Justin nodded.
"Good. I was really worried that something bad had happened. So, what was the problem?"
Carefully, Justin stepped away from the door and motioned JC to come closer. "Someone wrote her name on the mirror in my bathroom," he whispered.
JC's eyes widened in realization. "I did it," he admitted.
"YOU did it?" Justin whispered back. "But how? You were with me the entire time."
"Earlier," he explained. "No one washed the mirror. When the room steams up, the writing reappeared."
"But HOW did you do it? You can't-" he stopped. JC was just STARING at him with really strange look in his translucent eyes.
"There are things that you don't know," JC said. "If I use enough energy, I can do a little more than just..." He finally cracked a smile. "Than just float around."
Justin smiled back, but to tell the truth, he was confused. JC's reasoning didn't make much sense to him. WHY did he do it? Somehow, he didn't feel like it would be right to ask him about it... obviously he had his reasons, and most likely, they were private ones.
The door opened and Becca emerged, fully clothed. "Can we go out to lunch now? I'm kinda hungry," she told him when he put his arm around her back and squeezed her shoulder.
"Sure," he answered as he reached into his pocket with his other hand and pulled out a cell phone. "I just have to call the boss real quick and let him know what's going on."
Inside the deli, they sat across from each other at a little, green table eating salads and sandwiches. It was apparent to Justin that Becca was still frightened from the episode earlier that day. He watched her carefully from across the table, trying to pick up on any signals that she sent.
She stared down at her salad and poked it a little with her fork, mixing the dressing into the lettuce. There was a tall glass of milk taunting her so she set down her fork and wrapped her fingers around the cool glass, raising it to her lips and taking a big gulp. "Justin," she said, looking at him as if he were the most confusing math problem she'd ever encountered. "Do you really think that he'll never come back?"
Who was she referring to? Consequently, both possibilities were actually the same person, but she didn't know that, so he was left to wonder. "Who do you mean?"
"That man..." she said softly, looking back down at her salad and thinking about how the stranger in Justin's house must have been a man. A woman wouldn't, and couldn't do something like that to her. 'It isn't in their nature,' she thought. "Do you think he'll come back?"
His eyebrows went up and he stared at her for a second. Then he looked down at his sandwich, lifted up top layer of wheat bread and peeled off a layer of cheese. "Too much cheese," he commented as he set it down carefully on his tray.
Becca was really confused. What point was he trying to make by changing the subject and avoiding the question? All she did was sigh and stab a piece of lettuce. "Didn't you hear me?" she asked.
He finally looked directly at her and paid her his full attention. "About what?"
"I asked if you thought he'd come back."
"Oh... well, I mean, I really don't know, but if I were you, I wouldn't really worry about it. He's probably harmless and if he does ever come back... which he probably won't... I'll be right there to protect you, okay?"
"But what about when you're at work?"
"You can lock the doors. I'll make sure that no one is in the house before I leave. How does that sound?"
A small smile crept to her lips and she stabbed another piece of lettuce. "Better," she said, sticking the leaf into her mouth and chewing on it.
A week passed... two weeks passed, and the stranger that had written Becca's name on the mirror hadn't made another appearance in her life since... not one that she suspected anyway. She found herself growing closer to Justin, whether it was the almost sleepless nights together, his not so funny jokes that made her laugh in the mornings or their late night movies filled with laughter, tears and popcorn... LOTS of popcorn.
As time went by, he seemed to be getting a little more nervous, but would never tell her why. Maybe that was the biggest reason why she couldn't let him in completely. How could she fully trust a man who seemed to be keeping secrets?
Still, there was no doubt about it... he WAS her rock... well, even though he wasn't the most STABLE rock in the world, he was still always there for her. She could count on him and that was what mattered to her. Maybe she was his rock as well.
The truth was just that. Justin needed her and every time she looked at him, she could see it in his eyes and written on every inch of his face in plain English. Without her, she knew he'd crumble and fall apart.
His head felt extra heavy as he sat next to her on the couch, staring at the television and praying that she wouldn't look up at the clock. His plan was to fall asleep before she noticed that his appointment with Dr. Sibly was only in twenty minutes... well, to PRETEND to fall asleep, anyway.
He cuddled up against her and closed his eyes when he felt her arms circle around him. He prayed that breaking her attention from the TV hadn't caused her to remember.
