Chapter
12: Night Fever.
Clare pulled up outside the apartment
unaware that Justin and JC had followed her all the way home, uninvited.
As she put the key in the
front door all the girls heard shouting and car horns coming toward them.
"Oh no, who invited them back
here?" Jamie asked as she watched the vehicles reach a halt behind Clare's
jeep.
"Looks like they invited themselves!"
Libby replied weakly.
"Wonderful!" Clare exclaimed
as she walked inside the apartment and threw herself onto a chair, "I get
to spend my night off with the guys I spend all day with. I'm so pleased,
I don't know if I can contain my excitement!" she continued as the four
remaining members of 'N Sync joined them.
Chris headed straight into
the kitchen to search for food.
"You can not still be hungry,
you just ate!" Sara exclaimed as Chris opened the fridge and then closed
it again.
"That was over an hour ago!"
Chris said back.
"Oh and God forbid if Chris
has to go without eating for all of two!" Jamie exclaimed turning to look
at him as she sat on one of the couches.
Clare laughed and turned to
look at Sara, "Chris and Joey are two peas in a pod… what one of them doesn't
eat, the other will."
"Are they that bad out on
the road?" Libby asked Jamie as Justin sat down next to her on the couch
she'd claimed as 'hers' and she placed her legs across his lap.
"Between him and Joey we can
run out of food in a day, and that's at the hotels!" Jamie replied.
The group broke out into fits
of laughter as Chris walked into the sitting area and sat on Clare's lap.
"Ger-off!" Clare said pushing
him to the floor. "Don't you all have something better to do with your
night?"
"What could be better than
sitting here and bugging all of you?" Chris asked in reply as he got up
and sat on the arm of the couch that Jamie sat on.
"So what we gonna do?"
"I'm sure we'll think of something!"
JC said as he sat on the arm of the chair Clare was on.
"Gid, what you got to drink?"
Lance called from where he stood with Jenny and Sara in the kitchen.
"Err… milk, OJ, coffee… er,
Pepsi or… oh, I brought some wine last night. You could open those."
"Wine it is!" Chris said looking
up at Lance who was leaning on the breakfast bar.
"Oh no, not for me." Libby
said getting to her feet.
"I forgot, strictly Pepsi
for the under 21's!"
"I wouldn't drink that poison
even if I was over 21!"
"Would you grab me a Pepsi
too?" Justin asked Libby.
"Any body else?"
"Me." Jenny said as she helped
Sara carry the wine and the glasses into the sitting area.
"Yeah, me too." Lance replied
sitting down on the floor by the TV.
Clare noticed there were only
4 glasses in front of her as she passed a bottle of wine to JC for him
to open. "You not having any?" she asked Sara.
"Nah. It's water for me."
Sara replied presenting a bottle from the bag she'd brought with her.
JC popped the cork on the
bottle and it flew across the room at Chris almost hitting him. Everyone
laughed as he ducked out of its path almost falling to the floor.
Clare poured the wine and passed the glasses out among the drinkers before
sitting back down in her seat. Libby passed Lance and Jenny a can, collapsed
back on the couch next to Justin, handed him his can of Pepsi and then
swung her legs back on to his lap.
"Justin the footrest!" Jamie
said with a laugh as he tried to get comfortable.
"Well it is all he's good
for!" Clare said as he sipped on his drink.
~~~~~ A While Later
~~~~~
After a few glasses of wine
the four drinkers were a little merry and after several cans of Pepsi,
the under 21's were hyperactive and giggling at silly thing's.
"Who's up for a game?" Sara
asked flashing a smile, she was the only one not affected by her drink
and knew a game of any sort would be interesting.
"Of what?" Lance asked.
"I vote truth or dare." Chris
said raising his eyebrows.
Clare giggled, "I haven't
played that in years!"
"Lots of truths to come out
then!" JC said smiling mischievously.
Whenever they'd played before
Clare was either working late at the office or had already tucked up in
bed for the night so she'd escaped the embarrassment that would be a dead
certain considering the people playing.
"I'll start!" Chris said turning
to Libby, "Truth or dare?"
"Well when you say it like
that I think I'm gonna go with… truth!" she replied as she glanced at Clare.
"'K. If you had to date anyone
in this room, who would it be?"
Libby's face flushed pink,
"Oh God, all the men in the world and I get to choose from you guys!" she
said trying to hide her embarrassment. "I guess I'd have to say Justin."
Justin smiled and he went
a deep shade of red as he noticed everyone looking at him.
"Oh come on, it's not like
she had a huge choice," Clare said trying to lighten the conversation,
"Pineapple head, pretty boy, Jordan Knight or curly locks… um, hard choice!"
