April. Six months earlier.

            Justin sits in the same spot along the island in the kitchen drinking his coffee. Alone, alone more than ever now. Today was no different. He had sent his assistant on vacation this week because he didn't want to see anyone or leave the house. Maybe even drink himself into a stupor. He had made maybe the biggest mistake of his life and now he was dealing with the consequences.

            He hears the door open and shut. Assuming it is the cleaning lady he ignores it. A male voice echoes through the kitchen.

"Wow, don't you look horrible."He is laughing but he is serious.

"Thanks, I knew you were my friend for a reason." He gets up and puts his cup in the sink.

"Hey I am just stated the obvious... What is wrong with you?"

"JC man, I don't know what to do. It's been three solid days since she has said anything to me. I honestly don't know to do." Justin seems to be having a meltdown.

"Didn't you just meet this chick a couple weeks ago on vacation? Is she that great in bed that you can't seem to let her go?" he laughs and shakes his head.

"It's not like that. It's different with her. It's something different. It's almost as if she could be my one."

"Seriously? Don't play that shit with me. I know you, that sex must have been phenomenal."

"I'm not commenting on that."

"That means it is... Damn you are always lucky with women."

"I'm sorry could we get back to what I am talking about now..."

"Sure let's talk about the chick that you fucked the first night you met her and then she went home and cheated on you..."

"She didn't cheat. That's just a rumor. She wouldn't do something like that."

"How do you know? You just met her."

"She said she didn't. I believe her."

"Justin, YOU JUST MET HER." His voice gets louder and is directing it right at Justin.

"You would understand if you met her. She is really something."

"Yea well you said that about Britney, Jenna, Cameron, and Jessica... all of them. What makes this one so different?"

"She is just real. No bullshit kind of person. I have never met someone that I have this instant love and affection for."

"Seriously Justin you are not trying to convince me that you fell in love with this woman in just the two weeks you have known her? Love at first sight or something?"

"I don't know how to explain it, other than I have hopelessly fallen in love with her."

"Well you're Mr. SexyBack get your ass on a plane and fly to her. Tell her how you feel. You will work it out."

"She wants space."

"Well then this is over.  I am only in town for two days before I head back to New York City. Let's go to the club tonight."

"I'm not in the mood to have random chicks hit on me."

JC had this weird look on his face, "Wow, this is serious. You are turning down the possibility of getting laid tonight over this chick who may never call you again?"

"She will call... she will call." He was sure she would.

            Justin had really not been through something like this before. He was normally the one calling the shots in relationships. When he was done, he was done. She had the upper hand this time, but he didn't have a problem with it. He was willing to do things on her level. He felt something different with her than he had ever felt with anyone.

            Cracking open yet another bottle of Jack he can't help but think of the moments that they had spent together. There wasn't many but the ones that they did have were unbelievable. Their first kiss had taken place in a bar. Not the most romantic place to have your first kiss but it was just perfect in every way.

            The club had been packed. We both had a couple drinks in us. Her friends had really welcomed me into their little group. I was happy to spend some time with her, just to get to know her. Nowhere on my radar did I think she would push me against the wall, look deep into my eyes and kiss me so passionately. For a moment in time, it was just her and I against that wall. The strength I saw in her eyes was something I have never seen before. She had taken a leap of faith and went in for it. Women didn't do that with him anymore.

            As stubborn and strong as he has been in the past, this time it was different. His guard had been let down and he screwed up. He shouldn't have listened to his PR and his manager who threw pictures in front of him and asked why his new girl had another man? He should have just said it was nothing and moved on. But no he had to grab that stubbornness from his past that he was so used to having in relationships and throw it out on the table with the allegations. He should have just trusted her. After all she did call and tell him she was going to dinner with a friend from work.

            He is rubbing his face in disbelief. How could this have been the choice he made? Why couldn't he have taken that same leap of faith? He had been kicking himself since the moment he opened his mouth.

"Alone in this house again tonight.. I've got the TV on, the sound turned down and a bottle of wine... There's pictures of you and I on the walls around me... The way that it was and could have been surrounds me... I'll never get over you walking away..."

            All the good never outweighs the bad. Why couldn't he just trust and let things happen. Maybe because he has had people in the past used him, cheated on him, and emotionally destroyed him.

            ""I've thought that being strong meant never losing your self control... But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain... To Hell with my pride let it fall like rain... From my eyes... Tonight I wanna cry..."

