Jen and Justin walked together from the market to his apartment. In the 7 minutes it took them to make the trip to his place, Justin thought a million thoughts. Was there someone special in her life? If there was, was he good to her? The thought of another man making her laugh and smile and .. well.. just the thought of another man making her happy was an annoyance in Justin's brain. He willed himself to think of other things but his thoughts always returned to her. It had been that way since they had met. He thought of her often and today would be the day he would take his chance if he got one.
Jen watched Justin as they walked. She watched the way his body moved, the way his muscled bulged under the weight of all the bags, the way he kept his eyes on hers whenever he spoke to her. She liked him. She liked him a lot.
They reached a crosswalk and Justin put their packages at Jen's feet and abruptly excused himself.
"Give me one second okay? I'll be right back." He darted across the street leaving a confused Jen wondering what he was up to. Once she saw where he was going and understood what he was doing she felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. Across the street from them was an old man carrying a grocery bag in one hand and his guide stick in the other. He seemed flustered and he was having some difficulty navigating the crosswalk. Justin reached the man's side and said something to him that caused the old man to laugh. The old guy handed his bag to Justin and took his arm allowing Justin to guide him to the other side of the street. They walked over to Jen and Justin introduced them.
"Jen, this is my newest friend Oliver. Oliver here lost his bearings for a sec but I'm pretty sure this blind thing is just an act and his master plan was to meet you."
Jen giggled at Justin's game and he shot her a quick wink before he continued.
"Oliver, this is my good friend Jennifer. She's incredibly sweet and beyond beautiful but she's too smart to fall for your tricks so you wasted your time. I don't think your relationship is gonna work out."
Oliver laughed out loud at all the teasing. Jen took the old guy’s hand and held it in both of hers.
"It's nice to meet you Oliver. Pay no attention to my friend here. I'm a sucker for a guy who can pull off a master plan." Jen placed a light kiss on Oliver's cheek.
"You okay from here?" Justin asked Oliver. "I'd be glad to walk with you the rest of the way."
"No, I'm fine now." Oliver replied. "I'm only a half a block away from home. Thank you so much. You two really made my day. I haven't laughed like that in ages. Thank you again so much for taking the time to help me."
"It was our pleasure Ollie. Be safe my friend."
Oliver smiled a broad smile and headed for home still laughing.
Jen & Justin watched Oliver walk the half block and turn to walk into his building before they continued on their way. Jen fought tears the whole way as she replayed the scene she had just witnessed in her mind. He was, without a doubt, one of the kindest souls she had ever known.
When they arrived at his building, Justin started to put down the bags to get the keys hanging from his belt loop but Jen beat him to it.
"I got it." Jen said, quickly snapping the karabiner off of his pants in one fluid motion.
The gesture was small but very intimate and it definitely caught their attention. It was normally the type of thing people got comfortable doing after they had been a couple for a while but it had come so naturally to her … like they were a couple.
She swallowed hard before asking "Which key is it?"
"The blue one" Justin replied with a slight smile. He liked this. He liked the feeling of familiarity that he had with her. It was comforting. His mind told him to slow down and remember that there could be another man in her life. His heart told him that she belonged with him and he should go for it. The conflicting messages were confusing!
Jen unlocked the door and held it open so that Justin could enter with all the bags before allowing it to slam shut. When she turned around, she literally gasped. His apartment was, in a word, gorgeous. The place was very tastefully furnished and had a masculine edge that wasn't as dark as she had expected. The living room was bathed in sunlight that streamed in through large double windows. The walls were lined with bookcases filled with hundreds of books. There were interesting and eccentric accents that were all very artistically positioned on the bookcases and on tables so that they blended into the decor. In one corner of the room, there was a single French door that led to a small terrace. Right by that door was a large reading chair with an ottoman and an arched lamp hanging over it. It looked so comfortable and for a second Jen pictured herself in that chair reading the Sunday paper with a cup of coffee while Justin lounged on the sofa that faced the fireplace. 'Wait. What???' she thought to herself. Was she really standing there imagining herself sharing a home with this man? What had gotten into her? Jen took more of a look around the rooms as Justin began preparing lunch.
"Make yourself at home!" Justin yelled from the kitchen.
Little did he know, she already had.
‘She looks like she belongs here.’ Justin thought from the doorway of the kitchen as he watched her move about his home. He watched as Jen explored the living room. She checked out his collection of wax pieces and he heard a sound of bewilderment escape her. Not too many people understood why he liked those things but he thought they were beautiful. He watched as she ran her hand along the supple leather of the sofa. It was super comfortable and had more than enough room for the both of them. That thought snapped Justin back to the present. He was doing it again. He was getting ahead of himself. It was time for lunch.
