[chapter six]

(Two evenings later)

"Shot through the heart, and you're to blame...you give love a bad name!" Jon half sang, half shouted as he cranked the stereo up so that Bon Jovi's 80s hit could be heard throughout the house. "I know someone wants to come down here and dance with me!" He shouted.

Caitlin laughed as she sat in her room, tapping away on her laptop computer. She'd been working on another outline, but knew that, with the mood Jon was in, there was no hope of peace and quiet for a while. She saved the latest draft, then stood up and walked out to the landing, where the sight of Jon, holding a broom and performing a rather sloppy air guitar, renewed her laughter. Giving a loud wolf whistle, she headed downstairs to join in his antics. Scout and Alex soon joined in the dance party, and the four took turns changing songs, making sure each was released sometime between 1980 and 1989. After finally exhausting the music selection and themselves, the four roommates sat down in the family room, grinning happily, as Tainted Love played in the background.

"I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages." Caitlin lamented. "Of course, the dirty piles of laundry by the washer remind me that you guys still live here." She teased.

"Ha Ha. We've all been getting weird shifts at work, but we come out of the woodwork every once in a while. Especially when there is 80s music to be had." Scout said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "So what's new with everyone?"

"Have a date on Friday." Jon said proudly.

"Who's the man, woman or child?" Caitlin teased.

"SHE is a student in Orlando, and we met at the mall." Jon retorted.

"Ah. Child. What school does she go to? Roseland Elementary?" Caitlin mocked.

"Very funny. At least the people I date don't require me to reveal my life on the internet, be followed by bodyguards or have to hang out with people like Spear Britney." Jon replied sweetly.

"Touché." Caitlin admitted. "What about you, Scout? What's the latest?"

"Oh, I forgot to show you!" Scout said, bouncing up from the couch to grab the pile of mail by the door. "Check this out!"

Caitlin removed the card from the envelope and smiled. "Oh, this is such a pretty invitation. When is Mary's wedding?" She asked.

"A couple of months. I can't believe I have to rent a tux." Scout lamented. "But I guess it's the least I can do for a sister I tortured for so many years."

"It's going to be a great time. Hell, we'll all be there, so what's the problem? We can spike the punch, decorate the car, and embarrass the groom as much as possible." Alex said with a wide grin. "Just like we do for every wedding."

"Does that make us evil?" Jon asked with a laugh.

"Just entertaining." Alex replied. "Cait, what is it?" He noticed Caitlin's downcast expression as she held another envelope in her hands. She held it up for her roommates, so they could see the return address on the envelope.

"Another one?" Alex asked quietly.

"Mm-hm." Caitlin said quietly. She turned the envelope over in her hands several times, before slowly ripping it in half, then again, and again. She threw the scraps of paper on the coffee table, then looked in the faces of her roommates. "That's what I do with all of them these days."

"Probably a good idea." Jon said supportively. Caitlin winked and smiled to show that she was alright, then jumped with the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." She said, standing.

"No, me!" Jon shouted.

"Me, me, me!" Scout chimed in.

"Go for it, I'm too damn lazy." Alex said as the other three made a mad dash for the front door, sliding across the tiling to land in front of the door. Caitlin got there first, and managed to pull the door open without knocking over Jon and Scout in the process.

"Chris! Hi! Come on in!" Caitlin said happily, pulling the door open wider to let Chris into the house. She playfully shoved Scout and Jon out of the way to make room. "Don't mind these guys. I just think of them as oversized dogs."

"When we're bad, she hits us with a rolled up newspaper." Scout said, suggestively raising an eyebrow.

"It's kinky, but I like it." Jon added. Caitlin burst out laughing and Chris chimed in immediately.

"Hi guys." Chris said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Good, good. Thanks. How are you? Stoked about the Super Bowl?" Jon asked.

"Nervous, but excited. I think it will be good, if we don't set ourselves on fire." Chris replied.

"Fire?" Caitlin asked, tilting her head to look at him closely. "JC mentioned no fire." She said with concern.

"Never mind." Chris said with a grin. "Hey Alex!" He called to Alex, who was still sitting prone on the couch.

"Hey Chris." Alex replied, waving broadly and smiling. "Decided to prowl the middle class neighborhoods, huh?" He teased.

"Well, sometimes we gods like to walk among you mere mortals." Chris joked back. "Is this a bad time?" Chris asked Caitlin, closing the door behind him. "I was hoping we could have that cup of coffee or something?"

"This is a perfect time. These guys keep distracting me from what I need to be doing, so I'd love to." Caitlin replied with a smile. "Let me grab my wallet and we'll get out of here."

"If you're sure..." Chris trailed off as Caitlin shot through the family room to grab her keys and wallet.

"Guys, Chris and I are going out for a while. Play nice until I get back." Caitlin teased her roommates as she gathered her belongings. "Do you want to drive, or do you want me to?" Caitlin asked Chris.

