Falling for Amelia
“Amelia!” JC caught up with her as she opened her car door. “Wait up!"
“Yes?” She waited for him to reach her side.
“Got free time tonight?”
She shrugged. She had laundry planned.
“Bring your demo over and I’ll give it a listen.”
“JC, you don’t need to—“
“I want to.”
“But—“
“Please?” he wheedled like a little boy. “I’ll throw dinner.”
“Chinese take out,” she laughed.
He grinned. “How’d you guess?”
“Your official bio. I happen to make a good stir-fry.”
“Maybe some night when we aren’t pressed for time you’ll make it for dinner.”
He made it sound as if he could see spending other evenings with her! What had happened to the JC who seemed to dislike her?
“Not tonight, JC. Thank you for the offer.”
“Amelia, I mean it. I want to help you.”
“It’s been a tough week. I just want to relax tonight.”
He nodded. She was politely brushing him off. “Amelia…”
“I’ll see you Monday.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “Have a good day off.”
Before he could protest, she got into her car and drove away.
“What do you need for your stir-fry?” JC asked Monday as he brought Amelia a bottled water, joining her on the floor. It had been a tough morning. She had done beautifully. Evening blowing Wade out of the water with a twist to one of his moves the choreographer hadn’t thought of!
“You aren’t giving up, are you?” she mused.
“Nope. I know how to focus.”
”That you do, Mr. Chasez.”
“Well?”
Amelia closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. “Not tonight, JC.”
“When then? I want to hear your music.” He had a feeling it would draw them together. Lance might know management, but JC knew music. Lance was a solid businessman. JC knew how to focus on business and how to focus music.”
“JC—“
”You don’t have to cook. I’ll order in.”
”JC, I don’t—“
“Aren’t you going to let me be your friend, Amelia?”
The little boy, hurt quality in his voice forced her eyes open.
“I can be a good friend,” he insisted.
“I don’t doubt that for a minute, JC.”
“Then let me help you.”
“I don’t use friends like that.”
“Okay. What can we do as friends then? You and Lance go horseback riding and go for ice cream.”
She shrugged. “I like to poke around out-of-the-way shops. I’ve never been to Disney World or Universal Studios. I like to go out on the water.”
“This next Sunday. Pick one. You and I can go together.”
“JC—“
“Amelia.”
She and Lance did water trips and horseback riding – something they both enjoyed. “I love going for long, scenic drives.”
“We can do that. It’s a date.”
“But, JC—“
“About eleven-thirty.”
“You aren’t listening.”
“Not until you say something I want to hear.”
“And that would be?”
“Oh, something like, ‘Sure, JC, pick me up at eleven-thirty on Sunday’.”
Amelia laughed and repeated him verbatim.
“I’ll be there, Amelia.” He grinned – he had gotten a real date with Amelia. Sunday couldn’t come soon enough!
JC arrived at Amelia’s at eleven-thirty sharp. She was waiting at the curb dressed in shorts and a red tank-top. Hopping out of the car, he walked around to open the door for her.
“Good-morning, Amelia.”
He was smiling and relaxed. Maybe he was a different man away from the studio and work. She certainly hoped so – or it would be an unbearably long day.
“So, where are you taking me, Mr. Chasez?” she asked as he dropped into the driver’s seat.
“Where would you like to go?”
“To be honest, I don’t know a lot about the area. Ever since I moved here, I’ve been working and traveling. Orlando is where I drop my stuff and do laundry.”
“Where are you from originally?”
“I grew up in rural Illinois, outside Chicago.”
“My folks live in Chicago now.”
“I don’t have a reason to go back,” she said quietly.
“No family?”
“None. My parents died when I was 15. My grandparents raised me until I left for college. Grandpa died when I was a sophomore. Gran died last year.”
”I’m sorry, Amelia. That’s a tough break.” JC took her small hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Only child, I take it.”
She merely nodded.
“I think this is a day that calls for Disney World. What do you say?”
“Okay.”
If he hadn’t already been half in love with Amelia, JC would have fallen that day. She was curious, non-stop and delighted with every little, new adventure. He discovered being still was not her strong suit – unless she was being entertained – which he found himself doing during the long waits in line. He was thoroughly charmed by her girlish enjoyment of everything.
And Amelia was a ‘toucher’. It was nothing for her to grab his hand to hurry him along. Any number of times, she leaned against him giggling and woozy from a spinning ride. That evening, when she was beginning to wind down going back to his car, she made no protest when JC put his arm around her, letting her rest a little as they rode the parking lot tram.
“Wore yourself out, didn’t you?” he murmured, his lips against her hair.
She nodded a little. “But I had a wonderful time. Thank you for bringing me.”
