The sun was just beginning to rise when a sleeping figure stirred in her bed. It was an unusually chilly morning in Los Angeles, and she didn’t want to leave the comfort of her warm queen bed. But the knocking on her front door was insistent, and none of her roommates had seemed to acknowledge it. She dragged her tired body out of the bed and put on her favorite slippers as she walked out of her room and to the front door. She pulled the door open, and to her surprise, her roommates were standing on the other side with balloons and presents in their arms.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELEN!” they exclaimed, throwing their arms around her in a hug. They shoved the presents into her arms, as she was still recovering from the shock.

“What the hell?” she laughed. “How did you guys sneak out?” They quickly shuffled into the living area, and Kelen plopped down on the carpet, her dark blonde hair quickly becoming a mess.

“We had to sneak out Christine’s window, since you’d hear us walking past your door. And then we climbed down the fire escape…so we basically risked our lives trying to surprise you,” the redhead laughed. Kelen smiled, looking at her two best friends.

“You guys…” she giggled, shaking her head at the thought of them climbing down the rusty stairs. “You didn’t have to get me presents,” she protested “I thought the dinner tonight was going to be my present.”

Christine frowned as she tucked her sleek black hair behind her ears. “Well…we wanted to surprise you. And since Sophie over here, kind of told you about the dinner, we had to think of something else.”

“Look, I was a little drunk! I can’t help it,” Sophie shrugged. “Stop delaying already and open the damn present. That one is from me by the way.” Kelen carefully unwrapped the paper, so that she wouldn’t rip it, and slid the box out. Her eyes widened when she saw the Kate Spade logo on the box.

“You didn’t!” she laughed as she opened the lid and peeked inside. Her eyes immediately widened and she looked back up at her friend in disbelief. “Where did you find it? They stopped making it years ago.” She admired the beautiful brown leather bag sitting her lap. She had first seen it years ago when she worked at Nordstrom but it had been completely out of her budget.

Sophie shrugged nonchalantly. “Well my sister’s boyfriend has connections. So he found a shop that was selling the bag, and was able to convince them to sell it to me real cheap. You couldn’t stop talking about the damn bag for months, so I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate our five years of knowing each other.”

Kelen turned to the other square present sitting next to her, quickly opened the gift. Inside was a collage of various pictures of the three girls in various stages of their friendships. There were pictures of Christine and Kelen throughout high school and college, as well as pictures of when they met Sophie at the Christina Aguilera concert on Kelen’s 20th birthday. Kelen chuckled to herself as she felt the familiar stinging of tears in her eyes.

“I know how upset you were when your other photos were all ruined,” Christine explained, referring to the time when there had been a fire in their old apartment building. “So I dug through all of my crap, and found some more pictures.”

Kelen looked back up at her friends, wiping at her eyes. “You girls are too good to me. I love you guys so much,” she laughed, pulling them into a hug.

“There’s more,” Sophie informed Kelen, once the other two had pulled apart from their hug. “There’s a present from Alex,” she continued, referring to Kelen’s brother.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he called me at work yesterday and asked me to do a favor for him. So…” Sophie smiled, walking over to her bedroom. She came back out a few seconds later with a small puppy in her arms.

“Alex told you to get me a puppy? How…how did he do that? He’s…” Kelen broke off, taking the puppy from Sophie.

“Well he had gone to the animal shelter on a day trip, and said he’d spotted this perfect dog for you. So he told us to go pick him up. She hasn’t been named yet,” Sophie answered. The puppy in Kelen’s arms looked up at her before stretching up and licking her chin. “And, Christine’s brother even trained her for us. She’s a perfectly trained, Dachshund mix.”

“I love her! And I love you guys, so much!” Kelen smiled, putting the small puppy on the ground to sniff around. “I should probably go get dressed and go see Alex.”

“Alright, have fun. And don’t forget dinner tonight,” Christine called out as she began to clean up the wrapping paper.

====================================

Kelen entered the large building through the sliding glass doors, and walked over to the front desk where there was an elderly woman reading a People magazine. Although she had been here many times before, Kelen always felt like she was entering a hospital. Her brother lived in an assisted living home due to his autism, and their parents had believed that living in a home like this would allow him to have his freedom, but be monitored in case of emergency at the same time. He loved it here, and she knew that Alex’s life revolved around the close group of people who lived here with him.

“Hey Ellen!” Kelen greeted, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head. The woman looked up from her magazine, her lips turning into a smile when she saw Kelen.

“Kelen! We’ve been expecting you,” she smiled. “Your brother is in the game room, he’s been waiting for you all day. And happy birthday!”

Kelen smiled, holding up the puppy that her brother had gotten her. “Thank you, can I bring her in? She’s trained and everything…I just want Alex to help me name her.” Ellen nodded, and Kelen proceeded to walk down the bright-lit halls with the puppy in her arms. She entered a room with a T.V., couches, pin-ball machines, and a table where she spotted a few people sitting, including her brother. The puppy barked happily, causing everyone to turn and greet Kelen excitedly.

“A puppy? Wow! What’s her name?” a girl turned around and asked. Kelen pulled up a chair next to a young man with brown hair and shrugged.

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m here. Alex got me the puppy as a present, and I want him to help me name her,” Kelen nodded. She turned to her brother, who grinned at her. “So, Alex? What should we name her?”

He thought carefully before exclaiming, “Ella. There was a girl in the movie yesterday named Ella. She was really pretty.”

Kelen smiled, throwing an arm around her brother for a hug. “Ella is perfect. So, what are you guys playing?” As they were explaining to the card game that they had made up, someone cleared their throat loudly, and everyone turned around. Mrs. Wheaton, the manager of the Riverside Assisted Living Center, was standing in the door way with a large smile.

“Good morning everyone, I want you all to meet our guest who has come a long way to tour our facility,” she said, gesturing extravagantly with her arms. “This is Eli.” Everyone in the roomed cheered, as if they had been waiting for this moment for weeks. They all jumped up and gathered around the door. Kelen watched quietly as a tall man walked in to the room, carrying bags of gifts. She figured it was probably one of the many generous donors who liked to stop by every once and awhile to give out charity. Other residents started filing in, and soon, there was a crowd of maybe thirty people surrounding the man who had sat down at a table at the other side of the room. Kelen looked down at her watch, realizing that she had to meet her friends, and stood up to say goodbye to her brother. She tapped Alex on the shoulder, and he turned around with an annoyed look.

“Yah?”

“I have to go now, okay? I’ll come by Wednesday for lunch,” she reminded him of their weekly meeting. He nodded distractedly, and turned back around to give all of his attention to the visitor.

It was a cool night in Los Angeles as Justin Timberlake lounged on his hammock outside his home. The guys had come over for a few drinks, and they had all left a few minutes earlier. It was one of the rare moments when Justin didn’t have some female-shaped companion to talk to. Of course, there were many girls he could call if he wanted some entertainment, but he was tired of the same ditzy, party girls he had made a habit of befriending. The only girl he could call, his best girl friend from childhood, was in Italy studying to be a fashion designer. He could’ve gone out with Trace, but quickly remembered his early meeting the next day and if he missed it, he’d be screwed.

“Well look at this, one of the rare nights when Justin Timberlake isn’t doing some club whore,” a voice called out to him from the patio door. Justin whipped his head around, his lips stretching out into a smile when he recognized his visitor.

“I was waiting for you, babe,” he called out, as he got himself out of the hammock. “Now we can get down to business.” He walked over, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “What are you doing here, Tiff?”

His best friend smiled, pulling away from the embrace. “Well it’s summer break, and I left a few days early for a ‘family emergency’. And since they love me so much because of my brilliance, they let me leave early with little questions.”

“I was just thinking about you,” he smiled, leading her back into his large mansion.

“Is that right? Well…I hope it has nothing to do with that weird dream you told me about…” she trailed off, her eyes squinting in disgust. “Because that’s just sick.”

Justin laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. I was thinking about that last night,” he teased. “Actually, I was thinking about how I need to find more girls that can actually talk to me on an intellectual level. Because I’ve become bored with those, how did you put it? Club whores? Well yes…they’re fun to fool around with and everything, but man. You can’t talk to them at all. And since you’re in Italy, doing whatever; I’m going to need to find some other friends.”

Tiffany feigned surprise, covering her mouth. “Are my ears deceiving me? Does Justin Timberlake need MORE friends? Oh lord, the world has come to an end.”

“Oh ha ha. But seriously, I can’t talk to guys about stuff, because it makes me look like some pussy. And sometimes, I just need to talk. I like to talk out my worries but no one is here who I’m comfortable enough to vent to. Trace is doing his own thing with William Rast, you’re off in Italy, and Rachel can’t be expected to listen to me all day,” he sighed. Tiffany quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug.

“Let’s go out tonight, so you can take your mind off of things,” she suggested.

He shook his head, frowning a bit. “Nah, I’m not in the mood for partying. Plus, shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend on your first night back?” He asked, referring to her boyfriend of three years, who also happened to be one of his best friends.

“JC is busy in the studio, so even if I get back at 2 AM I’ll still be there before he gets back,” she shrugged. “I stopped by to see him already, anyways. The faster he gets his work done, the faster he’ll be home to get me done.” She winked. Justin made a gagging noise before squeezing her tightly once again.

“I’m glad you’re home, Tiff. It’s been real quiet around here,” he chuckled. She grabbed his car keys from him and smiled at him.

“I know the perfect place to go tonight.”

==================================

Twenty minutes later, Justin sat quietly in the passenger seat as Tiffany weaved in and out of the L.A. traffic. “Where exactly are you taking me? Especially without my security…Tiff, are you sure this place is alright?”

She scoffed at him, her eyes sliding over to glare at him before she turned her attention back on the road. “For the tenth time, yes, I promise you will not get mugged by paparazzi or fans tonight. I’m taking you to a friend’s coffee shop. It might be in the middle of the city, but it’s pretty small, so not that many people will be waiting for celebrities to pop up near there. Just trust me.” She patted his knee as she made another turn into a parking lot. Justin pulled his hood over his head and double checked to make sure there weren’t any paparazzi around. The one thing he hated about having the success that he did, was the paparazzi. For some reason, they thought they could just follow him everywhere and hassle him as he tried to live a normal life. What kind of girl would want that following them everywhere?

He jumped down from his car and followed Sophie quietly as she led him through the door. The strong aroma of coffee immediately hit his nostrils as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit shop. There were round tables and couches placed all around the center of the room, as tables and booths lined the walls. There was also a small stage at the opposite end of the room, next to the coffee counter and register. He could immediately tell that this would be the perfect place for someone who was trying to hide away from reality and just sit quietly with a book and cup of coffee. The warm colors made him feel even more at home, and he understood why Tiffany was so adamant that he visit friend with her. Tiffany grabbed his arm and pulled him over with her towards the counter. There were only about five or six other people sitting in the shop, so he slid his hood down, deciding that none of the people in here could recognize him.

“Sophie!” Tiffany called out, and the tall red-head standing behind the counter glanced up, her lips turning into a smile when she recognized the brunette. She quickly walked around the counter and pulled Tiffany into a friendly hug.

“Hey girl! What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were in Italy designing clothes!” The girl, Sophie apparently, grinned before smiling at Justin. “Hi, I’m Sophie.”

“Hey, I’m Justin,” he smiled, shaking her hand. Sophie nodded and her eyes slid over to Tiffany’s as she recognized who was standing in front of her.

“Well I’m back for a few weeks on break, and I heard you guys re-decorated so I had to stop by and check it out for myself. It’s beautiful, who designed it?” Tiffany asked as Sophie led the two to a bench in the corner.

“Kelen, my best friend, designed it actually. You’ve met her right?”

Tiffany nodded slowly, “Yeah I think so. You both own the shop, right?”

“Yeah, it’s our little baby,” Sophie teased. “Anyways, I need to get back to work, but take a look at the menu. Desserts are on the house.” She gestured towards the display case where there was an assortment of baked sweets. Once a waitress had taken their orders, Tiffany finally turned to Justin.

“I met Sophie through a mutual friend of ours Christine, who took a few art classes with me. Anyways, I bumped into Christine earlier today and she mentioned that they had renovated the shop and told me that I should stop by. Wednesday nights are when they have some local artists play, so I thought it would be a good place to hang out and talk,” she explained as a young man got onstage with his guitar.

“I’ve never even seen this place before, but I’ve driven by here so many times,” Justin stated as the waitress returned with their drinks and a few fruit tarts. The man on stage began strumming his guitar as more customers trickled in. Within an hour, most of the couches and booths were occupied, but not one person seemed to recognize the famous Pop star sitting amongst them. Sophie returned to their table with a dark blonde woman following in her steps.

“Hey guys,” Sophie greeted them. “This is my friend Kelen, the girl I was telling you about.” The blonde came closer and smiled at the both of them.

“Hi. So I hear this is your first time here?” she asked, looking at Justin.

Before he could respond, Tiffany interrupted, “Yes, I dragged him here with me tonight. I was here a few times before you renovated though. It’s beautiful, Kelen. Seriously, you have a talent for interior decorating, have you ever thought about going into that?”

Kelen blushed, dipping her head as a sign of thanks. “Thanks…I just wanted a place where anyone could feel comfortable and at home. But…it’s just a hobby. I could never start my own business.”

“Well it could be a very profitable hobby,” Justin noted. “I have a friend who started her own interior decorating business in New York City, and it’s really successful. And she just started by helping friends with their homes. It really isn’t that hard to get into it.” He watched as Kelen thought quietly to herself, before turning around suddenly when she heard her name being called. She excused herself and promised to return, before disappearing into the back room. Justin turned back towards Tiffany, who was smiling back at him with a secretive look. “What?”

“Kelen’s really pretty,” she shrugged. Justin nodded slowly, chuckling softly to himself.

“And your point is?”

“And she’s sweet and down to earth. She also has a great eye for interior decorating.”

“What exactly are you trying to say Tiffany?” He asked, arching an eyebrow.

Tiffany shrugged innocently as her eyes glanced back Kelen who was milling around the room and taking customers’ orders. “Don’t you need to decorate a few of your guest bedrooms? Why not ask Kelen?”

Justin shook his head. Tiffany was trying to set him up with Kelen! Not that he was opposed to the idea, because as Tiffany had bluntly pointed out, Kelen definitely didn’t have any problems in the looks department. But he hardly even knew the woman. “I think I can manage on my own, thanks.” Before she could respond, Kelen returned with a plate of cookies.

“Hey, do you guys want to try some chocolate chip and cranberry cookies? They’re fresh out of the oven,” she tempted them as she placed the plate down on the table. Tiffany immediately grabbed one, sighing softly.

“You bake too? Please tell me there’s some man lucky enough to have you spoiling him like this,” Tiffany teased as she bit into the cookie. Justin watched his friend with suspicious eyes as Kelen shook her head slowly.

“Nope, all of my skills are reserved for my friends and customers. No man currently,” Kelen laughed. “But I already told you I was single this morning, Tiffany.” Justin looked at Tiffany, then back up at Kelen.

“What do you mean, this morning?” he asked, his eyes quickly glancing over at Tiffany suspiciously.

“I met Tiffany this morning when I was out with my friend Christine,” Kelen explained. “And they were talking about boyfriends, or whatever, and I guess it came up that I didn’t have one.” Justin’s eyes slid back over to the brunette sitting across from him, who was doing a horrible job of hiding her grin behind her cup of coffee. The sneaky little bitch! She had brought him here in hopes of hooking him up with Kelen.

Tiffany cleared her throat and looked up at Kelen. “So Kelen, what are you doing this weekend?” Justin’s eyes widened as he realize what she was about to do.

“Um…I open the shop up on Saturday, but I’ll be done around noon. Why?” she asked, propping her hand on her hip. Tiffany quickly glanced at Justin before smiling back at the blonde standing in front of her.

“Well I’m helping Justin redecorate a few of his guest rooms, and I was wondering if you could stop by and help me out with some colors? I really love your style,” Tiffany answered. Before Justin could even intervene, the two were already exchanging phone numbers and addresses. He watched helplessly as Tiffany paid for their coffees and then followed her out to the car after saying goodbye to the girls.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Tiffany Anne?” He grumbled as he shut the car door angrily. He could get dates on his own, and he certainly didn’t need his best friend trying to set him up with random strangers. Tiffany laughed quietly, reaching over and patting his shoulder.

“Why are you so angry? I’m just asking a friend for help on your guest rooms. Why, you don’t like her? I’ve only met the girl twice and I love her already. She’s so easy to talk to.”

“Her ability to carry on conversations is not the point, and you know it,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. “I don’t need your help to find any dates, alright? I can find plenty myself.” Tiffany glanced at him, smiling softly.

“Justin, I know you could have any girl you want. The quality of girl, on the other hand, could be debated. Plus, you don’t have to make any moves if you don’t want to. You don’t even need to be at your house on Saturday. I really do just need some other opinions on your rooms. And if the girl in question is a great catch, then so be it,” she shrugged. The car ride back to his house was uncomfortably quiet as Justin began to regret ever confiding in Tiffany. He should have known that she would try to take matters into her own hands. He didn’t even understand why he was so uncomfortable with the thought of Kelen coming over. It’s not like she was a mean or untrustworthy person. She had been perfectly sweet and likable. He just hated the feeling of not being in control, and in this situation, Tiffany had taken full control of inviting Kelen over, making him feel like a pussy. Maybe it was time that he take back the reigns.

Kelen anxiously pulled up to the large iron gates, rolling down her car window as she turned to the security guard looking menacingly down at her. Although she had already met Justin Timberlake, it wasn’t everyday that she was driving up to his large mansion. It was one thing for him to be sitting down in a crowded coffee shop, but actually going to his house was a whole different story. This man was filthy rich, polite, nice, and not to mention gorgeous. She had never been a huge fan of his music, but living in L.A., it was hard to avoid at least seeing pictures of the man. Those pictures were nothing compared to the real live thing.

“Hi…” she smiled anxiously. The man nodded curtly before asking for her I.D. and then looking down at his clipboard. “I’m here to see…uh…Mr. Timberlake.” Even through his sunglasses, she could tell he was rolling his eyes at her.

“Go on through Miss Tyler,” his deep voice answered her as he handed back her driver’s license. Kelen smiled back before rolling up her window and letting out a huge sigh. Why was she so nervous? She was only meeting up with Tiffany, anyways; she doubted he would even be home. As she drove up to the Spanish-styled mansion, she couldn’t help but admire the beautiful home and landscaping. For someone who was so obviously rich and successful, Justin sure was a modest and down to earth guy. That revelation only added to the growing attraction she had to the man. Kelen quickly parked her car and grabbed her big book of paint swatches before getting out of her car. She took one last moment to calm her nerves before finally walking up to the door and ringing the doorbell. After a few minutes, she could hear dogs barking as they scrambled up to the door. The lock changed, and the door swung open to reveal Justin wearing a towel wrapped around his waist and dripping wet. Damn… she gulped silently.

“Hey Kelen,” he grinned. “Come on in.” He opened the door wider and swept his arms around dramatically, bending at the waist. “Sorry about the dogs…they usually don’t take to strangers so quickly, but I guess you’re an exception.” He laughed watching as his two large Boxers weaved around Kelen’s legs, making it difficult for her to walk without tripping over them.

“They’re adorable,” she smiled, reaching down to scratch both of their heads. Justin led her down a hallway, through the kitchen, and out to the backyard where there were a few people lounging around by the pool. Kelen immediately spotted Tiffany standing by the grill, her hand resting on the shoulder of a tall man who was manning the grill. “I didn’t know I was interrupting your party, I’m sorry,” she apologized, feeling as if she had just crashed an intimate celebrity get together.

“What are you talking about? We’re just having lunch,” he chuckled, shaking his head at her. “You’re not interrupting anything. Didn’t Tiffany tell you to bring a bathing suit?” Kelen shook her head and smiled sheepishly.

“Nope, sorry,” she answered, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Justin turned back towards her and cocked his head to the side.

“Come on girl, I’ll introduce you to everyone. No need to be shy,” he winked leading her to some people lying by the pool. “This is Trace,” he motioned towards a shorter brunette male who waved back at her lazily. “His girlfriend Joanna,” the blonde sitting next to Trace smiled and shook her hand. “And my cousin, Rachel,” the brunette sitting next to Joanna greeted her back. He then led her to the group sitting at the table. She immediately recognized the man sitting facing her from her days spent watching MTV while she did laundry. “This is Tim and Marty,” he nodded towards the other lean male sitting at the table.

“Hey, how you doin’?” Timbaland smiled at her. Kelen could only get out a weak “hi” before Tiffany ran over and wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

“Kelen, finally! I was beginning to think you weren’t gonna show,” she laughed propping her hand on her bikini clad hip. “Come, I want you to meet JC,” she said as she pulled her towards the man standing by the grill cooking up burgers and chicken. He turned around as the girls came up to him, his lips turning into a wide grin.

“Hey, Kelen right? I’m JC,” he held out his hand. Kelen reached out to shake it as she nodded. “Tiffany told me you’re an interior decorator. You should come take a look at our place.”

Kelen turned to Tiffany who was smiling innocently back at her, “Actually...I’m not really an interior decorator. Tiffany has this crazy idea that I’m really talented.”

“Well I’m glad you’re here to help her, she’s been going crazy trying to come up with ideas herself,” JC shrugged. “I don’t know why Justin won’t just hire an interior designer himself.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes, holding out a plate for the food. “Because…why does he need to spend money when we can easily do the job ourselves? I don’t care if he’s rich, he can save that money for other things.” Kelen grabbed the cooler of drinks and followed the other two towards the table where everyone else had already seated themselves. The only seat left was the seat next to Justin, who motioned for her to sit down. She suddenly felt like she was on display as his eyes studied her face.

“Loosen up, I promise we won’t bite,” he said quietly with a gentle smile. “At least not yet.” Kelen looked back at him as he winked at her. Was Justin Timberlake flirting with her? She smirked back at him, sticking her tongue out at him.

“So Kelen,” the blonde girl who was formerly introduced as Nancy called out. “What do you do?”

“I run a small coffee shop downtown with one of my best friends,” she answered.

“Really? Where downtown is it?”

“It’s called ‘The Jammin’ Java’ and it’s a couple blocks away from the produce market.”

“That sounds really cool; I’ll have to stop by once when I’m down in the area,” Tammy, the other dancer piped in. “I’ve heard about your shop, I think. Does a guy named Trey play sets there?”

Kelen nodded quickly, “Yeah! Actually, he’s one of the biggest attractions we have and he brings in a lot of business whenever he plays. He’s actually a friend of my older brother Ryan. How do you know him?”

“My ex-boyfriend is his roommate. Trey constantly talked about how he loved your place and how thankful he was that you guys let him play there,” Tammy explained.

Kelen smiled, shaking her head in disbelief, “That’s so weird that you know Trey. He’s like another brother to me.” Within seconds the girls had started their own conversations as the guys fell into their own conversation about basketball. After all of the food had been consumed, mostly by the guys, the girls decided to get back into the pool, so Rachael led Kelen back to the guest house to lend her a bathing suit. Kelen re-emerged later with a white and navy striped bikini replacing her previous outfit of a white t-shirt and jeans.

Justin’s eyes skimmed down her body appreciatively from behind his dark sunglasses as he sat on the other side of the pool with Marty and Timbaland.

“Damn, Kelen is fine,” Marty interrupted the dirty thoughts running through Justin’s mind. “Where’d you find her?”

“She’s friends with Tiffany,” Justin answered as he nodded in agreement. “She’s a cool girl.”

“You tryin’ to get with her? You haven’t gotten any in awhile,” Timbaland cocked his eyebrows suggestively at Justin.

Justin turned back to his friend in shock, “What? And how the fuck would you know if I’ve gotten any or not?”

“Because you’ve been recording and touring with me for the last damn month. Do not tell me that you’ve done shit with those girls at the clubs man. That’s just an immediate story for the gossip rags,” Timbaland warned.

“I may or may not have gone home with some girls,” Justin shrugged mysteriously. “A little love never hurt nobody. And nothing’s come out yet, so most likely, those girls won’t be openin’ their mouths anytime soon.” He continued defending himself as his eyes floated back towards Kelen every few seconds or so. He hadn’t had a girlfriend in awhile, so what’s wrong if he fooled around with a few chicks every now and then? It wasn’t like it was a different girl every night. Just one or two regular old friends who were in it for the same reasons he was. He had never been the kind of guy who could be with more than one woman at a time anyways, so this was his time to just let loose for awhile.

“Well don’t go complainin’ to me when US Weekly prints a story about you fucking around then,” Timbaland mumbled back. Justin ignored his friend and tipped the last of his beer into his mouth.

“Don’t worry man, these girls won’t talk, alright? I’ve known them for awhile,” he tried to reassure him. He stood up and walked over to the cooler, where Kelen just happened to be pulling out a water bottle. He gingerly placed a hand on her lower back as he leaned down next to her to get a beer.

“Oh,” she startled. “Hey.” She opened the water bottle and took a swig. “Your place is so nice, Justin. From what I’ve seen of it at least. Why do you need me to help decorate if you could decorate everything else by yourself just fine?”

He shrugged, licking his lips quickly. “My house only looks like that because Tiffany and my mom spent a month decorating. I really don’t have the patience for that kind of shit.” His eyes were distracted by a water droplet as it slid down her neck and over her breast to soak in her bikini top. When his eyes looked back up at hers, she was smirking softly as she gave him a questioning look. Shit, busted he thought to himself.

“That makes sense,” she smiled. He nodded as he opened his Corona.

“Thanks for taking the time to help Tiffany out, by the way. She won’t let me hire someone to do the job, but she’s been away for school so she hasn’t been able to work on anything. I tried doing it myself, but apparently it’s not up to par.”

Kelen laughed as she imagined Tiffany yelling at Justin for his poor choice in furniture. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, it is. I just chose the first bed set I saw. I have no patience for that stuff. I’m hardly ever home anyways, so I don’t see why it has to look like a hotel. As long as the bed is comfortable and warm, it works for me.”

“Yo, Justin,” Trace called out from inside the house. “Your mom’s on the phone, man.” Justin excused himself and walked inside to take the call. Kelen went back to the lounge chair between Rachel and Tiffany and stretched out lazily.

Rachel turned away from her magazine and looked at Kelen, “So I hear you’re really good at interior decorating.”

Kelen shook her head as she chuckled, “No, not really. Tiffany, what have you been telling everyone?”

“What?” The brunette turned to her. “I haven’t said anything to Rachel about that. I promise.”

“Oh, Justin said you were really good,” Rachel shrugged. “He was really impressed with your shop. He was talking about how he wants you to help decorate his restaurant in New York.”

“Really? Wow, I didn’t think my shop was anything special,” Kelen replied. “I mean…it looks that way because I wanted some place warm and inviting. I didn’t put that much effort into it.” The girls spent the rest of the afternoon tanning as everyone else slowly trickled out, leaving Kelen, Tiffany, Rachel, and JC to help Justin clean up. After Rachel retreated back to the guest house and JC left for the studio, Tiffany pulled Kelen up the stairs to show her the two guest rooms.

“The reason why I needed your help was because Justin wants to throw his mom a surprise birthday bash and he’s flying his grandparents up to visit since they’ve never been here before. And they can’t just stay in a room with white walls and a bed,” Tiffany explained as she opened the door to the guest room. Kelen peered in, laughing when in fact; the room really was four white walls and a single bed. Justin hadn’t been lying when he said he was too lazy to decorate his house. “And we really liked your style and taste. It really fits in with his laid back style too and I would have done it sooner, but I just came back from school. I really just need help with choosing colors, I can do the furniture stuff myself.”

Kelen stepped further into the room as she thought of different styles and colors they could use. The room was large enough to give them room to play around with different ideas, but it wasn’t too big. “Does Justin have any ideas for the room?”

“I’ve always thought it would be cool to decorate the room with pictures of Blues and Jazz players,” came a voice from the door. Both girls turned abruptly to see Justin leaning against the door frame wearing his swimming trunks and a plain white tank top. He stepped further in and looked around the room. “I have a few old vinyl records we could hang up and a guitar signed by Ray Charles.”

Kelen sat down on the bed and pulled her paint samples out of her purse. “That sounds great, actually. You have a lot more imagination then you let on.”

“Yeah…well I have to keep some mystery,” he responded.

“Yeah,” she laughed, “More like you want us to do all of the hard work of having to paint and shop for furniture.”

Justin nodded, as he sat down next to her. “That too.” Tiffany rolled her eyes and threw a catalogue at his chest. “Watch it!”

“Why don’t you help look for some furniture sets then while I show Kelen the next room,” she said with a wave of her hand. Kelen stood up and followed Tiffany out of the room as Justin flipped open the magazine. The room across the hall was smaller, but had a fireplace on one wall.

“This is going to be his awards room. He’s running out of shelving space in his office downstairs, so his mom thought it would be a better idea to put all of his awards and stuff in here. Plus, he doesn’t like having all of the awards in his face when he has to do work in his office. He thinks it’s too showy for when people come to meet with him,” Tiffany said as she walked over to the fireplace.

Kelen nodded slowly, looking around the room. It sure was a huge room for just awards. “How many awards does he have exactly? I mean, you want this room full of just shelves? There really isn’t a need for wall color then.”

“Well only that wall will have a shelf,” Tiffany pointed to the far side of the room, where there was just a plain wall. “This one is where we’ll hang up his platinum and gold discs. And I want to put up his Teen Choice Award surfboards next to the fire place. So there will be a lot of wall space. He doesn’t admit it, but I know the awards mean a lot to him. He’s a perfectionist, and the awards are just another reminder of why he works so hard to do what he does.”

Kelen nodded along. She had never followed Justin’s career closely, but knew enough to know that he had been in the music business for most of his life. “Does he work a lot?”

“Yeah,” the brunette nodded. “A little too hard, if you ask me. This week is his first week off in about 3 months.” There was a cough from the door, and they both turned around to see Justin staring at them with a bored expression.

“I marked all of the pages where I liked the beds,” he said as he threw the magazine back at Tiffany. She caught it easily and looked back at him as he smirked at her. “I’m gonna go shower and get ready to go out. I’m meeting Marty later, you girls interested?”

Tiffany shook her head as she looked through his choices. “No, I’m having dinner with JC later.” Justin nodded and looked up at Kelen.

“I can’t,” she smiled. “I’m meeting a few friends later. Thanks though.”

He nodded and disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom. Tiffany looked back at Kelen and shrugged, “So I guess we’re getting kicked out.” The two walked out to their cars together and made plans to meet up again, before driving away.

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Justin watched with interest as his eyes spotted a familiar blonde dancing across the room. He had gone out with Marty and a couple of the dancers to celebrate the end of the first leg of the tour, and now he was nursing his third glass of rum and coke as he watched Kelen dancing with a couple of girls. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he suddenly had the urge to walk over and grind up next to her, like he had imagined about earlier that day when she had walked out in that bikini. She wasn’t stick skinny like other girls he had dated, but had the perfect amount of curves and meat on her. And he couldn’t help but lick his lips as he finished off his drink and placed it down on the table before standing up.

“Where you goin’?” the redhead that had been petting his arm asked from her spot on the couch. He looked down and shrugged.

“Dancing,” he called back as he left her on the couch. He didn’t even know where she had come from, but one minute he was laughing along with Marty, and the next minute she was pressed up against him. He weaved through the VIP room and spotted Kelen in the corner talking to a girl whom he recognized as Sophie from the coffee shop. How they had even gotten into the VIP room was beside him, but at that moment, he didn’t care. All he cared about was being able to dance with the damn blonde who had been on his mind all day. She turned around just as he was approaching, and her eyes widened in surprise, before her lips turned into a lazy smile. He chuckled to himself, wondering how much she had drank already.

“Hey!” she called out over the music. He stepped up next to her, and smiled at Sophie and the third girl standing with them. “This is Christine, my other roommate and best friend,” Kelen introduced him to her friend. Christine turned her almond-shaped eyes toward him and smiled.

“Hey!” she greeted him.

“Hey girls,” he nodded. He looked back at Kelen and leaned down to speak into her ear. “Dance with me?” She nodded against his head and drank the last of her drink before following him onto the dance floor. She rested her arms on his shoulders as she began to rock her hips to the beat. Justin gripped her waist and smiled lazily at her. “Funny seeing you here.”

“How come?” she asked back into his ear as he moved his hips in sync with hers.

“Well this is the VIP room…” he chuckled lightly. “How’d you girls get up here?”

“Christine knows the guy that owns this place. And it’s a special occasion.”

“Oh really?”

Kelen nodded and grinned at him. “I turned 26 on Thursday! See?” She pointed to the tiara on her head.

“Well happy damn birthday!” he laughed. “I believe I owe you a present then, what do you want?”

Kelen shook her head slowly to the beat song as the alcohol hit her system. “I’ll think of something later. Let’s just dance.” He certainly didn’t have any opposition to that idea, so he nodded slowly and concentrated on the feeling of her wrapped in his arms. Even though he had only known her for a total of about two days, he was starting to feel something for the girl. He didn’t know what exactly, but spending the day with her today had made him realize how dangerous the feeling was. He couldn’t even go a few minutes without her face popping up in his mind, amongst other things about her. They danced through a few more songs before she asked if they could get some drinks, so Justin led her back to his booth where Marty and Nancy were sitting talking together.

“Hey guys!” Kelen greeted them enthusiastically, smoothing down her short red dress. They looked at her and smiled, Marty throwing Justin a knowing grin. “Long time no see!” she giggled.

Nancy laughed, patting Kelen’s arm softly. “How much did you drink tonight?”

“I dunno…a lot?” Kelen shrugged. “It’s my birthday party!” She slid into the booth as Justin ordered more drinks and sat down next to her.

“Happy birthday!” Marty shouted out over the music as Kelen nodded her head to the thumping bass.

“Thanks!” She looked at Justin as he started singing along to the music. He turned to her and smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You have a nice voice.”

“Well thank you.”

“Sing some more!” she grinned at him.

“Only if you come dance with me,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She nodded and allowed him to pull her up to her feet and back on to the dance floor. They danced together for the rest of the night, their bodies pushed closely together as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. To any outsider, they looked like a couple very much together, and to the camera that was sneakily snapping pictures of the two of them, it certainly looked that way.

Kelen rubbed her eyes wearily, praying that when she opened her eyes, the day’s events would suddenly disappear. She had stepped out of her room in the morning to see Christine and Sophie sitting on the floor in the living room with about six different magazines spread out on the floor. All of them had pictures of her and Justin dancing together over the weekend, splashed across the pages. The article titles calling her names ranging from his ‘mysterious new interest’ to ‘hot one night stand’, claiming that he had met her at the club and taken her home with him at four in the morning. When in reality, she had left with him and Christine at around 1 AM. She had tried calling him as she left to meet Alex for their weekly lunch, but had left him a voicemail instead. The last time she had talked to him was the morning after the aforementioned night, when she had called him to apologize for drunkenly trying to get him to stay the night with her. She winced as the memory flashed through her mind.

Kelen giggled quietly as Justin steered her towards her bedroom. His hands were placed on either side of her hips, making sure she didn’t injure herself as she stumbled through the dimly lit apartment. “Justin…” she said, turning and plopping down on her bed. “You are so sweet for walking me up here.”

“Well,” he shrugged, smirking at her. “It’s not like I had much choice, you would have hurt yourself coming up the steps.”

She giggled again, waving her hand at him. “Nonsense! I’m not that drunk. Anyways….why don’t you stay a little longer? My bed is amazing.”

He shook his head, chuckling quietly. “As appealing as that sounds, I really can’t. I have meetings tomorrow and you…. need a lot of sleep and water. Why don’t you get changed while I go get you a glass.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, falling backwards and glaring at him through heavy eyelids. He opened his mouth to respond, but closed his lips and looked at the door as Sophie walked through carrying a glass of water. He said goodnight to the girls instead and walked out of the bedroom.

“Kelen,” Alex’s voice broke through her thoughts. Kelen blinked and looked across the table at her brother. “Whas wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just tired,” she smiled at him. He shrugged and turned back to his burger and fries. “So how was your week?”

He finished chewing and his eyes widened as he prepared to respond. “I saved a puppy at work! She was bleeding and hurt all over, and I cleaned her up and helped the doctor give her sitches.”

“Stitches,” she corrected him. “Wow, that’s exciting. How did she get hurt?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged. “But now…she only likes to play wif me! So I have to go back there today…”

“Do you want me to drop you off after ice cream?”

“Yah.” They finished their lunch and Kelen asked for the check, smiling when her brother offered to pay. Every week he would offer to pay for lunch, knowing full well that he didn’t have his wallet, and that Kelen would pay anyways. It was just nice to see that he had learned his manners. Kelen looked up when she saw a tall dark haired man approach their table. He stepped up and patted Alex’s back, making him jump around quickly.

“Eli!” Alex called out as recognition set in. “What you doin’ here?”

“I’m having lunch with my mother,” he answered, his mouth turning into a wide smile. “What about you? Who’s this?” They both looked over at Kelen. She smiled and held out her hand.

“Hi, I’m Kelen, Alex’s sister,” he shook her hand and smiled.

“Alex has told me many stories about you.”

“Really? How do you two know each other?” She asked, wondering how Alex and Eli seemed to have such a close relationship. She sometimes forgot how independent her brother had become ever since he started living in the assisted living center. He used to follow her around when they were younger, and it was strange seeing him live his own life.

“Eli comes to Riverside a lot. He comes on movie night, and game night, and even for lunch sometimes.”

Eli chuckled and nodded, “My mother started Riverside and I volunteer there a lot. Eventually, I’ll have to replace her and be the program director, but that won’t be for some time. Hopefully.” The waitress came up behind Eli and handed Kelen her tab. “Anyways, I just wanted to say hi. I’ll see you later buddy.”

“Bye!” Alex waved.

“It was nice meeting you Kelen.” He nodded before turning around and disappearing into the restaurant. As they waited for the waitress to return with Kelen’s credit card, her cell phone began to ring. She smiled when she saw that it was Justin on her caller ID.

“Hey.”

“Hey. I’m so sorry I didn’t call back sooner. I’ve been busy all morning with meetings and shit,” he immediately apologized.

“It’s fine. But I just called to ask you about the magazines…”

“Oh,” his cheery tone disappeared from his voice. “I should have known you’d seen them. My publicist called me a few hours ago when I was in a meeting. Are you mad?” Kelen looked up as the waitress set down her receipt, and she stood up, watching Alex follow her actions.

“No…why should I be mad? I feel bad because if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have gotten those pictures in the first place. And they said such horrible things about you,” she frowned. “They didn’t get any shots of my face, thankfully, so everything’s fine.”

He sighed loudly, and she heard a door slam in the background. “Yeah…those things will say anything just to get people’s attention. I mean, almost all of the shit they say are lies. So I don’t pay any attention to it. I’m just glad you’re not pissed at me. Anyways…where are you right now?”

“I’m having lunch with my younger brother,” she answered as she unlocked her car. Alex jumped in and waited patiently, tapping his hands on his thighs. “What about you?”

“I’m heading home, finally. I’ll probably work out a bit,” he answered. “So I still owe you a birthday present.”

“Justin…that’s ridiculous. You don’t have to give me anything,” she shook her head, as if he could see her.

“Well I want to. It’s the least I could do, after having pictures of you spread across the world. Why don’t you come over tonight for dinner? We can pop in a movie and just chill.”

Kelen bit her lip, trying not to let her smile break through. Just the mere thought of spending time with him made her stomach feel like goo. “Um…yeah. That sounds perfect.”

“Good. I’ll see you around 7 then and you better not stand me up, girl,” he chuckled. She rolled her eyes, as if she’d ever stand up Justin Timberlake.

“I’ll see you tonight Justin,” she answered before closing her phone. She slipped into the car and took a deep breath, calming the butterflies in her stomach. “Ready for ice cream?” she turned to look at Alex. He nodded excitedly, jumping up and down in his seat as she started the car.

-----------------------------------------

Justin looked up at the clock anxiously as he stood in the kitchen, overlooking the pot of rice on the stove. He had no idea where the idea had come from, but he had wanted to see Kelen when he was on the phone with her earlier, and his mouth just blurted out an invitation to invite her over. So he had to rush from his workout at the gym, to the market to buy food, and then rush back home, cook, and shower before she arrived. It was now nearing the time she had said she’d come, and he was starting to get anxious. He hadn’t cooked for a girl in a long time, let alone a girl who was an amazing cook herself, and prayed that everything would taste somewhat decent. He should have just called Jacques and made him cook dinner, but he figured he owed Kelen at least a dinner after throwing her into the chaos known as his life.

“Whatcha makin?” Rachel’s voice called out. He turned and smiled at his cousin as she strolled into the kitchen. She peered into the skillet on the stove and grinned, turning back to him slowly. “Peppered chicken? You got a hot date tonight?”

He rolled his eyes as she tasted a piece of chicken. “That’s none of your damn business.”

“So that’s a yes then,” she chuckled. “Well it tastes good, so that at least counts for something. Who are you inviting over?”

“Kelen,” he answered, wincing when she let out a loud squeal and jumped up excitedly.

“Thank the fucking lord,” she groaned out. “I was praying you weren’t inviting another strange girl over, because then we’d have to change the locks on our doors again.”

Justin shook his head slowly, “That happened once okay? No need to remind me of that catastrophe.”

“Well it serves you right for bringing random chicks home! And finally you get your act together and ask the girl out! Tiff and I have been taking bets as to how long it would take you.”

“I’ve only known the girl for one week! I’m allowed to take it slow,” he frowned, upset that his romance life was now the subject of Rachel and Tiffany’s conversations.

“Whatever. I like Kelen a lot, so don’t fuck things up. Be a gentleman and act like your momma taught you,” she wiggled a finger at him. The doorbell rang and Rachel’s smile turned into a grin.

“Stop that,” he warned her. “Don’t make me kick you out. You may be family, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it.” He walked out of the kitchen and flicked on the lights in the hallway. He smoothed down the vintage t-shirt he was wearing and swung the door open, smiling when he saw Kelen standing on his door step wearing jeans and a navy blue top that showed off her shoulders and collar bone.

“Hey,” she smiled at him. He took a step back, allowing her to come inside.

“Hey, you look cute,” he winked, chuckling to himself when he saw her cheeks turn pink.

“Well thank you sir,” she teased back. “You look pretty decent yourself.” She followed him down the hall and into the kitchen, smiling when she saw Rachel standing at the kitchen island opening a bottle of water. “Hey! I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Yeah,” Rachel nodded slowly. “I didn’t either, but this guy I was supposed to go out with canceled on me. So I’m going out with my friends later tonight. Don’t worry about me though; I’ll be out of your way in a few minutes.”

Justin quickly checked on the rice, surprised to see that the stove was already turned off and the rice had been drained. He turned to Rachel in question, and she just winked at him before turning back to Kelen.

“So I saw some pretty interesting pictures from your birthday party, Kelen. Getting a little frisky with my cousin, there,” Rachel teased. Justin rolled his eyes, pointing his finger at his cousin in a threatening manner.

“We were just dancing,” Kelen answered softly. Rachel nodded, laughing quietly to herself when she saw Kelen blush. It was way too much fun teasing the woman. She’d have to toughen up a bit if she planned on sticking around their group, but Rachel was more than happy to help Kelen ease into it. She just hoped her cousin wouldn’t treat Kelen the same as he had treated other girls in the recent months. For some reason, he had suddenly felt the need to “sow his oats” and bring strange women home with him recently, even if it was the same three women, they visited in different rotations, and Rachel was just praying that tonight would end that pattern. As an independent woman herself, she hated it when he got into his phases because he would just act like any other perverted jerk, even though she knew he was not like that at all.

“Okay, well I’m off to do some laundry,” Rachel said, grabbing her pile of mail and smiling at the two. “Have fun tonight. And do remember that I live only a few yards away from your bedroom window, J.”

“Oh ha ha,” Justin shook his head, flipping up his middle finger. Rachel laughed as she walked out of the kitchen, giving him a swift kick to his bottom. Kelen watched amusedly as Justin rubbed his bottom with a pout. He turned to her and placed two wine glasses on the counter. “I’m sorry you had to suffer through that. Rachel and I act like two year olds.”

“I think it’s cute,” she grinned at him, pulling herself up to sit on the stool at the counter. She watched as he poured wine into the two glasses and handed one to her. She took it from his hands and took a sip as he walked over to the stove to plate their food. “So what did Chef Timberlake make for me tonight? I’m expecting a lot, based on the expensive stove top you have here.”

“Well then you may have to lower your expectations,” he answered. “For tonight madam, I’ve prepared an exquizeet peppered chicken and rice,” he smirked in a cheesy French accent. “And to follow up zee entrée…a scrumptious chocolate soufflé, courtesy of my real chef Jacques.”

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Kelen smiled from behind her glass. He grinned at her as he turned around and carried both plates of food to the table. Kelen slid off of the stool and followed him over, their glasses and the bottle of wine in her hands. She sat down in her seat and watched as he re-filled their wine glasses and held his glass up to her. She followed suit, and both clinked their glasses softly together.

“Happy birthday,” he raised his glass before bringing the glass down to his lips. Kelen smiled, looking down at her food excitedly.

“Thank you so much for this. I didn’t expect you to cook dinner at all, it was a wonderful surprise.”

“I did consider getting Chinese, but I figured I had to go to the grocery store anyway, so I might as well attempt to give you a proper home cooked meal,” he shrugged, taking a bite of his work. He moaned loudly, nodding his head up and down. “And you got lucky today, my meal actually turned out to be edible.”

She laughed, bringing the fork away from her lips. “It’s really good, actually. So I’ll just have to add this to the growing list of things Justin Timberlake can do well.”

“Well,” he smirked, his eyebrows arching up. “It’s hard being this perfect…but I think I do a pretty good job.” She rolled her eyes as he continued to laugh at his own joke. They spent the rest of the meal discussing everything from their day’s activities to their childhood. Kelen told him about Alex, his autism, and how she and her older brother Ryan had moved to Los Angeles for school and had to take care of Alex themselves because their parents were too busy to care for his demanding needs.

“Why couldn’t your parents hire someone to help around?”

Kelen shrugged and looked down at the chocolate soufflé sitting in front of her. “They didn’t like the idea of a stranger taking care of their fifteen year-old son. My mom tried to care for him, but because Ryan and I weren’t at home, he acted out more. I was the closest with him while we grew up, and I guess he wasn’t used to not being near me. When my parents came to visit us over Thanksgiving Break, Alex threw a fit and wouldn’t get into the car to go back home to Texas. And my parents couldn’t move out here…my dad has his law firm and my mom runs a day care at home. So after two years of living with my parents, we tried to let him live with us in Ryan’s apartment…but after awhile even that got difficult.”

“What happened?” Kelen looked up and was surprised to see Justin’s bright blue eyes staring back at her. She was taken aback by the deep concern he had. Usually when she told other people the story, they would just voice their concern and pity. Justin, instead, had a gentler look of concern that reached his eyes.

“Um…Ryan got into medical school so he was busier than ever, and I was in school. Alex was growing older and had more interests… he needed to get out and socialize more. But since we were so busy, we didn’t have time to take him out during the day. I mean, we’d always have dinner together and spend mornings together…but it wasn’t enough. Ryan finally found an assisted living center where he could live in a small apartment and be around other people who needed special attention…so we brought Alex there and he loved it immediately. He saw all of the other people like him, playing games and didn’t want to leave. So we moved him into a small apartment there, and he’s been there ever since,” Kelen smiled when she finished her story. Justin nodded and smiled at her.

“Damn that’s a lot of shit you had to go through. And all of that happened when you were just nineteen?” Kelen nodded and blushed when Justin let out a low whistle. “That’s very admirable.”

“Oh, shut up,” she rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “I’ve told you all about my life…what about you? I don’t know anything about Justin Timberlake. Except for the fact that your favorite color is baby blue, and that you were in the Mickey Mouse Club.”

Justin laughed when she stuck out her tongue at the mention of the Mickey Mouse Club. “You mean the MMC. That’s what true fans called it. And how did you know all of that stuff?”

“I did own a T.V. when I was ten. My best friend and I used to rush home and watch it after school. You were her favorite actually!”

“Really? What about you? Who did little Kelen Tyler have a crush on?” Kelen shrugged, hiding her face from him with her hands. “Come on…I won’t tell or laugh.”

“Ryan…” she confessed softly. He immediately began to laugh, slapping his hand on the table. “Shut up…you said you wouldn’t laugh!”

Justin immediately shut his mouth; his eyes shining brightly back at her. “I know…it’s just fucking hilarious. I expected you to say JC or Josh or even Tony….not scrawny little Ryan Gosling.” Kelen merely shook her head at him, laughing softly along with him. “Oh well…he’s a nice guy. Maybe I’ll introduce you one day.”

Kelen’s eyes widened and her smiled turned into a wide grin, “Seriously? You really think you could introduce me to Ryan Gosling?!” Justin eyed her carefully as she leaned forward in her seat. “I don’t care how embarrassing I’m acting right now…meeting him has been a childhood fantasy of mine since…forever.” She grinned at him as he rolled his eyes and laughed at her.

“Wow…maybe I won’t introduce you. Not if you’re going to act like a little teeny bopper…it might ruin my reputation somehow,” he shrugged as he took her plate and carried it to the sink. Kelen frowned and followed him to the sink. She leaned against the kitchen island as he rinsed the dishes and placed them into the dish washer.

“Aww, you tease,” she whined. She watched him quietly as he finished cleaning up the counter, enjoying the chance to just watch him move around. He finally put away the left-overs and turned back around to face her.

“So what do you want to do now?” he asked softly, stepping closer to her. Kelen shrugged, taking a deep breath when his fingers brushed against her arm as he reached for his glass of wine. He watched her quietly as he tipped the glass to his lips, smirking when he watched her eyes stare at his lips. It was reassuring to know she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. Now, he was sure he could make his move.

“Um…” she gulped, her hazel eyes looking up at him. “Movie?”

He nodded and reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around his as he pulled her out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down on the plush couch as he turned on the expensive entertainment system. He fumbled with the remote, turning the light on instead of the TV, and laughed at himself as she waited quietly. “I hate this thing. Why are there so many damn buttons to turn on a TV?”

He finally put in a comedy with Steve Carell and sat down next to her, stretching his arms across the back of the couch. His left hand reached down and nudged her shoulder as a sign to scoot in closer to him. Kelen turned to him, laughing softly when he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Come closer, girl. I’m cold.” She rolled her eyes at the cheesy line but obliged anyway, scooting closer to sit against his side. “See? Isn’t this so much more comfy now?” The combination of Justin’s warmth and the wine in her stomach was starting to make Kelen sleepy, and after a few minutes she laid her head on his shoulder and smiled when his arm came down rub against her arm.

“Gettin’ tired?” his voice whispered against her ear. She nodded against his shoulder, her eyes looking up at him.

“A little.”

“Maybe I should take you home now,” he suggested, sitting up a little straighter. Kelen raised her head and shook her head defiantly.

“No…I can drive.”

He chuckled, grabbing her hand when she went to stand up. “I’m not letting you drive when you’re sleepy and have alcohol in your system. Girl, who do you think I am? Come on, let’s get your bag. I can ask Rachel to drive your car to your place tomorrow morning before I go to my photo shoot.” Kelen followed him into the garage and he opened the door to his BMW, helping her slide into the passenger seat before closing the door and getting in himself. The drive back was relatively quiet as they listened to the radio.

“Is it weird hearing yourself on the radio?” She asked when she noticed he would change the station every time one of his songs would come on.

“A little,” he nodded. “At first it was really cool…but now, it’s gotten to the point where I hear my own songs in my sleep. I don’t need to hear them when I’m driving in LA traffic.” Kelen nodded as he pulled up to her apartment building. He parked the car and turned to her smiling when he saw her reclined position. “Thanks for coming over tonight. I’m sorry about the photos.”

“Don’t worry about it…I never really cared about my own image. I was just worried about your career,” she shrugged as she sat up and reached for the door handle. “Thanks for driving me home, Justin. Good night.” Before she could turn to get out of the car, he grabbed her hand and she turned around quickly, a worried look in her eyes. He reached his hand up and pulled her chin closer to him as he leaned over the middle console.

“Goodnight,” he whispered right before he pressed his lips gently over hers. She sighed immediately, returning his kiss full force as her hand reached up and gripped the short bristles of hair at the base of his neck. After a few intense minutes, he finally pulled away, smiling when he saw her soft smile and her green eyes blinking slowly. He felt just as dazed as she was. She licked her lips and smirked at him as she tucked her hair behind her hair.

“I’m suddenly not so sleepy anymore.”

Justin chuckled, shaking his head slowly. “Girl…you better get your butt upstairs before I drive off with you.” She smiled and leaned in, placing one last soft kiss against his lips.

“Goodnight Justin. And don’t forget to return my car,” she wiggled her finger at him before stepping out of his car. He watched as she made her way into the building and waved back at him before disappearing out of his sight. He took a calming breath and gripped the steering wheel before backing out of the parking space.

Kelen shuffled over to her front door and pulled it open, expecting to see Justin standing on the other side of the door. But to her surprise, it was his cousin standing on the other side instead, holding her car keys in her hand.

“Good morning sleepy head,” Rachel smiled. She handed Kelen her car keys and stepped inside when Kelen opened the door wider for her.

“Hey,” Kelen greeted, hating the disappointment that was now settling in the pit of her stomach. After last night, she expected him to at least say good morning, but she was obviously reading into it too much. One little make-out session didn’t mean anything, and she shouldn’t expect him to suddenly pledge his love to her. But it still hurt nonetheless. “Thanks for dropping the car off.”

“No problem,” Rachel shrugged. “So how did last night go?”

Kelen brought her mug of coffee to her lips and smiled, “It was nice.”

“And…?”

Rachel slid onto the stool at the counter and rested her chin on her hand, waiting patiently. “What? We had dinner and he drove me home! Nothing special…”

The brunette rolled her eyes and strummed her fingers against the counter top loudly, “Well that’s disappointing. I need to have a talk with that boy.”

“Where is he by the way?” Kelen asked, hoping her question came off as nonchalantly as she had planned it.

“He’s picking me up on his way to the photo shoot, he had an early radio interview this morning and I didn’t feel like waiting around for him. Plus, I can’t gossip with you if he’s standing over my shoulder,” Rachel grinned. “So come on…are you honestly telling me you guys didn’t do anything last night?”

“Rachel! He’s your cousin…it’s kind of awkward.”

“I’m not asking you to give me the details! I just wanna know…he hasn’t been in a relationship in awhile, so I’m kind of excited for him. I’m sorry if I’m being nosy,” Rachel frowned slightly. Kelen laughed at her sullen expression, feeling somewhat guilty for her outburst. Plus, she hadn’t talked to Sophie or Christine about last night yet, so she was anxious to do some girl gossiping, even if it was with his cousin.

“Alright…” Kelen started as Rachel immediately sat up excitedly. “We kissed a little in his car. But that’s it…just a goodbye kiss. It was cute.” Rachel started laughing softly as Kelen’s cheeks turned pink. The front door suddenly swung open and both girls turned to see Sophie and Justin walk in, carrying shopping bags in their hands. Justin placed the bags on the floor with a loud sigh and grinned at the girls as he straightened up.

“Damn Sophie, how do you manage to shop that much by 10 AM?” Kelen asked teasingly. Sophie shrugged as she poured herself a cup of coffee, her eyes following Justin as he stepped past her and over towards Kelen.

“It’s a natural-born gift,” she batted her eye lashes and smiled over at Rachel. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sophie, Kelen’s roommate.”

“Hey, I’m Justin’s cousin and personal slave,” Rachel smirked shaking her hand. Both girls quietly removed themselves away from the kitchen area, leaving the couple alone by the counter. Kelen smiled up at Justin as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Good morning,” he grinned.

“Good morning….how’d you end up carrying Sophie’s bags up here?” she asked as she nodded towards the bags on the floor. It really did amaze her, how her friend could do so much damage to her bank account in only a few hours.

“Well…I saw her struggling as I pulled my car up, so I thought I’d help out. I wish I could stay longer though,” he frowned slightly as he looked at the clock on the microwave. “But I’m running late.”

“Do you want some coffee before you go?”

His eyes brightened as he nodded once, “Yeah that sounds perfect, actually. Rach, you ready to go?” He turned his head as Rachel stood up from the couch.

“Yeah, Kelen you won’t mind me borrowing some of these magazines? These photo shoots get incredibly boring,” Rachel asked as she picked up a stack of magazines from the coffee table. Kelen shook her head as she handed Justin a travel mug of coffee. He smiled at her in thanks and placed a kiss on her cheek before walking over to the door.

“See ya later,” he winked and opened the door for Rachel, who waved at Kelen before stepping out of the apartment. Sophie emerged from her room right as the door clicked shut, and she gave Kelen a knowing smile as she sat down at the counter. Kelen looked over at the bags and smiled at her friend.

“More Christmas shopping?”

“Yeah,” Sophie frowned. “I didn’t realize my parents were inviting my whole family this year. So I had to run out and get stuff for some younger cousins and the new babies in the family. So how did last night go?”

Kelen leaned against the counter across from Sophie and shrugged. “It was nice. He made dinner and we watched a movie. And then he insisted he drive me home since I was tired and he didn’t want me driving after I had drank a little.”

“Well that was nice...did you get any action?”

“Yeah…before I got out of the car, he kind of grabbed my hand and kissed me goodnight,” Kelen smiled softly at the memory. Sophie grinned as she nodded her head approvingly.

“That sounds disgustingly cute, and I am so jealous right now. You have a guy, Christine’s been with Jack for ten billion years…I need a man!” she whined. Kelen laughed and patted Sophie’s hand gently.

“You just broke up with that Tommy…give it time. Maybe Justin knows some cute single guys,” Kelen suggested as she dropped her cup in the sink and walked to her bedroom to get dressed. Twenty minutes later, she walked out of her bedroom with a notebook and her purse. Sophie threw her a questioning look, one eyebrow rising above the other.

“What’s with the notebook?”

“It’s a list of all the things I need to get for Justin’s guest rooms and the decorations we need for the shop,” Kelen explained as she put her digital camera in her bag.

Sophie nodded as she turned the page in the magazine she was reading, “What time can you be at the shop today? I have to take Ella to the vet.” Kelen smiled down at the puppy that was lying by Sophie’s feet. Ella had somehow formed a strong bond to Sophie and followed her everywhere, even managing to sleep on Sophie’s bed every once and awhile.

“I can get there at four, I think. Does that work?”

“Yeah. Have fun shopping,” Sophie waved as Kelen walked through the door.

================================

“I look like a fucking idiot,” Justin groaned from behind the screen separating his dressing area from the rest of the studio. Rachel looked up from the magazine in her lap, trying to contain the laughter threatening to bubble up from her throat, as her cousin stepped out. He was wearing a costume that resembled a Christmas tree costume dripping with green slime, or at least that was the main idea. “Remind me why I’m doing this again?”

“Because it’s for the kids,” Rachel managed to mumble as she hid her growing smile behind her hand. “It only looks ridiculous now, after they Photoshop everything, you’ll look somewhat normal.” Justin waddled over to the green screen, and sighed loudly. When he had been approached to do a photo shoot and commercial spot for the Nickelodeon Channel’s Telethon, he had immediately agreed, thinking it would be fun to goof around for kids. But he hadn’t been expecting them to dress him up in ridiculous costumes, or covering him in green slime. Nor had he known that he would be doing the commercial with Courtney Raines, an ex-fling and the hostess of the television event. He had fooled around with Courtney over the past summer on multiple occasions, and although he had thought it had been a mutual understanding that they were just friends with benefits, she had wanted something more serious. Long story short, he hadn’t talked to her since the morning when he kicked her out of his house. Courtney emerged from another screen, her long blonde hair falling around her shoulders as she walked up next to him. She was wearing jeans and a white sweater, and Justin smirked to himself when he noticed that they were William Rast Jeans.

“Okay so here’s your bucket of slime, Courtney,” the director explained as someone handed her a large bucket full of green goo. “The whole idea is that you’re decorating the tree Nickelodeon style.”

“So she’s pouring the slime on me?” Justin asked, his eyes widening. He looked over at the blonde who smirked smugly at him, nodding her head.

“More like drenching you in slime,” she answered.

“Ready? ACTION!” the director called out. The beginning riffs to “O Holy Night” came on and Justin began his part, singing along to the song. After a few lines, green slime seemed to fly out from all angles, hitting him in the face as he sputtered to a stop.

“Now that’s what I call decorating a tree!” Courtney smiled as she jumped in front of the camera. “Tune in on December 22nd at 8 pm and vote for what you want to watch and which Nickelodeon stars you want to get slimed! Every call you make, Nickelodeon will donate one dollar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So you can help to make someone else’s dreams come true for the holidays!”

The production people immediately ran up to Justin and began wiping him down. He couldn’t help but notice the smug look on Courtney’s face when he was finally able to wipe the green liquid out of his eyes. “Having fun?” he asked as she stood with her arms crossed.

“Loads,” she smirked before turning around and walking away. He rolled his eyes and walked over to Rachel, who was sitting on the couch.

“Are we done here?” he asked when he was close enough to stand over her. She frowned as some green slime splashed on to her, and kicked him away, grinning when he tripped a little.

“You still have to do the photo shoot part,” she answered. “But that should only take another hour or so, hopefully.”

“Am I doing it by myself?”

“Ha, you wish. Courtney’s gonna be in it too. Sorry bud, but I warned you against fucking around with actresses. It’s too difficult not to run into them in this town.”

He shrugged, “She hadn’t even been in one movie over the summer. She just does one stinking teen comedy and suddenly she’s everywhere. How the fuck was I supposed to know she’d actually make it?” He walked away and followed the wardroom assistant behind the screen, to get dressed for the next part of the day. Rachel shook her head, chuckling to herself. She had no personal problem with Courtney Raines, in fact, every time she had met the woman; she had been perfectly nice and normal. Unfortunately, she had met Justin at the wrong time, during his “playboy” phase, and was hurt as a result. Justin deserved it, and Rachel was glad he was finally getting called out on his wrongdoings.

She looked up when Justin sat down next to her, wearing jeans and a dark green sweater. She patted his thigh comfortingly when he sighed and threw his head back. “Toughen up, only one more hour.”

“I’m an ass, aren’t I?”

“Well that came out of nowhere,” she looked at him, surprised they were having this conversation in the midst of people running all over the place.

“I’m just saying…” he shrugged. “I seriously fucked up…“

“We can talk about it later,” she interrupted, looking at him pointedly. “Tiffany called me a few minutes ago. She went shopping for furniture with Kelen today, and she said they got everything they needed. They want to start painting the rooms this weekend. But since you’ll be in New York, I told her I’d give her a key to your house. Is that okay?”

He nodded slowly and sat up straighter, leaning his elbows on his knees. “That’s fine. How long are we in New York for, again?”

“About two weeks, according to the production schedule,” Rachel said, glancing at her planner. “Oh, and your mom wants to know about Thanksgiving. We’re goin’ back home right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I wanted to at least get a week off,” he answered. “So we go straight from New York to Millington?” She nodded at him and began to scribble in her planner, making reminders to book travel and call his mom back.

“So how did your date with Kelen go?”

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes as she tried to look innocent, smiling at him. “Good. Why, what did Kelen tell you?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t talk to Kelen about your date…”

He rolled his eyes as he chuckled at her, “I know you left early to gossip with her, Rach. I know you better than that. But it went pretty well. I mean, I have no complaints.” She nodded slowly and was about to say something, but before she could, his name was called out. “Could you do me a favor and call up Marty? I wanna go out tonight, and he said something about a party.” Rachel nodded at him as he walked away. He smiled at her over his shoulder in thanks, before turning his attention to the photographer.

==============================

The bass thumped loudly in the room as everyone took a celebratory shot for Marty’s girlfriend’s birthday. “HAPPY DAMN BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” Justin yelled out before tipping his head back and letting the tequila slide into his mouth. He grimaced and quickly sucked on the slice of lime as he put the shot glass back down on the counter.

“Thanks everyone,” Nicole, the birthday girl, smiled as Marty threw his arm around her shoulders. “I didn’t expect this at all.”

“Well that’s why it’s called a surprise!” Marty grinned as he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him as he pulled her into the other room to begin dancing. Justin looked over at his cousin who was dancing in the middle of the crowd by herself. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed his beer and walked over to her.

“How much shit did you drink tonight?” he asked her, cocking one eyebrow above the other. She shrugged and looked at the drink in her hand.

“I had two of these and three shots,” Rachel smiled at him. “They’re really good, wanna try some?” He shook his head and looked over at the clock on the wall. She caught his nervous glance towards the clock and smirked at him. “Waiting for someone?”

“Kelen said she’d stop by after she closed the shop,” he answered as his eyes scanned the room for the blonde. “Have you seen her?”

“Nah, sorry,” she frowned at him and turned around when Nick, one of Justin’s dancers, came up behind her and asked her to dance. Justin waggled a finger at Nick in a teasing manner as the two walked off.

“That’s my cousin, Nick. Watch your hands!” He laughed when both Rachel and Nick threw their hands back and held up their middle fingers. He turned around to walk back into the kitchen, and almost spilled his beer when he saw a familiar blonde standing by the kitchen island. She wasn’t the blonde he had been waiting for all night, however, and he frowned slightly when she turned her head and smirked at him. She walked up to him and patted his chest with one hand, while the other held her drink. It looked like the same blue concoction that Rachel had been drinking, and he smirked when he realized the woman standing in front of him was already drunk.

“Hey there,” she mumbled into his ear as the hand on her chest slid up and gripped his shoulder.

“What are you doing here, Courtney?”

She removed her hand from his shoulder when she heard his angry tone, and frowned slightly. “Nicole is my cousin. That’s how you and I met….at one of her parties. Don’t you remember?”

He nodded slowly as the memory came to mind. He had been so drunk that night, he was surprised he could even remember meeting the girl. “Oh…I didn’t know you were her cousin. I just thought you were there.”

“Well surprise,” she said as she took a sip of her drink. “Wanna dance?”

“Not really,” he shrugged his shoulders and smiled down at her. “Sorry.”

“Aw come on. It’s just a dance, don’t be a pussy,” she whined as she pulled the bottom of her tight red dress down. He shrugged and waved his hand out, allowing her to lead the way into the living room. She smiled and walked in front of him, wiggling her bottom as she walked. The girl may be clingy, but there was no denying that she was hot, Justin thought to himself. She stopped and turned her head, smiling when he stepped up behind her and began to move his hips to the beat. She pressed against him, moving her own hips against his. They danced for a few more songs, allowing the alcohol to take control as their movements became more lazy and loose. Courtney turned and placed her hand on the back of his neck as she ground her hips into his. She stood up on her tip-toes and placed a kiss on his cheek before placing another kiss under his ear.

“Wanna go upstairs?” she whispered into his ear. He pulled his head back to look at her, and she smiled softly, biting her bottom lip.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Marty standing behind him. “What’s up man?” Courtney lowered back onto her heels and frowned slightly at the interruption.

“Kelen just came in, man,” Marty explained, his eyes darting to Courtney before looking back at his friend. Justin’s eyes widened slightly as he looked over to where Marty was pointing. Kelen was standing in the kitchen with Rachel, her eyes meeting his from across the room as Rachel handed her a drink. He immediately took a step back from Courtney as he patted Marty’s back.

“Thanks man,” he smiled. He looked back at Courtney and nodded his head towards her. “Sorry Court, but not tonight. It was just a dance,” he shrugged before turning his back to her. He made his way through the crowded living room and stepped up behind Kelen, placing a hand on her lower back. She turned towards him, her lips turning into a smile.

“Hey girl,” he grinned. It was amazing how one smile from the girl could make him feel so much happier. “When did you get here?”

“A few minutes ago…Were you just dancing with Courtney Raines?” Rachel immediately looked up at him, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked over to the living room and recognized the famous blonde. Her narrowed eyes turned back to him as she shook her head slowly, showing her disapproval.

“Yeah,” Justin answered Kelen’s question, ignoring his cousin’s warning looks. “She’s cousins with Nicole, apparently. So what are you drinking?”

Kelen smirked, holding her drink out to him. “Nice change of subject. I’m not sure what this is, but it tastes good. Do you want to try?” He took a sip and nodded his head when the sweet taste hit his tongue. She smiled back at him before taking a swig herself, nodding her head to the beat of the music. He reached past Kelen and grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl sitting on the counter, before winking at her as he nudged her side.

“Let’s go outside for a bit, it’s getting hot in here.” She nodded and followed him out the sliding glass doors. There were a few people standing on the far side of the patio, talking quietly as they smoked. He led her towards the opposite side of the patio and sat down on the swinging bench. She sat down next to him, crossing her jean covered legs as Justin stretched his arms out on top of the bench.

“Sorry I was late, I had to stop by my brother’s place for a bit,” she turned her head and smiled at him. “My parents are coming here for Thanksgiving.”

“That’s great,” he grinned, popping a pretzel into his mouth.

“I dunno…I haven’t talked to my mom in a few weeks. I’m kind of nervous…”

“How come?”

She sighed as she ran a hand through her dark blonde hair. “We got in a fight about Alex during our last phone call. I’ve always had a thing about her just leaving him with us to care for him, and I made a comment about how she hasn’t even tried to see how he’s adjusted to his new life here. Anyways, we started yelling and I hung up on her.”

“That’s rough….but I’m sure you guys will make up,” he offered. He couldn’t really offer much advice since he had such a good relationship with his own mother. She took another swig of her drink and he began to swing the bench back and forth slowly. “So how was work?”

“Good…I started decorating for Christmas,” she smiled. “It’s going to look so cute.”

