Chapter 4b

Inner Reflection | home

"Lance?" JC asked the next morning. They were all supposed to be in the lobby at 9:00 and it was only 8:30. It was way too early for JC to be in Lance's room, considering his condition the night before.

"How did I get into my room last night?"

"Don't you remember?" Lance responded. JC shook his head and Lance's heart sank. If he didn't remember coming back to the hotel, he obviously didn't remember telling Lance he wanted him. And that set Lance's plan back another step, forcing him to act faster if he was going to meet his deadline of three days.

"No," JC said, confused. "Did you bring me back?"

"Yeah. Did you drink too much last night or something?"

"JOSH!" Justin yelled as he pounded on the door to JC's room, which was connected to Lance's. JC walked through their shared bathroom as Justin continued. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" JC asked, opening the door to admit his friend.

"Basketball! Josh, are you OK?"

"I must've drank too much or something last night. I don't remember a thing."

"Oh. Well, we're supposed to go play basketball in about half an hour at a local court. Joey and Chris are waiting in the lobby already."

"Just let me get dressed." With that, JC shoved Justin into Lance's room and locked himself in the bathroom. Justin turned to Lance.

"What happened last night?"

"JC complained he wasn't feeling well, so I brought him back here," Lance half-lied. "I guess he must have had too many drinks."

"Are you coming with us?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, I'll come." *Even if it is just because I want to stare at JC's ass while he plays.*

"JOEY!" Chris yelled across the basketball court. "Pass it to me!" The game had been fast and furious, with Justin and Chris heading up the opposing sides. Joey, JC, and four of the bodyguards were also playing. Lance's bodyguard sat with him on the sidelines, cheering the others on.

"Gotcha!" JC shouted, running full-steam into Joey, causing the younger man to drop the ball. Justin was prepared and stole it before shooting for the basket.

"We win!" Justin announced when the ball sank in. He turned to Chris. "You owe me $50."

"Chris bet me that he and Joey would win," Justin responded.

"We suck," Joey laughed.

"Correction, Joe," Chris said. "YOU suck. *I* can play."

"Joseph." That one word from Randy, one of the bodyguards, was enough to shut him up. "We don't really want to hear about your wet dreams." Joey's mouth dropped open in shock as the others fell into hysterical laughter. It wasn't often their bodyguards got involved in their silliness.

"Randy!" JC exclaimed. "I'm proud of you." Randy bowed, causing more laughter.

"Well, I'm hungry," Lance said once JC was sitting next to him. "Anyone feel like lunch?"

"I'm not really hungry," JC told him. Lance's heart sank a little. If he didn't spend time with JC over the next two days, how was he supposed to get JC to admit that he loved Lance?

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I have all this energy," JC said. "I need to work it off."

"What do you suggest?" Justin wanted to know, joining the pair.

"More shopping?" JC asked hopefully.

"Not me!" Chris and Joey called as one voice, backing away.

"Shopping with JC scares me," Joey said.

"JC scares me, period." JC smacked Chris upside the head and turned his hopeful eyes back to Justin and Lance.

"Please?" he begged.

"MORE shopping?" Lance was shocked. "Didn't we shop enough yesterday?"

"We can never shop enough," Justin shot back. Lance and JC laughed.

"Where do you want to go, then? We did Riverwalk yesterday."

"There's this mall..."

"Justin, remind me NEVER to go shopping with you again," Lance groaned. They had spent the majority of the day shopping, and Lance was exhausted. He collaspsed dramatically on his bed and pretended to die. JC snickered while Justin glared.

"Very funny, albino," he growled, pouncing on top of Lance and tickling him.

"Just!" Lance squealed. JC burst out laughing at the sound of Lance -who had such a deep voice- squealing like a teenybopper. Justin caught the humor, too, and fell off Lance from laughing so hard. He landed heavily on the floor and just lay there, laughing and crying, which set Lance off. When Joey and Chris finally joined them, all three were laughing so hard that they could hardly see.

"Don't ask," Justin gasped. "I don't even know why this was so funny!"

"I'm just going to back away now," Joey laughed. "You guys are really scaring me."

"We scare ourselves," Lance said as he started to calm down.

"I'm hungry," Justin complained, causing JC and Lance to stop laughing and glare at him.

"Curly, you ate an hour ago!" Lance yelled. "You cannot possibly be hungry."

"I'm a growing boy."

"Growing sideways," JC grumbled. Justin threw a pillow at him, hitting him full-force in the face. "HEY!"

"I could go for food," Chris said. JC's stomach agreed for him, letting out a loud gurgle which set everyone laughing.

"Well three votes for food outweighs -pardon the pun- the two non-food," Chris summarized. "Where to?"

"What time is it?" JC asked. Joey checked his watch.

"Wanna go see a movie?"

"Any excuse to go back to the mall!" Lance teased.

"No, really. I want to go see Remember The Titans."

"That movie looked cool," Joey agreed. The five of them got changed and headed out.

*A dark movie theatre... what a perfect place to make a move,* Lance thought as he looked across the limo at JC. Their arrival at the movie theatre was uneventful, and the movie even more uneventful. Joey sat between Lance and JC, effectively stopping any chance for JC to admit his love. Lance just groaned and sat back in his seat.

"Something wrong?" Joey asked innocently.

"Nothing," Lance half-growled. Joey gave him a weird look and returned his attention to the movie. Lance sighed heavily.