Clare smiled to Libby who
returned a smile of thanks back.
"Okay, my turn!" Clare said
with a devilish grin as she sat forward in her chair, "Chris, truth… or
dare?"
"A dare from Clare." He contemplated.
"Truth it is!"
"This woman you mentioned
to the fans earlier, is she in this room?"
Jamie blushed slightly as
Clare glanced her a look.
Chris was calm, "Yeah, but
you do know it's… not you?"
"Damn! I had my fingers crossed
and everything!"
"My go! My go!" Lance yelled.
"Yeesh! Calm down, you'll
get a hernia!" Sara said with a smile.
"Justin… truth or dare?"
"Dare!" he replied. He always
picked dare but he noticed the look Lance was giving him and didn't like
what he saw, "No. Truth!"
"Oh, make up your mind!" Jamie
said rolling her eyes.
"Truth!"
"Who is your ideal woman?
And I don't mean a Tyra Banks look-a-like, someone not famous. Someone
you could date!" Lance said quickly adding the rules.
"Hmmm!" Justin said thoughtfully
stroking his chin, "Who is my ideal woman?"
There was a brief silence.
"She's gotta be tall but smaller
than me. Have a good sense of humour. Stunning eyes. Great body. All I
really want is someone who loves me for me…" he trailed off. "That's it
I guess."
Clare smiled mischievously
at Libby, he was describing her perfectly and she wondered if her best
friend had realised.
Justin looked and smiled at
Clare, "Truth or dare, Giddy?"
Clare thought fully
about the questions that had already been asked and knew that if she picked
'truth' that JC would be the topic for sure so she opted for "Dare!" she
sighed, hoping it wouldn't be too bad. "But kissing anyone in this room
is definitely out, unless it's Libby!"
"I knew you two had somethin'
goin' on!" JC said nudging her.
"Mmmkay!" Justin said mimicking
a character from the groups' favourite adult animation programme, South
Park, "You gotta go down to the street and ask the first guy you see to
marry you."
As Clare made her way out
of the apartment, Chris turned to Justin, "That's all you could come up
with? I'd 'ave made her streak across the beach!" he said with a gleam
in his eye as Sara passed him heading toward the bathroom.
"You've been without a woman
for too long!" JC commented playfully as Clare walked back into the party
with Jason, Sara's 20-year-old brother, who had been pulling up outside
the apartment when she'd gone out.
Clare flung her arm around
his shoulders dramatically, "He's agreed, we're to be married next week!"
she exclaimed seriously.
Libby burst into giggles and
everyone laughed at the sight of Clare stood smiling next to Jason, who
was smiling but blushing a little. He towered above her but then most people
did. He had curtain styled blonde hair, was very muscular and had a smile
that could melt any girls' heart. Clare had only met him a few times but
Sara always talked about him so she'd got to know everything there was
to know about him.
"Jason!" Sara exclaimed as
she walked out of the bathroom and saw her brother, "Why didn't you tell
me you were comin'? I'd 'ave come to pick you up!"
Jason was a professional model,
he flew all over the world so he and Sara hardly got to spend any time
together which made it such a shock to everyone that they were real close.
Usually he'd only be away for 2/3 months at a time but his last job had
meant them being apart for 6 months.
"I finished in Italy early
so I thought I'd fly over to surprise you!" he replied wrapping his arms
around her and giving her a hug.
~~~~~*~~~~~
Lisa looked up at Joey as they
sat on the beach; he bowed down and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I love you Joseph."
She said with a smile as they broke apart.
Joey smiled down at her but
not a word left his lips.
"Joe, what's wrong?"
Lisa knew something was wrong
with her boyfriend, usually when she told him she loved him he followed
it with an 'I love you' without hesitation. She turned to face him and
repeated her question, "What's up?"
Joey shook his head.
"Come on baby something is
going on in that head of yours. Tell me, what is it?"
Joey stared down at his girlfriend;
nerves making him feel sick to his stomach. He took a deep breath and opened
his mouth to speak but all that came out was a squeak.
"Joey what is the matter?
You're scaring me, what is it?"
He still said nothing he just
looked at her helplessly.
"You look like you've seen
a ghost!"
He smiled and shook his head.
"Well what is it? Tell me."
There was a silence before
Lisa stood up and looked down at him, "I swear to God Fat One, if you don't
talk to me, I'm goin' to slap you silly!"
~~~~~*~~~~~
It was early hours of the next
day. Lance had taken Jenny home, Jamie, Chris and Sara had all fallen asleep
spread around the small sitting area in the girls apartment and Jason,
Justin, Libby, Clare and JC had sat talking and winding down.
