“Ow…” I whined as I hit my hand on the corner of my nightstand trying to turn off my alarm clock. It was 5am on a Saturday and I had to go to work. I work at Disneyland as one of the people who push the buttons at the terminals to get the ride going. My usual spot was in Star Tours but today I had to fill in for someone at It’s A Small World because the guy fell into the water and sprained his ankle. What an idiot.

I got up and said “Good morning,” to my Joey and *NSYNC covered walls before heading over to my closet and put on my uniform.

 

I was almost done buttoning up my shirt when I heard someone knocking on my door, “Jaz! Jasmine! Hurry up! We have to leave in 15 minutes!” It was my roommate Karyn. She worked at It’s A Small World too and she was always in a rush. Technically, we didn’t have to leave for another half hour but she liked to have extra time while driving.

 

“Okay, hold up! I’m almost done.” I grabbed a jacket and walked out to the living room where she was standing, looking at me with her arms crossed.

 

“It’s about time!” She nagged.

 

“We still have plenty of time left!”

 

“Not me, I have a friend that I’m supposed to meet at the park during my break. I haven’t seen him in almost two years.” She said while opening the door, motioning for me to walk out of the apartment.

 

I smirked, “Ooh, it’s a guy?”

 

“It’s not like that. He’s actually going to try and set me up with one of his friends that I’ve been crushing on for a while now.”

 

I looked at her confused because the only guy I knew she had a crush on was JC but that was obviously not the guy she was talking about. “How come I’m only hearing about this now?”

 

She started the car and we started to head for the park. We were only a few miles away so working there was super convenient. “Nonsense, I’ve told you loads of times who he is!”

 

“Ugh, the only guy you ever talk about is JC.” I rolled my eyes.

 

“He’s a lot like JC, actually. Don’t worry, you’ll meet him and my friend at the park later. But do you know who else is going to be at the park?”

 

“Who?” I tried to act interested but I was still really sleepy.

 

“*NSYNC, bitch!” She let go of the wheel and waved her hands above her head.

 

“Shit! Really?! Don’t lie to me!” I can’t believe that I missed this detail. I was always pretty good about knowing where they were going to be.

 

“No one really knows about it, I heard that they just want to go in and have fun at the park.”

 

“Damn it… we’re both working today! How are we ever going to see them?” I frowned.

 

“I know, right?” Something was off about Karyn because she didn’t seem as upset as I did. In the year and a half that I’ve known her, she was the only one I knew who shared the same level of frustration as me whenever I missed out on something *NSYNC.

 

I didn’t think much of it because I was too concerned with my own frustrations about not being able to see Joey. My break today was nowhere near long enough to try and hunt down the group. I felt like a little kid not being able to get what I wanted. I slouched in the seat and waited to start my unfortunate *NSYNC free day at work.

 

 

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

 

“Crap… what the hell is wrong now?” I grunted as I tried to mess with the controls. The ride stopped and the lights turned off but the annoying It’s A Small World song kept playing. I had to use a flashlight to be able to read the labels on the switches.

I pressed multiple switches but nothing was working. I was getting ready to contact the park technicians on my radio until I realized that Barry was already trying to contact me. “Jasmine.. Jasmine are you there?”

 

I picked up my radio and replied, “Yeah, I’m here. The ride stopped.”

 

“I’m well aware of that. The boats out here stopped too. I already contacted tech so they should be there soon. And one more thing… skrrk.”  Barry’s message was cut off by the radio’s poor transmission.

 

“Sorry Barry, I didn’t hear you.”

 

“That stupid boy band is causing all the girls in the park to go nuts. I heard that the group had to split up to try and lose the girls. Unfortunately, it’s causing problems for staff because the girls won’t stay out of Employees Only marked areas.” Barry explained.

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Joey running around frantically for a place to hide. “They’re not stupid Barry,” I replied.

“Whatever. Listen, if you happen to bump into any one of those losers, don’t let them out of your sight. We’re supposed to escort them to a private VIP section.”

 

“Huh, looks like I might have a higher chance of at least meeting one of them now.” I said excitedly over the radio.

 

“Just get back to trying to fix the ride. There’s a fat lady whining about not wanting to sit in the boat for too long.”

 

“Roger that!” I strapped my radio back onto my belt and scanned the controls a few more times.

 

There were no boats or people in my area so it was starting to get a little creepy. With the song playing and the shadows of the dolls in every corner, I decided to stop messing with the controls and head outside. When suddenly I heard footsteps in the nearby hall. Finally, it was the tech guy.

 

“Hello?! Anyone here?! Shit this place is creepy.”

 

The confusion in his voice definitely gave me the impression that it wasn’t the tech guy. I flashed my light in the direction of the footsteps and I saw a tall figure emerge from the corner. He was wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey and jeans. He was blocking his eyes from the light but he kept walking towards me. Suddenly, I noticed the red-dyed hair and mustache and I nearly lost it.

 

“Karyn, is that you?” Joey said, coming closer.

 

Karyn? HE KNEW KARYN? He was her friend that she was supposed to meet up with later? Holy crap!

 

“Karyn?” He repeated until he finally got a good look at me.

 

My eyes were wide and I was speechless. There he was standing right in front of me. The one guy that I spent most of my days daydreaming about. He looked even better in person. He went into a squat and put his hands on his knees and leaned over until his eyes were leveled with my chest. His eyes were squinting and the corner of his mouth curved up.

 

Oh man, what the hell is he doing? I had a huge crush on him and everything but his face was a little too close for comfort. So I had to say something, “Um… can I help you?”

 

His fixation on my chest was suddenly interrupted as he stood back up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I know that looked like I was being a pervert but I was just trying to read your name tag. I uh… I can’t read it cause it’s so dark in here.”

 

“Oh, I’m J-Jasmine.” I stuttered.

 

“Hi, J-Jasmine. I’m J-Joey.” He imitated me while smiling. He held his hand out and I shook it.

 

Geez, not even 5 minutes being around him and I’m already flushed red. Good thing he couldn’t see the blood rush to my face. I grinned, “I know… I’m a fan.” His hand was really soft.

 

He continued to smile without breaking his stare. It felt like ages before he said something, “So are you going to shake my hand until it comes off? I mean, you could but I’m going to have to need it back.”

 

I let go of his hand immediately while he pretended to check if his arm was going to fall off. It was really nice of him to try and make a joke of it but I really wished that I wasn’t acting like such a huge dork. “What are you doing in here, by the way?”

 

“I was on the run from all the fans outside. The longer I tried to look for my friend, the groups continued to multiply. It was insane! So I found the backdoor to this place and I ran inside before anyone could see me. Looks like it was a good idea since… you know… the ride looks broken. No one would think I’m in here.” He explained.

