The next morning, Liz was sitting in the restaurant downstairs eating breakfast and talking with the girls. It was close to 6:45 a.m. and they had about ten minutes to finish then head towards the waiting vans to get to the photo shoot and interviews for the day. They had to be done by 3:00 p.m. to head to the arena for soundcheck and get ready for the show that night.
Liz had barely touched her bagel and juice but was too busy talking to Lynn about the events of the day so she decided she would bring it along with her for later.
She began packing up her notes and gathered some trash to throw away when Lynn stopped her. "Um, Elizabeth, you know, I've been thinking, you really don't have to come with us today. Why don't you stay here and rest up for the night."
Liz gave her a strange look by lifting her eyebrows at her. "Lynn, no offense but then why am I up right now?" She asked, unaware that Lynn had ulterior motives to her request.
"Oh, I just realized it after looking over a few things that Shey could go with me and you can stay here. I'm sorry for getting you up so early but now you can go back to sleep and we'll see you at the arena at 3:00 p.m.." She said as she quickly filed the girls out of the room before Liz could say anything.
She stood there a few minutes confused as to what exactly happened then it hit her. She ran after the group but they were gone. 'How am I suppose to get to the arena to meet them?'
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and in walked Britney…with Justin.
Liz's heart fell to the floor when she saw the looks they were giving each other as they laughed at something one of them said. She tried not to stare at them but was finding that hard to do.
"Ebby, you do know of a thing called a trashcan, right?" Justin asked as he approached the young woman. She still had garbage in her hands.
She blushed a little at that comment and walked over to the bin to throw her stuff away. She smiled to the pair as she made her way passed them without saying a word. She was afraid of what would come out of her mouth.
Justin though knew what to do. He reached his arm out and grabbed a hold of hers to stop her from leaving. She gave him a questioning look as her eyes lowered to his hand on her. He merely smiled then grabbed her bagel with his other hand. He brought it to his mouth and took a big bite out of it.
He smiled sweetly at her and let go of her arm. "Thanks for the bagel. You should really try one, they're awfully good." He said as he went for another bit but Liz stopped him.
"Hey, get your own if you want one." She said, snatching the bagel back from him.
Justin was taken back by Liz's obvious upset reaction and wanted to see what was wrong with her. "Ebby, what's the deal? I was only joking. If you want me to get you another one, I will." He replied as he told Britney to wait on him at one of the tables.
She nodded and left with one of her dancers who came into the room. The two were filling their plates with food as Liz looked on.
She finally returned her eyes to Justin who stood there waiting for an answer. "Oh, sorry. No, I don't need you to get me another one. I was just leaving." She started but he stopped her again by reaching for her arm. "Justin, please let go. I need to get going. I have to be out of here by 7:00 a.m."
Justin shook his head at her. "No you don't. I talked to my mom on the way out and she said that you were free for the day so why would you lie about it and why are you acting so strange?"
Liz did NOT want to talk to him right now. He had just shown up with Britney at 7 in the morning. She remembered his mother telling her that Justin never got up early for any reason unless it was for someone he cared about. She didn't want to think about what happened when she left him in the pool last night.
"Justin, I just need to go okay?" She said as she pulled away from him. He held on tight and refused to let her go. "Quit, you're causing a scene." She snapped back at him.
He could only glare at her before speaking. "Well, then talk to me and I'll let go."
Liz rolled her eyes in disgust but felt defeated. He had a hold on her – physically and figuratively – and she was a victim to him. "Fine but not here. After you finish breakfast if you're not too busy with Britney, come to my room. It's 526." She said as she pulled her arm away.
He let go this time but didn't miss the underlying upset tone to her voice at the mention of Britney. He would have a lot to explain when he came to see her later. "Yeah, give me half an hour and I'll be up there."
She nodded and turned around to leave the restaurant before he could say anything else to her. As the door began to close, she looked over her shoulder and saw Justin approach a smiling Britney. Liz's heart sang yet again. She felt out of league for the first time in her life.
Before, she had always been able to size up an opponent and find their weaknesses then strike and not let up until she had them beat but with Britney, it was different. Liz had always had to deal with using her brain to find a way to win but using her feminine side to attract a guy, now that was something different all together.
How would she be able to compete with most teenage boys' fantasy and given the fact that Justin thought so highly of her and she was his 'rock', Liz knew she didn't have a chance.
Liz sighed all the way up to her room. She flung herself on the bed and quickly closed her eyes, hoping to find a little relief from the brief moment of peace. Justin said half an hour so she didn't have long until she was face-to-face again with the man whom she held too close to her heart.
