Things were definitely running as planned. Andrea had confirmed what we had all suspected; that Piper was still in love with Justin. And of course, Piper had accepted the offer to be a bridesmaid, which was another piece of the puzzle that fit perfectly. Now we just needed Trace to come through and then JC and I would play our parts.

Fate was what actually brought these two together, but their stubbornness and foolish pride is what tore them apart and denial kept them that way. So it was up to us to fix everything between the two. That’s precisely what we did.

Three days later – Friday, September 9

“Piper, what on earth are you doing?” Rae demanded as she entered their dorm room that Friday afternoon, which was strewn with every article of clothing imaginable.

“Oh my god, Rae, you scared me,” Piper said, jumping at the sound of her roommates voice, “I thought you were supposed to be going on a date with that guy…David?”

“The loser decided to stand me up. I’ve been waiting in the lobby for the past hour,” Rae glumly explained as she moved a pile of discarded shirts, “Looks like I’ll be spending yet another Friday night in the dorm room. But enough about that, why are you freaking out so much? This is Joey we’re talking about; he wouldn’t care if you wore a paper bag.”

“Some of Kelly’s friends are coming,” Piper replied as she finally settled on a pair of flared denim jeans and a green halter top that flowed around the edges and had a few sequins near the top, “I don’t want them to think I’m somebody that’s taking advantage of Kelly and Joey.”

“Piper, that’s the last thing anybody could ever think about you,” Rae retorted with a roll of her eyes, “Now stop changing, stop worrying and finish getting ready. It’s quarter after five already.”

“Shit!” Piper cried as she sprinted to the bathroom, makeup bag and brush in hand

“You want me to do your hair for you?” Rae called a few moments later as the minutes ticked away.

“If you don’t mind,” Piper eagerly agreed.

“How about some spiral curls?” Rae suggested as she grabbed the curling iron and joined her friend in the bathroom, “You always look so cute when your hair is curled.”

“Yeah, whatever, sure,” Piper absently replied as she hurriedly finished her makeup. Joey would be here in less than ten minutes and there was no way she was going to be ready. Damn, she was never one to be late, and she didn’t want to start now, of all times.

A few minutes later, with her hair half up and spiral curls cascading down her back, Piper was ready. She and Rae were just finishing putting away all of the discarded clothes when a knock came on the door. Smoothing down her shirt, Piper quickly answered it.

“Hey short stuff,” Trace announced as he stood there in jeans and a red and yellow striped polo shirt.

“Trace? What are you doing here?” Piper asked, wholly confused as to why he was there and not Joey, “Where’s Joey?”

“He had some last minute things to take care of over at the house, so he sent me to come pick you up,” Trace explained as he slipped passed Piper to examine the room, “Nice pad you got here.”

“Why thank you, I decorated it myself,” Rae spoke up from her desk, where she was pretending to be engrossed in her laptop.

“And who might this pretty lady be?” Trace demanded as he quickly walked over to Rae’s side and dramatically kissed her hand.

“Rae Daniels,” Rae managed between giggles and a ferocious blush.

“She’s my roommate,” Piper spoke up, but the two didn’t seem to hear her in the least.

“Well Ms. Daniels, would you like to join us for a barbeque on this beautiful evening?” Trace questioned as he pulled Rae to her feet.

“I don’t know, I’m not exactly invited…” Rae wistfully trailed off.

“Oh I’m sure Joey won’t mind one more,” Trace responded with a flirtatious grin, “Besides, he told me that I could bring a date, and seeing as though I don’t have one, you’re more than welcome to the position.”

“Are you asking me on a date?” Rae incredulously demanded, oblivious to Piper’s amazed stares.

“Is this you saying yes, or am I going to have to beg a little bit?” Trace responded, unaware that he was still holding tight to the young woman’s hand.

“Y..yes,” Rae stuttered as she blushed.

