February 16th 2009 (Monday)

 Juliana watched as Andie opened the studio door quietly. Juliana had made the mistake of telling Andie that they would be going food shopping as soon as her daddy finished up downstairs. It had been about a half hour since she had said good-bye to her uncle C. When Andie finished eating her bowl of cereal with Jc she had rushed upstairs to her room. Fifteen minutes later she had come back wearing what Juliana had laid out for her. A pink sweater and jeans, she was ready to go. Her sneakers were untied and her jeans were falling off her little waist. Andie had come to her mommy in the tying the shoes and buttoning up the jeans department. Now she was on the mission of getting her daddy out of the studio.

“Be careful going down those stairs, baby girl.”

“I will mommy.” Andie said going down to get her daddy.

 Andie made it downstairs but stopped her little legs from moving when suddenly the light went out. Justin had seen her on the monitor inside the recording room. He would turn off all the lights downstairs and scare her silly. It had become a tradition and Andie always fell for it. She would try to sneak downstairs without her daddy knowing but it never worked. She thought her daddy was so smart. In reality her daddy knew when she was coming because there were cameras by the stairs. Andie didn't know that because the studio was the one place in the whole entire house that was a NO ENTER zone for her.

 Justin could see his tiny daughter at the end of the stairs. Waiting. He quietly went around the other side of the lounge area. He could tell she was waiting without moving. He came around the back of the stairs where she faced the opposite side. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted he up causing her to burst into giggles.

“Daddy!!” she yelled in between her giggles.

“What are you doing down here, little bit? Huh?”

“Mommy said I can come get you.” Andie giggled trying to stop her dad from tickling her.

“Really? What for?” Justin said setting her down on the first step so that she would start walking up.

“Mommy said we're going food buying.” Andie said going up the spiral steps carefully.

“Shopping. It’s called shopping. I’m surprised you don’t know the word with your psycho aunt Bobbie around.”

“What, daddy?” Andie asked confused turning to look at her daddy who was walking up behind her.

“Nothing, baby girl. You need to speed it up. You’re slowwwwww.” Justin said throwing his head back dramatically.

“No I’m not.”

“Are to.”

“Nah ah.” Andie said still not moving.

“I’m coming to get you, Andréa!!” Justin warned. Andie started laughing when Justin pretended to be running up the stairs by stomping hard on the step. Justin continued taunting Andie while she screamed and laughed going up the winding stairs. Andie stopped laughing and screaming when she saw her mommy at the top of the stairs with a hand on her hip looking mad at both of them.

“What have I told you two about playing on the steps?” Juliana asked with a motherly voice. Justin and Andie looked at each other before pointing at one another.

“Daddy started it!!”

“She started it!!”

 They both started to laugh. Juliana rolled her eyes and walked away from the door.

“Ohh, you got your mother mad!!” Justin teased making his way up the stairs and picking her up on the way.

“No I didn’t daddy.” Andie said playing with his earring on his right ear.

“You want to make your mommy smile?” Justin asked whispering in her ear.

“Yeah.” Andie whispered back as they walked towards the kitchen where they knew Juliana would be. Both of them got their game face on. Both gave puppy eyes and a pout when they entered the kitchen.

 Juliana watched out of the corner of her eye as Justin walked in the kitchen with Andie in his arms. She knew what they would be doing without even fully looking at them. Justin would sit Andie on the kitchen island and they would both stare at her until she would look up at them. They would both have puppy eyes and a pout that would always get her. She could already feel a smile coming on.

“You guys need to get ready or I’m gong shopping by myself.” Juliana said trying not to look at them.

“Mommy guess what?”

“What, Andréa?”

“I love you.” Andie said cheerfully.

“Yeah, I love you too, mommy.” Justin repeated.

“It’s not going to work, kids. Hurry up and let’s go.” Juliana decided to look up at them at that moment and saw that they were both making funny faces. She lost the battle and laughed. “You guys have no respect. What am I going to do with you two?” she said leaning over the island and kissing both their lips.

“You ready to go?” Justin asked setting Andie back down on the floor.

“Yeah I think I wrote everything on the list.” Juliana said placing the list in her Versace bag. “Go get your jacket, Andie.”

“Okay. We are going buying. We are going buying.” she sang going to her closet and getting her small jacket.

