The rest of the evening and into Sunday, Justin stayed with Liz at her apartment. He didn't want to risk her health by going out or being around anyone else.
He had gone home Saturday night to grab a few things and see his mom, then returned to the apartment to spend the evening with her and keep her company. He didn't want Liz to be alone, in case she started to feel bad again.
She had tried to convince him that she was fine, although she didn't feel that way, but he was determined to stay and since he would be leaving early Tuesday, she accepted his offer. They spent Sunday lounging around her apartment after getting back from church – for which she had to beg him to let her attend it with him. He was a little too protective on that one.
But back at the apartment. Justin helped her organize her closet, vacuum the place, and even leant his expertise with some schoolwork - much to her dismay. He was a distraction and she knew that she would have to get up early the next day to get the work finished.
They had also talked about her seeing the doctor on Monday. He asked her if she knew what was going on with her but she didn't have any answers. She suspected a possibility but didn't want to inform him of that – it was just a hunch and he didn't need to worry about that until it was confirmed – IF it was confirmed.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want anymore of this?" Liz asked as she started putting the leftovers away from their dinner. They had ordered out and Justin went to pick it up. She worried the whole time he was gone that someone would recognize him and try to stop him since he didn't have security along. He didn't feel the need to have someone come with him while he went across town to pick up Italian food.
"Nah, but I still think that you should eat more." Justin replied as he came into the kitchen carrying their plates in his hands. He placed them in the sink, ran some water over them, then piled them into the dishwasher.
He was returning to the table to grab the other utensils and glasses when she spoke to him. "I know but I just wasn't hungry. I guess I'm just worried about the doctor's visit tomorrow that you're MAKING me go to." She said as she sealed another Tupperware container and placed the stack in the refrigerator.
'Man, he thinks I must eat like a horse with all this food he got.' She said to herself when she noticed containers of pasta, chicken dishes, and some concoction that Justin ate. It looked like sausage, veal and some other kind of meat but she didn't know for sure – she had refused to try it and even now, had a ache in her stomach when she thought of its smell.
"Ugh." She said as she shut the door to the fridge, grabbed a towel to wipe the grim off her hands and turned to see him standing behind her.
"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, after hearing her explanation of why she hadn't eaten.
She shook her head and crept closer to him. "Yes, I'm fine but with you asking me every five minutes if I'm okay – for the past TWO days, I'm starting to think otherwise." She finished and waved a hand in his face. She had a smile across her lips so he knew she was only joking with him.
"Ebby, I know I've driven you crazy this weekend but after you passed out yesterday, it really scared me and I just want to make sure that you're fine. Tomorrow the doctor will probably tell you that you're stressed out from all the work and school stuff you've been doing and to take it easy but I just want to be sure of it." He said, finishing his long-winded sentence before setting down the glasses in the dishwasher then closing it up.
He grabbed the same towel she had been using and cleaned his hands of the watery residue. "Listen, why don't we go into the living room and watch a movie or something. I promise I won't ask you again if you're fine as long as you tell me if you're not, deal?" He asked as he threw the towel back at her.
Liz caught it and smiled, nodding her head to him. "That sounds like a plan."
The two of them headed into the living room and while Justin went in search of a movie, Liz laid down on the couch. She was feeling rather tired and thought that a peaceful night with Justin would do her wonders. She had tried to help fix up her apartment but every time she moved an inch, Justin would scoot in front of her and had done most of the work around the place but just watching him move – made her tired.
She did have to admit that having him around was a good thing. He had pestered her to no end about whether she felt okay but he was very kind and concerned about her – which made her love him even more. He was just too good to her and she thanked the Lord for bringing them together in the first place.
"Hey, how about this one?" Justin asked, snapping Liz out of her daze.
She looked up to see him holding 'Stand By Me' and smiled. "That's one of my favorites." She replied.
He nodded his head and popped it in the VCR. He turned around and noticed her relaxed form laying on the couch. He smiled at her but walked around and sat in the oversized chair on the other side of the coffee table.
She looked at him and the table that separated them. He didn't seemed fazed by the fact that he wasn't with her on the couch. She shook her head and not caring what he wanted, she stood up and walked around the coffee table to where he was.
She crawled up beside him and snuggled into his body as he scooted over to make more room for her. "Why didn't you want to lay with me on the couch?"
Justin moved his arm around her body as she laid her head on his collarbone. "I didn't know if you were…" He stopped short of finishing his statement when she raised her head to look at him.
"Justin, you just made the deal with me two SECONDS ago and I said I would tell you if I wasn't okay. Gees, will you let it go so we can have a nice evening just the two of us!" She demanded as she got out of his arms and marched back over to the couch.
She plopped down on it and grabbed the blanket that hung over its backside to wrap over her body. She just stared at the TV as the four friends appeared on screen and began talking about their journey to search out the dead boy that was hit by the train.
