

"I swear to everything holy, if you don’t smile soon, we are not friends."
Chloe Stevens looked across the table at her best friend, Sydney Bridges. She didn’t smile. Just rolled her eyes and turned away again, staring absently across the club and pulling on one of her auburn-dyed curls. She didn’t feel much like smiling.
"Seriously, what’s your problem?" Sydney continued, her tone harsh. "We’re on vacation in LA. We have nothing at all to do for the next three days. And we’re about to see Tony Lucca perform. You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself."
Chloe fought the urge to strangle her friend on the other side of the table. It wasn’t Sydney’s fault, really. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. True, they were in LA. But Chloe had come here to interview for a job as a publicist’s assistant. She had once again been turned down. And yes, they technically had nothing to do for the next three days. But Chloe knew that she was really the only one with nothing to do. Sydney would be kept well occupied by her boyfriend, Bryce. And as for seeing Tony Lucca, that wasn’t a big deal to Chloe anymore. Sydney was, after all, dating Tony’s bass player. Chloe was beginning to feel like she saw Tony more than she actually saw her best friend. But she didn’t vocalize her feelings.
"I’m just tired, Syd. Don’t mind me."
Sydney, for the moment, was satisfied with Chloe’s excuse; so she went back to drinking the White Russian in her hand. Chloe just sighed. Yeah, she was tired alright. Tired of everything. Tired of being single. Tired of being chubby. Tired of feeling like the most unattractive person on the planet. Just plain tired of being in a city full of models and actors and people trying to become models and actors. She was certain that, after this vacation, she would do all she could to never have to step foot in Los Angeles again.
"Hey, ladies. How ya doing?"
The smile on Sydney’s lips lit up her entire face as her boyfriend slid into the seat beside her. "We’re good, sweetie. How bout you? You guys gonna go on soon?"
Chloe rolled her eyes and took a long drink from her Corona. Sydney never used to be like this. Bryce had succeeded in turning the flirt of the century into a one-man woman. Not that Chloe thought there was anything wrong with that. Actually, Sydney and Bryce were about as perfect for each other as was humanly possible. Chloe just wanted it to be her. Not with Bryce. Heaven’s no…she would never, ever do that to her best friend. She just wanted to be with someone…anyone. Three years since her last relationship was a pretty depressing figure. She wanted a boyfriend. But she didn’t feel like she could ever have one. Her ex-boyfriend had succeeded in making her feel like he was the only man that would ever want her. Chloe had a terrible case of low self-esteem. And it didn’t help that her best friend in the world was simply gorgeous.
"Hey, earth to Chloe."
"Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, Bryce. What did you say?"
Sydney’s boyfriend laughed heartily. "I was trying to tell you that Tony is expecting a special guest tonight."
Chloe did her best to feign interest. "Really? Who?" Her tone proved that she had failed in that attempt at being intrigued by his words.
"If you’re not interested…"
"She’s interested," Sydney broke in, casting a threatening glance towards Chloe. "Just tell her again. She didn’t hear you the first time."
"Yes, please, tell me again." Her voice was dry, showing no signs of excitement. She knew she was being blatantly rude, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop.
Bryce shook his head and shrugged. "JC said he was gonna stop by."
Chloe slammed her eyes shut and began to massage her temples. "Great. Thanks for the info, Bryce," she snapped, every word coming from her mouth laden with sarcasm. "Just what I want. To see my favorite popstar walk in here and be bombarded by a hundred girls who are all more beautiful than I could ever hope to be. Sounds like my idea of a wonderful night. I just live to have the fact that I have no chance with this man thrown back in my face time and time again. If you’ll excuse me…" she stood up, grabbed her Corona, and walked away from the table.
Sydney stared after her friend, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I am so sorry," she apologized.
"What’s her problem tonight?" Bryce questioned. He usually got along very well with Chloe.
"I don’t have the slightest clue," Sydney responded truthfully. "But don’t worry about it. You just go up there and rock the house tonight. You’ve got a great crowd to play for."
Chloe all but forgotten, Bryce nodded. "Yeah, Tony is psyched. I think we’re gonna do really well. He’s just in one of his zone’s right now. It’s like he always performs better when his old friends show up."
Sydney leaned in and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. "Well, good luck. I’ll see you after the first set."
Bryce returned the kiss and smiled. "Alright babe." He winked at her as he left the table.