He chuckled at the excited look on her face. “I can’t wait to see it.” She placed a hand on his knee and looked up at him, her lips frowning slightly.

“Rachel told me you guys are going to be leaving for three weeks this weekend.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I have to re-do some scenes for the movie in New York. Then we’re flying home to Tennessee for Thanksgiving.”

Kelen sighed and rested her head back on the cushion, “So I’ll see you after you get back, right?” He grinned and brought his arm down to hug her closer to him.

“Hell yeah. I expect you to have your night free for dinner,” he winked. She nodded against his shoulder and smiled.

“I’ll be waiting,” she answered. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, swinging back and forth and just enjoying the cool Los Angeles night. Justin stood up suddenly and stood in front of her, holding out his hand as he nodded his head towards the party inside. She stood up and let him wrap his fingers around hers as he pulled her into the kitchen and through the crowd of people in the living room. She caught Courtney Raines’ glare from across the room as Justin began dancing with her, placing his hands on her hips. “She’s looking at me as if she wants to rip my head apart,” Kelen mumbled, giving him a confused look. He looked down at her, then over to who she was talking about, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw Courtney staring at them.

“Ignore her, she’s just mad that I’m with you and not her,” he answered back, turning their bodies so that her back would face Courtney and he could watch the jealous actress himself.

Kelen frowned and placed her arms on his shoulders, swaying to the music. “Why would she be mad? Did you guys date?”

“Oh god no,” he shook his head, making her splash her drink a little. “We just…fooled around a bit. Honestly, she’s just been trying to get with me for awhile now…”

Kelen stood up on her tip toes and placed a soft kiss on his neck and chin, smiling mischievously, “Well…I’m not giving you back anytime soon.” Justin pulled his head back, surprised at her confident statement. She rarely said things like that, and it excited him that he could bring out that side of her. She had a way of making him say things he wouldn’t normally say to a girl, and it was nice knowing he had that same effect on her. He nodded and met her lips with his briefly.

“Good,” he chuckled. They danced together for the rest of the night until they were the only few guests left mingling around Marty’s house. Kelen left his side for a few minutes to make sure Rachel was alright, noticing that she was passed out on the couch. While she tended to his cousin, Justin searched for the bathroom and as he walked down the hall, Courtney stumbled out from behind a door. He caught her right before she hit the opposite wall, and her head whipped around, her eyes glaring up at him as he returned her to her feet.

“Are you alright?” He asked, noticing her bloodshot eyes and trembling fingers. She waved her hand at him and leaned back against the wall, shaking her head back and forth.

“I’m just fucking dandy, you prick,” she mumbled back. Justin shook his head at her and stepped past her to continue his way towards the bathroom. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with a drunk and jealous ex. “Who the hell do you think you are, Justin Timberlake?” He turned around mid-step, and looked at her incredulously.

“Excuse me?”

She chuckled and pointed a finger at him. “I, Courtney Raines, Maxim’s flavor of the month, throw myself at you, and you fucking turn me down? For what…that slut that leeched onto you tonight?”

Justin took a calming breath, merely staring back at her as she looked at him. “You’re fucking drunk right now, so I’m just going to ignore that shit you just said, Courtney. But just know that although you may be the flavor of the month, I’ve had a taste, and I wasn’t a fan,” he shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped forward, placing both of her hands on his chest. He looked down at her, confused and slightly worried at the angry look in her eyes. He placed both hands on her upper arms, and before he could push her away gently, she grabbed his head and brought his face down, pressing her lips against his. Caught off guard, he allowed the kiss to continue for about two seconds before pulling away and stepping backwards. “What the fuck, Courtney?”

“Are you sure you don’t want a taste?” she smirked at him, licking her lips in what she thought was a seducing manner, but instead was making him feel like he wanted to throw up all of his dinner. Justin shook his head firmly, his lips turning into a slight frown.

“Look, I’m sorry if I led you on over the summer. But we were just…a fling. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, and I made that clear, yet you just kept pushing. No matter how many times you try to do this kind of shit….I don’t know how I can make it more obvious that I’m not interested in you. Just move on,” he said softly. She looked up at him, her features softening as her eyes began to tear up. “I’m really sorry Courtney.”

“Just fuck off,” she pushed him backwards before turning around and disappearing into the room she had just come out of, slamming the door in his face. Justin rubbed his face wearily and walked back to the living room, forgetting his need for the bathroom. Kelen was sitting on the couch, Rachel’s head on her lap as Kelen rubbed her back soothingly. She smiled at him when she saw him standing by the door and he walked over, chuckling to himself when he saw the pained expression on his cousin’s face.

“You alright there, ‘cuz?” Her eyes narrowed at his teasing tone as she groaned loudly.

“Just take me home already,” Rachel sighed. He nodded and held out his hand, helping her to sit up.

“Do you want me to carry you?” he asked, realizing just how sick she was. She nodded wearily and he placed one arm under her knees as the other reached across her back and picked her up. Kelen followed them out the door, all three saying goodbye to Marty as he held the door open.

“Thanks for comin’ guys,” Marty smiled, patting Kelen’s back as she stepped through the door.

“See ya man, tell Nicole bye for us,” Justin called back as he walked towards his Jeep. Marty held up his hand and waved goodbye before shutting the door. Kelen rushed forward to open the passenger side door, and Justin gently put down his cousin, buckling her seatbelt and patting her thigh comfortingly.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Kelen asked, looking up at Rachel. She nodded wearily and gestured towards Justin.

“Yeah, he owes me for all of those nights I spent babysitting his drunken ass. Don’t worry about me, girl,” Rachel grinned. Kelen nodded and Justin shut the door softly, stepping backwards to lean against his car.

He looked down at Kelen and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to stand in front of him. “You alright to drive home, girl?”

She smiled softly and nodded, “Yeah. I only had half of that drink Rachel gave me. I’m perfectly sober.” He nodded and leaned forward, placing a kiss on her lips before pulling backwards. If his cousin wasn’t completely sick and drunk, he would ask her to come spend his last night in L.A. with him, but it just wasn’t the right time.

“Okay, well give me a call when you get home. I want to make sure you’re all tucked in and safe,” he grinned, scrunching up his nose at her. She laughed and nodded her head. He walked her to her car, which was further down the driveway and opened her door. She stood in between the door and the car, looking at him quietly.

“I’ll see you when you get back,” she smiled. “Have a good trip.” He nodded and watched as she slid into her seat, pushing her door shut. She waved at him before backing down the driveway and driving off. He turned around and marched back up to his car, climbing in and looking to make sure Rachel was alright. She turned her head towards him and grinned.

“Well that was interesting.”

“What was interesting?” he asked her as he backed the car down Marty’s driveway. Rachel pointed up towards the house and shrugged.

“I could’ve sworn I just saw Courtney Raines peering through the window while you and Kelen said goodbye. She looked like she was shouting some pretty mean stuff at you,” Rachel smirked. “What the hell did you do to her?”

Justin merely shook his head as he drove onto the street, reaching over to turn on the radio. “Let’s just say that I should have listened to you after the first time I hooked up with her, Rach. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head at him. “When are you gonna learn? I’m always right about these things. Actually, I’m just usually right about everything. You should just listen to everything I tell you from now on.” She grinned at him, patting his shoulder before turning her head back to watch the passing Los Angeles scenery. When they pulled up to his house ten minutes later, Rachel was fast asleep, snoring quietly. Justin gently picked her up and carried her up to the guest room closest to his bedroom. When he reached over to pull her flip-flops off, her foot jerked and hit his groin, causing him to double over in pain. ]The things I do for you, Rachel he thought to himself as he shut the door close, still clutching at himself.

Rachel stood up and stretched her arms out, hitting his head and interrupting his thoughts. “Come on…I’m ready to take a nice long shower.” She leaned down and hooked the leashes to his dogs before following Mike down the steps of the private airplane. Justin nodded thanks to the flight attendant and quickly ran down the steps after his cousin. He looked over at the two or three photographers standing by the fence a few hundred yards away, and frowned slightly when their shutters began snapping away quickly. Didn’t they have better things to do on Black Friday than take pictures of him walking to a car? He climbed into the large black SUV and smiled when his dogs immediately jumped into his lap. “So, what are your plans tonight? I think I might call Kelen and Tiffany and see if they want to hang out.”

“No,” he snapped, his eyes widening. “Don’t call Kelen…she thinks we’re coming back tomorrow night. I wanted to surprise her.”

Rachel smirked and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back in the passenger seat, “So that’s the real reason why you wanted to come back early. You missed your girl.” Mike looked at Justin through the rear-view mirror and chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

“Hooked already man? That was faster than usual.”

“Shut up,” he groaned, hitting his head back against the headrest. He was a twenty-seven year old man and he was allowed to date or miss anyone he wanted to.

“How did you plan on surprising her?” Rachel turned in her seat to look at him inquisitively. He shrugged and smirked softly.

“As if I would tell you, you’ll call Tiffany and then she’ll call Kelen. You two gossip like no one’s business.” Rachel scoffed at him and turned back around, ignoring him for the rest of the ride home. He helped Mike carry their bags into his house when they finally got home and was surprised to see Tiffany sitting at the kitchen island, casually eating a banana and reading a magazine. She looked up at him as he walked in and smiled, sliding off the stool.

“Hey!” She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here in my kitchen?” He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. She had finished his guest rooms with Kelen over the first weekend after he had left, so there was no reason for her to be casually spending time in his home. The answer to his question came in the form of JC Chasez, who strolled into the kitchen from the patio wearing swimming trunks.

“Hey man, how was Thanksgiving?” JC grinned and the two embraced, sharing the manly hug thing that Tiffany found mildly amusing.

“It was good. What the hell are you two doing in my house? Please tell me you didn’t get down and dirty here,” he groaned, his face contorting into disgust. Tiffany rolled her eyes and hit him in the chest.

“Grow up. I came by to add some last minute touches to the guest rooms and I thought we might as well get some sun on a warm day like today. There was no getting down and dirty,” she narrowed her eyes at Justin before slamming her magazine shut and tucking it under her arm. “Now that you’re home, you’re welcome to join us. And you’re also welcome for the gorgeous guest rooms upstairs. I’ll be expecting a nice Christmas present.” She marched out of the kitchen with a huff, and JC chuckled lightly shaking his head.

“The rooms are really nice J. You should go check them out.” Justin watched his friend walk out before making his way upstairs with his luggage. He threw the bags down on his bed and then walked down to the other end of the hallway. He first walked into the room that had been converted into a trophy room. The wall facing the fireplace was now covered by a huge trophy case, housing his various music awards. The walls were a dark red, and paired with the dim lighting and dark wood of the trophy case, the room gave off a very warm feeling. The round couch in the middle of the room was, by far, his favorite addition. He noticed that the girls had opted out of hanging up the signed guitar in the guest room, and had decided to place it in the trophy case instead. He made a mental note to bring Kelen the most expensive flowers he could find when he went to surprise her later.

“Holy shit,” came a soft gasp from behind him. He turned and smiled when he saw Rachel peering into the room from the doorway. “This looks so good!”

“I know, they really surpassed my expectations. I can’t wait to see what they did with the guest room…” He stepped past Rachel and walked across the hall to the other guest room, pushing open the door. The walls were a dark beige color and were decorated with various framed photographs of Jazz musicians and the vinyl records he had left for Tiffany. The large queen bed faced the doorway of the room, with a large plasma T.V. hanging on the wall opposite the bed. The matching set of drawers, which he had picked himself, was on the far wall, and someone had placed a couple issues of Rolling Stone on top of them. He was really impressed with how quickly the girls had pulled the whole project off, and turned around to smile at Rachel, who was now standing in the doorway with Tiffany.

“Well?” Tiffany asked, grinning proudly. “Isn’t it gorgeous? Kelen did most of this; I just framed the pictures and did what she told me to.”

“Tiff, this is so much more than I expected. Thank you,” he smiled sincerely and pulled her into his arms, giving her a tight hug. She laughed and pretended to be gasping for air as he placed a quick kiss on the top of her head and let her go. “I’m gonna go shower and get ready to go find Kelen. Do you know where she is?”

“She mentioned dinner with her family, I think,” Tiffany shrugged as she tied her black hair into a messy ponytail. Justin nodded slowly and jogged down the hall to his room. He turned around before closing the door and looked at the two girls standing in the hall.

“Oh, and don’t tell her I’m home. I’m getting sushi and surprising her, so please don’t say anything,” he smiled thankfully when they both nodded and closed the door. After a quick shower and pulling on a pair of jeans, a simple white t-shirt and a grey sweater on top of that, he made his way downstairs as he dialed Kelen’s phone number.

“Hey you,” she answered after the second ring. He smiled to himselv, hearing the smile in her cheery voice.

“Hey. How was your Thanksgiving?” He chuckled lightly when he noticed that Tiffany had left a list of sushi suggestions that Kelen would like on the kitchen counter. JC had also scribbled down a note about oysters being an aphrodisiac underneath that.

“It was nice, I actually got along with my mom for once,” she joked. “What about you? How was the peach cobbler?”

He nodded, “Fucking delicious…I ate half of the whole thing. Rachel got kind of mad, but she’ll get over it. So what are you doing right now? Still recovering from all of the Thanksgiving food?”

“I wish,” Kelen laughed. “My dad wanted to go out for dinner downtown before they leave tomorrow. So I’m sitting in my brother’s living room, waiting for them to come down here. Apparently my family never stops eating. I feel like all I’ve done for the past few days is eat and sleep. I thing I might pass out tonight…”

“Well that would be the way I want to go…Listen, I don’t get home tomorrow night until late, meaning I won’t be able to take you out until Sunday. I’m really sorry,” he lied, nibbling on his bottom lip

“Oh,” her voice softened slightly, “Well I don’t work Sunday, so it works out better this way. I actually have to go now though, my family’s coming down.”

He nodded distractedly as he rifled through his mail, “Alright, well when are you going to be home tonight? I feel like we haven’t talked in ages.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I’ll be home by nine, so call then, alright? Bye Justin,” she answered before hanging up. Justin closed his cell phone and looked down at his watch. That gave him about three hours to make the order, drive into downtown Los Angeles to pick up some dessert, and then make it back to her apartment to surprise her. He cracked open a bottle of beer and decided to catch up on his TiVO’d shows as he waited.

=====================================

It was a nice warm evening as Kelen and her family took a seat at a table on the restaurant patio, her mother insisting they sit outside so that she could spot any Hollywood celebrities that might walk by. Alex sat on one side of Kelen, while the rest of her family sat on the other side of the table, leaving the other seat next to her empty.

“Save that seat Kelen, I invited one other person to join us,” Laura smiled at her daughter as Kelen moved to put her purse on the extra chair.

“Who’s comin?” Alex asked, looking around the restaurant excitedly.

Kelen looked at her mom pointedly, becoming suspicious when an innocent smile spread across her mom’s face. “Well I met a friend of yours today, Alex, and invited him to join us since I wanted to learn more about your life. Do you know Eli Bennett?”

“Mrs. Bennett’s son? The director of Sunrise?” Ryan, Kelen’s older brother asked, recognizing the name. “Where did you meet him?”

She shrugged and smiled across the table at Kelen, “Your father and I met him when we went to pick up Alex. He’s a very polite young man, and he’s Kelen’s age. Have you met him before, Kelen?”

Kelen nodded curtly, beginning to understand her mom’s true intentions. “Once or twice, we never talked much though. But mom...seriously, when are you going to stop trying to set me up with random men? I can’t believe you invited him to our family dinner! Dad…”

Kelen’s father placed his hand on her hand, patting it softly, “Calm down, Kelen. It’s just a dinner, one meal. Your mother was just trying to be friendly.” Kelen took a deep breath and looked over at Ryan who merely shrugged and smiled back at her. She sipped at her glass of water quietly as her mom continued to gripe on about the horrible Los Angeles traffic. It seemed as if every time she saw her mom, she was introducing her to another single young man. Once she had only gone home to Texas for three days, and her mom had set her up on four different dates.

“Look, there he is!” Laura immediately sat up straighter, holding her hand out in the air to catch Eli’s attention. She looked back down at Kelen and gave her a threatening look, “He is my guest, so please try to be polite tonight. I only invited him because he was such a wonderful young man…and lord knows you haven’t been with one in awhile.”

“Well thanks, mom,” she rolled her eyes, praying that she would be able to survive the next hour and a half. Just a few more hours, and she’d be able to go home, snuggle in her bed, and talk to Justin. Now what was her idea of a nice and relaxing night.

“Hi everyone, sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t keep you all waiting too long,” Eli apologized as he shook Kelen’s father’s and Ryan’s hand. He patted Alex’s back and smiled down at Kelen as he slid into his seat.

“Oh it wasn’t a problem at all,” Laura grinned at him. “So, what’s good to eat here?” After everyone had finally given in to their full stomachs and her father had paid for the check, Kelen stepped outside and waited for Ryan to pull the car around. Her parents waited inside as Alex used the restroom, so she took the opportunity to leave for a few seconds, enjoying a break away from her family.

“So I’m guessing you and your mom don’t get along so well,” a deep voice called out. She turned around as Eli stepped up next to her on the sidewalk, smiling down at her.

“What gave you that impression?”

“Well, you looked like you had just seen your dog die when I got to the table. And you hardly broke a smile throughout the whole meal,” he shrugged.

She nodded and shrugged as well. “Yeah, my mom can just be a little too…much sometimes.” Eli nodded and bounced on his toes as he looked at her.

“If it’s any consolation, she cares about you a lot. She couldn’t stop talking about you when I met her today, I was beginning to feel as if she was trying to sell me a car,” he chuckled as Kelen blushed. “Not that I was even remotely bothered by hearing about your endearing qualities.”

“I’m really sorry about that, Eli…” she apologized.

“Well listen, how about we get a drink sometime, as a way to make it up to me,” he grinned, his blue eyes winking playfully at her. Kelen smiled and chuckled. If it had been any other time in her life, she would have easily fallen for Eli’s charm and good lucks. It was just too bad that no matter what the man did, she was constantly thinking about the blue eyed pop star that had somehow wormed his way into her heart with just one kiss. She sighed softly and looked up at him, immediately feeling guilty when she saw the twinkle in his eyes disappear.

“Eli, I don’t know what my mom said to you, but I’m kind of seeing someone right now. I mean, we could go out sometime, as friends, but…” she shut her mouth when he placed a hand on the small of her back and smiled.

“Friends, is exactly what I was thinking. I had no idea this dinner was secretly a blind date when your mom had invited me,” he explained. “To be honest, if my mom hadn’t been there pushing me to go, I probably wouldn’t have come. But you know how pushy moms are…”

Kelen smiled, feeling comforted by the fact that he had been in the same situation as her. He nodded and leaned down, placing a kiss on her cheek before taking a step backwards. “So I’ll see you around. Give me a call when you’re free for a drink,” he winked when the rest of her family came to stand behind her. Laura grinned excitedly and nodded, waving goodbye as Eli walked away to his car. She turned back to Kelen and placed a hand on her daughter’s arm.

“See? I knew you two would get along. Isn’t he just so perfect for you, Kelen?” Ryan pulled his car up to the curb and Kelen quickly slid into the car, eager to get home and away from her mother’s prying questions. Once she was dressed in her pajamas and snuggled in her bed with a glass of wine, Kelen dialed Justin’s number, relieved she was finally able to talk to him for more than five minutes. Although they had kept contact over the time that he was gone, they hadn’t spoken much in the last week because of family obligations and activities. She could feel the familiar tingling of attraction to him, and she hoped that all of his recent phone calls meant he was feeling the same way.

“Hey, I couldn’t get to the phone in time, so you’re just going to have to leave a message and wait for me to call you back. Thanks,” his voice came through her phone. Kelen frowned and looked over at the clock, reading that it was nine thirty. He had never once, not answer his phone when he said he would call, and she suddenly felt much less hopeful about the night. Instead, she placed her cell phone on her night stand and turned on her TV, settling on watching a re-run of Friends. By the time midnight came rolling around, Kelen dejectedly turned off her TV and lights and decided to go to bed, glancing over at her phone before turning on her side and closing her eyes.

=======================================

Justin gave a low chuckle as the brunette in his lap wiggled and sucked on his neck eagerly. “Come on, Justin. Let’s get out of here…” she whispered into his ear. He laughed and placed his hands on her hips, pushing her back so he could see her face. She smiled down at him and stood up, pulling down her skirt from where it had ridden up as his hands had felt up her thighs. He noticed, much to his consternation, that she was wearing a similar shirt to the one that Kelen had been wearing the first night he had met her at the coffee shop. He shook his head, as if trying to erase the memory of her from his mind, as Megan grabbed his hand and pulled him up to stand. She giggled playfully running a hand down his chest, “You are so fucked up right now…” He nodded and followed her as she pulled him out of the VIP room. He looked over at Marty who was dancing a few feet away with Nicole, and shrugged as he caught his friend’s concerned look. As he walked past, Marty quickly pulled him back, and raised his eyebrows at him.

“What are you doin’ man? Where’s Kelen?”

Justin shrugged again, downing his fourth glass of Jack and Coke. “Who the fuck cares, man? Probably out on a date with another guy, which is where I saw her earlier tonight,” he poked Marty in the chest as he wrinkled his forehead. “Forget her…” He grinned sloppily and pushed the now empty glass into his friend’s hand. Marty frowned slightly and watched as Justin disappeared into the crowd, following the brunette that had been attached to his hip since they had first arrived at the club.

“He’s not taking that girl home, is he?” Nicole asked, the disapproval evident on her face. “Isn’t that the same girl he’s been hooking up with all summer?” Marty nodded at his girlfriend as he pulled her closer to him. He only hoped Rachel wouldn’t be home to witness Justin stumbling into his home with his companion, or he would get an earful from her in the morning.

Justin weaved his way towards Megan, who was now standing by the door talking to another girl, who he assumed was a friend. Both girls turned to look at him as he approached them, and the other girl smiled slyly, nodding her head when he smiled at her.

“Hey,” he managed to mumble out. “You ready to get outta here, girl?” Megan nodded and he placed a hand on the small of her back as he led her out the door, making sure his security team was following closely behind. Luckily, they left out of the back door and managed to avoid most of the paparazzi that were waiting in the front of the club. As soon as they were settled in the car, Justin was able to hear the familiar beeping of his phone, signaling that he had a voice mail. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and glanced down at the screen, his lips turning into a scowl when he saw he had a voicemail and two missed calls from the person he had been trying to forget about all night. What kind of girl would lie to him about going out with her family, when she had really been on a date with another man? He didn’t tolerate liars very well, especially those that had fooled him into letting his guard down around them.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Megan’s hand slid up his thigh as she scooted closer to him. He shook his head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in towards him.

“Just excited to get you home tonight,” he mumbled into her ear. “It’s been way too long…”

“Good morning Kelen,” he greeted. She smiled when he let out a loud yawn.

“Hey Rob, have you been here all night?” she asked, wondering if he’d have seen Justin come home during the night. He shook his head as he glanced at his watch.

“Nah, I just took over about two hours ago. I just forgot to get a coffee this morning,” he shrugged. She nodded sympathetically and grabbed a croissant from the box sitting on her passenger seat. She reached her hand out and handed it to him, urging him to take it.

“Just came out of the oven, they’re good,” she smiled as he took the warm croissant from her hands and thanked her. “Alright, well I’ll see you later then.” She continued up the gravel driveway and parked next to Justin’s white Jeep. It had previously been in the garage while he was away, so hopefully it was a sign that they had at least arrived home safely. She used the spare key that Tiffany had given her, and let herself into his front door, noticing a duffel bag lying near the stairwell. Maybe he had been too tired to call her back, and had just decided to go to bed instead. Kelen quietly made her way into the kitchen and placed the box of breakfast goods on the counter, smiling when Justin’s Boxers ran up to her and immediately leapt on to her. She laughed quietly, kneeling down and scratching their heads.

“Hey guys, where’s Justin, huh? Still sleeping?” she asked quietly as they licked at her face. She stood up and turned when she heard a noise in the hall. Rachel appeared at the doorway in a sports bra and sweat pants, her lips turning into a smile when she saw Kelen.

“Hey girl! What are you doing here? Did you stay here last night?” Rachel asked as she gave Kelen a hug. Kelen pulled back, laughing slightly as she shook her head.

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t come back here with Justin?” Rachel asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Kelen shook her head and opened the box of croissants and donuts, holding it out towards the brunette. Rachel peered in and pulled out a chocolate croissant, smiling as she bit into it.

“I haven’t seen Justin yet… You guys came in last night at midnight, I thought,” Kelen shook her head. “And where have you been? I called you last night.”

“We got back here yesterday morning, around noon,” Rachel shook her head as she explained. “Justin was supposed to surprise you last night and bring you dinner. And I didn’t answer my phone because I was ordered not to talk to you, or I would give away the surprise”

Kelen leaned against the counter across from Rachel and frowned. “No, he never came. He told me he wasn’t coming back until late last night. And that he would call me after my dinner with my family, but he never called me. We were supposed to go out today.” Rachel processed the information silently, and both women stood across from each other, becoming more confused by the second. “I thought something had happened to you guys when neither of you answered your phones.”

As if to answer their questions, they both heard Justin’s voice in the hallway and walked out of the kitchen to question him. What they both saw in the hallway stunned them into silence. Justin stood by the open front door, smiling at a tall brunette as she leaned against him and put on her stiletto heels.

“Give me a call later. Last night was fun,” the girl said as she stood back up. She straightened her skirt and smiled as she pointed at the large t-shirt she was wearing. “Thanks for the shirt.” He nodded his head and she leaned in, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

“It’s no problem at all... I think your car is here,” he gestured as a car honked from outside the door. “And thanks for last night…It was good seeing you again, Megan.” She grinned over her shoulder as she walked out the door, her heels clicking against the ground with every step. Justin stood in the doorway, watching the car leave before he turned around and shut the front door with a sigh. He continued his way through the foyer, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Rachel and Kelen standing in the hallway, both with their mouths slightly agape. Kelen was the first to recover as she quickly turned away and walked into the kitchen. Justin let out another sigh, realizing he had been caught. He had thought Rachel would be out for her routine morning run, and he could have snuck Megan out without her knowing. He never would have expected both her and Kelen to be standing in his hallway when he snuck out his latest drunk mistake. Rachel’s lips immediately turned into a scowl as she rested her hands on her hips and blocked him from moving past her.

“What the fuck was that? Why was that girl here and why didn’t you go see Kelen last night?” her eyes flashed angrily as she pushed him further down the hall, away from the kitchen and Kelen’s range of hearing. Justin pushed her arms away and stood in the middle of the foyer, glaring back at his cousin

“Just lay off, alright? You’re not my fucking mom,” he growled defensively. Never had he seen Rachel so angry at anyone, least of all him. She had always been able to sit back and listen to him as he explained himself. But not today. Today, she looked like she was ready to smack him back to Millington.

“No, I’m not. Or I would have beat some sense into you already,” she nodded in agreement. Her voice softened slightly as she took a deep breath. “What were you thinking? Going out and bringing a girl home, when you’re supposed to be going out with Kelen today? What is wrong with you?”

He ran his hands over his face, and waved his hand at Rachel. “Look, I don’t have to explain it to you, alright? So I brought a girl home, big deal.”

“It is a big fucking deal, Justin. You’re not like this. And you don’t have to explain to me, but you better go explain to the girl standing in the kitchen who fucking brought you breakfast,” Rachel hissed back. She pointed at the kitchen and raised her eyebrows at him. “Go… or I will call Aunt Lynn and tell her how her son has turned into the number one asshole in Los Angeles.” Justin narrowed his eyes at her before finally shuffling down the hall. Rachel rolled her eyes at him and watched to make sure he went into the kitchen, before walking back out to her own home. Sometimes, she really did have to wonder about his level of intelligence.

Justin quietly entered the kitchen, immediately finding Kelen who was crouched down at the other corner of the kitchen, scooping dog food into Buckley and Brennen’s bowls. He had to smile as both his dogs eagerly ran up and squeezed past her, causing her to fall back with a huff.

“You’re welcome too,” she mumbled to them, patting them both on their backs as she stood up. Her eyes met his when she was back on her feet, but she quickly turned away. He watched as she put the container of dog food on the counter and walked to the sink, turning on the faucet, her back to him the entire time.

“Hey,” he greeted, scratching the back of his head. Never had he been in this awkward of a situation before. Since he had met Kelen, he had always been able to talk to her, but now, he didn’t have the slightest idea as to how he could apologize for what she had seen earlier.

“Hi,” she answered back, not turning to look at him as she washed her hands. She finally shut the water and turned around to dry her hands, avoiding his watchful stare. “I brought croissants and donuts…I thought maybe you’d be hungry from your flight, but obviously not since you came home yesterday.” Her eyes slammed into his and his breath hitched in his throat when he saw the hurt and confusion in her eyes. Kelen slid her hands into her sweatshirt pocket and stood on the other side of the island, waiting for an explanation. He stepped further into the kitchen and walked up to the counter, hoping that the words would come to him as he killed time. She bristled angrily when he remained quiet, and grabbed her keys from the counter.

“I should explain…” he started.

Kelen shook her head. “You don’t need to explain anything. We’re not dating…whatever you do, or whoever you want to fuck around with, it’s not my business, Justin. Just as long as it isn’t with me.”

At first he had felt extremely guilty when he saw the pain in her eyes, his guilt was being replaced with anger when he remembered just why he had even gone out looking for Megan in the first place. “Who are you to put the blame on me for fucking around? I’m not the one who lied about eating dinner with my family, when instead I was out on a fucking date.”

“What?” Kelen’s eyes widened in shock at the angry tone in his voice. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He pointed at her accusingly as he nodded his head. “See, you can’t even admit it now! I saw you! I was at Berries and Company buying desserts…for you, no less, when I saw you across the street with another man! So don’t get all pissy at me, when you’re doing the exact same thing!”

“Justin…I wasn’t on a date! I was at dinner last night with my family, and my mom invited this guy she was trying to set me up with. But I wasn’t interested at all. We were just standing on the sidewalk waiting for our cars!” She sighed, glaring at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And you would have heard all of that had you called me last night!”

He stared back at her for a few seconds, processing the information. “Well I’m fucking sorry, alright? You two looked a lot more comfy than just two random strangers. But I guess I made a mistake,” he cried out, throwing his arms in the air. “I fucked up…I was drunk. I’m sorry. I was fucking hurt that you would be with another guy, so I went out, got drunk, and saw Megan there. I’m really sorry, Kelen. It really was nothing…and we didn’t sleep together, if that’s what you think.”

She shook her head and proceeded to move around the island, towards the door. “Well I’m glad you could keep it in your pants. At least you’re not as much of an asshole as I thought.” She shot back at him as she angrily slung her purse onto her shoulder. He moved quickly, blocking the doorway into the hall way. She glared back at him, letting out an angry huff of air. “What are you doing?”

“Why are you leaving?”

“Because, Justin,” she huffed, narrowing her eyes at him. “Why would I want to spend my time around people who don’t trust me? You went out and fooled around with a girl…all based on the assumption that I was doing the same!”

“I just told you, I didn’t sleep with her. I promise you, Kelen.”

“Then why did you bring her back with you in the first place?” she raised her eyebrows, calling him out.

“Well... I was drunk…and she was all up on me. But when we got back here, we both passed out on the couch. And when we woke up this morning, I spilled an open beer bottle on her, so I had to go get her another shirt. That’s when you saw us, probably, after she had changed. I swear…the stain is probably still in the living room,” he pointed over to the living room, on the other side of the kitchen. His eyes immediately softened as he grabbed her hands, “I was just so damn jealous and burned by the thought of you with another man. I reacted in a way that any other man who has a scantily clad woman grinding on them would. Not that that’s an excuse…but that’s what happened. When I woke up, I realized how fucking stupid I was. Please, Kelen…just stay.”

Kelen sighed as she bit her bottom lip and looked down at their joined hands. “Justin…I-” before she could continue, he pulled her across the kitchen and into the living room, where there were a couple of empty beer bottles laying on the coffee table, and a noticeable beer stain on the floor and couch.

“See? I swear to you…I did not sleep with her,” he pleaded, his blue eyes staring into hers. “Please just let me make it up to you today. I’m an asshole, and I don’t deserve it…but it would mean the world to me if you would.”

“I believe you…I really do. But I don’t think I can-” her words were cut off as his hands came to frame her face and his head quickly swooped down, capturing her lips with his. She immediately melted into the kiss, cursing the weakness of her body as she returned his kiss with equal force. She could feel the smile on his lips when he successfully snuck his tongue past her lips and swiped against hers. After what felt like hours, he finally pulled away, resting his forehead on hers and breathing deeply.

“Please Kelen…let me make it up to you. I won’t be able to live with myself if I fuck this…whatever this is, up. And Rachel would never let me live it down,” he added as an afterthought. She giggled and sighed reluctantly, nodding against his head.

“Okay…fine. But you better be on your A game tonight,” she warned, letting him wrap his arms around her in a tight hug as he placed a kiss on her forehead. How could she say no when he had begged and kissed her like that? She smiled when he placed another soft kiss on her lips and grinned at her. “Can I at least go back home to change?” she looked down at her jeans and sweatshirt. She wasn’t exactly dressed to go out on the town.

“I think you look cute,” he shrugged, finally releasing her from his embrace. “But yeah, I need to shower and clean up the house too. So, I’ll come pick you up at noon, for lunch, alright? And plan to be out all day…so no high heels.” He waggled his finger at her. She nodded and followed him as he walked her out to her car. He opened her car door for her and bowed low, chuckling when she smack him in the head with her purse.

“Go shower, you smell,” she teased, scrunching up her nose as she slid into her seat. He nodded and pushed her door shut, waving as she backed her car up and drove back down his driveway. He saw Rachel running back up the driveway, returning from her jog, and immediately became curious when she saw Kelen stop to talk to her. He had a strange feeling that they were talking about him from the way Rachel’s face contorted into anger and surprise and how she would turn her head to look at him from time to time. Finally, the two parted ways and Rachel continued her walk up the drive way as Kelen drove off. She walked up to where he was pretending to be cleaning out his Jeep, and hit him in the back.

“Ow, what was that for?” he asked, turning to look at her.

“One, for trying to eavesdrop on our conversation,” she rolled her eyes. “And two, for being a moron.”

He pouted and closed his car door, holding some old burger wrappers in his hands. “I’m guessing she told you about last night, then? Did she tell you how I did not sleep with anyone? And how I was severely hammered?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything. You’re still a moron,” she shrugged as she followed him into his house. They walked into the kitchen and Justin threw away the trash as Rachel pulled a cold bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “I cannot believe you seriously thought she was on a date with another man. Why didn’t you just call her first and talk to her?”

“I don’t know! I was just really pissed…I couldn’t think logically,” he frowned and leaned his back against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. “It wouldn’t be the first time a girl did that to me.”

He was really beginning to get tired of her eye rolls as she did it again and took a deep breath. “Stop using that as an excuse, Justin…you have major trust problems. Do you really think Kelen would do something like that? Especially when she is so obviously interested in only you?”

“Well...okay, alright? I’m a moron. I’m sorry,” he threw his arms in the air in defeat and walked towards the stairs that connected to the kitchen. Rachel smiled and waved him off as he ran up the steps two at a time.

After he had showered the lingering smells of smoke and alcohol off of his body, Justin changed into a pair of jeans and a William Rast t-shirt, thinking he could at least use the paparazzi to bring attention to his fashion line. He made his way downstairs and was surprised to see that Rachel had already cleaned up the beer bottles and spilt beer from his living room floor. He made a mental note to thank her as he slid his wallet and phone into his pocket and grabbed his car keys from the counter. As he walked through the laundry room and out through his garage, he saw Rachel in the driveway washing her own car, and smiled when she looked up at him.

“Hey, thanks for cleaning up in there. Felt a little guilty for ripping me a new one?” he asked, raising one eyebrow above the other.

“No, I just felt bad for Maria, who would have to clean up after your sorry ass later,” she answered, turning her attention back to rinsing her car off. He laughed and climbed into his Jeep, running through options in his mind as to where he could take Kelen to lunch with little attention from the media. He rolled his window down as he pulled his car up next to Rachel, smirking when she looked up with a bored look. “What?”

“Thanks for watching out for me earlier,” he smiled. She shrugged and smiled back at him.

“No problem, that’s what I’m here for. Now go…and don’t forget the flowers,” she pointed at him. He nodded and drove down the driveway, leaving a cloud of dust in his trail.

=============================

Kelen turned to her door when she heard a soft knock, and smiled at Christine, who was standing in the doorway. “Hey…what’s up?”

“Nothing, I just finished my last designs for the show,” Christine grinned, stepping into the room and falling back onto Kelen’s bed. “What are you doing today?”

Kelen emerged from her closet with a pair of jeans and a number of tops, and laid them out on the bed. “I’m going out with Justin…but I’m not sure where. He just told me to be prepared to be out all day. Which top?”

“The green one,” Christine pointed at the button-up green blouse. “And wear a tank-top underneath, that way if you do something active, you can just take the green top off.” Kelen nodded and tugged off her sweatshirt and t-shirt underneath. She and Christine had long forgone the privacy issues, having known each other since the 9th grade. “Are you changing your bra?”

Kelen looked at Christine through the mirror, then back down at the white bra she was wearing. “Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing…it’s kind of plain…”

“So? We haven’t slept together yet…and I don’t think we will tonight,” Kelen rolled her eyes as she pulled a white tank top over her head.

“Why not? Aren’t you spending the whole day together? You’ll probably end up eating dinner with him…which will then just lead to you sleeping with Justin Timberlake. Sounds like a good plan to me,” Christine shrugged as she chuckled at her own joke.

Kelen nodded and pulled on the green blouse, smoothing down the wrinkles before fastening the buttons. “If it was any other day, then yeah, I would probably agree with you. But…he kind of messed up today, so I’m not giving in tonight. He’ll need to wait a little longer.”

Christine tilted her head to the side as she leaned back on her hands, watching Kelen put on a pair of diamond earrings. “What do you mean he messed up?” Kelen proceeded to explain to Christine about Justin’s drunken encounter with Megan, and how she and Rachel had caught him earlier that morning.

“And then he begged me to give him one more chance. So that’s what today is for,” Kelen explained. Christine nodded, still in disbelief that Justin had brought home another girl with the intention to sleep with her.

“If I were you, I’d make him wait for another week. That’s messed up.”

Kelen frowned slightly as she slipped on a pair of flats, hoping Justin didn’t have too much activity planned for the day. “Yeah…but I don’t think I could wait for a whole week. It’s been way too long. I think I’ve forgotten what sex is like.”

Christine laughed, shaking her head as Kelen looked herself over in the mirror. “Whatever, I have no pity for you. You’re dating Justin Timberlake.”

“We’re not dating…”

“Oh hush. Neither of you are seeing other people, you talk on the phone every night, and you guys have been on three dates. That, my dear, is called dating.”

Christine smiled and stood up, following Kelen out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. There was a knock at the door, and Christine walked over to open it, grinning excitedly when she looked through the peep-hole. “He’s early,” she whispered before opening the door. Kelen stood in the kitchen, watching as Justin entered the apartment, looking a little frightened at Christine’s angry glare.

“Uh…hey Christine. Is Kelen ready?” he asked. Christine shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. He turned and saw Kelen in the kitchen and smiled at her, giving her a confused look. “Oh, hey, I didn’t see you there.”

“Hi,” she smiled as she finished her glass of water. “Just give me a second, I need to get my purse.” She placed her glass into the sink and quickly walked past him, giving Christine a warning look as she walked into her bedroom. Justin nodded and smiled at Christine as he rocked back and forth on his feet awkwardly.

“So…Christine, how are you?”

“I’m pretty good, Justin. How was your night last night?” Christine raised her eyebrows as she smirked at him. It was fun trying to intimidate Justin Timberlake. He visibly gulped as his eyes darted around the room.

“Um…it could have been better,” he answered. Why did girls have to tell their friends everything? This was just awkward, and he knew Christine was probably just giving him a hard time, but it was still intimidating to be standing in front of an angry best friend. “I’m doing my best to make up for it.”

Christine’s smirk eased into a smile as she giggled softly. “Yeah, okay. I’m just playing,” she grinned, laughing when his whole body seemed to relax. Kelen came out of her bedroom and looked at the two of them suspiciously as she walked across the dining area, over to where they were standing in front of the door.

“What’s going on?” She looked at Justin’s half-smile to Christine’s completely mischievous smile.

“Nothing,” Christine shrugged. “Have fun today,” she smiled before walking down the hall into her bedroom. Justin turned to Kelen and pulled out a bouquet of lilies and roses from behind his back, holding them out to her.

“These are for you,” he grinned. Her eyes widened and her lip turned into a smile. She took them from him and smelled them as she walked back into the kitchen, looking for a vase.

“They’re beautiful,” she said, locating a glass vase in her cabinet. After she had placed the flowers in water, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling when his hands immediately wrapped around her lower back. “Thank you, I love them.” She stood on her tip toes and his head leaned down, meeting her kiss half way.

“You’re very welcome,” he whispered against her lips as they parted. “You ready to go?” She nodded and led him out of the door and down the stairs. They caught some interested glances from a few people in the lobby, and Justin quickly ducked his head as they walked out to his car. He opened her door for her and helped her climb into his car before jogging to the other side and getting in himself.

She turned to look at him as they made their way onto the highway, smiling when he gave her a quick glance. “So where are we going today?”

“How does sushi sound?” He turned to smile at her.

“Sounds perfect.” As they got closer into downtown L.A., Kelen began to realize that maybe it was a mistake for them to go out on a busy Sunday. The sidewalks were even more crowded with people shopping during the Thanksgiving sales. She turned to Justin when she saw a number of people taking photos of them from the sidewalks, “Are you sure it’s smart to go on the Sunday after Thanksgiving?”

He nodded, keeping his focus on the bustling traffic. “Yeah, I have security waiting for me at the restaurant. I’ve got it all covered,” he turned, giving her a quick smile before moving forward when the light turned green. They pulled into a back garage, and two large men instantly moved to their car, one on Justin’s side and the other opening Kelen’s door. She quickly followed them into the restaurant, and into a private room. After they were seated, Kelen looked around the dimly lit area, trying to remember if she had ever been to this restaurant before. It looked oddly familiar, yet she had never been in this particular room before.

“Where are we? Is this restaurant new?”

He looked up from the menu and smiled. “You’ve never been to Nobu before?”

“This is Nobu? I’ve been here before…but never in the secret celebrity room. But I guess for you, this is normal,” she shook her head, her eyes widening in excitement.

“Yeah, well I didn’t think you would want to eat lunch with the whole restaurant staring at you,” he shrugged. The waitress came in and Justin ordered a variety of rolls, most of which Kelen had never tried before due to their expensive prices. He made a point to thank the waitress and server, even making light conversation as she poured water into their glasses. Kelen smiled softly, realizing that there was not one thing that turned her off about him. Even after all that had happened earlier, she still couldn’t keep away from him. She was getting into dangerous territory, and her conscience reminded her almost every minute not to get too caught up in the feeling. But it was hard not to. She hadn’t had this feeling in so long, and never this quickly. It was thrilling, and she was going to stay on for the ride for as long as possible.

“Kelen…” he called out her name, calling her from her thoughts. She blinked at him, before smiling as he chuckled at her. “Can you handle spicy rolls? I got a few…but I can change the order if you like.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s fine, the spicier the better,” she answered, smiling wider when he grinned at her.

“Good, I like a girl that can handle the heat,” he chuckled at the corny line. She shook her head at him in embarrassment as the server appeared with a large plate of rolls. Justin licked his lips hungrily and met her amused glance. “Bon appétit,” he nodded, holding up his glass of water. He clinked his glass against hers and smiled before reaching for his chopsticks. “Well dig in…I ordered more than enough for the both of us.”

=============================

Kelen yawned loudly, leaning her head against the head rest and watching as the Los Angeles lights flashed by. After sushi, they did some shopping and then headed out to the golf range for three hours. Luckily, due to her father’s membership at the club, she was able to hit around a few balls and not look like a complete imbecile on the green. Afterwards, they took a hike up Griffith Park, where Justin had somehow set up a little picnic area, right when the sun was beginning to set. It was one of the most romantic things she had ever laid eyes on, and she hadn’t been able to stop smiling for the rest of the evening.

“What?” Justin asked, catching her goofy grin from the corner of his eye. She giggled, and hid her face in her hands, looking away.

“I’m just so surprised you actually pulled that off. The surprise picnic at sunset,” she rolled her eyes. “I think I’m getting a few cavities.”

He chuckled quietly, puffing his chest out. “Hey, I told you…I can pull off anything when I put my mind to it. You told me to bring my A game, and I delivered! Don’t be so surprised.”

Kelen nodded silently and smiled when he turned to look at her. “Well I loved it. Thank you for today.”

“Thank you for giving me a chance to show you I’m not an asshole,” he answered, reaching out for her hand. He gripped it and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss before bringing both their hands down and resting their joined hands on the center console. “I want- I need you to know that I really do care for you, Kelen. So I don’t care if I have to ask a few people to set up a picnic on a mountain somewhere to give us a little privacy…to do that. I was willing to do whatever it took.” She smiled and leaned over, placing a kiss on his cheek, trying not to distract him from the road.

“You’re such a charmer.”

He grinned, shrugging his shoulders as if it were nothing, “Well did it work? Do you forgive me for being a complete jerk?”

“I forgave you a long time ago…about when you ordered me that spicy scallop roll,” she joked. He chuckled as he pulled his car in front of her apartment complex, shutting off the car engine.

“Alright, spicy scallop roll. I’ll remember that next time,” he teased, tapping his temple with his finger. She let out another yawn and he chuckled quietly, patting her thigh affectionately. “Sleepy?”

“Kind of,” she shrugged and looked down at their joined hands, before smiling back up at him. “Do you want to come up for some coffee? I’m trying some new products from our vendor.” He nodded and opened his car door, sliding out easily. He quickly came around and helped her jump down from his car, before locking it shut. They quietly made their way back up to her apartment and Kelen fumbled clumsily in the dark, looking for the light switch. Justin sat down on the couch as Kelen made the coffee, the rich smell quickly filling up the area.

“Where are you roommates?” he asked, realizing that the hallway to the other two rooms was completely dark. Kelen walked over and sat down next to him, looking over to the short hallway.

“I’m not sure,” she shrugged. “Christine’s probably at her boyfriend’s place. Sophie is still in San Diego with her family, she’s not coming back until Tuesday.”

“So…we have the apartment to ourselves,” he winked, waggling his eyebrows as he hugged her tightly to his body. She giggled, nodding her head.

“Yes. But don’t think that means anything. You’re not completely off the hook yet, boy,” she answered with a slight elbow nudge in his ribs. He tickled her back, and before any of them knew it, he was stretched out on top of her, his hands holding his body above hers. Her hands rested on his chests and she smiled as he looked down at her, his eyes roaming over her face. Her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around the back of his head, pulling him down towards her. With just the tilt of her head, his lips crashed onto hers, eagerly devouring her as her hands tugged on his short hair. The loud beeping of the coffee machine brought them back to reality, both of them pulling away and gasping for air. She smirked up at him, rubbing at his lipstick stained lips before quickly sliding out from beneath him. He sighed and flopped back on to the couch, cursing the coffee machine. He heard her bustling quietly in the kitchen and stood up to join her. He leaned against the kitchen door frame, enjoying the view as she poured coffee and creamer into two mugs. He made a mental note to tell Trace to make some tighter jeans as his eyes roamed up her body. Kelen turned and smirked when she caught him eyeing her, stepping up in front of him with his cup of coffee in her hands.

“You checkin’ me out, Timberlake?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. He nodded, realizing there was no reason to lie since she had already caught him.

“Just enjoying the view,” he shrugged as she lightly hit him in the chest. He took the cup of coffee from her hands and brought it to his lips, sipping quietly at the hot liquid. “Mmm…this is some good coffee.”

She nodded as she sipped from her own cup. “Yeah, this one is definitely a keeper.” She jumped up onto the counter and dangled her feet of the edge, smiling when he came to stand next to her.

“So how’s the coffee shop business going?” he tried to make conversation, noticing how her eyelids were getting heavier due to the silence and the warm coffee. He would try to make this day last as long as possible. Even with the rough start, it had turned out to be one of the most relaxing days he had had in months, and he loved how comfortable he was around Kelen. Usually, he would still be a little more reserved at this stage in a relationship, but she put him at ease with her carefree smiles and bright green eyes.

“It’s doing pretty good. I made some new coffee recipes, so I think those are pulling some people in,” she shrugged her shoulders as she ran her hand through her dark blonde hair, making a few strands fall in front of her face. “It’s a good thing we’re near the street market…or I don’t think we would be doing so well.”

He nodded thoughtfully and put his coffee cup down on the counter. He moved to stand in front of her and she smiled, letting her knees fall to the side as he settled in between them. His hands rested on either side of her body on the counter as he smiled back at her. Even though she was sitting on the counter top, they were still looking at each other eye-to-eye, allowing him to lean forward and press a soft kiss to her lips. Her arms rested on his shoulders as they moved against each other at a much slower pace than the more frenzied one on the couch. His tongue lazily caressed against hers as his hands rubbed up and down her back. The warmth of the coffee was only adding to the heat of the kiss, and Kelen was suddenly cursing her own promise to herself not to sleep with him tonight. Fuck the promise, it was after midnight anyways. Her hands slid down his chest and quickly slipped underneath his shirt, flattening against his smooth muscles underneath. He sighed against her touch, pulling away softly. If they went any further, he didn’t think he would be able to stop himself from just taking her on the counter. Kelen took a deep breath and smiled nervously, looking into his deep blue eyes.

“Do you want to stay the night?” she asked. With a soft nod of his head, Justin swiftly picked her up and carried her out of the kitchen, walking towards the room he assumed was hers since he had seen her walk out of it so many times. He laid her down on top of her covers and stood at the foot of the bed, watching as she flicked on her bedside lamp. She looked back at him expectantly and he crawled his way towards her, settling his body above hers as she sat up against the headboard.

“What happened to not being off the hook?” he asked, hovering mere millimeters away from her lips. She rolled her eyes and pulled his head closer to hers, covering the short distance. After a few seconds, she pulled away and smirked at him, licking her lips as he stared at her.

“I lied.”

I let out a low chuckle as Kelen pulls me closer to her. Her hands slide underneath my shirt and her fingers tickle my stomach as I lean down, capturing her lips with mine once again. I realized a few minutes ago, while we were on the couch, just how much I love kissing her. She has the softest lips ever. Add that to the sweet coffee taste on her tongue, and I’m hooked. She gives a soft sigh as she rips her head away from mine, pulling my shirt off and throwing it somewhere on the ground. I can’t help but stare at her, still in disbelief that I somehow met this amazing woman. She is a whole other person right now, and her new confident and sexy side is really turning me on. She has this sexy little smile on her lips, and all I want to do is kiss it away.

Honestly, I would be happy just kissing her all day. Well…actually, I can think of some other things that would be much more entertaining.

She suddenly shifts and I’m on my back, her body straddling mine. Her hair falls around her face and she smiles, tucking it behind her ears as she leans down for another kiss. My hands are now under her shirt, caressing the soft skin on her back. They apparently have a mind of their own because I don’t remember how they got there, but that thought quickly leaves my mind when she lets out a low moan. Okay, enough of this kissing thing. She already got my shirt off and I think she needs to catch up to me on the nudity level.

She seemed to think the same since she sits up and pulls her shirt and the tank-top underneath off. She’s wearing this satin white bra that shows off her California tan, and I can’t help the smile that comes across my face as I stare up at her. I probably look like a pig right now, but seriously, I am just so happy in this moment. This woman is absolutely beautiful, and she doesn’t even know it. She isn’t in your face drop dead gorgeous, but a different kind. The kind that knocks you off your feet after you get to know her for a few minutes. Her little dimples and green eyes that turn blue when she’s angry, or in this case, horny, pull you right in until she just consumes your thoughts. I speak of this in a general sense, but really, I think she only has this effect on me. I make quick work of the bra and throw it away somewhere. She’s gorgeous. That’s all I can think of right now as she hovers above me, smiling.

“I’ve been waiting to do this for so long, girl,” I growl out as I flip her onto her back. She lets out another sexy giggle and smile and I kiss it away. Fuck she feels good. My hands are now cupping her soft yet firm breasts, my thumbs circling lazily around her nipples. She fits perfectly into my hands. Everyone knows I’m an ass man, but she has some gorgeous tits. It is so hot in her room right now, and I’m having trouble thinking as her hands slide down my chest, causing tingles to shoot down towards my dick. Her fingers are sliding against the waistband of my jeans as her teeth nibble at my bottom lip, her tongue crashing against mine.

“Justin,” she gasps as my hand roams down in between her legs, touching her through her jeans. Her hands deftly unbutton my own and she slides them down with my boxers, using her feet to pull them down the rest of the way. I sit back on my knees and slowly slide off her jeans, licking my lips when she is finally completely naked in front of me. She looks down her body at me as I lean down and place soft kisses below her breasts, trailing down towards her belly button. She moans eagerly as my nose brushes against her inner thigh and my tongue darts out, tasting her for the first time. She’s neatly trimmed and waxed, with a triangle of short hairs covering her most private of areas. I look up at her as my tongue dips in deeper, reveling in the way her eyes roll back and her tongue darts out to lick her lips.

One hand is clutching at my scalp while the other is buried in her sheets, grasping at anything she can get her hands on. I smirk at her as I kiss at her nub, eliciting a low moan from her throat. She’s so fucking hot right now, and all I want to do is see her come apart in front of me. My fingers slide against her wetness as she urges me on with her soft moans. I slowly slip in two fingers with ease and she gently bucks against my tongue as I lap at her folds. I twist and turn my fingers, watching her face as it contorts with pleasure. And in that moment, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. Within minutes, she’s gasping and moaning out my name, and with a flick of my tongue she completely falls apart. Damn, Timberlake, that was a new record.

“Fuck Justin,” she gasps, arching her back off of the bed as she rides the waves of her orgasm through. I kiss up her body, taking in the salty taste of the sweat that has formed on her soft skin. I make my way back up to her, hovering above her as she recovers from her orgasm. Her eyes finally open, now a deep blue color, staring up at me.

I look into her eyes and I can sense her silent question…the awkward birth control question. I panic slightly, wondering if I have a condom in my wallet. She catches my slight facial change and smiles reassuringly, giving me another kiss. “I’m on the pill.” She grabs my chin and pulls me down, kissing me hard, working her tongue against mine. She tastes herself on me, and if possible, it turns me on even more. I’m already rock solid and have been since the moment I laid eyes on her spread out on the bed. I seriously cannot think straight, all I can smell is her sweet perfume and all I can feel is her soft skin. I honestly can say I have never felt this intense about any girl within this short amount of time before.

I settled myself in between her legs, her knees immediately gripping at my sides. We both look at each other, knowing and sensing each other’s anticipation. We’ve been waiting for this ever since the moment we met. I lean down, nipping at her lips, just wanting to take in this moment. But she has another plan for us. She wants this so bad and she’s moaning into my ear as I brush against her entrance.

“Just fuck me already,” she sighs, and that’s all it takes. I bury myself inside of her with one swift motion, and the both of us groan out loudly to the heavens. This is pure ecstasy right here. And I’m not fucking stopping anytime soon.

================================

Oh, shiiiit. It feels so good as Justin moves in and out of me rhythmically. I haven’t been with a man in so long, especially one who somehow seems to read my thoughts after only knowing me for about a month. He got me off within seconds with just his tongue and fingers, I can only imagine what I’m in for now. He moves above me as if he knows exactly what I want, hitting me in just the right spots. Entering quick, yet sliding out at a painstakingly slow pace. I let out another moan, smoothing my hands up and down his wide back, feeling the light glean of sweat developing on his skin.

I’ve seen him dance a few times on television appearances, and let me tell you, his hips can work wonders on and off stage. I don’t even know how he’s doing it, but all I know is that I’m quickly approaching my next orgasm and I can feel my whole body tingling in anticipation. I wrap my feet around his waist, pulling him deeper into me. We both groan at the new angle, and he buries his face into my neck, sucking at the skin beneath my ear. He fills me up completely, and I feel my walls stretching, almost sucking him in with every movement.

“Fuck you feel so good,” he moans as he moves completely out of me, and then thrusts back in. I nod against his lips, not having the ability to form words to tell him just how good this feels. I cannot believe this is happening. It’s way too perfect to be true. I’ve fantasized about this man ever since I saw him in his backyard, all tan and smooth. I’m finally here…doing this with him. My heart can hardly take it.

“God…” I choke out as pleasure shoots up my spine. I brace myself against the headboard, grinding my hips into his with every thrust.

“Shit, girl,” he lets out this low and sexy chuckle as he pounds into me. He’s gazing right into my eyes as I writhe beneath him, my fingers clawing at his back. “I can feel it…you’re so close.”

“Justin…” I let out another moan. “Harder.” His thrusts become deeper and faster, and my hands slide down his back, gripping his ass. His lips crash down on mine as my palms move back up to grab his face. Another zing spreads from my center to my toes, and he grinds down deep, hitting my clit with his pelvic bone.

“Oh fuck!” I scream, my walls convulsing around him, and my eyes shutting at the sheer amount of pleasure coursing through my body. I feel him thrust into me a few more times before his body tenses up and he moans a few curse words loudly, burying his hands in my hair. He collapses on top of me, his delicious body covering mine as we recover from our highs. My whole body is humming and tingling in pleasure as he slowly slides off of me and pulls the tangled sheets up to cover our bodies, collapsing on the pillow next to me. I don’t think I’ve ever had that intense of an orgasm in my life, and I can’t stop the lazy smile from spreading across my face as I feel his hand grip my side and pull me closer to his body. I could definitely get used to this. He nuzzles the side of my neck and breathes in deep, tickling my ear. I turn my head to look at him, and smile when I see him smiling back at me. He’s too god damn sexy and perfect. What did I do to deserve this?

“Mmm…so am I definitely off the hook now?” he teases, his hand tracing patterns on my back as I lay on my side, my head resting on his arm. I roll my eyes and nod, feeling the day’s activities finally get to me. He chuckles lightly and flops back down on his back as he takes another deep breath. “Damn girl, I’m exhausted. Look what you did to me…”

“Me? Who just fucked who senseless?” I ask, resting my chin on his chest. His fingers intertwine with mine and he rests them on his stomach, giving me a cocky smirk.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he says. He looks over at the clock, reading the bright blue digits. 1:30 AM. Fuck, I have to wake up in seven hours to help out at the shop. Luckily, Kate was able to open up, so I don’t have to be there at six in the morning. He smiles and reaches his hand up, turning off the light. It’s now completely dark and all I can hear is his steady breathing and his heart beating in his chest. I move my head to rest on the pillow and I feel him shift as he pulls me closer, my back to his chest. In the past, my boyfriends have never been fans of post-coital cuddling, and I welcome this new improvement as I feel Justin place soft kisses on my neck. “You have work tomorrow?”

“Mmhmm,” I nod sleepily. He smiles against my neck when he hears my tired voice.

“Alright. Good night,” he whispers. And that’s the last thing I remember before allowing the exhaustion to completely take over my body.

=================================

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Kelen reluctantly opened her eyes, sighing loudly as her hand reached out to slam down on top of her alarm. She turned her head to look over her shoulder, smiling when she saw the peaceful look on Justin’s face as he snored quietly. She silently slid out of bed, and tiptoed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. As she stood in front of the misty mirror, brushing her teeth, Kelen’s eyes roamed over her reflection, taking in the glow of her skin. Last night had been incredible, and she hated the fact that she couldn’t just stay in bed with Justin for the rest of the day. She didn’t even need to have sex with him again, just lay there wrapped up in his arms. The bathroom door pushed open and Justin’s face smiled at her through the mirror as he stepped up behind her and wrapped his strong arms around her.

“Morning,” she smiled.

“Good morning,” he greeted, placing kisses on the crook of her neck. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he sighed. “It’s so damn early.”

Kelen nodded and frowned slightly. “I know…but Sophie isn’t here to run the shop. And Mondays are usually our busiest.”

He pouted, placing another kiss on her jaw. “Just stay here today.”

“Justin…” she warned, laughing at the look on his face. She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I wish I could stay, but I can’t leave just Kate and Sam to run the shop by themselves.” He nodded and titled his head down, asking for a kiss. She happily obliged, framing his face with her hands as she kissed him deeply. She pulled away reluctantly and looked over at her clock, sighing when she realized she was already running late.

“Let me shower real quick, and I’ll drive you over there. People seem to avoid my car when I’m driving,” he smiled, letting his hands tap her bottom lightly. She nodded and wrapped the towel around her body tightly as she walked out of the bathroom and into her closet. As he took a shower, she changed quickly and walked out to her kitchen. When she turned the corner, she saw Christine sitting at the table quietly eating a bowl of cereal. She looked up at Kelen, then back at her bedroom door, giving Kelen a knowing smirk.

“What?” Kelen asked as she walked by, grabbing an orange and starting to peel it.

“Make him wait, my ass…” Christine mumbled, narrowing her brown eyes at her friend.

“It was after midnight, he had waited a day already,” Kelen shrugged. Christine let out a laugh, shaking her head slowly. Her eyes traced over Kelen as she let out another evil smile.

“Was it that good? You’re fricken glowing all over the place.” Kelen’s eyes widened, although she wasn’t that shocked that Christine would ask her about that. She was always very bold and blunt with her observations. Christine just gave her another look of disbelief, leaning back in her chair. “Don’t act like you’re not going to tell me everything.”

Kelen rolled her eyes and slid into the seat next to Christine, tucking her feet under herself. “You didn’t sleep here last night, did you?” Christine shook her head no. “Okay…let me put it this way. If you had slept here last night, you probably wouldn’t have gotten that much sleep.” Christine’s jaw dropped in shock, before she slowly started to laugh, her whole body shaking in her chair.

“Damn girl. I wasn’t expecting that graphic of a description,” she made a disgusted face. “But good for you. Look at you…you just fucked Justin Timberlake.” Both girls started giggling quietly, and stopped when they heard a soft cough. Justin stood in Kelen’s doorway, smiling nervously at the two of them.

“Hey,” he nodded his head at Christine. She smiled back before looking back down at the newspaper in front of her, willing herself not to make a comment. Kelen smiled brightly as he walked up to her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “You ready to go?”

She nodded and stood up, watching as he slipped on his shoes. She grabbed her purse and smiled back at Christine who merely smirked back at her. “Bye guys.”

“See you later, Christine,” Justin said as he opened the door and let Kelen walk past him before following her out the door. She looked back at him over her shoulder as they walked down the hall way, smiling when he quickly covered the distance and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “So can I come pick you up for dinner tonight? Or are you sick of me already?”

She laughed, shaking her head as they walked through the lobby and to his parked car. “Well…I will need a ride home, seeing as how you’re taking me. I guess I can handle a few more hours with you.” He chuckled, his hand tickling her side. He opened her car door for her and she climbed up into her seat quickly, not wanting to waste anymore time. Within record timing, Justin was pulling up to the coffee shop, stopping next to the side walk.

“What time will you be done here?” he asked, leaning forward for a kiss. She smiled and pushed her lips against his, biting his bottom lip softly.

“I can get out of here at five. Tom is closing up today, I think,” she answered. He nodded and gave her one final kiss before pulling away.

“See you at five oh one,” he winked. Kelen nodded and jumped out of her seat, waving to him as he drove away.

================================

Justin drove onto his driveway, easing his car into the garage when he saw Trace’s car pulling up in his rear-view mirror. He quickly shut off the engine and jumped out of the car, walking out to greet his friend. They hadn’t seen each other in a few days since Trace was so busy with the clothing line, and he was still trying to adjust to having to actually call Trace up if he needed help.

“Hey man!” he grinned as they embraced. His friend smiled, patting him on the back as he followed Justin into the house.

“Hey! Long time no see, how was Thanksgiving?” Trace asked as they entered through the laundry room and into the kitchen. Justin shrugged, throwing his keys onto the counter and depositing his wallet and cell phone into the basket on the counter.

“Good…it was weird not seeing you though. First Thanksgiving we haven’t seen each other man, what’s up with that?” Justin asked, pulling out two beers from the refrigerator. He easily slid one to Trace and they both settled into seats at the counter, swinging back and forth on the stools.

Trace nodded, taking a sip of his beer. “I did my thing with Joanna’s family this year.”

“Yeah? How was that, meeting the ‘rents and all?” Justin asked, taking a swig of his beer. He sighed, content with his day. First he had been amazingly laid last night, and now he was reconnecting with his best friend. What more could he ask for?

“It was pretty good, actually. Joanna’s dad is like, the funniest old man ever. He reminds me of your grandfather,” Trace laughed. “So what’s up with you and Kelen? Any progression?”

Justin smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “You tell me, I just got back from her place.” Trace’s eyes bugged out as his shoulders shook with laughter.

“No way! Congrats man…so all of that shit about you bringing home that chick, Megan, was a lie?”

Justin raised his eyebrows suspiciously as he brought his beer to his lips. “What? How’d you know about that man?” Trace frowned slightly, looking down at his watch distractedly.

“Well, I mean…Rachel told me about it. But, dude, has your PR not called you? There are pictures of you two leaving the club all over the Internet. They linked her back to the pictures from the summer, too,” Trace winced, giving his friend a concerned look. Justin reached over for his phone, sighing when he realized it had died of batteries when he was driving Kelen to work.

“Fuck, are you serious?” He groaned, plugging his phone into the charger. He powered up the phone and quickly dialed his voicemail, bringing the phone to his ear. He winced when he heard the familiar voice of Ken Sunshine reprimanding him and demanding they meet immediately. The next message was from his mom, almost as equally upset with him. “Damn, the mom knows too.” Trace mirrored his wince, frowning as he watched Justin dial his mother’s number quickly.

“Hey momma,” he greeted.

“Hey baby. Did you talk to Ken yet?” she immediately asked.

“Uh…no. I just got his message. My phone died and Trace just told me about everything. So what’s the deal? Does Ken think he can fix any of it? Or are we just sitting tight?” he asked, nervously nibbling on his bottom lip. Sometimes he really did hate his job, especially when it came to the paparazzi.

“Well…the pictures are pretty clear, Justin. They have clear shots of her face, and in both pictures you two are wearing different clothes. I mean, the pictures aren’t too bad. You’re just following each other to the car…but that’s not what Ken’s worried about. Your behavior is something he referenced a lot,” she answered, sighing into the phone. “I’m worried about you too, J. What happened with that girl, Kelen, you were telling me about? I thought things were going well with you two.”

Justin sighed, flicking off Trace when he saw him laughing quietly in his seat. “They were…they are still.”

“Then who’s this girl in the pictures?”

“I was just incredibly drunk and pissed off. It’s a long story, momma, but I made a huge mistake. I don’t really want to talk about it. But I didn’t do anything with her. If that makes you feel any better,” he pursed his lips, waiting for his mom’s verdict. He hated disappointing her.

“It does. I think you should go in and see Ken A.S.A.P… and then brace Kelen. The pictures will surely come up on the entertainment news tonight, and will probably go to print tomorrow,” she advised. He nodded tapping his fingers on top of the counter. The day had just made a turn for the worse.

“Yeah, alright, Momma. I’ll go call Ken now.”

“Alright. And don’t worry about anything, baby. You’ve been through worse situations. Give me a call after you talk to him.”

“I will, bye.” He said before ending the call. He sighed and turned to look at Trace, who was now sitting by the counter with Rachel. She smiled at him, handing him a wrapped deli sandwich.

“Roast turkey and swiss,” she smiled, hoping it would ease his stress. “So how did your date with Kelen go?”

He smiled as he opened his sandwich, nodding his head. “Really well, actually. I mean, I got to sleep over…so I assume she approved of the sushi, golf, and picnic.”

“You set up a picnic?” Trace choked out, attempting to contain his laughter. “Dude, what the fuck did you DO with Megan? You had to pull out the picnic trick?” Justin rolled his eyes and continued to shove the sandwich down his throat, realizing how hungry he was. He smiled as he was reminded as to why he was so hungry in the first place. The image of Kelen moaning out his name underneath him would forever be engrained in his mind, looking as beautiful as ever. Rachel explained to Trace the whole situation as Justin finished his sandwich and called Ken, hoping he wouldn’t be in for too brutal of a lecture. He was a grown man, after all. He didn’t need to be reprimanded like a five year-old. After changing into a pair of jeans and a new shirt and hoodie, Justin jogged back down the stairs, sliding into the kitchen with ease.

“Okay kids,” he sighed after downing his glass of water. “I have to meet Ken and then drive back to Kelen’s to talk to her before she gets news of these pictures. I’ll talk to you later man, you in for some hoops later?”

Trace bobbed his head, moving to stand up as well. “Yeah. Don’t forget that we have a meeting with the designers on Thursday. Ten AM.” Justin nodded and looked over at Rachel as Trace left, raising an eyebrow at her as she studied him.

“What?”

“Nothing…I just can’t believe you actually got with Kelen. She must like you a whole lot more than I thought, if she let you off the hook that quickly.”

Justin shrugged cockily, smirking at his cousin as he slid on a pair of sunglasses. “What can I say? I’m just too damn irresistible.” She rolled her eyes dramatically and threw a pretzel at his back as he walked out of the kitchen. Laughing when he merely wiggled his butt at her in response.

Justin sat across a large mahogany desk, rocking back and forth in his seat comfortably as he waited for Ken Sunshine to come in. As he peered around the expansive office, he realized there must be a reason this guy charged so much for his work. He knew what he was doing, and had been doing a good job for a long time now, so Justin saw no reason as to why he was being called in to the office for a few pictures of him leaving a club with a girl. Especially since the pictures did not even show him touching or even looking at the girl. Justin sighed wearily, looking up when he heard the door open.

