“What?” he asked calmly sitting down on the couch as the young man in the chair glared at him.
“Where the hell were you?” snapped the man.
“I’m not your servant Josh” pointed out Joey. “I’m your best friend.”
“Don’t call me that!” hissed the man. “My name is JC!”
“Fine, ‘JC’!” replied Joey with a roll of his eyes. “You know JC you should really do something about that anger problem of yours.”
“I do not have an anger problem!” yelled JC.
“Then why have you been pissed off since Timberlake released his new album and the critics have started to say that you’re done with?”
“Don’t mention that name around me!”
“Why?” asked Joey. “Weren’t you and him friends on MMC? Just because Lance is his manager is no reason to hate the guy!”
“Get out!” hissed JC rising from his chair.
“Why? Because I mentioned Lance’s name? It’s been a year C. Get over it!”
“I can’t!” replied JC before storming off.
*~*~*
“Hey Lansten!” cried Justin Timberlake happily as he flopped down in the chair in front of his manager’s desk. “Ready to plan the new tour?”
“Yeah,” replied Lance coming out of the daze he was in before Justin entered the room.
“What were you thinking about Lancey?” asked Justin with a smile. “Some hot guy you saw on the way here this morning?”
“No Justin,” sighed Lance with a gentle smile. “I was just thinking about somebody I use to know.”
“Old boyfriend?” questioned Justin.
“Yeah,” sighed Lance.
“So call him up!”
“It’s not that easy,” sighed Lance. “It was someone back when I worked for JC.”
“Does it have to something to do with the reason why JC hates me now?” asked Justin with a hurtful look on his face. Back when they were on the Mickey Mouse Club together Justin had looked up to JC. When JC’s solo career took off, Justin was happy for him and wished him the best of luck. However a year ago when Justin’s own solo album became a hit, JC had all but ignored him and his work.”
“Sort of,” admitted Lance.
“What did you do? Asked Justin. “Date his brother?”
“No,” chuckled Lance with a small smile.
“What did you do? Come on! Tell me Lance!”
“Maybe one day,” replied Lance with a smile. “We have too much work to do right now.”
“Fine!” pouted Justin while Lance merely laughed at him.
*~*~*
“Welcome JC, have a seat,” spoke the short, dark-haired man as JC entered the room. It had been a week sine JC had the fight with Joey and he finally took his advice to seek help so Joey had recommended JC to a friend of his from way back when he worked a Universal Studios, who was a psychiatrist.
“Thank you Doctor,” replied JC sitting down in one of the many chairs in the doctor’s office.
“Call me Chris,” replied the psychiatrist. “Or Dr. Kirkpatrick. Whatever you prefer.”
“Alright Chris.”
“So JC,” began Chris. “Tell me why you’re here.”
“It was Joey’s idea,” sighed JC. “He says I’ve had an anger problem lately.”
“What timeframe is ‘lately’?” questioned Chris.
“Just over a year,” answered JC. “Ever since Lance left.”
“Who’s Lance?”
“My ex,” whispered JC.
“You’re gay?” asked Chris surprised. With four younger sisters Chris knew that JC Chasez was one of the hottest sex symbols around.
“Yes,” replied JC softly. “Only the closest people to me know.”
“Tell me about Lance,” ordered Chris getting over his shock quickly. He was a doctor, his job was to help JC not go running to the nearest tabloid with the news.
“I met him a few months before my twenty-second birthday, right before my first album took off. He was nineteen and was going to school in Orlando for business. I was driving around downtown when I saw a car ran a red light and struck this amazing blonde kid with incredible green eyes. The driver of the car took off and I was the first person to his side. It was love at first sight. He had a broken leg and he was dirt poor from his school bills so I helped pay his doctor’s bills. He refused help at first since he knew I was a struggling musician but then the album became a hit so it was no problem after that. For two years we were together, then I fucked it up. Lance left and made fucking Timberlake a star. Now they’re calling him my replacement.”
“What happened between the two of you?”
“Lance always hated the fact we had to hid the relationship but he understood. What he didn’t understand was why I needed a ‘girlfriend’ and why I couldn’t just be single,” sighed JC. “We fought about it all the time. Then on time during a huge fight I told him he was wasting his time being with me because my career would always come first, so he left.”
