| The airplane was full and Lance waited impatiently in the VIP lounge until everyone boarded. Fuck if he was going to be noticed. Not today. Not now. He’d searched his heart out for her with no luck. He even went to Foxy Rox where he was so rudely told to fuck off. Apparently Theresa quitting was still a sore spot with the irate owner. And Lance had run out of places to search. At first he’d been plagued by ‘what if’s’ but soon those thoughts faded into pure anger with himself. He’d been careless. She was gone. So, the trip to LA was bittersweet, he realized, as an airline attendant came for him. “This way, Mr. Bass. The plane has boarded.” Lance nodded and grabbed his carry on. His jaw twitched from being clamped shut so tightly and his face was a slab of stone. He could only hope no fans tried to stop him. He didn’t want to be impolite, but given his foul mood, he was pretty sure it unavoidable. Sitting in the first class cabin, he chose to drink. Flying was not his favorite thing to begin with, and when combined with the fact he’d lost the first girl who gave him any sense of being -- well, he felt deadly. As soon as the electronic device warning went off, Lance plugged his laptop in. Covering his ears with headphones he sipped his beverage sourly and began to overlook some contracts. But she was haunting him. Ten minutes later, he slammed his laptop shut in frustration. The elderly woman next to him pursed her lips in disgust and normally Lance would have blushed and apologized. Not this time. Not now. He was in no frame of mind. The flight was lengthy -- and Lance questioned if he was even doing the best thing by going to LA. Of course JC and Justin would be all too pleased to hear that this situation had diffused itself. After all, any girl not famous in her own right was a star fucker. Lance snorted as Justin’s words rang out over him Theresa was not that. He just knew it. His ears ached ferociously as the plane made it’s landing into LAX. The stewardess nodded to him, allowing him to disembark first. Lance grabbed his bag and hurried out where another airline official waited for him -- and a huge bodyguard. “You Bass?” he asked lowly. Lance nodded. He hadn’t wanted security. “Justin send you?” he asked as the large man placed his hand on the small of Lance’s back. “Yes sir. We have a limo waiting for you. I’ll tend to your bags once you’re safely inside.” Lance wanted to scream. He was so frustrated. Damn Justin. He could have made it by himself. This was exactly why he craved Theresa, he thought. Independence and a sense of the simple things. N Sync had changed it all. And Lance wasn’t sure he liked it lately. The limo ride was long-lasting. “Why is it?” Lance asked Justin over the phone, “Every damn place you go in LA takes you half an hour. At least. Jesus.” Justin laughed. “You need to relax, buddy,” he said. “You’ve come to the land of sun and fun. So, let Justin and JC cure what ails ya.” Lance found it amusing Justin hadn’t mentioned Theresa. Hadn’t even asked. He hung up with a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. Life sucked. Justin’s mansion was nothing short of glorious and Lance shook his head as the iron gates swung open. He just didn’t understand LA. Fancy cars, big houses and plastic. At least NYC was real. No way to fake it. A housekeeper opened the door and smiled at Lance. “Good evening,” she said as she tried to take his bags. Lance held tight. No matter what, he was still from the south where women didn’t do such things. “Thanks,” he said lightly as he moved inside, clutching his bags tightly. He hadn’t been to Justin’s place since the day he bought it. It looked different -- and smelled like Lysol. “Lance!” Justin called out as he descended the winding staircase. “How was your flight?” Lance blinked. Justin looked like he stepped out of the pages of GQ. “Man, why’re you dressed like that?” Justin chuckled. “Photo shoot. They liked the architecture of the house or some shit.” He peeled the stuffy shirt from his body and tossed it down. Lance cringed knowing the housekeeper would need to pick that up later. Fuck LA. “JC’s on his way.” Justin bounced down the rest of the steps and placed his hands on his hips. “Where’s the chick?” “Theresa,” Lance growled. He took his baseball cap off and wiped the sweat away. His mood was going from bad to worse and a headache was forming behind his temples. “Can I shower? I stink to high heaven and I feel like shit.” Justin’s blue eyes met his and Lance almost laughed. They were sympathetic. “Shit. I’m sorry. Everything okay? Wanna talk?” Lance shrugged as the housekeeper waved him up the steps. Justin fell back against the wall as she passed with Lance on her heels. “Nothing to say really. Just bad timing I guess.” “Damn. I’m really sorry.” Justin’s hand clamped over Lance’s shoulder excitedly. “But you’re in Justin territory now. So forget her and let’s have some fun.” Lance grimaced. Fun. Yeah. He knew Justin’s brand of fun. An hour later Lance was showered and feeling no better. He carefully put his clothes away in the dresser and stared out the balcony doors over the Pacific Ocean. The view was amazing and normally it would have cleared his mind right out. But she was invading him in every way. She crept into his pores and stained his mind. It was the craziest thing he’d ever felt. Even her smell lingered in him. His heart lurched as he stepped out into the cool breeze of the night. As the sun disappeared quickly he took a seat and inhaled the salty air. Love was the solitary thing that had eluded him for so long. And he ached for it. Justin didn’t need it. JC had it and didn‘t care. Joey had found it and Chris let it go. He’d never had it -- he’d never felt the rush of blood from love, the exhilaration of staring into another pair of eyes with such emotion. Puppy love just wasn’t like that. “Fuck,” he muttered. It felt good to just say it. With a heavy sigh, he moved back into the guest room and pulled on a pair of Birkenstocks. Whatever insanity Justin had in store for him he couldn’t be sure. But Justin never disappointed. That was for sure. |
| LITTLE WING 4 by destiny |