Jc and the Actor

JC and the Actor, Chapter 26, Copyright 2003 ----------

The following story is entirely a work of fiction. It is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality or the personal lives of the members of NSYNC, or any other celebrities mentioned. If you are underage, or if it is illegal to read sexually explicit gay material where you live, don't read this.

Happy New Year to everyone! Please continue to send your thoughts, comments and criticisms to mzbryan2003@yahoo.com

Chapter 26

If I had known that you only needed a terrace to have a fabulous party in New York City, I probably could have found a much smaller apartment. Almost all of the guests at my house-warming / New Year's Eve party were piled out onto the porch, mesmerized by the views, despite the freezing temperatures. The crowd was mostly made up of my friends from college and the theater, but there was a noticeable A-list group that was starting to infiltrate my friendship circle. Most of the A-listers didn't stay as much as they 'stopped by,' but I assumed that I probably needed some type of critical acclaim or something before that would change.

"So, any word?" Maggie asked, pulling herself off the terrace and back into the study. I looked around the room, wondering how long it would be acceptable not to have any furniture.

"I got a text message today," I replied, pretending it was much more thrilling than it was.

"A text message?" she said, a look of disgust on her face. "That's so not gay."

"What are you talking about?" I laughed. "The gays love to type."

"What did he say?"

"He wished me a happy new year. He's in Florida with his family."

"Hmm, maybe you need to take a little trip," she mused.

"I'm giving him his space. He has to come back to me, remember?"

"Yeah, but you have to know when to push a little," Maggie said. I was afraid to pursue JC aggressively. The last time he showed up at my apartment, it wasn't really because of any provocation on my part. I had merely run into him. I called him a couple of days after that night, just to see if he had gotten his stuff from whoever had come to collect it. Since then we had been speaking for brief periods here and there. Sometimes he even called me. We didn't really talk like a couple, it was more like we remembered that we were friends who knew a lot about each other. In our time as a couple, we had been each other's confidants. That wasn't something that could be replaced as easily as a boyfriend.

"You still have time before going out to LA." Maggie said. "Maybe we could take a little trip to Disney World." It was an interesting idea, manipulating a chance meeting. Warm weather was conducive to romance. Plus, Florida was far less artificial feeling than LA.

"Should we leave tomorrow?" I laughed.

"I'm free," she said. Maggie had opted not to continue with the play in favor of doing a small independent film with what she said had some really incredible writing.

"This place is never going to get decorated, is it?" I said, paint colors swimming in my head.

"Oh, that's a good thing," Maggie laughed. "It's very crazy young artist."

"I suppose." Maggie's head moved toward the doorway.

"He's here!" she squealed.

"Josh?" I gasped, turning around.

"No, not Josh," she said, pretending to be annoyed. "You're not the only one with a love life, you know."

"But Maggie, isn't that..."

"Yes, it is," she smiled.

"But what happened to..."

"It wasn't meant to be. He was too career oriented."

"Well I would be too if I was..."

"I know. I have to go, Natty," she said, kissing me on the cheek and heading out of the study. I shook my head and looked around for a champagne bottle.

"Let me help you with that," Morris said, filling up my glass. "This is a great place Nate."

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip. "How are you doing?" I asked sympathetically. Morris's new girlfriend had already broken up with him. I think it had something to do with his lack of a sizeable income.

"I'm fine," he said. "I can't really pretend to be upset by it."

"Looks like we have no one to kiss when the clock strikes midnight," I said.

"Why Nathan Murray, what are you suggesting?" Morris laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself," I kidded back.

"How are you doing?" Morris asked. "Have you burned the image of you on the ground out of your mind yet?" There were no actual photographs of Justin hitting me, but there were plenty of the aftermath, and the media was having a bit of a field day. For about a week after the incident, everyone was talking about the "fight" between the pop star and the actor, and luckily it seemed to be helping the reputation for the club. No one really knew what the incident was about, but the story got more inflated every day. It was currently being described as a drunken barroom brawl, with an angry Justin storming off and his band mate coming to his victim's aid. I found it all terribly embarrassing, but I think Justin may have been enjoying it, perhaps thinking it would finally bring him the male audience and respect I knew he craved.

