Disclaimer: I do not know *N Sync or their sexual preferences. If it is illegal for you to read fictional stories about male/male relationships where you live, please leave. Same thing goes if you just don't like the idea of two beautiful men in love.
Title: Open Your Heart Author: Robin (nsajscgirl@yahoo.com) Rating: R Pairing: Joey/Lance Notes: Thank you to Mikko for help with the title and thanks to Cele who always helps me out so much. :) Thank you to everyone that's sent feedback! I appreciate it!
Chapter 2
A knock at his hotel door later that night startled Joey. He knew that JC was having dinner with his current girlfriend. He also knew that Justin and Chris were out clubbing, which was where he would have been, too, except for the fact that the last thing he wanted to see was Justin stalking and hunting his next 'victim'. Joey had expected to be alone all night. Lance's distorted image peered back at him through the peephole and Joey frowned. He was still pissed at Lance and didn't have a clue why the younger man insisted on bothering him. Lance had been practically following him around all day, his knowledgeable eyes watching him closely. It made Joey feel self-conscious and uneasy, especially when he said something to Justin or went and stood beside the object of his affection. There had never been another human being that made Joey feel what Lance was making him feel and he was beginning to hate the younger man for it. He opened the door quickly...angrily.
"What the fuck do you want?" Unfazed, Lance stood before him, dressed a suit, his lips set in an apologetic, engaging smile.
"Hey, Joey. Can I come in?"
"No," Joey replied immediately. He wondered what Lance was up to, because he obviously had to be up to something.
"Oh...okay. I just wanted to see if you would like to go to dinner with me." Joey blinked at him, shocked.
"You want me to go to dinner with you?" Lance nodded, his eyes never leaving Joey's face. "You've got some fucking nerve, you know that Lance?" Joey moved to close the door in Lance's face but was stopped by a foot in the doorway.
"Joe..."
"Don't call me that. You don't get to call me that," Joey said as he pulled the door open again. He glowered at the man standing in front of him.
"You're right, we're not friends, and I don't have the right to call you that, but Joey..."
"What?" he asked irritably.
"I want the chance...I want the chance you gave JC and Chris...and Justin." That shocked Joey into silence. He'd given Lance the chance when they'd first met...didn't he?
"What are you talking about?"
"Can I come in now?" Lance asked with a small smile. Joey paused for a second before opening the door. He gestured for Lance to enter with a sweep of his arm before turning and walking into the room, leaving Lance to shut the door.
"What's gotten into you today?" Joey asked in confusion. "Why are you being so...so..."
"Talkative?" Lance supplied. Joey scowled at him. "Would you prefer that I stay silent and let you mope around like a lovesick puppy? I'm willing to bet that you haven't thought about jumping Justin's bones since I confronted you earlier today," the blonde said with a smirk.
"You're intent on getting the shit beat out of you, aren't you?" Joey growled by way of ignoring Lance's questions and Lance laughed. He laughed.
"You wouldn't beat me up, Joey. You're a softy."
"How do you know that? You don't know me."
"Yes, I do. I know you, but you don't know me, and that bothers you. It bothers you a lot, doesn't it?" Joey didn't answer. Lance had hit the nail right on the head. "Come on, Joey. Let's go out to eat. Just for tonight. I might even let you ask me a few questions." Lance was teasing him, and he didn't know whether he wanted to smile at the younger man or hit him. Joey looked down at his clothes and back up at Lance, one of his eyebrows arched. "Suit," Lance said simply.
"I don't own a suit." He was going to try his damnedest to get out of going to dinner with Lance, but he couldn't just say that he didn't want to go. That would be rude.
"Joey, I know you own a suit, okay? And don't try to come up with anything else...you're going with me," Lance's voice held a strong hint of finality. And Joey was shocked once again.
"Fine! But I'm not happy about it and I won't be very good company," Joey announced and Lance just looked at him. "Just warning you so you'll know." Lance smirked at him and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know. Now get ready."
"We're going to see Cabaret after this if you're up to it," Lance said as soon as they were seated at the restaurant of Lance's choice. A pretty fancy Italian place that he probably knew Joey wouldn't object to. By now Joey was almost positive that this was a date. Nice suits, a fancy Italian restaurant, and a Broadway show for fuck's sake! The low lights in the restaurant gave it an intimate feel and Joey wanted to run.
"What's the deal, Lance? You ask me out to eat. You tell me we're going to see a Broadway show that you bought tickets for. Is this a date?" Somehow Joey made the word 'date' sound cheap and dirty. Lance looked at him for a moment in silence and Joey began to worry. Now he'd hurt Lance's feelings and they would never be friends. Not that he ever wanted to be friends with Lance in the first place, but...
"No, it's not a date...you're in love with Justin, remember?" Lance asked almost angrily and Joey didn't know what to say. So he didn't say anything. There was one thing that had been bothering him all day though, so he decided to ask Lance about it. He leaned across the table and stared at the younger man intently. In the dim light, Lance's eyes looked a lot darker than usual.
