JC choked back a laugh and poked Casey in the side.

"What!" She sat up with a start. She was vaguely aware of someone staring at her and turned to her right to see JC, an expression of amusement on his face. "What?"

 "Did you know you talk in your sleep, Case?” he asked, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

She cut her eyes at him and attempted to smooth down her disheveled hair. "Sometimes. So what of it?" She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest.  

"Nothing."  He stood up and turned to the bathroom before tossing a glance back at her. “You talk a lot.”

"Wait! What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing,” he repeated, still heading for the bathroom.

Casey jumped off the bed and followed him. "About what? JC, tell me what I said."  

He laughed devilishly. "Hmm maybe.”  As she opened her mouth to protest, JC quickly kissed her.  "Later," he said gleefully as he shut the door in her face.  

"JC? JC, you open this door!" she yelled, banging on the door.  "Open--" She stopped as the door suddenly opened.

"Shhh!” He pulled her inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind them.

***

“I was thinking,” JC began when Casey exited the bathroom.

“That’s scary,” she quipped with a grin. “Catch.” She launched something at him which he just barely caught. It was his toothpaste. “What were you thinking?”

He stuck his tongue out at her and tossed the tube into his toiletry bag that was on the bed. “I was thinking about this whole sleeping arrangement.”

Casey stopped in the middle of pulling her pants on and raised an eyebrow. “Ok?”

He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down to tie his shoes. “So, we’re in agreement that, most of the time we’re in a hotel, you spend the night with me, right?”

“Right,” she replied slowly, returning to getting dressed.

“But technically, at least according to Everett’s list, you still share a room with Jasmine.”

As the tour manager, Everett oversaw all of the arrangements associated with touring, from hotel accommodations, to specialty food requests.

“I was just thinking, why don’t we just tell Everett that we’re sharing a room when we get to wherever we’re going next. Make it official, I guess? Then you don’t have to worry about maneuvering your stuff back and forth between my room and yours.”

“Is this about me using your toothpaste all of the time?” She snickered and pulled her long-sleeved tee on.

JC smiled. “What do you think? Seriously.”

She knelt down and slid her own sneakers on, taking care to avoid his eyes. What did she think? That was a loaded question with a complicated response if ever there was one. What she wanted to think was that it was no big deal. And he was right; when possible, most of their nights were spent together. And, after the conversations they’d recently had, she was OK with that. And, official or not, Everett certainly already knew. He knew everything that was going on where the tour was involved. So then why, all things considered, was the thought of him making a note in his official little notebook, and the thought of her bags being delivered to JC’s room with his own, and the thought of being given a key to his room and everyone knowing, in no uncertain terms, that they were sharing a room...fill her with something akin to panic?

She glanced up at JC, noting the fact that his previously wide smile had slipped.

He stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I mean, if you don’t think it’s a good idea, then--”

“Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically and stood up. “I think it’s a good idea. A great one, actually.” She wasn’t lying exactly. It was a good idea, made a lot of sense, even if it did fill her with anxiety.

“Yeah? OK, great.” His relief at her response was visible. “So, are you staying in the hotel when we get to Chicago, or with your family?"

She hadn't fully made the decision yet and she said so. "Um, it just kind of...depends."

"Ok, well, I'll tell Everett. About the room. Just in case."

She picked up her bag from the floor near her feet. “So, um, I’ll see you later sometime, I guess? After the show?”

JC adjusted the watch on his wrist after checking the time. “Yeah, probably. We have some press before soundcheck, and a meet and greet, I think. But I’ll find you.”

“OK, cool.” Casey slid her messenger bag on her shoulder and started for the door.

“Hey.” He came up behind her. She turned around and he placed his hands on her waist and moved her closer. Then his mouth was on hers. He pulled away just slightly, and rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll see you later.”

With tingling limbs and flushed cheeks, Casey smiled up at him. “Later," she repeated softly, and walked out of the room.

***

Casey walked through the hotel room door and almost directly into Justin. “Hey.”

He crossed his arms and smirked down at her. “Hey, yourself. Everything OK?”

She gave him a distracted smile and adjusted the strap of her bag. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“No reason. ‘C still in there?”

“Yep. I, um, I gotta run. I’ll see you later, J.”

He watched her for a moment, a curious smile at the corner of his mouth. With a shake of his head, he knocked on the door to the hotel room.

“Oh, hey. Come on in.” JC stepped back after pulling open the door to let his friend in.

