Birthday Extravaganza
Today was January 31, 2003. Justin's twenty-second birthday. I had gotten the guitar, which was resting safely in the backseat of my car. I asked Tiffany to bring it up for me since I'm riding with Justin to Hollywood. I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. I had never been to one of Justin's public parties before. Not even the Justified release party. It wasn't my thing. I wasn't meant for the this side of Justin. This. . . celebrity.
"You alright?" I turned my view from the car window to Justin. He smiled at me and I smirked back.
"Yeah, I'm good." I assured. Justin nodded and lifted his hand above his head to press a little black button. Instantly, a tinted window began to raise, blocking my view of Mike and Lonnie in the front of the car.
"You nervous?" Justin worriedly as he draped his arm over my shoulder.
"Anxious, really." I explained, "What about you, birthday boy?" I asked jokingly as I played with the silver chain lying on his chest.
"I'm excited!" he said enthusiastically, causing me to laugh, "I can't wait to get in there and shake my booty!"
"What booty?" I asked jokingly.
"Well maybe I can burrow some of your ass for tonight." he shot back. I laughed and then pouted.
"Don't hate, Justin." I said as he licked his lips and adjusted his cap.
"I don't hate." Justin corrected, "I love your booty." I smiled and sat up in my seat.
"Enough about my body parts," He laughed, "Is there gonna be anyone there I should avoid?" He raised a brow and thought for a moment.
"Well, Extra and Access Hollywood are going to have cameras there, so avoid them." I nodded. There was no way in hell I was going to be seen on camera.
"Anyone else?" I asked.
"Uh. . ." He paused before turning to looking at me with uncertainty, "Britney's gonna be there, like I told you earlier, so avoidance might be necessary there too." I nodded.
"Do you really think she'll be mad or something?" I asked curiously. He snorted and rolled his eyes.
"If anybody's gonna be mad, it should be me." He stated bitterly, "She has no right."
"Okay. . ." I stated warily. Justin laughed and turned to face me.
"Sorry about the bi-polar moment there. I guess I'm not as ready to see Britney again as I thought." I nodded and sighed.
"It's cool. I'll cut the bitch if she tries anything." He laughed heartily and smiled at me.
"You'd cut someone for me?" he asked. I nodded.
"Damn straight, homie." He chuckled and poked me playfully.
"You gangster now?" I puffed up with pride.
"No, I'm gangsta." I corrected. Justin laughed again and shook his head shamefully.
"Please don't do that in public." I laughed this time before my cell phone went off.
"Hello?" I answered quickly.
"Hey girl," It was Tiffany, "I got the guitar in the trunk and I'm about to meet Trace to put it in Blue's house." I smiled.
"Okay, thanks Tiff." Justin raised a brow and smiled at me.
"Alright, I've gotta go. Trace keeps complaining about jello shots or something." I laughed.
"Okay, bye." I hung up and looked over at Justin, "What?"
"What was that about?" he asked curiously.
"Nothing. . ." I lied. He shot me a look.
"Stop lying," he scolded, "Was that about a little something, something for lil' ol' me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and rolled my eyes.
"I told you I didn't get you anything." He pouted and folded his arms across his chest.
"You're not suppose to be mean to me on my birthday." I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"I'm not being mean," I explained, "Just honest." That only caused him to snort and roll his eyes. I could feel myself soften. I was so closed to telling him that I did buy him a gift, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. But he was making it so hard with his round, blue eyes, and pouting pink lips. . .
"Since you didn't get me a gift," Justin stated suddenly, "You have to dance with me for a majority of the night." I looked at him like he was crazy.
"Hell no," I objected, "I can't dance. This is a huge party, Jay. People are going to be watching." I whispered the last sentence like it was Sixth Sense, and Justin laughed.
"You really need to find some confidence." he told me, "You're so great and you don't even realize it." Great? I was great? Since when?
"You really need to stop complimenting me." I shot back. He looked at me confused.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." He leaned over towards me and kissed my lips, "I can't help it if you're amazing." He looked me straight in my eyes, and I saw the honesty in his words. I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"I hate it when you do that." Justin giggled and licked his lips.
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"Make me feel. . . like that."
"Like that?" He repeated. I shoved him when I realized he was mocking me.
"Go to hell, Randy."
"Save me a seat?" he asked with a cheesy smile.
"You know it."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I hate parties. They were always hot, crowded, and unnecessarily loud. Justin's party was no different.
