Seeing her friend and partner fairly glowing on Monday morning Justine couldn’t help but comment. “Damn! If he’s that good... I don’t think your feet are even touching the floor.”
Francesca merely smiled.
“I don’t think even Gaëlle is that disgustingly happy.”
“Because Christopher is a boring stuffed shirt next to JC.” Francesca replied blithely.
“I wouldn’t suggest saying that in front of her.”
“It can be our secret.” Francesca gave her friend a naughty wink.
“Wow! It must be love...”
“I suppose it must...”
“And you even admit it! Damn!”
“You need a new word, Jus’.”
“Don’t ask me to think when I am trying to take this all in. I mean Francesca Carlisle all starry-eyed in love is a lot to comprehend.”
Francesca pulled a pout. “You act like I’m cold-blooded. I’ve been in relationship before.”
“Relationship, yeah, but feet-don’t-touch-the-ground-in-love, not that I recall.”
“May be it’s because I’m older and wiser.” Francesca shrugged.
Justine grunted in disbelief.
“May be because the other guys weren’t JC.”
“I can buy that.”
“All I know is I don’t want to analyze it. I simply want to feel it.”
Now that was a real departure for Francesca.
“And to think you were going to unload him.”
Hugging her friend, Francesca said, “Thank you for interfering.”
Justine watched the happy woman walk away. She could only hope there wasn’t a downside to all of this bliss.
JC managed to get in Chicago nearly every weekend for the first weeks. Even if he only had a day to spend with Francesca it was worth it. Good thing he was used to manic travel. With Francesca he could relax. They usually stayed in. She’d cook dinner and they’d watch a movie or listen to music while looking over the Chicago skyline... And they made love. Sometimes slow and sweet. Sometimes hot and wild. They always fell asleep wrapped in each other’s embrace. Then too soon she would be driving him to the airport for a difficult farewell.
The first weekend JC had to beg off, Francesca understood. He had probably been traveling when he should have been staying put. She had no idea what went into making a record, but it did seem to be a long drawn-out process to say the least!
Another weekend went by...
Then a month...
Then the sweet ‘I needed to hear your voice’ calls became fewer...
Then no calls at all...
“You should see the websites about your hottie,” Justine said to Francesca one Monday morning over coffee.
“My hottie has a name,” Francesca sighed.
“Actually he has initials.”
“Justine...”
“Anyway Mr. JC Chasez has sites that unofficially keep track of him. They even have hot pictures of him. You could put him as your desktop.”
The idea held no appeal for Francesca. Missing JC as she did she certainly didn’t need his face staring back at her.
“I’ll email you the link. You can check it out. It’s fun.”
Francesca had her doubts how ‘fun’ it would be.
The website had not only ‘hot’ pictures of JC, but also blurbs from gossip columns, supposed eye-witness accounts and several unflattering photographs as well. In a couple pictures JC appeared to be drunk. That did not set well with the fairly restrained Francesca. She had never seen the need to abuse alcohol.
The craziest thing she had done was allow herself to be ‘picked-up’ by JC. And if this site was any indication, it seemed she was about to regret the impulse.
Hmm... A club opening where he supposedly was dancing the night away with a newly separated actress... Another where it was rumored he was cuddling with some nameless blonde... A fashion show where he seemed to be enjoying the company of some blonde actress known more for her partying ways than talent — and they had been an ‘item’ previously.
The more she saw the more upset Francesca became. Still it was like a train wreck — it was terrible and she knew she should look away. Some morbid sense of curiosity prevented her from doing so. It was said ignorance was bliss — so true. Knowledge made her very sad and on the heels of sad came fury.
Francesca had pursued the website Justine had innocently brought to her attention. Her friend had thought of it as a lark, something amusing about Francesca’s ‘hottie’. Francesca saw it as something quite different. She saw it as a betrayal.
So JC wasn’t about his celebrity, was he? Then why did he feel the need to be a man about town? And not just one town! He’d been spotted in Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, and New York. The man sure got around for someone who was ‘working’.
