TWIST OF FATE
By Kim
PART ELEVEN
"Come on JC. We should get back inside. People are gonna start to wonder where we are" Christie told JC between kisses.
"Please baby, I don't wanna go in yet. I like it out here, just you and me." JC said as he kissed her.
Christie responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and returning his kiss. They had only met last night, but Christie felt like she'd known JC forever.
JC felt the same way about her. He loved the way her blue eyes lit up whenever he smiled at her. "I can't believe this is happening to me. JC is such a great guy. He's so sweet and gentle and incredibly sexy." Christie thought while JC softly kissed her neck.
They were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out, "break it up guys!"
JC and Christie looked up to find Justin and I walking toward them, laughing. We had decided to take a walk and ran into JC and Christie outside.
"I hope we're not interrupting anything," I said smiling.
"Actually.." JC began, but stopped when Christie playfully slugged him in the arm. "Nah, we were just hangin' out." JC corrected.
"Well, we're gonna take a walk. Catch you guys later!" Justin said as he stood behind me and put his arms around my waist. "Come on sweetie, let's go."
Justin took me to a small Italian restaurant down the street and we sat outside on the patio. They had a live band playing and Justin and I sat down and ordered two cokes.
"This place is really cool." I told Justin, noticing how romantic the setting was with the band playing soft music and the stars shining above us.
"Yeah. I saw this place earlier today and thought it looked nice." Justin said. It was a beautiful night. It was warm with a soft breeze blowing.
"You look really beautiful tonight." Justin said starring into my eyes.
"Thanks," I replied blushing.
"Will you dance with me?" He asked softly.
"I'd love to." I replied as Justin reached for my hand and led me to the dance floor. I put my arms around his neck and laid my head on his shoulder. He smelled so good. I shivered as he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tight.
"Are you cold?" He asked me, concerned.
"Not anymore," I said in a whisper as he gently kissed my lips. The song ended and Justin and I went back to our table.
"That was fun." I told him.
"Yeah. That's what all the girls say when I take them here." Justin joked.
"Oh really?" I asked laughing. "I bet none of them were as great as me though, right?"
"Nope. I've never met anyone as great as you sweetie." Justin answered sincerely.
"You just remember that when you leave Sunday and meet thousands of other girls." I said laughing.
"Michelle, about me leaving..." Justin began seriously.
"Let's not talk about that right now. Let's just enjoy the time we have together." I interrupted.
"But I want to be with you Michelle. The past two days have been so great and I don't want to end it."
"What other choice do we have?" I asked. "There's no way it would work, Justin."
"How do you know?" he asked. "Can't we at least try?" He pleaded.
I wanted so badly to hug him and tell him I love him and I want to be with him. But I know how it would end. He would always be on the road. Not only that, I live in Atlanta and he lives in Orlando. He would be surrounded by beautiful girls throwing themselves at him and I just couldn't handle that. As much as I wanted to be with him, I couldn't set myself up to get hurt.
"I'm sorry Justin, I just can't. It wouldn't work out." I told him sadly. I could see the hurt in his eyes as he held my hand from across the table.
"It's ok. I understand. You're probably right anyway." Justin said trying to hind the pain he was feeling. "Let's get out of here." He added.
We walked in silence for a while. I didn't know what to say to him. I couldn't tell if he was mad, or just embarrassed. I tried to change the subject by asking, "how come I haven't seen Chris with a girl?"
"Chris has a girlfriend back home." Justin replied, sounding tired.
"Oh really? Well that explains it I guess. What's her name?" I asked.
"Her name's Dani. They met two years ago at a photo shoot. They hit it off and have been together ever since." Justin informed me. I guess this wasn't the best subject to bring up after all. I stopped walking and Justin turned around to ask what was wrong.
"Listen Justin," I began. "I like you a lot, I really do. I'm just scared I'm going to get hurt, that's all. I'm scared you're going to leave on Sunday and forget all about me. I've never done this before and I just don't know what to expect."
"I could never forget you baby." Justin replied as he pulled me closer. "I don't know what you did to me, but for the past two days you're all I can think about. I can't imagine not ever hearing your voice again or not ever seeing your sweet face again. I know it seems fast, but I think I'm falling in love with you Michelle," Justin said sincerely.
I could have died right there. Justin Timberlake just confessed his love for me! I couldn't speak.
I smiled as I pulled him to me and kissed him. My hands wrapped around him as he gently kissed my neck. Finally, he pulled away and just looked at me.