“Hey,” he stood up, shaking his publicist’s hand. Ken nodded his head, sliding into his seat across the desk.

“So, Justin. How are you?” Ken smiled as he adjusted papers on his desk.

“I’m doin’ pretty good man. So…what exactly is the problem here?”

“Well I asked you to come in here today because your management team and I have some concerns with your recent behavior in public.”

Justin scoffed, immediately becoming ticked off with Ken’s implications. “My recent behavior? Ken, they’re just pictures of us leaving a club. I don’t see how I’m not allowed to leave a club with a girl. Especially if that girl is just a friend.”

“There isn’t a problem with that. My concern here is that they’ve linked your ‘friend’ from Saturday to the same girl seen with you at clubs multiple times over the summer. And there have also been pictures of you with another female companion during the same time period,” Ken began tapping his fingers on his desk as he shifted through his papers. He located a manila folder and handed it across to Justin, frowning slightly. “You’ve done this for years, Justin. You know how it looks when they see you bouncing around town from girl to girl…it is not a very good image. I understand that you’re going to do what you want, but I want to warn you that the paparazzi are going to be even more cutthroat in following you around now. You should probably try to lay low for a few days as you begin your next record. Try not to go out too much.”

Justin nodded silently as he looked through the pictures in the folder, many of which were from the summer. Pictures of him leaving clubs with Megan, Courtney Raines, and other various blondes or brunettes. The last few pictures were of him with Kelen, and he sighed when he saw there were pictures of him on his date yesterday with Kelen on the golf course. “Wait…when did they get these shots? These were just from yesterday.”

“Well news spreads fast over the Internet,” Ken nodded gravely, peering at Justin through his glasses. “We’re not releasing any statements about the other pictures of you from the club since they are relatively innocent. But once they catch news that you’re also spending time with your blond friend here, everything will blow out of proportion.”

Justin frowned as he slid the pictures back into the folder and placed it on the table. “Alright. So I’ll just stay out of the public…lay low. Thanks Ken.” He stood up and nodded at Ken before quickly leaving the office. He hated dealing with this sort of stuff. Why couldn’t he just make music and be left alone? He drove quickly through the traffic, angry at the fact that the paparazzi were continuing to cause stress on his relationship with Kelen. He parked behind the shop and dialed Kelen’s number, praying that she had her cell phone with her.

“Hello?” she answered, much to his surprise.

“Hey…I need to talk to you. Can you come get me? I’m in the back,” he said, pulling his hood up to cover his head as he slid out of his car.

“Uh…yeah. Sure. Bye,” she replied quizzically. He locked his Jeep and looked around. The back of the shop was deserted, but the paparazzi had a sneaky way of hiding around corners or behind bushes. The back door opened and she smiled at him as he walked up. Once the door was closed he let himself smile at her, leaning down for a quick kiss.

“Hey,” he sighed against her lips.

“What’s going on? I thought you were coming to get me at five oh one,” she teased, her eyebrow raising suspiciously. He nodded and looked around, noticing that they were in a little hallway.

“Is there somewhere we can talk privately? I need to tell you about some stuff,” he said softly. She looked up at him strangely before nodding and leading him into a small office. The light yellow walls were adorned with pictures of her friends and family, as well as various newspaper clippings about her shop. All of her pride and joy was on these walls. She gestured to the arm chair in the corner and sat down in the seat at her desk, watching quietly as he sat down.

She looked down at her hands nervously, biting her bottom lip. “What’s wrong, Justin? You’re kind of scaring me here.”

“I just came from my publicist’s office. Apparently, they got some pictures of me…leaving the club on Saturday. With…well you know,” he frowned. “I just wanted to warn you, before you read it or saw it somewhere else.”

“Well…I mean I already knew about that. I don’t see why you had to warn me.”

“I didn’t fully explain the whole story,” he sighed and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Megan wasn’t exactly a stranger. I met her earlier this year, and we hung out a few times over the summer. There were pictures of us together over the summer, and apparently some of the magazines have linked her back to then.”

Kelen eyed him suspiciously, saying “So…you have slept with her before?” He gave a small nod, bracing himself for the worst. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“I didn’t think it mattered…she was my past. I wasn’t planning on seeing or talking about her again,” he frowned, watching as she averted his glance. He could see her closing up, just like how she was in his kitchen. And he hated that, he hated that he was hurting her like this.

“Okay, well. There’s nothing we can do about it now, right? I mean…you don’t have feelings for her anymore?” she turned to him, biting her lip apprehensively.

He shook his head, leaning forward to grab her hands. He pulled her over, her rolling chair skidding across the floor with ease. “I never had feelings for her like that. We were just…friends with benefits. And even then…I’ve only been with her like that twice. And that was a long time ago.” His hand came up and brushed against her cheek tenderly, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Are you mad?”

She shrugged, looking down at her hands. “Not really…I can’t be mad at you for something you did when I didn’t even know you. I’m just disappointed you couldn’t tell me this before.”

“I know,” he nodded, frowning. “I should have told you, but I was scared. I didn’t want to upset you even more. Maybe you wouldn’t have given me another chance to make it up to you.” She nodded understandingly, smiling softly.

“That would have been a shame,” the glimmer in her eyes told him he was forgiven and he chuckled, pulling her onto his lap. He held her chin in his hand, his eyes roaming over her features before leaning in and placing an apologetic kiss on her lips.

After a few more gentle kisses, he pulled away, smiling, “It would have been a damn shame because I wouldn’t be able to kiss you like this.” She smirked as he hugged her close to him, leaning back in the chair. They sat there quietly, her hand scratching against the back of his head as he told her about his meeting with Ken. He told her about the pictures of their date and explained how he would have to lay low for awhile, meaning stay within his gated community for most of the day.

“So you can’t pick me up later?” she asked, brushing some stray cookie crumbs off of her jeans. He shook his head, frowning.

“Nah, sorry. They’ll just pick up on the fact you work here and they’ll camp out here. Can you find another ride home?” She nodded and looked over at the clock on her wall.

“Yeah. But you should probably go now; the lunch crowd is coming in,” she sighed as she got off his lap. He nodded and stood up, holding on to her slim waist as he pulled her closer. He leaned in for another kiss, smiling when she wrapped her arms around his neck for a deeper kiss. After a few seconds of just enjoying the kiss, she pulled away reluctantly with a small smile on her slightly swollen lips. He smirked as he daringly squeezed her bottom before completely stepping away.

“So can you come to my place tonight? I’ll order in some Italian and we can have a movie night?” Kelen nodded and led him out to the back door, pulling it open quietly.

“See you at six,” she grinned. He pulled up his hoodie and slid on a pair of glasses, nodding at her as he stepped past and jogged to his car. Kelen watched him climb into his car before she shut the door, leaning against it as she collected her thoughts. Just how many friends with benefits had he had over the summer? She heard a shatter of glass and sighed, before pushing herself forward and walking to the front of the shop. As much as she loved experimenting with new recipes and serving coffee, running a business was hard work, and sometimes she just wished she could take a sick day and sleep in.

==========================

Kelen groaned as she felt a warm wet tongue lick her toes, pulling her out of her deep sleep. She opened one eye and peered over the bed at one of Justin’s dogs, Brennen to be exact, who sat on the floor gazing back at her. It had been one month since she and Justin had first been together, and she was beginning to stay over at his home more frequently since he was continuing to stay out of the public eye. Buckley and Brennen were getting accustomed to her presence now, expecting her to feed them breakfast every morning. But today, she just couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed. Justin had been particularly eager last night and she hadn’t been able to actually fall asleep until about three o’clock in the morning, when they had collapsed into a heap of tangled limbs.

She felt a warm hand run across her naked back and smiled as she felt Justin warm lips on her cheek. “Good morning,” Justin’s raspy voice mumbled against her ear. She turned on to her back and smiled at him as he propped his head up with his elbow.

“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. His eyes darted over to the clock before coming back to look at her.

“Nine. You don’t have work today, do you?” He pulled her closer to him, his hand trailing up and down her side. Kelen shook her head and groaned softly as he smirked at her, his eyes developing an familiar twinkle. She knew that look, and it usually meant they would spend the next hour in absolute bliss. But she was just too tired and sore this morning. “Good…I’m not recording today either.” He rolled above her and kissed her deeply as his hand brushed her dark blonde hair out of her face.

“Justin…can’t we just sleep some more?” she asked as his hands trailed down to her leg. “Didn’t you have enough last night?”

He shook his head as he grinned, bringing his hand back up to cup her face. “Never. I could never get enough of you.” She rolled her eyes at him, scrunching up her nose as he placed a kiss on it. “You sore, babe?”

She nodded bashfully, her eyes fluttering shut as his hand traced over her breasts. “You worked me out good last night….I’m freaking exhausted.” He smirked confidently, nodding his head as he pulled his hand way. He kissed her pouting lips before rolling off of her and on to his back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Fine, I’ll let you sleep. I need to go to the gym, anyway.” She sighed as she rolled on to her stomach and watched him get out of bed and pull on a pair of boxers. He leaned over her and placed another kiss on her forehead before walking over to his closet.

“Come back, we only got six hours of sleep last night. And Sundays are our days…” she whined. She heard him chuckle before he reappeared in the doorway, wearing basketball shorts and pulling on a wife beater over his head.

“I know, but I haven’t gone in awhile and I already called up Jason. I’ll be back by the time you wake up again,” he reasoned. She snuggled into the plush pillows and shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine,” she pouted. After Justin brushed his teeth and washed his face, he came back out, chuckling to himself when he saw that she was still awake. She frowned at him and then looked over to his dogs, who were both sitting next to the bed staring at her. “Will you please feed your dogs? Brennen keeps giving me the look, and you know I can’t say no to her.” Justin laughed and nodded, calling their names. They both stood up and trotted over to him, licking his hand happily as he scratched their heads.

“What do you want for lunch, babe? I’ll pick something up on my way back,” he looked over at her as he walked over to the door. She shrugged and he took that as a ‘whatever’ before pulling the door open wider, letting the dogs run out. “Alright, get some rest. We have all of tonight…” he winked, reminding her of their date later tonight. It was going to be Christmas Day in four days and they both would be flying back to their respective homes in the morning. So they planned to celebrate Christmas early and spend their last night together.

“Have fun at the gym, babe,” she replied before pulling the sheets over her head. Two hours later, Kelen finally forced herself out of bed and took a shower in Justin’s expensive bathroom. She had decided after her first night at his house, that if she was rich, the bathroom would be the place she would spend money on. His shower and Jacuzzi tub were absolutely heavenly. She had just finished changing into a pair of jeans and a tank-top when the door opened and Justin walked in, his phone pressed to his ear.

“Yeah, alright man. I think that sounds great. Thanks, Johnny. Merry Christmas,” he smiled when his eyes landed on Kelen and hung up on the call, throwing his cell phone onto the bed.

Kelen sat down on his bed, watching him pull off his sweaty shirt and throw it haphazardly into his closet. “How was your workout?”

“Good…I stayed a little longer than expected. But it was nice,” he smiled and leaned down, giving her a quick kiss before pulling away and looking down at her. “I brought some sandwiches back for us. Let me take a quick shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.” Kelen nodded and stood up, walking out of the bedroom to let him shower. She walked down to the kitchen and smiled when she saw Tiffany and Rachel standing around the center island, looking over various catalogues.

“Hey guys,” she greeted. Both girls looked up and smiled at her, greeting her back.

“We’re about to go do some last minute shopping, care to join us?” Tiffany asked as she threw her sleek black hair up into a pony tail.

She shook her head as she pulled open the refrigerator door. “Nah…I did all of my shopping already. And I have to visit my brother today…but thanks anyways.” Tiffany nodded and looked back down at the catalogue that Rachel was still studying so intently. “What are you guys looking at?”

“Some of my designs,” Tiffany answered. “Trace said that he would submit some of them to his designers for me, and if they liked them, they could possibly actually produce them. But I’m having trouble choosing the ones that would fit into the William Rast line.” Kelen finished pouring herself a glass of orange juice before stepping over to look at the designs over Rachel’s shoulder.

Rachel stopped at a page and pointed down at a sketch, “This skirt and jacket outfit is so cute. I think it would work perfectly with their line.” Kelen nodded in agreement, smiling as Tiffany folded the top corner of the page and nodded.

“Okay. So that’s one sketch down. What about these dress pants?” she flipped a few pages and pointed to another sketch. By the time Justin came down, freshly showered, the girls had already picked five different sketches to show Trace. Tiffany and Rachel said their goodbyes and left to go shopping, leaving Justin and Kelen in the kitchen. He handed her a sandwich and took his own, sitting on a stool at the counter. She slid into the stool next to him and bit into her sandwich, smiling when she noticed it had been prepared just the way she liked it. It was the little things he did and noticed that made her like him so much.

“So what do you wanna do today? It is our day after all,” Justin chuckled. For the past month, their schedules had just happened to work out so that they had all of Sunday to spend together. Kelen had first noticed it and began to call it ‘our day’ as a joke, but Justin had started to actually refer to Sundays as ‘our day’ when he would talk to her.

Kelen shrugged as she took a swig of her juice. “I actually have to visit my brother today, it’s his birthday and I visit him every year. Do you want to, maybe… come with me?” she asked. It would be the first time Justin had met anyone in her family, and she wanted Alex to be the first since he was the one she spent the most time around. So far in their relationship, Justin had been extremely understanding when she would have to drop their plans in order to deal with a problem related to Alex, and she wanted him to finally meet her brother.

“Sure…that sounds like fun. I should probably call Mike first, though,” he remarked as he finished his sandwich. Kelen nodded and finished her own sandwich, smiling when he stood up and cleaned up her trash for her.

“Okay, you go do that while I go wrap Alex’s present. Where do you keep the tape?” she asked. He pulled out a drawer from underneath the counter and handed her a roll of Scotch tape, tapping her butt as she walked past him. Thirty minutes later, they were sitting in a black SUV as Mike, Justin’s bodyguard, drove them to the Riverside Community. They pulled up next to the building and Justin opened the door and slipped out, helping Kelen out of the large car. The three quietly walked through the sliding glass doors, stopping in the lobby to check in.

“Hi Ellen,” Kelen greeted the older woman standing behind the front desk. Ellen turned around and smiled at Kelen, reaching over the counter to give her a hug.

“Kelen! How are you? He’s been waiting for you all morning,” Ellen smiled. She looked over towards Justin and Mike, and her eyes widened when she recognized the famous musician standing in front of her.

“Hi, I’m Justin,” he smiled warmly, holding his hand out. Ellen shook his hand, her smile becoming wider.

“Is it okay if they come with me?” Kelen asked. “They’ll be good, I promise.” Ellen nodded silently and Kelen led Justin and Mike down the hallway. They passed a large room where there were a number of people watching TV and playing board games. They came up to a door labeled “105” with a handmade name plate that said “Alex’s Room’ taped to the door. Kelen smiled over her shoulder at Justin and Mike before holding up her hand and knocking loudly. After a few seconds, the door swung open and Alex immediately pulled Kelen in for a tight hug.

“Kelen!” he screamed out giddily. His eyes opened and landed on Justin and Mike, and he immediately let her go, his smile faltering slightly.

“Alex, this is Mike…and this is Justin, my boyfriend,” she smiled, moving to the side and nodding towards Justin. She rubbed Alex’s back reassuringly as Justin held out his hand, smiling at Alex.

“Hey man, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” Justin grinned. For a minute, Alex just stood in his doorway observing Justin quietly, before he smiled softly and shook Justin’s outstretched hand. “This is my bodyguard, Mike.” Justin said, turning to the large man standing behind him.

Alex tilted his head to the side in confusion, looking from Kelen to Justin. “Bodyguard?”

“Uh…well Justin is a musician, and sometimes Mike has to protect him from his fans and people taking pictures of him,” Kelen explained as they stepped into the small apartment. The front door opened up into the living room, with the kitchen space directly across from the entrance, separated from the rest of the room by a counter. Kelen sat down on the couch, and patted the seat next to her, gesturing towards Justin to sit down. He took his seat and smiled as Mike sat down at the table and Alex bustled around in the kitchen.

He came around the counter carrying a tray with glasses of water and a plate of cookies, smiling as Kelen nodded proudly. This was probably the first time he had guests who weren’t his family in his apartment, and he was doing a great job as a host. “Are you famous?” He asked as he sat down in the arm chair.

Justin nodded modestly, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess you could say that,” he answered. Kelen smiled and pulled a gift wrapped box out of her purse, handing it over to her brother.

“So, Alex, happy twenty second birthday,” she said. “This is just your birthday present…you’ll have to wait until Christmas to get your Christmas present.” Alex nodded, bobbing up and down in his seat excitedly as he carefully opened the gift. He opened the bigger of the boxes first, holding it up to his ear and shaking it.

“Lemme guess…” he pondered, listening carefully. “A DVD!” he laughed as he peeled open the gift wrapped and slid the DVD out. “National Treasure 2! Awesome.” He opened the smaller gift and a grin spread across his face when he saw that it was a wrist watch that could store the local times of different countries. “How’d you know?”

Kelen shrugged, smiling softly when he immediately took off his hold watch and put on the new one. “I saw you looking at it a few weeks ago when we went to the mall. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I love it!” He leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, rocking her side to side. “Thanks sister!” He placed a loud kiss on her cheek and sat back in his chair, fiddling with his new toy. Kelen turned to Justin and smiled when his hand began to rub her back. They sat there for a few more minutes talking about their week as Justin sat there quietly, watching as Kelen interacted with her brother. She became so much brighter and peppier when she was around him. There was a knock on the door and Alex jumped up, jogging to the door to pull it open. Justin immediately recognized the man on the other side of the door as the guy who he had seen with Kelen on the sidewalk, and he turned to Kelen, giving her a confused look.

She shrugged and stood up, walking over to the door. “Hey Eli.”

Eli smiled at her and then looked over her shoulder towards Justin and Mike, his smile disappearing from his face. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had guests over, Alex.”

“Oh, iss okay! What’s up?” Alex shrugged. Eli smiled and pulled out a gift bag from behind his back, holding it out to Alex.

“Well I heard it’s your birthday today. So happy birthday, man. I brought you a little present,” he shrugged. Alex smiled and took it, turning and walking into his apartment. Eli had no choice but to follow, giving Justin and Mike a small smile and nod before following Alex over to the table. Kelen stood next to Alex, looking over his shoulder as he took out the tissue paper and pulled out a Jenga box.

He turned to Eli and gave him a huge smile, “Jenga! I love Jenga!”

“I know,” Eli nodded. “You beat my butt in it last week, so I thought you’d like your own set.”

“Thank you so much,” Alex grinned, placing the box back into the bag.

“That’s sweet, Eli,” Kelen nodded, smiling up at him. He smiled back at her and then turned around to Mike, who was sitting at the table and held out his hand. “Oh, this is Mike and Justin, Eli.”

“Nice to meet you,” Eli smiled, shaking Mike and Justin’s hand after he had stood up and walked over to them. Kelen watched as Justin gave Eli what she liked to call his “public” smile and stood next to her, his hand immediately moving towards the small of her back possessively. She sighed quietly as Eli noticed the small movement and rocked back on his heels awkwardly. “Alright…well I have to go run a few more errands. I’ll see you later, Kelen?”

She nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah, Merry Christmas Eli.” He nodded and turned to Alex, patting a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll talk to you later, Alex. I want a Jenga rematch. And it was nice to meet you guys,” he nodded towards Justin and Mike. Alex nodded and immediately opened the Jenga box, setting the pieces up. He was in his own little world as he began to play, ignoring Kelen and Justin who were standing next to him.

“Alright Alex, I’ll see you later, okay? Ryan’s picking you up tomorrow morning and then I’ll meet you two at the airport,” Kelen said, leaning down to give her brother a hug. He nodded and looked up distractedly, nodding at Justin.

“Yeah, bye.” Kelen picked up her purse and walked over to the door, Mike and Justin following in her steps as she walked out and down the hall. As they walked out of the sliding glass doors of the building, they heard the familiar clicks of cameras and Justin turned towards the sound, frowning when he saw the three photographers standing across the parking lot. Mike immediately blocked their view and quickly ushered Justin and Kelen into the car, driving away as fast as possible. Kelen looked up at Justin as he stared out the window, his arms crossed over his chest.

“So…Who’s Eli?” he finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She rolled her eyes and turned to him, crossing her own arms over her chest.

“I told you…Eli is just a friend, Justin. His mom owns Riverside, and he’s taking over for her in a few years. My mom invited him to dinner because she was trying to set me up with him…like she has been doing for years. She didn’t know I was seeing anyone then,” she explained. “And really…this little jealousy thing you have is not attractive at all.” His face relaxed into an embarrassed smile as his hand crept out to touch her arm.

Justin scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry…I can’t help it. He was totally checking you out when Alex opened the door.”

“So what?” She rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean I was checking him out.” She continued to keep her arms crossed as he tried to hug her, apologizing for his immature behavior.

“Kelen, don’t be mad.” He frowned. They pulled up to his house and Kelen silently slid out of his arms and out of the car, walking into his home. Justin followed dejectedly, frowning when he saw Mike’s amused glance. He walked through the foyer and into the kitchen, where Kelen was pouring herself a glass of water. She looked up when his arms came around and wrapped around her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder. “I’m a moron…I’m sorry.”

She sighed and leaned back, turning her head to look at him. “I just don’t like it when you get all jealous like that. You act like I’m doing things behind your back.”

“It’s not that I think you had done anything with Eli. I just was mad that you didn’t tell me he worked at the place where your brother lives,” he shrugged, placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Why does it matter? I never talk to him…I never even see him when I go see Alex.”

Justin shrugged again, pulling away from her and leaning against the counter. Kelen stood across from him, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for a response. “I don’t know. I just feel like he has a link to this other part of you…a part that I don’t share with you.”

“You shouldn’t feel threatened by Eli, Justin. If you want to be included in that part of my life, just ask,” she smiled. “My brother is sometimes difficult to deal with, and what you saw today was one of the best moods I’ve seen him in. And sometimes people don’t know how to deal with his sudden changes in behavior. But if you really want to be included, that’s great.” He nodded and stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her hips as he gave her an impish grin.

“I do. And I’m sorry for being a dumbass,” he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

She smiled, running her hands up his chest and resting them on his shoulders. “It’s okay. Just don’t do it again…you don’t see me getting jealous of other women you record music or do music videos with. I mean, you were practically having sex with freaking Jessica Alba in your new video, and I didn’t say anything.” Justin nodded and rested his forehead against hers, staring into her green eyes.

“I know. And that’s why you’re amazing,” he smiled, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He brought his head back and grinned at her, his hands coming down to squeeze her bottom. “Let’s go have make-up sex now,” he waggled his eyebrows. Kelen let out a soft squeal as he picked her up and walked over to the stairs.

“That wasn’t even a big fight! Justin…stop it,” she whined, although she was secretly loving his playful demeanor. He knew it too because he merely chuckled and bounced her up and down in his arms.

“Okay. We can just have normal orgasmic sex then,” he shrugged as he dropped her onto his bed. He smirked down at her as he tugged his shirt over his head and crawled up the bed towards her. His hands slid up her stomach and cupped her breasts from under her shirt as his lips crashed onto hers. When he pulled away to take off her tank top, Kelen grinned up at him, her hands running down his stomach and causing chills to run down his spine.

“That, we can definitely do…” she nodded as her hands slid underneath his boxers and stroked him gently, causing him to groan into her shoulder. She smirked, loving the fact that she could make him melt with just one touch. It definitely didn’t hurt her ego when he would come home from spending his day with Hollywood actresses, his desire for her evident in his eyes with just one look at her. It just felt good knowing someone wants you as much as you want them. And right now, Justin really wanted her as he gave out another growl and pulled off her jeans and panties in one swift motion. After she had successfully rid him of his jeans as well, she rolled him onto his back, straddling his waist and trapping his hard member in between their bodies. He moaned, his hands sliding up her thighs and gripping her hips.

“Don’t fucking tease,” he whined as his eyes travelled up her body appreciatively. She continued to smirk at him, leaning down and capturing his lips with hers in a fiery kiss. His fingers continued to squeeze her sides, itching to move her body up and end his torture, but she stayed put, chuckling against his lips. Finally, she sat up and moved her hips, sinking back slowly onto him. They both let out simultaneous moans of pleasure as she started to move against him, bracing herself against his chest. Justin watched with darkened eyes as she rode him, his hands tracing up her stomach and massaging her breasts.

“Oh god,” she gasped when he thrust into her as she came back down, hitting her in just the right spot. They continued their steady rhythm, slowly building up the tension, enjoying their last night together before they would have to leave each other for a week. It would be the first time in the past month that they hadn’t seen each other every day, and Justin was determined to make tonight last. Especially since he was used to sleeping next to a warm body almost every night now.

Kelen began to rotate her hips, pulling him deeper with every motion. “Yeah…work it out, girl,” he moaned. He could feel his own orgasm approaching and quickly decided to take things in his own hands. He bent his knees, causing her to fall forward slightly, her chest now pressed against his.

“Fuck,” she hissed at the new angle as his lips devoured hers. He quickly began pounding into her, letting out a string of obscenities when she reached her peak, her walls squeezing around him. With one final thrust, he came, gasping out her name as she let out another cry and came around him again. His warm hands rubbed up and down her back as his lips placed a trail of kisses on her neck and chin. When she finally settled down from her high, Kelen gently rolled off of him and onto her back, her chest rising with every deep breath. Justin hugged her close to his side, placing a number of soft kisses on her lips and chuckling to himself.

“Shit, if that’s not make up sex…I can’t wait to have an actual fight with you,” he said as her head came to rest on his chest. She laughed, and hit him in the chest playfully as she rolled her eyes at him. After about thirty minutes of them just lying in his bed, basking in the post-coital glow, Justin sat up dislodging Kelen’s head from his chest.

“What are you doing?” she asked as he gave her a quick kiss and stood up. She sat up and watched with an amused grin as he walked across his bedroom, bare naked, and into his closet. After a few seconds, he came back out holding a small gift in his hands. A light blush crept onto her cheeks as he crawled back under the sheets and handed the present to her.

“Merry Christmas baby,” he grinned.

She smiled, looking down at the present in her hands. “I thought we said we wouldn’t exchange presents!” She looked back up at him with twinkling eyes. Justin shrugged and watched as she unwrapped the package and pulled out a flat rectangular box.

“I know…but I wanted to. Just open it already,” he urged. She sighed and nibbled on her bottom lip as she lifted the lid. She looked back at him quizzically, taking the plane ticket in her hands.

“What’s in New York City?” she asked.

He smiled bashfully, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. “I’m a special guest for Dick Clark’s New Year’s special this year. Will you fly up and ring in the New Year with me?” Her eyes widened as she nodded her head, letting out a squeal of happiness.

“Are you serious? Justin…that sounds amazing! I’d love to,” she answered, placing a loud kiss on his lips before sitting back and staring down at the ticket in amazement. “And here I thought I wasn’t going to see you until next year.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to go for more than a week without seeing you,” he admitted, picking at a loose thread on his sheets. She turned to him, rolling her eyes yet still smiling at him. He nodded his head, pulling her over to sit in between his legs. “I’m not kidding, Kelen. As cheesy as it sounds…I think about you all the time. This past month together has been so great.”

“Justin…” she smiled, turning her head to place a kiss on his jaw. “I feel the same way.” He smiled back at her, leaning back against the head board comfortably. Kelen put the ticket back in its box and dropped it onto his bedside table as she rolled away and stood up, pulling on her boy shorts and his t-shirt.

He looked up at her, confused when she ran over to her overnight bag. “What are you doing?” She turned back around with a gift in her hands, smiling slyly. “I thought we weren’t exchanging presents,” he mocked teasingly. Kelen shrugged and jumped back into bed, sitting on her knees in between his legs.

“I guess we both had the same idea,” she smiled, resting the box on his lap. He unwrapped the present and opened the lid, a smile coming to his face when he saw the set or personalized golf balls and a golf glove. “I remember you saying you lost your glove a few weeks ago…”

He nodded and moved the box to the side, pulling her towards him and kissing her softly. “I did. Thank you very much, it’s perfect.” She smiled and nodded, settling back into her position between his legs, with her back to his chest.

“You’re really hard to shop for, you know…what do you get a man who could get himself anything he wants?” she asked, as his hands rubbed up and down her thighs. Justin chuckled, his chest vibrating gently against her back.

“I can think of a few things I can’t buy.” She could actually hear the smirk on his face as his hands teasingly slid towards her inner thigh.

Kelen rolled her eyes, batting his hand away as he laughed playfully. “Perv.”

“You love it,” he answered, tickling her side. His hands stopped their attack on her and he turned on the TV, letting out a sigh when his image popped on the screen. He was about to change the channel when a picture of Kelen came on the screen.

“Who is JT’s new lady? Meet Kelen Tyler, a coffee shop owner based in Los Angeles. The two have been seen numerous times around town, but in the past few weeks, Justin has been doing a pretty good job of hiding his latest love. Today, however, the couple was spotted leaving Riverside Community, an assisted living community for the mentally handicapped. You know what they say, a couple that gives charity together, stays together,” the voice over remarked as pictures of them leaving the building flashed on the screen. “We sure hope Ms. Tyler can stick longer than Courtney Raines, this brunette, or even this other blonde.” More images of Justin leaving clubs with other girls came on the screen, before Justin quickly changed the channel, settling on a basketball game.

“Those were old pictures,” he explained quickly. Kelen turned to him, smiling reassuringly.

“I know. Don’t worry, Justin,” she smiled, placing a kiss on his jaw. “I don’t listen to any of that stuff anyways.” He hugged her tight, kissing her bare shoulder and neck. They spent the rest of the night in his bed, watching movies and eating oven-baked pizza, enjoying their last few hours together.

You know…sometimes I just hate the snow. Especially in instances like today. I flew into New York last night and it was a perfectly clear, chilly winter night. Now it’s been snowing for a good two hours and it probably won’t stop, meaning Kelen can’t fly in from Texas. I know it’s only been one week, but I fucking miss her already. I’ve only got to talk to her once since I last saw her, and that was only for about five minutes. She was supposed to already be on the plane and landing in about an hour, but now, it looks like I won’t even see her until tomorrow. New Year’s Eve is tomorrow night and I’ve been rehearsing like crazy since it will be my first live performance in a few months, so I haven’t exactly been able to talk to her. We’re doing this new medley of My Love, Until the End of Time, and What Goes Around and I’m really excited for Kelen to see it because I’m pretty sure it’ll be the first time she’s seen me live.

“Justin,” Rachel calls out as she knocks on the door. I cross the hotel room and pull open the door, smiling when I see my cousin holding a bag full of food. I’m fucking starving. Buckley and Brennen immediately run over, sniffing at the food eagerly. “Down guys,” she says sternly and they immediately stop, sitting down in their places.

“Any news from Kelen?” I ask as my cousin lays out all of the food on the table. I haven’t been able to reach Kelen since I came back from rehearsals, so Rachel’s the only person I know who might have some update for me.

“No, but last I heard, the snow might clear up in a few hours and she can leave tonight. She’s trying to take the earliest flight possible, even if it means she’ll show up here at four AM.”

I nod and sit down, biting into the juicy burger. “So what’s the schedule for tomorrow? Do I get to sleep in?”

Rachel nods as she bites into a French fry, “Yeah…your dress rehearsal isn’t until two o’clock.” My phone starts ringing and I recognize the ring tone as belonging to Kelen. I guess Rachel recognizes it too because she takes her plate and walks into the next room to watch TV, giving me some privacy.

“Hey baby,” I greet as I flip open my phone.

“Hey,” comes her voice and I feel myself instantly relax. I seriously think I’m in love with this woman already. “I’m about to seriously hurt this little kid. We’re all waiting in this airport, there’s no reason for you to let your kid think it has turned into a playground and that it is alright to run around making airplane noises and kicking me.”

I chuckle at her frustration, “Wow…that’s kind of harsh.”

“I’m sorry,” she immediately sighs. “I hate waiting around. I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” I nod, taking a sip of my drink. “Hopefully the snow will clear up soon. It does look like it’s getting lighter.”

“Hmm…it looks like your little surprise might be ruined, J. They have some entertainment show on TV right now, and they just announced that you’re rumored to be the surprise guest. That sucks,” she chuckles quietly. “NBC probably let out the rumor anyways, to get more viewers.” I nod my head in agreement. The only way they could guarantee more viewers is if they let out that I would be a surprise performer. These things can never be kept secret. “So how was Christmas?”

“Good. My mom loved the necklace, by the way. She says you have great taste and she can’t wait to meet you whenever you finally get here,” I smile.

“Really? I’m glad she liked it. But I’m kind of nervous to meet her…”

“Why?” I laugh.

“Because she’s your mom! And your best friend…if she doesn’t approve of me then I’m screwed.”

I roll my eyes as she huffs, I can practically see her worried expression. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll love you. And honestly, if she doesn’t like you, I’ll tell her she’s crazy and to suck it up.”

She laughs quietly, and I can picture her shaking her head at the ridiculous notion of me telling off my mother. “So what are you doing right now?” she asks.

I look down at my cooling food and shrug, “Eating dinner…or trying to at least.”

“Oh…okay well you go eat then. I should probably try to find something to eat too,” she answers. “Tell Rachel and your mom I said hi. I’ll see you soon, hopefully.”

“I better see you soon. Bye babe,” I answer before reluctantly ending the call. I turn back to my food and decide to see what Rachel’s doing, so I carry my plate into the next room and plop down on the couch next to her. She looks up from her veggie burger, which by the way I think tastes like cardboard, and smiles at me as I settle into my seat and watch the movie with her. Looks like I’ll be spending the night with my cousin instead of my girl tonight.

=======================

Finally, I think as I let out a relieved sigh when one of Justin’s security guys pulls the car up to the hotel. It’s three thirty in the morning, but I don’t care. I’m just happy to finally be off of that damn plane and I can’t wait to curl up and fall asleep next to Justin.

“Justin should be awake,” Eric says to me, looking over his shoulder as we walk through the deserted lobby. I smile at the thought and nod as he leads me over to the elevator and we quietly go up to the tenth floor. I feel like I’m visiting the president or something because the elevator doors open and I see another security guard standing against the wall. He nods at us as we walk by and Eric knocks on a door quietly. I can feel the butterflies starting in my stomach as I hear the door unlock. Justin pulls open the door and I can tell they must have woken him up to tell him I was coming because his hair is slightly mussed, he’s only wearing sweatpants and his eyes are all squinty. I still think he’s the most handsome thing I’ve ever seen. He lets out this huge grin when his eyes land on mine and I smile back. He’s so cute. His strong arms wrap around my body as he pulls me into a hug, lifting me off of my feet.

“Finally,” he breathes in against my ear. He presses a kiss to the side of my head and lets me in the room. I yell out thanks to Eric as Justin grabs my bags and my hand, pulling me in with him. I can’t help but immediately fall onto the bed, spreading my arms out and letting out a relieved sigh. He crawls above me and smiles, brushing the hair out of my face and finally meeting his lips to mine. I’ve missed this. After a few minutes he pulls away and smiles down at me, nuzzling his face into my neck. “I missed you so damn much.”

“Me too…I can’t believe I’m finally here,” I laugh. He rolls off of me and onto his side, propping his head up with his elbow as he looks down at me, his other hand resting on my stomach. I let out a yawn and he smiles, patting my stomach.

“We should get to bed…you look like you’re ready to pass out,” he remarks. I nod and stand up to get my clothes. I quickly brush my teeth and change into a large t-shirt, my usual sleeping attire. When I come out of the bathroom, Justin’s already wrapped up under the covers and fast asleep. I smile warmly as I turn off the light and slip into bed, trying not to stir him awake. When my head hits the pillow, I startle when I feel his hands wrap around my stomach and he pulls himself closer to wrap around my body. I guess he wasn’t asleep after all. “You smell good, new perfume?”

“Yeah…from my mom,” I laugh. It still surprises me when he notices these little things. I shut my eyes and take in a deep breath, reveling in this comfortable feeling. I’ve never felt safer or happier than in this moment.

“Goodnight,” he whispers. He nuzzles closer to me and I can feel him falling asleep as his breaths become slower.

“Goodnight,” I whisper back, closing my eyes and falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning I’m woken up by the feeling of large warm hands flattening against my stomach and warm kisses underneath my ear.

“You awake?” he whispers. I turn onto my back and see his smiling face before his lips crash onto mine. I should have expected this kind of wake up call. His hands trail up and massage my breasts, his thumbs expertly tweaking my nipples into hardened peaks. He pulls away and takes off his shirt as I pull mine off as well. We both giggle at each other’s anticipation, knowing how much we’ve been waiting for this reunion. His lips capture mine once again as his hands trail down and rub me through my cotton panties, smirking when he feels how wet I am.

“Oh god,” I moan as he pushes my panties to the side and slides his fingers against my wet folds.

He smiles and I move my head to let him attack my neck. “You always this wet for me, baby?” I nod wordlessly against his lips, moaning when he begins to suck on that spot underneath my ear that really gets me going. His hands pull away from me, and I let out a disappointed moan, my eyes popping open to watch him. He quickly pulls off my underwear and his fingers immediately slide back into me, as I arch my back off of the bed.

“Shit,” I gasp as his fingers expertly twist inside of me and his thumb rubs against my clit. I’ve forgotten how well he knows my body. He knows exactly what spots to touch and how to send me into a frenzy of pleasure. My hands rake down his chest and slip off his sweatpants as he pants against my lips. I can feel how hard he is already and smile when he moans as I brush my fingers against him. He tugs his fingers away from my body and before I can moan out a protest, he roughly slides himself into me, both of us groaning out each other’s name loudly. He stays still as I stretch to accommodate to his size, his lips continuing to attack that spot under my ear. Finally he starts to move and I let out another moan of pleasure as I wrap my legs around his slim waist.

“Been too long,” he grunts as he holds himself up on his hands and hammers into me. He’s never been this rough before, and if possible, it’s turning me on even more. I brace myself against the headboard as he continues to thrust into me, letting out moans of pleasure as his pelvic bone presses against my clit. “I don’t think I can last much longer,” he breaths. My legs slip off of his waist and he moves his arms so that the back of my knees are knocking against them. He grinds into me even deeper than he has before, and all of my nerve endings send sparks of pleasure all over my body.

“Oh god,” I scream, hoping to god these hotel walls are sound proof. My walls continue to squeeze and convulse around him as my body shudders underneath his. He smirks and thrusts down deep, releasing his warm cum into me as he moans my name. We’re both panting as he places soft kisses along my jaw, his body still buried inside of me. I don’t think we’ve ever finished that quickly, ever. He brings his head up to glance at the clock and lets out a low chuckle, rolling off of me gently.

“Wow... seventeen minutes,” he grins. I roll my eyes and he pulls me closer, covering my lips with his. “Now for round two,” he winks as he pulls my leg over his hip, both of us facing each other as we lay on our sides. I can feel him start to harden again against my thigh as his fingers trail down towards my sore nub. “I told you I missed you.” He grabs my face and attacks my lips, his hands expertly massaging my breasts. He positions himself at my entrance and I groan when he slides in with ease. This new angle allows him to touch spots I didn’t think even existed.

“Damn J,” I mumble and kiss his swollen lips as his arms pull me closer to him. I grind my hips against his, and he lets out a moan of appreciation, his eyes gazing into mine as we move together. The combination of his eyes, his lips, and his hips is too much for me, and I feel the familiar sensation in my stomach building up again. He rolls onto his back and lets me take the lead for the remainder, his hands raking up my thighs and spanning across my lower stomach as I ride him. I’m slowly building up my release, holding out for as long as possible. I lean forward, my hands now resting on either side of his head. Justin takes the opportunity to suck one of my nipples into his mouth, his tongue circling around the hardened nub.

“Come on, Kelen…almost there,” he whispers as his fingers grip my hips and slam me down onto him, causing me to scream out once again and clamp my muscles around him. He lets out a grunt and arches off of the bed, grunting out my name. He continues to leave an aimless trail of kisses on my face as I regain consciousness, my limp body still covering him. When I finally open my eyes, his bright blue ones are smiling at me as I roll off of him and lay by his side, my head laying on his warm chest. He reaches forward and pulls the sheets over our bodies, placing a kiss on my head.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he whispers, as if trying not to disrupt the calm silence. I nod and tilt my head up towards his, asking for another kiss. He accepts and places a soft kiss on my lips before pulling back and shutting his eyes. “Sleep time.”

“When do you have to wake up?” I ask, realizing it’s already ten o’clock in the morning.

“Don’t worry about it…you just sleep,” he mumbles back. The slow circles he’s rubbing on my back are so relaxing, and I quickly fall asleep, his heart beating against my ear.

===========================

When Kelen woke up a few hours later, Justin’s side of the bed was empty, and a note was lying on his pillow along with a single rose. Kelen smiled to herself, pulling herself into a sitting position as she lifted the rose to her nose and read the note.

Morning, or should I say, afternoon baby, you looked so peaceful I couldn’t wake you. I’m at rehearsals and I’ll be back by 4. Feel free to order any food. I’m sure you worked up an appetite this morning…Justin.

She looked over at the clock reading 2:45 and sighed, realizing that she had indeed worked up an appetite as her stomach began growling. She quickly ordered some breakfast and took a shower, washing away the lingering scent of airplane and sex off her body. She was still working on her breakfast when the hotel door opened softly and Justin walked in, wearing a hoodie and basketball shorts. His eyes searched for her and spotted her in the other room on the couch, where she was watching TV.

“Hey,” she smiled as he walked over to her. “How was your rehearsal?” He shrugged and sat down on the couch, reaching a hand forward to steal a slice of cantaloupe off her plate.

“Good. Did you just get up?” he asked, gesturing towards the pajama pants and bathrobe she was wearing.

Kelen shook her head, “Nope. I woke up about an hour ago, just finished showering.”

“I should do the same,” he said, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her lips before standing up. He pulled his hoodie and the t-shirt underneath off and threw them in the direction of his suitcase as he walked over to the bathroom. “Do you want to go do some shopping later?”

“I’m always willing to do some shopping,” she joked.

Justin nodded and popped his head out of the bathroom, “Good, I’ll be done in twenty minutes and we can go.” Thirty minutes later they were standing in the hallway with Rachel, waiting for Justin’s mom. Kelen fidgeted nervously, playing with the gold necklace that Ryan had given to her for her graduation. Justin noticed her movements and smiled, hugging her tight and placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Stop fidgeting…she won’t bite,” he whispered encouragingly. Kelen nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She had never been this nervous to meet a parent before. But Justin meant a lot to her, and his mom was his world, if Lynn Harless didn’t like Kelen, she didn’t know what would happen to their relationship. A door down the hall opened and a petite woman with curly blonde hair walked out, a cell phone pressed to her ear.

“Sorry guys,” she called out to them as she rushed towards them. “I had to deal with some scheduling issues.”

Kelen smiled as Justin’s hand squeezed hers before he spoke up. “Momma, have you met Kelen?” Lynn’s blue eyes looked over towards the blonde in her son’s arms, smiling warmly at the young woman. Kelen smiled back, extending her hand. Instead, Lynn reached forward and pulled her in for a hug.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Kelen. Justin’s told me so much about you, I feel like I know you already,” she grinned, her southern accent easing Kelen’s doubts immediately. Justin grinned as the two parted and Lynn began talking to Eric about security issues. The group walked over towards the elevator and Justin wrapped his arm around Kelen’s neck, hugging her close.

“See?” he asked. She rolled her eyes and hit him in the stomach lightly.

“Yeah…you were right. But don’t go getting a big head or anything,” she mumbled back. He chuckled lightly as the elevator doors opened and they piled in, both of Justin’s security guards taking up a large amount of the small space. As soon as the doors opened, they spotted the small crowd standing at the front of the hotel, peering through the glass doors. Eric and Mike immediately moved to Justin’s sides as they quickly strolled through the lobby. Kelen looked over to Rachel who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Welcome to the madness,” she laughed as the doors slid open and flashes started going off.

“Justin, what are you doing here in New York? Who’s your new girlfriend? Justin, how was your Christmas? How long are you staying here?” they all called out. Kelen put her head down, hiding her face as Mike quickly ushered her through the crowd and into the SUV. They all climbed into the car and sped off, Justin letting out a sigh.

“Damn,” he complained. “Where the hell did they come from? They weren’t there when we came back from rehearsals.”

“Someone must have seen you go in and tipped them off while you were inside,” Lynn shrugged. “Oh well. I talked to the store managers, and managed to get them to close down the shops. So that won’t be a problem. We only have a few hours though, Justin. You have to be back at eight if you want time to eat and relax before warming up. They have you coming out right before midnight too, so that gives you some time.” Justin nodded as he stared out of the window, his hand wrapping around Kelen’s. He turned his head and smiled at her.

“You okay?”

Kelen nodded, smiling back at him. “Yeah…I’m fine.” Their first stop was a Nike store, where Justin insisted he needed more basketball shorts and shoes. Watching Justin shop for shoes was like watching a child in a candy store, and Kelen just had to stand back and watch as he pointed at random shoes on the wall. She retreated to the back with Rachel instead, looking for new jogging clothes.

“So how was your flight?” Rachel asked, as she held up a pink sports bra and added it to the other articles hanging over her arm.

“Eh…it sucked. At least there wasn’t any turbulence,” Kelen shrugged. Rachel nodded and leaned against a rack as she watched Kelen shop.

“I hear ya…I hate airplanes. Sucks for me that my job consists of being on them for 60% of the time.” Kelen laughed, nodding her head when she spotted a cute hoodie. Rachel sighed as she spotted an employee walking out of the supply closet with at least six boxes in his arms.

“I have no idea why he even shops. He gets so much shit for free, it’s ridiculous,” she commented, watching as Justin eagerly opened a box and pulled the sneakers out. Kelen looked over towards Justin and laughed, shaking her head.

“Oh to be a rich international star,” she answered. A few minutes later, Justin walked up to the girls, nodding at them when they turned around to look at him.

“You girls ready? I’m only getting one pair this time, Rachel,” he looked at her pointedly. She smirked back, shrugging her shoulders and walking towards the register. He laughed and looked over at Kelen. “Come on…give me your stuff,” he smiled, holding out his hand. Kelen raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

“Why?”

He stared back at her, shaking his hand a little. “Because I’m paying. Come on, it’ll be my new year’s gift for you,” he reached his hand forward and grabbed the two hangers from her and turned around. She followed him to the register silently, smiling as he politely struck up a conversation about basketball with the sales person. They continued on their shopping trip, stopping by FAO Schwarz to find gifts for Justin’s younger half-brothers. They were visiting him sometime in January, and he had promised them some cool gifts since he hadn’t been able to visit them in a year. Walking through the large toy store was an interesting experience, because they couldn’t close down the whole store just for Justin. Everywhere they went, a gaggle of people followed a few yards behind, snapping pictures on camera phones and digital cameras. A few brave girls asked him for pictures, and he politely obliged, taking the next twenty minutes to take pictures with about twenty people. It was weird seeing so many people adore your boyfriend, coming up to him with complete admiration in their faces. He was able to charm fans of all ages, ranging from 8 to 58 years old.

“Alright ladies, I need to get back to shopping or I’ll be in big trouble,” he joked, flashing them his famous smile. The girls nodded and walked away excitedly and Justin turned toward Kelen, holding out his hand. She slid hers into his, leaning against his shoulder as they walked towards the section of science experiments.

“Do your brothers like science? Some of those look cool,” she pointed. Justin shook his head, continuing down the lane.

“Nah, I think I’ll get them some video games and maybe a magic kit. Stephen likes magic,” he said, letting go of her hand and walking over to pick up a box. Kelen turned around and smiled at Rachel and Lynn, both of whom had picked up a few gifts as well. Her cell phone began to ring, and Kelen quickly answered it, recognizing Alex’s ring tone.

“Alex? What’s up buddy?” she answered.

“Where are you?” he answered.

“I’m in New York City, Alex. Remember? I’m celebrating New Years here with Justin. What’s wrong?” she asked, hearing him sniff.

“Come back now,” he demanded. Kelen sighed, stepping away from Justin’s curious glances. “My hand hurts.”

Kelen frowned as he continued to complain about his hand hurting and how he had tripped while he was taking a walk with their mom earlier in the day. “Alex, why don’t you ask mom to look at it?”

“She did…but it still hurts. And it’s getting bigger.”

“Is it getting swollen?”

“Yah,” he answered.

“Alex, you might have fractured your hand or wrist. Why don’t you go ask mom to take you to the doctors?” She suggested, becoming more worried. Alex didn’t do well with injuries, and he had the tendency to get extremely upset very quickly.

“NO DOCTOR!” he yelled down the line and proving her point. “You can fix it,” he reasoned. “Come back now. You’re always gone now, never around to play.”

“Alex, that’s not true. I still see you every Wednesday,” she replied, upset that he was accusing her of neglecting him.

“So! You don’t call me so much. You’re too busy now,” he argued.

Kelen sighed again, shaking her head. “Alex. I’m sorry, but I have a lot of things on my plate right now. I’m going to call mom and you’re going to the doctor, okay? It’ll be fine, the doctor will fix it up for you.” She heard a soft thud and winced when Alex cried out in pain.

“OW!” he screamed out, beginning to cry. “Stupid wall!” He began screaming and Kelen heard her mother’s concerned yell in the background.

“Hello? Kelen?” her mom’s voice came over the line. “What happened?” Kelen could hear her father soothing Alex in the background as Alex continued to scream in pain.

“I think he fractured his hand, mom. Can you take him to the hospital?”

“Yes, that’s what we’re doing now. Alex and I were just waiting for your father to return with the car because mine’s in the shop. I have to go, now. We’ll talk to you later, honey. Have fun in New York City,” her mom said before hanging up quickly. Kelen sighed as she closed her phone, turning around to see Justin’s concerned expression as he came up to her.

“Everything okay?” he asked, placing a hand on the small of her back. She nodded and they continued over to the cash register, a small group of people still following them from a distance.

Kelen ran her hand over her face tiredly, “It was just Alex…being Alex. Don’t worry,” she offered a small smile when he looked at her. He looked like he was about to respond, but instead turned around and paid for his purchases. The group made their way back to the car and parted ways when both Lynn and Rachel decided they would do some more shopping before meeting Justin before his performance. Justin and Kelen rode back to the hotel in relative silence, with Kelen worrying about her brother’s outburst and Justin worrying about Kelen’s sudden change in mood.

“Hey, Kelen? What’re you in the mood for?” he asked when they had settled into his hotel room. She looked over at his position on the couch, where he was holding up the room service menu.

She shrugged and walked over, sitting down next to him. “I dunno…the oriental chicken salad and tomato soup sound good,” she said, peering down at the menu in his hands. He nodded and picked up the phone, ordering her food and salmon and rice for himself. He settled back on the couch, throwing his arm around her shoulder as he turned the TV on.

“Wanna watch a movie?” She nodded silently and his lips turned into a slight frown towards her sullen demeanor. “Kel, what’s wrong? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?”

“Just something Alex said,” she shrugged. “He hurt his hand and he wanted me to come help him, which is expected. But…he said something about how I’m never around anymore.” Justin nodded, his hand rubbing her thigh comfortingly.

“You know that’s not true. He was just in pain…he didn’t mean anything he said,” he offered. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Plus, your parents are there to take care of him. You just relax and have fun tonight, okay? It’s New Year’s Eve after all.” He winked at her as he pulled her into his lap, situating her feet onto the cushions. Kelen smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head against his shoulder, her lips placing soft kisses on his neck and under his ear. He let out a low moan when her tongue swiped against his skin and turned his head to look at her, “As amazing as that feels, you’re gonna have to stop, babe. I won’t be able to act on it.”

Kelen pouted, raising her head to look at him better, “Why not? You don’t have to be there until ten o’clock.”

“I have a strict no-sex limit for at least five hours before a show. I can’t go up there and be all exhausted and shit,” he shook his head. Kelen nodded, laying her head back down on his shoulder as his hands rubbed up and down her jean covered legs.

“Fine,” she said, reaching for the remote and changing the channel. “Let’s watch a chick flick then.” Justin groaned, throwing his head back dramatically as Kelen settled on watching Mean Girls. She smirked at his expression, wiggling her hips over his thighs. “Come on, don’t you like Lindsay?” He merely groaned in response and grabbed her hips, stopping them from their movements.

“If you stop that, I’ll watch,” he said sternly. She giggled, nodding her head and settling back against his chest. She honestly didn’t want to have sex with him that badly, she just loved seeing his tortured expressions. There was a knock on the door and Kelen stood up, shuffling over to the door. She swung it open and smiled when she saw Mike with the cart of food.

“Hey Mike,” she smiled, opening the door wider.

“Hey Kelen, here’s your dinner,” he answered, pushing the door into the room. He nodded at Justin who had stood up to see who was at the door. “You’re lucky I was out there and caught the girl before she came to the door. She looked ready to piss her pants at the thought of seeing you.” Justin laughed when Mike imitated the server who he had intercepted the food from. They had had some bad experiences in the past with room service, so every time Justin ordered from now on, one of the security guys would have to take the food and bring it to him in person.

“Thanks man,” Justin smiled as Kelen took the food and transferred it to the table. “We’ll just be in here the whole time, so you don’t need to stand out there anymore. We’re good.”

Mike rolled his eyes as he walked over to the door. “Yeah, last time I heard that, you ended up at a strip joint with JC and Lance in Miami. Don’t act like I don’t know you, boy.” Justin laughed, nodding his head at Kelen’s surprised expression.

“Fine, suit yourself. Stand out there all night,” Justin shouted back as the door clicked shut. He turned back around and smiled at Kelen, who was sitting at the table. He sat down next to her, lifting the metal cover off of his plate. “Bon appétit,” he said, grinning at her.

=====================================

Kelen looked around anxiously at the masses of people standing in the streets of Times Square. She, Rachel, Lynn, and Justin’s step father, were standing on a risen platform above the masses that was designated for VIPs. She could see the curious glances of some girls who recognized Lynn and Rachel, wondering who she was and why she was with Justin’s family. She kept a soft smile plastered to her face, excited to be in New York for the New Year’s. Even if she couldn’t be with Justin right at midnight, it was well worth it.

“Hey guys,” came a familiar male voice from behind them. All three women turned around and smiled as Trace popped up, his hand holding onto Joanna’s hand.

“Hey Trace!” they replied, giving him welcoming hugs.

Kelen smiled at him after they parted, “I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Yeah,” he shrugged sheepishly. “It’s a surprise. Joanna got us tickets as a Christmas present.” Kelen nodded, giving the petite blonde a hug. “Justin doesn’t know…so don’t say anything.”

Rachel moved down the row of seats, making room for Trace and Joanna to sit down with them. Kelen pulled her down jacket tighter around her, shaking her legs as she tried to warm up. Even with the heater blasting in their section, she was still finding it hard to get used to the cold New York weather. They had been sitting outside now for twenty minutes, after parting from Justin to let him warm up. Kelen looked up at the clock, getting even more excited when she read there was only twenty-two minutes until midnight, and five minutes until Justin came on. Joanna turned her head towards Kelen, smiling when she saw her looking around with wide, excited eyes.

“So I hear it’s your first time seeing Justin live?” Joanna asked. Kelen nodded.

“Yeah. I wasn’t much of an NSYNC fan, and I never had enough spare change to see him in concert,” Kelen shrugged. Joanna smiled, nodding her head.

“Well you’re in for a treat. I was told that this one’s going to be really great.” Kelen nodded, standing up with the rest of the VIP section when the stage lights dimmed and Ryan Seacrest came out.

“Hello Times Square!” he shouted to the loud screams and cheers of the people standing below him. “To ring in 2009, we have a special treat for all of you here in New York City and at home. He had one of the greatest years in 2008, releasing two box office hits and appearing in numerous chart-toppers. He even won two Grammy’s earlier this year, including Record of the Year.” The audience became even more excited as they began to recognize Justin’s list of achievements, cheering and yelling for him to come out. “Ladies and gentlemen, here is Justin Timberlake.” The stage lights shut off, and then one spot light came on, highlighting Justin standing in the middle of the stage. He gave his heart-stopping smile to the thousands of screaming fans before breaking into the slow introduction of My Love. The lights expanded and revealed a string quartet as the first line of the song began, causing more hysteria among the crowd. Kelen smiled, watching him perform in his natural element. Even though it was about thirty six degrees out, he still looked so comfortable and confident on stage in his black jacket, gloves, and matching beanie hat.

Two dancers, whom Kelen recognized were Marty and Sky, appeared as the music changed, and he jumped into the faster version of the song. She watched in amazement as he danced fluidly, working the crowd. The song came to an end and Justin walked over to the piano, smiling to the crowd and taking a sip from a warm thermos. “How you doin’ New York City? I hope y’all aren’t too cold out there!” he grinned, looking out into the crowd. “We’re gonna slow it down a bit here, I hope that’s not a problem. Give you a chance to snuggle up with that special someone. And if you don’t have a special someone, give you a chance to find a special someone.” He chuckled. Kelen met Rachel’s amused glance, both girls rolling their eyes at his joke. He smiled and started playing the piano, the familiar sounds of Until the End of Time blasting through the speakers. He sang effortlessly, smiling proudly when he heard the audience singing along with him. It amazed Kelen that even though this wasn’t an actual concert for Justin, meaning the audience wasn’t composed of only his fans, most of them knew the words as they followed the music. He performed a shorter version of Until the End of time, and quickly transitioned into What Goes Around, as the audience became even louder and more excited. The song came to a close right before two minutes ticked on to the clock, the silver ball lighting up the stage. Justin remained on stage, taking another sip from his thermos and smiling at all of the screaming fans.

“I’m glad y’all could be here, in beautiful New York City tonight, celebrating the New Year. I’m sure happy to be here with you guys, although I’m freezing my ass off,” he chuckled, knowing he would probably be told off later for cursing. “It sure is a lot colder here than it is in Los Angeles.” Ryan Seacrest came on stage right when the one minute mark came on, and the ball began to drop slowly. Justin looked over towards the VIP area as Ryan talked to the at-home viewers. His eyes searched for Kelen, a grin coming over his face when he saw her smiling down at him. She jumped up excitedly, giving him a small wave and blowing him a kiss, hoping no one would catch it with all of the commotion. His eyes scanned down the front row, and widened when they landed on Trace and Joanna, who were both jumping up and down and waving at him like idiots. He laughed whole-heartedly, waving back at them. Champagne glasses were quickly passed around on stage and in the VIP area and right before the clock changed to zero, Justin held up his glass towards his friends and family, mouthing “Happy New Year”. They all shouted it back to him quickly as the ball dropped and confetti shot out through the air. Kelen laughed, giving Rachel a hug first. Lynn came over and hugged her next, rocking her side to side.

“I’m glad you’re here, Kelen. Happy New Year!” she said into Kelen’s ear, as if she had known how nervous she had been to meet her. Kelen smiled, giving her another hug.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Harless,” Kelen shouted back over the music.

“Call me Lynn, darling,” she grinned, shaking her head. Kelen continued sharing hugs with Justin’s friends, her eyes widening when she realized that Carrie Underwood had been sitting behind her the entire time. Meanwhile, Justin quickly appeared in the VIP section, giving his mother and step father hugs and kisses first. He then turned around and saw Kelen, who was still talking to Carrie Underwood and he laughed, knowing Carrie was one of her favorite artists. He walked up behind her and Kelen turned around, letting out a surprised squeal and throwing her arms around his neck. He grinned, hugging her tight in his arms and lifting her off of the ground as he placed a kiss on her lips.

“Happy New Year Kelen,” he whispered into her ear, giving her another kiss. She grinned, holding his face in her hands and rubbing her nose against his affectionately.

“Happy New Year,” she answered. He smiled, glad that they were safely cocooned within the VIP area, or the paparazzi would be having a field day with their embrace. He sighed as Kelen placed another kiss on her lips. “So what are we doing now?”

He shrugged, putting her back down on her feet and looking around for the rest of his friends and family. “We’re partying of course.” He spotted Trace and smiled, pulling Kelen along with him through the crowd as he walked up to his best friend. “Ayala! What the hell are you doing here, man?”

Trace shrugged, laughing as he gave Justin a hug. “Surprise! Joanna managed to get us tickets up here last minute. We wanted to start off 2008 like rockstars.” Justin nodded, patting Trace on the back and laughing.

“Good. ‘Cause I’m ready to get drunk,” he answered.

=================================

Kelen looked around the dark club, overwhelmed with the number of famous faces crammed into one room and the loud, thumping music. She, Justin, Rachel, Trace and Joanna had arrived to Diddy’s party about half an hour ago, and Justin was already buzzed as he mingled with various actors who came across his path. Watching him talk and interact was addicting, to her at least. He carried himself with such an easy-going and confident manner, she could see why so many people around the world were absolutely obsessed with him. She was currently sitting in a booth with Rachel, the two girls eagerly looking out for any famous people they could see.

“Yo J.T.!” A voice yelled out. Kelen wondered amazingly how they had even heard the greeting over the loud music. Justin turned around, a grin spreading across his face when he saw the host of the party walking up to him.

“Diddy! Hey man,” he smiled, both of them embracing. “You know I couldn’t miss your New Year’s bash. It’s always protocol.”

“Thanks for coming, man. Your set out there was sick,” Diddy complimented. He nodded over towards Kelen who was in a deep conversation with Rachel. “Who’s your new lady?”

Justin smiled, placing his hand on Kelen’s shoulder to get her attention. “Kelen, this is Diddy,” he introduced. Kelen stood up, smiling and placing her hand in Diddy’s outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you,” she greeted, letting out a soft laugh when he placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” he smiled back. Kelen sat back down and Diddy threw his arm around Justin’s shoulder, handing him a beer as a waitress walked by. “How’d you find her, Justin? She’s fine as hell, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Justin laughed, taking a swig of the beer, “Man, I wonder that myself sometimes.” Diddy laughed, patting Justin’s back and nodding his head to the music.

“Alright, well have fun man. I’ll see you later,” he pointed at Justin before walking away and disappearing into the crowd. Justin turned back around and grabbed Kelen’s hands, pulling her onto her feet as he moved his hips.

“Let’s dance,” he grinned. She laughed, following him as he walked backwards onto the dance floor. He looped her hands around his neck as his hands slid down and wrapped around her waist. Kelen moved her body to the beat, pushing her hips against his as he smiled down at her. He licked his lips, his eyes watching as their hips moved back and forth together, her fingers digging into the hair behind his head. He loved watching her dance. She wasn’t the greatest dancer he had ever seen, but the way she moved her hips was so hypnotizing, he sometimes wondered if she knew how to belly dance. Now that would be a tantalizing treat. He leaned his forehead against hers, pushing a kiss onto her lips softly.

Kelen’s green eyes twinkled when he pulled away, “Thank you for this, J. I had so much fun today.”

“No problem at all, baby. By the way, did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he whispered into her ear, his eyes tracing down her dark green silk halter top, jeans (William Rast, of course), and black boots. She had thrown her long dark blonde hair into a messy pony tail, and did this smoky eye thing with her makeup that made her green eyes pop out even more.

Kelen smiled at him modestly, giving him another quick kiss. “Well thank you.” He smirked as his hands rubbed down her sides and sneakily squeezed her bottom. She laughed, shaking her head at him as they continued to dance.

“Seriously, you’re fine as hell tonight. I can’t wait to get you back to the hotel,” he let out a low moan. Kelen pulled her head back, staring into his slightly glazed eyes.

“You’re drunk,” she teased.

“Hell yeah,” he called out, causing people around them to turn around and look at him. “Someone get this girl a drink,” he yelled, pointing down at Kelen, who was hiding her face in his shirt. He laughed, his chest vibrating against her blushing face. She was too cute sometimes. A waitress immediately appeared in the crowd, holding a mint mojito in her hands, the drink that Kelen had been nursing while sitting in the booth before. Justin’s eyes widened, surprised that someone had actually listened to his outburst, and took the glass, thanking the waitress before pulling Kelen’s face up to look at him.

“You’re such a dork,” she rolled her eyes. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders and handing her a drink.

“It’s 2009, baby, live it up!” he answered, his eyes wide with excitement as he resumed their dancing

Kelen let out a tired sigh as she pulled out a pan of cranberry muffins from the oven. She’d been baking for five hours now, not including the time she had been serving coffee up front earlier in the morning. The store was getting even busier, especially since the public had somehow caught wind that Justin Timberlake’s girlfriend owned a coffee shop in downtown L.A. Countless numbers of teenage girls had shown up over the last week, almost as if they expected Justin to waltz right in through the front door. Kelen had resorted to hiding out in the kitchen for most of her days at the shop to avoid all of the looks and whispers she would receive when she was serving coffee out on the floor.

“Hey there, stranger,” a strange and deep voice called out, disturbing the quiet hum of the ovens. Kelen startled and turned around, her eyes widening when she saw Justin leaning against the door of the kitchen, giving her a boyish smile.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, unable to stop the smile from crossing her face as she rushed over to him. He had been in Memphis for the past three days to visit his family and bring them back to Los Angeles with him for Lynn’s birthday. They weren’t supposed to fly in until tomorrow night, however, so his presence in her kitchen was a big surprise.

Justin chuckled, hugging her tight to his body as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. “There was going to be a storm tomorrow, so we all decided that we should just come back a day early. Surprise,” he laughed when she framed his face in her hands. Kelen grinned, standing on her tip toes and kissing him deeply as she let out a soft sigh.

“I missed you,” she grinned. They had returned from New York City a couple weeks ago, but he had been so busy with writing and recording, she had only been able to actually spend time with him once before he left for Millington.

“So what are you doing hiding back here?” he asked, leaning against the counter and watching as Kelen turned away to continue her work.

“I’m hiding from your fans,” she replied as she wiped down the stainless steel counter top. “I’m surprised they didn’t attack you when you came in here.”

Justin shrugged and picked up a warm muffin, tearing off a piece and popping it into his mouth. “They’re not that bad. They were only a few out there, so I took some pictures and signed some stuff. Then they left. Plus, Mike’s out there so I think he might have scared some of them off.”

“So where are your grandparents?”

“They’re sightseeing with my mom and dad,” he answered. Kelen nodded and wiped her hands on a towel as she came up to stand in front of him. Justin peered down at her, smiling softly as he reached forward for her hands and pulled her closer to him. “So when can you leave? They’re making dinner tonight.” His hands slid down her side and rested on her bottom, giving a light squeeze as he winked at her.

Kelen frowned, resting her hands on his chest and picking at the navy blue sweater he was wearing. “I can’t tonight. I’m having a girls’ night with Christine and Sophie since we haven’t properly hung out in awhile. But I’m not working tomorrow. So I can come see you after my lunch with Alex.”

Justin bobbed his head up and down, his hands rubbing up and down her back as his lips formed into his famous pout. “Alright…. Can we at least make out a bit?” Kelen rolled her eyes as he chuckled and brought his hand up, hooking his finger underneath her chin. He tilted his head down and smiled at her before closing his eyes and pressing his lips to hers gently. Kelen giggled against his lips as he swiftly picked her up and rested her on top of the stainless steel table, standing in between her knees. Her fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer to her as his tongue slid lazily against hers. She really did miss not seeing him for the past few days. It was strange how quickly she had become attached to him, missing his little sarcastic jokes and his soft kisses if she didn’t get to see him every day. She wasn’t used to needing a man so much, but with Justin, it was different. She used to pride herself on her independence but ever since she had met him, she found herself becoming more dependent on him, feeling unsettled if she didn’t get to talk to him every day.

“You taste good,” he mumbled, resting his forehead against hers. She laughed softly and gave a curt nod of her head as she licked her lips.

“I had a chocolate croissant a few minutes ago,” she answered. He gave a soft moan, his fingers pulling her chin forward as his lips met hers again. His other hand ran up her thigh and around her side, sliding underneath her shirt and touching the soft skin on her back as he pulled her closer towards the edge of the table. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his hips and she let out a strangled moan when she felt his hand slide towards her front, cupping her breast through her bra. “We can’t do this here,” she whispered, pulling away from his lips and panting softly.

“Yes we can,” he whispered back playfully, nipping at her lips gently as he pressed another deep kiss on them. Kelen momentarily lost her train of thought, moaning softly into his lips.

Justin smirked, moving his hands and placing both on the top of her thighs as he pulled back to look at her content smile. He was just about to move in for another kiss when they heard someone clearing their throat and they both turned towards the door at the sound. Almost as if to prove Kelen’s point, Mike stood in the doorway, smiling at them bashfully.

“Uh…sorry,” he said, looking down at his feet. “But J, we should probably go. There’s some paparazzi outside the shop, and if we wait any longer it’ll get worse.” Justin groaned at the lost of contact, looking back at Kelen as she jumped down from the table. She gave him a pointed look, reaching up to wipe off the lip gloss on his lips.

“I told you,” she mumbled once Mike had left them alone for a few more minutes. He rolled his eyes, trailing kisses on her nose and forehead as he let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. I guess that’ll hold me over until tomorrow,” he shrugged as he took a step backwards, towards the door. Kelen nodded and followed him out the kitchen, unable to stop the smile that had appeared on her face the moment she had seen him in her kitchen. They turned the corner and stopped when they saw Mike standing in the hallway, blocking the entrance to the rest of the store. Kelen looked over his shoulder curiously, her eyes widening when she saw all of the cameras pressed up against the glass windows in the front, trying to get a picture of Justin in the shop.

“You guys should go through the back,” she said quietly towards Mike. He nodded and turned to look over his shoulder at the paparazzi, growling deep in his chest.

