*Author's Note: Though you didn't have to read A Tale of Two Popstars to understand the circumstances surrounding this chapter, notions here for clarification purposes, are a direct parallel to those found in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of A Tale of Two Popstars.*

When one door closes another one opens…

For some strange reason or another that line kept on ringing in JC’s mind as he sat back and surveyed his surroundings.  And like many times in the last couple of days the strange feeling of déjà vu took over his senses.  Fuzzy and blurry as all hell…And it was about to get worse.  If the phone call he received earlier was any indication, it was going to be downhill from here.  She was going to kill him.

“So Aliesa settling in alright?”

JC focused back in on his conversation with Lance.  “For the most part.”  He raised the glass in his hand, taking a long sip of his drink.  “Management finally got off my back…press hasn’t died down-but you know how it is.” JC swallowed.  “But with the fans and all…”  

“Shannon’s been working later hours for you both I hear,” Lance echoed knowingly.

JC cleared his throat,  “And boy she doesn’t let me forget it either.”

Lance chuckled good-naturedly at the comment,  “I’d imagine she wouldn’t.  Shannon is a character.”  He laid a hand on JC’s shoulder reassuringly.  “But you gotta do what you gotta do bro.  It’ll all die down eventually.  And it’s worth it, right?”

JC simply nodded.  “Of course.”

Lance grinned,  “Yeah, I’ll bet,” he teased, nudging him as they both looked on to Aliesa’s whereabouts on the dance floor, specifically watching the way she moved to the music.  “Your wife is something else.”

“Yeah, she is,” JC responded absently.

A pair of eyebrows rose in question.  “You didn’t tell her about your parents did you?”

JC’s jaw tightened.  Lance had picked up on the uncertainty quickly.  “It didn’t come up,” he answered, purposely eluding the line of questioning.

“You need to tell her.”

JC let out a frustrated breath.  “And how am I supposed to do that?”  He took on a fake air, as he initiated the imaginary conversation  “Hey babe, congrats on the award, you look beautiful, by the way my parents are coming tomorrow and we all have to get together because my mom is going to overanalyze our marriage to shit.” JC stopped his tirade, and looked pointedly at his friend.  “Trust me, with the way my family is, it’s better to tell her later.”

“You need to give her some warning,” Lance cautioned.  “This is the first time she’s meeting your parents.  Girls get freaked over stuff like that.”  Lance shook his head.  “What are you gonna do?”

“Why are you assuming I’d have to do something?”  JC contested.  

Lance cleared his throat.

JC rolled his eyes at the condescending attitude.  “Look- She won’t freak out okay,” JC shrugged off.  “She’ll be alright with it.”

Lance just shook his head again.  “What time are your parents getting here?”

JC took another sip of his drink before answering,  “They’re already here.”

A low whistle erupted.  “Man, you better come up with something quick.  I’m telling you.  From a man who has been there before- she’s going to be pissed.”

JC heaved a sigh.  Not like that it’d be any worse off as far as Aliesa and he were concerned.  They couldn’t carry a polite conversation unless they weren’t alone and playing happy couple anyhow.    

“You know at this point, flowers wouldn’t hurt,” Lance advised, patting JC on the back knowingly.  “You still got time.”

JC’s gaze darted over towards the other side of the room again, where Aliesa was dancing away, laughing with Joey.  He caught Aliesa’s eye.  Her smile...

“Right,” he conceded.   

JC dropped his glass down on the bar counter.

When one door closes…

“Right,” JC commented solidly, leaving behind a bemused Lance in his wake as he headed towards the dance floor and effortlessly cut-in on Joey, securing Aliesa into his arms.   

She hesitated only slightly when he brought her a little closer.  Her brown eyes widened just enough for him to see, and no one else.  “What’s going on?” Aliesa asked tentatively when he continued to sway her on the dance floor without reprieve.

JC smiled down at her.  “Dancing.”

Pause.

A look.

Tug of hand.

Understanding.

And that’s what it was, wasn’t it?

Ideally….

JC and Aliesa.

When one door closes another one opens...

Looked like JC was going to be ordering some flowers…
 
Eight
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