Chapter Eight

"But, Shorty...everyone is busy. Denise is at a doctors apointment, my friends all have something to do, and the guys are all busy. You're the only person that I can come bug."

Whitney sighed, and walked into her kitchen. "Justin, I'm not your babysitter. I just wanted to relax today and take it easy, but here you are, and you brough along your whining. I don't need it Justin."

Justin held his hands up in the air and smirked. "Whoa, someone is pmsing bad."

Whitney turned around to face him, and raised her eyes in warning. "I'm warning you, Curly....shut up, I'm not in the mood."

He laughed, and plopped down on one of the stools that were in front of the counter. "So, what do you wanna do?"

Whitney sighed in frustration, and turned to look at him. "What the hell didn't you understand? I don't wanna go anywhere with your ass. I don't feel like hearing all the screams, recieving all the questions about if we're dating or not..or if I'm cheating on Jc. It just gets old."

Justin knew how she felt. When the press had found out about her relationship with Jc, they began to start rumors of her cheating on him with Justin. He knew that it would come along, but he wasn't going to stop doing things with his best friend, just because the press was nosey, and itching for a story to print.

Even though he cared about his career and the fans, his friends and family came first. Nothing would ever change that. That was one reason he didn't want to go public with his relationship with Denise. If he did, they would immediately start stuff saying that he was cheating on her with Whitney, and it would all cause another mess. If he could avoid his friends any pain, he was more than willing to do it.

"I know, but please, I'm begging you..if I don't go and do something, then I'm going to die from boredom."

She sighed and turned to stare at him. "Justin, no one has really died from boredom. I don't have to be your saving grace every time. There are times, believe it or not, I actually like having time to myself, and doing things that are totally mellow."

His lips formed an irresistable pout, and she turned away from him. Those lips of his were deadly, and they could change anyone's mind. She threw her hands up, and turned to look at him. "FINE! Just stop with the pout. I'll do something with you, but its gonna be low profiled. I don't want any huge crowds. I'm not in the mood, Timberlake."

He laughed, and wrapped her in a hug. "Shorty, you just saved me. Plus, I promise you...you'll be glad that you went with me."

She snickered and gave him a curious look. "What do you have planned, Justin?"

There was an evil tint in his eyes. "We're gonna have some fun today. Just sit back and let me lead the way."

Denise sighed as she walked out of the doctor's office. If there was one thing that she hated, it was going to appointments. All they did was poke around on you, and ask you questions that you sometimes didn't know. It was very tiring, and all she wanted to do now was go home, and lay in Justn's arms.

She reached her car, as her cell phone rang. She put the keys on her hood, and leaned against the car to answer it. "Hello, this is Denise."

"Hey, baby."

She smiled upon hearing his voice. "You know how to make any day better."

He chuckled lightly. "Well, I was calling to tell you that I won't be home when you go. I'm going to do something with Whitney, because I didn't think you'd feel like going anywhere."

Her spirits fell. She had been looking forward to just having some quiet time with him. "Ok, what time will you be home?"

"I honestly have no clue. But, I don't think it should be too late."

She sighed, and opened her car door. "I'll see you when you get there then."

He could notice that she was disappointed by her tone. "Denise...if you want me to come home.. I will. I just thought you might like some time to yourself so that you could..I dunno..its just that girls seem to like having time to theirselves."

Denise could hear Whitney and Justin shuffling around in the background, and she had to smile when her voice came through the line. "Hello, Denise..this is Whitney. You know that speach that Justin just gave about wanting time alone..explain to him that I want time alone, and for you to make him leave me alone." She could hear Justin arguing in the background, and Whitney immediately scolded him.

The next voice she heard belonged to Justin. "Now, forget everything that she just said, and be honest with me..do you want me to come to you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I think I do need some time to myself. Though, tell Whitney, I'm sorry..I'll help her out another time."

He laughed. "I"ll see you later, babe."

She clicked her phone off and started the car. Maybe Justin was right. Maybe she did need the time to herself. She certainly didn't get very much of it, and the more she thought about it, the more appealing a bubble bath and a nice long nap sounded.

Whitney groaned when she saw the place Justin pulled up to. There was a large crowd gathered outside, and she turned and gave him a curious look. "Why are all these reporters here?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and found a parking place. "I dunno, I guess that someone famous is here. Beats me."

