Kristi spent the next day with Jess. Jess, still being home with kids and a husband, dragged Kristi with her to do all of her errands; Kristi didn’t care.
“So tell me about the little JC’s and Kristi’s that are going to be running around…”
Kristi blushed. “We’re not planning on doing that”or getting married, even engaged”any time soon. We just know we’re heading there.”
“Aunt Kristi,” Natalie, Jess’s oldest got Kristi’s attention. “Will we get to meet your boyfriend?”
Kristi laughed. “I hope so.”
“Natalie, get out of the car! Soccer practice, now!” Natalie waved and exited the mini-van. Kristi smiled; this would be her one day. Once, that would scare the crap out of her, but now…she just got a knot in her stomach because she was excited.
“Where are we going now?”
“The supermarket, I need to get things for dinner.” Jess maneuvered the van. “Are you staying?”
“Of course!”
“Hey, I might even let you make the salad.”
In the local supermarket, Kristi struggled to keep up with Jess’s long stride. Like Kristi, she was all legs. “Do you need pepper in soup?” Jess asked. “Just kidding, I need to remember who I’m talking to!”
“Haha, so funny.” Kristi gave her sister a face.
“Kristi?” Kristi whipped around at the sound of that voice.
“I’m going to get a few things, Kristi, I’ll leave you with the carriage.” Jess obviously thought Kristi wanted to talk to Alex. Kristi wanted to yell, ‘don’t leave me alone with this maniac!’, but nothing came out.
“What are you doing home?” Alex asked, making small talk.
“Well, I hurt my knee, so I figured I’d come home to rest.” She pointed to the huge brace on her knee and the crutches.
“Oh yea! I heard you’re on the *NSYNC tour.”
“Yep.” Kristi desperately wanted to change the direction of the conversation. “What are you up to?”
“I help my father run the business.” Alex’s dad owned a bakery.
“That’s nice. Married? Any kids yet?” It came out before Kristi could stop herself. She was interested, but she could have asked Jess. Why had she said that? She knew where this would lead.
“Nope, still looking for someone to fill the hole you left in my heart.” Kristi hated when he did this; blame all of his problems on her. It was her fault none of his relationships worked out because he still wasn’t over her. Well, she was over him. “Any for you?”
“No, not yet.” Kristi smiled. She’d have kids one day…with JC.
“Interested in practicing the manufacturing?” Kristi’s breath caught in her throat. Could he be any more awful? “C’mon Kristi…”
“No thanks, I’m all set.” Kristi was fighting the urge to find the closest trash barrel and puke into it.
“Yeah, that’s right…I hear you’re fucking one of the *NSYNC guys…”
Kristi had had it. He was ruining her visit home. “What?”
“Is it the gay one? Because if it is, then he won’t mind if we have a reunion…”
“Shut up! Yes, I am”as you put it”fucking an *NSYNC guy…but as it turns out, JC is not gay, and I’m madly in love with him! I’m moving in once the tour is over!”
Alex recovered quickly. “And besides, once you fuck a celebrity, the rest of us seem insignificant, don’t we? Who’s next, Nelly?”
Kristi wanted to slap him and run away at the same time. “For your information, I know Nelly, and he’s a gentleman! Unlike you! And I am a much better person than that.” Alex had started moving towards Kristi. “Get away from me!”
“C’mon, a quickie, for old time’s sake.”
“Get off of me!”
“Kristi, I got everything!” Jess came back around the aisle to a scene she didn’t like. “Alex, get away from my sister.”
“Or what?” He sneered.
“Sam won’t buy from your bakery anymore.” Sam’s company was the bakery’s biggest costumer. Alex knew this. He turned on his heels and left.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah,” Kristi took several deep breaths. “Just getting a welcome home present from Alex…”
“Why won’t you tell people what he did to you?”
“Because it doesn’t matter! He still lives here, and I don’t. As much as I hate him, I don’t want to make his life impossible…extremely hard, yes, impossible”no.”
Jess had to laugh. Kristi was too kind for her own good.
Sam drove Kristi home that night after dinner. “So how’s business?” Sam loved to talk about his business. He ran a toy factory, where kids could come and watch toys being made, and they had a cafeteria, hence the bakery purchases.