 

“Are the other guys here?” I asked.

 

“Just JC and Lance. The others stayed in Florida after our concert in Ft. Lauderdale. I just wanted to come to Cali to say hi to an old friend. By the way, her name’s Karyn Peters. Do you know her? She works here, too.”

 

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My good for nothing roommate has been friends with Joey long enough to make her important enough for him to visit and she never told me. I tried to hide my vexation. “Yeah, she’s my roommate.”

 

His eyes widened as he smiled, “Oh sweet! Do you know where she is right now?”

 

I checked my watch and saw that it was almost her break time. “Yeah, she’ll be on break soon. I can take you to her. But I was told I had to ‘escort’ you to the VIP area if I ever bumped into you guys…” I lowered my voice, “God, I hate Karyn.”

 

“What was that?” He said, coming closer.

 

I took a step back because I feared that if he got any closer then I would end up smothering him. “Oh uh, nothing. Come on, I’ll take you to her. She’s probably in the VIP area.”

I didn’t realize it was night time until we stepped outside. Joey grabbed my arm and pushed me behind him while he looked around the corner. My heart was racing. I wasn’t sure if I was surprised or if it was the fact that he was still holding onto my arm. Then he turned to me and let go, “Sorry, I just want to avoid the fans. I don’t want them suffocating you.”

 

“We can go the back way.” I replied.

 

He followed me through the back way and it was a little hard trying to avoid fans. So we decided to just avoid all people who weren’t employees. By the time we got to the VIP area, Karyn was already talking to Lance and JC.

 

“Hey, Karyn!” Joey yelled.

 

She turned around and waved, “JOEEEY!” She ran over and gave him a huge hug. I tried not to show it but I was pretty bitter.

 

“I see you guys have met.” Karyn winked at me.

 

“Yeah, she helped me get over here.” Joey explained while putting an arm around me.

 

I felt my knees get weak. Karyn had a smug look on her face but I looked at her angrily.

 

“Hey, it’s late, though. I wanted to spend more time with you but the guys and I have to get back to the hotel.” Joey apologized.

 

Karyn suddenly widened her eyes and smiled. She looked at me and Joey and then she said “Why don’t Jasmine and I give you a ride back to the hotel?”

 

I looked at her in disbelief. I don’t know what she was trying to accomplish. Being in the same car as Joey was something more than I could ever ask for but at this moment, I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. I was sure I was going to explode.

 

“Awesome, sounds good!” Joey waved bye to Lance and JC before we headed towards the car.

 

The ride to his hotel seemed to last for ages. I was sitting in the passenger’s seat, Karyn was driving, and Joey was in the backseat but he was leaning forward so his face was right next to mine. I didn’t dare to look at him. I could feel sweat starting to form on my face but I was too scared to wipe it off. It would probably cause him to look at me.

 

He and Karyn were talking the whole time, catching up on everything that happened for the past two years they haven’t talked. It sounded like they were really close before Joey joined the band.

 

We finally got to his hotel and he said bye to Karyn and I before he got off the car. Instead of walking away, he came to my window and motioned for me to roll it down. I was playing stupid and pretended that I didn’t understand what he was saying but Karyn pressed the button on her side and rolled the window down.

 

“Yeah?” I asked.

 

He leaned in the window and looked at me closely, “You should talk more. It’d be cool to get to know you better since you’re Karyn’s roommate and all.” He smiled.

 

Oh God, I felt my stomach churn. “Oh.. okay. Maybe next time.” I gulped.

 

“See you later, Joe!” Karyn yelled across from me.

 

Joey looked at me once more before saying good night to Karyn and we drove off as he walked towards the doors of the hotel. After a minute, I finally got the energy to smack Karyn. “HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU’RE FRIENDS WITH *NSYNC?!”

 

She laughed like a crazy person, “I don’t know. It never came up.”

 

“Never came up?! What about all those times I would talk about how I thought Joey was so awesome? What about all those times you told me that you wanted to get with…” Suddenly I stopped and realized something. “Oh my God, is Joey here to set you up with JC? Is this what you were talking about this morning?”

 

She grinned, “Yup.”

 

“You’re insane! Do you think you have a chance?”

 

“Hey bitch, what’s that supposed to mean? Of course I think I have a chance. Joey’s helping me!” She looked at me mischievously and started laughing again.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“Looks like I’ve found a way to repay Joey for the favor.”

 

I dreaded what she was going to say next but I had to ask, “What?”

 

“I’m going to set you up with Joey. He did say he wanted to get to know you better.” She winked.

 

“Please don’t. That’s so embarrassing!”

“Hey, you never know. Maybe your dreams will come true. We work at Disneyland for crying out loud. It’s time for that magic to rub off on us.”

 

I sat frozen in my seat for the rest of the ride. I imagined all the possible scenarios in which Karyn would try to set me up with Joey. It terrified me but at the same time… I was excited.

 

I woke up to the sound of laughter and music outside of my room. It had to be Joey and Karyn. I turned to my side and seriously considered staying in my room the whole day or at least until they left. Yesterday was still a little difficult for me to take in.

Meeting Joey AND finding out that he was old friends with Karyn really caught me off guard. I looked around my room at all the posters I had of him which now seemed so embarrassing. Hopefully, he’ll never have to come in my room and see all of it. Replaying all of yesterday’s events caused me to shudder at my own idiocy. I swore at myself as I tried to listen for their voices outside.

 

Karyn was her usual loud and obnoxious self while Joey was a little quieter but loud enough for me to clearly hear some of what he was saying. She made him laugh and I desperately wanted to go outside to see him smile again but I was too shy.

 

Things suddenly became quiet for a few moments so I thought they had left. Just as I was about to get out of bed, I heard a knocking at the door.

 

“Jasmine! Wake up, guess who’s here!” It was Karyn.

 

I didn’t say anything, hoping that she would go away.

 

“It’s Jooooey.” She said playfully.

 

“God, help me.” I mumbled to myself as I got up to slightly open the door.

 

She had a stupid look on her face then looked towards the kitchen where Joey was. His back was facing us, probably texting someone. She turned back to me, “When are you going to come out? Your hottie is standing right there.”

 

I motioned for her to keep her voice down. “Can you please shut up? At least TRY to make me look cool.”

 

“I’ll bet he’s used to it,” she laughed. “But seriously, he asked about you.”

 

My face lit up, “… he did?” I couldn’t help but smile a little. “What did he say?”

 

“He asked where you were. He just wants to get to know you better. Basically what he said last night.”

 

I thought about it for a while before replying, “I am a little hungry…”

 

“Then get your ass out here!” She said before walking back to the kitchen.

 

I closed the door then frantically searched for something to wear. He wants to get to know me… so should I wear my usual ensemble of just a shirt and sweats or do I try to make myself look pretty? I didn’t want to come off looking like I was trying too hard.