A few minutes later, just as the lights on the small stage were dimming and the background music was coming to a close, Chloe returned, a very handsome black man at her side. "Look who I found," the man said lightly, sending a huge grin in Sydney’s direction. Chloe looked a little happier than when she had left the table, but still nowhere near as excited as she should have been. She was, after all, on the arm of Mr. Dale Godboldo.
"Dale!" Sydney squealed, jumping up and hugging Tony’s longtime friend from The Mickey Mouse Club. "Bryce didn’t tell us you were coming!"
"That’s because he didn’t know," he replied, pulling out Chloe’s chair and then taking a seat between her and Sydney. "I’m only in town for the night. C called me and told me Tony was performing, so I decided to drop in. Is he here yet?" The question was directed to Chloe, making it seem like she was supposed to know.
Chloe shrugged and looked around her. "Do you see him with me? No. Then why would I know if he was here?"
"Dang girl, retract those claws," Dale laughed, although casting a worried look towards Sydney. Everyone had seen Chloe get into this type of a cynical mood, but she seemed worse than usual tonight. "Did you two hear that he finally broke up with the beast?"
A true laugh escaped from Chloe’s lips. She couldn’t help herself. Dale was a funny guy. Even funnier when he was bashing JC’s apparent ex-girlfriend, Bobbie. "Really? When did that happen?"
"A few weeks ago, I guess. Justin called me during the party the rest of the guys held to celebrate her departure."
"You are so cruel," Sydney replied though laughing herself. None of them had ever taken a liking to Bobbie.
Just as Tony was walking on stage and the crowd was erupting in cheers, a new voice spoke from behind Chloe’s seat. "I take it this is the MMC table."
At the sound of the slightly accented Latin voice, Chloe stood up. She knew that if Ricky Luna, another one of Tony’s MMC friends, was there, then his girlfriend Josephine would be there as well. Josephine was one of Sydney’s and Chloe’s best friends, but they hardly ever saw each other…except when Tony played in LA. That seemed to bring everyone out of the woodwork. And sure enough, as Chloe turned around she found herself face to face with Ricky and his beautiful girlfriend. As well as Tony’s girlfriend, Camille.
Josephine hugged Chloe tightly before moving across the table to speak with Sydney. Dale and Ricky shook hands and then Ricky turned to look at Chloe. "So, did you hear who’s coming tonight."
Chloe rolled her eyes again. "Yes, for the last time, I know that JC is gonna be here. Thank you all so much for looking out for me."
"We do our best," Camille teased as she sat down in one of the vacant seats.
That left the only seat open at the table the one directly next to Chloe. And Chloe was certain that they had planned it that way. Everyone at the table had been trying to hook her up with JC for months, even when he had a girlfriend. They didn’t seem to understand what Chloe did. JC was far from interested in her. She wasn’t his type. She was too short, too chubby, and too un-exotic for him. At least that’s what she thought. And he had never shown any signs that he felt any different.
~*~
Halfway through Tony’s first set; the chair next to Chloe was pulled away from the table. She was busy listening to the music but couldn’t help but notice the presence of the man who sat down beside her. Of course, it was rather impossible after Dale’s greeting to him.
"What up, loser?"
JC smiled at Dale and shook his hand. "Hey, bro. Sorry I’m late."
"NSYNC not paying the bills these days?" Ricky joked. "My man can’t even afford to buy himself a decent watch."
Simultaneously, Camille, Josephine, and Sydney hushed the three men from talking. "You’re interrupting perfection," Camille chided lightly, pointing towards Tony.
"TJ?" JC joked. "Whatever, that kid’s about as far from perfect as they come."
"You know!" Dale agreed. "He’s obviously got you fooled, Camille."
Camille simply rolled her eyes and went back to watching the show.
Chloe felt her pulse increase as JC leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I don’t want to upset Camille. Just wanted to say hey. How ya been?"
"Alright," she nodded, her voice soft. That was where the conversation ended. It seemed like every time JC walked into the room, Chloe forgot how to speak. It wasn’t something she was proud of.
As Tony’s current song came to an end and the crowd applauded, he looked directly at the table filled with some of the most important people in his life. "I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. Especially my friends sitting up front. You know I’d be nowhere without your support. And, uhh, this one goes out to Camille."
Chloe sighed as the music to "Hold You Tonight" began. She loved this song. It was one of her favorites. Camille was so lucky. She had Tony, how much more could one girl ask for? It was rather depressing, however, to see the lovesick faces of most everyone at the table. Ricky had his arm wrapped tightly around Josephine and Sydney and Camille couldn’t have unlocked their eyes from their boyfriend’s gazes if they had wanted to.
