Another drink and half later Alexis and Michelle found themselves back at the bar.  Meanwhile, JC and Justin and the rest of *NSYNC were still making the rounds after their performance.  It had been quite the performance and both women were still trying to process what they’d just witnessed.

“What was that?” Alexis asked as she sipped on her third drink of the evening.

Michelle snorted as she signaled the bartender.  “You’re asking me?”

“Yeah! I am asking you.  You were there.  You saw it too.” Alexis smirked.

“IT?! No, I didn’t see IT! I saw Justin…being…well…Justin.”

Alexis grinned. “Yes.  Let’s discuss Justin…”

“Let’s not.” Michelle shot back.

“Tell me again that you’re not dating.  That it’s not like “that.” That he’s NOT into you.  That you’re just hanging out as friends.”

Michelle made a face but said nothing.

“Exactly!” Alexis snickered.

“What about you and Josh?”

Unfortunately, Alexis didn’t get the chance to respond.  The men of *NSYNC were on the stage again.  Only this time, it was Joey that spoke first.

“Hello again!  I know we all here to celebrate the release of the new album that drops at Midnight but we thought it might be fun to take a trip down memory lane, remind everyone and ourselves why we love doing this, and maybe even introduce some of you, who might not be as familiar with us, to what you’ve been missing.”

Michelle immediately busted out laughing.  “That was SO meant for you.”

Alexis just shook her head and smirked.  “I know.”

“You ready for this?” Michelle teased.

“Probably not.” Alexis grumbled.

On the stage the men of *NSYNC had removed their suit jackets and rolled up their shirt sleeves revealing strong forearms and pristine dress shirts pulled tight against pectoral muscles and bulging biceps, particularly those of Justin, JC and surprisingly, Lance too.  Joey and Chris weren’t as defined but still looked GOOD! 

A cute little melody had started to play causing Michelle to nearly drop her glass.

“AWW SHIT!” Michelle squealed under her breath.

“What?!” Alexis asked confused.

The look on her sister’s face spoke volumes.  She looked like a giddy teenager.

“Uh!” JC sang looking across the room at Alexis.

Alexis felt her jaw drop a bit, but then he laughed in time with the song, like it was planned that way and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

Oh

Hey yeah yeah

“FUCK!” Michelle groaned under her breath.

“WHAT?!” Alexis hissed back.

Michelle looked to her sister and laughed.  “You and I…”

“Yeah?” Alexis urged.

“Are SCREWED!” Michelle replied nodding back to the stage.

“What?! Why?!”

“You’ll see!” Michelle giggled.

Meanwhile, just a few feet away Lonnie had approached Kenny.

“Better get ready buddy.” Lonnie chuckled.

“Why? What’s going on?” Kenny asked looking to the stage and then back to Alexis and Michelle.

Lonnie nodded up to the stage.  “They’re doing this on purpose.”

“Yeah, got that, picked up on that real quick, but why?”

Lonnie laughed then nodded to Michelle and Alexis.  “Because those two are about as stubborn as they come.”

Kenny snorted.  “Tell me something I don’t know. I honestly think Moretti is Italian for stubborn.”

Back up on stage, things were getting more and more interesting by the moment.

JC was up first.

Girl, when we started

Baby, we were friends

But that’s now how

This fairy tale is gonna end

See ,I was thinking

Then it clicked one day

That no one else has ever

Made me feel this way

The next time I saw you

Girl, I knew I had to try

To tell you everything

That I was feeling deep inside

And listen good

Cause what I say is from my heart

So if you’re ready

“What. The. Fuck?” Alexis whispered, gripping her sister’s arm.

“Told you.” Michelle snickered.

Alexis watched in total shock as they danced around and sang the chorus.  Their moves were precise and fluid.  It was almost as if they’d never stopped performing.  Five years later and they still had the moves and the stamina they were known for.  It was definitely something to behold, but apparently the song was far from over.

Next it was Justin’s turn to take lead and as he started to sing, he grabbed the railing with both hands, slid underneath it, hopped down from the stage and started walking towards where Michelle and Alexis were standing, their backs now against the bar.

