Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 14:20:35 EDT
From: ABuffy99@aol.com
Subject: N' the mix chapter 4

This story is a complete work of fiction and is not meant to imply anything
about the sexuality of Justin Timberlake or JC Chasez. Or for that matter
anyone else. So like I promised, here it is. N-the-Mix # 4! Yeay! An update
on the next chapter: In progress. I'm writing right now and I have more
free time so, if all goes according to plan, look for the next one soon!
But for now... ENJOY! Let me know whatcha think.

Send all comments, questions, concerns... whatever to abuffy00@yahoo.com


Chapter Four


Later that night, at the party, the two continuously eyed each other from
across they room. The strangeness had grown between the two of them, yet
each one longed to be near the other. The room was filled with celebrities,
and so mingling was expected, in fact it was an unwritten rule. Around two
a.m. the party was still in full swing and half the crowd was three sheets
to the wind.  At that point, Lance left, Joey and Chris were working the
room looking to score, and Justin and J.C. were happily parked on the
couch, both holding their heads in their hands from boredom.  They shared a
long look, and almost as if reading each other's minds, they left their
places and made their way to Carson, were they made excuses of being tired
and told the remaining group members that they were leaving.

Grabbing their Jackets, they made a beline for the elevator. Laughing in
the cool night air they hailed a taxi and made their return to the
hotel. When they were inside the cab, they relaxed in each other's
presence, and sat in comfortable silence.

Once they were back inside their room, the tension built again, and both
felt awkward. They sat fully clothed on their separate beds and attempted
to watch TV. On their fifth channel search, after passing the seventh
infomercial, Justin slapped his bed in frustration. "I can't take this!"
He shouted, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Fine, we don't have to watch the ab roller if you don't want to, we can
watch a cooking show."

"Ok, that's so not what I'm talking about Josh."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Gee, maybe the fact that we're still wearing our jackets and we're in bed?
Or maybe it's because we can't have a conversation because of what I said
earlier. "

Justin's face was red, and each tear that fell made it more apparent that
his suffering was increasing. "I don't want to loose you." He sobbed,
turning on his back, away from J.C.

J.C. felt as though a train had just crashed through his heart. He felt his
own eyes getting moist, and Justin's need getting him right in the heart.
He removed his coat and slid into the adjacent bed. Slowly, he touched
Justin's back, rubbing it through the leather jacket. "I'm sorry. I
just... I don't want you to feel this way, honestly I don't want you to be
in this much pain, but are you sure it's real? I mean, I do love you, God I
love you, but..." he stuttered his heart catching in his throat, "My heart
couldn't take it if it was-- I don't know.. if you changed your mind."

Justin turned so J.C. could look into his eyes. In that instant, all of
Josh's fears were replaced by an urge to take away Justin's. He ran his
hand softly around the side of Justin's face, letting his hand rest under
his chin. "Ok." Was all he replied. They looked at each other for a long
moment, expressing their love and longing in a single gaze. Slowly their
faces moved toward one another, and their eyes began to close. Justin's
pulse was racing as J.C.'s lips lightly brushed his, and he returned the
soft kiss. His mouth opened, and he felt J.C.'s tongue run along his lip,
very delicately. He moved his lips so they kissed J.C.'s tongue softly and
he brought his own out farther so they were touching. Together they danced
slowly with their tongues, each touch sending shivers down their
spines. J.C. moved in closer, cupping Justin's head in his hands. Justin
wrapped his arms around his longtime friend and rubbed them across his
back. Their kiss grew and they were mouth to mout!  h again, their bodies
closer, to uching, their hearts beating together, as one.

J.C. removed Justin's jacket slowly, allowing Justin to stop him if he
wanted to. Instead he got assistance and to his mild surprise and
excitement he felt his shirt being untucked in the back. Their kiss broke
as J.C.'s shirt went over his head, and Justin looked at him in his
innocent way and asked if it was okay. J.C. nodded and kissed him again,
slowly making Justin lay back on the bed. J.C. half covered his friend with
his body allowing movement and resistance if Justin felt the need to
stop. He wanted this so bad, he didn't want to pressure Justin into
anything he didn't want to do. He loved him and wanted everything to be
right.

The intensity grew and Justin felt every emotion that J.C. had flow through
him in currents, his pain, his sadness, his loneliness, his passion, his
need, his want and most of all, his love. Justin started to cry again, his
tears moistening both of their cheeks. J.C. pulled back with alarm. "We
don't have to do anything Justin, it's okay, If I'm moving to fast or
whatever. I don't want to scare you."

