“Roseanne's on,” Rachel cheered, sticking her tongue out at Melissa as they flipped through channels. They'd eaten and now were laying on Rachel's bed watching television. Neither one of them felt up to doing anything yet, glad that neither one of them were sick. “You know you like this show,” she told Melissa as they settled in to watch.
“I know, I just like giving you grief over it,” Melissa replied. She watched as Roseanne mouthed Dan and he mouthed back something funny. She laughed and shook her head at the way it would all be resolved in half an hour. “You know, they make it look so easy. They get mad and get glad in the same show.”
“That's why we like TV,” Rachel pointed out, shrugging. “They make it simple to solve the problem.” Rachel let her mind wander, thinking of her and Lance, wedging JC in there. It wasn't a problem, at least yet. It was something she was going to think on and see where things went. Right now her priority was getting Lance through this tour. Her eyes cut to Melissa and saw her watching the show and frowning. “What's on your mind, Bass?”
Melissa shook her head. “Same thing it always is,” she sighed, laying face down on the bed. “I do have a question for you, though.”
“What's that?” Rachel hoped Melissa wouldn't stay like she was, her voice muffled.
Melissa sat back up against the headboard with the pillow behind her and sat there a few minutes before she spoke. She didn't want to imply anything or make Rachel mad. She knew her best friend wouldn't ever hurt her brother. At the same time, it was just the two of them and she could ask Rachel anything and it wouldn't leave the room. A sly smile crossed her face. “So you and JC seem to be...friendly. What's up with that?”
Rachel tried to not look surprised, making her facial expression impassive as she stared at the television. She wasn't sure what she should say, if she should even mouth the words she was thinking, of what happened after they'd left Joey's house. She heard herself talking, telling Melissa about going over to JC's and about the piano lessons. “And then we kissed. Just as a New Year's thing. It wasn't anything romantic.”
“You kissed JC? Josh kissed you?” Melissa squealed, looking at Rachel as if she hadn't been listening to the rest of what Rachel had said. She watched Rachel nod and sigh. Slipping her arm around Rachel, she hugged her. “I know you care about my brother and love him. Even though he's a pain in the ass...I know you aren't going to just leave him hanging. How do you feel about it all?”
That was the million dollar question. “I...” Rachel blew a breath out. “I'm not sure how I feel. I don't want to be hurt again, Mel. I know Lance won't hurt me and I want to be his girlfriend...” her voice trailed off.
“I'm waiting for a but.”
“But I like JC. He's quiet at home...He likes just hanging out and like Lance, he likes me for me. Not Rachel Weatherly, heiress to the Weatherly fortune,” Rachel rolled her eyes before continuing. “I can't say there's anything more to it than that as far as romance goes. I can't make him like me. I'm not sure if I even want that.”
“You know you want that. I mean, I want that...it won't happen for me, but I'm not going to lie and say I don't want someone to sweep me off my feet. It's two different situations though. You and Lance are pretending to be a couple. You and JC could be a real couple.”
Rachel sat there for a bit, fiddling with her phone, opening and shutting it. “I'm confused,” she finally voiced. “He's been there this whole time and now I decide to have feelings for him? Sounds about right.”
“When did these feelings start? I mean, you know I'm not going to judge you,” Melissa told Rachel, moving to sit indian style on the bed, wanting to hear what was on her friend's mind.
“We left Joey's...Lance wanted some time to himself, so JC said I could come over to his house...I told you that part,” she smiled a little at the memory of the kiss. “I can honestly say that I don't think he and I have ever had time alone to just talk. There wasn't a lull in the conversation. I didn't feel like I had to be anyone other than me. And Josh was just being...Josh. I guess I didn't realize how private he was until we were talking and he was giving me a tour of his place. I felt like I was seeing a different part of him, ya know?”
Melissa nodded, watching Rachel talk. “JC is protective of his life away from NSYNC. If he lets you into that part of him, it means he trusts you. Not that he didn't before, but it's not just something he opens up with.”
