Chapter 1:
Justin walked into the studio and found Lance talking with one of the managers. After they left the room he walked over to Lance. "She's coming today."
Lance, who was focused on a new concert special at Disney, barely looked up from a set of papers. "Who is?"
Justin smiled at him and sat down in a chair. "Jana." Justin folded his arms across his chest and just looked at Lance.
Lance sat there for a few seconds and then turned toward Justin. "Jana? The one you keep on telling us about, but never seen? That Jana?" He asked.
Justin just nodded with a smile plastered on his face. He couldn't wait for Jana to meet Lance. He thought they would be a perfect match. "You got it. I've told her a lot about you, so she's excited."
Lance turned around and leaned against the table. "You did? Justin, I don't want to be setup, remember?"
"I remember." Justin nodded. "But Jana's great and I think you two would really get along. So--" Justin didn't say another word when he heard the door open. He got up from his chair and walked over to the door. "Jana, over here!"
The girl shut the door and walked to Justin. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled big. "It's so great to see you!"
After a few moments, Justin pulled away from their embrace. "You look great!"
"Thanks." she smiled. Jana glanced at his hair and she touched it. "New 'do?"
Justin just shook his head. "Stop. Look, Lance is in the studio. Let me introduce you, all right?"
"Sounds great," Jana agreed. She followed Justin through another room and came face to face with a gorgeous looking guy.
Justin stood in between Lance and Jana. "Lance, this is Jana."
Lance smiled at the girl that stood before him. "Hi. We were beginning to think Justin made you up! He always talks about his best friend, but you've never came around."
"Nope, I'm real. I've just been real busy with college," she told Lance.
Justin noticed JC waving him into the next room. "I'll be right back. JC needs me. You two talk, all right?"
Jana looked over at Justin and gave him a look. She couldn't believe he was abandoning her with someone she barely knew. But she didn't want to seem rude, so she just nodded. They sat there for a few moments in complete silence. "So what are you going to school for?" Lance asked her, trying to break the silence.
"Accounting. It's my second year in college," she told him.
"Cool. So Justin told me that you've never been jet skiing or waterskiing," Lance said.
Jana just shook her head. "I know, it's pathetic. I live in Florida and I barely get to the beach."
"I could teach you if you'd want," Lance suggested to her.
"Are you sure? I could be quite the challenge." she laughed, and so did Lance.
~*~Next Room~*~
Justin looked up from a few musical sheets and looked through the glass. He saw Lance and Jana laughing. "Look man, Lance is putting on the charm."
JC also glanced up from the sheets in front of him. "Watch him. He's putting on the moves. That's your friend Jana, right?" Justin just nodded. "She looks like Lance's type."
"That's what I thought," Justin replied. "Jana and I are going to go out to dinner, so I'll see you tomorrow morning, ok?" JC nodded as he sat down and started to look at the musical sheets again.
Justin nodded and made his way into the next room. "Hey. Jana, are you ready to go out to eat?" Justin asked her as he joined her and Lance.
Jana looked over at her friend. "Oh, yeah," she replied. Jana looked back at Lance. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then?"
"Yeah. I'll call you after we're done in the studio," he told her as he put the paper she had given him in his pocket.
Justin just looked at the two of them. "What's going on tomorrow?"
"I'm going to teach her to waterski and jetski," Lance told his friend. He shook his head when he saw Justin smile.
Justin looked at Jana. "You did tell him he'd have his work cut out for him, didn't you?"
Jana hit him playfully and laughed. "Justin--"
Justin ducked from her. "I'm sorry. We better go," he continued to laugh.
As Justin and Jana walked out of the room, JC walked over to Lance and they walked Jana out of the room. "I'll call you tomorrow."
JC placed an arm around his buddy and bandmate. "She's quite the looker, man."
"Maybe we'll be good friends," Lance replied as he walked away from JC.
JC just stared at him. He thought he was losing his mind. "Lance buddy, are you all right? Some gorgeous girl just walked out of this room, who seemed to like you, and you only talk about friendship? What's up?"
Lance turned around to face him. "I keep telling you guys-- I am not looking for anything right now. Not with the way things are going with the band. No committment. That's my moto right now," He told JC and then walked out of the room, leaving JC completely stunned.
