Tease
I feel like crying. No sobbing. Better yet, I feel like crying enough to fill the Hoover Dam. Why am I so unhappy? I'll tell you why, two words:
Justin Timberlake.
Yeah, I'll admit it, I miss him. A whole lot, but it's not my fault he won't talk to me. It's been a week and the most conversation we had was three days ago during an awkward phone call that began with hello and ended five seconds later with him claiming he was working in the studio. God, why is he so complicated? Since when does one of your closest friends come out of nowhere and ask you out?
I know what you're thinking: I'm completely insane for rejecting his date. But I have my reasons people. I mean, for one thing, what if we don't work out, huh? Yeah, you didn't think about that did you? We can fall apart instantly and what will that lead to? Tears, fights, and a perfectly good, no fantastic, friendship down the drain.
My second reason, we just got out of horrible relationships. Yeah I know, we could rebound and fuck each other's brains out from here to kingdom come, but what will that do? Ruin a perfectly fantastic friendship! Because when all is said and done, we won't be able to be around each other. How can you go back to being friends after sleeping with someone for "fun"?
See, I think about these things. You don't just jump into the water without dipping your toes in it first, now do you? And if you do, doesn't it always shock you when your perfectly warm, and content skin touches the icy, unknown waters? Ugh! I'll never go swimming again. . .
"What are you thinking?" I look up from my Cosmopolitan magazine to look at Tiffany.
"Huh?" She rolls her eyes and curls her feet beneath her body.
"Talk." Damn her. She's always in my head. How rude is that?
"There's nothing to talk about." Okay, I'm a horrible liar, we've already established that.
"Yeah right," See? I told you, "Come on. You've been acting funny ever since that dinner get together thing we had last week. Did something happen?"
"Justin asked me out." Her eyes widen with excitment.
"And you didn't tell me?" I shrugged in response, "So when's your date? We have to go shopping!"
"What date?"
"The date that you said yes to, right?" I make a face, playing dumb, "Tell me you didn't tell him 'no'?"
I swallow slowly and look down at my hands guiltily, "I didn't tell him 'no'?"
"Are you crazy!?!"
"Maybe?" She shoots me a dirty look and I cringe, waiting for her impending tirade.
"You must've lost your gosh darn mind, Alonsha! Justin's. . .JUSTIN! My God woman, are you dumb, deaf, or blind? What the hell? Do you have any idea how huge of a deal this is?" Okay, now she's getting dangerously close to bruising my confidence here.
"Look Tiffany, I don't need you preaching to me about how huge of a deal it is for Justin to have asked me out. I'm not a child, I made my choice for my own reasons, so leave it alone." Wow, I actually sounded like I knew what the hell I was talking about.
"What reasons?" Her voice was unconvinced.
"I don't want to ruin our friendship by trying something that isn't going to work out anyway." She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.
"How do you know it's not going to work out?"
"How do you know it is?"
"Because, some things are just obvious, and this is one of them." I huff and get off the sofa. I didn't want to deal with this bullshit. I knew I should've kept my mouth shut.
"Tiff, you can live in your little fantasy world where love is everywhere and nothing bad can happen, but I live in the real world, where shit happens and I'm not trying to let anything hurt something that I care deeply about, especially me and Justin's friendship." By this time I made my way into the kitchen and was pouring myself a glass of juice and popping popcorn for the movie me and Tiffany were about to watch.
"I don't live in a fantasy world," Tiffany pouted as she sat at the kitchen table, "I just want to see you happy again." I closed the juice container while rolling my eyes.
"I am happy, Tiffany."
"No you're not," she argued, "Not like you were when Kyle was around." Why did she have to say that? I can feel the urge to cry coming on, but I push it back.
"The hell with Kyle, I don't need him." I was lying. I missed him sometimes, when I was alone, or when I saw Tiffany and Scott in a boo-loving affair.
