"Well," She started.  JC watched from beneath the brim of his hat as she tucked some of her long blonde hair behind her ears.  "This is the part where you tell me what you want to do."  She looked over at him and he raised his eyes connecting with her brown eyes, causing his mind to momentarily go blank.  There was something about her that...he shook his head.  Rachel sat looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Well, you know," he started, wondering if this was such a great idea.  "I bought this house about eight years ago and at the time, never really had the chance to do what I wanted to it.  Things have slowed down a little for me now and I wanted to..." he shrugged, "I don't know...make some changes, update some things.  You know." He stopped himself from rambling anymore and coming off as any more of an idiot.  He had purchased this house back in 2000 when he had been on top of the world.  But now JC looked around the large front room they were sitting in and couldn't help feeling...restless. 

It was true-what he'd told Rachel-things had definitely slowed down and because of that he was home.  A lot.  Maybe it was having just had another birthday that was making him come to grips with reality (after all he wasn't a kid anymore).  Thirty-two.  He cringed and stretched his legs out in front of him.  If he were completely honest with himself he knew his life would never be what it once was (no matter how he might wish otherwise) and the thought of spending any amount of time in this house, with its sharp clean lines and sterile white walls left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.  He had thought about moving but that thought made him cringe even more.  Moving was more hassle than it was worth.  So that left him with the only other option: remodeling or redecorating.  If he was stuck here, it was time to turn this house into his home.

"I was told you only wanted to do a couple rooms, is that right?" Rachel asked, bringing him back to reality.  He turned his head and looked over at her. 

"To start with." He said.

"Okay," she said as she pulled one of the notebooks she'd set on the coffee table into her lap.  She flipped it open, grabbed a pen from her purse and looked at him.  "Which rooms?" She asked.

"The main ones." He answered.  "Kitchen, Living Room, Family Room," he was ticking them off on his fingers as Rachel began making notes on the paper in front of her, "Bedroom." He finished.  He looked over at her when he thought he heard her breath hitch.  Was her hand shaking, or was it just his imagination?  Once more he looked-really looked-at the woman sitting at the other end of his couch.  She couldn't be more than twenty-three, if that.  Too bad. He thought.  If she were a few years older I might be tempted to... He left that thought unfinished as she spoke again.  Come on, Chasez. He told himself.  Concentrate.  But that was easier said than done.  He had been spending so much time in the studio lately working on his music that he hadn't really had time to pursue any girl he was interested in.  And now with the show on MTV being picked up for another season...He reached a hand up and adjusted the hat on his head.  Needless to say it had been a while since he'd been with someone.

Rachel looked over at him as he remained quiet.  Once again he was caught off guard by the beauty of her eyes.  He hadn't known the combination of blonde hair and brown eyes was possible and he wondered briefly if she was wearing contacts, or if she dyed her hair.  As he continued staring at her, however, he came to the conclusion that both colors were natural.  He'd been in the business long enough that he could usually spot a dye job from a mile away.    

"Do you have any ideas on what you want to do?" She asked.

"Not really." He answered.  "I mean, that's why you're here, right?"

"Um, okay." She said.  "Well, why don't you show me the rooms you want to redo and tell me what you don't like about them?" She offered.  "Then we'll go from there."

"Sure." He said, rubbing his hands on his thighs then standing.

"Should we start in here?" She asked standing and turning around, taking in the space.

"Yeah, alright." He answered with a shrug. 

"What don't you like about it?" She asked, looking at him over her shoulder. 

Why couldn't he remember where he had met her?  It was there, on the tip of his tongue, if he could just remember...  "Uh..." He rubbed his hands together as he looked around.  "It's too..." he scrunched his face up as he searched for the right words.  He was a famous songwriter, he never had a problem finding the right words but as he looked around the room he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was. "It's too..."

"Beige?" She asked, with a raise of one delicate eyebrow.

He chuckled.  "That's one way of putting it, I guess." He said, looking around at the neutral tones on everything from the furniture to the window coverings and carpet to the paint on the wall.  He'd never realized before just how bland this room was.  No wonder he hardly used it.  JC watched as Rachel began writing in her pad as she walked around the room.  She pulled out a small tape measure and began measuring one of the large windows that took up most of one wall.  "What are you doing?" He asked, coming to stand beside her. 

