Disclaimer: You know it... don't know, don't want to imply... this is fiction!
Author's notes: Sorry for not posting in... I don't know how much days. Did I say I'm busy in the last post? Well, I didn't know the real meaning of busy then, I think. College is fun, but it takes up a lot of my time. So that's one reason why I'll post the next chapters only each few days from now on. And there's another reason. I'm posting chapter 24 with this mail; and at the moment I'm working on chapter 32 at home. Megan and me are so busy that we don't have the time to write the chapters as fast as we did before. That means that I have to be kinda "slow" with posting from now on, because otherwise we'll catch up with our own story, and then you'll have to wait for more than just a few days for the next chapter!! Anyway, enough rambling and on with the story!! Enjoy!!
Notes: < ... > marks Justin's or JC's thoughts (you'll know)
Chapter 24 by Dannii
JC sat on his bed for a moment, not knowing how to react, then he stood up and followed Justin who had run into his own bedroom. Justin was laying on his bed, face upwards to the wall, and he had an angry look on his face. JC swallowed when he remembered that he had put that look there.
"Justin, I'm sorry" he apologised. "I really am. I didn't mean it like it came out. Really. I was just sad that you weren't there when I woke up. But I didn't mean that you should not have other friends besides me."
"But it sure sounded like you mean it, JC", Justin said with a disappointed look on his face. JC flinched when he heard Justin call him by his `public nickname', a thing he hadn't done for a while. "I mean, I just don't understand it! Finally I'm happy, and I make friends, and then you are mad because of it. But you were the one who told me that it would be different here, that everybody would love me, and that I would make lots of new friends. And now, that it finally comes to it..." I don't get it! Why do you act like this? I mean, are you jealous, or what?" He remembered that he had asked JC exactly the same question just one day ago, and JC hadn't answered it, because that had been when he had collapsed for the second time. But now he wouldn't let go, he wanted an answer. JC hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure that he didn't touch Justin accidentally. He didn't answer at first, and Justin asked him again.
"Tell me, Josh. Are you jealous? Because I can't think of a reason why you wouldn't like Lance. I mean, you don't know him, or am I wrong?" He kept on.
"No, I don't know him. Well, not personally. We've had chorus together for the last year, but he always was standing or sitting alone, and I never talked to him. I don't think he has any friends at college, because he always is alone when I see him." JC said slowly. Justin nodded.
"Yeah, he told me that nobody seems to like him, a thing I don't understand. But this can't be the reason why you acted so weird." Justin heard JC sigh.
"Lance is gay", JC finally said. Justin raised an eyebrow.
"So?", he asked. JC swallowed.
"He is gay, Justin. He is gay, and you are... well, you know, and he seems to like you a lot, and you said that you like him a lot as well, and... he doesn't look to bad, and I could see why you would choose him and not me..." JC finally blurted out. "And yes, I was jealous. I wanted you to spend time with me, and then I woke up and you were gone, and when you told me that you have been with Lance, I just overreacted. I'm sorry that I made it sound like I don't want you to have any friends besides me. You know that that this is not true. I'm glad that you've found friends so easily. But that doesn't change that I'm afraid that you'll choose him over me." JC still sat on the edge of the bed, away from Justin, with his head down. He flinched when he felt Justin touch his hand, but he didn't jerk it away. Instead, he let Justin take his hand, and slowly he raised his head to look at him.
"You are right, Josh, I like Lance a lot. But... I don't like him the way I like you. I never could. You'll always be special to me." JC looked at him with hope in his gaze, and Justin knew immediately what that meant. "No, Josh", he continued. "That doesn't mean that we... I'm still not sure. I'm sorry to put you through this all, but as I said before, I want to be 100% sure before I do something that I'll regret later. I could understand if you say that you don't want to put up with this shit. But you have to understand that this is really important to me. I don't want to rush things." Justin sat up while caressing the back of JC's hand with his thumb. JC looked at him and nodded, then he smiled.
"Okay, Justin. I understand. Again, I'm really sorry for the way I acted. And I will apologise to Lance for the way I behaved yesterday. You are right, he seems very nice, and I'm sorry that I didn't talk to him earlier." Justin smiled back at him thankfully.
"Thank you, Josh, that means a lot to me. You know, it's just that I can understand him so good. This is what I've been going through back in Tennessee. Like him I had no friends, I was alone all the time. I know how he feels. Maybe this is why I like him so much, and why I want to be his friend. And he needs a friend. Not only one, but a lot of friends."
JC had never thought that it would be possible, but in this moment he loved Justin even more than before. So he squeezed the hand that was still holding his and grinned.
"You are wonderful, Justin, do you know that? And I'm proud to be your friend." Justin became red, and JC grinned even more. "Don't blush, it's true. And to show you that I mean what I said before and that I trust you in everything you say, I'll apologise to Lance the next time I see him. Actually, why don't you invite him over one of the next days?" He wasn't prepared for the big hug Justin was pulling him in, so it took some time for him to react and hug the younger boy back.
