HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING?
©Mirandagk@aol.com

CHAPTER 51 

Trying her best not to lie, Laura said, "Well I'm sure that whoever those items belong to isn't with him now."

"How do you know?"

"Well anytime I turn around the two of you are together. So when would he have time to have another woman over at the house without you being there?"

Rachel smiled. "I guess you have a point."

Laura sat on the floor and began to play with Nikolas as Rachel went on to update her on things going on with Jerry and the divorce.

As Rachel was about to tell her about JC, the doorbell rang. Laura went to open it and saw JC standing there. "Hey. I wanted to drop off some sheet music for you to look at. I also wanted to take a look at what you have done so far."

"Come in. I'll go and get it."

JC began to follow her down the hallway towards the living room. She stopped at the closet and opened it to get out her bag. He watched her as she leafed through it and handed him papers. JC was overcome with emotions when he sniffed the air and could smell the light fragrance of her lotion. He smiled to himself as he looked at her body and remembered back to a time when he held it in his arms. Laura handed him the last paper out of the bag and their thumbs accidentally touched. They both stared at one another while holding on to the paper. JC opened his mouth to speak. "I really need your help with this."

Laura was immediately reminded of Rachel's earlier plea for help. She pulled her hand away from his and walked down the hallway. "Let me get the rest for you." she stated. He followed her down the hall and into the living room. He stopped at the doorway when he saw Rachel sitting on the couch. He suddenly became very nervous. She turned around and smiled when she noticed him.

"Hey sweetie!"

"Hey." he said as he glanced at Rachel briefly and focused his attention towards Laura who was taking music off of the piano.

"We were just talking about you." JC's heart began to beat faster and his fingers began to tremble. "Oh were you?"

"Yep."

"Nothing terrible I hope."

"Nope. I was just about to drop the baby off with you so I can go and meet with my attorney about the divorce." Rachel looked down at her watch. "Oh my God. I had no idea the time went by so fast. I need to go right now before I am late."

Rachel handed JC the baby's bag and told Laura she would talk to her later. She leaned up and kissed JC on the cheek and headed towards the back door. Laura followed behind her to help with the lock. JC stood and watched them.

"Again, Laura. I am sorry about the mess I caused you. I will make this up to you." she hugged Laura and rushed out the door. Laura never hugged her back and stood there stunned as she watched Rachel race through the backyard to JC's house.  Laura slowly walked back into the room and gathered up the rest of the papers. She did everything she could, not to look JC in the eyes. He broke the silence and asked, "Can we work on this tonight?"

"I really don't know yet. I have to see if I will have time." she said, never looking up from the piano.

"Busy a lot lately I see."

"Yeah. Same goes for you." she answered sarcastically as she walked towards him.

JC didn't understand what she meant. "I haven't really been busy with much of anything these days."

Laura handed him the last of the music. "That's not what I hear."

"Well what have you heard?"

Laura shook her head and looked away from him. "It's not important, JC. Nikky looks like he is ready for a nap so I think you should get him home before he get's irritable."

JC knew that was his cue to leave. He picked up Nikolas and started towards the back door. He stopped and turned his head to speak. "Listen...About what you heard last night on the phone."

Laura folded her arms. "You don't have to explain anything to me, JC. We're both adults here. Rachel told me everything. It's none of my business anyway." she said as she walked past him to open the door.

He was confused as to what she and Rachel had spoken about before he got there. Before he could ask, Laura said, "Could you please gather up anything that is in your house that belongs to me? I would really like it all back."

"Ummm...Okay." he said. "Do you want it tonight?"

"Whenever you get a chance." she answered. "She waved goodbye to the baby and slowly closed her back door. She stood there and watched JC and the baby as they disappeared through the fence. Once they were out of sight Laura finally let the tears fall down her face as she dialed Hallie's number to tell her what had happened.

CHAPTER 52

A week had gone by and Laura was keeping herself busy by helping Justin out on some of his material and working on her other project. Rachel had been visiting more and more each day. Laura didn't know whether or not it was because Rachel missed her friendship or if she was digging for information.

She was dealing with a constant battle each day within herself. How could she hate her? Were they both guilty of the same crime? Were Laura and JC just as bad as Rachel was for keeping secrets?

That weekend Justin had invited Laura out for bite to eat. She hadn't told anyone that it was her birthday. No one had mentioned it...Not even JC. She was just too depressed to celebrate. During dinner Justin noticed that something was wrong with her. She had hardly touched her food. When he asked if she was ok she would just smile and nod her head telling him she was fine. After dinner Justin walked Laura to the house. She was feeling very relaxed with the three glasses of wine she had earlier. The night was still young and she invited him in to watch movies. As they entered the house and turned on the lights, Laura was suddenly startled.

"SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" everyone shouted.

Laura focused her eyes and could see a large group of people standing around smiling at her. She turned around and looked at Justin who was smiling. "You knew about this?" she asked in shock.

He nodded and leaned down and hugged her. "Happy birthday." he said into her ear. Laura kissed him on the cheek and asked, "How did you do this?"

"I didn't. Rachel did." he said reluctantly.

She turned around and saw Rachel standing there smiling at her. She looked to her left and spotted Hallie walking towards her.

"Oh my God!!" Laura screamed as she ran up to Hallie and gave her a big hug.

Rachel was a little jealous as she watched her best friend pass her by.

"Hallie, I can't believe you are here!"

