"That I wanted to be his friend." Rachel repeated, reducing the heat on the pasta and feeling a little unsure as to why Megan was freaking out.

"You told him you wanted to be his friend?!"

"Um..." Rachel hesitated.  "Yes?"

"Oh, Rachel." Megan sighed heavily and Rachel could picture her friend shaking her head in disappointment.

"What?" Rachel asked confused.  She had been rehearsing to Megan what had happened with JC at lunch today and the girls had been giggling over everything until Rachel had told Megan what she'd told him when he asked her to say something in French. 

"Um...well, maybe it's okay." Megan continued as she sighed again.  "What else did you guys talk about?"

"Wait." Rachel said, pulling a jar of spaghetti sauce from her cupboard.  "Why did you just freak out like that?"

"It's just...nevermind.  Keep going.  What happened next?"

"Okay...he asked me about growing up in Phoenix, what I missed most about home--"

"You're best friend, of course." Megan interrupted and Rachel laughed.

"He asked me if I liked California and what my biggest regret in life was."

"Your biggest regret?" Megan asked, sounding amazed.  "Wow, way to pull out the big guns there, JC." She murmured. 

Again Rachel laughed as she pulled a bag of salad from her fridge and put some on a plate.  "That's what I thought when he asked me that last one."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Rachel replied.

"Which is...?"

"That my biggest regret was walking away from him."

"What?!" Megan yelled.

"I was discrete about it."

"How can you be discrete about telling a guy you regret walking away from him?"

Rachel leaned back against the counter and sighed.  "This is what I said: I said, ‘I met a guy at Megan's wedding last year.  We danced and really seemed to click.  We ended up making out and then went our separate ways.' Then he asked me if that was what I regretted-making out with this guy."

"What did you say?" Megan said, sounding like she was sitting on the edge of her seat-which, if Rachel knew anything about her best friend, she probably was.

"I said that what I regretted was walking away from this guy."

"What did he say to that?" Megan asked.

"He said, ‘he probably regrets letting you walk away.'"  Rachel answered, turning the stove off as the spaghetti was done.  She took the colander out of the cupboard and drained the noodles into the sink. 

"Hmmm..." Megan hummed.

"What?" Rachel asked.  "What, ‘hmmm'?"

"Just, hmmmm...." Megan responded.  "Was that it?"

"Basically." Rachel said as she poured some spaghetti sauce into the pot of drained noodles and mixed it in.  "We left a few minutes later and...oh!" Rachel giggled excitedly.  "When we were leaving he put his hand on my back."

"I love when guys do that." Megan replied dreamily.

"Yeah." Rachel sighed as she put some spaghetti on her plate and sat down at her small table.  "He asked me a few more questions as we drove back and then as we were walking back to the front door he asked if we could go out again."

"Smart boy." Megan said.  "That means he's interested.  He secured a second date with you."  Rachel smiled as she took a bite of spaghetti.  "When did the hug happen?" Megan asked, sounding a bit impatient.

"Right after that." Rachel replied.  "He just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him."

"Where?" Megan asked.

"In front of the office." Rachel answered with a chuckle.  "I just told you we were standing outside the front door."

"No." Megan laughed.  "Where did he put his arms around you?  Your shoulders?  Your waist?  What kind of hug was it?"

"A good one." Rachel sighed, goose bumps once more engulfing her as she thought about the hug JC had given her that afternoon.

"Uh, duh!" Megan responded sarcastically.

Rachel giggled.  "His arms were wrapped around my middle-above my waist and when I went to pull back he tightened them around me.  He wouldn't let me go, so I did what any girl would do, I just stood there and let him hold me."  Megan sighed.  "The funny thing was," Rachel mused as she took another bite.  "There wasn't anything sexual in the hug.  It was just a hug."

"Those are the best kind.  But I think it was a little more than a hug." Megan responded.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...okay first off, you really could have blown it with him with some of the things you told him."

"What?" Rachel asked.  "How so?"

"‘I want to be your friend'?" Megan quoted.  "You're not really supposed to use the ‘f' word when you're having a conversation with the guy you like.  That's like telling him you love him like a brother.  Ew.  Who wants to date their brother?"  Rachel laughed.  "I think you could have gotten away with that one except you went and committed an even bigger dating faux pas."

"And that was...?" Rachel asked.

"When you told him your biggest regret in life is a guy."

"But the guy is him." Rachel defended herself.

"Yeah, but does he know that?" Megan questioned and Rachel slumped in her chair as the reality of what she had revealed to him finally sunk in.  "You basically just told him your heart is taken."

"Damn it." Rachel said.  She placed her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands.  "I'm an idiot.  Why am I such an idiot when he's around?"

