After a little more coaxing from Kathy, Justin reluctantly agreed to stop by Ryan's.  When he pulled up in front of the house, he noticed all the cars and debated with himself for the fifth time whether he should even be there. He hadn't been back to Boone in ten years and didn't know if he'd be welcomed back into the fold. 

He nervously made his way up onto the porch and rang the doorbell and was greeted by Kathy.  "JT! Come on in!" She smiled brightly.

Justin handed her a bag containing two bottles of wine and two bottles of Whiskey. "I wasn't sure what to bring so…"

"You didn't have to bring anything! Thank you!"

Kathy walked Justin through the house, stopping off in the living room to say hello and reacquaint himself with friends he'd grown up with and be introduced to those he'd never met. Kathy ushered him out to the backyard wherethe guys were sitting around in lawn chairs, drinking and talking to each other about times gone by.  Ryan was hard at work on the grill cooking up hamburgers, hotdogs and bbq ribs for his guests, joking that he thought Justin wasn't going to show up. Justin walked around hugging old friends and teammates and felt a sense of calm wash over him as he realized people from back home were actually happy to see him. A polar opposite of the treatment he had received from Cherish when he first got to town.

He quietly sat in his chair drinking beer and listening to Ryan spout off story after story of the shenanigans they used to pull in high school. He looked around at everyone observing most of the people he'd grown up with still lived in town or neighboring towns. They now had jobs or owned businesses, living in homes of their very own or their inherited childhood homes.  Not many of them seemed too down on their luck like he'd expected. Most of them even had families, yet here he was, single with no love to speak of, and a career that was weighing in the balance by a thin thread.  As they all continued to reminisce about the past, Justin became more and more absent from their stories.

More people arrived, making their way out into the backyard to see him. Justin smiled and was humbled by the congratulations he received for accomplishing everything he set out to do so many years ago. Some would talk about envying his lifestyle but on the inside Justin was the one who was slightly envious of the lives they'd built for themselves in the town he tried half his life to escape.  He began to drink more while they reminisced about the past to hide his own pain and loneliness.  Although he'd gone off and in most respects made his dreams come true, he felt empty inside.  He didn't have the comradery or the love that this group of people shared for one another.  All the money and fame in the world couldn't come close to touching that.
 
When it grew darker, Ryan and Kathy walked around the yard lighting torches. More and more people flocked from inside the house into the backyard to chat. The more he talked with everyone the more relaxed he finally became, realizing that no one there held any real animosity towards him. They were happy for him, but most of all they were happy to see him and catch up after all those years.  And when Ryan started passing around a bong and a handful of joints he'd confiscated from some of the local teenagers, Justin began to relax even more.

Cherish pulled up to Ryan's and noticed the house was more crowded than usual. She maneuvered her truck up the side of the driveway and carefully hopped out, trying not to hit the car next to her with the door. She made her way down the long path past the garage towards the backyard, fishing her phone which had been buzzing non-stop out of her pocket to read her messages. She could smell a hint of marijuana in the air and could hear the guys arguing about sports as she feverishly typed a message on her phone. When she looked up to find Ryan, her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Justin sitting next to him. Was this why everyone was here? To see the prodigal's son return?  Was this excitement she was feeling?

Justin was leaning a little off the lawn chair he was sitting on, his jean clad legs spread wide, one elbow resting on his knee allowing his hand to dangle between his legs, the other elbow propped on the back of his chair. He had on a blue short sleeved button-down plaid shirt, his gray t-shirt peeking through. His short brown hair was slightly messy, like it was done on purpose to look that way. His stubble was a little more prominent than the day before. Cherish fought the urge to lick her lips as she spotted the small bit of exposed skin at his hip.  She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard people whistling and calling out to her.  "Where you comin from lookin so damn fancy, girl!" Ryan yelled out to her. He looked behind before asking, "And where's Bobby?"

Justin looked up from his conversation and spotted her. Cherish had on a pair dressy black sequined shorts, with a light green button down blouse underneath and matching black sequin jacket with the sleeves rolled up. He saw that she had straightened her hair and had it pinned into a voluminous up-do. As she made her way over to them, his eyes were irresistibly drawn to her swaying hips, the way her calves tapered down to elegant ankles above black peep toe Louboutin heels with the signature red leather sole.  Her body had ripened into a sensual woman's figure, but up until this point she had contained it and imprisoned it within jeans and t-shirts.

