"I told you to have the keys ready before we ran out of the car, you even left before me." I said, sputtering because of the rain dripping in my mouth. "I did have them ready...and then I dropped them." he said throwing me a smile and opening the closet to the left. "Here." he said and tossed me a towel. I graciously accepted and began attempting to stop what was dripping. "Don't worry. We'll pick that up later. Come on." He motioned for me to follow him through the door and we found ourselves back in the kitchen.
I shook my head smiling still at the thoughts, from today, from yesterday, from this house. I followed Lance through the kitchen and into the dining room. "Hmm, why's it so quiet here?" he mumbled, mostly to himself and kept walking to the family room. After passing the doorway I rammed into the back of Lance, seeing as how he stopped walking.
I looked over to my side and saw that we weren't alone in the dimly lit room. Every other member of the house was sprawled either on the couch, a recliner, or the floor. Nothing was on and an eerie silence clung to the air. Something was wrong. Chris, who was on the floor, kept looking out the window then down and back again. Justin sat back in the recliner looking like I felt, like he wanted to run...fast. Joey sat on the right of the couch, biting his thumb nail with a grim expression. JC, was the worst. He sat to the left of the couch, chin resting on his folded hands, and his eye's an icy blue that made the tempertature drop just by looking at him and his hair dishevled and falling around his face.
Justin cleared his throat and jumped up. "Laura, I got this new thing...in the kitchen and...I, yeah." he said trailing off at the end and grabbing me by my arm. I didn't protest, I had been wanting to leave but I didn't want to leave Lance alone. I looked over my shoulder and saw him taking a seat in the recliner Justin left, then the wall was in the way. Justin let me go and I wrung the towel around my hands, confused. I looked to Justin for answers but he just shook his head and looked down. "It's...just a thing." he said, his cheeks turning a bright pink and he moved his hands around before putting them behind his head and stretching.
I heard muffled voices, that were obviously being fought at to be kept low. I blindly grabbed at the chair by my hand and thought about sitting down but decided not to because I was still soaked. Justin noticed and said "Don't worry about it. With 5 guys here these things have been through worse." and I sat down looking forward. Strangely, this was my seat at this mornings breakfast, and I had the same sinking feeling in my stomach.
The voices grew louder and angrier and I could catch parts of the conversation. "How could you be so stupid........not my fault.....studio called......pictures from a car.........didn't know they would be in the rain....." I shook my head and ran my hands over my face.
Justin had disappeared to the kitchen and threw open the window like square cut out of the wall so I could see him. "Do you want a margarita or something?" he asked wanting to make noise. No one wanted to hear this argument. I nodded and returned to rubbing my throbbing temples and attempting to block out the shouting so close by. "Umm, we're out of margarita mix....but I'll crush ice for you in the blender." he said and did that. It helped a lot. A few minutes later the ice was crushed and he threw a cup of messy slosh in front of me. I watched the ice slowly melting then dripping off the side. I picked a whole piece off the top of the pile and dropped it in my mouth.
The shouting turned to yelling and the only two voices I heard were Lance and JC. Then they stopped and were replaced with, I think Joey's. Minutes later, JC walked out with Chris on one side and Joey on the other, and his nose bleeding. "Oh god." Justin mumbled and took off to the living room. JC couldn't stop but turned and looked at me. "It wasn't your fault. Don't think it was your fault, it wasn't." he said calling after me as he was helped up the stairs.
Helplessly I turned in my chair, not sure if I would be good anywhere, and confused as to what the hell just happened. Justin walked back out of the living room. "He's, ummm, got a black eye....." I nodded and got up as he returned to the living room. I walked straight to the kitchen. I found a bag and filled it with ice and also grabbed a steak that was luckily in the fridge and wrapped that with a paper towel. I walked slowly to the living room, hesitating at the door, not sure if I really wanted to go in there.
I realised I didn't have a choice and walked in. There were small drops of blood scattered around the ivory carpet and for a second I felt sick to my stomach. I shut my eyes tightly and told myself to get a grip. Lance sat on the floor, facing opposite me, looking out the window. Justin stood next to him, covering his mouth and not sure of what to say.
I walked over to them and squeezed Justin's shoulder who nodded and stepped back. I squatted next to Lance who still seemed oblivious to me. "Here. Put this on your eye, to stop the swelling." He looked slowly down a the slab of meat in my hand and up at my face before reluctantly taking it. He looked at it so hard he may have been learning to read another language. "We've never hit each other." He said under his breath. It was a sound of dibelief. I hugged him sideways. "I know." I whispered and quickly pulled away and stood up to leave. I heard a sigh as I left and ran up the stairs, my towel in one hand and the bag of ice in the other. I followed the sounds of footsteps and found the room that I suppose was JC's.
