CHAPTER 7
 

Justin sat up on the edge of the bed and turned to gaze at the woman asleep beside him.  Her hair was tangled; showing signs of their heated lovemaking that night.  Her face was peaceful as he stroked it lightly with his fingers.  Pushing Deb's hair back from her forehead, Justin left a tender kiss there so as not to wake her and pulled on his jeans before heading out toward the living room.

He had no real purpose for leaving their bed other than the uncomfortable feeling of expectations denied.  The minute Deb would whisper those three terrifying words, his mind turned to mush and he couldn't even reply.  The disappointment on her face each time killed him.  His last relationship had ended abruptly and without warning, at least for him.  To say he was gun shy was an understatement.  He fell onto the sofa to think about the situation and before too long, was fast asleep.

Several hours later, Deb woke up and reached for Justin, finding nothing but cold covers and sheets.  She could tell it was too early for a sane person to be up and she gathered the sheet around her.  There was a lamp on in the living room so she headed that way thinking maybe Justin was reading or watching TV.  To her surprise, she looked down to find him asleep on the sofa, no covers and only unbuttoned jeans to keep him warm.  'WHY IS HE OUT HERE?' she thought, sitting down beside him.

He looked good enough to spread on a cracker and lick off slowly, Deb noted as she considered him.  Deb lightly touched the skin of his forearm and she could tell he was chilly.  His skin was ice cold!  She grabbed the quilt which was draped over the sofa and covered him, tucking it in tight around him.  He was adorable as he snuggled down into the blanket and curled up against her.  Deb didn't know how long she sat there, wrapped in her sheet, gazing at his creamy skin, his long eyelashes against his cheeks and the way his lips parted as he slept.

She didn't want to stop watching him but her body was wanting to slumber, so, since there was no room left on the sofa and because she didn't want to go back to bed alone, she sat in the chair across from the sofa and curled her feet up inside her sheet.  It was the perfect vantage point to consider her lover as he slept.  She, too, fell asleep shortly.

* * * * * * *

Morning shined in the window as Justin, asleep on his stomach, woke up to a screaming backache.  Twenty years old was too young for these kinds of aches and pains but due to the constant dancing, touring and in spite of being in great shape, this kind of pain wasn't anything new.  Before he dared try to move, he saw Deb curled up in the chair opposite him.  As he struggled to sit up without groaning, his eyes didn't leave her.  He stretched his back out, or at least tried, and then slowly stood up, something that wasn't easy for him this early in the morning.  He gingerly made his way over to Deb's chair and looked at her, wrapped completely in the sheet.

Justin contemplated waking her.  He had several things on his mind, one of which was talking her into giving him a massage, to relieve the tension in his back.  He also thought he might like to kiss her breathless...she just looked too sweet to leave be.  Attempting to bend at the waist made Justin's eyes water but he sat beside her and none to lightly.  Deb lifted her head to see Justin's grimace.  "Hey babe," he whispered through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong?" Deb said with alarm.

Justin tried to smile but looked at her pleadingly.  "My back.  I should know better than to sleep on my stomach on that sofa.  Do you think I could talk you into a massage or something?"

Deb nodded and indicated that he should lay on the floor on his stomach, which he did slowly, grabbing a couple pillows from the chair to lay his head on.  Deb watched him lay down and then considered where she should sit to get the best leverage.  Justin turned his head and flashed a teasing smile at her, saying, "Sit on my ass.  You know you want to."

Deb snickered and then crawled over and sat, beginning to work her hands along the tight muscles all along his spine.  As she worked, Justin responded with groans into his pillow.  "Justin, you have a boney butt," she said with a smile.

"It's made for me to sit on...not you," he said, burying his face in the pillow again.

Deb worked on his back for awhile, and began to feel the tension disappearing under her hands.  She could tell Justin's whole body had relaxed quite a bit.  His groans had been replaced by deep sighs and she heard him say, "Lift up so I can turn over."

