Chris stood, looking at the woman standing in front of him--intrigued.  She stared back at him, her brown eyes wide with surprised and recognition.  She knew who he was.  He silently braced himself for the inevitable reaction that was coming.  He was a bit unsure what she was going to do once she got over her shock and that scared him a little.  He watched, warily, as she ran a hand through her thick curls.  He didn't miss the way her fingers trembled slightly, or the look on her face that stated she was on the verge of tears.  He was used to girls shaking and crying around him but he got the sense that he wasn't the reason for her emotional state. 

He was caught off guard briefly at a sudden flash of memory.  A black Jeep pulling up beside him, the woman behind the wheel singing and dancing along to her radio, her curls bouncing around her shoulders...

Was it possible...

He looked back and forth between the girl and the Jeep in front of him then surprised them both when he chuckled.  What were the odds he'd run into--literally--the same girl again?  They had to be a million to one.  Too bad I don't play the lottery.  He thought to himself.  Today could be my lucky day.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking at him in question.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, his initial anger over the accident completely dissipating.  "You?" He asked.

"No." She stated.  He looked at her sharply.  "I mean, yes." She quickly amended and he felt himself sighing in relief.  Neither of them had been going very fast but there was always the possibility of injury in any car accident.  "I'm fine." She nodded.

Yes, you are.  Chris thought.  He shook his head.  Knock it off. He told himself.  You don't know this girl and you don't need to rattle her even more than she already is by leering at her. 

"I'll go...I'll go get my insurance information." She said, gratefully interrupting his internal dialogue.

I've really got to stop talking to myself.

"Do you want to call the police and file a report?" She asked.

"I don't think there's any need to get them involved." Chris shook his head as he turned to survey the damage to his car once again.  He grimaced.  It was going to take a lot to fix this.  Maybe he should just trade in the old thing and get something new?

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking at him in question.

"Yeah." He nodded, turning back to look at her.  "Unless you don't feel comfortable just exchanging information.  You look like I can trust you." He stated.  "You're not going to give me bogus information are you?" He teased, trying to get a smile out of her.  He couldn't stand the sad and pitiful look on her face anymore.

"No.  I swear." She replied seriously, her eyes silently pleading with him to believe her.  "Maybe you should call the police."

"Relax." He smiled.  "I was teasing."  He chuckled.

"Oh." She replied.  "Right.  Uhm..." She trailed off, gestured silently over her shoulder, then turned back around towards the Jeep muttering something under her breath.  Chris pushed the sleeves of his sweatshirt up farther on his forearms as he followed her.

"What was that?" He asked. 

"Huh?" She jumped slightly and turned to looked at him, her hand on the door handle of the Jeep. 

"I didn't hear what you said just now." He told her. 

"Believe me, you don't want to know what I just said." She answered with a roll of her eyes.

"Bad day?" He guessed with a smile.

"You have no idea." She breathed as she yanked open the door of the Jeep.  "And this," she waved her hand in the air, "is just the icing on cake." She continued as she leaned into her car. 

Chris' head turned to the side slightly as his eyes ran over her from behind.  He felt one eye brow rise in appreciation as his thoughts began wandering again.  She straightened and he quickly averted his gaze--rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at his shoes, hoping she hadn't caught him checking her out.  He looked back up at her, their eyes meeting again and once more he found himself intrigued-fascinated by her eyes.  "It can't be that bad, can it?" He asked, the urge to reach out and hug this woman once again coming over him. 

"Yes." She stated with a nod.  "It can.  Let's just say...the last six months have been on long, extended vacation to hell. But enough about me," she plastered a ridiculously fake smile on her face.  "Do you have anything to write with?" She questioned.

"Uh..." he turned towards his car, pulling his hands from the pocket of his hoodie and patted the sides of his shorts--searching for a pen.  "Yeah." He said, turned around.  "I'm sure I've got something."  She followed him this time as he opened the passenger side door of his car and ducked inside. He found a pen on the floor and opened the glove box, hoping to find some scrap of paper or something to write on.  "Here." He said pulling out of the car and holding his hands out to her.

"A napkin?" She asked, one dark brow rising as she looked at him.

"It's all I've got." He shrugged with a smile.  "It works though, right?"

"Sure..." she drawled, taking the pen and the napkin from him.  She turned, placed the napkin against the hood of his car and bent over slightly as she began to write down her contact and insurance information for him.

She was beautiful. 

A little messed up, perhaps, but beautiful none the less.  From her curly hair, to her sad brown eyes, to the tailored blue shirt she was wearing and the black slacks covering her perfect curves...

Besides, who isn't a little messed up?  He thought with a chuckle.  She glanced over at him and he smiled at her. 

"I'm Kristen, by the way." She told him. 

