“When does Chris get in?” Colleen asked before taking another bite of her Cobb salad.

“Later today,” JC confirmed. “He, Karly and Nash are staying with Justin and Jess. Now that Joey’s wrapped his show, he’ll be with Lance and Michael until we’re done.”

“God, have you guys even been all together since the Star ceremony?”

“Nope. We FaceTimed J before he went onstage for his show when the four of us did Coachella but that’s the closest we’ve gotten. Well, and your birthday,” JC smiled, still proud of himself for pulling that surprise off.

“I, um, will I, get to see you all…together?” Colleen asked sheepishly.

JC laughed. “I’m sure that’ll happen. Pick a night you want to come with me to the studio.”

“I don’t understand why you guys have to record overnight.”

“Less risk of the paparazzi spotting us. Plus, if they catch Chris at the airport, they’ll know all five of us are in L.A. as it is. I don’t…we don’t want this leaking, especially cuz we don’t even know if anything is truly gonna come of this. We’re just going to play around, see how it feels after all this time.”

“How many songs you got now?”

“Five that we can all agree on. Vocals are recorded here and there but it needs to be done together to sound right. The piece meal idea was good to get us started but just won’t cut it for a final product.”

“Hey, as long as something got you started, that’s all that matters,” Colleen smiled. JC looked down and poked at his quinoa bowl. Colleen reached out her hand to grab JC’s. “Just go and have fun, that’s truly all that matters.”

JC gave her a small smile as a reply. The knot in his stomach kept retying and tightening over itself once Chris confirmed his flight. They were actually going to try to make another album, stage a comeback. It still seemed too daunting a challenge but he was finally willing to try.

“Sorry I’m not great company today,” JC finally replied, putting his fork down and giving up on his dish. He looked around at the other diners seated near them to double check no one had been paying attention to their conversation.

“Honey, I know it’s hard but just try to focus on enjoying hanging out with your friends. It’s so rare you all get together, cherish it for what it is.”

JC knew she was right but still wasn’t sure how to really convince himself of the fact. “I’ll be right back,” he stated, standing up and heading towards the restrooms, wanting to give himself a few minutes to clear his head.

Colleen watched him leave and sighed. She hated the stress he was putting on himself for something that, for right now, was strictly for fun. She was sure he was already getting worked up about the record label’s input considering his previous dealings and didn’t know how to alleviate any of that.

“There’s no fucking way,” she heard a disbelieved voice say. Colleen craned her neck to see the source and fell upon two women at the bar, one with her hand over her mouth and the other fanning herself with a menu.

“Still looks fine as hell,” she heard the second woman say.

“I’m out here on a business trip. I can’t get that lucky,” the first woman gasped.

“You have to say something,” the second woman encouraged her friend.

“No no no no,” the first woman said quickly. “He’s having lunch, I don’t want to bother him. Plus he’s probably here with Colleen, it would just be awkward.”

Colleen quickly ducked her head down. She wasn’t exactly surprised they were talking about JC but was completely caught off guard by hearing her own name. She empathized completely with the woman’s situation and was running through a list of possible scenarios in her head.

“Did your fork break so you are just going to eat the salad directly with your mouth?” JC asked as he returned and saw Colleen’s head practically on the table.

“No, I, sorry. Just, uh, let’s continue our previous conversation later,” she told him, picking up her fork to resume eating.

JC’s eyes grew wide. “Fuck,” he cursed at himself, feeling infinitely stupid for talking about a reunion in public.

“No, I don’t think anyone heard us,” Colleen quickly told him, rightfully judging by his reaction that was his concern. “You just got spotted by a fan when you went to the bathroom. We were talking pretty quietly, highly doubtful we were heard.”

“Where?”

“At the bar.” Instinctively, JC turned that direction. “Don’t look!” Colleen did her best not to yell and draw more of the women’s attention towards them. “Sorry, this is new for me.”

“It’s ok, it was bound to happen sooner or later. If you are ok with boxing the rest of your salad, I can get the check paid and ask for a side door we can slip out of.”

“Are you kidding me? Absolutely not,” Colleen told him. “You have to meet her or she has to meet you or some kind of meeting has to happen.”

JC chuckled at Colleen’s excitement. “Babe, we’re eating. Maybe when we’re done, ok?” Colleen smiled and went back to her salad. “I’m kind of surprised it’s that important to you.”

“Because that woman could’ve been me, JC,” she informed him. “You don’t want to be a bother but you also know you’ll probably never get the chance again. This is just lunch for you, you’ll probably forget about it in a few days. She’s gonna talk about this story for the rest of her life.”

JC always found that the most interesting wrinkle of living life in the public eye, the intersection of fan’s memories and his own. The tours all ran together anymore. He remembered fan encounters in general but seldom few really stood out. They could remember what he was wearing that day and exactly what he said. He sometimes felt like an asshole when it wouldn’t jog his memory but fans were always understanding.

