Prologue - How It All Began

It’s actually quite funny how fate can intervene so drastically in a person’s life. No? Don’t believe in fate? Well call it destiny, karma, coincidence, chance, whatever suits your fancy, but it’s there.

Something compels us to make the decisions we make, take the actions we take, and think the thoughts that cross our mind. As human beings, we take pride in our independence and ability to think and act for ourselves. We’re actually quite selfish if you think about it.

But never mind that. I was talking about fate. Now don’t argue with me (everybody is entitled to their own opinion after all) but there is something out there that accounts for everything that happens in our lives. Take my word for it, I’ve witnessed it firsthand.

Now, now, now, calm down. I know what you’re saying. Who does this inexperienced, twenty-something year old woman think she is? I won’t go and throw all my degrees in your face, but let’s just say that I deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis.

Okay, now I’ve got your attention. I can see that little twinkle of intrigue in your eyes. And no, I don’t deal with psychos. I’m not that much of an outgoing person, though I’ll admit (as will others) that I do have my moments.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Genevieve Micelli. Quite a mouthful, I know. Let’s just say my parents were ones for original names. I have a younger brother named Brayden and an older sister named Meira, after all. Most people know me as Gen, Genny, or ‘that girl dating JC Chasez’.

Yup, that’s me, girlfriend to pop star extraordinaire JC Chasez, infamous for his song about sex and the time he licked the stage at Madison Square Garden. I’m sure you’d love to know how ordinary old me, a relationship therapist, snagged a guy as great as Josh. Sorry to say, but that’s another story entirely. A great story, if I may say so myself.

Here I go again, babbling on like you’ve got all the time in the world. I’m not here to talk about my love life, as wonderful as it may be. Now where was I? Ah yes, how I’ve witnessed fate firsthand. Well the story starts a few years back, before I had even met Piper Saunders or anybody close to her. It starts when the guys of Nsync were still together and were on the No Strings Attached tour.

I first met the guys through Justin. Yes, Justin as in Justin Timberlake, the heartthrob of the group. I know, crazy. I was working in the Memphis area at the time, and he had just come home for the Easter holiday, I believe it was. They were taking a break before getting ready for the NSA tour. So that was about four or five years ago, in 2000.

I had a friend (I’m not naming names seeing as though she and I had a falling out right after I started dating Josh) who was dating a guy by the name of Wade Robson. I know what you’re thinking, Wade Robson, the choreographer? Yup. Same guy. He choreographed many of the dances for the NSA tour, according to my friend.

So here I was, being dragged to some promotional party for some new dance studio of a friend of Wade’s. Confusing, I know. My friend insisted that I get out and see people; it had been altogether too long since my last boyfriend in her opinion. Of course, I felt like a third wheel the entire time. That was until I managed to bump into Justin.

He was there at Wade’s request (the two were still close at the time, it was before the whole Britney thing of course) and was as bored as I was. We hit it off right away. I guess we talked for hours according to my friend, who was extremely excited about the whole thing. Somehow, we got on the topic of my job as a relationship therapist (it’s sorta like a marriage counselor, but I don’t just stick to married couples), and he mentioned his friend JC was having problems.

Of course, I wasn’t really in the mood to move to another state just to help some spoiled pop brat with his relationship. I liked Justin and all, he reminded me a lot of my little brother, but there was no way I was going to drop everything and move to Florida, a state I didn’t even like to begin with. But as many know, Justin Timberlake can be a very persuasive person.

So a month later, I found myself in a new apartment in the heart of Orlando, their home base. I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but I kept myself motivated by the fact that it would only be temporary. If I only knew.

I met JC first, seeing as though he was the whole reason I was there to begin with. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about him at first. JC is a unique individual. He can be moody, thoughtful and insightful or he can be completely silly, joking around with Chris and acting like a little kid. If I could describe him in one word, it would have to be complex.

Of course, the news that JC was seeing a therapist traveled quickly through the group and I was soon bombarded with visits from Joey, Lance and Chris. If I must say, the most humorous visit was from Chris. He teased JC mercilessly, especially because of the fact that I was ‘a hot mama’ according to his expert eye. The guy is a laugh. I’m fully convinced that he’ll always be a kid at heart.

Gosh, look at that, I’m off topic again. It happens a lot with me. Anyway, the guys started their tour, and their manager thought it best if I tagged along, in case any of the other guys had a mental breakdown (even though I mentioned time and again that I was a relationship therapist). So here I was, getting paid to travel the country with five of the hottest musicians of the time, handing out advice left and right on everything from relationships to what to wear to a club.

That was when JC and I really clicked. He was never really into the clubbing scene if truth be told, and try as they might, none of the guys could ever convince me to accompany them to a late night party. The two of us ended up spending many a late nights watching The Simpson’s (I know, not very mature) and talking about anything and everything. It was like he was my other half.

That’s when our lovey dovey relationship really began, but I’m not going to go into details about it. I’m not one to spill my personal life to anybody who walks by. Besides, this story isn’t about the two of us. It’s really about Justin.

Of course, as everybody and their brother knows, Justin and Britney, the pop king and queen, broke up. She broke his heart, let me tell you, and if I ever saw that girl on the street, I don’t think I could control my actions. Justin really is like my little brother. I watch out for him whenever I can.

Justin never really was the same after that. Oh, he put on a brave face to the fans and the press, keeping the world in the dark about how much he really was hurting. But I knew it all. I’m not shy to admit that I was the first person he talked to. It’s what I do for a living, after all.

He seriously had even me fooled when he started dating actress Cameron Diaz. I was a little surprised at first, because she is so much older than him, but she made him happy. I’ve met her a few times, and she really is a sweet person, as much as people tried to play her off as a bitch. That was in 2003.

But they only dated for a year and broke up in early 2004, around April or May I think. Justin never really told me the reasoning for that, and I never tried to drag it out of him. I respect his privacy, and I knew he had his reasons.

So it was back to trying to get Justin to open up yet again. He was depressed, drank a lot, and became a stranger to me. It made me wonder what had happened to the carefree, happy man I had met at that party in 2000. The guy that seemed to attract people to him like a lamp does to a mosquito.

I did what I could, but there was only so much, as a therapist, that I was able to do. Only so many encouraging words and positive advice that he could take. That’s how I know fate stepped in. It sent Piper Saunders his way just when he needed her the most. This is where their story begins.

I first met Piper in late 2003. Of course, I had no idea who she was at the time seeing as though I was merely in Michigan on business. She seemed incredibly shy, almost withdrawn, but I could sense that there was more to her than meets the eye.

She wasn’t the prettiest of women, but she was definitely striking. It was probably the combination of the straight redish-brown hair and the piercing green eyes that caught most men’s attention. I think what made me notice her was her quiet determination and the passion that she exuded whenever she put the camera to her face.

She was seventeen then, a senior in high school and I was just about to turn twenty-six, so besides a first look, I didn’t really pay her much attention. She was slipping in and out of the party I was at, taking pictures with some fancy camera. I learned later that she had been taking pictures for her school newspaper, something she was deeply involved with.

Yet my first good impression of her, when Justin introduced us, was that she was some quiet teenager who clung to him like a leech. Good thing first impressions aren’t everything. Piper sure proved that fact to me.

But I’m jumping ahead of myself here. I’m sure you’d like to know what Piper was up to before she met Justin.

November, 2004

Piper Saunders sighed as she stretched her back. It was starting to become stiff from being in the same position for so long. Whoever had said college was easy must not have gone, for she was up to her eyeballs in homework.

It sucked to be a freshman. After coming from a small high school and a small town, Michigan State University’s campus seemed huge. And that was definitely no lie. With almost 50,000 students, Piper found that she was easily lost amid the crowds of nameless faces.

That was a problem for her. Piper had always had trouble making friends, due mainly to the fact that she was quite self-conscious about herself, so she was lost on campus. She was still trying to find her niche in the college community.

Of course, she had her photography. It had been her passion ever since she had been allowed to touch a camera, so it only seemed natural to pursue a degree in that field. The only hitch was that she couldn’t afford to go to one of those fancy schools for the arts. So she was stuck taking photojournalism classes at MSU, trying desperately to save enough money to transfer to the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, a prestigious school for photography.

But she was dreaming. Tuition was almost $50,000 a year and they were highly selective. Even though she had been told numerous times that she had extreme talent when it came to photography, she was still uncertain. Why would they accept her application, a nobody from nowheresville, USA?

There was also the fact that she would be moving out of her home state, away from her family and friends, and away from everything she had ever known. That scared her to death. After all, her love for photography only took her so far.

Without human interaction, Piper couldn’t survive. She loved being around people almost as much as she liked taking pictures of them. Her only problem was that she was shy and easily got tongue-tied around strangers. She was having a hard enough time at MSU, heading to a different school in another state was a different matter entirely.

But she desperately wanted to go to Tisch, despite all the trepidations she was having at the moment. She had visited the website a countless number of times and even looked over the application a time or two. But she never had the guts to print one off. That would be making it all a reality, and so far, it was still in the back of her mind like a dream.

There was also the fact that her parents would never approve. Especially her mom. She and her mom were incredibly close, almost like sisters, and Regina Saunders was the type of mom that liked to have her family close enough to stop by for dinner on Sundays.

Piper sighed again. She was constantly doing this; having a battle in her mind about what to do. She needed advice but she had no idea who she could turn to. Her friends wouldn’t understand, her parents would say no way, and her boyfriend didn’t seem to care less anymore.

“I swear, if you sigh one more time I’m gonna chuck you and your camera out the window,” the voice of her roommate began, “Stop acting like your best friend died. I’m AM sitting right here you know.”

“Sorry V. I’ve just got a shitload of things to do, lots of things on my mind, and there’s not enough time in the day for all of it,” Piper stated, rubbing her eyes.

“Lighten up Piper, you’re acting like you’re forty instead of eighteen going on nineteen,” her roommate continued, shifting on the beanbag she was lying on.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are…”

Virginia Harwood and Piper Saunders had been friends since elementary school. They were inseparable. Which was why it only seemed natural for the two to room together at college, though there were times that Piper found she wanted to strangle Virginia.

Despite their random fights, which were few and far between, the girls got along like a charm. After all, Piper knew that if she lost Virginia as her friend, she was bound to lose her contact to the ‘outer world’ as she liked to call it. That was no joke.

Virginia was the more outgoing of the two of them. She was always the one that made all the plans, always the one that pushed Piper to be more outgoing, always looked out for her friend when things got rough. Piper knew she’d always be grateful to her friend, but she also knew that it was about time for her to grow up and stand on her own two feet. After all, she couldn’t rely on Virginia forever.

“So are you seriously okay?” Virginia questioned, interrupting Piper’s thoughts yet again, “You’re so depressed all the time honey. Is there anything I can do?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Just a little distracted, that’s all,” Piper nonchalantly replied, shrugging her shoulders, “I’m just worrying about things that don’t’ really need to be worried about.”

“Yeah, you have a tendency to do that,” Virginia agreed with a grin. Piper rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Thanks for the support V. It’s nice to know you care so much,” Piper teased, closing her book as she knew there was practically no way she was going to get anything more done. Besides, she was reading ahead anyway.

“Anything for you Piper,” Virginia stated, suddenly shutting off the TV, “So you wanna go to dinner now? The caf closes in about a half an hour.”

“Nah, I already ate,” Piper said, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail.

“By yourself?”

“Well, yeah.”

“What happened to having dinner with that wayward brother of mine?”

“He had other plans for dinner tonight,” Piper explained, not wanting to delve deeper into the problems with her boyfriend.

“And what might those be?” Virginia questioned, trying her best to act like she wasn’t being nosy.

“Hell if I know. I wasn’t going to pry if he wasn’t going to tell me,” she retorted, rummaging through the closet for her favorite MSU sweatshirt.

“What an ass. What’s up with you and my brother anyway?” her roommate questioned. Piper thought she was going to cry when Virginia mentioned her twin, “He hasn’t been by in awhile either.”

“To be honest with you V, we had a huge fight the other day and I’m not sure if we can fix things. It’s like our relationship is too much work anymore,” Piper admitted, throwing her body down on the couch once she had put her sweatshirt on.

“Damn,” Virginia whistled, frowning, “Do I have to kick my brother’s skinny little ass?”

Piper almost laughed at that statement. Andrew Harwood was anything but little. The guy was 6’1 and could lift her and Virginia at the same time without breaking a sweat.

Of course, Andrew Harwood was also what many people would call a geek. He loved school, loved studying and loved going to class, something that his twin sister couldn’t quite comprehend. To Piper, he had been perfect.

They had started dating their senior year of high school, having been friends for a few years at that point. Things went well for the first year and a half. Now, though, Piper was discovering just how different she and Andrew were.

He was a flirt, plain and simple. Yeah, he was geeky in the sense that he loved school, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t good looking. That he definitely was, and Piper didn’t seem to be his equal anymore. Wherever they went, he seemed to flirt with anything and everything female that walked on two legs and she was sick of it.

Of course, she’d be heartbroken if the two of them broke up, as was likely to happen, for she normally put her all into her relationships once trust was gained. She expected all of this and was actually beginning to accept it. What she was really afraid of at this point was losing her friendship with Virginia.

Virginia and Andrew were twins. Despite being of different sexes, the two were especially close, as most twins normally are. She knew that Virginia supported her no matter what, but this was her brother. Things were definitely bound to change.

Then there was her family. They loved Andrew like a son. They thought he was perfect for her and that once they graduated from college, the two of them would get married. They couldn’t be more wrong.

If Piper was brutally honest with herself, she could say that she no longer cared for Andrew as a boyfriend anymore. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, it was true. Somehow, the two of them had managed to drift apart these past few months until they were practically strangers to each other.

So what was she to do? Alienate her friend and piss off her family, or keep on denying the truth? Ugh. When and why had her life become so complicated? What happened to the good old days of being carefree and not having to worry about anything?

“V, I hate my life,” Piper moaned, burying her head in her arms as she lounged on the couch. She received a smack on the ass.

“That’s for being a bitch,” Virginia snapped, stalking to her desk, “Your life does not suck, you’re just being pessimistic. I don’t give a fuck if you break up with my brother. Hell, he probably deserves it anyway.”

“Virginia…”

“No, let me finish,” Virginia interrupted, “You’ve got so much going for you Piper that I can’t believe you don’t see it. Your photography is amazing, any idiot can see that. Don’t you try to tell me otherwise. And I’ve seen you looking at that website for that school in New York. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how many times you’ve poured over that application without printing it off.”

“Virginia, it’s complicated,” Piper stated, sitting up.

“No Piper, it’s not. You’re just making it complicated. You’ve got enough talent to get a full ride to that school but you’re too scared to take the chance,” Virginia continued, ignoring her friend’s outburst, “I know you have a hard time making friends and fitting in, but get over it Piper. You can’t give up on your future so easily. Just grow some balls already!”

Piper didn’t know what to say. Sure, she’d had her arguments with Virginia before, but this really took the cake. She’d never seen her friend this upset before and she wasn’t sure how to react.

So she did the only thing she thought she could do. She fled. She grabbed her backpack loaded with her camera, notebooks, pens and some other belongings and practically ran from the room. Virginia didn’t even try and stop her.

Once she was out of the dorm, she slowed her pace, trying to get her thoughts in order. She didn’t know where to start. Everything seemed to be messed up at the moment and she didn’t have a clue how to fix it.

She walked as the thoughts tossed and turned in her mind and soon came to her favorite spot, a concrete overhang that hung over the Red Cedar River, the river that flowed through campus. It was surrounded by trees and afforded her the privacy she sought at the moment. She collapsed on the stone and set her bag to her right.

She quickly pulled her private notebook out and began to write at a furious pace. A few years ago she had found that she always felt better after writing things out so she always made sure to carry the notebook with her. No telling when she’d need it. Plus, it was better than trying to talk her feelings out with another human being. That was another one of her faults.

Everything that had been bugging her poured out in her neat, curly handwriting. How desperately she wanted to move to New York and be accepted at the Tisch School of the Arts so she could get the best education possible. How she feared moving to another state and losing her current friendships as well as the hardship of making new friends and being accepted. The new rift she felt between her and Andrew that was certain to lead to the end of their relationship. The problem with money, how she could barely afford to go to MSU, much less a school that was almost $50,000 a year.

She kept going until she had filled almost five pages worth of writing, her hand was cramped, and she felt one hundred percent better. She sighed as she looked up and gazed into the fast-approaching dusk. Quickly, she put the pen and paper away and pulled out her camera, suddenly inspired. She focused the lens in and began to snap away, satisfied with her choice of angles.

She was so caught up in taking her pictures that she almost didn’t notice the happy couple on the opposite side of the river. She gaped at them as she recognized her boyfriend Andrew with some tall lanky blonde that could easily pass off as a model. The tears gathered in her eyes as the two kissed and Andrew pulled her close.

Andrew was cheating on her? What a way to end a horrible day.

That’s what was going on with Piper before she happened to meet Justin. Definitely not too pretty. I felt so bad for her the first time I heard the story, but I guess I should be thankful. It all lead up to her meeting Justin.

Men. They can be so stupid. Yeah, even that wonderful boyfriend of mine. I recently had a run-in with Piper’s ex (who, by the way, is married now to that blonde bimbo) and let me tell you, he and I did not hit it off. To put things lightly.

But where was I supposed to be going with this? Ah yes, Justin. What was Justin up to before he bumped into Piper? That’s easy.

He was drunk off his ass most of the time. He’d be a good boy during the day, well, the part of the day he managed to be awake for, and at night, he’d go get trashed. And I mean full-out trashed.

Now despite the fact that Nsync wasn’t really making music together at the time, the four older members made sure to look out for the youngest. After all, they really are like brothers, as cheesy as that may sound.

Of course, whenever it was Josh’s turn to pick Justin up from whatever sleazy bar he was at and get him home in one piece, I was usually dragged along. Josh said it was for moral support, but I knew that it was for his sanity. After all, I am the therapist.

It just so happened that during New Years of 2004, Josh and I found ourselves with a very intoxicated Justin Timberlake on our hands. Not the way I had planned on ringing in the new year, but shit happens.

December 2004

JC cursed to himself as he half-dragged, half-carried Justin up the stairs to a guest bedroom. It just had to be New Years that he had to take care of Justin, didn’t it?

Normally JC didn’t mind looking out for his younger friend, but ever since Justin decided to drown his problems in alchol, the friendly gesture had quickly become a chore. He and the other three guys were constantly picking Justin up at all hours of the night and in all states of drunkenness. It was starting to take a toll on them.

JC sighed as he gazed ahead at the quickly moving form of his girlfriend. She was turning down the sheets of the guestroom bed, the loose curls of her black hair spilling over her shoulders. Oh how he longed to just cuddle up alone with her, kiss her, run his fingers through her hair and just forget about Justin for awhile.

But JC couldn’t do that to Justin. Justin, after all, was like a brother to him, as much as he hated to admit it at times. It was true that he was getting fed up, but he couldn’t just desert his friend. After all, he knew, personally, the hell that Justin was going through. It was tough.

Besides, JC knew he should be thankful. It was because of Justin that he met his girlfriend, got through problems with his ex, and basically just got back on his feet. No, he couldn’t give up on his friend, no matter how rough things got.

JC turned his attention back to the situation at hand and quickly set his friend gently down on the bed. He pulled Justin’s shoes off and rolled his eyes as the younger man curled into the pillows and began to snore.

“Well, that’s that, then,” Genevieve Micelli, his girlfriend, stated and she went and put an arm around her boyfriend’s waist.

“For now anyway,” JC muttered, squeezing her tight, “Just wait till 4am rolls around and he’s up puking his guts out.”

“Damn, don’t remind me,” Genevieve replied, groaning, “Let’s just go to our room and ring in the new year together. We’ve got about ten minutes until 2005, what do you say? You, me, a little champagne and that sturdy bed of yours?”

“Mmm. I think you read my mind,” JC replied, pressing his lips to her temple, “I’m getting excited just thinking about it.”

“No more thinking then, you grab the champagne and I’ll meet you in the bedroom. I gotta get out of this outfit before I suffocate,” she said. JC laughed.

“Alright babe, be there in five,” he agreed and the two promptly left the room and an oblivious Justin in total darkness.

Justin bolted up in bed, disoriented by the completely dark room. He calmed is rapidly beating heart, thankful that everything he had just experienced was a dream. He wasn’t married to Cameron. He didn’t have two kids. He didn’t run into strange people he didn’t know.

He knew he should be thankful that he told Cameron no when she suggested marriage. He wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet. He still had a lot of growing up to do before he took the giant leap out of bachelorhood.

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he turned those thoughts off as he tried to figure out where he was, but soon found himself running for the bathroom as fast as he could. The remnants of the little he had eaten that night quickly came up and forced him to collapse to the tiled floor, legs shaking and head pounding. This was the bad part about getting drunk; waking up miserable.

A few moments later, when nothing else seemed to be making its way upward, he washed his pale face, with the dark circles underneath his eyes, and slowly made his way back to the bed. He was in JC’s house, so it wasn’t like he had anything to worry about. Thank god for his friends. Though he felt terrible. He knew he was being a pain in the ass to his four band mates and friends, but he found it hard to shake himself out of this rut.

It had been for the best that he and Cameron had broken up. They were going in two vastly different directions; wanting very different things out of the life they had been leading at the time. Justin didn’t blame her for wanting to settle down. She was at the age where that was what she wanted out of life, and he had been frank with her and confessed that he wasn’t at all ready.

They had fought and fought and fought. It all came to nothing. They jumped over the issues, dodged around them, called each other names and basically just made themselves miserable. So they called it quits, quietly, which Justin was thankful for.

Yet, even though they had made a clean break, he still had doubts in his mind. Should he have gone forward and gotten engaged to Cameron? Could he have made her happy for the rest of her life? could she make him happy? Was he a coward not to want to get married now? Was he just unable to come to terms with a long-term commitment?

He didn’t have any answers, and he didn’t think he ever would. So now he was just trying to get through each day without thinking about her and without feeling guilty. He was trying desperately not to feel sorry for himself and drown his fears and worries in alcohol. He was failing miserable.

Justin sighed as he sat on the bed, his head swimming with thoughts and a pounding migraine. He wished things hadn’t gotten so complicated. He wished he wasn’t so afraid to end up alone. He wished he could find somebody who was on the same page as him.

But wishing was for fools, and Justin Timberlake was no fool. He couldn’t afford to be foolish, not when he had his job to think about. It’s not like wishes ever came true anyway. That whole wish-upon-a-star nonsense was just bullshit as far as he was concerned.

Justin snapped out of his thoughts as he heard giggling coming through the wall from the room next door. He rolled his eyes. Trust JC to put him in the room next to his; he could hear everything the older man did with his girlfriend. It was gross, considering that he thought of Genevieve like the sister he never had.

It also made him jealous. Damn JC and his perfect relationship with perfect Genevieve who could match JC stride for stride. Why couldn’t have something like that? Was it so wrong to wish for something perfect? Or was perfect just out of his reach because of the mistakes he had made when learning how to become a man?

Again, there were no answers. Only empty space and aloneness. It was probably how he was destined to spend the rest of his life; alone and feeling sorry for himself while his friends and family enjoyed happy, successful, and fulfilling lives.

With a groan, Justin got up and began to pace the carpet in front of the balcony doors. Nothing he did ever seemed to go right anymore, mostly due to the fact that all he did anymore was get drunk off his ass and feel sorry for himself. Well it was time to change that.

Tomorrow, he would change. Tomorrow he would find some way to fill his lonely days. Maybe he’d get a puppy. Yeah, he’d get a loving puppy who could take his mind off Cameron. Then he’d call up Trace and challenge him to a lively game of one-on-one; maybe try to work off some of the alcohol he had consumed over the past few months.

Maybe he should go back to the studio. His current single was doing well on the charts and he knew his managers were being patient, waiting for the right time to urge him back to the recording booth. Maybe he’d shock them and tell them he was ready to get back into the grind.

That was a lot of maybe’s, especially for him. He wasn’t sure if he could actually handle all of that, but he knew damn well that he’d try. No more nights filled with alcohol and loud music. No more mornings waking up in a bed that was not his own in a house that didn’t belong to him. No more doubting himself or feeing afraid.

Justin sighed as he ran a hand through his sleep-tousled hair and opened the doors to the balcony. It was close to 3:30 in the morning, as his watch read, and the night sky was as black as ever. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and millions of stars twinkled down at him. He quickly sat down on the lounge chair that JC had seen fit to put out there and just gazed upward.

It had been so long since he had gotten the chance to just sit outside on a clear night and look at the stars. He had loved to do it as a kid, but once his schedule had gotten hectic, there was no more time for star-gazing and dreaming. No, he was too busy becoming a man too soon.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Justin let his mind wander. He didn’t want to think about all those things anymore, at least for the rest of the night. So he leaned back in the chair and got comfortable as a cool night breeze swept over his long body.

As his eyes were drifting close again, he saw a shooting star jet quickly across the sky. His heart beat faster. Did he dare make a wish? What the hell, it didn’t hurt to try.

God, help me get my life back on track and learn to love again.

Justin’s wish didn’t exactly come true. Well, I guess he sort of began to pull out of his rut, even just the tiniest bit. He got a puppy, the cutest black lab I’ve ever seen, and named her Jasmine, Jazz for short. He and Trace got together a few days a week to catch up on their b-ball games. The all-night drinking even began to slow down. But the depression didn’t.

The depression hung over Justin’s head like a black storm cloud. He was happy on the outside, trying to fix things and get everything back on track, but I knew, deep down, he was hurting bad. And the worst part was there was nothing I could do.

So I let him be. Josh was definitely right about one thing; Justin Timberlake is his own man. I couldn’t tell him how to live his life just like I couldn’t fix all his problems.

At that point, I think, though, Piper was faring much worse than Justin. She had broken up with that loser she had called a boyfriend and spent a miserable Christmas with a very curious family.

The new year didn’t seem to bring her much comfort either. Instead of thinking of the new things to come, she could only think of what had been. Her wounds were too fresh, too raw, to forgive and forget so easily.

Thank god for that silly, off-the-wall photography professor she had that spring semester. If I ever get the chance to meet the guy, I’d personally like to thank him. He was part of the reason Piper got the chance to meet Justin.

February, 2004

Piper sighed as she took a seat in her photography class. It was going to be a long lecture, she could just tell from all the notes on the board. She wasn’t entirely convinced that she could keep her attention on the lesson for two hours.

Ever since she had broken things off with Andrew at the end of November, she couldn’t seem to concentrate. She had too many other things on her mind; most which had to do with that slimeball. Her heart was still broken and she hadn’t a clue how to go about trying to fix it.

Her roommates were worried about her. She sort of just drifted through the days like a ghost, a vastly different person from the straight-edged, prompt, and practical girl they knew. Virginia was about ready to kill her twin. As much as she loved her brother, Piper was like a sister to her.

“Alright class, before we get started on today’s lecture, I’ve got an announcement to make,” the professor, a tall, slightly balding man in his early fifties, announced a few minutes later.

The class immediately began to quiet down, knowing full well it was going to be something good. Professor Armstrong Brady was eccentric; there was no better word to describe him. He made lessons fun and was as hip as a man in his fifties could be. The students loved him.

Piper rolled her eyes and couldn’t help but smile just the tiniest bit. Professor Brady was by far her favorite and she always felt a little better after leaving his class. Well, that was if she could keep her attention from straying.

“Alright, this is mostly for you photojournalism and arts majors, so the rest of you are out of luck. Sucks to be you,” Brady continued; there was a bit of laughter, “I’ve just been in touch with the dean from Tisch school for the arts. I’m sure there are many of you here that don’t give a damn, so feel free to tune me out; for now at least.”

Piper’s ears perked up at the mention of the school she’d always dreamed about attending. What did Brady have up his sleeve this time? Unknowingly, she sat forward in her seat, a new gleam of excitement sparking in her green eyes.

“The dean of Tisch told me that there are some open spots for students interested in photography. Of course, I mentioned that most students I have can barely afford to go to school as it is, so I was told that they’ll be looking to accept three students, full expenses paid for four years,” the professor continued.

Piper thought she was going to fall out of the seat from shock. How could this so easily fall into her lap after all that she had been struggling to overcome? She didn’t even have the guts to print off a frickin application for crying out loud.

“Basically, you need to put together your best portfolio. If you’re interested, please see me after class as there are some guidelines you need to follow,” he concluded, “Now, onto the lecture…”

Piper quickly tuned him out as her thoughts began to race a mile a minute. This was the perfect opportunity for her to actually follow her dreams. She could go to the school she’d always wanted to go to and get the education she so desperately wished for. She couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

But there were only three spots. Was she seriously talented enough to even compete? Granted, she knew there weren’t many people in this class that were as interested in photography as she was, but she knew that the competition could be tough.

What on earth would she take pictures of? There were a few in some of her old portfolios that she was immensely proud of, but they were nowhere near what she considered an acceptable level for this. She’d have to break out her camera and start fresh.

What if, miracle of miracles, she actually got in? Could she really think about leaving behind her friends and family and the only place she had ever called home? Was she strong enough to be on her own? She seriously doubted it, but she knew she’d try as hard as hell.

All too soon, Piper found the class was over and she quickly went up to talk with the professor. She was pleased to see there were only about a dozen or so other students, so maybe the competition wouldn’t be too bad. Then again, she didn’t know any of them.

“Well, it’s good to see this many of you interested in this project,” Armstrong Brady began, “Let me start off by saying, this is a very serious venture. If you’re not one hundred percent committed, you can just forget about it now.”

He paused and waited to see if anybody would leave after those words. Nobody budged an inch. Piper nervously shuffled from foot to foot as she counted. There were fourteen of them there, including herself. This could get rough.

“Basically, you need to build a portfolio of about three dozen pictures that are your best work. They don’t have to necessarily be really meaningful. And by that I mean you can take pictures of whatever you want; landscapes, flowers, people, places, the sky. Basically anything that you can imagine,” he explained, “It will be due at the beginning of April so the school has enough chance to decide on the three of you that will be accepted. Do any of you have any questions?”

“Is there any paperwork we need to fill our or anything?” a tall blonde guy questioned.

“Yeah, you’ll have to fill out a couple pages worth of things, which will be available in a couple weeks, right before spring break,” Brady replied, “Anybody else?”

“Are we allowed to work with anybody else?” another guy asked.

“No, obviously this is for your own personal gain, so you need to show your best possible work. You won’t be critiqued on somebody else’s work,” the professor stated.

“How do we need to set our portfolio up?” a brunette girl said.

“That’s up to you. Organization would obviously be the key, but if you want to organize by subject, date taken, color, black and white, etc, well that’s purely your choice,” he explained. Piper raised her hand.

“What exactly are we going to be graded on?” she questioned, her mind, as of yet, not quite made up.

“Good question. Well the professors at Tisch are looking for extreme talent. They want the photographer to be able to capture the emotions behind the picture, not just the actual picture. They’ll be grading on that as well as professionalism. If you leave it to last minute and just throw it together, chances are you won’t be receiving one of those scholarships,” he said, glancing around, “Well, if there aren’t any other questions, if you’re serious about this, you just need to sign the list so I can let Tisch know how many portfolios to expect.”

Piper bit her lip in nervousness as they lined up to put their names on the list. Could she do it? Did she have enough guts to put her name down and possibly take the first step towards achieving her dreams?

All too soon, she was at the desk. Squaring her shoulders in determination, she confidently wrote her name down, sealing her new fate. Sighing, she quickly turned away and began to walk out of the room.

As she reached the door of the lecture hall, she felt a hesitant tap on her shoulder. Quickly turning around, she was surprised to find a blonde-haired girl about her age, clad in a pair of well-worn jeans and a Michigan State sweatshirt.

“Hey, it’s Piper, right?” the stranger questioned, Piper nodded her head in confirmation, “I’m Rae Daniels. I know you’ve never met me before, but I know you through Andrew Harwood.”

“I’m not exactly speaking to him right now,” Piper deadpanned.

“I don’t blame you. I was seeing him a couple months back and he didn’t even tell me he had a girlfriend,” Rae stated, blushing pink.

“So he fucked you over too?” Piper said, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, like there was no tomorrow, the bastard,” Rae commented, rolling her eyes, “I just wanted to apologize because of what I did to you.”

“Hey, don’t apologize to me, it’s not like Andrew ever got around to telling you about me anyway,” Piper replied, surprised how unaffected she was by this new information. The two of them began to walk out of the room and towards the front doors of the building.

“Yeah, but I still feel bad. I’m not the type of girl who fucks around with somebody else’s boyfriend, so when I found out, I felt like shit,” Rae continued.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re in this Andrew-hating thing together now,” Piper replied, grinning as she slung an arm around Rae’s shoulder.

“Well then, if I had known you would have been this levelheaded about the whole thing, I would have told you sooner. Possibly alerted you to the fact that Andrew Harwood is just your typical asshole and nothing else,” Rae commented.

“Forget about it. I guess I had to learn the hard way. Anyway, you wanna get some lunch? I’d like to hear your opinion on this crazy scholarship situation,” Piper said, quite surprised at her confidence that had her talking to Rae like they were best friends.

“I’d love to,” the taller girl agreed, beaming, “I’m so incredibly excited about this opportunity. I’ve only wanted to go to Tisch since I was a little girl.”

“Couldn’t quite afford it?” Piper wryly questioned.

“You can say that again. I’m here on scholarship as it is, so going to Tisch has never been a reality before,” Rae explained, “Now it seems unreal that this just landed in our lap all of a sudden.”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Piper agreed.

The two girls continued to chatter as they made their way towards Cosi on Grand River, deciding to nix the cafeteria food for something a little more exciting. They had a lot more in common than Piper thought was possible so there was never the awkward silence that usually appeared five minutes after she was introduced to a stranger.

It didn’t matter that this newfound friend had actually been her enemy. It didn’t matter that Rae had been with her boyfriend for a few months and she hadn’t even noticed. No, they had quickly come to an agreement that Andrew Harwood was an asshole and that he wouldn’t stop them from being friends.

“So what’s your photography specialty?” Rae questioned, munching on a chip. The two girls sat at a table in the restaurant, chowing down on sandwiches and chips.

“Portraits, well, people I guess,” Piper explained, “Human beings are just so emotional and I’m always trying to be able to portray that emotion through my photography.”

“Wow, sounds very philosophical,” Rae teased, Piper laughed, “Me, I’m more into landscapes. Give me a sunset or trees blowing in the wind and I’m a happy camper.”

“You know, I’ve never tried scenery before other than a few odd pictures here and there. Ever since I was able to hold a camera and take somewhat decent pictures, I’ve always been focusing on people. I was on the newspaper staff and a part of yearbook committee for high school, so people was the priority,” Piper continued.

“I live practically in the middle of nowhere in this hick town, so besides cows, there wasn’t really much life to photograph. And let me tell you, I don’t think pictures of cows would sell really well,” Rae stated. Piper almost snorted her lemonade through her nose as the two of them erupted into giggles.

“You’ll have to show me some of your stuff sometime later,” Piper suggested, “Maybe we can give each other tips on the trade.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, although I wasn’t actually planning to use any of my recent work for this portfolio. I’m pretty much starting from scratch,” Rae commented.

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Piper agreed, sipping her lemonade, “I dunno where I’m going to start.”

“Well, I was planning a little trip out to California to visit my aunt during Spring Break. Sort of a little getaway to restock my portfolio and get a break from Michigan weather. Want to come with me?” Rae suggested.

Piper was shocked. She had just me the girl a couple hours ago and she had already been invited to take a trip out to California with her. A trip that could definitely provide her with a new horizon for her photography…and just could help her snag one of those scholarships. What did she have to lose?

Well, her parents for one wouldn’t be too happy that she wasn’t coming home for Spring Break but rather flying across the country. But then again, they’d also be happy for her when she told them the reasoning and they got to meet Rae. It was like the two of them were twins separated at birth.

She deserved this anyway. She was such a homebody and never traveled anywhere besides the once-a-year vacation to New Hampshire to visit relatives. She had never been out west before and here was an opportunity, staring her straight in the face. She’d be stupid not to take it.

“I think that’d be great,” Piper finally replied, grinning, “I’ve never been out west before, so you’ll have to show me around.”

“Oh, you’ll just love it there,” Rae squealed, excited, “We’ll go sightseeing and shopping and find all the best places to take our pictures. Piper, I think this is the start of a great friendship!”

“I’m gonna have to agree with you on that one,” Piper stated, laughing at her new friend’s outrageous personality.

“Well, cheers, here’s to new friendships and new opportunities for the future,” Rae toasted.

Almost forgot all about Rae. Wow, she would kill me if I forgot to mention her in all of this. After all, she did play a pretty key role in helping Justin and Piper find each other.

Anyway, so things were actually looking up for Piper. She had a new friend that she absolutely adored (seriously, there’s not a soul who can hate Rae Daniels), an asshole boyfriend out of the picture, and a brand new opportunity to pursue her dreams.

As for Justin, well, things were still difficult. The depression was nowhere near gone, so he continued to walk around like there was a black cloud over his head. Unfortunately, there was nothing any of us could do about it, so as much as I hate to say it, we avoided him as much as possible. Trace was such a brave soul, facing Justin’s wrath multiple times a week when the rest of us chickened out.

But enough about that. I’m actually getting to a good part here. After all, it’s March of 2004, a very important month in this story. A month that, I guarantee you, Justin and Piper will never forget.

March 3, 2005 – California

“Justin, man, you need a vacation,” his best friend Trace commented, throwing a pillow at the taller man lounging on the couch. He had been watching TV for the better part of three hours.

“Fuck off Trace, I’m fine,” Justin growled, flipping through the channels as he became bored with the reality show he’d been watching.

“‘I’m fine’,” Trace mimicked, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, you’re about as fine as a two year old being spanked for writing on the wall with crayons.”

“Lay off,” Justin warned, thoroughly annoyed.

Trace was becoming more of a pest as the days passed and spring loomed on the horizon. Justin felt there was never a day where he was safe from Trace’s sarcastic tongue, so much so, that it was getting to the point that he wanted to scream and throw a tantrum like a little kid.

“Get off your lazy ass and give me a reason why I shouldn’t call your mother up and tell her that her cherished son is being a bastard,” Trace challenged.

“Shut the fuck up Trace!” Justin roared, leaping off the coach and in his friend’s direction, “You leave my damn mother out of this, I can handle my own fucking problems thank you very much Mr. Psychologist.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Trace commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Ugh, I know, damn it,” Justin replied, running a hand over his face as he calmed down, “Look, I’ll take a goddamn vacation to my house down the coast for a few weeks, will that make you happy?”

“Damn straight it will,” Trace agreed, grinning, “Now how about a game of one on one? I’ll even let you win this time.”

“Fucker,” Justin commented, rolling his eyes as he tackled his friend to the ground.

March 3, 2005 – Michigan

“Oh my god, I can’t believe we leave tomorrow!” Rae commented, bouncing on Piper’s futon in excitement, “You’re gonna love it out there.”

“I’m sure I will, now get off my couch before you knock all my clothes down,” Piper teased, giving Rae a friendly shove.

“You should have packed last weekend when I did. Then you wouldn’t have to be doing it at the last minute,” Rae whined. Piper rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I haven’t even packed yet,” Virginia suddenly commented, jumping into the conversation.

“Yeah, well you’re a loser,” Rae commented, sticking her tongue out at Virginia, who promptly returned the favor, “You’re gonna be left behind cause this plane ain’t waitin’ for nobody.”

“I’ll be ready with all four of my suitcases, just you wait and see,” Virginia threatened, making Rae wince.

“Four suitcases my ass,” Piper spoke up, “We’re gonna have to get you your own freakin plane if you take that much stuff for a week-long vacation.”

“Hey, you never know what could happen in a week,” Virginia protested, slouching in her chair, “I could meet some great guy…”

“And what, have to change eight times in one day?” Piper demanded, raising an eyebrow at her roommate.

“Shit happens,” Virginia replied, shrugging her shoulders. The three girls promptly burst into a fit of giggles at the absurdity of the idea.

It had been the very next day after first meeting Rae, that Piper had introduced her to Virginia. The two girls had hit it off instantly and Virginia had quickly been added to the Andrew Harwood-hating list, despite the fact that she was his sister.

From then on, the three of them had been inseparable. They hung out together, studied together, went to football games together, and were known by their other friends as the three musketeers. Piper didn’t think she could be happier.

Then Rae invited Virginia to come on vacation with them, making the trip even more exciting because Virginia had never been west either. It was an adventure waiting to happen for the three of them.

“Hey Piper, you know Andrew’s been asking about you nonstop,” Virginia suddenly commented; the room went deathly silent.

“Tell him to go fuck a tree,” Piper spat, frowning at the mention of her ex.

“Fuck a tree?” Rae questioned, giggling, “Now that’s a disgusting visual waiting to happen.”

“Hey, I’m trying here,” Piper stated, rolling her eyes, “I’m not a stand-up comedian yet, but I’m working on it.”

“You’ll be at it for awhile,” Virginia teased, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that Piper hadn’t freaked out at the mention of Andrew.

Truth be told, Virginia still loved her brother, but that didn’t mean she liked him. In fact, she was downright pissed at his player manner, disgusted at how he had treated her best friend. But she couldn’t get him to leave her alone; she was his sister after all and she couldn’t change that fact.

Andrew had been bugging her all week to let him talk to Piper. Virginia refused. She had downright yelled at her brother, calling him every name in the book, before hanging up on him. He had called her back and she hadn’t been able to get off the hook without promising to mention his name to Piper. And Virginia wasn’t one to go back on a promise.

So she kept it, thankful that Piper hadn’t had a cow. Now they could all go on their vacation in peace, no Andrew Harwood within a thousand miles of them. Virginia couldn’t wait for the plane ride the next morning.

“Man, I’m starving,” Rae suddenly commented, “Let’s go eat.”

“Hold your horses chow hound, let me finish packing everything up,” Piper stated, rolling her eyes, “Geeze, when are you not hungry?”

“Try never,” Rae replied.

“Damn, I wish I could eat as much as you do and not gain a pound,” Virginia whined, glancing down at her curvy figure, “You’re so freakin’ skinny and yet you eat more than me and Piper combined.”

“What can I say, it’s in my wonderful genes,” Rae gloated. Virginia chucked a pillow in the taller woman’s direction, hitting her squarely in the face.

“Hold up, before you two get in another pillow fight and I have to replace some pillows yet again, let’s get some food,” Piper announced as she zipped her bag shut.

“Yay, food!” Rae shouted, bouncing up and down, a relentless fountain of energy.

“Damn, we gotta get that girl a leash,” Virginia mumbled as she followed the two girls out of the room and locked the door.

“I heard that!” Rae called, skipping down the corridor.

“You were supposed to,” Virginia shot back. Piper just sighed as she rolled her eyes at her two closest friends.

The three of them were in the cafeteria in no time and were soon engaged in excited conversation about their upcoming trip. Never mind the fact that they still had a few more classes the rest of the day, along with an exam or two, the trip was the main topic of conversation.

“Do we get to see the ocean?” Piper excitedly questioned, spearing a green bean with her fork, “I hear it’s really different than the Atlantic Coast.”

“Oh hell yeah, my aunt lives like ten minutes from the coast, so we’ll be there a lot. Actually, it’s one of my favorite places to photograph,” Rae explained, sipping her milk.

“Hey, no photography talk at the dinner table, I get lost easily,” Virginia commented.

“You would,” Piper teased.

“Hey, it’s not like you know all that much about the human body. I bet I could name the body systems faster than you can,” Virginia challenged.

“I sure bet you could. Do I give a damn? No,” Piper replied, grinning.

“Well, you’re no fun,” Virginia huffed, pretending to be offended.

“Uh oh, here comes trouble,” Rae suddenly stated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Piper glanced up and locked gazes with none other than Andrew Harwood, headed straight for them. She wanted to die right then and there, wanted to floor to open and swallow her whole, but she knew that was impossible.

What the fuck could he possibly want now? Hadn’t he already humiliated her enough for one lifetime? Whatever it was, she could take it. She had her pride, and there was no way she was letting Andrew step on it one last time.

“Hey sis, Rae. Hi Piper,” Andrew greeted, setting his tray down at their table, “How’s it going?”

“Shitty since you just contaminated the table,” Piper spat, glaring daggers at him. He seemed surprised at her suddenly sharp wit.

“Well that was uncalled for,” he commented, nonchalantly taking a bite of his hamburger, “Is that how you treat all old friends?”

“One, you are no longer my friend,” Piper hissed, trying to keep her voice down so as not to attract attention, “And two, that was totally called for you cheating, lying, conniving, manipulative son of a bitch. Fucking rot in hell for all I care.”

Piper stood up and disposed of her tray, telling herself not to run from the room. Calmly, she walked back to the table, looking at her two friends and pointedly ignoring the still speechless Andrew.

“I’m going back to grab my bag, then I’ve got class till around three, so I’ll see you guys later,” she announced, then walked away.

