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"You think we should wake them?" Chris whispered to Billie who had stumbled upon the comfortably sleeping JC and Mike.
"Nah, they look too cute like that." Billie whispered back, a smile of conspiracy changing her face.
"What should we do then?" Chris probed with a wicked gleam in his own eyes.
"Well, we could just walk away and let them wake up on their own in peace, or we could sit her and wait. Make them paranoid by watching them wake up." Billie laughed softly as Justin walked into the room.
"God, they're still sleeping? You figure one of them would have woken up by now with a monster neck crick or something." he shook his head as he took a bowl out of one of the cabinets.
"Why is everyone whispering?" Joe questioned walking into the room, scratching his head. Chris pointed to the corner where the sleeping pair sat.
"Oh." Joe mumbled taking a seat at the table and propping his chin on a fist. Chris leaned back against the counter, sipping a glass of orange juice, humor masking his face. They really did look cute sleeping like that, but both would be in a lot of pain when they finally opened their eyes. Allison and Katie entered the room giggling about something they were talking about.
"Ssshhh! The sleeping beauties haven't opened their eyes yet!" Justin whispered to them loudly. They glanced over to the corner and almost lost it. Allison slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, and Katie rushed from the room.
"Okay, why did Katie just run by me, laughing hysterically?" Lance asked making a face as he walked into the room. Chris, again, pointed to the corner laughing softly as he shook his head.
"Wow, talk about tolerance of pain. He's not going to be able to feel his legs when he wakes up." Lance shook his head smiling as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.
"Either that or the fact that JC can sleep through just about anything." Chris shrugged smirking.
"This is true." Lance nodded taking a sip from his glass.
"Wait, hold on! I see movement!" Billie whispered loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to watch their friends wake up from a long night on a small chair. JC opened his eyes groaning softly at the intense pain in his back, shoulders, and neck. He was not going to repeat this performance, well, at least not on this chair or any chair like it. His heart jumped into his throat when he saw that Chris, Lance, Joe, Justin, Billie and Allison were all standing around the kitchenette watching him and Mike.
"What, don't you guys have lives? You have to watch me and Mike sleep?" JC whispered, a good-natured smile on his face.
"Well, it was just so entertaining. You should have seen what we saw." Billie replied shrugging her shoulders.
"Yeah, you two looked so damn cute, we couldn't resist making fun of you first thing in the morning." Chris added folding his arms over his chest.
"Pain. I'm in pain here." Mike mumbled, her eyes still closed. Suddenly Chris had a absolutely devilish gleam in his eye as he crept closer to Mike, who was still on JC lap.
"Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?" JC questioned to no one in particular as Chris stopped, his face just inches from Mike's face. Mike sighed tiredly and finally opened her eyes only to come face to face with Chris, who had a huge smile on his face.
"Oh Christ!" Mike cried jerking herself up, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. She had sat up so quickly that she nearly toppled off of JC's lap and onto the floor. To counter the sudden sift of weight, JC grabbed her and leaned back in the chair. JC's attempt at stopping her from falling only accomplished both of them falling backwards onto the carpet with a very loud 'umph'. Everyone in the room burst into laughter, even the two on the floor.
"It was the hair that did it. The dreads have always scared me, but they absolutely terrify me first thing in the morning." Mike groaned laughing to explain her initial fear. Chris smiled with amusement as he took Mike's hand and helped her to her feet.
"Hey, a little help here please?" JC exclaimed from the floor. Justin leaned over and gave JC a hand up.
"That was classic, man. You should have seen the look on Mike's face when she first saw Chris, and then the look on both your faces when you went over. I swear I wish we had it on video to watch over and over again." Joe laughed as he stood up.
"Just remember, I know where you live and you have to go to sleep sometime." Mike smiled rubbing the back of her neck.
"Um, okay. Was that a threat or a promise?" Joe inquired, a devilish smile on his face.
"Both!" Mike exclaimed loudly as she laughed.
"Hey Mike, can I have Devon's number?" Chris questioned, changing the subject.
"Why do you want her number?" Mike replied raising an eyebrow.