"You're amazing," he said and kissed me again. I can't tell you how long we stood on that street corner and kissed. I was lost in the moment. All I know is that I never want this night to end.
PART TWELVE
"Hey guys, have y'all seen Michelle around?" Sara asked concerned. She had been having so much fun talking with Lance and playing drinking games that she didn't notice Michelle had disappeared.
"She and Justin left a while ago. They said they were going outside or something." Chris informed her.
"I swear, that girl is always disappearing." Sara said laughing.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Sara announced realizing how badly she had to pee. She stumbled down the hall, running into the walls, as she tried to find the bathroom. She had drunk a little too much and she suddenly felt sick.
She found the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time to throw up. After she was finished, she actually felt a little bit better. She stood up and rinsed her mouth out with some listerine she found in the bathroom drawer. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Sara asked.
"It's me, Lance. I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Lance yelled through the door. "You have been gone for a while, I just wanted to make sure you didn't pass out on me."
Sara opened the door and smiled at Lance. "That's awfully sweet of you. But really, I'm fine. Just taking a little break from the game, that's all." Sara said laughing. Still feeling a little sick, she told Lance she needed to lie down.
"I think I had a little too much to drink." Sara said as Lance put her arm around his shoulder and helped her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and covered her up with a blanket.
"How's that?" he asked.
"Much better." Sara replied realizing how tired she was. Her eyes felt very heavy and her whole body felt weak. Lance kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight. He stood up and began to leave when Sara asked, "wait Lance, will you stay with me?"
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, just until I fall asleep." Sara replied warily. Lance lay on the bed beside her and held her in his arms. Sara felt safe in Lance's arms. He was so sweet and caring. "He hasn't even tried to make a pass at me." Sara thought to herself. She kind of wished that he would. They only had one more day together and she wanted to make it something he would remember.
Sara fell asleep within minutes and Lance stayed and watched her sleep. "She is so sweet and innocent." Lance thought to himself as he ran his fingers through her hair and watched her sleep. He noticed how soft her skin was as he ran the back of his hand along her cheek. Lance laid his head on the pillow and fell fast asleep, holding Sara in his arms.
~*~*~*~
As Justin and I entered the hotel room, the party had died down some. Sara and Lance had disappeared somewhere and Joey sat on the couch with Jenn, who had her head resting on his chest. There were a few more people still hanging around in the kitchen and the living room.
"Where's JC and Christie?" I asked Joey as Justin and I sat on the couch.
"They went to bed already. So did Sara and Lance." He informed us.
"Looks like y'all are staying the night," Justin said smiling at me. I noticed Jenn had also fallen asleep as Joey gently played with her hair.
"I don't know if we should." I replied.
"Come on Michelle, your friends are already passed out and you've been drinking. I wouldn't feel right letting you drive home." Justin said.
"All right, I guess you're right." I said. "You sure y'all don't mind?" I asked.
"Of course not." Justin said smiling.
"Well, I'm gonna take Jenn and put her in bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Joey said as he picked Jenn up and helped her to the room.
"Looks like it's just me and you now," Justin said grinning.
"Oh no," I replied laughing. "What are we gonna do now?"
"I can think of a few things." Justin joked.
"I bet you could." I said as he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me passionately.
"We should probably go to bed Justin. It's pretty late." I said as he kissed my neck.
"All right, whatever you want baby." He replied.
PART THIRTEEN
I woke up to the rain sliding down the window pane. Justin held me in his arms as I looked at the clock to see what time it was. It was a little past 9:00 a.m. I gently lifted his arm up and tried to ease out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Justin asked in a groggy voice.
"I was going to check on Sara and Jenn." I replied as I kissed him on the cheek.
Smiling, he pulled me back down and wrapped his arms around me. "Don't go yet." He said in a sexy voice. I snuggled up beside him and fell back asleep in his arms.
~*~*~*~
"Sara, are you awake?" Lance asked as he gently shook Sara. She slowly opened her eyes and instantly felt the headache that she always dreaded the morning after she had been drinking.
"Uuugghhh," she moaned. "What time is it?"
"It's 9:15," Lance replied, thinking to himself how cute she looked in the morning. "Not feeling well?" He asked concerned.
"My head is killing me." She replied groggily as she sat up and looked around the room. Her eyes fell upon the window as she noticed it was raining outside.
"What happened last night? How did I end up in here?" Sara asked confused.
"You got sick and so I brought you in here to lie down, and you fell asleep." Lance answered.
Just then they heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Lance shouted.
