Two days later...Monday Afternoon...

Tennman Records

Orlando, Florida

Jahzara's P.O.V

Sheltered Love

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. He who cannot lie does not know what the truth is."

"I know Malky. I'll buy you lunch on my way home from work later in the afternoon. And wait till I get home so I can help you with your therapy exercises ok?" Clutching the phone tightly against my ears, I smile warmly at my brother's voice over the line. Words can't describe how happy I am that he's home and safe. "Great. I love you too. I'll see you later, bye." I beam before I hang up the office line and rest back in my chair, staring out the large glass windows of my office.

"I hope that was Malcolm, because he's the only one I'm cool with you expressing your love for...besides me."

Spinning around in my chair, I grin widely when I see Justin standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest and an amiable smile on his smooth face.

"Well good afternoon to you too Mr. Timberlake." I muse with an arched brow as he makes his way into my office, closing the door behind him.

"Funny." He snickers as he walks around my desk to where I'm sitting. Gently gripping my arms, he pulls me off my chair and into his embrace. Snaking my arms around his neck, I hug him back while inhaling his intoxicating sent before I pull away to give him a soft kiss on his luscious pink lips.

"Mmmm...I could get used to this." He mutters between kisses before he pulls away forcefully. "But, don't start what you can't finish." He warns and I smirk.

"Oh I can finish it." I giggle but, before I can lean up to kiss him again, he breaks our embrace completely.

"Zara stop. I've warned you about messing with me. We're at work." Justin chuckles uneasily as he loosens his tie around his neck before passing his fingers through his groomed curls.

"God Ju, I can't help it. You're way too sexy. We need to look into kicking your good looks down a notch so that way I'm not always thinking about sex or stripping or raping you." I joke but Justin just furrows his brows in question. I think he's considering this.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm not up for the drama that would follow if we're ever caught here at work." His tone is firm and serious but his eyes are twinkling with mischief.

"Ok hotshot. You win this round. To what do I owe this visit?" I inquire casually before smoothing out my black knee length skirt and light pink blouse.

"I wanted to find out if any of the employees, hassled you about our game over the weekend."

"Nope none. Brian, Tameka and Jeffery are treating me how they normally would and I haven't gotten any questions." I state simply.

"Good. Just be careful. You know employee gossip is a serious issue in any workplace."

"I got it Ju." Closing the gap between us, I smile up at him as he tugs at the black, long-sleeved dress shirt he's wearing. "No suit today huh?" I point out before I place my palms flat on his torso feeling how firm his body is underneath the thin material of his clothes.

"Nope." He shakes his head proudly. "Wanted a change." He shrugs and I nod while casting my vision south to his belt buckle.

"I see." I mumble before my hands descend to his slender waist to rub against him softly.

"Berry..." Justin groans, taking a step away from me. "What is wrong with you?" He laughs nervously. "And I thought I would have trouble keeping my hands off of you but you're no better. I think you're turning into a nymphomaniac." He points out accusingly.

"I blame you. I guess we both have issues huh?" I grin, reclaiming my seat as he rests against the edge of my desk with an amused expression on his face.

"No shit." He chortles. "But uh listen; I came in here for another reason besides the one I stated." He suddenly turns serious and I note how his brows knit in confusion. I should have guessed he did, else he'd be neck deep in his work by now. Before I can get another word in, he easily interrupts me. "Besides having to talk to you about our trip this weekend, a package came in the mail for you earlier." Justin explains and I frown in curiosity. I don't see said package in his grasp so what is he referring to? "It's in my office." He quickly adds in and I nod slowly, still eyeing his expressions. "It's about your uh..." When he drifts, I stand to face him with a quirked brow.

"Justin you seem...irritated." I state, taking in his bouncing knee and the way he keeps rubbing his palms together.

"Look, I respected the fact that you didn't want to talk about it when I asked you on Saturday but I think..."

"Wow, what are you even talking about Ju?" I inquire firmly.

