Lance had learned his lesson and over the course of the next two days he and Marie swapped driving duties. Despite the long bus rides Lance was tentative and watched the sites. Marie, on the other hand, got bored easily and found entertainment in teasing and annoying Lance, who was used to Chris� antics and took it in stride.
They made excellent time, passing through the rest of Indiana, Illinois, and part of Iowa. On the third day they stopped at a local inn for the night, a welcoming change from the chain of hotels. The innkeeper found it extremely entertaining to watch Marie and Lance squabble over who would pay.
When they finally got into the cozy little room, Marie went into the bathroom to shower while Lance called JC.
JC answered, voice muffled and gruff with sleep, � �ello?�
�Hey, man, were you sleeping,� asked Lance, stretching out on the bed.
�M�yeah, I was. S�okay, though,� mumbled JC.
�Dude, it�s�� Lance looked at the watch on the night table, �seven in the evening. What the hell are you doing in bed?�
�I�ve been sleeping during the day for the past few days,� answered JC matter of factly. �Been working in the studio at night.�
�Yeah, I talked to Justin the other day and he said you were thinking about putting out an album. You gonna do it,� asked Lance.
�I dunno,� replied JC. �I�m kind of apprehensive about it, y�know. I don�t want it to be this big thing with all the suits hanging all over me about dates and shit.�
�Then put your foot down, man. Tell them you�ll only do the album as long as they leave you the hell alone,� replied Lance. �But don�t do it unless you want to, y�know.�
�Yeah, I know,� answered JC. �I�ve got a lot of material laid down that I�d love to put out there that I know wouldn�t fly with the group.�
�Whadya mean?�
�Well, I�m sure you wouldn�t want to sing about masturbating and sex throughout the tour, now wouldja,� asked JC, voice playful and teasing.
Lance let out a sharp bark of laughter and shook his head. �Man, I�d have no problem with it but I think my mama would kill me. I mean, you see how I am at the clubs and stuff.�
�I can�t believe people think Joey�s the ho of the group, dude,� said JC, laughing. �You�re list is twice as long as Joe�s.�
Lance rolled his eyes. �I�m not innocent by no means but I don�t think I want my mama to see me up onstage humping and grinding to songs about jacking off. Our fans probably wouldn�t mind but,� he shook his head, laughing softly, �my hide would be redder than my face when I�m drunk if she ever got a hold of me.�
JC laughed. �Yeah, so practically all of the tracks I�ve been playing with aren�t Nsync material. I just might do it but I need a few days to think about it.� He paused a moment before asking, �So how�s your trip with Marie going?�
�Dude, she�s like a female version of Chris. I either think she�s cute as hell or I want to strangle the shit out of her.�
�So you like her,� asked JC.
�What?� His face twisted up in surprise. �No, man, she�s my bud.�
JC shook his head, rolling his eyes, and said, �Man, you are so freakin� blind. You�re so jonesing for her.�
�I am not,� protested Lance. He paused for a second. �Well��
�Well what?� pressed JC.
�Things seem weird,� replied Lance. �I mean, she�s never been as annoying as she is now. It�s like we�re in third grade and she�s hitting me in the shoulder because she likes me.�
�Dude, those are guy tactics.�
�Yeah, but she�s no ordinary girl. Like, we were talking the other day about how girls get jealous when they see their boyfriend talking to another girl or dancing in a club. And she basically told me that she wouldn�t care what her boyfriend did as long as he didn�t fuck the girl.�
�She said it just like that?� asked JC, surprised.
�Yeah, man. See, she�s not like any of the other girls we know. She�s like the perfect girlfriend.�
�Then ask her out.�
�I can�t, man,� he replied.
�And why not,� countered JC.
�Because she�s Marie, dude, I just can�t.�
�Thank you for your great reasoning skills,� answered JC, voice dull. �Do you like her?�
�You mean, like that?�
�Of course I mean like that, dipshit. Are you attracted to her at all?�
Lance sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees, and chewed on his bottom lip in thought. �I�m not really sure. I mean sometimes when I look at her I see Marie and other times I just see something more.� He stopped for a second and rubbed the back of his neck, warm with heat as his skin flushed. �Sometimes I get�I get��
�Spit it out, Scoop.�
Lance ducked his head, huddling around the phone, and whispered, �Sometimes I get hard around her, man. I mean, I�m not some horny seventeen year old that sports a boner every time I see cleavage but I just can�t help it.�
JC started giggling, full on giggling, in Lance�s ear. Lance glared at the phone, his neck and face now flushed bright pink. When JC could finally talk again he said, �Man, if I have to tell you that you�re attracted to her then I think we need to send you back to sex ed class.�
�Man,� whined Lance, �that�s not even fucking funny. I know when I�m attracted to someone or not. I�m not that stupid. But I can�t be attracted to Marie.�
�Why not?� asked JC again, determined to make Lance give him a solid reason.
�Because she�s my friend, dude.�
�Lance, some of the best relationships have evolved from friendships. I mean, you both know each other inside out. She knows what you�re like when you�re being an ass and understands that you get busy as hell sometimes.�
Lance nodded. He knew it was true but he just didn�t want to admit it. He didn�t have very many female friends and he didn�t want to throw the wonderful friendship he had with Marie away in case a romantic relationship didn�t work out. And even though it was hard as hell to admit to himself, the idea of a relationship with Marie intimidated the hell out of him.
�I mean, we�re on vacation now but what happens when the group gets back together and we go out touring and you can�t spend all your time with her. It�s not like she�s going to be harping on your ass because she totally understands our lifestyle. That�s hard to come by.�
�When�d you get to be so smart,� mumbled Lance, smiling softly.
JC grinned. �I�ve always been this smart. Besides, unrequited love is a bitch.�
�Speaking of Tony, how�s he doing?� asked Lance, glad for an opening to change the subject.
JC made a noise in the back of his throat before saying, �He�s good. He�s actually been writing and working with me in the studio lately.�
Lance smirked to himself. �Uh huh and I bet you don�t mind that at all.�
�Damn right, man, I aint complaining.� The sound of a door closing echoed and Lance could hear JC speaking to someone. �Speak of the devil, man. Tony�s got this�thing he wants me to hear so I�m gonna go. I�ll talk to ya later, cat.�
�Later, C,� answered Lance. �And thanks for the advice.�
�No problem. Love ya.�
Before Lance could answer JC hung up. He shook his head, laughing, and flipped the phone closed. He tossed the phone onto the night table before reclining back onto the bed. He folded his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
The sound of Marie singing echoed throughout the room and he smiled. If it were any other girl he�d have made his move by now, but she wasn�t any other girl. She made him think and unlike the other girls, she intimidated him.
And if he was truly honest with himself part of the reason why he didn�t want to make the move was because she was different than everyone else. He knew it made him an asshole for thinking it, but she was the type of girl that was meant as a friend, not a girlfriend you showed off to the public.
But he wasn�t ashamed of her. She was intelligent, witty, caring, compassionate, and even if the world didn�t think she was, he thought she was beautiful.
�I�m such a fucking idiot,� he said out loud. �Here I am debating whether or not to make the move when I already know that I like her. I�m just too worried about what everyone else will think.�
�Think about what,� asked Marie.
Panic raced through him and he shot straight up to see her standing there, towel drying her hair and looking at him curiously. He�d been too preoccupied in his thoughts to even notice that the water had turned off.
�Uh�um�nothing,� he stuttered. He got up and quickly made his way around the room, gathering his things for the shower. He brushed past her quickly, mumbling, �I�m gonna go take my shower, be back in a few,� before slamming the bathroom door shut.