"Justin, move over!" Lauren pushed at his hip with all her strength, only to have him barely move an inch.
"Damn it, Lauren. I'm already hanging over the edge."
Lauren looked over him at the wide stretch of bed on his other side. Giving him a stern look, he smiled before reaching his arm over to dangle his fingers over the edge. "See. My hands about to fall......'Help me, help me!'" He raised his voice to a high pitched tone, moving his fingers to simulate a little person yelling for help.
"You really are a strange, strange little person." Lauren laid back down on her side of the bed.
"Little?" Justin turned to face Lauren, wiggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
"Yeah, little. Britney tells me everything." She couldn't resist that one. He walked right into it.
Justin just gaped at her, his chin dropping open. Lauren reached over, and placing her fingers under his chin, she closed his mouth. "Don't do that, Justin. You may catch flies."
"You don't appreciate me" he said, flopping back onto the bed, crossing his arms over his chest in the infamous Timberlake pout.
JC had to go to Los Angeles for a couple days to produce a song he had written for another group. He would only be gone for two nights; three at the most, but he told Justin to stay with Lauren.
Britney had gone back out on tour four days before, so Justin didn't have much else to do and didnt like being at home all alone. They weren't expected back in the studio until Monday, and it was only Friday night. He still had two more days of relaxation.
Thankfully, Justin hadn't brought up Laurens behavior that morning again. And he obviously hadn't told JC, because she wasn't locked in her room. It had been almost a week, so she assumed Justin had forgotten about it.
Jimmy had left another note. Luckily, it was Lauren that had found it. She ripped it up immediately and threw it in the trash. There was one more phone call, but he didn't say anything. She could just hear his smile through the phone. If that was actually possible. He just loved the fact that he could make her tense, without even saying a word.
JC would be back Saturday night, so she and Justin decided to have a 'girls night'. Justin had whined the last time her, Britney and Janssyn went out for a girls night that he never got included, so she decided to have a special night just for him. They rented 'click flicks', made popcorn, and bought cookie dough and ice cream.
Lauren put on her flannel pajamas and big fuzzy slippers. Justin complained, saying that he thought girls hung out in slinky lingerie when they had girls nights. Oh lordy, next he would be saying they should have a pillow fight.
"Hey! Lets have a pillow fight!"
Oh God.
"Is that what you think girls do on a girls night?" she looked at him curiously. Surely he wasn't this much of a man.
"Um.....no." He leaned back more, turning his attention back to the movie. He didn't want her to know that that's really what he thought girls did.
"Uh-huh, sure. Whatever, Lake." Lauren smiled knowingly at the TV. She knew damn well that's what he thought.
They had made the basement play room into their temporary haven for the night. It was easier to make a mess down there and clean it up than it was in the living room. They pulled out the couch, surrounded themselves with junk food, and had spent the last 6 hours watching movies.
Justin stretched out more on the pull out couch, reaching his arm over Laurens stomach.
"Excuse me?" she complained, staring down at his arm.
"What? Did you fart?" he smiled up at her.
"Ugh! Justin, you're too much of a man to have a girls night." She picked up his arm and tossed it back to him.
"Okay, fine. Ill be good, I promise." He once again turned his attention back to the movie. He stuck his lip out, pouting slightly at the unbelievably boring click-flick they were watching. He couldnt understand why girls liked movies like this! If this was what girls did when they got together, no wonder they complained so much.
Finally, he couldn't stand his boredom any longer. Sitting up, he picked the remote up from the foot of the bed, and turned off the TV.
"Hey! I was watching that!" Lauren whined, a handful of popcorn half way to her mouth.
"Lets do something else. You've already made me watch Pretty Woman, Bridget Jones' Diary and the Little Mermaid. You gotta get me let a little testosterone in here, or I'm gonna start growing breasts in a minute!" he turned to her, pleadingly.
"Oh hush. You're the one who wanted to watch the Little Mermaid." she pointed.
"You tell anyone that, and you're dead!" Justin warned. The last thing he needed was the tabloids getting hold of that little bit of information. He could see the headlines now: 'Popstar, Justin Timberlake Watches Disney Movies and Sings Along with Cartoon Lobster' He would never live that one down.
