“Hey baby.” Lindsey wrapped her arms around JC’s waist from the back while he was looking at a picture in the hallway.
“Hey yourself.” He turned around and kissed her. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to let you know the plan for when Jen gets here.” Lindsey paused, not sure if JC would like the plan. “Tonight, we’re just going to crash at my place, have a girls’ night. Then tomorrow, we’re going shopping, and then we’ll come to your house for dinner with everyone?”
JC’s smile flickered. He knew Lindsey wanted some alone time with her best friend; they did, after all, still have some issues they needed to work out. But that didn’t mean he had to like the fact that he wouldn’t see her until tomorrow night. “Sounds good…but…” JC grabbed Lindsey’s hand and dragged her down the hall. They entered an empty office; JC locked and shut the door.
“Josh, what are you doing?”
JC backed Lindsey into the door and started kissing her. With no hesitation, she wrapped her arms around JC, enjoying the moment. 15 minutes later, Lindsey had to push JC away. “Baby, I have to go to the airport.”
Groaning, JC ran a finger over Lindsey’s swollen lips. He kissed her softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night…5 sound good?”
“5 sounds great.”
“Bye Linds, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Why are we going to your apartment again?” Jen asked while Lindsey drove.
“So we can have a girls’ night.”
“But I want to meet everyone!” Jen sighed, acting like she was 5.
“You’ll meet them all tomorrow!” Lindsey laughed; she missed Jen.
“Fine, be a meanie. Here I was thinking I’d get the royal treatment, being the best friend of a pop star’s girlfriend!”
Wine cooler bottles lay around the couch Lindsey and Jen were relaxing on. It was pretty late, but neither wanted to go to sleep. They had caught up with each other; Jen told Lindsey about things that had happened in Boston during the past year, and Lindsey told Jen about meeting JC’s parents.
“So you liked his parents?” Jen asked.
“Yeah…they’re so nice. And I was so nervous, but they thought it was sweet.”
Jen smiled. She was so happy for her friend. “So you really love JC, don’t you?”
A goofy smile appeared on Lindsey’s face. “Yeah, and it’s not just love, ya know? This is more than dating…it’s my future.”
Woah! The warning bells went off in Jen’s head. Was Lindsey ready for this? They’d only been dating for 2 ½ months. “Are you sure? I mean…how long have you been dating?”
Lindsey sat up so she could look Jen in the eyes. “I never really believed people when they said you know the minute you meet someone that they’re the one. But when I met JC, I was crying in my office because I found a picture of me and Rick. He knocked to see if I was ok, not even knowing who I was. He just…he was there for me before we were even friends. I think I fell in love with him right then.”
Jen sighed. She’d been hearing some things around Boston, and she needed to ask Lindsey. “Linds, do you miss Rick at all?”
Shocked by this question, Lindsey tried to be honest. “Not anymore, no. After the first few months, no. I realized I was better off without him. Those first few months, though, they were really hard. It was so hard to see him or hear about him and…Jen, I needed to start over. And look how happy I am now…”
Jen nodded. She didn’t want to tell Lindsey Rick had called her to ask about Lindsey. Jen knew she was going to have a talk with Rick once she got back to Boston.
“Woah, you even have a key!” Jen laughed as Lindsey unlocked JC’s front door and punched in the security code.
“I know, I’m a VIP!”
“Linds, baby, is that you?” JC called from the patio. He walked into the foyer wearing the infamous ‘kiss the chef’ apron carrying a plate of meat to barbeque.
“Hi!” She kissed him, quickly enough so that Jen wouldn’t be uncomfortable. “This,” Lindsey grabbed Jen’s hand and dragged her over, “is my best friend Jen. Jen, this is JC.”
JC balanced the meat in one hand, and shook Jen’s hand with his other. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“You too! Why don’t you two head into the living room? Patty, Mary, and Melinda are already in there.”
“Where are the boys?” Lindsey asked.
“Outside”
“It takes 5 of you to work a barbeque?” Jen asked, in fake amazement. “Wow, you guys are more hopeless than I thought!”
JC smiled and turned around, glad that Jen was here.
“So,” Justin began. “Jen, please tell us some embarrassing stories about the queen of cool, Ms. Lindsey.”
Jen grinned; she wasn’t going to tell any stories, but she could have fun. “Hmmm…which one should I tell?”
“Jen!” Lindsey’s eyes widened.
“Come on! Tell us something!” Chris egged Jen on. Mary elbowed him in the ribs, quieting his request.
Joey inched his chair closer to Jen’s. “You know you want to tell us.” Joey smiled flirtatiously at Jen.
Jen laughed. “Nah, I’m not saying anything!” Jen grinned at Lindsey. “I made you nervous, huh?”
Lindsey smiled. “A little.”
“How did you two meet?” Lance asked.
Not even thinking, Jen started talking. “We went to Syracuse, and Rick introduced us…” Jen trailed off, realizing what she had said, her eyes wide, searching Lindsey’s.