"Oh I dunno, maybe so I can call her. It would make it easier than picking random digits out of the air." he countered, his hands on his hips.
"I don't think I should. Lemme call her and ask her first. Give me your phone, please." Mike grinned holding out her hand. Chris left the room and came back moments later with a cellular phone in his hand.
"Thank you." Mike smiled as she dialed Devon's work number.
"Empire, open til midnight, this is Alex."
"Hi Alex, it's Mike. My cousin around?"
"Yeah, hold on a sec." Alex answered then transferred her to the office phone.
"Empire, this is Devon, how can I help?"
"Hey Dev, what's goin' on?"
"Not a whole lot, same old same old. You know how it is."
"Yeah, life's a grind sometimes, eh?"
"You got that right. What's up?"
"Well, let's see. I feel asleep in JC's lap last night."
"What?! I wish I could have seen that."
"I wish you could have too, but I'll tell you all about it later. The reason I'm calling is to ask you if Chris can have your number."
"Why does he want my number?"
"I dunno. Hold on, let me ask him." Mike said then turned to Chris. "Why do you want her number?"
"We've already been through this. Pay attention. I want it so I can call her." Chris sighed shaking his head.
"He wants it so he can call you."
"Okay. My number is 666."
"Hey Chris, her number is 666." Mike called to Chris who had left the room to search for something decent to watch on the tv.
"Very funny. Forget it. I don't want it anymore." Chris called back.
"He says 'very funny. Forget it. I don't want it anymore'."
"What a wuss."
"You're telling me."
"Anyway, go ahead and give him my number. I don't mind. 'Sides, he's kinda cute."
"Oh Lord, that's all we need. Another one."
"Oh shut up!"
"Okay. Bye." Mike replied laughing then hung up the phone. She walked into the living area and over to Chris.
"Alright crack-head, grab a pen." she smiled leaning on the back of his chair. Chris grabbed a pen from the table beside him and waited patiently.
"Home number is 555 - 2034, and her work number is 555 - 8895." Mike drilled off as Chris quickly jotted down the numbers on a piece of paper.
"Thank you." he replied smiling. "Uh, can I have my phone back now?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry dear." Mike laughed handing him the cell phone. He immediately started dialing when Mike left the room.
"Empire, open til midnight. This is Alex."
"Alex, how ya doing?"
"Um, fine. Can I help you?"
"Actually, yes, you can. I need to speak with Devon."
"Okay, hold on a sec." Alex said and again transferred the call. Chris smiled as the phone rang into the office.
"Empire this is Devon."
"Hi Empire this is Devon."
"Okay, who is this?"
"Who do you want it to be?"
"Hi Chris. How are you?"
"No too bad, and yourself?"
"I'm doing just fine. What can I do for you this morning?"
"Fly to Minneapolis and have dinner with me?"
"What?"
"Fly to Minneapolis and have dinner with me."
"Are you serious?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked."
"I can't Chris. I don't have anyone to cover the store."
"Ask Alex to stay for tonight. Tell him you'll pay him over time."
" Chris. "
" Devon. "
"Chris, I don't have the time or the money for an excursion like this. Not to mention, I barely know you."
"Just pack a bag and go to the airport. A ticket will be waiting for you."
"Why do you want me to fly out and go to dinner with you?"
"Because I can't fly back to Orlando to take you out."
"Fine, let me rephrase that. Why do you want to have dinner with me?"
"I honestly don't know. I think I'd like to get to know you."
"That sounds like a cliche, Chris."
"I know, but its true."
"This is crazy."
"That's how I know its right."
"I don't know Chris."
"Okay, how about this? There will be a ticket waiting for you and someone will be at the airport to pick you up Minneapolis. The rest is up to you. If you don't show up, I'll understand. If you do show up, we'll have a nice dinner. Either way, think about it."
"All right, I'll think about it. But right now, I have to go. We're having a crisis."
"I'll talk to you later, Dev."
"I'm sure you will." Devon laughed then hung up the phone. Chris set the phone down on the table smiling to himself. He had no idea why he had asked Devon to fly all the way to Minneapolis to have dinner with him. Maybe he really was losing his mind. Chris shook his head as he remembered Natalia, the girl he had been dating off and on for the past year.
