"He was safe!  Come on!"

Aubrey looked up and chuckled to herself as Grams yelled at the television.  She was tempted to remind her it was just a game, but why spoil the older woman's fun?  With a smile Aubrey went back to her algebra homework.  If 6 - bx = 15 + cx.  X equals what?  She tapped the end of her pencil against the table as she thought through the equation.  "It's not possible." She said out loud.

"What?" Grams asked.

"Huh?" Aubrey looked up in confusion.  "Oh, nothing.  Just trying to figure out this stupid problem."  She grumbled.  "I need more information." She sighed as she put an elbow up on the table and rested her chin in her hand as she flipped through her textbook.  She looked over at her cell phone when it started vibrating.  Her brow furrowed as she picked it up.  Normally she didn't answer calls from numbers she didn't recognize, but welcoming the distraction from her math homework, she put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Is this Aubrey?" A male voice asked.

"Yeah." She replied a bit distractedly as she continued flipping through the algebra book in front of her, still searching for the solution.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked. 

"I'm...good." Aubrey said the fact that she didn't know who she was talking to finally sinking in.  She finally looked away from her homework.

"It's been a while." He observed.

"Um, yeah." She replied, searching her mental files to place this guy's voice.  She was tempted to think that this guy thought she was someone else but he'd asked for her by name.  Who has my number?  She wondered. "How are you?" She asked, hoping his answer would give her some clue as to his identity.

"Better, now that I'm back." He said.

Back? She thought.  Back from what? Or where?  Aubrey's eyes went wide as she sucked in a breath and put a hand over her mouth.  Andrew?  She thought her eyes bouncing over to her grandmother sitting on the couch--thankful that she was still engrossed with the game on the television and hadn't taken notice of her startled response.   "Where..." she cleared her throat.  "Where did you go?"  She asked, praying his answer wouldn't be what she thought.  She hadn't mentally prepared herself to have this particular conversation quite yet.

"I went home for a few days and then I was in New York last weekend." He answered and Aubrey was confused.

"New York?" Aubrey questioned and the man she was talking to chuckled.  Did Andrew have family in New York?

"You...have no idea who I am, do you?" He asked.

Aubrey grimaced as he called her bluff.  "No." She finally replied, biting on her bottom lip.  "Sorry."

"It's Justin." He said, finally identifying himself.

"Justin?" Aubrey questioned.  Justin?  Justin who-Aubrey felt her eyes widen.  "Justin!" She exclaimed as understanding dawned.  

"Hi." He laughed.

"W-what...hi." She stuttered.

"Should we start over?" He asked and Aubrey felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment though he couldn't see her.

"Well, that does seem to be our tradition." She observed, her lips turning up in a smile.  They were both quiet for a second.  "What's up?" Aubrey asked, wondering why in the world he was actually calling her. 

"Well..." He drawled.  "I told you I'd call you the next time I went paint balling."

"Yeah?" Aubrey replied, remembering the reason he'd gotten her number in the first place.

"I'm going this weekend with a couple friends and we need one more to make the teams even.  Are you interested?"

"Um...sure." Aubrey said.  "But, I don't think you really want me to come."

"Why not?" He questioned.

"You don't really want a beginner on your team do you?" She asked.

"I wouldn't have called if I didn't want you to come." He replied.

Aubrey smiled, her heart skipping at his admission.  "I...I don't have any equipment." She reminded him.

"Oh, don't worry about that." He assured her. "I've got stuff you can borrow."

"Okay." Aubrey finally said.  "When and where?" She asked.

"Sunday." He told her.  "Can I pick you up about...nine?"

"Nine works." She said.  "I'll be ready."

"Good.  What's your address?" He asked.  She gave him the address and some simple instructions on how to get to her grandmother's house.  "Oh," he said before they hung up.  "Wear clothes you don't mind getting stained.  The paint is supposed to wash out, but it doesn't always."

"Thanks for the warning." Aubrey smiled. 

"You're welcome." He said.  "So I'll see you Sunday?"

