CHAPTER 8
Ariel's plan for that morning was to ignore Justin at all costs. At 10:30 Ariel had all of her bags packed and Eric ready to leave. She knew this was the moment of truth. Ariel knocked on the door of the hotel room where Lance was staying, knowing she would find Jess. Sure enough there she was, along with Lance, Joey and Chris. She walked around the room, giving them all hugs good-bye and wishing them luck on their upcoming album. Then she knocked on JC's door and received a good-bye kiss from him. Then, without hesitation, Ariel took the elevator down to the lobby and got into the limo that was taking her to the airport. Ariel was relieved that she hadn't seen Justin, but disappointed that he hadn't even attempted to say good-bye to her. After going through luggage check and a lengthy wait at the gate, Ariel was finally able to board the plane. She situated Eric into his seat and pulled out a book for her to read when she heard a commotion at the front of the plane, that sounded suspiciously like a group of screaming girls. That sound reminded her of the way girls reacted whenever the guys were around. Ignoring the sounds, Ariel forced herself to concentrate on the book. She was really feeling the effects of the flu now. Her head hurt, her body ached and she knew she was feverish. She was pretty sure nothing could make this situation worse. But before she even had a chance to finish the first page, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Ariel looked up and groaned inwardly, knowing that suddenly the situation had gone from bad to pure hell.
"Justin! What the f*ck are you doing here?"
"I'm going on vacation. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Justin, you can't come home with me! I've got stuff to do....and besides I'm pissed as hell at you now."
"Ariel, I know you're mad, and I deserve it. But I also think I deserve a chance to explain."
"Explain what? Why you acted like such an insensitive jerk last night? Why you couldn't give me the space I needed? Why you scared me when you kissed me last night....."
"Wait, wait....what are you talking about?"
"Never mind, Justin."
"No, tell me. Why were you scared when I kissed you last night?"
"More like mauled me last night. You were rough Justin, not sweet like you had always been before. The kiss reminded me of Austin...the night I was raped. I know in my heart that you would never hurt me, but nevertheless, you scared the sh*t out of me!"
"Oh my God, Ariel, I wasn't thinking. I was just so frustrated......but that's no excuse. Now I understand why you wouldn't want to be with me. I'm just as bad as Austin."
"No, Justin, you're not!" Ariel said forcefully, "You're nowhere near as heartless and cruel as Austin, you just lost your head."
"Does that mean you forgive me?"
"For scaring me, yes. For being an insensitive jerk, I'm not sure."
"Please Ariel. All I want is us to spend some quality time together, so that maybe we can rekindle the love we shared."
"Oh Justin...." Ariel sighed
"Please Ariel, just give me one more chance. I swear I'll make it worth your while."
"Are you sure you want to spend your vacation in a bumble town in the middle of nowhere?"
"As long as I'm with you, I'm where I want to be."
"Oh how can I resist that?" Justin grinned,
"Alright CurlyBoy, you've got yourself another chance. But this time, let's take it slow."
"Ok, I can handle that. So is this flight serving lunch?" Justin asked as he settled into his seat next to Ariel and took her hand, entertaining her fingers with his
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