“Piper, hey, wait up,” Virginia called, quickly throwing her tray on the rack and running to catch up to her friend. Rae was right behind her.

“I’m sorry,” Piper said, her steel façade disappearing the moment the cafeteria doors closed behind them, “I didn’t mean to be such a bitch…”

“Honey, he deserved it. He may be my brother, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole,” Virginia soothed, putting an arm around Piper’s shoulders.

“Come on Piper, that was awesome what you said to him. He totally had it coming and didn’t even see it; it was brilliant,” Rae added, keeping stride with the two.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t make me a better person,” Piper moaned, running a hand through her hair, “I shouldn’t have said something so mean, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Piper, don’t you fucking think bad of yourself just because you told that asshole brother of mine off for breaking your heart,” Virginia snapped, eyes flashing, “He deserved every last word of it and more.”

“Alright,” Piper agreed, flopping down on the futon once they got back to the room.

“Damn, what a sucky lunch we had,” Rae commented, rocking back and forth in Piper’s desk chair, “Ah well, tomorrow we’ll be over a thousand miles away where there are plenty of hot guys and no Andrew Harwood.”

“I can’t wait,” Piper groaned, rolling onto her back, “I don’t think I could take one more day of this awful weather and even more awful situation with Andrew.”

“Well, we’ve got twenty-one hours and counting,” Virginia added, glancing at her watch and grinning, “Then we can go get in jiggy wit it!”

Piper and Rae glanced at each other and immediately burst into a fit of giggles. Virginia stood there glaring at them, not thinking it was funny in the least bit.

“Oh, that was priceless,” Rae howled, holding the stitch in her side.

“Damn V, I haven’t heard that particular phrase in over five years,” Piper added, wiping a tear from her eye, “Good god, we were still in middle school then.”

“Ah, shut-up, nobody said I was hip,” Virginia defended, crossing her arms as she pouted.

“Yeah, hick is more like it,” Rae commented, causing Piper to erupt in another fit of laughter that lasted even longer than the first.

“I hate you guys,” Virginia said, rolling her eyes at the two women, “I’m always the one you pick on.”

“That’s cause it’s so easy to do,” Piper explained, sitting up and quickly piling books into her backpack as she got a glance at the time.

“Seriously, there are so many times you’re just asking for it,” Rae added.

“Yeah well, just shut-up!” Virginia cried for lack of a better comeback.

“Alright, well I’m off to my WRA class, so wish me luck with my exam,” Piper announced as she shrugged into her coat and settled her bag over her shoulders.

“You don’t need luck,” Rae stated, rolling her eyes, “I’ve never met a better writer than you.”

“Whatever, you’re so biased because your favorite thing to read is Cosmo,” Piper shot back, grinning.

“Just get the hell out of here now, while you still have the chance,” Virginia commented, ushering her friend towards the door.

“Yeah, you’re right, if I don’t leave now, I may be tempted to start another pillow fight,” Piper agreed, grinning.

“And we all know how that would end up,” Rae stated.

“A disaster!” the three chorused, giggling at their own predictability.

“Okay, well I’ll see you guys in a couple hours,” Piper said, walking out the door.

She rolled her eyes at her friends’ eccentric behaviors, glad that she was a part of it. If she was honest with herself, she wouldn’t want it any other way.

Sighing, she made her way out of the building, trudging through some slushy snow to get to the bus stop. In a few more hours, she’d be across the country in sunny California, away from Andrew Harwood and all the heartache that still came with him.

Okay, okay, okay. Yes, this is when Justin and Piper finally meet. Not trying to spoil anything for you, but I figured I’d put it in plain English so nobody gets confused (even though you’re bound to get lost eventually).

Anyway, I know you’re thinking they’re gonna bump into each other in California, fall in love, and everything is going to be all peachy from then on, right? I wish things had worked out that well, but we can’t always get what we wish for. And in this case, I definitely didn’t. Oh no, things with Piper and Justin are never easy.

To put things in perspective for you, Piper and Justin are complete opposites. Justin likes music, Piper could care less. Photography is Piper’s life; Justin doesn’t have the slightest clue about it. Justin can be a very outspoken and vocal person while Piper is shy, reserved and would gladly give up the spotlight to somebody else.

You can see where this is going.

But then again, as they always say, opposites attract. And in this case, that actually became a proven fact.

March 4, 2005 – California

Piper breathed in the sweet ocean air, grinning as her hair billowed freely in the breeze. They had finally landed and were on their way to Rae’s aunt’s house, riding in a Sebring convertible that Rae had somehow convinced them to rent. Piper was glad she had given in.

She gazed around in awe as the glory of California sped past, glittering and alluring. She was a tourist and damn if she wasn’t going to act like one. She couldn’t care less.

“Are we almost there?” Virginia suddenly whined, snapping Piper out of her daze.

“No, not yet,” Rae replied, rolling her eyes, “Now shut up or I promise I’ll get you some cheese to go with that whine.”

“Haha, very funny,” Virginia said, playfully punching her friend in the arm, “I’m just excited to see some hot boys, ya know?”

“No, not really,” Rae deadpanned, unable to keep a grin from her face.

“Whatever,” Virginia grumbled.

“Hey, what’s the name of the city where your aunt lives anyway?” Piper suddenly questioned, leaning forward as she had been forced to ride in back, “It’s on the coast, right?”

“Huntington Beach,” Rae explained, “It’s actually quite a big city for being on the coast of California. Got about 200,000 people last time I visited, which was over the summer.”

“Okay, okay, enough with the history lesson, tell me about the entertainment,” Virginia broke in, unable to stay out of the conversation.

“That wasn’t exactly a history lesson V,” Piper wryly commented, “And can’t you think of anything besides hot Cali boys and all the glorious shopping centers?”

“Well, when you put it that way, no,” Virginia shot back, grinning, “I’m here purely for enjoyment, not to take pictures like you losers.”

“You’re just upset because we’re going to leave you at Michigan State next year,” Rae confidently stated, “You’re going to be all by your lonesome self.”

“Shut up. I don’t want to think about it,” Virginia replied, suddenly depressed at the thought. Secretly, she was hoping that her two friends wouldn’t get the scholarships and the three of them would continue their remaining three years at MSU.

“Hey, there’s no saying we’re going to get in,” Piper protested, chewing her lip in thought, “They’re accepting three applications and there are over a dozen applicants. Who’s to say that three other people won’t get those scholarships?”

“Because I know you Piper. You’ve got incredible talent that any idiot can recognize by one glance at your work,” Rae said, shooting Piper a smile, “Don’t be so hard on yourself Pip, you’ve got it in the bag, no question about it.”

Piper sat silent, not knowing exactly how to respond. It was true, she wasn’t exactly that confident about her work, but then again, she had never had all that much praise over completed projects. Her parents didn’t understand photography (though they always told her everything was “beautiful”); all teachers, past and present, didn’t seem to understand her photography style, and most of her friends thought it was just a hobby.

Well, she’d prove them wrong. She would get that scholarship, whether she had the confidence or not. It was the least she could do to boost her self-esteem and take a step towards her ultimate goal.

March 4, 2005 – California

“What do you mean you’re coming with me?” Justin protested, glancing back and forth between Genevieve and JC.

“Exactly what I said I meant. You shouldn’t be by yourself right now, so we’re taking a vacation with you,” Genevieve stated, impatiently tapping her foot.

“We’ll stay in the guesthouse so you won’t even know we’re there,” JC added, crossing his arms as if daring Justin to argue.

“Fuck, I’m not a little kid,” Justin whined, pacing, “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself and have been for a long time. Just because my life isn’t perfect like yours doesn’t mean I need a damn babysitter.”

“Justin, nobody’s life is perfect, you know that,” Genny soothed, placing a hand on the young man’s shoulder, “Especially when it comes to JC and I. Hell, I was his freakin therapist before we actually started dating. That’s some messed up shit if there ever was any, and don’t you dare try to say otherwise.”

“Sorry,” Justin mumbled, running a hand through his hair, “I’m just stressed and I would have preferred some time by myself to just think.”

“Thinking is bad for your health J,” JC informed his friend, cracking a grin.

“Yeah, about as bad for my health as that idiotic hair-do you’re sporting these days,” Justin shot back. Genny laughed at the stricken expression on her boyfriend’s face.

“So are we getting out of here or are we going to throw sarcastic comments at each other all day?” Genny questioned, glancing longingly at the front door, “I’m looking forward to getting some sun before I completely turn into an albino.”

“You’re not an albino,” JC stated, pulling her into his arms and kissing down her neck, “You’re quite beautiful if you ask me.”

“You’re completely biased because I’m you’re girlfriend,” Genny breathily replied. she let out a little moan and Justin thought he was going to die from embarrassment – he didn’t want to witness this even if he was paid a million dollars to do so.

“Not to interrupt your little love fest or anything, but let’s get the hell out of here,” Justin said, rocking back and forth on his heels, “But I’m riding by myself so I don’t have to listen to you two make out while I’m driving.”

“We don’t make out…” JC trailed off, cheeks suddenly becoming pink as he realized what he had just been doing in front of his friend.

“Don’t even try to argue Josh, he’s got a point ya know,” Genny piped up, ruffling her boyfriend’s hair. He glared at her.

“You’re not supposed to take his side,” the older man huffed as they walked towards their cars, “How many times do I have to remind you that you’re my girlfriend.”

“Oh, I dunno, at least a hundred a day,” Genny replied offhandedly. JC almost choked at her words.

“Brat,” he teased her good-naturedly.

“Jerk,” she shot back.

“Okay, we’ve established that you’re a brat and JC’s a jerk,” Justin announced, throwing a friendly arm around Genny’s shoulders, “Now let’s get on the road so we get there before dark.”

“Yes sir,” JC saluted the younger man. Justin rolled his eyes and climbed into his car, not caring to comment.

The two cars pulled out of the driveway and were soon on their way to Justin’s beach house located a couple hours away in Huntington Beach, California. Justin sang along with the radio, cursing Lance for the day he had introduced him to country music. He was starting to become addicted and that was a terrible blow to his reputation.

“…cause when it all comes down, I’m feeling like I’ll never last, I just lean on you, cause baby you’re my better half,” Justin sang, bopping his head to the beat. Damn Keith Urban and his catchy songs.

The sudden ring of his cell phone snapped Justin out of his somewhat daydreaming state. He glanced down, and not recognizing the number, decided to pick up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hi Justin.”

Justin felt his blood grow cold and his good mood go flying out the car window. What the hell did Cameron want now? And how had she gotten his cell number? He had changed it almost immediately after they had broken things off all those months ago. Sneaky bitch.

“What do you want Cameron?” he demanded, frowning.

“Geeze, I thought you’d be a little more cordial to me seeing as though our breakup was a mutual thing,” Cameron stated in a soothing voice.

“Cameron, don’t start with me on this again,” Justin growled, fully annoyed by that point, “I told you that I had a problem trying to be your friend after our relationship dissolved. That includes you calling me, which, by the way, how the hell did you get this number?”

“Calm down J…”

“Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down,” Justin snapped as he tightly gripped the steering wheel with his free hand, “There was a reason I had my phone numbers changed.”

“Justin, just shut up for one second,” Cameron yelled, much to his shock.

“Alright, fine. Say what you have to say and be quick about it,” he gritted through his teeth.

“I just want to apologize for everything that happened between us. I was wrong to try and force you into marriage when you obviously weren’t ready; I hope you can forgive me,” she stated in one breath, “I was hoping that maybe we could get together for coffee or something in the next couple days just to, you know, reminisce and talk things over again.”

“Cameron…” Justin began, agitated, “I told you that there was no way that we’d be able to work things out. Not after all the shit you tried to pull with pretending to be pregnant and everything. You lied to me and I hate liars, you know that. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Justin took a deep breath as he finished, glad he was able to get his point across so well without yelling. He was surprised to hear Cameron crying on the other end.

“You’re such a bastard Justin,” she screamed, sobbing, “I love you, I really do. I wish you would stop denying me and just come back. You know we’re meant to be together.”

“Who the hell says we’re meant to be together? You? Or are you just saying that because you can’t get any other guy to fall for your lies?” he accused, frowning to himself.

“Fuck you Justin!” she spat before the line went dead.

“Yeah, nice talking to you too,” he softly stated.

He flipped the phone shut and tossed it into the passenger seat, thoroughly disgusted with the entire conversation. That was a terrible way to start off a vacation if there ever was any.

She hadn’t changed. Not in the year they had been apart. Oh no, she was still on her power trip of “having” to get married because she was “running out of time”. He didn’t quite understand if truth be told. His parents had gotten divorced and both had remarried and they hadn’t been all that young at the time.

His bad mood continued to turn even sourer as the miles passed by and he came closer to his destination. Thoughts he never imagined to run thorough his mind again came back like a ghost, haunting him.

By the time he pulled his car up the driveway, he was entirely pissed off and knew that he had to get away. If he so much as tried to talk to JC or Genevieve, he’d bite their heads off. Besides, he wasn’t in the mood for JC’s pitying looks or Genevieve overanalyzing the situation.

Justin glanced quickly around at his surroundings, breathing in the ocean scent that was all too familiar. God he missed this place. It had to have been over a year since his last visit, which was all too long.

A winding driveway, overhung with ancient trees, led up to a three-car garage that was rarely ever filled. The house was quite simple looking from the outside, just a basic white beach house. It was two-story white stucco with pale yellow shutters and an adobe-like roof, sprawling on two acres of land that was afforded a great deal of privacy with the surrounding flora of tall palm trees and giant oaks. The lawn was perfectly manicured, the flowerbeds filled with beautiful plants and flowers that Justin couldn’t name for the life of him.

A rock path led from the side of the garage to the backyard, and after taking note that JC and Genevieve had yet to arrive, Justin quickly walked along, anticipating the first view of the ocean. He almost stumbled in his excitement, but at last, he stood there, staring, forgetting how beautiful this place actually was.

The backyard opened wide, a long stretch of green bordered on the left and right by ancient willows, and in the back by a patio and swimming pool that framed the rear of the house. The small guest house stood at the very right edge of the property, windows shining cheerily in the late afternoon sun. But he ignored all that and stared straight ahead, beyond the end of the grass, down the rocky path haphazardly trailing its way to his private beach.

A sort of peace filled him as the silence filled his ears, the lone cry of a gull the only sound breaking the beautiful reverie. This is what he needed, a place to escape from reality, just for a few days.

He sighed, content as he rocked back and forth on his heels. He didn’t hear JC and Genevieve approach until they were practically right beside him.

“Oh my god, how beautiful is that. Justin look at that…” Genevieve began, trailing off as she noticed the dark look on the younger man’s face that never boded anything good.

“I’m going for a walk, I’ll be back in a bit,” Justin ground out before she or JC could get a word in edgewise.

“Okay, we’ll make some lunch then,” JC stated, refraining from saying anything as Genevieve gave him “the look”, “You better get your ass back here in an hour, though, cause we’re not waiting any longer than that.”

“Deal,” Justin agreed.

Without another word, he took off down the beach at a vigorous pace, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He needed a peaceful place just to forget about everything and get rid of all the tension. The lonesome, deserted beach seemed like the perfect place to do just that.

Okay, so maybe Cameron is a bitch. But I sure didn’t know it at the time, especially when she was buttering up to me every second she got. I just didn’t know what went on behind closed doors. Justin never let on.

Well, I guess I should be thankful that Justin has enough common sense to know when to get out of a situation. Cameron had practically preached marriage night and day to him, enough to finally scare him away.

And all I can say is thank god. After all, if it wasn’t for Justin and his oh so great intelligence (note the sarcasm), Piper wouldn’t have ended up by his side.

“You didn’t say your aunt lives right on the beach!” Piper exclaimed as she ran her toes through the soft sand.

“Surprise,” Rae replied, grinning.

The three girls were sitting on beach chairs situated on the sand of the beach, yards from Rae’s aunt’s house. Neither Piper nor Virginia expected instant access to the beach out the back door.

“What does your aunt do that allows her to live in such style?” Virginia questioned, glancing behind them at the large, elegant, beach-front house, “Shit, I can’t imagine how much it must cost to live here.”

“My aunt’s a doctor and my uncle is a lawyer, hence all the money,” Rae explained, shrugging her shoulders, “My aunt and my mom grew up with no money, so I guess this is my aunt’s way of living life to the fullest. I’m just glad that we can stay here and don’t have to waste money on some slimy hotel room.”

“You can say that again,” Piper agreed, sighing as she watched the waves lap lazily across the sand.

“I dunno about you two, but I’m gonna head in for a nap. I’m exhausted from that plane flight,” Virginia announced as she stood up and stretched, “Wake me up before it gets dark.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Rae agreed, hiding a yawn with her hand, “I can just hear the soft fluffy bed calling my name right now.”

“Dork,” Piper said, rolling her eyes.

“Not gonna argue with you on that one,” Rae agreed with a grin; Virginia let out a short laugh before making her way back to the house, “So are you coming with us or would you rather sit here all by yourself?”

“Wow, way to put it nicely. But no, I think I’m gonna grab my camera and mosey on down the beach to see if there is some unsuspecting person that I can train my camera on.”

“Damn, you sure are motivated,” Rae commented as the two girls followed after Virginia, “I prolly won’t dig my camera out for at least another day. I’m too tired and too interested in working on a tan that everybody back in Michigan can be jealous of.” Piper laughed.

“I’m too restless to take a nap right now,” she confessed as they entered the house, “Every time I ride a plane, I’ve got a whole ton of energy the minute I get off.”

“You’re strange,” Rae stated.

“I know,” Piper agreed with a grin.

“Well I’ll see you in a couple hours then,” Rae announced as they came to her bedroom door, “Be careful and don’t talk to any strange cute boys.”

“Okay mom,” Piper replied, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, I just want to be there to meet all the hot guys with you,” Rae got out before another yawn crossed her lips.

“Whatever,” Piper called, waving a hand over her shoulder as she walked to the guestroom where she was staying.

Truth be told, Piper had nervous energy that refused to let her sleep. This whole experience was something new for her and she wasn’t quite sure what exactly to make of it just yet. so she’d do something productive with all this extra time. It was a good time to go exploring on her own to familiarize herself with the place and hopefully grow a little more comfortable.

Piper grabbed her camera and inserted a new roll of film, quietly humming the strains of some old country song as she worked. She cleaned the lens, making sure that everything was exactly how it should be. Once she was done, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, replaced her tennis shoes with flip-flops and bounded back down the stairs and out the back door.

With her camera strapped over her shoulder, she rolled her jeans up, removed her flip-flops, and with a little squeal, ran straight towards the water. She splashed like a little kid, shocked at the unexpected cold and the immediate numbness in her feet. Laughing, she began to trek down the deserted beach flip-flops in hand.

It wasn’t too much later, as she neared the public part of the beach, that she finally put her camera to use. There was a young couple, chasing each other and acting like giddy children. Smiling sadly, and with a small wrench of her heart strings, she lifted the camera and snapped a few pictures before moving on.

Next came an old man fishing. He had on a pair of knee-high rubber boots that came over his pants, a red and white stripped flannel shirt, and an odd-looking fishing hat. Grinning to herself, Piper focused in on him and snapped one of him tossing out the line and another as he stared off into the distance. A few minutes later, she was off again down the beach.

Soon, the public beach turned private once again and beautiful houses, seemingly twice the size of Rae’s aunt’s, lined the beach, looming in all their glory. She stared as she walked along, wondering about the lives of those who lived there, wondering if they had accomplished their dreams. Was she the only one who seemed unable to accomplish her goals?

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn’t see the young man staring broodingly out at the waves crashing violently against an outcropping of rocks. There was a sadness in his blue eyes that Piper felt all too keenly in her heart and she quickly felt herself reaching for the camera resting against her side. But if felt wrong for some reason.

His curly hair was blowing in the merciless wind but he didn’t seem to notice. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be taking in the natural beauty of the ocean, nor the cry of a lone gull in flight. No, something was deeply troubling him, there was no doubt about it.

Despite this, Piper couldn’t help herself. She just had to capture his raw emotion on his camera regardless of the warning bells resounding in her head. She couldn’t explain it; there was no coherent reasoning behind the thought.

Quickly, before she lost all her courage, she picked her camera up and snapped. She had promised herself only one, but she took another. And another.

Suddenly, stormy blue-gray eyes snapped in her direction and she was caught. Piper stared. He was handsome, as attributed by the amazing blue eyes and sensuous lips, but what caught her attention the most was the ugly scowl trained directly on her. She stood there mute, her body unable to understand her brain frantically screaming ‘run!’.

“Fuck. I go on vacation and I can’t go one day without running into a damn reporter intent on making my life even more miserable,” he snapped, scowling at her “What do you want? More pictures? A one-on-one interview?”

Piper trembled at the angry words, thoroughly terrified that he was going to hurt her in some manner. And she was confused. Why would he think she was a reporter? And why would she want an interview? Was he somebody important? She racked her memory but could come up with no answer.

Justin watched her as she seemed to contemplate coming up with an answer. She was obviously flustered, her cheeks a becoming pink and her hands twiddling with the expensive-looking camera hanging around her neck. She was definitely pretty…even striking. The combination of that reddish-looking hair and stunning green eyes took his breath away.

But he wasn’t here to check her out. She seemed young, maybe no more than sixteen. She definitely couldn’t be a reporter, and he felt a little guilty about assuming the worst and then yelling it straight to her face. She had to be a fan; otherwise she wouldn’t be carrying that camera.

Then again, her camera wasn’t one of those everyday disposables that most tourists had when on vacation. He was confused and becoming more impatient with each passing minute filled with nothing but silence and uneasiness on both their parts.

“Well?” he finally demanded, taking a menacing step towards her, “I don’t have all day here you know.”

“I…uh…” Piper stuttered, backing up a step.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her quaking nerves. Who the hell did he think he was? He couldn’t order her around like she was a child who needed to be taught a lesson. Oh no, Mr. I’m-High-And-Mighty had no idea what was coming to him.

“Look, if you’re just going to stand there and not say anything, be my guest, but I don’t want you following me,” he warned, softening his tone when he saw how frightened she appeared to be.

“Just who the fuck do you think you are?” she finally bit out, much to his surprise.

“Excuse me?” he questioned, eyebrows raised as if to challenge her last statement.

“You heard me right. Do I look like a fucking reporter to you?” she demanded, eyes flashing in anger, “I’m a college student for crying out loud.”

“Shit, you’re not a fan, are you?” he suddenly interrupted, chewing his lip in nervousness. He could get in a lot of trouble with his record label if he verbally assaulted one of his “loyal” fans.

“A fan of you? Now why the hell would I be a fan of you? I don’t even know who the hell you are,” she exploded, crossing her arms as if to warn him not to come a step closer.

“You don’t?” he asked, seemingly shocked.

Of course, that was cocky of him. Not everybody on this earth knew who Justin fucking Timberlake was, but damn if he just had to run into one of them right now.

He should have been thankful. He should have been down on his knees praising the lord for his good luck. He was in a very bad mood and it could have turned out awfully had she turned out to be a fan or worse, a reporter as he had wrongly assumed at first.

Then again, he was more than a little pissed off that she was invading his privacy, taking pictures of him when she had no right to. What the hell was she out taking pictures of strangers for anyway? Didn’t she know that she could get hurt if she mistakenly photographed some psychopath?

He felt his heart fill with dread at the thought, but quickly brushed it aside. That wasn’t the issue here right now. The issue was that she now had him on her camera at his most vulnerable state. It didn’t matter what she was taking pictures for, there was no way he was going to let those pictures in anybody’s hands, including her’s.

“No, I don’t. Am I supposed to?” she demanded, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

“Well, uh…I…” it was his turn to stumble for the right words to come up with. What to tell her? Did he dare reveal his true identity? Would she even give a damn?

“Look, I’m a photography major and I’m trying to get a scholarship to this really expensive school which explains why I’m out taking pictures of strangers. I didn’t mean to offend you or anything,” she stated, as if offering him a white flag of peace.

Justin was somewhat flattered. He knew how odd photographers could be when they were on the job; oh he knew that all too well.

She must have seen something in him that she thought the camera would love – even though it had already loved him for the better part of ten years. And it wasn’t like she taking pictures of him that he would later sell on Ebay for an outrageous sum.

Then again, how did he know that she was telling the truth? She could be lying through her teeth and he wouldn’t know any better. How could he tell her that he wanted those pictures without offending her.

He looked up, ready to plead his case, only to find that she had disappeared. He looked frantically up and down the beach, but could find no trace of her. He cursed, fully convinced that she had lied to him.

What was he to do now? Well, he could always continue with his vacation and forget about the whole incident. Yeah, that’s what he’d do. He had enough to worry about now as it was, no way he was going to add one more thing to the mix.

Sighing, Justin shoved his hands back into his pockets and walked up the trail to his house. His growling stomach reminded him how long it had been since he had eaten, so he figured now was as good a time as any to obey those pesky hunger pangs. Besides, it would take his mind off of everything, even that mystery girl…

Piper took a ragged breath as she watched the stranger disappear into one of the houses she had been staring at just minutes ago. He didn’t look too happy that she had up and disappeared on him, but she couldn’t stay there ignoring the warning bells in her head any longer. Her mind, which had been telling her to run, finally connected to the rest of her body and she had fled.

He had seemed so angry, so capable of hurting her, that she wasn’t willing to stick around longer to find out if she was right about him. Better to be safe than sorry in that kind of situation.

Besides, she could make it up to him. She had invaded his privacy, that was true, and the least she could do was send him a copy of all the pictures she had taken with that roll. He deserved that much. And it would be easy to just leave them in his mailbox so she would have to confront him again.

With her seemingly fool-proof plan in place, Piper quickly walked back towards her temporary home as the sun began to fade from the sky. Rae and Virginia would get worried if she wasn’t back soon, and there was no way she wanted an earful from them. Not after she had just gotten enough from a handsome stranger.

Chapter 7 - Recognition and Depression

Okay, so I forgot to mention the fact that the first time Piper and Justin met, they bit each other’s head off. Sue me. But you can obviously see the reasoning behind it.

Piper had no idea who Justin was when she first saw him, just as Justin assumed the worst the second he heard the click of her camera. You can’t exactly blame them.

I’m just glad that Piper was courageous enough to actually walk up to Justin’s back door and apologize. Otherwise, we’d be back at square one and my whole reasoning about fate would be shot to hell.

Anyway, I’m talking too much. Let’s just get back to the story because I’m sure you’re dying to know how Piper and Justin got over their differences. Especially when they butted heads right from the start of their relationship.

“Took you long enough to get back,” Rae said, looking up from the sandwich she was making when she heard Piper come in.

“I went exploring,” Piper simply replied with a small smile, “So how do I develop these pictures?” She held up her camera as Rae stared at her.

“Damn girl, you went through a whole roll already? I wish I was that motivated. Then again, you prolly took a picture of every Joe and Harry at the beach,” Rae teased, “I have to settle for dull scenery.”

“Oh whatever. You know you would suck at taking pictures of people, don’t deny it,” Piper teased back, fully grinning, her bad mood gone.

“I’m not gonna deny it,” Rae agreed, laughing.

“So how am I supposed to develop these?” she asked again, “Do I have to wait until we get home or does somebody around here have a darkroom that I can invade for a few hours?”

“My aunt’s got one in her basement. I’ve been out here enough that she and my uncle finally gave in and installed one just for me,” Rae explained, wiping her fingers clean of peanut butter.

“Wow, spoiled much?” Piper questioned, grinning.

“Whatever. You know I’m at State on a scholarship,” Rae shot back, rolling her eyes, “But follow me, I’ll show you exactly where it’s at.”

Rae placed her sandwich on a plate before wiping her hands on a towel and leading Piper towards a door that she hadn’t noticed before. It led downstairs to a furnished basement equipped with workout equipment, a pool table, a big-screen TV, and surround sound. Talk about living the high life indeed.

“Right back here,” Rae indicated, leading her friend through another door, “The supplies should be fully stocked, just give a holler if you need anything. I’ll be upstairs watching MTV.”

“You and your obsession with TRL,” Piper said with a laugh. Rae flipped her off before heading out of the room and leaving Piper on her own.

Piper sighed as she quickly familiarized herself with Rae’s equipment, her mind still filled with thoughts of the angry stranger she had encountered on the beach. She had some bizarre nagging feeling that she knew him from somewhere, but she just shrugged it off. It was impossible. She was in freakin California, a totally foreign place devoid of any familiar faces except Rae and Virginia.

Quietly singing to herself, as she tended to do while she was working, she quickly began to develop her pictures. She was so entranced in the task that she didn’t hear Virginia come in the room about an hour later.

“Hey Piper…holy crap, is that Justin Timberlake?” Virginia practically screeched as she glanced at the picture Piper was developing at the moment.

“Huh?” the shorter questioned as she glanced at her friend. She was currently developing the pictures of the stranger from the beach.

“Justin Timberlake. Pop singer. Tall, blond-curled blue-eyed Greek god of a man,” Virginia explained, staring at the many pictures her friend had of the famous man, “That’s who this is.” She pointed to one of the completed photos.

“That’s Justin Timberlake?” Piper screeched, her face flaming in embarrassment.

“Well duh, I’ve only got pictures of him on my computer backdrop and plastered next to my bed,” Virginia sarcastically responded, “Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize him.”

“Well, no,” Piper sheepishly replied, ducking her head.

“Piper, you’re such a retard,” Virginia stated, grinning, “You run into one of the hottest guys on the planet and you don’t even recognize him! Ah well, I guess things could have been worse.”

“They are worse. Much worse,” Piper mumbled, covering her face with her hands.

“What did you say?” Virginia demanded as she pulled Piper’s hands from her face.

“I kinda of, uh, well I bitched him out,” Piper miserably stated, quickly finishing the last picture and hanging it up to dry.

“You what!?!” Virginia cried, eyes wide in shock, “What did you say to him? He didn’t have some huge bodyguard with him, did he? Ya know, one of the ones that could kick anybody’s ass? Come on girly, tell me what happened. Did you make a fool out of yourself?”

“Woah, slow down there,” Piper protested, coming to her own defense, “I didn’t recognize him and he was being somewhat of a jackass, so yeah, I bit his head off. I sort of apologized at the end and then I ran away.”

Virginia didn’t know exactly what to say. So she laughed. Poor Piper. She didn’t have the slightest interest in popular music and wouldn’t know Eminem from Britney Spears. Piper was a country girl despite the fact that she was Michigan born and raised.

That explained why she didn’t recognize Justin Timberlake. Piper had a select few interests, none of which included an incredibly sexy pop crooner who, apparently, owned a house not far from Rae’s aunt’s. The fact that she had totally berated him and probably shot a few holes in his ego made the whole situation laughable.

“Shut-up,” Piper mumbled, cheeks still flaming, “It’s not my fault I didn’t recognize him, I don’t exactly know anything about some idiotic boyband who thinks they have talent.”

“Oh come on Pip, the whole thing is funny. I’m sure you probably dragged him down a couple notches,” Virginia got in between laughs. Piper glared at her friend, feeling very guilty at the moment. “Not to mention the fact that you just ran away from him. What happened after that?”

“He went into his house and I came back here,” Piper concluded in a small tone, “Oh god, he must think I’m such an idiot. He freakin asked me if I was a reporter.”

“You’re kidding,” Virginia stated, eyes flashing in amusement, “No wonder he was in such a bad mood.”

“And then he asked if I was a fan,” Piper added as she collapsed on the couch, Virginia taking a seat next to her.

“Oh my god, that’s so funny. Piper Saunders, a teeny. That’s one to put in my instant messenger profile,” Virginia teased, holding a stitch in her side, “You are the last person on this earth who would scream and yell for any kind of singer.”

“Not true,” Piper protested, grinning, “Remember the Kenny Chesney concert two summers ago?”

“Oh yeah, how could I forget, you almost made me deaf,” Virginia joked and received a glare from her friend.

“V, what am I supposed to do now? I totally made an ass of myself to one of the most popular men in music. How the hell am I supposed to make it up to him?” Piper moaned, covering her face with a pillow. Virginia immediately pulled it away.

“Piper Saunders, don’t you dare think that what you did was wrong. I’m sure he had what was coming to him, especially if he was a total bitch to you,” Virginia stated, “Not that I would have yelled at a man who has that much sex appeal.” Piper giggled.

“You and your sexy boys,” she teased, throwing the pillow in Virginia’s direction.

“Hey, I happen to like sexy boys very much, thank you,” Virginia said, grinning, “And Justin Timberlake just happens to be part of my ‘guys I wish I could fuck’ list.” Piper stared at her friend in shock before laughing.

“So now you’ve got a list of guys? You can’t just settle for telling me about every single one of them, now you’ve got to sink even lower and actually make a list?” Piper teased, enjoying the blush that crept up her friend’s cheeks.

“What can I say, I have high hopes,” the blonde replied.

Piper sighed. Well, she’d have to make it up to Justin, celebrity or not. She really had made an ass out of herself just because of his cocky attitude that had gotten under her skin the second he had opened his mouth.

Well, she’d head on over there tomorrow morning with her newly developed pictures and hope that he’d forgive her. Well, that was if he even let her past the front door. She could only hope her mouth hadn’t dug her hole too deep yet.

“What?” Virginia questioned when Piper sighed again, “What are you thinking of doing? I know by that sigh, you’ve got something up you sleeve, so spill.”

“Well, I’m going to go apologize to him tomorrow,” Piper stated.

“What for?” Virginia demanded, surprised, “You aren’t the type of person who yells at somebody for no reason, so he must have done something wrong.”

“Yeah, but I still shouldn’t have reacted the way I did,” Piper explained, “Besides, I should probably let him know that I’m not taking these pictures so I can sell them to some stupid teeny for thousands of dollars.”

“You’re too nice,” Virginia stated, standing up, “If I were in your place, I’d probably…”

“Fuck him?” Piper interrupted in a teasing tone. Virginia threw the pillow back, missing her friend by a mile.

“I don’t think about sex all the time, even though it may seem that way,” Virginia explained, rolling her eyes, “Just most of the time.” Piper erupted into a fit of giggles at the somewhat bemused expression on the taller woman’s face.

“What’s going on down here?” Rae suddenly interrupted as she made her entrance, “What did I miss? All I heard was Virginia say something about Justin Timberlake and sex.”

Virginia and Piper exchanged looks before bursting into laughter. Then they proceeded to tell Rae exactly what she had missed in the past twenty minutes.

“Why are you so grouchy?” Genevieve questioned as Justin slammed the third cupboard in the past five minutes, “You didn’t get attacked by some pre-teenage girls at the beach, did you?”

“No,” Justin snapped, thinking, ‘Just one beautiful stranger that took my picture and ran.’

“Well then stop acting like you’re on your period,” Genevieve reprimanded, continuing to watch the chicken and vegetables she was sautéing for dinner.

“Justin’s on his period?” JC questioned as he entered the room with three beers in his hands. Justin immediately grabbed one and popped the top.

“No I’m not Jace, I just did a little too much thinking when I was outside,” Justin gritted out through clenched teeth.

Coming back to the house had not been a good idea at all. Genevieve had immediately picked up on his bad mood and had proceeded to grill him until all he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and pull the covers over his head. He was trying to get away from the problems, not tote them along wherever he went.

“First you said you needed to get away to think and now you say you’ve thought to much,” JC commented, taking a swig of his beer, “You make no sense to me.”

“He just woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Genevieve supplied, sending JC a warning look.

“Oh, well that makes it so much better,” JC said, placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose as an apology, “Now what’s for dinner woman?”

“Nothing if you call me woman again,” Genevieve teased, playfully slapping her boyfriend’s butt.

Justin almost groaned aloud at their loving nature and quickly excused himself from the room. He hastily made his way up to his bedroom, intent on getting away from everybody until his bad mood left.

After grabbing a pad of paper and a pen, Justin ambled his way out onto the balcony of his room, which overlooked the backyard and, ultimately, the ocean. It was a beautiful site, the waves crashing over the deserted beach, gulls flying in the orangish-red light of the fading day. But he was immune to it all, the pain in his heart taking precedence over everything else.

With a dejected sigh, Justin eased his long frame into a lounge chair and sat, contemplating the trials and tribulations life had deemed he could handle. He wasn’t so sure he was capable.

He quickly poured his thoughts out on paper, his scrawling hand flowing from one page to the next as he tried to rid himself of the depression. But it wasn’t going to be.

No, the depression and mental instability would never go away in his mind. How could it? He had been hurt too many times, been forced to pick up the pieces time and again. He was like Humpty Dumpty, except when they tried to put him back together, there were pieces missing that left a jagged hole in his heart.

The black cloud of depression would stay there as long as he let it, and for now, he wasn’t all too sure how to get rid of it. Happiness and love were two words once common in his vocabulary, now as foreign as the French he never quite mastered those years ago.

What was wrong with him? Had he committed some heinous crime in a past lifetime that he was being punished for now? Was there some ulterior motive for all his suffering? And most importantly, was there an end in sight to all the pain, all the unbearable unhappiness, and all the insecurities that plagued him?

He didn’t know. Maybe he never would. Well, he’d be damned if he just sat there and let his emotions overrule his entire life. No, he had come on this vacation to relax and find some answers. By god, that’s just what he would do, even if what he found wasn’t exactly what he had started out looking for.

Needless to say, Piper learned that Justin Timberlake was her angry stranger in no time. After all, it was only a matter of time before somebody saw her pictures and recognized him. It just worked out that her best friend happened to like Nsync.

Of course, in my opinion, she shouldn’t have apologized. Justin was, after all, being a total jackass to her when he had no reason to be and didn’t really deserve Piper’s apology. But who am I to judge them? They did make it work in the end, so I guess that’s all that counts.

Damn, I’m jumping ahead again. I’m sure you’re probably sick of hearing my voice by now, but I guess I’m the best candidate to tell the story. So we’ll continue on…

Piper nervously pulled the edge of her tank top down as she approached Justin’s backyard, the all-important portfolio in hand. She didn’t know why she had let Virginia and Rae convince her to wear a skirt and the slinky green tank top over her bathing suit…it just made her more nervous. She would have been much more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt, her normal attire.

But oh well. It wasn’t like she could run back to the house just to change. She was walking up to Justin’s backdoor and she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself all over again.

Taking a deep breath, Piper hesitantly knocked on the door, silently hoping that he wasn’t home. After all, this was THE Justin Timberlake, whom she had unknowingly pissed off the previous day. She was terrified that she’d stutter like a fool and he’d just slam the door in her face.

Trying to keep her attention from the thoughts racing like the roadrunner through her mind, she turned and studied her surroundings. She wasn’t one for landscaping, but even the most ignorant person could appreciate the pure beauty of the yard.

The landscaping was gorgeous, with palm trees, oaks, and weeping willows providing a good deal of privacy; something Justin obviously desired. The grass was an immaculate green, not a weed in sight, and was interrupted here and there with beautiful flower beds filled with tulips, roses, and a number of other flowers Piper couldn’t name.

Her favorite part, however, was the stone pathway that split off in all directions and led towards the front of the house, down to the beach, up to the pool and patio, and out to the very edge of the property where there was a quaint guesthouse. She’d honestly never seen anything more wonderful and almost laughed aloud because Rae would probably give both her arms to photograph this yard.

“Can I help you?” a voice suddenly interrupted. Piper froze.

Blushing, she ripped her attention away from the scenery and found herself staring at a very muscular, very naked chest. Silently, she trailed her eyes up until they came in contact with the beautiful blue ones she had first encountered yesterday. This time, however, where there had been anger, now there was exhaustion and that haunting sadness.

She must have gotten him out of bed, much to her chagrin, for he was clad in nothing but a pair of worn sweatpants, his curly hair adorably mussed in all directions. He stared at her for a bit, until recognition finally began to dawn on his features. She made sure to get the first word in before he began to yell at her. That’s what he was going to do, right?

“Hi, I just came by to apologize,” she began, clutching her portfolio like it was a life raft, “I didn’t mean to be such a bitch yesterday.”

“It’s okay,” he replied, shifting from foot to foot, “I wasn’t exactly Mr. Sunshine either, so I should probably apologize too. I acted like a complete bastard and you really didn’t deserve it.” Was he actually being nice?

The way Virginia had portrayed him (like she actually knew him!), Piper had expected some sort of egotistical remark and all the blame to be placed in her corner. She was pleasantly surprised at his gentlemanly manner and ability to actually admit a wrongdoing. Maybe she had judged him too harshly.

“I’m Piper Saunders,” she finally replied, sticking her small hand in his direction. He quickly wrapped his around it and sparks flew at the connection. But both just brushed it aside as nerves or some such thing.

“Justin Timberlake,” he returned, his voice still somewhat gruff from sleep.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling as they pulled apart, “I hope I didn’t get you out of bed.”

“What time is it?” he asked, covering a yawn with his hand.

“Around eleven,” she responded, giggling.

“I can’t believe I slept this late. Genevieve and JC must be long gone,” he mused to himself, glancing towards the guesthouse.

“Friends of your’s?” she questioned, following his gaze.

“Yeah, my two closest friends and the happiest couple on the planet,” he miserably retorted. Sensing his sudden mood change, Piper decided to change the subject.

“I brought something to show you,” she stated, pulling the portfolio forward, “Here, I thought you might want to look at these.”

“What’s this?” he questioned as he took a hold of the leather folder.

“The pictures I took yesterday,” she simply replied, shrugging her shoulders, “I figured since I took pictures without your permission, you should get to see them.”

“You already got them developed?” he asked, surprised.

“I developed them myself,” she shyly responded. His eyebrows rose.

“Wow, somebody’s talented,” he teased, then held the door open, “Come on in, I promise I won’t bite this time.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” she stated, stepping into the house. He closed the door behind them and led her to a large oak table situated almost next to the patio door.

“Want some coffee?” he lazily drawled as he disappeared into the next room.

“If it’s no trouble,” she called, not sure exactly where he had gone.

“None at all,” he called back and reappeared a few minutes later as the coffee began to brew, “Let’s take a look at these.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much, they’re not the greatest,” Piper said, settling into a chair, “I’m only a struggling college student, not exactly what you’d call professional.”

“Hey, I haven’t even seen them yet,” Justin protested, taking a seat next to her and pulling the folder closer.

He opened up the folder and began to flip through the glossy pictures, impressed with her talent. There was a certain something about her style that caught the attention, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it. Not yet at least.

He smiled at the pictures of the happy couple, flirting like a pair of teenagers out on their first date. The fisherman distinctly reminded him of his grandfather, all serious and weathered from the years. There were a few odd pictures of a bunch of girls, a cute little baby with his mother, and a young girl and her puppy. Then he came face to face with his own mug.

He stared in shock. She had perfectly captured the emotion on his face, including the haunting sad streak that would cause his normally bright blue eyes to turn dull pewter. He could read his own body language in her pictures, body language that obviously said, ‘no trespassing’.

Besides that, she had captured him in the perfect light. But hadn’t it been cloudy yesterday? Nevertheless, the shadow of his eyelashes and the five o’clock stubble he’d forgotten to shave stood sharply out in the picture.

He finally knew just what it was about the pictures that made them different from anything he’d seen before. She obviously loved being behind the camera, and had strived to pick up not only the person, but their emotion and the story behind that precise moment when she had clicked the camera button.

He stared up at her in shock. Who could imagine that this young college girl, who sat there nervously biting her lip and awaiting his approval, wearing a cute little skirt and tank top, had this much talent? He wasn’t really expecting much from the start, but he had vastly underestimated her.

“What?” she finally spoke up as he continued to stare, “You don’t like them? Don’t say I didn’t warn you ahead of time, I’m not exactly the most talented person when it comes to taking pictures. Which I guess would make me crazy, since it’s all I’ve ever, and will ever, want to do.”

“Are you kidding?” Justin replied in disbelief, “These have got to be some of the best pictures I’ve seen in awhile. And believe me, I have seen my share of good and bad pictures.”

Piper was speechless. That had to have been the most sincere and beautiful comment she had ever gotten on her work. And he was a complete stranger (not counting the pop star status).

“Well thanks. I wish my teachers would see what you do,” she finally replied, smiling sadly at him, “Unfortunately, I don’t have much of an opportunity to pursue photography at my school; it’s not exactly a major.”

“Where do you go to school? I thought there were some pretty good schools for photography in California,” Justin said, confused, “Not that I would really know anything about that.”

“Oh, I’m not from around here,” she explained, “I go to Michigan State University. I’m here on vacation with some friends.”

“You’re here all the way from Michigan?” he questioned in disbelief, “Dang girl, no wonder you’re walking around like it’s the middle of summer.” She giggled.

“It definitely beats the slushy cold weather Michigan’s having right now. My friend’s are gonna be so jealous when I’m come home with a tan,” Piper stated.

“Tell me….oh, hold on a second, that’s the coffee,” Justin suddenly said, jumping up and practically running out of the room. Piper tried vainly to keep from giggling at him, but it was no use.

He returned a few moments later with two coffee cups in hand, oblivious to the fact that he was still without a shirt. But if he was comfortable like that, Piper wasn’t going to say anything.

