...With You

Chapter 12


Friday: Justin’s last day

"I don't believe you leave in a few hours" Madison said, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Me either, but it was a nice break, I had a good time Madd." Justin answered.
Madison smiled. "Even though you didn't get to spend it totally alone?" she asked smiling.
"Yes, Madison. Even though I had to spend it with you, I had a good time" Justin said rolling his eyes.
"You are such a brat" she said nudging him.
For the past three days Madison and Justin had spent nearly every waking moment together. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were spent with each other, the beach occupied their afternoons, and dancing was an every night activity.
"I'm a brat, huh?" Justin said smiling devilishly and getting up from his towel.
"Justin? What are you….." Madison started.
Before Madison could finish her sentence, Justin picked her up by her waist and heaved her over his shoulder and started running toward the water.
"Justin Randall, I am warning you to put me down!" Madison yelled laughing.
"Be careful what you wish for!" Justin answered, nearing the waters' edge.
"Justin! Justin! Don't!" Madison pleaded.
"Well, since you put it that way…" Justin started.
Madison started to relax and just as she did Justin ran deeper into the water and dove right in, Madison going under right with him. They emerged from underwater, both of them laughing.
"Yeah, I guess I am a brat" Justin shrugged.
Madison laughed. "What did I tell ya?" she said.
"Sorry, I don't know what came over me" he smiled.
"You are not sorry" Madison said.
"Yeah, you're right, I'm really not." Justin admitted smiling.
Madison laughed.
"I really wish you would think about coming to the Madison Square Garden show. The guys would love to see you again." Justin said seriously.
"And I would love to see everyone again. I think it's just a little weird, that's all." Madison answered.
"I know, I know. You're our friend too though, don't you miss us?" Justin asked, making a goofy face.
Madison laughed. "How could I not? You're all such mature individuals!" she joked.
"Seriously, Madd. Just think about it, ok" he pleaded.
Madison nodded. "Alright. But on one condition." She answered.
"Anything." Justin replied.
"That he says it's alright before I come." She said.
"JC?" Justin asked stupidly.
"No. My other ex-boyfriend!" Madison laughed.
"Ok, ok." Justin laughed back. "I'll talk to him."
They emerged from the water and headed back to their towels.
"Well, as much as I hate to say it, I should probably go in to shower and pack up my things to go." He said.
"You need help?" Madison asked. Justin's eyes widened and he started to open his mouth.
"Packing Justin! Do you want help packing!?" she rolled her eyes.
Justin laughed. "No, I'm pretty much done with that, but thanks." He said.
They walked back to their houses in silence.
"Come by before you leave, ok?" Madison said.
"Of course." Justin smiled. "I'll see ya in a little bit."

**~*~*~*~**

::Knock, Knock::
"Liz! Can you get that, it's Justin. I just got outta the shower, I need to get clothes on!" Madison screamed from upstairs.
"Alright, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind you answering the door like that!" she joked.
"Very funny!" Madison said, walking into her room to slip on some clothes.
Liz opened the door to find Justin standing on the porch.
"Hi Liz" he smiled.
"Hey Justin, Madison will be right down, come on in" she invited.
"Thanks." Justin said, walking into the hallway.
Justin and Liz talked for a few minutes until Madison came down the stairs.
"Hey." She greeted smiling.
"Hey Madd." Justin greeted.
"So, you're all ready to go?" she questioned.
"Yeah. My ride will be here any minute." He answered.
Justin and Liz said their goodbyes and Madison and Justin headed out to the porch together.
"Think about coming out, Madd. Really, you'd have fun. Bring Liz if you want!" Justin said, trying to persuade her once more.
Madison smiled. "I told you I'd come if he doesn't mind." She replied.
::Beep, Beep::
"Well, this is it" Justin smiled.
"Justin, don't be so dramatic. I'll see you again!" Madison smiled.
Justin smiled back at her. "I know. I hope to see you again…soon" he said wrapping her up in a big hug.
"Me too." Madison said smiling. "Bye Justin."
He smiled as he hoped into the back of the cab. Madison waved goodbye until she could no longer see the car that was driving into the distance.

