Long, long minutes passed before somehow Lisa staggered to her bed. Not even bothering to undress she threw herself on the bed and pulled the comforter over her, wrapping it tightly around her tingling body. She was staggered from that kiss. Now that JC was no longer pressing her against the wall with his body, she shivered from the cold. His kiss had caused a fever to rush through her body. She would never be the same again.
But as the night passed, reality set back in and she began to think about how this trip to New York had been arranged. It was all too convenient. Her mind raced through how this situation had come about.
Kelly had been very eager for Lisa to come to New York and not only insisted on making the hotel reservation, but also picking up the key. Lisa sat straight up in the darkness of the bedroom, that was how JC had gained entry to her room. JC had gotten Kelly on his side. When Kelly had arranged for the room, she had gotten a second key for JC, knowing what was about to happen at the concert and thinking they would need a place to be alone.
“I’m never speaking to her again, she knew how I felt and still helped the enemy.” She began to pace the confines of her bedroom. Now she was burning up from anger so she threw open the doors to the balcony to let in the cool night air.
Kelly had been upset that Lisa headed straight to the theater to see Joey’s play and come to think of it, Joey had acted a little off as well…the noise behind the couch that night…JC had been behind the couch. Lisa had always told him she knew exactly where he was because his phone vibrated so loudly. She had been played for a fool.
The whole concert had been a setup; Joey and Kelly had forced her to sit there while JC performed. They had left her alone with him in his dressing room, when she had specifically asked not be left alone with JC. How could they?
Lisa grabbed her phone off the charger and turned it on. When she had been walking earlier, she had turned it off not wanting to talk to anyone; needing to be alone. But now she was going to call Kelly and blister her ears, after that she was never speaking to her again. Then she was marching into JC’s room and they would fight it out once and for all.
But before she could dial, her own phone rang. And that call changed everything.
***
Groggily, JC reached for his ringing phone with his eyes still closed. It had taken him hours to calm down after kissing Lisa and he had just gotten to sleep.
“Yeah?” He growled.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Chasez. This is Lyle from the front desk; you wanted to know if –”
“Did she change her departure time?” JC interrupted. He had left strict instructions along with a hefty tip to be notified if Lisa changed the time for the hotel shuttle to take her to the airport. He had hoped she would stick around and they could talk, but he had been afraid she would run.
“Yes, sir, she would like to leave now.”
JC was struggling to make it into his clothes one handed. He would have to forgo his shower, instead opting for a hat to cover his hair. Today would be a grunge look. “Stall her; I’ll be down in five minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Grabbing his keys and wallet, he shoved them in his pockets. He left everything else behind. Someone else could pack it and ship it to him. It was too important to get to Lisa right now.
Luckily, the elevator was just opening to let out a couple on his floor, he pushed his way between them and onto the car. Jamming his thumb repeatedly into the lobby and door close buttons, he stepped back as the doors closed and waited.
Finally reaching the lobby, he ran out of the elevator already scanning for Lisa. Not seeing her, he began to head toward the entrance, perhaps she had already gotten in the shuttle. But just as he reached the door, he heard his name.
“Mr. Chasez – sir, I’m sorry but she felt she couldn’t wait five minutes. She jumped into a taxi.” The man’s eyes were fearful when he saw the anger in JC’s.
“Damn it. Can the shuttle leave now and get me there as fast as possible?”
“Of course, sir, right this way.” Lyle was relieved and he led JC outside to the waiting shuttle.
“I wasn’t able to pack everything, so could someone -?”
“I’ll see to your packing personally, Mr. Chasez.”
JC threw him a grateful look as he hopped in the airport shuttle waiting just outside. “I won’t forget this Lyle, thanks for your help.”
“Good luck, sir, I hope you catch her.”
The door shut before JC could answer, but he said the words aloud anyway, “I will, I have no intention of letting her get away.”
***
“You are a hard woman to keep track of, do you know that?” JC had made his way through the crowd of people standing in line to board the plane to Columbus, Ohio so he could stand just behind Lisa.
She didn’t even spare him a glance. “Not now, JC.” She spoke firmly.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Why do you insist on running from me?” He inhaled the smell of her shampoo. “Do I scare you?” He paused for a moment to let someone pass by. “Were you affected as much by that kiss as I was?” He tilted his head, but couldn’t see her eyes since her hair was down, framing her face. “I couldn’t sleep for hours last night…I kept thinking you were only a few steps away…If the kiss between us was that good, how much better will it be when I take you to my bed?”
