After spending most of the night either dancing with Nick or Howie, or nursing a drink, Whitney decided to go ahead and leave the club. After all, AJ'd barely paid her any attention anyway, he was too busy flirting with every female that crossed his path. "Baby, you know I gotta be friendly to the fans", he'd explained. FANS, her ass, she thought bitterly. All they wanted was a piece of him, didn't he realize that? Taking one last sip of her drink, she stood up, grabbed her purse and pormptly walked towards the door, and literally ran into none other than Justin Timberlake. "Whoa, Whit, long time no see girl, how's it goin?"

"I've been better, J", she replied with a sigh, "how about you?"

"Oh I'm doin' alright -- we just decided to take a break from working on the new choreography for the tour", he explained.

"Oh yeah? How's that going?", she inquired.

"As good as to be expected I guess, but we're all getting pretty frazzled, and the tour hasn't even started yet. Ya know, I'm not sure I'm in the mood for a big crowd, and you looked like you were on your way out, whaddya say we go someplace a little more quiet?", he suggested.

Not giving AJ a second thought, Whitney took the arm Justin offerred, and after he explained where he was going to the guys, the pair was out the door. They'd agreed on going to a small late-nite coffee shop, a favorite spot for both of them when they needed to soak up some java and do some writing, or thinking, whatever the case may be at the particular time. After getting their drinks, they settled into a quiet corner booth.

"So...it doesn't look like you were having much fun back there -- wanna talk about it?", Justin ventured.

Whitney sighed again and explained, "I dunno Justin, it just seems like it's all about him lately. I haven't seen the guy in weeks, and the first thing he wants to do is go to a crowded club. I was lucky I got to go at all. Had Howie not extended the invitation to all of us, I'd prolly be sitting at home right now."

"That's too bad, girl. Have you tried to talk to him? Tell him how you feel?" he suggested.

"I've *tried*, but he's always doing about a million things at once, so even if he hears me, he's not really listening", she told him.

"So where does that leave you? I mean, what do you want from the relationship?", he asked.

"I want him, I want things like they used to be, where he couldn't wait to see me, to tell me about his day, or even the new pair of sunglasses he bought. Or how he left me little notes or poems, just because, or called me just to tell me he was thinking about me. I guess I kind of asked for this life, dating a performer and all, but I just don't understand why things had to change *this* much. I understand about him not being physically around, due to his schedule and all, but even when he's physically here, he's not here these days.", she told him.

"Well maybe you should try and talk to him again, like *really* talk, and go somewhere where he won't be distracted", he told her.

"I'll probably have to lock him in the bathroom or something, and even then, he'd probably start playing with my make-up or something", she said with a bitter laugh.

Justin grinned back at her and touched her hand in a friendly gesture, sending shivers up and down her arm. "I tell ya what, let's not talk about this for now, cause Lord knows I don't have the answers. I've been working on some new songs, wanna see?", he suggested, pulling his well-worn notebook from his bag.

"Sure I'd love to", she agreed, eagerly anticipating reading the words that meandered in his head.

Meanwhile back at the club, AJ went back to he and Whitney's table, to find no trace of her, not her glass, not her purse, nothing. "Yo D, have you seen Whit? She in the bathroom or something?", AJ hollered to his friend.

"No man, she told me she was leaving an hour ago", Howie replied with a shrug, then went back to dancing with his girlfriend.

"Shit", AJ muttered. "I can't believe she just left."

He took a drag on his cigarette then called her cell. After a few rings, her voice mail kicked on. 'She must have the damn thing turned off', he thought, leaving a quick message and clicking his phone off. "Hey guys, I'm gonna head out", he said, motioning to his friends. "Maybe she went back to the house". They nodded and waved, and AJ walked out of the club, heading for home.

"Wow J, this is really good", she told him.

"You really think so? You're not just saying that?" he questioned.

"No, I'm totally serious!", she replied. "I think alot of people don't realize the magnitude of things that go on in your head."

"Hell, *I* don't even know half the stuff in my head sometimes", he replied with a laugh. "I'd love to see some more of your stuff sometime too by the way. It's been a long time since you've shown me any of your writing", he told her.

"Yeah, well, it's been a while since I've shown anyone really. It seems like all I write lately is depressing stuff anyway", she replied. At that moment, her cell phone beeped, indicating she had a message. While Justin went to the restroom, Whitney checked her messages, finding that AJ had *finally* realized she was gone. 'Serves him right to wonder where I am for a while,' she thought.

Whitney 'pretended' not to get the message AJ had left, and took Justin up on his offer to hang at his place. He told her that even though his body was tired, his mind was still too wired to sleep. She followed Justin to his Orlando home, as AJ was driving to the home he and Whitney shared.

