Soft streams of light poured into the quiet room, casting a gentle glow on everything inside. No movement stirred the serene atmosphere, no sound other than that of the light breathing of the occupants.
Outside the large picture windows, birds chirped happily to each other as they greeted the day. A warm breeze woke the world, moving the leaves on the trees gently.
Inside the room, all was still. The peaceful feeling surrounded everything, as it was left undisturbed by the slowly waking outside.
Clothes lay strewn about the room, a suitcase still not completely unpacked sat in the far corner near the open door of the closet. A pair of pants hung over the closet door, waiting to be hung properly inside. Several stuffed animals, cards, letters and more sat on a large chair near the window, waiting for attention from their new owner.
The light, sheer curtains moved as the wind slid into the room, the fresh air cleansing. As the curtains moved, they cast a slow, delicate shadow across the floor, mimicking the movements of waves in the ocean across the cream carpet.
Slowly, a long, strong arm emerged from beneath the covers of the king sized bed, resting heavily on the cool surface. A deep intake of breath indicated that the owner of the arm was coming awake, as the figure moved awkwardly onto its back, tucking the other arm beneath its head.
Taking several deep cleansing breaths, Justin enjoyed the feeling of the warm fresh air filling his lungs. As if with each exhale, he was freed of some worry or stress that had plagued him in his life.
His eyes remained closed as he focused solely on listening to the quiet around him.
It had been far too long since he had been able to hear quiet. Some people thought it was funny when he would say that he missed the sound of silence. What kind of sound did silence make? But to him, it was the best kind of sound. The sound of nothing was a sensation few ever took the time to experience. And since his life was rarely exposed to silence, he took advantage of any chance he got to enjoy the simple pleasure.
Silence, he had learned, could be just as loud as any noise. In a completely different way, it was deafening.
Listening closely, he heard things he never would have focused on had his eyes been open.
The sound of the birds quiet outside the window. The faint sound of the wind in the curtains, their bottoms sliding along the carpet across the room. The sound of his heart beating steadily in his chest. The sound of his own breathing.
Things he hadn't been able to hear in the last few months, he relished now.
Sighing softly to himself, he opened his blue eyes to the morning. The light was faint, the morning still early. The sun was rising quickly, but night still commanded most of the sky. It was the time of day he loved most. When nothing was really awake, and he was able to completely relax in ways he never knew at any other time.
Most of the time, he was the only one awake at this time of morning. The guys loved to sleep in; not that he didn't, but sometimes it was nice to be up with the dawn. He knew that the phone wouldn't be ringing any time soon. The cars that lined the street out front of his house sat still, their owners not even awake. The sounds of the city so far away, it was as if he were in his own world.
Looking around, he smiled at himself.
It had been two weeks since the tour ended, and he was still finding himself confused when he would wake in his own home. He was so used to waking up in strange hotel rooms, being back in his own environment was shocking to his system. Being in the same place for more than a few days was a thrill that many took for granted.
It was wonderful to be home.
The morning after their final concert, Justin had been anxious for the buses to pull back into the studio parking lot to unload and release the crew. As the bus moved closer to the studio, Justin became more and more hyper. In a few hours, he would be home.
Finally arriving at their final destination, Justin smiled as he grabbed his suitcase and belongings from his bunk, and descended the bus stairs for the last time.
They were required to go over a few post-tour details before being allowed to go home and be free, and Justin couldn't wait to get it over with.
After saying good bye to his tour family, Justin threw his belongings into Erins car and the two pulled away quickly.
Driving into Justins protective gated community, he felt a sense of security. Looking at the familiar homes of his neighbors made him smile to himself.
But most of all, the sight of his own home was something he had been dreaming of.
Stopping in front of the gates to his home, Justin pulled out his wallet to find the code to the gate. It had been so long since he had been home, he had to write down the code to remind himself when coming home. Pulling the car up the long driveway, Justins smile widened the closer they got to the house. The moment the car was stopped, he was out, pulling his bags from the back, and rushing towards the front door.
Sliding his key into the lock, he entered the quiet house. It was just as he had left it.
He spent his first day home sleeping. Erin had gone back to work to clear up a few things before taking her vacation, giving Justin the quiet, peaceful, 'Justin Time' he needed.
Now, two weeks later, he was only slowly becoming used to the calmness of his surroundings.
Turning his head slowly to his right, he looked out towards the window. The sky was dimly lit by the morning sun, gentle light blue fading to swirls of purple and yellow cascaded outside.
Dawn was his favorite time of day.