"Christian." He grunts and I mouth an ‘oh,' not saying anything else.

Honestly, when I got that call from Christian Saturday night at Justin's I uh...well when he answered and confirmed it was indeed him on the line, I panicked and hung up. Yeah, that was childish and not the best reaction but I was shocked, stunned into stupidity in fact. Can you blame me? I turned off my phone and tossed it unto the sofa like it was on fire or something.

Of course, Justin, Yolanda and Tim were waiting for some type of explanation I wasn't ready to give. Justin and I sort of got into a small fight because of it, but he respected that I didn't want to talk about why my ex was calling and what exactly it was that Patrice did.

Now, now there is no getting away from this chosen topic is there? Damn it.

"Look Zara. I'm just saying Tameka usually distributes employee mail on her free time. When she was doing it you were out on lunch so I offered to take your mail for you, since our offices are close to each other. On the address said it was from your aunt Patrice. She also wrote and I quote, 'Here is the information you wanted about Christian Jazzy.' So, either you're going to tell me or I'm going to guess. Because considering that he called you, I think maybe you should give me some insight on why you've been looking for him. I thought you didn't want anything to do with the asshole." Justin explains in a frustrated tone.

I hate that he's jealous and I hate keeping him in the dark. God, I don't want to do this now. "Oh well..." But he interrupts me.

"Are you trying to mend or bury your past with him? If that's what you're doing then..."

"Yes Justin." I cut him off. "What's wrong with that? I mean, you want me to be your berry right? You don't want my behavior or the way that I look at you to be based off my experience with someone in my past right?" I utter watching how he stumbles over his words.

"That's not fair Jahzara." Justin sighs before wiping at his face. I hate when he stresses my full name like that. "Is that even healthy to be digging up your past like this? You should talk to Dr. Lake about it." He suggests but I shake my head in protest.

"No, no just forget it. I'll deal with Christian when I'm ready." I say sternly but I know Justin doesn't buy it. There's a disbelieving look on his smooth face as he remains quiet just studying me with those azure eyes of his.

"What if he tries to contact you again?" He spits knowingly.

"Then I...I'll..." Shit I never thought of that. "I'll handle it Justin. Don't worry about it."

"I think, the only way you'll be able to put this history you two have together to rest, is if you confront him in person. The way you left it, you know, running out of the graduation party you guys had when you caught him cheating or whatever, leaves a lot hanging in the air berry and you know it. Sure your brother beat the shit out of him, but you two never exactly settled anything." Justin reasons and as much as I know what he's saying is true, I really don't want to have to deal with this now.

"Ok Ju. Ok, I get you. Just drop it. I don't want to talk about it. I'll deal with him if he calls again. Just...shut up." I snap wearily causing Justin to raise his hands in defeat.

"Relax berry. That's exactly the issue here. Even after all these years, just mentioning the guy's name or talking about him affects you. Look, I'm not angry or anything and I don't want to upset you so I'll end this here for now. Just drop by my office when you're ready for your package. I'm leaving." He voices while straightening his posture to exit. I'm not picking up that package today. I'm not ready to deal with this. It can rot in Justin's office for all I care because I'm having second thoughts about all of this.

"Ju." I sigh, before walking over to him. Gripping his arm to stop him, I turn him around to face me. Aw, he's so cute when he pouts. I don't like when we're mad at each other at all. "I love you Ju. Don't worry about it. You shouldn't even feel threatened by any of this." I coo, before I lean up to peck his lips lightly.

"I love you too berry and I'm not worried. I just hate how this still affects you after all this time. You need to put this shit to rest." He chuckles before kissing me deeply.

"I know." I sigh. He's right. Trace told me the same thing some time ago so I know that's what I have to do. I'm not ready though.

Smiling into the kiss, my office line goes off suddenly, interrupting our flow. Rolling my eyes, I move away from Justin to answer my line as he flicks out his tongue to lick his lips subconsciously. I really love when he does that.

