The next morning as JC was organizing his clothes to fit in his suitcase again, his phone buzzed on the nightstand.

“Hello?” he answered, not recognizing the number.

“Hi. Um, this is Allyson. The girl whose jaw you broke,” she said with a timid laugh.

“Ah yes. What’s going on? How are ya?”

“Good, good. Thank you, again, for last night and for walking me home.”

“Absolutely,” he said, “It would’ve eaten me up if I didn’t ensure you made it home safely.”

“Well, thank you,” she smiled to herself. “I hope you don’t mind me calling you like this, but I realized after you left that I still had your jacket.”

“Yes you do,” he teased.

“I’m so sorry! I can bring it to you or if you want to meet somewhere.”

“I’m actually packing up to catch a flight later tonight. Would you mind bringing it by?”

“Not at all. Just tell me where I’m going.” JC rattled off the address as they agreed Allyson would bring the jacket by at noon before her shift began at 4.

“Whose life is this?” Allyson asked her roommate, Mandy, her eyes wide in a daze as she hung up the phone. “I just called JC Chasez and am going over to his house – or at least where he’s staying – in a couple hours.”

“So I heard,” Mandy smiled back, excited for her friend but indifferent about the happenings. Mandy was artsy and kept her playlist to independent jazzy and bluesy singer-songwriters.

“What to wear. What to wear,” Allyson whispered to herself. She wanted to look cute but didn’t want to look like she was trying to look cute. There was a difference. She thumbed through her closet pulling out a pair of plain blue jeans and a lightweight cream and tan striped sweater perfect for the cool fall day. It was a sweater, so it was warm enough, but it wasn’t so thick that she would sweat and instantly regret her clothing choices by the time she made it to the Metro station.

She looked in the mirror at her front and her back. Everything was good. Her stubborn hair was cooperating and calm; her makeup ready for work.

Confident in her look for the day, she draped JC’s jacket over her arm and headed out to the address JC had given her. It wasn’t far, maybe 15 minutes. As she approached the building, she could feel her heart start to race. She stood at the intercom box for a few seconds before ringing the bell to the apartment.

“Hello? Allyson?” JC’s voice asked.

“Yeah.”

“Come on up,” he said, “Go up the stairs, and I’m the first door on the left.”

She entered the doors and walked past the mail room to the flight of stairs. A few steps away from the top landing was the apartment, number 22.

“Hey,” he said, answering the door within seconds of her knock. “Here, come on in.” He opened the door wider for her to walk into the bright space. Large windows let in plenty of natural light with the blackout curtains pulled back to leave just sheer cream curtains. “Thank you for bringing the jacket by. Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess. I ended up in a writing session last night and left the packing for today.”

As Allyson was still looking around admiring the apartment, she looked back at the pile of clothes he was apologizing for that had migrated from the bedroom to the living room. “I figured you’d be an expert packer,” she said.

“I used to be, but I think I’ve lost my touch. I’m a little out of practice. I haven’t had to travel too much for more than a day and a half in a while.”

JC’s phone buzzed and Allyson giggled as she heard the default ringtone play. She wondered if he just liked the tone or if he just couldn’t be bothered to change it.

Allyson heard a murmur on the other end as JC threw his head back exasperated. “OK, well send me the new information, then. No, it’s fine. Tomorrow still gets me in on time.”

JC groaned as he hung up the phone. “Damn it. Oh, shit, sorry. Ugh, sorry, again,” he said as he turned back to Allyson, forgetting for a second he had company.

“That didn’t sound great.”

JC sat down on the couch and rubbed his forehead, frustrated. “Well, I was supposed to fly out to Florida to meet up with some friends for a birthday party, but my manager insisted on booking the flights and booked the wrong day. Instead of today, he scheduled it for tomorrow. Sorry, I guess you didn’t have to make a special trip.”

“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything before work anyway. But are you going to make your friend’s birthday in time?” Allyson asked, genuinely concerned.

“Oh yeah, I’ll have plenty of time still. I’m getting there a few days early, so I just won’t be there as early as I’d have liked. Well, good news is I don’t have to frantically pack. Your shift starts at 4?”

“Yep, so I’ve got a few more hours to kill,” she said absentmindedly.

“Well, I guess I’m in the same boat now too. You’re welcome to chill here if you want.”

“No, no. I came, I delivered the jacket, I’m gone,” she said. “I can’t take up any more of your time.”

“You really don’t need to rush off. I’m inviting you to stay if you want. I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t mean it. I had a really nice time last night. It felt like catching up with a longtime friend instead of chatting with someone I’d only met a few hours earlier. Seriously, you’re welcome to stay.”

Allyson was caught a bit off guard as she made her way over to an oversized reading chair he’d motioned to. “You felt that way too? I thought I was just going crazy and letting my fan brain take over.”

“Fan brain?” he asked.

