The week flew by. After dropping Justin off at the airport, I went into overdrive. I got back to the mansion, and had Charles explain to me all that happened. The way Justin handled himself. According to Charles, he threatened the 'Boss-man' as Justin refers to him. He says that he does not really want names, makes it a little too personal for him. Justin warned the man not to leave with his money because he would "hate to have to hunt him down but would enjoy the end result." The man makes me very proud. If things had been completely different, I believe he would have fit in well with us and would have advanced fast. 

We locked the drugs up, so Justin does not have to worry about being caught with them or being connected with them. I am happy to hear that he is not messing around with the serious drugs. I know he has or even still does on occasion smoke marijuana but that is no cocaine or ecstasy. If he has done these drugs, I prefer not to know. I like to think my man is a good clean southern man. It is an escape from the guys I am normally around. James being an example. He loves the drugs and the high that accompanies. He gets off on big guns and torture. He wonders why we did not work out.

As I digress into pointless information, I am hiding in my office until it is time for me to go pick up Tabbetha and Chase. My bags are packed and I am ready to leave for the airport, and I am sitting here trying to set up a few assignments for the weekend. I do not trust James to get anything done the way it is supposed to be done while I am gone.

I know that Tabbetha just started her packing this morning, so she will not be done until the very minute we are walking out the door, and I am sure she will forget something so complain about the whole way because I refuse to go back to get whatever it is. Chase started packing last night, but I know how he packs. He just throw clothes in the back and hope he has everything. Boys don't need much besides their basic toiletries of toothbrush and body wash. We can just hope the boy at least folded his clothes instead of wadding them up, not to mention the hope of packing clean clothes. I hope these two plan better for their honeymoon. Although, I can see Chase purposely forgetting his clothes so he has a reason to not wear clothes. I would not be surprised if Tabbetha did the same either. My friends are unique. 

I finish up the assignments and deliver them to the appropriate men with strict instructions and inform James and Charles that I am out, making a point to tell Charles to inform me of anything that goes on pertaining to business. I call Tabbetha and tell her I am on my way and she had better be ready to go when I get there. She has twenty minutes to get her shit together.I pull into the parking lot of Chase's apartment complex and find myself a close parking space. I walk up the stairs and enter the apartment without knocking.

"Let's go, asses. We have to get to the airport, check in, go through stupid security, and not to mention get to our gate." I yell out as I walk to the bedroom. "I am not kidding. Let's go now" 

Chase has his bag in his hand and is walking out. "I'm ready. I'll take this to the car and wait there for you. Please make sure my fiancee makes it." He laughs as he walks out. 

"Tabbetha!" I walk into the room to find her bag open wide with shit thrown everywhere. "What the hell?! You knew we were leaving today and I called you to tell you that I was on my way and you were to be ready. What the hell have you been doing?"

"I have to make sure I have all my shoes that I need and clothes for every occasion." She rambles as she runs around the room throwing shit onto the bed beside her suitcase. 

"Woman, we are only going for three days. You should have plenty.We aren't going to be doing anything huge. You need clothes for each day and a couple of extra because I know how you are. Three pairs of shoes should be enough and then all your stupid make-up shit. Don't make me dump this out and pack for you." I threaten her. 

"I promise. You give me five minutes and I'll be finished." She is pissing me off.

"Here's the deal. You have five fucking minutes. They start now. I'm going out to the truck to wait on your sorry ass. If you aren't there when the five minutes are up, you don't go, not with me anyway. You now have four minutes and seventeen seconds." I tell her as I walk out of the apartment.

I get into my truck and find Chase sitting in the front seat. His bag was in the bed of the truck with mine. The cover was still open, waiting for Tabbetha to put her shit in. I start it up and turn the radio on. I look at my watch.

"Your woman has three minutes to get down here and her shit in the truck or she isn't going. I'm tired of this crap. You are more than welcome to still come along, but if she is not down here she does not go." I inform him.

He nods and smiles. "I'm so going. She knew you were coming. I don't see the big deal with her packing. We are only going for three days, and if we ended up going out anywhere that would need some crazy outfit that she has convinced herself she does not have but needs we would go out and buy it for her."

