Beep beep beep.... The alarm went off four times before we actually got out of bed today. I should have left the event last night when I was going to but I ended up staying till after two in the morning. It was the first event that I had Justin with me as my guest. I have been to many events with him but he was the client. I didn't want the night to end. But now as I look at the clock and realize that we have about two hours to get out of bed and get to the airport for our flight, I start to panic. What if we missed our flight? How great would I look to his family if we can't even get out of bed on time to make our flight?

I go into the bathroom and start the shower. He still hasn't got up. "Justin, get up! We are late." I yell.

He makes a sleepy moan... "Come back to bed."

"Justin our flight leaves in two hours. Get your booty up."

"We can change our flight. Fly out this afternoon."

"Justin Randall, if you don't get your ass out of bed right now I am going to cut..."

He opens the shower door and steps in, "You're going to do what? Cut me off? I don't believe you."

"Test me Mr. Timberlake... test me."

            The bags were packed before the event last night. I knew I wouldn't want to pack in the morning. And a part of me knew he wouldn't be packed and ready to go. The car is outside waiting for us and I still don't have any clothes on. I can feel it now; this trip is going to be a disaster.

            I'm standing in his closet, fidgeting with clothes when I look up and see something that infuriates me. "JUSTIN!!" I scream.

He rushes into the closet still naked as well. "What? What happened?"

"What is this?" I put to my ribcage area, a large purplish hickey on the top of my ribcage. "Oh my, how am I going to be able to wear a bathing suit now?"

"I'm sorry, I guess we got a little too heated last night."

"A little? I'm going to meet your grandparents with a hickey." I lower my head in shame.

"Honey, they have known for many years that I'm having sex. It's not a big deal."

"Hickey's are trashy."

"It's fine. You can't even see it."

"You will be able to see it very clearly in a bathing suit. I knew I should have packed the tankini. It would have been more respectful anyways."

"Emily. It's fine. Trust me. They will probably think it's just a bruise."

"A bruise from rough sex?" I said sarcastically.

"Which would you prefer?"

"I guess it doesn't matter now."

Finally we made it to the airport, we have about an hour to get through security and board our plane. As the town car drops us off, I see photographers lined at the entrance just waiting.

"You go first. I will follow the pack."

"Emily, I am not leaving you in this crowd. If they get a photo, they get a photo. I'm not worried about it."

"I could play the PR agent card." I really could.

"You could just be the girlfriend. You're not my agent this weekend, remember?"

"Shit I did agree to that... let's go."

            He grabs my hand and begins to drag me through throbs of people taking photos and videos.  I lower my head trying to avoid any questions they are randomly throwing out. We would take two steps forward and have to stop because they wouldn't move. Minute by minute we are getting closer to missing our plane.

"...Who is the new girlfriend Justin? You sure seem to move on fast. Was Jessica even moved out before the new one moved in? Has the accident not taught you anything? Where are you heading? ..."

            Security is eventually called because we couldn't even stand at the ticket counter. The other passengers were not happy with the mess we were causing. I was slightly embarrassed at the idea of all these people staring at me. There was no way we could get out of this as a working friendship. I knew the moment he place his hand into mine it was suspicious, but when he proceeds to kiss my forehead at the ticket counter, it was all over. It was a sweet gesture that I never thought about, I let him do it. But after he did... it hit me. There was nothing I could do about it now. Once we gave them that unofficial clarification the flashes were non-stop. They knew at that moment that we were not ‘just friends'.

We were escorted through the airport and onto the plane. I was so embarrassed and Justin was just pissed off. His face is a shade of red and the vines in his neck are starting to show. "I swear it's not normally this bad. I must have been the only person to come through the airport today and they needed some pictures to meet their quota."

"I need to call Tracey."

He drops my hand, and continues walking in front of me, saying nothing. It was beginning to be a slight problem with him just walking away from me.

"Justin. . . Justin." I hissed as he continued to walk onto the plane.

We sit down in our seats and he looks at me with pain in his eyes. "You promised to not be my agent this weekend. You promised to just be my girlfriend." disappointed was all in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I just feel bad that I left this mess for Tracey..." I had mix feelings on what I should do. "I won't call her. If it becomes too much for her, she will call."

"I'm not asking for too much am I? I don't want to you think that I want you to give up everything... I just want to be with you for a couple days, just you and me..."

"I understand" I open up my laptop and start checking a few things before I have to put it away for takeoff. I had to take my mind off of the panic that I could have gone into with every moment that passed.

"Don't be mad." He takes my hand into his. "I'm sorry. I just get pissed off sometimes that I can't walk through an airport."

            He needed to accept that I have a job to do, but I also needed to accept him as the boyfriend in front of the him as the client. I laid my head back on the head rest and tried to doze off. The flight is going to be long and I just want it to be over with already. He leans in to kiss my forehead. My eyes flutter open to look at him. "I love you." Just as the words escape his mouth he realizes what he said. He doesn't want to take it back. He can't believe he actually said it. I sit up straight, just staring at him, never taking my eyes off of him. ‘You love me?"

He smiles nodding his head. "I do. I love you."

"I love you. I really love you." I said it, and it was out loud.

"I don't think I have ever loved someone the way I love you. I love every single detail about you. I love you.  I have waited my entire life to meet someone like you. I love you. I love you." He leans in to whisper in my ear. "I love you, Emily Marie Clarkson." He kisses the side of my face as he makes his way to my lips. I was glad at this moment that we were in first class. The others in here were not paying enough attention to what was going on to notice that we just said I love you for the first time.