"I had a dinner thing." she bashfully replied. "And Bobby took off with Brian earlier today after work." 

"You hungry? Thirsty?" Ryan asked.

"Oh no thanks, Ry. I'm about to head out. The keg's in the trunk. I tried to pull up as close as I could."

"No stay a while!" Ryan begged. "We were all just reminiscing. Here…" Ryan jumped up from his seat next to Justin, "Sit here."

Ryan called out to a couple guys to come and help him grab the keg.  Cherish reluctantly sat down next to Justin.  She said hello but he merely nodded at her and went back to sipping his beer and talking to the guys.  She felt slighted. He'd gone from damn near stalking her to ignoring her all within 24 hours.

Justin sat there silent, pretending to listen to the story someone was telling while he tried to catch glimpses of Cherish through the corner of his eye. He wanted to speak to her, but after seeing how happy she seemed, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea anymore to  stir up memories that may have been long forgotten by his first love. He was determined to get through this evening and not get tongue tied, nervous, or belligerent around her. If he could lie and convince himself that she was just like any other woman, he could also move on. He could stop having those haunting dreams at night and move the fuck on.

Kathy came out handing Cherish one of the last bottles of beer and asked her about her outfit before updating her on the groups conversation. "We're all just talking about that time Trace, Ryan and a group of the guys got arrested breaking into the bowlin alley. What year was that? Was it 98 or 99? You remember, Cherish?"

"I'm not sure. I think-"

"It was spring of 98." Justin answered for her.

"Really?" Cherish asked, looking over at him. "I thought it was 99?"

"It was 98." He smiled brightly at her. "We were in New York."

Cherish thought back to the trip they'd taken together to New York, blushing as Justin gazed at her remembering the same memory. He averted his attention back to Kathy and the rest of the group. "Had I been around, I would've gotten arrested too right along with Trace and your husband!" he laughed. Justin watched Cherish through the corner of his eye, smirking as he brought the bottle of beer to his lips to take a sip.  "I was in New York getting into trouble of my own."

The mere thought of their trip to New York was sending tremors down to Cherish's thighs. She knew she needed to get away from him and those memories before it was too late. "Hey Kat! You got any tequila?"

"Yep! It's in the kitchen! Along with those special brownies you love." she winked.

Cherish got up from her chair and made her way inside the house, fleeing from his glances and the memories that kept creeping inside her head. Justin watched the way her calves flexed when she walked away and tried to suppress his urge to follow her into the house. But his efforts were futile. He turned to Kathy and said, "I think I'mma go grab one of those special brownies of yours."

"Yeah…you do that." Kathy nodded at him before chuckling to herself and shaking her head at his obviousness.

Justin made his way through the house and into the kitchen where Cherish was standing at the counter talking to another woman as she poured herself a drink.  He leaned against the opposite counter with his ankles crossed and arms folded over his chest.  Neither woman noticed him as they clinked their shot glasses together and chugged down their drinks.  Cherish turned, laughing at something the woman had said and spotted him standing there. "Oh, sorry.  I didn't know you were waiting."

"Take your time." he smiled.

Justin watched as the unfamiliar woman went to exit the kitchen, telling Cherish she'd talk to her after she grabbed a burger. Without a buffer between her and Justin,  Cherish became very nervous. She went to move out of his way and found him looking her over, staring down at her feet.

"What?" she asked following his gaze.

"Nothing. You look very nice." Justin stood up straight and walked over to the counter, looking down at the display of cakes, cookies, pies, and other sweets Kathy had laid out for her guests.  "I'm curious to know who you were out with since I know it couldn't have been Bobby."

"And how do you know that?" She asked as she nervously reached in front of him to grab a brownie.

"Because Bobby could never appreciate you in those shoes."

Her breath hitched in her throat. The tension in her belly tightened until it was almost painful.  "Funny." she sarcastically replied.

"Am I wrong?" he asked, bumping his hip into hers to get her attention.

Cherish hated that even after all these years, Justin was right, but she refused to admit Bobby didn't know the difference between Payless or Prada. This was all too familiar for her…Justin's witty remarks, that damned charming smile of his,  the way his tongue would run across his lips as he'd look at her. She had to shut down his flirtations fast. "As a matter of fact, Bobby loves it when I wear these…Especially when I'm not wearing anything else," she deadpanned.