 

“Fuck it.” I mumbled as I threw on a plain black t-shirt and gray sweats. I decided to leave my hair down but I had to brush through it to make it look presentable. Satisfied with my appearance, I let out a deep breath before walking outside. When I got to the kitchen, Karyn and Joey were sitting at the dining table finishing up a conversation before Karyn noticed I was there.

 

“There she is!” Joey smiled at me and I felt my knees get weak.

 

I took the seat closest to me which was across from Karyn but next to Joey. “Good morning,” I managed to say while trying to avoid eye contact with him.

 

“I hope you’re fine with pizza for breakfast,” He said while opening the box at the center of the table. He proceeded to grab a paper plate and asked “Which slice do you want? I know Karyn doesn’t have any preferences but I wasn’t sure if you ate meat or whatever so I ordered a couple slices with pepperoni, a couple with veggies, and a couple of cheese only.”

 

I looked at Karyn and she winked at me. “Oh um… I’m the same. No preferences. But thank you for the thought. It’s alright, I can get a slice for myself. Thanks.” I nervously managed to get the plate from Joey and pick up a cheese slice since it was the closest.

 

He smiled, “Cool.”

 

As I was about to take a bite, Karyn stood up and casually announced “Well, I gotta go do some errands. I’ll see you two later.”

 

I put the pizza down and glared at her. “You’re leaving?”

 

“Yup, it’s cool. Joey knows.” She said as Joey looked at me and nodded.

 

“I didn’t…” I mumbled.

 

“Hey, don’t tell me you don’t wanna hang out with me,” Joey pouted, “I thought you were a fan.”

 

I immediately felt rude and apologized “Oh no, no. I’m sorry! I-I do wanna hang out with you. I-I just didn’t know she was leaving!”

 

“Th-that’s a-awesome,” He teased, “She’s not going to do any errands. She’s actually going to go do JC.”

 

“Shut up, Joe. Later!” Karyn yelled as she slammed the door.

 

Joey and I were alone. As much as I wanted to talk to him, I wished just as much that I had stayed in my room instead.

 

“So are you gonna eat?” Joey asked while nodding towards my untouched pizza.

 

I looked at him nervously and took a bite. He started to laugh and I knew it was because of me. I was starting to feel sick.

 

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

 

“You. You’re so nervous. Is there anything I can do to make you feel a little more comfortable?”

 

My mind raced towards something dirty and I stopped myself before saying it out loud. I swallowed my pizza and explained that it wasn’t everyday that I got to meet someone like him. I also reminded him that he was my favorite out of the group which made him smile again. God, I loved his smile.

 

“I gotta say I’m thankful that you’re not one of the crazy fans.” He said while bumping his fist to my shoulder.

 

“Oh, you have no idea.” I laughed. I was trying to get comfortable with him.

 

“So what do you usually eat for breakfast?” He asked.

 

“Waffles, eggs, sausages. The regular stuff. You?”

 

He put his hand on the pizza box, “If I could, I’d eat pizza for breakfast everyday. We usually have to rush out as soon as we wake up so I grab whatever’s around. Fruit, chips, energy bars.”

 

“That sucks.”

 

“I’ll tell ya.”

 

Things got quiet again. I wanted to kick myself for being so dull. I should be taking advantage of this time I had with him. Not every girl gets to spend time with their celebrity crush and here I was, barely saying anything to him.

 

He looked at me intensely. I couldn’t help but start to feel uncomfortable so I put some of my hair behind my ear. “So are you and Lance really best friends?”

 

“Yup. He’s a cool dude. It’s so easy to talk to him. I wanted to set him up with someone too since I was doing that for JC and Karyn but he insisted that I didn’t. Says he’d rather sleep all day.” He explained.

 

“Do you have any siblings?” He asked.

 

“Nope, just me.”

 

“Seriously? You’d think that after your parents saw how beautiful you turned out to be, they’d want to make more.” He winked as he took a sip of his drink.

 

My face started to heat up so I looked away from him. Holy shit, he just said I was beautiful. “How long are you planning to stay in Cali?” I tried to change the subject.

 

“Probably a few months. We just finished our show in Ft. Lauderdale so we’re gonna take a few months off. Did you get a chance to see that on pay-per view?”

 

“Yeah, that was such a great show! I loved your version of Celebration. Your voice is amazing.”

 

“Thank you, thank you.” He stood up and headed towards the fridge, “Hey do you want a beer? Sorry, I just realized you didn’t have anything to drink.”

 

I laughed, “Sure, thanks. You act like you live here.”

 

“I wouldn’t mind living here with you.” He winked as he handed me a bottle.

 

Geez, I can see why people call him Flirty Spice. I enjoyed his little advances though, it gave me a nice rush. He’s also been really sweet. I never imagined him to be this great.

 

“So what else do you want to know about me?” He asked.

 

I thought about his question for a little while but I ended up giving him a blank stare.

 

“Oh come on, there has to be something you want to ask. Not everything you read about me is true, you know.” He chuckled.

 

“Okay, uh… are you gay?” I teased.

 

He rolled his eyes. “No. That’d be bad news for you, right?”

 

Joey seemed to be really good at making me feel sheepish. He was smiling to himself now, probably proud of his response. I played along with him, “Oh, totally. If I was straight.”

 

He looked up at me, surprised. “You’re… lesbian?”

“Something wrong?” I asked.

 

“Oh uh… no. Of course not.” He looked really uncomfortable. I enjoyed it because for the first time since I met him, he was on the receiving end of embarrassment.

 

“I’m just kidding, Joey. I’m straight.” I started to laugh.

 

He laughed, looking relieved. “Alright, let’s get back to trying to get to know each other. Boyfriend?”

 

“Nope.” I grabbed another slice of pizza. Pepperoni this time.

 

“Cool, cool.” He said, nodding.

 

“Girlfriend?”

 

“Nada.” He said, confidently.

 

“Good to know. How’d you meet Karyn?” I asked.

 

“Through a friend. This was way before *NSYNC. I thought she was really annoying at first. When she found out, she did everything she could to make me like her. Turns out she’s not that bad.” He took another sip of beer. “How did you two meet?”

 

“I responded to her spare room ad and well… here we are now.”

 

“Fair enough. Where are you from? Are you an LA local?”

 

“San Diego, actually. I came up here for um… a guy.”

 

He leaned in closer to me, seeming a little more interested. I could smell the alcohol on him. “A guy, huh? What happened?”

 

“Just like every aspiring musician, he moved here to start his career. He got lucky with an album… and girls. I haven’t seen him since.” This happened months ago but for some reason, I still felt a sharp pang in my chest as I was telling him.

 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized.

 

“It’s okay, it was a while ago.”