"Would you mind? Your car is a little more...inconspicuous than mine." Chris said, seemingly embarrassed.

"Not a problem. Let's get out of here." Caitlin waved goodbye to her roommates and waved Chris to follow her to the garage. Moments later, they were in her Blazer, heading out of the neighborhood.

***

"So." Caitlin began.

"So." Chris replied, stirring his coffee, and looking across the table at Caitlin. He and Caitlin had headed for the nearby bookstore, which also boasted a great coffee bar. After getting two tall lattes to last a while, they had found a comfortable, and fairly hidden, corner of the store. They had had a lively conversation on the way to the bookstore about Caitlin's roommates, the latest studio sets the guys had been working on, and Caitlin's need for new tires on the Blazer. Now that they were "having coffee", they both felt slightly awkward...both had issues, and needed someone to talk them over with, but neither wanted to start. Caitlin dug into her pocket for a quarter.

"Heads, you start. Tails, I start. Ok?" She asked with a grin.

"Ok." Chris agreed, feeling more relaxed immediately. Caitlin flipped the quarter in the air, and when it came up heads, Chris sighed. "Doomed."

Caitlin laughed as she put the quarter back in her pocket. What's on your mind, Chris? Or did you just want my sparkling personality along as you sipped on a tasty latte?" Caitlin teased, hoping to get a rise out of him. It worked. Chris burst into laughter, and relaxed further.

"I'm sorry. I guess my social circle has been pretty small lately, and it feels weird to be talking to a girl other than Dani. But Dani is mostly what I wanted to talk to you about." Chris said.

"What happened?" Caitlin asked gently.

"I wish I knew. I mean, realistically, I guess I knew things were strained for a while, but I feel like I've been hit by a ton of bricks. One minute, she's with me, the next, she isn't." Chris said haltingly.

"Why the break?" Caitlin asked.

"Why do girls have this big hang-up about commitment?" Chris asked pointedly.

"Not all girls do." Caitlin said in defense. "But you have to understand, when we are with someone for a while and it feels right, there is a natural tendency to want to settle down with 2.4 kids and a white picket fence. I think it's somehow linked to the X chromosome that we are nesters and nurturers. Not having that commitment makes that difficult." Caitlin said. "I'm guessing Dani was looking for a bigger commitment, and you just weren't there yet?"

Chris nodded. "Pretty much. I just felt..." He paused. "I love Dani. But I was beginning to wonder if we were right for marriage and white picket fences. We work together, we lived together sometimes, and we did everything together, and I love her for that, but I just..."

"Need to sow your wild oats a little more?" Caitlin asked, without a hint of teasing. She had seen her roommates end serious relationships for the same reason, and could vaguely understand the sentiment.

"I guess." Chris said guiltily. "But I don't know why."

"Well, I'm guessing that being on tour, being in the studio, and living the life of pop stars can make commitment difficult." Caitlin said evenly.

"JC seems to be managing so far." Chris replied with a raised eyebrow.

"But what's to say in three months he doesn't have the same feelings you are having now?" Caitlin said. "I know he loves me, but touring is tough on relationships. You're living proof." She added with a gentle smile.

"True." Chris said, taking another sip of coffee.

"Are you and Dani still working together on FuManSkeeto?" Caitlin asked.

"Oh yeah. She's awesome with the business, and we couldn't run it without her. Even though we've broken up, we are still getting along really well in the business world." Chris said.

"That's great. That shows a lot of maturity, because I'm sure it isn't easy. But that's good." Caitlin nodded her approval.

"Yeah. I mean, I feel like we're still friends, just not dating friends." Chris said.

Caitlin chuckled. "Friendship is a good thing to get out of such a good relationship. It's sad when people don't stay friends, even if they break up."

"I guess." Chris said. "The weird thing is, we ended it pretty mutually, but I still feel crushed."

"I'm sure Dani does too, Chris." Caitlin said.

"Really?" Chris asked suspiciously.

"Mm-hm. We girls have these things called feelings, and they get hurt in things like this too." Caitlin said.

"Gee, that's comforting." Chris said.

"So...what now?" Caitlin asked.

"Now what what?" Chris asked.

"Exactly that. Now what? New girls? No girls? Wallowing about Dani? Moving on?" Caitlin asked.

"I think I've gotten as far as not deciding one way or the other on girls. If I meet a nice one, I might go out with her. If not, I still have plenty to keep me busy. I'll keep in touch with Dani, but not wallow." Chris said. "That sounded pretty straightforward, huh?"

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out. But it helps when you say it out loud, huh?" Caitlin said with a smile.

"Yeah. Yeah. I do feel a little better. Thanks." Chris said, leaning back and sipping his coffee again. "What's your drama?" He asked with a quick smile. "You said you needed my expertise."

"Well, it's kind of a tough subject..." Caitlin began, swishing her coffee around in her cup.

