JC rests the back of his head against the shower wall sighing heavily, frozen in place as the water continues to beat against his chest, forming red blotches across his skin. He had intentionally turned the temperature up too high and now the bathroom is starting to resemble a steam room. Part of him just wants to stay inside this bathroom and hide out from the rest of the day. His mind just keeps replaying his run-in with Charles in the morning and rethinking every moment he has had with Whitney, seeing it all with clearer vision now and feeling like a fool.
Whitney and Charles were clearly an item. A couple? He wasn’t sure what the official status of their relationship was, but spending nights together and texting all day…they were definitely seeing each other. He felt jealousy and confusion over it, but it really was none of his business. Whitney absolutely did not need to share that with him - that was her private life and their relationship was strictly professional. He was her boss and he would start acting more like it. To think he had almost confessed he had romantic feelings for her. What a mess of things that would have made!
And now he had to face this day and put a smile on his face and crush this studio session. When he had asked Whitney to help him present a song to Lady A, he thought he was asking her to connect with her former colleagues and friends. Now, he realized he had asked her to essentially beg her boyfriend for a favor. It was embarrassing. Now he was filled with self-doubt and questioning the song altogether. Was the song really good or were the band members going along with this purely as a favor to Whitney? He couldn’t be sure. He would spend this entire trip to Nashville laser- focused on absolute perfectionism so that this song really was a success and that there would be no doubt over his songwriting or producing abilities.
He inhaled deeply as he turned the shower water off.
***
Whitney knocked on JC’s hotel room door, but he didn’t answer. Odd. They were supposed to be heading out soon to head to the studio and had agreed on this time. She tried one more time, no response. She panicked he might still be asleep and called his phone. No response. She debated heading downstairs or waiting at his door when she received a text from him.
In the lobby.
Phew. She made her way downstairs and spotted JC at a cafe table with the remnants of his breakfast. She gave him a little wave and he nodded in response as she made her way to his table.
“Ready for today?” she asked, giving him a large smile.
He itched at his shirt collar, “I think so.”
“It’s going to be great.”
He stood up from the table and grabbed his messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “How far is the studio from here?”
Whitney pulled out her phone, “I believe it’s about a twenty minute ride, but let me just see what traffic is like right now…right, according to this, it will take us about twenty-five. The car should be arriving any minute.”
JC nodded as they headed outside and waited for the car to pull up.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked.
He dragged his right hand through his hair, “Honestly, no, I was too nervous.”
“Oh, well that’s understandable, I think everyone experiences nervous excitement the night before starting these sorts of things.”
“Mmhmm,” he said. “And you?”
“Me, what?”
He looked at her pointedly, “Did you sleep well?”
“Oh, right, yes, yes I did. Probably the familiarity with Nashville, feels like a homecoming.”
He nodded, “Comfortable.”
The car pulled up and the two of them slid into the backseat. Whitney confirmed the studio location with the driver and then turned back to JC, but he had already slid in his earbuds and spent the rest of the drive with his music on, his eyes glued to the scenery out the window.
***
Whitney and JC were the first to arrive at the studio so JC started getting familiar with the soundboard and inspected the microphone setup. Whitney responded to some email correspondence and went through her own task list for the day.
“Hey, JC?” she asked, poking her head into the booth.
“Mmmhmmm,” he mumbled, not looking up.
“I know this is the last thing on your mind right now, but what do you want for lunch?” She readied her phone in her hand.
He shook his head, “Right, I don’t have the slightest preference. You’ll just probably have to force me to eat once I’m in the zone.”
She nodded, “Ohh, I know. No preference at all?”
He waved his hand dismissively, “Nah, I trust you, you know what I like. Order anything.”
Whitney started to think about options when the alarm on her phone went off. JC looked up, refocusing his eyes on her. She reached into her purse and pulled out his pills and a bottle of water. “Time for your medication.”
He held his hand out and took the pills, swallowing them and washing them down with some of the water. “Thanks,” he nodded to her. “I am sure I’d forget about that without you prompting me.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” she smiled.
There was suddenly noise coming from down the hall and the studio door flew open as Hillary and Dave barreled in. “Whittttttt,” Hillary cooed, grabbing her into a big hug. “I have missed you so so much!”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Whitney smiled.
“It’s so great seeing you,” Dave said, resting a hand on her shoulder. She side-hugged him in response.
“Hillary, Dave, this is JC,” Whitney said, motioning towards him. He made his way closer to them and reached out to shake their hands.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he said. “Thanks so much for agreeing to this.”
“You, too, we love the song,” Dave said.
Hillary chuckled, “I mean, I don’t know if Whitney gave me up, but I am a huuuuge *NSYNC fan. Huuuuge! The pleasure is all mine.”
JC blushed slightly as he smiled, “Thank you, that’s very flattering.”
“No, really. You’re so talented. This is a fangirl dream come true,” Hillary giggled.
“That means a lot,” he smiled. Alright, maybe they really did love his song and he was here because of his talent and not just as a favor.
