JC noticed Justin getting closer to Madelyn. “Abbey…look,” JC said as he stood up and walked closer to the sliding glass door.
Abbey followed JC to the door and peered through it to find Justin cupping Madelyn’s cheek.
JC and Abbey both waited for Justin to make the move. Slowly he leaned towards Madelyn and kissed her.
Abbey looked at JC as he turned his head and looked back at her. Both had their mouths open, gawking at Justin and Madelyn kissing.
“Oh my gosh!” Abbey exclaimed.
“I know!” JC shouted.
“Did you see that! Holy crap JC!”
“They just kissed!” JC shouted. “Way to go Justin!”
“Way to go Madelyn!” Abbey replied.
JC put out his arms to hug Abbey and dance around celebrating.
Abbey was a little excited and she jumped into JC’s arms. When she jumped up into his arms she had wrapped her legs around his waist and she put her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
She pulled her head away from being next to his and said with a huge smile on her face, “Aww! Madelyn and Justin are getting together!” Abbey then hugged JC again and he squeezed her back.
“Finally!” JC said as he spun around in a circle with Abbey still wrapped around him.
Abbey giggled and then pulled away from JC looking into his eyes. She never realized how beautiful his eyes were. The color of them complimented his skin and hair perfectly. The way JC looked at her in the silence was enough to make her faint.
Abbey unlocked her legs from his waist and set her feet on the ground. She then unlocked her arms from his neck and set them at her sides still looking into his light gray, blue eyes.
“JC…I…” Abbey said as JC lightly shushed her.
Abbey’s heart began to pound as JC leaned his head down to kiss her forehead. Abbey then lifted her hands up and rested them on JC’s biceps closing her eyes for a second and opening them back up to find JC coming closer to her lips.
JC trailed his eyes down to Abbey’s lips and his head followed. When his mouth was even with Abbey’s, he hesitated to kiss her for a second. And in that second his breath against Abbey’s lips made her heart pound even faster. JC and Abbey both closed their eyes as their lips touched.
Abbey jumped back from JC when she heard the door open. Justin and Madelyn were in their own world so they didn’t notice JC or Abbey standing there. Abbey ran her hand through her hair peering at JC and then quickly moving her eyes to Justin and Madelyn as they closed the door. She put on a fake smile and asked, “So how are you two doing?”
Madelyn smiled as she nodded her head towards Justin’s arm around Madelyn’s waist. His arm was sitting on her hip like it had belonged there forever, like an old habit. He was so comfortable around her and everyone could tell by his actions and emotions.
Madelyn beckoned Abbey to come closer and she whispered something in Abbey’s ear. While Madelyn whispered to Abbey, Justin looked at JC as he was rubbing the back of his neck. Justin mouthed out the word ‘sorry’ to JC and JC put his hand back at his side from his neck and lightly nodded back at Justin showing him it was ok.
JC then said to Justin,” You picked a good one J. You better treat her good or I will have to hunt you down.”
Madelyn, Abbey, Justin and JC all laughed at JC’s comment when Wade and Lance came walking down the stairs. They had come from Justin’s room where Joey and Chris still were keeping charge of the Play Station 2 and practicing tricks on Lance’s new game.
“What was all the commotion about down here a few minutes ago?” Lance asked.
Everyone was quiet for a second and then JC answered, “Oh, Abbey and I were just loudly celebrating J and Madelyn.”
“Oh,” Wade paused and then looked at Madelyn and Justin and saw Justin’s arm around her waist. “Oh!” he said as he laughed at himself. “Congrats! Finally you two are together!”
“You guys wanna join our tournament we are going to start in a bit upstairs?” Lance asked.
“Sure,” Justin answered for everyone as he and Madelyn walked towards the stairs with Justin’s arm still around her waist.
Wade followed the couple and Lance asked, “Are you coming Abbey?”
“Yes. I’ll be up there in a second. I am going to clean up the mess I made and get another bottle of water. Then I will be up there.”
“Do you want any help?” Lance asked.