“It’s great! Any chance you’ll be needing a present soon?”
Kristi laughed. “Soon…no.”
Sam helped Kristi to the door. “Good night Kristi!” He turned, and then turned back. “Oh, and if you can help it, no more midnight phone calls?”
She smiled. “I’ll try.”
JC called again that night after the concert. He told her about the radio interview they did today, and how one girl was trying to seduce Chris over the phone. “Like he doesn’t have a fiancé!” Kristi told him about her day with Jess, minus the Alex incident. It wasn’t important.
The next few days, Kristi spent mostly at home, reading and sleeping, and learning how to cook. By now, she could make spaghetti sauce, lasagna, and corn bread. Some of her friends from high school dropped by to say hi and to wish her well. As it turns out, they all bought tickets to the second concert in Chicago. Kristi promised she’d try to get them backstage passes. “We really want to meet everyone!” Leslie, a fellow dancer, said.
“Well, Kristi, after the first concert, we could have a party for everyone here.”
Kristi thought this would be a great idea. So Kristi began telling everyone about the party. She could only hope that she would be dancing by then; it was very close to the 3 week mark.
Kristi enjoyed having family dinners again, and spending time in the place she grew up. Kristi admitted this to JC, one night on the phone. “I’m enjoying myself here.” She added quickly, “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to go back to Orlando.”
“I know that! I’m glad you’re having fun, though.”
“Me too. Oh, Jayce, listen. My parents are throwing a party the night of our first concert in Chicago. So tell everyone about it.”
“Ok, will do. So how’s everyone there?”
“Good…I’m spending my last few days with Jeff, because he’s home.”
“Doesn’t he have a family to visit?”
“Yeah, but I’ll go with him.” JC laughed. “Oh! And I saw my doctor from high school today. He said that I can go off crutches a day earlier than we thought…so that means”“
“You’re coming back sooner!” JC was very happy.
“Yep…but you have an interview that day…with Luis.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
“We will.”
The day before Kristi was set to return to the tour, she and Jeff were driving to their favorite spot to pick up guys. Not that Kristi needed to try hard to get guys to notice her, or that she needed a guy at the moment.
“Hi, I noticed your knee. Do you need any help?” A guy about Kristi’s age had come over to their table after the waiter had taken their order. Jeff didn’t keep them away; he was obviously gay enough for everyone to see.
“I’m good, but thank you.”
“I’m Gary, by the way.”
“Hi Gary, I’m Kristi, and this is my friend, Jeff.” This was the cue for Jeff to shoo men away.
“Gary, I love your complexion. What kind of moisturizer do you use?”
Gary mumbled something and left in a hurry.
“Thanks. I just didn’t have the energy to tell them about JC.”
“No problem honey.”
Kristi had a lot of fun that night. She and Jeff enjoyed dinner, and then went to a drive in movie. They must have been the only couple not making out. Kristi knew that if JC was here, they’d be…well, not watching the movie.
On the way home, Kristi was confiding in Jeff, something he was very good at.
“And, I just don’t know what I’ll do with myself after the tour, surgery, physical therapy…”
“Sounds like you have some time to figure it out.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want JC to feel like he needs to propose any time soon because I’m not going to be leaving for another tour.”
“I don’t think he will.” JC didn’t strike Jeff as the type to rush into anything.
Kristi started getting emotional; she had no idea why, but she became worried. “What if we don’t make it? We’re making all of these plans, discussing our futures and what if one day, he decides he doesn’t want me?”
“Kristi, didn’t we go over this weeks ago?” Kristi nodded. “You guys love each other, that’ll be enough.”
Something that had been eating at her for the past week wiggled its way into the conversation. “What if love isn’t enough?” She asked quietly.
Jeff was silent for a minute, and then answered. “I don’t know Kristi. If love isn’t enough, then what is?” Kristi sat thinking. “You know what you have to do when JC calls tonight?”
“Tell him about Gary?” Kristi asked playfully, knowing exactly what she had to do.
“And tell him what you’re telling me.”
“I know.” The car grew silent, and Kristi turned up the radio. A song came on, capturing how she was feeling; loved and confused.
