Justin felt a strong hand grip his shoulder and harshly
shook him. He resisted not wanting anyone noticing his tear stained cheeks. The
hand moved his body more forcefully than before shaking him harder. Then Justin
heard a booming voice.
“Hey, kid. Time to get
up,” the voice hissed. Justin turned hesitantly over meeting dark angry eyes.
“Whoa…” the blond boy
stammered. “What… what’s going on?”
“We’re at the hotel,”
the voice paused, “you need to get your things and get up.”
Finally recognizing the
person in front of him, Justin asked, “What time…” he rubbed his tired
blue eyes, “What time is it?”
“Justin. Get the hell out
of that bunk. Your sorry ass needs to be inside that hotel in like ten minutes.
So get up and get your stuff before I make you. You know you don’t want me to
do that.”
“What? Lonnie?” Justin
was still in a sleep-induced haze.
“Now Justin.”
Justin could see the anger
welling up inside his personal bodyguard. The blond stared sleepily at Lonnie
trying to determine what had the large man upset. Then he remembered. He
remembered what exactly happened earlier that night. His eyes filled instantly
with tears as flashes of the incident invaded his mind. His lower lip trembled
as he tried keeping the tears from cascading down his worn out features. The
large black man’s voice softened upon noticing the blonde’s actions. He
nudged his charge over and sat down. Lonnie placed a hand on Justin’s hip.
“J. Let’s get up. We don’t got time for this right now, okay. We have ta
get you inside before the sizable mob realizes were in here.”
Justin, understanding their
situation, slowly nodded his head. He began maneuvering his feet out from under
him and placed them onto the floor of the bus. Lonnie stood up and offered the
haggard boy his arm, which he gratefully accepted.
“Is your over night bag
ready?”
“Hmmm…,” Justin
whispered.
“Your night bag. Is it
filled?”
“I don’t… I don’t
know.” Justin confessed, “JC…” he began choking on is own words, “JC
usually packs them.”
“Well, where do you think
he puts them?”
“Together.” Justin looked
up wide eyes. “He usually packs our stuff together.”
“Okay, why don’t we just
get you inside and then we can figure out what’s happened with your things. I
need be, I’ll come back out here and get your stuff for you.” Justin again
just nodded. The larger man helped the young blond to his feet. Lonnie felt
Justin lean his body into him, looking for support. Although he was angry with
Justin, he would not with hold his love and guidance from him. “Come on kid.
Let’s get you outta here.”
The two of them walked out of
the sleeping area. On their way though, Justin realized that Joey, Chris, and
Lance were nowhere around.
“Where… where are they?”
“Who, J?”
“The guys. They said
they’d wake me,” Justin sniffed.
“That’s my fault. When I
radioed ahead the hotel informed me that there was a rather large group forming
in front of the building. I decided that it would be easier and safer if we
escorted you all in, one at a time. The others have already made the journey.
You’re the last one.”
“Ooooo…” Justin
answered in a shy quiet voice. “Is that where JC is?” Justin felt Lonnie’s
body stiffen upon mentioning his boyfriend’s name. He knows. Oh shit,
he’s mad at me too. Everyone is mad at me. I didn’t mean it. “Lonnie?”
Justin was extremely scared. He did not know how his bodyguard was going to
react.
“Yes, J,” Lonnie calmed
responded through clenched teeth.
“Please, don’t be mad at
me, too. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t. It just happened.”
“Justin, that’s between
you and JC. I’ve got nothing to do with it.”
“But you’re mad, aren’t
you?”
“I’m not mad, J. I’m
disappointed with you and your actions.” Justin looked down at the floor of
the bus ashamed and defeated. Lonnie read the younger boys body language and
pulled his charge into a hug. “J, you should’ve known better, you
should’ve known.”
“I know...,” he was now
crying without regards as to who would see or hear him.
“We took JC first. Wes
carried him in.”
“W…why?”
“We thought it better to
shield his face, so no one would see it. What better place than in Wes’s chest.”
Lonnie chuckled trying his best to cheer up Justin. Instead, the young singer
cried harder. “J, it’ll be all right.”
“You had to… to hide…
hide his face.”
“Yeah,” Lonnie sighed,
“his nose and under his eye are pretty swollen. The area bruised really badly,
as well. It was just a good decision.”
“I’m sorry.” Justin
knees buckled and Lonnie felt the boy’s frame slide down his body. The black
man bent down and swiftly lifted his charge into his protective arms. He
carefully carried him off the bus, across the well-lit parking lot and into the
building. With Justin still sobbing into his chest, he made his way toward the
elevators. He entered the small enclosure and gently maneuvered the restless
body in his arms, in order to select the proper floor he needed. Lonnie
patiently waited as his arms became distressed for the resounding 'bing'
indicating his floor. The bodyguard carried Justin down the long darkened
hallway. He reached his room and leaned Justin against the wall, while he looked
for is key to open it. Justin slid down the wall covering his face in
humiliation.
“I can’t believe this
happening.”
