If I’m Not The One

Chapter 12

            The weekend came and went in a blur.  Cassandra had so many things she needed to accomplish before she reported for work at WEG Enterprises on Monday morning.  She needed to clean the entire house, grocery shop, do laundry for herself and her sister, and finish several minor details that she knew she would be too tired to complete once she began the new job.

            JC had been busy the entire weekend between publicity photo shoots and public appearances.  He had not had a chance to return to Cassandra, though he telephoned her during any free moment he was given.  Each time her phone would ring, she would smile, rush over to it and try to sound like she didn’t expect him to be on the other end.  He would utter words of apology, friendship, and as the calls became more frequent, suggestive ideas.  He made sure that by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, Cassandra knew he wanted to be with her in more ways than one. 

            A schoolgirl giggle sounded when JC whispered something he wanted to do to her the next time he was alone with her.  The smile was huge and genuine.  The mere thought of someone like JC wanting to be with her, touching her in that way, loving her with his entire being, was like a dream come true for Cassandra.  He made all the hell she had been through with Thomas seem like nothing more than a nightmare.  It was becoming more and more like Thomas had never really existed except in her imagination.  Cassandra actually felt like she would be able to live a normal life now that JC had come into her life.

            Things were changing for her sister, Marissa, as well.  As Cassandra noted, when the phone rang and it wasn’t JC, it was Lance Bass calling to talk to Marissa.  Apparently the two of them had hit if off and were seeing quite a lot of each other.  Marissa had told Cassandra what a sweet man Lance was and how kind he was to her.  He enjoyed her opinionated attitude, and respected her for the ideas she voiced without inhibitions.  There was no pretense with her.  If she liked something, Marissa made sure Lance knew it.  However, in the same right, if she disliked it, she would spout about it for longer than Lance cared to think about.  But, then he would laugh, hug her, and tell her he loved the fact that she didn’t mind speaking her mind.

            As Cassandra rushed around the house, picking up the last of the dirty clothes to put in the laundry room, Marissa informed her that she would be seeing Lance for dinner.

            “So, you don’t have to cook anything for me, sis.”  Marissa said lightly.

            “You two have really hit it off, haven’t you?”

            A shy smile played on the younger girls’ face.  “Yeah, we have.  He’s such a sweetheart.”

            “I’m glad.  JC thought you two would get along.”

            “I have to say, it’s the first blind date kind of thing that has worked out for me.  I’ll have to remember to let JC fix me up more often.  He seems to know the kind of guys I’m attracted to.”  Marissa laughed and hurried off to her bedroom to finish dressing.

            Cassandra sighed, and resumed her task of gathering laundry.  Throwing the dirty clothes onto the pile that already existed in front of the washing machine, Cassandra looked around her.  It appeared that once the laundry was finished, she’d have all of her chores completed, and she would be able to sit back with a book and relax before going to bed for the night.

            Quickly, she turned on the machine, poured in the detergent and loaded some of the clothes into the large white washer.  She lowered the lid and headed into the living room.

            Finding a book lying on the coffee table in front of the sofa, she picked it up, lowered herself to the sofa and made herself comfortable.  She opened the book to the page where she had left off and began reading.  The only sound was the washing machine as the basket swished back and forth, quietly agitating the various fabrics in it.

            As she turned the page, Marissa bounded out of her bedroom and into the living room.

            “How do I look?”  She practically squealed at her older sibling.

            Cassandra looked up from the book she was reading and smiled at Marissa.

            “Well?  Come on, Cassandra.  How do I look?”

            “You look great!”  Cassandra studied the smaller version of herself.  She wore a pink halter top with the glittered word ‘ANGEL’ embedded on it along with a black leather mini-skirt.  She had on black platform sandals and her tanned legs were bare. 

            “I think Lance will love what you are wearing.”

            “Really?”  Marissa seemed unsure.

            “Where are you going?”

            “Clubbing.  Lance loves to go out dancing.  He’s really a great dancer, too.  I don’t know why everyone gets all up in his face about the way he dances with the group.  I know for a fact, that one on one, he’s totally awesome.”

            The doorbell sounded.