Hallie explained how Rachel sent her a plane ticket to get there. Laura finally turned around and grabbed Rachel's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for all this." she pointed out. She leaned over and hugged Rachel lightly. Laura still felt uneasy around her friend, but tried her best to show her appreciation.

Jennifer Lopez's "Jenny From The Block" began to blast through the speakers. Laura looked over and saw JC leaning against the ledge as he showed Justin where the rest of the cd's were. He looked at her while taking a sip of his drink and lifted his cup towards her. She smiled and nodded. He then went back to talking to Justin.

During the party JC's attention was centered on Laura most of the time. Her hair was up with a few spiraled tendrils hanging down her face. He immediately recognized the diamond necklace she had on. He had bought it for her when they first got together and had her name put on it. She had on a white coquet top and a pair of tight low cut jeans with leather strings hanging down the middle of her crotch and a white pair of leather knee high heeled boots. He felt his cock begin to stir as he watched her body and wondered if she had anything on underneath.

"Don't let Rachel catch you doing that?"

JC snapped out of his gaze and looked towards Justin. "Catch me doing what?" he asked.

Justin laughed. "You know what...Staring at Laura like she has something you desperately need."

JC looked around to see where Rachel was. He let out a sigh when he spotted her in the kitchen filling up the ice buckets and talking to Lance and Joey who were sitting at the table eating. He took the tiny straw in his drink and began to stir as he looked down into the cup. "I wasn't staring."

"Then what would you like to call it, JC?"

"I just glanced over to see if she was enjoying the party is all."

Justin smiled and shook his head. "Why don't you just kick Rachel out and do the best you can to get your wife back?"

JC looked around to see if anyone heard Justin. He nudged him with his elbow. "Watch it, J."

"Well that's what she is. Or did you forget that?"

"Of course I didn't. I also didn't forget what she did to me. How can you have a relationship when there is no trust or honesty?"

Justin knew they were about to start bickering. "It's her birthday so I am not even going to argue with you about this right now, but you need to take a good long look at the situation and do some soul searchin’, dude."

Justin got up and walked over to Laura and a group of her friends. JC watched as he interrupted them and asked Laura to dance. She smiled and handed her cup to Hallie. Justin took her hand and pulled her towards the middle of the floor. He wrapped his hands around her lower waist as they both began to dance to the reggae music that was now playing throughout the house.

Justin had his knee slightly in between her legs. JC watched as Laura turned her back to Justin and began to sway her arms to the rhythm of the beat. JC set down his drink and folded his arms. He tried not to watch them but found it hard not to. He started tapping his foot in frustration and began to constantly pull at his jeans and fix his shirt. He watched as his friend grabbed the sides of her hips and pulled her back closer to his body. Jealousy and anger started to take over as he watched how close Justin's crotch was to her ass. JC stood up and started to walk towards them when a hand pushed on his chest.

"Chill back, man." Chris whispered to him as he removed his hand from JC's chest. "They're only dancing."

JC took another glance and noticed Justin sandwiched between Laura and Hallie. He grabbed Chris' drink and gulped it down. His friends eyes widened at the sight. Chris went to speak but JC put his hand up and shook his head from side to side signaling his friend not to say a word.

"Oh there you are!" Rachel exclaimed as she walked towards him. "I have been looking for you. Come get out of this corner and dance with me for a bit."

The mood suddenly changed. A slow tune had now begun to play. "If I was The One" by Ruff Endz was on. Rachel wrapped her arms around JC's neck and they both began to sway to the music. JC looked over at Laura who was about to go sit down until Justin asked for another dance. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

I see the way he treats you,

I feel the tears you cried,

And it makes me sad, and it makes me mad,

There's nothing I can do baby.

Cause your lover is my best friend,

And I guess that's where they story ends.

So I've gotta try, to keep it inside.

You will never be, never be mine but,

If I was the one who was loving you, baby.

The only tears you'd cry would be tears of joy.

And if I was by your side,

You'd never know one lonely night

And if it was my arms you were running to,

I'd give you love in these arms of mine.

If I was the one in your life.

Laura looked around at everyone and noticed JC and Rachel close by. She and JC locked eyes and watched each other as they danced.

If I could have just one wish,

I'd wish that you were mine,

I would hold you near,

Kiss away those tears.

I'd be so good to you baby.

You're the one I want next to me,

But I guess that's just not meant to be.

He's there in your life,

And he's sharing your nights,

It'll never be, never be right.

If I was the one who was loving you, baby.

The only tears you'd cry would be tears of joy.

And if I was by your side,

You'd never know one lonely night

And if it was my arms you were running to,

I'd give you love in these arms of mine.

If I was the one in your life.

JC slowly swayed his way closer to Laura and Justin. Her back was now facing him and he did everything he could to get Justin's attention. Justin looked up and saw him dancing with Rachel and gave him a strange look. JC mouthed to him that he wanted to switch partners. Justin took his hand that was wrapped around Laura's back and gave him the okay signal and winked.

Yeah, baby.

I wanna reach out and view beside me,

Right here beside me, babe.

Take you in my arms right now,

Scream 'I love you' right out loud.

Some day I pray, that I'll find the strength,

To turn to you and say,

If I was the one who was loving you, baby.

The only tears you'd cry would be tears of joy.

And if I was by your side,

You'd never know one lonely night

And if it was my arms you were running to,

I'd give you love in these arms of mine.

If I was the one in your life.....