“Thank god, I was afraid I was going to have to get down on my knees and kiss your feet or something,” Trace light-heartedly teased, “Now how about we blow this joint?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Rae agreed as she grabbed her purse, not caring that she was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a worn-in t-shirt.

The couple quickly walked out of the room, hand in hand, much to Piper’s amazement. She shook her head in disbelief as she quickly locked the door and followed after the pair, her mind going to the situation between her and Justin. If only things with them worked out so easily.

But Justin was way out of her league, that was for sure. And there was also the fact that he didn’t care for her as more than a friend. She sighed. All the right ingredients for a broken heart.

The ride to Joey’s house was filled with chatter between Trace and Rae in the front seat as the two eagerly went about the task of getting to know each other. In the backseat, Piper stared gloomily out the window, trying to keep the feelings of jealously from surfacing. After all, Rae hadn’t exactly had the greatest luck with relationships in the past, so she, if anybody at all, deserved to be happy.

To Piper, however, it just didn’t seem fair. She deserved to be happy as well, especially after Andrew had broken her heart. The only problem was that the guy she had her heart set on didn’t seem to feel the same way, which didn’t exactly constitute the makings of a relationship.

What she really needed to do was get over Justin. She needed to go out, find a great guy, and stop thinking about the could-have-been’s where the pop star was concerned. Enough moping around like the world was going to end tomorrow; it was time for her to stop letting her heart rule her mind.

“Oh gosh, what a beautiful house,” Rae suddenly commented, startling Piper out of her thoughts in the process, “Is this where Joey lives most of the time?”

“It’s his main residence but I think he’s also got another house in LA and an apartment in Orlando,” Trace explained as he parked the car, “Enough about Joey’s finances though, I’m starving!”

Rae giggled as Trace came around and opened the door for her. She immediately accepted his outstretched hand and jumped down from the car seat. After the young man had also helped Piper out, he immediately grabbed Rae’s hand and began to lead her towards the sound of the party. Piper had no choice but to follow after, a little annoyed at the fact that she was starting to feel like a third wheel.

“Trace! You made it man. We were afraid you had gotten lost or something,” Joey announced as the trio walked into the backyard where a small group of people sat around a gorgeous pool, “And you brought Rae as well. Good to see you girl!”

“Hey Joe!” Rae replied as she and the pop star embraced.

“Auntie Piper!” a young voice suddenly screeched and Piper soon found herself attacked by the bundle of energy that was Joey’s daughter, Brianna.

“Brianna, my goodness, you look like you’ve grown a foot since I’ve last seen you,” Piper teased as she picked up the little munchkin, “You’re going to be taller than me in no time.”

“No I’m not, silly,” the toddler replied with a giggle as she hugged the young woman tight.

“Hi Piper,” Kelly said as she came up to the pair and enveloped them both in a hug, “How’s school going?”

“Wonderful,” the young woman beamed, glad that her friend’s topic of discussion was something relatively safe, “I’m finally able to take classes I enjoy.”

“That’s good to hear,” Kelly said as she released her friend and turned to take her daughter, “And what are you doing Ms. Brianna? You better not be bugging Auntie Piper or she may not come see you again.”

“I’m being good,” the young girl replied with a pout as she clung tight to Piper in case her mother tried to pry her away.

“Oh she’s fine Kelly,” Piper added as she poked Brianna in the ribs, who giggled from the sudden attack.

“Hey Kelly, would you mind introducing Piper and Rae to everybody else? I need to talk to Trace really quick, okay?” Joey suddenly called from across the patio.

“Sure hon,” Kelly agreed as Rae walked over to join them.

“Brianna, you remember Rae, don’t you?” Kelly asked as her daughter looked questioningly at the newcomer.

Brianna solemnly nodded her head. Rae smiled at the youngster, who immediately became shy and buried her face in Piper’s shoulder. The women laughed.

Kelly began to introduce the two girls to the rest of the guests, which gave Joey a chance to drag Trace into the house. Once they were in the kitchen, the pop star immediately let go of the younger man.

