JC had to brace himself as he walked into Chris' house and the man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pounced on him wearing a black cape and a set of plastic fangs.  He laughed as the other guy hugged him, then stepped back.  "How the hell are you?" Chris asked.

"I'm good, man.  How've you been?"

"Hmmm." Chris shrugged his shoulder.  "Can't complain."  Chris took a drink from the glass in his hand, then turned and put an arm around JC's shoulders, leading him towards the back of the house.  "Why didn't you dress up?" He asked, looking at JC disapprovingly.  JC shrugged.  "No matter." Chris continued.  "You should see the girls that came!" He whispered as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

"I thought you were dating someone." JC chuckled.  "What's her name?  Ali?  Does she know you've got a house full of girls here tonight?"

"She's one of them." Chris grinned.  "Come on.  There's more than one I'm sure you'll be in to.  There were a few that seemed really excited when they found out that you might show up."

JC rolled his eyes and Chris released him as they walked into the kitchen which had been turned into a bar for the night.

"He's not really looking to get hooked up this weekend." Justin said, walking towards him with a beer bottle in one hand.  "Are you, C?"

"What?" Chris said, looking anxiously back and forth between JC and Justin as he handed JC a beer.  JC glared at Justin as the younger man walked toward them, a smirk on his face.  "C, you got a girl you're hiding somewhere?" Chris asked with interest.

"Where's Rachel?" Justin asked, looking over JC's shoulder. 

2,500 miles away.  JC thought.

"Rachel?" Chris asked.  "Who's Rachel?"

JC looked at Chris, then back at Justin.  "She couldn't get the time off this weekend." He explained, shrugging-he hoped nonchalantly-as he pressed the bottle Chris had given him to his lips.  These guys, though they were like brothers to him and he couldn't imagine life without them, could be brutal when it came to teasing about each other's love lives.  He knew.  He'd been on the giving and receiving end more than a few times in the years they'd all known each other.

"Who's Rachel?" Joey repeated Chris' previous question as he suddenly materialized wearing a Superman outfit.  JC started laughing as he gave Joey a hug.  "When I saw you last month you weren't seeing anyone." Joey said.  "You move fast."

"Yeah, it...kinda just happened." JC said, taking another swig of his beer.  "What?" He asked as the three of them stood looking at him, painfully aware of the fact that his face was on fire. 

"He's so whipped it's not even funny." Justin said, turning and talking to Joey as if JC weren't standing right in front of them.  "I met her last weekend in L.A.  Jace couldn't keep his eyes or hands off of her." He grinned mischievously.  "She's hot and you should have seen his face when I started dancing with her." Justin started giggling.  "He--"

"Shut up!" JC reached out and slapped Justin upside the head.

"Hey!" Justin exclaimed, quickly setting his beer down on the counter and grabbing JC in a headlock.  JC somehow managed to place his own beer on the counter and soon he and Justin were wrestling around in the kitchen with Chris and Joey egging them on.

"Some things never change." Lance commented with a laugh as he walked into the scene. 

"Hey, Lance." JC said as he managed to step behind Justin and pin his right arm up behind his back while his other arm was wrapped around Justin's neck.

"Hey!" Justin called out.  "Uncle!  Uncle!  Don't hurt me because I'm beautiful!"  They all laughed as JC released him and Justin rotated his shoulder as he scowled at them.

"Oh, you've made the Baby mad." Chris said, putting his arm around Justin.  "Come here, Baby."

"Get the hell off me!" Justin said shrugging Chris' arm off and pointing a finger at him.  "Don't touch me." 

"Easy, Baby." Chris said, holding up his hands in defense.  "Come on." He said, heading towards the source of the music that was playing loudly through the house.  "There's a house full of people here.  Let's party!"

JC rolled his eyes again as he picked up his beer and the rest of the guys followed Chris into the main part of his house.  Lance had been right-some things never changed and it made him smile.  He was surprised at how many people were there that he didn't know and Chris had been telling the truth-there were a lot of good looking girls that had come.  But no matter how they flirted with him, smiled coyly or tried to flatter him, his mind and heart were thousands of miles away.  He was glad he'd decided to come; if only to see the guys and party like old times, but as the evening wore on the more he missed Rachel and just wanted to be home in L.A.  With her.  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and felt disappointed that it had remained quiet all evening. 

"Hey, C." Joey said, coming up behind him.  "Kelly brought Brianna over.  She wants to say hi."