“It’s shopping, Andie.” both Juls and Justin said at the same time before looking at each other and laughing.

“Do you really have to go to New York  tomorrow?” Justin asked after grabbing her by the waist and starting to kiss her neck.

“Just for the day. I will be back Wednesday afternoon.” Juls said kissing him back when he stopped kissing her neck as Andie walked into the kitchen again.

“Is Bobbie staying here with Andie while I record with Jenn and C?”

“Yeah she said it would be okay. She said she wanted to spend some time with Andie anyway.”

“That’s nice of her.” Justin turned around to his daughter. “You ready to go, baby girl?”

“Yup.” Andie handed Justin his hat and his keys.

“Why thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome, daddy. Here mommy.” Andie said handing her mommy her jean jacket.

“Thank you. Let’s go before Trace and Lance get back. They were supposed to bring us all food and they never came back. That was two hours ago.”

“They probably met some girls, knowing Trace.” Justin chuckled.

“Yeah I know.”

“Can we go now?” Andie asked getting inpatient.

“Why are you so excited, little bit?” Justin asked picking her up and opening the door to the garage.

“Because we finally get to go outside. Just us four.”

“Three hunny. It’s the three of us. Not four.”

“Daddy said it will be four soon.” Andie said matter of factly as Justin put her in the car seat.

“Really? You’re daddy doesn’t know what he’s talking about, sweetie.” Juls said putting her seat belt on and looking at her husband as he backed out of the garage. “What have you been telling your daughter?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Yeah right!”

“We were just discussing a little brother or sister the other day. Andie needs a little sibling to play with.” Justin said setting up the DVD player for Andie in the back seat before they left the outside gates.

“Thank you daddy.” Andie said before putting her headphones on to listen to the movie.

“You’re welcome, punkin.” Justin said pressing the button on the dashboard of the big SUV to open the gate. “Don’t you think it’s time for another Timberlake?”

“Yeah, sure if you’re willing to give birth to it.” Juliana said giving him a bored look. “Since when do you discuss things like these with our daughter?”

“Since the other day. She was watching a movie on the Disney channel with me in the theater room. She just said she wanted a baby sister or brother.”

“Oh and you simply volunteered my body?”

“Who else’s body am I supposed to use? I only have one wife. Relax Juls.”

“I am relaxed. I just can’t believe you discussed this with Andie. I can’t believe you’re actually thinking you want another one.”

“And you don’t?”

“I don’t know if I can go through that again.”

“You’re such a wuss, J.”

“Wuss? I want to see you push an eight pound baby out of your penis before you call me a wuss.”

“Ouch! Juls don’t give me mental images like that. Look just think about the feeling you’ll get when you hold little Justin in your arms after he's born.”

“Little Justin? You have this all planned out, huh? Sure I’ll think about it. I’ll be right there next to you while the doctor is stitching you up.”

“Stop that!!” Justin shivered. “Well look at this way, you can think about how much fun it will be making the baby.” Justin said while raising his eyebrows up and down making Juliana smile and blush.

“I can’t believe that after all these years you still make me blush. You’re crazy!” Juls said smiling at him.

“Crazy about my girls!!” Justin said with a wink as they pulled into the supermarket's parking lot.
 

****************************
 

“So you’re saying that you aren’t happy to see me? That hurts my feelings because I sure am happy to see you.” Trace said finishing his second milkshake.

“I’m not saying anything. In fact I haven’t said anything at all because you’ve been yapping away since you sat your ass on that stool.” Kayla remarked while wiping down the counter and taking the empty cup he’d left on it.

“That’s because if I don’t keep you here, busy listening to me, you’ll walk away.”

“No I won’t. I have counter duty I’m here for the next five hours.”

“Yes, you would. I don’t want to see you go. But if I may say so I do love seeing you walk away. Literally.” Trace said with a wink.

“You let that chocolate get to you. You’re being really rude to your friend over there.” Kayla said pointing to Lance, who was sitting in the same booth they’d eaten at almost two hours before.

“He’s alright. He’s on vacation. Lance doesn’t know what being bored is. He can get to know the meaning of the word while I try to get you to smile at me.”

“Is that right? You already got my number, that you haven’t used. I don’t know what else you want from me, numb nuts.”

