| Always On Time |
| I�m not always there when you call But I'm always on time I gave you my all So baby be mine Justin woke up one night to the sound of a buzzing next to his ear. His eyes shot open and he glared at the phone through the darkness of the room. He glanced up at the clock as he answered the phone. �Who is this and what the hell are you doing calling me so god damn early?� he demanded when he saw that it was almost four in the morning. �J,� he heard Nelly�s voice say almost desperately. �Nelly? What�s wrong?� Justin asked, sitting up and softening his tone once he heard the sadness in Nelly�s voice. �I, uh, oh nothing. I�m sorry I called�� Nelly said, but Justin knew something was wrong, and he was going to find out what it was. �No, man, tell me. It�s ok,� Justin assured him, gripping the cordless phone in one hand and throwing the sheets off him with the other. He stood up and made his way down the hall. �I, um, I woke you up. Sorry about that,� Nelly stuttered, and Justin had never heard him so unsure of himself. �It�s fine. But I�m awake now so you might as well tell me what�s wrong,� Justin said softly, as not to sound annoyed. He wasn�t too annoyed, but he didn�t enjoy being woken up at four when he�d just gotten to bed a two. He was tired. �I tried to stop from calling you, but with what happened earlier I just couldn�t sleep. And I�ve been pacing for a while. I finally gave in and just called you, I hope you�re not angry,� Nelly rambled. �What happened earlier?� Justin questioned curiously. �Well, I forgot that my mom was supposed to be over to see me, and I had this guy over. You�ve met him� Matt, remember?� Nelly asked. �Yeah,� Justin replied, remembering the guy vaguely, but wondering why he needed to know about the guy. �Well, he was over, and we were, you know, fooling around�� Justin closed his eyes and pinched his nose. He really didn�t want to be hearing what Nelly was doing with other guys. Because he wanted to *be* those other guys. Not that he would ever tell Nelly that. Not for a while, anyway. �And?� �And ma walked in. and she saw. And J, she hates me!� Nelly exclaimed, his voice squeaking a big and he sounded tearful. This certainly wasn�t the Nelly his fans saw every day. Justin was worried because it wasn�t often that Nelly opened up like this. It wasn�t often that he let anyone know he was upset. �Oh shit, Nelly. Do you want me to come over?� Justin asked, already grabbing his coat and keys. �No, you don�t have to, J,� Nelly insisted, but Justin knew that deep down, he needed and wanted to be comforted some other way then on the phone. �Be there in five,� Justin said before hanging up the phone and going out to his car. **** A few days later, Justin was in the studio recording when his pager went off. He looked down to see �J � need you dirty� on the screen, and he rolled his eyes. Nelly knew that he was busy, that he needed to spend all his time on the new song he was working on. Justin had even specifically told him not to call until later that night. Justin sighed, letting the producer that he needed to take five, and reached for his cell phone as he walked out into the hall. He called the number he knew by heart, and Nelly picked up on the first ring. �J?� �Yeah, what�s up. I�m recording today,� Justin reminded him, irritation coming through in his voice. �Oh, man, I�m sorry, I completely forgot,� Nelly �Don�t worry about it, now what�s up?� Justin questioned, ticking away the seconds in his head. �I just needed to hear your voice man. I�m bored out of my mind and needed someone to talk to,� Nelly told him. Justin�s heart leapt at the first sentence, but then sighed when Nelly continued. He was becoming too hopeful. �Chill out,� he thought to himself. �Well, what do you want to talk about? I only have four more minutes,� Justin replied. �Are you busy later?� �I should be done here by ten. You want to hang out after?� Justin asked. �Yeah, sure, if you aren�t busy.� �Nope, not at all,� Justin lied. He was supposed to hang out with JC after recording, but he�d call JC and he was sure he�d understand. He knew all about Justin�s crush on Nelly. He was often the one who got dumped in order for Justin to hang out with Nelly. Justin felt bad, but he reasoned that JC had better things to do than hang with him. �Cool. I�ll come by your house a little after ten, all right?� �Sure.� �See ya then.� �Yeah, see you,� Justin said softly. He hung up and then quickly called JC to cancel before his five minutes were up. **** The next night, Justin made it up to JC for canceling on him by bringing him to a local art museum that they hadn�t had time to go to while touring. Justin was pretty bored after a half an hour, but he stuck it out because he knew he owed it to JC. They ended up spending more than two and a half hours there, and by the time Justin got home, he swore he�d never look at another piece of art again. He set his keys down on his kitchen table, and looked up to see his answering machine blinking. He walked over and pressed the button. �You have 5 messages.