“I hope you take your coffee black because I don’t have any cream right now,” he spoke up, taking a sip and wincing, “Aww, shit!”

“Burn your tongue?” she questioned, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” he replied as he stuck his tongue out.

“Don’t leave it out there for too long or else you’ll get stuck like that,” she quipped, laughing. He looked at her like she was crazy.

“My momma told me that was an old wives tale,” he stated in a little boy voice; she only giggled harder.

The two of them sat there for another hour, chatting about anything and everything, including Piper’s wish to get the scholarship and transfer to Tisch. Justin said it was a unanimous hands down that she would get in. She blushed some more at the comment; the second in the past hour.

“I should probably get going,” Piper finally stated as she followed Justin into the kitchen to dispose her dirty cup in the dishwasher, “My friends will probably be wondering if you’ve kidnapped me.”

“Very funny,” he teased, playfully shoving her. She giggled.

What was it with her and giggling around him? Piper Saunders was not the kind of girl that giggled. She was starting to make herself nauseous with all the high schoolish bullshit she was pulling off. She hoped Justin didn’t notice.

She would have been relieved to know that he didn’t think that way at all. In fact, he was enjoying Piper’s company so much (definitely better than the kissy face Genny and JC played all day) that he was disappointed that she was leaving. Now he was just stalling.

“Hey, you wanna come shopping with me?” he suddenly blurted. Piper’s eyebrows rose in question. “I don’t exactly have all that much in my fridge right now, and I don’t want to go by myself.”

“Aww, poor pop star doesn’t know how to go shopping?” she teased, amazed that she was flirting, yes FLIRTING, with him. She had just freakin met him this morning (yesterday didn’t actually count). Where had all her common sense gone?

Obviously out the window because she had never once felt shy or unconfident in his presence the past hour and a half, something that was new to her. She was normally very reserved, almost cold, around strangers. Yet here she was buttering up to Justin and picking on him like they were old buds. She was starting to act like Virginia and Rae! Oh lord.

“What are you talking about?” he finally responded, “You know there are so many interesting people you can take a picture of while in the grocery store.”

“Yeah, and I could also get arrested for shoving an unwanted camera in some stranger’s face,” she shot back, grinning, “I could just see the headlines now “Pop Star and Friend Arrested for Invading Personal Bubble of Grocery Store Customers”.

“This is me laughing,” Justin said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, it’s probable,” Piper said, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders.

Justin began to laugh, a deep rich sound that started from his gut and erupted full-blown by the time it reached his mouth. Piper felt her skin tingle from the assault, but refrained from shivering. She was not supposed to act like a teeny and squeal. Nope, she wasn’t going to squeal. Really.

“So are we going?” Justin suddenly questioned, interrupting her rapid thought process.

“Not with you looking like that we aren’t,” she teased, poking him in the chest.

“Hey, watch it, you’ll injure the abs,” Justin pouted, sticking his lip out at her, “I had to work for these babies.”

“I don’t think poking is going to do any damage to those muscles of steel,” she commented, rolling her eyes.

“You think I’ve got muscles of steel?” he questioned hopefully, looking like a dog who had just received a pat on the head for fetching the newspaper.

“Just go put some clothes on,” she replied, shoving him in the direction of the stairs.

“Alright already, I’m going,” he yelled as he ran up, two steps at a time.

“Stop showing off!”

“Whatever, you just wish you were as cool as me.”

Piper refrained from answering as she sat on the bottom step. What had she gotten herself into? She was acting all buddy-buddy with Justin freakin Timberlake. Okay, so he was hot, but that didn’t mean she knew who he was. And here they were bantering back and forth like old friends. It was all a little bit strange in her opinion.

Then again, maybe she needed a guy friend. She had few guy friends back home, and those she had were normally just acquaintances she knew through Rae, Virginia or some other girlfriend. But realistically, the guy was five years older than her and lived here in California, across the entire country from her home town. Did she really want to try and start a friendship with him?

Justin bounded down the stairs that minute, dressed in a pair of comfy jeans slung low on his hips and a green and white t-shirt. How cute, her school colors. He gave her a lopsided grin and she felt her insides turn to butter.

She’d be crazy if she didn’t let a friendship come of this.

Chapter 9 - Spinach, Apples and Carrots

“Do you actually eat that stuff?” Justin questioned when he saw Piper reaching for a head of fresh spinach.

“Yeah, it’s good for you. And don’t look at me like I’m crazy, you put it in salad,” Piper explained, rolling her eyes.

“I thought only Popeye ate that crap,” Justin mumbled.

“Man, you must have been a very sheltered child growing up to believe that for so long,” she teased, putting the spinach back when he began to run away with the cart.

“Was not,” the older man protested, pouting as he came back over.

“Puppy dog eyes and a fat lip aren’t exactly going to win you any points with me buddy,” Piper stated, “Now how about carrots?”

“I can do carrots, they’re good for your eyes,” he proudly stated.

“Well duh, everybody knows that,” she responded after throwing two bags of the aforementioned vegetable in the pop star’s cart.

“Geeze, are you trying to undermine my intelligence?” Justin demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Nope, just staying two steps ahead of you at all times,” she shot back, grinning at his surprised face.

“Well damn, you sure give Chris a run for his money, that’s for sure,” Justin stated, “You two could be twins.”

“Except for the fact that he’s like fifteen years older than me and has an IQ level about half of mine,” she expertly shot back, grinning.

“Touché. But you better not let Chris hear you, he’d have a heart attack,” Justin replied, amazed at her quick wit.

“Just make sure he takes his old fart medicine and there shouldn’t be a problem,” Piper nonchalantly commented, shrugging her shoulders.

Justin laughed as Piper walked away and headed for the fruit, passing an expert eye over the selection. For someone he had just met, she sure was confident and able to keep up with him step for step. That’s really what he like the most about her (of what he had seen so far); that she wasn’t the least bit fazed by his fame and fortune and didn’t go off the deep-end trying to please him. He had enough of giggling, idiotic girls tripping all over themselves to last him a lifetime.

Piper’s spunk and sarcastic humor was refreshing, and he hoped that once she went back home, they could continue to be friends. In fact, he hoped that she got that scholarship she was working towards as it meant she would move to New York City. He had an apartment in NYC, and it wouldn’t be too much trouble to hop a plane, visit Joey for a bit, and then spend some time with Piper.

But what was he thinking? He was really getting ahead of himself here, already thinking about the future when he had just met Piper earlier that morning. He quickly shook the thoughts away as he joined Piper in her quest for the perfect couple of apples for him.

“You like red or green apples better?” Piper questioned.

“What’s the difference?” he questioned, looking puzzled. Piper stared at him in shock. “What? Do I look like I actually know how to go shopping on my own?”

“Good lord, you’ve traveled the entire world and yet you can’t manage to shop on your own. Talk about spoiled,” she teased, shaking her head.

“Hey, I’m not spoiled,” he protested.

“Yeah, you only made your first million when you were fourteen, barely old enough to go to the bathroom by yourself,” she sarcastically commented. Justin stuck out his tongue out at her. “There, you just proved my point.”

“Hey, at least I can go to the bathroom by myself now. You girls can’t ever go alone, it’s always two at a time, just like Noah’s ark,” Justin said.

“It’s not like we hold hands or anything. We pretty much go to gossip about stuff not fit for male ears,” she explained, still looking through the apples.

“So that’s what you girls do in there,” Justin said in wonderment. Piper erupted into a fit of giggles at his serious expression.

“Oh, that was priceless. It’s not rocket science ya know,” she teased.

“Shut up and pick me out some apples woman,” Justin commanded, pretending to be offended. Piper just rolled her eyes again.

“Fine. Green are normally sourer, red more sweet. My favorite kind is Gala, but we’re going with what you want. So what’ll it be?” she explained, grabbing a plastic bag to deposit the fruit in.

“You said Gala is good? I guess we can get some of those since you already know how they taste. I trust your judgment,” he responded, “Now how many should I get?”

“Well, if you’ve got three people to feed and however many random guests you’ll have while you’re home, I’d say at least a dozen,” Piper estimated.

“A dozen it is then,” Justin agreed.

The two of them began to browse through the apples, picking out one or two as they went. All of a sudden, Piper’s cell phone began to go off and she frantically started to dig through her purse in search of it. She quickly answered it before it went to her voicemail.

“Hello?” she questioned, “Oh hey Virginia.”

“Where the hell are you at?” Virginia demanded, pacing the carpet in her room, “You said you’d only be gone for a few hours, and it’s almost three in the afternoon. That’s over four hours. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine V. Justin and I just decided to go shopping, that’s all, and I forgot to call you,” Piper explained, “I should be home after that though.”

“You’re shopping with THE Justin Timberlake?” Virginia screeched, “And you didn’t stop by to pick me up?”

“No because you’re a freak. Justin’s just a regular guy who does regular things and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to be bombarded with your teeny ways,” Piper retorted, laughing.

“Aren’t you forgetting the little fact that he’s worth millions?” Virginia stated, “Seriously, he’s like a walking bank.”

“Whatever V, money’s not everything. Anyway, I’ve got to let you go,” Piper practically snapped; Virginia’s obsession with money was getting on her nerves, “I’ll call you guys and let you know if my plans change.”

“Look Pip, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come off like that,” Virginia quickly stated, “I’m just overly excited that my best friend in the whole wide world, who is completely gorgeous and doesn’t know it, is hanging out with Justin Timberlake.”

“You’re weird, you know that V?” Piper questioned, rolling her eyes, “Justin just needs a friend because he’s a loser.”

“What? No I’m not!” Justin cried. He could hear laughing from the other end.

“Man Piper, what’d you do to that poor guy? You’re already picking on him like you do me and Rae,” Virginia said between laughs.

“I know, it’s crazy. I don’t know what’s come over me to be honest with you. But anyway, I’ll talk to you more later. I’ve got to go before Justin completely destroys the whole store,” Piper concluded, grinning at Justin as he pouted.

“Alright, bye Pip,” Virginia stated, “Oh shit, I almost forgot. Andrew called and said he wanted to talk to you. I told him that you didn’t want to talk to him and hung up the phone.”

“What? What on earth does Andrew want with me? We’re not together anymore, so I don’t understand why he’s trying so hard to get a hold of me,” Piper raged.

“I dunno. You’re best bet would be to call him and ask, but that’s a bad idea to begin with,” Virginia commented.

“Damn him. Well, I’m not going to worry about it right now,” Piper concluded, “I’ll call you and let you know if my plans change, but if not, I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

“Sure thing girly, talk to you later,” Virginia agreed. The two girls hung up moments later and Piper quickly turned back to Justin, who was making faces at her.

“You have a hard time standing still, don’t you?” she questioned as they began to wheel the cart down another isle.

“It’s called ADD,” Justin supplied.

“No, I think it’s called Justin-is-a-two-year-old-at-heart syndrome,” Piper insisted.

“Whatever you say, oh wise one,” Justin replied.

The two of them continued to shop, filling up Justin’s cart as they went. There was more “healthy stuff” in there than the pop star would have liked, but Piper really seemed to know her stuff where nutrition was concerned, so he went along with her decisions. Not that he didn’t throw in a bag of chips or box of cookies here and there.

“So who’s Andrew?” Justin questioned out of the blue as they threw the last of the items in the cart and headed towards the cash registers at the front of the store. Piper frowned at the inquiry.

“My cheating asshole of an ex-boyfriend who just happens to be my best friend’s twin brother,” she ground out between clenched teeth. Justin’s eyebrows rose.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know,” Justin began, “I didn’t mean to be nosy or anything.” Piper sighed.

“No, it’s okay. You’re not being nosy,” she responded, “It’s just kind of painful because the break up was only a couple of months ago.”

Piper then proceeded to go into detail about her entire relationship with Andrew, starting from the very beginning when they were seniors in high school and their relationship was new. Justin’s frown got deeper and deeper as she continued the story.

“Man, what a bastard he turned out to be,” the pop star commented once Piper had finished her tale, “He had no right to treat you like that.”

“Yeah, well shit happens,” Piper concluded, ending the conversation.

They stood in silence as the cashier rang all of Justin’s items up; a little awkward because of their last topic of conversation. Justin sighed as he glanced over and studied Piper’s profile.

She really was quite beautiful. The long redish-brown hair, though pencil straight, was thick and shone with a healthy glow. Pair that with her sparkling green eyes, freckled button nose, full rosy lips, and heart-shaped face and Justin thought he was looking at a Greek goddess. The best part, in his opinion, though, was the fact that Piper was blissfully unaware of how beautiful she actually was.

“Stop staring at me, it’s not polite,” Piper suddenly teased, catching Justin’s gaze. He blushed a fierce shade of red.

“I was just noticing how pretty you are,” he complimented in a boyish voice; Piper felt her knees weaken.

“Thanks,” she whispered, ducking her head.

“Is that all for today?” the cashier suddenly interrupted, saving Piper from embarrassing herself any further.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Justin confirmed as he stepped forward and pulled out his wallet to pay for the groceries.

About ten minutes later, the two of them were loading the bags of groceries into the back of Justin’s SUV, and were soon on their way. Justin pulled out and turned in the direction of his house.

“Hey, you okay?” Justin finally questioned, halfway through their drive. Piper had been silent thus far.

“Yeah, fine,” Piper offhandedly replied, gazing out the window, lost in thought.

“You sure?” he prodded, uneasy.

“I’ve been better,” she stated, sighing.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“You’re actually willing to listen?” she questioned, surprised.

“Yep.”

“Um, okay. I’ve just been thinking about your compliment. I don’t exactly know how to start this, but it all goes back to my stupid ex, Andrew, once again. We got along well enough, but I guess you could say we weren’t exactly a couple. I mean, I always called him my boyfriend, and to him, I was his girlfriend, but I dunno, I guess the effort was never there,” she began, running a hand absently through her hair, “It’s more like we were business associates than a loving, happy couple.”

“Sounds all too familiar to me,” Justin commented, rolling his eyes as he thought of Cameron for the briefest of seconds.

“I was incredibly happy the first few months we started dating, as most people are when they start a new relationship. But things got old fast. We constantly argued, most of the time about insignificant little things that wore us down,” she continued, sighing, “I don’t know why I held on so long; maybe it was the hope that one day he would change. One day he would actually see me, actually hear me, actually tell me that I was beautiful and that I meant something to him.”

“He never told you that?” Justin asked, frowning in disapproval.

“Never. Not the entire time we were dating. I never managed to squeeze one compliment out of him. So when I found out that he was cheating on me with some girl that could pass of as a model, needless to say, my self-esteem took a nose dive,” she stated, biting her lip, “I began to think that maybe I wasn’t attractive enough to keep a guy’s attention. I think that’s why your compliment took me by such surprise.”

Justin wanted to throttle Andrew at that moment. He was incredibly stupid not to see the treasure that Piper was, beneath all her layers of shyness and lack of confidence; he was a complete asshole to treat her the way he did. Anybody could see Piper’s beauty, and paired with her unique character and personal quirks, she was an original work of human art. And he had just met her this morning!

“You want my serious opinion?” he finally voiced.

“Yeah,” she replied, nervous at his reaction.

“I think that this Andrew dude is a complete ass and can’t see anything past his own nose. Piper Saunders, you are one of the most interesting, beautiful, humorous and unique people I’ve met in a long time,” he stated, grabbing her hand and squeezing it for emphasis, “You better not let anybody tell you otherwise, ever.”

Piper felt the tears immediately well up in her eyes and she sniffled, willing them away as she smiled. Justin looked at her, worried that he had something wrong, but was relieved when she began to laugh.

“Thank you so much. nobody has ever said anything so wonderful to me,” she commented, wiping a stray tear, “You truly are a work of art yourself there Mr. Timberlake.”

“What can I say, I practice every day,” he drawled, winking at her.

“In front of the mirror?” she teased, grinning, the last trace of her tears gone.

“Meany,” he whined as he pulled the car into his driveway and parked.

“Hey, it’s my job to bring that ego of yours down a couple notches, pop star,” she shot at him. He laughed.

“You want help with the groceries?” she questioned as they piled out of the car a few moments later.

“If you don’t mind,” he replied.

The two of them began to take the bags of groceries into the house, chattering away as they went, seeming like the best of friends to an outsider. Justin playfully shoved Piper as they grabbed the last of the bags, and laughing, she bumped him back with her butt.

“Alright, that’s the last of them,” Justin commented as he set the last bag on the kitchen counter, “You gonna take off?”

“Yeah, I promised my friends I’d be back so we can go shopping and sight-seeing,” Piper replied, rolling my eyes, “My friends are here to sight-see some tan surfer guys.” Justin laughed.

“Tell them to aim more for the lifeguards, they usually have a higher IQ,” Justin joked, grinning. Piper giggled.

“I’ll be sure and pass along that oh so important bit of information,” she replied, “So, uh, not to be forward or anything, but you want my number?” Justin felt his heart melt at her sincere request.

“Well duh, girly. Who else is going to keep me entertained for the next week?” he teased.

“Okay,” she happily agreed, “Here’s my cell and the address I’m staying at. Stop in anytime you want, I should be there most of the time. And, oh god, I hope I’m not sounding too forward about any of this. I didn’t exactly come here looking to make friends with a celebrity so I hope you don’t think…”

“Piper!” Justin interrupted, grinning.

“What?”

“Shut-up,” he replied, laughing.

“Okay,” she meekly agreed.

“You make it sound as if you’re forcing me to take your number,” he stated as he picked up the piece of paper she had just finished writing on, “See, this is me taking out my cell phone and putting your number in right away. And oh, watch this, I’m sticking your address in the top drawer with the rest that I have.”

“Jerk,” she spat, rolling her eyes.

“But you wuv me, right?” Justin pouted with hopeful eyes. She playfully shoved him, surprised that all 6’1, sinewy muscle of him didn’t move an inch.

“Of course I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have gone shopping with you,” she supplied, “I only go shopping with my most favoritest people.”

“Am I one of your most favoritest people?”

“You can bet your ass you are,” she confirmed, grinning, “But I gotta get out of here before my friends skin my hide for making them wait any longer.”

“Okay,” he agreed, then awkwardly pulled her in for a hug.

“Thanks for listening,” she softly whispered into his ear, trying to ignore how good it felt to be held by him. And damn that sexy manly scent!

“It’s what friends do,” he replied, equally as quiet.

“Well I guess I’ll see you around,” she concluded, making her way out the back door.

“Damn straight you will,” he called before she disappeared down the beach in the direction of her house.

Justin whistled to himself as he reentered his house and began to put the groceries away. While doing so, he stumbled upon a note from JC and Genevieve that told him they wouldn’t be back until later. But that didn’t stop his good mood.

He quickly glanced towards the table and was surprised to see Piper’s portfolio, with all her beautiful pictures, lying forgotten there. He grinned to himself. Now he had an excuse to see her tomorrow.

How cute are they, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought too. When we were first introduced, which was the next day, I wasn’t all that sure how much I trusted this teenager. But Piper proved me wrong.

The second she opened her mouth and began to tease Justin, who immediately joked back, I knew that she was special. Justin’s depression seemed to have disappeared for the time-being, and if Piper was the cure, I definitely wasn’t going to object to her hanging around with him.

Especially when she became like another sister to me. I swear, that girl could make me and Justin laugh, and even JC, who usually has a hard time understanding even the simplest of jokes (though I still love him). I really wasn’t looking forward to the time when she had to leave to go back to school.

So for the time-being, I enjoyed her company and watched Justin flourish and shine more like his old self. I guess I was being a little bit too stubborn and optimistic.

Three Day Later – March 8, 2005

“Piper!” Justin whispered as he crept into her room early that Tuesday morning, the fifth day of Piper’s vacation.

“Go away,” she mumbled, burying deeper into her covers.

Justin felt his heart flop as he watched her hair spill over the covers, nothing but her face visible amid the bundle of blankets. She was cute when she was half-asleep.

“No way birthday girl, it’s time to start the day,” Justin replied, bouncing on the bed.

“Who told you it’s my birthday?” she groaned, pulling the blanket over her head.

“Rae.”

“Remind me to murder her when I get the chance. This day is already starting off bad, I don’t need it to get any worse with everybody announcing that it’s my birthday,” she rambled, her voice muffled beneath the covers.

“What do you mean it started off bad?” Justin questioned, curious.

“Take a look out my window,” she began, motioning vaguely in the direction of one of the pristine windows that overlooked the beach.

“What? All I see are Virginia and her boyfriend,” Justin replied, noting that the couple seemed to be having a rather heated discussion.

“That’s not her boyfriend, it’s her twin brother. Andrew. My ex-boyfriend,” Piper explained as she finally sat up, her eyes red from crying.

“What?!?”

“Yeah, the ass decided that he’d fly all the way out here to visit me on my birthday,” Piper explained, lip trembling, “I don’t know what he wants from me, but I can’t stand being around him. I can’t stand feeling like I’m completely disposable to him when something better comes around.”

“Oh sweets, you’re not disposable. Not in the least. I mean, come on, look at me. I’ve been bugging you practically every day since you’ve been here,” he commented, hugging her, “Now, do you want me to kick the shit out of him?”

“Justin!” she cried, giggling as she looked up at him, “I don’t need you going to jail because you beat up my ex-boyfriend.”

“You sure?” he questioned, other ideas on his mind.

“Positive. Now let me go get a quick shower and you can do whatever you’re planning for my birthday, okay?” she stated, sliding from beneath the protection of his strong arms.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” he stuttered, staring as she walked about, looking for clothes.

She wore that to bed? That skimpy little tank top and pair of boxers? That’s what she called her pajamas? Hot damn. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her! The clothes left very little to his overactive imagination, and he almost didn’t hear her next question.

“What should I wear?” she asked, rummaging through the drawers where she had stored her clothes for the time-being, “What exactly are you planning?”

“I’ll pick something out,” he told her, joining her at the drawers.

“Nothing too slutty,” she warned, glowering as he blushed.

“I’d have to go shopping in Virginia’s closet to find something like that,” he commented. Piper snorted.

“You’re right about that,” she agreed.

“Wait, I know,” he suddenly cried, jumping up and rushing out of the room.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?” Piper mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Justin quickly walked into Rae’s room, very familiar with the house now that he had been over quite a few times. He found the young woman sitting on her bed surrounded by pictures of beautiful scenery. She immediately looked up when she heard his approach.

“You got it?” he questioned hopefully. Rae laughed.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch pop star, it’s right here,” she replied, bouncing off the bed and toward her closet.

Rae came back with the cute dress and strappy heels that she and Justin had picked out yesterday afternoon, when Virginia and Piper had gone sightseeing. It was part of Justin’s surprise.

“Thanks Rae,” he replied, quickly hugging her before he bounced out of the room.

“That boy has got it bad,” she crowed to herself, grinning. It was about time Piper ended up with a guy that was her equal. Justin Timberlake just happened to be the man who seemed to be measuring up to that expectation. Not that Rae would ever mention that aloud. No, the two would just have to figure it out on their own.

“Okay, close your eyes,” Justin called out as he approached Piper’s room.

“Justin, what’s going on?” she questioned, putting her hands over her eyes in obedience.

“You’ll see,” he softly whispered, trying not to stare at her body. He quickly shook himself out of the purely sexual daze and came towards her, “Here, this is part of the surprise.”

Piper opened her eyes and gasped in surprise, her face glowing with pleasure at the items in Justin’s outstretched hands. He held a green halter dress that she knew would show off her figure (she wasn’t so sure about that). It came with a little half sweater, made of what looked to be cashmere, and the same color as the dress, to go over her arms. There was a pair of strappy white heels that matched perfectly with the cute little white handbag.

“For me?” she questioned, her breath catching as she came forward. He nodded his head. “Justin, it’s beautiful. You shouldn’t have.”

“Hey, the birthday girl has to ride in style,” he simply stated, shrugging his shoulders.

“Jerk. You’ve planned something really elaborate, haven’t you?” she demanded, gazing critically at him.

“Now why would you say that?” he prodded as she took the outfit and laid it across the newly-made bed.

“Hmm, maybe because I can’t wear a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but rather a cute little sundress that matches the color of my eyes exactly,” she rambled, petting the sweater, “Wow, I can’t believe you managed to pull this off.”

“Believe me, I had help,” Justin supplied, laughing at her awed expression.

“Rae?” she questioned, glancing up.

“Of course, who else? I couldn’t exactly turn to Virginia; you’d have ended up looking like a hooker!” Justin exclaimed.

“Hey, I heard that!” Virginia cried, poking her head into the room.

“You were supposed to,” Justin replied, sticking his tongue out at her. She flicked him off.

“Is he gone?” Piper suddenly asked, voice small.

“Yeah, I sent him back to his hotel with the specific orders not to ever come by here again,” Virginia supplied, walking into the room to sit next to her friend, “I told him that if he does, our mean neighbor would be all too happy to beat his sorry ass.”

“Damn straight I would,” Justin added.

“Whatever. He’s gone, so that’s all that counts,” Piper said, frowning, “Now what was he doing here in the first place?”

“You won’t believe me when I tell you that he’s here with his new girlfriend. Guess this is where she’s from, so they decided to spend the break here,” Virginia said, frowning.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Piper exclaimed, rolling her eyes, “Still doesn’t explain why he had to come see me, but whatever. It’s my birthday and I’m not going to let his sorry ass ruin it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Justin commented, hugging her again, she smiled up at him, “Why don’t you get in the shower and give me a call when you’re ready? I’ve got to go change my clothes.”

“What on earth do you have planned Timberlake?” she grilled him, eyes narrowed.

“Just dinner with Virginia, Rae, JC, Genny and me,” he innocently replied; she wasn’t sure whether or not to buy the explanation. She rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but don’t be too surprised if I get mad when I find out what you’re really planning,” she warned before flouncing off to the bathroom.

Once Justin heard the shower turn on and made sure she couldn’t hear, he turned pleading eyes to Virginia, who just laughed.

“Am I going to be in big trouble?” he questioned, eyes wide. Virginia couldn’t help but laugh harder at his stricken expression.

“Don’t worry so much JT, she’ll love you forever for what you’re doing,” Virginia reassured him, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes, “And if she doesn’t, well then I’ll kill her myself.”

“Okay,” Justin dejectedly replied.

“Hey, don’t worry so much. I’m sure everything is going to be fine,” she added.

“If you say so,” he mumbled before leaving for his own home.

About an hour later, Piper stood in front of a full-length mirror, nervously rubbing her hands self-consciously over her stomach. She stood sideways, sucking in as she did so. Was that how she really looked?

“Oh quite worrying so much,” Rae commented from the doorway, making Piper start in surprise, “You look gorgeous hon.”

“Are you sure?” Piper questioned as she turned back to her reflection, “This dress doesn’t make me look fat, does it?”

“Piper, if you’re fat then I’m a hippopotamus,” Rae replied, walking towards her friend, “Come on, if I thought the dress would look bad on you, I wouldn’t have picked it out.”

“True,” Piper agreed, hesitantly smiling, “So what exactly does Justin have up his sleeve?”

“My lips are sealed,” Rae stated, pretending to zip her lips.

“Not even a hint?” Piper pleaded.

“Nope,” Rae replied, then cocked her head, “I think that’s the doorbell. It must be Justin.”

“Already?” Piper questioned in a panicked tone.

“Relax girl, you look great. He’s not even going to recognize you,” Rae stated as she began to coax Piper out of the room, “Take a deep breath. It’ll make you feel better.”

Piper did as she was told and her nerves immediately began to calm. This was Justin after all; it wasn’t like he was going to be overly critical of her body. Besides, he wasn’t that shallow, as she was beginning to learn.

Justin walked into the front hallway just as Piper climbed down the last stair. He looked her up and down and whistled. She blushed.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, walking forward to envelope her in a friendly hug.

“Thanks,” she shyly whispered, enjoying his scent, “You don’t look so bad yourself.” He quietly laughed at her sincere comment, flattered.

He had showered, as was evident by the clean smell and his newly shaven face, which Piper itched to run her hands over. She was thankful she was able to overcome the urge.

He had exchanged his jeans and t-shirt for a casual pair of black pants and a button-up blue dress shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. He had tamed his curls with some gel, though Piper thought she preferred when it was natural. Overall, though, he was very handsome.

“Well kids, have fun and I’ll see you in a few hours,” Rae interrupted. Piper straightened with a start to turn and look at her friend.

“You’re not coming with us?” Piper demanded, confused.

“Nope, Virginia and I have some stuff to do before we meet you guys at the restaurant, okay?” Rae replied.

“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you in a bit then,” Piper agreed, giving her friend one last smile before she let Justin lead her out of the house.

The two of them walked down the sidewalk to the driveway where a black limo stood waiting, the driver standing at attention. Piper turned wide eyes to Justin.

“You rented a limo for me?!?” she squealed.

“Yeah,” he replied, ducking his head.

“I’ve never ridden in a limo before,” she admitted, “My senior prom Andrew wanted to drive his dad’s BMW, so I’ve never had the chance, or another excuse, to have to rent a limo.”

“Well I’m glad I could give you the opportunity,” he said as he helped her into the car.

The car pulled out of the driveway, and the two of them were quickly on their way, Piper oblivious to the surprises yet to come.

“Andrew, why do you have to go to that…that slut’s birthday party?” the blonde complained, searching her perfectly manicured nails for a flaw, “I mean, come on. I’m your girlfriend now.” Andrew sighed.

“I know Becca. It’s just that Piper and I have been friends for a long time and I would feel bad if I didn’t show up,” Andrew lied as he rummaged through his girlfriend’s fridge.

“I hope you don’t expect me to go with you,” Rebecca White stated after taking a delicate sip of her lemon water.

“No, of course not. That would make me an asshole,” Andrew responded, closing the fridge after he had pulled out the carton of milk, “I’m just going to go for about an hour and then you and I can hit up a club or something. How about that?”

“That works for me,” Becca agreed, sidling up and pressing her body to Andrew’s, “You promise two hours at the most?”

“I promise,” Andrew agreed before lowering his mouth to her’s, “It’s probably not going to be a big deal anyway. I heard that the guy who’s throwing the party is somebody she met while she’s been here, so it’s probably going to be lame. Justin something or other, I don’t really remember. Last name starts with a T I think.”

“Justin Timberlake?!?” Becca practically squealed as she moved out of his embrace.

“Yeah, I think that’s the name. How did you know?” Andrew questioned, confused.

“Well duh, he’s only the most sought-after bachelor in the pop music world,” Rebecca explained, looking at him like he was stupid, “You know, he used to be part of Nsync. Sings the ‘Like I Love You’ and ‘Cry Me A River’ songs.”

“Oh really?” Andrew questioned, the wheels in his head turning, “Well that’s interesting. I wonder how she met him.”

“Who cares? All I know is that I’m going to take advantage of this situation and meet him. I’m coming with you,” Becca announced, excited.

“Are you sure?” Andrew asked, skeptical.

“Of course I’m sure,” Becca confirmed, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Okay,” Andrew reluctantly agreed.

With the matter settled, the two of them headed to the family room, intent on watching a movie before starting to get ready. But Andrew couldn’t seem to concentrate on the hilarious Bringin’ Down The House. His mind was focused on Piper and her newfound friend, the infamous Justin Timberlake. He didn’t quite know what to make of it.

This is one of my favorite parts of Piper and Justin’s story. As you can imagine, by this point, Justin was very protective of Piper and didn’t trust Andrew as far as he could throw him. And he hadn’t even met the guy yet.

I still can’t believe that the asshole actually thought he could show his face at Piper’s party. Especially after his sister specifically told him to stay away. Some guys just never learn.

At the time of the incident, I was horrified. But looking back on it now, I’m glad Justin handled things the way he did. Besides, Andrew deserved what Justin gave him, there’s no doubt about that.

Anyway, on with the story.

“Justin, what’s with the blindfold?” Piper demanded as soon as the offending material was placed over her eyes, relieving her of sight.

“It’s a surprise,” he simply told her.

“Well duh, I got that much,” she retorted, bouncing on the car seat as the limo drew closer to its destination, “You’re not trying to seduce me, are you?” Justin smirked.

“If I wanted to get down your pants, I would have done it by now,” he teased, poking her in the side.

“You wish,” she bit back, grinning.

“Ouch, are you saying that I’m unattractive?” he demanded.

“Yep, you’re butt ugly from what I can see,” she said.

“Meanie,” he whined, now wishing she wasn’t blindfolded so he could give her the puppy dog face, “You’re supposed to tell me that I’m gorgeous and that you want to fuck me.”

“Oh really? I thought that was JC’s job,” Piper responded. Justin almost choked.

“Shh, you’re not supposed to know,” he joked back.

“See, now you’re openly admitting it,” she razzed him, “What would your loyal fans say if they knew you and JC got it on every night?”

“Um…” he stumbled, not able to think of a comeback.

“Hah, I win!” she gleefully cried.

“Shut-up, I let you win cause it’s your birthday,” he replied.

“Whatever lets you sleep at night pop star,” she teased.

“Hey look, we’re here,” Justin suddenly commented, surprised at how fast they had gotten to their destination.

“Where is here?” were the first words out of Piper’s mouth.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he stated as he helped her out of the car, “But I guarantee you’re going to like it.”

“Okay, if you insist.”

Silently, Justin led her through the full restaurant to the back ballroom, which he had reserved entirely for Piper’s birthday. He walked in, happy to see all invited guests sitting around, quietly talking. The minute they saw him walk in, however, they became increasing silent.

“Justin, what’s going on?” Piper demanded, unnerved by how quiet it seemed to be. They were at a restaurant, weren’t they?

“Happy Birthday,” he whispered in her ear before whisking the blindfold off.

Piper stared in shock at the group of people, who immediately began to yell ‘Surprise!’ and ‘Happy Birthday!’ in her direction. There had to be at least a hundred people here. Did she know that many people?

Her eyes widened even more, however, when her parents and her younger brother came forward to greet her. Giving a shout of joy, she launched herself into her dad’s arms.

“What are you guys doing here?” she demanded, eyes welling up with tears, “And how did you get here? I just talked with you this morning.”

“We couldn’t pass up a birthday of yours, even if that meant flying across the country to come and see you,” her dad, Jacob, explained, hugging his daughter close.

“Virginia called us up a couple days ago and set everything up, and your friend Justin flew us out here,” Julia, her mom, added, giving her daughter a big hug once she had disentangled herself from her dad.

“The plane ride was awesome!” 9-year old Dylan added, grinning up at his big sis, “And I got to meet Justin at the airport. We got to ride in his limo, and he even let me play video games on the ride to the hotel.”

“You’re kidding,” Piper finally managed to squeak out, glancing over at Justin, who sheepishly smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Your Justin is some guy,” Jacob added, placing a hand on Piper’s back, “He’s a real keeper, if you know what I mean.”

“Dad!” Piper protested, blushing, “Justin’s just my friend.”

“That’s what you said about Andrew before you two started dating,” Julia piped up.

“Mom, that’s an entirely different situation and you know it,” Piper ground out, keeping the frown from her face.

“Hey Piper! Over here!” Virginia suddenly called, interrupting the conversation.

“Be back in one second,” she told her family, “Don’t go anywhere.”

She quickly hurried over to her friend, not noticing how Justin and her dad immediately struck up a conversation and how interested her mom seemed to be in something Genevieve had to say.

“Brat!” Piper squealed as soon as she reached her friend’s side, “I can’t believe you and Justin planned all of this!”

“Rae helped too,” Virginia supplied, grinning, “But anyway, I got a present for you girl.”

“Do I have to open it now?”

“You wanna wait until after dinner?” Virginia prompted.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me,” Piper agreed, dragging her friend back towards her family.

She barely got a word out, however, before Justin whisked her away to introduce her to those she didn’t know. The names and faces flew past her, and she wondered how Justin kept them all straight. She did remember meeting the other three members of Nsync, Lance, Chris, and Joey, and also Justin’s best friend Trace. But other than that, she hadn’t a clue to any of the names Justin had rattled off.

Soon after all the introductions were made, a DJ began to play music as the guests took their seats at tables situated at the edge of the dancing floor. The waiters immediately began to take the orders as the guests chatted excitedly amongst themselves.

“You’re an ass, you know that?” Piper leaned over and whispered in Justin’s ear when she was sure no one was listening.

“Yeah, I know. But you’re gonna love me forever, right?” he pleaded, sticking his lip out at her. She laughed.

“Of course I will, silly,” she stated, tugging on his lip, “This is the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.”

“Well it’s only beginning,” he told her; she glared at him.

“What else do you have planned Mr. Timberlake? A piñata? Or how about some male strippers?” she teased.

“Ha, ha, real funny. I’ve got better taste than that,” he huffed.

“Coulda fooled me,” she retorted. He almost chocked on his glass of wine.

“You know, you’re gonna be in big trouble with me if you don’t shut that mouth,” he stated.

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” she replied, mustering a fake shudder at his expense. He laughed.

“Hey Piper, can I help you open your presents?” Dylan suddenly cut in, tugging on his sister’s sleeve as he pointed to another table, “You’ve got a lot of them.”

“Sure can big man,” she agreed, pulling him in for a hug and ruffling his hair, “And you can help me write all the thank-you notes as well.”

“No way,” he protested, wrinkling his nose at the thought.

“Hey, back off my buddy. He and I are gonna play some MarioKart tomorrow, so he can’t be bothered with you,” Justin butted in. Piper rolled her eyes at him.

“I see how it is. I don’t count,” she sniffled, holding back a laugh at Justin’s stricken face.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he quickly amended. This time, she couldn’t hold back the laughter, which bubbled forth between her lips.

“You brat,” he commented, tickling her side, “You had me worried there for a second.”

“Yes, score another point for me. Saunders 2, Timberlake 0,” Piper commented, grinning cheekily up at him.

“Are you going to kiss her?” Dylan suddenly questioned.

“Dylan!” Piper cried, her cheeks flaming a bright pink.

“It’s okay buddy. Piper’s just one of my bestest friends,” Justin explained, leaning forward to look the youngster in the eye, “You don’t kiss your best friends.”

“Oh, okay,” Dylan replied, shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention to his plate of food that had just arrived.

“I’m starving,” Justin commented as he dug into his food.

And with that, the previous conversation was finished; an unspoken agreement between the two friends. That’s exactly what they were. Friends. And friends definitely didn’t kiss each other.

But as Justin sat there chewing his food, he thought about how close he had actually come to leaning down and uniting their lips. Would she taste as sweet as he imagined? For as unwelcome as the thoughts were, he felt the deep urge to just grab her and lay a big one on her.

He quickly shook the thoughts away, knowing that they were wrong. He and Piper were strictly friends and there was no way he was going to spoil that. Especially not on her birthday.

About an hour later, after Piper had opened the mound of presents, with Justin and Dylan’s help, the guests began to get up and dance to the music. Piper soon found herself alone at her table, sipping a glass of wine her parents had allowed her to have, and gazing around in awe. She was amazed at how wonderful her birthday had turned out.

She had purposely not told Justin when her birthday was because she knew he would do something crazy. But now that she knew what it was, she was glad that Rae had told him. This was the best birthday she could ever remember having.

All of a sudden, the music cut out and everybody stopped dancing. Piper’s head snapped up as she heard a familiar voice come through the speakers. She almost groaned aloud.

“Sorry for the interruption everybody,” Justin began, “But I’ve got one more surprise for the birthday girl. Piper? Come on up here and quit hiding behind that wine glass.” A rumble of laughs emanated through the guests as Piper walked up to the stage where the DJ had set up.

“Yeah, thanks for refraining from embarrassing me,” she teased as she joined him on the stage.

“It’s my job,” he replied amidst more laughter, “Okay, now be a good birthday girl and sit on the stool.”

“Only if you promise not to bite,” she announced as JC set the stool to her right.

“I don’t know if I can promise that. But I trust you’ve had your rabies shot, right?” he retorted. More laughter.

“They’re funny to watch together,” Genevieve whispered to JC.

“I know,” he replied, pulling her close, “It’s so good to see Justin so happy.”

“I agree.”

“…don’t laugh all that much, it’s been awhile since I’ve used these vocal chords of mine,” Justin continued, oblivious to his friends’ conversation, “And with all due respect to Mr. Kadison, but I’ve changed the lyrics a bit.”

You're my peace of mind in this crazy world.
You're everything I've tried to find, your friendship is a pearl.
You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies,
And my only prayer is that you realize
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.

The world will turn and the seasons will change,
And all the lessons we will learn
Will be beautiful and strange.
We'll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs.
My only prayer is that you realize
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.

You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
That you will always grow
Ever more beautiful in my eyes.

When there are lines upon my face
From a lifetime of smiles,
And when the time comes to embrace
For one long last while,
We can laugh about how time really flies.
We won't say goodbye 'cause true friendship never dies.
You'll always be beautiful in my eyes.

You will always be beautiful in my eyes.
And the passing years will show
That you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes.
The passing years will show that you will always grow
Ever more beautiful in my eyes.

Piper felt the tears well up in her eyes as the last chords of the song faded. She didn’t hear any of the clapping from her friends and family; all she could do was stare at Justin in awe.

She had mentioned at one point that Joshua Kadison was one of her favorite artists, but she had no idea that he had actually remembered. Obviously she was wrong, because he had just sang one of her favorite songs. After wiping the tears away, she quickly got up and gave him a hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered, burying her face in his neck.

“You’re welcome,” he responded and grinned at her when she had pulled away, “Now I’m done with surprises.”

“Thank god,” she commented, rolling her eyes, “Now I can actually relax.”

“Very funny,” he stated, pulling her off the stage as the DJ began to spin some more music, “I thought I did very well, thank you very much.”

“You did,” she agreed, smiling, “I must admit, it has been the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Well I’m glad,” he replied.

“Hey, this is one of my favorite songs,” she suddenly commented, cocking her head to the side as the theme song from Dirty Dancing came on, “Wanna dance with me?”

“What is it with women and Dirty Dancing?” Justin demanded.

“Shut-up. It’s a good movie,” she protested, “Now do you or do you not want to dance with me?”

“Of course I do,” he said.

The two of them immediately stepped together and began to dance. Piper knew Justin was a good dancer, but she was surprised when he began to twirl and dip her, like a regular Casanova. She giggled as he over-dramatized the next dip and wiggled his eyebrows at him.

They were so caught up in dancing that Piper almost didn’t notice Andrew walk through the door, a leggy blonde in tow. She felt her face pale. Why had he shown up when Virginia had specifically told him not to?

“Hey beautiful, what’s wrong?” Justin suddenly questioned, immediately noticing when she stiffened in his arms.

“Andrew’s here,” she quietly whispered into his ear. Justin scanned the room until his eyes landed on the newcomer, who seemed to be shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“Asshole,” he grumbled.

“Justin, don’t start anything, please,” Piper pleaded, grabbing a hold of his arm to stop him from rushing towards her ex-boyfriend.

“Fine. But if he tries any funny business, he’s going to have an immediate appointment with my fist,” Justin ground out.

“Violence isn’t the answer to anything,” Piper lectured. Justin sighed.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just don’t like to see you all upset, especially when it’s your birthday,” he explained.

“I know. Thanks for caring so much,” she commented.

“As if I could do otherwise,” he added, grinning at her. She smiled as he pulled her back into his arms as a slow song began to play.

Andrew searched the crowd, looking for Piper’s familiar figure. He was surprised at how many people had shown up, and immediately knew he’d have to try to get Piper by herself so he could talk with her privately. Not that that would be an easy task.

She seemed to be enjoying dancing really close with her new “pal” he observed, scowling. How could she do that to him? had she actually broken up with him to get with this Timberlake guy?

“Oh, that’s Lance Bass!” Becca suddenly gushed, and immediately rushed off. Andrew shrugged his shoulders and began to approach his ex.

“Hi Piper,” he hesitantly greeted, walking up as the couple broke apart.

“Hi Andrew. What are you doing here?” she frostily greeted, Justin standing at the ready behind her.

“I came to wish you happy birthday,” he explained.

“Bullshit,” Piper spat, unaware that the room had gone silent and everybody’s attention was trained on them.

“C’mon Piper, can’t you give me a chance to explain?” Andrew pleaded, oblivious to all the stares he was getting, “You and I have history Pip, you can’t just ignore that. It all happened.”

“Are you forgetting the fact that you’re the one who cheated on me?” Piper demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, “Or did that conveniently slip your mind like my birthday last year?”

“Hey, it’s not like I dumped you for some other girl. You dumped me for this loser,” he angrily replied, pointing to Justin.

“Justin is just my friend,” Piper spat, placing a firm hand on Justin’s arm, “I never cheated on you, especially not multiple times.”

“What?”

“Don’t play stupid with me. Rae and I are best friends now,” Piper stated, “You know, Rae Daniels, one of the girls you cheated on me with? She told me all about your unfaithfulness.”

“Rae Daniels?” Andrew questioned, thinking. Rae came up next to Piper’s side. “Oh, that Rae.”

“Yeah, this Rae you asshole,” Rae practically yelled, “Now I suggest you apologize to Piper and then get your sorry ass out of here.”

“Oh, and make sure you take your bimbo with you as well,” Piper added, eyes flashing with anger.

