Mchapter18

When Josh and Lance got back to Josh�s house, Josh was kind of relieved that Justin and Leah weren�t there. He knew that they were supposed to be out, but still, he was worried that they�d be there and that he and Lance wouldn�t be able to talk more. Also, he was still a little self-conscious about cuddling with Lance with Leah around. He knew that Leah approved of their relationship, hell, she�d been the one to get them together, but he couldn�t shake the feeling that it was just wrong to cuddle with Lance around her. He figured that the only way he�d feel better about it would be to talk to her.

After grabbing some sodas from the fridge and a few cookies from the cookie jar, he and Lance settled down on the couch in the living room. Josh turned on the TV, flipping around the channels, but finding nothing that he wanted to watch. �Damn Sunday afternoon TV,� he muttered, looking over to find Lance smiling at him.

�Why don�t we just talk?� Lance suggested.

�Ok, sure,� Josh agreed, loving the fact that they had been talking all day and Lance still wanted to talk. He was beginning to like Lance more and more as the day progressed.

�You know what I just realized?� Lance asked.

�What?� Josh said, turning his body on the couch so he was facing Lance.

�I have no idea what your job is, what you do for a living,� Lance told him.

�Oh yeah,� Josh replied, just then realizing that he�d left out that very important part of his life. �I guess I was just so wrapped up in talking about Christi, since you didn�t mind, that I forgot to mention it.�

�So what do you do?� Lance questioned.

�Oh. Right. Well, it�s kind of strange, but I write and produce songs for musicians, singers, whatever you want to call them. My passion is music, so it�s a perfect job for me. Also, I can write all the songs here, and that was great for me when Leah was growing up. And when I produce the songs for the singers, they come to a studio close to here and we work on it together. It�s a wonderful job and it pays pretty well. Actually, it depends on how well the song does, but ya know,� Josh explained, a smile on his face the entire time.

Lance could see Josh�s passion for music in his expression and tone of voice. He didn�t even need to hear what Josh was saying to know that he loved his job. �Wow, that sounds like a really cool job,� Lance commented.

�Yeah, it�s awesome,� Josh replied.

�Do you think I could hear some of the songs you�ve written. Or maybe just read them?� Lance asked.

�Of course. But another day, ok? I really like just sitting here and talking like this,� Josh told Lance.

�Yeah, me too. Oh wait, do you sing too?� Lance asked curiously.

�Well, yeah, but that�s not part of my job. I play the piano, I�ve been playing it since I was ten, and I like to sing the songs I write. It makes them seem more real, you know?� Josh said.

�Yeah,� Lance agreed with a smile. �So you�re going to let me hear you sing sometime too, right?�

�Well, the only people who�ve ever heard me sing were Christi, Leah, and Joey. And my mom of course,� Josh replied. �But you�re getting there.� A sweet smile. �I just want you to know that I�ve really come to care for you over the past few weeks since we met. I trust you completely, and that kind of scares me to tell you the truth. But it�s really exciting at the same time. Because I�m so comfortable around you. It�s great.�

�I feel the same way Josh, really. I feel like we just have this special connection that I�ve never felt with anyone before. And I really hope that this lasts because it�s great. And I like you a lot,� Lance told Josh with a smile on his face.

�So,� Josh started, �tell me about what it�s like to be a police man. Why�d you choose to be one?�

Lance laughed a little before saying, "well, I think that I first wanted to be a policeman when I was three. You know, it was one of my childhood dreams. Of course, I wanted to be a million other things too. I changed my mind many, many times when I was in grade school and high school. When everyone found out about me, I got beat up a lot. Nothing too bad, but the guys at my school would just bully me around. I think that's when I first re-thought being a cop. Because there was this cop at our school, and he saved me from getting hurt many times. And he was there for me when no one else was. I decided that if I could do that for just one person, it would make me happy. I wanted to save someone from the hurt and humiliation that I went through. I don't think I ever told you exactly what happened when I dropped out of high school my senior year," Lance explained, and then waited for Josh to acknowledge what he'd said.

"No, you didn't," Josh replied, waiting for Lance to tell him more.

"Well," Lance started, "my grandmother, the one I went to live with, decided that I wasn't just going to sit around all day when I could be learning. She hired a tutor for me so I could finish up my senior year. I actually ended up graduating before my class did, and then I went to college to be a policeman."

"Wow. From what you said, I thought that you meant you'd never gone past your junior year," Josh admitted.

"Yeah, I did make it sound that way, didn't I?" Lance asked.

"Yeah," Josh agreed.

"So that's how I became a policeman," Lance concluded.

"That's really great Lance. I'm proud of you," Josh told him.

"Thanks," Lance replied, blushing a little.

"You're welcome," Josh responded. "And now you've saved two people so far that I know of."

"Yeah, I'm so happy that I could be there to help Leah and Justin out," Lance admitted.

"Me too," Josh replied, leaning into Lance, "me too."

****

Leah finally decided that she wanted fettuccini alfredo about ten minutes later. Justin smiled as she explained her choice.

"You know Leah, you put way too much thought into that," he commented.

"Yeah, I know," Leah replied with a smile.

"So," Justin started, not sure what to talk about.

"Yeah, so," Leah replied.

"What do you want to do after senior year?" Justin asked.

"Well, I'm not really sure. I was thinking of going to college in Maine. I really love it up north. It's hard to believe, but I am kind of getting sick of living in Orlando, it's too hot here!" Leah said, grinning when she thought of Maine.

"Yeah, I agree with you. I was thinking of going up north too, actually," Justin told her.

"That's cool," Leah replied with a smile.

"Yeah, but I've never been to Maine before," Justin informed her.

"No way! You've got to be kidding me!" Leah exclaimed. "How could you never have been to Maine?"

"Well, I just haven't," Justin said, not knowing how else to respond.

"I guess my dad and I are going to have to take you on our next trip there," Leah replied with a smile. "That could be lots of fun."

"Yeah," Justin agreed, "that would be great. But would your dad mind?"

"Probably not. He'd probably just bring Joey or someone. Oh, maybe he could bring Lance!" Leah exclaimed suddenly.

Justin laughed at Leah's enthusiasm. "Yeah."

"I think we were actually going to go later this summer. Probably around the end of July. I'll have to ask my dad later if you can come with us, ok?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, sure, that would be great," Justin replied, smiling at Leah.

"Cool," Leah said, smiling back. "So what do you want to major in in college?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet, but I know I want to do something that has to do with music. I love to listen to music, I love to sing, I love to write songs, and I love to play the piano and guitar. Music is a huge part of my life," Justin told her.

"That's cool. You'll have to sing for me sometime," Leah commented.

"Yeah, maybe," Justin replied, blushing a little.

Their waiter brought their lunches then, and the rest of the lunch was fairly quite because they were both staving. All Leah could think about was asking her father if Justin could come to Maine with them. She always had such an awesome time with Josh when they went. She knew it would be even more fun if her father's boyfriend and the guy she had come to care a lot about came along.

Justin watched as Leah's smile grew bigger and he couldn't help but hope that she was thinking about him.