            “Oh my God!  He’s here.  What do I do?”

            Cassandra laughed.  “Calm down, sis.  You’ve been out with him before.”

            “Yeah, but now it really means something.  I don’t want him to totally hate me or something.”

“Marissa, now how could Lance totally hate you?  He wouldn’t have asked you out again if he didn’t like you.”

“I know, but what if he suddenly realizes what a dork I am?”

“Marissa, that isn’t going to happen.  You aren’t a dork.  You are a wonderful girl.  You are a beautiful girl.  You are loads of fun.  Lance is going to have a wonderful time and so should you.”

The doorbell sounded again.

“Now, answer that door before he thinks we aren’t home.”

Absently, Marissa moved to the door and opened it.  There stood Lance.  He was wearing black khaki slacks with a red t-shirt and a black leather jacket.  His blonde highlighted hair was spiked up in a familiar way and his green eyes sparkled when he took in the vision of Marissa.

“God, girl!  You look hot!”  His voice was deep and admiring.

“Thanks, Lance.  I was hoping you’d like it.”

“Very much.  Are you ready?”

“Why don’t you come in and say hello to my sister.”

Lance nodded and crossed the threshold into the house.  He followed Marissa into the living room and Cassandra rose from the couch.

“Hi, Lance.  How are you?”  Cassandra asked.

“Doing just great.  How about you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain.”  She smiled.

“No JC?”  He asked.

She looked kind of sad.  “No.  Not tonight.  He phoned and said he had some more business to take care of.  Maybe I’ll get to see him at WEG tomorrow.”

“Well, we all do have a way of turning up there.  Must be something to do with our management company, or something like that.”

They both laughed.

“Well,” he said turning to Marissa.  “Are you ready?  The club is calling us!”

Marissa rushed over to her sister, planted a quick kiss on her cheek and promised not to be too late getting home.  Together Lance and Marissa rushed out the door, slamming it behind them.  Cassandra walked over to it, made certain it was locked and glanced out the window in time to see Lance’s truck pulling out of the driveway.

She returned to the living room and made herself comfortable on the sofa.  Picking up the book she had laid on the table, she resumed reading the chapter she had left off on.  She caught herself imagining herself as the heroine in the story and JC was the hero.  It was a typical romance.  Girl meets boy; boy wants girl; girl and boy fight; girl and boy make up; and presumably at the end boy and girl end up together. 

“God, these things are so predictable.”  She heard herself say out loud.

Bored by the book and the silence in the house, Cassandra decided it was a good opportunity to get some extra sleep.  She padded across the living room, down the hallway and into her bedroom.  She left the living room light on for Marissa’s benefit.  That way her sister would not have to come into a dark house. 

Tiredly she pulled the covers back, and without even undressing, crawled under the covers and nestled her head into the pillow.  It felt so warm and soft.  She was more exhausted than she had realized and it didn’t take long for sleep to overtake her.

************************************************************

Nervously, Cassandra stepped off of the elevator and headed down the long corridor toward the offices of her new employer.  As she approached the door she stopped, drew a deep breath, adjusted her dress, and reached up to check her hair.  Closing her eyes momentarily, she tried to prepare herself for the first day on her new job.  Her mind flashed a vision of JC.  She smiled.  Although she missed talking to him the night before, she knew he wished her well.  He had told her several times during his numerous phone calls that he knew she would be wonderful in the new position.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open.  The large, gold letters that spelled out the name of the company flashed in front of her as the door opened wider.  Hesitantly she approached the receptionist.  The petite blonde looked up at her and smiled brightly.

“Hello.  You must be Cassandra Hamilton.”

Cassandra swallowed hard and returned the smile.  “Yes.”

The young woman stood up and reached across the reception desk to shake Cassandra’s trembling hand.  “I’m so glad to meet you.  My name is Stacy Kirkwood.  It’s so nice to have you here.”

“Thank you, Stacy.  I have to tell you, I’m a bit nervous.”

“Aww, don’t be.  We’re just like one big, happy family.”  Stacy stepped out from behind the desk.  “Let me show you to your office.”

“Office?”  Cassandra questioned.

