn this car around and take me home?”

            Flashing his bright smile he answered her.  “Sorry, babe!  No can do! Welcome to my humble abode.  Mi casa es su casa!”

            “Oh, my!  How continental we sound!”

            “I thought you’d like that.”

            He pulled his key out of the ignition, jumped out of the car and walked around to the passenger side.  Opening the door, he ushered her out.  She stumbled as her feet touched the ground and JC threw his arms around her, trying to steady her.

            “Thanks,” she laughed.  “I guess I’m not fully awake yet.”

            “Good.  Then you should fall right back to sleep after I get you all tucked in.”  He smiled brightly at her.

JC opened the front door and ushered her inside.  He flipped on the hall light and threw his keys down on the table next to the doorway.  Placing his hand on the small of her back, he motioned for her to enter his living room.  Again, he flipped on a light and Cassandra drew a gasp at the beauty of the room before her.  Two leather armchairs separated by an oak table were across the room facing her.  The back of a matching leather sofa was directly in front of her.  There were two matching oak tables on either end of the sofa.  To the right was a magnificent fireplace and to the left was a doorway that led to another room.  It was, indeed, a man’s room.  But it was wonderful.

            “This is beautiful, JC.”  She looked up at him.

            He smiled.  “I’m glad you like it.  Come in.  Sit down on the sofa.  I’ll go and get you something to drink.”

            “I’m fine, really.  I don’t need anything.”

            JC winked at her.  “I think a glass of water is in order.  I’ll be right back.”

            He motioned her over to the sofa as he disappeared through the doorway to the left of the room.  Hesitantly, she sat down on the soft leather.  Instinctively she curled her legs under her as she nestled back into the corner of the sofa.  It was soft and snuggly and she felt so at home on it.  Without even giving it a second thought, she laid her head against the pillowy back of the sofa and closed her eyes while she waited for JC to return from the kitchen.

            “Okay, here we …” JC stopped in his tracks.  A smile crossed his lips as he looked at Cassandra’s sleeping form curled up on his sofa.  She looked so peaceful, so at home.  To his mind, she looked just like she belonged there. 

            Setting the water down on the end table, JC reached for the afghan that was draped across the back of the sofa.  Quietly he opened it up, and gently laid it over her.  It covered her from shoulder to toe.  A low growl escaped her lips as she snuggled down into the afghan and stretched her legs out under it.  Reaching his hand up to rub the back of his neck, JC knew he had done the right thing in bringing her to his house.

            He turned off the bright light at the end of the sofa and made his way to the armchair that was across from the sofa.  He sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him.  Within moments he, too, was sound asleep.

            The warmth of the morning sun settled over JC’s sleeping form.  Groggily he opened his eyes and stretched his body.  He was stiff from sleeping in the chair.  His eyes wandered around the room and stopped on the sofa across from him.  He hoped that Cassandra had managed to get some sleep.  To his surprise, she was not there.  The afghan was folded neatly and placed on the back of the sofa.  If he hadn’t known better, it looked as if she had never been there.

            Quickly he rose to his feet.  Trying to gather his bearings, he scanned around trying to discern where she might be.  A smile crossed his lips as the smell of frying bacon made its way to his nose.  Instinctively he made his way to the kitchen.

            Leaning against the doorjamb, he crossed his arms and watched her as she attempted to find her way around his kitchen.  There was a pan on the stove with bacon simmering in it.  Another pan was sitting in wait to fry eggs.  The toaster was on the counter with a loaf of bread next to it.  Two slices of bread poked out of the top of the toaster and the container of butter sat next to the loaf of bread.  A wide smile crossed his face.  She looked good in his kitchen.  Her hair was a bit tousled, yet she looked great to him.  As she reached up into one of the top cupboards, her shirt rose, exposing her bare midriff to his gaze.  He liked what he saw.

            “Damn.”  She whispered to herself as she tried to reach the dishes that were on the second shelf, just out of her easy reach.

            “Would you like a hand?”  He caught her off guard.

            Cassandra spun around in surprise.  “Don’t do that, JC!”  She practically screamed at him from fright.

            He walked over to her and took hold of her upper arms. 

            “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  You just looked so cute trying to reach those dishes.”

            “Well, why do they have to be up so high?”

            He arched an eyebrow.  “Because that’s where I like them.  I can reach them there.”

            He chuckled as she looked down, blushing.  He reached up and took her chin in his hand.  “I never expected to have someone else wanting to reach my dishes.”

            “It’s just that I’m on the short side, in case you hadn’t noticed.  I get upset with things that are put up high.”

            “I’ll keep that in mind.  So, what are we having?”

            “Bacon, eggs and toast.  It’s all I could find in your refrigerator.”

            “Sounds good to me.  How much longer before it’s ready?”

            “Oh, I think in about ten minutes.  Is that okay?”

            “It’s perfect.  I’m gonna run and grab a quick shower.  I’ll be right back.”  He turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to look at her.  “That is, unless you need me to reach something else for you.”

            She smacked him on the shoulder and laughed.  “Go on and take your shower.  By the time you get out breakfast will be ready.”

            Making short work of the shower, JC hurried through the ritual; he shaved, dressed and rushed bacl into the kitchen.  His hair was still damp, but brushed back.  He noticed that she had the table set and all of the food was in place.  She had made a pot of coffee and placed a silk flower arrangement in the center of the table.

            They made short work of the breakfast.  JC thought he hadn’t had anything so good since his last visit home to his mother and dad.  He helped her clear the table, dried the dishes and joked about putting things away for her because some of the things were too high for her.  When they had finished, she excused herself and went into the bathroom to try to make herself more presentable.

            Opening her purse, she found her travel toothbrush and took care of that small amenity.  Next she used her hairbrush and gathered her hair into a neat ponytail with a scrunchie she had found in the bottom of the purse.  She washed her face, trying to make the cut under her left eye look less than it actually was.  There was a bruise around it, but it had managed to close up neatly and really looked only like a bad scratch.  She dabbed on a bit of mascara and a light lipstick and stepped back a bit to look at herself.  Shaking her head and sighing, she knew it wasn’t going to get any better than it was. 

            “Are you alright?”  JC asked as she entered the living room.

            “Yep.”  She responded as lightly as she could.

            “You know, I hate to do this, but if you remember, I was supposed to have an early day.  It’s already nine-thirty.  I’ve got to get to the studio.  We have a recording session today.”  He tried to gauge her response.

            “Would you like to come with me?”  He asked hopefully.

            “Actually, I don’t think so, JC.  You’ve taken me in under the worst set of circumstances I could ever imagine.  I am not going to go to work with you.”

            “What will you do?”

            “I don’t know.  Maybe just watch a little television.”

            “That would be good.  You could get a lot of rest.  I like the sound of that.”

            “I’ll just curl up on that sofa again and I’ll be all set.  You go and don’t even give me a second thought.”

            “I might not be home until late.  Sometimes these sessions go into the wee hours of the morning.  If that’s the case, you just go upstairs, and take the second room on the right.  That’s my guest room.  Curl up in the bed, and have a great night’s sleep.  We’ll figure everything else out tomorrow.”

            Cassandra looked at her watch.  Then she smiled at him.  “You go on.  I’ll be fine.  More than likely I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

            Something in the way she said that put JC on notice.  He had the feeling something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  He walked over to her and looked deep into her brown eyes.  Then, without warning, he placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. 

            “I’ll see you sooner than that, if it’s at all possible.”

            With that, he turned and walked out of the house.

            Cassandra listened as his jeep backed out of the driveway and headed down the road. When she was certain that he was gone, she walked over to the door and found her overnight bag still sitting where JC had left it the previous night.  She looked around at her surroundings. 

            While it was true that she felt safe in JC’s house, Cassandra knew that she couldn’t stay there.  She did not want to put JC in that position, nor would she.  Walking over to the telephone on the desk in the corner of the room, Cassandra found a local telephone directory beneath it.  She pulled it out and looked up the number of the nearest taxi service.  One way or another she had to find her way home.  Unconsciously, she glanced at her watch.  It was nine-forty.  The thought of Thomas being at her place at ten o’clock was screaming in her brain. 

            Hurriedly, she called for a taxi, and waited the fifteen minutes it took for the cab to arrive by the front door.  Her purse and overnight bag were sitting beside her, ready to be hauled out on a moment’s notice. 

            The cab arrived and Cassandra made one last look around the house.  She saw the note she had quickly written on JC’s sofa, a place she felt certain he would find it.  She didn’t want to appear ungrateful, so the note was full of thanks and appreciation.  She double-checked her purse to be certain that she had enough cash to pay for the taxi.  Then she opened the door, stepped outside, and gently closed the door behind her.  A sense of sadness covered her.  She felt despair at leaving JC’s house, as if she might never return again to its warmth and safety.  Nonetheless, Cassandra knew she had to go.  Silently she loaded herself into the taxi and stared longingly at the house as it faded in the distance.

            The forty-five minute ride to her house was an excruciatingly long one.  The driver made no conversation with her, nor did she attempt to converse with him.  As the car pulled to a stop in front of the small frame house, Cassandra stepped out, paid the cabbie, grabbed her purse and overnight bag and turned to head up the walkway. 

            Drawing a deep breath, she prepared herself for what she knew would be waiting for her.  The car was in the driveway.  The front door was ajar.  She knew more of the previous evenings events were about to be replayed.  She had no choice.  There was no turning back at this point.  It was a sheer case of facing the music.  She prayed for strength as she walked up the porch and through the door.  She placed her bag and purse down, closed the front door and stared into the living room. 

            There he sat, looking like some king on a throne.  His arms were resting on the armrests of the chair and his right leg was crossed over his left leg.  An air of superiority radiated from him.  He pulled himself up to the edge of the chair as she entered the room.  His eyes raged with anger.

