Chapter 8
Soon, the table had been completely cleared of any semblance of food. The men had all eaten heartily and now they sat, glued to their seats, unable to move. Finally Joey stood and said, “Well, have you girls had a chance to pack yet?”
“No,” Melissa said, “I thought I would do that after I get the dishes done. We still have a couple of hours, right?”
“Yeah,” Joey confirmed, “but you two go ahead. We'll take care of the dishes.”
“No, I don't think so. Y'all are our guests. There is no reason you should do dishes,” she argued.
Joey then bent to her lips and kissed her, ceasing her objections. “It is no problem. Now you go get ready. You too, Cassie.”
“Mmmm, ok, I guess,” Melissa replied as she walked toward the stairs, followed by Cassie.
When the girls were out of earshot, Justin stood, “OOOhhhh, Joey. What's up man?”
“Justin, yo, shut up, man,” Joey said, laughing at his young friend.
“Hey, man, all I'm sayin is you and JC got the hookup, yo. We want details,” he grinned.
“Hey, if you want details, you're looking at the wrong guy. Nothing happened,” he said easily.
“What? Yeah right. You expect me to believe that you spent all night in a beautiful woman's bedroom and nothing happened,” Justin said, holding his head as he decreased his volume.
“That's what I'm saying man.”
“Get the fuck out. Joe. We know you too well to believe that,” Justin coerced.
Joey laughed, “I know, man. But it's true.”
“Yeah, ok. So, JC, hook a brotha up,” Justin said as they all laughed aloud. The brotherhood between these five men was amazing, Melissa noticed from the top of the stairs. They seemed closer than she would have thought possible, considering how much time they spent together.
She knew she had to get ready, but she could hardly take her eyes away from Joey. What was it about him that intrigued her so? She knew it wasn't his celebrity status, because she had felt it before she has the slightest idea of who he was. She couldn't understand it, and that scared the hell out of her.
“A little nosey, aren't we?” she heard Cassie whisper form behind her.
She smiled at her friend. “I just couldn't help myself. Isn't he beautiful?”
“God, girl,” Cassie said, rolling her eyes. “You have got it bad.”
“What? What are you talking about? He's beautiful. That's all I said.” She looked at Cassie who was giving her that look that stated simply, “SURE.” She let out a breath of exasperation. “Whatever! I have got to get ready,” she huffed as she walked toward her room to pack.
'Yep,' Cassie laughed after her friend as she thought, ' She's got it really bad. I just hope she realizes it, before it's too late.’ With this, she turned toward her own room and continued packing for the trip.
After packing all of the necessities, Melissa ventured into her large, walk-in closet. She was truly a clotheshorse and it showed in the shelves and racks of clothing she owned. Three of the four hanging racks contained her clothing. The fourth still contained a few of Robert's old shirts that she could not bare to part with. As she walked through the closet, she pondered what she should take to wear tonight. She was so excited that she could scarcely concentrate on the task at hand. The funny thing was that she knew that she was excited to get away, but more excited still by Joey.
In truth, she had not been on any type of vacation in over two years. She had felt the need to work almost ceaselessly. It helped to keep her mind off of Robert. She knew she was due some time away, and the prospect of an evening in Dallas was exciting.
There was more though. She felt like a teenager. The prospect of sharing a night with Joey was exhilarating. She knew it would be a night she would always remember. Each time he had kissed her or even looked at her, she felt old, familiar feelings coming back to her. She wondered how that was possible. She loved Robert and had known him her whole life. This man who was, before yesterday, a stranger, though, had evoked feelings deep inside of her that she didn't even know she had. She shook her head suddenly. “You think too much,” she said aloud, scolding herself.
Melissa knew she was entirely too responsible at times, and she had been her entire life. She had practically raised Brandi, and had been married and widowed by the time she was twenty-four years old. Now, at twenty-six, she knew she had never truly lived for herself. She had always taken care of someone else, and though she loved doing so, she knew now that she had to live for herself as well.
Melissa also knew she could not deny what Joey made her feel. She didn't know how to categorize it. All that she really knew was that it completely amazed and frightened her. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted.