Diverting my attention to my phone, I pick up the receiver and animatedly speak into the line. "Hello?"

"Miss Gilmore?" Comes an unfamiliar, petite, feminine voice.

"Uh, yes this is she." I frown.

"Oh hi, I know you must be wondering who I am. I'm Felicity Morgan, the new receptionist." She beams and I instantly look over at Justin with an arched brow. "I uh, today is my first day. I was told this was your old job and I hope I can do it justice like you did." She states and I'm still glaring at Justin who seems as clueless as ever.

"Oh ok well hi Felicity and welcome to Tennman." When I say her name Justin instantly busts into a comical grin and I just shake my head at him. I guess he hired her to take over my old job. I feel sorry for her already. I hope Justin doesn't treat her how he used to treat me else she'd maybe cry herself home every day.

"Thanks Miss Gilmore. I'm sorry but the reason I called is because I have a gentleman here to see you. He says his name is Rico Gonzalez and you were expecting him to show up some time." She says calmly though I can pick up on her nervousness. Poor girl, I know that feeling. I'll have to head down to my old desk to greet her properly at the end of the day.

Needless to say, I remember Rico very well. He's that nosey paparazzi guy that I never really told Justin about.

"Oh yes, send him up Felicity." I smile widely and she quickly says an ‘ok' before she hangs up the line. She seems sweet for the most part but I'm not going to judge her based on one call.

When I whip around to face Justin, I notice he's sitting on my couch now, making himself comfortable. "Ju?" I ask knowingly.

"You know we needed someone to take that job full time. She's a nice girl, I'm sure you'll like her." He smirks and I nod without saying anything else. "Aw come on berry, you know no one can take your place." He coos and I just giggle lightly.

"Whatever." I laugh as he kicks up his feet on the small coffee table.

"So who is this guy coming up here to see you?" Justin inquires.

"Jealous much?" I mock.

"If you've seen my woman and you were me, you'd be too." He replies smartly causing my mouth to gape open slightly.

"Says you!" I snicker. "No one could take me away from you even if they tried Ju."

"Hmm I hope so berry." Justin says in a half-joking manner. Wow, what's up with that tone?

Not able to fight him on the issue since there's a knock on my office door, I just stick out my tongue for him teasingly before I make my way over to swing the door open.

As expected, I'm greeted with a smiling Rico who's dressed in a simple plaid shirt and jeans.

"Good day Miss Gilmore." He greets me with a kiss on the back of my hand and I smile brightly before I move to the side to allow him entrance.

"Hi Mr. Gonzalez. Please come in and take a seat." I reply smoothly.

However, the moment Rico lays eyes on Justin I note how his step falters and his eyes widen slightly, but he easily hides it by giving Justin a quick ‘hello' and taking a seat in front of my desk. I don't miss the look of astonishment on Justin's face either, but, he doesn't say anything. He just rests back in his seat indicating that he's not going anywhere. He's such a guy, but I still love him.

Giving Justin a warning glare, I make my way over to my desk, taking my seat to proceed with this short meeting.

"So, how can I help you today Mr. Gonzalez?" I inquire kindly while gazing into his piercing brown orbs. He seems genuine for the most part.

"Uh well actually..." but he drifts off when Justin clears his throat rather loudly to remind us that he's still present.

Rolling my eyes, I plaster a tight smile on my face to prevent from making any smart comments about how childish Justin is behaving right now.

Rico easily diverts his attention back to me and smiles uncomfortably before shifting in his seat. "Right, so I came here about that same business proposal. As you know, I'm a freelance photographer. Now what I wanted you to consider was me being a personal photographer for your new client Yolanda Glenmore..." But before he can finish his proposal, Justin jumps up on his feet and storms over to us.

"Why on god's green earth would we hire you to do that?" Justin inquires with a hint of irritation in his voice while folding his arms across his broad, firm chest.

