Italic - inner monologue
bold - past
Chapter five - MISHAP
November 12, 1998 - A week later
"There's an angellll. It's a miracleee." Justin and the four guys of *N Sync were onstage again performing in New York. "Your love is like a riverrr, peaceful and deeppp. Your soul is like a secret that I never could keeppp. When I look into your eyes I know that it's trueeee. God must have spent a little more time on youuuu." Justin stood at the edge of the stage, holding a fan's hand. She stood there with one hand to her mouth and tears in her eyes.
"I love you, Justinnnn!!!!" She shrieked.
He winked and turned, joining the other guys at the center of the stage.
Ten minutes into their performance, they finished off with one of their hits. I Want You Back.
"It's hard to say I'm sorryyy. It's hard to make the things I did undoneee."
Beyonce stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room observing herself. She had her wardrobe on. Her hair and make-up was done. She was ready to perform with Kelly, Latoya and Latavia. Their first song would be No, No, No."
On their way down the hall, they immediately spotted the five guys of *N Sync rushing in their direction. Sweating and just very hype. "Hola, senoritas!!!" Joey flirted while gesturing a "call me" sign. Justin continued down the hall, quickly ending his phone call with his mother who was in Tennessee the moment he saw Beyoncé. She met his gaze, blushing slightly.
"Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?" She looked over at Kelly, Latavia and Latoya who were proceeding towards the stage without her.
"Um, sure." She followed him down a dim hall. He pushed open a random door which happened to be a janitor's room and pulled her in. "What are you..." He gently pushed her up against the door, wrapping his arm around her.
"I missed you." She could feel his lips on her neck seconds later. Why was he doing this? She had literally five minutes to be onstage and it wasn't easy resisting him.
"Justin, I...." She shut her eyes; her body tingly all over. "We can't. I have to be onstage."
"I know. This is so hard for me." She reached up, grazing his cheek gently with the palm of her hand. "I missed you too. I couldn't stop thinking about you today."
"Really?" She nodded yes, watching him lean in to kiss her.
I don't know. She's MISSING in action!!!
She overheard a voice out in the hall. It was her father Matthew, who happened to be her manager. "Shit. My dad..." She panicked. "I gotta go."
"Wait." He leaned back in, locking lips with hers once more. They took a moment to kiss. It was only supposed to be for a few seconds but it turned into a minute.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her body up against his. His hands were positioned comfortably on her waist, then they ended up on her ass. "I gotta go." She pulled back to gaze into his eyes. "Bye, Justin."
"Bye." He wanted to say something but he was hesitant. He didn't know what it was but he was falling more and more for her the further into this tour.
After she left the room, he stepped back, resting his back against the wall as thoughts wandered his mind.
Beyoncé.
She was all he could think of.
April 3, 2014 - Nearly two months later (London, UK)
After the concert and the big surprise from Danielle, the ex-girlfriend. Justin made it back to his hotel suite around three that morning, meeting up with his wife who was sitting in the living room eating from container of cookies and cream ice cream. "You're still up?" She watched him take a seat next to her. He seemed exhausted and a bit flustered.
"You okay? How did the show go?"
"It was the same old..." He sat back, running his hand over his hair. She knew something was bothering him. He wasn't that great at hiding the way he felt.
"What happened?" His eyes peeled off the flat screen to gaze at her. He focused in on the carton of ice cream in her hands. The only time she ate ice cream was when it was that time of the month. Or close to it.
"You're gonna gain some weight if you eat that whole thing." Her eyes landed on the ice cream. She took a moment to observe it in thought before sitting it down on the coffee table.
"Had a sweet tooth." He kept his gaze on her. He was really looking forward to seeing her again. She was all he could think about when he was out performing.
But then Danielle showed up and ruined his whole mood.
"Any way..." She slid closer to him. "How was the concert? Wish I could've been there. I've been so tired. I have another show tomorrow night before I head off to the States."
"So we don't have much time together." She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "The concert was okay. I had a great audience. EXCEPT for this one person who thought that screaming at me would get my attention. It did. I give her that. But..." He shook his head.
"Why was she screaming? Was it in a bad way? Or was she just excited?"
