You saw my pain, washed out in the rain

Broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins

But you saw no fault no crack in my heart

And you kneel beside my hope torn apart

But the ghosts that we knew will flicker from you

And we'll live a long life

So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light

Cause oh that gave me such a fright

But I will hold as long as you like

Just promise me we'll be alright

                   “Ghosts that We Knew” – Mumford & Sons

Despite the fact that she was crazy busy finishing up school and prepping for graduation, Shelby couldn’t help but hear the clock ticking down in her mind.  When school was over, it also meant Justin’s recording time was over and he would head back to L.A. to start press and perhaps even performing. 

She didn’t know what she would do.

Shelby had never planned on returning to Los Angeles.  She loved New York, and she knew there were a plethora of work opportunities for her in the city.  She already had some interviews lined up for after graduation.  But she knew that a relationship wouldn’t work long distance.  Justin couldn’t move to New York, as much as she would love it.  His base of operation was L.A. and her father would never stand for his biggest selling artist to be anywhere else.

Shelby swore she was slowly being torn apart.

“Shelby?”  A voice broke through her daze, and Shelby shifted her eyes to look at the girl in front of her.  Susan was in Shelby’s class and they’d been working on their colloquiums together.  “Are you still with me?”

“Sorry, Sue.  Just lost in thought.”  She refocused on the paper she’d been looking at, finishing up her comments and sliding it back to Sue.  “There.  All done.  It looks great, Susan, really.  I think you have some amazing observations in there, and I love the stance you’ve taken.”  This compliment seemed to placate Susan, and she slid Shelby’s paper over the table top, pointing out the notes she’d made and the suggestions she had.  Shelby smiled gratefully, but she was more relieved that the session was over.  There was too much on her mind and she couldn’t seem to focus on anything at the moment.  Much of it was Justin taking up her thoughts, and she was worried about getting everything done on time for school.

So maybe if she got her Justin fix, she might be able to put her thoughts back on school.  Maybe.

Things between them had been almost magical.  She had fun with him, and she felt safe.  She wouldn’t say it out loud, but Shelby knew that she was falling very hard for Justin Timberlake, which was what made this situation all the more impossible.  He seemed to reciprocate her feelings, but what would happen when he had to leave?  She almost hated herself for it, but she’d been strongly considering moving back to L.A. just so they could continue to work on this relationship.

She felt crazy.

What woman up-rooted her entire life for a man and lived happily ever after?  She knew that changing her life just for Justin was irrational, and yet…if he asked her to, she would.

Staring up at the building in front of her, Shelby took a deep breath and walked through the doors.  Justin had been in the studio non-stop lately, and she knew that she would find him there still working.  The few songs she’d been able to hear were incredible and she felt extremely privileged to be allowed in on this creative process.  Not many people were given access to Justin’s studio time.

A slower beat was thrumming through the speakers when Shelby snuck in the door.  The lights were dim and the atmosphere mellow as Justin crooned into the microphone.  His voice was what dreams were made of, Shelby was sure of it.  The ballad he was singing was obviously a love song, and the intense look on his face as he sang had Shelby swooning.  She knew what this man was capable of with his hands and his body, but his voice alone was enough to set her skin on fire.  Pure sex.  Shelby took a deep breath and attempted to shake off the naughty thoughts running through her brain when she caught the grin that Justin was sending her way.  He knew exactly what he was doing to her and he was enjoying every second of it.

When he’d finished recording the section, Justin sauntered from the booth giving Shelby a smirk.  “Hey you.”  His hands reached out and grabbed Shelby’s hips, pulling her into him so he could give her a long kiss. 

“Whew, hey yourself.”  Shelby fanned her face, giving Justin a wide-eyed look.  “That song is amazing.”

The grin on Justin’s face changed a little, and suddenly he was an eager kid happy to hear praise for his music.  He let go of Shelby’s hips, leading her toward the board where he sat and pulled her into his lap.  Chaz played back the take Justin had just done, making some adjustments as they listened.  Justin seemed happy with it, though.

“I think that’s it, man.”  He high-fived the producer. Leaning back in his chair and then placing his hands behind his head, Justin looked back at Shelby, “That was the last song.  We’re ready to send it all off to Los Angeles and see what the Powers that Be think about it.” 

