"Who the hell is Bryce and why are you going to dinner with him?"

This was why Elizabeth hated living with men. They always acted like over protective fathers instead of friends. Justin was the worst because he was now checking on her everyday at work and it was beginning to get on her nerves. He always made an excuse by saying he was just checking on his restaurant but she knew other wise.

"Chris leave the girl alone and let her have a life. She’s 25, single, and beautiful. How long did y’all think it was gonna be before somebody asked her out?"

Lord bless Lance’s heart, he was the always on her side of every argument. She gave him a grateful smile but the battle wasn’t over yet.

"Well we knew she would get asked out eventually, we just didn’t think she would accept."

"What the hell do y’all want me to do, join the nunnery?" she asked in exasperation.

"There’s a thought," Justin and Trace mumbled at the same time.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and glared at them. "Whatever guys. Maybe if y’all had your own lives you wouldn’t be trying to control mine." Elizabeth pointed out.

"You know she does have a p…"

"Shut up ass kisser. You’re not helping our case," Chris said throwing a couch pillow at Lance. He dodged the pillow and it ended up hitting Trace in the face. Trace gave Chris a death glare before going back to his video game.

"I’m not trying to help your case Chris; I’m trying to help the innocent WOMAN experiencing your childish wrath. Stop being a baby." Lance said.

Chris stomped his feet like a small child and pouted. JC rolled his eyes and tried to explain their position more logically.

"Sweetie it’s not that we don’t want you to date, it’s just … we think you should take it easy for a while and enjoy being single. It really is the best thing in the world."

Elizabeth snorted and stared at him. "You’re full of shit Chasez." She said.

The others laughed and picked on him until he gave up and sat down. This was like high school all over again. Elizabeth shook her head as they continued to mercilessly taunt JC until he gave up and sat down with a huff.

"Well as much as I love this childish bickering, I have a date to get ready for. If Bryce gets here before I'm done don't give him a hard time or I will kick some ass." She said seriously and headed up the stairs.

"She's insane if she thinks we're letting her go out with that son of a bitch." Chris muttered with a pout.

Lance rolled his eyes at his childish behavior. "How do you know he's a son of a bitch if you haven't even met him yet Kirkpatrick?"

"Lance we are trying to prevent her from making a mistake, why aren't you helping us?" Trace said with a pout of his own.

Lance could hardly believe that these were grown men. Who acts like this? "She's not a child y'all, she's far from that. She's been through a shit load of stuff and if dating makes her happy who are y'all to say she can't do it? She's an intelligent, beautiful, amazing woman... someone like that should not be alone. She deserves to be happy. I don't think she appreciates the fact that y'all are treating her like some minor who needs to be protected. She loves y'all but if this continues she'll end up moving out and I don't think y'all want that, especially you J."

The guys bowed their heads in shame as Lance's speech came to a halt. Of course the green eyed blond was right, he was always right.

"Thanks for making us feel like shit Poofoo." Justin muttered as he changed the channel.

"I'm just trying to make you realize that she's had plenty to deal with and she needs to have fun. Stop trying to protect her all the time. Plus you're not asking her out yourself so get over it."

Everyone "ooohed" and "aaahed" as Justin turned his head to glare at Lance. What the hell would make him utter something like that?

"What the hell you talkin bout man?" Justin asked cautiously. If he didn't take this carefully it could blow up in his face.

"Don't play stupid with me J. I've known you since you were 14, and I've known Liz about the same time. It doesn't take a genius to recognize that you've developed feelings for her." Lance replied with a smirk.

Was he really that transparent? Lance was probably bluffing. He probably wanted Justin to confess so he could have something over his head.

"Stop pulling shit out of your ass Lance, it's not attractive." Justin retorted with a tinge of annoyance to his voice.

"You know, Poofoo does have a point. You have been looking at Liz differently lately." JC said.

Justin rolled his eyes. Great, now they were gonna gang up on him.

"Is that why you watch her sleep all the time?" Chris asked innocently. He didn't realize how much weight his question carried. If Justin said "no" he would seem like some creep harrassing his best friend but if he said "yes" he would come across as some love sick teenager who couldn't get enough of his best friend.

When he opened his mouth to answer the door bell rang. He took the opportunity to escape and answered the door.

"Saved by the bell." Trace said with a snort.

Justin was happy to escape the guy's scrutiny but he wasn't happy to see who was at the door. If it would have been some weird teenage girl trying to get a glimpse of him he wouldn't have minded but it wasn't. Bryce O'Conner was staring expectantly at him as he faced him at the door.

"May I help you sir?" Justin asked, knowing good and well who he was.

Bryce smiled at the obvious jealousy radiating out of Justin at the mere sight of him. The guy was so obvious with his feelings for Elizabeth that everyone around them knew. He was going to have fun with this little project.

"Yes, I'm Bryce O'Conner, we've met before Mr.Timerlake... I used to work for you. Um... is Elizabeth ready?" Bryce said in his best good boy act.