She sighed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well..since of the crowd..lets go somewhere else."

"Whitney, we haven't been here in a long time, and besides I'm really hungry. Just smile, say no you're not screwing me, and life will go on and be peachy."

She laughed. "I'll never be screwing you white scrawny ass."

He stepped out of the car, and walked beside her. "Don't make me argue over the fact that my ass isn't boney." They reached the press, and the flashes from cameras went off all around them. People yelled questions at them, and all they did was smile.

"JUSTIN! OVER HERE!!" was repeated many times. Along with the question that many often wondered.

"JUSTIN, ARE YOU TWO DATING? DID SHE DUMP JC?"

Justin shook his head, and spoke up. "We're just friends..nothing more..she's with Jc."

They finally made it inside, and they took their seats. They both sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Whit, but I really like this place, and well I just thought it would bring back some memories..but I guess it didn't."

She touched his hand. "Justin, it's ok....I don't mind."

"It's times like this, when I wish I could go back to when things were normal...when I could actually go out in public, and not have to worry about someone thinking something that is totally false. It hurts so much..you don't know how much I yearn to be normal."

Whitney sighed. She knew how he felt. True, she wasn't a celebrity, but she knew the chaos that surrounded them. She had experienced it with Justin, and even though sometimes it could get out of hand, there was no way that she would turn it down. Every moment with him was something truly special, and she wouldn't trade in all the moments, memories, and feelings for all the money and hot guys in the world.

Jc walked through his house, and looked around, expecting to find Whitney. When she wasn't there, he picked up the phone, and dialed Justin at Denise's.

"Hi, this is Denise."

"Hey, Denise, its Jc...I was just wondering if you knew where my girlfriend was?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, she's with my boyfriend. I think he wanted to annoy her, and they went somewhere."

He sighed. "That just sucks for me then."

"I'm sorry. But, Jc..I hate to do this, but I'm in the process of running bath water, so I'll have to talk to you later. Bye."

"Enjoy, bye," he said, hanging up the phone. He knew that Whitney and Justin's friendship was deep and that there was no way to ever change that. Their bond was too precious and strong, and he would never do something like that...but he couldn't lie. There were so many times when he was jealous of Justin.

She would drop what she was doing, and would be at his side in an instant. True, she did the same for him...but there was just something about the way that they interacted with each other.

He sighed, and turned on the tv, stopping at a football game. He really wasn't interested in it, so he closed his eyes, and driffted off to sleep.

That night

Justin and Whitney had ended up at the beach. They had a lot of memories from when they had first met each other that had taken place here.

"Justin, do you remember that day that you threw me in the ocean? I was kicking and screaming, but you just ignored me...and when you did, I got stung by a jellyfish?"

He laughed, and ran a hand through his curls. "That wasn't funny..but it was so hilarious. I mean you were screaming..and the next thing I know you're crying."

She laughed, and looked up at the sky. The night was perfect..and there wasn't any clouds to hide the stars. They were shinning through brightly. Justin followed her gaze, and smiled. She had always loved looking at the stars, and before Nsync had gotten big, they would lay and look at them upon hours.

"I remember when we used to just lay and look at the stars for hours."

She smiled. "I haven't done that in a long time..I think the last time I did was with Jc."

He took her hand, and turned her face to look at him. "Whitney, I'm so sorry for messing up your life. I don't know why you put up with me...and why you have stuck around this long. But, I do have to say thank you. If you weren't here to support me...I dunno if I could honestly do it everyday."

She smiled. "Justin, believe it or not..you're my friend..and I've grown pretty attached to you. I wouldn't miss any of this for the world," she said, and then snickered. "Plus, you led me to Jc and I owe you so much for that."

He hugged her close to him. "You always know that I'm your friend. Nothing will ever change that. I don't care how hectic things may get..you come before my career..and if you ever have a problem, you know you can come to me. I'll drop whatever I'm doing and listen."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and he brushed it away. "Justin, you know that goes for you two. I may not be the brightest person, but you know that I'll always listen, no matter what."

The hugged each other again, and walked towards his car. It was times like these that created those special moments in a friendship. Times where you can just act normal, let go, and let your emotions speak for you. Those moments don't come often, and when they did, Justin had learned not to question them, or speak of them. Whatever took place, took place, and it happened for a reason. There was always a place for these moments, and that was in his heart.

Chapter Nine