Alexis grabbed her sister by the arm and squeezed.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Michelle hissed in her sister’s ear.

Alexis could only giggle and shake her head.  Apparently, Michelle had finally met her match.

Baby, I wonder

If you feel the same as I do

I wonder if you’re going through

The things I’m going through

I sent you flowers on a Saturday

Inside’s a letter

With a message and no name

See, I just love the feeling

Knowing I can make you smile

And I haven’t felt that way

About someone in quite a while

Just listen to these words

I have to say

Just take a chance

Both girls stood frozen until the song finished and the guys left the stage.  As soon as they were out of sight Alexis turned to her sister.  Michelle looked shell shocked, more so than with the previous performance but Alexis understood completely.

“Please, for the LOVE, PLEASE tell me Justin wrote that.” Alexis managed to get out between gulps of air.

Michelle shook her head. “Nope.”

“Don’t say it…” Alexis replied.

Her eyes were asking the question her voice couldn’t.

Michelle simply nodded.

“FUCK!” Alexis moaned.

Behind them Kenny was laughing and shaking his head. 

“Well, that was fun to watch.” Kenny snorted.

“Yeah, for once I’m glad Justin is my responsibility and not JC.  Yon and Dre are gonna have fun with those two on tour.” Lonnie snickered.

Kenny looked at his friend and immediately an evil grin slid across his face.

“What’s that look for?” Lonnie asked nervously.

“You don’t know.” Kenny laughed.

“Know what? Man, if you know something you better spill it now.”

Kenny grinned.  “Michelle is now Alexis’s Publicist, meaning she will probably be coming on the tour, or at least parts of it.”

“SHIT! When did that happen?” Lonnie groaned.

“Hmm…about an hour ago.” Kenny smirked.

Lonnie moaned and placed a palm over his face.  “I’m getting too old for this shit!”

“Hey, at least you only have one to worry about.  I have two.” Kenny reasoned.

“How do you figure that? Isn’t Alexis the only one you’re being paid for.” Lonnie replied.

Kenny shot Lonny a disapproving look. 

“Like you wouldn’t look out for Michelle too if you were in my position.” Kenny growled.

Lonnie nodded.  “True. Yeah, ok, you’re right.”

Thirty minutes later Alexis and Michelle were still standing at the bar.  They’d both been too caught up in their thoughts to move and neither one had finished their drink.  Both were facing the bar now, sipping their drinks slowly but not really talking. 

Behind them JC and Justin were approaching.  Justin looked to JC and winked before sliding up behind Michelle, then leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“Hey Gorgeous…what do you say, are you ready to get out of here?”

Meanwhile, JC was following Justin’s lead.  He stepped up behind Alexis and gently placed his hands at her waist then leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Alexis bit her lip, then nodded.    Next to her, Michelle had spun around and was now facing Justin.

“You want me to leave with you?” Michelle managed to get out.

Justin bit his lip and grinned.  “Umm…that was the idea.”

“And go where?” Michelle continued.

Justin smiled.  “Uh…my place?”

Alexis was trying to calm her racing heart, and at the same time keep from laughing as she watched her sister react.  Of the three Moretti girls Michelle was probably the most stubborn and although she knew that Michelle did in fact, have feelings towards Justin she also knew that Michelle wasn’t going to admit it without a fight.  She’d been fighting it for over a month.  Then again, so had Alexis, at least on some level.

Alexis looked at her sister and laughed more, then with an evil grin held up four fingers.

Michelle’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“STOP IT! NO!  Don’t do that!” Michelle squeaked.

Alexis laughed more and put one finger down, leaving the other three up in plain view.

“Ok, you’re right…four is asking a lot.  Just stick with three.” Alexis teased.

“STOP!” Michelle shot back.

“Uh…what am I missing?” Justin asked chuckling.

“Nothing! It’s nothing!” Michelle exclaimed.

JC laughed.  “I’ll tell you later man”

Michelle’s eyes narrowed and she glared at her sister in disbelief.

“You told him!” Michelle squealed.

Alexis giggled.  “Well, to be fair, he already sort of knew about it, he just didn’t know what it meant.”

