Chapter 5
“No
matter how your heart is grieving
If you
keep on believing
The
dream that you wish will come true
So
dream.”
-Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”
“Tell Lily to get her butt over here! We’re watching the one with
Cameron Diaz!”
“Joey, calm down. She already told you, she can’t come over and watch
SNL with us because she has to write a report to her professor about the
internship,” Chris responded patiently.
“Oh yeah. But she’s missing a good one!” Joey said, motioning to
the TV.
“Joey says that you’re missing a good episode. You know, the one with
Cameron in it,” Chris explained. He listened to her response to his message,
then relayed it back to the rest of the room.
“She said she doesn’t give a flying fu-”
“What? No, she didn’t. Lillian never cusses,” JC interrupted.
“Ok, fine. She said she already saw that one and it wasn’t that good.
She said that Joey needs to get some taste.”
“Oh. Yeah, that sounds better,” JC decided, nodding his approval.
“Hey!” Joey exclaimed. “I do not need to get some taste. I resent
that. You guys are being so mean.” He pouted and crossed his arms over his
chest.
“Lillian says to stop being a baby,” Chris laughed.
“I am not being a baby!” came the protest from Joey.
“She says that if you keep acting stupid, she’s gonna kick your butt,
old school!”
Lance started cracking up. “I can’t believe she remembered that
‘Simpsons’ episode we guest starred in. ‘Old school!’” he growled,
imitating Joey’s voice from the episode.
“At least I got a catch-phrase!” Joey retorted. “All you had were
like two lines.”
The three immediately began arguing over who was the funniest in the
episode. Lillian could hear them laughing and she knew someone had shoved Chris;
the phone dropped to the ground. She sighed, waiting for their squabbling to
subside.
She really loved them, but sometimes they acted like they were high and
caffeinated at the same time. I didn’t hear Justin’s voice. I wonder where he
is. She glanced over at the empty bed next to her own. Maybe out with Elaine again.
She heard some more scuffles over the phone, and then some heavy
breathing.
“Hello?” she asked, wondering if Chris was ready to talk again.
“Hey, this is Justin,” a voice drawled in a soft southern accent.
Huh? Why is he on the phone? I thought he was with Elaine. Or out. Or
hating me still.
“Oh, hi,” she said warily.
“So how are you?”
“Um. I’m okay. I-it sounds like you guys are having fun over
there,” she attempted, trying to make some conversation.
He laughed, and the sound sent a tingle down her spine. Come
on Lillian, being a little melodramatic aren’t we.
“We are,” he replied. “We’ve got a free day tomorrow, so we can
sleep late today. And it’s pretty fun to watch Chris and Joey go at it. Kinda
sad too, but still fun,” he joked.
“I’m sure it is,” she laughed, albeit a little nervously.
“Sooo,” they both said at the same time.
“Look, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m talking to you right
now,” he began.
Lillian nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I am.”
“I wanted to apologize. For being such an asshole to you all this time.
I was just feeling insecure. I guess I was, I don’t know, jealous.”
Lillian was a little surprised that he would actually admit this to her.
It made him seem so vulnerable. “Vulnerable” wasn’t a word she would use
to describe the Justin
Timberlake. She felt her heart soften towards him.
“Oh. That’s okay. I’m sorry, too,” she confessed.
Now it was Justin’s turn to be surprised. “You? Why are you sorry?
You have no reason to be.”
“No, I shouldn’t have shouted at you. I’m sorry for that. And
believe me, you have no reason to be jealous of me,” she assured.
“Yeah, I realize that now. Thanks for understanding. Wait, hold on a
sec.” He handed the phone over to
someone else.
“There’s enough love to go around, baby!”
“Sorry,” Justin said, coming back on the phone. “That was Joey.
Don’t mind him, he gets kinda kinky past one a.m.”
Lillian laughed at both Joey’s antics and Justin’s comment.
Encouraged by their civil conversation, Justin added quietly, “You
don’t even want to know what it’s like to share a room with him. Let’s
just say that you don’t want to fall asleep. Ever.”
She giggled, then said, “You poor guys. I have to go finish my paper,
so tell the others good night for me.”
“Will do. Sweet dreams, Lillian.”
“You too. Bye,” she responded a bit belatedly. She could hear the
other phone click as it was hung up. After staring at the phone in her hand a
few more seconds, she dazedly returned it to its cradle. She pressed a hand to
her chest to calm her wildly beating heart. It was just a casual conversation, nothing more,
nothing less. I wonder what prompted his change of heart. But I’m not
complaining. He sure can be charming when he wants to be.
An hour later her paper was finished and she snuggled into her pillow,
blankly staring at the wall next to her. Her heavy lids finally drifted shut,
but she couldn’t get him out of her mind. His voice played in her head
endlessly; Sweet
dreams, Lillian. She smiled, deep in her
slumber.
*
*
*
*
*
Lillian stared at the different titles, pondering which one to choose.
She reached for one, then decided against it and drew her hand back. Her hand
lingered over another one before she shook her head in disapproval.
“Lilypad, hurry up! Just choose one. It’s not hard,” Joey
complained.
“Joey, you know what I think of that name,” she replied absently.
“And besides, these movies are all so good. I want to pick the perfect one.
Remember, patience is virtue.”
“Ugh!” he gave up, exasperated. “Remember, patience is virtue,” he mimicked in a high falsetto voice.
“I don’t sound like that,” she stated. She finally selected the
tape she wanted, and handed it to Joey for his opinion.
“I think we have a winner!” she claimed proudly.
He glanced down at the cover, before cracking up into laughter.