“They aren’t numb, Kayla. They have feelings. You’ve been waiting for my call, huh?”

“I haven’t been waiting for shit. It’s just for someone as desperate as you were to get my number you haven’t lived up to your end. I thought that by now I would have been signing the restraining order.”

“First of all I wasn’t desperate. And second of all I was being reasonable. I was giving you time to get acquainted with whom ever you’re staying with so that I can have you for the rest of the vacation time we have.”

“What made you think you were going to ‘have me’? You can’t just think you can capitalize on someone’s vacation.”

“I’m not capitalizing on anyone’s vacation. I’m just saying that I know and you know that we want to spend time together. And what better time to start than while we're both on vacation?”

“What makes you think I want to spend time with you?”

“I can tell. First you’re waiting for my call and I’ve been dying for these two days to end so that I could call you. And fate brought us here together today. Los Angeles is a very big place and here we are. The signs are there, Kayla. You want me.”

“Your theory doesn’t really click with mine. I believe you’re the one that wants me.”

“That indeed is the truth. But I’m not the one denying my feelings.”

“I’m not denying anything.”

“You’re also not admitting anything.”

“Whatever.”

“You sound upset.”

“I’m not upset.”

“Alright then go out with me tomorrow night?”

“Can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I promised my cousin we would go out tomorrow.”

“So then, bring her along.”

“Yeah right.”

“Why not?”

“Because........do you usually bring your cousin with you on dates?”

“So you think I was asking you out on a date? That’s cute, Kay-Kay.” Trace joked.

“Forget it.” Kayla said finally walking to the other side of the counter to pour coffee for an older man having lunch.

“Come on, I’m kidding. Lighten up. Seriously, of course it’s a date. Come on. Go out with me tomorrow night. Please?”

“You’re incredible.” Kayla said with a sly smile.

“I know.” Trace said with a cocky smile. “say yes. You know you want to.”

“It’s not a matter of me wanting to go or not. I just promised my cousin.”

“What if I get her a date also? Would you come then?”

“Where are you going to find a date for her?”

“I’m sure Lance will go with it. He thinks she’s cute already.”

“Why would he want to go out with my cousin?”

“Yikes, that’s fucked up Kayla. You think so highly of your cousin.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. My cousin is gorgeous but why would he do you a favor? You have been here talking to me this whole time while he sits there bored out of his mind?”

“He’ll do it.” Trace said confidently.

“No I won’t.” Lance said from the booth.

“Mind your business, Lance.”

“It is my business when I’m involved.” Lance said walking up to the counter to sit next to Trace. “I’m Lance. I figured I’d introduce myself since numb nuts didn’t find it necessary.”

“You see what you have done?” Trace said to Kayla.

“Nice to meet you, Lance. Sorry there isn’t much more for you to read in this place.”

“That’s alright. That paper was only a week old.” Lance smiled.

“So Lance being that you’ve heard our whole conversation. What do you say about going out with Noemi?”

“Who am I going out with?” Noemi asked walking into the diner again. She had been in the back getting a delivery for the last hour. Which Lance was thankful for.

“Nothing.” Kayla was quick to respond.

“Yeah, right. What’s up?” Noemi looked up at Lance and then at Trace. “Hi, I’m Noemi. And you are?”

“Your future cousin-in-law. Nice to meet you, Noemi. I’ve heard wonders about you. I‘m Trace.” Trace said charmingly.

“Bullshit.” Noemi said with a laugh. “can you please go check the new sugar jars, Kayla?”

“Yeah. I’ll be right back.” she told Trace as she went into the kitchen area.

“So, how do you know my cousin? If I may ask.” Noemi asked Trace while she arranged utensils under the counter.

“We take a class together in Orlando.” Trace said smiling at her. She really was beautiful and he could tell why Lance would have had issues. She was beautiful but he could tell that she was a tough cookie. Kind of reminded him of Juliana.

“Ahh, so you’re the infamous Juan.” she said with smile. She looked at Lance who was busy playing with his two-way. “What’s with your friend?”

“Ohh, I’m sorry this is Lance.”

“Ohh I know who he is. But why is he so shy?” Noemi asked Trace but directing it towards Lance.

“I’m not shy. I just don’t choose to get bitched at, at the moment.” Lance said without looking up at her.

