Chapter 15
Maia could tell by the expression that crossed over Jocelyn’s face that whoever was on the phone, it had not been Justin and from the looks of it didn’t appear to be someone Jocelyn had wished to talk to. Raven flashed Maia a perplexed look, it had been out of character for Jocelyn to quiver, and yet as she listened intently onto the voice of the other line her body began to shake. Touching her shoulder, Raven turned Jocelyn around and for the first time in a long time, both friends recognized that face. That face of fear Jocelyn used to wear day in and day out during a period in their lives that they were all moving past from. Maia remembered that face and couldn’t summon enough reasons why her friend would where it now. They were living in Miami, they were far away from anything that she could even remember bringing on a fear like that in Jocelyn. Or so she had thought. Suddenly Jocelyn hung up the phone, bringing her hands up to her mouth, slowly backing onto Maia’s bed.
" Josie, who was that!" Raven exclaimed growing frightened. Jocelyn just shook her head, wrapping her arms around her thin frame and shaking incessantly. Maia came and bent down onto her knees in front of her friend. Touching the side of her face, Maia carefully brought Jocelyn’s chin up so that their eyes could meet. Maia recognized the look all to well, she knew without even having to ask. Growing angry and hot inside, she looked down and then up to Raven who still looked out in the dark.
" It was Kendall, Kendall got are got damn number!" Maia yelled and stood shaking her head. There was no way he could have gotten their number. How was it possible? They had erased themselves of that life, how had that particular part of it come back to haunt them. Raven crossed over to the bed to comfort a now balling Jocelyn.
" Don’t cry Josie, please don’t. What did he say to you honey?" Raven comforted, fear creeping into her heart. How did he get there number? What had he said? What had Jocelyn shaking so violently? Looking up at Maia, Raven could see the anger penetrating through her demeanor. Maia stormed out of the room, her heart not allowing her to stand the returns of those torturous cries she had buried months before. How had the gone from being so happy to being so confused, petrified and alone? Why did it suddenly feel like the happiness they had tasted would now be replaced with a sourness from their past? Maia ran down the steps and out her front door, she had to get away.
Caleb saw her storm out of her front door, her face etched in anger. He dropped the sopping towel he had been using to wipe down his prized porsche and jogged over to her car door that she had just slammed. She was so focused on jabbing the key in the ignition that she hadn’t even noticed him. When he tapped on her window she looked startled and jumped out of her skin. Kneeling down so that they were eye to eye, he waited for her to roll down her window.
" Our second date wasn’t that bad was it?" Maia looked at him, her anger dissolving into something less dense but still heart wrenching. Suddenly she looked sad and afraid all at once. Looking into his concerned eyes she silently thought about Justin? Why hadn’t he called? Why wasn’t he there? Maybe if he would have, she could have escaped all this and at least have been happy for another day. She wished she knew where he lived, she would go to him right now. She needed him, and although she couldn’t tell him everything, she knew just his presence would bring some sense of peace.
" Aww, baby come here." Caleb sighed opening her car door and pulling her into his arms. Maia fell into his shoulders, unable to control her sobs. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if letting go would be letting go of a reality that no longer belonged to her. Unlike Justin, Caleb had came with her new life. Maybe that’s what attracted him so much to her. Living back in New York, she doubted she would ever meet someone like Caleb. Although her heart belonged to Justin, she knew that had circumstances been different she would have definitely pursued him.
" What’s wrong?" Caleb whispered placing a soft kiss onto her neck and moving along her cheek. Maia moved closer to him, not caring what it was that took her mind from her troubled thoughts. " It’s ok." he murmured his lips stopping in front of hers and then moving into kiss her. Had Maia been paying attention, she would have noticed that flash of the red Mercedes that pulled up beside her lawn, only she hadn’t been and her eyes were already closed preparing to kiss Caleb. Moments passed and Caleb’s lips touched hers in an arousing fashion that had Maia wanted him in that way, he would have surely had her. Responding to him, in more of a comforted manner that exotic one, Maia followed their kiss and moaned at the sweetness of the feeling. Her mind slowly eased off into another world when suddenly the sound of screeching tires filled the air. Separating, they both looked and saw a cherry red Mercedes pulling off. Justin.
" Where the hell?" Justin spoke to noone in particular as he searched his jacket for the phone number Maia had slipped to him at the restaurant. He had just finished up at the studio, where he had came after lunch with JC to edit some tracks he had been working on for his next album. JC came in, since it was an ‘NSYNC collaboration album and worked on the tracks also. He had slipped his coat off after the meeting with Charlie to sign papers and went directly into the studio. The whole entire time, he thought about her. He thought about how sweet her breath smelled and how bad he wanted to taste it. Taste her, in fact in the law of physics would allow he would have done much more in that small space of a corner, provided the right amount of time. He had just convinced himself that Caleb had been a lucky guy, one that obviously didn’t realize the treasure he had, and that he was just taking over a job poorly done. Justin had never been one to cheat, but somehow that didn’t seem to make an imprint on any of his decisions when it came to Maia. She was worth breaking a rule or two. Even if he abided by them carefully, afterall they more or less saved him from heartbreaks.