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Chapter 2:
Justin and Jana sat down in a corner table at a secluded restaurant. He had to pick and choose where he went because of how much *NSYNC's fame was increasing. "I bet I know what you are going to order--" Justin said as the two looked at the menus.
"What?" Jana asked as she peaked around her menu.
"A vanilla shake and a club sandwhich," Justin replied and then burst into laughter when he saw the look on her face. "Ok, maybe not."
"Right. I think that would be you." Jana laughed.
Justin just laughed along with her. "So I wanted to ask you-- what did you think of Lance?"
Jana placed her menu down on the table and took a deep sigh. "He seemed nice. You thought you were being sneaky leaving us alone. He obviously has no interest in me."
"Give him time--" Justin told her.
"Justy, don't push us together. You know I hate when you do that. Remember Ryan?" Jana said to him.
Justin thought back to when he tried to set up a school friend with her. Little did he know that Ryan didn't want a girlfriend per se. "I know. I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to setting you up with guys. But Lance is different."
"We'll see--" Jana said as she looked back at her menu.
~*~Studio~*~
**2 hours later**Lance walked back to where JC had been for the past few hours. "You leaving anytime soon, man?"
"As soon as I get this last part right--" JC replied, not looking up from the sheets in front of him.
"Ok, but don't sleep here." Lance laughed as he picked up his car keys. "See ya later, man."
"Bye," JC said. Lance walked out the door and JC went back to his music
sheets.
~*~Across Town~*~
Jana walked into her apartment and found her roommate, Leah, on the phone. "I'll be in my room when you're done." She smiled and walked further into the apartment.
Leah nodded and waited for the person on the other end to stop talking for a moment. "I'll call you back later, ok? Yeah, Jana just got home. Right. I'll see. Bye."
As soon as Leah hung up she rushed over to Jana's room, and stood in the doorway. "Ok, details."
Jana sat on her bed and smiled. "It was so great to see Justin. He's getting so tall-- and cute!" She laughed.
"Did you just say cute?" Leah asked as she joined her friend on the bed.
"Yeah, I did. But you know I've known him for so long that I wouldn't--" Jana began to tell her. Justin was like a brother to her, so she wouldn't think of anything else.
"What about this guy he wanted you to meet? Which group member was it? Was
it that guy with red hair?" Leah asked her.
"No. I didn't meet him. It was Lance Bass. Girl, he is real cute. He seemed so nice, too. He is going to teach me how to waterski and jetski tomorrow afternoon," Jana told her friend.
"No fair! Anyone for me?" Leah laughed. She was in definate need of a new man in her life. Her last few boyfriends just weren't worth mentioning.
"Actually, there was this one guy-- I didn't really meet him, but I definately saw him. You know who I'm talking about. JC Chasez," Jana said.
Leah thought for a few seconds. "Oh, wait. Is he the older one or is he--"
"No, he's one of the main singers. Him and Justin are the ones that sing the most. Do you know who I'm talking about now?" Jana asked. "Wait--" she dug out a magazine from her desk and flipped through it until she found a picture.
"This is the one."
"Oh, him! You have got to introduce me!" Leah said and the two girls burst into laughter.
The phone rang and Leah reached over on Jana's bed and picked up the cordless. "Hello?" She said, still in a slight chuckle. "Yeah, she's here. Can I ask who's calling?" Leah asked the person on the phone.
Leah's eyes grew big when the person on the other line said their name. Leah held the phone over to Jana. "It's Lance--" she said with a big smile. "He's on the phone," she whispered as Jana took the phone.
Jana took a deep breath to calm down. "Hi. No, it's ok that you called. Tomorrow night?" She asked as she moved away from the bed.
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Chapter 3:
Leah quickly exited Jana's room when she realized that maybe she would want a few minutes alone. After Leah shut the door, Jana focused her attention back to Lance. "What's up?" She asked him.
"I know we're going to get together tomorrow afternoon to go waterskiing and stuff, but I was wondering if you'd like to catch a bite to eat afterwards?" Lance asked her.
Jana couldn't help but smile. Maybe Justin was right-- maybe Lance would like her. "Yeah, that'd be great."
"Ok, cool. Who was that that answered your phone?" Lance asked her to make conversation.
"That was my roommate, Leah," Jana told him.