“Are you calling me a bitch?” Noemi asked Lance while Trace cringed.

“Oh no. Why would I do that? Complimenting is usually not my thing.” Lance said looking up at her this time.

“How about this for a compliment?" Noemi said before squirting the bottle of ketchup she had in her hand over his two-way device he had in his hand. "Oh wait that‘s a condiment. My bad.”

“Oh my gawd!!” Lance said looking at Trace. “Tell me she didn’t just do that.”

“Ohh but why? We both know she did, man. She did.” Trace said before laughing.

 Noemi smiled innocently at Lance. “So what time you picking me up for this date you guys were talking about?”

“What?!” Lance asked shocked that she would remotely think he would take her out after what she’d done. “I wouldn’t take you if….” Trace chose that moment to cover Lance’s mouth and make him stand up.

“You’re leaving?” Kayla asked coming out of the kitchen again sounding a bit disappointed. Which angered her.

“We’ll be here at eight-thirty.” Trace said while struggling to keep Lance’s mouth from opening. He managed to push Lance through the door and outside.

“What the hell happened here?” Kayla asked looking at the mess on the counter.

“Nothing. Your friend is cute. So is his friend.”

“What does that have to do with ketchup being all over the counter?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Noemi said watching Trace and Lance get in the car outside. “I believe we have a double date tomorrow night, Kayla.”

“What happened in the five seconds it took me to go back there? I have a date now? You have a date now? Where are we going? Did Juan say?”

“Wow, relax Kayla. It’s only a date. How come you didn’t tell me you were friends with Justin Timberlake’s best friend?”

“What?”

“You’re asking me who Justin Timberlake is? Seriously Kayla you need to get out more.”

“I know who Justin Timberlake is. I met him the other day at the airport when you picked me up. I’m asking what am I going to wear?”

***********************

***Seems like a long day huh?***

 Justin was very careful as to where to park the car. They needed a good distance away from the store but also not so distant that they allowed too much time for pictures. It was truly sad when going to the grocery store required such stragedy. Justin had already seen the black jeep following behind them since they left the gate at their house. He was sure Juliana knew the jeep was there also. One of the main reasons, Justin always had a movie and headphones ready for Andie was because more often than not Juls and him would be cursing up a storm at whoever was following them. Justin got out of the car and opened the back passenger side door and smiled at his daughter.

“You coming with us or staying in here, little bit?” Justin asked Andie who was still looking at the fading screen.

“All gone.” she said taking the headphones off and looking at her dad.

“Let’s get you out of here, baby.” Justin said getting her out of the car seat.

“Mommy, your purse.” Andie said as Justin lifted her.

“I won’t leave it in here again, sweetie. Thank you for reminding me.” Juls said grabbing her bag from the back seat.

“Hand.” Justin simply stated. Juliana walked around the car and put her hand in his.

“God, I hope there aren’t many people here today.” Juliana mumbled as they entered the grocery store.

“Get a cart, daddy.”

“I’m getting there, Andrea.” Justin was already feeling a bit tense and it pissed him off to no end.

“Are you mad at me, daddy?” Andie asked with a pout.

“No, baby. I’m sorry.” he said kissing her nose before he placed her in a shopping cart, while Juliana grabbed another one.

“One hour.” Juliana stated as she walked ahead of Justin and Andie heading to the canned goods isle.

 Justin followed closely behind Juliana watching who walked by her. He found himself looking behind him a lot while trying to keep Andie distracted and keeping an eye on Juls. He knew that the person in the jeep was a man. He knew that the man had a job just like his  was to make music. But it annoyed him to no end to have the guy in his face when his daughter was with him. He didn’t care less if he was on the cover of US Weekly at the store with a box of tampons for Juls in his hand, again. He didn’t care if there were helicopters flying over him when he was on his fourth honeymoon with Juls. But when his daughter’s pretty face was on gossip magazines, he cared. He cared a lot. He was engaged into his thoughts when he was snapped out of it when he hit Juliana’s leg with the shopping cart.

“Ouch, Justin!!” Juliana whined rubbing her side.

“Sorry, babe.”

