Chapter 14:
The weekend passed by quickly for everyone with plenty of events to keep them busy.
Justin, Trace and Randy had a good boys’ weekend in Millington and spent most of the day there on Saturday. They went to a little fair where there were arcade games, and go-karts, and plenty of junk food to go around.
On Sunday, the boys packed up a lunch and headed down to the lake to lounge around for the afternoon. On both days Tara got a chance to call Justin, but the conversations never lasted very long before Tara had to head back on set or do something else.
Monday morning came quickly for the Timberlake men. Justin woke up on time and got Randy up and ready for school and for his mother’s in an hours time. He sat him down at the bar once again with a bowl of cereal as he went about packing up his lunch for the day.
“Are you going to see Tara today?” Randy asked as he spooned cereal into his mouth.
Justin smiled at the question. “I don’t know,” he replied.
“How come?” Randy questioned.
Justin chuckled. “Because she has to work,” he explained. “She might not have time to see me.”
“I bet she will,” Randy said with a smile as he picked at one of the floating marshmallows in his cereal.
Justin chuckled. “You do huh?” he questioned.
Randy nodded. Justin looked up at him, “Stop picking at your food and eat it please,” he said.
Randy sighed before spooning another bite of cereal into his mouth. He continued to eat for a few minutes before looked up at Justin once more and spoke.
“She’s fun,” he said simply with a smile.
Justin chuckled. “Well I’ll tell her you think so,” Justin said with a smile as he finished packing up his lunch.
Randy finished off his cereal, and started to drink the milk from the bowl making loud slurping noises.
“So don’t forget Mom is picking you up today,” Justin said as he wiped his hands on a dishtowel and looked at Randy.
Randy finished drinking his milk and nodded at him, licking the film off his upper lip then wiped it off with the back of his hand.
“Will I get to see you?” he questioned, a small pout forming on his lips.
Justin walked over to him taking his empty bowl and putting it into the sink. “I don’t think so buddy,” he replied. “It’s your mom’s turn and she’s been gone all weekend don’t you miss her?”
“Yeah,” he sighed.
Justin chuckled before making his way over to him with his sack lunch and setting it on the bar in front of him. He leaned down and kissed his head lightly.
“Maybe if you’re good boy Tara will come over for dinner this week ok?” Justin asked.
Randy’s smile brightened immediately and he looked up at him. “Really?” he questioned.
Justin nodded. “Really,” he replied. “But you have to be good okay?”
Randy nodded.
“Good,” Justin replied. “Now go get your shoes on, we’re gonna be late.”
Randy jumped off the stool before rushing towards the foyer where his shoes were laying. Justin cleaned off the counter with a rag once more before grabbing Randy’s lunch bag and headed into the foyer where Randy was tying his shoes.
Justin got his keys out and opened the front door and waited for Randy to finish tying his shoes. Once he did he jumped up and raced out the door heading toward the truck. Justin chuckled as he watched him; he stepped out of the house and closed the door locking it before heading toward the truck as well.
They both got into the truck and Justin made his way down the familiar road towards Randy’s school. He got him there and dropped him off, signing him in and helped him get situated before heading out and going toward the diner to meet Trace for breakfast once again.
After having breakfast with Trace, and talking to Sherry a little at the diner he headed out to his truck and made his way out to the high school for another day of practice.
-*-
Tara’s weekend was just as busy. She spent most of the day on Saturday in a small community close by filming inside of a house with her movie parents Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. (Coach Taylor and his wife from Friday Night Lights TV show “ picture link at the end of the chapter)
On Sunday she headed back to the high school to do more costume fittings with Ruby. After that she had a meeting with Jackson, he wanted to run a few scenes from the movie by her and get her opinion on some things.
By the end of each day she was so tired that she couldn’t wait for them to get back to the bungalows so she could get to bed.
Monday morning, Tara didn’t have to be at the high school until later in the morning so she got a chance to sleep in a little. Unfortunately, knowing she was going to see Justin was making her anxious and once she woke up she couldn’t fall back asleep. She got out of bed and got dressed in some work out clothes; she figured a run might help her nerves a little bit.
She took a small jog around the property of the bungalows with her iPod buds in her ears. She finished a few laps and made her way back onto her porch to do some stretching. As she was doing so, she noticed Tyler making his way toward her; he too was in work out clothes and had his iPod buds in his ears. She spotted him and gave him a small smile as he reached her.
“Hey Tyler,” she said pulling one bud out of her ear so she could hear his response.
