| FATES 16 |
| Lance barely functioned the rest of the night, and when Olivia requested to go for some ice cream, he begged off, his eyes tired, his body just holding onto staying awake. She'd been understanding, and went back to the hotel with him. He peeled his clothes off, a headache ripping through his skull, one he dared not speak of. Olivia would be plying him with all sorts of remedies if he said word one, and he knew if he could just get some sleep, let his mind take a break from all the shit that plagued him, then he'd feel like a new man. He hoped. The VMA's had to be perfect, even he knew that. Climbing into bed, he rolled onto his stomach and fell asleep within minutes. Olivia came out of the bathroom and saw Lance curled up. She sighed, staring at his beautiful face, how peaceful it looked. It seemed lately it only time he looked happy was when he was asleep, lost in his dreams, far away from the hectic life that he lead. She moved to the bed and reached out to stroke his cheek, the tiny stubble on his face rough under her fingers. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about how much she loved him, how she would have gladly given it all up for him at one time. Now, however, it seemed as if he was pushing her aside, putting N Sync first. While she couldn't blame him for it, she did not want to live the rest of her life in a bubble. It was hard enough to deny their relationship to any press, a silly "teen idol" rule she was sure was outdated by now. Still, he clung to it because management threatened him, warned him of the damage that could be done by the admission of a girlfriend. Olivia looked away. It hurt too much to look at him sometimes, sent shards of glass right into her soul. Her doubts were growing that they would make it out of NYC as a couple. Gingerly, she picked up the Elite business card and stared at it. Maybe this could be the start of her life, a new beginning for her. Surely Lance wouldn't change anytime soon, and it hurt so fucking much to stay with him, playing a second rate part. She tucked the card in her pocket and grabbed the room key, slipping her Birkenstocks on and heading out the door. "Hey!" Olivia jumped at the voice. Spinning aound guiltily, she came face to face with JC. Her mouth set in a thin line and she pushed her hair behind her ear, not caring to hear what he had to say. Ignoring him, she stormed down the hallway. "I want to talk to you," he called after her, and Olivia stopped, feeling the anger bubble up inside her. Damn JC and his fucking rules, his fucking guilt trips on Lance, everything. "What?" she asked coolly, folding her arms over her chest in a defensive position. "Not here," JC said, nodding at a chambermaid who sauntered by. "In my room." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Fine." She followed JC two doors down and entered his suite after him. "Okay, talk." JC poured himself two Jack Daniels over ice, and handed her one. Olivia took it warily, and watched with narrowed eyes as JC gulped his quickly. He was avoiding eye contact, and she knew whatever he was going to say was not going to be pleasant. He moved to the window and gazed out blankly at the bustling street below. "It's not about you, Olivia," he finally said, swirling the ice cubes around in his glass. "If it wasn't you and it was some other girl, I'd still be the same." Olivia flared her nostrils, trying to count to ten before unloading on him. He was sputtering nonsense as far as she was concerned, and her relationship with Lance was none of his damn business. She took a long sip of her drink, hoping it would calm her nerves a bit. Too much was pressing into her brain, too much all at once. Lance, the offer to model, the VMA's everything. JC spun around to face her, his blue eyes steely and even. "It's business," he said, "And N Sync is a business. Lance is part of it. I need his head in the game." He moved closer to her, keeping his gaze steady with hers. "You see," he continued, pausing briefly in front of her, "He thinks with his heart, not his head. And you," he grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it between his fingers, "you are consuming his heart." Olivia recoiled at his touch, yanking her hair from him. "Don't touch me," she hissed, stepping back. JC laughed lightly, moving past her and back to the bottle of JD on the wet bar. "It's not personal," he repeated, refilling his glass. "I just need you gone, out of his life." He topped the bottle and sipped the liquor slowly. "How much?" "Excuse me?" she gasped, her glass slipping from her hands to the carpet. JC's words ripped into her, and she blinked hard, not believing he had the audacity to ask such a thing. "Joshua if you think you can buy me off...." "Gimme a break," he snarled, crossing the room quickly. "Everyone has a price," he said, gripping her elbow with his free hand. "Just name yours. Whatever you want. Just get the hell away from him." Olivia trembled under his hurtful grip, too stunned to move. Her eyes burned with tears, but she refused to let them go. The last thing she needed was for JC to see her weaken. She had to get to Lance, let him know what an asshole he had for a friend, had to get out of this room and away from JC with the threatening look that was imbedded in his eyes. Suddenly, he let her go, stepping back a bit. "You think about it, Livvy," he grinned, flipping the television on, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. "You let me know. You have 24 hours." "Fucking piece of shit," she hissed, debating whether to jump on his back and rip his hair out, or just leave and crawl into Lance's arms, and hold onto him like there was no tommorrow. She began to walk out, still shaking from the proposition when her temper flared with insanity. She gritted her teeth involuntarily and jerked around. Her hands flailed out, one connecting with JC's face, leaving a nasty red mark. "Don't you ever talk to me again," she warned, pulling herself out of the room. He touched his skin with a smirk. "That's right, Livvy," he taunted, "Strike now. Think of Lance. Think of what all this will do to him." He ran to the door as she flew out into the hallway. "He'll break. He's not that strong." Olivia let the tears run down her face as she rounded the corner. She had no idea where she was going, but she couldn't return to Lance, not when he was so tired, and so stressed, and upset enough as it was. She still remembered vividly his illness earlier, the one that brought them together, and his heart murmer. There was nothing she wouldn't do to protect him, and now was not the time to let him know what was going down. She pushed open the door to the stairwell and hurried down, landing after landing flashed past her in a blur until her legs collapsed underneath her and she fell to the floor in a mass of sobs. All she wanted was Lance and a quiet life, she wanted to hide him from JC and the world, live a normal life somewhere away from all the madness. He was N Sync, though. It was in his blood, his future, his being, something he loved more than her. She sniffled as the realization took over her. She had to bow out, let him alone like JC said, give him space and a chance to make it big. Maybe love would wait for them. |