6

"Hey guys, if you'd MAYBE divert your attention to my awesome and gorgeous balcony-slash-stage," blasted the bright chirrupy voice of Carly Rae Jepsen over the speakers. And so the cute bubbly mistress of potential phone calls pressed Pause on the time bomb Phillip had set ticking with his sarcastic reply.

Flowing locks and gleaming Biebercuts swished as guests turned their heads to the white-hot spotlight that now shone on Carly's balcony-stage. All eyes were then drawn to the coal-black whirlwind of silk and sequins that swirled onto the platform and elicited an eruption of cheers from the audience. Haley Reinhart looked radiant with her lustrous golden curls that matched her platinum-colored eyeshadow and light bronze tan; she glowed with her own brilliant aura, emitting sultry electricity all across the room.

"How you guys doin' tonight?" Her strong, smoky voice instantly commandeered the crowd, who all listened up and raucously voiced their approval. "So glad y'all could make it to my homegirl Carly's party," she said, giving her a big hug. "Anyway, I'm Haley Reinhart – ""

"TAKE OFF YOUR CLOOOTHES," yelled a drunk guest whose name was never revealed because he was completely unrecognizable by the time Stefano was through with his face.

"Heh, heh... yeahhhh... alright," laughed Haley awkwardly. "Okay.. yeah, that was kinda weird. Thanks, Fano." She blew him a kiss. "So anyways, Carly here told me just now that some of you might feel like dancing tonight."

More cheers. The three Idol alums – who still hadn't spoken a word – looked at each other, not sure if that would be an apt solution to their conflict.

"So I'm here to sing and bring y'all the live music. You guys cool with that?" asked Haley.

At their table, Phillip broke the ice. He shrugged casually and looked straight at Colton and Jessica, smiling. "Sounds good to me," he said. "Love me some Haley."

"Same," beamed Jessica.

"Alright, so the first song is by my girl right here. It's called Call Me Maybe," finished Haley, and the place exploded as the familiar intro chords of the monster hit floated through the speakers across the floor.

Before Colton could get in a word, Phillip was on his feet, reaching out a hand to Jessica. "You wanna dance?" She thought she could see a devilish sparkle in his eyes.

"Can I?" Jessica asked Colton excitedly.

"Yeah, of course." Colton smiled, kissed her cheek, and waved them off.

He ordered another Corona and sat there quietly, watching them from the corner of his eye and thinking about the night's events. Then they disappeared from his view, and he suddenly felt a wave of uneasiness. What the... he thought, almost as abruptly getting furious at himself. There were two things he hated more than anything: overly paranoid and jealous other halves, and hypocrites. Now he was both. He felt guilty, embarrassed and angry. He almost laughed and shook his head at how absurd he was being. Why should he think anything about his girlfriend dancing with an old acquaintance? It was so incredibly harmless and innocent he didn't even know why it was on his mind. Maybe it was that little comment from Phillip that just pissed him off.

He's a married father. Her crush on him was five years ago. FIVE. Get a grip.

At the dance floor, everyone was trying to steal a glance at the attractive stranger dancing with Jessica Sanchez, but to their disappointment he seemed to sense that he was being watched and kept his head low, so that his face was constantly in the shadows. They gave up trying to recognize him just as the song entered its chorus, after which Phillip reached into his pocket, pulled out a card and gave it to Jessica.

"Business card," he said. "So that we don't fall out of touch again."

Here's my number,

So call me maybe?

"You got it," replied J-Chez, making a gangster hand-gesture and slapping him a hi-five with the card still in her hand. Phillip raised an eyebrow: the more she talked, the less he felt like he knew her.

A petite redheaded waitress strolled by and gave them each a small piece of paper and a pen. "Requests for Ms. Reinhart," she said. She beamed and nodded respectfully at Jessica. Her puzzled gaze lingered on Phillip for several seconds, then drifted away after failing to identify him.

Phillip leaned over to take a look at what Jessica was writing down, but she jerked her paper away. "It's a secret," she said with a tense smile.

"Then I can keep mine one too." They handed their notes to the waitress, who moved on to the next guests.

Haley was singing a Gaga tune. At the bar, Colton grew restless.

They're out there having fun. Why am I sitting here?

He got up with one slam on the table, generating loud complaints from the drunk people surrounding him – but not before he took a quick swig from Phillip's Jack Daniels bottle.

Making his way through the crowd, he soon located a cute-looking brunette standing alone who looked like she could be a decent dance partner. He instantly regretted it and almost facepalmed when he saw her face clearly, but she was the only lone one around, so he still introduced himself.