She knew the mere mention of one's name to the other would set either man off.  Justin became quiet and Cherish relished in the idea of him running the images of her and Bobby through his mind. She hoped it would shut him up and it did. She wasn't able to savor the moment for long when guilt set in as she watched his expression quickly turn. Justin never looked her way, but nodded as he continued to fill his cup with ice.

She was on her way out but only got as far as the opposite side of the kitchen, where she lifted herself up onto the countertop to give her feet a rest. Justin could feel her watching him, but never turned around. The thought of her and Bobby together made him sick, but he knew he had no right to feel the way he did.  He cursed himself for thinking that seeing her at Ryan's would be a good idea...That they could relax and get reacquainted without the pressure of being alone together. But Justin's plan had backfired yet again and all he wanted to do was go back to his dad's, pack his bags, and leave Boone in his rearview once and for all. He was so wrapped up in thoughts of her and Bobby and their seemingly happy life that Justin barely heard her when she asked, "Any news on your dad?"

He continued to look through Tupperware bins and never turned to meet her gaze. "They gave him the okay to go back to the nursing home. He's just got a nasty bump that needed staples. Other than not knowing who the hell I am, he's fine."

"Well it's good to hear it wasn't anything too serious." She paused for a moment before continuing. "So I guess that means you're leaving soon?"

Justin scoffed, turning around to look at her. "You almost sound disappointed."

Cherish was about to vocalize her disappointment, but Justin cut her off. "Don't worry. You won't have to put up with me much longer.  I'll be outta your hair soon enough and you can go back to your perfect little life here." He stated, tossing his plate down onto the counter, an edge in his voice. "I get it, Cherish. I'm a son a bitch! You can’t stand me and you're counting down the minutes till I leave town.  You made you're feelings clear ten years ago. And ever since the minute I bumped into you, your body language has made it clear again. I fuckin get it!"

Cherish didn't say a word. He could hear her heels click against the linoleum floor and turned to meet her gaze as well as their impending argument. But she just stared at him, her eyes glassy from what appeared to be tears forming. Her mouth was slightly agape, yet she said nothing. She grabbed up her drink and silently walked out of the kitchen.

"Fuck" he groaned.

Justin poured himself a larger whiskey and was making his way through the house back to the yard when a mousey voice called out his name and he instantly knew it was Stacey Shaw. Her mother and his father had briefly dated. She'd always joke about how the two of them would one day become siblings, but Justin could never bring himself to tell her the truth about his father's reputation and wandering eye.  He greeted her with a warm hug.  He glanced out the back door and could see Cherish sitting outside, talking to Ryan and Kathy and was thankful she hadn't left yet. He decided to keep his distance, finding a seat on the couch next to Stacey and a few others he grew up with.

As they were all catching up, he started to regret his decision to stay inside when Stacey brought up his ex.  "...You wouldn't see Justin without Cherish or Trace with him. They were all practically joined at the hip!" she laughed.

"Oh I never heard her mention him." the redhead sitting next to Stacey said, pushing the proverbial knife a little further into Justin's chest. "I didn't even know you two had a history together."

History hardly described the complex relationship Justin and Cherish had as teenagers.  It didn't come close to describing the only woman he'd let himself love, back when he'd been too young to understand the word.

He continued talking and joking with everyone, looking out the backdoor every few minutes at Cherish and the other's who were drunkenly singing along to Brandy's "Almost Doesn't Count," commiserating over the bullshit they'd been through with past and present relationships. "...Almost convinced me, you were gonna stick around, But everybody knows, Almost doesn't count!"

When Justin left town ten years ago he tried to completely erase the memory of this woman from his mind and his heart.  He tried alcohol, then tried reckless sex filled nights with woman who he didn't ask their names, until he focused all his willpower on simply refusing to allow images of her to enter his head.  But ever since his injury, they'd started flooding his mind with a vengeance and all he could think about was her.  Here he was back in the town where he grew up, thirty feet away from the girl he couldn't stop thinking about, and all he could do was constantly screw things up.  The music changed and he could hear Brandy's "Have You Ever" playing.

Have you ever tried to find the words
But they don't come out right
Have you ever, have you ever

When he looked out the backdoor again Justin noticed that Cherish was gone. He quickly got up from the couch, "Excuse me for a minute, ya'll."