JC slipped his phone back into his pocket and pasted a smile on his face as he followed Joey back through the kitchen towards the foyer.  As he hugged Brianna and Kelly and talked with them for a couple minutes JC tried to stay focused, but his thoughts kept straying.  I wonder what she's doing right now.  He'd left town feeling frustrated and upset at Rachel, but he'd had a couple days to cool off and think and the simple fact was: he missed her-a lot-and couldn't wait to get back home.        

  ~~~~~~

Rachel grabbed the bag of chocolate she'd bought a few days ago and which had sat untouched all evening on her kitchen counter.  Not one trick-or-treater. She thought.  Can you believe it?  Sitting down on the couch she grabbed her laptop from the coffee table and logged on to the internet.  It had been almost a week since she'd checked her email account and since it appeared she was in for a quiet Friday night alone, she figured she might as well waste some time surfing around the internet. 

Checking to see whether or not Megan had updated her blog, Rachel then decided to see what the latest celebrity gossip was and logged in to TMZ's website.  She grabbed a Reese's Peanut Butter cup from the bag beside her and unwrapped it, placing the chocolate in her mouth as the site's front page loaded.  Rachel wadded the little foil wrapper into a small ball and tossed it over on the coffee table, then scrolled through the top stories.  Nothing really caught her eye until she got to the last post.  Love Triangle at The Vortex.

Below was a picture of her and Justin out on the dance floor last weekend. "Damn he's sexy!" Rachel said out loud.  A smile spread and she giggled, contemplating Megan's face when she saw this, as she clicked on the picture-saving it to her computer before she read the article that had been written.  Opening her email account Rachel chuckled to herself as she attached the picture of her and Justin and typed a quick message to Megan.

See.  I told you :)

Sending the email to her best friend, Rachel went back to the article on TMZ's website and read what they had written about the picture.

Late Saturday night two former N SYNC band mates were spotted paling around at the The Vortex.  The smiles soon faded and  mood shifted however, as Justin seemed to move in on the mystery blonde JC has been seen with several times over the past couple weeks.  The latter did not look happy as Justin brought sexy back with his mad dance skills on the floor.  The mystery blonde, who sources claim is interior designer Rachel Kline, looked ecstatic to be dancing with the most famous member of N SYNC.  Is she thinking about an upgrade?  JC did not look happy about the goings on out on the dance floor and quickly moved in to stake his claim.  The couple was spotted later, cozying up at their table while Justin looked on longingly.  The only question we have is: Where was Jessica?

Rachel laughed at the ridiculousness of the article.  "Oh please." She said, putting another peanut butter cup in her mouth.  She smiled as she clicked on the picture that had been taken of her and JC at the bottom of the article and enlarged it.  Rachel reached out and ran her finger over JC's profile.  It was a good picture of him.  Hell, Rachel thought.  Any picture of him is a good picture!  Her eyes took in the photo, her brows furrowing as she tried to remember what Justin had been saying that had been so important that she would look away from JC as he sat there looking at her so adoringly. 

Her phone rang and she reached for it blindly, her eyes not wanting to leave the picture. 

"Hello?" She asked as she placed the phone to her ear.

"Okay, did you Photoshop that picture?" Megan asked.  "Seriously."

"What?" Rachel asked with a laugh.

"The picture you just sent me of you dancing with Justin." Megan clarified.  "Did you Photoshop it?"

"How in the hell would I Photoshop a picture like that?" Rachel asked still laughing.  "You're the one who majored in graphic design, not me.  You know, I'm hurt that you don't believe me about dancing with Justin.  You told me you'd believe me if I sent you a picture, so I sent you a picture and what do you do?  You still don't believe me!"  Megan laughed.  "I don't think we can be friends." Rachel said. 

"Oh, knock it off!" Megan insisted, still laughing.  She sighed appreciatively.  "Damn, he looks good!"

"Uh-huh." Rachel giggled.

"Is he really--"

"Yes." Rachel interrupted.  "Yes he is.  He is really that sexy in real life."

Megan laughed.  "Sometimes I really hate you."

Rachel smiled.  "I should send you the picture of me and JC then you'll really hate me."

"Okay!" Megan replied excitedly making Rachel laugh.  "Who took the pictures?"

"I don't know." Rachel shrugged.  "I got on TMZ's website and they were there."

"You're on TMZ's website?!" Megan exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Rachel Kline!" She scolded.

"What?" Rachel asked.  "I told you as soon as I found out myself!"

"What are they saying about the picture?"

"That Justin, JC and I are in some sort of love triangle." Rachel replied with a giggle.  Megan erupted in laughter again. 

"Are you?" Megan asked.

"Megan!" Rachel gasped.

"What?" Megan asked.  "It's a valid question.  With the way Justin is all over you while you two are dancing and with the way you and JC are now..." She trailed off.  "I can see where someone could draw that conclusion."

"I am not in a love triangle of any sort let alone one with JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake!" Rachel defended.

"Though you'd be the envy of millions of women, and I suspect an equal number of men as well, if you were." Megan mused. 

Rachel laughed.  "I don't really want to think about how many men are possibly lusting after my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Megan asked, intrigued.

"Well...yeah." Rachel answered, feeling her cheeks warm though no one was there to see her embarrassment.  "You don't think he's my boyfriend?"

