Marissa stood in front of the bookcase in Joey's parent's den, searching for a book to read. It was their fourth day in Orlando; so far, everything had gone as planned, but JC had had a mischievous look when he'd picked them up earlier. He'd only said that the others would join them shortly, and had gone on a walk with Anika.
Marissa finally chose a book and sank down on the couch to begin it. She'd gotten maybe four pages read when the front door opened. "Joey!" someone yelled. Before she could respond, Chris appeared in the doorway. He stared at her. She set the book down and stood up.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully, her heart beating way too fast.
"What are you doing here?"
I'm not going to let you get me down, she thought. "Define here," she said, a small smile on her face. "Anika and I have been planning this trip to Orlando for about three years. As for what I'm doing at Joey's parents' house," she rushed on, "JC just picked us up and he's on a walk with Anika. I'm waiting here for Joey to get back with Justin and Lance." She paused, then added, "I don't know what we're doing, but you're welcome to join us." She hoped it didn't sound as defensive as she felt.
It surprised him. He practically rocked backwards. "I thought you were going to leave us alone."
"You're the only one who wanted me to," she said quietly. "The others wanted to stay... friends."
"How'd they know you were here?" He stepped further into the room, impressed in spite of himself that she didn't fidget.
"We told them we were coming. This is the day we have planned to spend with the guys."
"Day?" he asked, stepping closer.
She sighed, irritated, hoping he couldn't see just how intimidated she was. "Yes. Day. One day. We know you're on vacation. But Joey practically threatened me if we didn't schedule you guys in, so we did for today. The rest of the week is stuff just for us. But today we wanted to spend with our friends." She wondered if he noticed he'd been included.
"There's that word again," he mumbled, echoing her thoughts from weeks ago.
"Look," she said, frustrated and getting angry. "Whatever you don't like about me, I'm sorry. But it gives you no right to judge me based on someone else's actions. It's not fair. I realize it must be hard...."
He was suddenly right in front of her, and took hold of her arms, shaking her slightly. She got her hands up on his chest, pushing him away. "You have no idea," he growled.
"You're right! I don't. I never will. The kind of fame you guys have to deal with is so far beyond me I'll probably never be able to understand. But that still gives you no right to simply decide how I'm going to be without even trying to get to know me!" He didn't react, staring down at her, an unreadable expression on his face, hands gripping her arms. Her belligerence faded and she started to get a little scared. "Say something!" she demanded finally.
To her utter surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her. She pushed harder in a futile attempt to stop him, and she could feel his heart pounding through his shirt - almost in time with her own. Just as abruptly, he shoved her away and she fell onto the couch. He stared at her for an instant with that same unreadable expression, then he was gone, echoes of the slammed door thudding in her ears.
"Oh," was all she managed, and just sat, stunned and staring blankly at the bookcase across the room.
Someone called her name, jolting her back to reality, and she blinked a little. "Marissa?" Justin sounded worried.
"I'm... in the library," she called, with a short laugh.
Justin, Lance and Joey ran into the room. "What happened?" Joey asked. "Chris just ran out of here like a thousand screaming fans were after him."
Marissa burst into laughter, which cleared the last of the shock from her head. "Only you guys," she laughed. "I guess when you extended our hellos, you didn't tell him we were here." She got up to return the book to its place. "I think I surprised him. He came looking for Joey."
"So he didn't do anything?" Lance asked.
Marissa chuckled, turning to look at him. "I wouldn't say that. He certainly yelled at me. But to be fair, I yelled back. I may have even started it."
"Good," Lance said, an oddly satisfied look on his face.
"I'll give him a call," Joey said.
"I invited him to come with us," she added quickly, "but he never said one way or the other."
"I'll ask again," Joey grinned, and left the room.
Justin laughed. "That threw him, didn't it."
"He certainly didn't seem to know what to think, but he recovered fast enough. Are we ready to go?"
"Was Chris here?" JC asked as he and Anika stepped into the room. "I thought I saw his car go by." Marissa sighed softly.
"Yes, and Marissa chased him off," Justin said, winking at her.
"Turn about's fair play," Marissa said. "What's up first... and what were you two doing?" she asked, noticing for the first time that their hands were clasped. Both let go hastily.
"Talking," Anika said.
JC nodded. "Just talking. And get that smirk off your face, Justin," he demanded.
Justin turned innocent blue eyes on him, and Marissa started laughing. Lance grinned.
Joey returned. "Okay, let's go. Chris said he might meet us there. You ladies have your swimsuits?"
"JC informed us they were necessary for this mornings events," Anika said, a faint blush staining her cheeks.
"Talking, huh?" Marissa asked, with a knowing smile.
"Let's go," JC said, a touch of impatience in his voice.
They piled into Joey's suburban again, and headed out. "Where are we going?" Marissa asked.
"To the beach," Lance said.
"You'll blend in so well with everyone else, we'll never see you again," Anika grinned.
"Not true," Joey said. "Just follow all the fainting girls. He sneaks up on them."
"I do not!" Lance protested.
"Which is why," Justin continued, as if Lance hadn't said a word, "we call him Stealth."
"It's a private sort of exclusive beach, so not many people will be there, and most of them know we go there and leave us alone," JC explained. "It's nice."
"Attached to a country club," Justin added. Marissa and Anika exchanged glances and smiled.
