Chapter 13

Justin and Nicki talked every night the rest of the week. He decided not to see her at work to avoid seeing Parker. As much as he liked rubbing it in Parker’s face that he was still very much in her life, he hated seeing her with him at work. 

It was Sunday morning, and Justin was excited for their date. He showered, wore a black polo shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. He packed a bag of things he knew they’d need for the day and put it in the trunk. 

He texted Nicki. Let me know when you’re ready, I’ve got a full day planned. Can’t wait to see you. 

Nicki replied, I couldn’t sleep, so I’ve been ready for a bit, just need some finishing touches. See you soon. 

I’ll head over soon. Can’t wait to see you. 

He got in his car and headed over to Heather and Nicki’s. He walked to the front door, nervous butterflies in his stomach. I’ve had unofficial lunch dates with her this last week, why am I so nervous NOW? Is it wondering what she’ll wear, if she’ll like everything?  He knocked on the door, and Heather answered the door. 

“She’ll be ready in a sec, you know us girls,” Heather teased. Justin stood by the door, then suddenly wished he’d taken a seat on the couch. When he saw Nicki, he almost tripped over himself, suddenly overcome with her beauty. 

She was wearing almost the same outfit as the night they met. Black shirt, dark jeans, long silver necklace. She opted for black ankle boots instead, her hair pulled back into a side braid, makeup all done up. Seeing her literally took his breath away. 

“Wow,” he gasped. A smile crept across her face. 

“Not so bad yourself,” she said, walking towards him. “You ready?”

“You have no idea…” he replied. 

They waved goodbye to Heather, letting Nicki walk out first before Justin closed the door behind him. He opened her car door for her, closing it once she got in and buckled up. He got into the driver’s seat, buckled up, but waited to start the car. He opened his center console, pulling out her iPod and cable. “I thought you might want this back, I got it from your car.  Maybe we can listen to what’s on it today?” he suggested. 

“Sounds great,” she answered. 

“I’ll hook it up, turn it on, and press play and see what plays.”  At that point he almost regretted saying that, as “It’s Gonna Be Me” started playing. He had to hide a smirk, resist rolling his eyes or making a face. Two years together and she still listens to it. I guess that’s to be expected from my number one fan…

Nicki listened to it, bobbing her head along with it. “This is good, seems familiar somehow. Do you know it?”

Justin had to stifle a laugh. “Oh yeah, I’ve heard it a time or two… Just don’t ask me to sing along.”

“Whatever. I like it.”

“It IS your iPod, so yeah…”

Justin drove for a bit, listening to what was clearly a mix of *NSYNC and his solo record. He pulled into a large parking lot. “Stop number one.  You ready?” he asked, looking at Nicki. 

“Kinda have to be, don’t I?”  He opened her door, and led her into a big farmers market. They walked past stands selling produce and crafts, to a section marked “Malibu Flower Market”. 

“I figured I’d let you choose your bouquet of flowers. That way in case you have a new favorite, I can remember.”  She grabbed his arm, walking close to him looking at all the different varieties of flowers. 

She stopped at the different lilies, seeing calla lilies and stargazer lilies. “These, a mix of these two, please.”  He picked out some of both kind, taking them to the florist to wrap and purchase. 

“It’s not a first date without flowers, so now it’s official,” he said, giving Nicki the bouquet. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.  These have always been your favorites, just so you know.” Nicki smiled and blushed as he led her back to the car. 

He drove a short distance before arriving at the Sparrow Cafe. “Brunch?”  Nicki nodded. They got a table, browsed the menu before ordering. She got French toast with strawberries and a Cappuccino, Justin the Belgian waffle with strawberries and an Americano. 

“Have I been here before?” Nicki asked. 

“No, but it’s on the way to our next stop, and you’ll need some food first.  Ok date so far?” he replied. 

“Cute guy, bought me flowers, getting breakfast. Yeah, I’d say we’re off to a good start,” she smiled. 

“This next stop, have I been there before?”

“I think so?  I know I heard about it somewhere, and it’s on our way to another stop. I know WE haven’t been there before, but I thought it might be something you’d like.”

“I’d say you really know me, but I don’t even know me right now.”

Justin sighed. “That’s what today is. Mostly date, partly helping you find yourself again.”

