Lance checked his watch, it was getting really late, and he figured he should call it a night. He just had one more thing to do before he left, though. He quickly said his good-byes to the small group of friends he had been talking to, and walked back over to the bar where Alicia stood directly behind.

She smiled brightly at him, asking, "Hey, you. Leaving so early?"

He nodded, a smile of his own touching his lips. "Yeah, I have to get some sleep sometime tonight, but I wanted to give you something before I left."

She looked at him in confusion. "What's that?"

He handed her a small, off-white business card. "I run a family agency that manages up-and-coming singing artists. If you and your friends ever decide to go professional as a group, or you just want to go solo, you should give me a call at Freelance. But if you ever just wanna go out sometime, my cell and home number are written on the back."

"Wow, um, thanks."

He laughed. "I'll talk to you later then." He turned, and started to walk away towards the club's exit, but she stopped him.

"Lance, wait up!" she called, running up behind him.

He turned back to face her as she was taking a pen from her back pocket. She grabbed his hand, and wrote a 7 digit number on the back of his palm. "This is my cell number. Don't hesitate to call either."

He looked down at the number written on his hand, then back up at her. "I'll definitely talk to you soon then."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

He leaned forward, brushing her cheek with his lips, then whispered in her ear with his southern drawl, "Me too."

Alicia stood frozen in place as he walked away from her. She tenderly touched the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her, and could still feel the texture and softness of his lips caressing her cheek. She had been oblivious to everything going on around her until she heard a loud catcall and whistling from behind her. She turned around to see 3 of her best friends at the bar. She blushed as she realized they had seen everything. Mallory, her best friend since their childhood days, jumped over the bar, and ran over to her. A huge grin was spread across her face, as if she was a proud mother admiring her child's first A. "Pinch me, I think I'm seeing things!" she exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her younger friend.

Mallory and Alicia had always been alike, from their love of singing and dancing to their hazel eyes. They had grown up inseparable and shared all of their secrets with each other, from their first crush to their first kiss. When Alicia moved from St. Louis down to Orlando right after high school graduation to escape her parents, Mallory was right by her side.

Alicia shrugged Mallory's arm off, rolling her eyes. "So I met a guy that is really nice and hot...and even smells good. It's nothing major or anything."

Mallory laughed. "You've got to be kidding me, Ally! He's been like drooling over you all night, and you can't look me straight in the eye and honestly tell me you haven't been doing the same also. And I don't think I've ever heard you talk about a guy smelling good. Sounds like we've got a typical school girl crush brewing to me."

"It's not a 'school girl crush,' Mal! I graduated from high school 3 years ago, remember?"

"but you've still got it bad for him. Nothing to be ashamed of! Besides, he gave you his number first and even kissed you. That means something, Ally. Whether you realize it or not."

"You think?"

"I'm so glad you don't get this ditzy over guys all the time, I swear! Of course it means something!"

By then Holly and Mandi had joined them. Holly was the owner of the club, and even though she was the 3 girls employer, she was still best friends with all of them. She had medium length brown hair and green eyes, and enjoyed getting out and dancing just as much as the other 3; the exact reason she opened the club. Mandi was the youngest of 3, only 19. She was also the blond haired, blue eyed one of them.

"I don't believe it. Little Miss Never Dating Again has met someone," Holly said, teasing Alicia.

"Yeah, and he even offered her his business card for his management agency. I can just see it now, Ally. You two stay late at the studio to get some extra work done, and it ends up getting a little steamy in the recording booth," Mandi added.

"Mandi!" the other 3 exclaimed.

"What? It's not illegal to have a few, er, adult fantasies!"

"Yes, but please leave me out of them!" Alicia yelled at her, but then turned to the other 2 with all seriousness. "You guys think I should take him up on his offer to be my manager?"

"I think you should take him up on both offers, personally," Holly said.

"Yeah, but Ally, seriously. You've got the talent, and this is your dream. Run with it. And don't forget to have a little fun on the way? Who knows what will happen between you and this guy. You've been pretty lucky after just one night with him, anyway," Mallory added.

"You're not gonna forget us when you become famous are you?"

"I'd never even imagine forgetting you guys! y'all are my family!" Alicia said sincerely.

Lance drove straight to Justin's house, by now he wasn't even tired anymore, and just had to talk to someone. He knew he'd be paying hell for waking Justin up while he was sleeping, but nothing could ruin his night now. He pulled into the Timberlake driveway after having to type in the code at the security gates, and literally jumped out of his Toyota this time. He strolled up to the front door, knocking loudly. A grumpy looking Justin, his curls out in all directions from sleeping, appeared in the door way seconds later.

"What could you possibly want at this ungodly time of the morning?" he asked gruffly.

Lance did all he could to fight back his laughter. "Good morning to you too, Justin!" he chirped cheerfully.

"It's 4:30 in the God damn morning, Lance! This better be an emergency!"

"But this couldn't be any farther from an emergency! You see, tonight I met the most amazing girl, and I felt you should be the first to know."

Justin smirked sarcastically, not in the least bit amused by this. "I'm so glad that you thought to wake me up, of all people. BUT COULDN'T THIS HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE MORNING?" Not waiting for Lance's answer, he slammed the door in his face. As soon as the door had been shut, Lance burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

He got back into his Toyota, and drove home. Now he was ready for a good night's sleep; if you could even call it night anymore.

