JC sighs as the hot water splashes over his head and starts to run down his chest and back. He hasn’t slept properly in two days and it is catching up to him. They’d all just returned to the house after his Dad had come out of surgery. They’d been told that everything had gone really well and he was on track for a full recovery. He’d be in the hospital for a few more days under observation, but in the mean time there was no point in all of them staying there while he was resting.
He hadn’t known what to think when he’d walked into the hospital room to find his Dad laying there with a bunch of wires and beeping machines surrounding him early that morning. He’d been asleep and seemed so pale. His Mom had been asleep in the chair next to the bed and he’d hesitated to wake her but the way she was sitting was really going to hurt her back and her neck when she woke up.
“Mom…” he’d said quietly and had placed his hand on her shoulder gently.
She’d startled slightly and her eyes had opened. “Oh, Josh,” she’d said in a watery voice and had pulled him down for a tight hug.
He’d felt a large lump start to form in his throat as he tried to keep his eyes from filling with tears. He needed to be the strong one and not show his emotions here. Not now.
“I’m here, Mom. It’s okay.”
They’d hugged for a few more moments and then Karen had pulled away. She’d looked around for the clock. “What time is it?”
“It’s after midnight. I had a hard time getting out of the city, there’s a blizzard and flights were being cancelled. I came as soon as I could.”
She’d stood up and stretched. “And Ari?”
“She’s on the first flight in the morning; she should be here late afternoon tomorrow.”
She’d nodded again and had walked over to his Dad’s bedside to stroke his hand gently. “He’s going to be okay.”
He hadn’t been sure if she’d been trying to convince him or herself at that moment. So he’d smiled the most comforting smile he could muster and nodded. “Yeah. He’s tough, Mom.” He’d watched her watch his father for a few more moments before saying quietly, “How about you go home and rest? I’ll stay. I’m still wired from the flight and I’ll be here when he wakes up in the morning.”
She’d seemed to mull it over for a minute but then he’d assumed that exhaustion won out. She’d patted his Dad’s hand once more and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back in the morning with coffee and something to eat. I’ll replace you then.”
JC grabs his body wash from the shelf in the shower and starts to lather up. It had been nice to see his Dad’s reaction when he’d woken up to find him there that morning. He hadn’t slept a wink in between because all he could do was sit there and stare at his father while he tapped out the steady beep of his heart beat coming from a nearby machine on his thigh.
As he lathers up his arms and starts going over his shoulder he stiffens and stops.
His shoulder.
Her shoulder.
He drops his bath sponge onto the floor of the shower and leans forward to press his palms against the tiles. The hot water hits him roughly over the back of the neck as he hangs his head.
He’d hurt her.
Just before getting into the shower she’d followed him up to the bedroom so that she could change her shirt. She hadn’t been dressed for Florida weather and she’d said she was hot. As he was getting undressed so that he could take a shower, he saw something out of the corner of his eye and had stopped dead in his tracks.
He’d turned his head and reached forward to stop her from pulling on the shirt she currently had over her head. “Stop.”
She’d looked up at him questioningly and had brought her arms down; holding the shirt in her hands as he’d stepped forward and looked down at the quarter sized bruise on her shoulder. He’d instantly been taken back to a few hours before.
You’re hurting me!
“I did that,” he’d said softly and then moved away from her to sit on a nearby chair. He’d put his elbows on his knees and held his face in his hands. “I can’t believe I did that to you.” He’d looked up at her. “I’m so sorry.”
She’d shaken her head and come forward closer to him. “It’s fine, Josh. You couldn’t have known that my shoulder was stuck against the cabinet.” She’d reached down to run her fingers through the hair at the top of his head gently. “You stopped as soon as I told you to…”
JC sighs again; he’d thought that he’d been doing well with learning how to deal with his emotions in a different way than he had been before. Joey had been totally right when he’d said that JC had changed and he had finally started to feel as if he had. But now, he felt like he had regressed. He’d gone straight to wanting to forget about everything he was thinking and feeling by losing himself in the act of sex.
A little consensual rough sex when he was worked up always seemed to help him release some of the tension without actually having to work through anything. None of his ex-girlfriends had ever complained about it before. So when Ari had seen through his actions for what they really were and had stopped him, he’d suddenly felt like he was drowning because nothing was holding him out of the water anymore.
He had been left to feel what he should have been feeling.
She’d come to him and held him and told him that it was okay to feel. It was okay to not be able to cope with everything all the time.
It was going to be okay.
JC sighs and turns off the shower. He steps out and quickly dries off before wrapping the towel around his waist. When he makes his way to his travel bag he’d left on the bed earlier and starts looking for something to wear, his fingers brush up against something hard and he pulls it out. He sits on the corner of the bed as he pulls the top off of a robin’s egg blue box and flips the box over in his hand to let the black velvet box that was inside rest in his open palm.
Classical Elegance.
It was what the salesman had told him that day when he’d gone into the jewelry store. He’d tried to convince himself in the car that he was just going in to get her a necklace, but as the necklace he’d chosen was being taken out of the case to be wrapped, he’d been unable to keep himself from glancing down at the diamond rings in the glass case below.
Who had he been kidding? Like Joey had said, you don’t go to Tiffany’s for a necklace.
He’d needed only one glance before his finger had tapped the glass and pointed to a ring. “Can I see that one?”
