Sunday morning rapidly approached as JC’s doorbell chimed a bit after 10am. JC smiled brightly as he opened the door to let Justin enter. “Hey man, thanks for coming over,” JC said, embracing the younger man in a hug.

“Thanks for letting me hang out,” Justin responded. “I know you sent me some demos but excited to get in and fuck with some stuff.”

“Want some coffee?” JC offered as he headed to the kitchen.

“Is it gonna taste like coffee or the bark of a tree in the Amazon?”

“Both,” JC stated, pouring Justin a cup before waiting for an actual answer.

“Hey, I heard the doorbell,” Colleen bounded down the stairs in workout attire. She stopped in front of Justin and smiled, extending her hand. “Hi, I’m Colleen.”

“Justin,” he said, accepting her handshake. “You coming or going?”

“Pardon?” she asked. Justin motioned towards her outfit. “Oh! Going…meeting some friends for yoga in the park then a late brunch.” Colleen cursed to herself in her head, ticked off she was a little more star struck then she’d been prepared for. “Just my boyfriend’s friend, not a global superstar,” she reminded herself.

“Are you sure you’re cool with picking up dinner? I can cook when we are done,” JC checked.

“You’ll still be working when I get back. This’ll force the two of you to take a break,” Colleen said, giving JC a quick kiss before turning back to Justin. “How’s your tv show coming?”

“Good, should be a fall release. Get done shooting in time for a small summer tour.”

“You really never stop, do you?” Colleen smiled.

“I’m better than I used to be but yeah, more than a few days and I definitely start getting fidgety. Nice necklace, by the way,” Justin said, giving Colleen the once over and honing in on the sparkler around her neck.

“Thanks,” she smiled, giving it a light touch and turning towards JC. “JC got it for me for Christmas.” JC gave a small smile back then peered at Justin, warning him through his eyes. He could tell Justin was up to something.

“J, you can bring your mug in the studio. I trust you around the equipment,” JC said, picking up his own mug and starting toward the studio.

“What’s the rush?” Justin asked him. “I’m trying to get to know your girlfriend. I thought you said you wanted us to talk?”

“You did?” Colleen questioned.

“Yeah and you’ll get to talking and she’ll be late to meet her friends. You two can chat over dinner,” JC insisted.

“Sure…” Colleen said, eyeing both men suspiciously but taking JC’s cue that he wanted her to leave. “Any preference on dinner, Justin?”

“Whatever you would normally get JC, get me the opposite,” Justin stated and Colleen couldn’t help but laugh.

“I think burgers would be a good middle ground,” JC said. He walked back over to Colleen and gave her a quick kiss. “Thank you. Have fun and we’ll see you later tonight.”

“Everything ok?” she whispered to him and JC responded with the briefest of nods. “Nice meeting you, Justin,” Colleen called out. “I guess we’ll chat tonight then.”

“Yeah, I guess we will,” Justin said as he turned to follow JC to his studio.

Once the door was shut to the studio, JC spun around to confront his band mate. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What?”

“You know damn well what. Tell me why you’re really here cuz I’m not gonna waste my day for you to just pretend you want to work on some stuff.”

“I do want to work, I just…” Justin flopped on the beat up couch against the wall. “I needed to get out of the house. I needed to understand what’s going on with the two of you.”

“I’m happy to be the entertainment to keep you from a boring day at home by yourself but I don’t really know what else you want me to tell you that isn’t gonna piss you off. Plus I didn’t tell Colleen about our talk, she still has no idea it was you.”

“I figured it would have come up by now.”

“It’s not my story to tell, J. There was a point to me telling you about Colleen and Piper because I needed your advice. There’s no reason to tell her about your bad experience.”

“Don’t you want to warn her?”

“I don’t think there’s anything to warn her about. They’ve been doing this for like 3 years at this point.”

“Colleen just seems so…normal,” Justin thought out loud.

“She is normal! What? You think I’m abnormal cuz I think sex is more than putting my dick in someone?”

“No! I don’t entirely get you C but some of it…some of it I get more than I want to admit but Colleen…why do you want someone to do that to you?”

“Justin, if you want to pick her brain, be my guest…”

“Cute choice of words,” Justin interjected.

JC rolled his eyes. “My point is, obviously you got some shit you need to figure out so you wanna get her perspective, that’s fine by me. What you aren’t going to do, however, is come at her with judgements and accusations, are we clear?”

“Yeah…thanks,” Justin said quietly. “It’s kind of just been…I mean, since we talked, it’s been bugging me.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up but let me figure out how to bring it up tonight. She knows you guys know the real story of how we met but that’s it. I don’t want her getting freaked out about you knowing what turns her on.”

Justin took another sip of his coffee. “That’s not all that’s bugging me.”

“What’s going on, man?” JC asked, pulling his chair over to the couch.

“I’m not really sure how to explain. I love my wife and my boys are my world, I just…” Justin sighed, not looking up. “I’m starting to think maybe you did it right and the rest of us did it wrong…or at least I did.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It may have taken you until now to find the love of your life but…you did. You never compromised what you wanted and it worked out for you I…I’m really happy for you. I guess I just wish I would have been that brave.”