Not bothering to entertain this, I just groan inwardly before resting back in my chair.

"Well because Mr. Timberlake, Yolanda is new to this business yes? The moment she blows up, there is going to be paparazzi following her everywhere and we both know that a few compromising photos can make or break an artist's reputation. What I'm willing to offer is my services of protecting her image by making sure that only the best photos of her are printed and published in all tabloids, entertainment and news magazines and companies. And, if ever there are any negative photos, I'll be right there with my camera to cancel out and rectify the situation." Rico explains. I have to admit, he pleads a strong case here. Arching a brow at Justin, I gaze at him expectantly for his reply.

He seems to be contemplating over what response to give. "That's really rare and unusual. I've never heard of something like that...an artist with their own personal photographer. I mean, that's what we try to avoid here. I'm not sure Yolanda will go along with this." Justin states as he continues to eye Rico suspiciously.

"It's only a suggestion that I'd like you to consider. But, if you do agree, we can get our lawyers to draw up a contract with conditions. I'm a professional Mr. Timberlake. I'm not trying to scam you." Rico assures and I have to give him credit, maybe he's trying to get away from his disgusting paparazzi ways but I doubt it. Still, this could be new and good for Yol. Who knows, they could start a trend. Next thing you know, there'll be celebrities walking around Hollywood with their own personal paparazzi photographers. Ha! That would be crazy.

"I...I guess." Justin shrugs before he looks over at me. "What do you think Zara?"

Oh they finally want my input. I could have sworn Rico came to see me in the first place, but, this is Justin's company so whatever. "I think it could be good." I half-smile, knowing we'll have to keep a close eye on Rico if Justin agrees to this.

"Yeah, I'll need to talk to my people about this though." Justin states and Rico nods in agreement.

"Of course, take your time. When you do decide, please give me a call." Rico easily stands from his seating position, handing Justin his business card in the process. Taking the item in his grasp, Justin scans it over quickly with a light shake of his head.

"Fine." Justin relents before stuffing the card into his pant pocket.

"Great, well it was nice seeing you again Miss Gilmore. We'll be in touch." Rico winks for me and says a quick goodbye to Justin before he makes his way to the exit. Giving him a wave and telling him ‘bye', I casually look over at my boyfriend when Rico's out the door and we're left alone again.

The look on Justin's face is priceless. He's definitely perplexed which is kind of funny since he likes to be on top of these situations.

"Ok that was weird." Justin finally chuckles. "And I don't trust that guy, but, I'll consider his proposition."

"Sweet." Is the only reply he receives from me before I pull out Yolanda's studio schedule to revise. As her PA, I'm responsible for making sure that she gets to all her appointments and on time, else it's my butt on the line as well.

"I know that look with the biting of the lip and light scowl on your face." Justin laughs and I just frown at him.

"Huh?"

"I've lost you to your work." He chortles again before he walks up to me and gives me a light kiss on my lips. "I'll leave you to get some work done. I'll check back with you in a few hours when work ends. We have to meet up with Dr. Lake and..." But I cut him off.

"As much as I love that woman for enduring my painful psychotic self, I'd much rather we cancel today."

Eyeing me skeptically, Justin simple knits his brows without responding. "I want to spend some time with you Ju." I add in but he's still not biting the bait. "Ju...please?" I resort to begging. I know how strongly Justin feels about this. The last thing he wants is for me to relapse into my depression state.

"Ok fine, I'll call her to cancel but only this once and only because I know you'll have to deal with Malcolm too." Justin relents and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Ju."

"Yeah, I just know Malcolm is going to find out about everything you're keeping from him eventually and when he does...shit...look all I'm saying is...I want a symphony at my funeral playing that ‘bed' song and you have to dress in one of your Victoria Secret getups under your clothes when you give your speech of how much you loved me and use to daydream about me and ‘all that jazz' at the podium." Justin jokes.

