"I hope this isn't a bad time." He said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"No." She shook her head automatically.  "I'm sorry." She stepped back.  "Come in."

"Are you sure?" He asked.  "If you're busy..." he gestured towards the forgotten cell phone in her hand.

Aubrey tore her eyes away from him and looked down at her cell phone uncomprehendingly for a moment.  "Oh." She said.  Then, "Justin!" She exclaimed, suddenly remembering who she had been talking to moments before.  She put the phone to her ear.  "Justin?" She asked.

"Yeah." He responded.  "Still here."

"I...I have to go." She said.

"Alright." He replied.  "Are you okay?"

I'm fine." Her eyes stole over to Andrew once more.  "I just...I have to go."  She turned away from the man standing in the doorway slightly.  "I'll call you later."  Aubrey ended her call with Justin and turned to look at Andrew once more.  She hated to say it but, being over in Iraq had been good for him.  He looked tanner and his shirt fit a little snugger across his chest than she remembered and was it just her imagination that his blue eyes seemed even bluer?  "What are you doing here?" She finally asked, looking down at herself--finally realizing she was standing there in an old pair of grey sweats and an oversized black T-shirt.  Way to make a good impression.  She thought with chagrin.  Then kicked herself.  It's just Andrew. There wasn't a need to make a good impression on him. 

"I'm stationed down here in San Diego now." Andrew said.  "I've kept in touch with Michael since we were both deployed and he told me you were living up here with your grandmother.  I figured..." he shrugged.  "I figured I'd stop by and see how you were." He looked at her, hope glittering in his eyes.  "It's been a while, Bre."

Aubrey couldn't help but smile at the pet name he'd always had for her.  She remembered the first time he'd called her that and what her reaction had been.  "What am I?  A piece of cheese?"  They had both laughed and the name had stuck.  She led Andrew over to the floral upholstered couches in the front room and they both sat down. 

"If I'd known you were coming I'd have done something with my hair." She teased and he smiled.

"What have you been up to?" He asked, putting his hands together as he leaned over, resting his arms on his legs then looking at her. 

Aubrey drew her legs up beneath her and tucked her hair behind her ears.  "Just work and school mostly." She replied.

"Where are you working?" He asked sitting back against the couch--his body language giving away the fact that he was nervous.

"I'm the receptionist at an interior design firm downtown." She told him.

"That's cool." He nodded.

"Yeah." She smiled.  "It's not much, but it pays the bills."

"Are you going to UCLA?" He asked.

"Yep." She nodded.  "I'm just taking a couple classes on-line right now." She told him. 

"Are you still wanting to get your teaching certificate?" He asked.

"Eventually." She smiled.  "It's going to take me a while the way I'm going, but...someday soon, hopefully."

"That's great." He smiled and Aubrey looked down at her hands in her lap.

"What about you?" She asked looking up at him.  Why was she feeling so awkward around him?  She'd known Andrew since she was fifteen.  He knew more about her than anyone, besides her family.  He'd been the one who stayed with her at the hospital the last time she'd been in there and her parent's had been out of town for crying out loud!  "You still doing the whole interpreter thing?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that." Andrew replied with a wink as his lips lifted in a grin.  Aubrey chuckled.  "Yeah." He said.  "I'm still working as a linguist." He nodded.  Silence fell between them when he didn't volunteer anymore information.

"How come you're up here in L.A.?" She asked.  "I know you didn't drive up here just to see me." She teased.  Andrew just looked at her, the look in her eyes giving her his answer.  "Oh." She said, looking down at her lap once more.  "Andrew--" She began, looking up, but Andrew cut her off as he scooted closer to her on the couch.

"Bre, I..." he hesitated as he reached over and laid his hand over hers.  Aubrey removed them from beneath his and folded her arms across her chest.  Andrew sighed.  "Are you free Friday night?" He asked.  Aubrey pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at him.  Her first instinct was to say no, but the promise she'd made her mother last month to give Andrew another chance if he asked kept running through her head.  "I was hoping we could go out...spend some time really catching up."

She took a deep breath.  "I..."

