Chapter 3
**No Cheap Thrill**
Napa Valley, California
"Raise you five."
"Raise you five and a ten."
"Raise you that and a twenty."
"You sure, Chris?" asks Howie as he looks at his hand while the other
people on the table watch with anticipation for Chris' reaction. Howie
stares at Chris with his patented poker face. Classic, passive Howie. He
then took a little sip of his Merlot.
"Oh, yeah", replies Chris as he stares back at Howie with an evil glint in
his eye. He looks over his cards with much glee before setting them down for
the table of gamblers to see what he had. He placed a full house on the
table with a smug look on his face. The other people gasp with amazement but
Howie remained passive. A few moments passed before Howie smiled then Chris
frowned. "Oh No!" thought Chris aloud to the other players.
"Oh Yeah," said Howie as he set down his five cards revealing all four
Jacks and a five of clubs. He smugly laid back into the chair while the rest
of the table groaned and Chris got up in defeat. Dani gave the now bankrupt
Chris a sympathetic look and watched him go towards the back porch with a
wineglass and a bottle of Chardonnay.
Much later, Chris' musings were interrupted by a grinning Howie and a giddy
Dani who sat down beside him on either side, all of them staring at the same
blue moon riding high in the sky. "So, how are things in the NSYNC camp,
Chris?" asked Howie.
Chris broke his celestial gazing and shrugged. "Well, Lance is still
missing. JC and Joey are in New York right now. Justin, last I heard, was in
Los Angeles with some of the MMC crew and should be in Seattle in a day or
two for Christina's Charity Concert. I, on the other hand, just lost 10
grand to Howard Dorough of the Backstreet Boys in a game of Poker." At that
last comment, all three of them laughed at how the situation has been
lighted up.
"And I just won 17 grand from Howie and the rest of the losers inside",
Dani piped to the other two while she swirled her glass. "You should've
heard Chad. He said 'Women should never be allowed anywhere near a deck of
cards'."
Chris hugged and laid a lot of small kisses on his long-time girlfriend.
She just made his night. "Honey, you made Howie lose. I'm set from life."
Howie smacked Chris on the back of his head. "Hey, at least we all didn't
make fools of ourselves like the last time."
All of they sighed at the recollection. During their college days before
Howie dropped out to join the Backstreet Boys, Chris and Howie were
roommates then. They would plan monthly poker nights with the same core
group of friends and the few "privileged" to be invited on every third
Saturday of every month until the time Howie left for Europe. Everyone in
the core group decided to make it to an annual event after that but with
higher stakes every year, and with every year came the self-inflicted
humiliation. Last year, Howie and Chris both ended up in the Emergency room
due to Alcohol Poisoning from drinking excessively for a week. Somehow, all
of them kept this quiet from the rest of the world without laughing at
remembering each other's misfortunes.
All three of them stayed there immersed in the dark night looking up at the
bright moon. The evening began winding down hours ago and the house was
mostly quiet with the occasional snort or snore. Dani and Chris both
snuggled on to each other, reveling in each other's closeness, while Howie
placed his legs over the two lovers. Out of the blue Chris spoke out to no
one in particular, "I wonder what Lance's doing right now."
Back in New York City...
JC and Joey just couldn't believe their eyes. Lance was singing right in
front of them. Singing with a guitar and a backup band. This was strange.
Lance finished his set with Richard Marx's "Hazard" before leaving the
stage for a break. Before Janine could even question Joey about Lance being
a potential date, JC dragged him outside so both of them could talk. Dodging
all the people and furniture, they made it outside and stopped after
crossing the street.
"Was that Lance we just saw?" asked a bewildered Joey.
"I don't know. We all know how talented Scoop can be if he only focused on
music more than on business but after what we just seen that was just plain
unbelievable. Damn, Lance singing songs other than our stuff and country.
Who would have thought it possible?" JC said amazed. "And he was playing a
guitar. I haven't seen him play a guitar in ages."
"That's because we haven't seen him in ages. God Josh, he looks amazing."
Joey thought that Lance's new appearance suited him quite well. All the
non-descript clothing and the scruffiness made Lance's more mysterious, more
appealing. His dark hair made his skin even more porcelain, more
intoxicating than usual and there was more character to his demeanor.
JC saw the glazed look and the first genuine smile in months in Joey's
face. He saw the bounce and felt the thrill in his voice. This just
confirmed what JC suspected what was wrong with Joey over the past five
months. He saw the look of a man in love with someone. "So what are going to
do now, Josh?", asked the anxious Joey.
"Well, we have to tread this one carefully, Joey. Scoop ran away for a
reason. We don't want to scare him so he can do it again." Joey looked
scared for a moment, contemplating on the possibility of losing Lance again.
JC saw this and tried to calm Joey's thoughts. "Don't worry. After we talk
to him, Scoop will be back." That placated Joey for now and both of them
went back in to the bar.
