Early July

Alice opened the door of her new home at the sound of the doorbell to find a large bouquet of roses filling her vision. It quickly moved to the side to reveal the smiling face behind it. “Joey!” Alice exclaimed. “How was Greece?”

“Amazing,” he smiled. “You really should have come.”

“While I did and still do appreciate the offer, more pressing matters to attend to,” she gestured inside. “Please, come in.”

Joey stepped inside the foyer, wiping his sneakers and handing the flowers to Alice. “For you,” he bowed dramatically. “Sorry I couldn’t be here to help.”

Alice tried to hide her blush as she graciously accepted them. “You found the house, Joey. I’d say you did enough,” she smiled as she headed to the kitchen. “Between the movers JC got and Millie insisting on buying us new furniture, there honestly wasn’t much to do.”

“Damn. Can I be friends with Millie?”

“Trust me, I tried to stop her but she made some valid points about not wanting to carry the past into the future. I think she just wanted to decorate and a lot of my stuff was broken anyway. Trying to get better about accepting help.”

“Good but, yeah, I mean, I'm glad I could help but all I did was ask around. Thankfully one of my friends knows the guy who was constructing this development. Just knowing the right people,” Joey brushed off as he took in the main area. “How you liking it so far?” 

“Good. Getting used to the flow of it. Open concept has never really been my forte and only having one floor is still odd but I’m getting there.”

“Told you to get a bigger model.”

“You paying my mortgage?” she gently joked as she looked for something to put the flowers in. “Even with selling mine, I’m still $400 a month over where I’d like to be. Closer to Orlando means more expensive, as you know, but it has its perks.”

“Such as?” Joey wriggled an eyebrow, causing Alice to laugh. “And Patrick?”

“Happier than I’ve seen him in a long time,” Alice sighed in relief. “The development is still filling up but there are a few kids around his age. He’s actually out riding his bike for a change.”

“Ah, so you can give me the grand tour?”

“Well you’ve seen half of it already. I’ll gladly show you the other half as soon as I find where to put these,” Alice opened a few cabinets.

“Are your vases still packed?”

“I don’t own any vases.”

Joey blinked for a moment. “How do you not own a vase? Even I own a vase.”

“Donny wasn’t much of a flower guy so…” her voice trailed off.

“Ok, you gotta have something,” Joey leapt into action. “You deserve flowers and you should be able to enjoy them.”

Alice bit her lip and watched Joey root through her kitchen. He’d bought her flowers. It wasn’t a big deal but it was to her and now she felt silly she didn’t have anything to put them in. She used to have vases but Donny broke them all and they were never used so she never replaced them. She gave up hope she’d ever need one again yet now she was holding a beautiful bouquet. The realization was hitting her hard but she was holding it together.

“How about that?” Joey pointed up into a high cabinet.

“That’s a Santa Claus cookie jar.”

“Got anything better?”

“Probably not,” Alice shrugged and handed Joey the flowers. “Let me get the step stool.”

Alice retrieved the metal frame from next to the fridge and positioned it to climb. Joey dutifully held the stool in place then raised a hand to rest on Alice’s very lower back to keep her steady.

“Really?” A voice sarcastically stated from the direction of the back patio. Both turned simultaneously to see Patrick standing with his arms crossed.

“Hey Buddy!” Joey said enthusiastically. “How are you liking the new digs?”

Patrick rolled his eyes as he entered the house. “They’re good. Uh, thanks for the help finding it.”

“No problem. Your Mom told me you got all new stuff. Is your room all tricked out?”

“You know your young people speak is very old people speak, right?”

“Patrick!” Alice admonished him as she stepped back down with the jar.

“He’s right though,” Joey chuckled. “I can’t keep up with the lingo.”

“It’s good. Mom’s friend Millie basically had it done by the time we got here,” he shrugged.

“Not your style?” Joey tried to get a read on him.

“Nah, I mean, she asked I guess, just, you know, doesn’t feel like mine yet,” Patrick shuffled his feet.

“Ahhh, needs a little personality,” Joey smiled and headed back towards the front door. “That is one thing I think I can help with.” He exited and quickly reentered with a long slim box. “A little house warming present for you as well.”

Patrick met Joey half way and tentatively took the box, realizing it was actually a black case. His brow furrowed as brought it to rest on the kitchen island before carefully opening it. Alice watched as her son’s face changed from skepticism to pure wonder. “Oh shit,” he barely whispered.

“Language,” Alice reminded him gently before coming around to take a peek herself. “Oh shit,” she couldn’t help but react. 

“I hope that means you like it,” Joey balanced on the balls of his feet, anxious to know if his present actually went over well.