Justin laughed at J.C., running his hand through his hair. "That's not it,
Josh, I just--I care so much, and I can feel everything you're going
through, I just don't know if you know-"

"I know." J.C. responded kissing him on the lips one more time. 'I know you
care, I feel you too.' He thought.  Their passion began to overtake their
hesitant nature and they unraveled around each other. J.C.'s heart beat
over Justin's underneath his wife beater and he longed to feel Justin's
smooth skin under his. As if reading his thoughts, Justin sat up and broke
the kiss so he could remove his shirt. He peeled layer and layer of
clothing off of his chest and leaned back down so J.C. could get back to
the place he was before. For the first time their smooth bodies
touched. They kissed once again, and Justin took this time to run his
strong hand around J.C.'s body. He started at his neck and slowly made his
way down his bare back. J.C. trembled at Justin's touch. He wanted nothing
more. He placed his hand on Justin's stomach, tracing it down to his
jeans. Justin sighed into their kiss as J.C. bent his head and made his way
down Justin's neck. Slowly he brushed his lips upon !  the tender flesh,
this uncharted
 territory where no man had gone. He let his tongue flick delicately on
Justin's neck and felt his body tense. He could feel his newfound lover
grow hard beneath his jeans. He knew that if he wanted to he could have him
right then, but he wanted it to mean something, so he ignored his own
growing hard on and continued down his stomach with his kisses.

Justin's hand found the way to J.C.'s ass and he grabbed roughly as
J.C. kissed his nipple, slowly playing with it in his mouth. He moaned as
the slight adjustment in positions made J.C.'s body fall directly on top of
his and he could feel his hardness. Together their breathing increased
rapidly, making them each become more aroused. Their hands found no
boundaries as their lips met. They moved together, J.C. not wanting to
rush, Justin needing him. Justin bravely ran his hand between their pants
lightly touching J.C.'s hard on. J.C. gasped at the light sensation,
allowing himself to fall in the nest Justin's hand built for him. Justin
rubbed his fingers around as J.C. continued to kiss him, letting his hands
find the curly locks of Justin's head. He tried not to pull his hair when
Justin's pace increased. Moans escaped from one another's mouth and their
passion mounted.

J.C. let go of his inhibitions and began to rock, grinding his hips with
Justin. Justin complied with their new adventure and spread his legs so
they could feel each other through the clothing. Sweats dripped off of
their combined bodies, as each kiss grew more passionate and as each
movement aroused another moan. Neither one could hold out much
longer. Justin slipped his hand down the back of J.C.'s pants and grabbed
his bare ass, lightly running his hand over the tight flesh. With a light
moan and a final thrust, both men were spent, coming at the same time.

They lay on one another desperately trying to catch their breaths as their
bodies returned to normal. Both of their boxers were soaked and they
decided it was best to remove their pants. Unwillingly, J.C. climbed off of
Justin, letting him move. Somewhere along the line their shoes got kicked
off and nether one knew how.  Justin giggled and slid off his pants. He
pulled back the covers, questioningly looking at J.C.  "I'd love too." He
replied removing his own pants. His moved around the other side of the bed
and pulled down the sheets. He climbed into the bed and laid down waiting
for Justin to join him.  Justin smiled and turned off the light. Then he
slipped between the covers into the arms of the man he loved. That same
smile remained plastered across both of their faces as they dreamed of each
other the rest of the night.

The next morning, Justin awoke to eyes staring down at him. "I thought you
were a dream." He smiled, leaning in for a kiss. Josh responded tenderly,
fearing the same thing. They broke apart in smiles and laid there content
in each other's arms.

The phone rang, breaking their comfortable silence. "Damn it, ten to one
it's Lance with our new itinerary." J.C.  griped, reaching over Justin for
the phone.

"Hello? Oh, Hi Scoop. Yes, we know, uh huh" He said, rolling his eyes at
Justin while he tickled him. Justin giggled softly and kissed J.C. on his
stomach, resting his curly locks on his chest. The conversation continued
for a few minutes, and end with an agreement that the two were due at the
lounge in five minutes and that if they didn't hurry the rest of the group
would leave with out them.