Jen listened to Justin whistling as he prepared lunch. She walked over to the kitchen island and sat on one of the stools watching him as he worked. He was obviously no stranger to the art of cooking and before long, the entire room smelled delicious.
"Go get washed up. It's about done." He said. "The bathroom is just around there, first door on the right."
Jen found the bathroom which was just as gorgeous as the living room. She washed her hands and rejoined him in the kitchen. Justin carried their plates to the small bistro set out on the terrace. He brought out a bottle of red wine and moved a vase of fresh tulips from the entryway table to their lunch table. He pulled out her chair and seated her before seating himself and with a small bow of his head he said "Bon appetit."
"This is absolutely delicious!" Jen raved as they ate. "You really could be a chef Justin. This is amazing."
Justin blushed, soaking up her praise.
"Cooking is something I enjoy but it isn't my passion."
"So what's your passion?" Jen asked, already knowing his answer.
"Writing; Words; Sparking the imagination. Telling a story that can take people from where they are to somewhere far away. That's my passion."
His eyes flashed with excitement as he continued. "When I can tell a story or even write just a single line that makes people laugh or cry or get happy or sad, that's magical to me Jen. I want to make people feel things .. with my words. When I was little, nothing made me happier than when my mother read me something new. You can do so much with words and imagination."
Jen marveled at this man before her. So humble, honest and unaffected by his talent. He wasn't out to get rich or famous. He just wanted to tell stories that people loved. He worked for others to enjoy and asked for nothing for himself. That made him even more beautiful to her.
She reached across the table and cupped his cheek with her hand as she looked into his eyes. Justin held her hand to his face as he turned his head and placed a single kiss in her palm.
The feeling was like nothing Jen had ever experienced. The soft kiss sent bolts of electricity through her starting in her palm and radiating through to her toes. Her breath escaped through her parted lips and she tried with all her might to pull more air into her lungs but found that she couldn't. Justin, keeping her hand in his, stood up and moved around the small table coming to stand in front of her. He stared into her eyes, silently asking her permission. She turned her head up toward his and, with her free hand, grasped the front of his shirt and pulled his face down to hers.
Justin was lost in her eyes. As she pulled him in for the kiss he noticed how those eyes darkened to a deep ocean blue as he bent over her to press his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and tasted like wine. He kissed her softly at first. He teased her lips with brushes from his tongue until they parted and welcomed him with a sigh. He slanted his head and deepened the kiss as their tongues played together. He pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on it gently and making her moan.
Justin dropped to his knees and Jen moved her legs further apart to give him room to kneel between her knees. She cupped the back of his head and began her own exploration. She pulled her lips from his and kissed his forehead, his closed eyes, his cheeks and his neck before moving back to his mouth. She tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged gently, pulling his head back and kissing him even deeper than before. Justin moaned into her mouth as she took control. His hands gripped her waist and then encircled her body pulling her tight against him. Moving his mouth from hers he buried his face in her neck as he hugged her body to his. Jen was fighting for her own breath as she wrapped her arms around Justin's neck and held on to him.
They stayed like that until they their breathing slowed before pulling apart to look at each other.
"Jen, please, please, please tell me that there's not a man in your life who you'll be running back to after this." Justin begged. His voice was ragged but it still had the same effect on her. The rough, gravelly texture was even more obvious now.
"I won't be running to anyone." Jen assured him.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then stay with me. Be with me. Let's see where this thing goes." Justin's heart was in his eyes as he spoke. “I’ve never felt anything like this before and, well… I think we could be really right together."
Jen smiled and nudged him playfully.
"Are you asking me to 'go steady' with you Mr. Theroux?" she asked.
He smiled as he answered. "Yeah, I guess I am Ms. Aniston. What can I say? You make me happy.” He moved in close and continued speaking. “When I see your smile, my day is made. I know this might seem like it's moving pretty fast but .. when you know, you know. Right?"
Jen was moved by his words and her own honest words came flowing out.
"You're right." she agreed. "Truthfully, I've liked you from the beginning. When we first met the timing was off. We were both with other people and neither of us wanted to betray that. But I've thought about you and the possibility of us so much since then and..” she sighed softly, "I think this is our time."
Her words were like music to his ears. He gathered her into his arms and held on like he would never let go and Jen, as happiness bloomed in her heart, held him just as tightly and thought to herself that this was definitely the start of something special.