You’ve got me in your eyes
And that’s just where I want to be
Collect your thoughts together
And show me what you think of me
Seems we’re both here thinking of
What it’d be like making love,
Offering each other’s best tonight
"This is a great song," JC said quietly, smiling at Chloe. "Tony never ceases to amaze me with his writing ability."
Chloe smiled politely and nodded. "I know." ‘Great job,’ she silently berated herself. ‘Way to make conversation!’
Dale put his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and pulled her close to him. "What’s wrong with you?" he whispered into her ear. "Do you not see the way he’s been looking at you since he sat down?"
"You’ve lost your mind," she hissed back through clenched teeth. "Now shut up and drop it, Dale. I’m not in the mood."
Dale shrugged and pulled his arm away from Chloe. She was so stubborn sometimes. All anyone had to do was look at JC and they could tell he was interested in her. And everyone knew that Chloe was interested in him. Why the two of them couldn’t see it for themselves was beyond Dale’s comprehension.
So give me one more smile
Let it shine some light upon my soul
‘Cause girl it’s been awhile
Since I’ve had half a chance to feel this whole
Whatever peace you offer
Is peace I’ve come to find
But girl I’ve done all I can do
Sitting here staring at you
I think it’s time I said what’s on my mind
"This is stupid, C," Ricky commented, leaning in towards his friend but not taking his arm from around Josephine. "Would you just hurry up and make your move? We made sure you got to sit by her and now you ain’t doing nothing."
"I’m trying," JC replied, glancing over at Chloe to make sure she hadn’t heard Ricky’s comment. "She won’t talk to me."
"She’s probably just nervous, man. You know she likes you."
"No, I don’t know that," he declared under his breath, glaring at Ricky. "If she liked me, she’d talk to me.
Ricky rolled his eyes. "Whatever, C. If you don’t take this chance then it’s on you. Stop stalling or you’re gonna lose the opportunity."
JC sighed and sat straight up in his chair again, his hand on the table resting dangerously close to Chloe’s. He took a deep breath and decided to try again. He was so horrible at being single. Picking up girls had never been his forte. He was used to them coming to him. And even then, those girls usually weren’t worth much.
I want to hold you tonight
Girl that’s all I want to do
Want to feel you tonight
Each and every part of you
If I move just right
I’ll find a brand new point of view
Lookin’ in your eyes
As I hold you tonight
Chloe sighed as she stared up at the stage. Tony had the most beautiful voice. She silently prayed that she would meet a guy who would write songs for her the way that Tony had obviously written this one for Camille. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to be so loved.
Her thoughts began to wander to what Dale had said about JC. Had he really been looking at her since he arrived? She doubted it, but why would Dale lie to her about something like that? He was probably just mistaken. But she couldn’t help but wonder what had given Dale that impression. Then her thought process stopped totally as she felt JC’s thumb rub over the top of her hand. Her entire body froze. There was no way that she had mistaken that gesture.
‘Do something!’ her mind screamed. ‘Look at him, smile, anything.’ But she could barely even breathe, let alone turn her head to glance his way. She instead locked eyes with Josephine, who was sitting almost directly across from her. Chloe’s eyes were wide as she tried to convey her thoughts to her friend.
Josephine smiled and nodded, knowing that Chloe was trying to figure out if JC had just rubbed the top of her hand. Josephine had seen it all happen, and that’s definitely what JC had done. "Did you see that?" she whispered to Ricky, kissing him softly on his earlobe at the same time.
"You mean C and Chloe? Yeah, I saw it. Maybe they’ll finally hook up tonight."
Reluctantly, Sydney broke her eye contact with Bryce and leaned over to Ricky’s other side. "Has JC made his move yet?" she mumbled so that Chloe couldn’t hear.
"I think so," Ricky replied just as softly through only the corner of his mouth. "It wasn’t much, but it might have worked."
Sydney nodded her head and went back to watching Bryce and Tony onstage.
‘This is ridiculous,’ JC thought to himself. ‘Everyone at this table is talking about us. I might as well just get it over with.’ And with that thought, he scooted over in his chair so he was closer to Chloe. He put both of his elbows on the table and leaned in her direction. He smiled as she slowly turned her head and glanced at him nervously. The thought crossed his mind that she had absolutely no idea how beautiful she was. And that was a shame.