With that news shared they gathered their belongings and got dressed
neither one having time to shower. They threw on jeans and T shirts with
their coats and caps and before the clock hit eleven they were down stairs
in the cab hoping that they collected everything and cursing the rest of
the group for the late wake up call.

Joey laughed at the sight of the two as they sat tousled and angry. "Boy
you two stink." Chris stated, pinching his nose.

"We didn't get to take a shower this morning, what's your excuse?" Justin
spat back.

"Well, look at it this way, in a few hours you'll be at home and you can
shower there." Lance stated, resting his arms behind his head as the
crowded cab led them to the airport.

At the gate, seating arrangements were made and Justin and J.C. wound up
next to each other once again. Happily tucked into their first class seats
the two relaxed and J.C. tentatively grabbed Justin's hand. As the plane
accented into the air, they looked at one another, smiles playing on both
of their lips.

"This is nice." J.C. whispered, lightly brushing his lip against Justin's
ear. Justin looked back at his friend and smiled.  The two finally dosed
off into a peaceful sleep, neither one prepared for what they had to face
ahead.

***

Safe in his mother's arms, Justin felt the best he had in weeks, fearing
only that the others or his parents would find out. "Justin!" his brother
cried, happy to see his band member once again. He tackled him once he was
inside their home, knocking him onto the ground causing laughs all around.

"He should be a linebacker." Chris noted, dragging his bag into the
entryway.

"If y'all think I'm gonna be nice and do everyone's laundry again... well,
throw it by the door." Lynne said, clearly enjoying the boys being home
once again.

Making their way upstairs, Justin and J.C. headed into their separate
rooms, and then racing to the bathroom. Both arrived at the same time and
for a brief moment the thought passed of showering together, but that was
quickly dismissed. Justin gave in to a kiss and allowed J.C. the first
bath, while the rest of the other guys camped out in their usual vacant
guest bedrooms.  Jonathan bounced into his brother's room so he could watch
Justin unload his dirty clothes into a pile on the floor. "Did you bring me
anything, huh? Did ya?" Jonathan said bouncing up and down on his bed.

"Maybe, unless you know some one else who'd want this." Justin replied
producing a small toy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jonathan replied bouncing out of
Justin's room and into his own, desperately trying to figure out the
contraption.

J.C. emerged moments later, wearing only a towel. "It's all yours." He
replied drying his hair with another towel.

"Promise?" Justin smirked, looking J.C. up and down.

"Hey now, none of that, not right now anyway. Go get cleaned up."

"Alright." He sighed, grabbing his clothes and heading into the bathroom.

J.C. wondered into his bedroom, the one he had since he was 19, and he
began to get dressed. "Over and over I fall" he sang, recalling one of his
favorite songs from the new album. "This I promise you." His mind was still
confused but his heart soared high. He splashed on some cologne and went
down stairs to join the rest of the group.

Justin entered the kitchen a few minutes later, realizing that his mom
began to make spaghetti for an early dinner. He grabbed a roll of the
counter and plunged into a chair as Joey set the table and Lance helped
with the sauce. "This is your house you know." Chris stated, implying he
should be helping too.

"So, you live here about as much as I do."

"Good point." Chris noted, ignoring the subject and returning his attention
back to Jonathan, helping him figure out his new toy.

"Hey, Jus, could you come here a minute? I can't find my planner and I was
wondering if you packed it by mistake." J.C. called from the living room.

"Sure." Justin groaned, following the sound of his best friend's voice.

"I think it might be in the bag in your room." J.C. stated, clearly wanting
to spend some time alone with his love interest. The two made it up the
stairs and barely into Justin's bedroom before they started kissing. Justin
closed the door and pushed J.C. back on the bed, climbing on top.

"Slow down cowboy." J.C. whispered, letting Justin open his shirt and kiss
his stomach.

"We only have a few minutes and I missed you." Justin pouted, realizing
that they didn't have enough time to do anything.

"I know, baby." J.C. said, kissing him lightly on the lips, then with more
force, thrusting his tongue down his throat, making Justin moan. Justin
took J.C.'s tongue and sucked the tip, lightly at first, then harder,
causing a moan rise from his throat.

"Dinner boys!" Lynne called, breaking the moment.

"Later." Justin whispered. They straightened up their appearance and
tracked down the stairs, their hunger taking over.

"Find it?" Lance asked, stuffing his mouth with spaghetti.

"Find what?" J.C. said taking his place.