"No, I can handle it. It’ll only take a couple of minutes so I won’t be long,” Abbey assured him.
“Ok. Meet you up there!” Lance said as he jogged up the stairs to catch up with Wade, Madelyn, and Justin.
JC started to walk toward the stairs as he turned his head to look at Abbey. Abbey was doing the same as JC reached the stairwell, but she avoided his eye contact by turning around and picking up the empty bowl and bottle of water off the bar to take into the kitchen.
He stood there for a moment watching her take the dishes to the sink and then he took his first step up the stairs. When Abbey heard his foot start up the stairs she looked back to see if he was visible still. He had already disappeared up the stairs.
Abbey set the dishes in the sink. She laid her hands on the counter while sighing quietly with her head down. She lifted her head up and said to herself out loud, “Why did I jump back?” She shook her head and grabbed a wet rag to wipe off the counter.
“Whoever wins this round faces me!” Chris shouted.
It was down to Abbey and Justin playing the semi-final round to see who was going to face Chris. They had been playing Graffiti on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 for Play Station 2.
There was twenty seconds left and Abbey needed to steal a ramp to win. But she had to make sure Justin didn’t gain another point.
Madelyn was cheering for Abbey as Justin yelled at her, “I thought you wanted me to win at the beginning of the tournament?”
“Well, I changed my mind. It’s a girl’s turn to win. Plus it was before I knew how good Abbey was at this game!” Justin huffed and kept playing.
Madelyn saw that Justin needed to be distracted for Abbey to steal a ramp. Abbey quickly pushed buttons in a certain order making her skate border, Bam Margera, complete a combo trick to steal the ramp.
Justin was starting to go into a move to gain another point with his skate border, Bucky Lasek, to beat Abbey. Madelyn saw he was going to complete the combo trick of grinds. She quickly placed her hands in front of Justin’s eyes for about two seconds on the game’s clock.
There was five seconds left and Justin was finally able to see the screen again. On the screen he saw his player losing balance on the rail, so Justin tried to keep him up on the rail to complete the trick. Justin was not successful and his player fell.
When Madelyn saw Justin’s player she giggled a little bit and cheered Abbey on. Abbey had completed her move to gain a second point to win as the time ran out.
“That wasn’t fair! There was an interference by my girlfriend! I want a rematch!” Justin shouted.
Everyone laughed at Justin’s competitive attitude and Lance said, “It’s just a game Justin. Let it go!”
Justin huffed at Lance and turned to look at Abbey and said with an evil grin on his face, “Just you wait Abbey, just you wait. Revenge is sweet!”
“I won! Oh yeah! Who’s the tourney champ now!?! In your face!” Chris yelled towards everyone in the room.
“Wow,” Abbey said sarcastically. “Now I’m glad I didn’t win, cause I would have looked like that,” she said as she pointed toward Chris jumping off the bed in excitement doing Power Ranger, karate chop kicks in the air. Everyone shook their heads as they laughed at Chris acting like a five-year-old.
Just then JC, Justin, and Madelyn left the room to go downstairs to clean up the living room while Abbey, Wade, and Lance watched Chris and Joey play NFL Game Day Pro 2000.
Madelyn and Justin walked toward the living room and JC went to the kitchen to get a garbage bag for the excess wrapping paper and garbage. Madelyn made herself comfortable on the couch and Justin walked over and sat next to her. Justin leaned his back against the arm of the couch and Madelyn leaned against him with one of his arms wrapped around her side holding her hand. Both sat relaxed waiting for JC to come back from the kitchen.
When JC arrived with a black garbage bag in hand he saw Madelyn and Justin cuddled together on the couch and he smiled at them both. “So, has this turned into everyone supervise JC on how to clean up the living room?”
Madelyn giggled and said, “No. Sit down for awhile so we can talk. We will finish cleaning up the mess after we are done talking.”
JC sat down on the other side of the couch opposite to Madelyn and Justin. He propped his foot up on his knee and he rested his hand on his thigh. “I’m glad you two are finally together. It’s been something that’s been waiting to blossom for sometime.”
