Part Five
Early the next morning, JC made his way to the beach. His flip-flops smacked against his heels, causing grains of sand to shoot out. He knew he would find Justin out there. He loved the ocean more than anyone he knew. When they were ever near a beach during tour he would always make time for it.
"It relaxes me," he had told him one day on the bus. "When I'm there I forget who I am, you know? It's my time-out I guess you could say."
JC understood completely. He had a time-out and that was being in the studio. Not working of course, but just being in a recording studio by himself. He would sit there and fiddle with all the different tunes that float in his head, but the best part about it was that there was no pressure. It didn't have to be perfect, he didn't have to stress on every little thing. It relaxed him and that's all that mattered.
Justin was sitting on the sand with his back to him. He had on a pair of old faded jeans that were ripped in a few places and wore a wife beater up top. JC stopped right next to him and held down the coffee mug he was carrying. "Thought you could use this."
Justin looked up and squinted. "Thanks," he mumbled as he took the mug from him.
JC just nodded and sat down next to him and casually sipped his own coffee. He licked his lips and let out a sigh as he enjoyed the feel of the warm liquid oozing down his throat. He drew up his knees and rested his elbows on top of them while dangling his cup filled hands between his legs. "I talked to Marron this morning."
Justin turned his head towards him. "How's she doing?"
JC gave him a grim look. "Not good. She's been throwing up since five."
Justin sighed as he turned away and looked at the sand. "She doesn't deserve that."
"No, no one does." He took another sip. "But once she gets it all out of her system she'll be good as new."
"Yeah," he said and then looked down at the coffee mug as if he forgot it was there and then lifted it up and took his first sip. "Did you and Mar have fun last night?"
"Yeah, we did...just ordered room service and watched a movie on pay-per view. We both fell asleep in the middle of it."
Justin managed a laugh. "She's perfect for you then."
JC didn't say anything, but instead just smiled softly and took another sip. "What are you plans today?"
Justin just shrugged.
"Well, Mar's taking care of Ash all day, so I'm afraid it's just you and me, kid."
"Doesn't she have to work?"
JC was in the middle of taking a sip, so he shook his head. "No," he finally said when his mouth was empty. "She called in to tell them what happened and they understood."
"I see." Justin looked out at the ocean for a moment and took in the silence before speaking again. "Well, I need to go to the market sometime and get something for my mom."
"Oh, great idea," JC said as he got up on his feet. "I've been meaning to go there myself. Let's do that."
Justin took JC's outstretched hand and stood up as well. "Okay," he said and then dusted himself off.
"And don't worry about Ash," JC said as the two started to walk back to the condo. "She'll be back to her firey self in no time."
"I'm longing and fearing for it at the same time," Justin mumbled and then managed to laugh along with JC.
It didn't take them long to get what they needed at the market, they were back at the condo at lunch time and as much as they wanted to go visit the girls, they resisted, knowing it wasn't the right time. They needed to keep away so Ash could get better. They decided to vegge out for awhile, so JC worked on some songs on his keyboard, while Justin had his nose stuck in a sci-fi thriller.
Soon, JC was starting to get writer's block and Justin was getting a headache reading technical and scientific words over and over again, so they decided to head out to the pool. They kept themselves distant and unapproachable, because they weren't in the mood for fans or flirty women at the moment. Although a few women didn't get the picture and approached them anyway.
After a few hours they went back to the condo to take naps and since neither of them was in the mood to go out they both stayed in their rooms and did their own thing. Justin woke up from his nap to see that it was dark outside. "Damn," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "I must have zonked out."
He yawned as he threw the covers back and got up out of bed. Just in his pajama pants, he shuffled his way down the hall. The TV was still going from earlier and so he picked up the remote and turned it off. He wrapped his arms around his waist as he looked out at the balcony and then pushed it aside and stepped out into the cool air. He leaned against the railing as he looked out into the dark ocean. The moon glistened over it and he could see the white surf as the waves toppled over.
"Nice night."
Justin turned at the voice to see Ashley curled up in a chair with a blanket wrapped around her. She looked so tired he thought, as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin. "Ash," he said softly. "How you feeling?"
Ashley pulled the blanket over her shoulder and rested her chin against her drawn up knees. "A little better," she said huskily.
Justin nodded and then took a step closer to her. "I'm sorry for what happened."
Ashley looked at him and her heart melted at the way he was looking at her. He never had looked at her that way, his eyes were always filled with anger or passion, but never sympathy. "Me too," she finally said. "I'm sorry for dragging you into it."