            “Where the hell have you been?”  Thomas demanded of her.

            “That’s none of your business.”

            “My goodness, you’re getting pretty brave in the light of day, aren’t you?”

            “You could say that.”  She countered.

            He stood and walked menacingly toward her.

            “I’m gonna ask you one more time, Cassandra.  Where have you been?”

            She shrugged.  “Looks like the answer is still the same, Thomas.  That’s none of your business.”

            He started to raise a hand toward her, but stopped it in mid-air.  Recognition shown in his eyes.  He arched an eyebrow and took a step closer to her.

            “I know where you were.”  He said coldly.

            “Good for you.”  She responded, not moving from her place in front of him.

            “You were with that singer you met at the hospital, weren’t you?”

            Cassandra made no response.

            “That confirms it.  The one thing I learned about you during our time together is that if you have to lie, you’d rather not answer.  So, tell me, where did he take you?”

            She stared at him making no response.

            He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

            “Where did he take you?”

            Cassandra lowered her chin and raised her eyes in a defiant manner.  Her eyes stared angrily at him and her jaw was clenched tightly. 

            “Let go of me.”  She hissed through tightly locked teeth.

            “My, my, my.  Aren’t we the defiant one?  It doesn’t become you, Cassandra.”

            “I said, let go of me.”  She repeated herself.

            “You’ve got something confused, my dear.  It’s me who gives the orders around here, not you.  Now!”  He yelled.  “Where in the hell did he take you?”

            Cassandra felt a cold shiver race down her spine.  Her hands were shaking and sweating, but she would not cave in to his threatening demeanor.  If she were to tell Thomas where she had been the previous night, he would go after JC.  That was the last thing that she wanted.  It was obvious to her that she would not be able to see JC anymore.  For his own sake, Cassandra knew she would have to steer clear of him, or Thomas would make both of their lives a living hell.

            Knowing there was no other way out of this attack, she decided to prove him wrong.  Cassandra was going to lie to him.

            “He didn’t take me anywhere!”  She looked at him straight on.

            “You’re lying!”  He screamed.

            “Oh, no I’m not!  I needed to get out of here so I went to stay at a motel.  I knew you’d be back, I just wasn’t sure when.  I needed to sleep, so I went to a motel.  Now!”  She met his gaze head on.  “I want you to let me go and I want you out of here.  I am through with you and all of your little stunts.”

            “Is that so?”  He tried to bully her.

            “Yes, that’s so!  Get out of here and leave me alone!  I’d rather die an old maid, as to end up with the likes of you.”

            “You know, I don’t like this cocky attitude of yours.  I think I need to set your little ass straight.  Apparently you didn’t learn your lesson last night.  You think it’s all so cute to come on to that fancy musician friend of yours while I sit back and play the dutiful boyfriend, just waiting for you to come back to me.”

            “Hey, don’t wait for me!  I’m not coming back to you.”

            “Shut up!”  He screamed again.

            “No!”  She yelled back at him.  “I will not shut up.  This has nothing to do with JC.  I told you months ago that I was through with you.  You just chose not to believe me!  I want you gone, out of my life, away from me.  How much more clear can I make it?  What kind of a moron are you?”

            That was the final straw for Thomas.  Without a second thought, he raised his right hand and struck a hard slap to her left cheek, sending her to the floor.  Her hand came up to touch the spot he had hit, the sting bringing tears to her eyes.

            The front door flew open and Thomas spun around to see who dared to intrude on him and Cassandra.

            JC stood there, anger emanating from every cell in his body.  He looked at Thomas, then at Cassandra and then at Thomas again.

            “You son of a bitch!”  JC swore at him.  “Who in the hell do you think you are?”

            “You can shut up that pretty boy face of yours, Chasez!  This has nothing to do with you.”

            “Like hell it doesn’t.  Did you just hit her?”  JC glared at him.  “Come on, tell me, did you just hit her?”

            Cassandra rose slowly to her feet.  She tried to wedge herself between the two angry men. 

            “JC, don’t do this.  Let it go.”  She pleaded with him.

            “No chance, honey!  This one’s going down!  I will not tolerate any man hitting on a woman.”

            “You aren’t man enough to stop me!”

            “Watch me!”

            “No!”  Cassandra screamed.  “Stop this!  Both of you have to stop!” 

            The two men stood looking at her.  Neither of them moved for a few moments.  Their breathing was erratic and they both had their hands clenched at their sides into fists.

But, it was Thomas who made the first move.

            “You know what?  You aren’t worth all of this trouble.”  He spat at Cassandra.  “If this loser wants you, he’s got you.  I’m out of here.”

            “Make that permanently.”  JC stated.

            The front door slammed shut as Thomas stormed out of the house.  The silence in the living room was deafening as Cassandra stood, quietly staring at the door.  Her body was trembling nearly uncontrollably.  JC turned and caught the look on her face.  It was the look of fear.  Her tears fell silently down her cheeks, the left one not only cut and bruised, but now a new mark was there as well.

            JC’s mind raced as he searched for something to say.  When he saw Cassandra raise her hand to her mouth he moved to her.  Her hand shook as she covered her lips to keep from crying out.  He wrapped her in the safety of his arms and turned her toward her couch.

            “Come on, Cassandra.  Let’s sit down for a second.”

            Without any objection, JC helped her take a seat on the couch.  He sat beside her, never breaking contact with her.  His eyes wandered over her, noting every little detail of who she was.  He saw the fear, anxiety, and trepidation that seemed to encase her.  Her tears continued to fall, although they came silently.

            “Cassandra, I have to ask, why did you come back here?”  He asked it as softly as he could.

            She only shook her head.

            “I just had the feeling you were going to do this.  Does he mean that much to you?”

            His question took her by surprise.  Instantly she turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.  How could this man, someone she thought was a friend, believe that she would endanger herself with someone like Thomas?

            “You don’t understand, do you, JC?”

            “I’m afraid I don’t.  I left you ready to watch TV.  But, something told me you would come back here.  All I want to know is, why?”

            Sinking back into the couch, Cassandra drew her knees up to her chest and held on to them tightly.  She rocked back and forth on the seat.

            “JC, if I don’t stand up to him, I will never be rid of him.  If I let him continue to control me, he will always control me.  I want to be rid of him.  I have to do this to get him to leave me alone.  He doesn’t mean a thing to me.”

            JC looked at her curiously.  “Cassandra, I don’t mean to question what you are doing, but how can coming up against him, letting him hit you, get him out of here?”

            “I have to face him down.  It’s the only way I can think of.  I’ve tried everything else.  I don’t know what else to do.”

            Her tears began to fall again and she raised her hands to cover her face.

            “Don’t cry, Cassandra.  I’m going to help you get rid of him.”

            She looked up at him.  “How?”

            “I’m not sure yet.  But, I know there has to be something we can do.  I’ve got lots of friends in high places.  Let me make a few phone calls.  I know I can get something done.

            “Now, I’ve got to get to the studio.  Come on,” he said grabbing her wrist.

            “What?”

            “You’re coming with me.  I’m not letting you out of my sight.  You can watch me do my thing, we’ll have lunch, I’ll do some more work, and then we’ll have dinner.  It’ll be the most boring day of your life, but it will definitely be the safest.”

            Cassandra managed a weak smile.  “You know, I can’t imagine any day in your life being described as boring.  I’d love to go with you.  I think it would be exactly what I need.”

            Arriving at the studio, JC looked up and saw his good friend Justin walking toward him.  Justin looked over JC’s shoulder and saw Cassandra walking behind him.  Justin’s blue eyes looked at his friend questioning.

            “Don’t worry, Justin.  She’s just here to hang out.  It’s no big deal.”

            “Hey, C, it’s all cool with me.”  Justin nodded in Cassandra’s direction.  “How long will she be here?”

            “She’s spending the day.”

            Justin remembered that JC had made a lunch date the day before.

            “Uh, C.  Can I talk to you for just a second.”

            Looking at his friend suspiciously, JC motioned to Cassandra to wait and moved aside with Justin.

            “What is it, J?”

            “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

            JC shook his head.  “What?”

            “You have a lunch date for today.”

            “I do?  With who?”  JC paused only momentarily.  “Oh, shit!  Suzie!  I totally forgot about it.  Damn, what am I going to do?”

            Justin took a deep breath.  “Look, pal.  I can bail you out.  I’ll take Cassandra to lunch, and you take Suzie.  That way you won’t have any explaining to do.”

            “But, I told Cassandra I’d take her to lunch.”

            “C, you can’t take them both.  Not with the mixed up feelings you are showing right now.  Go on to the Hunan Palace with Suzie.  I’ll take Cassandra somewhere else so there won’t be any distraction that Suzie might pick up on.”

            “Where are you taking Cassandra?”  JC seemed concerned.

            “C, don’t worry about it.  It will be someplace close.  We’ll be back in plenty of time for the afternoon session.”

            Nodding his concession, JC walked over to Cassandra and told her about the change of plans.  He would only say that he had forgotten he had a previous engagement lined up for lunch, and he apologized a number of times.  Cassandra was fine with the change in plans, and said she didn’t mind having lunch with Justin.

            The recording session was uneventful.  Both JC and Justin continually informed Cassandra of different aspects of the studio and the session they were working on.  Their friends Lance, Chris and Joey worked just as hard as the two of them.  Each time they finished recording a song, Cassandra would compliment them on how perfect it sounded.  But regardless of her compliments, one of them would find some little imperfection in the song, and would request to re-record it.  Finally, the studio engineer announced that they would take an hour break for lunch.