"Because you're in love with him?" Megan ventured a guess. 

Rachel chuckled ironically.  "And now he thinks I'm in love with someone else." She said, not contradicting Megan's assumption.

"I don't think all hope is lost." Megan offered in encouragement.

"No?"

"No.  The fact that he asked you out again, and hugged you, is a good sign."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Megan replied.  "Yeah, I do.  Just...be a little more careful what you say around him from now on."

"I don't know if I can do that." Rachel said.  "It's like my common sense leaves me whenever he's around.  I find myself saying stuff I would never say to anyone else, but for some reason I just tell him all sorts of things.  I wish there was some way I could take you with me whenever I go see him.  You'd keep me from saying things I shouldn't."

Megan laughed. "Just remember, guys don't like to hear about other guys from your past.  It makes them feel like they're being judged or compared.  Keep that to a minimum and you'll do fine.  Plus, a lot of guys don't want to fight for something that they think is unavailable."

"Alright."

"So did he look like he remembered anything when you mention my wedding?" Megan asked.

"Mmmm..." Rachel thought back to that part of the conversation and tried to remember JC's facial expression.  "Not really.  He just sat there, looking at me."

"Hmmm." Megan replied, sounding disappointed.

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, um...I was just curious.  Hey listen," Megan said, changing the subject.  "Jackson just walked in and I haven't even started dinner yet.  I gotta go."

"Why doesn't he get dinner started?"

"He's been at work all day." Megan answered as if it were obvious.

"So have you, and you're pregnant-in case you forgot." Rachel said, making Megan laugh.  She stood and took her empty plate to the sink.  "Make him cook."

"We'll probably just go out and get something." Megan said.  "Seeing as I haven't been to the grocery store in about a week and basically the only thing in the house is a box of frosted flakes and a can of tuna."

"Yummy." Rachel replied sarcastically.  "Alright.  Well, I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah." Megan said as Rachel heard her give Jackson a kiss. 

"Ew." Rachel commented.  "You couldn't wait till I hung up?"

Megan laughed.  "Call me if anything else happens with Mr. Boy." She said.

"He's gone for the rest of the week, remember?" Rachel said.  "Nothing's going to happen till next Wednesday at the earliest."

"Alright, whatever.  I'll talk to you later."

