When Dara first said she’d be joining the tour for a while, Casey was less than thrilled with the prospect of her manager looking over her shoulder at every turn. At least that’s what she assumed the situation would be. She was pleasantly surprised when things didn’t turn out that way. Dara accompanied her to photo shoots and interviews, but her presence was largely unobtrusive. Until that morning, when Dara had called and asked if they could chat.

She sat on a couch in her manager's hotel suite waiting for her to finish up a phone call, feeling like a kid who’d gotten called to the principal’s office after misbehaving.

Dara ended the phone call and turned somber eyes on Casey. “So, I’m going to cut to the chase. I know about Tony’s radio interview and I can only assume you do, too.”

At first Casey didn’t care much what was being said about her. And in the beginning it wasn’t difficult to ignore. But as her career gained traction, and definitely once the tour with *NSYNC began, there was more chatter. She’d be OK for a few weeks, not checking what was written about herself on message boards, online forums, or gossip rags. Then a well-meaning friend or family member would mention, in passing, something they heard about her. Usually it was something favorable (“You’re collaborating with Janet Jackson on your next album?”), but patently untrue. And then curiosity would get the better of her, and she’d search out information.

She’d made the mistake of telling Dara about some of the less than favorable, and equally untrue, things she’d come across about herself (“They’re saying I...well, you know...for tracks!”), and her manager would always advise her to stay away from silly whispers. And she would. For a little while. Until the next person made the next comment about the next thing they had heard.

Casey’s stomach dropped down to her ankles. “Oh. Yeah. That.”

“That's a yes, then?”

“A friend sent me the link.” She looked around the room uncomfortably. "Is it, um...going to be a problem? What he said about me and Justin?"

"I don't think so. A couple of other media outlets have gotten wind of it, but they're small time."

Casey relaxed noticeably.

"But," Dara began again, "it begs the question of what's going between you and JC. Last conversation we had, which I'll concede was quite a few weeks ago, you were just having fun. I haven't really checked in with you since you told me you were going to be sharing a room."

Casey worked her bottom lip between her teeth, not responding for several seconds. "We're, ah...it's, um..."

Dara pursed her lips and stared at Casey expectantly.

"We're together."

"Together?"

"We’re still having fun." Casey blew out a breath. "Just in a more...official capacity."

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he’s my boyfriend.”

The older woman nodded slowly. "OK.”

“We decided to keep it quiet,” Casey blurted out. “I mean, the fewer people who know, the better, right?"

"You're probably right, but how do you intend on keeping it quiet?"

Casey shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like we're groping each other in public.”

“There’s more to it than that, Casey. You know by now how the gossip mill works. And all it takes is a couple of people seeing something, even something innocent, and mentioning it in the right places to the right people.”

When Casey said nothing in response Dara continued. “The two of you have been out together, alone, a handful of times. You’re positive no one has ever seen anything, ever?”

Casey stared back at her manager feeling uncomfortable again. “We’ve been careful. We’ll keep being careful.”

Dara raised an eyebrow. “And what if that’s not enough? Have either of you considered what could happen if it comes out that you’re dating? I’m willing to bet Johnny has an opinion on it.”

Casey frowned at the mention of JC’s manager. He was, to her knowledge, more or less neutral on the issue of them dating. Other than a few comments made early on extolling the benefits of safe sex--primarily when it came to preventing unplanned pregnancies--it didn’t seem he’d had much to say. Then again, she hadn't asked JC if he’d mentioned the fact that they’d put a label on things, and JC hadn’t volunteered the information.

She crossed her arms over her chest with a defiant huff. “Are you telling me I’m not allowed to date JC?”

Dara’s smirk was mirthful. “I’ve known you long enough to know that me telling you what you’re not allowed to do wouldn’t count for much. And besides,” she shook her head once, “I’m your manager. As you’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, my job is worrying about your career, not your personal life. I would never tell you who you should or shouldn’t date.

“But in terms of your career, I’d be remiss if I didn’t advise you that dating someone with the type of high profile JC has, may have a bigger impact than you may think.”

Casey gnawed on the inside of her cheek, saying nothing for a few seconds. "Like I said," she began with a dismissive wave her hand, "we're keeping things quiet. No one will know and it'll be fine."

Dara frowned at her client. "It may not be that simple, Casey. You should keep that in mind."

***

“You missed breakfast,” JC said when Casey came through the door.

“Had to. Dara summoned me.” She tossed her keycard and phone in the general vicinity of the loveseat and crossed the room to where he was standing.

He wrapped her into a hug and let her pull his head down to hers. “What’d she want?”

“To talk about boring stuff,” she murmured against his lips. “Please tell me you’re free for at least the next hour.” She slid her fingers up through his hair.

Her nails scratched gently at his scalp and he groaned when her tongue swept into his mouth. Her other hand trailed from his jaw, to his neck, down the front of his shirt. When it came to rest on the waistband of his pants, he pulled back from the kiss.

“Mmm, Case…” He kissed her once more and pulled away again. “I would...really like to…”

She kissed his chin and took a step back. “Duty calls, huh?”

"We've got a TV thing this morning." On impulse he added, "You could come with?"