Justin noticed when Chris arrived, but didn't say anything, watching from the water as his friend set out a blanket and collapsed on it, leaning back on his elbows and watching the antics in the water. The surfing lesson had degenerated, for the moment, into a water fight that the girls were losing. It might not have been so bad if Anika had focused on someone besides JC, but the two of them seemed pretty intent on drowning each other. Marissa was backing slowly out of the water, which Lance and Joey seemed completely unaware of, so Justin decided to help her out and started a flank attack. As soon as their attention was on him, she fled to the safety of the beach - and stopped when she saw Chris. Then she reminded herself she wasn't going to let him intimidate her, and kept going.
"Hi! You made it!" She grabbed her towel and dried off, sinking down on the other blanket. "I think JC likes Anika," she said when he didn't respond. "She certainly likes him, and seems to like him better the more time we spend with you guys." She didn't look at him, almost afraid to scare him off. When he still didn't respond, she closed her eyes and lay back, determined to go back to Portland with at least a little bit of a tan.
"Just as long as she doesn't hurt him," he growled after a long pause.
"And he'd better not hurt her," she responded without opening her eyes. "It goes both ways, Chris." She thought about adding more, but changed her mind. Let him think that was a threat, if he wanted. Since it really was.
The water fight finally ended when Anika fled up to the blankets. She eyed Chris askance, then sat next to Marissa, who opened her eyes. "Hi."
"Hello," Marissa grinned, and turned over, to let her back get the sun a little, too. "Who won? Or rather, who got more drowned?"
"Me." She laughed. "He's taller than I am." She leaned back on her hands, arching her back to get her hair off her back. "But it was fun, just the same."
"Sure," Marissa said, eyes half open and watching Chris, who was staring out over the water. "And if you'd helped, Lance and Joe might not have drowned me. As it was, Justin was gentleman enough to come to my aid."
"Having a water fight in waves is definitely a different experience," Anika said after a minute.
Marissa laughed. "Oh, yes. Something you'll never find me doing in Portland. The water's way too cold."
"Wimp," Anika grinned.
"Don't call me that," Marissa whined playfully. Chris looked over at them, then back out to the water.
"Hey, Psycho! When did you get here?" Lance called from the waves.
Chris jumped, and Marissa chuckled softly. "About ten minutes ago, maybe," he called back, got to his feet, and jogged down to the water.
"Did he say anything?" Anika asked.
"Yeah." But she didn't elaborate, glancing slyly at her friend.
"So, what did he say?" Anika asked impatiently.
Marissa turned to look at her with a grin. "Something about you not hurting JC." She shrugged. "I reminded him it was a two way street." She grinned. "He probably thinks I threatened JC. Let him. I won't pull punches because he can sue me to death, or have a bodyguard throw me out."
Anika laughed. "What happened this morning?"
"Oh, when I chased him off?" Marissa grinned, then grew serious. "I'll let you know when I've figured all the implications of it. That boy is seriously messed up, though."
Anika snorted. "What was your first clue?"
The kiss, Marissa thought, but didn't vocalize it. Something had happened to mess him up, and she hoped he'd get over it soon. She'd wanted to get to know him better since the conversation on Thanksgiving, and she did miss his email messages. She lay her head down again and closed her eyes. After a minute, she sat up again, watching the group in the surf. JC was surfing again, and he and Chris seemed to be in some sort of contest that Lance was judging, although to hear the others talk, he was the worst possible choice. Joe left the water to sit by the girls, watching the contest.
"Did Chris say anything?" he asked.
Marissa looked at him and grinned. "Yes. Why?"
He shrugged. "He's been really quiet lately, that's all. Did you stop writing him?"
Marissa stared at him. "Why?"
He shrugged again. "He used to talk about your messages all the time, then suddenly quit."
She nodded slowly. "He quit writing me, so I quit writing him." She grinned suddenly. "You're the best correspondent I think I've ever had! Thanks, by the way."
He bowed, not an easy feat while sitting on the beach, and smiled. "You're most welcome. How come you never gave me Anika's email address?"
Marissa glanced at her friend, who scowled at her. "You never asked, Joe." Anika turned her scowl on him.
"Good reason. I'm asking now, okay?"
"All right. Remind me when we get home, and I'll make sure you get it."
"I thought Lance couldn't surf," Anika said after a minute.
"He can't. But he can pick a winner every time. Some sort of odd talent, I think," Joe grinned.
"Huh," Anika said. They sat in silence for a while, just watching, then Joe went into the water again.
"Have you kissed JC yet?" Marissa asked, almost off hand.
"NO!" Anika yelled. "I barely know the guy," she said in a more reasonable, if shocked, tone.
"Actually, you've been sending email messages for months, and have talked to him at least once. If you barely know the guy, that's your fault."
"And I don't move that fast," Anika added slowly.
Marissa laughed. "I know you don't. And I don't expect you to get that far on this trip. Can't say the same about the next one."
Anika grinned, relaxing a little. "Which won't happen for another three years," she said. "I'm going to be so bad off by the time we go home...." She sighed. "So far, it's worth it."
Justin and Lance came running up the beach towards them. Lance grabbed Marissa's arm and pulled her to her feet, and Justin did the same with Anika. "That's enough sun time," Justin announced. "Back in you go."
"It's rather like tossing back fish that are too small," Marissa said as they walked back to the water. "Next to these guys, that's what I feel like."
"At least we have two great-looking escorts," Anika grinned.
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