This short is the sequel to "Never Again". Logically, you should read "Never Again" before you read this.

“Don’t punk out on me now, Gina. This isn’t over just because you got what you wanted.”

“JC, I don’t know what you think I can possibly do to help. She hates my guts and probably always will thanks to your brilliant plan.”

“Don’t give me that, now. We both agreed before we started this that the end would justify the means. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, we may still all be able to come out of this friends.”

“Don’t order me around, JC. I’m not the one who started this.”

“Gina, I didn’t want to bring this up but if I don’t get what I want, I’ll make sure you don’t get to keep what you got.”

“Asshole.”

“Hey I remember you once calling this romantic.”

“It’s romantic the way you love her. It’s not romantic the way you turned into a bastard because of it.”

“Listen, I’m still me. I may have done some things I’m not so proud of but I’ll still be the same guy when it’s all over. You haven’t exactly been up front with your best friend either.”

“At least I feel bad about it.”

“I’ve been feeling bad about it for years. Lance made the first move, not me. I’m done feeling bad.”

“Okay, okay. What do you want me to do?”

“Just work on Lance. I don’t want him flipping out if and when Jen and I get together. In order for this to work, we all have to comfortable with each other in the end. Like this is the way it always should have been, you got me?”

“Yeah, okay. Shit I have to go. Lance is up.”

“Okay, later.”

“Bye.”

Sunlight flooded the guest room of JC’s house that had become Jen’s over the two weeks since she moved out of Lance’s. Jen’s fingers curled around the edge of her sheet, tugging it up under her chin. It had taken a week for her to be able to sleep through the night. Now, though the wounds of Lance’s betrayal were still fresh, she felt like she was getting toward some kind of peace.

JC had been so understanding, letting her crash at his place while she sorted through the mess that was her head. He was constantly doing things to make her smile— leaving notes around the house, making sure there were fresh flowers in her room every morning because she told him once their scent soothed her, singing her to sleep when she couldn’t stop crying.

She thanked God every day she had a friend like him. He listened to her, he comforted her, he took care of her. But she knew it had to end. As much as she hated Lance for what he did to her, she couldn’t bring herself to come between friends like JC and Lance. It would be disastrous to their friendship and even more so to the group if she stayed around. She wouldn’t be so selfish no matter how much she wanted to be. And she did. She wanted to destroy something of his the way he destroyed her heart. She just couldn’t allow herself to sink to that level.

She lay in bed, pretending to be asleep, knowing very well that JC was watching her from the doorway. He always did that for some reason. While trying to come up with the best way to tell him she was moving out west to Seattle— away from them; away from him— a very disturbing thought occurred to her. This was more than friendship to him. It should have been so obvious. She thought back on all the smiles, all the looks, all the words and how he said them. She thought back to before when she and Lance were still together— still happy. Even then… she should have seen it. She was always too wrapped up in Lance to notice.

She fought to keep her face stoic, knowing any trace of emotion would signal him she was awake. Inside she was reeling. She didn’t know how to feel. A million questions flooded her mind, most prominently— Would he ever act on it? She didn’t think he would, but with Lance out of the picture, she wasn’t so sure.

Across the room, JC wondered if she’d figure out he knew she was awake. He could read her easily by now, having finally, after years of yearning, been able to watch her sleep. He knew how she breathed, how she moved, the expressions she made while she was dreaming.

Jen was right about one thing, though. He wasn’t going to be the first to act. He knew she’d have to be the one to make the first move or she’d never truly be his. There’d be too many questions for her if he moved first— what were his intensions, what was his motivation, did he just feel sorry for her, was he confusing his feelings because of the extenuating circumstances, and so on. Only he and Gina knew the extent of his feelings. He’d been in love for years. Through all the girls he’d dated, devoted himself to, the only one he ever loved was the one he couldn’t have. The guilt had been overwhelming for quite some time. Even though he never acted on his feelings, just the fact that he had them made him feel like he was betraying Lance.

That had all changed when Gina was hired. He found her puppy-like infatuation with Lance quite intriguing— more so than anything else about her. Several times, he found himself wishing that she was more of a match for Jen. Maybe then Lance would set Jen free and he could have his shot. But there was never any hope in his mind. Who would ever want Gina when they could (already did, in fact) have Jen? Who would want anyone else when they could have Jen?