            JC looked at Cassandra, his blue eyes sad with the thought of departing without her.  Justin, sensing JC’s hesitation, walked straight over to Cassandra and announced that he would take her down the street to the nearby deli for a sandwich and salad.  Cassandra smiled and reached down for her purse.  Walking past JC with Justin, Cassandra smiled at him and told him she’d see him in an hour.  JC only nodded and followed the two of them out to the parking lot.  Justin and Cassandra climbed into Justin’s car while JC got into his SUV and headed toward the Chinese restaurant to meet Suzie.  He had called her and told her to meet him there instead of him picking her up so they would have more time together.  She jumped at the chance with the thought of spending a few extra moments with this wonderful man.

            His real reason for meeting her there was simply he didn’t feel like trying to make idle talk in the car on the way to the restaurant.  Parking his vehicle next to hers in the parking lot, JC climbed out and nearly bumped head on into her as she came from behind the SUV.

            “Hey, Josh!  It’s been so long!”  She reached up on tiptoes and planted a kiss on him.  “How are you, honey?”

            “Hey, Suzie!  I’m good.”  He gently pushed her back.  He wondered why her greeting did not affect him more.  There had been a time when her kiss and the feel of her arms around him were what he waited for.  Somehow, today, it was different.  Trying to move her in the direction of the restaurant, JC put his hand on the small of her back and motioned her in the direction of the door.

            Once the hostess had seated them, Suzie leaned in toward JC.  Her brown eyes met his blue eyes, but she had a frown on her face.

            “What’s the matter, Josh?  You don’t seem quite yourself today.  Are you still under the weather?”  The sound of her voice reminded him of fingernails scraping against a chalkboard. 

            “I think I’m still in the recovery process.  It’s been kind of tough.”

            “You shouldn’t be in the studio so soon, sweetie.  Why don’t I take you home after lunch and play Florence Nightingale for you.”

            JC forced a smile.  “You’d do that for me, wouldn’t you, Suzie?  That’s really sweet, but the guys are waiting for me to come back and work out a kink in one of the songs.”

            “Josh, they’ve waited this long, one more day won’t hurt.”

            “Suzie, no!  I have to go back.”  He answered her more forcefully than he had intended.  Instantly he felt remorseful.  “I’m sorry, honey.  I guess I’ve just bitten off more than I can chew.  How about we order some lunch.”

    &

IF I’M NOT THE ONE

            The ringing of the telephone jarred JC out of his sound sleep.  Groggily he turned over in his bed and grabbed the cordless phone off of the night table.  He held it to his ear and muttered some unintelligible greeting into the mouthpiece.

            “What are you still doing in bed?  It’s nearly eleven o’clock, C.”  The voice of his band mate, Justin Timberlake, snapped JC awake quickly.

            “Eleven o’clock?  It can’t be.”  He commented as he sat up in bed and glanced over at his clock.  “Damn, I can’t believe I slept so late.”

            “Late night, heh Chasez?”  A little devilish laugh came through the phone lines.

            “Shut up, Curly.  What the hell do you want?”

            “I thought we might have lunch.  I’ve got something I wanted to talk to you about, but we didn’t get a chance yesterday.”

            Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, JC glanced around the room.  He wondered if Cassandra was up yet, or if she had actually stayed all night and not run off like she did the last time.

            “You know what, J?  I really can’t meet you today.  I’ve got a lot of crap to take care of.”

            “Sounds like a problem with Suzie?”

            “Actually, no.  I haven’t even talked to her since lunch yesterday.  I don’t think I’ll even see her today.  I just have some personal stuff to take care of.”

            “Are you sure you can’t spare me half an hour?  It’s about that girl, Cassandra.”

            JC swung his legs over the side of his bed as his curiosity got the better of him.

            “What about her?”

            “Well, I was thinking about how we could help her find a job.”

            JC looked confused.  “J, why in the world would we have to help her find a job?”

            “Well, you do know that she doesn’t have one, don’t you?”

            Shaking his head, JC was confused as to how his friend would know this about Cassandra.  She had never indicated that she was job hunting.  The topic of conversation never seemed to have come up when they were together.  But, somehow his friend knew this.

            “JC?”  Justin tried to get his attention through the phone.

            “Huh?  What?”

            “You did know that, right?”

            “Um, actually we hadn’t discussed what she did.  How do you know she needs a job?”

            A chuckle escaped Justin’s mouth.  “For crying out loud, JC.  I had lunch with the girl.  Did you think we just talked about the sandwiches we ate?  I tried to get to know her.”

            JC felt a twinge of jealousy run through him.  “What the hell are you trying to get to know her for?”

            Justin sensed his friend’s attitude change.  Being a prankster, he decided to have a little fun at JC’s expense.  “Hey, man!  She’s one awesome chick.  I figured since we hit it off so well, I’d try to win her over.  I can’t believe how good we clicked!”  The smile on his face was ear to ear.

            JC’s back went rigid.  His mind was racing.  His best friend was going after the girl he was interested in.  He shook his head trying to clear it of the thoughts that were running through it.  How was this change in events possible?  Would he just sit back and let Justin go after Cassandra?  Did he care enough about Cassandra to stop Justin?  He was confused.

            “I told her that I probably had a lead on a job that could help her out.  She was so appreciative, if you know what I mean?”  Justin decided to throw in a little innuendo to add insult to injury. 

            That was enough to snap JC out of his stupor.  “What the hell does that mean, J?  I think you need to back off, man.  She’s not your type, Dude!  It wouldn’t be right for you to add her to your list of conquests, Justin.  She’s a nice girl, not some bimbo that you usually pick up in the clubs.”

            Justin could hear the anger in JC’s voice.  He knew instinctively that he had crossed the limits.  “Whoa!  Hold on there, JC.  I was only kidding.  I didn’t mean anything by it.  All we did was talk during the lunch.  She said she needed a job and I thought we might be able to help her out.  That’s all there was to it.  Seriously, nothing more than that happened.”  Justin was trying to calm his friend down, before the anger got out of control.

            Drawing a deep breath, JC ran his free hand over his face.  “You jerk!  I can’t believe you did that!”

            “Hey, man!  It was just a joke.  I thought you were tied up with Suzie.  I didn’t know you had your eye on this one too!”

            “There’s no ‘too’ about it.  Cassandra is a good friend.  I just don’t think she’s your type.  Got it?”

            “Yep.  I understand loud and clear.”

            “Good.  I’ll let you go.  I have a ton to do, and wasting my time on you isn’t on my to-do list.  Sorry, Curly, but I have to go.  See you tomorrow.”  With that said, JC hung up the phone and tried to calm his frazzled nerves.  He had to remember that he now owed Justin a practical joke of his own.

            Walking toward the kitchen, JC was all too aware of the silence in his house.  His blue eyes scanned the areas of the house, looking for any sign of Cassandra.  He heard nothing.  He saw nothing.  Having gone downstairs, he entered the kitchen and was surprised to find that she had not been in there. 

            For a moment, he felt sure that she had left him again.  Then he turned and went back into the hallway and up the stairs.  He looked toward the guest room.  The door was closed.   Hesitantly, he approached it and reached for the knob.  His mind raced with thoughts of what he would do if she were not there.  Would he dress and go to her place, trying to rescue her one more time?  Would he just resign himself to the fact that Thomas held a stronger hold on her than he was able to break?  He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer that she would be there when the door was opened all the way.

            He pushed the door back.  The room was dark.  The curtains were still pulled closed, and there was no light on.  He pushed the door further back.  The bed was a shambles.  The covers twisted into a mass of knots and lumps.  He couldn’t see if she was amid those covers.  He reached to the wall beside him and found the switch.  He flipped it on, illuminating the room in a soft glow from the overhead ceiling fan.  JC quickly looked back at the bed.  He couldn’t see Cassandra there.  It wasn’t until he entered the room and approached the bed that he noticed that she was not there. 

His shoulders slumped.  Thomas had won.  Cassandra had managed to leave the safety of JC’s house once more, only to return to the torment of her former boyfriend.  He sat down on the edge of the bed and hung his head into his hands.

            Then he heard something.  It was a soft, muted sound.  He sat upright and began to look around.  He couldn’t identify what it was.  It only took a few seconds for him to find it.  There in the corner, behind the bed, was Cassandra.  Just the way he had found her in her home, curled up on the floor with her knees drawn up and tears flowing.

            JC walked over to her and crouched down in front of her.  He felt a sense of deja- vu at the scene that was unfolding in front of him. 

            Her tear filled eyes met his blue eyes.  She looked at him for a moment and suddenly leaned forward to him and threw her arms around him.  He was at a loss for words.  He enfolded her in his arms and held her tightly.  Relief surged through him at finding her in the room, but he felt helpless to help her through this crisis she was going through.

            “Cassandra?  What happened?”  He whispered against her hair.

            Trying to calm her tears, she drew a breath and pulled back from his strong, muscular chest.  “A bad dream.”

            “Are you okay?”

            She looked up with tear stained cheeks.  “I am now.”  It was a sincere statement.  He had the feeling that she had been waiting for him to come to her. 

            “How long have you been sitting here?”

            She shook her head.  “I don’t know.  Just a little while, I guess.  I was too afraid to move.”

            “If I had known, I would have been here sooner.  I thought that maybe…”  He cut himself off before he told her what he had been afraid of.

            “I’m just glad you’re here now.  Thank you.”

            JC helped her get to her feet.  Together they straightened her bed and JC made an attempt at idle chitchat to take her mind off of the dream that had terrified her so badly.  Once the room was straightened to their satisfaction, JC suggested that they freshen up and go out for lunch.  The idea brought a smile to Cassandra’s face and she immediately agreed.

            The day turned into one of the happiest days Cassandra had spent in quite some time.  JC did everything to keep her mind occupied with things other than the problems that had been troubling her.  After having lunch at a small deli, he took her to play putt-putt golf, go-cart riding, and they even tried their hands in a batting cage.  While Cassandra had never tried the latter, she had a good time and laughed every time she missed the ball, which was nearly every single time.

