Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Oh god, has it been twenty minutes already?" Rachael groaned breathlessly, pulling her lips away from Justin's as a honking horn signalled the arrival of the cab there to pick her up. The pair had quite irresponsibly ignored the fact that they should have both been getting ready to leave and spent the past twenty minutes making out. Rachael had honestly never been real big on the whole making out thing; she had done it with her other boyfriends enough to keep them from whining but she never really got into it. It wasn't that she didn't like kissing them, she just didn't like kissing them enough to do it for more than ten minutes at a time. It just seemed like a rather boring activity to her. Justin, however, had always been different. With him, an hour could go by and she would swear it had only been five minutes. It was the very reason she had even let herself cheat on Wade with him. When he kissed her, she felt so much more than she ever had with any other guy. Not just the physical, sensual sensations, but something deeper that she couldn't quite put her finger on. And it was that something that made it so heavenly and perfect to kiss him and had convinced her that making out was, in fact, a very good thing. A very good thing she did not want to stop doing right now even though she knew she had to.
"He can wait," Justin told her, pulling her lips back to his and picking up where they had left off. His own driver was going to be pretty pissed off when he arrived in ten minutes and found that Justin wasn't ready, but he wasn't going to see Rachael again for at least a few weeks and he was going to spend as much time kissing her as he possibly could. The way he figured it, they should have been together since that day he kissed her when they were sixteen so he had roughly seven years of kisses to make up for here. Everyone else could just hold their damn horses. Rachael wasn't exactly a hard sell and she stayed on his lap, her mouth exploring his and her hands clutching at his shirt before she made any attempt to get up.
"O...kay...really...should...go," she mumbled between kisses as she made a weak and not entirely convincing attempt to wriggle away from his grip.
"Yeah...you...should." The fact that he failed to remove his arms from where they hung around her waist or stop smothering her mouth with his own sort of counteracted the statement and it wasn't until there was another loud honk that they actually stopped. Rachael rolled her eyes and stood up, sliding her shoes on and grabbing her clothes from the top of his dresser.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," she finally spoke, her voice sounding sad and disappointed. Was it pathetic that she really did want to stay there with him all day, or maybe all her life? No, she decided. Even when they were just friends she had hated leaving when she knew she wouldn't see him for a long time. After spending the first seven years they had known each other joined at the hip, growing up and realizing they couldn't always be together had always been hard. Justin nodded, his face echoing the emotions her voice conveyed.
"I guess so."
"Bye." Rachael gave him what was intended to be one goodbye kiss, but turned into another series of kisses as she slowly worked her way backwards towards the door. Another loud honk startled them both and she tripped over her heels and pants, nearly falling on her backside. Fortunately Justin's hold on her had been strong enough that he'd been able to pull her into him and save her the trip to the floor as she burst into laughter.
"Oh, I hate us," she stated through her giggles.
"You hate us?" Justin repeated, faking a look of pain and disbelief.
"Yes! We're one of those stupid annoying couples who can't keep their hands off each other. When did that happen?" She was still laughing as she kissed him softly on the lips and shook her head.
"Last night," he replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear with a smile. "And, really, can you blame us for being all over each other? We're hot." Rachael put a finger to her chin to compliment her exaggerated moment of pondering this statement.
"Well, yes, I'm hot," she finally agreed with a nod. "The jury's still out on you." The evil grin that seemed to find its way into every conversation they ever had spread across her face as Justin let out a laborous sigh.
"You are so cruel to me and I abhor you." Another loud honk sounded from outside and they both rolled their eyes, thinking they had somehow gotten stuck with the most impatient taxi driver in the world. He was undoubtedly thinking he had gotten stuck with the slowest client in the world.
"Ooh, abhor. Good word." She grinned at him before wrapping her arms tighter around his waist and giving him one last long, slow kiss. They were both breathless as they broke away from each other and Rachael ran a hand down his cheek affectionately. "Okay, I really have to go now. I love you. Goodbye. And I do think you're hot, but don't expect me to ever say it again."
