Ari’s eyes flutter open and she stirs slowly in bed. She takes a deep breath and turns as she stretches, expecting to find JC sleeping soundly next to her but is disappointed to see his side of the bed empty. With a small yawn, she slips out of bed and into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. As she leans back against the counter while brushing her teeth, she looks around the bathroom and her eyes settle on the massive glassed in shower that they had shared yesterday. Nothing really happened, but it was one of the most satisfying experiences in her life. She really, really wanted to go all the way with him but she still felt slightly uncomfortable about the idea until they spoke about it first. Maybe today would be the day.
I can’t hold back forever.
She finishes up in the bathroom with tying her hair back and makes her way out of his room, into the hallway and down the stairs. As she hits the bottom step her nose picks up the distinct smell of bacon cooking and her stomach rumbles in appreciation. As she steps into the kitchen she finds one of the most alluring sights she’s ever imagined: JC was standing at the stove cooking, wearing his underwear and a white undershirt. His feet are bare, his hair is mussed and he is wearing his glasses.
Holy. Mother. Of. Fuck.
I definitely can’t hold back forever.
Her cheeks redden and she bites her lower lip as she watches him quietly for a moment. Her heart is racing and her palms are slightly damp.
“Like what you see?” A teasing voice breaks her out of her reverie.
She gulps and walks forward, trying to settle her nerves and well, honestly her hormones. “Yeah, well. I really like bacon.” She answers as she presses her lips to his over the stove. His eyes flash with amusement and he laughs heartily as he watches her step back and take a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen island.
“Well the view may have been better about 10 minutes ago when I wasn’t wearing a shirt. I decided that it wasn’t that great of an idea when I started cooking the bacon…”
It’s her turn to laugh as she shakes her head, “You’re right that would have been a sight to see. Never had I ever imagined that one day I’d be having my breakfast cooked by JC Chasez in his underwear.”
He winks at her and turns from the stove to push a plate of cut up fruit toward her. She smiles as she sees half of it is filled with raspberries.
He remembered.
“What’s the special occasion?” She asks, popping a few of the sweet fruits into her mouth.
He shrugs as he turns off the stove and places the last strips of cooked bacon onto a plate covered in paper towels. “It’s Sunday, we don’t have anything to do. I was up early and wanted to make you smile basically.” He answers with a smile of his own.
Ugh. Can this man get any sweeter?
She smiles at him brightly and grabs a strip of bacon from the plate and takes a bite. “It worked. Mmm, this is perfect. I thought you said you didn’t cook?” she arches a brow at him as he picks up a few pieces of fruit and eats them.
“I don’t, but I like bacon.” He laughs and takes a seat next to her; “You don’t really have to do much but turn on a pan and leave it in there until it’s crispy.” He shrugs again. “Same with these eggs, “ He says, as he pulls a plate of steaming scrambled eggs forward on the island, “You mix them up, put them in a pan and swish it around until they are cooked. I can’t guarantee the total absence of shells in them though…” He smirks as he watches her scoop some eggs onto her plate.
“Doesn’t matter, this is a really great start. You’re definitely not hopeless, Josh.” She tells him with a smile as she takes a bite.His face lights up and he leans forward to kiss her softly.
“What’s that for?”
“I like it when you call me Josh.” He answers quietly before pulling back and filling his own plate with bacon, eggs and fruit.
They eat their breakfast for a few minutes before she pushes her plate away and pats her stomach, “I’m full. That was great. It reminds me of Sunday mornings at home.”
He raises an eyebrow, “It does?” He asks, still working on his breakfast plate.
She nods, “Yeah. At home it’s this…tradition of sorts. Ever since I can remember. Sunday morning breakfast. Everyone is home, everyone helps and everyone eats.” She smiles as she fondly remembers, “It’s really the only day of the week that everyone is home and we have family time. Especially in the summer when Dad’s got jobs almost 7 days a week since they have to take whatever day the sun lets them have. Not Sunday mornings though, those are special. Those are for family.”
It’s his turn to push his plate back this time as he smiles, “That sounds awesome. I really love that you also come from a good family and you can appreciate those times. It makes me think about one day when it’s my own family, with my own kids, you know?”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It’s a tradition I’d like to keep as well when the time comes.” She grabs her glass of orange juice and takes a sip, “So that’s eventually in the plans for you then?” She asks tentatively, “A wife? Kids?”
Please don’t think I’m trying to make you think about that with me right now…
She watches him smile and he answers without looking at all perturbed, “Yeah, I mean I always figured I would you know? The guys always teased me that I’d be the first to settle down and have kids.” He chuckles, “Look at me now, I’m the last one of the five left.”
She grins, “Kept the best for last.”
He reaches over and pushes some loose hair from her face, “So that’s in the cards for you too then? A husband? Kids?”
“Yeah, same as you. Always figured I’d end up a wife and mother, although my last boyfriend sort of made me question if I’d ever find anyone.” She shrugs and stands up, grabbing their empty plates and bringing them to the sink.
“Oh?” He asks softly, his eyebrows raise over the rim of his coffee cup as he watches her move around the kitchen. “Can I ask what happened?”
She shrugs as she leans her back against the sink and cross her arms over her chest, “Sure. You can ask me anything. It was simple; I dated him for five years after I finished college, I really thought that we’d eventually settle down but I’m not pushy about that, so I never said anything. We’d sort of cryptically talk about it without really talking about it. I figured out later that there was a reason for that; he was settling down in some other girl’s bed almost the whole time we were together. I was crushed.” She shakes her head and looks at her bare feet on the cool ceramic tile of his kitchen floor. “How did I not figure it out, you know? How was I so blind? I guess I’m too trusting for my own good when it comes to people. I would never dream of cheating on someone I am with, so I assumed the same of my partner.”