            After trying their hands at those things, JC suggested they take in a movie.  As they sat on a picnic table sipping on their cold sodas, JC opened up an app on his cellphone to see what movies were playing.  There were a couple of funny movies to choose from and JC seemed enthused to see at least one of them.  After reading the selections out loud to Cassandra, he looked up only to notice that her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

            “Hey, where are you?”  JC asked as he set down his phone.

            Cassandra blinked herself back to reality.  “What?”

            “Where did you go?  I was reading off choices and I don’t think you heard one of them.”

            “I’m sorry, JC.  I guess I wasn’t listening.  Go ahead, read them to me again.”

            JC leaned forward and took her hands into his.  “What’s wrong, Cassandra?  Did I do something or say something I shouldn’t have?”

            Surprise was written on her face.  “Oh, no!  JC you haven’t done anything wrong.  I’m sorry.  I just got a little distracted.”

            “By what?”  He tried to push the issue.

            Swallowing hard, she looked into his crystal blue eyes.  “An old enemy, I guess.”

            JC looked at her, confusion showing in those blue eyes of his.  “I don’t think I understand.  What ‘old enemy’?”

            “Thomas.”  Her one word answer was whispered so that it was almost inaudible.  She dropped her gaze to the table.

            JC felt his heart sink.  Even though she had spoken it softly, he had heard the name slip through her lips.  With all the effort he had put into making this afternoon one of fun and pleasure, the ghost of someone so unpleasant loomed over the two of them.  He wished with all of his being that he could remove that name from her mind.  He wanted to remove that individual from her memory.  He loved to see her smile, relax and have fun as she had done only a short time before the talk had turned to movies.

            “You see, that was the only thing he would ever do with me, go to the movies.  I guess when you suggested that, it just reminded me of him.  I’m sorry.  I can’t help it.”

            “I’m glad you told me.  We will not go to the movies!”  JC said in a matter-of-fact tone.  “No, sir!  We will find something totally different to do.”

            He crooked his fingers under her chin and met her gaze with his own.  “You tell me.  What would you like to do?”

            “JC,”

            “No!  I want you to tell me what you want to do.  You name it and we will do it.”

            She smiled.  “Do you promise not to laugh?”

            Returning her smile, JC nodded his agreement.

            “I’d like to just go back to your place and get to know you.”

            His eyes widened in surprise. 

            “It’s just that, well, we’ve spent some time together, but I don’t really know anything about you, the person.  I know you’re a singer in a band and I know who your friends are.  I just don’t know that much about you.”

            “Man, you’re a cheap date, aren’t you?”  He laughed out loud.

            “I don’t really need a lot.”  She smiled back at him.

            “Come on.  Let’s get out of here.”  JC grabbed her hand and guided them toward his Jeep.  Once inside, he started the vehicle, aimed it in the direction of his home and gunned the engine in that direction. 

            They rode in silence as he headed home.  Without asking, Cassandra knew instinctively that that was where they were going.  She knew JC would take her there and she also knew that he would be as honest with her as he possibly could.  She was puzzled by her need to know about him.  He was strikingly handsome.  His blue eyes were like crystal and his sculpted cheekbones gave him a classic look.  The square set of his jaw made him look like he should be a model, but she knew JC would not be content to stand around all day and let people tell him how to stand, how to smile and what to wear.  He looked good in his casual clothes and she knew that designer names were not what he needed on his back to make him happy.

            JC turned the Jeep into his driveway and parked it in front of the garage.  Before he opened his car door, he turned to look at Cassandra.

            “Are you sure this is what you really want to do?”

            “Absolutely.”  Cassandra smiled as she reached for the handle and pulled on it to open her door.  She reached for her purse and climbed out of the Jeep. 

            JC came around the vehicle and met her at the front of it.  He escorted her up to the front door and unlocked it and pushed it open for her to step inside.  Once he closed the door behind them, Cassandra set her purse on the table near the door and kicked off her shoes, making herself totally at home.  A feeling of satisfaction swept over JC when she did that.  He liked knowing that she was comfortable in his place.

            “How about some iced tea?”  He offered.

            “That sounds great.  Can I help?”

            “Nope.  Go on in and sit down.  I’ll be right back and the inquisition can begin.”  Without a second thought, he bent down and kissed her forehead and turned quickly to head toward the kitchen.

            For a moment, Cassandra stood in the same spot, somewhat dumbfounded by his action.  She didn’t know why he had kissed her, but she had liked it.

            Before either of them knew what had happened, darkness fell over the house and JC had to get up to turn on the lights.  Hours had passed as the two shared stories about themselves.  They talked about their childhood, their hopes, dreams and what they wanted the future to hold for them.  They told each other about their friends, families and co-workers.  It was at the end of that conversation, the part about co-workers, that Cassandra had an idea.

            “JC, I was really hoping we might be able to see each other again.”  Cassandra felt a little awkward saying it, but she couldn’t help but say what she was feeling.

            “So was I.”  His voice was low, but sweet.

            “I have an idea, too.”

            He arched an eyebrow at her and smiled.

            Playfully she slapped his arm.  “Not THAT kind of idea.”  She laughed.  “But, I do have a friend who I am sure would just hit it off with your friend, Justin.  Is there a chance that we could set them up?  I mean, if he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

            Girlfriend!  The word hit him like a slap in the face.  He looked at Cassandra blankly for a moment.  Justin didn’t have a girlfriend, but he did.  Her name was Suzie and he suddenly felt guilty for not having thought about her even once the entire day.  How could he tell Cassandra that he was the one who was not available to date? 

            “No, Cassandra.  Justin doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

            “That’s great!  When I get home, I’ll give Lynnette a call and we can set up a double date or something like that.  What do you think?”  Cassandra was animated in her discussion about the date.  JC felt like such an idiot.  She had no idea that Suzie was in the picture.  Justin had helped cover that fact.  The sad thing was that JC wanted to see Cassandra again.  He wanted to date with Justin and her friend, Lynette.  He was even thinking it might just be about time for a NEW girlfriend. 

            The problem was how would he tell Suzie.  She was convinced they were inseparable.  There had been several times that she had even discussed marriage with JC.  He always managed to quell those conversations, but the thought was always in the back of her mind.  In fact, her insistence was part of the reason JC had moved out of her place.

When JC had met Cassandra, he had no idea that he would be attracted to her.  But, the truth of the matter was, he was very attracted to her.  He wanted to get to know her better.  If he were honest with himself, he just wanted her.  Yet, he didn’t see that happening between them.  Currently, they were friends getting to know each other, and she had a friend that she thought would do well with Justin.  Somehow he had to keep this all in perspective.

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”  JC lightened up.  What did he have to lose?  He wanted to go out with Cassandra, Justin and Cassandra’s friend, so what was the harm.  They weren’t a couple.  It would just be four friends going out for a fun evening.  It would be something totally harmless.  JC laughed to himself.  Who was he kidding?

Realizing it was getting late, JC suggested that they turn in for the night.  When he sensed Cassandra’s reluctance to spend another night with him, he offered his reassurances.  If she’d only stay one more night, he would be sure to take her home first thing in the morning.  Things would have to return to normal with the light of day.  He knew, all too well, that she couldn’t continue to stay with him.  He loved having her in his house, but he knew it couldn’t persist.  They had only known each other for a short time.  Though she didn’t know it, JC was already involved with someone.  For his sake, she would have to leave before Suzie found out he had a woman staying with him.  Besides, he told himself, he wasn’t sure how long he could continue to think of Cassandra as just a friend.  He felt something stronger building and he was determined not to hurt either Cassandra or Suzie.  For their sake, things needed to remain status quo.

It was mid morning the next day when JC arrived at the recording studio.  His band mates were all ready to begin working on another new song for their upcoming summer release.  It only took his friends a short time to notice that JC was not performing at his peak.  He seemed easily distracted.  He couldn’t find any song that held his attention, including the new one he had written only a few weeks before.

“Man, what’s going on with you, C?”  His friend Joey asked.  “You are sure out of it.”

JC only shook his head. 

“Yeah, it’s sure not like you to keep screwing up the numbers, JC.”  His other friend Lance piped in.  “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing, really.  I guess I’m just a little off today, guys.”  Even his demeanor was different.  Instead of being his usual go-getter self, he was very laid back and quiet.  The word ‘reserved’ even came into someone’s mind.

“Do you need a break?”  Joey asked.

“Naw, I’m fine.”

“I don’t think so, man!  You need a break.  Why don’t you go into the conference room and take five.”  Joey told him.  “We’ll work on some of the other things.”

JC hesitated, looking at the four men staring at him.

“Go, on C!  You really need to.”  Lance agreed.

Without another word, JC got up from the mixing board and headed out of the recording booth.  He headed down a long corridor and turned into the last room in it.  Finding the couch across the room, he walked over to it and dropped down on it.  He ran his hands over his eyes.  Shaking his head, he wondered silently what was wrong with him.  He felt so out of control.  Control was something that JC never relinquished easily, and the thought that he didn’t have it annoyed him.  If he could only figure out what was messing with his mind, he would be able to get himself straightened out.

“C?  Are you okay?” 

JC looked up to see his friend Justin standing in the doorway, a worried look on his face.

“Hey, J!  Don’t worry.  I’m absolutely fine.  Maybe I’m just coming down with something.  I’m not sure.”

“You don’t seem like yourself.”

“Well, I guess I don’t feel like myself either.”

“Have you got problems with Suzie?”

JC chuckled to himself.  If Justin only knew, he might not be so quick to say it.

“Nope.  I don’t have any problems with Suzie.”

Justin walked in and sat down next to his friend.  “Then what’s going on?  You seem so different.”

Again JC rubbed his hands over his face, showing his exhaustion.