"K, bye." Rachel chuckled as she hung up with Megan.  After cleaning up from dinner and putting the leftovers in the fridge Rachel plopped down on her couch and turned on the TV, intent on spending a quiet night alone.  As she flipped through the channels she found the latest episode of House.  Pulling her legs up, Rachel curled herself around a throw pillow and let herself get pulled into the drama onscreen, trying to forget about JC and the way she was starting to feel about him.    

~~~~~~

Rachel spent the rest of the week putting the finishing touches on Lucy's wedding and trying to ignore the fact that her phone remained disappointingly silent.  "I'll call ya." He'd said as he'd left Tuesday afternoon.  Did that mean while he was gone or when he got back into town? Rachel thought to herself.  She hated that she'd allowed herself to get her hopes up, thinking he meant he was going to call her in the next few days and she wanted to be mad at him for not calling, even though she knew that was ridiculous.  He hadn't said "I'll call you at two o'clock on Thursday."  He had just said, "I'll call ya."  That could mean next Christmas for all I know. Rachel groaned.

Friday afternoon the painters called to let her know they'd finished putting the new color on his bedroom walls.  Excited, Rachel left work a little early and drove over to his house, wanting to see if the color looked as good as she imagined.  Punching in the gate code and pulling up the driveway, she parked her car and let herself in, turning the alarm off with the code Sarah had given her.  Locking the front door behind her Rachel made her way upstairs, chuckling to herself as she remembered sneaking around here with Megan last weekend.  She padded quietly down the hall to his open bedroom door, feeling anxious.  It was always a gamble when it came to paint-sure the color looked great in the brochure, but once it was up on the wall it was sometimes completely different than what you had been led to believe.  As she arrived at her destination Rachel was excited to find out the rich chocolate color looked even better than she'd thought. 

"This is perfect!" She exclaimed out loud, even though no one was there to share in her excitement.  The room was going to be amazing when she got done decorating.  The infamous bed that he'd ordered was being delivered tomorrow afternoon, while the one that was in here now was being moved to one of the empty bedrooms in the basement.  I wonder what side of the bed he sleeps on.  She thought as she stood, trying to visualize how the furniture should be arranged.  If he sleeps on the right side, the bed should go there.  She looked at the far wall.  But if he sleeps on the other side, it would be better to have it over here.  She turned and looked at the wall to her right.  I can just set it up and hope it works...I should call him.  Should I call him?  No.  He's with his family.  I don't want to bug him, but I also don't want to have to move the furniture again.  I'll just call him.  What time is it in Maryland right now?  She looked down at her watch.  Four o'clock means it's...six?  Or seven?  What's the time difference between California and Maryland?  Damn daylight savings time!  

Rachel decided to take a chance and just call him.  She really didn't want to have to rearrange the furniture if it turned out she had guessed wrong.  Taking a deep breath she dialed his number and waited.  As the line began ringing her eye caught the large painting that had been on his wall when he'd first showed her around his house lying on his bed.  The art didn't exactly match the new color scheme of the bedroom.  But it might look good downstairs. She thought, her breath catching as she heard the line pick up.

"Hey, it's me." She smiled as his recorded voice came over the line, actually feeling a bit relieved that she was just going to be leaving a message.  "I'm busy so leave me a message."

Rachel waited for the automated beep.  "Hey, JC," She smiled as she began her message.  "This is Rachel...Rachel Kline.  You're interior designer..." Rachel slapped her forehead and rolled her eyes at her own idiocy.  He knows who you are, genius, just spit it out.  "Anyway...I uh, I'm over here at the house and just had a question for you so call me when you have a second.  Or text me.   Whatever works for you.  Um...I hope you're having a fun time with your family.  I, uh...I guess I'll talk to you later.  Bye."  Rachel flipped her phone closed and rolled her eyes again.  Okay, that was pretty much the stupidest message I've ever left.  Tucking her phone back into her pocket she picked up the large canvas that lay across his bed and walked down both flights of stairs to the basement.  She held the painting out away from her as she turned around in the large, open game room, trying to decide what wall it would look best on.  Giving up she just propped it up against the far wall and turned to head back upstairs.  Her eye however was caught by the musical plaques and platinum record pictures hanging up in the hall leading towards the studio and she walked over to admire them. 

When JC had been showing her around the house originally Rachel had of course seen them, but felt it would have been awkward to stop and study them with the man standing right there.  Now, however, she had all the time in the world to stand and take in all of his career accomplishments.  There was a framed copy for each of the albums the group had released that had gone gold and one for his solo album as well.  Rachel stood there, a smile on her face as she remembered being one of the first in line-along with Megan of course-when "No Strings Attached" had been released.  The girls had skipped school and camped outside the store just to be able to finally get there hands on the CD that they'd been waiting years to listen to.

As she moved down the hall a bit, smiling when she saw some of the other awards the group had received, she got an idea.  JC had these pictures down here which was great, but there were other awards he'd received as part of the group that were spread randomly around the house-as if he had gotten home from the awards show, set the trophy down and forgotten about it.  He needs a place to put them all together. She thought, moving back into the game room.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her mind began working.  I wonder if he'd let me do something down here.  We could do a big built-in shelving unit down here where he could put all his awards in one place.  Making a mental note to ask him about it when he got home, Rachel turned and headed back upstairs.  She'd wasted enough time.  She had a good forty-five minute drive to her apartment from here and still had to go to the grocery store before she went home. 

As she set the alarm and locked the front door she found herself feeling disappointed.  She just wanted to stay.  She loved his house-especially now with the changes she'd made.  As another pang of longing washed through her she began to wonder if she was getting too attached to this project.  Was it normal to feel like this when she left a job site?  Somehow, she didn't think so, but she didn't know what to do about it either.

~~~~~~

As Rachel finally went to bed that night, turning off the lights and locking her front door at ten o'clock she looked at her phone in disappointment.  He's with his family.  She reminded herself as she set the silent phone on her dresser and got into her pajamas.  He's busy.  Plus there's a three hours time difference between us now.  She pulled the covers back and was startled when her phone chimed indicating she'd received a text message.  She hurried to the dresser, flipping her phone open excitedly and reading the message.

What do you need?

She smiled wide when she read JC's name at the bottom of the short message.  Sitting down on her bed, Rachel pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she typed out her question and sent it to him.

What side of the

bed do you sleep on?

She sat there cross-legged, holding her phone and wondering how long it would take for him to respond.  As her phone continued to remain silent, another surge of disappointment swept though her.  She frowned.  However, just as she was about to get up and put the phone back on the dresser it chimed in her hand and the new message icon appeared.  Again, she quickly flipped her phone open.

I'm flexible...whatever

side you don't want.