Ninety miles outside Chicago
can't stop driving
I don't know why
so many questions
need an answer
two years later
you're still on my mind
Kristi knew everything would be ok, she was just worrying for nothing. What had brought up all of these fears and doubts? She didn’t know.
Whatever happen to Amelia Earhart
who holds the stars up in the sky
is true love just once in a life time
did the captain of titanic cry
someday we'll know
if love can move a mountain
someday we'll know
why the sky is blue
someday we'll know
why I wasn't meant for you
Can love really move a mountain? Kristi hoped so; she wouldn’t need it to move a mountain, but she would need it to keep her future”a future she was excited for”together.
Does anybody know the way to Atlantis
or what the wind says when she cries
I'm speeding by the place that i met you
for the ninety-seventh time... tonight
someday we'll know
why Sampson loved Deliah
one day I'll go
dancing on the moon
someday you'll know
that I was the one for you
(yeah yeah yeah yeah)
I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow
I watched the stars crash in the sea
if I could ask God just one question
why aren't you here with me... tonight
Kristi wanted to be with JC. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms and wake up to his morning breath. She wanted to make love to JC in the middle of the night, wake him up, for no reason other than she loved him. Kristi wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
someday we'll know
if love can move a mountain
someday we'll know
why the sky is blue
someday we'll know
why I wasn't meant for you
“Kristi,” Jeff woke her from her thoughts. “I know that look. This song is not about you! You’re so fucking in love with JC, it’s sick! You guys will get through everything! The rest of this tour, you surgery, physical therapy, life…you’ll be fine!”
“I know you’re right…but I have to do something since I’m not dancing…and worrying seems to be it.”
Jeff left Kristi at home, to spend the rest of the night playing Scrabble with her parents and Jess, just like it was when they all lived in the house. Kristi couldn’t thank her parents enough, for letting her come, for loving her, for letting her cook dinner. They said it was nothing, because it wasn’t. They enjoyed having Kristi home. Stan said good night to his daughter, as he’d be at work the next morning when she woke up.
JC called, and Kristi didn’t even wait for him to tell her about the concert. “I was thinking something stupid today…I’m worried that our love won’t be strong enough to get us though everything…the tour, surgery, physical therapy…I just don’t have anything else to do, so I worry.”
JC chuckled. “Thanks for telling me Kris, but we’ll be fine.”
“I know, but I promised…”
“I’m glad you told me.”
“Me too.”
“I have something to tell you.” JC didn’t wait for her to continue before continuing. “I can’t pick you up at the airport, but…we’re having the interview in one of the conference rooms at the hotel, and our practice room has a couch and a locked door.”
“Mr. Chasez, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I love you!”
“I love you too…”
“I’ll let you go, flying can make you tired, and I want you all rested up for tomorrow.” Kristi shook her head. “Wear something hot.”
She laughed. “Good night Jayce.”
“Good night.”
Ruth and Jess brought Kristi to the airport the next morning.
“Call someone when you land, so we know you got there ok.”
“I will Mom…jeeze, you’d think I was 15 again.”
“You had no problem calling JC when you landed here!” Jess said.
“Fine…I love you guys, and thanks for everything.”
“I love you too.” Ruth said.
“I also love you.” Jess added.
“I’ll see you in a week or so!” Kristi waved as she boarded the plane.
Kristi was greeted by Mike at the airport. It was so much easier to get around; her brace was smaller and she no longer needed crutches. He filled her in on what had happened on the tour while she had been away. “JC’s missed you…” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Men…”
“Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.”
Kristi laughed. “True…thanks for coming to pick me up.”
“No problem.”
JC was having trouble focusing. Luis was interviewing them, and besides the fact that he hated Luis, Kristi was coming soon. He could barely control his excitement, something the guys were quick to make fun of him for. JC didn’t care.
“JC!” Luis’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “What’s your favorite song on this album?”
“The Two of Us.”
“Care to expand?”
“Not really…make something up.” JC caught himself. “Because I can relate to it.”
“Ok.” Luis scribbled something down.
Johnny poked his head into the room. “C, Kristi’s downstairs.”
JC jumped up and left the room. He was half way to the elevator when it opened. Kristi rushed out as fast as she could and jumped into JC’s arms.
“Man, you’d think they’d been away from each other for more than 10 days!” Justin’s comment was greeted by chuckles.
