The plane had been in flight for about an hour, and Justin was trying to keep his mind off of the fact that he wasn't going to see Olivia for practically four months. He had tried to sleep, which was something he very much needed, but when he closed his eyes she was there. He had tried to read, but he couldn't concentrate on the words...instead, his thoughts were filled with her. He saw her in the clouds, he heard her in his music, he dreamed her in his dreams. There was no escaping her now... not that he wanted to escape, though.

He unbuckled his safety belt and walked over to the empty seat next to JC, clutching the photograph tightly with his left hand. "This seat taken?"

JC looked up in surprise. "It is now. What's up?"

Justin plopped down in the seat and ran his fingers through his curls. "Nothin'... I was just kind of bored. What are you doing?"

JC glanced down at the paper he had been scribbling furiously on and met Justin's saddened eyes again. "Just writing some new song ideas down... " His attention was drawn to the picture that his young friend was holding for dear life. "What's that?"

Justin looked at the picture again and held it up to show JC. It was a great shot of Liv, her hair was blowing behind her and her smile was so wide you could see all her teeth. In the picture, she definitely looked like one of those teenage UnionBay or American Eagle models that you saw in magazines. JC watched as Justin's adams apple bobbed while he swallowed and spoke quietly. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Very."

Justin's eyes locked with JC's. "JC? Have you ever... been in love?"

JC smiled and put his pen down. "Yeah... once or twice."

A vulnerable, lost look glazed Justin's eyes over and he bit the inside of his cheek, looking back at the picture of Olivia. "What does it feel like?"

"Everyone has their own perception of what love feels like. There's not any one way to describe it to you... but to me, from my experiences, it's a very VERY special thing, that is too sacred to be abused. It's a feeling of total happiness and total unselfishness. You'd do anything and everything possible for her... It's like when you're around that person, the whole world fades away around you and you can only focus on HER and her alone. She's the first thing that you think of in the morning, and the last thing you think about at night. She makes you nervous, yet she makes you feel like you're the BEST person in the world. She makes you starry-eyed, yet she is one of the only people who can bring you back down to your feet. You can feel totally comfortable with her, even if you're not talking. You just know that you're enjoying the time spent with her immensly. Love is amazing, Justin. It's such a magical and special thing... but in order to have love, you have to have trust. Trust is the basis of all relationships...without it, you've got nothing."

Justin tugged at his sleeves while he digested JC's words. "How do you know that you are in love? How do you know she's the right person, that she won't break your heart? How do you know that you never want to be without her?"

JC picked up his pen again and smiled. "I think you can answer that for yourself. Ask yourself those same questions again, and you'll find the answer." He looked back at his paper and continued scribbling. Justin leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes, re-thinking what he just asked.

"'How do you know that you never want to be without her? That she won't break your heart, that she's the right girl... ' " He sighed and smiled. "You just know. You won't know if she'll break your heart, but you can't find out if you never give it a chance... love will find its way if it's meant to be.... and that's all you gotta keep telling yourself, Justin. Love is unpredictable."

(January 31, 1999 ; Justin's 18th Birthday)

"Did you get the little present I sent you?", Liv twirled the phone cord around her finger and grinned as Justin's voice echoed in her ear. It had been a month since he had left for tour and she missed him like hell. She had sent him a framed 8x10 picture of them sleeping on his couch, which his mother had given to her. She had taken it the night before Christmas Eve. Liv was snuggled up against him, his head gently resting on hers, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Yeah... it was so great. Thank you. It really made my day, because I'm missing you so bad."

"I miss you too. I'm sorry that I couldn't get you something like really awesome, but I'm not very clever.", she laughed.

"No...no, this was perfect. Really."

"Okay... if you say so. So, what are your plans for today now that you're the big ONE - EIGHT?"

He chuckled softly into the phone, which sent a shiver up her spine. His voice was so smooth and... sexy she just wished she could jump through the reciever and land in his arms. "My day consists of photo shoots, press conferences, soundcheck and a concert. Sounds like fun, huh?"