Rachel grinned wider at the comment, then frowned as her thoughts went to Lance. “Then what about me and Lance? I mean, I can't leave him hanging. I promised him that I would be his girlfriend through all this. He needs me. I'd be letting him down if I suddenly dumped him to date his best friend. I don't even know if JC wants to date me....” Rachel sighed heavily and leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes. “It's all fucked up.”
“It's not fucked up. It's just...” Melissa tried to think of what she could say to make it better. “Okay, it's a little messed up, but it could be worse. My brother loves you, but not the way you want. He wants to be with a guy...Would you be mad at him or hurt if he found that while you and he were dating? Would you want him to keep dating you or would you let him go to see what happened?”
Rachel didn't hesitate in her answer. “I'd let him go. It still might hurt a little, but I'd want the best for him. It's different though, Mel..talking about it. My feelings for JC and his for a guy are two different things. I'm doing this to protect him from all those people who would hate him. You know that.”
Melissa knew Rachel was right. She was scared for her brother. Not for him liking another guy, but for the public, for the media and everyone who might suddenly turn against him. That didn't know him personally and would still judge him for his lifestyle. “Okay, so you can't think of it the same. If..If JC was in love with you and you were in love with him, would you want Lance to let you go?”
“I think so,” Rachel licked her lips as she thought. “I'm safe with Lance. He's not going to fall for me. I'm not going to fall for him. We're safe.”
“You're scared,” Melissa pointed out, smiling when Rachel glared at her. “Rachel's in looooove with JC,” she sang, screaming when a pillow hit her hard in the mouth. “What's that for?”
“I'm not in love with him, Bass!” Rachel felt a blush creep up over her neck to her cheeks and knew that was a lie. Maybe love wasn't quite the right word..Serious crush was better, slightly in love with the idea of being with him.
“So why is it when I say his name you have a little smirk on your face? Huh?” grabbing the other pillow, she tried to hit Rachel.
“I look for him in the room when I go in, even if I know he's going to be there,” Rachel confessed, hitting Melissa this time in the leg, both of them standing up on the bed, making it bounce as they walked on it, starting to laugh.
“'Oh JC, you're so hot. I want your body...hump the stage again,'” Melissa mimicked Rachel and thwacked her hard with the pillow to the side of the head. “HA! Got you.”
“You act like such a dork. You acted that way about Joey for years. I had to listen to you moon over him...it was the most awful thing ever,” Rachel pointed out, sticking her tongue out at Melissa.
“I guess payback's a bitch for me, huh?” Melissa smiled at her, shrugging. “Honestly, I think you should see what happens with it. I'm happy for you Rach. That you might let a guy back into your heart that's not my brother..well, gay, I mean. My brother would be an awesome husband. Wait, did I just say that?”
“I'm taping that so he can hear it.”
“You need help,” the two of them pillow fought until they were both out of breath and laughing, collapsing back onto the bed. “God, that's worse when you're hungover still,” Melissa pointed out, making a face.
“You're handling this better than I thought you were if I told you I thought I might like Josh Chasez,” Rachel pointed out, bumping her best friend with her shoulder.
“I don't want you or Lance hurt. I also don't want either of you to not like someone just because you are afraid of what someone might think. If my brother came to me and said he liked a guy, I'd probably cry. As much shit as I give him, he's a wonderful man and if he finds a guy he wants to date, then I will be happy for him. Liking someone doesn't mean you're going to just dump my brother for JC.”
Rachel nodded in agreement. “I want to take it slow. I'm having fun with Lance. It's what we have to do, ya know. Besides that, I have to go to give Joey a hard time while they're on tour.”
Melissa laughed. “You and Joey act like Lance and I do. I'd almost be jealous, other than Joey told me one time he couldn't like you because you were almost as tall as him.”
“What's wrong with that? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of!” Rachel exclaimed, shaking her head. They'd made it through Roseanne and then a familiar song came on and she grinned. “Thank you for being a friend,” she sang.