“These guys, man. They’ve gotten worse in the past few years,” he grumbled, turning back to look at Justin. “You wait for me at the door, alright? I’ll swing the car around to the back and I’ll come get you.” Justin nodded and squeezed Kelen’s hand before turning around to walk down the hallway. She sighed, and looked around apologetically at the customers who were all staring at the window in fright. It was one thing for them to pester her when she was out with Justin, but for the cameras to come to her store and disturb her business was a whole other issue. She wasn’t even famous, for god sakes.

Sam, one of her employees, came up to her, clearing her throat nervously. “Um, I locked the front door so they can’t come in. Some were trying to sneak in before, but that big guy threw them out. A few of the customers are worried though,” she said, looking over at the few remaining people sitting in the booths with their coffee and newspapers. “I heard some of the regulars complaining about it, saying they were sick of all the paparazzi that are camped outside when they come for coffee. I don’t think this is good for business.”

Kelen sighed, wiping her hands over her face tiredly as she nodded. “Yeah…I know. Thanks Sam,” she said softly. They both looked up when they saw Sophie standing at the door, unlocking it and squeezing herself through as she yelled at the men standing outside.

“Get the fuck out of here, you vultures. He’s not even in here anymore, if you haven’t noticed. Isn’t there an actress somewhere driving drunk or something? Go bother them,” Sophie yelled out as she slammed the door shut with a bang. She let out an angry huff, running her hand through her dark red hair and looking over at Sam and Kelen, who were standing behind the counter. “So I’m guessing a certain pop star was just visiting?”

Kelen nodded silently, folding her arms on top of the counter and throwing her head down on them dramatically. “This is not good, Soph. What am I supposed to do? Even if he never came to see me at work, they’d still stick around out there.”

“I don’t know, Kel,” Sophie shrugged, sliding into a stool at the counter. “But give it a few days. Maybe after awhile they’ll realize he won’t show up, and they’ll stop coming.” She smiled hopefully and turned to the pile of mail in her hands, shuffling through it quietly as Sam walked away to attend to the customers.

“Maybe I’ll give them all complimentary muffins or something,” Kelen suggested, looking out towards the ten or so people scattered throughout the shop. Sophie nodded distractedly as she flipped her new issue of Vogue open. After Kelen had finished apologizing to all of the customers for the disturbance and offered them some free muffins, she looked up to the window when she heard loud shouting from outside. All of the men that had previously been standing in front of her store were now running across the street, leaving the sidewalk completely empty.

Sophie scoffed, laughing softly as Kelen joined her at the bar. “I guess they saw Britney or Lindsay Lohan over there. See? Everything’s all better.” She grinned. Kelen shrugged and ran a hand through her dark blonde hair, looking back out the window tiredly.

“You excited for tonight?” she asked, turning back to look at Sophie. “We haven’t had a girls’ night in a long time.”

“Seriously,” Sophie agreed, nodding her head. “I miss just hanging out on the couch with you girls and gossiping. By the way, Christine decided on pizza and ice cream…but I kind of worried that would be a little too much like high school. So I’m thinking you make a salad or something, get some veggies in there.”

Kelen let out a soft laugh at Sophie’s consternated look, bobbing her head up and down. “Yeah, I’ll do the salad, that’s fine. Can you get the movies then?”

“Already covered. Ten Things I Hate About You, Ever After, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, and to top it off – Black Snake Moan.”

Kelen cocked her head to the side at the last title, not recognizing it immediately. “What is…wait. Is that the movie with Justin in it?” Her eyes widened when she recognized Sophie’s evil grin. “Soph…we are not watching that. That’s embarrassing! Plus, it’s not a romantic comedy.”

“But it opens up with my favorite love scene,” Sophie pouted. “And it’s kind of romantic, in that Justin is in love with a nympho way. And it’s comedic because you will be completely embarrassed and Chris and I can tease you for weeks on end.”

“Absolutely not.”

Sophie sighed and let out a giggle, “Yeah. I didn’t think you would like it so much, so I got Fifty First Dates instead.” Both girls erupted into soft laughter, Kelen rolling her eyes at Sophie’s joke. She stopped abruptly when she felt someone tap her shoulder, and turned around to see a teenage girl standing behind her.

“Can I help you with something, miss?” she asked, seeing a cup of coffee in one of the girl’s hands and a pen and napkin in the other.

“Um…could I get your autograph?” the girl asked nervously, her eyes glancing over at Sophie’s amused expression.

Kelen nodded slowly, taking the pen from the girl’s hand. “Sure, I guess. Could I ask you what for?”

“Well the coffee’s really good,” the girl answered, tucking a stray piece of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Kelen looked up at her suspiciously, she didn’t believe the coffee bit for one second. “And…well I’ve been a fan of Justin’s since forever.”

“Well thanks,” Kelen laughed softly, smiling as she signed the napkin quickly. “I’ll be sure to tell him that.”

The girl suddenly gave out a soft squeal, her eyes widening in excitement. “Will you seriously? That would be….so amazing. Seriously, like he is the first concert my older sister ever took me to. I just love his music and his talent so much.”

Kelen nodded, watching as the girl stared down at her signature and looked back up at her again. “Yeah, of course I’ll tell him. He loves his fans.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I’m Lauren, by the way,” she laughed. “I’m also a fan of yours…if that doesn’t sound so creepy. You’re just so normal, you know? Not one of those famous Hollywood actresses or anything.” Kelen nodded again and watched with wide eyes, completely dumbfounded as the girl rushed back out the door. She slowly rotated her stool around and laughed when she saw Sophie staring at her with wide eyes.

“What the hell was that?!” Sophie exclaimed, her whole body shaking with laughter. “You have fans now?”

Kelen shrugged, laughing quietly as she shook her head. “That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me! That was…so surreal.”

“Wow,” Sophie whistled. “I wonder how much your signature would go for on eBay.”

“Soph…that’s not funny,” Kelen laughed. “It’s probably just a onetime thing. I highly doubt any of his fans are going to ask me for autographs again. I’m not even famous!”

Sophie shrugged, smiling as Kelen shook her head and hid her face behind her hand embarrassingly. “But you’re dating someone who is quite possibly the most famous man on earth right now. Which makes you famous by association.”

“Shut up,” Kelen rolled her eyes and slid off of the stool as Sophie continued to laugh softly. “I’m going back to do some work. Call me if you need me.” Sophie nodded, her eyes following Kelen as she disappeared around the corner, back towards the office. She turned her head to look out at the now empty sidewalk, letting out a soft sigh. If things with Kelen and Justin became more serious, she wondered how that would affect their business. Ever since pictures of her surfaced with him and the media had discovered their shop, more people were walking through the doors. And although it was great for awhile, the growing number of paparazzi hiding outside was beginning to scare away some of the customers, and Sophie could already see the number of customers declining slowly.

Maybe she was being pessimistic, but she had a horrible nagging feeling about all of this.

===============================

Justin leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed peacefully as he listened to the beat of his new track. He had been in the studio with Timbaland for the past four hours and they had already laid down most of the instrumental of his song. The studio had been on his case for the past few days, urging for more news on his progress, but he ignored their calls, refusing to be rushed. He already put a huge amount of pressure on himself to try and outdo the success of Future Sex/ Love Sounds, and he didn’t need any more people creating even more stress on him.

“Man, that beat…” Timbaland mumbled quietly from across the room, as he sprawled out on the couch. “It’s sick.”

Justin opened his eyes and swung his chair around, nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah. I think we got it.” His cell phone started vibrating in his pocket so he quickly stood up and jogged out of the room, flipping his phone open. “Hello?”

“Hey,” Kelen answered cheerfully. “I saw you called me a little while ago. What’s up?” Justin nodded and looked out the window, shocked when he saw how dark it already was. He had left her shop earlier today and had headed straight for the studio, so he hadn’t been outside all day. Was it really six o’clock in the evening already?

“Just wanted to remind you that my mom’s birthday party is Friday night. I forgot to tell you when I saw you today. Oh and Sophie and Christine are welcome to come,” he added as an afterthought.

He heard a car door slam as Kelen let out a loud sigh, “Okay, yeah. That sounds good.”

“Where are you?” he asked curiously when he heard distant shouting in the background.

“I stopped by Whole Foods to get some stuff for dinner. Some paparazzi were just hovering,” she answered. “It’s okay though. I don’t think they realized I was even there, just an added bonus maybe.”

Justin frowned, looking down at his shoes as he rubbed some stray dirt off of his new sneakers. “Babe, I’m sorry. They’ve never been like this before. I mean…they don’t usually follow my friends around who aren’t famous, ya know? Trace never got followed around, at least.”

“It’s fine,” she breathed back tiredly. “It’s just been a long day at work.”

“Well just don’t talk to them or anything. The best thing to do is try to ignore them. Trust me, I’ve tried to fight back and it only leads to more attention.”

Kelen nodded as she merged onto the highway. She had never experienced such blatant trespassing of privacy before. She thought people would still have some sort of decency. “I know. Oh, guess what?” her tone became more excited as she remembered the story she had saved for him.

“What?” he asked, smiling when he heard her usual cheery tone again.

“I have a fan,” she beamed proudly. “Well…actually she’s your fan. She asked me for my autograph today and pretty much told me she approves of me dating you.”

He let out a laugh, imagining Kelen’s shocked face as one of his many crazy fans approached her. “Wow. That’s interesting. Well I’m glad someone approves.”

“I know, right? Her name is Lauren, by the way. I told her I’d tell you how much she loves you, and she almost passed out. Sophie was dying of laughter,” she laughed quietly. “It was cute.”

“I’m glad I could indirectly entertain you girls for a bit,” he answered, turning his head when he heard Timbaland calling his name. “Hey, babe? I gotta go finish this track so I can go home and spend some time with the fam. I’ll see you tomorrow right? My Nana can’t stop talking about meeting you. She’s so excited I’m dating a normal civilian.”

“Gee…thanks,” Kelen rolled her eyes. “When you put it that way, it makes me sound so much more appealing, Justin.”

He nodded as he made his way back into the dimly lit room. “I know. I’ll see you later. Tell the girls I said hi.”

“Will do,” she responded before hanging up with a click. Justin slid his phone back into his pocket and turned to Timbaland and Eric, the board technician.

“So you guys ready to lay down some vocals?” he asked. They both nodded and watched as he walked into the recording booth, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He recorded for the next two hours until he finally decided they all needed a break and that they would meet back up the next day. As soon as he stepped out of the doors, his black sweatshirt hood pulled over his head, he heard the ever annoying chirps of camera clicks going off and stared straight ahead as he continued walking to his car. Mike walked in front of him, his arms spread out as he tried to block them from coming any closer.

“Hey guys,” his low voice rumbled. “Just…step away, alright? You got your shots already…please just step back.”

“Justin!” one guy ignored Mike’s demands, choosing to step closer instead. “How’s the album coming along? I saw your girlfriend today. She’s lookin’ pretty good.”

Justin’s resolve snapped at the comment and he raised his head to glare at the man, recognizing him as one of the regular guys around town. He didn’t know his name, but he knew he was one of the more brash photographers, having no problem with shoving the camera in his face or shouting obscene things at him. He felt Mike’s large hand on his chest, pushing him back as he clenched his hands into fists.

“Man,” Justin shook his head disappointedly as he held his hand up. “Just fuck off, alright? If you want to take pictures of me, fine. But don’t go following around my friends and family. Don’t be a dick,” he gritted out before opening the door to the black SUV and sliding in. Mike jogged around to the other side and climbed into the passenger seat, all the while shouting at them to stand back. Justin let out a frustrated growl as he started the car and sped off, looking in the rear view mirror at the three or four photographers standing in the parking lot. Mike chuckled softly in his seat, his eyes glancing over at his younger ward. He had spent many years watching over Justin, and it was interesting to see how much he had grown over their time together. He used to lash out angrily with the paparazzi but ever since the lawsuit and past confrontations, Justin had been pretty good with controlling his temper. “Well you handled that one nicely.”

“They’re such fuckers,” Justin complained, shaking his head angrily. “Do you know they started following Kelen around? She’s not famous…she doesn’t do anything to warrant that kind of treatment. All because she’s fucking dating me, they have to go and ruin her life too, man.”

“J,” Mike responded in a calm tone. “She knew what she was getting into. It’s not like she didn’t know you were famous.”

“Yeah…but we didn’t expect it to be like this so soon,” Justin shrugged as he let out a steady sigh. They pulled into his home a few minutes later and he quickly shut off the engine, jumped out of the car and jogged into the kitchen. His anger quickly dissipated when he smelled his grandmother’s cooking, and he let out a smile when he saw his family in the kitchen together.

“Hey baby,” Lynn greeted when she saw him come in, her lips turning into a warm smile. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Just go wash up,” she said as he walked over to place a kiss on her cheek. He nodded and moved behind his grandmother, pecking her on the cheek as she smiled at him.

“Can you smell what’s in the oven?” she asked, pointing over to the oven, which he had never used once since he moved in. Justin turned to where she was pointing, his lips curving into an even wider grin as he met Rachael’s eye from her position sitting at the table with their grandfather.

“Cobbler?” he responded knowingly, his eyes twinkling with excitement. She nodded and laughed when he clapped his hands eagerly and walked over to the sink. “It smells so good, Nana. Y’all should just make me a year’s worth of cobbler and I’ll buy a freezer to store it all.” He smiled cheekily as his grandmother let out another giggle, shaking her head at his enthusiasm. He quickly washed his hands and sat down next to his grandfather, patting him on the back heartily. “How was your day Pop?”

His grandfather rocked back and forth in his seat, shrugging his shoulders and continuing to shuffle the cards in his hand. “Good. We lazed around your comfy little home ‘ere and did some grocery shoppin’. The stores ‘ere in Los Angeles sure are big.”

Justin laughed, nodding his head and smiling at Rachael’s bored look. She hadn’t been too thrilled to have to follow their grandparents around all day, but it was just too bad for her since she didn’t go back with him to Millington. He figured she owed him. “Yeah, well you know the Hollywood type. They’re picky about the kind of cheese they want. So what are we playin’ here? Gin?” he asked as the old man dealt him cards.

“No card games,” his grandmother called out suddenly. “We’re eatin’ dinner now. Y’all can set the table.” Justin smirked, holding in his laughter as his grandfather mumbled angrily and collected all the cards up. He stood up and looked over pointedly at Rachael, who followed him over to the cabinets to pull out plates and utensils. After they had finished setting the table, they sat down next to each other and waited eagerly as Lynn and her mother Sadie carried over the plates of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Justin’s stepfather, Paul, walked in and sat down at the other end of the table, giving a warm smile and wink towards Justin as he took a sip of water. Justin immediately grabbed the plate of chicken and took two pieces, sticking his tongue out at Rachael who gawked at him angrily. She rolled her eyes and took the bowl of potatoes from Lynn instead, spooning some onto her plate.

“So where is your lady friend tonight?” Sadie asked, looking over at her pride and joy. Justin shrugged as he finished chewing his food.

“She had made other plans tonight with her friends since we weren’t expected to come home until tomorrow. But she promised she’d stop by tomorrow,” he answered with a smile. The rest of dinner was mostly quiet, with random conversation about the day’s events spouting about in between the scrapings of fork against plate. After the main meal had been cleared away, Justin was left at the table by himself with his bowl of peach cobbler, just like every other family meal when he was home in Millington. He always ended up being the last one savoring his grandmother’s favorite dessert. Because of all of the traveling they had done that day, his grandparents went to bed earlier than normal and his parents went up to finish some managerial work together, leaving his home eerily quiet. He decided to go pester Rachael for a bit and walked out to the guest house, Buckley and Brennen trailing at his feet.

“Hey,” he greeted her when he saw her walk out the door. “Where you goin’?”

“Out,” she responded as she walked to her parked Toyota Camry. “You left me with them all day…I need some youth.”

Justin let out a chortle, “Where out? Can I come? I’m so fuckin’ bored.”

“No. I’m goin’ to hang out with your girlfriend and her roommates. It’s a girls’ night apparently,” Rachael shrugged. Justin immediately pouted, scratching his head as he peered over at his cousin.

“I didn’t know you were included in that. I wanna come. I’m so fucking bored,” he argued.

Rachael rolled her eyes, unlocking the doors and throwing her purse into the back seat. “They won’t be too happy when I show up with you. You’ll just get kicked out.”

Justin shrugged and pulled open the passenger side door. “I’ll just stop by for a bit, say hello. Then I’ll take your car and go hang out with Trace or something. Then you can call me and I’ll come pick you up afterwards. No harm done.” She sighed dejectedly and slid into the seat, deciding she was too bored to deal with his stubbornness tonight. Justin beamed at her as they drove away from his home, suddenly a lot more excited about tonight. He felt kind of bad for crashing Kelen’s girls’ night, but he figured she wouldn’t be too mad if he begged a little. The infamous Timberpout could go a long way. As soon as they pulled up to the apartment building, he hopped out of the car and walked up to their door without waiting for Rachael to catch up. He rang the doorbell and rocked back on his heels, smirking when he saw Rachael turn the corner and walk down the hallway. She held up her middle finger at him as he laughed softly at her.

“Rachael’s here!” Kelen called out happily as she swung the door open. She stopped mid-sentence when her eyes landed on her boyfriend instead, her grin turning into a slightly more confused smile.

“I told him he wasn’t allowed, but he got into my car so I couldn’t do anything,” Rachael immediately apologized, holding up a bottle of wine. Justin tilted his head to the side and gave Kelen his most charming smile, his hands reaching out for hers.

“Hey baby. I just wanted to come say hi,” he shrugged, smiling in victory when Kelen pulled him into the apartment without a word. His eyes scanned the area and he nodded his head towards Sophie and Christine, who were sitting in the living room with three boxes of pizza lying on the coffee table. There was already an empty bottle of wine lying on the floor, and he had the suspicion that his girlfriend had consumed most of said bottle. Her green eyes were slightly glazed over and a light blush had crept onto her cheeks, only adding to her cuteness.

“Well hi!” Kelen beamed at him, standing on her tip toes and pecking his lips. “I didn’t expect you to come…since you’re not a girl. But you’re welcome anyways.”

Christine turned her head and smiled at Justin, holding up a box of pizza to him as Kelen pulled him over towards the couch. “Yeah…you can pretend you’re a girl tonight, if you really needed our company that badly.”

“No,” Sophie shook her head. “No males allowed. No testosterone. No penises,” she wiggled her finger at him. Justin cocked an eyebrow at her when he saw another bottle of wine in the redhead’s hands as she sprawled out on the floor at his feet.

“You okay there, Sophie? A little too much to drink?”

Christine smirked, pulling the bottle from her friend’s hand and resting it on the coffee table softly. “Her ex called her a few hours ago. We’re still dealing with the aftershock of it,” she explained. Justin gave a slow nod, smiling down at Kelen when she leaned her head against his shoulder and hugged him from the side. “And your girlfriend is just plain drunk.”

“I can see that,” he laughed as Kelen closed her eyes and hummed softly against his chest.

“You can’t be here,” she whispered, her eyes popping open to peer up at him. “Sophie says no penises…and you definitely have one,” she giggled, her hand sliding down his stomach. Justin laughed awkwardly, removing her hands from traveling any further south and carefully sat her down on the couch. Christine and Rachael, the only sober women in the room, watched their interaction amusedly, hiding their laughter behind their hands as Justin tried to maneuver Kelen into a reclining position on the couch.

“So,” he cleared his throat, sitting down at Kelen’s feet. “Christine how long have you been here babysitting these two?”

The petite girl shrugged, taking a sip from her water bottle. She had never been a big fan of wine. “They only started getting drunk about an hour ago. That’s why I called Rachael for back up.”

Justin nodded and smiled over at his cousin, who was busy looking through their DVD collection. “Then why did Rachael bring more wine here?” he raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Oh…well I heard Kelen asking for it in the background. I didn’t know she was already drunk,” Rachael answered after she had found a movie of her liking. Justin turned his attention when he felt Kelen shift, swinging her legs off the couch into a sitting position. She smiled at him as she cuddled up next to his side, folding her legs beneath her.

“I don’t feel too good,” she moaned quietly when his hand started rubbing her thigh soothingly. Justin chuckled quietly when she gave him a pained expression. She was usually good at holding her alcohol, so this was the first time he had ever seen her get sick from drinking.

“You didn’t eat much, did you?” he asked knowingly. She shook her head, an embarrassed smile forming on her lips as he gave her a pointed look.

Sophie sat up from her position on the floor and narrowed her eyes at him. “She didn’t eat much because she was too busy telling us about her story about the paps. Who, by the way, have made our shop one of their frequent photo stops for some reason. I wonder if it’s because of a certain international pop star…” she waggled her fingers at him as she struggled to sit upright. “You’re not allowed at the shop anymore. You’re banned.”

Justin laughed, nodding his head in agreement as Christine helped Sophie stand up. “You’re right, Sophie. I probably shouldn’t go there anymore.” Kelen looked up at him, her fingers intertwining with his as he turned to her with a concerned smile. “Are you okay? What did they say to you today?”

She shrugged and looked back down at their joined hands. “Nothing really. They didn’t really see me until I got to my car. I don’t know how they always manage to recognize me.” He nodded and kissed her temple softly as an apology for introducing her to his crazy life. She smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest as Rachael turned the movie on. Within an hour, Sophie had already passed out on the floor, and everyone else was beginning to fall asleep. Justin gently slid out from behind Kelen to carry Sophie into her room as Christine brought a pillow and blankets out for Rachael to sleep on the couch. Kelen was standing in front of her bathroom mirror brushing her teeth when Justin came in, his hand rubbing over his stubble as he smiled at her. She held up his spare tooth brush and moved to the side to let him come in as he slowly shuffled inside.

“You feelin’ better?” he asked as he ran his toothbrush under the faucet. She nodded as she bumped him with her hip and leaned forward to rinse her mouth. He watched her quietly as he brushed his teeth and she stood back up, grabbing the towel hanging on the wall.

“Yeah…I didn’t realize how little I had eaten today. I was just so busy at work and stuff,” she explained as she reached for her hairbrush on the counter. She loved their little moments together before they went to bed, when Justin would just stand in front of her brushing his teeth and smiling at her. She didn’t know what it was but there was just something about seeing him, a major International star, lazily brushing his teeth or washing his face. It sounded silly, but it just reminded her of how normal he was, despite all of the paparazzi and attention he received on a daily basis. It still amazed her that she had somehow caught his attention those few months ago.

Justin caught her staring at him through the mirror and turned around after spitting into the sink, a twinkle in his eyes. “You like what you see, girl?” Her eyes looked up at him, a bashful smile forming on her lips as she shrugged her shoulders and moved out of the bathroom. He chuckled softly and followed her into her bedroom, pulling off his shirt and unbuttoning his dark jeans as she changed into a tank top and cotton shorts. They both climbed into bed together, easily settling into their normal position of her curled up against his side, her head resting on his chest as his arm splayed across her back. Kelen tilted her head and up pressed her lips to the side of his chin, her nose wrinkling when she felt his stubble.

“Ouch,” she whined.

“What, you don’t like it?” he laughed, his chest rumbling against her ear. “I think I might grow it out again.”

“As long as it doesn’t get too long…” she shrugged as he reached his arm up to turn off the lamp. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed softly, his warm breath tickling her cheek.

“Hey Kelen?” he asked after a few quiet minutes.

“Yeah?” her sleepy voice answered.

“Could I come to lunch with you and Alex tomorrow?”

She was quiet for a few seconds, her head shifting to look up at him. “You really wanna come?” He nodded his head, hoping she could see the movement in the darkness. “Okay”

“Goodnight,” he smiled, knowing she probably couldn’t see how relieved he was to hear her accept. He really wanted to show her that he was there for her. He noticed that after her lunches with Alex, she often got really quiet and it would take a few hours for her to turn back into her happy self. He knew she spent a lot of time worrying about Alex, and he wanted her to know that she could talk to him about that kind of stuff. He may not be an expert on autism, but he had done enough charity work to understand most of her worries.

“’Night,” she mumbled drowsily back, placing a kiss on his shoulder before moving and snuggling into her pillow. It was something she did subconsciously, but right before she fell asleep, she always moved to her side of the bed, pulling out of their embrace. That was one of the reasons he used to hate sleeping with girls. They always wanted to cuddle right next to him, and in the morning his arm or some other appendage would be all tingly and numb. Sometimes he just wanted some space to spread out and sleep like a normal person. That’s why he and Kelen worked so well together, she seemed to have this weird sense where she could tell what he wanted without him even saying anything.

She was perfect for him. And he hoped she felt the same way about him. He wanted to be that person for her.

===================================

Justin hummed quietly to the radio as he and Kelen drove to pick up Alex. He had convinced Mike not to come, assuring him they would only be going to a small café for lunch. He knew the manager there, and he’d snuck out there before without mishaps, and he didn’t want Mike there to make Alex nervous. Kelen turned her head and smiled at him as he started harmonizing to the music, amazed that he could do so with such little effort.

“What?” he asked, looking at her from behind his dark sunglasses. She smiled and ran a hand through her dark-blonde hair, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

“Nothing. I just like it when you sing,” she blushed. “Not to make you any cockier or anything.” He let out a low chuckle as they pulled into the parking lot. He quickly parked Kelen’s car and they both got out, walking quickly into the building. He noticed she was much more paranoid about being outside with him now ever since the paparazzi had started to follow her. He quietly strolled through the hallway next to her, taking in the sounds of soft laughter coming from many of the rooms. Kelen turned to him and smiled encouragingly, her hand reaching out for his.

“What’s up?” he asked, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous than he had been before.

“I just want to warn you that he’s in one of his moods today. He wasn’t very chatty on the phone, which usually means he won’t talk much at lunch. And you don’t do well with awkward silences…so don’t make any inappropriate jokes,” she said pointedly, raising an eyebrow at him.

He laughed and nodded, pretending to salute her. “Kel, stop worrying. Lunch will be perfect…you are talking about me, you know.” She rolled her eyes, a smile forming on her lips before turning back to Alex’s door and knocking. The door swung open and Alex stepped out, his eyes wide with excitement when he saw Justin standing behind Kelen.

“Hey Alex,” Kelen smiled, removing her hand from Justin’s to give her brother a hug. “You remember Justin, right?”

“Yah,” Alex nodded dramatically as he locked his door and slid his keys into his pocket. His eyes turned to Justin and he gave him a suspicious look. “I saw you on TV.”

“Really?” Justin asked as they began to walk back down the way they had come in. “What was I doing?”

“Dancing. You’re good,” Alex replied, bobbing his head to a beat only he could hear. He turned to Kelen and gave her a shy smile as he leaned closer to her ear, cupping his mouth. “He was with Susan Storm,” he whispered. She laughed quietly at her brother’s concerned tone and nodded, rubbing his back soothingly.

“It’s just acting, Alex. He saw your newest video,” she explained to Justin as they walked to her car. “With Jessica Alba.” Justin nodded, understanding Alex’s suspicious looks before. He had probably thought he caught Justin cheating on his sister.

“Alex…Don’t worry man. I’m all about your sister,” he grinned, winking at Kelen’s amused look. Alex nodded, his shoulders visibly relaxing as Justin unlocked the car doors and they all slid into their seats. Justin remained quiet for most of the ride, letting Kelen and Alex have their own conversation together. Alex seemed to be acting fine, except he would sometimes gaze off and ignore Kelen’s questions or get really excited and loud about whatever topic he was talking about. They pulled up to Mimi’s Café and Alex looked around, suddenly scared of his new surroundings.

“Kelen…” he said softly as Kelen helped him out of the car. “Where are we?”

“We’re trying out a new café, Alex. Justin says they have really good fries here,” she explained in a calming tone. She put her arm around his shoulders and smiled reassuringly, pushing him forward.

“You like fries, right man? They have the best fries ever,” Justin nodded as they stepped inside the small restaurant. Immediately, an older woman walked up to them, smiling ear to ear as Justin leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Hey Miriam, how are you?”

She smiled and ushered them to a back booth, “I’m so glad you called me today, Justin. I was just talking to your mother yesterday, and was just telling her how I haven’t seen you in months.”

“Yeah, I’ve been kind of busy,” he smiled. “Miriam, this is my girlfriend Kelen and her brother Alex. I was telling just telling them about your delicious burgers and fries.”

Miriam blushed, patting Justin’s shoulder as she giggled. “You’re too sweet, Justin. I’ll give y’all a few minutes to look over the menu, okay?” She handed them all laminated cards and walked back towards the kitchen area. Kelen smiled and looked around the otherwise empty restaurant.

“Justin, how come no one else is here?” she asked, turning back to him.

“She doesn’t usually open on Wednesdays until dinner time. But since we’re old family friends, I called in a favor,” he answered. “I didn’t want people gawking at us…I thought it would be weird for Alex.” She smiled, mouthing ‘thank you’ to him before turning back to Alex, who was quietly looking over the menu. Most of lunch was spent with Justin and Kelen trying to talk to Alex while he just sat quietly and ate his fries, giving one word responses. He didn’t have a lot of experience around people with autism, and it was a strange experience for Justin. On the outside, Alex was physically normal, but as soon as you saw him act or talk, his disability was apparent. He sometimes obsessed over little things, such as how his fries had to line up vertically on his plate and how he squirted ketchup on them in a perfect swirl. Kelen handled it well, supporting his smaller nuances and trying to stop his bigger ones, such as when he freaked out when there was an odd number of chairs in the room. It wasn’t until the end of lunch when Justin learned why Kelen had been so protective of bringing him along on her lunch with Alex in the beginning, scared that her brother would act out and freak Justin out.

The restaurant they were in was on a relatively quiet street, so when a car tire blew out right outside the door, they had all jumped at the loud nose. Alex, however, became upset and immediately covered his ears, rocking back and forth at the loud noise. He was thrashing around so much that Kelen had to slide out of the bench and pull him up to a standing position so she could calm him down.

“Alex! Alex,” she called out sternly, holding his upper arms tightly and staring at his face. His eyes were closed tight as he shook his head back and forth, his hands fisted in his ears. “Alex, look at me,” she said again, trying to pull his hands down from his face. “Everything’s okay, Alex. Shh…” Miriam ran out to see what all the commotion was about, so Justin diverted her attention by paying for their bill and talking to her about his family, all the while throwing covert glances over at Kelen and Alex.

“Too loud!” Alex cried out when his eyes finally opened and he realized his sister was standing in front of him, her face peering straight at his with widened eyes. She nodded and gave him a soft smile as he slowly put down his hands and took deep breaths.

“It was just a car, Alex. It’s okay. Take a deep breath,” she said softly, hugging his body close to hers as she patted his head. She looked over his shoulder at Justin, who was standing a few feet away watching quietly. She frowned apologetically and nodded when he gestured towards the door, telling her they should go before Alex got more anxious. She quietly whispered words of encouragement in Alex’s ear as they walked out of the restaurant and sat in the backseat with him, her arm firmly planted around his shoulders. Justin would glance at them in the rear view mirror every few seconds, his eyes full of worry as Alex laid his head on his sister’s shoulder, staring at the back of the seat in front of him. The whole ride was silent as Kelen stared out the window the entire time, her head leaning against the cool window tiredly. Justin stayed in the car when they dropped Alex off and waited patiently while Kelen walked Alex to his room and helped him settle down. A few minutes later, she quietly walked out of the sliding glass doors, the navy blue sweatshirt that had been tied around her waist was now zipped up around her body and the hood was pulled up over her head.

Justin had never seen her look so upset before, even when he had messed up in the beginning with Megan, she had just been angry and pissed off. Today, she looked like she was just tired of the whole world, and he hated seeing that. He had a strange feeling that it wasn’t just Alex’s outburst that was the reason for her sudden change in mood. He gave her a concerned smile when she quietly opened the passenger side door and slid into her seat, all the while avoiding eye contact with him.

“Babe?” he asked softly, turning in his seat and placing his hand on hers. She looked up at him and he frowned when he saw the tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know,” she laughed softly, wiping her tears away as he cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her face softly. “It’s so stupid. I’m sorry you had to see all that.” Justin shook his head and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He just couldn’t keep his hands off her. Especially since they hadn’t been together in about a week now. All he wanted to do was take her home and really make her feel better.

“Why are you sorry? I’m not mad, Kelen.”

She blinked once and looked down at her hands, which were nervously playing with the zipper on her hoodie. “I won’t be mad if you never want to see Alex again. I understand,” she mumbled. He shook his head, hooking a finger underneath her chin to bring her eyes back up to his.

“Kelen…I would never not want to see Alex again. What makes you think I’d run away after one little episode? I’ve dealt with much worse things,” he smiled supportively. Her green eyes twinkled back at his as she gave him a soft nod and took a calming breath. “Okay? You’re not getting rid of me that easily. It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than your brother acting out to make me stop caring for you, or even your brother for that matter. He means a lot to you.”

She nodded again and laughed softly as he made a face at her. “You’re too good to me,” she sighed, leaning forward and giving him a deep kiss. When they pulled away, he ran his fingers through her silky hair and sighed, a soft smile on his lips.

“You ready to go back home and just forget about this?” he asked. She nodded and leaned back in her seat, pulling the seatbelt across her torso. As they drove back towards his home, his hand reached over the middle console and grabbed hers, bringing her palm up to his lips. Kelen smiled at the gesture, her heart swelling with even more love for him. They hadn’t really talked about it yet and it was still early in the relationship, but she really did think she had fallen in love with him already. It usually took awhile for her to get to that point in a relationship where she could readily vocalize her love for a man, having been hurt in the past by guys who used her feelings against her, but with Justin, she just knew he was different. It didn’t take a genius to know he was truly a genuinely nice guy, and she really didn’t know how to handle that. It was almost as if he was too perfect, even with his imperfections, he was perfect. After they had pulled up to his home, Kelen snuggled up on his plush couch with a blanket and his dogs laying across her legs, waiting for Justin to finish some business calls before they could settle in for an afternoon movie.

He strolled in after a few minutes, a bowl of popcorn in one hand and two Diet Coke’s in the other. “What movie did you decide on?”

“I didn’t,” she laughed as one hand blindly stroked Brennen’s head. “I was waiting for you.” He nodded and put the food onto the couch before turning back towards his extensive DVD collection. After a few minutes had gone by, Kelen finally sighed loudly, making Justin turn around to look at her. “Do you really want to watch a movie?”

He shrugged and tilted his head to the side as he scratched his head. “I’m up for whatever you wanna do.”

“Well…” she trailed off, biting the corner of her bottom lip as she looked at him bashfully. He smiled, his eyes widening to encourage her to continue her thought. “Honestly…I just wanna go up to your room…” she trailed off again, giving him a flirtatious look. He let out a dirty chuckle as he quickly crossed the room and pulled her up to her feet.

“Shoot, girl. That’s all you gotta say then. I’m always up for a romp,” he laughed before tilting his head down to press his mouth to hers. She smiled against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, completely leaning into his embrace. His hands roamed down her back and gently squeezed her bottom before swiftly picking her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist as he walked towards the kitchen stairs. She let out a soft giggle when she saw Buckley and Brennen following them up the stairs from over his shoulder.

“Looks like we may have company,” she whispered into his ear, causing him to shiver slightly. He turned his head and rolled his eyes when he saw his dogs at his heels, kicking his foot back as he finally made it onto the second floor.

“Sorry guys, not today. She’s all mine,” he laughed before shutting his bedroom door with a bang. He plopped her down onto his bed and pulled off his shirt, throwing her his trademark smirk as he licked his lips. “Definitely all mine,” he mumbled before crawling up towards her.

Kelen quietly shuffled out of Justin’s bedroom, trying not to wake him up from his post-coital nap. She tied the robe around her body tighter as she walked down to the kitchen for a glass of water. She stopped short on the last step when she saw an older woman sitting at the kitchen table knitting, and quickly realized it was Justin’s grandmother. Before the woman could turn around, she quickly ran back up the stairs, feeling her cheeks blush madly as she bolted into Justin’s room. He stirred awake and turned onto his side, cocking an eyebrow at her strange behavior.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as she leaned against his closed door and covered her face in embarrassment.

“Your family is here!” she hissed as a light blush crept onto her cheeks. “I can’t believe we just had sex and your family was in the house the whole time…down the hallway!” Justin chuckled and gestured for her to climb back into bed by holding the sheets up in the air. She gave him an unsure smile as she walked over and curled under the sheets with him.

“They weren’t home earlier. They probably just got home,” he reassured her, placing a kiss on her lips as he covered her body with his. He smiled at her as he brushed her hair out of her eyes, peering down at her flushed face.

“Are you sure? Because that would be really embarrassing if they heard anything. I don’t want your grandmother and grandfather thinking I’m some sort of hussy, sleeping with their beloved grandson,” she whispered back as if they could hear her. He merely laughed and shook his head at her worried expression.

“Babe, even if they were home…they wouldn’t have heard anything. Do you know how thick the walls in my room are? Believe me…Trace and I tested them to see how soundproof they were,” he smirked, nuzzling his nose with hers. She giggled at the image of him and Trace standing on opposite sides of the door shouting at each other, and nodded reluctantly at him.

“Fine,” she let out a relieved sigh as he grinned at her. He rolled off of her body and stood up, nodding his head towards the bathroom.

“Come on…let’s go take a shower together, and then you can meet my Nana,” he said, walking into the bathroom. She stared momentarily at his naked back, giggling softly to herself when she realized she had been ogling his body. How did she end up with such an amazing man? He called out to her again, so she quickly jumped out of bed and walked into his expansive bathroom.

“No funny business,” she waggled a finger at him as he started to untie the belt of her robe. He rolled his eyes and licked his lips as he nodded his head. “I’m serious, J. I really want your grandparents to like me.” He laughed and nodded before stepping into the glass shower stall, looking at her expectantly.

“Okay, okay. Just get in already, it’s cold,” he pretended to shiver. She smiled and let the robe fall to the ground before stepping into the shower with him. Thirty minutes later, they were both standing in his room changing into their clothes, all the while stealing covert glances at one another. Although Kelen had been adamant about not fooling around in the shower, he had successfully coaxed her into a little make out session that turned into a fondling session, and they had spent more time in the shower than previous planned. It had taken all Justin had not to take her against his shower wall all over again. He was the first to finish changing, so he sat down on the foot of his bed and watched as Kelen rubbed her hair dry and smiled at him.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked as she ran a brush through her hair.

He shrugged and stood up when he saw she was ready to go downstairs. “I’m not sure. I think my mom’s making dinner. Trace and Joanna may stop by too.” He pecked her lips quickly before pulling open the bedroom door and letting her walk out in front of him. They quietly made their way down to the kitchen, where Rachael, Lynn, and Justin’s grandmother were already preparing dinner.

“Hey guys!” Lynn greeted when she saw them come down the steps. “We didn’t know y’all were home! Hey sweetheart,” she smiled when Kelen walked closer to give her a hug.

“Hi Lynn,” Kelen smiled. “How are you?”

Lynn bobbed her head up and down as Justin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She patted his cheek lovingly before turning back to the vegetables she was washing in the sink. “I’m good. Are you guys hungry for supper?”

“Yes ma’am,” Justin nodded as he placed a hand on Kelen’s back and guided her over to his grandmother. He placed a kiss on the short woman’s cheek and smiled at her. “Nana, this is Kelen.”

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Bomar,” Kelen greeted as Justin stood behind her, both of his hands resting on her shoulders. Justin had instructed her what to call his grandparents as she had been rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, worried she would call them by the wrong name.

“So this is Kelen,” she smiled, her eyes connecting with Justin’s. He nodded and smiled as Kelen turned to look at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you darling. Justin, you failed to mention what a pretty little thing she was.” Kelen blushed as Justin chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders and placing a quick kiss on Kelen’s cheek.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kelen asked, looking at all of the food laid out on the kitchen island.

“Actually, could you make the salad, dear? That would be great,” his grandmother said, pointing her knife over to the bag of spinach and tomatoes. Kelen nodded and walked over to stand next to Rachel, who was cutting up potatoes. “Justin, could you call my other grandson over for dinner tonight? I haven’t seen Trace since Christmas.”

Justin nodded as he reached for his cell phone and looked over at what his grandmother was cooking. “Nana, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Steak and biscuits. How do you feel about pecan pie for dessert?” she winked, already knowing his answer. He grinned excitedly, nodding his head when he saw that she was already chopping up the pecans.

“You know how I feel about pecan pie,” he drawled, laughing as he brought the phone to his ear. He slid onto a stool at the counter as the women buzzed around him, chatting quietly with one another. After he had confirmed Trace’s attendance, he watched amusedly as Kelen laughed with his mother as they both chopped vegetables up side by side. She fit in perfectly with his family, almost as if she had known them for years. His past girlfriends had all gotten along with his mother fine, but very few had been able to hold their own in a kitchen full of his outspoken female family members. He turned around when he felt a strong hand pat his back and smiled when he saw his grandfather standing behind him, and his stepdad walking in from the patio.

“Hey Pop!” he greeted, turning and shaking the old man’s hand. “What were you guys doing outside?”

“Firin’ up the grill for steaks,” his grandfather answered and sat on the stool next to him. He noticed Kelen standing by the sink and turned to Justin with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s the pretty young lady over there?”

Justin laughed softly, looking over at Kelen who was intently listening to a story his mother was telling her. “That’s Kelen, Pop.”

“Oh really? Whew…son, they sure do grow up nicely around here,” his grandfather chuckled. Justin shook his head embarrassingly as Kelen turned around and smiled bashfully at him. “Hello there, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced yet. I’m Justin’s grandpop, Bill.”

“Hi, I’m Kelen,” she smiled as she cut into a tomato. “So how has your visit to L.A. been, sir?”

Justin turned his gaze back towards his grandfather as he nodded his head. “Pretty good. I just went with Paul to look at some fishin’ equipment today. I need a new rod, you know,” he said, as he turned back to his grandson.

“Oh,” Justin smiled bashfully as he looked down at his hands. “Yeah…sorry about that. I’ll go with you tomorrow and get you a new one, Pop.”

Kelen gave him a quizzical look as she scattered the tomato pieces into a bowl. His grandfather chuckled softly and patted Justin’s back. “Let me just explain, Miss Kelen, how my old beloved fishing rod was broken. Justin and Trace here took me out on a fishing trip when they were visiting over Christmas and I let Justin use my fishing rod. Somehow,” he cleared his throat and slid his eyes over to his grandson, who was merely smiling back at him innocently. “The reel was broken and we lost his catch.” Kelen smirked at Justin as she shook her head disappointedly, laughing softly.

“You needed a new one, anyways,” Justin shrugged. His stepfather, Paul walked up and handed both men a beer as he kept one for himself. Justin nodded his head in thanks as he leaned back in his chair, throwing one arm behind his head as he watched Kelen make her salad. His mom had given her free reign to do whatever she wanted with the salad, and she was pulling out her big gourmet guns. There were things in the salad he didn’t even know he had in his kitchen. His dogs started barking and ran out of the kitchen, causing Justin to slide off his stool to see who the intruder was. As he stepped out into the hallway, he smiled when he saw Trace stepping through the doors with a thick book in his arms.

“Hey man!” he called out, walking forward to greet his friend. Trace looked up and smiled, both men embracing each other.

“Hey,” Trace said as he held the book up in his hands. “Here are the final designs…just wanted you to have a look through.” Justin nodded and led the way back into the kitchen. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a cold beer as Trace made his way greeting everyone in the room.

“Why don’t you men go outside and grill the steaks. Y’all are just takin’ up my kitchen space,” Lynn called out, looking around at the men standing around with their beers. Justin chuckled and nodded, taking the platter of meat from his mom’s hand as she smiled at him. He walked out to the patio, following his grandfather and stepfather to the grill. They both sat down and smiled at him, nodding their heads to let him do the honors.

“So Justin, how’s the record coming?” Paul asked, looking at his son. Although he technically wasn’t his biological son, he had seen Justin grow from such a little thing, that he practically was his son. Justin nodded his head as he laid the steaks on to the hot grill, smiling satisfactorily at the sizzling sound.

“It’s good. I’ve been working with Timbaland again, but not as much as before. We’ve been experimenting around with some sounds. I think it’s going to be an interesting project,” Justin replied as he closed the grill lid and joined the rest of the men at the table. Trace slid the book over to him and nodded his head, giving him a pointed look. Justin took a swig of his beer and flipped open the book, glancing over the designs quickly. He usually just went with his gut feeling and whatever he didn’t like on his first glance over was usually something he would throw out in the end. Even when he was trying to grill some steaks, he was doing work. The sliding glass doors behind him slid open and he turned around, smiling when he saw Rachael standing there with the phone in her hands.

“J…it’s Timbaland. He wants to know if you can fly to Virginia Beach to record,” she said as she walked over to the table. He nodded and took the phone from her, muttering a thank you.

“Tim?” he said, bringing the phone to his ear.

“Hey man. Listen, I have to attend to some business back home. Do you think we could continue the work there? Just come for like, a week or somethin’?” replied his friend’s baritone voice.

“Well…” Justin bit on his bottom lip as he thought. “My brothers are coming to visit next week. Can we wait for you to come back here, man? ‘Cuz I can’t do anything until after my birthday.”

“Well I’ll still be in V.A. so if you can come there, that’s fine,” Timbaland replied. “I’m producing for this new artist there.”

“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll work on some stuff here to bring to you. I’ll talk to you later, man,” Justin replied before pressing the ‘Talk’ button. He leaned back in his seat and sighed as he looked at Trace. “Looks like I’ll be in Virginia for a few weeks.” He stood up from his seat and walked into the kitchen, smiling when he saw his mother standing in the kitchen making biscuits. Rachael and Kelen had disappeared somewhere and his grandmother was sitting at the table quietly knitting. “Hey momma?”

Lynn turned around and smiled at her son. “What’s up babe?”

“I need to fly to Virginia after my birthday to work with Timbaland on the record. Could you schedule the flight and everything for me?” He asked as he sneaked himself a slice of cucumber from Kelen’s salad. She nodded and he leaned in, placing a kiss on her cheek in thanks. “Thanks Momma. So where’d the girls go?”

“Out to Rachael’s house,” his mother answered as she placed the pan of biscuits into the oven. “Actually can you go get them? Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.” He bobbed his head as he walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. He loved having his momma home to take care of him. She always knew what to do to calm him down and keep him grounded, especially at times when he wished he could just disappear from Hollywood for a few months. He walked out the door and across his gravel driveway, looking up at the darkening sky when he heard thunder in the distance. It looked like it was going to be pouring in a few hours. He knocked on the door of the guest house before pushing it open, hearing their familiar giggles and voices in Rachael’s small kitchen.

“Who’s there?” Rachael called out when she heard the door open. Her head popped around the corner and she nodded her head at him before disappearing back into the kitchen. He stepped further into the house, looking around curiously as to why all of her furniture in the living room was pushed into the center of the room.

“What the hell is going on in here?” he asked incredulously as he stepped into the room. Kelen and Rachael were both leaning against the counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, smiling innocently at him.

“I’m redecorating,” Rachael shrugged. “Kelen’s gonna help me rearrange everything later. What are you doing here?”

Justin scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “What, I can’t be in my own guest house?” he teased. “Dinner’s ready. They sent me over here to come get you girls.” Kelen nodded and smiled when he threw his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Rachael walked ahead of them, leaving them in her house as she jogged across the driveway. “So,” Justin said, turning to Kelen. “I’ve gotta go to Virginia to work on the record for a few weeks.”

“Really? That sounds fun,” she answered as they walked out of the house and she pulled the door shut.

“I’m flying down there after my birthday party. Do you think you could come down to visit sometime? I’ll pay for your ticket and everything,” he assured her as they entered his home. Kelen looked up at him, smiling softly as she shrugged.

“I don’t know. I have work…but I’ll see,” she smiled. He nodded and stopped walking in the middle of the hall way. She turned towards him, raising her eyebrow in confusion. He smirked as he pulled her closer to him and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“You stayin’ over tonight?” he mumbled, smiling down at her hopefully. Kelen frowned and shook her head gently.

“I don’t think so,” she sighed as his smile disappeared from his face. “Your family is here…you should spend time with them.”

“Aww come on,” he pouted. “They don’t care if I have my girl over…I may not act it at times, but I am an adult, you know.”

Kelen laughed, shaking her head at his pitiful expression. “I know. But…it’s just awkward.” Justin tilted his head to the side, studying her quietly.

“Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of…off lately,” he frowned as he hugged her tight. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

She nodded against his chest, returning his hug and smiling at him. “I’m fine. I’m just not comfortable sleeping over when your family is here. Not that I don’t love them, because I do. It’s just awkward for me.” He gave her a small smile as he shrugged. Maybe she was just overwhelmed with meeting his family. Lord knows it wouldn’t be the first time he moved things too fast with a girl. He just couldn’t help wanting to rush back into that feeling again, especially when he had such an amazing woman standing in front of him. She was different than other women he had dated in the past. She didn’t expect him to be perfect and she didn’t hold him up on a pedestal because of who he was. She could be cute one second and turn into a completely sexy and captivating woman the next second. She kept him grounded, and he liked that he could forget about everything else when he was with her. And as selfish as it sounds, he wanted that feeling all the time.

“Okay,” he nodded slowly when he realized Kelen was still waiting for him to reply. She gave him another unsure look before standing on her tip toes and pressing her lips to his softly.

“Plus, you’ve been with me for the past two days. I can’t hog you forever,” she reasoned as his arms fell away from her body. She squeezed his hand before continuing down the hallway and into the kitchen, where everyone else had already reconvened. He followed her in and quietly sat down at the table in between Trace and Kelen.

“Good, everyone’s here,” Lynn said as she brought the basket of hot biscuits over to the table. She sat down next to her husband and sighed happily, looking around the table. “Let’s eat.” Immediately, hands started reaching across the table for plates of food as knives and forks scratched against plates. After dinner was finished and all the dishes had been cleared, everyone moved into the living room to watch some old home videos Justin’s grandmother had brought with her, much to Justin’s dismay. He watched with an embarrassed smile the whole time, hiding his face behind his hand as everyone laughed at the videos of him singing and dancing as a child. Even Trace, who had some embarrassing scenes in the video, was laughing at him, which only added to the humiliation. He just hoped none of this would somehow become available to the public, or he would never hear the end of it.

“Man, I totally forgot about those homemade costumes,” Trace grinned, patting Justin’s back goodheartedly. “Dude…just look at your hair.” Justin shook his head, hiding behind a pillow as he looked hopelessly over at his plasma TV. Kelen sat on the floor in between his knees and she turned around when she heard him chuckling quietly at the video of him and Trace putting on a skit.

“You guys were so cute,” she cooed, scrunching up her nose in a teasing manner. She turned to Lynn, who was sitting next to Justin. “How old were they in this?”

“Probably about six or seven. They used to plan these skits for hours after school,” Lynn replied. “They did this one where they dressed in Rachael’s clothes and -”

“Alright,” Justin interrupted, holding his hand out in front of his mother’s face and clearing his throat. “I think we’ve all seen enough now. It’s getting kind of late now.” Kelen looked over at Rachael and both girls exchanged a look, erupting into soft giggles as Justin stood up to turn off the video. He turned back to his grandmother, who was looking up at him proudly. “Nana, thank you very much for the video. But I think it’s best for all involved if we just kept this locked up somewhere.” His grandfather laughed and stood up, nodding his head in agreement.

“Alright, well goodnight son. We’re lookin’ for a new rod for me tomorrow, so I should go get some rest,” he said as he helped Justin’s grandmother stand up. Lynn and Paul also said goodnight and followed the older couple out of the room, leaving the younger generation in the room. Justin sighed and squeezed himself in the space between Kelen and the couch so that she was sitting in between his knees, against his chest. She smiled and snuggled into his arms as she looked at Rachael and Trace.

“So…what do we do now?” Rachael asked.

Trace shrugged as he took a swig of his beer. “Why don’t we watch a movie or something? I’m in the mood for something funny.” He stood up and walked over to Justin’s shelf of DVDs, running his fingers along the DVD boxes as he picked a movie. Kelen twisted her body around to look at Justin, sitting back on her knees.

“I should go,” she said. He frowned and nodded his head reluctantly. “I have to open the shop tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he simply replied as he stood up and pulled her on to her feet. She leaned down and gave Rachael a hug before grabbing her purse from the floor.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” she asked, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear as Rachael replied with a gentle nod of her head. Kelen smiled before following Justin towards the hallway. “See you later Trace.”

“Later Kel,” he called out, turning around with a smile before looking at the DVDs in his hands. She walked out into the foyer, where Justin was kneeling down as he played with one of his dogs. He stood up when she walked closer to him and offered her a smile before pulling open the door and walking her out to her car.

“You’re not mad, are you?” she asked as she unlocked her car doors. He shrugged his shoulders as he shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels.

“No,” he shook his head. She narrowed her eyes at him curiously, crossing her arms over her chest. “What?”

She rolled her eyes and stepped forward, placing her arms on his chest as he looked down at her. “Nothing,” she sighed before pressing her mouth to his gently. He was acting strange, and she had no idea where the sudden mood change had come from. Ever since she had told him she wasn’t spending the night, he had been acting distant towards her. “Goodnight,” she mumbled before getting into her car. He nodded and gave her a small wave as she started her car and drove down his driveway. He turned back around and walked into his house, smiling when he saw Rachael and Trace sprawled out on two couches as they waited for him to return.

“Billy Madison?” he asked, looking at the TV screen. Trace nodded as Rachael moved her feet, making space for him to sit on the couch with her. He sat down with a loud sigh, looking over at her as she nudged him with her food.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been all huffy ever since dinner,” she observed curiously. “Did you and Kelen get in a fight or something? Is that why she didn’t sleep over?”

“No. She wasn’t comfortable with staying the night when Nana and Pop are down the hall. I don’t know…she’s acting weird,” he shrugged. “I told her they couldn't care less.”

“I mean…I understand where she’s coming from. It’s awkward when she has to wake up and see your grandparents in the morning, confirming their suspicions that you two are sleeping together. It’s one thing for them to maybe have an idea, but she would be pretty much confirming it. They’re old fashioned like that,” she shrugged. “Plus, she did say she has work tomorrow.”

He nodded his head, looking down at the beer in his hands thoughtfully. “I think it’s more than that. Maybe we’re moving too fast, you know? We’ve only been dating for two months…and she’s pretty much met all of my family. It’s getting pretty serious.”

“That’s normal for you, though. It’s not like you’re asking her to move in with you, or anything.”

“Exactly. But she’s been acting weird all day.”

Rachael smiled sympathetically as he sighed again. “Just talk to her. I’m sure it’s not you; she has a lot of things on her plate now. Especially with the whole Alex situation.”

He turned back to her, scratching the back of his head. “What do you mean?”

She pulled herself up into a sitting position and nodded. “Her older brother transferred to a private pediatrics office so he’s been working nonstop. She’s been stressing out over taking care of Alex by herself. Didn’t she tell you that?”

“Apparently not,” he shook his head. He looked over at Trace who had been listening to their conversation the whole time. He shrugged his shoulders at Justin, not knowing what he could say to help the situation. “Well that’s good to know,” Justin grumbled as he stood up from his seat. “I’m goin’ to bed. I’ll see you guys later.” Rachael and Trace exchanged concerned looks as he walked out of the room silently, obviously pissed off.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” she mumbled, looking over at him sadly.

“Ya think?” Trace asked with a shake of his head.

================================

Justin panted as he followed Jason, his trainer, up the dirt trail. The Los Angeles sun had randomly broken through the gray clouds, beating down on them as they ran up the same trail that Justin had taken Kelen on their first ‘official’ date together. He hadn’t spoken to her since the night before, angry with the fact that she hadn’t been able to come to him to talk about her worries and had to turn to Rachael to vent. If she wasn’t going to talk to him, then he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one going to her. If she thought they were getting too serious, then he would just keep his distance and wait for her to make the next move. Their current situation made him realize how attached he had become with her. He usually didn’t let his feelings evolve so quickly for a girl, especially with his past relationships; he had found that being guarded was the best way to go for the first few months in a relationship. He had been single for a few months before he had met Kelen, so when he finally got her, he had gotten carried away with trying to wine and dine her.

Well there was going to be no more of that until she realized she could trust him and talk to him

“Come on, man. We’re almost at the top,” Jason called back to him as he looked over his shoulder. Justin grumbled, pumping his bare arms faster as he sprinted up the final few yards. They came to rest underneath the shade and Justin let out a relieved sigh as he slowed down to a walk and paced back in circles, catching his breath. “Good job man. You were a lot faster today, feeling a little aggression?” Jason joked as he patted Justin’s sweaty back. Justin chuckled, nodding his head as he peeled off the sweaty muscle shirt he was wearing and bunched it up into a ball in his large hands.

“You could say that,” he laughed, bending over at the waist and leaning against his knees as he took a deep breath. “Damn that felt good.” He stood up and winced as his muscles contracted in pain and took a swig of his water bottle. “I haven’t run like that in awhile.”

“Come ‘ere and stretch before you hurt yourself,” Jason said as he propped his leg up against a wooden bench and stretched out his leg. Justin nodded and walked over, copying his moves. “So…what’s goin’ on man? Women problems?”

Justin gave a soft laugh as he nodded his head. “That obvious, huh?”

“You can always tell when a guy is having girl troubles. He gets all quiet and serious. Especially with you, man.”

“Yeah…” Justin shrugged, not wanting to say anymore. He sat down on the bench and rested his elbows on the table behind him as he leaned back. “We should go back before it starts raining,” he said, looking up at the sky as the dark clouds moved overhead, completely obscuring the brief moment of sunlight. Jason nodded and grabbed his water bottle before starting to walk back down the trail they had just run up. They walked down the rest of the way, talking about his new record and making plans to work out more often. When they walked over to where his car was parked at the end of the trail, Justin’s face furrowed into an angry scowl when he saw a photographer further down the trail taking pictures of him from behind a tree.

“Those guys are crawling all over the place, damn,” Jason mumbled as they climbed into Justin’s Jeep. Justin nodded as he wiped his shirt over his face, wiping away his sweat. He threw it back into the backseat as he started the car and they drove off. He dropped Jason off at his gym before driving back to his house, happy to see that the sun had tanned him a little. He had been getting a little pasty, according to Rachael at least. He pulled into his driveway and jumped out of his car, smiling when he saw his mother and grandmother kneeling on the ground, planting flowers along his driveway. He never could remember to water those things.

“Hey Momma, hey Nana,” he greeted. They both turned around, offering him warm smiles.

“Hey baby. Pop’s been waiting for you to take him out shopping,” Lynn said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “He’s getting bored.”

Justin nodded as he walked past them towards the front door. “Lemme just take a quick shower and I’ll take him out,” he said as he opened the door and walked in. He ran up the stairs, two steps at a time, and came to a stop when he heard music coming out of the guest room. He turned left and walked down the hallway, turning towards the guestroom. His grandfather was sitting in the armchair in the corner, a guitar resting in his lap as he listened to the Blues music that Justin guessed was coming out of the old record player on the dresser. “Hey Pop,” he called out, knocking lightly on the open door. His grandfather’s head popped up, a grin crossing his features.

“Well hello there. You ready to go out?” he asked as he rested the guitar against the wall. Justin nodded as he scratched his naked chest.

“Let me shower real quick,” he said as his eyes landed on the record player. He hadn’t noticed one sitting on the dresser before. “Where’d you find the record player?”

“It was in the closet,” his grandfather replied as he nodded over towards the closet. “With the guitar.”

“Oh. I didn’t know anything was in there,” Justin shrugged. Tiffany had probably stored them in there when she decorated the room with Kelen. “Alright. Give me ten minutes, Pop. I’ll meet you downstairs.” He held up his hand before walking back down the hallway towards his bedroom. He took a hot shower, sighing when the water hit his sore muscles. He quickly scrubbed soap over his body before rinsing off and climbing out of the shower, frowning when his eyes landed on Kelen’s conditioner on his shower caddy. He didn’t use conditioner since he didn’t have to use it that often, with his head being shaved, so she had gone out after her second night sleeping over, commenting on the fact that he didn’t have any girlfriend-friendly bathroom supplies. He refused to be the one to cave in and call her first this time, no matter how much he wanted to talk to her. He quickly dried off his body and pulled on a pair of jeans and a black William Rast polo. He grabbed his wallet and phone as he walked out, jogging down the steps and emerging into the kitchen.

“Ready?” his grandfather was standing at the counter, flipping through the People magazine his mother had bought the day before. Justin nodded, smiling proudly when he saw he was wearing a William Rast jacket.

“Nice outfit, Pop,” he joked as they walked out the front door.

“Do I look Hollywood-y?” his grandfather laughed. Justin chuckled, nodding his head as he turned towards his mother and grandmother, surprised when he saw Mike standing next to his car.

“What are you doin’ here, man?” he asked, greeting his body guard.

“Your mom called me. You know you can’t go out without security, man,” Mike grumbled back. Justin shrugged as he helped his grandfather climb up into the black S.U.V.

“We’re just going out to get a new fishing rod. How many paparazzi do you know that hang around sporting goods stores?” he asked as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Mike got into the driver’s seat and shrugged as he started the car and pulled his door shut. “You can never be too careful, J.” Justin nodded and turned back towards his grandfather, who looked back at him with a calm smile on his face.

“So, Pop, you have any idea what you’re looking for? Somethin’ real nice…like for the professionals?”

“I just want somethin’ that will reel the fish in. Don’t spend your hard earned money on an old timer like me, Justin,” he chuckled, his low voice rumbling through the car. Justin nodded as Mike drove onto the highway, speeding past the Los Angeles traffic. He absentmindedly pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking to make sure he hadn’t missed any calls. There was one text message from Rachael and a missed call from his mom from this morning, but no calls from Kelen, he noticed. He sighed and slid the phone back into his pocket as they exited the highway and started getting closer to the shopping areas. He watched quietly at all of the people on the sidewalks, jealous of their ability to walk freely in public. He couldn’t even go out with his grandfather to get a fishing rod without needing a huge 200 pound man following him. Sometimes he wondered if his job was worth all of the fame and attention. They pulled into the parking lot and all three men got out of the car, walking into the sporting goods store quietly. Justin led the way into the back towards the fishing section, smiling politely at the few employees who happened to recognize him. His grandfather let out a low whistle when he saw the wall of fishing rods, and Justin chuckled as he looked at his grandfather’s wide-eyed expression.

“Take your pick, old man. I do owe you for breaking your beloved one,” he smiled, standing back to let his grandfather choose. An employee who looked no older than 18 walked up, clearing his voice softly as he walked down the aisle towards them.

“Could I help you with anything, gentlemen?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets bashfully as he looked at Justin. Justin smiled, shaking his head.

“Not yet, we’re still looking. Pop, do you have any questions?” he asked, knowing full well his grandfather would not be needing any advice from this teenager from Hollywood. Expectantly, his grandfather shook his head politely and turned back, running his hands along the length of one particularly expensive looking rod. After a few minutes of him reading the specifications of a few rods, his grandfather finally turned back to the employee, asking him to pull two down for him so he could try them out himself. Another employee had come out of nowhere, and took the other rod down, holding it in his hands as Justin’s grandfather held the other one in his hands.

“This one feels kind of heavy,” he observed, his eyes turning to look at Justin. “What do you think?” Justin stepped forward and took it from his grandfather’s hand, holding it up in the air.

“Kind of. But it’s sturdy,” he shrugged, handing it back. His grandfather shrugged as he took the other rod from the employee’s hand and weighed both in his hands. “If you want, you could get both Pop. It’s no problem. I should probably get one anyway for you to keep for me when I visit.”

His grandfather shook his head adamantly, giving Justin a stern look. “Stop trying to spend your money on me.”

Justin let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest as he laughed. “I’m not. Just let me get ‘em.” He turned to the employee who had helped him first, smiling at him. “We’ll take both please. Do y’all do shipping?”

“Yes sir,” he answered as he rushed forward to take the rods from Justin’s grandfather’s hands. He propped them back up against the wall and reached down for the corresponding boxes. Justin nodded and grinned at his grandfather, patting his back as they followed the sales person to the front of the store to pay.

“See, now if I break another one, you’ll have a spare,” he laughed.

“Oh damn, looks like they found us,” Mike said, staring out the large store windows. Justin looked up, easily spotting the two photographers standing outside in the parking lot. They weren’t even hiding behind cars or anything. Justin quickly paid for the fishing rods and set up the shipping instructions, before thanking the various employees standing about and following Mike out the store with his grandfather.

“Justin! Justin! You going on a trip soon?” one asked as they walked by the two photographers.

“Justin! Why aren’t you at your girlfriend’s shop comforting her? Did you two break things off?” the other asked. Justin turned to him curiously, not saying a word, but just glaring at him through his dark sunglasses. Where did these guys get their information from? “You know there was a fire at her shop, right?” the man called out as Justin climbed into his car. Justin whipped his head around, looking at the man’s face through the window as Mike started the car.

“What the hell did that guy say? Did he just say there was a fire at Kelen’s shop?” he asked, turning to look at his grandfather and Mike. Both men nodded as Justin pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Kelen’s cell phone. No answer. He quickly dialed Rachael’s number, hoping she had some news.

“Justin?” she answered.

“Rach, was there a fire at Kelen’s?” he immediately ask. “Some damn photographer just said something to me.”

“Yeah,” came her breathy response. “About forty minutes ago. I just got to her shop five minutes ago and there was a fire truck parked outside. Everything’s fine though. There was a small electrical fire or something in the kitchen. It only damaged some of the equipment, Kelen’s fine.”

“Why didn’t she call me?” he asked angrily as he gestured for Mike to drive him to Kelen’s shop. “Don’t answer that, I’ll be there in five minutes.” He hung up the phone, not waiting for an answer.

“What’s going on?” his grandfather asked, his concern evident in his voice. “Is Kelen okay?”

“Yeah,” Justin answered distractedly as he looked out the window. “A small fire at her store. It damaged some kitchen equipment, but no one was hurt.”

“Thank the lord,” his grandfather breathed a sigh of relief. Justin nodded as he strummed his fingers against his lap impatiently. He checked his phone again and bristled with anger when he saw that Kelen had indeed, not called him at all about the accident. When they pulled into the back parking lot, a fire truck was parked outside and a small group of people were standing next to it as they waited for the firemen to finish their work. He immediately spotted Kelen in the middle of the group as she turned to look at his car. He jumped out, not even waiting for Mike to turn the car off and quickly walked over to her.

“Justin!” she called out, stepping over to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Are you alright?” he asked, his eyes roaming over her face as he ignored her question. She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “Why didn’t you call me?”

She pulled away and looked up at his face, noticing his angry tone. Her eyes immediately narrowed and she stepped back away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I was a little preoccupied, Justin,” she bit back angrily. “I don’t know if you noticed, but there was a fire in my shop. I’m sorry I didn’t stop from getting the customers out to call you.” She rolled her eyes at him. She looked over his shoulder and forced a smile on her face. “Hey Mike, hey Bill,” she greeted before walking away from him and returning to the group of employees and Rachael. He scowled and clenched his hands into fists as he followed her, ignoring Rachael’s curious looks.

“What happened?” he asked his cousin as Kelen walked away and over to Sophie, who was talking to one of the firemen.

“Some faulty wiring apparently. Her ovens caught on fire, so they have to replace those and some of the walls. Luckily one of the baristas reacted fast enough and called 911 as Kelen got all the customers out. It was lunch time too,” she frowned, gesturing towards the other small group of people standing by the door with drinks in their hands, watching curiously. One of them, he noticed, was Eli, and he glared at him as Eli looked over at where Kelen and Sophie were standing. Kelen and Sophie both had relieved smiles on their faces and as they walked back, Eli walked up to Kelen and started talking softly to her. She smiled warmly at him, nodding and giving him a friendly hug before he pulled away and walked away, disappearing behind the fire truck.

“Alright everyone, everything’s going to be fine. Unfortunately, we’ll have to close the shop down for a week or two to fix up the kitchen,” Kelen announced loudly to both groups. The customers all offered her their condolences and left, leaving the employees in the parking lot. Both Kelen and Sophie walked over with tight smiles on their lips. “So y’all are off for a week, at least. We’ll call you when the shop is ready.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” one of the male baristas asked.

“No, but thanks Greg,” Sophie shook her head. “Kelen and I just need to wait around for the insurance guy to check it out. We’ll keep you all updated. Thank you for your efficiency with getting all the customers out safely. You guys were awesome today.” They all nodded and dispersed, leaving Kelen, Sophie, and Justin’s “crew” standing in the parking lot as the firemen finished their investigation.

“Oh, hey guys,” Sophie greeted when her eyes landed on Justin. “When did you guys get here?”

“Just now,” Justin shrugged, his eyes staying glued to Kelen the whole time. She avoided his gaze and turned her back to him, walking towards the door of the shop.

“I’m gonna go see how it is in there, Sophie,” she called out. Justin excused himself from the group and let Rachael introduce Sophie to their grandfather and Mike as he followed Kelen into the shop. She was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared into her damaged kitchen. He could smell the burnt metal and coughed slightly from smoke in the hall. There were two firemen standing in the room, pulling off the burnt pieces of plaster off the wall.

“You’re lucky the kitchen is in the back of the building, or it would have damaged the neighboring stores,” one of them said, turning his head towards Kelen. His eyes landed on Justin and he stopped his work for a second. “Are you who I think you are?” Justin gave a small nod of his head as Kelen turned around, not realizing Justin had been standing behind her the whole time.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked softly.

“Can we talk?” he asked, placing a hand on her arm. She sighed and nodded before walking down the hallway and into her office. Instead of sitting down in the chair, like she had done before, she leaned back against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at him.