 

He let out a sigh and walked towards the living room. I watched him as he sluggishly tried to sit on the couch, miss it, and land on the floor instead.

 

“Are you drunk already?” I laughed as I followed him.

 

He stayed laying on the floor as he looked at me. “No, I’m just too lazy to get up. It would be rude of me to become intoxicated during our first actual meeting.”

 

“We met yesterday, Joey.” I said as I took the liberty of laying on the couch.

 

“I know, but we didn’t talk much.” He said as he stared at the ceiling.

 

We were both quiet for a few moments. I took it as a chance to actually look at him. He was gorgeous. He was wearing a black button up long sleeve shirt. He left the first few unbuttoned so I could see traces of his chest when he moved. His beautiful eyes looked browner in person and his lips looked soft.

 

It was obvious he was a little buzzed, though. His cheeks were a little red too. I didn’t mind it.

 

“Why do you want to talk to me so badly?” I asked.

 

He continued to look at the ceiling as he laughed. “Not that badly.”

 

“Alright then, I guess I’ll just go back to my room.”

 

“I’m kidding!” He said, sitting up. When he realized I hadn’t moved from my spot, he laid back down on the floor. “I’ve been hanging out with the guys for so long. It’s just nice to talk to a girl who’s not ecstatic about being in the same room as me.”

 

Again, he had no idea how I was feeling.

 

“I was going to talk to Karyn but she’s obviously preoccupied with JC.”

 

“Oh so I’m just a rebound?” I smirked.

 

“No, you’re my new friend. Better than a rebound.” He continued to look at the ceiling.

 

He had an aggravated look on his face. Like he wanted to tell me something but was waiting for the right time to mention it.

 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

 

“I just realized that the last time I actually talked to a girl like this was with my ex. She ended up screwing me over, though.” He sat up to drink more of his beer then scooched over to the side of the couch and leaned against it.

 

His arm was barely touching me and I was too nervous to move.

“What did she do?”

 

“I found out that she would sleep with our friend, Theo, every time I was at rehearsal. Karyn was the one who told me about it.”

 

“Looks like we’re both out of luck in the relationship department.”

 

He smiled, “You sound like you think you’ll be alone forever.”

 

“I probably might.”

 

“I doubt that. You’re cute. Just get over your shyness and you’ll have guys lining up for you – if you don’t already, I mean.”

 

I smiled and bit my lip. He was doing it again.

 

He glanced over at my DVD collection near the wall. “Oh shit!” He screamed as he quickly crawled across the room. “You have Jurassic Park, let’s watch it!”

 

His excitement made him look a lot cuter than he already was.

 

“I’m going to pop it in.” He hastily turned on the TV and DVD player and started the movie. Then he sat back on the floor, leaning on the couch.

 

We watched the movie in silence. However, he was more involved with it than I was. A few minutes into the movie, I was looking at him again. Adoring all his features and letting our time together sink in. I never thought in a million years that I would be spending time like this with Joey Fatone. He even called me his friend.

 

Dr. Grant had just saved Tim from the tree when Joey turned to me. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” I repeated.

 

“JC and Lance and I are having a small get together tomorrow night at the hotel. It was originally just going to be us 3 and Karyn. But I’d really love for you to come.” He said softly.

 

“Sure, Joey.” I smiled.

 

“Can I call you Jaz?”

 

I nodded.

 

“Nice.” The corner of his mouth curled up as he turned back to watch the movie.

*******

I woke up to a dark living room and no Joey. I sat up frantically and turned on the light. The pizza box was still on the table, right next to our beer bottles, and Jurassic Park wasn’t in its usual spot so I knew that all that hadn’t been a dream.

 

I walked over to the kitchen and noticed that there was a note near the pizza.

 

Hey beautiful, I didn’t want to wake you. I got a cab back to the hotel. Thanks for today. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Joey

 

I clutched the note in my hand as feelings of excitement welled up inside of me. I’ve always had a crush on him but that was before I met him. I liked him for his looks and his voice. Now I was starting to actually really like him.

 

I let out a sigh to calm myself down. He was flirty but I doubt that he actually has any feelings for me. I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself. It’s just a small get together. Nothing fancy.

 

No matter how much I tried to get rid of the feelings I had for him, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I did have a chance with him.

The next morning, I was woken up by loud knocks on the door. Groggily, I covered my head under the sheets and turned to the side opposite the door. Going back to sleep last night was difficult granted that I fell asleep the whole day yesterday with Joey being the only other person in the room. I couldn’t believe how one would be able to sleep with their celebrity crush in the room. But I did it anyway.

 

The knocking got louder.

 

“Go away, Karyn.”

 

The knocking continued.

 

“Leave me alone, Karyn. I’m still mad at you for not telling me about Joey.”

 

Still, the knocking continued.

 

That’s it. I got up angrily and put on my robe and headed towards the door. I swung it open only to find Joey on the other side. My jaw dropped as I closed the front of my robe and yanked on the belt for good measure.

 

He was surprised also, probably because he wasn’t expecting to see that much of me. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t see much.” He apologized while covering his eyes with one of his hands.

 

“You could’ve at least responded when I called you Karyn twice. You can uncover your eyes now, I’ve covered up.” I rolled my eyes, a little annoyed.

 

He removed his hand to reveal his amazing brown eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t know what to say. Come on, there’s breakf—wooah!”

 

His gaze was focused behind me. I was confused at first until I realized what he was looking at. I slammed the door and locked it.

 

“Oh God!” I screamed. He saw my posters on the wall. This was the top of it, my embarrassment was through the roof.

 

I heard him laughing behind the door. “It’s okay, Jaz. It’s not like I’m unaware that my face is being sold in stores.”

 

I didn’t say anything.

 

“You know, it’s funny cause Karyn told me how much you were a fan but she neglected to tell me how insane you were.” He was still laughing.

Tears started to fall. I still didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.

 

“Jaz? Jaz, come on. It’s honestly no big deal. You know I’m just joking.”

 

He tried to open the door but failed since I had locked it. He started to knock again. “Jaz, please open the door. I’m sorry.”

 

I wiped my tears as best as I could and opened the door. “You know how hard it is try and be cool when you’re being all Mr. *NSYNC star over here?”

 

He raised his hands to cradle my face and wiped the remaining tears off of my face. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

 

I still didn’t know what to say but his touch admittedly made me feel so much better.

 

“Hey Joey, it’s not even noon yet and you’ve already made a girl cry!” A voice from the end of the hallway announced.

 

The tall blonde walked over to us and stuck his tongue out at Joey while Joey did the same. Then he turned to meet and stuck his right hand out, “Hi, I’m L—“

 

“Lance.” I finished as I shook his hand.