"I told her this, but obviously she does not listen. We will see how serious she takes me when I drive away in just over one minute," I flip through the radio stations and try to find a good station for this drive. "Well she's got 30 seconds, " I put the truck in reverse and pull out of the space and start to pull away. "Think she'll make it?" I ask laughing, knowing she wouldn't. Sure enough the five minutes had passed and I drive off. I drive through the lot to the exit. I stop and look over at Chase. "Can you get out and close the cover please?" I ask.

"I guess so." I look in the rear-view mirror and see that he is taking his time to do this while looking around. I know he is hoping Tabbetha would come running up just in time to throw her shit in and go with us. He finally gets it done and hops back into the cab of the truck. "I was so sure she would know that you don't kid about this shit."

"You want to stay?" I ask.

"No, not really. I really want to go on this trip, but I feel bad that I'm leaving my fiancee behind. She will be so pissed off at me." He tells me obviously upset about this.

I pull out of the parking lot and head towards the airport. "Here's the deal. I'm not doing this because I don't want her to go. Believe me when I tell you that I wouldn't be going if it weren't for you both. She'll make it to LA, but she needs to learn that not everything will wait around for her, especially because she can't get packed for three days when she had plenty of time to do this. She'll learn that life won't wait on her. She can take a cab to the airport. She has time to get there. If she for some unforeseen reason does not make it, I'll get her on the next available flight. She'll make it to LA and to the concert." I tell him. 

We arrive at the airport and park in the long-term parking, from where we walk to get to check in. After we check in, we sit around to wait for Tabbetha to show up furious. We wait until it is time for us to go through security and get to our gate. I am starting to feel a little bad for leaving now. I wonder if I needed to push her one last time to get her out or maybe she was so pissed at me that she didn't get a cab soon enough. Chase is going to be giving me the silent treatment the whole trip there, this is for sure. We get to the gate just as they were boarding. We get in line and make our way onto the plane, finding our seats, and putting our carry-on bags away before sitting down. 

"Where is she?" Chase looks at me.

"I don't know. I was sure she'd be here by now." I give him the best apologetic look I can. "I'm sorry."

I see the flight attendant reaching to shut the door just as someone jumps in. Leave it to Tabbetha to make a dramatic entrance as she throws herself onto the plane, fighting to catch her breath. She sees us sitting down and walks down the aisle to us. She throws her bag in the overhead compartment and glares at me before she sits down beside Chase.

She does not say anything to either one of us until we had been in the air for at least 30 minutes. "Oh come on, Tabbetha. You made it. No harm done." I try not to laugh.

"No thanks to you. I hate you. You owe me cab fare." She huffs.

"Okay. I'll get that to you as soon as you pay me for your place ticket." I raise my eyebrows at her as I smirk.

"Fine." She gives up. She sits there for a few minutes before turning around. "We wouldn't need plane tickets if we had just taken the jet. Tell me again why we didn't take the jet."

"Because normal people fly on normal planes." I answer as if it were that simple. "If I arrive on a private jet, someone would take notice, especially if I leave on a private jet. If anyone somehow sees us and then someone sees the connection with Justin, then my mystery persona may be destroyed." I explain.

"Bullshit. No one would connect you to him. There's rich people with private jets from everywhere. You would not attract any attention." She is not happy with having to live a lifestyle of a normal person. I roll my eyes. I have officially spoiled the girl beyond repair. "You just want to be a normal girl. The type of girl Justin wants to be with." She goes for the low blow as she turns around.

I lean up and get right in her ear. "You need to bite your tongue. If it weren't for me you would not be riding in first class. If it weren't for me, I'd say you probably wouldn't be able to afford to go on this trip. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been invited on this trip, and if it weren't for me you would not have most of what you have. I understand you are pissed off at me for leaving you behind but I won't apologize to you for that. I told you that I would leave you behind if you did not move it. It is not my fault you did not take me serious." I continue to talk quietly to her, not attracting attention from others. "I will not let you make me hate myself. I am who I am. Justin knows who I am and what I do. He has chosen to look past me and love me anyway. You will not make me doubt that. I suggest you bite your tongue the next time you try to do that all because you don't know how to follow simple directions." I finish and lean back in my chair.