Both JC and Justin slow danced their way towards one another. Justin intentionally made sure that he bumped into Rachel's back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rach." he said.

JC took his cue and said, "Mind if we switch? I haven't gotten a chance to dance with the birthday girl yet." He had already let Rachel go.

"Umm....Ok." she responded, obviously caught off guard by the sudden change in partners

.

"Is that okay with you, Laura?" Justin asked looking down at her. She glared at him as she tried to figure out what he was up to. "Yeah, it's fine."

Justin took Rachel's hand in his and wrapped his other hand around her back and began to dance with her. JC and Laura stood there momentarily not knowing what to do next. "Time After Time" began to play. He finally gathered up the strength and outstretched his hand for hers. She placed her hand in his as he lifted it up onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her back.  "Happy Birthday, Laura."

"Thanks, JC."

"How's it going so far?"

"As good as can be expected under the circumstances."

JC didn't know how to respond to her last comment.

"How's it going with Rachel and the baby?"

"Pretty good." he lied. "They're settling in just fine."

"That's nice to hear. She told me about that last week."

"About what?"

"How it was going to take some time to get back into your old routine...Sexually, I mean. She was saying you seem distant when the two of you are together...As if you are thinking of someone else."

JC's head spun around so fast to look at Rachel that he almost caught whiplash. "She said that?"

"Yeah. Nothing to be embarrassed about, JC. It happens to the best of us." Laura was clearly drunk and speaking her mind.

"What else did she tell you?" he asked as he looked down at her. Laura didn't look up at him. She focused her attention on other couples dancing around them. "Not very much. It was hard to listen at times."

"Look, I'm-"

"Can we just dance and not talk?" she said as her eyes met his. "I just want to enjoy the song. I at least want to partially enjoy my birthday."

"I'm sorry." he said as he looked up towards Justin who was looking for clues as to what was going on. JC just shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. Rachel looked over at Laura and JC and began to feel uneasy.

"Something wrong?" Justin asked.

"Ummm...No. I think I am just a bit tired from all the running around I did earlier." she responded.

"Well I am sure she appreciates it."

"You think so?" she asked.

"Of course.

"I just can't tell these days. She's been very distant."

"Laura has a lot going on right now. You just have to give her time to sort through it all. She will come around. What's the deal with you and Jerry?" Justin said trying to take her attention away from JC and Laura.

CHAPTER 53

The party started to liven up and things almost seemed like they were back to normal for once. JC and Laura were actually talking more and more. Rachel was also included in conversations that they were all having. It seemed like old times. But so much was going on underneath the surface. JC and Justin would whisper to one another throughout the night. Hallie was keeping a close eye on Laura who was guzzling down alcohol as if it were water. Every now and then she would have to interrupt Laura to keep her from saying something she would regret the next morning.

As the party died down and people were beginning to leave, Rachel and Hallie began to clean up. JC walked over to Rachel in the kitchen and said, "Hey, you worked so hard to get this party together today. I know you're tired. Why don't you let me and Justin finish up here? You need your rest."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes. It's the least we can do after everything that you have done."

"Okay." she said as she placed down the trash bag and wiped her hands. Rachel walked into the living room to say goodnight to Laura who was lying on the couch. "I'm going to get going. I hope you enjoyed your party."

Laura looked up from the pillow that was covering her face. "Yeah, it was great, Rach. Thanks so much."

"You're welcome. You are going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow, girl." she joked.

Laura gave her a thumps up as she covered her face with the pillow. Rachel went around and said goodnight to Hallie and Justin who were placing the cd's back into the cabinet. She then walked over to JC and started to talk to him before she left.

Laura started to feel queasy and slowly sat up to let the feeling subside. She let her head fall to the back of the couch as she looked up at the ceiling. She then turned her head to the side to see who was still in her house. She noticed Rachel hugging JC at the back door. Laura turned her head away in disgust. JC watched as Rachel disappeared through the backyard.

Once she was out of sight he looked towards Justin and gave him a signal. Justin then looked towards Hallie and asked, "Can you give me a ride home? I came here with Joey and he left earlier, so now I'm stranded."

"I don't have a car."

"Can't you use Laura's?" he asked.

"Yeah she can use it." Laura chimed in. Hallie and Justin looked towards Laura and saw her body hanging halfway off the arm of the couch. "The keys are over there." she slurred as she pointed towards the stand in the hallway.

"Good Lord, Laura. Let's get you to bed." Hallie said as she walked towards her friend to help her up. JC rushed over and stopped her. "Don't worry about it. I'll help her." he said.

Hallie looked at him quizzically and then over at Justin. "Sure...Come on, Justin."

JC walked them out and locked the door. He shut the blinds and began to clean the kitchen. He took Laura a cup of tea and gathered up more used cups and plates.

"Can you please sit for a minute. You're making me dizzy with all this walking back and forth." she stated as she put her hand on her head.

"Feeling ok?"

"Starting to get a headache."

"Well I was surprised you lasted as long as you did. You were putting them back like a champ."

"You still love her?" she asked in a whisper.

"Huh? That question came out of right field!" he joked looking away.

"The question needed to be asked. And now is a more perfect time than any."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Why wouldn't I want to know, JC? And since you are avoiding the question, I will assume that you do."

"I don't know what I feel right now, Laura."

She slowly lifted her hand up and placed it lightly on his cheek and looked into his eyes longingly. "Can you feel this?"

