It was a warm evening in Los Angeles as almost everyone in the music industry arrived at the Staples Center. Justin brushed off his black pants nervously as he sat in his stretch limousine with Rachael and Miranda, his PR agent, and looked out the window as they pulled up to the venue. As much as he loved attending the Grammy Awards and celebrating the musical achievements of his peers, he hated dealing with the red carpet and all of the cameras that seemed to zoom in on him as soon as he stepped out of the car. They never wanted to discuss his career, but rather who he was dating at the time, or his thoughts on the latest Britney scandal. And now that he was with Kelen, who was completely outside of the entertainment world, he was going to do all he could to keep her out of the spotlight. He hated acting like an ass to reporters, but sometimes he just had to say no. And he had a feeling he would be saying ‘no comment’ to many reporters tonight.

“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Rachael voice interrupted the silence in the car. Justin nodded and smiled at his date for the evening. He hadn’t wanted to attend the award show dateless, so he had convinced Rachael to come with him, although it really hadn’t taken much work on his part. It had been a breeze after she had heard that John Mayer would be performing. Justin tapped his fingers on his knees as he took a sip of the water bottle in his hand and glanced at Miranda, who was representing his PR team for the night.

“So,” Miranda spoke up when their eyes met. “Justin, I just wanted to give you a heads up on the questions tonight. Since you’ve been hiding from the public for the past few months, they’re going to be more aggressive than normal with their questions. They’re all especially interested in your relationship with a ‘normal’ girl like Kelen. Just try to be as polite as possible and lead the conversation to your upcoming album, alright?”

Justin nodded as he screwed the bottle cap back onto his water bottle and placed it into a cup holder. “Yes ma’am. You know, this isn’t my first time on the red carpet,” he replied smartly.

“I’m just doing my job,” she shrugged as the car came to a stop. Justin took a deep breath and smiled at Rachael as the door opened and he stepped out. His senses were overloaded as the fans erupted into screams and the photographers began shouting his name. He grinned and waved over at the bleachers where the fans were sitting, eliciting even more excited screams. He followed Miranda down the red carpet, stopping to pose every few minutes for the cameras. He smiled genuinely when he saw his old friend, Joey Fatone standing a few feet away with Chris Brown, interviewing for the TV Guide channel for the 2nd year in a row. Miranda pointed him towards Joey’s direction, leading him down the heavily crowded red carpet.

“Hey man!” he greeted as his eyes met Joey’s. The Italian chuckled and both men embraced as the cameras began clicking away rapidly.

“Justin! How you doin’ man?” Joey grinned.

“I’m pretty good,” Justin nodded. “It’s good to see you. How are the girls?”

“They’re awesome. Brianna is getting so big now. You should come down and visit sometime soon,” Joey answered before turning to the cameraman, who informed them they would be on air in thirty seconds. Joey adjusted his jacket and cleared his throat before turning to the camera. “Welcome back everyone, I’m here with my old friend, Justin Timberlake. So Justin,” he turned towards Justin, holding the microphone to his lips. “What’s going on with you?”

“I’ve just been really busy, man,” Justin smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been working on my album and collaborating with other artists. I’ve also done some stuff with the new line for William Rast. It’s been fun.”

“That’s great. So when can we expect to hear your new stuff?”

“Most likely towards the end of the summer,” Justin answered, furrowing his eyebrows unsurely as he shrugged again. “I’m just taking my time, you know?”

“Yeah, definitely. So…let’s get down to the more serious questions,” Joey smiled secretively. Justin nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for the inevitable question about Kelen. He would really hate to have to deny Joey an answer, but he promised himself he would avoid talking about Kelen tonight. Even if it was one of his oldest friends asking the question. “Honestly, Justin. Are you, or are you not, in love….with my interviewing talents?”

There was a slight pause before Justin guffawed, shaking his head as Joey grinned. “I am. I can’t deny it, man. You have amazing interviewing talents. To be honest though, it’s really weird for me to be standing here and have you ask me questions. It’s like the twilight zone or something.”