“So what are we talking about? How you’re acting like an ass again?”

“Hey,” he defended himself. “No need for name calling, here.”

“I don’t understand why you’re acting like I fucking killed someone,” she said angrily. “I know I didn’t call you and I’m sorry. But I was really worried and stressed about other things, obviously. You can’t expect me to stop everything and just call you the second it happened. I would have after everything settled down, Justin.”

“Would you really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well you didn’t tell me your brother hasn’t been able to pitch in with Alex for one thing,” he accused her, narrowing his eyes at her as he stood in the middle of her office. Her eyes widened slightly before she sighed and threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything. But yes, Ryan started a new job two weeks ago and has been busy, so I’ve been trying to spend more time with Alex to make up for it,” she explained. “I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t a big deal. You knew I was visiting Alex, it wasn’t like I was lying to you.”

He shook his head and stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his. “Is that why you’ve been so distracted? You’ve been different…and I know we’re not spending as much time together as before, but I still notice things. Is that why you’re mad? Because we don’t see each other every day?”

Kelen gave him an incredulous look as she shook her head. “No. As amazing as it sounds, Justin, I don’t need to see you everyday to function. I do have my own things to do, you know? You may be used to girls hanging all over you…but I’m not like that.”

Justin shook his head again, frowning at her. “That’s not what I meant, Kelen.”

“What exactly do you mean then? I’m sorry if I’ve been distracted, but that’s only because my life is becoming more stressed. The first month I was able to be with you every day because Alex didn’t need my attention as much and the shop was doing fine. It’s a new year, so things are getting more hectic. You can’t expect me to still be able to just work with your schedule,” she shrugged. “I know you’re used to dating women who have the ability to work only a few hours a week, but that’s not me. And I’m sorry if that’s what you expect.”

“I don’t expect anything,” he said softly, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “I just want you to talk to me.”

“Okay,” she nodded, finally offering him a soft smile as she looked at him.

“You can call me anytime, about anything. You don’t have to call Eli,” he mumbled, immediately regretting his last comment as her eyes narrowed at him and the smile disappeared from her face.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing…” he retracted, looking away from her accusatory glare.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” she growled, surprising him with her sudden anger. “Are you seriously mad at me because Eli was here? I didn’t call him Justin. He stopped by to get a coffee when the fire started. Why would I fucking call Eli to talk? I hardly even know him.”

Justin shrugged, sticking his hands into his pockets. “Well I saw him out there earlier talkin’ to you.”

“I cannot believe you right now,” she interrupted him, holding her hand in the air. She opened her mouth to say something when her name was called and she looked over at the door, nodding when she saw Sophie standing at the door.

“Uh…am I interrupting?” she asked, tucking a stray piece of dark red hair behind her ear. Kelen shook her head as she stood up straight.

“No, what’s up?”

“The firemen are gone. And Rachael left with your grandfather. Mike’s still waiting outside though,” she nodded towards Justin before looking back at Kelen with a suspicious look. “I’m just going to go look at the damage. I’ll be in the kitchen.” Kelen nodded at her as Sophie gave them both one last look and walked away.

“You should go,” Kelen said, turning her back to him as she looked through piles of paper on her desk. “I have a lot of work to do, as you can see, Justin. I can’t talk to you about this right now.”

“Kelen…” he started to say, immediately hating his mouth for spewing out words before he could even process them. He had no idea where the Eli comment had even come from. “Please, let's just talk this out....”

She whipped her head around and glared at him, causing him to hold up his hands in the air in defense. “Believe me…you don’t want me to really tell you what I’m thinking right now. Just…let me deal with this stuff first. I’ll call you when I can talk. Please thank your grandfather and Mike for coming to see me though. That was sweet of them,” she said without one look at him.

He sighed in defeat, nodding his head sadly. “Can you still come to my mom’s party tomorrow? She really wants you there.” He saw her shoulders drop as she stopped her movements. She turned her head, not really looking at him but acknowledging his presence.

“I don’t know. I’ll see,” she said softly. He nodded at her and stepped towards the door. “Oh wait,” she said, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned around and watched curiously as she pulled out her drawer and pulled something out. It was a small wrapped gift and she walked over to him, holding it out in front of her. “This is her present…if I can’t make it tomorrow. Tell her happy birthday for me.”

“Tell her yourself when you come tomorrow,” he said, looking up at her pleadingly.

She frowned, looking away from his gaze as she shoved the box into his hands. “Justin…just take it, okay?”

“What about…us?” he asked as he reluctantly wrapped his hand around the box and looked up at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…are we okay?”

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at him sadly. “I don’t know, Justin. I just…I have too much to think about right now, okay? Can we please just talk about this later?”

“Please don’t let my stupid mouth get in between us,” he pleaded, his eyebrows furrowing together as he looked down at her.

"I really can't talk about any of this right now,” she sighed. “I just need some time to think and sort

Kelen let out a stifled laugh as she watched Christine stumble through their apartment, dragging her suitcase down the hallway. It had been three days since the fire at the shop and she had spent all of her time between the shop and her couch, avoiding calls from Justin or anyone related to him. She had been livid with him when he had mentioned Eli, an issue he had brought up multiple times in their past arguments.  She didn’t know what his problem was, but she had somehow earned his distrust, and she was starting to get tired of constantly defending herself against his wild accusations. She hadn’t talked to him since he left her office that afternoon, only taking the time to call his mom to wish her a happy birthday the next day. She was unsure if she wanted to forgive him again, knowing full well they would somehow get into another argument in the future about Eli. It was inevitable, especially since Eli’s mother had asked Kelen to cater Riverside’s Valentine’s Dance. She would be spending more time around Eli, and she had a feeling Justin wouldn’t be too happy with the idea.

“Thanks for the help,” Christine grunted, bringing Kelen out of her thoughts. Kelen looked up at her friend, shrugging innocently as Christine laughed at her. She had secured an interview with a top designer in New York City and Kelen was about to drive her to the airport, except she hadn’t made a move off the couch since coming home from the shop in the morning. “Are you gonna sit around and mope forever…or can you take me to the airport?”

“Hold your damn horses,” Kelen replied as she threw the blankets off her body and turned the T.V. off. “And I’m not moping.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Christine shrugged, running a hand through her jet black hair. Her almond eyes twinkled playfully as Kelen turned to her, giving her a knowing look. “Just call the boy already. You know you want to.”

“I’m not ready to take him back yet. He was an asshole,” she complained as she slid on her shoes and grabbed her purse. She took Christine’s impossibly heavy suitcase and both girls walked out of their door as Christine pulled along her carry-on bag. “Damn…you’re only going to be there for three days, Chris. You brought your whole closet in here!”

“I have to look presentable at all times when I’m there. I don’t know what the weather is like…I have to be prepared,” Christine scoffed as they waited for the elevator. She smiled at Kelen’s perturbed look and leaned against the wall. “So what’s going on with you and JT? It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve had to deal with a jealous boyfriend, Kel.”

Kelen sighed as she pulled the suitcase into the open elevator. “I just don’t understand what warranted his suspicions. It’s not like I’ve ever laid a hand on Eli. I don’t know what I have to do to make him trust me, besides following him like a shadow everywhere he goes.” She frowned and looked over to Christine for guidance. “Maybe we’re just getting too serious too fast.”

“Well how do you feel about him?” Christine asked as the elevator doors opened with a ‘ding’. Both girls entered the lobby and frowned when they saw the drizzling rain outside. It had been raining off and on for the past two days now, a rare occurrence for the Los Angeles area. They both ran to Kelen’s parked car and climbed inside as quickly as possible to avoid getting wet. Once they were on the road, Kelen finally turned to Christine with a shrug.

“That’s the thing, Chris. I…I think I’ve fallen for him. It scares the hell out of me,” she admitted, running her hand through her hair worriedly. She was starting to leave her hair wavy now, not bothering to straighten it because the rain would inevitably frizz it up again. Christine turned to look at Kelen with a knowing smirk, nodding her head slowly as if she hadn’t already predicted that her friend would fall for the pop star.

“Kel, it shouldn’t scare you. He loves you too; it’s obvious when you two are in the same room together. He can’t keep his eyes off of you.”

She glanced at Christine from the corners of her eyes as she drove to LAX airport. It seemed that Los Angeles drivers got even worse in the rain. “You think so?”

“I’m willing to bet my future career on it. Just go with the feeling…don’t question it so much. You have the tendency to overanalyze these things,” she patted Kelen’s thigh lovingly as she grinned at her. “I think you should talk to him.” Kelen frowned, falling silent as she continued to drive down the highway. She refused to let him off the hook that easily, no matter her recent revelation that she was in love with him. It was going to take a lot more than a simple ‘sorry’ for her to completely forgive him, and she planned on torturing him just a bit longer. Maybe it was the bitch in her, but she was getting tired of their little fights about nothing. Especially when she had to worry about her shop and brother on top of everything else.

She pulled up to the airport and stepped out of the car, helping Christine get her bags out from the trunk. “Have tons of fun, girl. Good luck,” she grinned, pulling her best friend in for a hug. Christine nodded, letting out a soft squeal of excitement.

“I can’t believe I’m going to New York City! Tell Sophie I said bye. I’ll call you girls when I land,” Christine promised as she took hold of her bags. “And go talk to him.”

“Don’t worry about me…just go,” Kelen rolled her eyes, pushing the petite girl away from the car. She laughed and waved at Christine before settling back into her car and taking a calming breath. She fished out her phone from her purse and stared at it, willing herself to just call Justin. He had called her about three times every day, for the past two days, but when he realized she wasn’t going to talk to him, he finally stopped calling and hadn’t made any attempt to contact her all day. She knew she was acting somewhat childish, avoiding his calls and everything, but she really just needed time to think about her feelings for him. Ever since her last break up with her serious boyfriend of four years, she hadn’t been able to really let herself get close to another man. It was hard for her to truly give her whole heart up, knowing how much it hurt when it was crushed. But Justin had no idea about her past, and she had a feeling it was finally time to just tell him everything. She owed him that much at least. After finally summoning up the courage, she dialed Justin’s number and prayed that he would answer.

“Hey,” he answered after the first ring. She smiled softly when she heard the smile in his voice. God she had missed him.

“Hi,” she breathed, feeling all of her anxiety wash away. “Are you at home?”

“Yeah. Everyone just left,” he replied. “They wanted me to tell you bye.”

“Oh,” Kelen frowned, regretting the fact that she hadn’t been able to say goodbye to his family. “Well…can I come over?”

“Of course, baby. When can you get here?” he immediately asked. “I’ve been waiting for your call all day... which I realize makes me sound like a loser, but I don’t care.”

She giggled softly as she pulled out of the parking spot and onto the road that would lead her out of the airport terminal. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I just dropped Christine off at the airport.”

“Alright. Drive safely, it’s starting to pour hard out there,” he warned her, a serious tone in his voice. Kelen nodded as the rain started to hit her windshield heavily, causing all of the traffic to slow down significantly. “Bye babe.”

“Bye,” she replied before hanging up on the call. She drove as fast as she could without getting into an accident and pulled up to Justin’s driveway right when the rain was letting up. Well that was an eerie sign if she had ever seen one. She had been practicing her speech to him on the whole ride to his house, but the words suddenly disappeared as she walked quietly up to his front door. The door pulled open as she approached it, and she couldn’t stop the giddy smile from appearing when she realized he must have been waiting for her. She quickly jogged up the steps, shielding herself from the rain as she came closer to him.

“Hi,” he mumbled before pulling her into a tight hug and taking a deep breath. “God I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she heard herself whisper back as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Justin…” she said, her tone making him pull away and look down at her, his eyes searching hers curiously. “Can we talk?” His arms fell away from her body as he nodded and walked inside, worry crossing his deep blue eyes.

“I’m really sorry, baby,” he blurted as she sat down next to him on his couch. “I didn’t mean anything I said about Eli….I was being an ass.”

She took a deep breath and gave him an unconvinced look. “Then why did you even bring it up? You obviously can’t trust me. And I don’t know what I did to deserve that…but I’m tired of it.”

He sighed, looking away from her searching eyes. She looked so hurt and confused, and it broke his heart, knowing that he had caused that. “It’s not that you did anything. I…I’ve just had bad experiences in the past. All my exes cheated on me or lied to me somehow. And it scares me when you don’t talk to me about things.”

“I talk to you all the time,” she defended herself, huffing angrily at him.

“Well you didn’t tell me Ryan hasn’t been helping out with Alex,” he replied calmly, trying to avoid any further heated arguments with her because he knew she would win in the end. She always did.

She let out another huff of air as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against his couch. “I already told you, Justin. It just happened a few weeks ago. It isn’t a big deal.”

“It is to me,” he tried to explain. “It means a lot to me when you get all stressed about stuff. You get quiet and you don’t let me in, and I can’t stand it. You act like I’m above listening about your life, that your issues don’t mean anything. But they do. I like talking to you…you make me forget about the crazy shit I have to go through for my career.”

“I don’t think that…” she said weakly, averting his gaze and looking down at her lap. She had only been trying to keep the stress away from his life, rather than adding her own problems to his.

“I just don’t understand why you don’t think you can talk to me about Alex. That’s why I get jealous when I see you with Eli. I feel like you think you can talk to him more than you can talk to me, as if I don’t have the intelligence to understand your problems with your brother,” he sighed, finally making eye contact with her. Her lips turned into a tight line as she shook her head softly.

“It’s not you…It’s just hard for me to let other people in when it comes to my brother.”

He scooted closer to her and turned so that he was facing her, his hands reaching to hold hers. He smiled softly when he saw a tear fall from her eyes, “I get that you’re protective of him. But I’m not going to hurt him.”

She took a shuddering breath as she looked down at their joined hands and shook her head softly. One hand rose up to wipe her teary eyes as she looked back up at him and sighed, “It’s more than that, Justin. I never told you…but I was in a really serious relationship with this guy before you. His name was Kevin and we were together for four years…and were practically engaged. I used to vent to him every night about Alex, and he got tired of having to share me, pretty much. So he went to visit Alex under the pretense of spending time with him, when he was really trying to convince Alex that I didn’t have enough time to spend with him anymore. Kevin tried to tell Alex that it was better for me if he wasn’t a stress on my life and for Alex to move home with my parents. Alex never said a word to me, but I knew something was wrong because he was really angry with me all the time. He finally told Ryan that he wanted to move away from me, and when I found out, Kevin and I got into this huge fight. He kept saying he was tired of there being three people in our relationship, and was saying all of these horrible things about Alex and how he weighed me down. And the sad thing was that he had me believing that maybe Alex moving away would be good for me. I was just…so in love with him, I was willing to actually let my brother move away just so I could keep my boyfriend.”

She stopped talking and looked away as fresh tears started pouring from down her face. Justin frowned sympathetically and cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “Kelen…I would never, ever, ask you to choose between me and your brother.”

“I know,” she nodded as she breathed a frustrated sigh. “But…I was a mess, Justin. I couldn’t eat or sleep for two months after I left him. It was awful.”

“How long ago was this?” he questioned, amazed that she had kept this from him.

“About a year and a half ago,” she mumbled. “And I never told you because it still hurts when I talk about it.” She got quiet and fidgeted silently as he processed the information, fearing that maybe she had scared him off with all of her emotional baggage. She hadn’t thought about Kevin in months, most likely because she had met Justin and he had been able to make her forget about everything.

“What happened to that guy, Kevin?”

She gave him a questioning look as she shrugged. “I’m not sure. Why?”

“Because I wanna go find this guy and beat him to a pulp,” Justin gritted angrily. “No guy should be allowed to hurt you that bad, Kelen. He’s a fucking asshole.”

“He is,” she agreed as she shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him since I moved out that summer.” He leaned forward and framed her face with his hands, a gentle smile crossing his face.

“I promise, Kelen…I would never hurt you like that. I love you,” he whispered softly for the first time, staring into her eyes intently. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked back at him with wide, surprised eyes. He peered back at her cautiously. Maybe it wasn’t the perfect timing, but he needed to let her know. It had been eating him away for the past three days, afraid that she would end things with him before she knew just how much she meant to him.

“I love you too,” she finally whispered back. He felt his heart pounding in his ears as he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers deeply. Her hands fisted his t-shirt and pulled him closer to her as her legs fell apart, allowing him to settle above her. He couldn’t remember a time when he was happier than this moment. She actually loved him. Her tongue swiped delicately against his before she pulled her head away and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry I was an ass,” he mumbled gently. “My mom was so pissed at me.”

“You told her?” she asked incredulously, moving so that she was sitting back against the arm of the couch.

“Yeah…I didn’t know what to do,” he admitted, giving her an embarrassed smile. “She told me I was an irrational moron, and that she wouldn’t talk to me until I made it up to you.” Kelen laughed, shaking her head at him in disbelief. He smiled sheepishly before hugging her tight and resting his head on her stomach.

Her hand combed through his short curls as she smiled down at him. “I called her on her birthday.”

“I know…she told me just so that I’d get jealous,” he pouted. Kelen laughed softly before quickly falling silent as she looked down at him. He turned his head to look up at her, his eyebrows furrowing together suspiciously at her sudden silence.

“Justin…I don’t want us to get into this fight again,” she mumbled. “About Eli…it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

He pulled himself up into a sitting position and gave a small nod of his head. “I can’t promise you anything, Kel. I can’t help it if it makes me jealous when you spend time with other guys.”

She rolled her eyes at his exaggerations. “I’m not going to stop talking to other men all because you have issues, Justin. How do you think I feel when you work with all these hot models and actresses on a daily basis? You have to trust me…or this isn’t going to work.”

He had the audacity to cross his arms over his chest and pout like a four year old as he reluctantly nodded his head. “Fine.”

“Okay…because the director of Riverside, the place where Alex lives, asked me to cater their Valentine’s dance thing. Which means I’ll be working directly with Eli,” she braced herself for his outburst, pursing her lips together. Justin’s eyes darted over to her from the corner of his eyes as he sighed loudly.

“Do you have to?”

“Justin!” she let out an exasperated sigh. “I have to pick up this job, especially since the shop will be closed for at least two weeks now. And, plus, I want to do it.”

He nodded and unfolded his arms, letting them fall to his sides. “Okay, fine. I guess I can’t keep you forever.” She smiled brightly at him, pecking him on the cheek before jumping on to her feet and looking down at him expectantly.

“Hungry? I’ll make us something to eat,” she tempted him as she walked into the kitchen. He followed obediently and sat down at the kitchen island as she opened up his refrigerator and pulled out all of the leftovers from when his mom had been here to cook for him. He smiled sheepishly when she pulled out three pecan pies wrapped in foil.

“What? Nana makes the best fucking pies,” he shrugged innocently. She rolled her eyes before putting them back into the fridge and closed the door. “So can you come out with me to Virginia?”

She looked up from where she was cutting into a tomato, and shook her head disappointedly. “No, I wish. But I have a lot of work to do here.”

“But I’m gonna be gone for two weeks,” he started to whine. She was really starting to get tired of his whining. He had developed it when his mom had flown in, and it still hadn’t disappeared yet.

“Well, I’m sorry. But I can’t. I’ll be working on Valentine’s Day anyways, so at least you’ll be working too. We can celebrate it when you get back,” she offered with a hopeful smile. He sighed and folded his arms on top of the counter, resting his chin on his arms as he watched her make two chicken wraps. He really did love her, especially when she made him delicious food. Apparently, the way to a man’s heart <i>was</i> through his stomach.

==============================

Justin let out a frustrated groan as he watched Kelen traipse around his bedroom in her cotton shorts and a tight wife beater. She was still punishing him for their last fight, and they hadn’t gotten down and dirty since his grandparents were in town, which was about two weeks ago. He was seriously sex-deprived right now, and she was only making it worse by walking around practically naked. He had a feeling she was doing it on purpose just to torture him.

Kelen gave him an amused look when he let out a sigh and fell back against the bed in defeat. He had been busy all week with the new album, and it was the first afternoon they were able to spend together alone. She had big plans for them tonight since he had been waiting so patiently for the past week, not pushing her to do anything further than make-out. It was the night before his birthday, after all. Plus, his brothers, father, and step-mother had flown in yesterday and she didn’t want to get caught in any compromising positions with them in the house.

“You know your family is staying in San Diego tonight after they visit the zoo,” she said as she pulled her hair up into a pony tail. Justin gave her a pitiful look as he nodded at her. He was currently sitting in his giant king sized bed with Buckley and Brennen sprawled out at his feet and watching as she walked around and picked up their dirty laundry.

“Oh yeah?” he asked with a raise of his eyebrows. He licked his lips wolfishly as she jumped onto the bed and the dogs immediately moved to lap at her fingers. His eyes trailed over the exposed skin of her neck, and all he wanted to do was attack her right there on the bed and latch his lips onto that spot behind her ear.

“Can we go out on a date?” she asked giddily, he brought his eyes up to meet hers and smiled.

“A date?”

She nodded again and smirked as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto his ear, causing him to shiver involuntarily. “Dessert’s on me,” she muttered. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed her wrist, which was sliding seductively down his chest, and turned his head, crashing his lips onto hers hungrily.

“Don’t fucking tease,” he growled with a smirk. She smiled evilly and nodded her head before moving to sit next to him. She turned her attention to the basketball game on his TV, smiling when his hand blindly reached for hers and their fingers intertwined together. After about an hour, she pecked him on the cheek before standing up and walking to her overnight bag. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked when she slung the strap over her shoulder. She turned to him and smiled, showing off her dimples. He couldn’t help but grin back at her as she winked at him.

“I want this to be a proper date, so I’m goin’ home to get all dolled up for you,” she explained as she looked around the room for her watch.

“It’s only four o’clock. And you’re already hot, so you don’t have to do anything. Just stay here,” he pouted. She rolled her eyes as she located her watch and clasped it onto her wrist.

“Nice try, lover boy. I don’t want to get stuck in rush hour traffic. Just come pick me up at 7, alright?” She smiled when he nodded, the pout still gracing his pink lips. She walked back over to him and let out a yelp when he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap. He chuckled softly, pressing his lips onto hers passionately as she pretended to struggle against him. She let out a content sigh as they parted, her thumb tracing over his lips absentmindedly. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

Justin smirked at her as he gave her a dirty look, waggling his eyebrows playfully. “I’ll hold you to that promise.” He finally let her go with one last peck on the lips, and watched appreciatively as she walked out of his bedroom. Damn did that girl know how to walk. He leaned back against the headboard with a relaxed sigh as another basketball game came on the TV screen. His birthday weekend was already starting off perfectly.

Three hours later, Justin was knocking on Kelen’s apartment door with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand. The door swung open and his eyes landed on Sophie, whose previously dark red hair was now a dark auburn.

“Hey Sophie. Nice hair change,” he noted with a friendly smile. She grinned, nodding her head modestly as he stepped inside.

“Thanks. I was in the mood for a change,” she said as she pushed the door shut and walked back over to the dining table, which was littered with papers. “She should be ready soon.”

Justin nodded and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he curiously peered over at the papers on the table. “So how’s it going with the shop? I hear you guys get to open on Wednesday?”

She nodded and looked up at him with a slight frown. “Yeah…but we’re still missing an oven. It was supposed to arrive today and the manufacturer hasn’t returned my calls yet. I’m seriously getting pissed here. We’re losing more money with every day that we’re closed.” He nodded sympathetically and looked up when Kelen’s bedroom door opened. He struggled to keep his jaw shut when his eyes traced down the green dress that showed off her tanned shoulders and toned legs.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were here already,” Kelen greeted, her eyes widening in surprise when her eyes landed on her boyfriend standing in her living room. “How long have you been waiting?”

He shook himself out of his stupor and cleared his throat. “Uh…I just got here. Wow…you look beautiful, baby,” he smiled. Her cheeks blushed at the compliment as a shy smile crossed her face.

“Thanks,” she answered and walked up to him, rising on her tiptoes to press a welcoming kiss onto his lips. Her eyes trailed down his outfit appreciatively before meeting his again. “You look hot,” she grinned. Even in jeans, a button down shirt, and a v-neck sweater on top, he looked like a million dollars. He smirked down at her as he winked at her playfully.

“Please, girl. Tell me something I don’t know,” he chuckled cockily as he ran his hand over his newly shaved head. She had whined for hours when she saw him standing in his bathroom with hair strewn all over the floor, and she was still mourning the loss of the short curls. What was she going to hold on to now when he was sending her into an earth-shattering orgasm?

“Gross. I <i>am</i> in the room, you know?” Sophie called out, imitating a gagging noise. “The cuteness in this room is suffocating.” They both turned to look at her and laughed at her look of indignation.

Kelen rolled her eyes as she rested her hands on her hips. “You just need to get laid.”

“True,” Sophie nodded as Justin laughed softly. “Care to help me with that? Know any hot, single, nice men, Justin?”

“Nah…I’ll think about it though,” he answered before following Kelen into her bedroom, where she was standing in front of her closet looking for shoes. She wasn’t aware of his presence in her room yet, so he quietly snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to startle in his arms. He pushed her curled hair to the side and placed a warm kiss on the back of her neck as he held up the bouquet of flowers in front of her face. “These are for you,” he said in a husky voice, causing goose bumps to appear on her skin. She turned in his arms and smiled brightly at him, her green eyes twinkling with happiness.

“They’re gorgeous. Thank you,” she breathed before rising on her toes and capturing his lips with hers. He squeezed her close to his body as she kissed him again before pulling away and smiling down at her. “Let me find my shoes real quick.” She turned back towards her closet and began rummaging around quietly. He nodded and leaned against her dresser as he watched her slip into her black pumps. She didn’t wear dresses often, making him appreciate her attire even more. The silk chiffon dress ended right above her knees and showed off her curves beautifully without looking trashy. The dark green color made her bright green eyes stand out as she turned back to him.

He couldn’t stop the gentle smile from crossing his lips as she walked closer towards him. “I’m ready.” He nodded and took her overnight bag before following her out of her bedroom, as she walked to the kitchen and placed the flowers into a glass vase. “Hey Soph? We’re leavin’ now, I’ll see you later,” she called out. Justin turned to look down the hall, where Sophie popped her head out of her bedroom.

“Alright. Have fun you two lovebirds,” she said in a sing-songy voice before closing her bedroom door. Justin opened the front door, bowing his head as Kelen walked past him and out of the apartment. He pulled the door shut and reached out for her hand as they walked towards the stairwell.

“So where are you taking me tonight, Mr. Timberlake?” she questioned, turning towards him as they walked through the deserted lobby. He shrugged with a secretive smirk.

“It’s a surprise,” he teased, leading her towards his parked BMW. After helping her into the passenger seat, he jogged to the other side and slid into his seat, grinning at her excitedly as he drove out of the parking lot. He began to sing in harmony to the radio as they drove into the heart of Hollywood on a Friday night. They pulled up to Ritual, a restaurant Kelen had heard of, yet hadn’t had the chance to try out yet. As Justin climbed out of the car, the valet attendant rushed forward and held out his hand, helping Kelen out as Justin came around to the sidewalk. She smiled graciously as his hand came to rest on her lower back, pushing her forward and into the restaurant after handing off his keys to the valet parker. They were immediately seated in a corner booth in the back, amongst the interested glances from fellow diners.

“Mr. Timberlake, it’s nice to see you again,” an older gentleman greeted them as he came up to their table, shaking Justin’s hand. He turned to Kelen and smiled at her, holding out his hand. “And who is this lovely young lady?” Kelen glanced at Justin who simply smiled back as he let out an easy chuckle. Trace called it his “media’ laugh, and Kelen struggled to hold back her own laugh as she looked up at their host, who was still grinning back at her. His overly cheerful demeanor was the kind she had become accustomed to living in Los Angeles; the money hungry, fake smile that many people in the area had developed over the years.

“I’m Kelen,” she responded. “Nice to meet you.”

“Welcome, Miss Kelen, to my restaurant. My name is Richard and I hope you two have a wonderful evening tonight,” he bowed dramatically before handing them both menus. “Could I start you two off with drinks?” Justin immediately took over and breezily ordered a bottle of wine, which she was sure cost more money than she could even dream of. Once Richard walked away, he turned back to her and let out a low chuckle.

“He’s a little eccentric,” he noted with a raised eyebrow. She giggled, nodding her head in agreement as she laid her napkin over her lap.

“I’ve never seen a man that tan in my life,” she observed as their waiter returned to their table and poured wine into their glasses. “I’ve never been here before…but I’ve heard good reviews.”

Justin nodded as he picked up his wine glass. “I haven’t been here since they changed chefs. But Trace told me I should try it out.” She nodded and smiled when he held his glass up. She quietly clinked hers against his before bringing the earthy drink up to her lips. After they ordered their meals, Kelen leaned forward in her seat and fidgeted with the silverware on the table .

“I’m thinking of starting a deli counter at the shop,” she said, biting her bottom lip nervously. She had been playing around with the idea for awhile, but was unsure if it was the right thing to do. It would be a huge investment and step for the shop, and she didn’t know if other people would like the idea.

“Really?” he asked, placing his forearms on the table as he nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. You should do it.”

She nodded and looked up at him, smiling when she saw his supportive smile. “I don’t know though. It would take a lot of work…and we’d have to hire more people than what we have now. I just don’t know if we have enough resources. Sophie’s been really stressed out with money, especially with the accident and everything.”

“But you’re a great cook,” he shrugged. “And I’m not just saying that because you’re my girl. It’s true. I think it would bring in a lot of good business for you in the long run. And if you’re passionate about it, it’ll work.” He nodded his head affirmatively. Kelen sighed as she leaned back in her seat.

“I want to. I think it would be fun,” she agreed. Her cell phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her clutch, frowning slightly when she saw that it was Alex.

“Alex?” Justin asked knowingly. She nodded, smiling apologetically at him. “Answer it,” he gestured.

“But we’re on a date…” she started, looking back down at her phone.

“Kel…I don’t care. He’s your brother,” he encouraged her, giving her a bored look. She smiled and flipped open her phone, bringing it up to her ear. She had been making an effort to try and include Justin in the side of her life that involved Alex, but at the same time trying to balance her time between the two most important people in her life. She didn’t want a repeat of the ‘Kevin’ situation to happen all over again.

“Alex?” she greeted.

“Hi Kelen,” her brother replied. “What are you doing?”

“I’m eating dinner with Justin. Is something wrong?” she asked. He usually had movie nights on Fridays, and rarely called her during them unless it was really important.

“No,” came his curt answer.

“Uh…well, what did you call for? Are you okay?” she questioned. He was acting strange, even for Alex, he usually didn’t just call her to say hi.

“Yup,” he giggled. She furrowed her eyebrows suspiciously when she heard laughter in the background. “Uh…Can Justin come visit with you next time? My friends want to meet him.”

Kelen let out a chuckle as she looked at Justin, who smiled back at her. “Um…I don’t know, Alex. He has work, but I’ll ask him for you.”

“Awesome!” He giggled.

“Okay,” she laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, Alex. Love you.” She flipped her phone shut and smiled at Justin. “Apparently you’re pretty popular in his building. He requested an appearance.”

He laughed, his eyes crinkling shut in embarrassment. “Well at least he likes me,” he commented as the waiter appeared with their food. She smiled as he held up his glass of wine, proposing a toast.

“Happy early birthday to you,” she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He bobbed his head up and down as a mischievous smirk came to his face.

“And to the private celebration later tonight,” he grinned cheekily as he brought his glass to his lips. She rolled her eyes and nudged his leg from under the table, eliciting a soft groan from him. His grin turned into a sincere smile as he looked at her from across the table, tilting his head to the side. “Seriously though. You know I love you, Kel.”

She nodded her head, smiling bashfully. “I know. I love you too.” He scrunched up his nose teasingly before digging into his fish and rice dish hungrily. They talked quietly in between bites of food, discussing everything from Christine’s new job in New York City to the William Rast Spring collection and avoiding the fact that Justin had to leave in a few days for Virginia for two weeks. As they waited for dessert to come, Kelen excused herself to go to the bathroom and quickly weaved her way through the dining tables to get to the restrooms. While she was washing her hands in the dimly lit bathroom, a stall behind her swung open and Courtney Raines walked out, perfectly made up as if she were on a movie set.

The tall actress’s eyes flitted over to Kelen as she leaned over the neighboring sink, and her eyes narrowed in recognition. “Hey,” she nodded, pursing her lips together in a soft smirk. Kelen didn’t know if she was being sincere or not, but she politely nodded her head anyway as she turned the faucet off.

“Hi,” she gave her a friendly smile as she reached for a paper towel.

“You’re with Justin, right?” Courtney asked, as if she hadn’t thrown a jealous fit at her cousin’s party a few months ago over the same man. She peered down at Kelen critically, taking in the shorter woman’s appearance. She looked hot in the dress, she couldn’t deny that, but she couldn’t understand how Justin could pass her up for this average girl.

Kelen nodded warily, plastering a smile on her face. “Uh…yes. I’m Kelen.” Courtney nodded as she dried her own hands and formed her lips into her carefully crafted smile made for the public.

“I’m Courtney,” she started to say before throwing the damp towel in her hands into the trash can. “Well…good luck with Justin. Keep your eyes on him.” She muttered before sauntering out of the bathroom, leaving Kelen stunned into silence. It took her a few seconds before she snapped back and walked out of the bathroom, her eyes darting around for any hidden cameras. Was that some sort of joke? As she rounded the corner, she spotted Justin standing by their table and taking a few pictures with fans and she quietly returned to the table, smiling when his fans looked over at her.

“Thank you so much, Justin,” one girl, who looked to be just a little bit younger than Kelen, grinned excitedly. “Sorry to disturb your dinner,” she added, glancing down at Kelen.

“Oh it’s no problem,” she shrugged, smiling at all of their excited faces. Their eyes shone with adoration for Justin as he thanked them and asked if he could return to his dinner. She wouldn’t be surprised if she sometimes had their same expressions when she looked at him. It was hard not to just stare at him, with his boyish smile and deep blue eyes. He definitely knew when to turn on that famous southern charm, which was oozing out of him at that very moment as the girls rushed off, whispering excitedly to each other.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized as he sat back down. “Gotta give the fans some love, you know?” he chuckled.

Kelen nodded as she looked down at her dessert. “So…guess who I just had an interesting chat with in the bathroom.”

He looked up from his chocolate cake quizzically, shrugging his shoulders. “Who?”

“Courtney Raines,” she replied with a raise of her eyebrows. He choked on his water, coughing loudly as his eyes widened. She nodded again, bringing a bite of her strawberry cheesecake up to her mouth.

“What…what did she say?” he sputtered, wiping his mouth with his napkin. He thought she had been the blonde, who walked past his table earlier, but he hadn’t been sure, and he definitely wasn’t going to go find out. Courtney Raines had been a huge mistake in his list of mistakes, and he was still suffering from the repercussions of their hook-up. It seemed like every where he turned, there was a poster or article about Courtney Raines, the up-and-coming Hollywood starlet. Too bad she was the exact opposite of her public persona and he couldn’t stand the woman.

He watched as Kelen shrugged her shoulders and gazed back at him. “She told me good luck, and to keep my eyes on you. What exactly is your history with her, Justin?” She tilted her head curiously as she waited for his response. “I feel like it’s a whole lot more than just you two fooling around.”

“It…she’s a mistake in the past, Kel. I don’t want to talk about it tonight. This is our night,” he shook his head, averting her gaze and looking down at his chocolate cake. 

“I won’t get mad. I just want to know. Remember that whole communicating thing we’re trying?” she said, her tone light, but her slight scowl revealed the seriousness of the question. She didn’t like it when he tried to brush off certain topics all because it would make things uncomfortable between them. “I told you about Kevin…”

“That’s not even the same, Kelen,” he shook his head, giving her an annoyed look. “You were serious with Kevin for years. Courtney was just a fling, like I said before.”

She sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine,” she mumbled, even though her gut was telling her there was a lot more that he wasn’t saying. The rest of their meal was silent except when Justin paid for their bill and ushered her out of the restaurant through the group of paparazzi that had appeared while they were inside. As soon as they were safely nestled into his car and driving back to his house, he turned to her, wrapping his hand around hers, which was resting on her lap.

“Do you really want to talk?” he asked, knowing he probably wouldn’t get laid tonight if they continued this silence game they were playing.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I just want the truth.”

He glanced over at her, one hand firmly gripping the steering wheel while the other was resting on top of hers, his thumb lazily rubbing back and forth against the back of her soft hand.  He sighed loudly and looked back to the road, giving a nod of his head. “Okay…well for a few months before I met you, I was single and kind of partied a lot. My tour had just ended, and I finished filming a few indie movies, and I had months to just chill before I started any big projects. I wasn’t looking for any serious relationship or anything. So I hooked up with a few girls…” he paused, waiting for Kelen’s reaction.

She nibbled on her bottom lip warily, a sign that she was thinking of what to say next. “What do you consider as ‘hooked up’? And how many is a few girls?”

“Well…” he drawled out. “To be blunt, I fucked around with these three girls on a constant basis. Friends with benefits, if you will.”

She nodded slowly. “At the same time?” came her surprised response. He let out a guffaw, shaking his head at the scandalized look on her face.

“Hell no, I don’t party that hard,” he shook his head, his whole body shaking with laughter. He immediately sobered up, however, when he saw that she clearly was not amused. “No. I would just call one up to come out to party with me and I’d take her home with me. I mean…I knew them. They weren’t random strangers or anything.”

“And that girl Megan was one?”

“Yes,” he nodded curtly. “And…so was Courtney. At the time, she hadn’t landed one movie role. I just thought she was another wannabe in Los Angeles. She was hot, no doubt, and fun…so I thought why not, you know? But she started wanting something more serious, although I had made it clear in the beginning that it was purely a physical thing. She thought otherwise…and had a bitch fit when I ended things with her. So I had to change all my security codes and shit because she kept sneaking back through my gate and trying to get into my house. And that’s the end of it.” He let out a loud sigh and turned his head, peering at her cautiously. She was staring straight out of the window, resting her chin on her other hand which was propped up against the door.  “Are you mad?” he asked softly.

She looked down at her lap and shook her head. “Not really mad…just disappointed I guess.”

“Well obviously, I’m not proud of it. Half the time I was either drunk or stoned out of my mind,” he tried making a joke, but only received an exasperated glare from her. “Kelen, I never had any feelings for those girls, as much as it makes me sound like a dick. I was just in it for the thrills. What I feel for you is so much more than anything I have ever felt for any woman. And I mean that.”

She nodded, a small smile forming on her lips when she looked up at him and squeezed his hand affectionately. “I believe you. Thank you for telling me the truth.” He turned to look at her, shocked that she had taken it all in so easily. His past girlfriends would have argued for hours with him on much smaller issues, just so that they could prove their point. He smiled and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly.

“I really do love you, girl,” he crooned as they drove through his neighborhood. She giggled softly, leaning back in her seat and letting out a relaxed sigh. They pulled into his garage and Justin shut off the engine, climbing out of his car and letting Kelen walk in front of him to the door. He gently smacked her ass as they walked through his laundry room, eliciting a squeal and an offended, yet sexy, look in return. He chuckled dirtily as she wiggled her bottom in return and climbed up the kitchen stairs.

“Do you have my bag?” she called back to him as he bounded up the stairs after her. He let out a frustrated groan and turned around on the steps, quickly jogging back out to his car to get her duffel bag from the backseat. When he finally made it back inside and set all of the alarms, he made his way upstairs, licking his lips in anticipation for tonight’s events. He slowly pushed his bedroom door open, a devilish grin crossing his features when he saw that she had lit candles around the room and was humming softly in his closet. He dropped her bag unceremoniously on to the floor and strode across his room to the open walk-in closet.

“Hey,” he said in a husky voice, causing her to jump around in fright. She was standing by the counter in the middle of his closet, where all of his accessories and socks were stored. Her dress was halfway unzipped and his tongue flicked out across his lips when he realized she hadn’t been wearing a bra the whole night. “Whatcha doin’, babe?”

“Get out of here,” she waved him off, resting her other hand on her hip. “I have a surprise.”

His eyes trailed down her body as his eyes darkened in arousal, causing her skin to form goose bumps. “What kind of surprise? Does it involve something in your bag…possibly lacy?”

“You’ll see,” she smirked as she walked up close to him. He leaned his head down, planning to swoop in for a kiss, but let out a grunt instead when she forcefully pushed him out and closed the door. He gave a frustrated sigh before finally kicking off his shoes and taking off the black sweater that he had worn on top of a white button down. After a few dates with Kelen, he had learned that she got particularly turned on when he dressed preppy, so he was wearing increasingly more “J.Crew” outfits, as Rachael had dubbed it. He leaned back against the head board, waiting patiently for his girlfriend to come out with his surprise. All night he had been imagining all the ways he would have her that night, even fantasizing of taking her right there on their table in the restaurant when her foot had brushed against his thigh teasingly.

He turned his head when the closet door opened quietly, and his eyes widened in excitement as he let out a low whistle. “Holy fuck…” he breathed, feeling his head get dizzy with arousal. Tonight would definitely be a perfect night.

Hot damn, my girl is fiiiiine.

That’s all I can think about when my eyes land on her gorgeous body, looking like something from a Victoria’s Secret catalog. Okay…she’s not exactly a Gisele or anything, but I would gladly take Kelen over those stick-skinny girls any day. Especially when she’s looking at me all shy and shit with her bedroom eyes. Please, this girl may act all innocent, but she is a little freak in the sheets. And I love her more because of it.

She changed into this tight little red corset that makes her tits look like fucking angels carved them, and this lace thong that makes it fucking difficult for me to tear my eyes away from her. I usually don’t give a damn about lingerie, because let’s face it, it’ll be on the floor in a matter of seconds, but I would gladly design a whole William Rast lingerie line if it meant Kelen would wear this shit every second of the day. And yeah…her ass is not the only solid thing in the room right now.

She saunters over to the bed silently, her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth as she crawls over to me, her body hovering over mine deliciously. She leans forward and our lips crash together as her hand wraps around my neck and tugs me closer to her. My hands roam down her back and over her ass, squeezing the round globes roughly. I really fucking missed having sex.

We pull away, panting softly and stare into each other’s eyes. “Damn, girl,” I mutter, licking my lips as she lets out a sexy smirk. “Where the hell did you get that thing? And when can you buy more?”

She giggles as she straddles my legs and sits back against my thighs as she unbuttons my dress shirt. “I hid it in your closet when you went to pick up your family yesterday. I knew you wouldn’t find it in between your old jerseys.”

“Are you telling me that thing was in my closest this whole time?” My words melt into a low moan when her hands slide down my bare chest, tickling over my nipples. She bends down, placing soft wet kisses on my skin as her hands push the material off my shoulders. She nods silently and her tongue slides out of her lips and circles a nipple. I might just fucking explode right this second. I’ll admit it; Kelen Tyler has reduced me to a premature ejaculator. I grab her upper arms and flip her over onto her back, letting out a low growl when she yelps out excitedly.

“So you like it, then?” she has the audacity to even ask me. I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see because my lips are currently attacking her neck, just like I fantasized about when I first saw her wearing that damn green dress earlier. Instead of answering her, I press my hard-on into her thigh and I hear her moan low in her throat.

“What do you think?” I whisper against her ear, feeling her shiver in my arms.

Her smell and taste is all I can think of right now as her fingers trail down my stomach and unbutton my jeans hurriedly. I lead kisses down her collar bone and just bury my face in her cleavage. They’re not huge or anything but they fit perfectly in my hands. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, she might just turn me into a boobs guy. Her back arches off the bed, allowing me to sneak one hand behind her back and unzip the corset, pulling it off with one easy motion. Her nipples harden at the sudden chill, and I quickly latch my mouth on to one of them, circling my tongue against the hardened nub as one hand trails down towards her center and the other cradles her other breast.

“Shit, J,” she gasps when my fingers slide against her wetness. I don’t think I’ve ever felt her this wet before. Looks like I wasn’t the only one going through withdrawal. As I continue down her torso, dipping my tongue into her belly button and peering up at her when she pants softly, my fingers pull the last bit of red lace off her body. Her knees easily fall apart, spreading her out in front of me as she succumbs to the pleasure flooding through her body. We’re both so fucking turned on, it’s unbearable. I let out a low chuckle when I feel her fingers run over my shaved head, pushing me gently towards what we both know we want.

“Be patient,” I tease, pulling my head away and smirking up at her. She rolls her eyes as she lets out a frustrated grunt.

“And you call me a tease,” she bites back. I chuckle again and finally lower myself down, tasting her for the first time in awhile. She lets out a moan of pleasure and I keep my eyes trained on her as I move my tongue against her moist folds. I plan on making this last all fucking night, no matter how much I just want to bury myself in her. I hear her groan loudly and stop my ministrations when I see her sit up on her elbows and narrow her eyes at me, her slender fingers rubbing against my scalp.

“What?”

“I’m so pissed you cut off your hair,” she groans, letting her head fall back on the pillows. I can’t help but laugh as I resume my previous actions. I swear she was about to cry when she saw me standing in the bathroom with my razor.

Within minutes, she’s grinding her hips into my face as I lap at her hungrily, my fingers sliding in and out of her with ease. I circle her swollen clit with my tongue, and she bucks against me, letting out a squeal of bliss. I peck the pink nub one last time before sitting up and tugging off my jeans and boxers. I see her eyes widen when they land on my hard cock and I merely smirk as I crawl back up her body, placing kisses along her dewy skin.

She wants me so bad right now, I contemplate holding out just a little longer for fun. But I highly doubt that plan will work with the way her fingers are skimming down my stomach and the way she licks her swollen pink lips slowly, her half-lidded eyes looking up at me seductively. She wraps one hand around my neck to pull my face down to hers, her lips capturing mine as her other hand wraps around my length and positions me at her entrance.

“No more teasing,” she whispers when I rip my mouth away from hers to look down at her. “I need you.” I nod and slowly slide into her, both of us groaning at the sensation. She fits so perfectly around me, all snug and tight.

I can’t believe I have to go away for two fucking weeks and not have her near me. I’ve been avoiding bringing up the issue around her because I know it upsets her by the way her eyes lose their twinkle when I talk about it. And all I ever want to see is that damn twinkle in her eyes. Well…except for times when they change to a dark blue when we’re doing the nasty. Now that, I would be happy to see forever.

“God girl,” I gasp as I move my hips against hers. She lets out a similar moan of pleasure, her fingers scratching against my back as her legs wrap tightly around my waist. I thrust deeper into her and she lets out this gorgeous groan. "You like that?" She merely moans in response, letting her mouth hang open. She's so fucking beautiful, I can hardly contain myself.

I’m doing all I can to just hold my own release in until she cums again, but it’s fucking hard with how she’s rubbing herself against me. Her eyes are winced shut, riding out the waves of bliss, but I whisper for her to open them for me. I love looking at her when we’re making love, which is exactly what we’re doing right now, now that we’ve both realized how much we mean to each other. Her eyelids open halfway and the small smile on her lips just brightens my whole night. I forget about that stupid fight we had over dinner, and all I know is that I want to be with her forever. I know it’s so early to say that, but I have seriously never felt this kind of need for a woman before. Not to mention the sex is never worse than amazing.

I continue to pump into her, our pace becoming more frenzied as the friction builds up, almost coiling in my stomach like a spring. She’s moving her hips in sync with each of my own thrusts, letting me go deeper into her than I’ve ever gone before. My right hand slides up her body, in between her breasts and wraps around her neck gently as I pump into her and gaze down at her. The sex after we’ve waited for awhile is always so fucking fantastic. Maybe going away for two weeks will be a good idea after all.

“So close,” she whispers and I nod, crashing my lips down onto her swollen ones. I move my hands and brush my thumbs against her nipples, which I’ve come to learn takes her to that point within seconds. And just like I predicted, she arches up against me when I grind down into her, screaming out my name and words I can’t understand. She squeezes her walls against me and I fucking lose it, burying my head in the crook of her neck as I spasm against her with a grunt.

“God…” I manage to breath. “I love you…” I whisper, trailing kisses all over her face, not really caring where. We both pant softly, her hand running up and down my sweaty back as she catches her breath.

“I love you,” she whispers back, framing my face with her hands as she stretches up and kisses me. Her lips are so soft against mine as our tongues dance together gently. We start rubbing up against each other, my body still buried in warmth, and after a few minutes of feeling her fingers and lips on me, I’m hard for her again.

"Damn," I chuckle when we both realize I'm ready for her all over again. I feel her smirk against my lips and she rolls us over so that I’m on my back, which is my personal favorite position.

"Now it's my turn..." I can’t help but let the satisfied smirk come to my lips as I watch her sink down on to me. I can’t keep my eyes off her as she leans back, propping herself against my thighs as she rides me hard, allowing me to watch my length disappear into her soaking wet folds. My hands are gripping at her hips, helping her move up and down. She’s never been this bold in bed before, but I certainly have no complaints because she’s making these delicious little mewls and gasps of pleasure. The flickering of the candle light glows softly against her skin, making her look like a fucking angel. Her breasts bounce up and down with her movements, and my hands move up of their own accord, cupping the soft, firm globes gently.

I guess I hit the spot because she lets out this scream and her body bounces forward, her hands now propped up against my chest as she continues to gyrate against me. I sit up a bit and suck one of her nipples into my mouth, delighting in the guttural groan that comes out of her throat. My hands bury into her hair and pull her head back to reveal the sweet tasting skin at the base of her throat as I lick her there.

“Oh god…” she gasps, slamming down on me roughly, her fingers clenching into fists as her eyes wince shut and her mouth hands open. I’m almost fucking ejected from her tight body with how her muscles contract around me. I arch up into her as spots appear in my eyes and I just fucking explode. Everything goes black, and I guess I kind of passed out for a bit because when I finally regain my vision, she’s laying next to me, her body curled up tight along my side and the comforter is pulled over our exhausted bodies. I feel her pressing soft kisses on my shoulder and I turn, smiling at the content look on her face. That was the most amazing sex I’ve ever had…and I’ve had some pretty good lays in the past. Wow, I can’t believe I just thought that, even in my head I’m a cocky bastard.

“You’re awake,” she grins, resting her chin on my chest. “I got scared when you didn’t answer me for a few seconds.”

I nod and kiss her forehead, brushing away her sweaty hair. “You literally blew my mind away. I think I blacked out for a bit there, babe.” She giggles softly and lays her head back down on my chest with a sigh. We fall into a comfortable silence as we come down from our highs, my arms wrapped loosely around her body.

She moves her head to look at me and her lips curve into a small frown. “Do you really have to leave for two weeks?” she mumbles as her hand rubs my chest absentmindedly. I frown and give a slight nod.

“Yeah…Tim’s booked for the next month with other commitments,” I sigh. “You’re welcome to come anytime, though. Just say the word and I’ll have you on a flight to Virginia.” I feel her feet rub against my leg as she turns to look at me. It’s really strange how cold her feet get at night, no matter how hot it is in the room. She gives me this sad look as she shakes her head, and I hug her tight. It’s not like I want to leave her for two weeks either.

“I can’t. I have to work and then cater for the Riverside event,” she apologizes, scooting up the bed to kiss me softly. “I wish I could.” I’m gonna be across the damn country and my girl is gonna be here, working on a daily basis with that Eli dude. I hate it. I don’t care what she says about him, I know he wants her. It’s obvious with the way he looks at her. The way her hand is softly stroking up and down my chest is starting to put me to sleep with the soft glow from the candles around the room, and I feel my eye lids getting heavy.

“I love you Justin,” she mumbles sleepily, still snuggled up close to me. “Happy birthday.” I lean down and press my lips to her forehead before finally closing my eyes.

“Love you too,” I manage to mutter before passing out.

==============================

I feel the familiar wet tongue of one of Justin’s dogs on my fingers, and crack open my eyes, seeing Brennen’s face a few inches from mine. I’ve just had the best sleep of my life, and it’s all thanks to the wonderful man sleeping next to me. I can feel his warm hand on my back and I turn, smiling when I see him sprawled out on his stomach, snoring softly. I glance over at the clock and realize it’s noon, which means his family should be waltzing into the house in about an hour. I roll out of bed quietly and wrap one of Justin’s warm robes over my body before tip-toeing out of his room and whispering for Buckley and Brennen to follow me out. I have no idea how they even got into the room, seeing as how the door was closed last night.

I’m beginning to think they have the ability to open doors now. I walk down the narrow staircase that leads to his kitchen and quickly fill up the dogs’ bowls with their food, before grabbing myself a glass of water and walking back up stairs. I’m in the mood for a really nice long shower. I’m kind of sore from last night, and I know his expensive shower is going to relieve some of that pain. Last night was different than other nights…there was just a different mood in that room. It was the first time we’ve had sex after confessing our love to one another, and I really feel as if we were connected last night. The look he had in his eyes when he was hovering above me was just something I will always remember, a look I have never received from a man, even Kevin. I know we’ve had our rough patches here and there, but I think we’re really starting to move forward now. I couldn’t be happier with how things are with us.

When I quietly slip back into his room, I put down the glass of water softly on the bedside table, and let my eyes wander over his beautiful backside. His butt cheeks are just peeking over the edge of the sheets, allowing me to fully appreciate his cute little ass. I still can’t believe I get to wake up to that in the morning. I quickly avert my eyes before he wakes up and catches me checking him out like a pervert, and walk into his bathroom. His shower is seriously big enough to fit about five people comfortably, and I start to wonder if has ever tested out that theory before. Knowing his partying ways, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has. It’s not that I was upset to learn about his “wild” days, but I didn’t expect him to be the kind of guy who likes to sleep around. Lord knows he always preaches to me about being loyal and honest. And ever since I’ve known him, he’s never said anything to make it sound like he’s a player. I guess it just scared me last night with how little I know about him. The man he had described to me last night was a man that sounded completely opposite of the Justin I know now.

I’m so caught up in my thoughts as I stand under the blast of hot water, I don’t notice Justin creep into the bathroom until I see his form through the opaque glass doors of his shower. When he pulls the door open, I see that cute little devilish smirk of his, and all of my worries and doubts about him fly out of my head.

“You started without me,” he pouts, stepping in and giving me a kiss. I love his good morning kisses. They’re gentler and linger longer than his other kisses; as if he missed me during the night.

I smile up at him as he moves underneath the stream of water, letting it wash over his sculpted body. I was impressed when I found out he likes his showers to be as hot as I do, knowing not many people can bear that kind of heat for long. “You looked so peaceful, I couldn’t wake you up on your birthday,” I apologize. He shrugs and smiles, letting his eyes wander down my body. I feel my cheeks blush as I look away awkwardly and grab the shampoo. It always makes me nervous when we shower together, just because he can see me in all of my naked glory in normal lighting. It’s not like I have the hottest body out there. I’m confident of what I have…but I’ve seen his past girlfriends, and they have all graced some sort of sexiest celebrities list. It’s not like he’s said anything to me, but I know I could go to the gym a little more, and it just makes me feel like an insecure teenager all over again when he stares at me like that.

“Stop it…” I mutter under my breath when I feel his eyes on me. His raises his eyes to mine guiltily as he scrubs himself with soap.

“Sorry,” he smiles bashfully. “You’re just so damn gorgeous, I can’t keep my eyes off you.” He sees the slight rolling of my eyes, and frowns at me. “What?”

“Nothing…” I shrug scrubbing the shampoo into my hair and averting his gaze. He silently finishes rinsing the suds off his body and steps closer to me, reaching his arm past my body to grab the shampoo bottle.

“Baby, you know you’re fucking hot,” he mumbles softly. “I’m your boyfriend, I’m allowed to see you naked,” he chuckles. I don’t react and ignore him, deciding instead to stand under the stream of water and wash away the shampoo. Now he’s just making fun of me for acting like a stupid insecure girl. He looks so confused, it kind of makes my heart hurt, but I’m not going to just admit my insecurities. I hate it when girls talk about their body problems; it’s just a silent plea for attention. And I am definitely not one of those girls. So I just offer him a tight smile and squirt some conditioner into my hands. He’s still giving me that puppy-dog look, so I do everything I can not to look at him. Unfortunately, it means I’m forced to either stare at the wall or his Adonis-like body. Guess which one my brain decides to point my eyes in the direction of? After he rinses off the shampoo, which really isn’t needed since his head is shaved, he bends his knees to look me in the eyes, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Kelen…what’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” I let out an exasperated sigh.

His eyebrows lower and he gives me a disbelieving look. “Right, and you normally act like a pissy bitch in the mornings…” he rolls his eyes before stepping out of the shower. I can’t believe he just called me a bitch! I angrily rinse my hair and turn the water off, letting the steam billow around my body. When I finally decide to get out, I see him leaning against the sink, a white fluffy towel wrapped low on his waist and his blue toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. I hate that I’m angry at him, and yet I still want to jump his bones. Something’s wrong with me. “Care to explain to me the sourness this morning? What did you do with my loving, sweet girlfriend?”

I shrug my shoulders as I wrap a towel around my body. “I dunno. I guess I’m just a pissy little bitch.” Okay… that didn’t sound so childish and immature in my head. His eyebrows rise amusingly and I can tell he thinks the same because he merely smirks at me. I hate that cocky smirk. Every time I see it, I want to either slap it or kiss it off his face. Usually, I choose the latter. But right now, the slapping sounds appealing. I turn my head away and stomp past him, walking out of the bathroom and over to my bag which he dumped next to his closet. I quickly change into jeans and a blue halter-top which I know is one of his favorite outfits. I packed it last night as a little birthday present, but now I’m regretting that decision with how much of an ass he’s being. I hear him walk out of his bathroom and don’t bother turning around, choosing instead to finish toweling off my hair and stare at the wall.

“You’re being ridiculous,” I hear him mumble as he walks past me and into the closet. “I just wanted to know what I did to somehow piss you off, even though I just woke up twenty minutes ago. It’s my fucking birthday, and my girlfriend is pissed at me.” I sigh, feeling kind of guilty for my behavior. He comes back out wearing jeans and a white wife beater as he pulls a green polo over his head. Our eyes meet and he walks over to where I’m standing in front of his full-length mirror. “Can you please just tell me what’s wrong? I don’t want to start off the day on a bad note.”

“I’m sorry,” I immediately cave and apologize. “I’m just being weird.”

“Ya think?” he jests and reaches forward, wrapping his hands around my wrists. “Talk to me…why are you being weird?”

I shrug and glance at my reflection in the mirror. “I don’t know…I was just feeling self-conscious I guess. I’m having one of those days.”

He scoffs and wraps his arms around my body. I love his big bear hugs. “You were plenty confident and sexy last night in that corset,” his voice is low and husky as he gestures over to the discarded red material which is on the floor next to his bed. He turns me around to look at him and I feel my heart melt with his smile. “Babe, I’m being one hundred and ten percent serious when I tell you you’re fucking gorgeous. I mean, seriously, what would my fans say if I dated someone who wasn’t just amazing looking? I only keep the kind of company that is up to my level in hotness…”

I slap his chest at his sarcasm and roll my eyes. “Ass.” He chuckles softly and leans down, pressing his lips to mine gently.

“Joking aside, you are absolutely beautiful babe, inside and out. Don’t ever doubt that. Why do you think I love you so much?” He pecks me again briefly and then raises my chin to look up at him. “Okay?”

I can’t help but smile as he peers down at me, his eyes shining with adoration. “I guess I just feel inferior to all of your other beautiful model girlfriends…” I admit.

“Um…well obviously I didn’t care what they looked like because I’m not with them anymore. And good riddance, or I would have never got with you,” he says pointedly. “Believe me…you’re one hundred times more beautiful than any other girl out there.” I can’t believe we’re having this conversation right now. I give him props for handling it well though. He sure does have a way with words. The way he’s looking at me right now makes all of my insecurities wash away and I sigh softly.

“I love you,” I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiles and lifts me off the ground as we kiss again. I will never tire of kissing him. “You’re the bestest boyfriend ever.”

“And don’t you forget it,” he laughs before putting me back down on my feet. “Now are you done acting all crazy?” I nod and move towards the bathroom to blow dry my hair, smiling when he smacks my ass lightly as I walk away from him. I’m chalking up my weird hormonal fit to PMS. Which is good because it means my period is coming, which although sucks, is a blessing in disguise. I know I’m on birth control, but you can never be too careful. When I finally deem my hair worthy of being seen in public, I grab Justin’s present out of my bag and jog back down to the kitchen, where I’m sure he’s sitting with a bowl of cereal. As I jump down from the step, I let out a giggle when I see him chilling with a box of Cap’n Crunch and his beloved blue cereal bowl at the breakfast table. He’s so predictable sometimes. He has his always beeping Blackberry pressed to his ear as he slowly chews his food, and his eyes flit over to me as I walk past him towards the pantry.

“Yeah dad…that sounds like a good plan. So I’ll see you in an hour? Yeah I’ll just be hanging here with Kelen. I know,” he chuckles. I know he’s not really close with his biological father, but it’s cute to see him interact with him. You can definitely tell they’re father and son when they’re together. For example, they both recline back in their seats after dinner the same way and they both have similar polite laughs. “Alright drive safely. Tell the boys and Lisa I say hi. See you soon, Dad.” He brings the phone away from his ear and starts typing away furiously. For someone who claims to be technology challenged…he sure knows how to work on that Blackberry.

I settle into the seat across from him with my box of Honey Bunches of Oats, and poor it into the bowl he already set out for me. “Are they coming home soon?” I ask, looking up at him as I pour milk into the bowl.

“Yeah. They’re about an hour away,” he nods, still looking down at his phone. He always spends a good thirty minutes on his phone in the mornings, checking his email and returning calls he missed. It used to piss me off in the beginning, but now I just like to watch him work quietly. He’s always so focused when it comes to his work; I look up to him in a weird way. I quietly place his wrapped present on the table and slide it towards him with my finger, watching as his eyes flit up to me curiously.

“Happy birthday baby,” I smile. A grin crosses his lips as he reaches forward and chuckles softly.

“I thought last night was my present,” he winks dirtily. I swear, he thinks about sex more than a teenager does.

I shake my head slowly, “This is a real present. Open it!” He sighs reluctantly, even though I know he secretly loves getting surprises and gifts. His eyes land on the Armani watch I bought him, and he looks at me with his big blue eyes.

“Baby…this is…I can’t accept this,” he says, shaking his head slowly. “This must have cost you so much, Kelen. You don’t have to spend your money on me.” I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. I expected this reaction from him, so I already planned on a retort.

“Well then you don’t have to spend your money on me,” I smile. “It’s your birthday! It didn’t even cost as much as you think J.”

He shakes his head again as he tries to push the box across the table, a modest smile on his face. “Seriously, Kelen. Just being with you is enough.” Look at him tryin’ to charm me into taking the present back.

“That’s sweet, but I’m not taking it back and you know you like it,” I point out. His shoulder slump in defeat and he leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as he gives me a kiss.

“Thank you. I love it,” he grins as he takes it out of the box and slides it onto his wrist. I smile victoriously and lean back in my seat, watching him play around with his new present. I noticed that even though he has so many different accessories, he only has about three watches in his collection. It took me days to figure out a present for him and I was so ecstatic when I saw the watch in the window display.

“So what’s the plan for today?” I know there’s a party for him at a club downtown, but I don’t know what his plans were for his brothers. They’re staying at home by themselves while his parents come to the party tonight, so I know he wanted to spend some time with them before they leave in two days.

“I’m gonna take the boys mini-golfing I think. Do you wanna come?” As much as I would love to see him interact with his brothers, I shake my head.

“No. You should spend time with your family. I think I’ll go talk to Sophie about the deli counter idea,” I suggest as I bring another spoonful of cereal into my mouth. He pours himself another bowl of cereal, and when we’re both done, we move over to the couch to watch a TiVo’d episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I’m trying to be extra cute and snuggly with him to apologize for my bitchy behavior in the morning, and he knows it too because he has this little smug look on his face when I come to lay down on his stomach. I hate it when he’s right.

“Hey babe?” I prop myself on my elbows and look up at him. He turns his eyes away from the TV and smiles at me. “I’m sorry for being snippy this morning. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine. I understand…kind of…” he answers, rubbing his large hand up my arm comfortingly. “Let’s just forget it, okay?” I smile gratefully and rest my head back down, his heart beating against my ear softly. I love that we can just relax on the couch and not have it be awkward. Sometimes I just can’t stand awkward silences and I try to fill them with vacant chatter, but with Justin, it feels right to just cuddle and enjoy each other’s company without really talking. We hear the front door open and Rachael appears a few minutes later in the entrance to the hallway, with garment bags hanging over her arms.

“Hey guys,” she smiles and crosses over the floor towards us. “I’m glad you’re awake, J. Trace dropped off a the samples for you earlier this morning.” I reluctantly sit up and curl my legs underneath me as Justin sits up to look at the new clothes for his spring line. Rachael sits in the arm chair near him and they both start pulling jeans and jackets out of the black bags, immediately reverting into work mode. I’m kind of forgotten for a few minutes and idly sit by with Brennen in my lap, randomly adding my own input when Justin turns to me with a question once or twice. I know it’s his career and I really have no expertise when it comes to running a fashion company, but I’m pretty much completely ignored for the next hour as Justin talks to his William Rast people on a conference call. So instead of just sitting around like a lump on his couch, I decide to go upstairs and tidy up my stuff from last night. That’s my thing. When I get bored, I clean and organize stuff. I know it’s weird, and Justin’s teased me numerous times about it, but at least I always know I can go into cleaning services if the coffee shop thing falls through.

I’m just about to break out his vacuum cleaner when he waltzes through the door with an apologetic smile, and wraps his arms around me from behind. “Sorry about that. Trace has been on my ass all week about approving the final designs,” he apologizes, pressing his mouth to my neck.

“It’s fine,” I smile and turn around to reciprocate the kiss. He pulls away and looks around the room before turning back to me with a silly smile.

“How bored were you?” he teases, sticking his tongue out between his lips.

“Just a little!” I defend myself. I only made the bed and picked up his clothes off the floor, it’s not like I disinfected every possible surface.

“I think you do a better job that Maria does,” he chuckles before sliding out his vibrating phone out of his pocket. “I’ve been getting these damn Happy Birthday messages from people I don’t even talk to all day.”

I roll my eyes and pick up my overnight bag, placing the strap over my shoulder. “Wow it must really suck to get Happy Birthday wishes from Madonna, Mike Myers, and Ellen,” I deadpan.

“That’s not true. Ellen didn’t text me anything,” he replies. “But she did call me.” I turn away from his laughing face and look towards the open doorway when I hear the dogs barking and the familiar voices of his younger brothers’ downstairs. He grins excitedly at me before jogging out of the room and downstairs. It’s the first time he’s been able to really spend time with his family, and I consider myself to be really lucky to be able to watch him with them. It’s not every day you witness Justin Timberlake wrestling around and playing Guitar Hero with two teenage boys.

“Hey Justin!” I hear Jonathan greet him as I walk down the stairs. The similarities between Justin and his brothers are uncanny, proving Mr. Timberlake’s strong gene pool. Jon’s 15 and is almost as tall as Justin, except he’s a lot bulkier than his lanky brother. He’s a sweet kid and he really looks up to Justin, which only makes it even more adorable when they’re together.

“Hi Kelen,” Stephen says when he sees me walking down. He’s almost an exact replica of the Justin I’ve seen in pictures, except he’s much shyer and reserved than what I think Justin was like at his age.

“Hey guys, how was San Diego?” I ask when I step onto the ground floor. Justin’s dad Randy and his step mom Lisa walk through the doors with their bags and Justin immediately moves forward to grab the bags from his stepmother’s hands.

“Happy Birthday Justin,” she says, smiling as he leans forward and pecks her cheek. “Boys, go wash up and put your things away before you go runnin’ off again. San Diego was beautiful, even in this time of year,” she addresses me. “So what are your plans for today?”

I shrug and glance over at Justin who’s in the middle of a conversation with his dad. “I think Justin is taking Jon and Stephen out. Do his big brother thing.”

“Well what are you doin’ then missy? Goin’ to get all glammed up for tonight, I presume?”

I laugh, shaking my head slowly. “Nope, I just have to do some work before the party. But you should go and get pampered. Taking care of the boys must be hard work.”

“They do keep me fit,” she jokes as we walk into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Justin and his brothers stroll in, all three males wearing William Rast baseball hats.

“You ready to go, Kelen? I can drop you off on our way to the mini golf place,” Justin suggests as he slips his wallet into his jean pocket. I nod and say goodbye to Lisa before following the boys out through the garage. Mike is already waiting outside, as usual, and the boys eagerly run up to him and give him high fives.

“Hey Mike! Long time no see!” Jon grins as he climbs into the SUV. I laugh when I see Mike roll his eyes. I’m sure it’s hard enough following Justin around, but watching three of him must be tiring. I get into the back with Stephen and Jon, smiling when I see Stephen shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. Justin bought him this really expensive magic gift set and he hasn’t been able to put down the cards since he unwrapped the box.

“So Jon…any girlfriends?” I play my part, embarrassing the hell out of him. Justin turns around in the front seat and laughs, waiting for his brother’s response. Jon glances at me and although he’s blushing, he has a smug look on his face as he gives a small nod.

“Kind of…” he shrugs before looking at Justin. “I mean…we’re only fifteen. It’s not a big deal or anything.”

Justin chuckles and gives me a playful look before he nods. “Yeah…I know what you mean, man. Just be careful, alright? Don’t go breakin’ her heart or anything. Even at fifteen, girls expect you to act like a gentleman.” If it’s possible, my love for the man grows even more with the fatherly look he has on his face as he gives Jon dating advice. He’s talking in a joking tone, but I know Jon is hanging on to his every word. Mike pulls up to my apartment building and Justin helps me out of the car as I say bye to the boys.

“Have fun with them,” I say before he pecks me on the lips real quick.

