La Guardia airport seemed like it was fourteen hours from Justin's apartment. The flight wasn't long enough to sleep but it wasn't short enough to be comfortable. I wanted to sleep the rest of the day away, however that isn't going to happen. There was a lot that needed done. Racks of clothing should be arriving today which I have to go through and find outfits for two weeks of promotion.

Being in Ohio for the last couple days had really showed me I didn't belong there. If I didn't already know, I knew now. I wanted to see so many people but I simply didn't have the time. The one person I wanted Justin to meet was Aaron. However he was out of town on business. He promised he would make sure he was in town when the tour stopped in Pittsburgh. This was my life now, and I was happy about that.

            I walked into Justin's apartment to find twenty racks full of clothing, five huge boxes of shoes and a chest of jewelry. I shake my head and think to myself, I am never going to be able to go through all of this tonight, and I don't know where to start. My brain seems to be in shutdown mode. I need to remember to talk to whoever put this together. The clothing should have been at the very least separated but it wasn't, nothing had been done with any of these racks.

Justin is carrying in our luggage and nearly falls over the boxes I am trying to move them. I attempted to stop him but it was too late. He is stopped in his tracks by all of the clothing in his main foyer. "I thought they were going to be organized when they were sent over? We will never get this organized tonight."

"Yeah I thought it was supposed to be organized as well."I step over the boxes, "I will handle it, and I will get it organized. You have too much on your plate to even think about this tonight."

"If you have to get all of this organized you won't be able to go to dinner with everyone else, I want you to be there." It's almost like he is stomping his feet like a child.

"Hun, this is my job. I want to be at that dinner but this has to be done first. If not you will be naked for all of your interviews this week."

"I'm not opposed to that."

"Haha. Well I don't really want the world to see my boyfriend stark ass naked... I like having that privileged information."

He jumps over all the boxes, swings me around, "I guess I will need some clothes then... Why can't I simply wear William Rast jeans and a tee? That's simple and free!"

"Well the label won't approve of you going to an awards show in a tee. As sexy as I think it is, it's not going to happen."

Pouting his beautiful lips and staring at me with those beautiful blue eyes I cave in. I agree to get as much as I could do and then finish the rest tonight or in the morning. The next couple weeks I wasn't going to get much sleep so I had better get used to it.

Four hours later we are arriving at Southern Hospitality, which is a complete mob scene. It had been set up like a red carpet event. I was under the impression that this was going to be dinner for everyone at Jive, Justin's management company, and everyone that worked on the album. As I look outside the limo, the place is crawling with press. I suddenly got very nervous. The butterflies in my stomach make me very jittery.

Everyone that Justin trusts most in the world is in this limo. They are all dressed to impressed. Now I wish I would have had more time to get ready. He leans over and whispers in my ear "You look absolutely stunning tonight..." as he is kissing my cheek and my neck, "Thanks" I say as I blush. He still makes me blush. "I want to slide that dress up over your hips, pull you to the edge of this seat and show you how amazing you make me feel..." I nudged him... "I love you". Now that everyone has turned to look at us and I feel a dozen pair of eyes staring at me, I am embarrassed. If I wasn't red before, I am now. A red face doesn't go very well with this dress.

As much as I thought I would feel out of place in a room for of celebrities, I actually felt comfortable. It was weird talking to people that I seemed to know a lot about however they didn't know anything about me. I had met nearly every person there but I spent most of the night talking to Carrie Underwood. She and I were so much a like it was scary. Of course she was the blonde bombshell and I had the chocolate brown hair but our personalities were very similar. Her husband Mike was at the party somewhere, she had lost him almost the moment they walked in.

            Its 2am when we arrive back at the apt and I know that nothing is going to get done if I went to bed. I couldn't hold my eyes open but this was my job, at least that's what I kept telling myself. I finished getting everything done around 6am and I crawled into bed. Justin had been up at least four times to see if I needed help and I kept telling him that he needed to sleep I would be fine. Demanding him to go to bed is not an easy task.