JC was surprised when she spun around and poked him hard in the chest causing him to take a step back. “Why do I keep running from you? Because you do and say those kinds of things. Do you seriously think that just because you don’t have a girlfriend at the moment that I will just jump in bed with you? That’s all that you think about – yourself. I’ve known you for too many years now, so I know this ‘new JC’ is not going to last. You’ll be back to your stubborn, insensitive self in no time. I just wish for once, it wouldn’t be all about you. Think about someone else for a change.” She handed her boarding pass over to be scanned and entered the walkway to board as JC stood there in disbelief.
Hearing the rumblings from the people in line behind him, wondering at what the hold up was, he handed over his own boarding pass and followed Lisa onto the plane. By the time he entered the plane, Lisa had stowed her belongings and found her window seat. She sat there with sunglasses on and her head leaning on the side of the plane. She looked utterly dejected and so sad that it broke JC’s heart.
As he didn’t have any bags to stow, he simply sat next to her for a moment not saying a word.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sure,” she replied as she placed her ear buds in and turned on her iPod.
They spent the flight not speaking, actually Lisa ignored him, and JC was trying to figure out to fix everything. He had known he had hurt her, but in his past relationships all he had to do was apologize and maybe give the woman something shiny.
That was obviously not going to work in this case with this woman. The longer he sat there, the more his anger built. How dare she be mad at him! He had given her a wonderful surprise that everyone was talking about. The song that he had sung for her was all over the Internet and everyone was wondering who the mysterious woman was. Then they shared that amazing kiss. There was no mistaking her response to it; it had left her as stunned as it had him. And now she had the gall to run off and not tell him. It was due to his own intelligence that he had planned what to do in case she had run.
Which brought them to the plane descending to runway in Columbus. Lisa jerked the ear buds out and put them in a pocket of the bag she pulled out from under the seat in front of her.
“Are you going to talk to me now?” JC asked as they taxied to the gate.
“I’m not ignoring you JC; I just can’t deal with this now.” Her leg bounced uncontrollably as she waited impatiently to exit.
“Am I that bad of a person that you can’t wait to get away from me? I thought we shared something last night. Didn’t you?” The rows in front of them had exited and it was now their turn. But JC just sat still.
“Are you going to move?”
“Not until you answer my question.”
“Fine, have it your way.” She hooked her bag on her shoulder and placed a knee in JC’s lap, one hand on the seat in front of him, and the other on his shoulder. He lifted his hand to part to support her and partly to protect himself as she climbed over him. Gaining the aisle, she clumsily tried to open the overhead bin and grab her suitcase.
But JC reached over her head and tugged it out, as he did so she took off out the door of the plane. He scurried to catch up with her. After she left the secure area, she started running so JC picked up his pace. She was almost frantic to get to her car and he wondered why.
He caught up with her and the only reason he was able to get in the passenger seat was because she had unlocked all the doors of her car so she could toss the bag she carried in the backseat. The bag JC held stayed on his lap as he had barely closed the door before she was backing out of the parking space.
“Money,” she demanded.
“What?” JC was trying to get his seatbelt buckled.
“I need money to get out of the garage.”
He reached in his pocket and grabbed a hundred dollar bill. She ripped it out of his hands, threw it at the parking attendant, and told them to keep the change. The gate was barely up when she sped through.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” JC gasped as they barely missed hitting a car as she entered the freeway.
“Why should I, it doesn’t directly affect you. Therefore you don’t care.” They sped through Columbus, weaving in and out of traffic. JC was amazed that they hadn’t been pulled over yet the way Lisa was driving.
Lisa’s phone rang as she quickly switched to the exit lane. He grabbed it before she could. He didn’t think she needed any more distractions.
“Hello?” He gasped out; they sped through a red stop light.
“JC, where’s Lisa? Is she alright?” JC hardly paid attention to Kelly as he realized they were heading into the hospital parking lot.
“What’s going on?” JC asked Lisa, but she slammed on the brakes and threw the car in park, jumping out, and running toward the entrance.
Finally, Kelly’s words penetrated and he swore, struggling to extract himself from the seatbelt. “I’m an idiot.”
Not bothering to say anymore, he hung up and took off after Lisa. “No wonder she hates me.” He ran into the hospital mere steps behind Lisa, close enough to catch her as she fell.