They finished eating their food and soon headed to their next spot. It was a beautiful winery with amazing landscaping and architecture. “This is the Rosenthal Winery in Malibu. I think they did a hospital benefit or something here, that maybe you told me about it after.”

“Why weren’t you with me? Is that something we would’ve gone to together?”

“Maybe, but I was probably out of town or something. The last year has been crazy schedule wise, so I’ve had more downtime recently. I would have gone if I was around and you asked me, yes.”

They walked the grounds for a bit before going into the tasting room. “We’ve gone wine tasting before, so I thought you might enjoy the whole experience here.”

They tried a few of the wines being offered. Nicki settled on the rosé and Sauvignon blanc as her favorites. “They’re on the drier side than I like, but I like the flavors more than the reds,” she said. 

“You are picky with wines, you prefer cocktails, but you feel it’s classier to go wine tasting than buy a bunch of drinks.  We can walk around a little bit before our next stop.”

“I’m ok with staying around here a bit, it’s a nice day.”  They walked around, sat by the pool, and talked some more before going to their next stop. 

He pulled up to D’Amore’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria. Justin had Nicki pick what pizza to get, going with their chicken supreme, no artichoke. They got the pizza to go, got in the car, and continued on their way. 

“Last major stop, but it’s gonna be a bit messy. I have some stuff in the trunk to help a bit.”  He pulled onto a side street off the highway, along a long stretch of parking lot. Out Nicki’s window she saw the ocean, and started to get excited. 

“Are we going to the beach?!”

“Does this look familiar?”

“Somewhat…”

“This is your favorite beach. We’ll be here for a bit for you to see why.”  He parked the car, and pulled her sunglasses out of his center console.  He grabbed a bag out of the trunk of the car. 

“You have two choices- we can go barefoot once we get to the sand, or I have some sandals. We can put our shoes in the bag either way.”

“Hmmm, barefoot has a certain appeal, let’s do that,” Nicki decided. 

They walked to the end of the parking lot, put their shoes in the bag, and walked barefoot in the sand. They found a spot, Justin took out a large blanket from the bag, and spread it out on the sand. They sat together on the blanket, eating their pizza and they watched kids playing in the sand and waves, dogs chasing sticks and frisbees, and games of volleyball. 

“I’m guessing I like to people watch here?” she asked. 

“That’s part of it, yeah. Just wait for the rest,” he said. 

They sat the next couple hours, enjoying the shade they had for a bit. The sun started to set, families going home with tired children, surfers packing up their surfboards and gear. Justin stood up on the blanket, holding out his hand. “Care for a walk along the beach?”

She took his hand, and they walked barefoot at the edge of the ocean, the waves rolling over their feet before going back out. Nicki splashed Justin with a kick of water, he returned the gesture, both of them laughing. They kept walking slowly, and Nicki held his hand. The sun continues to set, the sky a brilliant mix of red, orange, pink, and purple, streaks of clouds in the sky. 

“This place is beautiful…” Nicki said in a gasp of awe. 

“This is your favorite part of this beach, the sunsets.”  

“Sorry if it’s too painful, but tell me about the big breakup you went through?”

He knew he’d probably have to come back to that topic, especially if she never got her full memory back. He would just leave out certain parts. “We we’re together for a long time, lived together. We’d kinda grown up together. I met her when I met JC in Orlando, we reconnected a few years later and that was it. She cheated on me. She didn’t even tell me about it, I found out from something left for her from the guy she was cheating on me with. I was devastated. It took me a bit to even think about dating again.”

“What helped you get over her?”

“Time. Then I met you, the first time. I saw you at the party, how beautiful you were, and that was it.”

“That’s terrible, the breakup and what happened, but also terribly romantic that I made you believe in love again.”

Justin stopped to face her. He pulled her close and kissed her slowly, gently; a soft ocean breeze against them, waves lapping at their feet. 

“Wow,” Nicki breathed in. “That was… perfect.  Not gonna lie, I’d been curious what that would be like, hoping you’d kiss me every time I saw you, but that, now, was just...wow.”

“Yeah,” Justin sighed happily. “The beach closes at sunset, so we gotta get going now. That officially ends my plans for the date. Think about if you wanna go home or if you wanna go somewhere else.”

They got their things and walked back to the car, putting their shoes back on in the parking lot. He opened her door and got into the driver's seat. “Any thoughts on where to now?” he asked. 