At the rate I was going, I would be infamous before being famous. Justin and I were both refusing to comment, leaving people to try building the story into a dispute between members of the band. Once again, my name and JC's kept popping up next to each other. One particularly funny gossip rag called me "NSYNC's Yoko Ono." I wondered if anyone really had any doubts about my relationship with JC.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time," I laughed.

"Hey," Morris said, looking at his watch. "It's almost midnight now." People started to file off of the terrace and make their way toward the living room. I had a surprise in store for all of them that I hoped would go over well. My living room currently had my old furniture in it, which was quite nice, but not right for the space. Catering tables were set up throughout it, topped off with large floral centerpieces with metallic decorations. I hired a small, four-piece orchestra to play music throughout the evening.

"One minute!" somebody yelled. This was it. A new year. A year filled with hope and possibilities. Sure I would have liked to have JC next to me, but knowing that I hadn't been shut out of his mind was adequate compensation for the time being. I had managed not to get depressed between Christmas and now, and I hoped that this would continue.

"Thirty seconds!"

It was the end of the most chaotic year of my life. I dealt with a breakup, witnessed a friend's suicide, found a new love, reconciled with my father, recognized my brother, started a film career, became wealthier than I had ever imagined, and almost died. It was a busy year to say the least. I also had an affair and destroyed what was possibly the best relationship I ever had, but I reminded myself that positive thoughts were the order of the day.

"Five! Four! Three!" Everyone was counting down. "Two! One! Happy New Year!" Confetti exploded out of the centerpieces, showering the guests with color. Everyone cheered and the band began to play 'Auld Lang Syne.' Caterers started refilling everyone's glasses as the guests kissed and hugged, giving each other good wishes for the New Year. Morris was standing next to me and clicked his glass against mine.

"If you think last year was something, I can't wait to see what the next one brings," Morris said.

"I agree." Morris looked at me for a moment, and then seemed to have arrived at some sort of decision.

"What the hell," he said, leaning over and kissing me briefly on the lips. "Happy New Year Nate," he laughed. I laughed and wished him a happy New Year. Everything seemed to be going the way it should. I mean, I even got my New Year's kiss.

"I should tell you something," Maggie said as the plane taxied down the runway.

"What is that?" I asked.

"I hate flying."

"Oh, well, did you take something?"

"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you. I'm probably going to fall unconscious in about two minutes. It will be your responsibility to see that I arrive in Florida safely."

"Ok," I said, "Do you want me to..." I watched Maggie's eyes close and she slumped into her chair. She was already asleep. I laughed a bit to myself, and asked the flight attendant if she had any good magazines.

The weather in Central Florida could be a bit unpredictable in the dead of winter, but we arrived to find the sky full of sunshine and the temperature in the upper 60s. I tried shaking Maggie awake, but I basically ended up taking a sleepwalker off of the plane with me. We were in a cab when Maggie seemed to become fully awake.

"Am I alive?" she asked. I told her that she was. "Am I in Florida?" she questioned. I nodded. "Well, that's all very good then," she said, straightening up in her seat. She opened her purse and started touching up her makeup.

"You're kind of nuts, you know that?" I smiled.

"You love it, come on," she waved at me. "If I didn't have these gigantic mammaries you'd be all over me." I turned to look out the window, pretending I hadn't heard what she just said.

We checked into what we were told to be the best hotel in Disney World. We took adjoining suites in the main building, not the one that Oprah might stay at, but certainly one that most people would never see.

"This is nice," Maggie said, flopping herself down on the bed in her room. She leaned back on her elbows. "Are you going to call him or arrange a chance meeting?"

"I think he would find it strange that I didn't tell him I was so close by," I said. "I don't want him to think I'm stalking him."

"True," she said, "but you also won't be able to see his initial reaction to your presence. His reaction might be quite telling, you know?" She had a point. If I was to run into JC at this point, I would light up. I didn't know if he would do the same. I told Maggie that we could discuss it later, but that for now we should just have fun.