"Measuring." She said.

"That's obvious." He replied.  He reached out and held the end of the tape measure.  She looked at him for a second as if surprised then took a few steps away from him, stretching the tape across the glass.  She smiled at him as she made note of the width of the window.  He let go of the end he'd been holding onto as she stepped towards him again.

"I've got to take measurements of the room before I can get started on my sketches." She answered, walking around him and standing in front of the second window.  JC found his mouth turning up in a grin as he turned on his heels and held out his hand to her again.  Rachel again looked at him briefly as if trying to gauge his motives before handing him the end of the tape measure again. 

"How long have you been doing this?" He asked.

"Measuring windows?" She asked with a teasing grin. 

"Interior Design." He answered, watching her.  His interest was definitely piqued now.  That sassy comment led him to believe that under the very poised business woman persona was a spitfire just waiting until five o'clock to break free. 

"I actually just graduated in May.  I interned with A & R last summer and they offered me a position when I graduated."

"Did you go to UCLA?" He asked, making an assumption.  Graduated in May, he thought, surprised at the slight disappointment that he felt.  Just as I thought.  She's only twenty-three.

"Arizona State." Rachel replied as she wrote down the width of this second window.  "Do you have a step stool or something?" She asked looking at him.

"I'm sure I've got something." He answered.  "Why?"

She pointed to the ceiling.  "I've got to measure the height of the windows."

"I'll be right back." He said, handing her his end of the tape measure.  She smiled as she turned and looked around the room. 

JC paused before he turned the corner, looking back at Rachel.  He watched as she placed the end of her pen in her mouth and narrowed her eyes slightly.  She studied the layout of the room for a few seconds then began writing something in the notebook she had in her hand.  He shook his head once again trying to shake off the déjà vu as he turned and walked towards the kitchen in search of a step stool. 

Rachel released the breath she'd been holding as JC disappeared around the corner.  She tried to bite back the excited scream that had been building and was begging for release.  She couldn't help the few little jumps she did before forcing her inner teenager back into place.  As the professional adult she was took charge once more, Rachel giggled as she thought of Megan's reaction to the news she had to share with her.  She had felt certain she was going to go into cardiac arrest when JC had invited her in and made himself comfortable on his couch beside her.  And she thought she was going to die when he mentioned that his bedroom was one of the rooms he wanted to redo.  His bedroom!  How many girls could say they'd been in JC Chasez's bedroom?  Rachel stopped.  Uh...actually, on second thought.  I don't think I want to know the answer to that question. 

She had been proud of herself for the calm, professional demeanor she'd been able to project but the longer she sat there, inches away from the man she had been in love with since she'd been fifteen, she felt her control slipping.  When she had asked him what it was he didn't like about the room she had felt a bit sorry for him.  There he was: successful musician and entertainer, yet she could tell, even with everything he had and everything he'd accomplished in his life, he was still unsatisfied.  Fame not all it's cracked up to be, JC? She wanted to ask.  Instead, Rachel had walked across the room to measure the windows trying to distance herself from him a bit.  Trying to distance herself from the what he made her feel.  It was torture being this close to him again but being unable to touch him.  She was hurt and disappointed that he, apparently, didn't remember her and her mind and body were not helping matters any.  The longer she was in the same room with him the more vivid her memories became.  How it had felt to be in his arms.  How it had felt to dance with him.  How it had felt when he kissed her...

"You're in luck."

Rachel turned quickly as JC's voice interrupted her trip down memory lane.  She hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.  Even though she knew there was no way he could have known what she was thinking she still felt a little guilty about the direction her thoughts had taken.  She smiled as he set the stool he'd found on the ground in front of the window.  She watched as he stepped onto it and held out a hand to her.  She swallowed as she stepped towards him, handing him the tape measure.  He stretched up, holding the end of the tape against the top of the window. 

Rachel closed her eyes and bit back a groan as the motion caused his shirt to lift slightly, revealing a hint of skin between the hem of his T-shirt and the waist of the boxers he was wearing beneath his jeans.  Her face felt like it was on fire as she bent down, holding her end of the tape to the bottom of the window sill.  Her hands shook slightly as she quickly jotted down the measurement trying to control her breathing...and thoughts.  Oh the things she'd like to do to the boy!  She was tempted to feel guilty about what she had just seen, but she couldn't help it that with him standing on the stool, his waist and hips had been right at her eye level.  What was she supposed to do?  Turn her back on him?  That would have made things awkward.  As he stepped down and moved the stool to the other window, again reaching up and holding the tape measure above his head, Rachel forced herself to look anywhere but where her eyes longed to go.