� �Woah, wonder who called,� he said, and then when he heard Nelly�s voice come over the speaker, he mentally hit himself for not knowing. Nelly always left messages when Justin turned his cell phone and pager off. JC had made him do that during their outing, not that he really objected. �J, dirty, what�s up?� Nelly asked, and he sounded fine, so Justin wondered why he was calling. �I was wondering if you wanted to meet me at the park tomorrow to play some ball.� Justin nodded, noting to himself to call Nelly once he was done listening to the messages. �Yeah, it�s me again. I forgot to tell you what time. Ten o�clock at the town park, that cool? Great. Call me later either way,� Nelly�s recorded voice said. Justin rolled his eyes. Call Nelly. He could do that. He had already planned to anyway. �Hey baby, it�s mom. I know you�re probably out having fun after your week of recording, but give me a call sometime, ok? Love you sweetie.� Justin smiled when he heard his mom�s message. �Call mom,� he wrote on the notepad next to the phone. �Hey dirty, it�s me again. Where the hell are you? I thought you said you�d be home tonight? You didn�t have a date did you? Well, congrats if you did, you need to find a guy for yourself. Anyway�� Justin smiled when Nelly was cut off with a loud beep. He wasn�t surprised when the next message was him again. �The damn machine cut me off!� he exclaimed, �well, anyway, I want to hear about your date or whatever you did. So call me!� �Like I wasn�t already going to,� Justin thought to himself, smiling. Nelly could be very persistent, but that wasn�t necessarily a bad thing. Justin liked all the attention he got. �End of messages.� �Thank god,� Justin said to the machine, laughing at himself. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and took the phone with him into the living room. He needed to call Nelly. **** Justin headed down to the town park, which was only a three minute walk from his house, at quarter to ten. He figured he could get warmed up for a few minutes before Nelly got there. That gave him about half and hour because Nelly was *always* late. He arrived there quickly, and shed his sweatshirt because it was already starting to get warm out. The sun was shining brightly, and it was the perfect day for basketball. Justin warmed up, stretching before jogging a few laps around the courts and then shooting the ball. Nelly showed up twenty five minutes later, and Justin was surprised that he was only ten minutes later. He smiled as Nelly approached. �Hey dirty,� Nelly said with a grin on his face. �Hey man,� Justin replied as they did their special handshake. �How long you been here?� Nelly asked, noticing that Justin was already sweating. �Not too long,� Justin told him. He never let Nelly know that he usually spent most of his time waiting for him to show up. He convinced himself that it didn�t matter *that* much, so he just tried to forget about it. �How long is that?� Nelly actually pressed this time. He usually just left it alone. �Almost half and hour,� Justin admitted, bouncing the ball before shooting it and watching it fly through the hoop. �What? Why�d you come early?� he asked. �Because I knew you�d be�� Justin started before stopping himself. �I�d be what?� �Might as well tell him now,� Justin thought before saying, �That you�d be late.� �Why?� �You�re, um, you�re always late,� Justin told him, and Nelly looked surprised. �I am?� �Yeah.� �Sorry about that,� Nelly apologized, frowning. �Maybe you need a new watch,� Justin joked, grinning at his friend. He didn�t like to see Nelly upset or frustrated. �Hey, my watch works just fine,� Nelly defended, smiling. �Then why are you always late?� Justin asked, truly curious. �I don�t know, I don�t do it on purpose, you know. Maybe it�s just cause I�m so damn disorganized. I remember a few things I still need to do before I leave as I�m walking out the door, you know?� Nelly tried to explain. Justin nodded. �It�s no problem, really. I was just curious,� he replied. He couldn�t help but think to himself that if Nelly were with him, he would help him be more organized. **** Justin spent the next few days with his family because they had complained that they didn�t see him enough. His brothers desperately wanted his attention every second, and he couldn�t help but think that Nelly was similar. Except that he was crushing on Nelly too. He also spent some time with Chris, who had just arrived back from his road trip. He, Chris, and JC had all gotten together for a night out at the clubs, and they�d had a blast. Nelly had had a few appearances to do, so Justin didn�t really hear much from him. He found himself missing the calls and messages as much as they sometimes annoyed him. A week later, he got a call from Nelly telling him that he was finally done with his appearances for at least another week. Justin smiled inwardly, happy that he�d be able to spend more time with Nelly. �You want to come over tonight and hang?� Nelly had asked during their phone call. �Yeah, that�d be great,� Justin replied, trying not to sound too excited. �I�ve really missed hanging with you this week.