Cool air poured through the opened terrace doorway and into Natalie's large hotel room. It rushed across the room to blow onto her warm body and she sighed in delight. She had opened the only window in her room and the doors leading to the balcony to get some kind of breeze, because for some odd reason, her air conditioner wasn't working.
She held the phone closer to her ear as she moved toward the doorway and walked onto the balcony. She leaned her body against the railing, and stared out to look at the starry sky. "Lisa, I just don't know. It's all so confusing. I mean, I haven't been in a relationship since I was in high school and I don't know the first thing about romance, or men. Maybe he's just lonely and needs somebody to feel that empty spot that he gets when he's on tour. Maybe I'm just the first available female he came across. There's so many questions that I have."
Lisa laughed heartily at her friend’s accusations. "Natalie, you're too hard on yourself. Did you ever think that maybe this Justin guy genuinely likes you, no strings attached? You are a quite attractive woman, and you're bright, funny and sweet. People DO fall for people."
"Lisa, we kissed! I mean, not just kiss. I'm talking kiss."
"Have you talked about it?"
Natalie shrugged, sitting in the large lawn chair. "Not really. We were going to Lisa, but we ended up kissing again and... I don't really know what to say. I don't know what his motives are and it's driving me crazy. I need to know what he's feeling so I can plan my next move."
"I have a good idea." Lisa paused for effect and then gasped. "Why don't you ASK him if he likes you?"
"Lisa, you know it's not that easy. I mean, he's Justin Timberlake. I will feel like such a fool if he says he doesn't. Do you realize how many girls throw themselves at him day after day, concert after concert, appearance after appearance. I don't see WHY he would want to become involved with me when he could have basically any girl he chose. If you could just SEE the girls that I see, I think you'd understand."
"Yeah, Nat, and half the girls that 'throw themselves at him' are bimbos looking for hot sex with an extremely good looking, talented man. What's Justin's cell phone number? Maybe I should call him and have a little chat with him."
Natalie laughed, pushing up from the lawn chair and walking back into her room. "No, you're not going to do that."
"Do YOU like him, Natalie?"
Clutching her hands to her heart, Natalie fell back on the bed. "Goodness, yes, Lisa. He's such a sweetie pie, and he's SO easy to talk to, not to mention very easy on the eyes."
Lisa nodded. "Yep... I know that's true. I've seen him on quite a few magazines and yeah... Looks wise, I'd have to say there's nothing much I can complain about. You are a very lucky girl. He has some niiiiiiiiiiice lips."
"Lees! You aren't helping me here!"
"Sorry..." Lisa stopped for a couple seconds to think. "Here's what advice I can lend to you, Nati. Talk to him. Let him know how you feel. What's the worse that could happen? You know he must find you semi attractive if he's gone as far as to kiss you. Maybe there is something there that you don't see yet. You'll never know if you don't just give it a chance. Be spontaneous, girl! You deserve to have something good happen to you."
Natalie knew Lisa was undeniably correct. She did need to talk to Justin. A lot had happened in the past week that she knew she, nor Justin could ignore forever. She felt something for Justin, and in her dreams, he felt something for her. This was something she needed to know for herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Natalie rolled off the bed onto her feet and quickly scampered across the floor to the door. She swung it open but found that nobody was there. She poked her head out and saw that nobody was in the hallway and shrugged, walking back into her room. "That was weird. Somebody knocked on my door and when I went to answer it, there was nobody there."
"It was probably just teenyboppers looking for Justin. You know how they are. They don't care whose business they're interrupting as long as they get a glimpse of the guys."
"Yeah..."
“So, What conclusion have you come to?"
"I'm going to talk to him Lisa. You're completely right. I guess I'm a pretty good-looking girl, and maybe he really does feel something for me."
"Good, Nat. Hopefully something good will come out of this. You desperately need a boyfriend."
"Yeah, I know I d----" Another loud knock vibrated through the room and Natalie groaned, stomping toward the doorway. "Hold on a second Lisa. I'm going to take care of this." She threw the door open, and immediately pointed her finger. "Listen, I don't know who you think you are running around knocking on people's doors at this time of night, but it's really ignorant and annoying, so if you'd please just----" She finally looked up and froze when she saw Justin looking at her like she'd gone crazy. "Oh...." She blushed. "Hi, Justin."