When they got back Janine asked if Joey thought if James was cute. Joey
looked at JC if he should tell her. He shook his head so Joey took that as a
No. Joey looked backed at Janine. "I think he is very cute. I think I know
him too." Before Janine could badger some more, James came out on stage with
an announcement.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a celebrity among our drunk-laden asses
tonight. He'll be singing with us tonight a few songs. My guess is that most
of you ladies in the audience know him. He's here tonight for your
entertainment so be nice to him. Everyone I present to you, Nick Lachey of
98 Degrees."
With that introduction, a spotlight came upon Nick and company and he stood
up to go to the stage. James froze on the spot when the lights revealed Joey
and JC beside Nick. The impulse to run was tempting but he did promise Nick
that he would do this. He told himself that he'd run home as soon as this
gig is over. "Yes, as soon as this thing is over", he thought.
Nick got on stage and greeted the steadily growing crowd, mostly women,
around the area. "Hey everyone. I'll be your eye candy who happens to sing
for this set. Joey, I know you this song so I'll start with this
one." He looked towards James who looked like he was concentrating hard on
something. He shook him out into reality and smiled meekly before going into
a frenetic chording. The familiar tune soon gave way to Nick singing the
lyrics of Green Day's "Basket Case". Joey flipped him the bird and laughed
in spite of himself, while the rest of the table just laughed.
The set went smoothly. Who knew that Nick could sing Frank Sinatra,
Eagle-Eye Cherry, and Trent Reznor amazingly well? Jess bounced the whole
time while Janine slowly noticing the change in the temperament of her
brother and JC. Both of them fidgeted and glanced a lot towards the guy
playing the guitar. Janine should be smiling at this but she sensed that
something was wrong. Jess stayed oblivious to everything except for Nick
singing.
"Everyone, this is my last song for the night." The crowd of women groaned
at that. "But I would like to share it with someone special. So Jess, can
you come here near the stage?" Jess approached the stage with everyone
looking on to her. With James' cue, they began to play "Secret Garden" by
Bruce Springsteen. As Jess came near, Nick began singing again.
She'll let you in her house
If you come knockin' late at night
She'll let you in her mouth
If the words you say are right
If you pay the price
She'll let you deep inside
But there's a secret garden she hides
She'll let you in her car
To go drivin' round
She'll let you into the parts of herself
That'll bring you down
She'll let you in her heart
If you got a hammer and a vise
But into her secret garden, don't think twice
You've gone a million miles
How far'd you get
To that place where you can't remember
And you can't forget
She'll lead you down a path
There'll be tenderness in the air
She'll let you come just far enough
So you know she's really there
She'll look at you and smile
And her eyes will say
She's got a secret garden
Where everything you want
Where everything you need
Will always stay
A million miles away
Jess' cheeks were lined with tears as Nick finished the song. He pulled her
up to the stage and knelt in front of her, shocking the heck out of her. He
pulled out velvet box out of his front pocket and held on to Jess' hands.
The tears continued to stream down her face as Nick looked intently at her
and said, "Jess, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" She was
speechless. Boring into his eyes, she nodded a yes and Nick stood up to give
her a passionate embrace. The crowd went wild when he tilled his head to
give her a kiss.
Back at the table, Janine was crying as well. JC and Joey both shouted
their approval. Nick and Jess just blushed. Making their way towards the
table, everyone around the newly engaged couple gave their congratulations.
James quietly made a sudden exit from the stage and went to the back office
to get his things. He quickly packed up his things and ran out towards the
back entrance. On his way out, he bumped again into Kelly, sprawling himself
on the black linoleum floor. "We have got to stop meeting like this, James
dearie", Kelly quipped.
Clutching his head in pain, he stood up slowly and muttered a swear.
"Kelly, I have to go. Something came up and I have to attend to it before it
kicks me in the ass."
"It isn't a drug run, is it?"
"No, just preventing of what could be shit hitting the fan."
Kelly frowned with certain reluctance but let him go. "Okay, when you leave
though please tell the rest of the band first that your leaving and go to
table 12 for Janine to come on over to the back office. You do remember
Janine from this afternoon, right?"
James nodded; hiding the relief that his excuse worked. "Is that all
because I really have to go? I'll be back tomorrow bright and early." Kelly
told him to take a hike. "Oh, and Kelly, you been taking a lot of spinach or
something because every time I've been bumping into you lately, you feel
like a steel wall."
"Just get out of here before I smack you, Wage Boy." On that note, he made
his way back to the stage to talk to the band.
At the table, much of the talk circled around Nick and Jess' engagement.
They didn't notice the approaching musician that cleared his throat
nervously to get their attention. JC tensed up while Joey smiled widely.
"James, won't you join us", asks Janine motioning towards an empty chair in
the big table.
"Yeah, James. Join us", Nick encouraged.
Staring at JC, he gave a lost look. He turned to Joey and his expression
changed to that of one that's holding his anger in. "No, I can't. I got
things to do for tomorrow that just got my attention", he answers with a
cold monotonous voice. This surprised everyone. "Janine, Kelly wants you to
meet her in the back office." He looks over his two former bandmates and all
he saw was pain. "I got to go." He runs out of the bar and leaves the table
full of flabbergasted people. Joey stands up and chases after him.