I felt isolated in here. I didn't know anyone but Tiff, Trace, Scott, and Elisha, all of which have mysteriously disappeared on me. Even Justin abandoned me half an hour ago. He passed me a drink before running off to greet people. So here I sat, all alone, with a cup of Strawberry Daiquiri and a bowl of pretzels.
"Damn, girl. Who died?" I jumped slightly at the voice, but smiled when I saw JC sliding into the seat next to me.
"Nobody." I raised my voice to speak over the blaring music, "Just a little bored." He nodded understandingly before stealing a pretzel from my bowl.
"These things get boring after a while." he shouted back.
"This is my first party." I explained. His eye widened in shock.
"And you're not having a good time?" I shook my head, no, before JC smiled.
"Partying isn't my thing." He waved his hand, dismissing my statement.
"You're just not doing it right!" I laughed before I saw him offering his hand to me.
"What?" I asked cautiously.
"We're gonna dance, mama." I looked at him in a state of panic. There was no way in hell.
"Nope, I don't dance." I declined, "I'm an eye sore, believe me." He laughed.
"Justin said you were rhythm impaired." Justin would tell everybody that.
"I'm sorry Jace, but I can't."
"Sure you can. I'll teach you." He took my hand before I could object. This was going to be embarrassing, that's for sure.
After finding every excuse imaginable, none of which worked on JC, I finally gave in reluctantly. At first I felt a like grandmother dancing with her grandson. JC laughed as my two left feet tangled and twisted. He then taught me a mini two-step and nodded approvingly when I got it right, after the sixteenth try that is. I began to loosen up around the fourth song, and my second drink, or was it my third? Anyways, we ended up doing a horrible rendition of the Salsa while laughing our asses off. I hadn't been that close to JC before, but he was a cool guy to chat with and even better to dance with.
"Okay, we're gonna do the twirl now." I laughed as he took my hand and spun me around. I twisted outward before he pulled me toward him again. I caught onto his chest and we both laughed as the song ended.
"Thank you very much for the dance lesson." I said with a small smiled. He bowed and kissed my hand.
"Pleasure's all mine," he stated graciously, "But I need a favor in return." I looked at him suspiciously before I nodded in agreement.
"Shoot." He smiled.
"One more dance." I accepted and the smooth sounds of Babyface flowed through the speakers.
"Yay! A slow song." I stated cheerfully. JC laughed at my reaction.
"Eh. . . I prefer them fast." He smiled at me and placed his hands on my hips.
"Nah," I argued as I draped my arms around his neck, "Slow songs are less work." He laughed heartily and I smiled.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Justin sighed tiredly as he made his way through the crowd of the party. He knew he invited a lot of people, but damn, he wasn't expecting every invitation to be accepted. Don't these people work? He quickly shook himself of these depressing thoughts and envisioned Alonsha. She would make this all better with her witty insults and contagious cackle.
But she wasn't were he left her. He skimmed the crowd of drinkers and dancers but he couldn't locate her. It was dark and the lights were flashing everywhere. He felt high for a moment and everybody turned into a blur. The music began to boom in his ears and he hissed. Great, a headache. Just what he needed.
"Justin?" He froze when he heard the familiar voice call him with its southern twang. Justin had spent the night trying to avoid her at all cost. It wasn't his choice to invite her. His publicist said that this subtle invitation would help to ease the tabloid stories of a feud going on between them. Justin wanted to tell him to stick that theory up his ass, but he bit his tongue and politely obliged. Now here he was. At a party that he was starting to hate. Ready to enter a conversion with a woman who fucked her choreographer behind his back.
Happy Birthday Justin.
"Justin!" she called again, loud enough to be heard over the bumping bass of a Ludacris song. Justin breathed in deeply before expelling his breath slowly. He turn slowly to face her bubbly form. A smile was spread across her face, just as he expected, and her arms were opened wide expectantly. He didn't want to hug her, but his gentleman mode overtook his body. After a brief hug and pat on the back, they pulled apart and started the usual small talk of the 'how are you's and 'what have you been up to lately's. If he really cared, he'd buy a TeenPeople magazine and call it a day.
"How's Jaime doing?" Justin asked cheerfully.
"Oh she's good. She misses you though." That broke his heart. No Britney contact meant losing contact with her family. He loved her family. They had grown so close in the time him and Britney had together. It made him even more hurt by what she did. She never considered all the people she hurt with her irresponsible actions.
"I miss her too." Justin said sadly, but sincerely, "You come with anyone?" Damn. That sounded desperate.
