JC

Very suddenly, JC was in a hurry. He  hung up the phone after talking to Shelby-- which went much better than he thought it would—and did a little dance of victory around the sparse bedroom. For the first time in days, he felt hopeful.

Maybe he hadn’t completely lost her. Maybe he hadn’t screwed things up by not following his first instinct and going after her. Maybe she was scared, cowering in a corner and needed someone to find her and grab her, wrap her up in comfort and safety and never let her go. The question was… was JC ready to be that man for her? Or was Shelby right to step away, because he didn’t want or need the tornado swirling around her?

He passed out in the bed soon after his shower—he had to wash the Kim off, once and for all. He slept harder than he’d slept in ages and awoke early and well-rested. He dressed, packed, and called a cab. If everything went as planned, he would be on a plane back to Florida that night.

Rod was in good spirits, which meant he was sober. He was a surly, ragged drunk. He wasn’t at all excited about being awake and at the studio before 3pm, but when JC said he wanted to finish and get back to Orlando, Rod was suddenly motivated. The sooner he got back to familiar ground and his gaggle of women, the happier he’d be.

JC worked ahead of the engineer until he showed up, and then the three of them got down to business, working on the remaining songs to be mixed. Music recorded live by the band was layered with vocals from Rod and JC on top, and then a balance of the two. Then adjusting and playing and adjusting and playing--over and over and over again until it was perfect.

At lunch break, JC bit down a sandwich held in one hand while taking notes with the other. “I think we can knock out two more songs this afternoon and we’ll be pretty much be done. I want to give everything one last listen but… we’re cool.”   He nodded, satisfied, and tossed the pen down. His eyes lifted to find Rod eyeing him, a suspicious glint to his stare.

“You get some last night?”

JC stopped mid-chew and stared at Rod, hoping his facial expression said shut the fuck up. He swallowed and said, “Did I what?”

“Get some, you old dog! Not even back in LA a full day and you’re all cheerful.”

JC almost smiled at the thought that a ten minute conversation had changed his entire demeanor. He shook his head, saying, “Just ready to go home. Uhm, by the way?  I need to go to Miami instead of Orlando.”

Rod’s dark eyes were alive, popping wide open at JC’s nonchalant announcement. “Mia- whoa. What?”

JC gulped the last bite of his sandwich, avoiding looking at Rod straight on. He couldn’t help the grin, though, as he wiped his hands on the rough paper towels he’d swiped from the bathroom. “Okay. I didn’t get any, but I talked to Shelby last night. It went well. She wants to see me but she’s at home, in Miami. She uh… she needs me.”

“Well, alright, brother!” Rod held a hand up and, after a few seconds of hesitation, JC slapped it in a high five. “Go get your woman. I like the sound of that. Is she okay?”

JC shook his head. “She sounds like she’s in trouble.”

“So you think the best thing to do is just rush right down there and dig her out of it?”

JC stood, crumpling the sandwich wrapper and tossing it into the garbage. “I think the best thing to do is to rush right down there, tell her I love her and that I’m there for her. And then not go back on that, ever.” With a nod, he left Rod alone in the room and went back to the studio. Sometimes Rod was such a dumbass.

Shortly before sunset, JC exhaled a lungful of air and relaxed against his seat. Every song was mixed. The run-through was complete. The sound engineer was burning a copy for JC and filling out the Request for Courier form. A messenger would arrive in a few minutes to pick up a disc and deliver it to a non-descript building in downtown LA. Once it arrived, JC’s first project as Music Director for the Rod Phillips Band would, essentially, be complete. It was a great feeling to have accomplished something, and if JC didn’t have other things on his mind, he would have taken a bit more time to bask in the glory of his achievement.

But there was still a ride to Burbank, and then a five hour plane ride to get through before he would see Shelby’s face. Even in the lap of luxury, it sounded like a chore. JC was ready to move.

In the car, he made phone calls. He caught up with his family and friends and let them know how things were going and that he wouldn’t be heading straight home. There were questions, none of which he could really answer—a fact that used to drive him up a wall, but he now understood. Hopefully soon, he would no longer be in the dark.

Finally, he and Rod climbed aboard the jet, falling into their usual seats, settling in and getting comfortable for the ride. Before takeoff, JC pulled out his phone, scrolled to a number and listened to the phone dialing out.

“Hi,” said a familiar female voice on the line. It was a voice he loved, a voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. God, he missed her.

“Hey. Just wanted you to know I’m on the plane. It’ll be awhile before I land. Should I just catch a hotel room, or—“

“No!”  They both laughed at her excited answer. “No, I want to come get you. You know I’ll be awake. I won’t be able to relax until I see you.”

JC smiled into the phone. That was the answer he wanted to hear. “Alright then. I’ll see you in a few hours. It’s a private jet, so you’ll have to just wait for me to call and tell you we’ve landed.”