“Let me guess; you were expecting someone a lot shorter and female?” Justin grinned.

“Yeah, well, she just left so…” JC chuckled. “You can sit. I’m just waiting for Eric to come get me so I can grab breakfast.”

Justin crossed the floor of the room and took a seat in one of the armchairs in front of the window. “The fans have been pretty tame here, huh?”

At each hotel stop, Everett generally reserved an entire floor. Along with *NSYNC, and each of their personal bodyguards, opening acts and any necessary security, as well as key members of the overall team all stayed on the blocked floor. Tour security worked with hotel security to keep fans and potential lookie-loos to a minimum, and generally the guys were able to roam the hallway of their own floor freely. To be on the safe side, though, no one was allowed to venture further out into the hotel without alerting the security team.

JC nodded his agreement. “Sometimes I think we call more attention to ourselves walking around with Eric and them, but whatever.” He sat back on the side of the bed facing Justin. “So what’s up?”

The young blonde flashed a megawatt smile. “You are lately, that’s for sure.”

JC raised one eyebrow quizzically. “What do you mean?”

Justin snickered. “Oh, come on, C. You know what I mean. What’s going on with you and your girl?”

JC’s face grew hot but he laughed it off. “Oh. Casey. Uh...yeah, man, I don’t know.”

Justin let out a loud guffaw and shook his head. “Why can’t either of you just admit it?”

“There’s nothing to admit, man. We’re having fun, you know?”

Justin’s expression was mirthful. “Fun, huh? So that’s why you’ve been attached at the hip for the past couple of months?”

JC stared back at his younger friend, feigning ignorance. “Like I said, J, we’re having fun.”

“Oh, really.” Justin snorted. “So, it’s just sex?”

JC grinned. “No. I didn’t say that--”

“So it’s more than sex?” Justin interrupted.

“Man, I am not having this conversation with you.”

“Why not?” Justin shrugged. “If you’re just having fun, then what’s the big deal? It’s just sex, right?”

“Justin--”

“Don’t ‘Justin’ me, JC. I’m dead ass serious.”

JC leaned back on his hands. “I like her, OK?” he said quietly. “Casey’s...yeah. She’s something else. But she’s…” He blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck.

“She’s what?” Justin pressed.

“She’s messed up about whatever happened with her ex, man. But she won’t talk about it and I don’t know what to do about it. Until she lets go of whatever happened with him, or heals from it, or whatever it is she needs to do…” He shrugged helplessly. “It’s only gonna go as far as she’s comfortable with it going, you know?”

Justin nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

Both men were thoughtfully quiet for a moment before JC cleared his throat. “You were there. When Tony...that night? Has she ever talked to you about what happened?”

Justin pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. Not really. She’s thanked me for...I don’t know for what, really. I didn’t do anything. Jasmine started yelling and I just happened to be walking down the hall at the same time so I heard her first. But I didn’t do anything.” Justin’s eyes dropped to the floor.

“Hmm,” JC hummed.

“C,” Justin said, looking up seriously. “Casey’s...she’s not as together as she likes everyone to think she is. I don’t know if that happened before or after her asshole ex, but I think, if you have real feelings for her, you just need to make sure she knows that, you know? So she doesn’t think that she’s just...a passing phase you’re having or something.”

JC raised an eyebrow, curious at Justin’s choice of words. “You talk to her a lot, don’t you?”

“I used to. She’s been otherwise occupied lately, though.”

JC grinned. “Yeah, I guess.”

“In the beginning, though? Yeah, we talked a lot. Whenever the asshole gave her room to breathe.” Justin scowled. “And the more women he found to screw around with, the more room he gave her to breathe. He didn’t like her talking to me.”

 “Why not?” JC asked.

“He was an asshole,” he said flatly. “Isn’t that reason enough? He didn’t like her around anyone that wasn’t him, especially not other dudes.”

JC’s eyes were downcast and he chewed on a hangnail. He looked up and met his friend’s eyes. “Did she ever say anything about me?”

“Have you asked her?” Justin cracked a knowing smile.

“I’m asking you. Besides, Casey wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

“Your name came up on a couple of occasions.”

JC perked up. “Yeah? About what?”

Justin laughed and ran a hand over his chin. “She was convinced you hated her and I tried to tell her she was wrong.”

JC smirked. “Yeah, well, she knows I don’t hate her now.”

“Yeah.” There was another lull in the conversation and Justin leaned over the side of his chair and peeked through the soft white sheers covering the window.