“Show me your place?” Nicki suggested. 

“Grab dinner first?” Justin asked. 

“I’m still full from the pizza,” she answered. 

Justin headed towards his house, making small talk about Nicki’s volunteering and things with Heather as he drove. He pulled into his driveway, and her jaw dropped. 

“You live HERE?! You must do well with your music…”

“I do alright, yeah…. Let’s head inside.”

He gave her a short tour, before sitting down on the couch. “So, what now?” she asked. 

“I’m not sure. I hadn’t planned beyond the beach,” Justin said. 

“I have an idea,” Nicki said. 

“Yeah?” Justin replied. 

Before he could say another word, Nicki kissed him deeply. She melted into his arms, her hands running slowly down his arms before breaking the kiss. “I know tonight is technically a first date, but we went on at least a few dates before the accident as best I can figure, that kiss was amazing, and you’ve been so patient with me…”

“What are you trying to say, Nicki?”

She leaned in close to him before whispering, “make love to me, Justin.”

“Are you sure? I mean…”

“Don’t you want to?” she asked seductively. 

“Well, yeah, but…”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Justin kissed her, slowly but passionately. “Here or the bedroom?” he asked between kisses. 

“Wherever, make this a night I’ll never forget…”

He scooped her up in his arms, kissing her as he walked to the bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed before he got undressed. Nicki watched him from the bed, pulling his shirt off over his head, seeing his six pack, his arm muscles flexing as he moved. He undid his jeans, stepping out of his jeans to reveal his boxers. He climbed onto the bed, straddling her legs as she sat on the bed. 

He kissed her lips, his tongue seeking entrance passed her lips. Nicki granted permission, a moan humming against his lips. He lifted her shirt over her head, revealing a lacy black bra covering her ample sized breasts. His hands wandered over her body as he kissed her, his warm hands sending chills over her body with his touch. He reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, giving his hands more skin to touch. She moaned again against him. He pushed her jeans down, revealing her black lace thong. His hands surveyed her body as if it was their first time, like he didn’t know every inch of her body and how to cause her exquisite ecstasy. 

His lips continued to kiss her, traveling between her lips, neck, and chest.  His fingers went further south, teasing her body with his touch. He pulled away and looked in her eyes, silently asking permission. She nodded, kissing him deeply, her tongue dancing against his. His fingers moved between her legs, and a deep, low moan escaping her lips against his. He knew just where and how to touch her, and before she knew it, she felt a final wave of ecstasy wash over her at his touch. 

He broke the kiss. “You’re sure you want this, now?” he asked. 

“Don’t you dare stop now. This is amazing, I need this. Yes, Justin, I’m sure.”

He removed her thong, then his boxers, keeping her at the edge of the bed. He grabbed a condom from his nightstand. She moaned as he entered her, keeping a slow pace, looking in her eyes. It was like no time has passed, the same look in her eyes that had always been there. Something soft, gentle, yet also full of need and desire. His pace got faster, wrapping her legs around his waist. He kept the pace until he couldn’t take it anymore and came with a shudder, kissing her one last time deeply. 

“If we’ve done this before, I’m a fool for forgetting anything like what just happened. Oh my God, that was amazing. If it was our first time, I’m glad it was tonight.”

“I’ll never tell, letting tonight be whatever you want it to be,” he said, before kissing her again. 

Nicki put her underwear back on before curling up against him. “What it was was perfect,” she smiled, wrapping an arm around him. “You put so much thought into everything, it was a great second first date. I just wish it had brought back memories from before. Now, can you tell me more about before the accident?”

“No. I wish I could, but I don’t want you to feel you have to fit what you were if that’s not what you are now just to make anyone happy. That could even go for being at the hospital. If you find something you enjoy more now, do it.”

“Like your card said…” Nicki sighed. Justin gave her a confused look. “The card you gave me in the hospital. You said you hope I find happiness in all of this. That you’d do what you could, if I let you…”

“Right. I mean it. Anything I can do to help make you happy, especially if it brings back old memories. If not, we just make new ones.”

“Well, this was a pretty great one, off to an amazing start.  Can we just lay here like this for a while? This feels familiar somehow.”

“Fine by me, beautiful,” he said, holding the hand lying across his stomach. He turned and looked in her eyes. Damn, I still get lost in her eyes. This was an amazing day, then she gives me an amazing night…