| Wish Upon A Star |
| You were sitting cross-legged on your hotel room bed, your reading glasses perched on the end of your nose, looking over a new contract for Meredith when you heard the door open. You didn't panic, didn't even give it a second thought, because the only people who could get anywhere near your room where the people you would honestly trust your life with. When the bed sank beside you, causing your body to tilt a few degrees to the left, you were slightly annoyed because your papers were starting to slide as well. Seeing your pencil start to roll off the bed, you moved to grab it, your hand coming in contact with another. You grabbed the pencil first, and smiled when the hand still closed over yours, his slender fingers lacing with your long ones. You lift your head and look up at him; maybe to smile at him, or maybe to grin and tell him to get lost, you have work to do; whatever it was you were going to say flies right out of your head as soon as your eyes meet his. You don't think you'll ever get over the slight shock of how blue his eyes are; not quite as bright as JC's, but they still sparkle with a color all their own. "I need to talk to you," he says simply, shooting you a soft smile, and really, how can you say no to a face like that? You look at your work lying on your bed, which seemed to have doubled in size since you last glanced down, and sigh quietly. You feel his fingers graze the bottom of your chin gently as he turns your head to face him. "It's important." You try to will your mind to quit playing games and get back to work. You try thinking of papers instead of the way he's smiling at you. You try thinking of phone calls and meetings instead of the way his thumb is caressing your bottom lip. You try so hard to think of anything but him, but you're not even fooling yourself. "Okay," you agree with a sheepish grin. "What's up?" He grins and gets off the bed, and the places on your face where he was touching you now seem cold and clammy. "Not here," he says, extending a hand out to you, and you raise an eyebrow at him, not moving to grab his hand. He grins and chuckles. "Come on Lance," he says, his lower lip sticking out, "don't you trust me?" Meeting his eyes, you wink at him and grin, but you know he can tell your eyes are sincere. "Always," you say, and you both know you mean it. ~*~ You still aren't sure how he managed to sneak the both of you past security without getting caught. You were positive Lonnie was going to catch you as you were sneaking down the stairwell, and you were so sure Dre had seen you when you ducked behind the maid's cart downstairs. Still, here you both were, walking out of the hotel doors in baseball caps and sunglasses like free men. You had to admit, it was a very liberating feeling. You followed Justin into the hotel's parking garage, occasionally glancing over your shoulder to make sure you weren't being followed. You weren't wearing a watch, but looking at the sky you guessed it was some time around mid-afternoon. You heard Justin's footsteps stop, and looked down to find him watching you, his eyes showing a mixture of mischief and uncertainty. You weren't sure you liked it too much. "You trust me, right?" he asked, almost sounding like he was trying to convince you instead of himself. "Of course I do," you say with a smile, "why would I not..." Your words trail off as Justin steps aside. The large, black and silver Harley is sitting gently on its stand, almost as if waiting for somebody. You squint when the shiny chrome catches a light ray and it glares in your face. This is Justin's baby, one of his very first loves, and you're embarrassed to say you've been jealous of the bike from time to time. Staring at the thick tires, you suddenly remember why you've never been a big fan of motorcycles. "Oh no," you say, backing up. Your mind is racing with thoughts of high-speed chases and being mauled by semis, and you cross your arms in front of you, stomping your foot down. This time, you mean business. "Ain't no way in hell I'm getting on that thing." ~*~ "I can't believe I'm on this thing," you say, burying your face in the crook of Justin's neck as he laughs. Your helmets smack together, and you automatically tighten your arms around his waist. "Are your feet up?" he asks. You nod. "Is your helmet on tight?" Another nod. "Have you got a good hold on me?" You give his midsection an extra squeeze as if to emphasize your point. "Good. Are you ready to have the most kick ass ride of your life?" You violently shake your head no, but just as you do he kicks the pedal down and revs up the bike. You whimper and hold him tightly, glad your scream is muffled by the noise the bike is making. It takes you a minute to get used to the wind blowing at you from all sides, and you're glad Justin was thoughtful enough to let you wear his leather jacket before you left. Your body is tense and perfectly still, and you eyes are squeezed shut about as tight as they can be. You're pretty sure the only things keeping you from having a heart attack are your reminders to 'breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out,' and the feel of Justin's back pressed intimately against your chest. "Lance!" he yells, and it takes a minute for the sound to reach your ears. "Lance! Open your eyes!" You shake your head against his back since he can't see you. You feel a small rumble and realize that he must be laughing. "You need to trust me," he yells. "Do you trust me Lance?" At this moment you almost wish you didn't, but you still nod against his back. "Then open your eyes!" Taking a deep breath, and silently deciding that if you live you're going to