Francesca didn’t like it — she didn’t like it one bit. This had been her one large issue when she had agreed to a relationship with JC — his lifestyle. Oh, most of the time he had managed to stay off the paparazzi radar well enough — especially in the beginning. But he must have been slipping of late.
JC hadn’t called her in over a week — that had been hurtful enough. She thought he was caught up in recording, in his work. That was something she understood — she could get lost in her work at times. Then she finds out from a website that kept better track of her lover than she ever could that JC was playing party boy...
Damn it all! She had given her heart to a fraud! JC Chasez had given her a lot of talk and false promises.
By the time JC got around to calling Francesca later that week, she had a full head of self-righteous steam ready to blow.
“Babe, I’ve missed the hell outta you,” he sighed.
“Uh-huh,” was her non-committal reply.
Immediately he knew something was not quite right. “Gypsy, what’s wrong?”
“I think you can stop using that nickname for me. I’m not the gypsy in this relationship. I know how to stay in one place.”
“Okay...” He couldn’t recall her even objecting to the nickname — or using such a frosty tone with him. Clearly she was pissed. “Sorry I haven’t called, honey.”
“Are you?”
“Francesca, what in the hell is wrong with you?”
“Me? Why nothing is wrong with little ole me. I’ve been exactly where I’ve suppose to have been for weeks.”
Meaning he hadn’t? “Honey—”
“I should have followed my first instinct where you were concerned.”
Which was to dump him after their first weekend. “Why?”
“You lied. I’m not comfortable coming in second to your partying. This isn’t working for me. Good-bye, JC. Have a nice life.”
Before he could respond, she’d rung off. Trying to reconnect, he went directly to voicemail.
“Dammit, Francesca! I don’t know what bug you got up your ass, but this isn’t over,” he stated angrily to the answering machine. “I love you and you love me.”
What had she seen or heard to get her back up so badly? He didn’t have the time to go nurse her bruised ego — But if he didn’t go, he could face consequences even more dire — a future without Francesca.
On his arrival at Spaces JC discovered Francesca was out on a site. Justine who had previously been his ally was now cool. She offered no insight or information on how to handle her friend in their current situation.
“You don’t want her to be happy?” JC queried Justine.
“I want her to be happy,” Justine retorted. “I’m just no longer sure you are the man for the job.” Of course, Francesca’s childhood friend had her own guilt to deal with. Justine had encouraged her to give JC a chance – then she had been the one to tell her about the damning website.
“I am. I’m the guy who loves her.”
“When you have time for her.”
“I musta fucked up. I’m only human.” He did owe Francesca an explanation for whatever was pissing her off – and he’d gladly give it. However he planned to put himself through that particular torture exactly once – and to only Francesca. As long as Justine was not helping his cause, he wasn’t inclined to convince her of his sincerity.
“Guess I’ll go upstairs and wait for her to come home,” JC muttered. There was one advantage to Francesca breaking up with him over the telephone – he still had the keys to her loft. Hopefully she hadn’t chanced the security codes on her place.
Francesca dragged into the loft hours later than she had planned. She hated it when contractors tried to do an end-run around her with her clients. It engendered nothing but ill will between all concerned. At such times her fiery Italian half wanted free reign. It was all her Anglo half could do to hold it back. She had already been in a lousy mood after reaming JC anyway…
With a weary sigh she placed her laptop and handbag on a side chair. She was about to drop her hardhat when a movement in the living room caught her attention.
JC rose from the sofa when he heard Francesca enter. She was much later than he had expected and didn’t look to be in a good mood. “Francesca—“
“What in the hell are you doing here?” she hissed irritably.
“We need to talk.”
“No, what you mean is you need to convince me you really aren’t the lying cheating pig I found you out to be.”
“Fuck—“ That was harsh! JC took a deep breath, attempting to calm his heated reaction to her words. “Okay… I may owe you some sort of explanation—“ Suddenly the hardhat was hurling through the air and slamming into his shoulder. “Damn!” He grabbed his shoulder. “That hurt!”
“I hope it did!” she snarled. “I hope it hurts as badly as I did when I found out I had fallen for a lying cheating party boy!”
