Devotion Chapter Thirty-Eight: "Doubts and Decption"
disclaimer: Fiction.
notes: Wow, did this take a long time to write! I don't even know why, really; I had all these ideas, but it just wasn't coming. Don't worry, though. I think I know what direction the story is going to go in, and I have some concrete ideas for the next couple of chapters. That said, I hope you like this one! -Angel ^_^
Chapter Thirty-Eight: "Doubts and Deception" JC locked the bathroom door, and the lights flickered on. He wished that they hadn't; he didn't want to see himself in the mirror. Turning away, he leaned against one of the walls in the cramped room. Immediately, the tears came. After allowing himself a moment to cry, JC roughly wiped away the tears. He didn't have time for crying. He didn't have a reason to cry. Sure, the person whom he thought was his soul mate had just told him that he was no longer in his heart. But was that really something to cry over? Had he ever *been* in Justin's heart? The notion was crazy and totally unfounded, but in his emotional state, the idea didn't seem so farfetched to the twenty-four year-old. After all, JC already had doubts and insecurities regarding Justin - especially the younger man's sexuality. Justin wasn't gay; he'd said that much himself. But now he was also saying that he was no longer in love with JC. At least, that's what JC took the fact that he was out of Justin's heart to mean. What chance did they have of reconciliation? JC had to get a grip on reality. He had to be strong, and he had to be happy with the friendship Justin was offering. If he was even offering that. Sighing, the twenty-four year-old pushed himself up from the wall. Moving to the little sink opposite him, JC splashed some cold water on his face. JC sighed and met his own eyes in the mirror. They were still pretty red. Sighing again, JC began to clean himself up as best he could. When he was finally satisfied - or at least when he was sure that he could do no better - JC opened the bathroom door. Taking a deep breath, he headed back over to his seat - and to Justin. There he found the nineteen year-old with his head against the window at an awkward angle, sleeping. Despite himself, JC smiled. /And I thought *I* could sleep in any situation!/ The thought only served to make JC feel sad again. Justin was sleeping this off. It was that unimportant to the younger man. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, anyway," JC mumbled to himself, buckling his seat belt. With that, he leaned back and tried get some sleep himself. He succeeded, and the rest of the flight was passed in silence between the two young men. "Please replace your tray table in the seat in front of you, and please return your seat to an upright position. All electronic devices must now be turned off. Flight attendants, please prepare for landing..." Justin opened his eyes. He hadn't really slept much; he had just been too scared to face JC when the brunet returned from the bathroom. JC had been gone for so long. Justin knew that he had really messed up - and that it was going to take more then what he could do or say on the plane to fix things. Beside the nineteen year-old, JC yawned, blinking his eyes to adjust to the light. Unlike his companion, JC had actually drifted off several times during the remainder of the flight. "What time is it?" the brunet asked the man sitting next to him sleepily. Justin glanced at his watch. "12:16," he replied softly. "We're late," JC commented. Justin nodded mutely in agreement. A silence quickly fell between the two. Perhaps to avoid Justin, JC closed his eyes again, and leaned back in his seat as the plane slowly descended from the sky. Justin sighed quietly and turned to watch from the window. When the plane touched ground and everyone was allowed to move about the cabin to collect their things, the five members of *NSYNC and their bodyguards were among the first to exit the plane. Outside in the waiting area, Lance gathered everyone together to tell them the game plan. "Okay," the Mississippian began, addressing his bandmates. "We're a little behind schedule, but at this rate, we shouldn't get to our hotel any later then one. That still gives us plenty of time before we have to meet with our Spanish coach." "And when will that be?" Chris asked. "Seven PM," Lance replied. "Until then, we can basically do anything we want. But-" Lance added sternly, lifting a hand to stop the comments that his excited bandmates had opened their mouths to make. "I'm going to set down this rule right now: no leaving the hotel without my permission. Probably no leaving, period, but I don't want to say that until I see our situation. Understood?" The other four members of *NSYNC nodded solemnly. "Now then," Lance said, brightening. "Let's get to the limo!" Lance shoved at Joey playfully. "You *didn't*!" Joey smiled and nodded proudly. "I did." The Mississippian, sitting next to him, laughed. "Yeah right, Joe. I mean, *seriously*. You? Asking a girl to get her hands off you?" "I *did,*" Joey insisted, laughing, too. "I think she was trying to find my wallet." "Ah," Lance replied. "That explains everything." "Hey, a man's got to protect his investments," Joey