“Ma! We’re heading out!” Justin’s voice boomed from the bottom of the stairs, standing not too far from Val’s bedroom doorway. It was poor Evan’s screech that acknowledged his declaration, and Justin winced. Letting his head drop in shame, he turned from the staircase and sneaked his head into Val’s bedroom.
With a pained expression, his expression matched that on Val’s face as she cradled Evan’s infant body close. Her shoulders rose as her chest expanded with a deep sigh as she gently bounced Evan, his wails ringing in their ears.
“I’m so sorry!” Justin quickly apologized. Standing in the doorway, the ground could’ve opened up and ate him whole. The embarrassment he felt for waking the infant was indescribable.
“He’d just fallen asleep, so he’ll be down in a bit again. No worries, go on,” she tried assuring him, but her distress was well played out on her face. The past two days had been rough on her with Evan. His incessant crying really working on her already frayed nerves. Lynn had been nothing but wonderful helping her calm him down, and eventually, he’d tire out from all the crying and fall asleep. Besides his crying, not a pin drop was heard throughout the Tennessee home.
“Are you sure? I can go get mama or I can try to sing him to sleep like…” his rambling was interrupted by the car’s horn blaring from the front driveway. Trace, Rachel, Justin, JC, and some other people were all heading to Memphis for a night out. And, like always, they all waited on Justin to make his grand departure.
“Go, Justin. Please. Enjoy yourself,” the strain in her voice alerted him that she was near her boiling point, so he backed away. Giving her one last apologetic look, he softly closed the bedroom door and Evan’s piercing cries were immediately muffled. But, the stab of his cries in Justin’s chest did not dull. Grabbing his keys from the foyer table, he stepped outside into the dark and cool summer night. Locking his parents’ front door, he walked down to the street where Trace and the gang waited for him in the SUV.
“What took you so long, punk?” Trace questioned, peeling from the roadside before Justin could close his door.
“Watch it, bitch! Can I at least get my feet in before you hit the gas?” Justin exclaimed, quickly folding his body into the back seat and shutting the door. Laughing him off, Trace expertly maneuvered the car through the back roads and onto the interstate.
“I feel like shit, dude. I was telling mama that we were leaving, and I woke up Evan,” Justin winced, as if re-hearing the piercing wails that the tiny baby boy emitted.
“Good going, shithead,” Rachel remarked, reaching her hand from the back row to softly smack Justin’s head. He shooed her hands away, not needing her to add to the guilt he felt.
“I don’t need any comments from the peanut gallery, Rach,” he grumbled, shifting in his seat.
“He’s been very fussy for like two days now,” JC pointed out, thinking to the developing bags under Val’s usually-bright eyes.
“Colics…Aunt Lynn says they last until he’s at least three months,” Rachel pointed out, shaking her head.
“Val better get used to it then,” Nick mumbled, shrugging his shoulder and looking out the window.
“You’re so insensitive…” JC grumbled, feeling sympathy towards Val. She was young, and she was a new mother. The stress of all the new responsibilities had to weigh significantly on her shoulders. And, he couldn’t imagine how being away from home and surrounded by strangers was affecting her situation. He knew that they were all trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible; Lynn, Paul, Justin, and the whole family were possibly the greatest people to welcome someone in. He knew this from experience. The family had welcomed the guys so many years ago, and to this day, everyone was still considered extended family.
“And you’re so grumpy,” Nick retorted, breaking through JC’s thought haze. He saw the playful smirk on Nick’s face, and he just rolled his eyes in his direction. Settling back into his seat, a soft murmur enveloped the car’s interior with side conversations. The bright, colorful lights of the city began to cast a soft glow across his chiseled face, adding a twinkle to his azure orbs.
“Where are we going?” Rachel asked as she readjusted her boots over her jeans.
“152” Trace, Nick, and Justin all replied simultaneously. Rolling her eyes, Rachel sighed and leaned back in her seat. She was genuinely hoping that they were heading to a small bar, like Bobcat’s or Fargo’s just for drinks. She wasn’t expecting to go to the multi-level nightclub, but she’d have to deal.
“I find solace in the best dancer of the group, right Jace?” she teased, knowing Justin and Nick would be outraged by her comment. Smirking, JC waited for their outburst.
“What the hell, Rach?” Nick and Justin exclaimed, drawing chuckles from the other occupants as the SUV rolled to a stop in a parallel parking space. Giggling the group climbed out the car, and headed towards the nightclub.
“Party!” Trace chanted as they neared the entrance to the club. Justin made eye contact with the bouncer, and with a nod of his head, the group was waved in past the waiting line. Making their way inside, they walked into the first floor with the stage set to the further right. It was nearing ten at night, and the crowds were quickly growing. Within the hour, the second floor would open up and at midnight, the third floor would finally open. The group steadily made its way upward as the night progressed, indulging in alcohol, partaking in a few games of pool, and of course, dancing.