            Justin drank too much last night. He couldn't remember his own name at the end of the night. When he woke up, for the first time in his life he was happy that he was alone in his bed. He wasn't exactly sure what happened last night or how much he actually drank but he was sure glad that there wasn't a bigger mistake made. As he rolls out of bed he sees his Blackberry buzzing on the floor... jumping quicker than he thought was humanly possible with the weight of his head right now, he was sure he would topple over. But he grabbed that phone hoping that maybe she had sent him a message or maybe she had called. But she hadn't. There were twelve missed phone calls from Rachel and six from Trace. He looks over at the alarm clock. ‘FUCK' he was late to pick them up at the airport. He dials the number very quickly and Trace finally answers.

"What the fuck man. We waited for an hour and finally opted for a cab... which you will pay for when we get there." Typical Trace to be a dick.

"Sorry... I just woke up. I forgot to set the alarm." Justin is rubbing his head thinking he needed something for his headache.

"Are you hung-over?"

"You can say that. Just come in when you get here. I'm going back to bed, my head weights a hundred pounds right now."

"Whatever man, see you in a few."

            He pulls the dark curtains over the windows and climbs back into bed. Into the bed that he has never shared with her but would give anything for that right now. He turns the ringer on, just praying that she calls. Of course she doesn't but a guy can dream right?

"Justin, please tell me that you didn't really drink two entire bottles of Jack last night by yourself?" She shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

‘Rachel- I am not in the mood to listen to you bitch at me about my drinking habits."

"What the fuck Justin. You do realize that this can't continue like this. You have an album to promote..." She can't believe that this is who he is again. "She hasn't called yet has she? You can't drown in your sorrows forever."

"Rachel. Go please. I just need to get up and shower. Please, just go."

            He can hear everything that is going on downstairs. Rachel and Trace are having a nice conversation about him and this girl that he just met. "...She doesn't deserve him if she can't call him back. Let him explain or hell, explain herself to him..."

"You both need to stop. You don't know her. You don't know what she is going through... anything, just stop."

Trace gives Justin the oh god look, his bottom lip drops in shock. "You really fell for her. I thought you were just saying that you fell for her because you slept with her right after you met her... but god... you really fell for her."

"Trace, I will tell you the same thing I am going to tell Rachel. SHUT UP!"

****

            Trace and Rachel had been there a week and Justin hasn't left the house for anything. They were lucky to see him out of his bedroom. Even then he was not the Justin that they have known and grew up with.

"Justin Randall, get your ass out of that bed. We flew out here to go to this party with you. That was the reason you basically demanded us to come out here. We are going." Rachel is tired of this mood he is in. "Give me this girl's number. I am going to have a talk with her."

"NO" Justin said firmly. "You have helped scare off everyone I have been close to. You will stay away from her."

"Justin, I have only dislike the ones that hurt you."

"I hurt her. This time it's reversed. I deserve that phone call of her screaming at me. I want her to call and scream at me. I want it so bad. I deserve it..."

"Get up. We are leaving in forty five minutes."

"Ugh, I really hate you right now."

"That's fine you can hate me as long as your skinny ass is in the shower and ready to go."

            He stands in the shower for nearly twenty minutes. He couldn't believe that after everything he had done in his life that this is the moment in time he wished he was just a normal guy that works in an office every day and was able to have a simple romantic relationship with someone and not have all this attention.

A drunken stupor shortly followed, again. His wonderful friend and cousin drug him out of the house when he didn't want to go so he made sure he was drunk enough to not think about anything.

For what felt like a new routine, Justin woke up the next morning with a heavy head. He decided that he was going to call her. Put things out on the table. See just what she was thinking. It had been ten days, ten whole days since I have heard her wonderful mellow voice.

He picked up the phone and dialed her number. It went directly into her voicemail. It was Wednesday, which meant she should be working right now going through her morning emails, getting everything ready for the day ahead. Maybe she was even planning what she would do for the weekend ahead, without him. Her phone never goes straight to voicemail though. Maybe she shut it off. She must really not want to talk to anyone.

So he did the one thing he knew to do. He dialed the next number. It rings and just went he thinks the voicemail is going to pick up he hears, "Hello?"

"Hi Steve... its Justin." Justin sounded monotone, completely out of character for him.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"Not well. I... I  have made some bad choices... some things that I wish I could take back if I could."

"She still hasn't called?"

"No. How is she? I just need to know she is okay."

"Honestly man, I haven't spoken to her either. She is very good at being closed off. She and I are very alike."

"What should I do? Should I jump on a plane and just fly there and hope that she will speak to me."

"That isn't going to work with Mel. She is pretty stubborn."

"I just... I just want to talk to her. Know that she is okay and that I haven't made the stupidest choice of my life... I need her."