explained. Chris laughed. "Whatever, Joe. It's not like you even *have* any money." "Yeah, that's why I'm counting on Poo-fu here to help me through old age," Joey joked. "Oh, no," Lance said shaking his head at the older man. "I am *not* going to be your nurse when you get old and feeble like Chris." Joey laughed, but Chris huffed and turned his head away melodramatically. "Aw, don't pull a JC on us," Joey teased the twenty-eight year-old. Chris turned back to Joey and smiled. Lance watched JC nervously. For his part, the twenty-four year-old did nothing. Actually, he had done nothing the entire time they had been in the limo. He and Justin had both, remained silent the entire time, sitting at opposite ends of the vehicle from each other. Breathing a little sigh of relief, Lance decided to take advantage of the moment. "Guys, I'd like to make a little announcement," he said, getting his bandmates' attention. "You're really a woman, aren't you?" Chris guessed. Lance glared at him. "Actually, it's about hotel rooms." Justin perked up. He opened his mouth to say something, but Chris spoke first. "So, do we all get our own rooms this time?" the eldest member of *NSYNC asked. Lance looked away. "Not exactly," he replied cryptically. "Okay, what'd you do?" Chris asked the younger man, folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I couldn't get a room for *everyone.* Two people have to share," the Mississippian explained. "That's not so bad," Joey said, looking thoughtful. "So, who's sharing?" Justin asked, speaking up for the first time. Lance looked at the blonde apologetically. "Well, I thought that you and JC could, because you always do." When Justin remained silent, Lance added, "I'm sorry, I just assumed-" "It's okay," Justin replied, pasting a smile onto his face. "It'll be fine." "Curly, if it's really gonna be a problem, Scoop and I will be more then happy to share," Joey offered. "Look, I called the hotel earlier, and by the time we get there, we may actually have a room for everyone. I can't guarantee that the new room would be on the same floor as the rest of them, but it's a start," Lance added. "Justin and I are friends; if we have to room together, that's fine," JC assured his bandmates, speaking up for the fist time. However, it didn't reassure Justin very much - the blonde caught the line "if we *have* to." Lance nodded. "Good." Just then, the limo pulled up to the hotel they were staying in. The five members of *NSYNC quickly hopped out of the car and scurried into the hotel, avoiding the press and fans as best they could. "Okay," Lance said, once the group was safely inside the lobby. "I'm going to go check us in." Joey followed quickly. Chris, not wanting to be left with JC and Justin - who seemed to be fighting again - scurried after Joey. That left JC and Justin alone. Justin looked at his companion. He found him looking around the spacious lobby absently. Justin sighed. Looked like they still weren't going to talk. It was probably better that way; Justin had been planning on waiting until they got to their room, anyway. Lance, Joey, and Chris returned. Lance, as usual, was the one with the keys. "Good news," the Mississippian announced. "They had an opening. We got five rooms. However, as I had guessed, it's on a different floor." Justin felt his heart break as JC perked up. "Great," the twenty-four year old said. "But who's gonna room on the different floor?" "Well," Lance began, looking at each of his bandmates in turn. "I'd do it, but let's all be honest here. I'm the only reason we *ever* get where we're supposed to be on time, so I should be where the majority of the group is. The rest of you don't have a reason not to take it." "I'd do it," Joey offered. "It'll give me some extra time to sleep!" "I wouldn't mind, either," Chris put in. "I could probably use some time to myself," JC added. "So I wouldn't mind taking it at all." "I want to be on the same floor as J - as the rest of you," Justin said quietly. Everyone turned to him, except Lance, who had caught the blonde's slip. He turned his eyes to JC and watched as the brunet's face softened as he looked at Justin. "Actually, I think that I'd like to be on the same floor as you and Justin," JC announced, smiling when the nineteen-year old looked up and met his eyes. Justin returned the older man's smile. "But you know, Chris, you had the single last time. I think it's about time you socialize with the rest of us," Joey joked. Chris sighed dramatically. "Well, then I *guess* I'll room on the same floor as the rest of you. Joey, you can have the separate one." "Score!" the New Yorker exclaimed, doing a little victory dance. Lance buried his head in his hands. "Joey, *please.* *Not* in the lobby!" With all of them laughing, the five men who made up *NSYNC headed over to the elevators, chatting excitedly about what they were going to do for the next six hours.Afterword: Well? What did you think? I know that after all that fuss, not all that much happened, but they've got six hours to kill, so the next couple installments should be better, ne? Oh, and feel free to write me and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear from you! -Angel ^_^