Casey smirked, her hands dancing up his chest. "You're gonna let your opening act tag along?"

He grinned down at her, simultaneously gliding his fingers up the back of her shirt. "I would let my gorgeous, very sexy girlfriend tag along anywhere, anytime.”

“Hmm,” she hummed with her lips against his. “Flattery will definitely get you in my pants later, if that’s what you’re going for.”

He snickered and squeezed her butt. “What I’m going for is you coming with us. Yes?”

She weighed his request against her earlier conversation with Dara and shrugged. “Yeah...why not. Let me change clothes.”

***

From her position offstage, Casey smiled and bobbed her head along to the music as *NSYNC sang and danced in front of the cameras and live studio audience.

Her enthusiastic gaze remained on JC almost the entire time. She never tired of watching him perform. Whether in the large arenas they performed in night after night, or the much smaller space of the television studio they were currently in, he was so obviously and fully in his element when he was on a stage. Neither his energy nor his intensity changed or diminished in any way regardless of the size of the venue. What she loved most about all five of the guys as a group, was that they gave 110% no matter what.

As always, the guys were engaging, friendly, and charming during the interview portion of the taping. There was a moment of near-panic for Casey when one of the hosts went down the line asking each young man, in turn, if they were single or dating anyone special. After recent events, she was mostly sure JC wouldn't have said anything even remotely incriminating, but it eased her mind when just before it was his turn to answer, some girls in the audience screamed something loudly. The outburst became the topic of discussion and he never had an opportunity to give a response to the question.

On some level, she liked that no one in the general public knew what was going on between them. The more of her life that was on public display, the more she valued the things she was able to keep private. And although JC wasn't, as he joked about some weeks before, her dirty secret, her relationship with him was something that was becoming more and more important to her by nature of the fact that she didn't have to share any piece of it with anyone else.

As low key a person as he was inherently, he was also a celebrity--one with a rather high profile thanks to the success of his music. Even if Casey had had no success to speak of, she knew people would still want to know more about her just because of who he was. The fact that she was also in the public eye meant people would be even more curious. And curiosity would lead to questions, which would lead to speculation, which would lead to people commenting on and making assumptions about a relationship that was, for all intent and purpose, still very new.

She just wanted the chance for the two of them to figure things out together, without any undue pressure or stress from the outside.

*NSYNC finished their performance and as the show ended, she pushed her thoughts aside, waiting for the guys to come offstage.

***

JC wrapped Casey up in a hug that she half-heartedly tried to get out of.

"'C," she whispered, "someone could see us."

With his arms still around her he glanced around. There were a few people associated with the TV studio, mostly behind the scenes technical support, involved in various tasks but no one was looking in their direction.

"Let's live dangerously." Smirking down at her, he planted a quick kiss on her forehead before releasing her.

"OK, Mr. I don't like PDA; you're going to be the one to get us in trouble." She laughed.

“That was hardly PDA.”

Flanked in the front and rear by security, they made their way along the side of the building and into their waiting SUV. Justin was already inside so Casey crawled in next to him, with JC settling next to her.

Sliding his arm around her shoulders, JC pulled Casey closer to him and put his lips against her ear. “How about a raincheck on this morning?”

She giggled but before she could respond Justin groaned. "Listen, I'm actually really happy to see the two of you all hugged up on each other these days. You're both much easier to be around. But could you save the sex talk and mushy shit for when I’m not around?”

JC blushed but didn’t release his hold on her.

As the vehicle carried them back to the hotel, conversation shifted to other topics and twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the hotel. A small group of about twenty teenage girls were huddled on the sidewalk outside the entrance.

Peering out of the heavily tinted window, Justin groaned quietly. “I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but sometimes I just want to go from point A to point B without playing to an audience.”

Casey poked him in the back as Dre opened the door for them. “It’s the price of success, J. Suck it up and smile.”

As he was on the side nearest the curb, Justin climbed out first. The moment his head cleared the car, a rumble of excitement rose amongst the group of fans. A few girls shrieked in elation, while several just called his name. Smirking, he gave Casey the finger behind his back before approaching the waiting girls with his bodyguard at his side.

Casey got out of the vehicle next, with JC jumping out right behind her. After quickly falling into step next to her, he waved to the fans and slid his arm around her shoulder. “So you never answered me about that raincheck?”  

Casey glanced at the crowd. "JC!" She turned wide eyes on him and shrugged his arm off. "Shh!" With that, she jogged away from him.

He watched her, a slight frown on his face, as she approached Joey from behind and jumped onto his back. Shaking his head, he followed Eric over to the group of fans.

***

JC was silent on the way up to the elevator, which, he noted, Casey didn't notice. Or maybe she didn't much care; he was never completely sure with her. Her attention was mostly on Chris as, along with Lonnie, Dre, and Joey, they laughed about something one of the fans had asked out front.

The elevator doors opened on their floor and Casey shuffled out next to JC, looking down at her phone. They made the short trek down the hall to their room and once the door was unlocked and they were tucked inside, she sighed loudly and dropped to the sofa.

"That girl really wanted Joey to sign her boobs!" She shook her head in disbelief. "She said she was twenty-one but she was totally lying. I'd be surprised if she was anymore than sixteen."