"I agree, you don't need him," she stated as she sat up in her chair, "But you need somebody." Her words hit me hard.
"You know what, Tiffany?" I angrily slam the fridge door shut after tossing the juice inside, "Mind your own fucking business!" I'm only in the kitchen long enough to see her shocked expression before I walk out to my room. I slam my bedroom door shut and lock it securely. I flopped onto the bed and stared at the white ceiling.
"Damn it."
*-*-*-*-*-*
"For the millionth time, Trace, I'm fine." Justin whined as he tried to get the video game controller back from his friend.
"I don't believe you." Trace tucked the device behind his back, preventing Justin from reaching it.
"Give me the damn controller!" Justin snapped and Traced made a face.
"And you're not angry?"
"I'm angry because some jackass is trying to ruin my damn game." Traced rolled his eyes.
"You're angry because you got rejected." Justin stopped struggling for controller and stared at his friend.
"I didn't get rejected," Justin argued, "Rejection only happens when you give a shit about the person's response." Traced laughed.
"Do you have any idea how lame you are?"
"Gimme me the damn controller." Justin whined.
"Gimme got shot and he didn't recover." Justin put his hands up in surrender.
"Fine, keep the damn thing." He got up from his place on the sofa and made his way into the kitchen.
"Dude!," Trace called after him while tossing the controller on the couch, "Since when don't you talk to me?" He was now leaning on the kitchen doorframe, looking at Justin disappointedly.
"Trace. . ." Justin groaned fustratedly, "There's nothing to talk about." Trace looked at him for a moment.
"I'm telling mama that you're lying to me." He made a beeline for the phone and before Justin could respond, Trace was talking.
"Dude, stop it!" Trace didn't listen.
"Yeah. . .uh huh. . .Well actually, Justin has to talk to you about something. . .He's right here. . .Hold on a sec." Trace and Justin struggled for a moment, but Justin finally relented and placed the phone to his ear.
"Hey mama." He smiled, before flipping Trace the bird.
"Is everything okay, sweetie?" She was worried. Great.
"Well. . .yeah." He lied to his mother of all people. He winced.
"Right. Randall, what's going on?" He sighed as he sat on a kitchen stool.
"It's Alonsha, ma." he finally admitted as he absentmindedly played with a napkin.
"Is she okay?" There goes that worried tone again.
"Yeah. . .yeah she is." Justin struggled to explain, "I. . .um. . .well. . ." He looked at Trace, wanting to kick his ass for this.
"Well?" Lynn asked into the phone.
"I asked her out." Trace smiled. He was getting there.
"Well that's great, baby!" Lynn said excitedly. Justin laughed nervously.
"Yeah, great."
"So, when's the date?" Justin rolled his eyes.
"I said I asked her out, ma" he explained, "I didn't say she said yes." She was quiet for a moment. Justin knew she didn't expect that. Guess that made two of them.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, honey." Lynn cooed comfortingly, "Did she tell you why she said no?" Justin shook his head, even though she could not see him.
"Not really," Justin said running his hands along the edge of the cool marble counter top, "She said that it was weird."
"Weird?" Lynn was confused.
"Yep."
"Why would it be weird?" she asked curiously.
"I don't know, mama." Justin said sadly, "But she made her answer clear to me."
"You're just gonna give up?" Lynn asked surprised.
"What do you want me to do?" Justin asked confused, "I can't hold a gun to her head and make her say yes."
"Tell her that you really want to give it a try."
"I thought me asking her out in the first place was telling her that."
"Don't sass me, boy." Lynn scolded, "Since when do you stop going after something when you only gave it one try?"
"Mom. . ."
"Don't mom me." Lynn stated firmly, "Call her."
"I can't. . .it's weird."
"Well make it unweird."
"But. . ."
"No buts, Justin. Call." She hung up on him. Damn it. Now she was mad.
"Thanks, Trace." Justin said sarcastically. He stood and placed the phone on the receiver.