"Nah," Britney answered nonchalantly, "Flying solo."
What about that smurf of a choreographer? Justin wanted to ask, but he simply nodded.
"Yeah, well I came here with a few friends." Justin told her, "And Alonsha." Britney's brow raised.
"Doesn't Alonsha fit in the friends category?" Justin smiled smugly when he heard the concern twinge in her tone.
"Not anymore," He cleared his throat, "We've been dating for a couple of months." Britney nodded solemnly. She didn't seem pleased by this. Then again, she didn't seem displeased either.
"Well that's great. She's a sweet girl." Justin furrowed his brow. He didn't like the tone she used. She acted like Alonsha was some five year old.
"Yeah, she is." Justin agreed quickly, "Speaking of which, I have to go find her. So if you'll excuse me." Justin turned away from her and rolled his eyes the moment his back was to her.
"Justin, wait!" He cringed.
"Yes?" he asked politely.
"I'll help you look." He groaned inwardly, but plastered his famous smile on his face.
"Two heads are better than one." he commented cheesingly. Britney giggled and he softened slightly. He always loved her carefree giggled.
"Oh, is that her?" Britney questioned as she pointed to the lower level of the club, "She's dancing!" she added enthusiastically. Justin leaned over the railing to scan the dance floor for her. He spotted her near the center of the crowd. She was dancing alright. Grinding more like it.
"Who's she dancing with?" he grumbled slightly. Britney leaned over where he stood.
"Is that. . . JC?" Justin hands gripped the metal bar of the railing and bit his bottom lip. How dare JC grind with his girlfriend. Especially after he told him how much he loved her. Justin wasn't going to let some guy, who was supposedly his friend, steal another one of his girlfriend right under his nose.
"Excuse me. . ." Justin grumbled as he brushed past Britney, nearly knocking her over.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"JC, I can't!" I giggled as JC tried to perform the dance moves from 'POP'.
"Come on, Lonnie. It's like this." He started to rub his hands all over his arms as if he were removing his clothes. I raised a brow comically and he laughed when he saw my facial expression.
"Wow, Josh. Wow." I said sarcastically. He smiled at me while standing in a challenging stance.
"You think you can. . . Whoa." I looked at him confused.
"Can I whoa? Is that a dance move?" He didn't say anything, instead he pointed behind me. I looked to where his figure pointed and watched as Justin pushed and excused himself through the crowd.
"He looks pissed." Pissed wasn't even the word. He finally reached me, breath heavy and chest heaving.
"Justin, what's. . ." I started to ask before being cut off abruptly.
"We need to talk." Justin demanded. He took my hand and pulled me to a back room of the club. Once the door was closed the noise was cut down significantly. I turned to him angrily. How dare he drag me in here like some child.
"Justin, what the hell is your problem?" I placed my hands on my hips and took a step closer to him.
"My problem?" he questioned angrily, "I wasn't the one grinding all over somebody. You were all over him!" I looked at him in shock.
"All over him? JC, Justin?" I asked in disbelief, "We were dancing!"
"You guys needed a room, for Pete's sake!"
"How dare you talk to me like that!" I countered.
"How dare you act like that!" I sighed heavily.
"Justin, I don't know what's wrong with you, but you better fix it." I warned.
"There's nothing wrong with me, Alonsha. I'm not the one who went lolly-gagging all over the club with one of her boyfriend's best friends." he shouted.
"You left me at a table alone, in a club full of people I don't even know, Justin."
"Well, you obviously knew JC well enough." he sneered. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What's your problem with JC, anyhow?" I asked annoyed.
"Besides the fact he was all over my girl, I don't know." he answered sarcastically.
"We. Were. Dancing." I explained slowly, "What are you? Jealous of a stupid dance?" Justin quickly turned to me and pointed his finger angrily.
"I am not jealous." Justin reputed, "How would you feel if I was grinding all over the place with some other girl?"
"Like you did when you were in New York?" I shot back. He quickly bit his tongue. He knew full well that him and Trace went dancing when he took a recording break, "And I'm pretty sure you danced at your little 'Justified' party."
"That's different. Things were different then." he explained lamely.
"How are things any different?" I questioned irritably.
"We weren't as serious as we are now. We're at a stage where we don't go grinding all over people in clubs." I rolled my eyes.
"So I'm not allowed to dance with anybody now?" I asked bitterly, "Justin if you think for one second that you being my boyfriend gives you some type of ownership over me, you've got another thing coming."