JC placed his hand over hers and closed his eyes as he started to move it away from his face. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. "How about this? Can you feel this?" JC could feel her heart beating fast. He looked at her chest and then into her eyes.

"You make my heart race when I am with you." She looked at him for some form of reaction. "How do I make it stop? How do I tell my heart that the piece that makes it whole is never coming back? Tell me what I should do, JC."

He slowly stood up and paced the room. "I can't. It's your life, Laura. I can't tell you what to do. I can only go with what I feel inside."

Laura nodded her head up and down. "Yeah...what you feel inside..." She stood up and placed the pillow back down on the couch. "I figured that..."

As she walked towards the stairs she looked down at the dishes that were scattered around the room.  "There's no need for you to stay. I will take care of it in the morning." she pointed out.

She walked upstairs and headed towards her bedroom. JC stood there looking down at the floor. As she walked down the hallway she felt someone grab her arm. Her back hit the wall as she turned to see who it was. JC stood there in front of her trying to catch his breath. He didn't say a word. He merely looked deep into her eyes.

She waited for him to say something…Anything. "Is this what you feel inside?"

JC didn't answer her.   Laura slowly started to pull down the straps off her shirt, baring her breasts. "What do you feel when I do this?" she asked.

JC looked down at her chest and could feel his cock begin to stir. Laura stood against the wall and began to run her hands up and down her body. She slowly thumbed her nipples making them even harder than they already were. "Does she satisfy you more than me?" she asked as she started to slowly pull at the strings on her jeans.

She pushed her jeans down slowly never breaking eye contact with JC. He watched and noticed the red thong that disappeared between the cheeks of her firm ass. He unconsciously began to lick his lips.

Laura walked over to him wearing only a thong. JC backed away from her and found himself pinned against the opposite wall. She ran her hands up the inside of his thighs just barely grazing his cock. "Does she touch you like this?" she asked as she ran her hands up the front of his chest and let her fingernails lightly scratch his skin on the way back down. JC's eyes rolled into the back of his head when he felt her one hand grab his ass and the other lightly rub his cock through his jeans.

"Laura, please." he said as he tried to gather up the courage to stop her.

"Do her lips feel as soft as mine?" Laura lightly kissed JC's neck right above his lion pendant. She let her tongue slide up his chin and let her lips slightly brush past his as she kissed his cheek.

He could feel her bare breasts pinned against his body and her hands rubbing him through his clothing. Feeling her nails grazing the side of his neck and her warm, wet, lips on his skin drove him over the edge. He quickly grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled her away from his cheek. They stared at each other for a second before they both grabbed at one another's face to kiss. The kisses grew more intense with every passing moment. JC grabbed her ass and pulled her body closer to his.

"Oh, God, JC! Don't stop." she pleaded as she wrapped her arm around his neck to bring him down closer to her. His cock was begging to be free as he turned her around and put her up against the wall. JC brought his hand around and twisted her nipple between his fingers as he used his other hand to swiftly unzip his pants and let them fall down around his ankles. As he pushed Laura's thong aside to gain entry, he immediately stopped. Laura turned around trying to catch her breath.  JC's head as he let it fall into her upper chest and looked down. They both stood there looking away from one another as they tried to slow their breathing. JC grabbed his jeans and pulled them up slightly as he backed away from Laura and leaned on the opposite wall. "I can't do this." He looked towards her and saw tears slowly running down her face as she looked towards the ceiling.

Laura wiped the tears away and began to pick up her clothes. "Well now that we know what you are feeling inside, I guess we can both rest more easily at night." she said as she brushed past him into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. JC started to go after her, but heard her lock the door. He refastened his jeans and headed back downstairs to leave. Hallie walked back into the house as he was coming downstairs. She noticed him buckling up his belt. "And who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?" she said sarcastically.

JC looked up at her and rolled his eyes as he walked towards the back door. "Tell Laura, I put all her gifts in the bedroom and that I will talk to her in a couple days."

"It's either one or the other, JC. You can't have them both!" she called after him.

"Get your facts straight before you come at me with that bullshit, Hallie." he said as he slammed the door on his way out. Hallie stood stunned, trying to contemplate what he meant by his last statement.

CHAPTER 54

"Why would I lie to you about something like that, Hallie?" Laura asked as she sipped her tea.

"Because you probably wouldn’t want to hear me tell you how wrong it was if you had fucked him last night." She said as she opened the blinds in her friends bedroom.

Laura squinted and blocked the sun away with her arm. Hallie pulled the string of the blinds slightly to get the sun out of her face. "How do you consider wanting to have sex with my own husband wrong? I’ll admit that my better judgment was impaired last night, but I don’t think I was wrong to miss his touch."

"On the one hand I agree with you completely, Laura. But on the other side of all this I would wonder why you would want to be with him if he is fucking Rachel too." She said as she laid across the bed. "Plus there is the whole issue with that baby over there. JC isn’t one to step out on his responsibilities and if it indeed is true that Nikolas is his son, you know that he won’t want to be a weekend father."

Laura looked towards JC’s house and thought quietly to herself as her friend continued to speak. Hallie got up and walked into the bathroom to get Laura some aspirin for her hangover. "Oh shit, I almost forgot. You got a FedEx today."

"Probably some record company mumbo jumbo or some lawyer bullshit. I’ll look at it later."

"Rick also called."

Laura immediately stopped what she was doing. "He did?"

"Yeah. He wanted to know what you were doing tomorrow night. He wants us to go with him to some party?"