"I'll be ready." She told him then hung up.  Aubrey pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as a big smile spread across her face.  Justin Timberlake just called and invited me to go paint balling with him.  She thought, feeling very surreal about the whole thing.  An excited giggle escaped. 

"Who was that?"

Aubrey looked up as Grams came into the kitchen.  "Justi...oh, um...just this guy I met a few weeks ago."  She smiled.  "I gave him my number but...I didn't think he'd actually call me."

Grams smiled at her.  "It's about time.  I was beginning to wonder when the boys around here would start to take notice of you." She said and Aubrey smiled.  "I take it, from what I overheard, that you two are going out this weekend?"

"Mmm-hmm." Aubrey nodded, placing her cell phone back on the table and picking up her pencil again--the prospect of her math homework suddenly not seeming like such a chore.  "He's taking me paint balling."  She tried to finish her homework, but it was a lost cause.  Her mind refused to solve the equations in front of her.  Instead, she put her chin in her hand--a grin on her face--and daydreamed about the date she had with Justin Timberlake.

~~~~~~

"Here you go." Justin said, handing Aubrey the extra gloves and pads he'd brought for her.  She looked at the safety equipment in her hands and he had to bite back the chuckle that came.  She looked more than a little lost as he handed her a mask and she turned her hazel eyes back to him--watching as he put on his gear she mimicked him.  As he turned he saw Trace and Ryan through the window of the truck and smiled as he recalled the conversation he'd had with the two guys regarding Aubrey coming along.

Ryan had put up the biggest fuss about having "a girl" come with them and Justin laughed as he recalled his friend's reaction when he'd seen Aubrey this morning.  The guy had been completely tongue tied when Aubrey had gotten out of the car and had hurried over to introduce himself to her.  Justin chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Aubrey asked beside him.  He looked over at her and she looked at him expectantly as he smiled. 

"Nothing." He replied.  "I just...remembered something funny that happened the other day.  Are you ready?" He asked picking up the two guns he'd brought.  "Here's your gun." He said handing her the one he'd loaded this morning with green paint balls.  Her eyes left his and she looked down at the weapon in her hands as if she'd never seen a gun before--and judging by the sweet and wholesome vibe she gave out he'd be willing to bet she hadn't.  He closed up the back of his truck and put his keys into his pocket.  "Come on." He said, walking around the vehicle.  "There're a couple of targets set up for practicing over here." 

"You guys ready?" Trace called out as he and Ryan began walking towards them.

"In a minute.  I'm going to let Aubrey get in a few practice shots first." Justin replied as he used the strap attached to his gun to sling it over his shoulder then stepped up behind Aubrey.

~~~~~ 

Aubrey's heart jumped into her throat as Justin put his arms around her from behind.  Her eyes widened slightly and she fought to keep her breathing even.  She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment on the way it felt to be this close to him.  She hadn't really been this close to a guy since she and Andrew had broken up.  She'd forgotten how nice it felt.

Quit being ridiculous. She scolded herself and opened her eyes as she straightened up slightly.  Still...there was no denying Justin was built well.  He was warm and solid and she felt completely surrounded and protected standing here within the circle of his embrace.  His firm chest pressing against her back, his strong arms around her, the way his hands moved over hers as he helped bring the gun up to rest against her shoulder...