**~*~*~*~**

Once back with the guys…

Joey, Justin, Lance and Chris were all in the front of the bus talking.
"Are you going to tell him you saw her?" Joey asked Justin.
"I guess. It was really no big deal guys. She just happened to be staying on the same beach." Justin answered.
"How is she?" Lance asked, concerned.
"She's good. A hell of a lot better than him, that's for sure!" he laughed.
"Yeah, well, she always looked a hell of a lot better than him in the first place!" Chris joked.
"Yeah, she looks amazing" Justin smiled.
"Who looks amazing?" JC asked, emerging from the back of the bus.
Justin looked at the rest of the guys for answers.
"Madison." Justin said flatly.
"When did you see Madison?" JC asked angrily.
"Settle down, JC. She was at the beach when I went down on the break." Justin said.
"And you're only saying this now?" he asked.
"JC! I just got back yesterday! Chill out, man." Justin said.
JC settled into the remaining chair. "How is she?" JC asked, attentively.
"She's good." Justin answered.
"That's good." JC replied.
"JC, if you want to see her, now's the time. We're going to New York next week, give her a call." Justin said reasonably.
"Do you think she'd see me?" JC asked.
"Invite her to the concert." Justin answered.
"Yeah, maybe I will" JC smiled. "Good idea Justin."
Justin returned JC's smile. He knew Madison would come to the concert if JC asked, they'd talked about it. Justin suddenly felt guilty for not telling his friends everything that went on between him and Madison that past week. But what did happen between him and Madison? Nothing too significant. They had dinner, went dancing, stuff like that. So why did Justin feel the need to see her again?

**~*~*~*~**

One Week Later…

“Well, well, well….if it isn’t my favorite little beach bunny!” he said from her bedroom doorway.
Madison turned around and faced him.
“Carson!” she yelled jumping into his arms. “I missed you so much!” she confessed.
“I missed you too, Madd! Geez, what a welcome!” he laughed.
Madison smiled and continued to unpack.
“Thanks for watching Jacey for me, I love that she can stay here while I’m gone.” She said.
“No problem. You know I don’t mind staying here. You always keep your fridge better stocked than I do anyway.” He laughed.
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” She rolled her eyes.
“So, how was the beach?” Carson asked.
“Good.” Madison smiled, thinking back to those two glorious weeks of warmth and relaxing.
“Good? Just good? That’s all I’m going to get out of you?” Carson asked.
Madison wondered if she should tell Carson about Justin. It couldn’t hurt. Besides, if she couldn’t tell Carson, who could she tell.
“Actually, it was very good. I ran into….” She stopped.
“Who? Who’d you run into, Madd?” he asked eagerly.
“I ran into Justin, actually” Madison said smiling.
“Justin? As in Justin, JC’s Justin?” Carson asked surprised.
“Ha! Well, I don’t know if I’d put it quite like that, but yeah, that Justin.” She laughed.
“Wow. What was he doing down there?” Carson asked.
“Um, wild guess, but I’d say…vacation.” Madison cracked.
“Ok, ok, smart ass. But, I thought they were on tour?” he replied.
“Yeah, they had a little time off, so he decided to spend it alone at the beach. Actually, it was kinda weird cause he rented out the other one of my parents’ houses.” She said.
“That is weird. So, I’m guessing you saw him a lot then?” Carson asked suspiciously.
“Anything wrong with that?” Madison questioned.
“No…not at all. I won’t be the one to mention that he’s JC’s best friend!” Carson said flatly.
“Don’t start worrying over nothing, Carson. We had a nice four days. It was nice to see him again. I actually started to miss the rest of the guys, ya know?” Madison said.
“I can imagine. Thing kinda ended abruptly with you and JC.” Carson said.
“Yeah, I guess they did.” Madison replied. “Justin invited me to the Madison Square Garden show.” Madison told him.
“Are you gonna go?” Carson asked.
“I don’t know. It’s still a little weird.” She replied. “I told him that if JC was ok with it, I’d consider it. But, that I wouldn’t go unless he knew about it. I don’t need him to be angry when I get there.”
“Do you think he’ll be ok with it?” Carson asked.
“I don’t know” Madison said, looking down at the floor. “Justin said he’s been a real pain in the ass lately. I guess that’s my fault though.” She finished.
“Madd, none of this is your fault. You know as well as I do that he had every control over your trust in him.” Carson said seriously.
“I know that. I just can’t help feeling guilty for hurting him. And I did hurt him.” She said.
“Madison, I don’t doubt that that man loved you. And I don’t doubt that he loves you still. But you never once told me if you loved him. Don’t you think that means something?” Carson asked.
Madison smiled. “I know what you’re saying. I don’t know if I loved him, really, I don’t. I remember being so happy with him but I also remember being so hurt by him.” She said.
“Well, Madd, no one said you had to have all the answers. And no matter what you think, it’s his loss.” Carson said.
Madison nodded.
“So, you and Justin, huh?” Carson teased.
“Don’t worry Carson, Liz already lectured me on the disaster we would cause.” Madison said.
“Well, I’ll thank Liz later. But, I’ve decided to let you make your own decisions. I didn’t introduce you to them before and you still got hurt, so I’m just staying out of it.” He said.
“Well, Carson, I must say that you’ve really grown up. To what do I owe this revelation?” she asked.
“Tara yelled at me” Carson said flatly.
“Ah.” Madison laughed. “Well, I’ll have to thank her later! Speaking of Tara, where is she?”
“Back in LA for a little. She just left about an hour ago.” Carson replied.
“I see. Do you wanna stay for dinner?” Madison asked.
“But it’s not Tuesday…” Carson cracked.
“What? You don’t eat on Saturdays?” Madison laughed.
“Well, since you put it that way… How about we order in?” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me” Madison said. “I’m exhausted.”
“Alright, I’ll call Joe’s” Carson said walking towards the phone.
She watched him walk out of her bedroom and to the phone. Madison went back to unpacking the last of her clothes and she came across a note.