It was already late in the afternoon, so we decided just to take a walk around the property, observing the beautiful pools and the man-made beaches. We came back, changed and went to dinner at the hotel's seafood restaurant, overlooking the water.

During dessert, Maggie approached the topic of JC again. "I think he picked a good location to settle down in," she said.

"It is really nice here," I added.

"So let's go find him," she said, folding her napkin and placing it on the table.

"How can we?" I asked. "I mean, aside from ringing his door bell."

"Natty, if we don't 'accidentally' run into him tonight, then you'll have to call him. Come on, where's your spirit of adventure?" Somewhat reluctantly, I agreed. I mean, what did I really have to lose at this point?

"How are we going to do it?" I asked.

"Do you have his address?" she asked. I nodded. "Then leave the rest to me."

Maggie rented a car, which was shortly thereafter delivered to the hotel. She asked the front desk for a map of the area and for directions to the suburb JC lived in.

"Oh my God!" I screamed, as the rental car flew out of the parking lot, Maggie behind the wheel.

"I've never really driven," Maggie said calmly as I searched frantically for my seatbelt."

"Then why the fuck are you driving?"

"Relax," she said. "I have a license. I had to drive to pass the test, you know?"

"Are you telling me that you haven't driven in the past eleven years?"

"Basically. What highway am I looking for?"

"Four," I said. I was too scared even to suggest that she let me drive.

"Ooh, there it is," she called, turning the car sharply, crossing over about three lanes of traffic to merge onto the highway. I cursed myself for neglecting to make a will, now that I was worth something.

Thankfully, it was pretty late at night, so there was not much traffic on the roads. Soon, we were in the area of JC's house, and that familiar butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling grew inside of me.

"Ah, that's what I'm looking for," Maggie said, spotting a large, 24-hour grocery store. She veered the car into the parking lot. I could have cried with relief as I heard her shut off the engine. I grabbed the keys from her and shoved them in my pocket.

"That's enough of that," I sighed.

"Are you coming?" she said, unlocking her seatbelt.

"Grocery shopping?" I asked. "You want to bring some paper towels back to the hotel?"

"Natty, it's a known fact that celebrities like to do their food shopping at night when no one is around. It lets them pretend they're normal."

"You have to stop reading 'Bop' magazine," I said.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Well I'm going in." She exited the car and started walking.

"What could possibly go wrong with this plan?" I said to myself, opening the car door. I found Maggie at the back of the store, waving me toward her.

"From here we can see everyone that comes in," she said, shuffling us behind a rack of potato chips. I took a bag, opened it up, and started chewing. "I hope you are planning on paying for that," Maggie said.

"Actually, I think you're going to pay for it," I joked, chomping away.

"Oh my God," Maggie said, looking at me.

"What?" I asked, looking out from behind the rack.

"I just thought of something. What if he shows up and is not alone? What if he's, you know, with someone?" I guess it was theoretically possible, but something told me JC was still quite single. I knew that it would take him a long time to move on, assuming that was what he was going to do, and I didn't think he would be interested in casual affairs. Of course, his behavior the first night he met me might tell a different story.

"Maybe we should go," Maggie said, worried that I might be in store for a severe shock.

"Oh come on, Maggie. I'm a big boy, I can take it."

"Give me some of those chips," Maggie said.

"They're not low fat," I kidded, wiggling my eyebrows.

"You jerk," Maggie said, pinching my side. Feeling playful about our little adventure, I pinched her back, and before I knew it we were fighting over the bag of potato chips.

"Get your own," I laughed, putting the bag behind my back. I was worried that the management was going to come and yell at us, but in all likelihood the clerk up at the front was the only employee here at this time of night. "Are you keeping your eye on the entrance?" I asked her as we continued to wrestle.

"You're facing it," she laughed back.

"Nate?"

"Yeah?" I asked, simultaneously realizing that Maggie wasn't the one talking to me. I turned around to find JC watching the two of us, a grocery basket in his hands.