Justin sighed, knowing he had done it again. He slowly stood and eased his way over to her. Liz didn't move to make room for him, in fact, she stretched out further on the couch. She even sprawled her legs to the front and back of the couch to restrict him from sitting down.
He just shook his head, realizing this would be harder than he thought. "Ebby, can I lay down with you?" He asked, hoping she would move but she didn't.
"Justin, just go sit in the chair. I wanna see the movie." She said to him as she waved him away.
He wasn't giving up. He didn't mean to bring up her health again but he couldn't help it. Since seeing her two nights ago, he had realized a few dramatic things that had gone unnoticed for weeks.
She had definitely lost weight, he knew that the instant he held her in his arms when she visited him at rehearsals. Also, she looked pale and uncomfortable in her own skin. Added that the other night had caused her pain and the fact that she was having dizzy spells and passing out – his mind was running wild.
Something was wrong with her and he didn't believe that it was just stress. He tried to play it off for both their sakes so she wouldn't be scared about the doctor visit tomorrow and he could rest his thoughts if he just kept repeating that she was fine over and over.
But a deal was a deal and he had gone back on it. He didn't want to hurt her again and in fact, had slept on the same couch she was now hogging, last night so he wouldn't be tempted to move in on her. And that was why he hadn't laid there with her. He was worried he would get the urge to be with this beautiful woman but until he knew she truly was okay, he didn't want to risk a thing.
Though now, he would have to suck it up and calm his hormones down if he was going to make it up to Liz. He took a deep breath and slid his body down until he sat on the floor beside her. He crossed his arms over the small portion of couch by her head that she didn't have covered and lowered his own head onto his arms.
He stuck out his lower lip at her, in hopes of gaining her attention and making her smile – it worked. He saw her slid only her eyes towards him but quickly looked back at the TV when she saw him notice. He grinned at first then continued on with the pout.
He began to slowly move up on his knees, then inched his head and shoulders closer to her face. She hadn't said a word or tried to stop him so he took that as a good sign. He was now within centimeters of her ear and whispered lightly into it.
"Are you sure you don't want me to lay down with you?" He asked, as he let his breath blow into her ear.
She shivered by the warm air and tried to hide her smile. She slowly started to scoot towards the back of the couch but kept her eyes focused in on the movie.
He took the hint and slid his body onto the couch and under the blanket when she lifted it up. She had to turn on her side to allow him enough room and when she brought the blanket back over the two of them, she let her hand linger on his chest.
He instinctively put an arm around her neck and pulled her closer to his body. Her head rested comfortably on his chest and the two of them began watching the movie together but in silence. Neither one wanting to bring up why they were upset in the first place.
Justin didn't want to have her upset because he was worried, and Liz didn't want to think about why he was worried. They just laid there, in each other's arms and watched the four boys on the screen struggle through the movie, trying to stay together as a team and see it through to the end of the day.
That was all Justin and Liz wanted but neither knew just how it all would play out – though tomorrow would be the first step in seeing if they had what it took to make it as a team.
"UGH. Justin, wake up." Liz said, shaking him as they lay on the couch together. She had woken up to the sun shining through the window. She noticed the time on the VCR clock that read 7:45 a.m. She had a class at 8:30, had to shower, dress, call the doctor for an appointment, get Justin out of her apartment, get something to eat, and redo her schoolwork all before driving 25 minutes to campus. There was NO way she was going to make it, especially since her right leg was asleep, smashed between Justin's.
She had to shake him again. "Well, if you're not going to wake up, then just move so I can get my leg out, please." She said to a slumbering Justin.
He shifted his body around but never opened his eyes, nor did he acknowledge the fact that he heard her but she was able to break free and slowly crept off the couch and onto the floor. She sat there, looking at the fuzzy screen in front of her, reached up to turn the TV off and worked on her leg until the tingling stopped and it woke up. "At least something is awake."
She eyed him a second and although she was running WAY behind schedule, she stopped to admire him.
He lay on his back with the most peaceful looking grin to his face. She wondered what he was thinking or dreaming about. She scooted a little closer to his sleeping form and smiled tenderly at him when her hand reached his face and he responded by turning towards it.
She felt the stubble on his chin and ran her hand over it. It must have tickled him because he brought his hand up to swat hers away. She giggled as she leaned in and tried to tickle another part of him. She grazed her nails under his chin and he again swatted her away, this time grunting in his tired state.
She had to cover her mouth, not to let the noise out as she tried one more time to get him. She thought about what else to do and decided to be a little mean. She licked her index finger slowly to get it nice and wet then leaned in towards his ear. Her finger began its course towards its destination and right when her finger was about to enter his ear, he grabbed her hand.