"Chris." He replied.

"I know." She stated with a nod of her head as she went back to writing.  "I know who you are." 

"Really?" He asked.  "Hmmm..." He mused.  "Could have fooled me."  She looked over at him again as she straightened.  Her brow furrowed slightly and he grinned.  "You didn't scream or pass out when you saw me." He told her. 

"It's not every day I run into a celebrity's car." She told him as she held out the pen and napkin to him.  "It kind of took me by surprise but I can scream at you now if you'd like." She offered and Chris laughed as he took the napkin from her.  He could see the hint of a teasing sparkle in her eyes.  His smile widened.

"That's okay." He told her.  "I actually prefer it when girls don't scream." She smiled.  "Unless we're in bed, of course."  He added.  Her eyes widened slightly and her brows rose in surprise.  There was an awkward pause and Chris mentally kicked himself.  He really needed to work on his filtering system.  Sometimes things just came out without any thought and his mouth had gotten him into trouble on numerous occasions as a result of that.  She blinked a few times then finally spoke. 

"Wow." She cleared her throat.  He could see a tinge of pink on her cheeks.  "Okay.  Well, I'll, uhm..." she nodded.  "I'll definitely keep that in mind." She told him with a chuckle.  Her chuckle soon turned into a giggle and then a full laugh and he couldn't help but join her--though he wasn't sure what had struck her as being so humorous.  Her laugh was so cute and contagious.  They stood there laughing for a few moments--the shoppers coming and going from the store giving them weird looks--until she finally took a deep breath and composed herself.  "That should be all of the information you need." She told him.

"Aren't we supposed to exchange information?" He asked.  "I think I'm supposed to give you my number and stuff."

"I don't know." Kristen told him.  "This is the first accident I've ever been involved in.  I'm not really sure what we're supposed to do.  I assume that you'll call and make the claim against my policy and then they'll contact me, right?  I mean, there's no damage to my car so I'm not going to be filling a claim or anything." 

"Let me give you my number, anyway." Chris said.  "You know...just in case." 

"You really want to?" She asked.  "I mean, you don't have to.  I know it's got to be hard being who you are and giving out your number to strange women who run into your car in the parking lot at the grocery store might not be the wisest decision you could make." She teased. 

He chuckled.  "I trust you." He said.  I don't know why...he thought, trailing off as he studied her again.  She smiled and he was glad to see that a majority of the sadness that had been in her eyes when she'd first gotten out of her car was gone.  A few more hours with me, baby and I'd make you forget all about him. He thought, barely biting his tongue and keeping the words from escaping.  What is your deal? He chastised himself. It's like you've never seen a pretty girl before!  Need I remind you, you've been around the world and seen beautiful women in every country!  What's so special about this one? 

He couldn't answer that one.   

Besides, how do you know it's a guy causing all her troubles?

He looked at her.

It's a guy.  He answered himself.  That was the only explanation for the look of betrayal and hopelessness in her eyes.  He watched as Kristen pulled a sleek black cell phone from her pocket.  She hit a few buttons then looked up at him.

"Ready." She smiled.  He gave her his number and waited while she saved the information.  Her eyes met his again and an awkward silence fell between them.  "Well..." She began, rocking back on her heels slightly.

"Yeah." Chris replied, scratching at his chin.  "I got to get going." He said, gesturing towards the store.

"Yeah." Kristen nodded.  "Me too." They looked at each other for a moment.  "Listen, I know...it doesn't mean a whole lot, but I'm sorry." She apologized again.  "I wasn't looking where I was going and had my mind on other things."

"It's okay." He smiled, reassuring her.  "I hope your day gets better." He offered, genuinely hoping she had a better night than her day seemed to have been.  You could come over and I'd make sure you it got better.  The thought came and he again mentally kicked himself.  Dude!  Leave the girl alone!  You ain't getting' any of that.

"Some beer and pizza are going to guarantee that it does." She answered as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears. Chris felt his brows rise in pleasant surprise.  A girl that appreciates the finer things in life.  He mused with a small smile.

"You're not going to be alone, I hope." He asked.  "I don't know if I trust leaving you alone right now.  You've had a pretty emotional day." He winked at her. 

She smiled.  "It's best if I'm alone right now." She chuckled.  "Trust me.  I wouldn't be very much fun for anyone to be hanging around with right now."

"Alright..." he drawled as he turned and walked around the front of his car.  "But if you change your mind," he said, looking at her over the top of the Cruiser as he opened the door.  "You have my number." He smiled and she nodded.  Chris looked at her for a moment longer then, not knowing what else to say, got into the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristen stood beside her Jeep and exhaled the breath it felt like she'd been holding even since Chris had stood and their eye had met for the first time.  Damn, that man is sexy! She thought as he drove away.  The eyes, the smile, the laugh, the teasing looks and flirty remarks...