"Can I ask you something?" Lance nodded wearily as if he knew exactly what Joey was going to ask him. Maybe he did. "How did you know about...about Justin?" Joey was seriously concerned about this. Had he been that obvious about his feelings? Were they painted across his face for anyone to see? And Lance answered as though he were reading Joey's mind.
"You're not obvious about it, Joey. No one's noticed it but me."
"How did you notice it?" Their waitress interrupted them by placing their entrees on the table and they both thanked her before picking up their forks.
"I just figured it out one day while I was watching you." Lance's fork froze in the air, between his plate and his mouth and Joey raised an eyebrow. He jumped in before Lance could retract his statement.
"You watch me?"
"I...yeah...I watch you...I watch the other guys, too. How do you think I know so much about you?" Joey shrugged; he was just pleased with the fact that he'd made Lance stumble a bit. Lance frowned in frustration. "It came out wrong. It's not like that, Joey."
"So what is it like?" he asked, truly curious. When Lance didn't reply immediately Joey smiled.
"Not like that," he restated.
"Yeah, you said that already," Joey said dismissively, tired of the topic already. "Forget about it since you're obviously not going to answer the question." He was enjoying pushing Lance's buttons.
"I learned about you by watching you. I learned about JC and Chris and Justin by watching them. I know the look on JC's face when he's pissed about something. I know the tone of Chris's voice when he's happy. I know the weird glow Justin has the morning after he's gotten laid." That last sentence was said lowly just for Joey's ears and Lance smirked when Joey frowned. Now Lance was pushing his buttons.
"Fuc..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Fuck me," Lance said. "You say that a lot, Joey. Offering?" he asked with a perfect eyebrow raised.
"No!" Joey exclaimed before he could stop himself. He sighed before speaking again. "Look, I'm not going to pretend to know why you asked me to dinner tonight. It's obviously not to get to know one another better. Whatever your reason...I don't want to know. I think I'll just go back to the hotel." Joey pulled his napkin off his lap and put it on the table before standing and looking down at Lance. "I'll catch a cab if you want to keep the limo." He brushed past Lance and was startled to feel Lance's hand grab his arm.
"Joey, no," Lance said. "I'm sorry. I won't tease you about Justin anymore. I promise. We'll talk about something other than the group. Just please, don't go." There was a pleading quality to Lance's voice that embarrassed both men and Lance quickly released Joey's arm, a faint blush staining his cheeks. Joey looked around and frowned at the few people that were staring at them. They all turned away and studied their plates, uncomfortable with being caught. Joey looked back down at Lance, who was studying the table intently. He sighed and moved back towards his seat. Once he sat down and settled his napkin in his lap, he looked up at Lance who was watching him silently.
"Okay, no more talk about the group...at all," Joey said. Lance nodded and resumed eating, a small smile on his face.
"Why did you ask me to come with you tonight?" Joey asked in the darkness of the limo. He was surprised to find that Lance was...interesting. Dinner had almost been fun, something Joey had not been expecting after he threatened to leave. Joey learned a lot. He learned that Lance hated mushrooms because they left a nasty taste in his mouth, he loved thick books with long, drawn out plots, and that he worships the ground that Garth Brooks walks on. Not that Joey couldn't have found out that last bit on any teeny website, but he was still fascinated by the way Lance's green eyes sparkled with excitement when he talked about the things he loves. He couldn't ever remember seeing that look in Lance's eyes before.
"The truth?" Lance asked suddenly, interrupting Joey's thoughts.
"Yes."
"Myescortbailedonme," Lance said quickly, his words jumbled. Joey frowned and leaned forward in his seat.
"What?" Lance sighed.
"Myescortbailedonme," he repeated and Joey still didn't understand him.
"I didn't get a word of that...slower this time."
"My FUCKING ESCORT bailed on me!" Joey's eyes went wide.
"You...your...escort?" Joey mumbled in surprise. Lance nodded, his head bowed.
"Yeah...okay? You happy now?"
"No."
"No," Lance repeated dumbly.
"Why would I be happy about that?" Joey asked as he settled back in his seat, never taking his eyes off Lance's figure. Despite the fact that the interior of the limo was dark and he couldn't see Lance, Joey had no doubt that the younger man's face was blood red.
"I don't know."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Joey offered, unsure of what to say. He was blown away...Lance had hired a stranger to keep him company through the night. Lance laughed at his question.
"Do I want to talk about the fact that I'm lonely? Do I want to talk about the fact that I had to pay someone to stay with me tonight? That I'm supposedly surrounded by four of my best friends but none of them know that I lost my virginity to Michael Abshire in the tenth grade? Or that I broke my pinky finger when I was ten and can barely move it anymore? That I'm so lonely that I cry myself to sleep sometimes? Um...no thanks," he said bitterly.
The ride back to the hotel was completed in silence.
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