*Day two, over with.*


	Inner Reflection \| home back to The Eyes of the Cat Chapter 4b Day Two ******************* "Lance?" JC asked the next morning. They were all supposed to be in the lobby at 9:00 and it was only 8:30. It was way too early for JC to be in Lance's room, considering his condition the night before. "Yes?" "How did I get into my room last night?" "Don't you remember?" Lance responded. JC shook his head and Lance's heart sank. If he didn't remember coming back to the hotel, he obviously didn't remember telling Lance he wanted him. And that set Lance's plan back another step, forcing him to act faster if he was going to meet his deadline of three days. "No," JC said, confused. "Did you bring me back?" "Yeah. Did you drink too much last night or something?" "I don't know." "JOSH!" Justin yelled as he pounded on the door to JC's room, which was connected to Lance's. JC walked through their shared bathroom as Justin continued. "Are you ready to go?" "Go where?" JC asked, opening the door to admit his friend. "Basketball! Josh, are you OK?" "I must've drank too much or something last night. I don't remember a thing." "Oh. Well, we're supposed to go play basketball in about half an hour at a local court. Joey and Chris are waiting in the lobby already." "Just let me get dressed." With that, JC shoved Justin into Lance's room and locked himself in the bathroom. Justin turned to Lance. "What happened last night?" "JC complained he wasn't feeling well, so I brought him back here," Lance half-lied. "I guess he must have had too many drinks." "Are you coming with us?" Justin asked. "Yeah, I'll come." Even if it is just because I want to stare at JC's ass while he plays. ***** "JOEY!" Chris yelled across the basketball court. "Pass it to me!" The game had been fast and furious, with Justin and Chris heading up the opposing sides. Joey, JC, and four of the bodyguards were also playing. Lance's bodyguard sat with him on the sidelines, cheering the others on. "Gotcha!" JC shouted, running full-steam into Joey, causing the younger man to drop the ball. Justin was prepared and stole it before shooting for the basket. "We win!" Justin announced when the ball sank in. He turned to Chris. "You owe me $50." "Why?" Lance asked. "Chris bet me that he and Joey would win," Justin responded. "We suck," Joey laughed. "Correction, Joe," Chris said. "YOU suck. I can play." "Play with..." "Joseph." That one word from Randy, one of the bodyguards, was enough to shut him up. "We don't really want to hear about your wet dreams." Joey's mouth dropped open in shock as the others fell into hysterical laughter. It wasn't often their bodyguards got involved in their silliness. "Randy!" JC exclaimed. "I'm proud of you." Randy bowed, causing more laughter. "Well, I'm hungry," Lance said once JC was sitting next to him. "Anyone feel like lunch?" "I'm not really hungry," JC told him. Lance's heart sank a little. If he didn't spend time with JC over the next two days, how was he supposed to get JC to admit that he loved Lance? "Well, what do you want to do?" "I have all this energy," JC said. "I need to work it off." "What do you suggest?" Justin wanted to know, joining the pair. "More shopping?" JC asked hopefully. "Not me!" Chris and Joey called as one voice, backing away. "Shopping with JC scares me," Joey said. "JC scares me, period." JC smacked Chris upside the head and turned his hopeful eyes back to Justin and Lance. "Please?" he begged. "MORE shopping?" Lance was shocked. "Didn't we shop enough yesterday?" "We can never shop enough," Justin shot back. Lance and JC laughed. "Where do you want to go, then? We did Riverwalk yesterday." "There's this mall..." ***** "Justin, remind me NEVER to go shopping with you again," Lance groaned. They had spent the majority of the day shopping, and Lance was exhausted. He collaspsed dramatically on his bed and pretended to die. JC snickered while Justin glared. "Very funny, albino," he growled, pouncing on top of Lance and tickling him. "Just!" Lance squealed. JC burst out laughing at the sound of Lance -who had such a deep voice- squealing like a teenybopper. Justin caught the humor, too, and fell off Lance from laughing so hard. He landed heavily on the floor and just lay there, laughing and crying, which set Lance off. When Joey and Chris finally joined them, all three were laughing so hard that they could hardly see. "What the?" "Don't ask," Justin gasped. "I don't even know why this was so funny!" "I'm just going to back away now," Joey laughed. "You guys are really scaring me." "We scare ourselves," Lance said as he started to calm down. "I'm hungry," Justin complained, causing JC and Lance to stop laughing and glare at him. "WHAT?" "I'm hungry." "Curly, you ate an hour ago!" Lance yelled. "You cannot possibly be hungry." "I'm a growing boy." "Growing sideways," JC grumbled. Justin threw a pillow at him, hitting him full-force in the face. "HEY!" "I could go for food," Chris said. JC's stomach agreed for him, letting out a loud gurgle which set everyone laughing. "Well three votes for food outweighs -pardon the pun- the two non-food," Chris summarized. "Where to?" "What time is it?" JC asked. Joey checked his watch. "Seven o'clock." "Wanna go see a movie?" "Any excuse to go back to the mall!" Lance teased. "No, really. I want to go see Remember The Titans." "That movie looked cool," Joey agreed. The five of them got changed and headed out. A dark movie theatre... what a perfect place to make a move, Lance thought as he looked across the limo at JC. Their arrival at the movie theatre was uneventful, and the movie even more uneventful. Joey sat between Lance and JC, effectively stopping any chance for JC to admit his love. Lance just groaned and sat back in his seat. "Something wrong?" Joey asked innocently. "Nothing," Lance half-growled. Joey gave him a weird look and returned his attention to the movie. Lance sighed heavily. Day two, over with.