The Lion's Awake Today

I meet my college crush at the mall. Another 2005 creation.

(I don't own Chris Kirkpatrick or Lance Bass of *NSYNC nor the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". So don't sue.)

 

 

“Why did you bring your laptop with you today?” Cassie asked, poking into her potatoes. Stefanie shrugged as she took a bite of her pizza. Cassie, Heather and Stefanie usually went to the Galleria for lunch in between classes, and apparently today, Stefanie was about to fly out of her seat listening to the music she was listening to. She bounced up and down in her seat, enjoying the beat of the music.

 

“Cuz I felt like it. I know I don’t normally need it, but today I just felt like taking it with me. And don’t you love this song?”

 

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

 

Cassie and Heather rubbed their ears. Just because she could reach Chris’s notes didn’t mean she HAD to rub it in every time the song came on!

 

In the jungle, the mighty jungle

The lion sleeps tonight

In the jungle, the mighty jungle

The lion sleeps tonight

 

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh...

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, a few feet away...

 

“...I can’t believe you told that magazine that you like a girl to hum in your ear,” Lance said, picking up his tray with his lasagna. Chris shrugged.

 

“But it’s true. Don’t you like listening to pretty voices sing? That doesn’t belong to you?” Lance threw him a playful glare before smiling.

 

“I’ll take that as the compliment it’s supposed to be,” he said sitting down. Chris, not knowing why, sat right next to him.

 

“Yeah, whatever. You just don’t know what it’s like hearing a beautiful voice echoing in your ear-”

 

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

 

Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling

The lion sleeps tonight

Hush my darling, don’t fear my darling

The lion sleeps tonight...

 

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

 

Chris reveled in the apparently high pitched voice that rang just two feet away. He turned around to face a long cascade of dark brown curls that would make Justin run away in fear. Whoever was singing that...had a spirit about her. Something that was loud and clear (besides her voice) was radiating from her. He allowed a large grin to work its way across his face. Whoever was singing was letting her heart out of the box that she previously had it in. Instinctively, he realized that the girl sitting in the chair right behind him, two feet away, loved singing probably as much as he did. And she could sing. Lord, could she sing. Chris turned around in his chair, letting her compete with his voice over her laptop.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

�

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

 

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh

 

Cassie and Heather both held their heads in their hands by now. Stefanie was getting extremely bouncy and grabbing people’s attention. At this point, Stefanie had forgotten that she was in public, and people were turning to stare at her. She allowed herself to be free within the musical heaven that only *NSYNC provided for her. Let the people listen to her. It didn’t matter. Singing was her first love...and nothing would ever take its place.

 

Her face was glowing from the beautiful moment that music created. She could only imagine what kind of an emotional high the guys got whenever they got onstage and performed. It almost made her consider for a second to become a music major...just for a minute. She put her hands beside her laptop.

 

“God, I’d kiss Chris right now, that was so beautiful!” she exclaimed (A.N. Good, this word is still in use). “But I don’t think he’d appreciate that, I sound like the teenybopper I was when I was a kid...”

 

“I think I’ll be the judge of whether or not I’ll appreciate it.” She looked up and there he was...the major crush of her college life. Out of seemingly nowhere...there he was.

 

“Wha...what?”

 

“C’mon, you said it yourself. You said you’d kiss me because that was a great performance.” Whenever she imagined herself in this kind of situation, she’d imagine that she’d either lose her mind and start screaming and jumping up and down in excitement, or she would act like the mature nineteen-year-old she (on occasion) was. Now she was staring up at him, star struck, with her heart slamming in her chest. The world around her disappeared, so she paid no mind that Lance was standing next to her admiring her while Cassie was staring at the scene with amazement (I guess that’s why Lance is called Stealth after all). None of the other people in the food court mattered...what mattered was that her crush...was standing there in front of her...asking for her kiss.

 

“You...you’re going to hold me to my word?” Chris’s angelic smile chose to shine down on her as he pulled her to her feet. It took all of the strength inside of her not to allow herself to fall down.

 

“Yeah,” he said, leaning in closer to her short form, and lowering his voice. “What do you say?” Her mouth was hanging wide open, not believing her eyes or ears.

 

“I don’t have a breath mint...” Chris kept coming closer to her, and she was steadily losing control.

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“This can’t be happening.” Chris put his hands on her arms, beginning to pull her closer.

 

“But it is.”

 

“I have to be dreaming, this is too good to be-” Chris pulled her in, pushing his way between her lips. Surprisingly...she didn’t feel at all out of place. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling him closer to her. The world around them fell away. All the existed this moment in the universe...was just them and the passionate kiss they were sharing. She allowed him to explore the space between her lips, and savored every second they were spending. She couldn’t feel anything at that moment except the feel of his arms around her, and his kiss, oh yes his kiss. She missed kissing like this.