“I’m not going anywhere!” Andrew cried, “You and I are going to talk and I’m not leaving until that happens.”

“She asked you to leave,” Justin began, stepping forward, “Now I suggest you do it before I make you do it.”

“Are you threatening me?” Andrew said, eyebrows raised in doubt, “You couldn’t take me even if you tried your hardest.” With that, Andrew pulled back and swung in Justin’s direction.

But he didn’t count on the slimmer man’s quickness, and Justin was able to quickly duck out of the way. Rae immediately pulled Piper back as she tried to get between the two men.

“Let them go at it,” she said in her friend’s ear, “You know as well as I that Justin is more capable of Andrew.”

“But violence doesn’t solve anything,” Piper stubbornly argued, trying to pull out of Rae’s embrace.

“Andrew deserves whatever Justin gives him and you know it,” Rae spat.

“I know,” Piper wearily agreed, her fight suddenly gone.

The two men began to throw punches, darting around each other as a crowd formed around them. The other four Nsync members quickly materialized out of nowhere, so Piper knew they’d jump in if Justin needed help. Nevertheless, she nervously watched the two guys go at it.

It was a scoreless battle, as far as punches were concerned, until Justin finally landed one square in Andrew’s left eye. The younger man retaliated with a blow to Justin’s mouth, and the pop star was soon sporting a bleeding lip. Justin got in another three punches until Andrew tackled him to the ground and the two began to wrestle.

At that point, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance jumped in, pulling the two men apart before anymore damage could be done. Both had to be held back as they were still ready to go for a second round.

“Andrew Harwood, what has gotten into you?” Jacob Saunder’s voice boomed over everyone else’s.

“I’m sorry sir,” Andrew stuttered, not looking all that tough with a black eye, bruised lip and mussed clothing.

“You had better stay away from my daughter or I will call the police on you,” Jacob continued, glaring at the young man in disgust, “Now get out of here.”

Andrew didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly grabbed Becca and the two of them fled, leaving behind a room that was awkwardly silent.

“How about some music?” the DJ suddenly announced.

The crowd began to depart, going their separate ways as Piper ran up to Justin, Rae, Virginia and her family not far behind.

“Are you okay?” Piper demanded the second she reached his side. Besides the bleeding lip and rumpled clothing, he didn’t look too much worse for wear.

“I’m fine,” he assured her, pulling her in for a hug, “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“No, I’m glad you took care of him,” Piper whispered, not wanting to let him go, “It’s about time that somebody gave his ego a check.”

“Tell me about it,” Chris agreed, grinning, “He looks better with his tail between his legs anyway.”

“Chris!” Genevieve cried, slapping the older man on the arm.

“Well it’s true.”

“Nobody asked you,” Lance piped up, rolling his eyes.

“Whatever,” Chris mumbled, walking away to go find his date. He was soon followed by Lance, Joey, JC, Genny, Virginia, and Rae.

“Justin, son, I’m not normally one to resort to violence, but let me tell you, well done,” Jacob stated, shaking the pop star’s hand, “I never knew what a jerk Andrew was. Thank you for looking out for my daughter.”

“Not a problem sir,” Justin responded.

“It’s Jacob,” the elder winked, before whisking his wife away to the dance floor.

“Well, now that I’ve got you all to myself, let’s get you cleaned up,” Piper stated, smiling.

“You’re not mad?” he questioned, surprised.

“No. I’m glad that you beat the shit out of him, it saves me the trouble of having to do it myself,” Piper cheekily responded.

“Very funny,” was all Justin managed to get out before Piper dragged him in the direction of the bathroom.

Beautiful In My Eyes - Joshua Kadison
View actual lyrics here

So now we go from one of my favorite parts of this story to one of my least favorite. In fact, I completely despise this part of Justin and Piper’s history, but I can’t exactly leave anything out. This is a true story, not some fictitious cheesy romance novel.

Anyway, Piper’s vacation ended and she flew back for school that Saturday afternoon. We all saw her, Rae and Virginia off at the airport (Piper’s family had left the day before) with heavy hearts. Justin, though, was crestfallen.

Piper was his light and his laughter. She made him forget about the little mundane things that would normally bug him to no end and think instead of the great joy that life brought with each new day. With her gone, Justin seemed to deflate like an old birthday balloon.

As I said, I hate telling this part. But tell it I must, so prepare yourself for some anger and some tears. God knows Justin had a lot of that.

Four Days Later

After the party incident, Andrew was wise enough to leave Piper alone. He knew better than to raise the hackles back up on the man who had wounded his pride in the first place.

So Piper and Justin happily spent time with Rae, Virginia, JC, Genevieve, and Piper’s family. Justin had been nervous the first day after Piper’s party, not exactly knowing how her family would treat him after his violent streak the night before. But he needn’t have worried.

Piper’s family, and especially her younger brother Dylan, loved Justin. And if Justin took a moment to think about it, he realized that Piper’s family distinctly reminded him of his own; loving, caring, open, friendly and very non-judgmental.

So the time flew by and the day Justin had been dreading was finally here. Piper couldn’t delay any longer; she had to fly home in order to make it back for her classes. So with a heavy heart, Justin accompanied her, Rae and Virginia to the airport.

“You better keep in touch, you hear me?” Justin murmured against Piper’s hair as she, Rae, and Virginia prepared to board their flight home.

“As if I would keep you hanging,” she replied, hugging him close and not wanting to let go, “C’mon Justin, I’m not one of your bimbos.”

“Hey, I’m trying to be all sweet here and what do you do? Insult me. Geeze woman!” Justin exclaimed, pouting.

“You need a good insult every now and then since nothing else seems to control you,” Piper said, then grinned, “Except maybe if you fall off your surfboard in front of my entire family.”

“Shut-up,” Justin mumbled, cheeks flaming as he recalled the incident.

“Hey, that’s what you get for trying to be such a show-off,” she responded with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

Justin groaned. It had been about three days ago, the day after Piper’s disastrous party, that they had all gone down to the beach. Justin, being the kind of guy was, felt the need to impress everybody there, and especially Piper. He had failed miserably by wiping out in a small wave, one that Piper had conquered even though it was her first time surfing.

Everybody had had a good laugh at his expense, but Justin was mollified. His pride had been badly wounded and if JC hadn’t wiped out on the next wave, he probably wouldn’t have had the courage to go back out there.

“So you better call me the instant you hear anything about the scholarship, okay?” he demanded.

“Well duh,” she responded, grinning.

“Oh, and make sure you call me when you land. I want to know that you go home okay,” he added.

“Okay,” she agreed, grin widening.

“And you also let me know if you’ve got any problems with Andrew. I don’t have a problem flying across the country just to beat his ass for you,” Justin stated, grimacing, “You don’t need to take any of his crap so you better not think any different.”

By that time, Piper was laughing. His over-protectiveness, though somewhat annoying, was actually really sweet.

“That’s going to be one expensive phone bill,” she teased, poking him in the stomach. Justin rolled his eyes.

“It’s not funny,” he stated, quickly picking her up and spinning her around, “Now beg for mercy or I won’t put you down!”

“Okay, okay, I give up. You win. Now put me down before I throw up that wonderful lunch that Genevieve made,” Piper squealed, laughing as she clung to him for support, “Or worse, somebody recognizes you.”

Justin set Piper down so fast she was surprised she didn’t land on her butt. But Justin didn’t even seem to notice. He was too busy pulling his baseball cap lower and searching for any possible fans that would attack him. Piper laughed.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” he demanded, pulling her hair out of its holder.

“Justin! I can’t believe you messed with the hair,” Piper exclaimed, horrified as she tried to grab the ponytail holder out of his raised hand. She jumped as high as she could, but her 5’2 frame did nothing for the cause. She didn’t even come close to touching it.

“Now you’re starting to sound like me,” Justin stated.

“Yeah, well at least I don’t treat my hair like it’s a living, breathing thing,” Piper dryly replied, giving up trying to get the holder back by force, “Now will you give me that ponytail holder back?”

“Nope. Not till I get a big ole kiss on my sexy cheek,” Justin responded, grinning. Piper rolled her eyes as she stepped forward.

“This is going to do bad things for your ego,” she grumbled.

“Hey, did I say you could insult me?” Justin demand, suddenly raising the ponytail holder again.

“Justin,” Piper whined, sticking her lip out at him, “You’re not being nice.”

“I’m a boy. I’m supposed to pick on you,” he reasoned.

“Well somebody definitely didn’t graduate from the third grade,” Piper teased; Justin’s mouth dropped open in shock, “Now give that to me before you catch my cooties off of it.”

With a laugh and a shake of his head, Justin lowered his arm and reluctantly handed Piper the elastic band. It was so much fun to tease her, because it was almost certain that she’d tease him right back. It was one of the things he liked most about her.

“Hey, can I braid your hair?” Justin suddenly questioned. Piper gave him a weird look. “I’ve got female cousins who’ve been teaching me to braid hair almost as long as I’ve known how to play the guitar, so you have every reason to trust me.”

“Alright. If you insist,” Piper hesitantly agreed, wondering if she was being wise, “But don’t think you won’t be in trouble if you give me a fro to match yours.”

“This is not a fro,” Justin protested, smoothing his hand over his unruly curls, “I got rid of the fro a couple years ago.”

“You mean to tell me your hair was bigger than that at one point?” she demanded, pointing to his hair, “Geeze pop star, what were you thinking?”

“I blame my stylist,” he stated.

“You would,” Piper retorted, rolling her eyes.

“Shut up and turn around already, before I make you,” he threatened, restraining the grin that was threatening to grace his lips.

“Fine,” Piper huffed, “But be gentle, I have very sensitive scalp.”

“Yes your highness.” Piper socked him lightly in the stomach before turning around and submitting to his hands.

A few seats over, Virginia, Rae, Genevieve, and JC sat watching the pair. They exchanged knowing glances when Justin pretended to tangle Piper’s hair in knots.

“They’re adorable together,” Rae commented, finally voicing what they all had been thinking for awhile.

“I honestly think Justin has met his match,” Genevieve added, sinking back into the warmth of her boyfriend’s arms, “I just hope that he’s still this happy once Piper’s gone.”

“What’s wrong with Justin?” Rae questioned, confused.

“He and his ex had some major issues that didn’t exactly sit well with him. To be honest, Justin has been depressed for awhile now, but the second he and Piper became friends, the depression all but disappeared,” JC explained.

“Oh that’s right, the whole Cameron thing,” Virginia commented.

“Yeah. Those two have a nasty history,” Genevieve added, frowning, “And I always thought Cameron was a sweet girl.”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” JC ground out, not all that anxious to discuss this particular subject with a bunch of girls. Not when he didn’t even know all that had transpired between Justin and his ex.

“All I know is that Justin is good for Piper, especially where Andrew is concerned,” Virginia stated, sensing the topic needed to be changed, “I have never seen her open up to a guy this fast before.”

“Then again, Piper’s never met a guy like Justin,” Rae commented, looking over to watch Justin whisper something funny in Piper’s ear.

“All I’m saying is they better keep in touch,” JC said, rubbing his girlfriend’s back as he spoke, “I definitely don’t want Justin to slip back into depression again. It is definitely not a pretty thing to go through.”

“No doubt about that,” Rae agreed.

The subject was soon changed and the four of them left Justin and Piper alone to amuse themselves. Although with the two of them, it wasn’t hard.

“There, all set,” Justin announced as he finished putting the elastic band on the finished braid, “What do you think?”

“See as though I can’t exactly see the back of my head, I’ll have to trust your judgment,” Piper sarcastically responded.

“Aren’t you gonna feel it?” Justin whined, proud of himself.

“You want me to feel myself up?” Piper teased. Justin scowled, not finding the joke all that funny.

“Just touch your damn hair woman,” he said, “I did a good job.”

“Oh, so you want me to boost that ego of yours a little more, do ya?” Piper responded, grinning.

“Piper!” Justin cried, exasperated.

He quickly picked up one of Piper’s hands and ran it over her hair. She was surprised to feel how neat and tidy the French braid was. Wait, French braid? Justin knew how to french braid.

“It’s a French braid,” she said in wonder.

“I told you I learned a long time ago how to braid hair,” Justin proudly stated, grinning, “My female cousins saw to that very well.”

“I would say so,” Piper agreed, then frowned, “Now don’t let the fact that you can french braid a girl’s hair go to your head.”

“I don’t think I’ll be shouting that to the world anytime soon,” he quipped, “It’s not exactly something I share with every reporter and fan out there.”

“Aww, but they would all find it so cute,” she teased.

“Yeah, cute is the last thing I need to be labeled as. I’ve already got gay and faggot thank you very much,” he spouted.

“Seriously?” she questioned, surprised.

“Yeah, being smooth and having the voice of a god makes people jealous, so they have to stoop to childish name-calling,” he responded.

“Jerk. Too bad those names don’t do a thing to your ego.”

“Hey, I need this ego to survive,” he protested.

“Yeah, it’s the thing that keeps you going day in and day out, right?” she prompted, giggling at his shocked expression.

“You know what woman, has anybody ever told you that you need a good dose of soap in that naughty mouth of yours?” he demanded as he slouched into the seat next to the one she had taken.

“No, of course not. Now why on earth would you suggest that?” she asked, pretending to look shocked.

“Maybe cause that tongue of yours keeps wounding me right here,” he replied, pointing his hand to his heart.

“Aww, does the baby need a kiss?” she teased, leaning over to lay her head on his shoulder.

“Of course I do,” he stated, turning his chest toward her and knocking her head off his shoulder in the process.

“Justin, I’m not going to kiss your man boobs,” Piper protested, gaily laughing at his stricken expression.

“Attention all passengers, we are now boarding American Airlines flight 116 nonstop to Detroit Metro. Passengers in rows 18 and higher may now board,” the airline announcer suddenly stated over the loudspeaker.

Justin almost groaned aloud. That was Piper’s flight, which meant, in the next couple minutes, she’d be leaving him to go home. Home across almost the entire country.

“That’s us,” Virginia announced as she bounced up.

“No, we’re in row 15, so not yet,” Rae commented, rolling her eyes at her friend’s simple mistake.

“Shut-up, it’s not like me flying on a plane is a natural everyday occurrence,” Virginia said, sticking her tongue out at Rae.

“Now boarding American Airlines flight 116 nonstop to Detroit Metro rows fourteen and up,” came the announcement.

“Now that’s us,” Virginia stated in a huff, pretending to be mad.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” Justin whispered in Piper’s ear as he pulled her in for a hug, “Who’s going to pick on me and make sure that my ego doesn’t get bigger than my head?”

“I’ll call you on the phone to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Piper assured him, not really in the mood to joke anymore, “Besides, as you said before, I’m just a plane ride away.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I want you to go,” he whined, not wanting to let go of her, “Now I won’t be able to just walk down the beach and find you lying on a towel getting a tan.”

“I’m going to miss riding the waves with you,” she said, a sad grin on her face, “Nobody can wipe out in a wave quite like you.”

“Oh hell no,” he agreed, the laughter dying the instant it passed my lips.

“Everything will work out fine, you’ll see,” she optimistically stated, pulling out of his embrace and trying not to let the tears show.

“Hey now, no crying. I just braided your hair and you look beautiful. Wouldn’t want to ruin it all by making your eyes all red and puffy,” he commented. She laughed.

“You’re right,” she agreed, then gave him one last hug before turning to say goodbye to JC and Genevieve.

“We’ll miss you girly,” Genevieve stated, hugging the younger woman with all her might, “Don’t you hesitate to call any of us if you need anything. And I mean anything.”

“Thanks Genny,” Piper whispered, her eyes welling up again.

“Don’t let any of the boys push you around,” JC added, specifically not mentioning any names, “Just like Justin, I’m a plane ride away.”

“Thanks Jace, I appreciate it,” Piper stated, giving him a hug.

Giving Justin one last fierce hug, Piper quickly walked towards the gate before she lost it entirely. She was strong. She wasn’t one who was prone to hysteric fits of crying. But for some reason, she felt like she was leaving part of her heart here.

“Piper Saunders!” Justin suddenly yelled. She quickly turned to look back over her shoulder at him. “This isn’t goodbye, you can count on that.”

“You bet I will,” she got out, her voice wobbly.

With a last wave, she followed Virginia and Rae down the tunnel, her emotions a jumble. She had never been this emotional about somebody before, so she couldn’t exactly understand why she was starting now.

Back in the waiting area, Justin had his face glued to the windows that overlooked Piper’s plane. He watched as it taxied down the runway and took off towards the east, taking the root of his laughter with it.

“Until we meet again,” he softly whispered as the plane flew out of sight.

You think that’s bad? Well things definitely get a whole lot worse before they even remotely begin to get better. Trust me.

Justin and Piper were separated by thousands of miles. All the phone calls, emails, and letter didn’t make up for the lost time and both were definitely feeling it all too keenly in their hearts. Of course, JC, Virginia, Rae and I experienced it firsthand since we were around the two on a daily basis. I’ll just be blunt and say that it was not pretty.

I guess Piper was struggling along with her classes, but Justin? Oh it hurts me to tell you that Justin actually began to go back to his old ways. It started first with the depression, which only got worse as the days passed. Then he started drinking and staying out until all hours of the night again. But the shit definitely hit the fan the moment Cameron stepped back into his life.

Three weeks later

Justin drunkenly stumbled through the crowded club back in Hollywood, oblivious to the stares he was drawing. He was Justin fucking Timberlake; of course they were going to stare. He was Mr. High and Mighty, I Have A Perfect Life. Justin snorted at the thought.

His life was anything from perfect, had been so from the moment Piper had gotten on that plane and flown out of his life. That had been three weeks ago, and now he was back to his old tricks. He felt sorry for Genevieve and the other four guys, but he felt he couldn’t help himself.

He needed the alcohol to drown out the loneliness and despair that kept him awake until ungodly hours of the night. Yeah, instead of facing that problem head on, he had decided to take the coward’s way out and drink himself to oblivion.

It wasn’t like he and Piper had lost touch. Oh no, nothing like that. They talked on the phone at least once a day and sent numerous emails and letters, but to Justin, it just wasn’t the same. Without Piper, he was lost. Not that he ever let on to her. No, she had no clue, and he planned on keeping it that way.

“Hey sexy, wanna dance?” a voice suddenly questioned near his ear.

Justin turned around, as quickly as he could without making his head spin, to look at the woman. She was blonde and beautiful and oddly reminded him of someone he knew. But at the moment, he couldn’t quite recall a name to put to the face.

So he just shrugged his shoulders and began to grind with her, pressing close so that he could feel the heat rise from her thin yet curvaceous body. He thought he was being a bit to forward with this stranger, but she didn’t say anything, just threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

“You’re ah guhd dancer,” he slurred, unaware that he was leering at her like a drunken fool.

“Why thank you,” she softly replied, smiling sexily up at him and batting her lashes with a come hither look.

“And damn sexhay,” he added, pulling her towards the door, “Wanna git outta here?”

“Sure, let’s go to my place,” she agreed, latching onto him so as not to lose him and providing him, unbeknownst to her, the support he needed to get out the door.

The stranger hailed a taxi, and as soon as they got in, Justin began to make out with her. He kissed her, running his hands up and down her long legs as he dreamily thought of Piper’s legs. He was too drunk to realize that he was breaking past the friend barrier with the one girl he considered his best friend.

All he cared about, at that moment, was getting some. Maybe it would make him feel better. The stranger was damn sexy; he knew that by sight and touch, even if everything was a little fuzzy. His main goal, and all-consuming desire, was to get her in bed as fast as he could.

They arrived at the ritzy apartment building and Justin nuzzled her neck and played with her ass as they rode alone in the elevator up to her room. Never once did she try to pull away, but rather, giggled like a schoolgirl when his left hand captured one of her breasts.

“You sure are in a hurry,” she breathlessly stated.

“You turn me on woman,” he loudly replied, swaying on his feet.

“Well that’s good news,” she teased, knowing full well that whatever she said would go straight over his head; he had consumed a very unhealthy amount of alcohol that night, “We’ll be at my room in a minute.”

“Goodie!” he said in a little boy voice.

The elevator doors opened and Justin stumbled out, with help from his beautiful stranger. He clutched the wall as they walked along and leaned against it when they got to her door and she brought her key out to unlock it. Justin grabbed her and they tumbled into the room before she even had a chance to turn the lights on.

The woman quickly kicked the door shut with her foot as Justin kissed her and dragged her in the direction of the bedroom. They finally got there, after running into practically everything else in the room, and toppled together on the bed. They kissed, exploring each other’s mouths until Justin suddenly went still, quiet snores confirming the fact that he was asleep.

Sadly, the young blonde pulled away and gazed at Justin’s sleeping form. And promptly burst into tears.

Justin rolled over the next morning, with an aching head and a grouchy disposition. What on earth had he done last night? And where the hell was he?

He groaned as a shaft of sun hit his eyes and he flopped back over to burying himself beneath the covers. He wanted to go back to sleep, but the second he came in contact with a very warm, very female body, he sat up with a start. And realized that he was completely naked.

“What the fuck?” he swore aloud, then grabbed his head as the pain hit full force. His bed occupant merely mumbled in her sleep and pulled the cover up over her naked…

She was naked too? Good god, what the hell had he done last night? He sure had drunk enough, that was confirmed by the fact that he had no idea where he was, had a completely naked woman next to him, and no recollection of what had happened between them.

Hopefully she wasn’t some psycho fan that had been thrilled that he had paid attention to her. Though it’d be worse if he had proclaimed his undying love and the young woman was naive and actually believed him. Damn, where was his common sense when he needed it?

With a groan, Justin threw himself back down on the pillows, fully intending on getting a few more hours of sleep before he had to face the truth. Maybe by that time, his migraine would be gone. Things always looked better without a migraine.

“Justin? Are you up?” a very familiar voice suddenly questioned. Suddenly, Justin had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew exactly who lay next to him.

“Cameron?” he practically whispered, praying to god that he was wrong.

“Hey sexy, how are doing this morning?” the woman said as she turned in the bed to face him.

Justin panicked. He had slept with Cameron. The one woman who he wanted nothing to do with ever again. He fucking had sex with her, the one human being who had tried to trap him with her lies. God, how much had he had last night so that he didn’t recognize his own ex-girlfriend?

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re not happy?” she softly questioned, holding the sheet to her naked body.

“Because I’m fucking not,” he ground out, “God Cameron, we’re not a couple, not friends, hell, we’re not even talking to each other anymore. And now we end up sleeping together. How much more fucked up could this get?”

“I dunno,” she agreed, chewing on her lip in embarrassment. An idea suddenly popped up in Justin’s mind.

“Cam, did we, uh, did we use a condom?” he stuttered out. Cameron’s eyes widened as she realized they had not bothered with that fact. Justin thought he was going to hit her.

But he fought the violent urges and instead hopped out of bed in search of his clothing. He found it scattered about the room and quickly shrugged into it. He didn’t care that he smelled like an old shoe, or the fact that Cameron was on the verge of tears; he just wanted out of there.

“You let me know if anything comes of this the moment you find out,” he coldly instructed her, “You know exactly where to find me.”

With that, he stormed out of the room, not caring in the least who saw him coming out of his ex’s apartment. He was too furious with himself, furious with Cameron, and furious with the compromising situation that he knew he needed to go somewhere.

His thoughts landed on Piper. She would know what to do. She could provide him with some comfort and take his mind off this big mistake. And she had mentioned more than once that he was welcome to come crash on her couch if he wanted to.

He figured he’d take her up on that the second he got the news from Cameron. Whether he was going to be a dad or whether the whole thing just ended up becoming a bad memory, he needed Piper. She was his lifeline; the only person who wouldn’t judge him for his sins.

Justin quickly hailed a cab and was soon on his way back to his house, lost in thought. Up on her balcony, Cameron watched the car pull away, tears welling in her eyes. She hated to deceive Justin, but she didn’t really have any choice in the matter.

She wasn’t going to go back to that situation no matter what. She’d had enough of arguments and physical violence to last her the rest of her life. That’s why she had turned to Justin.

He wasn’t a violent person. He wouldn’t raise his hand to hit her, no matter how angry he got. No, she could trust him to do the honorable thing.

Cameron didn’t love him. Oh, she had at one point, but the feelings had quickly diminished once she had fully learned of their differences. Justin was more like a little brother.

A little brother that she was going to trap into marrying her. With a sob, Cameron threw herself back onto the bed and burrowed under the covers, willing the world to just disappear.

East Lansing, Michigan – Three Days Later

“Okay class, that’s all for today, make sure to study for your exam on Wednesday,” Professor Armstrong Brady concluded as the clock turned to five o’clock, “I need to talk to all the Tisch applicants up at my desk.”

Piper felt butterflies immediately take up residence in her stomach and was slightly relieved when Rae grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. Piper was so glad that the two of them were in this thing together. She’d have a mental breakdown otherwise.

They had all sent in their portfolios a week ago, so it seemed somewhat too soon that the winners of the scholarship would already have been chosen. But then again, Piper had no idea how they worked over at Tisch.

“Alright, I’m sure by now you’re all ready to puke,” Brady began as all fourteen applicants stood nervously in front of him, “I got a call from Tisch yesterday morning. They have selected which three of you will receive the full scholarship and sent out letters yesterday. You all should receive a letter today, telling you whether or not you have received one of the three scholarships.”

Piper felt the blood drain from her face. They had already sent out letters? She wasn’t even close to composing herself for opening that goddamn letter. She felt like she was going to puke.

“I want to say good luck to all of you,” Brady concluded, “And the three of you that do receive the scholarships need to meet with me tomorrow night in my office. I trust you all know where that is?”

“Sure,” one student squeaked out. They all laughed.

They all laughed – a high pitched sound that betrayed each person’s frayed nerves. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Rae squeezed Piper’s hand just a little bit tighter.

“That’s all I have for now,” Brady stated.

All fourteen of them turned to go, a quiet bunch to any observer. And who could blame them? Their future was going to be decided in one measly letter that, at that moment, resided in their mailboxes.

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” Rae faintly murmured as she and Piper walked out of the building.

“Don’t say that,” Piper pleaded, white as a sheet, “You’re the one that’s supposed to be strong here. Where are the sarcastic jokes?”

“I don’t see you coming up with any,” Rae replied, unlocking her bike.

“Yeah, I don’t feel so good right now,” Piper explained, chewing on her lip, “I’m so damn nervous it’s not even funny.”

“No shit. There’s nothing funny about the situation,” Rae said. Mutely, Piper nodded her head.

The two of them quickly rode their bikes back to their dorms, parting ways once they got to the different buildings in South Complex. Piper was in Wonders dorm while Rae lived in Case, the dorm right across from Wonders. The two girls said a hurried goodbye, and promising to call each other the second they knew, parted ways.

Piper hurriedly locked up her bikes at the rack and practically ran into the hall, earning some weird looks as she went. But she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that letter.

Pulling her key out, she opened the mailbox, only to be disappointed that it was empty. Her ever-responsible roommate Virginia must have gotten the mail hours ago, after her last class. With her heart pumping even faster, Piper quickly ran up the two flights to the third floor and ran to her room.

She tried the knob, relieved to find it open and Virginia sitting at her desk, doing some homework. Virginia looked up the minute Piper walked in, and taking one look at her friend and roommate, burst into a fit of laughter. Piper glared at her.

“Where is it?” she demanded, throwing her book bag on their couch.

“If you’re referring to that all-important letter from that hoity toity school in NYC, it’s sitting on your desk as we speak,” Virginia stated, grinning, “Damn Pip, you look like you just ran the mile in three minutes.”

“Just about,” Piper absently replied as she practically pounced on the letter with Tisch’s logo in the upper left corner, “This is it.”

“This is what?” Virginia questioned, confused.

“This is the moment I find out whether or not I got one of those scholarships,” Piper whispered, taking a deep gulp of air to try and steady her nerves.

“Woah, slow down hon. You better sit down before you have a heart attack and never find out if you got in,” Virginia soothed, getting up to lead her friend to the couch, “There, much better. Now you can open it.”

“Thanks for your permission,” Piper retorted, some of her color returning.

Without another word, she tore open the envelope and slowly began to read through it. When she finally got to the part that said, “we would like to congratulate you on being selected to receive one of the three scholarships being offered…” she was numb. Were they serious?

Screaming, she jumped to her feet and began to dance around the room. Virginia sat there in shock.

“I got in!” Piper screeched, “Oh my fucking god!”

“That’s awesome!” Virginia exclaimed, jumping up to envelope her friend in a hug, “I can’t believe it. And you were saying you weren’t talented. Retard!”

“Shut-up!” Piper yelled, still bouncing around, “Oh, I’ve got to call Rae. I hope to god she got in as well.”

But Piper never got that far. Rae showed up at their door, tears streaming down her face. Piper felt her heart drop; it was obvious Rae hadn’t gotten in. Why else would she be crying?

“Rae?” Piper hesitantly questioned.

“I got in!” Rae yelled, sobbing, “I fucking got into the best damn photography school on this mother fucking earth!” Rae hardly ever swore.

“Me too!” Piper responded, and the two girls hugged. Virginia joined them a few seconds later, and the three of them jumped around like idiots. Eventually, Virginia got around to putting some music on and the three of them began to dance like they would in a club.

“Uh, I can hardly breath,” Piper said a half hour later as she sat down to catch her breath, “Oh god, I’ve got to call Justin!”

Piper quickly got up and grabbed her cell phone, eagerly anticipating his joy. But she was very disappointed when all she got was his voicemail. She left him a message and then proceeded to call her family, who were shocked with the news. Finally, she put a call through to JC and Genevieve, and after their heartfelt congratulations, they divulged that Justin had been gone the past three days and they didn’t know where to find him.

Piper quickly murmured and excuse and got off the phone, worried. Where on earth would Justin disappear to? And why? Was something wrong with him? why hadn’t he called her?

“What’s wrong?” Rae questioned the minute she saw her friend’s face.

“Justin’s been missing for the past three days,” Piper whispered.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Virginia assured Piper, “He’s probably out climbing a mountain or jet skiing on some remote island.”

“You’re probably right,” Piper agreed.

But the nagging thoughts that something was wrong never went away, and with a heavy, worried heart, Piper fell into a troubled sleep. She dreamed of Justin, dreamed that he was in trouble and that she had no way of helping him.

Thus it was with a small cry that Piper jolted out of sleep a few hours later. Her clock distinctly read 2:12 am and she groaned as she tried to bury back into her covers. She had an 8am class in the morning and she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes open if she didn’t get back to sleep.

But a sudden flash of lighting and roll of thunder immediately caught her attention. Making sure to be quiet, Piper crept down the ladder of their wooden loft and pulled up a chair to the window as she raised the blinds. She loved watching storms, had loved them ever since she was a little kid. They helped calm her.

That’s precisely what she needed right now. A little bit of relaxation before she tumbled back up that ladder and tried for a few more hours of sleep.

About twenty minutes later, as she got up to go back to bed, a flash of lightening illuminated a figure standing directly below her window. Piper wanted to scream. But she didn’t because she immediately recognized the figure, despite the raging storm. It was Justin.

With her heart thumping loudly in her chest, Piper threw on a dark blue t-shirt over her tank top and shoved her feet into a pair of clogs, not bothering to adjust her wrinkled sweat pants. She grabbed her keys and student ID and quickly ran out of the room.

Without noticing her surroundings, she ran into the pouring rain, her heart in her throat. What had happened that caused Justin to seek her out in the middle of the night during a spring thunderstorm? She honestly didn’t think she wanted to know.

“Justin!” she screamed as she approached.

He turned at the sound of her voice and she almost cried as she saw the panicked look in his eyes. She flew to him, hugging his wet and shivering body close. He clung to her.

“Piper, sa…save me,” he heartbrokenly whispered, “Make this bad dream go away.”

“Justin, you need to tell me what’s wrong,” she insisted, pulling away to stare him in the eye, “What’s going on? It’s two in the morning Jus, now tell me what happened.”

“She did it,” he ranted, beginning to sob, “She cau..caught me. I have no way out. B…but I can’t do this. I just can’t.”

“What are you talking about?” she demanded, oblivious to the rain soaking through her t-shirt.

“Cameron.”

“What about Cameron?” Piper coaxed, inhaling sharply at the name.

“She’s p..p..pregnant,” he stuttered, his eyes dead, “Congratulate me now, I’m going to be a daddy. I little baby created out of drunken stupor.”

Piper thought she was going to faint. Had she actually heard him correctly? What had happened to the Justin she talked with on the phone? When had he started drinking again? But she wasn’t one to judge. He was one of her best friends, and best friends didn’t do that to each other.

“Oh Justin!” she finally cried, hugging him close as he broke down and sobbed.

“Please hold me,” he begged.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured him and immediately pulled him closer, trying to shield him from the inevitable heartbreak.

And so the two of them stood there, completely oblivious to the rain soaking them to the bone. Piper gently stroked the hair on Justin’s nape, muttering soothing, incomprehensible words in his ear. The lightening flashed, illuminating their surroundings, and a large clap of thunder rolled, but they stood close, protector and protected.

I’m not really going to comment. I know, I know. You want to know what the hell is going on. She didn’t have sex with him, right?

Well I can’t exactly tell you that right now. JC keeps telling me that I need to tell everything in chronological order, and I must say, he’s absolutely right (which rarely ever happens by the way). As much as I’d like to spill everything right now, JC keeps looking over my shoulder as if to make sure I’m doing this right. Men.

As I said before, I can’t exactly ruin the whole thing for you now. Especially not after we’ve gotten this far together. This is Piper and Justin’s life, so I can’t precisely go back and change the mundane details with the delete key on the computer. It all happened.

Anyway, I’m rambling again. Let’s get back to the story because I’m sure you’re all dying to know what happened next. Told you I could keep you on the edge of your seats.

Virginia yawned and lazily stretched as she prepared to get out of bed for her 11:10 class. God, she loved sleeping in, and Tuesdays were the few days she actually got that luxury. So she milked it for all she could.

Still half-asleep, Virginia tumbled out of bed and down the ladder, another yawn escaping her lips. It quickly died, however, when she turned around and she caught sight of Justin and Piper, asleep on the pull-out futon.

Justin… Justin and Piper… Justin and Piper asleep on the futon… What? Why? How?

Virginia’s brain went into overload trying to assess the situation. Last she had heard, Justin was across the country in California, moping over Piper. Now he was here. Asleep on her pull-out futon. Cuddled up to her best friend.

Oh Virginia really hated to admit it, but she was a generally nosy person. Yet as much as she wanted to know the story behind Justin’s sudden appearance, she took one look at the two of them, oblivious to her presence, and decided to let them sleep on. God knew Piper needed it what with having an 8am class every day but Friday. And Justin looked exhausted.

So Virginia happily grabbed some clean clothes and hopped into the shower, unaware of the grin that wouldn’t stay off her face. She hadn’t failed to notice the fact that the two looked extremely cute together…

It was about forty-five minutes later that Piper finally managed to rouse herself from sleep. The clock read 11:00 and she immediately knew Virginia was on her way to class. She grimaced to herself, realizing that she had missed two of the three she had today. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d miss the third one as well.

With a yawn, she looked down, smiling when she saw that Justin was still asleep, his head resting on her stomach as he clutched her close, his blondish-brown curls an unruly mess. He seemed so much more relaxed, so unburdened, that she really hated to wake him up. But they couldn’t stay in bed forever.

Last night had been nothing short of crazy. After Piper had finally managed to calm Justin down, they had grabbed his duffel bag from his car and hurried back up to her room. With a new set of dry clothes, Piper had wanted to plunge into the heart of the problem right away. But Justin had been drained, physically and mentally, and she had quickly noticed that and decided not to press her luck.

So instead, Piper had sat there, holding Justin and providing him with the comfort he had desperately been seeking. They hadn’t really said much, but Piper knew that he felt safe in her arms and enjoyed the simple pleasure of protection if only for a short while. She undeniably hadn’t planned on spending the night on the couch with Justin, but things had obviously not worked out in her favor where that was concerned. Not that she really minded. Justin was quite a cuddly person and it had been awhile since she had been lavished with so much attention, albeit from a sleeping man.

Piper stretched her arms above her head as she tried to run a hand through the tangle her hair had become. It was definitely time to get up; especially since they were bound to get a lecture the second Virginia got back. Piper knew she’d have to be ready for that. She loved her roommate to death, but there were times she wished Virginia would shut her trap and keep her nose to herself. Not that her intentions weren’t anything but harmless.

“Justin,” Piper softly whispered, shoving the thoughts away as she tried to wiggle free of the pop star’s embrace. He only pulled her closer.

“Not yet,” he mumbled, tickling the small portion of her stomach that lay bare to his stubbly face. She giggled at the invasion.

“Come on Jus, it’s time to get up,” she said a little louder, poking him in the side as she did so.

“No,” he whined, “Don’t wanna get up.”

“Sorry pop star, but I’ve got class. You already made me miss two, but I’m not missing the third. Not when I’ve got a quiz to take,” she stated, still unable to remove herself from the circle of his arms.

“Who cares,” he mumbled, grinning against her stomach.

“You ass!” she cried, smacking him, “You’ve been up this entire time.”

“So?” he challenged, still not moving from his very comfortable position, “Doesn’t mean that I want to get up.”

“Well I hate to break it to ya, but you gotta,” she replied.

“How many points is your quiz worth?”

“Ten…?”

“And what grade to you have in the class right now?” he lazily drawled, his southern accent a little stronger due to sleep.

“A 4.0, but that’s beside the point,” she argued, not feeling like she was getting her point across due to the fact that she was half-covered by his very muscular, very sexy, very…

Holy shit, no. No, her mind did not just dip into the naughty gutter. No, she would not think those thoughts about Justin, despite the fact that he was naked from the waist up and was looking mighty appealing… Damn, no! Not going there sister. Not on your life.

“C’mon Pip, you know you wanna spend the entire day with me,” he whined, pouting at her, “Who knows when I’ll have nazi JC out here to drag me back home.” Piper sighed.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” she finally managed.

“This had better be good, or else I’m kidnapping you for the rest of the week,” he threatened, grinning up at her as he finally began to move.

“Of course it’s good, what do you take me for? Virginia?” Piper teased. Justin pretended to shudder at the thought.

“No, of course not,” he retorted.

“How about I go take my quiz and then we can do whatever the hell you want after that?” she suggested.

“You promise?” he prompted, hugging her close.

“I promise,” she practically choked out as she tried to ignore the heat shooting through her body at Justin’s nearness.

“Okay,” he agreed as he jumped up, unaware of her sudden discomfort.

“So I take it the whole rumor that you’re grouchy before you have your cereal is entirely false, right?” she wryly questioned as he bounced around the room, a surprising bundle of energy.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that magazines print a bunch of crap,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders, “So do you have a towel I can borrow? Cause I’m pretty sure I don’t smell too pretty right now.” Piper laughed.

“As long as your manly aura can handle using a purple towel, then I think you can borrow one,” she stated, stretching as she stood up.

“Just don’t tell the guys,” Justin replied, grinning as he bopped his head along to an imaginary beat that only he seemed to be able to hear.

“You’re weird, you know that?” she questioned, walking over and grabbing one of her towels. She threw it at him, which he promptly caught.

“I know, but you still love me, right?” he questioned, pouting.

“Of course silly. You’re one of my bestest friends,” she explained, smiling up at him.

“Yay!” he exclaimed, just like a little kid.

With that, Piper quickly showed Justin where everything was and promptly left him alone in the bathroom. She needed to put a little bit of space between them to calm her pounding heart. What was happening to her?

She was starting to think that she was attracted to Justin. She couldn’t be. He was starting to become one of her best friends and there was no way that she was going to jeopardize that in any way. Hell would freeze over before she put the moves on Justin Timberlake.

“I don’t wanna be anything other than what I been trying to be lately…” Justin suddenly belted out, startling Piper from her thoughts.

She promptly burst into a fit of giggles as he purposely sang off-key and forgot the words. Thank god her two suitemates were gone to class or else she might be getting in some serious trouble (the two were Nsync fanatics). As it was, Piper wasn’t too sure how she was going to get around campus without somebody recognizing Justin.

It wasn’t a normal occurrence to see Justin Timberlake roaming across Michigan State campus on a weekend, much less a regular school day in the middle of April. They’d have to do something about it, because there was no way in hell she was capable of fighting off a bunch of college girls who insisted on acting like teenies. And there was no way she wanted to do that anyway.

With a sigh, Piper pulled out her binder and began to look through her notes for class as she waited for Justin to finish with the shower. She’d worry about the upcoming quiz before she worried about Justin getting mobbed. Besides, as long as Justin didn’t do anything extremely outrageous, they’d probably be fine.

Justin ran a hand through his damp curls as he stuck his head out the bathroom door ten minutes later in search of Piper. He found her curled up in her desk chair, her attention solely on the material in front of her. A tangled wisp of hair suddenly fell across her cheek and Justin felt a small tingly feeling near his heart.

But he quickly shook it away as he grabbed his discarded boxers and sweatpants from the floor and emerged from the bathroom. He cleared his throat to get Piper’s attention, and the minute she looked up, her eyes widened. He almost grinned. For some reason, it made him feel good to know that he could affect Piper in a sexual way.

Not that he should be thinking those thoughts. Piper had provided him a place to stay for the night and a protecting shoulder without asking any questions. Hitting on her would definitely not be the best way to thank her. No, definitely not indeed.

“I’m done with the shower,” he finally voiced as she set the binder down and extricated herself from the chair. She quickly glanced at the clock before walking over to him.

“Alright, my class is at 12:20, so let me grab a quick shower, I’ll go take my quiz, and then I can show you around campus and we can get something to eat. Sound good?” she stated as she rummaged around in her drawers for a clean pair of clothes.

“Fine with me,” he agreed.

“Alright, now don’t go getting into any trouble while I’m in the shower, you hear me?” she prodded, poking him in the chest.

“Aww, does that mean I can’t walk down your hallway in just my towel?” he questioned, pouting.

“Holy shit, no. Do you want to get yourself killed?” she demanded, rolling her eyes.

“Would you rescue me?” he sweetly asked.

“Of course I would,” she snapped, “Well, not that I’d really be any help. I’m not exactly in the position to be saving your life; I’m too short.”

“No you’re not, I think you’re perfect just the way you are,” he sincerely told her. She blushed from the praise.

“Thanks,” she replied, before darting into the bathroom to hide her flaming face from view.

Chuckling to himself, Justin finished getting dressed and began to clean up the mess they had made of the couch. It was only fair that he help clean up after all that she had provided him with last night.

As he began to put things back in place, his attention was caught by a letter lying haphazardly on Piper’s desk. Curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up. His mouth fell open as he read the contents.

“Piper!” he yelled, barging into the bathroom.

“Justin, you better not be in this bathroom while I’m in the shower!” she yelled back above the din of the running water.

“Yell at me all you want woman, but why the hell didn’t you tell me you got into Tisch?!?” he demanded, ignoring the fact that she was completely naked and the only thing that hid her from view was a measly shower curtain.

“I never got around to it,” she called, “I was too busy taking care of you last night, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” he guiltily replied, “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry, you needed some love last night. I’m one of your best friends, so there is no way I’m going to ignore you in a time of need,” she explained, “Besides, you were starting to scare me last night. The last thing I needed to bring up was something good that happened to me. It would have made you feel worse.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed, rereading the letter, “So I think we need to celebrate. How about dinner tonight, completely on me?”

“Justin…”

“No buts, you’re going,” he told her, “It’s the least I can do to make up for what I did last night. Besides, it’s not everyday that you get a scholarship to the school you’ve always wanted to go to.”

“If I say yes, will you get out of the bathroom?” she questioned.

Justin finally realized exactly where he was and began to turn a very unbecoming shade of red. Muttering an excuse, he hastily retreated from the bathroom and shut the door after him. In the shower, Piper laughed to herself.

Life was definitely more interesting with Justin Timberlake around; there was no doubt about that. She was a little scared to see what the rest of the day would bring. But as long as she could keep him happy and keep his mind off the whole Cameron issue (which she had yet to fully learn about), then she’d be okay with him being around.

With a roll of her eyes, Piper proceeded with her shower, her thoughts turning towards the quiz that she’d be taking in less than an hour.

“So this is Grand River,” Piper said about two hours later, “Not exactly much to look at especially compared to all those big cities in California.”

“No, I like it,” Justin told her, his eyes wandering around like a typical tourist. If East Lansing could be called a tourist attraction.

Truth be told, Justin was enjoying pretending to be a typical college student. Nobody seemed to notice that he was Justin Timberlake, world famous pop star and millionaire, which just made his day. It made him feel like he finally had freedom, even if it didn’t last.

“Oh, there’s Steve and Barry’s,” Piper suddenly announced, pointing to a store, “We should get you a Spartan t-shirt or sweatshirt so that you actually fit in.”

“I don’t fit in?” he questioned, glancing down at his nondescript jeans and simple American Eagle t-shirt.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” she giggled, enjoying his puzzled expression, “I shouldn’t have put it in those terms. Would you like to get a t-shirt or sweatshirt from the best damn college in the US?”