“Girl, aren't you ready yet?” Melissa was so shocked by her friend's voice that she jumped. “I'm sorry,” Cassie laughed. “I thought you heard me.”
“No,” Melissa sighed. “It's ok, though”
“Well, what is taking you so long?” Cassie questioned.
"Oh Cass, I just...I don't even know what to wear, I'm all excited and nervous and...” she sighed in frustration.
“Relax, girl. It is just a concert,” Cassie laughed. One look at Melissa, though, told her it was much more than that. “Oh,” she grinned in realization. “It's not the concert you are all worked up about, is it?”
“No,” Melissa admitted. “Cass, I know it's silly for me to be so nervous. I don't remember being this crazy the first time even. It has been two years, though, and, well, I'm just afraid. What if I...Hell, I don't even know what I'm saying.”
“Calm down, Lyssa. It's ok. Everything will be fine. Great, in fact. You have done this before, honey,” she laughed.
“Well, yes Cass, I am aware of that. I just want everything to be, well, perfect,” she smiled.
“OK, my suggestion is to wear this,” Cassie said as she pulled out a short black skirt paired with a deep purple button-down blouse. It was an outfit Melissa had never actually worn, though it had filled a space in her closet for months.
“I dunno, Cass. It's awfully short, I just...” Melissa had spent the majority of her life overweight, and though she was now anything but, she still carried the mentality at times.
“Melissa, you will look great in it. Joey will absolutely love it. This is what you are wearing. End of discussion.”
“Yes mother,” she sighed as she neatly placed the outfit in her bag. A few moments later Melissa and Cassie emerged, each carrying a large duffel bag. Joey, who had decided to check on Melissa's progress and obtain his own items, met the pair at the top of the stairs.
“Hey gorgeous,” he cooed. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” she smiled back at him. “I got your stuff too.”
“Thanks,” he said as he leaned in to kiss her softly, taking in the soft vanilla scent flowing from her.
Melissa felt her knees go weak and silently cursed herself, smiling against his lips. “Mmmm,” she said when the kiss ended. “Anytime.”
With this Joey took the luggage from both women and carried the items down to the foyer. “Lance just got of off the phone with Johnny, so your timing is perfect,” he commented.
After attempting to contact her sister unsuccessfully, Melissa finally left a voicemail on her cell phone. “Well, girl, I hope you had fun last night. You have no idea what you missed here. Let me just say your bed was occupied last night. “She said, laughing wickedly. “Anyway, Cass & I are going to Dallas, to an Nsync concert. Told ya you should have been here. The dogs are in their kennel and they have plenty of food and water, but go ahead and let them in. See you tomorrow evening. I love you sweetie. Bye”
Two large vans were pulling into the drive just as Melissa concluded her message. Joey and JC gathered up the luggage and headed out the front door. After a quick run-through, Melissa was satisfied that it was safe to leave and followed the others out. Upon entering the vans, everyone was informed that a plane had been chartered for them and it would be ready to leave upon their arrival. Since it was just before noon, they were luckily ahead of schedule. “So, are you ladies ready for this?” Joey asked as Melissa slid in beside him.
“Hell yes,” Cassie almost shouted in response. “Oh,” she smiled as she sat back into JC's embrace. “I mean, sure, why not.”
Melissa giggled at her friend. “And how about you Angel?” Joey inquired of Melissa As soon as the word “angel” left his lips, Melissa felt her breath catch in her throat as something deep inside screamed for joy.
“Absolutely,” she said looking deeply into his brown eyes.
The ride to the airport was relatively short. Cassie was full of energy, chatting with JC, Lance and Joey. Melissa though was still so nervous she couldn't contribute to the conversation. She sat back in the shelter of Joey's arms as she smiled.
“You ok?” Joey asked, smiling down at Melissa.
“Yeah, I'm fine. Just hoping I remembered everything, since we kind of left in a hurry,” she lied.
“Melissa,” Cassie said, leaning up, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. “Relax, you took care of everything. Now just take care of yourself.”
Melissa smiled, again rolling her eyes. “Ok, if you say so.”
“She's right you know.” Joey whispered. “You just sit back and let me give you a great weekend, Angel.”
She simply smiled and nodded, contemplating the coming hours.