“Oww, man, what was that for?” Trace demanded as he adjusted his shirt back to its proper position.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Joey hissed in reply, “Why did you bring Rae with you?”

“You said I could bring a date,” Trace retorted, somewhat confused.

“You were supposed to bring Piper as your date, you idiot. Now you’ve completely ruined the plan,” Joey practically yelled.

“Geeze, I’m sorry man,” Trace apologized as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, you should be,” Joey grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.

“What’s going on here?” a new, and very female, voice demanded into the silence.

Both men instantly looked towards the source of the voice. Rae stood just inside the kitchen, confusion and anger written plainly on her face. Joey immediately opened his mouth to explain, but the young woman cut him off before he could get a word out.

“What the fuck do you two think you’re doing? Piper has been through enough with Andrew, and now Justin, I don’t need you trying to set her up with somebody,” Rae spat at Joey, then turned to Trace, “And you! I thought you liked me, but all you wanted was to get down my friend’s pants!”

“Rae…” Trace began.

“We can explain…” Joey added.

“No, I don’t want to hear a single word of your lousy explanation. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Rae concluded and began to brush past the two men, intent on heading to the bathroom.

“We’re trying to get Justin and Piper together,” Trace blurted. Rae froze in her tracks.

“I don’t understand,” the young woman said as she came back and took a seat at the kitchen counter.

“You know Piper still cares about Justin, right?” Joey began; Rae mutely nodded her head in affirmation, “Well Justin is still head-over-heels in love with her…”

“How do you know?” Rae interrupted, doubt clearly evident in her eyes, “Last I heard, Justin told her he couldn’t be in a relationship with her.”

“That’s because he’s an idiot,” Trace supplied, “He’s just trying to protect himself the only way he knows how.”

“What? By pushing away the one woman who would never, ever, in her right mind, hurt him?” Rae demanded.

“Believe me, he’s been beating himself up ever since. But he’s got his pride, just like any man has,” Trace defended his best friend.

“Just like Piper…” Rae softly trailed off.

“Now don’t you understand why we’re doing this? They’re perfect for each other; everybody can see it but them,” Joey concluded.

“Yeah, I see where you’re going with this,” Rae agreed, glancing down at her hands, “Well, what can I do to help?”

“Well I was supposed to convince Piper to go on a date with me,” Trace began.

“So we need somebody who can fill his place,” Joey concluded.

“What about Lance?” Rae questioned as she glanced outside and noticed the blonde pop star, who had just arrived.

“Hmm, that could work,” Joey said as he rubbed his goatee.

“And then there’s Mindy,” Trace began as he pointed out a tall, slim blonde with legs for days, “She’s going to pretend that she and Justin have recently hooked up. Her cell phone will ring and she’s going to make it seem like it’s Justin calling to check up on her.”

“Oh man, that’s going to drive Piper nuts,” Rae commented with a grin.

“It gets better. JC is going to somehow drop the hint that Piper and Lance are dating, then he and Genevieve are going to get Justin on a plane here, in time for Piper’s cousin’s wedding, which he’s invited to,” Joey continued.

“Wait, Andrea is in on this too?” Rae demanded. Both men nodded their heads in affirmation.

“She’s the one that found out that Piper is still in love with Justin. And she also made sure that Piper would be at the wedding by making her a bridesmaid,” Trace revealed.

“So Justin is going to show up at the wedding, Piper will be there, and everything will work out. Am I getting this right?” Rae asked.

“Yeah, that’s the gist of it,” Joey confirmed.

“Well there’s one problem,” Rae stated.

“What’s that?” Trace questioned, confused.

“What if Piper and Justin are too mad at each other to realize that they’re actually in love?” Rae said, eyebrow raised.

“I never thought of that,” Joey said, becoming worried.

“Don’t worry, I think everything will work out fine,” a new voice commented.

