“Are you kidnapping me or something?” she asked, giggling
They had been driving for a little less than 20 minutes, and Liz could no familiarize herself with the area they were in.
JC smiled at her, briefly taking his eyes off the road. “I said it’s a surprise. I wanted to take you somewhere you’ve never been before”
“I never even knew this part of Orlando existed” she said, looking out the window
“Just about 10 more minutes, don’t worry”
“You went all out or something?” she asked, smiling
“Well, not all out, but close enough. It’s only our first date”
“Then at least tell me where you’re taking me!”
“Okay” he chuckled. “Uh, you like seafood?”
“I hate it” she said simply, staring ahead
“What?!” JC exclaimed
Liz burst out laughing. “Chill Josh, I’m kidding”
He gave a relieved smile. “Jeez, I was about to turn the car around and just take you to a pizzeria and be done with it”
She giggled. “So, seafood?”
He nodded. “That okay with you?”
“Yea that’s fine. I’ve never been anywhere around this area”
“Oh it’s great. The menu isn’t very extensive, but there’s a terrific selection. Nice evening setting and an outdoor seating area if you prefer to eat outside. I think you’ll like it”
She grinned. “You’re really sweet, you know that?”
He smiled and took one hand off the wheel to take her hand in his. “Thanks”
**
“So, what did you think?” he asked, opening the door for her as they left the restaurant.
“I loved it!” she smiled. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before”
“So I did good, huh?” he grinned
She giggled and nodded. “Yea, you did good”
She was pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere of the restaurant. It wasn’t like most seafood places in Orlando. Out front, there were little seating sets with dark colored umbrellas overhead at each table, as well as cushioned benches with little throw pillows. Inside, faint music played and the lights were low with tiny candles on each table. On the walls, there were a lot of fish sculptors which JC said were ‘tacky’ but Liz thought they were tastefully done. She was unfamiliar with the menu, so JC had to order most of the food. He started them off with lemonades spiked with vodka to get started, which she loved, and moved on the actual meal.
It was fine dining from then on. From crab cakes to coconut shrimp to a couple slices of key lime pie that the restaurant offered. Overall, Liz had enjoyed the evening so far and JC was quite content on how his date was going. The past couple hours were comfortable, yet casually intimate.
He intertwined their hands and walked slowly.
“See, you got your date” she smiled
“Yea, I did. Thanks”
“Are you happy now?”
A few feet away from the car, in the darkness of the night, he stopped walking, but kept his gentle hold on her hand.
He smiled softly at the cute but confused look on her face. He pulled her in closer to him and pressed his lips against hers.
“Now I’m happy” he said with a smile when they pulled away.
She blushed, but leaned in for another kiss. “Then I’m happy too”
He opened the car door for her, allowing her to get seated comfortably before joining her inside.
“I had a terrific time tonight, you know” she said to him
“Me too” he said, starting up the engine
“Are we going to be able to do it again… Anytime soon?” she asked quietly
He sighed, but managed a small smile. “I hope so Lizzie, but you know what things are like for me for the next week or so. I mean we still have some interviews lined up and rehearsals are non-stop and then the concert is-” he kept rambling
“Josh!” she said, cutting him off. “You know I’m not mad, right?”
“You’re not?”
“No, ‘course not. I just, well… I like spending time with you when it’s just the two of us but I understand the demands of you job. I see you when I can”
“I still make time for us” he said softly
She grinned. “That you do, so thank you”
He smiled, and turned to look at her as the slowed down to a red light. “You’re welcome”
They spent the quiet second and a half just looking at each other before JC heard a song that was all too familiar to him ring out.
Here we go, one more timeEverybody’s feeling fine, here we go nowYes yes yes, here we goNsync has got the flow
Liz blushed and fished around her purse trying to shut the music off.
“Is that all the music you have on your phone?” he asked chuckling
“I got the Backstreet Boys too if you want me to change it” she said
He just shook his head in amazement while she ignored the incoming call.
