*****

V.

Unfinished articles and ... or flying laptops to prevent then?

While Mel sat in the study, that JC had showed her, to get her laptop all set up and to start writing on her article. And even though Josh and his parents had let her work on it in peace, for the last ninty, or ninty-five minutes. Melanie had trouble concentrating all by herself, or finding the right angle about what to write at all.

"Argh!" She made the sound of frustration, just. And pressed the delete button, to erase her last paragraph. "Ugh! No! No! No!" she said toward her laptop screen, as she starts to rewrite her sentence. But deletes it anyhow again. Mel takes a pencil that was lying on the table next to her laptop just, and takes her notepad into her hands, and just rereads her notes and tries to over think some of them, at this point. When a slight knock on the door was interrupting Melanie, next. She frowns, and calls just one word to the person outside, "Yes?"

And breaks the writing point of the pencil, when setting it down onto her paper too hard. Ugh! She makes the noise, in frustration again. And throws the pencil across the desk, and through the room right when JC appeared in the doorway, next.

"Oh! Sorry!" he said, and slightly ducked his head away from the flying pencil. "Bad timing then? I could come back later, you know! Preferable, when no pencils are taking their flying lessons."

Mel looks up from her notebook just, straight at Joshua standing unsure by the door, watching her at his working desk.

"No! It's... it's fine now." She answered his question, monotonously and putting the notepad next to her laptop with the open word document and almost empty page sitting in front of her just. "I can't do this anyway!"

"What can't you do?" JC asked her by walking closer towards the desk. "Caught yourself some writer's block there, I assume?"

Mel just glared at him, in response. And saw him holding up his hands in defense, and apologizing next.

"Sorry!", he said only, walking slowly closer toward his desk. "Care to take a break, then? Mum made some sandwiches... and ice tea... if you're hungry or thirsty...."

He lets his sentence trail away. And just tries to glance around her laptop, to look at what she has written so far. But she just shuts down the lid of the device, to prevent him from snooping, and sighs heavenly.

"Might as well. I can't concentrate anyhow!" Mel told him, and stands from the chair, his high leather chair, next. Then walked around the desk, not without plugging out the laptop and grabbing it and her notepad under her arm though.

While the four were sitting around the table in JC's kitchen, eating the lovely sandwiches and drinking the chilled ice tea, that Karen had prepared. Mel, who slowly chewed down her last bite of her tomatoe-cheese-basil sandwich, she takes a sip from her tea to swallow the bite properly down and just asked JC:

"Can I ask you, JC; maybe some questions, now? On the record!?"

She saw him watching her with his infamous half-smile of his. While taking just another bite of his sandwich and choked slightly on it, when a chuckle is forcing itself up his throat. He clears his throat, with some couching. As Mel saw Mr and Mrs Chasez watching her curious themselves, there now.

"I was wondering, when you would ask me that." JC just replies, still with a smile on his lips. Even it was just a small smile. It was the kind of smile that also clearly reflects in his bluish-grey eyes, with just a little spark. As Melanie noticed when she was watching towards him, as he speaks, again.

"I thought, your focus on this article was more on the artist, then!?"

"I thought so also." Mel replied, taking another small bite of her sandwich. "Then Lance came along and ... well, you! Seriously? Two out of five!?!! Please, do me the honor! Please!??"

"Haha."

Roy was sipping on his glas of tea, this time. Determined to leave this choice of doing an interview to his eldest son, himself then. While Karen still watches Mel and Josh, curiously. Having now completely forgotten about her sandwich and her tea, even. When Melanie only saw JC looking at her, with a face and look, that would just tell that there were no news about him, or that he was willing to offer to any reporter, these days. But also, a curious one that Mel just made a note inside her mind to at least, one way (or paragraph) to writing this into her piece, whether or not he would give her something else on-the-record, then.

"What did you thought about to ask me then?" the man with the piercing bluish eyes, sitting across from her, was asking her only. Melanie looked past his face and found Roy's equally bluish piercing eyes instead, but looked right back towards JC. Before clearing her throat, asking.

"On the record, then?"