"Hi, Natalie.... I'm sorry about that..."
Natalie pulled the phone back to her ear. "Lisa, I'll call you back. Bye." She clicked it off and turned, throwing it on her bed before looking back at Justin. "What did you need?"
"I kind of have an important question."
"All right... Go ahead and ask."
"Well.... You don't have to say yes if you don't want to... But since we're in my hometown, I was thinking about going to visit my parents. All the other guys are going to visit family since we have the day off, and I couldn't help but remember that YOU don't live in Orlando. So, I thought, maybe you'd like to join me while I go visit my parents?"
"Justin, that is SO sweet of you to offer, but I would feel like I was intruding. You hardly ever get to see your family and I would feel really bad."
"I know, but my mom LOVES meeting new people and so do the boys. They’re really friendly and I promise they won’t bite..”
Natalie scrunched her nose. "I don't even know them....."
And then, Justin gave her the eyes he knew she wouldn't be able to resist. "Pretty please, Nat? We'd have fun. I know we would. And there's plenty of room."
"Justin.... Stop doing those eyes... You're too cute for your own good. It's going to get you in trouble. You know that?"
"Please?"
She knew she'd never be able to resist, so she threw her hands in the air. "Fine, Justin. I give in. I'll go with you, but I'm going to feel really stupid."
"Don't feel uncomfortable. My family is just like any other family."
"But, don't you want to spend time with your family and not have to worry about me?"
"Don't worry about anything, Natalie. Just pack your clothes because I'm leaving right after the practice."
"Justin, it's like five now. We won't be getting there until late."
He laughed, nodding his head. "You catch on really quick, Natalie. I told my mom I'd be coming, so she's waiting for me. I'll be back in 30 minutes to get you. Be ready." He winked, before exiting the room.
Natalie growled, turning to look at her room. It wasn't really messy, but it needed some work and she knew she wouldn't be ready within half an hour. She stomped her foot, deciding where to start, and she lazily walked over and threw everything off the bed, before pulling the blanket from the mess and spreading it back onto the bed.
She screamed when she heard a knock and ran over to the door, opening it. "WHAT!"
Laura stepped back, smiling a little. "Someone's a little moody. What's up home fry?"
Natalie walked away from Laura, assuming she'd follow her anyways. "Nothing. I'm getting ready to leave."
"Interesting. Where are you going?"
Natalie got onto her knees and began sloppily throwing things into her suitcase. "No where that involves you."
"Come on!" Laura picked up a sock and threw it toward her. "Tell me."
"It's none of your business, Laura. Wade really needs to teach you better manners. Nagging me is not going to convince me to tell you." She sat on her suitcase, zipping it around her.
Laura rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm asking you top secret information. I was just wondering where you were going. That's all."
"Well, it's none of your business, like I said and I'd appreciate it if you'd---"
"Knock, knock." Justin's voice sounded as he cracked the door and poked his head through.
Laura's eyes widened and she looked at Natalie who was now blushing. "Oh lord. Please don't even tell me..."
"Do you want to just put your things in my room? It'll be easier for Randy to get our stuff."
Natalie smiled, jumping off her suitcase and grabbing the handle, before giving the room the once over. "I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to get."
Laura put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side. "Where do you two think you're going?"
Justin jingled his keys in his pocket as Natalie drug her suitcase across the floor. "Not that it should matter to you, but Natalie is coming with me to see my parents."
Laura's eyes got even larger than they'd been before. "You're taking her to meet your parents?"
"It's not like that, Laura. I'm just taking her, AS A FRIEND, to meet my parents and hang out with me for the day. Is there something the matter with two people hanging out for a day?"
"No." She shook her head. "You two confuse me."
Justin grabbed Natalie's suitcase from her and grinned. "You're so weak."
"And you're just macho man because you can lift my suitcase. Remind you to bow down to you later."
Justin winked, playfully. "Oh, you will be."
