Mchapter13

Josh made the couch into a bed for Justin before climbing the stairs and going to Leah�s room. He knocked on the door, but didn�t get an answer. He opened it slowly, hoping that he wasn�t interrupting something that he didn�t want to see.

His first thought was, �awww,� when he saw Leah and Justin curled up together on the bed. They looked so damn cute together. He trusted Leah to make her own decisions when it came to guys, and he was just happy that he hadn�t caught them in the act. He knew that Leah would be careful because of what had happened to her mother.

He wondered whether he should wake them up and make Justin go downstairs to the couch. But then he remembered what his parents had done to him at his age. They�d never let him out of their sight, and it kind of ruined his chance of having any fun with Christi. He decided to just let them be, hoping that nothing more would happen once he went to bed.

He smiled one more time at what a cute couple they were before turning from the room, and heading to bed.

****

The next day, Josh woke to the ring of the telephone. He groaned before rolling over to pick it up. �Hello?� he said, his voice rough and scratchy since he�d just woken up.

�Is this Josh Chasez?� a frantic female voice asked.

�Yes, how can I help you?� Josh questioned, wondering who it was.

�This is Lynn Harless, Justin�s mother,� the woman said quickly.

�Oh, hello Lynn,� Josh greeted her, a little more awake.

�Is Justin still at your house by any chance?� Lynn asked, her voice showing how worried she was about her son.

�Yeah, we stayed up late, and once we realized what time it was, I decided it would probably just be better that he stay here than walk home in the dark. Especially after what happened last week,� Josh explained, wondering why he hadn�t made Justin call his parents to make sure it was ok that he stay. �I�m sorry, I should�ve had him call you.�

�Oh, good, he�s ok. It�s just that after last week I�ve been paranoid that it will happen to him again. And then he didn�t come home last night. I guess my mind just came up with some scary possibilities,� Lynn told him, relief evident in her voice.

�I�m so sorry to have caused you to worry, Lynn. Would you like me to send Justin home?� Josh asked.

�If you want him to go home now, then sure, otherwise just send him home when he wakes up,� Lynn replied.

Josh said goodbye to Justin�s mother and then looked at the clock. It was nine o�clock already. He usually got up early on Sundays to take a quick jog and then settle down with the newspaper. He got up out of bed and made his way to the bathroom that was connected to his room. He turned the spray on and stepped under the hot water, sighing as it relaxed his tense muscles.

When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went back into the bedroom, picking out comfortable clothes to wear and putting them on. Then he walked down the hall to Leah�s room, wanting to check on her and Justin before going for his jog.

He opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake them. He smiled when he noticed that they�d shifted in their sleep. Leah�s back was to Justin, and he was hugging her body to his. They looked adorable. Josh knew that any other parent would freak if they saw their little girl in that position with a guy, but he knew that it was innocent.

He closed the door and headed downstairs and out the door.

****

Justin woke when he heard a door squeak. He blinked a few times and then realized that he wasn�t in his bedroom. Then he realized that he wasn�t just hugging blankets.

Leah. Justin sighed as the night�s events came flooding back to him. He smiled when he remembered how Leah had tried her best to make him at ease. He was a little embarrassed that she�d been able to sense his nervousness so easily, but she hadn�t teased him about he so it figured it was all right.

He ran his fingered through Leah�s hair and kissed the top of her head. Then he realized that he had to pee really badly. He tried to figure out a way to get up without waking Leah, but that would take too long. So he jumped up out of the bed, and raced down the hall to the bathroom.

Leah woke to the sound of her bed squeaking and footsteps pounding down the hall. �Huh?� she mumbled, trying to wake up. She opened her eyes and immediately noticed that the warmth that had surrounded her all night was gone. She looked up when she heard someone coming into her room and smiled when she saw that it was Justin.

�Sorry, I really didn�t mean to wake you, I just had to� go to the bathroom,� Justin told her, blushing a little.

�It�s ok, Justin. Come here,� Leah replied with a smile, motioning for him to join her in the bed.

He climbed into the bed and laid on his side next to her. �So, did you sleep well?� he asked, not sure what else to say.

�Very well,� Leah answered with a wink, �how about you?�

�Same,� Justin replied.

�That�s good. So you wanna go downstairs and have some breakfast?� Leah asked ruffling Justin�s curls.

�Hey! I just fixed my hair so it wasn�t standing up in all directions!� Justin exclaimed, pouting.

�Don�t worry, you still look hot and you know it,� Leah stated before walking out of the room, her hips swaying. When she was about halfway down the hall, she noticed that he wasn�t following her. She looked back, eyeing him curiously. She laughed when she realized that he�d been staring at her butt as she walked. �Come on, Justin,� she called, waiting for him to catch up to her.

�Sorry about that,� Justin apologized.

�It�s ok, but just remember that if you want to check out my butt, you gotta do it right,� she said, grabbing his hand and making him pinch her butt. �Now *that* is much better. Got it?� Leah asked.

�Uh, sure,� Justin replied, refusing to look at Leah. Instead, he was busy watching his hands pick at the bottom of his shirt.

�Justin, babe, I�m joking,� Leah told him, smiling, �although I wouldn�t mind if you pinched my butt once and a while.�

�Ok,� Justin responded, not quite sure what to say.

Leah burst out laughing. When she saw Justin looking at her curiously, she explained, �the look on your face. Man, you should�ve seen it. That was great.�

With that said, she grabbed his hand and led him downstairs and into the kitchen.

****

Lance woke up that morning feeling great. He�d had sweet dreams just like Josh had told him to. He hadn�t remembered a dream in years until last week. All of the sudden, he started having dreams about Josh. And they were all good. *Very* good.

Lance blushed when he thought about some of the things he�d done in the dream. He hadn�t been shy at all. He�d been wild, and come to think of it, so had Josh. He laughed at how silly he was being, daydreaming about the dreams he�d had about Josh. But he couldn�t help it. He really liked Josh. He felt like he was back in high school again. But this time, his crush liked him back.