None of us say anything to each other for the rest of the trip. 

***

The trip overall was uneventful. We arrived on time and I could not wait to get off the plane and see Justin again. I grab our bags from the overhead compartment. I toss the two theirs, and they silently follow me off the plane. We make our way to baggage claim where Justin is supposed to meet us. I hurriedly followed the signs, trying not to run anyone over on the way. I have no idea if the other two are behind me or not and at this moment, I really do not care.

I get to my destination and look around. There are people everywhere and I am doing my best to look around them, above them, whatever around them to find who I am looking for. I almost give up when I turn to see if Tabbetha and Chase are behind me, but as I scan back I see something that make me stop. It makes time stop. Everything around me stopped moving and all my focus is on him. Justin is standing in front of me dressed in a pair of dark jeans that has a few holes in them. He has a simple black tshirt on and a white baseball cap on. His smile is huge and matches mine. He starts walking towards me, and I am almost frozen. It takes me a few seconds to get my feet moving, but once they start they don't stop. In fact they start to pick up speed. 

He gets to me quickly and I hug him tightly. He picks me up and swings me around. My giggles would make anyone believe I am some love-struck school girl. I am holding onto him tight and I am not sure I can let go of him. "I'm so happy to see you." I confess out loud. The shock registers on my face as I hear myself say it.

His smile widens, "I am so happy to see you. I've missed you."

"How are things going? You ready for you concert tomorrow night?" I ask trying to change the subject. Give my face time to return to normal color instead of the bright red it is. I still do not handle gushing very well.

"It's great. I am so ready. I am more excited, and nervous at the same time, for you to see it." 

"We are all excited to see it. It'll be great." I tell him. I notice him looking around as if he were looking for something. "What are you looking for?"

"Chase and Tabbetha. I figured they would be right on your heels."

"Oh" I say sheepishly. 

"What did you do this time?" He asks and I can tell that he is trying not to laugh.

"I may have gotten annoyed with Tabbetha and left her at Chase's apartment and drove Chase and me to the airport making her have to get her own ride. She may have almost missed our flight because of it." I answer. I look down at the floor as I continue, "I may have threatened her in a small way."

He pulls my chin up too look at him. "Arianna," he states simply. He is going to lecture me. "You, my sweet love, are one of a kind. I love you because you are a strong-willed woman, but sometimes you forget that there are people you should threaten and people that you should not. I understand your business peeps react to your threats the way you want them to, but your friends need you to talk to them. You may need to be harsh at times but do not threaten them as if they are some goon who you enjoy to intimidate."

I nod. I know he is right but it does not mean I want to admit it. Tabbetha pushed the wrong button because she knew it would cause a reaction, but Justin is right. I could have handled it differently. I guess I let my work life overpower my personal life sometimes. I will apologize for what I said on the plane, but I will not apologize for leaving her behind.

Justin grabs my hand and leads me over to the baggage carousel where Chase and Tabbetha already were. They had already gotten their bags and when I went over to claim mine, I see that they had already removed mine also. I thank them as they hug Justin. "I'm sorry about what I said on the plane, Tabbetha. I realize you were upset with me, but I should have handled it differently." I tell her.

She looks at me weirdly at first, but then over at Justin. She smiles and then hugs me. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said what I did either. I know how you feel about that and I went too far with it." She moves to hug me and I step back a bit. "Right. I'll leave the hugging to Justin." She laughs as I put my arm around Justin's waist and he puts his around me.

"What do you say to us getting out of here before I get noticed? I can take you all to my house and then we can do whatever from there. My parents won't be here until tomorrow, so no worries about that." He suggests as he looks down at me as he says the last part. I feel like I should apologize again, but I wouldn't know what to say. "Don't over think, babe. I was just telling you so you didn't think I was setting you up. I love you." He says as he kisses the top of my head.

"I love you, too" I tighten my arm around him.

Just as we are heading out of the doors, Justin stops walking. "Seriously, Tabbetha, how much do you need for three days?" 

We all laugh at this and just keep walking. Tabbetha just may know how ridiculous she was with the packing by the end of this trip.