"Whatcha doin' tonight?" Justin asked as they relaxed against the fence around the park later that afternoon.
"Sleeping," Joey said, and winced in pain.
"Date," JC said.
"Hot tub," Chris volunteered.
"Me, too," Lance said with a grimace.
"Date with who?" Justin asked, leaning forward so he could see JC.
"None of your business. But I need a ride home."
Chris pulled himself up. "I'm going. We'll see you guys later." They started for the car Chris had brought.
"If it's not Anika, I'll... I don't know," Joey mumbled.
"Yeah, well, if it is, Marissa is alone tonight," Lance said. "What are you doing?"
Justin smiled. "I have a date, too."
"Trish?"
"Yes."
Lance shuddered and dropped the subject. "Joey, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
Justin glanced at Lance. "Sure, you sound it. Come on." They got up, got Joey to his feet, and went home.
Marissa opened the door and smiled at JC. "Hey, come on in." She backed up to let him in, and grabbed her purse. "I'll catch you guys later." She ducked out, letting the door close behind her.
"Hi, JC," Anika grinned.
"Hello." He gestured at the door. "Where's she going?"
"Dinner, bookstore, hot tub or bath, in that order. I guess it depends on if she finds a book she wants." She grabbed her purse. "Where are we going?"
He smiled. "You'll see." He offered her his arm. She took it, and they left.
Dinner was nice; a quiet, secluded restaurant that allowed them privacy and a chance to get to know each other a little better. JC enjoyed the time; he didn't get to spend much of it with a single person anymore, except one of the group or one of the body guards, which he didn't count anyway. "So," he said on the way out. "The night is yours."
"What are you willing to do?"
He shrugged. "Anything."
She looked a little hesitant. "Even dancing?"
He grinned. "Your wish is my command." He offered her his arm and escorted her to the car.
When she got back to the hotel sometime around three, Marissa was curled up in bed asleep, a book on the pillow next to her, the light on. Anika changed into her pj's and crawled into the bed, turning out the light. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep, too excited about the evening. It had been fun, enjoyable, and most of that was because of JC. And he seemed to like her as well. She was smiling as she fell asleep.
"Anika, wake up," a voice inserted itself into her dream. "Come on, wake up."
"Doan wanna," Anika mumbled.
"You have to. We have Epcot today. We're late now. Come on, up."
"No..." she moaned, and pulled a pillow over her head.
Marissa pulled it off. "I will resort to drastic measures, you know," she warned. "I have two options: call JC and get him to see you like this or.... No, I take it back," she said firmly. "I'm leaving in half an hour, or when I finish my book, which ever comes first." She moved back to her own bed and picked up the book. She hadn't gotten two paragraphs further before Anika crawled out of bed and stumbled groggily for the shower.
"So, what did you do?" Marissa asked as they rode the shuttle over.
"Dinner and dancing," Anika said, and a smile covered her face. "It was nice. He dances really well."
Marissa burst into laughter, which caused everyone on the bus to look at her. She blushed bright red and hunched her shoulders. "It's something he's had lots of practice at, you know," she said.
Anika flushed a little. "Yeah, choreography. But I mean, he partner dances well."
"Which Joey doesn't," Marissa laughed.
"No, I noticed that." Anika smiled. "But the others are really good."
"I'd hope so," Marissa said. She leaned back and smiled. "You've gone and fallen for JC, haven't you."
Anika shifted slightly. "I might," she hedged.
Marissa laughed softly. "Yeah, you have."
They took a morning a couple of days later to find accessories for their dresses: pearl necklaces, a bracelet for Anika, earrings. They spent the morning enjoying themselves, and ate lunch at a small restaurant, relaxing. "What else do you want to do today?" Marissa asked.
"Nothing. Swimming? We could go horseback riding, or something." Anika shrugged. "Maybe wander around Orlando for a while?"
"Oh, hey, I like that!" Marissa grinned.
"I thought you might," Anika laughed. "Do we want to go back to the hotel first?"
Marissa chuckled. "Nah. Let's just go."
So they did, wandering around the city with complete abandon. They stopped that evening at another small cafe, and Marissa stretched her legs out. "That was, perhaps, the least intelligent thing I've ever done," she groaned. "Let's go back and soak our feet in the hot tub."
Anika nodded. "I'm all for that," she said. "Food first, though."
Marissa nodded. "Definitely."
They were almost done when a familiar figure passed their table, then stopped. "Fancy meeting you here," Justin said. Marissa looked up, startled.
"Hey, Curly. Are we not safe from you lot?"
He chuckled. "Come and meet my mom."
"Justin, my feet hurt. I'm not moving until I absolutely have to," Anika informed him.
He grinned. "Want a ride home?"
"Done," Marissa said, and got to her feet with a groan.
Justin chuckled. "You sound just like Chris," he told her.
She lifted an eyebrow at him, and he struggled to hid his grin. "Oh. Thanks," she muttered, and asked the waitress for their check. Justin smoothly took it from her with a glare that kept her from protesting, and led them to his table.
The woman at the table didn't look much like Justin, but she was old enough to be his mother. An indulgent smile covered her face as he approached, the two women behind him. With a smirk, he shook his head. "Mom, this is Marissa and Anika, the two we went shopping with the other day. Ladies, this is my mom, Lynn Harless."
"Oh, hi," Marissa grinned, and shook her hand.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. You've been quite the topic of conversation around the house," Lynn said, shaking hands with both of them.
"I imagine a fair amount of teasing?" Marissa grinned.
Lynn smiled. "With them, always. It's strange, though, that Chris has been so quiet."
Marissa sank down in a chair. "Not normal for him?" she asked casually. Anika sank next to her with a sigh, trying not to laugh.
"No, not typical at all." She shrugged. "Just another phase, I suppose."
Justin chuckled as he sat down. "Something like that," he said, and winked at Marissa. She lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Isn't he a little old for phases?"she asked, and looked over at Lynn.
Lynn laughed. "With Chris, you never know."
"That's an understatement," Justin muttered.
They left shortly after that, and Lynn dropped them off at the hotel. "Hey," Justin said suddenly as they got out. "If we have a movie night tonight, you ladies want to join us?"
Anika grinned and looked at Marissa, who shrugged, looking less than thrilled. "We'd love to," Anika informed him, and they started into the hotel. Justin watched them in, then leaned back in his seat, a satisfied smile on his face.
"If you have a movie night?" his mother demanded as they left the parking lot.
"They don't know we do that all the time," he shrugged, grinning.
"And?"
He looked at her. "Anika's the girl JC had his date with a couple of days ago."
"What did Marissa do?"
Justin shrugged. "I don't know. We told JC to have her call us, but she never did. He said she ducked out so fast he didn't have time to even extend the invitation, never mind give her the number."
"Hm...." The light turned red, and she pulled to a stop and looked at her son. "So, who are you trying to set her up with?"
Justin looked over at her with a grin. "Believe it or not, we aren't. She and Chris used to be friends, and he sort of... went ballistic on her. I think she'd like to be friends again, and I think he would, too. He just won't admit it."
"How do you know?"
He half shrugged. "The way he's acting. He's been reading his text books. A sure sign he's attracted to her."
"A sure sign?"
"Definitely."
"How so?"
"He did the same thing with Tamara. That turned out bad."
She nodded. "Yes, I remember that. None of you guys liked her, did you?"
Justin shook his head. "Not at all. She was a real... pain."
"Tactful. You're learning tact," she said gently. "Maybe that fame of yours is good for something." He scowled at her, and she patted his arm.