Written by: Me
Chapter
6:
**3 hours later**
Lance and Kelly made their way down to the
stables. Kelly leaned against the fence and Lance stood next to her. "This
place-- it just has so many memories for me."
Lance turned his head to look at her. "I
know. We had some great times, didn't we?"
Kelly turned and looked at him. "We sure did.
I just wonder if those good times are a thing of the past." She
whispered.
Lance turned his body toward her and moved a
little closer. He took her hand in his and interlaced his fingers with her.
Lance's eyes locked with hers. "That's what this weekend is all about. To figure
it all out."
Kelly nodded in agreement, but didn't break
the eye contact they had with one another. "Yeah, I know. Does me being here
feel weird to you?"
"No. In fact, it feels like you never left.
Does it feel weird to you?" Lance asked her.
"I've always felt at home with your family. I
just wish I knew how differentiate between what I felt back then and what I feel
now," Kelly told him. Kelly's face inched closer to his as he moved closer.
Their eyes slowly shut as their lips touched.
Kelly and Lance pulled out of their kiss when
they heard some familiar voices. Lance turned and saw that the guys from *NSYNC
were heading their way. "JC must have brought his new girlfriend, Leah. You'll
like her. She's a sweetie."
JC, Leah, Joey, Chris, and Justin approached
Kelly and Lance at the stables. "We caught you--" Joey laughed.
Lance just rolled his eyes. He hoped he
didn't have to deal with their teasing since Kelly didn't know them that well
yet. "Guys, you remember Kelly."
All the guys, and Leah said 'hi' to Kelly.
"Your parents are sure cooking up a feast." Joey said. "I can't
wait!"
Lance just laughed at his friend. "She knew
you were coming--"
"So Kelly - tell me, has our boy always been
smooth with the ladies?" Justin joked.
Kelly looked over at Lance and just smiled.
"I don't know. But he's always been smooth with me."
Lance took a deep breath and put an arm
around Kelly. "Ok, enough about that." He laughed. "Leah, I'm glad you could
make it. We need someone to keep JC in line."
"Come on, now," JC commented.
Kelly looked over at Lance. "So are we going
to go riding today?" She asked him.
Lance looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
He didn't think she'd want to go riding. He remembered the times he tried to
teach her how to ride. "You want to go riding? Never thought I'd hear
that."
"I've been practicing," Kelly beamed.
"Really, I have." She told him, full aware of his uncertainty.
"Ok. We don't have enough horses for
everyone, so we'll go tomorrow. But you're not leaving until we go--" Lance told
her.
"You'll never get rid of me now," Kelly
laughed and Lance brought her close and kissed her on the cheek.
"I guess it's time to eat," Lance told the
group when he heard his Mom call for them.
~*~Later that Evening: Lance and the
guys~*~
Lance and the guys sat on one side of the
back porch, and Kelly and Leah sat on the other. Lance watched Kelly talk to
JC's girlfriend.
Justin looked over at Kelly. "She's pretty
cool, Lance. What's the deal with you two?"
Lance looked over at Justin. "I don't know.
We're still figuring it out."
JC couldn't help but laugh. "That's what that
kiss was about, right?" He knew there was chemistry between Lance and Kelly. But
he also knew that Lance would go into this with full knowledge of what he
wanted.
"Sure was," Lance smiled.
~*~Across the room: Kelly and
Leah~*~
"Lance is your high school sweetheart, huh?"
Leah asked Kelly.
Kelly glanced over at Lance and nodded. "Yep.
But things didn't work out and we ran into each other a few weeks ago at this
club."
"And the sparks flew!" Leah smiled. She could
feel the heat between the two of them from across the room.
"That's we're trying to figure out. What
about you and JC? How long have you been together?" Kelly asked her.
"About 4 months. I met him through a friend
of his. He is so sweet," Leah told her as she caught a glimpse of JC looking at
her.
"Can I ask you something?" Kelly asked and
Leah nodded. "How hard is being with him but not really being with him? I mean,
he's on the road so much. How do you guys do it and stay together?"
Leah shook her head. "It's hard. I'll
definately say that it's hard. But he makes a big effort to call me as much as
he can. Even if it's just to say hi, or for us to catch up on what's going on in
each others lives. I'll fly out to see him sometimes. But it's hard because I'm
in college."
"That's what I was afraid of," Kelly said as
her smiled quickly faded.