"Like this." He said, his voice breaking through her ridiculous thoughts.  Concentrate.  She told herself.  You can do this.  But as he leaned closer to her-his warm breath caressing her neck--Aubrey felt her knees almost buckle.  "Use the sight at the end to line up with the target." He said, pointing his finger as he spoke.  "Then pull the trigger."

~~~~~

Justin remained standing behind Aubrey, his eyes running over her face and hair as she took a deep breath.  His lips turned up at the look of concentration on her face and couldn't help noticing how cute she looked all dressed up in his extra gear.   He pulled back slightly and let his eyes run down the back of her.  A lazy grin appeared on his face as he lifted an interested brow.  His perusal was interrupted however when Aubrey squeezed the trigger on her gun and he lifted his head as she shot the target.

"Like that?" She asked as the ball hit the bull's eye-splattering the target with neon green paint.

Justin stood in shock for a moment, his jaw falling open slightly.  "How did you..." He pointed at the target then shook his head.  Beginner's luck.  He thought.  "Yeah." He looked at her.  "Like that.  Why don't you try another one?"

"Okay." Aubrey shrugged and brought the gun back up to her shoulder.  She pulled the trigger once more and again Justin watched as she hit a perfect bull's eye.

"I thought you said you'd never done this before." He accused, putting his hands on his hips as he looked at her.

"I haven't." She replied, turning to face him.  "But I never said I didn't know how to shoot a gun." She finished, her eyes sparkling mischievously.  Justin narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.  "Remember how I moved around a lot growing up?" She asked.  He nodded and she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "My dad's in the Army."  She winked.  Justin groaned then chuckled as understanding dawned.  Aubrey grinned.  "So is my brother." She continued.  "I know how to shoot a gun."

He felt tempted to feel foolish for assuming she had no idea what she was doing, but how was he supposed to know?  He laughed as he picked up his gun.  This is going to be fun.  He thought.  Trace and Ryan both though Aubrey was a beginner and were already celebrating an easy victory.  He couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when they found out about his secret weapon here.

"Let's go." He said and Aubrey followed him out onto the course.

~~~~~~

Forty-five minutes later-dirty, exhausted and almost out of ammunition--Aubrey ducked behind a large boulder and attempted to catch her breath.

"How you doing?"

She jerked up and swung her gun in the direction of the voice out of reflex. 

"Whoa."  Justin held up his hands in surrender, his blue eyes sparkling.  Aubrey sighed as she leaned back against the boulder and he chuckled.  She took off her mask as he did the same.

"How you holdin' up?" He asked.

"Good." She said looking down at the colorful spots decorating her once clean clothes.  She'd been hit a few times but none of them were what they'd deemed "fatal" as they'd set the rules at the beginning of the game.  "You?" She asked.

"Eh." He shrugged.  "I hit Ryan just now so he's out.  It's us against Trace."  He grinned.  "Think we can do it?"

"Absolutely." Aubrey grinned.  This morning had turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than she'd been expecting.  This game was fun and she felt bad about all the time she'd spent teasing Michael over it.  "Where's he hiding?" She asked turning to peak out from behind their hiding place.

"He's over behind that tree."  Justin's voice sounded quietly behind her ear and she fought the shiver that skirted down her spine.  She turned slightly to look back at him, the musky scent of his aftershave surrounding her.  His light blue eyes connected with hers and her stomach flipped.  "I'm going to try to get over to that log." He turned and pointed and Aubrey forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand.  Daydreaming about how good Justin smelled, or how his smile made his eyes sparkle, or the fact that they'd worked together as a perfect team today--almost reading each other's thoughts at times--wouldn't help them to win.  She needed to push her silly, girlish thoughts away and concentrate.

"Can you cover me?" He asked crouching down beside her as he pulled a handful of green paint balls from his pocket and dumped them into his gun's reservoir.  "Do you have enough?" He asked looking up at her when she didn't answer.

"Yeah." She replied, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Alright." He said getting up.  He took a deep breath.  "Ready?"

"Ready." Aubrey replied turning back to keep her eyes on the spot Justin had said Trace was hiding.  "Go." She said.  She watched from the corner of her eye as he began running towards the log that was about ten yards away.  She was confused when there was no movement from Trace's spot, until she happened to turn and spotted him coming towards Justin from the opposite direction.

"Justin!" She called out, trying to get his attention, but he didn't hear her.  Trace kept moving towards him getting into position to ambush Justin so Aubrey--feeling the pressure to cover her teammate as she'd promised--stepped out of her hiding place and fired on Trace.  Justin quickly ducked behind the log he'd been inching towards as Trace fired back at her--his paint ball hitting her square on the chest and knocking the wind out of her a bit.