Laying back down beside her, he adjusted his pajama pants. Stupid things always gave him a wedgie.
"Oh, for Christ sake Justin. Go pick your ass elsewhere!" Lauren turned her head away from the sight of Justin picking the pants from his butt.
"Oh please, you're just jealous cause I didn't ask you to do it."
Lauren just rolled her eyes in response, before popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth. "So what do you want to do then?"
"How about we talk? I know you girls do that all the time.......I have seen Britneys phone bill.......so why don't we do that." he suggested, resuming his position beside her.
"Okay," she agreed, placing the bowl of popcorn on the floor beside her. "What do you want to talk about?" She stretched out on her side, placing her hands under the pillow beneath her head.
Justin did the same, facing her. "I don't know. What do girls usually talk about?"
"Guys. Life. Guys. Each other. Guys" she smiled at him playfully. "Oh, and sometimes we talk about guys."
"OH! I have an idea! Lets talk about guys!" Justin replied in a sarcastic tone. "Seriously. I know we talk all the time, but we never really talk to each other, you know? Like about each other. JC knows almost everything about you, and I know Britney knows quite a bit cause you girls tell each other everything. So I thought maybe we could talk like that." He smiled sweetly at her "I'm a good listener, ya know."
Lauren smiled back at his charming face. He was too adorable for his own good some times. "Yeah, I know you're a good listener." Looking down at her feet for a minute, she thought about what to start a deep conversation with. They had just spent the last couple days together doing rather 'Justin-like' things; like basketball, play station, and even picking on Chris. Lauren had to admit that the picking on Chris thing was rather fun, so she understood why it was so hard for Justin to resist sometimes.
"Justin?"
"Yeah" he looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. Her eyes still focused on her feet. 'Man, she must have really interesting feet' he thought.
"Are you afraid to die?"
Her question caught him a little off guard. He wanted a deep conversation, but this was a little morbid. But hey, if this would get things rolling, what the hell.
Flipping onto his back, he linked his fingers together across his chest. "I'm not really afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens."
Lauren laughed. "Seriously, Justin."
"I don't know, Lauren. Ive never really thought about it. I'm usually too busy to actually think about something like that."
"So you've never thought about it?" She looked at him questioningly.
"No, I have. I just don't do it very much." He rolled back over onto his side and reassumed his previous position. "I just don't think that I want to spend my life thinking about what will happen when my life is over, you know? Like that quote you read me. Be happy for this moment because this moment is your life."
Lauren smiled at the fact that he actually remembered one of the quotes from her book.
"There are so many good things in life." he continued. "So much worth holding on to, you know? But I think that's one of the hard things, too. Finding out what's worth holding on to, and actually holding on to it." Justins gaze lowered to his own feet. Now he understood why Lauren had done it. Looking at your feet is really helpful when you don't know what to say next.
Lauren was the one to come up with something to say first. Her feet must be better at this than his. "I always thought I didn't really need anything. I could get by on my own. I didn't need anyone to help me." Her eyes still focused on her feet, she paused for a moment before continuing. "You know what's funny?"
"Hmm....?"
"That the one thing you thought you would never need is the one thing you cant seem to live without."
Justin smiled at the recognition of her words "That's from your book."
"Yeah. I always liked that one" she smiled back.
"So, what is it?" he questioned.
"What?"
"That you cant live without. You thought you would never need it, but you cant live without it."
Lauren looked back at her feet. Justin wondered if he looked at her feet, if he would find the answer to why he couldn't find his other Nike sneaker?
"You." her voice broke Justin from his retarded thoughts.
"Me?"
Lauren laughed "No, not you. Well, yes you, but not just you. All of you. Lance, Joey, Chris, you, JC, Brit. Ive never had friends like you all before. I never thought I needed them. But now that I have you, I cant imagine what I would do without you."
Justin smiled at her. That had to have been the best compliment he had ever gotten.
They stayed in silence for a few minutes. Lauren staring at her always interesting feet, and Justin thinking of what to say. He didn't want to ruin the nice moment they were sharing, but the silence was killing him. He had to be making noise.
"Okay, I got a idea!" he sat up, crossing his legs in front of him as he sat to face her.
Looking up from her feet, Lauren stared at him. "What?"