“I will. I’ll call you when we’re on our way to come get you tonight,” he smiles before letting go of my hands and climbing back into the car. I turn around and walk into my building, suddenly feeling nervous about pitching my deli counter idea to Sophie. It’s not that I think she’ll hate the idea. We’ve just been tight on money ever since the accident and I know she won’t want to take a risk with the little money that we have. I’ve built up so much hope about this deli counter; it would just hurt to know it can’t come true.

Justin gave a frustrated sigh as he leaned his elbows against the switchboard and rested his face into his hands. He had been working with Timbaland for two weeks already but he still wasn’t completely satisfied with the three songs they had recorded, so he had to extend his stay for another week. Not only was he having trouble pinpointing what the songs needed, he was starting to become unfocused as his mind wandered towards Kelen and the fact that he hadn’t properly talked to her in nine days. Every night that they had talked, she had been so tired from work that he felt bad keeping her up. He missed her so much; it actually hurt sometimes when he thought about her and had to sleep in his lonely hotel room by himself. The only good thing about his Kelen-inspired distraction was that he was getting a lot of inspiration for song lyrics.

“Okay, listen to this,” Timbaland’s deep voice boomed through Justin’s thoughts. Justin rubbed his eyes as he nodded and waited for the music to play. The familiar beats that he had been listening to for the past six days blasted through the speakers. He waited to hear his voice next, but instead, the sound of violins and a piano wafted into the room. His head popped up and he turned in his chair, looking at Timbaland with surprise as a slow smile crossed his face.

“Shit, man!” he exclaimed, nodding his head excitedly for the first time in a few days. “That’s it. That’s what was missing.” He jumped up onto his feet and clapped his hands victoriously as he leaned across the keyboard and gave Timbaland a hand shake. The bulkier man chuckled as he nodded his head in thanks. Justin turned towards Eric, the sound engineer, raising his eyebrows in question as he continued to bob his head to the music. “Is that hot, or is that hot?”

“It’s hot,” Eric replied with a laugh. Justin continued to dance in the middle of the room, singing along to the music happily. He finally sat back down in his seat and turned so that he was facing Timbaland, who smiled back at him.

“Well that’s one down, two more to go,” Justin said, scratching his head tiredly.

“Man, I don’t know what you’re smokin’. The songs are fucking hits already,” Timbaland replied. “Maybe you should just take some time to think. We can always go back later and tweak things.” Justin gave a reluctant nod as Eric handed him the final copy of the song on a CD.

Timbaland stood up and walked around the keyboard towards Justin’s seat, and patted him on the back firmly. “Alright well I have to go work with Trista now,” he said, referring to the new artist with whom he was working. “You wanna stop by for a bit?”

“Nah. I’ll just stay here and tinker around with the songs. Plus I have to call Kelen and tell her I won’t be coming home for another week,” he grimaced. Timbaland gave a sympathetic nod before trudging out of the room. Justin turned to Eric, who was working on the computer and smiled.

“You can go too, man. I’ll just hang out here for a bit. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he patted the blonde man’s back before wheeling his chair over to the keyboard. He said goodbye to Eric and watched him walk out of the door, leaving him in the comfortable silence of the dimly lit studio. He silently pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket and dialed Kelen’s number, calculating that it was about five o’clock in the evening in California, meaning she would be on her way home from work already. Yesterday had been Valentine’s Day and he had sent her an embarrassing number of roses to let her know he had been thinking about her. They had only been able to talk for about an hour last night before she fell asleep on the phone. He was also originally supposed to come home today to celebrate the romantic holiday with her, but lo and behold, he had to extend his stay to finish his work with Timbaland. She probably wouldn’t be too happy with the thought of not seeing him for another few days.

“Hey babe,” Kelen’s cheery voice answered. “Shouldn’t you be on the plane right now?”

“Yeah, about that,” he pursed his lips together. “I’m so sorry…but I won’t be able to come home for another few days. It’s taking a little longer to finish these songs…”

“Oh,” came her dejected reply and he frowned when he heard her sigh. “That sucks.”

“I know, baby,” he interrupted softly and leaned back in his seat. It actually physically hurt to talk to her like this, but have her so far away. “I really want to be home right now with you, believe me. But I promise, I’ll be back by Monday and we can celebrate every night for the next week if I have to. I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too,” she replied quietly. “Well how was your day?” She was trying to change the subject, which he was grateful for. He didn’t want to spend their first real conversation together dwelling over their shared longing for one another.

Justin shrugged nonchalantly as he absentmindedly played a soft melody on the keyboard with one hand. “It was okay. Remember how I couldn’t figure out what was missing in that one song? It’s finally finished. So I officially have at least six songs done now. “

“That’s awesome. Do I get to hear a sneak preview?”

“You want to? I’ll play something for you right now,” he grinned.

“Not right now. I want to talk to you. We haven’t had a proper conversation because I kept falling asleep,” she laughed. “Sorry about that, by the way. I’ve been so busy with setting up the new deli counter and catering and stuff. But tonight is all about us, baby.”

“Sounds like the perfect plan,” he sighed happily, picturing her sweet face smiling playfully at him. “So…what are you doing right now?” he asked in a husky tone. If he wasn’t going to be able to see her, he would at least try to get some phone sex in.

“Why do I feel like that question isn’t as innocent as it should be?” He could practically see her raising her eyebrows knowingly.

“Because you know me too well,” he laughed.

“True. Well…to answer your question, I’m in bed right now. I just woke up from a nap. And just to spice up the conversation, let’s pretend I’m wearing a robe.”

Justin let out a soft chuckle as he rolled his eyes at her laughing tone. “It’s not fun when you’re lying and pretending shit. It ruins the fantasy.”

“Well then…tough shit. Make up your own fantasy,” she retorted.

“Fine. You’re lying on my big ol’ bed in a pool of red silk sheets…and you’re wearing…black high heels. And that’s it.”

“Okay, I’m going to hang up if you don’t stop with the ridiculously cheap porno you’ve made up in your mind. Silk sheets…really?”

He laughed at her exasperated tone and nodded, finally giving up on his plans for the phone sex. “Damn you’re just a mood killer tonight.”

Kelen giggled into the phone, “Well my mood isn’t exactly bright either. I just found out that I have to wait even longer to see my hot boyfriend. I had planned this ridiculously romantic evening for us and everything.”

“Really?” Justin sighed, feeling the momentary happiness seep out of his body to be replaced with yearning and guilt. “I’m sorry, babe. I seriously miss you so much, it hurts. You know I would be there in a flash if I could, right?”

“Yeah…” she replied sadly. “I know.”

“I love you,” he said, hoping it would maybe ease the pain a little bit. It never failed to make his day a little brighter to hear her say those three words to him.

“I love you more,” she answered. “Oh! I just found out this morning that Melissa’s having twins.”

Justin’s eyebrows furrowed as he racked his brain for a Melissa. He didn’t know any Melissa that Kelen would know too. “Who?”

“My sister-in-law, Melissa. Apparently, she and Ryan have known for awhile but they were trying to keep it a secret for some reason. She’s due in two months.”

He nodded his head when he distantly remembered her talking about her brother’s wife. “Oh. Well congratulations to them. How’s that going, by the way? Has Ryan been able to help out with Alex?”

“Yeah. He and Melissa have been going to see him a lot now, since the babies are coming soon and they won’t be able to see him as much then. And Alex is starting to get less needy. Eli made him the president of some sort of board games club, so Alex has been keeping busy with that .It’s really good for him,” she said proudly. “Eli’s helped a lot with making Alex more independent.”

“Good for him,” he couldn’t keep the sarcastic tone out of his voice as he replied bitterly. She had made it an effort during their conversations to emphasize how their interactions were purely for business, and how little she had actually seen him. And although he still hated the idea of her spending time with Eli, he knew his bitterness stemmed more from the fact that he hadn’t seen her in two weeks than jealousy for Eli.

“You can put away the jealousy for a bit, please,” came her curt response.

Justin chuckled and nodded his head. “Just kidding, dear.”

“Hey babe? I hate to have to end this conversation…”

“Then don’t. I miss you…” he pouted dramatically.

She gave a loud sigh, “But Sophie wants to go out to dinner. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Go work hard and come home.”

“Of course,” he smiled. “I miss you and love you.”

“Love you too. Bye,” she made a loud kissing sound before hanging up. He let out an exhausted sigh as he hung up and put the phone back into his pants’ pocket. Talking to Kelen had helped to not only satisfy his yearning for her, but also inspire him with new song lyrics. He spent the next few hours writing and playing on the keyboard as Mike and Lonnie played video games in the break room, which he could hear through the open doorway. He finally walked into his hotel room a little before midnight and fell into the large bed, completely drained of energy. He pulled one pillow into his arms and hugged it tightly to his body as he fell asleep, imagining it was Kelen in his arms. If being away from her for only three weeks was this bad, he couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if he had to tour and she couldn’t come with him. Luckily for him, a tour wouldn’t be a part of his plans for a few more months at least, giving him time to sort out her role in his life before they had to cross that bridge.

===============================

*Two days later*

Kelen was startled out of her deep slumber when she heard a muffled thump on her floor. She sat up on her elbows, squinting her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness as she peered over at the dark form crouching down near her door.

“Justin?” she asked, her voice scratchy with sleep. His head popped up from where he was bending over, looking into his duffle bag, and she could see the smile on his face as he nodded and held his finger up to his lips to silence her. She glanced at her clock, reading that it was 3 AM, and wondered if she was still sleeping and if this was all a dream. Justin was supposed to be in Virginia for three more days. He wasn’t supposed to be standing in her room taking off his jeans as he smirked sexily at her. “Is this a dream?” she mumbled before falling back down onto her pillow. A few seconds later, his warm body was hovering above hers as he braced himself up with his hands.

“Hell no baby…it’s so much better than a dream,” he whispered before leaning down and crashing his lips onto hers. She smiled against his lips and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning softly into the kiss. He pulled away and smiled down at her. “Hey,” he mumbled softly.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, smiling happily back at him. He pecked her lips again before lying next to her on his side and smiling at her, his face taking in all of her moonlit features. She smiled when she saw his roaming eyes and did the same, tracing his dark eyebrows down to his red lips and the stubble on his face. Her heart was beating more forcefully in her chest now that she realized he was actually lying in bed with her, looking just as happy to see her as she was to see him.

“I finished my songs as fast as I could and got the first plane back. I needed to see you,” he sighed. “I missed you so much baby.”

“I missed you too,” she grinned, intertwining their feet together underneath the sheets as he hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. “I can’t believe you’re here right now. You scared me! How did you even get in?”

He shrugged as he brought his hand up to brush her hair from her face. She had the feeling he was really just finding reasons to touch her, which she certainly had no complaints about. “Luckily I could see Sophie was still awake through her window, so I knocked quietly and she let me in. I probably would have just picked the lock or something though, if she hadn’t been awake.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Kelen rolled her eyes. He chuckled when her eyes slid back to him suspiciously. “You can’t really do that, can you?”

“I can do anything,” he scoffed, puffing his chest out cockily. She giggled softly and smiled, sliding her hands under his t-shirt and up his chest, feeling her fingers dip into the valleys of his muscles as she pressed kisses to his jaw and neck. He shivered involuntarily against her touch as he rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Kelen?”

“Yeah?” she raised her eyes to look at him quizzically.

“I missed you so much these past three weeks. All I could think about was coming home to you,” he said softly as his thumb traced over her lips. “So…I was thinking. How would you feel about moving in with me? So I can go to sleep and wake up next to you every day?”

Her eyes widened and her hands stopped moving against his chest. “What?”

“Well…I mean,” he gulped. “If you don’t want to…I understand,” his voice wavered as he looked away nervously.

“That’s not the problem,” she said as a soft smile crept onto her face. She felt her cheeks getting warm as his frown turned into an unsure smile. “I’m just in shock. That’s a huge step, Justin.”

“I know. But I thought a lot about it when I was in Virginia, and I think it makes sense. I mean, you’re practically living there anyways. Now we just don’t have to keep driving you back and forth to get clothes. Plus, I have that huge kitchen and you can try out new recipes and stuff. And…well I just want you there. I hate coming home to that huge empty house all alone,” he admitted as he smiled embarrassingly at her. “Please? Brennen and Buckley would love it.”

She chuckled, “Okay. I guess for them, I’ll move in with you.”

“Really?” his eyebrows shot up as he gave her an excited grin. “That’s fucking awesome, babe. I was so scared you’d say no.” He hugged her tight and pressed kisses all over her face before nuzzling his nose against hers affectionately. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back. He hummed softly and snuggled closer to her, tucking her head under his chin. She pulled her head back and studied his peaceful features as he lay against her pillows on his side, squeezing her tight to his body. She had missed him so much while he was away, wishing she could be with him as he worked on his album. She loved hearing his smooth voice when he sang. He was so focused and confident in his element, it was hard not to keep your eyes glued to him. He let out a loud yawn and blinked sleepily as one hand scratched his head. “You tired babe?”

“Exhausted,” he muttered against her hairline as his eyes fluttered shut. She took a deep breath, breathing in his familiar scent as she felt his muscles relax around her. She tried to pull out of his arms to give him more room to sleep, but his arms stayed locked around her waist as his lips turned into a pout and he opened one eye to peer at her.

She chuckled softly as she rolled her eyes and wiggled around until she found a comfortable spot, shifting their bodies so that he was on his back and her head was on his chest. “Goodnight Justin.”

“‘Night,” he yawned before quickly falling asleep with a content smile on his lips. Kelen smiled and watched him snoring quietly for a few minutes, before falling asleep herself. She dreamt of eating breakfasts and dinners with Justin and weekly movie nights that night. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t scared or nervous about taking such a big step with a boyfriend. She was hopeful and she could imagine actually living the rest of her life with him. She wasn’t so apprehensive or worried anymore.

She woke up the next morning, momentarily confused and panicked when she felt strong arms wrapped around her stomach. Sometime during the night, they had changed positions and ended up spooning with her back pressed to Justin’s chest. As soon as his familiar smell hit her nostrils, last night’s events came flooding back in her mind, and a slow smile spread onto her face as she remembered his proposal. He had been so cute and sleepy last night, it had been hard not to just say yes to everything he was saying. But now that it was morning, she realized that her moving in with him would not only affect them, but would also affect Sophie and Christine too. She gently rolled away from his arms and stood up, taking care to remain quiet as she slipped her feet into her slippers and tip-toed out of her bedroom. Sophie and Christine were already sitting at the dining table with bagels and cups of coffee sitting in front of them.

“Good morning,” Christine smiled when she saw Kelen walk out of her room, which opened directly into their living room and dining room area. “You’re up late today, sleepy head.”

Sophie smirked knowingly as she lifted her cup of coffee to her lips. “A certain pop star probably kept her up last night.” Christine turned to Kelen with a quizzical look.

“Justin’s here? I thought he was in Virginia,” she tilted her head suspiciously. Kelen nodded and sat down across from Christine as she yawned tiredly.

“Yeah. He surprised me last night,” she explained with a smile. “We didn’t do anything, you pervs. But…he did ask me to move in with him…” she added quietly, averting her eyes awkwardly. Both her roommates turned to her with shocked expressions.

Christine was the first to recover, as she started to grin and clapped her hands together. “That’s awesome! What did you say?”

“I said yes…but I wanted to talk to you guys first. I can’t leave you hangin’ like that,” Kelen explained as she shrugged her shoulders casually. “I mean, we’ve lived together for five years.”

“So? We’ll still be friends even if you don’t sleep a few feet away,” Sophie answered with a supportive smile. “If you want to do it, you should. Don’t worry about rent, I’m sure Christine and I can handle splitting it between the two of us now that she has the job and everything.”

Kelen looked up at both her friends, surprised that they were so supportive of her moving out. They had always played devil’s advocate in her past relationships, making sure she didn’t jump into things too quickly. “Oh, well I was still going to pay my part of the rent. I don’t think I’d be able to handle moving out for good. Especially since Christine has to move to New York in a few months, Soph, you can’t pay for the whole place by yourself,” she smiled skeptically. Sophie shrugged and took a bite of her bagel, knowing Kelen was right. There was no way she would be able to pay for a three bedroom apartment by herself.

Christine bounced up and down in her seat perkily as she held her coffee cup in her hands. “So you two are getting pretty serious, huh? I’ve been dating Jake for four years and we’re just now talking about moving to New York together.”

“I guess,” she shrugged before looking up at them worriedly. “I don’t know, do you guys think we’re moving too fast? I mean, it has only been three months. But...it just feels right. It’s the first time since Kevin when I’m not scared or suspicious of a guy’s intentions, you know?”

“You just have to go with what your gut says,” Sophie advised wisely. “You usually have a good sense of what is wrong or right. I mean, look at how scared you were of committing with Kevin in the beginning. And in the end, your gut was right the whole time.”

“Yeah…” Kelen sighed as she nodded her head slowly. A few minutes later her bedroom door opened and her squinty-eyed boyfriend shuffled out of her bedroom with a shy smile.

“Mornin’ girls,” he greeted as he sat down next to Kelen and rested his arm on the back of her chair. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Kelen’s cheek before leaning back in his seat with a yawn. “What are you girls gossipin’ about?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. All three girls looked at each other before shrugging innocently and looking back at him.

“Nothin,” Sophie answered with a sly smirk. “Just talking about how you’re trying to steal Kelen from us.” Justin chuckled and nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his lap.

He kissed the top of her head affectionately as he smirked. “It’s true, I can’t help it. I love her too much to share.” Kelen rolled her eyes as Christine and Sophie smiled goofily, instantly charmed by his words. She pushed him away playfully before standing up.

“Want some cereal, babe?” she asked. He nodded and winked at her in thanks before focusing his attention back to Sophie who had begun to playfully chastise him for trying to take away her best friend. After Sophie and Christine left for the day, Kelen and Justin moved onto the couch where they proceeded to watch the news. Kelen was sitting back against Justin’s chest in between his legs as he brushed his hands through her silky hair absentmindedly.

“So do you want to start packing up your things or something?” he asked, breaking their comfortable silence. She shrugged her shoulders and shifted so she can look him in the eyes.

“We can do that later. I just want to hang out with you today,” she answered before laying her head back against his shoulder. She felt something vibrate against her hip and watched as he pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket, holding the device up to his face as he read the text message. He let out a frustrated sigh as he typed back a message quickly into the phone. “What’s wrong?”

He rested his hand on top of her lap and brushed her hair away from the back of her neck before pressing a warm kiss to her soft skin. “I forgot that all because I finished my songs early, it doesn’t mean I have a break from work. I have to go get fitted for a suit later.”

“A suit for what?” she asked curiously, as she closed her eyes to revel in the tingling sensations created by his soft lips.

“Grammys are in a week and I’m presenting,” he mumbled as his hands pulled the collar of her shirt down to allow him to kiss down her spine. She pulled away and twisted so that she was straddling his legs, her hands resting on his shoulders as he gave her a sexy smirk. Before she could say anymore, he curled two fingers inside the waistband of her cotton shorts and pulled her closer to him, one hand wrapping around her neck as their lips crashed together. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth before sliding her tongue against his in a passionate dance. His hands slowly tugged her t-shirt over her head and she felt him smile when his hands molded against her naked breasts, realizing she hadn’t been wearing a bra.

She pulled her mouth away from his and panted softly as she smiled at him. “Let’s move out of the living room,” she suggested as she climbed off his lap and wrapped her hand around his. He allowed her to pull him into her bedroom and pulled her towards him after she had slammed her door shut.

“Time for reunion sex,” he chuckled, gripping her sides gently as his lips descended back onto hers and he walked forward, forcing her towards her bed. Her fingers slid up his chest and dug into his hair, which had grown out during the two weeks that he had been gone. His large hands smoothed down her naked back and squeezed her ass, pushing their hips together as they continued to attack each other’s lips. Kelen pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him back against her bed, giggling when he let out a surprised grunt and fell backwards onto the disheveled sheets. He pushed himself up, resting on his elbows and watching with dark, lust-filled eyes as she sank down on the floor in between his knees and her hands torturously crept up his thighs.

“Baby you don’t have to,” he argued. She hadn’t given him head before, which he had always assumed was because she was uncomfortable with it. But he realized, now, that his assumption had been wrong when he saw the twinkle in her eyes as she smiled at him.

“I want to…I would love to,” she corrected herself as she licked her lips teasingly.

In all the times they had been intimate together, she had never performed oral on him, simply because of the fact that he had always been more than aroused enough after he had had his way with her himself. It was as if he was seeing a whole different side of his girlfriend as she smirked flirtatiously at him and slid his sweatpants and boxers off his slim waist. He was already starting to harden, and he licked his lips as he watched her smile shyly at him. He had imagined her beautiful mouth around him multiple times, especially over the past two weeks when she had flooded his every thought. But the sight of her actually kneeling in front of him was so much better than he could have fantasized. Her hand wrapped around his thick length and her other hand smoothed up his stomach, causing him to shiver involuntarily at the touch. His mouth hung slightly agape as his eyes stayed glued on her, watching as her pink lips slowly descended onto his length, her tongue darting out against the swollen head before kissing the tip gently.

“God,” Justin moaned, his head falling backwards as she took his whole length into her mouth and then moved her head back up slowly, softly scraping her teeth against his velvety skin. His hand dug into her hair as she bobbed back down his length, her tongue tasting him hungrily on the down stroke and sucking on the upstroke. She continued her motions, occasionally dipping her tongue under the groove of the now purple head as he let out moans of pleasure.

She hummed a little as her tongue ran along the throbbing vein on the underside of his length, enjoying seeing his eyes roll back as his finger tips gently pushed against her scalp and he panted softly. He was standing erect in a matter of minutes and her mouth came off him with a soft ‘pop’ as her hand continued to stroke him and she sucked one of his balls into her mouth.

“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath as his hips arched off the bed, his fingers curling against her scalp and tangling into her hair. He watched with heavy eyelids as she kissed the tip, which was now leaking with pre-cum, and stood up with a seductive smile, sliding her cotton shorts and underwear down her toned legs.

“You ready for this?” she asked as she climbed on top of him, straddling him and trapping his erection between her moist folds and his stomach. She giggled softly as she pulled the white t-shirt off his body and allowed her fingers to trace up his stomach as she shifted her hips and slowly sank down on to him. Her mouth hung open as her body adjusted to his large size and her eyes winced shut as pleasure shot all over her body. “Shit…” she hissed as she leaned over him, bracing herself on her hands, which were pressed into the mattress on either side of his head. Justin laid back and let her take control, allowing his hands to roam across her warm skin as she rolled her hips against his.

“You feel so damn good, baby,” he breathed as her walls squeezed around him. Her blonde hair cascaded around her face as she leaned all of her weight over him, continuing to slide her body over his deliciously. It was as if every time they made love, he found new spots to hit inside her, taking her over the edge.

Kelen sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth when she felt another zing of pleasure shoot out from her hot center. “Oh god,” she gasped, feeling his thumb press against her clit gently. Her hips slammed down onto his as her whole body contracted when her orgasm hit her. Before she could even recover, he had somehow switched positions and was now kneeling behind her on his knees as she was propped up on all fours. She blinked silently, not even processing what was happening, and let out a low groan when she felt him slide into her swiftly. His strong fingers were squeezing against her waist as he propelled her back against him roughly.

“Fuck,” he cursed when she experimentally squeezed her muscles around him. “Keep doin’ that and I won’t last long.”

She looked at him over her shoulder, feeling her arousal grow to an even greater level when she saw his dark eyes staring at where they were joined, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he growled and slammed into her. “Oh god, Justin,” she gasped, feeling him brush against the spot that only he could reach deep inside her.

His hand ran up along her spine, causing tremors to course through her body as his hands came around and squeezed her plump breasts. “Tell me how good you feel, Kel.”

She only managed another loud moan as her hands clutched at her sheets tightly. “It…good…” she mumbled incoherently, her eyes winced shut as another wave of ecstasy came over her. He slowed his motions and stayed still behind her, his hand slapping gently against her ass. She let out a surprised gasp and turned around with angry eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Tell me…” he gritted with a cocky smile as his cock throbbed inside of her. She let out a frustrated groan, which turned into a gasp as he began pumping into her furiously. “How good do I make you feel, baby?” She was sure she would be bruised tomorrow, but none of that mattered at the moment. The only thing she cared about was reaching the peak of the orgasm she knew would knock her unconscious. The friction of their hips together and his hands against her sweaty skin was too much for her to handle, and all of her nerve endings were on fire as they moved together.

“Fucking amazing…” she hissed as his hand slid down her stomach and his finger flicked against her swollen clit. Her body collapsed onto the bed as she screamed out his name and thrusted her body backwards against him.

“Oh shit!” He groaned loudly, his fingers digging into her skin as he released his seed deep inside her. Her muscles clamped around him and both their knees gave out, causing him to collapse on top of her back, still buried inside her body. It took longer than usual for him to regain enough strength to roll off of her, and he fell onto the bed beside her, panting softly and completely satiated. They both looked at each other before falling into a fit of giggles as they pulled the sheets over their sweaty bodies.

“That was...” Kelen trailed off, running her hand up his chest slowly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Intense,” he added with a nod of his head. His hand rubbed along her back as he sighed, still feeling tingles spread all over his body. He really did love sex. A lot.

She pressed a wet kiss on her shoulder as she smiled and wrapped her body around his. “Welcome home, Justin. I love you.” He grinned and kissed her sweaty forehead.

“Love you too, babe,” he mumbled as his fingers traced lazy shapes across her back. They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms for awhile, coming down from their highs. Justin’s cell phone began ringing incessantly about an hour later, and he reluctantly rolled away to glance at the flashing screen.

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath before standing up and pulling on his boxers. “It’s four thirty already?” He turned to look at Kelen, who smiled lazily back at him, still wrapped up in her white sheets. He smiled back at her and leaned over her body, pressing a kiss to her naked shoulder.

“Do you have to go?” she asked, disappointment evident in her eyes. She had thought they would be able to spend at least one whole day together after he returned. He frowned and nodded before moving to find his shirt.

“I have to go to a fitting,” he answered as he pulled a t-shirt over his head. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled as an idea came to him. “Why don’t you come with me? It’ll only take an hour at most. And then we can go out…for the Valentine’s dinner I promised you.”

Her pout turned into a grin as she nodded and sat up, causing the sheets to fall from his body. Justin couldn’t help but stare at her naked form as she stood up and walked past him towards her bathroom. “Do I have time to shower?”

“Yeah,” he nodded dreamily before taking two strides over and wrapping his arms around her body. “Do it fast, or I’ll have to come in there and take you up against the wall,” he grinned wolfishly before kissing her smiling lips.

She winked as she looked up at him. “I might just take my sweet ol’ time then.” He gently smacked her bottom and chuckled when her eyes narrowed at him.

“No time for that,” he shook his head sternly as she rubbed against him teasingly. “You have twenty minutes,” he added with a smile before releasing her and turning back to the duffle bag he had brought with him. He pulled out his jeans and a vintage shirt, tugging them onto his body as Kelen began her shower. After a few minutes, he finally allowed himself to walk into the bathroom to brush his teeth, knowing she would be safely hidden behind her shower curtain. He could never seem to think properly when she was standing in all of her naked beauty in front of him.

“Justin?” her voice called out when he stepped inside, feeling the steam build up in the room.

“Yeah. Who else would it be?” he chuckled as he turned the faucet on and ran his toothbrush underneath the stream of water.

“Don’t turn on the – SHIT!” she exclaimed as the shower curtain rustled. Her head popped around the plastic sheet and her green eyes narrowed angrily at him as she scowled. “You just burned my ass.”

He chuckled as he smiled apologetically and pointed his toothbrush at her as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Sorry. I can kiss it better, if you want.”

“Yeah right,” she rolled her eyes before disappearing behind the curtain. “So I was thinking I might start packing my things tomorrow. Are you free to help me take some boxes to your place?” She asked as he began to brush his teeth. Justin mumbled affirmatively before spitting into the sink and glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. The shower had turned off and he watched her reflection in the mirror as she stepped out, water dripping down her body as she wrapped a fluffy pink towel around her body. Her eyes met his through the mirror and she smirked as she squeezed the water out of her hair. “Tryin’ to sneak a peek?”

“Always,” he answered cheekily before turning on the sink and rinsing the toothpaste out of his mouth. Kelen came up next to him and squirted toothpaste onto her toothbrush, grazing her shoulder against his chest as he stared down at her. Her skin was a rosy pink from her shower and he had to curl his hands into fists to keep from touching her as she smiled innocently at him. He was glad he had met her during the making of his album, giving him months to spend time with her instead of having to rely on phone calls while he was on the road. He was also grateful for the fact that she would be moving in with him, giving him 24-hour access to her.

“I promise I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes,” Kelen grinned, standing on her tip toes and pecking him on the lips before strutting out of the steamy bathroom. Justin followed her out and sat down at the foot of her bed as he slipped on his sneakers, trying to catch a glimpse of her changing in her closet. It was really unbelievable how horny he was for her, especially since they had just got down and dirty an hour before. He couldn’t help his body’s natural reaction to her presence. His cell phone began to ring again and he pulled it out of his pocket, recognizing his mother’s ring tone.

“Hey momma,” he answered.

“Hey baby. Are you on your way to your fitting?”

“Um…yes,” he lied as Kelen stepped out of her closet wearing jeans and a fitted black polo.

“So that’s a no then,” his mother drawled with a soft chuckle. “Well you better get your butt movin’. Where are you? Rachael said you hadn’t come home last night.”

Justin nodded at Kelen who gestured towards the door, mouthing that she would wait for him outside to give him some privacy. “I went straight to see Kelen. We’re leaving now, momma. Don’t worry. We’ll be there in thirty minutes, tops.”

“We, huh? So will she be accompanying you to the Grammy’s? You know everything will blow out of proportion if you show up with her, Justin,” her tone became more serious as she reverted to manager mode.

“I know,” he nodded with a roll of his eyes. “I honestly haven’t talked about it with her. But she hasn’t said anything that makes me think she would be interested in going. And she really isn’t into that kind of thing, momma. She knows how I feel about those things…we’re keeping it as private as possible.”

“Okay, baby,” Lynn sighed. “I just wanted to remind you that there’s even more buzz surrounding your relationship with her than normal. She’s not a well-known celebrity, so everyone is doing all they can to find out more about her. I just want you to prepare her for the exposure, okay hun? She might not be ready for that kind of attention.” Justin nodded and picked up his bags as he quickly ended his conversation, urging his mother that he would indeed speak to his girlfriend about the matter. He slipped the device back into his jeans pocket and walked out of Kelen’s bedroom, smiling when he heard her humming off key in the kitchen to the radio. His girl was talented at a lot of things, but singing was definitely not one of them.

“You ready to go, Kel?” he called out, not bothering to walk across the living room and around the wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room. “We’ll have to take your car. Mike dropped me off here last night and took my bags back home for me.”

Kelen came around the corner with her purse, nodding her head as she grabbed her car keys off of the hook on the wall. “I’m ready,” she smiled as she led him out of her apartment. “So, how’s your mom doing?

“She’s good,” he answered as he took the keys from her hands and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “She just wanted to check up on the Grammy’s and make sure I was prepared.”

“That’s good. So the Grammy’s are next week? That should be a fun night,” she ran her hand through her blonde hair. “I wish I could watch it. I think I’m working on Sunday.”

Justin turned to her curiously, relieved that she hadn’t asked to accompany him to the event. It had always been hard for him to tell his girlfriends that he wanted to go to those things alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with them; it was just a lot easier to deal with the media when he went solo. “Oh…well you can still come to the after parties with me right?”

She looked up at him, slightly shocked and smiled. “If you want me to.”

“Why wouldn’t I want you to?”

“Well,” she shrugged her shoulders as they approached her car. Justin unlocked it quickly and the couple slid into their respective seats. “I just didn’t know I was allowed to go…out with you, I guess. I’m not really sure what the rules are.”

Justin nodded, understanding her worries. “There aren’t any rules. It’s just…a lot easier for the both of us if we try to stay out of the public. It’s not like I’m trying to hide our relationship. I just want to keep my life as private as possible. You shouldn’t have to deal with worrying about cameras following you when you go to work, you know? But…the after parties are okay. We can sneak you in,” he added with a wink as he patted his hand over hers comfortingly. “Plus, I want to celebrate the night with you.”

Kelen smiled softly as he pulled her car out of the parking lot and onto the main road. “Okay. Well that means I’ll have to go shopping for a dress now.”

He nodded his head before turning to her with a wide grin. “Don’t worry about that girl. I’ll hook you up. The place we’re going to will have a whole selection for you to choose from. It’ll be my treat.”

“Justin,” she frowned, shaking her head. “That’s not neccessary.”

“I want to,” he answered. “Don’t tell me you don’t like to get dressed up and show off. I know I do. I especially want to show off my hot girl.” He glanced at her and smirked when he saw the blush creep onto her cheeks. She was too cute sometimes. She gave a small nod, nibbling on her bottom lip as she smiled unsurely.

“Okay…we’ll see.” He nodded his head, content with her response. He lifted their joined hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand softly. Being around her made him so calm and relaxed, it was hard to believe they had only been dating for a few months. Even when he was with Cameron, they both knew that what they had wasn’t going to go anywhere serious. No matter how much he had loved the tall blonde, he could never actually see himself spending the rest of his life with her. She had felt the same, which was why they had parted on such good terms. But with Kelen, he had fallen so deeply so fast, he was scared to see where things with her would lead. He could really picture himself settling down with her.

And that thought seriously terrified him to no end.

It was a warm evening in Los Angeles as almost everyone in the music industry arrived at the Staples Center. Justin brushed off his black pants nervously as he sat in his stretch limousine with Rachael and Miranda, his PR agent, and looked out the window as they pulled up to the venue. As much as he loved attending the Grammy Awards and celebrating the musical achievements of his peers, he hated dealing with the red carpet and all of the cameras that seemed to zoom in on him as soon as he stepped out of the car. They never wanted to discuss his career, but rather who he was dating at the time, or his thoughts on the latest Britney scandal. And now that he was with Kelen, who was completely outside of the entertainment world, he was going to do all he could to keep her out of the spotlight. He hated acting like an ass to reporters, but sometimes he just had to say no. And he had a feeling he would be saying ‘no comment’ to many reporters tonight.

“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Rachael voice interrupted the silence in the car. Justin nodded and smiled at his date for the evening. He hadn’t wanted to attend the award show dateless, so he had convinced Rachael to come with him, although it really hadn’t taken much work on his part. It had been a breeze after she had heard that John Mayer would be performing. Justin tapped his fingers on his knees as he took a sip of the water bottle in his hand and glanced at Miranda, who was representing his PR team for the night.

“So,” Miranda spoke up when their eyes met. “Justin, I just wanted to give you a heads up on the questions tonight. Since you’ve been hiding from the public for the past few months, they’re going to be more aggressive than normal with their questions. They’re all especially interested in your relationship with a ‘normal’ girl like Kelen. Just try to be as polite as possible and lead the conversation to your upcoming album, alright?”

Justin nodded as he screwed the bottle cap back onto his water bottle and placed it into a cup holder. “Yes ma’am. You know, this isn’t my first time on the red carpet,” he replied smartly.

“I’m just doing my job,” she shrugged as the car came to a stop. Justin took a deep breath and smiled at Rachael as the door opened and he stepped out. His senses were overloaded as the fans erupted into screams and the photographers began shouting his name. He grinned and waved over at the bleachers where the fans were sitting, eliciting even more excited screams. He followed Miranda down the red carpet, stopping to pose every few minutes for the cameras. He smiled genuinely when he saw his old friend, Joey Fatone standing a few feet away with Chris Brown, interviewing for the TV Guide channel for the 2nd year in a row. Miranda pointed him towards Joey’s direction, leading him down the heavily crowded red carpet.

“Hey man!” he greeted as his eyes met Joey’s. The Italian chuckled and both men embraced as the cameras began clicking away rapidly.

“Justin! How you doin’ man?” Joey grinned.

“I’m pretty good,” Justin nodded. “It’s good to see you. How are the girls?”

“They’re awesome. Brianna is getting so big now. You should come down and visit sometime soon,” Joey answered before turning to the cameraman, who informed them they would be on air in thirty seconds. Joey adjusted his jacket and cleared his throat before turning to the camera. “Welcome back everyone, I’m here with my old friend, Justin Timberlake. So Justin,” he turned towards Justin, holding the microphone to his lips. “What’s going on with you?”

“I’ve just been really busy, man,” Justin smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been working on my album and collaborating with other artists. I’ve also done some stuff with the new line for William Rast. It’s been fun.”

“That’s great. So when can we expect to hear your new stuff?”

“Most likely towards the end of the summer,” Justin answered, furrowing his eyebrows unsurely as he shrugged again. “I’m just taking my time, you know?”

“Yeah, definitely. So…let’s get down to the more serious questions,” Joey smiled secretively. Justin nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for the inevitable question about Kelen. He would really hate to have to deny Joey an answer, but he promised himself he would avoid talking about Kelen tonight. Even if it was one of his oldest friends asking the question. “Honestly, Justin. Are you, or are you not, in love….with my interviewing talents?”

There was a slight pause before Justin guffawed, shaking his head as Joey grinned. “I am. I can’t deny it, man. You have amazing interviewing talents. To be honest though, it’s really weird for me to be standing here and have you ask me questions. It’s like the twilight zone or something.”

“It is weird,” Joey nodded in agreement with a chuckle. “I have to be all serious and stuff, it’s strange.” Justin laughed, remembering all of the times he had goofed around with Joey during their NSYNC days. “Alright, well thank you so much for stopping to talk, man.”

“No problem, it was good to see you, Joe,” he smiled as they gave each other hugs.

“Thanks man, I’ll see you inside. Have fun tonight,” Joey patted his shoulder before turning back to the camera. Justin stepped back and turned to where Rachael was waiting for him a few feet away, smoothing her hands down her dark green dress. He smiled at her as they continued down the carpet while fans and various camera men shouted out his name. He stopped for a few more interviews before finally moving into the lobby of the Staples Center. The heat was unbearable now that everyone was packed together, and he let out a relieved sigh once he was away from the spying cameras and screams.

“Want somethin’ to drink?” he asked Rachael, looking over at the bar. She nodded and asked for a rum and Coke, smiling thankfully at him. He nodded and strode over to the bar, making his way through the crowd swiftly. He had been looking forward to tonight all week, excited to be able to party with Kelen and introduce her into the other part of his life. Not only that, but he had peeked at the dress she had chosen for the event, and was more than excited to see her in it. After ordering two Rum and Cokes, he found his cousin waiting by the doors of the main room grinning from ear to ear.

“There you are! Guess who I just met!” she giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet as he handed her a drink. Before he even had the chance to respond, she looked around the area quickly before saying, “Prince!” Justin laughed, enjoying the completely star-struck look on her face. Rachael was rarely star struck with celebrities, especially after working in the business for so long with him. He had only ever seen her this excited about meeting someone after he had introduced her to Madonna a few years ago. She hadn’t been able to stop talking about Madonna for the whole weekend, and he knew that since Prince was her favorite artist, he probably wouldn’t hear the end of it for a week.

“That’s awesome, Rach. Let’s go find our seats,” he placed his hand on her arm and pushed her forward through the double doors. He nodded and smiled at various people who waved at him, not really processing any of their faces.  He located their seats in the 2nd row and let Rachael sit on the inside so that he could schmooze with anyone who happened to come up to him during the evening, which happened a lot during award shows. As the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned with a friendly smile. When he saw the familiar blonde standing above him with an amused smirk, his smile faltered and he stood up.

“Hey Courtney,” he greeted, nodding his head politely. This wasn’t exactly the place for him to show his dislike for the blonde actress. “How you doin’?”

She nodded her head as she turned towards the people standing behind her, who he assumed was her team of managers and publicists. “I’m good…just trying to get to our seats,” she gestured over towards the center of the row he was sitting in. He looked at the chair next to Rachael and inwardly groaned when he saw the piece of paper with “Courtney Raines” written on it, reserving the next five seats for her. How had he not noticed that before? He nodded his head and stepped out into the aisle, letting her brush past him and sit down next to Rachael. He did his best to ignore Courtney as the show started, avoiding glancing over at her whenever he would turn to talk to Rachael. He really did not like the woman, and every time he saw her face on T.V or a magazine, he mentally beat himself up for making the mistake of sleeping with her multiple times.

About an hour into the show, a man with a headset came up to Justin and told him it was time to head backstage before he was supposed to go on stage. He said good-bye to Rachael and followed the man backstage, where Kate Hudson, his co-star in his new movie, was already waiting.

“Hey Justin,” she grinned as he walked closer to her. He smiled and hugged her quickly before pulling away and focusing his attention on the table of food.

“So do you know what award we’re presenting?” he asked curiously, reaching for a carrot and popping it into his mouth.

“Best Male R&B Vocal Performance,” she answered as she looked down at a piece of paper in her hand. She held it out towards him and he took it, scanning his eyes over the few sentences he would be saying on stage. He nodded and gave it back to her as he grabbed another carrot.

“So how’s Ryder? Cut his hair yet?” he teased. During the production of their movie, he had joked with her multiple times about her son’s growing hair length. It just wasn’t fair to put a boy through such humiliation, no matter how much he liked it.

Her eyes narrowed as she smiled, shaking her head. “No. He won’t let me do it. Eventually I’ll just have to tie him down to a chair and cut if off.”

“Good,” he agreed with a playful smile. “He’ll thank you later for it.” They both laughed and turned when their names were called. The same man who had gone to get Justin was now rushing towards them, waving his hands as he beckoned them forward.

“You two ready? We go on in three minutes,” he rattled off before barking instructions down his headpiece for make-up to check them out. Justin stood quietly as a woman rushed forward and began dabbing at his face with a make-up brush. He took a calming breath before smiling at Kate and offering his arm for her to hook her hand at his elbow.

“Ready?” he patted her hand as the man signaled for them to move forward. Kate nodded and they both walked onto the stage as the announcer introduced the two. After presenting the award to Chris Brown, the three returned back stage where Justin proceeded to mingle around, talking to the other various artists waiting in the ‘holding’ area. He pulled his phone out of the inside of how jacket pocket and turned it on, taking advantage of the brief opportunity he had, to text Kelen to make sure she would be ready to meet him at the after party in an hour. He had avoided discussing his relationship with her to any reporters, and was hoping their lack of questions was a sign that maybe he would be able to sneak her into the party successfully. As his phone lighted up, he saw that he had already received a text message from her while the phone had been turned off.

‘<i>I had to take Alex to the hospital. Won’t make it to after parties. Sorry! Have fun and call when you get home! Love you. </i>’

Justin sighed, feeling all of the excitement and anticipation for the night seep out of his body. He quickly called her back and walked towards a quiet corner of the room, leaning back against the cool, concrete wall.

“Hey babe,” Kelen greeted after the second ring and he could hear the familiar beeping of hospital machinery in the background. “How’s the show so far?”

“It’s been okay,” he shrugged, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. The performances this year hadn’t been as exciting as he had hoped, and there was a different energy when you attended the show as a presenter, rather than a nominee. “So what’s wrong with Alex? Is everything alright?”

“Mmhmm, he just tripped and sprained his ankle. He needs to get a cast, so I’m going to spend the night at his place tonight to make sure he’s okay. I’m sorry, babe. I really wanted to go out tonight with you,” her voice softened as she apologized.

He sighed quietly, hiding his disappointment from her. He wanted her to know he supported her responsibility to her brother, no matter how much he wanted her with him instead. “It’s okay. I’ll just come see you guys after the show ends. I don’t need to go to the after parties.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she immediately refused, and he could picture her shaking her head as she pursed her lips together disapprovingly. “Go out and party with all of your friends tonight, Justin. Just go and have fun, okay? I need to catch up on some paper work, anyways. It’ll be boring here.”

“You’re sure?”

“Definitely. I have to go, though, so tell Rachael I said hi. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And get sloppy drunk for me,” she requested with a giggle.

He let out a chuckle, nodding his head at her request. “If you insist…Call me if you need anything, alright? I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, have lots of fun tonight,” she replied before the line clicked off. He pushed himself off of the wall and held onto his phone as he walked back out towards the seats during a commercial break. Courtney was standing in the aisle, blocking his seat as she shamelessly flirted with John Mayer, when he returned to his row. Her eyes flitted towards him as he approached, and her lips curved into a smile as she nodded enthusiastically to whatever John was saying.

“Hey guys,” he greeted them. John turned around and grinned, pulling Justin into a friendly hug.

“Dude, Justin! How have you been man?” the taller brunette asked.

“I’m doin’ pretty good,” Justin nodded as he patted John’s shoulder and looked at Courtney, who was still smiling brightly at the two men. He smirked and turned to John, “Your performance with John Legend was kick ass, man.”

John smiled modestly, “Thanks. It was a lot of fun.”

“Alright well I’ll just get back to my seat now. It was good to see you, John. We need to catch up some time,” Justin smiled before sliding past Courtney and sitting down next to an amused Rachael. She made a disgusted face as her eyes darted over to where Courtney was standing, giggling annoyingly at something John had said. Justin rolled his eyes as he nodded, “Kelen can’t make it tonight. Her brother got hurt and she has to take care of him.”

Rachael frowned, her eyes focusing back on him. “That sucks. She was really excited to come tonight. It would be her first, real Hollywood party.”

“I know,” he sighed as the lights dimmed and everyone returned to their seats as Rihanna came on stage. Courtney brushed against his legs as she slid past him towards her seat, intentionally pushing out her bottom as his eyes scanned up her body to look at her. He had to admit that she looked good in the tight navy blue dress she was wearing, and she knew it too as she smirked down at him knowingly and sat down in her seat. He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, turning his attention to the stage. Not only was he completely bored, and would have to sit through the show for another 90 minutes, he was slightly annoyed with Kelen too. He knew it wasn’t his place to expect her to leave Alex just so she could party with him, but he had been really excited to spend time with her. He wasn’t used to being placed second, especially when it came to his girlfriends. Now all he wanted to do was either get completely wasted or go home and sleep. He had a feeling it would be the former option.

==========================================

Kelen placed her hand on her brother’s back, helping him stabilize on his crutches as they hobbled through the lobby of his apartment building. She had spent the last three hours of her evening waiting for Alex to be seen and to get all of his x-rays done, trying to keep him calm as the nurse and doctor rushed in and out of the room. As a child, he had always hated hospitals, and his fear had carried on to adulthood. Although she was accustomed to his tantrums, it took a lot of energy to keep him occupied, and now she was just as exhausted as he was.

“I’m gettin’ better,” Alex said proudly as they walked down the hallway.

“Yeah, you are,” she nodded distractedly, digging through her purse for his keys.   

“Hey Alex!” A familiar voice called out from down the hall. Kelen could hear the soft pounding of someone jogging down the carpeted hall and she turned around, smiling when she saw Eli’s grinning face. “You’re alright man! We were all worried about you.” He came to a stop in front of them and patted Alex’s shoulder as he peered down at Alex’s casted foot. “It looks good man.”

Alex nodded, smiling valiantly. “Yeah. It was nothin’,” he puffed his chest out. Eli nodded and shared an amused look with Kelen.

“Hey Kelen. How did everything go at the hospital?” he asked, as she unlocked Alex’s door and helped her brother through the entrance.

 “It was alright. The wait was horrible, but at least we’re home now,” she replied optimistically. They both entered Alex’s apartment and Kelen dropped her duffle bag to the floor with a thud, turning on all of the lights as Alex sat down on the couch. She walked towards the kitchen, expecting to see broken pieces of glass scattered on the floor where Alex had slipped on water and dropped his glass of milk earlier that day. Luckily Eli had heard him screaming in pain and had rushed in, calling her immediately as he tried to sooth Alex. She flicked the light switch and looked down at the ground, surprised when she saw a perfectly clean floor.

“I cleaned the floor after you guys left,” she heard Eli say. She turned around quickly, startled when she realized he was right standing behind her, leaning against the wall casually. He grinned at her when their eyes met, shrugging his broad shoulders and stepping into the kitchen to lean back against the counter.

“Thank you, Eli. You didn’t have to do that,” she smiled sincerely as she filled a glass with water for Alex.

“It was the least I could do,” he answered modestly, watching as she shook two pills of Alex’s prescribed pain killers into her hand. “So, what are you doing the rest of tonight?”

“I’m actually staying here overnight to make sure Alex is okay,” she answered with a nod of her head before looking up when she heard Alex call her name. They stepped out of the kitchen and saw Alex pointing at the TV, which was currently showing Justin’s face as it recapped the Grammy Awards.

“Look, Justin’s on the TV!” Alex exclaimed, propping his feet onto the coffee table and laughing to himself. Kelen smiled and handed him his medicine and water before sitting down next to him. She sighed quietly as they watched the post-show, feeling disappointment settle in her stomach whenever they showed Justin on the screen. She hated that she couldn’t be with him at that moment, having fun and dancing into the late hours of the night. She hadn’t gone out in forever, and tonight had been her one chance to have fun for the next month, at least. Not only was she upset that she couldn’t be out partying like other 26 year olds, but she had heard Justin’s disappointment on the phone, as much as he had tried to hide it and appear unfazed. It meant a lot to her that he was trying to be supportive, but she knew he hated not getting his way. She’d have to be extra nice for the next week to make it up to him.

Alex was starting to get tired, so Eli offered to help him to his room, allowing Kelen to pull out the futon couch and make her bed for the night. She was in the middle of tucking the sheets in when Eli came back out, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled quietly to himself.

“He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow,” he grinned, dimples appearing on his tanned skin. Kelen laughed, knowing how prone Alex was to falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Eli stepped up next to her and helped her put the pillows into pillow cases, making small talk with her as she tidied up the room. “So why aren’t you out with your man partying tonight?” He gave her a curious look as she shrugged and threw the pillows onto the mattress.

“I was going to, but Alex got hurt. And my brother needs me more than I need to party,” she said lightly, pulling her blonde hair into a messy bun. Eli nodded understandingly as a frown came across his face and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“You should have gone. I’m here to make sure he’s okay.”

She nodded, smiling at his kind offer. Eli was always so helpful with Alex; it was amazing how much work he put into caring for all of the residents at the living center. She could see why her mother had been so keen on pairing the two of them up.

“I know. Alex just likes to see a familiar face when he’s hurt, you know? Plus, I’d be too busy worrying about him to have much fun.”

He nodded, smiling warmly as he sat down in the armchair and Kelen sat down at the foot of her ‘bed’. “You’re really good with him. I’m glad he has such a stable presence in his life. It really helps someone like Alex to develop and mature properly when they have a supportive force behind them, you know? You and Ryan are really great,” he said.

Kelen blushed at the compliment, tucking her feet under herself as she looked down at her hands. “Thanks, Eli. It’s nice to know someone appreciates my work around here,” she joked. He chuckled as he stood up, looking down at his wrist watch

“Alright well I’ll let you get to bed. I should go and make sure everyone else is okay,” he smiled as he nodded his head and walked over to the door. “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Of course,” she nodded and watched as he let himself out, closing the door with a soft click. She sighed and crawled back to the pillows, sitting back against them as she pulled a folder of paper work out of her bag and dropped it onto her lap. Alex’s snores could be heard from the next room, and she shook her head softly, chuckling to herself as she began to go over the next month’s supplies list. As much as she loved her brother and all of his antics, she sometimes wondered if she was sacrificing too much for him. Would it really hurt for their parents to pitch in every once and awhile, instead of relying on her and Ryan to keep them updated on Alex’s life? For as long as she could remember, she had always been the one to cancel dates or her plans to keep Alex happy. She had never complained before, and wasn’t going to do so anytime soon, but sometimes she just wished they could offer to help without needing her to say something.

The sound of Alex moaning in his sleep caught her attention and she looked up at his closed door, waiting to hear if he would go back to sleep.

“Kelen?” came his muffled cry. “You there?”

“Yeah, Alex,” she called back. “I’m right out here, babe. Is everything okay?”

“My foot hurts,” he answered.

“I know, just do your best to go back to sleep, okay? The medicine should kick in anytime now,” she reassured him. He didn’t say anything back, so she settled back in her position and looked down at the spreadsheet in front of her. At least she would be able to get all of the work she had been putting off, finally finished. 

The next morning, Kelen was awakened by the sound of Alex stumbling out of his room, still not used to his uncomfortable cast and crutches. After making both of them breakfast and making sure he was comfortable, she drove back to Justin’s and her new home as quickly as she could, hoping he was still asleep and she could just slip into bed next to him. The house was peacefully quiet as she let herself in through the garage. She chuckled when she saw Buckley and Brennen curled up in their dog beds in the laundry room, patiently waiting for their owners to wake up and feed them. They both jumped up at the sound of her entering the room, panting happily as they followed her into the kitchen for breakfast. She filled their bowls with food and patted both dogs on their heads before running up the stairs two steps at a time. She quietly tiptoed her way into Justin's bedroom, a soft smile coming across her face when she saw the beautiful man sprawled out on the bed on his stomach. His fluffy white comforter was pulled down so that it only covered his bottom half, the curve of his ass peeking from above the blanket as he snored softly.

As she padded towards the bed, she noticed all of his clothes were strewn across the floor, and immediately knew he must have been completely hammered last night when he came home. He very rarely ever just threw his clothes on the floor, and she prepared herself to deal with her hung over boyfriend later as she lifted the comforter and curled up against his side.

“Kel?” he stirred, his voice scratchy from sleep and the excessive amount of alcohol he had consumed.

“Hey baby,” she greeted, placing a kiss on his bare shoulder and cheek, scrunching her nose up in disgust when she smelled the alcohol on his breath. “Crazy night?”

“Kind of,” he chuckled as he turned on his side and hugged her close to his body, taking a deep breath. “I wish you could have come,” he mumbled sleepily.

“Me too,” she whispered back, tracing her fingers along his stubbly jaw as he closed his eyes and fell back asleep. She felt her eyelids getting heavier and finally fell asleep a few minutes later, tightly tucked against his warm body. She woke up a few hours later around noon and slipped out of bed, before weaving her way through the boxes she had yet to unpack, and getting into the shower. She had just finished her shower and was wrapping a towel around her body when the door creaked open and Justin shuffled into the bathroom tiredly.

“Hey sleepy head,” she laughed at his haggard appearance. He looked up at her, giving her a pitiful look as his hand came up and scratched the back of his neck.

“I drank so much last night,” he grumbled as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body. He rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled at her through the mirror, pressing a kiss on her cheek as he curled a finger around her towel and tugged lightly.

She giggled softly, seeing the mischievous smirk on his face as he tried to pull the towel off her body. “What do you think you’re doing, mister?”

“Just tryin’ to catch a peek,” he shrugged nonchalantly, licking his lips when the towel slipped and revealed one pert breast. Kelen rolled her eyes and wrapped the towel tighter around her body as she turned in his arms. He peered down at her, leaning forward and crashing his lips onto hers in a deep kiss. She instantly moaned against his lips and he smiled, hugging her tighter so that their bodies were flush against each other. Just when he thought he had won their little battle and would be able to get some morning sex, she pulled away from him gently, pressing her hands against his bare chest. He looked down at her, his eyebrows rising in confusion as his tongue swiped against his bottom lip.

“You’re crazy if you think you’re getting any when you stink like that. Or when you’re as hung over as you are…” she added with a sly grin before sauntering out of the bathroom. Justin groaned, his head throbbing painfully as he watched her walk away from him. He steadied himself against the bathroom counter, cursing whoever had decided that taking five shots in a row would be a good way to start off the night. “Go shower and I’ll make you breakfast, babe,” he heard her order from the bedroom. After a steaming hot shower, he managed to get himself dressed with little difficulty, pulling on a pair of basketball shorts, a plain white T-Shirt and a zip-up sweater. As he made his way downstairs, his stomach grumbled thankfully when the smell of Kelen’s breakfast hit his nostrils, and he licked his lips in anticipation as his feet shuffled down the steps at a faster pace.

“Damn that smells good,” he remarked once he landed on the kitchen floor, smiling when he saw Kelen standing by the kitchen island as she plated two heaping servings of eggs and pancakes onto two plates. She grinned at him, her eyes tracing over his body appreciatively before focusing back on her work.

“Stop shouting,” he heard Rachael’s voice and turned, chuckling softly to himself when he saw his cousin slumped against the breakfast table, her head neatly tucked against her folded arms with the hood of her sweatshirt pulled over her face. It seemed he wasn’t the only one suffering from the repercussions of last night. He walked over to Kelen and leaned forward, pressing his lips against her neck as he took in a deep breath, taking in her sweet scent.

“Thanks babe. You’re amazing,” he whispered against her ear, delighting in the shiver that he felt course through her body. Even if she had walked away from him earlier, he knew she had wanted him just as badly as he wanted her, and right after breakfast, he planned on revisiting his previous plan of getting into her pants.

“It’s no problem. I did tell you to get sloppy drunk for me,” she winked as she handed him his plate of food and carried the other to Rachael.

“Yeah! You did say that! This is all your fault then,” he replied as he slid into the seat diagonal from Rachael.

Kelen shook her head as she sat down next to him, watching as both Rachael and Justin dug into their meals hungrily. “I did not, however, tell you to let your cousin get sloppy drunk.”

“She’s the one that gave me all of my drinks. Blame her,” he defended himself as he pointed his fork at his cousin, who was doing a pretty good job of avoiding the conversation. Rachael finally looked up and started arguing back with him, saying he had been the one that had ordered the bottle of Jagermeister. Kelen laughed quietly herself, leaving the two drunks at the table to finish their argument as she walked upstairs to finish unpacking her boxes. She had moved in her things a few days ago, bringing most of her clothes and essentials in a few cardboard boxes and leaving her other items behind in her apartment. As much as she loved Justin, she wasn’t going to fool herself into believing their relationship would be perfect, and keeping her apartment as a backup was probably the best choice.

Justin had been kind enough to make space for her in his expansive closet, squishing his clothes together to give her a few feet of hanger space and three drawers. Honestly, she had been surprised he had even found the room to give her what he had, considering all of the clothes he had accumulated throughout his career. She was just in the middle of her second box of clothes when she heard Justin come back into the room, immediately calling out her name when he shut the door.

“I’m in the closet,” she replied as she sat on the ground, folding a pile of shirts. She felt his warm large hands on her shoulders and cocked her head backwards to look up at him with a smile. She let out a soft squeal when his hands suddenly slid around her shoulders and lifted her up from under her arms, bringing her to her feet.

“I washed up for you,” he smirked proudly, licking his bottom lip as he gripped her butt cheeks with each hand.

“You did. You smell good,” she nodded, patting her hands against his chest, feeling his strong pectoral muscles ripple under the thin t-shirt as he chuckled. “You’re also hung over, J.” She gave him a pointed look, knowing that he usually wasn’t so energetic after a night full of drinking, and the sex wouldn’t be half as satisfying as it usually was

“I’m not that hung over,” he defended himself as his lips formed into a pout. Kelen sighed, sliding her arms up his chest and locking them behind his neck as he tilted his head to the side.

“What’s gotten into you?” she laughed, suspicious of his sudden state of arousal. He was usually so lazy and relaxed when he was hung over, choosing to spend the day on the couch and catching up on re-runs of his favorite shows.

“Nothing, I love you. Plus, I’m fuckin’ horny as shit right now.” He chuckled evilly, swiftly picking her up in his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. Kelen let out a soft laugh as he walked out of the closet and dropped her on top of the bed, an evil glint in his eyes as he gazed up her tanned legs, the short cotton shorts and the small tank-top she had thrown over her body earlier that morning.

“Justin…” she said with a warning tone as she propped herself up on her elbows.

“Believe me, Kel. I was missin’ you like crazy last night. This will be good,” he urged, nodding his head and placing his hands on her bare knees. How could she argue with that sexy smirk and the twinkle in his eyes? A smile finally broke across her face as she watched him, shivering slightly as his hands, rough from hours of playing guitar, spanned up her soft skin. He stood at the end of the bed, his eyes gazing into hers as his hands continued their trail up and slid underneath her shirt, cupping her breasts as he climbed onto the bed and rested his knees in between her legs.

Kelen licked her lips, feeling the familiar tingles shoot from her breasts to her hot center as his thumbs tweaked against her hardening nipples. She let out soft moan as his knee brushed against her center, where she was sure he could feel the heat radiating through her cotton shorts.

“All night, babe. I was just imagining you in that tight dress you bought, rubbing up on me as we danced all night. I was fuckin’ horny as hell, and you were nowhere near for me to let it out,” he growled, his hands wrapping around her upper arms and pulling her up so that she was straddling his bent legs. She rested her arms against his shoulders as their lips crashed together, his tongue seeking entrance as it slid against her bottom lip.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, whispering against his lips. She was sorrier for the fact that she couldn’t have been there for him to ravage her, rather than missing out on the actual parties last night.

“It was the first time in years that I’ve gone to bed with a hard-on, Kel. I believe you have some making-up up to do,” he raised an eyebrow as his hands came down and tugged the tank-top over her body. She nodded her head against his forehead, sucking his bottom lip in between hers as she pressed herself against him, trying to get as much friction as possible. She could feel him hardening against her as she rubbed against him, his length pressing against the underside of her thigh as her desire for him rose to an even greater level. Her fingers crept down his chest and hooked underneath the hem of his shirt as she ripped her lips away from his and pulled his shirt over his head.

“I’ll make it up to you,” she promised with a sigh as his lips latched onto her neck. “I was thinking about you all last night too,” she admitted as his hands spread across her bare back.

“Did you touch yourself?” he asked with a growl, moving his head down and taking a pert nipple into his mouth.

She gasped in shock, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. “Justin!”

“Tell me the truth,” he chuckled, stopping his actions and looking her in the eye. She gave a shy shrug and he laughed, returning his attention to her other breast. A soft moan escaped her lips as she arched her back, pushing her breasts forward as her hands wrapped around the back of his head. He leaned forward so that she was lying back on the mattress, her dark blonde hair spanning across the sheets as his hands slid down her torso and slowly slid off her shorts and underwear. The familiar predatory glint appeared in his eyes, and Kelen smirked, watching quietly as he stood up and slid his basketball shorts off. His arousal bounced freely in the air as he climbed back onto the mattress and crawled over her body, hovering above her teasingly. She raised her arms and looped them around his neck, attempting to pull him down on top of her. She needed him to be closer, to feel his skin against hers. Justin merely chuckled, lowering himself only enough to push his tip against her entrance and crash his lips onto hers.

“Baby…” she whined, wiggling around impatiently.  “That’s not funny,” she reprimanded when he smirked down at her, pulling away completely and raising an eyebrow.

“You were the one who didn’t even want this a few minutes ago,” he reminded as his eyes danced across her face, taking in every freckle and committing them to memory. Her green eyes had darkened with arousal, and now with slight frustration as she tried to pull him in for those final few inches.

“Well I was obviously not in the right mindset at the time,” she rolled her eyes before pressing her hands on his chest and pushing up with all of her strength. Justin flipped over onto his back with wide eyes, his shock turning into pleasure as she quickly straddled him and slid down onto him.

“Shit,” he hissed, hands immediately gripping at her hips and eyes shutting as pleasure rippled through him. Kelen’s mouth formed into an ‘O’ as she gasped, her hands steadying against his strong chest as she rotated her hips over his. This was definitely a lot better than his other hung-over sessions.

Her hips rolled against his fluidly as her hands curled into fists against his chest and tingles of pleasure shot through her body. They had both been so busy over the week that they had hardly had time to even say goodnight to each other before passing out in bed, let alone get freaky in between the sheets. And as much as getting laid on a daily basis would be amazing, the tension building and final release after they waited a few days was so much better. Justin loved watching her bring herself to the point of orgasm, with little mewls and gasps of pleasure falling off her pink lips as he tried desperately to hold on to his own release. He couldn’t get enough of her, and every time they finished, he just wanted more. It was pathetic, but he had become addicted to her touch and kisses.

“Oh god,” Kelen moaned, her head falling forward when he thrust his hips upward. Justin’s hands rubbed against her thighs as he watched her rock on top of him, a slight sheen of perspiration developing on her skin. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and she stopped her motions as he pulled her legs around to wrap around his waist. They both moaned at the change in angle, which pushed him even deeper into her as he helped her move above him.

His arms hooked underneath hers as his hands dug into her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck to him. He focused his attention on the soft skin there, nibbling and tasting her skin. Normally, he would be too exhausted to try and have sex after a night of partying, but after receiving a call from Johnny during breakfast, he didn’t care how tired he was. She had caught on to that fact rather quickly, but he had successfully managed to distract her long enough to get her into bed. The truth was that he would be working and travelling for the next month and a half, promoting the new William Rast line as well as helping Esmée with her debut CD. He was leaving in two days to go to New York City, and was trying to put off telling Kelen for as long as possible so that he could cherish the little time they had together. So far in their relationship, he had been lucky enough to have some time off so he could devote most of his time with Kelen. Not seeing each other for six straight weeks could very well put a strain on their relationship.

“Justin,” Kelen’s rushed whisper brought his attention back to her. He raised his head from the crook of her neck and smiled at her, brushing away the pieces of hair that had stuck to her now moist forehead.

“You close girl?” he asked knowingly. She nodded, unable to form words as he flipped her onto her back and took over. He could tell she was starting to get uncomfortable in their last position, trying to thrust down harder but simply unable to because of the angle of her legs. Plus, he liked knowing that only he could bring her to her peak.

He moved his hands, propping himself above her so that he could push deeper into her. Her toned legs wrapped around his waist as she brought her hands up to frame his face, gazing intently into his deep blue eyes.

“Harder J,” she breathed, biting down on her bottom lip. He dropped his head to her shoulder, softly panting as he ground down into her, moaning when he felt her muscles tighten around him. Her hands slid down his back, feeling his muscles flex with every movement as he brushed against that spot deep within her. There was an overwhelming sense of intimacy this time as they made love, and she knew there was something that he wasn’t telling her. She was worried, but all she could do was hold him close and hope he trusted her enough to confide in her. She could see it in his eyes as he rocked against her, gazing at her with so much love as if he was trying to imprint her image in his brain. They were usually so rushed and rough towards the end of their love making, trying to find their release as quickly as possible. But it was like he was prolonging the end this time, drawing out each thrust and moan as she desperately seeked her own release. It was frustrating, but at the same time, she didn’t want it to end. It just felt too good.

His lips sucked at the spot underneath her ear that he knew drove her crazy, and Kelen felt her whole body shut down as everything turned black. Her fingers dug into the skin at his shoulder blades as she screamed out his name, unable to control her body as it shuddered around him.

“Oh, Kelen,” he gasped as he thrust one last time into her, releasing himself into her. It took a few minutes before either of them could find the energy to talk, let alone move a muscle. Justin was still buried inside of her when Kelen pressed soft kisses along his jaw line a few minutes later, a satiated smile on her lips when he finally opened his eyes to peer at her.

“I love you, you know?” she mumbled as he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. He smiled, nodding his head as he curled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“I love you too,” he replied before kissing the top of her head. His chest rose up and down as he breathed, coming down from his high as his hand rubbed up and down her back. “I have to leave for New York on Tuesday,” he said after a few more minutes of peaceful silence. “I’ll be gone for six weeks.”

Kelen turned her head, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him, a small pout forming on her face. “Six whole weeks?”

He nodded with a sigh, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I know. It sucks.”

“It won’t be that bad. We can iChat or whatever you were telling me about the other day,” she replied optimistically, running her hands across his abdomen as she kissed his chest. Six weeks was a long time and it was going to be hard to be separated from him for that long, but she had always known dating him would come with being in a long distance relationship. She knew she had lucked out with the fact that they had started dating while he was on a break, and not in the middle of a whirlwind tour.  In fact, she was surprised it had taken so long for him to finally start work again. Rachael was always telling her how antsy he got during his long vacations.

“Are you gonna miss me?” His lips curled into a playful smile when she poked her finger into his side.

“Nope, not at all.” His fingers danced along her side as he began to tickle her, chuckling when she threatened to knee him in the crotch.

“Hey now…that’s just going too far. I see how it is…you just use me for my body and then go and abuse Big Jim when you’re done?”

She immediately haltered her laughter and raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed with the name he had chosen for his manhood. “Big Jim?”

“You betcha!” he puffed his chest up proudly, smirking arrogantly and nodding his head.

“Please,” she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not that big…”

“OUCH…babe. Way to just kill the ego,” he winced, shaking his head as she laughed at him. “That one cut me deep.”

Kelen grinned and scooted further up the bed so that she was lying completely on top of him. He continued to pout angrily, his eyes narrowing at her as she kissed his lips, trying to apologize. Her left hand wandered down his chest and wrapped around his softened member, groping him gently as she kissed his jaw line and sucked on the skin there.

“I’m just kidding. I love Big Jim…and his name fits him perfectly,” she breathed into his ear, smirking when he let out a shuddering breath against her hair. His hand grabbed her wrist and he rolled both of them over so that he was stretched out on top of her. He pulled both of her hands over her head and held them down into the pillows, smirking down at her before attacking her neck with his lips. Her neck was probably his favorite part of her to kiss, besides her lips of course. Her skin always smelled so sweet, and was irresistibly soft. It amazed him that she didn’t walk out of the door every day with a neck full of purple hickeys. A giggle escaped her lips as she arched her back, pushing her breasts into his body as he continued to hold her hands prisoner.

“You love Big Jim, huh?” he raised his head to look down at her.

“I loooooove Big Jim,” she whispered huskily, eliciting a growl from deep within his throat. Justin pushed his hips against hers, letting her feel his arousal against her leg as his lips found hers again. After a few minutes of groping and fondling, with Kelen’s wrists still trapped against the pillows, Justin finally pushed into her with a satisfied sigh.