“What’d you mean, though?” JC leaned over, propping his chin in his hand, elbow on his thigh. “About not letting her think she’s a passing phase? Does she think that? Now?”

Justin readjusted the curtains and settled back in the chair. “We haven’t talked about it lately,  but she mentioned it. Awhile ago.”  

“This morning I asked her to share a room with me.”

Justin smiled slyly. “Like you don’t already?”

“I mean officially.”  

“What’d she say?”

JC shrugged. “She agreed, but it was weird for a minute.”

“Weird how?”

JC stared into space for a moment before answering. “I don’t know. It’s nothing.”

A knock sounded at the door and Justin stood. “That’s probably Eric, and I need to finish packing.”

JC got up from the bed and the two young men crossed over to the door together.

“You’re spending a lot of time with her, JC. At this point, I’m sure there’s nothing I can tell you about her that you don’t already know."

JC opened the door and let out a small sound that fell somewhere between a laugh and an exhalation. “Maybe, maybe not. But I’ll talk to you later.”

Justin nodded. “Hey, Eric. Later, ‘C.” He went down the hall to the left while JC and Eric headed to the right, toward the elevator.

***

Casey hung up the phone and looked around the room. She crossed over to the window and, after unlocking it, pulled open the sliding glass door. It was chilly, but she stepped out on the balcony and inhaled deeply. After a mere five minutes of taking in the fresh air and blue skies, she retreated back into the hotel room, shutting and locking the door behind her. She grabbed the remote control off of the TV console, and sat down on the loveseat facing it. She never pushed power, instead tapped the controller on her leg and stared at the blank screen.

She was back in the suite she technically shared with Jasmine, although her friend and dancer wasn’t around. She was also antsy and hoped she would calm down before the show that evening. It wasn't nerves exactly, at least not the sort of jitters she had before going onstage sometimes. But she was agitated, nonetheless. Anxious, even.

With the flight arrangement made she had at once felt more centered. Chicago was only a four and a half hour drive from Auburn Hills, but tonight she wanted nothing more than to be in her own bed, in her own home, surrounded by her own family. A flight would get her home in just over sixty minutes. Now, she was again filled with nervous energy. She put the remote on the couch next to her and leaned over the arm to pick up the phone once more.

"Hi," she said when the front desk answered. "I’m calling from room 521. I was wondering if you had a list of taxi services in the area.” She paused as the person on the line spoke. “Um, no I actually need it to pick me up at the The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight at eight o’clock, and it would be taking me to the airport.” She was quiet for another moment. “Oh, you can? Yeah that would be....great. Thank you. Oh, um...Casey Whitaker. All right. Thanks.”

Now she had a flight home, and a taxi to carry her to the airport. Hopefully she could slip out of the arena without commotion. It was suddenly very important for her to leave without anyone knowing. Ultimately it didn’t matter if everyone knew or not. The only person that would potentially complain was Dara, and the complaint would be more about going out without security than any issue with her flying home. But she was feeling strangely contained, and she needed to do something autonomous.

And there was, of course, JC. She was also feeling guilty as hell for planning on sneaking out under cover of darkness. Things had been good with him the past couple of nights, as well as that morning. And they were on the same page. So why was everything in her head telling her to run away? He wanted them to share a room. Officially. And mostly, she thought, that was OK. Because they did that anyway. And he looked so happy when he suggested it. So why did the thought of it, the thought of telling Everett and making it official, make her feel… She wasn’t even quite sure what she felt. She admitted to him that she liked spending the night with him. It wasn’t a secret. So why was she feeling such inner turmoil at the thought of making their sleeping arrangements official? With an audible sigh, she pushed off the couch and reentered the suite’s bedroom.

Now that her calls were made and her plans were set for the evening, she went about the work of packing up the overnight bag she’d brought to the hotel. There were a couple of things she’d left on the bus that she would’ve like to have had with her, but there was not likely going to be enough time for her to grab anything in between now and the show. And there was certainly not going to be any time after her set was over. She would go on at seven and be done promptly at seven forty-five. Fifteen minutes would be plenty of time to get back up to her dressing room, change clothes, and hopefully get away from her dancers long enough to walk right out of the front door of the venue.

Of course, she’d have to say something to Dara. Maybe, she thought, she could send her a text as the cab pulled away. Or maybe it would be safer to text her when she was already at the airport. Dara was going to have something to say, and more than likely attribute her sudden desire to get away to either JC or...Tony. Tony. She didn’t want to think about Tony, but lately it seemed that he was always just at the edges of her thoughts.