“Now you’re being cocky,” he teased as they entered the store.

“Whatever,” she told him, rolling her eyes.

The two of them browed through the merchandise until, about twenty minutes later, Justin had an armful of clothes. Piper couldn’t help but laugh. The man sure could shop.

“Quit laughing and help me pick something out,” he told her as they stood next to a full-length mirror. He immediately held up a t-shirt to his body. Piper made a face.

“That’s not you at all,” she told him, grabbing the gaudy t-shirt out of his hand and setting it down.

“How about this one?” he said, gesturing to the simple green sweatshirt that said Michigan State University on the front and had a big white S on the back.

“Much better,” she agreed.

They continued on like that until Justin had decided on the green sweatshirt, another gray one, and two white t-shirts. They quickly checked out and headed out of the store, Justin amazed, yet again, that nobody recognized him. Not that he was complaining.

Twenty minutes later, with take-out from Taco Bell, the pair sat under a tree a little ways from Grand River. Piper studied her eating companion as he fell silent. His eyes got a faraway look in them and Piper knew it was time to discover exactly what had happened between Justin and Cameron.

“Justin, I think you need to tell me exactly what happened with you and Cameron,” she quietly stated. He jerked to attention.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he softly agreed, running a hand through his hair, “Let’s see, well I guess this sort of starts before me and Cameron. It actually goes back to Britney.” Piper’s eyebrows rose but she didn’t say anything.

He told her the real truth behind the relationship he and Britney had had, how she had been his first real love, starting all the way back on the MMC. Of course, they had kept their relationship secret for awhile because that’s what they had been advised to do.

And things had actually worked in the beginning. It had been when the two of them had gone public that all hell broke loose. Rumors flew nonstop, especially about Britney’s supposed virginity (which was nonexistent), and did nothing to keep their relationship together. So they gradually began to drift apart.

Oh, half of the problem was definitely him. He had been enjoying the new successes that Nsync were bringing him, so he had more than likely neglected her when he shouldn’t have. But she was the one who had cheated on him.

She had cried, begged, pleaded with him to take her back. She had claimed that it was just a drunken accident that would never happen again. And he had believed her. What a stupid, blind fool he had been.

She continued to cheat on him, with numerous men that he never met. But the blow came when she slept with Wade, their choreographer that Justin had considered one of his friends. But that was put to an end real quick.

The break-up had been really messy, and he had never seemed to recover from that. Genevieve, who had just started dating JC at the time, had tried to get him to talk about it, but he refused. His heart had been broken too badly, and his pride too bent out of shape for him to let loose.

He had gone through numerous dead-end relationships after that until he and Cameron had finally clicked. They had hit it off right away, and for only the second time in his life, Justin had felt like he was falling in love. And Cameron had seemed to reciprocate his feelings.

Their relationship had been great; Cameron was the complete opposite of Britney, not a cheating bone in her body. But that was because she wanted something else from him. His last name.

She wanted to get married and Justin balked; he wasn’t ready for such a long-term commitment. Cameron had gone on about how she wasn’t getting any younger, but Justin refused to budge. They had argued and argued about it, until finally Justin had had enough. He tried to break things off with her.

Then she pulled the biggest stunt Justin didn’t even know she was capable of. She told him she was pregnant. Of course, he balked. He wasn’t one to leave his child grow up without a father, so he had been all set on marry her, despite his qualms.

Then he had discovered she had lied. She wasn’t pregnant, not even remotely so, and all that she wanted was a marriage license and a piece of paper that rightfully declared him as her husband. Once again, he had been used and made to look the fool.

All hell had broken loose after that. They had had a huge fight where Justin said he never wanted to see her again. And he meant it. He had gone and changed all his phone numbers so that she couldn’t try to call him. She wasn’t welcome in his home, and he made that very clear. He even avoided her at all costs.

His personal life, though, became a living hell for him. He drank, he partied, and he didn’t give a damn about anybody or anything anymore. It became a ritual that he would go out and get trashed and one of the guys would be forced to come pick him up.

No way was he going to be anybody’s fool ever again. Of course, when he got drunk, he made a complete fool of himself anyway. Then, he had met Piper. Things had gone smoothly after that.

He had quit drinking, his life seemed much more bearable, and his interest in music and acting finally picked back up. Until she had gone back home. He had been fine at first, then had gone right back into his slump.

Cameron had been a freak encounter on one of his drunken escapades. He didn’t even remember meeting her at whatever club he had gone to, but in the morning, he had woken up in her bed, the two of them completely naked. There was no doubt to what they had done, and Justin knew that he’d never forgive himself.

But then Cameron turned out to be pregnant. It was just his luck that the one time he had unprotected sex with her, she got pregnant. He’d been devastated, which led him to the surprise trip to Michigan.

“I’m so sorry Jus,” Piper consoled, putting an arm around her friend, “Is there anything I can do?”

“Just be my friend,” he mumbled, leaning into her embrace for support.

“I can definitely do that for you,” she agreed, rubbing a hand soothing up and down his back, “If I may ask, what are you going to do with Cameron?”

“I don’t have a choice. I’m going to marry her.”

One Month Later – May 2005
Los Angeles, California

“Joey, I think the seamstress wants you to stop moving around before she pokes you with that army of pins she’s got lined up,” Piper announced as she watched Joey fidget.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that I can’t stand still,” he protested, sending a lopsided grin in her direction.

“Could’ve fooled me,” the seamstress muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Is he still giving the seamstress a hard time?” Joey’s wife, Kelly, questioned as she appeared at Piper’s side.

“What else would he be doing?” Piper retorted.

“Yeah, that’s my husband for you,” Kelly agreed, “Anyway, I’m supposed to be telling you that Lynn and Justin need to see you.”

“What now?” Piper cried, throwing her hands up as she stormed out of the room.

“I don’t understand how she puts up with Justin,” Kelly mused as she glared at her husband to stand still.

“Probably the same way you do me,” Joey replied, grimacing as a pin stuck him square in the leg.

“By threatening to poison his food?” she wryly demanded. Joey stuck his tongue out at his wife.

It had been a month since Justin had flown to Michigan to tell Piper the shocking news of Cameron’s pregnancy. True to his word, Justin asked Cameron to marry him, much to everybody else’s dismay and wedding plans were steadily moving forward. All the guys were busy getting their suits measured and pinned and Kelly and Piper had practically been dragged along by Justin’s mom, Lynn.

Piper had finished her freshman year at State, and with her parents’ permission, had accompanied Justin back to California to help prepare for his June wedding, of which she would be taking the pictures. Once there, she had met Lynn, who had quickly become like a second mother to her.

And of course, she saw JC and Genevieve again, as well as the other three guys. She’d been the most excited, however, when she had first been introduced to Joey’s wife, Kelly, and their little girl, Brianna. The two women had instantly hit it off, and Brianna was starting to think of Piper as another aunt.

Piper was overwhelmed with the friendliness of Lance, Chris, and Joey, and Kelly’s ability to accept her as a friend right off the bat. She had never had so many friends at once, so she felt very blessed. Everything would have been perfect, though, if Justin wasn’t being forced to marry Cameron.

“What’s wrong Justin?” Piper demanded as she walked into Justin’s dressing room. He stood there in black suit pants and a white dress shirt.

“I wanted your opinion on color,” he told her, grabbing two vests, one gray and one black, from a chair.

“Personally I think the black would be better,” Lynn piped up as Piper came to stand next to her.

“Put each one on so I can see,” Piper instructed, Justin did as he was told, “Hmm, what do you think Justin?”

“To be honest with you, I don’t really care,” he said, “I wasn’t the one who wanted to get married.”

“Justin…” Lynn began, eyes flashing a warning as if daring him to say something inappropriate about his bride-to-be.

“Hey Jus, come here, let me talk to you for a second,” Piper said as she dragged Justin out of the room before he could protest.

“What was that for?” he demanded as soon as they were out of earshot of everybody else.

“Stop being such a pain in the ass,” she hissed at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I can be a pain in the ass if I want. I don’t want to get married, yet here I am, being forced into doing that very thing,” he retorted, frowning.

“It’s not the end of the world Justin,” she told him, “Worse things could happen.”

“Name one thing,” he challenged, eyes flashing with blue fury.

“Hmm, you could be dead,” she deadpanned.

Justin took one look at her face and began to laugh. With a roll of her eyes, Piper poked him in the ribs. Knowing exactly what she wanted, he pulled her in for a tight hug, enjoying holding her close.

If it wasn’t for Piper, he’d probably be going crazy by now. It was true, there was no way he wanted to get married now; but Piper was right, he’d have to make the most of the situation. And he definitely didn’t want to be dead.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he murmured against her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You’d have already jumped off the tallest building you could find,” she retorted, giggling.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed.

The two of them fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. They were unaware of the spying eyes that had taken in the entire situation.

“Ouch, Chris that was my foot you just stepped on,” Lance whispered to the older man.

“Sorry,” Chris replied.

“Lance, I can’t see over your hair,” Joey urgently added.

“It’s cause he spikes it too high for all the ladies,” Chris joked; Lance smacked him across the back of the head.

“What’s happening now?” Joey demanded.

“They’re hugging,” Lance whispered.

“Too bad Justin has to marry Cameron,” Chris commented.

“Why?” Joey and Lance asked.

“Well duh you idiots, he should marry Piper,” Chris announced, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah, she’s definitely one of the only people who can stand him for long periods of time,” Lance agreed.

“And she’s single,” Chris added.

“One problem: Cameron,” Joey glumly concluded.

“Justin and his stupid penis,” Chris commented; Joey and Lance had to stifle their laughter at that.

“Joey? Where did you disappear to now?” Kelly suddenly interrupted their spying, “The seamstress isn’t done with you yet, mister.”

“Shit, we better get out of here before Kelly busts us,” Lance stated.

“Geeze Joe, you need to put a leash on that woman,” Chris commented, ducking out of the way as Joey tried to smack him.

The two of them took off across the store, Lance following at a leisurely pace behind them. He was shaking his head.

“Some things never change,” he muttered to himself.

“C’mon Justin, let’s get you back into that dressing room so we don’t have to spend all day here,” Piper suddenly announced as she pulled out of his embrace, oblivious to all that Joey, Chris, and Lance had witnessed.

“Okay,” he quietly agreed and mutely followed her back to where his mother patiently awaited his return.

“Did you pick a color?” she asked, standing up from her chair when the two walked in.

“I think black would probably be best,” he softly announced.

“Good choice,” Lynn said and soon, Justin was in another room with a seamstress, leaving the two women alone. Lynn turned to Piper, “Is he okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Piper assured the older woman, “He doesn’t want to get married, but he said he’s going to try to make the best of the situation.”

“That’s my son for you,” Lynn agreed, “I’m not happy with the whole situation, but I’m glad that he’s man enough to accept the consequences of his actions.”

“Yeah, most guys wouldn’t do something that decent,” Piper agreed, thinking of Andrew.

“I’m just glad that you’re here to keep his spirits up. Lord knows he’d probably be drowning himself in alcohol if he didn’t have you to snap him out of it,” Lynn stated, pulling the young woman in for a hug.

“Well Justin’s a great guy and I’m incredibly glad that we got to be friends,” Piper replied, resting her head on Lynn’s shoulder, “I just wish I could see him happy.”

“I know what you mean,” Lynn agreed.

Piper’s cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting the moment, and with a groan, she walked over to her purse to answer it. She picked it up, and not recognizing the number on the caller ID, decided to answer it anyway. She knew that Rae had recently gotten a new cell phone, so it could have easily been her friend.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Piper? Hi, this is Cameron,” the shaky female voice announced. Piper frowned.

Piper had met Cameron weeks ago, and despite the fact that she had cornered Justin into doing something he didn’t want to, she had taken a liking to the older woman. But they hadn’t talked more than a handful of times, so the phone call was odd. Especially when she had never given Cameron her number.

“This is her, what can I do for you?” Piper responded.

“I kn…know this is strange of me to ask you, but, do…do you think you could come over?” Cameron asked, tears threatening to spill.

“What’s the matter?” Piper demanded, sensing the older woman wasn’t telling her something.

“I…I can’t tell you over the phone,” Cameron whispered, her voice still shaky, “Could you come talk to me. Please?”

“Sure, I’ll be there in a bit,” Piper reluctantly agreed.

“Thank you,” Cameron breathed, sniffling. Piper’s curiosity rose another notch as she realized that Justin’s bride-to-be seemed to be crying.

“No problem, I’ll see you in a bit,” Piper concluded before hanging up.

“Who was that?” Lynn questioned, noticing the troubled look on Piper’s face.

“Oh, it was Cameron, she wanted to talk to me a little more about the pictures I’m going to be taking,” Piper lied, “Do you think it’s okay if I borrow Justin’s car?”

“Be my guest,” Lynn replied.

“Okay, I should be back within an hour,” Piper announced, “Tell Justin not to get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be sure and do that,” Lynn agreed with a laugh.

Sighing, Piper quickly made her way out of the building and towards Justin’s SUV, her thoughts troubled. Cameron had seemed awkward and nervous every time they had met to discuss the pictures, and Piper had readily chalked it up to guilt and cold feet. But maybe she was wrong.

Twenty minutes later, Piper rode the elevator up to Cameron’s apartment, her thoughts no more organized that when she had left the tailor’s. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door, shifting nervously from foot to foot. This was the first time she would be alone with Cameron so she wasn’t quite sure how to act.

The door opened, and Piper was shocked to come face to face with a very beat-up looking Cameron. Her jaw dropped as the older woman tried to smile, then burst into tears. Piper immediately came in and enveloped her in a hug.

“I’m s…so scared,” Cameron brokenly whispered, “I t…told him that I didn’t w…want to see him anymore and that I was getting m…married, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Shh, slow down sweetie,” Piper soothed, rubbing a hand up and down the taller woman’s back, “C’mon lets sit down. I’ll make you a cup of coffee and you can tell me exactly what happened.”

“Okay,” Cameron softly agreed, allowing the younger woman to lead her to an overstuffed couch.

Once the coffee had been brewed and the two of them sat with a cup, Piper gently prodded Cameron. The older woman proceeded with a deep sigh.

“I know you really don’t like me because of what I’ve done to Justin,” Cameron began, holding up a hand when Piper tried to interrupt, “And I really don’t blame you. I don’t like myself all that much right now.”

“Cameron, don’t say that,” Piper softly said.

“It’s the truth though. And you’re going to hate me even more when I tell you the whole reason for trying to get Justin to marry me,” Cameron continued.

“I’m sure you’ve got a perfectly good reason for your actions,” Piper responded, sending the actress an encouraging smile.

“I do have a reason, but it’s not all that good,” the elder said, taking a deep breath, “When I first started to pester Justin about getting married…”

Once she started, the whole terrible story began to pour forth from Cameron’s mouth, like a raging river kept back by a damn for altogether too long. Piper sat there silently.

When she and Justin had started to get serious in their relationship, Cameron had begun to think about marriage. Justin was a great man that any woman would love to have as a husband, and she definitely wasn’t getting any younger.

She wanted to have a family, have children, the whole nine yards, before she was unable to. That was why she had begun to push at Justin to seriously consider taking their relationship to the next level. Of course, he had gotten cold feet at the idea; he was still young after all and didn’t have to worry about being unable to reproduce.

That’s when she had started cheating on him. She had wanted a baby so bad that she had resorted to seeing another guy, who readily agreed to give her all that she desired. Justin never had a clue.

Oh she hated lying to him, but the need to have a family overrode the guilt. Unfortunately, she had not counted on her lover’s violent streak. Once Jeremy Armand had found out about Justin, which hadn’t taken long, he had blown up at her. That first encounter, thankfully, had only been a heated argument and a few slaps across the face, nothing to cause lasting damage; but from then on, things had only gotten worse. All she found herself doing was running from him.

He wouldn’t leave her alone, claiming that she belonged to him and that he would kill himself if she left him. Of course, she was scared that he would actually do it, so she kept seeing him behind Justin’s back. Who, of course, she was still preaching marriage to.

Finally, she and Justin had broken up, much to her horror. He was the one link to sanity she had left, the one constant that could comfort her and provide her with the safety she now sought. But his comforting arms were no longer her’s to run to.

After the break-up, she had disappeared for a two-month long vacation, away from Justin’s drunken escapades, and away from Jeremy’s anger. She had thought that the vacation would somehow provide her with an answer to all her problems. She was wrong. She returned, no better than when she had first left.

And Jeremy had come for her the instant he realized she was back. There really wasn’t anything she could do. If she tried to get a restraining order on him, he’d take his story to the tabloids, which would ruin her career, and hurt Justin even more, which she was trying to avoid at all costs. So she stayed with him, against her better judgment.

The violence, the heated arguments, and the pain lasted for a year before she knew she had to make a change. She was going to go to Justin and explain the whole story to him and seek his help. He might be angry at her at first, but she knew that he had a kind heart.

That was about the time she had discovered she was pregnant with Jeremy’s child. The one thing she had desperately wanted, prayed, begged for, was now some unwanted baggage that she didn’t have the heart to get rid of.

Her plans were drastically changed after that. She now had the life of her child to protect, so naturally the only thing she could think of was finding safety. And that safety rested, once again, in the arms of Justin Timberlake.

She had followed him to the club that night, fully planning to talk things out with him while he couldn’t escape. She hadn’t counted on him being so drunk that he didn’t even recognize her. So she capitalized on the situation.

Justin had readily agreed to come back to her apartment where she blatantly promised him a romp in the sack. Of course, that was the last thing on her mind that night, so once she got him there, she had planned to get him even more drunk until he passed out. She didn’t even have to give him anything.

He had passed out the minute he reached the bed. She had stripped him of his clothes and then climbed naked in the bed with him, so that when he woke up in the morning, he would think the worst. And of course, she wouldn’t tell him otherwise.

That was precisely what had happened. And after waiting three days, a good enough period of time to figure out if she was pregnant from their “encounter”, she dropped the bomb. She had showed him the pregnancy test, never letting on that she had already been pregnant for two weeks with another man’s baby.

“I knew Justin would marry me when he found out that I was pregnant with his child. He’s such an honorable person that would never let a child of his own go fatherless,” Cameron concluded, softly crying, “But I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep lying.”

“Oh Cameron,” Piper breathed, speechless.

“Jeremy was here about an hour ago. He finally found out that I’m getting married to Justin, and needless to say, he’s not too pleased,” Cameron said, wincing as she touched her split lip, “I really don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t go through with this marriage; I can’t lie to Justin like that. He deserves better. But how am I supposed to face him? I can’t even face myself in the mirror anymore.”

The actress suddenly burst into tears at the last statement. Piper immediately pulled her close, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Cameron’s back as she sobbed out her frustrations. Honestly, what options did the elder woman have in this situation?

“Shh, everything is going to be fine,” Piper whispered, “You and I are going to get everything straightened out.”

“You’ll help me?” Cameron questioned, looking surprised as she pulled away from the younger woman, “Even after all I’ve done to Justin? I know that you really care about him, and I would have thought that you’d hate me by now.”

“I don’t hate you Cameron,” Piper assured her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly, “You just made some mistakes, like any other human being out there is capable of making. We’re just going to have to work extra hard to fix all this.”

“Piper Saunders, you are too wonderful,” Cameron said, sniffling, “Justin deserves somebody like you in his life.”

“Justin and I are just friends,” Piper assured the actress, grinning, “We pick on each other too much, not to mention the fact that he doesn’t find me the least bit attractive.”

“Oh I bet he does,” Cameron argued, a wobbly smile breaking out on her face, “With a little bit of make-up and the right clothes, I bet you could have Justin falling all over himself.”

“But…” Piper protested.

“C’mon, are you trying to tell me that you don’t find him the least bit attractive?” Cameron prodded, full-out smiling; Piper blushed. “He is Justin Timberlake after all, the man that looks like a Greek god reincarnate.”

“Maybe just a little,” she confessed, and then hurried on, “But he’s one of my best friends. I don’t want to compromise the great relationship for a stab at something more, most especially when he probably doesn’t feel that way at all.”

“Whatever you say,” Cameron finally stated, deciding to drop the subject for the time being. But without a doubt, she’d be playing matchmaker in the near future. And maybe she could get Chris involved as well. He was always one for a challenge.

“Well, we had best get you to the doctor so he can check you out,” Piper announced, shoving her racing thoughts away, “We better make sure that your baby is alright.”

“Okay,” Cameron softly whispered, trepidation in her voice.

Fifteen minutes later, Piper had managed to get Cameron to the hospital and in to see a doctor without a single reporter or fan stopping them. While the actress was in being examined, Piper immediately pulled out her cell phone and called Justin.

“Hey Piper, did you get lost?” Justin cheerily demanded, seemingly in better spirits, “My mom said you were only going to be gone about an hour. Is everything alright with Cameron?”

“Actually, I need you to meet me at the hospital,” she bit out, cutting right to the chase.

“What? Are you okay? Is Cameron okay? What’s going on?” Justin demanded, his voice rising with every question.

“Cameron’s been in an accident and needs to talk to you,” Piper revealed, “We’re at East Valley General right now.”

“Oh my god, is she going to be okay?” Justin cried, worry coloring his tone, “Shit, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply from Piper. Dejectedly, she hung up the phone. Cameron was wrong. Justin only saw her as a friend, nothing more. No, he still cared for the actress, that much was evident by the concern in his voice.

But it didn’t matter. She was five years younger than him, a mere child in his eyes. She couldn’t even drink yet, wasn’t experienced in the ways of the world. Why would he find her attractive?

Besides, he was just her friend. That was it. Justin Timberlake would never amount to more than that; she knew it deep in her heart. After all, how could she compete with an actress as beautiful as Cameron?

Now, don’t yell at me. I’m sure that you were all ready to go and beat Cameron senseless. Right? You all thought that she was a bitch through and through when in reality…she’s really not. She just had some rough luck and had to make a few extremely tough decisions that didn’t work out in her favor.

As for Cameron’s little comment about Piper dating Justin…that definitely rattled her a little bit. She hadn’t thought (well hadn’t tried to think) of Justin as more than a friend. She thought he was sexy, but after all, who in their right mind wouldn’t? Oh shut up Josh, I still love you more and you know it.

Anyway, as I was saying, Piper was still only a teenager; a teenager with a lot of doubts and insecurities. Especially when it came to members of the opposite sex. Obviously, that accounts for her dismissal of Justin’s feelings turning toward the realm of relationships. She was in strict denial of that fact, and would have continued on in that way if a few certain people hadn’t stepped in to help.

Damn! Me and my big mouth. I swear, when Josh thought of this crazy idea, I thought I could do a great job of telling the true story and keeping everything in order. But I get so excited that I just want to say everything at once, which I obviously can’t do.

Well, I guess after that short little tirade, you’re ready to get back to the story. I don’t blame you.

Oh yeah, by the way, look for some fireworks coming up. Just to give you a little warning. But I’m shutting up now. I really am.

“What’s going on?” Justin demanded as he came running down the hall awhile later, his mother hot on his heels, “Is Cameron okay? Can I see her? Where is she at?” Mutely, Piper pointed to the hospital room the doctor had just vacated, not trusting herself to speak. Justin didn’t even give her a second glance.

They were in there for what seemed like forever. Which should only be natural as Cameron had quite a story to tell her fiancé. Unfortunately, it left Piper with nothing but her thoughts, which were anything but pleasant.

Sighing, she quickly settled herself into a plush chair against the wall to wait, willing her thoughts away from Justin. But as much as she tried, everything kept coming back to the handsome pop star. Why had Cameron suggested that Justin needed a woman like her?

If she could even be called a woman. She had just turned nineteen, hardly much of an adult, and nowhere near as experienced as Justin in his twenty-four years. She could hold her own, that much was true, but Justin never saw any side of her but the friendly, outgoing persona that she turned on whenever he was near.

Underneath it all, though, she was just like any other teenager, with all the same insecurities and doubts. She still had a lot of growing up to do, a lot of mistakes left to make before she found her path. There was no way she was going to drag Justin through all that, not when he had been through enough heartbreak on his own.

But she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt between them. He was sexy, talented, intelligent, funny and any other redeemable quality she could possibly desire in a man. But he was a man above her.

And they were strictly friends. Friends didn’t lust after each other. Friends didn’t have fantasies, didn’t dream of stolen kisses, and didn’t yearn for one loving embrace, as she was doing. No, nowhere in friendship was love concerned.

So, as much as it would kill her, and as hard as it would be to keep up the strong façade, she would never let Justin know these thoughts, this deeply personal secret. No, this would stay buried in a dark corner of her mind, where it definitely belonged.

The door of Cameron’s room suddenly banged open, startling Piper from her thoughts. She was surprised to find Justin striding from within, tears streaming down his face. Quickly, she jumped up and ran towards him.

“Justin…”

“I’m free,” he quietly murmured, pulling her close as the tears fell unheeded, “I’m free…”

“Shh, it’s okay,” she crooned into his ear, holding tight as she felt him tremble, “Everything’s going to be just fine.” Justin breathed a deep sigh of relief as he began to run a hand through Piper’s hair.

“Thank you,” he softly stated, pulling out of her embrace to look down at her, “Cameron told me how wonderful you were to her, how you didn’t condemn her for the bad choices she’s had to make. She said to tell you thanks.”

“It’s no big deal,” Piper nonchalantly stated, brushing the words off as Justin wiped away the last trace of his tears.

“No, it is. You went to talk to her and comfort her when nobody else would. Especially when you didn’t really like her because of what she tried to do to me,” Justin continued.

“Justin, I was taught to keep an open mind and not judge a book by its cover. It’s no more or less than anybody else would have done,” she protested.

“That’s where you’re wrong Piper. Most people would have just turned the other cheek. But you, you’re so pure, so good to people, so incapable of hurting another,” he rambled, raking a hand through his hair in agitation, “And I honestly don’t know how I’d survive without you. You are my greatest strength, my inspiration, the light in every day.”

“But Justin, you don’t…” she began, but he interrupted.

“No, I’m serious. Ever since we met those months ago, I’ve never been happier than when I’m around you,” he continued, tilting her face up so she was forced to look him in the eye, “Ask anybody who knows me; I was in pretty sad shape when you showed up. And then somehow, someway, you managed to change me, change my attitude, in the span of a week.”

“You’re over-exaggerating,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“No, I’m really not,” he stated, his gaze lowering to her lips for the briefest of seconds, “It’s the honest to god truth. Ask Genevieve, she’s a freakin therapist.”

“Justin, calm down, you’re working yourself up,” Piper soothed, trying to calm her fluttering heart as Justin’s gaze dropped to her lips again, “Come on, let’s go get you a cup of coffee, it should help with the nerves.”

“Piper, this isn’t about my damn mental capacity,” he suddenly growled, annoyed at her lack of self-esteem.

Before she could protest, Justin grabbed her and his lips crashed upon hers. He held her tight, his tongue exploring her mouth as her traitorous body immediately gave in. He groaned deep in his throat, and Piper suddenly panicked.

“No!” she cried, wrenching herself free.

Justin stood there, panting, his jaw hanging slack in shock. Piper glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the fact that she was trembling like a leaf. She didn’t want him to know she had enjoyed that kiss; it had happened for the wrong reasons and that made her beyond mad.

“Piper…I…I’m sorry,” Justin mumbled, his cheeks flushing with color, “I just, I mean, I guess I…”

“What Justin? You what?” she demanded, her eyes flashing anger, “Overstepped the boundaries of our friendship? That’s a big hell yeah. How about weren’t using your brain? There you go another strike in your corner."

“Piper…” he began, but she cut him off.

“Damn it Justin, I’ve already gotten my heart broken once, I don’t need it to happen again because you randomly felt the need to kiss somebody. We’re friends Justin, friends! Not lovers, not a couple, not romantically involved in the least,” she yelled, pacing as Justin stood mute, “Your friendship is one of the best I’ve ever had, but if this is the way you’re going to act around me, you mind as well forget it now.”

With that, before she fully broke down in tears, Piper ran down the hallway, not daring to look back. She didn’t want to see Justin’s look of shock and then pity when he realized that she was actually beginning to care for him as the man he was.

“Piper!” Justin yelled, suddenly snapping out of his daze and quickly picking up speed to follow her, “Piper…”

“No Justin, just leave me alone,” Piper called over her shoulder as she anxiously waited on the elevator to transport her to the first floor. She didn’t dare try the stairs; he would catch her for sure.

“Won’t you at least let me talk to you?” he pleaded as he came closer, unaware that the elevator doors had finally opened.

“No,” Piper whispered, stepping into the elevator as she spoke, “I just need to be by myself for a little while. So please, all I ask is that you don’t come after me.”

“Okay,” he dejectedly agreed before she pushed the button and the elevator doors closed, taking her away from him.

Justin slumped against the wall next to the elevator, his mind confused as all hell. In all honesty, he wasn’t all too sure why he had suddenly felt the urge to kiss Piper. He really shouldn’t have.

She truly was one of his best friends, which was a definite rarity in the world he lived in. She was wonderful, beautiful, funny, intelligent, all the things he found appealing in a woman, yet it didn’t explain the kiss. He had plenty of women friends who had the same appealing qualities, but he didn’t go and kiss them!

Damn, he had gotten out of one fix just to fall right into another one. Man, for somebody who was supposedly suave and smart, he sure could act quite stupid.

And now he didn’t have a clue how to go about repairing the damage he had caused in his and Piper’s friendship. Hell, he didn’t even know where she was going. And in his car no less. Ah, what a headache this was all becoming.

“Justin, what’s going on?” Lynn asked, interrupting his thoughts as she laid a hand on his arm a few minutes later; he was still leaning dejectedly against the wall next to the elevators, “Where did Piper go?”

“She’s gone,” he whispered, staring intently at the floor.

“What do you mean she’s gone? Did she have somewhere else to go?” Lynn questioned, confused.

“No, I did something stupid,” Justin stated, eyes shining bright with unshed tears.

“What do you mean?” Lynn prodded, putting an arm around his shoulders for comfort.

“I kissed her,” he breathed. Lynn’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock.

What's another night all alone
When you're spending every day on your own?

Piper blindly drove through the rush-hour traffic and pulled into the parking lot of the public beach. She jumped out and locked the SUV, swiping unsuccessfully at the salty tears as she shrugged out of her sandals and began to walk barefoot in the cool sand. A walk would clear her head, if nothing else.

I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair

So she walked along, quite alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. And they weren’t making her feel any better. But it wasn’t like she could go back in time and undo that kiss.

That kiss. Ugh. What was she supposed to think about it? She’d be the first to admit that she enjoyed it, probably altogether too much, but that still didn’t make it right.

Justin didn’t care for her in that way, that was obvious. She had clearly read that in his eyes right before the elevator doors had closed. He may have been confused, sad, even angry, but there was no trace of love for her in those cobalt blues.

Which lead her right back to square one, with no explanation and a suffering heart. And she wasn’t even so sure that she could face Justin again. He had read her like a book while she yelled at him, which could only mean he knew of her attraction to him.

He’d be upset. He’d be shocked. He’d be annoyed. He’d definitely freak out and run in the opposite direction. Guys like him just didn’t fall in love with girls five years younger than them. Especially younger girls they considered their best friend.

And maybe when the night is dead
I'll crawl into my bed
Staring at these four walls again

With a sigh, Piper sat on a small outcropping of rocks, content to watch the waves crashing on the beach and the seagulls letting out calls overhead. The sun was beginning to set as the last of the beach-goers left to go home. She was alone again, a human island of her own making.

What the fuck is wrong with me?
Don't fit in with anybody
How did this happen to me?

It was about three hours later that Piper finally realized she’d have to head back. The stars were out, gleaming bright over the water; the moon cast an eerie glow over the landscape. Shivering, she realized how cool it had gotten and quickly got up to head back to the car.

Justin would be worried. Lynn would be worried. Well, everybody would be worried. She had purposely left her cell phone in the car, wanting total solitude so that she could think. Much good that had done her. She was no closer to an answer than when she had first stormed out of the hospital.

Now she had to go back and face the music. By now, everybody was bound to know what had happened between her and Justin and she just wasn’t in the mood for pitying looks or words of encouragement. Now, she just wanted a bed where she could lay her head for the night.

In the morning, she was going home. Yeah, it was stupid and cowardly to just run away from her problems, but she didn’t know what else to do. It seemed like the best, and only, idea that she could come up with without additionally hurting Justin, or having her heart ripped out a little bit more.

Piper turned the keys in the ignition, groaning when she picked up her cell phone. She had nine missed calls, all of which had voicemail messages attached, and she quickly pressed the send button to listen. The first message, not surprisingly, was Justin.

“Hi Piper, um, it’s Justin. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry and that I wasn’t thinking. I knowing kissing you was a bad idea, you’re one of my best friends and I don’t want to jeopardize that in any way. I, uh, I’ll understand if you never want to speak to me again. Although you do have to return my car,” he finished lamely, sadness coloring his tone. Piper frowned.

“Hi Piper, it’s Lynn. I’m just calling to check up on you because Justin said he couldn’t get a hold of you. We’re both worried, so just give me a ring when you get the message. Take care honey.”

Damn, well it wasn’t that surprising that Lynn knew. She had accompanied Justin to the hospital and probably was surprised that she had suddenly disappeared. And she knew for a fact that Justin couldn’t lie to his mother.

“Hey Pip, it’s Genevieve. Justin just told us what happened so I’m just calling to check up and make sure you’re doing okay. Let me know if you want to talk.”

Genevieve knew too? Oh lord, that could only mean that JC knew as well. JC and Genevieve were attached at the hip, so it was only natural to assume the pop star was prone to the same information as his girlfriend.

“Hey Piper, it’s JC. I know Genny already left you a message, but I figured I’d try my luck. Guess you don’t have your phone with you or something. Anyway, just give me a call. I’ll kick Justin’s ass for you, you just need to say the word.”

Piper laughed at that one. JC had become like the older brother she had never had. That extended to watching out for her even when she was thousands of miles away. Not that she didn’t appreciate it; no she was rather grateful to him.

“Hey Piper, it’s Cameron. Well they let me use the phone for a little bit, so I figured I’d call and check up on you. Lynn told me what happened between you and Justin; I don’t really know what to tell you except that Justin doesn’t usually go and kiss girls he doesn’t care about,” the actress revealed, Piper paled at the news, “Anyway, hang in there and give me a call if you want to talk. I owe you after all you’ve done for me today.”

Piper didn’t quite know what to make of that. Cameron had known Justin for the better part of three years, so she obviously knew more about him than she did. But then again, the actress hadn’t been there.

The next three short messages came from Joey, Chris, and Lance, who all somehow had gotten wind of the situation and decided to check on her. She was grateful for their concern, but she was a little annoyed at how easy the news of the altercation had traveled between all the friends.

“Hey Piper, it’s Kelly. I’m sure you’ve already had a bunch of messages from everybody else, so I’ll keep this short. I don’t know how you feel about Justin and I don’t exactly know how he feels about you, but I’ll I’m going to tell you is follow your heart. Trust me. Call me if you need anything,” Joey’s wife concluded.

Tears came to Piper’s eyes. Of all the messages she had received, that had been the most touching by far. And Kelly was definitely right. Her heart would tell her what to do in the end. If only it wasn’t so confused right now.

“H…hey Piper, it’s Virginia,” a shaky voice said, Piper’s attention quickly snapped back to the phone, “I k…know you’re busy helping Justin and Lynn with the wedding and everything, b…but I just wanted to call and t…tell you that Andrew’s been in an accident.” Piper paled at the news. “He’s in a c…coma right now and they’re not s…sure if he’s ever going to wake up. Please, come home. If n…not for Andrew, then for me. I n…need you Piper.”

The message abruptly ended and Piper sat there in shock. Andrew, in a coma? Healthy Andrew sitting in a hospital bed, nothing more than a vegetable? It was hard news for Piper to comprehend, especially after all the drama that had already occurred that day.

Should she go home? She and Andrew weren’t exactly on speaking terms, not since her botched birthday party two months ago. She had yet to forgive him for what he had done to her heart.

But she couldn’t ignore her friend’s pleading. And if Andrew died, she couldn’t live with the fact that she had not apologized and forgiven him. No, she’d have to go home, as soon as possible.

Piper quickly pressed end and began to dial JC and Genevieve’s home number. If she was lucky, they’d be able to get her a flight out tonight. If she was lucky, she’d be able to leave without having to face Justin again.

Drama, drama, drama. I know, Piper shouldn’t have freaked out so bad because Justin laid a big one on her. But then again, she was so afraid of losing his friendship, that she didn’t want anything to come in between, even if it was the man himself.

Unfortunately, by having that mindset, she ended up pushing him away when she really shouldn’t have. But I guess that was really her mistake to make.

It’s just too bad that things started spiraling out of control at that point. At least in Piper’s point of view they did. She was on the outs with Justin, Andrew was in a coma, and she was thousands of miles away from home. Talk about being adrift all alone in an empty sea.

Never fear, though, Justin got his chance to play out the hero. It wasn’t exactly how he had imagined winning Piper’s heart (for he was quite sure that he was suddenly feeling more than friendship towards her), but it did the trick.

But I’ll stop now before I give anything else away. I know I have a tendency to run at the mouth, but this time, mums the word. You just have to sit back and let the story unfold.

One Day Later – Michigan

“Piper, wake up,” Genevieve quietly murmured as she tried to shake the younger woman awake.

“Already?” Piper moaned, trying to burying herself deeper into the covers to try and avoid the dawning of the new day.

“Yeah. We should get going soon so we can get back to your house as soon as possible,” Genevieve continued as she left Piper’s side to finish packing her bag.

“Okay, I’m up. Let me grab a quick shower before we get on the road; I’m not prepared to get us killed by falling asleep at the wheel,” Piper announced, sitting up in bed and groaning at the clock that cruelly read six thirty in the morning. They had gotten roughly three hours of sleep, not enough to sustain them for the rest of the day.

Yesterday, Piper had managed to make it to JC and Genevieve’s house before succumbing to the tears that had threatened to fall the whole way back. The couple had been so understanding. Genevieve had let her cry in her arms, and JC had immediately booked the first available flight he could find for the two women. Piper knew she’d be eternally grateful for their kindness.

Two hours later and they were on a ten o’clock flight back to Detroit, landing at the ungodly hour of 2:45 and therefore opting to stay at the airport hotel. They had very few hours of sleep, but there was no sense in driving straight home and running the risk of getting in an accident. That was definitely the last thing Piper wanted to happen.

“Have you talked to Justin yet?” Genevieve suddenly questioned, startling Piper out of her sleepy daze. The younger woman frowned.

“No. He’s already called another three times, but I just let them all go to voicemail,” Piper revealed, sighing, “I’m just not ready to talk to him.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly happened?” the elder questioned, taking a seat on the bed next to her friend, “I’m not trying to pry or anything, but I do have experience in this sort of thing.” Piper laughed.

“Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I’m beginning to find Justin attractive,” Piper admitted, blushing.

“Nothing wrong with that, he’s a pretty fine specimen of a man,” Genevieve commented, wiggling her eyebrows. Piper giggled. “Not that I would trade JC for him. No way in hell.”

“Well, I think…ugh, I don’t know!” Piper exclaimed, throwing herself back down on the bed.

“It helps if you talk about it,” Genevieve reminded her, “Not trying to push or anything, but you’ll feel better once you throw it all on the table.”

“I know,” Piper said, sighing as she sat up and looked her friend straight in the eye, “I think I’m falling for him.”

“I know.”

“You know? How do you know?” the younger woman cried, shocked and a little embarrassed, “Am I that easy to read?”

“No, I’ve just had a lot of cases like your’s,” Genevieve stated.

“Hey now, don’t go all professional on me,” Piper teased, “I don’t have the money to pay.”

“This one’s on me,” Genevieve responded, putting a comforting arm around Piper’s shoulders, “Now you want to tell me more?” Piper bit her lip.

“Okay. I guess it all started back when Justin came to visit me at school…” she began.

That fateful night, when Justin had come running to her for comfort and to tell his tale of woe, Piper felt the friendship barrier start to break. She had tried to fight it, but there was no denying that her handsome friend was beginning to steal her heart right from underneath her nose.

When she had discovered the nightmare his life had suddenly become, the protective side of her had reared its ugly head. She had seriously wanted to hunt down Cameron and murder her for the hurt and sadness she had caused. Of course, she had reined in the urge, turning her attention, instead, to being the best friend he needed at the moment.

It wasn’t easy. Every grateful look, every wink, every little nudge, every accidental contact had her senses reeling and her heart playing along to Cupid’s rhapsody. Not a great situation to be in.

He was in no position to be getting involved with another woman; he was going to be getting married, going to be a daddy. There was no way she was going to come in the middle of that whirlwind of trouble.

And of course, she had her self-esteem issues. She had been on the chubby side when she was younger and had endured merciless teasing from her peers. Not much of a confidence booster for somebody who was shy to the point of being mute.

But she had overcome that odd. She had worked long hours in the gym and had consultations with a nutritionist; it was a tough obstacle, but her determination had never wavered. She succeeded in breaking out of that annoyingly shy, conservative shell.

Then was thrown right back into it when Andrew had cheated on her with a tall, leggy blonde who could easily pass for a model. That whole situation brought back all the insecurities and made her doubt herself once again. Justin, therefore, had been a blessing in disguise. He had gone on and on about she had been his saving grace, never realizing that he had been her’s as well.

She had been happy with their friendship at first; happy with all the teasing, all the sarcastic barbs that they traded. The conversations she had with him were stimulating and he always managed to find a way to bring out the thrill in any situation. She loved all of that.

Eventually, though, she had begun to realize the cute little things he did. The way he loved to walk around in nothing but a pair of baggy sweatpants. How his eyes crinkled up whenever he laughed. His shoe fetish that rivaled Virginia’s. All these things made her see him in a new light.

And that new light was dangerous. That was what had her reeling from the innocent kiss Justin had bestowed upon her. He had unknowingly ignited new feelings in her, feelings that could be the downfall of their friendship.

That was the last thing she wanted. She valued Justin’s friendship like she did Virginia and Rae’s. There was no way in hell she was going to make the biggest mistake of her life and lose him forever. No, she’d fight tooth and nail before she admitted her true feelings.

“That’s pretty much the gist of things. I just don’t know how to tell Justin,” Piper concluded, biting her lip in frustration.

“Are you sure Justin doesn’t feel that way about you?” Genevieve prompted, her tone relaying the fact that she was being completely serious.

“I don’t think…”

“You don’t think so?” Genevieve questioned, eyebrows raised, “So you don’t actually know what’s going on in that brain of his?”

“Well…no,” Piper reluctantly admitted, scrunching up her brow in thought, “But the second I pushed him away, he was apologizing for kissing me like that. That doesn’t exactly scream attraction.”

“Maybe he’s just as scared as you to admit the truth,” Genevieve softly whispered.

Same Day – California

“Justin, you need to stay here,” JC demanded, following the taller man around his room as he haphazardly threw clothes into a duffel bag, “Genevieve’s with her, so she’ll be fine.”

“Fuck off JC,” Justin growled, zipping the bag up and throwing it over his shoulder, “I’m going whether you like it or not. There’s no way in hell that I’m letting her get away from me that easily.”

“Justin, she’s coming back you know,” JC gently stated, tagging along as Justin headed out of his room and headed down the stairs.

“How do you know?” Justin practically yelled, yanking his keys from the counter as he walked by.

“I…uh…well…”

“That’s what I thought,” the younger man sneered, “I’m going to Michigan and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Piper said she needed some time away from you,” JC argued, “Are you sure you want to make her angrier by showing up unannounced? She’s having a hard enough time as it is.”

“I don’t care,” Justin stubbornly stated, frowning, “She left without giving me a chance to fix things between us, so therefore, I’m going after her. I can’t let our relationship stand this way.”

“Why don’t you just wait until she gets back?” JC prodded, curious.

“Because I don’t want to.” Utter silence.

“Justin, why are you so upset?” JC softly stated as he crossed his arms over his chest and gazed warily at his friend. Justin looked surprised.

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Justin retorted, striding for the front door in an effort to leave and end the current conversation. He wasn’t all that comfortable with where it was going.

“So you’re just going to kick me out without so much as an answer to that?” JC demanded, reluctantly following the younger man out of the house, “Is there something you’re not telling me J?”

“No,” Justin snapped, annoyed.

“You sure?”

“Yep,” came the terse reply. JC knew there was no sense trying to get anything out of his friend when he was in such a terrible mood.

“Fine, I’ll see you in a few days then,” JC spat before he jumped into his truck and was gone. Justin sighed as he stared after the fast-disappearing car. Just great. He didn’t need to be on the outs with JC, not when he was already in that same precarious position with Piper.

Piper. He still wasn’t too sure what to think about her. The entire situation had been totally misconstrued, and he knew it was his entire fault. If he hadn’t stupidly gone and kissed her, he’d by her side this very instant. Instead, he had a major headache from all the ways he thought of apologizing to Piper.

