I was really tired, I remember. And someone was shaking me, saying my name. "Go away," I mumbled, rolling over into my pillow.
"La-ance! Get up!" JC said, still shaking me. "Go to sleep," I said, already falling back into the land of dreams.
"It's nine in the morning. We have stuff to do today. Come -on-!" I groaned and rolled back over, opening my eyes. I saw the smiling face of JC above me, and suddenly I couldn't find the words to be angry with him.
"Are you awake now?" JC asked, stepping back as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I just nodded and got up, stretching my arms. "So, what are we doing today that's got you so excited?" I asked as we went downstairs, the smells of Mom's cooking greeting my nose.
"I want to go to this amusement park that your mom told me about, and she said that you know all the good places to eat, and there's a movie theater that no one ever goes to, and I was thinking that maybe we could throw popcorn or something, that might be fun, and then I heard that you guys have a lake somewhere around here, and we could go swimming, and then we could just hang out and talk, and maybe do some other stuff. What do you say?"
He was talking so fast, it was hard to keep up with him, but I heard what he said and laughed. "Okay, then what do we do tomorrow?" JC rolled his eyes and smacked me on the arm. "I meant that's all the stuff we could do this weekend, before we go back to Orlando on Monday."
"I still wish you boys could stay longer," Mom said as she placed two plates of pancakes in front of us. "So do I, it's nice getting away from it all," JC said, digging into his food. For a guy who ate so much, JC sure stayed skinny as hell. I always wanted his metabolism. Mom left the kitchen, and I turned my attention back to JC.
"Yeah, it is, but you have your first appointment with Courtney on Tuesday, and then she said normal check-ups on a weekly basis after that," I told him, and JC gave me a look that said, `Thank you, Daddy.'
"I'm just being worried about you," I told him. He smiled and said, "I know, Scoop. And I appreciate it, it's just that -I'm- used to being the one who's worried about -you-, that's all." I didn't say anything and took a drink of orange juice.
"Well, just don’t do what I did and get really sick, okay? I don’t want you to have to return any favors or anything," I said jokingly.
"I wont. I would never want to put you through that," JC whispered, and all traces of joking were gone from his voice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys, I really didn't. It was almost two years ago, and I'm okay, I really am," I said, looking at him. Why was he brining this up?
"I know... it's just that, when I saw you lying in that hospital bed, you were so pale, and I thought..." JC looked down and stopped speaking, and that's when I realized that he was crying. Where was all of this going? I didn't understand, put I pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back. God, weren't the roles just reversed two weeks ago?
I didn't know why JC was getting upset over what had happened to me in May, before the lawsuit. Shouldn't we be focusing on him, because -he- was the sick one? JC pulled away and wiped at his eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just... oh god... I talked to Justin before we came up. I talked with him a -lot-. And he told me that I should do this here, when it's just me and you. When you collapsed backstage and we took you to the hospital, and we didn't know how you were, or if you were going to die, or if we'd ever see you again... I realized something, Lance, and if I don't say it now, I don't think I ever will. And I’m so afraid that you’ll hate me and never want to look at me again, but I have to say this." I watched as he took my hand in his, and it all seemed to be going in slow motion.
"I'm in love with you."
I didn't say anything for what seemed like years. I was trying to let everything go through my mind, trying to get it to process what my ears had just heard. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it! Was this why fate had sent me back, not only because I loved JC, but because he had loved me back as well? And he had never told me?
"Lance?"
I looked up at JC, and saw the fear and nervousness in his eyes. I looked down at our hands, his still holding mine. I looked back up at JC and before either of us knew what I was doing, I pulled him into a kiss. Our first kiss. It wasn't a big, passionate French kiss, but it was perfect anyway. I savored the feel of JC's lips on mine, and everything at that moment felt so -right-. It wasn't the most romantic setting, at the breakfast table with half eaten pancakes, but it was perfect for me.
And I knew fate was right.
This was meant to be.
*
"Look, the Ferris wheel!" JC said, pointing and grabbing my arm, dragging me over to the large line of people waiting to get on the ride.
"JC, I am not going on the Ferris wheel. Do you -see- how high that thing is?"
"An airplane goes much higher than this, and you ride those all the time!" JC argued.
"That's different, airplanes are like ten millions times safer than those things, and even then I don't like those either!"
"You're not going to make me go alone, are you?" JC asked, giving me his best "Justin" puppy dog look. "Fine! I'll go on the stupid Ferris wheel!" I said, and JC grinned.
