| They stood outside the club, staring at the long line to get in. "Should we go somewhere else?" Lance asked, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "I mean, we could tell them who we are and see if they'll let us in." Joey shook his head, blowing warm air from his mouth into his hands. "Nah, let's just head down this strip and see what else is around." Lance nodded, and they headed off down the street, every so often, checking behind them. Lance's mood was still sour, but he felt like being out, with no security. They were overpaid and bothersome anyway, and no matter how many times Justin and JC told him it was necessary, he'd always found it less hectic without them. Spying a neon lit club across the street, he pointed. "We could go there," he suggested, hopping up and down to keep warm. "Anyplace is better than this frigid cold," Joey agreed, heading across the street. They stopped at the door and showed their ID's, proceeded to pay the cover fee, and walked inside. The music was sedate, and Joey frowned. "It's a jazz club," he whined. Lance grinned. "Come on, you could use some culture. Let's get a drink and just chill." Joey trailed Lance reluctantly, and peered around into the darkness. "What do you want?" "Beer is fine," Joey answered, spotting a table with a cute girl at it. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Grabbing his beer, he strolled over, leaving Lance to pay. Fishing the money out of his wallet, he sighed. This night was busting left and right, and he was getting aggrivated. The music was a nice change, he had to admit, and the liklihood of N Sync fans here was minimal, so that was good. He sipped his beer and turned slowly to look for Joey. Then he saw a familiar face. It was her. Mya. His eyes widened and his stomach knotted with confusion. She sat at a table with another young woman, laughing and chatting. Lance was pissed, not just pissed, but hurt. His temper flared and he marched over, standing opposite her. "Fancy meeting you here," he snarled, glaring at her. "You know, if you didn't want to go out with me, you should have said so. You didn't have to stand me up." Mya's face fell. She never imagined that he'd be here, in a jazz club. She'd been let out of work early and a co-worker persuaded her to go out, relax, forget about Lance. But here he was, angry green eyes blazing their trail into her. "Lance," she began, fussing with her hands. "I'm sorry, I had to work and..." He held his hand up. "Forget it," he growled, "Whatever. You don't owe me anything." He shook his head and moved across the small club to where Joey was seated, enjoying the company of some lovely ladies. He pulled out a chair and sat down, gulping his beer down silently. Mya stared after him, shocked. "That's him," she explained to her friend. "That's the guy." Her friend nodded. "He's cute. So why are you here and not there with him? Please, girl. He's a catch, and we don't have them here in this town." "I can't. He's a nice guy. He'd never understand what I am, what I do." She paused to sip from her wine glass. "He deserves better." "Fuck that," her friend scolded, grabbing her hand. "You are a great person with a big heart. Any man would be lucky to have you. You're just making a living like everyone else." Staring hard at her, she squeezed her hand. "You owe yourself a chance." Mya blinked back her fears, and doubts. She owed Lance an explanation at least. Seeing him so close was hard, and she forced her legs to lift her and carry her over. Standing close to him, she tapped his shoulder. "Can we talk?" she asked, her voice small but firm. Lance eyed her, sipping from his beer once more. "Why?" he challenged. "I thought it was apparant you wanted nothing to do with me." Joey rolled his eyes. "Stop being a baby. Christ, Justin's right. Just go talk to her. You don't have to fucking marry her." The girl he sat next to laughed and soon, they were engrossed once more in their own world. "Please, Lance." Mya intensified her gaze, wringing her hands together. "Fine," he said, kicking his chair back. Any walls he thought may have been coming down were back up. She was no different than the rest, just more interesting. "So?" he asked, walking away. Mya sighed. "Want to go for a walk, where it's quiet?" She hoped he'd accept. She needed to explain some things to him. Maybe not everything, but some things. For reasons unknown, she felt a connection with him, and it scared her. "Fine." Lance zipped his coat and headed out the door, stopping for a re-entry stamp. The cold air assaulted him once again and he huddled down in his jacket. "We could talk in my car. I know you're from the south and this weather..." "Cut the chit chat, Mya," Lance snapped. He was in no mood for nicities with this girl. He thought he liked her, but being stood up rated poorly on his 'girls to like' list. "What do you want?" She bit her lip, not expecting such a harsh response, although in acutality, she knew she deserved it. "Lance, I like you. It wasn't easy to not show up tonight. I wanted to, honestly. I just couldn't." "So you said. Work, right? Is that what you tell every guy you stand up or just me?" His tone was as icy as the air around them, and he stared over her head, purposly avoiding her eyes. If he looked into them, his anger would disappate, and he may feel like giving her another chance. That was something he didn't want to do, not at all. "Yes, I had to work. I have a difficult job, and it's not something you would understand. I wanted to tell you that. It wasn't you. God, if the situation was just a bit different, I'd be with you right now." She stepped closer, wanting to feel his lips on hers again, wanting to unzip his bulky jacket and lay her chilly hands on the warmth of his bare skin. She shuddered, involuntarily, and closed her eyes, attempting to wash the image away. "So, that's it?" he demanded. "You have a difficult job. You're telling me of all people that you have a difficult job?" Mya nodded, dumbly. She was well aware that it made little sense to him, and she knew he really could care less. "And I'm sorry," she added. Lance studied the woman before him. Her dark hair still had that curl drooping across her face, and this time, he did reach out for it, pushing it to the side. A smile broke out across his face, and he softened his tone. "I have the ultimate difficult job, Mya. I just wanted to take you out tonight. It wasn't forever, there was no hidden meaning. I'm leaving in the morning, and I thought....shit, I don't know. I thought you were nice. I thought we could have some fun." His fingertips brushed her foerhead, and when he smiled, her eyes filled inexpalinably with tears. "Now I sound like a loon," she cried, leaning into his touch. "Nah," he grinned, pulling her into a hug. "Not a loon, just a freak!" She giggled, burying her head into his jacket. "I know it's kind of late, but do you want to come back to my house? Get to know each other before you have to leave? It may be a mute point now but..." Lance silenced her with his lips, unable to help himself. He cupped her face and inhaled her scent, the one that belonged only to her. For this one evening, he wanted to know as much as he could. |