"Well...yeah." Megan answered.  "I don't know.  It's just weird to hear you say that word in reference to JC and actually have it mean something, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Rachel replied.  She'd often referred to JC as her ‘boyfriend' over the years, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever think he might actually be her boyfriend one day.  She giggled.

"You are so twitterpated." Megan observed.

"Yep.  It's true." Rachel readily agreed making her friend chuckle. 

"Hey, I have to go." Megan said.  "I just had a couple minutes to talk.  We've got some friends from work coming over and then I think we're going to watch a movie."

"Okay." Rachel said.  "Have fun.  Tell Jackson I said hi."

"I will." Megan assured her.  "I'll talk to you later."

"Alright." Rachel said.  "Good night."

As she hung up, Rachel once more ran her fingers over the picture of her and JC on her screen.  Copying the picture to her computer she quickly set the photo as he desktop wallpaper.  Smiling, she set her laptop on the coffee table and stood.  She walked over to her DVD collection and pulled out The Village-a movie she'd seen numerous times.  "Appropriate for Halloween, I'd say." She said out loud.  Placing the DVD in the player she grabbed the blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch and curled up on the couch.

As the opening credits started her mind immediately went back to the last time she'd curled up on the couch to watch a movie.  Somehow, the pillow she was laying on seemed a poor substitute to JC's warm body and inviting arms.  Movies are definitely more enjoyable with him as a cuddle buddy. She thought.  She began wondering how he was, and if he was doing like he said in his card a few days ago-was he really thinking about her?  She kind of regretted not going with him this weekend.  What would it have hurt?  She thought.  She had kicked herself several times over the past couple days.  She had given up the opportunity to meet the rest of her teenage idols and the possibility of being friends with them.  It JC wanted her to meet the other guys, that showed he was more than interested in her, didn't it? 

"Why did I say no?" She mumbled, rolling her eyes.   "Am I crazy?"  Reaching into her pocket she took out her cell phone and quickly typed a short message to the man currently occupying her thoughts.

How was the party?

Sending the message to JC, Rachel looked at the time.  9:30.  That means it's...12:30 in Orlando.  The party's probably still underway.  Rachel reached out and put her cell phone on the coffee table, trying to concentrate on the plot of the movie instead of letting her mind dwell on what JC might be doing right now.  If Chris was anything like his image portrayed him to be, there was sure to be a lot of girls at this party.  And not just any girls-pretty girls.  Why didn't I go with him? She thought again, the image of JC dancing and flirting with another girl leaving a bad taste in her mouth.  Her eyes left the screen and looked over at the wallpaper on her laptop desktop, then over at her phone willing it to ring.

This is ridiculous! Rachel thought, reaching for the bag of peanut butter cups once more.  He said he'd be thinking of me and that he'd call when he got back in town on Monday.  She unwrapped a piece of chocolate and placed it in her mouth, chewing it quickly as she tried to restrain herself from calling him.  Acting the part of the jealous and overbearing girlfriend is not the way to go.  She told herself.  Let's give him the benefit of the doubt.    This was a good lesson in trust Rachel decided.  "I hate lessons in trust." She grumbled.

Finally, she became engrossed in the movie, losing track of the time as the story grabbed her.  Rachel instinctively pulled the blanket closer to her as the movie made her jump-like it always did-in certain parts. As much as people touted this movie as being an intense thriller, it was the love story between the two main characters that made it Rachel's favorite.  She watched the screen longingly as Joaquin Phoenix recited one of the most romantic declaration of love Rachel had ever heard. 

Why must you lead, when I want to lead? If I want to dance I will ask you to dance. If I want to speak I will open my mouth and speak. Everyone is forever plaguing me to speak further. Why? What good is it to tell you you are in my every thought from the time I wake? What good can come from my saying that I sometimes cannot think clearly or do my work properly? What gain can rise of my telling you the only time I feel fear as others do is when I think of you in harm? That is why I am on this porch, Ivy Walker. I fear for your safety before all others.

"And yes," Rachel said the last line out loud along with him.  "I will dance with you on our wedding night."  She sighed wistfully, and wondered briefly what JC would do if she were as bold as Ivy Walker and asked the boy she loved if he would dance with her when they got married.  She felt a tingle shot down her spine.  What am I thinking? She questioned.  I can't even really make out with the boy without completely freaking out.  How the hell would I ask him if he would dance with me at our wedding?!  And when exactly did I decide I wanted to marry him?  Rachel shook her head at her ridiculous thoughts and once more turned her attention to the movie.

Even though it was one of her favorite movies, it had been a while since Rachel had seen it and she'd forgotten how intense it was.  As the story neared its end with Ivy in the woods being followed by one of the creatures-her phone vibrated on the table, scaring her and making her scream. 

"Oh my word!" She exclaimed, placing a hand over her racing heart as she closed her eyes briefly.  Opening them she shook her head and reached for her phone.  Flipping it open she smiled when she read the message from JC.

Good, but it would have been better if you'd been here.

She opened a blank message to reply to him as a second text came in.  Again it was from JC and again it made her smile.

I miss you.