"What you were looking for."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Where was it?"

"Justin's room."

"Figures." Chris threw in, eating a giant meatball.

Dinner was rather uneventful and they all decided to take a nap and go out
to their favorite club later that evening. The five tromped p the stairs,
their exhaustion taking over. Wistfully, Justin watched J.C. enter his
private bedroom hoping he would come to him later. He waited for a while
and the decided that it was probably best. He had no idea what his mom
would say if she found the two together. He took off his pants and crawled
into his own bed and drifted fast asleep.

J.C. ran his hand down his stomach, imagining it was Justin's. He found the
way to the top of his boxers and slid them down, massaging his growing
cock. He imagined Justin's gentle touch and warm hand and he moaned,
whispering his name. He sank his head deeper into the pillows as his pace
quickened, and thought of Justin's tongue run along his shaft, then across
the head.  He felt himself tense, and he knew that his orgasm was close. He
let out a deep sigh as he came allover the sheets. Then he rolled over fast
asleep.

Close to eight Justin snuck in J.C.'s room, waiting to wake him up. He sat
on the side of the bed and ran his hand through J.C.'s hair. Feeling
naughty, he leaned in and kissed his neck, Still he got no
response. J.C. was out cold. He ran his hand down his stomach and noticed
that his boxers were kicked across the room. He smiled and used that as an
incentive, daring to go farther down. He touched the bare flesh of his dick
and got a low moan and then a smile. He began to work his hand up and down,
softly calling J.C.'s name. J.C.'s eyes flittered open and he was greeted
with a loving smile. "Hi sweetie." He said, arching his back as Justin
continued his steady pace. "I was just thinking of you."

"I can tell. You're clothes are on the other side of the room. Was it
nice?" Justin asked, leaning in for a kiss.

"Always." J.C. responded, pulling Justin on top of him. After a few minutes
of making out, Justin sat up. "As much as I'd love to stay here, we've got
to get ready or we're going to be found out."

J.C. sighed and agreed to sit up. " I can't wait until we're on the road
again." He stated, throwing back the cover and getting out of bed. "Then we
can spend some quality time together."

"Me either." Justin smiled, watching J.C. pick out his clubbing outfit. He
was flattered that J.C. thought about him. "Can you wait until tonight?"

"What's tonight?" J.C. asked pulling on his shirt.

"Quality time." Justin responded with a smile.

"Well if you put it that way, no. I can't wait, but I guess I have no other
choice."

Together they made their way down stairs, anticipating their time together
later that night. At the club, in the darkened room with the music blaring,
The guys danced with the girls, clearly being lusted after. They were all
hot and sweaty and while the music played, Justin kept throwing glances at
J.C., and in return he received a lustful stare.  The group continued to
hang out, dancing and mingling with all the regulars and fans while the
time passed rather quickly. Before they knew it, it was 2:30 and the crowd
was thinned down to a tenth of what it was when they arrived. Still in the
mood to party, Chris Joey and Lance went to a friend's house and Justin and
J.C. headed back to Justin's house.

Entering the front door quietly, Justin and J.C. went upstairs into
Justin's room. Before the door was closed they were rapped up in each
other's arms, kissing passionately. Their pulses were racing and their
bodies' were still laced in sweat. They paused to breathe and Justin leaned
against J.C. breathing him in. "You smell so good." He whispered, inhaling
deeply.

"I wanted to be with you all night. " J.C. responded guiding Justin to the
bed and laying him down. He started kissing the part of his exposed neck
and then moved down to where his shirt opened. He slid his fingers gently
around the first button and unhooked it, then he kissed the exposed flesh,
slowly working his way through each button until Justin's shirt lay open,
completely revealing his smooth stomach. Justin quivered at every touch,
his body aching with pleasure. J.C. rose up and kissed Justin on the lips,
and then he slid back down heading south. Justin struggled with J.C.'s
shirt, sliding it off, allowing it to fall to the floor. J.C. unbuttoned
Justin's pants, sliding his hand around the buldge. Justin gasped and
pulled lightly on J.C.'s hair while J.C. tugged off his jeans. They fell to
the floor with a quiet thud and he climbed on top of Justin, brushing his
hips against Justin's.