After our kiss at breakfast, we had talked about our feelings towards each other, and where we were going to go from where we were at. I told JC that I had been in love with him ever since late last year, and it wasn't a lie. I just didn't tell him -how- late it had been. After that, we finished breakfast and stole a few more kisses before JC decided that he wanted to go to the amusement park, and then go do the other things the next day. We got ready separately, because I knew I wouldn't be able to control myself if he got undressed with me there. Plus my parents were still around.
We left my house around noon, and got to the park at about one-thirty, because we had stopped for lunch. When we got there, we had gone on the roller coaster twice, been in the funhouse, and I got lost in the mirror maze. JC had to come back in again and find me. Then we had gone to the haunted house, and that was fun because every time JC got scared, I would give him a gentle kiss. I think he started faking it towards the end of the ride.
"This is a really big Ferris wheel," JC said, looking up. I looked at him and said, "Yeah, like I didn't notice!" He smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, I didn't think you were listening to me." I nodded, humoring him, as we gave the guy our tickets and got on the ride. It started moving and I closed my eyes, gripping onto the side of the small, two person cart. "It's not going to break, it's not going to break," I repeated out loud. JC laughed and took my free hand in his. "Better?" he asked. I opened my eyes and looked down, which was a bad idea. "No," I moaned, and JC laughed again.
"You know what?" JC asked, moving his lips to my ear, whispering the words. "JC, if you say that one of the other seats just fell off, or that the ride just broke, I'm going to smack you." "Dang it," JC said, pulling back with a laugh.
"Is it over yet?" I asked, opening my eyes to look around. "You are too cute," JC told me, and I closed my eyes again as we went back up.
*
I planned to make JC pay for making me go on the Ferris wheel with him, and I got my chance when we went to the bumper cars. I had been to this park enough times to know which cars were the best, and which ones sucked.
I went to the back and got into a car right next to the one that I knew didn’t work very well. JC got in that one, since there were no more cars around us. I grinned at him and buckled up the seatbelt. JC did the same, and we heard the ding of the bell signaling us to go. I watched as JC went backwards into the wall and grinned before moving forward.
"Lance! Hey, something's wrong with my car! Lance, come back here!"
I hit him more than ten times, while he was stuck against the wall the entire time.
*
"You knew the car would do that, didn't you?" JC asked me as he took another bite of his cotton candy. "Well, you knew I didn't like the Ferris wheel," I said, hiding the humor behind my voice. "Well, at least I held your hand," he pouted, and I laughed.
I couldn't believe all of this was happening, that me and JC were together, that he loved me back, that it had all worked out. It was just to surreal for me to take it in.
"Lance, look!" JC exclaimed, grabbing my arm and dragging me off somewhere again. I saw the little mini photo booth and grinned. I took a dollar out of my pocket and put it in the cash taker once we got into the booth. "Okay, sit on my lap for the first picture," JC said, and I sat down, and he put his arms around my waist and we both just smiled. "Okay, now goofy faces," he said, and I crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue. He did the same thing. "All right, now me on your lap," JC said, and we hurried and changed positions, and I put my head on his shoulder as we just smiled for the picture again. "Now what?" I asked, and he leaned over and kissed my cheek right as the last picture flashed, and I turned out looking very surprised in the picture. It made the picture all that more perfect.
We got our little strip of pictures, looking at them and laughing like little school kids, heading towards the exit of the park. Just before we left through the gates, however, JC noticed a game booth, and wanted to try to win something before we left.
We ended up playing that game where you throw the white ball at the milk bottles, trying to knock them over. JC and I both got three turns, and JC missed all three times. "It's not as easy as it looks," JC muttered as he handed me the ball. I knocked over all the bottles on my first try.
I gave my big Marvin Martian stuffed animal that I had won to JC, and that made him happy. Although JC claims the only reason I was good at that was because I was from Mississippi, and we probably had nothing else to do as kids.
I didn't tell him he was right.
*
We stopped and got food from Burger King, and the lady asked us at the window if we wanted free Backstreet Boys merchandise from the thing they had done a few months earlier. I still say they copied us and McDonald's, but that's another story.
We said no and took our food, and I just drove JC around town, showing him all of places I used to go with my friends, where I used to go to school, and other stuff like that. We got back to my house at about nine, and I was sad to see the day end. It had been the best one of my life.
JC and I were both tired, so we went up to my room, and JC laid down on the bed my parents had moved in for him, and I got into my bed.
"Night, Lance," JC said, already half asleep.
"Good night," I replied, but I was far from sleep. I was happier than I ever had been in my entire life, because I was finally with JC, but that just meant that it was going to be that much harder when the time came.
I decided not to think about that anymore, and fell asleep thinking about JC, and what the next day would hold for us.
*