“Emma?” he asked
“Always” she said, giggling
“She cares about you… A lot” JC pointed out
“Yea, I know, but sometimes… I don’t know. She just watches out for me a lot of the time”
“Did you invite her to the concert?”
“I could?”
“Of course you can! I’ll get you guys the passes as soon as I could”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Chris and Justin will love it”
“Okay” she said smiling. “I will”
“Hey Lizzie?”
“Yea?”
“You’re pretty great you know that?”
“Why do you say that?”
“I just, well… Your support and patience… I appreciate it, a lot. I didn’t get a lot of that from past girlfriends”
She squeezed his hand gently and smiled. “Have you had a lot of girlfriends in the past?”
“A few, but only a couple I was serious about. I like to be needed, but I can’t walk around with my head cut off for anybody so I guess that was the problem. They were too demanding”
“You’re a very open hearted person Josh” she said. “I like that about you”
He shrugged. “Traits of a Leo”
“So you like astrology?”
“Yea, it fascinates me. I think it’s cool”
“Yea, it is, but I’m more into-” she was interrupted by the sound of JC’s phone ringing
“It’s the guys” he informed her
“Go ahead”
He sighed and answered the call. “What do you want Chris? Yea we left already. Yea. What, no I didn’t get you anything! Then order pizza, I don’t care. Yea, okay. Fine, can I go now? Bye”
Liz giggled. “Want to pick something up real quick for them somewhere?”
“Oh, no, they’ll survive. My date with you isn’t even over yet”
“It isn’t?”
“As long as the two of us are together tonight, this date isn’t over” he smiled
JC walked through the door to his home with a smile on his face after dropping Liz off. It was almost 10pm and their date had finally ended. They would have gotten home sooner if JC hadn’t noticed a small ice-cream place on the corner, so they ended up just sitting in the car for about 20 minutes eating the dessert and just talking to each other, not counting the few minutes they took advantage of to just make-out before each of their phones started going off every few minutes.
Entering the living room, he threw the keys down on the coffee table and joined his Lance and Chris on the couch.
“Had a nice night?” Lance asked
“Yup” JC smiled.
Justin burped loudly, and gave a self-satisfied grin.
The rest of guys groaned.
“Where’d you get the money for the pizza?” JC asked, looking at the empty pizza box on the carpeted floor.
Lance, Joey and Justin all looked over at Chris.
“Oh, we uh… Found a few bucks lying around”
“Lying around where?” JC questioned
“In the back pocket of your jeans folded on your bed” Lance said truthfully.
“Lance!” the other 3 cried out.
Lance shrugged. “Chris made us do it”
JC just looked at them with a blank expression, but that was quickly replaced with a smile. “You know what, my night has been too good to get to get worked up over a few bucks you guys stole so I’ll just leave it”
“It’s better than stealing menus from every Hard Rock Café you go to” Justin snorted
Even JC laughed at that one. “Goodnight” he said, getting up
“Hey Jace wait!” Joey said
“What?”
“What’d Liz wear?”
“Did she look hot?” Chris put in
JC grinned. “She looked great… That’s all I’m saying”
;)
Friday night- Two Days before Concert
“He-o?” he answered the phone, his mouth full of water.
“Josh?”
He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Hey, yea it’s me”
“Oh” she said, giggling.
“What’s up?” he asked happily, falling back on his bed
“I got some bad news” she said sighing
“What is it?” he asked, a frown forming on his face
“I don’t think I’ll be able to come to the concert Sunday”
“What?!” he cried out. “Lizzie, why not?”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m booked to handle an engagement party that afternoon”
“But the concert doesn’t start till 5”
“You leave for the Chinese theatre tomorrow Josh. I can’t go” she said quietly
“But then I might not be able to see you till Wednesday”
She sighed.
“Alright, I get it” he said
“I’m sorry” she said regretfully
“When’s the soonest I can see you then?”
She smiled. “Come over before you leave tomorrow.”
