"What the fuck was wrong with you tonight, JC?" Joey asked his friend, as soon as they were safe in the privacy of their room.
"I could ask you the same question, Joey." JC answered, not turning to look at Joey as he entered the bathroom. It was in moments like this when Joey hated the fact that their management was too cheap to pay for separate rooms for them all, and they always ended up sharing rooms. In a nice attempt to avoid getting on each other nerves, they usually rotated rooms. Sometimes, Joey and Lance roomed together, and Justin and JC shared the other. Or Justin and Joey would share, leaving Lance and JC together…
It was just pure bad luck that he happened to share the room with JC just the night when JC was acting like a jackass.
"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to hide his anger. Or at least to contain it.
"Look, Joey." JC answered, now dressed with a pair of faded pants and a sweatshirt. "You were acting weird, and someone has to look for the group's well being."
"The group's well being?!" Joey yelled. "What the fuck has to do being nice to our fans with the group' well being?!"
"Mr. Kirkpatrick is not a fan, Joey! He didn't even listened to the concert!" JC yelled back, working anger. "There was no reason for you and Lance to be so nice with him!"
"Well, there was no reason for you to act like such an ass to him!"
Both men stood in the middle of the room, very much like a Mexican standoff. Finally, it was Joey the one who broke the silence.
"You know what? Fuck this." He said, walking to the door. "I'm going to change rooms with Justin."
Without waiting for an answer, he left the room, and banged quite loudly in the door crossing the hallway. Justin answered, looking already half asleep.
"What's up, man?" He asked, trying to fight back the tiredness.
"You're sleeping with JC tonight." Joey explained, passing by Justin and taking one of the beds. Justin blinked, as if he were going to say something about it but shook his head in the last minute.
"Whatever, man." The younger member of *N Sync said, and crossed the door. "See you in the morning."
Joey didn't answer.
He just closed his eyes and drifted to sleep with Chris' laughter echoing
in his ears, as the sweetest lullaby he had ever heard.
* * *
Chris was alone in his bed, staring at the bag in front of him as if something were going to come out and bite him. The girls had all picked theirs, and went zooming to Emily's room, ready to get everything out, and giggle and laugh until they fell asleep from sheer excitement.
Which left him alone with his own bag of *N Sync souvenirs, and no idea of what to do with it.
Finally, he dared to get his hands inside, and pulled out a bright orange box, inside which was a doll that had an almost passable likeness to Joey. Chris stared at if for a long time, not knowing if he should open it or leave it in there… Finally, he just put it on his night table, and, in a swift movement, dumped all the bag contents over his back.
There were posters, buttons, stickers and so much memorabilia from the group that Chris thought it would take him a year to sort it all out. And he couldn't give it to Emily, who surely had a similar selection in her own bag. And he couldn't throw it away when most of it had Joey's smiling face printed on.
Suddenly, a folded paper caught his attention. It looked a little out of place, so he bent and picked it up.
What he read on it, made his knees go weak and he fell to the floor.
"Chris,
I really would like to talk with you about something. We're staying at the Ramada Inn, my room is 356. Call, please. I'm rooming with Justin, but I'll try to answer the phone tomorrow. We're leaving in two days, but I'm sure I can squeeze some time to see you if you call in the morning.
Lance."
Chris stared at the note for a long, long moment, as if waiting for it to disappear. It had to be wrong, it had to be a joke, it had… it had to be a dream. He hadn't spend the evening with Joey Fatone, with whom he had developed a crush on, he hadn't received a note from Lance Bass, he hadn't seen Danny again.
Danny.
The name of his ex-boyfriend was like a cold bucket of water right over his head, and Chris closed his eyes, trying to fight back the tears. Danny had been nice, he had apologized… but even so, he had managed to ruin Chris' last moments at Joey's side…
Danny had seen him in the table with the group. Thankfully, he hadn't recognized them. His ex's taste of music leaned more towards instrumental and he rarely ever heard anything that included someone's voice. That had been one of their main differences, since Chris loved to sing. But he had appreciated the fact that the four members were really attractive and had been all apologies and regret… Almost as if he had been jealous.
But he didn't want to think about that possibility. Danny had broken
his heart, left him for someone else…and Chris didn't want to be
the replacement for that someone else.
* * *
Breakfast at Lance and Joey's room was unusually filled with silence. Joey was not talking to JC and JC was glaring at Joey. Lance seemed ready to bolt at every sound, and Justin was too occupied with his cereal bowl to care about anything.
"I really liked that Chris guy," Justin said suddenly, making Joey almost choke on his orange juice. He wasn't ready to hear his thoughts being expressed out loud. "One of the nicest fans we've ever met."
"He wasn't a fan." JC stated, not looking up from his salad. Joey had the feeling that JC didn't want to hear anything about Chris Kirkpatrick at that early hour in the morning.
Well, too bad.
"But that doesn't mean he wasn't a nice guy." Joey said, smiling at Justin and Lance. "Last night wasn't as bored as most 'Dream Dates' we've been to."
"It would have been great to hang like that, without the pressures of reporters, management and the girls." Lance added, looking at the phone. That made Joey frown. As far as he knew, the schedule for the day had already been handed to them, so there was no need to wait for another call.
"Emily was nice too." The young singer finished his cereal and placed the bowl in the tray. "Once she eased up a little. Pity they all got so silent at the end, I really wanted to know what was that 'choir thing' they kept giggling about."
"It was probably another stupid prank like the one with the clothes." JC mumbled, shifting in his place. At that, Justin looked at his band mate, puzzled, and Joey had to smile. If anyone could pry out of JC what was bugging him, it was Justin.
"What's wrong, man? You've been acting weird since last night."