"Okay," Clare said slapping
JC on the leg, who was still sat on the arm of the chair she'd become attached
to by the end of the night, "Time I was goin' to bed."
As Clare stood up she lost
her balance and fell back in to the seat she'd climbed out of, "Ooh! Maybe
not!" she said with a giggle before trying to get up again.
"Come on!" JC said with an
amused smile as he stood up and extended his hands out to her.
"I've only had four glasses
of wine so why can I not feel the bottom half of my body?" she asked no
one in particular as she collapsed in a heap on the floor.
"It is 14% proof wine!" Libby
said with a giggle at the sight of Clare, now on all fours trying to stand.
"Let me help you!" JC said
to her as he bent down.
Clare pushed his hands away
playfully, "I'm almost up!" she said trying to pull herself up using the
chair for assistance.
JC grabbed Clare's hand and
helped her to her feet.
"Tank you kind sir." She said
with another giggle as she fell into him.
JC wrapped his arms around
her and she giggled as she rested her head on his chest.
"Get her to bed… please!"
Justin said as he and Libby got up off the floor.
"Where is everyone sleepin'
tonight?" Jason asked curiously as Justin disappeared into the rest room.
"I have got a big comfortable
bed all to myself!" Libby said teasing him as she walked into her bedroom
to put on her pyjamas.
"Me too!" Clare said as she
concentrated on walking in a straight line from JC to her bedroom but failing
and toppling before he caught her, "Oops!"
As JC helped Clare into her
bedroom, she lost her balance and fell backward onto her bed pulling him
down on top of her. Clare burst into laughter as JC rolled off and lay
on the bed beside her.
"I don't think I should've
had that last glass of wine." She said in between more giggles.
JC turned on his side and
rested his head on his hand; he looked at Clare and smiled. He'd never
seen her almost drunk before, she was relaxed and not the serious workaholic
he'd been so used to seeing.
"What are you looking at me
like that for Joshua?" She asked him as she stopped giggling and
noticed him staring at her.
"It's nothin'!" he replied
with a knowing smile.
"You're amused by somethin'?"
JC shook his head.
"You know Chasez, if the room
weren't spinning and I didn't feel like I had a 10 ton weight attached
to my shoulders, I'd hurt you… a lot!"
"Sounds interesting!" he said
with a continuing smile as he raised his eyebrows.
Clare looked at him with a
smile of her own, I wish I could lift my head then maybe I could kiss him.
If I was sober I could kiss him, er nah. Wine brings courage, no wine means
no courage and no courage means no kissing.
Suddenly Clare was brought
back from her rambling thoughts by JC. His face was just inches from hers,
she took an unexpected deep breath before realising his lips were firmly
placed on hers. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
This was it. This was what they both had wanted for so long, but where
did they go from here?
~~~~~*~~~~~
As Justin walked out of the rest
room and passed Libby's open bedroom door, he glanced to see her climbing
into bed wearing her white satin pyjamas, "So you're one of the privileged
people who get a comfortable spot to sleep in tonight?" he said to her
from the doorway.
"It's an advantage of living
in the place where the party is at!" she said with a smile as he leaned
on the doorframe and looked into the sitting area.
"Looks like J got the chair
so, lucky me, I get the floor!"
Libby looked over at the couch
under the window in her bedroom, "You can have my couch, it'll be more
comfortable than the floor." She said with a smile.
"You mind?" he asked, as he
stood upright and walked into the room.
"Yeah! That's why I asked
you, genius." She replied sarcastically as she lay down in her bed and
made herself comfortable.
Justin made himself a pillow
with the cushions placed along the couch and then lay down facing Libby
who lay on her side and closed her eyes to attempt sleeping.
She's so beautiful, Justin
thought as the light from the street shined on Libby as she lay peacefully
in her bed, If anyone had told me that I could feel like this about her
two years ago I'd have told them they were crazy. But she's everything
I look for in a girl. She's athletic, brainy and beautiful. She's not materialistic
like most the girls I meet and she's not depending on someone else to get
her where she wants to go. She achieves everything she wants and she doesn't
feel the need to agree with everything I say just because of who I am either.
She's everything I want for a girlfriend…
Suddenly he was bought out
of his thoughts by Libby huffing and hitting the bed with her fists, "Why
can't I sleep?" she asked herself angrily.
"Prob'ly too much caffeine."
Justin replied softly.
"Well whatever it is, I'm
gonna be sat up half the night then when it's time to get up to go to Uni.
I'm gonna wanna sleep!"
"You could take the day off."
"I gotta sit exams for the
whole week and two tomorrow means a 'no' to that option!"
Chapter
13: Crazy For You.
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