"Are you from Arizona?" He asked.

"What?" She asked, startled back to the task at hand.  She looked at the tape measure and wrote down the number she needed. 

"Arizona." He said, stepping down and handing her his end of the tape measure.  "You said you went to Arizona State."

"Oh, right." She concentrated on refolding the tape measure.  "Arizona."

"So are you?" He asked.

"From Arizona?" She asked, wanting to slap her head for how ridiculous she sounded.  Hi, I'm Rachel Kline and I'm a complete airhead!

"Yes." He said, his blue eyes laughing.  That's right. She thought.  Laugh it up.  You're obviously used to woman fumbling and falling all over themselves in front of you.

"Yes." She finally answered his question.  "Yes, I'm from Arizona." And I promise I'm usually not this blonde. She wanted to reassure him.

"That's cool." He said nodding.  "I've played there a few times."

"Yeah, I know." She said, wanting to slap herself again as he looked at her curiously.  She really needed some sort of filter system when it came to her mouth.  Normally she was able to contain her thoughts before they escaped but there was something about this man that caused all good sense to leave her body.  "I uh..." She laughed nervously.  "You guys came to Phoenix when I was in high school." She offered as explanation.

He just looked at her, a small smile on his face and Rachel tried not to act as disappointed as she felt.  She had hoped he was going say that he knew someone from Phoenix-Jackson-and thus it would finally click for him that he knew her as well.  Okay.  Obviously not.  She thought.  "I think I'm done in here." She said as he remained quiet.  "Why don't you show me the next room?"

"Sure." He said turning and walking back out into the foyer.  Rachel gathered up the other notebook and papers she'd set on his coffee table then turned and followed him as he led her around to the other rooms. 

The rest of the house was similar to the front room they had started in.  Everything was so bland.  The house had no character and Rachel found it odd.  For a man who had no problem whatsoever expressing his rather...unique sense of fashion for the entire world to see, she would have thought his house would be oozing with his personality.  If she had just happened to walk into this house without knowing who owned it she would have had no clue that JC lived there.  Except for one wall downstairs that was covered with posters and plaques documenting his career and accomplishments in the entertainment business, and a few other miscellaneous awards scattered around the house, the only room that contained any sort of essence whatsoever of the man who lived here was his bedroom.  But even that was lacking the feeling of home that she sensed he was searching for.

As he took her upstairs and showed her into the bedroom Rachel felt like she had somehow won the JC Chasez lottery.  When she and Megan had been sixteen and the guys had come to Phoenix, the girls had worked extra hard to earn the money for tickets.  The day before they went on sale, however, Rachel had called in to one of the local radio stations and answered their trivia question correctly, thus earning her a pair of tickets and backstage passes to meet the guys.  Megan had flipped out when Rachel told her and the girls had immediately taken the money they would have spent on their tickets to the mall-buying cute new outfits to wear to meet their teen idols instead. Rachel and Megan had been on cloud nine and had told everyone they knew (and even a lot of people they didn't know) that they were going to meet N SYNC.  However, the afternoon of the concert they had both gotten food poisoning and had spent most of the weekend curled around their respective toilets-their chance at meeting JC, Justin, Joey, Lance and Chris lost forever. 

Rachel looked over at JC as he walked farther into the bedroom.  I never would have complained so much about getting sick, she thought, if I knew I'd one day be standing here.  She looked around the large room, her brows furrowing slightly as she took in the layout.  The same boring neutral color pallet that had been in the other rooms continued.  The only redeeming things being the few dark blue pillows on his bed and the large green and blue abstract painting hung above the dresser on the far wall. 

As she walked around, taking measurements and making notes of what JC was telling her Rachel noticed several books stacked on a small table beside a large overstuffed chair, a pair of reading glasses folded on top.  The image of JC sitting in that chair, wearing those glasses and reading a book made her smile and Rachel drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she looked over at him.  He was leaning against the wall watching her.

