Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine

Together we can see what we will find

Don't leave me alone at this time

For I am afraid of what I will discover inside

‘Cause you told me that I would find a hole

Within the fragile substance of my soul

And I have filled this void with things unreal

And all the while my character it steals

Darkness is a harsh term don't you think?

And yet it dominates the things I seek

It seems that all my bridges have been burned

But you say that's exactly how this grace thing works

It's not the long walk home that will change this heart

But the welcome I receive with the restart

                                                “Roll Away Your Stone” Mumford & Sons

It had been a strange week, to say the least, and Justin couldn’t help but think back to how it all had started.  Shelby was not what he expected, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the girl.  Luckily, Justin had been able to avoid Peter at the record label.  He’d heard from other employees that Shelby had finally gone back to New York, so Peter was now in a much better mood.

Justin was still getting a lot of pressure from the label to produce something new, but his brain felt stuck.  In fact, it felt stuck on what Shelby had said to him.  “You need to get out of L.A.” was constantly repeating in his head, and he was fairly convinced that she was right. The idea of leaving resonated with him, and he knew a change in scenery always helped his creativity flow.  Since she’d declared that he needed to get out, it’s all he could think about, and he found himself feeling…itchy and suffocated.  Of course, that left him to decided where he wanted to do…and part of him knew where he was going to choose.

Memphis was too quiet and filled with way too many family members that would want to catch up, so it was out.  London seemed like a good idea, getting out of the country might help him focus, but it was far away and he didn’t want to be that out of the loop.  His other option, the one he knew would cause his assistant/cousin to balk, was New York.  It was busy, filled with lots of interesting people and inspirational things, he had his own apartment there, and he knew he could run into some amazing producers that would help him develop some new material.  All of these things were valid reasons to go, but deep down, Justin knew his desire to fly to the east coast was because of one particular person.  That bothered him.

It bothered him that when he thought of New York now, he thought about Shelby and wondered if she was okay.  It bothered him that Rachel knew that, too, and she’d been giving him dirty looks since he’d mentioned the move there.  She had reluctantly made the call to have his apartment cleaned and readied for his arrival, still sending him scathing glances.

It wasn’t like he was permanently looking to live in the city.  He just needed to escape while he worked on his album, and New York was a very good choice. 

His silent fight with Rachel probably would have fizzled out and she would’ve come around if it weren’t for the
“stupid” (that’s her term) thing he did the last time he was in the Label offices.

“Hey Marcia, how are you today?”  The secretary was a buxom blond and she blushed profusely anytime Justin even sneezed in her direction.  She was putty in his hands.

“Justin!”  That’s about all she could manage to say.  How she worked as a secretary for a major record label if she couldn’t handle herself around celebrities, he’d never know.

“I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”  He deliberately lowered his voice and leaned closer to her over the desk.  She was visibly shaking.  “Shelby Edge left some things at my house the other night, but I was a stupid enough to forget to get her phone number.  Could you please look her cell phone up for me so I can call her and return her things?”  He about batted his eyelashes at her, pulling out his saddest puppy dog look.  It was potent.

Marcia hesitated, knowing what protocol was, and Justin saw the hesitation.  “I swear I’m not going to hand it out to strangers.  Please, Marcia?  She left some expensive things and I don’t want her to worry about them.” 

Deftly, the girl clicked some keys on the computer and scanned the screen.  “Why don’t you just ask Mr. Edge?”  She hesitated again.

Justin pretended nonchalance, waiving his hand in the air.  “He’s in a million meetings today and I didn’t want to bother him about anything.  I knew you would be the girl to ask, anyway.”  Here he gave her the million watt smile.  Quickly, she scribbled the number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Justin.  He skirted around the desk, planting a smacking kiss on her cheek.  “You’re the best, Marcia.”  She waved him off.

