I really appreciate all the positive feedback, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story! I apologize for the wait in between chapters but sometimes that's how long it takes to gather my ideas and put them into writing and of course then comes the proof reading, I hate sloppy work. Anyways, thanks again and here is part one of Chapter seventeen, enjoy :)






Part one of two.


The wondrous sound of my cell phone wakes me out of a very remarkable sleep. As I reach for my phone, I glance at the clock; 9:26. I groan. Okay, I definitely went out of my way to make sure everyone I knew was aware of my day off today so whoever has decided to call me this early, better have a damn good reason. I would have fancied the remaining thirty-four minutes of sleep before actually having to get up. Without bothering to look at the front screen, I flip open my phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I mumble.

"Hey... were you asleep?" Okay, so maybe I forgot to tell one person.

"Um, yeah but it's okay."

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you. You're just usually up pretty early."

"Yeah I know, I have the day off."

"Oh, first one in a while. Nice." It would have been nicer if those thirty-four minutes were currently being put to good use.

"Yeah, it feels pretty good. So, how is everything?" I ask.

"Well, I actually have some very exciting news.." Oh, please don't be too hard on me, God.

"Oh yeah?"

"I'm coming home!" She shrieks; I clear my throat. Come again? Home, as in here? No. You still have three weeks and two days, it is not time yet.

"Oh! Wow.." I let out a nervous chuckle. I've faked excitement before, but that had to be, by far, the worst. "What happened?"

"Well, the weather's been absolutely terrible since yesterday morning and the forcast isn't showing much improvement for the next week and a half. There is no way we can shoot in this."

"Oh, that bad huh?" Come on, a little rain never hurt anybody.

"Oh yeah. It's been crazy. Mostly rain and heavy winds, but then some hail threw itself into the mix this morning. I don't know what's going on." Okay, I take that back.

"Woah, so how are you gonna catch a flight out?"

"Well, once the winds get lighter and the rain slows down a bit, we'll be on the first flight out. The airline is gonna keep us updated."

"Oh, so do you know if you're definitely getting a flight out today?" That was a dumb question.

"I hope. The last we heard, the next departure probably won't be until late this afternoon and that's if we're lucky." Okay, so I definitely got the rest of today. I guess that'll do, considering I don't have much of a choice.

"Oh man. Well, let me know when you get a flight out and be safe, okay?" She sighs.

"Okay. I'm so excited to see you." I can hear the smile forming on her lips. I let out a small laugh.

"So am I."

"I love you." Fuck.

"You too." Is all I can say after a few seconds; that's all I can ever say. She huffs.

"Well I gotta go. I'll call you later." she pauses, then mumbles. "...and I'd like it if you'd say the word once in a while. If it doesn't take too much out of you." She finishes, ending the call.

Well, so much for thinking she hadn't noticed my 'clever' little way around avoiding the usage of the word she abuses the usage of; um, I'm not sure if I even got what I just said. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'm a dumbass for thinking that I could randomly just stop saying 'I love you' and start simply replying 'you too', without her noticing. She's a woman, of course she would notice that. She probably thinks it's pretty fucked up too.

I glance at the clock again; 9:49. I let out a deep sigh as I throw my head back against my pillow and shut my eyes. I lay there for a few minutes before lifting myself up to sit at the edge of my bed, then finally dragging my ass into the bathroom. I feel so lazy today. Then again, it is my day off, that's how I'm supposed to feel. I step into the shower and lean my forehead against the wall, allowing the water to ease it's way down my body. I'm kind of looking forward to lunch with Britney today. It's been unexpectedly enjoyable the last few times I've talked to her. No awkwardness or uncomfortable silences; it's like nothing ever happened between us and we're simply just old friends. I like it that way. I'd rather not think about what happened so long ago; that's when the awkwardness would kick in, and I'd like to stay as far away from that as possible; I'm sure she does too.

I turn the water off and step out of the shower. As I'm drying myself off, I glance in the mirror and run my fingers through the thicker section of hair in the middle of my head; I need a shape up. I wrap the towel around my waist and walk back into my room, towards my closet. I stand in front, with the doors open, staring at the selection. After a few minutes, I settle on a pair of jeans, a gray tee, and a black jacket I'll throw on just before I leave. Oh, and of course some good ol' comfy sneakers. Just as I finish dressing, I glance at the clock; 11:18. Damn, I am extremely slow today. I don't think I ever recall a time in my life where I took over an hour to shower and get dressed; with the exception of tv appearances and award ceremonies, where the time it takes to get ready is completely out of my hands.

I take a quick glimpse at myself in the mirror before grabbing the jacket I've decided on and heading downstairs. I grab my keys in the foyer and head out. As I begin to drive towards Lucca's, I realize that I have to drive through an area that I haven't driven through in quite some time. I'd say approximately five years, actually. I only used to travel this way exclusively to see Britney; her house is only but a block or two from the cafe. As I continue on this route, I pass a familiar place; a studio to be specific. It's not a studio for recording though; we used to go there to rehearse with our choreographers. Obviously at separate times, but we shared the same studio. And choreographer.

I never liked that studio.

Or the choreographer.