Knowing full well that Justin was trying to trick Laura, Natalie played along and licked her lips. "Shhhh..." She took her finger and traced the outline of his lips. “There are extra ears in the room.”
Justin closed his eyes for one tiny second; not knowing the tiniest gesture from Natalie would cause butterflies to release all throughout his stomach. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. "Yeah. I forgot about Laura." He turned toward Laura and waved at her shocked self. "Bye Laura. We'll see you at the practice."
Natalie waved also. "Bye Laur. Behave."
She lifted a hand and said "bye" quietly. She watched the two walk out of the room and as soon as they disappeared she began jumping around squealing. She couldn't wait to tell Jc of her accomplishment.
Wade clapped his hands together loudly, and the guys all looked up at him. "All right guys, that was awesome. I have a feeling this performance will go well. Orlando is going to be shocked."
Laura grabbed Wade's arm and smiled. "Can we go yet?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah, gimme just a minute to get my stuff together."
Laura nodded, effortlessly throwing her hair into a ponytail. "Kay, but hurry! I don't want to miss anything!"
Wade grabbed a couple things and threw them into his book bag and then threw it in a corner. "I'll get this when we come back." He stopped Jc when he walked past and patted his shoulder. "You did really well on those last two numbers."
Jc nodded his head in appreciation of the compliment. "Thanks, dude. You guys have fun on your little Orlando sight seeing expedition. I think we should put what we did today in the normal concert performance instead of just doing it for Orlando. Are y'all taking one of the guys with you?"
Laura lifted an eyebrow. "What guys?"
"Security, incase something happens."
Wade shook his head. "Nah, we don't need anyone. If someone tries to start something, I'm sure Laura will end it."
Jc bit down on his lip, but shook his head. "I'd really rather y'all take someone. I'm pretty sure that nobody would actually do anything much if they saw you, but I'd feel a lot better if you had someone with you. I'm sure Mo would be glad to take you."
"Thanks, Jc, but no thanks. We'll be fine. Besides, he's..... WADE. Who's going to try to maul him?"
"Laura, this is for your own good. You're both on the Nsync tour and things happen. I'd feel more comfortable if Mo went with you."
The large black man in the corner nodded his head toward them, and Laura groaned. "This isn't fair. I thought it was just going to be us. How come Natalie doesn't have to take security with her?"
"Because SHE'S not walking around with our choreographer. Although you may not realize this, Wade IS becoming extremely popular. If I'm not mistaken, he's actually been featured in a few teenybopper magazines."
"All we're doing is taking a little walk around town to see what they have to offer! We're not in an extremely populated place, and I doubt anyone is going to recognize him. Besides, you should be giving NATALIE this speech. She's the one taking off with Justin."
"Laura, he already told me that he's taking Natalie to meet his parents and there's nothing the matter with that. Friends take friends to meet their parents everyday. In fact, do you two want to come meet my mom? She's a real swell gal, and---"
"Shut up, Jock." Laura interrupted, and turned toward Wade. "We might as well just go. I guess we're stuck taking Larry with us."
"It's Mo, Laura. Mo."
She rolled her eyes, walking past the large black man who immediately began following them, nodding at Jock. "Whatever."
Mo chuckled as Laura opened the door and purposely tried to close it before he could go through. He shook his head and pushed on it, causing an upset Laura to stomp ahead.
Wade turned around and gave Mo a sympathetic look. "Sorry about her. She gets a little pissy sometimes... You know how girls are."
He nodded, smiling. "I have a daughter of my own. I understand."
Wade jogged up to meet with Laura when they all got to the small park that wasn't far away at all from where the guys were practicing, who was already pretty far ahead of them. "Lo, wait up."
She stopped and turned, waiting for him to catch up.Mo continued to walk far behind them, giving them their privacy. "What?"
"Laura, you're being childish. He's coming with us because of orders, not because he wants to watch us. He's just trying to protect us."
"I know, Wade."
"I don't understand why you're getting so worked up about this."
"I'm not getting worked up."
"You're being really snobby, and I don't like it, Laura. Tell me what's bothering you." Wade demanded, his eyes piercing into her dark soulful blue ones.