Rachel had found out about his scavenger hunt, and she’d read him the riot act again about getting involved in things that could royally screw his career.  He ignored her, as usual, and decided that New York was the best place to go, and it would be rude of him to avoid Shelby while he was there.  He was just being polite.

Shelby Edge was a mess.  He knew that.  He’d witnessed her messiness first hand, and he’d almost stepped in it with her father, who was not a man to cross.  Despite all of that, though, he had this unexplainable urge to hang out with her and see what else she had to show him. 

~*~

New York was the city that Shelby loved the most.  It was chaos, it was noise, it was people stuffed into tight spaces, but it was freedom.  The people in New York were real, live, in-the-flesh types that told it like it was and didn’t try to bullshit you, unlike L.A., where everyone kissed your ass and talked about you behind your back.  For someone like Shelby who loved to people watch, New York was the ideal place.

She was thrilled to be home.

Her homecoming was slightly bitter sweet, though, because she’d had a terrible fight with her father right before she’d left.  It was the same old fight, reminding her that she was being frivolous and ridiculous and she should move back to L.A. at once.  That she expected, but then it took a strange turn, and her father had broken down in front of her.  He begged, begged her not to leave him.  He confessed that he wasn’t sure he could handle it alone, now that her mother was gone, and he needed Shelby to stay.

It had thrown her for a horrible, terrible loop.  When she told him she couldn’t stay, he said that she was dead to him and to never come back again.

It wasn’t the sweetest of partings, to say the least.

So now she was back in her favorite city, trying her damnedest to forget that horrible scene and move forward with her life.  She had a feeling that her relationship with her father would never be the same, and it was depressing to think about.  So, she threw herself back into her classes and focused on finishing off the semester.  She was so close to graduating, and then she could focus on making a career for herself and never turning back.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling Shelby from her thoughts as she hurried to her next class.  It was a number she didn’t recognize.

I took your advice and left L.A. 

She stared at the screen, confused.  She offered advice to a lot of different people and she couldn’t quite figure out who could be texting her.  Left L.A.?  And then the memory came flooding back and she laughed out loud, typing in a response.

Am I being stalked?

It felt like she was holding her breath as she waited for a response.  She couldn’t believe that Justin was texting her after all of the stupid things she’d done.

I may have bribed the secretary at RCA to give me your number.

The grin that stretched her across Shelby’s face had her feeling like an idiot.  She looked up at the building she was about to head into and paused.  She had a few minutes to get to class, so she plopped herself down on a nearby bench and decided to see what he had to say.

I’ve heard rumors that you’re in NYC, but I’m not sure I believe it.

The response was quick, so he must have been waiting for her to text back.

Well, you spoke so highly of the city before; I figured I’d give it a chance and record my album here.  I might need a tour guide, though.

Shelby highly doubted that he needed anything of the sort, but she’d allow him to flirt with her.  She liked the attention.  She was intrigued by this man, especially since she figured he would never want to speak with her again.

I know some great people that can help you out with that.

You’re funny. was Justin’s reply.

She laughed.  I have class until 3.  Can you survive that long?

I suppose.  Shelby could hear the playfulness in the text, and she was smiling like an idiot.

Sitting through class was going to be tough now, knowing that Justin was waiting for her once she got out.  It struck her as funny, thinking about Justin wanting to see her.  The way he’d reacted to their first encounter, she really didn’t think they’d ever be friends.  He was nice enough, really, being a real gentleman, but still.  He seemed extremely wary of the mess that was Shelby Edge.  She was certainly intrigued.

I’ll call you then.

She sent the final text, heading into class with a strange lightness in her step.  She just had to make it through a three hour lecture and she’d be all set.

~*~

While the thought of skipping out on lecture had been in the back of Shelby’s mind, she was happy she hadn’t.  They had a test coming up and a lot of notes were taken today that she would need to know.  Usually she could make up anything she missed, but today was important so it was a good thing she’d stayed. 

Now, though, she was curious to see what trouble she could get into with Justin Timberlake. 