Leah noticed the joy in Kelly's voice go to
saddness in a matter of seconds. "What do you mean?"
"It's just that if Lance and I want to work
things out-- well, can we? I mean, how do we reconnect when he's gone more than
he's home?" Kelly pondered outloud.
Leah looked over at Lance. "You just do. When
I look at the two of you, I see two people who care deeply for one another. And
if I'm right you both see it, too. To stay together and happy in this business,
you have to be committed, and you have to have trust. Bottom line." Leah noticed
JC give her the 'time to go' look. "I guess we have to go." She looked back at
Kelly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you two will figure things out." She smiled at
her. Leah reached over and gave her a hug to let her know that she understood
her concerns.
Everyone said their good-bye's, and Lance and
Kelly sat next to each other on the porch swing. "Your friends are really
nice."
"Yeah, they are. They thought you were really
sweet, and of course I agree with them." Lance smiled at her.
Kelly just smiled back. "JC's girlfriend was
a sweetheart."
Lance nodded. "Yeah, she is. You two looked
deep into conversation."
Kelly turned her body and sat indian-style on
the swing. "We talked about being involved with people in this crazy business.
She told me that to stay together you have to have committment and
trust."
"She's right. Trust is so important," Lance
said to her. "And it has to go both ways."
"I know we haven't figured out if we should
be together or not, but I was thinking about what it would be like if we did get
back together. Dealing with you gone so much, and with all those screaming
girls," Kelly said openly.
"I know. It would be rough. They press would
eat us alive," Lance replied.
"They would probably tear us apart," she
whispered. Kelly rested her head on Lance's shoulder. "That's what scares me. I
don't want them to tear us apart. I don't want to feel the kind of pain I felt
the first time I lost you."
Chapter 7:
**The Following
Morning**
Kelly finished getting ready and
then walked into the kitchen. She spotted Lance's Mom making breakfast. "Hi. I
didn't know if anyone would be up."
Lance's Mom, Diane, smiled at her. "I thought
I'd make a good breakfast. I never thought I'd catch you up this early, though.
If I remember correctly, you and Lance used to sleep in late."
Kelly nodded with a smile as she walked
further into the kitchen. "I guess I had a lot of things on my mind. Can I
help?"
"If you want to butter the toast you can,"
she told her. Diane glanced over at Kelly and couldn't help but notice something
seemed off. "Is everything all right, sweetie?"
Kelly set the butter on the counter and
turned towards Diane. "Yeah, pretty much. I just have been thinking about Lance
and I."
"Well, if my opinion counts-- you two still
look great together. You've always made him happy," Diane told her.
"And he's done the same for me," Kelly said
as she finished buttering the last piece of toast. "Do you still have that photo
album of Lance and I?" Kelly asked her.
"Oh, yeah. Do you want to see it?" Diane
asked her. Kelly nodded with a smile. Diane walked into the living room and
flipped through a few photo albums that were on a shelf. "Here it
is--"
Kelly sat down on the sofa and Diane placed
the photo album in her hand. "There are some great pictures of you two in
there." Diane told her.
"Thanks," Kelly smiled up at her. Diane
nodded and then walked back into the kitchen. Kelly couldn't help but smile as
she flipped through the pages. She remembered how his Mom always got 'camera
happy' when it came to the two of them. "Oh, my God!" Kelly laughed.
Diane walked over to her and stood behind
her. "What?" She asked with a smile.
"Look at us!" Kelly exclaimed. "I remember
this. It was the first dance we ever went to. Lance and I, and the rest of our
friends, hired a limo for it," she laughed. "We thought we were so
cool."
Lance heard all the laughter as the walked
into the living room. "What's going on?" He muttered, half asleep.
Diane turned and looked at her son. "Kelly
and I were looking at your guys' photo album that I have."
Lance went over and sat next to Kelly. She
leaned against him a little and smiled. "Look at this one."
Lance couldn't help but laugh. They both
looked kind of funny. "Oh, that was when we tried to teach you how to waterski.
And you wouldn't quit until you got it!" He chuckled.
"And this one--" she pointed.
"Our first date. We were so original. The
movies. Do you remember what we saw?" Lance asked her.
Kelly looked up at him and smiled. "Of
course. I remember everything we ever did together." Lance just
smiled.
~*~Orlando, FL~*~
**That
Afternoon**
JC, Leah, Justin, and Joey all
arrived back in Florida. Chris had taken an earlier flight the previous night.