“Kelly…” Joey began as his wife walked towards him.

“Joey, you should have told me everything that you were planning,” Kelly scolded with a grin, “You know what a great matchmaker I can be.”

“Just keep telling yourself that sweetheart,” Joey teased as he leaned over an placed a loving kiss on Kelly’s lips.

“Enough you two, why don’t we get this show on the road?” Rae interrupted, “It’s time to give Justin and Piper a little push in the right direction.”

Two hours later

“Hey Piper, you want to dance with me?” Lance suddenly asked as he approached the young woman, who sat alone in the fading light of the day.

“No, thanks Lance, I’m good here,” Piper responded with a small smile.

“Well can I join you then?” the blonde persisted, annoyed at how he had gotten roped into this scheme.

“Sure, be my guest,” the young woman agreed as she indicated the empty chair to her left.

“So how have you been?” Lance asked as he settled into the lounger.

“Not too bad,” the young woman lied.

“That’s good. Are you liking school?” the pop star continued.

“Very much so. It’s still hard to believe that I actually got one of those scholarships and now I’m here in New York City, studying at one of the greatest schools for photography,” Piper gushed, beaming as she talked.

“Well you deserve it. Justin showed me some of your pictures and I must say, I was very impressed,” Lance said with a gentle smile.

“Oh, well thanks,” Piper faltered, her face falling a bit at the mention of Justin’s name.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lance asked as he leaned closer.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Piper said with a small, unconvincing smile.

“It’s Justin, isn’t it?” the young man persisted, not really wanting to bring up the painful subject, but fully knowing that he had no choice in the matter.

“Well, yeah,” Piper admitted, blushing as she stared down at her hands, “I sort of told him that I love him and he basically blew me off.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh,” Lance commented as he leaned over and enveloped the young woman in a friendly hug.

“Tell me about it,” Piper agreed in a soft voice.

“Would you like to go out with me sometime? You know, just to take your mind of things with Justin?” Lance abruptly questioned. Piper’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You mean, like on a date?” the young woman asked as Lance pulled away and leaned back into his own chair.

“I guess you could call it that,” Lance shyly said, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

“I’m sorry Lance, but I don’t know if I’m ready for something like that just yet. I’m flattered by the offer, but it just wouldn’t be fair to you,” Piper stated as she stood up, “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Without another word, Piper headed off in the direction of the buffet table to get herself something to eat. Lance sat there, feeling downright awful, but he was the one who had agreed to help Joey and the rest of the gang out with their plan. Although, he had to agree that it was time to give the two idiots a little push and end their self-imposed misery.

“How’s it coming?” Joey quietly questioned as he took a seat next to his friend and former bandmate.

“Just peachy,” Lance sarcastically retorted, rolling his eyes as he spoke, “The poor girl was heartbroken when I brought up Justin and she practically bolted when I asked her on a date. Dang Joe, we’ve got to get those two together and fast.”

“Tell me about it. And JC and Genevieve have told me that Justin hasn’t been doing any better, though they and Chris and Cameron have been able to keep him out of trouble thus far,” Joey revealed.

“I’ll just be thankful if Justin doesn’t deck me for moving in on his girl,” Lance commented with a grin, “And he better not, or I swear, I’m going to burn all your superman memorabilia.” Joey looked horrified.

“I’ll make sure Justin doesn’t touch a hair on your head, that’s a promise,” Joey croaked. Lance couldn’t help but laugh.

The two quieted down, however, as they watched Mindy approach Piper, who stood filling her plate with food. The two women began to talk, and Piper’s face immediately began to fall even more, if that was possible.

“You’re dating Justin?” Piper repeated, shocked.

“Yeah,” Mindy confirmed with a small smile, “I know that the two of you were really close, so I wanted to tell you before you read it in a tabloid paper or something.” Piper cringed at the word tabloid. Was this girl for real?