“Well Big Jim loves you back,” he remarked with a dirty chuckle. Since they would be separated for so long, he figured the best thing he could do was try and keep her in bed for the next two days and completely ravage her body.

It was probably his most genius idea yet.

===================================

The familiar ringing of the door sounded throughout the room, disturbing the quiet hum of the customers and coffee machines as Kelen stood behind the counter. They were about thirty minutes away from closing time and there were only three customers left in the shop, talking quietly amongst themselves as they finished their coffees. Kelen looked up at the door when the bell chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer, and she smiled when she saw Christine and Sophie walk in together.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, rushing around the counter and weaving through the tables to greet her best friends. Since she had moved out, she hadn’t seen the girls very often, except when she happened to be working in the shop with Sophie. “How was Miami?” she turned to the shorter of her two friends. Christine smiled, nodding her head and running her hand through her jet black hair. She had just gotten back from a weeklong trip with Joseph Benini, her new boss and top fashion designer.

“It was beautiful, Kel. I really wish you two could have been there with me,” she gushed as all three women moved away from the door. Sam, one of the baristas, was already starting to clean up the shop as the remaining customers walked out of the door, allowing the girls to gossip happily on the couch. “I pretty much only worked during the evenings, so I had all day to lay out on the beach and go shopping. It’s probably the best job ever.”

“Shut up…you’re making me jealous,” Sophie pouted as her eyes roamed over Christine’s golden tan.

“I’m sorry! But I just love it so much,” Christine apologized with a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes focused back on Kelen, who was currently straightening out the pile of magazines on the coffee table in front of them. “So how’s the superstar boyfriend?”

Kelen smiled as her thoughts wandered back to Justin, whom she had just spent the past hour thinking about. He had left for New York three weeks ago, and within the first week she had already started to suffer from withdrawal. It was just difficult to adjust to not seeing him every day when she was used to waking up next to him every morning. She had had trouble sleeping in his bed for the first few nights, completely surrounded by his masculine scent and reminders of him. The only good thing was that he had left the dogs home with her to keep her company. At least Rachael would be returning tomorrow, since Justin had no need of her while he worked with Esmée in Europe.

“He’s good, I talked to him earlier. He’s somewhere in Europe right now,” she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. 

“So what have you been doing all this time while he’s gone?” Sophie asked curiously, leaning back against the couch and crossing her arms over her chest. Kelen looked more worn out than she had remembered, but she had only taken on a few more hours than normal. It worried her how sickly she looked today. She just looked so exhausted from everything, when she was usually so hyper and bubbly.

“I’ve been hanging out a lot with Alex and Eli. Eli’s trying to organize this trip to London for the group, so I’ve been helping him come up with ideas to raise money and stuff. And of course, working here. I just really need to keep my mind off of how much I’m missing Justin right now.”

Sophie nodded her head slowly, studying her friend closely. “You miss him that much, huh?”

Kelen smiled shyly, ducking her head as she tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “I do. It’s so pathetic, guys. I feel like all I do all day is think about what he’s doing or how he is.” Her cell phone began to ring and Kelen quickly fished out the device from her pocket, glancing down at the Caller ID before flipping it open.

“Speak of the devil! Is that him?” Christine asked upon seeing Kelen’s smile.

“No…It’s Eli. I’m just gonna take this over there,” she answered as she stood up and walked away from the couch. Both Christine and Sophie shared a suspicious look, wondering why the director of Riverside would be calling Kelen at ten o’clock at night. They had both met him a few weeks earlier when he had stopped by to visit Kelen, and it had been obvious within the first few minutes of their conversation that the young man had a crush on Kelen. Kelen may have been blind to the obvious signs, but the two women had noticed it immediately and were wondering how long it would take for the truth to surface. Kelen returned to them a few minutes later with her purse in hand and a box full of left over croissants and muffins.

“Where you goin’?” Sophie asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I’m just going to stop by Alex’s and drop off some of this food. Eli wants to talk about this idea he had for a fundraiser. So I’ll talk to you girls later? We’re still having lunch on Friday, right?” She waited for her friends to nod and smiled at them as they both stood up and followed her out through the back door. Sophie and Christine watched as their blonde friend slid into her car and drove away with a wave of her hand.

“That’s interesting. The minute Justin leaves, Eli suddenly has all of these plans he wants to include Kelen in,” Sophie remarked, raising one eyebrow above the other as she unlocked her own car.

“Come on, Soph. Kelen would never cheat on Justin,” Christine replied as she opened the passenger side door. It was true. Kelen would never cheat on anyone, let alone Justin, who pretty much embodied her perfect companion.

“I never said she’d do anything…” Sophie trusted Kelen, but she didn’t necessarily think the same could be said about Eli. He seemed nice enough, but she had a feeling he would have no qualms about developing a close relationship with Kelen just to cause problems for her and Justin.

======================================

Justin smiled when he noticed the huge grin on the young girl’s face, remembering how he had felt in her position so many years before. It was really rewarding to be able to watch Esmée and how she reacted to all of the positive feedback she was getting from her fans and the public. He had been in the business for so long now, that he sometimes forgot that rush you felt after hearing your song on the radio for the first time, or sitting backstage and hearing hundreds of fans scream out your name.

“Soak it in, girl. It’s all for you,” he chirped, throwing his arm around her shoulders as a brotherly gesture. Esmée’s eyes were wide with excitement as she stared at the radio, hearing her voice through the car’s speakers.

“Is that really me?” she asked, turning to him and smiling.

“Last time I checked,” he chuckled as he watched her dig through her purse for her cell phone. No doubt to call her family and friends. He pulled his arm back from where it had been resting on Esmée’s shoulders, and folded his hand in his lap as leaned back in his seat with a yawn. He had flown into Amsterdam two nights ago, and was still suffering from jet lag. Especially after the East Coast tour he had done for the last three weeks, promoting the new William Rast line with Trace, he felt he was in due need of a day off. He was also in due need of some time with his girl, but that obviously wouldn’t be possible, what with the Atlantic Ocean and everything. He looked forward to being able to iChat with her later tonight, like they had planned during a phone conversation a few days earlier. The first time they had tried to do it, it had taken Kelen about twenty minutes to make it work on her computer, which only allowed him about thirty minutes to talk to her and see her. That had been about two weeks ago, and he was seriously missing her at the moment.

“Justin, did you want to come out to dinner with us?” Marie, Esmée’s manager asked him, lightly tapping him on the shoulder from her seat behind him. He shook his head, turning back to her with a smile.

“Nah, I’ll just go back to the hotel and order food there. You guys go out and celebrate, alright? Today was a good day,” he nodded enthusiastically, nudging Esmée’s side with his elbow. She giggled, nodding her head at him. The van pulled up to his hotel and both him and Eric, his security guard, got out after wishing the rest of Esmée’s team a good night. “Have fun tonight, Es. And make sure you get your rest tomorrow. I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow night.”

“Okay, thank you so much Justin. Tell Kelen I said hi,” she beamed back at him, remembering how he had mentioned he would be talking to Kelen later that night. Justin laughed, nodding his head and following Eric inside the hotel lobby as a few paparazzi managed to snap a few pictures of him. After ordering his dinner, Justin changed into sweatpants and reclined back in the King-sized bed with his laptop. He logged on to his screen name and checked his email as he waited for Kelen to log on as well. It only took a few seconds before a window popped up and he saw that Kelen was now online.

Hey you. He typed to her. He wasn’t the greatest with computers, but at least he could type normally, and not with his two pointer fingers like Trace did.

Hey! How is Amsterdam?

It’s fun…would be better w/ you here though. I want to see you…let’s see if it works this time.  He clicked a few icons and waited as a black window popped onto his screen. He let out a huge sigh of relief when Kelen’s smiling face came on his screen, and he could feel his heart beat faster as he grinned at her.

“Hey! Can you see me?” he asked, his eyes greedily roaming what he could see of her. She looked exactly as he had remembered, maybe a little tired, but still beautiful. Her wavy blonde hair was messily tied up on top of her head with a few pieces hanging down around her face, and her green eyes were shining brightly as a huge grin spread across her face. She was wearing one of his old zip-up hoodies, and he felt comforted by that gesture, knowing she probably missed him as much as he missed her.

“Yeah! Oh my god,” she gushed, clapping both of her hands onto her cheeks. “I miss you so much, Justin. I can’t believe I’m actually seeing you right now.”

“I know,” he nodded, scratching his stubbled jaw. “You look beautiful, baby. I miss you.”

“Thanks,” she blushed. “How is Esmée? There was an article about you and her today in People, about her new CD. Are you excited?”

“Yeah. Probably not as much as her, though. I’m just…proud, I guess. You should see how hyper she is. It’s cute,” he chuckled.

Kelen nodded and turned her head distractedly, looking at something off screen. “Yeah…they’re on the table, Eli.” Eli? “Okay, bye! I’ll see you later.” Justin’s curiosity immediately peaked at the mention of the other man, and he narrowed his eyes slightly as she turned to look back at the computer.

“Is Eli there?” he asked as nonchalantly as possible. “Where are you?” He could have sworn those were his cabinets behind her head.

“I’m in the kitchen. Eli stopped by to talk about the fundraiser…remember? I was supposed to go meet him at his place, but then I remembered we had our date tonight,” she smiled innocently, completely unaware of how her spending time with Eli was affecting the man she was looking through the screen at. “So I had him meet me here instead so that I wouldn’t miss you, and now he’s leaving.” Justin nodded his head, looking down at the keys as he nibbled on his bottom lip. He couldn’t help it if it rubbed him the wrong way that another man was in his house, spending time with his girlfriend. That just wasn’t right.

“Oh,” he answered, not knowing what else he could say. “How’s that going, by the way? The fundraiser and everything.”

“It’s really good. Did I tell you we decided to do a concert? We’re gonna get local artists to play at the coffee shop, and all proceeds go towards the trip.”

“Who’s this trip for again?” Honestly, this was probably the last thing he wanted to talk about with her. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, and the first thing they talked about was about her little project with Eli? But it made her so happy; so he figured he could suffer a few minutes of it before changing the subject.

“Eli volunteers with a high school mentoring program. So it’s for, like, ten of them to go to London with him. And Alex was so interested in helping out; Eli offered him a spot to come. And my mom and I are going to go with them as chaperones.”

“You’re going too?” He didn’t remember her mentioning anything about that before. It didn’t exactly make him happy to hear Kelen would be spending two weeks in another country with another man; especially one who he knew was attracted to Kelen, no matter what she said about the issue. “When is this again?”

“It’s for about two weeks at the end of the summer,” she answered. “I’m just really happy my mom agreed to do it. I don’t think she’s taken a trip with any of us since we were kids.”

He nodded thoughtfully, smiling softly when he saw how excited she was for the opportunity to reconnect with her mom, whom he knew she had always had problems with. “That…sounds amazing, Kelen.” Putting all jealousy aside, he knew the trip would be a great experience for her, and she deserved the chance to take a break and spend time with her family.

“I know! And what’s even more amazing, is that I’ll get two weeks off from work,” she bounced in her seat giddily, looking exactly like a five-year old who was told she was going to Disney World. Justin felt his heart swell with adoration as he started at his computer screen, thanking the Apple lords for inventing iChat.

“I wish I could come with,” he muttered, wanting to share that experience with her. He would be happy to just sit in his hotel room all day and wait for her to come home after doing all of her touristy things.

“Yeah…it would be so much fun if you came with us,” she agreed with a sigh. “So what are you doing now?”

“I’m in the hotel room, waiting for my dinner…I’m so lonely here,” he pouted as he heard a knock on the door. “Hold on, I think dinner’s here!” He carefully moved the laptop onto the mattress and walked over to the door, pulling it open.

“Hey,” Eric nodded his head as he pushed the cart into the room.

“Is that Eric?” They both heard Kelen’s inquiry from the computer.

“Yeah,” Justin called back distractedly as he stuffed the French fries into his mouth. He nodded his head towards the computer, telling his body guard to occupy his girlfriend as he ate his dinner.

“Hey Eric! Come keep me company while Justin stuffs his face please. I’m getting bored staring at the wall.” Justin chuckled and sat down at the table, watching as his burly security guard sat down at the edge of the bed and pulled the laptop over towards him. “How are ya, Eric?”

“Good…tired as hell,” Eric mumbled back, sharing an amused look with Justin. This was probably the first time one of his boss’s girlfriends had ever wanted to have a conversation with him without being face to face. “What about you? How’s home?”

“Same old….it’s so boring without you guys,” Kelen huffed. “All I do is work and hang out with my brother. Then I come home and have dinner with Rachael and the dogs.”

Eric chuckled at the look of consternation on the blonde’s face. “I’d rather be doing that than watching his scrawny ass, making sure the European crazies don’t hurt him.”

“Hey now!” Justin yelled out, peering over his chicken sandwich with a hurt expression. He didn’t know when it had happened, but Kelen had somehow developed a friendly relationship with his security team. It was odd, but he loved that she was able to be so friendly and inviting with everyone. It was a much welcomed change compared to his past girlfriends, who had merely looked at his security team as employees.

“Well I hope you’re working hard, Eric. I want my man back safe,” Kelen teased with a giggle. “Keep those European ladies off him please.”

Eric gave a low chuckle, nodding his head and shrugging his shoulders. “Alright, I’ll try my best. I’m gonna go back to my room now, I’m ‘bout to pass out. I’ll see you in a few weeks, Miss Kelen.”

“Okay! Have a good night, Eric.” Eric put the computer back on to the mattress, facing it towards Justin so that Kelen could see him as he sat at the table, finishing his dinner. Justin smiled, nodding his head towards Eric as his large friend walked towards the door and held up his hand as a goodbye. After the door clicked, Justin looked back at his computer and momentarily panicked when he saw that Kelen had disappeared somewhere. He assumed she had probably gone off to the bathroom, and cleared up his table as he waited for her to return.

“I’m back! Justin?” He heard her voice calling out to him as he washed his hands in the bathroom.  He quickly jogged out and jumped onto the bed as he reached for his computer.

“I’m here. Where’d you run off to?”

“I just left to get some snacks. Rachael won’t be home until eight tonight, so we won’t have dinner until late.”

“So the house is gonna be empty for at least two more hours?” Justin raised his eyebrows, smirking mischievously as she nodded her head.

“Why do you ask?”

“Why don’t you go on up to our bedroom, girl,” he licked his lips slowly, loving the fact that he could refer to his bedroom as ‘theirs’ now. The thought of her in his home, waiting for him until he returned comforted him and kept him focused on his work so that he could finish up what he needed to do and could get home as quickly as possible.

Kelen rolled her eyes as she blushed, understanding the meaning in his request. “You’re such a perv, Justin.”

“I haven’t seen, let alone touched you in weeks. I’m in need of some lovin’ right now, girl,” he drawled, shrugging his shoulders and leaning back against the bed’s headboard. “You know you’re missin’ me just as much.” He smirked when he saw the screen shake as Kelen stood up and moved out of the kitchen. The camera was focused in on her cleavage as she carried the computer in her arms, and he chuckled to himself, licking his lips as he thought of the softness and taste of her skin. “I’m really likin’ the view, by the way.”

“Oh shut up,” he heard her laugh, picturing her smile and blush. It was cute how no matter how dirty and kinky she could get in bed, she always got flustered when he mentioned something particularly perverted during the day.  Usually he wasn’t a fan of having to deal with his sexual needs himself, choosing instead to wait until he could reunite with his girlfriend rather than succumbing to pathetically “take things into his own hands”. But with Kelen, he didn’t think he could wait much longer. Just the sight of her in only his hoodie got him hard, and he knew if he didn’t resolve things soon, he would be in an embarrassing situation. The monitor shook again and he smiled, seeing that she was now comfortably nestled against the pillows and sheets on his bed.

“That’s much better,” he nodded approvingly as he moved the computer off of his knees and placed it onto the mattress next to him. He tilted the screen so that she could see him and then settled back against his pillows, getting comfortable and sliding his hand under the waist band of his sweat pants.

“So…I don’t really know what you want me to do,” she admitted, shyly nibbling on her bottom lip and shrugging her shoulders. “I’ve never done…this before.”

“Don’t worry girl, I’ll show ya,” he winked before instructing her to take off his sweatshirt. He quickly moved around the room, locking his door and turning all the lights except the bedside table off. He didn’t do this kind of thing often, but he was in need of some sort of release, especially after knowing Kelen had been spending a lot of her time with Eli recently. And if he couldn’t be there to physically show her how much he loved her, this was the next best thing. He didn’t record a song about cyber sex for no reason.

“Don’t be a pussy, J,” Trace rolled his eyes as reclined in the arm chair, keeping his eyes glued to the television screen where he was currently in an intense round of Halo 3. “Why are you all paranoid all of a sudden?”

“Trace…you haven’t seen how this guy looks at her. I’m telling you he likes her,” Justin sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. It had been one week since he had iChatted with Kelen, and every phone conversation they had had since then had involved Kelen talking about Eli at least once. It seemed like every other word out of her mouth was about Eli or their little project, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He had made a sly comment to her about it during their last conversation and, needless to say, they hadn’t ended the conversation on happy terms. In fact, she had ended up hanging up on him and now he was just bitter and angry with himself for allowing Eli to get to him.

“Who cares? She doesn’t think of him that way. It just sounds like she’s trying to help him for her brother’s sake. You said her mom and her haven’t been close, so this is a good chance for them to reconnect. I’m sure that if she could find some other way to spend time with her mom and brother, away from her stress at home, she would.”

“If that’s the case, I would gladly just pay for them to take a trip together, just the three of them.”

Trace threw the X-Box controller down onto the ground and turned his head, quietly observing Justin, where he was sprawled out on the couch. He had flown in to London last night to meet up with Justin to start off their two-week European promotional tour for William Rast. And all he had heard about for the past hour was Justin’s worries about some guy Kelen had been working on a fundraiser with. All he had wanted to do was hang out in Justin’s hotel room and hang out during their morning off, but he had played very little Halo 3 and had spent a lot of time trying to calm Justin’s nerves instead.

“That’s probably the last thing Kelen would want from you. Why is this guy such a threat, anyway? You’ve never acted so territorial about a girl before.”

“I know…” Justin groaned softly as he crossed his legs and crossed his arms over his chest, slouching low in his seat. “Kelen is just…she’s amazing But I get this feeling that she’s guarding herself from me. She’s scared to let me in and I can just feel her pulling away.”

“Do you hear yourself talking right now? This is not the Justin I know.”

“Thanks, ass.”

Trace sighed, glaring at Justin while he stared down at his feet. “J, Kelen would never cheat on you. I’ve seen the way she is around you…she fucking loves you, man. Stop freaking out or there will be something to actually worry about.”

Justin nodded and shut his eyes as Trace picked up the game controller and continued his game. He didn’t think Kelen would cheat on him, that wasn’t the problem. Girls had cheated on him before. But what he was afraid of was that she would find something in Eli that he didn’t have, like an understanding of her brother’s situation, for example. He hated not being able to share that part of her, no matter how much she tried to include him in her relationship with Alex. He knew he would never be able to really be able to understand Alex the way Eli could.

“I feel as if she and Eli will always have this little connection over Alex, and now they’re doing this project for high school kids together. And I’m across the fucking ocean left in the dark,” Justin mumbled softly, hating how pathetic he sounded. He just needed to vent, and he knew he could trust Trace to help him without making too much fun of him.

“Then show her you support her. Obviously she doesn’t like this little jealousy streak you have going on right now, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Why don’t you offer to help them, or something? Donate money or some shit and show this Eli guy you’re the caring boyfriend,” Trace shrugged as if it were the obvious solution. He had never seen Justin act so insecure and self-conscious about anything. Although it was a relief to see that even THE Justin Timberlake had insecurities, he felt bad for his best friend, understanding exactly how he was feeling at the moment. It wasn’t often that Justin felt threatened by another man, and he didn’t know how to react to this new emotion. His first reaction, naturally, was to fight for what was his, although he had no idea that he already had Kelen and was pretty much fighting a useless battle. “Prove Kelen wrong and show her you’re the bigger man. You’re Justin fucking Timberlake!”

Justin’s head nodded back and forth as he let Trace’s words sink in. After a few minutes passed by, he suddenly sat up straighter and clapped his hands onto his thighs defiantly. “You know what? You’re right. I’m being an absolute fucking idiot. Kelen would never leave me for that chump. She knows I love her.”

“Right,” Trace nodded his head, looking at Justin from the corner of his eyes warily. He recognized that tone, and usually, it didn’t bode well.

“Just to make sure she knows how much I love her, I’m going to perform in her concert. Who else would be better to bring attention and money to her fundraiser?” He asked with wide, excited eyes.

“What?”

“Just think about it. Not only would I be helping their cause, I’d get to work with her and be involved in the project.”

“You mean ‘guard’ what’s yours,” Trace rolled his eyes, understanding Justin’s true meanings. You didn’t stay friends with a guy for 28 years without being able to read him like a book.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The only reason why you would want to add even more to your already busy schedule, is so that you could be around Kelen all the time when she’s around Eli and make sure nothing happens. That’s not exactly being supportive, J.”

“That has nothing to do with this. This is about me trying to show Kelen I am okay with her hanging out with Eli and can spend time around him too. I trust Kelen, I don’t think she would cheat on me,” Justin defended himself, running his hand over his hair as he grinned. He stood up and walked over to the bedside table to grab his cell phone. He flopped down onto the bed and speed-dialed his girlfriend, hoping she would be awake at 8 AM and not still angry at him. After a few rings, he was about to give up and end the call when he heard a click and Kelen’s voice came over the line.

“Hey…” she greeted in a flat tone. She wasn’t exactly happy to be hearing from him, but at least she picked up.

“Hey baby,” he said softly, hoping he sounded as apologetic as possible. “Look…don’t hang up, alright? I’m sorry I was being an ass, but I can make it up to you.”

“Justin…it’s not about making it up to me,” she sighed, obviously perturbed. “I thought we had gotten past that whole jealousy stage. I love you. That should be enough to let you know I would never let anything happen with Eli, even if I wanted it. Which I don’t.”

Justin nodded with a sigh and looked up to see Trace giving him a knowing look. “Look…I know. I just miss you like crazy and I let some things slip out of my mouth before thinking.”

“I miss you too, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re out having sex with any exotic European women over there, which is much more plausible.”

“I wish I could express how truly sorry I am, Kel. But I can’t…you just have to know that I feel horrible about it. I was stressed and tired, and I took it out on you even though you didn’t deserve any of that.”

He heard her sigh and click her tongue against her teeth. “I’m really tired, Justin. I was up all night trying to figure out this fundraiser deal, and now I have to go into the shop in two hours…is there any way we could talk about this later?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about. Are you still having trouble finding artists to play?”

“Yeah…” she replied unsurely.

“Well what if I play a set? I’m sure that would attract attention from not only the media but for artists too. What do you think about that?” he asked hopefully. Honestly, he hadn’t expected her to still be so angry with him. He had thought his not calling for two days was enough time to let her cool down.

There was a slight pause and with every silent second, Justin could feel his anxiety growing. This was his last shot at getting back on her good side. “Really?” her voice sounded surprised and a little suspicious.

“Of course. I want to help. And you know, maybe I could get to know Eli a bit.”

“Justin…that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she answered with a much more brighter tone in her voice. “Are you sure you can fit it into your schedule?”

“Hell yes,” he nodded and gave Trace a thumbs up. “So as soon as I get back next Friday, I’ll take you out to dinner and we can talk about it, okay?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Justin grinned, nodding his head when he noticed that there was no longer any trace of anger or disappointment in her voice. “I love you so much, Kel. I’ll talk to you later. Go get some rest, girl. You’ll need it for when I come back.”

“Yeah, alright,” she laughed. “Tell Trace I said hi. Love you, call me later.”

“Will do,” he answered with a smile. “Bye baby girl.” He clicked his phone off and pumped his fist into the air victoriously before folding his hands behind his head and lying back against the pillows. “Am I good, or am I good?”

“Shut up and go get dressed. We have to leave for the interview in thirty minutes,” Trace called back with a roll of his eyes. Justin may have gotten off the hook this time around, but he had a feeling it would only take a few days into the project for problems to arise again. They always did when it came to Justin and the women he cared for most.

=====================================

Kelen sighed tiredly as she watched Alex hobble from his kitchen towards her seat at the dining table, where they were supposed to be making flyers for their concert event. She had only been able to find one other artist, besides Justin of course, to play, and was hoping that the new flyers that advertised Justin’s possible guest appearance would attract more attention. His input on the whole project had been so helpful, and she was so relieved that he was finally realizing this wasn’t about Eli, and more to do with getting Alex involved in a project from start to finish. Ever since he was a child, he would lose interest in a project very easily and would either get frustrated, or quit. So when he had been so excited about finding a way to help Eli go to London with his students, she had felt it was a great opportunity for him. At first, she had been worried about what Justin would think, knowing his particular distaste for Eli, but she had thought he could overlook that minor detail and understand she was trying to help her brother develop into an independent adult. It may have taken awhile, but she was really starting to think Justin was getting more accustomed to the idea of her working around Eli now.

“Alex, that’s your second glass of orange juice in ten minutes. Come sit down and help me make this flyer. It is your project after all,” she reprimanded as her brother sat down next to her and placed his full glass of juice on the table. She really wanted to finish the flyers so that she could take Alex to the doctor’s to get his cast removed, and then head on home and prepare for Justin’s return. He would be flying home in a few hours, and she had the perfect night planned out for just the two of them. So as fast as she could get back, the sooner she would be to finally seeing her boyfriend again.

“Sowy,” he smiled apologetically and folded his hands onto his lap properly. “I’ll be good now.”

“Good. So I wrote down the main things that need to be on the flyer. Do you want to type it out for me?” she asked encouragingly as she handed him a piece of paper. He nodded and leaned forward, placing his hands onto the keyboard of her laptop. It took him awhile to find the right keys, but after a few minutes, he started to remember where certain letters were and the process became much faster towards the end of the flyer. He grinned proudly once he was finished and threw his strong arms around Kelen, pulling her into a tight hug against his chest.

“Done!” he exclaimed happily.

“Awesome,” Kelen smiled as she perused the screen. “Let’s just add some colors and pictures and I can go print them out later, okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled nodding his head for a prolonged time and starting to rock back and forth. “When do we go to the doctor?”

Kelen shrugged, recognizing his signs of impatience and anxiety. “Soon. Just be patient, Alex.”

“But I want this off!” he complained, looking down at his casted foot. She gave him a stern look and he immediately sat back against his seat, watching as she changed the font of the words and added graphics of the store logo and a microphone. After awhile, he started to gaze off at certain objects around the room and tapped his fingers against the table, humming quietly to himself as Kelen packed up her computer and cleaned the kitchen.

“Go put your shoes on, Alex,” Kelen ordered as she put dishes into the sink. There was a knock on the door and she heard Alex open the door to greet his new visitor.

“Eli!” Alex yelled.

“Hey buddy,” Kelen heard Eli’s familiar deep tone respond. “How’s it going? Is your sister here?”

“Yup. In the kitchen. We’re going to the doctor’s!”

“That’s exciting,” Eli chuckled as his footsteps neared the doorway of the kitchen. Kelen looked up just as he appeared around the corner wearing a plain white t-shirt and basketball shorts. His brown hair was slicked back, and it was apparent he had just been working out as he guzzled down half of his water bottle. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she smiled as she turned towards a towel and dried her hands. “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to see how the charity concert was going. Another artist called me up today and said he was interested, so we now have two acts.”

“Three,” Kelen corrected, shaking her head gently. “Remember, Justin’s performing.”

Eli nodded and smiled as he shrugged. “Yeah…but we don’t know if that’s for sure, yet. I mean, you said he was busy. I don’t see why he would take time just to perform at a local fundraising event. Not to say that it’s not important…but come on…what’s to say some big award thing doesn’t come up and he decides to do that instead? We can’t really say for sure -”

“He said he’d do it,” she answered firmly, interrupting his train of thought. “He knows it means a lot to me, so he’s doing it.”

“Alright… I trust you,” he shrugged and casually leaned his hip against the counter. “So Alex is getting his cast off, huh?”

“Yeah. He couldn’t be more excited about it,” Kelen nodded. “We should probably get going, though…the appointment’s in half an hour.”

“Can we meet later tonight then? I have some things I want to go over,” Eli asked, rubbing his hands together as he followed her out of the kitchen. She smiled when she saw her brother sitting on the couch, patiently watching TV, and motioned for him to stand up.

“I can’t tonight, Justin’s coming home,” Kelen replied over her shoulder as she grabbed all of her bags and papers. “Maybe next week?”

“Sure. Lunch or something?”

“That works. I’ll call you later,” she pulled the door open and walked out of Alex’s apartment with both men following closely behind her. Kelen smiled as Eli took Alex’s arm and helped him walk down the hallway towards the lobby. Her brother was usually so wary and shy around people other than his family, that it was surprising to see how quickly he had grown to trust Eli. She was glad that he had been able to find such a good role model and friend, and she trusted him with her brother, which was the most important thing.

“Who’s that?” Alex asked, pointing over towards a man leaning across the hood of his car as they walked through the sliding glass doors. Kelen turned her head, and felt her heart stop when she saw the camera in his hands as he began snapping photos of the three of them.

“Don’t worry about it, Alex. Just get in the car, alright?” she asked, turning back to him with a comforting smile. Eli raised his eyebrows suspiciously but remained silent as he helped Alex slide into the passenger seat. He shut the door and wiggled his fingers at Alex before looking over the roof of the car towards Kelen.

“Are you gonna be okay? I can call security if you want,” he offered.

She shook her head as she glanced back at the photographer. “He’ll leave me alone if I just ignore him and let him take pictures. It’s fine. Thanks, though.”

“Okay, well I’ll see you later this week.” He smiled and waved at Alex through the window before walking back into the building. Kelen sighed and glanced back at the photographer, who was now speaking excitedly into his phone. She had thought she had seen a car following her from Justin’s house to see Alex, but had merely told herself she was being paranoid. It was one thing for them to follow her when she was with Justin or out by herself, but to actually trail behind her car was another matter. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take, especially if Alex began to notice and would become scared. She let out a sigh of relief when the photographer got into his car and drove out of the parking lot, allowing her to feel it was safe enough to climb into her car herself. Knowing Alex’s ability to sense her changes in moods, she put on a smile and started the car, all the while listening to him chat excitedly about his appointment. The only thing that was keeping her going at the moment was the thought of finally being able to see and touch Justin again. It had been way too long since she had last felt his warmth or kissed his lips.

And she knew she wouldn’t feel completely relaxed and safe until she was in his arms again, as corny as it sounded.

=====================================

Justin couldn’t stop the grin from forming on his lips as the private aircraft landed onto the tarmac with a gentle thud and everyone in the cabin was thrust forward with its force. There was just no way to describe that feeling of relief when you finally came home after six weeks of working and travelling across the ocean. He immediately flipped on his Blackberry and dialed Kelen’s number, the thought of finally being able to kiss her erasing the headache he had had during the plane ride.

“Hi,” her cherry voice greeted him on the second ring. “Are you back yet?”

“Nah, we just landed,” he answered, peering out of the window as the airplane continued to slowly move down the strip of pavement. “Are you home yet?”

“No,” she sighed with a slightly annoyed huff. “The doctor is taking forever. I might even be late…I’m so sorry Justin. Alex’s appointment was thirty minutes ago, but he just finally went in. So I don’t know when we’ll be getting back.”

Justin frowned, feeling all of the giddiness that had been built up seep out of him. He didn’t want to wait even longer to finally see her. Why was everything working against him at that moment? First he had almost missed the scheduled take-off of the plane because of the traffic they had hit in London, and now Kelen wouldn’t even be waiting at the door for him when he returned. “Oh....well that’s alright. I’ll just see you at home, then. It can’t take that long.”

“I can’t wait. I’ll see you soon babe,” she replied hurriedly. “I have to go sign some forms now. I’ll call you when we’re done here.”

“Bye,” he sighed and pressed the ‘End’ button on his phone. He quietly gathered all of his things into his backpack and turned to Trace, who gave him an amused smirk.

“What’s wrong now?”

“She’s stuck at the fucking doctor’s office with her brother,” he practically whined with a pout.

Trace chuckled, shaking his head pitifully at his best friend as the plane came to a stop and two black SUVs pulled up next to it. “Man you are whipped.”

“Shut up muchkin,” Justin jibed back as he stood up and followed Mike and Eric down the steps of the plane. He turned around when he hit the ground and gave Trace a hug as his security team climbed into the first car. “I’ll see you later man.”

“Yeah. I’ll call you later,” Trace grinned before walking off to the other SUV which would take him to his own home. Justin hoisted his bag further onto his shoulder and walked over to his car, preparing for a long ride back home. He threw his bag into the car haphazardly, not looking into the car and turned towards Mike and Eric, who had decided to move the bags from the airplane themselves.

“Why are you guys moving so slow? I need to get home to my girl,” he joked as he walked over and took a suitcase from Mike’s hands. Mike just smiled at him and he gave him a confused look as he carried the suitcase over towards the open trunk. Justin finally looked into the car, and gave a surprised yell when he saw Kelen turned around and grinning at him over the back of the seat.

“Surprise!” she laughed, her green eyes twinkling at him.

“What the hell!” he chuckled, turning around to see his security team and Trace laughing and smiling knowingly. He ignored their catcalls and rushed around to the other side of the car, practically diving into the car and tackling Kelen up against the seat.

“Hi,” she giggled, throwing her arms around his shoulders as his own arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his lap. His hands came up and framed her face as he leaned in and gave her a hard, deep kiss, tasting her sweet lips for the first time in weeks. She smiled against his lips as her fingers curled against his scalp, letting out a soft sigh.

“Oh my god,” he grinned when he pulled away, feeling his heart beat rapidly in his chest. “I was so pissed you were going to be stuck at the doctors. You trick!”

“That was kind of the point,” she shrugged as her eyes roamed over his face greedily. He looked so good. Maybe a little tired, but still as handsome as ever in his jeans and a plain red shirt. All of the stress she had felt over the weeks melted away as he smiled and placed kisses all over her face. She was glad his security team had given them some privacy, or else it would have been a really awkward car ride back home.

“God….you look beautiful, baby,” he sighed softly, taking in her dimpled smile, wavy hair, white shirt, and William Rast jeans. He took a deep breath as he tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling when she leaned in towards his palm. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” she blushed, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath. “You smell good.”

“Do I? Trace made me try a sample of cologne he wants to do for the line.”

“I like it. It’s really…you,” she nodded, placing a trail of kisses along his jaw and neck as his hands gripped her hips and held her close to his body. “Let’s go home now,” she whispered, sending shivers down his spine, before sliding off of his lap and sitting in her own seat. He let out a sigh as he called out to his team, letting them know it was safe to get back into the car. His arm remained around her shoulders as he held her tightly to his side and Mike slid into the seat on the other side of him. “Hey guys,” Kelen smiled once all the doors were shut.

“Hey,” both men answered back tiredly. “How you doin’, Kelen?” Eric asked, turning in the front passenger seat to smile at her.

“I’m good, Eric. Thanks for sneaking me onto the car,” she winked as she leaned her head against Justin’s shoulder.

Justin pointed a finger at his bodyguard with an accusatory glare. “You did this? No wonder you were so damn quiet on the plane. I knew something was up…”

“Hey, she’s the one that called me for help. The look on your face when she told you she couldn’t make it was worth it,” Eric laughed, turning back around in his seat. “You looked like you were about to cry, man.”

“Fuck you man,” Justin mumbled back. He knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it later on, but he couldn't have cared less at that moment. He turned back towards Kelen and placed a kiss on her forehead as his other hand reached for hers and intertwined their fingers. “Well thanks. It was a really good surprise.”

Kelen tilted her head up towards him and smiled, snuggling closer in his arms. He smiled back at her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before falling into a comfortable silence, completely happy and relaxed with her in his arms. During the duration of their ride back to Justin’s home, the two talked quietly about their plans for the evening and the rest of the weekend. And although he had promised to discuss the charity concert with her, he wanted to avoid any mention of Eli or the thought of Kelen going on a trip with him for two weeks, for as long as possible. Instead, he quietly whispered the things he planned on doing to her later that night, enjoying the rise in her body temperature as she blushed and tried to remind herself that they were in a crowded car where she wasn’t free to just attack him at will.

The car pulled into the driveway about an hour later and Kelen immediately disappeared into the house with Justin’s carry-on bag, leaving him to carry his own suitcase in. He said goodbye to Eric and Mike, ignoring their waggling eyebrows, and walked into his home with a huge sigh of relief. He smiled when he heard the familiar barks of his dogs and laughed when both Buckley and Brennen swung around the corner from the kitchen, and ran towards him.

“Hey kids,” he chuckled, kneeling down to scratch both of their heads generously. “I missed you guys. I hope you took good care of the lady for me while I was gone.”

“Please, they walked around here like sick puppies for weeks while you were gone,” he looked up and smiled when he saw Kelen walk out of the kitchen with a cold glass of iced tea for him. He took it graciously and pecked her lips as he smiled. “It looks like they missed you as badly as I did,” she remarked, looking down at his dogs, who were both staring up at him with big brown eyes.

“Well, I hope you missed me a little more than they did,” he answered dryly, taking another swig of his drink. She merely gave him a blank stare, telling him the answer was obvious as she hugged his waist and rested her cheek against his heart.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, but not for food,” he raised an eyebrow devilishly as he rested his half-full glass on the hall table and hooked a finger under her chin. She smirked and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, licking her lips slowly as she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. His tongue swiped against hers hungrily as both his hands slid down her back and squeezed her bottom, pressing their bodies flush against one another.

“Me neither,” she laughed. Justin grinned and swiftly picked her up in his arms, chuckling when she immediately hooked her ankles around his back, almost as if she had been expecting him to carry her to bed. Her lips were like fire against his skin as they pressed against his neck, sucking at the skin underneath his jaw line as her tongue darted out against his pulse point. He gulped hard, concentrating on not tripping up the steps when he felt her rub her heated center against his hardening erection.

“I don’t think we’ll make it to the bed,” he mumbled hotly against her ear before pushing her against the wall once he had safely made it up stairs. He saw her smile right before he swooped in for another kiss, his hands sliding underneath her shirt and pressing against the smooth skin on her stomach. He had missed this so much. Six weeks was a long time to go without sex, especially the mind-blowing sex he had been used to having with her. He was sure he was about to just explode once her hands had successfully unbuckled his belt and her hand slid into his jeans, wrapping around his thickness as he ripped his lips away from hers and rested his forehead against the wall. He breated deeply, groaning as she worked her hands expertly, getting him fully erect in mere seconds.

“Justin,” he heard her mumble through his lust-filled haze, and he raised his head, seeing the desire in her eyes. He could get lost in that look. She smiled bashfully at him as her eyes darted over towards his closed bedroom door a few feet away.

“I’m not delaying this anymore babe,” he answered as he tore his shirt off his body and thrusted his hips against hers, eliciting a delicious moan from her throat. “We’re doing this right here.”

“But…” she tried to argue, afraid that someone would walk into the house. Her mouth expressed doubts, but her actions and body were telling him the exact opposite. Her hands were now gripping at his shoulders as she ground her hot center against his legs, searching desperately for the friction that she needed. He ignored her half-hearted mumbles and took off her shirt as he pressed kisses against her collarbone and chest. Her fingers hooked into his pants and pulled them down his hips swiftly as he did the same to her, all the while their lips continuing to attack each other.  Kelen let out a gasp of pleasure and her mouth hung open when he pressed his fingers against her gently.

“You like that?” He watched greedily as her eyes fell shut and he worked two fingers in and out of her, twisting and curling inside of her as his thumb rubbed against her clit. She brought one leg up and hooked it around his waist, allowing him to delve even deeper into her. She was literally unfolding in his arms, and it was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. Her blonde hair was wildly splayed against the wall, her cheeks flushed, and her mouth hung open as she moaned lowly.

“Fuck,” she arched her back against the wall, pushing her breasts into his chest when his fingers curled against her G-spot. “Justin….I want…” she panted softly, gazing back at him with darkened eyes. All she could concentrate on was her intense need for him, and all she cared about was feeling him fill that void that she had missed for so long.

“Tell me what you want, baby…” he whispered as her head rocked against the wall and her body quivered against his hand. His other hand smoothed up her side and held her at her ribcage as his thumb brushed against her hardened nipple. She let out another moan, unable to form her thoughts into words as she felt the orgasm building in the pit of her stomach. She was so close…and Justin knew it as he pushed his long fingers into her even deeper and furiously rubbed his thumb against her swollen nub.

“Oh...” she gasped. Her fingers dug into the skin on his back as she let out a scream and shuddered gently against him. Without another second, he positioned himself at her entrance and pushed into her with one slow motion, biting his bottom lip as the sensations travelled throughout his body. All of the tension that had occurred between the two of them while he was away disappeared as they joined together, and all that mattered was that he was here with her now. Hearing her little gasps of pleasure and his moans mix together, it was like nothing had changed. He braced himself against the wall with one hand as the other held her leg tightly against his waist.

“Shit, girl,” he hissed as he pulled out of her slowly and thrust back in forcefully. She moaned loudly, knowing she would probably have a sore back the next day. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck as their lips crashed onto each other and their bodies moved in sync with one another. “Hold on,” he grunted as he wrapped her other leg around his waist so that he was bearing all of her weight against the wall. They both let out simultaneous moans as he hit against her spot deep inside and her walls clamped around him.

 “Come on J,” she gasped, grinding her hips down on him and squeezing his waist tightly with her thighs. She could see it on his face; he was holding on to his release, refusing to come until he got her there again first. She loved that about him. He was so generous in their love making, always putting her pleasure before his own. The fact that they had been apart for so long made her more sensitive than normal, and it only took a few more minutes before she was spiraling over the edge. Her mouth hung open as she let out a silent scream, her fingers clutching at him as her hips slammed down on his. He grunted loudly and slammed her back against the wall, gripping her hips tightly as he released himself inside her.

“Damn Kel,” he breathed into her neck as his legs gave out and he held onto her as they both slid to the floor. They sat in the middle of the hallway, still intertwined together as Kelen straddled his lap and held tightly onto him, trying to catch her breath. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was still cradled in Justin’s arms when he carried her into their bedroom, slamming the door shut as he walked inside. Her back hit the cool sheets and she let out a relieved sigh, feeling the soreness in her back disappearing as she stretched out on the mattress.

She smiled up at where he stood at the foot of the bed, peering down at her, and she sat up against her bent elbows. “Come ‘ere,” she cocked her head to the side. He grinned widely and crawled on top of her, settling in between her bent knees. She smirked when she felt him still hard against her inner thigh and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“It’s been a long time,” he shrugged before wrapping one hand at the back of her neck and kissing her deeply. She was dizzy with desire by the time he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes as he caught his breath. Breathing in deeply, she reveled in his familiar scent and warmth, taking everything about him and committing it to her memory. He watched through heavy eyelids as her fingers trailed over his tattooed arm and the freckles on his chest, causing shivers to travel down his body as she skimmed over his abs and gently wrapped her fingers around his hardened length.

“Round two,” she smirked, licking her lips seductively. He chuckled as she lay down against the pillows and nuzzled his nose against hers.

“You want it that bad, huh?”

“It’s been a long time,” she echoed his words with a giggle. He chuckled and nodded his head in agreement as he slid his hands down her body, trailing the path his hands made with light butterfly kisses. A moan bubbled out of her throat and her back arched as his lips gently sucked on her nipple. His tongue swirled around the hardened nub before continuing down her torso, dipping into her navel as her hands dug into his hair.

He paused as he slithered down her body, placing a kiss on her inner thigh and resting his cheek against her bent legs. Seeing her in her aroused state with her darkened eyes and pouty lips, he didn’t think he could get any happier than he was at that moment. She was literally the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen, and he didn’t know what he would do with himself if he ever lost her. It was in that moment that Justin realized how deep his feelings were for Kelen. It wasn’t the first time he had ever felt this way, but it had never happened so fast in a relationship before, and he was overwhelmed with the sudden rush of adoration and love he had for her as she laid before him. 

“God I missed you,” he breathed with a small smile.

She raised her head and smiled at him, brushing her thumb over lips and moaning softly when he turned his head and sucked her thumb into his mouth. Her hands slid down to frame his face as she pulled gently, silently asking him to move back up towards her. He complied and re-settled his body over hers, capturing her lips with his own. His hands took hold of hers and held them above her head as he sucked on the nape of her neck, causing her toes to curl as she moaned into his ear.

“No more of this teasing,” she breathed, wrapping her legs around his waist and trapping his member in between their bodies. She stared into his eyes and smiled, seeing the love she felt for him reflect back to her in his eyes. No man had ever looked at her the same way that he did, and no man made her feel safer than she did when she was in his arms.

“I just want you,” she whispered before he nuzzled her nose and kissed her deeply, their tongues battling each other fervently. He moved his hips and positioned himself at her entrance, resting his forehead against hers as he watched himself slide into her with ease. Her body sucked him in as she gasped and her fingers dug into his back, clutching him as if her life depended on it.

“I love you,” he panted, raising himself up and holding his weight on his hands as he moved inside of her with slow, powerful thrusts. “God I love you.”

Her hands slid up his sweaty back and framed his face as she pulled his head down, pressing her lips to hers and tasting him as her legs tightened around his waist. “I love you,” she repeated, her words melting into a loud moan as he brushed against spots that only he could reach. She tilted her hips up to his, desperately asking for him to move faster. He chuckled lowly and shook his head, rocking against her slowly.

“J…faster,” she pleaded, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“We’ve got all night, Kelen…there’s no need to rush,” he replied, wanting to savor their reunion for as long as possible. But after a few minutes, it took all he had not to just start pounding into her wildly as he tried to hold off his own orgasm. His thrusts became more frenzied as he buried his face in her neck and sucked on her pulse. He trailed a number of kisses down her chest and flicked the tip of his tongue against her nipple, making her squeal loudly as her fingers dug into his back. He watched with wide eyes as her back arched and all of her muscles clamped down on him, her body shuddering violently in his arms.

“Oh god,” she screamed, throwing her head back against the pillow as her eyes squinted shut. Before he could even have time to process the intensity of her orgasm, his own slammed him with such force that his whole body seemed to contract as he came.

“Kelen,” he grunted with a gasp, collapsing on top of her as his arms gave out to his exhaustion. Her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck as they both panted softly, slowly regaining consciousness. Justin gently pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, pulling his sheets and comforter over their spent bodies. Kelen smiled and snuggled up to his side, placing lazy kisses along his freckled chest as she rested her head on his shoulder and her hand came to rest over his beating heart.

He tilted his head and smiled down at her, running his hand up and down her bare back. “God I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” she said, rolling on to her stomach and resting her chin on his chest. He chuckled and nodded in agreement, licking his lips slowly. “Oh well, it was worth it. Well worth the wait.”

“Don’t think we’re done yet,” he murmured his voice scratchy from all of the strain from his previous activities. “It’s only five o’clock, Kel. And I have all weekend free for just the two of us.”

“Yeah? What do you have planned for us, Mr. Timberlake?”

His eyes opened and peered at her as she bit on her bottom lip flirtatiously, sliding her smooth legs over his slowly. He smirked as his thumb smoothed over her cheek and pink lips. He could seriously be happy just kissing her for hours on end. “Oh…big plans, Miss Tyler. I’ll give you some clues. They all involve you and me, a soft surface, and little to no clothing.”

She rolled her eyes as he waggled his eyebrows at her. “I hope you’ve accounted for food too. ‘Cuz I’m starving.”

“Oh believe me, I plan on doing some eating all right,” he laughed raucously, causing her head to shake as his chest vibrated with his laughter. She hit him on the stomach, shaking her head at his crude joke. He could be so vulgar sometimes, but she realized she wouldn’t have him any other way.

It was like a bomb had gone off in her kitchen, spilling flour and sugar all over the floors and counters. Kelen stood frozen in the doorway of the kitchen, trying to contain her laughter as she watched her boyfriend humming quietly to himself as he concentrated on whatever batter he seemed to be concocting. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth when he moved around the kitchen island, and she saw that he was wearing only a pair of boxers and her pink apron. His head raised when a soft giggle escaped her mouth, and he grinned proudly at her when he realized she was already awake.

“Good morning baby,” he drawled as she walked up to him and kissed him softly. He looked down at her exercise pants and sports bra appreciatively, licking his lips as he brought his eyes back up to look at her. “You goin’ for a run?”

“Yup,” she smiled. “What’s this?” her eyes landed on the bowl of fruits and the skillet on the stove.

“Breakfast,” he answered brightly, pressing his lips to hers again before turning back to his cooking. “Go for your run, we’ll have breakfast, and then we can go visit Alex.”

“Alex?”

He nodded at her surprised expression as he moved back towards the stove. “Yeah…today’s Wednesday. Don’t you visit every Wednesday?”

Kelen smiled, nodding her head as she tied her hair up into a pony tail. “I do. But I wasn’t planning on going to see him until later tonight, after we hung out together. I wanted to spend time with you before you have to start working again.”

“We’ve spent the past four days together,” he chuckled, shaking his head at her weak excuse. “Do you not want to see him?”

“I do…but when you start working in a few days, we won’t have as much alone time together as we could now…”

He turned around and smiled gently at her torn expression. “Kel, that doesn’t matter. Your brother is what’s important, so we should go see him. Plus, we could go over some of the plans for the fundraiser.” She smiled tenderly and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck as she gave him a deep kiss, swiping her tongue against his bottom lip as he hugged her tightly to his body with one arm. She honestly couldn’t believe how great he had been with her for the past few days. It was almost as if he was trying a little too hard to make her happy. And although she had her suspicions, she wasn’t about to go and break the happy bubble they were in by questioning his motives.

“You are so good to me,” she sighed happily.

He smirked cockily at her as he tapped her bottom with his hand and let his arm fall back to his side. “Tell me somethin’ I don’t know, girl. Now go for your run. By the time you get back, there will be a spread fit for a queen waiting for you.” She smiled and grabbed the dogs’ leashes from the counter as she called for Buckley and Brennen, all the while slowly making her way out of the door. Half an hour later, Justin looked up from where he was plating the last of the blueberry pancakes when he heard the familiar sound of the door opening and his dogs scurrying inside as they barked loudly. He walked out and intercepted Kelen in the foyer as she walked through the door, handing her a cold bottle of water. His eyes glanced down at her body, glistening with sweat, as he smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Good run?”

She gave him an odd look but smiled as she nodded and took a swig of her water. “Yeah, it was, thanks. What’s going on?” She finally asked, tired of this game he was playing. It was really starting to scare her and she was trying to remember if he had done something to warrant his good behavior.

“Nothing. I just wanted you to be surprised before you see the food.”

“Let me just take a quick shower. I feel nasty,” she made a face at him as she pecked him on the cheek and ran up the steps. He grinned and followed her upstairs to change himself, making a mental note to clean up the kitchen later. He hardly ever cooked, but he felt Kelen deserved at least a breakfast after all of the problems he had caused for her over the past few months. These past few days, when they had spent practically every second together, had really helped him clear his mind and sort out his feelings for Kelen. He realized that he had been so jealous and protective of her because deep down, he had always known that Kelen was different and that his feelings for her ran a lot deeper than they did for past girlfriends. She leveled him out and treated him as if he was a normal guy, not the man that was written about in every gossip magazine across the nation. He knew that she still got star struck and excited about some of his friends or the parties he went to, but overall, she never expected anything from him other than respect and honesty. In the past, he knew had been able to get away with a lot of things because of his status and his girlfriends usually expected him to treat them to lavish gifts because they knew he could afford it.

But Kelen saw past all that, and loved him for who he was, flaws and all. And this past weekend showed him that her feelings for him were just as strong as his were for her. The thought of her spending time with Eli no longer threatened him as much, and he thought it would be a good test of his new revelations to actually spend the afternoon with the man to see how he reacted.

Justin made his way back downstairs and finished setting the table before Kelen came back down after her shower. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw the plates of food on the table, and her lips spread into a wide grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

“Justin…this is amazing. Seriously, babe. It’s wonderful,” she sighed happily as he leaned down to meet her lips with his. “So what’s the occasion?”

“No occasion. I just thought it was my turn to show you how much I love you,” he shrugged as he pulled her chair out and gestured for her to take a seat. “And I wanted to apologize for being such an ass about the whole Eli situation. It wasn’t fair for me to assume you would ever do anything like that.”

She smiled as he sat down across from her and plated three warm blueberry pancakes onto her plate, carefully pouring the maple syrup over her plate in concentric circles. “Well thank you. This is so much more than I could ever dream of. I had no idea you could cook.”

“To be honest, I didn’t either. I’m surprised I didn’t burn something down in the process,” he chuckled, watching her take a bite of a pancake.

“Mmm….delicious,” she moaned, closing her eyes as she smiled.

“Is it good? I had a little help from my mother,” he admitted as he took a bite and tried his creation himself.

Kelen giggled as she looked at his proud grin. “I figured you probably didn’t come up with all of this yourself.”

After all of the plates had been cleared off of the table, they climbed into Justin’s gigantic Jeep and drove to Alex’s apartment complex. As they pulled into the parking lot, Justin noticed a mysterious black SUV trailing behind him, and he quickly realized that the paparazzi had followed them from his home.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he turned off the engine.

Kelen turned her head from where she had been looking out the window, a small frown sketched on her face as she looked at him. “Justin….there are photographers over there.”

“I know,” he groaned. “I think they followed us from home.”

“No,” she shook her head as she pointed in the opposite direction of where the black car had parked. Justin followed her gaze and frowned when he saw a group of about three or four photographers standing near the entrance of the building.

“Come on,” he said as he opened the door and jumped out. “Just ignore them and they’ll leave after they get their shots.” He came around to the other side and took Kelen’s hand as he pulled her through the lanes of cars. They both ducked her heads down as they approached the doors, the sound of camera clicks reverberating underneath the covered driveway area.

“Justin! Are you enjoying your break? What are you doing back here? What are you up to now?” they all shouted as the couple continued walking straight ahead. They walked through the sliding glass doors and continued forward, bypassing the deserted main desk as Kelen headed straight for Alex’s apartment.

“How did they know we were going to be here?” she finally asked as she turned to look at him, concern written all over her face. A lot of the residents living in Riverside were frightened of loud noises and strangers, making the presence of the paparazzi all the more worrisome.

“I have no fucking clue,” he scratched his head innocently as she raised her hand to knock on the door. The door opened slowly as Alex’s head peeked through the crack, and he smiled when he realized it was only his sister and Justin. He pulled the door wider as he embraced Kelen, grinning ear to ear.

“You’re here!” he exclaimed. “I thought you guys were the strange men outside.”

Kelen gave Justin a pointed look as she entered Alex’s apartment and turned back to her brother. “What do you mean? How long have those men been there, Alex?”

He shrugged as he shut the door and locked it tightly. He had phases where he would be paranoid of robbers coming into his home, so Ryan, their older brother, had installed a chain lock just to pacify Alex’s fears. “I dunno. But Mark said he saw them when he woke up. And I heard Mary screaming about scary men when I was eating breakfast.”

“Does Eli know they’re here?” Kelen asked immediately as her fears for the wellbeing of the other residents were confirmed.

Alex shook his head as he sat down on the couch next to her. “No. He’s out of town until today.”

“Well we have to do something! They can’t stay here if they’re scaring all of the residents,” she replied, looking at Justin for assistance, as if she expected him to kick all of them off the property.

“Just calm down, okay? We don’t even know if they’re still there. Most likely, they got the pictures, and they’ll leave. Let’s just sit here and wait a few minutes before we make any rash decisions,” he said in a calming tone, as he placed his hand over hers. She sighed and sat back against the cushions, folding her arms in front of her as she obeyed his wishes. “So, Alex. How have you been man?” he turned to her brother, changing the subject.

“Okay,” Alex replied, shrugging his shoulders as he looked down at his hands.

“…So what have you been up to?”

“Work.”

Justin looked to Kelen for support, but she only smiled at him, encouraging him to continue talking. “Where do you work?”

“The animal shelter. I take care of dogs and cats,” Alex replied, smiling proudly as he sat up straighter. “Today, I helped Cathy groom the dogs. We cut their hair and everything.”

Before Justin could continue the conversation, there was a loud knock on the door and a male voice called out from the other side. “Alex? Are you in there? Is Kelen with you?”

“It’s Eli!” Alex visibly brightened as he stood to his feet and rushed to the door, unlocking it quickly. He swung the door open and grinned, but stopped short when he saw Eli’s serious expression.

“Eli,” Kelen stood up, noticing his stern demeanor. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I talk to you two privately?” his eyes glanced from Kelen to Justin.

“Sure. Alex, can you go into your room and watch TV for a bit?” Kelen turned to look at her brother, who nodded silently and walked out of the living room. She waited to hear the sound of his TV and finally nodded her head when she felt it was suitable to start talking again.

“What’s going on?” Justin finally asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Standing next to Eli now, he couldn’t remember why he had ever been threatened of him. The guy looked like he was about to explode at any moment.

“Did you two just get here?” Eli ignored Justin’s question, posing one of his own.

Kelen nodded. “Yes, about five minutes ago.”

“So you saw the photographers then?” Kelen nodded again as she waited for him to go on. “Okay, because I just wanted to inform you that there is now a crowd of about ten or twelve photographers outside waiting for you two to exit. They’re causing a lot of hysteria and it’s starting to upset the residents I have here. Now, I understand that you have every right to be here to visit your brother, Kelen. But, my concern is the safety of all the residents. And right now, many of them are scared out of their minds of the strangers standing outside the building.”

Kelen sighed and glanced at Justin, searching for some sort of resolution. She felt torn between her responsibility to her brother and her desire to be with Justin. He sighed and rocked back on his heels as he looked at Eli, who stared back at him, waiting for someone to say something. “Okay…I’ll leave and lure them away. Just call me when you’re ready to come home, and I’ll come pick you up,” he nodded his head, turning to smile at Kelen.

“But…” she started to argue but stopped when he shook his head at her. “Fine. I guess that’s best.”

“Thanks, man. It’s nothing personal…I’m just doing my job,” Eli said as he patted Justin’s shoulder. Justin nodded and turned back to Kelen, who pecked him quickly on the lips and smiled at him.

“I’ll call you in a couple hours. I won’t stay long,” she promised him. He nodded and moved towards the door, shoulders slumped disappointedly.

“Tell Alex I said bye,” he called back before pulling the door open and slipping out. He walked down the hall angrily, upset that he had had to pretty much sacrifice his afternoon so that Kelen could spend time with her brother. All he had wanted to do was get to know Alex a little better and prove to Kelen that he was over his jealousy. He waltzed through the glass doors and walked straight towards his car as the cameras followed him away from the door, just like he had predicted. Instead of driving all the way back home, he decided to drop by Trace’s house to pester him for a few hours.

“Yo midget!” he yelled out as he entered into the foyer.

“We’re in the game room,” he heard Trace yell back. He walked through the familiar home, down the hallway and into one of the bedrooms that had been converted into an entertainment room. Trace and Nick, their childhood friend, were sprawled out on the couch, completely immersed in whatever game Trace had just bought.

“How old are you guys?” Justin teased as he walked around the couch and plopped himself down next to Trace.

“That’s what I said,” a female voice answered him. Justin twisted around and smiled when he saw Joanna walk in to the room and place a bowl of chips down on the coffee table. Trace managed to pry his eyes away from the TV screen long enough to thank his girlfriend, before reaching for a handful of chips.

“So what are you doing here? I thought you were spending your whole break off with your girl,” Trace asked, never taking his eyes off of the TV screen.

“That was the plan until the fucking paps followed us to her brother’s apartment building and a whole swarm of them came out of nowhere. I had to leave to lure them away so that they would stop disturbing the residents,” Justin vented angrily.

“That sucks ass,” Nick chimed in. “So where is Kelen now?”

“She’s still there with her brother. I’m picking her up in a couple hours. Do you two want to go hit some balls or what?”

Trace let out a sudden yell of victory as he killed Nick’s character, and finally turned to smile at Justin. “Maybe. So you’re telling me you willingly left Kelen with her brother, with that guy Eli there?”

Justin nodded slowly, running his hands over his scalp as he shrugged. “Yeah. I realized I really had no reason to be so fucking threatened by the dude. Yeah, he might be close to her brother, but she’s not with him. She’s with me…so I was acting out for no reason.”

“Hmm…those words sound oddly familiar,” Trace pondered out loud, which received a swift pillow to the head. Justin glared at him, relaxing back against the plush cushions as he sighed.

“So how’s the record coming?” Nick asked as he readjusted the cap on his head.

“I have a few tracks laid down. Nothing set yet…I know I wanted it to be out by the end of the summer, but now I’m not really in a rush. I just want to take my time and breathe, ya know?” Nick nodded as Trace stood up and threw his controller down onto the couch.

“I’m ready to go to the range,” the shortest man of the three commented as he stretched and looked over at his girlfriend, who was on the other side of the room on her laptop. “Whatcha doin’ there babe?” All three men turned to look at her as she looked up with a smile.

“Just surfing the net. Hey Justin, did you know that Kelen is apparently your fans’ favorite girlfriend out of all your past girls?” she grinned cheekily at him as she glanced back down at her computer screen.

“Really? What are you looking at, Jo?”

“She’s probably celebrity blogging again,” Trace rolled his eyes.

She looked up and gave him a scathing look before shaking her head. “I was just looking to see what rumors were being spread about you now. Apparently someone leaked that Kelen has a brother living in Riverside and you guys visit him every week. He is severely mentally retarded, and Kelen’s family put him in there because they didn’t want to deal with his handicap…this shit is so messed up.”

“What? That whole second part is pure B.S.,” Justin shook his head disappointedly.

“Hmm…interesting. There’s also lots of paparazzi pictures of her,” she trailed off as she clicked away on her computer. “What does Eli look like?”

He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, feeling it vibrate against his leg. “I dunno…brown hair? Why?” He walked around the couch and looked over her shoulder at the screen. His eyes landed on pictures of Kelen and Eli in front of her coffee shop at night, and looking to be just having a friendly chat. “So now they’re starting to follow my girlfriend around now? Since when did she become public interest?”

“Ever since she started dating you, J. They want to know how a seemingly normal girl like her got you to notice her. It’s like every one of your fans’ dreams come true,” Trace replied as he came over and looked at the computer screen. He patted Justin’s back and sighed, noticing Justin’s scowl. “It sucks, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Kelen’s a big girl and she loves you enough to deal with all of that shit.”

Justin sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. “Whatever. Let’s just go…I need to let off some steam. Thanks Jo…for keeping me updated.” She nodded and watched him walk out quietly in an angry huff. Trace shook his head at her as he leaned down and pecked her lips.

“What?” she asked at the look he gave her.

“You just had to bring all of that up, huh?”

“Trace…I wasn’t trying anything. You were the one that brought up how he’s the reason why her life is being turned upside down,” she pointed out as she closed her laptop and stood up. He rolled his eyes and followed her out of the room as she smiled at him, knowing she was right. By the time they arrived at the golf driving range, Justin had calmed down and was starting to joke around with his friends again.

“So I was in the process of getting her number,” Nick chuckled, in the middle of telling one of his wild clubbing stories. “And she keels over, and hurls all over my shoes and the ground.”

“Oh god,” Justin groaned, swinging up and hitting his golf ball with a loud chip. “That’s just wrong.” His phone started to vibrate against his leg and he pulled it out of his pocket, reading Kelen on the caller ID.

“Hey,” he said, surprised that she was already ready to leave. “It’s only been an hour.”

“I know. But I just got a call, and my brother’s wife went into labor and she’s giving birth to the twins now!”

“Really? That’s great. I’ll come get you right now and we can go to the hospital together,” he said as he put his clubs back into his bag.

“Where are you?”

“The driving range so I’ll be there in thirty minutes,” he answered as he motioned for Trace to use the rest of the golf balls he had already paid for.

“Oh, in that case you don’t have to come get me. The hospital’s in the opposite direction. Eli can take us,” she suggested. “That way we don’t have to wait for you to get here, and then drive another twenty minutes to the hospital. She probably won’t deliver for a few hours anyways…why don’t I just call you when we can go in and see them? You don’t need to wait around with us.”

He shrugged and looked down at his golf clubs longingly. He hadn’t been able to go golfing in a long time…and honestly, it probably wasn’t the best idea for him to be waiting around in a hospital waiting room without security. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Plus, you were just telling me how badly you wanted to go golfing. I’ll just call you in a few hours.”

“Alright. I’ll talk to you later, girl,” he answered before hanging up. As much as he wanted to be with Kelen, meeting her older brother for the first time on the day of his twins’ births wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for the day. He would be more than happy to visit and congratulate them for a few minutes, but the thought of waiting in a hospital for a few hours wasn’t his cup of tea. So as much as he hated to admit it, he was relieved he didn’t have to play the part of the nice, selfless boyfriend for a few hours.

After he got home later that evening, Kelen had yet to call him and every time he had tried calling her, it had gone straight to her voicemail. Instead of going out with Trace and Rachael for dinner, he decided he would just wait at home until Kelen called him, so he waited with his dogs for hours, until finally he realized she probably wasn’t going to be coming home soon. He was lounging on his couch in the family room watching a Memphis basketball game when he heard the door open and Buckley jumped off the couch to run for the door. He frowned when he realized it was just before midnight and he had waited for Kelen’s call for about six hours.

“Justin?” he heard Kelen call for him.

“I’m in the family room,” he yelled back, disgruntled that she had been gone for about seven hours and hadn’t called him to keep him updated once. He glanced at the doorway as Kelen shuffled in and nodded at her coldly before turning back to the large plasma screen in front of him.

“Hey,” she smiled, moving into the room. “Can I sit?” he didn’t respond, but bent his legs so that she could sit at the end of couch. Kelen observed him curiously, biting on her bottom lip as she sat down and watched him from the corner of her eyes. “Sorry I didn’t call you. Melissa didn’t actually give birth to the twins until about two hours ago.”

“So why didn’t you call me then? I was waiting,” he answered in a flat tone, continuing to stare at anything but her. She narrowed her eyes at his demeanor, upset that he was so angry with her.

“I know, I’m sorry. But my phone died so I couldn’t text you to keep you updated or anything. And…well I didn’t think Melissa or Ryan wanted any visitors really. And I thought it would be awkward for you to meet them for the first time during such an intimate moment, you know? I mean…it would be awkward for anyone who isn’t family.”

Justin sighed and nodded his head, although he still hadn’t taken his eyes off of the TV once. “I guess. I just wish I had known…then I wouldn’t have lain around here all night.”

“I know…Can I make it up to you?” she asked with a slight smirk to her tone as she moved to crawl over his body. He finally turned his head at the movement, and smiled when she rested her body over his and lay down on top of him, burying her face into his neck. Justin tilted his chin down, as she raised her head and pressed her lips to his for a tender kiss. His hands immediately came up to frame her face as he deepened the kiss, completely forgetting his anger towards her as her tongue gently swiped against his bottom lip. She pulled away after a few kisses and smiled at him, nuzzling his nose affectionately. “If it makes you feel better…I really wished you were there. I was so bored, and Alex was so antsy.”

“I would have been there, you know,” he shrugged. She smiled, nodding her head and resting her head back on his chest as she snuggled against his body. “Or I would have at least come to pick you up. How did you get home, anyways?”

She stiffened, and he looked down his nose at her curiously when she became so quiet. She looked up at him and gave him an unsure smile before averting her gaze. “Um…Eli gave us a ride.” She braced herself for his outburst, closing her eyes shut as she waited for his jealous fit. Instead, he took a deep breath and rubbed her back as he nodded.

“Oh…that was nice of him to pick you and Alex up,” he answered coolly before turning back to the basketball game in front of him. The doorbell rang suddenly and she looked at him curiously, wondering who would be visiting at such a late hour. “I’ll get it,” he offered, sitting up and dislodging her from her spot on top of him. She followed him to the door as he walked through the dark hallway, and knew who it was immediately when she saw the familiar figure through the window.

“Eli,” Justin greeted the man calmly as he pulled the door open.

“Hey, I’m so sorry it’s so late, man. Kelen just forgot her magazines in my car,” Eli apologized, looking at Justin warily. It was intimidating standing in front of such a famous and powerful man, even if he never really acted any differently. Justin nodded and stepped to the side as he turned to look at Kelen silently.

“You didn’t have to turn all the way around for these. But thanks all the same,” she smiled as he handed her the two magazines.

“It’s no problem. Plus, you forgot to give me the number for that masseuse. I think I pinched a nerve or something, sitting in that waiting room for seven hours,” he winced, massaging the back of his neck painfully. Justin let out a chortle behind Kelen, and she ignored it, choosing instead to stare down at the magazines in her hands guiltily. “You’d think they would make chairs in there more comfortable.”

Kelen smiled awkwardly, nodding her head as she glanced at Justin, who was now glaring angrily at her as he stood behind her, one arm propped up above her head as his hand gripped the door. She turned back to Eli and sighed, knowing she probably wasn’t going to bed anytime soon. “I don’t have the number with me at the moment. Could I just give it to you some other time?”

“Sure. Just give it to me whenever,” he nodded as he took a step backwards and smiled. “I’m sorry again, for coming so late. Goodnight guys.”

“It’s alright. Thanks for the magazines,” she answered, giving him a small wave as he turned away and jogged down the steps of the patio. Justin swung the door shut firmly and she jumped at the sound, feeling his presence behind her as he let out a huff of air.