"Hey, Chloe?" he questioned cautiously, slightly annoyed by the fact that Dale was giving him the thumbs-up from behind Chloe’s back.
"Yeah?" she responded hesitantly, trying desperately to read the expression on his face.
"After this set, you wanna come outside with me for a bit? Get some fresh air or something? All this cigarette smoke must be bothering you."
Chloe tilted her head to one side and arched an eyebrow. The cigarette smoke was a problem for her, but she didn’t understand how JC could possibly know that.
JC’s mouth went dry as he clearly read her expression of confusion. That’s when it occurred to him that she had never actually told him that she was allergic to the smoke. "Oh…uhh…I think Dale must have told me you were allergic…or something. You are, right?" ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ he thought to himself. ‘Great way to make yourself sound like a stalker.’
"Yeah," she smiled, nodding her head. "I was just surprised that you knew. Because it’s not like you and I have ever really talked."
"True," he replied quietly, looking down at the table. He couldn’t argue with her. He had never really tried that hard to converse with Chloe. Admiring her from afar had been his method up till this point. But he had good reason for that. JC had never felt like anything could come of him and Chloe. She was so…different. Unlike any girl he had ever been interested in. But he was interested, none the less. "So, umm, did you want to head outside after this song?" His voice sounded humorous even to him. He needed to get himself together.
Panic stricken but refusing to back out due to Dale’s fingers pinching into the top of her leg, she agreed. "Sure."
Glasses full of red
Laughter full of honesty
And I’ll remember every word you said
As I paint my morning memories
If only for this moment
If only for tonight
Girl I’ve had all I can stand
Avoiding what my heart demands
I think it’s time I gave into this fight
JC turned away from Chloe and picked up his glass of red wine. He drank half of it down in one gulp. ‘Liquid courage,’ he thought to himself before downing the other half. He ran a shaking hand through his semi-long, slightly curly locks. This was insane. He never, ever acted like this. Not even when he was a teenager. So why did the idea of actually being alone with Chloe frighten him? He honestly didn’t have the answer for that.
Camille leaned directly across the table and put her hand on JC’s arm. She didn’t say anything, just smiled and winked. That was her own subtle way of telling him to calm down and that everything would be fine. He just glared at her and chewed on his bottom lip. She laughed softly and turned back to watching Tony.
"I told you," Dale whispered into Chloe’s ear. "You owe me for this one."
"Don’t say ‘I told you so’ yet, Dale," she replied, her voice edgy. "Look at him, he has to drink an entire glass of wine just to ask me to talk. That’s not a good sign."
Dale laughed louder than he had expected to and got a disapproving glance from Sydney. He quickly stifled his outburst and shrugged his shoulders in an apology before Sydney could say anything. "Don’t worry about it, Chloe. I’ve got a feeling about this. Tonight’s your guys’ night."
Chloe glanced at him cynically. "If I remember correctly, the last time you said that was when you were absolutely certain he was gonna ask me to go to the VMA’s with him. And then he asked me to help Bobbie pick out her dress. So forgive me if I’m not exactly trustworthy when it comes to your ‘feelings’ about this stuff."
"Hey, it wasn’t my fault that I misread him that time. I knew he was gonna ask you something about the VMA’s and I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to ask you something about Bobbie. I guess I had a little too much faith in him."
This time, Chloe was the one who had to hold back her laughter. She had to give Dale credit. No matter how horrible her mood was, he could always make her smile. It was still strange for her to think that all of these amazing guys were her friends. No one ever could have told her, when she was thirteen and watching MMC every day after school, that her life would bring her to where she was now. But bring her here it had, and she guessed that she shouldn’t complain. Even if she was single and unemployed.
~*~
"Are you cold?" JC questioned, concerned, as he watched Chloe shiver slightly and lean against the brick wall that lined one side of the club.
"Not really," she lied. "It’s just a little chillier than when Sydney and I got here. I probably should have brought a sweater."
"Here," he said quickly, shrugging out of his leather jacket, "take this." Chloe found it impossible to tell him no as he slipped the coat around her shoulders. But once it was on, she wished to no end that she had. The coat was ridiculously too small for her. Not that it didn’t look okay just wrapped around her shoulders, but she couldn’t have even thought about slipping her arms into it. JC was too thin.
Chloe felt her self-esteem take a sharp nosedive directly into the ground. She shook her head and looked away from JC, not wanting him to see the embarrassment written on her face.