“What does it mean?” Justin asked curiously.

“Don’t you dare!” Michelle squealed, directing her gaze at both Alexis and JC.

Alexis laughed, then patted her sister on the arm. 

“You’re making it way a bigger deal than it is, besides, if I remember correctly, you did the same thing to me not that long ago AND you’re NOT wearing pants so that one is out anyway.” Alexis teased.

“Wait?! What?! I’m confused.” Justin replied.

JC just chuckled and shook his head.  He knew better than to get between two Moretti girls.  He’d learned that lesson the hard way a LONG time ago.

Alexis looked from Michelle then to Justin and grinned. “I’ll let Michelle explain it to you.  It’s something our Mother used to say.”

Then, Alexis turned to her sister again and smiled reassuringly.

“GO! Seriously, all joking aside, I know what you’re worried about, and you shouldn’t.  THIS is NOT the same thing.  Trust me!  Just because we share the same last name does NOT mean we share the same fate.  He deserves a shot…I think he’s more than earned it.”

Michelle opened her mouth to protest but Alexis shook her head and cut her off before she could speak.

“Nope! GO! Get out of here!  Quit being stubborn and just go with it.  Believe me, you won’t be sorry.”

“Are you?” Michelle asked nervously.

“Am I what?” Alexis asked.

“Sorry.” Michelle replied.

Alexis looked up at JC and winked, then looked back at her sister.

“NOPE! Not one bit! The only thing I’m sorry about it is that it took so long.  Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

“Wait?! What mistake?” Michelle exclaimed.

Alexis laughed and then rolled her eyes.  “OH MY GOD! Michelle! STOP! You’re stalling! Quit it! Go! Seriously, if you don’t leave with Mr. Tennessee Honey Hole right NOW, I’m going to kick your ass myself!

Alexis then looked at Justin and grinned.

“Take her by the hand and go…right now…for real, just do it, because if you don’t leave now you will NEVER get her out of here.”

Justin smiled and nodded then took Michelle by the hand and started to lead her towards the exit with Lonnie just a few steps behind them.

Once they were gone Alexis turned her attention to JC.

“Are you ready?” Alexis asked with a smirk.

“I’m waiting on you.” JC replied grinning.

It wasn’t until they were in the chauffeured car headed towards JC’s house that either of them spoke again.

“Do you want to tell me what all that was about?” JC asked looking to Alexis.

She looked absolutely INCREDIBLE and he was fighting the urge to kiss her senseless right then and there, but they did need to talk first so he held back.

“What was what about?” Alexis replied.

“Back there, you and Michelle.”

Alexis just smiled and shook her head.  “That was Michelle being stubborn.”

JC grinned devilishly.  “Imagine that, a Moretti being stubborn, because that’s NEVER happened before.”

Alexis laughed a bit, then sighed.  “Yeah, I know.  Stubborn seems to be family trait, but of the three of us, Michelle just might be the worst.”

JC cracked a bit of a smile.  “Is she though?”

“What are you implying Mr. Chasez?” Alexis replied, making a face.

JC smiled then scooted closer, turning to face her, looking directly into her very wide, green eyes.  He pushed a few strands of hair from her face then allowed his hand to linger on her cheek.

“You’re holding back.  You have been since the day I walked into the studio.  Why?”

Alexis gave him a pointed look.

JC sighed and nodded.  “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You say that…but…”

JC shook his head and put a finger to her lips.  “Uh uh! Shh!  Not this time Lexi.  I hurt you.  I know that.  I know you’re afraid to trust me again, and I don’t blame you, but this time is different.  I’m not giving up. I’m not walking away.  I’m here for as long as you want me to be.”

Alexis cracked the tiniest of smiles.  “So, I’m stuck with you?”

JC grinned.  “Pretty much.”

Alexis giggled.  “I guess that’s not the worst thing ever.”

***

In a different chauffeured car in a different part of town things weren’t going quite as well. 

“So, umm…do you want to tell me what that was back there?” Justin asked cautiously.

“What was what?” Michelle asked awkwardly.