James kept running towards his apartment that was just a few blocks away
from the Speakeasy. Joey kept a steady pace in following Lance and noticed
him stopping in front of an apartment building. Catching up on the door
before it closed, Joey continued to trail him until the fourth floor landing
where he heard a door slam. Not knowing which of the four doors on the floor
is the one Lance entered, he assumed on two because it wasn't beside some
kid's mini-tricycle or full of scratch marks from a large dog. The first one
was an old lady with big white frizzy hair. Breathing a little uneven, he
knocks on the last one hoping it was Lance on the other side of the door. It
slowly cracks revealing the head of really dark brown hair and mesmerizing
green eyes.
"Lance?" Joey softly asks.
The door closed and Joey heard the bolt being removed. The door remained
closed though but a quiet utterance soon broke the loud waiting. "Come in."
Joey entered the dwellings of the object of his affection and his heart
broke at the shabby surroundings he saw. Lance just stood there near the
kitchen light giving off an almost sinister form. He sensed Joey's
nervousness but he didn't even care about Joey, only his wanting for some
peace of mind right now. "What do you want, Joey?" He flinched at the
coldness in that once mild-mannered voice.
"Lance," Joey started with difficulty. "Why did you leave us?"
Red was slowly rising in Lance's body. He wanted to shout, rant, rave
obscenities, and show as much hurt as possible. "But this was Joey", Lance
thought. He couldn't be mad at him no matter how much this guy has inflicted
pain. His head struggled to answer that question. The logics in his head
tried to come up with something but nothing made sense. "Oh Fuck it, just
blurt it out", a small tone shouted inside of him.
He stared at Joey. The joker of the group, the eternal optimist, the one
who partied all night but was awake bright and early the next day. Now all
he saw was something desperate, a face that wanted an answer. He deserved to
know what James felt. "I left because everything was getting too painful,
too hard that one day I snapped. I just made a decision to leave before I
disintegrated. I wanted to be happy again."
"Why didn't you tell us any of this? We could have helped you."
Anger rose finally and all the pain he felt the past months came out.
"Helped me? Why in the Fuck would you want to help me, Joey? Answer me
that!" Lance didn't even allow for Joey to reply. "My Mother turned her back
on her son. My sister is too far away to help me. JC didn't want to be
involved because it would "rock" the boat even harder. Justin and Chris made
me feel like shit because I told them the truth. My company is probably in
ruins by now. I've been backstabbed so many times that I don't feel like
bleeding any more. But you know what Joey! You know what!!!" The anger
seethed even more. "You hurt me more than anyone else did, you bastard. You
abandoned me. You left me alone. You did not give me anything to help me
through all the shit that happened to me."
Joey was dumbstruck by the intensity of the pain and the reasoning of
Lance's words. "I'm sorry Lance", he apologized with much regret.
"Well that won't cut it, Fatone. As far as I'm concerned, you people were
never my friends. So do me a favor Joey, walk out of that door and never
show yourself to me again. I never want to see you or any of the guys ever
again. I don't want to talk to you guys again. I hate all of you. But you
know what Joe? I HATE YOU THE MOST!!!" he shouted at Joey. His breathing was
the only sound to be heard after Joey ran out the door.
"I hate you" Those words ran through his head as he continued to stride out
to the street. Lance hates him. Those words stung worse than the day that he
found out the Lance ran away. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he took the
long walk all the way back to the hotel.
JC found him in his room catatonic, all curled up in a ball hugging a
pillow with a tight grip, the next morning. Not know what to do, JC decided
to give Chris and Justin a call.
Back to Napa Valley
Chris, Dani, and Howie woke up to the incessant ringing of Chris' cell
phone the next day. "Hello", Chris answered. All of they slept on the
outside porch sofa.
Howie and Dani studied him as the volley of questions and answers came and
went with the rapidly changing expressions on his face. Their curiosity
peeked when Chris said, "Okay, I'll be on the next flight available to New
York." Then he slumped down on the sofa with a depressing sigh.
"What happened Chris?" Dani asked. Chris looked and saw the concern in her
blue eyes. He began stroking her blonde, wavy hair as he answered her. "They
found Lance in New York", he said blankly.
"What? That's good news. So why the long face, honey?" she asks.
"Joey and Lance talked and fought. So Joey is now in his hotel room blaming
himself for all this, and Lance doesn't want to come back. I'm leaving for
the airport now so I could maybe help in this situation."
Howie and Dani traded looks and both of them nodded in silent agreement.
Chris stood up to go pack as the other two followed him. As he gathered his
things he noticed Dani was doing the same thing and that Howie was running
back and forth waking up the rest of the college group. "What the heck are
you guys doing?"
"We're going with you", Howie said bluntly as he placed his suitcase on his
bed to pack.
"You're what!!"
"We're going with you, Chris. We both want to see Lance come back so we'll
go with you hopefully to help out." Dani said as she and Howie continued to
place things in their bags. Chris smiled at this.
"Okay", Chris said and focused back at piling in his shirts in his
suitcase.
Chapter 4
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