"Tuesdays with Morrie?" Rachel asked, referencing one of the books on the table.

"It's a great book." He answered.  "Have you read it?"

"No, but I saw the movie." Rachel replied with a smile.  "I read his other book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven." She said.  She turned back to her sketchbook, but watched from the corner of her eye as he walked towards her.  She looked up and watched as he removed the glasses from on top of the book and removed the book from the pile. 

"I just finished it." He said, holding it out to her.  "You should read it.  It's much better than the movie."

"Books generally are." She replied with a small smile.  "Are you sure?" She asked a bit taken back by his offer.   She stepped closer to accept the book, her knees suddenly feeling weak as the scent of his cologne hit her again.

"Yeah." He smiled.  "You'll bring it back, right?" His smile turned playful as he winked at her.

"Yeah." Rachel breathed as she nodded slowly.  They stood, looking at each other for a few moments.  All the while, Rachel was silently begging him to remember who she was.  Had he been that intoxicated the night of Megan's wedding?  As much as she'd kicked herself over the past year for rejecting his offer to go back to his hotel with him that night, Rachel was now thankful she hadn't.  Having him not remember her after making out was one thing.  Having him not remember her after sleeping together would have been devastating. 

Alright. She thought.  If you don't remember me, I'll pretend I don't know what an incredible kisser you are.  Rachel bit back a sigh, her lips tingling at that thought.  What she wouldn't give to feel his lips on hers again, but...she could play it cool.  She would play it cool.  What else could she do?

JC took a step towards her, closing the small space between them, the look in his eyes making her heart skip a beat.  She cleared her throat, stopping him in his tracks.  "I think I've got what I need to draw up a proposal for you."

"How long does that take?" He asked, his eyes still focused intently on her.

"Two or three days." She said proud of her composure.  Having JC standing there, looking at her like that was doing strange things to her heart and made her feel a little like she did when she went out drinking.  "I should have it to you by the end of the week."

"Okay." He said, turning and walking out of the room.  Rachel had no choice but to follow him.  "I've got a few more designers I'm meeting with this week so that's fine." He said as they made their way back downstairs.

"Okay." Rachel said.  "Do you want me to call you...or email the proposal to you...or...?" She left it up to him to decide how he wanted her to contact him again.

"Uh...email works I guess." He said, reaching a hand out towards her.  Rachel handed him the pen in her hand, the held out the sketchbook she'd been taking notes in.  He quickly wrote out his email address and handed both items back to her.  She looked down at what he'd written: jscmusic76@gmail.com.  She smiled.  Very safe. She thought.

"It was nice meeting you, JC." Rachel said, holding out her hand.  He took her hand in his and again thought she saw a spark of recognition in his eyes.  But she was either seeing things or he was a very good actor.  "I'll get working on this proposal and email you in the next couple days."

"Sounds good." He said.  He smiled as he opened the door for her.  "I'll be looking for your email."

Rachel pulled her sunglasses from her purse.  "Do I need a code to get back out?" She asked, looking at him as she placed the dark lenses over her eyes.

"Nope." He said.  "It opens automatically from this side."

"Well, again, it was nice meeting you, JC," she said walking towards her car.  He said nothing, just shoved his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the doorframe. 

Rachel smiled once more at him as she slid behind the wheel of her car.  Turning the key in the ignition she maneuvered out of the driveway and through the gate.  Reaching over to the seat she picked up the earpiece to her cell phone, inserted the ear bud into her ear, plugged the other end into the phone and hit the speed dial button for Megan.

She heard Megan pick up her phone and before her friend could say anything Rachel cut her off.  "Aaahhhh!!!" She screamed.  "You will never guess who I just spent over an hour with!"

"Uh..." Megan stalled with a laugh.  "Hold on, I'm at the office.  Let me get outside before you start screaming again!" Megan laughed.

"Okay, but hurry!  I don't know how much longer I can contain myself." Rachel said, pulling off into a grocery store parking lot.  She had gone about as long as she could keeping her excitement contained and was too preoccupied to concentrate on driving.  Her insurance rates were already through the roof (due to a few accidents in the past) and she really couldn't afford another one on her driving record.  "Megan, I about died today when I got to the door and found out who the guy was."

