JC walked leisurely to his departure gate. He liked the super late/very early connections when it came to large airports. Less people, more room, less baggage bumping you from every angle. He was a little disappointed that the kiosk selling headphones and other devices wasn’t open yet since his headphones had suddenly stopped working on the flight from LA. Oh well. Not too long before the connection and he’d be in Houston, TX within two hours. He left the headphones over his ears so he wouldn’t be disturbed and kept his well worn ball cap low on his brow. He found gate B14 and settled near the charging station, plugging in his iPhone. He always tried to choose the seat that allowed his back to be to the wall and his face to be forward, watching the people as they came into the gate or walked past.

He noticed a young mother with an infant in a body sling and a sleeping toddler in the stroller. She seemed to be balancing things pretty well. Sure, he was good at multi-tasking but even he doubted his skill level to travel with two kids. Some days it was hard enough to get just him from point A to point B. He smiled as the woman babbled to the baby and found a seat near the walkway.

An older couple shuffled in and he watched the man settle the woman and their bags before checking in at the desk. He seemed nervous that they were at the wrong gate. The airline personnel assured him he was in the right spot then the guy headed back to his wife.

Other folks filed in and soon the gate was pretty full. There was one seat on JC’s side of the gate open and he noticed a very determined woman making her way through the people and luggage. She smiled at the mom in the corner and sank into the seat next to him, not making eye contact. She pulled out her phone and sighed.

From his angle, JC could see that her battery was low and he watched her type a message to ‘Marilyn’ stating that she’d made it to the airport. He turned his head slightly and realized all of the charging space was taken. His phone was only at the half mark so he felt bad about not offering her his spot. He closed his eyes and looked away, debating on what the ‘right’ or ‘polite’ thing would be. He felt a soft, warm palm on his arm and turned to meet fabulous green eyes

"Excuse me. I’m sorry to both you but I was kinda hoping you could share a charger space with me. I have this charger that allows three different USB cords to plug in and then we’d only use one outlet. Would that be OK?"

"Sure."

"Fabulous," she grinned and took it upon herself to unplug his cord, pop off the outlet part then plug him into her charger then the charger into the wall outlet. "Thanks!"

"No problem."

He watched her arrange her bag on her lap and pull out an MP3 player. He followed her fingers as they unwrapped her headphones then slid them around her ear. He noticed what appeared to be a smudge of green on her right ear.

"What’s your tattoo of?" he asked, surprising himself.

"A four leaf clover……the one on my ear anyway."

"You have more than one?"

"I have three actually," she smiled and shoved a loose curl behind her eye so he could see it better. "I have a shamrock and a sisters tattoo as well."

He had never seen a tattoo in an ear before so he was a little intrigued as he leaned in for a closer look. He watched her fiddle with the MP3 player then leaned back, but not before enjoying her perfume. He took in her profile from behind lowered lashes.

She had light skin and he would wager she had to be careful in the sun, with a few freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had slightly fuller than average lips, the top one forming a perfect cupid’s bow. The color of her eyes were startlingly different than any other he’d seen up close. They were actually olive green but he could see a slight line near the iris from the side so he imaged the color was a result of color contacts and shook his head. Women and their weird beauty routines or obsessions.

"Is your cord still working?" she asked when she caught him staring.

"Oh, uh….yeah. All good."

She nodded and went back to her music. She moved her head to a beat he couldn’t hear but suddenly wanted to.

"What are you listening to?"

"Oh, just a mix of stuff. Right now, it’s Pink. What are you listening to? Someone cool, I bet."

She turned and smiled at him, realization in her eyes as she waited for him to answer. So far, she hadn’t freaked out and he was pleased. Some folks stared out of the corner of their eyes once they realized who he was while others demanded photos or autographs. This was a pleasant change and he hoped she’d remain cool, at least until they parted ways.

"Uh….actually……" he blushed slightly. "My headphones gave out on the last flight and I was trying to enjoy some peace and quiet so I left them on."

"Oh, I see," her smile widened. "That might work better if you removed an ear when talking to folks. Otherwise, it just looks shady."

"True."

They both laughed and she pushed the forward button on her MP3. He pulled the headphones down around his neck and looked over her shoulder as the next song came up. Survivor by Destiny’s Child.

"That’s a great song," he said and pointed to the screen of her device. "I’m actually meeting up with Kelly while in Houston."

"Business or fun?"

"Both."

"Awesome," she seemed genuinely please. "Wanna listen?"

He smiled, removed this useless headphones and took the ear wrap around she offered. They shifted a little closer and listened to the song. He watched her check her phone and receive a reply from Marilyn before typing back but sent it before he could read it. She caught him watching out of the corner of her eye and he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"Did you see what I typed?"

"No."

"Good," she grinned then giggled. "I told her I spotted a celebrity."

"Did you? Where?"

"Funny!"

Her laugh was contagious and he enjoyed himself. The music in his ear changed and he shook his head in surprise, his own voice smoothly filling the air.

"Oh, uh……" she fumbled for the music device. "I….we…..we don’t have to listen to that…..I enjoy it but I’m sure you would…."

"No, I….."

She pushed the skip button and another of his songs played. Her cheeks flushed and she pushed skip again. Slut Like Me by Pink started and she seemed to still be flabbergasted.

"So, you do enjoy some of my music," he teased and stretched his arms, his shoulder popping. "Your face is flushed."