“It is weird,” Joey nodded in agreement with a chuckle. “I have to be all serious and stuff, it’s strange.” Justin laughed, remembering all of the times he had goofed around with Joey during their NSYNC days. “Alright, well thank you so much for stopping to talk, man.”

“No problem, it was good to see you, Joe,” he smiled as they gave each other hugs.

“Thanks man, I’ll see you inside. Have fun tonight,” Joey patted his shoulder before turning back to the camera. Justin stepped back and turned to where Rachael was waiting for him a few feet away, smoothing her hands down her dark green dress. He smiled at her as they continued down the carpet while fans and various camera men shouted out his name. He stopped for a few more interviews before finally moving into the lobby of the Staples Center. The heat was unbearable now that everyone was packed together, and he let out a relieved sigh once he was away from the spying cameras and screams.

“Want somethin’ to drink?” he asked Rachael, looking over at the bar. She nodded and asked for a rum and Coke, smiling thankfully at him. He nodded and strode over to the bar, making his way through the crowd swiftly. He had been looking forward to tonight all week, excited to be able to party with Kelen and introduce her into the other part of his life. Not only that, but he had peeked at the dress she had chosen for the event, and was more than excited to see her in it. After ordering two Rum and Cokes, he found his cousin waiting by the doors of the main room grinning from ear to ear.

“There you are! Guess who I just met!” she giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet as he handed her a drink. Before he even had the chance to respond, she looked around the area quickly before saying, “Prince!” Justin laughed, enjoying the completely star-struck look on her face. Rachael was rarely star struck with celebrities, especially after working in the business for so long with him. He had only ever seen her this excited about meeting someone after he had introduced her to Madonna a few years ago. She hadn’t been able to stop talking about Madonna for the whole weekend, and he knew that since Prince was her favorite artist, he probably wouldn’t hear the end of it for a week.

“That’s awesome, Rach. Let’s go find our seats,” he placed his hand on her arm and pushed her forward through the double doors. He nodded and smiled at various people who waved at him, not really processing any of their faces.  He located their seats in the 2nd row and let Rachael sit on the inside so that he could schmooze with anyone who happened to come up to him during the evening, which happened a lot during award shows. As the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned with a friendly smile. When he saw the familiar blonde standing above him with an amused smirk, his smile faltered and he stood up.

“Hey Courtney,” he greeted, nodding his head politely. This wasn’t exactly the place for him to show his dislike for the blonde actress. “How you doin’?”

She nodded her head as she turned towards the people standing behind her, who he assumed was her team of managers and publicists. “I’m good…just trying to get to our seats,” she gestured over towards the center of the row he was sitting in. He looked at the chair next to Rachael and inwardly groaned when he saw the piece of paper with “Courtney Raines” written on it, reserving the next five seats for her. How had he not noticed that before? He nodded his head and stepped out into the aisle, letting her brush past him and sit down next to Rachael. He did his best to ignore Courtney as the show started, avoiding glancing over at her whenever he would turn to talk to Rachael. He really did not like the woman, and every time he saw her face on T.V or a magazine, he mentally beat himself up for making the mistake of sleeping with her multiple times.

About an hour into the show, a man with a headset came up to Justin and told him it was time to head backstage before he was supposed to go on stage. He said good-bye to Rachael and followed the man backstage, where Kate Hudson, his co-star in his new movie, was already waiting.

“Hey Justin,” she grinned as he walked closer to her. He smiled and hugged her quickly before pulling away and focusing his attention on the table of food.

“So do you know what award we’re presenting?” he asked curiously, reaching for a carrot and popping it into his mouth.

“Best Male R&B Vocal Performance,” she answered as she looked down at a piece of paper in her hand. She held it out towards him and he took it, scanning his eyes over the few sentences he would be saying on stage. He nodded and gave it back to her as he grabbed another carrot.

