“So…” Reese said once they’d got underway. “You wanted to speak to me? Is that why you’re back?”

“Yes, then yes and no.” Justin propped his elbow against the car door and laid his head in his hand, scratching nervously at the back of his head. The car smelled like it had recently been detailed, something like soap was in the air. “I came back because I wanted to speak to you, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about now.”

“Umm… okay.”

The streets were dark and quiet as they moved steadily on towards the Harless house. It was in the opposite direction from the house she rented with Drake, but it was closer to her parents’ place. She was spending the last couple of evenings before the wedding there, wasn’t due until tomorrow, but after this evening’s stunt she was going to add an extra night to her stay.

“Well where do you want to start?” She said.

Justin’s focus fell on Reese’s hands rather than her face. She was too busy driving to meet his eyes anyway, but he found himself watching her fingers on the wheel. He’d always liked her hands. It was one of those silly things you noticed about your other half. It had no rhyme or reason - you just liked it. He liked her hands, same as he liked the way she lined up her shoes in height order on the closet floor. He liked her long eyelashes and the amusing way her voice started squeaking when she was nervous. He liked the annoyed pout her upper lip went into when people called her his childhood sweetheart (she objected, said they weren’t because they’d hooked up as adults). It was the small things that stuck on you.

“I know I’m risking pissing you off by saying this, but I have a real problem with your boyfriend’s behaviour this evening.”

Reese breathed in and out. Once again her instinct was to go on the defensive, but was she really in a position to argue? Besides, they agreed not to be that way with each other any more. Instead she tried to keep her tone measured.

“Oh?”

“When that asshole friend of his said that shit about you, he didn’t say a thing about it to the guy. Just defended and excused him. I’m not okay with that.”

It rankled with her too, but since she was pre-warned of Shane’s behaviour she could let it go. She could understand that for Drake knowing what Shane was like would take the sting out of it.  

“You don’t think maybe he was just trying to get the guys to back off first?”

“Maybe. And I’m not saying he needed to go swing for the guy in Dean’s place.” Justin swallowed hard. That was what he thought but it wouldn’t help to tell her that. “But for him to not so much as tell him that he was out of line? I have a serious issue with that, Reese. Nobody who loves you should ever be letting that go unchecked.”

Reese slowed the car in order to take a left turn, unnecessarily flicking on her indicator even though there was nobody around to need the signal.

“I could remind you that you’ve said some pretty mean things to me yourself.”

“Not like that,” he replied. “I goaded you a lot, acted snobby, but I never insulted you like that. And even back then I’d have pulverised anybody who spoke about you like that to me. I wasn’t kidding when I said Trace is the only reason I didn’t get into that fight.”

“And what would that have achieved?” She rolled her eyes. Why did so many men in her life think they needed to defend her honour with their fists? If they thought they were being chivalrous they were pitifully mistaken. She could take care of herself without their idiocy.

“Probably nothing, you’re both right, but don’t ask me to stand for it when people talk about you like that. Which I guess is why I’m telling you now; call this my pacifist alternative. He should have spoken up for you.”

“Look, Justin,” she said, taking a glance over at him. The way his face was creased up in concern made her stomach do a little flip. “I get what you’re saying. But I know Drake better than you do, and I really think he would have just been preoccupied with trying to dial things back down. It’s easier for him because he knows Shane’s issue and y’all didn’t. Just like I don’t really care what he said because I already know that. I’m sure he would have bitched him out later.”

“You’re trying to be fair and I get that. But you’ll never convince me that the first thing out of his mouth shouldn’t have been that he was out of line.”

“Can we just leave it at I appreciate you wanting to stick up for me?”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between them. Justin stared out at the darkness ahead, broken up only by the street lamps and the glow from behind people’s curtains. This really hadn’t been how he expected to see her again. The plan of action was only half-formed, but springing himself on her with bad news wasn’t in it. He especially wouldn’t have wanted this moment tied back to her fiancé. He’d been thinking of calling and asking her to meet him or something. That would have been a nice normal approach, rather than interrupting her girls’ night to tell her that her family was probably in jail or the emergency room.

“So… where are the dogs if you’re back here?” Reese broke the pause.

It was such a random question that he could only smile. “I got a sitter in.”