Michelle had been alone with Justin plenty of times since meeting him over a month ago.  They’d spent a lot of time together and gotten to know each other but this time felt different.  This time it felt deeper, more intimate and Michelle was still trying to decide if she was ready. 

“I don’t know, whatever it was your sister was doing that got you so worked up.” Justin answered calmly.

Truthfully, his mind was racing.  He’d been trying to move out of the “just friends” zone for a while now but Michelle was being incredibly guarded.  On some level, he understood.  Being a spectator and then referee between Alexis and April for the past eight years had really done a number on her psyche.  He didn’t blame her in the least but it didn’t change the way he felt about her.

“It’s just something our Mom used to do when we would leave the house.” Michelle replied blushing.

Justin cracked a smile.  “Yeah. I heard.  What does it mean?”

Michelle blushed more.  She had to give Justin credit.  He was being incredibly calm and patient with her.

“Are you sure you want to know? Once you do, you can’t forget it, trust me on this.”

Justin chuckled a bit and nodded.  “I’ll consider myself warned.”

Michelle nodded.  “Our Mom, for as long as I can remember, would tell us the same thing every time we left the house.  No matter where we were going, who we were with or what we were doing she would always tell us to remember the “four things.” In fact, by the time my sisters were old enough to date she’d said it so many times that she didn’t even need to say it anymore.  She would just hold up four fingers and we would cringe instantly.”

“So, what are they?”

Justin was beyond curious now.

“Have fun, be careful, drive safe and keep your pants zipped.” Michelle replied as she struggled to keep a straight face.

Justin laughed.  “That sounds like something a mom with three girls would say.”

Michelle giggled.  “Every time. Now, the three of us just do it to make each other crazy.”

“Makes sense.”

There was an awkward pause that followed.  Justin was trying to decide what to say next.  He had an idea of what he wanted to say he just wasn’t sure Michelle was ready to hear it.  He was going to have to proceed carefully.

“Michelle…” Justin started.

Michelle’s eyes jolted upward.  Her green eyes were wide and she was biting her lip.  For probably the first time in her entire life Michelle was nervous.

Instinctively, Justin hit the button so that the partition between the backseat and the driver slid into place.  He didn’t want an audience for this, regardless of how it went.

Once the barrier was in place Justin casually slid closer, turned his torso slightly so he was facing her then gently lifted her chin with his hand.

“I like you Michelle.”

“I like you too Justin.” Michelle said as she continued to bite her lip.

Justin chuckled slightly.  “That’s good. I’m glad, but umm…I don’t think you understand.  I REALLY like you, like a LOT!  I can’t stop thinking about you.  When I wake up in the morning, you’re the first thing I think about and when my head hits the pillow at night, you’re the last thing on my mind before I fall asleep.”

He was being completely adorable and it was going to be her undoing, Michelle was certain of it.

“I get it! JC is like a big brother to you, and he’s my best friend so it’s weird.  I also get that you’re worried that what happened between JC and your sisters is going to happen between us. It’s not! I won’t let it!  I could never walk away like that.”

Michelle didn’t quite know how to respond so she stayed silent.  Justin took it as his cue to continue.

“I’ve never met any girl quite like you.  The way you held your ground and stood up to CLIVE DAVIS like that was BADASS!  I need a girl like you in my life. I need someone who keeps me on my toes and makes me think.”

Michelle blushed and shook her head slightly.  “I’m a lot to handle.”

“Who said I wanted to handle you?”

Michelle made a face.

Justin chuckled and shook his head a bit.  “Ok, wait, bad choice of words.  Let me try that again.  What I meant was, I don’t want you to change.  I like you the way you are.”

“Are you sure? I’m a bit of a HOT MESS! I am stubborn and opinionated as hell.  I’m a bit of neat freak …”

Justin smiled, shook his head then put a finger to her lips.  You’re perfect!”

In the next moment his lips were closing over hers.  Michelle’s eyes fluttered closed and she felt her body relax into him.  As far as first kisses with guys went this ranked pretty high on her list.  In fact, this was probably the best first kiss Michelle had ever experienced.  His lips were soft and gentle, but he knew how to apply just the right amount of pressure and when. 