~*~Across Town~*~
Justin walked back into the studio and just shook his head when he caught JC still sitting there. "What are you still doing here, man?" Justin asked him as he shut the door behind him.
JC looked up at his bandmate. "Yeah, I just can't seem to get this to sound right."
"Did Lance leave?" Justin asked as he took a seat next to JC.
"Yeah, he left. Actually, it was quite awhile ago. He thought your friend was pretty cute." JC smiled as he looked up from the sheets in front of him.
"Oh, yeah?" Justin said with a smile. "I knew it. She's a cutie and a sweetie."
"Yeah, but I don't know if he's interested. He said that he didn't want a relationship," JC told Justin. He set the musical sheets down on another table.
"Just wait till she puts the charm on him. She puts her sweetness on and before you know it-- you're sucked in!" Justin laughed and so did JC.
~*~Tampa Bay, FL~*~
**8:00 pm that night**
Lance and a good friend of his, Mike, had gotten together. They returned to Mike's apartment after going to a movie that night. "So who did you call earlier when I was in the shower?" He asked Lance as he threw him a bottle of water.
"A friend of Justin's. He introduced me to this girl named Jana," Lance told him as he took off his hat and glasses.
Mike sat down in a chair across from Lance. "She cute?"
Lance just laughed at him. Like Joey, Mike was a ladies man. He never had a problem getting a girl. Not that Lance had problems, he just wasn't always ready. "Yeah--"
"What? I mean, if she's cute then why don't you go for it?" Mike asked him.
Lance just shook his head. "Because we're gone so much. It will be too hard. Things went so bad with Danielle," Lance told him.
"Yeah, but that was months ago. Don't you think you ought to try new things ou?. You know what I mean?" Mike told him. He knew how Lance was--he called him Mr. Sensitive. "Don't you miss it, man? Don't you miss having a woman in your life?" Mike asked him.
"Actually-- yeah, I do. I asked her to go out to eat after we get together tomorrow afternoon--" Lance told him.
"Then this is your chance. Come on, man. Be happy in every way you can," Mike told him. He looked over at Lance and he knew he was thinking about what he had said.
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Chapter 4:
**The Following Day**
"Hey Scoop, when is the next photo shoot that we have to do?" Joey asked him on his way out of the studio.
"2 months," Lance called out to him. He just shook his head because Joey didn't always remember things like that. Lance just shrugged his shoulders and walked over to Justin and JC. "I'm heading out."
"Oh, ok," Justin responded. "Be prepared to spend more time helping Jana in the water than watching her." Justin laughed.
"It's cool. It'll be fun," Lance said with a smirk.
JC looked up at him. "What's that?" JC asked him, in reference to that secretive smile.
"What?" Lance asked him, having no clue what he was talking about.
"That smile--" Justin told him.
"Oh. Nothing. Look, I have to go pick Jana up. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Lance said.
"Oh, wait. Do you want to hang out tonight?" Justin asked him. He was not going to spend it doing nothing.
"Well, actually--- I'm taking Jana out to eat afterwards. I'm not sure when I will get back, but I will call you," Lance said to him, hoping Justin wouldn't make a big deal out of it.
"Dude!" JC laughed. Here, he thought Lance wasn't interested in Jana, and now it seems he is.
Lance knew what they were thinking and he didn't want to hear it. "Bye!" He called out as he walked out of the studio.
Justin turned toward JC. "What did I tell ya!" He laughed as he looked back at the door.
~*~Jana's Apartment~*~
The phone rang and Leah answered the phone. "Hello? No, she's not. Can I-- is this Lance?"
"Yeah--" Lance replied. "We had plans today. Do you know when she'll be back?"
"I thought she would have been back by now. She just went to the mall for a little bit with a few friends. She should be back any--" before she could say another word the door opened. "Oh, wait. She just walked in." Leah walked over to where Jana came in. She put her hand over the receiver. "It's Lance."
Jana smiled and took the phone. "Hi. I just got home," she told him as she walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
"It's all right. I just gone at the studio. I'm on my way over now. Justin told me where you lived, so I'd say I'll be there in about 5 minutes," Lance told her.
"Oh, ok. Can we stop back here afterwards so I can get ready for dinner?" She asked him. She didn't want to go out to eat with no makeup on or in dirty rags.