"What happened?"
"Mom's mad at me. Thanks to you."
"Not that," Trace said dismissively, "What did she tell you to do?"
Justin glared at him, "She said to kick your sorry ass."
"Ha ha ha. Seriously, man."
"She told me to call Alonsha and don't take no for an answer." Justin explained.
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"You gonna call?" Justin rolled his eyes. He was nervous as fuck. What the hell was he gonna say to her anyway?
He sighed defeatedly, "Do I really have a choice?"
*-*-*-*-*-*
I wasn't really angry with Tiffany, but you know how something gets too close to home for your liking? Yeah, well this was one of those moments.
Now I'm laying on back, still staring at the ceiling. I wish I brung my juice with me, I'm so thristy. But I can't go out there, not after yelling at Tiffany. So I waited until I heard Tiffany leave. She's upset, I know. She was just trying to do what she thought was best for me, I knew that too. But still, I just wish she would let me figure things out on my own.
The red numbers on my alarm clock inform me that an hour has passed since my yelling incident. I roll off of my bed and open my bedroom door. Bosco is instantly at my feet, barking hungrily. I feed him and drink my juice. The apartment is dead quiet and I nearly scream when the phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Did you say no because of Alyssa?"
"Justin?"
"Answer me." His tone was desperate and it took me a moment to realize what he was talking about.
"Justin," I sighed, "It's not Alyssa."
"Well, I broke up with her just incase you're wondering."
"Why?" God I hope it wasn't for me.
"Well. . .because," Oh God, "She wanted to be too serious, and I'm not ready for that."
"Oh." There was silence. A long, akward silence.
"So why did you say no?" I'm quiet for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts together.
"Justin, dating you is a huge thing. . .I mean, you're my friend and I don't want to lose that." I hear him sigh, the same annoyed one Tiffany gave me earlier.
"You'll never lose me as a friend, Alonsha."
"If we date and we break up, what are the chances of us ever speaking to each other again?"
"Why are you so hell bent on us not working out?" I want to scream. Why can't anybody get what I'm trying to say?
"I'm not hell bent on anything, Jay. I'm just being realistic."
"No, you're pessemistic." he argues, "How do you expect us to work out if you're not even looking at it in a positive light?"
"What 'us', Justin?" That came out colder than I wanted it to.
"The us that will form once you give us a chance." I rub my hands down my face and groan. This man was killing me. I wanted to so badly but I just couldn't do this. I can't risk being hurt again, especially by Justin. It would kill me.
"I'm sorry but I can't." My voice trembles slightly and I can feel a lump in my thoart.
"Why not?"
"Where did all this come from anyway? Since when do you want to date me?" I know my question caught him off guard as I hear him breathing into the phone.
"I. . .don't know." he answers honestly, "I just do." He just did? Why did that seem to be enough? Before I get a chance to think, the words roll off my tongue.
"Okay, we can try this." I hear him laugh to himself.
"Good, great!" I can hear him smile, "How about tomorrow night?" My heart skips a beat. Why so soon?
"Damn, Jay." I complain, "Why tomorrow?"
"Why not?" he counters, "I miss you." Damn him and his sexy, angelic voice.
"Well, since you put it that way. . ." He laughs heartily into the phone and a smile creeps across my face.
"Oh, and fancy yourself up."
"Enough to kill?" I ask grinning my ass off.
"Nah, enough to murder."
=*=*=*=
So, it's almost twelve by the time me and Justin reach my apartment door. We're laughing as we talk about Justin giving the bird to a pesty photographer until we reach my door. For some reason, the air has gotten thicker and silence washed over us.
"Tonight was really nice, Justin. I had a great time." I comment and I stifle a laugh once I see the blush creeping into his creeks. He smiles and thanks me before we laugh nervously.
"So, I guess it's against the rules for you to let me in now that we're dating, huh?" Justin questions with a mischevious grin.