“So how’s Ryder? Cut his hair yet?” he teased. During the production of their movie, he had joked with her multiple times about her son’s growing hair length. It just wasn’t fair to put a boy through such humiliation, no matter how much he liked it.

Her eyes narrowed as she smiled, shaking her head. “No. He won’t let me do it. Eventually I’ll just have to tie him down to a chair and cut if off.”

“Good,” he agreed with a playful smile. “He’ll thank you later for it.” They both laughed and turned when their names were called. The same man who had gone to get Justin was now rushing towards them, waving his hands as he beckoned them forward.

“You two ready? We go on in three minutes,” he rattled off before barking instructions down his headpiece for make-up to check them out. Justin stood quietly as a woman rushed forward and began dabbing at his face with a make-up brush. He took a calming breath before smiling at Kate and offering his arm for her to hook her hand at his elbow.

“Ready?” he patted her hand as the man signaled for them to move forward. Kate nodded and they both walked onto the stage as the announcer introduced the two. After presenting the award to Chris Brown, the three returned back stage where Justin proceeded to mingle around, talking to the other various artists waiting in the ‘holding’ area. He pulled his phone out of the inside of how jacket pocket and turned it on, taking advantage of the brief opportunity he had, to text Kelen to make sure she would be ready to meet him at the after party in an hour. He had avoided discussing his relationship with her to any reporters, and was hoping their lack of questions was a sign that maybe he would be able to sneak her into the party successfully. As his phone lighted up, he saw that he had already received a text message from her while the phone had been turned off.

‘<i>I had to take Alex to the hospital. Won’t make it to after parties. Sorry! Have fun and call when you get home! Love you. </i>’

Justin sighed, feeling all of the excitement and anticipation for the night seep out of his body. He quickly called her back and walked towards a quiet corner of the room, leaning back against the cool, concrete wall.

“Hey babe,” Kelen greeted after the second ring and he could hear the familiar beeping of hospital machinery in the background. “How’s the show so far?”

“It’s been okay,” he shrugged, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. The performances this year hadn’t been as exciting as he had hoped, and there was a different energy when you attended the show as a presenter, rather than a nominee. “So what’s wrong with Alex? Is everything alright?”

“Mmhmm, he just tripped and sprained his ankle. He needs to get a cast, so I’m going to spend the night at his place tonight to make sure he’s okay. I’m sorry, babe. I really wanted to go out tonight with you,” her voice softened as she apologized.

He sighed quietly, hiding his disappointment from her. He wanted her to know he supported her responsibility to her brother, no matter how much he wanted her with him instead. “It’s okay. I’ll just come see you guys after the show ends. I don’t need to go to the after parties.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she immediately refused, and he could picture her shaking her head as she pursed her lips together disapprovingly. “Go out and party with all of your friends tonight, Justin. Just go and have fun, okay? I need to catch up on some paper work, anyways. It’ll be boring here.”

“You’re sure?”

“Definitely. I have to go, though, so tell Rachael I said hi. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And get sloppy drunk for me,” she requested with a giggle.

He let out a chuckle, nodding his head at her request. “If you insist…Call me if you need anything, alright? I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, have lots of fun tonight,” she replied before the line clicked off. He pushed himself off of the wall and held onto his phone as he walked back out towards the seats during a commercial break. Courtney was standing in the aisle, blocking his seat as she shamelessly flirted with John Mayer, when he returned to his row. Her eyes flitted towards him as he approached, and her lips curved into a smile as she nodded enthusiastically to whatever John was saying.

“Hey guys,” he greeted them. John turned around and grinned, pulling Justin into a friendly hug.

“Dude, Justin! How have you been man?” the taller brunette asked.

“I’m doin’ pretty good,” Justin nodded as he patted John’s shoulder and looked at Courtney, who was still smiling brightly at the two men. He smirked and turned to John, “Your performance with John Legend was kick ass, man.”