Nat was a beautiful, intelligent, witty, and absolutely terrified of commitment . She had always been fun before, but he rarely saw her because she just worked too hard. All she really cared about was becoming the best career woman, and that was important, but he was constantly taking the back burner position in her life. Chris wouldn't see her for months and then she'd show up on his doorstep or call him and act as if nothing had happened. As if they had seen each other the day before. He couldn't stand that, but he put up with it because he cared about her. Nat hadn't called or stopped by in nearly three months, the longest period so far, and he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to hear from her again. That was Nat, though, and he couldn't change that. He knew from experience because he had tried.
Devon on the other hand, seemed different. She knew that work was important but she also knew that fun was equally important. She would spend all day at the record store and still go out and see her friends in the evening hours. She was just an all around person who knew when to work and when to play. Her laughter was infectious and her eyes, he could get lost in her wide, expressive eyes. Stop! Chris yelled silently to himself as he jumped to his feet. Devon was right, this was crazy. But for the life of him, he couldn't help but feel just a little giddy and excited. Tonight was going to be good, if she showed up, which he hoped she would.
"Earth to Chris, come in Chris." Lance called waving his hand in front of Chris's face.
"Huh, what?" Chris asked, startled from his thoughts. Lance sighed shaking his head, smiling ruefully.
"I just asked you a question."
"Oh, sorry, man. What was it?" Chris replied sheepishly grinning as he sat back down in a chair.
"I just don't know how I should go about asking a certain girl out." Lance shrugged taking a seat himself.
"Who's the girl?" Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Rachel. You know the one who was in Mike's Abnormal Psychology class." Lance answered shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah, yeah, she's a nice girl. What's the problem? Just walk up to her, or call her, and say 'would you like to go out with me sometime'. There's nothing really hard about it." Chris shrugged leaning back in the chair.
"I know there's nothing hard about it, but you know me and girls. I just can't talk to them." Lance sighed.
"Now that's a load of crap. You are the stalker. You can sneak up on a girl's blind side faster than the rest of us can smile at her. The thing to remember is, don't force it. Things will go naturally." Chris smiled, doing his best to give his friend good advice.
"What if she says no?" Lance inquired.
"Its a chance we all have to take in order to find out if someone from the opposite sex is attracted to us. I just did it myself. You shouldn't have any problem anyway. You're the charmer in this outfit. I'm just the funny guy." Chris laughed softly shaking his head.
"I guess you're right. I'm gonna go give her a call." Lance committed as he got to his feet. I guess today is the day for love, Chris mused to himself. First Mike and JC, then me and Devon, and now Lance and Rachel. The saying about the best things happen in threes is true.
Lance locked himself in the bathroom, hoping to get some privacy for the phone call he was about to make. You can do this, its no big deal, only a phone call, Lance thought to himself as he took a deep breath. What Chris had said about him being a stalker, he wasn't too sure about that. He always seemed to become tongue-tied around a girl who caught his attention. He never knew what to say, so he always remained in the safety of small talk. Small talk was easy to do. When you moved on to the heavier subjects was when he usually got into trouble. Lance, stop being stupid. Just pick up the phone and call her. Its really not all that hard, he yelled silently to himself. Lance sat on the sink heaving a huge sigh as he built up the courage to make the phone call. He finally took out the cell phone that was hiding in his pocket and slowly dialed the Orlando telephone number. He was about to hang up when someone answered.
"Camden Hall."
"Yes, hi. I'm looking for Rachel Williams. Is she around?"
"Um, hold on. Let me check."
Lance waited with his eyes closed half hoping she was there and half hoping she was not. He couldn't take standing still anymore, so he stood up and paced the extremely small confines of the bathroom. He couldn't wait to get to the hotel with wide open spaces.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Rachel?"
"The one and only."
"This is Lance."
"Lance? Wow, I haven't heard from you in a while. What's going on?"
"Actually I'm on tour at the moment. We're on our way to Minneapolis, but that's not the reason I called."
"No? What was the reason?"
"I can't seem to get you off my mind. For the past two months, I haven't been able to get you out of my head."
