The three days spent in Orlando had come and gone, and Casey’s introduction to JC’s parents--as well as his sister and brother--was something she counted as a personal triumph. His mom had even invited her to come back down for a longer visit when the tour was over. JC took every available opportunity to gloat when it was over, but Casey didn’t mind much.

His travel agent had triumphed as well; five weeks after the tour ended Casey made good on the week she’d promised him and he made good on his surprise for her.

“This is literally paradise,” she remarked breathlessly as they stood outside resort. “Literally.”

She hadn’t stopped gushing since the plane landed at Kahului Airport; the two hour drive along the winding Hana Highway took almost four hours as she kept clutching JC’s arm, asking him to stop and trying to look around in every direction at once. It was a balmy 78°, and despite the light rain she thought that everything was perfect. It was like being in a tropical rainforest, and she’d never seen scenery so lush and green.

Once ensconced in their private bungalow at the Hana resort, Casey swore she was thinking of moving in permanently. The rusticness of the hard wood floors and wood furniture was made homier and more comfortable with all soft fabrics in muted tones. They spent the first few days exploring the picturesque paradise, including a self-guided tour through Ka’eleku Cavern.

Four days into their trip they were up early as Casey had a call-in radio interview scheduled first thing in the morning.

“It’s time.” JC looked over at Casey. “You ready?”

She folded her legs underneath her and hugged a throw pillow close to her chest. “No. I want to go back to bed.”

He handed her a mug of coffee and watched her for a moment, his expression mild. “You still want me here?”

She frowned at him and nodded. “It’s the only way I can do it.”

JC grabbed the chair in the corner and angled it closer to the loveseat she was on and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. “You got this, baby.”

After taking a sip of her coffee, she set it down on the table and picked up her cellphone. She took a deep breath and dialed the number she’d already committed to memory. After announcing herself to the young woman who answered, she put the phone on speaker mode and placed it on the coffee table in front of her.

“Casey Whitaker! You’re on with Crazy Al in the morning; how are you?”

She smiled a little, amused by his early-morning enthusiasm. “I’m, uh, awake. Barely.” It was just after five in the morning, and she and JC had returned to the bungalow late the previous evening.

Al laughed heartily. “What time is it where you are? Are you back home in Chicago now that the tour is over?”

“No, I’m not home; I’m actually in Hawaii right now.”

“After months of being on tour you probably need all of the rest and relaxation you can get.” His voice boomed from the phone and JC made a face which she tried not laugh out loud at.

“Definitely. Although I thought I was done with folks waking me up at five a.m. for a little while.” She chuckled. “But Hawaii is, obviously, one of the most beautiful places on earth so, yeah. I’m enjoying myself.”

“Are you enjoying yourself alone or with a companion?”

Casey snickered as JC rolled his eyes, smiling. “That was smooth.”

“Yeah, I worked that in pretty good, huh?” Crazy Al laughed.

“Yeah,” she giggled. “Um, I’m here with my boyfriend. I think he needs the rest and relaxation more than I do.”

“Your boyfriend being JC Chasez, right?”

“The one and only,” she said, prompting JC to make a face at her.

“So that’s a great segue into something I wanted to ask you,” Al began slowly. “The last time we spoke, you were here in-studio, and I asked you about some rumors regarding him…”

She laughed again, knowing exactly where the conversation was going. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“Yeah, yeah, I asked you a particular question and I think you didn’t give me an honest answer, huh?” There was a good-natured teasing quality to his voice that put Casey at ease.

“No, I didn’t, and I’m sorry about that. I was still kind of trying to figure out how to navigate dating a celebrity.”

Al let out a loud guffaw. “Well, you’re a celebrity, too.”