When he pulled away her eyes fluttered open again.  He was smiling at her.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” Justin asked grinning.

Michelle blushed a bit and shook her head.  “How long?”

“Probably ever since you said you had “questions” about “SexyBack.” Justin chuckled.

“I said that the first day I met you.” Michelle said, as she tried not to giggle.

“Exactly!”

***

The next morning, at about 10:30 a.m. two chauffeured cars pulled into the driveway of Alexis and Michelle’s condo.

Both girls stepped out of the car dressed in the clothes they’d been wearing the night before.  Alexis looked at her younger sister as she made her way to the door and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Look at my baby sister doing the walk of shame.” Alexis teased.

“Shut your face! You were the one who encouraged it.” Michelle shot back laughing.

“SO?” Alexis asked as she unlocked the front door.

“SO, what?”

Alexis laughed as she turned the key and stepped into the house. 

“You know what? How was it? How was he?”

Michelle blushed which made Alexis laugh more.

“That good, huh?”

“STOP!” Michelle giggled.

Alexis shook her head and smirked.  “Why? It’s cute! My little sister is totally Twitterpated.”

Michelle snorted and swatted at her sister.  “Twitterpated?!  This isn’t a Disney movie Alexis.”

Alexis got a bit more serious.  “No, you’re right.  It’s not, but that smile on your face speaks volumes, and frankly, it’s about damn time if you ask me.”

Michelle nodded and giggled a bit.  “Yeah, yeah.  I know. I’m stubborn.  I don’t know why I was holding back for so long, self-preservation I guess, but I’m not holding back anymore.  That’s for sure.”

Alexis looked at her sister again and couldn’t help but smile and shake her head.  Michelle was STILL blushing.  In fact, she was practically giddy.  It was then that it dawned on Alexis that this was bigger than she realized.

“MICHELLE RENEE MORETTI did you and Justin….”

Michelle bit her lip and made her way to the kitchen, pretending as if she hadn’t heard.

“Michelle?!” Alexis demanded laughing.

Michelle pretended to be innocent, which they both knew, she wasn’t.

“Did we what? Kiss? Yes, we kissed.”

Alexis shook her head.  “Oh, I have no doubt there was kissing involved but I have the feeling there was more.”

“He’s a REALLY GOOD kisser.” Michelle sighed dreamily.

Alexis looked at her sister and her eyes went wide.

“Wait?! Wait?! Wait?! You hadn’t kissed him before?”

Michelle blushed awkwardly.  She didn’t need to answer, her face said it all.

“MICHELLE!  I don’t know whether to congratulate you or reprimand you! WHAT THE HELL?! You met him in what, July, just after the holiday and this is mid-August, that’s a month and a half.  Who are you, and what have you done with Michelle Moretti, because the Michelle Moretti I know would NOT wait a month and a half to kiss a guy!”

“He’s Justin Timberlake!”

Alexis made a face.  “SO! That matters because why?  And, since when have you EVER cared about that kind of thing? You’re a freakin’ BAD ASS!  You went toe to toe with CLIVE DAVIS for God’s sake! Who does that? My BAD ASS little sister does that! Justin Timberlake is LUCKY to have found a girl like you!”

Michelle blushed.  “Yeah, that’s what he said.”

Alexis grinned. “SEE! He knows what’s up!”

Michelle laughed a bit and nodded.  “Ok, ok. You made your point.”

“Good! He hurts you though and I’ll beat his ass, I don’t care how future sex his love sounds are.”

Michelle snorted.  “Ok stop, please stop, don’t ever say that again! Please!”

Alexis giggled.  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. It was too perfect.”

“What about you? How was your night with Josh?”

Alexis smiled.  “Good.”

Michelle laughed.  “Good?! That’s all I get? He sang TWO songs to you and all you can say is, you had a “good” night.  Now who is holding back?”

Alexis blushed.  “You sound like him.”

“Well, we’re not wrong.”

It was then, as they were standing there at the kitchen counter, making coffee and chatting that Michelle’s phone started to ring.

