“We do have a front door,” Mollie pointed out, her finger in the direction of the door.

“Peep hole.  You wouldn’t answer if you saw it was me.  I know you better than that.”  JC was matter of fact in his answers.  He poked his head around Mollie and noticed Jaime sitting on her bed.  “Jaime, right?”  Jaime was still so star struck that all she could do was nod.

“Do you mind if I borrow Mollie for a little while?” 

“I had a long night of room service and HBO planned,” Mollie inserted.

“Perfect, you can join me in my room.”

Mollie rolled her eyes, clearly she wasn’t getting out of this conversation.  She grabbed her room key and told Jaime she’d be back soon.  Following JC a few doors down, she entered his room to find them alone.  She sat on the edge of the closest bed, a bit nervous.  JC sat down on a chair by the window.

“So, talk.  You said we could talk later, it’s later.  I like you a lot.  When we’re not hanging out, I’m thinking about you.  Ever since we kissed, I can’t focus on anything else.” 

“I don’t know what to say.  I like you too but I just feel like everyone will think…”

“Who cares what anyone thinks?  Can I be honest with you?  If you’re my girlfriend, whether you are a dancer on this tour or just a regular person, people are going to think you’re a gold digger or you are using me for something.  It’s just the way life works,” JC said.  “Look at Britney, she’s rich and famous too but they still say she’s using Justin for his money and his fame.”  Mollie laughed.  JC took it as a good sign and went over to sit next to her. 

“I really like you,” Mollie admitted with a sigh. She leaned closer to him and before she could say anything else, he grabbed her face and kissed her.  She gave in and fell back as he leaned forward.  She lay on the bed, her mind in heaven. 

JC couldn’t contain himself.  Every time he was around her he wanted to kiss her and when she admitted her feelings, he didn’t want to give her a chance to take it back.  He leaned into her so she laid back on the bed and he climbed over her.  His hands drifted down her body, settling one on her waist.  He slipped one under her shirt as she allowed him to slip his tongue between her lips. 

Mollie was lost in the moment.  Her hands played with his curly hair and traced the outlines of his face.  Her heartbeat raced as his hand slipped under her tank top and brushed along her sides.  She was almost relieved when there was a knock at the door.  JC pulled back, reluctant to answer the knock but it came again.

“You might want to get off Wade’s bed in case this is him forgetting his key,” JC said as he walked towards the door.

“We just made out on Wade’s bed?!  Why didn’t you tell me it wasn’t your bed?!”  Mollie quickly scrambled over to the other bed. 

“I wasn’t about to stop all of that to move over,” JC said, chuckling.

He answered the door and it was the pizza he had ordered earlier.  He grabbed his wallet and paid the delivery guy, bringing the pizza over to the bed.

“I was hoping you’d stay for dinner,” JC said, climbing up next to her.

“I’d love to.”

They snapped right back to how they’d always been, laughing and joking.  They ate and caught up on what they’d missed since they’d been apart.  They ate in silence for a few moments before JC had to ask.

“So, where do we stand now?  Could I ask you to be my girlfriend?  Or are you going to run away and avoid me?” 

“You can ask…” Mollie said smiling.

“Would you be my girlfriend?” 

“Yes,” Mollie said.  JC smiled so wide in her direction she thought his cheeks would break.  She kissed him once more before continuing.  “Can I just ask that we keep it low key for a while?  It’s not like I would deny it if anyone asked but I don’t want to flaunt it right now…I want to get through rehearsals and start this tour without anyone questioning me or my reasons for being here.”

“I can do that,” JC said, looking in her eyes.  “You know, you’re the first girl that’s asked me that.  Normally I’m the one asking for things to be kept on the down low.” 

“Well, you can’t always be in charge Chasez,” Mollie joked, tossing her pizza crust in the open box.  She swung her leg over his to straddle his lap.  “You know my favorite thing about this new thing we got going?”

“What?” 

“It’s the same as the old thing, except now I can do this whenever I want,” she replied, leaning in and taking his lips. They picked up where they left off earlier, getting pretty hot and heavy.

“Twice in one day, do you two ever stop?”

Wade’s voice startled the pair and once again, they broke apart.  Mollie laughed and hopped off JC’s lap.  She slipped her feet into flip flops and got ready to head back to her room.  JC got up to walk her out.

“Sorry, Wade.  It won’t happen again,” Mollie promised with a giggle. 

“Yeah, yeah,” the choreographer replied.

JC opened the door for his girlfriend, not wanting her to leave.

“See you tomorrow…girlfriend.”

“’Night boyfriend.”

They sealed it with a kiss and Mollie headed back to her room. 