It wasn’t long before Lance dropped several notches in JC’s estimation. One night in Austin, Texas, JC was wandering around the venue, waiting for his turn with Carly, the seamstress. He pretty much kept her busy with the amount of ripped pants he piled up through the course of a tour. What caught his attention was two voices, one obviously belonged to Lance and the other, a girl he couldn’t quite put his finger on. For a split second he thought Jen had flown out to surprise him. She was always doing things like that.

Discreetly poking his head into the dressing room, he saw Gina bent over Lance, applying foundation. It was nothing out of the ordinary. In twenty minutes, JC would be in the same position. But something was off. There was something that caused JC to stick around a little longer.

He began to assume it was only wishful thinking after listening in on five minutes of mindless chatter. He was about to leave, to go on beating himself up over his feelings for his best friend’s girl, when it happened. The kiss. Not a friendly peck on the cheek. Not even a playful peck on the lips. It was a kiss. Lance, the idiot, kissing Gina, who was not Jen.

JC had witnessed the first kiss. He witnessed Lance’s remorse after it— the profuse apologizing to Gina for leading her on, taking advantage. After all, he loved Jen. But Jen wasn’t there and Gina was. Gina was there and clearly interested.

Later on, when it was JC’s turn in the make-up chair, he told Gina that he had seen them. He had to chuckle at the memory of the look of horror on her face. Whether she was scared of losing her job or losing Lance, he still didn’t know but it really didn’t matter. By the time JC was ready to take the stage, both he and Gina had a hope they never had before. There was a plan— rudimentary at the time— but a plan nonetheless. There was hope that Jen and Lance weren’t as inseparable as they, and everyone else around them, had thought.

JC leaned back against to door jamb, admiring her as she lay in bed. He imagined what it would be like to lay beside her, holding her. His arms ached for it. He was a man obsessed and he knew it. Over the years, he’d memorized every line of her face, every inflection of her voice, every mannerism, every glace she’d tossed him, never knowing how much he lived for them.

“You realize I know you’re awake, faker,” he smirked.

Jen cringed inwardly, wondering how the hell he did that. She shifted in bed, now lying flat on her stomach and buried her head under a pillow. She wasn’t ready to talk to him. Hell, realizing what she’d just realized, she didn’t even know how to act around him anymore.

JC pushed himself up off the door jamb and sauntered over to the bed. He plopped down unceremoniously, chuckling at her trademark whine. Jen never whined outside of joking around. JC loved that whine— it was always accompanied by her smile, her laugh.

“C’mon, sleepy, I got bagels downstairs,” he coaxed.

Jen rolled over, pushing the pillow off her head and her wild hair from her face, and smiled coyly. “Cinnamon?”

“Cinnamon,” JC nodded. God he loved that smile. “And warm, but only if you drag your cute ass out of bed.”

“You think my ass is cute?” Where the hell did that come from? Jesus, Jen, don’t do this!

“Well, let’s see,” JC said, standing up and pulling her with him.

“JC!” she objected as he easily hauled her out of bed. They stood chest to chest and JC leaned forward to look over her shoulder.

“Yes, definitely cute,” he confirmed with a wink. “Now get dressed and come have breakfast.” He swatted her butt playfully and exited the room.

Three days later, Jen was driving herself crazy. She tried to convince her self that her anxiety came from trying to think of the best time and way to tell him she was leaving. In truth she was starting to see JC in a new light. She was constantly catching herself noting how sexy his arms were or how brilliant his smile was. She’d catch herself mid-gawk and scold herself on how unrealistic she was being. But the more she drifted off in thought about him, the more she found herself considering what it would be like to be with him. JC took care of her. He always had. With Lance, she was always the one taking care of him. She always teased him that what he was really looking for was a second mother and not a girlfriend.

“What?”

Jen blushed, realizing she was staring again. “N-nothing,” she replied returning to her book.

“C’mon, Jen, something is going on up there,” he prodded, laying his own book down and leaning over to poke her forehead gently.

“It’s really nothing.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t lie for shit.”

“JC, I just… I just don’t want to talk about it.”

“Lance, right?” he asked, checking his tone to make sure his bitterness hadn’t shown through.

It had, though and it made Jen shiver. “No, not Lance. You.”

“Me?” Was this it? What it happening?

“Yeah, I was just thinking about… umm…” This was going to be harder than she thought. She searched her mind for the right words but in the end she chickened out. “I need to tell you something.”