“Yeah, I am happy too,” Justin said as he kissed the top of Madelyn’s head.
Madelyn smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m happy too. We don’t want to talk about us,” she paused to think on how to ask her next question. “Did you…”
Justin cut her off and asked, “What was going on in here while we were outside?” Justin looked at Madelyn and smile and said, “Sorry for cutting you off Maddie.”
JC sighed and began talking, “Well, Abbey was spying on you two and I walked over and joined her. We were waiting for something to happen with you two like it was our own private movie. Well when you two kissed we got excited and celebrated and she hugged me. When we pulled away from each other, something just happened and we got closer and closer and then I was about to kiss her and…”
“And we walked in,” Madelyn said.
“Sorry man,” Justin said.
“It’s ok. I just don’t get it,” JC started. “It’s been a long time since her last boyfriend, Nick?”
“Nick,” Madelyn said as she cringed at his name.
“It’s been almost two years now. That’s a long time. I just don’t understand why she won’t take a chance with me, with anyone for that matter. I think I have made it clear that I like her and that I want something to happen. I know Nick was great to her up until he cheated on her. But she needs to get over him and if she has taken this long already who knows how much longer she still is going to dwell on the past,” JC said.
“Well, I don’t think you guys know this but the reason she is having such a hard time is that Abbey was ready to get married. He was going to propose to her. He told me and she was talking about it before he told me and I knew it was going to be great for her. Then one night he just did a 180 and hurt her. She was ready to be settled, she had been for a long time,” Madelyn explained to JC and Justin.
JC rubbed his face and said, “I don’t even know what to say to that. To have me even compare to the person she wanted to marry, the love of her life.”
“Yeah, the love of her old life. The man who broke her heart, she just needs time to get over him. Maybe she is over him but she is afraid of commitment with another guy. JC, you can be that guy. Deep down inside she likes you. Maybe she even loves you. You and only you can bring that out in her and keep it alive. Only you,” Madelyn explained to JC.
The next morning
Abbey and Madelyn were laying in the their beds in the guest room and Abbey had been awake for about 15 minutes. Madelyn was still sleeping while Abbey thought about her trip back home to get back to work. “Abbey? You awake?” Madelyn asked in a sleepy voice.
“Yeah, I’m awake Maddie,” Abbey responded. “I was thinking, when were you wanting to go back home? Do you want to stay a bit longer cause you and J just got together? I need to get back home for work and stuff. I can’t take any other days off work unless necessary, otherwise I get days taken off my vacation in August.”
Madelyn rubbed her eyes and then scratched her head, “Uh, I just woke up. Think brain!” she paused, “I think that I might stay longer if that is ok with you.”
“It’s perfectly fine with me. I need to get back to work and I’m sure the guys will take care of you. You are a big girl now, you can ride a plane home by yourself!”
Madelyn laughed and sat up in her bed. She looked around and then back at Abbey and asked her, “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, kind of. I wonder if the guys are up yet,” Abbey asked.
“Let’s go check,” Madelyn responded.
Abbey then jumped out of her bed and put on a sweatshirt. Madelyn flipped out of her bed and followed Abbey down the hallway towards JC’s room. When they approached his door Abbey stopped and Madelyn bumped into her, “Shhh! I think he’s sleeping. I can’t tell though and if I try to push the door open it’s gonna make a creaking noise.”
“What if we scare the crap out of him and Justy to wake them up?”
“Or.. we go downstairs and make them breakfast in bed, Abbey and Madelyn style.”
“Yeah, we could do that too!”
“Ok then,” Abbey answered and started to walk towards the staircase past Justin’s room. The two girls crept down the stairs trying to not make any noise and made it safely to the bottom without a creak.
Abbey walked into the kitchen first and asked Madelyn, “Ok, what should we make them? Stuff we like or they like?”