"Lets play 20 questions!"
"Oh, Justin, no." she whined. She always hate this game. Almost as much as Truth or Dare.
"Okay, then lets play Truth or Dare"
"No, no! Its okay. 20 questions is fine." Sitting up to match Justin, she faced him with her hands in her lap.
"So, what are the rules?" she asked.
"Okay," he thought carefully, his face scrunching into a little ball. "Okay. No asking a question the other person asked. That's no fun. No answering a question with a question. No lying about the answer. You gotta tell the truth no matter what. And no avoiding a question just cause you don't wanna tell. If it is too personal, then say so, and we can agree to drop it. Sound fair?"
Lauren nodded. Those rules were fair enough.
"Oh, and nothing we tell each other leaves this room. Its a secret between us. Promise?"
"Promise"
Justin knew Lauren never broke a promise. They were sacred to her. If she promised something, it was set in stone.
"Okay, Ill go first. Ill make it something simple. Nothing too personal" Justin thought hard about his first question. "What is your favorite color?"
Lauren had to laugh at his question. She figured he would ask her something so personal she would be forced to slap him. But obviously he was going to go easy on her. For now, any ways.
"Ummm....that would have to be blue."
"Why?"
"Uh! No, no, Justin! You cant answer a question with a question!"
"But I wasn't answering a question!" he defended
"Then you cant ask two questions back to back."
Slumping over, he pouted. "Fine."
"Okay, my turn." Lauren tapped her finger on her lips as she thought. "What was your most embarrassing moment?"
"What! Lauren, I asked you your favorite color, and you ask me my most embarrassing moment?" Justin gaped at her.
"Hey, you wanted us to get to know each other better. This was your game, J." she smiled back at him.
After sulking for a few minutes in the hopes that she would retract her question, he finally sighed. "Fine." He thought for a few minutes about his answer.
"Too many to choose from?" Lauren asked mockingly.
"Shut up." He gave her a warning glance before returning to his thoughts. After a moment, he spoke up "Okay. It was back when I was doing the MMC. Britney and me were kinda dating back then, and one night I was supposed to go over to her house for dinner. It was the first time I had gone over other than with other cast members, so I was really nervous. My mom dropped me off, and I knocked on her door. I had flowers for her and everything." he smiled proudly at the memory. "So, she opened the door, and let me in. I stood inside the door for a minute, when her mom came to greet me." Justin stopped and a sigh escaped his lips. "Oh, god, I cant believe I'm going to tell you this....." Justin dropped his head in his heads, shaking his head before continuing "Her mom came to greet me at the door, and she stopped dead in her tracks. She reached over and covered Britney eyes, before asking me to turn around."
Lauren was confused, trying to figure out why in the world Mrs. Spears would react like that. She had met Justin a million times before, why have this reaction?
Justin continued. "Turns out my fly was down."
Lauren looked at him even more confused. "So?" She couldn't understand "That's not such a big deal."
Justins eyes locked on his hands in his laps. He fiddled nervously with a string on the blanket beneath them. "I didn't have any underwear on"
Lauren just stared at him. Was he serious?
"It was laundry day!" he defended.
Laurens eyes popped from her head, before she burst out laughing. "You mean they saw 'lil Lake?"
"Shut up, Lauren! It wasn't funny! I had never been so embarrassed." Justin flopped back onto the bed. "Her mom had to ask me to check my zipper. At first I didn't know what she was talking about, until I looked down. Oh god, I swear I almost died." Justins hands were brought up to cover his reddening face. "Britney still teases me about that one."
Wiping a tear from her eyes, Laurens laughter quieted. "Oh god, you probably scarred Britney for life!"
"Ugh, I know I'm going to regret telling you that."
"Its okay, Justin. I promised I wouldn't tell." Lauren did her best to hide her smile, but the harder she tried, the more she failed. This was just too funny.
Justin sat up again, refusing to meet Laurens eyes. He still couldn't believe he told her. God why had he picked his game?
"Your turn." she stated, leaning back waiting for his next question.
"Well, since Im still such a nice person, Im going to just ask what your favorite song is." Justin glared at her, his voice touched with sarcasm.
"Of all time?"
