" Do you always look so detached while driving, cuz if so maybe I shouldn’t sit so close to this air bag?!" her voice lighted his clouded thoughts and brought a sincere smile onto his face. He turned and looked at her, a thankful look in his eye for her ease and ability to break the ice. Where he couldn’t find the right thing to say, even when he had wanted to say so much, she easily said the words that would make even the most horrendous of thoughts disappear. She was like an angel in the outfield helping a down trodden team out. How had it been that she came to him when the image of a beautiful woman he had met before was at the brink of breaking him. What fascinated him even more was that she embodied that woman of his dreams. The woman he couldn’t escape when he stared into the eyes of another, the woman he couldn’t erase from his thoughts even when they drove him insane, a woman he had met months ago and had only appeared once more in person the day he had met Maia Manadelno.

" I bet you were the first kid to raise your hand during first day of school ice breakers." Justin laughed, a joy seeping through the windows and cracks of his cherished vehicle. Maia laughed heartily, throwing her head back against the seat. Justin loved the sound of her laugh, loved the warmth that seeped off of her and found its way into his sheltered heart. He didn’t know how she did it, but whenever she was around he didn’t feel so alone. He also didn’t feel so afraid of love.

" Speaking of ice breakers, maybe we should have tried something like that before shooting our scene." Maia teased turning in her seat so that she faced him. Pulling to a light, Justin turned from his view of the city’s traffic before him to look at her. She sat with her knees to her chest, her dainty little toes creeping over to his seat while her head laid lazily against the plush seat covering. Her hair was strewn across her shoulders and she looked as relaxed as he felt that very moment.

" Honestly Maia, I think we pretty much broke the ice the moment you sat on my lap." he smiled and she giggled mischievously, her eyes glittering with just a hint of desire. She moved slowly, until her hands touched his thigh and her mouth was positioned right in front of his. Her eyes moved from his painstakingly soft and moist lips to his engrossing blue eyes.

" I think its safe to say we turned up the heat." she whispered then kissed him softly, her body trembling as the desire released from her having been pent up for the last day and half that she spent wanting to kiss him. Justin’s hands moved from the steering wheel to the softness of her hair, his lips moving lusciously over hers. It seemed as if their lips were made for each other, thriving off the passion of one another. He had never before experienced a kiss so compelling, so full of sweet and unleashed desire. It felt like every time they kissed, they made love. Just the thought alone made Justin lift in response. Maia gasped, leaning her head back for a breath of air suddenly hearing all the beeps of the horns coming from the cars sitting behind them.

" Justin." she breathed pulling away and motioning to the chaos that was unfolding around them. Justin looked behind him, adding his own toot to the crowd of them then smiled at Maia.

" Come here." he said, the short phrase sending chills up Maia’s spine. She leaned in and he gave her a short sweet kiss. When it ended he winked and put his foot to the pedal, he made the light right before it turned red.

The had finally finished laughing by the time Justin pulled off of the bridge and into a dirt plot off the side of the road. Maia couldn’t believe how exciting that had just felt, kissing him while in the middle of traffic. She had never done anything like that before, and if you would have asked her a week ago would she see herself doing anything of the such she would have looked at you and probably insist that you play in the traffic you speak of. Somehow though, she was in Justin Timberlake’s car watching her sanity and her heart slip away from her by the minute. He was so perfect, exactly what she would have wanted all this time. Before she hadn’t really cared too much for relationships, she just didn’t see how one would fit in her lifestyle. She still hadn’t, but this time it wasn’t stopping her. That could be what scared her the most, nothing seemed to be inhibiting her from falling for Justin Timberlake.

" Don’t think so much." he sighed reading her thoughts, though she hadn’t said a word. She smiled to herself and stared at her lap. What was she doing, she thought, this is not fair. She wanted him and if she had just been a girl who had the luck of being cast in his video as a first gig she would have felt she deserved him. But she hadn’t been, she hadn’t been just some lucky girl and this video had definitely not been her very first gig.

" Well when you have a brain like mine." she tried to joke, sighing reluctantly. Justin laughed running a hand over his hair. He knew she was thinking, he just didn’t know what. Maybe she felt wrong for kissing him just then, maybe he was moving things too fast?...he had no clue.

" I’m gonna take a shot in the dark here and assume you feel somewhat exactly how I feel. I mean about you of course..."

" Yes, I do think I’m a good kisser." Maia smiled and he couldn’t help but smile at that.

" Don’t stop there..." he teased and laughed when she plucked him in the arm. " No but really Maia, I’m going crazy over you. I mean I know its been like two days, but I feel like I’ve known you longer. Like you’ve been the one in my mind that I just can’t......" This can’t be happening, he can’t still remember, Maia thought frantically. When his eyes turned to look at her she blinked in hopes that she could hide whatever emotion might resemble the fear that was eroding in her head. But it hadn’t, searching her eyes that’s the first thing he saw. " Oh, I’m sorry I’m not trying to scare you..I ...I don’t know what I want to say." he finally sighed shaking his head in defeat.

Way to freak her out Timberlake, ask her if she ever took up dancing on a pole at Secrets Unfolded in her spare time, that should really get things going.

" This is crazy." Maia thought outloud unable to think of one good reason why she shouldn’t leave him alone now before she hurt him.