"It's just dinner and movie, Aubrey." He said.  "No pressure." He assured her.  "I promise.  Just...just two friends who haven't seen each other in a few years, spending some time together.  I've been gone for a while and I...I just need to get back a sense of normalcy, you know?  You're the only one I know here, right now."

"Okay." Aubrey finally agreed. 

"Yeah?" Andrew asked his excitement evident.

"Just friends?" Aubrey asked.

He nodded.  "Just friends.  I promise."

"Okay." She said again.  He smiled.

"Well." He said, rubbing his hand on his thighs.  "I better go." He said.  "I'm sure you had things to do tonight." Aubrey stood as Andrew did, not bothering to correct his incorrect assumption.  "Can I pick you up at seven on Friday?" He asked.

"Sure." Aubrey nodded.  "Seven works."

"Good." Andrew nodded.  "Well..."

"Oh, yeah." Aubrey turned and walked towards the front door.  She twisted the door knob and opened the door, turning to look at Andrew.  They stood looking at each other for a second until Andrew surprised her by putting his arms around her and pulling her close.  Oo-kay. She thought as she stood there, not quite sure what to do.  She put her arms around him and patted his back once. 

"It's great seeing you again, Aubrey." Andrew said as he pulled back.  Aubrey just smiled, trying to hide the fact that she was completely shocked and a bit weirded-out at the fact that he'd just hugged her.  "I'll see you Friday."

"Yeah, Friday." She said as he left.  She watched him walk down the front path for a second than closed the door, leaning back against it.  What is going on? She thought.  In the year she'd been in California she hadn't gone on one date and now, in the space of an hour she had not one, but two dates this weekend; one with a man she never thought she'd ever see again and one with Justin Timberlake!  "Somewhere there's a planet out of alignment." She murmured under her breath as she walked back into the family room.  "And tomorrow I'm going to wake up and find out I've just been Punk'd."

~~~~~~

"I've heard this movie is really good." Andrew said as he allowed Aubrey to walk in front of him into the theatre. 

"Yeah, Rachel--one of the girls I work with--said she and her boyfriend saw it last weekend and really liked it." Aubrey replied as they made their way up the dark hallway towards the seats.  She stopped when they entered the theatre, waiting for him to lead the way. 

"Where do you want to sit?" Andrew asked directly behind her.  Aubrey jumped slightly, unaware that he was standing so close. 

"Wherever." She said, taking a small step away from him--hoping he wouldn't notice.  He smiled as he took her hand and started climbing the stairs.  Aubrey followed him her eyes focused on where he was touching her, her thoughts racing.  Since Andrew had shown up on her grandmother's porch Wednesday evening and asked her out for tonight she'd gone back and forth with herself on whether or not she should just call and cancel.  Unfortunately, she hadn't been thinking clearly Wednesday night and hadn't gotten his number so she couldn't call and cancel on him. 

"What's got you so down today?" Rachel had asked earlier that afternoon as she'd walked by the front desk.

Aubrey had sighed.  "I sort of have a date tonight." She told her friend.

"Really?" Rachel asked excitedly.  "Is it with Justin?!"

"No." Aubrey shook her head and Rachel's excitement dropped.  "Do you remember me telling you about the guy I dated a few years ago that got stationed down in San Diego?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah." Rachel nodded.  "I don't remember his name though."

"Andrew." Aubrey supplied.

"Right." Rachel said.  "Andrew.  Is that who you're going out with?" She asked.  Aubrey nodded.  "That's...cool." Rachel replied.

"No it's not." Aubrey replied, leaning over her desk and putting her hands over her face. 

"Why not?" Rachel asked. 

"Because!" Aubrey said, looking back up at Rachel.  "I'm not in love with him."

Rachel laughed.  "It's just a date, Aubrey." She reminded her.  "It's not like you're marrying the guy."

"You don't understand." Aubrey shook her head.  "Andrew..." she sighed again.  "I don't want to lead him on." She said.  "He's a great guy but there's nothing there."

"Oh." Rachel scoffed.  "You're being ridiculous, Aubrey. You're jumping to a lot of conclusions rather quickly here.  Maybe he just needs a friend right now." 

"Yeah, you're right.  He did promise tonight was just two friends going out and catching up."

"Well then, there you go." Rachel replied.  "Don't stress yourself out over nothing."

As Aubrey followed Andrew down the row he'd chosen and sat down next to him she prayed that Rachel was right.  She looked over at Andrew as he situated the drink he'd gotten at the snack bar in one of the drink holders.  The whole evening had gone better than she'd expected--the car ride to the restaurant had only been a little awkward--and they had soon fallen back into their normal, comfortable relationship as the night had progressed.  She was reminded about what a nice, quiet, unassuming guy he was.  He was respectful and kind and she could tell he genuinely cared about her.  She'd even begun to question why it was she had broken things off with him to begin with.

Snap out of it!  She'd scolded herself as the lights in the theater turned down and the previews began.  This is Andrew you're talking about, remember?  But...he was a guy.  And he was interested in her.  It was hard to push that fact away.  She knew she wasn't in love with him, but it felt nice to know someone wanted to be with her. 

With a sigh Aubrey turned her attention to the screen, forgetting about the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that things had just taken a turn in her life--but whether this turn turned out to be good or bad had yet to be seen. 

