Everything around him flew past, all combined together in a continuous blur. He saw nothing ahead of him. Nothing around him. All he was aware of, was his anger.
He knew he had taken a risk by losing his temper. He had promised himself more than once that he would keep calm when dealing with Trystan, but she had crossed the line. He had been prepared for her to be unreasonable, but what he had heard from her was pure insanity. At first, he had been caught off guard. Unsure as to whether she was actually serious, or truly believed any of the things she was saying. Maybe she was just trying to scare him again, in some sick attempt to get something from him. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw the truth.
She had become obsessed with him.
She wanted him, that was no lie. She had come across the country to find him, and was going to extreme measures to be near him or to get his attention. Now this was both frightening and unnerving to know that this woman actually thought that he would be with her. That he would leave the woman he loved, to be with one be barely knew. One that was nothing more to him than a one night stand; a mistake that he wished would erase from his memory.
It frightened him to know that even before he had asked her to leave him alone, she had been obsessive enough to actually go through the numbers on his cell phone. He couldn't understand the thought process of a person who would be willing to do such a thing. How did someone come up with an idea like that? And if they did, what other sick, twisted thoughts raced through their minds on a daily basis.
She had been following him. She said that much to be true. And not just the day in the grocery store. She had said that there had been other times, and that she knew him better than he thought she did. He had to wonder how much of this was true, but deep down inside he wasn't about to dismiss the idea of her stalking him. If she had been following him lately, when had she done so? Where had he gone that she followed, only steps behind, out of sight. Watching from the shadows while he was completely unaware of her presence.
The thought was terrifying. He was used to the thought of being recognized on the street. It was difficult to live a normal, anonymous life when you did what he did for a living. But this was different. This was completely different. This person was following him, watching his every move, with intentions only she understood.
He had frightened himself when he had pushed her against the wall. It had been completely spontaneous, and he had no intentions on letting her get to him that way. He was not usually so aggressive, and would never, ever hit a woman. But still, he stood there, her back pushed against the wall, with his hands digging into her arms.
It wasn't so much her threat of telling Erin that made him lose control. It was more the thought of Trystan being anywhere near Erin. She was unpredictable, and he wasn't sure if she was stable at all. She was already completely obsessed with a man she didn't know, and was following him around. She knew what she wanted, and was obviously prepared to do anything to get it. What would stop her from simply trying to remove Erin from the equation?
True, it was a drastic possibility, but a possibility never the less. He didn't know what she was capable of, and had no idea what to expect from her next.
He wondered if his threat had any impact on her at all. Was she frightened? Was she sitting at home now, thinking of his words and realizing just how impossible her advances were?
Or was she now angry? More angry than she had been before, and now more determined to show him that she would not be pushed aside. That she would not be denied.
He didn't know what to do. At the moment, he was barely able to keep his attention on the road as he made his way back home.
He had to find out more about her. She seemed to know quite a bit about him, and not just because of his celebrity status. She had somehow gained access to things only he should know, and it made him wonder what else she knew about him that he wasn't aware of.
He had to know her. Even though he had hoped that this would be the end of it all, he realized now that it was only the beginning. He had to find out as much about Trystan Michaels as possible, if nothing more than to keep himself and Erin safe. At least until he knew what she was up to next.
Deep down he hoped that she would leave. That somehow, his words had impacted her enough to make her realize the error of her ways, and move back home. But he knew that hope was pointless. If she was willing to go to this extreme already, what would make him think that a simple threat from him would make her stop?
In his mind, he began to think of what he needed to find out about her. There were so many things, he didn't even know where to begin.
He knew her name. That was all. Granted, a lot could be found out about a person from their name, but what would he really be able to find?
More than anything, he needed to know what she was capable of. What she was like. He knew nothing about her childhood or even where she grew up, so his attempts were going to be difficult. He wasn't about to contact her parents. That wasn't an option. What would he say? 'Excuse me Mr. and Mrs. Michaels, but your daughter is stalking me after we had a one night stand over a month ago. Tell me, is she psychotic? Homicidal?' He knew that wasn't a possibility, but he still needed to find someone who may be able to give him an insiders view of her mind.
Suddenly, his head raised quickly. A thought striking him.
Madison.
Trystans friend who had attended the meet and greet in Orlando. She was the only person he knew who even knew Trystan, and at the moment, she was his only hope.
But he didn't even know her last name. He had to find out. Thinking hard, he wondered if management had a list of the fans who attended that meet and greet that day. It was for contest winners, so surely there was some sort of list. Somewhere, there had to be some way to find out her name.
But what were the chances that she would even talk to him? That she would actually give him any information about Trystan that would help him keep her from his life? This girl was supposed to be her friend, and he was going to ask her to betray that friendship and help him deceive her?
He knew it was risky, and that more than likely it wouldn't work, but at the moment it was his only option.
He was going to call management the next day, and see if there was any way to get a list of the names of the people who attended the meet and greet.
But he knew he would need more than that. Even if he did find Madison, there was no guarantee that she would even see him. That she would help him at all. He knew he needed more.
He remembered that one of the fans had told him that she had found out about his relationship with Erin over the Internet. The other guys were always saying that you could find out anything about anyone online, from their birthday, to their criminal record.
And that all you needed was a name.
Well, that he had. He had nothing else, but he had her name.
Tomorrow, he was going to go online, and find out everything he could about Trystan Michaels.
Pulling onto his street, he began to drive slowly towards his house.