Would you look at her
She looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly

He didn’t want to lose her friendship, no indeed. He wanted that about as much as he wanted JC to be gay…which was absolutely no way in hell. Things had just happened so fast, what with Cameron’s confession and trip to the hospital, Andrew’s accident, and the kiss he had shared with Piper. He was a guy, he could only take so much at once.

Thankfully, everything with Cameron had worked out. The marriage had been called off, which was the right thing to do, and Justin had promised to help her with her problems. They had decided to remain friends.

She had given him some suggestions on how to win Piper over, but somehow flowers, chocolates, cards, or any other little gift didn’t seem like the right thing for her. No, Piper was unique, so he’d have to find a unique way to apologize. Something that would tell her that their friendship meant the world to him.

After all, she was the one person who had stuck by him through the crazy obstacle course his life had suddenly become in the past few months. Hell, she had taken him in and listened to him spill his guts at 2:30 in the morning. That definitely spelled true friend.

But how to show her that?

She was the one to hold me
The night
The sky fell down
And what was I thinking when
The world didn't end
Why didn't I know what I know now?

“There hasn’t been any change in the past three days,” Virginia tearfully whispered as she and Piper stepped apart.

“What have the doctors said?” Piper demanded, squeezing her friend’s hands in comfort.

“That it’s all up to him when he wakes up,” Virginia explained, sniffling, “He hit his head pretty hard on the pavement when his motorcycle skidded.” Piper sharply sucked in her breath.

“Can I go see him?” she finally asked, quickly glancing at Genevieve, who stood mutely to the side.

“Rebecca’s in with him now, but if you want to, you can,” Virginia got out.

“Rebecca?”

“His new girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Piper managed, feeling like she had been punched in the gut. So she was going to come face to face with the model look-alike Andrew had cheated on her with. Just great. Well, she could be a mature adult.

“I’ll go in with you,” Genevieve volunteered as Virginia’s mother came walking up, “Why don’t you two go get some coffee and I’ll be by in a bit to talk with you.”

“Okay,” Virginia agreed, sending Genevieve a grateful smile, “Thanks for coming with Piper.”

“My pleasure,” Genevieve responded before Virginia was whisked away to the cafeteria by her mother; the therapist turned her attention to Piper, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah,” the younger woman replied in a small voice. Genevieve put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Piper managed a wan smile for the comforting gesture.

The two of them hesitantly entered the room and their attention immediately centered on the figure in the bed. Andrew’s face was pale against the sheets, his head swathed in bandages so that his normally shiny dark hair was veiled from site. Machines beeped, buzzers sounded, things dripped…and Piper thought she was going to faint.

“Piper?” a small feminine voice suddenly questioned. Shaking out of her daze, Piper turned her attention to the tall blonde. Rebecca.

“Yeah?”

“I’m Rebecca,” the young woman got out, lip trembling, “I know this is kind of awkward, but I’m really glad you came.”

“I couldn’t stay away,” Piper revealed, then turned to Genevieve, “This is my friend Genevieve, she’s a therapist and she’s going to try to help as best she can.”

“Aren’t you JC Chasez’s girlfriend?” Rebecca questioned.

“Yeah,” Genevieve responded, a little uncomfortable with the intense scrutiny she got from the tall blonde.

“So how is Andrew doing?” Piper asked, changing the subject.

“Okay, I guess,” Rebecca whispered as the tears began to well up in her eyes. She shocked both Genevieve and Piper when she came forward to give Piper a hug.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Piper soothed as the blonde began to cry, “It’s alright, just let it all out.” Standing to the side, Genevieve was impressed with Piper’s ability to handle the situation. Especially when she was near breaking point herself.

“Thank you,” Rebecca softly stated as she pulled away, a blush staining her cheeks, “You must hate me for stealing Andrew away from you.”

“To be honest, I’m kind of glad you did. I met somebody else, and if it wasn’t for you, it probably wouldn’t have happened,” Piper admitted. Genevieve’s jaw dropped.

“Oh,” Rebecca said, biting her lip and not knowing what else to say, “Well I think I’m going to go join Virginia and Mrs. Harwood for a cup of coffee.”

“I’ll be there as well,” Genevieve piped up, quickly following Rebecca out. Piper was alone with Andrew.

Putting on a brave face, she turned back towards the bed and tried not to cringe. The figure in the bed didn’t look all that much like Andrew what with all the bandages and scrapes. She knew in her heart that he’d be lucky if he survived.

Apparently, as Virginia had told her, Andrew had been on his way home from work, riding his motorcycle in the rain. He had hit a rather wet spot of pavement, fishtailed, and hit gravel. His bike turned sideways, and dragging Andrew with it, crashed into a tree. The doctors had said it was a miracle that the young man had survived at all.

Piper knew, that by now, she could forgive and forget all of Andrew’s wrongdoings. If he survived. But she could never forgive herself if she didn’t get to talk to him and put things to rest between them.

Sighing, she quickly took a seat in a chair next to the bed and hesitantly took a hold of her ex-boyfriend’s hand. She gave it a light squeeze as tears began to cloud her vision.

“I’m sorry,” she brokenly whispered before finally giving into her tears.

The sobs wracked her petite body, tearing apart her heart and soul. She cried for Andrew; he would never be the same after this, no matter if he lived or died. She cried for Virginia, who was close to a mental breakdown. She cried for herself, for all the heartbreak she had endured, all the stress she had been put through the past few months. And she cried for Justin, cried for his absence.

All of a sudden, she felt a pair of strong arms go around her waist and drag her to her feet. She didn’t protest. The familiar cologne hit her nostrils about the same time he began to talk and she thought she was going to lose it all over again.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” Justin soothed, running a hand through her hair as she buried her face in his chest and bawled, “Everything is going to be alright, I’m here now.”

“Justin…” she murmured as the anger and confusion from the past two days fell away and she was left raw, “Justin.”

They stood there, protector and protected once again; the roles may have been switched, but the connection was no different. They fit together perfectly, though that was the last thought on both of their minds.

“Are you okay?” Justin murmured a few moments later as Piper began to pull out of his embrace.

“I dunno,” she softly responded, staring at the ground as if contemplating the question. Justin tilted her chin up so that she was forced to look them in the eye.

“I’m here,” he seriously began, “Whenever you need me. Whatever you need me for. I’ll be by your side until you get sick of me and throw me out by the ear.” Piper managed a half-hearted laugh.

“Thank you,” she told him as he dropped his fingers. He was shocked when she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He felt his heart strings stir in a beautiful melody.

“Piper…” he began.

BEEP……BEEP………BEEP

“What’s that?” Piper cried, wrenching free of Justin’s embrace and turning to the hospital bed. Andrew was wailing around in the bed, seemingly having what Piper thought was a seizure.

“Go get the doctor, now!” Justin yelled as he tried to restrain the flailing young man, frowning when Piper hesitated, “Go!!”

Piper returned seconds later, a doctor and two nurses in tow. The two were immediately shoved out of the room and the door slammed in their faces. Piper collapsed into a chair as Justin began to pace. Genevieve, Rebecca, Virginia, and her parents appeared out of nowhere seconds later after hearing the commotion and demanded an explanation.

If Genevieve was shocked to see the pop star, she didn’t comment. Instead, she turned her attention to calming down Andrew’s parents, sister and girlfriend. She was going to have her hands full until the doctor could get out here to tell them what was going on.

And Justin’s attention was focused solely on Piper anyway. He sat next to the young woman, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to comfort her, trying to get her to talk.

One of the nurses popped out of the room a moment later, but she didn’t say anything to the group and just hurried on her way. She was back in a few moments, however, a distressed look on her face, and reentered the room. None of them tried to stop her.

Minutes passed. They all stood silent, too worried, too highly strung along to attempt a normal conversation. Even if they had been able to, somebody would have ended up crying anyway. No, the silence was better.

“Are you all here for Andrew Harwood?” the doctor suddenly asked as he emerged from the hospital room.

“Yes all of us. Now, what’s going on doctor? Is he going to be okay?” Miranda Harwood demanded as she and her husband stepped forward. Ed Harwood squeezed his wife’s shoulders reassuringly as she began to tremble.

“Well, I have good news and bad news,” the doctor, whose nametag read ‘Dr. Nick Bachelor’, began, “The good news is, your son is awake. The bad news is that he needs a blood transfusion and unfortunately, due to the rarity of his blood type, we don’t have any blood on hand.”

“But we don’t match his blood type,” Ed Harwood growled as his wife paled, “He’s AB negative and my wife and I are both A positive. Virginia there is B positive.”

“Rebecca? Piper?” Miranda desperately cried. Both women shook their heads in the negative, crushing the elder’s hopes.

“I have AB negative,” Justin suddenly spoke up, Piper looked at him in surprise, “I’ll give blood.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Harwood, this is my good friend Justin Timberlake,” Piper began.

“Nice to meet you son. Are you sure that you want to do this?” Ed questioned, stepping forward to shake the pop star’s hands, “If I understand correctly, you and my son got into a fight on Piper’s birthday.”

“That may be true, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him die,” Justin quietly stated, “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I could have saved his life.”

“Thank you,” Miranda brokenly whispered, hugging the young man with all her might.

“If you’ll follow me Mr. Timberlake, we’ll get all your paperwork filled out and begin the blood transfusion immediately,” Dr. Bachelor spoke up.

“Okay,” Justin agreed, pulling out of Mrs. Harwood’s embrace and beginning to follow after the doctor.

“Justin?” Piper suddenly spoke up, laying a hand on his arm; he looked at her in surprise.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” she murmured, hugging him close and inhaling his scent as if to commit it to memory.

“Anything for you,” he responded, smiling as he tapped her on the nose and pulled out of the embrace.

And with that, Justin was forgiven. Piper knew it was a very unconventional way for him to apologize (and that he definitely hadn’t planned it that way), but it worked.

He was her savior this time. The night in shining armor who was going to give a blood transfusion to her ex-boyfriend.

So Piper forgave Justin. All it took was for him to give away some blood to her ex-boyfriend. Yeah, crazy, I know. But that was really sweet of Justin and I don’t blame Piper for having a change of heart.

I guess you could say things with those two blind fools got better after that. But then I’d be lying. Justin was still confused as to where Piper fit into his heart and Piper; well Piper was still denying everything.

Unfortunately, before Piper and Justin could figure out the jigsaw puzzle their relationship was, the media got wind. And we all know what a pain in the ass they can be. Needless to say, Justin and Piper’s relationship to a big giant leap backwards.

The Next Day

Piper quietly tiptoed into the guest bedroom early the next morning. Justin was still asleep, the covers rumpled around his tall frame. He looked so peaceful and she hated to wake him, but the doctor had insisted on fluids every eight hours for the next two days to ensure that Justin didn’t catch an illness while his blood count was low.

Of course, Piper had volunteered to nurse the pop star. It was bad enough that Justin had shown up unannounced and they had had to put him up in the guest bedroom (though her parents had said it was no trouble); she would have felt worse if her mother had to of taken care of Justin. So she took it upon herself to do the deed.

“Justin,” she whispered after she had set the glass on the night table next to the bed, “You’ve got to get up and drink some water now. It’s been eight hours.”

“Go away,” he grouchily mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head in an effort to convey his message to the greatest extent.

“Nope, sorry, no can do,” Piper persisted, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and trying unsuccessfully to pull the comforter back, “You don’t want to get sick, now do you?”

“Would you stay by my side and make me better?” his muffled voice hopefully questioned. Piper rolled her eyes at his antics.

“Of course I would,” she finally replied.

“Then I don’t want any water,” he said, pulling the comforter tighter around his body.

“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” she demanded, smacking him on what she thought to be his back.

“Nope, that’d be you seeing as though that’s where you just hit me,” he stated, finally pulling his head up and turning a grinning face in her direction. She blushed out of embarrassment.

“Shut-up,” she mumbled as she attempted to vacate the bed, “Just because I’m taking care of you doesn’t give you the right to be so mean to me.”

She never made it off the bed, however, for she suddenly felt a strong pair of arms go around her waist and pull her backwards onto the bed. She landed next to Justin, who took one look at her shocked face and burst into laughter. She glared at him, but didn’t try to move.

“Well that was uncalled for,” she finally huffed, pretending to be annoyed with him. But that was next to impossible when Justin was staring at her, an adorable pout on his lips.

“You were leaving me,” he whined in a little kid voice, “You said you’d stay and take care of me.”

“I said I’d take care of you if you were sick. You don’t seem very sick to me,” Piper commented, grinning.

“But Piper…”

“Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Meany,” he announced before proceeding to tickle her.

Piper was caught unprepared. She giggled as Justin found her most ticklish spots and tortured her. She squirmed, trying to get away, but he held her in a vise-like grip that prevented any attempt at escape.

Finally, just when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, Justin let her go. Piper sucked in a deep breath, her ribs aching from a lack of oxygen. She turned her head in Justin’s direction, grinning when she saw him trying to catch his breath as well.

“Did I wear you out baby?” she teased, laughing when he made a face.

“Of course not,” he responded after taking a deep breath, “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Piper stated as she rolled off the bed and stood up, “So are you going to drink this now?”

“Yeah I guess, since there’s no way I’m getting out of it anyway,” Justin said with a sigh.

Truth be told, he really hadn’t gotten enough sleep that night. He had lain awake in bed for hours, not understanding why sleep wouldn’t overcome him.

Of course, it could have been because he had too many things on his mind at the time. The foremost, though, had been Piper. And the fact that she was seeping in the next room over did nothing to calm his overexcited mind.

Earlier that day, after the blood transfusion, Piper had immediately taken Justin home with her, where her parents had insisted he stay. he was too tired to argue, though he knew that it was rather rude of him to show up unannounced like he did. But nevertheless, he was grateful when Piper had showed him to the guestroom where he had proceeded to take a five hour nap.

After he had woken up, he had spent the rest of the day lounging around the house and playing video games with Piper’s brother while letting the two women of the house fuss over him. They were almost as bad as his mother, who probably would have been stuffing him with even more juice and “healthy foods” than Piper and her mother. But he was grateful to the two nonetheless.

Finally, after all the dinner dishes had been cleared and the kitchen cleaned, Piper’s family had been them both goodnight and headed off to bed. He and Piper, however, had opted to stay up and watch some movies. That was the part that Justin had enjoyed the most.

Unfortunately, it was the part that also had him the most confused. Piper had cuddled up to him while the movie was playing, had practically been in his lap, her head resting comfortably on his chest. He had wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to fully enjoy her company.

She hadn’t said a word in protest. Which was quite odd as far as he was concerned. She had completely flipped out when he had kissed her, but she didn’t seem to have a problem with them being all over each other. That had him overanalyzing the entire situation.

And it hadn’t helped when Piper had fallen asleep in his arms. She had looked so cute, lying so trustingly in his arms that he’d almost had to pinch himself to keep from leaning down and kissing her. That definitely didn’t help the situation.

Oh, he wanted to deny it until he was blue in the face, but what was the point? There was no disagreeing with the fact that he was starting to fall for Piper. But that wasn’t something he was going to go shouting to the world. Not when she didn’t feel the same about him.

“Cool-aid!” Justin gleefully stated as he sat up and tasted the flavored drink, “How did you know I like cool-aid?”

“Actually, I didn’t. I like to drink cool-aid when I’m under the weather, so I figured you’d like it as well,” Piper sheepishly admitted, “And that way I get to drink some without my mother yelling about how there’s too much sugar in it.”

“Brat,” he teased, taking another sip, “So you’re just using me, eh?”

“Of course not,” she defended, pretending to look horrified at his suggestion, “I’m merely taking advantage of you.”

“Taking advantage of me?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow in her direction, “That makes me feel so much better.”

“I knew it would,” she gleefully stated, grinning. Justin couldn’t help but grin along with her as he quickly finished off the glass of grape-flavored cool-aid.

“So what do you have planned for today?” he questioned as he stood up and stretched, unaware of Piper’s interested stare.

“Huh? Oh, well I guess my cousin is throwing a get-together for the family and we’ve been invited,” she nonchalantly stated, shrugging her shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal. But Justin immediately paled.

“What do you mean we?” he hesitantly questioned, nervous.

“You and me,” she promptly grinned, eyes twinkling, “Apparently word has gotten around my family of your heroics yesterday and they all want to meet you.”

“Oh no,” Justin moaned, running a hand through his hair, “This is terrible.”

“No it’s not. They’re going to love you,” Piper consoled, grinning, “Besides, my family is only about fifty percent crazy anyway.” If it was possible, Justin grew even paler.

“I didn’t even bring anything nice to wear,” he weakly protested, trying vainly to think of a valid excuse to get out of this predicament, “There’s no way I’m meeting your family in jeans and a t-shirt.”

“So we’ll go shopping,” she commented, “Now why don’t you go get in the shower while I go firm out the plans with my parents?”

Before Justin could even think to protest, she was gone from the room, leaving him staring after her. Great, now he was going to meet her whole family. And he wasn’t even sure about how he felt about her anymore. Lord, he was in for it.

“How about that one?” Piper asked, pointing to a blue, striped short-sleeved polo.

“Really? You like that one?” Justin asked, surprised, “I would have thought you would have been more of a dress-shirt kind of woman.”

“Nah, I like polo shirts. Something about them just seems to turn me on,” she stated, grabbing his size off the rack. He stared at her in shock. “Geeze, I was kidding Jus, don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what? Like you’ve completely gone off the deep end?” he asked, grinning when she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Just go try it on with those pants and tell me how it works out,” she retorted, pushing in the direction of the dressing rooms.

“You’re not going to come in with me?” he questioned, turning pleading eyes in her direction.

“Justin, I’m not your mother. And besides, I think I’ve seen enough of your ass to last me the rest of my life,” she teased, enjoying the blush that spread across his cheeks.

“Whatever, you’re just trying to keep yourself under control,” he shot back as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She giggled.

“If you say so,” she said before he disappeared into the dressing room.

“So, what do you think?” he asked, reappearing about five minutes later dressed in a pair of baggy khakis and the polo shirt Piper had picked out. She checked him out from head to toe, liking what she saw.

“Looks good to me, what do you think?” she stated, grinning as he began to strut his stuff like he was on a catwalk.

“It’s a winner,” he agreed.

“Thank god, it only took like five stores,” she stated, breathing a sigh of relief, “I’ll say one thing though, J, you sure can shop.”

“Hey, you’re enjoying yourself, don’t deny it,” he retorted, winking before disappearing back into the dressing room. Piper just rolled her eyes at his retreating figure.

“Alright, let’s pay for this stuff and get out of here. I wouldn’t want to be late to your cousin’s party,” Justin commented as he approached Piper, back in his own clothes.

“Good idea,” she agreed and they went to the cash registers.

Piper almost cringed when she recognized the face behind the cash register. It was a girl from her high school class, and a very bitchy one at that. This was going to be interesting.

“Thanks for shopping at American Eagle,” Mandy Anderson cheerily chirped, grabbing the shirt and pants out of Justin’s hands, “Did you find everything okay today?”

“Sure,” Justin replied, not paying her much attention as he pulled out his wallet and looked for the credit card he wanted to use.

“Your total is $55.79, and that’ll be credit?” Mandy continued, not recognizing the pop star under the hat he wore.

“Yes ma’am,” Justin politely replied, shooting a lopsided grin in Piper’s direction. She gave him a half-hearted smile in return, ignoring the concerned look he gave her.

“Oh my god, you’re…” Mandy squealed.

“Yes I am, and I’d appreciate it if you could keep it down,” Justin said, a little annoyed at the girl’s lack of subtlety.

“Of course,” Mandy agreed, suddenly lying eyes on Piper, “Oh hi Piper, I didn’t see you there.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t,” Piper snapped, rolling her eyes.

“I hope you’re not bothering Mr. Timberlake here. I’ll have to get security to throw you out of the store if you are,” Mandy threatened, her eyes gleaming with barely-concealed contempt.

“You’d have to get a bunch of guys to throw little old me out? Oh that’s right, you couldn’t kick my ass if you tried,” Piper loftily responded, not caring if she pissed the girl off.

“Why you little bitch,” Mandy hissed.

“Woah, hold up there. She’s with me,” Justin snapped, “So if you’d be so kind and keep your tongue to yourself and finish up, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks sweetie.” The last word dripped with sarcasm and Piper was glad to see Mandy look at Justin in shock.

“Okay,” she meekly agreed, glaring daggers in Piper’s direction.

In no time at all, they were out of the store and Justin couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at Piper, worried when she didn’t say a word to him about what had just happened.

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked, snapping her out of her daze.

“She was a girl from high school that used to be my friend and then turned on me,” Piper simply explained, “End of story.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, stopping so that he could look her in the eye, “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just, my high school years are not really something I like to talk about with anyone,” she revealed, shrugging her shoulders, “It’s nothing against you or anything, but I just had a horrible time and I don’t ever want to relive it if I don’t have to.”

“No, I understand that,” he said, smiling down at her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Now how about we grab some smoothies and get our asses out of here?”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Piper agreed, perking up at the mention of smoothies, one of her favorite drinks.

The two of them resumed their walking, Justin with an arm still draped about Piper’s shoulders and Piper holding tightly to him around the waist. Silence descended over them as Piper was still lost in her thoughts.

“Ooh, we gotta stop,” Piper suddenly stated as she glanced up and saw a store to her left.

“Huh?” Justin questioned.

“Disney Store!” Piper squealed, pointing in the direction of the store; Justin laughed.

“You like the Disney Store?” he demanded, poking her in the side, “Who’s the little kid now?”

“You,” she responded, a serious look on her face.

“What?!” Justin cried, confused, “How does that work?”

“I dunno, it just does,” Piper replied, grinning up at him as she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.

Justin rolled his eyes as he followed Piper into the store. He hadn’t been in a Disney store since he was little, and it sure hadn’t looked like this one did. Of course, that was about fifteen years ago.

“You act like you’ve never been in a Disney store before,” Piper commented as she glanced in his direction.

“It’s been about fifteen years,” the pop star explained. Piper’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Oh you poor deprived child,” she teased, patting him on the shoulder before walking over to a display filled with stuffed animals, “Would you like me to buy you a Pluto stuffed animal?”

“I’m more partial to Mickey Mouse,” Justin responded as he picked up the aforementioned stuffed animal from the display.

“Oh that’s right, you were a cute little Mouseketeer back in the day,” Piper commented as she grabbed the stuffed animal out of Justin’s hands.

“Yep and proud of it,” he replied as he settled an arm about Piper’s shoulders; she immediately cuddled into him, “Now what would you like? How about Donald Duck?” Piper made a face.

“Justin, you don’t have to buy anything to make me happy,” she protested, “Besides, I hate Donald Duck. He always got on my nerves because he was such a wuss.” Justin laughed.

“Hey, you’re buying me Mickey Mouse, so it’s only fair,” he replied as soon as he had caught his breath. Piper just grumbled to herself.

“Fine, just surprise me then,” she told the pop star as she pulled out of his embrace, “I’m going to pay for this and I’ll meet you outside the store, okay?”

“Okay,” Justin reluctantly agreed. He didn’t have a clue what to get for Piper if truth be told.

Piper giggled to herself as she noticed his lost expression. She was on her way to the cash registers when she suddenly felt a tug on her jeans. She looked down and was surprised to find a young girl of about six looking expectantly up at her.

“Hi,” Piper cheerily greeted, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Emily,” the girl shyly responded, “Can I ask you a question.”

“Of course,” the young woman agreed.

“Is that Justin Timberlake over there?” little Emily asked.

“It sure is,” Piper confirmed as she knelt down in front of the youngster, “And I bet if you go over there, he’ll give you an autograph.”

“Really?” the little girl questioned, her eyes widening in excitement.

“You bet,” Piper confirmed, smiling, “But don’t tell anybody else. We wouldn’t want him to get hurt by all the big girls.”

“No way,” the little girl forcefully said, then her face suddenly fell, “But I don’t have anything for him to sign.” Piper immediately pulled off the North Carolina basketball hat that Justin had bought her weeks ago and handed it to the girl.

“Now you do,” the young woman said as she placed the hat on the young girl’s head, who just giggled.

“Thank you!” Emily squealed, giving Piper a quick hug before she took off in the direction of the pop star.

Smiling, Piper quickly paid for the stuffed animal, wanting to leave the store before little Emily got to Justin. She wasn’t exactly sure how thrilled Justin would be at the invasion. But she didn’t quite make it as far as she wanted to.

“Justin? Can you sign my hat?” Emily quietly whispered as she tugged on his pants. He immediately knelt down so he was eye-level with the young girl.

“Of course I can, what’s your name sweetie?” Justin responded, taking the pen from the outstretched hand.

“Emily,” she shyly replied.

“Well Ms. Emily, this is a lovely hat you have here,” Justin commented as he signed.

“Oh, the pretty lady over there gave it to me because I didn’t have anything for you to sign,” Emily blurted as she waited for her idol to finish signing the hat.

“Which pretty lady?” Justin questioned as he capped the pen and looked up.

“The one over there with the long brown hair,” Emily said, pointing to Piper. Justin felt his heart melt at the simple gesture from his friend.

“That’s Piper, one of my best friends in the whole world,” Justin told the young girl as he placed the hat back on her head, “She’s pretty great, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Emily agreed, smiling.

“Emily? Sweetie, come and leave that man alone,” a woman’s voice suddenly cut into their conversation.

“Thanks Justin!” Emily cried before she bounded off in the direction of a woman pushing a stroller. She quickly began to babble to her mother and show off the hat.

“You’re welcome,” the pop star called to the oblivious young girl before heading up to the cash registers where Piper stood frozen, “That was awfully sweet of you.”

“You’re her idol Justin, I couldn’t exactly let her go without your autograph,” Piper said, waving away the praise once again, “Besides, the hat looked goofy on me anyway.”

“I thought you loved that hat,” he pouted.

“Yeah, but…”

“Well then we’ll just have to get you another one,” Justin interrupted as he finished paying for the Pooh stuffed animal he had bought for Piper.

“Are you always this stubborn?” she asked as they walked out of the store and headed in the direction of the sports store.

“Of course I am, you should know that by now,” Justin responded, grinning down at Piper as he put his arm around her shoulders once again.

“Yeah, I don’t know why I even asked that question,” Piper agreed as she surrendered to Justin’s warmth and cuddled into his chest as they walked.

“It’s cause you have the memory span of a goldfish,” Justin teased. Piper poked him in the side.

“Now you’re just confusing me with Chris,” she scoffed.

“Yeah, you two would make a great pair of twins…”

The two of them walked along, content just being in each other’s company. The altercation at the American Eagle store was completely forgotten as they teased each other back and forth. They didn’t have any idea, however, that they had been followed by a reporter the minute they had stepped foot into the mall.

It was easy to see that Justin and Piper were falling more and more in love as the days passed. Anybody who saw them together could tell that fact. Only problem was that they both kept denying it until they were finally pushed apart by outer forces.

The Next Day - Sunday

Justin rolled over in bed, pulling the covers over his head in an effort to block out the sound of his cell phone. The clock next to the bed read eight in the morning, altogether too early for him to be up on a Sunday. He sighed in relief when the ringing stopped.

Only to start back up again. With much grumbling, the pop star rolled over and grabbed the ringing contraption from the bedside table. What the hell could Joey want this early on a weekend? He pushed send, not sure if he really wanted to find out.

“Hello?” Justin croaked out.

“Sorry to wake you J, but there’s something you gotta see,” Joey stated, his voice urgent.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Justin demanded as he sat up, “And what are you doing up? It’s like four in the morning in LA.”

“I’m not in LA anymore,” Joey explained, “We flew back yesterday because I had some business with my manager to take care of.”

“Oh, well eight is still early. Now what’s the big news?” Justin asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes, “This had better be good, I was having a dream about Halle Berry.”

“Forget Halle Berry. You need to take a look at the tabloids,” Joey stated.

“Don’t tell me the media got a hold of Cameron being in the hospital,” Justin moaned as he reluctantly crawled out of the comfortable cocoon of the bed.

“No, it’s worse.”

“What could be worse than that…”

“Piper,” Joey interrupted. Silence fell on Justin’s end of the phone as his heart plummeted straight to his feet. Not now. No. He didn’t need this pain in the ass right now. Piper didn’t need it either.

“Shit,” Justin mumbled, running a hand over his stubbly face in agitation, “Thanks for the warning Joe.”

“No problem man,” Joey responded.

“I better go and make sure Piper hasn’t heard anything about this yet. Give my love to Kelly and Bri,” Justin concluded, his mind racing with possible ways to keep Piper from getting hurt.

“Will do J. Take care of her, you hear me?” the older man said.

“Of course,” Justin agreed, sighing, “Bye Joe.”

“Later.”

Justin hung up the phone and began to pace the floor in front of the bed. How was he going to get out of this? Lord knew that everybody and their mother read the tabloids, so it’s not like this would go unnoticed. No, more than likely everything was going to blow up in his face.

Just when he was beginning to think that he was falling for Piper. That would have to wait now. He was stuck with a mess on his hands and there was no telling how she’d react. And he hadn’t even seen the paper yet!

A short knock interrupted the quiet solitude of Justin’s sanctuary. He was surprised when the door was opened to reveal Piper’s mother, Julia standing there, a troubled look on her face. She held out a paper in his direction.

His eyes quickly scanned the front page, widening with each picture and every headline. With a sigh, he sat on the bed and began to read through the article.

What the hell kind of bullshit was this? God, just when everything was starting to work out with Cameron and Piper, some goddamn reporter just had to stick their nose where it didn’t belong. How was he supposed to protect Piper when her picture was the on the front page of a tabloid paper?

Justin quickly looked up at Piper’s mom, his eyes wide. She stared back at him, a doubtful and wary look on her face. Like she didn’t trust him with her daughter’s well-being. Well, he didn’t blame her after reading that crap. It basically portrayed him as a womanizing asshole.

“Justin, what exactly is going on?” Julia Saunders questioned, her voice cool, “Is it true what this paper says?”

Justin sighed, not really wanting to go into detail about what had happened with Cameron. But it wasn’t like he had any choice. He didn’t want Piper’s parents thinking that he was some horrible person and forbid him from ever seeing her again. That was definitely something he could not deal with.

So he quickly told the shortened version of the events that had led up to Cameron’s pregnancy and her hospitalization, as well as the part that Piper had played in the whole thing. By the time he had finished, Julia’s manner towards him had changed from coolly reserved to concerned mother.

“Is Cameron doing okay?” Piper’s mother questioned as she gave the young man a motherly hug, “And what about that boyfriend of her’s?”

“As far as I know, she’s fine. She’ll be out of the hospital tomorrow at the earliest,” Justin responded as he stepped out of her embrace, “As far as the jerk who did that to her, I have no clue where he is.”

“Well, let’s hope that she decides to press charges and the police find him,” Julia commented as she walked towards the door, “But for now, what are you going to tell Piper?”

“The truth,” Justin simply stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Good plan,” Julia agreed before she disappeared from sight and left a rather nervous Justin on his own again.

He paced, not quite knowing how to go about breaking the bad news to Piper. It didn’t matter how eloquently he put it, the fact was that her face was plastered in tabloids across the country, which meant that from now on, her privacy would probably be nonexistent. That would be extremely tough for her.

He had grown up in the spotlight, loving it to be exact. But Piper had not. If anything, she was shy and gave up the limelight to somebody more outgoing or confident; she was never the one who told the jokes or kept the conversation going. If he knew the media like he thought he did, this was going to be hell for her.

They were going to hound her nonstop and everything she did would be watched by half the country. Justin just hoped that he was there to support her and that she was strong enough not to buckle under the pressure.

It was roughly twenty minutes later, which is the time it took for him to gather what little courage he had left, that he finally managed to make his way down the hall to Piper’s room. He knocked softly and walked in a few moments later. She was still asleep in her bed and he felt his heart catch in his chest.

She was beautiful, to put it simply. Her hair was spread haphazardly across the pillow, a glowing mass in the early-morning sunshine. Her face was relaxed in deep slumber, her eyelashes causing the slightest shadows on her well-defined cheekbones. Her full lips were turned up in the slightest smile, making him want to lean forward and kiss her until she woke up. The comforter had been pushed down to her waist, which gave him ample view of her pert breasts encased in nothing but a well-loved tank top.

Justin took a shaky breath as he pushed those thoughts away and took a seat on the bed next to Piper’s sleeping form. He gently tried to shake her awake, but she just mumbled to herself and rolled over. So he tried again.

This time, he was shocked when Piper pulled him down and kissed him. Full on the lips. He didn’t quite know how to respond. When her tongue began to invade his mouth, he groaned and gave in, opening his own mouth in welcome.

He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. Piper was still fast asleep for crying out loud and had no clue who she was kissing. But he was too mesmerized by the way her lips were moving over his that he quickly lost track of all thought process.

Piper suddenly gave a sigh as she pulled away and settled back into her covers. Her lips were turned up in a smile and Justin almost thought she was awake. But when he tried to shake her, she barely responded to the stimulation.

“Piper!” he suddenly said close to her ear.

That got her awake. She jolted up in bed and grabbed the nearest weapon close at hand, which happened to be a hairbrush. Justin took one look at her and burst into laughter.

“You’re so not funny,” she grumbled as she set the brush back on the night table and turned to glare at him, “You could have given me a heart attack you big oaf.”

“I’m not a big oaf,” Justin whined, pouting at her as he tried to hold back his grin; he was vastly unsuccessfully, “What were you going to do with that hairbrush? Beat me to death with it?”

“Shut-up,” Piper mumbled, her cheeks turning a becoming pink, “Did you come in here to make fun of me or is there something else you want at…eight fifteen in the morning?” The last part of the statement was a screech and Justin winced as she smacked him across the arm.

“I came to make out with you,” he joked, testing if she knew precisely what had happened between them moments ago.

“Haha, I’ve got morning breath. I would never make out with you unless I brushed my teeth beforehand,” Piper retorted, rolling her eyes at the thought, “And besides, you’re Justin. Why would I wanna make out with you?” That definitely hurt, but Justin made sure not to let on just how deeply the words cut.

“Are you trying to say that I’m unattractive?” he pouted.

“No, I’m saying you’re a pain in the ass,” Piper replied as she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, “Now, if you’re not going to tell me anything important, get out of my room so I can go back to sleep.”

“Uh, well, actually…” Justin trailed off as he picked up the tabloid that had fallen to the floor.

“What is it?” she asked as she sat back up, concerned at the nervousness in his tone.

Wordlessly, Justin handed the paper to Piper. She quickly scanned the front page, her eyes widening as she realized what exactly she was staring at. She quickly read through the article, her lips moving as she went through it.

By the time she was finished, Justin’s heart had started thumping out a nervous rhythm. Piper was biting her bottom lip, a habit that Justin noticed she did only when she was self-conscious or upset. And he would definitely choose upset at this point in time.

“Justin…” she began, finally looking him in the eye. Her green orbs shown with unshed tears and he hated that he was the cause of them.

“I know, baby,” he responded in a soothing voice as she softly cried in his arms, “I’m sorry that you have to go through with this. I really am. I wish to god that I could protect you from the media, but it looks like I don’t have that kind of power.”

“What are we going to do about it?” the young woman asked through her tears, “I mean, now everybody is going to know who I am. Genevieve told me how she’s gotten hate mail and has been insulted in public because she is JC’s girlfriend. I’m afraid that’s going to happen to me, and we’re only friends! I don’t know how to deal with this sort of thing Justin. I’ve grown up in a small, quiet town where everybody knows everybody else.”

“We’re just going to have to take things day by day,” Justin said as he pulled away to look her into the eye, “But I promise you Piper, I will do everything in my power to help you and protect you from the backlash of this whole thing.”

“Really? You promise?” she hopefully questioned, wiping away the last trace of her tears as she did so.

“Promise with all my heart,” he reassured her, “How about…”

Before Justin could finish his sentence, the familiar ring of his cell phone began to reverberate down the hall. Not sure if it was going to be Cameron or one of his band mates, he quickly sprinted down the hall to get to it in time. He picked up, out of breath, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Hello?” he questioned.

“Justin?” the familiar voice of JC questioned back.

“Yeah, C, it’s me. What’s up?” the pop star questioned, wondering what JC was doing calling him at four in the morning LA time.

“You need to come back to Cali. Something’s happened with Cameron,” JC urgently stated; Justin felt the blood instantly drain from his face.

“What do you mean something happened?” Justin barked, pacing the room as he spoke, “Is she alright? Is the baby okay?”

“Justin, I, well…” JC trailed off.

“Give me the phone,” he heard a female voice say in the background, “Justin? It’s Genny.”

“Hi Genny. What’s going on?” the younger man demanded, annoyed that his band mate and friend couldn’t tell him what was going on with his ex-girlfriend.

“Justin, have you seen the tabloid story?” Genevieve asked.

“Yeah, why? What does that have to do with Cameron?” he practically yelled, frustrated that she seemed to be skirting around the real reason for the early-morning phone call.

“He found her,” Genevieve whispered so softly that Justin almost didn’t hear her.

“Who found her?” he asked, now confused.

“Jeremy Armand. The baby’s father,” Genevieve plainly stated as she sighed, “He came to the hospital early this morning and beat Cameron up because of the tabloid.”

“What!” Justin yelled, not caring who the hell heard him, “Is she okay? Genevieve, please tell me that she’s going to be okay.”

“Justin, calm down,” Genevieve soothed.

“No, I’m not going to calm down until you tell me that Cameron is okay,” Justin cried, running a hand roughly through his hair in an effort to ride himself of the frustration and nerves.

“She’s fine,” Genevieve replied.

“Thank god,” Justin breathed.

“But she lost the baby,” the young woman stated a minute later.

“I…uh, what?” Justin stuttered as he felt his jaw drop in shock.

“Justin, he repeatedly beat her until she was unconscious. In an effort to keep her alive, her body cut off all nutrients and blood flow to the fetus, therefore killing it,” Genevieve explained in a soft voice.

“Shit,” Justin muttered, “How is she doing?”

“She doesn’t know yet,” Genevieve explained, “The doctors have her on a bunch of medication to relieve the pain from the attack, so she’s been in and out of consciousness for the past few hours.”

“God damn,” Justin swore again, “Alright, I’m coming right now.”

“Justin…” Genevieve began.

“No, don’t give me a damn excuse as to why I need to stay here. I don’t care about Piper and Andrew, I need to see Cameron and make sure that she’s okay,” Justin retorted, unaware of Piper lurking just outside his door, “She’s going to need me the minute all those meds wear off and there’s no way I’m going to let her down.”

“Fine, it’s not like I can stop you anyway,” Genevieve said, her voice weary from being at the hospital the past few hours and getting practically no sleep, “Call us back when you’ve made flight arrangements and JC can come pick you up at the airport, okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Justin said, his mind elsewhere, “Thanks Genevieve.”

“No problem J. You take care of yourself and we’ll see you in a couple hours,” she concluded.

“Okay,” Justin agreed before disconnecting.

He sighed. Lord, why was this all happening to him? First he was getting married to Cameron. Then he was giving blood to Piper’s ex-boyfriend. Now Cameron’s boyfriend beat her up and caused her to lose her baby. God, it almost sounded like a soap opera.

Too bad it was real life. His life to be exact.

Well, it was time for him to go play the knight in shining armor once again, whether he wanted to or not. He quickly began to pack his belongings and was in the process of making the bed when Piper knocked. Justin looked up and immediately noticed something was wrong by the way she stiffly held her body while she walked towards him.

“What’s wrong?” he quickly questioned as he threw the last of the pillows on the bed and picked his watch up from the night table.

“You don’t care about me anymore? What kind of bullshit is that?” she yelled, tears in her eyes, “God, am I that easily replaceable?” Justin dropped the watch he was in the process of putting on.

“Piper, you don’t understand…” he began as he tried to walk to her side. She immediately backed away, her defenses securely in place. He sighed.

“I understand perfectly well. I heard it from your own lips,” she retorted, crossing her arms in anger, “Your ex-girlfriend means more to you than our friendship!”

“Piper, please…”

“And to think I was falling for you,” she cried, the tears freely falling down her face at that point, “God, what an idiot I’ve been.”

“Sweetie…”

“No, don’t you fucking call me that. Get out of my house,” she cried, her petite body shaking with her unrepressed sobs.

“Is that what you really want?” he demanded, his patience with her suddenly gone.

“Yes, get out of my house and get on your fucking plane. I never want to see you or hear from you again,” Piper stated, her voice uneven.

“Fine, if that’s how you want to be then so be it,” he growled as he grabbed his bag and stalked past her out of the room, “Why don’t you give me a call when you grow up!”

“Yeah? Well why don’t you call me when you decide not to be such an asshole!” she flung back.

He didn’t even turn around and look back despite the fact that his heart was breaking into a million pieces. God, he loved her. He knew it now. But she hated him. And the worst part was that she hadn’t even given him a chance to explain.

Then again, from her point of view, he had been rather harsh when he said he didn’t care about her. That had to have hurt, especially coming after she had just read that damn tabloid story.

That tabloid story. That was the cause of all this. Well, the minute he set foot in LA and made sure Cameron was okay, he was going to have a word with the editor of the paper. No, make that a few words.

Back up in the room Justin had just vacated, Piper finally collapsed to the floor and allowed the sobs to take over. She cried for the loss of his friendship. She cried for the loss of his strength and support, which she would definitely need desperately in the next few weeks.

But mostly, she cried for the loss of what she could have had. Without even meaning to, she had fallen hard and hopelessly in love with him. It didn’t matter that he was a famous pop star or that he was five years older than her. No, to her he was just Justin; a dork, a friend, and a wonderful human being.

She had definitely blown it, there was no doubt about that. Well, once she got over the hurt she felt, she would have to find some way to make it up to him. It was time that she learned to swallow her pride and listen to her heart. God knows it would lead her definitely where she wanted to be.

Ultimately, that stupid story is what stopped Justin and Piper’s relationship at that point. It was obvious that they were falling head over heels for each other, but with the occurrence of that article, and their fight, things got quite rough. In fact, it pretty much split them apart for the better part of three months.

Thank god for Chris and Cameron. I know I said that Cameron turned out to be a bitch, but I was definitely wrong. If it weren’t for her (and, I’ll grudgingly admit, Chris as well), Piper and Justin still probably wouldn’t be talking to each other.

Piper sat on the floor, numb. Justin was gone; probably, she was afraid, for good. She gave up trying to be strong and just let the tears roll freely down her cheeks.

A soft knock on her door, however, brought the young woman out of her daze. She turned her tear-stained face toward the sound, surprised to see her mom standing there. She tried to put on a brave face and pull herself together, but her mother saw through the weak defense.

“Piper, sweetie, what’s the matter?” Julia demanded as she rushed in to comfort her distraught daughter, “Did something happen between you and Justin? I just saw him leave with all his things.”

“I just…just told him to go. I was angry, he was upset, and everything blew up. Now he’s gone forever,” Piper rambled through her sobs.

“Shh honey, everything is going to be okay,” Julia soothed as she hugged Piper tight.

“H…how?” Piper stuttered, “I think I l…love him and I pretty much told him that I never wanted to hear or see from him again.”

“You are going to swallow your pride and go after him,” Julia stated.

“But mom…” Piper protested, eyes wide with shock.

“No, I’m not letting that stubborn pride of your’s get in the way of what your heart truly feels,” Julia sternly interrupted, “Justin is a great guy and I don’t want you regretting what could have been had you only gone after him.”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” Piper questioned in a quiet voice, “I don’t know if my heart could take that kind of disappointment again.”

“Piper, the man flew all the way across the country to make sure you were okay and then he saved your ex-boyfriend’s life by giving blood,” Julia stated, “If that doesn’t say he cares about you then I don’t know what does.”

“You really think he likes me?” Piper shyly questioned as she blushed.

“I’m your mother; I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this,” Julia responded, smiling as they pulled apart, “Besides, he makes lovey dovey eyes at you whenever you’re not looking.”

“Mom!” Piper protested, rolling her eyes at her mother’s strange comment.

“It’s true!” Julia retorted, “If you don’t believe me, then go and ask your father. He’ll say the exact same thing.”

“I think I’ll pass on that, thanks,” Piper choked out.

“Suit yourself then,” Julia said with a shrug of her shoulders, “Hey, what is that?”

“What?” Piper questioned, glancing towards where her mother was pointing.

“Right near your left hand,” her mother replied.

Piper quickly looked down. On the floor, almost hidden under the bed, lay an expensive-looking watching. She quickly picked it up and looked it over, not recognizing it in the least. On the back, however, were engraved the initials JRT.

“It’s Justin’s watch,” Piper said, holding tight to the object, her one link to the pop star, “He must have dropped it in his hurry to leave.”

“Now you have an excuse to go see him,” Julia said with a smile.

“Oh I’m sure Justin’s going to believe that I flew across the country just to return his watch,” Piper sarcastically retorted.

“I’ve heard of stranger things,” Julia commented.

“Wait, how am I supposed to pay for yet another plane ticket?” Piper said as worry lines creased her brow.