"Really?"
"Yeah, so I guess this is all leading up to me asking you out, but since I'm nervous it'll take me some time."
"Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes I'll go out with you."
"You will?"
"Yeah. I was debating on how much time I should give you to ask before I'd took matters into my own hands and ask you myself."
"Wow."
"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said. So, when do you want this date to happen?"
"Um, the tour ends in a couple of months, so."
"Well, maybe I could go see a show or something. I need to go on a vacation anyway, so pick the place and I'll do the work. As long as we get to go sight seeing."
"Yeah, sight seeing is a definite. Um, how about South Dakota?"
"South Dakota? What the hell is in South Dakota?"
"Oh, there's Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and various other things."
"Okay. I can deal with the Badlands, but please don't take me to Rushmore. It would feel too much like a trip I would have to take for a class or something."
"All right, no Rushmore."
"When is this now?"
"July 2nd, we should be there late afternoon. We're actually spending a week in South Dakota. Kind of a mini break."
"Great. I'll book the tickets and I'll be there."
"Rachel, have I ever told you that you're amazing?"
"No, you haven't."
"You're amazing."
"Thank you. You are too y'know. That voice of yours really makes my knees turn weak."
"Nah, that's Justin."
"Oh yeah. Pretty boy. I don't think so. I really don't want to do prison time for flirting with a kid."
"Yeah, I guess not. I better let you go, but I'll call again soon."
"Good, I hope so. I like hearing from you."
"Yeah, me too."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Yes, you will. Bye." Lance smiled into the phone then hung up. See, that wasn't so hard now was it? Lance questioned himself. Rachel was going to spend a week with him. She was flying to South Dakota to see him and spend some time with him. What girl would do that for a guy who had admired her from afar for so long? She really was out of this world. She was wild and spontaneous, things he had always loved to be. Maybe Chris was right about his competence with women, though he really couldn't be sure with only one, but he didn't want to try asking another girl out. Rachel was all he really wanted at the moment, and he had a feeling that things were going to work out just fine between the two of them.
The hotel was nice, very nice and one of the ritziest in the metropolitan area. The rooms were on the top floor and had a breath-taking view of the city they would be spending three days in. The lights were a spectacular sight from everyone's windows. JC, Justin and Chris shared a room while Lance and Joe shared another. Mike, Billie, Allison and Katie were split up into two rooms.
Mike stood at the glass door that lead out onto a balcony and looked out at the city below her. Minnesota was a beautiful place, and so far the people seemed really nice, but she had to admit that she missed home. There was no place quite like Orlando.
"Well, it seems that Allison and Katie want to room together, so I guess that leaves me and you."Billie stated as she lugged her suitcase into the room.
"Yeah, that's fine. Take whichever bed you want." Mike replied distractedly, her gaze still on the view. Mike looked up at the sky and saw the first star. She smiled closing her eyes as she thought of a wish for her family. Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may. I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. I wish that Sage's would health would improve instead of get worse, Mike's mind whispered as she opened her eyes again. Her dad had told her the simple rules of wish making when she was old enough to understand. Wishing on the first star was meant for making a wish for someone you care about. Wishing on the moon was meant for making a wish for yourself.
"You okay?" Billie asked sounding concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just doing some thinking." Mike smiled turning to face the other girl.
"The guys ran off to their photo shoot. They said we could order room service or we could meet them at the diner down the street for a late dinner." Billie explained as she sat down heavily on one of the beds.
"I'm not really in the mood to go out tonight, so I think I'll order room service and stay in here and do some work." Mike replied as she unpacked her laptop computer and paper work.
"Do you ever not work?" Billie questioned in astonishment.
"No, not really." Mike laughed. "Its the one thing that I do best. I work full time for the fan club and when school is in session, I go to classes full time. It helps me to stop worrying about everything going on in my life."
"Speaking things going on in your life, how's your brother doing?" Billie inquired as she unpacked a set of clothes so she could shower and change.
"As far as I know he's doing all right. His T-Cell count is slowly improving, but it could still go either way." Mike answered with a shrug.
"I don't think I could do it." Billie replied shaking her head.