Immediately following the incident, everyone treated her with kid gloves, as if they were afraid she’d break. People expressed their concern, and asked how she was doing. But they avoided the questions she knew they wanted real answers to. She got looks from the crew when she passed by, and occasionally picked up the tail end of whispered conversations when she entered a room. Outside of Dara, Jasmine and Justin were the first to approach her directly to find out what the hell happened. She wasn’t surprised as they were first two at her door. Justin was more roundabout in his questions, trying to work his way up to the big one. Jasmine, having seen some of the bruises when they were fresh, was a little bit more direct.

But of course, Casey didn’t want to talk about. More than that, the part that no one seemed to understand, was that she didn’t want to think about it. She relived the night enough all on her own and walking everyone through it step by step was just...it was too much. Shit, she reasoned, happened sometimes. And there were plenty of things she would rather be doing than wallowing in it or dwelling on it. Besides, she was fine. She was thankful for that. That Jasmine and Justin had shown up when they did. That hotel security was dispatched swiftly. That it hadn’t turned out...well, the way it could've turned out. And honestly, she was none the worse for wear. And that was enough. Usually.

But in the silence and the solitude of the early afternoon, it wasn’t so easy to push it out of her mind. Casey flopped back onto the bed and looked over at the clock. It was just after noon and Jasmine was nowhere to be found...not that she was really keeping track of her. But she wouldn’t have minded a bit of a distraction. JC, her current most tangible and enjoyable distraction, was with his groupmates doing press or something related to being incredibly successful and famous.

Her stomach fluttered at the thought of him. The way he kissed her that morning before she left.  And the way she felt, the night before, tucked in his arms. She shook her head and groaned. She wasn’t going there. She was absolutely not going to make it out to be more than it was. She was just vulnerable, maybe, to kindness. Because of Tony. Because the whole thing had shaken her more than she let on to anyone. But it certainly wasn’t anymore than that. After two months, it couldn’t be.

She turned over onto her stomach. There was nothing left in her room and she hoped that JC would pick up anything that she might have forgotten in his. She got up to answer a knock at the door.  

"Dara, what are you doing here?" Casey asked, surprised to see her manager in the hallway.

Dara looked over Casey’s shoulder into the room behind her. “Surprising you, apparently. You’re ready to go to venue? You have soundcheck soon.”

Casey stepped back to let her manager into the room. “Um, yeah.” She took a deep breath and closed the door. “Uh, Dara, I just wanted you to know that I’m, um, leaving tonight. For Chicago, I mean.”

“Oh.” Dara’s eyes widened. “You’ve already made arrangements?”

Casey nodded and sat down on one the sofa. “Yeah.”

Dara crossed her arms over her chest and gave her an appraising look. “Is this about JC?”

Casey scowled. “No. Why would you even think that?” Of course Dara would read more into things than necessary. And of course she would focus all of that unnecessary reading into things on JC. Because whatever ailed her had to be due in large part to a guy.

“I just want to go home. That’s all.” The words came out perhaps more exasperated than she had intended and she noted the almost imperceptible tightening of Dara’s jaw.

Her manager nodded slowly. “What time does your flight leave?” she asked finally.

Casey glanced down at her watch. “Um...ten-thirty. I’m leaving right after the show.”

“Why not just wait until tomorrow?”

“I just want to be home as soon as possible. Is that OK?”

Again, Dara nodded her head. “That’s fine. Do you need a ride?”

“No.” Casey shook her head. “I called down to the front desk to arrange for a cab. It’s picking me up right from the venue.”

“OK, then.” Dara stood, and squeezed Casey’s arm before leaving. “We’re heading over there now.”

***

As Dara let the door close behind her, she worried. In the beginning, she’d thought the young woman was doing a masterful job of handling the stress and pressure of the tour, and the general requirements of a performer poised on the brink of stardom. But ever since the Tony incident… There were things she needed to discuss with Casey, but she was quite sure that now was not the best time. For all of her affected nonchalance, it was becoming increasingly clear to Dara that her young client wasn’t coping with things so much as she was pretending there was nothing to cope with. She was sure Casey would be OK eventually. It just might take some time.