JC walked in and informed Lance that their autograph signing at the mall had been rescheduled and they had to be up there at eleven.
"Shit!" Lance said as he laid back down and pulled the pillow over his head.
"So come on, we gotta leave in about 45 minutes." JC said as he shut the door.
"Guess I better get going." Sara said as she stood up, her head pounding.
"Well, can I call you later?" Lance asked.
"Sure. I have to work later so you can call me there." she answered as she wrote down her work number.
"I'll talk to you later then." Lance said as he kissed her on the cheek.
~*~*~*~
"Dammit, I hate when they change things at the last minute!" Justin said annoyed as he got out of bed. JC had just informed him he had to be at the mall in 45 minutes. I sat up and grabbed my shoes at the end of the bed. As I put them on, Justin found his way back to the bed and playfully threw himself on top of me, forcing me to lie back down. While laying on top of me, he kissed me once more.
"Am I going to see you today?" Justin asked between kisses.
"Sure. I don't work today, so I'm all yours." I replied grinning. He then told me he'd be done with the autograph signing around one in the afternoon and he would call me when he got done. We stood up and I hugged him goodbye and went to find Jenn and Sara.
They were both standing in the living room, waiting on me. We said goodbye to the guys and walked out into the rain. It was a cold and gloomy day as we ran through the parking lot to my car. We got inside the car and blasted the heater. We talked about the guys and how sad we were that today was the last day we were going to get to see them. Jenn informed us that Joey and her decided to be friends, seeing as how Joey was leaving tomorrow and neither one of them wanted a long-distance relationship.
"I wish it was that simple with me and Justin." I told her. "Justin told me last night that he thinks he's falling in love with me."
"Oh my god, are you serious?" They both asked excitedly. "What did you say?" They asked, pleading for more details.
"I didn't say anything. I am in love with him too, but it just couldn't tell him. But we had a really great night and he told me he wants to be with me, even after he leaves." I told them happily.
"That is so great. I'm so happy for you Michelle!" Sara said.
"Me too. Y'all make the cutest couple." Jenn added.
Sara then told us that Lance and her hit it off really well but that he hasn't mentioned anything about when he leaves tomorrow.
"He hasn't even tried to kiss me yet!" Sara exclaimed, obviously frustrated. "He seems like he likes me a lot. He's a really nice guy, but he didn't say anything about wanting it to continue, and I didn't want to bring it up if he didn't." Sara said sadly.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure y'all will talk about it before he leaves. He probably just doesn't know how you feel about him." I assured her.
We pulled up to Sara's house and she got out. "I'll call you guys later." She said as she ran in quickly to avoid getting drenched by the rain.
Jenn decided to go to my house with me and as soon as we got to my room, we fell right back to sleep.
PART FOURTEEN
I woke up around 12:30 in the afternoon and stubbled into the kitchen. My mom was busy peeling potatoes and my younger sister, Melanie, was sitting at the counter, telling mom about her week at school.
"Good afternoon!" My mom said cheerfully when she saw me.
"Hey." I replied as I grabbed a Dr. Pepper can out of the fridge. "What are you cooking?" I asked as I pulled up a barstool and sat down beside Melanie.
"Roast with potatoes and carrots," she replied. "Where's Jenn?"
"She's still asleep." "Where did you girls go last night?" My mom asked.
"You won't believe me if I told you!" I said smiling. This got Melanie curious and she proceeded to ask what we did as well.
"Well, the guys from 'N SYNC invited us to go over to their hotel!" I exclaimed as Melanie looked at me in disbelief. She has been in love with 'N SYNC for about a year and when she found out we were going to see them in concert she was so upset. My mom wouldn't let her go because she said she is too young to be going to concerts.
"No way!" Melanie shouted. "I don't believe you!"
"I swear!" I exclaimed laughing as I told them the whole story of how we met the guys. "And guess what else?" I asked.
"What?" they both replied.
"Justin and I are dating!"
"Do you even know anything about this Justin guy?" My mom asked. "I can't believe you went to a hotel with guys you just met!"
"Mom," Melanie said, "Justin is only the cutest guy on the planet!"
"Well when do I get to meet him?" mom asked.
"When do I get to meet him?" Melanie asked excited. I informed them that he was leaving town today to finish up his tour so I didn't think they would get to meet him.
Just then, Jenn walked in the kitchen and said in a sleepy voice, "So I guess y'all just heard the good news."
"I can't believe y'all got to meet 'N SYNC! Y'all are so lucky!" Melanie said, enviously.