It takes me a few seconds to glare at him in disbelief before I bust out in a fit of giggles. "Oh my god, baby, Malcolm is not going to kill you. I'd never allow that." I get out through sobs.

"I'm just saying." Justin shrugs innocently and he's just too damn adorable for his own good. "Ok, I'm leaving. Me staying here is a distraction for the both of us. I'll see you after work." He rambles out before me makes his way to the exit of my office.

"Ok Ju." I choke out still giggling like a maniac.

Busting out into a goofy grin, he shakes his head at me before he swiftly exits my office, leaving me alone to get back to my work. Trying to calm my sobs, I dip my head back in amusement before I shake off my laughing fits to return to my task at hand of full proofing Yol's schedule.

**

Hours later...

It's been a really good day and I didn't have to worry about any employees treating me oddly from our little game we played over the weekend. If anything, I think Jeffery, Tameka and Brian swept the whole incident under the rug thankfully. I managed to get my brother on the phone and explained to him that I was breaking in the new employee so I would be late to come home today.

Well, that was a lie. Sure, I met Felicity on my way out today and she's a sweet Latin girl but the only reason I'm going to be late to get home tonight is because I'm with Justin. He begged me for us to order take out and spend some time at his place before I had to leave, so, here I am.

We got back to Justin's place about an hour ago and I just finished pigging out on some Chinese food. I couldn't wait for Justin to join me when my stomach had this humongous hole in it. I think the next time around I'm going to buy Italian just for a change of pace. I made sure to buy for Malcolm too because I did promise I'd bring home something for him to eat today.

So, as much as I'd love that this was just going to be another lazing around, spending time at home with Ju cuddle session, I'm very much aware that he has other plans in mind. In fact, he was adamant on us showering and changing into more comfortable clothes before we retreated into his living room to...hang, as he put it in lemans terms.

As result, presently, I'm decked out in my new favorite red, hard rock café t-shirt of his and plaid boxers, sitting patiently on his couch flipping through some channels as I wait for him to get down from his shower. Of course, I'll have to change back into my working attire when I'm heading home, but this is much more comfortable to lounge in like Justin suggested.

"I can't believe you ate without me."

Speak of the angel himself...well we know he's no angle but that devil line is played out. Turning around to give him a cheesy grin, I just shrug before I grab my Styrofoam cup to sip on my sprite.

Plopping down on the sofa next to me, he leisurely props up his feet on the coffee table before he grabs the remote away from me to switch the channel to some basketball game.

"Uh Ju, I'm not complaining or trying to hurry this process up, but I sort of have a home to get to and a sick brother to attend to so if you could speed this up some, I'd appreciate it." I state calmly. Smiling to myself when I scan him over, I can't help but love that he's just in a white wife beater and cargo shorts. Oh he's trying to seduce me, I just know it.

When he doesn't bother to respond I groan loudly. In fact, he's completely ignoring me as he dives for his food on the table, ripping the packages apart to get to his chicken fried rice. Ugh!

"Justin!" I belt, but still no reply. "Are you deaf?" I mock, receiving a smirk from him. "Are you trying to annoy me to death?" I inquire again and he simply shakes his head ‘no' before he pulls out a fork and digs into his food. "Ok, then you're most certainly without a shadow of a doubt...bi-polar." Ah, that caught his attention. In fact, he's glaring at me now with a mouth full of food. Is it wrong that I find the way he chews to be cute? Damn, I've got it bad.

Swallowing the contents in his mouth, he leans forward again to grab his beer before he rests back in his seat. Opening the container and taking a few large gulps, he burps loudly before he finally decides to say something. By the way, that was disgusting. "This food is really good." He beams and that's it! I can't deal with his annoying self.

Raising my hands in the air, I move to stand but he grips the waistband of the boxers I'm wearing, yanking me back down on the sofa roughly. "I'm sorry berry." He chuckles. "It's just so damn easy to piss you off and I wasn't even trying." He snickers but I just shoot him a look of disproval.

