Standback: look at me. I'm going to count until 10, before I get to 10 you'll be asleep.
MARIAM WOKE UP TO THE EXQUISITE SMELL OF COLOMBIAN COFFEE
Natalia: wake up ho
IT TOOK MARIAM A FEW MINUTES TO RECOGNIZE HER OLD ROOM. CLEARLY IT HAD WORKED BECAUSE SOMEHOW SHE OR AT LEAST HER MIND WAS BACK IN 2004. THE YEAR WHERE SHE WAS NATALIA'S ROOMATE, JUSTIN'S GIRFRIEND, WELL NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND YET, MORE LIKE FRIEND WITH BENEFITS. IT FELT WEIRD TO BE BACK. IT WAS JUST THE WEIRDEST THING SHE HAD EVER EXPERIENCED.
Natalia: I made coffee
Mariam: thanks bitch. what day is today?
Natalia: February 7th
Mariam: is 2004 right?
Natalia: Are you ok?
Mariam: my head hurts
Natalia: of course it hurts. You drank a little too much last night
Mariam: why?
Natalia: wow. The alcohol really did some damage on that brain of yours. Hello!! You graduated yesterday and out of all the interns in Jive Records you got the job as Assistant of Promotions
Mariam: oh yeah
Natalia: pooky we are gonna be working together!! Yay!!
Mariam: you are jive's publicist. You work on the 6th floor, I work on the 4th
Natalia: hold on, I'm gonna go see if my waffles are ready
Mariam: ok
SHE GOT OUT OF BED AND WALKED AROUND THE ROOM. SHE REMEMBERED EVERYTHING, SHE REMEMBERED BEING THERE IN HER ROOM THE MORNING AFTER HER COLLEGE GRADUATION.
Natalia: anyway, your man called but I didn't pick up the phone. Who told his ass he could call here so early in the freaking morning.
Mariam: he is not my man
Natalia: sure. Just friends who like to fuck once in a while
Mariam: we don't do that
Natalia: why not?
Mariam: because not all of us are horny 24-7 like you
Natalia: who are you kidding? we are talking about you and Justin, you two are the biggest freaks on this planet. All you do is tease each other.
Mariam: we are just having a good time, that's all. Nothing serious, no commitment, no strings attached.
Natalia: you might as well just make it official because the only thing you two don't do is call each other boyfriend and girlfriend
FROM MARIAM'S ROOM THE GIRLS HEARD A KEY AND THE DOOR OPENED
Natalia: who the hell has a key to the apartment?????
NATALIA GOT UP FROM THE BED AND MARIAM FOLLOWED HER. SHE WAS WEARING HER PJ's AND DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO CHANGE.THE FIRST PERSON SHE SAW WHEN SHE CAME OUT OF HER ROOM WAS JUSTIN. SHE ALMOST PUSHED NATALIA OUT OF THE WAY AND WALKED TO WHERE HE WAS
Mariam: Justin
Justin: hey beautiful
WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING ELSE THEY STARTED KISSING
Natalia: yeah sure. Count money in front of poor people and who the hell gave you a key to my apartment???
Mariam: I did.
Natalia: great, just fucking great
Dominick: oh don't worry because he gave her a key to our apartment too
Natalia: so now no strings attached means giving the key to the apartment. you two make me sick!!
Dominick: I think you are just jealous cause you don't have a man
Natalia: and I think you should shut your mouth
Dominick: somebody needs to get laid
Natalia: look who is talking, the only guy in the planet who hasn't gotten laid in a year. What! That tasha girl doesn't do it for you?
Dominick: we just started dating idiot and where did you hear that?
Natalia: I heard you telling Justin how desperate you are!! like that's new!!
Dominick: man, I told you not to be so damn loud!!!!!!
Natalia: oh please like the whole world doesn't already know how desperate you are!
Even mosquitoes know sweetheart
Dominick: I'm not surprised you just said that, after all you are the world's biggest bitch. No wonder you don't have a man!
Natalia: I'm gonna kick your ass egghead!
Dominick: I do not have an egghead!!!!!!!!
Mariam: can you two just shut up?!?
Justin: I know this is how you two show your love for each other but is kind of early to start fighting
Mariam: yeah wait at least until noon
Dominick: whatever
Natalia: so what are you guys doing here so early?
