She heard the knock on the door, walking calmly over to answer it. She smiled as she opened the door, seeing JC on the other side. His eyes sparkled, his hair still long, the ends curled like usual. He’d trimmed his beard, almost to a 5 o clock shadow, enough to be visible but not enough to hide his face.
His smile just about knocked her off her feet, soft but genuine in his delight in seeing her.
“Hi, beautiful. You look… amazing,” he said. “I brought you these. I hope I did ok with my choice.”
He slowly held out a bouquet of red and pink roses, light purple tulips, and baby’s breath. Jenna smiled as she reached for them. “They’re beautiful, thank you. Let me put these in water and then we’ll go?”
“Can I come in, see your place?” he asked.
“What?” she asked, confused. “Oh, yeah, sure,” she said, figuring it out. He was treating this like a real first date, like he hadn’t been there multiple times, practically living there the past few days.
Jenna put the flowers in a vase, leaving them on the kitchen counter. She got a better look at JC. He was wearing a black long sleeved polo shirt with dark wash jeans. He was the epitome of perfect for her.
Her dress went down to her knees, the neckline stopping between her breasts. Her hair was back in a loose ponytail, a couple strands loose to frame her face. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were fixed on her chest for a moment, before looking into her eyes with a smile.
“You ready?” JC asked. She nodded with a smile, grabbing her denim jacket just in case.
They got into his Jeep, giving Jenna the reins of the music once again.
“I won’t torture you twice in one day,” she smiled.
“I don’t mind, honestly. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy.”
“Ok, well, this other band made me happy while I was waiting around for you guys to get back together. Definitely didn’t replace you guys, I wasn’t as super obsessed, but yeah. Let me play you a song I really love, then go into the rest of the playlist…”
She searched Spotify to find what she was looking for, scrolling through the playlist to find the song. An acoustic guitar riff began to play, Jenna already getting a little emotional.
When it feels like surgery
And it burns like third degree
And you wonder what is it worth?
When your insides breaking in
And you feel that ache again
And you wonder what's giving birth?
If you could let the pain of the past go
Of your soul
None of this is in your control
If you could only let your guard down
If you could learn to trust me somehow
I swear, that I won't let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won't let you go
I won't let you go
JC pushed pause on his stereo, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes. “This is a really great song, it feels fitting for us, this situation, how we fell…”
“What?” she said as he stopped talking. How we fell in love? she wondered to herself.
“Nothing. Why did you choose this song to be the first one you played for me?”
“It’s one of my favorites, and that *NSYNC podcast I told you about? Well, one of the hosts loves it too and thinks you’d do a great version. The passion you have, she could see this being an incredible JC Chasez cover, maybe even with the band since they’re in San Diego. She met them at a show near her last month, a year from when I met Joey, and she asked them to sing this song in memory of her dad passing away from cancer. I dunno, I just figured with everything this song means to me, that moment for HER, and I can definitely hear your voice singing over this in my head. They’re also the band that did most of the soundtrack for A Walk to Remember, and this between us is starting to feel like that. You’re crossing off things from my bucket list, as it were.”
“Well, it seems like an important song then. Let’s finish the song.”
The song was a duet, Jenna singing along with the woman on the track. JC smiled at hearing her sing, knowing how good she was. He really hoped at some point, he could capture her voice.
The song got to the ending, Jenna stopping the song again. “This is where I think you’d shine. This part right here…”
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heart
There ain't no strength that's strong enough that could tear this love apart
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heart
There ain't no strength that's strong enough that could tear this love apart
Never gonna let you go
No, I won't let you go
JC beamed. She had so much faith in him. It felt like Jen, encouraging him to sing, even just at home, but it felt different. The playlist continued, being an interesting mix, overall liking the vibe of the band. They reached their destination, Jenna smiling softly. “Olive Garden,” she sighed happily.
“I figured start off with one of your date night ideas, then work our way up to some of mine.”
“Does that include going to those cute little cafes on Bronson’s posts?”
“If you want. Not exactly dates, but going out for a little something, sure. I’m not the big celebrity people still think I am. I can mostly fly under the radar. I was famous 20 years ago, and mostly recognizable only to fans now. It’s pretty safe for me to go out. I did worry that you might freak out if I took you to the closest Buca. It’s in Universal Studios, and that’s a lot of people, potential for someone to recognize me and it be a bigger safety issue, mostly for you. Here, I figure less people will see us and we can eat in peace. Feel more like a regular person first date and less like a celebrity first date. I’m not a celebrity anymore, not really.”
“You will be to me, as much as I’m also seeing the everyday you. Let’s go on in, I’m hungry.”
They went into the restaurant, Jenna admittedly nervous, but no one recognized him, or at least no one said or did anything that suggested they did. They’re seated at a table that’s a little more private, Jenna sure that JC tipped them extra to give them a room to themselves. It was somewhat small, but likely where they did larger group seatings for birthdays and such.
She felt like it was awkward being at Olive Garden with JC when he was used to fancier restaurants, at least the version of him that had lived in her head for so long.
“What’s your favorite after hours place to grab a bite around here? Like, if you didn’t go home after the thing at Heart, where would you go?” Jenna asked.
“Mel‘s Drive In. Open 24 hours, close to my house, and the kids that are there that late have no clue who I am. I’m just a regular guy, Jenna. I really am. I’m sure you think it’s all fancy shit because of Eric and his posts, but I’m pretty low key. You’re right in that I probably wouldn’t have picked this place for our first date, but I wanted you to get to see ‘down to earth’ me, and get something you wanted and never really got.”
They ate dinner, splurging on dessert that neither of them really had room for. Jenna had some leftovers she planned to take to work, being surprised when they brought his card back.
“What’s this?”
“While you were in the bathroom, I asked them to make another of your dinner to take to work, so you have the full thing instead of just part of it.”
“You’re so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“Let’s go for the next part of the night,” he smiled.
They got into his Jeep, still listening to the playlist from earlier. He recognized some songs, but was learning their catalog quickly, making a mental note to listen to more when he had the time.
They started going up into the hills, Jenna realizing they were going to his house. A nervous ball formed in her stomach. As he parked the car, he turned and smiled at her.
“I wanna show you where the magic happens…”
Oh god, she thought. This is it. I’m gonna have sex with JC in his bed!