“A toast!” a heavily inebriated Trace announced, holding up his shot glass of tequila. Looking around to the group surrounding him, his glassy eyes twinkled with mischief.
“What are we celebrating?” Justin asked, reaching for a shot from the table’s center.
“To not having kids…¡Salud!” he exclaimed and tossed it back, without anyone following his lead.
“What a dick!” Rachel snorted, slapping him upside his head before tipping her shot back.
“To this dick!” the others chanted, and tossed back their drinks. As they all dealt with the liquor’s burn, Trace pouted and rubbed the offended spot on his head.
####
“Shh!” with an exaggerated whisper, Justin hushed JC as they walked through his parents’ front door. JC shook his head in dismay, stifling a small chuckle as he followed him. Locking the door behind him, he shooed Justin away to head to bed. Justin held his hand up in a wave and stumbled loudly up the stairs without another word. He stood at the foot of the stairs making sure that Justin made it to the top safely before turning to go into the kitchen. As he walked down the foyer towards the kitchen, he saw a soft glow coming from the room. Figuring Lynn had left a light for them, he shrugged it off.
“Oh! Hey, what are you doing up?” he asked, recovering from the slight shock of seeing Val awake and sitting at the breakfast nook with a mug in front of her. Nuzzled against her, Evan lain peacefully in the cream cotton rebozo sling that hung from her shoulders. Her eyes were not as bright as they usually were, letting him know that she was exhausted.
“Hey…didn’t mean to startle you. Evan woke up for a feeding, and I just settled here for a little while, making sure he stays asleep,” she replied, her voice soft and tired.
“Well, I’ll keep you some company. I’m just going to grab a quick snack,” he announced, making his way towards the pantry. Working quietly and quickly, he fixed a sandwich with a glass of milk and sat down across from her.
“Has he been doing better?” he asked before taking a bite of his sandwich. Val raised her eyes from Evan’s, and she sighed.
“Yeah, he fell asleep not long after you guys left, and just woke up to feed. I hope his colics settle a little quicker. Lynn told me they can last a few days, weeks, or months. For both of our sake, I hope it won’t take that long,” she replied, keeping her voice soft to make sure that Evan remained asleep. “Did y’all have a good time?”
“Yeah, it’s always a good time with those fools,” he chuckled, shaking his head thinking of the night’s antics. It was always a better night out on the town when he was away from the prying eyes of Hollywood. And, Memphis always treated him well. “Justin felt horrible about being so loud before he left that he came in all loud trying to keep me quiet.”
“Oh, bless his heart,” she breathed, bringing a hand to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.
“He’s a funny drunk,” JC shrugged, taking another large bite of his sandwich.
“Happy drunks at night are lousy drunks in the morning,” she lamented with a sad shake of her head, causing JC to nearly choke on his food.
“Oh that was cute,” he choked, pointing at her before wiping his mouth with a paper towel. Arching an eyebrow, Val silently questioned his statement.
“Your expression was just cute. He’ll be alright. He’ll toss a pair of Advil back, and be set to go. Or at least, he better be. We’re supposed to go in to the studio at 9.”
“Oh well, you should probably get to sleep, then?” Val stated, genuinely concerned.
“Are you trying to rush me off?” JC asked, finishing off his glass of milk and standing up to walk his dishes to the sink. Running some water over them, he walked back to the little table.
“Oh no, not at all, I was just saying since it’s going on 3 in the morning,” Val stuttered, checking the green-hued numbers telling the time on the microwave.
“Are you heading to bed now?” JC questioned, keeping his gaze on her steady. Shaking her head, she couldn’t take her eyes away from him.
“Then, I’ll wait up with you. We can talk, get to know each other,” he reasoned feeling this magnetic pull drawing him to her. He wanted to know more about her – everything about her. She’d been in their lives for about a week now, and besides the minimal conversation, they hadn’t conversed in depth.
“What do you want to know?” she questioned, knowing that he knew all the basics. During the surprise baby shower, everyone had tried to get to know as much as possible of her. And, well, she’d been a fan during their NSYNC days to know more about him than he was probably comfortable with.
“What do you do back in Franklin? School, work?” he inquired, taking a seat across from her once more. She readjusted the sling’s strap on her shoulder before opening her mouth to respond.
“Well, I finished school last month at Vanderbilt and I worked as a part-time assistant paralegal before being forced by my boss to take off because of the pregnancy,” she replied.
“Wow, so you worked and studied. Must've been a workload to manage. I think that is one of the things that I most…not necessarily regret, but wish I would’ve have done. So you’ve had your graduation already?”
“No, the ceremony will be August 9th, so I’m a bit excited. I first thought I wouldn’t be able to attend since Evan was due around that time, but now, no baby bump!” she laughed, thankful that she wouldn’t miss out on her graduation.