“What?” Patty asked, confused. Only JC, Jen, Justin, and Melinda knew about Rick, well, and of course, Lindsey.
JC squeezed Lindsey’s hand reassuringly. Lindsey took a deep breath. “Rick is my ex-fiancé, and he was the one who introduced us freshmen year.”
Lance’s mind was whirling. That was why Lindsey was so reluctant to date JC; she obviously had been through a lot, having broken off an engagement.
“You guys,” Lindsey’s tone of voice was still stern. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m over Rick; I’m better off without him. Much better without him.” Lindsey was looking at JC by the end of her declaration. Everyone agreed; she was better off without Rick.
“Who wants to go for a swim?” Justin asked, trying to get things to lighten up.
“I don’t have a suit…” Jen started.
“I have a couple here.” Lindsey said.
“What?” Jen asked, smiling. “Is my Lindsey turning into a JC junkie?”
Laughing at the term she used, Lindsey got up and pulled Jen upstairs.
“Cannon ball!” Joey screamed, running into the pool. They were all splashed with water. Joey came up, looking for air, but was greeted by several great splashes.
“Children…” Chris shook his head as he and Mary packed their things up, getting ready to go home. Melinda, Lance and Patty had already left.
JC pulled Lindsey onto the pool steps and sat her down on his lap. Kissing her forehead, he asked, “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine!” Lindsey was getting frustrated. Jen had asked her this several times, as had Melinda. “Why does everyone think I’m going to fall apart or something? I’m over him, remember?”
JC began rubbing soothing circles on Lindsey’s back, and she immediately began to relax. “Because he wasn’t just your boyfriend, you guys were engaged.”
Lindsey nodded. “But we’re not anymore. And I’m glad.” At JC’s shocked expression, she explained. “I would have been miserable if we had gotten married. And now…I’m so happy.”
JC kissed her, happy with her answer. They were interrupted by Jen and Justin shouting, “Get a room, you two!”
Lindsey sighed, resting her head on her desk. That night had only been three days ago, but it felt so long ago. As soon as Jen had left, the tour had become a monster. Every newspaper everywhere wanted details and interviews. The guys had tons of press appearances and photo shoots. Lindsey’s head began to ache when she thought of all of the things that needed to happen in the next few months. She smiled, though, thinking about next weekend. They would be going to San Francisco, and Lindsey couldn’t wait. They wouldn’t be able to go sightseeing or anything, but they would be away from Orlando for a while, and that was exactly what Lindsey needed…to be away with JC.
“Hello?” Rick picked up his cell phone as he entered his hotel room.
“Rick? It’s Jen.”
“Hey Jen! How are you?” Rick was surprised that Jen had called him; he had initiated every bit of contact the two of them have had since he cheated on Lindsey.
“I’m good, but Rick, I really need to talk to you about something. Can we grab coffee or lunch sometime soon?”
“I can’t…”
“Rick, this is important!”
“Well, I’m in Orlando right now, so it will have to wait.”
Jen’s face paled at those words. He was going to do something stupid. “Rick, please don’t tell me you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do.”
Rick chuckled. “What do you think I’m going to do?”
“This isn’t funny! She’s happy! The happiest I’ve seen her in…in years. She’s in love!”
The last two sentences grabbed Rick’s attention. His tone went from warm to ice cold in seconds. “What makes you think she wasn’t happy with me? In fact, she was!” Rick continued. “And as for being in love…I was her first love, how can she say no to me?”
“Easy…she found ‘the one’.”
Rick laughed again. “First of all, Lindsey was never a huge believer in that stuff, and even if she was, we were engaged! That means she thought I was ‘the one’, as you said it.”
Jen was getting desperate. “Rick, please don’t do this. Leave her alone.”
“I can’t do that Jen. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave her alone.”
“I never realized how small your apartment was!” JC teased as he sat on the kitchen counter, watching Lindsey stir the pasta she was cooking. They were at her apartment, a rare occurrence.
“Buy me a bigger one then!” Lindsey teased back.
“I could do that…” JC started. “Or you could move in with me.”
Lindsey whipped around to face JC. “Are you serious?”
JC nodded. He took Lindsey’s hands. “I know we’ve only been dating for three months, but Linds, I love you…”
“I love you too.”
“You don’t have to answer, but think about it, ok? It’s an open invitation.”
“I will.” She kissed him before turning back to the stove. “Actually, I like the idea of having unlimited access to your boxers, they’re so comfortable!”
JC rolled his eyes. He couldn’t even pretend to be mad. “I’m glad you like them, because I like the way you look in them!”
Lindsey walked into the v of JC’s legs, and was about to show him how she felt about that statement, when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, Lindsey said, “Hold on one second.”
Determined to get rid of whoever was at the door, Lindsey opened it without looking through the peephole. Nothing could have prepared her for what was on the other side of the door.
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