“Hey, how are ya?” he asked smiling.
“Good,” Tara replied. “Just decided to get a small jog in before a busy day,”
“Sounds fun,” Tyler replied with a smile.
Tara chuckled. “Tons,” she said.
“Where were you Friday night?” he questioned. “I expected to see you at the bar with everyone else.”
“Oh um, Justin had a family movie night thing and invited me to it,” Tara replied biting her bottom lip watching him carefully.
“Oh,” he said simply. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”
Tara nodded. “A little bit,” she said.
“Is that really a good idea?” Tyler asked a minute later.
Tara stopped stretching and looked at him in shock.
“Tyler, I really don’t-“ she started but he cut her off.
“Tara, it’s really none of my business,” Tyler shook his head. “I just…” he bit his bottom lip before continuing. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m a big girl Tyler,” she explained. “I can take care of myself.”
Tyler nodded. “I know you can,” he explained. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
Tara remained quiet as she tried to think of something to tell Tyler, something that would explain what she was doing with Justin. Something to justify this relationship she was getting deeper and deeper into.
“Justin’s a great guy, I’m sure.” Tyler started. “But can he be there for you, the way you need someone there for you?”
Tara was still at a loss for words when she heard the front door behind her open, and Hannah poked her head out of the door.
“Hey, we gotta leave in about 20 minutes.” Hannah said.
Tara nodded then turned to Tyler who was starting to put his iPod ear buds back into his ears.
“I’ll see ya on the set,” he called before turning and running around the property.
Tara watched him run before turning back to Hannah who was watching her intently.
“Everything okay?” Hannah asked as Tara made her way into the house.
“Fine,” Tara replied.
“What did Tyler have to say?” Hannah asked watching as Tara took off her shoes.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tara replied as she made her way into her bedroom and closed the door loudly behind her.
Hannah frowned before going back into her room to finish getting dressed for the day. Tara came out of her bedroom 10 minutes later, dressed and ready for another day of filming.
Hannah had talked Markus into letting them rent a car for the remainder of their stay so they wouldn’t have to be driven around. Hannah and Tara got into their small car a few minutes later and headed down to the high school for another busy day.
-*-
Tara kept to herself throughout the day; instead she put all her frustration into her work. She gave Jackson everything he wanted from the scenes that she was filming that morning and he was excited to tell her she may get out early that night.
Also the fact that she hadn’t heard from Justin all day, not a text message or a short phone call, and it was driving her crazy. Despite everyone’s warnings, she was staring to develop deep feelings for this country boy.
Because she hadn’t heard from Justin, she opted to have lunch with Renee instead. They made their way towards where the Diner had set up their buffet for everyone on the movie. They stood in line with everyone else and after Renee shamelessly flirted with Andrew they went and sat down on one of the tables.
“So,” Renee said with a smile as she watched Tara check her phone for the millionth time that day.
Tara looked up at her. “Yes?” she questioned.
“You gonna see Justin tonight?” she asked as she ate a French fry off her plate.
“Maybe,” Tara replied with a shrug.
Renee giggled. “Oh come on, are we keeping secrets now?” she asked.
“Maybe,” Tara replied with a smirk.
Renee rolled her eyes. “Fine, keep secrets see if I care,” she said. “I just won’t tell you anything that’s happening with me.”
Tara laughed. “That’s fine, I don’t need to know about your personal life,” she said.
“Well I need to know about yours,” Renee said. “So tell me!”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to tell,” she said.
“Oh come on!” Renee said.
Tara sighed. “Renee, please stop,” she started. “I don’t want to get into this now.”
Renee pouted. “Fine,” she crossed her arms over her chest.
Tara looked at her. “You look like Randy when he pouts,” she giggled.
Renee continued to pout as Tara giggled and went back to her meal. She brought up Andrew and that kept Renee distracted from Tara’s personal life. They were about 20 minutes into their lunch when Tara glanced down at her phone once more, and sighed once again seeing no missed messages or texts.
“Expecting a call?” A voice came from behind her.
Tara gasped and turned quickly, Justin was standing there in his school uniform of khaki pants and a black polo shirt. She smiled and stood up quickly wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Justin chuckled as he hugged her back, and leaned over to kiss her cheek lightly.
“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Justin asked looking at Renee.
Renee shook her head. “Nope, we were talking about you anyway,” she winked.
He laughed. Tara turned to her. “I wasn’t talking about you, she was trying to get information out of me,” she stuck her tongue out at her.