Madd—
I bet you’re wondering how I got this in your bag?
The past four days have been wonderful, and I
thank you for making them that way. I hope to
see you soon, but I understand the oddness of the
situation. Keep in touch, ya hear?
--Justin


‘Liz’ she thought to herself. Of course it was Liz who aided Justin in getting this note to her. She didn’t mind. She had had a wonderful with Justin in those four days. It was a shame he had to leave. The rest of the vacation flew by, but the most memorable days were those spent with him. She smiled to herself, remember those few days.
“Madd—pizza’s on the way!” Carson yelled from the kitchen.
“Thanks hun!” Madison smiled. “I’ll be right out.”
::Ring, Ring::
Madison started to make her way out to the living room.
“Hello?” Carson answered the phone. “Uh huh, she’s here….hold on.” he said into the receiver.
Carson covered the mouth piece and handed the phone to Madison.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s…..um….it’s JC” he answered.
Madison took the phone from Carson. “I’m gonna take it in the other room. You’ll wait for the pizza?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said quietly. Madison walked into her bedroom.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey Madd, it’s me.” JC said softly.
“Hi JC, how are you?” she asked.
“Alright I guess…you?” he replied.
“Pretty good.” She answered.
“So, ah, Justin told me you two ran into each other last week.” He said.
“Yeah, we did.” She said, not wanting to say too much. She didn’t know what Justin had told him. Not much, she assumed.
“When did you get back?” he asked.
“About an hour ago, actually.” She answered.
“Wow. So that was a nice vacation, huh?” he asked.
“Yeah, Liz and I had a good time down there.” She said.
“Liz?” JC questioned.
“Yeah, my best friend from back home” she answered.
“Oh, I see.” JC replied.
There was an awkward silence between the two, a silence that Madison didn’t know how to break.
“Um, as you probably know, we’re gonna be in New York for most of next week and I wanted to know if you wanted to come to a show.” He asked.
He paused for a little, but didn’t wait for an answer. He desperately needed to see her, and would do whatever possible to get her there.
“The guys have been bugging me to call. They miss you.” He lied.
“They miss me? What about you, Josh?” she asked.
“That goes without saying, Madison. Of course I miss you.” He said softly.
“Honesty. Thank You.” She said shortly.
“So, what do ya think? You think we can put this whole thing behind us and be friends again?” he asked.
“JC, I’d love to come to the show, more than anything.” She answered.
“Good, I’m glad. But you ignored my question, Madd.” JC said.
“Yes, JC. I would love to be friends again.” Madison smiled at the thought.
“Really? You’re not just jokin’ with me now are ya?” he laughed.
“No. I’m serious. I miss you too.” She admitted.
“Well, then. It’s settled. Friends again, and you’re coming to the show.” He said happily. “I’ll call you sometime next week, ok?” he asked.
“Sure.” Madison replied.
“Alright then, I’ll let you go. It sounds like you and Carson have a night planned.” He said. “Ah, just dinner, as always.” She said.
“Oh? But it’s not Tuesday!” he laughed.
“I know, I know. But we gotta catch up, I’ve been gone for two weeks.” She excused.
“Very true.” JC said.
“Alright. Goodbye, JC.” Madison said.
“Bye, Madison. Thanks.” JC said.
Madison cut the connection and walked out the door and through the living room into the kitchen. Pizza had come and Carson was gathering the fix-ins and drinks.
“So…everything ok?” Carson asked.
“Yeah.” Madison smiled. “He asked me to the show, so I guess I’m going.” She said.
Carson nodded and they progressed into the living room. Madison sat down on the couch and took a slice of pizza. Next week was going to be an interesting one, that was for sure.

**~*~*~*~**

JC hung up the phone with a smile on his face. Justin walked into the back, taking a seat next to JC.
“What’s the weird look for?” Justin asked him.
“Oh nothing” JC sang out.
“She’s coming, isn’t she?” Justin asked.
“Yep.” JC smiled.
“Well, that’s good. I’m glad.” Justin replied.
“Me too. I think we might be able to work things out.” JC said hopefully.
“Really? I mean, that would be nice. Did she say that?” Justin asked.
For some reason, hearing JC say that things might work out hit him like a ton of bricks.
“Not exactly. But she’s coming, that’s a good sign, right?” JC asked.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Justin replied.
Justin got up from his seat and headed towards his bunk. Talking about Madison was not what he needed right now, especially not with JC. ‘I wonder if I persuaded her to come, or if it was JC’ he thought to himself. Only time would tell. Time that would go so slow in the meantime. Justin closed his eyes and thought of the previous week spent with Madison. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

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