Patrick carefully grabbed his new lightsaber out of its case, taking in the details of the hilt and the texture of the blade. A shitty kid’s version that flickered badly and made echoey whoosh sounds this was not. It was probably the nicest thing he’d ever received in his life.

“Joey, you shouldn’t have…” Alice was cut off as Patrick made the blade spring to life. They both stared in disbelief at the bright blue light emitting from it. Joey’s smile almost matched the wattage as he watched Patrick take it all in.

“You can actually change the color, but blue seemed right,” Joey offered. “Only the truest of Jedi’s can wield blue as it represents righteousness, valor and bravery. Just like you, kid.”

Patrick looked at Joey, a stream of emotions colliding on his face. Happiness was still one he was working on but he knew in this moment, he was truly happy. He lowered the lightsaber and stepped over to Joey, wrapping his arms around the middle of his body in a tight hug. “Thank you, Joey,” he said in the same hushed tone, this time trying to keep his emotions in check and not cry.

Alice, however, had no such luck as she covered her mouth to not let her gasp ruin the moment. Joey looked at her and winked as he hugged Patrick back. “No problem, I’m glad you like it. It’s super durable so don’t be afraid to play with it and it’s rechargeable so you could leave it plugged in overnight and use it as a night light if you wanted.”

“A night light?” Patrick looked up, his pre-teen sass suddenly apparent once more.

“Excuse me, a lighting feature,” Joey chuckled.

Patrick quickly whirled around. “Mom, can I…”

“Yes you can go show your friends,” Alice told him, “but be back for dinner.”

“Is Joey staying?” Patrick looked between them.

“Oh? Uh, sure, I mean, if he wants to,” Alice stammered.

“I’d love to,” Joey grinned.

Several hours later, Alice and Joey finished up washing the dishes as Patrick headed off to bed. “You gotta give me that orzo recipe, I think Kloey would like that,” Joey dried off the last plate.

“Not so much a recipe as what I had laying around,” Alice blushed, “but we ate, that’s the important part.

“Well it was delicious so thank you,” Joey smiled. “Now, I did my chores. Could I see the rest of the house?”

“Sure,” Alice laughed. “Though I think you missed your chance to see Patrick’s room.”

“I took a quick look when he showed me where the bathroom was,” Joey confirmed. “I get what he’s saying, nice room but doesn’t feel lived in yet. He’ll get there.”

Alice smiled as she walked Joey around the rest of the house, showing him the garage and the spare bedroom that was currently full of boxes. Lastly they arrived at Alice’s bedroom. Joey walked in to find a dark grey wooden textured accent wall with a cream colored queen bed in the center of it that matched the rest of the walls. Wooden end tables adorned each side with pendant lights while fake wooden beams ran across the ceiling.

“Well this is very zen,” Joey commented with a smile. 

“Millie wanted it to feel like the retreat. It’s not really my style but I’m also not really sure what my style is so I didn’t argue.”

“Look around the room. What would make it feel more like you? First thing that pops into your mind.”

Alice looked, trying to see the room in a new light. “A plant,” she said simply.

“A plant? That’s it?”

“Yeah. It needs color and I think it would go with everything. Plus at the old house we had a lot of black out curtains cuz Donny didn’t like getting woken up by the sun. I want to keep everything light and airy.”

“I love that,” Joey beamed. “See, you do know what you want.”

“Well, more like I know what I want to add to the space, I guess. It’s a start though,” Alice blushed.

“Always gotta start somewhere. This seems like as good a place as any.”

“I suppose it does,” Alice smiled, sensing Joey was referencing more than just the room. “So, uh, you told me all about Greece. What else is going on this summer?”

“Little stuff here and there. A couple cons, a couple shows. Looking forward to doing Eat to the Beat next month. Have you ever been?”

“In general, yes, but to see you, unfortunately no. It was a point of contention with Donny and was best not to push it.”

“Yeah, I’ve definitely dealt with a jealous husband a time or two, and considering everything you’ve told me, I get it. But now, well, no excuse.”

“That’s very true,” Alice began to smile, happy to discover yet another thing she was now free to enjoy.

Joey watched her smile grow and decided to play along, taking the opportunity to lay on Alice’s bed. “And what would he do if he found an *NSYNC member in your bed?”

“Oh, I don’t even want to think about that,” Alice have an awkward laugh, literally refusing to image the violence that would have erupted as she knew Joey was trying to be funny.

Joey picked it up immediately and sat back up. “Then let’s not think about that and just be grateful for the opportunity,” he patted the bed next to him. Alice gave a small smile and walked over to sit, instantly leaning her body against Joey’s as he wrapped an arm around her. “Would I overstay my welcome if I suggested we unwind from the day with a movie?”