Renee rolled her eyes. “Well I’m gonna leave you two alone,” she said and got up.
They both watched her walk away before Justin turned to Tara who was watching him with a smile and leaned into to kiss his cheek lightly. They sat down at the table and turned to each other as Tara finished eating her lunch.
“Talking about me?” he asked with a wink.
Tara laughed. “She was being nosy,” she replied. “Have you eaten?”
He nodded. “I let the guys out early and had my lunch in my office,” he replied.
“Why didn’t you call me?” she asked. “I would have joined you.”
He smiled. “I figured I’d wait until I saw everyone having lunch before I decided to bug you,” he replied.
“You never bug me,” she said.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her to his side as she finished her lunch.
“So, how’s your day been?” he asked.
She nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Shooting seems to be on schedule.”
“That’s good,” he said. “You think you might get out in time for dinner?”
Tara smiled and turned to look at him. “Do you have something in mind?” she asked.
He smiled and ducked his head in shyness. Tara smiled as she snuggled closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He laughed as he rubbed her arm lightly.
“Randy’s gonna be at his mom’s tonight,” he commented. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go to dinner.”
Tara’s smile brightened. “Really?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Yes,” he said. “But only if you want to of course.”
“I’d love to,” Tara replied quickly.
He looked up at her and smiled slightly. She watched his expression and giggled before leaning in to kiss his lips lightly. They pulled back and looked at each other for a minute. Tara smiled once again before smiling and leaning in to kiss his lips again, this time the kiss lasted a little longer.
Tara groaned lightly as she broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against his and they both smiled at each other before Tara went back to eating. Tara finished her lunch as Justin told her about the weekend he spent with Randy and Trace.
After about a half hour more, it was time for Tara to get back to work. She had to get her scenes done today if she wanted to have dinner with Justin. She finished off her water before standing up along with Justin. She leaned in and kissed his lips lightly once more.
“I’ll call you when I know what time we’re done,” she said.
He nodded. “Have a good rest of the day.”
She smiled. “You too.”
She made her way towards where the trailers were so she could freshen up for her next scene. Justin watched her walk away, smiling to himself.
-*-
The rest of Tara’s day went smoothly, she was able to get what she needed to done and Jackson let her go for the night. She texted Justin on the way back to the bungalow with Hannah and told him she would be available for dinner. He texted her back and told her to be ready by six and he would pick her up.
She took a shower and got ready for her next date with Justin. Tara was excited to actually spend some alone time with him. Since they had started seeing each other, Randy was usually by his side, not that Tara minded him there but it was nice to be with Justin without any interruptions.
Justin had told her they were going to a nice place so to dress in something that wasn’t jeans. She put in a black knee-length skirt, and a red form-fitting shirt. She curled her hair and left it down, and slipped on some black flats to complete the outfit. She was putting on her make up when there was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Come in,” Tara replied as she looked up from her spot on the bed.
The door opened and Hannah poked her head inside, spotting her on the bed and walked the rest of the way in.
“Going out again?” she asked.
Tara nodded. “Justin’s taking me to some Italian place outside of town,” she replied.
“Randy going too?” Hannah asked.
Tara shook her head. “No, he’s at his mom’s for a few days,” she said.
Hannah nodded and before she could say anything else, Tara spoke up again.
“I’ll be careful,” Tara replied.
Hannah pushed her lips into a straight line and stayed quiet.
“Trace coming over?” Tara asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Not if I can help it,” Hannah mumbled rolling her eyes.
Tara laughed. “He really likes you,” she said. “You should give him a chance.”
“I’m good,” Hannah replied. “Call me if you need anything please?”
Tara nodded. Hannah left the room and Tara finished getting ready. A few minutes later she heard Justin’s truck rumbling up the road and smiled before grabbing her jacket, and purse and walking out of her room. Hannah was typing away on her lap top again when Tara walked out and she laughed.
“Hannah, you’re off the clock,” Tara replied. “Take a break, will you?”
Hannah looked up from the computer and smiled at her before going back to typing.
“Markus has some things he wants me to go over with you,” Hannah said. “We can do it tomorrow though.”
Tara nodded. She looked out the front window and saw Justin’s truck stop in front of her bungalow and he got out, making his way towards the front door. He was dressed in nice black slacks, and a dark blue long sleeved dress shirt. She smiled and walked to the door opening it before he had a chance to knock. He saw her face come into view from behind the door and smiled.