Rachel looked at the time.  It was almost eleven which meant it was almost two in Orlando.  Why is it we always talk on the phone so late at night when he's out of town? She wondered.  Not that she was complaining.  Hell, if he wanted to talk at three in the morning she'd be up for it.  It made her feel a little better that he was willing to talk to her at all after she'd been kind of distant with him this past week.  She quickly typed a message and sent it to him.

I miss you too.

She flipped her phone closed and turned her attention back to the movie as she reached into the bag of peanut butter cups only to discover there were three left in the bag.  "Ugh." She said.  "Okay, seriously not a good idea to have a bag of chocolate lying around when I'm lonely and feeling sorry for myself."  Just then her phone vibrated continuously-indicating someone was calling, not just sending her a message.  She reached for it, smiling when she read the name of the caller.

"Hey." She said, placing the phone against her ear and reaching for the remote control. 

"Hello, Beautiful." JC answered quietly making Rachel smile and her heart skipped a beat as she paused the DVD.  "How are you?" He asked.

"I've been better." She answered honestly.

"Why?  What's going on?" He questioned.

"Well," she chuckled.  "The boy I like is almost three thousand miles away at some party in Florida and I've eaten almost an entire bag of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups while I've been watching The Village by myself, if that tells you anything."

He laughed.  "I love Reece's."  He said.  "And The Village is a great movie.  I wish I was there with you."

"I wish you were here too." She admitted.  "My pillow isn't as comfortable as it was with the last movie I watched."  He chuckled.  "So, tell me about the party." She smiled as he began telling her about his evening.  She laughed when he told her about Chris and Joey's costumes and about how he and Justin and gotten into a wrestling match in the kitchen over something (although he didn't mention what).  As he continued telling her about the party Rachel sat up and pulled her laptop into her lap, curious about whether or not the media had caught wind that all five members of N SYNC had been at the same party tonight.  As she went to the Google News page, she chuckled.

"What?" He asked, stopping his narrative.

"Uh...there are already pictures of you guys all together on the internet and people are buzzing."

"Oh yeah?" He chuckled.  "What are they saying?"

Rachel scrolled through a couple of the sites that had information posted.  "They're saying that a reunion must be in the works.  Why else would you all be together again in once place?"

"Hmmm."

"You know, it's not very nice of you guys to tease your fans like this." Rachel replied.

"Who says we're teasing?" He replied.

"Don't even joke about this." Rachel said and he began laughing.  "I'm serious!"  She insisted but JC continued laughing.  "You're such a punk!" Rachel exclaimed as she couldn't help but join in with his laughter.  "There're also some pictures circulating of you and me and Justin at the club last weekend." She said.

"Really?" He asked, his laughter quieting.  "What did they say about those?"

"That there's a love triangle going on between us, which of course, is completely ridiculous."

"Of course." JC answered.

"Because, let's be honest." Rachel continued.  "If Justin were interested in me I'd drop your sorry ass like there's no tomorrow." She finished teasingly.

JC gasped on the other end of the line and Rachel laughed.  "Now, who's the one teasing?" He asked.

"To quote a guy I know, ‘who says I'm teasing?'" She replied.

"You better watch it, Sassy." He threatened and Rachel smiled at his using the nickname he'd given her a few weeks ago.

"Or what?" She prodded him.

"Or...I don't know." He paused. 

Rachel became concerned when he remained quiet.  "Jace?" She questioned.

"Were you being serious?" He asked, worry lacing his tone.

"About Justin?"

"Yeah."

"Hell, no!" Rachel replied. 

"Seriously?" He asked.

"Seriously." She answered.  "Jace, what's the matter?" She asked, picking up on his change of mood.

"Nothing.  I just...nothing."

Rachel's brow furrowed as she sat there confused.  His sudden change in demeanor over her teasing led Rachel to believe he was trying to hide some insecurity he had.  But insecurity about what? Rachel wondered.  He was JC Chasez for crying out loud!  What in the hell did he have to be insecure about?

"When are you coming home?" Rachel asked as he remained quiet on the other end of the line.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because." She answered.  "You never really answered me when I asked you this the other day and I...I miss you.  I want to see you when you get home."

"I'll be home Monday afternoon." He replied, the usual, happy tone to his voice noticeably gone.  "I think my flight gets in around three."

He yawned and Rachel smiled.  "You sound really tired." She said.

"I am." He replied.

"I'll let you go then."

"No."  He said.  "I mean...you don't have to.  I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked, curling back up on the couch and pulling the blanket back over her.

"Yeah."

"Okay." She said. 

"Did you get any trick-or-treaters?" He asked.

"Nope." Rachel answered.  "Hence the reason I ate the whole bag of candy by myself.  I'm going to have to go for a run in the morning."

"Don't run too hard." He cautioned.

"I won't." She smiled.

"I'm not there to make you an ice pack if you injure yourself again." He said and Rachel chuckled, though she felt goose bumps at the remembrance of his concern and kindness.  He really was an incredible person.  It was obvious he'd had a strong and healthy upbringing.  It was definitely a credit to his parents that he had turned out the way he had-that he had been able to stay away from a lot of the pitfalls that came with fame and fortune and remain relatively normal and sane. 

"So who else was at the party?" She asked.