John smiled modestly, “Thanks. It was a lot of fun.”

“Alright well I’ll just get back to my seat now. It was good to see you, John. We need to catch up some time,” Justin smiled before sliding past Courtney and sitting down next to an amused Rachael. She made a disgusted face as her eyes darted over to where Courtney was standing, giggling annoyingly at something John had said. Justin rolled his eyes as he nodded, “Kelen can’t make it tonight. Her brother got hurt and she has to take care of him.”

Rachael frowned, her eyes focusing back on him. “That sucks. She was really excited to come tonight. It would be her first, real Hollywood party.”

“I know,” he sighed as the lights dimmed and everyone returned to their seats as Rihanna came on stage. Courtney brushed against his legs as she slid past him towards her seat, intentionally pushing out her bottom as his eyes scanned up her body to look at her. He had to admit that she looked good in the tight navy blue dress she was wearing, and she knew it too as she smirked down at him knowingly and sat down in her seat. He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, turning his attention to the stage. Not only was he completely bored, and would have to sit through the show for another 90 minutes, he was slightly annoyed with Kelen too. He knew it wasn’t his place to expect her to leave Alex just so she could party with him, but he had been really excited to spend time with her. He wasn’t used to being placed second, especially when it came to his girlfriends. Now all he wanted to do was either get completely wasted or go home and sleep. He had a feeling it would be the former option.

==========================================

Kelen placed her hand on her brother’s back, helping him stabilize on his crutches as they hobbled through the lobby of his apartment building. She had spent the last three hours of her evening waiting for Alex to be seen and to get all of his x-rays done, trying to keep him calm as the nurse and doctor rushed in and out of the room. As a child, he had always hated hospitals, and his fear had carried on to adulthood. Although she was accustomed to his tantrums, it took a lot of energy to keep him occupied, and now she was just as exhausted as he was.

“I’m gettin’ better,” Alex said proudly as they walked down the hallway.

“Yeah, you are,” she nodded distractedly, digging through her purse for his keys.   

“Hey Alex!” A familiar voice called out from down the hall. Kelen could hear the soft pounding of someone jogging down the carpeted hall and she turned around, smiling when she saw Eli’s grinning face. “You’re alright man! We were all worried about you.” He came to a stop in front of them and patted Alex’s shoulder as he peered down at Alex’s casted foot. “It looks good man.”

Alex nodded, smiling valiantly. “Yeah. It was nothin’,” he puffed his chest out. Eli nodded and shared an amused look with Kelen.

“Hey Kelen. How did everything go at the hospital?” he asked, as she unlocked Alex’s door and helped her brother through the entrance.

 “It was alright. The wait was horrible, but at least we’re home now,” she replied optimistically. They both entered Alex’s apartment and Kelen dropped her duffle bag to the floor with a thud, turning on all of the lights as Alex sat down on the couch. She walked towards the kitchen, expecting to see broken pieces of glass scattered on the floor where Alex had slipped on water and dropped his glass of milk earlier that day. Luckily Eli had heard him screaming in pain and had rushed in, calling her immediately as he tried to sooth Alex. She flicked the light switch and looked down at the ground, surprised when she saw a perfectly clean floor.

“I cleaned the floor after you guys left,” she heard Eli say. She turned around quickly, startled when she realized he was right standing behind her, leaning against the wall casually. He grinned at her when their eyes met, shrugging his broad shoulders and stepping into the kitchen to lean back against the counter.

“Thank you, Eli. You didn’t have to do that,” she smiled sincerely as she filled a glass with water for Alex.

“It was the least I could do,” he answered modestly, watching as she shook two pills of Alex’s prescribed pain killers into her hand. “So, what are you doing the rest of tonight?”

“I’m actually staying here overnight to make sure Alex is okay,” she answered with a nod of her head before looking up when she heard Alex call her name. They stepped out of the kitchen and saw Alex pointing at the TV, which was currently showing Justin’s face as it recapped the Grammy Awards.