Alicia walked inside her small, 2 bedroom apartment, exhausted and dripping with sweat from basketball practice. She was on the basketball team for the local university in Orlando, where she attended classes each day. She could see the blinking of her caller ID, letting her know she had missed a call. She pressed the back button on ID, and Lance's number showed up from 2 hours before. He must've called while I was at practice, she thought. She grabbed her cordless phone from it's charger, and ran down the hall to her medium size bathroom.

She set the portable phone on the counter of the sink as she began to run hot-water in the bathtub, adding liquid bubble bath to the running water. Once the tub had filled up, she turned off the water, slipped off her clothing, and sunk into the relaxing warm water. She picked up the phone, and began dialing Lance's home phone number. She felt so pathetic, he had just given her is his numbers the night before and she already knew all 4 by heart. It rang 4 times on the other line before he picked up.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Lance? It's me, Alicia," she said.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I'm actually taking a bubble bath right now. I just got back from basketball practice, and a bath is exactly what I needed."

"Really? Need some company while you're in there?"

She laughed. She could sense the sarcasm in his voice, and couldn't help wishing he was being for real. She wouldn't mind his company one bit. "I don't know, think you could stand the heat?" It was his turn to laugh. "You sound so cute when you laugh, did you know that?"

He laughed again. "You really think that?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think you sound cuter when you laugh."

"No way, you sound so cuter."

"No, you do."

"Ok, ok. Let's leave it there, or we'd be on the phone forever arguing over who sounds cuter. You sound the cutest, and that's the end of that." "You're hilarious."

"Yeah, but looks aren't everything."

"At least you don't look like my friend Justin when he just wakes up. There's something to laugh at."

"Ah, but you wouldn't want to be the one to wake me up in the morning. That's one hell no one should be forced to go through."

Alicia heard him turn the radio up in the background. "Is that Ja Rule's 'Put It On Me?'" she asked.

"Yeah, I love it."

"Where would I be without my baby?" Alicia sang.

"The thought alone might break me . . . and I don't wanna go crazy . . . but every thug needs a lady, baby," Lance sang.

She giggled. "Oh yeah, I'm feeling your thug appeal, baby."

He laughed, continuing to sing, "Girl it feel like you and I been mourning together. . . Inseparable, we chose pain over pleasure. . . For that you'll forever be a, part of me. . . Mind body and soul ain't no I in we (baby). . . When you cry who wipes your tears. . . When you scared, who's telling you there's nothin to fear. . . Girl I'll always be there. . . When you need a shoulder to lean on. . . Never hesitate knowing you can call on, your soul-mate. . . And vice versa, that's why I be the first to. . . See . . . and frost your wrist up. . . Now you owe me, I know you're tired of being lonely. . . So baby girl put it on me."

They sang the chorus together, "Where would I be without you (uh) . . . I only think about you (yeah) . . . I know you're tired or being lonely (lonely) . . . So baby girl put it on me (put it on me)."

Alicia sang Vita's part by herself, "Yo, and I appreciate the rocks and gifts that you cop me baby . . .And that house on the hill when you drop like 80 . . . On a down payment thinking damn ain't life gravy. . . And ever since for my honey I been twice the lady . . . What would I do without the nights that you kept me warm . . . When this cold world had a girl caught in a storm . . . And I accept when you riff when you caught in a roam . . . And respect when you flip, 'cause our love is strong . . . And when you hit the block, I watch for 10-4 . . . And when my pops asleep you snuck in the backdoor . . . Baby boy we been down since junior high . . . So when life get hot in July it's the world against you and I . . . We ballin', tied together and never . . . Heart from the heart, knew that it would last forever . . . When you told me, you would never leave me lonely . . . So baby boy put it on me."

They finished the rest of the song together, "Where would I be without you (uh) . . . I only think about you (yeah) . . . I know you're tired or being lonely (lonely) . . . So baby girl put it on me (put it on me)." by the end of the song both of them were laughing the hardest either had in a while. "Wow, Lance, I would've never thought I'd be hearing you rap to JA Rule."

"Hey, white boys can rap. Besides, I'm like Nelly. We're both southern boys."

"Nelly's from St. Louis, that's the mid west, sweetie."

"Whatever."

She laughed. "I think I was wrong when I said you're the cutest when you laugh. You're definitely the cutest when you're trying to rap. That's just too good."

"Good as in I did good, or good as in it was hilarious?"

"It was definitely hilarious, but you ain't bad. You could be the next Eminem!"

He chuckled. "I don't think I'm going to be the next Eminem, or that you're going to be an English major anytime soon."

"Who needs proper English when I can speak French just fine."

"You speak French?"

"It's a figure of speech, Lansten. Like when people cuss, they say, 'Pardon my French.'"

"Oh, ok. I get it now, I think."

"Oh, God, I think you're the hilarious one. Anyway, I'm gonna have to let you go. The water's getting cold, and the bubbles are all gone."

"You want me to come over and warm it up for you?"

"You're too kinky for you're own good, Lance. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone, and climbed out of the tub. She wrapped the towel around her body, and looked in the mirror.

"I hope you know you're just setting yourself up for another heartbreak," she told her reflection. "You're getting your heart set after only one day. What if it doesn't work out? What if he's just using you because he's on the rebound? How are you going to deal with the pain of it all ending before it ever starts?"

She wiped away a stray tear that had escaped down her cheek. Her heart was still weak from it's last fall, and wasn't strong enough to be torn apart once more. What if her mind was telling her right? Should she follow her heart, and take another chance like she had done a year before? Could she really trust him? or should she listen to what her mind was telling her, and just back off?