Forty–five minutes later, Liz woke up to a pounding sound. She slid her body out of the bed and stumbled towards the door. She opened it slowly and immediately heard the muffled giggles that Justin was trying to hide. She rolled her eyes at him before inviting him inside.
"Hey, I hear that you don't look so good after you've woken up either." She snapped as she tried to straighten out the lumps in her hair.
Justin smiled evilly at her. "Well, would you like to compare sometime?" He said giving her a wicked wink.
Liz just shook off the dirty thought that ran through her mind at that moment and pretended that she didn't hear him. "So, exactly why were you up so early this morning?" She asked, laying down on her bed again.
He noticed her easy demeanor and wondered if she had heard him correctly. He had made his comment to get a rise out of her but she was giving him nothing. He shrugged and sat down on Mandy's bed.
"Oh, I got a call from my mom and she wanted to meet for breakfast. I hadn't really slept much last night so I was sort of awake and decided to join her but when I went to meet her, she was heading out so I just ran into Britney and ate with her. I'll probably go back to my room in a few minutes and go back to sleep. JC's still there and will be asleep for awhile so I have time."
Liz nodded her head, content in his answer and reached up behind her with her hands to clasp them together. She yawned but didn't cover her mouth.
It lasted longer than she anticipated and as her hand was about to move to cover herself, she felt another hand do it for her. She crossed her eyes and saw Justin's hand over her mouth. She chuckled as the yawn dissipated and he slowly removed his hand.
He remained seated beside her and grinned himself. "You know you are so rude." He said as he sat back on his hands.
"Yeah, well at least I didn't lick your hand." She replied, commenting on the fact that when she had put her hand over his mouth to quiet him down, he had licked her palm.
"Hey, I never got you back for shutting me up." He said as he raised an eyebrow to her. She shook her head 'no' and tried to scoot off the other side of the bed but it was too late. Justin flung his body on hers and grabbed her waist to hold her to him.
She screamed and wiggled but he refused to let her go. "Justin, I swear if you don't let me go, I'll…I'll."
"You'll what?" He asked as he began moving his hands to her sides.
She jumped when his hands lessened their grip a little since he was about to tickle her and she got the upper hand. She pulled out of his grasp and turned his potential tickle-torture on him.
He was too busy laughing at her to notice that she had him pinned. She was now sitting on his hips running her fingers over his sides, which caused tingles to be shot throughout his body. His laughter was contagious and Liz was following suit.
She soon gave up when she saw the blue tint that came across Justin's face from the lack of oxygen but they continued to laugh. The mixture of tiredness and the feeling of relief for finally seeing Liz smile again made Justin feel drawn to her – all over again.
He was the first to stop laughing and put both of his hands on her hips. She stopped as well when she felt his warm hands on her and could only stare into his eyes.
Without hesitation, Justin sat up and moved his hands around Liz's hips to hold onto her better so she wouldn't fall off him. Now, their faces were within inches of one another and the intense look she was giving him made him melt. He knew she wanted him – or at least he hoped – but there was just too much for them to talk about before he ventured any further.
He opened his mouth to speak but only a slight whisper came out. "Hey, um…so what was wrong with you downstairs?" He asked as he saw the sparkle diminish in her eyes.
That was NOT what Liz wanted him to ask but she had to keep it together and not fall apart now. His eyes burned into her and she could feel his breath on her as he spoke. She thought that if she didn't get out of this situation fast, she would regret what her body was telling her to do.
She smiled a little embarrassed and slid her body away from his. He let her go without a fight this time. The looks they were giving each other could only lead to trouble if they didn't work through a few things first.
Once Liz was a safe distance away from him, she answered his question. "I didn't like what I saw."
'Okay, that was NOT an answer', Justin thought to himself. "What did you see that made you upset and snap at me when I walked in with…" He stopped himself from saying the last word. He could see the expression on Liz's face change when he was about to say Britney's name. He knew what this was about now.
"Ebby, what you saw were two friends laughing over some dumb joke I told. That's all there was to it. I told you I saw her in the hall after I talked to my mom."
Liz felt more embarrassed right then and she wanted to get this over with before any more humiliation could occur. "Justin I understand you and Britney are friends but I just didn't like seeing the two of you together, that's all. I know I said that I just wanted to be friends with you but maybe I've changed my mind."
To Justin's surprise, she actually was starting to admit her feelings for him and he didn't know what to say. "Maybe you've changed your mind?" He asked, wanting her to come clean with him.
Liz was so tired of this. She had been feeling torn and distracted for far too long and now was the time to let it all out. If Justin turned away from her, so be it. She had to get it out or she would explode.