"Rules are meant to be broken, Jay." I open my door and Justin trails in behind me, locking the door.
"So, where's Tiffany?" I pull my black poncho over my head and turn to face Justin.
"She's at Scott's." I answer as I tossed the piece of clothing on the recliner, "You want something to drink?"
"Got any Gatorade?" I make a face of disgust.
"That crap is nasty, Jay." I complain as he smiles at my childish behavior.
"It's good!" he argues, "Besides, it keeps me energized." He winks at me and I roll my eyes.
"Is that all you think about?" He pretends to think for a moment as he pulled off he black blazer.
"Pretty much." I laugh and head into the kitchen. I open up the fridge and search for his drink. When I don't find it, I grab a Sprite instead.
"Sorry, Justin." I apologize as I walk into the living room, "All I have is Sprite." He makes a face before excepting the drink. I plop on the sofa next to him.
"Tonight wasn't so bad, now was it?" I hear him ask as I take off my shoes.
"Yeah, it was." I joke as Justin rolls his eyes. I begin to lay out on the sofa, placing my feet across Justin's lap.
"Do I look like an ottoman?" Justin questions with a smile.
"No, you look a divine piece of grade A meat." I joke as Justin laughs heartily.
"Grade A meat? I don't even want to know. . ."
"Hey, those are Tiffany's words, not mine."
"Sure. . .you know I'm hot shit, girl" Justin smiles cockily.
"Yeah, you're shit all right. . ." I mumble as Justin laughs.
"Nice, I like that one, Beautiful." He comments. The next thing I know he's playing with my toes.
"Yo, back off the merchandise." I warn as a playful grin comes across his face.
"What's the matter, Lonnie?" he says teasingly, "Ticklish?" The bastard gripped my ankle and mercilessly tickled the soles of my feet. I was laughing my ass off, begging him to stop. He wouldn't listen, so my foot acted for me: I kicked him, right in the mouth. He dropped my foot instantly and covered his mouth with his hands.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." I felt bad, he looked like he was in pain.
"It's okay." he mumbled through his hands. Sitting up, I moved to his side. I removed his hands from his mouth so I could see. Nothing seemed wrong and I couldn't help but smile when he pretruded his bottom lip, asking if he it was bleeding.
"No, honey. There's no blood." I assured, "Are you sure you're okay?" He nodded.
"Can you make it feel better?" He sounds like one of his little brothers.
"How?" I asked curiously.
"Kiss the boo boo?" I should've known. It's Justin I'm talking to here.
"I should've kicked you harder." I say with a smirk and Justin laughs.
"Oh come on, Alonsha."
"No," I say firmly, "You take me on one date, and you expect a kiss?"
"I thought the rules were meant to be broken."
"Under certain circumstances." I explain.
"You know you want to. . ." he teased as I rolled my eyes.
"No I don't."
"One little peck is all I'm asking for." he begs. If only he knew how much I wanted to kiss him. . .lick him. . . taste him. But of course I'd never say that outloud.
"Justin. . ." I whine as he pulls the puppy dog eyes and pouts. God, I'm weak I tell you, WEAK! Aren't women suppose to play hard to get? If I kiss him, he wins. I'll be easy. But damn, being seen as easy has never looked so good.
"Please. . ." he whispers once he moves dangerously close to my face. His forehead is resting on mine and I can feel his nose brush against mine. He smells so good and he's so close. . .
"Nope." I tease pulling away. Justin groans and I grab the remote off the coffee table. I lay down in my previous position and flip through the channels of the television.
"You are just plain wrong." Justin complained as I laughed. He was burning a hole in the side of my face from staring at me for so long.
"Oh suck it up, you big baby."
"You're such a tease."
"Just the way you like." I smile at him, completely amused.
"I hate you." he grumbled, but couldn't help but smile.
"Aww," I say mockingly, "I love you too."
Story Tags: Be the first to add a tag to this story