"Hey, what’s wrong?" he questioned softly, reaching out and touching her cheek.
Chloe sucked in a sharp breath, completely caught off guard by the touch of his fingers against her face. "Nothing…I’m…I’m okay."
JC eyed her warily, wanting only for her to look up at him. But she wouldn’t. She kept her eyes locked on the ground, one stray auburn curl falling down the middle of her forehead. ‘She’s so cute,’ JC thought to himself, fighting off the urge to brush that curl away for her. ‘Why won’t she talk to me? I can’t possibly be that intimidating.’
After several seconds of silence, Chloe decided to give speaking a chance. But she still didn’t make any heavy eye contact. "So, you asked me to come out here. Why?"
JC smiled at her sincerely. "I didn’t know I had to have an ulterior motive. Maybe I just wanted you to come outside with me." When Chloe’s soft pink lips drooped down in a frown, JC knew that his attempt at flirting had failed miserably. "Wait," he recovered quickly. "That didn’t come out right. I wanted you to come out here so we could actually talk. I mean, every time I opened my mouth in there, Sydney and Camille were shooting me death looks from across the table."
Chloe finally looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, Camille and Sydney take their men pretty seriously. But I guess I would too if I were dating someone like Tony…or even Bryce for that matter."
JC eyed her curiously. "You have a thing for Tony?"
"Every girl has a thing for Tony," she chuckled softly. "At least every girl in her right mind. He’s sorta like…a Justin for the older girls."
JC frowned. "I thought I was a Justin for the older girls."
The seriousness of his tone left Chloe no choice but to laugh out loud. "I’m sorry, yeah, I guess you can have that title too. There definitely are a lot of girls who have a thing for you."
"Name one."
Chloe had to place her hand against the wall behind her to steady herself. With his request, JC had stepped closer to her and her breath had somehow gotten stuck in her throat. "Wha…what?"
"You heard me," he smiled deviously. "Name one. Tell me someone, and some random fan doesn’t count, who has a thing for me."
"I…I don’t know what you mean…I wasn’t…trying to…insinuate that I…I knew someone…I…I was just saying…" before she made a bigger fool out of herself, Chloe simply clamped her mouth shut. Saying nothing at all was certainly better than stumbling over her words like she was. She hated that JC had such an affect on her. Why couldn’t she just look at him as any random guy? The answer to that question came to her mind quickly. JC was far from being any random guy.
For no reason whatsoever, besides perhaps the fact that the three glasses of red wine he had drank were going to his head, JC decided to move beyond all of the bullshit. "Look," he said seriously, stepping even closer to Chloe and taking one of her hands in his, "I think we both know what’s going on here. Our friends have been trying to set us up for months. But for some reason or another, usually because I had a girlfriend, it hasn’t worked. But they all know that you like me and they all know that I like you. And I’m sure they’re all sitting in there speculating about whether or not the two of us are making out yet. So, what do you say we just step past this awkward stage and admit that we both have a thing for each other?"
Chloe’s mouth dropped open in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Unless Dale, Tony, and Ricky have been lying to me for the past four months…yeah, I’m serious. Please tell me they haven’t been lying to me." His eyes pleaded with her. If his friends had been mistaken, he was going to feel totally humiliated.
"No…uh…no…they didn’t lie to you. I just…I never thought that you…actually…uhh, well…liked me back." Chloe’s voice trailed off meekly as she looked down at her toes. "I mean, face it JC, I’m not exactly your type."
"I know," he responded softly, placing his hand under her chin and moving her eyes up to his level. ‘Such pretty green eyes,’ he thought. "That’s what I like about you. You’re different."
"I’m boring," she countered.
"No, you’re just…"
"Plain? Un-exotic? Average? Pick an adjective JC, any one will do."
JC frowned at her sarcasm. "You’re normal, Chloe. And that’s why I haven’t been able to say a damn thing to you up until this point. You’re the kind of girl that’s supposed to look at me and laugh. You’re supposed to say, ‘no thanks. I’m not into being in the spotlight. And besides, don’t all you rockstars date models or something?’ And then you’re supposed to turn around and walk away and leave me feeling mighty stupid."
Chloe shook her head. "You’re clearly drunk, JC. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but you’re supposed to be the type of guy that laughs at girls like me. You’re supposed to say, ‘sorry, I don’t date girls who are over a size six. And look at your hair. Do you think I can walk you down the red carpet looking like that? Please, you have to be joking.’ And then you’re supposed to walk away and leave my self-esteem even lower than what it was when you walked up to me in the first place."
