I sat alone at the coffee shop staring at nothing in particular. I slowly cocked my head so I could see the specials menu. And that's when I saw her.

She was..breathtaking to me.

A stream of lustrious black hair was cascading down her shoulders like a darkened waterfall. She had hazel eyes with just a touch of green in them. And then, there was the ivory skin barely touched by sunlight. She was nothing I'd ever seen before.

Her gaze was prolonged and mysterious. I wondered what she was thinking about. Or who she was thinking about. Knowing that she could feel my stare I looked away. But it only made her want to direct her attention towards me. She was studying me now. I could feel her eyes on me. They burned through me and it was almost as if she was searching for something in me. I felt naked in front of her. I felt stripped of my surroundings and all my barriers. All the walls I fought hard to put up and keep love and whatnot out. And to keep from letting those eyes stare at me like that. I almost flinched, but she was watching me so closely that I was scared to move. So I kept staring down. Down at my now cold cup of coffee and half eaten bagel. But after awhile, I could feel her eyes wander away. I was safe again. I was the same old Lance Bass.

A year later I was sitting at the same coffee shop again. The tour had just ended yesterday and I was back in Orlando. Just sitting. Sitting and drinking coffee like I always did. It was all I did for weeks at a time. Come in. Order coffee and a bagel. Read the newspaper. Get up and leave. It was my ritual. It was how I spent my mornings at home. Fortunately, the fans never seemed to notice. They never seemed to notice Lance Bass off tour sitting in the far away corner at the coffee shop eating his bagel, sipping his decaf coffee. I never seemed to mind either. It didn't matter to me that no one paid attention to me. In fact, I always said a silent praire everytime I came in and no one would even look up from their Sunday edition of the Orlando Sentinel and their cups of mocha. So I sat down in my usual corner which always happened to be empty every morning. Maybe people hated being so far away from the normal chaos in the coffee shop. Again, that was to my advantage. A waitress came over and asked me what I wanted. Of course, I answered with my normal tone and reply, 'Just a plain cup of decaf and a bagel. No cream cheese.' She nodded and came back moments later with my bagel and coffee. I nodded a thanks and watched her leave. I sipped my coffee and opened up the newspaper that had been tucked under my arm.

After awhile, I could feel someone staring at me. I looked up to find her again. I half smiled and I thought I saw her eyes twinkle. Who knows? It could have been just the lights playing tricks on me. But nonetheless, here she was again. Same coffee shop. Same girl. Brown eyes. Flowing black hair. And of course, that little curious gaze. I wanted to say something to her, maybe a 'hi' or a 'Hello, I'm James. Or just Lance.' But I couldn't bring myself to it. It was as if her eyes were holding me down. Looking away, I took another sip of my coffee and cleared my throat. By the time I looked up again, she was walking towards me. I half smiled again and she just kept on staring at me. It never really bothered me, it just really made me think. Wondering, what she was thinking about or even who.

It had been a year. A whole year. It seemed so long ago since I was sitting in this very same coffee shop just sipping my decaf and chewing on my blueberry bagel. It was the week after our new album had been released. It was crazy. Fans were eating us up. We'd sold 2.4 million CDs in one week, 1.1 of which were sold on the first day. Everyone was in a frenzy. People were yelling our names everywhere we went. They loved us. They absolutely loved us. I had to smile at that. I rounded the corner with my sunglasses and hat on staring at the coffee shop before my eyes. I debated on whether or not to keep the disguise on. I figured I had to. It had only been the first week and people were grabbing at us, demanding our attention. So I adjusted my sunglasses and strolled in. So far so good. I walked to the far away corner to my usual empty booth, but this time, it was occupied. There she was, waiting for me. Except this time, she smiled warmly and waved me over.

I smiled this huge cheshire cat grin and she only laughed at my antics. She had already ordered for me. Blueberry bagel. Decaf coffee. I slid into the booth and kissed her on the cheek. She turned to me and I let myself look into her eyes. Big, hazel eyes with flicks of green in them. I chuckled and I wondered how I ever came to love such a beautiful girl. Moreover, how such a beautiful could ever love me.

"Hello? James?"

I smiled and shook my head.

She never called me Lance. That was because I was never Lance to her. Just James.