“I mean, maybe this song needs…Justin? Maybe you could work him into this - we can cut Charles’ part and Justin can duet with me instead,” Hillary giggled again.
JC turned to Whitney, teasingly, “I can’t tell if she's kidding or not.”
Whitney laughed, “Oh, she’s dead serious.”
The door opened again and Charles walked in, tentatively approaching the group. “JC,” he nodded at him.
Whitney could feel everyone’s eyes on her and Charlie as he turned to her. “Whitney, good to see you again.” She felt unsure of how to respond with such a captive audience at attention. JC eyed them both curiously.
“You, too, Charlie,” she smiled.
“Oh, Charles,” Hillary giggled again.
“Yes, Hils?”
“You’re dismissed for the day, we’re gonna have Justin Timberlake handle your parts instead. You know, just take the day off, get some rest.”
He rolled his eyes, “Good one.”
***
The group had been working on the song for several hours at this point and the song was really coming together. JC was very intensely focused, but he was connecting well with the group and everyone seemed equally invested.
Whitney slipped out to pick up a lunch order for everyone and checked her emails on the way. Brad had sent her a message.
Whitney, a new tour manager position has opened up that you’d be perfect for. Gig starts in about a month and the artist is a very popular singer songwriter. Let’s set up a time to discuss.
A new job opportunity made her nervous. On the one hand, she loved being a tour manager and being on the road - it was exciting work. On the other hand, she really enjoyed JC and working with him. Granted running lunches and coordinating basic errands were not the most stimulating tasks, but connecting him with Lady A and helping him grow his songwriting and producer work was intensely gratifying. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave it all behind yet.
***
Whitney reentered the studio and started setting up the lunch spread for everyone. As she did, she heard the vocals and was blown away by the way the song was sounding.
“Can we take it from the top again?” JC asked.
Charlie’s deep voice came through…
Everybody keeps telling me I’m such a lucky man
Lookin’ at you standin’ there, I know I am
Barefooted beauty with eyes that blue
Sunshine sure looks good on you
I swear
Hillary’s soprano sang out the next part…
Oh, I can’t believe I finally found you baby
Happy ever after, after all this time
Oh, there’s gonna be some ups and downs
But with you to wrap my arms around
I’m fine
Charlie's voice came back through, dueting with Hillary into the chorus, as Whitney's arms broke out into goosebumps.
So baby, hold on tight
Don’t let go
Hold onto the love we’re making
‘Cause baby when the ground starts shakin’
You gotta know
When you’ve got a good thing
“And, cut,” JC said, “That sounded fantastic.”
“Foooood,” Dave said, watching the lunch Whitney had laid out through the glass.
“Sure, why don’t you all take a break,” JC said, as the group made their way out of the booth and beelined for lunch.
“I’m just going to make a call,” Whitney said, excusing herself from the room.
She headed down the hallway, but soon heard steps behind her.
“Psst,” Charlie whispered, coming up behind her. He rested his hands on her shoulders as she turned around.
She smiled up at him, “What did I say about keeping things professional at the workplace?”
He rolled his eyes, “Okay, okay, but technically we are in the hallway, which is not the workplace. The studio is the workplace.”
“Nice try!” She shook her head at him.
“Well, as soon as we’re off tonight, I wanna spend some quality time together, just you and me again.”
She smirked, “I mean, we’ll see. After all, my boss in there is really going to crack the whip and work you all real hard. We could be here all night.”
He sighed, “Don’t tease me.”
***
“Do you ever disconnect?” Hillary asked JC, who was playing with the mixers on the soundboard.
“Hmmm?” he looked up.
“I love the commitment to your work, I totally relate, but you gotta give yourself a few minutes to reset and eat a sandwich and just disconnect from this,” she said, motioning to the food on the table. “I promise, disconnecting for a little bit will actually help you reconnect even better when you get back into the groove here shortly.”
“Okay, alright,” he smiled, standing up from the soundboard and moving over to the table with her.
“Where did Charlie and Whitney head off to?” Dave asked, eyeing Hillary. JC snatched a bag of chips as Hillary pursed her lips, about to respond as Charlie returned to the studio.
“What did I miss?” Charlie asked, sitting down and unwrapping a sandwich.
“Nothing at all…” Dave said, taking another bite of his sandwich.
JC took a moment to look at his phone, which he had put on silent during the recording session. He noticed a new text message from Bianca.
How’s the recording session going?
He thought about it for a moment, eating some more chips as he watched Whitney reenter the room and sit next to Charlie, laughing as he whispered something to her.
JC typed out a response: It’s going really well, lots of work, but I am proud of it so far.
That’s wonderful - hurry home to LA, though. Miss you!
He smiled to himself. Bianca was a lot and came on strong, but he appreciated the attention. In Nashville until the end of the week.
You miss me a little bit, too - admit it!
He chuckled, typing and deleting and retyping trying to decide what to say in response. Yes, just a little.
Don’t worry, I can remedy that!