She did so and Justin rolled over onto his back.  She found herself sitting in his lap as he sat up and held her tight.  "Thank you.  That's much better.  You've got magic fingers."

They were soon kissing again.  Neither of them seemed to be able to refrain from touching or kissing when they were close, so here they were again, lost in each other.  It was several moments before Justin said, "Are you hungry?  Cuz I'm starving!"

Deb just nodded and moaned, still lost in the feeling of kissing him deeply.  She did manage to pull away and say, "Yeah, I'm famished," before she leaned in to kiss him again.

There was a soft knock on the door and they both froze when they heard Lynn Harless' voice saying, "Knock, knock, I saw the light and wondered...."

Justin pulled away quickly and Deb could see the apology in his eyes before he softly dumped her on the floor and stood up.  He reached down to help Deb up, saying, "Mom?  What are you doing here?"

For the first time since she'd crawled out of the sheet to give Justin the massage, Deb noticed her state of undress and grabbed the sheet to wrap around herself.  The look on Lynn's face was one of shock.  Embarrassed, Deb ran from the room to get dressed.  She quickly found her sweats and a t-shirt to throw on and then walked quietly down the hallway to hear what was unfolding between mother and son.

Lynn was sitting on the sofa with Justin sitting on the oak coffee table facing her.  "I'm disappointed in you," Lynn said as Justin ran a hand over his wild hair uncomfortably.

"Why are you disappointed?" he said as he played with his hands in his lap.

Lynn shrugged.  "I don't normally walk in on my son making out with a naked woman on the floor.  I thought you were going to wait until you were married."

Justin rubbed his eyes.  "That was the plan but once Britney and I decided we loved each other, I thought we'd be together for the rest of our lives, so...we didn't wait.  We tried, but it just didn't work."

Lynn nodded.  Deb was wishing she could see her face too, but Justin's said it all.  She heard Lynn say, "OK, I can understand that, but what is this?"

Justin's face became pensive and he looked at Deb, who was leaning against the wall in the hallway.  What she saw there made her want to cry.  His face was clouded with doubt and he was shaking his head.  Through her own hazy vision, she could see tears in his eyes.

"I don't know," he whispered sheepishly.  "It's just me spending time with someone who has become very important to me."

Lynn saw Justin's teary eyes looking past her and turned around to look at Deb.  "Deb, you don't have to stand in the hallway.  Please come here," Lynn said, indicating for her to sit beside her on the sofa.

Deb did as Lynn beckoned and sat, drawing her legs up under her and bracing for what came next.  She tried not to glare at Justin, so she looked at Lynn instead.  "I'm sorry you walked in on that."

Lynn smiled sweetly at Deb and sighed.  "Kind of a shocker, huh?  Do you love my son?"

Deb nodded without hesitation and then glared at Justin.  "Yes!  But sometimes I wonder why."

"But you just met, right?" Deb heard Lynn say.

Nodding again, Deb replied, "Mrs. Harless, I loved him before I met him, or at least I thought I did.  I am a fan who just happened to be living down the beach from Trace's house.  You could say that Jonathan played cupid.  He knew his brother was lonely and I wasn't about to turn down having breakfast with Justin Timberlake.  When Jonathan left, he made me promise to take care of Justin."

Deb shrugged and grinned remembering laughing with Justin about Jonathan's innocent intentions.  "I'm not with him because he's got money or fame or anything like that.  I'm not trying to get anything from him, so don't worry that I'm here just to use him."

They both turned to look at Justin, pouting, staring at his hands and seeming to be in deep thought.  Not hearing any talking, he glanced up to see them staring at him.  He shook his head and stood up, saying, "I'ma get a shirt on."

When he returned, Deb and Lynn were standing by the door, hugging.  Justin's shocked expression gave way to a little smile as he said, "What's happening?"

"Darling, I'm going home.  I think we all need some time to think and we can talk later, ok?" Lynn said as she kissed Justin's cheek and walked out the door.

Justin didn't know what to do with his hands, so he put them in his hair.  As he turned around and walked toward the sofa again, he said, "OH MY GOD!"