"What?" he asked as he walked as far as he could and rested his hands on the railing. "Ash, don't be sorry. I thank God I was there, who knows what would happen if I wasn't."
Ashley shuddered at the thought. "I don't want to think about it."
Justin nodded. "Neither do I. So don't apologize, princess."
Ashley noticed that he just used the nickname in a totally different way. She liked that way much better. "Thank you, Justin," she finally said as she looked up at him. "Thank you for being there."
He smiled softly. "You're welcome, Ash."
Ashley slowly stood up and faced him. "I'm tired. I'm going to go get some sleep."
"Good," he said with a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
She smiled. "Maybe," she said and then walked to the door, but then stopped and turned back around. "Oh and Justin?"
"Yeah?"
"Just because this happened, don't treat me like I'm a fragile china doll." She opened the door and grinned at him. "The game is still on."
The corner of his mouth lifted. "I never thought it was off," he said.
"Good." She then disappeared into the house, leaving a smiling Justin alone on the balcony.
JC yawned as he ran his fingers through his hair while padding his way to the balcony. He shivered as the morning air brushed his skin and huddled over as he ran his hands up and down his arms.
"Morning sleepy."
JC turned towards the voice to see Ashley sitting down while putting her hair in a ponytail. She had only a sports bra on and a pair of wind shorts. "Ash," he said as he rubbed his eyes. "Feeling better?"
"Much," she said with a smile and then stood up.
"So much better you're going for a little morning jog?" he asked.
"Sure am....care to join me?"
He arched a brow. "Jog? Me? No, I don't jog, it's against all my morals."
"Come on, wimp, I promise to go slow."
JC studied her smug face. "Tempting....but no."
"Afraid you can't keep up?"
He knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to challenge him, and she knew quite well he didn't turn down a challenge. "No. I didn't pack my running shoes."
"So, the best way to jog on a beach is barefoot. Come on, I want to talk about my sister anyway."
His eyes widened. "What? Why?"
She shrugged. "Come with me to find out."
He mumbled a curse. "Hell, well at least let me go put on some shorts."
Ashley grinned in triumph. She should have just mentioned her sister sooner and he would have agreed to go right away. When he finally came out he was dressed in a cotton shirt and some orange shorts that hit his mid thigh. "Ready?"
"Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with," he said as he walked down the steps. They walked side by side in the soft sand, but as soon as the sand turned hard Ashley was off. "Damn, this is gonna suck," JC mumbled and then trotted up to her to keep up. "So...what about...Mar?"
Ashley shook her head. "Later... I can't talk and run at the same time, takes too much effort."
JC rolled his eyes. "Then why the hell did I come along?!" he breathed.
Ashley grinned. "Because I wanted company and I knew all I had to do was mention her name and you'd come."
"You're evil, Ash," he said but still kept up with her.
"Shh, no talking," she said and then quickened her pace.
JC was no runner. That's not how he stayed in shape. He danced and lifted weights. That was it. Plus the sand made it ten times harder on his calf muscles. Damn, I'm going to be aching, he thought as he continued to breath in and out.
After about a mile, Ashley finally came to a walk. "Walk it off."
"Oh thank God," he breathed as he rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"Don't stop. Walk," Ash commanded as he tugged his arm. "Fast walk for another mile, than we'll turn around and jog the mile we just walked and then walk the last mile."
"Great," he mumbled. "Well, can you walk and talk at the same time, or is that too hard for you?"
She grinned at his sarcasm. "No, I'm quite capable, thanks."
"So, what about Mar?"
"I don't know, you tell me?" she asked as a seagull squawked and flew over their heads.
"What are you talking about, you're the one that wanted to...."
"I want to know what your intentions are concerning my sister."
He gave her a look. "Uhh...to be her friend?"
Ashley let out a laugh. "Okay, I'll rephrase. What do you WANT to do with my sister?"
JC cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter, she has a boyfriend."
Ashley shrugged. "You have a girlfriend."
JC froze in his tracks and grabbed her arm lightly. "What? I don't have a girlfriend."
"Didn't think so... but she does."
Ashley tried to walk, but JC stopped her again. "Whoa, wait...she does?"
She nodded and then continued to walk. "Bobbie or something like that?" she said when he caught up with her.
"Bobbie? She knows about her? We're just friends, the media just thinks were dating."
"And so does Marron."
"Damn," he mumbled. "Well, wait, why should she care, she has Cevin or whatever his name is."
Ashley laughed. "Cevin is a tool and I don't care for him much."
"But she does."