He walked out back and asked if Cherish had left. Ryan pointed towards the group of trees lining the backyard. Justin looked over and could see a figure lying on a hammock. As he made his way closer, he saw her swaying back and forth, her fingers gliding through the blades of grass while she took a puff of the blunt in her hand.

"I'm continually messing shit up when it comes to you."

Cherish jumped slightly, startled by his presence.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I've got a lot on my mind and I didn't mean to blow up at you." He apologized.

"It's cool." she shrugged.

"No, it wasn't cool." Justin walked around to the other side of the hammock so he could look her in the eyes. "Do you forgive me?"

"Do I forgive you?" Cherish paused as she took another puff. "That is such a loaded question, JT."

"Okay. Well why don't we start off slow then?" He took his hand and slowed down the swaying hammock to get her full attention. "Do you forgive me for earlier in the kitchen?"

"Yes" she nodded.

"Can I sit with you?"

She pondered it for a moment then replied. "Sure."

Justin kicked off his shoes and gingerly sat down on the other end of the hammock. Cherish moved her body over slightly to make room for him, turning her head in disgust when his feet got too close to her face.

"Girl, my feet don't stank!" his southern drawl becoming more prominent.

"I forgot! " Cherish laughed. "You have to wear shoes more than once for that to even be possible!" she joked.

Justin reached up and grabbed her legs, tickling her around the sensitive part of her knees. It felt like old times as they both sat quietly, looking up at the stars and listening to the music playing off in the distance.

"What time is it?" she asked looking down towards his watch.

"It's about 9:30."

Cherish leaned forward and offered him some of her blunt. As she handed it to him, she reached down and grabbed the cup of beer she had sitting on the ground next to her. She and Justin briefly talked about his NBA career and the place he now called home in Boston. It was nothing close to the topics of discussion Justin wanted to land on, but he took what he could get.

"...Any serious relationships?" she asked, sipping her beer.

And there was his in. Justin folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side. "Since you?" He could see the redness flash upon her cheeks and grinned, "No...Not really. I dated this one chick for about eight months until what tiny spark we did have fizzled out.  She was a great girl, but I felt like we were just going through the motions." Justin pulled the smoke from the blunt deeply into his lungs and held it there for a few seconds before releasing it. "I wish I could say I was heartbroken about it, but I wasn't."

Cherish nodded, completely understanding how he felt.

"So you and Bobby, huh?"  he asked, lungs full of smoke as he leaned up to hand her back the blunt.

"Me and Bobby what? She asked, reaching up to take it from him. "I get lonely sometimes and we keep each other company...I'm a woman with needs."
 
"I just never would've expected you to end up with someone like him." he teased, his face scrunched up in disgust.
 
"Don't do that." she warned.

"Don't do what?"

"You know what." she scolded. "That cocky and condescending tone you get. Don't talk about him that way. Bobby's always been loyal to a fault." She leaned down and rubbed the lit end of the blunt against a rock to put it out. "He's always been there for me...Unlike some people I know. "

"I'm sorry." he said trying to express his apology for both his remark and the past.

Cherish nodded as she took a sip of her beer. "Bobby's a great guy. One day he'll make someone very happy...It just won't be me."

"Why do you say that?"

"He deserves someone who can give him the things he wants out of life.  I can't do that for him."

Justin could hear the pain in her voice. "And what might that be?" he cautiously asked.

Cherished cleared her throat, pushing back the emotions that were starting to bubble up inside her.  She looked down towards Justin's watch again and asked, "What time is it?"

"Ten minutes till."

"Ah!" Cherish sighed, slowing getting up from the hammock. "Unfortunately, Mr. Timberlake, our twenty minutes is now up."

"Wait what?" he asked confusedly. She devilishly grinneds at him as she reached down and grabbed her shoes to leave. Justin went to stop her but in his rush to get up from the hammock he tipped over and fell to the ground. "Hold up! That's not fair, Cherish!" He called after her as he stuffed his feet into his shoes. "I didn't know that was my twenty minutes!"

Cherish waved to him before sauntering back towards the house.

"Are you serious!?" Justin yelled as he stood up to give chase.

Cherish tried to run but he was too fast. When he caught up to her, he wrapped one of his strong arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground-twirling her around in circles.  She begged him to put her down before she puked and he complied, gently guiding her back down until her feet touched the ground. For a moment they shared a laugh as she used his shoulder for leverage to put her heels back on. She was about to speak when he turned his head back towards the house and yelled for Ryan to turn up the stereo.   He started to dance in the middle of the backyard rapping along to Kid N' Play's "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody."