He fully expected to find her car in the garage, and when it wasn't there, he really started to feel like shit. 'You're such an idiot, man', he reprimanded himself. 'You haven't seen her in weeks, and the first thing you do is go to a club, smooth move there.' He tried to think of the last time they had talked, like *really* talked, and he found that he honestly couldn't remember. 'Fuck', he thought. 'I've really gotta fix this somehow'.

Meanwhile, Justin and Whitney had arrived at Justin's house, and were immediately greeted by his two small dogs, Bella and Barely. He reached down to scratch each of them on the head, then took Whitney's coat for her. "I dunno about you girl, but Im *starving*. I'm about to make me a big ol mess of nachos, and after that, a humongo hot fudge sundae. And if you're nice, I'll even share!", he told her with a wink.

"And what happenens if I'm *not* nice?", she asked him, teasing him back.

"Well uhh, I haven't thought that far, so you just better be nice!", he replied with a grin.

"Well alright, but just this once", she replied, following him into the kitchen. "I didn't know you could cook", she commented.

"I can cook a few things, mostly Italian, that's about as gourmet as I get", he explained, grabbing all the neccesary items for the big plate of nachos he was making.

"Put my jalepenos on the side, would ya?", Whit asked.

"Anything for you baby", he replied, flashing one of those million dollar grins of his. She knew he was flirting outrageously, and she back, and just for tonite, she really could care less about AJ. After the nachos were made, the pair popped in a movie, but ended up talking through it instead. He gave her tips about getting her career off the ground, and even offered to get some studio time so she could polish up her demo. She listened to his antics about preparing for the tour, and while he was smiling, she could sense he was holding something back. How she wished he would open up to her, but it HAD been quite a while since they'd talked, and she supposed they needed to catch up some first. After Justin had polished off most of the nachos, he made his sundae, and teasingly put some whipped cream on Whitney's nose. Their hands touched as he went to hand her a napkin, and the spark was unmistakeable. Very slowly, almost as if time was going in slow motion, their faces inched closer together, until she finally felt his lips on hers, with the most gentle of kisses, she wondered at first if they'd actually made contact. He moved away quickly after that, apologizing, "Oh, man, I'm sorry, I just...got caught up in the moment -- please don't be mad."

"Justin", she told him, looking into his crystal blue eyes, "I'm not, it's ok." To prove her point, she leaned in to brush his lips again. He brushed the hair from her face very gently, deepening the kiss slightly. They kissed for a few minutes, before he pulled away again. She looked at him questioningly, and he explained, "Ok, I'm just gonna say this. I hesitated for so long, since you've been with AJ, but there's just no denying it. I'm attracted to you Whitney. I know we've just been friends all this time, but as we've gotten to know one another, I'm finding it harder and harder to think of you as just a friend. We just seem like we'd be so good together..."

"I know...to be honest, I've thought about it too, but I'm still with AJ, and...", she started.

"And I totally don't wanna jeapordize that -- the last thing I'd try to do is break you guys up, you know that right? But like I said, I just can't keep denying my feelings either", he interrupted.

Whitney leaned in and hugged him tightly. "I've had a wonderful time tonight Justin, but I think it might be best for both of us to take some time and think about this...", she explained.

He nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know...just promise me you won't disappear or anything, ok?"

"I promise -- and I don't make any promises I can't keep." The pair hugged one last time, and Justin walked Whitney out to her car, staying outside until she pulled away. After he could no longer see her tail lights, he went inside and fell into a fitful sleep.

He wouldn't ask her where she'd been, but only be thankful that she came home at all, after the way he'd treated her that evening. He'd been alternately pacing the floor and gnawing at his fingernails anxiously. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end, even moreso than usual. Finally he heard her pull into the garage, and when she walked into the dark kitchen, he said nothing, only pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry baby", he whispered into her ear, rubbing her back softly. She nodded against his chest, furiously fighting the tears that were burning her eyes and threatening to fall. She'd spent the last hour since she left Justin's driving around and thinking. AJ led her into the living room, where he'd built a fire, to ward off the unusually chilly February air. The pair took a seat on the couch, neither of them speaking for a few minutes, thoughts racing wildly in each of their heads. AJ grabbed Whitney's hand and looked into her eyes, "What is it baby? I can tell you have something on your mind..."

Whitney sighed deeply and slumped against the back of the couch, idly rubbing AJ's hand with her thumb.

"I really don't know what to think anymore AJ. We've been together for a while now, albeit alot of that time we were seperated due to circumstances, with your touring and me working on getting my album together..."

