| Tomboy |
| Justin walked into the small house hesitantly. Immediately, familiar scents from his childhood flooded his senses. Today was his childhood friend, Tyra's 18th birthday. '18? When did she stop being the tomboy down the street?� he asked himself. He caught sight of the guest of honor talking animatedly with his band mate JC Chasez. Justin drew in his breath at the sight of her. Her long-layered dirty blonde hair flowed around her. In his eyes, she looked like an angel. She had always been special to him. Seconds after they'd first met, she was his best bud. Tyra always loved beating him at basketball and climbing trees faster than him, but one day, he realized that tomboy was gone. In her place, was the new Tyra. The beautiful, confident girl with the green eyes you could get lost in. Justin didn�t know exactly when he fell in love with her, but when he did, he fell hard. Justin sighed as he watched her engage in another conversation. �She doesn�t love me. You�ll always be her friend. Nothing more,� he bitterly reminded himself. When Nsync took off, Justin had felt relieved to get away from Tyra. He just couldn�t handle seeing her smiling face day after day, knowing that his love would never be returned. Now here he was, the most popular member of the most popular boy band, yet he was all alone. Justin glanced up just in time to see Tyra slipping through the back door. Immediately, he became worried and followed her outside. �Tyra? I know you�re out here,� he called into the barely lit backyard. �Over here, Justin.� Justin followed her voice until he arrived at the swing set. �Why are you out here? If memory serves correct, you�re the birthday girl. Happy birthday by the way.� Tyra sighed and twisted herself in the swing. �Thank you. You know, I remember thinking about what I'd be like when I was 18. At least I can hope 19 will be better,� Tyra said with a tone of disappointment. �Oh, don't say that. Take it from the expert, 18 is a great age,� Justin said giving extra emphasis on the word great. �I know...it�s just that...oh, I can�t tell you! It�s embarrassing.� Tyra sat up about to leave, but Justin put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. �Embarrassing? You�ve seen me in my smurf underwear. I don't think anything you say could top that,� Justin laughed trying to lighten the mood. Tyra managed a small smile. Looking up at her best friend, she bit her lower lips and said, �If I tell you, you can�t laugh!� Justin simply nodded his agreement. �Well you see...the thing is...I�m 18...so you know...,� Tyra rambled. �No I don�t see, I don�t know what the thing is, you�re 18, and I don�t know, so tell me!� Tyra gave a loud grunt and finally said, �I�ve never been kissed. There I said it. I�m 18 years-old, and I�ve never been kissed. It's so embarrassing.� Tyra�s outburst and confession stunned Justin into silence. �Go for it!� Justin yelled at himself. �Tyra?� Justin softly whispered. Tyra looked into his blue eyes, �Huh?� �It�s now or never� Justin reminded himself. �Umm...you see...can I ask you something? I don�t know how you�ll react, but umm...can I kiss you?� Tyra instinctively shook her head. �I know you�re my friend Justin, but I mean...I�m not going to just kiss you. I may be desperate, but not that desperate,� Tyra said in a faint whisper. Justin�s heart immediately crumbled. He�d been right all along; she didn�t love him. �It was nice of you to offer," Tyra continued,"but I don�t want my first kiss to be a pity kiss.� Justin quickly perked up. �Pity kiss? I�d never pity kiss anyone. Don't you know I take kisses very seriously? I only kiss those I love,� Justin quietly added hoping she understood what he was confessing. �Just because you love me like a sister...� �Not like a sister,� he interrupted. Justin looked into her eyes and knew that what he was saying was finally sinking in. �You mean to say you love me? Not like a sister, but as a...since when?� Justin took a step closer before answering her question. �Since the day you stopped climbing trees with me and started wearing dresses.� �Justin Randall Timberlake! That long! Why didn�t you ever tell me?� Justin looked down at his hands when he answered, �I knew you didn�t feel the same. You�ll always see me as a friend and nothing more.� Tyra suddenly erupted into laughter. �You wanna hear something funny? I stopped climbing trees and started wearing dresses because of you. I wanted you to see me as a regular girl, but I thought that it hadn�t worked.� Justin and Tyra began laughing hysterically. �To think that all this time, I�ve thought that you could never love me like I love you. It�s funny,� Tyra chuckled. She soon realized that Justin wasn�t laughing anymore and instead was looking at her with a serious expression on his face. �What�s wrong,� Tyra worriedly asked. �You said you loved me. It didn�t sink in until you said it. You love me and I love you.� They stood there looking at each other until Tyra broke the silence. �Justin, about the offer you made earlier. Is it too late to accept,� Tyra shyly asked. �I thought you�d never accept.� Before Tyra could respond, Justin pulled her to him. His lips covered hers within an instant. At first his kiss was gentle, but soon he unleashed all the love that had built up inside him the last few years. The party inside was forgotten for the rest of the night; Justin and Tyra had better things to do. |