"Josh!" I called, surprised that I was so surprised to see him even though we had come here looking for him. We hadn't contemplated that he might already be in the store. Maggie and I stopped roughhousing. "You remember Maggie?" I asked him, stalling for time to compile my thoughts. He was dressed in an actually average pair of jeans and a gray long-sleeve t-shirt that hugged his body tightly. His feet were in a pair of flip-flops.

"Of course," he said, reaching over to shake Maggie's hand. "What are you guys doing here?" My mind was fishing for an answer.

"Feminine products," Maggie practically yelled. JC and I both gave her a strange look. "This is the only place that carries what I use." She turned to JC. "You know how attached we girls get to these things."

"I suppose," JC smiled.

"Well," Maggie continued. "Now that we're here, I might as well go get them. Nice seeing you again, Josh." Maggie smiled and hurried down the aisle.

"So," JC began, crossing his arms. "Of all the supermarkets in all of Orlando..." He looked like he wanted to laugh, but he didn't.

"I was going to call you," I offered. "We only got in this afternoon. We're taking a little trip to Disney."

"Cool," JC said. I honestly couldn't tell if he was happy to see me. He was certainly a bit standoffish, but he was very friendly. "You know, I live right around here."

"Yeah," I said, trying to keep cool. "I, uh, I thought of that when Maggie took me here."

"How are those chips?" he asked.

I realized I was still eating the potato chips while I talked to him. Thinking that was strange, I placed them back on the rack.

"You ok?" JC asked, noting my odd behavior.

"Yeah, sure," I said, lacing my fingers together, trying to stop myself from fidgeting. "How are you doing? Happy New Year."

"I'm fine," he said. "Happy New Year to you too."

Behind JC I saw a man walking toward us. He was nondescript, and a bit short.

"I have such a craving for these things," the man said, tossing a bag of corn chips into the basket JC was holding. I was pretty sure JC saw my jaw drop to the floor. Maggie was right. Maggie was right. He was probably around our age, but judging by his coloring, I could tell he wasn't one of JC's relatives. "Oh, hi," the man said to me. I guess my face didn't reveal that I instantly hated him.

"Hi," I said, waiting for JC to say something.

"Well, um, I have to go," JC said. He had decided not to introduce us. "It was good seeing you, Nate." I saw the man's eyes shift upon hearing my name.

"Josh," I started, not sure if I should continue. "Maybe we can do something while I'm in town?" I said it like a question.

"I'll have to see," he said. "Um, give me a call or something."

"Ok," I said, trying to act like I wasn't dying inside. If I felt this way about seeing JC with another guy, what must he think about my affair with Bobby? He signaled 'goodbye' by raising his hand. The man said 'goodbye," and they walked toward the front of the store. I saw Maggie walking up the aisle with a basket full of feminine hygiene products.

"What do you know?" she said. "They did have the stuff I use." She walked closer. "Natty?" she said, noticing the tears forming in my eyes. I wiped them away. I was done behaving like a little girl.

"He um, he was with someone," I said quietly.

"Oh, Natty," she said, putting down her basket and embracing me.

"You know what the worse part was?" I asked her, my hand holding her back tightly.

"What?" she asked.

I took a deep breath. "I'm so much better looking than him."

"I'm going to go to his house," I said, sipping my orange juice. Maggie looked at me with an expression of disagreement. "I've already humiliated myself," I continued. "What harm can it do at this point?"

"Natty, I don't want to see you get more hurt, and it seems like that may be the case here."

"He did say to give him a call. So what's wrong with a house call?" I didn't know what I was thinking. I was working on either pure instinct, or pure insanity. Take your pick.

"Natty, let's just go sit by the pool and make everyone at home jealous that we have a tan in January."

"There's plenty of time for that," I said. "I have to know where I stand."

"And what if he tells you that he's very much in love? That it's the best sex he's ever had?"

"Impossible," I said confidently. I picked up my glass again. "Especially that second part," I said, just before taking another sip.