"No, I know I've changed my mind – if it ever really changed." Justin crossed his legs under one another to get himself more comfortable. This was what he had waited for. "Justin, I didn't like seeing you and Britney laughing together, hugging, kissing, or whatever else you two do when you're with one another. To put it bluntly, I am jealous of what she has with you."
Justin's eyes raised in shock by her statement. Liz tried to ignore it and continue.
"In fact, I'll probably hang myself before the tour is over when we go on the road with you again. I don't like seeing all those girls after you – even though I have no claim on you myself."
"Then why are you mad or jealous or whatever?" He chimed in when she stopped to take a breath.
She looked at him, a little less confident than she had been a second ago. "Because Britney and all of your fans aren't afraid to admit their feelings for you, but I am. I just wish I could come right out and tell you that from the moment you kissed me on that balcony – and probably long before that, I was completely crazy for you and I can't stop it no matter how hard I try."
Justin chuckled to himself and had to cover his mouth so she wouldn't see the grin that escaped. "Well, I think you just told me."
Liz's embarrassment was at full strength now. "Oh no, I did, didn't I?" She said as she put her head in her hands. She just wished this nightmare would end. She wanted to tell him in a different way how much she liked him but what came out was just gibberish to her.
Justin thought otherwise. He leaned over towards where she was sitting and reached for her hands. He pulled them away from her face and smiled at her reddish cheeks. "Ebby, I'm flattered that you like me so much, I am, but…"
Liz shot up and pulled away from him. She stood so quickly that Justin jumped himself. "Oh please don't say 'but'. Nothing ever good comes after a 'but' so don't say that." She begged though she knew he had more he wanted to say.
Justin calmed himself down and patted the spot next to him for her to sit. She waved her hands in the air to decline his invitation. He merely rolled his eyes, stood to grab her and bring her down to his level. "Ebby look at me."
She raised her head and wanted to just die right there. His gorgeous blue eyes shined so brightly that they almost blinded her. She tried to look away but didn't until she felt him touch her hands.
She looked down at her hands as he placed his on top of hers. She was stiff at first, not wanting to give into him and he knew that he had to get this out for both their sakes.
Taking a deep breath and linking his fingers with hers, he raised his head and made her look at him too. "Ebby, please let me finish okay?" He asked as she nodded her head in agreement. "What I was going to say was that I am flattered that you like me but I think before we decide to change the decision we made about just being friends, you need to deal with other issues."
She merged her eyebrows together not understanding what he was talking about. Justin had to take another deep breath before explaining further.
"What I mean is, remember before I kissed you, you were telling me that you didn't have time for a relationship of any kind?" He asked and again she nodded. "Well, I don't see anything different in your life that would show me that things have changed. You still don't have time and I certainly don't have five minutes for anything other than a passing kiss here or there. I just don't think that it would be fair to either of us if we didn't think about what would happen if we did get together."
She heard every word that came from his mouth but still didn't understand. "Justin, they why did you look at me like that and give me the impression that you wanted more?"
He let go of her hands and brought them up to her face. He cupped her cheeks between his palms and answered her. "I'm not saying that I DON'T want more. I'm just saying that we need to think about this. For the past few weeks, the only things that have been going through my head were thoughts of us together but I didn't believe that you felt the same. Oh, my mom and the girls said you liked me but until I heard it from you, I wouldn't believe it."
Liz looked upset now. "You mean to tell me that your mother told you…and the girls? I'm gonna kill them." She said, looking off to the side with her eyes.
Justin smiled tenderly at her, forcing her eyes back on him. "Ebby, they were worried because they said you had been acting different. I assure you that they only had your best interest at heart."
"Yeah, well that's what I get for opening up to them I guess." She said sarcastically.
"Look, don't blame them. Just forget I even mentioned their names. What matters is that you told me and I told you and now we have to figure out what we're gonna do about it."
"Justin, you didn't say you wanted me. You only said that we need to think about it."
Justin pulled her face closer to his and whispered against her lips. "Does this tell you that I want you?" He asked as he brought her lips towards his, but before they touched, his cell phone went off.
She lowered her head towards his chin and heard him let out a groan as he kissed her forehead. He let go of her face and leaned back to grab his phone from his pocket.
When he answered it, he apologized to Liz immediately. She knew by the look on his face who he was talking to and knew she had lost yet again.
She shook her head and stood from the bed. She walked over to the bathroom when she heard him say 'goodbye' and hang up.
"Ebby, I have to go."