JC and Leah went in one car, and Joey and Justin went in another.
Justin laid back in the car as Joey turned on
some tunes. "Turn that down, man. I have a headache." Justin
complained.
"Was last night too much for you?" Joey joked
as he sang to the music.
Justin sat up and looked at Joey. "No. I'm
just tired, and I have to take Katie out tonight. I promised her."
Joey turned the music down a little. "Why
didn't you take her with us yesterday. I mean, JC took Leah," Joey told
him.
Justin just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't
know. Why didn't you take your mystery woman along?"
"I don't have a woman!" Joey replied. "I'm a
free man."
"Right. So that girls picture in your pocket
is what, a cousin?" Justin laughed. He knew he got Joey good.
"How did you know about that?" Joey asked him
in shock. He didn't think anyone knew about this girl that he just
met.
~*~Orlando, FL: Leah's
Apartment~*~
Leah and JC plopped down on her living
room couch. "What a day--" Leah sighed as she looked at JC.
JC turned his head and looked at his
girlfriend. "I know. Did you have fun?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Lance has great parents
and I hope things work out for him and Kelly. She seems really
sweet."
"Yeah, I hope so, too. They look great
together. But of course, not as great as us--" JC smiled as he leaned in and
kissed her.
After a long kiss, Leah pulled back
slightly. "Of course," she muttered as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and
met him for another kiss.
~*~Mississippi~*~
A few of Lance and Kelly's friends from
high school stopped by. All of them made their way to Lance's backyard. They all
decided to do something they haven't done in a long time - play touch football.
The four girls on one team and 4 guys on the other.
The girls huddled together as they prepared
their mission, which of course, was to cream the guys. "Ok, I'll pass it to
Emily," Lisa told the group. "And then Emily will pass it to Kelly, who will go
in for the touchdown. They won't know what hit them!" She said and all the girls
laughed.
"Are you girls ready?" Tim called from across
the way.
The girls all spread out. "We're ready." The
guys lined up with the girls. Kelly stared Lance down, but she couldn't help but
smile. "One, two, three - hut," Mandy called out.
The ball came spiraling towards Emily and she
caught it. She glanced around to see where Kelly was at. As she spotted Kelly,
she felt one of the guys get closer to her. Emily threw the ball over to Kelly.
Kelly caught it, but Lance was on her tail. Lance grabbed ahold of her side, and
picked her up off the ground. "Lance! Ah!" She screamed through her
laughter.
"I got you!" He laughed as they tumbled to
the ground. "I got you--" he whispered as he caught his breath.
Chapter
8:
**Sunday
Afternoon**
The time that Lance and Kelly had spent
together these last few days had been precious to the both of them. They
felt slightly reconnected, but now it was time to seperate again. Kelly
had to go back to college and Lance had to go back on tour with the group.
Lance came out of his house and found Kelly
on the back porch steps. He walked over to her and sat down next to
her. "What are you thinking about?"
"Just about what a good time I had with you
and your family these past few days. It was so great to see everyone,"
Kelly said to him as she stared out at the flower garden in the
back.
Lance just nodded. He wasn't sure
what to say. "Me, too. And my parents-- they loved having you
here. It was like old times."
Kelly turned her head and looked at
him. "Was that what it was? Old times?"
"Kel, you know what I mean. It was
like we were never apart. But in reality, we were. If I was to ask
you right now what you wanted, could you tell me?" Lance asked her, hoping
she could shed light on what she was feeling.
"I just don't know." Kelly said as
she shook her head. "I mean, us together again? I haven't thought
about that in so long. I just don't want to get hurt again, you
know?"
Lance could understand that. After
all, she had let him go the first time. "Me, either."
Kelly turned her body towards him.
"Look, maybe we should just see how things go. You go on your two
month tour, and then we'll see where we're at with each other after that."
Deep down that wasn't what she wanted, but she knew she couldn't rush into
anything right away.
"Ok. Can I still call you?"
Lance asked her.
"You better!" Kelly hit him
playfully. "I want us to still talk and maybe I can come out and see a few
of your shows. I mean, if you want me to."
Lance smiled as he touched her baby-like
skin. "I would love that." Lance reached over and brought her close
to him as the two of them shared a long embrace.
~*~Orlando, FL~*~
Joey got into the limo and closed the
screen between him and the limo driver. He picked up the phone and dialed
a phone number. "Hi. No, nobody's here. I'm on way over to pick up
Justin. Yeah, I wish we could have spent more time together,
too."