“Oh, yes.  All the PR people have their own offices.  I’ll be getting all of your calls and taking any messages for you.  If there is anyone you don’t want a call from, just let me know.  I’m an expert at keeping all nuisance calls away from the people that work here.”

“That’s nice to know.  But, did you say PR people?”  Cassandra felt extremely confused.

“Yep.  Follow me.” 

Stacy guided Cassandra through the main office, down a short hallway and into a corner where two offices stood side-by-side.  As Stacy reached to open the door, Cassandra noticed that her name was already etched on the gold plate that rested on the wooden door.  She placed her hand over her mouth and tried to suppress the gasp that caught in her throat.  How had that been accomplished already?  She was frozen to her spot. 

Reaching over to the dumbfounded girl, Stacy put her hand on Cassandra’s shoulder and gave her a friendly tug. 

“Come on, Cassandra.  This is it!”

The door opened and Cassandra was in awe.  There was a huge oak desk directly across from the door.  A huge black leather chair sat behind the desk.  There were two black leather chairs on the near side of the desk.  As Cassandra entered the office, she noticed a black leather sofa on the right wall and a huge credenza and hutch on the left wall.  The colors were very feminine.  Soft mauves and creams greeted her.  The carpet was a beautiful plush cream color and the paintings on the walls were by Monet and the floral patterns were extremely pleasing to the eye.

“Why don’t you get yourself acquainted with your office for a bit and I’ll come back a little later to see if you need anything?”  Stacy suggested as she stepped back through the threshold.

Cassandra nodded her agreement and breathed a loud sigh as Stacy left and closed the door behind her.  Slowly, Cassandra walked to the chair behind her new desk.  As she stepped closer, she was in awe of the view from the huge window behind the desk.  She had an office with a window.  How could that happen?  She was the new kid.  In her heart she knew this had to be a mistake.  She was certain that she should have been placed in a small cubicle tucked in a basement office somewhere in the dark recesses of the building.  She was completely dumbfounded as to how she had been placed in such a glamorous office.

She spent the next thirty minutes looking through doors, drawers and cabinets.  She tried very hard to familiarize herself with her surroundings.  There were so many things; she had no idea how she would ever be able to be successful at what they were expecting of her. 

As she dropped into the huge leather office chair behind her desk, she noticed a royal blue file folder in the center of her desk.  She looked at it questionably as her hands reached out to pick it up.  Her eyes widened as she saw the title on the center tab.  She saw one word - *NSYNC.  Hesitantly, she opened the folder.  The first item in the folder was a black and white glossy picture of the band.  She smiled at the sight of their familiar faces.  Her eyes wandered to JC’s face.  Her smile widened.  She turned over the picture and found a statistic printout.  The heading at the top of the printout was titled “First Week Sales – No Strings Attached”.  She knew that it was documentation for the sales figures of the groups’ second United States album.  Her eyes widened as she looked over the figures.  The numbers she saw before her were quite impressive.  Moving on to the next item in the folder, she found a contract.  It was from HBO television.  It outlined the agreement with *NSYNC for the live broadcast of their concert in July of 2000 from Madison Square Garden.  The final figures were mind-boggling.  Cassandra’s eyes wandered over the agreement and noticed the signatures at the bottom of the contract.  The first signature was Johnny Wright, but there, amid the other signatures she noticed the scrawl of Joshua S. Chasez.  It felt strange to see him sign something with his given name.  She presumed that was what he had to do to make it a legal and binding agreement.

A knock at the door drew her attention from the folder in her hands.

“Who is it?”

“Stacy.”

“Come in, Stacy.”

Stacy stepped in and smiled broadly.  “So, how is it going?”

“Stacy, I have to ask, are you sure I’m supposed to be in here?”

Stacy giggled.  “Why?”

“Because, this, as you said, is a PR position.  I thought I hired on for a clerical position.”

Again, Stacy giggled.  “I don’t think so, girl.  I’m the only clerical position in the company and I am not going anywhere!”

With eyes the size of saucers, Cassandra stared at the person in front of her.

“Stacy?”

