JC Chasez slammed his hands down on his piano.
�Damnit!� he exclaimed.
For weeks he had been trying to finish his song. Nothing seems to be good enough. He couldn�t understand what the problem was; he had written so many songs before. But no, this had to be perfect. No matter what he thought of, it didn�t seem to work. He was getting frustrated. Sighing, he got up from the piano to answer his ringing phone.
�Hello?� he asked.
�Yo. It�s Joe. What up?�
�Hey Joe. Nothing at all.�
�You still trying to write that song?�
�I am. And I have a date with Claudia tonight.�
�Oh yes, Claudia. You�ve been seeing a lot of her lately.�
�I have. She�s really awesome.�
�That�s cool. But a little advise on the song��
�I�m open to just about anything right now.�
�Just write from your heart, not from your head.�
�Thanks Joe. I�ll keep that in mind.�
�Anytime man. Talk to you soon.�
�Bye.�
And he hung up. Write from his heart�easier said than done. A love song? He hadn�t been in love for a long time. Actually, he had only been in love once and even then, a love song was hard to come by. Breakup songs were easy; songs about absolutely nothing were a cinch, but a love song? JC looked at the clock. He had an hour before he had to leave and pick up Claudia. He decided to get ready.
Claudia Sherman had just gotten home from a long day of work. She�s a lawyer for a small firm dealing with family cases. She took off her heels and plopped onto the couch. After pulling her long brown hair out of the tight bun it was in, she got up and walked into her bedroom. Claudia only had an hour to get ready and no idea what to wear so she decided to take a shower. When she got out, she stood in front of her closet trying to figure out what to wear. They were going out to dinner and a movie. She took out a pair of jeans and a baby tee. After getting dressed, she blow dried her hair and put on some makeup.
Once she was finished getting dressed, Claudia went to watch television. She still had at least twenty minutes before JC was due to pick her up. Her thoughts drifted to JC. They had been seeing a lot of each other in the past month that they�d known each other. At least once every two days. Not that she was complaining, she really enjoyed spending time with him. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She got up to answer it.
�Hey.� She said smiling
�Hi Claud. Ready to go?� JC asked.
�Sure. Let me just grab my purse.� She said, grabbing her jacket.
�No problem. I got the movie tickets, so I figured we�d do that first, so we don�t have to rush eating.�
�Smart decision.�
She grabbed her purse and they walked outside. JC opened her door and waited for her to get into the care before getting in the driver�s seat.
�So, how was work today?� he asked
�That same as always. Long and tiring.� She sighed.
�Any good cases?�
�I got a new one today. Parents fighting over the custody of their four kids.�
�Oh boy. That must be tough.�
�Of course. I always get the tough ones.�
�That�s because you�re the best lawyer they have.� He said, patting her hand
She smiled, �Thanks Jace.�
�Anytime. Where do you wanna eat tonight?� he questioned.
�Alberto�s?� she suggested.
�Mexican sounds good to me.� He agreed.
�Yum! I figured I�d spice things up a bit.�
�Makes sense. Beats having pizza for the third night this week.� He said
�You�re right. Hey, what are we going to see anyways?� she asked.
�You said you wanted to see The Last Samurai. So that�s what I got tickets for.� He replied.
�Yay! Tom Cruise is so sexy!� she exclaimed.
�And what am I?� he asked
�You�re sexier than Tom Cruise you big baby.� She laughed.
He grinned. �That�s what I thought.�
�You�re weird, you know that?� she asked.
�I am not!� he exclaimed, pulling into the parking lot of the movie theater.
They got out of the car and went into the building. After having their tickets taken, they walked over to the concession stand.
�Do you want anything?� JC asked.
�Um, just a small popcorn and a large lemonade. Don�t want to spoil my dinner.� Claudia replied.
�Okay�a large lemonade?� he questioned.
She shrugged. �I drink a lot.�
He just laughed. �Gotcha.�
They got their snacks and went into the theater. The movie was good and after it was over Claudia had to go to the bathroom.
�You had to have the large lemonade right?� JC teased.
�Shut up and hold my stuff.� Claudia said, giving him her jacket and purse.
�Yeah, yeah.� He muttered, on the verge of laughter.
She went to the bathroom and came out ten minutes later. She sighed as she walked over to JC.
�Sorry I took so long. You know how the ladies room is.� She apologized.
�It�s okay. Ready to get some grub?� he asked.
�Definitely. I haven�t eaten all day!� she exclaimed.
He laughed and they walked outside to the car. They made the short trip to Alberto�s chatting about the movie the whole time. Alberto�s was surprisingly empty for a Friday night so they were seated immediately. Once they sat, they ordered.
�So Jace, how�s that song coming along?� she asked.