“I’ll pay for it,” Julia stated with a motherly smile and pat, “Now let’s go talk to your father. I’m sure he’d like to know that he’s going to have to have “THE TALK” with Justin sometime soon.”

“Oh no…”

California – same day

Justin paced the hall as he waited to be allowed to see Cameron. His mind, and heart, however, were back in Michigan with Piper.

He should have stayed. He should have tried to explain everything to her. No, what he really should have told her was how much he actually loved her.

That was a lot of should-haves that all added up to nothing. Oh, he had his pride; pride that kept him from running straight back to Piper’s arms. So now he was faced with being alone. Again.

But he couldn’t deny the fact that he loved her. Somehow, someway he had managed to fall hard and fast for the one woman who could possibly be the best friend he’d ever had. The one woman he thought he could never fall in love with.

But loved worked in strange ways, he knew that now, and where Piper was concerned, there was no exception. The only problem, now, though, was that he didn’t know how to make things right between the two of them.

“Mr. Timberlake?” a nurse questioned, breaking into his train of thoughts.

“Yeah?” the pop star questioned.

“You can go in and see Ms. Diaz now,” the elder lady responded with a small smile, “But I’m going to warn you now, she’s in pretty bad shape, emotionally as well as physically.”

“So she knows?” Justin asked, referring to the baby his ex-girlfriend had lost.

“Yes, she knows about the baby,” the nurse confirmed as she led the way to the correct room.

“Oh,” was all Justin could manage as they stopped in front of room 269 of the private ward.

“You don’t have to stand in the hall, Mr. Timberlake, she’s perfectly capable of receiving visitors at this time,” the nurse said, prodding him in the direction of the closed door.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” the young man stuttered as the friendly nurse walked away and left him alone.

He sighed. He couldn’t very well stand in the hallway forever like a scared little kid. So with a deep breath for courage and strength, he quietly pushed open the door and entered the room.

The shades were drawn, most likely for privacy, and cast the room in semi-darkness. The only source of light came from a small lamp, which bathed the room in a surreal glow and cast light on the figure in the bed. Justin softly crept forward, thinking that Cameron was asleep.

But he was wrong. The actress turned over the moment she heard him and allowed Justin the first glimpse of her battered face. He gaped in horror.

There was a long line of angry-looking stitches that went from her right eyebrow on a diagonal to the left side of her hairline. The left eye was swollen shut, a nasty purple and blue color which made him shudder. Her nose looked like it had been broken and then reset, her lips split in a couple different places. Her right arm was in a purple cast and a sling kept it from moving too much. Bruises lined her once flawless cheeks and Justin wanted to cry for the loss of her beauty.

“Justin,” she whispered when she fixed her good eye on him.

“Oh Cam,” Justin brokenly cried as he gingerly embraced the injured woman, “How could he do this to you? How? I swear, I’m going to kill the bastard if I ever get my hands on him.”

“Shh, it’s alright, everything is going to be okay,” Cameron soothed as she ran a hand over his back in a calming gesture.

“But the baby…” Justin stated, confused by her seemingly calm demeanor. A pained expression crossed her face.

“I’m never going to forgive him for that,” the actress softly said as the pop star pulled up a chair next to her bed, “Even though it was part of him, it was growing inside of me and going to be mine and only mine.”

“Did you ever tell him?” Justin said, refraining from saying Jeremy’s name for fear of making her upset.

“No. Never. And I wasn’t going to,” Cameron said with a small smile, “I had thought that I could run from him, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I underestimated him.”

“Well forget about him. You need to concentrate on you now,” Justin said, surprisingly them both by how much he sounded like a therapist, “How are you feeling? And what has the doctor said?”

“I had a broken arm, a broken nose, and I needed stitches on my forehead,” the actress began, motioning to the injuries, “I also have a couple broken ribs, which is why I’m pretty much confined to this bed for the next week or two. The doctor said that nothing is life-threatening though and that I should heal completely.”

“But you lost your baby,” Justin prompted.

“Repeated blows to the stomach,” Cameron choked out as her eyes watered with unshed tears.

“Oh sweetie, what can I do? How can I make things better?” he demanded, leaning forward to brush a friendly kiss across her forehead.

“Just stay here and be my friend. I need all the support I can get,” Cameron sniffled, grimacing as she shifted in the bed, “JC and Genny have been great and Lance has stopped by a few times. Chris has been wonderful though.”

“Chris as in Chris Kirkpatrick? The guy that used to wear dreads because he thought it was cool?” Justin demanded, surprised when he noted the dreamy expression on Cameron’s face.

“Yeah…” Cameron trailed off with a sigh, “He’s been by at least once a day to cheer me up, even before this last attack happened. He’s an amazing guy.”

“You like Chris,” Justin incredulously stated, grinning at her.

“So?” Cameron demanded as she blushed, “It’s not like I can help it.”

“Well I don’t blame you, you could use some comic relief amid all this and Chris is definitely that,” Justin agreed, immensely happy that things were actually looking up for Cameron, despite the fact that she had just lost her baby.

“Yeah, he is pretty funny,” Cameron agreed with a far-off smile, “He also brings me flowers too.” Justin swallowed, happy for the actress, but not really wanting to know about all the sweet things his band mate was doing for his ex-girlfriend.

“Well, I can stay with you as long as you need,” he stated, changing the subject, “I’m at your disposal.”

“What about Piper?” Cameron demanded, a little confused, “I thought you were with her? Didn’t she have some sort of family crisis or something? Did you bring her with you.”

“Uh…well…” Justin trailed off, staring at the ground as if it was the most interesting aspect of the room.

“Justin Randall, what have you done?” Cameron demanded as she slowly sat up and faced him.

“It’s a long story,” he mumbled as he finally glanced in her direction. She was frowning at him and he cringed.

“Do I look like I’m going anywhere?” she retorted, “Now, out with it. I want to know what I have to do to help you fix things.”

“Fine, if you insist,” Justin agreed with a sigh.

LAX – Two days later

Piper paced the baggage claim as she waited for Genevieve to come pick her up. Her nerves were frayed, her mind traveling at a hundred miles a minute as she played out every scenario she could possibly imagine that could happen between her and Justin.

“Piper?” Genevieve suddenly questioned as she approached the exhausted girl, “What’s going on?”

“Oh Genny,” Piper cried as she flung herself in the older woman’s arms and held on for dear life.

“Whoa there, calm down sweetie,” Genevieve soothed as she hugged back, surprised at how upset the young woman appeared to be.

“I’m sorry, I’ve just been on edge ever since Justin and I had a fight two days ago,” Piper supplied as she pulled herself together and stepped out of Genevieve’s embrace a few moments later.

“You and Justin had a fight?” Genevieve questioned, surprised.

“Yeah, it’s what made him leave and come back here,” Piper said as she stared at the ground, “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”

“Well he’s been too worried about Cameron to even talk with JC or I,” the elder woman stated with a frown, “Haven’t you heard?”

“Heard what?” Piper asked, confused.

“Jeremy, Cameron’s ex-boyfriend, came into the hospital and beat her up. She lost the baby,” Genevieve gently explained. Piper’s eyes widened in shock at the news.

“Oh my god, I had no idea. Justin never mentioned anything,” the younger woman whispered as the two of them put the bags in the trunk and climbed in Genevieve’s car, “Can we go see her?”

“Right now?” Genevieve questioned, starting the car as she spoke.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you,” Piper confirmed.

“Alright, to the hospital we go,” Genevieve concluded as she turned the car in the appropriate direction.

The ride to the hospital was quiet, filled only with small spurts of small talk. Piper didn’t offer any information on what had happened between her and Justin and Genevieve was smart enough not to try to pry it out of her. Piper was too busy thinking about Cameron and how awful she felt about the whole situation. She hadn’t even known anything until Genevieve had mentioned it.

Soon enough, the two of them were walking down the hall towards the private wing of the hospital. After meeting up with JC, who was waiting as they stepped off the elevator, Genevieve quickly left the young woman to make the trek on her own. With a sigh, Piper came to stand in front of the correct door, her heart racing.

She took a deep breath and was about to walk through the open door when she heard Cameron’s voice. Not wanting to intrude, she stayed where she was. It’s not like she was trying to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help but hear the conversation from her vantage point.

“What are you doing?” Cameron giggled, “You’re going to be in big trouble if my nurse comes in here and sees you on the bed with me.”

“Then I’ll talk my way out of it,” the muffled male voice responded. A male voice that sounded a bit like Justin’s.

“Sure you would,” Cameron said with a sigh, “Well, I do enjoy cuddling with you, it makes me feel safe.”

“You know I’ll never let anything happen to you ever again,” the male voice responded.

The sound of kisses quickly followed, making Piper’s heart to fall to the pit of her stomach. Justin was in there, kissing Cameron, his ex-girlfriend. Good lord, she was right about him all along. He didn’t care for her other than as a friend.

“Chris! Stop it! Justin’s going to be coming back from the vending machines any minute and I don’t think he wants to see you with your shirt off,” Cameron squealed.

Piper’s eyes widened. Chris? As in Chris…

“Kirkpatrick, I mean it. Put your damn shirt on before I throw up,” Cameron teased.

“Aww, you don’t like my sexy body?” Chris whined, “Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?”

Whoa. What on earth was going on here? If that was Chris in there with Cameron, then that meant that Justin was somewhere around the hospital. And that also meant that he and Cameron weren’t together again as she had feared. She quickly knocked on the door, wanting to put an end to her questions and confusion.

“Come in!” Cameron called.

“Piper!” Chris cried as soon as she fully entered the room. Much to her amusement, he ran over, picked her up over his shoulder, and spun her around in circles.

“Chris, I’m going to be sick!” Piper managed to get out between giggles.

“Christopher, put her down so I can get a hug,” Cameron instructed.

A few moments later, after regaining her balance and getting a big hug from Cameron, Piper pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down.

“How are you doing?” Piper seriously questioned, trying to ignore Chris as he skipped around the room, a goofy grin on his face.

“I’m doing okay, thanks to Chris, Justin and the rest of the gang,” Cameron responded before sticking her tongue out in Chris’s direction, “And I’m so glad you could make it here. I’ve missed being able to talk to you.”

“I’m glad I could come. I felt awful, I didn’t even know this had happened until Genevieve told me about ten minutes ago,” Piper responded.

“Justin didn’t tell you before he left?” Cameron asked, wanting to get the young woman’s side of the story.

“Not exactly…we sort of had a fight and haven’t spoken for a couple days,” the younger explained as she looked down at her hands, “I pretty much told him that I never wanted to see him again.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t mean it, I was just upset at the time, and I…well I thought that he still cared about you and I was jealous,” Piper finished in a whisper.

“Hey Chris, can you run and get me some chocolate?” Cameron suddenly questioned as she noticed the pop star suddenly taking interest in their conversation.

“But I thought you didn’t like chocolate,” Chris protested, confused.

“I do now,” the actress responded as she gave him a look.

“Oh, I get it. You’re giving me the look, which means you want me to leave,” Chris stated with a roll of his eyes, “You could have just told me that.”

“He’s not very subtle, is he?” Cameron asked with a grin.

“No, definitely not,” Piper agreed as she looked towards the door where Chris had exited not moments before, “How long have you two…”

“We’ve been seeing each other for about a week. Right after you left to go home,” Cameron gushed, a silly expression on her face as her eyes got a far-off look of complete bliss, “But I want to know what happened between you and Justin. You two are perfect with each other.”

“But…” Piper protested.

“No buts just go with it,” the actress instructed with a smile, “Now tell me exactly what happened.”

“You finally decided to leave her side?” Justin questioned as he came upon Chris just as he left Cameron’s room.

“Oh, um, well, you shouldn’t go in there right now,” Chris stuttered as he attempted to pull the younger man away.

“What are you talking about? Is everything okay?” Justin demanded, a worried expression forming on his face.

“Uh…Cameron’s not feeling well right now,” Chris lied as he continued to try to pull the taller man back in the direction of the vending machines.

“Well shouldn’t we get a doctor then?” Justin asked as he tried to shake free of Chris’s grasp and go into the hospital room.

“Piper’s in there right now,” Chris blurted.

Justin froze. Piper was here? Not only in California, but in this very hospital talking with his ex-girlfriend at this precise moment?

No, this couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t ready to talk with her yet. He didn’t know what to say and lord knew he wasn’t exactly in the position to be starting another relationship yet. Oh god, how was he supposed to avoid breaking her heart even more?

“I, uh, I think I’ll just wait right here,” the younger man finally stuttered out as he leaned against the wall, lost in thought. Chris immediately took a seat in a chair on the opposite wall.

They didn’t have long to wait, however, for about ten minutes later, Piper emerged from the room. She glanced up as she walked out and her jaw dropped as she noticed Justin standing there. He immediately stood up and walked to where she stood rooted.

“I’m just going to go check up on Cameron. Alright? Okay then,” Chris announced and quickly slipped past the pair. Neither, however, noticed his departure.

“Piper…” Justin breathed, taking in her beauty.

“Can I talk to you?” Piper quietly got out as she nervously shifted from foot to foot.

“Uh, sure, let’s go to the cafeteria,” Justin agreed, leading the way to the private eating place that was deserted, silent but for the hum of the vending machines.

He was really nervous. He’d bet a thousand bucks that Piper had come to discuss where there relationship was headed, and frankly, that wasn’t something he wanted to discuss just yet. Maybe once things with Cameron settled down and he actually had some time to himself to think things through.

Because lord knew he was attracted to Piper, no, he loved her, that was the right thing to say. But right now, that was one thing he couldn’t deal with amidst all the rest of the craziness that had ensued the past few weeks.

It wouldn’t be fair to her to give half his heart to a relationship. Piper deserved better than that, especially since she had already gotten her heart broken once, which was one times too many in his eyes. No, it would be best to wait until things calmed down to act on his feelings.

“I just wanted to apologize for blowing up at you a couple days ago,” Piper began, interrupting his thought process as they sat at a table.

“It’s okay.”

“I was just upset with what you had said about me not mattering because, well, you’ve come to mean a lot to me,” Piper continued, nervously biting her lip at Justin’s unresponsiveness.

“Alright.”

“Justin, I think I’m in love with you,” Piper blurted, blushing as she looked down at her hands in embarrassment.

Minutes passed and Justin didn’t say anything. With tears in her eyes, Piper finally glanced up, only to see the pop star staring off in the distance, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Well say something,” she demanded, her voice trembling.

“I can’t do this right now,” Justin managed before he practically sprinted out of the room, his heart breaking in the process.

Piper sat there in shock. Never had she imagined he would react in such a…horrified manner. As if it was an awful thing that she was in love with him.

Maybe she had read him all wrong. Maybe she had misinterpreted his feelings as being something more when they actually weren’t. God, what had she gotten herself into?

LAX – One week later

Piper sat in an airport chair, waiting for the boarding call for her plane. JC and Genevieve had dropped her off about twenty minutes ago before they left to go visit Genevieve’s family. So alone she sat to wait for the plane that would take her home once more.

The past week had been excruciatingly painful, what with keeping everything from JC, Genevieve, Chris and Cameron as well as avoiding Justin at all costs. She was more than ready to go home and get on with her life. It was best, she had decided, to just let things with Justin rest as they were. There was no sense in her worrying herself senseless when her feelings would never be reciprocated.

It was sad to think that their friendship was pretty much through, especially after all the memories they had made over the past few months. She would miss him, miss his laughter, his voice, his habits, everything, but she wasn’t willing to risk her heart again when it was bound to get broken again. No, it was better to safeguard it from now on.

“Piper?” a male voice suddenly questioned in a low voice.

She was startled out of her thoughts and was shocked to look up from her magazine to find Justin standing there, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. If it was possible, the circles under his eyes appeared darker and he seemed to have lost even more weight.

“Justin,” she frostily greeted before turning back to her magazine article, not really reading as her attention was focused on the man standing before her.

“I came here to say I’m sorry for running out on you like that,” he softly said to her, hoping she would look up, “I just was overwhelmed.”

“Well I’m sorry my confession was such a burden on your conscious,” she retorted, trying to ignore the fast pace of her heart.

“No, that’s not what I mean at all,” he cried, kneeling down and forcing her to look him in the eye, “I care about you, Piper, I really do. More than you actually know. But I just can’t do this, not right now. You deserve somebody who can give you their whole heart and right now, I just can’t do that.”

“A relationship is inconvenient for you? What a load of shit,” Piper spat, glaring at him.

“Please don’t be angry with me, I’m not trying to hurt you. God, that’s the last thing I ever want to do,” he said as he gently touched her cheek. She quickly pulled away.

“Attention passengers, we are now boarding Flight 92 nonstop to Detroit Metro. We are currently boarding rows eighteen and higher, I repeat, eighteen and higher.”

“You’ve already hurt me, Justin,” she softly said as she stood up and gathered her belongings together.

“I’m sorry Piper, I truly am,” he said, trying to pull her in for a hug. Again, she pulled away, upset with the turn of events.

“So this is how it’s gonna be, huh? You’re just going to let me get on a plane and walk out of your life?” Piper demanded, her eyes watering up with millions of unshed tears.

“Piper…” he protested, then nodded his head in affirmation when she gave him a ferocious glare.

“Well, goodbye then,” Piper concluded.

Justin felt his heart break as he watched her walk away and get on a plane bound for home. She never looked back, and he knew, without a doubt, he had just blown it for good.

Yeah, Justin really can be stupid at times. That was definitely one of those times, that’s for sure. After JC told me what happened between the pair (for him and Justin have always been close), I seriously wanted to slap Justin silly after giving him a piece of my mind.

Unfortunately, I was in no position to be lecturing the pop star; he’s twenty-four for crying out loud, not some little kid in training pants. All I could do was watch him mope around with a broken heart, too proud to try to set things right. Not one of his greatest qualities, mind you.

Well, just when I thought things were going to go from bad to worse (and I knew they could get worse – much worse), Chris and Cameron, who began to full-on date, came up with the perfect solution. It involved Joey, Piper’s cousin, a wedding, and a certain song that Piper has a fondness for.

But here I go, gabbing away, yet again. You really should stop me when I go on these tangents. Oh well. Just read the damn story and be happy.

Three Months Later – New York City
September 15

Piper hummed to herself as she set her backpack down, stretching as she glanced at the clock. 2:30. She had the rest of the day to do her little amount of homework and then relax. Maybe she’d do a little shopping. Her closet could definitely use some perking up.

Oh who was she kidding? It had been three months with no word from Justin and still she thought about him constantly. There was never a day that passed when he didn’t grace her thoughts, if only for a fleeting moment.

She needed to get over him and fast, or else she would wile away in self-pity and regret. Maybe she’d convince Rae to go to a party this weekend. It was time they got out and met some new people besides those living on their dormitory floor.

Yes, some new friends, a couple new outfits and a party might do the trick in helping take her mind of Justin. As much as she hated to give up hope that he’d come around, she knew she was wasting her time. It had been three months; three long months of ample opportunity for him to make amends. But she hadn’t heard hide or hair from him since she had gotten on that plane back in June.

As Piper shook herself out of her thoughts and began to prepare to do her homework, her cell phone went off. Surprised, she quickly picked it up. It was rare that anybody ever called her these days, and normally when somebody did, it was Rae, Virginia, Genevieve, Cameron, or one of her family members.

“Hello?” she answered, not recognizing the number.

“Hey Piper, it’s Andrea,” the female voice of her cousin responded. Piper instantly perked up.

“Hey girly, what’s going on?” the younger questioned as she flopped down on the comfortable sofa in her room.

“Nothing too much. I’m just in NYC on business and I was wondering if you wanted to go get a cup of coffee with me,” Andrea replied, maneuvering through traffic as she spoke.

“I’d love to!” Piper exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile.

“Great, I’ll pick you up in about ten minutes,” Andrea concluded before the two hung up.

Piper immediately hopped to her feet as soon as the conversation had concluded. The last time she had seen Andrea was at the party the woman had thrown (the one Piper had taken Justin to) where she had announced her engagement to her long-time boyfriend, Trent. It would be good to see Andrea, who was five years older than her, once again, even if it was just for an afternoon of coffee and gossip.

With a light heart, Piper quickly rummaged around through her drawers and began to change out of her grungy jeans and t-shirt that she wore to class everyday. No sense in looking bad if they were going to a nice coffee shop. And knowing Andrea, who was a very successful interior designer, they would be going somewhere nice.

As Piper quickly threw on a pair of black slack and a green polo shirt, her phone rang again. Man, she sure was popular today. She set her brush down midstroke and answered yet again.

“Hello, Piper speaking,” she stated.

“Hey girly, it’s me, Joey,” the infamous pop star announced; Piper rolled her eyes at his extravagant greeting.

“Hey Joe. How’s it going? You taking care of my girls, aren’t you?” Piper responded, referring to Kelly and Brianna.

“Of course I am. You’d beat my ass if I wasn’t,” the elder man retorted with a grin, “Anyway, Kelly and Bri wanted to know if you’d like to join us for dinner this Friday night. We’re going to be doing an end-of-the-year barbeque before the weather turns cold.”

“Sounds wonderful, I’d love to come,” Piper gushed.

“Great. Oh, and I think Lance may stop by if he’s in town and a few of Kelly’s friends. You’ll like them, I promise,” Joey added.

“I can’t wait. Would you like me to take the bus or are you going to be around the university?” Piper questioned.

“I can pick you up. Say around five-thirty. Does that work for you?” Joey said.

“I’ll be ready with bells on,” Piper responded, “Now, do I need to bring anything?”

“Just your wonderful self will do just fine,” the pop star returned.

“Okay, if you insist. Anyway, I’ve got to run, I’m meeting my cousin for coffee and she’s going to be here in a few minutes,” Piper concluded, “So I’ll see you Friday then?”

“Friday it is. Take care of yourself sweetie,” Joey said.

“Will do. Give my love to Kelly and Bri,” Piper said, “Bye.”

“Bye Piper.”

The two of them hung up and Piper squealed as she danced a little jig around the room. She hadn’t seen Joey, Kelly and Brianna for a few weeks. Ever since school had started, she’d been extra busy and hadn’t found the time to visit them. Now, though, she had the perfect excuse. She couldn’t wait for Friday to roll around. Too bad it was only Tuesday.

Quickly, Piper finished getting ready, grabbed her purse and practically ran out of the room. She raced down the hall, her hair streaming behind her, glimmering in the bright light of the afternoon. She was going too fast to notice the curious and interested stares she got from a small group of guys.

“Hey Drea, have you been waiting long?” Piper questioned, out of breath as she hopped into her cousin’s car.

“Nope, just pulled up, so calm down,” Andrea teased as Piper buckled and they took off, “Coffee and a little lunch sound good? I’m starving because I missed lunch today.”

“I could definitely go for some food right about now. Class always makes me hungry,” Piper revealed with a laugh, “I swear, I’m going to gain fifty pounds by Thanksgiving.”

“Girl, you never gain anything, no matter how much you eat,” Andrea retorted, rolling her eyes, “Me, on the other hand, I eat a grape and my ass swells two sizes.”

“As if!” Piper squealed amidst her laughter, “Come on, you’re the one getting married here; there must be something about you that Trent likes.”

“Oh he likes a whole lot,” Andre returned, wiggling her eyebrows at her younger cousin. Piper couldn’t stop laughing.

She always loved getting together with Andrea. As kids, they had always been really close, and they had stayed that way, even as they grew to be adults. Of course, with Piper in school and Andrea juggling a hectic job and planning a wedding, they rarely had time to sit down for a phone call much less a full-fledged lunch.

So this was a treat. A few hours with one of her closest gal pals; definitely something that could snap her out of the Justin funk before it took over her life. Yeah, Andrea was definitely the remedy she needed. The woman was off the wall, there was no doubt about that, and kept Piper amused with her antics and stories.

“How are your classes going?” Andrea questioned about fifteen minutes later as they sat at a table and had finished ordering sandwiches and coffee.

“Not too bad. Much more challenging than at MSU, but I’m surviving. I like a good challenge every once in awhile,” Piper explained before taking a slow sip of her water.

“That’s good. Met any cute guys?” the elder continued. Piper almost choked on the water she was consuming.

“Wha…what?” she managed between coughs.

“Oh c’mon Pip, it’s NYC, there’s billions of guys here, I’m sure you’ve got your eye on at least one or two by now,” Andrea loftily stated.

“I’ve met a couple, but none that are boyfriend material,” Piper lied, not wanting to go into her Justin problems with Andrea, who probably had an off-the-wall, completely insane retort for the entire situation.

“Well you’ll find one sooner or later. What, with your looks, I’m surprised you haven’t attracted the attention of Prince William,” Andrea said, silently breathing a sigh of relief to herself.

“Prince William doesn’t exactly live in New York City,” Piper dryly reminded her cousin. Andrea just grinned.

“Only a minor inconvenience, eh?” the chatty young woman said. Piper couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

A few minutes later, their food arrived and they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they consumed their meals. Andrea, however, snuck a glance at her cousin every once in awhile, trying to judge if the younger woman still cared for Justin. After all, that was part of her job in this whole scheme.

“So are the wedding plans almost finished?” Piper asked a few seconds later as she looked up at Andrea.

“Everything is almost set,” Andrea happily stated, practically glowing.

“Only one more month left until you’ll be a married woman. No more drunken parties on Friday nights, damn you,” Piper joked, grinning.

“Yeah, and I guess we can forget about the wild sex as well,” Andrea said, pretending to be upset.

“Are you happy?” Piper suddenly questioned, her voice growing soft. Andrea quickly picked up on her cousin’s abrupt mood swing.

“Undeniably so. I want to climb on the roof and tell the world how much I’m in love,” Andrea gushed.

“It must be nice,” Piper continued in a soft voice. Andrea wanted to get up and start dancing. Mission accomplished. Piper still had it bad, so there was no reason to believe that all hope was lost where Justin was concerned.

“Hey, don’t be so down,” Andrea consoled as she reached her hand across the table and squeezed Piper’s hand in reassurance, “After all, I don’t want a sad bridesmaid.”

“Well you…what?” Piper demanded, her jaw dropping open in shock.

“I would like for you to be one of my bridesmaids,” Andrea confirmed, grinning, “How could I get married without one of my closest friends there with me?”

“Isn’t a little late to be telling me this?” Piper asked, still in a daze, “I mean, aren’t I supposed to get fitted for a dress and everything? Is there enough time for that? I just…wow, I don’t know what to say.”

“Well I kind of lied to you. Half the reason I’m here is to take you to get fitted for your dress,” Andrea admitted, “We’ve got an appointment with the dressmaker in about forty minutes.”

“You’re kidding me!” Piper cried as things began to sink in, “Oh Drea, I’m so honored that you want me to be a part of your wedding.”

Piper immediately got up and gave her cousin a big hug. Andrea hugged back, glad that the younger woman had actually agreed. Now, though, getting everything else ready was going to be hectic. And she had to call JC and Genevieve to make sure they would get Justin to the wedding as well as Piper’s mother to go over the plans once more.

“Are you just about done?” Piper asked as she pulled away.

“Eager much?” Andrea teased.

“I’m not going to deny it,” Piper happily retorted.

“Alright, let’s get out of here then,” Andrea agreed just as the waiter brought the check to their table.

After gathering their belongings together, the two women paid and left the restaurant, linked arm in arm.

Across town – same day

“Why do I have to be the guinea pig?” Trace whined as he joined Joey for a friendly game of pool, “Why not Lance? Or even Chris? I’m sure Cameron wouldn’t mind lending him for a day. Hell, let’s get Nick Carter on the phone.”

“You’re Justin’s best friend,” Joey stated as if everything would make sense with that simple statement.

“No shit man, but that doesn’t explain why I gotta be the one who tries to pick Piper up. I mean, come on, going for my best friend’s future girlfriend, that’s just low,” Trace whined, “Besides, how do you know that Justin’s going to take the bait?”

“Oh he’ll take it all right. The boy is head over heels in love, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself just yet,” Joey replied as he shot a pool ball into a corner pocket.

“He’s going to kill me you know,” Trace warned.

“Nothing he hasn’t tried before,” Joey said with a shrug of his shoulders as he took another successful shot.

“Hey, I almost lost my balls the last time Justin got really pissed at me. And you know he’s going to get really pissed if I’m fucking around with Piper,” Trace retorted as he grimaced, thinking of the incidence.

“Watch the mouth, Bri and Kelly are upstairs,” Joey said with a glare.

“Sorry man,” Trace replied, rolling his eyes as Joey shot yet another ball in, “Are you sure I can’t get Nick Carter on the phone? I heard he’s not all that busy right now.”

“Forget about it Trace, no amount of pleading is going to get you out of this,” Joey returned, another ball falling perfectly in line as he spoke.

“D…arn,” Trace stuttered out as he pouted, “I don’t want to die. I’m too young to die. Don’t make me do it Joey.”

“Wear a baseball cup. It solves all your problems,” Joey retorted.

“What if Justin decides he wants to push me off a bridge or light my apartment on fire?” Trace worriedly demanded.

“I’d start praying now.”

“Oh my god, this dress is gorgeous,” Piper breathed as she stared at herself in the mirror, “What made you pick green?”

“Most of my bridesmaids have green eyes if you can believe it,” Andrea explained as she admired how beautiful her cousin looked in the satiny green number.

“Anybody ever tell you that you’re weird?” Piper questioned, grinning.

“Many times,” Andrea responded with a laugh.

The two of them were at the dressmakers a couple blocks down from the restaurant where they had eaten and Piper was quickly ushered into the dress she would be wearing in about a month. It was two pieces; the bodice was like a strapless corset with some silvery sequins up near the top where it curved down to a “V” while the skirt was tight-fitting and fell elegantly to Piper’s feet, which were encased in borrowed heels. The entire ensemble was a deep emerald green that brought out the color in Piper’s eyes. she practically glowed with beauty.

“So you like it?” Andrea hopefully questioned.

“Very much so,” Piper softly said as she twirled in front of the mirror, amazed at what a beautiful dress did to enhance her looks.

“I think we may need to adjust the length just a tad bit so you’re not tripping on the hem,” the seamstress announced as she strode forward to interrupt the women’s conversation.

“Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t want to trip going down the isle, that’s for sure,” Piper readily agreed, standing still as the seamstress began to pin.

“So Trent and I are thinking about moving to New York City, permanently,” Andrea suddenly announced as she took a seat a few feet away, “We’re both in and out of the city nonstop that it only makes sense. And he found a wonderful apartment really close to the branches of both our offices.”

“That’s great!” Piper exclaimed, happy.

“I know I’ll be able to see you while you’re in school here, but what are you planning to do once you graduate?” Andrea seriously questioned as she bit her lip.

“I haven’t really thought that much about it,” Piper admitted, “I guess try and get a job at a newspaper or maybe with a magazine. I dunno. I don’t think I want to move back to Michigan, as much as it would break my mom’s heart not to do so. I want to see the world, live in some big city.”

“You and I could seriously be twins,” Andrea stated with a smile, “Well except for the fact that I’m five years older than you and I’m engaged to be married.”

“You also forgot that we have different parents,” Piper said with a giggle as she turned so the seamstress could continue pinning, “So I guess we really couldn’t be twins.”

“Nope, though I think it would be nice,” Andrea replied, grinning, “I’ve always wanted a sister. Three brothers is enough to make a person go mad.”

“I bet,” Piper agreed and silence descended over the two.

“If you don’t mind me asking, whatever happened to Justin?” Andrea cautiously said, very aware that she was approaching rocky and uncertain ground.

“He’s back in California with his friends,” Piper supplied with a shrug of her shoulders, “We kind of had a fight and haven’t exactly made up. He said some awful things and so did I, and right now, I think it’s best for the both of us if we go our separate ways.”

“But the boy was freaking in love with you!” Andrea protested, shocked at the short explanation, “Anybody could see that.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Piper responded, her voice barely above a whisper, “But I think we’re both wrong.”

“You like him,” Andrea accused, staring at her cousin.

“Yeah, way too much for my own good,” Piper confirmed, “But things never would have worked out. His lifestyle is so much different than mine and there’s also the fact that he’s five years older than me.”

“I’m five years older than you and you’re one of my best friends, practically my sister,” Andrea retorted, a little annoyed at her cousin’s lack of confidence in herself.

“I don’t know then. I don’t exactly know how Justin’s mind works,” Piper tiredly replied, wanting to completely drop the subject as she felt her heart beginning to tear where it hadn’t even mended yet.

“Oh Piper, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drudge up something that is obviously so painful to you,” Andrea stated as she rushed forward to embrace the distraught woman and annoying the seamstress in the process.

“It’s alright, you didn’t know any better,” Piper said, putting on a brave smile for her cousin.

“I know you’ll find somebody that will sweep you off your feet and treat you like a princess,” Andrea stated as she pulled away and went to sit back down, “It just may take some time.”

“I think it’ll be awhile before that happens,” Piper sadly responded as she thought of the blue-eyed pop star who held her heart as they spoke.

“I’m all done sweetie, you can go take off the dress now,” the seamstress suddenly announced after a few moments of silence.

Piper quickly got off the pedestal and left to go change back into her street clothes. After a few words with the seamstress, who left to file some paperwork, Andrea quickly pulled out her cell phone. She’d have to be quick; before Piper came back out.

“Hey Joey? Yeah, it’s Andrea,” she began, “I think I’ve discovered exactly what you wanted to know…”

Things were definitely running as planned. Andrea had confirmed what we had all suspected; that Piper was still in love with Justin. And of course, Piper had accepted the offer to be a bridesmaid, which was another piece of the puzzle that fit perfectly. Now we just needed Trace to come through and then JC and I would play our parts.

Fate was what actually brought these two together, but their stubbornness and foolish pride is what tore them apart and denial kept them that way. So it was up to us to fix everything between the two. That’s precisely what we did.

Three days later – Friday, September 9

“Piper, what on earth are you doing?” Rae demanded as she entered their dorm room that Friday afternoon, which was strewn with every article of clothing imaginable.

“Oh my god, Rae, you scared me,” Piper said, jumping at the sound of her roommates voice, “I thought you were supposed to be going on a date with that guy…David?”

“The loser decided to stand me up. I’ve been waiting in the lobby for the past hour,” Rae glumly explained as she moved a pile of discarded shirts, “Looks like I’ll be spending yet another Friday night in the dorm room. But enough about that, why are you freaking out so much? This is Joey we’re talking about; he wouldn’t care if you wore a paper bag.”

“Some of Kelly’s friends are coming,” Piper replied as she finally settled on a pair of flared denim jeans and a green halter top that flowed around the edges and had a few sequins near the top, “I don’t want them to think I’m somebody that’s taking advantage of Kelly and Joey.”

“Piper, that’s the last thing anybody could ever think about you,” Rae retorted with a roll of her eyes, “Now stop changing, stop worrying and finish getting ready. It’s quarter after five already.”

“Shit!” Piper cried as she sprinted to the bathroom, makeup bag and brush in hand

“You want me to do your hair for you?” Rae called a few moments later as the minutes ticked away.

“If you don’t mind,” Piper eagerly agreed.

“How about some spiral curls?” Rae suggested as she grabbed the curling iron and joined her friend in the bathroom, “You always look so cute when your hair is curled.”

“Yeah, whatever, sure,” Piper absently replied as she hurriedly finished her makeup. Joey would be here in less than ten minutes and there was no way she was going to be ready. Damn, she was never one to be late, and she didn’t want to start now, of all times.

A few minutes later, with her hair half up and spiral curls cascading down her back, Piper was ready. She and Rae were just finishing putting away all of the discarded clothes when a knock came on the door. Smoothing down her shirt, Piper quickly answered it.

“Hey short stuff,” Trace announced as he stood there in jeans and a red and yellow striped polo shirt.

“Trace? What are you doing here?” Piper asked, wholly confused as to why he was there and not Joey, “Where’s Joey?”

“He had some last minute things to take care of over at the house, so he sent me to come pick you up,” Trace explained as he slipped passed Piper to examine the room, “Nice pad you got here.”

“Why thank you, I decorated it myself,” Rae spoke up from her desk, where she was pretending to be engrossed in her laptop.

“And who might this pretty lady be?” Trace demanded as he quickly walked over to Rae’s side and dramatically kissed her hand.

“Rae Daniels,” Rae managed between giggles and a ferocious blush.

“She’s my roommate,” Piper spoke up, but the two didn’t seem to hear her in the least.

“Well Ms. Daniels, would you like to join us for a barbeque on this beautiful evening?” Trace questioned as he pulled Rae to her feet.

“I don’t know, I’m not exactly invited…” Rae wistfully trailed off.

“Oh I’m sure Joey won’t mind one more,” Trace responded with a flirtatious grin, “Besides, he told me that I could bring a date, and seeing as though I don’t have one, you’re more than welcome to the position.”

“Are you asking me on a date?” Rae incredulously demanded, oblivious to Piper’s amazed stares.

“Is this you saying yes, or am I going to have to beg a little bit?” Trace responded, unaware that he was still holding tight to the young woman’s hand.

“Y..yes,” Rae stuttered as she blushed.

“Thank god, I was afraid I was going to have to get down on my knees and kiss your feet or something,” Trace light-heartedly teased, “Now how about we blow this joint?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Rae agreed as she grabbed her purse, not caring that she was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a worn-in t-shirt.

The couple quickly walked out of the room, hand in hand, much to Piper’s amazement. She shook her head in disbelief as she quickly locked the door and followed after the pair, her mind going to the situation between her and Justin. If only things with them worked out so easily.

But Justin was way out of her league, that was for sure. And there was also the fact that he didn’t care for her as more than a friend. She sighed. All the right ingredients for a broken heart.

The ride to Joey’s house was filled with chatter between Trace and Rae in the front seat as the two eagerly went about the task of getting to know each other. In the backseat, Piper stared gloomily out the window, trying to keep the feelings of jealously from surfacing. After all, Rae hadn’t exactly had the greatest luck with relationships in the past, so she, if anybody at all, deserved to be happy.

To Piper, however, it just didn’t seem fair. She deserved to be happy as well, especially after Andrew had broken her heart. The only problem was that the guy she had her heart set on didn’t seem to feel the same way, which didn’t exactly constitute the makings of a relationship.

What she really needed to do was get over Justin. She needed to go out, find a great guy, and stop thinking about the could-have-been’s where the pop star was concerned. Enough moping around like the world was going to end tomorrow; it was time for her to stop letting her heart rule her mind.

“Oh gosh, what a beautiful house,” Rae suddenly commented, startling Piper out of her thoughts in the process, “Is this where Joey lives most of the time?”

“It’s his main residence but I think he’s also got another house in LA and an apartment in Orlando,” Trace explained as he parked the car, “Enough about Joey’s finances though, I’m starving!”

Rae giggled as Trace came around and opened the door for her. She immediately accepted his outstretched hand and jumped down from the car seat. After the young man had also helped Piper out, he immediately grabbed Rae’s hand and began to lead her towards the sound of the party. Piper had no choice but to follow after, a little annoyed at the fact that she was starting to feel like a third wheel.

“Trace! You made it man. We were afraid you had gotten lost or something,” Joey announced as the trio walked into the backyard where a small group of people sat around a gorgeous pool, “And you brought Rae as well. Good to see you girl!”

“Hey Joe!” Rae replied as she and the pop star embraced.

“Auntie Piper!” a young voice suddenly screeched and Piper soon found herself attacked by the bundle of energy that was Joey’s daughter, Brianna.

“Brianna, my goodness, you look like you’ve grown a foot since I’ve last seen you,” Piper teased as she picked up the little munchkin, “You’re going to be taller than me in no time.”

“No I’m not, silly,” the toddler replied with a giggle as she hugged the young woman tight.

“Hi Piper,” Kelly said as she came up to the pair and enveloped them both in a hug, “How’s school going?”

“Wonderful,” the young woman beamed, glad that her friend’s topic of discussion was something relatively safe, “I’m finally able to take classes I enjoy.”

“That’s good to hear,” Kelly said as she released her friend and turned to take her daughter, “And what are you doing Ms. Brianna? You better not be bugging Auntie Piper or she may not come see you again.”

“I’m being good,” the young girl replied with a pout as she clung tight to Piper in case her mother tried to pry her away.

“Oh she’s fine Kelly,” Piper added as she poked Brianna in the ribs, who giggled from the sudden attack.

“Hey Kelly, would you mind introducing Piper and Rae to everybody else? I need to talk to Trace really quick, okay?” Joey suddenly called from across the patio.

“Sure hon,” Kelly agreed as Rae walked over to join them.

“Brianna, you remember Rae, don’t you?” Kelly asked as her daughter looked questioningly at the newcomer.

Brianna solemnly nodded her head. Rae smiled at the youngster, who immediately became shy and buried her face in Piper’s shoulder. The women laughed.

Kelly began to introduce the two girls to the rest of the guests, which gave Joey a chance to drag Trace into the house. Once they were in the kitchen, the pop star immediately let go of the younger man.

“Oww, man, what was that for?” Trace demanded as he adjusted his shirt back to its proper position.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Joey hissed in reply, “Why did you bring Rae with you?”

“You said I could bring a date,” Trace retorted, somewhat confused.

“You were supposed to bring Piper as your date, you idiot. Now you’ve completely ruined the plan,” Joey practically yelled.

“Geeze, I’m sorry man,” Trace apologized as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, you should be,” Joey grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.

“What’s going on here?” a new, and very female, voice demanded into the silence.

Both men instantly looked towards the source of the voice. Rae stood just inside the kitchen, confusion and anger written plainly on her face. Joey immediately opened his mouth to explain, but the young woman cut him off before he could get a word out.

“What the fuck do you two think you’re doing? Piper has been through enough with Andrew, and now Justin, I don’t need you trying to set her up with somebody,” Rae spat at Joey, then turned to Trace, “And you! I thought you liked me, but all you wanted was to get down my friend’s pants!”

“Rae…” Trace began.

“We can explain…” Joey added.

“No, I don’t want to hear a single word of your lousy explanation. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Rae concluded and began to brush past the two men, intent on heading to the bathroom.

“We’re trying to get Justin and Piper together,” Trace blurted. Rae froze in her tracks.

“I don’t understand,” the young woman said as she came back and took a seat at the kitchen counter.

“You know Piper still cares about Justin, right?” Joey began; Rae mutely nodded her head in affirmation, “Well Justin is still head-over-heels in love with her…”

“How do you know?” Rae interrupted, doubt clearly evident in her eyes, “Last I heard, Justin told her he couldn’t be in a relationship with her.”

“That’s because he’s an idiot,” Trace supplied, “He’s just trying to protect himself the only way he knows how.”

“What? By pushing away the one woman who would never, ever, in her right mind, hurt him?” Rae demanded.

“Believe me, he’s been beating himself up ever since. But he’s got his pride, just like any man has,” Trace defended his best friend.

“Just like Piper…” Rae softly trailed off.

“Now don’t you understand why we’re doing this? They’re perfect for each other; everybody can see it but them,” Joey concluded.

“Yeah, I see where you’re going with this,” Rae agreed, glancing down at her hands, “Well, what can I do to help?”

“Well I was supposed to convince Piper to go on a date with me,” Trace began.

“So we need somebody who can fill his place,” Joey concluded.

“What about Lance?” Rae questioned as she glanced outside and noticed the blonde pop star, who had just arrived.

“Hmm, that could work,” Joey said as he rubbed his goatee.

“And then there’s Mindy,” Trace began as he pointed out a tall, slim blonde with legs for days, “She’s going to pretend that she and Justin have recently hooked up. Her cell phone will ring and she’s going to make it seem like it’s Justin calling to check up on her.”

“Oh man, that’s going to drive Piper nuts,” Rae commented with a grin.

“It gets better. JC is going to somehow drop the hint that Piper and Lance are dating, then he and Genevieve are going to get Justin on a plane here, in time for Piper’s cousin’s wedding, which he’s invited to,” Joey continued.

“Wait, Andrea is in on this too?” Rae demanded. Both men nodded their heads in affirmation.

“She’s the one that found out that Piper is still in love with Justin. And she also made sure that Piper would be at the wedding by making her a bridesmaid,” Trace revealed.

“So Justin is going to show up at the wedding, Piper will be there, and everything will work out. Am I getting this right?” Rae asked.

“Yeah, that’s the gist of it,” Joey confirmed.

“Well there’s one problem,” Rae stated.

“What’s that?” Trace questioned, confused.

“What if Piper and Justin are too mad at each other to realize that they’re actually in love?” Rae said, eyebrow raised.

“I never thought of that,” Joey said, becoming worried.

“Don’t worry, I think everything will work out fine,” a new voice commented.

“Kelly…” Joey began as his wife walked towards him.

“Joey, you should have told me everything that you were planning,” Kelly scolded with a grin, “You know what a great matchmaker I can be.”

“Just keep telling yourself that sweetheart,” Joey teased as he leaned over an placed a loving kiss on Kelly’s lips.

“Enough you two, why don’t we get this show on the road?” Rae interrupted, “It’s time to give Justin and Piper a little push in the right direction.”

Two hours later

“Hey Piper, you want to dance with me?” Lance suddenly asked as he approached the young woman, who sat alone in the fading light of the day.

