| Chapter 11 Kristin's conversation with JC rang in her mind over and over as she got dressed for the day ahead of her. Kristin, I've learned one thing during this time. I love you. And I want to be with you. I felt the way your body reacted when my hand brushed against your skin, when I kissed you. I know you feel the same way. Now all you have to do is realize it yourself." "JC, I can't." "Why not? What are you afraid of?" "I'm afraid of what we would be." Kristin could tell that JC didn't understand what she meant. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she meant herself. "JC, I know you and I would be something…something that I'm not ready for. I have things that I have to do in my life before…" "Kristin, are you listening to yourself? You know you feel the same way I do. You know that you and I belong together. Some people look their whole life and don't find what we have. And you're going to pass this up." "I can't be with you JC." "Why not? Give me one good reason that you can't." "Don't you understand, I just can't be with you." Before JC could argue, Kristin picked up her shirt from JC's floor. Kristin looked into JC's hurt eyes once again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. A small tear came to her eyes as she saw over in her mind the hurt JC must have been feeling to give her the look that he did. She shook the thought from her mind deciding she didn't have time to think about that now. Looking herself once more, she found it a little odd that it was her own reflection that she saw in the mirror. She almost missed being in JC's body. "Stop it Kristin," she said aloud. "You're driving yourself mad. You can't be with him." She hoped telling herself that would help. Much to her disappointment, it didn't. She picked up her jacket and tried to think of anything else she needed to do before she left the house. "Talking to yourself again," Kristin heard a familiar voice say. She turned to see Libby standing in the doorway her arms crossed over her chest. Libby looked at her friend and saw she was wearing a medium length black skirt, and a red shirt. Her hair was done up nicely and her leather jacket was in her arms. "Where are you off to?" "I'm going back to Blossoms. I'm hoping maybe I can get my job back." Kristin focused once again on being ready to go and remembered all she had left to do was get into the car. "You're not serious, Kristin? Are you?" Kristin looked at Libby seeing the complete shock covered over her face. "What? Of course I'm serious. I still need a job Libby. I got that test out of the way now I need to secure my finances. I've looked all over this town and have not found one job. I need some sources of income." "I thought you hated that job. Kristin, what is going on with you? You haven't been acting like yourself. First you give me bad advice about JC, something you've never done before. You've always been the one person that knows exactly what I should do. Then you don't come home for several days, never really telling me why. You said it had something to do with a test you were studying for, but you've always been able to study for tests her before. Why was this test any different?" "Libby, you're right, I haven't been acting like myself lately. But I promise you, I'm back to my old self again. No worries." "There's still one thing I don't understand." Kristin looked at her clock knowing that if she didn't hurry she'd be late for her meeting with her old boss. "Hurry, Libby, I'm kinda in a hurry." "What has been up with you and JC lately. A few weeks ago, no, no, a few days ago, you two were at each other’s throats. Then all of a sudden, Joey and I catch you two in the kitchen, talking as if you two are the best of friends. I don't get it." "I have a confession to make, Libby and I don't want you to be mad at me." "Uh, oh. I've heard that before. Let me guess, you and JC have hooked up. And the reason you've been avoiding me these last few days is because you felt too guilty to tell me. Am I right or am I right?" "You're not right at all. It does have something to do with JC though." Kristin looked at her watch, she only had 20 minutes to get to her old job and it took about that long on a good day. "Crap, Libby, I really have to go. I want you to talk to JC. Remember he told you to talk to him in a few days about how he felt about you? Now would be the perfect time to ask him. I'm not promising anything, but I think you two should talk about how you feel." "But Kristin…" "Libby, I'm going to be late. We'll talk when I get back and hopefully have my old job back." ***************************************************************************** Kristin walked into the very familiar bar, with a minute to spare. The moment she walked in, she wished she hadn't, feeling the weight of the stares on her. She turned to leave but heard her name being called by a very familiar voice. "Kristin, right on time." Kristin turned to see Victor Baldwin, the man she knew as her now ex boss. Kristin smiled nervously as Baldwin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to his office. Once inside, he shut the door and turned to her. "Changed your mind, eh?" he said a crooked smile on his face. "Couldn't stay away, you had to have my body?" Kristin forced herself to smile though at this point she felt like kicking him where the sun don't shine. "I would really like to have my job back, Victor. I didn't have my head on straight that day and I said some things that I shouldn't have and…" "You got it," he said simply. "Thank you so…" "You know the price." Kristin looked at him a little confused and watched him adjust his belt buckle. "Excuse me," she said, trying to hold back her disgust, but not very hard. "Kristin, I'm just joking. You don't have to sleep with me to get your job back, or even a promotion. However, I would like to know if you'd like to go on a date with me." Baldwin watched her face carefully waiting for her reaction. "Don't worry, I'll be a complete gentleman. And I know this is the worst time for me to ask you, but, I've been wanting to ask you out for the longest time and I'm afraid if I don't do it now, you'll quit again before I have the opportunity. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?" Kristin felt her anger building as she heard JC's voice in her ear. "If you would even consider doing that, then I had way more respect for you than you deserve.” Kristin shook the thought from her head and focused back on Baldwin. "So what do you say?" she heard him repeat. "What do I say?" Kristin glared into his eyes. "I say that I should have you busted for sexual harassment." "What?" Baldwin was obviously surprised by her answer. None of his workers had ever stood up for their rights before, he was definitely not used to it. "You heard me. I have half a mind to report you." "Kristin,…" Baldwin took a step toward her. "Don't come near me. If I ever hear of you harassing any of your workers ever again, your ass is so mine! Don't you know that the women that work here have a low enough self esteem that they don't need you making it worse? All we're trying to do is earn some money and for most of us this is the only job we could get. Why don't you try treating us like people and not the sex objects that this job demands us to be?! Men like you make me sick and why I ever applied here is beyond me." Baldwin found himself at a loss for words. Kristin turned and walked out of his office silently swearing never to step foot in that place again. ***************************************************************************** JC walked down the halls of his father's building, the weight of all the women staring at him causing him to be a little nervous. For some reason, his mind wondered to Kristin, and he suddenly felt sorry for her that she had to go through this. Then again, he had to go through it everyday, and no one felt sorry for him. No one ever took him seriously. The thought angered him. He stopped a moment just outside his office to get a drink from the water cooler. As he bent over to fill the paper cup full of cool water, he felt a sharp pain from someone pinching him. He quickly stood up in time to see one of the employees removing her hand from his butt. "Morning, Hot Stuff," she said, as she had said every day since the first day he started working there. "You know, Miss Welch, you and I have to get something straight here. I am the VP of this company. I am in control of whether or not you are employed here. I'm am getting SICK and tired of you grabbing my butt, calling me 'Hot Stuff' and all the other things you do on a daily basis to harass me. I'm telling you now it's going to stop. Or I'm going to march my happy little butt into my father's office and you'll be finding yourself needing a new job. Am I making myself clear?" Miss Welch looked at JC, her face covered in horror. He'd never before stood up to himself and she wasn't sure she knew how to act. All she found she could do was nod. JC looked around at all the other employees who had stopped what they were doing to watch the display going on in front of them. "Am I making myself clear to all of you?" Terrified, the workers quickly went back to what they were doing before avoiding eye contact. JC nodded satisfied with himself, not knowing he had it in him. He turned on his heal and walked to his office. No sooner was he inside had his secretary buzzed in. "Yeah?" "Mr. Chasez, there is a Libby Fatone here to see you? Shall I tell her your busy?" "Libby," JC said to himself, "I wonder what she's doing here." He thought a moment and then answered, "No, send her in." A few minutes later, Libby walked into JC's office, and shut the door behind her. JC could tell by the way she was making herself toward him that she was not happy. "JC, we need to talk." Libby crossed her arms over her chest barely able to control her emotions. "Okay?" JC said confused. "What is it?" "Do you remember a few days ago a conversation that we had?" JC swallowed hard knowing that any conversation from a few days ago would be one that she had with Kristin and not with himself. "I'm…um….kinda fuzzy on the last few days. Care to fill me in?" He hoped he was subtle enough that she wouldn't have any further questions about it. "Sure, I'll refresh your memory. A few days ago, when I kissed you, you said you needed some time to figure things out. Well I've given you time. It's time for you to just come out and say it. I can't go on continuing to wonder or not. Do you, or do you not…" she paused a moment, seeing the look on his face, scared of what she was about to ask him. She couldn't help but smile, "…do you or do you not, like me friend?" JC's eyes widened not expecting her to end her question like that. "What, what do you mean? I,…uh…" "JC, why don't you just ask her out? It's obvious how you two feel about each other. It's obvious you like her, it may even be more than that, I'm not sure. But I know she feels the same about you. I've never seen her act so oddly before. She's been giving me bad advice, sleeping other places besides my house where she lives. I know that she likes you otherwise she wouldn't be acting so strangely. Will you just trust me on this one? Ask her out!" JC nodded just to humor his best friend's sister. "All right, Libby, you got me. I do have feelings for Kristin. And the next time I see her I'll make it a point to tell her." Libby nodded satisfied. "That's all I ask." She looked him over once more. "You know, it's a shame that you and I couldn't work out. We'd make a cute couple. But I know that you and Kristin belong together, so no matter how much I'm attracted to you, I will forever hold my piece." With that, Libby walked to the door to his office and left. "Kristin and I belong together," JC repeated aloud to himself. He couldn't help the sigh that left his lips. "Just tell her that. ***************************************************************************** Kristin walked into her house and shut the door quietly behind her. She knew no one was home judging by the missing cars from the front of the house. As she made her way into the kitchen to make herself something to eat, she found that she was very proud of herself. The way she'd stood up to Baldwin, no one that she worked with had ever done that. She wasn't one to pat herself on the back, but she knew that this was an occasion where it was allowed. A frown spread over her face as the events of that day replayed in her head. She was still without a job, still without a way to support herself. "Damn," she said quietly to herself. The phone rang breaking through her thoughts. "Hello?" "Yes, is this Kristin?" the masculine voice on the other line said. "Yes this is she." "Hi, Kristin, this is Roy Chasez. Do you have a moment?" Kristin felt her heart jump into her throat hearing it was JC's father. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat that had made its way there. "Yeah, I do. What can I help you with?" she could hear her voice shaking, as well as could he. "Don't be nervous dear," he said in a chuckle. "I've called to offer you a job." |
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