Allyson could feel her face getting redder by the second. “You know, just from watching all of y’all’s appearances and reading all the articles, it kinda feels like we know you. I didn’t know if I was making myself think I knew you even though we’d only actually just met.”

He nodded his head. “Oh yes, all those magazines. But, no, you’re not crazy. I felt like I’d known you for years, even though I didn’t know anything about you before dinner.”

“Maybe we met in a past life or something,” Allyson smiled.

JC let out a soft laugh as he leaned back on the sofa. “Maybe. Well, do you want to watch something?”

“Sure. I’ll watch just about anything that’s not gruesome or scary.”

“Ok, so crossing Final Destination 3 and Halloween off the list.”

“Oh, God, yes please!”

“How about this?” he asked, flipping the channel to HGTV.

“Really?” Allyson asked, the surprise evident in her voice. “I would not have pegged you for a home improvement kind of guy.”

“Oh yeah. I love this stuff! I’d probably have been an architect or an engineer if I hadn’t gone to that Disney audition and ended up on a path in music,” he said, still looking at the screen. “Well, or a farmer,” he said after a pregnant pause. “Definitely making, creating or growing things.”

“You’re just full of surprises.”

“I bet that wasn’t in any of those magazines,” he said with a smirk as he glanced over at Allyson.

She laughed. “No it was not. I do know that you like sushi and Chinese food, that you think the sexiest thing about a girl is a good heart and that you’re scared of needles.”

He let out a deep chest laugh as he dropped his head down and shook it. “Wow! All true, but wow!”

“Hey, I never said I was proud of what my fan brain knew about y’all,” she laughed back.

After watching a couple design shows, JC got off the couch. “I’m going to make some hot tea. You want?”

“Sure.” It was almost 2 and she would have to get ready for work soon. She wished she could call in sick, and just stay.

They sipped on cups of Earl Gray tea, talking books, movies and TV – all the stuff the teen magazines didn’t cover – as the home improvement shows continued in the background.

As Allyson went to put her mug in the sink, she knew she had to make her move soon or else she’d never leave by 3:30. “Thank you, again,” she said as she returned to the living room.

“Oh, yeah,” he said looking at his watch, “you said your shift starts at 4 doesn’t it?”

Allyson nodded, still impressed that he remembered the time she’d told him earlier in the morning. “I wish I didn’t have to leave, though. This has been so nice just hanging out. My younger self never would believe me if I told her about this.”

He laughed. “And I’ve really enjoyed having you here. It’s nice just to talk to someone without expectation or having to be ‘on.’ But, hey, you’ve got my number. Don’t give it to anyone else, but please call or text. And, who knows, I may be back in D.C. at some point.”

“OK! I won’t abuse this I promise. I just hope you don’t regret giving me that invitation to call you.”

“I doubt it.”

Allyson did not know how exactly to react, but she smiled and repeated her goodbye, accepting the hug he offered as she floated back to her apartment to change clothes.

“Oh my God!” she gushed to Shannon within five minutes of arriving at work. “He was so sweet! We were there for hours and then he rode back with me and walked me home.”

“And then you took him upstairs and asked him to demonstrate how God spent a little more time on him and how he can freak you better than Jordan ever could?” Shannon interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

“No!” Allyson said, giving Shannon a friendly push. “No. He let me get a hug and he went home as I went inside.”

“Oh come on, Allyson!” Shannon groaned. “You go on a goddam date with JC Chasez and all you have to show for it is a hug?”

“Yes, and it was the best hug I’ve ever had,” Allyson said, crossing her arms dramatically. “It must’ve lasted at least 30 seconds. It just felt so nice and comfortable. She relaxed again, just thinking about being enveloped in his arms. It was better than any hug I got from Jordan.”

“Soooo when is the second date?”

“Hi, come down to Earth, please.” Allyson teased trying to hide her smile, but not before Shannon decoded her secret.

“Wait!” Shannon said. “You already did hang out with him again, didn’t you?

“Maybeee,” Allyson said, her voice trailing off.

“Spill, woman!”

Allyson recounted the jacket mission she went on and the lazy afternoon she’d had before coming to work as Shannon sat enthralled by the story, hanging onto every word, amazed at what she was hearing her friend say.

“What the hell, Allyson? Why the F are you here right now? You could’ve called out. I could’ve covered for you or gotten Kristina to come in. She should anyway for the amount of times you’ve covered her ass.”

“I thought about it, but I also really wanted to see your face when I told you everything.”

“Well, you’ve seen it. Now, oh, look at that,” Shannon said, placing the back of her hand against Allyson’s forehead, “you’re feeling warm. I really think you should go home and get some rest.”

Allyson couldn’t help but laugh. For all the crap Shannon put her through, the girl was one of the most supportive friends she had. The pair had started at the coffee shop the same week and quickly latched onto each other during their training, forming an instant friendship.

“Go! Go!” Shannon said, pushing Allyson toward the door. “I’m calling Kristina. Let her earn her paycheck for once.”