| Joey checked his pocket for the hundreth time in less than an hour. A nervous smile flitted across his face as he felt the small, hard box which still occupied it's place in his jeans. He stood up and strolled into his large kitchen, decorated in white, with black and red accents. Although his stomach rumbled, he couldn't tell if it was from hunger or nerves. Any minute, Lance, JC, Justin and Chris would be arriving for a meeting he'd called to announce his plan. Joey knew he was risking a lot when he bought the ring, and he didn't want to propose until he talked it over with his friends, it was only fair. Rummaging aimlessly through his double sized steel refrigerator, he felt his stomach churn thinking about telling the guys. He knew JC would flip out, Lance would probably be supportive, Chris would crack jokes to hide his anger, and Justin's reaction was anyone's guess. Joey slammed the door shut and sat down at the breakfast bar. He checked his watch and realized the guys were late. Frustrated, he grabbed the cordless phone from the wall and dialed JC's cell. "Yeah?" JC's voice had that slightly annoyed twang to it. "Dude, where you at?" Joey rolled an apple across the countertop, back and forth, sighing heavily. JC groaned. "Calm down. We're on our way. Justin's driving and he's already gotten us pulled over once." Joey could hear Justin cursing at him in the background, then Lance screaming for him to shut up and watch where he was going. Chris was making strange growling noises and suddenly Joey was rethinking the entire idea of telling them at all. "So what's your ETA dude?" he asked, hesitently. "Five to ten, if golden boy doesn't get us fucking killed." Joey mumbled a good bye and hung up. He plopped himself down on the sofa in the living room and kicked his feet up. He hoped all would go well. He really loved his girlfriend in a way he never dreamed he'd love anyone. He couldn't afford to wait to marry her even though he understood what it could mean for N Sync. Fifteen minutes later, his front door slammed open, disrupting the quietness of his home. "Stop being a baby. Shit, it's just a ticket." Justin jumped over the back of the couch, landing next to Joey. "What up?" he asked, a silly grin plastered on his face. Joey turned to see JC trailing in next. "Jesus, Justin. You gotta grow up sooner or later, and getting tickets is just stupid!" A deep frown crossed his face and he shook his head, looking down at Joey. "Well, we're here," he declared. "I see that," Joey answered curtly. "Chris, get off me!" Lance complained, shoving unwelcome hands from his shoulders. "God help me if I get through this day!" He pushed past JC into the kitchen, and re-appeared in the living room holding a beer. Shrugging off his jacket, he took a seat in the funky green barka lounger. "Okay, so what's up? What's this meeting all about?" He stared over at Joey, and popped the top off his beer, taking a long drink. Suddenly, Joey's palms grew sweaty. When he dreamed up this meeting, it had run a lot smoother in his mind. In his head, his four friends weren't in pissy moods, but looking around the room, he could see that wasn't to be. Four pairs of eyes blazed into him, curious what he could have to say that would cause a disruption in a rare day off. "Come on, what's up?" JC asked, starting to feel uneasy. Joey scratched the back of his neck and searched for the words. "Okay. Well,.....okay.....I uh,....." Justin smacked him in the back of the head. "Out with it Fatone. I ain't got all day." Joey rubbed his head absently and stood up. He wandered over to the fireplace where an oil painting of he and his soon to be fiancee graced the wall. He took a deep breath and turned to face his friends again. "Okay, here's the deal." He gently pulled the box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a 2 carat diamond engagement ring. JC was the first to focus on the shiny gem, and stepped forward in disbelief. "Joey," he said through gritted teeth, "What is that?" Lance leaned back, downing the rest of his beer quickly, sensing a heap of trouble about to start. He put his empty bottle on the end table and smiled weakly. "When ya' asking her?" he questioned softly. Joey began to answer but stopped when Chris flew in his face. "Un uh, no way. You are not getting engaged." Hurt flashed in Joey's eyes, but Chris ignored it. "JC tell him. If I can't get engaged, no way in hell can he." "What the does that even mean?" Justin questioned, confused. "Who said you can't get engaged Chris?" He glanced over at Lance who was rubbing his hands over his face in obvious concern. Chris clentched his fists tightly. "I wanted to propose to my girlfriend but JC convinced me how bad it would be for the group, so I'm holding off." He eyed Joey resentfully. "The good of the group says to put that fucking ring away somewhere safe for at least two years!" Joey held himself in check. He didn't understand the anger coming from Chris, and tucked the ring back in his pocket. Very calmly he took a deep breath. "It will be somewhere safe, on her finger." Chris took an agressive step forward and Justin scurried from the couch to step between them. The air in the room grew thick with tension. Joey took a step back, unwilling to physically fight with his friend over this. Sensing the mood, Lance hopped up and approached Joey. "Look, everyone just chill. We need to be rational here guys. For real." Justin pulled at Chris. "Come on, man. Sit down." Joey shook his head sadly. "You know, you guys are supposed to be my best friends. I thought I could count on you for support." Sadness turned to bitter anger, and he looked away. "Aww, fuck it," he growled, storming out the sliding glass doors. Lance followed him. "Joey, wait!" he called, watching as his friend stopped. He jogged to catch up with him. "Man, I think it's just a shock. None of us realized how serious you were about her." Joey squinted in the afternoon sun and nodded, understanding what Lance was