“Why not tonight?” he pushed
She looked at her watch and saw that the time read almost midnight. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Not anymore” he said, a touch of sadness in his voice
“Hey, don’t get all Mr. Glum on me now” she teased. “Come on over if-”
He chuckled. “Be there in 10”
“Alright”
She smiled and switched off the TV before running to answer the door, keeping her left hand clenched to ensure that the item wouldn’t fall out.
“Hey!” she greeted him with a smile.
“Hi” he said, kissing her on the cheek when he stepped in.
“You okay?” she asked
He smiled and nodded. “Yea, I’m okay”
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, don’t worry about that”
“Then what’s up?”
He shrugged. “I needed company”
He followed her into the living room.
“They guys aren’t home?” she asked
“No, they’re home. But I just needed to be around someone that wasn’t talking about track listing or who’s going to mess up what dance number or what’s going to happen if we get booed off the stage. Stuff like that” he sighed, taking a seat on the couch.
“You’re nervous” she concluded, taking a seat beside him.
“This is a make t or break it show Lizzie” he said quietly. “Disney’s taking a chance on us and I don’t want to mess it up”
“I thought you were the positive one” she nudged him
“That’s Joey” he said, chuckling. “I’m the one who tries to get things to run smoothly. I’m like, the sanity in our big mix”
She smiled. “You got nothing to worry about you know”
“Yea, I wish I was that sure”
“You are, you just don’t know it”
“So you don’t think I’ll forget a dance step, or sing off key or something like that?”
“Nope. I’ve see you dance, I’ve heard you sing, and I’ve seen how much hours of rehearsal you put in just to get here. I know you’re ready”
“Thanks” he smiled, looking down. He noticed her hand was clenched. “What’d you got there?”
“Oh” She had almost forgotten about it. “I got you something”
He raised his eyebrows. “Why?”
She shrugged. “It reminded me of you when I saw it”. She opened her hand to reveal a brown necklace that had a cream stone pendant with the face of a lion on it that lay in the palm of her hand.
“You can use it for good luck, or whatever. I know you’re into the whole Leo, astrology thing so I got it for you. I thought you’d like it”
He grinned looking down at the necklace, and took it out of her hand and held it up between the two of them. “Thank you” he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“You really like it?”
“Absolutely” he said. He untied the knot and gave it back to her. “Put it on for me” he said turning around.
She giggled and tied the string around his neck in a tight knot. He turned around and grinned. “I love it” he said, hugging her.
“It looks good on you babe” she complimented softly
His eyes shot up to look at her. “Wait, what’d you call me?” he asked, fighting a smile
She crinkled her brows in confusion.
“Did you just call me ‘babe’?” he questioned, the smile becoming wider.
“Yea, why?” she said shyly
“Well, the last time I called you that you got mad at me and I got slapped sometime in between” he said recalling the day they kissed and she ran out on him.
She blushed and looked down. “Oh, right. Well, we weren’t together then”
“Mmhmm” he said with a smile
“I wouldn’t really mind it now” she added
He chuckled and used his fingers to lift her chin, planting a soft kiss upon her lips. “Thanks baby” he said softly
“What’s wrong with you today?” Emma asked with a hand on her hip. “You’re biting your nails again”
“I’m just… nervous, I think” Liz responded, ticking off a couple items on her clipboard
“When last did you talk to him?”
“He texted me 2 o’clock this morning, and they were now getting ready to do their first rehearsal on the stage”
“Rough”
“Yea” she mumbled, trying to keep the knives and forks aligned on the white clothed table
“I don’t see why you didn’t go with him to see them perform you know”
“Because we had a job booked”
“So? I would have taken care of it. The money goes to our business anyways so it’s not like you’d be losing out on any of the dinero”
Liz sighed, and stood straight. “I don’t know Em. The concert started a half hour ago, and people are already here” she turned around to smile and wave at the people that had started coming into the room.”