� �Hey, me too, dirty. It�s been a tough week without you. But come over tonight and we�ll catch up,� Nelly assured him. �All right, I�ll be there in an hour,� Justin told him. Then he went upstairs to shower and get ready. He arrived at Nelly�s house fifty minutes later, and was surprised when Nelly opened the door wearing only a towel. �You�re early, man!� he exclaimed, backing into the house and motioning for Justin to follow him. �Just got out of the shower as you can probably tell.� �Yeah,� Justin responded, taking a deep breath and trying hard not to stare at Nelly�s sculpted chest and abs. �I�ll be right back, ok?� �Sure,� Justin choked out, and he watched Nelly climb up the stairs until he was out of his view. �Shit,� he muttered to himself. �Get yourself together.� He needed to tell Nelly how he felt, and he needed to do it soon. **** A few nights later, Justin suggested that they go out to dinner. �A fancy place?� Nelly asked. �Sure, why not?� Justin replied. �Are you paying?� �Does it really matter? We�re both loaded.� Nelly laughed. �True.� �So what time do you think?� Justin asked. �Seven?� �Sounds good, meet you there at seven then.� �Cool, see ya then,� Nelly replied. Justin arrived at the restaurant promptly at seven, letting the waitress seat him and letting her know there was another person joining him. He knew Nelly would find him. He sat in the booth for over half and hour, wondering where the hell Nelly was. He�d already changed his order about four times, and he was getting restless. He decided to call Nelly and see what was taking him so long. �Hello?� Nelly answered, sounding very tired. �Hey man, where are you?� Justin asked curiously. �Oh shit! I fell asleep, J. I�ll be there in five. I�m so sorry!� he exclaimed. Justin hung up, knowing it would be at least half an hour more before Nelly showed up **** When Britney invited him to go back home with her for a few days to visit with her family and just spend time together, Justin decided that he should go. He stopped by Nelly�s house before picking Britney up. Nelly seemed torn between being upset and trying to pretend that he *wasn�t* upset. Justin had to smile at that. �I�ll be back in five days,� Justin assured him. �All right. You better call me, you hear?� Nelly asked. �Of course.� �Ok, see you later man,� Nelly said, grabbing Justin�s hand to pull him in for a quick �hug� with a pat on the back. Justin returned the hug and smiled. �Bye.� Justin left then, driving over to pick Britney up at her Orlando home. She was all excited when he picked her up, and he smiled at her enthusiasm. But there was a reason he said yes to this trip, and it wasn�t just to spend time with her. They were an on again off again couple, and at the moment, they were on. He knew that he was being unfair to her because of his big crush on Nelly, and he needed to tell her he was bisexual. That was the purpose of this trip. �Hey Brit,� he said, kissing her cheek as she climbed into the car. �Hey babe, how are ya?� she asked, throwing her bag in the back as he started the car. �Great, you?� �Good now that you�re here,� she replied, smiling, and Justin thought maybe it would be harder than he thought to tell her what he needed to tell her. Justin looked over and smiled at her, and the rest of the car ride was relatively silent. When they arrived at Britney�s home in Louisiana, it was late. They didn�t really do much but climb out of the car and fall into bed. Her family was already asleep anyway. Justin slept on the couch. **** The next day Justin woke up with a stiff neck and Nelly on his mind. He hadn�t been separated from him for more than twenty-four hours, and he already missed him. A few minutes later, the house was awake and he was forced to push Nelly into the back of his mind. He had a large breakfast while being questioned by Britney�s parents and her sister about what he was up to. He didn�t mind, really, because he loved her family. But he couldn�t help but thinking that he�d rather be at home with Nelly. "What do you want to do today, Justin?" Britney asked while they were cleaning up from breakfast. "Doesn't matter," Justin replied, wanting her to have fun with him before he had to ruin it. "Why don't we just hang out here by the pool," she suggested, and Justin nodded. "Sounds good," he agreed, and then they went to change into their bathing suits. Britney�s family decided to go out to the mall, so they were left alone for a while. They were sitting on the lounge chairs beside the pool, just enjoying the sun, when Britney was suddenly on top of him and kissing him. He struggled to sit up, and she ended up sitting on his lap. �You ok, baby?� she asked, kissing him once more. �Yeah, sorry, you just surprised me,� he replied, and she kissed him some more. Justin moaned because inside his head, it was Nelly that was kissing him softly and sucking on his neck. He felt himself react to not necessarily Britney�s actions, but the thoughts he was having about Nelly. Britney smiled against his mouth and moved her hips against his, causing another moan. �Shit,� Justin thought, �This needs to stop.