"Chrystyl Myth, right?" inquired the girl. "I'm Rebecca Black."

"Right. Your music sucks, but let's dance." Colton grabbed her arm with a irritated forcefulness that surprised him.

You and I had ended, and Haley was now flipping through the requests that the redhead waitress had just handed her. Every now and then, her pealing laughter at the songs being requested, which she read out loud, would send the audience into hysterics. Jessica was unsettlingly reminded of her own songwriting competition, the terrible entries and the fact that she had to record Phillip's song as soon as possible if she wanted to release it in time and perform it on tour. She was suddenly overcome with stress.

"Awwww, come on, you guys, are you really gonna make me sing Sexy and I Know It?" The audience roared with laughter. "Serious entries, please! Do that and I'll sing it to you in private," she continued, giggling amidst the whistles and catcalls. Then she read the next note, her eyes widened with pleasant surprise."Princess of China by Coldplay and Rihanna," she mused, nodding in approval.

Phillip looked at Jessica, even more surprised. "Princess of China. Our duet for Top 4 that they scrapped." He laughed a bit incredulously. "Can't believe I still remember that."

"I don't even," answered Jessica casually. Another lie. She'd requested it. And she never forgave the producers for scrapping it from Top 4 night in exchange for that horrific Eternal Flame with Hollie. She couldn't believe the extent of her memory, but deep inside she was happy that Phil remembered it too.

"Interesting choice. I'm impressed. Okay, doing that one next," decided Haley. "Hey, Fano! Wanna come up and sing this with me?"

As the synth man struck up the first grainy, electronic notes of Princess of China,Jessica was aware of Phillip's hands on her waist, pulling her gently closer. To Freud's surprise, her condemning superego allowed her id to enjoy this moment. Her conflicted ego was painfully sandwiched in the middle. Its reproachful mother was screeching, "This is wrong!" while its crazy party-goer sister sighed dreamily, "This is perfect." The combination of overactive mental acrobatics, an increasing pulse and Haley's sky-rocketing vocals made Jessica feel light-headed, and even as she put her hands around Phillip's neck, she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes.

"Relax a bit, will ya," he joked reassuringly. "You're all tense and stuff. Come on, Jess. It's our song."

And just like that, the old Phil was back – and Jessica caved in. For the first time in four years, she felt comfortable with the person who'd taken everything from her. She lowered her head, closed her eyes and let her feelings dictate her. They moved to the driving, pulsing rhythm carried by the soaring synthesizer, which soon fully absorbed their thoughts and senses. As musicians become lost in their own compositions, so they dissolved in the sole presence of each other and the melody of their unfulfilled duet.

Once upon a time, on the same side

Once upon a time, on the same side, in the same game

And why'd you have to go

Have to go and throw water on my flame?

"I'm pretty, like a Chinese princess, right?" chattered Rebecca to Colton several couples away, as she spun over and over around his outstretched arm. "Chinese princess... person of interest... see, it rhymes!"

"Not really," grumbled Colton, as he handed his request to the waitress, stretched his head upward and cast his eyes across the crowd, searching for a copper-skinned beauty and a tall white drunk.

The song entered its heartrending bridge, and to Phillip's delight, he heard a familiar voice singing along softly. Jessica's shy, soothing vocals, which she delivered with a self-deprecating grin and a lack of eye contact, drowned out Haley in the microcosm they'd created for themselves. His mind reverted to early Top 4 rehearsals, practicing the song, memorizing the lyrics in the studio. He began singing along too. Then, they were finally duetting, for real. Their eyes met and they grinned at each other, recalling the memory.

You stole my star,

Lalalalalalala...

On and on they went, duetting to no one but each other, moving ever closer until the climactic final outro, by which point their foreheads touched and the scene looked strongly reminiscent of Chris Martin and Rihanna's interaction in the original music video.

'Cause you really hurt me...

Ohhhhh, you really hurt me.

The majestic instrumental drew to a close, but for a good five seconds afterwards, Phillip and Jessica remained as they were, gazing at each other and sharing the same exhilaration in their eyes.

"My turn," said a quiet, cutting voice behind them.

In a flurry of sounds and visions and an startlingly forceful tug, Jessica felt like a blizzard had blown through her as she was whirled into Colton's arms. She swallowed hard, abruptly snapping back into reality. She tried to catch a glimpse at Phillip's reaction, but Colton was holding her too close for comfort.