“After we’re done, I promise,” he told Colleen, deciding to give the quinoa bowl another try. Of course he didn’t mind meeting fans but it was always so awkward for everyone involved. Sometimes he almost missed the old meet and greets; everybody knew the purpose for being there.

They both finished their meals and the check soon arrived. “Ok, I think I have a plan,” Colleen said, trying to keep an eye on the women through the leaves of a plant.

“I’m pretty sure they're supposed to be the ones making the plan…not that I want them making a plan either,” JC laughed at his girlfriend’s vested interest. “The good news is, you’ve definitely ensured I will remember this fan encounter.”

“Ok, I’m gonna get up and order us some to go cocktails from the bar. Give me a few minutes then come over.”

“Are you gonna do this every time someone wants to talk to me?” JC smiled.

“I honestly don’t know, I just know I’d want someone helping me out if the roles were reversed.” Colleen quickly turned and looked at JC. “Shit, I never even asked if you were ok with this. Honey, I’m sorry. If you want to just go…”

“Babe, it’s fine,” JC reassured her. “I never mind talking with fans. I just don’t think I’m worthy of all the hype they have for me.”

Colleen grabbed JC’s hand and kissed it. “Trust me, you are,” she told him. She stood up and proceeded to the bar. Colleen tried not to look at the two friends as she approached but it was hard not to notice the first woman suddenly grow tense as her friend bristled with excitement.

“Hi, can I get a frozen Pineapple Margarita and a Frosé to go please?” she asked the bartender, tucking in behind the first woman. Colleen pretended to play on her phone as she could hear their whispers back and forth over whether to say something to her.

“Excuse me,” the second woman spoke up. Colleen looked up and saw the first woman slapping her friend repeatedly in the arm to stop. “Your name doesn’t happen to be Colleen, is it?” the second woman asked, undeterred.

“It is,” Colleen smiled back brightly.

“Hi,” the second woman said, extending her arm. “My name’s Sandra and this is my friend Tina.” Colleen shook both their hands graciously. “Look, I hate to be “that” person, but I am. Tina here is a giant *NSYNC fan…”

“Oh my God, please shut up,” Tina put her hands over her face, begging her friend to stop to no avail.

“She’s in from Ohio for a few days and we saw your boyfriend and we were hoping it might be ok to say hi?” Sandra put her hands into a prayer pose as she asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Colleen told them. “He’s just finishing up with the check.” She turned to Tina, who was peeking out from between her fingers. “Don’t be scared. He doesn’t bite strangers,” Colleen gently teased.

At that moment, JC walked up to join the group. “Hey,” he said to Colleen, wrapping an arm around her waist and doing his best to pretend he had no idea what was going on.

“Hey,” Colleen smiled back then turned to the women. “This is Sandra and Tina. Turns out Tina is an *NSYNC fan and is in town for only a few days and wanted to say hi.”

“Not to say I’m not,” Sandra jumped in, shaking JC’s hand. “Just not in a reduced to tears kind of way.”

“I want to die,” Tina muttered to herself before forcing a brave face and shaking JC’s hand. “Hi, it’s really nice to meet you,” she got out, repeatedly telling herself not to cry over and over in her head.

“Nice to meet you too,” JC replied with a grin. “Thank you for being so supportive after all these years. It’s very humbling.”

“I just…” Tina tried to speak. “Can I just give you a hug and say thank you?”

“Sure Honey, of course,” JC said, opening his arms. Tina hopped off her barstool and wrapped her arms around JC’s chest and he closed his arms around her. Colleen and Sandra instantly started taking photos of the embrace.

After a few seconds, Tina forced herself to let him go. She stepped back and looked him right in the eyes. “Your music has meant so much to me and it’s really just an honor to be able to personally say thank you. *NSYNC was the soundtrack of my entire high school experience and then…I know it’s a touchy subject but your solo album came into my life at such a pivotal time. Dear Goodbye has gotten me through the loss of friendships and relationships and I…I want you to know how much your words and your voice have truly meant to me through so much of my life.” Tina was so caught up in the moment, she didn’t even realize she had, in fact, started crying.

“That’s very kind of you to say, thank you,” JC said, giving Tina another quick hug.

“Shit,” Tina laughed as she leaned against JC, finally feeling her tears as they landed on his shirt. “I’m so sorry. How absolutely embarrassing.”

“You’re fine, don’t even worry about it,” JC reassured her.

“She won’t ask so I will,” Sandra spoke up, noticing he and Colleen’s drinks had arrived and she was paying the bill. “Any way we could get a picture before you head out?”

“Of course, absolutely!” JC said, letting go of Tina half way so they could pose for the camera. Sandra took a few pictures then flipped the camera mode and joined them for some selfies.

“Please, let me,” Colleen offered, holding out her hand to take Sandra’s phone. Sandra handed it over as Colleen took some pictures and gave the phone back. “There you go.”

“Thank you so much,” Tina turned to her.

“Nothing to thank me for,” Colleen smiled at her.

“Well, I kind of just cried all over your boyfriend. Cool of you to be ok with that.”

“Trust me, I completely get it. I’m glad you got to talk to him.”