Kristen couldn't help the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips.

Justin ain't got nothin' on that man right there.  She thought as she finally turned and got back into her car.  Whew!

It was a miracle she was still able to stand up straight--much less walk.  Why wasn't she a puddle right now on the ground?  She couldn't help the excited giggle that came out as she looked down at the phone still in her hands and the latest entry added to her list of contacts: Chris Kirkpatrick.  She'd handled that a lot better than she ever thought she would have. 

When she had first been introduced to the phenomenon that was N SYNC ten years ago, she had dreamt--like every other fan out there--of one day meeting the guys, but had always been a little anxious about what her reaction would be like.  Fearing that she would just stand there and hyperventilate and not be able to speak coherently, Kristen had been secretly glad she'd never met Justin, JC, Chris, Joey or Lance thus saving herself from acting like a complete idiot in front of them.  But now that she'd met him she could help but feel like she was back in college--listening to those beautiful harmonies, watching those effortless dance moves, her heart skipping every time a certain pair of brown eyes made their appearance on screen. 

Though she truly was sorry that she'd run into him and damaged his car, Kristen knew she'd do it again in a second if it meant he would look at her the way he had been just now.  If he would smile at her like he did and laugh and tease her again she would run into his car a million times over.  With a smile still plastered on her face, Kristen finally started the Jeep.  The inevitable hike in her insurance premiums were a small price to pay for having met him and not having acted like a complete moron--jumping and screaming in his presence.  As she looked over her shoulder this time to back out again, her eyes landed on the groceries she'd purchased earlier.  She didn't feel the need to go home and get drunk anymore.  Ten minutes in the presence of the one and only Chris Kirkpatrick had made her forget all about Kevin and the misery he had and was continuing to cause her.  She glanced in her rearview mirror as she left the store, a small voice in the back of her mind telling her turn around and take him up on his offer to not leave her alone tonight.  She shook her head at the thought and forced herself to keep driving.  Her life was complicated and messy enough right now without adding in one famous and incredibly attractive musician into the mix. 

Her phone rang, startling her from her thoughts and Kristen reached for it-pulling it from the cup holder she'd placed it in.  Her heart skipped several beats, wondering if it was Chris calling her.  She knew it probably wasn't, but a small part of her hoped it was.  Her shoulders slumped slightly when she saw Amie's name on the screen. 

"Hey." Kristen said, answering the call.

"Hey." Amie replied.  "So, where'd you go this afternoon?  You like, disappeared."

"I had a meeting I totally forgot about this afternoon." Kristen told her friend.  "Sorry I left without saying good-bye but you're never going to believe what just happened to me..."

~*~

"Oh, come on!" Chris yelled at the TV as the referee called a foul on the Magic.  "You've got to be kidding me!  I think someone paid off the ref tonight." He muttered.

Joey laughed from where he sat on the couch, watching as Chris yelled at the television.  "Easy man." He remarked.  

"Did you not see what just happened?" Chris asked him as he turned to look at his friend and former band-mate. 

"I saw." Joey nodded.  He shrugged.  "It was a good call."

Chris growled as he flopped back on the other end of the couch.  The camera panned the crowd.  "Don't look so smug, Timberlake." He muttered as Justin's face filled the screen--sitting next to and holding hands with his wife.   

Joey chuckled as he rolled his eyes.  "You still have a thing for Aubrey?" He asked.

Chris looked over at Joey with a withering look.  "I never had a ‘thing' for Aubrey." He shook his head.  "I was just trying to offer some opposition to prompt Justin along.  We all know the boy doesn't know what he's doing when it comes to women."

"Right." Joey replied with a smirk.

Chris stood as the game cut to commercial.  "Want another beer?" He asked, looking at Joey. 

"Sure." Joey nodded.  He stood as well and followed Chris into the kitchen.  Chris opened the fridge and took out two bottles.  He popped the top off of one and handed it to Joey.  Taking the top off the other bottle he raised it to his lips and took a sip.  "What's this?" Joey asked.

Chris turned--the bottle still pressed to his lips--his eyes landing on the napkin he'd stuck on the fridge when he'd gotten home.  He lowered the bottle and couldn't help the smile that spread.  "I got in an accident today." He said.  "That's the other driver's information."

"A napkin?" Joey asked, looking at Chris in question.

"It was all I had." Chris shrugged.  Joey looked at him for a moment.  "What?" Chris asked.

"Is that why you've been distracted tonight?" Joey questioned.

"Wouldn't you be if you had seen your whole life flash before your eyes and the left side of your car was caved in?" Chris asked.

"Was she hot?" Joey asked.