Shelby laughed—he’d missed that sound, too, that chuckle with a sexy, throaty, gritty undertone that dug under his skin. He couldn’t wait to feel that up against his neck. “Wow, a private jet, huh? I’m dating someone very important, apparently.”

“Apparently. Or more like his employer thinks he’s a big shot who’s too spoiled to fly commercial.” JC ducked in time to miss a size 11 shoe fly past his head. “I better go. Rod’s throwing shoes and it’s about to be germ warfare up in here. Can’t wait to see you, honey.”

“Counting the hours,” she said softly. “And get some sleep. We have a lot of talking to do.”

“Looking forward to it. See you in a bit.” He ended the call, wanting desperately to tell her, again, that he loved her. There’d be time enough for that soon.

The mask and suit of armor he wore gave him the appearance of bravery and boldness, but he was taking the biggest risk of his life. Bigger than moving back to Orlando. Bigger than taking on Rod and the Band and everything came with it. Bigger than trying to keep his name in lights and stay relevant, doing something he'd never done before. Bigger than planning and embarking on a World Tour, no longer the main event and the performer, but in the background and the shadows as the Music Director. If he couldn't know that Shelby was there for him and not only loved him but was in love with him, the rest of his life would seem like a waste. It had to work out.

What was he even going to say, when he saw her? Hey, I know people think you murdered your old man, but I'm here for you. Just please don't kill me was probably not the best approach, even if he was kidding. She would be scared and stressed and overwhelmed. He could almost feel her emotions in his heart. He heard the clipped tone of voice in his head. He used that feeling and that sound to propel him forward, to push him toward Miami.

Hang on, Shelby woman. I’m coming.  

Shelby

She slid the phone closed but held it in her hands, staring at the LED screen, trying to force the hours forward. The time at the top of the phone flipped, minute by very slow minute. At this rate, it would take forever for the hours to tick by.

Shelby was nervous. More nervous than she’d been when she met him that early morning or on their first date, though she wore a brave face. She’d been scared out of her mind that night, completely out of her comfort zone, acting very unShelby-like. Aggressive, sexual, animal—that had never been her. It was a persona that she put on, hoping to change herself and her life.

Her ruse worked, and yet it didn’t. It netted her a great guy who thought she really was that person. Shelby dreaded having to tell him that she was really a coward who took the first opportunity to run from her problems, only to have her problems hunt her down and surface in another city. Orlando may as well have been a desert island, but the world had suddenly become a much, much smaller place.

She hadn’t slept since JC called that morning. She tried, but couldn’t. There was too much going on inside her head and her heart. Too much she was holding at bay. Too much she was sick and tired of hiding. She had to prepare herself, mind and body and spirit, to see JC again. To show him the real Shelby. To tell him everything, and hope he meant it when he said he wasn’t going anywhere.

To distract herself, she bumbled around the house, spent time with her parents until they went to bed, and then sat out on the patio clutching a drink in one hand and her phone in the other. The hours dwindled, inching by until it was time to go to the airport. The private airstrip was behind the main building, so JC would have to first get into the building and walk through it to the other side. From her car, she could see flights from major airlines approaching, the jet engines roaring from far above and then, from the left, a small aircraft—in comparison to the others—descended from the skies, coming lower and lower until it sank out of view. That had to be his plane.

Shelby waited on pins and needles for the call to come, the call that said he was on the ground and headed her way. She was expecting it, but the car was so quiet that it still made her jump when it rang in her hands.

“He-hello?”

“Hey. I’m here. Where ya at?”

His voice, his voice, the sound of his voice!  She felt like a sap, grinning into the phone at the mere sound of his silky tone with the light northeast accent. Knowing he was in close proximity to her made her almost leap out of the car and go running for him. She didn’t even know where she’d parked. She just swung into the closest spot with a view of the airstrip.

“Uhm, come out at baggage claim and I’ll drive around.”

“You got it. I’ll be there.” She didn’t even say goodbye. She slammed the phone closed, started the car, jammed it into reverse and then into drive. The car whined its way around the parking deck, narrowly missing a pillar and two other cars.

Calm down, Shelby! Damn!

In record time, she was screeching to a stop in front of baggage claim, spotting a nondescript JC in a hat, a light leather jacket and jeans with a duffel bag over his shoulder. She honked, watching his head whip around in her direction and then a smile cross his face. She put the car in park and practically exploded out of it, rushing around to the sidewalk and throwing herself into his arms.

For a minute, she was sure she was dreaming. And it was a horrible, ugly, mean thing for her mind to do to her, to produce a dream in which JC had come to find her and tell her that he didn't care about the black cloud hovering over her. But… she wasn't dreaming. He was really there and really holding her. Her nose was really full of his scent and her arms were really full of him, and his lips were really dusting her forehead and the top of her head. Her heart would probably burst if it hadn't already exploded earlier in a fit of sadness over probably never seeing him again-and here he was.