Justin: I was on my way to Jive and decide to stop by first and DJ had nothing better to do
Natalia: well I'm gonna go take a shower
Mariam: why don't you invite DJ
Natalia: please he wouldn't know what to do
BOTH GIRLS LAUGHED AND JUSTIN JUST SMILED. DOMINICK AND NATALIA HAD THE STRANGEST RELATIONSHIP IN THE WORLD. JT, DJ AND NATA HAD BEEN FRIENDS SINCE THEY WERE LITTLE KIDS AND MARIAM HAD RECENTLY COME INTO THE PICTURE ABOUT A YEAR AGO. AT FIRST IT WAS HARD FOR HER TO UNDERSTAND WHY IF THEY WERE THE BEST OF FRIENDS, DJ AND NATA STILL YELL AND MADE FUN OF EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME. JUSTIN TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY THAT THEY HAD BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE THE FIRST DAY THEY'VE MET AND NOW IT WAS OBVIOUS TO HER THAT THEY JUST WANTED EACH OTHER.
DOMINICK WAS ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING TO NATA WHEN HIS CELL PHONE STARTING RINGING
Dominick: hello?
Tasha: hey
Dominick: oh hi gorgeous. What's up?
Tasha: I'm bored. Are you coming??
Dominick: ok. I'll be there in 20 minutes
Tasha: ok. Bye
Dominick: ok so I'll see you guys later, I'm going to tasha's.
Justin: alright man
Mariam: bye sweetie. Hey maybe she'll invite you to take a shower with her
Dominick: I'm not there yet but give me a couple of days
Natalia: don't give yourself credit Johnson, she is probably calling you to babysit her dog
Dominick: you are just jealous cause she is a real woman
Natalia: a real whore you mean
Dominick: go to hell nata
Natalia: after you Johnson, after you
AFTER MARIAM TELLING THEM BOTH TO SHUT UP AND GO TO HELL, NATALIA WENT TO TAKE A SHOWER AND DOMINICK LEFT TO GO TO HIS LITTLE GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE
Justin: finally alone. Come here
MARIAM SAT NEXT TO HIM AND PUT HER HEAD ON HIS SHOULDER
Justin: remember how I told you I might be working with Faith Hill and Christina Aguilera?
Mariam: yeah I remember
OF COURSE SHE KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO SAY NEXT BUT SHE HAD TO PRETEND LIKE EVERY EXPERIENCE WAS NEW TO HER EVEN THOUGH SHE ALREADY LIVED ALL OF THAT. EVERYTHING WAS DÉJÀ VU AFTER DÉJÀ VU. IT WAS SIMPLY WEIRD BUT IN A GOOD WAY.
Justin: well Barry told me yesterday afternoon that I'll be producing Aguilera's entire new album and writing a few songs for Hill
Mariam: JT that is so great. How can you didn't tell me last night?
Justin: last night was your night, I didn't want to interrupt you while you were drinking every tequila bottle in the club and dancing with every male in the club
Mariam: was Mr. Randall jealous??
Justin: me jealous? I was dancing with every female in the club didn't even remember you were there.
Mariam: you suck!!!!
Justin: no sweetheart that's your job
Mariam: I told you already I don't do that
Justin: why not?
MARIAM SMILED AND GAVE HIM A QUICK KISS BEFORE GETTING UP FROM THE COUCH
Mariam: no comments
Natalia: yes please leave it at no comments, my ears don't wanna hear it
Mariam: oh hey
Justin: well I'm gonna go now. I'll call you later maybe we can go somewhere
Mariam: ok. Bye
Natalia: bye Timberlake
Justin: bye beautifuls
A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER JUSTIN CALLED MARIAM AND TOLD HER HE WAS ON HIS WAY WITH SOME MOVIES AND PIZZAS
Mariam: Justin is coming with pizza and movies
Natalia: good cause I'm hungry and bored
Mariam: call DJ and tell him to get his ass here, I'll be right back
Natalia: where are you going?
Mariam: to Pepe's market. I wanna get some mangos.
Natalia: ok
Mariam: and Nata?
Natalia: yes?
Mariam: if she answers, be nice! It's not Tasha's fault you are in love with DJ
Natalia: bite me Mariam!
MARIAM LAUGHED AND CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND HER
Tasha: hello?
Natalia: may I speak to DJ please?
Tasha: who is this?
LUCKILY FOR NATALIA, TASHA DIDN'T KNOW HER OR HER VOICE. MARIAM AND JUSTIN HAD MET HER AND GONE PLACES WITH DOMINICK AND TASHA BUT FOR SOME REASON NATALIA ALWAYS CAME UP WITH AN EXCUSE OR A REASON NOT TO GO WITH THEM SO SHE HAD NEVER MET DOMINICK'S LITTLE GIRLFRIEND
Natalia: is dominick's wife!!