Olivia laughed. "Aren't you at least going out when you finish all that? Like, the guys aren't throwing you a party or anything?"

"Yeah, we'll probably just go out to some club... pick up the hot chicks, party with them all night." He giggled and waited to see her reaction.

"Oh, okay. Just make sure you tell all those hot chicks that your plain, boring girlfriend all the way back in Orlando says hi.", she smiled.

"Will do.", he paused and laughed. "So, how's everything going with Brian? He hasn't touched you has he?"

"No, actually, he's not even home. I think he went on vacation somewhere, so that's a good thing. But, he's pretty much stayed away from me when he was home."

"Okay. Good. Just let me know if anything goes on, because I swear to God I'll --"

"Justin, stop it. Let's not talk about him please. This is YOUR day and I don't want you all worrying about me. Have fun today, live it up!"

He wished that she could have seen his smile, because it was huge. She had changed so much since he first met her and it warmed him to know that he had a big part in that change. "Live it up, eh? How can I possibly 'LIV' it up when there's no Liv here with me?"

She giggled and tapped the phone with her fingernail. "Justin, don't you try making me feel bad about not coming with you." She checked her watch and realized that she had been on the phone with him for two hours. "Jesus, your phone bill is gonna be off the charts... "

"Ah, it's worth paying the high price to hear your voice though. You always seem to cheer me up, so however you're doing it... keep doing it, because I'm pretty lonely out here and it feels good to smile once and awhile."

Olivia grinned as a wave of tingles jolted through her body. He had such a way with words to make you feel like you were the most special person alive. "Thanks... ", she swallowed. "I have to get off the phone, J. My ear is numb and I have work in half an hour."

"Yeah... I should too. The guys will probably scalp me if I'm late for soundcheck..."

"And that wouldn't be too good for your reputation. Don't think too many girls would find the bald look sexy."

He laughed. "Ha, yeah. They'd probably send me fake wigs and stuff. Maybe I should braid these curls someday. That'd get a rise out of them."

"You? Braid your hair? Ha! Now there's a scary picture. It gives me the creeps just THINKING about it."

"Gee thanks... I think maybe I will put cornrows in, just for you honey."

"Okay, whatever you say. Now, I really gotta run... but I'll definitely call you tonight so you can tell me all about those hot chicks you pick up."

"Ok, I'll be waiting for it."

"Happy Birthday, Justin."

"Thanks... wish you were here...I miss you."

Her heart began to melt. "I miss you too. Bye, Justin."

"Bye Olivia..."

He waited until he heard the click of her phone until he pressed 'off' on his cell, falling back against his hotel room bed with a groan. He stared at the ceiling for awhile until the alarm clock started buzzing in his ear, warning him that he had twenty minutes to get to soundcheck. He slammed his fist against the clock yelling angrily, "SHUT THE HELL UP YOU DAMN CLOCK!" Reluctantly, he stood up and walked to the mirror in the bathroom muttering, "I swear to God whoever invented that wretched object must be killed."

He studied his reflection in the crystal mirror and sighed, running his hands over his face. He was tired, run-down, beat, exhausted -- whatever you want to call it -- and it showed. His eyes were the color of a polluted sky, like a cole blue ... very dull and very dark. Heavy bags hung under them, proving that he rarely got any shut-eye and his mouth twitched down in a frown, his lips chapped with the cold January air that surrounded the northern part of California. Himself and the guys had been on work overload in the last month, being shuffled from state to state, answering repeated questions everyday, getting photographed for endless hours, signing autographs until their hands went numb, practicing their choreography sometimes all night just so it would be perfect in concert the next day, singing their throats dry, and getting maybe four hours or less of sleep a night. His bandmates handled it well, and even though Justin was oblivious to the fact they knew, they could tell that he was ready to collapse. He wasn't a day older than eighteen, his girlfriend was on the other side of the country, as were his family, and he was the one that was the most protected, the most watched over, the one that had the most bodyguards. It was only a matter of time before his body would break down.