Chris was pacing on the side, shaking his head and looking over to see if he needed to run for more tissues. Joey held a plastic bag that JC kept throwing tissues in groups of 3 away. They all turned and looked as I walked in the room. "Sit." I said to JC motioning to the bed and he did so. I walked over and Joey thrust the plastic bag in my hands before taking off out the door. I sighed watching him go but sat down next to JC. "Here, throw those away and lay back. Good, does it hurt?" I asked. He shook his head but kept it tilted backwards. I let my fingertips graze the bridge of his nose and he flinched back. "I don't think it's broken, but here." I gave him the ice pack and he pressed it to his nose.
I looked back at Chris who was still slowly pacing and sighed. "Who started it?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know. "Lance threw the first punch. But it wasn't your fault, he should have been more careful." I rolled my eyes keeping them so JC couldn't see them. "Do you blame him? You were practically screaming in his face. I would have too. Besides, you didn't have to hit back." Chris said as he looked to JC. JC sat up to argue and I pushed him back down. "Stay. Let's not start another fight. Something happened here that shouldn't have. You all just need to chill for a while and then talk about it." I said. Since when did I go all psychologist?
I stood up and looked back. "Keep the ice there until it stops bleeding, that shouldn't be so long." I said and walked out. Joey had been waiting outside and was leaning on the wall. "Will you please tell me what the hell happend?" I asked. I partially knew, but it was still kind of foggy.
"Well, someone from the studio called and JC answered. They said that some paparazzi got a shot of Lance and some girl having ummm, sex in a car. JC was just telling him that he had to be more careful and he couldn't do that stuff in public..." I groaned and covered my face and let myself show what I felt finally. "Where the hell did they get that one from? We weren't....having sex, or anything. They got a shot of us laughing or maybe a kiss. Besides it was pouring outside, we never thought someone would still be able to see that in the parking lot." I wanted to scream, or run, or break something. But I couldn't even move.
Joey walked over and gave me a hug. "It's okay." was the only thing he said, but it made me feel a lot better. I also felt guilty. There were two people here that were the one's that had a real problem and yet I was the one being consoled. I pushed Joey away and breathed deeply, knowing that no matter what JC said, this was partially my fault.
The rain had stopped and it was the calm after the storm outside. The sun was setting but was still visible above the trees. I crossed my arms over my chest as I looked around. After pushing Joey away I mumbled something about getting fresh air and I walked to the downstairs back porch. It was overlooking the rocky pool and various plants, but that wasn't what I noticed.
I noticed that if you looked very closely you could just barely make out stars, even this early. I took notice of the cloudless sky and the half orange sun almost directly in front of me. I took notice of the trees that created something like a forest behind the house and the chirping of the birds that lived there. In fact, I was drowning so deeply into the sound that I didn't even hear the sliding glass door behind me open and shut. I also didn't hear the footsteps walking behind me. But when a pair of arms slipped around my waist from the back I didn't get scared. I just knew it was coming.
I felt a small pressure on my left shoulder as I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Lance's cologne mingled with the fresh nature air outside continuing the calm. My arms slid down to cover Lances arms and I leaned back to let him support me.
"It's beautiful out." he said stating the obvious. I was afraid if I spoke, the moment would be ruined. Or maybe it would pop, and I would never see it again. So instead I looked down at my feet. "I'm sorry you were here for that whole argument thing." Lance whispered. I had almost made myself believe that it wasn't true and that I just dreamed it in the car. But his words knocked me back to reality and I swallowed to attempt to get the dryness out of my mouth. "Are you mad at me?" he asked. His voice was muffled because he was looking down and my shirt covered his mouth.
I shook my head knowing I honestly wasn't mad at him. I was just mad at the circumstances I guess. "Then why aren't you talking to me?" he asked. I didn't want to say anything. I just wanted to live 'Breathe'. But it's true that you can never escape the unevitable. "You shouldn't have hit him." I whispered, finding my voice somewhere back there. The arms around my waist suddenly clenched tighter and I wished I hadn't said anything. I know he knew what I was saying, but he just didn't want to talk about it.
I felt the pressure leave from my sides as his arms slipped away. My fingertips followed them and I ended up turning to him just as he was about to go back inside. "Lance." I said. I stepped closer to him and put my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a close hug. At first he was reluctant but in the end gave in and we stayed that way for the longest time.
I can feel the magic floating in the air
Being with you get's me that way
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I, oh I've
Never been this swept away
All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze
When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms
The whole world just fade away, the only thing I hear
Is the beating of your heart
And I can feel you breath, it's washing over me
Suddenly I'm melting into you
There's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch, the slow and steady rush
And baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed the be?
I can feel you breathe
Just breathe.
~Faith Hill, 'Breathe'
