It was just before noon, JC leading her back out the rear entrance and back out to the Jeep.  They buckled up, JC starting to drive off.

Jenna had a thought pop into her head.  “Where were you that you were out that way yesterday?”

“I went to the beach to clear my head a bit.  Just a lot of shit I’m dealing with right now…”

“I’m so sorry.  You wouldn’t know it, but you’re also so private.”

“I worry about my dad, he’s 70 and I worry about the cancer coming back.  Then there’s work shit.  I love making music, but dealing with labels and shit, it’s just tiring sometimes.”

“You’re at the point where you’re more picky on who you work with and what you do, and you give everything to those special projects.  Oh god, I’m not some special project, am I?”

“I’ll admit, I’m trying to find you a job, even if it’s not in education…”

“JC, you don’t have to do all of this for me…”

“I was brought into your life for a reason, Jenna.  What if this is the final culmination of that?  That yesterday was just the catalyst to lead you to an amazing career opportunity?”

“I mean, maybe.  But what if your leads don’t go anywhere either?  I don’t want to be some charity case…”

“I really don’t see it that way, Jenna.  I have disposable income, sure, but I’m not gonna blow all of it.  My mortgage is paid off, I can afford your part of rent to keep you independent…”

“Wow, that’s like THE biggest oxymoron ever.”

“You know what I mean.  Being on your own instead of with your parents again.”

“Not like I have a boyfriend I’d have to sneak in and out…”

“You are a beautiful woman, the lucky guy could be around any corner.”

He drove back to her apartment, finding a metered spot outside.  He fed the meter, walking her into the building.

“I’ll talk to you soon?” Jenna wondered.

“I mean, I hope so, I was wanting to go up, see your place…”

“Oh, ummm… ok.  What did you have in mind?”

“Binge watch Friends? I never got into it, but maybe I should.”

“There’s 10 seasons…”

“Maybe this becomes a regular thing? If I’m not working on anything, your roommate is at work, we watch Friends together?  I promise, no Netflix and Chill, just wanting to see what the fuss is about and get to know you.”

“Did you really need to preface that with the ‘no Netflix and chill’?” Jenna asked. 

“Would you have thought that’s why I was coming in?” JC countered. 

“Honestly, no. I love you and Jen together.  I know you don’t see me that way, no one does.”

“Jenna…”

“I’m seriously considering dyeing my hair, see if the redhead is throwing people off.”

“Don’t. You realize how rare being a redhead with blue eyes is?  I mean it, you're beautiful.”

“Still not your type…”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes, Jenna. Pretty sure I know my share of beautiful women, and you fall into that category, even if you don’t see it.”

A blush rose in her cheeks. “Thank you.  Let’s get up to my apartment so we can watch TV and have the focus not be on me for a bit.”

JC smiled softly, nodding silently. They took the elevator up, going down the hall to her apartment.  She unlocked the door, opening it for him. 

“Ladies first…” JC sighed. 

Jenna walked in, putting her shoes just inside the door. JC stepped in, looking around. Everything was new and modern, the couch looked comfortable but worn.

Jenna walked into the kitchen just off the entryway. “Anything to drink?”

“Just water, thanks.”  He smiled, seeing art on the fridge, clearly from her students the last year.  “What grade did you teach?”

“Kindergarten. Such a fun age.  I wish I could see them, this group was super fun. My principal put that I’m an *NSYNC fan in my Back to School packet. It made for some great parent interactions, other fans.”  She looked at the drawings on the fridge. “This one right here… Gaby drew it for me. That’s me with all of *NSYNC.  They all thought Joey was my favorite cuz I met him at the start of the school year.  They all LOVED you…”

“Why’s that?” JC laughed .

“Different reasons. Mainly cuz your name was easiest to spell… I can’t tell you how many times they draw pictures of a person and then write your name and give it to me.  You and AJ… had to have one Backstreet fan. It’s ok, she couldn’t pick AJ out of a lineup, but they could name all 5 of you guys…”

“Quality education there,” he chuckled. 

“I had no complaints from parents.  At the end of the day I’d set a timer, and if everything was cleaned up before it went off, we’d have a dance party. My alarm sound was Pop, so they loved cleaning up so they could dance. All it takes is a little bribery with *NSYNC music to get kids to do what you want.”

“Ok, let’s watch Friends to take the heat off of ME this time,” JC laughed. 

They sat on the couch, Jenna leaving some room between them. As great as this all was, she didn’t need to set herself up to get hurt thinking she stood a chance with someone like JC.

