Chapter 9

(Monday March 18th, 2002, Houston Texas, Compaq Center)

JC paced back and fourth in his dressing room, every once in a while he’d look up at Justin who was sitting on the couch. "Are you sure?" JC asked again for the millionth time that hour.

"I’m pretty sure. I told my mom and she said I can’t love her. She didn’t say it like, oh baby you just got out of a relationship type of can’t it was more like an she isn’t good enough for you type of can’t." Justin sighed closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"You can love her, but are you sure you do. I mean, don’t go and tell her you do until you are sure. I mean you two went from almost killing each other to hot and heavy in your hotel room to almost killing each other again." JC stated as he began to chew on his fingernail.

Justin sighed and opened his eyes; he looked at JC for some sort of help. "JC, I think I’ve been in love with her for years. I didn’t love Britney, you knew this, you knew I was putting on a show. But every time I’m around Shay I just want to hold her and tell her how much I love her." Justin smiled at the thought of holding Shay in his arms.

JC sat down on the couch and looked at his friend, "It sounds more like lust than love. Justin two weeks ago she was calling you a bastard and a prick. Two weeks ago you were calling her a bitch and being less than civil to her. You can’t just tell her you love her." JC noted chewing on his bottom lip. "She told me that she didn’t want a relationship with you to come between the job that she is doing. So where do you draw the line between work and play?" JC asked his leg bouncing up and down.

He did and didn’t want them to hook up. He did want them to hook up because they were perfect for each other, she wouldn’t take his crap, and he needed her because of that. Than he other side of him doesn’t want them to hook up because that other side of him wants what they had a year ago to be something, which was nothing but sex. He actually wanted to start dating her; his heart was actually broken when she told him she had feelings for Justin.

"Business hours, is when it’s work. From seven AM to six PM is work; from six PM until seven AM is all play. I have to go talk to her." Justin smiled jumping up from the couch and running to the door. "Thanks JC I owe you one." Justin added as he ran out the door searching for Shay

Justin stopped and leaned on the door frame as he looked into his dressing room. Shay was sitting on the couch talking to someone on the phone. It had to be about him, he could tell by her tone and which words she was using. A small smile formed on his lips as he watched how her leg bounced up and down, how her hair kept falling in her face as she tried to write something down.

She was usually one to always have her hair up, but lately she started to wear it down. Justin pushed away from the door when he saw that she had hung up the cell phone and started to walk towards her. Shay’s back was to him as he quietly walked as fast as he could to the couch. His upper body leaned forward until his arms wrapped around her and pulled her off the couch into a tight hug.

Shay turned around and looked up at Justin, "What are you doing?" She asked confusion in her eyes

That was the first time she saw him since he dropped her off at her place in Florida. He left to get to Texas while she stayed and visited a little longer. "Hugging you, is that a crime?" Justin asked a small smile forming on his lips.

"Well… I…" Shay’s words ended when Justin’s lips touched hers in a soft gentle kiss. "You can’t kiss me Justin." Shay pushed against his shoulders and took a step back.

Justin’s eyes nearly fell out of his eye sockets when she said that. "What? Why not?" he snapped turning around and closing the dressing room door.

"I got to thinking, after this tour *NSYNC is going on a break, and you are putting out your solo Justified things are going to be really hard for you which means it’ll be hard for me. I just don’t think it’ll make things easier if I put my work and pleasure together." Shay noted sighing as she slowly raised her eyes to meet with Justin’s angry eyes.

"Don’t say that, it does make things easier. Shay… listen to your self, is this really what you want?" Justin asked trying to remain as calm as he could be. "Do you really want to just work for me or do you want to work and date me?" Justin asked grabbing her shoulders and pulling her towards him.

"I don’t want both, I won’t take both." Shay sighed looking down as she pulled away from his touch.

"What are you talking about? You’ve wanted me for a year, maybe longer and now that you can have me you are pushing me away." Justin breathed as he walked to the door; he jerked it open and turned to look at her once more. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" He yelled before he walked out and slammed it shut.

Justin looked at JC who was in mid step and glared "Don’t you say shit to me!" He snapped as he walked down the hall as fast as he could.

