Eve frowned.

„But we just came. I don’t understand.“

„Look, I’m gonna explain to you later. But now we really need to go.“

„Why?“

„I’m sorry, Eve. Please just do what I say and get dressed.“

Eve was deeply confused and a little scared. She never saw Josh being that tensed. Then she grabbed her clothes and put them on. He did the same and put their stuff back into her bag and his backpack. 

He found a baseball cap inside his backpack and put it on Eve’s head.

„Please wear this. And your glasses.“ 

„Why?“ 

„I promise to explain as soon as we’re in the car.“ 

Eve was really nervous now. Both stood up. Josh folded their beach towel somehow, grabbed his arm around Eve’s shoulders and hurried with her to the parking lot. Unfortunately they needed to go at the boardwalk to reach his Jeep. 

Eve suddenly noticed a man with an expensive professional camera in his hand. He was running backwards in front of them, doing pictures. 

„Hey Man, what happened to Jen? Is this your new girlfriend? What’s her name?“

Eve was deeply overwhelmed by the situation, not understanding what was happening. 

„Come on, Dude! Give me something!“

Josh didn’t react, still having his arm around Eve’s shoulders and holding her close. He wished so much he could protect her from all of this and felt really bad that he brought her into that situation.

„I love your new hairstyle! You look really good!“ The photographer continued talking. 

Finally they reached the parking lot. Josh opened the car.

„Get inside. Hurry.“ He whispered. 

Eve did what he said and he sat inside as well. The photographer was still there, shooting pictures of them while leaving the parking lot. 

Then the situation was finally over. Josh looked at Eve’s concerned face. 

She looked back at him, with her mouth open. In her mind she tried to find an explanation to all of this but it completely made no sense to her.

„Josh. Was this a paparazzo?“ She finally asked. 

„Yes.“ He answered.

„Why a paparazzo made pictures of us?“ She continued asking. 

Josh didn’t know how to start to explain. He just realized he should have prepared himself for that moment.

„Ehm… look…“ He started talking. „Do you know *NSYNC?“ 

Eve’s confusion reached its peak.

„Of course I know *NSYNC, Josh. I was a teenager in the nineties, having posters of that jerks above my bed.“

Josh looked at her in disbelief. 

„You were a fan?!“ He stammered. 

„Oh come on. Every 13 years old girl was a fan. Please don’t act surprised.“

„So… you’ve been a fan and you don’t know who I am?“ He asked, being in shock. 

She stared at him, still being deeply confused. 

„You wrote music for them, or what?“ She asked now. 

Josh bursted out laughing. That girl was unbelievable. He wondered if she was a Justin girl as she was still listening to his music. 

„What’s so funny?“ She wanted to know, slowly losing her patience. 

„Eve. I know it’s more than twenty years ago but… you should really know by now what is going on here.“ 

And then, it finally happened. Eve suddenly understood. Being absolutely shocked she stared at Josh liked seeing a ghost. She put both hands onto her lips, feeling like having a heart attack. 

Josh didn’t know how to behave.

„Are you alright?“ He asked carefully. 

Eve shook her head.

„Please stop the car. I need to get out of here…“ She stammered. 

Josh was deeply concerned now and did what she asked for. He parked the car at the emergency lane. Eve immediately jumped outside, gasping for air. There was a little park in front of her. With shaky legs she walked towards a free bench and sat down on it. 

Josh left his car as well, following her with distance. Then he sat down next to her, giving her some time to process.

„You are JC Chases.“ She said, pronouncing his last name in English.

She didn’t know he was having a French name when she was a teen. When she saw *NSYNC in TV no one actually mentioned their last names. It has always been Justin, Lance, Joey, Chris and JC. Eve was convinced JC had an ordinary American last name and used to pronounce it in English. She just didn’t know better. 

But Chasez pronounced in French sounded completely different. The fact that Josh Shahzay and JC Chases were the same person would have never come into her mind. 

Now, as she knew, she recognized his facial features. His unique eyes always have been some kind of familiar to her. As well as his smooth voice. But a lot of time passed by since she was in love with him for the very first time. She didn't expect ever meeting him in her life. Those things just never happened to her. 

„You believed my name is pronounced English?“ He asked carefully. 

„Yes. I didn’t know it’s French. I mean, if I’ve known I would have remembered because it’s a rare name.“ Eve explained. 

„I see…“

„But Josh is a frequent first name, right? I really believed it’s just Josh, not Joshua.“ Eve continued explaining. 

Josh smirked. Her explanation made kind of sense but still he wondered why she didn’t recognize his face. Did he really change that much? 

Eve continued talking.