 

Nobody had any idea how much time had elapsed since they began their kiss, and nobody was willing to keep track, let alone the two standing there together. When Stefanie pulled away slowly, she looked into his eyes. They were just as full of life, spirit and beauty like she had always imagined. She hadn’t felt this elated or full of complete ecstasy like she was feeling in so long. And Chris reminded her of that feeling after so many years.

 

“Wow,” she whispered breathlessly. He smiled. It was amazing that a voice as breathless as that could be so beautiful.

 

“You were wonderful,” he whispered, that same ecstasy glowing from his own brown eyes. She turned away and blushed.

 

“I haven’t kissed in a long time, that’s a pretty good review-”

 

“I meant your singing.” Her blush deepened, feeling the embarrassment.

 

“Oh. Sorry.” He pulled her closer and leaned down into her ear.

 

“The word, ‘wonderful’ doesn’t begin to describe your kissing.” Completely on reflex, she cuddled closer into his chest, incidentally hearing the beating of his pounding heart. Chris stood there and held her for moment. The video led into the next video as the world began to slip back into her consciousness. She barely noticed Lance sweet talking to Cassie while Heather stood by, giggling at the two, flirting shamelessly. She glanced at her watch.

 

“Oh my God! I have Astronomy class in twenty minutes!!!” Chris leaned away, watching her expression change from completely content to completely shocked. Chris giggled. She was kind of cute when she was shocked.

 

“Well, um...I gotta go. I’m really sorry Chris, but I’ve got class in twenty minutes. Um...I don’t know what to say here, I’ve never done this before...” Chris smiled softly at her, letting her know that everything was ok.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said sweetly. “The pleasure was all mine.” Cassie and Heather dragged the star struck girl out.

 

Of course you’d say that, you didn’t just get kissed by your crush, she thought to herself.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“I can’t believe he KISSED you!” Cassie turned around to face her friend in the back seat. The smile never left her face.

 

“Hey, Stef...why are you crying?” Stefanie wiped a tear away, letting the smile shine through them.

 

“I don’t know, I’m just so happy,” she whispered. “It’s so crazy...this is what every teenybopper dreams about...I just can’t believe what just happened to me...I feel like I’ve gone crazy, I kissed a pop star whom I’ve admired since I was twelve...and seven years later, I’ve got a crush on him!” Heather giggled as she started the car.

 

“And who apparently has a crush on you back!” Stefanie blushed.

 

“I wouldn’t go as far to say that...”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t know what’s in that crazy head of his,” she whispered. “Sounds like it was just on impulse when he did that...”

 

“Yeah, but didn’t you see the look in his eyes? He looked really happy to be kissing you, THAT’S for sure.” Stefanie blushed even deeper. He looked happy...absolutely. But was this all they were ever going to have? She wasn’t pushing for marriage or anything like that...but she couldn’t help wanting more than just that fantastic kiss today.

 

I suppose I’ll get over it, she thought, putting her hands in her pockets...

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In the next car over

 

“I can’t believe you KISSED her!” Chris’s smile grew wider (if you can imagine) just thinking about it.

 

“I can. BECAUSE I kissed her!”

 

“Wow...you certainly have your ways of making your fans feel special, huh?” Chris shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. She was acting a little crazy before I walked over to her...wow. Good to know there’s more than one psycho out there like me, huh?” Lance rubbed his forehead.

 

“Yeah. REAL good to know. Then we know how many straight jackets the world is going to need!” Chris slapped his hand upside Lance’s head.

 

“...Stef, it was just a kiss.”

 

“A FANTASTIC kiss.”

 

“But that’s all it was. You’re lucky to have gotten what you did today, you know. Lots of girls don’t get that chance!”

 

“I know! That’s why I didn’t ask for his number, I’m a complete stranger who finds him funny, sweet, and guess what, I think he’s sexy! And sure as hell knows what he wants. GOD! Cut me some slack, Heather, I haven’t felt this way about someone in quite a while-”

 

“Don’t quote from, ‘Just The Two Of Us’,” Cassie scolded lightly. Stefanie stuck out her tongue.

 

“Whatever. It’s just so- what the hell?” Chris’s smile had almost literally reached from ear-to-ear, waiting for her reaction.

 

“OH MY GOD! I HAVE HIS NUMBER! OH MY GOD, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!” Chris rolled down his window.

 

“Call me. There’s more to me than just being funny, sweet, and guess what- sexy. Bye, my darling,” he said, mimicking the song and winking as he drove away. All her Astronomy teacher could deduce was that his student was seeing stars that day in class, and he didn’t think it was the stars that the projector was showing.

 

 

Author's Note

Still don't own Chris or Lance from *NSYNC and I still don't own that song. Bugger off.

Reviews

[DarkAngelWriter]

Oh sweetie. Straight Lance? I'm too young to have experienced that before. It was amusing, though.

Great story. Fanfic without being all out fanfic. Silly Steffie. You make me smile.

And you make me want to write about my boys.