" Who you tellin." Justin sighed. " But, I don’t care Maia. I want to at least have the chance to make something of us. I mean unless you have a boyfriend or something...." Maybe she could lie and say she did so he would want nothing more to do with her. It would hurt, but it was a lighter blow than the real truth.

" Actually Justin, there is something I have to tell you..."

" SO, let me get this straight here. You tell the boy you are attached. Oh wait, did I say boy..." Raven backed up looking at Jocelyn for input.

" Yes I believe you did." Jocelyn nodded crunching on a piece of chicken that they had picked up at the grocery store Maia had instructed Justin drop her off at.

" I am so appalled. I MEANT to say heart throb of a sexy ass knee stompin good lookin man Justin Timberlake!" Raven declared and Jocelyn stomped her feet on the pavement as a source of rolling thunder. Maia rolled her eyes, finally starting to realize that maybe it hadn’t been her best of plans yet.

" Ok guys.." Maia started, but Raven had not been finished.

" And then you tell him to drop you off at Fresh Fields! It’s a freaking Grocery Store!" Raven bellowed throwing her hands up. As soon as Maia had placed the call, Jocelyn picked up Raven and the two of them alone wasn’t enough for torture...NOOOOOOOO...they wanted to sit on the curb of the alleged happening and harp over all the details.

" Good lookin there Mai, they got real good Chicken. Did you tell him you were picking some up to carry up the hill to Cedar Point." Maia couldn’t help but smirk as the two joined forces and bellowed over in laughter.

" You know Mai, I was gonna stay out of this. I wasn’t gonna mention this. But Justin came to the club last night." Raven started shaking her head ignoring Maia’s shocked look." Yep and you know he asked for me, if you know what I mean." Raven winked at Jocelyn who giggled with chicken stuffed in her mouth.

" Did you dance for him Raven?...what that’s when you stayed out at night! Raven, how could you!" Maia fumed rising to her feet glaring over a shrunken Raven who shrugged her shoudlers in protest.

" Do you know how long its been, 2 months Mai. 2 whole months. I had to seem him." Raven smiled. Maia was about to challenge her friend to a box before she realized what Raven had been talking about.

" You didn’t." Maia cooed falling back onto the pavement beside her friend.

" She did." Jocelyn nodded in assurance.

" I did." Raven shrugged and blushed as Maia enveloped her in a hug.

" But how, if Justin went to the club, was JC there too." Maia asked suddenly confused. The thought of Raven being with Justin began to creep back up, only to be defused away when raven explained the situation.

" See Justin had came in there looking for you, and they recognized me and he had asked mt about you."

" What did you say?" Maia ventured anxiety spreading across her face.

" I said you’ll see her tomorrow." Raven lied and then laughed when she saw that Maia was one the verge of sheer shock. " No I said you were out. He looked like he needed some bad." Raven paused on purpose waiting for Maia to explode and demand that she continue.

"WELL............CONTINUE!" Maia exclaimed and Raven rolled her eyes.

" Well, I wasn’t the one he wanted. But he knew someone that did." Raven hugged her knees to her chest. " He looked so amazing Mai, so damn sexy. They took me back to his hotel and surprised him." Maia smiled, she couldn’t believe it. Justin had looked beyond his own selfish needs, even Maia knew how hard it was to turn down something in the mist of your troubled desire.

" So they made love all night, all morning, until about 9 o clock when JC went back to his girlfriend sleeping in his hotel room and she met me on 69th and Pine." Jocelyn wrapped the story up patting Raven on the back.

" Oh Rave." Maia sighed hugging her friend.

" Hey he was a good catch, you can’t expect them kind to survive in the pond forever." Raven shrugged, even though her heart was breaking. Last night had been the second most memorable night with him. She couldn’t believe she had a second shot at seeing him. Nothing, not even a girlfriend, was going to make her turn away from the only man that made her feel the way he did. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed him, and by the way he looked, touched and kissed her, he needed her also. It was a shame when they went their separate ways in the morning, it just wasn’t fair. They both knew where they needed to be, but both went to were the ought to be.

" Moral of story Mai, don’t let Justin get away." Jocelyn concluded looking pointedly at Maia.

" Easier said than done, I think I already sealed my fate." With that the three friends sat in silence there wasn’t much they could say to counter that.

I have a boyfriend, the words kept replaying themselves in Justin’s mind as he sat staring out at Ellis Island. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Why hadn’t he realized that? It was all there from the way she made it clear of her impeccable acting capabilities to the brush off she so easily gave. Then what had that kiss in the car been about? What was it about girls who liked playing with guys hearts? Before, it wasn’t her fault that he had been so infatuated with her? She had no idea that for him nothing was a show, that for him his very existence was being deteriorated with tormenting thoughts of their shared kiss. But now, she knew. Now she had an idea of what he wanted from her, now she had kissed him with no camera lense there to inspire her. Just when he had reason to get over that haunting image of a beautiful woman dancing for him, the reason confessed it had belonged to someone else. This just wasn’t fair, he had deserved better than to be dealt this hand in life. He closed his eyes, her gorgeous face still lingering. Even though he knew what he was up against, he knew he couldn’t let her go that easily.