“Look, Justin’s on the TV!” Alex exclaimed, propping his feet onto the coffee table and laughing to himself. Kelen smiled and handed him his medicine and water before sitting down next to him. She sighed quietly as they watched the post-show, feeling disappointment settle in her stomach whenever they showed Justin on the screen. She hated that she couldn’t be with him at that moment, having fun and dancing into the late hours of the night. She hadn’t gone out in forever, and tonight had been her one chance to have fun for the next month, at least. Not only was she upset that she couldn’t be out partying like other 26 year olds, but she had heard Justin’s disappointment on the phone, as much as he had tried to hide it and appear unfazed. It meant a lot to her that he was trying to be supportive, but she knew he hated not getting his way. She’d have to be extra nice for the next week to make it up to him.

Alex was starting to get tired, so Eli offered to help him to his room, allowing Kelen to pull out the futon couch and make her bed for the night. She was in the middle of tucking the sheets in when Eli came back out, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled quietly to himself.

“He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow,” he grinned, dimples appearing on his tanned skin. Kelen laughed, knowing how prone Alex was to falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed. Eli stepped up next to her and helped her put the pillows into pillow cases, making small talk with her as she tidied up the room. “So why aren’t you out with your man partying tonight?” He gave her a curious look as she shrugged and threw the pillows onto the mattress.

“I was going to, but Alex got hurt. And my brother needs me more than I need to party,” she said lightly, pulling her blonde hair into a messy bun. Eli nodded understandingly as a frown came across his face and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“You should have gone. I’m here to make sure he’s okay.”

She nodded, smiling at his kind offer. Eli was always so helpful with Alex; it was amazing how much work he put into caring for all of the residents at the living center. She could see why her mother had been so keen on pairing the two of them up.

“I know. Alex just likes to see a familiar face when he’s hurt, you know? Plus, I’d be too busy worrying about him to have much fun.”

He nodded, smiling warmly as he sat down in the armchair and Kelen sat down at the foot of her ‘bed’. “You’re really good with him. I’m glad he has such a stable presence in his life. It really helps someone like Alex to develop and mature properly when they have a supportive force behind them, you know? You and Ryan are really great,” he said.

Kelen blushed at the compliment, tucking her feet under herself as she looked down at her hands. “Thanks, Eli. It’s nice to know someone appreciates my work around here,” she joked. He chuckled as he stood up, looking down at his wrist watch

“Alright well I’ll let you get to bed. I should go and make sure everyone else is okay,” he smiled as he nodded his head and walked over to the door. “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Of course,” she nodded and watched as he let himself out, closing the door with a soft click. She sighed and crawled back to the pillows, sitting back against them as she pulled a folder of paper work out of her bag and dropped it onto her lap. Alex’s snores could be heard from the next room, and she shook her head softly, chuckling to herself as she began to go over the next month’s supplies list. As much as she loved her brother and all of his antics, she sometimes wondered if she was sacrificing too much for him. Would it really hurt for their parents to pitch in every once and awhile, instead of relying on her and Ryan to keep them updated on Alex’s life? For as long as she could remember, she had always been the one to cancel dates or her plans to keep Alex happy. She had never complained before, and wasn’t going to do so anytime soon, but sometimes she just wished they could offer to help without needing her to say something.

The sound of Alex moaning in his sleep caught her attention and she looked up at his closed door, waiting to hear if he would go back to sleep.

“Kelen?” came his muffled cry. “You there?”

“Yeah, Alex,” she called back. “I’m right out here, babe. Is everything okay?”

“My foot hurts,” he answered.

“I know, just do your best to go back to sleep, okay? The medicine should kick in anytime now,” she reassured him. He didn’t say anything back, so she settled back in her position and looked down at the spreadsheet in front of her. At least she would be able to get all of the work she had been putting off, finally finished.