saying. "I know, I guess I didn't say much about it because I didn't want to jinx it. You've all had great relationships in the past, and me, well, I never have." He shifted from one leg to the other and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I love her, Lance. She makes me happy." Lance stood there, not knowing what to say. He knew that love should be the most important thing in life, but the group was his priority, and he couldn't help the selfish feelings that were inside him. He motioned to the pool area, and Joey followed him. They sat in lounge chairs and looked out over the calm water. Finally, Lance tried to speak. "I know you love her, but we have to think about this from a business angle. It may not be right to put love aside for us, but we all need to be rational and think it through. I think that's why Chris held off on his proposal, for us, for our future. We don't have much longer, Joe." Joey closed his eyes, letting the hot sun beat down on his body. He leaned back slightly and pressed his eyes tighter, forcing tears back. He wanted to confide in someone, and Lance was his best shot. "I need to tell you something, but you have to swear that you won't tell them." Lance's heart raced. Was Joey's girl pregnant? Shit, that would be worse than just engaged. He hated when people started a conversation like that 'swear you won't tell them'. Holding his breath, he nodded. "She's sick, really sick." Joey choked back a small sob. "I don't know how much time we have." "Oh my God, Joey, I'm sorry." Lance turned to face him, and saw how he was trying in vain to hold back the emotions. "Why didn't you tell us?" He put a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. Joey opened his eyes carefully. "I didn't want anyone to know, actually, neither of us do. We just want to be happy together, for what time she has left." Silence fell over the two singers, each lost in thought. They heard the other three approaching. "Please don't tell them, not yet Lance." "Joey, I think they would understand. It would be better if you told them." "No, not yet." Joey's eyes pleaded. "I promise I will let them know, just not yet. I can't deal yet." Reluctantly, Lance agreed. He ran his fingers through his hair and watched JC, Justin, and Chris enter the pool area. "We need to talk about this, Joey," JC commented, sternly. "Right now, all five of us." He pulled three chairs closer and pointed for Justin and Chris to each sit. Lance was torn. He didn't want the guys to pounce on Joey when he was going through something like this, but he promised not to tell. He cast a glance toward Justin, trying to read him. If he could get Justin on Joey's side, it would be a lot easier to defend him. Justin was playing with his necklace, a half interested look on his face, and Lance cursed under his breath. Joey sat up a bit, and glared at Chris. "You know, you never even came to me to tell me you wanted to get engaged," he challenged. "You could have, ya know. We are supposed to be best friends. Why did you go to JC and not me?" Chris looked away. "I don't know. I guess I was just unsure what the right thing to do was..." his voice trailed off. "Well, I am sure. I know this is the right thing to do." He stood up and paced. "Guys, I love her, and I will be with her. I need your support though." Joey wanted them to accept his decision based on fact he was asking them too, not out of pity. He wanted to know that their friendship was real, because if God did take her, he would need them more than he needed anything. The thought was almost too painful to bear, the idea of spending the rest of his life without her. But he couldn't loose them and her, no way. "Chris, please. I would never ask you not to marry your girlfriend, not for me, not for the group. If you love her, you do what's right in your heart." He noticed Lance get up from the corner of his eye, before turning his attention to JC. "Man, come on. I know you're not in love, but I also know you dream about it, finding that girl who you can share it all with." He reached out and touched JC's bracelet, the one he'd so sappily made for the wife he had yet to find. "You know." he said softly. Justin let out a loud yawn, not understanding what all the fuss was. "Joey, if you love her, dude, propose. I don't care, I support ya." He pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the side. "It's sounds logical to me," he smiled, as Chris and JC shot him perplexed stares. He pulled off his sneakers and jumped into the pool. Lance stood alone at the edge of the pool line, turning to see Justin jump in. He glanced over at Joey, who's hands were waving, around in an attempt to get his point across. He hoped that JC and Chris would understand, and accept this. The back of his mind still plagued him with thoughts of what would happen to N Sync, and he shook his head fiercely, pushing them back. Finally, he saw Joey hug Chris and hurried back to see what was going on. "So?" he asked, eyeing the scene. Chris smiled half hearteldy. "I'm in. If he wants to, then I support him. I guess I'm a little pissed that I didn't have the balls to stand up for what I wanted." He thought for a moment. "Or maybe it's not what I really wanted." JC shrugged, taking off his shirt and shoes as well. "I guess it's unanimous. Joey's proposing." He saw Joey smile broadly, and grinned himself. "We're a group, and we'll defend your choice." He cannonballed into the pool, surprising Justin, who was relaxing on a raft. Joey bit back tears once more, so glad he had their support in this. He planned on telling them about her sickness soon, and hoped they would support him on that as well. For now, he had Lance, and that was a comfort. He smiled as Lance dove into the water, attacking JC, shoving his head underwater. Chris stood up and put his hands on Joey's shoulders. "Good luck, I mean that," he whispered honestly. Then, he shoved Joey hard, into the pool, before flipping in after him. |
| ENGAGEMENT by destiny |