kill Chris for buying him this bike for his birthday, you pry your eyes open the tiniest bit. When you can't see a thing, you bite the bullet (or so to speak) and open them all the way. A soft and surprised "wow" falls from your lips before you can stop it. You hadn't realized it had gotten so late, but you still enjoy the sight of the golden sun melting into the horizon. The sky is beginning to form a pool of pinks and blues and oranges, all blending together around the edge of the land. You're riding alone on a stretch of highway, just you, Justin, and the open road, and you realize you wouldn't want it to happen any other way. ~*~ You only stop once, and only long enough for Justin to run inside the bar and make a quick phone call to let the guys know you were still alive and would be back tomorrow afternoon. Then you both hop, or for you, climb carefully back onto the bike and ride off. By the time you feel the motorcycle start to slow down again, you're half asleep and drooling on Justin's jacket. You start to get off the bike when Justin grabs your wrist. "Close your eyes," he says, and even though it's dark and you're tired, you do as you're told. After he parks the bike safely, although you aren't sure where, you feel him grab your hand and tug gently. "Come on. This way." You stick close to him, afraid of tripping over your own feet, one hand resting on his hip for balance and the other still holding his hand. He stops and switches positions; now he's in back and you're up front. He puts a hand over your eyes and pushes you forward slightly, and you grin. "What's the matter J," you tease, "don't you trust me?" He laughs and when he speaks his breath washes across your ear. "Not really, no. Be careful, we on steps now." You laugh and carefully take the stairs one at a time. Running your tongue along the bottom of his pinky finger, you blow on it and grin. You can feel him shudder against you. "God Lance, not yet," he says. "I'm trying hard enough not to fall on my ass all ready. Be good." You grin and shrug, deciding to play along and be nice ... for now. In the near distance, you can hear what you're pretty sure is the ocean. You wish you had paid closer attention to your surroundings when you first arrived, but there's no turning back now so you continue to follow Justin's directions. You feel your feet start to walk on harder ground, and soon you can smell the ocean water and a cool breeze. Soon, you're walking on something soft, and after almost tripping you realize you're both on sand. You figure it has to be the beach. What else could it be? "Almost there," Justin says, and you grin in anticipation. He sees you smiling and laughs. "Excited?" "You have no idea," you whisper, but you're pretty sure he heard you anyway. After a few more feet of walking, he stops you. "Sit down," he says, pulling you down with him. "There's a blanket here." You wonder how the hell he managed to get a blanket down while holding onto you and leading you forward. It occurs to you suddenly that he must have planned the entire night, and it makes you smile to know he went through so much trouble; just for you. "Open your eyes," he whispers into your ear, and you do. Sighing happily at the beautiful night sky, you lean back into his arms. In front of you, the ocean waves are tumbling gently, and the sound soothes you almost as much as Justin does. "This is beautiful Justin," you whisper, not wanting to ruin the moment with words. "Thank you." He kisses your ear and whispers, "You haven't seen anything yet." You turn in his arms to ask what that means, but he's staring at the sky. Suddenly, his whole face lights up, and you can see it despite the darkness. "Look up Lance," he says, and you turn around, gasping quietly. Hundreds of stars are falling in the sky, and somewhere in the back of your mind you remember something on the news about a meteorite shower happening tonight. You hadn't really given it a second thought, but now you're so glad Justin did. Looking up at him, you see that his eyes are shut and his lips are moving slightly. Smiling, you turn around to watch the spectacular sky show. You feel lips on your ear, right before Justin whispers, "I love you." You're both surprised by Justin's words and mesmerized with the meteorites, so it takes you a minute to respond. Craning your head to look up at him, you whisper, "I love you too" seconds before his lips meet yours. You open your lips to his probing tongue, and as you kiss gently yet passionately under the stars, you don't think life can get any better than this. ~*~ Pressing your back against Justin's chest, you sigh happily as the show comes to an end. It was the perfect night in your opinion, and you let Justin know how you feel by kissing him deeply. "We should go to bed soon," he yawns through a smile. "It's getting late." He rented a small beach house for the night so you wouldn't have to ride back at so late, and you can't get over how much work he put into this night. Smiling, you nod. "I know," you say. "Just five more minutes?" He smiles and gives in, laying down on the blanket and pulling you down with him. Curling up to him, you trace his muscles through his shirt and listen to the sound of the ocean waves mixed with the sounds of your breathing. "Look Lance," he whispers, pointing up into the sky. You look up and see a lone star falling down. Whether it's a shooting star or a leftover meteorite, you aren't sure. "Make a wish," he whispers into your ear. You just smile and turn your back to the sky, stretching your body out on top of his and kissing him slowly. "I don't need to," you say. "I've got all I need right here." THE END |