“Rick…” Lindsey gripped the door post like her life depended on it. She was having trouble breathing and couldn’t see straight. She must be hallucinating. There was no way Rick could be standing at her door.
“Lindsey, long time no talk…how are you?”
Lindsey couldn’t respond for a moment, shock still coursing through her body. She finally managed, “What are you doing here?”
“I made a mistake. I love you Lindsey, and I want you back.”
That was it; Lindsey lost it. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She ran into the apartment heading for the bathroom.
“Linds, baby, what’s wrong?” JC asked as he saw his girlfriend streak by. He heard the toilet flushing and saw a pale, weak Lindsey emerge from the bathroom. Hurrying to her side, he asked again, “What’s wrong?”
Scared eyes looked up at him. “He’s back.” She whispered.
Confused, JC asked, “What?”
“She means me, you idiot.” Neither had noticed that Rick had entered the room.
JC didn’t need to be told who Rick was. If he hadn’t recognized him from the picture the first time he and Lindsey had met, he could tell by Lindsey’s reaction. JC turned cold and he said, “You need to leave, now.”
“This is Lindsey’s apartment; I think she should decide that.”
Two pairs of eyes turned towards Lindsey. She freed herself from JC’s arms and said, “Josh, honey, I need to talk to Rick.” His shocked eyes met her determined ones. She turned to Rick. “Outside, now.” Rick smiled over his shoulder towards JC before gliding out the door. Lindsey turned to JC, “I’ll be back as soon as I get rid of him.”
“I can think of some ways to get rid of him…” JC cracked his knuckles.
Lindsey tried to smile, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
She shut the door behind her and faced Rick. There had been a time where she would have come running back to him with open arms; now, she only wanted him to go away. “Rick, what are you doing here?”
“I already told you that.” Rick took her hands, which she immediately yanked back. “I want you back. I love you baby.” Lindsey cringed at his words.
“Why now?” Lindsey asked. “Why did you wait over a fucking year? Did you finally realize what you’d lost?” Rick remained silent. “Well, you’re too late…I’ve moved on.”
Rick snorted. “With Mr. Pop Star? I don’t think so Lindsey. I know you, and as soon as we talk about what happened, you’ll be back on the plane with me to Boston.”
It was Lindsey’s turn to laugh. “You obviously don’t know me.” She paused. “Rick, you practically killed me. Even if I wasn’t in love with JC, why on earth would I want to do that again?”
“You love me?” Rick was no longer sure she did.
“I don’t.” Her cold eyes bore into his. “Rick, you need to leave.”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be going. Searching for a way to keep Lindsey talking, he said, “You’re looking well.”
Lindsey glanced down at herself and realized how little clothing she was wearing. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she repeated. “You need to leave. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. Don’t call me, come to see me, hell”don’t even think about me!”
Rick was getting mad. As she turned to enter her apartment, he spat out, “You’ll be sorry Lindsey. I’m not giving up this easily!”
Lindsey slammed the door in his face. Taking a deep breath, she turned to see JC. He enveloped her in a hug. “I’m assuming you heard everything?”
JC nodded. “You were brave.”
Lindsey tried to smile. “Thank you.” She pulled JC into the kitchen. JC sat down and pulled her onto his lap. Snuggling into his chest, she breathed deep. “He’s not going to go away.”
All of a sudden, they heard banging. “Lindsey Katherine Michaels! You open this door right now! I’m not done with you!” Lindsey sat on JC’s lap, not wanting to deal with this; she just wanted Rick to go away. “LINDSEY, YOU SLUT! OPEN THIS DOOR, NOW! WE’RE GOING BACK TO BOSTON TONIGHT!” Still Lindsey didn’t answer. She began trembling on JC’s lap. He tired to comfort her, but nothing could drown out his screams. “YOU FUCKING BITCH! I’M TOO GOOD FOR YOU! YOU’LL BE SORRY! I WON’T WAIT FOR YOU FOREVER!” He said one more thing before leaving. “We’re always going to have that special connection. You’ll never have that with JC. You’re better off leaving now.”