She stays quiet for a moment and looks up to find him sitting quietly at the kitchen island, his elbows resting on the marble as he watches her attentively. “I’m sorry that happened to you. You have to know that it wasn’t your fault.” He says quietly.
“I know that now. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not perfect, but I didn’t cheat or anything like that. I don’t think I was a horrible girlfriend either.” She shrugs, “So that really messed with my head, you know? I started to think that he’d gone elsewhere because what he was getting at home…you know, sexually…wasn’t good enough. I’m not…overly experienced, if that makes sense. Ever since I’ve started dating, I’ve always been in one long term relationship after another. I’d only been with two other men before I was with him; my high school boyfriend and my college boyfriend. I guess I’ve always dated the same type of guy that sort of…knows what he likes and doesn’t really stray too much away from that. Not much…adventure or curiosity. I remember one time I finally mustered all of my courage to suggest something a little different, you know because I’d sort of like to enjoy it too, and he got pissed at me. He told me that if I wasn’t enjoying it enough it was my fault and that I had never complained in the five years we were together. “
“What an asshole…” He groans and rolls his eyes. “Talk about insecurities on his side if he’s not able to listen to his partner and want to please her the way she wants.”
She bites her lip and picks at the bottom of her t-shirt, “So, it really made me even quieter after that. I never suggested anything or strayed anywhere from the usual beaten path. I am thankful now in a way that he cheated on me and I was able to leave him. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with someone like that now. I mean, sex isn’t the most important thing in a relationship but it’s crucial to the way a couple trusts and cares for each other, you know?”
“Yeah, I totally agree. The intimacy, the trust, all of that: it’s important.”
With a deep sigh, she shakes her head again and smiles at him, “Deep conversation this morning.” She smiles and walks back over to her stool.
He chuckles softly and nods, turning his body toward hers “Good conversation. We needed to have that conversation before we…get involved any deeper.” She nods and watches him for a moment.
Ask him.
He beats her to the punch, “So, since you opened up about yourself, it’s only fair that I do the same. I’m sure you may have been a bit insecure about asking me about my past…experiences?”
She blushes and bites her lower lip before she nods slowly.
He reaches for her hand and slips his into it. “First of all, I want to get something completely clear: you are allowed to ask me about anything. Second I’m never going to lie to you. Capiche?” He states with a wry grin. When she smiles shyly and nods her head again he continues, “You’re right in probably assuming that I’ve been with…my share of women. It’s probably a higher number than the average guy, but much lower than you are probably thinking.”
“Like…less than 50?” She questions meekly.
He laughs loudly and nods, “Absolutely less than 50. I’m not that big of a slut. I was in *NSYNC, not the Rolling Stones.” He grins, shaking his head. “When I was in the group I had a steady girlfriend most of the time. When the group stopped touring and I was working on my solo album I dated a few girls then. When the solo thing sort of crapped out, I was flailing a bit, I didn’t know what to do with myself, I was depressed, I was partying a lot. I went a little crazy then, I had several one night stands that I’m not proud of today but in the end I got out of that phase. I dated a girl for a few years after that and since then, well…I’ve been busy with work.” He squeezes her hand gently; “I’ve been cheated on too, more than once so I know how you felt. Unless it happens to you, it’s hard for someone to understand what it does to your head. In my case though, it was sort of the opposite from you. I’m…” He scratches the back of his head quickly and his cheeks redden, “Quite…adventurous. Not crazy or sick stuff, but I’m open to lots of things. So, I started to think that I was scaring those girls away.”
She squeezes his hand back and smiles at him, encouraging him to continue. “So…basically we make the perfect couple.” He laughs, “We’ll balance each other out.”
She laughs with him, “True. I just was scared that you’d be turned off by my lack of…experience. I’m going to take a little encouragement to work through my nerves of being…turned down.”
His eyes widen and he shakes his head quickly, “You don’t ever have to be scared about that with me. I want you to be free, to be comfortable in your skin and to be completely open with me. I want you to trust me. I also want you to trust me enough to tell me if I’m doing something you’re uncomfortable with or if I’m taking something too far or too fast.”
She nods, “I think I can do that. I want you to trust me as well, enough that you won’t hold back in fear of freaking me out. I want you trust that I really will tell you if there’s something I’m uncomfortable with and that you push the boundaries a little bit with that in mind.”
They look at each other for a few moments and smile. She leans forward and kisses him softly, caressing the side of his face with her hand. When she pulls back she whispers, “Thank you for listening and most of all, thank you for sharing. I had been…holding back in a way until we had the talk.” She finishes in a playfully ominous voice.
He chuckles and stands up while pulling her up with him; he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her against him. “Now you’ll never have to hold back…and things can happen as they are meant to happen.” He smiles against her neck and then kisses her cheek quickly. “Now, how bout we clean up and then go to the beach? I heard someone promising Maestro some playtime in the sand last night…”
She grins and nods as she pulls away from him and walks to the sink, “Wouldn’t want to break my promises!”
As she turns the water on and starts rinsing plates in the sink she can’t help but think.
This is the start to something good…really good.
Author's Chapter Notes:
So I know that this is a content heavy chapter, but I feel like it was needed to move the story along. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
Hope you liked it! This sort of gives me a green light to have a little fun with them in future chapters...;) Review and I might post more...
Story Tags: phonesex boyfriendjc showersex jc producerjc