~~~~~

"Thanks for coming with me tonight." Andrew said as he walked Aubrey up to her front door.

"You're welcome." She smiled.  "I had fun." She stopped when they reached the stairs and turned to look up at him.  Her stomach dropped as she recognized the look in his blue eyes--it was a look she'd seen more than once on his face.  He's going to kiss me. She thought and almost before the words came to her he leaned towards her.  She felt herself giving in for a moment, until reality set in again.  Aubrey put a hand to his chest and held him back.  "Just friends, remember?" She asked him.  His blue eyes looked at her in disappointment as he took a step away from her and she suddenly felt like a rotten, horrible person.  She'd known this was going to happen!  I should have just cancelled. 

"Right." He said.  "When can I see you again?" He asked. 

"Um..." She thought for a moment.  "I don't know.  I'll have to look at the calendar."

"Okay.  I'll call you tomorrow.  Maybe we can do something down in San Diego next time." He looked at her hopefully.

"Maybe." She replied non-comittally and Andrew sighed.  He reached out and took one of her hands in his.  Before she could pull it back he raised the back of it to his lips, his eyes meeting hers. 

"Good night, Aubrey." He said as he released her hand.

"Good night...Andrew." She replied.  She looked at him for a moment, her emotions conflicted.  She wanted to call him back and apologize.  She wanted him to come back and kiss her--to see if anything had changed in the two years they'd been apart.  Finally she turned and walked inside, leaning back against the door when she closed it.  Her phone vibrated in her purse and she straightened as she dug it out.  Flipping it open she read the text she'd just received. 

I had a great time tonight.  Sweet dreams.

Aubrey groaned as she walked down the hall to her bedroom, praying she'd done the right thing tonight in letting Andrew back into her life and wouldn't live to regret it.  

~~~~~~

"I'm here." Justin grinned as Aubrey opened her front door Saturday morning.  He had a tight hold of Buckley and Brennan's leashes--both of whom were whining and wagging their short tails in excitement--with his right hand.  His left hand was wrapped around a shovel and Aubrey smiled at him.

"Hi." She said.  "Come in."  She stepped back and opened the door wider.

"Should I leave this out here?" He asked lifting up the shovel.

"Nope." Aubrey shook her head.  "We're going right out to the back yard."

Justin stepped into the house and followed Aubrey as she led him back through the kitchen and family room to the back sliding door.

"You can let them go," Aubrey said as she closed the door behind them.  "They can't hurt anything back here."  Justin leaned the shovel he'd brought against the side of the house then leaned down and unclipped the dog's leashes.  The two boxers took off, excitedly running around and sniffing all the new scents in her backyard. 

"So what's the plan for today?" Justin asked, turning to look at her.

"Well, you wanted to be a normal guy for a day." She said.  "So I'm putting you to work."

"What kind of work?" He inquired.

"Yard work." She said then turned and picked up a pair of gardening gloves.  "The flower garden has been kind of neglected back here for a while." She said as she led him around the side of the house.  "We've got our work cut out for us."  Justin groaned when he saw the large patch of dirt along the side fence that was overgrown with thick weeds.  "We've got to pull all the weeds out then add in that mulch," she pointed to a few bags stacked up against the side of the house.  "And plant those flowers Grams picked out yesterday."  She put her hands on her hips as she looked at him, squinting against the morning sun.  "You ready to get those soft hands of yours dirty?" She asked with a teasing glint in her eyes. 

"Bring it on." He replied.

