| One Boy, One Girl |
| November 15th, 1998 Justin�s POV ��and then Justin tripped over the shoe and tumbled down the steps of the bus, taking Lance with him. It was great. And Janet was standing right there! She had her hand over her mouth, trying to not laugh.� Joey finishes up as I walk into the room and catch the end of the story. Everyone is laughing, having a good time. �Ha-ha!� I say sarcastically over their laughter. �Lets all make fun of Justin, he�s the youngest and he has curly hair.� I mutter jokingly and fall back onto the couch next to Britney dramatically, trying to look annoyed. �Aw, I�ve always liked your curls J.� Britney says as she leans over and runs her hand over the top of my head. I lift my chin up and coolly move my arm around to rest on Britney�s shoulder. �See! I told you�. the ladies love my hair.� I say with a sly grin. Lynne clears her throat from across the room and raises her eyebrows accusingly. �Right.� I mumble and quickly remove my arm from Britney�s shoulder before sinking back into the couch. The guys all snicker. Britney just smiles. Jamie Lynn giggles from across the room and I smile at her. �So� what�s on the agenda for tamale Jon Jon? We still got that hot date with Carson?� Chris turns to Johnny who just walked into the room. �Jon Jon?� JC snickers, Chris looks at him and shrugs. �Yep you�ll be doing TRL tomorrow, and Britney will be joining you. She�ll be there for the exposure, we want to make sure everyone knows that you�re touring with Nsync.� Johnny says and looks to Britney who nods at him. �Okay boys-� �Men.� Chris corrects him in a very deep voice and we all laugh. �Whatever.� Johnny smiles. ��God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You� has been fluctuating from the number 3 to the number 2 spot for the past few weeks. You guys are there to talk about the Christmas album, �Home For Christmas�, which was released�.� He looks around to us for the answer. Silence. �Uh�. Halloween?� Joey gives it a shot. �No.� Johnny isn�t amused. �November 10th.� Britney speaks up and we all turn to look at her. �You bone heads are lucky she�s gonna be there, she�s gonna have to promote for you!� Johnny says. �Well JC is the one who is suppose to remember the dates and stuff.� I say seriously. �Yea!� Joey chimes in. �What?!? I-� JC starts to protest. �Stop. You also need to talk about Disney's "Holiday's In Concert" with 'N Sync, Tatyana Ali, and Shawn Colving on�.?� Johnny trails off, waiting for us to finish his sentence. �December 5th!� JC yells quickly as if he were competing with the rest of us who are all completely clueless, except for maybe Brit. We all giggle at his enthusiasm. �Ding Ding Ding. Okay, also �Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays� will be released as a single on the 5th�.. Got it?� Johnny glances around to us. We all nod. �Kay, It�s�� He glances at his wristwatch, �9 now, Britney, you have a radio interview at 11:45. And you guys have a quick photo shoot for J-14 at 11. So c�mon, get moving. And tomorrow night there�s a show at the NY arena.� We all reluctantly pull our selves up and start the day. About 7 hours later we are all back at the hotel. The photo shoot went well, I�m sure our five faces will be gracing the walls of tons of teenage girls� bedrooms after J-14 puts out their big Pop Poster edition. I�m walking down the hotel hallway when I see Chris and Jamie Lynn kneeling at the bottom of a vending machine. �Okay, so just�. Yea�right up there�. You can get it�. Yea� almost.� Chris is mumbling. I get closer and see that Chris has Jamie Lynn reaching up through the dispenser part of the vending machine trying to fish out a bag of M & Ms. �Hey!� I yell at Chris. Jamie Lynn looks up at me wide eyed. �Her hand could get stuck!� �She�s fine.� Chris says and swats air at me. Chris can be such a bonehead sometimes. �Jamie Lynn get your hand outta there.� I say in a softer tone. �No! No! No! She�s almost got it! C�mon J, her hands are so tiny!� Chris protests and stands up quickly. �Look, the bag is just hanging there, I already put the money in, this vending machine owes me!� I shake my head and I extend my hand to Jamie Lynn. She stands up and slips her tiny hand in mine �We have two platinum singles and you are trying to steal a 75 cent bag of M&Ms?� I scold as I reach into my pocket with my free hand and dig out three-quarters. �Well its not like Lou�s let us see much of the money yet�� He mumbles under his breath. I insert the quarters into the machine, type in the correct number and watch as two bags of M&Ms fall off it�s little shelf and appear in the dispenser dish. �Thanks J�� Chris says sincerely and smiles at me as I bend down and take out the two bags. I give one to Jamie Lynn and put the other one in my pocket. �J�� Chris whines wide eyed. Jamie Lynn giggles out a thank you and we walk down the hall, leaving Chris behind us pouting. Jamie Lynn lets go of my hand so she can open the M&Ms bag. She tears the corner away, but it didn�t reach the pocket where the candy was. She looks at it for a second and then holds the bag up to me. She gives me this cute little look. I take the bag from her and pull the two sides apart then hand it back to her. She bites her bottom lip and smiles her toothless smile at me. I can�t help smiling back. �I like you.� She says in a tiny voice. �Well I like you too.� I chuckle as we continue down the hall towards Britney�s room. �Britney likes you too!