JC ran to Justin’s dressing room and yanked open the door, "Shay what happened?" JC asked closing the door and walking over to the couch where Shay was sitting and crying.

"I told him that I couldn’t be with him if I was working with him, and he freaked out on me.
Shay sniffled wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.

"He likes you, isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?" JC asked pulling her into a hug as he ran his hand up and down her back.

Shay closed her eyes and let her breath out slowly. "That’s it, I’ve always wanted him, but he had always had some sort of distaste to me, and was rude to me. I wanted him because I knew I couldn’t have him." She let out in a low whisper.

"You still want him, or you wouldn’t be crying." JC noted pulling Shay up off the couch. "Now he won’t fire you, and your contract isn’t up until next year. So I say do a bad job, and tease the hell out of him. If you won’t take being his employee and girlfriend, than he’ll have to fire you." JC smirked running his thumbs under her eyes to clear away the running mascara.



"Justin, Lisa called she wants you to call her." Shay sighed rubbing her eyes as she lay down on the couch the movement of the bus almost put her to sleep.

Justin moved the water bottle from his lips and looked at her for a few seconds. "When did she call? It’s one o’clock in the morning there." Justin asked taking another drink from the water bottle.

"I don’t remember." She mumbled trying as hard as she could to do a bad job.

Justin ran and hand over his hair and sat down on the couch where Shay was. He grabbed her leg and pulled her onto his lap. "I really want you." Justin whispered in her ear as he ran a hand up and down her thigh.

Shay moved her head and kissed his neck lightly before she pulled away and got off his lap. "That’s to bad." She glared as she walked towards the bunks; "I’m going to bed." She added digging through one of her bags and pulling out some boxers. She changed into them and crawled back into her bunk.

Chris moved his head out side of the certain; "Will you have my children Shay?" Chris asked causing Joey, Lance and his self to bust up laughing.

"Only after you get that sex change Chrissy, I can’t get pregnant by a woman you know." Shay smiled to her self.

"Burn." Joey chimed in

"To a crisp might I add." Lance giggled causing Shay and Joey to laugh as Chris pouted in mock anger and hurt.

"Like I asked before, whose better JC or Justin?" Chris whispered across to Shay’s bunk.

Shay pulled back the certain and threw a stuffed animal at Chris’ bunk. "And like I said before, I don’t know Chris, who is better?" Shay glared as Chris threw a stuffed animal back at her.

"You know I’ll always be better than Justin. He doesn’t know how to control… Ahem certain area’s of function very well." JC’s muffled voice came from his bunk, which only caused Joey, Lance and Chris to laugh even more.

"My tongue is more famous than your…" Justin stopped when JC threw something into Justin’s bunk, where he was now lying.

"Shay whose better with their tongue…" Chris started only to have a book hit him through the certain.

Shay mumbled a few things under her breath before she pulled open her certain and reached across the small hall and pulled Chris’ certain open. "Just because you are gay and want to get it on with them, don’t mean I know everything. Ask them if they’ll use their tongue on you." She glared pulling his certain shut and lying back down in hers.

"But that’s not…"

"Shut up Chris." JC, Justin, and Shay all yelled out at the same time causing Joey and Lance to laugh and Chris to pout in mock hurt.

The bus got quiet every once in a while movement from one of them would cause Shay’s eyes to open.

"Jace… I need to talk to you." Justin whispered sliding out of his bunk and pulling open the certain to JC’s bunk. "It can’t wait, I can’t sleep until we talk." Justin’s voice seemed to be filled with a lot of anger and hurt.

JC turned around and glared at Justin while he rubbed at an eye. "It’s two o’clock in the morning. Can’t this wait until later?" JC asked pulling his sleeping bag up further on his body.

"I have to tell her." Justin mumbled turning so he was lying on the floor on his stomach, and not his back.

JC opened his eyes again and looked at his friend lying on the floor in front of his bunk. "You can’t tell her. If you tell her, she’ll hate you." JC sighed running a hand over his face.

"It’s eating me up inside. I can’t wait, I know I do." Justin frowned watching JC.

"She don’t love you. If she did she would mix work with pleasure, and be with you. But she won’t, because she don’t love you and you need to accept that." JC stated turning back over so his back was facing Justin.

 

 


Chapter 10

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