Justin didn't like this guy. And no it wasn't because he was jealous. Ok, so maybe it had something to do with that but the kid gave him a bad vibe. He had a gut feeling that he was up to no good with Liz. Plus no one calls Liz by her full name anymore.

"We don't know anyone by that name. Have a nice night." Justin said and attempted to close the door.

"Justin stop it and let him in. What is wrong with you? I'm right here Bryce." Elizabeth said as she smoothed her yellow sundress over her small frame.

Justin swallowed hard when he noticed that she was wearing his favorite color... well, his favorite color on her anyway. Her black hair was curlier than before and it was freely flowing over her olive shoulders. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips were bright pink, and her body looked slender as she nervously stood there. Her feet were adorned by simple yellow slipers that completed the outfit. Justin couldn't look away and he couldn't fight the jealousy that was clouding his vision. He wished he was the one she was looking pretty for. Wait... what? Why was he even entertaining those thoughts?

Before Justin could say anything, Bryce beat him to it.

"Wow, you look amazing Liz. You ready to go?" Bryce asked.

"Uh, excuse me. You can't take our girl anywhere without letting us know who you are, where y'all are going, and what time you'll have her back. Oh, and your license number would be nice." Chris ordered as he put a protective arm around Liz.

Elizabeth shrugged off his arm and gave him murderous glare which prompted Chris to back off. "Bryce don't even answer..."

"No it's perfectly fine. We are two grown adults but if it will calm your nerves, my name is Bryce O'Conner. We are going for a picnic on a nearby beach so we can hang out, nothing too major and I'll have her back by midnight at the latest." Bryce answered.

"What about your drivers license?"

"Trace stop it. Bryce, this is JC, Chris, Lance, Trace, and of course you know Justin." Elizabeth said. Everyone seemed to be sizing Bryce up, it was almost like they were trying to see if he was "worthy" of her company.

"Alright now that everyone's met, we'll be going. Goodnight y'all." Elizabeth continued as she took a hold of Bryce's hand and head towards the door with him.

"You better bring her back in one piece Bruce," Chris said, purposely miss pronouncing Bryce's name.

"Have fun Liz," Lance shouted over Chris.

"I know what you look like man." Chris continued.

"Give it up Chris," JC said when the door slammed behind Liz.

Justin was standing in the middle of the room with his jaw clenched.

"J, you alright man?" Trace asked. "What's wrong with you? You constipated?"

Justin rolled his eyes at his friend and grabbed his jacket after sliding on his white nikes.

"Where you going man?" Lance asked cautiously. He hoped Justin wasn't going to do anything stupid or rash, but than again, it was Justin.

"I'm gonna follow them, y'all coming?" Justin asked with a grin.

Chris, Trace, and JC grinned from ear to ear when they caught onto Justin's plan. The only person who didn't find the stunt entertaining was Lance.

"Please tell me y'all aren't gonna invade the girl's privacy like that? Please tell me that." Lance said.

"I guess you'll just have to come and see won't ya Lance?" Justin said before giving Lance a wink.

Chris pushed him towards the door, trying to usher him out.

"Don't touch me man. And Justin, don't ever wink at me again, it creeps me out." Lance said as he fought off Chris's hands.

Justin laughed and lightly patted Lance on the back. "All the more reason to keep doing it my friend."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bryce smiled brighter when Elizabeth couldn't stop laughing. Truth be told he loved her laughter, he loved everything about her, he always had. Elizabeth was one of those people that you couldn't hate no matter what. She was such a sweet person with an amazing heart. On top of all that she was beautiful. Her dark chocolate eyes could reel any man in and her smile was a complete killer. Her lips were absolutely amazing and her body couldn't be anymore perfect. Too bad it took 7 years, weight loss, and plastic surgery for her to notice him.

"That poor cat, I can't believe... wow. You are a cruel man Bryce, but it was a funny story. That thing will probably resent you for attaching it's tale to a fire cracker." Elizabeth said through chuckles.

So far she was having a great time with Bryce. The sun had set and they had eaten most of their food. Now they were just relaxing and getting to know each other. Bryce was a great guy. Intelligent, funny, and he was definitely easy on the eyes but... there was something off about him. Something about him didn't sit right with her. She brushed it off though. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't dated in a while... a long while.

"Yea well, I guess I'll just have to live with that huh? How about you sweets? What have you been up to besides working?"

"Not much, I don't have a life remember." She replied with a snort.

"Well..." Bryce started as he brushed a stray curl away from her face. "I think we should change that, don't you?"

Bryce leaned forward and at first he thought about kissing her but decided against it when he remembered she didn't like to kiss on the first date. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before giving her a cheeky smile which she easily returned.

"Did you see that shit man? How dare he kiss her on their first date?" Chris whispered menacily.

Lance rolled his eyes, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately. "He didn't kiss her lips dumb ass. If you would accept your old age and get glasses you would know that. I still think y'all are making a big mistake, I mean what if we get caught?"