He watched her talk to him--or more accurately, talk at him. She still hadn't acknowledged the fact that he'd literally not said a word to her since the exchange as they got out of the car. His state of mild annoyance was giving way to semi-amazement. He still wasn't sure if she was oblivious or pretending really well; she had to feel the tension that was, in his own mind, radiating from him.

After a few moments of only sort of listening to her talk, JC mumbled something incoherent in reply and went into the bedroom, where he fell back on the bed. Casey called him from the other room but he remained silent, closing his eyes.

“JC?”

He could tell by the close proximity of her voice that she was standing in the doorway. “Yeah?” He still didn't turn over.

With his eyes closed he couldn’t see her approaching, but he felt the bed dip when she sat next to him.

“Will you just tell me what’s wrong?” she asked gingerly.

He sighed and flipped over onto his back, staring at her wordlessly at first.

Casey couldn't quite meet his gaze and she wouldn't stop fidgeting with the bedspread. The fact that she was at least a little embarrassed comforted him somewhat and he felt slightly appeased.

When he spoke his voice was quiet, but his eyes on her were intense. "I didn't think you noticed."

She stopped fiddling with the bedding long enough to roll her eyes at him. "Noticed you being pissed at me? Yeah, I noticed. And I figured I'd ignore it until you either decided to tell me why or got over it. But apparently neither of those things is going to happen anytime soon."

When his mouth fell open, Casey shrugged.

Despite his frustration with her and the situation, he chuckled. “What was that all about out front?"

She looked down away from him. "What was what all about out front?"

"I mean," he pushed himself into a sitting position, "I had my arm around you and you practically shoved me out of the way, only to run up to Joey and jump on his back. What was that about?”

Casey winced, allowing her head to fall forward. "That...that was about the fact that we're supposed to be staying under the radar and that’s impossible if we're hanging all over each other in public."

JC’s lips became a tight line and he narrowed his eyes. “Whatever, Casey.” He lay back down and turned away.

His arm had been around her shoulder, and yeah, he was whispering something that was kind of about sex, but no one in the crowd could’ve heard what he was saying from where they were. And even if they had, they wouldn’t have necessarily known what he was talking about.

“JC.”

Casey pushed at the arm he had tossed over his face but he didn’t respond.

“JC,” she repeated, nuzzling her nose against his ear. “Come on; don’t be mad at me.”

His response was a grunt, and although he didn’t open his eyes, he let her move his arm out of the way.

“You caught me off guard and I panicked,” she whispered, gently brushing her fingertips across his cheek. “I’m sorry I pushed you away like that.”

She crawled over him, straddling him, and he opened his eyes to meet hers.

She was sincere, that much was obvious to

him. Though he was still frustrated, his resolve to stay angry with her was quickly slipping.

“So I can’t touch you in public, but you can jump on Joey’s back in front of a bunch of fans and that’s OK?” He made no effort to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

She frowned. “That’s different, JC.”

His eyes rolled almost involuntarily. “How so?”

She made a face and he knew she was trying to come up with a response, could almost hear the gears turning in her head.

“Come on, JC; you know how Joey is. Or at least how everyone thinks he is.” She groaned. “No one’s going to see me with him and think I’m sleeping with him. He’s...he’s Joey.”

He bit his lip to stifle the laughter that was trying to come out, trying to maintain his stern facade. “What does that even mean?”

“You know what I mean. And besides, even if some of your fans thought there was anything between Joey and me…” She trailed off and absently fingered the bottom of his shirt.

“Even if they did, what? Say it?” His voice was soft but firm.

Casey sighed and her shoulders dropped. “They wouldn’t care. Not the way they’d care if they knew something was going on between us. You know how it is for you, and for Justin. And after what Tony said...” She raised her eyes to his.

“When I talked to Dara this morning she said she doesn’t think what he said will gain any traction in the media, but, you know, she agrees that we should be cautious. About us.”

JC was mostly silent for a moment, the only sound that of his even breathing. When he spoke, it was with a forceful exhalation.

“It wasn’t like I was trying to make out with you, Casey. I wasn’t even holding your hand. I had my arm around your shoulder and it wouldn’t have been a big deal.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated quietly.

He softened, letting his hands wander up to rest on her hips. “I know.”

And he did. Besides, she was right; at least in terms of the fans, people cared far more about his and Justin’s personal lives. It was the one aspect of *NSYNC's success that he hated.

He also knew that Casey hadn’t purposely set out to offend him. Or hurt his feelings. And he supposed that made a difference.

She smiled shyly and leaned over to kiss him. “So does that mean you forgive me?”

He smirked, tightening his hold on her. “Depends...can we talk about that raincheck now? Finally?”

She snickered and kissed him again, lingering with her mouth against his. “Yes, but…”

“But?” He traced her bottom lip with his tongue. He was feeling pacified, and incidentally maybe, horny. She generally had that effect on him.

“But,” she repeated, pulling away, “for the record, that silent treatment stuff doesn’t work on me. Next time you’re angry with me, just say so.”

He snickered and pulled her back down. “I’ll keep that in mind.”