 

He smiled and gave me a hug. He smelled of syrup and waffles. “I apologize for my friend’s behavior. But I guess it’s a good thing you’re crying because now it doesn’t make what he woke up so early to do seem all that weird anymore.”

 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, looking back at Joey.

 

He shrugged, pretending to not know what Lance was talking about.

 

“Come on, JC’s itching to leave.” Lance said, turning around to lead us to the kitchen.

 

“JC’s here too?” I whispered to Joey.

 

My jaw dropped at what I saw when we got to the kitchen. JC was setting down a bowl of fruit on the dining table that was covered in all sorts of food: Eggs, waffles, and sausages. After wiping off his hands, he turned to us and waved.

 

“Hey, I overheard a little of what was happening back there so I’m guessing I don’t need to introduce myself.” He grinned. He was a lot handsomer in person.

 

JC walked over to the couch where Karyn was sitting and put his arm around her as he kissed her forehead. Looks like they hit it off just fine.

“Hey, girl.” Karyn waved, smugly.

 

“What’s going on?” I asked, ignoring her greeting.

 

Lance stepped in, “Joey woke all of us up to get all this food and bring it over here. I’ve never seen him cook so much. I wish he’d do this for us.”

 

I looked at Joey and he shrugged again.

 

“Someone must really like you,” Karyn joked.

 

“Alright, guys. Don’t you all have to be somewhere?”

 

“We do, actually.” JC quickly stood up, pulling Karyn with him.

 

“Drop me off at the hotel first, I want to sleep.” Lance said walking over to the front door. “Have fun, kiddos. We’ll see you later.”

 

With that, I watched them file out the door leaving me to be alone with Joey again.

 

“Come here.” Joey called over from the dining table.

 

The food looked delicious. I licked my lips, eyeing each plate and trying to decide what to eat first. Joey made the decision for me as he pulled out the seat in front of the waffles. I took a seat and saw that the waffles were covered in cinnamon and whipped cream.

 

“You see all that cinnamon?” He pointed out.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“It’s supposed to be sand.”

 

“Sand?”

 

“Mhm, it’s a Sandy Eggo!” He exclaimed while doing jazz hands. “You know, since you’re from San Diego? Get it?”

 

I tried to hold in my laughter as I took a bite but I couldn’t help it. He was pleased to see that his stupid joke made me nearly choke on the waffle.

 

“So what’s the occasion for all this?” I asked after washing the food down with a glass of milk.

 

“No reason.”

 

I looked at him sternly, “You sure?”

 

“You told me you like to have this stuff for breakfast. That’s it.”

 

I decided to drop the interrogation knowing that he probably wasn’t going to tell me. Also because the food was so good I wanted to focus on eating it. “Thank you,” I managed to say in between bites.

 

“Are you excited for tonight?” he asked.

 

“Well, I was… but you’re here now so that takes away from the excitement.”

 

He smiled, “You were excited to see me?”

 

“Duh.”

 

“Why? You’ve got me all over your walls.” He teased.

 

Annoyed and embarrassed, I pick up an orange from the bowl of fruit JC had put on the table earlier and threw it at him.

 

“Ow! Okay, I’m sorry. No need to get all violent. Is this how you treat your God?” He got up and looked at me mischievously.

 

“Shut up!” I threw another fruit at him but this time he wasn’t going to just stand there and do nothing.

 

He picked up a banana and tossed it. Pretty soon, syrup, whipped cream, waffles, and all sorts of breakfast food and dessert was stuck in our hair, painted on the walls, and tattooed onto our clothes.

 

“Look at what you’ve done.” I frowned, noticing how big of a mess it was.

 

“Me? You threw first!” He licked a part of his finger that had strawberry syrup on it, making my center feel twirly. I bit my lip, looking away from him.

 

“Come on, let’s clean this up.”

 

We spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon scrubbing at stains on the walls and picking food off ourselves that we didn’t realize that it was almost time to head to their hotel for the party.

 

“Damn, I should shower.”

 

“Want me to come with?” He smirked.

 

Part of me wanted to say yes but I knew that wasn’t the way to start whatever it was that Joey and I may or may not get into. I didn’t want to take the chance. I looked at him and I could see some of the strawberry syrup that was barely noticeable in his already red hair.

 

“No, but I’ll be quick. You need to clean up too. But you don’t have any clothes.”

 

He raised an eyebrow as if I had said something funny. “It’s alright. It’s mostly just my shirt, my jeans are black anyway. I’ll change when we get back to the hotel.”

 

“Alright.” I started walking back to my room, thinking about his question to come with me. It wasn’t fair how he teased me like that.

 

I yanked my belt and let my robe open a little so that the sleeve would fall off my shoulder a bit. I heard a soft groan behind me so I knew that I got him back.

 

Back at my room, I picked out a nice blue blouse, black leggings, and black boots to wear for the party. It was just going to be us 5 so I figured that I didn’t have to wear something that implied that I wanted a guy to come up to me. Plus, I was going to be with Joey. He was the only guy that I wanted to look good for and I don’t think he really cares about what I wear.

 

I walked back out and into the bathroom, stopping momentarily to look at Joey who was concentrated on finishing up the cleaning in the kitchen.

 

In the shower, it suddenly occurred to me that the breakfast idea could have been Karyn’s. Leaving us alone yesterday was definitely one of her plans so this morning could have also been one, and she even got Lance and JC to help out. I was a little disappointed to think so because that meant that it wasn’t Joey who thought of it. It would’ve been a really nice gesture.

 

Joey was done cleaning by the time I had finished taking a shower and changing clothes. As soon as he saw me, he stood up and started whistling. “You look really good.”

 

I didn’t try to hide my happiness so I curtsied and thanked him. “Shower is free. I put a towel in there for you.”

 

He walked down the hallway and as I took a seat on the couch he yelled, “Damn, how many posters do you have in here?!”

 

“Out!” I groaned.

 

I heard the door shut and the shower start. The kitchen was spotless. He did a good job cleaning up the last few bits. Thinking about this morning made my heart skip a beat. Just a few days ago, I was too scared to talk to him while today, I was comfortable enough to be throwing food.

 

I couldn’t help but wonder about his flirting, though. I knew he was the one in the group who was supposed to be Flirty Spice but how could I tell if he was being for real? I knew that his kindness was genuine but in terms of emotional relaying, I wasn’t so sure.

 

“Man, it feels good to be clean.” He walked into the living room with only jeans on, rubbing his hair with the towel. His body was glistening with the remaining drops of water he had yet to wipe off.

 

I let out a soft moan, hoped to God that it was quiet enough, then quickly turned away when I saw that he started to wipe off his body. He took a seat next to me afterwards. The smell of my Peach Passion and Orange Citrus soap was radiating off of him. I had to force myself to not lean in and smell him more.