Aubrey fell back and lay on the ground--per the rules they'd established--to signify her removal from the game as Justin and Trace continued firing at each other.  Finally the course fell silent.  Aubrey lifted her head slightly to see who had won.  Justin's face appeared above her as he came and knelt down beside her.  Aubrey lay back down in the grass.

"Xena.  Speak to me." He said dramatically as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Xena?" She asked with a confused chuckle as she squinted up at him.

"You're my Warrior Princess." He told her with a grin and a wink.

Aubrey laughed.  "Who won?"

"We did." He replied extending his hand and helping her to stand.  "You saved my life."  He continued soberly.  "I didn't see Trace coming.  The way you stepped out there and put yourself right into the line of fire for me..." he trailed off as he sniffed and made a show of wiping away his imaginary tears.  "It was so brave." He put his hand over his mouth as if trying to hold in his emotion.

Aubrey laughed even more at his theatrics.  "I was just doing my job." She said.  "You told me to cover you and I tried."

"Girl you can cover me anytime you want." He replied suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at her.  She rolled her eyes as she reached out and pushed his shoulder playfully.  Justin smiled as they began walking across the field to where Trace and Ryan stood. 

"You did good for your first time." He told her.

"Yeah?" She smiled proudly.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"It was fun." She admitted.  "I can see now why my brother was so into this game.  It's very..." She pursed her lips, searching for the right word.  "Empowering." She finally said.

"See." He laughed.  "What'd I tell you?  You're Xena."  Aubrey chuckled.  "I'm going to get you a shirt that says that for next time." He told her. 

"Okay." Aubrey smiled, liking the way he referenced "next time."

"Would you wear it?" Justin asked, looking over at her.

"Absolutely." She assured him with a nod. 

"I'm going to hold you to that." He said, pointing a finger at her.  Aubrey smiled.

"You guys want to play again?" Trace asked as Justin and Aubrey came up to him and Ryan. 

"Nah." Justin shook his head.  "Unless you want to." He said turning to look at Aubrey.

"Whatever." Aubrey shrugged.  "But I'm almost out of paint balls." She shook her gun.

"Well, that settles it." Justin said.  "Cuz I don't have anymore with me."

"We're going to stay for a little longer." Trace said.

"Okay.  I'll catch you guys later?" Justin asked Trace and Ryan.

"Yeah." Both of the other guys said.  "See ya."

Aubrey walked with Justin back to where his Escalade was parked.  "You up for some lunch?" Justin asked, rubbing a hand across his stomach.  "I'm starving."

Aubrey looked down at herself.  "Um...sure.  As long as you don't mind being seen with me when I look like this."

"Have you looked at me?" Justin asked, gesturing to his own paint covered clothing and Aubrey chuckled.  "I'm not really worried about how you look at the moment."