"You didn't tell anybody about us, did
you?" A woman's voice asked him.
"No. I promised you I wouldn't.
But I have to tell you, it's really getting hard keeping this from the
guys. They would keep this a secret if I told them, too," Joey told the
woman.
"Well, I guess you know who to trust.
I just don't want to be in the public eye. It's not me, all right?"
She told him.
"Yeah, I know. Look, I'll talk
to you soon. We'll figure something out next time we're in Orlando, all
right? Ok. Yeah, I'll miss you, too." Joey told her and then
hung up the phone.
~*~Justin's House~*~
Joey's limo pulled up to Justin's
house. He opened up the door and got out. "Oops," he laughed
as he noticed Justin and Katie saying good-bye. "Whenever you're
ready--" Joey replied and then got back in the limo.
Justin and Katie burst into laughter.
Katie looked back at Justin and tried to hold in her tears. "I can't
believe you're leaving already. It feels like you just came
home."
"I know," Justin nodded. He felt as
time went on it was harder and harder to leave her. "I'll be back in a few
months for a month or so. But we'll be back in Orlando in a few
weeks."
"I know. Promise to keep in touch,"
Katie told him.
Justin wrapped his arms around his slender
girlfriend and hugged her close. "Always." They pulled apart and he
kissed her deeply. "I have to go. I promise I'll call you
soon." Justin told her and gave her one last kiss. And in a matter
of seconds he disappeared into the limo. Katie stood there as the tears
rolled down her face. As she was about to get into her car she heard
Justin call out to her.
"I LOVE YOU!" Justin yelled from the
limo as it went further down the road.
"I LOVE YOU!" Katie screamed back as
she laughed through her tears. A big smile appeared on her face and she
hopped into her car.
~*~Mississippi~*~
Lance gathered Kelly's things and placed
them in his jeep. He walked back over to Kelly and his Mom. "You
ready?"
"Yeah--" Kelly nodded.
Lance's Mom, Diane, just smiled as a few
tears fell down her cheeks. "I can't believe you have to go," she
told Kelly. "We loved having you here." Diane held out her hands and
Kelly walked into her arms. "You've grown up to be such a beautiful
girl."
Lance couldn't help but stand back at watch
with a smile. He knew his Mom had always loved Kelly like a
daughter. "I agree with that." Lance commented. Kelly turned
her head and smiled at Lance.
"I hope this isn't the last we've seen of
you," Diane hinted toward Kelly and Lance. "And Kelly, I put
something in your bag to remember this weekend."
Kelly just nodded. "Ok. And
thank you so much for this weekend." She told Lance she would wait in the
jeep.
Lance's Mom walked over to her son and
wrapped her arms around her. "You be careful, all right?"
Lance nodded as he pulled back. "I
will. I promise," Lance looked back at Kelly and smiled.
"Thanks for being so nice to Kelly this weekend."
Diane smiled at her son. "We love
her, you know that."
"I love you," Lance told his Mom as he gave
her another hug.
"I love you, too, honey," She told
her son.
Lance smiled at her and then walked back to
his jeep. He got inside of it and they slowly drove away. Kelly
reached in her bag and checked to see what his Mom had put in there. She
smiled when she saw the picture she had taken of them in a frame.
"What is it?" Lance asked as he
glanced over at her.
Kelly closed up her bag.
"Nothing. Just a sweet memory." She looked over at him and
smiled. She placed her hand on Lance's free hand. "It's the
best present she could have give me." Lance came to a stop sign, and he
leaned over and gave her another kiss.
Chapter
9:
**1 week
later**
~*~Los Angeles, CA~*~
Justin and the guys decided to do something
special for Lance on his birthday. They decided to see if Kelly could
come to the 'Afterpary' after the concert that night. Justin
woke up around 7 that morning. He knew if he was going to catch Kelly,
then he had to do it early. Justin reached for the phone and dialed
Kelly's phone number. After three rings, Justin heard someone pick
up. He could tell he woke her up. "Uh - is Kelly
there?"
"Yeah, just a minute," Sarah, Kelly's
roommate, mumbled on the other line.
Justin heard her tell Kelly she had a phone
call. Then he heard the same girl come back on the phone. "Can you
call back later? She's sleeping."
"I could, but could you tell her it's
important. Tell her Justin Timberlake is on the phone." He told her
roommate.
