JC looked back at the controls in his home studio and sat back down in the office chair he’d just gotten up from. A soft, lullaby-esque melody started to play in his head and made its way out of his lips as a hum.

Just as soon as he sat down at the panel, the words came to his head and he began singing and writing. No music, just the words that came straight from his heart.

Dream of me, my love. Dream of me, my darling. Hold me in your arms, and wrap me in your comfort.

Look me in the eyes, and see how much my love’s grown. They say home is where the heart is, and mine tonight’s with you.

As you lay your head down softly, let your heart play with mine.

That voice inside your head saying I am with you now is my soul calling out, longing just to touch you.

I feel your kiss on my lips, love, and your breath on my face. I just wish you were here now, and not just in my dreams.

I hope tonight as you lay sleeping, you feel me reach inside your mind and wrap my arms around you and lay with you tonight.

A thousand miles might be between us, but our souls are intertwined.

“Damn that’s some sappy shit!” he laughed as he paused and looked at what was scribbled on the paper in front of him.

He couldn’t believe how much Allie had changed his life in not only the nearly two years they’d known each other but especially in the last week.

Across the country, Allyson barely made it to her bedroom and into her pajamas before she collapsed onto her bed at 2 in the morning.

As she dreamed, she could feel JC’s arms wrapping her up tightly as she was transported in her sleep to LA again and back onto the couch with JC. She had never thought about the term “man of my dreams,” but she had met the man of her dreams.

Then, another face appeared in her dream: Paul. So startled, she woke up from her deep sleep and sat up in her bed, her heart racing. She groaned as she looked over at the clock that read 7:13 in big block numbers.

She laid her head back down on the pillow and tried to will herself back to sleep with no luck. She laid there staring up at the ceiling, thinking of anything outside of Paul’s face and giving up on the thought of going back to sleep.

“What the hell?” she muttered to herself.

She simultaneously regretted ever going to lunch with Paul and thankful she did. She hated what he’d done, but was grateful for how her relationship with JC developed afterward. “Fuck him.”

After spending an hour and a half tossing and turning and trying to make herself go back to sleep, Allyson pulled out her computer and grabbed her DVD of Romeo + Juliet sitting on the desk near her bed. As tragic as the story is, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes quoting Shakespeare as two star-crossed lovers always did the trick to take her mind off everything else. She could feel her body relaxing again as the movie played.

As Romeo and Juliet meet each other’s gaze across an aquarium, Allyson felt her eyes getting heavy, drifting back into sleep as Leo’s Romeo realizes his love is a Capulet.

Waking up to the title menu looping asking if she would like to play the movie, Allyson looked at the clock again. It was now 11. She did not exactly feel rested, but she could take on the day.

The first thing she wanted to do when she woke up was call JC and hear his voice, but she knew she couldn’t call him at 4:15 in the morning. He’d likely have answered, but she didn’t want to get anyone up at that hour. Now that it was 8 on the West Coast, she grabbed for her phone and pulled up JC’s contact card.

“Hey, baby, what’re you doing?” he answered, sitting on his balcony with his first cup of coffee.

“Hey, Josh,” Allyson said, still sitting in her bed. “I just really wanted to hear your voice.”

“Allie, what’s wrong?” he asked seriously, sitting up in his chair. “That’s not a good tone.”

“I had an awful dream, and all I wanted to do was hear your voice.”

“I’m here, honey. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. It just made me want something comforting, and the only thing I wanted to hear was your voice.”

“I’m here for as long as you need.”

“Can we just stay on the phone and pretend like we’re together?”

“I’d love nothing more,” he said sincerely.

Allyson laid her head back down on the pillow and continued talking with JC for the next two hours as JC watched the clouds blow across the sky over Los Angeles.

“Oh shit,” Allyson said looking at the clock and seeing morning had become afternoon. 

“What?”

“I did not mean to take up two hours,” she said, letting out a little laugh.

“I’m not complaining.”

“I’m not either. Thank you. I guess I should probably get out of bed, though, huh? I’m sure you probably have work to do also.”

“Nothing urgent. How are you feeling now?”

“So much better. Just talking to you sets me at ease.”

“You were on my mind all night, so I was not disappointed to see your name pop up on my screen.”

They laughed. “Good,” Allyson said. “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Sounds good. Love you, babe.”

“Love you too.”

The rest of JC’s afternoon consisted of the studio. He was working with a few new artists, producing their albums with Jimmy at Jimmy’s house.