"I’d never say something like that to you. You’re beautiful, Chloe. My God, I’ve been watching you across crowded rooms for months now, knowing that I couldn’t say anything to you because I was with Bobbie and hating every second of it."
"I’m not beautiful," she mumbled, pulling her hand away from JC and looking at the ground again.
"What?" JC questioned. He honestly hadn’t heard her.
"I said, ‘I’m not beautiful,’" she reiterated, stronger this time, still looking down at the cement sidewalk. She could feel the tears coming on but prayed that they would stop.
JC again placed his hand under Chloe’s chin, giving her no choice but to look at him. Seriousness was etched across his face. His dark blue eyes were stormy. "I don’t know who told you that, Chloe. But whoever it was, was wrong. And I’m sorry that they’ve made you believe it because it’s about the furthest thing from the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you. If I didn’t think you were beautiful, I wouldn’t say it. I think you’re beautiful."
Chloe blinked several times to keep back the tears. She swallowed hard. "Why?" she asked JC honestly. "Why do you think I’m beautiful?"
"Sweetheart, have you looked in the mirror lately? Your eyes are mesmerizing. And your hair brings out the gold in them so well…if I hadn’t known you before you were a redhead I would have no idea that this isn’t real," he smiled as he tugged gently on one of her ringlets. "And so what if you’re not a size six, or an eight, or even a ten? Half of the tiny little girls you see walking around in this city are so unhealthy that it’s pitiful. At least when I look at you I can see a body. You have curves, Chloe. And very nice ones, at that. Not to mention the fact that you’re smart and you’re driven and you’re talented and you know what you want to do with your life. To me, there is nothing sexier than a woman who can stand on her own two feet. Someone who doesn’t define herself by the guy that she’s dating."
"You dated Bobbie," she interjected sarcastically.
"And she made me miserable," he replied calmly, looking directly into her eyes with his intense gaze.
With his response, Chloe was left speechless. "I…I don’t know what to say."
"Well," JC smirked, "you could either thank me for all the compliments I just gave you. Or, you could let me kiss you."
"Thank you," Chloe responded softly, trying to break his gaze. The heat that was spreading throughout her body must have been obvious. She needed to calm herself down before something went horribly wrong.
JC chuckled. "You’re welcome. But I think you’re gonna have to let me kiss you anyway."
He didn’t wait for her to reply. He simply leaned down and placed his lips on hers. It was a chaste kiss. No tongues or panting or heavy breathing. But it conveyed how JC felt. As he pulled away from her, he ran his fingers through Chloe’s curly hair. "I’ve been waiting to do that all night."
"What? Kiss me?" she barely breathed.
"No," he replied truthfully. "Touch your hair. I had this feeling that it would be so soft. And I was right."
Chloe just smiled at him.
"You wanna head back inside?" JC questioned, nodding his head towards the door of the club.
"Yeah," she responded lightly. "Sure."
She didn’t resist as he took her hand in his own and led her back inside.
~*~
"So spill it," Dale said immediately after Chloe sat down at his side. "Did you two finally hook up?"
JC reached behind Chloe and hit Dale in the back of the head. "Shut up."
Dale laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I was just asking."
A few moments later, Tony and Bryce were pulling chairs up to the table to sit next to their girlfriends. "What up, man?" Tony directed to JC, doing their customary handshake. "I saw you two leave. Did you finally hook up?"
Chloe laughed and shook her head. JC just rolled his eyes.
"That’s definitely a yes," Ricky joked, also shaking hands with Tony.
"I guess our job here is done," Camille added lightly.
"It’s about time," Josephine giggled.
"Oh my GOSH, you guys!" Chloe finally exclaimed. "Can’t you just leave this alone? Please! I swear, it was easier to deal with all of you before this happened!"
"Before what happened?" Sydney questioned, wiggling her eyebrows insinuatingly.
"Y’all make it impossible for a guy to be a gentleman," JC laughed.
"Since when have you ever been a gentleman?" Dale teased.
Chloe threw the napkin that her drink had been setting on at him. "Dale, you’re absolutely horrible!"
"Face it, JC," Bryce spoke up. "You know we aren’t gonna leave you two alone until you tell us what’s up. You might as well just spill it."
"Yeah, come on," Sydney added. "Are you guys together or not?"