"No. She seemed angry. She was in the first row and I just heard someone screaming very loud. It was almost as loud as the music. So I looked over and this chick...ahaha." He laughed faintly. "Mind you, she's...she was pretty hot." She lowered her eyes at him. "What? I'm serious. And the outfit she had on was like this...I don't know. It was very revealing. But any way, back on the subject. She was screaming cocksucker." She raised her eyes in surprise. "Yes. I know. This was before the second half of the show. So I looked at her and just...winked. I gave her a smile and then a wink. And you know what she did after that? She started screaming, I love you. I love you, Justin." He mocked. "Like, really? You just called me a cocksucker. Now you're..."
"Justin...ahaha. I don't know what to say about your fans. They're special."
"Tell me about it." He wrapped his arm around her. "Any way, I was expecting you to be sleeping when I got back. But look at this. You're up, eating ice cream. You know there's a really good way of working those carbs off." She giggled softly.
"Oh really? And how?" He leaned in, kissing her neck tenderly. "Of course. I should've know that's what you were thinking."
"You know me too well." He stood up, grasping her hand and helping her up. "Come on." She followed him towards the bedroom.
An hour later (4:55am)
Justin stood underneath the warm water in the shower after having his wife wash his hair with strawberry shampoo. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing his toned chest. "Justin?"
"Yeah?" He stood from underneath the water, wiping the excess water from his face.
"I think scientists should make a birth control for men. I had to change up my pill THREE times so far. All of them are making me sick or just exhausted. Just out of energy. Why do I have to suffer? Why can't you?" He laughed at her statement.
"Baby, if they had birth control for men, I would be gladly to take it." He reached out, turning off the shower. "I'm ready to get out. It's hot as fuck in here."
After the two got out of the shower, they laid in bed. It was almost five thirty in the morning and they weren't tired. "Something else happened at the concert tonight. Well backstage during the meet and greet."
"Yeah?" She had her head comfortably on his chest with her eyes closed. "What happened?"
"Danielle happened." She fluttered her eyes open.
"What?" She sat up, looking in his direction. "Danielle? Who is..." She tried figuring out what he was referring to. And then it hit her. Hearing that name brought back so many memories. "Fuck. Are you serious?" He nodded yes.
"As a heartbeat. I was shocked. I mean, I haven't seen her in almost two decades. Then she shows up out of nowhere to my concert. What I don't get is why she waited till the Europe tour? I visited Memphis when I was on my US tour." He sat there, burning a hole into her. She was a bit quiet now. Was she trying to register this in her head? He was hoping this didn't make her upset. "Are you...angry?" She quickly met his gaze, shaking her head no.
"I'm just...I'm shocked too. How did it go?"
"Not good. She asked me to sign some items for her. Then she wanted to talk in private. But when we started to talk, she changed. She was so angry. She slapped me and she was just crying about how I broke up with her."
"Oh my god."
"I thought she would've been married by now. I thought she would've gotten over it. I mean..." He shrugged his shoulders.
"That's crazy."
"I know." He sat up. "I just hope she doesn't show up again." She laid back, resting her head on his chest. "There's never a dull day when it comes to me. I wonder what tomorrow holds."
November 13, 1998 - The following morning
The crew arrived in New Jersey the following morning, residing in a luxury hotel. After Justin ended it with Danielle a few days earlier, him and Beyoncé were inseparable.
Instead of sharing hotel suites with their band mates, they rented separate rooms. That way, they could sneak each other in. "I'm gonna get you." Justin sat on the sofa in the hotel suite next to Beyoncé playing a racing game with her on the PlayStation console.
"Oh my god!" She screamed. "Ahaha. That was close." She could see his car gaining up on her. "Justin, what are you doing?"
"I told you. I'm gonna get you. I'm the winner here. Not you." His car was picking up speed. "Better brace yourself. 'Cause I'm comin' for ya'. Ha-ha." She was having a hard time concentrating on driving because she was watching his car and how close it was getting.
"Oh my godddd." His car rammed into the back of hers, allowing her to spin out of control. His computer car then continued down the highway, leaving her behind. "Jerk."
"Ahaha. I warned ya'." He finally made it to the finished line in second place. "Shit. I can never get first place."