“I don’t know what’s bothering me, Justin.  I just feel like I’ve lost a grip on my life.”

“You!”  Justin was amazed to hear his friend admit it.

“Hard to believe, isn’t it?”  JC chuckled again.  “But, it’s true.  I just don’t feel like I’m in control right now.  I don’t know what to do about it, either.  By the way, since we’ve got a few minutes, what did you want to talk to me about yesterday?”

“Oh, that.  I’ve got a great idea.  See what you think of this.  That friend of yours, Cassandra?”  Justin started.  “Well, she told me at lunch the other day that she was going to be looking for a job next week.  I was just thinking it would be cool if we could give her a job working for us.”

JC’s blue eyes grew large.  “What?”  His voice broke as he asked his question.

“Sure!  Why not?  She does clerical work and certainly we can find some kind of office work at the management company for her.”

“Tell me, Justin, why would we want to do that?”

“To give you time.”

JC blinked at that statement.  He looked at Justin, a million questions running through his mind.

“To give me time?  Time for what?”  JC asked.

“Time to see how you feel about her.  It’s obvious that you feel something for her, C.  You just don’t know what, yet.  If she worked for us, it would keep her nearby, in a harmless manner, and you would have a chance to get to know her and see if the two of you stand a chance at a relationship.”

For a moment JC became suspicious.  “Are you sure this idea is for me?  It seems to me I remember you having lunch with her.  Maybe it’s really you who would like to get to know her and see if YOU stand a chance?”

Justin seemed surprised by his innuendo.  He was sincere in his idea, but JC was trying to turn it around against him.  Sometimes, Justin reflected, it was better not to try to help the helpless.  He threw up his hands in defeat.

“Forget it, JC.  Just forget I said anything.  Sometimes you can’t see the writing on the wall when it’s right in front of your face.”

Justin rose to his feet and began to head toward the door to leave and return to the recording booth.

“Justin.”  JC called to his friend as he, too, rose to his feet.

“Justin, wait a second.”  JC rushed over to his friend.  “I didn’t mean anything by it.  It just seems to me that you are very concerned about someone you hardly know.”

“Just like you letting her stay at your place, huh?”

JC stopped and looked at Justin.

“I had to, J.  That ex-boyfriend was going to hurt her.  I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Tell me, JC.  Who appointed you her savior?  If that guy is still coming around, maybe it’s because they haven’t really broken up.  How do you know she’s not playing you?”

With that said, Justin left the conference room and left JC standing in silence.  Justin’s words echoed through JC’s mind.  The younger man had a good point.  How DID JC know what Cassandra’s motives were?  He knew the few things he had seen, but was there more to it than he knew?  JC ran the events of the past few days through his mind.  It wasn’t possible that he was so blind that she was, as Justin had said, ‘playing him’.  Shaking his head, JC found that hard to swallow.  She didn’t seem like that kind of girl.  He couldn’t believe that she would be leading him on, only in hopes that Thomas would come back into the picture and sweep her off her feet.

Thomas; he was another story all unto himself.  Anger ran through JC when he thought about walking into Cassandra’s house after Thomas had hit her.  He could not tolerate any man, Thomas included, hitting a woman.  JC remembered what Cassandra’s cheek looked like after Thomas had left the house.  There was the cut that was there from the first night, and the red mark under it.  Just the memory made JC shiver in anger.

He remembered how he had found her that first night, cowering in the corner of her room.  That thought triggered the memory of her in his guest room, cowering the same way.  Visibly JC shook his head.  Justin was wrong.  Cassandra was not playing JC.  These things were very real.  She had a real fear of Thomas.  At the moment, JC believed he was the only one that Cassandra trusted enough to let help her out of the mess she had somehow managed to get into.  Because of her trust, JC was going to do all he could for her.  He’d prove Justin wrong and get himself back in control at the same time.

Meanwhile at her house, Cassandra busied herself with cleaning and putting things away.  She was startled by the front door slamming shut.

“Hey, sis!  I’m home.” 

Cassandra smiled at the sound of her sister’s happy voice.

“Hey, Marissa!  How’s it going?”

Marissa stopped cold when she saw the marks under her sister’s left eye. 

“Whoa!  What happened to you, Cassandra?”

“Nothing.”  Cassandra brushed off the question.  “Just bumped into the corner of the doorway the other night.  It hurts pretty good.”

“Are you sure?”  Marissa looked doubtful.

“Do you think I don’t know how I got hurt?”

They laughed together.  The girls walked into the kitchen together and Cassandra poured them each a glass of iced tea.  They sat down and began talking about what had been going on in the past few days.  Marissa had been busy with her school friends.  They had been to a concert, done some schoolwork and Marissa had begun looking for a job.

Cassandra told her sister that she was finally feeling much better.  She mentioned her new friend, JC.  They talked about how kind he had been to her and how helpful he was.  Cassandra found herself describing his physical attributes in great detail and her sister began to laugh.

“What’s so funny, sis?”

“You are.  For this guy being just a friend, you’ve sure noticed every single little detail about him.  I’ve never described any of my friends’ eyes as ‘ice crystal blue’.  And I certainly never talk about ‘chiseled cheekbones’ or ‘square jaws’.”

Cassandra blushed momentarily as she sought out an explanation.  She knew she had gotten carried away, but she had to cover for herself.  “Now, I’m just trying to give you a nice, overall picture of this guy.  There’s nothing more to it so don’t go reading anything into it, okay?”

Marissa nodded her head and smiled.  “If you say so, sis.”

“I say so.”  Cassandra said.  She wondered if she was trying to convince herself or her sister.

“So, has Thomas been over?”  Marissa asked.

Cassandra looked at her sister wide-eyed.  “No!  Why?”

“Hey,” Marissa held up a hand.  “Don’t look at me like that.  I was just wondering.”

Rising from the table, Cassandra took her now empty glass and placed it in the sink.  Then she gripped the edge of the counter as if she needed something solid to hold her up.  Slowly she turned and faced her younger sister.

“Marissa,”  She began quietly.  “Let me just say that I don’t want to see Thomas anymore.  He’s in my past and I’d like to keep him there.”

Her sister seemed very surprised.  “I can’t believe that.  I thought you two were going to be together forever.  You know, marriage and the whole nine yards.”

Sadly, Cassandra shook her head.  “No, sis.  I’m done with him.”

“But, why?”

Marissa was being persistent. 

“Let’s just leave it that he’s not who everyone thinks he is.  Okay?”

As she blinked, trying to comprehend what the older girl was saying, Marissa nodded her head.

“So, are you with this new guy, JC, then?”

A low giggle escaped Cassandra’s lips.  There was a part of her that would have liked to answer yes, but she knew that wouldn’t be truthful.  In her heart, she knew he was just a nice guy befriending an unfortunate human being – her.

“What’s so funny?”  Marissa asked her.

“The idea of me and JC.  Marissa, I’ve only just met him.”

“You’ve spent a lot of time with him from the sounds of it.”

“No, sis.  He’s just being a really good friend.  That is all.”

“Well, does he have any brothers or buddies who want to be really good friends to your sister?”

Together the girls laughed.

The afternoon progressed slowly for Cassandra.  Her sister had left shortly after their discussion about the two men in Cassandra’s life.  Busying herself with the usual housework, she managed to clean the entire house, do a couple loads of laundry and check the local want-ads about jobs she felt qualified for.  She knew that now that she wasn’t working for Thomas, new employment was a must.  There was a mortgage to pay, utility bills waiting and groceries needed.  Somehow she needed work, and she needed it soon.

The ringing of the telephone pulled her attention away from the newspaper.  Forcing herself up from the blue plaid sofa, Cassandra walked over to the phone on the end table next to the blue recliner.

“Hello?”  She answered softly.

At first she was met by the silence of an open phone line.

“Hello?  Is someone there?”  She asked a little louder.

“Uh, Cassandra?”

She tried to recognize the voice.  Why was he acting so shy?  If it was who she thought, it certainly wasn’t like him to act shy.

“Yes?”

“It’s just me, JC.”

It was just whom she had thought.  Cassandra looked around her feeling confused.  He didn’t sound like his usual confident self.

“Hi, JC.  Is everything all right?  You sound kind of funny.”

She heard him chuckle and it brought a smile to her face.

“I’m sorry.  I guess I felt a little odd calling you.”  The truth was he had called to hear her voice, but when she had answered the phone, a fleeting vision of his girlfriend had flashed in his mind and he instantly felt guilty for calling Cassandra.

“Oh.”  She didn’t understand why he would feel that way, but she chose not to pursue the issue.  “What did you call for?”  She decided to ask him exactly what was on her mind.

He hesitated for a second.  Cassandra couldn’t help but notice how different he seemed.

“I was just sitting here, wondering if you had talked to your friend about going out with Justin.”

Actually, she had forgotten all about it.  Between talking to her sister, cleaning house and mentally preparing for what would become the ultimate show-down with Thomas, the idea of fixing up her friend, Lynette Johnson, with his friend, Justin Timberlake, had completely slipped her mind.

“Honestly, JC, I didn’t.  I haven’t spoken to her in a while, and I didn’t have a chance to today.”

“That’s okay.  I was just thinking about it.”

“Well, if that’s all, I guess…”

“Wait!”  He nearly yelled into the phone.  He was afraid she would hang up and he really wanted to talk to her.

“What?”

“So, um, I was just wondering what you did today.”

Cassandra looked around her living room dumbfounded.  “What?”  She asked incredulously.  Her mind was racing, trying to figure out where JC was going with this questioning.

“What did you do today?”

“I just did the usual stuff.  Why?”

“So tell me, what’s usual for a girl like you?”

There was no way she could understand what he was trying to find out.  His question was inane and not at all like the JC she had spent time with over the past few days.

“JC, pardon my asking this, but what’s wrong?  You seem so different.”

