| Chapter 12 |
| justin stood there in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist, looking pissed. "get away from lance, jc," he said again, his voice cold. "get away from my boyfriend." lance's green eyes lit up at justin's words just as jc's blue ones darkened. "you don't mean that, justin," jc said softly, coaxingly, cooing to the youngest boy. "come here, justin, come here and we'll talk," jc beckoned. justin stood his ground. "there's nothing to talk about. i love lance, you got jealous, you came here to spoil it all, and i'm not going to let you." jc tried to keep his voice calm and soothing, but the anger was seeping in. "justin, baby, listen. you remember us, when it was just you and me, back in the old days, the days on the mouse club? remember that time we kissed on the set? remember how good we were together, you and me?" jc looked up at justin, still standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. justin nodded but said nothing. jc continued, almost pleading, "we could have that again, now, you and me. us. like it used to be. don't you want that, j? don't you want to be with me?" looking down, justin shook his head. when he looked up again, his eyes met jc's and filled with tears again as he watched jc's heart break. he dropped his arms and came into the room, sitting down on the bed next to jc. lance sat there on jc's other side and watched, silently. "josh," justin said softly, "you didn't think i understood love then. those stolen kisses, they were everything i ever wanted, and i know i loved you then -- just like i know i love lance now. i was yours when i was meant to be yours, and i'm lance's now. i'm meant to be." justin's voiced dropped to a whisper as he finished, "i'm sorry. josh, i'm so sorry." jc stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes with his hands and walked to the window. when jc's back was turned, lance scooped justin into his arms and held him close, peppering his neck with kisses as justin watched jc look out into the darkness. justin let lance kiss him, but his eyes and his thoughts were on jc. he had never meant to break the older boy's heart. he hadn't thought it would be possible. finally, jc spoke, and lance and justin sat still and listened. "no, justin, i'm the one who's sorry. i thought i could just take you back, but your heart obviously lies elsewhere." lance gave justin a squeeze. "lance, i'm sorry, i ... justin's yours now. i promise to let you tow be. this ... tonight, with me, well ... it won't happen again. i'm so sorry." jc turned from the window then and he eyes, shining once again with unshed tears, met the eyes of the other two boys. "i'm sorry," he finished, and he left. "josh..." justin called after him, but he was gone. they heard lance's front door slam, and once again, justin and lance were alone. justin turned his own tear-filled eyes to lance. "lance, god, what have i done? jc, he is -- he was? -- my best friend, god, my everything for all those years. god, have i ruined everything?" justin sniffled. lance pulled him close again. "shhh, j," lance whispered, "let him go. thing will work out. now you're where you belong, baby j, with me," lance said, kissing him softly again. justin sighed at first, still sniffling, but then, as lance trailed kisses down justin's bare chest, the younger boy let slip what was almost a giggle before collapsing back onto the bed and pulling lance down on top of him. [thank god for justin's short attention span], thought lance, smiling. lance kissed justin everywhere, reclaiming the territory that jc had tried to take as his own, and justin let lance have his way with the boy, even though both were exhausted from all that had happened since justin had arrived. after breaking off one more breathless kiss, as he lay there on lance's bed, panting, justin suddenly remembered everything that he and lance would see jc at rehearsal the next day. "my god," he breathed, already dreading how it would turn out with jc. "what happens now with the group?" lance shook his head, but hugged justin and answered, "i don't know, baby, but i'll be there with you to deal with it." |