"Long day at the office?" was all she asked.
He nodded. "Mm hmm..."
They sat there in silence for a while before Justin opened and eye and looked quickly at the clock. It was six forty-seven. Even more quickly than his eye had opened, it was closed... but it was too late. She had seen.
Her eyes also fell on the clock and she jumped when she realized what time it was. "My God, Justin! You knew what time it was, didn't you!?"
He opened his eyes and pretended to be sleepy. "What?" he yawned.
Becca squirmed out of his arms and grabbed his wrists as she pulled him up from the couch. "Come on, you're going to go and see Dr. Sibly today."
Justin groaned like a little child who was trying to get out of a dreaded dentist appointment. "No..." he complained when she began to drag him to the door. She sat him down on a chair and pushed his shoed across the floor to him.
She placed her hands on her hips and looked down at him. "Do I have to put them on for you?"
"No," he grumbled as he grabbed a shoe and slipped it on his foot. "I just don't see the point of going to these sessions. The guy does NOTHING for me."
She watched him tie his laces. "It can't hurt. What if it's helping you and you just don't know it yet? And wouldn't you like to come home from work and not feel like crying?"
He didn't nod his head, but he agreed with her... he just HATED going to Dr. Sibly's sessions and feeling the way he felt afterwards. Something that made him feel so terrible couldn't be good. "I don't like the way he looks at me." "
How does he look at you?"
"Like... like..." It was no use. He couldn't tell her that Dr. Sibly made him feel like he really WAS insane. "Never mind." He stood up. "I should really get going."
Becca grabbed the keys off the table and slipped on her own shoes. "I'm going with you," She announced.
"What?!" You don't trust me enough to make it on my own?!" he asked in a defensive voice.
"No offense, Justin," she said as she pushed him out the door. "But just get in the car."
Dr. Sibly's secretary sat quietly at her desk at the head of the waiting room, typing something into her computer as she stared over her glasses at the computer screen.
Justin and Becca approached her desk and she looked up at them.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here for my appointment," he answered.
"And your name?"
"Justin Timberlake."
She typed a few things into the computer and then looked back up at him. "You may go back. He's waiting for you."
Justin blushed. "Sorry..." he said as they stepped away from the desk.
Becca sat down on one of the chairs and picked up a magazine. "I'll wait right here for you, okay?"
"You don't have to," he told her. "You can go home. I'll call you when it's over." "It's just an hour, Justin. I'll sit right here and wait for you."
He sighed. Damn it, there went his chance of escaping. "Fine," he muttered, turning around and going through the door. He pulled it shut once he was inside.
"Justin! There you are!" Dr. Sibly's voice boomed into his thoughts. "I was starting to think that you weren't going to show up."
Justin's hands left the safety of the door and he turned to face the doctor. "I'm here," he said, not even taking one step closer. "But I don't know why."
Dr. Sibly shrugged.
"Wait. Scratch that. I know why I'm here. Becca remembered my appointment and she practically forced me here."
"She obviously cares for you. Come, Justin, have a seat. I don't bite, you know."
"I'm not a child," he scoffed, but walked to the chair and sat down anyway.
"If you don't want to be treated like a child, then stop ACTING like one."
"I don't pay you a fortune a session to harass me."
"That wasn't harassment, it was good advice. You said that Becca forced you to come?"
"She's out side the door right now waiting for me."
"Do you want to talk about Becca?" Dr. Sibly asked, changing the subject slightly.
"No," Justin replied stubbornly.
"What DO you want to talk about?"
"Nothing."
"How about if I ask you some questions?"
"Whatever."
"Can you describe your relationship with Becca to me?"
Justin wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but nothing came out. He had no idea how to put everything into words, so he just stared off.
"All I'm asking for is a word or two," Dr. Sibly said when Justin didn't say anything. "When you think of Becca, what word comes to mind?"
It was silent for a moment and then Justin finally spoke up, "I don't see how you can expect me to sum everything up in a few words," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, Justin. You can talk for as long as you like about Becca."
Justin shot him an angry look. "It's not that. It's just that the fact that I can't put our relationship into words."
"Again, I apologize, but, Justin, how can I help you if you won't talk to me about anything?"
Justin watched as Dr. Sibly tapped his pen on the desk. How many times did he have to tell this man that there was no way in hell that he could help? "I don't think you can," he replied bluntly.