“You think Colleen is the love of my life?” JC asked, mildly surprised.

“Isn’t she?”

“I mean…I hadn’t really thought about it. I’m just enjoying life right now.”

“See, that’s what I mean. I got to a point where I felt like I needed to settle down and I did and that was fine for a while and slowly I realized it wasn’t and by then…I mean, it’s too late now…”

“Ok, there is a lot to unpack in that sentence,” JC leaned in. “First, how long have you been feeling this way? I mean, is it since we talked or…?”

“Before that. On and off the past few years.”

“I mean, you and Jess have been together for nearly 15 years. I can see where you’d start questioning that but you aren’t regretting marrying her, are you?”

“I don’t know,” Justin said, running a hand over his face. “I was in my 20s when we got together and it was great and then a few years in, I just wasn’t that into it anymore so we broke up and I tried to make some things happen that didn’t work out. I realized I missed her and that was that. I don’t think I actually understood forever meant forever.”

“So now you feel…?”

“Stuck. I do love her but everything is just so…mundane. She switched to full on mom mode once Silas was born and she’s an amazing mother, don’t get me wrong. I just feel like she stopped being my wife then. Everything was about Si and, I mean, it should be but once he hit 3 or 4, I started wondering when I was going to get my wife back. Then I did…but only because I got accused of cheating on her. One night of reminding me that I was her’s and boom…enter Phinn and the cycle started all over again.” Justin finished the last bit of liquid in his mug. “You got anything stronger than coffee?”

“I’ll get us something in a minute,” JC assured him. “Justin, you can’t compare Colleen and I to you and Jess. Our relationships are completely different.”

“That’s what I mean!” Justin sat up. “You do all this fun shit together and I…I’m never gonna have that.”

“You’re jealous of my sex life, is that what this is about?”

“I’m jealous you have someone you can be so open and honest with. It’s not just about the sex but, yeah, that’s part of it I suppose.”

“When’s the last time you actually sat down and spoke to your wife? Not about the kids or work shit or whatever, I mean about the two of you?”

“I couldn’t even tell you, man. Probably New Orleans when she flew down but that wasn’t so much a talk as a talking to.”

“Maybe you should start there.” Justin sighed and fiddled with his empty mug. JC placed a hand on Justin’s knee. “Colleen always presses me to just say what I want, even if it doesn’t make sense and so far, it’s led me down the right paths. So, what is it you want, Justin? Just say it and get it out of you.”

“I want the sex I’ve been missing out on and I’m getting to the point that if Jess doesn’t want that, I need to go find it someplace else.”

It was now JC’s turn to sigh. “You gotta talk to her, man. You don’t want to cheat on your wife.”

“You’re one to talk,” Justin scoffed then instantly regretted it. “Sorry, that was a low blow.”

JC got up and sat next to Justin on the couch. “I cheated because I felt unfulfilled and was too much of a coward to just end it. That’s a big reason why I haven’t gotten married. I don’t entirely trust myself, if I’m being honest.”

“If you were being honest, you’d admit that’s not really the reason you’re so scared of getting married.” JC gave Justin a hard look. “Tell me you finally got rid of the ring.”

“It’s buried; I’m not worried about Colleen finding it or anything.”

“No one holds onto heartache like you, JC,” Justin shook his head.

“Propose to the woman you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with just to have her say no and see how that affects you moving forward.”

“I thought I was going to marry Britney. God, could you imagine?” Justin gave a small laugh.

“Eva and Jess would’ve been best friends and probably founded some charity together. I don’t even want to think about the tight leashes we would have been on.”

“Now it’s just me,” Justin lamented.

“I mean, I’m still on a leash, it’s just a different type of one,” JC attempted to joke and got a small chuckle out of Justin. “Fine, you’re right but as cool as Eva said she was with Mistress Raina, I know in my heart she would’ve made me stop going the moment she could. I also know I would have for her.”

“Would you have regretted that? Get Eva but lose Raina?”

JC truly considered the question. “At the time I thought Eva understood what I wanted and was on board so I was already thinking of cutting things off with Mistress Raina. I thought Eva could give me all of that. After she ended it and started telling people, I realized it was something she just put up with. I eventually would have been miserable.”

“Like I am now,” Justin stated.

“If you’re miserable, that’s one thing but I truly am hoping it’s just that you two need to talk and get on the same page. It’s not like you have super particular sexual needs like I do.” JC paused for a moment. “Wait, do you? Is that the problem?”

“God, I don’t know,” Justin said, standing up and beginning to pace the room. “It’s not like that but…I feel like I missed out on…look, even the other guys had their time for fucking around and doing crazy shit and you all did in your own ways. I didn’t get that cuz there hasn’t been a moment since we blew up that a camera hasn’t been trained on me.”

“You feel like you didn’t get to sow your wild oats.”

“Basically, yeah, I guess. It’s not about wanting to be with someone else but really it’s about wanting to have the kind of sex I’ve always thought about and never experienced. It’s something I should’ve known before getting married.”