“How about we make stuff we like so if they don’t like it then we can eat it. Plus we are better at making it then the things they always make for breakfast,” Madelyn answered.
“Ok, you can make Justin’s, of course, and I’ll make JC’s.”
“Ok!” Madelyn shouted.
“I’m right here Maddie, you don’t half to scream,” Abbey responded as she got out a pan as Madelyn got out eggs from the fridge.
“I’ll be in charge of making the eggs and you can make the pancakes,” Madelyn told Abbey. Abbey was busy in the pantry in the kitchen looking for pancake mix while Madelyn was fiddling with the stove.
Justin and JC’s stove had electric burners and Madelyn couldn’t tell if they were on or if they needed to be heated up. “What the heck? Hey Abbey?” Madelyn called, “How do you tell if this thing is on?”
“What was that Maddie I couldn’t hear you?” Abbey asked as she walked out of the pantry with the pancake mix box. When Abbey looked up from reading the box she saw Madelyn at the stove with her finger about an inch away from the burner. “Madelyn!”
“Owwww! That’s hotter than hell! Oww, oww, oww!” Madelyn immediately turned on the water in the sink and stuck her finger under it.
Abbey walked over to Madelyn and set down the pancake box on the counter, “Let me see your finger Maddie.” Madelyn shook her head no and kept her finger away from Abbey’s eyesight. “Madelyn let me look at it. For goodness sakes, you just stuck your finger on a hot stove and now you won’t let me look at it to see if it’s ok,” Abbey said as she threw her hands in the air.
“Fine!” Madelyn said and turned around pouting like a five-year-old. “Don’t touch it!” she said while wincing when Abbey took Madelyn’s hand to look closer at the burn on her first finger.
“I’m not going to touch it! Just don’t put a Band-Aid on it yet because it needs air,” Abbey directed. “And next time you use and electric stove try to think of it as a gas burner stove. Once you turn on the fire it’s gonna be hot.”
“Yes mother. Whatever you say mother. Ok mother,” Madelyn mocked.
“Shut it, Madelyn!”
The two girls continued to make breakfast and every once and awhile Madelyn would try to get Abbey to talk about her and JC. Every time Madelyn would ask a question about how she felt Abbey would completely ignore it and ask Madelyn to get a piece of silverware or tell her to do something in the kitchen or say ‘Are you watching your eggs?’ Madelyn was defeated and didn’t get one answer from Abbey about the subject of Abbey’s interest in JC.
The girls finished making breakfast and started loading the plates with food and drinks. Madelyn made Justin a plate with one pancake, two eggs, a few slices of bacon, toast, and an orange cut up on the side. She had a tall glass of milk sitting on the tray and a little clear glass filled with water which had a flower in it from the garden.
The plate Abbey made for JC had two pancakes with whip cream and a strawberry on top, one egg, a couple pieces of bacon and the other half of the orange Madelyn cut for Justin. She also put a tall glass of orange juice on the tray and on the side of her glass she hung an orange slice. Madelyn had made Abbey a little flower glass to put on JC's tray also.
The girls then walked up stairs and Madelyn woke up Justin and Abbey woke up JC. They both told the boys that they had a surprise for them and they weren’t allowed to get out of bed.
Justin just turned over in his bed and tried to rub his eyes open but he stayed cuddled up in his blankets when Madelyn woke him up. JC on the other hand hardly moved and made a groaning noise when Abbey tried to wake him up the first time. She told him again that she had a surprise for him and he opened his eyes agreeing to whatever she had said.
Madelyn and Abbey then walked back downstairs and picked up the trays from the kitchen. Then they walked back upstairs and took them inside the boys’ rooms.
Justin immediately jumped into a sitting position when he saw that Madelyn had made him a mound of food for breakfast. “Madelyn, you are the greatest! This is the sweetest thing in the world!” Justin exclaimed to Madelyn. When Madelyn set down the tray he leaned forward and gave Madelyn a kiss on the lips, “Good morning Maddie.”