“Nope, Cassandra.  This is it.  You are a new PR person for WEG.  Johnny told me he wants you to work on the new *NSYNC project.”

“What?”  Cassandra was alarmed.

“Don’t panic, girl.  You’ll do just fine.  They’re getting ready for a new tour.  I’m sure you’ll have some ideas to share.”

“New tour.  Ideas, from me?  I don’t know, Stacy.  I don’t think this is what I know how to do.”

“Trust me, you’ll do great.  The guys are wonderful and they’ll help you every step of the way.  In truth, they usually plan everything themselves anyway.  There isn’t an easier position anywhere.”

Cassandra looked at the receptionist skeptically.

“Believe me.  Those five guys like to do all the planning.  They leave nothing to chance.  They may ask your opinion on something, but in the end it all rests on their shoulders.  And I must add, they are ten of the hottest shoulders I’ve ever seen.”

Cassandra laughed.

“Have you met them yet?”

Cassandra paused for a second.  Maybe no one was supposed to know that she had dated JC.  She decided to answer cautiously.  “I’ve met a couple of the guys.  I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the group.  They do seem like a great bunch of guys.”

“Well, if you feel somewhat settled, Johnny would like to meet with you in his office.”

Cassandra nodded her agreement and Stacy led her to the main office.  It was huge in comparison to Cassandra’s.  As Stacy closed the double doors behind Cassandra, Johnny swiveled his plush leather chair around and looked hard at her.

“Miss Hamilton,” Johnny nodded at her.  “Please have a seat.”

Silently Cassandra approached the visitors’ chairs and sat down across from her new boss.

“Mr. Wright, I’d like to thank you for such a beautiful office.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Miss Hamilton.”

“I feel I should, sir.  But, I do have a question.”

“Yes.”  Johnny Wright again nodded at her.

“Sir, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but I was distinctly under the impression that I was being hired for a clerical position.  I have no experience in PR.”

“That’s absolutely great.”  Johnny responded.  “You should be able to bring in a fresh and new approach to the things the guys are doing.”

“I don’t know if I’m up for this kind of work.”

“Nonsense!  Of course you can do it.  The guys have a lot of confidence in you.”

“The guys?”  Cassandra questioned.

“Well, okay.  Justin and JC.  They seemed to feel that you would be a breath of fresh air around here.  I’m willing to give you a chance.  The only thing I ask is that you maintain an air of confidentiality.  You have no idea how devastating it could be to the guys, the tour and the entire organization if you leak out any information about their plans.  Do you understand that?”

Cassandra nodded her understanding.

After spending a considerable time behind closed doors with Johnny, Cassandra felt more confident in taking on this new challenge.  Johnny had made it clear to her that he would be there to help guide her through every step of the way.  He assured her that he had an open door policy and that she should come to him with any concerns or questions that might come up.  He would help her do anything she felt incapable of doing.  He ended their meeting by telling her he was certain that this was going to be a wonderful experience for both of them.

Cassandra reached for the doorknob of her office as she glanced at the closed door next to hers.  She smiled as she read the name on the door.  In the gold plate that was on the door, the name JC Chasez was etched.  Her office was right next to his.  Cocking her head a bit, she frowned.  Why would he have an office?  He was a musician.  He made music.  He spent his time in the recording studios, rehearsal halls or concert arenas.  An office seemed so inappropriate.  She made a mental note to ask him about that the next time they spoke.  Then without another thought, she entered her office and walked around behind her desk.

The chair rocked with her weight and the blue file folder remained on her desk.  Eagerly, she reached for the folder and intensely poured herself into reading the information that was contained within its confines.  She had decided to learn everything she could about their past tour, records and appearances.  She knew that she wanted to be a part of their next success.  She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, running different ideas through her mind.  Somehow, she knew she wanted to come up with a plan for these five talented men that would literally knock their socks off. 

A gentle knock on the office door startled Cassandra out of a slumber she had no idea she had drifted into.  She glanced around her office confused.  She realized that she had dozed off and had no idea how long she had slept.  She glanced at the gold-faced clock above the door.  Her eyes widened as she realized that she had slept the last part of the afternoon away.  The clock in front of her read seven o’clock.  Again, a light rapping on the door drew her attention.  She thought it must be security checking to see if she were all right.