She smiled.  "Lunch sounds great."

~~~~~~  

"The burgers are great here." Justin raved twenty minutes later as he and Aubrey slid into a booth at the diner he sometimes went to when he went out paint balling. 

"Yeah?" Aubrey asked, tucking some of the hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ears.  She picked up one of the menus that were folded up on the edge of the table and began looking at it. 

"Mmm-hmm." Justin nodded then remembered he wasn't out with Trace and Ryan like he usually was.  "Um, their salads are good too." He offered.  Girls liked salads, right?  That seemed to be the entrée of choice on a first date.  Date?  He questioned himself.  This isn't a date.

"Um..." Aubrey pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, pulling him from his distracting thoughts then looked up at him as she folded up the menu.  "I think I want the bacon cheeseburger." She told him. 

Justin's eyes widened in admiration.  That was twice today he'd assumed something about this girl and twice today that's she'd surprised him with how she'd reacted to a situation.

"Is that okay?" She asked, looking at him in question.

"Yeah." He shook his head as he folded his arms and leaned over the table towards her.  "Get whatever you want." He smiled.  "You are a warrior princess after all.  I should have known you wouldn't settle for just a salad."  Aubrey smiled then looked down at the table.  He watched as her cheeks pinked slightly.  They gave the waitress their orders when she arrived then fell silent.

"So," Aubrey looked up at him.  "Why were you in New York last weekend?" She asked.

"I was helping to audition some dancers." He replied.

"Dancers?" She asked.  "For what?"

"Um...JC, you know JC?" He asked and she nodded.  "He's getting ready to go out on tour.  The auditions were for that."

"Why were you there if it was for JC's tour?" She asked, her golden green eyes belaying her confusion.

"Because I'm his friend and because...it's my record label that's producing his album." He told her.

"Your record label?" Aubrey asked, one eyebrow rising as he nodded.  "You have your own record label?"

"Yeah." He nodded then chuckled.  "Is that against the law or something?"

"No." She laughed.  "I just..." she paused for a second.  "What else do you do?" She asked in interest.

"Well, Trace and I have our clothing line and--"

"Clothing line?" Aubrey questioned, both eye brows rising this time. 

"Yeah." He nodded as he took a sip of his Coke.  "And there's the restaurant."

"Restaurant?!" She exclaimed.  "Wait, let me get this straight." She held up her hands then began ticking items off on her fingers.  "You're a world famous singer who still has songs on the charts, you own a record label of which you are an active participant, you've got a clothing line, you've been in several movies, you host golf tournaments and award shows, and you own a restaurant?"

Justin thought for a moment then nodded.  "Yep.  That sounds about right." 

"How in the world do you have time to do all of that and find time to breathe much less go paint balling on the weekend?" She asked.

"ADD." He replied with a succinct nod and Aubrey laughed.  "I like staying busy." He conceded with a chuckle.  "I don't like--"

"Here you go." Their waitress said placing both their burgers in front of them. 

"Thank you." Aubrey and Justin said in unison.

"You're welcome." The girl smiled.  "Let me know if there's anything else you need." She said.

"Will do." Justin said picking up the glass bottle of ketchup that was sitting on the table and twisted off the lid.  He turned it over on top of his French fries and began thumping the heel of his hand against the bottom of the bottle.  "Why...doesn't...the ketchup...ever--" he stopped as half of the bottle of ketchup dumped out on his plate.  "Come out?" He finished as Aubrey started giggling.  "You think that's funny?" He asked looking up at her.  She nodded as she continued giggling.  He reached across and stole a handful of her fries.  "How ‘bout that?" He asked.

"Be my guest." She replied turning her plate so the fries were more accessible to him.  "I don't need ‘em." She said as she took a bite of her burger.

"What don't you like?" Aubrey asked.

"What?" He questioned, not sure as to what she was referencing.

"Before she brought the food over you were going to tell me about something you don't like." She said, placing a French fry in her mouth.

"Oh." He replied.  "I don't like being bored.  It drives me nuts."

"Doing everything that you do would drive me nuts." She said with a smile.  "Don't you ever just want to sit at home and do nothing?"

"Sometimes I think about it." He admitted.  "But that usually doesn't last very long and then I find something to do.  What about you?" Justin asked, picking up his own cheeseburger.  "Besides being a receptionist and going to school, what do you like to do?  It's your turn to fill me in on how you spend your time."

~~~~~ 

Aubrey looked at Justin in surprise.  He remembers what we talked about last month? She thought, mentally awarding him some major brownie points.  He had really been listening to her that day at Red Mango.  She smiled.  "Lots of things."  She replied vaguely.  "It all depends on my mood.  I'm not as busy as you are, obviously, but I always find something to fill up the time."

"Like what?" He questioned.  "Give me an example." He reached out and took a couple more of her fries and put them in his mouth.  "If I hadn't asked you to come with me this morning what would you have done instead?"

Aubrey thought for a moment.  "I don't know." She chuckled self-consciously.

"Do you wrangle cats?" He asked and she looked at him in confusion.

"No!" She exclaimed with a laugh.

"Do you collect stamps?  Are you into underwater basket weaving?  What makes you, you?" He asked, his blue eyes conveying his genuine interest.