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

“Yes.  I was just thinking about you and thought I’d give you a call.”

“That’s really nice.  I’m going to let you go, though.  I want to finish my last item before I go to bed.  Thanks for calling.  It was great hearing from you.”

“What’s your last item, Cassandra?”

“JC.”

“Please, just tell me.  What have you got left to do?”

She was getting exasperated with his line of questioning.

“I’m going through the want-ads.  I’m going job hunting on Monday and I want to see what’s out there.  Now, may I go?”

He closed his eyes and smiled.  Justin had been right.  She needed a job.

“Maybe I can help.”

“Only if you let me get back to the paper.”

“No, I mean I may know of a job for you.  Justin told me you can do clerical work, right?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a position at WEG, that’s the company that manages my group.  I’m sure I could get you in there.”

“Well, thanks JC.  But that really isn’t necessary.  I’ll find something.”

“I’m sure you will, in time.  But will all of your bills wait until then?  Come on, Cassandra.  At least go in, meet Johnny – he’s our manager – and give it a try.  If it doesn’t work out then there are no hard feelings.  Just try it.”

Cassandra was hard pressed to find a reason not to try for the job.  There was no logical reason she couldn’t at least try it.

“All right.  I’ll go to WEG on Monday and see what they have.”

“Great.  I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock Monday morning.”

“No, JC.  That isn’t necessary.”

“I know.”  He paused briefly.  “I’ll see you at nine.  Goodnight, Cassandra.”

“Goodnight, JC.”

They hung up simultaneously and Cassandra rubbed the back of her neck.  She had the strangest feeling that she had just been run over by a bulldozer.  He was a very handsome bulldozer, but one just the same.

IF I’M NOT THE ONE

CHAPTER 9

            The black Jeep pulled into the familiar driveway.  Hurriedly, JC threw the gearshift into park, jumped out of his SUV, and rushed toward her front door.

            Not even knowing why, he had taken great pains in choosing what he wore this morning.  One would almost think he was the one in search of a job, not his newfound female friend.  His choice of khaki slacks, black ribbed shirt along with black boots was very complimentary to his thin, tall build.

            Pressing the little white button on the doorframe, JC listened as he could hear the door chimes through the wooden barrier standing between him and his friend.  A smile brightened his face as he thought about her.  He remembered how awkward he had felt the other night on the phone with her.  He had no idea why he had felt that way; he just knew he had felt like a schoolboy asking the most popular girl in school to the prom.  It had been very awkward.

            He heard the lock on the door click and waited for Cassandra to open the door.

            The door opened and a very pretty young woman stood there.  It wasn’t Cassandra.  This girl appeared to be a younger version of whom JC expected to see.  She was a bit taller and about the same build as Cassandra.  Her eyes were more of a golden brown, whereas Cassandra’s eyes were a warm, chocolaty brown.  This young lady had blonde highlighted hair that just touched her shoulders.  He was sure she was Cassandra’s sister.

            “Yes?”  The girl asked.

            “Hi.  I um, I’m supposed to, um.”  JC couldn’t understand why he felt so tongue-tied.

            “Can I help you?”

            “I’m JC.”  It was the only coherent thing he could make come out of his mouth.  He knew he appeared foolish.

            “JC!”  Her face lit up.  “Wow, you really do have eyes like crystal.”

            “Excuse me?”  He looked at her confused by her statement.

            “I’m sorry.”  She extended her hand.  “I’m Marissa, Cassandra’s sister.  Come on in.”  Marissa stepped back as she invited JC into the house.  “Cassandra told me you were picking her up this morning.  She should be out in just a second.  Can I get you some coffee or something?”

            Marissa’s eyes grew wide and she took a step backward as recognition of who the man standing in front of her was.  She raised her hand and pointed her finger at him.

            “Oh, my God!”  She squealed.  “You’re not JC.  You’re JC!  Oh, my God!”

            Marissa was breathless.  JC laughed out loud at her excitement.  He placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

            “I know, but let’s keep it on the down low.  If too many people find out, I could be in trouble.”  He whispered to her.

            “Oh, my God!”  Marissa repeated.

            Knowing he had to get Marissa to calm down, JC decided to give her something else to focus on.

            “Hey, Marissa, how about that cup of coffee?  A little cream and sugar would be great.”

            “Oh, my God!  Coffee!  Oh, my God!”  She walked toward the kitchen in a daze, mumbling the same phrase over and over to herself.

            A low chuckle escaped JC’s throat as he made his way into the living room to wait for Cassandra.

            He began to sit down when he heard steps in the hallway.

            “Marissa, I thought I heard…” Cassandra stopped short when she saw JC standing in her living room.  Her breath caught as she noticed how handsome he looked.  His blue eyes were shining in her direction and a genuine smile graced his lips.  She was caught completely off guard by his overall appearance.

            “Good morning.”  There was a low, almost sensual tone to his voice when he spoke to her.

            He took in the vision that was Cassandra.  She stood before him in a deep, plum colored dress with a beaded scoop neckline.  A matching beaded choker adorned her throat, which was framed by her loosely curled long mane of dark brown hair.  She wore amethyst earrings and, he noticed, a matching ring on her right hand.  Scanning downward, he saw the gold ankle bracelet around her slender left ankle and the black-heeled shoes that gave her legs a graceful look.  She looked absolutely perfect to him.

            “Hi.  I hope you haven’t been waiting long.  Marissa was supposed to tell me when you got here.”  She spoke softly as he approached her.

            “That’s okay.  She went to get me a cup of coffee.”

            “Oh.”

            He stopped in front of her and stared at her, making Cassandra feel uncomfortable.

            “What?  Is something wrong with what I’m wearing?”  She asked as she looked down at herself.

            “You look absolutely perfect.”  His voice came out husky and soft.

            Cassandra smiled a demur smile and hid her eyes behind her lashes as she looked at the floor.  He reached up to cup her chin just as Marissa rushed back into the room, holding a cup of coffee.

            “Here’s the coffee, JC!  Oh, my God!  You really are JC from *NSYNC, aren’t you?”

            He smiled and nodded his head.

            “Oh, my God!  Sis, why didn’t you tell me?”

            “Marissa!”  Cassandra’s voice was stern.  “I’m sure if JC wanted to hear a fan babble on and on about who he is, he could stand on any street corner.  Please, pull yourself together and treat him like a friend.  He likes that a lot more.”

            Marissa drew a deep breath and looked at JC.  “I’m really sorry.  It’s just that I’ve never really met a star before, let alone have one come to my house to get my sister.”

            “That’s quite all right, Marissa.  I understand.  I hope you won’t mind if I come by again.  I’d like to see more of your sister.”

            Cassandra looked at JC in surprise, not expecting to hear him say that.

            “Really?”  Her eyes grew wide momentarily, but then she worked on calming herself.  “I mean, that’s great.  You are welcome to come here any time!”

            “Hey, thanks Marissa.  Who knows, I may even have to bring a friend or two with me one of these times.”

            JC laughed when he heard her sudden intake of breath.

            “Oh, okay.  That sounds really nice.  Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said as she placed a hand over her mouth and left the living room.  When they heard her bedroom door click shut, JC and Cassandra both laughed out loud.  He loved the sound of her laughter.

            “I’m really sorry, JC.  I guess I should have warned her.”

            “Don’t be, Cassandra.  It’s really okay.  Are you ready to go?”

            “Yes.  I’ll grab my purse and we can go.”

            The Jeep cruised down the highway almost of its own accord.  With his attention focused on the road ahead, JC kept his left hand on the steering wheel and his right one perched on the center armrest.  Silently he glanced over at his passenger, noticing how she sat with her eyes fixed straight ahead, but her fingers busily fidgeted in her lap.  He smiled to himself as he realized her silence was her way of coping with her nerves.

            The ride was brief, and after only thirty minutes, JC was parking his Jeep in front of the mirror-sided building that housed Wright Entertainment Group, the company that managed *NSYNC.

            Cassandra caught a glimpse of herself in the siding of the building.  She gasped audibly and stood, frozen in place.  JC was just approaching her when he heard her breathe.

            “What’s wrong?”  He asked, concern etched in his eyes.

            “JC, look at me!  This is all wrong for a job interview.  I can’t go in there like this.”  Her hands were busy trying to primp with the dress.  Then she reached up under the length of her hair, determined to remove the choker from around her neck.

            He reached out and took hold of both of her hands.  “Don’t!”  He said softly as he lowered her hands and held them in his.

            Cassandra looked up into his blue eyes, uncertainty showing in hers.

            “Honey, you look perfect.  Please don’t change anything.”  She could hear the sincerity in his voice.

            Smiling at him, JC felt her relax a bit.  He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her into the building.

            As they walked down the long corridor, JC greeted numerous people.  He had a smile and pleasant word for everyone who crossed his path.  A couple of times he tried to explain to Cassandra who an individual was, but because she was so nervous, none of it was registering in her mind.

            Near the end of the hallway, JC stopped and nodded toward the wall next to the door they were in front of.  A huge plaque that appeared to be made out of bronze was on the wall.  The letters – W.E.G. announced that they had arrived at their destination.

            “Are you ready?”  JC whispered to her.

            For a fleeting moment, Cassandra felt a streak of fear race through her, from her head to her feet.  She drew a deep breath and nodded.

            As he reached for the doorknob, Cassandra’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

            “Wait!”  She said as quietly as she could.

            “What?”

            Stepping back a bit, she looked up at him with uncertain eyes.

            “Are you sure I look okay?”

            He bent down, smiled, looked into her eyes, and kissed the tip of her nose.

            “Honey, I told you, you look perfect.  Now, come on.  This is gonna be a piece of cake.”