Rachel stared slack jawed at her phone for a moment before an excited giggled broke free.  Is....is he actually flirting with me? She thought.  Biting her lip again Rachel thought for a moment.  Usually she was the queen of comebacks, however at the moment her mind was blank.  She panicked.  She didn't know quite how to respond to that.  What do I say?  She thought for a moment, trying to pretend it wasn't JC she was conversing with.  What would she have said if it had been any other guy that had texted her that?  Her eyes opened and, as an evil grin spread across her face, she quickly typed a response and sent it back to him-waiting to see what he would do.

You know, I've been told I'm

pretty flexible too. Maybe we

should get together...to see

if people are right.     

She felt a rush of excitement pass through her.  It had been awhile since she'd flirted this blatantly with a guy and she wondered how far he was going to take it.  Again she felt let down as her phone remained quiet.  Either he's a really slow texter or I misread him and now I've scared him off.   But, she reminded herself, he started it.  I was only following his lead.  She tried to justify it to herself.  He's with his family.  He probably doesn't--"  As the familiar song she had set as her ring tone cut through the quiet of her apartment Rachel's heart began pounding.  She swallowed as she looked down, JC's name flashing across the small screen.  Taking a deep breath Rachel answered the call.

"Hello?" She asked, forcing a smile.

"Before we go any further with this game," he answered-the smooth tone of his voice causing Rachel's heart to flutter.  "I need to ask what your intentions are."

"My intentions?" She asked, scooting back to lean against her head board and grabbing one of her pillows-holding it against her as if it were a shield.

"I just need to know if I should go upstairs and...lock my bedroom door for a while."

Rachel's jaw dropped at his suggestive comment and tone of voice.  Has it been that long for you, JC? She wanted to ask.  Instead, she decided to play the innocent card.  "I just asked you a simple question." She replied.  "You're the one who turned it into something it wasn't.  It's your own fault if you find you need to...leave the room."

"When a pretty girl asks me what side of the bed I sleep on, I can't help where my mind goes." He answered.

"That's because you have a dirty mind." Rachel replied, her cheeks warming at his compliment. 

"What did you expect me to do with a question like that?" He asked with a chuckle and she wished she could see his smile.  She could picture the way his eyes sparkled when he was happy and the adorable way his smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle.  "When you called and left your voicemail message I assumed you had something sensible to ask me since you're decorating my house and all.  Little did I know..." He trailed off and Rachel let out a giggle.  "Wipe that evil smirk off your face." He said.

Rachel made a noise of mock hurt.  "I was not smirking." She replied.

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't.  And even if I were," she continued, "You can't see me right now.  How would you know?"

"I can hear it in that evil giggle you just let out." He said.  They were both quiet for a moment.  "Why did you want me to call?" He asked.  To hear your voice. Rachel thought.  "It wasn't really to ask about my sleeping habits, was it?" He continued.

"Yes, actually, it was." Rachel said.  "I was being serious until you decided to turn it into something dirty."

"Why do you want to know?" He asked.

"I just need to know so I can put the furniture in the right place tomorrow."

He was quiet for a moment.  "I usually end up sleeping on the left side."

"The left side when you're looking at the bed, or the left side when you're in bed?" She asked in clarification, needing to make sure they were on the same page.

He groaned.  "Do you always make things this difficult?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied, laughing.

"The left side when I'm in bed." He answered.

"Hey, we might be able to make this work after all." She replied evenly.

"Yeah?  How so?"

"I usually sleep on the right side." She teased.

