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By: Soxy “Just because it feels
so right, doesn’t mean it’s mean to be.” ”I think we all
have desires for what
we can’t have.” “There’s lust and then
there’s love. Don’t’ confuse them, or you could really fuck up a lot of
lives.” “I don’t think
I’ve
ever been happier.” “Mike and I
are the
best of friends. Our relationship is special, speculate all you want.”
Justin who had just taken a large bite out of his hamburger glared at his friend and stole a French fry from her plate. “You shouldn’t be eating carbs honey; they make that ass of yours fatter than it already is.” Laughing, Dom took a bite out of his sandwich. “Could someone please explain to me the American fear of carbohydrates? I mean, it’s freaking energy kids, you need it. You Yanks make them out to be as bad as Weapons of mass destruction.” Orlando nodded and took another bite out of his lunch. “I never quite understood it myself. I mean, curves on a woman are beautiful, why starve yourself to look unnatural.” Mike’s eyes warmed at the comment, but she answered snarkily anyway. “This said by the man with a girlfriend with the perfect body. Kate, my dear, I’m in complete envy.” Kate laughed and had the grace to blush. “Seriously, it’s genetics. Besides Mike look at yourself, you really can’t be one to complain.” She took another bite of her salad. Mike did as told and shrugged, “I spend at least an hour and a half a day to stay like this. Otherwise I’d blow up like a balloon at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.” Mike turned to Justin, “I knew I got screwed somewhere, I need to call my mom and dad and whine. I got the wrong genes!” Laughing, he placed his hand on the nape of her neck. It was an intimate gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by Orlando. He got the sign perfectly clear. As long as Orlando was still with Kate, Justin would consistently get in the way of Orli playing two fields. Not that that’s what he wanted to do, but the more he let himself think about it, the more confused he got. “You realize that half the women in the world would smack you if they heard you saying you didn’t like your body?” Elijah made the comment with a brow raised. “Yeah, I know, but seriously, in order for me to eat the crap I like, I need to spend hours in the gym. I feel for anyone who battles with weight, I did myself for a really long time.” Justin leaned back in his chair, “oh yeah, Mish, a real porker you were.” He rolled his eyes and took a slug of his beer. “Whatever,” she looked away knowing Justin would never quite understand what it was like to be made fun of for his looks or his lack thereof. “As I said before, I hated him when I met him.” “Yep, she called me a prick the first time we met.” he added with a faux smile. “Actually, what really made me adore her was when she flat out asked me what made me different from any guy in the world.” “You see he was trying to get his “mac” on with my best friend, Amy, who was blown away by his “pop-starness”, and well I gave her a reality check,” Mike explained waving a finger at Justin as if correcting what he just said. “Her PR rep and best friend, Julianne, came to JIVE, my record company, looking for a job. This was of course before Mike became who she is. Well, I noticed this cute brunette and why not flirt right?” Justin asked stated giving more of a backdrop to the actual meeting and everyone but Orlando nodded. He still couldn’t get over how close Justin and Mike were. He was intently focused on where Justin’s hands were located. At present just one hand rested on her mid thigh. Funny, for such an emotional guy, he’d never felt this severe sense of jealously. Kate sat quietly beside him and smiled affectionately at both Mike and Justin. He knew something was going on her in mind, was it possible she was picturing the two of them together? The thought was unsettling. Just as unsettling as the thought of what a cad he was for doing this to Kate and Mike. “So then how exactly did ye come to like one another?” Billy asked now curious about the celebrity duo. Mike had just taken a slug of her water and waved for Justin to continue. “Julianne got the attention of my manager and he invited her back for a second interview. We had been at his ranch rehearsing for our upcoming tour. Well, Miss Thang, over here had to come along.” “Wait a minute, you’re distorting the story.” Mike said now fully capable of talking. “As I remember it, Johnny asked me to come with Julianne and how the hell could I trust her around scum buckets like you? You have to admit you have a God complex every now and again.” Orlando coughed to cover the laugh, ‘every now and again’? Justin was a walking advertisement for the typical cocky pop star. Mike looked over and raised an eyebrow at him, but continued on with her ‘side’ of the story. He really did try and pay attention but his mind was completely focused on his own dilemma. How was it possible to love Kate and be enthralled by a girl, a Yank no less, who he’d just met? “So I hear the piano and I can’t freakin’ believe what I’m hearing. I walk towards Johnny’s studio and there she is playing like she had 40 years experience. By the time she finished we were all blown away, I mean, even Johnny wanted her to sign onto a contract with him. She looked at him and said, 'Thank you very much, but I’m working on it.’ I tried to compliment her, but she just rolled her eyes at me. I asked her what’s with the attitude.” Mike interrupted, “and I told him it wasn’t an attitude, I just wasn’t impressed. He grinned like an idiot and told me he liked that I ‘kept it real’. In all honesty, I didn’t like him until the second time we met. He was at an MTV awards pre-party and something had changed about him. I was expecting the same cocky bastard, and got a much more mellow guy. He had some stuff going on and I had some stuff going on, and we just sat and talked and talked.” “Y’all sound like ‘When Harry Met Sally’,” Kate deducted and looked meaningfully at Orlando, as if hinting her line of thinking was right. The friends looked affectionately at one another and immediately shook their heads. “Won’t happen, Katie, even if we even wanted to try it, Mike said, and was about to say more when her phone went off. Pardoning herself she answered and listened carefully. She nodded her head and said ‘yes’ quite a few times. By the time she got off the phone, her face was a little paler than usual. “Mike, love, you alright?” Dom asked, concerned. She was smiling just moments before. The conversations around the table had still gone on, but Dom had kept a close eye on Mike. She looked up, her eyes a little watery. “I’m fine. Listen, um, guys,” she stopped mid sentence. Taking a deep breathe she visibly reached for Justin. He was quick to grab her hand and raise a brow, just realizing something was wrong. “I need you to go in the back entrance to the Inn. Apparently a story broke and the paparazzi are all over the place. The best way not to get nagged is to be sneaky.” Everyone nodded and started to get up to go. Orlando turned to Mike, his eyes beseeching he wanted to know more of what was going on. He helped Kate with her coat, and put down the money for the tab before anyone else could do so. He couldn’t help his eyes from wandering to Mike and Justin talking intimately at the table. A fire of jealously rumbled in his belly. He overheard some of the conversation and was more taken aback by what Mike was about to do than the green haze he was staring at her through. It was yet another way she had snuck into his system without warning.
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