“You okay?” Juliana asked looking at her husband. She had been very aware of the guy following them. The guy following them didn’t bother her as much as it upset her to see her husband so freaked out. She knew deep inside he wished his life was different. She knew he wished his daughter didn’t have to hide her beautiful face with a hat. She knew he wished he could go grocery shopping without having pictures of them taken every five minutes on every isle. She was used on constantly hearing the click of the camera and the flash because of her personal profession but Justin wasn't used to it. She didn't think he ever would.

“Yeah I’m cool. Are you done here?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, five more isles and we’re done. K?”

“How about some Froot Loops Andie?” Justin asked a while later as they strolled down the cereal isle.

“Yeah and some Captain Crunch too.”

“Not too many boxes, guys. We already have about ten boxes at home.”

“They’re almost empty.” Justin said grabbing two boxes of each while Andie cheered.

“You two need to start eating some real food too.” Juliana said walking ahead to the next isle. “J, grab some Pepsi over there.”

“Can we get some root beer too mommy?” Andie asked as Justin strolled past a lady that was on the same isle, who smiled at Andie.

“Yeah, baby.” Juliana said bending down to grab a container of iced tea. When she stood back up to place the container in the cart she heard a click of a camera.

“Can I get a picture, Juliana?” he asked with the camera aimed. She looked down the isle where Justin was already looking on the verge of running down and tackling the guy. She mouthed the words ‘I’m okay’ and turned back to the guy.

“You’ve been taking pictures for the last hour. How many pictures do you need?” Juliana said looking at items on the shelves nonchalantly.

“Come on, one picture?” the guy insisted.

“If you don’t get away from me in five seconds my husband is going to find somewhere to put that camera of yours. Back off, please.” Juliana said pushing the cart away from the guy and heading towards Justin and Andie. It was official, the shopping trip was over. She could tell Justin was fuming. Andie looked at her as she approached and gave her a teary look.

“We’re leaving now, Andie. Don’t cry.”

“Daddy is mad at me.” she whimpered.

“I’m not mad at you baby. We’re leaving now. We’re going to go have ice cream at home. Okay?” Justin said trying not to sound as upset as he really was.

 After paying for the little amount of groceries they’d had the chance to get, Justin and Juliana were emotionally exhausted. They walked outside, both pushing the carts towards the big SUV. Immediately after they put all the groceries in the truck Juliana and Andie sat in the car while Justin took the carts back.

 When Justin pulled out of the parking lot he hit the steering wheel with his fist. Making Juliana jump out of her seat a bit. The black jeep was once again behind them as they took the expressway home. Justin kept driving trying to switch lanes as much as possible to get away from the jeep. They came off the expressway and they were less than a mile away from home when Justin pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

“What are you doing, Timberlake?” Juliana asked to receive no answer as Justin was already halfway closing his door. Juliana watched as Justin walked over to the black jeep behind them and casually knocked on the guy’s window. Juliana noticed the guy open the window and look at Justin with a frightened look.

“You and I both know you have a telephoto lens and you still need to drive this close to me? Look, you know I’m going to be around. I’m not going to sit and hide. But please, you have the technology to be half a mile away from me and still get a good shot. So why don’t you just do it that way? Seeing you outside my house is fucking creepy. Please, do yourself a favor and stay away from me, my wife and my daughter.” Justin didn’t even let the guy talk. He just walked away, got in the car and drove away.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” Juliana said with a huff.

“Don’t lecture me right now, Juliana.”

“This is how it is now? I can’t even imagine how it will be when we go on tour.”

“We?”

“Andie and I.” Juliana said looking at him.

“You think you’re going on tour with me?”

“What do you mean, think? We are.”

“No you’re not. You’re staying home. You can’t pick up and take my daughter across the country.”

“What?! Across the country? You say that like we’ll be going with a stranger!”

“I know what I meant. You aren’t going anywhere.” Justin said pushing in the code to on the back gate to their house.

“The hell I’m not.”

“Why the hell are we having this fucking conversation right now?” Justin snapped. The tension of being followed with a camera and his wife talking crazy wasn’t helping him. At all.

“You said a bad word, daddy.” Andie said from the back seat.

“What are you doing with the headphones off, Andie!!” Juliana yelled.

“The movie was over.” Andie said before starting to wail.

“Fucking great!!” Justin said getting out of the car and slamming the door.

“Stop fucking cursing!!” Juliana yelled  back. What the hell just happened?