Allyson walked up to her coffee shop at 7:30 exactly. She had gone home quickly to change into a green empire waist satin top that brought out her eyes and complemented her dark brown hair. She paired the top with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and tan booties.

JC was just a few moments behind her, swapping his short-sleeved shirt for a striped sweater over a white button-up and a leather jacket over both. If Allyson didn’t know who he was, he could have easily passed for a GWU poli-sci professor. 

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked, noticing the butterfly sleeves on Allyson’s top.

“No I’m fine. I just need a little whiskey in me,” she said, shivering slightly. To be fair, Allyson underestimated the cool evening breeze, but she did not want to look unprepared.

“Whiskey, huh? Well until we get there, take my jacket,” peeling the jacket off and draping it over Allyson’s shoulders.

She may have seemed cool on the outside, but her heart and stomach were doing somersaults as she pulled the jacket around her.

“Alright, lead the way,” JC said, extending his arm in a grand gesture. “I’m trusting you.”

The power he gave Allyson in that moment. It didn’t cross her mind at the time, but she could have just led him to her apartment, and he wouldn’t have had a clue until they got there. She never would do that, but she could have. She was spunky, but her boldness had its limits.

Making small talk during the short half-mile walk, Allyson began telling her story.

“I decided last year to go back to school for my MBA, but I need money to do that. I used to work in advertising, and the pay is great, but the schedule just doesn’t lend itself to going back to school, even as a part-time student, so here I am.”

“Good for you for going back to school.”

“Yeah, it’s one of those things that I always considered but never wanted to make the jump. Then, one day, I just got so frustrated with a client that it became painfully obvious that I needed to do it, now or never.”

He was listening intently, looking over at her, nodding along with her story.

“Speaking of things that are obvious,” she added, “when are we getting new music? ‘Until Yesterday’ is so good! I want more.”

He let out a shallow laugh and looked down at the ground. It was almost a defeated look. “Well, thanks. I’m working on it,” he said eventually.

She sensed the discomfort he had answering the question and quickly changed topics asking why he was in D.C., hoping it led to an easier conversation.

“Well, yeah, I’m usually in L.A. most of the time now, but I was visiting with some representatives yesterday about funding for arts and music in schools. And since it’s been so long since I’ve been back home, I wanted to give myself some time to explore.”

As he finished explaining about the meeting, they arrived at the pub’s green awning.

Inside, the restaurant was rich with natural wood paneling on the walls, sturdy dark wooden tables and stools with green-accented tops. It really had an authentic Irish pub feel, and there was a buzz inside. As they sat down at their table and ordered a couple drinks, the live musician for the evening walked back up onto the corner stage, picking up his guitar from the stand and tuning it before launching into a rendition of “Take Me Home Country Roads” and some more Irish folk songs everyone seemed to know, including Allyson.

JC looked at her amazed as she hummed along and sang along to some parts of the songs. “If you come here often enough, you get to know the songs,” she smiled across the table.

As they sipped their drinks and polished off their plates, the conversation meandered through various topics and stories from music and movies to MMC and growing up in Maryland – and Orlando – versus North Carolina.

“This is a rad place,” JC said, taking it all in.

“It’s one of my favorite spots to come after work. It’s been here for years, but there isn’t ever a huge crowd really. It’s just a nice chill spot.”

The conversation continued until suddenly it was two hours later, and they were some of the last people in the restaurant as it neared closing time.

Allyson’s phone buzzed as JC settled the bill. “Oh shit! This is my roommate, and I forgot to tell her I was going out. She probably thinks I’m dead in a ditch somewhere.”

JC looked at his watch. It did not feel like two hours had passed. The conversation flowed so easily. It almost felt like catching up with an old friend. “Uh oh. Come on, I’ll escort you home.”

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already made up for yesterday. And my stop is Tenleytown. I’m sure it’s out of your way.”

“Actually, mine would be Van Ness.”

“Oh,” Allyson said, unable to come up with another excuse. To be honest, she was appreciative of the gesture because even though she was confident getting around D.C., she knew it was dangerous for women to be walking around alone at that hour. “OK. If you’re sure.”

“Positive,” he said with a smile and a head tilt. “Let’s go.”

After ensuring that JC had a Metro card, they set out toward Union Station to begin their journey.

“So how long have you lived in D.C.?” JC asked as they found two seats together in the Metro car.

