She sighed, keeping her head down.

“Lizzie” JC said, using his thumb and index finger to lift her chin, raising her gaze into his eyes.  “You know how I feel. I just gotta know if you feel the same way”

She studied him for a second, before nodding slowly. “I do Josh” she said, almost like a whisper

He held back a smile, and pulled her in for a sweet embrace, her head buried in his shoulder.

“Can we do this?” Liz asked, lifting her head.

“I want to” JC admitted

“But-” she began hesitantly.  “If we get into something, and it doesn’t work, then we lose what we had before all this started”

“Or it could be the start of something we’ve been waiting for all along” he whispered into her ear

“I can’t risk losing what we have now”

“You’re not going to lose anything Lizzie. I promise”

She pulled back and looked at him. “Promises never last forever Josh”

“You let me worry about that”

She wasn’t convinced.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, but everything to gain. You said it yourself you felt it Liz. I know it was scary, but we gotta try this out. I don’t want to be looking back years from now wondering what could have happened between us”

“You’re right.” She said softly. “I don’t want to be doing that either.”

He looked at her. “We can do this”

“Be a couple?” She questioned

Just hearing the words made JC grin ear to ear. “Yea, I like you, you like me. Isn’t that how these things work?”

She smiled. “Yea, I guess so”

“Then what are waiting for Lizzie?” he asked her gently

“Are you sure you want to get into something like this with me?”

He placed a strand of her hair behind her ear and spoke softly. “You’re pretty damn great, you know”

“Josh I’m warning you. I haven’t been with anyone since… you know” She was referring to the accident.

He nodded. “I know” he said, pulling her in closer to him.  “But let’s try this out. If we don’t, then I think I’m gonna lose my mind trying to deny what I feel for you”

She giggled softly. “Same here”

“Just tell me now Lizzie. You and me. Yes or no?”

She exhaled softly and looked up and smiled at him.

“You’re not single anymore Chasez” she said

JC beamed. “So, this is it? Us?”

“Yea” she nodded, smiling and blushing.

He kissed her on the cheek.

“Gosh, you’re acting like this is a marriage proposal or something” she said, giggling

“You want to go back in?” he asked

She looked toward the door, and started feeling uncomfortable again. After feeling that guy’s hands on her, she wasn’t up for much more dancing but Emma was her ride home, so she had to go back.

“Yea okay. Emma is probably looking around for me”

“Wait, Em’s here?” JC asked

“Yea, she’s the one who dragged me out here”

JC chuckled. “Needed to get your mind off things?”

“Yea…”

He took her hand, their fingers intertwined.  “C’mon, I’ll help you find her”

She smiled at him and took his other hand, so now both their hands were at each other’s sides, entwined. She looked up at him and smiled.

“Lizzie, would it be too much if I kissed you right now?” JC asked her

She giggled. “It’s not like we haven’t kissed before”

“I know but I mean, will you slap me?” he asked, half serious.

Liz laughed, “I’m really sorry about that Josh”

He smiled down at her and lowered his head. “Not a problem” he said before pressing his lips lightly against hers.

If JC wasn’t holding onto her hands, Liz swore she would have melted into a puddle right then and there. 

“Mmm” she moaned, feeling his lips work their magic on her.

JC pulled away and smiled. “Hey look, we kissed and no one got slapped and no one ran away. We’ve been a couple for about 5 minutes and we’re making progress already.”

Liz blushed. “C’mon” she said pulling him through the door.

“Do you see him anywhere?” Justin asked. He and Lance were both leaning over the railing, scanning the club for any signs of JC. He had disappeared after he told Lance he was going downstairs, and the guys hadn’t seen him since. Joey and Chris were downstairs, looking around.

“I wonder where he went” Justin mumbled

“Hey, he isn’t down there” Joey said coming up from behind his friends

Justin and Lance turned around.

“I think he left” Chris said

“Nah, Jace wouldn’t do that” Justin said, shaking his head

“Lance you said that he went down to see Liz and some guy?” Chris asked.

Lance nodded.

“He probably went looking for trouble.”

Joey peered over the railing another time, straining his neck. He patted Justin’s shoulder, not tearing his gaze away.

“He went looking alright, I’m not sure she’s trouble though” Joey said, his smile getting wider. His friends joined him at the railing, trying to understand what he was talking about.

“Well I’ll be damned” Lance said, smiling.

“You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me” Chris said

“Am I seeing right?” Justin said

At the far end of the club, close to the bar, they saw their friend JC, who had just said a couple hours ago that the girl he was trying to get through to wasn’t even speaking to him. And there was that same girl, right there with him. Their hands held together by the others’, he lead her to the bar section.

“C’mon!” Chris said hurriedly to his friends, turning away to get downstairs. The other four followed.

**

Liz felt her phone vibrate in her clutch. She took her hand away from JC to check the text message, and giggled.

“Who is it?” he asked

“Emma” she said, still giggling. “She’s wants to know where I am”

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked her politely with a smile

“Yes you can” she said smiling back.

Before JC could get the bartender’s attention, he felt a pat on his back. Four pats actually.

“Hey Jace!” Justin said, happily.

“What have you been up to? We’ve been looking for you” Lance said.

“I was gone for ten minutes” JC said casually.

They guys rolled their eyes.

JC cleared his throat, and directed his eye balls in Liz’s direction. The guys hadn’t acknowledged her yet.

“Hi Liz!” The four of them said in unison.

“Hi guys!” She said, greeting them with a smile. “Fancy we all ran into each other here.. Again”

“You look hot” Joey blurted out

Liz blushed, and JC turned around in his stool to look at her, he hadn’t really noticed what she was wearing. He did however, like what he saw. Joey was right, she looked hot. The strapless black dress that cut mid-thigh did her crossed legs well.