"Now who's the dirty one?" He asked with a chuckle.  Rachel smiled as she relaxed against her pillows.  "How's Maryland?" She asked, steering the conversation back onto safer ground.

~~~~~

JC leaned back in the overstuffed chair he was sitting on in his parent's den.  The party they'd had to celebrate Tyler and Heather's birthdays had been tonight-the last of the guests finally leaving about an hour ago, giving him a chance to check his messages.  Rachel's somewhat scattered message had made him chuckle and he'd listened to it three time-just to hear her trip over her words again-before texting her.  It was after one in the morning where he was which meant it was past ten back in L.A.  He wasn't sure what time she went to bed but had decided to take a chance anyway.

He laid his head back and tried to get his heart to beat regularly again.  Between her flirtatious comments through her texts which had excited him, to the sound of her laughter which was music to his ears, JC was starting to question his own sanity.  The girl was driving him crazy, and she had no idea what she did to him which just made it all the more difficult.

"Boring." He finally said in response to her question.

"That's not good." She said, the happy sound of her voice doing strange things to his heart-again.  "How's your family?" She asked.

"They're good, but I'm going out of my mind here." He confessed to her.  "The longer I'm away I forget why I don't go home more often, but then I come home and I remember why I stay away." He replied dryly, earning a chuckle from her.  "Don't get me wrong," he said, continuing to ramble to her, "I love my family, but sometimes they drive me nuts."

"As most families do." She answered.  "I'm stressed out thinking about going home for Christmas."  Rachel said.

"Why are you stressed out about going home?" He asked.

"Because my stepmother is the Wicked Witch of the West." Rachel stated matter of factly. 

JC laughed at the irritated tone of her voice.  "Alright." He said, sensing the need to change the subject.  "Well, at least there're things to do in Phoenix." He said.  "I'm kind of stuck here and I'm going stir crazy.  Besides the couple radio spots I did yesterday I haven't left the house. Sometimes I don't know how I survived growing up here."

This time it was Rachel's turn to laugh.  "You survived," she said, "Because it was all you knew until you were introduced to the rest of the world."

"Yeah, I guess." He smiled.

"I've never been to Maryland." Rachel said.  "What's it like there?"

"Old fashioned." He replied, leaning his head back against the back of the chair.  He looked around the room he was in, taking in the familiar surroundings.  The rest of the house was dark and quiet-everyone had gone upstairs to bed and he tried to keep his voice low so as not to wake them up.  "It's a typical New England town." He said.

"Let's pretend I've never been east of Arizona and I have no idea what a typical New England town looks like.  Describe it to me."

He chuckled.  "Um, okay..." He shifted the phone to his other ear and slouched down further in the chair.  "Well...the streets are lined with huge old oak trees that have probably been around since the Declaration of Independence was signed.  There's an old fashioned town square surrounding the courthouse downtown and every Fourth of July they do this big firework display down there.  Uh...oh!  There's a lake on the other side of town that freezes over in the winter.  I used to go out there ice skating with my friends."

"It sounds amazing." Rachel said quietly.

"It has its moments." He replied.  They were both quiet for a moment.  "Have you really never been anywhere east of Arizona?" He asked in amazement.

"I went to New York for the weekend with Megan about seven years ago, but that's it."

"I just...wow.  Really?"

"Yeah." She chuckled.  "You know, we're not all world famous pop stars, JC."

"I know." He replied.  "I just...really?"

"Yes, really." Rachel replied with a laugh.

"We gotta work on broadening your horizons, girl."   

They talked for another hour about any and everything-teasing and laughing at each other-until he heard her yawn.

 "I'm sorry." She said.

"That's alright." He chuckled.  "It's late, I know.

"What time is it there?" She asked.

"Almost two-thirty." He said looking at his watch.

"Holy cow!" She exclaimed.  "You should be the one yawning.  Aren't you tired?  Why did you let me talk for so long?"

He chuckled.  "It's okay, Rachel." He assured her.  "I'm a major night owl.  I usually stay up pretty late."

"Yeah, but still." She replied.

"Don't worry about me.  Besides, I can just sleep on the plane later."

"Well, I need to get to sleep.  I've gotta be at your house by eight tomorrow."

"Why?" He asked.  "The painting's done, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but the delivery guys from the furniture store are bringing the bed in the morning and then I've got a couple guys coming over to help me put it together and move the furniture around. Yadda, yadda, yadda..."

He chuckled.  "Alright.  I'll let you get some sleep."

"Okay." She yawned again and he smiled. 

"Good night, Rachel." He said quietly.

"Mmmm...good night, JC." She replied sounding really sleepy and pretty damn sexy.  Leaning his head against the back of the chair he ended the call and smiled.

"You're up late." 

He lifted his head and watched as his mom walked into the den.  "Sorry.  Did I wake you up?" He asked.

"No." She smiled at him as she came to sit on the arm of the chair.  "I got up to get a drink of water and saw the light on down here.  Besides, I got used to you talking till all hours of the night a long time ago."  He chuckled.  "You've been in here for a while." She observed.

"Yeah." He said, fighting against the huge smile that wanted to break free. 

"A girl?" She asked, once again being more observant than he gave her credit for.

"Yeah." He answered, his lips lifting slightly as he thought about Rachel.  "Yeah it's a girl." He looked up at her as she placed a hand to his cheek, a knowing smile on her face as she looked down at him.  She gave his face a gentle pat.  "Come on, let's get to bed.  We're going to have an early morning getting you to the airport by ten."  She put her arms around him as he stood and JC hugged her back.  He stood there for a moment in his mother's embrace and sent a silent prayer heavenward for the parent's he'd been blessed with.  Even though they weren't his biological parents, they were the best parent's a kid growing up without a home could wish for.  They'd done so much for him and he only hoped that one day he'd be able to return the favor.

"I love you, Mom." He said when she pulled back.

"I love you too, Joshua." She said smiling up at him.  She linked her arm with his as they walked towards the stairs.  "Now, tell me about this girl...