"Unfortunately....at least she THINKS she does," Ashley sighed. "She's very loyal, JC, no matter how much she's attracted to you, she won't act out on it, because of Cevin."
JC nodded. "And I respect her for it. I don't want to break up what they have."
"They don't have shit, Jayce....I don't like him."
"Well, that's not your call, Ash. And it's not mine either."
Ashely just sighed. "Yeah."
The two were silent for awhile, before JC finally spoke. "What about you and Justin?"
The corner of her mouth lifted. "What about?"
"You're attracted to him."
"Yes, I am," she said bluntly.
"Wow, well....if that's the case, you sure aren't attracted to ME."
Ashley looked up at his teasing grin. "Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"
He threw a friendly arm around her shoulder. "Because my dear Ash....you and I get along." He then playfully pushed her and ran back the other way. "Race you back!"
Justin watched the pair stagger up towards the condo as he casually sipped at his coffee. He watched Ashley lean in and say something to JC, causing him to laugh and push her playfully away. Ashley just laughed in return as she got back her footing, but her laughter faded when she saw him. Justin cursed softly, as he took another sip. What he wouldn't give to have her smiling and laughing like that around him. But instead, all her glow disappears after contact with my eyes.
"Hey, J," JC said as he trotted up the steps. "Stay away from her, she's Satan."
"Did you actually....RUN?" Justin asked in shock.
He sighed. "Afraid so."
"You don't run."
"No, but she figured out my weak spot and used it against me." JC glared at Ashley, who was still on the ground. "Satan."
Ashley just stuck out her tongue. JC chuckled and then playfully pushed Justin's head. "I'm going to go pass out now, see ya."
"Yeah, bye," Justin mumbled and then studied Ashley. "You and JC looked chummy."
Ashley shrugged as she spread her legs to start her stretching. "He's easy to get along with," she said as she leaned down to the right and held her stretch.
"You actually get along with people?" he asked with a grin and sipped his coffee.
Ashley still held the stretch but lifted her head to look at him. "If they're a decent human being, yes," she said and then moved her body to the left.
"So, are you saying I'm not a decent human being?"
Ashley smiled. "I never said that," she said and then moved to the middle.
"But we don't get along," Justin pointed out.
"So," she said and then lifted up. "I like a challenge, don't you?"
Justin was shock to hear her words. "I...uh...Yeah, I guess."
Ashley smiled and then walked over to the balcony. She surprised Justin by reaching up to grab the railing and then stuck her foot on the edge and lifted herself up. Justin's first thought was to step back, but he held his ground. He stayed exactly where he was, and the only thing separating them from touching was the railing. Justin still loomed over her, his chin hit the top of her head, but she didn't seem intimidated by it. "What are your plans for today?" Justin asked as he lifted a hand to play with a tendril that escaped her ponytail.
She smiled as she tried not to concentrate on how close he was. Whenever he got too close, her body turned to mush, along with her mind. "Don't know, maybe hang out by the pool."
Justin grinned as he pushed the strand back and then trailed his hand down her ponytail and gave it a friendly tug. "Well, then maybe I'll see you there."
"Maybe," she said and then started to get down, but Justin grabbed her arm gently and pulled her closer. She thought for a split second, she was going to win the game and he was going to kiss her, but instead he leaned down until his lips brushed her hair. She shivered.
"Do me a favor and wear that baby blue bikini?" he asked huskily.
She swallowed hard at the sound of his raspy voice. "And why should I?" she asked shakily.
He chuckled softly in his ear. "Cuz baby blue is my favorite color." He then kissed her softly on the cheek, before retreating. "You really need to read more Bop, if you don't know that." He then turned and walked to the door, opened it and then turned back to her. "See ya around, princess," he said with a wink and then disappeared through the house.
JC walked into the kitchen to find Justin spreading mustard on his bread. He had slices of cheese and turkey slices out, along with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles. When Justin made a sandwich, he MADE a sandwich. "God, what blew up in here?"
"Shut up," Justin said as he started to layer his sandwich. "Did you just wake up?"
"Yeah," he said and then yawned. "I zonked the minute my head hit the pillow."
Justin picked out a few pickle slices and placed them on top of the turkey. "So like....you actually went JOGGING?" Justin asked as he screwed the jar back on.
"Yeah," he mumbled as he grabbed the bag of Fritos and fished one out. "Scary, huh?" he said before he popped it in his mouth.
"Very." Justin placed the bread on top and then slowly picked it up. He licked his lips in anticipation and took his first hearty bite. "Fo, wha waf yo wee fot?"