Megan chuckled.  "Okay, spill the beans.  Wait, let me guess...I can tell you're jumping out of your skin so it's got to be someone pretty big.  Uh...Justin Timberlake?" Megan asked.

Rachel laughed.  "Nope."

"Uh..."

"It was JC!" Rachel blurted out before Megan could guess again.

"What?!" Megan almost screamed.  "Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about something like this?" Rachel asked. 

"Tell me everything!" Megan said excitedly. 

"How much time do you have?" Rachel laughed.

"Don't worry about that." Megan replied.  "This is way more important!"

Both girls giggled.  "Oh Megan," Rachel sighed.  "He's...he's..."

"Sexy?" Megan guessed.

"Oh, sexy is an understatement." Rachel said.  "Sexy does not even begin to describe the man.  He's like..." Rachel giggled.

"What?" Megan asked.  "He's like what?  What is he like?"

"He's like...like the first taste of chocolate mousse-smooth and creamy and leaves you wanting more."  Rachel sighed and Megan laughed. 

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Megan laughed.  Rachel laughed. "Does he look good?" Megan asked.  "What was he wearing?  What did he say?  What did you say?  Does he remember you?"

Rachel laughed.  "He looks good.  Real good." She sighed as she laid her head back on the headrest. 

"What was he wearing?"  Megan asked again.  "Come on, paint the picture for me.  Help me visualize what went on."

"It's hard to believe you're a married woman about to have a baby." Rachel teased.  "Does Jackson know you still fantasize about JC?" Rachel asked.

"Yes.  We have an understanding about it."

"What kind of understanding?" Rachel asked, chuckling.

"I fantasize and he pretends to understand." Megan said, causing Rachel to laugh.  "Just like I pretend to understand his fondness for Sandra Bullock."

Rachel giggled then told Megan everything that had happened since they had hung up a few hours ago.  She described everything from what he had been wearing to how he had been sitting to the heart attack she almost had when she'd come face to stomach with his skin.  Rachel recounted in detail everything that had been said between them and told Megan of the couple times she had thought JC remembered her, and then expressed her disappointment in the fact that JC apparently had no clue who she was. 

"But maybe that's better." She said.  "I mean, we only made out after only knowing each other for about an hour.  It's not like I really want him to remember me as a slut."

Megan laughed.  "That's true." She said.  "Hopefully this is a new start for you two."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.  She swore softly under her breath when she saw what time it was.  Most of her initial excitement had worn off and she had to get back to the office before she was fired.  Putting her car in gear she exited the parking lot and made her way across town. 

"Well, if he accepts the proposal you send him, which, by the way, I can't believe you have JC Chasez's email address!!  Do you know how many girls would kill to have that kind of insider information?" Megan asked.  Rachel laughed.  "But like I was saying," Megan continued, "If he accepts the proposal you send him then you'll be spending a lot of time with him.  It's the perfect opportunity to show him you're not always a slut." She teased.

"Yeah, except for one thing." Rachel said, her excitement rapidly fading as reality set in.  It was nice to dream about, but the sad fact was, she probably wouldn't see JC again.  This was the second time she'd had to say good-bye to the man and she didn't like it.  She didn't like it at all.  Why was it just when she thought her dreams were coming true reality had to rise up and slap her in her face?

"What?" Megan asked.

"Even if he accepts the proposal and wants my company to do this job I'm not going to be the one working with him."

"What?!  Why not?"

"Because I'm at the bottom of the totem pole, Megan." Rachel said, merging onto the freeway.  "I'm the one they send in to get all the initial information.  I talk to the clients.  I take the measurements.  I note what kind of theme the client wants or what their likes and dislikes are and then I put the proposal together.  I do all the dirty work but then I have to pass it on to one of the senior managers.  They're the ones who get to do all the fun stuff."

"That's ridiculous!" Megan exclaimed. 

Rachel signaled and looked over her shoulder as she changed lanes to pass a school bus that was in her lane.  "Ridiculous or not," She said.  "That's the way it works.  I'm just a lowly first year graduate.  If he were some ordinary guy I might be given the job, but not with him being a celebrity.  Matt's going to give this one to either Courtney or Abbie."

"I'm sorry, Ray." Megan said.

"Yeah." Rachel said, disappointment filling her.  "You and me both."

"But hey," Megan said with a smile in her voice.  "At least you still have his email address right?"