Shelby had almost knocked him over with the force of her body against his, but he stood strong, planting his feet, his arms wrapped tightly around her, the world at a standstill. It took everything in her to hold back the tears that threatened. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be overjoyed at seeing him again and relieved that he still wanted to be a part of her life. For now, at least.

When she could bring herself to let go, Shelby pulled back, just to look at him. Just to see him. Her face was tomato red, her eyes were shiny, but her smile was wide. "You look tired," she said.

"Long week. Long flight. And I've been worried about you."

Shelby gulped, feeling the look of guilt and shame crossing her face. "I'm sorry. I was trying not to involve you in all of this. Trying to keep this from all of you just made it worse. I was irresponsible to get involved with you, in the first place, while this was so fresh. I-"

"No, no." He silenced her with a finger to her lips. "No regrets. However we came to be, it's already happened. We can't undo it, so let's not have regrets. Let's just turn around and look at where we're going."

Shelby gulped, and dared a small smile. "We?"

"We," he repeated, smiling, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "I'm not arguing that point." JC grinned down at her, then with a finger tip, stroked her cheek until he reached that dimple he claimed to love so much. “See, I had to come back. I haven’t named this dimple, yet.”

She laughed, basking in the feeling of being near him, the sight of him the smell of him, his smile, the tenor of his voice, the sensation of just the tip of his finger on her face that sent shivers down her body. Behind them, cars honked and parking police whistles tweeted, knocking her out of blissful reverie.

“Is the bag all you have? Are you ready?”

“This is it, and I am ready. Take me home.”  She grinned, leading him back to the car and sliding into the driver’s seat. JC reached to snap his seatbelt in place and then leaned over onto the armrest between them.  “You know what I’ve been thinking about?”  

“I have an idea, but tell me.”

“Well, you remember that night I had that event? It was on a Thursday, and you were at a coffee shop? You told me about something you’ve never done. Remember?”

Shelby pulled away from the curb, wracking her brain. She remembered the night—she had been bored and left the house in search of something to do. She ended up at a coffee shop, and… ooohhhh. The red hot text message conversation. The chair in the corner. The muggy night. Her admission of a fantasy. She shot a few quick glances over at JC, trying to gauge if he was serious. She couldn’t tell by the slight smile, but the smoky eyes gave him away.

“You mean the car thing?”

“The car thing?” He laughed. “That’s what you call it? Your unlived fantasy of me and you in the backseat of a car, someplace secluded and dark and quiet, where it’s just us? You said something about—“

“I know what I said!” Shelby laughed, the memory rushing back to her. The feelings as well—desperate, restless, climbing –the-walls and out of her mind. And not being able to do anything about it. “That’s what you want?”

It had only been a few days since she’d seen him but aggressive, sexy, confident Shelby had been buried underneath worried, insecure, troubled Shelby. She gripped the steering wheel, her mind reeling, all the while trying to unearth the only Shelby he knew and would want to spend time with.   

Halfway between the airport and home, Shelby pulled over onto a dirt road. Her car slowly rode the uneven surface for a few minutes until they reached a clearing—an open field surrounded on all sides by trees and nothing above but the light of the full moon.  She killed the engine but left the power on so she could slide open the moon roof.

JC shifted in his seat so he was facing her, then reached over the center arm rest, found her hand and laced his fingers between hers. For a moment, neither moved. JC stared at Shelby, Shelby stared back.

“Missed you,” he whispered to her, finally.

“Missed you, too,” she returned. “A lot. Feels like forever since I saw you.”

“Longest week of my life.”

“Agreed,” Shelby said with a light laugh. JC was quiet, letting her take the lead. Shelby guessed that was fair, since she was the one who had a lot to say. It took a few minutes for her to get up the nerve to say anything.  

When she did, she gestured to the view outside the windows.  "I haven’t been out here in a long time. Maybe since high school. I used to come out here and sit in the dark and think. Reflect. Just trying to figure out life. Maybe I should have spent more time out here, recently."

“It’s nice,” JC said, passive. He squeezed her fingers then said, “Your hands are shaking.”  Shelby nodded, gulping audibly and bowed her head.  “Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to judge you.”

“I know,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.  “It’s just that… what I’m about to say could change a lot of things. Like what you think of me and how you feel about me, and—“

“That’s not gonna happen, Shelby. I told you—“

“I know what you told me, JC.” She lifted her head and dared to look him in the eye. “I heard you. But you haven’t heard me, yet. You don’t even know the half of the story. Just wait until I tell you everything before you decide that you love me and you want to stand by me.”

“Okay. “ He nodded, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth. “Go for it. I’m ready.”

“There’s so much to say.”

“Let’s start at the beginning. Who are you?"