***

JC tried Casey’s phone again; still, he received no answer. He hadn’t been able to  find her right after the show,  and her dancers had no idea where she was. Apparently she just vanished into thin air. He looked for Dara; if anyone knew where she was it would be her manager. Everett was generally impossible to find after a show was over so he didn’t even bother trying to track him down. He had wished he had Dara’s number, and briefly thought about checking to see if Johnny did. He ruled that out quickly, though. He and Casey were still staunchly maintaining how casual things between them were, and if he tracked down his manager just to track down her manager just because he didn’t know where she was...well, that wouldn’t look too casual.

He wasn’t worried; she had bodyguards to make sure that she was safe and sound at just about all times. Plus no one else, including her dancers, seemed concerned with her absence. But he wondered if something had come up. He also wondered, if it had, why she didn’t tell him. Not that she owed him an explanation. Despite the previous evening’s conversation, and the fact that they were both enjoying spending time together, they weren’t together. Not officially. At least, he thought somewhat defiantly, not yet.

The thing that was the most frustrating about dealing with her, was the fact that he knew she was feeling about him the same way he was feeling about her. In the quiet, private moments, it was obvious. But for reasons he couldn’t even begin to understand, she couldn’t--or wouldn’t--acknowledge it. At least not in any sort of public way. Second to that, and still annoying, was the fact that he cared. What happened the night of the argument at the ice machine was supposed to be a one-time fluke. And then it was supposed to be a fun interlude, something to break up the monotony of life on the road. But it was quickly, and disconcertingly, becoming more.  

And he would’ve been fine with that. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was sure that Casey was fighting against it. And he had no idea why. With a sigh, he stood up to get ready to head out to the awaiting tour bus.

***

"Hello?" Casey answered breathlessly into her cell phone.

“Where the hell are you?” demanded the voice on the other end.

“Hi, Jasmine. I’m great; how are you?” was Casey’s caustic reply.

“Hi, Casey,” Jasmine said sweetly. “Where the hell are you?”

“I’m at the airport,” Casey said, not breaking her stride as she looked for her gate.

"Why’d you leave without saying goodbye?" Jasmine said into the other end. “Is everything OK?”

She’d been asked the question countless times in the past few months and it was starting to wear on her. “Everything’s fine. I’m just ready to be home. Sleep in my own bed, you know?”

Jasmine made a small sound of agreement. “So how come you didn’t tell JC? He was looking for you earlier.”

Casey found her gate and took a seat near the window. The area was nearly deserted; there was a small handful of other people waiting to board the flight. She was thoughtfully silent for a moment. She didn’t know why she didn’t tell him. “It was a last minute decision and I just…” She trailed off, her words sounding like meaningless excuses even to her.

“Is everything OK with you guys? Have you talked anymore about...stuff?”

"A little, yeah.” Casey set her carry-on on the chair next to her and slouched down in her seat.

“And?”  

“We’re having fun. We’re getting to know each other. We’re letting it be whatever it is and that’s good, I think.”

“You only think?” Jasmine persisted.

"Well.” Casey sighed. “I don't know. I like him, Jazz. I think I could like him a lot. But…” She faded off into silence.

"But what?"

"But we...” She glanced around to make sure no one was paying her any attention and lowered her voice. “We have sex. A lot." She sighed again.

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Jasmine deadpanned.

“It’s not necessarily bad, but like...maybe we only like each other because of sex, you know? At least...maybe I’m only feeling the way I think I’m feeling about him because of sex. And maybe he is, too.”

"Ask him," Jasmine said simply.

Casey rolled her eyes. "'Hey, JC?  Are you sure you really like me or could it be that I’m just a really good fuck?' That should go over well."

Jasmine groaned. “I didn’t mean you had to say it like that, Case."

“He asked me to share a room with him. Like, from now on. Like, telling Everett and making it official, you know?”

“What’d you say?”

Casey paused and studied her fingernails, shifting farther down into the seat. “I said yes.”

“Casey,” Jasmine began slowly, “do you think you’re maybe making all of this out to be a bigger deal than it needs to be?”

"What do you mean?" Casey replied tersely.

"You forget that I know you came into this whole thing with a crush on him. And you just admitted that you’re feeling something for him. He likes you. You like him. Just...go with it.”

“I admitted that I think I’m feeling something for him,” Casey corrected. “And besides, my crush didn’t count. Like I’ve said before, I didn’t know him then. It was a...fangirl kind of thing. I loved his voice, but mostly it was physical.”

"Meaning it isn't 'physical' now?" Jasmine chuckled.

“Dude, I don’t know! That’s the whole fucking problem. I don’t know. I like him, I think. But...I’m sleeping with him. And maybe I’m just attached.”