Ryan came over and joined in with Justin and the two men did a rusty yet impressive rendition of the Kid N' Play dance up until it came time for the jump over the leg move and neither of them could or would do it.  "I can still do the move!" Justin defended.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at him as of to say 'sure you could,' causing Justin to laugh even harder. " If my knee wasn't fucked up I'd bust it out right now!"

Their failed attempt at old 90's dance moves sparked a movement and soon mostly everyone at the house had joined in, dancing around the backyard like they were teenagers again. The evening was turning out to be better than Justin had hoped.  Smiles and laughter filled the atmosphere with good vibes as everyone, including Cherish, relaxed and enjoyed themselves. As the party died down, most people found their way back into the house and sat around the living room talking. Cherish was over at the mini bar fixing Kathy her signature "Purple Rain" drink when Darryl, who was never known for his tact, decided to ask the question on everyone's minds. "So Justin…Where'd you up and disappear to ten years ago?"

Cherish could feel Justin's eyes staring a hole through her back. She gulped down a shot of tequila waiting to hear Justin's response. "Ummm…Long story short? I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime and had to take it."

"Well yeah. We all know about you getting a spot on the team at Northeastern. But we haven't seen you around Boone since!"  Darryl turned his head around asking Cherish, "And you never saw him up there either, Cher?"

She shook her head 'no' and poured herself another shot as more uncomfortable questions spilled out of Darryl's mouth.  Justin was curious to know where Darryl thought he'd be able to bump into Cherish over the years but could tell by the way she was downing shots of tequila that she was just as uneasy as he was with the interrogation.

The screen door opened and Jimmy and a few others, including Debbie Wilson, came walking in. "You went away to hoity-toity Boston and forgot all about us." Jimmy joked as he walked over, placing his hand on Justin's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

Justin stood up and exchanging the typical guy greeting that entailed a weird handshake and a quick hug before Jimmy said, "You know we gotta fuck you, man! Re-initiation and shit!"

Debbie wrapped her arms around Justin's neck. "Hey you!" she hugged him tightly and looked over at Darryl and said, "Well me and JT used to bumped into each other all the time around Christmas when he'd be in the city with his mom."

Cherish rolled her eyes, turning back around to fix herself yet another shot. Debbie loved shoving that bit of information in Cherish's face any chance she could and the intimacy of their hug was making Cherish wonder if they may have done a little more than just bump into each other. The idea that over the years Justin never came to town to see about her, but had time to "bump into" the town slut pissed Cherish off to no end. She shook her head, disgusted with herself for acting like a teenager again and allowing anger and jealousy to plague her thoughts.

Debbie found a spot next to Justin on the couch and he shifted in his seat slightly to put some distance between them. He looked over at Darryl and nervously said,  "Yeah…Outside of the holidays, school and basketball had me pretty busy…" His eyes quickly darted towards Cherish, whose back was still turned to him. "It was really hard to come back home."

"Well all that hard work paid off, brutha." Ryan patted him on the back. "It's good to see you doing so well!  I was waiting on Jimmy to get off his shift so we could play a quick game. You interested? Or are you restricted because of the knee?"

"I can play. But I'm just trying to take it easy now." Justin replied.

"Oh, Cherish!" Ryan called over to her. "How'd the boys do at the championships?"

Now this conversation looked promising. Without even knowing it, Ryan had opened the gates for Justin to get more information about the kid.

"They won 23 to 12." Cherish replied.

"Great!" Ryan congratulated. "Have you seen the kid play yet, JT?" he asked never giving Justin a chance to respond. "You should check out his skills before you leaves town. He's like a mini you with that jump shot of his.  Right, Cher?" Ryan turned around, but Cherish was gone.

"I think she got a phone call." Kathy said looking out the back door.

Justin waited a few minutes before going to look for her. When he went outside he didn't immediately spot her till he walked around to the back past the garage and saw her standing in the gazebo near the pond at the edge of Ryan's property. Her back was turned to him when he approached. He could hear her talking on her cell phone to someone he could only assume was Bobby. "…Yeah, I said I'll be back in about an hour. I just wanted to check in."