“What did you study?” JC asked, reaching his hand towards her. Her eyes followed the larger hand as it traveled closer and closer towards her bosom. Paralyzed by the unknown, she pried her eyes away from his movement and their eyes locked. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin, and her eyes fluttered shut. But not before catching the slight twitch at the corner of his lips.
“Pacifier fell…” he breathed, and her lungs expanded as oxygen cooled the burn that’d begin to creep across her chest.
“Always does, thank you,” her voice quietly sighed, and she swallowed once, twice to moisten her desert dry mouth. Slightly shaking her head, her eyes reopened and her composure rebuilt. “Engineering, I studied civil engineering. Yeah, that’s what I studied.”
“Really? That’s great! If I would’ve gone to school, I’d gone the architecture route,” he confessed perking up with the prospect of sharing his love for architecture.
“So, you enjoy the design and detail. I can respect that,” she chewed on the inside of her bottom lip as he nodded his head. “My grandfather was an architect, and we would go visit him and grandma in New York. He would religiously take me to the Museum of Modern Art as a kid, and that’s how I fell in love with design. But, I was always more interested in going to the Brooklyn Bridge. I wanted to know how it was built or how the technology available in the 1880s is as advanced or as up to par with that available now. The gothic towers and the web formed by the suspension cables were designed and chosen for a reason, right?”
“Yes! Exactly, see I knew I wasn’t a geek after all,” JC laughed, relieved for the camaraderie.
“Well, that is still out for evaluation. Because I know that I am a complete geek!” Val laughed, but quickly hushing. She realized that they were disturbing Evan’s deep slumber, and that made her stifle her giggles.
“Ever been to the Deutsches Museum in Munich?” JC smiled. “No? Well, you need to. It is probably one of the largest, if not, the largest museum of technology. It has an exhibition on bridges there, and I think you would love it. I used to go visit it all the time when the guys and I were in Germany,” JC scooted to the edge of his seat explaining all the things that were in this museum. Detailing every bit from the winding staircases to the voyage of getting to the island museum, JC had Val completely enthralled. Her hazel eyes kept vigil of his signaling hands, and her lips ever-so-slightly expanded into a smile with every new discovered detail in his story.
“Wow, it sounds amazing! You just put the MoMA to shame for me,” she chuckled, sitting back against her chair. The excitement that she felt just from his verbal description of the “design-haven,” as he had so humbly dubbed, had left her exhausted.
“No, don’t say that. The MoMA is incredible in its own way, and it holds great value to you. And the Deutsches does the same to me. I’ve been to MoMA plenty of times, but one day, maybe you’ll have to take me there and give me a tour. And I’ll do the same for you,” he said without thinking of his words. He was talking of a prospect of spending time together beyond her stay at Lynn’s house. It was until this moment that Val realized that this could all be a moment in time. Meeting Lynn, Justin, and everyone else could just be a snapshot in the never-ending reel of life.
“One day, huh?” she asked, their eyes meeting across the small wooden table. Her question caught him off guard and made him realize what had been spoken by his mouth.
“Yeah, one day.”
“I’d like that. Yeah, I’d like that.”
“How about we head to bed now? I have studio time in the morning with Justin…” JC suggested, pushing his chair back and putting his hands on the table.
“And I have a doctor’s appointment with Evan,” Val added, pushing her own chair back. Standing up, she reached down to pick up her mug.
“No, I’ll get that for you. I’ll just put it in the sink and rinse it out,” JC grabbed the mug first and pulled it away from her reach. Looking at him, she smiled in gratitude and watched him stand up and make his way towards the sink.
“Thank you. I hope you have a good night,” her voice soft and delicate, tickling his ears like the gentle caress of a silk rose. Nodding his head, he smiled towards her.
“Good night, Val,” he replied and watched her step out of the kitchen and head towards her room. Deciding to wash the few dishes in the sink, he gave himself extra time to clear his mind before heading up to his room. Twisting the faucet shut, he dried his hands before walking out. The soft glow from the kitchen light had disappeared from the foyer’s walls. Double checking the lock on the front door, he turned towards the stairs and began climbing the steps. The exhaustion that he now felt made the short trek upstairs daunting.
“JC…” he heard the soft voice call, and his head snapped around. Looking down only a few steps below him, he spotted Val.
“Yes…” his body half-twisted with his right foot resting on the higher step.
“Thanks for keeping me company,” she smiled, and her youth seemed to reappear before his eyes. Gone were the weariness and the exhaustion. Present was the spark in her mesmerizing eyes, and his eyes took notice of the two dimples below the corners of her lips as she smiled.
“Goodnight, Val,” he smiled. Turning back, he could not stop a smile from spreading across his face. He could feel her eyes on him as he made his way to the top floor. He wanted to play it cool and not look back, but he couldn’t help himself. Twisting his head, he looked back and saw her still standing at the bottom of the steps watching him. Her eyes rose to meet his gaze, and he winked before turning back and disappearing into his bedroom. The soft sound of his lock latching broke her stupor and she shuffled back into her room, blushing.