"Justin?" Sarah asked him. "Ok,
hold on."
After a few moments, Justin heard Kelly's
voice. "Justin? Is everything all right?" She asked with
concern.
"Oh, yeah. you probably know it's
Lance's birthday today. Well, we have a concert here. And we were
sort of hoping that you would like to come to the Afterparty. Sort of like
a surprise for Lance. What do you say?" Justin asked
her.
"I would love to see him. I can't
come till around 10:30 or 11, though. I have a lot of stuff going on
here. Is that all right?" Kelly asked as she sat up in
bed.
"Yeah. I'll leave your name at the
door. We'll see you then," He told her and the two of them hung up the
phone.
Kelly hung up the phone and looked at
Sarah. "We have GOT to go shopping."
"What? What's going on?" Sarah
asked with curiosity. She knew it had to be good if Kelly was asking to go
shopping.
"That was Justin. He wants me to come
and surprise Lance tonight at their Afterparty. I mean, after Lance and my
last talk, this could be our fresh start. This could be it," Kelly
said with excitement. Kelly shot up out of bed and ran over to her
closet. She rummaged through all her dresses. "Oh, my God. I
have nothing to wear!"
Sarah laughed at her best friend. She
reached over and shut the closet door. "Kel, relax. We'll go
shopping! But first, you need to get your but to class. You know Mr.
Anderson will have your head if you don't show."
Kelly turned around and rolled her
eyes. "Like I'll be able to concentrate on English--" She
laughed.
~*~Backstage at
Stadium~*~
**7:00
PM**
Lance sat in a chair and looked at one of
the pictures his Mom had given him before he left. It was, of course, of
him and Kelly. He was pretty sure his Mom gave the same one to
Kelly. Lance thought back to the last conversation him and Kelly
had.
FLASHBACK:
"Lance, I got the
roses. Thank you so much. You remembered what my favorite roses
were," Kelly beamed with joy.
"I'm glad you liked
them. I wanted you to know that I was thinking about you. That
being away is just as hard on me," Lance told her.
"You're so sweet.
Things are so good right now. I can't imagine them ever going bad.
Not when I feel this good," Kelly told him.
"It could get better."
Lance replied to her.
"Better? God, that is
hard to imagine, too. It's like I don't want to move past right now.
I want to stay this happy. Where we haven't let each other down.
Where it's perfect," Kelly told him.
"Eventhough we're not really
together?" Lance asked.
"Eventhough--" Kelly
muttered.
REALITY:
Lance snapped out of his thoughts when Joey
poked his head in his dressing room. "Scoop, time for the show." He
noticed Lance wasn't completely there. He walked into the room.
"Lance, you all right?"
Lance looked over at him.
"Huh?"
"Let's go have a good show. It's your
birthday, man. Then you can party like you've never partied before,"
Joey told him.
"I think I'll just go back to the
hotel," Lance replied as he got up from the chair.
Joey knew that was definately not going to
happen, not when Kelly was coming out to surprise him. "Oh, no you
don't. You are going to stay with us tonight. Come on, you'll have
fun."
Lance shook his head. "You're
right," he smiled. "Let's go have a good show!" Lance set the
picture down on the chair and the two of them ran out of the dressing
room, and toward the stage.
~*~Kelly's Dorm
Room~*~
Kelly and Sarah walked back into their room
and shut the door. Kelly placed her bags from Bloomingdale's and Macy's
down on the nearest chair. She reached into one of the bags and took out a
red, satin spaghetti strapped dress. The dress stopped about an inch or so
before her knee. Kelly held the dress in front of her as she looked
in her full-length mirror. "Do you think this is a good color for
me?"
"Kel, Lance is going to faint when he sees
you in that dress," Sarah smiled.
Kelly smiled and turned around to face her
friend. She placed her dress down on the chair. "Thanks, Sar.
Thanks for coming with me. I just want to look perfect
tonight."
Sarah walked over to her best friend.
"You will. You are going to be knock-dead gorgeous tonight. Lance is
going to know that you are the one for him."
"You think?" Kelly asked her, unsure
of things herself.
"Absolutely--" Sarah smiled as she hugged
her friend.
~*~NSYNC
Afterparty~*~
**10
pm**
Joey, JC, and Justin were all without
their women that night. Joey still hadn't told his friends about the woman
in his life, but he still had some thinking to do on that subject.