JC stood up and grabbed Justin’s shoulders to stop his movements. “J, talk to your wife. I’m serious. She’ll either understand or she won’t and that’ll give you your answer.”

“Way to make it sound easy,” Justin chuckled.

“I know it’s not but you can’t keep pretending everything is fine. You’ll get to a point where you won’t care what you could lose.” Suddenly, a grin ran across JC’s face as he walked over to the console and grabbed a notepad. “Actually, this could make a great song.”

“You wanna write a song about my marital troubles?”

“Yes and no but a song about wanting something you feel you can’t have, that could be some good shit. Everyone can always relate to yearning.”

Justin’s eyes lit up. “Something like I need it but I shouldn’t have it…”

“But then you do and it pulls you in even deeper,” JC finished, practically jumping out of his skin at the sudden inspiration. “Alright, let me get you that drink before we get going.”

“Hey JC,” Justin stopped him, his mouth forming a mischievous grin. “I got a better idea.”

Colleen got back around 6:30 with dinner. The day provided some much needed relaxation and while she was curious what the boys had been up to, she didn’t feel bad taking her time getting back. A quick shopping trip to The Grove proved fruitful with a new black suit found on sale for work so it certainly wasn’t wasted time.

She texted JC once she placed the bags of In N Out on the counter. Colleen was surprised when he texted her earlier requesting she pick up food from there but figured he was just relaying what Justin had asked for and was being accommodating. She was also surprised when the two of them practically ran into the kitchen not long after her text.

“Oh my God, I’m fucking starving,” Justin exclaimed as he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.

“You know, there is other food here,” Colleen pointed out, not feeling quite so starstruck anymore as she watched Justin.

“Sorry Babe, we were on a roll,” JC said as he took a huge bite of his burger.

“Roll,” Justin snorted before starting to consume his burger.

Colleen stared at the two men. “You know you’re eating each other’s food. JC should have the veggie burger and Justin should have the 3x3.” Justin and JC looked at each other, then quickly exchanged burgers and continued eating. “What the hell is with you two? And what is that smell?” Colleen noted as she sniffed the air.

“Oh no, we got got!” Justin said, putting the rest of his burger in his mouth and trying to sneak away with all the containers of fries.

“Get back here, Timberlake!” Colleen shouted then breathed in a deep whiff. “Oh my God, you’re fucking high!”

Justin and JC busted up laughing. “Babe, don’t be mad. Justin offered and it’s been a while and we got carried away.”

“I’m not mad, I’m just really surprised,” Colleen said. “Did you guys get anything done or did you just smoke pot all day?”

“Hey hey hey,” Justin said with a mouthful of a second burger. “We are great multitaskers. We did both, see?” Justin pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Colleen.

Colleen scanned the page. “So you hot boxed the studio and wrote a song about getting high. This tracks.”

“No, it’s an allegory,” JC explained. “Justin’s good at making double entendres about sex and drugs so we came up with the idea of the woman being the drug.”

“It’s a less direct “Pusher Love Girl”, which is a song I did,” Justin said as he polished off one of the containers of fries.

“I know your songs, Justin,” Colleen gave him a smile. 

“Well, I didn’t want to assume,” Justin smiled back then went to check if there was any more food in the bags.

“Next time, don’t assume all the food is for you two,” she raised an eyebrow at him. “You owe me dinner.”

“Oh shit!” Justin yelled then started laughing again. JC tried to hold his laughter in but was doing so badly. Justin walked over to Colleen and batted his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“I bet that gets you out of a lot of trouble,” Colleen smirked.

“So much trouble,” Justin said seductively.

“And that’s enough of that,” JC said, pulling Justin by the arm away from Colleen. “I thought Joey was the only one I had to watch out for.”

“Don’t date someone so hot,” Justin retorted then got an idea, grabbing JC’s shoulder. “OH! How about you just hypnotize her to go get more food? Then she gets dinner, we can get more food for us, and I can see exactly how you work your magic.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Colleen nearly screamed, staring at both men and mentally deciding which one to hit first.

JC struck first by smacking Justin in the back of the head. “Nice move, dumbass. I told you to let me ease into the conversation. Besides, I thought you wanted as far away from that as possible?”

Before Justin could respond, Colleen slammed her hands down on the kitchen counter. “Somebody better start explaining right the fuck now,” she threatened.

JC opened his mouth to speak but Justin put his hand up. “I got this.”

“Ugh, you definitely don’t got this,” JC said, putting his head in his hand.

“You see, Colleen,” Justin said, coming back around to face her, “when JC met Raina, I met Piper and, well, some shit went down that I didn’t like but maybe I did…I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure it out. Anyways, now you’re here and all this shit is getting dredged up again, which isn’t your fault of course, so shit’s just confusing and I miss having dirty sex so I just wanted to talk to you guys about it, except mostly you because…yeah…”

Colleen stared at Justin for a long moment, her brain instantly going into overdrive to process everything Justin had just said. Justin had been with Piper. Justin Timberlake. Did that mean…? She blinked slowly, wanting the mental image and not all at the same time. Eventually, she simply said. “You better have brought more pot.”