� She says and pops a red M&M in her mouth. I just smile. �I heard her talking to momma�� She says and eats another. This perks my interest. �Really... And uh� what did she say?� �She said a lot. But she said that she likes you a lot and that you�re cute and sweet.� She says casually. �Well alright!� I�m beaming. �You�re a pretty cool girl JL, I think there�s hope for you yet, just stay away from Chris, you�re too young to be eaten by a vending machine!� She giggles and nods her head. Britney�s POV Momma, Fe and I are discussing my first appearance on TRL in my hotel living room. I�m sitting comfortably in my light pink sweats and white tank top with my knees pulled against my chest on the cream colored couch. My mom is sitting in the love seat to my right and Fe is sitting in a chair at the desk opposite me. �Room service!� I hear a small southern voice giggle out. I roll my eyes and look to my momma. �Come in.� She says and smiles. Jamie Lynn enters with a bag of M&Ms in one hand and Justin in the other. She has a huge smile on her face, my heart warms because I know Justin put it there. �Where�d ya get those?� Momma says pointing to Jamie Lynn�s candy. Jamie Lynn responds by leaning her head into Justin�s arm. He has that adorable crooked smile on his face that I love. �Sorry Mrs. Spears� I-� Justin starts. �No, it�s perfectly fine sweetie. I just wanna make sure she isn�t accepting candy from strangers. And call my Lynne.� She says and smiles warmly at Justin, who nods in return. �Well Justin is a little strange�� I giggle and he glares at me with deep blue eyes. �Justin said I should stay away from Chris because he would feed me to the vending machine.� JL giggles out. �Long story.� He says. �He tried to get me to reach my arm up and get the M&Ms through the bottom of it.� JL explains quickly and releases her grip on Justin�s hand to demonstrate. �Apparently not that long." Justin mumbles through his smirk. �But then Justin just put more money in and got two.� She continues on with her story. �Thank you Justin.� Momma smiles and nods. �I guess I�ll have to have a little chat with Chris and explain to him the importance of my daughter�s limbs.� �Oh, Chris wouldn�t hurt a fly� purposely.� He says and furrows his eyebrows, trying to understand Chris always confuses me too. �So how�d the shoot go?� I ask and look up to Justin who shoves his hands into his pockets. �Good. We haven�t seen the pics yet, Johnny said he�ll send someone to pick them up tonight.� He says. �Well uh�. I guess I should get going, I�m sure the guys are busy getting into some sort of trouble.� We exchange smiles and he heads for the door. My mom is preoccupied with Jamie Lynne so Justin subtly looks at me and motions towards the door. I hesitate at first but his eyes plead with me so I get up and walk him to the door. He steps out side and looks into my eyes as I stand in the doorway. He leans in close and whispers, �Meet me out here at 6 o�clock?� �What?� I whisper back. He pauses and looks up at me from under his lashes. �Please.� He pouts and takes my hand in his. My heart melts at his touch, I can feel a huge smile creep across my face. How can I resist a face like that? Why would I want to? �Okay.� I say and glance down at our interlaced fingers. He smiles and slowly steps away, towards his room a few doors down. He clings to my hand until he can�t reach it anymore and then turns around to open his door. After he disappears into his room, I slowly close the door to mine and smile at it. He has that effect, whenever he looks at me I can�t help but smile. There is just something about him that makes my heart beat faster and slower at the same time. He has the ability to make my hands tremble, and then calm them right after. The next few hours seem like an eternity, all I can think about is him and the night that awaits me. � �What did you tell your mom?� He asks and offers me his hand. �The truth.� I say with a smirk and lace my fingers through his. �I just left you out of it.� He smiles and nods his head. �Your mom doesn�t like me.� �Yes she does! She adores you��. she�s just protective, I�m her baby girl.� I coo. �Okay.� I think he understands, but I want him to feel comfortable around my family. Still holding on to his hand, I hug his arm with my free one as we get into the elevator. �So what was so important that you had me sneak out of my hotel room?� I look at him as he watches the floor numbers above the doors light up as the elevator descends. He pauses and says, �You�ll have to just wait and see.� � The grass is beautifully cared for, each blade is lush and dark green. A few tall birch trees grow behind a wooden bench. In the distance, I can hear the faint sounds of New York traffic and see the tall buildings and bright lights of the city. A brilliant fountain in the center of the courtyard sprays out water high into the air and lights shine from its base, tinting the streams of shooting water different colors. �Wow.� I whisper, taking in the scenery, �I can't believe this is a hotel.� I�m still clinging to his arm as we slowly stroll around the fountain �I can�t believe a place right in the center of New York City can be so peaceful." I add. �I know. But I guess that�s why this is a five star hotel.� The wind isn�t strong but the water from the fountain creates a cold mist. Shivers run up my body. �Cold much?� He chuckles. �A little.� He stops walking and turns to face me. He removes his brown corduroy jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. �How romantic.� I say in an airy mock sexy voice. �You mean clich�?