Chapter Four
(Wednesday, October 9th, 7:30 p.m.)
Laurie Benton sighed as she watched her boyfriend of two years, Steven Fatone; flirt openly with the hostess of the restaurant. She usually ignored the constant flirting - she knew Steve loved her, and she also knew it came with the territory. Being the brother of a superstar, she was used to Steve being recognized almost as much as his little brother, Joey, and she never had a problem with the recognition. She did have a problem with the girls who openly threw themselves at Steve, usually right in front of Laurie. It never ceased to amaze her: those girls who would do anything to meet *N SYNC, anything to achieve fifteen minutes of fame, a few moments of celebrity. And Steve knew that’s all those girls ever wanted, but his friendly nature and flirty personality couldn’t be held back.
“Wow … I can’t believe you’re really related to Joey!” The hostess gushed, running her fingers up and down Steve’s arm. “So what’s it like? Do you ever get jealous?”
“No, can’t say that I do,” Steve chuckled. “What’s your name?”
“Jennifer,” the girl sighed.
"That’s a beautiful name,” Steve smiled the killer Fatone smile. Finally exasperated, Laurie made her presence known by clearing her throat loudly. “Oh, hey baby!”
“Hi, Steve. Is there a problem with our reservation?” Laurie asked sweetly, taking off her coat to reveal a slinky black dress, knowing the effect it would have on Steve.
“No, no problems.” He swallowed hard at the sight of Laurie in the dress. “You look amazing.” He pulled her close and kissed her softly.
Laurie felt her anger melting as she looked into Steve’s warm brown eyes.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I’m late, I had some work that needed to be finished at the studio.” Laurie explained, as they were led to their table.
“JC keeping late hours again?” Steve asked, rolling his eyes.
“You know him, always working. I keep telling him he’s on a vacation, but …” Laurie grinned, shaking her head. Laurie had been best friends with Joshua Chasez since they had both been eight years old. She knew him better than anyone, and he knew her just as well. When *N SYNC had begun their rise to the top, JC asked Laurie to come along on the first tour, and now she worked directly with JC, as one of his personal assistants. Sometimes it was strange, working for her best friend, but Laurie loved her job, and loved being able to see not only JC, but Steve as well. JC had actually been instrumental in their relationship, setting them up, and along with Joey, had pushed Laurie and Steve together. Laurie had never been happier, she loved Steve with all her heart, and they had a great relationship, and a lot of fun together. She was grateful for the vacation that had just started, the first leg of the tour had ended, and there would be a break until January, giving everyone a chance to relax.
“Have you talked to Joey today?” Laurie wondered. “How did his first day of classes go?”
“I only got to talk to him for a minute, he was getting ready to work on a project with some girl from his class - he seemed really excited.” Steve answered.
“About the project, or the girl?” Laurie laughed.
*********
JC Chasez entered the house he shared with his girlfriend, smiling when he saw candles lit and heard soft music playing. He set down the stack of papers he had been carrying and headed into the living room to investigate. Smelling the aroma of chocolate wafting from the kitchen, he quietly opened the door, grinning when his eyes landed on Natalie, who had her back turned to him as she melted chocolate on the double boiler. Silently, he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the nape of her neck. “Hello love,” He purred, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Hi baby,” Natalie smiled, turning around to face him. “I was wondering what was keeping you.”
“I got inspired and I wanted to lay down some tracks before I left. I made Laurie late for dinner with Steve, but it was worth it. I’ve had this melody stuck in my head for weeks.” JC explained. His eyes traveled over the melting chocolate, a bowl of strawberries, and a bottle of champagne. “And just what do you have planned?”
“Well, in honor of your first night home, I thought we could do a little celebrating,” Natalie suggested, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“It’s been so long since it was just the two of us …” She kissed JC gently, and his arms wrapped around her as the kiss deepened, causing them both to moan with the longing they both felt.
“You’re right, it’s been too long.” JC’s eyes twinkled with passion, and they moved the food and drink into the living room.