“Oh.” It must have been a soft opener, because she followed it with another. “So why are you here, Justin?”

Justin looked over at her. She was in a white tank and jeans, face and hair un-groomed. It was a familiar picture. They’d done this countless times over many a year. It was only their hair styles and a few laughter lines that had changed. She’d be driving him back to his mom’s from somewhere, dressed very similarly, and the only major difference was that it would be in Dean’s truck or her dad’s old Chevrolet.

“Can we talk about that tomorrow? I don’t want to have that conversation right after this one.”

“My schedule’s rammed for the next forty eight hours and then it’s the big day, so unless you’re willing to wait for another two weeks it’ll have to be now.”

He nodded a grudging acceptance. “Okay then.”

When he didn’t continue, Reese prompted him again. “That would be your cue to tell me why you’re here.”

“I think you probably know, peanut.”

“I thought we weren’t assuming we’re mind readers any more.”

“I think you making that particular comment just proves you do on this occasion.”

“You know I hate it when you do that.”

“What?”

“Put it back on me,” she said. Though she couldn’t look over at him she still arched an eyebrow. “The whole cryptic lead in thing is annoying as hell, Timberlake, always has been.”

She hadn’t been the first to think so on that Tuesday evening, but she’d been the first to voice it. Saying it had more practical effect than Trace’s tacit fuming.

“Alright.” Shifting in his seat, he removed his face from his hand and sat up. “I came back because of the conversation we had before you left.”

“What about it?” It was a real effort to keep her voice even.

“I…umm… this isn’t exactly how I imagined starting this.”

She let out what was supposed to be a laugh. It manifested as more of a strangled bark. “Things haven’t exactly been going how I imagined today either.”

He steeled himself. “I came back because I want us to be together and I got a notion that maybe you still want the same.”

Reese’s knuckles turned white around the steering wheel. It took a few seconds to collect herself to respond. “I’m getting married Friday.”

“Which I’m even less thrilled about after his performance in that bar, but that’s exactly why I needed to do this now or never. You told me you’d think about it, and I’m not here to pressure you but I am here to make it clear I’m serious about this. You and me, peanut, that’s what I want.”

“I, umm… hang on, let’s get out of this damn car.”

Without waiting for his assent Reese pulled over and stopped the vehicle. They weren’t far from Lynn’s house now, but she didn’t want to have this discussion while trying to drive. It was too distracting - last thing she needed was to clip somebody’s wing mirror because she was too busy trying to put off her ex-boyfriend. On opening her door she could see they were by the park. That was helpful; there should be a bench or something close by. They were the wrong side for their spot but they could at least get out into the fresh air. Hopefully it would help her keep a clear head.

Justin followed instructions, getting out and moving around the car to her side. He fell in behind her without speaking as she strode off along the path. They found a bench quite quickly, but she decided to keep walking. With his longer legs he caught up to walk alongside.

“I’m moving back to LA, Justin,” she announced.

“You are?” His stomach did a little somersault of glee. “You mean you got the job?”

“No, actually.” Twigs crunched under her sneakers. “But as it turns out I’m about to be laid off, so I’m going anyway. Bright side is it gives me more time to organise the move than if I’d got it.”

After his initial excitement, an annoying voice of reality was creeping back into his head. If she was still intending on the wedding… “Did you tell him?”

“Not that I went for an interview, no, just said they’d called me about it and I wanted to go back.”

“And?”

“He’s agreed.” That landed like a full body blow. “To the move, to me taking more time to work on my career, all of it.”

“Well… I guess I got to give him credit for that, I never thought he would. But I still don’t think he can be really okay about it, Reese,” he said stubbornly. “I still think that what he wants is to be here, fixing his cars and starting his family and I don’t think either of you are going to be very satisfied with that in a while.”

Her eyes narrowed. Irritation flared up but she suppressed it. There was little good to be had in arguing about Drake right now, especially given that Justin was unimpressed with him already.

“Whereas you of course would be perfectly content with the whole arrangement?”

“One hundred percent, actually.” Justin tugged on her arm, stopping her and turning her to face him. “That’d suit me good. You and me, back where we should be, doing our respective things and getting to take another few years or so to be footloose and fancy free before kids come into the equation. Can you really say that about Drake? Or is he just giving in because he thinks he has to?”