“So how’s the love-drunk producer?” Jimmy asked as JC strolled into the wood-paneled room.

“Shut up, man!” JC laughed, giving Jimmy a quick hug.

“Things good? I know Allie left yesterday.”

“Yeah. But I’m gone, dude. I’ve never fallen for someone like this. I’ve been falling for that girl for more than a year.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“Unless she moves in the next month, I think I’m going to go out to DC in September and spend Labor Day weekend with her.”

“I’m happy for you, man. I can tell she makes you happy.”

“You have no idea,” he smiled. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone since Kat.”

“Wait, almost got down on one knee and proposed Kat?”

“Yeah, man. I’m telling you, Allie’s beyond words. Nothing about it makes sense, but it feels more perfect than anything else ever has.”

Back in D.C., Allyson had made some scrambled eggs and was getting ready for the day when her phone buzzed.

Um, when do I get the dirt?

Allyson couldn’t help but laugh at the text from Shannon.

Free at 3? Cactus nachos?

Do I ever turn down Cactus nachos and gossip?

Allyson laughed. Cactus Cantina was one of the best places in D.C. to get nachos, and it just so happened to have a great chill vibe that was perfect for recounting her time in LA.

Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Allyson grabbed her purse and headed toward nachos.

“Oh my God! I’ve missed you!” Shannon said, wrapping her arms around Allyson’s neck.

“I know! And a lot has changed,” Allyson smiled.

“Oh I figured with that little impromptu Skype session. You better have some stories to tell!”

Allyson laughed and looked at the ground. She had forgotten about Skyping Shannon from her birthday party with the *NSYNC guys all there. “I’ll tell you more once we sit down.”

At an off hour, even for a Saturday, they had no wait as they were seated quickly and ordered their nachos to share and a couple drinks.

“I don’t even know where to ask you to start!” Shannon said.

“Well, I’ll start with it was probably the best trip I’ve had in my life,” Allyson said laughing.

“I don’t doubt it. How the hell did that birthday party happen?”

“Well,” Allyson started, as she began retelling the happenings of the last week-plus in LA. She left out Paul from her story, and instead just told Shannon JC saved her from an uncomfortable situation. Shannon didn’t know Paul, and she did not want to go through that again after her experience that morning.

Shannon did not disappoint with gasps, muted cheers and other reactions to the stories.

After about an hour, the nachos were nearly gone and nothing was left of their drinks.

“I cannot believe it!” Shannon said as Allyson finished sharing everything. “You’re living the dream, Allie!”

“I know! I’m waiting to wake up, honestly. I just know it can’t be real.”

Shannon reached over and pinched her arm.

“Ow!”

“Just confirming for you that you’re not fucking dreaming! This is real life. You are fucking dating JC Chasez.”

Allyson put her head into her hands in disbelief.

“So what happens next? I mean, you’re here; he’s in LA.”

“Well, now that I’ve finished my degree, I’m looking for jobs, and we’ll kind of go from there. I wouldn’t be opposed to moving out to California, but he had me promise him that I wouldn’t turn down something good around here.”

“I knew I liked him,” Shannon said. “I don’t want you to leave, but I want you to have your fairytale ending.”

“Well, I haven’t even sent out applications, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”

“OK. You’re still on at the shop right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there still until I hear anything from any places I apply to.”

“So, tell me, what’s the dream here?” Shannon asked, turning into a job finder.

“Anything in business or marketing, probably, that is not entry level,” Allyson laughed. “But what about you? Are you leaving the shop soon?”

“I’d like to. There’s just not much I can do with an associate’s and a few classes toward a bachelor’s,” Shannon said. Shannon had an associate’s degree in finance and had moved to D.C., like Allyson, for school, but ran out of money halfway through her bachelor’s program at Georgetown and couldn’t take out any more loans. She was 20 hours away from her bachelor’s.

“Hey, if I get a job out in California, why don’t you move out there with me? There’s a lot more public universities out there and I’m sure your credits would transfer.”

Shannon smiled at the offer. “Let’s see where you’re going first. I can deal with tour groups and crazy orders for a little while longer. Oh, speaking of, we have a new peach drink that was introduced while you were gone.”

Allyson couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “OK. I guess that’s what I’m learning Monday.”

Shannon nodded and offered to be her teacher, so they could get it done quickly and actually enjoy themselves a little.

That night and Sunday, Allyson sent out applications to companies from major marketing companies to smaller consultant firms throughout the country, but really concentrating on D.C. and Los Angeles.