"Why are we here Justin? I know you want to talk to me about something important else I'd be home right now." I suggest.

"Can't a guy want to spend time with his girlfriend without something being up?" he arches a brow at me in question before he chalks another batch of chicken and rice into his mouth.

"Yes, but in your case and the fact that this girlfriend has a brother who worries, no. I'm pretty sure you're cutting our chances close with Malcolm suspecting something so please cut to it and stop stalling." I retort.

"Ok...ok fine." He mutters with a mouth full of food. Quickly swallowing the contents, he coughs lightly to clear his throat so he can speak...finally. "I want to talk about our trip home to Tennessee this Saturday." He begins and oh no, I should have expected this. I've been avoiding the topic but there is no getting away from it now. "And about how private you want our relationship to be, because if at any time word gets out, people are going to have a field day and I'm pretty sure, your brother is going to have a bounty out on my name dead or alive but preferably dead."

He really needs to stop making these jokes. They're not nearly as funny when I think of the magnitude of the situation.

"Look Ju..." But he silences me before he takes another sip of his beer.

"Listen berry, it's only fair that you know I told my mom about us."

Say what? Oh god, I think my heart just skipped a beat. It's a really weird airy feeling too. I'm speechless...I don't know what to say to that. I thought we were going to tell them when we met his family but I see he had other plans of his own.

"She kind of knew the day after we got together..." he adds in and yeah, there goes my courage, dwindling away into a messy pile of nerves. Shit, his family is maybe plotting my murder as we speak. Oh god. "I didn't tell you sooner because you're so fretful most times but well...they're dying to meet you so expect a big welcome home from them. I guess I just needed to tell you that they won't bite, or hurt you, or burn you at the stake like you put it. They're just your average, warm, southern family who are a little wierd to stomach but, you'll love them. They'll love you berry, so don't even worry about it. All I need you to be is yourself and everything will run smoothly." He assures but that's easier said than done. Me being around new people who openly size me up and dissect me is nerve wrecking to say the least. This is not going to be easy, but, I guess for Justin I can try.

"Ok Ju..." Is all I manage to force out since I'm terrified out of my skin by this whole idea of 'meeting the folks.'

"Come on berry. It's going to be great and I have us covered. People think you're traveling with me as my assistant so don't worry about it. I mean, I have to deal with your guard dog of a brother. My mom is harmless compared to him." Justin reasons and I shoot him an unbelieving glare. "Ok, ok, she's as harmless as they come once she doesn't think that her precious baby is threatened." He chortles and I can't help but smile at that. "And she's wanted to meet you forever so don't worry about it...please berry." Aw, he's doing one of those baby pouts of his with his bottom lip sticking out. It's cute.

"Fine Ju. Fine." I cave. I don't exactly have a choice.

"Ok, we're using my private jet and our flight is Saturday afternoon so all you need to do is pack and leave the rest up to me." He beams and I just roll my eyes at his boyish persona.

"Anything else?" I inquire before I look at the time on my watch. Shit, I need to get home. It's getting late and I can't have Malcolm worrying about me, because the questions of my whereabouts will surely follow.

"Uh, about our relationship and..."

"Can we do this another time? So far, the arrangement we have is working and no one suspects anything. Our close friends won't rat us out and I really need to go Ju." I ramble out before I jump up on my feet.

"What? But you just got here." he protests, standing to face me.

"And it's going to take me almost an hour to get home. I need to..." But I'm silenced when Justin simply leans down and connects our lips together.

"Mmm Ju stop..." I push as his chest but he only deepens the kiss as his tongue probes my insides. Gripping my waist tightly, he pulls me into his embrace and I nearly lose all trend of thought but quickly catch myself. Oh he's sneaky...I knew he was trying to seduce me. As much as I'd love to stay, I also value the idea of seeing him again after today. "J...Justin..." I choke out through his intense kisses.