"Maybe I just didn't like the wonderful Mr. Kirkpatrick," JC didn't look straight into Justin's eyes, making Joey frown. JC only did that when he wanted to keep a secret, and Joey now was dying to find out. He had the nagging suspicion that it was something bigger than JC' instant dislike at Chris. "And, anyway, we are leaving Albany in two days. It's not as if we're going to see him again."
JC had a point, Joey had to admit. And that made him grow silent. Sure, he now knew where Chris lived, and he could try and go there… But to what propose? He still didn't know what to tell him.
He was so immersed in his own thoughts that he almost didn't hear the phone ring.
"I'll get it!" Lance yelled, getting to his feet before anyone
could say anything else.
* * *
Chris'
breakfast had been full of happy noises: giggling, laughing, teasing and
the occasional spoon falling to the floor. Marcy, Jeanette and Emily had
decided to spend the whole Saturday telling to their other friends about
the wonderful dinner they had the night before, and in a few minutes,
the only ones left in the kitchen had been Chris, her other sister, Kate,
and little Taylor, since their mother and Molly were visiting an aunt
in Pennsylvania.
It was then when he pulled out the piece of paper he had found the night before, staring at it as if it held the answer he needed.
"What's that?" Kate asked, looking at him at the same time she poured her third orange juice glass of the morning.
"Nothing." Chris answered, folding the paper to put it on his jacket. However, Kate was faster than him, as she picked it up, unfolded it and read it.
"Oh, my." She said, placing her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my. You call this nothing? You finally dump Danny, and just three days afterwards you already have someone slipping you his hotel room number! Way to go! Is he cute?"
"Lance is not a date, Kate…" Chris began, wondering how much he could tell his sister. "He… I don't know. He could be a friend. I just meet him last night."
"Lance… mmm… Justin…" Kate closed her eyes for a second, and Chris could practically see the light bulb appearing next to her head as she realized the truth. "Oh my g-d! Lance and Justin! In the Ramada! Last night! I can't believe it!"
"Kate, it is not…" He began, but his sister was not stopping.
"You were supposed to take care of Emily, not flirt with the band!" She said, sitting down. "I can't believe it! My brother just got a note from one of America's most wanted bachelors!"
"It's not what you're thinking, Kate…" Chris said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm not sure that I'll call…"
"Why? Why not?" Kate looked at him, shocked. "I mean... what's wrong with Lance? He's hot! Even when he went totally platinum!"
Sighing, Chris decided to tell Kate everything. From his messy breakup with Danny, to his first glimpse of Joey Fatone in the bar, to his realization of who Joey was, to the dinner and his meeting with Danny. At the end, Kate was laughing out loud, tears coming out from the corner of her eyes.
"I can't believe it!" She said, when she finally calmed down a little. "I can't believe you saw Joey Fatone from *N Sync in a gay bar and didn't recognized him!"
"You would have done the same mistake!" Chris counterattacked, blushing bright red.
"No way! I'm 20, not dead!" Kate laughed. "I've heard Emily's cds too! I would have gone to the concert if I hadn't had so much work! And you're going to call them now!"
"But… Kate…" Chris almost chocked on his cereal, amazed at his sister's words. "I can't!"
"If you don't, I'll call them! You decide." Kate smirked, pointing to the kitchen phone.
Chris looked at
his sister, fully aware that she truly meant that, and then rose from
his seat to grab the phone book and find the Ramada hotel number.
* * *
"Yeah?" Lance answered the phone, trying to ignore the confused stares of his friends, not knowing what to expect. Once the operator announced that he had a call from outside the hotel, Lance closed his eyes and hoped for the best.
"Lance?" Chris' voice came to him, but it was too low, almost drown by the static. "It's Chris… Kirkpatrick."
"Yeah, Hi!" Lance smiled, turning around to keep his back at the group. He was just forming his new plan, and he didn't want the guys finding out yet. "Say, you're free today?"
"Sure…" The answer was hesitant, and Lance knew that Chris was second guessing himself. Probably because of JC. "I mean… if you guys don't mind."
"We'll be alone. Let me see… We have a couple of free hours around 4:00…" Lance looked at his schedule, smiling. "Know any good places around here?" Once that Chris answered, the young singer jotted the address in a napkin. "Sure. See you there."
He hung up, and smiled at the group, who now was completely silent.
"Who was that?" JC asked, frowning. Lance had to bit his lips to stop a chuckle. If JC kept doing that, his face was going to stay that way forever.
"A friend." Lance answered, sitting down to finish his breakfast.
"Now let's hurry. I don't wanna be late for rehearsal."
* * *
Joey watched Lance leave the room and frowned. Something was not right there, and, judging by JC's frown, he wasn't the only one who had noticed…
Unless JC had finally managed to stuck his face in that position.
He made some silly excuse about having forgetting something in his room, and left the guys near the elevator. Then, when he was sure the others were not following he picked up the phone.
"Yes, how can I help you?" A sweet female voice in the other side answered.
"Yeah, I'm Joey, from room 356… say, could you please tell me the name of the person who just called my room?" He asked, praying that he didn't sound to weird.
"Sure." the girl said. "Wait, please… Yeah. It was Mr. Christopher Kirkpatrick."
"Thanks." Joey's good mood evaporated immediately. He barely
heard the girl congratulating him for the great music, or when she giggled
saying that he was his biggest fan. He was too busy feeling betrayed and
broken hearted.
* * *
Chris hung up the phone, feeling butterflies in his stomach. But Kate was smiling at him, and he felt like smiling too… Suddenly it didn't sounded like such a bad idea at all.
Maybe, just maybe, he could see Joey again.
And that was just good enough to make him smile all morning, until it
was time to leave to get in time for his reunion with Lance.