"Why do I sense a 'but' here?", he inquired.

"Well...God, I don't know if I should even be saying this, but I just really worry if we're too far gone now. We keep drifting further and further apart, and trying to pretend it's not happening, but to be honest, I just don't even feel like I know you anymore", she told him, searching his eyes for a reaction.

He let out a deep sigh and nodded, "I know. We don't talk anymore, *really* talk, and I honestly can't remember the last time we did something special together, just the two of us."

"Was it something I did AJ? To make you stop paying attention to me? Or were you afraid of getting to close, or...", she started.

"No no no honey, that's not it. I've just been so stressed with the new album and the promo stuff and the tour, and before I knew it, months had gone by, and here we are. And yeah, I think part of it is me being afraid of getting too close. I love you sweetheart, I really and truly do, but there's always this part of me who is worried that the people I love are going to keep pushing me away, cause it's certainly happened enough before. I honestly can't tell you what it's gonna take to change that either. While I don't like to be alone, I don't know how to really let anyone in either", AJ explained, tears threatening his own eyes now. The pair hugged fiercely, and AJ whispered into Whitney's hair, "What do we do now?"

"As much as it hurts me to say this baby, I think we need a break. We just aren't in the same place anymore. I love you deeply, and a part of me always will, but this just isn't working. Please know I'll always be here for you, but that's all I can give you right now. I've spent too long waiting, and wondering, and I just can't take it anymore", she explained.

AJ was crying a little harder now, and it was all she could do not to completely break down herself. She rocked him gently, rubbing his back softly. AJ had moved so that his head was in her lap, his arms around her waist, and whispered over and over again, "Im sorry baby, I'm so sorry..." He knew in his head that this was the right thing to do, but it was a little harder explaining it to his heart. She'd been his rock for so long, and he knew he'd totally taken that for granted, and there was no going back now.

They spent the rest of the early morning hours, and into dawn, talking and sharing, and there were a few more tears, but it was a cleansing of sorts for the both of them. Finally, just as the sky was fading from the light pinks and oranges, and into a light blue, they fell asleep in one another's arms.

Whitney found she could only sleep for a few hours, and talked AJ into going upstairs and sleeping in bed rather than on the couch. She knew she couldn't stay cooped up in the house, and again went for a drive to clear her head. Somehow her car steered itself over to Justin's house, and before she knew it, she was at his doorstep. He was clad in a pair of PJ pants and some messy hair, and didn't even question the early hour, but simply pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. It was then that the tears were able to flow freely, and she just broke down. He just held her, rubbing her back softly and whispering soothing things into her ear.

Finally when she was able to talk, she told him, "I'm so sorry for showing up here so early J, I didn't know where else to go..."

He took her face into his hands, looked into her eyes and kissed away her tears, "Sweetheart, there's no other place I'd want you to be." And with that she just kissed him, for all the love she'd lost all this time, for all the love she knew was waiting for her out there somewhere, but most importantly, just for that moment, all she wanted was to be close to him. He kissed her back tenderly, and after a few moments, swept her into his arms and gently carried her into his bedroom.

There was a passion between them that could not be denied, and before long, skin was touching skin, lips were against lips, and they couldn't seem to get close enough to one another. Whitney had almost forgotten what it felt like to make love, rather than just have sex. Justin was slow and romantic, kissing her deeply and running his hands across her smooth skin softly. A moment later his hand found her awaiting arousal, his eyes watching the expressions of pleasure that passed across her face. He leaned down and kissed her hungrily again, his tongue exploring her mouth as his fingers explored her molten core.

Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, Justin quickly moved his hand away and very gently pressed himself into her, his own excitement more than evident. She gasped slightly as she adjusted to the size of him, but quickly matched his slow, deft rhythm. He was kissing her still, her lips, her neck, her chest, and she wrapped her legs around his waist so he could enter her more fully. She squeezed herself around him as he thrust in and out very slowly, then a bit faster, knowing he was close to reaching his climax. She could feel herself almost over the edge as well, and a few moments later they reached their peak of ecstasy almost simultaneously, his seed spilling within her, her moisture melting all around him. He collapsed against her, and she stroked his back, which was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. "I can hear your heartbeat", he told her, "it sounds almost like it's gonna just beat it's way out of your chest..." He turned his head and grinned at her, giving her a razzberry on her chest. She complained in mock exasperation, running her hands through his newly shorn hair. She couldn't believe how soft it was.

She ran her hands over as much of his body as she could reach as he was sprawled out, half on top of her, half next to her, and as he kissed her deeply again, she knew she was just where she belonged.