Joey came back over to the table where JC, Justin, and Lance sat. Joey
placed a drink in front of Lance. "Drink up!"
Lance looked at the drink in front of
him. "What is it?"
"You know what it is--" Joey laughed.
"Your favorite drink when you try and outdrink me."
"This I got to see," Justin smiled as
he turned to Lance. He watched Lance pick up the glass. "Come
on."
Lance shrugged his shoulders as he picked
up the drink. Lance brought the glass up to his mouth and slammed
it. "Ha!" He replied as he placed the glass back down. "Get
another and make it a double!"
All the guys just laughed. "You got
it!" Joey said as he walked back to the bar.
JC and Justin just looked at each
other. "This is the only begining of surprieses for you,
tonight."
Lance didn't know what they were talking
about and at the moment he didnt care. "I'll see you guys later."
Lance spotted Joey and got his drink. He walked around the room and
mingled with fans, and people that had came to the afterparty.
Justin lost his attention on Lance
when a blonde walked up to him. "Hi. Would you like to
dance?"
Justin looked up at her and smiled when he
reached her face. He definately whas into what he saw. "Sure, why
not." He shrugged.
Justin excused himself and JC decided that
it was time to get to know a few more people. He was definately not going
to sit around at an Afterpary. "What's up, ladies?" He asked as he
joined a group.
~*~Kelly's Dorm
Room~*~
Kelly walked back into her room and shut
the door. "Well? What do you think?" She asked as she stood in
front of Sarah all dressed up.
"Oh, Kel. That dress looks so great
on you! You better go and see your man," Sarah told her. "And
I want details when you get back!"
"I'll wake you up as soon as I get
back," Kelly promised her.
"Oh, wait," Sarah called out. She
grabbed the present that they had bought for Lance that day. "Don't forget
this."
"Thanks," Kelly told her. She
gave her a look of happiness and then she walked out the door.
~*~Afterparty~*~
**11
PM**
Lance noticed that a group of girls were
watching him and talking to each other. He just smiled at them as he
picked up his 4th double drink. He set down his drink as he watched a girl
in tight pants and a short shirt walk over to him. "Hi. I just
wanted you to know that I think you're very cute."
"Thanks. You're pretty cute
yourself," Lance said with a smile. He found himself checking her
out.
"Would you be interested in buying me a
drink? Or dancing, maybe?" The girl asked as she moved closer to
Lance.
"Maybe later. I need to make a phone
call. Will you be here when I get back?" He asked her with a
smile.
"Sure, sweetie," the girl told
him.
She saw him walk over to other guy from the
band and point to a room in the back. She watched him walk toward the back
and she decided to follow him. She wanted to give him the chance to have a
good time. She gave her friends the 'thumbs up' as she walked in the
back.
She saw Lance pick up the phone when she
walked in the room. As soon as she shut the door, she noticed him turn
around. "I really need to make a call first--" Lance told her as he
started to dial.
The girl walked over to him and took
the phone away from him. She placed it back down on the
receiver. "You can make that call later. But right now, you dial my
number up." She whispered to him as she stood closer to him.
Lance knew he was drunk and everything but
the girl that stood before him smelled so good. This was definatley
something he wouldn't ordinarly do. "Oh, yeah?" Lance asked
her. He looked her over as her body got near his.
"Yeah--" She whispered. She touched
his chest and looked up into his eyes. Her eyes began to close as her lips
neared his. Lance's hands made their way to her hips.
~*~Outside the
Room~*~
Kelly slowly walked inside where the
Afterparty was being held. She held Lance's present in her hands.
After a few moments of searching for one of the guys, she spotted Justin from
across the room. She walked over to him and he smiled at her.
"Hey. It's crazy in here." She laughed.
"You're telling me," Justin told
her.
"Where's Lance? Is he around?"
She asked him.
"Yeah. He's in that back room over
there--" Justin pointed to where Lance would be at. Justin just
looked at her and smiled.
"What? Do I look bad?" Kelly
asked him as she looked down at her dress.
"No. No, you look beautiful.
Lance will be so glad to see you. Go ahead and go back there,"
Justin told her.
"Thanks," she told him. She touched
his arm and made her way in the back room. She hoped Lance was as
excited for her to be there as she was.
~*~Back Room~*~
Lance pulled back from their kiss. "I
can't do this. I'm-- well, I'm---" Lance wasn't exactly sure what to
say.
"You have a girlfriend?" The girl
asked him.