Justin stood outside the gazebo with his forearms resting against the railing, his eyes roving over her body once more as she leaned over the opposite side finishing her call. When she was done she stuffed the phone down into the pocket of her sequin shorts.  She could feel him watching her. "You're back to following me now, huh?" she asked as she slowly turned around to face him, leaning back against the railing.

Justin made his ascent up the stairs and began to walk towards her. he noticed her tense up and froze. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Tense up anytime I come near you?"

"I don't." she objected, folding her arms across her chest.

Justin moved forward again, noticing Cherish shift uncomfortably. "See!" he pointed out, pausing for a moment. "…I don't bite, Cherish."

 A smile crept across her face. "Umm, If my memory serves me correctly...You do."

"And if mine serves me correctly…" he smirked as he inched his way closer to her. "You enjoyed it…a lot."

Cherish put her hand up. "That's close enough." With their faces only feet apart, she couldn't help but stare at his lips and remember the way they felt against hers so many years ago. "The only reason I'm letting you stand this close is because I'm a smidgen drunk and there were two of you a second ago. I can only handle one of you right now."

He was staring at her in that same way he did back in the day. A look that reminded her of all the dirty things they'd end up doing to each other minutes after he'd give her that look. The thoughts were turning her on and the mixture of those memories and the alcohol weren't helping her maintain any resolve around him. She watched as his tongue snaked out across his lips and he chuckled at how her mouth mimicked what he was doing.

“Green’s a nice color on you,” he said softly, taking one more cautious step forward. “It brings out your eyes.” His fingers brushed across the fabric of her shirt as he adjusted her necklace and grinned widely at how her eyelids fluttered.

“JT,” she said, laughter in her voice as her cheeks flamed and she tucked her chin away, avoiding eye contact.

“What?” he asked laughing, slipping his hands into his pockets and regarding her amusedly, enjoying the tension.

“This..." She waved a hand back and forth between them."...is dangerous.”

“What? Me complimenting you? ”he asked, looking around in mock confusion. “Speaking of which...Did I ever get a chance to tell you how good it is to see you, Cherish?"

"No. You never did. You were too busy puking on me to say anything." she laughed.

Justin looked around to see if anyone heard her. "Can we keep that between us?" He whispered. The heat from his breath touching the coldness of her ear sent shivers down her spine.

Cherish leaned her mouth up to his ear and slowly and deliberately whispered, "Neverrr..."

He let his head fall back in laughter and Cherish took that opportunity to move away from his closeness and find a seat on the nearby bench. She watched him as he looked out over the pond, neither of them speaking for a moment. The only sounds that could be heard were the insects chirping and very faint laughter coming from the house. Justin inhaled deeply, "I missed the quietness of the country...And the smell."

"You mean the fresh air?"

"Yes. Fresh air..." he took another deep breath, "..with a hint of cow shit." They both began to laugh.

When the amusement died down, Cherish looked up at him and muttered, "It's too bad you're leaving."

Justin shot her a look and she realized her drunken words had spoken the thoughts on her heart. "...So soon before the reunion I mean." She tried to clean up her statement.

"You don't want me here."  He told her, his voice sounding rough and broken. He waited for her to object, but her silence said it all.  He turned his body away and looked off into the distance.

He was surprised when Cherish finally spoke and said, "You snapped my head off earlier in the kitchen and never let me speak." She waited for him to make eye contact before continuing. "I was gonna to tell you that it would be disappointing to everyone if you were to leave before the reunion."

Justin took his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest. "It's hard to consider staying when the one person I really wanted to see tenses up anytime I get close to her. She avoids me like the plague each and every time I try to talk to her about something extrem-"

"Can we not do this?" she cut him off. "Please? I'm having a really good time tonight and I don't want to ruin it by arguing with you."

She watched as his cheeks filled up with air and he let out a low growl, gripping the edge of the railing to release his frustration. "Soooo…." He drawled, trying to change the subject to appease her. "Is Ryan's house always this crowded?"

"Never." she responds getting up from her seat and standing next to him to wave goodbye to one of the girls yelling her name. "Everyone's here to see you."

"I don't know why." he shrugged.

Cherish looked up at him quizzically. "You underestimate the effect you have on people. To them you're still the funny, charming, and genuine guy you were growing up. They actually wanna spend time with you and see how you're doing outside of what they see of you on a tv screen…Even if we both know you're a completely different person now."

"I'm still charming as hell." he quipped. "Even drunk outta my mind, I managed to get you to come home with me." he joked.

