"Where could she and JC be? They've got to be in bed," I hear a voice say ascending the stairs as I come out of slumber. It's not a voice I readily recognize and it's been a good while since we've gone to LA, the face to the voice not readily indexed in my memory and available. I'm sure it's someone I've met in the past few months, no doubt about it being a friend of JC's.
"I wouldn't go in there, it's a death wish," Aaron warns.
"Waking her is as fine an art as it is to wake JC," the deep voice justifies.
"The door at the end of the hall to your right is theirs."
A knock sounds on the door, prompting me to release a groan. "Is it ok to come in?"
I sit up in the bed, pulling the light blanket up to cover my body, appearing to be dressed. "It's okay."
The door opens and James slowly walks in, cautious about each step and every movement. Josh takes a deep breath and wraps his arms around my waist, sliding his head to rest it at the top of my thigh near my hip on the blanket, his chest and shoulders exposed. "Hey, Lance," he greets his friend, eyes closed still and half asleep.
"You holding up alright?" I ask.
"Hey, JC. Yes, I'm holding up good. I'm here to let you know that I'm heading back to LA in a couple hours and that I will be there for your first performance."
"You mean solo on stage?"
"Yes, I promise."
His promise helps to ease some of the nervousness and tension, trepidation slowly fading away from my mind. "New York City, three weeks, Good Morning America and two night clubs," I inform him.
"Crimson and LQ," Josh completes the details.
"How long will you be away from the kids?" he inquires, jamming his hands into his pants pockets.
I sigh, the sadness evident as I recall the length of time I'll have to spend away from the kids. "A whole week."
"Aaliyah's party is still going on tomorrow?"
"Yes, it's at Chris' place in Orlando."
"Maybe I can push my flight back by a day or two, y'know, to be there for Aaliyah," he suggests.
"She'll be so excited! Oh! What about Nick? Is he showing up?"
Lance smiles, an all knowing sort of one. "He has a surprise for her and he'll let you know what it is after the show tonight."
Lance stuck around to hang out with us, tagging along to the show and taping it on his camera. "I can email the performance to the other guys and a few other people if you'd like," he offers.
"Sure, I don't see why not," I respond, anxiousness and nervousness setting in about what I have to do tonight.
"You'll do amazingly, mami," Josh tells me, placing a kiss on my cheek as we pull into the arena. Aaron came along, he has a few tricks up his sleeve.
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