�I�m still stuck. It�s really frustrating.� He replied, taking a sip of his drink.
�You just need some inspiration is all.� She stated.
�Easier said than done Claud.� He said.
�Whatever. I know you can do it.� She said, taking his hand.
He squeezed her hand. �Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.�
�Aw, how sweet.� She said smiling brightly
�You know Claud, we�ve been seeing a lot of each other lately.� He said
�That we have.� She agreed.
�And I�ve been thinking that maybe it�s uh, time to move to the next step.� He stammered.
�Meaning?� she questioned.
�Claudia, I really like you. The past month has been amazing.� He said
�Yeah it has. I still don�t get what you�re trying to say though.� She replied
�Claud, will you be my girlfriend?� he asked nervously
�Jace, are you sure?� she questioned
�Yes.� He said waiting for her to answer.
�Well if you�re sure, yes I will.� She said smiling
He smiled back and kissed her. After they ate, JC drove back to Claudia�s house and they said on the couch watching tv. She kept yawning; and obvious sign that she was tired but she wouldn�t let him leave.
�Claud, you�re falling asleep. Go to bed. I�ll come over tomorrow.� He promised.
She yawned again �Okay. See you tomorrow.�
She walked to the door and gave him a quick kiss before he left. She closed the door and went into her bedroom. She put on her pjs and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Once she was in bed, she shut the light off and fell asleep.
The first thing JC did when he got home was call Joey.
�Hello?�
�Joe? It�s JC. I didn�t wake you did I?� he asked.
�Nope. What�s up man?� Joey questioned.
�I think I�ve figured out how to fix the song problem.� He said excitedly
�That�s great! What�d you do?� Joey asked.
�I asked Claudia to be my girlfriend.� He replied.
�You did? She said yes?� Joey asked.
�She did! I was surprised myself man.� JC said
�That�s awesome! Good job man.�
�Thanks dude. Just wanted to let you know.�
�Well congrats.�
�Yeah. Oh, and Joe?�
�Uh huh?�
�When this is done being written, would you sing the song?� JC asked.
�Of course I would. I�m honored that you would want me to do that.� Joey replied
�Yeah, it would be perfect.� JC said
�Thanks man. Well I gotta go.�
�Me too. Talk to you later.� JC said
�Later.� And they hung up
JC had of course finished the song. He recorded it with Joey and it came out perfect. That night was his and Claudia�s one-month anniversary and he planned on playing it for her to tell her how he felt. He put the finished touches on dinner, made sure all the candles were lit and got the house ready. The doorbell rang and he ran to go get the door.
�Hey Claud. You look nice.� JC said, leading her into the house.
�Thanks! You don�t look that bad yourself.� She said.
He led her into the dining room and they sat.
�Wow, everything looks so nice.� Claudia marveled.
�Thank you. I�ve been preparing everything all day.� He replied.
�I feel so special.� She blushed.
�Nothing but the best for you baby.� He said kissing her cheek.
She smiled �Thank you.�
They ate their meal, talking causally about various things. Once they finished they cleared the table.
�Do you want me to help you do the dishes?� Claudia asked.
�No. I�ll just stick them in the dishwasher.� He said.
�Okay. No problem.� She said, helping him load the dishwasher.
They cleaned up and went into the living room.
�I have something for you.� He said once they got settled.
�I thought we agreed not to get each other anything.� She replied
�I know. But I didn�t buy this. I wrote it.� He said
�Ooh! Is it your new song that I haven�t been allowed to hear?� she asked eagerly
�Yes it is. I think it�ll explain how I feel about you.� He said getting up to turn the stereo on.
�Okay�� she said.
He turned the cd on and they listened to the song.
I get a feeling
I can't explain
Whenever your eyes meet mine
My heart spins in circles
And I lose all space and time
And now that we're standing face to face
Somethin' tells me
It's gonna be okay
And I'm ready to fall in love tonight
Ready to hold my heart open wide
I can't promise forever but baby I'll try
Yes, I'm ready to fall in love tonight
I know you've been watching
Choosin' your moment
I've been dreaming of that day
No one before you has gotten to me this way
And now that we're standing face to face
There's something that I need to say
And I'm ready to fall in love tonight
Ready to hold my heart open wide
I can't promise forever but baby I'll try
Yes, I'm ready to fall in love tonight
Nothing is certain, this I know
Wherever we're headed I'm ready to go
I can't promise forever but baby I'll try
Yes I'm ready to fall in love tonight
Yes I'm ready to fall in love tonight
Yes, I'm ready to fall in love tonight
When it was over, Claudia was left speechless.
�Jace, wow! I mean, is that how you really feel about me?� she asked
�Yes it is. I love you Claudia.� He said seriously
�I love you too JC.� She said kissing him.
*Joey Fatone - Ready to Fall
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