"Sure"
"Um," she placed a finger to her lips as she thought. "Of all time, I would have to say 'The Dance' by Garth Brooks'" Justin looked at her shocked. "Yes, Justin, a country song!" she laughed. "Its an amazing song. Its just about how even though you have to go through a lot of crap if life, would you really be willing to give up all the good, just because of the bad."
Sounded like a good song to him, but Justin had never actually heard it. Country wasnt really something he really listened to. That was Lances department. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." She smiled at him. "Okay, my turn...." she figured she would go easy on him for a moment. "What is your most cherished pocession."
Justin smiled at the question. He had never actually thought about it, but he knew what it was without having to think too long. "That would have to be a picture of me and my mom." His smiled widened as he described his reasons. "My step dad took a picture of me and my mom outside of her house. I bought that house for her, and I was so happy to be able to do that for her. She has given me so much, it was nice to be able to give something back to her. We're just standing on the porch out front, hugging each other." Justin laughed, remembering the photo that sat on the mantle in his living room. "We have the stupidest smiles on our faces."
Lauren smiled as she looked at Justin. His family meant the world to him. "Your turn." she noted.
"Okay, I think I got one." Justins evil grin made Lauren smirk. "Okay, if you had to chose between me, and Nick Carter, who would you chose?" To him, this wasnt even a contest.
"Nick Carter" Lauren answered plainly.
Justins jaw dropped. She hadnt really said that, had she? "WHAT!" he squealed. "Oh you are so NOT my friend anymore!" Justin turned away from her pouting, as her laughter rang out behind him.
"Im sorry, J. But I cant really think of you like that! You're one of my best friends, you're dating another one of my best friends! Isnt that question a little incestuous?" Lauren fought not to laugh harder at Justins sulking expression.
"But you're still supposed to pick me." he pouted. "Im the cute one, damn it! Everyone picks me!"
"Ego much, Justin?" Lauren inquired, raising an eyebrow at him.
Breaking his pout, he smirked at her. "Very much." Poking her shoulder, he laughed. "But youre still supposed to pick me. That way, I get to be all 'Oh, Lauren wants my body' and stuff. I would get to strut. Let me strut, damn it!"
"Okay, okay!" Lauren raised her hands in defense. "Fine, Justin. I want you. I need you. Oh baby, oh baby." She made sure to use her most sarcastic tone.
"Thats better." Justin nodded affirmatively.
Lauren just had to laugh at him. He really was an odd little man.
It was her turn again. "What is the one thing you regret most about your career?"
He wasnt really sure he understood what she meant. "What do you mean?"
"Well, like, a downfall to it all. Other than the lack of privacy, because thats the obvious answer."
Justins eyes dropped to the armrest across from him, and behind Lauren. He thought about her answer, and realized that any other time he had been asked that, the answer had been the privacy issue. This time, that option wasnt allowed, so he was forced to dig deeper.
"I think that would be the effect on my family." he answered, turning to look at her. "The fact that I dont really get to spend time with my little brothers very much really sucks. But also the fact that everyone knows them as my little brothers. People are hounding them sometimes, and I hate that what I do effects them."
Lauren could see Justins emotions as he spoke. He loved his family so much, and completely adored his little brothers. Lauren had met them a few times, and the older of the two had even teased Justin saying that she liked him more. Lauren adored the two little guys, and would always agree whenever they would tell the guys that she loved them more.
Justins next question caused Lauren to sit up. "How old were you when you had your first boyfriend?"
God, he would ask a question like that. But she had to tell the truth. "Twenty-one."
"What!"
"You cant do that! No double questions!" she would do anything to get out of having to explain this one.
"No, I wanna know! Its not another question, just a continuation of the first. That's not against the rules!"
Damn it. He was too sneaky. Knowing there was no way out of it, she spoke up "Jimmy was my first real boyfriend." she confessed. "As sad as that is." a pathetic smile crossed her face. "I had never had too many guys interested in me in school. I was everyone's friend, but no one ever asked me out. So when Jimmy was actually interested in me, I guess I finally felt special. Like someone wanted to be with me." She stared at her nails again. "Only he didnt like me. He just liked what my career could do for his."
Justin didn't say anything. He didn't try and pry further, since he would be breaking his own rules. Instead he just nodded, and leaned back to signal it was Laurens turn to ask a question.