"Yeah, isn't that awesome?" She asked Melanie as she sat in a chair.
Just then, the phone rang. "I'll get it." I said, reaching for the phone.
"Hello." I said into the cordless phone. "Hey it's me, Sara."
"Hey girl! What's up?" I asked. I then invited Sara to come over. Almost every Sunday afternoon, since I can remember, Jenn, Sara, and I have always gotten together and hung out. Sara agreed and I hung up the phone.
~*~*~*~
Justin signed what seemed to be the thousandth picture of 'N SYNX a she smiled and handed it to the young girl eagerly waiting in line.
"There you go sweetie." He told her before she moved along the line and another girl handed Justin a picture to sign. As much as he loved meeting his fans, he couldn't wait to see Michelle. He wanted to do something special with her, since this was his last day in Atlanta. They were leaving tonight around eight, so he didn't have much time with her. He signed the picture for the last girl in line and then stood up with the rest of the guys and thanked the fans for coming out. The bodyguards escorted them through the crowd and safely returned them to the limo parked out front.
~*~*~*~
I looked at the clock again for the tenth time this past hour.
"It is already 2 o'clock and Justin still hasn't called," I thought to myself. Sara, Jenn, and I sat in my room looking through magazines and talking about the guys.
At 2:14, the phone rang. I waited for it to ring twice, so I didn't seem to anxious, then I picked up the phone. It was Justin! He told me that the autograph session ran over and they had just gotten home.
"That's alright." I replied. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah. We met some interesting people." He informed me. "I missed you though!" He said in a sweet voice. My heart melted.
"I missed you too." I replied, as Jenn and Sara laughed at me.
"Who's there?" Justin asked, hearing the laughter. I told him.
"Aaawww baby, I wanted to do something with just you and me today." He said pouting.
"Oh yeah? What did ya have in mind?"
"It's a surprise!" He exclaimed. "Will you come?"
"Sure!" I told him. "Why don't you pick me up at my house in an hour?"
"Sounds good. See you in an hour!" He replied. And with that, I hung up the phone. I explained to Sara and Jenn that Justin wanted to do something and they understood. The hung around for a while as I got ready. As I finished the final touched on my make up and hair, the door bell rang.
"That must be him!" I said as I hurried out of my room and down the stairs to greet him. Melanie had already invited him in and was telling him what a huge fan she is.
"I see you met my little sister?" I asked Justin, noticing how great he looked in his black v-neck sweater with a white shirt under it and blue jeans. I could tell by the way he looked at me he was pleased with my appearance as well.
"Yes, I have!" he said smiling at Melanie. "I can tell y'all are sisters. You're both very beautiful." Justin said grinning. Melanie blushed and then asked Justin to sign one of her pictures that she had of 'N SYNC. He agreed and Melanie led him to her room where the picture was. My mom came in from working on the flowerbeds in the backyard and asked who was here. I told her it was Justin and she and I walked to Melanie's room.
"Hi Justin, I'm Debbie, Michelle's mom." She said as we entered the room.
"It's very nice to meet you Debbie, I'm Justin." He said politely. We said goodbye and Justin promised next time he was in town he would come by and see Melanie.
"Bye mom, I'll be home later tonight." I said as I walked out the front door. As we approached the limo, Justin opened the door for me and helped me inside. "How sweet," I thought to myself, smiling.
PART FIFTEEN
Sara and Jenn arrived at Sara's house shortly after they left Michelle's. They grabbed some ice cream out of the freezer and went to Sara's room.
"Justin looked so gorgeous!" Jenn said as she plopped down on Sara's bed.
"No shit!" Sara replied. "Michelle is so lucky. Justin is hot!"
"He's a sweetheart too!" Jenn said. "Lance is really nice too. Isn't he supposed to call you today?" she asked.
"Yeah, he said he was going to, but I don't know if he meant it or not." Sara answered sadly. They sat around watching MTV and eating ice cream and talking about their surreal experience of meeting the guys from 'N SYNC.
Around four, Lance finally called. He asked Sara and Jenn if they wanted to go get something to eat with him and Joey. She agreed.
"We will pick you up in about thirty minutes if that's ok." Lance said into the phone. Sara told him that would be fine and gave him directions to her house.
~*~*~*~
The limo pulled up into a deserted area with lots of grass and a beautiful scenery.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked curiously, looking out the window.
"It's a surprise." Justin told me again, still grinning. The limo pulled into a small area secluded by trees. I stepped out of the limo and breathed in the fresh air. My eyes fell upon the blanket stretched out on the soft green grass with a picnic basket on top of it.