"I don't want to own you." Justin said as he lowered his voice. He turned his back to me and began to walk slowly towards a couch that was pushed against the wall. His bi-polar emotional change made me worry.
"Than what do you want?" I asked as he shrugged.
"I'm sorry. I'm being a dick." No argument there.
"I know that, Justin." I stated in a 'duh' tone, "The reason why is what I'm worried about." I watched as he leaned over, placing his elbows on his thighs, while resting his face in his hands.
"This party is turning into a loud and crowded mess. I lost my mom an hour ago in this bitch, and I have yet to find her. Then to top it off, I ran into Britney."
"Damn." I hissed sympathetically.
"That's what I said," He chuckled lightly as he looked up to face me, "Seeing her again just brought back everything. The breakup. The heartache. And I began to realize that there were so many red flags, you know? But I was so in love with her, and I trusted her with my life, so I didn't take anything seriously. Especially the dancing. Her and Wade danced a lot. . . all the time. Once, I went to a rehearsal of hers and the prick was all over her. But did I say anything? No. Because I told myself it was just dancing. It didn't mean anything."
I nodded understandingly. I got it now that he explained himself. Even I saw some red flags that I missed with Kyle. For one thing, he was always out drinking with "buddies", but could never name them. Then there were the hurried phone calls, and expanded travel days. But I didn't worry about it either. I loved him. He loved me. That's all that mattered at the time. But I was wrong. Horribly wrong.
"Justin, I understand, but you can't just make an assumption out of nowhere. Talk to me. Don't get angry and yell. All that does is make us fight, and after the last fight we had, I'm not up for it again." He nodded in agreement and I made my way to the couch. I sat down next to him and he smiled as he turned to face me.
"I don't want to fight either, especially with someone as stubborn as you." I laughed.
"You should talk." I told him accusingly.
"I'm not stubborn, I'm determined." I rolled my eyes at his lameness before I felt him softly kiss my cheek, "Sorry about everything."
"It's cool, but now's not the time for apologies," I stood and he followed suit, "Let's go party!" He laughed at my enthusiasm and took my hands in his, our fingers slowly intertwining.
"You ready to shake yo' groove thing?" Justin asked with a broad smile.
"I was born ready." I joked as we laughed and made our way to the dance floor.
-*-*-*-*-*-
It was a beautiful Saturday night. I had gotten home from work and had showered before slipping into my sweats/t-shirt combo that I always wear. Justin nearly had a heart attack when I gave him his guitar. He almost cried. It was so sweet. I guess that's why I'm so happy. He sung to me again last night, thanking me for what I gave him. But he especially enjoyed the Victoria's Secret number I wore for him, and we all know how I was thanked for that gift.
Anyways, Tiffany had slept over at Scott's last night and had yet to return. She called earlier and said she was going to stay for the weekend. So it's just me and Bosco tonight. We're both snuggled up on the couch watching The Lord of the Rings DVD, well he was anyway. I was far too captivated by a blue-eyed Orlando Bloom to stay along with the story plot. I was just getting to the troll fighting scene when the phone rang.
"It's Justin." I didn't even get a chance to say 'hello' for goodness sake.
"Hey, Jay. What's up?" I asked as I focused my eyes on the screen in front of me. Orlando was whooping some troll ass.
"Are you free now?" he asked hurriedly.
"I'm watching my Rings." I informed him as he laughed.
"Don't you mean you're ogling Orlando Bloom?" Damn straight.
"Eh, same difference." I smiled, "Why do you want me to be free?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I was hoping me and you could watch some Rings together and get some ice cream for a late night snack."
"Sure. Your place or mine?" I asked as I sat up, causing Bosco to whimper in protest.
"Mine." he answered as I stood up from the sofa and stretched.
"Cool. I'll be there in a few." We said our goodbyes and I walked into the bathroom. I fixed my hair into a pony tail before putting on my earrings. I slowly made my way into my bedroom and grabbed a pair of socks from my drawer. After getting them on, I placed my high top Nike's on and walked over to my DVD stash in the living room. I took everything I wanted, especially my Rings, before getting my keys off the coffee table. I smile when I realized Bosco had made himself comfortable in his doggy bed. I patted his head softly before walking out of my door.