He’d texted her with his address earlier, so she was on her way to meet up with him.  He lived in a very posh part of New York, of course, but it wasn’t too far from her own apartment.  A few blocks, really, and Shelby enjoyed walking.  She was surprised at how excited she was to know he was just around the corner.  She wasn’t usually star-struck, but hanging out with Justin was a pretty big deal in her book.

There was security downstairs, but they were expecting her, so she was let upstairs without any trouble.  Nervously, her knuckles collided with the wood of his door, and she wiped her palms down her jeans as she waited for the door to open.  What was her problem?  She’d already made a drunken fool out of herself in front of him, there was no need to feel nervous now.

“Hey!  Glad you could make it.”  Justin’s smiling face greeted her on the other side of the door, and she couldn’t help but grin back.

“Hey yourself.”  He ushered her inside, taking her jacket and leading her into the kitchen.  The apartment was beautiful, but after seeing his house in L.A., she expected nothing less.  “You have a great place here.”

“Thanks.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in New York, but it’s cool to be back.  It’s a nice change of pace.”

Shelby smiled smugly.  “I told you so.”  She’d always wanted to say that to someone.  Justin stuck his tongue out at her.  “So, Mr. Timberlake, I was pretty surprised when you texted me earlier.  I didn’t really expect to see you again.”

Justin shrugged, grabbing to beers from his fridge and setting out a bowl of popcorn.  “What you said to me made a lot of sense, and the more my cousin nagged at me about leaving you alone, the more I wanted to hang out with you just to spite her.”

Shelby raised an eyebrow, surprised at his candor.  “Well, I’m not sure I want to be on your cousin’s bad side, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“She’s a kitten, really.  She’ll be fine.  Besides, I’m here to record my album.  It’s entirely a coincidence that you’re here and we’re hanging out.”  His grin was impish, and Shelby liked this side of him.  It was new and unguarded.  It seemed that being out of L.A. was already helping him out.

“So, what would you like to do tonight?”

He stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth, washing it down with a swig of beer before answering.  “You tell me, tour guide.  What is there to do in New York?”

Shelby waited for him to smirk or laugh, showing that he was kidding, but when he kept looking at her with that expectant stare in his eyes, she knew he was serious.  “Really?  You want me to be a tour guide?  Haven’t you been here a million times before?”

The expectant look turned sheepish and his grin was small.  “I’ve seen a ton of studios, radio stations, and morning shows.  I’ve been here for performances and tours, but I’ve never really had the chance to explore.  I’d kind of like to look around without having a schedule to get back to, or a meeting waiting on the other end of things.”  His blue eyes crashed into her browns.  “You seem like the perfect person.”

The statement was said in a causal way, completely in line with the topic of conversation, but Shelby still felt a shiver skitter down her spine.  This man was potent.

“Well, I’m starving, and I know this amazing little hole-in-the-wall place that has the best chicken and waffles.  Want to check it out?”

“Chicken and waffles?”  His glance was skeptical, but he stood and took her beer, putting it in the sink and leading her out of the kitche.

“Yes, you’re a southern boy, you should know chicken and waffles.”  She playfully pushed at his shoulder as they made their way back to the front door.

“Oh, I know chicken and waffles, girlfriend.  I’m just doubting that you do.”  He bumped her with his elbow, grinning as they took the elevator.  “I thought this was a tour of New York.”

“Oh, it is.  We’re the great melting pot, remember?  We do Southern just as well as we do everything else.  You’ll see.”  She followed him through the lobby, surprised to see a car waiting out front for them.  He opened the passenger door for her, helping her into the car before getting into the driver’s side.  “You have everything all planned out, don’t you?”  She asked him.

“Well, almost everything.  I have no idea where we’re going.”  He confessed, smiling over at her.

Shelby laughed, “Yeah, there’s that.  You’re also going to have some trouble finding a parking spot, too.”