Laura rolled her eyes, and began walking quickly again. This time, though, Wade kept up. "Laura, what is your problem? I want to know!"
She turned to look at him, but shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, Wade. You couldn't understand. Not from my point of view."
"Why? How come you don't tell me anything anymore? Do you not trust me?"
Laura stopped to lean against the wall of the bridge they were now walking across. "I do trust you Wade. I just don't want to offend you or anything."
"How would I be offended by something that upsets you? I want to know things like that so I can try and make a right to them. I want to help you with things you are uncomfortable with, Lo."
"Fine.. You want to know why I'm upset?" She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and threw her hands at her side. "Wade, it upsets me that it's gone this far that we have to have a BODYGUARD with us when we go places! I'm glad that your dreams are finally coming true, and you're doing what you love, but I never thought it would come to this!"
"Laura--"
"No! Let me finish. I don't want you to think I'm a baby, and I know that we don't really do private things that I would care about someone seeing, but I don't want some dude I don't even know watching my every move! That's just not me, Wade. You know that. It's just.. I don't know why anybody would want to attack you! You're...... UGH!"
Wade began laughing as Laura paced back and forth. "You're over reacting."
"I am not." Laura pouted.
Wade pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry about anything, Laura. Just concentrate on the fact that we are going to have tons of fun today, okay? We haven't gotten to do much together for a long time, and we're finally able to spend time together. Don't ruin it by being upset, okay?"
Laura nuzzled her head against Wade's chest. "I'm sorry, Wadey. I know I get all worked up about stupid stuff, but I'm a girl... and I'm really independent, ya know? I hate having people having to take care of me."
Wade pulled away from her and took her hand. "I know what you're saying Laura. You seem to forget I've known you as long as you've known yourself."
Laura's eyes roamed the scene in front of them and she squealed when she saw a magic show set up. "Wade, look! Magic!"
Wade rolled his eyes. "And the child in her comes out..."
She excitedly pulled him toward the small crowd of people that were surrounded by a magician who held a black hat in his hands. "Oh my gosh! I think he's going to pull a rabbit out of his hat!"
The two watched as the man said some magic words and pulled a small white rabbit from his hat, with resulted in many oo's, ahh's from the crowd and then loud clapping.
Laura looked up at Wade and tugged at his arm. "Wasn't that awesome, Wade? Did you see that? Out of nowhere, he pulled a rabbit from his hat! It was empty before he pulled it out, I even saw it! How did he do that? That's so cool!"
Wade shrugged, giving her an unimpressed look. "I know some magic..."
"Wade!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "I'm talking about real magic! I don't care if you can 'read my mind' and tell me what number I'm thinking of!"
Wade folded his arms and pretended to ignore her as the magician set up for another trick. "Are you ready to eat yet, since we haven't really had dinner?"
Laura shrugged. "I guess. It's really up to you."
The magician began pulling different colored scarves from his hat and held them in the air for the audience to see. They all began applauding at the trick, including Laura. She noticed the solemn look on Wade's face and hit his shoulder.
"What's with you?"
He turned to look down at her and lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean what's with me? Nothing is with me."
"You don't seem like you're enjoying this. Don't you like magic?"
Wade nodded his head. "It isn't real. If magic were real, I'd have everything I want right now."
Laura didn't miss the sad, emptiness in his voice, but she chose to ignore it and she reached over to grab his hand. "Magic doesn't seem real unless you believe in it, Wade." She noticed his unflinching stance and sighed. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat. I think there's a small place around here."
Wade turned and looked stretched his neck to look over the heads of people. "Do you know where Mo is?"
Laura shrugged, standing on her tiptoes to attempt at finding him. "I have no clue, but I'm sure he's around here somewhere and he'll follow us. His job is to be discreet but close enough so that he can help us if anything happens, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
Laura tightened her grip on Wade's hand and she tugged on it as she began walking away. "Let's go, I'm hungry."
Wade sighed, following behind her. She was always surprising him with things she said and did, and it was his turn to surprise her, but he just wasn't if he had the guts to do it.
lauras_fiction@hotmail.com