� He pushed her away before he could change his mind or before he was beyond thought and couldn�t turn back. �What�s wrong?� Britney asked, confused. It was obvious that Justin was aroused, and they�d gone further than this, so she didn�t see what the problem was. �I can�t to this anymore, Brit,� Justin whispered, deciding to just get it over with. �What? Why not?� she asked, surprised. They had been doing so well. �I haven�t been fair to you,� he replied, running a finger over his cheek and praying that she wouldn�t be too angry. �What do you mean fair?� she questioned, shying away from his touch and going to sit back on her chair. �Well, you see, I�m kinda bisexual,� he admitted, waiting for her reaction. �You� you are?� she stuttered, obviously shocked. �Is there some� someone else?� �No, I�d never cheat on you, Britney. But I�m just not feeling this anymore. I love you as a friend, but not more. And I kinda haveacrushonsomeone,� he said, rushing the last part so maybe she wouldn�t hear it. �You do? Who?� she pressed. �Um, I�d rather not say yet. He doesn�t know,� Justin told her. �It�s a guy?� she whispered. �Yeah. I�m so sorry, Brit. I mean, I hadn�t realized how I felt until just recently. And I really don�t want to hurt you, but if I kept lying, that would just be worse,� Justin explained. �Yeah,� she said softly. �Can we� can we still be friends?� he asked cautiously. She looked up at him with a sad expression. She smiled softly. �Of course,� she said simply, getting up to hug him and kiss him on the cheek. �Thank you,� he responded, returning the hug. �Now you go home and tell the guy you�re crushing on how you feel, you hear?� she said, pulling away. �No, I want to stay as long as we�d planned,� Justin objected, but she shushed him. �Nah, go home, Justin. I�m sure you miss him, whoever he is. And we�ll get together the next time I�m in Orlando, all right?� Britney told him. �Ok,� he said softly, thanking God that she was so understanding. That she didn�t hate him. �Thank you sweetie.� �No problem, that�s what friends are for,� she replied, and then helped him pack up his stuff. And all he could think about as he drove away was Nelly. **** He called Nelly when he was about an hour away from his house and asked him to go over to his house in an hour because they needed to talk. �Is everything ok? Why are you home so early?� Nelly questioned. �Everything is good, I just need to tell you something. And I told Brit I was bi, so we�re done. But we�re friends, and she took it well. So that�s good,� Justin explained. �That�s great, dirty. I�ll be over,� Nelly assured him, and they hung up. Justin thought about Nelly and what exactly he was going to tell him the entire ride to his house. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Nelly on his porch. �Hey man,� Nelly said, hugging Justin quickly. �Missed you.� �Ditto. You�re early!� Justin exclaimed, grinning. �Yeah, well, I figured I could be on time at least once,� Nelly told him. Justin couldn�t help but smile. This was going to be the perfect time to tell Nelly how he felt. �Let�s go inside,� he said, unlocking to door and letting Nelly in before closing it again. �So how is Brit�s family?� Nelly asked, and Justin knew he wasn�t just making small talk. He truly cared. �They�re great. They questioned me about my life as usual. It�s always nice to see them,� Justin replied. �That�s cool. Now what do you have to tell me, J? I�m dyin� to know over here,� Nelly told him. �Um, ok. Well, let�s go sit down in the living room,� Justin suggested. Nelly nodded, following him into the living room and sitting down beside him on the couch. �There was a specific reason I broke up with Britney this time,� Justin started. Nelly nodded again, encouraging him to continue. �I have a crush on someone. A guy someone,� Justin said. �Really? That�s great man! Who?� Nelly questioned, smiling. �Um, well, it�s you,� Justin said softly. �Me?� Nelly asked, surprised. �Please don�t hate me,� Justin thought, praying that Nelly would at least still want to be his friend if he rejected him. �Yeah,� Justin whispered, trying to read Nelly�s expression. Suddenly, Nelly�s face broke into a huge grin. �No fucking way!� �Um, what?� �Me too, J, me too.� �What do you mean.� �I�ve been crushing on you forever, dirty,� Nelly clarified. �You have?� Justin asked. �Yeah, why do you think I called you so many times?� Nelly asked. �I could never get you out of my head.� Justin finally allowed himself to realize what was happening. Nelly didn�t reject him. In fact, it was the complete opposite. He felt the same! He couldn�t help himself from grinning. �Oh man, I�m so glad you feel the same.� Nelly just smiled. And before Justin knew what was happened, Nelly was leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips. �Do this mean you�ll be mine?� Justin asked, smiling softly. �What do you think, dirty?� Nelly replied, and they both laughed, kissing again. They were finally together. I�m not always there when you call But I�m always on time I gave you all Now baby be mine THE END Song used: "Always on Time" - Ja Rule featuring Ashanti |