“Good morning Justy,” she responded as she sat down on Justin’s King-sized bed next to him as Justin began to dig in to his breakfast plate.
Next door in JC’s room Abbey walked in and set down the tray in the dresser of JC’s room and walked over to his bed. “JC are you awake?”
JC then suddenly sat up in his bed and screamed out “CD-player! CD-PLAYER!!”
Abbey first stared at JC and then she burst out laughing so hard that her face hurt. “What the heck are you doing?”
JC looked around and hesitated on answering. “What’s going on?” he finally asked with a confused look on his face breathing deep still from his outburst.
Abbey sat down on his bed next to him and started to laugh again. JC stared at her still confused and was trying to figure out what was going on. Abbey finally caught her breath and said, “I came in here to see if you were awake and you sat straight up screaming CD-player.” JC then started laughing and Abbey joined in again.
“I’m such an idiot!”
“I came up here to tell you that I made you breakfast and I brought it with me so you could eat in bed,” Abbey explained. “A special treat from me and Madelyn.”
“Aww, how sweet. You guys didn’t have to do that,” JC responded.
“We wanted to do something for you two since you have been making all kinds of meals for us and doing things for us,” Abbey started. “Would you like to eat it now or do you still need a few extra minutes to recuperate from your CD-player extravaganza?”
“No, that’s alright. But if you don’t mind I’d like to eat it at table over there,” JC said as he pointed to a small, glass table in the corner of his room with two chairs pushed in. “Would you care to join me?”
“I’ll serve you over there, Mr. Chasez,” Abbey said as she started to get off his bed. JC then got up and flipped off the covers. Abbey was still facing him and when he stood up he was only wearing his boxers.
Abbey turned her head down slightly as she was blushing. “Would you like me to leave the room so you can change?” she said as she quickly peeked up to look at him and then back down.
JC then walked over to Abbey and lifted her head up, “It’s ok, I’ll just slip on my pants if it bothers you.”
“It’s your room and breakfast so you can do whatever you want,” she told him.
“Ok,” JC said as he slipped on his pants for Abbey’s sake. He knew that she would feel uncomfortable if he was just sitting there in his boxers eating breakfast while they talked.
Abbey then walked over to the dresser and picked up the tray. She walked back to the table in the corner of the room and waited for JC to sit down. She then took the plate off the tray and set it down, then the glass of orange juice, and the silverware and napkin. Then she set the little glass with the flower on the middle of the table in between the two chairs.
Abbey put the tray back on the dresser and walked back over to table and sat down across from JC. He didn’t take his first bite until she was sitting at the table across from him. When she sat down he told her thank you for making the food and then he picked up his fork and started to eat the pancakes. “Mmmmm. This is good. Did you or Madelyn make it?”
“I made the pancakes and Madelyn made the eggs.”
“Would you like a bite?”
“No, that’s alright.”
“How about the strawberry?” JC asked her knowing that strawberries where one of her favorites.
“Only if you insist,” Abbey said. “Thank you,” she said as he handed her the strawberry.
“When are you two going to go back home?” JC inquired.
“Maddie and I are flying back home on separate days. Well that’s the plan anyway. I need to get back to work and Maddie wants to stay a few extra days,” Abbey explained.
“I see. What day were you planning on leaving?” he asked.
“Probably tomorrow night, so I need to call the airport about getting a ticket home,” Abbey responded. “I’ll probably ask for a cheap midnight flight home.”
“That’s not necessary,” JC told her. “I’ll buy your ticket home, it’s the least I can do since you have to leave for home so soon.”
“No, I’ll buy it. You guys got us tickets in first class on the way down here, I can just as well buy myself a ticket home.”
“No, I won’t accept that Abbey. If you are going to be leaving then I want to but you a day time flight so I can make sure you are safe and comfortable,” JC said reaching his hand across the table to hold Abbey’s hand in reassurance. “Please Abbey, just let me buy your ticket home. It’ll make me feel better.”
Abbey looked at JC and paused before answering. When he thought she wouldn’t accept his offer, he turned his bottom lip down like a puppy dog frowning. “Please Abbey. Please.”
