“JC?!” Braelyn yelled from the front door right after she unlocked his house from getting no answer.

“JC?!” she yelled again.

She walked into the kitchen and saw his car keys and wallet there. She knew he was somewhere around.

She walked upstairs to his bedroom to make sure he wasn’t asleep yet, but she wouldn’t blame him since it was 12:30 A.M. She was later than she expected. She looked and saw his bed was still made.

She checked all of his guest rooms and still didn’t find him. She walked back downstairs and then it dawned on her to go to the basement. She touched the knob and tried twisting it, but the basement door was locked. It usually was if JC was doing anything important down there.

“What are you doing ,JC and at this time of night ?” she asked herself. She walked back into his kitchen and picked his keys up. She knew one of them opened the basement. She tried every single key until the last one worked like magic.

“Yes!” she said excitedly and walked slowly down the steps. She reached the bottom and saw the recording light on and JC was singing a pretty melody of words in his recording booth. She had never heard this song he was singing. She remained absolutely silent as she stared at him through the glass so into what he was doing. She enjoyed him so much in his element that it almost hurt.

JC opened his eyes from crooning away blindly and froze when he saw her. He had thought she forgot or wasn’t going to come at all for whatever reason.

What through him off was how she got down there and stood there so silently. He stopped the music and came out of the booth.

“Baby!” he said happily.

“Hey, sweetie. What are you doing down here? You knew I was coming.” she said smiling and pulling him into an embrace.

“Well I thought since it was getting late you ended up on the couch at work and weren’t gonna show anymore” Braelyn caressed his cheek with her hand lovingly.

“Jace, you’re bed or a couch. Which sounds better? Sorry, but I stayed a little longer than expected, but I was happy knowing I’d get to sleep with you tonight.”

“Me too honey. Why don’t we go upstairs and get in that bed of mine.” JC said smiling happily.

“I like the idea.” Braelyn said and kissed his lips.

“Mmm.”

“You like,Chasez?”

“I like your lips always.”

“I’m glad. So what song were you just singing?” JC froze for a second and his heart sped up. He didn’t answer and Brae looked at him concerned.

“Jace, you alright? I asked what song you just sang” JC kissed her to shut her up.

“Nuh uh, you’re not kissing your way out of this.” she said after cutting his kiss short.

“Who said I was kissing my way out of anything?”

“Me and I know it Jace. I just want to know what you were singing. In fact, I wanna know why you weren’t already in bed.” JC surprisingly scooped her up and cradled her like a baby.

“JC! Scare me why don’t ya! Put me down.”

“Nope, we’re leaving and going to my bed.” JC carried her all the way from the basement to his bedroom two stories higher. He smiled when he placed her gently on his bed.

“So what song did you sing?” she asked right after she was placed on his bed.

“Braelyn’s A Smartass and Needs A Whipping” he answered as he took his shirt off.

“Very funny, JC. You’re hilarious” JC heard the sarcasm in it and laughed.

“Now, I’m serious.” JC was now stripped down to his wife beater and boxers and looked at her sitting on his bed.

“I won’t answer. Now you want to change into anything?” Braelyn frowned.

“NO!”

“Fine sleep in your clothes, or better yet strip down to your lingerie.” Braelyn hit his arm.

“JC, can we be serious for a minute. Now come sit next to me.” JC obliged and sat down on the bed.

“Now, answer me. What song were you singing?” JC took her hand into his an sighed.

“It was a song that..” JC began and then his phone rang. Braelyn leaned over and picked the phone up.

“Hello.” a voice said on the other line.

“Hi, are you calling for JC?” JC looked onward not liking how Brae answered his phone and wasn’t handing it to him.

“Yes, this is Dallas. I need to talk to JC real briefly about a song, if he’s there.”

“Oh okay, yep he’s right here.” JC grabbed the phone from her.

“Hello, oh hey man. Yeah, that was Braelyn. Oh can we talk about that tomorrow. It’s just I can’t talk about it now. I’ll get it finished tomorrow and stop by later in the evening. Yes, I promise you it’ll be good. Alright, thanks Dallas. Bye.” Braelyn listened to JC’s side of the conversation and was super curious.

JC hung up the phone and smiled at her.

“You ready to sleep?” he asked and kissed her forehead.

“Baby, what was that call about?”

“Oh, Dallas just wants me to listen to a song tomorrow. It’s nothing.”

“But you said you’re not up to much right now. Who’s the song for?”

“I think some girly pop star. I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.” Braelyn stood up from the bed and looked at him sternly.

“Now, you tell me and you tell me now. JC, you’re scaring me baby. I have no idea why you’re so apprehensive to answer questions about songs and why you’re acting weird about it. You’re brushing me off like the answer is going to kill me. I love you. I love you so much, but my god JC it’s not normal getting a call from Dallas at like quarter to one in the morning over some girl’s song that you don’t need to be concerned about. Then you tell me how you couldn’t come by at 7 and came by at 2 instead and I have to wonder what the hell you did between the time you left my office and I appeared here. You just seem so I don’t know, but not normal.” she said in a worried and slightly mad tone.

JC looked at her and remained silent.

“Oh so you’re not even going to say anything. Real nice. Real nice, JC just stand there and say nothing.”

Braelyn stopped leaning against the doorway of the room and walked right up to JC still sitting on the bed. She knelt down in front of him and stared dead on into his blue eyes.

“JC, I don’t know what’s going on with you right now, but you’re driving me insane. I just wanted to sleep with you and instead you’re acting like someone I don’t know.”

“That’s not true. Brae, let’s just sleep. It’s late.” he said softly pleading with his eyes.

“Whoa, you speak. Well if I’m sleeping here , you’re telling me the title of that song you were singing.” JC threw a pillow at her.

“Hit Braelyn So She’ll Shut Up.” Braelyn was not amused by the least bit. She hit him back with it.

“Now listen buddy, I want no smartass made up titles and no violence here.”

“Braelyn, listen to me and listen to me good.” She looked at him with fear in her eyes.

“I love you. I love you so much and that song you heard me sing. Well let’s just say you ruined it.”

“Ruined it?” She said confused.

JC shook his head yes.

“If I tell you anymore, I’ll hate myself.” Braelyn caressed his arm.

“Hate yourself. Baby, why would you hate yourself?”

“You have no idea.” he mumbled to himself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. It was nothing. Can I please just turn the light off and get you under these covers. You got work to do tomorrow.”

Braelyn almost felt like leaving and going to her apartment , but she didn’t want to make the situation worse. She stripped down to her lingerie and then turned the lights off.

JC got under the covers and smiled as he felt her get under the covers and put her arm around him.

“I don’t know what’s up , but I still love you JC.”

“I love you too, Brae. I really do.”