Lindsey started crying; she was finally happy, and now he had come back. JC rubbed circles on Lindsey’s back, kissing her tears away. His heart broke as her shoulders shook with her sobs, her face in the crook of his neck. “I love you Lindsey. Don’t listen to what he’s saying.”
Lindsey’s voice was so quiet. “I love you too, and I’ll try…” She looked at the look on JC’s face. “I won’t listen to him…but Josh, he’s not going to leave anytime soon.”
JC nodded, getting an idea of what he was up against.
Neither Lindsey nor JC slept that night; they just lay in each other’s arms, hoping this would go away, but knowing that it wouldn’t. When the alarm went off, they got up and got ready for work; they had many things to do, as they would be leaving for San Francisco in three days and couldn’t let this affect their work.
“Lindsey, are you ok?” Melinda asked, following Lindsey back to her office after a meeting. Lindsey had barely spoken and she looked pale and tired.
“No.” There was no point in lying. “Rick came back last night.”
Melinda stopped in her tracks. “You’re joking…”
“I wish I was.”
Melinda pulled Lindsey into a hug. “Does JC know?”
“JC was there.” Melinda cringed, knowing how awkward that must have been.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lindsey shook her head no. “Do you want to cry about it?” Lindsey nodded. “Let it all out girl.” Melinda spent the next 10 minutes comforting Lindsey, who had lost all control of her tear ducts. Pulling back, Melinda looked at Lindsey. Her eyes were red and puffy, she was still pale and tired, and was now hiccupping. “Linds, take the rest of the day off.”
Lindsey shook her head. “No, there’s too much to do.”
“We can take care of it.”
Lindsey wouldn’t budge. “I’m not letting what Rick does dictate my life anymore. And besides,” Lindsey admitted. “All I would want to do is cry and be with JC. One of those things I shouldn’t do, and the other I can’t do, since JC is working.”
Melinda nodded and handed Lindsey a tissue before leaving. “If you need anything, I’m here, ok?”
As soon as the door shut, Lindsey collapsed into her chair and started crying all over again. Why couldn’t Rick let her be happy? It was because he wasn’t. Damn him! I’m not going to let him ruin this for me.
JC had messed up the same dance step for the third time in a row. A dance step they had been doing for years. A dance step he should know by now. He looked tired and pale, and his head always turned in the direction of the door whenever it opened.
“Jayce, man what’s going on?” Lance asked, sitting down next to him during a break.
JC tried to shake him off, but Lance wouldn’t give up. The other guys soon joined in, and JC didn’t have a choice of whether he wanted to tell them or not.
“Rick showed up last night.”
Whatever the men had been expecting, that wasn’t it. Mouths dropped, eyes widened, breathing ceased.
“What did he want?” Justin asked.
“He wanted Lindsey back.”
“What happened?” Chris wanted to know.
“He came to her door, I happened to be there. He was an asshole, and when after she tried to talk to him rationally, which didn’t work, he was banging on the door and calling her names.”
Justin snorted. “Like she’ll want to go back to him after that.”
JC sighed. “I know…but…he’s not going away anytime soon.”
“How do you know?” Joey asked.
“If you lost a girl like Lindsey, would you give up on her? Would you let her go?” JC’s question went unanswered. They all knew that the answer would be no, they wouldn’t give up on her.
Chris put his hand on JC’s shoulder. “If you need anything, we’re here. You know that, right?”
JC nodded. “Thanks guys.”
“No problem.” Lance asked, “She’s not staying at her apartment, right?”
“No, she’s staying with me.”
Lance and Chris exchanged worried looks. If he could find where Lindsey lived, who said he couldn’t find where JC lived? “Guys, I know what you’re thinking.” JC said. “It doesn’t matter where she is; he’s going to look for her. And I’d rather have her with me.”
Justin suggested, “Maybe you should ask Lonnie or Mike to stay with you guys until he goes away.”
JC smiled and thanked his friend for his concern. “That’ll only make things worse…”
Chris didn’t think things could get worse. They were already pretty bad as they were. But he was wrong.