"Good. That's what you get." He looked away to stare at her. "When you pick on people like that, there's never any good luck for you."
"Really? And where did you hear that from? The fortune teller?" She rolled her eyes at him.
"No." He dropped his controller to the floor, moving in closer to her.
"Then where? Because it sounds like some fortune teller kinda shit." She slid back, watching him hover on top of her. Her head was positioned comfortably on the sofa's pillow and her eyes were gazing into his. She always got chills whenever they met eyes. She didn't know what it was. "So, am I gonna have karma because of what I did?"
"You're a bully." A faint laugh escaped his lips.
"What? No I'm not. That's crazy. I would never tease you like that. I was just joking, you know that right?" She nodded meekly. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll let you win next time." She rolled her eyes at him.
"No. It won't. But you know what'll make me feel better?" She lifted her head, gradually meeting lips with his. It was five in the morning and they were kissing after playing a video game. Most people would be asleep at this point. Or probably just getting up to get ready for work.
She parted her legs, wrapping them around him. Sounds of pleasure escaped her lips. The way his lips felt on her neck made her hot and weak. She wanted to go further. Take the next step but she was nervous. It wasn't as if she was a virgin. She just liked him very much and she didn't want to make a mistake by moving too fast. They still hadn't gotten to know one another that well.
"Justin..." She gulped down hard. This was so hard for her. "I should go back to my room." He froze, slowly pulling back to peer in her eyes. "I mean...it's late and all. And we have to be up soon for the sound check." He glanced at his watch to realize what time it was.
"Holy shit. I...I didn't realize what time it was." He climbed off her, standing to his feet. "I don't even feel tired though." She sat up, her eyes landing on the imprint in his jeans.
What a sight for sore eyes.
"It's okay." She bit her lip, peeling her eyes off his package. He reached out, helping her up. She peered in his dark blue eyes as he gently pulled her closer.
"I'll see you soon then."
"Yeah." They met lips, kissing intimately. "Bye." She walked pass him, proceeding towards the suite door.
Don't do it. Keep going. You don't wanna regret anything.
She kept telling herself to leave because if she stayed, she knew something would happen. It was inevitable.
She halted in front of the door, slowly looking over her shoulder to stare at him. He remained where she left him. Right in front of the love sofa with his hands in his pockets. The look on his face. It was as if he was telling her to stay with his eyes.
Just go back to your suite, Beyoncé. Go back.
"Goodnight, Justin." He flashed her a warm smile.
"Goodnight, Beyoncé." She pulled the door open and stepped out of the suite, shutting the door behind her. That must have been the hardest thing she'd ever done. But he was different. He wasn't like the other guys she'd been involved with. Rushing never got her anywhere but down a path to heartbreak avenue.
November 15, 1998 - Two days later
"Boy I know you want me. I can see it in your eyes. But you keep on frontin'. Won't you say what's on your mind." Destiny's Child was onstage performing. They were in Maryland. Their tour started in California and was supposed to end in Florida.
Before Destiny's Child went up, there was an opening act of a new artist signed to Jive Records. Britney Spears.
Justin and JC knew her from The New Mickey Mouse Club years earlier. She happened to be Justin's first girlfriend before Danielle. But he knew Danielle before he met Britney. They were friends. They just hadn't hooked up until after he got back to Tennessee from working in Orlando.
"It's so good to see you, Justin. It's been so long." She stood backstage with him talking.
"I know. It's crazy. What a small world. JC told me he saw you and I thought he was lying. How have you been?"
"Great. My album doesn't come out till January. My manager thought it would be a good idea to start promoting. I see y'all are doing fine." Her smile and her accent. They were all the same. Just how he remembered four years ago when they were on the show in Orlando. But then he wasn't confident like he was now. They were dating briefly but it was nothing serious. As far as it got was a kiss. But then he went back home, hooked up with the next door neighbor, Danielle and lost his virginity. "So you wanna hook up sometimes. Maybe hang out. I miss y'all. You and Josh. We can do something after the show."
"Well, I..." He glanced at his watch. "I don't know. Maybe." He then thought about Beyoncé and how they were supposed to hang out. "You know, I..."