“Lilypad, you are my new best friend. Guys,” he said, turning to the others
who were dispersed among the hotel room, “Guess who just found my special tape.”
JC groaned and Chris immediately began laughing too. Justin and Lance
rolled their eyes.
“Please,” said Justin, casting his eyes to the ceiling. “Please do not say that it’s what I think it is. If there is a God, let it
not be-“
“’There’s Something About Mary!’” Joey yelled excitedly. “And
it’s the one with the outtakes. The dirty,” he added, lowering his voice,
“dirty outtakes.”
“It’s not possible,” muttered JC. “Just when we were able to hide
it from Joey for two weeks. Lily, I can’t believe you found it.”
Lillian blushed at the four pairs of accusing eyes on her. “I’m
sorry?” she offered timidly. “I never saw it before. My friend said it was
really funny.”
“Not after you watch it for seven days straight, on a continuous
loop,” Lance murmured in an undertone to Justin, who nodded in agreement.
“What was that?” inquired Joey belatedly, who was just ecstatic to
have found his tape. Or rather, for Lillian to have found it.
“Nothing, nothing,” he replied, resigned to his fate. “I guess we
have no other choice. Put the movie in, Joey.”
Joey quickly shoved the tape into the VCR and turned off the lights.
Lillian dropped down onto a bed beside Lance, and Chris and JC took seats on the
other bed. Justin flopped down horizontally on his stomach at the foot of
Lance’s bed. Joey, after pushing the play button repeatedly, sat down
cross-legged right in front of the television, his grin stretching from ear to
ear.
A song came on the screen, with the words showing up at the bottom like a
karaoke monitor. Joey sang along full-heartedly.
“Why do you build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess
me around . . .” he belted out, bobbing his head with the beat.
The rest of the guys looked at each other mischievously before joining
their friend in the song.
“And then worst of all, you never call, baby, when you say you will,
but I love you still . . .”
“I need you-“ Joey sang, pointing to the others.
“I need you-“ they echoed, pointing back.
Then they all came together in perfect harmony, “More than anyone
darling, you know that I have from the start. So build me up, buttercup, don’t
break my heart!” They finished the song with a flourish, and Lillian clapped
excitedly, laughing giddily.
“Wow, that was so good! I mean, of course it was good, you guys are
‘N Sync after all. But still!” she cried.
The guys all exchanged smug glances, and launched into action.
“Well, you know,” Justin smirked, patting his hair.
“Aw, stop it,” JC shrugged.
“I’m blushing!” proclaimed Chris bashfully.
“Thank you, thank you,” said Lance, pretending to bow to an attentive
audience.
“I know,” Joey said, deadpan. “I do like to
be the one with the leads.”
Everyone stopped to stare at him, then after a couple of seconds of
complete silence the whole room echoed with laughter.
“Funny, Joseph. Really funny!” JC hooted, patting his friend on the
back.
“Guys, I was serious,” Joey protested. “Come on, guys!” he
complained when he received no response.
After a few more minutes of snickering, they all finally calmed down
enough to pay attention to the images still playing across the screen.
*
*
*
*
*
Lillian couldn’t believe it. Sure, some parts are funny. But this scene! Karen must
be insane to think this part is funny!
She was watching as Ben Stiller’s character was in the bathroom, before
his big date with Mary. He was . . . for lack of a better term, getting intimate with himself. She was glad the lights to the room
were off, because if anyone turned to look at her they would have immediately
noticed her flaming cheeks.
As he became more involved in his task, Lillian couldn’t help but turn
away from the movie. Oh my gosh. She
wasn’t that naïve, she knew that guys did that sometimes. But it was different
when she was sitting and watching it happen, albeit in a movie, surrounded by
five extremely attractive men.
Lance glanced over to see Lillian swivel her head to stare at the wall.
He chuckled at her innocence and slipped a friendly arm around her slender
shoulders, covering her eyes with his large hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll censor it for you,” he laughed.
“Thanks,” she replied dryly. “Just tell me when it’s over.”
Justin turned around to make a comment to Lance, but he saw that he was
preoccupied with Lillian. His arm was draped across her shoulders and he was
whispering to her. I didn’t know they were that close. That’s odd. Not that it matters to me, he thought, almost as an afterthought. Still, Lance was right. She’s not that bad.
Further into the movie while nothing exciting was happening, Lillian’s
gaze fell on Justin’s long body stretched across the bed. His head was rested
on his folded arms, and his legs were dangling over the edge of the bed.
Wow. He really is handsome. The muscles in his back. The strength of
his arms. His face, with his jaw and mouth and eyes. She was practically ready to swoon, and her eyes glazed over at her
thoughts.
Lance looked again at Lillian and saw her eyes virtually devouring his
younger friend. He almost laughed, but quickly stifled it. Who
would have guessed. Little Lillian lusting after J.
He wondered it Justin or any of the other guys realized it. Well, I guess nothing’s wrong with it. They are the
same age after all. I just don’t know if Justin would ever like her in that
way, though.
Chris sneaked a glance over to the other bed. What he saw made him smile
slyly. Lance was staring at Lillian, who was staring at Justin, who was staring
at the movie. Lance obviously looked interested in what one of his friends felt
for the other, and Chris was relieved. Finally, someone else to
talk to about the whole thing. It took long enough. Can’t let this psych major
go to waste, after all.
The rest of the night continued in the same fashion. Lillian kept darting
her eyes over to Justin, Lance looked over every once in a while, and Chris was
impatient to talk to Lance later. Justin remained completely oblivious to the
emotions stirring around him.