Rachel Bass groaned as NSYNC filled the bar in Miami once again. Sitting her glass down on the table, she picked up her phone. Her brother's group had been playing too much to be a coincidence. Everyone liked a nostalgic Bye Bye Bye once in awhile during a DJ set, but anything else brought questions. The frequency was too much. So far she heard Bye Bye Bye, It's Gonna Be Me, and I Want You Back. She figured Tearin Up My Heart was already in the queue.

‘Which one of you is here in Miami at a bar called Lost Weekend?' She had to scroll down her messages to find the group text she had with the members of her brother's band. She didn't use it often. Barely used it at all.

‘Getting overrun with Bye Bye Bye?'

‘Either the DJ is a closet NSYNC fan or one of you is here.' Rachel replied to her brother. She knew it wasn't Lance. He and Michael had flown to New York that morning. ‘Songs have been playing way too much.'

‘I'm in Orlando with Izzy and the girls.'

‘Where's my invite?' She asked at Joey's response.

‘Come on up! We're drinking and playing games. Hanging out with a bunch of friends. I need another to kiss at midnight.'

Rachel laughed. ‘Between Izzy and the girls, I'd have to take a number.'

‘If I said it's me, do I get a kiss at midnight?' Chris answered.

‘If it's you, I'd kiss you right now. We wouldn't even wait for the New Year.' Rachel chuckled.

‘Damn.'  ‘I'm in Nashville.'

‘Better luck next time.'

‘I'm in Orlando with Jess and Silas.' Justin responded.

Rachel figured Justin wasn't the one at the bar. She would have heard through the rumbling of the patrons if he was there. There was only one left. Her lips curved into a grin.

‘Go easy on our boy.' Joey text.

‘You have to move slow. No sudden movements. He's very skittish.'

‘One wrong move and you can send him back in to hiding.'

Rachel grabbed her drink from the table and stood up. With her drink in one hand and the running commentary on her phone in the other, she set off to find the NSYNC member in attendance.

JC.

She grinned. Her pulse rose a couple notches. She hadn't seen JC since April when she was in attendance for their Walk of Fame star ceremony. It had been right in the middle of her tour. She had flown to California on the red eye to be there and had flown back out that same night. It had been worth it. The guys had been extremely busy that day and she barely had gotten to hang out. At least not as much as she wanted to. Plus they all had family in town.

Coming to the pool area, she spotted JC standing next to the table. He had a pool stick in one hand, a high ball glass filled with an amber liquid in the other. He was dressed in all black. Black jeans. Black t-shirt. Black rimmed glasses sat on his face. When he turned his head, she saw the bun at the back of his head. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. He was so ridiculous.

‘Target acquired.' She sent the message. She watched as JC didn't even acknowledge his phone. He made no move to pull it from a pocket and she wondered if he even had it. Of course he had it. Who went out without a phone nowadays?

‘Poor C.'

‘Nice knowing ya C.'

‘Boy is so clueless.'

Rachel nodded at Justin's text. She had done everything but crawl into his bed naked. JC never noticed her. Maybe after all this time she would have gotten a clue. If he liked her he would have made a move. Right? After twenty years there were multiple opportunities.

‘Show him your boobs.'

Rachel snorted at Joey's response. Typical Joey. It did have some merit though. She hadn't tried that approach. ‘Maybe I should just be naked in his bed...'

‘Moron still wouldn't be able to catch a clue.' ‘And gross.'

She giggled at her brother's response. ‘Maybe I should find myself a nice Jewish boy.'

‘That's what I did.'

‘Just go up to him and give him the kiss you were gonna give me.'

‘A kiss on the cheek? Lame.' She grinned as she answered Chris.

‘You'd think by now he'd respond.'

‘The boy is clueless.'

Rachel agreed. JC had yet to reach for his phone. He continued to play pool, laughing with a group of people. He was oblivious. ‘In more ways than one,' she thought.

‘Buy him a drink.'

‘Deliver it with your shirt off.'

Rachel rolled her eyes at Joey. ‘Not everyone is a boob man.'

‘Every man is a boob man.'

‘Uhm...no???'

‘Go sit on his lap. Even Lance will agree that works.'