“Ready Babe?” JC said, grabbing their drinks from the bar.

Colleen nodded as they said goodbye to the ladies and headed to JC’s convertible. Once they were in, Colleen grabbed JC’s hand. “You have no idea what you just did, do you?”

“I met a fan,” JC said simply.

“And she met someone she’s looked up to for years and was able to thank him for all the times he was there for her when she needed him.”

“Ok, I think you’re being a bit dramatic there,” JC chuckled, about to put the car in gear.

“No, I’m not,” Colleen said firmly, her own tears threatening to spill. She pulled out her phone and brought up one of the pictures she took of Tina and JC hugging, zooming in on Tina’s face. “Look at the utter happiness on her face. You did that, JC. You did that by sharing yourself and your talent with the world and you touched people’s souls in ways I just don’t know that you’ll ever understand.”

“I really wish I could,” JC confessed. “It really does mean a lot when fans say how much they appreciated all we did. I get it on an entertainment level and remembering the good times they had listening back then but…anything deeper still just feels like lip service. I don’t doubt that lady’s feelings are true, I just don’t understand them…especially about me. I never…I never even got to show the world the best of me so how…”

“Doesn’t that tell you something?” Colleen couldn’t help but interject. “This is the impact you have when you aren’t even shining your brightest in your eyes. There is so much more in you. I see it, your fans see it…”

“Ok ok,” JC patted Colleen’s hand. “You already got me in the studio with the guys…baby steps.” He leaned over and gave Colleen a quick kiss. “You’re gonna cry when you see us all together, aren’t you?”

“I cried when two of you were on a cell phone,” Colleen laughed. “I’d want to stay the entire time and just watch you guys sing but I know I’d only make it five minutes before I was a blubbering mess.”

“Then you’d better pack some tissues in your purse for tomorrow,” JC said, handing Colleen his phone then proceeding to leave the parking lot. She gasped as she scrolled the text thread.

JT: Cookout tomorrow my house, bitches!

J: Wow, surprised we’re allowed over.

JT: It’s my house. I can have over whoever I like. 

J: Then wanna explain why I haven’t been invited over in years?

L: Cuz somehow I’m always the one in charge of babysitting you.

C: Because you stink! I had to air out my guest bedroom for 3 days after the last time you were here.

JT: I really love how I open my home to you idiots and all I get is grief.

J: Don’t make me say it…

JT: Yes, Jess is out of town on a girlfriend’s weekend, ok?

J: I fucking knew it!

JC: Leave him alone Joey. J, very nice of you. I know Colleen is itching to meet Karly.

C: You spelled Chris wrong.

JC: No I didn’t.

L: What can we bring?

J: Can you handle drinks? I got liquor but beer, seltzer, that sort of stuff I’m low on and I know you have good hook ups.

L: No problem 

JT: Chris and I will pick up the meat. C and Joey, could you get a couple sides each?

C: Meat

J: Sure. JC you get the healthy things and I’ll get the delicious things, deal?

JC: I can’t help it if your mother never taught you to eat your vegetables.

J: She did it’s just that she taught me to eat all the other foods too.

L: Time?

J: Let’s shoot for 1. After lunchtime for the boys then we all get a few hours before they have to take a nap so then I can start grilling.

JC: Sounds good. Looking forward to it.

J: I’m going to go pick out Michael’s most tasteful speedo.

L: Don’t put on my husband’s clothes.

J: I actually meant for Michael to wear but that’s a great idea!

L: And now he’s running to my closet. Gotta go!

JT: JC, can you go in your stash of blindfolds and bring some extras so we don’t have to see Fatone’s ass cheeks? I’d like to keep my kids’ eyes as pure as long as possible.

JC: And your solution is by putting my S&M gear on them?

C: Parent fail!

JT: Why are none of you people normal?

C: Snappy comeback pending. We just got our luggage and are headed to the rental car. With traffic, it says an hour so expect us in 2.

J: Sounds good, be careful driving.

Colleen handed the phone back to JC. “You guys are absolutely ridiculous,” she laughed. “This is going to be a blast.”

“Are you more excited to hang out with my friends or to hang out with *NSYNC?” JC teased.

“Since they’re both the same thing, I don’t feel guilty saying I’m looking forward to each,” Colleen smiled. “Watching the five of you just hang out and give each other shit is going to be amazing. Don’t think I don’t recognize the massive privilege it is for me to be in this position.”

“Is it hard for you to not share what’s going on with other people?” JC questioned.

“It is, actually. Sometimes but not overwhelmingly so. I totally get the secrecy here but, I’m not gonna lie, I wish I could show fans how close you guys really are. I know you all say it but the public rarely sees it. People just want that comfort and it is weird to know but unable to share.”

“Maybe one day you can but not just yet,” JC told her. “For now, what are you going to wear to meet *NSYNC?!” he said with fake excitement.

Colleen’s eyes grew wide. “Take me to the nearest mall!” she shouted. JC laughed but headed to The Grove nonetheless.