*************
Laurie and Steve lingered over dinner, enjoying each other's company and relishing the thought that there was nowhere they needed to be, nothing to rush off to. It had been so long since the two of them had had an evening all to themselves with no interruptions, and Laurie was grateful for the opportunity. She was just about to ask Steve about ordering dessert when a girl approached the table.
"Excuse me, but are you Steve Fatone?" The girl looked about nineteen or twenty, with a look of determination on her face.
"Yes, that would be me." Steve smiled. "Can I do something for you?"
"Not at the moment," she shot Laurie a dirty look. "But call me, and I'll be able to tell you all about what I can do for you." She handed Steve a folded piece of paper, waved coyly, and strutted away.
Laurie stared after the girl in amazement. "Can you believe the nerve …" She looked at Steve, who was watching as the girl sauntered off, a familiar twinkle in his eyes. "Oh … not again."
"What? Did you say something?" Steve turned around to face Laurie, the paper still clutched in his hand.
"I'm right here, for Christ's sake!" Laurie seethed, anger flushing her cheeks. "You could at least wait until we're not together to have your little fantasies about a groupie!"
"Laur … I'm sorry …" Steve sputtered.
"Just save it, Steve! I'm tired of this - I'm leaving." Laurie stood up from the table, and grabbing her coat and purse, headed out of the restaurant.
***************
"JC? Where are you?" Natalie called out from the bedroom they shared. She had been waiting patiently for over thirty minutes, and JC had sworn he'd be right back. But the minutes ticked by, the lit candles burned low, and the magic of the evening had started to wear thin.
"I'm in the music room," JC answered as he scribbled lyrics in his notebook. He had meant to only be a few moments, but an inspiration had struck him suddenly, and he needed to get the ideas and words onto paper before they were forgotten.
Natalie blew out the candles and changed quickly out of the lacy nightgown she had been wearing. Her anger grew as she threw clothing and personal items into a suitcase. She knew how important she was to JC, but she was tired of always taking the back seat - to the group, to his writing, to the fans - she hardly felt like she even existed to him on a day-to-day basis. After one last look around the bedroom she had shared with JC for six months, she picked up her suitcases and walked downstairs. Natalie heard the sounds of JC's keyboard coming from his music room, and headed in that direction.
JC could feel someone's eyes on him, and he looked up from his keyboard. "Nat? Baby, what's wrong?" The look on her face scared him; he had never seen her look that way at him before.
"I'm leaving, Josh." The simple words broke her heart, but she couldn't keep living like this. The pain she saw in his eyes was reflected in her own, and she had to turn away.
"But … why?" JC asked in disbelief.
"I can't keep living like this, JC. I need to feel like I'm an important part of your life, not just someone you fit in when you can. I'll be at my sister’s … call me when you've figured out what you want." And with that, Natalie walked out.
*************
Laurie drove around Orlando aimlessly, the tears making it difficult for her to see the road. Unconsciously, she had made her way to JC's house, and now sat in the driveway, unsure of what to do.
JC's heart was breaking. What had he done? Had he really left Natalie out, had he really been ignoring her? He stared at the lyrics before him, he had poured his heart out on the paper, and it showed.
I don't know when we fell apart
The love that we had was like a work of art
I used to see heaven in your eyes
Now angels have fallen from your skies
The things we said were so wrong
And I haven't held you for so long
My foolish pride turns me inside
Why did we tell all those lies?
If you can reach for the phone
You don't have to be alone
Outside the winter seems so cold
Your heart is frozen like the snow
And there's no one home to keep you safe and warm
Your eyes are red because you've cried
You fell asleep by the fireside
But there's one thing you should know
On this Christmas, baby, you don't have to be alone
JC was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a knock sound on the front door. He ran quickly to answer it, his heart racing, praying it was Natalie. He opened the door to reveal Laurie, standing before him with tears streaming down her face. "Laur? What's wrong?"
"JC …" Laurie cried, collapsing in sobs on his chest. "Steve and I had a horrible fight. Can I please come in?"
"Of course." JC kissed her forehead and lead her inside.