~~~~~ 

Three hours later--hot, sweaty, and dirty--Justin collapsed beside Aubrey on the grass.  Brennan came over and stuck her nose in his face.  "Hey!" He exclaimed, pushing the dog away.  "Get out of my face!" Aubrey laughed and he raised his head to look at her.  "What are you laughing about?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. 

"Nothing." She replied as she placed the last of the flowers in the ground.  She patted the dark earth around the plant than leaned back on her heels, wiping her hands together as she surveyed the work they'd done.  "Nice work, Superstar." She said, looking over her shoulder and smiling at him.  "Grams is going to love it."

Justin smiled as he lay back down and closed his eyes.  He was aware of Aubrey sitting down next to him and heard her as she talked to Buckley who had come over and joined his sister by them.  The last three hours had been hard work, but they'd been worth it.  It had been a while since he'd done any sort of manual labor like that and he'd forgotten the sense of accomplishment you got when you worked hard to create something with your hands and were able to then sit back and enjoy the benefits.  But it wasn't just the rewards of working hard that had made the morning so enjoyable.  He opened one eye a slit and looked over at the woman sitting next to him, playing with his dogs, and a contented smile spread across his face. 

As they'd worked, he'd been able to keep Aubrey entertained with stories of all the crazy things he'd seen and done that had happened to him in his life and he'd quickly discovered that making her laugh was his new favorite hobby.  Her laugh was so carefree and full of life and each time brought a smile to his face.  Like now.  He raised his head once more then turned on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her giggle when Brennan started licking her.

"I told you she thinks you two are best friends now." He said.  Aubrey looked at him as she finally managed to push the dog away. 

"I thought you'd fallen asleep on me." She said.  "I know it's probably been a while since you've done anything like this, if at all." She teased.

Justin chuckled as he rolled his eyes.  "I'm not helpless you know.  I do know how to work."

"I know." Aubrey replied as she leaned back on her hands.

Justin watched her for a moment then finally voiced the question that had been running around inside his head since Wednesday night.  "Who's Andrew?"

~~~~~  

Aubrey looked over at Justin.  "Andrew?" She questioned her brow furrowing.  How in the world does he know about Andrew? 

"Yeah," Justin's eyes dropped and she watched as he reached out and picked a few blades of grass.  "When we were talking Wednesday night I heard you talking to someone you called Andrew."  He looked up at her.  "It sounded like you were pretty surprised to see him."

"Oh." Aubrey said.  She'd forgotten Justin had still been on the phone when Andrew had shown up the other night.  "Yeah.  Yeah, I was surprised to see him.  He, um..." she swiped the hair out of her face with the back of her hand.  "We dated...a few years ago."  Justin said nothing but for some reason she felt the need to explain further.  "He's a friend of my brother's and...I broke it off with him because I didn't really feel anything for him at the time." She looked down at her hands in her lap.  "Then he got shipped over to Iraq two years ago."

"And now?" Justin questioned curiously.  Aubrey looked up at him.

"And now." She echoed with a sigh.  "We went out last night.  But we're just friends." She rushed to assure him, wondering why she felt she needed to reassure him of that fact.

They sat there, just looking at each other for a few moments, until Justin leaned towards her.  Aubrey watched as his arm reached out, her breath catching in her throat as his warm hand cupped her face, his thumb brushing across her cheek.  Her heart was pounding.  "What--"

"Are you guys ready for lunch?"

Aubrey jumped as her grandmother came outside and Justin dropped his hand as he looked back over his shoulder. 

"Are you hungry?" Aubrey asked Justin, trying hard to ignore the way her stomach was still quivering from his touch.

"Starving." Justin replied with a grin as he stood up.

"We're coming." Aubrey told her grandmother.  She looked up as Justin held his hands out to her.  Hesitating for a moment, she finally placed her hands in his and allowed him to pull her up next to him.  She felt her cheeks warm slightly as he kept a hold of her hands and she wished she could control her emotional reactions better.  Did he know what he was doing to her or was this just him being a typically confusing boy?  With a sigh she pulled her hands from his and turned.  "Let's go." She said picking up the gloves she'd taken off earlier, trying hard to control her thoughts.  You're just being ridiculous. She scolded herself.  He didn't mean anything by it.  You probably just had something on your face that's all. 