Stefano announced that he would be singing the next request: What You Need by The Weeknd.

With his girlfriend back in his reach, Colton's frigid heart melted effortlessly, but when he looked carefully into Jessica's troubled eyes, his gut feelings intensified. Still, he assuaged her with a nonchalant and easygoing smile that effectively concealed the acerbity of his expression, and looked away over his shoulder. His mind now focused on one thing only: staying in Phillip's line of vision.

And I'mma love you girl, the way you need
Ain't no one gon' stop us, ain't no one gon' stop us.

He made sure Phillip was watching. Then he kissed Jessica, hard. He wanted to make the point of the song. Heated passion and jealousy dissolved his moral qualms as he tightened his embrace, again with an irrational strength that was unfamiliar to him. Even as she eagerly kissed Colton back, Jessica shifted a bit uneasily as she felt his hands slide from her waist and press down into her hips, pulling her lower body forward into him with a fervent urgency, so that her back was slightly arched and he leaned over her almost possessively. She could feel his heart thumping madly. She pulled away firmly from his insistent tongue.

"Colton... Mike," she whispered, smiling nervously up at him. "Easy. I'm right here."

"Good," was all he said as he loosened his grasp and held her head gently to his shoulder, as they continued to dance.

I'm the drug in your veins

Just fight through the pain

He's what you want...

I'm what you need.

When the song ended, the couple separated, tension between them at a new high. Colton scanned the floor, but to his sharp disappointment, Phillip had disappeared.

Phillip had returned to the bar. He'd watched Colton and Jessica for a few seconds, and decided that he had no business being there. They were clearly smitten with each other, and he was the third wheel.

The night was late; What You Need had ended. Haley Reinhart was announcing that the next song would be the first of a series that would end her stint tonight. "It's my old but gold rocker hit," she declared. "Watch out... don't get caught in my Spiderweb."

My favorite Haley track, thought Phillip. Shame I have no one to dance with.

He decided to walk to the bathroom, where he could be alone.

Colton's sudden intense display of affection had left Jessica exhausted. The impact of the alcohol was kicking in, and the huge distorted guitar chorus of Spiderweb didn't help much.

"Mike, I need a break," she said.

"A break... between us?" he asked calmly, but she saw hysteria calculatedly hidden beneath the surface.

"No, silly... a break from dancing." Again, the reassuring smile that she'd used on him at least three times tonight.

For a second, his face stayed frozen; then it relaxed as he started to laugh. "Yeah, of course, babe. What was I thinking? Of course, go ahead."

She hovered through the crowd, looking for a place to mellow out. Her head felt hot, and she felt dizzy.

She decided to walk to the bathroom to wash her face.

The hallway to the restroom was empty when she entered. She sat down against the wall, hugging her legs, and listened to Haley's song, still audible, reverberating around the shiny walls.

The more that you fight,

the more that you're mine

I'll keep you forever.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Phillip emerge from the restroom.

Neither of them could explain what happened next, but in a split second, they found themselves in each other's arms.

Come in, just a little bit closer now.

You know that you want me to take you down.

I'm the thrill that you can't escape

There's no way out

So don't you forget

You're caught in my spiderweb.

The hallway was empty except for them. Normal life was continuing outside. Haley was singing, Rebecca Black was harassing her next victim, and Colton was waiting patiently for his girlfriend to come back from the restroom. But the id controls the intoxicated mind, and at that moment normal life seemed galaxies and galaxies away, as they danced slowly to the ¾ beat. As the song broke down into the bridge and Spiderweb stripped into Haley's bell-like acapella, they stared down into each other, breathing shallowly, their feet slowly edging into the wall.

You don't know it yet

But you might regret

The moment we met.

You're caught in my spiderweb.

Exactly when Haley belted the last "Spiderweb" that gave way into the musical climax and her soaring high note, Phillip pushed Jessica against the wall and kissed her.

A tsunami of conflicting emotions crashed into her. It was so overwhelming that momentarily, she blacked out.

Then her eyes sprung open. Rational thought screamed for help. It woke her up, sobered her up. And with all h er physical and emotional strength, she shoved him away.

He stumbled backwards, suddenly awake, and saw clearly the distraught girl standing before him who looked ready to break down completely. Then it began to sink in, what he had just done.

"Phillip," she whispered weakly, her eyes filling. Her miniature frame was trembling, and she was shaking her head wistfully, as if she had a million things to say but just couldn't.

Then she burst into tears, turned, and ran.