| Chapter 16 |
| "I'm out for the night," JC said to his boss, jumping down from the empty stage and untying the apron from around his waist. Randy nodded without looking up at him. The place was empty and he was sitting at a back table, head bent and dark dreads hanging into his tan face as he scanned the week's earnings. "I can't read this shit," he complained, sighing loudly. JC rolled his eyes and tapped Randy's forehead. "Might help if you take the sunglasses *off* before reading." Randy pulled his head back and grinned up at JC, his teeth white and gleaming in the dim light of the shop. "Like hell I will," he said. "This is my look. I'm the dude with the dreads and the shades." He shrugged. "The chicks dig it man, believe me." JC grinned and held his hands up. "Hey, whatever you like to tell yourself is fine with me. Now, what about my check?" Randy sighed and glared at JC over the rim of his glasses. "It's a fucking wonder I make any damn money in this place. It's all just gimme, gimme, gimme." He signed off on JC's check and handed it over to him with a grin. "Don't go spending it all in one place now." JC rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Night Randy." "Night C," said Randy, glancing back down on his papers and giving a little wave as JC left the shop. He hailed a cab and gave the driver directions to his apartment. Looking out the window, he saw a few raindrops hit the glass. 'I guess I won't be going up to the roof tonight,' he thought. He was home a little less than twenty minutes later. He paid the driver and jogged up the steps, trying not to get too wet in the process. By the time he got up to his apartment, it was pouring rain outside. Turning up the thermostat, he headed into his bedroom and quickly changed into a pair of dry sweatpants and a big T-shirt. While heating up a cup of tea in the microwave, JC dug through his duffel bag, pulling out his notebook. As he did, a piece of paper came out with it and fluttered to the ground. Picking the torn piece of thin paper, he read the writing on the front. 'Call me. Please. ~Lance' JC bit his bottom lip, smiling slightly. He jumped when the microwave beeped, and shoved the paper into his pocket as he finished making his tea. Grabbing a blanket and his notebook, he curled up next to the window with his tea. Taking a sip, he watched the rain fall for a few minutes before opening his notebook to the first blank page and starting to write. 'To call, or not to call,' he wrote, 'that is the question.' He rolled his eyes at his own cheesiness and turned to look at the phone with wary eyes. 'To take the chance at being with someone again, or to be lonely. Then again, to take the chance at being with Lance is also taking a risk of having my heart broken. Again. I don't know if I can handle that. But who's to say he's going to hurt me? He and Justin have broken up, and he's got his own place now. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.' Grinning, JC closed the notebook and set it aside. He sometimes used it almost like a journal, but the entries were never very long. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the piece of paper with Lance's number on it and stood up. Picking up the phone, he set it in the crook of his neck and dialed the numbers slowly. 'Here goes nothing.' ~*~ Joey cursed for the fifth time in two minutes and hit his pillow, hard. Sitting up on his elbows on the hard floor, his sleeping bag bunching up around his waist, he glared at Lance. "I hate this fucking pillow, I hate this fucking hard floor, I really hate his fucking sleeping bag, and right now I have the urge to smother you while you sleep." Lance rolled his eyes and grinned, sitting up in his sleeping bag and batting his eyes and Joey. "Aww, come on Joe-Joe," he cooed, "you love me and you know it." "Fuck you." "Give Lancey a big kiss!" "Touch me and your lips will be on the other side of your head." "Kissy kissy!" Joey groaned as Lance pounced on top of him, hugging him tightly and not letting go. Joey cursed and looked down, right into Lance's big green eyes. "Ah shit, not the face," he said, looking away. He snuck a glance at Lance and bit back a grin. "Stop it." "Say you love me," grinned Lance. "Oh fuck no." "Come on," Lance pouted, sniffling slightly. "Pleeeeease?" "How about no?" "Jooooooooooey!" Joey sighed. "Are you gonna let me sleep if I don't?" "Nope." "Iwooffu," he mumbled. Lance grinned. "How's that again? I didn't quite hear you." Joey gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. "I.love.you." he forced out. Lance shook his head and let go of Joey. "Sorry man, you aren't my type." Joey's eyes flew open and he glared at Lance's grinning face. "Oh, you are so fucking dead." Ten minutes later, after a serious pillow fight, the two men slipped back into their sleeping bags. Sighing, Lance turned to look at Joey in the dark. "Seriously though, Joe," he said. "Thanks for staying with me tonight. I didn't know the landlord would take my offer so quickly." "No problem buddy," yawned Joey. "Night." "Night Joe." Lance flipped over and snuggled down into the warmth of his sleeping bag. As soon as his eyes shut, the phone rang. He heard a grunt from behind him. "If you don't get that, you will die." Lance rolled his eyes and unzipped his bag, feeling along the floor for his cell phone. Finding it, he pushed the talk button and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he whispered. "Lance? Um, is that you?" Lance felt himself start to blush, even as a grin broke out on his face. "Hi JC." JC smiled and twisted the phone cord around his finger tightly. "Hey Lance." He paused. "So ... how are you?" 'Loser, loser, LOSER.' Lance opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it when he heard Joey snore loudly from behind him. He whispered "Just a second" to JC and stood up, tiptoeing into the next room and shutting the door. "There," he sighed. "I'm good JC. How are you doing?" "Better now," admitted JC, blushing at his own comment. "I just ... thought I'd call and, ummm..." "Yes?" grinned Lance. He put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. He didn't want JC to get the wrong idea. 'How cute is he? He's actually nervous talking to me. ME. Oh Joey would die laughing if he found out. Ass.' "Would you like to have lunch with me?" blurted JC. 'Ah, fuck it. It's now or never.' "Yes." JC nearly dropped the phone. "Um, excuse me?" "Yes, I'll go to lunch with you," said Lance. "What time and when?" JC was a little thrown off by Lance's immediate answer, and stumbled for a few minutes before finding his tongue. "Are you busy tomorrow? Say, around noon?" "Nope, sounds good," smiled Lance. "Can you pick me up?" "Sure, no problem." "Okay," he said. "Call me before you leave and I'll give you directions to my new place. I warn you though, it's pretty bad right now. I call it a diamond in the rough, and Joey just calls it shit. Ass." JC laughed. "Okay." Lance chuckled. "I better go now. Joey's over and if I wake him up he'll make me into a new coat. Talk to you soon JC. Have a nice night." "You too Lance," whispered JC. "Goodnight." "Night." Lance and JC both hung up their phones, and on opposite ends of the city, both men smiled. |