Not only did she have the aim of a pro quarterback, she had a hot temper to match her Mediterranean heritage. He had to admire her fire though – and apparently she was as passionate in her fury as she was in bed. And as when she was making love, she was beautiful. A smile came to his face.
“What are you laughing at?” she demanded furiously. She cast a glance around, seeking something else to throw at him.
JC crossed the room and snatched up a vase of flowers she had spotted. “Uh-uh… You’d hate yourself later.”
“Not as much as I’d enjoy smashing it over your head,” she muttered.
“Baby, tell me what got you so mad,” JC said soothingly.
“I told you ’good-bye’. So why are you here?”
“Because I love you.”
“No, you don’t. You couldn’t.”
“I do – and I can. I’ve never lied to you and I have not cheated on you.” He set the vase down since she seemed to have calmed considerably.
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll show you.” She grabbed her laptop and set it on the island between the living room and kitchen. She brought up the damning website.
JC sat on one of the stools as the screen came to life with pictures of him.
“It’s hard for public figures to cheat and not get caught,” Francesca announced.
“I did not cheat on you dammit!” he growled in protest.
“Explain.” Francesca waved at the computer screen once the damning site came up.
JC was familiar with the site. In fandom this one supported every move he made, good or bad, professional or personal. Anytime his name was in print, a blurb, a tidbit of gossip or article — whatever it was could be found there. Every picture, screen captures, appearances, official shoots, paparazzi or fan snaps were also available. Someone had made a collage of some of his less flattering moments some he looked wasted and some he was seemingly acting like an idiot. Shit.
“I’m waiting,” Francesca reminded him.
Looking up he saw her arms were crossed at her chest and her eyes challenging him.
“Most of these appearances are either charity events or things I go to every year.”
She looked unconvinced.
“I have to stay in the public eye. I have a CD coming out.”
“And it will do so much better if you are drunk and with multiple women.”
JC pointed to the blurb about how he had been trying to avoid the blonde at the fashion show. “See? Even they saw that.”
She countered with the brunet actress and nameless blonde. “See?”
Letting out a gusty sigh, he said, “People see what they want to see, honey. When I dance with someone all the sudden were ‘together’. Just because I may lean close to hear what someone is saying in a noisy place, I’m cozy with her. I can’t stop everything they write about me — true or not.” He rose to take her face between his hands, hoping she could read the sincerity in his eyes. “Baby, I love you. I haven’t nor will I ever cheat on you. I’m not made that way. If I would ever change my mind about how I feel, you would be the one I would tell first. But I’m crazy in love with you and I don’t see that ever changing for a hundred years.” His voice was quiet and earnest.
Francesca believed that part. “Do you have to party so much?”
“Truthfully? I suppose not. It’s kinda habit I guess.” A habit he needed to break to keep Francesca’s trust. “I can cut back some, but I still need to stay out there.”
“It hurt to see that everyone knew more about your comings and goings than I do.”
“Want me to let you know when I’ll be out?” He wasn’t used to answering to anyone, but that was going to have to change. “I can email you if it’s last minute.”
“JC, do you really want to go through this? You can cut your losses by ending this now.”
“Giving up on us is not an option, Gypsy girl.” He brought her into his arms, tucking her against him. “I guess I’m used to dating women who understand celebrity. Hell most of them wanted the publicity.”
“Maybe that’s what you need.”
“I need to be used? I don’t think so. Do me a favor. Next time something I do upsets you, let’s talk about it.”
Francesca stiffened. “And save you the trouble of coming to see me face to face.”
“Francesca...” he sighed in frustration. “No, I had planned on coming this weekend. I meant it would save you some hurt and me from risking a heart attack because I couldn’t get to you fast enough. I drove like a maniac to get to the airport and demanded the flight that would get me to Chicago the soonest. A guy with no luggage gets some suspicious looks, lemme tell you!”
“Are you saying I overreacted?”
“I’m saying you’re new at dating a guy whose life is public and I’m new at dating a woman who actually cares about me being a public person. It’s a new sorta relationship for both of us.”
Finally she melted against him, her arms going around his waist.
JC could finally relax. So much had been at stake he was nearly dizzy with relief.