“Linds, we need to talk.” Lindsey looked up from her dinner and across the table at JC. She knew this was coming: the interrogation session. JC deserved to know everything, and she was going to tell him. She nodded, letting him know to continue. “What are you thinking?”
The pleading in his voice made Lindsey feel horrible. If she wasn’t in his life, he wouldn’t have to deal with an asshole like Rick. Stopping her thought there, she knew that if she weren’t in his life, JC might never find someone to settle down with. And if he weren’t in her life…she would have gone back to Rick. “I’m thinking that I wish he would just go away, but I know that’s not going to happen. I’m finally happy, truly and completely happy, and he wants to take that away.”
JC got up and knelt in front of Lindsey, taking her hands. He didn’t want to ask this question, but he needed to. “Linds, do you still feel anything for him?”
Lindsey squeezed his hands. “I feel nothing good…I think I might actually hate him. I didn’t think I could actually hate someone.”
JC wrapped his arms around Lindsey. She slid down to sit with him on the floor, neither caring about dinner anymore. “Linds, I’m here for you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise.”
She was about to point out that he couldn’t control what Rick did, but stopped herself. Everything else that JC had promised Lindsey…he hadn’t broken one. “Thank you.” She kissed him softly. “Josh…” Lindsey wanted him to know how much he had brought to her life. “Thank you…if I hadn’t met you, I don’t think I would have had the strength to tell him no.”
“Linds, you don’t give yourself enough credit.”
She shook her head. “Josh, knowing that you were here for me, and seeing how relationships should be…that’s what makes me strong. You…you make me strong. I love you.”
JC was speechless. What could he say to that? “I love you too.” Another moment of silence passed. “I don’t know what to say.”
Lindsey took his hand and put in over her heart. “Josh, this is yours. It will always belong to you. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” She kissed the palm of his hand.
JC felt tears forming in his eyes; he had found the woman he wanted everything that had once scared him with. “I…you”Linds…”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Lindsey whispered quietly. “Show me.”
And JC did. Even with Rick trying to ruin her life, Lindsey could help but think how happy she was while watching JC sleep. She knew she needed to get some sleep, but she was afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would wake up in her old apartment in Boston with an engagement ring on her finger. Before she had met JC, she would have given anything for what had happened to be a dream. Now, she was glad it had happened. Rick wasn’t right for her, JC was. And because of Rick, she had found her way to JC.
Lindsey’s cell phone rang right as she and JC were entering Jive studios. “I’ll be right in.” Lindsey said. JC’s face was etched with worry. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be right out here, and it’s my mother on the phone.” He nodded and kissed her quickly before heading inside.
Lindsey smiled and leaned against the wall. “Hi Mom!”
“Lindsey, it’s so good to hear your voice! Jen called, Rick’s in Orlando. She couldn’t get in touch with you and we were so worried…”
Lindsey’s smile faded. “I’m…” She couldn’t say fine, because she wasn’t. “Rick came two nights ago, but JC was there, and he left, but not quietly.” She sighed. “I don’t think he’s going to leave me alone any time soon.”
“He finally realized what he lost.” Debra said.
“Yeah, well, he’s too late. JC is the one for me. He can’t do anything to change that.”
“Wanna bet?” That voice made Lindsey gasp.
“Lindsey, what’s going on?” Debra asked, panic filling her voice.
“Nothing, I have to go.” Lindsey hung up on her mom and faced Rick. “What are you doing here?”
“Lindsey, the answer isn’t going to change, no matter how many times you ask that question.” He paused. “Or should I call you Linds, like JC does?”
Lindsey shivered at the sound of Rick’s voice calling her that. “Go away.”
“I don’t think so Lindsey.” Rick started advancing towards her. “You see, you think that JC loves you. I’m here to tell you he could never love you more than I do.” Rick was smiling; Lindsey just wanted to disappear. “I’m not leaving without you Lindsey.”
“Leave me alone!”
Rick quickly closed the gap between the two of them and grabbed her wrists. “Come on, we’re going home.”
“Get off of me!”
“No way.” Rick backed Lindsey against the wall and looked her up and down. “You slept with him, you slut! How long have you been dating? 3 months? It took me over a year to get you into bed with me!” Lindsey was too shocked that he had known about her sex life to block Rick’s next move. He held her wrists against the wall above her head and held her body in place with his. “I think it’s time we had a reunion.”