Her eyes - and his - shot open. "Don't even think about it." He said to her as his eyes slowly shut again. He still had a hold on her hand and brought it up to his mouth to lightly kiss before letting it go. "Now, you're late so you better get ready."
She just shook her head and let the laughter out. "You're awful, you know that?" She replied as she stood and made her way down the hall and into her room. She didn't have time to shower – thank goodness she didn't stink too bad – and reemerged a short time later ready for school.
She walked into the living room, half expecting to still see Justin sound asleep but to her surprise, he was sitting at her dining room table eating a bowl of cereal. She smiled at him when he looked over to her. "Hey, I think you might only be just a few minutes late if you hurry." He said as he raised the bowl and downed the remainder of the milk and cereal in one gulp.
She just shook her head at the enormous amount of food in his mouth and prayed that he wouldn't choke on it. Once he had it swallowed, he stood and walked right past her, putting the empty bowl in the sink before coming up to her.
"You look pretty good for someone who was squished all night on the couch with me and just got up a few minutes ago." He said as he slid his arms around her waist and brought her into a hug.
She laughed a little when she came out of his embrace. "Well, I wish I could say the same for you but that hair of yours is kind of…kind of like…WHOA!"
He cocked his jaw opened in shock at her response but she apologized to him by leaning up and closing his mouth with her own. He forgave her for that remark and pulled her closer to him so he could deepen the kiss.
She giggled against his mouth and he immediately broke it. "I didn't think I was that funny looking." He said but she just waved him off.
"No, it's not that. You just had Cheerios, didn't you?" She asked and he nodded his head in confusion. "Now, I'm gonna have Cheerios and Colgate mix for the rest of the day."
He just laughed along with her. That made absolutely no sense to him at all. "Aren't you gonna eat something? Maybe that'll take the taste out." He said but she merely got out of his hold and walked to the counter to grab her backpack.
She slung it over her shoulder and straightened out her hair. "Nah, I don't have time. I'll get something after my classes." She mentioned as she waved him towards the door with her.
He shook his finger at her. "Ebby, you need to eat something or you'll get sick." He replied as he walked to the door with her. "Here…" He pulled out his wallet and tried to hand her some money for food.
She immediately told him no. "Justin, I don't need your money. I told you that I'd get something later. I'm not hungry now anyway." She said, picking up her keys and trying not to notice the upset look on his face.
She opened the door and ushered him outside then followed. She locked up but when she turned around, Justin was right in her face. "Did you call the doctor?" He asked.
She had just about had enough of this morning now. "Justin, I didn't have time." She began but he interrupted.
"Elizabeth…" He started but she did her own interrupting.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Justin, don't start with the full name crap. I said I'd call today and I will. I just didn't YET. When I get out of my first class, I'll go to a pay phone and call, okay? Then I'll go to the cafeteria and grab a bagel or toast, something like that, run across campus to catch my next two classes, then head to the doctor's office and have to explain why my blood pressure is so high." She replied sarcastically to him.
"Gees, sorry I said anything, I was just concerned." He told her as he turned to walk to his own car.
She watched him retreat and let out a deep sigh. She hurried over to him, flung her bag on the ground and grabbed him by the shoulders. She threw her arms around him as he faced her. She buried her head in his neck and breathed against his collarbone. "I'm sorry." She mumbled out.
He softened as well and brought his own arms around her. "It's okay." He told her but she didn't think so.
She pulled herself a little away from him and looked him in the eye. "No, it's not. I don't know what's going on with me but I shouldn't have snapped at you just because you're looking out for me. I think I'm just scared about what the doctor will say to me."
He understood completely but she had to go. He brought a hand up to her face to lift it higher before kissing her for a brief moment. "Look, I know you're scared but the sooner you get it over with, the faster you can move on. I'm sure everything will be fine. Now, I won't lecture you on eating a healthy breakfast anymore but please consider stopping somewhere and at least getting a glass of orange juice, okay?"
She nodded her head and agreed. "Okay, I'll think about it." She started and he leaned over to kiss her forehead before letting her go. She picked her bag back up and smiled tenderly at him. "Thank you for this weekend. I know it wasn't what you wanted to do but it really did mean a lot to me having you here."
He grazed his fingers over her cheek and pushed a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail, behind her ear. "Anytime. Call me when you get home." He said, bringing her into his arms for one last hug.
She clung to him a little longer than he thought she would. He could tell that she really was nervous about seeing the doctor and that worried him even more. If she was this upset, then it had to be more than just stress but he had to block that out of his mind or he would go insane before the day was over.
She pulled back from him and nodded her head as she turned to hop into her car. She waved as she backed up and drove away, leaving him to deal with the site of her leaving. That nagging feeling came back full strength and he cringed when it felt like after today, things would never be the same again.
He didn't know how true that was.