Lustful Memoirs
By: Gina - gina@basic-nstynct.com
Chapter TenI arrived in the foyer about ten minutes before we were supposed to leave to find Joey already there. I approached him and smiled. He returned the gesture.
"So, rehearsal was pretty bad today, huh?" I asked.
"And it keeps getting worse," he replied seemingly unaffected by the events that had occurred only an hour before.
"But I don't want to talk about work," he continued, ending the conversation before it began. "Lance and Jen should be here any minute, and then we will be able to leave."
As if on cue, Lance and Jen entered the small room. I had never seen Jen before but her and Lance made an adorable couple. The color of his eyes seemed to swirl in her hazel ones. They both had blonde hair, and they were of equal height. They had their hands entwined and everyone could see how much love they shared between them.
"You guys ready to go?" Lance questioned.
Joey nodded as we headed out the door. A black Toyota 4Runner sat in the driveway. Lance opened both doors on the passenger side allowing Jen and I to enter the vehicle. He shut my door and then after stealing a kiss, he shut Jens. He made his way to the other side of the car and entered. I looked at the empty seat besides me and asked about Joey's whereabouts. Lance stated that he had forgotten something and that he would be right out. We sat for a couple of minutes when Joey finally made his way out the door. Lance started the engine. As Joey attempted to open the door to the truck, Lance hit the gas so that the car inched forward a couple of feet. He then hit the break and started laughing. Joey, taking the joke in stride, walked back up to the car and once again attempted to get in. Lance once again applied the gas, which caused more laughs to echo through the car. This continued for a couple of more times until Jen looked over at lance and said, "Honey, this isn't funny anymore."
At Jen's insistence, Lance finally allowed Joey to enter the car.
"HAHA, very funny Lance, you moron. Taking lessons from Chris and Justin, huh?" Joey stated, trying to get comfortable in the seat.
"Sorry." Lance replied his sincerity questionable due to the laughter that masked his words.
We pulled out of the driveway and headed toward downtown Orlando. The day was fun and tiring. They showed me more of Orlando then I thought existed. The pace was different from LA, everyone seemed to move slower and they were friendlier. An entourage of men who could fill in for sumo wrestlers followed us for the entire day. They were a needed addition to our party, as they guys could not go anywhere without creating a scene. I didn't realize until then how truly popular they were.
Throughout the day the conversation was casual and laid back. I felt more like their friend then a hired employee. Jen was especially nice, doing her best to be sure that I felt included. She didn't have to worry so much about that, for Joey was taking care of me. I realized during the course of the day that his reputation as the group flirt was well deserved.
They talked about how Lance and Jen met, and how Joey couldn't find Ms. Right but was having fun with all of the Ms. Wrongs. They made me laugh. At one point, Joey had me laughing so hard that tears rolled down my cheeks. The one thing that I thought was peculiar was that not once was Nsync mentioned. They didn't talk about any of the other members of the group, they didn't talk about rehearsal that morning, nothing, not a word was mentioned. I don't know why I thought this was so strange, but I did. It just seemed to me that something so important in your life would be talked about, but it wasn't. Maybe it was because I was present and they didn't want to discuss these matters in front of me. I will never know. But I was disappointed by this, even though I shouldn't have been. I was hoping that I would be given some hint as to what made JC tick. But no information of this sort was offered.
We returned home much later then we had expected and after consuming more food then we would have liked. We entered the house trying our best to be quiet but the fit of giggles that erupted each time one of us said something curtailed our efforts. It didn't matter however; the vastness of the house prevented us from waking anyone. Joey excused himself as soon as we entered, claiming he was tired. Lance chuckled at this remark as he, Jen and I made our way into the living room.
We entered the room to find JC asleep on one of the couches. He was a vision of peacefulness. He lay on his stomach with one hand tucked securely under his head. The other hand resting casually by his side. One of his legs hung from the side of the couch. A blanket was haphazardly covering his other leg. He was dressed only in a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt. His face was shadowed by the day's growth of beard. A tiny amount of drool seeped from between his full lips and rested on the tender flesh of his skin. He left me breathless. I silently chided myself and turned away from him. As I did so my eyes met Lance's. I hoped that he didn't see the lust that I am sure shown in my eyes. If he did, he made no mention of it. He just returned his attention to JC.
"Do you think I should wake him up?" Lance asked the question, directing it to Jen.
Lance didn't have to wait for her answer. The sound of his voice caused JC to stir and open his eyes. He looked at us then looked around the room. He yawned and sat up to stretch. Once again he turned his head, his eyes resting on each one of us. He allowed his eyes to meet mine only briefly. I can't describe the look on his face when he noticed that I was in the room. I have never seen a facial expression like it. I didn't know how to feel. When his eyes turned to the couple standing by my side, his expression softened.
He cleared his throat and began to talk. "You guys are home." He started. It was a statement, not a question. His voice was rough sleep. "Where's Joey?" He questioned, the regret showing in his clear blue eyes.
"He went up to his room already." Lance replied, regarding his friend, with an expression that one might call sympathy, but I was unsure.
"Lance, about today," JC started.
"JC, I understand and so does Joey. You need some rest. Go to bed, you can talk to Joey in the morning."
"Thanks, Lance. Good night." JC rose from the couch and walked out of the room. "Good night, Jen," he paused, "and Blake." He called over his shoulder as he departed. It seemed that my name was added only for nicety sake that he didn't truly mean it. Surprisingly I wasn't hurt or angered by this. I expected it. I still believed that he thought that I had read his book.
My thoughts were interrupted as Jen questioned the man standing beside her. "He's not doing well, is he Lance?"
"No, he's not." Lance answered, his eyes still fixated on the path that JC had followed to exit. He stared for moments more before turning to me. "Blake, thanks for joining us today. We had a great time, but I'm tired and I'm sure you are too. So we will see you in the morning."
"I should be thanking you guys. I had a great time. Good night."
With my final words, the couple departed, hands still intertwined.
Once again, I was left alone with my thoughts and a bucketful of unanswered questions.