The salesman had looked up at him and then back down at the ring he’d indicated. “Beautiful choice.” He’d reached down and grabbed the ring to bring it back up so that JC could look at it closely.
“It’s a platinum ring with a cushion-cut white diamond, encircled with a row of pink and white bead-set diamonds. It’s delicate and feminine. Perfect choice for a woman with smaller hands and delicate fingers.”
JC had nodded as he’d listened to the man and held the ring between his thumb and forefinger. He could already see it on Ari’s hand. “I’ll take that too,” he’d said as he handed the ring back over to the sales man.
The salesman had scratched his cheek nervously and smiled tentatively as he’d accepted the ring back. “Along with the necklace or...”
JC had nodded and reached to take his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Um. I must advise you, young man. That necklace is about 7,000$ and this ring is,” he’d looked down into the case at where the ring had been resting, “26,900$”.
JC had arched a brow and repeated slightly more forcefully, “I’ll take both.” he’d then snapped his credit card down onto the counter in front of the man.
Then man’s eyes had widened slightly when he’d seen the American Express Black Card in front of him and his eyes had gone over the name. “Of course Mr. Chasez, of course.”
Now as JC stared at the ring in the open box, he gnaws on his lip. He’d been carrying the ring around everywhere he went since then; thinking that when the moment was right he’d feel it and be able to pull it out.
If there is something these last few days had reinforced was that life is short. That he needs to spend more time and energy with his family and the people he loves.
That it’s time to settle down.
It’s time to settle down with Ari.
Don’t wait.
Joey’s words echo in his head again as he shuts the ring box and stows it back in his bag.
I’m done waiting.
With that thought he gets dressed and makes his way downstairs to find his Mom and Tyler sitting at the kitchen island, their soup bowls empty as they talk quietly. They look up at him as he comes around and goes to the stove to get himself a bowl. When he sets his bowl on the island facing them he raises an eyebrow and starts to ask where Ari is when he hears her voice coming from the room next door. It sounds like she’s trying to keep her voice down but is losing her patience.
That’s strange, he thinks as he starts to move in the direction of her voice. It’s not like her to get worked up. When he turns the corner he sees her on her cell phone, her back is to him and he stands quietly behind her not wanting to interrupt.
“But he didn’t take those flights!” Ari groans and runs a hand through her hair with a frustrated huff. ”I booked him three different flights because I didn’t know when he’d be able to get to the airport with the blizzard. It was a family emergency. One of those flights was cancelled!” She pauses for a minute obviously listening to the other person. “I don’t need credit, I need a refund.” She shakes her head and sighs, “No. I’d like to speak with your supervisor.” Another pause. “Fine. I’ll wait for his call.”
*******************************
Ari cuts the connection on her phone and turns to find JC standing behind her and gasps. She clutches her chest and takes a deep breath. “Damn Josh, you scared me.”
She watches as he comes forward and narrows his eyes at her. “What’s going on? Are you having trouble getting my flights refunded?”
Yes.
“It’s fine.” she shakes her head and motions to the kitchen. “Have you had something to eat? There’s soup on the stove.”
“I was just going to,” he says and shakes his head as if it’s not important. “I’ll call my credit card company and have them hassle the airline for the refund. Don’t worry about it.”
She bites her lip and starts to walk forward and past him so she can get to the kitchen, “No. It’s okay, I have to deal with it since it’s on my credit card.”
He follows behind her. “Your credit card?!” He grabs her arm gently from behind and turns her around. “Why did you book them on your credit card? I leave you a credit card at home for emergencies like this…”
She shakes her head and takes her arm out of his grasp to turn back around and go into the kitchen, hoping that the presence of his Mom and brother would dissuade him from questioning her further.
Apparently not, she thinks as he follows her and continues. “Tell me, Ari.”
Fine.
“Cause you know I don’t want to use your credit card! It’s not mine! It clearly says Joshua Scott Chasez on it!”
“Ari, we’ve been over this before.” he sighs and she can tell he’s starting to lose his patience with her.
“I know but it still doesn’t feel right, Josh!”
“It’ll have to fucking feel right when it says Arianna Chasez on it!” He yells slamming his hand on the countertop in front of him. Ari freezes in her tracks. He’s never yelled at her before.
Never.
She feels like a deer caught in the headlights when Karen clears her throat and says, “Tyler, will you drive me home? I’d like to wash up before going back to the hospital.”
Tyler nods and they both stand up, Ari shakes herself out of her stupor and speaks up, “You don’t have to leave…I’m just…I’m just going to go out there for a while.” She motions to the French doors leading into the backyard before she walks over to them, opens them and steps outside.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the last update for a couple days, I have to update my other story too! Enjoy!
Thanks again to elle-miranda for being my kick ass beta!
Chapter End Notes:
If you're interested, here is the link for the ring I got inspired with:
http://www.tiffany.ca/Engagement/item.aspx?GroupSku=GRP10084&selectedSku=29725217&search_params=param+0/0/0/0/0/3
Leave me a review, they make me feel happy! :D
http://www.tiffany.ca/Engagement/item.aspx?GroupSku=GRP10084&selectedSku=29725217&search_params=param+0/0/0/0/0/3
Leave me a review, they make me feel happy! :D
Story Tags: phonesex boyfriendjc showersex jc producerjc