            Cassandra felt her stomach knot up as JC shook hands with his manager, Johnny Wright.  The two men were busily exchanging pleasantries as she sat nervously looking at her hands, watching her fingers intertwine and then come apart.  She caught herself wondering what she was doing, in this office, supposedly listening to what the two men were talking about.

            Her head shot up when she felt JC place his large hand over her smaller hands as he took the chair beside her.  Johnny sat behind his desk.  His hands were folded on the blotter and he leaned forward, making eye contact with Cassandra.

            “So tell me, Miss Hamilton.  What are your qualifications?”  Johnny asked.

            “Well,” she began.

            “Johnny, this girl can handle anything you can throw at her.”  JC interrupted.

            “Really?”  Johnny countered.

            “Yep.”  JC answered.

            “So, Miss Hamilton, how are your computer skills?”

            “Hey, she’s a whiz!”  JC cut in as Cassandra opened her mouth to answer.

            Johnny arched an eyebrow in JC’s direction.

            “That’s great.  Miss Hamilton, can you handle multi-tasks?  You know, can you handle filing, the telephones, and people interruptions all at the same time?”

            “Well,” Cassandra began.

            “Johnny, you have nothing to worry about.  Would I bring you someone who couldn’t handle the position?”

            Rising to his feet, Johnny Wright came from behind his desk and stopped in front of JC.

            “What?”  JC asked looking up at his manager.

            “JC, don’t take offense to what I am about to say to you.”

            “Okay.”

            “Get out!”  Johnny leaned down and spoke directly into JC’s face.

            “What the…”

            “Go!  I want to talk to this young lady alone.  Unless she is deaf and dumb, I’d like to hear her answers.”

            “Fine.  I’ll just sit here.  Go on, Johnny.  Ask your questions.”

            “Not until you have left.”

            JC couldn’t believe that Johnny was throwing him out.  He looked at his manager; he hadn’t moved a muscle.  Then he looked at Cassandra.  She smiled sweetly at JC and nodded in agreement with Johnny.

            “This is just great.  I can’t believe you two are throwing me out.  All I wanted to do was help.”  He rose to his feet and headed toward the door.

            “We’ll call for you when we’ve finished.”

            “Sure, whatever.  Don’t even worry about me.  I’ll find something to do.”

            Dejected, JC walked through the door and slowly closed it behind him.

            “Now, Miss Hamilton.  Let’s try this again.”

            Cassandra smiled.  “Okay.  What would you like to know, Mr. Wright?”

            Johnny Wright proceeded to ask Cassandra question after question.  He asked about her past experience.  He wanted to know how much computer knowledge she had.  He quizzed her at length about numerous aspects of her work history.  While she answered everything honestly, she never revealed the fact that her former boyfriend, Thomas, had employed her.  It was truly in her best interest not to bring him up.

            The interview continued for nearly one hour.  Not only did Johnny try to learn all he could about her skills, he was curious about her relationship with his client, namely JC Chasez.

            “Mr. Wright.  I can assure you that JC is just trying to be a good friend.  We met while we were both in the hospital and our friendship just seemed to click.  He’s a great guy and I really appreciate him trying to help me out.  However, if this doesn’t work out, I will find something somewhere else.”

            “One last question, Miss Hamilton.”

            Cassandra nodded as she waited for the question to be fired at her.

            “Hold on a sec.”  Johnny said as he pressed the intercom button that put him in direct contact with his personal assistant.  “Melinda, send JC back in.”  He turned his attention back to Cassandra.

            “Now, for that last question.  How soon can you begin?”

            Cassandra smiled as JC re-entered the office.  “How would next Monday be, Mr. Wright?  I have a few loose ends I need to tie up.”

            Johnny rose again, as did Cassandra.  He extended his hand and she graciously accepted it.

            “Welcome aboard, Miss Hamilton.”

            “Please, Mr. Wright, call me Cassandra.  Thank you.”

            “Alright, Cassandra.  I’ll see you in a week.  When you come in, report directly to Melinda, my personal assistant.”

            “I’ll see you then, sir.  Thank you so much.”  She said as she turned toward JC.

            “Gee, thanks for letting me come in when everything is all finished.  Are you sure I should be here?”  JC’s tone was definitely hurt and full of sarcasm.

            Johnny refused to play into JC’s attempts at self-pity.  “No problem, JC.  Thanks for bringing Cassandra in.”

            Agitated, JC thrust his hands into the pockets of his khaki slacks.  “Did she get the job, Johnny?  Can I at least know that?”

            “I’ll let her fill you in.  Why don’t you take this young lady out for breakfast?”

            JC’s blue eyes were wide with disbelief.  He couldn’t understand what was going on.  The fact that Cassandra stood silently near the door did not help the situation.  Raising his hand to the back of his neck, JC methodically rubbed the knot of tension he found there.

            “Come on, JC.  Mr. Wright is a busy man.  He has lots of things to do.”

            “Whatever.  Good-bye, Johnny.”

            “Have a good one, JC.”

            The couple stepped into the reception area of the office.  Carefully, JC grabbed her arm, making Cassandra turn to look at him.

            “Well?”  JC asked.

            “Let’s go outside.  I’ll fill you in there.” 

            Drawing a deep, exasperated breath, JC followed Cassandra out of the WEG offices, down the corridor and out to the parking lot.  They approached his Jeep and JC unlocked the doors and opened the passenger door for Cassandra to get in.  He nearly slammed her door closed as he turned to head toward the driver’s side.

            With his seat belt locked in place, JC put the key in the ignition and started the vehicle.  When Cassandra didn’t offer any statement about the interview, JC shifted the SUV into reverse and backed out of the parking space.  Still, Cassandra remained silent.  By now, JC was seething.  If he had looked to his right, he would have seen the smile showing wide on Cassandra’s face.  He didn’t look at her.  He kept his eyes fixed ahead, obviously upset that neither Johnny nor Cassandra told him how the interview had turned out.

            After nearly ten minutes of rolling along in silence, JC pulled his Jeep into the Denny’s restaurant parking lot and grabbed the first available parking space.  He threw the shift into park, unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Cassandra.  The smile on her face stopped him cold.  He could feel his anger abate as his blue eyes made contact with her brown eyes.

            “What?  Do you think this is pretty funny?”  He tried to sound angry and hurt, but his resolve was melting with every second that he looked at her.

            She raised her eyebrows in surprise.  “No, JC.”  She answered him softly.

            “Do you intend to tell me what the hell happened in that office?  Maybe you think it’s none of my business.”

            “JC, I don’t think anything like that.  It’s just …”

            “What?  Some stupid little game that you and Johnny contrived to keep me in suspense.”

            “No.  It’s really no big deal.”

            “Does that mean you didn’t get the job?”

            Unbuckling her seat belt, Cassandra turned in her seat to face him better.  His need to know was evident in his blue eyes.

            Not understanding her own reason, she reached up and touched his cheek.  When he leaned into her hand, she smiled.

            “JC,” she began softly.  “I got the job.”

            He smiled and reached up to take her hand in his.  “I knew you would.  Let’s have breakfast.”

            Taking their seats in the restaurant, the hostess left the menus on the table as she turned to get their beverages.  They both perused the menus, trying to decide what they would have.  Cassandra realized that she didn’t have much of an appetite due to her nerves from the interview.  JC wasn’t very hungry either, because of the anger that had surfaced while he had been kept waiting at the office.

            The hostess brought their drinks, coffee for JC and soda for Cassandra.  She set them down in front of the two silent diners. 

            “What are you having?”  Cassandra looked over the top of the menu and asked JC in an attempt to decide on something for herself.

            “I’m not sure.  I’ll probably just get some French toast and sausage.  How about you?”

            “I don’t know.”

            JC set his menu on the table and looked over at her.  “Is something wrong?”

            She shook her head.

            “So, what’s up?  Doesn’t anything sound good?”

            “Truthfully, I guess I’m just not that hungry.”

            “Why do you always seem to tell me that?”

            “I do?”

            “I do believe I’ve heard that out of you a couple of times.  It’s like I told you the other night when all you wanted to do was go back to my place and talk about me, you are a cheap date.”  He smiled.

            “I’m sorry, JC.  I don’t mean to be difficult.  I’ve just been terribly nervous all weekend and now that it’s all over, I guess I just haven’t found my appetite. I think I’ll just have a fruit plate.”

            “A what?  Oh, come on girl!  You can do better than that.”

            Again she shook her head.  “That’s really all I want.”

            “How can anyone live on just fruit?”

            “I don’t.  It’s just all I want today.  I don’t even need to get that if it’s a problem.”  She looked at him with concern in her dark eyes.

            He reached out and touched her hand. 

            “Honey, it’s not a problem of any kind.  I just thought that something with a little substance to it would be better.  If you want a fruit plate, then by all means, have a fruit plate.”

            She smiled.  “Thanks, JC.”

            The waitress returned and took their orders.  It was an easy order and within only a few moments, she had returned with their food.  The two ate quietly.  JC dug into the French toast, after he had smothered it with maple syrup.  Cassandra merely pushed the fruit around the plate.  An occasional piece made it into her mouth, but she never really ate very much at all.  JC noticed and frowned at her.

            “What’s going on, Cassandra?  You haven’t eaten a thing.”

            “Nothing.  I’m eating.”  She said as she forced a piece of cantaloupe past her lips.

            “Wow, that must be the fourth piece of cantaloupe you’ve eaten.  Are you sure you should eat all of that?”  He was smiling, but there was no mistaking the sarcasm in his voice.

            Instantly he regretted his remark when he watched her set her fork down on the plate in front of her and run her hands tiredly over her face.  There was an immediate sadness about her, and he felt certain that he had created it.

            “JC, why have you done all this today?”  She asked, not really making eye contact with him.

            “What?  Do you mean the job interview?”

            She nodded.

            “Because Justin told me you needed a job and I knew about the one at WEG.  I thought you’d be perfect for it.”