“Travel down the road and back again,” Melissa sang with her as they watched The Golden Girls. “So what do you think we did in jail?” she asked after the show had started, laughing at Estelle Getty's character, “Sophia” as she said something off color to “Blanche”.
“From what I can remember, we sang. I remember snippets of stuff. You singing 'Bye Bye Bye' and us going over song titles, or something like that. And I think we sang 'I Drive Myself Crazy',” the girls talked longer about jail, laughing at the thought of them serenading the officers.
“Hopefully I didn't say anything about donuts or fuzzy handcuffs,” Melissa remarked, smiling at Rachel before getting up and stretching. “I vote we go swim and then come back and order dinner from somewhere and just veg.”
“I vote that we do just that,” Rachel told her, grinning. “Just for the record though, I still feel like ass.”
“Oh I still feel like I went ten rounds with Jose Cuervo, but it might be good for us to go for a swim. We could send a text to the guys telling them we're going out again,” Melissa's smile grew as she thought of the reactions from the guys. “Especially when we don't say where we're going. To the hotel pool,” she said innocently as she grabbed her bathing suit and Joey's jersey and some shorts to change into before going into the bathroom.
Rachel barked a laugh as she thought of what would ensue if they did send such a cryptic message. Probably a barrage of phone calls that would include words that weren't fit for her ears. “That's probably not a good idea,” Rachel said loudly, getting up to rifle through her clothes to find her bathing suit from Victoria's Secret, a one piece with cut outs. They'd found it on sale and she'd even convinced Melissa to buy one as well.
“Spoil sport,” Melissa came out, pulling the jersey up and grinning. “We're gonna be twins.”
“I'm not sure who's mom would be sorrier,” Rachel teased, hugging her friend before going to change.
“Probably my mom if I was your twin..she'd have to just put up with Lance. We both know I'm her favorite,” Melissa told Rachel, laughing.
“Lance tried to sell you when you were little. He offered you for ten bucks to your Grandma Louise and she said no. So that's where you rank.”
The two of them traded jabs back and forth as they walked down the hall towards the elevator.
“Rich bitch.”
“NSYNC hoe,” Rachel giggled as an older couple came out of their room right at the moment Rachel said that, both of them stopping short.
“Don't make me make you part of the slap a hoe tribe,” Melissa said, snapping her fingers in a “Z” pattern in front of her.
“You stared at the orange juice box because it said concentrate.”
“Whatever.” They laughed when the old couple joined them in the elevator standing as far away as they could from the girls. “How are you today?” Melissa asked, getting a glare from the older woman. “Fine, I didn't want to be polite to you anyways.”
“Mel!” Rachel gasped, surprised at her friend.
“It's okay, girls,” the older man spoke up, giving them a knowing smile. “She was a bitch when I married her forty years ago.”
“My condolences then,” Rachel finally responded with a smile playing at her lips.
“Glad to know the sanctity of marriage is safe with you then,” Melissa called out to them as they exited the elevator and going towards the exit while the girls went to the pool. She smiled at Rachel as they got there to see they had the pool and hot tub to themselves. “Score!”
“You say that so jubilantly. I should be worried,” Rachel told her, putting a towel on one of the chairs along with her flip flops and cover up. She laughed as her friend balled up her jersey and tossed it in the chair along with her stuff. “You're so dysfunctional.”
“I put the fun it dysfunctional,” Melissa commented, testing the pool, screaming as Rachel pushed her in. She came back up sputtering and glared. “One of these days I'm gonna whip your ass.”
“In your dreams,” Rachel told her, jumping into the pool a few feet away and surfacing.
“No, in my dreams I am Godzilla and you are Tokyo.”
Rachel chuckled as she started swimming laps, Melissa joining her as they swam back and forth for a while. It was a good way to clear her mind, thinking of the number of strokes it took to get across the pool, then back, letting the sound of the water rushing over her head and body calm her. It also helped what little bit of hangover she had dissipate. She stopped after thirty laps, waiting for Melissa to stop as well. “What do you think?” Rachel raised an eyebrow at Melissa who was breathing hard as they bobbed up and down in the water.