“My pleasure. I enjoyed it, too.”
“Too bad tomorrow has to come,” she sighed.
“Why’s that?”
She grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling impishly. “Because you’ll turn back into grumpy, old JC again.”
He chuckled at that. He wanted to promise her that person would never return. Instead, he flicked a finger at her slightly sunburned nose. “No, I won’t.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure, Amelia.”
“We can really be friends now?”
“We can be friends,” JC assured her.
“I think I’ll like that.”
He couldn’t think of a sweeter moment. Amelia was resting her head on his shoulder while he held her to his side. “I’ll like it, too.”
Amelia sighed happily.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Mmm-hmm. It’s a good tired though.”
”Good tired?”
“Yeah. An ‘I had fun all day and now I’m tired’ kind of tired.”
“I’m glad.”
“JC?”
“Hmm?”
“If we’re not totally wiped out later in the week, I could make you that stir-fry,” she offered.
“I got a better idea. I’ll order in and you bring your demo over.”
“You aren’t giving up on that, are you?”
“Nope.”
The tram stopped at their row, so JC hopped down, then turned to assist her. Holding her hand, he walked her to his jeep.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Johnny says you’re good. And I just bet you are, but I want to hear it for myself.”
“And then?”
Opening the car door for her, he gazed down at her large, dark eyes. “And then I’ll help you get what you want.”
But what she wanted right then was him, she thought for a fanciful moment. His kisses. His touch. His love.
You can have it all, he longed to tell her when he read the thoughts clearly in her eyes. Why were they still doing this dance? Who was gaining from it? “Amelia…” JC’s head began to lower towards hers.
Just in time, Amelia got a hold of herself and turned her head so his mouth brushed her cheek.
Damn! He’d wanted to taste her mouth.
“We’d best be getting back,” she said as she got in the car.
JC’s interactions with Amelia had changed come Monday. He had gone from being pleasant to being friendly, even teasing.
Justin watched when Amelia made a sly comment to JC while they took a break. JC rewarded her with a snapping towel aimed at her behind. The towel didn’t actually hit her as JC pulled back before it could. Amelia giggled and danced off to where Wade spoke to the other dancers.
“So, you finally came around,” Justin remarked.
“What?” JC asked.
“You and Amelia.”
JC shrugged. “We went to Disney World yesterday. She had a blast.”
“And you?”
“I had a blast just being with her. The kid’s had it rough. You know she has no family left? Her parents died when she was a teenager.”
“We all knew that.”
“How come I didn’t?”
“’Cuz you acted like an ass. If there’s something about Amelia you need to know, ask Lance.”
“I’ll ask Amelia.” JC was not about to ask Lance anything – that would mean Lance truly had an edge. To hell with no competition for women, JC had no intention of losing Amelia to the blond bass singer.
“This is gettin’ good,” Justin chortled with glee.
“J’—“
“You know she feels the same way about you.”
“I know,” JC stated quietly. “When we’re alone, it’s in her eyes, but she thinks I don’t see it.”
“What’re you gonna do about it?”
“Get her alone and ‘kiss the girl’.”
“I found out why Amelia is no longer with Backstreet,” Justin announced.
“Johnny said one of the crew was harassing her,” Chris reminded him.
“That’s the ‘rumored, official story’, not the real one.”
“So, what’s the real one? And how reliable is your source?” JC asked.
“As reliable as they come. It wasn’t a crewmember. It was Carter. And it wasn’t harassment. He and Amelia were dating, pretty seriously, I guess. He was constantly cheating on her. He supposedly got drunk and blamed his infidelity on her. I guess, he nearly raped her. She kneed him and he slapped her. It took a couple of them to pull them apart. She wanted blood.” Justin shook his head. “Out of respect for everyone else, she left quietly and didn’t say why.”
“She shoulda sued the punk,” Joey grumbled.
JC shook his head. “And put herself through that? Like J said, she left out of respect for the others.” Another thing to admire about the little dancer.
“She supposedly really cared about him,” Justin lamented.
“I’d better never come across him,” Lance growled. Carter wasn’t a small man – and Amelia was so tiny. It wouldn’t have been an even fight.
JC slapped his friend’s back. “Out of respect for Amelia, we have to be cool. I know what you mean though. We’d all like to track him down and beat the crap out of him.”
Chris nodded. Probably JC most of all. He’d become protective of their little dancer. Without ever seeing it coming, JC was falling deeper in like with Amelia every day. He no longer avoided her, he sought her out.
“May be it’s best if we don’t let her know we found out the real story,” JC suggested. “It might make her uncomfortable.”
The rest murmured their agreement.