Looking above towards the night stand, he noticed the time. 6:04am.
Turning his head back to look at the ceiling, he knew it was pointless trying to go back to sleep. He was awake. His mind slowly began to turn, thinking of what he was going to do that day, to things he had done the few days before.
Usually, if he didn't allow any thoughts to enter his mind, he was able to go back to sleep without much effort. But this time his mind began to work, and he knew it was a pointless battle.
A deep intake of breath sounded beside him, and he turned his head to his left. Smiling at the peaceful face beside him, he fought the urge to reach out and run a finger along the side of her cheek.
She looked so beautiful when she slept. He loved to lay awake at night, watching her as she lay peacefully beside him. The way her lips pouted as she drifted off. The way her eyes flickered as she dreamt. The subtle things that during the day you didn't take the time to notice were emphasized in the quiet of night.
Smiling gently at her, Justin slid closer and placed a soft kiss on Erins forehead. She took a deep breath at the feel of his touch, but didn't wake.
Pushing himself up slowly, Justin quietly slid the covers back from his long body, slipping out of bed without a sound. Venturing into the bathroom, he ran water over his face, waking his senses more.
Pulling a t-shirt over his head, Justin grabbed a folded blanket from the chair near his dresser and approached the sliding glass door at the right side of the room, which led to a balcony that overlooked the backyard. Sliding the door back, he quickly slipped out and into the morning air.
Closing the door behind him, Justin turned to look out into the yard.
The land stretched out before him, leading far back until reaching a line of trees at the far end of the property. A small basketball court sat in the far left corner, while a tennis court sat at the right. Closer to the house was a huge swimming pool, the water gliding in small waves against the morning breeze. The rest of the yard was just grass. A large open space giving the feeling of freedom.
Smiling out at the view, Justin spread his arms out to his sides as he breathed in deeply.
Pulling his arms back, Justin reached around and pulled the blanket around himself. Stepping back, he sat on a small wicker couch against the wall as he pulled his legs under him.
This was his favorite place to be. It was so peaceful, and made him feel more free than anywhere else he knew.
Leaning his head back, he scooted down deeper in the couch, getting more comfortable.
Feeling the breeze on his skin, and the fresh smell of the air, he felt his body relax.
He found it funny how such simple things had the ability to release all the stress and worry he had experienced over the last month.
Sure, after a tour he needed this rejuvenation to get over the hectic feeling he felt. But this time, things were more intense than normal tour stress.
He had been more relieved each passing day when there had been no contact from Trystan. He had wondered deep down whether she would actually accept his wishes and stay away from him, even after coming all the way to Orlando. Sometimes he wondered where she was; if she had gone home to New York, or stayed in the area. But as time passed, he thought of her less and less. The guilt he felt was still there, and he knew it always would be, but he was dealing with it. He was enjoying his life again, and letting go of his mistakes.
At the end of his first week back home, he had gone out to play basketball with his best friend, Landon. Landon had only been able to visit once during the tour, and the two had much to catch up on.
Landon would always tease Justin when returning from a tour, asking if he had hooked up with any groupies. It was the same question he had been asked for the last three years. Usually, this question was responded with some sarcastic comment. But this time, Justin didn't answer. He only gave Landon a teasing look, and shook his head at his friend. For some reason, he couldn't find the words to lie to his friend. He hadn't had to actually come out and lie to anyone about his mistake yet. No one had asked him if he had cheated on Erin, so to him, it wasn't as if he were lying. He just wasn't offering up any information. Seriously, who would ask such a thing? It was only an unfair coincidence that this was a usual question for Landon.
Luckily, he hadn't noticed Justins change in response, and let the subject drop as he did ever time the question was asked. It wasn't like he was expecting an answer. The question had become so routine over the course of their friendship, that it was as if it were an instinct. He asked, Justin said no, the end. Never did they expect any kind of in depth response.
Since that day, Justin had found it easier to keep his secret. He no longer dwelled on it the way he had in the past, and knew that it was just that; in the past. He didn't have to worry, or concentrate on the million and one different things that he could have changed. There was no point in that, because the actions were finished. He did what he did, and he had to live with it.
And he was. He was learning to live with it, and knew that it would get easier.
He had to admit that the experience had taught him a lesson. He had never taken Erin for granted in the past, but now he made an even more conscious effort to spend time with her, and enjoy being around her. With each day, he knew more than ever that she was the only woman he wanted in his life.
Sliding his legs to the other side of his body, Justin repositioned himself on the couch. Slowly, the sky was brightening, the morning becoming more prominent. Far in the distance, he could hear a neighbors dog barking.