His look changes from curious to sceptic, just a little. But enough for Melanie to make another note in her head. She'd hold his look and bait her eyelashes, just like Ashley had done to him yesterday; while showing him also a flirtatous, toothpaste-commercial, teeth-showing smile of hers.

"Nah!" he just said, shaking his head at her also. "Ask your question and I tell you if my answer will be on-the-record, or forget about it at all!"

"Seriously?" Mel asked, stunned. Looking at JC, then his Dad and his mother, sitting next to her, to her right. "Even Lance did answering the few questions, I could make up for him, freely."

"I'm not Lance."

Melanie takes in a small in-take of breath and sighs.

"Fine." she says, after a few seconds. "It's not that I haven't enough on-the-record, already. But it's truely not fair. Okay." She takes out her cell phone a little difficult, from her pocket. "Do mind if I use this as to tape your answer, then? If you'd choose it's going to be on-record!"

She saw JC shake his head shortly, and merely. Then looked around the table, as in gathering her own thoughts at first. But in truth, she was waiting for the slight nods by Karen and Roy Chasez, for their approval, as well. Melanie set the mobile recording device in between her and JC, on record, to record her own question, first.

"As you may or may not know, your german fans especially, still want to know this! ..." Mel takes a small break, where she just watches him and his body language for further desciptions anyhow. "Do you think, that you will ever do the finishing touch ... or release of your second solo-album, then?" Her index-finger darts towards her cell phone, slowly. As in waiting for him to make even the slightest form of comment, as in a grunt or chuckle or anything, that she could have on record and help her to transcribe his answer better. Nothing. She sets the device on "pause" and waits for JC's decision and answer, next. After a few seconds pass by, she saw him exchange a meaningful look with his Mum. Before he just sighs, silently.

"On the record!" he replied, only in adding in his answer. So, that Mel could press down the touch pad on her mobile, and push the big, red "On" -button, again.

"Maybe."

"Do you, care to elaborate on this, a little bit? JC?" Melanie asked, saying his official nickname loud and clear, so the device would record it in the same. They, JC's parents and Melanie just wait. When JC was only shaking his head a no, in response. It's Melanie's turn to sigh a little. Then saying towards the recording cell phone, between them,

"You just shook your head, can I ask you, why you don't want to say any more to this?"

"No." was his fast and short reply, on this only. When he just took his father's plate and puts it on top of his own, and reaching across the table, for his Mum to give him hers and Mel's also.

"Sorry!" Roy suddenly said towards Melanie, and clear for her device to record him also. "Wrong question and subject, there. I think, the interview is now over." And a slight laugh follows, before Melanie, who just handed JC her plate; also pushes her touchscreen and turns the recording "Off" and lets out another sigh.

"Was that a on-the-record-quote still, Roy?" she asked JC's Dad, with a sad look at him. She saw him looking past her head, first, and follows his glance. Only to see that he exchanged a look, with his son, who was just about to put the stack of plates in his hands into the sink, this moment.

"If you need it to be." Roy just said, next. "I'd rather not be the one saying..."
Mel just smiled and said towards the elder man. "Ananymous, then. Alright." And Mel just saw him wink at her, in response to her offering.

~*~

About half an hour later, Josh and Mel wanted to drove around the Hollywood Hills and towards the Hollywood Sign, next. Because she mentioned she really want to stand in front of the sign, and have her picture taken with it in the back, too. Not without to load Maxi and his parents into his silver grey SUV, also.

While the four were driving through the Hollywood Hills, along the Mulholland Drive on the way to the Hollywood Sign, JC drove with his Mum in the passenger's seat, and Roy and Mel in the backseat together with Maxi, who wouldn't jump into the trunk before driving off, even.

Twenty minutes later, JC pulled the SUV, they all were in, onto some parking lot, in the middle of nowhere.

Mel just frowns, asking shyly, "What're we doing here?"