"You're the best, Josh, really. I already invited him for Sunday, because I wanted him to help me with photography, and he'll show me some of his work. Maybe we can drive to the park together afterwards, if you don't have other plans, and if you feel alright, of course."
"That sounds fine to me, Curly", JC responded. They looked at each other and then got comfortable on the bed to hang out together, like they had done since Justin arrived in Orlando.
The next days went by very quick. JC still stayed at home, because he wasn't feeling good enough to study, and Justin made sure that Tyler told him all the important things JC needed to know for class. On Saturday they hung out together at the pool, with Tyler, Jamie, Steve and Joey, and even Kelly, the girl from one of Justin's classes, came by for a few hours. Justin liked her a lot, she seemed like a very nice girl, so he had invited her for the pool party. He couldn't help but notice how well her and Joey got along.
The next day Lance arrived at the Chasez' residence just a few minutes after noon. JC talked to him briefly and apologised, and Justin grinned at him happily. They arranged that they wanted to drive to the park at seven o'clock to hang out together with the other boys, and then JC went upstairs.
JC was in his room, busy trying to catch up all the things he missed in class, and through the closed bathroom doors he could hear Justin and Lance giggle. A lot. Every few minutes he heard one of them laugh out loud, and he couldn't suppress the jealous feeling that rose in him. Sure, he trusted Justin, but still... He went to the bathroom, pretending to wash his hands, and when the water run he pressed his ear on the bathroom door to Justin's room, but all he could hear was whispering and giggling. Disappointed he went back to his room and continued studying.
A few minutes before seven, JC walked into the bathroom and knocked at Justin's door.
"Justin? Lance? Are you ready to go?" He called. He heard Justin mumbling something and Lance laughing, and then Justin shouted back
"We'll be ready in a minute, Josh! We'll meet you downstairs, okay?" JC looked at the closed door confused, wondering why Justin didn't invite him in.
"Okay", he called back and went back into his room, sighing. He grabbed the keys to his car and pulled on a sweatshirt over his t-shirt, then he grabbed his purse and headed downstairs.
In Justin's room Justin looked into the mirror critically and then turned around to Lance, who was sitting on the bed.
"So, how do I look?" He wanted to know. Lance grinned and showed him thumbs up.
"Fantastic. Sexy as hell." Justin looked at him astonished and Lance blushed. "Sorry. But you look damn fine. If JC doesn't start to drool when he sees you, I don't know what we did wrong. And if he really passes the test and still manages to resist you and let you make the first step, then he truly has to love you. Because if I were him, well... I don't think I could resist." Justin smiled when he saw how comfortable Lance was when he said these words. They really had talked a lot today, and Lance had confessed that he did find Justin attractive, but not attractive enough to fall in love with him. And Justin had told him that he found him attractive as well, but that his heart belonged to JC, and that nothing would change that. And after they had dealt with the subject, everything was relaxed between them. So he smiled warmly at Lance and said
"Thanks, Lance. I hope you are right, and I hope Josh passes the test. And you have to watch how he reacts when he sees me, okay?" Lance nodded and Justin took a deep breath.
"Okay. Let's go." He grabbed everything he needed for a long night and followed Lance out of the room.
JC swallowed down the last piece of sandwich when he heard footsteps on the stairs. "Josh?" he heard Justin call. "We're ready to go!"
"I'm coming!", he called back and said goodbye to Lynn, who was standing beside him. He walked out of the kitchen and into the hall - and what he saw there let him stop abruptly.
"Oh - my - god", he whispered and felt his heart start to beat faster and his knees become weak. Justin was standing by the front door, talking to Lance and not looking at him, and he was looking like a god. A sex-god, to be exactly. He was wearing tight black leather pants JC had never seen before on him, black boots and a very tight, sleeveless, black shirt with a v- neck. His corkscrew curls were slightly shorter than before, but still long enough to create a mess on his head that JC wanted to run his hands through. And he was wearing his glasses.
JC had never seen somebody look as sexy as Justin. For a moment he nearly forgot that this boy was only 16. He looked hot as hell. JC swallowed hard.
"Damn, Justin, did I miss something? Are we going to go to a club or something like that?" Justin looked at him and smiled his sunny smile.
"Not that I know. I just wanted to wear this tonight. Do you like it?" He walked closer to JC and made a turn in front of him, so that JC could see everything - even the way the pants hugged his ass.
"Yes, you look... fine. Great. Really great." he answered, not able to stop staring. Justin turned around to Lance and grinned at him. It seemed like the `operation - drive - JC - crazy' was a big success.
TBC...
********** feedback to Dannii: raindrops79@hotmail.com and Megan: jujuissecksi@hotmail.com