“Not nearly as big as he is--and by the way, he totally hates when I call him one.” She looked up to see JC looking at her, a small smile on his face. “I don’t want the fact that I’m in a relationship with him to eclipse the fact that I’m out here because I’m a musician and performer. I feel like it’s something that happens a little bit more for women than for men. In the couple of months since TRL I’ve already done a couple of interviews where the entire focus was on JC, and some of the questions I was asked were just really intrusive and way inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?” Al repeated. “I’m curious as to what you mean when you say that.”

Casey snorted. “Oh, I did an interview for a particular publication that shall remain nameless, and the interviewer flat out asked me what he’s like in bed.”

He groaned. “Oh, man, that’s rude.”

“Oh, yeah. And she was offended when I refused to answer the question. So, yeah. I have a wonderful boyfriend, and I’m really happy with him. And he’s way more famous than me, and I totally understand why that fascinates people. But I just want to make sure that people remember that I’m here for my career, not for being JC Chasez’s girlfriend, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah that makes sense.” Al paused for a moment. “So speaking of your career, I’ve heard you’re involved in a new project with MTV and it’s not about music. Can you talk about that all?”

“Um, yeah. Along with some other entertainers, I’m going to be filming some PSAs about recognizing the signs of abuse in a relationship. The PSAs will run for a month or so leading up to a two hour special about the same thing.”

“Wow,” Al said. “That’s pretty heavy; how’d you get involved in it?”

“I, uh, well…” Casey took a deep breath and JC nodded, offering her gentle encouragement. “The relationship I was in before JC was...it was really unhealthy. I, um, I found myself in a situation I had never been in before and I didn’t really know how to get out of it, you know? I had always thought of abuse in terms of a guy like, beating his wife or girlfriend or whatever. I didn’t realize it can be more nuanced than that.

“And it was for me, with this person. He was very controlling and manipulative and sometimes downright mean, but he never hit me. So I never thought of how he was as abusive. I also didn’t know how abuse tends to escalate over time.” She paused and sipped from her mug.  

“Anyway, there was a situation at the very end of our relationship and I had finally decided I’d had enough and when I told him I was done, he--” She stopped suddenly and JC grabbed her hand.

“You can do it,” he mouthed, eyeing her intensely.

She exhaled slowly before speaking again. “Well, the first time he hit me was also the last time. And I think...I was really fortunate because we were surrounded by like, professional bodyguards and hotel security in no time, and I had good friends looking out for me who could see things were getting worse even if I couldn’t. So he hit me and that was literally the end of our relationship.

“For a lot of people though, that first time is just the beginning. And they’re so enmeshed in the dysfunction, and they’re so isolated and embarrassed by the time things turn physical, that they just feel stuck. And so when I heard about what MTV was doing, with wanting to bring awareness particularly to teenagers and young people about what abuse is and how it doesn’t always look just one way, I knew I had to be part of that.

“I was 18 when I got into a relationship with that guy so I could totally relate to all of it, you know? And I love that they’re emphasizing the point that anyone can be the victim of abuse--men and women, boys and girls.” Casey looked up to see JC grinning and giving her a thumbs up with the hand that wasn’t still holding hers.

“Wow.” Al made a low whistle. “That’s amazing. So, can I ask where that guy is now?”

She made a face at JC and took another sip of coffee. “He’s, uh, well, he’s actually in jail now but not because of what he did to me.”

“Did he hit someone else?”

She considered the question for a moment. “Not exactly. He’s just bad news all around.” She hoped the DJ would leave the topic of her ex-boyfriend at that, and she was pleasantly surprised when he did.

“So what about you? I mean, you sound like you’re OK now. What was the healing process like? Was JC a big part of that?”

Casey squeezed JC’s hand and looked at him as she answered Crazy Al’s questions. “I’m doing much better now, but I think healing is an ongoing thing, you know? It took me awhile to be able to even admit that I had been in an abusive relationship. So I would say, I’m still healing. As for JC, I have to be that girl for a moment. In all honestly my boyfriend is, objectively, the absolute best.”

JC’s face flushed, but he grinned as she continued talking.

“Objectively?” Crazy Al laughed.