They ravaged each other, their hands roaming in places they never been
before. Growing more excited, they threw away all of their inhibitions and
grew more physical. J.C. slid down Justin's body and kissed his way to his
boxers. His dick was so hard it was barely covered by the thin cotton
material. J.C. moved his hand inside his boxers and tugged them down
exposing Justin's happy trail and pubic region. Kissing Justin's hipbones
he worked the material down and off so Justin's body was completely
uncovered.  Standing erect Justin's cock measured close to seven
inches. J.C, moved his way down kissing Justin's thighs and running his
tongue around his pelvis. He licked the head of Justin's cock, causing
Justin to bite his bottom lip and squeeze J.C.'s back. He placed his lips
over the top and slid them down onto the shaft, working his long tongue
around the head. Slowly, he took more and more deeper into his mouth until
the first three inches were hidden by his lips. Then he woul!  d slide it
out and back down, ea ch time covering more distance with his
throat. Finally it was all inside and Justin was gasping with pleasure,
letting small whimpering noises escape, even though he knew how imperative
it was that he was quiet.

Beginning to suck, he worked his throat muscles as though he was eating a
melting ice cream cone. Slowly he devoured Justin's quivering unit, causing
spasms of pleasure. He felt his lover's back arch, sucking harder he
grabbed the back of Justin's hips. He moved his strong hands around to his
ass, and as he felt Justin begin to climax he lightly ran his finger around
his hole. Feeling Justin begin to cum he pumped his finger in and out
causing a deep moan and a low gurgle. Five streams pumped deep into his
throat and as he removed the softened shaft he slid back up his spent lover
and kissed him deeply swapping Justin's seed in a sealing kiss. Together
they lay, both tired from their extraneous make out session, completely
content and ready to fall asleep.

Close to six in the morning before the sun began to rise. J.C. snuck back
into his bedroom and closed the door. He stumbled into his room and lay
down on his bed, exhausted and pleased. "Justin." he whispered, sinking his
head into his soft pillow. He knew their relationship wasn't based on
talking, and perhaps that's because that's all they used to do, but he felt
as though he needed to discuss the parent and group situation. 'I'll worry
about it later.' He thought.

Close to noon, all of the guys managed to stumble out of bed and into the
living room where Jonathan was watching the last of the morning
cartoons. Ruffled hair and all J.C. plopped down next to Justin briefly
reliving the night before.

"Hey you." He whispered, running his hand lightly on Justin's when no one
was looking.

"Hey." He noticed the look of distraught on Justin's face and turned his
full attention to Justin's emotions. "Hey, you wanna go talk about it?"

"I guess, it's just that I wanted to-- well, I can't say it here but yeah,
lets go talk about it."

Together they made their way upstairs, realizing that no one cared where
they were going or even noticed that the two had left the room. Safe inside
J.C. 's room Justin relaxed and took his place on the bed, fidgeting with
the comforter.

"What's wrong baby?" J.C. asked blocking the door with his body. "Was it
about last night? Are we moving too fast, because if we are we don't have
to do anything else, or even that for that matter, we can just kiss. It's
okay, honestly."

"No, that's not it at all, I like it when I'm with you, you make me feel so
good, agh, It's just that well, I wanted you to-- I mean, you didn't get
to... you didn't get off, that's not fair."

J.C. smiled and moved right in front of where Justin was sitting. He took
the young boy's face in his hand and kissed the tip of his nose. "It's not
all about that sweetie. When I'm with you, I don't have to get off every
time. We just started. My only goal last night was to make you happy."

"How did you know how to do that though? I mean, it was so nice and I just
don't know if I could do that as good as you did for me."

"I just knew, that's all, I mean I read magazines and stuff.'

"Have you ever had practice?" Justin asked, curiously.

"There was this one guy, that I thought I feel in love with a while back,
when we finished our first tour and well, we fooled around."

"What all did you do?"

"Things I wish I didn't. Why are you so curious? That was before you."

"Because I want to know if you've done... things before me. I want to know
what it was like and if you enjoyed it and if you-- nevermind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Are you asking me if I fucked him?"

"No. Did you?"

Jus, that was a long time ago and I didn't understand much of anything,
it's not that big of a deal."

"It should be."

"Why?"

"Because, I want to know."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you want to know if I ever made love to another man before you?
Or even worse..."

"What?"

"If, if you thought about him while we were together."

"That's absurd."

"No it isn't. What if I'm not moving as fast as you're used to? What If I'm
just inexperienced and dumb and I still don't know how the world
works. What If all I am to you is rebound boy with a tight ass?"