"Good. I won't. Love you too," Justin returned with a smile as he reluctantly let go of her and allowed her to head out the door. He found himself staring at the door as it closed behind her, unable to wipe the smile off his face. That had been paradise, even if it couldn't last.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Rachael rushed back in, hurrying over to him and pulling him into her as she pressed her lips to his once more. They spent a few glorious seconds this way before she pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I just have to tell you that even though I have been a total moron for quite some time now...I'm really glad this happened." It was quite possibly the most sincere thing she'd ever said to him and Justin felt his smile widening involuntarily as he intertwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand affectionately.
"Me too," he replied softly. She grinned back at him and they both just looked at each other for a minute before she realized she was supposed to be downstairs in a car on her way back to Hollie and Gaby's.
"Okay, leaving now." She dropped one last peck on his lips before turning and hurrying out the door for the final time.
"I love you!" Justin called after her.
"Love you more!" came the reply.
"Love you most!" He hoped she could still hear him and he found she could when her voice came drifting back up the stairs.
"No you don't, loser!"
***
Hollie was drumming her fingers on the wood surface of her kitchen table, trying to concentrate on homework and thinking about the fact that she really wished JC hadn't gone home already when there was a loud knock on the door and she was forced to get up and answer it. Swinging the door open, a smirk spread across her features as she saw who was on the other side. "Well, well..."
"Hi, Hols!" Rachael grinned broadly as she walked past her friend and into the apartment. "How are you on this gorgeous Monday morning?"
"Fine," Hollie replied slowly, raising an eyebrow as she shut the door and turned to face Rachael. "Nice outfit." She eyed the oversized sweatpants and t-shirt Rachael had paired with her stilettos from the night before. It was an interesting combination to say the least.
"Thanks!" The exclamation was accompanied by an even wider grin as Rachael flopped down onto the couch and pulled her shoes off. They were killing her feet and she'd only been wearing them for a few minutes. Clearly she needed to murder Laura when she got home.
"You seem unusually happy this morning," Hollie commented as she rested a hand on her hip and looked at her friend curiously.
"Do I?" The smile still didn't leave her face.
"Okay, you said you'd explain everything when you got here," the blonde reminded her, sitting down next to her on the couch. She'd already begun to put the pieces of Rachael's behavior together - sudden realization that she was in love with Justin, unexplained disappearance, resurgance the next morning in what appeared to be Justin's clothes, and a sudden inability to stop smiling - but she wanted to hear it out of the horse's mouth. Metaphorically speaking, of course. "So explain."
"Where's Gaby?" Rachael inquired, glancing around the apartment and conveniently ignoring her friend's request for an explanation.
"At Trace's, where do you think?" Hollie was pretty sure Rachael had already known that and was only looking for ways to avoid giving promised explanation.
"Ah, of course." The smiling fiend gave an understanding nod. "So you and Mr. You-Look-and-Beautiful-Are-the-Only-Words-in-My-Vocabulary didn't make a night of it?"
Hollie stuck her tongue in Rachael's general direction. "Would you stop trying to change the subject? You promised me an explanation." How was she supposed to gloat properly if the woman wouldn't even tell her what had happened last night?
"Now you are avoiding my question," Rachael observed, leaning back on the couch and raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Interesting."
"No I'm not. And anyway, you promised first," Hollie replied indignantly. Rachael shook her head.
"Doesn't matter. Can't tell you now. If I tell you now, I'll have to repeat it all to Gaby when she gets back and that would just be really, really annoying, don't you agree?" She gave her friend a smug grin and was rewarded with a glare.
"No," Hollie grumbled, folding her arms in annoyance. "You're really a very frustrating person, do you realize this?"
"Yes." The tone of her voice suggested she was rather proud of it, too. Before either woman could speak again, the front door opened and Gaby appeared inside the room, looking quite exhausted.
"Hey, girls," she greeted them with a smile as she tossed her keys and bag on the table by the door and headed over to where her two friends sat on the couch. She settled on the coffee table and looked at them both curiously. "What's up?"