“Absolutely,” Casey said with a smile. “He’s sweet, and generous, and just one of the most caring people you’ll ever meet. And I know how disgusting I sound right now, but...he’s awesome.”

Hands still clasped together, JC and Casey maintained their eye contact, neither one blinking.  

“All of that said, I think it’s really important to know that another person can’t heal you. And I think after a really bad relationship a lot of people go looking for another relationship with the express purpose of healing the wounds of previous relationships and it just...it doesn’t work like that, usually.

“JC has been hugely supportive and encouraging, but I’ve had to do the work on my own. And I mean, he’d tell you himself that one of the things he’s always encouraged me to do is to talk to someone, a professional, about what happened and how I can learn to process it all, you know?”

“That’s...that’s great,” Al said. “So I think this is probably the most you’ve talked about your relationship since it became public. Are you guys gonna sit down and do joint interviews and stuff?”

“I think,” she winked at JC, “that the only way we’ll do a joint interview is if it’s specifically about music we’re working on together--which we’re doing, by the way. When you live a large part of your life in the public eye, I think it’s really necessary for like, your sanity, to maintain parts of your existence that aren’t for public consumption.”

Music began to play in the background and Crazy Al cleared his throat. “OK, well after we take a short commercial break we’re actually going to talk all about your new album so maybe we can hear about some of that music.” He paused. “But before that I do have one slightly inappropriate question.”

Casey stiffened and JC shook his head slowly.

“Is he a good kisser?” Al asked.

She relaxed visibly and brought JC’s hand to her mouth, brushing her lips across his fingers. “I have no problem with telling you that he’s a phenomenal kisser. You can quote me on that.”

***

Casey pushed open the sliding doors separating the room from the lanai. The high, exposed wood-beam ceilings were fitted with huge fans. With the doors open and the fans turning, the room cooled with the trade winds flowing breezily through the space. Luxuriant foliage loomed outside of the window, framed with the crystal blue of the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop and she sighed at the sheer beauty of the sight before her. A moment later she felt JC’s hands on her hips, and she leaned her head back against his chest.

“A week isn’t long enough,” she murmured. “I want to stay forever. It’s so beautiful.”

“My view is absolutely spectacular.” He leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder. “I have to send Lance a bottle of wine or something.”

Casey turned in his arms and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling his face down closer to hers. “I want you to know that I’m like, super, ridiculously, crazy in love with you and I’m way overdue in telling you so.” She laughed at the way his eyes widened and his mouth opened; he was clearly flabbergasted and she was a little surprised herself at the ease with which the words came out. “I wasn’t necessarily planning on saying that just now, but…” She shrugged. “Something about the scenery and the company and it seemed like as good a time as any.”

He blinked slowly; the smile that had left his face when she’d begun talking was returning by degrees but he was still quiet.  

She cleared her throat, sliding her hands from his face down his chest. “So, um, you don’t absolutely have to say anything, but--”

JC’s lips were on hers in the next instant and he started walking her backward in the room toward the bed. They crashed onto the soft surface together and she giggled as he settled himself over her.

Holding his weight up on his forearms, he grinned down at her. “You know you just stole my thunder, right? I had this whole speech planned out, in the most romantic place on the whole island.”

“Where is this place?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss.

“Mmm, I was gonna take you there later, but now you have to wait,” he mumbled between kisses. He pulled back and smoothed her hair away from her face. “I love you too, Casey. I’m in love with you. Super, ridiculously, crazy in love with you.”

“I’m sorry I made everything so hard, for so long.” She traced his jawline with one fingertip.

“We’re here now, baby, and that’s the only thing that matters to me.” He gently nuzzled his nose against hers before bringing their lips together again.

Casey whispered against his mouth. “We’re probably not gonna end up leaving the room today, are we?”

JC smirked. “At some point. I’m sure we’ll get hungry.”

“I love you,” she said again, sighing happily.

“I love you, too.”

Fin.