            “What do you care if I need a job?”

            “I just do.”

            “But, why?  I need to know.”

            Now it was JC who set his fork on his plate.  He swallowed his bite of food and looked hard at her.  “I honestly don’t know why.  All I can tell you is, when Justin told me you needed a job, I just knew I had to have you try for this one.”

            “JC.”

            “Look, Cassandra.  It’s like this.  I really care a lot about you.  I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m feeling something.  I’ve got to find out what it is.  The only way I can do that is to spend time with you.  So, if you work for the same people I work for, I’ll get to see you all that much more.  I want to know what there is between us.  Does that make any sense to you?”

            Her eyes scanned his face.  His admission was nearly beyond her competency.  She was very attracted to the man sitting across from her, but she hadn’t realized that he might have felt the same.  Now he had admitted it, and she was at a loss for words.  When meeting his gaze became too much for her, she looked down at the strawberries on her plate and tried to change her focus.

            “I know you can’t possibly feel the same way I do.  You’ve been through a lot.  I just would like a chance to show you what someone who cares about you can do for you.  We are already friends; why don’t we see if something more can come out of it?”

            She felt overwhelmed.  Shaking her head, no response formed on her mouth.  She couldn’t believe he felt the same way she did.  She had vaguely heard his reference to Thomas, and that brought back many unpleasant memories in it.

            JC was nearly in shock.  She had moved her head negatively.  She was turning him down.  Damn, he thought.  He had been so sure there was something between them.  She doesn’t feel it.  He couldn’t believe he could have been so wrong.

            “Hey, Cassandra.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to be so presumptuous.  I just thought …”

            Instantly, she looked up to realize he had misread her actions.

            “No, JC.  Wait!  That’s not what I meant.  I am interested in you.  I just can’t believe you feel the same way.”

            He looked at her and smiled.  He jumped up from his place at the table and walked over to her side.  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her to her feet and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her mouth.  She raised her arms up and locked her hands behind his head.  She welcomed his kiss and expressed herself in her own way.  She ran her hands over the back of his head and allowed her fingers to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck.  He loved the feel of her hands touching him.  The realization that they were not alone, that they were in a public place, hit him hard. 

            Drawing a deep breath he raised his head and looked into her eyes. 

            “You know what?  I think we had better take this somewhere else before I make the headlines of the National Enquirer.”

            Cassandra laughed softly and pulled her hands back to her.

            “Let’s finish breakfast.  Maybe then we can find somewhere to go and work through some of this.  Okay?”

            Her smile and nod were all he needed to move him back to his chair.  While he finished his food, Cassandra only managed a few more bites.  Between her nerves and the feelings running rampant through her, food was the last thing on her mind.

            They stood to leave and JC reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and left more than enough cash on the table to cover the cost of breakfast and a generous tip for the waitress.  He was in a hurry to get out of the restaurant so that he could spend more time with Cassandra.  She walked a few steps in front of him as he attempted to return his wallet to the trouser pocket. 

            Just as they were about out of the dining area, two people caught JC’s attention.  He paused momentarily to try to get a better view of the people sitting off in the back corner booth.  He knew them.  He was certain there was a familiarity about those two heads in the back.  Squinting his eyes to better focus, he instantly recognized the man that was facing him.  It was his band mate, Joey Fatone.  JC chuckled to himself that he didn’t even realize that Joey liked Denny’s, let alone go out for a late breakfast.

            His curiosity got the better of him.  Joey was sitting with a dark haired woman.  There was something eerily familiar about her.  JC couldn’t place it, but he felt certain that he knew her.  He began to take two or three steps in their direction, merely in an attempt to say hello, when she turned her dark head to look for the waitress.  JC’s eyes grew wide.  It couldn’t be her.  He was incredulous at what he was seeing.  It was Suzie, his Suzie.

            As the reality of whom Joey was with hit him, he watched her turn her attention back to Joey, reach out her hand to take his, and then she leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his mouth.

            “What the…”  JC started to say as he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

            Cassandra looked at the back of his head curiously.  “JC?  Is everything alright?”

            He stopped and turned to face her.  There was hurt in his blue eyes.  Cassandra didn’t know what had happened, but it was painfully obvious that JC was upset about something.

            “Let’s get out of here, Cassandra.”  He said vehemently, taking her by the elbow and escorting her to the front doors and out to his Jeep.

            Once he had helped Cassandra climb into his SUV, JC stood at the back of it and tried to compose himself.  He was in shock over what had just happened.  Suzie was supposed to be his girlfriend.  Yet, he had seen her with Joey.  They were not just eating breakfast either.  They were holding hands and kissing.  For all intensive purposes, they were involved.

            As he ran his hands through his hair, JC shook his head.  What was he complaining about?  Hadn’t he just kissed Cassandra in the very same restaurant?  Hadn’t he kissed her before?  Hadn’t he put all reasonable thoughts of Suzie out of his mind when he was with Cassandra?  JC hadn’t even told Cassandra he was involved with anyone.  For all she knew, he was a free agent when in reality he had a commitment to Suzie.

            “Screw that!”  He said out loud.

            He walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened the door.  He looked over at Cassandra as he climbed in and smiled.  In his mind he knew that Suzie had just given him the perfect out.  He could now break off easily with her so that he could spend time with Cassandra and not suffer guilt feelings from it.  That thought alone made him feel a hundred pounds lighter.

            “Where to, my lady?”  He asked not even realizing that Cassandra was staring helplessly at him.

            “JC, what just happened in there?”

            “Probably the most wonderful thing I could ever imagine.”  He smiled, not believing that he felt so free.  He didn’t hurt.  He wasn’t angry.  He actually felt happy to know that he was rid of her and all her demands.  No longer would he have to cater to her every whim.  No longer would he have to be at her beck and call.  She had just made him a free man without even realizing it.  He would call her today, confront her, and break it off.  It would be so simple.

            “What?”  Cassandra prodded.

            “I had breakfast with a beautiful lady.  Thank you for joining me.” 

            He threw the Jeep into gear and pulled out of the parking lot.  He had no idea where he was headed, he just knew he was going to go somewhere and have fun with someone new, namely Cassandra.  JC practically felt like it was the first day of the rest of his life.

            Cassandra laughed out loud when she noticed where JC had taken her.  Reading the sign as they pulled into the parking area, she grinned as she looked down at herself.

            “Um, JC?”  She started.

            “What, honey?”

            “We may have a slight problem.”

            “How so?”  He looked at her questioning her comment.

            JC stopped the car in a parking space and threw the gearshift into park.  He turned to look at her.  “Now, what’s on your mind?”

            Smiling demurely at him, she looked down at herself.  “JC, I am not dressed for go-cart riding!  This dress will not fair well in one of those contraptions.”

            “Oh, man!  I am so sorry.  I hadn’t even realized that you were still dressed from the interview.  No problem, honey!  I’ll take you home, you can change, and then we’ll make a real day of it!  How does that sound?”

            “Actually, it sounds great.  I’d like that very much.”

            As the Jeep pulled into her driveway, Cassandra searched through her purse looking for her house keys.  Once she had retrieved them, she zipped her purse and turned to open the door to his Jeep.  He was already there, holding the door open for her.  He escorted her to the front porch and grabbed her wrist as she placed the key into the lock.  Her eyes looked up and locked with his.

            Without uttering a word, JC lowered his head and took her mouth in a warm, inviting kiss.  Finally considering himself a free man, he held nothing back.  His lips moved sensually over hers and his tongue gently persuaded her to open her mouth and allow him access into the dark, warm recess.  Her eyes had fluttered closed and his hand came up to cup the side of her face. 

            She loved the sensations he was creating deep within her.  Her hands had come to rest on his hips and he carefully pulled himself closer to her, causing her to back up against the door.  The hand that had held her face managed to move to the back of her neck and became tangled in the mass of dark hair that laid in wait there.  When her hands circled around his waist so that she could feel him closer to her, he moaned into her mouth.  Slowly he pulled back, breaking the kiss and staring at her swollen lips.  He smiled, knowing he had caused that.

            “Cassandra,” his voice was raspy as he tried to calm his breathing.

            Her lashes rose slowly and she smiled at him.  “Hmmm?”

            “I think I had better get going so you can change.”

            “Really?”

            He nodded.  “I’ll be back in an hour.  The rest of the day is ours.”

            “I’ll be ready, JC.”  She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed his chin.

            His hand caressed her cheek one time as he turned toward his car.  A wide smile played on his face as he reached the driver’s door.  She wiggled her fingers at him in an attempt to wave good-bye and he climbed into his car as she stepped inside the house. 

            He realized that for the first time in two years, he felt so free.  He honestly felt like there was nothing weighing down on him.  He would be able to do the things he wanted with whoever he wanted to do them with.  As the car traveled down the highway, he told himself exactly what he had to do.  He would call Joey and verify that there was something going on.  When that was done, he would call Suzie, tell her he knew the whole truth and set her free to be with Joey.  At that moment, Joey Fatone was JC’s best friend, and he didn’t have a clue why.  JC would be sure to explain everything to Joey when the time was right.

            He stepped into his house and headed right for the living room and the telephone next to the couch.  Dropping down on the couch, he picked up the phone and he dialed the seven digits that would put him in contact with Joey.

            “Hello?” 

            “Hey, Joe!  It’s me, JC.”

            “What’s going on, man?”

            “I’ve got a very important question for you.”  JC began.  “I need you to answer it completely honestly.”

            “Okay.  Have I ever lied to you?”

            “That’s beside the point.  This question matters very much.”

            “So, shoot!  What’s on your mind?”

            “Are you and Suzie seeing each other?”

            There was silence on the other end of the phone.  Neither man said anything for quite a while.

            “Joey, are you there?”

            “Uh, yeah.”