The four guys watched as JC and Kristi started kissing. “I missed you.”
She smiled. “I missed you too.”
“You wanna go downstairs?” she nodded and JC called over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go help Kristi get settled!” They went back into the elevator.
“Wait! What about the interview?” No one had noticed Luis had crept into the hallway.
“We can make stuff up for him.” Chris said. He knew how JC was feeling.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, JC pushed Kristi up against the wall and started kissing her. Her hands went to JC’s hair and his hands roamed the hem of her shirt.
“Wait until we get to the room.” JC nodded, and continued to kiss Kristi.
The elevator dinged open, and JC picked Kristi up, to speed up their walk. He placed her inside the room, shut and locked the door, and then led her over to the couch.
Kristi lay down and pulled JC on top of her. At first, she wasn’t thrilled about the whole practice room idea, but there’s no way they’d be allowed back up to the room. It was like camp or something! But at this moment, Kristi didn’t care.
Her hands started pulling JC’s shirt off while he kissed her neck. She could feel him getting excited; she was excited. JC took Kristi’s shirt off, immediately unhooking her bra. His hands started massaging her breasts, and Kristi moaned into JC’s mouth. One of JC’s hands snaked its way under Kristi’s skirt. She began to buck her hips into his. JC took this as a sign, and started rubbing Kristi. She began moaning louder, but quieted down at a look from JC. He began sucking a nipple while Kristi undid JC’s belt buckle, reaching down into his boxers. She began to rub, jerking it around. JC started moaning. He whispered, “I’m…” and Kristi stopped.
“What?” JC was confused. Was she uncomfortable?
“Jayce, we don’t have time to go change if we get…on us, and do you really want our reunion to happen on a couch?”
Kristi had a point. He started to put his shirt back on. “But,” she said, “We can still make out.” Kristi barely had time to finish her sentence before JC was kissing her again. They both remained shirtless, enjoying the pleasure of exploring one another after a 10 day hiatus. They made sure to keep quiet.
Too soon, they heard a knock on the door and Lance’s voice. “C, Kristi, we have to leave for the venue.” JC kissed Kristi again quickly, and helped her up. They put their shirts back on quickly, and Kristi hoped they weren’t too obvious. She was sure her hair was a mess and her lips were red. She caught a glance at herself in the mirror on the way out; not too bad.
She whispered into JC’s ear before leaving the room, “There’s more to come tonight.”
Kristi watched the concert from backstage, fully enjoying because her knee wasn’t distracting her. Her mind kept wandering, back to the practice room, and up to their hotel room. Yes, she’d missed making love with JC; she wasn’t going to lie to herself. But most of all, she missed him; how he made her laugh and talking with him. Kristi smiled and watched the rest of the concert. In the next city, Johnny had mentioned there might be extra tickets, and Madi was coming out, so maybe they’d watch the concert from the audience.
After the concert, JC ran up to her, kissed her, and then ran into the dressing room to change. The others crowded around Kristi, knowing JC would sweep her away when he returned.
“Did JC tell you about the party my parents are throwing?” Kristi asked.
“Party?” Justin asked. “He didn’t tell me about a party, did he tell you, Beth?”
“No…”
“I’ll have to talk to him about that…the night of the first concert in Chicago, after the concert obviously, my parents invited you all over…some of my high school friends will be there…it should be fun. Who’s in?”
8 people raised their hands. “April, you don’t want to come?”
“Well, I didn’t know if I’d still be on tour.”
Kristi smiled. “You will be…that’d be the first possible day I could dance, and they’ll keep you around for a bit, incase my knee decides to be stupid.”
“Cool, I’m in!”
JC came running out of the dressing room. He grabbed Kristi’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”
“Hold up! Why didn’t you tell everyone about the party?”
JC’s smile faded. “Oh, I forgot…sorry everyone…”
“We forgive you C!” Joey said on behalf of everyone.
“Thanks,” he said as he tugged on Kristi’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Kristi and JC were almost out of the door when Justin asked, “Where are you going?”
“Fuck off!” JC yelled at him without looking back.
“You know what?” Chris asked, as they watched the couple leave. “That’s the first time he’s been even close to honest!”