"Yeah, Joey told me about it last night. Who else is going?" Laura asked.

"Your usual crew and a couple additions."

"Rachel?"

"Yep."

"Eh. Why not. Last night wasn’t so bad."

"It wasn’t so bad because you were drinking like a fish." Hallie laughed.

"Then I guess I will have to stick with what I know best."

"Whatever happened to you and Rick?"

"Nothing really. He got tired of being second when it came to my career…Which is understandable. But other than that we had a pretty good relationship." Laura started to laugh suddenly. Hallie looked towards her to find out what was so funny.

"He came by when I was visiting my mom and JC kept making these strange faces anytime we would talk."

"Guess I had to be there." She said sarcastically. Laura picked up a pillow and hit her friend with it.

"When are you going to open your gifts?"

"Maybe later. I’m too tired to do anything but lay down right now."

"Okay. Joey called earlier and wanted to go out shopping for a bit so I think I will hang with him today if you don’t need anything else."

"I’m fine. Go have fun."

"Want me to pick you up anything?"

"I’m good."

After Hallie left the room, Laura laid back down and snuggled underneath the blanket as she looked towards the window thinking about JC. Hallie’s words ran through her mind over and over again, ‘...he won’t want to be a weekend father.’

Laura slowly opened her eyes and looked towards the clock. "Oh shit. It’s 4:00? I can’t believe I slept this long." She said to herself as she slowly got out of bed. She walked downstairs and noticed that the house was immaculate and smiled to herself. She went into the kitchen and fixed herself a sandwich. As she was eating she noticed the FedEx letter envelope on the end of the counter. She reached over and got it and recognized who the sender was. She held the envelope in her hand and tried to decide whether or not she should open it. She set the envelope down and finished eating. She did everything she could to avoid the letter, but the contents of what was inside kept playing on her mind. She’d be in the middle of playing on the piano and she would stop what she was doing to look towards the bulky white envelope on the table. Nine o’clock rolled around and she finally gathered up the strength to grab the envelope and open it.

A few hours later Hallie came back home and noticed that all the lights in the house were off. She found it odd that Laura would still be in bed. She walked upstairs and knocked on Laura’s bedroom door. "Lar, you in there?"

There was no answer. She turned the knob and opened the door slightly and noticed Laura sitting in the chair by the window looking up at the moon. "You’ve been in here all day?"

Laura didn’t speak. "Sweetie? Are you okay?" Hallie asked her friend as she patted her head.

"You ever wonder what your life would be like if you made different choices?" she asked.

"We all do, Laura. But since we can’t go back in time, we have to live with our decisions. Why?"

"I just wish I would have done a few things differently."

"Everyone does. But you can’t keep living in the past. You need to let that go and live for today. And if you’re smart, you’ll make better choices tomorrow. That’s what life is all about. Living for tomorrow. Not yesterday."

Laura looked towards her friend and slightly nodded in agreement. Hallie placed her hand on Laura’s shoulder to comfort her. Laura placed her hand over it and squeezed gently, "You always seem to know exactly what to say to me when I need advice. And you are absolutely right."

Hallie smiled and leaned down and hugged her friend from behind. "That’s what true friendship is all about."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hallie. Can I talk to Laura please?" JC asked.

Hallie rolled her eyes. "Let me see if she is here."

"That ‘let me see if she is here’ shit doesn’t work with neighbors, Hallie. I just saw her in the backyard."

Hallie started laughing, "Yeah, true.  But you know what does work?  Me just hanging up the phone.  But I'm in a good mood, so hold on while I go and see if she wants to talk to you."

She took the cordless and went down the hallway into Laura’s office. "JC’s on the phone."

"Okay. Thanks." Laura said as she went to take the phone.

Hallie covered the it and whispered, "I thought you weren’t speaking to him."

Laura pushed her friend out the door. "Thanks Hallie." She said as she grabbed the phone and shut the door.

Hallie went to speak but was startled by the door almost hitting her square in the face. She shrugged and headed back towards the living room to watch tv.

"Hello?"

"Hey…You left me a message on my voicemail?" he asked as he opened his mail.

"Yeah. I ummm…I need to give you some stuff to look over."

"Oh, ok. You want me to come over there or you come over here?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah, for most of the day. Why?" he asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I’ll come over there then. Give me a few minutes."

"Uhh…Ok."

"K. Bye." She hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, thinking about what she was going to do next.

A few minutes later there was a light knock on the front door. JC looked in the mirror and fixed his hair and clothes before taking a deep breath and opening the door."Hey."

"Hi." Laura said as she walked into the house.

"Why didn’t you come to the back door?"

"I drove. I have somewhere to go afterwards."

"Oh." He said as he motioned for her to follow him down to the studio.

She slowly trailed behind him down the steps into the sound proof room. Memories flooded back into her mind as she looked around. She hadn’t been back to his place in weeks. JC walked over to the sound board and grabbed a stack of papers and handed them to her. "Here are some of the things I have been working on. I looked over what you had and wrote above it with some additions and changes. If you don’t like them you can just cross them out. It was just a few suggestions I had."

Laura took them and placed them in her bag. She pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to him. He slowly looked over the first couple sheets and smiled to himself. "This looks good."

"Thanks." She never smiled back.

"So what did you need to see me about?"

"I just wanted to give you these and see what you had done so far. I also wanted to make arrangements ahead of time for when we need to actually work together on this. Once it’s over I can move on and you can get on with your life and your new family."