"Um..."  She paused, her brow furrowing as she thought.  How could she make her boring life sound more interesting?  "I swim."  She offered.

"Swim?" He asked, his blue eyes watching her intently.  "Competitively or just for fun?"

"It's just for fun now." She replied.

"Explain." He requested.

"Um...I was on the swim team in high school." She said.  "There's really not a whole lot to explain.  We won a few matches and I got a few medals."

"Are you still on a team?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Why not?" He questioned.

"I don't know." She shrugged.  "It was something I did in high school, but it wasn't ever something I wanted to do forever." 

"Does your grandmother have a pool?" He asked.

"No." Aubrey replied.  "I usually go over to the community center on Saturday mornings and do some laps."  Justin looked at her, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile.  "What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He shook his head.  "You're just...you're a very surprising girl, Aubrey." He told her.  "You're nothing like I thought you'd be when we first met."

"Are you referring to when your dogs decided to attack me at the park or when I was smashing my brownie all over you?" She offered with a grin and he chuckled.  "What did you think I was going to be like?" She asked, curious.

"Like other girls I've met." He replied honestly.  "I was preparing myself to have to deal with someone who was either crazy and psychotic or fake and patronizing."

"Why'd you call and want me to come today if that's what you thought I was going to be like?" She asked.

He hung his head and looked down at the table for a moment then looked back up at her.  "Because," he cleared his throat nervously, but Aubrey kept her eyes on him.  "I guess I was hoping you were different." He smiled shyly at her.  Aubrey smiled back and decided to let him in on a little secret.

"Would it shock you if I told you I didn't own any of your albums?" She asked him and he raised a skeptical brow.

"A little." He replied.  "None of them?" He questioned and she shook her head.  "Not even an N SYNC album?"   