"Do what?" Mike asked starting the laptop up.
"Handle my brother's death so calmly." she answered reasonably.
"I've gotten used to it. It sounds horrible, I know, but when you watch to older brothers die with agonizing slowness, you just hope that this one won't be prolonged and painful. If I knew Sage was in too much pain, I would wish for his release, and not his recovery." Mike answered with a sigh. Billie nodded as she climbed to her feet.
"I'm gonna go take a shower than head to the diner. You should come with us." Billie tried with one last attempt.
"Nah, but thanks for the offer. I'm gonna stay right here and take care of some things." Mike smiled. The other woman sighed as she headed to the bathroom. No sooner had the bathroom door shut, there was a knock at the door. Mike, who had changed into an old pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt, wandered to the door and opened it. Devon stood there with a small bag and a huge smile.
"Devon, what the hell are you doing here?" Mike demanded as she let her cousin into the room. Devon sighed tossing her bag onto the floor.
"Its a long story, but in a nutshell, Chris asked me out to dinner for tonight." she replied sitting down tiredly.
"So you flew out here just to have dinner with the crack-head?" Mike replied in shock.
"I didn't fly out here, no. Chris flew me out here. He bought the ticket and told me I had to make the decision. How could I say no to something like that?" Devon shrugged, a cheesey grin plastered on her face.
"Oh my God, both of you are crack-heads, but that's great. You're finally going out with a guy that I approve of. Its a step in the right direction." Mike nodded laughing.
"What do you mean, finally approve of?" Devon demanded folding her arms across her chest.
"Oh come on, Dev. Have you forgotten Jake? Or how about Randy? And Malcolm? Oh and you can't ever forget that swine Mark." Mike listen off counting on her fingers.
"So I was trying to find myself. Those days are over." Devon laughed as she searched through her small bag.
"So you're just here for the night?" Mike questioned as she slipped on her glasses. Devon nodded distractedly as she read an address on a slip of paper, mumbling something about finding restaurants being a bad thing cause she gets lost easily. Mike pulled her long hair up into a loose pony tail as Devon pulled out a change of clothes.
"Do you think this will be all right for dinner with Chris?" Devon asked holding up a classy skirt and blouse set.
"Yeah, I think its perfect. I hate you, y'know." Mike sighed shaking her head.
"Why's that?" Devon asked laughing.
"Because you can pull off something like that. I couldn't do that in a million years." was Mike's reply.
"There's an after concert party tomorrow night, right?" Devon asked suddenly.
"As always." Mike confirmed.
"Okay, I'm staying until after the party. We'll get you all fixed up and you'll look sensational." Devon replied happily.
"What about the store?" Mike questioned weakly. Once her cousin got something into her head, it was hard put to get it out.
"Alex has the keys, he'll be fine." Devon waved a hand at her as Billie walked out of the bathroom. Devon jumped up and practically ran to the bathroom to wash off the grime from the long day of working and traveling. Billie gave Mike a strange look then shook her head as she slipped on her shoes.
"I'm heading out to explore things for a while, then I'm gonna meet the guys." she said on her way out the door. Mike soon got to work with the tv on a news station so she could find out what was going on with the world. There was a short segment on 'N Sync in the entertainment piece of the news show which made Mike laugh softly. The guys had been interviewed, and though they were excited about being here, only the people who knew them well could tell that they were almost sleep walking.
"Okay, I'm going now. Don't wait up for me darling." Devon said as she made her way to the door.
"Do I ever?" Mike replied sarcastically only to have the door slammed as an answer. Mike shook her head as she turned her attention back to her computer.
The restaurant was almost empty when Chris walked in from a long evening of surprise interviews for the local news and the photo shoot that had been scheduled the week before. All he really wanted to do was have a good time with Devon tonight, and forget who he was for a while. He glanced around the room, looking for his date when his eyes rested on a young woman sitting at the bar. He made his way over to her, knowing in the pit of his stomach that it was Devon.
"I'm glad you came." he said softly to her as he presented her with a single red rose.
"How did you know I love red roses?" Devon smiled as she took the rose from his hand to hold it to her nose.
"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count." Chris laughed as he took a seat next to her.