“JC and Rachel sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-ing,” she sang, yelping when Rachel splashed her, getting out to go sit in the hot tub. “You know you like it!” she yelled after her, getting out of the pool herself.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“The pizza will be here in twenty minutes,” Melissa said, leaning back on her bed, pillows stacked behind her. Her hair was wet and she wasn't going to bother drying it since there wasn't anyone to impress. She and Rachel had come back from their trip to the pool and gotten showers then decided on dinner. Now they were trying to find a movie to watch.
She heard Rachel's phone ring and looked at the time. “My brother must be checking in to make sure we didn't go partying again.”
“After last night, I'm not sure we need to go anywhere,” Rachel told her, looking at caller ID and trying to suppress a smile. It was JC's name that showed up. “Hello?”
“Hey, I was told to call and check to make sure you hadn't went back and decided to pick a fight with someone in nursing home or something,” JC joked, sitting in the break room of the building dance rehearsals were in. “I thought I would call before the rest of the guys got in here and were being too noisy to hear.”
“Well I'm glad you called Josh,” Rachel flipped her friend off who was making kissy faces, throwing a pillow at her. “I sent Melissa on a mission to the lobby to find any Hanson fans and put them in a full Nelson. Someone could take her...make my life quieter.”
JC laughed, “That's awful,” he said, wincing as he lifted up his foot and stretched his leg. Pain went up and down, his muscles protesting all the work they'd done today. Wade had taken no prisoners and his body had protested. “So are you still feeling like you drank half the bar or anything?”
“Not quite. Still not ourselves all the way...Thanks for coming with Lance to get us. I didn't expect the cavalry to show up.”
“Well, I wasn't about to let the rest of those goons come and leave me sitting on the couch. Besides, you rocked my part in 'I Drive Myself Crazy',” he said with a chuckle, hearing Rachel's embarrassed laugh.
“Oy, Josh's on the phone,” Chris yelled as he came in, flopping down next to JC. “Who ya talkin' to? Someone we know?” he asked, smiling when JC gave him a bad look.
“As you can see, I was joined by Chris,” JC took the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker and sighed. “Say hi Chris.”
“Hi Chris,” Chris said with a laugh.
“You're a dork, Christopher.”
“Oooo you called Lance's woman. How ya feeling? Wanna go party tomorrow?” Chris laughed at Rachel's mean comment and shrugged even though she couldn't see him. “Where's Melly? She's quiet.”
Melissa just smiled and shrugged. “I was listening to you talk. Couldn't get a word in...”
The girls listened as the rest of the guys came in and said hello. All of them talking randomly into the phone. Rachel raised her eyebrow when Joey didn't say much and neither did Melissa, usually they wouldn't shut up if one of them was on the phone. “How was practice today, Joey?”
“It was bad, Rach. Let's not talk about it. How are you and Melly? Feeling better?”
“I just opened up a twelve pack, Fatoney.”
Rachel groaned as Joey started cussing. “She's kidding, Joey...” she told him in a loud voice. “We're waiting on pizza and just hanging out.”
“Dude, I've never seen your eye twitch,” they heard Justin say. “You pissed him off, Chica.”
Melissa rolled her eyes and then frowned when her phone rang and Joey's name came up. “Apparently enough to call...” she went into the bathroom and shut the door. “Hi, Joey,” she said in the sweetest voice she could, closing her eyes when he started yelling in Italian.
Joey paced in the empty studio room they had been in, his voice echoing off the mirrors as he yelled at her in a different language. He stopped when he heard her sniffle, leaning against the wall as he tried to calm down. “You know exactly how to push my fuckin' button, Bambina,” he sighed, sliding down the wall until his ass hit the floor.
“I was kidding, Joey. I don't want to drink again for a long time.”