" What you looking for J" Charlie asked coming into the office with a cup of coffee and a vanilla folder spilling with papers. Justin looked up perplexed and mumbled something under his breath, before shrugging. Sitting the coffee down along with the manila folder, Charlie stood looking at his client. Justin had just hit number 1 on the billboard and Charlie felt he had himself to accredit for that. Without him, he doubted Justin could have made it through the Britney fiasco, which is why he would never think twice to use the extreme to rid Justin of any problematic situations. Maia Manadelno, was an example of a problematic situation. After Justin had left with JC into the studio, Charlie had noticed a tissue slip out of the young man’s jacket. Picking it up to dispose of it, he had accidently come across a number with her name scribbled under it. He was so shocked that she had found her way back into his life, Charlie was sure he forgot about her. Sighing with frustration he had went to take care of things, if there was one thing Charlie was good for. He was good for eliminating unwanted problems and Maia was an unwanted problem for him.
" Yo C, you see a napkin around here?" Justin finally asked. Charlie shook his head no and took a seat at his desk. He had some researching to do, a folder of Maia Manadelno concealed sitting in front on of him. Justin sighed and headed out the door. Running into JC, he had told his friend the situation. JC suggested he look her up and call information, thinking it was a stretch he did so anyway. There was no way he was going to pass up this chance. The operator was more than informing, giving him and address and phone number. When he called, the line was busy so he decided to just show up. Pulling into the duplex, he had admired her taste but then remembered she had lived in Cedar Point back in New York- she had probably always been used to this lifestyle. He couldn’t wait to see her shocked face when he got there. He never expected to see one looking into the rearview mirror at himself, he definitely didn’t expect to see them in the drive way making out. His heart crushed into a thousand little pieces as he stared helplessly. There Caleb was in all his glory, tasting the sweet kisses Justin couldn’t erase from his mind these past few months. He couldn’t believe it, was she playing a game with him? Was this for sport, to see how heart broken you could get heart throb Justin Timberlake to be?
" You fuckin rule at this game." Justin sighed, his voice choking from the pain. He finally turned his eyes from them, she played the shit out of him. He had no one to blame but himself, he had decided to go against what he believed to be with her. What had made him think she was different from the others? He pulled off not caring that his tires screeching against the pavement interrupted there love session. He didn’t care, he just had to get out of there.
" You need to call the cops." Caleb sighed looking at Maia who sat against the bay window staring out onto the street. He had sat in between Jocelyn and Raven who had just explained to them, with little help from Maia, the entire situation. He had to admit that he was shocked, shocked out of his mind. Another time in his life he would have relished at the fact of dating a former stripper, but when he had met Maia he felt a change come about him. He had been so amused by Jocelyn who looked so full of life and definitely out of the ordinaire in his neighborhood. The way she spoke of her friend made him anxious to meet the marvelous Maia. He hadn’t expected to fall for her at first sight. It wasn’t apart of his playboy image, but he had and there was no denying it. Looking at her now, he wanted to go and console her. He wanted to kiss her, wrap her in his arms and then go kill the bastard who had threatened them.
" Maia, say something!" Raven demanded, wondering what the hell was wrong with the girl. The idea of Kendall knowing where they were and worse yet their number was troubling, but the girl was brought to silence. If there was ever one matter in life Maia spoke out on, it was Kendall.
" Maia, I swear he’d have to kill me to get to you." Jocelyn looked at her friend, feeling deeply sadden that she was the cause of the drastic turn of happy events in their lives. Without her excess baggage, she was sure Raven and Maia could be living it up in Miami without a care in the world. Maia turned from her thoughts and looked at her saddened friend.
" That’s gonna be crazy, cuz he’d have to kill me first before he got to you." she smiled sadly, a tear sliding down her cheek. Caleb stood and walked over to Maia, his heart yearning to comfort her. Maia turned away, not wanting to provoke any such behavior from Caleb displayed in their driveway. She really didn’t mean to kiss him, although she needed to be kissed. She knew it wasn’t his intent to kiss her either, it was just something that happened and came natural in his comfort for her. The problem was who was going to explain that to Justin? Not her, he wouldn’t hear it from her. She knew there was no way to even begin to think that somehow Caleb could fix this entire situation seeing that he did want to date her and they were currently dating. Maia sighed frustrated, where had the lived that afternoon gone off to.
" Hey." Caleb smiled taking a seat on the opposite side of her to face her. Maia continued looking out the window, maybe if she looked hard enough Justin would come back. " Look Maia, I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, and I know you’ve been through a lot." Caleb paused placing a hand over hers. Maia couldn’t help but let a tear fall, here was a man being all that she needed and wanted and all she could think about was what she couldn’t have. Caleb knew everything, he knew everything Justin did it. Yet he was still there, he hadn’t condemned her. He hadn’t even judged her, looking into his eyes they looked deeper than they did before. It broke her heart, she couldn’t expect the same from the man she wanted. Somehow she knew things would go different between her and Justin when the truth about her lies came out.
" Caleb." she cried and looked down.
" Don’t its ok....just let it out Mai..I’ll be here." Maia sighed, she knew he’d stay true to his word. So why wasn’t that enough for her?