"It had to be Mike." Devon nodded, smiling at her date. Chris really was an attractive guy.
"I knew you were a smart cookie." he replied then ordered a drink from the bar tender. The two walked over to a table and Chris, being the perfect gentleman tonight, pulled out Devon's chair for her and waited for her to take a seat before he took his. A waiter took their order and the two were left to talk.
"Mike said that you graduated from college with a degree in Psychology." Devon said to break the ice.
"Yeah, Psych was a trip. I've always been interested in the way people's minds work. Psychology was the best way to find that sort of thing out" Chris answered shrugging his shoulders.
"So why music then?" Devon inquired making a face.
"I don't know. Music was always an important part of my life. I love to sing. That's probably why I'm doing this instead of continuing the college thing to get my masters. If I can do this now, and fall back on my degree later, then I'll take advantage of this while I can. Besides, what other job could you have that would let you travel all over the world, and do something you love without it seeming too much like work?" Chris laughed softly as he took a sip from his glass.
"I guess you have a point there." Devon nodded. "I wouldn't trade my store for the world."
"Empire means a lot to you, doesn't it?" Chris questioned leaning back in his chair.
"Yeah, that place is pretty much the only thing I have left of my dad. He loved music too. He said that music was a part of his soul. Mom thought he was crazy for opening up a privately owned record store, because of all the chains, but dad didn't care. He wanted to do this one thing his entire life. So he did." Devon smiled as their food was set down before them. Dinner went smoothly, and both found out about each other through talking and laughter. Both were amazed by how much fun they had by the end of the night.
"Its such a nice night, why don't we walk back to the hotel?" Devon inquired taking Chris's hand in her own.
"I don't mind, as long as you don't mind that we have Eugene the Giant following us." Chris replied nodding toward the body guard that had remained in their presence but staying far enough away so they could have some privacy.
"I don't mind." Devon shook her head as they began walking back to the hotel. They talked about their childhoods, what they loved about Orlando, about friends, music, and family. Nothing had been untouched in the conversation department as they strolled down the street.
Devon sighed when the hotel came into sight. "I don't want this night to end."
"Neither do I, but I had a good time. We should do it again soon. Very soon." Chris nodded as he yanked on her arm to stop her from walking any further.
"Yeah, we should." Devon whispered in agreement. Chris reached out and stroked her cheekbone softly, almost afraid that he would scare her off. Tingles shivered through Devon at his touch and she almost laughed. She would have if the mood hadn't been so serious all of the sudden. Chris pulled Devon closer to him with a devilish gleam in his eye.
"You have the most expressive eyes. I can see everything you're feeling just by the way your eyes look at this moment." he whispered.
"And what am I feeling?" Devon questioned.
"Fear, happiness, elation, and just a little bit of weariness." Chris answered smiling.
"How about a little frustration?" Devon laughed, waiting for the kiss that she was hoping would come soon.
"No, I don't see that in your eyes, yet." he replied tracing her bottom lip with the tip of his finger.
"Oh my God! I told you it was Chris from 'N Sync!" a female voice exclaimed from behind the two. Chris sighed softly, closing his eyes as Devon laughed pulling away from him.
"You better go be the good doobie and say hello."
Chris nodded and turned to the two young ladies with a smile. After about ten minutes of talking and a few pictures, Chris turned back to Devon who was now looking in the window of a dress shop.
"Sorry about that." he said as he walked over to her.
"Oh, its okay. It gave me a chance to find something I needed. I have to pick up a dress. You want to come in with me or do you want to stay out here?" Devon replied with a smile.
"I'll go in. What do you need a dress for?" Chris asked as they entered the building.
"Oh, it isn't for me. Its for Mike." she replied with a devilish smile.
Chris threw back his head and laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who has match-making on my mind with those two."
After a half an hour of searching through the whole store, Devon and Chris finally compromised on a dress. Devon knew what Mike liked and Chris knew what JC liked, and it seemed that the two didn't agree on the same color or style. Chris and Devon almost broke out into a fight at one time because she had found the perfect style, but Chris said the color was horrid. By the time they left, the clerks were glad they were gone, and they were laughing at the absurdity of the situation. They made it back to the hotel and caught an elevator going to the top floor. When the doors closed, Chris pulled Devon up to him with a devilish gleam in his eyes, yet again.