            Needless to say when we arrive at the first appointment of the day a mere 4 hours later, coffee was my new best friend. We wouldn't be back in that apartment for hours. Twelve hours to be exact. And the moment I walked in the door I stripped off any unnecessary clothing and jumped into bed. I don't remember lying on the bed at all, but that's where I woke up.

****

Eight straight days of media and press and the album had been released for 4 hours. Today however would be a huge day for me. My first ever performance will take place on the Today Show. It will be the first place anyone will hear me sing "My Last Name" live. To say I was nervous was an understatement.

            Kia and Steve had arrived late last night and were planning on being at the show this morning. It's four in the morning and we have already been up for an hour. We are heading down to do sound check. I don't know a lot about the city but I do know that we were at least three city blocks away from the studio and I could see the streets were full of people. I never thought for a moment that they would be lined up for Justin already. Maybe I was a little naive, but as we passed them in the dark tinted SUV I noticed they were all decked out in their JT apparel and their signs. I am an emotional wreck because this, this made me cry.  Justin rolls down his window and all of a sudden everyone notices that it's him. How I'm not sure because it is still very dark. They are screaming and chanting his name, he looks over at me and says, "This is why I do what I do... that feeling is amazing."

            I am in the green room trying to get my voice to be where it needs to be. I start singing a song that always warms up my vocals. Thanks to Amy Lee and her amazing pipes if I match her I know I am good. Stepping on that stage and seeing all those faces just a couple feet away from me, I got a little nervous. Ok so I wanted to run back in the building and not come back out... but I did it. I stepped up there and as the music started I was fine. Maybe it was the initial shock of everything. Millions upon millions will be watching me in just a few short hours, and I hope I won't be making a fool out of myself or Justin.

            I return to the dressing room to find my two dearest friends in the world waiting for me. They look like they are still asleep. I see someone sitting on the couch, it's someone I know.

"Mom?"

"Yes."

I start to cry. The tears are streaming down my face now. "You are here, here in NYC." I ran over to hug her. She was here in NYC for my very first performance. She never flies. She hates to fly. I am shocked to see her here.

"I couldn't miss this. It's your first ever performance."

"Thank You." It's all I could manage to get out.

"Justin actually convinced me to come. I was going to drive, but I know I would have never survived a car ride for 8 hours. He said he promised me that everything would turn out ok and there was nothing to worry about."

            I turn to Justin and now I am a crying fool... "I love you. Thank You!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Steve feels a little unimportant.

"Awe, Steven I am ecstatic that you are here. My day wouldn't have been complete without you here." I wasn't lying. I was so happy to have people that would want to fly to a different state just to see me sing one song.

            When the show begins I feel the nausea in my stomach to start again. The nerves were getting the best of me. The stage was set and the crowd was there and before I knew it, all of it was over. We were heading to breakfast with everyone and the first every performance was over.

            Hours after the performance I still felt sick. The last thing I needed was to be sick the week the tour starts. I didn't have time to really think about this damn cold that was coming on. There was too much to do today, after all is was album release day.

            We returned to the apartment and I feel no sign of being sick anymore as he closes the door behind us and starts kissing my neck, a major weakness for me. Before I could hesitate, which it's highly doubtful I would have, we were stripping clothing off and using our time wisely. I lived for these moments, simple tenderness that leads to ecstasy.

            Lying in bed we ponder over the performance this morning. I think I did a good job. I watched the play back at least twenty times. He is staring at me, I don't like when someone is like a twelve inches from my face and not saying anything, just staring. Finally I say "What?"

"I am so proud of you."

"Well I know that was pretty good however I didn't expect you to be proud of it. I little more moving of the hips on your part and it would have been perfect."

"You did not..." He jumps on top of me. "...just say that."

"I did, sorry."

"I know my hips were moving at the perfect pace because you came, what one no two, no that's right three times..."

"Okay okay, it was perfect..." as I am rolling my eyes.

"Damn right it was..." He is look down at me, "I am proud of you and your performance this morning. It was perfect."

"Thank you. I can't wait to perform it as MSG. Let's just hope I remember the lyrics then."

"You will and you will blow that crowd away the way you did today. Johnny pulled me aside after lunch today and said that he had at least twenty five phone calls in just a couple hours asking who you were and when you will have music releasing... it's only a matter of time now."