“Justin…” she warned, too tired to put up with his jealousy in the middle of the night. When she turned around to face him, his arms were crossed over his chest and the look of hurt and anger on his face was enough to make her feel guilty for trying to lie to him earlier. She had only been trying to protect him, knowing how upset he would get if he knew Eli had in fact waited with her in the hospital the whole day. He had just shown up in the waiting room, and it would have been rude to ask him to leave after he had offered to drive her to the hospital in the middle of rush hour.

“Just…don’t, Kel. I don’t want to deal with that right now,” he shook his head disappointedly, turning around and stomping up the steps. She frowned and followed in his footsteps, hoping he would be understanding enough to listen to her.

“I’m sorry. Please just let me explain,” she pleaded as he turned into their bedroom and tore his t-shirt off.

“Explain why you lied to me? Or why some relative stranger was with you all day, waiting for your sister-in-law to give birth, while your boyfriend stayed at home, bored out of his fucking mind, waiting for you?” His eyebrows furrowed together as he scowled at her, trying to keep his anger at bay.

“All of the above. I wasn’t lying when I said my phone died. I just…didn’t correct you when you assumed that Eli had just come to pick us up and drive me home. The truth is that he offered to cancel his meetings so that he could give me and Alex a ride to the hospital. So when he followed us into the waiting room, I couldn’t just ask him to leave and kick him out like that.”

He rolled his eyes as he pushed his jeans down his hips and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. “Yes you could have. Just say, ‘Thanks for the ride, Eli. I’ll go call my boyfriend, now and he’ll come wait with us.’ Easy as that.”

“Believe me, I wanted to. I didn’t ask him to be there, Justin. But he had cancelled an appointment to take us. It would have been rude to brush him off like that when he did us a favor. I told him about a thousand times that he could leave, but he didn’t want to.”

“So what happened when it was time to see your nephews? He just wanted to sit around in a hospital for hours, just to give you a ride back home? That’s bullshit, Kelen. He has feelings for you.”

She shook her head angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. “Well we didn’t just leave him in the waiting room.”

“So he went in to see your nephews?” She stared at him in disbelief as he stared back at her, waiting for a response.

“He waited with us for hours, Justin. Was I supposed to just make him wait for us in the waiting room alone?”

“Yes, Kelen. It’s not his fucking place to see your newborn nephews. What was that bullshit about not wanting strangers during such an intimate moment? Or did you just not want me there?”

Her eyes narrowed angrily for the first time that night as she glared at him. “Are we seriously back to this again? You know I wanted you there, Justin. I can’t believe you would even say something like that.”

“Well it’s sometimes hard to know, when you’d rather kick me out and spend a few hours with him, who you’ve seen almost every day, than me, who just came home after being away for six weeks,” he said bitterly. He couldn’t understand how she could sit there and say she wanted him there, when she hadn’t even tried to get in contact with him.

“I wasn’t choosing to spend time with him. I was spending time with my brother!” she let out a cry of frustration, throwing her hands in the air angrily. “I seriously cannot believe that you’re angry with me about the paparazzi thing. You’re the one that offered to leave.”

“Only because you both were looking at me like I was the bad guy. I didn’t fucking ask them to follow us there, Kelen. But they showed up, and then you both looked at me like I had wanted them to be there to scare everyone. And of course, I wouldn’t ask you to leave with me. Because god forbid, you don’t see your brother for one week and can’t make sure his bed’s made.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She flinched, scowling at him.

He shrugged his shoulders as he walked across the bedroom and into the bathroom. He honestly hadn’t meant to bring her brother into the argument, but now that he had, there was no going back. He wasn’t going to be the one to compromise this time. She came into the bathroom and glared at him through the mirror, as he ignored her and squirted toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

“I just think you baby him too much. Yeah, he might have autism, but he’s not completely handicapped. The reason why he lives at Riverside, in the first place, is so that he can start growing independence. And yet you’re there, practically every day, still making his bed and doing his laundry,” he watched her as her eyes narrowed at him before she sauntered out of the bathroom with a huff. He exited a few minutes later to see her sitting in bed in her pajamas with a book on her lap. Her hair was tied up on top of her head and reading glasses were propped on her nose as her eyes scanned the pages of her book. He didn’t think he’d seen a more comforting sight, and for a second, he forgot how angry he was and all he cared about was snuggling in bed with her. Until she narrowed her eyes at him and all of his anger came flooding back as he sighed.

Kelen looked at Christine and Sophie quietly over her mug of coffee, dumbfounded as her best friends looked back at her nervously. “What do you mean you’re both moving?” she asked quietly, almost like she couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her own mouth.

“Well, I’m moving to New York with Jack,” Christine answered back, trying not to stare at the new engagement ring now adorning her right hand. “I got offered the position to be the assistant designer for Carrie Nu a few days ago, but I wasn’t planning on moving until Jack said he could relocate and live with me.”

“Well that sounds great. Congratulations,” Kelen nodded, trying her best to hide her disappointment. For the past four days, she had been hiding out at her old apartment, trying to stay out of Justin’s warpath for as long as possible until she had to return home. It had been four days since their fight, and they had yet to speak more than two words to one another, no matter how hard she tried to get him to listen to her. She had spent the past few days on their couch watching old Grey’s Anatomy episodes that the girls had taped for her and catching up with her best friends’ lives. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed living with them, and now she was learning they would be moving away from her. Her eyes glanced toward Sophie, who was staring down at her own cup of coffee in a trance. “What about you, Sophie?”

 “My father’s sick,” the redhead replied in an even tone, barely lifting her eyes to look at Kelen.

“I thought he was getting better,” Kelen frowned sympathetically.

“He was…but he got worse, and I have to go back home for a few months to take care of him. I’m so sorry Kel,” Sophie’s green eyes looked up sadly at her friend as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I really didn’t want to leave you alone with the shop. But, it’s my dad…I had no choice.”

“Soph,” Kelen smiled sadly, reaching her hand across the table to pat Sophie’s. “Don’t even worry about that. You go home and take care of your father for as long as you need.”

“It’ll be until the end of the summer, at the most. My sister will be done with school and can take over. And Sam pretty much manages the store, now anyways. She knows what to do. And I can still manage the financials online, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Sophie rambled on, wiping at her eyes with her fingers.

“Just stop, okay? I don’t want to worry about any of that,” Kelen interrupted, shaking her head adamantly. “I just want to spend time with you girls. I can’t believe you guys are leaving me!”

“We’re only a phone call away,” Sophie smiled. “And I’m sure I’ll be returning a few times to check up on you.”

“And you guys are always welcome to crash with me and Jack anytime.”

Kelen nodded as she grinned at Christine’s beaming smile. “Look at you, all grown up and moving in with your hubby. I’m so proud.”

“Speaking of hubbies…what’s up with you and Justin?” Christine tilted her head curiously as a soft smirk spread across her lips. “Trouble in paradise?”

Kelen rolled her eyes as she shrugged. “I dunno. We’re both too stubborn to admit we were wrong. I mean…I can understand a little why he’s upset. But he’s just being an ass now. He won’t even listen to a word I’m saying when I try to apologize.” She slumped down in her seat as she peered down at her empty cup of coffee. She had honestly tried to apologize about ten times to him, but he kept brushing her off, making excuses that he was too busy to talk to her. She didn’t understand how he could still be so upset with he, or how he could even doubt the love she had for him.

“Well…I mean, it is strange Eli was there for the birth of your nephews. Even we wouldn’t want to be there for that kind of moment, and we’ve known Ryan for years,” Sophie replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“I know…but what does Justin expect me to do? Not talk to Eli anymore? He’s my brother’s best friend, the director of his community, and he’s working on the charity project with me. I can’t just cut all ties to Eli because Justin is a little threatened by him, for unknown reasons.”

“Not really unknown…it’s pretty obvious Eli has the hots for you,” Christine chuckled quietly as she ducked her head from the plastic spoon Kelen sent flying her way.

“Stop, Christine. He does not.”

“What does the guy need to do for you to see the truth, Kel?” Sophie scoffed, rolling her eyes as she shook her head disappointedly. “He always coincidentally shows up at Alex’s when you’re there and bends over backwards to include you in everything. Plus he’s constantly volunteering to do things for you. It’s like we’re in middle school again.”

Kelen’s shoulders slumped and she sighed quietly as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “You really think Eli has feelings for me?” Both girls nodded confidently. “Well what am I supposed to do? Not visit my brother anymore? Stop working on the charity concert?”

“Not at all…and I’m sure that’s not what Justin expects either. I know you hate admitting you’re wrong sometimes…but it’s on you to go to him first, Kel. You two just need to talk. ” Christine advised wisely with a small smile on her lips.

Kelen sighed, a slight frown gracing her lips as she fiddled with the paper napkin in her hands. “It never even crossed my mind that Eli likes me. I just thought he was trying to be nice. And now I feel guilty for kind of encouraging it. No wonder Justin kept getting upset. I don’t even know where to begin…”

“Well you could start by not avoiding him and hiding out here,” Sophie pointed out as she smirked at Kelen’s perturbed look. “Where is he right now?”

“I don’t know. At home, I guess. I haven’t talked to him,” Kelen shrugged as she looked away from their knowing looks. She hated when they were right.

“Then go home and talk to him.”

“What about you guys? I should help you pack…” she trailed off, changing the subject as her eyes scanned around the room.

“The lease is up in one month, so we’ll have to move everything out by then,” Christine answered as she gave Kelen a pointed look. “Stop avoiding it and go home.”

“I’ll just start packing some things now,” Kelen shrugged as she stood up and walked over towards the door, knowing full well that her friends were rolling their eyes and snickering at her back.

Half an hour later, she quietly walked into Justin’s house with a box of some of her clothes and personal items in her arms. His car was in the garage and she could hear music blasting from the downstairs gym, coming to the conclusion that he was indeed, home. Trying to delay the argument for as long as possible, she quietly made her way upstairs and into their bedroom to put down the heavy box in her arms. She was in the middle of unpacking her clothes when she heard the bedroom door swing open and bang loudly against the wall. She whipped her head around in surprise, and rested her hand over her beating heart when she saw Justin standing in the doorway staring at the box that was resting on top of their bed.

“Hey,” she sighed, smiling softly as she tried to ignore the sight of his bare chest, which was glistening with his sweat as it rose with each breath he took. 

“What are you doing?” he asked loudly, his eyes widening as he looked at her.

She paused for a second, studying his cold expression as she shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing.”

“You weren’t going to tell me you were moving out? Just thought you could sneak out of here without saying shit to me?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, bristling defensively at his abrasive tone as she turned to him with her hands on her hips.

“I’m talking about that,” he pointed at the cardboard box as he took a step towards her and threw the towel in his hand onto the bench at the end of the bed. “What the hell are you doing?”

She rolled her eyes as he stood next to her, staring at her with widened, cold eyes. “I’m unpacking my things from my old apartment. Christine and Sophie are moving, so I have to get all of my stuff out by the end of the month. I’m not going anywhere.”

His eyes immediately softened as she turned her back to him and returned to her task, pulling the remaining pile of shirts and a few photo albums out of the box. “Oh,” he mumbled, humiliated with his outburst as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. She rolled her eyes when he moved closer, and quickly stepped out of his grasp as she moved toward the closet. She may be at fault, but there was no reason for him to start yelling and getting angry with her for no reason. When she reemerged from the closet, he was sitting on the bed, his legs dangling in the air as he gave her his most apologetic pout. Ignoring the fact that she wanted so desperately just to run over there and hug him, she brushed past him and walked into the bathroom to put away her toiletries.

“Kel,” she heard him say softly as she wiped down the counter top. She met his eyes in the mirror and he smiled gently, stepping inside as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“What?” she deadpanned, turning back to the pile of hair products on the counter.

“Don’t be mad. I’m sorry I kind of flipped out,” he apologized sheepishly. “I just…I got worried when I saw the box.” He tentatively slipped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly as he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “I didn’t want you to leave because of that stupid fight.”

Her shoulders immediately slumped as her lips curved upward and she smiled at him through the mirror, rolling her eyes as a victorious grin appeared on his handsome face. “Yeah well…if you kept giving me the silent treatment, I might just have.”

“Me? What about you? You disappeared,” he gave her an incredulous look.

“I know,” she sighed, nodding her head as she turned in his arms and rested her hands on his chest. “I’m sorry. I just needed to think about some things.”

“About what?”

“How I was kind of a bitch,” she smirked as he nodded in agreement, earning him a soft slap on his arm. “Seriously, though…I understand why you were upset I didn’t call you to come to the hospital. It never occurred to me that Eli might have feelings for me. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged with a smile. “It’s understandable, you’re hot. It’s not your fault he likes you.”

She chuckled as he waggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation here…and you’re just fooling around.”

“But I’m fooling around with you…that’s all that matters,” he smirked at her before wiping the smile off his face and looking down at her seriously. “I know you think I got jealous that Eli was at the hospital, but that’s not the whole problem, Kelen. I was upset that you didn’t think I’d want to be there with you and your family. Like you’re ashamed or something.”

“I’m not though. I did want you to be there. I just know that my brother can be hard to deal with sometimes. Especially when we’re in a waiting room. I didn’t want you to deal with that…” she admitted quietly, looking away from his gaze.

Justin shook his head gently, reaching his hand up to brush her hair away from her face as he turned her chin to look at him. “I do though. You think I have a problem with Alex, but I don’t. That’s why I keep saying you don’t trust me when we go visit him. You constantly make excuses for his behavior when he acts out. I don’t need excuses, Kelen. I don’t need you to try and make him something that he’s not, so that I’ll like him. I do like him. And he’s not going to scare me away.” He stopped to wait for her reaction, but she remained quiet as she contemplated his words. “I love you. Nothing’s going to change that.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “But I still don’t think you trust me either, Justin. You need to trust that I would never intentionally place anyone, let alone Eli, above you because I love you too. I don’t want to worry about what you would think every time I happen to be in the same room as him. I know he has feelings for me, but we’re both adults and he knows those feelings will never be returned. We can still work together like healthy adults.” The famous Timberpout stayed in place, but he nodded as his hands slid down her arms and around her waist.

“I want to take you out tonight,” he muttered, his grip on her waist tightening as she nuzzled his neck affectionately.

“Okay,” she whispered distractedly before he finally captured her lips with his. He placed his hands on her side and lifted her body up, resting her on the bathroom counter as she wrapped her legs around his slim waist.

“Are we good?” he smiled, meeting her lips in a series of soft kisses.

She couldn’t help but smile at the sincere look in his eyes, and nodded. “We’re good.”

“I’m sweaty,” he chuckled as her hands slid up and down his sticky back.

“Don’t worry…I plan on being so too,” she smirked and he let out a low growl as his hands slid up underneath her shirt, tugging the fabric over her head. His eyes darkened with lust as her fingertips slid against the waistband of his shorts and he ground his hips against her, indicating his want for her. A hiss of air escaped his lips when her knuckles brushed against him through his shorts, teasing him slowly as his lips crashed on to hers in a heated kiss. As much as she hated fighting with him, the make-up sex was always something to look forward to, and she had a feeling this reunion would be one for the record books. She always got all hot and bothered with want for him after his work-outs, and she could tell that today was no different. She guessed that he had been working all of his aggression out on the punching bag again; based on how red his knuckles were as they skimmed across her naked breasts, eliciting a low moan from her lips

“God…four days was so fucking long,” he mumbled against her ear as he unbuttoned her jeans as quickly as possible. She was dizzy with want and need for him, and all she could do was sit there, holding on to him as he kissed along her neck, sucking and nibbling her soft skin before licking the marks away. One of his large, calloused hands gently massaged one breast while his lips sucked the other nipple into his mouth softly. Through her haze, Kelen could hear the muffled sounds of the dogs barking and managed to pull his attention away from her breasts to question him. He gazed up at her with a confused look as his hands rested on either side of her on the counter.

“I think someone’s here,” she explained, taking a calming breath as his eyebrows furrowed together in disappointment.

“What?” He looked over at the open door and sighed, as he stepped away to allow her to hop down from the counter. He quickly changed into jeans to hide his hard-on and a t-shirt, and held up his pointer finger, telling her to wait in bed as he walked out of the room. After waiting for about twenty minutes, Kelen finally put on her bra and shirt, realizing Justin was probably not going to return anytime soon. She quietly padded down the staircase, into the kitchen, and sighed when she saw Johnny sitting at the table across from Justin. He glanced at her over his manager’s shoulder and gave her an apologetic smile before turning back to whatever was being explained to him.

“She’s interested in you joining her for the European tour, which will last for about one month. But it could be longer, depending on the demand for tickets and if she wants to add on more shows,” Johnny said as he turned his head and smiled at Kelen as she walked deeper into the kitchen. “Hey Kelen.”

“Hi Johnny,” she smiled, opening the refrigerator door and pulling out a bottle of water. “What’s going on?” She didn’t usually pry too much into Justin’s work, knowing she probably wouldn’t understand much of his job, but whatever Johnny had come to talk to Justin about was obviously urgent, or he wouldn’t have showed up at their house without notice.

“Madonna wants me to go out on tour with her,” Justin explained, patting the seat next to him as he filled her in. She slid into the seat and curled her feet underneath her body as she took a swig of water.

“Seriously? That’s amazing,” she grinned in amazement.

“It is,” Johnny nodded in agreement as he glanced at Justin, and then back at Kelen. “But there’s a scheduling conflict.”

“With what? You’re not doing anything…and it’s freaking Madonna. I mean…what’s more important than that?” Kelen chuckled, giddy with the thought of possibly meeting the Queen of Pop herself. The smile on her face softened when Justin turned to her, a grave expression on his face as he offered her a tight lipped smile.

“It’s during June,” he said. The happiness completely vanished from her body as she realized what he meant. The charity concert for Eli’s trip was planned for the middle of June.

“Oh. But…the charity concert is in June,” she said softly, her shoulders slumping as she sighed.

“That’s another thing I wanted to talk about,” Johnny nodded as he slid another piece of paper across the table, toward them. “I think the charity concert is a great idea, Kelen. How would you feel if we turned it into a bigger event? Get some more attention and artists to play? And the money we raise would go to your trip, first and foremost, and then the rest could be divided between Justin’s and any other organizations?”

Her eyes flitted over to Justin who was quietly skimming over the proposal in front of him and he looked up at her, shrugging his shoulders. “I…I don’t know. That sounds like it would be a really great cause,” she answered hesitantly.

“And I could get you into contact with some of my people who have experience with this sort of event. You know, caterers, publicists, event coordinators,” Johnny suggested, sensing her wariness. She nodded and shrugged her shoulders once again as Justin reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it encouragingly.

“I’ll have to ask Eli, but I think it’s a good idea. But I still don’t see how Justin could do it if he was in Europe.”

“We’d have to move the event later. In July, preferably. That would give us enough time to properly organize the event, sign on more artists, and even let Justin tour with Madonna,” the older man answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh…well, the trip was planned for mid August, though. Isn’t that cutting it a little too close?” she looked to Justin, who looked at his manager for the answer. Honestly, he had no idea if it would work. He wanted to be able to do both, but if it didn’t work, he would obviously need to choose between the two. And career wise, touring with Madonna would be amazing.

“Well, it is a little close. But what are two or three weeks going to do? I can pretty much guarantee you that enough money will be raised to pay for a trip for some high schoolers. So that shouldn’t be a concern. Plus, how amazing would it be for them to meet some A-List celebrities?”

Kelen nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip as Johnny smiled at her. “Yeah…I guess it sounds like it will work. Of course, I have to make sure Eli’s okay with that. It is his trip, after all.”

“Of course,” Johnny nodded. “But if you could just find out soon, because Madonna’s people are really anxious to get the ball rolling on the tour with Justin. So as soon as we know the charity concert can be moved back, we can start planning the tour.”

“I guess I could call him now,” she offered as she slid out of her seat to find her cell phone. She retrieved in from her purse and stepped out of the kitchen, allowing Johnny to continue talking to Justin as she made the call.

“Hello?” Eli’s voice answered.

“Hey,” she greeted him as she sat down on the couch. “I wanted to talk to you about the concert.”

“Sure. Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all,” she shook her head. “Justin’s manager was just here and he was asking if we were interested in making a larger event. Like…we could have more well known artists play, and the money could go to multiple causes, besides just the trip. He says he thinks getting enough money for our trip will be easy if we get more artists to play.”

“Yeah, that sounds amazing. I don’t see why that would be a problem. I mean, you’re the one who’s planning most of it. It’s really your call, Kelen. I’m just here to help you get your vision made.”

“Really? Great…I think it’ll be good. And Johnny says he’ll get me in contact with vendors and people who actually do this kind of stuff for a living,” she answered back excitedly. “Justin and I can come see you and we could discuss it further.”

“Actually,” Eli interrupted, clearing his throat loudly. “I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.”

“About what?”

“Um…” he sighed quietly. “Look, Kelen. I know Justin is a great guy and he means no harm. But, I don’t think it’s such a great idea for him to come around here anymore.”

Kelen stared down at the carpet, completely dumbfounded that Eli was suggesting what she thought he was. “Are you referring to that whole paparazzi thing? You know we had no control over that, Eli.”

“I know, I know. But some of them have come around here over the last few days, and they’re scaring the residents. You know some people here have anxiety and paranoia issues, Kelen. And there’s really nothing I can do about it, because they’re technically not breaking any laws by driving by or going into the convenience store. The only way I can think of, that would get them away from here, is if they saw that Justin wasn’t visiting anymore.”

“So you’re telling me that my boyfriend is not allowed to visit my brother anymore?” she asked, becoming more angered by the second. Not only was she disappointed that Eli, her friend, was telling her this. She was afraid of how Justin would react when he found out.

“I mean, you guys could come here and take Alex out. But, Justin just can’t be seen coming in and out of here. It causes too much commotion. I’m really sorry, Kelen. I wish there was some other way, but there isn’t. We don’t have a secret passage that he could come through…”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll talk to you later, Eli.” She didn’t even wait for his reply before pushing the ‘End’ button on her phone and walking back into the kitchen. Justin immediately noticed her change in mood and raised an eyebrow as he studied her quietly.

“What’s up?” he asked as she walked around the counter and towards the pantry to pull out a bag of Sunchips.

“Nothing,” she shrugged, avoiding his watchful gaze. She turned her attention to Johnny and forced a smile on her face as she nodded. “So he says he’s in. You can do the tour.”

“That’s great,” Johnny grinned as he reached for his Blackberry. “I’ll go make the calls. You made the right decision, Kelen.” He stood up from the table to walk out into the hall, leaving her and Justin in the kitchen.

“Kelen,” he said, giving her a pointed look. “Babe, tell me what’s wrong. You look like you’re about to punch someone in the face. Or…do something equally painful.”

She sighed, popping one chip into her mouth. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just going to go upstairs and watch some TV so you can finish your meeting.”

“Alright,” he said suspiciously, not believing her excuse for one second. After he pretty much kicked Johnny out of his house, Justin walked up to his bedroom on a mission to figure out what had caused his girlfriend’s sudden sour mood. She was sitting on top of the sheets, her back against the headboard when he entered the room. “Are you going to tell me what’s up?”

She shook her head, giving him a playful smile as his eyes narrowed at her. “Nah…”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want you to get mad…we just made up. Can’t we just be happy for a few hours?” she asked as he jumped onto the bed to sit down next to her.

“You can still tell me and I won’t get mad…”

“Seriously,” she gave him a pointed look. “I don’t want you to get angry and start huffing and puffing around here.” Justin nodded, staring at her intently as he waited for her to continue. “Eli just…doesn’t think you should go to Riverside anymore. Apparently the paparazzi have been showing up on the complex, and it’s scaring the residents.”

“And he thinks I somehow ask for all of that shit? Like I willingly call those dicks out and tell them to follow me around?”

“I know. But how else do you suggest we get them to stop making going there? I hate this as much as you do, Justin. We have to do what’s best for all of the residents there,” she said, trying to be optimistic as he stared at her as if she were crazy.

“That ass banned me from his facility…and you’re okay with that? He can’t stop me. I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

Kelen rolled her eyes as he scowled stubbornly. “It’s not my choice, J. But it’s not like you can’t ever see Alex. You just can’t visit him in his apartment.”

“This is fucking messed up,” he complained, shaking his head as he narrowed his eyes at her, as if blaming her for his banishment.

“You don’t think I know that? But what do you want me to do? Say fuck you to all of the other forty residents just so you can walk in and out as you please? It sucks. But we can’t do anything about it,” she mumbled weakly as her eyes glazed over, threatening to tear up. “I wish I could change things, but I can’t.”

He watched her quietly for a few seconds, feeling guilty when he heard her tearful sigh, before wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her into his lap. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, turning her face so that he could look into her eyes. “We’ll deal with it. It sucks, but I can accept it. Everything will be alright, Kel.” He cradled her jaw gently, softly brushing his thumb across her cheek as he smiled at her.

“I hate it,” she pouted, resting her head on his shoulder. “Why can’t things just be easy?” Justin chuckled softly before kissing her forehead tenderly.

Everything was turning into a disastrous vortex and Kelen was smack dab in the middle, unable to really comprehend how quickly her life had turned into chaos. She stared dreadfully at her kitchen island and the folders and documents that were strewn across the marble top, all separated in organized categories. It may be chaos, but at least it was organized chaos. Thanks to Johnny Wright’s contacts, she had easily come into contact with about twenty different companies about the charity concert. And now she was regretting ever conjuring up the idea in the first place. Two weeks into the planning of the event, she realized that she was completely out of her element, receiving calls almost every twenty minutes for approvals of color swatches and light fixtures. There were so many people and meetings that demanded her attention that she had only been able to step foot inside the coffee shop twice a week. To add on top of all of her stress, Justin had started rehearsals for his tour with Madonna and came home late every night completely exhausted. She was tired, stressed, and sexually frustrated.

All three things that she swore she would try to avoid as an adult.

“We’re meeting with the caterers at ten, and then we have to check out the venues at two. There are three of them, so it’ll take a few hours to tour them,” the petite brunette standing in front of Kelen rattled off, surveying her Blackberry quickly. Kelen yawned, closing her eyes as she willed up enough patience not to explode in front of Angela, the event coordinator who was helping her with the concert. It was 7:30 AM and way too early for there to be places she needed to be, especially on the one day when Justin didn’t have rehearsals. Angela had surprised her on her doorstep earlier in the morning, pulling her out of the one chance she had of sleeping in with Justin before he left for London in one week.

“Is there any way we could push back the meeting with the caterers? I was hoping I’d be able to go into the shop today to do some paper work. And I thought we were just going to have the concert in the shop. What’s all this about venues?” Kelen asked as she wiped down her kitchen counter, although Angela couldn’t see one speck of dirt on the expensive marble top.

“Well there simply isn’t enough space in your shop to hold all of the guests and performers. It’s just much easier to have a proper venue. Don’t worry. We’re still sticking to your casual, relaxed theme,” Angela smiled as she reached for one of Kelen’s homemade muffins.

“Okay…but can I still go into the shop? Why do we even need caterers? I could do the thing myself,” Kelen frowned as Justin came shuffling into the kitchen. He politely nodded at Angela, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he came around to stand next to Kelen. She smiled at him fully appreciating the way the wife-beater hug his torso and how the thin cotton sweatpants hung low on his hips.

“Mornin’ ladies,” he mumbled, pressing a soft kiss on the corner of her lips. “I thought we were sleeping in today.” He added the last part quietly against her ear.

“Well…Angela dropped in,” she explained, not so subtly showing her frustrations. Justin chuckled quietly, understanding her tone of voice as he yawned and leaned back against the counter.

“Kelen, there’s no possible way you would be able to cater for five hundred plus guests. Just trust me, this is all much easier,” Angela interrupted, feeling as if she was intruding on an intimate moment between the couple.

Kelen’s green eyes widened in shock as her brain struggled to comprehend Angela’s words at such an early time. “Five hundred plus?! Since when did we have five hundred guests?”

“Didn’t you get the email? We’ve had five hundred for about a week now, Kelen. As soon as the public heard about the list of performers, tickets have been selling out like rapid fire. We’ll easily be up to about a thousand by the time of the concert. Johnny’s incredibly pleased with the progress we’ve made so far.”

“Oh. I hadn’t realized the concert would be so big,” Kelen said softly as she focused on rearranging her spice rack.

“Yeah…no one predicted it would be so huge either. But don’t worry, everything is working out so far. Okay, I have to run to meet with John Roberts about the bar selection. I’ll meet you at your shop at nine thirty,” Angela gave a curt nod as she quickly grabbed her things and walked out of the kitchen. Justin was still standing behind Kelen, quietly studying her as she tried to alphabetize her spices. If there was one thing he knew about her, was that she organized and cleaned when she was stressed. And he had never seen his house so clean than it had been in the past week.

“Uh…is everything alright?” he started to worry when she moved on to organize the utensils drawer.

“Sure. Everything’s perfect,” she quickly answered without even looking up at him. He nodded slowly, unimpressed with her answer.

“Okay,” he stretched out the last syllable jokingly. “I think I’ll just go change and meet up with Tim in the studio then.”

Kelen’s head whipped up as she looked at him with a confused expression. “What? I thought you were off today. I thought we were gonna spend the day together.”

“We were,” he nodded. “But it sounds like you have a busy day today. So I thought I’d just go lay down a few tracks.” They stared at each other for a few seconds before her mouth tightened into a frown and she looked away from him.

“Fine,” she said curtly. “Go do whatever you want. Go chill and spend time with all of your friends while you’re at it. It’s not like you’re leaving in a week or anything.”

Justin stared at her, reeling from her angry response as he tried to figure out what it was he had said or done wrong. “Do you not want me to go to the studio? I mean…I just didn’t want to be waiting around at home for you all day.”

“Yeah, because that would suck, wouldn’t it? Having to be in an empty house and waiting around for the person you love to come home.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” His eyes widened when he saw her eyes narrowing in anger. “Kelen, I’m sorry I haven’t been around. But you know I’ve been working my ass off getting ready for this tour. I only have a week left before we leave.”

“I’m fully aware that you are leaving for three months in seven days, Justin,” she spat as she pushed the drawer back in with a loud bang and turned to him. “Just like how I’m fully aware that I have only a few months to pull together a huge charity concert, and how I am running a coffee shop practically by myself!” She huffed angrily, finally cracking under the pressure. She had built up so much anger and frustration that all it took was the reminder of Justin’s departure to push her over the edge. After a few tense minutes of the two staring wildly at each other, Kelen’s expression softened as she sighed and her shoulders relaxed. He stepped forward to hold her but she stopped him, shaking her head as she quietly brushed past him and walked up the steps. Justin was right on her heels, following her as she rushed into their bedroom.

“Kelen…holy shit, just stop and talk to me,” he pleaded, utterly confused. “What the hell did
I do?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head, trying to shut the closet door in his face. He easily stopped it with his hand, pushing it back open against her.

“Just tell me,” he urged, grabbing her wrist before she could run away to the other side of the counter. He didn’t put it past her to start running around the center island just to evade him.

“It’s nothing...forget I said all that. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

He shook his head, stopping her as she tried to twist out of his grasp. “Will you just fucking talk to me? And stop doing that, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Then let go!” she suggested, her eyes blazing angrily at him.

“Not until we fucking get this settled. If you want me to stay home, then just say it. Don’t run this shit,” he responded, getting angrier by the second. He watched as her resolve slowly crumbled and her eyes suddenly glazed over with tears. His gut reaction was to comfort her, so he instantly pulled her into his arms, hugging her protectively as she took a shuddering breath. “Hey…” he whispered into her hair as his hands rubbed her back soothingly. “It’s okay.”

Her head shook against his chest as her arms weaved around his waist, squeezing him tightly. “It’s not. Everything’s going wrong, Justin.”

“What do you mean?” He cooed, rocking them back and forth as her breathing evened out.

“This concert wasn’t supposed to be a huge Hollywood production. I just wanted to put a little fundraiser together to get enough money to send Eli and ten teenagers to London for two weeks. Now I’m rallying to raise money for six different worldwide organizations.”

“So…you don’t want to raise money for all of those organizations?” He was honestly very confused. At first, Kelen had seemed so eager and excited to be able to be a part of such a charitable event. She had constantly talked about the ideas she had and how she was meeting so many amazing people. When did his girlfriend morph into this ball of stress and worry? He knew he hadn’t been at home recently, but had he really missed this much?

“No, I do,” she shook her head again, raising her face from his chest. “Believe me…I love that we could help so many different people. I just think I’m getting lost in all of the hoopla. I mean, my phone is constantly ringing. I’m needed by all of these people I’ve never even met, approving stage design and flower arrangements. And the one chance I had all month to have dinner with you, was interrupted so that I could rearrange the set list so Danity Kane would have enough time to make it to their next show. I’m…just not cut out for this.” He could sense another tearful scene coming on so he immediately shook his head, kissing her forehead gently. It was unsettling to see Kelen so distraught. She had always been so laid-back and in control. And it was his fault for encouraging her to take on the project in the first place.

“Babe, you could always just let Angela take control. She seems like she would be more than happy to do it all.”

“But this was my idea! My project, Justin. I…I guess I’m just scared that I’ll screw something up. So much is riding on this concert now. And I have no experience with this kind of thing.”

“Listen,” he sighed, smiling as she continued to nibble on her bottom lip nervously. “The reason why Angela is there is to make sure you don’t forget anything. From what I hear, you’re doing an amazing job. And if it gets too much, remember that you’re still the one in control. You can change anything you want. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my career, it’s to follow your gut instinct.”

“I don’t think my instinct is enough to organize a charity concert for a thousand people, J…” she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t even start to think shit like that,” he reprimanded, his eyes narrowing at her. “Stop second guessing yourself. Where’s the girl that decided to start a coffee shop with her best friend on a whim straight out of college? Bring her back, because the woman standing in front of me now is definitely not the Kelen Tyler I know and love.” He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes again, finally cracking a smile.

“Stop it,” she blushed as he chuckled and wiped her eyes with the pads of his thumbs. He kissed each of her closed eyelids and the tip of her nose, earning him a soft giggle as she scrunched her nose up.

“You’ll do a great job, okay? It’s going to be amazing… And I’m not just saying that because I’m hoping to get some later,” he waggled his eyebrows playfully.

“Please. As if you’d even be around to get any,” she shot back, somewhat bitterly.

“Ouch…we’re pulling out the claws now, huh? I see how it is.” He shook his head as his arms tightened around her waist. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” she smiled, though her eyes didn’t twinkle like they usually did. He nodded, still suspicious that she was still just as worried as she was when they started their discussion. “Thank you. Forgive me for overreacting earlier?”

“I love you,” he shrugged as an explanation, pressing his lips to hers for a slow, deep kiss. “I wasn’t kidding about getting some, by the way. I fully intend on making up for my unforgivable absences. Right now.” He swiftly picked her up, ignoring her half-hearted attempts to get him to stop, and ran up the stairs two steps at a time.

“Justin…I really did plan on going into the shop,” she said, unable to sound truly disappointed. She would have the next two months to finish all the paperwork she had to do. All she could focus on now was the fact that her boyfriend was leaving in seven days, and she would be left all alone. Even more alone than normal since Sophie and Christine had moved away.

“Whatever. It’s eight in the morning, Kel. You can go in a few hours late. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” The husky tone of his words immediately shut her up as he carried her into their bedroom, swiftly kicking the door shut.

A couple hours later, Justin smoothly maneuvered his new Jeep into a parking spot behind Kelen’s coffee shop. It never failed to surprise her how gracefully he handled the hulking pile of steel and metal.

“I’ll swing by later to take you to the caterer’s. I’ll just go talk to Johnny about some business,” he smiled, feeling guilty for having to leave her once again. It seemed like he never saw her anymore, even though they slept in the same bed every night.

“You don’t have to. I can ask Angela to pick me up,” Kelen shook her head as she glanced at the clock on his dashboard. As much as she had needed the past two hours with Justin, it had definitely disrupted her whole schedule for the day.

“I want to. I’ll be back in an hour,” he promised as he leaned across the center console and kissed her softly. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” she grinned before jumping out of the vehicle. She quickly walked towards the door, shaking her head as the Jeep rumbled loudly behind her and careened out of the quiet parking lot. As soon as she stepped inside the shop, the smell of coffee and cookies immediately enveloped her, melting away all of her previous worries. The first thing on her agenda was to stop into the office to rifle through all of the mail and bills she had to attend to. After the mail had been sorted and she knew which papers to mail to Sophie, Kelen wrapped an apron around her waist and walked out onto the floor. The morning rush was just slowing down and she smiled when she saw 3 of her trusted employees standing behind the counter.

“Morning guys,” she greeted Sam, Frank, and Cassie. All three turned to her, surprise evident on their faces as they grinned at her.

“Where have you been boss lady? We thought you had abandoned us for sure,” Frank’s low friendly voice rumbled as he chuckled and enveloped her in a hug.

“I know,” she immediately apologized. “I’ve been roped into this huge charity concert thing. I’m so sorry, guys. But I promise, I’m sorting things out so that I can be here more often.”

“Well don’t worry about it. Believe it or not, we do know how to run a few things around here. You taught us well,” Cassie shrugged, smiling ear to ear. “And…I mean, it wouldn’t hurt if you, ya know, rewarded us with tickets to said charity concert.”

Kelen guffawed, shaking her head as Cassie smiled back at her unabashedly. “I really missed you guys. So how have things been going? I haven’t received any tearful calls, so I’m guessing there haven’t been any problems?”

“Sophie called in a few days ago and said she took care of all the bills and such. I took care of inventory,” Sam beamed, obviously proud of her ability to carry out her responsibilities as a new manager. “And next month’s schedule has already been sorted out.  So everything’s fine.”

“Wow,” Kelen nodded, impressed and thoroughly shocked. She had been expecting to walk into a warzone when she woke up that morning. “Great job, guys. I’ll just be in the back then, if you need anything. Oh, and I hired two more waitresses to help with the increasing load. They should be in later today for training. Can I trust one of you to work with them? And also make sure they’re not just groupies. They’re both young girls, so I don’t want there to be any…misconstrued expectations.” After giving out a few more instructions Kelen finally settled into her desk chair, sighing when she saw how much work she had to do. Although Sam and the other managers had attended to many of her duties, there was only so much they had access to. A little while later, she slammed the phone with a huge sigh of relief, finished with her work. Her desk was finally relatively clear of papers and everything was back in its appropriate folder and filing cabinet. An incessant buzzing suddenly sounded in the quiet office, breaking through her peaceful satisfaction as she reluctantly reached for her cell phone. It was Angela calling.

“Hey Angela,” she greeted, lifting the device to her ear.

“Hi Kelen. So I talked to the caterers and they have another appointment at noon, so we’ll have to meet with them at three instead, which means we’ll have to check out the venues tomorrow. This totally pushes back the rest of our week, but I think I can re-arrange some meetings and calls to make it work,” replied her semi-assistant’s petulant tone. “But at least you’ll get the rest of the day off.”

“Are you serious?” Kelen piped up, her spirits lifting as she glanced at the clock. It was only 11:30, meaning she really did have the whole day to spend with Justin.

“Yes,” Angela laughed softly. “You deserve it Kelen. I promise you won’t be receiving any calls from me today. I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay?”

“Thank you so much Angela. I’ll see you later,” she hung up the phone, letting out a squeal of excitement as she quickly grabbed all of her things and tried to dial Justin’s number at the same time. As she was trying to call him, the phone in her hand started to ring instead and she picked it up, fearing it would be Angela telling her it had all been an April Fools’ Joke.

“Hello?” she said softly, cringing as she waited for the person to respond.

“Kelen?” Came Eli’s familiar voice. “Where are you?”

She let out a gentle chuckle at his confused tone. “Doesn’t matter…sorry Eli. What’s up?”

“Well…Alex has been freaking out for the past hour because he hasn’t heard from you in awhile. You remember what to today is, right?” Honestly she didn’t. She couldn’t remember what she ate that morning, much less what the date was. “It’s Wednesday,” Eli supplied, filling in her silence.

“Wednesday? Oh shit.” Every Wednesday was her day to spend with Alex. How had she forgotten that?

“Exactly,” Eli chuckled good-naturedly. “Don’t worry though, I managed to calm him down and he’s hanging out in the game room now. I’ll just tell him you’ll come later. When can you get here?”

Kelen cringed as the image of Justin popped up in her mind. “I…I don’t know. Today was my only day with Justin before he leaves, Eli.”

“Oh,” he mumbled softly, understanding the meaning behind her words. “What should I tell Alex then? He’s not going to be very happy with me.” Kelen nibbled on her lip as she quickly tried to come up with a resolution.

“I’ll be there in an hour,” she finally said. “Yeah I’ll be there in an hour with Justin.”

“Kelen…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Don’t worry, Justin will stay in his car the whole time. No one will see him,” she frowned as Eli reminded her of his ridiculous rule. “See you later, E.” She hung up and called Justin, praying for his understanding.

“I’m right outside!” His cheery voice sang into the phone after the first ring. “You don’t want to be late for the caterers.”

“About that…” she sighed as she walked out the back door. She flipped her phone shut and clumsily climbed up the Jeep waiting for her outside. Justin grinned at her through his dark sunglasses, leaning forward to peck her lips. “We don’t have to go to the caterers anymore. Not until 3, at least.”

“Great,” he beamed. “We can grab some food and head on home then.”

“Actually…We can’t do that either. Today’s Wednesday,” she informed him, wincing as she prepared herself for his reaction. What was she supposed to do?

“I know that…so what – oh,” his face fell quickly as he turned to look at her, his lips forming a thin line.

“I’m so sorry, but I can’t blow Alex off. I haven’t seen or talked to him in a week. Could we just take him out to lunch? I promise it won’t be long. And then you could come with me to the caterer’s too…and then after that, we’ll have the whole evening, just the two of us. No cell phones,” she pleaded, clasping her hands together as she frowned, trying to convey how torn she was. His face stared forward, his eyes focusing on the road as he sighed softly.

“But…this is literally my only free day. I really cannot change any of my schedule for the rest of the week, so I’m not sure how much time we’ll have together.” He wasn’t exactly protesting, but he didn’t look happy either. It pained her to have to do this to him, especially after she had thrown such a fit about spending time together earlier that morning. And it hurt her to know that she was losing such precious time with him.

She nodded slowly, reaching for his hand as he unclenched his fist. “I know,” she spoke softly. “But he’s my brother. I promise…one hour at the deli tops. It’s the only way I can make sure Alex won’t have a fit later on. He gets antsy if he doesn’t see me every week.”

“Okay,” he consented, his shoulders shrugging gently. Kelen nodded guiltily, holding their intertwined hands up to press her lips onto the back of his hand.

“I love you,” she smiled when he glanced at her. “Thanks for doing this.”

“He’s your brother, Kel. There’s nothing more you could do,” he shrugged. He smiled at her, but it did nothing to ease her guilt. It was one of those smiles you would plaster on your face when your grandmother gives you an ugly sweater, or in Justin’s case, one he had mastered after living in the constant glow of nosy cameras. It was there only for appearance’s sake. The car fell into an awkward silence and she watched as Justin turned the volume up on the radio, something he rarely ever did when she rode with him. The tension was suffocating and she had to look away, sitting back in her seat as she cradled his hand in her lap.

She took a deep, calming breath, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth as she watched the cars whiz by her window. Something was starting to push them apart, and whatever it was, it was slowly eating away at their relationship. They hadn’t had a real conversation in weeks, and whenever they did manage to talk to each other, there was always something they were arguing over. And mostly, she was at fault. Justin had been nothing but patient and amazing throughout their whole relationship, and she wasn’t about to lose him by repeating her mistakes. There would be no way she could forgive herself if that ever happened.

Lunch passed relatively quickly with Justin’s one word replies to her and light conversation with Alex. Alex, of course, had just been happy to see his big sister and talked throughout the whole meal, updating her on everything she had missed since their last lunch. She hadn’t said much, mostly because her thoughts were filled with how she could make it up to Justin, but also because there wasn’t much she had to say. All she had lived and breathed for the past month was the charity concert. After she had walked Alex back to his condo, Kelen quickly jumped back into the car, where Justin had been waiting with the bill of his trucker hat pulled low over his eyes.

“See, one hour,” she beamed, glancing at the clock on the console. “I got in and out of there so quick.”

“Thank god. Eli came out here and was about to give me that damn lecture again,” Justin grumbled as he drove out of the parking lot. “You’d think he would lighten up after a month or so of peace.”

“Well…he really can’t risk that. The residents are all very sensitive,” Kelen answered lightly. “He cares a lot about them.”

“Well give the dude a fucking medal for doing his job.”

She stared at him, anger starting to bubble in the pit of her stomach as his jaw set and both of his hands gripped the steering wheel, preparing for her rebuttal. Instead of defending Eli, she ignored him, folding her arms over her chest. She would not get into that same fight with him. Not on their one day together.

“Well what do you want to do? I have about an hour before I have to be at the caterer’s.” She broke the silence as they drove through the streets of his neighborhood.

“I think I’ll go to the range for a bit and hit some balls around,” he answered easily, his eyes darting sideways to look at her.

“Oh…I was hoping we could just hang out,” came her defeated reply. What more could she do? She had successfully managed to ruin the day all by herself. He had all the right to go unwind and do whatever he pleased.

“Well…you’ll be leaving in an hour anyways. Not like that’s a substantial amount of time or anything. I’ll be back by the time you’re finished with your meeting.” The car came to a stop and Justin easily jumped out of his seat, not even waiting for her as he walked through the doors of his home. Well, technically their home, but she had never felt more unwelcome than she did at that moment as she followed him inside. She made herself a cup of tea as Justin changed and sat at the kitchen counter, staring off into space. He came bounding down the stairs a few minutes later, patting both of his dog’s heads when they ran over to him.

“Justin,” Kelen started after going over her spiel in her head for the fifth time. “I know you’re upset about the whole lunch thing…but please don’t make this day any worse. I know I fucked up and I’m so sorry for that. You have no idea how sorry I am. But I want to make it up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up,” he shrugged nonchalantly as he grabbed a Gatorade out of the fridge. “You wanted to have lunch with your brother. So we did that. Done deal.”

“You know that I didn’t want to do that, J,” she frowned. “I had no other choice.”

He rolled his eyes at that, chuckling softly to himself as he propped his hands on the other side of the island, leaning his weight forward. “You always have a choice, Kelen. Don’t sit there and tell me you didn’t want to go to lunch, because then you wouldn’t have. You chose to spend your time with Alex. And I accept that.”

“It’s not that easy. I didn’t want to have to choose him over you,” she bit her lip, unable to stop the pain that was overtaking her body as he stared back at her, expressionless. She was usually so good at reading his face and eyes. “I wanted nothing more than to just lay in bed with you all day. You know that.”

“Well you coulda fooled me,” he answered sarcastically, eyes hard and angry. Even though his tone was completely sensible, she could sense his anger and disappointment laced in every word. “Who knew being in the shop all morning actually meant being in bed all morning. Silly me.”

“Don’t be like that.”

“No,” he shook his head, his lips curving into a sneer as he pushed off of the kitchen island and stood upright. “I’m fucking pissed, Kelen! You seriously made me feel so bad when you were saying how I hadn’t spent any time at home lately. I felt like the biggest douche. I rearranged everything today, so that I could be with you. Johnny was talking to me like I was that fifteen year old kid again, telling me I had to focus on the tour. I was blowing off Madonna for Christ’s sake! But I was adamant that he let me off today so I could be with my girl. And then you go and pull that shit with Alex.”

“I couldn’t just leave him,” she argued. “He’s my brother!”

“I’m not asking you to choose between me and him, Kelen. That’s the last thing I would ever do. But just once…just today, I wanted you to make an effort and maybe sacrifice one fucking meal so we could be together. You have the next three months to hang out with Alex. He could even move in here for all I care. Just once…I needed to know that you were trying just as hard as I was to make this work.”

She looked away from him then, unable to bear the unshielded hurt that was in his eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“What could I say? He’s your brother. And he will always have priority. I knew that from the beginning. It wasn’t my place to make you choose, Kelen,” he shook his head gravely. She didn’t respond, choosing instead to stare down at her hands as tears built up in her eyes. She heard him walk into the laundry room and pick up his golf bag, the club heads clanging together loudly as he walked out to the garage.

No good-bye.

No usual declaration of love.

Just his footsteps walking out the door.

“I ruined everything, Soph,” Kelen sighed, tears flowing freely down her face as she cradled her phone by her ear. As soon as Justin had walked out she had sunk down to the floor, overwhelmed with guilt and the knowledge that it may very well be the end of their relationship. “It’s over.”

“Hey,” Sophie protested softly. “You don’t know that. Tell me what happened.”

“He said he was waiting to see that I was putting an effort into our relationship. Some sign that he wasn’t the only one making sacrifices. Which isn’t even true!”

Sophie remained silent for a few minutes and Kelen frowned, waiting for her friend’s loyal agreement. It was an unwritten rule that your girlfriends agree with everything you say in the face of a boyfriend-related problem. “Well…Kel, to be honest…I can understand where he’s coming from.”

“What?” Kelen gulped, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Buckley and Brennen had immediately rushed to her side and were both sprawled out on either side of her like two sentinels, protectors of whatever was causing her such pain. It was too bad that the hurt was of her own doing.

“Okay, just listen before you snap at me. From how I see things, he’s changed a lot of things in his life to make room for you. Not that you haven’t either,” she added quickly. “But…think about it. He’s cut work trips short to come home, he supports your relationship with Eli although he clearly hates the guy, and he’s understood Alex’s needs…to a point. You, on the other hand, had to adjust to his lifestyle and career. But you still carried on the same way that you’ve always had.”

“So you’re on his side?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side, Kelen. I’m merely saying what I’ve observed as an outsider. You got the better end of the stick…and I don’t think it was ridiculous of him to ask you to just give up one day with Alex. It makes sense why he would be upset. Try looking at it from his perspective.”

Kelen nibbled on her bottom lip, thinking of how upset she had been earlier that morning when she thought he was going to spend the day recording. And then how angry she would have been if he actually followed through on his plans. “Fine. But it’s not like I was there for the whole day. We were out to lunch for one hour! Including the drive back and forth to the deli.”

“I don’t think that was the issue. I think it was the idea behind it, Kelz. You kind of hurt his pride, I think. It would be like him having lunch with Rachel, when you knew she would be following him around Europe for the tour,” Sophie reasoned.

“What do I do now?” Kelen questioned quietly. “There’s no way he’ll forgive me.”

“Well…I can’t speak for him, but if he loves you as much as I think he does, then he will. He just needs some time to cool off. You need to show him that you’re as committed to the relationship as he is. Don’t just apologize over and over again.”

“I have no idea what to do, though. I suck at all of that romancing crap and Justin is like… a genius. He always does the cutest stuff for me,” Kelen’s voice broke as the memory of him making breakfast that one morning sparked a new wave of tears to stream down her face. “God…how could I fuck things up so badly?”

“Listen, everyone fucks up every now and then. It’s called being human. At least you realize that you messed up and want to fix it.”

“Wanting it doesn’t help. I don’t know how to fix this. You didn’t see how hurt he looked…he wasn’t just angry, he was disappointed. And I don’t blame him.” She had completely taken him for granted, and honestly, he had every right to be angry with her. It was only a matter of time before he would realize how different their lives were. He was so amazing and perfect. And she wasn’t. How could she have ever believed she would fit in his world?

“What?” Sophie’s threatening tone broke through her reprimanding thoughts, and Kelen realized she had inadvertently voiced her last thought. “Don’t you ever say shit like that again. Don’t go down that path again, Kelen. It’s not pretty. Just think about the things Justin loves most about you. Like…are there certain things you guys have done together that he loves?”

“Yeah…sex,” Kelen chuckled, despite herself. “And eating.”

“You just described every man in the world, hon. Way to be observant.”

“Well I don’t know!” She let out an exasperated sigh as she rubbed her sore eyes. “He loves it when we’re lying on the couch together and watching movies. Or when I cook his favorite dishes. He likes just…hanging out together, I guess. He usually works so much that all he wants to do is lie around the house together.”

“Okay, well then go off of that. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t normally do, like buying him a present or taking him to a basketball game. Make him a nice dinner and eat it together while you watch a movie or something,” Sophie suggested.

“That seems too…simple though.”

“Well Justin’s a simple guy. He’s not like these other L.A. types.”

Kelen nodded, although Justin was anything but simple. He was amazing and she had lost sight of that. “Alright, well I guess I should go brainstorm.”

“Okay. Let me know how it goes. Good luck,” Sophie replied cheerfully, although Kelen could still detect her worried tone. “Just talk to him, alright? Everything will be alright.” Kelen nodded and bid farewell to her friend before dropping the phone into her lap. She leaned back against the wall and tried to conceive the perfect way to show Justin how much she loved him. She only had one last chance to really make it up to him before he left, and only a few hours to do it. She also needed to call Angela to cancel their meeting.

The concert could wait.

=============================

Justin eased the Rubicon up his driveway, expecting Kelen to be gone and the house to be empty for a few hours. Spending the last two hours at the range with Trace had proven to be exactly what he needed to calm down. All he had needed were a few beers and swings of his clubs to alleviate his growing frustrations. Maybe he shouldn’t have become so angry so quickly, but he knew there was only so much more he could have taken of being second to Kelen’s brother. The problem would have come out eventually, and in his opinion, it was better to let it out now than to let it dwell in his head.

As he parked his car, he was surprised to see Kelen’s car still sitting in the spot where it had been earlier that morning. Maybe Angela had come to pick her up. He wouldn’t be that surprised if Eli had offered to chauffer her around either. That little punk would probably drive her to New York if she asked.

After putting away his golf bag with his other golf equipment, he pulled his polo shirt off, leaving him in a thin white wifebeater as he walked into his home. As soon as he shut the door, the strong smell of barbecued meats surrounded him and he glanced towards the kitchen door curiously.

“Justin?” he heard Kelen call out to him over the sounds of sizzling pans and chopping knives.

“Yeah,” he grunted as he padded out of the laundry room. Kelen stood at the kitchen island in front of a bowl of salad as she looked up and smiled apprehensively at him. He nodded at her, dumping his keys and wallet on top of the counter as his eyes scanned around the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

“I thought we could have dinner together …if that’s alright with you,” she answered carefully, her green eyes softening as she smiled at him. If he hadn’t been so angry with her a few hours ago, he would have instantly melted at the sight in front of him. She wasn’t exactly the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, but still…his heartbeat faltered a little as he looked her over. Her dark blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, exposing the long column of her neck as one of his oldest zip-up hoodies covered her shoulders. The Memphis Tigers hoodie was huge on her body and looked like a dress, easily covering up her white cotton tank top and black shorts. She just looked so comfortable and at ease, he wondered if he was really standing a few feet away from the same Kelen he had been living with for the past few days. His eyes quickly scanned down her toned legs and then up to meet her eyes, where she was still looking back at him uncertainly.

“Didn’t you have a meeting or something?” He asked, remembering that this was not the time to be ogling her body and that he was still very much bitter and angry.

“I cancelled it,” Kelen shrugged, nibbling on her bottom lip. “It’s our last night together…and I didn’t want to ruin the only time we have left. Angela can wait one more day. The caterers aren’t going anywhere.” She studied him quietly, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. She had never felt this awkward around Justin before. And she couldn’t tell if he was buying into any of this. He had immediately set his features into a cool expression when he stepped inside, and gave off the impression that he couldn’t care less about the dinner she was making. She didn’t know what hurt more; the look of betrayal on his face earlier or his unaffected expression now.

“Well I’m glad you could make one sacrifice in your schedule,” he nodded curtly. He noticed the flash of pain in her eyes and instinctively felt a little guilty for it, but he wasn’t going to give in that quickly. She had hurt him, and it was going to take a lot more than some good food to solve the issue.

“Um…I made some ribs and macaroni…I know it isn’t as good as your grandmother’s but I thought it would be a good last meal together.”

“That sounds good,” he nodded, shrugging his shoulders indifferently as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He turned back to her, surprised to see her focusing down at the counter, her lips pulled into a tight line as angry tears started to form in her eyes. She suddenly raised her head and he froze as their eyes met.

“Look, Justin, if you don’t want to have dinner with me, then just say it,” she finally said, glaring heatedly at him. She was getting bored of his curt responses and would rather just have it ended swiftly. “I know you’re hurt and angry, but I love you and I’m not going to have that one fight ruin what we have. So if you’re already done with this, just tell me now so we don’t have to go through this awkward shit.”

He stared back at her incredulously, carefully processing her bitter words. He didn’t know what she meant by being ‘done’ with anything, but her attitude was pissing him off. She didn’t have the right to be angry with him.

“I already told you that it sounds good. Which usually means that I plan on eating with you. I’ll be down after I shower.” Without another word or glance, he turned on his heel and exited up the stairs, leaving her completely deflated. It was difficult for him to see her so torn up, knowing he was the cause of her pained look. It was his duty to keep her from hurting, and yet, just his mere presence seemed to make her cringe. But he knew what she felt was nothing compared to the sting he had felt today, discovering that he was much more committed to their relationship than she was. 

Justin quickly changed out of his clothes and stepped into the shower, the hot water beating down on his tense muscles. Although he had been insistent that he wasn’t asking Kelen to choose him over her brother, in a way, he really had been doing just that. He really never had a problem with Alex and his relationship with Kelen. But he was starting to feel as if he barely fit into her life anymore. All she cared about was the concert, which had been started for Alex and Eli’s London trip, and Alex. It was like she saw right through him every time they talked, and the only time she returned back to the woman he had fallen in love with, was when he could temporarily pull her thoughts away from them. When was her life ever going to stop revolving around her brother?

The air in the bathroom was starting to suffocate him as steam filled the bathroom, and Justin quickly turned off the various knobs, wondering how long he had been standing in the shower. He dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist before walking into the bedroom. As he padded across the hardwood floor to his closet, the bedroom door swung open and he looked over his shoulder as Kelen stepped inside.

“Um…dinner’s ready,” she said. He nodded and disappeared into the closet to change, turning his back to her quickly. When he came back out, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at her feet as they swung back and forth idly. Her head rose when she heard him approach, wiping away her pained expression.

“Are you coming?”

“Could we talk first? I don’t want to ruin the last meal we could possibly have together…with this standing in the way.”

“If that’s what you want,” he shrugged and sat down next to her, although putting a considerable amount of space between them.

She seemed to notice this and tried to hide the hurt look in her eyes, although he could see right through it. She had always been a bad liar. It was one of the things he loved about her, she didn’t have a dishonest bone in her body.

“I am so sorry for the way I’ve been treating you. I should have seen the way I was hurting you, but I was blind and pre-occupied and you didn’t deserve that. You sacrificed a lot for me, and I didn’t show you my appreciation, but you have to know that I never, ever wavered in my love for you. And it hurts me to know that you ever questioned that. I don’t know how I could express just how sorry I am for hurting you like that,” she sighed softly, her voice breaking as she peered at him.

“Kelen, I never thought that you stopped loving me. I was just tired of putting so much into this relationship, while you just seemed to be focused on other things. And I understand that you have other responsibilities. I just thought that, out of all days, today would be the day you would put that all aside and focus on us. And when you didn’t, it just pushed me over the edge,” he frowned, eyes closing as he tried to remain calm. His hand wiped over his face and then fell to his lap. “You’ve been pulling away for weeks now.”

“Pulling away how?” She stared at him, confused and feeling even guiltier for hurting him for so long.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, huffing tiredly. “You just…you were distracted and we never talked like we used to.”

“I had a lot going on,” she argued, immediately regretting her tone when he glared at her with a pointed look.

“When are you going to stop using that goddamn excuse? That concert was not the reason why you decided to put your brother over our relationship today, Kelen. And you know it.”

Her eyebrows furrowed together and her lips pursed together angrily. “So it comes to this again. I have to choose between you and my brother?”

“No,” he shook his head sternly. “Don’t make it sound like that. I’m not asking you to choose between anyone. I’m saying…sometimes your brother doesn’t always have to be the priority in your life. You can care and have passions about other things in your life, and I’m not just talking about me.”

She looked away from him then, her green eyes darkening solemnly as she took in his words. Justin watched as she self-consciously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and picked at a loose string on his hoodie. She finally glanced up at him, a defeated look in her eyes as she nodded.

“You’re right. Maybe I do put my brother on a pedestal. But I can’t help it. I’ve been caring for him for so long, it just comes naturally to me. And it’s going to take me awhile to work away from that. I promise, though, that I’ll try, Justin. I can’t promise you that it will happen quickly…but I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ask,” he nodded, a comforting smile crossing his face as he scooted closer to her. “You have to understand. I don’t mean to get so angry and jealous about this. It’s just that I love you so much.” He said it so casually, she had almost missed it. But the words had somehow registered in her brain, sending quick impulses to her heart and other mushy areas that had given up hope.

“Really?” She couldn’t help the surprised look on her face. He chuckled softly, nodding and blushing a little.

“Really.” He brought his hand up, curling his finger under her chin and gently angling her face so that he could kiss her. Her lips instantly responded, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth as she let out a soft sigh. He pulled away from her then, swiping his thumb across her pink lips. “So how about that dinner?”

She smiled dreamily at him, nodding and allowing him to pull her off the bed. They walked down together silently; still unsure of how to fall back into the same place they were at before, when they had just overcome one of their most emotionally draining arguments. Kelen had the sense that the fact that they had managed to get through that relatively unscathed meant their relationship was much stronger than any she had before. And in that thought, laid hope and possibly the promise that this could be it for her. Justin, on the other hand, was no stranger to such rocky times and was still trying to approach the situation with as much finesse and care as possible. As much as Kelen wanted things to be back to normal, he knew that it would be impossible for him to completely wipe away the sting of her decision immediately. In the meantime, he would try to act as normal as possible for her sake.

“Just give me a few minutes to get everything,” Kelen’s gentle voice shook him from his thoughts and he nodded dumbly. “Could you just carry these plates to the table?”

“Yeah,” he found his voice, snapping back as he moved toward the island. After the table was set and the food was ready, they both sat down in their respective chairs on opposite ends of the table. Justin eagerly cut into his barbecue ribs, inhaling the warm scent that wafted from the glazed meat. It amazed him that Kelen could still cook so well under so much emotional distress.

“This is amazing, Kelen. Thank you,” he smiled after swallowing his first bite.

“No problem,” she shrugged, biting into her macaroni and cheese. “I thought it would be a good reminder of home before you leave.”

“You sure this wasn’t just a ploy to try and get me to stay home?” he joked, taking the bone by his fingers. She smirked at him, shrugging her shoulders as she peeled the meat off the bone and suck her finger into her mouth. Justin watched her quietly, mesmerized as she chewed and started to pick at things with her fingers. He had always said he loved a girl who wasn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty, and Kelen was no different. There was just something so sensual about the way she licked the sauce off her fingers, as if she wanted to prolong the taste by allowing each of her taste buds to enjoy the food she ate.

“So what time do you leave on Friday?”

He licked his lips as he thought, reaching for his cold beer. “I actually leave Saturday morning for Berlin. Like…5 AM or something. I’ll have to double check with Rachael when she gets back into town tomorrow.”

“Can I go with you to the airport?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side as she gave him a shy smile. “I don’t want to say goodbye until the last possible minute.”

He grinned at that, nodding his head once. “Of course.”

The rest of dinner was spent with light conversation and occasional brushes of their feet as they ate, enjoying their last full night together. After putting away all of the leftovers and cleaning the dishes, they settled in for a movie, stretching out on the couch together. Justin lay between the back cushions and Kelen’s body, wrapping his arms around her as the credits of the newest Will Smith action flick began. At some point during the movie, Kelen had fallen asleep, snuggling against his chest as she breathed deeply. He watched her sleep, memorizing every detail of her face. He hadn’t remembered her having such dark under eye circles. And now as he studied her, he realized she looked thinner too. Her face didn’t have the soft, gentle curves it used to either. She stirred suddenly, her eyes fluttering open as she stretched.

“Tired?” he asked, laughing at her dazed expression.

“A little,” she nodded as she moved to sit up. “I’m just gonna go upstairs. You can finish the movie.”

“I wasn’t even paying attention, really,” Justin shook his head as he stood up to turn off all of the electronics. He followed her up the stairs and into their bedroom, heading towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. She joined him a few minutes later after changing into her pajamas, standing next to him as she reached for her toothbrush.

“Do you have to get up early tomorrow morning?” She looked at him though his reflection in the mirror.

“Nah. Rehearsal’s at eleven,” he answered before leaning over the sink to rinse his mouth. He stood back upright and leaned against the counter, watching her curiously.

“Whah?” she asked with a mouthful of toothpaste. He looked like he was about to say something, but shook his head instead before leaning forward to press a kiss on her temple.

“You look good in my hoodie,” he commented as he walked out of the bathroom, winking at her. She rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself. When she emerged out of the bathroom, Justin was already snuggled under the covers, fidgeting with his Blackberry. She climbed into bed with him, turning off all of the lights so that his face glowed with the white light of his phone. After typing out his last email, he put the phone onto his nightstand and smiled at her, pulling her into his arms.

“Goodnight,” she said, her words muffled against his bare chest.

“Love you,” he answered, kissing the top of her head as his hand brushed through her hair. She smiled, sighing happily after reciprocating his words. How could she have ever second-guessed his love? It was so honest and true, that there was no denying it. No matter what, she was going to try and change for him. He deserved it. Their relationship depended on it.

=================================

Today was just not a good day.

Justin grumbled angrily, wiping the sweat off his face as he stood in front of the mirror with his hands on his hips. The A/C in the dance studio had chosen to stop functioning earlier that morning, and now everyone seemed to be dying around him. But there was no way they could end rehearsals with the tour starting in two days.

“It’s step, slide, right, left, right,” Brett, the choreographer, instructed as he moved his feet.

“I know, I know,” Justin mumbled as he nodded at Rachael to throw him his water bottle. He caught it easily, chugging down the cold liquid. “It’s just so damn hot, I can’t think straight.”

“The A/C should be working soon. The guys have been working on it for a few hours now,” Brett shrugged, lifting the bottom of his shirt up to wipe at his own sweat. “Why don’t we take a break so I can go find out what’s going on.”

Justin nodded and lazily shuffled his feet over to where his cousin sat by the mirror, collapsing to the ground in front of her. The cold floor helped to cool him down and he sighed, throwing his arm over his eyes.

“Kelen called. Wants to let you know she’s getting off early tonight so she can hang with you. Do you think you’ll get out of here at a decent time?”

“I hope so. I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he answered.

“Diane’s coming in a couple hours to do a fitting too. She wants you to be showered by then so that the clothes don’t get nasty.”

Justin turned his head, glaring at her and she glared right back at him. “Tell Brett that. I’m more than happy to go take a nice cold shower.” Rachael nodded and began typing a message on her Blackberry as she gave him another cold water bottle. He held it up to his forehead, inhaling deeply. “Hey, have you noticed that Kelen’s been losing weight? She looked so tiny this morning when she came back from her jog.”

“Yeah…I noticed. I’m not going to say shit about it, though. Never comment on a girl’s weight.”

“Well if you don’t, I might. She’s already thin enough,” Rachael shrugged. “Have things been really stressful around here?”

“Kind of…I already told you about the fight. The concert probably isn’t helping either,” Justin said thoughtfully, scratching at his stomach. “It sucks that we have to leave tomorrow. I’m scared she’s going to run herself into the ground with this shit. And the thing is that she’s too proud to ask for help. She wants to do this whole thing herself. But there’s just too much going on, with the shop and everything.”

Rachael nodded, a small frown etching her face as she looked at him. “I’ll ask Trace to stop by and check up on her a few times.”

“That’s a good idea,” Justin nodded as Brett walked back into the room. “What’s the news?”

“They’re getting nowhere with that shit. Apparently some wires fried or something. So we’re pretty much done for now. We’ll just have to work on it when I get into Berlin tomorrow night. It’s just some minor details…you have most of it down,” Brett answered as he walked over to the stereo to take out the CD. Justin nodded and jumped up to his feet, adjusting the waistband of his basketball shorts as he went over to embrace Brett and say goodbye. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Rachael was following him as he walked through the hallway of the studio, nodding at a few dancers he knew.

“So are we goin’ home now?” she asked.

“Yeah. Can you ask Diane to come to the house for the fitting? I’m too exhausted to go anywhere else.”

“You should get lunch. You haven’t eaten all day.” He nodded distractedly at his cousin as she handed him his phone and called Diane. They walked out of the door, meeting Lonnie where he stood next to the car.

“Hey man. Hungry?”

“Always,” Lonnie’s laughter rumbled as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “What’re you in the mood for?”

Justin shrugged as he scrolled through his text messages. “Stop by that new deli you were talkin’ about. I could use a nice sandwich.” He quickly dialed Kelen’s number, holding the device up to his ear as his fingers tapped against his knee. The familiar anxieties about the upcoming tour were starting to settle in, and he was excited to get back on stage again.

“Hey babe,” Kelen’s cheery voice greeted him. “How are rehearsals going? I heard the A/C broke.”

“Yeah. It sucked. But at least I get off early. What are you doin’?”

“I just finished finalizing the menu for the concert. I’m on my way to check out this venue Angela picked out. I’m pretty sure this one might be the one, so I’m excited. So it looks like I’ll get back pretty early too. I’ll meet you at home?”

He nodded, smiling at how happy she sounded. “Diane’s coming by for a fitting, so you can come help approve. I know how much you girls love to ogle my body.”

“Yeah, you caught us,” came her sarcastic reply. “Hey, I have to go. Angela’s calling me.”

“Talk to you later, girl,” he answered before hanging up. His mood was suddenly much brighter now as he looked at the clock, realizing it was only 2 o’clock in the afternoon. He pretty much had the whole day to spend with Kelen. If he was lucky, he’d probably get laid too. And that thought definitely lifted up his spirits.