Obeying all of the local traffic laws, as well as the laws of physics, I drove to JC's house. It turned out to be another white, monstrosity, though this one had much more character than his house in LA, as well as a more classic style. Putting the car into the parked gear, I noticed that the steering wheel was wet. I was perspiring with nervousness. What was I going to do? Tell him he couldn't date other people? Tell him he had to sit and wait around until he realizes he wants me back in his life? Yes. That's exactly what I was going to do.

I was somewhat surprised that you could just walk up to his front door. It was a very upscale neighborhood, but I supposed that its location wasn't too conducive to autograph seekers. The sun felt hot as I approached. I noticed my hand was shaking as I pressed the doorbell, and I yelled at myself to get into acting mode. I straightened up as I heard the door unlocking. He had to know it was me since I'm sure that he would look at the monitor to the camera that hung over the door before opening it.

"Nate," he said, not looking too pleased that I had just shown up.

"Dump him," I said, pulling off my sunglasses. He looked adorable in his loose-fitting, white linen, button-down shirt and khaki cargo pants. I could tell that he hadn't shaved in two days.

"Dump who?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

"Whoever that guy was. Dump him and come back to me." I was hoping that speaking authoritatively would have some kind of effect on him.

"Nate, I'm real busy," he said. I have a lot of people coming over later."

"Who is he?" I demanded. I was jealous. I was embarrassingly jealous.

JC looked at me, maintaining his confused expression. After a few moments he opened his mouth and said, "None of your fucking business, Nate." His arm was still holding the door.

"Josh, why..."

"We're not a couple anymore Nate. Face it and move on. Who I date is none of your business."

"But I thought we were working things out,"

"Oh fuck," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "I have to go Nate." He moved to close the door but I obstructed it. He shook his head and just started to walk back into the house. I went after him, following him into his kitchen. It was a very large space with a large marble-topped center island. All types of foods and baking utensils were strewn about it. It did look like a lot of people were coming over.

"Josh, is it really over, or are you just trying to punish me?" I asked him.

"God, you're an egomaniac!" he shouted, grabbing his head. "Not everything in this world is done to have a profound effect on Nathan Murray."

"Josh, why can't you give me another chance? You yourself said you've never felt about anyone the way you feel about me."

"Felt about you," he corrected. "That was back when you were the guy who didn't cheat on me."

"It was a fucking blowjob!" I yelled. "One fucking blowjob that I will regret for the rest of my life."

"You could have shaken hands with him for all I care," JC snapped back. "The point is your mind wasn't with me. It was with him. At that moment you wanted to be with him. You knew you would have to deal with the consequences and you were fine with that."

"Josh, all I can keep saying is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Knock it off," he said. There's no audience here." He paused for a moment. "Nate, why don't you go stalk someone else, ok?" He was really getting mad.

"I'm not stalking you," I snapped back.

'You were in my fucking supermarket," he almost started laughing. "1,000 miles from where you live."

"It hasn't taken you too long to move on, has it?" I asked, trying to turn the tables on him once again. "How hurt am I supposed to believe you are when you're already back in the saddle?"

"Nate, I'm warning you, back off." He moved past me, trying to leave the room. I shouldn't have, but I grabbed his arm, stopping him from going.

"Get the fuck off me," he yelled, pushing me away. There was something slippery on the floor and I lost my footing, sliding backward, banging the back of my head against the refrigerator.

"Nate," he called, his eyes widening in surprise at his own force. I rubbed my head, then rushed toward him, pinning him back against the kitchen island. I held his arms at his sides, not really sure what the hell I was doing. We were both breathing hard, and I could see the large vein in his neck pulsing. I leaned forward and kissed him roughly. It was my default action. He managed to push me away again, and then gave me a look of confusion. I thought he was going to yell at me or walk out, but before I knew it he was holding my head in his hands, kissing me even harder than I had kissed him. He bit at my lower lip and our tongues roughly played with each other. I brought my hands in between the buttons of his shirt and roughly ripped it open, the sound of buttons hitting the ground. I lowered my head and started biting at the muscles on his chest. I lightly bit his nipples, causing him to moan loudly. I moved back to his face kissing his neck, his cheeks his lips. I stopped to pull off my t-shirt so that I could feel his chest against mine. His hand roamed across my chest, pulling on the short hairs, making me wince in delight.