JC smiled at her.

“Thanks Joe” she said blushing.

“So, what are you two doing here…? At the bar… Together…” Lance questioned. The other three had knowing smiles on their faces.

JC shrugged. He hated when his friends asked him questions when they already knew the answers.

Justin didn’t let it go so easily. “I thought you weren’t talking to him” he said, looking at Liz.

“We uh… figured things out, I guess” she replied

“Uh huh… Here?” Joey said

They nodded.

There was a couple seconds of silence, despite the music threatening to burst their eardrums, before Chris had his outburst.

“Y’all freakin suck!! Just tell us why you were holding hands! Damn it, enough with the playing dumb!” he said suddenly, and he could see how he had startled his friends.

“Like Lizzie said, we figured things out. And we uh, decided to give this a go” JC replied to him

“This?” Lance asked

JC took Liz’s hand and nodded. “Yea, this”

Justin, Joey, Lance and Chris’ expressions were blank for about half a second before they all broke out it smiles. “It’s about damn time!” they said

JC and Liz chuckled.

“Elizabeth Ava Carrington!”  a voice boomed behind the guys. Liz cringed at the sound of her full name.

“You had me thinking something happened to you!” Emma said, then looking around at the members of NSYNC. “Hey, the guys are here!” she said, smiling.

“How you doin’ Em?” Lance asked

She turned back to Liz. “Well I was fine up until I heard that there was some guy punched another guy in the face in the middle of the dance floor and then realized Lizzie disappeared.”

“Wait, some guy punched a-” Chris said, then his eyes widened, looking over at JC who was looking around the room avoiding eye contact. “Nooo!” he said slowly, in disbelief.

“That was you!?” Emma exclaimed, look at JC. “Why would you-”

“Cuz that dude you sent me to dance with was a complete ass” Liz put in. “Josh helped me get away”

“So Mr. Joshua Chasez almost started a fight in a club huh?” Joey said.

“Can you people stop using our full names?” JC requested.

“And what up with that?” Emma asked, a small smile forming on her face as she looked down at JC’s lap, where his hand covered Liz’s.

“I got her to like me again” JC said, slightly proud.

Emma giggled. “It’s about damn time! I don’t know if I could have took it for much longer if you guys were to kiss again and Liz came home in a complete frenzy”

Liz blushed and turned away.

JC just chuckled. “Well you’re happy now?” he asked

Emma, plus his four friends nodded.

“Hey you guys hungry?” Lance asked.

“Yea, a little” Justin said.

“You guys wanna get something to eat?” JC offered, looking at Emma and Liz.

“Our treat” Joey said.

“C’mon” JC mouthed to Liz and she smiled.

“Okay” she mouthed back.

“Jeez, you haven’t been an official couple for more than 15 minutes and you’re already making sick” Chris said, in friendly disgust.

“Shut up” JC said getting up, and turned around to Emma and Liz.

“Hey, if we’re going out we’re just gonna use the restroom real quick okay?” Emma said.

“”We’ll meet you outside then” Lance said

Liz nodded, and Emma took her hand, leading her away from the bar and to the restroom whispering to her eagerly. “What the hell happened?”

“I told you I was falling for him” Liz said shyly

Emma laughed and pushed her friend. “Finally!”

“So who’s riding with who?” Lance asked

“I want Emma!” Justin yelled out, pulling Emma close to him causing him to giggle.

“Hey! No fair!” Chris pouted

“You guys are such kids” Emma said, laughing. “Liz and JC can take our car and I’ll ride with the guys” She said to the two.

Liz and JC looked up suprised.

“You sure?” JC asked

“Yea, it’s cool” Emma said

“We don’t mind” Lance said, referring to him and Joey.

JC looked at Liz, who nodded.

“Okay, see you guys in a bit”

“Here” Emma called out to Liz, and threw the car keys. “Don’t crash the car you two”

JC wasn’t sure if it was okay for the joke to be funny, given the circumstances, but Liz just giggled as she and JC walked the few feet to get to the Toyota.

“Here” she said handing over the keys.

JC just looked at her. “You don’t wanna drive?”

“I don’t drive Josh”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You don’t know how to drive?”

“Nope. Well, yes. I think. I have my license, but I haven’t driven a car for almost a year. Got scary for me, so Emma basically just drives me around. But to answer your question, I can drive, I just choose not to”

Getting into the car, he strapped on his seatbelt and turned to her. “You should get behind the wheel again. Regularly”

“How about you just drive for now?” she said leaning her head against the seat, smiling at him.

“To the ice-cream parlor we go!” he said, the engine coming alive.

They had decided that they didn’t want a heavy meal so they settled for something easy and sweet. Ice-cream.

“I like this so far” JC said, his eyes focused on the road. He was following Chris, who was driving in front of them.

“Me too” Liz replied a smile on her face.

**

“Aww look at them” Emma said happily, to Justin who was beside her. They looked over to JC and Liz who were sitting on a wooden bench under a tree, with their ice-cream, talking and smiling and laughing.

“They waited long enough” Justin said, putting another spoonful of vanilla ice-cream in his mouth.

“Yea, but at least they’re where we wanted them to be all along now”

“True that”

“Hey Justin?” she asked

“Yea?”

“JC’s a good guy right?”

Justin was a little confused, but then understood where she was coming from.

“She’s been through some stuff hasn’t she?”

Emma nodded.

“JC too” he looked over to the couple, and smiled at the sight. “They really like each other”

Emma looked over and smiled.

“Yea… They do”

:) :)