"I can't believe that just happened," he mumbled as he buried his face in his hands and sat down.  "What did you guys say while I was gone?"

This time, Deb sat on the coffee table facing Justin.  "I told her that you haven't said that you love me, but that I keep hoping."

"Deb..." he began as he looked at her seriously.

"I know, baby.  You know what?  Maybe I should just give you some time and space.  Do you think JC would let me stay with him and Bobbi?" Deb said as she stood back up and walked to the bedroom, gathering clothes off the floor and stuffing them in her bag quickly.

Justin was right there beside her in no time.  "I don't want you to go. Don't let my mom scare you off," he said desperately.

Deb laughed and looked at him.  "Justin, you scare me more than your mom does!  You're obviously struggling with this and I'd like to resolve it before I'm totally lost.  Can you dial JC's number for me?"

"Please, don't go," he begged, stepping between her and the bag she was stuffing things in.

"Justin..."

"Please?" he whispered before wrapping his arms around her tightly, and kissing her before she could respond.  He had parted her lips with his own and was kissing her deeper than she was prepared for.  He was pulling out all the stops as he held her tightly against him, letting her feel his heat and his body.  She heard her bag go crashing to the floor and a moment later, she was being pushed against the mattress beneath him as he continued to press against her and blow her mind with his lips.

She struggled to think clearly but the harder she tried, coherent thoughts were turning into vapors and she responded to Justin's mouth and breath on her neck and throat.  God, his hips!  He had furrowed his way between her legs already and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she was succumbing.

She knew that sexual issues weren't the problem.  Well, it was part of the problem because they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other long enough for Justin to decide what his true feelings were for her.  As she felt him nuzzling her nipples with his lips and tongue through the fabric of her shirt, she gently threaded her fingers in his curls and brought his lips to hers again.

The phone by the bed suddenly rang, breaking Deb's concentration.  Justin obviously didn't have a problem because he tried to kiss her some more.  "Get the phone, Justin," Deb said as she tried to crawl out of his clutches.

"Damn..." Justin whispered and grabbed the phone.  "Hello!"

Deb quickly picked up the rest of her stuff and zipped her bag, while listening to Justin's phone call.  He was saying, "JC, this isn't a good time.  Can I call you back?"

Deb ran up and held her hand out toward Justin, indicating she wanted the phone receiver.  Justin shook his head and then paused, rolling his eyes.  "Shut up, JC.  Deb wants to talk to you."

He handed her the phone roughly and moved off the bed and out of the bedroom before Deb even said hello to JC.

"JC?  Hi.  I need a favor and if you have to say no, that's fine."

"What's the favor?" she heard JC ask.

She didn't like doing this because she knew he'd want to know all the details.  She momentarily snickered to herself about 'knowing' how JC would react before she'd barely spent any time with him.  But she didn't know anyone besides the *NSYNC guys and it'd be the same with any of them.  "I need a place to stay for a few days," she said through a grimace.

"Um, well, yeah, no problem.  I certainly have the room.  Is J kicking you out?" JC asked.

Deb smiled.  "No.  I just need to get away from him for awhile.  He needs to do some thinking and I feel like I'm a distraction.  Don't ask me anything else, ok?  Although, I think he could use a friend."

"Ok, do you need me to pick you up?"

Deb sighed just as Justin walked back into the room, looking sad as only he was able to.  Deb thought she'd let him decide.  "Justin, can you give me a ride?  Or do you want JC to pick me up?"

Justin said softly, "Yeah, I'll take you there."

He took her bag out of the room with him and left her alone.  "JC, we'll be right there.  Thank you so much."

She found Justin sitting on the steps outside with her bag at his feet.  When he heard her approach, he stood up and looked at her.  She could tell he was mad, but he still carried her bag and opened the car door for her.  Before he shut it, he crouched down and said, "I will think about all of this, I promise.  Deb, you are important to me.  Please believe that."