"Rachael's being irritating," Hollie informed her with a smile. Rachael slapped her on the arm.
"So is Hollie," she stated, narrowing her eyes at the woman in question and receiving an identical slap on her own arm. Gaby shrugged untying the sweatshirt that hung around her waist and pulling it on.
"So what's new? You're both irritating all day, every day," she said nonchalantly and continued before either could protest. "Is JC gone already?" Hollie's jaw dropped in response to this question as Rachael's eyes widened and the latter pointed in the former's face annoyingly.
"HA! I knew it!" she cried triumphantly.
"How did you know he stayed here?" Hollie asked Gaby in disbelief, ignoring the cackles of their other companion. JC had in fact stayed the night, but Hollie didn't think anyone else would know without her telling them. It was unlike her to do something like that so early in a relationship. Gaby grinned at her.
"Wild guess," she replied with a wink.
"Oh, would you stop laughing?" Hollie snapped at Rachael, her face beginning to redden.
"Ah, well it looks as though I'm the only one who didn't get lucky last night," Rachael observed with a laborous sigh, heeding Hollie's words and ceasing her laughter. She snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "Darn it." Both her friends looked at her disbelievingly.
"Sure you didn't." It was Hollie's turn to taunt as the corners of her mouth curled into an evil smile and she made a big show of looking pointedly at Rachael's attire as though the fact that she was wearing Justin's clothes proved something. Rachael's brown eyes widened for the second time in the past five minutes as she shook her head vehemently at her friends' smirking faces.
"Oh god, you think Justin and I...no! No, no, no!" she exclaimed, burying her face in her hands. No matter how much she knew Justin had probably wanted to, the two of them hadn't done anything more than kissing. Well, there had been the odd wandering hand here and there, but that was as far as it had gone. Neither of them wanted things to move too quickly.
"Sure," Gaby patted her leg condescendingly. She and Hollie had no doubt that Rachael was telling the truth - they'd assumed she hadn't slept with him anyway, that would have been too unlike her - but they were both having too much fun watching her squirm to let her know that just yet.
"We didn't!" she insisted, her eyes pleading with the both of them to just believe her.
"Hey, I bet I know what could convince us to believe her, Gaby!" Hollie exclaimed to her roommate, that evil grin still adorning her features.
"Why, what is that, my dear Hollie?" Gaby asked with pronounced curiosity. Rachael rolled her eyes, but they both ignored it and continued in their little game.
"If she told us what [I]did[/I] happen after she and Justin disappeared last night and left us all to worry about them." She paused to look pointedly at Rachael for effect. "We would have a deeper understanding of the situation and not have to assume things based on her current get up and constant smiling."
"What a brilliant idea! I believe that would work!" Gaby nodded fervently as she rested her feet on the couch and both girls looked at Rachael expectantly. She glared back at them. Having been away from the two of them for a few years until Justin had brought them back into her life, she'd forgotten how annoying they could be when they ganged up on her like this.
"You guys are so weird," she grumbled as she focused her attention on twisting a piece of hair around her finger.
"You're one to talk," Gaby retorted with a snort. "So are you going to tell us, or what? Let's see, I'll get you started."
"How helpful." Rachael's interruption was accompanied by another roll of her eyes and it was once again ignored by her counterparts as Gaby continued.
"Well, last I saw you, you were crying your eyes out and telling me you were in love with Justin. So did you tell him?"
"Yes," came the quiet response.
"And?"
"And what?" Rachael smiled innocently and both of her friends groaned.
"Could we possibly have one conversation with you where we don't have to drag information out of you?" Hollie pleaded. "Just one? Please? I'll never ask again." She did a pretty fair impression of the Timberlake pout and Rachael raised an eyebrow.
"You have clearly been around Justin too much."
"Clearly," Hollie agreed, continuing to try and work the pout much in the same way Justin always did. As far as she knew, it never failed, but Rachael appeared completely unfazed. Gaby shook her head.
