“So....” Lance left the statement hanging as he and Michael got into Lance's car.
“They were great,” Michael replied with a smile, reaching over and squeezing Lance's hand. “They really care about you.”
Lance smiled a little, nodding as he looked at Michael's hand in his before he pulled out of the parking spot. For the first time in his life, he felt comfortable with who he was. Totally comfortable and not ashamed that he was gay. He was still not 'out' but this made it so much better. “Thanks for coming tonight,” Lance swallowed, sighing. “I really like you, Michael. I just...you know I can't exactly be like this when I go back on tour. It's not fair to you-”
“We've already talked about this, Lance. I understand the situation,” Michael leaned in and kissed Lance's cheek. “I think you're someone worth waiting for.”
“And here I was just telling myself to go slow cause you were younger than me,” Lance said with a grin. “I guess that flew out the window.” They were making their way back to Lance's house where Michael had arrived earlier that afternoon. He'd spent the morning tidying up and fiddling with things that were perfectly fine up until Michael knocked on the door. Even though it had only been a short time, he had a feeling this was going to last.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Come outside with me,” Joey told Melissa, turning his head to look at her. He was still buzzed from the club and not sleepy. The path to the reflection pond was lit with small lights and the water fall was running. He'd had someone out to make sure everything was working while they were unpacking boxes so they hadn't had any time to enjoy it. It was one of the features they'd both fallen in love with about the yard.
Melissa smiled and took Joey's hand, letting him lead her outside. Neither one of them spoke, the noises of crickets and sounds of wings rustling and frogs croaking made up the quiet. The stars were out and it was a beautiful night. Melissa sighed when Joey's lips met her neck after he'd pulled her to him after sitting down on one of the flat rocks beside the pond. “I love you,” Melissa's statement came out as a sigh, tilting her head to give Joey better access.
“I love you more, Bambina,” Joey mumbled, his lips still on her skin. He smiled when her hands found his hair and tugged gently. He grunted, regretfully pulling away to untangle her. He'd brought her out here for a reason. He didn't miss the pout of her lip when he studied her face with the soft glow the light was giving off from the water and the path. Joey ran a finger over Melissa's cheek and smiled when she leaned into his hand. He didn't care how many girls screamed his name, who wanted a piece of him. The woman he was with at the moment was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It was true back when he'd proposed the first time and it hadn't changed. “I have a new song to sing to you,” he said, watching her study his face intently. “Don't laugh.”
“Do I ever laugh?” Melissa said, then saw him look away and her heart beat a little faster. He was nervous. It was endearing that the goofy guy he was on stage and to millions of fans all over the world that he was nervous in front of her. “Sing to me, Fatoney.”
“You know I'd fall apart without you, I don't know you do what you do. Cause everything that don't make sense about me, makes sense when I'm with you...” Joey sang, getting up and then dropping down to one knee, still singing. “And I wanna call you mine, wanna hold your hand forever, and never let you forget it. Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted.” He pulled Sofia Fatone's ring out of his pocket and held it up to the woman who was wiping tears. “Marry me, Melissa Nicole Bass. I know I asked before...and all I want is for you to be mine.”
Melissa sniffled, nodding and letting Joey slip the ring back on her finger where it had been. It felt right and she held Joey's face and kissed him softly, her hands holding the sides of his face. “Yes,” she whispered, smiling as she brushed her nose with his. “I was yours a long time ago.”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
“I need your help, Rach,” Melissa told her friend, smiling a little when Joey pulled her closer to him under the covers. She tried hard not to giggle when she felt his fingers under her shirt, reaching down to keep his hand still.
“What did Joey do now?” Rachel asked, curling up in the chair by the bookshelves. Melissa had called her a bit ago and they had chit chatted before now. She was curious, since she figured the couple would be much like she and JC were other than coming out the night before, which meant they were just hiding out at the house and spending as much time together as they could without the rest of the guys and the tour and everything associated with that.
Melissa smiled and looked back at Joey who was trying to look innocent. “He proposed.”
“How long do I have?” Rachel asked with a smile, knowing what her friend wanted before she even asked.
“Two weeks...”
Rachel blinked and sat up a little straighter. “Excuse me? Did I hear two weeks? You have lost your damn mind. Joey actually agreed to this?” she asked, surprised. The guys were due back to run through rehearsals again in a week.
“We can do this, Rachel.”
