She tugged at the sleeves of her navy blue dress shirt.  Her dark brown hair was pinned back into a neat French twist; appropriate for her job attire.  Absentmindedly, she chewed on her bottom lip.

Kate Lauder made red marks on the paper before her.  She frivolously scratched out words and added new ones where needed.  Glancing up at the clock on her computer, she sighed, reading the words faster.

"You ready to go?"  Kate looked up at her co-worker, Jean.  She stood at the door with a stack of papers resting on her hip.

"Umm, yea..."  She trailed off, making a few more marks on the paper before grabbing her own stack.

Kate made her way down the hall to the conference room where the rest of her colleagues awaited.  She immediately took a seat as the editor in chief went through the agenda.

"...and lastly, the celebrity interview will be done by Kate.  Okay, everyone leave your final edits on the table and get started on the research for your next assignment.  Have a good day."

Kate shot up and fought her way to the front of the room.  "Nicole, I don't do celebrity interviews, this must be some sort of mistake."

"It's no mistake.  This celebrity requested you specifically.  Says he loves your work...or something to that extent.  There should be a memo on your desk."  She shoved past Kate to get to the door.  "I have to run.  Talk to you later."

Kate made her way back to her office.  A post-it note sat on her desk and the words written on it was no surprise. 

            Time: 8:23am

            Caller: JC Chasez

            Memo: He will call back later.    

She stared at his name for what seemed like forever.  JC Chasez.  She hadn't heard from him in years and now, out of nowhere he was requesting her to be his interviewer.  She sat down, confused by his actions.

The buzzing of her intercom threw her out of her thoughts.  "Yes."

"Kate, there is a JC Chasez on line four."  The voice of Mary, her secretary rang through.

"Okay.  Thank you."  Kate saw the light blinking next to line four.  She quickly tried to come up with conversation starters, but failed.  Slowly, she picked up the receiver and pressed the button to take his call.  "Hello?"

"Kate.  It's good to hear from you."

"Josh, why are you calling me?"  She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

JC stammered a bit before getting his words out.  "I know I'm the Tokin ass hole right now, but I want to change that."

"It's been six years.  Six years of complete isolation from you.  Why would I want to talk with you now?"  Kate leaned back in her chair.

JC sighed.  "I know, but it's not like you were in any hurry to talk to me either."  He judged by her silence that that was something that she didn't want to hear.  "I'm sorry, Kate.  I don't know what got into me."

"I do.  Who should I start with first?"

"Can we just meet for lunch?"

Kate looked around her office for an excuse.  Since JC was her project for the month, she had much more free time.  She knew that was his way of controlling her schedule.  

She and JC had grown up on the same street in Bowie, Maryland.  Their parents were great friends, so naturally, the Chasez and Lauder kids grew close.  Although JC was five years her senior, they always had a special connection.

"Sure.  I have a few things to finish up around here first.  How does noon sound?"

"Sounds perfect."

Kate pulled into the parking lot of Spago.  She sat in her Honda Civic, preparing herself mentally for her meeting with JC.  In the twenty-five years that she has known JC, she has never felt this intense feeling of nervousness.  She finally cut the ignition and entered the restaurant.

"Good afternoon.  Table for one today?"  The hostess warmly greeted her.

"Umm, no.  I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."

"Oh, yes.  Josh, right?"  Kate nodded.  "He has already been seated.  It will be right this way."

Kate was led to the back of the restaurant where she saw JC sitting at a table alone.  Once he got a glimpse of her, he stood up to greet her.  The two exchanged an awkward hug before sitting down.

He looked over at the young woman sitting across from him.  Her light blue eyes were still shining as bright as ever.  Her smile comforted him just as it always did.  He was trying to remember why he had refused to talk to her for the past six years.

"Are you going to stare at me the entire time or are we going to have a conversation?"  Kate threw him from his thoughts.

JC shifted in his seat.  "You're my best friend, Kate.  I've already apologized and admitted what an ass I was.  What more do you want from me?"

Kate sipped on her ice water.  He was still the same person she had grown up with.  Throughout the six years that they weren't speaking, deep inside, she knew that if she truly needed his help, he'd be there in a heartbeat.

"I just want to know that things can get back to normal between us, but I'm not sure if they ever will."

He agreed with her comment.  They placed their order and sat in silence for a few minutes.  "Why are you here, Josh?  Why now?"

"I want to make sure you're okay."  She glared at him.  She knew there was more to his answer.  "And I heard to you had a baby."

She searched deep into his green eyes.  She couldn't tell if he was happy or disappointed.  "Who told you?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Well, when did you find out?"

JC sighed.  "Scott told me last month."  He said, referring to her middle brother.  "Why did you keep this a secret from my family?"

Kate held her answer as the server delivered their food.  "Things weren't good between us if you remember.  The last thing I wanted was to be hounded by your family.  I love them to death, but I just needed time to myself."

JC took in her words.  They ate in a comfortable silence, finally enjoying each other's company.  "Thank you for having lunch with me."

Kate threw her purse over her shoulder as they stood at her car.  "I'm glad we can finally be best friends again."

"We have always been best friends, Kate."  He embraced her in a hug.  "I'll call you tonight.  Maybe we can do something."

"Oh, I can't, Kendra has ballet lessons."

JC stood there with a goofy grin.  "Right.  Kendra, your daughter."

"Yeah."

"We'll figure something out.  I love you, Betty Boop."

"Joshua..."  She cringed at the childhood nickname given to her because of her sassy manner.  "I love you too."

Kate tried to settle back into her normal routine.  The routine that she had grown accustom to over the past six years.  A routine that didn't involve JC Chasez.  But as she soaked her muscles in her bathtub, her mind continually drifted back to him.

He was so gorgeous.  He had grown into a strong man who had all the right things going for him.  He was successful in all that he did, but when she looked into his eyes, he was still the boy from down the street.

Kate glanced up at the clock.  She jumped out of the tub, realizing that she was now running late to picking up Kendra from school.  Kate threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie.  She pulled her wet hair into a messy bun, grabbed a pair of flip-flops, and was out the door.

_____________________________

"So you saw her?  Did you see the baby too?"

JC walked around the pool table, lining up his next shot.  "She's not a baby.  I told you that.  Scott said she's six years old."

Justin Timberlake banked a ball into one of the corner pockets.  "Wow.  Little Kate Lauder is a mother?  It's weird to think that babies can have babies."

"Kate is not a baby.  She's only a year younger than you."  JC leaned on his pool stick.

"Yeah, but I still see her as that little girl who would tag along with us on tour.  Or the little girl who came to visit you during the Mickey Mouse Club days."

"I know whatcha mean."  JC softly said.

"Who's the baby's daddy?"

JC held the shot in the middle of his pose.  He hadn't even thought about the guy who had gotten her pregnant.  "I don't know.  Scott never said and I never asked."

"Don't you wonder what she looks like?"  Justin racked up the balls to start a new game.

"Of course, but it's all a lot to take in right now."  He admitted.  "I tried to make plans with her tonight, but Kendra has ballet lessons.  It was so surreal to hear her say that."

"She dances?  I like her already."

JC chewed at his fingernail.  "Yeah I guess.  I just need to wrap my brain around all of this."

"Understandable.  Just be sure to be there for Kate.  She needs you.  She has always needed you."

JC found himself in a weird daze throughout the rest of the night.  He was completely dumbfounded by the entire situation.  He should have known though, that Kate was bound to move on with her life over the past six years.