"So she did tell you about it..."

"Tell me about what?"

"The baby."

"What about the baby?"

JC looked up towards the ceiling realizing that she didn’t know what was going on. He told her to wait there for a minute. JC ran upstairs and grabbed a piece of paper and returned to the studio. He handed it to Laura.

"What’s this?" She said as she opened it up to read it. "Wow…99.9% chance, huh?"

"Yeah." JC sighed as he sat down in the chair.

"You yell and scream at me for keeping secrets from you and then you turn around and do the same thing."

"I thought you knew. I figured Rachel told you. The topic came up and she fully agreed to have it done as soon as possible. I got the results not too long ago. "

"Well, if you hadn’t noticed, I hardly speak to Rachel. It’s hard to look her in the face and not see visions of the two of you running through my head constantly."

"Do you really think that I would sleep with her while I am still married to you?"

"Well you moved her into your house. And from what I hear, that’s exactly what’s been happening. Or was it someone else who asked you to wash their back…Was it someone else who came over to my house wondering about another woman because you weren’t satisfying her the way you used to?"

Leaning back in the chair, JC crossed his arms and said, "I guess you don’t know me at all then."

Laura sat down on the opposite chair. "I don’t even know myself anymore, JC."

They both sat in silence. Laura placed the paternity papers down on the table and looked towards him. "Last week she told me that you hadn’t even asked for a paternity test."

He hadn't.  But after stopping by that same afternoon and listening to Laura throw innuendos his way, he needed to know for himself.  He had to have proof so that he could finally come clean with his mother about what was going on.  He had only told her that Rachel had left Jerry and that he was letting her and the baby stay at his house for awhile.  Which was technically true.  He just couldn't tell her anything else until he was sure.

"So what are you going to do?" Laura asked.

"I don’t know. I’ve been fighting with myself for a long time about this. And I know you don’t want to hear it, but I need to be honest with you. I still have feelings for Rachel. I have to sort through and find out what exactly it is that I’m feeling…But I am indeed feeling something. And knowing that she is the mother of my child makes that feeling a bit stronger."

Laura stomach began to do flips and all she could think about was getting out of there as fast as she could.  She didn't want him to see her as vulnerable and as hurt as she was at that very moment.  She refused to let herself cry in front of him.  As they locked eyes he said, "And then I see you, and…" He paused, leaning up and placing his hand over hers. "...I just need time to figure this out. I don’t want my son to grow up and not have me there. I’ve already missed a year. I don’t want to miss another day. I can’t live like that. And I hope you wouldn’t want me to."

"Of course I wouldn’t want you to, JC. I knew a long time ago that if this were the case, we would be no more. I guess that’s why I tried to keep her secret as long as I could. Part of me was trying to be a good friend. And the selfish part of me was trying to hold onto you as long as I could."

"I’m just having a hard time dealing with Rachel and the baby. I am having an even harder time looking at you the same way I use to. You kept this huge secret from me for a whole year. That’s difficult to imagine. And with the results proving that he is, it’s even harder to stomach. I can’t help but wonder what else you have kept from me."

Laura didn’t argue with him. She knew he was right to feel the way he did. "Then I guess that’s that." She said as she slapped her knees and stood up to leave.

JC got up and stood in front of her to block her path. "You're leaving already?"

"I can’t stay. I need to go."

JC grabbed her face in his hands. "You are an incredible woman. And I hope you know that you have a special place in my heart."

Tears began to form in her eyes.  She tried to shake her head away from his grasp but it was no use.  JC took his thumbs and wiped away the tears that had began to fall down her face. Laura closed her eyes and placed her hands over his. "Well I guess the feeling isn’t mutual…Seeing that you own my heart."

JC wrapped his arms around Laura and held her tightly. Laura didn’t want him to let her go, but she knew she had to break free before she lost her courage. She lightly pushed on his chest and backed away from his embrace.   He stood and watched her open her bag and grab a small stack of papers. She handed them to him and said, "I need you to sign these as soon as you get a chance. Once you are done just drop them inside the envelope and I’ll take care of it from there."

JC took the papers and began to leaf through them. "What is it? Something else from, Jerry?" He flipped through a few more pages and found himself having to suddenly sit down. He looked up towards her. "Divorce papers? What the hell is this!?"

"I know…I know…But our marriage can’t be annulled. And this was the only other alternative."

"What?" JC was still in a state of shock.

Laura went on to explain what the attorney had explained to her about any possibility of an annulment and how hard it was going to be in their situation.  "This seemed to be the quickest and easiest choice considering our careers and busy schedules.  It will be kept confidential. I trust my lawyer completely with this. So you don’t have to worry."

JC looked through the papers once more. "Wow. You really put a lot of thought into this."

"I was doing everything I could to keep it private, so that this wouldn’t hurt your career. There was nothing else I could do though."

"So instead of coming to me and trying to figure this out together you went behind my back and did this?"

"What is your problem? I told you I would take care of it and I did.  I thought you would be relieved that I brought these to you."

"Relieved? Why the fuck would I be relieved that you want to divorce me, Laura!"

CHAPTER 55

"You're fucking psychotic!"  Laura threw down her bag in anger and began to scream loudly. "There was never a marriage here, JC! In fact, there isn't anything here anymore...No relationship…Nothing!" Laura took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

She bent down to pick up all the papers that had fallen out of her bag and suddenly stopped. "JC, what did you expect? Did you think that if you just ignored it long enough, the problem would go away?  You just got done giving me the ole' 'You're an incredible woman' heave hoe speech."