"Josh?" I asked, pulling my mouth away but leaving my hands roaming all over his body. He knew what I needed to know.

"He's just my assistant," he said, rolling his eyes, snapping at my lips with his own. "He's been with me for years. He was away when we were in LA."

I smiled and spun him around so that his back was to me. I let my tongue travel from the top of his spine, down to his waistband. His pants were only tied by a string, so I pulled it and they dropped to the ground. He wasn't wearing any underwear so I immediately caressed and kissed his ass cheeks, my tongue slowly making its way toward his center.

He tasted clean and manly as I began to rim him, listening to him moan and pant above me. I pushed his cheeks wide apart, allowing me to go deeper into his smooth hole. "Fuck!" I heard him yell as my tongue darted in and out of him. I heard the sound of metal pots falling and smacking against the stone floor. One of my hands grabbed his cock and pulled on it hard as I continued to lick him. His smooth pole was hard as a rock and I wondered if any other couples were capable of being as turned on by each other as we were. Even if we weren't a couple.

I stood up and started undoing my pants, pushing them down to my ankles, along with my underwear. "Josh," I said, my cock pressing against his ass.

He sighed and shook his head affirmatively. He was too excited to even talk. Frantically I looked for something to use as lubricant. I noticed a stick of butter on the island and grabbed it, assuming it would do the trick.

"Ungh," JC moaned as he felt the butter press against his hole. His body temperature immediately caused it to start melting. JC was supporting his weight with his arms locked on the counter in front of him, but as I rubbed more and more, his body fell lower and lower.

I guided my throbbing cock to his hole and started pressing. His ass was slick and shiny and we both groaned as the head of my prick popped inside of him. For the first time I felt his softness and warmth, my cock sliding across his insides. The feeling was so intense that I probably could have cum at any moment. JC bent at the waist and laid himself flat out on the marble, whimpering, knocking over various objects in the process. I could see his nipples harden instantly as they pressed against the cold stone.

JC stretched his arms out in front of him, grabbing the far edge of the counter as I began to fuck him harder. He had started grunting as though he was in pain, and I noticed that his cock was being banged against the counter, under the lip of the countertop. I reached down and guided it above the countertop, so that it slid in between him and the marble. JC started rocking his ass back against me, encouraging me to go harder.

Holding his hips tight, I fucked him hard. I thought to myself that this must be the definition of 'angry love.' We hadn't been together in a while, and despite whatever feelings we had to each other, our physical attraction to each other was undeniable and feverish. I watched my cock sliding in and out of his tight hole, the lips of his anus sliding back and forth. We were both sweating and grunting, encouraging each other to do whatever we wanted. I pressed my chest, slick with sweat, against his back. The added weight of my body pressed his cock harder into the smooth stone and he squealed in delight. I reached my hands above him, lacing my fingers between his own, and fucked him for all it was worth.

"Oh God, Nate. Oh God."

"Josh," I cried, biting his neck and the smooth skin of his back and shoulders. I could hear the sound of my cock sliding in and out of him, his ass cheeks bouncing as I worked him over. I wasn't going to last much longer. I thought to myself that maybe if I fucked him good and hard enough, all would be forgiven.

"Josh,"

"Cum inside me," he said through his gritted teeth. The very idea was enough to send me over the edge. It was strange that we were physically becoming so connected, as we emotionally grew more apart. This all was probably very unhealthy mentally. Thrusting into him a few more times, I started spilling my load inside of him. I swear he must have been able to feel it because he shouted out and I saw cum start to shoot out of his cock as well, soaking his stomach and the counter. Together, we shot and shot, moaning and panting, somewhat relieved that that the intensity was over, but not really wanting to come back to reality. I laid against his back, trying to catch my breath, my hands slowly leaving his as I started to lift myself up. JC stayed lying against the countertop, breathing hard, looking like he was deep in thought. I looked around to see that we had basically trashed the kitchen. Bowels and bottles lay on the ground, and at some point we had spilled a bag of flour. I reached for some paper towels as I pulled out of him, listening to him moan softly. Slowly he started to get up and I handed him a towel to take care of, well, what he needed to take care of. Neither of us said anything, and it felt as awkward as our first time together.