"Okay, stop. First off, when I'm with you no one else exists. Second of
all, I was close to your age and curious as hell. I didn't know how the
world works either and I don't claim to, now. I don't think you're
dumb. And what he and I did, it wasn't making love, okay? I'm saving that
for you. "

"What did you do?"

"Stuff. Stuff that doesn't carry into our relationship and never will."

"Quit avoiding the question."

"What question?"

"Did you fuck him?"  "Yes. No-- I mean, I let him..."

Silence passed, both hating each other for a moment. Justin for not being
the first and J.C, for bringing it up. Finally they both looked up, daring
to meet each other's eyes.

"I didn't love him." J.C. whispered, running his had around Justin's
face. " I love you." They kissed, slowly and tenderly, memorizing each
other's face with their hands and each other's mouth with their lips. A
knock on the door startled them both, causing them to jump away.

"Yeah." J.C. answered.

"It's me. What are you two doing in here anyway?" Lance asked accusingly.

"Practicing. I was trying to get Justin to go over 'This I Promise You.' We
need to get it down before MTV. "

"He sounds good to me."

"Thanks Scoop." Justin responded. "But you know how Daddy is." Standing up
he moved over to the door, throwing J.C. a glance. "I'm gonna go play Sega
with Jonathan.

"Sure."

Once Justin left the room Lance sat down next to J.C. "We need to talk."

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"I know."

"You know what?"

"About Justin."

"Could you vague that up for me?"

"I know you two are together. I just don't want what happened last time to
happen this time."

"Lance, what are you talking about?"

"Josh, don't play stupid, I think we're beyond that.  Look, you and I, well
that was a long time ago, but you can't hurt Justin. It can't be what it
was with us."

"What were we? Can I ask you that? Can you look me in the eye and tell me
that I wasn't just a fuck for you?"

"Honestly I don't know what you were then. It was a long time ago and we
were both young. And so is Justin."

"What's your sudden interest in my love life?"

"I don't want the kid to get hurt, that's all."

"Stay out of it."

"Are you sure you're not doing this to get back at me?"

"This has nothing to do with you, why would you think that?"

"Because you know, J.C. You know about Justin."

"Yeah, you have a crush, so what?"

"How can you be such a dick about this?"

"You weren't complaining then."

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't. I guess I just needed to get off."

"Get out of my room."

"Fine. Don't hurt him. I'm warning you."

J.C. sat there like he was slapped in the face. Tears stung his cheeks a
thousand times from the words thrown at him. 'That asshole.' He thought,
punching his pillow. He knew then that he did love Lance, and part of him
still did. He remembered the days at the Bass' house, were the two of them
had long talks and made out all of the time. Then he remembered the night
they had sex, clearly recalling how Lance left the room to sleep in his
own, not daring to hold him. He remembered how Lance avoided eye contact
the next day and how he finally had the nerve to tell him that things just
weren't working out the way he planned. How Lance looked him in they eye
and told him that he didn't love him, never did.

J.C. wept, pouring his heart out into the pillow at the memory of his pain.
"I'll never hurt Justin like that." He whispered, falling asleep again.

***

It was close to four when J.C. heard the door open. Startled he looked up
to find Justin there, staring down at him with concern. "What's wrong."

"Nothing, now that you're here." J.C. replied, pushing the earlier events
out of his mind. Justin walked over to him and gave him a hug, slowly
kissing his neck in the process.

"That feels good." He replied, running his hand up and down Justin's
back. They kissed, slowly sending each other emotions neither one knew the
other had.

"I'm sorry." Justin whispered.

"For what baby?" J.C. asked, sitting up.

"For prying into your life. I just, I guess I had to know."

"It's okay, I understand."

With that the two went down stairs and engaged in a group card game of
contract rummy. During the game, Lance avoided J.C.'s gaze, afraid that he
hurt his friend with his cruel words. Chris won, and they moved on to pizza
for dinner. They were all invited for a party at Nick's house and Chris
Lance and Joey had every intention on going. J.C. and Justin decided to go
see a movie instead, offering to bring Jonathan along. They all spilt up,
Jonathan, Justin and J.C. headed for the local cinema and the rest of the
boys went to the party.

"Those two sure have been spending more time together than normal." Chris
remarked, sliding in the back of Joey's Jeep.

"I haven't noticed." Lance replied, srugging off the remark as he watched
the other group pull