“Alright, fine. You can buy my ticket home, but only if you must have it that way.”
“Yes, honey, I must have it that way,” JC answered and then went back to eating his breakfast. Abbey blushed when JC had called her ‘honey’ and JC noticed but again he didn’t say anything. All he knew was that his sly ways might be getting to her and if he kept using them, they would hopefully spark a relationship.
The next day at the airport
JC drove Abbey to the airport and dropped her off. They said their good-byes, keeping them short, because JC had to be back for a recording session.
Abbey checked in her bags and went through security check. She arrived at the terminal where her plane was to be boarding in an hour. She walked over to the seating area and got out her headphones from her backpack. She pushed play and Mandy Moore came on. She grabbed a newspaper that was left on a chair next to her and began to read the world news section.
While reading the first article in the section, she felt like she was being watched. She pushed down the left corner of the newspaper with her first finger to look around for someone. All she saw was an old couple walking with their bags in the main walkway. She flipped the corner back up and began reading again.
A few minutes later she thought she saw someone run past her. She folded down the right side of the paper, took off her headphones, and saw a little boy jumping in front of the window looking at the airplanes.
“Look at the planes! Wow Mommy, are we really gonna ride on that?” the child said eagerly. The young mother nodded, encouraging her son. The little boy then ran over to where Abbey was sitting and jumped into the chair next to her where the newspaper had once been. “Hi! My name is Jack! And that’s my mommy and we are going to ride on that plane! Are you gonna ride on that plane too?”
“Yes I am sweetie,” Abbey answered the child smiling brightly at her.
“Come on Jack let her alone. We’ll go and get a cookie and then we’ll get on the plane,” the little boy’s mother told him.
“Some cookies? Alright!” the little boy said as he jumped off the chair. He hopped over to his mother and put his hand in hers. Walking away he turned his head toward Abbey and waved, “Bye lady! I’m going to get a cookie!”
Abbey waved back, “Bye Jack! Have fun on the plane!” She smiled as the little boy turned back and skipped off into the main walkway with his mother.
Abbey raised her newspaper once more smiling. She read a few more articles after putting her headphones back on. About fifteen minutes passed and Abbey looked up from the paper and saw the little boy coming back. He had chocolate on his face and kept trying to lick it off with his tongue.
His mother and a man, whom Abbey assumed was the father, walked a few steps behind their son. They sat down and the little boy jumped on the mother’s lap. Abbey noticed that the father looked a little mysterious because the hat he was wearing covered his face.
Abbey raised her paper and kept reading, this time in the local section. Someone tapped her on the arm lightly. She looked to the side and it was the little boy, Jack again. Abbey took off her headphones waiting for the boy to say something.
“Hi Abbey!” he said.
How does he know my name? Did I tell him it before?
“I have something for you,” he said as he reached out his hand toward her holding a flower. “It’s a rose!” Abbey took it from him and he said, “Careful, it hurts when you hold it sometimes.”
“Thank you,” Abbey said, nodded and looked up to his parents. The father was gone but the young mother was still sitting there watching her son. Abbey got the mother’s eye contact and gave her a confused, questioning look. The mother nodded her head telling Abbey it was ok.
The little boy got up and walked back over to his mother’s lap. Abbey smelled the rose. She had always loved the smell of flowers, especially roses. She set the rose in her lap and looked at the clock on the wall to see that there was fifteen minutes until boarding time.
Abbey then looked to her left and saw the hat of whom Abbey thought was Jack’s father. That’s weird. With the newspaper still tilted up she began reading again. After reading an article she got the sensation of a person still watching over her. She looked to her sides for someone spying on her. No one was around. I must really be anxious for this flight, I am flipping out here. What’s wrong with me?
Abbey couldn’t concentrate to keep reading. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she folded the paper in her lap, she rubbed her temples to keep from being nervous. When she leaned her head forward she slowly opened her eyes.
“Surprise!”