He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists tightly, and swallowed the big lump in his throat when he realized how easily he laughed and smiled when he talked to Olivia. How easily she made his gloomy day shine brighter than the sun. How easily he was losing himself, heart and soul, to her and how he didn't want to STOP losing himself to her. A single tear fell from his closed eyes, dripping down his cheek and landing on his hand that rested on the counter as he realized just how much he missed her.

A knock on his door made his eyes pop open and he quickly glanced at his watch. "Crap...", he muttered and collected his stuff before jogging to the door and swinging it open. Jason stood in front of him and smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah... hang on a second." Justin grabbed his bag, jacket, and cellphone and followed Jason out of the room, quietly mumbling Olivia's words to himself in a self-booster: "This is YOUR day. Have fun today, live it up!" He nodded slightly and half-smiled. "This is my day."

Olivia was fixing the rack of winter clothes hanging towards the back of the American Eagle store quietly. Her body was at work, but her mind... her mind was elsewhere.

Elsewhere meaning Justin.

There was something different about his voice when he had called her a few hours ago. It sounded a liitle depressed, even weary. He hadn't wanted to talk much about the tour for some reason because whenever she brought it up, he changed the subject. She could tell something was bothering him, and she was worried.

She didn't have much time to think about it because her attention was drawn to a group of three fifteen year old girls standing behind her. They were whispering to each other and pointing at her. Liv smiled hesitantly and asked in a soft voice, "C-can I help you girls?"

One of the three, the "leader of the group" obviously, spoke up eyeing Liv up and down curiously. "Are you... are you Olivia Jacobs?"

Liv raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. "Yeah... that's me... Do I know you?"

The other girls began to get giddy, whispering furiously to each other, their eyes wide. The blonde haired one who was wearing too much make-up jumped up and down, trying to hold in screams. "OH MY GOD!! You're THE Olivia Jacobs!?"

Liv's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I'm a little lost here."

"Oh my GOD, I TOLD YOU it was HER!", a brunette squealed at her friend. She turned to gawk at Olivia. "Oh my God!! Can I have your autograph!?"

"My autograph? I'm not famous... I think you're mistaking me for someone else."

The third girl piped up, her voice full of excitement. "Is he a good kisser!? It sure looked like he knew how to kiss! Whew!"

"Who? Girls, I think you have the wrong person. I'm completely lost and I'm not a celebrity at all..."

"Oh, but you ARE! You're Olivia Jacobs!", the 'leader' pointed out.

The brunette nodded feverishly. "You KNOW Justin TIMBERLAKE! Oh my GOD, I would DIE if I knew him!"

So THAT's what this is all about... Justin. Should have known. Liv half- smiled and almost laughed when she realized how pathetic these girls were.

"Please can I have your autograph?! Oh my God, what does it feel like to KISS him like that?!", the blonde one spurted.

"I'm...I'm not sure what you mean."

"Haven't you seen the pictures!?"

Pictures? Oh no.... "N-no... what pictures?"

"They're all OVER the Internet!! Of Justin and you at the airport last month!"

Shock registered all over Olivia's face. This was a nightmare. "T-there's p-pictures of us? H-how --"

"PLEASE Olivia!!", one of them begged, holding out a piece of paper.

Liv stared at the paper like it would bite her but eventually picked up a pen and wrote her name. The girl squealed with delight. "Oh my God, oh my God!! Thank you so much!"

Liv nodded slowly and stammered on her words. "I... I've gotta... gotta get back to work...now..." She turned around and began to walk to the front of the store, cringing when she heard the girls excited screams. One of them yelled out to her: "TELL JUSTIN I LOVE HIM!" She ignored it and tried to concentrate on what was in front of her.

After a LONG time, the girls left the store...STILL talking about her and Justin. Olivia heard a shriek of "oh my God we met Justin Timberlake's GIRLFRIEND!! Wait until Kelly hears about THIS! She'll be SO jealous!". Liv rolled her eyes and went to help the new guy behind the register, wondering how in God's name Justin put up with that everyday. "Must be annoying..." She shook her head and sighed. "And it's only gonna get worse..."