Rachel snorted. That would probably work. If he was sitting down. He wasn't. She pursed her lips and looked over her shoulder. Mike, her security guard, rolled his eyes. He knew about her infatuation with JC. Had told her on many occasions what to do. She'd been too big of a chicken to do any of them. Nothing was stopping her from saying hi. She flagged down a waitress and ordered a drink for her and for JC. When she had the drinks in hand she started making her way toward JC. Before she could get to him, a woman came up to him. Rachel watched as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Her heart sank. JC had smiled at the woman when the kiss broke. Her shoulders dropped. She hadn't known there was a girlfriend in the picture. Whoever she was hadn't been at the ceremony in April. Rachel sighed and looked down at the untouched drinks in her hands. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Catching the eye of the waitress, she moved away from the pool tables.

"Something wrong?" The waitress asked, seeing the drinks in Rachel's hand.

Rachel gave a small smile. "Not with the drinks." She put the drinks on the waitress's tray. "Just deliver them to JC and his friend for me." Before the waitress could say another word, Rachel disappeared into the throng of people. Mike close behind.

Leaving the bar, she turned right and walked down the sidewalk. At the intersection on Collins, she crossed the street and ducked into a walkway between two buildings. People passed by and she kept on going. She wasn't sure if she was recognized or not. Eventually she came to Ocean Dr and she crossed the street and made her way on to the pathways leading to the beach.

The beach was relatively quiet this time of night. Most of the people were piled into bars and clubs. She knew by afternoon, the beach would be crowded once again as vacationers spilled from their hotels to soak up the sun on the beaches of Miami. She sat down on the sand far enough away from the waves. Resting her arms on her knees she sighed.

It was stupid; this pain she felt in her heart. JC was free to date whoever he wanted. He was allowed to not return her feelings. It wasn't his fault her stupid heart couldn't let him go. Couldn't let her meet someone that caused her to forget about him. Maybe she was the clueless one. All this time she thought JC didn't know her feelings but maybe she hadn't been the one reading things correctly. She assumed he didn't know and that's why he never picked up on anything. Maybe he had known. Maybe he didn't want to take any of her offers. He didn't like her like that. He was just too nice of a person to come out and hurt her feelings. So he ignored her moves in hopes she'd realize and give up.

"Damn..." she whispered feeling the tears in her eyes. It had been amusing and adorable to think of JC as being an oblivious idiot. It was pathetic and pitiful when it was her being the oblivious idiot. What an ending to 2018 this was turning out to be.

‘New year, new me,' her mind told her. She scoffed at the thought. It had some merit though. She could go in to 2019 and leave her feelings for JC in the past. It shouldn't be too hard. They never really saw each other. He lived in LA. She lived in Nashville. She rubbed elbows with the country music industry. He rubbed elbows with the pop industry. Unless NSYNC reunited, the only time she'd see him would be a birthday party for Lance.

Another sigh escaped and she shivered at the breeze coming off the ocean. She wished she had a light sweater. Something to cover her bare arms. Spending the holiday in Miami had been Lance's idea. They spent the week before Christmas in Mississippi with their family. Lance and Michael left for Miami the Monday before Christmas. She met up with then on Friday after choosing to spend more time in Mississippi with her family. Then Lance had the opportunity to go to New York.  She could have gone with them, but she was not in the mood for Times Square craziness.

"How far is Orlando?" Rachel asked out loud.

"A couple hours," Mike answered. He'd been one of Rachel's body guard for many years. He loved every moment. Except these. Except when she cried. Every tear always tugged on his heart strings. Even though he wasn't that much older than his charge, he felt like a surrogate father.

"How about I get you a ticket back to Nashville. You can be home and kick in the New Year with your family. I shouldn't have ruined your time off with them to drag you to Miami."

"It's my job."

"I should have stayed in Mississippi with my family. Then you could have stayed with yours."

"That man's an idiot." Mike told her. He always spoke his mind to her. Always gave his opinions on everything. He never minced his words. Country music superstar or not.

"No." Rachel laughed softly. "I think I'm the idiot." She pulled her phone out of her pocket with the notion to look for a ticket back to Nashville for Mike. And maybe herself. There was nothing in Miami for her. She might as well go home. Watch the ball drop on TV from her house in Nashville at 11 and be in bed before midnight struck the central time zone.

The group chat had continued even after she had pocketed her phone at the bar. She grew embarrassed as she wondered what they must think of her. Pining after a man who didn't return her feelings. They always made sure to call JC the idiot. She wondered if that was to spare her feelings. If they secretly wished she'd be clued in on the fact that JC didn't reciprocate. Maybe they had sent her to JC in hopes she'd see the woman he was with. No one wanted to tell her he wasn't available. ‘Lead the horse to water.'