"Relax Bass, we'll be fine. She's too caught up to even notice us anyway." JC reassured.

"Shit, I don't blame her one bit." Lance responded. All the guys eyed him suspiciously and made an attempt to move away from him.

"Aw come on y'all. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not gay but that guy is good looking, what woman wouldn't want to be in the company of someone like that?" Lance explained.

Chris shrugged as he looked through the binoculars in his hands. "We were the hottest boy band out there a few years ago, why won't she hang out with us?"

"Key word bud: Were. You're in you're mid thirties Chris, why are you spying on a girl who's trying to have a life?" Lance continued.

"Bass, would you stop with all your inspirational shit man, you're kinda putting a damper on the mood here." Justin said taking his eyes away from his binoculars.

Lance was surprised Justin hadn't said more than a few words since they had arrived at the beach. His jealousy was practically eating at him but he wasn't saying anything.

"Dude, is that you're hand on my ass?" JC asked out of the blue.

"Don't flatter yourself Chasez, you don't have an ass." Justin retorted.

"That's not what you said last night." JC replied with a wink, making Trace and Lance giggle. Chris was completely in his own world.

"OH THAT IS IT... HE IS SO GONNA DIE. HE TOUCHED HER THIGH!!!" Chris shouted. The others shushed him and covered his mouth before he could say anything else.

"You're a bigger moron than I perceived you to be Chris. Shut up." Trace said. "Ahhh... shit. I think we've been spotted." He continued.

"What? Where? By who?" The other four asked in unison.

"They're looking right at us y'all. If we're gonna leave, now's the time to do it." Trace said as he sank lower at their postion on a nearby hill.

"Liz, are those you're rooommates spying on us?" Bryce asked when he noticed the five men. He knew they had followed them the whole time. Their situation could work to his advantage if Liz got angry enough. The more men that were out the way, the better.

"Are you serious? That can't be them? Wait a minute... that's Justin's Escalade. I can't believe... ugh they're in so much trouble." Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. She couldn't believe that they would invade her privacy like that. Why couldn't they just trust her?

Elizabeth and Bryce decided to call it a night when they witnessed the guys pull out of the near by parking lot. She had a lot of yelling to go do so she prepared herself. She couldn't believe they had just ruined her evening with Bryce. What were they thinking?

"Don't be too hard on them alright? They're just trying to protect you. I'm a stranger to them, they can't possibly want to share you with me." Bryce said as they stood at her front door. Elizabeth gave him a small smile as she fiddled with her purse.

"Yea, I guess so but I'm still reaming them out. I'm sorry tonight was ruined. I had a great time, despite of everything." Elizabeth said sincerily. She was still getting that bad vibe about him but he was a nice guy and she had no reason not to give him a chance.

"Does that mean you still want to give this another go?" Bryce asked with the sweetest smile he could muster.

"Of course. Give me a call later on this week and we'll work something out." She responded. She smiled when he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight Liz."

"Goodnight Bryce."

After walking into the house, Elizabeth could practically feel the nervousness radiating out the guys. When she stepped into their line of vision, none of them looked at her, they just stared at the T.V. Elizabeth walked over to Justin, yanked the remote out of his hands, and turned the T.V. off.

"We need to talk fellas." She said sternly, meaning she meant business. "I want y'all to hear this loud and clear. My LIFE is not up for grabs. I don't like it when y'all act so over protective that I feel 15 again, and not in a good way. Y'all are supposed to be my friends, start acting like it. What y'all did today was messed up. I didn't think y'all would ever stoop so low but I guess I was wrong. I don't want that to happen again alright. I don't know what's gotten into y'all but grown men don't normally behave like this. I want it to stop right here right now. I need a life y'all. I haven't been with anyone since Travis... and... it just sucks ok. I hate being alone. Now, I like Bryce so cut him some slack. Stop being so over bearing and allow me to live...please. If something like tonight happens again, I'm moving out... I promise. Goodnight guys."

The five men were almost in tears as Elizabeth marched up the stairs and to her room. A few minutes later Justin jogged up the stairs to go talk to her.

"I'm sorry bout all this Liz. I didn't mean to make you feel suffocated, I was just... I'm just afraid of losing you that's all." Justin confessed. If she read into it she would discover the hidden message behind his words but she didn't. She just gave him a soft smile.

"I know J, but I'm not going anywhere unless you drive me to it. We'll talk about this in the morning, I gotta get some sleep." Elizabeth replied and gave him a soft peck on the cheek.

"Night Liz," he said softly, holding her dark gaze.

"Nigt J."

"Man, I can't believe Justin likes Liz." Chris said to the others.

"Yea me neither. I thought that whole bullshit about best friends falling in love was just a myth." JC said.

"They would make such a great couple too." Trace chimed in.

"He might even be in love with her." Chris interjected.

"Yea, too bad he's too much of a pussy to do anything about it." Lance said, shaking his head at the scene before him.

"AMEN TO THAT MY BORTHA." The others shouted in unison.