"Oh Justin, it's so beautiful!" I exclaimed noticing how the trees surrounded us in a circle, leaving us to enjoy our picnic in private, away from the world.
"I thought you might like it." he said as he took my hand and led me to the blanket. He sat down and began taking the contents out of the basket.
"I made this myself," He told me proudly as he pulled out a bowl of fettuccine alfredo and some homemade bread. "I wanted to do something special for you since this is our last day together before I leave. But I want you to know that this is not the last time we will see each other. I love you Michelle and I want to be with you."
"I love you too Justin Timberlake!" I said. He smiled as he wrapped me in his strong arms and kissed me tenderly.
~*~*~*~
Lance and Joey arrived right on time. Sara opened the door and invited them inside.
"Where's Jenn?" Joey asked looking around the room.
"She's almost ready." Sara answered, noticing how cute Lance looked. He had on a white t-shirt with a grey and white plaid button down shirt, which he left unbuttoned and black jeans. Jenn came walking in the room wearing a short, black and white top with tight, black pants. "Wow!" Joey thought to himself as Jenn walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Hi Joey." She whispered in his ear.
"Hey," was all he could manage to say. Jenn took his breath away with her beauty. Joey couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Let's go." Sara said and everyone followed her out the door. The guys took them to the Olive Garden, a nice Italian restaurant. They asked the hostess to be seated near the back to have some privacy. She did as they requested and sat them in a booth at the back of the restaurant.
After dinner, Lance asked Sara if he could talk to her outside for a minute.
"Sure," she replied as she stood up and followed Lance outside.
Once outside, Lance said, "I just wanted to talk to you alone for a minute."
"Ok," Sara said. "What's on your mind?"
"Well, we are leaving tonight, as you already know, and I just wanted to tell you that I think you are great." Lance said, sounding a bit nervous.
"Thanks Lance. I think you're great too."
"I was wondering if I could call you from time to time? You know, keep in touch?" He asked.
"Sure, I'd love that." Sara replied, happy that Lance felt the same way she did. "I was hoping you'd say that." She added.
Lance smiled as he moved closer to Sara and gently kissed her lips. Sara returned the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Lance responded by kissing her with more passion, and a thousand sensations ran through her body.
Finally, after Lance realized they had to get back to the hotel, they went inside to get Joey and Jenn. As they approached the table, Joey had his arm around Jenn and was whispering something in her ear. She giggled and gave him a little kiss on his lips.
"Y'all ready to go?" Lance asked.
"I guess," Joey said glumly. They left the restaurant and headed to Jenn's house. Jenn said goodbye to Lance and Sara and she and Joey got out of the car. They hugged goodbye and Joey kissed her one last time.
"Give me a call sometime." Jenn said between kisses.
"I will," Joey assured her as he held her in his arms one last time. "You be good." He added.
"Don't worry! I won't do anything you wouldn't do." she replied grinning.
He kissed her goodbye and watched her as she ran into the house. "I'm going to miss her," he thought as he got back into the car.
The next stop was Sara's house. They pulled into her driveway and she said goodbye to Joey. Lance got out and walked her to her door.
"I'll see you soon." Lance told her as he hugged her goodbye.
"I hope so." she replied as he kissed her again. She went inside and watched out the window, as they drove off down the street. A tear escaped her eye as she realized how much she was going to miss Lance.
~*~*~*~
After we finished eating, Justin suggested we take a walk. I agreed and reached out for his hand as he helped me up. We walked through the grassy field taking in the beautiful sights that surrounded us. We walked, hand in hand, not wanting this day to end.
Justin stopped when he spotted a patch of wild flowers and picked a purple one out of the ground. He handed it to me and I placed it in my hair, just above my right ear. I looked down at my watch and realized it was already five.
"What time do you have to leave?" I asked Justin.
"We are supposed to leave at eight tonight, but I still have to go back to the hotel and pack." He informed me. I circled my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight.
He returned my hug and pulled me back so he could look at me. "Don't be sad," he told me. "I will call you from the road and we will stay in touch, I promise."
"I know," I said as I looked into his blue eyes. "I'll just miss you, that's all."
He pressed his body against mine and kissed me once more. "I want you to have this," he said, taking a gold, diamond ring off his pinky finger, and placing it on my middle finger. "And anytime you are missing me, just look at this ring, and know that I am missing you that much more."
TO BE CONTINUED