Rachel didn't want to read what had been said while she was making her move and during her wallowing after. She especially didn't want to read if JC had finally chimed in. Without reading what was posted, she sent two GIFs. The first was a golfer getting ready to swing. When he drew the club back, he was run over with the golf cart. She felt that particular fail was appropriate. Before she could take a swing, she was taken out. The next one was a man sitting in thought before his eyes widened in realization. She got clued in. A little slow on the uptake but she got there. Finally she sent a text.

‘Happy New Year guys.'  She sent the text with hearts. It was only after it was sent did she realize there were only four. Some Freudian slip.

*~*

JC groaned as Bryce sunk the ball winning the game.

"Champion!" Bryce threw his arms in the air.

"Let me show you how it's done." Kyle grinned, taking the stick from the pop star.

"Can't believe you lost." Eric chuckled as JC made his way to the table. "The kid sucks man"

"Damn phone kept going off. Was a distraction." JC grumbled good-naturedly as he pulled his phone from his pocket and sat it down on the table as he took a seat on the stool.

"Those for us?"

Eric's question caused him to look up. JC saw the waitress with two high ball glasses on her trey. She was looking at him and he inwardly groaned. He didn't want people sending him drinks.

"Actually it's for you, JC," the waitress smiled and sat them down on the table.

"I can't accept those..." JC shook his head. He was funny about accepting drinks from people he didn't know. "Just send them back and tell ‘em no thanks."

The waitress frowned. "Oh, she already left. She took that surly looking bodyguard of hers and left."

"Bodyguard?" Eric questioned. He looked at JC confused.

"Who was it?"

"I'm not sure." The waitress shrugged. "Some country star I think."

"Rachel Bass?" JC asked. She was the only country singer he could think of who would have a security detail. He thought Lance was in Miami as well.

"Yeah." The waitress nodded. "She was gonna bring them over herself. I don't know what happened. She said to bring them over and give them to you and your friend, but I don't see your friend." She looked around but didn't see the long haired brunette.

"I didn't see her," Eric said giving a glance around the bar.

"Like I said. She left." The waitress gave them a smile and walked away, leaving the drinks on the table.

"Why didn't she come over?" Eric asked.

"I don't know." JC said. Even though the waitress told them Rachel left, he still scanned the crowd hoping to catch sight of her blonde hair. Plenty of blonde hair to go around but none of it belonged to Rachel.

"Wonder what friend she was talking about?" Eric reached for one of the glasses and gave it a stir with the mixing straw before taking a drink. "Maybe she was why your phone was going off."

"Maybe," JC frowned still wondering why Rachel hadn't come up to him to say hi. The waitress said she was bringing the drinks herself but changed her mind. Lifting his phone he saw the locked screen littered with text messages from all the guys. Every single one of them. Opening up his messages he saw a group chat. Only thing different about this one compared to the other was this one had Rachel's name to it. When he opened the thread he couldn't believe how many messages had been sent. Scrolling back to the top he started to read.

"Yo C! Let's go! You're up!" Kyle called. He had swiftly taken care of Bryce.

JC looked up forgetting for a moment where he was. He'd been lost in the images of Rachel in his bed naked, or her flashing him, sitting in his lap. He shifted in the stool as part of his anatomy took notice. The messages grew more vulgar between Joey, Chris, and Justin. But Rachel hadn't sent one since her comment about not everyone being a boob man. He wondered what had happened to cause her to change her mind about approaching him.

‘Target acquired.' That had to have meant she saw him. Why didn't she get his attention? He would have been surprised to see her. Would have welcomed her. He sighed.

"What's up?" Eric asked looking at his friend. "Who has been texting you? Was it Rachel?"

"Yeah. She wanted to know which one of us was here because of the music."

Eric laughed. "She understood the meaning behind the NSYNC songs." He felt for his friend. The DJ had known JC was there and decided JC wanted to hear all his songs. He didn't but JC wasn't going to say anything. He'd suffer through it with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, she sent a group message asking."

"Ah," Eric nodded. He'd been part of group messages that brought dozens upon dozens of notifications to his phone. "She say why she didn't stick around?"

JC shook his head. "No."

"Why who didn't stick around?" Kyle asked coming over to the table with his pool stick in hand.

"Rachel Bass." Eric supplied.

"Ah man! I thought that was her!" Kyle groaned. "Damn!"

"You saw her?" JC's head snapped up looking at his friend. "Where? When?"