“How late does your roommate work?”

“How late are you staying?  Kelly should be off by 10 I think, assuming nothing goes wrong to extend her shift.”

“Not sure how late I’ll stay.”

“Jen won’t be expecting you home?”

“She doesn’t know I’m here.”

“JC, that’s not ok.  There’s nothing to hide. Have her meet me, FaceTime her…”

“Her boyfriend hanging out with the beautiful woman he saved. THAT won’t sound suspicious…” JC scoffed. 

“Then leave. You either want to get to know me or you don’t, but I’m not having you sneak around on Jen to do so.  You said so yourself, this is strictly platonic.”

“I never said that. Implied, sure, but not in those words.”

“Tell Jen we’re hanging out.  I want no secrets, there’s nothing to hide.  You don’t like me that way, and I’d be stupid to even try.”

JC sighed, pulling out his phone. Took Jenna to brunch, now we’re watching TV.  Not sure when I’ll be home, nothing too late. Love you.

He showed the text to Jenna before pressing send.  He knew Jen trusted him, he’d never given her reason not to, but he wasn’t sure how receptive she’d be to him spending extra time with Jenna like this.  He wasn’t sure why he felt this pull to Jenna that he did.  He recognized she was beautiful, but he loved Jen, nothing more than noticing it and moving on. 

Jenna started the show, trying not to jump in with the dialogue, letting JC discover it for himself.  She waited with baited breath for his reaction. He laughed at jokes, Jenna unsure why it was so important that he liked the show.  If he didn’t, they could always find something else.

The episode finished, Jenna looking at JC.  “So, are we watching more, or finding something else?”

“I’ll give it a try. Not sure some of the jokes would fly now…”

“Oh, they totally wouldn’t, but keep that in mind I guess.  A lot of is still funny now so that helps in watching them now. For me it’s a nostalgia thing. A lot of people went into nostalgia mode during lockdown. I won’t say I rediscovered my love for *NSYNC then, but it definitely came out harder, in a bigger way.  I mean, even before COVID I was a big Justin fan. While I had the money, I paid a lot of money to get VIP tickets to Justin’s tour.  Totally worth it and I think pushed me into hardcore fangirl mode. Oh god, now you’re gonna think I’m weird.  I admit it, I’m one of those girls…”

JC smiled softly.  “We’ve all seen an uptick in support the last few years.  It means a lot, actually. Sometimes it’s still weird to be recognized for something I did 20 years ago, but it’s always fun to interact with fans.”

“Even saving one’s life,” Jenna smiled.

“Little did I know…”

“I’d be dead right now if you’d known, wouldn’t I?” she laughed. 

“No. I still would’ve saved you.”

“Would you have waited around to see if I was ok? If you’d known when I first saw you in the hospital, would we be hanging out now?”

JC was quiet for a second.  “Yeah, I think we would. I like what I know of you so far.”

“You like that I’m an unemployed teacher?  Kinda weird thing to like.”

“You’re smart, funny, caring.  Who wouldn’t like you?”

“A lot of people.  Apparently I’m ‘extra’ in expressing my fandoms.  Always have been. Then there’s my big breakup, THE ex.”

“Do I wanna know?”

“Probably not.”

“Why not?  It helps to have someone listen.”

“I’ve been told I talk about my ex too much on dates, that’s why I don’t even have a boyfriend…”

“I’m glad this isn’t a date, then.”  He meant that to be supportive, but he soon realized his mistake when her face fell, any good feeling wiped away.  “Jenna, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…”

“Well, this will seal the deal, then. My ex had told me when we first got together that he didn’t stay friends with exes.  Too many lingering feelings and all that.  So he messaged ALL of our friends, his and mine, after the breakup. He told them if I’m at a party or something he’s invited to, he’ll leave. If he knows I’m coming beforehand, he won’t even show up. He made our friends choose sides. I lost a lot of friends in that, at a time where I felt so alone to begin with. Only to be shown I’m not worth being friends with.”

JC sat silently for a moment before pulling her into his arms.  The move surprised Jenna. “You are worth it, Jenna. You are so worth it and I’m sorry he put you through that…”

There was pain in his voice, like he was struggling to speak. Tears that had formed in her eyes spilled over, her body wanting to shake.

“You having another seizure?” JC asked carefully.

“No, thankfully. Just really emotional.”

He looked into her eyes, they were starting to redden from the tears.  He put a hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing against her slowly. His face moved closer to hers.  They could feel each other’s breath on their lips. 