Cherish instinctively leaned her shoulder into his as she laughed heartily at his joke and it felt like old times again. Justin turned sideways to face her. "Listen…I know every time you turn around it seems like I'm in your face.  I'm sorry if I'm being a pain in the ass. "

"No your not!" she laughed taking a sip of her beer. She set her cup down on the railing and shifted sideways to face him.  "Can I be honest with you? Since I'm a little bit drunk?"

"Always." he smiled gazing into her now dark green eyes.

"I've enjoyed your feeble attempts to be near me."

"You better watch out!" Justin said as he looked around. "People might think we're actually getting along and having a good time...together!" he exclaimed with a shocked look on his face. "News travels fast 'round 'chere. Word might get back to your boyfriend, Bobby."

Justin leaned his body across hers and grabbed her cup of beer to steal a sip. As he was leaning back he made eye contact with Cherish as she said, "We might as well make it worth it.  This town hasn't seen any good gossip in awhile."

It was hard for him to gauge her facial expression. He couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was flirting back with him. He set the cup down in between them. "Can I be honest with you now?"

"Always" she mocked his earlier response, gazing into his eyes.

"I've wanted to kiss you since I bumped into you at the bar the other day." he inched towards her causing her to back up into the wooden pillar. Justin stared down at her mouth and asked, "What would you do if I were to kiss you right now?"

"Don't." she whispered, unable to find her voice.

Cherish put her hand up to stop his advances. She playfully pushed on his abdomen, trying to give him the impression that she wanted space, when she really just wanted to feel him. Justin leaned his forehead against hers, staring down at her lips. Their closeness and her fragrance filled his senses making him feel drunker and higher than he was already.  He slowly and deliberately let his nose graze against her cheek, his lips millimeters apart from her skin, wanting so badly to press them against her lips.

"Yo, JT!" a voice called out.

Cherish immediately recognized Darryl's voice and quickly turned her head away. Justin sighed heavily and looked over at Darryl who was walking towards the garage.

"We're about to shoot a few hoops." he pointed back towards the now cleared area of driveway where the basketball hoop stood. "You up for a quick game?"

"Naw, man!  I'm good!  I think I'mma sit this one out." Justin focused his attention back onto Cherish's lips, trying to get back to the moment they were sharing before Darryl's interruption.

"Just a quick game, JT! We'll take it easy on you."

Knowing that Darryl wasn't going to let up, Cherish flirtatiously smiled up at Justin and played with him a little. "Yeah they'll take it easy on you, JT."

Justin could barely hear Darryl talking to him in the background as he focused on the sexual innuendos Cherish was seductively uttering to him in basketball terms he himself taught her like "going strong to the hole", "double pumps", and "pounding the inside."

"Come on man! Who knows the next time we'll see you, dude. Quick game!"

Cherish could tell by the look on his face that Justin wanted to go and play. It was that same look of internal struggle he had back in high school when having to choose between her and his love of competitive sports.  She looked down at his watch and eyed the time. "I need to get back to the bar and close up. But you should play, 23!  I'm sure the guys will get a kick outta seeing you handle the old balls again."  Her dirty joke made Justin grimace.  "He's coming, Darryl!"

"Not even close." Justin joked, bringing his mouth down to her ear as he whispered,  "But talking to you like this again is making my dick hard."

Cherish silenced the moan that almost escaped her lips. "Since we're speaking candidly..." She leaned up, the hotness of her breath hitting his ear as she whispers in a deep and lustful voice, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you that my panties are soaking wet right now."

Cherish let the back of her hand slide past the front of his jeans, lightly grazing his straining member before she started to walk away. "Ohhh, I'm so sorry." she feigned an apology.

Justin stared at her as she walked away, his jaw dropped in astonishment at her confession. He was going to give chase but couldn’t move due to the rather large bulge in his pants. "Cherish Elizabeth Cummings! You're definitely drunk!"

"And your love for the game has again gotten in the way of your love for pussy!" she brazenly yelled back to him.

"We need to finish this discussion, Cherish!"

"Nope!" she yelled walking backwards now so she could look at him, "Cause we might end up discussing things all…night…long! Goodnight, 23!" 

Justin shook his head laughing, watching her sashay over to her car, turning the key in the ignition and yelling back to him once more, "It was good seeing you!" she started backing out of the driveway. "...Again!"