Rachel chuckled.  "Yeah.  I guess for a consolation prize that's pretty good, huh?"

"Definitely." Megan said.  "Hey," Megan said.  "I better get back to work."

"Yeah," Rachel said.  "And I'm almost at the office."

"Call me later?" Megan asked.

"Of course." Rachel answered with a sad smile.

"I'll talk to you later then."

"Okay, bye."  Rachel flipped her phone closed and took the earpiece from her ear.  She reached over and flipped on the radio, hoping for a song she knew that she could sing along to and attempt to get her thoughts off of JC.  It was just her luck-meeting him for a second time yet being unable to do anything but keep a professional distance from him and exchange small talk all the while screaming inside and wanting to jump into his arms.  She wanted to find out if kissing him was as incredible as she remembered it being or if her imagination had blown in out of proportion in the time since she'd experienced what millions of girls all over the world would kill to experience.  Megan's right. Rachel thought as she exited the freeway and drove towards her office.  I'm one of the lucky ones and need to just move on.  Now if only she could convince herself of that.

~*~

Rachel sat in her small cubicle a week later, working on a design sketch for an outdoor wedding she had been put in charge of.  She put the end of her pen in her mouth as she tilted her head to the side, looking over her notes.  If I can talk Lucy into getting rid of the statues and putting a few more tables there in the middle, things would flow so much better. She thought.  She reached for her sample book and flipped a couple pages coming to the particular fabric swatch she thought would go perfectly with the colors the bride had chosen.  Making note of the name and number of the sample, Rachel continued working on her idea.  A tent there with lights and some candles over there and I think-

Her head jerked up when a large green file folder was thrown in front of her.  Surprised at the interruption Rachel swiveled in her chair, turning to find the origin of the mysterious folder.  Matt Richards, vice president and son of one of the owners of the company, stood leaning against the wall, arms folded casually across his chest. 

"What's this?" Rachel asked gesturing at the folder.

"That," He said with a smile.  "Is your first job.  Congratulations."

Rachel looked closer at the folder lying in front of her, her eyes widening at the name typed on the label: Chasez, JC.  "This is a joke, right?" She asked, looking up at Matt.  He shook his head.  "He accepted the proposal?" Rachel asked unbelievingly.

"Yep.  He called about an hour ago."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Rachel asked.  Not that she wasn't dieing for the chance to work with JC but she knew how things worked here.  She was the last person that should be given this account.  "Courtney, or Abbie, or even Chad should be--"

"JC accepted the proposal you put together with one condition." Matt interrupted her.

"What was that?" Rachel asked.

"He said he'd only work with us if you were the designer."

"Me?" Rachel asked, her heart beating rapidly, her face betraying her shock over this news.

"He said he was impressed with your professionalism and that you had a ton of great ideas that he really liked."

"He asked for me specifically?" Rachel asked.  She heard the words coming out of his mouth but for some reason her brain refused to accept or process them.

"It's there in the contract if you don't believe me." Matt chuckled.  Rachel flipped the file folder open and skimmed over the contract Matt had drawn up.  Sure enough, there was her name. 

"I-I...I don't know...thank you." She said, looking back at Matt.

"Don't thank me." He said with a smile.  "The customer gets they want and this customer wants you.  He's waiting for your call to set up another consultation."  Matt said, turning on his heels and leaving her cubicle.

Rachel smiled as Matt's last statement settled around her.  He's waiting for your call.  "Well," she said, under her breath, "Those are definitely words I never thought I'd hear." Rachel chuckled to herself as she dug her cell phone out of her purse.

Are you busy?

She sent the message and waited for Megan's response.

Give me ten minutes.

Rachel quickly typed a response:

Call me ASAP.

We need to talk!

With the message sent, Rachel attempted to go back to the wedding design in front of her, but her eyes kept straying to the green folder sitting on her desk.  As much as she tried concentrating on outdoor tents and wedding arches her thoughts were racing.  Why would he request me personally? She thought.  She gasped as the most obvious answer came to mind.  He does remember me!  Rachel felt a giddy excitement fill her, as she grinned.  Her euphoria was short lived however when common sense once more took over.  If he did remember me, why didn't he say something when I was there?  Why didn't he call me?  He has my number.  Unless he deleted it.  Rachel sighed as she placed her elbows up on her desk and covered her face with her hands.  Come on, Megan! She silently plead.  Where are you?

