Justin sighed as a smile slowly crept across his lips. Blinking his tired eyes, he forced them to stay open. If he blinked, he may miss something. And he didn't want to miss a thing.
This was what he had been dreaming of for weeks. This safe sense of comfort and security that he hadn't felt in what seemed like ages, was now enveloping him. He felt warm, comforted and most importantly; loved.
She had no idea he was watching her. She lay across the bed from him, her eyes closed peacefully as she slept on her side, her hands tucked beneath the pillow under her head. Her lips stuck out in a small pout, as her side raised and lowered in time with her steady breathing.
He loved doing this. Just sitting up at night, watching her as she slept. He had done it for years now, every chance he got. Whenever they were on tour and she would come and visit them, it was what he looked forward to the most. Just being able to lay beside her, watching her.
Over the time that he had been laying awake, he had come to find that he had memorized her. Every line in her face, every flutter of her eyelashes. The tiny freckle on the end of her nose that he had never noticed before, he noticed now. How every so often, she would breathe in deeply, as if releasing the tensions of the day in her dreams.
He had memorized everything about her, and he loved her more because of it.
No one had ever captivated him the way she did. She was the first person to ever turn him down since he had joined NSync. Now, that may sound cocky or egotistical, but it was the truth. Women usually flocked to him, and he was used to getting his way. She, however, was the first to ever make him work for what he wanted. And it made it much more fun. He wanted her more and more, just for the simple fact that she didn't seem intimidated or impressed by him at all.
Over time, he grew thankful for that. That tiny bit of reality that she brought to his life, just by the simple fact that she had been reluctant to be with him. He knew she wasn't there for the money, the fame and the name. She was there because of him. Because she wanted to be with him, and only him.
Blinking slowly, he forced his eyes open again as they protested. He was tired; he couldn't deny it. It felt as if he were already asleep, but his eyes were glued open. Refocusing his blue eyes on her, he couldn't help but feel the urge to reach out and touch her. To feel the softness of her skin beneath his fingers. To move the few tiny strands of hair that had fallen across her face during the night. To make sure that she was real.
Reaching out, he gently brushed the hair behind her ear, smiling wider as she took a deep breath at the feeling of his fingers on her cheek. She sighed, but didn't awake. She simply snuggled her face deeper into the pillow, before returning to her silent dreams.
Thinking back, he honestly couldn't remember his life before her. He came alive the day he met her, and for the life of him, he couldn't even think of what kind of life he had before her. All he knew was that it was nothing compared to the life he had with her.
Looking at her strongly, he began to memorize her again. The pout in her lips. The way her eyelashes rested gently on her cheeks. The way her hair stuck out in every direction as she moved around against the pillow. A million things that he memorized, were a million more thinks that made him love her.
Feeling his eyes slowly close, he gave in to the feeling for a moment. He was exhausted, although he couldn't quite place why. He couldn't remember what he had done that day, but it must have been draining. He felt as if his body was heavy as lead as he lay on the bed.
Forcing his eyes open one last time, he had to get one last look at her before giving in to his exhaustion.
When his eyes focused on her, they flew open wide. His sleepiness was immediately pushed to the back of his mind, as he stared across from him. His mouth dropped open slightly as his body went rigid with fear and confusion.
Looking across at her, he was met with a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.
Erins eyes were green.
She lay across from him, her body exactly how Erins had been before he closed his eyes. Laying on her side, her hands tucked safely beneath the pillow under her head.
She grinned at him, her blue eyes piercing his as she glared. It wasn't an angry glare. Or even a menacing one. It was far more taunting than that. It was one of satisfaction and determination.
Slowly, he sat up, rising into a seated position on the bed. His eyes never left hers as he moved, watching her closely. Her eyes followed his movement, before she turned to lay on her back and stare up at him. The same smile pressing her lips.
Looking down at her, Justin couldn't get a grip on what he was seeing.
Erin had been there. Only seconds ago, she was there. She had to have been. He saw her.
Now, she was gone. And lying in her place, was Trystan.