Kristi was leaning against the door, kissing JC. They were both in heaven. JC’s hands started wandering again, and Kristi kept her promise. She unbuckled JC’s pants and her hands snaked into them. JC shuddered and began moving both of them to the bed. They fell onto it, and JC kicked his pants and boxers off, while Kristi rid herself of her shirt and bra. JC was kissing Kristi’s neck while she worked his shirt off of JC, and his hands were busy unzipping Kristi’s skirt.
JC clamored on top of Kristi, breathing heavily. He was about to enter her when she whispered, “Ow!”
“What’s wrong?” JC asked, concerned.
“Nothing…my elbow just cracked…”
“Ow!” He chuckled. “For a second I thought you were having issues with your knee…” He asked something that he had been wondering. “Are you sure you can do this with your knee?”
Kristi was frustrated. Why wouldn’t JC just screw her? You would think he wouldn’t have a problem doing this. “Jayce, I hurt my knee, not my sex drive.” Before he had the chance to laugh, she started kissing him again. JC got the hint.
JC finished, relaxing at Kristi’s touch; she was stroking his hair. He kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They shared a short kiss and got comfortable; Kristi leaned on JC’s chest, his arms going around her.
JC’s voice was still low and husky. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Kristi smiled, deciding now would be a good time to tell JC her secret. “Jayce, I have a secret to tell you.”
“Well,” JC began. “It’s not a piercing because I would have seen it…” She swatted at him playfully.
“No.” She tried to sneer but it didn’t work. “You better get another apron and learn how to wash dishes...I learned to cook!”
JC was shocked. He had been looking forward to not doing dishes when they got home. “You did?” He smiled. “Now you can cook for me!”
“Which is why I learned! I didn’t want to be that mother or wife who couldn’t cook…I still only know 5 or 6 dishes, but my mom’s going to send more recipes, and once you know the basics…”
JC kissed her. He leaned back, smiling; Kristi had said two of his favorite words coming from her mouth: mother and wife. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Something was bothering her. “Jayce, when we get home, can I buy you new curtains?”
“No.” Kristi was surprised at his answer. “You can pick out the curtains, but my money will buy them.”
“Jayce…”
“Don’t ‘Jayce’ me…that’s final! I’m sick of you not letting me buy you things…”
“You’re paying for the dance studio!”
“But you wouldn’t let me pay for your dress or anything other than dates!”
“You realize we’re arguing about the stupidest thing, right?”
JC nodded. “So how about we stop arguing and devote our time and energy to something more fun…” He swung his other arm around her waist, pulling her on top of him, kissing her.
“I’m glad Kristi’s back.” April said around a quart of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. “I was nervous I’d forget a dance step in my sleep or something…”
Michelle laughed. “JC will be easier to deal with too…he might even answer questions at press conferences now!” All three girls giggled.
“I missed Kristi…she’s awesome. I bet JC’s gonna hog her…” Beth added.
“They’re really in love, aren’t they?” April asked.
Beth and Michelle glanced at each other. “Yeah,” Michelle answered. “They haven’t said anything to us, but I have a feeling they’ll get married one day.”
“Oh! Maybe we’ll be bride’s maids!” Beth was getting excited.
April smiled. “I want that feeling.”
“Me too…Ms. Michelle might be getting there soon…”
Michelle blushed. “Shut up Beth!” She shook her head. “Mike and I are ages away from Kristi and JC. We all knew from the start that they’d end up together…but Mike and I barely see each other.”
“But still…they say absence makes the heart grow fonder…”
Michelle thought for a moment. “That’s true.” She paused for a minute. “And…I’m thinking this might be my last tour…I’m 25, and I’ve always wanted to work with kids, teach them how to dance.”
“That still gives you 25 years!” April said.
“I’ve kinda wanted to teach at a University too…”
“Makes sense.” Beth said. She got up, went to her bag, and took something out from it. It was a flask and three shot glasses. “April, what do you want to do when touring days are over?”
“I’m not really sure…maybe work at a dance studio…what about you?”
Beth said quickly, “Manage a theater. That’s what my minor was in.” She poured out three shots, raising her glass. The other two followed her lead. “To a future free of hotels and long bus rides!”
“L’chaim!” April called.
The three girls took their shots, giggling. The future was looking pretty bright.
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