“JC…” Jenna sighed. He gently pressed his lips to hers, only for a second.  He pulled back.

“What was that for?” Jenna wondered. 

“To let you know you’re worth something.”

“You’re with Jen…”

“It wasn’t romantic, Jenna.”

“A pity kiss for the charity case. Even better.”  She stood up, walking towards her room. “You should go…”

“Jenna, I…”

“Stop, JC. I knew this wasn’t romantic, but thank you for making that abundantly clear.”  She left the room, JC hearing the slamming of her bedroom door.

He walked to the closed door, knocking lightly on it. She wouldn’t even answer him, no words or opening the door, just silence. He leaned close and could swear he heard her crying. His heart broke, realizing he’d hurt her in a moment where he was trying to make her feel better.  He accepted her silence, going downstairs to his car and driving home. 

The drive was silent, thinking things over. How had he gotten here? He grabbed his phone, pressing a contact.

“Hey C, what’s up?”

“T, you’re in a successful relationship…”

Justin chuckled. “Successful how?”

“You’re still married, aren’t you?”

“Why is Jen mad at you?” Justin sighed. 

“Not Jen, Jenna…”

“Who?” Justin asked curiously. 

“The woman I saved after her car crash…”

“What happened?”

“I took her to brunch at Rocco’s, then I went back to her place to watch TV.  We got to talking, and she told me she didn’t have many friends, including a heartbreaking story of her ex making her friends choose sides after their breakup.”

“What did you do?”

“I hugged her, then I kissed her, but just for a second. I told her it didn’t mean anything…”

“Well, there’s your answer…”

“What?”

“You told her it didn’t mean anything?”

“Yeah…”

“Jesus, C.  Have you even MET a woman before?!”

“What?”

“She thinks it was a pity kiss, you felt bad for her.”

“I just wanted her to feel better, to know I think she’s worth getting to know.”

“The hug was probably fine. The kiss was where you went wrong.”

“I have to tell Jen, don’t I?”

“Probably, otherwise it’ll eat at you. Even though it meant nothing to you.  Which, by the way, not something you say to a woman. Like… ever.”

“I’ll tell her when she gets home from work,” JC sighed.

“Good luck, buddy…”

…

JC sat on the couch at home, spending more time analyzing and overanalyzing what had happened earlier.  He was admittedly nervous to tell Jen, even though nothing had really happened.

He heard the front door, his palms almost sweating.  Jen jumped a little when she saw him.  “I thought you were gonna be out for a while…”

“I did something stupid.”

“I’m afraid to ask, seeing the look on your face.”

“Sit down.”

Jen sat down next to JC, giving a little space between them in case she needed to be upset.  “What happened?”

“We watched an episode of Friends, then we got to talking a bit.  I listed things I liked about her, platonically, and she got really personal about a story with a shitty ex and how she lost a ton of friends.  I felt bad, she’s such a great person from what I’ve gotten to know about her, and I hugged her.”

“That’s not so bad…”

“Then I kissed her.”

“Ok, not liking that part,” Jen said.

“Just for a second, nothing romantic.  Apparently telling her it didn't mean anything was where I went wrong, according to Justin.  She felt like it was out of pity, walked into her bedroom and wouldn’t talk to me.”

“Wow… you really are an idiot.  You save her life, get to know her, and then you set up for a kinda perfect romantic moment, and tell her it meant nothing.”

“But it did.  Or Didn’t… Fuck.  I just… shit, I guess you’re right.  I mean, not out of pity, but… fuck… She said she likes the two of us together, she’d never try and get between us.  She knows she’s not my type, whatever that means.  She said it was platonic before I did…”

“But you still said it.  We started off as friends, seeing each other at parties and things Eric did.  You were with Kathryn, I didn't think I stood a chance.  If you’d told me things were platonic, even though I knew that, I don’t know that we’d be here today.  Fans know they have no chance with you, but to actually TELL them that…”

“Ok, I could see how that would be painful.  I didn’t mean it to be…”

“I know.  You have a good heart, Josh, and I love you for it.  You helped her. Saved her life.  Maybe things have run their course.”

“I suppose, yeah.  She was bothered by the fact that I was wanting to spend time with her, feeling like it was all out of pity.  Maybe she was right, and I feel like an asshole for it.”

“Don’t.  You did the right thing in that moment, pulling over, checking on her, making the 911 call.  You’ve done all you can for her, Josh.”

Or have I? JC wondered to himself.