“Never sounds like a good time,” Joey countered, moving to get comfortable.
“It was one night of drinking Joey. We..You and me, have been out drinking before,” Melissa exclaimed, not seeing what the big deal was. They hadn't gotten as drunk as she and Rachel were last night, but still. They'd had enough to be tipsy and have to be driven home. “Why are you on my ass about this? I mean, you aren't my boyfriend or fiance or brother...”
“So you're gonna start with that jab now? Thanks a fucking lot..” Joey growled at her, shaking his head.
“I didn't mean it like that and you know it, Joe!” Melissa's mouth fell open and she covered it with her free hand. Shaking her head quickly back and forth, she knew she'd made a mistake. Calling Joey 'Joseph' was in fun, when she was aggravated, Joe was taboo from her lips. To him it was like she thought of him like everyone else did. He'd told her once that if she called him Joe, it would be worse than slapping him. “Joey, I-”
“Do whatever in the hell makes you happy, Melissa. If you want to get drunk and get killed in a car wreck or alcohol poisoning, have at it. Do whatever in the hell you want. Since I guess what I think doesn't seem to fucking MATTER ANYMORE!” Joey yelled as loud as he could into the phone. “You're right, I'm not your daddy or your brother or anything else. Just Joe,” he said, pain coming through in his voice. He sucked in a breath and leaned his head back against the wall, listening to her cry.
“Why are we fighting? I hate fighting with you,” Melissa finally said, trying to pull herself together.
“We aren't fighting, Bambina. Arguing...” Joey told her. “I can't just switch off my feelings, Mel. I still love you. I care about you..I worry about you. You're still my friend, I'm allowed to do that.” He got quiet and wished she was there with him, sitting next to him instead of him being alone. Well, he wasn't alone. His four bandmates were there, but Joey knew it wasn't the same.
“I know,” Melissa sighed, getting up from the floor in the bathroom, “I wake up at night and lay there and think about you sleeping. That damn marionette doll isn't the same as you..it doesn't snore or talk in its sleep. But he's cute.”
Joey chuckled, shaking his head. “Ya found my substitute already. I should be hurt.”
“There's no substitute Joey,” Melissa told him, smiling. “I want my baby back,” she sang after a moment, trying to be funny. She heard Rachel still talking and then a knock on the door. “The pizza's here,” she swallowed a lump of emotions, pushing them back. “I need to go pay...” she left it hanging there, not wanting to tell him goodbye but the tears department was quickly trying to make itself known.
“Just got paid, it's Friday night,” Joey sang back to her before shutting his phone after telling her he'd talk to her later. “I want my baby back too, Melly,” he said to his closed phone. Joey took a couple deep breaths wiping a tear that had escaped. He knew he was a mess and talking to Melissa was a good thing and at the same time it cut a little bit more. Joey knew he wasn't ready to give her up just yet. His heart wouldn't let him.
*^*^*^*^*
“There's Joey,” Lance said, watching Joey trudge back in and sit down in a chair. “How's my sister?” he asked Rachel, patting Joey's shoulder as he walked past him.
“Doing alright and miserable at the same time,” Rachel told him, watching Melissa grab some money out of her purse and laughed when her friend flipped her off. “Next time, I'll bring you on a mini vacation.”
Lance laughed, “Right now I think I'd be beaten up if I didn't show up for practice or something. We have media stuff starting next week. Touring starts in a few weeks. You'll be lucky to see me at bedtime.”
“I'll come see you at bedtime, Rachel!” Chris yelled into the phone, laughing when Lance pushed him. “What? You wanna go?” Chris acted like he was going to bow up on Lance, wincing when Justin gave him a head slap.
“Our pizza's here and you have dorks to deal with. Call me later. Love you, Lance.” Rachel smiled genuinely when she heard him say it back. It gave her a good feeling to hear him say the words, knowing he meant them. She meant them too, but briefly her mind went to the other man that occupied a lot of her thinking time. JC. She wondered what it would be like for him to tell her that he loved her. Her stomach flip flopped at the thought, grinning. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and laughed, covering her mouth.