“I’d really like that, Joey,” Alice smiled up at him.

Joey started to head back to the living room but saw Alice flick on the tv opposite her bed and took that as a sign to stay. He kicked off his sneakers and settled into the bed as Alice grabbed a throw blanket to cover them with and snuggled into Joey’s body as she started to flip channels.

“You pick,” Joey offered. “We always watch Star Wars when you come over. Let’s watch something that’s up your alley.”

Alice chuckled as she scrolled, trying to think what a good movie to introduce Joey to would be. She went to her recent watches to give her some inspiration.

Joey looked on silently but couldn’t help notice some of the titles: Daughters of Darkness, Night of the Comet, Evil Dead, the original version of Susperia. Joey was starting to sense a theme.

“You ever seen Strange Behavior?” Alice asked.

“With Katie Holmes?”

“That’s Disturbing Behavior but this one has kind of the same premise.”

“Can’t say that I have. Throw it on.” Joey told her. “I knew you liked horror movies but I really didn’t know you were this much of a buff.”

“My parents raised my brother and I on so many B movies of the 70s and 80s that I just, I don’t know, I find them comforting in a weird way. Familiar, maybe, I guess. Plus the scares are much more genuine than they are in modern films.”

“How have I not run into you at Halloween Horror Nights yet?”

“Oh Donny hated scary stuff like that. He wouldn’t even watch these types of movies with me so going to something like that was out of the question.”

“I mean, it’s not real.”

“I know that but he outright refused. Back in high school I used to go with my group of friends and, oh, it was so much fun! This adrenaline rush of wondering what was around the next corner. The thrill of watching your friends get scared as you’d just clutch each other to make it through and those deep big breaths at the end when you knew you were finally safe. God I miss that.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone explain it quite that excitedly,” Joey laughed. “We are definitely going together, I need to see this in action.” Joey paused for a moment, thinking it through. “Though, I mean, would it be…ok, given, you know, what you’ve been through?”

Alice gave it careful thought. “To be honest, I don’t know, but I feel like yes. Watching a scary movie or going to a haunted house, I know what I’m getting into. I want to be scared so that feels good, in a way, when it happens; exhilarating. When you’re walking around your own home not sure when the next time you’ll be attacked is, it’s a different thing. The danger is real instead of imaginary. Like, the movie can’t actually hurt me, you know what I’m saying?”

“I do, I just want to make sure you are ok before going.”

“I really appreciate that, Joey. I’ll talk it over with my therapist and let you know,” she smiled as she hit play.

Even though the movie opened with your typical death scene to start the mystery, Joey found the plot to be slow but at least entertaining. B movie this definitely was with the “unique” camera techniques and the cheap costume party outfits he assumed weren’t supposed to look that terrible. By the time the first bit of action even happened about a half hour in, Joey was cackling at the absurdity.

“What the hell was that?” Joey chortled. “I can run faster than that chick who’s supposed to be running for her life.”

“See, these are fun, right?” Alice smiled, genuinely happy Joey was enjoying himself. “Don’t worry, it’ll actually get scary coming up.”

Sure enough, the first jump scare another fifteen minutes later actually got him, even though it was just the protagonist surprising his girlfriend. Joey’s body shuddered quickly from the shock as Alice held onto him and giggled. “You’re getting a kick out of this, aren’t you?” he asked her with a grin.

“Yes, I never got to do this before.”

“What? Watch a scary movie with someone?”

“Not like this. I tried when Donny and I started dating but like I said, he didn’t like them and it normally just led to a fight so I stopped trying.”

Joey pondered Alice’s statement for a while as the movie continued on. This was such a simple thing: to enjoy something you loved with someone else. He was happy he was getting to share this with Alice, give her this experience, yet he felt bad that she was only getting it just now.

The next death once again was more funny then scary but by the time they got to experimenting on the protagonist by putting a needle in his eye, Joey was actually intrigued where this was going. 

“Why is he peeing blood?!” Joey yelled, inadvertently placing his hand over his crotch. “What the fuck did they do to him?”

“Just watch,” Alice shushed him, her body drawing closer to him in anticipation.

The mystery was finally fleshing out as the story finally hit Act Three, with the realization the protagonist was being used to kill his own father based on the backstory of the mother’s death. It was convoluted but Joey didn’t care as he was actually enjoying the flick.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” Joey watched as the climax unfolded and the real antagonist emerged. Alice, who had seen the movie probably three dozen times, was still clinging to Joey like her life depended on it, the tension palpable in the room as it was on the screen.