“Hi,” he said smiling shyly. “You look great,”
Tara smiled. “Thanks,” she replied. “You look nice yourself.”
He smiled. Tara stuck on her sweater, as Justin walked behind her quickly to help her. She smiled at him before turning back to Hannah who was pretending to ignore them.
“I’ll see you later Hannah,” Tara called.
Hannah looked up at them and smiled. “Have a good night,” she said.
She went back to typing as Justin held his arm out for Tara to make her way out of the bungalow first. She walked out and made her way down the steps of the bungalow with Justin following behind her. He rushed to the passenger door and opened it for her, she smiled and got inside. He closed the door with a smile before rushing toward the driver’s side and got in quickly.
-*-
They chatted easily on the way to the restaurant, never a silent awkward moment between them. They reached the small Italian place, and Justin held the door open for her as she got out and smiled. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and he had his around her shoulder as they made their way towards the small restaurant.
They got a small booth in the back of the restaurant; the waitress took their drink order and then left them alone.
Tara took a look around the small restaurant then looked back at Justin who was rubbing the back of his neck, and noticed that he was bouncing his leg quickly. She smiled and reached across the table, reaching for his other hand that was sitting on the table.
“Justin,” she said quietly, waiting for him to look at her.
He looked up at her, his leg stopped moving and he sat up straight.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He sighed; letting out a breath he had been holding and closed his eyes, running his hand over his forehead wiping off the sweat that was starting to glisten there.
“I’m sorry,” he explained. “I haven’t been on a date since…”
Tara squeezed his hand reassuringly. “You’re fine,” she said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on a decent date too.”
“This probably isn’t what you’re used to either,” Justin sighed and bit his bottom lip.
“It’s great,” Tara replied. “You can’t go wrong with Italian food.”
Justin relaxed a little when Tara gave his hand a final squeeze before picking up her menu and started to look through the different items. The waitress came back with their drinks and took their dinner order before leaving them alone once again.
Tara got Justin to relax a little bit more and they continued their chatter all the way through dinner. They were laughing and talking about the night they had met in the bar in town, how Hannah had one too many Long Island Iced Teas and Renee was having the time of her life with Andrew.
During their conversation, Justin’s cell phone started to vibrate, and even though there was no music, Tara could hear the vibrations.
Justin pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. “It’s Randy,” he said.
Tara nodded. “Answer it,” she replied quickly.
Justin smiled at her, “I’ll be real quick,” he said.
Tara nodded and she took a drink of her wine that was almost done. Justin flipped his phone open,
“Hey buddy, shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked quietly into the phone.
Tara smiled as she listened to his side of the conversation as she finished her drink.
“Love you too buddy, go to sleep okay?” he asked. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Justin then laughed. “No, you can talk to her later this week when she comes over for dinner,” he explained.
Tara smiled at him and held her hand out for the phone. He sighed and handed it to her, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Its fine,” she whispered then pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hey buddy,” she said with a smile.
“Tara!” Randy’s voice rang out over the line.
Tara giggled. “How are you kiddo, I haven’t seen you in forever!” she said.
“I know!” Randy replied. “Are you coming to dinner this week?”
Tara smiled. “Sure I’ll come, but you gotta be good and do everything your Dad says okay?” she asked.
“Okay, I have to go now,” Randy said.
Tara laughed. “Okay, good night Randy,” she said.
“Night!” he called before the phone hung up.
Tara smiled as she hung up his phone and handed it back to Justin.
“Sorry,” Justin said taking it back and putting it back into his pocket.
“Its fine,” she said with a smile. “How’s he been lately?”
“Good actually,” he replied. “No problems lately.”
Tara nodded. “That’s good,” she said. “Are you still thinking about taking him to see someone?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I’m going to have to talk to Susan about that.”
“It might help,” she encouraged.
She noticed he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so she quickly changed the subject and asked Justin more questions about his parents. She learned that his parents got divorced when he was young as well, and that Paul wasn’t his real father but his step father. His real father had remarried and had two sons with his new wife; they lived in the next town over.
They finished off their dinner and Justin insisted on paying, Tara agreed only if she could buy the next one. The drive on the way back to Tara’s was quiet; Tara watched the landscape pass by as she held Justin’s hand in her lap, running her fingers across his lightly.
They reached her bungalow some minutes later, and Justin stopped the truck at the front of her bungalow.
“I had a really good time,” Tara said as she turned and watched him.