 

“Where’s your shirt?” I asked, staring straight ahead.

 

“I left it drying on the sink in the bathroom. I hope that’s cool with you.”

 

I could see him looking at me in my peripherals so it made me feel like the side of my body he was on was burning. “I’ll call a cab so we can get to the hotel.” I picked up the phone and asked for a cab to pick us up.

 

After getting off the phone, it was back to the quiet, awkward situation we’ve been having a lot of.

 

“Bunny slippers.” He blurted out.

 

“What?” I asked, suddenly looking at him. I regretted it soon enough because I couldn’t help but glance over his shirtless body.

 

“I wear bunny slippers when I’m relaxing by myself or with the guys.”

 

“Oh… kay? Why are you telling me this?”

 

“I want you to know that I’m not one of those celebrity guys who try to spend every minute of every day caring about how they look.”

 

“Huh. Why do you want me to know?”

 

“Your opinion’s important to me.” He expressed candidly.

 

Our eyes locked and it seemed like we didn’t say anything for a few minutes until he blurted out another piece of information, “I hate groupies.”

 

“Oh really?” I gave up not trying to look at him and took this as an opportunity to try and remember what he looked like shirtless.

 

“Yeah. I love my fans, of course. But I just hate when some girls just throw themselves at me. Yes, they’re pretty and all but I think it’s a turn off when they think I’ll sleep with anything that walks.” He shivered.

 

“That’s good to know,” I smiled.

 

Suddenly we heard a honk outside. It must’ve been the cab. As we walked out the door, I realized that this was going to be the second time I was going to be out in public with him and the first time that I was going to be partying with him.

 

A streak of nervousness shot right through me as we got into the cab.

 

*******

 

“Woah there, tiger. Where’s your shirt?” Lance and Karyn said in unison as we walked into the hotel suite.

 

My eyes widened as I saw that there was definitely more than just us 5 in the room. I didn’t know any of these people.

 

“It got a little messy back at the apartment.” Joey explained, winking at me.

 

“Ooh, naughty.” Karyn giggled.

 

“It’s not like that.” I said, brushing it off. “I thought it was just going to be us.”

 

“Johnny tried to surprise us. He said that we should be having fun and partying so here it is.” Lance groaned.

 

“Damn, how is it going to be fun if we’re going to spend the rest of the night trying to get acquainted with these people?” Joey frowned.

 

“Karyn, can I talk to you?” I said, pulling her to the side.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“I think I’ve forgiven you about not telling me about Joey. But I honestly don’t know where this is going between us.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been telling him to do a few things. I’m sure you guys will kick it off tonight.”

 

“I don’t want things to get weird between us if it doesn’t work out.”

 

“Joey’s not one to break up friendships over spilled milk. It’ll be fine.”

 

Just then, JC came out of nowhere and kissed Karyn on the cheek. “Hey babe, let’s go get a drink.”

 

“See you, Jasmine.”

 

I turned around and saw Lance waving his arm, motioning for me to join him across the room. Squeezing my way through the dancing strangers, it took me a while to finally get to him.

 

“Care for a drink? It’s Sangria.” He offered.

 

“Thanks. Where’s Joey?”

 

“He’s in the bathroom, changing his clothes.”

 

I nodded and took a sip of my drink.

 

“He’s really fond of you. I’ve never seen him work so hard to make anyone breakfast before.” Lance laughed, also taking a sip of his Sangria.

 

“Can you be honest with me?”

 

Lance raised his eyebrows. “What’s up?”

 

I let out a deep breath, trying to figure out how to phrase my question. “Do you think he’s really into me or do you think he’s just being… Joey?”

 

Lance chuckled. “I haven’t seen you two enough to really answer that question.”

 

“But does he say anything about what he feels? Like this morning, when he got you guys to do all that stuff. Didn’t he say anything at all?”

 

He took another sip of his drink, put the glass down, and held my hands. “Joey’s not the type of guy to really tell us things like that. I think there’s still a lot you need to learn about him before you start freaking out about your status. Come on, you need to relax. Let’s dance.”

 

He led me towards the middle of the room and coerced me to dance with him. I wanted to ask more but I figured that Lance was going to avoid every question I had so I danced along with him. We danced to so many songs that I nearly fell a few times. Eventually, I became too tired to keep up with Lance that he had to follow me to the drinks to make sure I wasn’t going to pass out.

 

“You were pretty crazy back there.” Lance laughed.

 

“Thanks, you weren’t so bad yourself.” I managed to say while trying to catch my breath.

 

Lance poured me a drink. “I’ll bet Joey was getting jealous.”

 

Suddenly, I realized that I hadn’t seen Joey all night. “Where is he, actually?”

 

Lance and I searched the suite for a guy with flame-red hair but we couldn’t find him anywhere.

 

“That’s weird, I just saw him a while ago.” Lance said, still eyeing the crowd. “Wait, there!”

 

He pointed at Joey’s crimson locks but we couldn’t see what he was doing with all the people in the way. I thanked Lance and made my way through the crowd to Joey. As I came closer, I saw that Joey was leaning against the wall, a beer in one hand, and a brunette in another. She was leaning against him, she might as well should have been glued to him.

 

The tip of her finger traced the border of his facial hair while they spoke. Joey looked smug, repeatedly taking sips from his beer. The brunette was leaning in closer, barely listening to what he was saying. They were both laughing, enjoying each other’s company as I stood there, frozen, feeling sick to my stomach.

 

I didn’t want her so close to him. Scenarios played through my head where I would yank her off of him, telling her to fuck off, then I would take him outside and never let him go. I don’t know why I was feeling this way. Joey and I weren’t anything. We’re just friends. I barely met him two days ago so I had no right to feel this way while the girl had all the right in the world to be that close to him. Touching him in ways that I wish I could.

 

When I finally made up my mind to turn back and leave, the song changed to I Want You Back and the crowd went wild. Jumping up and down and shoving each other. I tried to make my way to the door but was taken aback by the wave of dancers. I lost my footing and stumbled backwards onto the floor and hit my head against the wall.

 

“Jasmine!” I heard Joey yell. “Are you alright?!”

 

He helped me up while the girl looked at me irritatingly. “I’m fine,” I said.

 

“Are you sure? I’ll go get some ice.”

 

I watched him run off to the fridge to grab some ice. I couldn't wait for him to come back, I wanted to go home. I was out the door before he could return. There was no way I could explain to him what I was feeling when I saw that girl on him and I was nowhere near ready to try and clarify it for him.

I cried the whole cab ride back to my apartment. I felt awful for leaving but I couldn’t bear to stay any longer while I watched different girls drool over Joey. My thoughts were all over the place: thinking about what to say to Karyn and Joey if they asked me why I ran off, thinking about why I was acting so stupid when I had no right to, thinking about if me and Joey even had a real shot at whatever this was.