~~~~~

Justin smiled to himself as he followed behind Aubrey.  Her reaction when he'd reached out to wipe the smudge of dirt from her face had been fun.  She'd gotten more than a little bit flustered and had jumped when her grandmother had called out to them and he decided that, next to making her laugh, flustering her had become his next favorite activity.

"Wash your hands." Aubrey's grandmother said walking out of the kitchen as they both entered the house. 

"Yes, ma'am." Justin said, sniffing appreciatively at the bacon he could smell cooking.  Aubrey stepped up to the sink and turned on the water. 

"Hey!" She exclaimed with a laugh as he nudged her out of the way with his hip, hogging the sink.  He stuck his tongue out at her and she reached over, flicking water up on him. 

"Oh, you're asking for it now, girl." He replied with a laugh as he put one arm around her waist, holding her against him as he picked up the sprayer and turned it on her. 

"Ah!"  She screamed.  "Stop!" Aubrey giggled as she tried to get away from him.  He held onto her tighter.  "Justin!" She exclaimed as he sprayed her with the water again.  He laughed.

"Say you're sorry." He commanded through his laughter as she continued trying to squirm out of his hold.

"I'm sorry." She said.  "I'm sorry.  I surrender."  He released her and she turned to look at him, the front of her dark shirt completely soaked.  She pushed the wet hair from her face before reaching out and quickly grabbing the sprayer herself.  She turned it on him, hitting him in the face before he could grab her wrist. 

"Aubrey Janae!" Her grandmother scolded as she walked into the kitchen. 

"What?" She asked.  "He started it." Aubrey argued in defense as Justin finally managed to get the sprayer out of her hands. 

"Come eat, you two." She said.

"Ha!" Justin exclaimed in triumph as he grinned at her.

"Brat." She replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Aubrey Janae." He said, using her newly discovered middle name as he sidled up close to her.  "Don't be mad at me."  He watched as she fought not to laugh, her struggle finally coming to an end as she reached out and pushed his shoulder playfully. 

"Come on." She said, walking over to the table.  "Before I get into anymore trouble."

Justin sat down with Aubrey and her grandmother around the small kitchen table, his stomach growling at the BLT sandwich sitting on the plate in front of him.  He reached out to pick it up and moaned appreciatively as he took a bite.  Aubrey chuckled beside him as she took a bite of her own sandwich. 

"Want some chips?" She asked, handing him an opened bag of potato chips. 

"Thanks." He grinned, taking the bag and pulling out a handful.  "This is really good." He said to her grandmother.

"Thank you." The older woman replied.  "It's the least I could do for all the hard work you put in today.  That flower garden has been neglected for a while.  Aubrey's grandpa was the one who always took care of the yard.  Since he died I haven't done much with it."

Justin smiled.  "Anytime you need some help, you just give me a call." He said. 

"I appreciate it." Her grandmother replied.  "But Aubrey tells me you're a pretty busy guy."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He said, his eyes sliding over to Aubrey's.  He looked at her in question, silently asking if her grandmother knew who he really was.  She shook her head slightly and looked down at her plate.  "My work keeps me pretty busy, but I mean it." He said reaching for the pitcher of lemonade on the table and pouring himself a glass.  "I always make time to help out a friend."  Aubrey looked over at him and he smiled at her. 

"What do you kids have planned for the rest of the day?" Her grandmother asked.  Justin cocked a curious brow at Aubrey as she continued to just stare at him.  "Aubrey?"

"Hmmm?" Aubrey asked, finally turning to look at her grandmother.  Justin chuckled.