The large homes that lined the street were still, no children playing in the yards as they had been in Trystans neighborhood. No girls on the sidewalk jumping rope. No kids running with their dogs. Just silence.
Turning into his driveway, Justin made his way towards the house.
The afternoon sun was shining down on the house, the bright rays reflecting from the windows. Looking at his home, Justin felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Somehow, he didn't feel home. His mind was still too worked up, and his nerves still too anxious.
Pulling in the garage, Justin turned off the engine, but made no attempt to get out of the car. He simply stared ahead, his hands still firmly on the steering wheel.
What was he going to do if she continued to stalk him? In all truth, what was he expecting to be able to do on his own?
He knew he could always to go the police, explain his situation and have a restraining order put against her. But in doing so, the truth would come out. He would have to explain not only to the police, but to Erin as well as to why this woman was following him.
The thought of the look on Erins face when having to hear what happened, made Justin sick to his stomach. He couldn't do that to her. He knew that he would lose her, and that was something that he wouldn't be able to bear. Every time he looked at her, he couldn't imagine ever leaving her side. The thought of her leaving him, terrified him.
He had to fix this on his own. Involving the police wasn't an option at the moment, and he would do everything in his power to keep the situation from coming to that.
Sighing loudly, Justin opened his car door and climbed out. His body was sore and stiff, a combination of lack of sleep, a hectic morning, and a stressful afternoon.
Walking slowly to the door, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. Suddenly he felt more exhausted than he had in a long time, and couldn't wait to fall into bed and forget the world around him for a few hours.
Sliding his key into the lock, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The cool air from the house chilled his skin in contrast to the warm outdoors. Closing the door behind him, Justin kicked off his shoes and tossed his keys on the small table inside the door.
Turning towards the stairs, he began to make his way to his room.
"Justin?" a familiar voice called to him.
Turning his head, he smiled. Just the sight of her relaxed him, his shoulders lowering and his mind clearing of all thoughts of the afternoon from hell he had just experienced.
There stood Erin, her hands on her hips, a look of confusion on her face. She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and one of his oversized sweatshirts. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
It never ceased to amaze him how beautiful she was, even when she wasn't trying.
She was more sexy by accident than any other woman he had ever known could be on purpose.
Turning to face her, he grinned. "Hey, baby."
"Where have you been?" she asked, taking several steps towards him. "I came over and you weren't home. I thought you were out with Landon, but he called about an hour ago and said you weren't with him."
"I had to go out for a little while. No big deal." he said, shrugging his shoulders as he closed the gap between where he stood from her.
Looking down into her green eyes, Justin knew that he would do anything in his power to keep her from any pain. He would die for this woman, and if it came to that, he would do so without a second thought.
Noticing his look, Erin smiled. "What's with that look?" she laughed, slightly uneasy at the stare he gave her.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, Justin pulled her close. Spreading his legs slightly to either side, he lowered his tall body to look directly at her. "I love you." he said simply.
Erin smiled. "I love you too."
"No, I mean it." Justin said, a slight touch of urgency in his voice. "I love you, Erin. More than anyone I have ever known, or ever will know. I came alive the day I met you, and I would do anything to keep you safe. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do." she said, her smile wavering. "Justin, what's the matter? You're acting a little strange."
"I'm fine." he replied, leaning forward to kiss her gently. Pulling back, he returned his eyes to hers. "I just realized that I don't say that enough. And I wanted to make sure you knew."
Watching him closely, Erin smiled at him. She wasn't sure whether to question him further on his odd behavior, or just let it go. He had a tendency to act strange from time to time, and she knew that most of the time it was just stress. His lifestyle wasn't exactly the most relaxing, and sometimes it took its toll.
Looking at the look of happiness on his face and the honesty in his eyes, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, she pulled him closer, deepening the contact. Justins hands ran gently through her long hair.
Pulling back, Justin smiled at her.
Reaching up, Erin ran a finger along his lips, a smile on her face.
"You know what?" she said, her voice nothing more than a soft murmur.
"Hmm?"
"I came alive the day I met you, too."
Justin grinned at her evilly. "Yeah, and all it took for you to go out with me was a letter with the 1001 Reasons to Date Justin Timberlake." he laughed, flicking the end of her nose.
Erin rolled her eyes at him, before stepping back. "Well, I couldn't just let you go and think that you could just smile at me and I would swoon. I had to play hard to get."
Justin laughed. "Yeah, but I still got you."
Poking his side, Erin pretended to be annoyed. "You're not as slick as you think you are, Justin."
Grabbing her again, Justin pulled her close. Smiling down at her, he rested his forehead on hers.
"Yes I am." he whispered softly.
Smiling up at him a moment longer, Erin reached up and kissed him quickly before pulling away.
Walking around him, she smacked him on his butt as she jogged up the stairs.
"Well, you're Royal Slickness, you better get your ass in gear if we're going to make it to your mothers for dinner."
Looking at his watch, Justin realized that it was almost five. They were expected to be at his mothers by six.
Grinning at Erin as he approached the bottom of the stairs, he gave her a menacing look.
"I have a feeling we may be a little late?" he said, slowly beginning to ascend the stairs.
"Why is that?" she asked, turning around to face him from her place at the top of the staircase.
Justin didn't respond, instead, he gave her a seductive glare as he quickly increased his pace up the stairs.
Screaming, Erin ran down the hall towards Justins room, Justin right behind her.