Chloe blushed to the very roots of hair. She couldn’t believe that her best friend had just asked that question. She was certain that everyone at the table must have felt the heat radiating from her cheeks.
JC grabbed hold of Chloe’s hand underneath the table and squeezed it gently. "If you call making out like crazy in the alley behind the club being together, then yeah…we’re together."
Chloe’s hand went stiff as all of her friends eyed her with disbelief written all over their faces. But JC looked at her and winked, and she suddenly knew what he was doing. She immediately followed along with his story. "Yeah, you guys. It was crazy. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. Not that I wanted him to." She winked sexily at him and almost purred at the conclusion of her sentence.
Tony’s chin almost hit the table. "Are you serious?"
"Of course we are," JC responded without missing a step, leaning over and nibbling softly on Chloe’s neck. "She’s just so…intoxicating. I can’t help myself. I don’t know what took me so long to realize it…"
"But after tonight, he’ll never forget it," Chloe concluded the sentence, pulling his face to hers and planting a deep kiss right on his lips, in front of everyone.
The table grew deathly silent as all of their friends stared at the new couple in shock. Then JC started laughing hysterically. Chloe followed quickly behind him. "Y’all are so gullible!" JC shouted through his laughing.
"That’ll teach ya to ask me questions you don’t have any right asking," Chloe shot across the table at Sydney.
Camille shook her head but laughed all the same. "You two are evil. Pure evil."
"That must be why you’ve been trying so hard to get us together," Chloe reasoned.
"Yeah," JC added, batting his eyelashes. "You just knew we were perfect for each other."
Josephine lay her head on Ricky’s shoulder dramatically. "Good God, we’ve created a monster!"
~*~
"I had fun tonight," Chloe told JC truthfully as they stood in the parking lot outside of the club. Tony’s second set had just ended and JC had told everyone inside that it was time for him to head home. He had asked Chloe to walk him out to his car.
"Yeah," JC responded. "Tony was great."
"Tony’s always great," she replied. "But I had fun with you."
A goofy grin spread across JC’s lips. "I had fun with you, too. You played along well with my little joke."
Chloe laughed softly. "I did my best. Although I have to say, I almost had a heart attack when you told everyone we had been making out. I thought you had lost your mind."
"I thought the look on your face when Syd asked if we were officially together was the best!" JC was laughing now. "It was the perfect deer-frozen-in-the-headlights gaze."
"Oh I know!" she agreed, leaning against the hood of his car. "I couldn’t believe she asked us that."
When Chloe looked up, her laughter stopped. JC was staring down at her intently. "You’re so beautiful, Chloe."
"Thank you," she mumbled, looking away from his gaze.
"No, look at me," JC demanded gently. She slowly brought her eyes back to his. "You’re beautiful. I want you to more than hear me, Chloe. I want you to believe me. You’re beautiful."
She couldn’t think of anything to say in response, so she simply stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. JC reveled in the feeling of being so close to her. He instinctively slid his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. No words were exchanged, but they weren’t necessary. Both had a pretty good idea of what the other was thinking. Finally, Chloe pulled away.
"Where are you staying?" JC inquired.
"The Double Tree with Syd. But I’m sure she’ll be rooming with Bryce tonight."
JC laughed and nodded his head. "Well, I was gonna offer you a ride back to the hotel. But…I was thinking…do you maybe wanna stay at my place tonight?"
"What?" Chloe blurted out, sounding completely un-composed. But she wasn’t composed. JC had just said the last thing she had ever expected.
"All I’m saying is, I’d like to talk to you more. I’ve known you for a while, but I don’t really know you. And I’m not sure when we’ll get to see each other again. So, I was just thinking that you could come home with me and we could hang out. That’s all, I promise." He held one hand up in the air, as if taking an oath.
Chloe wracked her brain for any logical reason to say no. She found several. She vocalized none. "Sure. I’d like that."
~*~
"Well, this is my home," JC said as he unlocked the front door and led Chloe inside. "One of them, anyway."
Chloe looked around her and was in awe. Everything was spotless. It didn’t seem like there was anything out of place. All the furniture had clear, precise angles. The walls were mostly bare…only a few pieces of what she assumed to be classic artwork hung from them. It was beautiful…but a little cold. "It’s…nice," she replied hesitantly.
JC just laughed at her. "I’m not here much," he told her honestly. "This was mostly Bobbie’s place to stay. And when I broke up with her I got rid of everything that reminded me of her. Everything she didn’t take with her, anyway. Trust me, my place in Orlando looks much more lived in."