I looked at him, feeling embarrassed for some reason, knowing that we had used sex in lieu of talking. JC bent down to pull his pants up, and taking his cue, I did the same.

"Nate," he said after what seemed like hours. He wasn't looking me in the eye. "You should go."

"But, Josh," I protested.

"Please, Nate," he said, his voice practically begging for mercy. "Please just go." I didn't really know what was going on with him, but I could see he was upset. I could also see that he didn't want me to comfort him.

"Ok," I said quietly, pulling on my shirt. "I'll go for now, but I'm not leaving forever Josh. I'm going to be here, day after day, waiting for you."

"I have to get this cleaned up," he said, walking into a room in back of the kitchen. I finished getting dressed and left his house. As I started the ignition to my car, I saw an SUV pulling into his driveway. Four people hopped out of it, and I quickly judged them to be his parents, brother and sister. He didn't want me to meet them. I shook my head, telling myself not to get emotional, and drove back to the hotel.

"Who needs those loud amusement parks when you can just do this," Maggie sighed, as the masseuse worked some oils into her shoulders.

"I couldn't agree more," I said, receiving the same treatment. The in-room massage service was a particularly lovely amenity.

"Well, at least he's not dating," she said to me from her massage table.

A soft sigh was all I could muster over from my table. The masseuse was performing a deep rub on my shoulders and its mix of incredible pain and pleasure was a clear indication of how tense I had been. Her hands moved to my lower back, another source of great tension, and my mind considered the differences of being touched by a woman versus a man. Despite how aggressive she was being, there was always an air of gentility about it.

"Do you just want to go home?" Maggie asked.

"Hell no," I said, turning to face her. "I'd rather be miserable here than in the snow."

"Thank God," Maggie said, closing her eyes and turning her head back.

Later in the day, we made our way to the MGM Studios Theme Park. I kind of felt like I would be enjoying the experience a bit more if was with a child, but in many ways, I suppose Maggie counted. Since Maggie apparently had a fear of heights, I had to go on the more wild rides by myself. Solo riders were often placed together, so I was consistently sat next to some man or woman I didn't really want to talk. Unfortunately, they seemed to always want to talk to me. I wasn't being recognized in Disney World as much as I was in New York. I suppose it may have had something to do with the fact that I usually had my sunglasses on. Still, the occasionally perceptive teenage girl would notice me and come over to talk. Some wanted autographs, most wanted to know if I really was a friend of NSYNC.

We got back to the hotel around midnight, tired from walking, full of so-good, bad food. Maggie said goodnight and went into her bedroom. I went into the bathroom to wash my face. The area around my mouth was still red from JC's angry, stubbled kisses. Just when I had finished, I heard my cell phone start to ring in the living area. I ran to find it, knocking a few things over in the process.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

"Hi," JC said. I wondered how long it would be until I heard from him. I was surprised that it was only the day after our last encounter.

"What's up?"

"Can I come up?" he asked. My heart started to race.

"Of course," I said, hanging up the phone. I called down to the front desk and told them to let JC come up. You certainly couldn't fault Disney on not having good security. Even boy-band members had to be invited guests.

I ran back into the bathroom, surveying what I looked like after a day of amusement. "Not bad," I thought. "Not bad at all." There was a knock and I bounded for the door, calming myself down before opening it.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," JC said back. He stepped toward me. I could see a little fire in his eyes and he looked somewhat mischievous. He had shaved, and was wearing a blue shirt.

"Josh," I said as he moved toward me. His hands moved to my chest. "We can't keep doing this," I said, feeling his lips brush lightly against mine.

"I know," he said, unbuttoning my shirt.

To be continued