            There was security waiting for us at the gate. LAX had contacted Memphis International Airport to warn them what they were in for. They were not wrong. When we walked out of that gate, there were more photographers here then there was in Los Angeles. How is that even possible? It was a little more organized here though. They had time to prepare for it.

            "Welcome to Memphis!" Justin's mother, Lynn reaches out to hug me.

I hug her back, as the flashes are non-stop. "Thank you. It's nice to be here."

"It's nice to see you to mom..." He starts waving his hand back and forth, "Over here... you know me... your son!"

"Stop it Justin. She is the guest." Lynn says.

"And I'm chopped liver. I see how this weekend is going to end up." Justin said with a smile on his face. He reaches out to embrace his mother. "It's nice to be home again. Let's get out of here though before I am tempted to hurt one of these photographers."

            The drive to Lynn and Paul's house was not as long as I thought it was going to be. Within forty minutes we were pulling into their driveway. I knew they didn't live in the city, I guess I just expected it to be further than it was. It never dawned on me that we would be staying at his parents' house and not a hotel. I guess I just assumed we would stay in a hotel or maybe even one of Justin's secret houses here in Tennessee.

            The house was outstandingly beautiful. Every detail in that house was perfection. I expected to walk into a shrine of Justin, pictures everywhere around the house but there wasn't. There were small framed pictures but scattered around the house.

"Where's Paul?" Justin asks.

"He is at the bank. He will be home for dinner." She answered.

"When is dinner?"

"I think I just spent the last couple hours at the airport waiting on you, it's not done yet." She snickered.

"I know that, I mean what are you making?"

"I don't know yet. I'm heading into the kitchen right now to figure that out. Your room is clean with fresh sheets. You can get everything settled while I start dinner."

Justin nods and grabs the suitcases.

"Lynn," I say as she turns around, "I can help you cook dinner if you would like some help" I asked.

"Oh honey, you are on vacation. You don't have to cook for us."

"I don't mind. I enjoy cooking."

Justin chimes in, "She is a great cook."

"If you want, I would love some help. When your all settled in come join me in the kitchen."

            Justin leads me to the upstairs to a room that appears to be his. The room is very contemporary and sophisticated. Lynn must have redecorated this room because it doesn't look like a child grew up in this room.

I have dazed off into some other place look on my face, "Emily. Come back to earth." Justin says as he laughs.

"Sorry, I was just imagining you growing up in this room. It just doesn't look like something you would have as a teenager."

"So you are thinking about the virgin me... naughty girl."

"I guess, yes I am. I'm trying to get a feel for what you were like then."

"Well I can't help you with that. I didn't grow up in this room."

"Oh. How long has your parents lived here?"

"They bought this house when I was fairly young, maybe when I was like fifteen. But I was never here. I was on tour in Europe then so I never grew up in here in this house."

"How was it growing up on the road?" I questioned.

"Life lessons were defiantly learned at an early age. I was a child doing an adults work schedule, so I grew up pretty quickly. Maybe that's why I'm such a child now."

I shake my head yes, "It explains a lot."

            He rushes to the other side of the room and tackles me onto the bed, climbing ever so slightly over me. "You already said you loved me, you can't take it back now. You love the child that I am." He leans down and kisses me. Then begins to kiss down my neck, I attempt to push him off of me.

"Justin. Your mother... is... right down stairs."

‘Emily. I know... she is... down stairs." He continues to kiss down my chest.

"Justin." I hissed.

"Ok... ok." He jumps up. "If I don't stop, I won't stop."

            I unpacked my suitcases, putting my clothes on hangers and into the closet. Then I helped Justin because he seemed to have no focus on what he was doing except focus on my ass. Lynn was already cooking up a storm in the kitchen. She loved to cook as well. She made everything look so simple and easy. Justin seemed to be in awe of her. He even jumped in to help out.

            I didn't think seeing the interaction between Justin and his mother was going to bother me but when I saw him wrap his arms around her and kiss her forehead and say, "I love you mom. I missed you" it broke my heart. It was the same relationship I had with my mother.

            I excused myself and walked outside. The warm Tennessee air felt good against my skin. As much as I wanted to cry, I didn't. I wish my mother was here today to meet this man. I stood there just breathing in the warm air, hoping it would give me the strength to get through this.

I hear the door close behind me and the footsteps getting closer to me. "Are you okay honey?" Lynn asks. Her southern accent makes everything sound so sweet and genuine.

I turn to her, "I'm fine. I just needed a moment."

"You look like you're going to cry. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't worry about me."

"Of course I'm going to worry about you, is something wrong."

"No... it was just your interaction with Justin. It reminded me of the relationship I had with my mother. It made me think of her that's all."

"Do you not have contact with her anymore?"

"No." I say with a shaky voice. "She died last year."

Lynn's face drops. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have said anything."

I take her hand, "It's ok. Don't be sorry. You just remind me of her and sometimes things hit me from out of nowhere. I have to deal with the things when they come up."

"Do you want to me alone?"

"No, I'm ok now." I exhaled a deep breath. "I'm coming right behind you."

            We walk back into the house and I see her smack Justin upside the head and mumble something about he should have said something to her.