 

A small part of me wanted to believe that Joey and I could be a thing but an even bigger part knew that it would nearly be impossible. Joey was famous and he most likely won’t have any time for me. I can’t look to Karyn and JC for hope because they’re probably just a short fling. I didn’t want that with Joey. If I did get with him, I wanted it to be something that would last.

 

I walked into my apartment feeling like a hopeless loser. I plopped onto the couch and immediately started thinking about all the different ways I could avoid Joey so I wouldn’t have to explain anything to him. Suddenly, the phone rang.

 

“Hello?” I answered.

 

“Jasmine, what happened? Are you alright? Joey’s been looking for you.” It was a little hard to here Karyn with all the music in the background but the concerned tone in her voice was clear.

 

“Tell him I’m fine and that he doesn’t have to look for me.”

 

There was a short pause before she could answer. “Too late, hun. I think he’s on his way over there.”

 

“Shit.” I cursed.

 

“Jaz, don’t try to run away from him. Whatever your issue is, just talk to him about it. I’m sure he’ll understand. I really wish you’d tell me what’s going on, though.”

 

“I said I’m fine, Karyn. I’m okay. How long ago did he leave?” I knew she knew I was lying but I didn’t care enough to convince her at the moment. Joey was on his way to the apartment and I had to be ready.

 

“Nearly 10 minutes ago, probably. Look Jaz, if you don’t want to tell me right now that’s fine. I’ll be home late but I expect you to tell me in the morning, alright?”

 

“Yes, mom.” I replied and hung up the phone.

 

Joey was going to be here any minute. Our apartment wasn’t too far from his hotel so I knew that if I tried to leave now, I’d probably run into him. I waited nervously for him on the couch. My fists were clenched while images of that girl being all over him replayed in my mind. I had to slap myself a few times to get myself to stop thinking about it.

 

Footsteps coming up the stairs in the hallway interrupted the silence. The steps came closer and stopped in front of the door. I heard a knock. “Jaz, are you in there?”

 

I had the lights off, hoping that if I didn’t say anything, he’d think I wasn’t home.

 

He knocked again. “Jasmine, please open the door. What happened?”

 

I let out a deep breath before I stood up and carefully walked towards the door, still unsure of whether or not I was going to open the door.

 

“I’m not leaving until you open the door.” He stopped knocking and I tried to listen for his footsteps as a sign of him walking away.

 

It was no use; he was still there. I heard him clear his throat. I opened the door to his stern but worried expression. He walked in without saying anything as I watched him walk towards the couch.

 

He watched me close the door as he waited patiently for me to follow him to the couch. I sat next to him and tried avoid eye contact. Something that I’ve been getting really good at since I’ve met him.

 

“How’s your head?” He lightly patted the spot on the back of my head to check for any bumps.

 

“It’s fine.” His touch really calmed me down.

 

“Why’d you leave?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me irritatingly. “You really need to start telling me things. Ever since I’ve met you, you’ve always been trying to avoid conversations or giving me short answers. I don’t know what your problem is but I’ve been trying my best to get to know you and I’m not expecting anything but I think it would be nice if you would just tell me this one thing on your mind.” His concern turned into anger.

 

I looked at him sheepishly. I didn’t realize that he noticed my attempts at avoiding him and now that I know he did, I felt worse. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Now, will you please tell me?”

 

I took a moment to consider what would happen if I told him what was on my mind. But seeing that he probably wasn’t going to take my crap this time, I opened my mouth to ramble. “I honestly don’t know why I’m acting like this. I think everything’s just happening too fast. I mean, I’ve always had a huge crush on you even way before I met you. So when we finally met, it was a surreal thing for me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would get to meet you. In these past few days we’ve had two meals, watched a movie together, you made breakfast for me, had a food fight, and went to a party. I’ve been trying to avoid this but I think I’m just going to say it: I like you. I mean I really like you. It scares me to think that this is just a lost cause.”

 

The anger left his eyes as he let out a sigh. “See, that wasn’t too bad.” He smiled.

 

I looked at him, confused.

 

“Why do you think I’ve been trying to get so close to you?”

 

I shrugged.

 

“I like you, too.”

 

“What about that girl at the party? You seemed to like her too.”

 

“Honestly, I drank a lot. I’m also still a little intoxicated. But if there’s one thing I can tell you for sure is that I don’t like her and I definitely do like you.”

 

I knew that I should’ve been feeling enlightened to hear that he was feeling the same. But there was something in the back of my mind telling me that there was still something wrong. He started to scoot closer to me but I scooted back. “Sorry, but how is this going to work?”

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“This. I’m me and you’re you. I’m boring and you’re cool. I’m poor and you’re rich.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed and his lips were pursed. Looking at the floor, he let out a sigh. “Jasmine… I’ve been telling you the most random things about me because of this exact thing. I’m just a guy. You shouldn’t be worrying about how you’re going to be with me.”

 

“But you’re not JUST a guy. You’re a freaking celebrity! I don’t think you’d enjoy dating me if National Inquirer made up all these bizarre stories about us being together.”

 

He rolled his eyes and for once, he was trying not to look at me. “You’re right, I’m more than just a guy. But I’m also more than just a celebrity.”

 

I chose not to speak. I suddenly realized that I was hurting him. The tone of his voice was somber. We both sat in the darkness of my apartment not saying a word to each other. I felt a heaviness take over my chest and I immediately regretted saying those things to him.

 

“I’m not just some cool, rich, celebrity Jasmine. I was a regular guy before all this. I was a regular guy with feelings. I dated regular girls. I love my bunny slippers and I hate groupies. I love watching movies and I love doing sweet things to impress a girl that I like. Do you remember that girl I told you about?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“She slept with my friend because she figured that I’d find someone else; someone famous to replace her. The whole celebrity thing got stuck in her head so she figured she’d take it upon herself to have someone else before I ‘replaced’ her.”

 

I felt like the stupidest girl in the world. “I’m sorry, Joey.”

 

“I really loved her but she didn’t see that.” He was looking at me now. His expression was different, one that I haven’t seen on him before.

 

I didn’t know what to say, it was hurting me to see him like that. “Joey I—.”

 

He stood up and looked back at me. “If you’re going to let the status of my life get in the way, then I don’t think it’ll work.”

 

My heart dropped to my stomach. I quickly stood up, wanting to say something but I still didn’t have any words. He stared at me as I desperately tried to think of something to say. Moments passed and I still didn’t say anything.

 

He let out a sigh as he came closer and kissed my forehead. “I’m gonna go now, Jaz.”

 

My feet were planted on the ground and my lips were sewed shut. I said nothing as I watched him walk out the door and leave me in the darkness of my apartment. I listened as the echoing sound of his footsteps walking down the stairs faded away.