"That’s good," she responded seriously. "This place seems a little…imposing."
"And unwelcoming," JC concluded. "I know. But it’s better than a hotel room any day. I love knowing that when I’m in LA I always have my own bed to sleep in."
"Yeah, it must be hard always being on the road. I don’t think I could live out of a suitcase for 300 days a year."
JC shrugged. "You get used to it. It’s just my life, now. I really don’t even think about it anymore."
Chloe just smiled at him as JC took her hand and led her out of the living room, down a corridor, and up a flight of stairs. The second floor was a little more welcoming. The carpet was a soft tan and there was more artwork on the walls. She was almost certain that she recognized a Picasso, but she was too shocked to ask him if it was an original. JC’s immense wealth hadn’t really hit her until that point. He led her down a hallway lined with doors, stopping only once to show her his "music room" which held a black Grand piano and nothing more.
"And this," he commented, opening another door and turning on an overhead light, "is my bedroom. Clearly, the most lived-in room in the entire house."
"I can see that," Chloe laughed, looking around at the slightly crumpled bed sheets, various male cosmetics strewn across the dresser and several pieces of clothing that were lying on the floor. "I thought you were Mr. Organized," she joked.
"I couldn’t figure out what to wear tonight," JC shrugged. "And I left in sort of a hurry. Sorry that it isn’t cleaner."
"It’s okay," she replied sincerely. "I like it. Especially the bed," she gushed. "It’s huge! How do you even sleep in that? I would get lost!"
"Yeah…well…it does get a little lonely sometimes."
Chloe looked up at him, her eyes wide.
"I just said that out loud, didn’t I?" JC questioned, truly mortified.
"Yeah, you definitely did," Chloe giggled, slightly nervous.
"I’m sorry," he apologized. "I’ve gotta learn to keep these impulses in check."
Chloe decided to throw caution to the wind. "What impulses?" She asked him the question at the same time as she walked up and jumped onto his bed. The mattress was softer than she had expected and she sunk down several inches, causing her skirt to ride up on her thighs. She blushed and pulled it back down towards her knees.
"You’re a tease," he laughed through gritted teeth. It took every ounce of his self-control to refrain himself from jumping on that bed next to her and taking her then and there. "I promised to be a gentleman tonight and here you are jumping on my bed. That’s not fair. And frankly, it’s not safe."
"You know something, JC?" Chloe asked him quietly, running her fingers over the soft comforter she was sitting on.
JC sensed the seriousness in her tone. "What, sweetheart?"
She looked up at him and caught his eye. "I can’t recall one instance in my life when I haven’t done what everyone considered to be the ‘safe’ thing to do. I think I’m just plain tired of always being safe."
JC was standing in front of his bed in less than two strides, his intense stare locked on Chloe. "What are you saying? Because if I misread you and do something that ends up upsetting you I will not be able to forgive myself."
Chloe didn’t say anything; she just reached up and grabbed hold of JC’s shirt, pulling him towards her. His lips met hers in a strong kiss that quickly turned into more. She opened her mouth to him and he crawled up unto the bed, hovering over her and not breaking the kiss. Without even thinking about, Chloe lay back against JC’s pillows and sighed as his tongue dueled with her own.
Breathlessly, JC pulled away. "I promised you all we would do was talk."
A wave of insecurity hit Chloe quickly. "If you don’t want me like this…"
"No," he responded instantly, lying on his side next to her, his hand resting on her stomach and his eyes looking into hers. "That’s not what I mean at all, Chloe. But I don’t want you to think that this is why I brought you here. I really do want to get to know you."
"Do you want to be with me?" she questioned boldly.
"Yes," JC replied without hesitation.
"I don’t just mean tonight," Chloe whispered this time. "Do you want to BE with me?" she reiterated.
"You mean like Sydney thinks we should BE together?" JC asked jokingly.
Chloe nodded her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Yes," he answered truthfully. "I want to be with you like that."
"Then you have all the time in the world to really get to know me," Chloe murmured. "We’ll talk later. Now…I think we should kiss."
JC was more than happy to oblige. He rolled himself so he was on top of Chloe again and continued to kiss her deeply. His hands slid slowly underneath and up her shirt. Both of them knew that they were probably moving too fast. But neither of them seemed to care. Wherever this night led them, at least they were together. And for the first time in a long time, both of them felt content.