"Standing over there," Kyle nodded his toward the pool tables and the crowd beyond. "You were still getting your ass handed to you by Bryce. I was hoping she was coming over here to see your ugly mug and you could introduce us. Then Jennifer came over. Eric said something. When I looked back up she was gone. I thought I had been mistaken and it wasn't her. Damn. Can't believe it was and I missed her."

JC froze. Jennifer had popped up. They had broken up in April after being together for almost five years. Unfortunately for him, she was a friend of his sister in law. When he would visit his family in the Orlando area, she was around. He didn't care that she was friends with Sarah. He just didn't want to see her.

‘She was gonna bring them over herself.' That's what the waitress said. Rachel had the drinks and was going to bring them over to him. Was she going to deliver them with her shirt off? Would she have sat on his lap? The text messages entered his mind again. Before she could bring the drinks over - one for him and one for her - Jennifer had shown up. ‘For you and your friend.' Rachel must have seen the kiss. Instead of delivering him a drink with potential strings, she bailed. "Damnit."

"Tough luck man," Eric told JC in sympathy.

Before JC couple respond, his phone vibrated in his hand in quick succession. The lock screen showed messages from Rachel to the group. He quickly opened the thread. The frown grew on his face and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The GIFs didn't stay on his screen for long before messages started kicking in from the guys. Ignoring them he stared at the pictures. A man getting run over by a golf cart. What did that mean? What did the guy realizing something mean?

And why were there only four hearts?

*~*

‘What the fuck happened?'

‘What the hell did you do C?'

‘What hotel she at Lance? Izzy and I are gonna drive down and bring her to Orlando.'

‘What the hell JC? What did you do? She's not even answering my calls or texts.'

The texts had moved away from the group Rachel had started and back into the group text the guys shared with each other. JC was certain it wasn't a good thing. For him at least. He had read all the messages that had come through in Rachel's thread. He didn't respond. He didn't even know how. What the hell did those GIFs mean?

‘I didn't do anything.'

‘That's the problem. You never do anything.'

‘Girl has been practically throwing herself at you for years.

‘If you weren't interested, you could have told her a long time ago.'

‘Who said I wasn't interested?'

‘Only the years you've done nothing.'

‘You're kidding right?'

‘You can't be this stupid.'

JC sighed as he sat on the chair on the patio. The waves roared below him. The TV they had gathered around earlier to watch the Cowboys game was now off. He had another high ball glass filled with amber liquid on the table next to him. He poured it before coming out to the balcony. He hadn't even taken a drink.

He didn't even know Rachel had been at the bar. Jennifer had been hanging around. She had been friends with everyone. He couldn't very well make her leave. He should have. He wanted to. It's not like he could claim their friends in the break up. He wished he could.

‘I didn't even know she was there. She never came up to me. By the time I checked my phone she was gone.'

‘How'd you not know she was there?'

‘The DJ was too busy playing Bye Bye Bye instead of Blown Away.'

‘She must have chickened out.'

‘Can't imagine why with the vulgar messages you guys were sending.'

‘We just wanted to make sure you knew and couldn't claim ignorance.'

JC rolled his eyes. ‘I'm not an idiot.'

‘Yeah right.'

‘You're a dumbass.'

‘Only an idiot would keep ignoring the signals she's been putting out for twenty years.'

JC's eyes widened. Twenty years? Maybe he was an idiot. He only picked up on them a few years ago but he had started dating Kathryn, his previous girlfriend, before Jennifer. Rachel hadn't been on his radar between girlfriends. She was on tour and all over the United States and Europe.

‘See. Idiot. You didn't know did you?'

‘No.'

‘So what happened tonight?'

JC explained the best he could; what he thought happened. Without Rachel corroborating he couldn't be sure. He probably would have done the same. Maybe. If the roles had been reversed he probably would have still gone up to her with the drinks. Especially if he liked her as much as he did. But if Rachel had been harboring feelings for him for two decades...he could see why she would have walked away when she saw Jennifer kiss him.

This time he reached for his drink. Twenty years. He couldn't imagine loving someone that long and not telling them. Watching from afar while he dated others. He had been on his way to twenty. He was already at seven.

He was an idiot.

*~*

‘Will you answer me?'

‘I'm fine Lance. I'm at the hotel. Searching for flights back to Nashville for Mike and I.'

‘Why are you going to Nashville?'