"What?" Chris replied with a laugh--cursing the warmth he could feel spreading across his face.  He'd always had a hard time hiding his feelings.  "Dude, you're married." He said, trying to throw Joey off.  "What would Kelly say if she heard you ask that kind of question?  Hmmm?"

"She was hot." Joey nodded as he took a swig of his beer--a satisfied smirk on his face.  "You forget how long I've known you, Chris." He chuckled.  "I can read you like a book right now.  When are you gonna call her?"

"She ran into my car, Joe." Chris reminded him.  "Why would I call her?" He asked, trying to play it cool.  Truth was, though, he'd thought about calling Kristen several times since their run-in at the grocery store.  He found himself strangely obsessed with the girl-unable to shake her image from his mind and a part of him wanted to see if she truly was okay being alone tonight.

"Cuz you think she's hot?" Joey supplied, looking at him with raised brows-a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. 

"I meet hot girls all the time." Chris replied, waving his hand through the air-dismissing Joey's reason.

"But how many of their contact information do you have written on a napkin and stuck to your refrigerator?" Joey questioned.

Chris opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the doorbell.  "Mike's here!" He exclaimed with a sigh of relief as he hurriedly left the kitchen and Joey's knowing looks.  So, he thought Kristen was hot?  What was wrong with that?  And it was perfectly normal for him to have her information on his fridge.  She had run into him after all and he hadn't had a chance to call the insurance company yet.  He didn't want to lose the policy information so he'd stuck it on the fridge when he'd gotten home to remind himself to call in the morning.  Nothing wrong with that.  He reasoned with himself as he opened his front door--greeting Mike as he let the guy in. 

With the arrival of Mike, Chris was spared from anymore of Joey's remarks about the information he had tacked on his fridge.  He didn't, however, miss the pointed and knowing looks that his friend continued to give him through the remainder of the game.  Chris pretended to ignore them--along with the continued thought to call Kristen--concentrating instead on the game.  The guys talked and laughed and cheered as the Magic finally got their act together and managed to squeak by with the win: ninety-seven to ninety-five. 

After Joey and Mike left, he called Justin and ribbed the younger man mercilessly.  Justin had spent all of pre-season going on and on about how good the Lakers were this year, but every time Chris had seen them play they'd lost and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to rub it in Justin's face one more time. 

"Alright, alright!  You've made your point." Justin finally admitted with a chuckle.  "I was wrong.  They're not so hot this season.  I'll keep my mouth shut from now on."

"No you won't." Chris replied.

"You're right." Justin laughed.  "I won't."

Chris chuckled.  The two men talked for a few minutes, catching up on what they'd been doing since the tour had wrapped up a few weeks ago.  Chris wandered around the house as they talked--unable to sit still for too long.  "Tell Aubrey I said hi." He said as the conversation began to wrap up. 

"She's here, do you want to tell her yourself?" Justin asked.

Before Chris could answer the phone was passed and Chris smiled as Aubrey came on the line.  "Hey, baby." He remarked.  "Given anymore thought to you and I running away together?"

She laughed.  "I love you, Chris." She said.

"But?" He questioned, sensing there was more.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think I could handle you." She replied. 

"What do you mean?" He asked with a laugh. 

"Just between you and me?" She whispered, her voice lowering slightly.  "I can barely handle, Justin, sometimes." She told him.

"I heard that!" Justin's voice came from the background.  "And she's right.  Sometimes I am too much for her.  Ain't that right, baby?" He giggled.

"Would you be quiet?" Aubrey shushed him with a laugh.  "Chris and I are trying to have a conversation here." She continued, attempting to sound stern.

"Or what?" Justin asked, taunting her.  "What are you going to do to me?  You don't scare me, little girl."

"Or you're sleeping alone tonight." Aubrey replied authoritatively and Chris laughed as he listened to the exchange between the couple.  He could picture Justin puffing his chest out in pride at being "too much" for his wife and the deflated look that was undoubtedly on his face after Aubrey shot him down.     

"I'm sorry." Justin said, his voice becoming louder as he got closer to Aubrey in an attempt to get back on her good side.

"Anyway..." Aubrey laughed.  "Like I was saying.  You don't want me.  I don't think I'd be able to keep with you.  You need someone who can match your level of adventure and energy.  But don't worry," she continued.  "You'll find the right girl.  She's out there."  Chris wandered into the kitchen and came to a stop in front of the fridge.  "You'll probably run into her when you least expect it." 

"Who said I was looking for someone?" Chris asked as he stared at Kristen's name.  "I'm not." He insisted, wondering who he was trying to convince more: Aubrey, or himself. 

"Okay." Aubrey replied.  "But when you do find her, I'm going to say I told you so."