“I take it you now have changed your mind?”
“I didn’t mean it!” sobbed JC. “I was mad and upset. I loved Lance! I still do!”
“JC,” sighed Chris. “I think you know the source of your anger. You’re mad at yourself over what happened and therefore you lash out at everyone around you because you feel if you have to hurt so should they.”
“How do I fix it?” cried JC.
“You know that you have to do,” replied Chris and JC merely nodded his head.
*~*~*
“Hello?” asked Lance picking up the ringing phone. He however was met with silence. “Hello?”
“Lance?” whispered a voice. A voice that Lance could tell had been crying recently.
“What do you want JC?” sighed Lance trying hard not to show how much he missed that voice. He had to be strong.
“JC?”
“That’s your name,” sighed Lance.
“Not Josh?” whimpered the voice.
“If I remember correctly, Josh was a waste of my time, JC!” snapped Lance. “So why don’t you just leave me alone!”
“I’m sorry,” whispered JC before Lance hung up the phone on him.
“Who was that?” asked Justin walking into Lance’s office and seeing him so upset.
“Nobody,” mumbled Lance. “Let’s just get to work.”
“If it was nobody why are you so upset?”
“Just leave it Justin!” snapped Lance and Justin knew to drop it for the time being.
*~*~*
“What’s wrong?” asked Joey entering the room and seeing JC staring at the photo album in his lap with a sad look on his face.
“Thinking,” replied JC.
“About . . .”
“Everything,” sighed JC. “Mostly about my career. It’s was short but it was a fun ride.”
“You’re giving up?” asked Joey shocked. “Don’t listen to them C! I know you aren’t finished! Besides you love what you’re doing!”
“Bt it isn’t the love of my life,” replied JC sadly. “It hasn’t been for a long time.”
“What are you talking about JC?” asked Joey confused. “You love music more than anything! You have a gift C and you can’t just throw it away!”
“Can you please just leave me alone for awhile?” he begged. “I’ll be fine Joe. There’s just some stuff I have to take care of.”
“Sure C,” replied Joey. “I’ll see you later.”
When Joey had disappeared JC quickly pulled out a few pictures from the album. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered except for Lance.
*~*~*
“Lance!” cried Justin, two days later rushing into Lance’s office early that morning with the paper in his hand. “Did you see the news?”
“What news?” asked Lance, slightly annoyed with his young friend since it was so early in the morning.
“Someone outed JC Chasez! The pictures are all over the papers and TV!”
“What?!” cried Lance looking at the first page of the paper Justin had given him. As bright as day was a picture of JC kissing another person. The other person was hidden in shadows but it was clearly a man. It took Lance however a moment to realize that the other person in the picture was himself and even longer to realize that the picture was one of JC’s own collection from a private party a year and a half ago.
“Oh my God!” whispered Lance in shock as he put two and two together. JC outed himself.
“I wonder who would do that to him?”
“Come on Justin!” ordered Lance grabbing Justin’s arm and dragging him towards the door.
“Where are we going?”
“To see JC!”
*~*~*
“JC come on!” cried Joey pounding on the door. “Let me in!” When Joey had discovered the news that morning he had raced over to JC’s house. However by the time he had gotten there, JC had already looked himself in one of the many rooms and had been playing the piano ever since.
“No Joey!” called back JC, not pausing in his playing.
“Talk to him Chris!” begged Joey who was standing next to him. Joey had called Chris to try and talk JC out of the room and the psychiatrist had raced right over.
“JC!” called Chris. “It’s Dr. Kirkpatrick. I know you’ve been through a lot today so why don’t you open the door so we can talk?”
“Maybe later!”
“Now what?” asked Joey to Chris who shrugged his shoulders.
“We wait I guess,” replied Chris.
“Joey!” called a voice and both Joey and Chris turned around to see two figures rushing down the hallway towards them. As they got closer Joey recognized one as Lance, the other as Justin Timberlake. “How is he?”
“He locked himself in that room,” sighed Joey pointing towards the closed door.
Walking over to the door Lance gently knocked on the door. “Leave me alone Joey!” called an annoyed voice. “I want to be alone!”