"Oh sure. I have some extra clothes with me, so I'll change there then. I'll see you in about five minutes," Lance said and the two hung up the phone.
Jana set the cordless phone down on her bed. "Leah!!" She yelled out to her roommate.
Leah ran into her room. "What?!" She asked, wondering if something bad had happened.
"Help me find something to wear tonight--" Jana told her with a laugh.
"Oh, that's the urgency! I know the perfect thing you can wear tonight--" Leah told her as she walked over to Jana's closet. "This--" Leah said as she held up a navy blue sundress. "He likes the innocent type, remember?" The two of them both laughed.
~*~The Beach~*~
**2 hours later**
Lance and Jana were laughing hysterically as they approached the sand. "I can't believe I did it! I actually learned how to waterski." She said as she sat down near the shore.
Lance sat down next to her and just smiled at her. "Yeah, after only two hours!" He laughed. Lance reached over and handed her a towel. "Here."
"Thanks." Jana smiled back at him. She patted the towel on her head to dry it out a little. She then patted in on her body. Jana could see Lance looking at her from the corner of her eye. "
Much better.""We'll have to try jetskiing another time," he said as he dryed himself off.
"That would be great. When do you guys go back on the road?" Jana asked him.
"Not for another 2 months. We are going to be recording some new songs for our new album. We're trying to get it done for early next year," Lance told her.
"So you'll be really busy while you are back in Orlando--" Jana said. She had hoped they'd be able to spend some time together and get to know each other more.
"We will be. But not too busy for us to hang out and stuff--" Lance said to her with a million dollar smile.
Jana just smiled at him as she got lost in his sparkling green eyes. After she realized what she was doing, she glanced away momentarily. When she looked back at him, she noticed he was still looking at her. "If we're going to go out to eat, I guess we better go, huh?"
Lance felt drawn to her and he wasn't exactly sure why. He'd never thought about getting involved with someone he barely knew. But there was just something about her that he couldn't put a finger on. "Yeah--"
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Chapter 5:
**Later that Night**
Lance walked Jana up to her apartment. They stopped short of her front door. "I guess this is me--" Jana muttered as she stood near her apartment door.
Lance nodded. "Yeah, it is--" he replied as he looked at her door. "Well, I had a great time tonight."
"Yeah, me too." Jana nodded. She just looked at him with a smile.
Lance was in awe of her beauty. "I'm really glad Justin introduced us."
Jana was definately attracted to him, but she felt she should watch what she said to him because she wasn't sure how he felt. "So am I. I was suprised you called and asked me out to dinner, though."
"Why's that?" Lance asked her with curiosity. He took a few steps closer to her.
"Well, you just seemed so-- how can I put this. Disinterested. But Justin was sure positive about it." She chuckled at her last sentence.
"That's Justin--" Lance whispered. "He said you were beautiful and sweet, and he was right," Lance told her. Lance leaned in a little and placed his lips on hers. After a few tender kisses they pulled apart. He opened his eyes and just stared at her.
Jana took a deep breath. She couldn't quite describe that kiss - it was full of fireworks. The passion that she had been missing in her past relationships. "Would you like to come in?"
"I can't. But I was wondering-- well, we're having this birthday bash thing for Justin. I was wondering if you'd like to be my date?" Lance asked her.
"I'd love to." Jana smiled.
"Ok, cool. Bring Leah, too. She seems real nice and she would probably hit it off with JC," Lance told her.
She nodded in agreement. "I'll do that. I really had a great day with you today. I mean that," Jana said to him.
"Me, too. Well, I better go," Lance replied and gave her one more kiss. "I'll call you tomorrow--" he said as he walked backwards towards the stairs.
"Bye." Jana smiled as she walked into her apartment. She closed the door and stood against the door with the biggest smile on her face.
Leah walked over to her roommate and saw the look on her face. "Have a good time?"
"The best," Jana replied. "Leah, he is the sweetest guy I ever met. He asked me to go to Justin's birthday party tomorrow night as his date!" Jana said with joy.
~*~JC's hotel room~*~
**30 Minutes Later**
JC hung up the phone as he heard a knock at his room. He got up and went to the door, and there stood Lance. JC backed up and let him in and then shut the door behind him. "You're back sortof late," JC said to him.