"Where is she?" he managed to force the words past his lips. Although he heard them in his mind, he couldn't feel his lips move.
"Who?" she asked innocently, her head tilting against the pillow.
"Erin!" he yelled back, refusing to move his eyes from her.
Trystans smile widened, before her head pressed hard against the pillow as she threw it back in laughter. Her evil cackling laugh seemed to come from every direction; all around him it was all he could hear. He felt his blood run cold.
Turning her eyes back to his, she grinned at him.
"But Justin," she said, rising slowly to sit on the bed. Holding the covers against her body, she leaned towards him. "I am Erin."
His eyes widened as he quickly tried to move away. Sliding across the bed, he tried to find the edge but was met with nothing. She followed him, although never moving. Her body seemed to slide motionlessly towards him. He turned, looking at the side of the bed right beside him, but somehow he couldn't reach it. He couldn't escape or move far enough away from her.
Suddenly, he heard her laughter again. The sickening sound of her laughter filled his mind and he panicked more. Reaching out to the side, he grabbed hold of the edge of the bed, pulling himself away from her; away from the sound of her voice.
Almost immediately, he was met with a shocking blow to his body. His eyes shot around the room, suddenly unfamiliar to him. The cool air in the room met the damp perspiration on his skin, and his ragged breathing increased as he came awake.
Sitting up quickly, he looked around the room frantically.
He was on the floor, the blankets from the bed above wrapped around his body. His skin was cold, damp from the nightmare. He could faintly hear the cars below on the street as they slid along the streets of the city. Looking around, he slowly began to calm.
It was a dream. She wasn't there. He was safe in his hotel room in Cleveland. It had all been a dream.
Taking several deep calming breaths, Justin ran his hands over his face. The feeling of his own hands on his skin seemed odd to him, as he sniffed loudly and turned his still wide eyes back to the room.
He had had a nightmare. But God, it had felt so real. He could feel Erins skin beneath his fingers. Hear the sound of Trystans laughter, and feel the terror in his blood at the sight of her next to him.
Falling off the bed and onto the floor had shocked him awake. His right arm was sore from absorbing the majority of the impact, but at the moment he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was awake, and none of what he had just witnessed had been real.
It was a dream.
Thank fucking God!
Reaching up, he raised himself back onto the bed, sitting on its edge. Hanging his head, he closed his eyes.
His body was tired, his mind still trying to block out the images and sounds from the dream. Looking to the clock at his side, he realized the time. 11:24am. It had been weeks since he had been able to sleep this late. He was usually up at early hours, mostly because of the hectic lifestyle he was accustom to. He rarely slept in, even though it was something he always tried to do once the tour ended. But this time, he hadn't been able to sleep in once the tour stopped. His mind and life had been plagued by Trystan, and that made for some rather sleepless nights.
Just like this time, she had invaded his mind.
Looking up to the window across the room from him, he was hit with the late morning sun. The sliding glass door to the balcony was still open slightly, a breeze coming into the room.
Justin sighed loudly, once again running his hands over his face.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to erase the image of Trystan from his mind. The smile on her face, the evil in her eyes. It had truly felt as if she had been right beside him.
He had been terrified. One moment, he was looking at the peaceful sleeping face of his girlfriend; the woman he loved. The next, he was met with the face of terror and determination; the person he couldn't seem to escape.
Looking over to the phone on the night stand, he had a sudden urge to call Erin.
Madison had made it quite clear to him the day before that Trystan was not below doing something to harm Erin if it meant getting what she wanted. Justin wasn't sure if she would be quite as bold in this situation as she had been in the past, but he still couldn't sake the feeling of nervous dread that came over him.
Sliding across the bed, closer to the phone, he moved further back to the middle of the mattress as he brought the phone to sit in front of him. Finally accessing an outside line, he quickly dialed her number, the receiver pressed close to his ear.
He just needed to hear her voice. To know that she was alright.
On the fourth ring, a voice answered.
"Hello?"
It wasn't Erin.
