Chapter 5

Jaelyn couldn't stop replaying the kiss in her mind. It had happened a week ago, but it felt like last night. She was surprised that Daniel hadn't called in a missing persons report in on her that night. The walk that usually five minutes from the library to their apartment took twenty minutes that night. Jaelyn couldn't even look Daniel in the eyes when she walked in the door of their apartment. She declined dinner and a repeat of the night before, using the excuse of being tired. Honestly, she just couldn't be intimate with Daniel like that after that passionate kiss she'd just shared with Justin. She decided that the best thing for her to do was to push the incident to the back of her mind, which she'd sort of succeeded in doing until she saw object of her daydreams in class the next afternoon.

~*~

"Hey," he said with a smile. That smile. That beautiful smile. That was the smile that got her everytime.

"Hey yourself, Timberlake," Jaelyn replied, moving her belongings over so he could place his on the desk.

"How's your friend? Amanda, is it?"

"Oh!" Jaelyn had forgotten about the lie she told him the previous night.

"She's fine, she just needed some help picking out an outfit for a date."

Yeah, not likely. Amanda's one of the best dressed people Jaelyn knew.

"That was the big emergency?" he asked with a laugh, "You should've told me; I would've helped ya'll out."

"Whoa," Jaelyn said, catching on to his infectious laughter, "So you're telling me that in addition to being a frat boy, you're a Prince Charming, you like to study and you have good fashion sense?"

"What can I say? I'm pretty awesome," Justin shrugged.

"Well Mr. Timberlake I hope that awesomeness shows up on the next test," Professor Newsom said as he got situated in the front of the lecture hall. Jaelyn and Justin laughed at their teacher's comment.

"You and I both sir," Justin began, "You and I both."

Professor Newsom started his lecture and Jaelyn couldn't believe that Justin could just sit there like nothing had happened between them...maybe he was thinking the same thing about her. But he had no reason not to say something about it. It wasn't like he had cheated on a significant other. Jaelyn didn't realize that she was daydreaming until Justin placed his hand on hers.

"You've been holding down the 'Enter' key for the last thirty seconds."

"Oh," she said, immediately removing her fingers from the keys, "Sorry, my mind must've have slipped off to la-la-land for a moment."

"Penny for your thoughts."

"After class, I need to concentrate on these notes."

"Is there something you two would like to share with the class?" Professor Newsom said, looking directly at Justin and Jaelyn.

"No, sorry sir," Jaelyn apologized. He went back to his lecture and a minute later she felt Justin poking her side. She glanced at his laptop and saw eight words on the screen.

Do you want to do lunch after class?

Jaelyn had to think it over for a minute for giving him a quick nod in response. After all, it wasn't a date, it was just lunch and at least they'd get the chance to talk about what happened. The rest of the history class continued and it seemed like the fifty minutes went by slower than usual. But finally the class was over with and just as Jaelyn was packing up her things her cell phone vibrated. She looked down and saw that it was Daniel calling her.

This boy must have ESP or something; I swear it's like he has some kind of radar on me...always seeming to call or text at the worst times.

"Hey you," she said with a grin. This peaked Justin's interest, causing him to cock an eyebrow when he glanced at her. She mouthed the word 'Amanda' and Justin nodded before he continued to put the rest of his things in his backpack. Jaelyn couldn't believe that she just did that; Justin wasn't her boyfriend yet she was standing there justifying her conversation with her boyfriend to him. Justin mouthed that he'd meet her out in the hall and Jaelyn nodded before she continued her phone conversation with Daniel.

"So I was thinking that we should do lunch," Daniel said over the line, "I mean, I didn't get to feed you last night so what do you think about McAlisters for lunch?"

"Umm..."

"C'mon baby, what could be better than a loaded baked potato and some of their sweet tea?" Daniel said before she got the chance to respond.

"I actually had plans with classmates for a study lunch," she said with sadness in her voice...but the sadness wasn't because she was turning down lunch with him, it was because she was lying to him once again.

"You should have told me earlier hun; I wouldn't have made plans."

"It's ok, go study with your friends...but tonight you're all mine. Ok?" Jaelyn silently wished that he wasn't so gullible with this, wished that he didn't take her lies so easily.

"Yeah, and you better get ready," she said with a smile.

"Oh really? Do I hear a challenge coming on?" he asked. Jaelyn laughed, the two of them sometimes challenged each other to see who would wear who out first...Daniel usually won.

"Maybe; but hey I'll talk to you when I finish lunch, my friends are waiting." They said their goodbyes and Jaelyn walked out to meet Justin in the hallway.

"Ready to go?" he asked, extending his elbow for her to hook her arm through.

Here we go.

~*~

Jaelyn couldn't believe that all of that had happened a week ago. Her 'lunch date' with Justin went pretty well. She still didn't tell him that she was dating Daniel, but she made it clear that they couldn't be more than friends...with benefits. They ended up kissing again, though this one wasn't as deep as the previous one. Since then Jaelyn has vowed not to kiss him again, but it's so hard to resist those beautiful lips he has...especially since she's felt how velvety smooth they are. She didn't tell Justin about this particular vow, but she could tell that he could sense her hesitancy when they were alone together, always keeping a bit of distance between them. And Justin wasn't the only one she was being distant towards; her relationship with Daniel was becoming a bit strained, but Daniel couldn't even tell. He assumed her sudden mood change was because of her course load, and it was killing her that she didn't have the balls to end whatever was going on between her and Justin, or at least confess her infidelity to Daniel. It was like a high to her, like a thrill ride...but it was a bittersweet one. The more enthralling her time was with Justin, the less it was when she was with Daniel.

Both she and Justin had passed their history test and decided that they'd continue to be study buddies for the remainder of the semester, keeping things strictly platonic though...or at least trying to.

"So SAE has this date party coming up and I was wondering if you would want to go with me." Justin asked Jaelyn while they were waiting for Newsom to arrive. He noticed the hesitancy in her expression and quickly added, "...as friends of course."

"When is it?"

"This weekend; and I do apologize about such short notice. It's just that I already paid for two tickets and I don't want the other one to go to waste."

Jaelyn couldn't believe this; it was like fate was telling her to be with Justin. Daniel would be going home this weekend to spend time with his family and she was gonna spend Saturday night curled up in their bed with a pint of ice cream and a chick flick, but her plans have now changed.

"Sure, we can go as friends." She watched as his face glowed with happiness.

" Really? You didn't have any other plans? I mean, I don't wanna pull you from anything." Or anyone.

"Nope, I just had a date with a pint of 'physh food' but I can get a raincheck. So what are we doing?" she asked.

"Don't laugh ok? It's sort of a tradition for this chapter, but we're doing costume karaoke." Jaelyn tried her best to hold back the chuckle in her throat.

"What?"

"We dress up as famous couples and go eat dinner at Texas Roadhouse then head over to Roscoe's to do karaoke." His statement cause Jaelyn to raise an eyebrow.

"As in the Roscoe's downtown? The karaoke bar that's packed like a can of sardines every weekend?"

"Yeah, don't ask," Justin said with a light laugh.

"Alright, well I'm game. Who do you want to go dressed as?"

"Ike and Tina?"