Steve got very quiet. Then a moment later he said, "You really care about her don't you?"

"Yes. As crazy as it sounds I think I have fallen in love with her."

"Well, I never say this... and I never will again. So listen this one time. You are right for her and I will make sure that she comes back to you. But... it has to be on her time. Mel has suffered more pain in her life than anyone should ever have to endure. I love her as if she was my own sister. All I want is to see her happy. She seemed happy with you."

"Thanks Steve, I really appreciate it. More than you will ever know."

"Don't make me regret it."

"I won't I promise you that."

****

"Red. They have to be red... deep rich red color... five or six dozen... as many as you can fit into a vase... cost doesn't matter... They have to be delivered today and they have to have a hand written note from me with them. I am emailing you the note now..."

"Ok sir, I need your credit card information." A young female voice on the other end asks.

"Ok. The name on the card is Justin R. Timberlake."

"I'm sorry could you repeat that." She sounded confused.

He started again saying it slower this time. "Sure, Justin R. Timberlake."

"The Justin Timberlake?"

"Umm yeah, I'm sorry could you keep this on the quiet side. Privacy is hard in my life."

"Sure, sure that's no problem. I will discard the email as soon as you send it."

"Thanks again. They will be there today right?"

"As soon as the driver returns I will have them sent to her office." She mumbles something and he hears her say, "She is a lucky girl"

He doesn't respond to her he just says, "Thank you."

He felt relieved that this was something simple he could do for her with still giving her space. His only regret on this was the first time he was going to tell her ‘I love you' and it was going to be on that card. But if that was the way it had to be put out there he was glad it was in black and white.

Trace walks into the living room. "You look in a better mood today, did she call?"

"No. But she will. I have faith that she will."

"You are going to wait for her to call?"

"Yes. I will wait as long as she needs."

"She must be damn good in bed." He mumbled under his breath.

Justin seemed to get defensive now, "Why does everyone seem to think that I base my relationships off of the sex?"

"Well, you have in the past."

"There was a reason those relationships never worked out. I am not saying that we have bad sex. It has been pretty amazing but the relationship with her is different... I love her."

"And you said I met her? At the after party in Vegas?"

"Yes, I saw pictures of you with her."

"What was she wearing? What does she look like?"

"Short yellow dress, long chocolate brown hair, beautiful hazel eyes... I have a picture..." Justin leaves the room and returns with a couple photos that were taken on vacation.

"Oh, yea I remember her. She is gorgeous. She was really drunk the night I met her, really drunk."

"She is gorgeous. She's pretty amazing."

"I bet she is." He is staring at the photo, looking at her every detail until Justin snatches it out of his hands.

"Stop, Trace. Don't go there." Justin looks around the room. "Where is Rachel? She has been missing for a while."

"No clue, Rachel disappears sometimes... What are we going to do tonight?"

"What would you say to just staying in tonight? Having a couple beers and just do nothing?"

"Haven't you stayed in enough lately?"

"I just don't want the world to know that I am torn to pieces ok. I would rather than run some lame false story than the truth right now."

"I understand. I hope she calls man because I can't see you like this anymore... again."

            Finally Rachel returns into the living room. She has this smirk on her face that won't go away. She has done something but no one has a clue what it is about. Justin answered the door and paid for the take-out food that he ordered.

            The storm in the Los Angeles tonight was raging. It hasn't rained this hard in L.A. in a very long time, year's maybe.

Rachel picks up her phone three or four times and finally Justin says, "Is there a new guy that you are not telling us about."

"No." She isn't saying another word, just focusing on the TV.

"Then what's with all the secret phone calls?"

"They are not secret, just private." She begins flipping through the channels attempting to not look directly at him.

‘Oh whatever, you can rag on me about everything to do with my personal life but..."

Justin was interrupted but a knock at the door. He looks at Trace and Rachel, but neither move. "Fine, I will get the door."

They both at the same time said, "It's your house." Justin rolls his eyes and walks toward the door. He chuckled, the people he chose to hang out with. He reached for the door and opened it.

"Mel?" Justin looked confused yet happy at the very same time. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming?"

She stood there frozen standing in the pouring rain. Finally she spoke, "I love you."

He smiles and says; "I love you" He rushes out the door and holds on for dear life.

She says it again. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I have waited my entire life to love someone the way I love you."

"I thought I was never going to see you again."  He has tears in his eyes.

"I don't want you to ever think you can't trust me. I will always tell you the truth. I will always be faithful, I can promise you that."

He says what he has wanted to say for over a week. "I promise you this now, you will be safe with me. I won't hurt you. I want you forever. I love you."