"What are your plans for the rest of today?"

"Oh." She wiped her hands on her napkin.  "Well, I need to finish my homework for this week and I was going to go to the grocery store for you." She looked over at Justin.  "We could take the dogs over to the park for a while if you want." She said.

"Whatever." He shrugged, as a slow smile spread across his face.  "I'm just along for the ride today." Aubrey smiled back at him before turning back to her grandmother.

"We might watch a movie later, if that's alright." She finished. 

"Doesn't sound like a very exciting day." Her grandmother commented. 

"That's just the way I like it." Justin jumped in.  "It seems like I'm always running around in a million directions that it's nice to just slow down and take it easy for a while." He said, putting his arm up along the back of Aubrey's chair.  He leaned back in his own chair as he finished his lemonade--completely missing the questioning look Aubrey's grandmother gave her, and the soft blush that that look caused to appear on Aubrey's cheeks.  He was too busy soaking in the fact that Aubrey had successfully accomplished her task of making him feel like a normal guy for a day.  And it wasn't even one o'clock yet.

~~~~~~

"Okay," Justin said as he sat down next to Aubrey at the table later that afternoon.  After lunch had been cleaned up they'd gone grocery shopping for her grandmother, a task she was hoping wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.  Out of all the things she'd had planned today, this was the one that could ruin his "normal" day.  Fortunately, luck was on their side--luck, and the fact that her grandmother lived in a mostly retired neighborhood.  The few people they'd run into in the store hadn't seemed to recognize who Justin was, except for the girl who had been their checker.  She had done a double take as Aubrey and Justin had gotten into line but hadn't said anything to them, probably assuming he was just a guy who looked like Justin Timberlake--much like Aubrey had done when she'd first met Justin in the park. 

"Are we going to do this like we're in elementary school or high school?" He asked as she pulled her notebook and Algebra textbook from her backpack. 

"What's the difference?" Aubrey asked as she looked over at him.  He'd been a really good sport about everything she'd made him do today.  It wasn't just any guy that would show up not knowing what to expect then spend all morning doing yard work without complaint, go on a very routine trip to the grocery store, and follow it all up with some boring math homework. 

But, he said he wanted to be normal.  She reminded herself.  And this has been a very normal day for me.

"You know." He grinned.  "If we were in elementary school we'd really be doing homework." 

"And if we were in high school?" She questioned, putting her elbow up on the table and resting her chin in her hand. 

"If we were in high school," he said, scooting his chair closer towards her.  "We'd say we were doing homework, but really we'd be making out the entire time."

Aubrey lifted a brow at his explanation.  "Which one do you want?" She asked, immediately feeling her cheeks warm at her forward question.  She'd never been confident or accomplished when it came to flirting with guys but there was just something about this man that brought out her inner tease.  She watched as his blue eyes began to sparkle mischievously, the corners of his lips twitching as he fought to keep a straight face.

"Do you really want to know?" He questioned.  Aubrey felt a smile spread across her face and she drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked at him.  He leaned towards her again and she felt her heart start to race--sure that he was going to kiss her...until Grams let out a snore from where she was napping on the couch. 

Justin hung his head and Aubrey chuckled quietly.  "Maybe we should pretend we're in elementary school for now." She said.

He looked over his shoulder at her sleeping grandmother then back at her.  "Good idea." He said, winking at her.  Aubrey's heart skipped and she took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of all its ridiculous and unwanted thoughts that revolved around this man.  She peeked over at him as he scooted closer to her, putting one arm up on the back of her chair like he'd done at lunch.  She took another deep breath that should have been calming but only succeeded in bombarding her with the musky scent of his aftershave and she cursed her female hormones for immediately kicking into high gear at that scent.  She closed her eyes and concentrated hard on getting her heart rate evened out.

Developing a crush on Justin Timberlake would serve no purpose other than to leave her heartbroken when he eventually figured out how boring and ordinary she was and returned to the glamorous and fast-paced life he'd lead for the majority of his life.  But as she opened her eyes and looked over at him, her eyes connecting with his, she knew she was already gone. 

"Which problem are we working on first?"