“It’s not Joey, Josh!” called Lance, gently leaning his head up against the door as the music stopped playing. “Let me in Josh, we need to talk!”
Silence was heard inside the room until the click of the door being unlocked was heard and the door was eased open slightly and JC’s head popped out.
“Come in,” he whispered opening the door wide enough for Lance to enter. Once the blonde was inside he then relocked the door.
“Why did you do it Josh?” asked Lance confused while sitting down on the couch in the room. “The others may not have figured it out but I know where those pictures are from.”
“I was tired of the lie,” admitted JC sadly. “The lie caused me to lose everything important to me and when I tried to explain everything to you the other day you hang up on me.”
“But you love music Josh,” protested Lance. “There’s no guarantee about the way your fans will react to this news!”
“I don’t care!” cried JC, tears falling from his eyes. “This past year sucked! And it was only recently that I realized the prior two years didn’t suck wasn’t because of the music, it was because you were there!”
“Come here Josh,” replied Lance gently, opening his arms and JC quickly sat down next to him, falling into his arms.
“Don’t leave me!” begged JC while the tears fell. “I love you so much!”
“I love you too Josh. But you hurt me so much.”
“I know!” sobbed JC. “I was stupid! I didn’t mean what I said!”
“It’s okay Josh, it’s okay,”
*~*~*
“What do you think is happening in there?” asked Justin as he sat around the kitchen table with Joey and Chris. It had been hours since Lance went in to talk with JC and neither had come out yet.
“Fucking.” Replied Joey.
“What?!?” asked Justin confused.
“Don’t you know?” asked Joey in surprise. “Lance and C used to be lovers.”
“So that’s what happened?” asked Justin. “ I knew it was something.”
“Hey guys,” interrupted Chris waving them around to where he sat re-reading the paper. Take a closer look at this picture. Doesn’t the other guy JC’s kissing, remind you of someone?”
“It’s Lance!” cried Justin.
“Wait a minute!” protested Joey. “I knew the pictures were familiar! That was from a private New Years party! Only people who already knew about them were at the party and they would never release these pictures!”
“You mean JC was outed by someone close to him?” asked Justin. “Who? It wasn’t Lance since it caught him completely by surprise.”
“Then it was JC,” replied Joey.
“But why?”
“Let’s find out,” declared Chris marching back down the hall towards the room that the pair was locked inside.
“What are you going to do?” asked Justin.
“Give me your credit care Justin,” ordered Chris and was pleased when the young man handed it over without question. However it wasn’t long before Justin realized why Chris wanted the card.
“Hey!” he protested but it was too late as the door clicked unlocked.
“Where did you learn that?” questioned Joey in surprise.
“College,” replied Chris with a shrug as he slowly opened the door. Walking inside the trio found Lance and JC lying on the couch together, fast asleep.
“Aww . . .” commented Chris upon seeing the pair. “They’re so cute!”
“Lance?” asked Justin walking over and gently shaking Lance awake, who blinked in surprise up at Justin.
“Justin?” he asked trying to sit up but JC’s strong arms clutched him tighter. “What’s going on?”
“Come on JC!” cried Joey poking at the man under Lance. “Wake up!”
“No,” mumbled JC snuggling tighter up against Lance’s warm body.
“Was he always this clinging?” Joey asked Lance amused.
“Yes,” smiled Lance as he gently patted JC and whispered sweet words in his ear until blue eyes blinked open.
“Hey guys,” sighed JC seeing the small group before closing his eyes and snuggling up to Lance again.
“Wake up!” laughed Lance.
“Care to update us on what happened?” asked Justin.
“We talked,” shrugged Lance sitting up and dragging JC up as well so that they were seated next to each other. “And we decided that life sucked being broken up.”
“Yes!” cried Joey pumping his fist in the air. “I get my best friend back! No more pissy JC!”
“Joey’s being mean to me!” protested JC cuddling up to Lance for protection.
“Stop it Joey!” giggled Lance, clutching JC tightly.
“Well let’s leave the lovebirds alone,” declared Chris shoving everyone out the door and closing it quickly behind him.
“I love you,” whispered JC into Lance’s ear.
“I love you too Josh,” smiled Lance, leaning in to hiss him.