How would he answer that? Sure, there
was someone. "Well, not exactly."
"Then what's the problem," She
whispered as her lips touched his. Lance was so drawn to her that he
didn't fight it. Their lips met and Lance's hands moved up her
body.
A door opened and then it closed very
loudly. The noise made Lance and the girl jump apart. Lance's mouth
just about dropped when he saw who it was. "Kel--" He muttered as he
saw her.
"I can't--Oh, my God." She said as
she shook her head in disbelief.
The girl looked at Lance and then at
Kelly. "I think I better leave." She ran past Kelly and out the
door.
Lance walked over to Kelly. He was
taken aback by her beauty. She looked like an angel. His
angel. Lance leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she pulled
away. "Don't."
Lance saw the look in her eyes and he knew
he messed up. He ran his hands through his hair. "It's not what you
think."
Tears ran down Kelly's face. "Not
what I think?" She shook her head. She never knew this would happen
again. "To think I thought you would be happy to see me. To want to
spend your birthday with ME! How stupid is that,
huh?"
"I do! Kel, I do," Lance tried to
tell her.
"Then what? I wasn't here right away
and you needed a warm body? I guess I was wrong. You're just like
people say. You have changed!" Kelly yelled at him in
anger.
Lance tried to reach out for her but she
backed away. "No. I swear I haven't." Lance sat down on a
chair near the door. "Kelly-- I love you."
Kelly just shook her head. "Don't
tell me that. Not now. Just don't--" she whispered through her
tears. Kelly threw a small box at him. "Happy birthday." She
told him and ran out of the room.
Lance buried his face in his hands as he
wiped away a few tears. "What have I done? How could I do this to
her--" Lance raised his head when he heard a door open, hoping it would be
Kelly. "Justin--"
"What happened, man? I just saw Kelly
run out of here crying." Justin said to him as he shut the
door.
Lance looked down at the present she had
give him. "I blew it. That's what happened."
Justin noticed the present. "Is
that from Kelly?"
Lance nodded as he opened it. He
opened the box and in it was a gold chain with a note. "Oh, my God."
Lance opened up the piece of paper and read the note.
"What does it say?" Justin asked
him.
A tear rolled down his right cheek.
"She loves me and wants to be with me."
Justin sighed deeply. He knew what
this scene would mean for the two of them. "Oh, man. What are you
going to do?"
"I don't know. I thought that we
needed our space to figure things out, like she wanted. But I have to tell
you-- I missed her the second she walked out that door. I love her,"
Lance admitted to his friend as he looked back at gold chain from
Kelly.
Chapter
10--
**The Following
Day**
Lance walked down the hall of Kelly's
dorm. He wore sunglasses and a hat to hide his appearance as much as could
be. He had his bodygaurd in the building in case things went bad.
Lance spotted Kelly's roommate, Sarah, walk out of their room. From what
Kelly had said about her, he knew that she letting him in that room was going to
be rough. She was supposedly just as stubborn as Kelly.
Sarah shut the door to her and Kelly's room
and started to walk down the hall. She stopped when she spotted Lance
walking her way. Eventhough he was covered, she knew it was him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him flat out.
"I need to see Kelly. Is she here or
at class?" Lance asked her in a quiet voice. He looked around as
people walked by them.
Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "I
don't think it's a good idea. I spent all night with her trying to ease
her pain of getting hurt by you once again. She's finally sleeping
now," Sarah told him.
Lance hated the fact that his stupidness
from the night before was causing Kelly pain. "I want to
explain. She has to let me explain."
Sarah couldn't believe him. "'Has
to?' Kel, doesn't have to let you do anything. Give me one good
reason why I should let you go in there?"
Lance knew if he wanted a chance to talk to
Kelly, then he had to be honest. "Because I love her and I don't want to
lose her another time," Lance told her.
Sarah walked over to her room and unlocked
the door. "I am doing this because I believe you love her, and because I
believe she loves you. I don't want to hear about that girl, ok? You
just make her feel better." She told him and then walked
away.
~*~Justin's Hotel
Room~*~
"I'm sorry, Katie. I love you,
too. But I don't want to end up like Lance and Kelly. I don't want
want to know what it's like for you to hate me," Justin tried to explain
to her. After seeing the look of devastation in Kelly's face the previous
night, he did a lot of thinking about him and Katie.
"But I don't understand. I thought
you wanted us to work, I thought you cared," she sobbed on the other
line.