"Shoot. I'm a new man." Chris said with a grin.

"Are you really, or are you just playing the part of happy-go-lucky Chris that everyone expects?" Caitlin probed.

Chris smiled across the table at Caitlin. "You know, for someone who is dating JC, you are quite smart." Caitlin laughed at his comment, and Chris joined in her laughter. "I do sometimes feel like everyone expects me to be the goofball all the time, and sometimes, it's exhausting. But I do feel like a new man, and while I'm not 100%, I'm operating at about 75% happy-go-lucky right now, so shoot."

"Well, you may not be aware of this, but you are going on a tour this summer." Caitlin began lightly.

Chris laughed at her comment. "I got the memo, yeah." Then he nodded his head for her to continue.

"I know it's a long time away, but JC has asked me a few times if I plan to tour with him this summer. Since you've kind of been there, done that, I was hoping you could give me some advice. If it's a touchy topic, I totally understand and don't expect you to counsel me." Caitlin said.

"That is tough." Chris said seriously. "Do you want to? Tour, that is?"

"I...I don't know. I mean, I want to, I want to spend all my time with JC, and with you guys, but I have a job, and a house, and roommates and a little bit of a life. I'm just not sure if I can do it. Just drop everything and go. Risk losing my job..." Caitlin trailed off.

"Your job is really important to you, isn't it?" Chris observed.

"Of course. I didn't get an MLS for nothing!" Caitlin replied proudly.

"Well, that, and... well, you seem to need to support yourself. You don't seem to be sponging off JC like Bobzilla, and you and your roommates all share the house. Being self-supporting is important to you, isn't it?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Caitlin conceded. "I don't like the idea of being dependent on someone else, at least not financially. I still fight with JC about our bill at restaurants." Caitlin said.

"One of these days, you'll learn he loves nothing more than spoiling you. But I like that about you...the whole self-supporter thing. Touring can make that tough. Suddenly, someone else is in charge of your life, destiny, food, shelter, everything. But in some ways, it's nice." Chris said.

Caitlin paused and looked at Chris questioningly. "Bobzilla?" She asked.

"Don't ask." Chris said. "You know, and if you tell anyone I'll deny it, but I never really liked her."

Caitlin wisely kept her comments to herself about JC's ex, and returned to the topic at hand. "So, touring is tough on self-supporters. What about on the relationship between two people?"

"It can be really good or really bad. It's great for us to have a girlfriend along, because it loans us a little normalcy in an otherwise totally abnormal situation. Plus, you know, being with the person you love every day is nice, especially in our business. And sharing hotel rooms is always better with a girlfriend than with Justin or one of the other guys." Chris said. "Justin snores." He answered to Caitlin's questioning gaze. She laughed and nodded her head.

"Does it strain the relationship or make it better?" She asked seriously.

"Both. It can strengthen it by being together through all kinds of stuff, but it can be a strain living out of a suitcase, being somewhere different every day, and dealing with our predominantly female audience." Chris said evenly. "In my experience, girls tend not to deal with that as well as guys."

"Fair enough." Caitlin said. "If you were me, would you go on tour?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Chris asked evenly.

"I do. I want your opinion." Caitlin said. "Even though this is months away."

"I'd...well, I...to be honest, I probably wouldn't go. At least, not for the whole tour. You and JC are still finding your way as a couple, and touring won't help. We've already determined that you need stability and to support yourself, and touring won't help. I know you love him, and he loves you, but touring could strain that. I think partial touring would be fine, but not for the months we're going to be gone." Chris said.

Caitlin nodded as she absorbed this. "I appreciate the honesty. Who knows, we may not even be a couple by the time the tour rolls around. But for right now, I'd rather not commit myself to going. I'm going to have to decide closer to the time. But for now, I need JC to quit asking me all the time." Caitlin said with a small smile.

"JC loves you. No doubt. But on the last tour, he didn't really have anyone that was always there and supportive. He draws a lot of his strength from his friends and family, and their constant support. You are becoming more and more important to him, and thus more important to his strength base. He wants you to be there, both because he loves you and because he just needs you. He relies on you emotionally more than he likes to admit. He tends not to be very emotional with his friends, but we've all seen it when it comes to you. He would do anything to make you happy. In his mind, having you spend every day together on tour would make you both happy. The reality of it just hasn't hit him yet. I think he's forgotten how tough it can be." Chris said.

"You really believe all that?" Caitlin asked, a bit incredulous.

"I do. I know it's true. He's a very lucky guy to have a girl like you. Any guy would be lucky." Chris said sincerely.

"Thank you, Chris. Any girl would be lucky to have you too." Caitlin replied. "Are we having a moment?"

"I think we are." Chris answered, laughing. "Thanks for coming out with me. I feel better than I did a few hours ago."

"Happy to oblige." Caitlin replied happily. "Now let's get out of here and see what else is going on in this little ole town."

chapter seven