As elated as she was for him, Shelby couldn’t help but feel slightly upset at the prospect that Justin was done.  Being done meant he had no reason to stay in New York.  “That’s it?”

He caught the look on her face and attempted to assuage her fears.  “For this part, yeah.  The tracks have to be approved, and then they all have to be mastered.”  He leaned forward in the chair, giving Shelby a long stare.  “I’ve already decided that I’m staying in New York until your graduation.”

She couldn’t help the relieved grin that lit her face.  “Really?”  She hadn’t want to expect anything from him, but hearing that he was staying for a little while really made her happy.  Granted, graduation wasn’t that far away, but it was something.

“Really.  Let’s get out of here.  I’ve had enough of this studio.”  He grabbed her hand, pulling her from the room and out into the humid air of the city.  “I’m hungry, are you?” Shelby nodded, following along in a daze.  She was thrilled that he would be able to watch her graduation, especially since she knew that she wouldn’t be seeing her father.  He had made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with Shelby anymore, which put a dark cloud over the festivities of getting her degree.  But Justin being there would certainly help take her mind off of all of that.

The found a restaurant and grabbed a seat in the back, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention.  “So I was thinking,” Justin started after they’d ordered their food, “When graduation is over…maybe you could come to L.A. for a little while?  I’ll have to be out there to do some album promotion and stuff like that, but I’d like you to be with me.”

She’d had a feeling it was coming, and she had been thinking about it a lot, but nothing prepared her for the butterflies that came with Justin’s question.  He wanted her to go with him.  Despite her misgivings, it felt right for Shelby to answer, “I’d love to go.”

Justin sat back, relieved.  “Good.”  He was happy to hear her answer, unsure of what she might say.  He wouldn’t blame her for wanting to stay in New York, but he knew that any relationship would be difficult if she stayed.  His schedule was going to get hectic and trips to visit would be few and far between.  Knowing she would come to L.A. with him gave him a sense of relief. 

“I’ll look into finding a place to stay.  I don’t think Daddy dearest would like if I showed up on his doorstep right now.”

Justin smile turned to a slight frown.  He hadn’t thought of that.  “Don’t worry about that, B.  You can just crash at my place while you’re out there.”

“Are you sure?  I mean…I don’t want to be a burden or anything.  I can just stay with a friend or something.”

He waved off her suggestion.  “No, you’ll stay with me.  I’m asking you to come out there for me; it’s only fair that I help you out with a place to stay.”  He smiled over at her, grabbing her hand across the table.

Her eyebrow rose slightly and she smirked at him.  “That’ll make Papa happy.”  She knew that news of her arrival in L.A. wouldn’t take long to spread to her father, and he would be less than pleased with her arrangement with Justin.  Then again…her father was the reason she didn’t have a place to stay in L.A.  She almost wanted to see the look on his face when he found out.

“I’m not worried about your dad, B.  Let’s just enjoy dinner.”  He really wanted to change the subject.  “Are you all set for graduation?”

Shelby sighed, “I think so.  I have a few final edits to make to my colloquium paper, and then I can pass it in.  I won’t get my final grades for a while, but I’ll be there to walk in the ceremony.”  She gave him a shy look, “I’m a little scared.”

“Scared?”  Justin was expecting excited, nervous maybe, but not scared.

Shelby shrugged, smiling slightly.  “Yeah, scared.  I’m good at school.  I know the routine and I can handle the work.  That’s all over now.  No more predictability of a school schedule.  Now I have to step into the real world, and that scares me.”

Justin squeezed her hand gently, “You’ll be amazing at whatever you do.  Don’t think of it as a step from the comfortable, think of this as the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.  Obviously you went to school for a reason, and now is the time you’re going to be able to use all that knowledge you’ve worked for.  Now you’ll be able to make your impact on the world.”

Shelby sat back in her chair, staring over at the man across from her.  “Well, when you put it that way…”  She finally grinned, laughing out loud at her nervousness and the situation they were in.

The waitress showed up then, placing their food on the table and interrupting the conversation.  Justin made sure to steer the rest of their night into neutral territory and away from anything serious that might put a damper on this night.  He didn’t want to worry about L.A.  He didn’t want to work himself up about what Peter Edge might have to say, or how he might react.  Justin just wanted to enjoy this night and celebrate with Shelby.

That was enough for now.