Lonnie opened the door and
reached down quickly sweeping up the confused and weeping boy. He carried him in
allowing the door to swing shut behind them. The larger man gently laid Justin
onto his bed. The blond would need a place to stay until Lonnie could figure out
what the sleeping arrangements were. “Stay here, Justin. I’ll be right
back.”
“K” Justin whimpered and
curled his body tight closing his eyes.
Lonnie quickly left he room
and walked down the hall in the direction of Chris’s room. He softly rapped on
the door. When no one answered he pounded heavily. The door next to Chris’s
opened as JC’s face peered out.
“Wh… what’s going on,
Lonnie? Is there an emergency?”
Lonnie winced when his eyes
took in the damage done to JC’s face. He thought he would never have to
witness that again. When he found out Justin was with JC he knew it would not,
but now even that has changed. In the back of his mind, Lonnie was beginning to
fear for JC’s safety once again in. “Hey, C,” he whispered. “How are you
doing?”
JC shrugged his shoulders in
response. “What are you doing?” JC slightly tipped his bruised face sideways.
“That’s Chris’s room.”
“Yeah, I know, C. Listen
don’t worry about it okay, you need to get some sleep. Just go back to bed for
me will ya” Lonnie pleaded.
“I don’t want to.” JC
leaned back on the doorframe. “Maybe I can help you. You know. I’m not that
useless.”
“C, I never said you were.”
Lonnie again knocked on the door. No answer. “Do you know where he is?”
Again the brunette shrugged his shoulders. “No?” Lonnie questioned.
JC smiled, “That’s a no,
why are you looking for him?”
Lonnie hesitated and JC
instantly figured out why Justin’s bodyguard was looking for Chris. His eyes
teared up slightly as he stepped further out into the hallway looking behind the
larger man. He slyly asked, “Where is he?”
Lonnie knew he would not be
able to hide Justin from JC so he told him. “He’s in my room, C.”
The brunette again tipped his
head, eyes wide. “How come?” he sniffed. “Doesn’t he want to be with me,
anymore?” He looked away, “Doesn’t he want to be in the same room with me?
Is he still angry with me?”
Lonnie covered the distance
between them in only a few large strides and engulfed the smaller man into a hug.
“No, C. I put him there because I didn’t think you’d want him in the same
room with you. You know after what happened.” Lonnie ran his fingers through
JC sleep messed hair. “He isn’t mad at you. He’s mad at himself,” he
whispered into the brunette’s temple.
JC was crying. He wanted
Justin with him tonight. Maybe not in the same bed, but in the same room just
encase he needed him. He choked out, “He…he can stay… stay with me.”
“You don’t have to, C.
I’m sure one of the other guys would gladly take him off your hands.” Lonnie
pushed the brunette away from him so he could meet the young singers eyes.
“I… need…need him with
me. I need to feel him.”
“Okay, if that’s what you
want. I’ll get him.”
“Please,” JC half moaned.
“You go back inside before
someone sees you.” JC nodded his head, turned unceremoniously and reentered
his room. Lonnie watched quietly as the slender male was cut off from his view.
Once he could no longer see JC he turned and headed back in the direction of his
own room. He opened the door and silently went in. The bodyguard looked toward
the bed and was greeted with a sleeping Justin. Lonnie gently lifted the
listless form from the bed, out the door and toward JC’s room. The bodyguard
used Justin’s dangling feet to knock against the door. When JC opened the door,
Lonnie rushed his charge inside before JC could change his mind. He placed the
sleeping form onto one of the twin size beds that adorned the otherwise empty
room and readied his departure until he heard a strained voice.
“Thank you, Lonnie.”
The large black man walked
over toward the other bed where JC was sitting and sat down. He reached his hand
out in the direction of JC and was rewarded by the feel of baby soft skin
against his own. He felt JC kiss the back of his hand and was shocked by the
action. “You don’t have to thank me, JC. I would do anything for the two of
you.”
“I know,” the brunette
whispered. “Thank you anyway.”
He pulled his hand and an
unsuspecting JC back toward him and he hugged the saddened brunette. Lonnie
pressed his hand hard against the middle of JC’s back as he tightened his
hold. “He didn’t mean it, sweetie. He didn’t, please find it in your heart
to forgive him.” The bodyguard felt the tears soak through his shirt as JC
again began crying. “Don’t cry,” he soothed. “Believe me, okay. He loves
you very very much, almost too much. I know he promised you, JC, and he broke
that promise. He also broke your heart and his own soul. You need to help him
heal his soul and he’ll help you mend your heart.”
“I can’t. It hurts so
much.”
“You need to try or
you’ll lose him, for good. I know how much you need him, JC. Don’t deny
yourself at least a little bit of him.”
JC’s steel blue eyes looked deep into Lonnie’s,
“I’ll try.” He then moved his gaze toward the sleeping form on the bed
next to them. “I’ll try.” He moved his body away from Lonnie and off the
bed. The slender man descended upon the other man quietly resting his body next
to Justin’s. Lonnie took this as a cue to leave. He hoped they would work
things out between them. Although Justin was prone to making mistakes, he was
perfect for JC and Lonnie was determined in making sure JC realized that;
keeping them together.