“Well, I grew up in the Carolinas and moved here for college. I always thought I’d move back home, but I fell in love with D.C. Altogether, I guess I’ve been here for 11 years now.”

He nodded, impressed.

“You’re from Maryland, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, Bowie. It’s really not that far. My buddy whose place I’m staying at is a childhood friend. He teaches at Georgetown but is gone this week for a seminar.”

“That’s great you’re still close to friends from home.”

“Yeah they’ve kept me grounded through everything. And speaking of friends. Why would your roommate be concerned about you going out on a Thursday? Isn’t Thursday night the unofficial start to the weekend?”

Allyson laughed and looked at her feet. “Well, I never go out. She knows I haven’t had a date in, like, six months.” For a second, Allyson did not realize what she had just admitted, but quickly put her head into her hands. “Oh my God! Please forget I just said that.”

“Don’t be embarrassed about that,” he reassured her. “I mean, listen, you want to talk about dry spells…”

“Oh please!” she interrupted him. “You? A dry spell?”

“Yes,” he said defensively, but with a joking tone.

A good chunk of the rest of the ride was spent one-upping each other on their dating lives.

“I’m done with dating celebrities,” he said. “Friends, fine, but not dating. I thought it would be easier because they get it, but it’s even harder. You’re ‘on’ the whole time.”

“I guess I never would have thought about that,” she said. “It looks so glamorous and fun from the outside.”

“Oh it is fun, and it has its perks, which I took full advantage of when I was younger, but now that I’m in my 30s, I’m done with that shit.”

Allyson nodded as the train PA system announced the Woodley Park stop,

“Three more stops,” Allyson said, “but two for you.”

“No,” he said sternly. “I said I would escort you home, and I will.”

She smiled. A few minutes later, and the call for Tenleytown rang out in the car as JC and Allyson made their way to the doors.

“Thank you for the company,” she said curtseying to JC, figuring he would jump onto the train heading in the opposite direction to go back to his stop.

“My job isn’t done.”

After a debate that barely lasted 20 seconds, they both walked out of the station.

“You don’t sound like you trust me very much,” JC said as they reached the surface level again.

“No, it’s not that,” Allyson said. “I’m just awkward and don’t know how to accept people doing nice things for me without some sort of motive.”

“No motive,” he said reassuringly. “I’ve just seen enough of the world. Plus, my momma would be disappointed if I didn’t walk a woman home.”

Allyson chuckled a bit. “Good woman, your mom.”

JC smiled as he placed a hand very gently on the small of Allyson’s back, pushing her ahead of him slightly.

“It’s just a few blocks,” she said.

“Wow, you really are close,” he said, referencing a conversation topic from dinner about feeling the trains running under her apartment.

Within a few minutes, the pair were standing outside Allyson’s quaint townhome.

“Well, mission accomplished.” In that moment, she realized she had watched too many rom-coms because she should not have been expecting a kiss like she was. “Thank you, seriously. I had a really nice time. Feel free to bump into my chin any time you want.”

They laughed together as JC rubbed the back of his neck, still embarrassed about yesterday. “Thank you for letting me buy you dinner and walk you home,” dipping into an exaggerated bow. “Happy to be of service.”

“One more awkward thing,” Allyson asked hesitantly. “Can I give you a hug before you leave?” She’d waited more than a decade to know what a hug from JC Chasez felt like. She’d come this far; she was not missing this chance.

“Sure,” he said with a smile, opening his arms to her.

Allyson’s average build slid perfectly into his arms as her head ended up resting on his chest. His arms closed around her, and she could feel his warmth. It felt so comfortable, just like their conversation. It didn’t make sense that they had only met 36 hours ago. She obviously knew plenty about JC from the fan magazines that it was as if she knew him, but this felt deeper than that.

The hug was a long hug – about 30 seconds – but not long enough for Allyson.

What Allyson didn’t realize was JC felt like he had met someone special in her too.

They smiled at each other as they loosened their embrace. He watched Allyson walk up the stairs and into the secure door. He then headed back to the Metro station.

About halfway on his walk from Van Ness Station to his friend’s apartment, he felt a chill and realized Allyson still had his jacket. “That’s what I get for being a nice guy,” he muttered to himself. “I lose my good leather jacket.”

If he was being honest with himself, though, he was not too worried about a lost jacket because the night was one of the most fun he had had in recent months. No clubs, no bars, no photos, no loud music, just a relaxed night with a cool girl, who felt like a friend already.