Justin grinned, however, at the sound of the voice.
"Hey, Hannah." he said, moving back on the bed to rest his back against the headboard. "Is Erin around?"
"Hey, J" she greeted cheerfully. "Yeah, hang on a second." Justin heard her pull the phone from her ear to yell in the background. "Erin! Timberlake is on the phone!"
Justin grinned at Hannah. She had always called him Timberlake. Since the first day they met, she had always preferred to use his last name when addressing him, rather than calling him Justin. It was either Timberlake, or J.
A moment later, he heard a scuffle through the phone, before the voice he had been longing for finally floated through the line.
"Hey, baby." she smiled into the phone.
"Hey." he said, a smile immediately coming to his face. He felt his entire body relax at the sound of her voice. Any thought or memory of the nightmare he had experienced only moments before were pushed to the back of his mind, as images of Erin filled his mind. "God, you don't know how good it is to hear your voice."
Erin laughed. "J, its only been, like, a day."
"I know, but still." he smiled. "I just needed to hear your voice."
Erin laughed again, the sound was music to his ears. "So, how are your brothers?" she asked.
"My brothers?" he asked, his face scrunching in confusion.
"Yeah. Your brothers. You are in Memphis, right?"
Justins eyes shot wide in recognition. He had told her he was going to visit his brothers in Memphis.
"Oh, yeah, they're fine." he quickly stated. "They're good."
"That's good. When are you coming home?"
"Tonight. Probably late."
Erin was quiet for a moment before continuing. "J, did you try and call here last night?"
"Me? No. Why?"
"Because. At about three o'clock this morning, the phone rang. I answered it, but no one was there. The caller ID just said out of area. I thought it was you."
Justins heart beat increased slightly at the information. "No. It wasn't me."
"Hmm. That's strange." Erin said, her voice thoughtful. "We've been getting a lot of calls like that lately."
"I know." he said, his voice full of regret. "I'm sorry."
Erin laughed. "Why are you apologizing. Its not your fault."
Justin closed his eyes painfully. If only that were true.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "Erin, listen, you're right. We have been getting a lot of calls like that lately. I'm thinking we should change our numbers."
"What?" she said, shock obvious in her voice. "Why?"
"Just because. I mean, I know I'm supposed to change my number every now and then, just in case a fan gets hold of it. But these calls have continued for a while now. I think its a good idea if we change our numbers."
"Justin, com'on. Its not that big of a deal. Its just a little annoying is all."
"Erin, please." Justin said urgently. "I'm just saying that I think it would be a good idea if you changed your cell phone number. Just in case a fan got it or something, we don't need that hassle. I'm going to change my home number and cell number when I get home. Johnny is always telling us we should do that once in a while, so I'm going to do it."
Erin was quiet for a moment, and Justin wondered what she was thinking. He didn't miss the urgency in his own voice, and he wondered if that was causing her to wonder why he was so intent on changing their numbers.
"Okay, Justin." she finally spoke. "If its that important to you, we'll change the numbers."
"Thank you." he said. "Ill take care of it when I get home."
"Okay. Listen, I better go. Hannah and I are helping Dylans sister move."
"Okay. Ill see you tonight when I get home."
"See you tonight."
Justin closed his eyes, envisioning Erin with him. "I love you." he said quietly.
"I love you, too." she replied.
Justin didn't hang up long after he heard the click on the other end of the line. Just the sound of her voice had comforted him when he needed it the most.
Finally hanging up the phone, he looked at the clock again. 11:52am. He still had to pack, and go back to Madisons dorm before going to the airport.
Pushing the sheets back from his legs, Justin stood, stretching his arms high above his head.
He wondered if Madison had talked to Trystan yet. He hoped that she was a good enough actress not to arise any suspicion in her friend. The last thing he wanted was to put Madison in danger. He hated having to ask such favors from a woman he didn't even know, but he knew he was out of options.
Turning towards the bathroom, Justin sighed.
The last thing he wanted was to involve anyone else in this mess.