JC arched his eyebrow. "Come again?"
Justin held up his finger and took his time and swallowed it, then washed it down with a Dr. Pepper. "What was your weak spot, I said."
"Oh...of course," he said and then rolled his eyes. "She mentioned Marron."
"Yeah," he said and then popped another chip in his mouth. "And you."
Justin chocked on his sandwich and pounded his chest as he tried to swallow the rest. "Huh?" he finally asked.
JC grinned. "Did I talk with my mouthful?"
Justin smirked at his smart ass comment. "What about?"
JC let out a laugh. "Like I'm going to say."
"You better."
He rolled his eyes. "Relax, we didn't say anything that you didn't know all ready."
"And what's that?"
"That she's attracted to you."
Justin grinned. "She is, huh?"
"Please, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out." JC hopped up on the counter and fished out another chip. "You're attracted to her too."
"I'm not denying that," Justin said and then took another bite. "We're in the middle of a little game."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Probably not," he said with a wink. Justin then took his last bite, and last sip of his Dr. Pepper, before he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm off to the pool, wanna come?"
"Nah, not right now, I think I'll sit out on the balcony and work on my song."
Justin nodded. "Okay, maybe I'll see you down there later."
"Is Ash going to be there?"
"If I'm lucky," he said as he walked out of the kitchen. He grabbed his sunglasses and towel that were laying on the dinning room table and then headed out. "See ya."
Once he was gone, JC hopped down off of the counter and walked towards the door as well. He picked up his keyboard that was laying against the wall, and then stepped outside. He froze when he saw Marron from a distance walking towards the surf. Her back was to him and she was pretty far away, but he could still tell it was her by the way she walked. She wasn't a sleek and smooth walker, like some girls were, but more fast paced, as if she didn't want to waste a single moment in life and wanted to get from point A to point B as soon as possible.
He sighed as he looked at her, then down at his keyboard, and then back up at her. He hadn't seen her all day yesterday and all this morning. He missed her and he so badly wanted to talk to her. He looked down at his keyboard again and sighed. "Gonna have to wait," he said and then put the keyboard back inside, closed the door, trotted down the steps, and jogged lightly towards Marron who was now walking in the surf.
Marron was lost in deep thought, but the sound of someone yelling her name snapped her out of it. She turned towards the voice and her face beamed at the sight of JC trotting towards her. God, she didn't realize how much he missed his company until now. "JC!" she said as she trudged out of the surf. She surprised him and even herself when she reached up and hugged him. "It's so good to see you."
JC smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He chuckled as he squeezed her gently and lifted her up for a second just long enough to hear her laugh and then put her back down. "How's my Mar?" he said as he gently tapped the end of her nose.
Marron blushed slightly at his choice of words. "Your Mar is quite good," she said with a smile. "I just got back from work."
"How'd it go?" he asked as he gently pushed back a strand of her hair that was dancing slightly from the breeze.
"It was wonderful!" she said as her face lit up. "JC, it was so exciting, I got to witness a dolphin being put back into the ocean."
"Really?" he asked as he smiled at her excitement. "Tell me."
"Okay, wanna take a walk?" she suggested.
JC winced. "As long as it's a slow walk and I don't have to jog."
"Jog? No, I don't know the meaning of the word."
"Thank GOD," he laughed. "Your sister dragged me out this morning. My fault for walking out of the balcony the same time she did."
Marron laughed. "Oh, bless your heart, Ash is definitely a runner. She's been running track since the seventh grade."
"That explains it, but hey I didn't slack behind!"
Marron just grinned. "How did she convince you anyhow?"
JC sighed. "By using her power of persuasion. So tell me about the dolphin."
She smiled. "Well, his name was Flipper."
JC stopped and touched her arm. "Wait," he said with a laugh. "You're joking, right?"
JC laughed. "I see. Go on."
"Well, they found him a year ago, he was beached from an oil spill. He was in pretty bad shape, a lot of people didn't think he was going to make it."
"But he did."
"Yep, sure did. He's the sweetest thing too, I got to swim with him on my second day, and I have a feeling he'll show up at the research center as he pleases."
"Like Flipper," he said with a wink.
Marron laughed. "Exactly."