"How did you know that Britney was the one you wanted to be with?"
Man, she was good at this game.
"I don't know." he looked at his feet. "I just knew. She knew me like no one else. She had been there through the beginning, before I was famous. And she had her own career. She's with me for me, you know? Not to sound all Jerry McGuire or anything, but she completes me." a sappy smiled crossed Justins lips. "Sure we've had our rough spots. Even broke up a couple times. Ive had my heart broken." He ran a hand through his curls before looking Lauren in the eyes. "But I believe you don't know what love is until it breaks your heart."
Lauren smiled back at Justin. His love and dedication to Britney was evident. He would do anything for her. Lauren knew their relationship wasn't easy. They hardly had time together. And when they did, they had to be cautious of fans. They could never just go out to the movies, or dinner or something like a normal couple. Lauren hadn't had that problem. She had her small following, but it was nothing compared to what Britney and Justin had to contend with.
"My turn." Justin thought about his next question. "What is something that no one else knows about you?"
"What?" His question shocked her. This wasn't exactly the kind of thing she had expected.
"Something no one else knows. Not even JC."
Lauren wasn't sure what to tell him. JC knew pretty much everything there was to know about her. She thought long and hard before deciding on an answer. "Remember, nothing we tell each other leaves this room?" Lauren wanted to make sure that no one else was told about this. It wasn't something horrible, but she wasn't sure of some peoples reactions.
"I promise" Justin placed a hand to his heart, symbolizing his promise. "Lauren, I told you I practically flashed Britney and her mom on our first date. I think you can tell me one little secret." he joked.
Looking down at the bed, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she released the words before she had a chance to second guess herself. "I'm a virgin."
There was no sound from Justin. Not a peep. Lauren raised her eyes nervously to meet his. He just sat there, eyes wide, jaw dropped slightly in shock. Surely he had heard her wrong.
"What?" That was all he could come out with. Way to go, Timberlake.
"You heard me." she lowered her eyes back to the bed. "I'm a virgin" He could barely hear her, but he didn't need to. He heard her well enough the first time.
"You mean, you and Jimmy never...." he didn't really want to finish his sentence. He couldn't stand the thought of it, let alone having to say it out loud.
"No. He wanted to, and stuff, but I was never sure. I knew I didn't love him, and I didn't want it to be something like that. As corny as that may sound." she smiled shyly as she continued. "We did stuff, but never went all the way. I know its probably surprising, since he beat me up and all you figure he would have made me. But he didn't. Not that he was all that supportive, but he never forced me. He would sometimes try and verbally pressure me into it, but never physically. He said that was why he cheated on me so much. Because I wasn't giving him what he wanted." Her lip shook slightly and the memories flooding her mind. "I know its pretty weird, me being 22 and all. But like I said, he was my first real boyfriend, so I never had the opportunity before. And with him, I never had the desire."
"No, its not weird." Justin assured her, taking her hands in his. "I think that's good. I mean, you didn't want your first time to be with someone like him."
Lauren nodded slightly, and sniffed back a tear. She hadn't told anyone that. Not even JC. The only one who knew was Jimmy, and he wasn't about to let it be known that his girlfriend wouldn't sleep with him.
"You never told JC?" Justin asked, looking down to her.
"No. The subject didn't exactly come up, you know?" she laughed lightly, trying to break the tension. "I know he would understand and all, but its not really something that I broadcast." She sniffed again before continuing. "I'm not ashamed or anything. Don't get me wrong. I just feel like nowadays its thought of as weird."
Justin just nodded in response, even though he knew she couldn't see him. Her eyes were still on her feet.
"I remember my senior year of high school. I had just started modeling, and a couple girls weren't too nice to me because of it. Most of the people at school were really cool about it, but there were a couple that thought I was going to think I was all that, just because of what I did." Lauren brought her eyes to Justins. He gave her a small smile of encouragement. "One day, they were bugging me. Saying that guys were only going to try and be with me because of what I did. I told them that wasn't true. That no one was trying to be with me. Then they started in on me, bugging me because I was a virgin." Laurens eyes dropped again, but only for a minute. She brought them back up to Justins. "They were kind of loose, you know? The kind that would sleep with a guy for attention and popularity. I didn't dislike them. I actually felt sorry for them. But anyways...." she took another breath before continuing. "So they were bugging me, and I had just had enough. I looked at them, smiled sweetly and said 'I can be like you any time I want. But you can never be like me again." She smiled at her own comment, remembering the look on the girls faces. "I just walked away, leaving them there shocked."
