I flinch as Reid tries for the hundredth time to try and make something edible for dinner. Not that I think he doesn’t have the ability to get better, I’m just pissed he decided to try now after I specifically remember saying I hadn’t had lunch today.

“Any time now would be good,” Brooke calls out, putting the butter knife to her head, illustrating her distaste for the wait.

“Perfection takes time,” he says, stirring the pot.

“At this point we’ll settle for mediocre.”

“Shut up Paige.”

Brooke starts to fold her napkin into some sort of mauled origami shape, “So what do you think the odds are that you and Justin Timberlake would be in the same place so often?”

“I would bet pretty high since it’s my job to get the dirt on celebrities.”

“Still, you seem to be running into him a lot.”

I take my reading glasses off my face, “You’re right Brooke, he must have a tracking device on me and unlike all those other girls who are blonder, thinner and chestier, he’s crazy for me.”

“You’re not funny,” she says, balling up her napkin and tossing it at me.

“I’ve been saying that for how long?” Reid says, setting down a bowl of red stuff.

Brooke pokes at hers with a fork, “Is it alive?”

Reid sits down, “It’s chili.”

I take a bite and nearly gag at the punch its packing. Way too much hot pepper, “Mmmm.”

With hesitation, Brooke carefully puts the fork in her mouth. Immediately she starts to choke and grabs for her water, drinking it until there is nothing left. She gasps, “Thanks for the warning Paige.”

Reid frowns, “It’s not that hot.”

“Then you eat it,” Brooke says, pushing her bowl away from her.

He takes her bowl and takes a bite, instantly turning red as he tries to swallow, “See,” he pants, “nothing to it.”

We look at him which he tries to ignore but after a minute his shoulders slump, “I really tried guys.”

I stand up and go over to him, rubbing his back, “We know you did and we think it’s wonderful that you are trying to contribute to the household.”

“Yes we do,” Brooke chimes in.

“But we feel like we can do the cooking and you can do other stuff like the cleaning or the laundry or just about anything else.”

“Please?” Brooke begs.

“Sure,” Reid relents, “What are we going to do about dinner?”

The doorbell rings and Brooke hops up, “I’ll get it.”

I pat his shoulder, “Um, I think I can whip up something in the cabinet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Brooke says, carrying in a couple of cartons of Chinese.

“You ordered it before I finished cooking?”

She ponders for a minute and looks at me, shrugging, “We had to eat right?”

“Just hand over the food, we can’t eat this crap,” he replies, taking a plastic container and popping the top off.

“Why don’t we eat it in the lounge?”

The two of them roll their eyes and Reid slides a new fork down the table, “Oh it must be a House night.”

I scowl at them, “Yes and it’s a new one.”

“Why do you get such pleasure out of a guy who’s an ass practicing medicine? Don’t you have one of your own you’re dating?”

“No, you see, House is right. That makes him sexy and Scott just an asshole.”

“He’s not sexy, he’s like in his fifties.”

Reid grabs the rice and chicken, “I’ll watch it with you Paige.”

“Thank you Reid,” I respond in my best English accent, walking off into the lounge and flipping the TV on. I kick my shoes off and grab the blanket draped over the couch, wrapping myself in it.

“So have you decided which newspapers you are going to apply for a job at?”

“Not yet, I’m just keeping my options open.”

Reid hands me a can of coke, “Good. That’s good. You should do what you love or you’ll end up like me, living in a house of estrogen.”

I snuggle up to him, laying my head on his arm, “We are not that bad.”

“That’s because you’re a girl. You wouldn’t understand how gross it is to check under the sink to find shaving cream only to discover tampons and other… feminine things. It’s just not cool alright? I’m a guy. I’m a guy who does not shop or touch anything that revolves going up you.”

I pause, “You don’t touch anything that would go up me or women in general?” I giggle, glancing up at him.

He frowns and dawns on him what I’m talking about “You are a pervert you know that?”

“Proud of it baby.”

The doorbell sounds though the house and I glance at the clock, “Brooke must have been really hungry.”

“I know, but she can put it away faster than anyone else I’ve ever met.”

The door to the lounge swings open and Brooke comes running in, slamming it behind her and leaning against it, pointing outward. Reid and I get up, trying to understand what she’s panting out, “Brooke what is it?”

“He is out there,” she breathes.

“Who? A burglar?” Reid asks, reaching for the baseball bat next to the couch.

Brooke shakes her head no, “For you,” she says, pointing at me.