She turned around to face him. "Yeah, I heard. Well, I guess you won't be getting that sleep you wanted until tonight. Tell Britney I said 'hi'." She replied as she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
Justin sighed and smacked his head with his hand before standing himself and leaving her room in defeat.
Liz slumped down against the cool tile floor and banged her head on the door. 'When will my luck change?' she asked herself as she closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves down. She brought a hand to her mouth and ran her fingertips across her lips, almost being able to feel Justin's lips on hers but falling short of that task.
That night at the show, Liz had been running around backstage making sure everything was set up for the girls and tried to get her mind off this afternoon. She hadn't seen the guys yet but knew they were around.
She had gotten a call from Justin about 2:30 p.m. asking if she needed a ride to the venue but she turned him down and quickly got off the phone. She didn't know what to say to him right now so she decided to hail a cab to the arena. She would keep herself busy up until show time so she wouldn't have to talk to him but unfortunately for her, someone else had other plans.
"Elizabeth, can I see you a minute?" She heard as she read over the list of activities the girls were involved in the next day. She lifted her eyes from the clipboard and found Lynn sticking her head out of a dressing room only a few feet away.
She smiled at her, tucked the wooden board under her arm and proceeded to walk the short distance towards her boss. As she arrived in front of her, the door swung open and Justin stepped between the two women. His mother moved back but Justin squeezed by Liz and gave her an irresistibly sexy smile.
"I'll see you later." He said as his hand slid past hers and their knuckles touched.
She watched him walk down the hallway and for a moment, forgot that her boss and his mother was right behind her.
She saw the way his confident walk hinting towards arrogance but by the way his hips moved she wondered what exactly he was shaken in those jeans of his.
Her dirty thoughts were interrupted when Lynn tapped her on the shoulder. Liz quickly turned several shades of red and could only smile innocently at her boss.
Lynn just laughed at Liz's embarrassment and ushered her inside to discuss the girls.
Several hours later, they had finished their set and were now sitting in the family/friends section of the arena. They were greeted with hugs by everyone there and Liz was off talking to Jenny and Trace, who showed up just in time to make the show. He had had trouble with his flight but finally got there.
They were told to sit down since Britney was just about to start her set. Liz was looking forward to seeing her perform. She didn't NOT like Britney but when it came to Justin, she would probably hold ill will towards the Queen of England if she showed interest in him.
Liz was chuckling to herself at the thought of the Queen trying to get Justin. That was just too humorous to picture.
"What's so funny?"
Liz looked to the seat beside her and raised her eyes in shock when Justin sat down. She hadn't expected to see any of the guys out in the audience but here he was. She smiled at him and told him 'nothing' then felt a tap on her shoulder.
The lights had gone down and the noise level of the crowd had increased but she could read Joey's lips saying 'hi' to her as well as Chris and JC. She asked where Lance was but they couldn't understand her.
She got a little frustrated by the lack of hearing in the room but when Justin leaned over and yelled in her ear, she found out the answer to her question. "HE'S TAKIN A PISS."
She shook her head and laughed at his choice of words. She thanked him but returned her attention to the stage. The lights and sounds coming from it signaled the start of the show.
Britney appeared seconds later and danced through several songs that Liz hadn't heard of. She wasn't a big fan but she did listen to a few of them on occasion. She was pleasantly surprised that she was enjoying the concert and even found herself singing to a few of the songs she knew.
Lance had returned and was sitting on the other side of her and had been giving her a hard time for bobbing her head along with the music. The two had a shoving match going on and laughed throughout most of the second half of the concert until Liz stopped when she felt something next to her.
She had been pushing Lance with one of her hands but the other lie on her lap. There she felt the warmth of someone's fingers brush by but she didn't look down at it. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to Britney.
Again, she felt the touch of a finger but this time, a pinkie wrapped with her own. She tried to hide her smile that was forming and still refused to look to her right.
The finger that had wrapped itself around her pinkie soon slid its way over her other fingers slowly as if making sure she was okay with it's course. She shifted her body a little as she felt the whole entire hand come in contact with her own and she decided that now was the time to welcome it's hold on her.
She turned her hand a little so the two palms could meet and she couldn't hold her smile back any longer when her fingers got tangled up with the other hand. She turned her head slowly to her right and kept that smile on her face when she saw the same one on Justin's face.
He squeezed their joined hands then returned his attention back to the show. Liz soon did the same and when she looked at Britney again, she didn't feel as intimidated any more.
Here he was holding HER hand and not Britney's. This wasn't some rumor that had circulated around the Internet. This was for REAL and Liz felt her spirits rise with anticipation as to what was going to happen next.