“Come in.”  Her voice surprised her, as it sounded full with sleep.

“Do you ever intend to go home?”  The soft voice of JC sounded before the door opened wide enough to reveal his form.

Cassandra stood up behind her desk and straightened her dress.  A wide smile crossed her face.

“Hi, JC.  How are you?”

He looked at her skeptically.  “I’m fine.  It’s you I’m worried about.  Why are you still here so late?”

A giggle sounded from her as she lowered her eyes.  Embarrassment overtook her as she moved from behind her desk over toward the couch where she had laid her purse when she first came into the office earlier in the day.

“Cassandra, I don’t think that was a funny question.  Is everything okay?”

“Yes.  I just did something really stupid, that’s all.”

He cocked his head.  “What?”

She turned to look at him.  “I fell asleep.”

He started to laugh.  It was the high-pitched laugh he used when he found something truly amusing.  “Did Johnny work you that hard?”

“No, actually he didn’t give me anything to do except look over a file about you and the group.”

“Then?”

“I guess just the stress of starting a new job kind of got to me.  JC, do you know what this job is?”

“Of course I do.”

She moved closer to him.  “Then why didn’t you warn me?  I thought I was coming into a clerical job and find out I’m some kind of PR person.  I have no idea how to be a PR person.  I’m never going to be able to do this job.”

JC placed a reassuring hand on her arm.  “Of course you will.  You are perfect for this job.”

“How do you figure?”

“Trust me.  This will be great.  Now, how about some dinner?  After all, you just put in two hours of overtime.”  He began to laugh again.

Playfully, Cassandra slapped JC on his shoulder.  “Oh, you!  That’s not even funny.”

He moved his hand to the small of her back and gently motioned her through her office doors.  He turned and closed the door behind them.

“JC?”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you have an office?”

He arched an eyebrow at her and then glanced over at the door that held the nameplate with his name on it.

“What?  I’m not allowed to have an office?”

She shook her head.  “That’s not what I mean.  I just wondered why you had one here, and why my office was next to yours?”

“Cassandra, when I do my producing and writing, I have to have some place secure to keep things.  This is my place.  I’ve had the office for a long time.  As for why it’s next to your office?  I asked Johnny to put you here.  I thought it would give us more of a chance to get together when you are working.  I hope that’s all right.”

A reassuring smile lit up her face.  “Of course it’s all right.  I’m glad I’ll know someone when you are here.”

After dropping Cassandra’s car at her house, JC and Cassandra piled into his Jeep and headed out for dinner.  Sitting at the secluded table in the back of the small Italian restaurant, JC reached his hand across it and took hold of Cassandra’s hand.  The candlelight flickered in her brown eyes as she looked shyly at him.  They talked about how her first day went at the office and he told her how proud of her he was.  Again, she voiced concern over her ability to do the job.  He tried as hard as possible to build her self-confidence and told her repeatedly that he was confident she could carry off the work that Johnny Wright would give her.

When they had finished the dinner, JC asked if she wanted to go to a movie or clubbing.  When Cassandra offered to just spend a quiet night back at the house, he found himself feeling relieved. 

Stepping out of his Jeep, JC walked around and reached to open Cassandra’s door.  Slowly she stepped out and paused as she stared at the house.  A dim light reflected from the living room.  Nearly instantly, JC sensed her apprehension.

“What is it?”  He asked her.

“Something’s wrong, JC.  I’m not sure what it is, but I know something is wrong.”  Cautiously, she allowed her eyes to scan the surrounding area.  He put his hand on her arm when he heard the surprised gasp come from her.

“What?”
            “There.”  She pointed to the street.

“Tell me, baby.  What is it?”

“That car.  What is it doing here?”  He noticed a quiver in her voice.

“Do you recognize that car?”

She nodded with her eyes opened wide.

JC moved closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.  He felt her shaking.

“Cassandra, who’s car is it?”

“Thomas’s.”  Her voice was nearly a whisper.

His blue eyes grew wide at the name that came past her lips.