Tasha: what???!!! Excuse me??!!
Natalia: chill out sweetie. It's just me, Natalia
Tasha: oh it's the friend I haven't met
Natalia: that's me
Tasha: hold on
Dominick: hello?
Natalia: hey egghead. Mariam was wondering if you are coming because Justin is on his way with some pizzas and movies
Dominick: hey that wife joke wasn't funny. Tasha almost had a heart attack
Natalia: maybe I should meet this girlfriend of yours, somebody needs to tell her that you aren't man enough to keep two women at the same time
Dominick: fuck you
Natalia: so are you coming?
Dominick: yeah
Natalia: is your girlfriend coming?
Dominick: no. she has to work in like 2 hours
Natalia: ok.
PEPE'S MARKET WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING WHERE MARIAM AND NATALIA LIVED. IT WAS A CUTE LITTLE LATIN STORE WHERE ONE COULD FIND THE MOST EXOTIC AND RARE FRUITS. SO IF ONE WANTED ANY TYPE OF FRUIT, THAT WAS IN ONLY PLACE IN L.A TO GO TO. PEPE WAS THE OWNER OF THE LITTLE STORE AND AN OLD, SWEET AND ADORABLE OLD GUY WHO LOVED MARIAM LIKE A GRANDDAUGHTER . BEING BACK IN 2004 REMINDED HER OF A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES AND HE WAS ONE OF THEM. UNFORTUNATELY HE HAD DIED A YEAR BEFORE JUSTIN AND HER GOT MARRIED SO SEEING HIM NOW WAS GOING TO BE GREAT.
Pepe: good morning beautiful Mariam, how are you doing?
Mariam: hi Pepe. It's good to see you. I haven't seen you in a long time
Pepe: what are you talking about child? You saw me yesterday
Mariam: right. sorry
Pepe: are you ok?
Mariam: yeah, don't worry. I guess I'm still hang over from last night
Pepe: oh you went partying with that boyfriend of yours
Mariam: he is not my boyfriend Pepe
MARIAM SMILED. SHE REMEMBERED HOW MUCH PEPE LIKED JUSTIN. BEFORE ANYBODY WOULD SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THEM TOGETHER, PEPE ALREADY HAD IN MIND THE IDEA OF JUSTIN AND MARIAM GETTING MARRIED
Pepe: he is a nice boy Mariam, I bet you two are gonna end up getting married
Mariam: well right now we are just friends and I gotta go, I just came to see you and buy some of these mangos
MARIAM GRABBED THE MANGOS AND WENT TO PAY FOR THEM
Pepe: don't worry about that dear
Mariam: but
Pepe: bye dear
Mariam: bye pepe
BY THE TIME SHE GOT TO THE APARTMENT, JUSTIN, DOMINICK AND NATALIA WERE ALREADY EATING AND SETTING UP THE DVD PLAYER TO WATCH A MOVIE
Natalia: so guess where you guys are going next weekend
Mariam: where?
Dominick: tasha's parents own a house in Coral Gables in Miami
Mariam: that's nice
Justin: unfortunately miss excuses here can't go
Mariam: why not?
Natalia: because Barry wants me to do some things in new york so I have to go
Mariam: no. this time you are gonna go with us
Natalia: but
Mariam: Barry would never put anybody to work on the weekends so that excuse it's not believable
Justin: oh come on you have to come. I mean eventually you have to meet your competition
Natalia: my competition?
Mariam: yep. The one that will take away Dominick from you if you don't move fast
Natalia: shut up
Dominick: anyway are you coming?
Natalia: I guess so
Mariam: don't be jealous. I'll help you bring her down
Natalia: fuck you
NATALIA GOT UP FROM THE SOFA TO GO TO HER ROOM AND DJ TRIED TO STOP HER
Natalia: get your hands off me egghead
Mariam: don't worry about her. She'll be fine once she thinks of new ways to make your life miserable
Dominick: great. I'm gonna go talk to her
MARIAM GOT UP FROM WHERE SHE WAS SEATING AND SAT ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF JUSTIN
Mariam: this is gonna be a great weekend
Justin: I hope so because with these two and tasha I hope we don't have to call the police or something
Mariam: well I can tell you for sure that we are gonna have a blast, just from watching them
Justin: I know you love to start trouble but this weekend stay away
MARIAM TURNED AROUND TO FACE JUSTIN AND GOT CLOSER TO HIM
Mariam: it wouldn't be any fun if I stay away