"I've been wanting to do this all night." he said then pressed his lips softly to hers in a kiss that melted her heart and made her knees weak at the same time.
Mike sat on one of the beds, totally engrossed in her work when she herd someone knock on the door. She sighed trying to ignore it, but whomever it was, they were being persistent. She climbed to her feet and tossed her glasses onto the bed before she opened the door. JC stood there with a small brown bag.
"Billie said you were working, and since I know you so well, I knew that you hadn't stopped to eat anything, so I brought you dinner." he said holding the bag out to her. Mike smiled shaking her head as she let him into the room.
"You didn't have to do this. I would have called room service eventually." she said as he sat down on the bed she had been working on.
"Yeah, eventually. That means about three in the morning when the hunger pains are so bad that you can't sleep." JC replied drily as Mike opened the bag. Inside was a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Mike took each item out and put it on the table, then proceeded to mow down on the dinner JC had graciously brought for her.
"Nah, it would have been sooner than that." Mike shook her head and stuffed a fry into her mouth.
"Uh huh, sure. I believe you." JC nodded with a smile.
"Honest. I would have called them in about an hour or so." Mike exclaimed.
"You know, you used to be filled with the wonder of it all. Now you're just full of it." JC replied. Mike calmly got to her feet and picked up a pillow then headed over to JC who was reading what was on the screen of her laptop. She lifted the pillow and hit him square in the back of the head.
"That'll teach you not to believe me!" she laughed as JC jumped to his feet, a pillow in his own hands.
"Just remember, you started this Michaela." JC warned as he advanced on her. A full scale pillow fight between the two broke out and nothing was safe. Mike did her best at trying to hit JC without actually being hit herself, but he had fast reflexes and always managed to get her back.
"Not fair! Umph, you're stronger than me!" Mike laughed as JC tackled her and they landed on the empty bed with a bounce. Both laid there breathless and laughing as the door opened and Devon walked inside with Chris behind her.
"Well, looks like someone was able to tear you away from your work long enough to feed you a little something. Congratulations JC, that's a feat no one's ever accomplished before." Devon nodded smiling as she set a fancy looking bag down on the floor near the bathroom door.
"How was the date?" Mike asked sitting up only to be pushed off the bed by JC.
"Yeah, how was the date?" JC smiled.
"It was good. We had a good time." Chris nodded smiling over at Devon.
"That's great." JC said, now standing, as Mike dove for him to knock him on his ass. JC easily lifted her off her feet and threw her onto a bed.
"I hate it when he does that." Mike grumbled to herself.
"Nah, you love it when he does that. You just hate to admit it." Devon told her, a matter-of-fact tone in her voice.
"Awe, who asked you anyway, Dev?" Mike demanded, her lips twitching.
"JC, you have to leave now. We have to talk to Mike about something." Chris said suddenly which made Mike raise an eyebrow at her cousin with curiosity.
"Okay, okay. I can see when I'm not wanted." JC laughed holding up his hands then headed to the door.
"What was that all about?" Mike inquired as soon as JC was gone.
"We have something for you, and we wanted to see if we did a good job in picking it out." Devon shrugged and handed her the bag she had brought in with her. Mike opened the bag and pulled out a dress that made her go into a shock of sorts.
"You want me to wear this to that party tomorrow night?" Mike demanded, her voice raising a few octaves.
"Oh, just go try it on, would ya?" Chris demanded pushing her toward the bathroom. Mike sighed and did as she was told, then walked back out into the room where Chris, Devon, and now Billie, Allison and Katie waited.
"Perfect." Devon and Chris nodded with satisfaction.
"Not perfect. I feel weird. This isn't cool guys." Mike laughed, but she did like the white dress. It showed off her legs and tan perfectly, and made her green eyes softer than ever.
"Its perfect, and you are wearing that to the party. End of story." Devon sighed folding her arms across her chest.
"Fine!" Mike exclaimed throwing her hands up into the air.
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