“Does he make you happy?” Piper softly questioned, oblivious to how the woman’s cheery disposition slipped just the smallest bit.

“Very much,” Mindy confirmed, then placed an arm about Piper’s shoulders, “As his best friend, though, I’d really like your approval. I don’t want you to think I’m all up in your territory or something.”

“No, no that’s fine,” Piper managed, wanting desperately to flee to the bathroom and lock herself in it for the rest of the evening, “As long as the two of you are happy.”

“Oh thanks Piper,” Mindy happily stated, giving the young woman a hug.

A ring of a cell phone immediately caused Mindy to pull away from the younger woman. She pulled the contraption out and her face lit up as she read Justin’s number on the caller ID.

“Hey Justin, how are you baby?” Mindy greeted, smiling.

Piper seriously wanted to climb through the wires and throttle Justin. He had told her that he wasn’t ready for a relationship; what a load of bullshit that was. He just didn’t want to date her and didn’t have the courage to tell her so. Well that was the last straw.

She was done moping about the infamous Justin Timberlake. Lance had asked her on a date and now that she had finally seen Justin’s true colors, the idea sounded very inviting. She quickly left Mindy, who was still on the phone, and headed back in Lance’s direction.

“Hey Lance, I changed my mind,” Piper announced without preamble. Lance looked at her in surprise.

“You mean you’d like to go on a date with me?” the blonde questioned, as if to clarify the young woman’s meaning.

“Yes, I’d love to,” Piper confirmed with a smile, “I think a date with you is just the thing I need right about now.”

“Okay, well how about next Saturday? Maybe we could go to dinner and do some window shopping, would that work for you?” Lance suggested as he stood up next to Piper.

“Sounds wonderful,” she agreed, “Now why don’t you give me your number so we can keep in touch?”

“Okay,” the pop star agreed as he pulled his cell phone out.

The two quickly exchanged numbers and then sat talking for about an hour. They sat together on the same lounger, Lance’s arm wrapped securely around Piper’s waist; and she was leaning into him. Neither was going to admit, however, how weird the embrace felt.

After another ten minutes of idle chatter, Lance excused himself to go to the bathroom so he could meet up with Joey, who was frantically waving at him from the kitchen window. Once he had gotten there, the older man immediately pulled him into the den and shut the door.

“Well?” Joey demanded.

“Everything is going perfect,” Lance stated as he lounged against the wall, “Mindy played her part and now Piper and I are going to go on a date next Saturday evening. Dinner and window shopping.”

“Sounds fun,” Joey commented.

“Actually, Piper is a great woman. She could be my little sister,” Lance returned with a shrug of his shoulders, “So I don’t think it will be a wasted evening.”

“Good for you,” Joey sarcastically retorted.

“Shut up Joe, you know how I hate to go on dates,” Lance stated with a roll of his eyes, “You should be on your hands and knees thanking me for doing this.”

“you’re right, I should. But what fun would that be?” the elder teased.

“You’re hopeless,” Lance commented as he opened the door to leave, “I don’t know why Kelly decided to marry you.”

“It’s because I’m a stud,” Joey announced. Lance rolled his eyes.

“You coming?” the younger man asked as he exited the room.

“In a bit,” Joey responded, pulling out his cell phone as he spoke, “I’ve got to make a few phone calls to JC, Genevieve, Piper’s mother and Andrea. I’ve got to let them know that everything is going as planned. Then Chris and Cameron are supposed to call with the next step of the plan.”

“Suit yourself,” Lance called before he left the older man alone in the den, “I’ll be back out with Piper if you need.”

“Okay,” Joey agreed as he turned his attention to the phone.

Everything was shaping up exactly as they had planned. Chris and Cameron certainly were geniuses when it came to this relationship thing, something that nobody would have guessed.

But it didn’t really matter whose idea it was; they were all helping pull this thing together. All for two people who were too blind to see their attraction for each other. Yes, it was all in the name of love.