"Seriously? I am surprised that someone was interested. I mean I know why you are. I give you sex but these people don't even know me."

"You seriously don't know how talented you are. It's a good thing, don't get me wrong but you need to give credit where credit is due."

"Yea, I know."

"I think you say that sometimes hoping to convince yourself."

Changing the subject, "We have to shower now, the hair and makeup people will be here in ten minutes."

"Let's not go, let's stay in bed."

"Justin Randall Timberlake, get your naked behind in that shower... and I will join you."

"Now I am interested!"

            He won't admit this to me but I can tell he is nervous. It's been a long time since he released an album. All the attention is back on him and his music. Until the numbers come in tonight for the first day's sales he is going to be a wreck. The next couple hours he will get very quiet and keep to himself. I may have only been with him a couple months but I knew him well enough to know how he acts when he is nervous.

            As I am reading the reviews for the album while they were starting my hair and makeup, he was pacing back and forth through the room. He wouldn't even look at the reviews. There wasn't one bad review. Well one that counted anyways. All of them said it was his best album to date, that the time that had passed was worth the wait for an album this great. There were even a couple amazing reviews for "My Last Name" which shocked me.

Kia arrived shortly after they started my makeup, she was so mad because the dress she bought at home was all wrinkled and was  a mess and she didn't have time to get a new dress. She came in that room steaming mad.

"I told you not to buy a dress until you got here."

"Well I know but being that our flight was not coming in until real late last night I figured I wouldn't have time to find a dress today. I just bought a simple black dress, even though it cost me an arm and a leg. Let's not tell Steve how much I paid for that dress."

I am laughing now, that's something we always joked about. Steve was a stickler for money. He liked to save every penny. "Kia, I have something for you. It's something I have been working on for a long time." I handed her a black dress bag that said ‘Yves Saint Laurent/Melissa Roberts' in white letters.

"Is this your dress for tonight?"

"No honey. Read the note attached."

                        Kia,

You are the most amazing person I have ever met me in my life. I am lucky enough to not only know you but to be lucky enough to call you my friend, my sister, my other half. This is for you. A small gratitude for how much I love you. I will never know someone as great as you in my entire life. I love you.

                                                                                                            Mel

            Kia is crying. She opens the bag and finds a floor length, one-shoulder strap, pink satin gown that is covered in chiffon and crystals. It's gathered to give her the affect of having a full chest area. It's stunning at say the least. There is a pair of amazing Yves Saint Laurent heels that have been picked out for her. Not to mention we have diamonds everywhere that have been barrowed for tonight. Finally she is able to speak, "This... is for me?"

"Yes. It was designed exclusively for you, shoes and everything."

"I don't know what to say... other than thank you."

"That's all you have to say... well maybe you could also say that is beautiful."

"I can't say that... it doesn't give it enough justice. It's gorgeous. Thank you sooo much! I will never be able to pay you back for this."

"That's not necessary. I wanted you to have this dress for tonight. The dress is on me. There is also a tux in the other bag for Steven, if he wants to wear it."

"He is actually out shopping trying to find something to wear right now."

"Well stop him because there is a $4,000 suit in that bag waiting for him."

"$4,000... are you serious? How much did that dress cost?"

"Don't worry about it."

            There we were all sitting in the Limo in the press line waiting for it to be our turn to get out. All this press was going to be a nightmare. I agreed that I would walk the red carpet with him. He wanted this to be our first public appearance together. It was highly doubtful that he would actually say this is my girlfriend but he wanted me there for the entire event. I needed a drink and I needed it now.

            The limo arrives at the stopping point.  The door opens and Justin slides out of his seat then reaches for my hand. I step on leg out of the limo; the high slit on my dress exposes my entire leg as I stand upright the slit doesn't appear to be so revealing but stepping out of the vehicle it sure did. The dress looked amazing with his tuxedo. We were a little over dressed for an album release party. The label had made sure to inform everyone that it was a black tie event but they seemed to not have listened. If this were Diddy's White Party in the Hamptons they wouldn't be allowed through the doors. Justin doesn't seem to care though, he is simply happy to finally have the album released and to have me with him through every step of it.