As if she had heard Rachel's thoughts from where she was in Phoenix, Rachel's cell phone vibrated; Megan's name popping up on the screen.  Rachel sighed in gratitude as she flipped her phone open and quickly walked out of her cubicle and down the hallway to the front doors.

"What's going on?" Megan's concerned voice asked.

"I'm having a nervous breakdown." Rachel responded.

"Why?"

"How much time do you have?" Rachel asked, walking out and sitting on one of the benches outside her office building.

"I'm on my lunch break right now." Megan said.  "So I've got about an hour.  Talk."

"Do you remember..." Rachel started, then laughed.  "Of course you remember, how could you forget?"

"How could I forget what?" Megan asked.

Rachel groaned.  "I'm so confused, Megs.  He's driving me absolutely insane, which is ridiculous because, let's be honest, I hardly know the guy.  Well, I mean I know him but I don't know him, you know?"

"Okay, pause." Megan said, trying to hold back her laughter.  "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Where do I start?" Rachel mused.

"The beginning is usually the best place." Megan responded sarcastically.

"Remember how I've been in love with N SYNC, and more specifically JC for um...almost half my life?"

"Yeah." Megan responded.

"Okay, and remember how my fantasy of one day making out with JC came true last year at your wedding?"

Megan laughed.  "Yes."

"And remember how, after crying over the fact that he never called me-even though I gave him my number-and then moving here and realizing it was ridiculous to get my hopes up at ever meeting him again, I did meet him again?  Last week?"

"Yeah," Megan said.

"And remember how I said I'd never get to work with him?"

"Mmmhmm." Megan hummed.

"I was wrong." Rachel said.

"About what?" Megan asked, her voice sounding confused.

"Working with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Matt, my boss, handed me a folder with JC's name on it this morning."  Rachel said.  Megan gasped.  "Yeah." Rachel said as her friend finally caught on.  "Apparently, JC called and accepted the proposal I sent him."

"That's great!" Megan said.  "But...I thought you said one of the senior managers was going to get his file."

"That's what I thought." Rachel said.

"Well..." Megan prodded.  "What happened?"

"He accepted the proposal on one condition."

"Which was?"

"That I be the designer in charge."

"What?!"  Megan blurted out.  "Oh, ho!" She started giggling.  "Oh, he likes you!"

"He does?" Rachel asked.

"Yep." Megan was quick to assure her.  "Either that or he just wants to make sure he gets his book back." She teased.  Rachel had to laugh at that.

"Does he like me because he remembers making out with me, or does he like me because he likes me?" Rachel asked.  "Don't you think he would have said something when I was there is he did remember me?  And if he does remember me and our little...um...escapade, why didn't he call me?"

"Calm down." Megan answered with a laugh.  "I don't know."

"You don't know?  What kind of a best friend are you?" Rachel pouted.

Megan laughed again.  "I don't know why he never called you, Ray." She answered.  "Boys are dumb like that.  They're always doing things you don't expect.  Just...take the opportunities that come your way.  Stay calm and play it cool.  Don't question them or you might miss out on some amazing experiences." Megan giggled.  "I mean, come on!  How many girls can say they've had a personal request from JC Chasez to redecorate his house?!"

Rachel laughed.  "Yeah.  You're right."

"Of course I am.  So, when do you get to see him again?"

"Matt said he was waiting for me to call and set up a second appointment."

"And you're calling me?!" Megan exclaimed.  "I'm hanging up, but you better call me tonight."

"I will." Rachel laughed.

"I'm expecting regular updates on this...and you better not leave anything out!"

"I won't."

"Why are we still talking?" Megan asked.

"I don't know!" Rachel responded, still laughing.

"Okay, call me later!"

"Bye." Rachel said quickly before Megan hung up.  She flipped her phone closed and shook her head, smiling at the antics of her best friend.  As she walked back inside and sat down at her desk Rachel reached for JC's file, flipped it open and ran her finger down the first page until she found the contact number listed for him.

"Well," She muttered under her breath.  "If JC's expecting my call, who am I to keep him waiting?" Rachel picked up the telephone receiver, took a deep breath and dialed the seven numbers he had left. 

Here goes nothing. She thought.