"I do and that's why I need to do this for
now. Let's just see what happens after I get done with the tour.
Time apart might tell us what we need. Time on the road is so tough, and I
just don't want to see you hurt. I don't want to be the one to give you
heartache. I just don't," Justin said in all honesty.
Katie sat in silence on the other end as
she tried to hold back more tears. "If that's what you need to do. I
guess I don't blame you for wanting to know if there is someone else out there
for you. Why settle, right Justin?"
"Katie, that isn't what I mean,"
Justin replied. He hated to do this over the phone. He promised
himself he never would.
"Just don't expect me to wait around until
you decide you've had enough--" Katie said to him through her tears of
anger. She was more upset with him than angry.
He wasn't sure what to say.
"Katie--" Justin responded. Katie said good-bye and hung up
the phone, and the next thing Justin heard was a dialtone on the
other end. Justin pulled the phone away from his ear and just stared at
it.
"What are you doing?" Joey asked as
he walked into Justin's room.
Justin placed the phone back down.
"Nothing. Just got off the phone will Katie. I ended things until we
get done with this tour."
Joey wasn't sure what to say, so he just
nodded his head. "Oh."
"So, are you going to tell me about this
mystery girl of yours that you keep talking to on the phone, or what?"
Justin prompted. He knew there was someone in Joey's life.
"I guess I can tell you, but you can't let
on you know--" Joey said.
"Who is she?" Justin
asked.
"Her name is Trish and I met her in New
York. She's not into the whole fame thing so I promsied her I would keep
it quiet for now," Joey explained.
"So we can't even meet her?" Justin
asked him.
"She probably would. But I
haven't asked her yet," Joey told him.
"Well, ask her! We want to meet your
mystery woman!" Justin laughed as he punched him in the
shoulder.
~*~Kelly's Dorm~*~
Kelly shot up in bed when she saw Lance
walk into her room. "What---what are you doing here?"
Lance took off his sunglasses and his
hat. "I had to see you. Sarah let me in."
Kelly got up from her bed, and turned her
back to him, while she wiped away a few dry tears. "She shouldn't
have done that." She told him as she turned back to him.
Lance noticed she was wearing a pair of
pajama shorts and a short top. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail.
"You look great."
Kelly shook her head. "Oh,
please. I look terrible. I've been up all night trying to figure
some things out."
Lance wished he could take her pain
away,even if it was for a brief moment. "I couldn't leave without talking
to you and explaining. Just give me 10 minutes, all right?"
"Fine. You have 5," Kelly
snapped as she folded her arms in front of her chest.
"Look, I didn't even want to go to this
Afterparty thing. The guys made me go, which at the time I didn't get
why. Now I know why. I just wish they would have told me you were
coming," Lance began to tell her.
"Why? Then you would have been more
careful before I caught you?" Kelly shook her head in disbelief. "I
don't think I want to hear this."
Lance shook his head. "I have to tell
you. Joey gave me a few drinks, which of course I told him to
double. I talked with a few people. This girl started to smile and
she started to hit on me." Lance continued.
"Oh, I see. Then it wasn't your fault
at all, was it?" She laughed sarcastically. "Come on, do you expect
me to buy that. If every girl that hit on you turned into a makeout
session, then there is no way in hell we'd stand a chance. I need to trust
you! I need your trust!" Kelly yelled at him. She was so angry
with him that she didn't even know what to do. But she was also still in
love with him.
Lance reached out to her and grabbed ahold
of her arms. He walked closer to her. "I know. I know.
It won't happen again, I promise."
"You can't promise me that. You don't
know. What happens the next time some girl catches your eye? You're
surrounded with thousands of them every day. Are you telling me you'll
just walk away from them? You couldn't do that last night. So what
makes you think that I can trust that you won't follow that urge next
time?" She asked him, demanding answers.
Lance reached up and touched her
face. He tilted his head as he saw the pain in her eyes. He
wiped away a few tears that had trickled down her cheek. Lance looked into
her eyes. "Kel, I'm so sorry. I hate that I did this to
you. I never wanted to ever hurt you."
Kelly didn't answer or respond to
him. She knew she was angry with him, but she couldn't help but still want
him. With his body so close to hers, she felt like she was going to lose
her breath. As Lance's head neared down to hers, she felt like she
couldn't pull back. Or maybe it was that she didn't want to. Lance's
lips touched hers and once again she lost herself
in him.