They were silent for awhile as they continued to walk down the beach. They left a long trail their footprints in the wet sand. JC studied her from the corner of his eye and his heart turned at the sight of her. She was simply breathtaking. She didn't have the look of a fancy model, nor was she the kind of women that had men following her like a puppy. No, she was too special for that. Only certain men would catch her eye, because only they would take the time to look deep enough to see the real Marron. He had looked and saw it the moment he laid eyes on her, and he assumed at her boyfriend did the same. At least he hoped he did, or it would be a waste if he didn't. He hoped he enjoyed the way her laughter rang through the air, he hoped that he liked the way her silky hair felt against his skin when it brushed against his hand. He hoped he enjoyed her energy for life and better yet he hoped he realized how lucky he was to have this wonderful woman.
"What are you thinking about?" Marron finally asked him, as she felt his stare from the corner of her eye.
JC cleared his throat. "Umm, I'm thinking about how I want to ask you to the Mexican Festival tomorrow night."
Marron paused and turned to face him. "Really? I saw a banner this morning on my way out, it looks fun."
"Their suppose to have live music and a buffet, along with Margarita's. I thought it would be fun."
Marron smiled and then kissed his cheek. "I'd love to."
Justin grinned as he walked the sides of the pool, watching Ashley make her way to the shallow end. She was doing slow leisurely strokes of freestyle, making sure to avoid the kids that were playing around her. Justin was standing at the end of the deep end by the time Ashley had reached the end and turned around and headed towards him.
With an idea in his head, Justin sat at the edge of the pool to where he was completely in line with her and slowly eased himself into the water. He rested his elbows against the side, so he could hold himself up, as his body dangled underwater. She was almost to him and Justin smiled, knowing what was going to happen next.
Ashley stretched out to reach for the side of the pool, but instead grabbed something hard and smooth. Ashley yelped under water when she ran into someone and surfaced to see Justin's face only inches away from her. "Justin!" she screamed as she pushed away from him. "You scared me to death."
"Good, that was the plan," he said as she started to tread water. "You look tired." He then reached out with his legs, and circled her waist and yanked her against him. "Feel free to hold on to me."
Ashley's first reaction was to struggle against him, but that wasn't how you played the game. She relaxed against his hard body and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Okay, I will," she finally said
Justin almost groaned at the feel of her body rubbing against his under the water. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. "Too bad my arms are keeping us a float, otherwise I'd have them on you now."
Ashley shivered at the feel of his warm breath against her ear. She swallowed. "That's a shame," she croaked.
He just chuckled softly. "But I do have one thing free?"
Ashley opened her mouth to ask what that one thing was, but a gasp came instead when she felt him kiss her softly on her neck. He lifted his head slowly, but leaned down again and kissed away a water bead that was rolling over her shoulder. "Ju...Justin?" she asked shakily.
"Hmm?" he mumbled and then rolled his tongue over her skin causing her to jump.
"Uh...what...what are you doing?"
"Playing our little game, what else?" By this time, Justin's legs slid off of her hips and they were now touching from shoulder to toe with her.
"I think you just lost then," she said as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hot mouth traveling up her neck.
"Not quite," he breathed. "I haven't kissed you yet."
"So that's it," she said as she smiled softly. "First person who makes the move, loses?"
"Mmm-hmm," he said and then trailed kisses along her jaw line until his lips were right in front of her.
They both breathed heavily and their breaths merged together. Ashley nervously licked her lips as she tightened her grip on Justin. "So....what are you waiting for?"
He arched a brow and grinned. "I have no intentions of losing, Princess."
She grinned. "Neither do I."
"Looks like we're in a tough spot then," he said and arched both brows when one of Ashley's hands started to roam up and down his chest. "Princess, if you keep doing that I'm going to...."
"Kiss me?" she challenged.
He grinned. "Tempting, but no. I'm going to go ahead and use my hands, which would not be a good idea since it they are keeping us a float."
She laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," she said and then put her arm back around his neck.
He smiled and then his eyes turned serious for a moment. He looked deep into her eyes. "So, how are you feeling?"
She let out a shaky breath. Just thinking about what could have happened to her the other night, still made her a nervous wreck. "Fine," she managed to say.
"Ash, I'm sorry you had to go through that."
She sighed as she rested her head against the crook of his shoulder. "I'm just thankful you were there."
Justin wanted to hold her so bad, so he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I am too."
"Why did you follow me?" she asked as she looked back up at him.
"He...he seemed so harmless," she said as she turned her head so her cheek was against his shoulder. "He was so nice and...and....good looking and...."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"I know." She slid her arms away from his neck, only to wrap them around his waist. "Thank you."
Justin sighed. "Hell, I can't take it anymore I gotta hold you. Hope you don't mind getting dunk."
Ashley laughed as he let go of the sides and wrapped his arms around her. Her laughter died when the two slipped under the water.