Tears formed in Lindsey’s eyes. What happened to the man she had once loved?
“JC!” Lance greeted his friend. “How are you guys?”
“Better than yesterday.” JC answered honestly.
“Where’s Lindsey?” Lance asked.
“Outside, her mother called.”
Lance’s eyes widened with shock. “You left her outside by herself? What if Rick is here!” JC’s face paled at Lance’s words; he obviously hadn’t thought of that. Turning on his heal, JC ran towards the entrance. Lance was right behind him, but stopped to get some security guards on the way.
Rick was grabbing at Lindsey with his free hand, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He ripped the strap of the tank top she was wearing, and was undoubtedly leaving countless bruises on her whole body. His lips covered hers, causing Lindsey to feel like she would be sick.
JC ran out the door and he lost every rational thought he had. All he saw was the woman he loved being attacked. “Get off of her!” JC yelled.
Rick glanced in his direction, but kept attacking Lindsey.
JC ran over to Rick, wrenched him away from Lindsey and began punching him. “You fucking asshole! What the hell are you doing?”
Rick started fighting back. This was a reaction JC hadn’t expected, not that he had thought about anything that would happen. JC landed a good punch right on Rick’s jaw. Rick, however, was not going to let JC get away unscathed; Rick gave JC a fat lip.
“Holy shit!” Lance mumbled as he arrived on the scene with Lonnie and Mike. The two body guards immediately went to separate the men while Lance ran to Lindsey. She had crumpled onto the ground, curled up into a ball, and was crying.
He went to touch her. “Don’t you touch me! Get away!”
“Lindsey,” Lance’s calming voice said. “It’s me.”
She looked up at him, her face covered in tears, bruises already appearing. “Lance, where’s Josh?” She followed his eyes to the scene in front of her. Mike was holding JC back while Lonnie escorted Rick from the property. Happy with the distance between the two men, Mike let JC go. He was over with Lindsey in a second, holding her in his arms.
“I’m so sorry baby.” He said quietly, rubbing circles on her back. “I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you…” He choked back tears, knowing he had to be strong for Lindsey. Her shoulders were shaking, and she was making no attempt to hide her tears and whimpers. JC held on tight, and wasn’t planning on letting her go anytime soon.
“JC,” Lance’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You guys need to see someone. Your lip is bleeding, and Lindsey needs to be checked out.”
JC nodded. Before getting up, he whispered, “Thanks Lance.”
Lance held up his hand. “What are brothers for?” JC smiled quickly. That smile would have to last a while; Lindsey would not be happy about having to be looked at.
JC collapsed into bed that night, exhausted. He knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night; if he convinced himself to close his eyes, he would have nightmares about this morning. He knew Lindsey wouldn’t be getting much sleep either, so he had brought up some movies. Comedies…god knew they needed to laugh at something.
“Josh?” Lindsey’s small voice made JC roll over. She was sitting on the bed, staring at her hands. He crawled over to her.
“What’s going on?”
She sniffled. A sinking feeling appeared in JC’s stomach…no, she wouldn’t do that. Hadn’t she just said her heart was his last night? She looked at him with sad eyes. “Josh, I’m scared.”
He immediately pulled her into a hug. “I know baby…” He didn’t know what else to say. He kissed her gently. They lay down and snuggled together. “Linds, we could get a restraining order.”
Lindsey nodded, a move that shocked JC. He had thought she would want to deal with this on her own.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded again. “I wanted to do this by myself, but I don’t have just myself to think about anymore. I need to think about you too.” JC held her hand, intertwining their fingers. “And I don’t think beating people up on a regular basis will help you sell CDs.”
“I don’t care about selling CDs!” JC insisted. “I care about you.”
“I know.” Lindsey said. “I just mean, if it were just me, I might consider dealing with this in a different way, but it’s not just me. This affects you too.” JC nodded. “I love you, and I don’t want this to come between us.”
“I love you too. And it won’t come between us because we won’t let it.”
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