“Fine” Emma said simply. “If you don’t want to go see your boyfriend perform one of the biggest shows of his career then that’s your choice”
“The guilt trip isn’t going to work”
“If you want him to be singing ‘I Just Wanna Be With You’ and then look out into the crowd and not see his girlfriend that’s fine too”
“I’ll call him when it’s over” Liz insisted
“If you want to be the cause of ‘Tearin up his heart’ then you can-”
“Emma!” Liz cried out in exasperation, startling some of the people.
Her friend just stifled a laugh and shook her head. “I did nothing but point out the obvious”
Liz frowned.
“Go Lizzie. You know you want to be there”
She sighed and looked at her watch. “I might make it in time to see him do the last couple songs” she muttered
Emma grinned and threw her the car keys. “Get Denise to drive you” she said referring to their assistant.
“Sure you can handle things here?”
Emma shrugged. “Yea I’m sure, and I got the interns with me so don’t worry”
Liz smiled and ran over to hug her best friend. “Thanks”
“Go! Lover boy’s waiting”
“Denise!” Liz called out to the red head standing by the door, greeting the people. “I need a favor”
The woman smiled, and looked over to where Emma stood. “It’s about time”
“She was being stubborn!” Emma said in exasperation.
Liz rolled her eyes and gave the freckled cheek woman the keys. “C’mon”
“You got it”
**
“Could there be any more cars? Shit!”
“You need to chill out, we’ll make it”
“Yea, if I walk!” she sighed.
The woman chuckled. “You still got at least 15 minutes of the concert left!”
“Sorry” she mumbled.
“We just need to find a parking space and get in, we’ll get there. You’ve got the pass he gave you right?”
She nodded. “I hope he’s surprised”
“He will be” Denise winked. “First time you’re going to see him perform?”
She nodded.
“And you were going to miss it?!”
“Hey, I’m here aren’t I?! I didn’t miss the whole thing” she said with a small smile
“Hey, I see a space. Over there”
“Then get it, so I can get in!” she could hear the roar of fans screaming and the music blasting. She couldn’t quite determine what song was playing, but she smiled just hearing the bits and pieces of his voice.
“How about you get out, and catch the last ten minutes and see if he’ll notice you’re there”
“Thanks Nise!” Liz said, leaning over to give her friend a quick hug. “I’ll see you in a while”
“Go!”
Liz grinned, and got out of the car.
Thank God she kept the pass JC had given to her in her purse that day, it helped her get in way faster as there were teenage girls outside screaming and begging to get in. Someone directed her to where her area was supposed to be, and she could swear was suddenly hard of hearing. The screams of the audience plus the music from the live band on stage was deafening. It all went away however, when a familiar voice rang through. Her eyes caught on, and she could just see him bouncing around on stage having the time of his life in the middle of the Here We Go number.
She grinned to himself watching him run around, the energy in the air just making her want to start jumping around too. She got past the security and made her way up to the side of the stage next to Lonnie, the NSYNC body guard they hired a few days back, who was able recognize her from the way JC had described her. He seemed like a gentle giant.
She flashed him a smile and he returned it with a wink. The crowd roared whenever one of the guys came close to the edge to where they stood, and Liz heard her part of the audience go crazy when they saw JC and Lance come close when they were separating the crowd to do the ‘Yes Yes Yes Here We Go, NSYNC has got the flow’ chant. Both had yet to recognize the brunette standing next to their body guard, that is, due to how close to the stage she was, JC heard the familiar voice. He almost forgot what chant he was supposed to repeat when he saw her smiling face, and she noticed the Leo necklace she had given him still bouncing around his neck whenever he moved.
She grinned and gave him a wink and a wave, before he had to go back center stage to continue the chorus.
Damn, he looked good sweaty and in that black jacket.
The song ended, and JC looked up and winked to her while they held their pose pointing down to the stage.
He smiled at her, and she could feel the chills travel up and down her spine. At this point, she couldn’t even hear the pounding music or the screaming fans. He was all she knew at that moment.