~~~~~

JC put one arm behind his head as he stayed lying down on his bed.  His other arm held his phone against his ear and he closed his eyes, trying to imagine Rachel was actually beside him, instead of clear across the country.  "A lot of people I didn't know." He replied as he answered her question.  "I've really become disconnected from things down here."

"Is it weird going back?" She asked.  "I mean, you spent so much of your life in that city.  That's where everything started."

"It's weird, yeah." He replied.  "I mean, it still feels like home in some respects but everything's different now.  I don't know." He sighed.  "It's hard to explain."

"Why'd you keep your house there?" She asked.

That was a good question.  Why had he kept the house here in Orlando when he had made L.A. his home?  "Nostalgia." He replied, opening his eyes and looking around his room.  "This place is really boring though, you really need to come and fix it."

She laughed.  "You know, that was one thing that amazed me when I first saw your house in L.A."

"What?" He asked with a smile.  "That it was boring?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

"Why did that surprise you?" He asked.  "I'm a guy.  I don't decorate."

"Obviously." She laughed.  "It surprised me because...well, you sometimes have a rather...um...unique sense of fashion.  I just assumed your house would give some indication of that."

"Unique sense of fashion?" He questioned.  "What do you mean?"

"Come on." She laughed.  "You know what I mean."

"No I don't." He replied, trying not to laugh.  "Explain yourself, woman."

"Uh...okay." She was quiet for a moment and he waited patiently.  "Okay, for instance..."

"Yeah?" He questioned.

"This is going back a few years, but your outfit in the video for This I Promise You?" She started giggling.

"What was wrong with it?" He asked, trying to think back on what he'd been wearing.  It had been quite a few years since they'd shot that video. 

"Everything!" She replied.  "From the skin tight beige turtle neck to your baggy green and gold patterned pants." Her giggles turned to laughter.  "The whole thing was just awkward."

"Okay," he laughed.  "But you can't blame that one on me.  I didn't have a whole lot of say on that one.  Try again."