Rehearsals had been going great and they had reached the final rehearsal before they headed back to Florida to open the tour.  Mollie had opted to get dressed after doing her hair because the rest of the girls were crowding the make-up chair.  Finally Jaime’s station was free and Mollie hopped in, loving the few minutes away from the group.  After she was all dolled up, she made her way down the hall, knowing the full dress run through was going to start shortly.  She felt a sharp tug on her arm and she stumbled to her right, into an alcove.

“I’m not sure who picked out these outfits but remind me to thank them,” JC joked, pulling at the plastic skirt Mollie was made to wear. 

“I think you had something to do with it,” Mollie replied, gesturing to her bare midriff and the low cut top.

“Just wanted to say good luck on the last run through.  After this it’s time to hit the road.” 

“Yeah, yeah.  By the way, I had something to ask you.  Do you have a spare bed for me at your house?  I kind of had my electric and cable and all of that suspended for the duration of the tour.  I didn’t think we were going to have a day off before tour began.”

“I do,” JC said, tracing his finger over her jawline.  “But the bed I sleep in is pretty big…” 

“Alright Romeo.  We’ll figure that out when the time comes, just as long as I have some place to stay.”

“And what would you do if I’d said no?” 

“Crash with Justin, duh,” Mollie said rolling her eyes. 

There was a voice on the loudspeaker that announced a five minute warning.  They didn’t have much time to get to their spots.  JC leaned in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll go then count to ten and you come out after me,” JC said.

He turned and slipped into the hallway and headed towards the side of the stage.  Mollie counted to ten in her head and stepped out into the hallway.  She got two steps before someone caught up with her.

“So, who do you think you’re fooling?”  Justin’s voice was more teasing that accusatory. 

“Everyone but you apparently.”

“Listen lil’ sis.  You can’t get anything by me.  Plus you have horrible stealth skills.  Make sure nobody’s around to see you both leave the same spot.  You’re lucky it was only me.  I knew the minute you two made up.  Your whole demeanor changed.” 

“Well if you’re the good friend I think you are, you’ll keep this a secret.  I just don’t want any fuss made right now.”

“Ain’t nobody gonna fuss about it.  We all see the chemistry when you two dance or speak to each other.” 

“Shut it Timberlake.  Aren’t you supposed to be in your spot by now?” 

“So are you baby girl, I’ll race ya.”

The two took off running and made it to their spots in time to start the run through.  By this time they had run through the show quite a few times so they were trying to have some fun with it.  They interacted well on stage and knew each other well enough to anticipate what each other was going to do next.  Everything felt good and at the end of the show, they gathered together to chat about the show.  Everyone took a seat on the edge of the runway and Wade gave them a pep talk.

“Okay, so I know you guys are tired and you’re looking forward to the day off before we get going but don’t get too crazy.  I expect you all at the arena on time and ready to go.” 

“Yes drill master Wade,” Chris moaned.  “Can we go now?  We’ve got a plane to catch!”

Wade laughed and dismissed them all.  Everyone headed back to the dressing rooms to shower and change.  They had brought all of their stuff to the arena so they could head out right after rehearsals.  The guys had chartered a private jet for themselves and the dancers to head back.  Everyone else was taking flights later on.

Mollie was the first one done as usual and headed to the cars that were waiting for them.  She threw her bag in the back, she had packed light, figuring on her stop home she could get her other bags.  She settled into the last row of the van, closing her eyes.   She almost drifted off when she felt the vibration of a chuckle against her neck.  Opening her eyes, she wasn’t surprised to find JC wrapped around her, his face buried in the crook of her neck.  She smacked his arm, eliciting a yelp.

“Ouch, that’s not very nice, I’m just trying to snuggle,” JC said, his voice obviously tired.

“You are the worst at sneaking around.  Everyone is supposed to meet out here; anyone could see us at any minute!” 

“But that’s half the fun of it,” JC said, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.  “The threat of getting caught makes it more exciting!”

Mollie giggled as his slightly grown in beard tickled her cheek.  She took note of the dark tint on the windows and leaned in for a kiss.  Hands started exploring and JC’s fingers twisted in her hair.  She relished the attention and let her hands roam down his sides as his mouth worked on her neck.  She went back for more of his delicious mouth when they heard voices and the handle of the van door jiggling.  Mollie jumped and pulled back abruptly, accidentally biting JC’s lip in the process.

The door opened and Justin, Lance and Crystal piled into the van.  Justin gave Mollie a raised eyebrow but the other two seemed to not notice Mollie’s flushed cheeks or JC’s swollen lip.  They van door shut and they headed towards the airport.  As they rolled down the highway, JC nudged Mollie with his elbow.  He gave her a smirk and wiggled his eyebrows and Mollie responded with a big eye roll.