"I know it's sudden. If you had plans, I understand. I..." No one knew about him and Beyoncé. They weren't officially a couple. They were actually taking things slow. Like a friends with benefits type of relationship. But friends with benefits did more than just make out. They hadn't gotten to third base yet.
At the same time, he didn't want to rush it because he liked her so much. And there was nothing wrong with hanging out with friends. Especially old friends.
"Sure. We can hang out." She smiled excitedly.
"Great. I'll see you soon." She walked pass him, continuing down the hall. He took his eyes off her, slowly looking away to gaze at Beyoncé who was just getting off stage with the other three girls.
She headed in his direction, talking and laughing with her friends. They immediately met eyes the closer she became. "Justin?"
"Hey. Um..."
"Hey, cutie." Kelly flirted. "Is your hair really this blond?" She asked, reaching out to touch his hair.
"No. It's light brown." He met eyes with Beyoncé, flashing her a smile. "Can we talk?"
"You guys sure have been talking a lot lately." Latoya teased.
"Shut up." Beyoncé blurted out. "I'll meet y'all in the dressing room." She watched the three of them proceed down the hall. "So..." She looked away, meeting his gaze. "What's up?" What he wanted to do was kiss her but they were out in public. It would have been a bad idea.
"I was gonna...well after the show, I was gonna hang out with an old friend. Britney." She raised her eyebrows at him in questioning.
"Who's Britney?"
"She was the girl performing earlier. The opening act." She seemed more confused now. "Well she's an old friend. We knew each other back when we were acting in Orlando on The Mickey Mouse show."
"Oh..." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If you wanted to come, you can. There's a carnival in town. We were gonna..."
"I don't think that'll be such a good idea." She interrupted.
"And why?" She broke his gaze, looking around as thoughts wandered her mind. The truth, she was a bit jealous for some reason and she didn't know why. She assumed he would be attracted to every pretty girl that crossed his path. And seeing Britney; she seemed like his type.
"We're not ordinary people." She met his gaze. "People may start to think things. That's how rumors start. If they see us hanging out then they're..."
"So what. I don't care what they think." The tone in his voice was different now. He seemed like he was getting upset. "We're friends, right? Friends hang out together."
"Friends?" She looked away, shaking her head pathetically. "We're friends now. Nothing more, right?"
"What?" She peered in his eyes, feeling the anger rise inside of her. "Bee, I thought you wanted to move slow."
"I did. I mean, I do." She corrected. "But..." She couldn't stop thinking about whenever they're alone. They do more than what normal friends would do and it was just sending her mixed signals. "I thought we were heading towards that path. Of becoming more." He held his head down, resting his hands on his hips. "Now that this new friend of yours is in town. Well OLD friend of yours. We're just friends now. Is there something I should know about?" He met her gaze; his eyes wandering the area. The backstage room and the halls. He wanted to make sure no one was around, listening in on their conversation.
"Like what?" He knew what she meant and he knew he should've told her about Britney and how they dated briefly.
"About her. Is there something more? Do you care about her?" He met her gaze once more, debating on whether to discuss this. But he didn't want to make her upset because he really liked her.
She watched him reach out to grasp her hand. He led her down the hall towards the restrooms where there were no people and less light.
He halted in front of the Men's restroom, turning to face her. "Beyoncé..." He took a step closer to her. "You're the only girl I want. I don't want Britney."
"Are you..." Her eyes slowly watered up with solution. The look on his face. His mannerisms. She was too familiar with them. All of her ex-boyfriends played this game with her when they were lying or fooling around. "You're lying to me."
"What? No." She quickly pulled away from him. "Bee..."
"You knew I would say no. You only asked me so you can make it look like you're not hiding anything. You don't want me hanging out with you and your old friend." Was she paranoid? Or just that good at spotting out a player?
"Bee, I don't..."
"I gotta go." He watched in confusion as she rushed off.
"Beyoncé?!" He shouted but she ignored him. "Bey..." He was just about to follow her when he saw Matthew walking down the hall. He froze, watching her father stop her. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to him. He always looked at him as if he was a boyfriend he didn't approve of. A boyfriend he could NEVER approve of.