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Almost Doesn't Count by amk16
Number of reviews: 131
Print:  Chapter or Story
More than ever, my new nickname had become known by everybody in the building. It was actually kinda’ nice to have everyone acknowledge my presence, or at least my moniker. For once since I’d become a Jive employee, I wasn’t just ‘Britney’s assistant’. It was also the first time that I knew about something going on and Britney was left out of it.
There was only one thing that marred my new found delight. Justin and I hadn’t spoken since our last encounter in Johnny’s office. He had to fly out to Virginia to finish his solo project. This was fine with me, considering the fact that I didn’t really know why I was avoiding him. I knew that it would only be awkward when we saw each other again, but I didn’t have to think about that for another week.
Britney was back to her regiment of photo shoots, interviews and mocha breaks, which meant that I was back to keeping a strict schedule for both of us. Ignoring Terry at the front desk, I headed straight for my office: BIG MISTAKE.
Spending the last few says bumming around with Brit had caused for messages, invoices and paperwork to pile on my already unruly desk. I couldn’t help but sigh. I needed a vacation from vacation to get my mind back in work mode. That obviously wasn’t happening. I shrugged off my jacket and placed it on the back of my chair. I was startled when it was thrown back at me and the chair swiveled around.
“Did you miss me?” Justin looked at me with a cocky smile that lit up his whole face.
Any other time, my face may have mirrored his upon the sudden intrusion, but at the moment, I didn’t share his amusement.
I mumbled a few incoherent words before I took a breath and regrouped my thoughts. “What are you doing here?” I realized how cold that must have sounded, so I quickly tried to cover my evident discomfort. “I thought you were in V.A.”
“Nice retraction. I was only finishing some tracks. I’m really proud of this album; it came a long way, and it was definitely worth all the work. Now I’m just waiting for The Suits to approve.”
There was a kind of awkward silence that we weren’t used to. I milled around in one corner in my room, trying to avoid him. For 15 minutes, things stayed pretty much the same: He’d ask a question and I would answer nonchalantly, as if there was nothing odd about my behavior. I kept my back to him and he began to get frustrated.
“You look good, Kitten.”
“Thanks.” I had no other reaction to give him besides a cold pleasantry- not even a flinch at that evil nickname. He fell silent at the failed attempt, only our breathing audible in the tiny room.
I could hear the tension in his voice when he finally spoke again. “I should probably get going. By the way, these are for you.” I heard the clank of something hard being placed on my desk. He moved towards the door, ready to leave out without a fight. I should have let him go- shoulda' known that things always backfire when I intervene, but he was clearly annoyed with my behavior, and just a little upset.
“Thanks,” I offered, not sure what to say. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know. I thought you might need something to brighten up your um-is this your office?”
There was a little self-satisfied smile resting on his face. I still hadn’t turned to face him, but I could hear it in his voice. At least he was a little more comfortable. I continued to search for some non-existent file, but I could hear his every movement. He stood up and was now standing very close to me, I could feel it.
“Listen, I’m sorry, okay, but would you at least look at me?”
Not bothering to brush my hair out of my face, I simply stared at the activity of my busy fingers. “I’m not the one you should be saying sorry to.”
“You act like I just ran over your puppy. You just said I don’t need to apologize to you, so what’s the deal?”
“She’s my best friend, Justin. She’s a person, she has feelings, and you stomped on them with some of the things that you said. I understand that you were hurting, but that didn’t give you the permission to treat her like shit.”
“I know.” He sighed and ran his hand over his head. “Dammit, I know I need to talk to her, I just don’t know how to make things right.”
Though I still kept my distance, I softened a little. If you’d seen the look on his face, you would have taken pity on the poor guy, too. He was lost.
“Don’t try to make things as good as new, just be sincere,” I advised.
This is supposed to be the part where we hug and admit how much we missed talking to each other. Hello people, this isn’t a fairy tale or a Disney movie! Real life we're talking about. Get with the program, people. We both had schedules to keep; Johnny and ‘The Suits’ were waiting for him and I was supposed to meet Britney in 5 minutes.
We said our quick goodbyes and promised to call one another as Justin reached the door. The handle twisted and that annoying little squeaky noise reverberated off of the lackluster brass. Unfortunately, Justin had yet to touch it.
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