(The next day, Friday)
Caitlin sifted through her closet in disgust before storming out and into the next room. "What do you wear to go sightseeing with a superstar?" She asked her brother with frustration in her voice.
Alex looked up from his laptop. "You're asking me?" he said with
a grin.
Well, I thought maybe you'd done this before." Caitlin said sarcastically
as she flopped onto her brother's bed.
"Nope. Can't help ya." Alex replied. "Just wear something comfortable."
Sighing deeply, Caitlin retreated to her own room. She finally settled on
khakis and a light twinset, and was in the bathroom putting the finishing
touches on her appearance when she heard the doorbell ring.
"Lexie? Can you get that? I'll be down in a second!" Caitlin called
as she rushed to fix her hair.
She heard the mumbling of voices when she descended the stairs a few moments
later. "Hi JC." She said when she caught sight of him in the front
hallway, talking to Alex.
"Hi Caitlin--you look great!" He replied with a smile.
"Thanks...you too." Caitlin said, smiling in reply. JC was also
dressed comfortably in jeans and a light sweater of heather gray. She gave
a silent sigh of relief that she seemed to be dressed appropriately.
"I see you've met my brother Alex. I hope he wasn't too rude to you."
Caitlin teased with a smile.
"Other than threatening me with bodily harm, we got along great."
JC replied easily.
"Alex!" Caitlin exclaimed.
"I did NOT!" Alex defended himself.
Caitlin stuck her tongue out at JC as a retort as she kissed Alex on the cheek
on her way to the door. "I'll see you later." She said, grabbing
her wallet from the front table and sliding it in her pocket, along with her
front door key.
"Have fun...nice to have met you JC." Alex said.
"You too, Alex." JC replied politely as he opened the door for Caitlin
and followed her down the front steps.
"It's a beautiful day todayI still can't get used to such warm weather
in November. I'm used to 7 feet of snow by now!" Caitlin exclaimed as
JC opened the passenger door to his black Jeep Cherokee for her.
JC grinned in reply. "You'll get used to it. Before you know it, it will
seem normal to go swimming in January or to sit on the beach in December."
"Don't you ever miss seeing the seasons change though? I love seeing
the leaves turn colour in autumn, and seeing the first snowfall, and flowers
coming back in the spring" Caitlin said.
"Sometimes. At least I still get home to Maryland enough to see some
of that. But Florida is definitely different." JC said as he started
the Jeep and headed down the street towards the center of town.
"So, where are we headed?" Caitlin asked with interest.
"Well, I thought a driving tour first, then maybe get out and walk around
a couple of parks--Orlando has done a nice job of keeping trees and grass
around for people to see!" JC said with a grin. "After that, I thought
we'd play it by ear..."
JC continued to describe the day to her, but Caitlin's mind was wandering.
She truly couldn't believe she was cruising around Orlando with none other
than JC Chasez. She had always been a fan of *Nsync's music, and even went
so far as to find out tidbits about them on the internet, from the multitude
of fan sites available. But, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine herself
hanging out with one of them. And he seemed so nice...and normal...and even
cuter in person.
Caitlin shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. JC was surely not
interested in her that way. And even if he was, she just wasn't ready...
Smiling brightly, Caitlin replied. "Sounds perfect. I've been dying to
see everything, but with the new job, and settling in, and everything else,
I just haven't had the chance."
JC looked over at Caitlin and smiled. "She's so normal" he thought
to himself as he steered the car through the town. He loved how casual she
was being, even though he figured she must be nervous. He understood how difficult
it must be to hang out with someone like him. He watched as she tucked the
hair behind her ear and smiled at him. "I like this girl--it's like instinct,"
JC thought to himself with a grin.
"What's so funny?" Caitlin asked, noticing his smile.
"Nothing, just...nothing. This may sound weird, butdid you grow up in
America?" JC asked.
Caitlin burst out laughing. "You're right, that is weird."
JC blushed slightly. "Well, it's just that, I noticed you sound a bit
foreign, and so did your brother, and so I thought I'd ask..." JC trailed
off, realizing he sounded like an idiot.
"Very perceptive, Mr. Chasez. Actually, I'm British by birth, as is Alex.
I grew up there, before emigrating over here years ago. I've mostly picked
up the American accent, but sometimes I lapse into a bit of British."
Caitlin said, almost shyly.
"That is so cool!" JC exclaimed. "I love the way British people
sound!"
Caitlin laughed. "A lot classier than the ugly American, eh?" She
teased.
"You bet!" JC laughed with her. "Well, here's our first stop."
JC declared as he parked the car in a rolling park with lots of trees, picnic
tables and walking paths.
"This is beautiful! I never even knew this was here!" Caitlin said
as she climbed out of the car.
JC smiled to himself. "Ok, alright. So far, so good." he thought
to himself.
As they began walking down one of the more wooded paths, JC picked up the
thread of their previous conversation.
"What brought you to America?" He asked.
Caitlin was silent for a moment. "My parents died when I was young. It
was decided that Alex and I should move over here to live with my auntie and
uncle, who live in Michigan. We grew up there, and I ended up staying and
going to university there, and then graduate school. Alex joined the naval
academy--they made an exception to let him in because of his impeccable grades.
Normally, people of foreign birth aren't allowed into the armed forces. He
and I became American citizens years ago, even though we are still British
subjects."
"Wow. Sounds like you've had quite a life so far." JC said quietly.
"We've had our moments." Caitlin replied with a slow smile.
"So...your house...it isn't your parents?" JC asked.
Caitlin blushed slightly. "When our parents passed away, we actually
inherited quite a bit of money, which was put into a trust for when we turned
21." Caitlin paused. "Alex was actually transferred to this area
a couple of years ago, and then when the job opened up at Orlando Public Library,
it seemed natural to move here and share the house. We also have two other
roommates we share the house with." Caitlin answered.
"I see." JC answered. "Do you miss your parents?" He asked.
"Every day." Caitlin answered. "What about you? Are you close
to your family?" She asked.
"Oh yeahI talk to my folks and my brother and sister all the time..."
As JC started talking about his family, Caitlin smiled slightly. She felt
so comfortable with JC, and he seemed so normal. Even though she hardly knew
him, she trusted him. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship"--she
could hear Bogie's voice in her head as she walked along, absorbing all that
JC was saying.