“You know you can tell me anything, sweetie,” JC coaxed.

“I’ve been talking to the editors at my publisher’s Seattle office and they offered me a job. I’m moving out there in two weeks.”

JC couldn’t tell if the sensation was that of a knife through his heart or just a bullet. It was a toss up. “Wait. What? You can’t just leave,” JC stuttered.

“JC, I can’t stay here. Lance isn’t in my life anymore. He was my only anchor here. I’ve been living his life. I have to live my own now.”

Her words echoed in his head. Lance was my only anchor here. He cursed himself, but he had to deviate from the plan. He had to tell her. He had to make the first move or he might loose her forever. “Jen, you can’t leave.”

“JC, I know we’re friends but if I stay here… I just don’t want to come between you and Lance and I don’t want to be in the position to have to see him or hear about him… them. I want to get on with my life and I can’t do that in Orlando. I won’t be able to get away from him as it is. I don’t need to be in the epicenter of pop right now.”

“Jen, that’s not it. You can’t leave because…” Now he was the one chickening out and he hated himself for it. He needed to do this.

“Because why?” He’s going to say it, isn’t he? Do I want him to?

“Because, I love you,” he breathed, almost inaudibly, his eyes never leaving her.

“I love you to JC,” she said, trying to brush it off.

“No, I mean, I’m in love with you. I have been for so long. I know you need time to get some distance from what happened between you and Lance but you can’t leave. I need you here. I’ll wait as long as you need but I can’t let you move to the farthest corner of the country. I need to be able to see your face, hear your voice…” JC took a deep breath. He needed to slow down. He didn’t want to scare her but as soon as he told her he loved her it was like the flood gates opened. “Please, Jen. Give me a chance to show you what it could be like.”

Their faces were inches apart, so close JC could feel her breath on his lips. It was a sensation he only ever felt in his dreams. A single tear rolled down her cheek. He couldn’t tell what emotion made it fall. He only prayed it wasn’t sadness.

“JC, I don’t know what to—”

“Shh,” he put a finger up to her lips. They were even softer than he’d imagined in so many daydreams. His hand moved to cradle her face and he searched her eyes for some sign, whether it told him to stop or go on. He could smell her shampoo and a hint of mint from when she’d brushed her teeth that morning. Then he saw it. It was the look he had prayed for since the day he met her. She made her decision. She wanted him too. Their lips touched tentatively and he waited, wanting her to be the one to move forward.

Jen really didn’t care about the consequences anymore. The moment she felt the warmth of his hand on her cheek, she knew it was a feeling she couldn’t walk away from. She was craving contact, a feeling she hadn’t been getting from Lance for weeks before she found out what was actually going on. She felt tortured by the lack of pressure as their lips grazed each other. She knew he was waiting for her but she was stubborn, refusing to be the one to move first.

“JC…” she pleaded against her lips.

That was it, he threw one more rule out the window and tilted his head, his lips sliding possessively over hers. The kiss was one of raw need, neither thinking much of anything, concentrating only on what they were feeling. Neither heard the door open.

“JC, man, Gina said you—”

Jen thought her heart stopped. She hadn’t heard his voice in almost three weeks and now he was here, seeing her making out on the couch with his best friend.

“Sorry,” she heard him breath before the door slammed shut.

JC cursed silently as she slid out from underneath him. She sat on the floor next the couch curling up into a ball, her head resting on her knees.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, thanking God when she didn’t flinch or pull away when he touched her.

“I don’t know why it bothers me so much. He didn’t want me. He has someone else. He loves someone else. Why can’t I do the same?”

Her voice was pleading for answers she didn’t know he had. His heart broke seeing her like that. Knowing he caused it. If she’d only give him a chance, he could make her happy again. He knew he could. He just had to make her see.

“Jenny,” he started.

She smiled softly. Only JC ever called her Jenny.

“I meant what I said. I’ll wait as long as you need.”

“I know.”

Jen had retreated to her room to take a nap. She was drained and JC’s thoughts turned to only one thing. What the hell had Lance been doing there? He scolded himself for ever having given out the keys to his house to the rest of the guys, like he could some how have foreseen this. Then he turned his thoughts to another… Gina. Lance had said Gina told him something.

JC didn’t know what game she thought she was playing or who she thought she was playing with but he intended to win.