“I know, I know,” Jasmine said. “And you don’t want to be that girl. You’ve said that many, many times. I think it has less to do with you being that girl and more to do with the fact that you’re still messed up by what happened with Tony.”

Casey inhaled sharply.

Jasmine didn't skip a beat. "JC isn’t Tony, Case. This situation isn’t that situation. And maybe it’s time for you to get whatever happened out. So you can let it go and move on.”

“I gotta go, Jazz,” Casey said quietly.

“Casey--” Jasmine began.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” With that, she unceremoniously ended the call.

***

Now onboard the moving bus, JC pulled the cover up over him and adjusted the curtain that closed off his bunk. He stared up into the pitch blackness and listened to the sounds around him. Justin was already snoring lightly, and someone else, probably Chris, was moving around in bed, likely trying to get comfortable.

When it was time to board the buses Jasmine had approached him.

“Hey, JC,” she says sheepishly, pulling her zip up hoodie tighter around her against the chilly night air. “So, I found Casey. Sort of.”

She looks uncomfortable, he thinks. Almost guilty. “OK…”

“She flew home, actually. You know, to Chicago. I guess she left right after we got offstage.”

He’s sure the expression on his face is confused, because he is. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jasmine nods, chuckling nervously. “Apparently it was a last minute thing. Dara knew but Christoff only just told us. So, I just wanted to let you know. Since, you know, you were asking.”

He smiles. “Yeah, thanks, Jasmine. I appreciate it.”

There was something there between him and Casey, and it went beyond sex. But as much as he wanted to explore it, he couldn’t--and wouldn’t--force her to want to as well. And she was pretty obviously on the fence about it.

He checked his phone one more time, not really expecting to hear from her, but hoping anyway. With that, he slid the rectangular device under his pillow. In seconds, he was dead to the world.  

***

"Ya know, we haven't been to Chicago in a while, have we?" Joey paced the floor in the aisle between the bunks.  

Lance glanced up at him from his position on his back, on his bottom bunk. He couldn’t see much as his baseball cap was pulled down too far on his head; the bill was mostly covering his eyes. "You’re pretty wound up, Joe. What’s up?" he queried mildly.

“Nothing, really.” He was quiet for a moment and when Lance didn’t respond he continued. “I, uh, I talked to Amber the other night.”

“Hmm,” was Lance’s muffled response. He was, as far as he knew, the only one who knew that Joey had hooked up with her. “I thought that was a one-time thing.”

The brunette shrugged indifferently. “Yeah, it was then. But we’ll be in Chicago and she’ll be in Chicago and why not, you know?”

“Casey still doesn’t know, does she?”

Joey stopped in his pacing to lean against the bay of bunks directly across from Lance. “Not that I know of. Why?”

Lance grunted slightly. “Just wondering.”

“I mean, she’s probably not gonna notice anyway. JC’s been keeping her occupied these days.”

Lance nodded. “That’s for sure.”

Joey slid into his bunk which was directly across from Lance’s. “What do you think’s up with those two? Aside from the fucking like bunnies, I mean.”

The blonde snickered and removed his hat so he could look his friend in the eye. “Aside from that, he likes her. A lot, I think. I talked to him about her the other day and he just...he likes her.”

“Yeah? What’d he say?”

“Nothing, really. I asked if they were serious and he laughed it off. He’s JC. You know when he’s excited about something. He’s excited about her. That’s obvious.”

“Hmm,” Joey sighed contemplatively. “He tell you what went down with her and Tony that night?”

Lance shook his head. “He doesn’t know. She won’t talk about it. But he says he saw Tony get rough with her once. When she was in Orlando before the tour?”

Joey eyes widened. “Really? What happened?”

“Tony was shaking her in the hallway and JC happened to see it. They left right after, I guess. I think JC feels bad about not saying something. Especially because of what happened later and all.”

“Damn.” Joey shook his head. “What was he supposed to say, though? I mean, it doesn’t really make sense, but she stayed with him. So…” He shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I said to him.” Lance sighed and changed the subject. “So did you call Amber or did she call you?”

“I called her.” The brunette smirked.

“You really think that’s a good idea, Joey?” Lance replaced his cap over his eyes and tugged his blanket up.

“Come on, man. We’re just having some fun. It’s no big deal.”

“If you say so,” the blonde said with a yawn. “Sounds like a lot of potential for drama, to me.”