I push her out of the way and stick my head out to see Justin standing in the hall. I slam the door again and put my hand on my chest, clutching my shirt, “This is not happening.”

“He’s gorgeous!” she exclaims, squealing a little.

“Who is it?” Reid asks more firmly.

“Justin Timberlake,” Brooke says, jumping up and down next to me.

Reid shoots me a look and I block the door, “You two stay here, I’m going to go talk to him. If I’m not back in ten minutes, send Reid out with the bat.”

Before either of them can say anything else, I leave the room and close the door behind me. I pull my shirt down and power walk over to him, “Hello?”

He turns to me, “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I came here to talk to you.”

“Wait,” I say, putting my hands up, “you couldn’t find your way here when I was drunk but you can magically find it tonight?”

He looks amused at the seriousness of my question, “I called your office.”

“And you couldn’t do that before because?”

“Because it was one o’clock in the morning and I thought they would be closed.”

I cross my arms, “Gossip never sleeps.”

“I’ll have to remember that for next time.”

“Hopefully there won’t be a next time.”

He smiles, “Well I guess not considering the fact that I found it now.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” he says, brushing lightly against my hand as he leans against the wall.

I bend down and pick up the cat that’s swerving in between my legs as a barrier, “So I assume you came here for a reason.”

“Yeah,” he says, reaching over and petting Italics, “I wanted to invite you to my clothing line launch tomorrow.”

“Excuse me? You want me to actually come to your event? Normally you try to block me from getting within a fifty yard radius of you.”

“I thought that maybe if I invited you I might have a better chance of coming off the way I really am, not some ridiculous sleaze bag like you normally portray me. Maybe up close I’ll appear in a different light.”

Italics squirms in my arms and I set him down, brushing the excess hair from my shirt, “Um sure. I guess if you want me to.”

He pulls out a pass from his jacket, “Here, your name will be on the list.”

I take the pass and look it over, “Okay, thanks.”

When he doesn’t move towards the door I become suspicious, “Is there something you want?”

“No, I was just wondering what you were doing. You’re friend you were doing some sort of ritual?”

I laugh out loud, “She did?”

“Well at least that’s what I think she said while she was hugging me.”

Blood rushes to my cheeks and I blush, “She hugged you?”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

“I was just watching House.”

“That’s a ritual?”

“It is for me I guess. Every Tuesday, popcorn and a coke.”

He nods, leaning from one leg to another. The silence is beginning to grow very uncomfortable and I feel anxious to get away from him and whatever he is doing to me, “You must have plans to get to or something, don’t let me hold you up.”

“Uh, no actually I’m free for the night.”

“Then you are welcome to stay and watch the show with us.”

I spin around to see Brooke peering around the corner, a classic schoolgirl in love giggle emerging from her throat. I try my best to regulate my breathing, “I thought I told you to wait in the den.”

“I was but I thought you might need help or something.”

“You hate the show, why are you even here?” I say, clearly giving her the back the fuck off look.

She ignores me, glancing past me to him, “I just formed a new found respect for the show.”

Smile firmly plastered to my face, I turn back to Justin, “I’m sure you don’t want to watch the show with us.”

“Actually it sounds like fun. You don’t mind if I join do you?”  

“No, of course not,” I lie, moving aside as Brooke grabs a hold of his arm and leads him to the den. He may need her surgically removed by the time this night is over. Funny, I never would have imagined Brooke the star struck type but I guess you never know until they are put in a situation with a star. She’s been to parties with me that included celebrities but she never actually got close enough to hug one.

I close the door behind the two of them to see a very surprised Reid. I gesture to Justin, “Reid, Justin. Justin this is our best friend Reid.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking Reid’s hand.

“You too,” Reid says slowly, taking the whole thing in.

I choose to sit on the loveseat with Reid rather than the couch with Brooke and Justin. Nothing like mixing a little perk into your work to wake you up from your stupor. But from what I can see, I don’t want to play with fire. He’s way too close for comfort. Kind of like when you see a stray animal and you fight the urge to name it because you know you can’t take it home. The point of choosing this profession was to be as far removed from the people I wrote about and he’s becoming too close for comfort.

“What is he doing here,” Reid hisses in my ear.

“I don’t know, ask Brooke. After all, you were the one who let her out when I specifically told the two of you to stay here.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was supposed to be babysitting her.”

“Well now you know.”

“What about the next time he shows up?”

I look up at Justin and back to Reid, “I don’t think we have to worry about that.”