'Oh Josh, I want to have your babies,' Melissa had written on one of the paper plates they'd grabbed on their way back up from the pool. She was grinning like an idiot, tossing it at Rachel.
“What?” Lance asked, confused as he heard laughter break out.
“Nothing. Your sister is nuts! I am going to kill her with a rusty spoon...Bye!” Rachel yelped, hanging up the phone and bounding off her bed to get Melissa. “You're a pain in the ass.”
“I won't tease you after this, I just had to,” Melissa said, kicking at her friend as the pizza box slid towards the other end of the bed. “You'll put the pizza in the floor...”
Rachel shrugged, “What do I care? You paid for it.” Her smile grew as she got Melissa's ankle and pulled, smiling at her friend's screams. She smirked when Melissa fell unceremoniously in the floor between their beds and she sat down with the pizza box. “Oh my dearest pizza pie, where art hast thou been?” she grabbed a slice and looked down at her friend. “This is damn good.”
“Next time I'm fighting back. I'll go all kung fu on your ass.”
“Bring it on Bruce Lee. I'm shaking in my boots,” Rachel pushed Melissa back down into a heap in the floor and laughed. “Sometimes it's just too easy, Bass.”
“I know you are, but what am I?” Melissa smiled cheekily at Rachel, getting back up and sitting on the bed and grabbing a slice of pizza and folding it in half long ways and taking a bite. “What?” she asked, looking at Rachel.
“I think you really are going crazy,” she said with a straight face. “I'm telling your parents to have you tested.”
“They did. I came back normal. Maybe it's you,” Melissa quipped, shrugging. “No one ever claimed you were mentally stable.”
“Only after I hung out with you,” Rachel pointed out as the girls scooted back onto one bed, the pizza box between them. “Love ya, Bass.”
“I heart you too, Weatherly.”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“God damn,” Joey said, stepping into his house, not sure what was going on. He'd forgotten he'd given Kristen a house key and his eyes narrowed at her in the kitchen. “What is that smell?” he asked, his stomach suddenly not hungry. His day had been trying and all he'd wanted to do was come home and relax.
“Salmon,” Kristen said, smiling sweetly at him, obviously proud of herself for cooking. “What?” she gave him a look as he raised an eyebrow. “You need to eat healthier.”
“No, I need to eat. I don't like salmon,” he walked to the fridge and opened it, staring at what was in there. “Where the hell is the beer? There was a bottom shelf full...” he growled, slamming the door shut.
“I got rid of it,” Kristen told him simply, surprised when Joey started cursing in English, switching to Italian. “How was your day?” she asked in the middle of his tirade.
“You come in and get rid of MY shit and then ask HOW my day was? Is there anything else I should know about that's left my house? Do I need to catalog the fucking place every time I leave?” Joey yelled, making her flinch and grab her stomach. That shut him up and he turned, his knuckles gripping the chair at the bar so tight they were white. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. He thought of his child that Kristen was carrying and tried to calm down. “For the love of God, Kristen...don't touch stuff that's not yours. And I'm not eating dinner. Not hungry.”
Kristen watched as Joey left, poking the cooking fish a little. He could eat what she fixed or he could go hungry, she reasoned. “He needs to thin up a little anyway,” she muttered, rolling her eyes when she heard the shower going and him singing loudly. Kristen was not going to wait until after the baby was born to marry Joey. She wanted to get married soon and she was going to tell him that after dinner. Or maybe during dinner since he wasn't going to eat. She didn't really care as long as she got her way. So far things had been going along just fine for the most part. From what she could gather, his ex girlfriend was miserable. As long as she was out of Joey's life, Kristen could deal with everything else.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Okay I am loving the reads and reviews. Enjoy this chapter. More happening with everyone in the story. Let me know if you like it. Mwah!
Story Tags: joey