"Well, I told you I was going out to eat with Jana afterwards. I just dropped her off a little while ago. But I wanted to stop by your room to talk about Justin's thing tomorrow night," Lance said to him as he sat in a chair.
"Oh, ok. Aren't all the details set for tomorrow night?" JC asked him as he sat on the bed.
"Yeah. I just wanted to see if you were bringing someone--" Lance said in a asking manner.
JC could tell where this was headed. "Oh no, you didn't."
"Not yet," Lance replied. "But I met Jana's roommate and she seems real cool. I think you guys would hit it off. Anyways, I just told Jana to invite her."
"What's this? Are you and Jana a couple now?" JC asked.
"No. But I guess you could say we're dating. I don't know." He shrugged. "I think I really like her. She's cool."
"This is so unlike you. You never just meet someone and then start to date them. Isn't that a little fast for you?" JC teased him.
Lance gave JC a look. "We spent all day together. We talked for hours and we found out we had a lot in common. She's very sweet. I guess that goes to show you that you never know what is gonna happen."
"I guess not." JC nodded. "So you're bringing her to Justin's surprise party, huh?" Lance nodded with a smile.
~*~Across Town~*~
Leah had spent the last half hour with Jana talking about her day with Lance. "It sure sounds like you two hit it off," Leah said to her as she walked into the kitchen.
"We did," Jana replied as she sat down at the kitchen table. "It was weird.
When I met him in the studio he seemed nice and everything. But today, I don't know-- it's hard to explain. He's just so sweet. You know how you used to say Joe made you melt?""Yeah?" Leah nodded. "You mean, how he could do it without barely saying anything? All he had to do was look at me dead in the eyes and I lost it."
"That's exactly it. We had the most amazing day together. And if a guy can be that patient with me, trying to teach me how to waterski then he has to be great!" Jana and Leah laughed.
"I think it is so cool that he asked you to Justin's party. That's definately a good sign that he likes you more than a friend," Leah said.
"The kiss told me that!" Jana said to her with a big smile. "But spending a night together in public-- I just can't wait!" Jana squealed in excitement at what the next evening had to bring.
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Chapter 6:
**The Following Night**
Lance had picked up Jana and Leah, and the three of them made their way over to Chris' house for the big party. As they passed a few of the gaurds, they spotted Justin dancing with some brunette. "Justin sure looks to be having fun already," Jana said to Lance and Leah.
Jana decided to wait until Justin was done dancing before she said anything to him. But in a matter of seconds he had made contact with her. He excused himself from where he was dancing and made his way over to them. "I was wondering when you guys would get here."
Jana could tell that Justin had a few drinks in his system already. "Feeling good there, Justy?" She teased.
Justin placed his arm around his long time friend. "Feeling great."
"Justin, there is someone I want you to meet." Justin removed his arm from Jana's shoulder. "Justin, this is my roommate, Leah." She smiled.
Justin smiled at Leah. "I feel sorry for you--" Justin said to her.
Jana's jaw just about dropped. "Justin!" She snapped at him.
"I mean-- her roommate. How do you survive that?" Justin laughed.
All three of them laughed and Jana shoved her friend. "That was NOT funny!"
Leah couldn't help but laugh at him. "You get used to her. Believe me."
Justin looked over at his friend and smiled. "Tell me about it."
"I guess I don't have to wish you a happy birthday. You seem to be doing a good job of it," Jana told him.
Lance placed his arms around Jana and smiled at Justin. "I want to say thank-you, man."
Justin's smile faded a little. "For what?"
"For introducing me. You were right, she's quite the girl," Lance said as he looked down at Jana, who was all smiles.
"Oh yeah, of course. I knew you'd like her," Justin replied. "Look, you guys have fun. I'm gonna go dance!" He laughed and made his way over to another girl.
"He is going to have a wild night." Jana laughed.
"There's JC--" Lance whispered to her. "She would go introduce them now?" Jana just nodded.
Jana, Lance, and Leah walked over to where JC was. "Hey, man!" Lance said to him.
"Hey!" JC replied as he set down his drink. JC spotted the other girl with Jana and Lance. He couldn't help but look her over. Lance was right-- she was very pretty.