Justin looked at her, “I hope everything was okay,” he said.
She nodded. “Of course, it was great,” she said. “I had a great time.”
Justin smiled. “I’m glad,” he said.
Tara noticed Andrew’s truck was parked outside of Renee’s bungalow and she gave a small giggle. Justin looked at her, then at where she was staring and saw Andrew’s truck.
“Someone’s getting close,” he commented then turned back to Tara.
Tara looked at him and smiled. “They’ve been hanging out pretty much every night since they met,” she said.
He chuckled. “That’s Andy,” he replied.
“Is Andrew really just a friend from high school?” Tara asked, she had noticed Randy’s strong bond with him, stronger then his bond with Trace.
Justin licked his lips before turning toward her, “He’s Susan’s brother,” he said.
“He must really hate me then,” Tara mumbled as she turned and looked at his truck once again.
Justin shook his head. “Susan and I tried as much as we could to save what we had,” he explained. “Andy knows that, he just wants us all to be happy.”
He noticed Tara still wasn’t looking at him and he leaned over, hooking his finger under her chin making her look at him.
“Tara,” he said quietly.
She looked up at him, but remained quiet. It wasn’t like her to be self-conscious, but something about Justin was different.
“You don’t have anything to worry about,” Justin replied. “This place is about respect and everyone respects everyone around here.”
Tara smiled at him. He laughed before he leaned in to kiss her lips lightly, his hand reaching up to hold her cheek so that the kiss lasted a little longer. Tara broke the kiss; her eyes opening and she smiled at him before wrapping her arms around him tightly and hugged him.
“I had a great time,” she whispered.
Justin smiled. “Me too,” he said.
“I should probably go though,” she replied. “I have another early morning tomorrow.”
Justin nodded in understanding. “I’ll see you sometime tomorrow,” he replied.
Tara smiled before leaning in to kiss his lips once more. She felt his hand leave her face and travel down her arm and moving to her waist. He held her waist lightly as he gently pulled her closer to him. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she leaned closer to him.
They broke the kiss when they heard a car door slam shut and they both looked toward Andrew’s truck as he started it up and took off. They both turned to each other and Justin chuckled as he leaned forward to kiss Tara’s forehead.
Tara sighed closing her eyes and then opened them again. “I should go,” she said again.
Justin nodded. Tara smiled as she wrapped her arms around him tightly as he did the same to her. She broke the hug and grabbed her purse before opening the door. Justin got out and walked around the side to hold the door open. Tara smiled and stepped out, Justin walked up with her to the front door where she turned and hugged him once more. She just couldn’t get enough of him.
“Get some sleep,” Justin whispered. “You’ve got a long day.”
Tara smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asked.
He nodded. She leaned up and kissed him once more before breaking the hug and walking towards the door. She opened it and turned to him smiling at him once more.
“Good night Justin,” She said.
“Night,” he replied.
She closed the door, and Justin turned making his way back to his car. Tara snuck a peek at him through the curtained window and watched him hop into his truck and take off.
“You’re back early,”
Tara jumped and gasped turning around quickly to see Hannah watching her from the doorway of her bedroom. She was dressed in sweats and a sweatshirt, her hair up in a ponytail and her reading glasses on her head.
“Geez Hannah,” Tara replied relaxing a little.
“Sorry,” she replied.
“I have an early day tomorrow,” Tara said as she locked the front door and then made her way toward her bedroom. “Night.”
“Good night,” Hannah replied.
Tara walked into her bedroom and kicked off her flats; she took off her clothes and put on some comfy pajamas before climbing into bed. Her phone vibrated when she was putting it on the charger and she looked at it, already knowing who it could be.
“I had a great time tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t get any lunch :)”
Tara smiled and wrote him back good-night before getting under her covers and getting comfortable. She closed her eyes, the night replaying in her mind as she slept.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Better late then never right? I know I said I would have this chapter out during Spring Break but time got away from me. I'm sorry :( I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway and it's a long one :) Thanks to everyone who had read and reviewed I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Also I've been nominated at the NF.net Awards :) Yay! Anyway, thanks for continuing to read this story and please continue to let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
Kyle Chandler & Connie Britton: http://www.zap2it.com/media/photo/2007-06/30304611.jpg?title=Connie+Britton+and+Kyle+Chandler+of+'Friday+Night+Lights'
Comments? Questions? E-mail me at Spacey1141@hotmail.com
Comments? Questions? E-mail me at Spacey1141@hotmail.com
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