Rachel sighed, closing her eyes. Melissa always had been over eager on things, and this was no exception. However, to hear her friends voice bubbling over the phone and picturing her face as she married Joey was something she couldn't say no to. And she knew that Melissa would be there helping her plan her own wedding to JC in a short amount of time. “Just promise me you won't freak out. There is no freaking out in this time period. I'm pregnant and not in the mood to hear about you not being able to choose a napkin color.”
Melissa rolled her eyes and sighed, a smile on her face though. “When have I ever freaked out about something?” she asked innocently as Rachel just started going off. “I'm kidding. No freaking out.”
“Bass, you so owe me,” Rachel told her, getting up to go find her laptop so she could start making a list on there and checking off things. “This is going to be crazy. You know that right?” she asked as she sat down with the machine and let it boot up. “You're sure this is what Joey wants? He will have to be Superman to pull this off.”
“He's Superman. We're all good. His only request was that there is something with his precious 'S' on it. And that we have real food at the reception. Like a full meal and all that other stuff.”
“Define other stuff,” Rachel said, pulling up a word document and started typing. “I can't read your mind, Mel. Unless you're thinking about Joey, which is all the time.”
“Drinks, finger foods, groom's cake...that other stuff,” Melissa told her. They talked a little while longer on a few easy things before the girls planned to get together later that day. “And I don't think about Joey all the time,” she said after the fact, pulling the conversation back around.
“Lies!”
Rachel laughed as Joey yelled into the phone. “Go have fun with your man before they are back trying to kill themselves to remember the dance moves. I will see you this afternoon. And for the record, you're both crazy.”
“I love you too, Weatherly,” Melissa said before telling her friend goodbye. She let the phone drop to the carpet and then turned to Joey and narrowed her eyes. “You are mean, Fatoney.” Her hands reached for him, pulling him closer and kissing him soundly on the mouth.
“Mean, huh?” Joey mumbled as they kissed. “I hardly think you think that, Bambina,” he whispered, his teeth grazing an earlobe. “I'm a nice guy.”
“Very nice,” she replied with a sigh and a small laugh. “Think you can help me plan a wedding in two weeks?” Her eyes met his and she bit her lip at the look on his face. He was just staring at her with this goofy look on his face. “What?”
“In two weeks you'll be Mrs. Joseph Anthony Fatone, Junior,” Joey leaned in and kissed her cheek. “For that, I'll plan anything you want. Want me to pick out your dress?” he grunted when her fingers found his hair. “Okay, I'll do the flowers and your dress and the food.” Another sharp tug and Joey sighed. “Everything. I surrender. Just keep doing that.”
“How about you worry about your clothes and who you want to be standing next to you and me and Rachel and our families will worry about everything else. I can call in reinforcements,” Melissa smiled as Joey laid his head on her and moaned in appreciation. “I need you to do the whole we have one day for a honeymoon type thing.”
“I can do that,” Joey said, groaning loud and burying his face into her shoulder before he turned his head and spoke again, “Or we could get married on Friday night. Have two nights and then its life on a bus.”
“I can't wait.”
“Me either,” Joey replied, not sure how he was going to keep it together for the next two weeks. In the back of his mind he knew he had obligations to the guys and to his job, but he was ready for this step in his life. He wanted it to be perfect; to have all the memories that went along with it.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Rachel made her way downstairs and paused. She could hear the piano downstairs playing and listened. JC had gotten up only a little while before, leaving her to sleep late after the phone call from her friend. It had been a wonderful respite and she'd spent the next hour in the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, cuddled up to JC's pillow. She knew it wouldn't last, that she would join JC and the rest of NSYNC on tour and there would be no more sleeping in their bed for a while.
She made herself a glass of juice and poured JC a cup of coffee from the pot that was half full. It was funny that he never made a whole pot, claiming that he never drank it all so it was wasted if he made a full one. Rachel smiled at the music that JC was playing, humming “This I Promise You” as she made her way down the stairs and set the drinks on the small table next to a chair and sat down next to him on the piano bench. “Hi,” she said, leaning her head on his upper arm and sighed when his lips met hers.
“Morning,” he replied with a grin, his fingers still on the keys. “How are you feeling?” JC smiled when Rachel did, reaching over to caress her stomach and the slight bump that was there.
“Well, I feel like I've slept half the day away but it's been nice. And now that I'm semi awake, in a panic because I'm supposed to help my insane friend get married in two weeks. Of course she's marrying Joey, so that makes the insanity something of a moot point.”