"Goodness! Yes, I enjoy your music….with the group and without. I was trying to be cool and friendly. I’m such a spaz. You are probably looking for ways to escape with your phone cord, aren’t you?"

He laughed, loud and joyful.

"I’m sorry. I’ll shut up and mind my business. As soon as I have half a battery, I’ll move and leave you alone."

"That’s not necessary. Just relax. I enjoy your company…..so far."

"I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"Good to know," he grinned and checked his incoming text message. "I need to make a call. If I leave my bag here, are you going to go through it?"

"No, absolutely not," she answered super seriously then busted out laughing when he made a face and she realized he was teasing. "Go talk on the phone, punk."

He laughed as he stepped into the walkway and dialed his Mom. He chatted with her for a few minutes, reassured her he was fine and wished her and Dad a happy cruise. She worried about him even though he was more than capable of taking care of himself. She worried about his mood and mindset more than she did with his siblings and he appreciated her. He said he loved her and made her promise to hug his dad for him then hung up. He decided to grab a coffee before heading back to his seat.

"I brought you a coffee in hopes that all of my possessions were still in my bag. If they aren’t, I can close my eyes while you put them back," he teased as he offered the caramel latte.

"Oh hush! I didn’t even touch your bag."

"Good to know."

"Besides, if I was going to make a fan request, it wouldn’t involve your bag," she quietly announced then engrossed herself in her phone.

"Oh really? What would you request then?"

She smiled and blushed again but didn’t look up. She kept her head lowered but she kept sneaking side glances at him. He tried to read her but it was hard without seeing her eyes.

"United flight 1247 is ready to begin boarding our first class passengers. Please make your way to the gate if you are traveling first class."

"That’s me. Thanks for sharing your music."

"Thanks for sharing your outlet," she smiled and kept her head ducked. "Have a great flight."

He nodded then headed to get in line. Out of nowhere, he found himself standing at the ticket counter and making a request. He slid his card back into his wallet and boarded the plane. He got comfortable in his window seat and ordered a large orange juice from the flight attendant. Slowly other passengers made their way onboard and he looked forward to catching a glimpse of the fan again.

After what felt like hours, she finally stepped onto the plane. She looked up from her ticket and smiled at him before heading toward the back of the plane. He grinned and waited patiently until the ticket agent followed the last passenger on board. She smiled as she headed past him and the empty seat next to him.

"I won! I never win anything!" he heard the polite but excited female voice announce a little too loudly from the back. "Awesome! Thanks!"

He shifted nervously in his chair and waited for her to come back. Soon he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She stretched up to put her carry on bag in the over head compartment and he took a second to look over her body. She was curved in the right places and her legs looked very shapely under the well fitting jeans. He averted his eyes just as she came down off of her tip toes and slid into the empty seat.

"I won a free upgrade. I’ve never been in first class before," she grinned and buckled her seatbelt. "This is a great day!"

"Lucky you."

"Lucky you, too…….you can use my MP3 player if you’d like. There’s like 500 songs that you can shuffle."

"That’s kind of you."

"I promise to be quiet and not disturb you."

"You haven’t disturbed me yet so no worries," he smiled and patted her arm. "Relax and enjoy the flight."

She nodded and they watched the flight crew go though the inflight information then settled in for take off. Once they reached their cruising altitude, he wanted to hear her voice again.

"What are you doing in Houston?"

"Oh, one of my best friends lives there and we are going to a concert. I’m only there for four days so it’ll be a quick but nice visit," she smiled as she looked over at him. "What are you doing in Houston?"

"I’m going to work on a couple of songs with Kelly and maybe do some sight seeing."

"Awesome. I hope you come up with something great! Is it for her album or yours?"

"Unsure yet. She has a contract right now and I don’t so probably hers but you never know. Sometimes one song leads to more and she has an amazing voice so a duet could be cool," he shrugged. "Who knows what could happen."

She nodded and just looked at him. She seemed to be contemplating her next words and he gave her a crooked smile as he waited.

"Just say it."

"I hope you put out more music soon. I miss your voice," she whispered with a shy smile. "Many of us miss your voice."

It was his turn to blush. Sure, people told him often that he should put out some new music and there was something nice about how she said it. She wasn’t demanding or nosy, just encouraging.

"Thanks."

"You’re very welcome."

He watched her watching him for a few minutes then leaned closer. He placed a super soft kiss at the corner of her mouth then pulled back in time to see her eyes flutter. He noticed her eye lashes were full but not overwhelming like how some women were wearing them now.

"Where are you staying while in Houston?" he whispered and shifted closer, his arm sharing the arm rest that separated their seats.

"With my friend and her daughter."

"Oh."

"Where are you staying?" she whispered back and eased her arm onto the armrest as well. "Kelly’s?"

"No, the Hilton downtown."

"King sized bed?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod the hooked her pinky with his. "Huge bed all to myself."

"I wish I had a King bed. Instead, I’ll be sharing a queen with Marilyn who snores."

"Really? Well, I’m sure I could share my King for a much needed nap when we land."

"That’s incredibly generous of you," she winked. "I think I’ll take you up on that offer."

"One question though……."

"OK. Shoot."

"Are you involved with anyone? I don’t ‘nap’ with other men’s women."

"Nope, not involved with anyone on any level," she answered quietly. "Are you?"

"Nothing exclusive."

"Good."

They chatted and flirted for the rest of the flight, only touching with their arms on the armrest. He greatly anticipated the ‘nap’ and hoped she did too.