“Does he have a key?”  JC asked.

She shook her head negatively.

“Get back in the car!” JC commanded.  “We’ll call the police.”

“I can’t leave, JC.  My sister is in there.  I think he’s in there with her.”

JC felt her shiver at the very thought of that maniac alone with her younger sister.

“Okay, look, let’s go inside.  We can check things out.  If he’s in there, we’ll call the police.”  He said confidently.

Cassandra nodded her agreement.

He silently applied light pressure to her shoulders, and moved her toward the house.  Without realizing her actions, Cassandra slipped the key into the lock and JC pushed the door open.  The sound of her sister’s laughter reached them as they entered the house.

“Marissa?”  Cassandra called out.

“Hey, Cassandra.  Come in here!  Wait until you see who is here!  He hasn’t been by in like forever.” 

Cassandra swallowed hard and looked at JC.  Suddenly she was asking herself why she had never told her sister about the problems she had had with Thomas.  She wondered why she had tried to protect her younger sibling.  Closing her eyes tightly, she drew a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for seeing the only human being on the planet that she truly hated.

Before she could take her first step, JC grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Don’t go in there.”  He looked intensely at her.

“I can’t leave him alone with her.  He knows she is my weak point.  I’ll do anything to protect her.”

“Not with him you won’t.”

“Please, will you just come with me?”

“You don’t even have to ask.  Of course I will.”

Together they walked through the doorway and entered the living room.  Cassandra felt her stomach turn as she found her sister sitting on the sofa, thigh to thigh, with the most hated man in her life.

“Marissa?  What’s going on?”  She asked without acknowledging Thomas.

“Look!  Thomas stopped by.  He hasn’t been here in ages.”

“Hello.”  Cassandra nodded blankly at him.

“Hey, beautiful!”  Thomas rose from the couch, and moved toward Cassandra. 

Instantly, JC moved closer to her, trying to silently let her know he was there for her.  Thomas reached her, took her hand, and placed a kiss on Cassandra’s cheek.

“It’s been way too long.  How are you, Cassandra?”  He asked with a saccharin sweetness.

“Not long enough apparently.”  She amazed herself at her bluntness.

“Now,” he arched a dark eyebrow.  “That’s not very friendly.  We were very important to each other once upon a time.”

“Aren’t those the words that all fairy tales begin with?”

“Ouch!”  Thomas placed a hand over his heart.  “Boy, that really hurts.”

JC could feel Cassandra’s breathing quicken.  He maintained contact with her, keeping his hand pressed firmly against the middle of her back.

“It should.”

“Hey, sis!  Chill out!  What’s biting you?”  Marissa got up off of the couch and approached Cassandra.

“He shouldn’t be here.”  Cassandra said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Hey, sweetie!  Why wouldn’t I want to come and check on my favorite lady?”

“It’s time for you to leave, Thomas.”

“But, you just got home.”

“Cassandra!  Don’t be so rude.”

“Marissa, I’ll explain later.”

“No.  You can explain it now.”

“Don’t be argumentative, Marissa.  Just trust me, I know what I am doing.”

“I don’t know what your problem is, but I for one, am glad he came by.”  Marissa continued to argue with her sister.

“Thomas, I want you out of my house.”

“Cassandra, I haven’t seen you in a very long time.”

“Not long enough!  Get out!”

“Hey,”

“Look, man,” JC began.  “Cassandra has asked you to leave.  Let’s not have a scene here.  Just be a gentleman, and leave.”

“Who asked you?”  Thomas shot back at JC.

“I don’t need to be asked.  It’s time for you to leave.”

Marissa stepped between JC and Thomas, sensing the hostility between them.

“Come on, Thomas.  We can run out to get a bite to eat, or something.”  Marissa chimed in innocently.

“No!”  Cassandra nearly screamed at her sister.

Marissa flinched as her brown eyes met her sister’s brown eyes.  JC stood by, never moving his hand from Cassandra’s back and Thomas had a sneer on his face that made Cassandra’s blood run cold.

“Marissa, you’re a sweetheart, but I think tonight would not be good.  We’ll go out another time.”