"You forget, Hols. She's immune to the Timberlake pout," Gaby reminded her.
"Damn."
"Indeed I am," Rachael stated, her annoyed expression fading in favor of a confident grin. Finally she decided that as much as she was not looking forward to the gloating that was sure to follow as soon as she told her friends about her new status as Justin's girlfriend, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to spill the beans to someone and anyway, they looked like they were about ready to murder her if she didn't. "But I'll tell you anyway." She paused so Hollie and Gaby could emit various relieved noises, then continued. "I told him how I felt, we decided we didn't want to be there anymore, so we went back to his place and watched a movie, then fell asleep together." She omitted the part where they had actually made out for an hour and only watched about fifteen minutes of the movie before falling asleep. Well, before he'd fallen asleep and she'd laid there unable to do the same for another hour or so. "And um, anyway...we're a couple now." She couldn't think of any more eloquent way to put it as the huge grin spread back over her face.
"Well, it's about damn time," Gaby stated with a smile and Rachael couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
"Agreed." Hollie nodded. "And I would say 'I told you so' but I have to go call Mitch's," she added, referring to a sports bar in the middle of downtown Millington as she stood up. Rachael frowned.
"Why?" she inquired suspiciously.
"Because Gaby and I now have 500 dollars coming to us," Hollie replied with a smirk. "There are perks to having the inside scoop on the Justin and Rachael relationship after all!"
***
Rachael sighed to herself as she looked up at the hotel in front of her. After having some breakfast with Hollie and Gaby and changing into some of her own clothes, she'd decided that she should go pay Lance a visit before he left. She really didn't want to, but she knew she owed it to him. It was a pretty crappy thing she'd done to him last night - barely paying him any decent attention and then just disappearing without a word - and she wanted to apologize. According to her father, apologies were something that should always be done in person. It showed that you had courage and were sincerely sorry for whatever you'd done. However, at the moment, Rachael was not feeling particularly courageous and was really wishing she was back in Justin's bed just lying there with him and talking while he played with her hair. She'd even settle for lying awake listening to him snore if it meant she didn't have to do this.
Finally telling herself to just suck it up and get it over with, she walked into the hotel and strolled purposefully towards the elevator, pushing the button of the floor she knew Lance was staying on. Normally there would be security swarming the hall as she stepped off onto the appropriate floor, but seeing as it was just Lance and not the entirety of N Sync, it wasn't as bad as usual. She did spot Lonnie standing at the end of the hall though and waved to him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, baby girl!" he greeted her. Lonnie was the only one allowed the privilege of calling her that. Even Justin would probably get an evil glare and sock in the arm if he attempted it.
"Hi!" she returned the greeting as she approached him. It was comforting to see a friendly face before she went to her doom. Well, it wasn't really her doom. Just an uncomfortable situation that she didn't want to face. She could only hope that she hadn't hurt Lance too much. She really cared about him and he was one of her best friends. The last thing she wanted was to lose his friendship because she'd been too stupid to realize she was in love with Justin.
"You here to see Lance?" Lonnie assumed correctly.
"Yep." Rachael nodded, trying not to let her trepidation show.
"Well, hurry up. We're out of here in fifteen minutes." He paused, looking at her quizically. "You okay, baby girl?"
"Fine." She forced a smile. "I'll be quick." Taking a deep breath and walking a few doors down to the one she knew was Lance's, she knocked lightly. The door swung open before she'd even pulled her hand down and she jumped as she found herself face-to-face with the wet-haired Lance Bass, who had obviously just recently gotten out of the shower.
"Rachael," he greeted her, seeming a bit surprised. He'd finally given up trying to call her the night before, deciding she must have turned her phone off. He spent the rest of the party talking to Jenna, who had actually turned out to be really good company, and while he'd spent some time feeling sorry for himself this morning, he wasn't feeling nearly as depressed about being ditched as he thought he would.