“What, you think I forced him?”

“No. But I bet he took one look at the way you lit up and knew that you would go with or without him.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know him.”

She wasn’t going to get into the discussion they’d had. It wasn’t Justin’s business, but she believed Drake when he said what was important to him was being where she was. Even more so after the talk they had to have about his mother. It was clearer than ever why marriage and family meant so much to him. It was no small thing to delay their plans; she hadn’t appreciated that enough with Justin and she refused to underestimate it again with Drake. He loved her. He was making sacrifices for her. Drake Turner was an honest to goodness catch and she was lucky to have him. Finally she could admit to herself that she was always going to love Justin Timberlake too, no getting away from it, but she’d made her promises and she would keep them. She wasn’t going to let Drake or her parents or the several dozen guests down at this stage of the game.

“I’ve been him, in that respect. Difference is that with you and me it was just misunderstanding each other. With you and him you fundamentally don’t fit.”

She wouldn’t rise to that either, tempting though it was. “This might be hard for you but I love him.”

It was hard for him. Hearing her say that to his face made the bile rise up in his throat. “Not saying you don’t but it’s not like us, Reese. I’ve loved women other than you but never like you, and I’ll be arrogant enough to say you’re the same. You and me don’t just love each other we’re right for each other.”

“You can still say that, after this last year?”

“This last year proves it for me. It took me long enough but I’ve had to face the fact that everything I’ve done is still all about you, one way or another,” he said with a resigned jut of the chin. “And look how far we’ve come in, what, maybe a few weeks? Even after everything you and I just click into place. Because we fit better together than we ever will with anybody else.”

“You asked me to think about it and I have. I’m getting married. I’m sorry, Justin.”

Lips pressing tightly together, Justin nodded. His eyes found a stray leaf on the floor. “You told me yesterday that I should have followed you before.”

There was an uncomfortable pang in her chest. “That wasn’t what I said.”

“Not in so many words, but you let me know. And I’m not making that mistake twice so here I am, peanut – this time I’ve followed you, I’m here, and I’ll be right here until you actually go through with it. I’m not going to hassle you about it but you know how I feel, and when you realise that you love my dumb ass you know where to find me.”

“I already know I love your dumb ass,” she said with kindness, trying to let him down gently. “Despite the ample reasons you’ve given me not to. I did miss you, though you seriously are a dumb ass,” she added. She still wasn’t completely beyond the odd jab. “But what I’m counting on is getting to LA and it being you, me and Trace again, on you being back to my best friend. I’ll already have a husband.”

“I’m always your best friend, peanut, that’s not even a question,” he said. It was difficult to form the words. He could feel himself getting choked up and was trying to force it back. “But you’re also the love of my life. Please don’t make me watch you marry somebody who’s not going to make you happy.”

“I think maybe we just need to accept that we screwed it up and move on,” she told him gently, picking up his hand and squeezing it in hers.

She was unprepared for him to grasp her waist and pull her body to his. His hands went to the small of her back, holding her there as he dipped his head and kissed her. It was hard to remember exactly how long it had been, yet somehow it felt like no time at all. The same warmth rushed to her ears (she didn’t know why, but it had always been the tips of her ears). It was different to Drake. When Drake kissed her it wasn’t a warm rush; it was a release of tension she didn’t know she’d been holding.  

Breaking the kiss, he moved back to search her face. The pad of his thumb rubbed over her lips. “We need to move on, she says, present tense. Says to me she hasn’t.”

“She says she has.”

The left side of his mouth curled up in a half smile. It was both sceptical and sad at once. “She’s a liar, but she’ll work that out in her own time.”

“She’ll see you in LA in a month or so. And now if you’ve said everything you needed to say, she’ll stop referring to herself in third person and finish driving you to your mom’s.”

“I’m done. For now,” he said.

Reese turned and started walking back towards the car. Her feet felt unnaturally heavy. It didn’t matter that this was her choice and she was settled on it; it still felt horrible to have to reject him like that. For a second Justin watched her retreating back, his heart tying itself into knots in his chest. With a shrug to himself he followed after her, mentally trying to convince the panicked voice in the back of his brain that he was right and she’d soon see it. He had to keep the faith.

Unbeknownst to Reese, there were several missed calls waiting on her phone for her.