„Why you didn’t tell me? I mean, I understand you didn’t tell me in the bar. I would’ve done the same when I was you. But now? I really feel so stupid, Josh. Or JC? How do you want me to call you now?“ 

„Please call me Josh. I really like when you call me this way.“ 

„However, I feel like an idiot.“

„I’m sorry, Eve. It’s not like I tried hiding this from you but… I also didn’t want making a big deal out of it. I’m not that guy from your posters anymore. I am Josh Chasez. Songwriter and producer. This is who I really am.“ 

Eve looked at him now. She didn’t want to let him get away with this that easily.

„We’ve been just chased by a paparazzo, Josh. You really wanna make me believe you’re just a regular guy?“ 

„Of course the public world still knows me. I did some television few years ago. L.A. might be a giant place but Hollywood isn’t. The yellow press knows I live here. And sometimes they find me. I wished I could change that fact, but the truth is, I can’t.“ 

„This is scaring me.“ Eve confessed. 

„I understand.“ He said calmly. 

Eve closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before she continued talking. 

„What do you want from me, Josh? It makes no sense to me. You could go somewhere and hook up with a supermodel or an actress or… both.“ She continued talking. 

„I don’t want a supermodel or an actress or both, Eve.“

„Why? You got bored by all those pretty faces?“ She said cynically, knowing this wasn’t fair. 

„Come on, Eve. Don’t be that way. It hurts.“

She glanced at him, feeling sorry. But she didn’t apologize. 

„I don’t know if I can handle this. I want a normal life, Josh.“ She said instead. 

„I don’t blame you for that…“ He replied calmly. 

Of course he was concerned about what she just said. The imagination of losing her made him feel awful. But that’s the price he was paying for being JC Chasez. 

„You want me to bring you home?“

Eve nodded, not looking at him. Both stood up and returned to Josh’s car. They didn’t speak another word on their way back to Santa Monica. 

„I need to process.“ Eve said, when they arrived.

„Take your time.“ He replied. 

She glanced at him and kissed his cheek briefly. Then she said goodbye and left his car. 

Lucy met a colleague for lunch and went grocery shopping afterwards. When she came back home Eve was lying at the sofa, being completely covered under a blanket. Lucy noticed Eve’s beach bag standing in the kitchen and wondered why she was back home that early.

„Eve?“ She shouted. 

„Here…“

Lucy went to the sofa.

„Why are you lying here and not at the beach?“ She asked concerned. 

Eve slowly pulled down the blanket out of her face, giving Lucy a desperate look. 

„Don’t tell me he screwed up…“ Lucy continued talking. 

„I don’t know…“

„What you don’t know?“

„If he screwed up… I mean… he didn’t really screw up… but still… it’s a big mess…“ 

Lucy sat down at the coffee table in front of her.

„What the hell are you talking about?“ 

Eve sat down as well, looking into her best friend’s face. 

„He’s famous, Lulu.“ 

Lucy frowned, not being sure if she understood what she was listening to. 

„What does that mean, Eve?“

„Do you know *NSYNC?“

„Not really. We didn’t have that pop music hype in Poland back in those days.“

„Yes… I’m aware of that but you have an idea what I am talking about, right?“

„It’s a music group like the Backstreet Boys.“

„Exactly.“

„So, what?“ 

„Josh… also known as JC… is part of that group. Or was, because they are not doing music together anymore.“ 

„Okay. And this a problem?“ Lucy asked, being a little lost. 

„Lucy. *NSYNC was a really, really big deal. Even you, poor Polish girl, know about them. This means something.“ 

„Did you just called me poor Polish girl?“ 

Yes. However he’s still in the spotlight. We’ve been chased by a paparazzo. I was deeply confused about that fact because I had no idea that I was dating a celebrity. And now I’m slightly pissed off he’s been hiding that information from me.“

„Does it mean I will see you pretty red bikini in the yellow press tomorrow morning?“ 

„If you’re lucky you will see much more than that…“

„What does it mean?“

Eve sighed.

„We’ve been making out a little at the beach towel. I have no idea when the paparazzo exactly showed up but maybe he made some interesting shots…“ 

„Uh… so you made out, hm?“ Lucy grinned dirty now. 

„Yes.“

„How was it?“

„Awesome.“

„And now you’re making a big deal out of the fact that he used to be a teenage heartbreaker once?“ 

„It’s scares the shit out of me that he is who he is, Lucy!“

„Why?“

„Because I was obsessed with him when I was 13 years old.“

Lucy frowned. 

„Wait. You’ve been one of those hysterical fangirls and didn’t recognize his face when you met him in the bar?!“ 

„It’s decades ago! He’s not 21 anymore!“ 

„Excuse me, but if you were such a big fan I would have expected that you remember his name, at least.“ 

Eve explained her confusion about Josh’s last name to give Lucy a whole picture. 

Lucy shook her head. 

„You’re such a moron, Eve…“

„Ya… however, I’m in big struggle now.“

„You better should thank the universe that it brought that man into your life who you admired as a teenager. Don’t you see how lucky you are?“