Deb nodded and unexpected tears sprung into her eyes as he slammed the door and drove her to JC's house.

Once at JC's, Deb got her own bag out and Justin offered to carry it for her.  "I am capable of doing it myself, but thank you," she said, kissing him and quickly pulling out of his reach.  She knew he'd take every advantage of her feelings for him just like he had before JC called.

JC opened up the door as she approached with Justin on her heels.  "Ok, what is going on?" JC asked, looking at the both of them.  By Justin's pout, he didn't have to ask if this was his idea, so he looked at Deb, who stopped in front of him.

"Justin just needs some time to figure out what he wants.  That's it," Deb said as she walked inside.

JC followed them both in and looked at Deb.  "You aren't trying to blackmail him or something, are you?" JC said sternly.

"I hadn't thought of it that way.  Really!  The feelings in this relationship are just way too one sided for me.  He needs to decide if he's over Britney and if he is, he needs to figure out what he feels for me.  It's simple really!" she said, looking at Justin, shaking her head.  "I love you so much but if you aren't feeling it, then you're mom has a right to be disappointed in you."

Justin had crossed his arms like a child and was staring at her as if thinking about what he could say to that.  Deb knew him well enough to know that when he didn't have a smart comeback, it pissed him off.  She rubbed one of his hands softly and said, "I'm not mad at you.  You know we moved pretty fast, baby.  If you want to hang out, we can.  But after what happened with your mom this morning, I see things more clearly.  And she's right."

JC, watching them closely, said, "What happened with Justin's mom?  What happened with your mom, Justin?"

Justin sighed heavily and said, "She came over and walked in, like she always does, and caught me and Deb in a compromising position.  Let's just say that I crashed my mom's world today."

JC's eyes practically bugged out of his head.  "Were you two doing it?!"

"God, JC!" Justin said angrily.

Deb laughed at the two of them.  She couldn't help but love them both, acting like she had always known they did.

"No, we weren't 'doing it'!  I didn't have any clothes on.  Not a thing!  Justin's mom looked like she was going to faint!" Deb related.

JC took Deb's bag from her and motioned for her to follow.  He turned on the light in a bedroom not too far down one of the many hallways in his beautiful home.  "Here you go," he said with a smile.  "My room is around that corner and on the right."

Deb took her bag and tossed it on the floor.  When she joined the two men in JC's living room, Justin was saying, "You know I've had girlfriends before but Brit was my first real one.  I loved her and she broke up with me.  I just..."

Deb felt like she was intruding.  "I'm going for a walk, so you two can talk, ok?" she said as she looked at Justin.  She leaned in, kissing him tenderly.  "Call me, promise?"

He nodded and JC walked her to the door, giving her instructions on how to get back in the gate that surrounded his house.  With one last glance at Justin, she walked out the door, leaving the guys to talk.  Maybe it'd help Justin to talk to JC, she thought.

JC found Justin sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.  "So, J, what's so great about Deb?" JC said, falling onto the sofa with Justin.

"What?" Justin said.  "Why do you say it like that?"

"Why is she worth it?" JC had always challenged Justin to explain himself, especially where girls were concerned.  It was usually annoying to Justin but at the same time, he'd come to expect it from this man he called his brother.

Justin shook his head, still pissed off at the world.  "She's so fucking normal and level-headed and unimpressed," he whined.  "I trust her but she scares the crap out of me."

JC laughed out loud, saying, "Good Lord!  Why?"

A smile cracked Justin's otherwise solemn face.  "She's a fan, yet she acts like I'm not so much a 'god', but a spoiled mama's boy who has always gotten his way."

"She does not!" JC laughed again.  "But you are a spoiled mama's boy and you always have gotten your way.  It's all true.  I'm liking Deb more every day."

"I do not!" Justin shouted.

"Do too!" JC leaned in and shouted back with a smile.

Justin shoved him but not without cracking another smile.  "What are you doing?  Is this some kind of mumbo jumbo reverse psychology crap you learned from Chris?"