“Wow, you really screwed that one up.” Karyn really knew how to make me feel worse.

 

“How can you do it? How can you date JC and not freak out about who he is?”

 

Karyn tapped a finger to her chin, “Oh, I don’t know… maybe it’s because one of my good friends is a celebrity so I’m used to it?”

 

I rolled my eyes and stuffed my face into my pillow. I haven’t seen or spoken to Joey for a few days since the night of the party. I groaned as I thought about what I had said to him and how stupid it must’ve sounded.

 

I felt the bed shift as Karyn sat on the edge of it. “Look sweetheart, you messed up. But I think Joey also had some fault since he was letting that girl melt all over him. If you ask me, if he really did like you, I don’t know why he was entertaining her in the first place.”

 

Speaking into my pillow, “I was thinking that too!”

 

“But…”

 

“But what?” I rolled over to face her.

 

“I think what you did to Joey was worse. You assumed the unnecessary and decided upon the fate of your would-be relationship before it even started. You automatically thought that Joey wasn’t going to have time to treat you right just because he’s a celebrity. That’s a big mistake on your part.” Karyn explained.

 

I was starting to get irritated. She was only telling me things that I already knew and I wasn’t ready to be re-told of my stupidity. I was getting ready to shoo her out the door until she started to speak again, “Joey’s a really sweet guy. I was there when his girlfriend cheated on him with Theo. He loved her like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t want to tell him about it but I had to, of course. It broke him. Took him a while to recover but now he’s super cautious about starting relationships.”

 

I was feeling worse.

 

“I spoke to him the day after the party and he told me everything that’s happened between you guys since Disneyland. You should know that him telling you random stuff and making you breakfast were all his ideas. I just found out he didn’t take any of my advice on how to get with you.”

 

Sitting up, I looked at her in disbelief. All this time I thought that everything Joey was doing was because of what she was telling him to do. “Are you sure?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, that’s what he told me. I haven’t seen him try this hard in such a long time. He was really into you.”

 

“WAS? Do you think I screwed up enough for him to just forget about me?” My body felt weak. I didn’t want to completely lose Joey.

 

“You should go see him.” Karyn stood up and left the room.

 

As soon as she shut the door I got dressed and ran out of the apartment. It took me a while trying to get a cab but as soon as I got in one, I immediately starting to think of all the different ways I could apologize to him. I was out of line and I should have been more open to him. I wasn’t even sure if he was at the hotel or out doing something with JC and Lance.

 

We haven’t spoken in days so I only wished that he would be willing to talk to me. The ride to the hotel took longer than ever. By the time I reached the suite, I was out of breath from running through the lobby and hallway to get there.

 

I paused in front of the door to their suite. I still couldn’t decide on how to apologize. I didn’t know what to say but I knew I was sorry. I let out a breath and raised my fist to knock when suddenly I felt someone come up behind me. It was Joey.

 

We stood there, looking at each other. In one hand was a plate of donuts while the other hand was casually rested in his pocket. He continued to stare at me blankly as he finished chewing the remains of donut. The roots of his dark hair were starting to show underneath his red hair. I’d forgotten how great he looked.

 

He took his free hand out of his pocket and handed me a donut from the plate. “Have you eaten yet?”

 

“No, but I don’t think I can eat yet. Can we talk?”

 

Joey put the donut back on the plate and walked passed me to open the door. He walked straight in and set the donuts on the kitchen counter before opening the fridge to look for something to drink. I wasn’t sure when to start talking or if I should wait for him to say something first.

 

There was no emotion in his eyes. His movements were nonchalant and he acted as if nothing happened. I was beginning to think that he’d moved on and I was just a fool who was hoping for something big to happen. I stood there motionless waiting for him to acknowledge me again.

 

He turned to look at me after putting his glass in the sink. Placing his hands on the counter, he learned over and locked eyes with me. “JC and Lance are still out getting breakfast. What’s up?” He raised an eyebrow.

 

His blasé tone hurt me but I stood my ground. “I just… I just wanted to apologize for what happened the other night and for everything else that I did before that.”

 

He bit his lip as he stared at the counter. “Do you even know what it is exactly that you’re apologizing for?”

 

“I’m apologizing for assuming things about you without taking the time to actually get to know you first. I’m sorry that I thought that you were too good for me. I’m sorry that I automatically assumed that we couldn’t be friends… or more than friends just because you’re a singer. I’m sorry for not opening up to you. And lastly, I apologize for not giving you a chance.” My voice was starting to crack as my ill feelings started to creep up on me. “I’m really sorry, Joey.”

 

“Well damn…” he had an impish grin on his face.

 

“Why are you smiling?”

 

“I didn’t think I mattered enough for you to come up here.”

 

He was still smiling so I didn’t know what else to say but to apologize again. “I’m sorry, Joey. Will you forgive me?”

 

“I don’t know, that depends.”

 

“What do you mean?” I asked.

 

“It depends on how you answer my next question.” He walked in front of me and crossed his arms.

 

“Shoot.”

 

“Did you rehearse that in front of all your posters of me?” He laughed.

 

I shoved him as I suddenly felt the heaviness lift from my shoulders. “Asshole!”

 

“So is that a yes?”

 

“No!” I shoved him again but this time he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me into a bear tight hug.

 

I hugged him back tightly. He smelled so good that I thought I was going to melt into a huge puddle. I didn’t want to let go of him.

 

“I forgive you.” He said softly.

“Well, what’s this?” Lance and JC walked into the suite.

 

Joey let go of me and turned to his friends. “We made up.”

 

“Hm, so are you guys dating now?” JC nodded.

 

Lance winked at me as I blushed. Joey smiled while he looked at me “Do you think you’re up to dating a celebrity?”

 

I felt like I was going to explode trying so hard to not jump up and down. “I think so.”

 

He put his arm back around me “Great. Hey guys, meet my new girlfriend. She has loads of pictures of me on her walls. She’s a little obsessed.”

 

JC and Lance laughed as they both sat on the couch. Joey kissed me on the forehead before turning to me again. “What?” I asked.

 

“Wanna see my bunny slippers?” He grinned.

 

“Sure, Joey.” I snorted as he ran towards the bed and pulled out a pair of pink bunny slippers.

 

The excitement on his face while he put them on and ran back to me was hilarious. He looked like a little kid.

 

“Joey I have to tell you something.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I don’t like the color pink.”

 

“Huh. Would you look at that? You’re finally opening up to me. So you don’t like the slippers then?” He frowned.

 

“They’re appalling.”

 

We both laughed as I started to open up to him more. He was listening to everything I had to say. Joey was definitely more than just a celebrity and I was lucky enough to be his girlfriend.