� He smirks as he slowly flattens down the collar around my neck. I roll me eyes and he catches me. �It is romantic.� He agrees and grabs the collar of the jacket, following the buttons down to the mid section of the jacket. Still holding on to the seam he takes a step forward. I stare into his deep blue eyes and before I have time to think I lean in and capture his lips perfectly. He slides his hands around my waste, underneath the jacket and lets them rest on the small of my back. I run my hands up his chest and around his neck. For what feels like forever, we stand there, eyes closed, his soft lips on mine. When we separate, his face lingers next to mine for a moment until he takes a step back. We look at one another, our lips still slightly parted, going over in our minds what just happened. My heart is pounding in my chest. He drops his hands from my waste to his sides. There is an eternity of silence between us. The frosty wind breezes across us and a few strands of hair fall into my face. He slowly reaches up and tucks them behind my ear. I smile shyly. He swallows hard and takes a deep breath before speaking. �Well incase you haven�t noticed I like you� a lot,� He says and looks into my eyes, �and I know that its weird because you just broke up with whatshisface, and you probably think I�ve been like hung up on you all this time, since MMC, but I haven�t, I mean not exactly, there have been other girls, and I know before were we weren�t serious or anything, I mean we were 13 but-� �I like you too.� I cut him off, putting an end to his babbling. He smiles and moves his hand to the side of his waste and then pats it. I look at him curiously. He moves closer to me, for a second I think he�s going to kiss me again but he reaches inside his bottom jacket pocket, which I am wearing, and pulls out a small black box. My eyes focus on the object in his hands. He hands me the box and I open it to find two beautiful white gold rings. One has a gorgeous diamond mounted on a heart shaped base. The other is a band. I�m speechless. �They�re promise rings with inscriptions. You wear one, that one,� He points to the girlie one, �and I wear this one. Then we will always know that we are promised to one another.� He looks up from the rings into my eyes and takes a deep breath. �I promised 4 years ago that we be together again, and now I�m promising that we stay together, stay in each others lives. Whether it�s as friends� best friends� He corrects himself �or as more. I was leaning towards �more�, but whatever you�re comfortable with I�ll take. This tour will eventually end and I want you in my life, I want to make sure you stay in my life and I stay in yours.� I open my mouth to speak but I can�t find the words, I just nod my head. No one has ever done anything so sweet, and romantic, and thoughtful as this. I feel exactly the way he feels and I want everything he wants. �They�re amazing J� This is amazing�. And� I�m definitely comfortable with being �more��.� I�m flustered. I bring my gaze back down to the rings in his hand. �But this is too much-� I whisper. �If anything it�s not enough.� I take a deep breath, �It�s perfect.� I smile. �Your perfect.� �J... I�m not perf-� �Your perfect for me.� A cheesy grin spears across my face. Can�t argue with him there. He holds the box out for me and I carefully remove my ring from its snug position on the velvet bed. I read the inscription on the inside of the band. �never apart, maybe in distance, but not in heart� I smile to myself and slip the ring on my pinky. �Your pinky?� He asks almost disappointedly. I look up at him, then remove the ring from my pinky and show him that it doesn�t fit on my other fingers. �I guess I have fat fingers� Sorry.� I say softly. �No, no you don�t. You have perfect fingers�.� He looks into my eyes and I blush a little. �I guess I just didn�t think about size, it was smaller then mine and I knew that your fingers were smaller than mine so�� He takes my hand in his hand and holds my ring in his other. �I haven�t given many other people rings� Sorry�but I can exchange thi�� He says slowly. �No.� I say quickly. �I like it on my pinky.� I give him a reassuring smile. He holds my hand up and I watch as his gently slips the ring onto my pinky. �Okay� pinky it is. Pinky.� He says softly and smirks. He holds up his ring and goes to put it on his ring finger, it stops halfway on as it hits his knuckles. His eye grow wide and he looks up at me. I stifle a giggle. He shakes his head slowly and slides his ring onto his pinky finger before letting out a small chuckle. I can�t stop smiling at my hand that holds his. The ring shines like it belongs in the sky with the stars. It�s perfect. The night is perfect. We are perfect. When we get back to our rooms, we both whisper goodnight but neither us turn to leave. We�re standing in the quiet hallway when Justin leans down and kisses me gently, his lips barely graze mine before they leave. As he lifts his head from mine, my hand wraps around his neck, and pulls him down, crushing his lips against mine. His hand finds its way around my waste and the other tangles in my hair. When we part, I can see the amusement in his eyes. We say good night once more and I open the door and slide inside. I rest my back against the closed door and glance down at my pinky ring. I close my eyes and smile, I can still smell Justin on his jacket, and I can still feel his lips on mine. |
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