~~~~~~

"Can I ask you a question?" Justin asked as they sat on the couch watching a movie that night-finishing out their rather ordinary but perfect day.  Aubrey looked over at him.

"Sure." She replied.

"How many guys have you been with?" He asked.

She looked at him for a moment, completely taken aback at his question.  "What do you mean by, ‘been with'?" She asked, wanting him to clarify, though she knew what he meant.

"You know..." He cleared his throat.  "How many guys have you...nevermind." He said turning his attention back to the movie.  "Forget I asked."

"None." Aubrey answered quietly, looking away and closing her eyes tightly.  She grimaced as she waited for his response.  Justin was silent so long she finally opened her eyes and looked over at him.  He sat looking at her as if she'd just told him she'd been abducted by aliens and they had told her they were planning to take over the Earth.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away, ashamed.  It's nothing to be ashamed of.  She told herself. 

"I'm sorry." Justin finally said, breaking the awkward silence between them.  "Did you say..."

"None." Aubrey finished for him when he faltered again.  "Yes."

"How is that even possible?" He asked sitting up and giving her the most confused look she'd ever seen.

"Would you stop looking at me like I've suddenly grown another head?" She asked, feeling her cheeks burning.

"I'm sorry." He said.  "I'm just finding it a little hard to wrap my head around this.  Are you Amish?" He asked.

"What?" Aubrey replied.  "No.  Why?"

"I thought they were the only ones who didn't ever have sex." He replied.

"I just...haven't had the right opportunity presented to me." She answered, taking a deep breath.  "That doesn't mean something's wrong with me."

"I didn't say there was something wrong with you." He said.  "I just...I just don't understand.  You have you at least kissed a guy before, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Aubrey nodded. 

"And?" He questioned.

"And what?" Aubrey chuckled self-consciously.  "Do you want a detailed description of it?" 

"No." Justin shook his head. 

"I kissed Andrew when we were dating." She told him.  "Granted I never really understood what the big deal was about it but--"

"That's because you haven't been kissed the right way." He mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Aubrey asked, smiling as she leaned towards him in an attempt to hear what he was saying.

"I said," He replied, leaning towards her.  "That's because you obviously haven't been kissed the right way."

Aubrey swallowed as her eyes remained locked on his.  "What..." she cleared her throat.  "What's the right way?" She asked, suddenly feeling like the temperature in the room had risen ten degrees.  Justin's eyes darkened visibly and Aubrey's heart started to race.

"Do you really want to know?" He asked his voice low and gruff.  A shiver skirted down Aubrey's spine as his intoxicating scent overwhelmed her again. 

"Are you going to show me?" She asked.

"I don't think you're quite ready for me yet." He replied though he leaned towards her more, closing the space between them.  

"Pity." Aubrey breathed, closing her eyes--her lips parting in anticipation.  Justin placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face towards his. 

With the first touch of his lips on hers Aubrey felt certain her heart stopped and she swore the Earth tilted.  As he kissed her slowly--taking his time and patiently teaching her how to kiss him back properly--he brought his other hand up, his fingertips softly touching her face and she felt herself falling even harder for this man.  As his lips moved gently against her own Aubrey realized he was quickly becoming the center of her universe. 

Justin pulled back after a several more soft, perfect kisses but she kept her eyes closed, trying desperately to hold onto the feelings surrounding her.  She'd never felt like this before and never wanted it to end.  He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. 

"That's a real kiss." He replied in a whisper.

~~~~~

Aubrey's eyes opened and she sighed in disappointment as she was met with only the darkness of her bedroom, instead of Justin's clear, blue eyes.  She rolled over and stared at the wall as she curled up beneath the covers.  Her eyes caught sight of the clock on her nightstand--noticing it was only two-thirty in the morning--as she tried to ward off the depression that came at realizing that what had just happened had been only a dream.  She tried closing her eyes and going back to sleep, but all she could see was Justin's eyes as he'd leaned towards her.  All she could feel was the way her heart had started to race in that perfect moment of anticipation and then his lips against hers and she knew she was in trouble.  It was hopeless.

She was falling for Justin Timberlake.