Gripping his shoulders, I forcefully pull away before things can go any further. By the dilated look in his eyes, I'm guessing he was getting into this just as much as I was. Placing another light kiss on his lips, I move away from him to dash up the stairs to grab my work clothes. "I'm sorry I..."

"I know...I know." He sighs then waves me off before he plops back down in his previous seat and grabs his discarded box of food. "You need to go. But, I'm going to have you all to myself for the next almost two weeks starting Saturday and there'll be no Malcolm around so you better prepare yourself for that berry." Justin warns in a husky tone and I stop mid-step to look at him.

"Looking forward to it Ju." I giggle before I whip around and fly up his stairs in warp speed, hearing him laughing heartily by my reply.

"Now who's the pervert?" He chuckles but I don't bother to respond because I think we compliment each other in that aspect really. What can I say? I guess it's a love thing...

**

Some time later...

I was really cutting it close with the time I told Malcolm I'd be home, but I pulled it off. I can only hope that he doesn't suspect anything of the sort. I feel really bad that I had to skip out on Justin like that. He even pretended to cry when I was leaving in an attempt to bribe me so I could stay but I saw through his tricks. I still miss him though, but I'll see him at work tomorrow so it's no big deal right? Right. I need to remember that our sneaking is for the greater good so I feel less guilty about hiding things from my brother.

Finally shutting off my Celica and making it up to my apartment, I take in some well needed air before I swing the door to our apartment open, ready to face my brother.

Imagine my surprise to find him in the living room, lounging in just a pair of boxers and a shy Yolanda at his side. Doing a double take, I glare at the pair interestingly. They haven't noticed me yet since their attention is glued to the television screen. Whatever they're watching really has them engrossed. Malcolm is idly playing with his stitched up wound and Yol is just sitting there as comfortable as ever.

Clearing my throat loudly, I drop my bag, place the bags of food on the table and kick off my shoes by the door before I approach them. They both tear their eyes away from the screen to look at me and I can't help the grin that's on my face right now.

"Yol?" I ask and she quickly stands to give me a hug before she reclaims her seat.

"I got out early from the studio so decided to stop here to see you and Malcolm, only you weren't here from work yet and..."

"And I invited her to stay and chill for a bit." Malcolm finishes as he eyes me strangely. "Took you long enough. Is the new employee situated properly and knows the ropes?" he inquires with an arched brow.

"What? Huh? Oh yeah right." I respond almost forgetting my own lie. "Everything is...great." I give a thumbs up before I move over to take a seat close to them. "So, what have you two been up to?" I ask nosily.

"Just chilling, watching jackass." Malcolm replies before his eyes land on the table where the bags of food are situated. "That's for me?" he enquires while pointing to the items.

"Oh yeah, yeah I got you your meal as promised." I beam, before I rush over to the table to grab the contents. Carefully handing him the bags, I reclaim my seat and just study them for a bit as Malcolm hungrily digs around for what he wants to eat first. Men I tell ya.

"So..." He begins, but trails off when he starts ripping the packages apart much like Justin did earlier. "I'm not going to question you about why you look so fresh almost like you're right out of the shower when you spent an entire day at work or why you smell like an expensive male cologne." Malcolm begins and I can feel my heartbeat speed up significantly. Damn, he really is a cop. He pays so much attention to detail it's really hard to hide anything from him.

"I'm not going to ask you because I'm honestly afraid of the answer I might get and I don't fancy being put behind bars with the criminals I helped lock up." Malcolm explains and I know this is not good. "Also, I'm not going to ask you about the business trip that you're going on this coming weekend that Yolanda reminded me about, simply because you're accompanying my least favorite person on this earth right now and just that thought alone irks me to no end."

Bowing my head nervously, I begin fiddling with my nails, because if I know Malcolm as well as I know I do, he's telling me all this to soften me up for the bomb he's about to drop.