“Over my dead body!”  Cassandra cut in.

Thomas cleared his throat and glared momentarily at Cassandra.

“Like I was saying,” he moved his gaze to Marissa’s.  “We’ll go another time.  I’ll call you.”

“Don’t try it, Thomas.”  Cassandra’s voice held a warning tone.

“Cassandra!”  Marissa couldn’t believe how rude her sister was acting.

Thomas moved to walk around JC, deliberately bumping shoulders with the blue-eyed man.  “Excuse me, Chasez.” 

With that, Thomas walked through the door and slammed it behind him.  Cassandra’s eyes were cold and angry as she looked at her younger sister.

“What in the hell were you thinking?”  She boomed at her.

“Cassandra, what?  He stopped by and I let him in.  What did I do that was so wrong?”

“God, you are so naïve!  I don’t want him here.  I thought when I told you that when I came home from the hospital, you would get the hint.  He is not wanted in this house.  I can’t say it any plainer!”

JC leaned over and whispered in Cassandra’s ear, “Remember, she doesn’t know what happened.”

Cassandra closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure.  JC was right.  Cassandra realized that she had shielded her sister from the realities of her relationship with Thomas.  She had no way of knowing of the possessive, mean side to the man.

“What’s going on here, Cassandra?  Why were you like that to him?  You were engaged to him once.”

“Let’s go sit down.  I think I have a lot to explain to you.”

The three walked into the living room and took a seat.  JC sat next to Cassandra on the couch, as Marissa took her place in the armchair across from them.  After drawing a deep breath, Cassandra began to tell her sister about all the history with Thomas.  She tried to be objective in her descriptions, but there were times it was hard.  She explained about all the times she had been hospitalized.  Cassandra told Marissa that each time had been because of Thomas’s abuse, not for ill health reasons.  She tried to hold back in her description of the attack by Thomas that JC had rushed in to break up.  When Marissa tried to argue about that event, JC was quick to offer his side of what had happened.

“Why are you so against him?  Cassandra, you used to love him!”  Marissa still didn’t seem to understand what they were telling her.

“Marissa, I’m not against him.  He tried to hurt me.  He tried it many times.  I just never felt the courage to leave him before.”  Cassandra looked at JC, hoping he would know that he was the one that gave her the courage to leave Thomas for good.

“Well, I think this is all just a bunch of crap!  You’ve decided that you want to be with JC and not him, so now you are going to tell me all kinds of terrible things so I’ll want to be with Lance and you can keep an eye on me all the time.  Well, guess what?  It isn’t going to happen!  Thomas asked me to go out with him, and if he asks again, I’m going.  Just because you were stupid enough to let him get away, that’s your problem.  I’m not that stupid!  I like him.  I always have!  So, you go on and be with JC.  If I get a chance to be with Thomas, I may just take it!”  With that said, she stood and walked out of the living room and headed to her room.

Cassandra jumped to her feet.  “Marissa!”  She called after her sister, but the girl just kept walking until the slamming of the door told Cassandra that she wasn’t going to get a response.

“Oh my God!  She can’t mean that!”

JC walked up behind Cassandra and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest.

“Baby, she’s just angry.  You hit her with a lot of information tonight.  She can’t possibly take it all in.  You just need to give her time to digest it.”

“I can’t let her be with him.  I just can’t.”

“Shhh.  I know that.”  He placed a sweet kiss into her hair.  “Come on.  Let’s sit down.”

“JC, don’t you understand?  He’ll hurt her.  You saw what he did to me.  I can’t let that happen to her.”

“We won’t let him do that to her.  I’m here.  I’ll help you.  I’m not going to let him hurt her.”  He lowered his head and gently kissed her ear.

Cassandra closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of him so close to her.  The shaking in her body had subsided, and her stomach had calmed.  In the arms of this man, her world seemed perfect. Cassandra turned in JC’s arms and raised her face to his.  His mouth took hers in an all-devouring kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck.  He moved her back toward the couch and gently guided her down as he pressed his weight against her.  For the moment there was only the two of them, and JC wanted Cassandra to be sure she knew that.