"Is that an off the record question? ... We're gonna walk a little uphill, to get you your picture with that Sign in the background. Why?", Josh only responded, opening his door already. As they start walking up the hill, Maxi was tracking his master all the way ahead of his parents and Melanie. And while she was still wearing her former evening shoes. A pair of sandals open toe shoe, with a little one point three inch high heel, too. Which made her think how stupid she was to wear those heels for her sightseeing trip even, because they made her feet slightly hurt on the concrete ground, she was walking on now. A few meters of walking though, Mel stopped and took off her shoes, next.

"Are you alright, there?", Karen stops also, and looks at her slightly concerned even. Melanie just kicked her shoes off her feet, picked them up into her hands and just nods her head in an answer, "All's good. Now at least!"

And they started walking after Josh with Max and Roy, again. Some ten to fifteen minutes later, Karen noticed that Melanie trudged kind of awkwardly on the grainy sand ground, around a couple pointy rocks.

"Are you really okay, there, Melanie?", Karen asked, trying to look at her face directly though. Mel bites down her lower lip, while dodging another pointy rock ahead of her path just.

"I'm good. Thanks.", she answered, shortly. "It's like a foot massage To-Go!"

When Josh turned around, looking where the two of them were. "Something wrong, back there?"

Some few feet later, and Mel and Karen did close in on the two men, and the dog. And Mel just takes the leash out of Josh's hand, and starts running the hill upwards. Dragging Maxi at first slightly with her. Until the dog speeds up and suddenly is dragging her along though. ... As Mel did round another bend with Maxi, she could see already the first, or better the last two letters, of the word Hollywood, a little further up the hills. And could feel her own mouth forming a perfect little "wow", while staring at it. Mel felt the loop she made with the leash around her wrist slightly tuck at her arm. And looked back at JC's dog, and what he would want from her, then. He was trying to get to some of the bushes by the side of the road. She takes the couple of steps to her right, and lets Maxi drag her to his designated spot right there. When she heard footsteps behind her, and saw Maxi excitedly wagging its tail next, too. Melanie turned herself around, to see the new arrived people coming uphill for herself. Josh saw Melanie's gloating smile in his direction, as he walked closer.

"You're giving me back my dog, freely?", he asked, reaching slowly for the leash around her wrist. And saw her just roll her eyes at him, in answer. And Mel untangled the loop from her wrist, and handed it in his own. Before taking out her camera from her jacket pocket, next. Then she runs towards the next bend of the road, to get to see the whole sign and take her first picture of it. They spent almost a whole hour up there, while taking turns in snapping pictures or standing in front of the sign, or with their backs towards the view. At one point, it were only Mel and Josh to stand before the letter "w", while Karen walks a few feet along with Maxi. And Roy is about to take the picture of just the two of them... When Mel has an idea!

~*~

oh, nana ... ooh ...

First thing: oh, nana ... ooh ...
Next stop: we pull it all together

...

oh, nana ... ooh ...

As Josh, still humming to himself, parked the SUV in front of Melly's motel, she cuddled Maxi goodbye and scratched his ear behind his head. Before saying her goodbyes to Roy and Karen. And stepped out, to follow Josh toward his trunk to get her things out, as well. Then she said goodbye to him, in an even longer hug.

"Are you sure, that you want to stay here, then?" JC just asked her, knowing what her answer might be already and a little selfish on his own behalf, as Mel released him from her hug. "You know I have more than enough space... and I could drive you to LAX in the morning, too."

Mel only smiles towards him, stretching herself to kiss his cheek, in replying. "Thank you, but no thanks. I'm good, Josh. I already have arranged transportation from here to the airport. However, thank you very much, for the lovely day! And for last night. It was a perfect first trip."

Melanie grabbed her backpack, shook his hand in goodbye (where he put a piece of paper inside of hers.) and walked away, to get to her room door, with the digits 1 and 7 nailed on. While Melanie walks towards the motel room, she walks with her look straight ahead. As much as she wanted to take another glance behind herself. She had a feeling, that he was watching her right now, too. So, she walked through the door into her rented room ... and only takes a slight look from behind the curtain, through the window, next to the now closed door.

When she did watch the car drive away, Melanie felt the tears rise to her eyes. She stepped away and sat on the bed, putting her face into her hands. After putting down the piece of paper onto the bed beside her...