"Nope." She shook her head.  "You can check my CD collection if you don't believe me." She continued as she took another bite.

~~~~~

Justin looked at her for a moment.  "No, I...I believe you." He said and he did.  There was no way to hide the innocent sincerity shining in her eyes.  "None of them?" He asked again and again she shook her head.  "What kind of music do you listen to?"

"Country usually." She replied.  "I love Rascal Flatts."  She smiled at him and he found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't been able to do in a long time.  For some reason Aubrey put him completely at ease and made him feel like he could just be himself--something he'd been conditioned against doing over the years.  He sighed as he leaned back against the booth.

"Tell me about this restaurant you own." Aubrey said, bringing him out of his thoughts and turning the conversation back to him. "Is it as good as this place?" She asked, once more taking a bite of her burger.

"Better." He replied with an arrogant grin.

She made an interested noise.  "What kind of a restaurant is it?" She asked.  Justin smiled and began telling her about Southern Hospitality--with its relaxed, welcoming atmosphere to the down home country cooking with recipes from his own family and traditional Memphis style BBQ--and how he and Trace had decided to go into business and open the restaurant.

"Where is it?" Aubrey asked.  "It sounds like I'm going to have to give this place a try."  She grinned.

"You should." He nodded.  "The next time you're in New York."

"Oh." She replied and he watched as she slouched down slightly. 

"But don't worry." He said.  "You let me know when you're going and I'll hook you up." He winked.

"Promise?" She asked with a grin.

"Promise." He replied.  "You'll get the VIP treatment.  I take care of my own, don't you worry."  Aubrey laughed and he smiled.  He liked making her laugh.    

"Can I ask you a personal question?" He asked.

"Sure." She replied.  "But I'm not promising I'll answer."

"Fair enough." He nodded-heaven knew he had things in his life he wasn't comfortable sharing with just anyone.  "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Aubrey's eyebrows lifted slightly.  "Why?" She questioned.

"Just curious." He replied.  "I just wanted to know if there was some big guy I was going to have to worry about coming after me for spending so much time with you today."

She smiled.  "No." She replied.

"No you don't have a boyfriend, or no I don't have to worry about him coming after me?" He questioned.

"No I don't have a boyfriend." She told him.  "And even if I did I don't think you'd have to worry.  We really haven't spent all that much time together." 

"Not yet." He replied and she smiled.  He watched, a bit surprised at the words that had just come out of his mouth, as her cheeks turned pink and she looked down at the table.  "You done?" He asked before either one of them could think too hard about what he'd just said and the possible meaning behind them.

"Yeah." She nodded, looking back up at him.

"You ready to go?" He asked and again she nodded.  Justin stood, pulling his wallet from his back pocket and took out some cash.  He put more than enough to cover their tab on the table and followed Aubrey out the front door--the restless anxiety that had been filling him the last few weeks all but a memory.  He'd felt more relaxed and at ease this morning than he had in a long time.  He wasn't sure if it was just time passing as his mother had suggested would be the case or Aubrey's pleasant company over the last few hours.  Whatever it was he was thankful for it. 

"Thanks." She said as he opened the passenger side door for her and helped her up into the truck.

"You're welcome." He smiled then walked around the front of the Escalade and got in. 

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Aubrey asked as he put the truck in gear and pulled out onto the main road.

"Sure." He said.  After all, it was only fair-he'd asked her a personal question.  Still, he braced himself, not quite sure what her question was going to be about.  He prepared himself to have her dredge up something from his past. 

"I realize this is probably not something I should ask right now--since we've known each other a grand total of about five hours--but...do you think you'll ever one day settle down and get married?" 

Justin looked over at her in surprise then turned back to the road.  "Uh..." He cleared his throat.

"I was just wondering," She continued when he hesitated.  "Because you seem to have all these high profile relationships that go on forever but never really go anywhere and then you're moving on to someone else.  Are you planning on it being like that the rest of your life?  Are you going to be like George Clooney and date forever or are you going to be like Patrick Dempsey and get married and have a couple kids?"

"Wow." Justin responded.  "Um..." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he chuckled nervously.

"Sorry." Aubrey apologized.  "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."

"No, it's okay." He replied, looking over at her again.  "It's just...that wasn't really what I was expecting you to ask me, that's all.  You kind of took me by surprise--again."

"What did you think I was going to ask?" She questioned.

"I don't know." He shrugged.  Britney.  He thought.  No matter where he went or what he did in life that seemed to be all that people wanted to know about.  "People usually want to know about things I've done in the past--girls I've dated, being a part of N SYNC, things like that.  They're not really interested in my future." He told her.  She just looked at him, her eyes curious as they watched him.  "Sure." He replied, feeling his cheeks warm slightly.  What the hell is wrong with me? He wondered.  "I'd like to get married one day and maybe have a couple of kids," he continued. "But it's hard." He took a deep breath.  "I've been in this business-show business-for so long...it's hard to know when people are being real and honest, you know?" He glanced over at her and she nodded.  "And marriage is about as real as it gets.  Without honesty..." he shook his head.  "What's the point?"  Aubrey looked at him, her brows furrowed slightly-a look of confusion across her face.  "What's that look for?" He asked, his eyes bouncing back and forth between her and the road.

"I just...really?" She asked.  "You want to have kids?"

He was quiet for a moment, feeling suspiciously like a bear caught in a trap.  "Uh..." He stammered.  "Well...I said maybe."

Aubrey laughed at his embarrassment and nervousness.  "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Justin." She said as she leaned towards him slightly.  "If you want someone that's real and honest you've got be willing to be the same."

Justin looked over at her as he came to a stop at a red light, at a loss as to what to say in response to that.  She smiled then turned to look out her window, leaving him to turn his attention back to the road.  How was it this girl was able to see through him so quickly?  They'd only known each other really for a couple of hours as she'd pointed out a few minutes ago.  But somehow she'd been able to call his bluff and give him a lot to think about.  Maybe Rachel was right.  He thought as he looked over at Aubrey again.  Maybe he did need someone like Aubrey in his life right now; someone who was real and honest and wouldn't put up with his crap. 

But how in the world do I find a girl like that?