Michelle retrieved her phone from her purse and her eyes widened as she looked at the screen.  Immediately, Alexis knew something was up.

“What’s wrong?” Alexis asked.

“It’s Andrew.”

“So, answer it!” Alexis exclaimed.

They both knew that if Andrew was calling Michelle that something was up.  Michelle hit “accept call” then hit the button for speaker phone and placed it on the counter.

“Good morning.” Andrew’s voice rang out.

“Good morning.” Both girls replied.

“Oh good, I was hoping you would both be there.  I tried to call Alexis but I think your phone must be off, or on silent.”

Michelle gave her sister a look.  It wasn’t at all uncommon for Alexis to forget to turn her ringer on, especially after a late night.

“What’s up?” Alexis asked nodding.

“Well, we have a bit of a situation.” Andrew exclaimed calmly.

He knew that what he was about to say wasn’t going to go over well, with either girl.

“What’s the situation?” Michelle asked flipping into Publicist mode.

“Well, Mr. Davis must have gone to the board last night, or early this morning because I just got a call from Mr. Wright.  He was not happy.  He sounded pretty upset to be honest, not that I blame him.  I am less than thrilled myself.”

“Ok, what happened?” Alexis insisted.

“The Executive Board over at Jive/RCA still isn’t convinced that you’re a good “fit” for the tour.  They want you to “sing for your supper” so to speak.  Prove that you belong on the tour.”

“HORSE SHIT! Does *NSYNC know about this?” Michelle exclaimed.

Andrew nodded on the other end of the line.  “I believe Mr. Wright was calling them this morning.”

“Josh is going to have a FIT!” Alexis groaned.

“When?” Michelle asked.

“When what?”

“When does the Board want her to come in and sing?”

Andrew looked down at his notes.  He was tired already.  He’d had a late night and had been running in circles all morning trying to figure this out.

“They wanted it to be Friday, until Mr. Wright pointed out that the video shoot was Friday, so now it’s Thursday.  Thursday at 9:00 a.m.”

This was Tuesday, meaning they had less than 48 hours to come up with something that would WOW the Board enough to allow her on the tour. 

Alexis looked to her sister and couldn’t help but smile.  She was reminded of something that Michelle had said to Clive the night before and immediately she started coming up with a plan, something that if she could pull it off would knock the smirks off faces and eliminate any doubt Clive or the Board might have about her.

Alexis wasn’t worried.  In fact, she was fired up now. 

“No worries Andrew.  I got this!  I have a plan!” Alexis smirked.

“Plan?! What plan?!” Andrew asked confused.

He could tell by her tone that she was up to something, but when it came to her music, and her voice, he trusted her completely.

“Just trust me, ok?  I’ve always trusted you with my career, now you have to trust I know what I am doing.  This is going to work. I know it.”

Andrew nodded and grinned.  He could hear the fire in her voice and frankly, it excited him because he knew that whatever she was planning, Clive and the Board wouldn’t see it coming.

“I trust you, but what do I tell Mr. Wright?”

Alexis grinned and winked at her sister.  Michelle bit her lip and nodded.  She knew that whatever Alexis was planning she wanted to help, in any way she could.

“Tell him to tell Mr. Davis, I’ll be there, 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.  I’ll be ready, but I want a piano.”

“A piano?” Andrew asked confused.

“Yes, a piano.  Nothing else, no mic, no band, no back track on a stereo, just a piano.” Alexis said seriously.

“Got it. See you at 9 on Thursday then.”

“See you then.” Alexis said smiling.

As soon as Andrew ended the call Alexis grinned over at her sister.  The look in her eyes was almost evil, meaning that whatever Alexis was planning it was going to be good.

“How well do you know the *NSYNC catalog?” Alexis asked with a smirk.

Michelle bit her lip and grinned. Yes, Alexis was indeed planning something EPIC!

“Inside, outside, backwards and forwards.” Michelle replied grinning.

“I thought so! Go get EVERY *NSYNC cd you own AND every concert or taped performance you have in your stash.”

Michelle’s eyes went wide.  “What ARE you planning?”

“Revenge!” Alexis snickered.