"What I am going to question you about though is..." When he trails off, I look up at him to realize that he's chewing slowly, delving in the meal I brought home. Why must he always prolong the inevitable? I'm getting Goosebumps here. He needs to just spit out whatever he's going to dish already.

Eyeing Yolanda briefly, I realize that she's trying her best to keep out of our little one-sided conversation, since Malcolm is the one doing all the talking. When he finally swallows and wipes at his mouth, his piercing orbs connect to my hazels and the look in his eyes is enough to make me want to hide in my own skin.

"Zary..." He begins in a low tone and I cringe by the harsh yet firm nature of his voice. "I'd really like you to explain to me....and I mean really explain to me why our estranged Aunt Patrice called here looking for you and when she found me, she had the guts to ask me how I was doing then drop some bullshit story about Christian of all people, stating that he's been trying to reach you non stop for the entire past weekend."

And there you go. My heart just stopped beating for a split second too long because I'm gasping for air right now. Shaking my head rapidly when Malcolm narrows his eyes at me in question, I have no idea what to say to that. Shit, where's Justin when you need him? Though I'm betting that would just complicate things further if he was here.

"Now, now I almost cursed her out and called her a crazy bitch but then, she explained that you contacted her and wanted to know of Mr. Hemingway's whereabouts. So, I promised myself that I wasn't going to get angry until I heard your side of the story. So I'm asking you nicely Zary. Why out of the blue are you trying to reconnect with Christian huh? And choose your words wisely because I swear if I find out that by a thread of chance, Justin is in any way involved in any of this...you better kiss your superstar celebrity crush goodbye." Malcolm growls and I'm still just sitting there speechless and terrified out of my mind with how well my brother is retaining his anger.

As if things can't get any worse, my cell has to choose now of all times to go off indicating that I have a text message. I actually jump slightly when its shrilling sound keeps penetrating my ears.

Fumbling with my shirt pocket, I nervously pull it out only to realize that it's a text message from Justin. Reading it over, I sigh with relief. He just wants to know if I reached home safely. I'd maybe gush as how cute he's being but I have a pissed off brother to deal with so I quickly tuck the phone back in my pocket figuring I'll answer Ju later.

"I'm waiting Zary...don't make me ask again." Malcolm hisses, only, I don't get a chance to reply because this time, my phone starts ringing loudly.

I try to ignore it at first, but when it won't stop, I'm starting to think that it's Justin and he's even more impatient that my brother.

Groaning in annoyance, Malcolm pushes back in his seat forcefully. "Aren't you going to answer it?" he snaps from irritation.

Fumbling with the cell again, I flip it open to stare at the caller id and sure enough it's Justin calling. Before I can hit the talk button, Malcolm does the unthinkable and rips the object out of my hold.

Oh god. My eyes grow wide with shock but I'm still too stunned to say anything. When he reads the caller id, his lips instantly curve into an evil smile.

"Ju is Justin isn't it? Maybe he can shed some light on our little situation." Malcolm suggests causing me to find my voice instantly.

"No! No don't do that! Don't answer it!" I belt, before I stretch over and grab the cell from his hand, shutting it off in the process. "Just..." Taking in a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, I finally look at my brother with pleading eyes. "Fine Malky, fine you win. I'll, I'll tell you why Aunt Patrice called and why I was trying to get a hold of Christian if it will make you happy." I spit with attitude.

"Please..." Malcolm gestures for me to continue before he makes himself more comfortable and begins munching down on his Chinese food again.

Yolanda is frozen solid in place just glaring at the television screen mindlessly. I know she feels awkward and I'm sure she wants to bolt but doesn't want to interrupt us by doing so. I kind of feel for her you know?

Ugh, I do not like my brother right now. I just hope I can pull a full proof lie out of my ass without giving away Justin and my situation. I don't exactly have any other option here. Well, here goes nothing then...

****

Quotes by: Oscar Wilde, Galileo Galilei & Friedrich Nietzsche