For some reason, his thoughts drifted to Trystan. The thought of the look in her eyes at his words that afternoon at their final concert still caused chills to course through his body. He had been too used to seeing her smiling. A cool, calm, confident woman standing before him as if nothing could faze her. But he hadn't seen that woman that day. She had been angry, her eyes cloudy with confusion and hurt. The way her jaw had clenched as she thought of what he had told her, and the way her body tensed as she controlled her emotions.
He had always been a firm believer in the old saying that still waters ran deep. Calm people sometimes tended to be very passionate or easily upset. He knew he was one of them, so he was convinced that the saying was true. It took quite a bit to bother Justin, but when he was angry, he was uncontrollable.
He had wondered more than once over the last little while if Trystan was the same way. Her calm composure had to have its limits, and he wondered if his confession and dismissal of her broke those limits. She had been controlled when she had walked away from him that day, but he could tell that it was a struggled control. Her demeanor had changed, and he wondered what she had done when leaving his sight.
Had she yelled? Screamed? When driving away with Madison, what had she told her friend had happened? What had she said about him?
Justin wasn't one to care overly much what others said or thought of him, but for some reason he found himself wondering how Trystans perception of him had changed.
She had told him that she wanted to see him again, which was the real reason for her continuous attempts at contact with him. He could tell in her looks and her body language that she was attracted to him, and this made him wary.
She was using their one night stand as an excuse to get closer to him, which gave way to a deeper rooted feeling than just an attraction.
He was attracted to people all the time. But he didn't follow them across the country because of it.
One night a couple of weeks before, he had been laying on the couch in the living room, mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV. Landing on a movie channel, he frowned when the movie playing had been Fatal Attraction.
It was a strange and unnerving coincidence.
For a few hours after the movie, Justin had wondered about Trystan and her feelings towards him now. The chances of her holding an endless grudge were slim, but it wasn't completely unthinkable. It had been obvious that she held a deep attachment to him, and he wondered how she was handling letting go of that attachment.
He had thought of more scenarios than he knew he should, and by the time it was night, he had scared the hell out of himself. He laughed at himself, though. He knew that Fatal Attraction had been credited with turning almost all of unfaithful men in the early eighties to be faithful, and after watching only a few moments of it, he understood why.
That night, he had made sure all the windows and doors were locked.
It had only been the one night that he was overly conscious of his safety, as well as the safety of his girlfriend, but the memory of the feelings he felt, combined with the image of Trystans eyes the last time he saw her, stirred up emotions in him still.
Suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder, and Justin jumped forward. A sharp intake of breath signaled his fright as he spun around to stare wide eyed at his visitor.
Erin smiled down at him, the amusement obvious in her eyes. "Sorry, baby." she giggled. "I didn't realize you were so skittish this morning."
Justin quickly shook himself from his shock to smile at her.
He loved how she look in the morning. Her eyes slightly closed, still fighting to focus on the bright light. Her hair tousled from sleep, her body tired. The light material in the pajamas she wore showed little of her figured, but still gave her a feminine shape.
Holding his hand out to her, Justin coaxed her to sit beside him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he covered her body with the blanket, pulling her to him.
Erin slid closer to the warmth of his body, resting her head on his shoulder. Neither said a word for a long while, both enjoying the serene feeling of the quiet morning.
Suddenly, a ringing came from inside the bedroom. Looking at his watch, Justin noticed that it was only a few minutes passed seven thirty. He had been outside for over an hour and a half.
Erin groaned as she pushed herself up and away from the comfort of Justins body and slid into the room. Grabbing the cordless phone from the night stand on the far end of the room, she began to make her way back towards the balcony as she pushed back her hair to place the phone to her ear.
Leaning on the frame of the sliding glass door, Erin rubbed her eyes gently as she addressed the caller.
"Hello?" she greeted, her voice tired.
Justin looked up at her, smiling at the obvious tired state of her body.
Erin was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Hello?" she repeated.
She turned her eyes towards Justin, as he mouthed the words to ask her who was on the phone. She shrugged in response.
Justin furrowed his forehead as he turned his body to face Erin at the doorway. She was quiet for a moment longer before resting a hand on her hip. "Is anyone there?" she asked.
After another short moment, she pulled the phone from her ear and hung up.
Looking back at Justin, she shrugged. "No one there." she said simply as she tossed the phone on the small table beside the couch.
Stepping back out into the balcony, she returned to her place beside Justin.
Looking out into the now brightening morning sky, neither gave a second thought to the phone call they had just received.