Tears were streaming down her face and JC noticed she was trembling. He walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her. Laura pushed him away and picked herself up off the floor.  She placed the messenger bag over her shoulder and pointed towards him, "Say what you want about me, but I've never lied to you.  I may have omitted this secret for a friend, but I've never once lied to you about anything!" 

Laura began jabbing her finger into his chest to get her point across, "You can't bring up not one time where I ever fuckin' lied to you.  I've never stolen from you and I sure as hell have never fucked anyone behind your back.  So for you to say that you trust that…that bitch…over me?  Then you deserve each other."

"Look, I didn't mean to blow up at you like that...I just thought we would have made this decision together."

Laura backed away and looked at him in disbelief. "Together?! We haven't made a lot of decisions together for a while now, JC." Laura picked up her bag and started out of the studio and up the stairs as she kept talking. "That paternity test and the results are a prime example of what I am talking about," she said as she stopped and turned around to look at him. "We could also bring up the fact that you moved Rachel into your house without speaking to me about it first! So don't get all high and mighty with me about not including you on any decisions, JC!" she yelled.

"It's my fuckin' house! I can move her in here if I want!" He yelled back.

"I'm your fuckin' wife!!" she screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Girl, you are tore up from the floor up!"

Laura laughed lightly as she let her body fall down on the couch at the club. "I'm not drunk yet, Rick. I'm working on it though."

Rick looked towards Hallie who just shook her head and looked the other way as she tapped her foot to the music.

Laura noticed that Rachel and JC hadn't shown up yet. "I wonder where the happy couple is tonight?"

"Who?" Rick asked.

"JC and Rachel." she replied.

Hallie quickly interrupted her from speaking further. "Hey Rick, can you get me a club soda from the bar, please?"

Rick agreed and walked over to the bar. Hallie moved closer to her friend who was sipping on a rum and coke. "You need to watch yourself, Lar. I know you are hurting right now but please try and keep a lid on your emotions for the next couple hours or so till this party is over."

Laura rolled her eyes and went to take another sip of her drink. Hallie grabbed it from her hand. "Let's try and put the brakes on this too while we are at it."

Laura snatched it back and sighed to herself. "You can be such a bitch at times."

"Yeah well I'll be a bitch as long as I know I'm looking out for you." she said as she snatched the drink back and dumped cigarettes from a nearby ashtray into it.

Rick returned with the club soda and handed it to Hallie. As he started to sit down next to Laura, she grabbed his hand and started to stand up. Rick quickly put out his arms when he noticed she was beginning to stumble.

"Damn, I'm fucked up." Laura laughed. "Come dance with me, Ricky." she said as she pulled his arm and guided him to the dance floor.

Nelly's "Work It" was playing throughout the club. Rick stood behind Laura as she began to sway her hips with the beat. He began to smile slightly as he watched her closely. He could almost see through her pink floral half top. He licked his lips as he looked down and noticed how tightly her jeans hugged her ass and how the waiste-line was so low. Laura slowly backed up and let her ass brush up against him. He moved in closer to her and they both began to grind. Just as Hallie turned her head away in disgust, Justin walked towards her and wondered why she was making such a weird face.

"I'm embarrassed to be associated with this chick right now. Look at her!" she pointed. Justin looked up and searched the dance floor for Laura. His eyes widened and he smiled when he finally spotted her. "She's just trying to have a good time, Hallie. Ain't that Rachel's brother?"

"Yeah that's Rick. I know she is having a good time, but come on! There's no need to do all that." she motioned.

"That's nothing compared to some of the things I've seen."

"Yeah...well the fact that she is doing it, is what is bothering me." she said as she picked up her drink.

As Rick and Laura were dancing, the music suddenly changed. Usher's "Yeah" began to play. Justin looked towards the front door and could see Joey, Chris and Lance walking into the club.

Hallie watched closely as Lance, Chris and Joey walked towards them. She looked past them and saw Rachel and JC walking in. She looked down and noticed that they were holding hands. Justin noticed the same thing. She looked towards him and saw he was deep in thought as he watched the two of them. He looked at Hallie and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just as lost as you are right now."

They both watched Rachel and JC as they stood at the door and talked to a group of people. The waitress immediately came over and took their drink orders.

"So what's up with that?" Justin asked Joey as he looked towards JC and Rachel.

"Your guess is as good as mine, man." Joey replied. "I'm just going to mind my business for the moment. I don't want to get caught up in anybody else's bullshit but my own right now."

Chris and Justin nodded in agreement and went on to talking about other things. Hallie couldn't help but watch JC, Rachel, Rick, and Laura and wonder silently to herself if she had missed anything that had happened in the past 8 hours.

JC and Rachel finally came over and joined them. "Hey Hallie, where is Laura?" Rachel asked as she went and sat down next to her.

"Somewhere dancing with your brother." Hallie said as she took a sip of her club soda. Rachel looked up and scanned the crowd in search of Rick and Laura. JC did the same. He spotted them near the middle of the dance floor and noticed that they were grinding.

Hallie smiled and said, "I hope they are getting back together."

"They dated?" he asked loudly. JC noticed the group was silent and looking towards him. He cleared his throat and re-stated his question in a normal tone.

Justin took that as his cue to vacate the area and headed out onto the dance floor to dance with Laura as well.