Alice turned into Joey’s chest as the protagonist began to mutilate himself; she could never stomach this part no matter how fake it looked. Joey’s arm wrapped around her tighter and Alice felt a protection she realized was what she had been craving for so long. She always had to watch these movies alone, face the world alone. Her husband was the one who was supposed to protect her but instead she’d inadvertently invited the evil in. For the first time in so long, she felt like she’d be safe if she let her guard down.

“Well I’ll be damned, that was a twist,” Joey let out a sigh of relief as the ambulance siren blared in the background as the paramedics took the protagonist out on a gurney. “Definitely better than I expected. Fun find, Alice. Thanks for watching it with me.”

“Well thanks for indulging my silly little hobby,” Alice sat back up to look at Joey, “and protecting me.”

“It’s not silly and it was my pleasure to do so, sweetheart,” Joey touched her cheek with a smile.

The two stared at each other, enjoying the moment, and then, as if both thinking the same thought, they leaned into each other for a kiss. It was gentle at first, each making sure the other was ok with what was happening but then quickly grew more intense as they settled into it, their arms wrapping around the other, intertwining themselves.

Then next thing Alice knew, she was straddling Joey then the next moment he’d rolled her onto the mattress as his body covered her, her hands pawing at his t shirt. She felt like she was in college again, making out with a cute boy in her dorm room. Alice couldn’t remember the last time she felt this way.

Well wait, actually, she could because she felt like this when she kissed JC, except, not quite. With JC there had been so much build up. She of course enjoyed every second but she was very accurately aware of what was happening because she wanted to take it all in. With Joey, this just felt…natural. Like she could relax into him instead of analyze every aspect like she did with his friend.

“And there it is,” Alice sighed as she gently rolled Joey off of her.

“You ok?” Joey asked.

“Yeah, I just, ummm,” Alice hestitated, her own self still not computing the truth she was about to tell. “Joey, I…”

“It was too much, I get it. I just…it felt like the right timing…”

“Joey, once again, you did nothing wrong,” she stopped him. “I just feel like I need to tell that, on the retreat, I, oh Jesus, I kissed JC.” Alice literally hid her face behind her hands at the confession.

“Oh, I knew that,” Joey told her nonchalantly.

“Wait, what?” Alice dropped her hands.

“Yeah, he told me a couple months ago. Once I, um,” Joey trailed off, not sure he should finish his sentence.

“Oh, I, ok, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I didn’t realize I should have.”

“Well, you did just tell me but also you guys got together before I even met you. No harm in that.”

“Still, I kissed your friend, Joey.”

“And if you hadn’t, maybe I wouldn’t be here right now,” Joey reasoned, sitting up. “You’ve had a crush on JC for most of your life. You got the opportunity and you took it, no way I can be mad about that. Maybe a little jealous the crush wasn’t on me but what are ya gonna do?” he grinned. “I’m honestly happy you both got to have that.”

“We didn’t sleep together, Joey.”

“I know that too but even if you had, it wouldn’t change my opinion. You…” Joey steeled himself for his own confession. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you, Alice. Like, really enjoyed it. I’m not used to going slow with things but when I realized how I was starting to feel, I called JC for some advice. I want to be entirely respectful of you and where you are with everything in your life but if your only concern is that you kissed my friend, I’m here to tell you it’s not a concern.”

Alice let Joey’s words soak into her. “Joey, I…you’ve been an absolute treasure these past six months. You are so understanding of what I need and tremendously good with Patrick. I…I’ve been feeling this way, about you, too and, I don’t know, this feels good but it’s scary as hell. I don’t want to ruin what we have cuz…you’re really good for me right now.”

“I’m not parading you out as the newest *NSYNC girlfriend anytime soon,” Joey joked. “I don’t really know what this is either, or what either of us want it to be. I just know I like you and everything else, we’ll discuss, we’ll figure out. I don’t want to ignore it, I want to meet you where you are but also, I really just want to kiss you again.”

Alice smiled up at Joey. “I’d really like that, Joey. All of it. I really…I didn’t expect to feel this way so soon after…everything and I just, I need to go slow. Physically and emotionally; I hope you can understand that.”

“I do,” Joey promised. “Whatever your comfort level. If it doesn't work for me, I’ll let you know but I, I’m more than willing to talk out whatever you need to.”

Alice felt like her whole body was radiating from Joey’s words. She felt seen in a way she always dreamed of. She fought her overthinking to just bask in this moment. “Well, for now, do you think we can get back to the kissing part?”

“With pleasure,” Joey grinned as his lips descended upon her once more.