"Um...I don't know!" She laughed.  "Give me a second....okay, okay...what about that bowtie outfit you wore on the first season of Dance Crew?"

"What about it?" He asked, not really remembering what outfit she was referring to.

"Did you pick that one out yourself?"

"Yeah." He drawled.

"What the hell were you thinking?" She giggled. 

"I thought I looked alright." He replied.

"Honey, the entire outfit looked like it had been shrunk in the dryer and bowties will never be fashionable except when you're wearing a tuxedo."

"Note taken." He chuckled.  "But it's not always my fault." He said.

"No?"

"No." He shook his head, though she couldn't see him.  "There have been more than a few times when I've shown up for an appearance and been told what I'm going to wear.  It's part of being a celebrity-you have to be seen wearing certain items at certain events."

"Hmmm." Rachel hummed.  "But most of the time you can wear what you want, right?"

"Yeah." He replied.  "For the most part."

"Good to know." She said.

"Why?" He wondered.

"I was just curious." She replied and he chuckled.

"Anything else you're curious about?" He asked.

"Is your favorite color really blue?" She asked.

"Yes, why?"

"I've always wondered how much of the little trivia facts put out about you guys were actually true and what stuff was made up."

He laughed.  "Most of it was true."

"Most?" She questioned.

"Well, I mean...all the stuff that was put out in the beginning about where I'm from and my family background isn't all true because I didn't make the truth about me being adopted widely known."

"What's that like?" She asked.

"Being adopted?" He clarified.

"Yeah."

"Um..." He chuckled self-consciously.  "I don't know.  I really can't compare it to anything...it's just my life."

"Did you always know you were adopted?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.  "I was five when Mom and Dad took me in."

"Are you..." She paused.  "Are you in contact with your birth mother?"

"Yes and no." He answered.  "I know who she is, and I know she's proud of what I've done in life but...Roy and Karen are my parents.  Heather and Tyler are my brother and sister.  That's who my family is."

"I'd like to meet them someday." Rachel said quietly and JC's heart skipped.

"My family?"

"Yeah."

He smiled.  "I'm sure you will." He replied.  He took a deep breath and rolled over on his side.

"Would you be mad if I showed up at the airport on Monday?" Rachel asked.

Again he smiled.  "Why would I be mad?"  He questioned.  She was quiet.  "Are you going to be there?" He asked.

"If I can swing it at work." She replied.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed." He said and she laughed softly.  When she remained quiet he began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep on him.  "Rachel?"  He asked quietly.  There was no answer so he tried again.  "Rach?" 

"Hmmm." She hummed softly and he smiled. 

"Good night, Beautiful." He said.  She didn't answer and he knew she was asleep but he didn't want to end the call.  He stayed on the phone listening to the soft sounds of her breathing for a little while until he reluctantly hung up.

Rolling over on to his back again he put his phone on the nightstand and placed both arms behind his head as he laid, staring up at his ceiling.  Rachel had asked him several questions that caused him to think tonight and even though it was almost three a.m. and he was tired, his mind wouldn't slow down.  His thoughts and feelings were all over the place. 

Rachel had asked him why he'd kept this house and he'd told her one of the reasons.  What he hadn't told her was that he'd really kept it because deep down he wanted to believe that one day things would be like they had been.  If he sold the house, it would be like he was selling out on his dreams.  It gave him a tie to Orlando and without it he knew he might not ever come back to the city.  Although he loved Florida and had years of memories tied up here, it was always bittersweet coming back here and lately it had been more bitter than sweet.

He'd had fun being with the guys tonight laughing and partying like old times, but it hadn't really been like old times.  Something was missing that had been there before. There had always been a silent understanding between them all that they would get back together and do another album, but it had been seven years since Celebrity had been released and seeing the guys again-knowing they each had their own things they were doing, he was finally realizing that another album may never happen.  Could he deal with that?  Could he deal with the fact that at thirty-two his career was basically over?  What did he have left?  His solo career had gone nowhere.  Sure he had his gig on MTV but that thought just caused him to roll his eyes.  Is that what I'm going to be from now on? A reality show judge reduced to doing stupid guest appearances on random television shows?  How pathetic is that? Oh how far I've come.  He thought sarcastically as he closed his eyes.  Maybe it was time to sell this house.  Maybe the time had come to cut ties with the past and finally deal with the reality that was his future.