"Yeah." she replied matter-of-factly. "Ever since high school up until right after some of her songs were recorded. They would have gotten married had it not been for other things."

"Oh...I never knew they dated." he explained as he turned his head and watched her. 

Laura tilted her head back in laughter as she watched Justin try to teach her how to do the air clap from the video.  She was sandwiched between both men and JC did everything he could not to look in her direction.

"Yep...The world is just full of surprises these days huh, guys?" Hallie said sarcastically as she stared at JC and Rachel.

Justin ran over and interrupted, "Why don't we go upstairs and shoot some pool, JC?"

JC was still looking towards Hallie with a scowl on his face. "Sounds like a plan."

"Baby, don't be gone too long. I want to dance with you before the night is threw." Rachel added. JC nodded as he went to follow Justin, Chris and Joey upstairs. The four men greeted people as they went upstairs to the pool tables.

"What the hell is going on? You fuckin' Rachel too now?" Chris asked.

"Just going with the flow right now, Chris. Everyday it's something new." he said as he leaned against the railing holding a pool stick waiting on Joey to break.

Justin walked over and stood next to him. "She is really hurting right now, man."

JC rolled his eyes. "So? That's what happens when deceit come back to bite you in the ass."

"I know you don't believe that...I mean just-"

"Look let's just play, Justin."

As the guys were upstairs playing pool, Hallie, Lance and Rachel were downstairs talking. Laura and Rick slowly walked back over towards them to take a break. She saw Rachel and tried her best to act happy to see her. They hugged and began to talk amongst themselves until Rachel excused herself to go to the ladies room. Laura leaned over to speak to Hallie while Rick and Lance talked amongst themselves.

"How long have they been here?" she whispered to Hallie.

"Long enough to see you making a fool of yourself out there."

Laura lightly punched Hallie in the arm. "Shut up."

Rick and Lance excused themselves to get more drinks. Laura lifted up her head and scanned the room for JC. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs playing pool with Justin and them." Hallie pointed.

Laura looked up and could see the back of Justin's head and JC standing next to him. She watched and smiled to herself when she saw him laughing and having a good time with his friends. She then spotted Rachel upstairs walking over towards him. They stood there talking to one another. She noticed Rachel say something to Justin who smiled at her and then went to take his shot.

As Hallie was setting down her drink on the table she noticed that Laura's nails were digging into the couch. She looked in the direction that Laura was staring and saw Rachel and JC kissing. Hallie grabbed her hand and held it tightly as she tried to get her attention. Rick and Lance returned with drinks. He went to hand one to Laura and noticed she was staring off into space. He called her name a few times until she finally snapped out of her trance and looked towards him. "...Huh?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." she said as she took the drink from his hands. Jay-Z's "Song Cry" began to play. Laura sat back and thought to herself as she feigned interest in the conversation the group was having. She gulped down her drink and began to drown in her own thoughts. JC, Justin, and Rachel started down the steps and over towards them. They immediately sat down and joined in on the discussion. JC and Rachel sat on the couch across from Laura and Hallie. JC sipped his drink and looked towards Laura who was staring at him.

I can understand why you want a divorce now

Though I can't let you know it

Pride won't let me show it

Pretend to be heroic

That's just one to grow in

But deep inside you know I'm so sick, right?

I can't see it comin down my eyes

so I gotta make this song cry...

Can't see it comin down your eyes

Gotta make this song cry...

JC's eye contact was suddenly disrupted when he looked towards Rachel who had draped her arms around his neck as she leaned in to whisper something in his ear. JC smiled and stood up and followed her to the dance floor.

The night continued and Laura did her best to take her mind off of JC and Rachel. JC did his best not to have to interact with her. He walked around and mingled with various people in the club and danced with Rachel every now and then. Hallie tried everything she could to coax Laura into leaving early. But Laura was determined to show JC and everyone else that he couldn't get the best of her. J Holiday's "Bed" began to play and Rick dragged Laura out onto the dance floor. Laura was so drunk that it was hard for her to keep her balance as they danced with one another.

Rick moved the hair away from her face and placed it gently behind her ear so he could look into her eyes. "I know you probably don't even care that I am saying this right now, but you look amazing tonight."

"Even when I am a blubbering drunk?" she joked.

"Yes," he laughed. "Even when you're a blubbering drunk." The smile faded from his face as he stared at her. "You are even more beautiful then I remember you being."

Laura looked away from him. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and placed her chin on his shoulder as they continued to dance.

JC was on the other side of the room talking to a group of women and doing his best impression of a guy who didn't care as he glanced over and saw Laura with her one leg draped around Rick, her head on his shoulder, and his hand on her ass holding up her leg.

Laura looked at Rick's neck and let her fingers glide across his shirt. "I never got a chance to tell you sorry for everything I put you through, Rick."

"What did you put me through, Laura?"

"I just mean that I am sorry that I put work ahead of you..."

Rick covered her mouth with his finger. "Don't apologize for following your dreams, Laura. I didn't understand that then. I ran away from us instead of hanging in there with you...And I don't want you blaming yourself for why we fell apart...I was afraid...It's not your fault."

"What were you afraid of?"

"That once you got here you wouldn't need me anymore. You'd go and date some singer and forget about me...Mr. Nobody."

"There is no way in hell that I would ever forget you." Laura smiled at him. He smiled back at her and kissed her forehead.

Laura stared down at his shirt and took a deep breath before asking, "Are you still attracted to me?"