I made my way to my car after a brief and awkward conversation with Daniel from the third floor in that God forsaken elevator. The drive to Justin's house was a quiet one, minus the sounds of Beyonce that played from my stereo's speakers. I pulled up to an empty spot near his Viper before parking and getting out. The door opened before I got a chance to use my key. Justin smiled at me and his eyes were glimmering in the dim light of the foyer. The house was familiar to me and I knew the rules, so I removed my sneakers and left them in the front.
"Did you bring the movies?" Justin asked as he walked past me to get to the kitchen.
"Yeah. You got the ice cream?" I asked as I settled into the sofa.
"Right here." Justin said as he held up the pint containers of Edy's. I smiled and accepted the spoon and Cookie Dough flavor he offered me. We both licked the lids of the containers and laughed when we did it at the same time. I got up and placed the Rings DVD inside of his Plasma television and smiled as the surround sound boomed in my ears.
As we watched the movie, we ate in comfortable silence. There were a few talks here and there, but we mainly focused on the action in front of us. I was halfway done my ice cream when the screen in front of me suddenly went blank.
"What the hell?" I complained as Justin tossed the remote on the cushion beside him.
"I want to show you something." he said as he stood. He offered me his hand and I accepted it. We began to walk across the hard wood floors and up the wooden steps. After a brief walk across the hallway, we turned into his bedroom. He guided me to his balcony where a ladder had been strategically placed as a stairway to the roof. As I made my way up the ladder, Justin climbed right behind me and groaned in fear when the ladder swayed slightly.
We finally made it to the top of his estate and I gasped in shock of the view. I could see everything. The buildings, the stars, and the LA traffic in the darkness of the night. The moon shined brightly and lit up the rooftop. I smiled when I saw a blanket strewed out near the edge of the roof. I began to walk towards it and I could sense Justin's presence behind me.
"You planned this whole thing." I accused. He shrugged and smiled.
"Guilty as I charged." I laughed as we sat down on the blanket.
"This is really beautiful." I commented after a moment of silence.
"Just like you." I smiled over at him looked down at my hands.
There goes those butterflies. . .
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Justin let a shaky breath escape his lips as his eyes fell on the side of her face. His heart skipped a beat when she smiled and pointed at something in the sky. He diverted his attention to the stars for a brief moment before they came back to her. She looked so beautiful without even trying. No make up. Gray sweat pants. But she was still perfect.
Now that you're right here,
Let me whisper in your ear
Now that you're listening,
Let me tell you how I feel
Justin cleared his throat and called Alonsha softly, "Beautiful?" She turned to face him, a smile adorning her mocha face.
"Yes?" she said softly as she sat up straighter. Justin tugged at his shirt nervously and rubbed his hands together. He was going to tell her tonight. It had to be said. He could no longer contain it or his heart would explode in his chest. The anticipation had reached its peak and he was tired of waiting.
I've been trying to formulate
The perfect words the perfect way
I can't hold it back no more
I gotta let you know today
"You know that important thing I wanted to tell you about?" She nodded and he took her hands in his, "Well, I wanted to share that with you now." Alonsha cautiously nodded again.
"Okay. . . What's up?" Justin took in a deep breath and paused momentarily to gather up his courage. He said a little pray to get him through this before meeting her gaze.
"Alonsha, I've known you for awhile now, and we've grown so close to one another. You've seen me at my worst and never judged me. You always listen when I have something to bitch about and you support me no matter what, and that's hard to come by." He paused before continuing, "I know that in the beginning, we wouldn't have imagine in a million years that we would be an item, but I'm glad that we were wrong." She smiled and his heart melted, "I know that I've been a little bi-polar, but it's because I've been fighting this feeling I've been having lately. At first, I didn't know what it was, until Trace pointed me in the right direction. I didn't want to believe at first - out of fear - so I kinda suppressed it, but I can't do that anymore. I can't hold this in any longer."
Its
Simple (What more can I say)
So Simple
I Love you (What more can I say)
Simple (What more can I say)
So Simple
I Love you (What more can I say)
"You deserve to know, and I'm sorry I kept it from you." Justin continued, "I know that I have nothing to fear. You wouldn't hurt me." He smiled softly at her and Alonsha smiled also.
"Well, what is it?" Alonsha asked excitedly. Justin laughed. Excitement was a good sign, right?
"Alonsha, what I'm trying to say is. . ." He paused and sighed.
"Justin, just tell me." Alonsha said as she rubbed his hand in a comforting way. Justin smiled at her hands and then at her. He could do this now. It was okay.
"Alonsha, I love you."
Song Credits:
"Simple"- India Arie
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