“No, thanks Lance, I’m good here,” Piper responded with a small smile.

“Well can I join you then?” the blonde persisted, annoyed at how he had gotten roped into this scheme.

“Sure, be my guest,” the young woman agreed as she indicated the empty chair to her left.

“So how have you been?” Lance asked as he settled into the lounger.

“Not too bad,” the young woman lied.

“That’s good. Are you liking school?” the pop star continued.

“Very much so. It’s still hard to believe that I actually got one of those scholarships and now I’m here in New York City, studying at one of the greatest schools for photography,” Piper gushed, beaming as she talked.

“Well you deserve it. Justin showed me some of your pictures and I must say, I was very impressed,” Lance said with a gentle smile.

“Oh, well thanks,” Piper faltered, her face falling a bit at the mention of Justin’s name.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lance asked as he leaned closer.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Piper said with a small, unconvincing smile.

“It’s Justin, isn’t it?” the young man persisted, not really wanting to bring up the painful subject, but fully knowing that he had no choice in the matter.

“Well, yeah,” Piper admitted, blushing as she stared down at her hands, “I sort of told him that I love him and he basically blew me off.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh,” Lance commented as he leaned over and enveloped the young woman in a friendly hug.

“Tell me about it,” Piper agreed in a soft voice.

“Would you like to go out with me sometime? You know, just to take your mind of things with Justin?” Lance abruptly questioned. Piper’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You mean, like on a date?” the young woman asked as Lance pulled away and leaned back into his own chair.

“I guess you could call it that,” Lance shyly said, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

“I’m sorry Lance, but I don’t know if I’m ready for something like that just yet. I’m flattered by the offer, but it just wouldn’t be fair to you,” Piper stated as she stood up, “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Without another word, Piper headed off in the direction of the buffet table to get herself something to eat. Lance sat there, feeling downright awful, but he was the one who had agreed to help Joey and the rest of the gang out with their plan. Although, he had to agree that it was time to give the two idiots a little push and end their self-imposed misery.

“How’s it coming?” Joey quietly questioned as he took a seat next to his friend and former bandmate.

“Just peachy,” Lance sarcastically retorted, rolling his eyes as he spoke, “The poor girl was heartbroken when I brought up Justin and she practically bolted when I asked her on a date. Dang Joe, we’ve got to get those two together and fast.”

“Tell me about it. And JC and Genevieve have told me that Justin hasn’t been doing any better, though they and Chris and Cameron have been able to keep him out of trouble thus far,” Joey revealed.

“I’ll just be thankful if Justin doesn’t deck me for moving in on his girl,” Lance commented with a grin, “And he better not, or I swear, I’m going to burn all your superman memorabilia.” Joey looked horrified.

“I’ll make sure Justin doesn’t touch a hair on your head, that’s a promise,” Joey croaked. Lance couldn’t help but laugh.

The two quieted down, however, as they watched Mindy approach Piper, who stood filling her plate with food. The two women began to talk, and Piper’s face immediately began to fall even more, if that was possible.

“You’re dating Justin?” Piper repeated, shocked.

“Yeah,” Mindy confirmed with a small smile, “I know that the two of you were really close, so I wanted to tell you before you read it in a tabloid paper or something.” Piper cringed at the word tabloid. Was this girl for real?

“Does he make you happy?” Piper softly questioned, oblivious to how the woman’s cheery disposition slipped just the smallest bit.

“Very much,” Mindy confirmed, then placed an arm about Piper’s shoulders, “As his best friend, though, I’d really like your approval. I don’t want you to think I’m all up in your territory or something.”

“No, no that’s fine,” Piper managed, wanting desperately to flee to the bathroom and lock herself in it for the rest of the evening, “As long as the two of you are happy.”

“Oh thanks Piper,” Mindy happily stated, giving the young woman a hug.

A ring of a cell phone immediately caused Mindy to pull away from the younger woman. She pulled the contraption out and her face lit up as she read Justin’s number on the caller ID.

“Hey Justin, how are you baby?” Mindy greeted, smiling.

Piper seriously wanted to climb through the wires and throttle Justin. He had told her that he wasn’t ready for a relationship; what a load of bullshit that was. He just didn’t want to date her and didn’t have the courage to tell her so. Well that was the last straw.

She was done moping about the infamous Justin Timberlake. Lance had asked her on a date and now that she had finally seen Justin’s true colors, the idea sounded very inviting. She quickly left Mindy, who was still on the phone, and headed back in Lance’s direction.

“Hey Lance, I changed my mind,” Piper announced without preamble. Lance looked at her in surprise.

“You mean you’d like to go on a date with me?” the blonde questioned, as if to clarify the young woman’s meaning.

“Yes, I’d love to,” Piper confirmed with a smile, “I think a date with you is just the thing I need right about now.”

“Okay, well how about next Saturday? Maybe we could go to dinner and do some window shopping, would that work for you?” Lance suggested as he stood up next to Piper.

“Sounds wonderful,” she agreed, “Now why don’t you give me your number so we can keep in touch?”

“Okay,” the pop star agreed as he pulled his cell phone out.

The two quickly exchanged numbers and then sat talking for about an hour. They sat together on the same lounger, Lance’s arm wrapped securely around Piper’s waist; and she was leaning into him. Neither was going to admit, however, how weird the embrace felt.

After another ten minutes of idle chatter, Lance excused himself to go to the bathroom so he could meet up with Joey, who was frantically waving at him from the kitchen window. Once he had gotten there, the older man immediately pulled him into the den and shut the door.

“Well?” Joey demanded.

“Everything is going perfect,” Lance stated as he lounged against the wall, “Mindy played her part and now Piper and I are going to go on a date next Saturday evening. Dinner and window shopping.”

“Sounds fun,” Joey commented.

“Actually, Piper is a great woman. She could be my little sister,” Lance returned with a shrug of his shoulders, “So I don’t think it will be a wasted evening.”

“Good for you,” Joey sarcastically retorted.

“Shut up Joe, you know how I hate to go on dates,” Lance stated with a roll of his eyes, “You should be on your hands and knees thanking me for doing this.”

“you’re right, I should. But what fun would that be?” the elder teased.

“You’re hopeless,” Lance commented as he opened the door to leave, “I don’t know why Kelly decided to marry you.”

“It’s because I’m a stud,” Joey announced. Lance rolled his eyes.

“You coming?” the younger man asked as he exited the room.

“In a bit,” Joey responded, pulling out his cell phone as he spoke, “I’ve got to make a few phone calls to JC, Genevieve, Piper’s mother and Andrea. I’ve got to let them know that everything is going as planned. Then Chris and Cameron are supposed to call with the next step of the plan.”

“Suit yourself,” Lance called before he left the older man alone in the den, “I’ll be back out with Piper if you need.”

“Okay,” Joey agreed as he turned his attention to the phone.

Everything was shaping up exactly as they had planned. Chris and Cameron certainly were geniuses when it came to this relationship thing, something that nobody would have guessed.

But it didn’t really matter whose idea it was; they were all helping pull this thing together. All for two people who were too blind to see their attraction for each other. Yes, it was all in the name of love.

Now I’m sure that you’d all like to know precisely what was running through Justin’s mind at the time. I mean seriously, is Trace really all that reliable? No offense buddy.

I’ll be honest with you though, Trace actually hit the nail on the head. I swear, nothing could cheer Justin up; not even the mention of the famed peach cobbler his grandmother makes when he visits. No, the pop star was down in the dumps and for all intents and purposes, planned on staying that way.

Of course, Chris and Cameron let it slip that Lance and Piper were dating, which, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting to have any effect on Justin. Boy was I wrong. I seriously though Justin was going to commit mass-murder by the way he was going. Then again, we never did mention the fact that Lance and Piper only went on one date…as friends…

California – three weeks later

“JC!” Justin hollered as he stomped into his friend’s house early that morning; he received no answer, “JC!”

“What on earth are you yelling about?” JC demanded as he came down the stairs, clothed only in a robe, “I was just about to go take a shower. Now what is so important that you had to interrupt that?”

“Why is Lance dating Piper?” the younger man whined as he got comfortable on JC’s couch; the older man glared at him.

“Is that what this is all about?” JC asked, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance, “I was on the verge of taking a nice, long shower with Genny…”

“Eww, stop right there, I don’t want to hear anymore,” Justin protested with a grimace, “That’s a visual I definitely don’t want.”

“If I keep going will that make you leave?” JC hopefully questioned, secretly elated at how upset his younger friend seemed to be at the news of Lance and Piper’s date.

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving right now,” Justin said, scrambling to his feet in the process, “But…”

“What is it?” JC demanded as he lounged against the wall.

“Why do I feel like I’ve just been punched in the gut?” the younger softly whispered as he stared at the floor.

“Maybe because you still care about her,” JC suggested, rolling his eyes, “I mean seriously J, how stupid are you? Your mama always went on and on about how smart you were…”

“Shut up,” Justin mumbled as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets.

“Josh? What’s going on?” Genevieve suddenly interrupted as she came into the room, thankfully, in Justin’s opinion, fully clothed.

“Justin is finally seeing the light,” JC told his girlfriend as he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Geeze C, just shout it to the entire world, why don’t ya?” Justin grumbled, then paused, “Well, what should I do?”

“Why are you looking at me? Ask Genny, she’s the therapist,” JC teased with a grin. Justin rolled his eyes.

“Have a seat J,” Genevieve invited as she patted to the seat next to her on the couch, where she had migrated to a few moments earlier.

“Is this going to take long?” JC whined as he pouted, “You promised me a shower.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your shower,” Genevieve said, grinning as Justin mad a face once again, “Why don’t you go upstairs and I’ll be up as soon as I can.”

“You mean I’m supposed to be able to amuse myself?” JC joked.

“I’m sure you can manage baby,” Genevieve teased right back before her boyfriend disappeared back up the stairs to wait for her, “Alright J, tell me what the problem is.”

“Chris and Cameron just told me that Piper is dating Lance and I…well I’m not really comfortable with that,” the younger man began as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation, “Actually, I’ll be blunt. I would seriously like to punch Lance in the face for moving in on my girl.”

“But Justin…” Genevieve began.

“I know, I know, she’s technically not my girl. Hell, I haven’t given her any reason to want to be in a relationship,” Justin interrupted, frowning.

“Yeah, I heard something about you telling Piper that you couldn’t be in a relationship with her and then she told you off,” Genevieve mentioned. Justin winced at the memory.

“Yes, I was a complete jackass. But to tell you the truth, I was scared. No, I was terrified. I…I think I’m in love with Piper and that scares the shit out of me,” Justin said as he stood up and began to pace, “You know what I’ve been through with Britney, and then Cameron. My heart can’t take being broken a third time.”

“Justin, this is Piper we’re talking about. The girl couldn’t hurt a fly even if she tried,” Genevieve reminded the young man.

“I know. And that’s what scares me even more. More than being in love, more than having my heart broken, is the fact that she may be the woman I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with,” Justin rambled, “That’s…that’s a big step for me to take.”

“I know it is,” Genevieve said, smiling as she gazed down at her ring finger where a brand-new engagement ring lay, “But Justin, you can’t keep pushing Piper away; eventually she’ll find somebody else and be swept off her feet. And you know where that’ll leave you? Alone.”

“I know,” Justin said, sighing as he collapsed back on couch, “But how the hell am I supposed to make it up to her? Even if I knew where she was staying in New York, I doubt she’d want to see me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t really help you out there J. This is between the two of you; not me and you two, not JC and you two, not Cameron and you two, just the two of you,” Genevieve replied.

“But Genevieve…” Justin whined, panicking.

“Justin, you’re twenty-four years old. You don’t need me holding your hand through everything,” Genevieve interrupted as she stood, “Besides, the fastest way to a woman’s heart is a sincere apology.”

“But…” Justin began, then grinned, “Oh, okay.”

“Now, can I go take a shower before JC breaks something?” Genevieve questioned as the two walked out of the family room.

“Yeah, alright,” Justin agreed, and then stopped, “How the hell am I supposed to find Piper? I have no idea where she’s…”

The ringing of the phone quickly interrupted the end of Justin’s sentence. Genevieve immediately picked up the ringing contraption from the hall table and pushed the send button.

“Hello?” the young woman answered, then smiled, “Hi Mrs. Saunders, it’s so good to hear from you. How’s Piper doing?” Justin immediately paled. “Have I seen Justin? Why, he’s standing right here as we speak, would you like to talk to him? Okay, here he is.”

Without further ado, Genevieve handed Justin the phone. He stood there, mouth hanging open, as he stared at her. Mutely, he lifted the contraption to his ear, willing words to come out of his mouth.

“Hello?” he finally managed.

“Hi Justin, how are you doing?” Julia Saunders cheerily quipped.

“Not bad,” the pop star croaked out.

“Listen, I know this phone call may seem a little strange, what with you and Piper at odds with each other and everything,” Julia continued; Justin wanted to die from embarrassment, “But I was just wondering if you got Andrea’s wedding invitation.”

“Wedding invitation?” Justin questioned, confused.

“You remember Andrea, don’t you?” Julia asked.

“Yeah, I remember meeting her. But why would she want to invite me to her wedding? I only met her once,” Justin said, finally able to manage more than one short sentence.

“Well she had the wedding invitations made up before you and Piper had your falling out,” Julia explained, “Of course, despite that, she would still love for you to be there.”

“Oh.”

“Andrea asked me to call you because she wasn’t sure if you were coming or not; she said you didn’t RSVP,” Piper’s mother continued as if this was a normal everyday conversation. Justin, on the other hand, was stunned.

“Well I guess I can make it,” Justin said, “The invitation is probably waiting in the mailbox for me right now.”

“Great. The date and time are on it, so I guess we’ll see you then,” Julia concluded, “You take care young man, you hear me?”

“Yes ma’am,” Justin agreed, and paused, “But what about Piper?”

By that time, however, Julia Saunders had disconnected the call, leaving the pop star with no answers to his questions pertaining to her daughter. He looked helplessly up at Genevieve.

“What’s going on?” the young woman questioned, knowing full well what exactly what had been said during the phone conversation.

“I guess I’m going to Piper’s cousin’s wedding,” Justin weakly stated as he replaced the phone in its proper place, “Piper’s going to be there…”

“That’s great. It gives you the perfect opportunity to talk one on one with her,” Genevieve stated with a smile.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Justin admitted, his face pale, “What if she just laughs at me? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me? And what about Lance? Damnit, this is never going to work.”

“Trust me Justin, everything will work out,” Genevieve said as she gave him a friendly hug.

“I hope you’re right,” the pop star trailed off, lost in thought.

“Do you think this is actually going to work?” JC asked his girlfriend as they stood at their bedroom window, watching the younger man get into his car and drive away.

“I think so,” Genevieve said as she cuddled into JC’s embrace, “They both have their pride, but I think, in the end, it’s all going to work out. I mean, I’m a therapist, I’ve seen it all happen before.”

“True love conquers all, eh?” JC questioned as he turned her around so they were facing each other, “Kind of like us, wouldn’t you say?”

“Something like that,” Genevieve agreed in a soft voice as she gazed up into her fiancé’s eyes.

“You know how much I love you, right?” JC asked, stroking her hair as he leaned closer so their noses touched, despite the height difference.

“As much as I love you,” Genevieve replied before their lips met in a sweet kiss.

“Now how about that shower?” JC said, his eyes growing passionate at the thought of getting naked with his fiancée.

“Sounds like a good idea,” Genevieve agreed.

The two were headed towards their large bathroom when the phone rang again. JC groaned.

“I swear, the next person who interrupts my shower with my fiancée is going to be dead,” JC snapped as he picked up the phone, “What to you want?”

“Woah there C, calm down,” Chris soothed the younger man, snorting with laughter, “I was just calling to make sure everything is working out alright.”

“Just peachy. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the shower and my fiancée,” JC growled as he glanced longingly at Genevieve, who stood a few feet away from in nothing but her underwear and an old t-shirt of his.

“You’re what…” Chris began, but JC slammed the phone down before he could finish.

“Josh, you really shouldn’t have done that,” Genevieve said with a giggle, “Now Chris knows that we’re engaged.”

“I don’t care if the whole world knows as long as I get my shower,” the pop star stated as he picked her up and threw her over her shoulder, “Now, we’re going into the bathroom and I’m locking the door.”

“Josh,” Genevieve protested, giggling from her perch over his shoulder.

The bathroom door slammed and the sound of it locking echoed through the large master bedroom. JC definitely wasn’t kidding.

New York City, New York – two days later

“Hey Piper?” Rae questioned as she entered their dorm room that Monday afternoon after her class.

“Hmm?” the young woman responded from her desk, where she was poring over a photography book.

“Um, I think you need to read this,” Rae stated as she set a newspaper on Piper’s book. The headline immediately caught the young woman’s attention.

“What…” Piper trailed off, her eyes widening at the article that practically covered the entire first page.

“Just read it,” Rae instructed as she pulled her desk chair close to her friend and took a seat. Piper immediately began to do so, not really needing any further prompting.

Piper sat there in shock. She hadn’t talked to Cameron in over a month, and now this? What kind of bullshit was that – she was Justin’s new squeeze? Uh huh, and Joey really could fly like superman.

If Justin cared for her like Cameron said he did, they wouldn’t be a thousand miles apart, physically and emotionally. God, just when she thought she was getting over the pop star.

“Piper? Are you alright?” Rae suddenly piped up as her friend set the paper down, “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I think I am going to be sick,” Piper faintly agreed as she settled her pounding head down on the desk in an effort to relieve the pain.

“Here, drink some water,” Rae quickly said as she grabbed a bottle of water and shoved it in the young woman’s direction, “It should make you feel better.”

“Are you a doctor now?” Piper weakly joked after she had taken a sip of the refreshing beverage.

“Did that story really shake you up? I mean, it’s not like it’s anything bad; not like the last one,” Rae commented as if she had never heard Piper speak.

“It’s just…there is nothing between Justin and I,” Piper argued as she went and laid herself down on the couch, “God, I care for him so much but he just doesn’t feel the same way. And now this article…he’s going to be so angry, I just know it.”

“Are you sure he doesn’t feel the same way about you?” Rae asked as she rolled her chair over near the couch, “I mean, what if Cameron is actually right? What if he’s on a plane right this minute and is going to show up at your cousin’s wedding next week?”

“It’s not going to happen,” Piper deadpanned, “We haven’t talked in over three months, that doesn’t exactly constitute the makings of a relationship. Besides, what kind of person has a change of heart and doesn’t say anything?”

“It was just a suggestion,” Rae defended, “Though you never know. I mean, you both have so much pride that it’s a wonder that you started a relationship at all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Piper asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

“All I’m saying is that maybe Justin really does care for you, but he’s got too much pride to see if you still care for him,” Rae explained, sighing, “I mean, a lot does happen in three and a half months.”

“This is so frustrating, damn it!” Piper began, then sighed, “All I want to do is be able to walk up to him one last time and ask him straight to his face how he feels about me. I want to know if there is any hope or if I’m just dreaming.”

“Maybe you’ll get your chance,” Rae suggested, keeping the grin from her face.

“Oh who am I kidding? If Justin wanted to talk things out, he would have called me months ago,” Piper moaned as she buried her face in a pillow.

“Maybe you’re wrong,” Rae suggested. Piper glared at her. “Hey, you never know. It’s happened before.”

“No, I’m not going to let myself hope anymore,” Piper concluded with a sigh as she rolled onto her stomach, “What’s the use?”

“Hey, you can’t ever stop believing, not when your heart is at stake,” Rae cajoled her friend, “Just you wait and see Piper Saunders. Love is going to come a-knocking on your door and you’re going to open it and find Justin Timberlake standing there.”

Chapter 24 - Take It On Faith

One Week Later – Andrea’s wedding

Justin sighed as he squirmed in his seat next to Piper’s mother. He hated wearing suits, he hated huge weddings, and he hated waiting; but most of all, he hated the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen.

It had been two days since he had flown from California to NYC; two days he had spent roaming the streets, trying to calm his racing heart and attempt to get his chaotic thoughts in order. Nothing seemed to help. He had even dropped by Joey’s for an afternoon, but all his friend provided him with was a few encouraging words. Not exactly what he was looking for.

Now, the day was here. This was the day where he would either make everything right with Piper, or completely lose her forever. The thought of that made him shudder.

“Justin, dear, are you alright?” Julia Saunders questioned as she noticed how the young pop singer couldn’t seem to sit still.

“Fine,” he mumbled. Julia almost had to bite her lip to keep the knowing grin from her face.

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to go and see what is keeping everybody,” Julia commented as she stood up, smoothing her skirt in the process.

“Okay,” Justin softly replied as he stared at his hands, his knee rapidly bouncing and betraying his frayed nerves.

With that, Julia walked off, leaving the pop star alone with nobody but Piper’s father for company. And right on cue, the older man leaned over to the younger and began a conversation. Julia smiled as she turned away and went in search of the bride for a few last-minute notes.

Piper stared at herself in the mirror. It was amazing what a little make-up, a great hairstyle, and a beautiful dress could do to a person’s appearance. Why, she hardly even recognized herself.

She only wished that Justin was here to see. As much as she hated him at the moment (for he had utterly and completely broken her heart), she desperately wanted to see him one last time. Maybe it was the pretty dress that gave her the sudden burst of confidence, but it didn’t really matter. Justin wasn’t here.

“Psst…Piper,” Andrea suddenly whispered from the bridal room.

“What?” the young woman whispered back as she walked over to the door, which was cracked just the slightest bit.

Without another word, Andrea pulled her cousin into the room and shut the door. Piper gave her a weird look as there was nobody else in the small room but the two of them.

“I have a little, itty bitty request,” Andrea began as she grinned. Piper immediately became suspicious.

“What is it?” Piper asked in a cautious voice. After all, this was Andrea, the girl who had tricked her into knocking down a hornet’s nest when they were kids.

“Well, you know the song that Trent and I have picked out? Well the band’s singer doesn’t do a very good job of singing it, so…I was wondering if you would,” Andrea managed in one breath. Piper’s jaw dropped.

“What? You’re joking, right?” Piper demanded; Andrea shook her head no, “You’re completely insane, you know that? The last time I sang was in high school with the damn choir. High school! And I wasn’t even that good.”

“Please?” Andrea pleaded, pouting at her younger cousin.

“Drea…” Piper whined, “You know how nervous I get in front of crowds. You’ll just have to find somebody else because there’s no way in hell I’m going to embarrass myself like that.”

“I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think you weren’t capable of doing it,” Andrea commented as she raised an eyebrow, “You love the song, you know all the lyrics, and you’d do a hell of a lot better job than the band’s singer. Please? For me?”

“Ugh! Alright, fine,” Piper consented, “But one song, that’s it. No encores or I swear, I’m going to kill you and then run away to Timbuktu.”

“Alright, no encores,” Andrea agreed, then excitedly hugged the younger woman, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea what this means to me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Piper retorted, rolling her eyes as her cousin practically suffocated her with hugs, “I know, I’m wonderful.”

“Geeze, somebody has a big head,” Andrea teased, grinning as the two women stepped apart.

“Oh whatever, I think your’s takes the cake,” Piper shot back.

A knock on the bridal room door interrupted their light-hearted teasing and Piper quickly went over to open it. She was surprised to see her mother, who was dressed in a beautiful pale green skirt and matching jacket, standing there.

“Mom?” the younger questioned.

“Hi dear. I just need to have a quick word with your cousin before the ceremony begins,” Julia stated as she slipped past her daughter.

“Alright,” Piper agreed as she gave her cousin one last hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, “Good luck hon. You look beautiful.”

“Thanks Pip,” Andrea responded before the young woman left, shutting the door behind her.

“So?” Julia prompted as soon as they were along. Andrea broke out grinning.

“She agreed to do the song,” the younger woman told her aunt.

“Perfect,” Julia gleefully stated, “And Justin is out there with your uncle, completely miserable. God, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees Piper come walking down the isle.”

“Does he even know that she’s a bridesmaid?” Andrea questioned.

“I conveniently forgot to mention that little detail,” Julia said with a sly smirk, “He thinks that she’s going to come walking in any moment and he’s going to have to sit by her for the entire ceremony.”

“His eyes are going to pop out of his head,” Andrea commented, grinning, “Piper looks beautiful, there is no way any man could resist her, much less one that is in love with her.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Julia agreed, sighing, “I just hope this entire scheme works out, especially after all the trouble we went through and how many people are involved.”

“Tell me about it,” Andrea agreed.

“Andrea, sweetie, it’s time,” Julia’s brother and Andrea’s father, Jack stated as he knocked and opened the door.

“Well that’s my cue to get back to my seat,” Julia announced, hugging her niece and giving her a quick peck on the cheek, “You look beautiful sweetie.”

“Thanks Aunt Julia,” Andrea concluded before the elder lady left the room.

“Ready?” Jack questioned his daughter.

She rewarded him with a dazzling smile and quickly took his offered arm. Music began to play through the large church as the bridal party began their march down the isle. Secretly, Andrea kept her fingers crossed for Piper, knowing somewhere out there, Justin was probably staring at her.

Justin sat there, trying to pick his jaw up from the floor. Nobody had bothered to mention the small fact that Piper was a part of the bridal party. Lord, she looked gorgeous, his angel, walking up the isle in a beautiful green dress, her hair swept up off her face.

His eyes desperately sought her’s. But she seemed oblivious to his stares, her attention solely focused on the uniting of Andrea and Trent. The pop star, however, noticed a few tears trickle down her cheeks, and cursed himself.

He was the cause of her pain; there was no doubt about that. If only he could go back in time and change things; maybe she would be smiling and those tears would be happy ones, instead of sad. But time travel was impossible, so the only option left to him was to apologize and try to win her back.

“Doesn’t she look gorgeous?” Julia whispered to the young man a few moments later, thus interrupting his thoughts.

“Uh huh,” Justin breathed, his eyes glued to Piper. Julia held back yet another smile, knowing full well that the young man’s mind was fixed on her daughter instead of the bride.

“I was talking about Andrea,” Julia clarified.

“Uh, yeah, I know,” Justin lied as he finally tore his gaze away from the young woman who had stolen his heart.

“Okay,” Julia concluded before turning her attention back to the wedding.

And so the ceremony passed by in a blur, at least in Justin’s eyes. He was too busy trying to figure out the best way to go about winning Piper back to even notice the two people being married. He was actually kind of surprised, therefore, when Julia nudged him to his feet.

He looked around, shocked. The church was quickly emptying out, the bride and groom, and Piper for that matter, nowhere in sight. With a sigh, he bid goodbye to Piper’s parents and promised to meet up with them at the reception. With that, the pop star exited the church and made his way to his car.

The drive to the reception hall was short and uneventful, though Justin’s thoughts were racing altogether too fast for his liking and, amazingly, keeping pace with his quickly beating heart. He parked his car and just sat there, his courage fleeing with the turn of the key that shut the automobile off.

What was he supposed to do? He had imagined every scenario, played out many apologies and ways to approach Piper. But he could never see how it ended; couldn’t even guess what her reaction would be. And that scared him.

With a sigh, he sat there a little longer, watching other guests enter the hall, envious of their carefree smiles. He was going to have to face Piper sooner or later, but for now, he was going to sit there and try to calm down and make his hands stop shaking. Then, only then, would he go in and win back the heart of the woman he loved.

“Where is he?” Julia whispered to her husband as she gazed around the room, “He should have been here by now.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here, don’t you worry,” Jacob assured his wife as he watched his daughter animatedly talking with a fellow bridesmaid and her date.

“Well Andrea can’t exactly put off the dance with her husband any longer,” Julia pointed out.

“Everything will work out fine,” Jacob soothed the distraught woman, “It doesn’t matter if he misses that song; he loves her. That means everything. Just look at us.”

“You’re right,” Julia agreed with a smile. The two quickly leaned in for a kiss, knowing all too well how loved worked in mysterious ways. And in their case, as a savior.

“Attention ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom would like to share their first dance. Please clear the floor,” the band’s leader said into the microphone, “Their song is ‘Looked Into The Wings’ by Billy Gilman.”

With a sigh, Piper quickly took the microphone from the man and tried to calm her nerves. Andrea gave her a quick encouraging smile, which the younger woman half-heartedly returned. She had never sung in front of so many people before, and certainly not by herself.

She just hoped that she wouldn’t make a complete fool of herself. Why oh why had she agreed to do this? She wasn’t sure of her voice, even less sure of her ability to sing in front of so many people, but she had promised her cousin. She never went back on a promise.

The opening chords of the song began and Piper took a deep breath. It was now or never.

Justin quickly walked into the reception hall, intent on finding Piper and telling her precisely what was on his mind. He stopped in his tracks, however, when he entered the room and noticed her standing on the stage, singing as the bride and groomed danced. Granted, her voice wasn’t perfect, and he could tell that she was nervous, but to him, she was gorgeous.

The light fell on her in just the right way that it highlighted the little red specks in her hair and gave her a somewhat ethereal glow. The beautiful melody of her voice spoke to him and he felt his heart beat faster as his feet slowly took him forward, closer, ever closer. He couldn’t tear his gaze away as she continued to sing, oblivious to his presence.

Julia nudged her husband as she noticed Justin walking in. Jacob looked over and smiled an all-knowing smile as the young man stood and stared at their daughter. Love shown from the depths of his blue eyes and a small smile played on his lips.

“I think your little plan worked out after all,” Jacob commented as he pulled his wife closer and kissed her temple.

“I think you’re right,” Julia said in a whisper.

Piper could feel her knees shaking as she continued to sing the song, just praying for it to be over sooner. Thankfully, most everybody was staring at the bride and groom and weren’t giving her a second glance. That gave her a little bit of confidence.

Yes, she could get through with this. Then she could get off the stage and go get roaring drunk, no matter what her parents said. Hell, she deserved it; she was about ready to collapse from nerves, a couple glasses of wine would do her some good.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her, despite the fact that the main attraction was the newly-wedded couple. She about dropped the microphone when she saw who it was. Justin.

What was he doing here? And now, of all times? God, she was going to puke; no, she was going to pass out. He was…smiling at her? What on earth?

The last chords of the song finally faded and the guests erupted into applause. Whether it was for her or the newlyweds, she didn’t know, but Piper didn’t stay to find out. She flew from the stage, wanting to get as far away from Justin as she possibly could.

“Piper!” Justin cried, running after her as she disappeared into the hallway. Damn, she was fast. “Piper!”

“Leave me alone Justin!” she cried over her shoulder as she sought refuge in the ladies restroom. Justin reached her before she got the chance.

“Would you stop?” he demanded as he grabbed a hold of her arm and brought her to a stop in front of him.

“It looks like I don’t have any choice,” she angrily spat, trying to slip past him. Justin refused to let her go so easily.

“I understand you’re angry,” he began, but got no further.

“Of course I’m angry! You show up here, unannounced after not speaking to me for almost four months. I told you that I loved you and all you said was that you ‘couldn’t do this right now’,” Piper cried, “You expect me to be happy?”

“No,” Justin said in a quiet voice.

“Just be honest with me Justin, what are you really doing here?” Piper demanded, crossing her arms as Justin blocked her path of escape.

“I came here to try and win you back,” he softly told her, stepping a little closer; her mouth fell open in surprise, “I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but here I am, begging for it.”

“Wha…what?” Piper stuttered, confused, “But what about Mindy?”

“Who’s Mindy?” Justin responded, now confused as well.

“Mindy Gosling, your girlfriend,” Piper said, frowning, “Why aren’t you with her right now?” Justin wanted to laugh.

“Who told you that bullshit story?” he questioned, smiling.

“Mindy herself. Now what on earth are you smiling about? I don’t find anything funny about this situation,” Piper scolded, backing up a step as Justin came even closer.

“Piper, Mindy Gosling is my cousin,” Justin said before breaking up into laughter.

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same Mindy?” Piper returned.

“Tall, blonde hair, legs for days, toothy grin? Has a habit of tapping her foot when she’s talking to you?” Justin supplied. Piper’s jaw fell open. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“B…but why would she tell me that?” Piper asked, shocked.

“Beats me. Maybe it was to make you feel better about dating Lance,” Justin suggested, shoving his hands into his pocket as he suddenly remembered Piper’s new squeeze, “Where is he by the way?”

“Lance?” Piper incredulously asked, “What on earth gave you the impression that I’m dating Lance?”

“Well that’s what Chris and Cameron said,” Justin began.

“Justin, I’m not dating Lance. We went out as friends once, but that’s all that ever happened. He’s actually become a really good friend to me,” Piper explained, brow furrowed, “I don’t understand how everything could get this mixed up.”

“I know what you mean,” Justin agreed, then his eyes narrowed, “Wait a minute…I’m suddenly getting the feeling we’ve been set up.”

“What?” Piper cried.

“Think about it. Chris and Cameron were the ones who told me you were dating Lance, which made me insanely jealous. Then my cousin pretended to be my girlfriend to make you jealous as well. Your mother somehow called at just the right time to make sure I was coming to your cousin’s wedding, whom I only met once. It can’t all just be coincidence,” the pop star rambled.

“I think you’re right,” Piper agreed, then stared at the floor, “So…”

“So…” Justin trailed off, not quite knowing what to say next.

Piper sighed and bit her lip as she continued to stare at the carpeted floor. Was he not going to say anything else? Maybe she should just take her chances and try a run for the bathroom again.

“Piper,” Justin quietly began, tilting her chin up so she looked him in the eye, “I love you. I have for a long time.”

“Justin…” she began, but he silenced her.

“I know I haven’t given you any reason to want to be with me. Hell, I’ll be honest, I was a complete jackass and I’m sorry,” Justin continued as he took Piper’s hands in his own, “But I know if I let you get away a second time, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”

“But…”

Justin only silenced her yet again as he pulled her into his arms and began to sing softly in her ear, echoing the words of the song that was currently playing in the reception hall. It was strange that the song said exactly what he was trying to say, but at that point, he couldn’t have cared less. Piper was in his arms – willingly – and that was all that mattered.

Hey, I didn't mean a thing I said last night.
I swear I didn't mean a word I used.
You don't have to listen, baby; you have every right
To feel that heart of yours has been abused.
I know I've used up all my chances a long, long time ago
And I really don't deserve to call you mine.
But, if I told you that I loved you,
Could I lay back down beside you?
Could you take it on faith one more time?

Piper clung to him as she breathed in his scent, getting lost in the strength of his arms and the beautiful voice that was singing just for her. How could she tell him no? How could she look him in the eye and tell him that she never wanted to see him again?

Look at me I'm crying... imagine me crying.
Well, it's time I learned to anyway.
'Cause if you're really set on one of us leaving,
I guess there's really nothing left to say.
It seems like such a shame,
But baby, I could never blame you, baby,
For leaving this old story far behind.
And if I told that I love you,
Could I lay back down beside you?
Could you take it on faith one more time?

Justin wanted to freeze time so that the moment could last forever. She felt so good in his arms that he never wanted to let go. He was stupid to let his fears get in the way of what his heart had blatantly been telling him all along. Now he could only hope that he had somehow managed to change her mind.

I know I promised to you before
I wouldn't do anything to hurt you no more.
If I could take it all back and start again...
Take it all back well maybe then;
I could tell you that I love you.
I could lay back down beside you.
I could tell you that I love you, lay back down beside you.
If I told you that I love, could I lay back down beside you?
Could you take me on faith one more time?

The song slowly came to an end, yet the two of them still stood close, swaying to a nonexistent melody that only they could hear. The whole world had slipped away around them, leaving a man and a woman, in need of love, in need of each other.

Justin felt his breath catch in his throat as Piper turned her beautiful green eyes up to him; eyes that were filled with tears. He quickly used the pads of his fingers to brush away the few that had already crept down her cheeks as he searched for some sign of what she was feeling.

She smiled tremulously at him as she placed her hands on his cheeks and brought him closer. Their noses touched, their mouths mere inches away, and Justin felt his breathing becoming ragged at her nearness. He brushed away a loose tendril of hair before uniting their lips in a sweet kiss.

It was a sweet kiss that bespoke the love they both had been too prideful to admit to. Now, however, they were holding nothing back; pride was flung aside as two hearts sang as one.

“I think I can take you on, just once more.”

5 years later

…pride was flung aside once and for all. A destiny was fulfilled, proving that fate was alive and kicking. Still don’t believe me? Just ask Piper and Justin – they’ll set you straight.

With a sigh, Genevieve closed the thick book and set it carefully into the bag amidst the white and gold tissue. A frown marred her features and caused creases to appear in her usually flawless brow.

“Are you still looking through that?” JC questioned as he came up behind his wife and put his arms around her bulging waist.

“I’m just so afraid they’re not going to like it or that they’ll be mad at me for doing something like this,” Genevieve confessed, leaning back into his arms in the process.

“Sweetheart, they’re going to love it,” JC responded, smiling at his wife’s over-emotional state, “It’s the most unique gift for a wedding, that’s for sure.”

“Is that a good thing?” Genevieve asked, her worry flaring up again. JC wanted desperately to groan, but he made sure to refrain from doing so, not wanting to spend a night on the couch.

“It’s a very good thing. You remember our wedding? I’ll never forget how many sets of dishes we received,” JC reminded her, grinning as the memory crossed his mind.

“Tell me about it,” Genevieve agreed, her spirits suddenly lifting as she grinned, “I’m pretty sure we’ve got at least a set for each month.” JC laughed.

“There, you see? You’re just worrying too much,” he said as the two stepped apart, “Now come on, we said we were just stopping by to check on the baby before the reception.”

“Alright, let me check in on Chloe and then we can go,” Genevieve agreed as they left their enormous bedroom, “I’ll meet you downstairs in five.”

“Sure sweetie,” JC agreed as he placed a kiss on her forehead and headed down the stairs.

Genevieve quietly opened the door to her daughter’s room and peeked in. She smiled when she noticed the two-year old, fast asleep in her crib, her grandmother gently rocking back and forth a few feet away.

“Back already dear?” Laura Micelli questioned the moment she noticed her daughter in the doorway, “Why, I must have fallen asleep without even realizing it.”

“We just stopped by to grab the present,” Genevieve supplied as she placed a soft kiss on her daughter Chloe’s forehead and then approached her mother, “You know Josh, wanted to make sure his baby was okay and that she wasn’t misbehaving too badly.”

“Well, for being a two-year old, she’s been pretty good,” Laura stated, rolling her eyes, “Genny, you worry way too much to be healthy, especially in your state.”

“Mom,” Genevieve whined, not really in the mood for another pregnant-women-need-to-take-it-easy lectures.

“Your father will be here in about half an hour to keep Chloe and I company. Really Gen, you’ve got nothing to be worried about,” Laura simply stated, easily reading the annoyed tone in her daughter’s voice.

“Alright,” Genevieve finally agreed with a sigh, “I guess I’ll see you later on tonight.”

“Have fun sweetie. And give my best to Piper and Justin,” Laura concluded as Genevieve began to walk towards the door.

“Will do mom, bye,” Genevieve responded before walking out of her daughter’s room and shutting the door.

“Ready to go?” JC asked his wife as he met her at the bottom of the stairs, the gift bag in hand.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” she agreed, smiling up at him.

With that said, the couple quickly left their house, hand in hand, and were soon en route to their destination.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Timberlake,” the announcer stated above the noise of the crowd.

Genevieve grinned and squeezed JC’s hand as she watched Justin walk through the door, one hand closely entwined with Piper’s. The two, amidst the cheering and clapping, somehow managed to make it to their table and sat down. The room immediately began to quiet down as JC quickly got to his feet.

“Attention everybody, can I have your attention please?” JC questioned above the din, “As best man, it’s my job to give the speech.”

“Yo C, we’re not stupid you know!” Chris called from his table; he received a smack in the arm from Cameron, his wife of three years.

“Nobody asked you Chris,” the younger man shot back as he rolled his eyes and raised his glass higher, “As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, it’s my job to give the speech…”

“How drunk do you think he is?” Piper whispered as she leaned close to her new husband.

“On a scale of one to ten? Probably eleven,” Justin snorted with a grin, “He’s had a rough time lately, what with Genevieve eight months pregnant. I swear, the woman looks like she’s going to pop any second.”

“Justin!” Piper scolded, “Don’t say that. I don’t want any babies being born at my wedding reception.”

“Hey, I was just stating my opinion. You got a problem with that woman?” he challenged as he poked her in the side. Piper rolled her eyes at his childish antics, despite the fact that he was now twenty-nine years old and a grown man.

“Ugh, you’re hopeless. Just shut-up and listen to JC’s speech like a good best friend,” Piper stated, fully enjoying her new position on Justin’s lap.

Justin squirmed uncomfortably as Piper adjusted her position and fully exposed his growing erection. This was not good. He was supposed to be listening to his best man’s speech and all he could think about was getting Piper naked and doing unmentionable things to her.

“Justin?” Piper began as she suddenly realized precisely what she was sitting on.

“Just ignore it,” he told her.

“Whatever you say Jus,” Piper replied with a role of her eyes. She didn’t want to let on how excited Justin’s hornyness was making her. Instead, she quickly turned her attention back to JC.

“Well, for starters, these two have quite a history together despite the fact that I’ve known Justin longer than Piper has,” JC began, his glass wobbling a bit, “Of course, it’s easy for me to say that not all of that time was good. No, Justin and Piper’s relationship isn’t exactly what you would call the usual sort, and I’m guessing that it won’t ever be. Not after all they’ve gone through together.”

JC took a deep breath as the world suddenly went out of focus. He could feel Genevieve’s glare on his back, which only made him more aware of the fact that he had consumed way too much alcohol in a short period of time. But he would get through this; he wasn’t going to sleep on the couch, god help him.

“Justin has been my best friend for what seems like forever. Our friendship goes all the way back to the MMC days when he was a scrawny kid who didn’t know anything about women, love and heartbreak,” JC continued as soon as he had gotten himself together, “Believe me, though, when I say that there is no better friend a man could have. He was the one who helped me through my own tough times; the one who introduced me to my beautiful wife.”

From her seat, Genevieve felt the tears well up in her eyes. JC hadn’t wanted to share his speech with her, which she hadn’t been too happy with. Now she understood why and she was downright touched that he had mentioned her.

“As for Piper, there is no better woman I could lose Justin to. When I first met her, I was utterly convinced that she was just another teenager only interested in Justin’s name and money,” JC continued, smiling, “Boy was I wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody who is so caring, so selfless, so understanding – well, besides my wife…”

That got a few good laughs as JC adjusted his stance as the alcohol slowly began to settle in his stomach. Piper still sat on Justin’s lap, both of their attention completely on what their friend was saying.

“I guess what I’m trying to say, is through the ups and downs, these two have stuck it out together,” JC concluded as he raised his glass towards Justin and Piper, “Here’s to many more years of love, devotion, and a wonderful relationship. To Justin and Piper – congratulations you two.”

A round of applause shook the room as the toast was completed and everybody drank to the newlyweds. A few moments later, the couple stood up and made their way to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Justin whispered as he led Piper by the hand.

“What?” was all Piper could get out before the music began.

The familiar melody made her smile, but her mouth dropped open when Joshua Kadison began to sing ‘Beautiful In Your Eyes’ just for the two of them. The two of them shared a passion for his music, but never had Piper imagined that Justin would go to such lengths as to get the man himself to come and sing at their wedding.

“I love you Piper,” Justin quietly stated as he pulled her close and wrapped one arm about her waist and the other behind her head, “You are everything to me.”

“I love you too Jus,” the young woman replied as she snuggled up against him, her head resting on his chest, her hands clasped behind his neck.

The two swayed back and forth together, oblivious to the many eyes watching them and the whispered conversations going on at the same time. Joshua Kadison’s soothing voice swept over them as they danced, creating a magical fairyland only they were privy to.

Four hours later – Aruba

“Piper, have you seen my toothbrush?” Justin questioned as he began to search through his luggage, clad only in a pair of boxers and a white beater.

Across the room, Piper sat on the enormous bed of their honeymoon suite, her unpacking already finished. She glanced over at her husband, who sat on the floor, a puzzled look on his face as he continued to dig through his belongings. With a little laugh, she quickly got up off the bed and tackled him to the ground.

“H..hey!” Justin cried, surprised when he felt the small body of his wife pinning him to the rug.

“Why don’t you finish unpacking tomorrow?” she questioned as she straddled his waist and pinned his arms above his head.

“Mmm, I say that’s a wonderful idea,” Justin lazily agreed as he flipped them over and cradled Piper to his chest. The two shared a passionate kiss before Justin pulled his wife into his arms and began to walk towards the bed.

Night quickly crept into the room, bathing the loving pair in ethereal moonlight. They, however, were oblivious to everything but each other.

Across the room, on a table, sat a thick book; the wedding present from JC and Genevieve, that they had received a few hours earlier. A soft stir of the wind shuffled the pages a bit before dying down once again.

“It’s actually quite funny how fate can intervene so drastically in a person’s life. No? Don’t believe in fate? Well call it destiny, karma, coincidence, chance, whatever suits your fancy, but it’s there…”