"Admit it, Timberlake.  It's always been easy for you to get girls.  You get off on girls worshiping the ground you walk on and being at your beck and call.  But those girls have only wanted one thing.  Deb is more mature than all those girls AND you.  She doesn't want just sex or money.  You and Brit were just kids for 99% of your relationship, so you can't compare this with that.  Man!  I see why you're scared.  Deb's the first real woman that you've been interested in.  All the others have been little girls.  Grow up, baby boy!" JC said with a smirk.

Justin regarded him with a frown for a few moments and then said, "So tell me...what should I do?"

"Why are you so afraid to admit that you love her?" JC said, again with a smirk that was pissing Justin off even more.

"How can you be so sure that I love her?" Justin replied with his own question.

JC had known Justin long enough to know when he was in over his head.  This was certainly one of those times.  "J, how long have you known Deb?"

JC's question was answered with the familiar shrug and Justin chewed on his bottom lip.  "ONE WEEK...today!  My God!  In some ways, it seems like I've known her for months, but in others, it seems like we met just yesterday!"

"You guys do move fast!  It's closer to yesterday than months, J.  Have you guys...." JC began and finished with a hand motion.

"JC, you're kinda crude and nosy, you know that, right?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to help here and it helps to know all the particulars.  SO?"

Justin tried to ignore him by looking elsewhere but he could still feel JC's eyes, watching and waiting.  "We managed to hold out for almost two and a half days."

"Wow, two and a half days!  You certainly don't waste any time, bro."

"Don't give me that, JC.  The day I met her, I was interested.  The next day, I had to put Jon on the airplane and she helped me get him ready.  Afterwards, we got caught in the rain.  Why am I telling you this?" Justin yelled with frustration.  "Ok, I admit we moved a little quickly, but I was lonely and intrigued.  She seemed lonely too."

"You broke the 'fan rule', Justin."

"Screw the 'fan rule', JC.  Deb's a lot more than just a fan."

"But therein lies the problem.  In many ways, she has known you for two or three years.  You've known her for a week."

Justin smirked.  "And here we are, back at square one.  Thanks for the little talk, JC.  I think I'll go home.  I can probably do as much good on my own."

JC followed Justin to the door and put his hand on the knob first.  "Bottom line, J.  Don't say you love her unless you mean it.  And don't confuse good sex with love."

"So what's the answer?  How do I distinguish the two when they are so closely related?" Justin said with a frown.

"Maybe you need to just be apart for awhile.  And I'm not talking about you over there and her over here.  I mean, go back to your own lives and see what happens.  If it's for real, it'll stand some time and distance."

Justin and JC embraced swiftly and Justin pulled out of JC's driveway a few minutes later.  He saw Deb walking alongside the road and pulled in front of her and stopped.  She came to a halt as he got out of his car, saying, "I'm going home.  JC has my number.  I'll miss you, Deb.  Call me."

Deb was in his arms before he finished his sentence, kissing him urgently, and saying, "I'll miss you too.  You call me.  If you don't call, I'll understand and just go home."

And then she was gone, leaving him standing in the dark as cars whizzed by.  'It's going to be a long night' he thought as he climbed in the car and drove home.  A long night indeed....

* * * * * * *

The following day, when Justin arrived at the WEG Compound, he found JC in the studio working on some of the new dance steps.  They were both ready for a long day with Wade, working on their VMA performance.  When Justin didn't see Deb anywhere, he interrupted JC and said, "Where is Deb?"

"She decided she'd just hang around at home today.  She said to tell you to call her.  She'd like you to take her out on a date.  Her words exactly," JC said, loving this girl's effect on Justin more and more every day.

Justin scowled.  "I was hoping to see her here."

"I know," JC smirked and ruffled his buddy's unruly hair.  "You can see her tonight when you come to pick her up for your date!"

"JC, why do you find this so funny?" Justin shouted.

JC just smiled like he had a secret that he wasn't going to tell. "I've just watched you in action for too long.  I think you've met your match and it's going to be interesting to see what happens next."