“Speaking of getting married...” JC's voice trailed off and he looked at Rachel. “I'm still going to propose, but we have a few days here and there that are free. I mean, unless you want a long engagement.” He frowned, the words not coming out right. “Damn it,” he muttered.
“What?” Rachel asked, seeing JC look away. “What's wrong, C?” Her mind ran through things and she frowned when he didn't answer. She pulled his face to look at hers and she was surprised to see him with tears in his eyes.
“I want you to be happy with me. And I want to romance you and everything to go smoothly...and I felt like what I just said was 'Let's do this cheap and lazy so we can be married before our baby gets here'. Which is not what I meant at all.” JC sighed and looked down again, wishing he'd just kept his mouth shut.
Rachel paused and studied JC's body and wrapped her arms around him gingerly and gave him a hug. “I love you, Joshua Scott Chasez.” She tipped his chin up to face her and planted a kiss on his lips. “ I am going to marry you. Before our baby is born I will be Mrs. Chasez...Not because everyone expects that, or because we are hurrying but because that's what I want. I'm not going to freak out if it's not a year long engagement. So quit worrying so much, Mister Perfectionist.”
JC gave her a small grin and returned her affections. “It's my job to worry. I'm good at it. I just want to make sure you're happy.”
“I am happy, JC. I have a man that loves me and we're having a baby. I have friends that care about us and my Mom said my Dad was coming around to the idea of having a grandchild. She caught him looking at a baby book in the grocery store and when she asked him about it, he just glared at her.” Rachel ran a hand over JC's cheek. “I don't expect anything more from you than just you, C.”
“It's just a lot to deal with...” JC blew a breath out. “The touring and planning a wedding and doctor's appointments. I can't be there for all of it,” he frowned, hating that. If he had a regular job he would be home for everything. It ate at him and he felt like he wasn't being as good of a man as he could be.
“I can't be there for every concert and radio interview. Does that make me a bad person to you?” Rachel asked and JC shook his head. “It's life. I know you love me and care about me even if we aren't together every day. However, I am planning on living on the road with you for a couple months. Mel and I can keep one another company while NSYNC is off being the best boy band in the world.”
“I thought you said it was the best boy band in the universe.”
“I found another boy band in an alternative universe that had you and Nick Carter in the same group,” Rachel grinned big when JC gave her a glare, “so they trumped you.”
“Very funny,” JC muttered, shaking his head. “What time to do you have to be over at Joey and Mel's?”
“Around four. Joey said you could come too. They are having finger foods and drinks...this isn't just me going. They are rallying the troops,” Rachel told him, slipping her hand in his. “Playing me a song...please?” she added, batting her eyes.
JC squeezed her hand and nodded. “If I play this for you, you can't tell Mel. Joey started on this a while back and I just got the melody worked out.” His hands ran across the keys, humming at the beginning. “Feel the wood grain on the floor, passion burns behind the door. Crying out pull me inside, silhouettes they shine, baby we're on fire..” He reached over and hit a button over on the electronic keyboard and a beat started as he finished the song. “He wrote part of it after the night he stayed with her in Los Angeles. He wants to record it soon.”
Rachel had goosebumps listening to JC sing. It wasn't just that, but the words that their friend had written were amazing. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and shook her head a little. “That was awesome. Who knew Joey had it in him?”
“Amazing what comes to mind when you're inspired,” JC told Rachel giving her a smile. “I confess I think about you now every time I sing 'This I Promise You' now since I found out it's your favorite song.”
Rachel blushed and shifted on the piano bench. “Yeah, I have a weakness for that song. Speaking of weaknesses, we have a few hours until we have to be over at the Bass-Fatone house...” she raised an eyebrow and gave JC a flirty smile.
“I was done here anyway,” JC told Rachel, getting up and pulling her to him. “I love you,” he murmured before kissing her, letting his tongue press against her lips demanding entrance. A groan left him as she complied. Her fingers tugging at his shirt made JC break off the kiss and study her face intently before letting her undress him halfway. He balled up his shirt and intwined his fingers in hers as they slowly made their way up the stairs, pausing to kiss and touch; clothes littering the stairs.
Rachel let JC take her back to the bed, smiling when her head hit the pillow. “Oh bed, how I've missed you,” she remarked, giggling as JC rolled his eyes at her. “But the company is a lot better than it was a couple hours ago.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
The end of this chapter. Thanks for reading
Story Tags: joey