"Hi Lance." Rachael's apprehension was reflected in her voice as she bit her lip nervously. Lance couldn't help noticing that she hadn't called him "Lancey." He could count on one hand the number of times that had happened.
"Hey."
"Can I come in?" She clamped down even harder on her lip and Lance thought it looked painful. He nodded and wordlessly stepped aside to let her in.
"What's up?" he asked as he shut the door behind them. He had a few different ideas about why she was there, each of which ended in her telling him she only wanted to be friends. The surprising part was that he didn't really feel too upset about that.
"Well, I um..." Rachael sighed as she searched for the right words to say. She'd never had to do something like this before. She wasn't exactly dumping Lance - that would have required her to be his girlfriend first - but that was how it felt. She had no idea how to go about it. The only person she'd ever dumped before was Wade and that had just sort of happened naturally. It was kind of the way things went after your boyfriend walked in on you making out with another guy. "About last night...I'm really sorry I ditched you, Lancey. It was so shitty of me and I figure I at least owe you an explanation, because I consider you to be one of my best friends and the last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you."
"Okay," Lance said slowly, nodding his head. "So explain."
"Well, uh..." She started twisting the ring on her left ring finger nervously. "It's just, I...I was dancing with Justin, right? And it was just supposed to be this 'hey, I'm dancing with my best friend' kind of dance, but well...it wasn't."
"I saw." Lance nodded again and Rachael continued as though he hadn't interrupted.
" I-I had this...epiphany." That sounded far too dramatic, but it was the first word that popped in her head and it worked. "I just realized that I, uh...he and I...well, all my life...I just...god, I don't know how to tell you this." She slumped onto the bed, looking fairly miserable and Lance smiled gently. He remembered the days when she would have had no problem telling him this. She used to always confide in him about her feelings for Justin. He really missed those days when they'd just been friends and dating hadn't even been a factor.
"You're in love with him?" he supplied quietly. Rachael looked at him, her expression a mixture of apologetic for feeling the way she did and grateful for him saying it so she didn't have to.
"Kind of, yeah," she sighed. Lance sat down next to her, took her hand into his and squeezed it.
"I know."
"You do?" Rachael was mildly incredulous.
"Yeah. I've known for a long time, I just kind of ignored it because I have this huge, pathetic crush on you."
"I'm sorry..." she began again, but he shook his head.
"Don't be sorry, Rach. It's my own fault, I should have just left it alone. Besides, this is what's right for you. I like you a lot, but Justin loves you. He loves you more than I ever will." Lance felt a slight pang of sadness, but he knew it would pass. He truly meant what he was saying to her. He knew he didn't love her like Justin did, and he would get over what feelings he did have for her. She deserved to be with Justin. He was right for her.
"No, but I should have handled it better than I did," Rachael protested. "I should have thought about how you felt and not led you on and just sworn myself off from men until I figured everything out. I shouldn't have dragged you into this, Lancey, and I'm so sorry."
"Apology accepted." He kissed her temple, feeling a lot more comfortable around her than he had in a long while. It actually felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Rachael smiled at him.
"Thank you. You're making this a lot easier than I thought it would be." Lance shrugged.
"You know me."
"Indeed," Rachael agreed with a chuckle.
"Anyway, I met someone last night," Lance informed her. Obviously he and Jenna were only friends, but he'd gotten her number and he was hoping to see much more of her in the future. Rachael raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you move on quickly, don't you? What is it with my suitors getting over me so easily?" she huffed playfully. "First Wade and Jen, now you and...what's this girl's name?"
"Jenna," he told her with a chuckle.
"Jenna? Good Lord! Must be something in the name," Rachael mused as Lance laughed and nodded.
"Must be."
"So tell me about her," Rachael insisted with a grin, shifting so she could face Lance more directly and tucking a leg under herself. "You do realize she will have to receive the official Rachael Jacques seal of approval before you can date her, right?"
"I do."
"And she'll have to submit fingerprints."
"Fingerprints?"
"Yes. Standard procedure. Nothing to worry about."
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