"JC, this is Jana's friend, Leah," he told him. He figured he should introduce the two of them since Jana barely knew JC.
"Hi." Leah smiled at JC. She couldn't help but smile, this guy was gorgeous.
"Hi, yourself. Can I buy you a drink or something?" JC asked her.
"Sure." Leah nodded.
"Come on," JC said and the two of them disappeared.
Jana turned back to Lance. "That went better than I expected!" She laughed.
"We are quite the match makers," he said. Lance leaned down and brought his face to hers closely. "In case I didn't tell you already, you look gorgeous tonight."
Jana's eyes shifted up towards him as she smiled. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."
As the two continued to flirt with one another, Joey spotted them and interrupted them. "Um--Lance?" Joey asked in shock. He had never seen this girl before. He wondered if she was the friend of Justin's.
Lance looked away from Jana, not voluntarily, either. "Hey. Oh, this is Jana."
"Oh, Justin's friend," Joey said. Boy was he glad that's who it was.
"Yeah." Jana smiled. "You have to be Joey."
"How'd you guess?" Joey winked.
Jana couldn't help but laugh. That wink was exactly why she knew who it was. "Justin described you down to a tee." She laughed. She turned toward Lance. "I'm gonna go find Justin. I'll be back."
Lance nodded and watched her walk away. He couldn't help but stare at her. She looked absolutely stunning. It wasn't that she was all decked out or anything, but she just took his breath away.
Joey waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Hello!" He couldn't believe how he was acting. "Lance, you in there?"
Lance shook his head. He was a little embarrassed that Joey caught him staring like that. He's the one who'd always pick on Joey for doing that. "Sorry."
"Man, you just met her. And already you're--" Joey wasn't quite sure what to say.
"I know. It's so weird. I feel like I've known her forever. It's like she's what I've been looking for," Lance muttered, half in space.
Joey just shook his head. "Go find her--" He saw Lance give him a weird look. "Go. You know you want to."
~*~A bedroom~*~
Jana heard Justin's voice and she made her way through the bedroom door. "Justin? You in here?" She called out.
Justin came out of the closet. "Yeah--"
"What are you doing in the closet?" Jana asked him.
"Someone spilt a drink on me so Chris told me I could borrow a shirt. What are you doing up here?" Justin asked her.
"Looking for you--" Jana told him as she walked over to him.
Justin met her half way and they just stood in front of each other. "Is that the perfume I bought you?" Justin asked her.
"Yeah, it is," Jana replied to him.
Justin took a few more steps closer to her. "It smells good on you."
Jana knew he was drunk, so she tried not to encourage him. After all, she knew Justin didn't think of her in that way. For so long she had wished he did, but she knew it was a lost cause. And now that she met Lance-- well, she was happy the way things were and how they were going. "Justin--"
Justin took one last step in front of her. There the two of them stood-- inches apart. They were so close that they both could feel each others breaths. "I'm really glad you came tonight," He told her as he reached in for a kiss. His lips touched hers softly.
Jana pulled apart from Justin and brought her hand up to her lips. "What was that for?"
The door flew open. "Jana, are you in here?" Lance's voice called out. He saw Justin and Jana, and he noticed the tension in the room. He saw the look on Jana's face, and he saw the lipstick on Justin's lips. "What's going on?"
Jana looked at Justin and then at Lance. "I need to go freshen up," she whispered and then she bolted from the bedroom.
Lance looked over at Justin and just waited. He waited for an answer. "Justin, what's going on, man?"
Justin just shook his head. What was going on? He certainly had no clue. He had no idea what had just gotten into him. "I don't know--"
"Do you care about her?" Lance asked as he walked over to him.
"You know that I do--" Justin replied.
"You know what I mean. Do you want to be with her? Do you want her, man?" Lance asked him, wanting honesty.
"Why would you ask me such a thing?" Justin asked him, in a way to avoid how he felt.
"Come on. I saw the way you looked at her. If you wanted to be with her than why did you introduce us?" Lance asked him again, but in a different way.
"I thought you two would be perfect together," Justin told him.
"And what? Now you don't think so. Are you telling me that you want me to stop seeing her? Are you saying you want me to stop, so you can start?" Lance asked him flat out. Lance just looked at him as he waited for some type of honest answer.