‘Because I live there. I came to Miami to party with you and Michael. I wish that NYE thingy would have been known before I left home. I would have stayed in Mississippi.' ‘Besides, why should I keep Mike away from his family when all I'm doing is sitting in a hotel?'

‘Find a party. You're in Miami. There's bound to be a million of them. There's supposed to be a good one at Nautilus rooftop.'

‘Nice try Lance. I know that's where Camp Podwall is staying.'

Rachel finished off the grapes in the bowl she had sent up to her room. Mike had made a run a Mexican place that had the best breakfast burrito she had ever tasted. When he had knocked on her door with it, she nearly kissed him. She offered her table for breakfast, but he declined. Deciding to go for a run instead. She felt like a lazy pile of bones for not going with him. It was New Years Eve. She could start exercising tomorrow. That's when everyone started right? 

‘You wanna tell me what happened?'

‘Nothing happened.'

‘Something that I'll believe?'

‘I told you. Nothing happened. Just like always.' Rachel told Lance. She wasn't lying. Nothing had happened. Nothing always happened when it came to her and JC. Now she knew nothing would always happen. ‘Like I sent last night, I'm clued in now.'

‘Yeah. What the hell did those gifs mean?' ‘I got the first one. What's the other?'

‘I told you. I'm clued in now.'

‘What the fuck does that even mean?'

‘It means I know I was a little slow, but I got it now.'

‘For the love of God, got what?!'

‘That JC doesn't like me. In a romantic sort of way. I got it. I understand. You guys could have told me.'  ‘You didn't have to protect me. You didn't have to tell me to go up to him last night and practically molest him on the pool table when you knew his girlfriend would be there.'

‘What are you even talking about?'

‘You guys wanted me to go up to him last night. You wanted me to see him with his girlfriend. I got it. He doesn't like me like that. There is zero chance of that happening between us.' ‘That's what I mean. I know that now. JC wasn't the idiot this whole time. The idiot was me and you guys were just too nice to tell me.'

‘I don't even know what to say'

‘You don't have to say anything.'

Rachel preferred that he didn't say anything. What was there left to say anyway? JC didn't want a relationship outside of friendship with her. What could she do? Move on. It was the only thing she could do. Go back to home to Nashville. It's not like she could have a relationship anyway. She lived in Nashville. He lived in LA. In the middle of January she was going back on our leg three of her Cry Pretty tour. It would take her into March where she would have a short time off before going to Europe. Her tour wrapped up in July.

With a sigh, she stood up and walked to the sliding door and out onto her balcony. She squinted against the bright morning sun as it rose above the ocean. The beach had a smattering of people. People already swimming in the ocean. She watched a couple give a final stretch and take off running down the beach together. Three woman were already laying out on towels working on their tans. A lone man stood in the shore casting a line out into the ocean. There was a couple walking hand in hand barefoot through the surf.

She wished she could go for a walk down the beach. Just wonder aimlessly. The surf rushing up over her feet carrying her footprints away. People would nod and smile politely in greeting. People pretending not to notice another person at all. That's what she wanted. To walk down the beach and no one would bother her. No one would stop and want a photo. No one would stop and want to talk. They would just smile and nod as they kept on moving.

It had been years since she'd been able to that. Normally it didn't matter. Today it did. She just wanted to walk and be lost in thought. Walking at dawn would have worked but she had been sleeping. She could probably walk after dark tonight. People would be too busy at parties. She hadn't planned on being in Miami after sundown.

Rachel heard her phone chime from where she left it on the table. She pushed away from the railing and made her way back inside. Lifting her phone she sighed. Lance again.

‘Joey wants to come and take you back to Orlando to party with him and Izzy.'

That sounded like fun. If the invitation had been extended before the bar last night, she would have taken herself to Orlando. ‘No thanks. Don't need pity invitations. I'm going back to Nashville. And you can tell Chris not to meet me at the airport.'

‘Now you are being an idiot.' ‘We told you to find JC last night to help'

‘It helped.'

‘To get him to stop being an idiot and see you. He's not dating anyone. He doesn't have a girlfriend. They broke up in April. She cheated on him.'

‘That's not what I saw last night.' Rachel felt for JC. She knew how it felt to be cheated on. ‘Maybe he just hasn't told you they are back together.' ‘It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not going to waste any more of my time. It's been twenty years Lance. It's past time to move on.'

There was a knock on her door and Rachel turned her head to stare in its direction. Putting her phone down on the couch, she went to the door figuring Mike had returned from his run.

It wasn't.