Justin smiled at her. That was one hell of a comeback, he had to admit.
"So, you don't think its weird?" she asked, looking at him for assurance.
"No, I don't think its weird at all." Justin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She allowed herself to be pulled to his body, tucking her head in his chest. "Hell, its been so long since JCs done it, I think he's probably a virgin again too." Justin joked, trying to make Lauren more comfortable.
Lauren laughed at his joke. As lame as it was, it made her feel a little better. She trusted Justin. She knew he wouldn't tell anyone. This wasn't something that was anyone else's business.
"I'm sorry if I made you tell me something you didn't want to" he apologized, gently running a hand up and down her back.
"No. I'm actually glad I told you." She did kind of feel better. Even if it was just Justin that knew, having someone know, and tell her that it wasn't wierd, made her feel better.
After a minute, Justin broke the silence. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure"
"How many more threats have you gotten from Jimmy?"
Lauren pulled back at his question, shocked that he had actually said it. Justin just looked at her, completely at ease as if he had asked her what her favorite dish detergent was.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to play it cool.
"I mean, I know that you got a phone call from him last week. The day I made you breakfast." Justin stopped for a minute to study her face. She was pale, and her eyes were shocked and frightened. She had no idea what he had known. "I know why you didn't tell me. But I wish you would have told JC. He cares about you, and doesn't want anything to happen to you." Taking her hands in his again, he smiled at her "None of us do. You're like our sister. Well, kind of." he joked. "Our really hot sister, maybe."
He was trying to lighten the mood in the hopes that she would tell him, but she wasn't going to be that easy to fool. "I don't know what you're talking about Justin." She tried to look him in the eyes this time, remembering how he knew her trick about looking away when she was trying to keep the truth from someone. It didn't work, so she opted to stare at his forehead. "I haven't gotten any more threats from Jimmy."
"Is that why you're staring at my forehead? Because you have nothing to hide?"
Damn.
"Listen," he continued before she had the chance to try and talk her way out of the conversation. "I know you're scared and don't want JC freaking out again, but you cant keep this from him. Its for your own good that he knows."
Laurens eyes fell. She knew he was right. Damn, she hated it when he was right. Lance never pried like this. He always took her answers and accepted them. Maybe he didn't believe her, but he never questioned her. Joey and Chris were too hyper to focus too long on one subject, so they never questioned her either.
"How many?" Justin spoke up again.
"A couple." Her eyes stayed locked on the small piece of purple lint on the white blanket beneath her.
"How many's a couple?"
"I don't know." She thought for a moment before answering "Another note. And a phone call."
"What did the note say?"
"Just that he always got what he wanted, one way or another."
Justins temper flared, but he kept it in check. If he freaked out, Lauren would close off and surely not tell him anything again. This way, if he could gain her trust more, maybe she would be more likely to confide in him if something else happened.
"What about the phone call?"
"Nothing. He never said anything at all, but I knew it was him."
"That's all. Nothing else?"
"No. That's it. Its not a big deal, Justin. He's just trying to scare me to try and keep some sick power over me."
"If its not a big deal, then why didn't you tell anyone?" Justin countered.
"You saw how JC freaked that night I came over here. I don't want him to freak out again." They sat in silence for a long while. Justin thinking about whether to tell JC, and Lauren thinkin of a way to convince Justin not to tell JC. Laurens eyes finally focused on Justins intently. She waited until she knew she had his full attention before continuing. "He cant know, Justin. JC cant know about this."
"JC can't know what?"
Laurens eyes went wide at the sound of the voice. It wasn't Justins voice, that's for sure. Justins eyes were as big as her own.
Slowly turning their head in unison, Justin and Lauren faced the bottom of the stairs.
There stood JC, hands on his hips. His face drawn into a questioning stare.
Looking between the two, JC took a step forward. "What don't you want me to know?"