"I could if you were trying."
That time, Justin didn't reply.
"Can't you just try a little?" It was almost as if he were begging. "I promise we won't talk about JC until you're ready, but can you please tell me what it's like at home right now?"
Justin's eyes wandered across the desk as he tried to decide on what to do. "Fine," he gave in. "But I just want to tell you again that I'm here only because Becca is guarding the exit."
"That's okay, Justin, as long as you're here and talking, I think we might be able to get somewhere... and maybe next time you'll come back on your own."
Justin almost laughed. "I doubt that. Let me tell you something, doctor. This whole therapy thing isn't like what I thought it would be, so if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath." To Justin's surprise, there was a smile on Dr. Sibly's face. "I'll stay with you this time," he continued, "but don't expect me to be here next week, okay?"
"Let's just take this one session at a time," Dr. Sibly suggested in a calm voice.
Justin ran a hand through his hair and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."
"Now, then," Dr. Sibly said as set down his pen and folded his hands on top of his desk. "Why don't you tell me about Becca?" He picked his pen back up.
"Can you please not write this stuff down?" Justin asked. "It makes me really uncomfortable."
"Sure." The doctor opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a tape recorder. "How's this?"
Justin frowned. "Worse," he said. "How in the hell can you think that a tape recorder would be better? Aren't you people supposed to have common sense?"
"Okay, Justin, no paper, no pens, no tape recorders... it'll just be you and me talking."
Justin's eyes narrowed. How hard could it be to piss off one of these guys? Obviously it was harder than he thought. "Sure," he said.
"Once more, I'll ask you to tell me about you and Becca."
"You see, I don't know how you can think that any of that is your business."
"You MADE it my business when you paid me. Now, would you just cooperate?"
"I really don't know what to say," Justin shrugged. "I mean, I already told you that I don't know how to put it into words."
"Fine then."
Justin could tell that Dr. Sibly was getting upset and a small smile hit him.
"If you really don't want to-" Dr. Sibly was about to tell Justin to get the hell out, but saw the smile that played softly at the corner of his patient's lips and he relaxed back down into his seat. "I know what you're doing," he said instead.
Justin's smile disappeared. "And what's that?"
"You keep making up reasons why you can't answer my questions just so that the time will pass faster and then you can leave. Let me tell you something, Justin, that's not the way it's going to happen. You keep forgetting that I majored in psychology and I know it damn well. Your little mind games won't work on me, I can assure you."
Justin was slightly taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Whatever you want to think, go ahead and think it. Just remember that no matter what you do or say, you can't make me talk about anything that I don't want to."
Dr. Sibly only smiled and thought about how wrong Justin was. Mind games were definitely not Justin's specialty, but they were his, and he was the master. "Okay, Justin. Fine. I just have one small favor to ask you."
Justin raised an eyebrow.
"What I want you to do is to sit there until our time is up and think about the stuff that you would be telling me if you wanted to. Think about your relationship with Becca and how much you're missing JC... how much your life has changed during the accident." He looked at his watch. "There're forty-five minutes left."
Justin looked at him as if HE were the crazy one. "You've got to be kidding me. What kind of therapy is this?"
"Hey, just think of it this way... how am I ever going to know that you're not thinking about what I told you to think about? Isn't this what you asked for? You don't want to talk to me, so isn't this a good thing?" Dr. Sibly didn't even wait for a response. He just slid his notebook closer to himself and reached for his pen, leaving Justin to think about whatever he damn well pleased.
On the top of the notebook page, Justin's name was written. Underneath it was the doctor's scribbled handwriting of small notes he had written during Justin's past few sessions. He bit his lip and connected the pen to the paper.
Today, Justin was so uncooperative that I had to make a last, desperate attempt at helping him. I told him that he didn't have to talk to me, but he should think what I had wanted him to say earlier. Even if he doesn't want to think about it, he'll have no choice because once the idea is planted into his head and he's just sitting here in a quiet room, what else can he think about?
Justin stood up. "Can I sit somewhere else?" he asked.
The doctor shrugged. "By all means, do whatever you want."
Justin plopped back down into his chair and folded his arms across his chest. The man sitting across from him must be absolutely and positively insane. Maybe JC was right... this guy HAD to be a quack.
Chapter 14
Almost A Memory Now
JC {Fiction}
Justin {Fiction}
My Fiction
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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