Justin opened his blue eyes to a dark room. He was almost afraid to reach beside him, to see if she was there, to see if it was all just a dream. He reached out anyway, fully expecting to feel Gabrielle's silky blonde hair, only to come in contact with the softness of her pillow. His eyes watered again and he felt tears roll down his cheeks for the millionth time since she left. She left him. Justin rubbed at his cheeks to rid them of his tears as that one sentence flowed around in his mind.
"She left me." He whispered and clamped his eyes shut. That night came back to him and he sighed as he relived that night yet again.
~*~ Flash Back ~*~
"HOW COULD YOU JUSTIN?!" Gabrielle yelled, fire in her blue eyes as she turned to face Justin as he stood in the middle of their LA hotel room.
"I'm sorry! It just happened Gabby, it meant nothing!" Justin pleaded as he made his way to his fuming girlfriend. He tried to hold her hands but she snatched them out of his reach. Justin's eyes fell to the carpeted floor as he thought back to what happened. He and Britney had been talking at an after party, catching up. They had gone to a closed off room in the club and one thing led to another. Next thing he knew, Gabrielle had barged into the room, jaw hanging open at the sight of her boyfriend of four years in the arms of another woman. Gabrielle had ran out of the room and wouldn't talk to Justin for the rest of the night. She had finally cracked when they walked into their hotel room.
"'It meant nothing'? Well, I sure as hell think it means something when I walk in on you, moaning that....that thing's name!"
"Baby please! You know I was tipsy, you know I can't handle alcohol well. Please, can't we just talk about this without yelling? I'm getting a headache." Justin said rubbing his temples.
"I'm getting a headache." Gabrielle mimicked. "It's always about you isn't it? The all mighty Justin Timberlake. How many other people have you cheated on me with?!"
"I'VE NEVER CHEATED ON YOU GABRIELLE! I love you. Can't you see that? It was a one time thing Gabby, a one time thing that will never happen again." Justin said, daring to step closer to her.
Gabrielle set her jaw before answering him. "You wanna know something Timberlake?" She asked and Justin swallowed hard cause she only called him by his last name if she was really, REALLY pissed at him. "I won't be around to find out." She said and grabbed her bags before storming out of the room, still in her clothes for the American Music Awards after party.
"Gabrielle!" He yelled but he was too late, she was already out the door, making her way to an elevator. Justin threw himself on the bed, silently crying himself to sleep.
~*~ End Flash Back ~*~
Justin opened his eyes again and when they adjusted to the darkness, they shifted to the night stand by the bed. Our bed, his mind told him as he looked at the picture sitting there. They were sitting on a merry-go-round, wearing thick jackets, Gabrielle in his lap, wrapped up in his arms and they both had the silliest grins on their faces. One could easily tell they were in love. His eyes then looked over at the small black box sitting next to the picture. Justin started crying again as he reached out and opened the small box. Inside sitting a solitaire diamond ring. He had planned on proposing that night.
Just then he thought of something and blindly reached for the note book and pen he kept by the bed. He flipped it open to a clean piece of paper and wiped at his eyes before he started to write. "Damn my mind. Too damn over active..." He mumbled as he scribbled relentlessly. Finally after about an hour, the lyrics on the page were perfect.
- One week later -
"Wade, look at these, change what you want but keep it pretty much the same please." Justin said as he walked into the studio, the rest of *Nsync there as well.
"This is...some good stuff J, awesome..." Wade said as he grabbed a pencil and made any changes he saw fit.
"Album worthy?" He asked hopefully as JC read it, Lance, Chris and Joey reading over his shoulder.
"Oh yea." JC said and Justin smiled.
That day, *Nsync's band worked with Justin to get the music recorded and the next day, the song was ready to be recorded.
Justin sat in his dark living room that Friday, listening to the track. Every room in his house seemed to lack light. It'd been that way since he got back from LA. He kept it dark for everywhere he looked, all he saw was Gabrielle. Yet again, he got an idea. "Too damn over active I'm telling you. Oh this isn't good, I'm talking to myself for Christ's sake!" Justin said as he took the CD out of the stereo and placed it into its case.
He found some paper and scribbled a note and placed it in an envelope, writing Gabrielle across it. Justin grabbed his keys, the note and CD before running out of his house and into one of his cars. He drove to Gabrielle's parents house, where she was staying and placed the letter with the CD sticking out of the envelope into the mail box before driving away.
Gabrielle had been watching from the living room window when Justin drove off. She hugged herself as she wondered what he put in the mailbox. Gabrielle put on a pair of sandals and walked outside, taking the CD and letter out of it. She looked at the CD confused before taking the letter out and read it.
I am so sorry. I don't think I can say it enough. I love you so much, you know that don't you? I wrote this song...we just recorded it the other day. Please listen to it. Please. I love you, please come home Gabby. We can work this out, we always have. So, please, just come back to me.
Justin
Gabrielle wiped away a tear as she ran inside and planted her self on the living room floor in front of the stereo. She put the CD in and pressed play. She heard the opening notes and started crying again when Justin's voice filled the house.
Was it something I said to make you turn away
To make you walk out and leave me cold
If I could just find a way to make it so you were right here, right now
Chorus
I've been sitting here
Can't get you off my mind
I'm trying my best to be a man and be strong
I drove myself insane wishing I could touch your face
But the truth remains, you're
Gone
Now I don't wanna make excuses, baby
Won't change the fact that you're gone
But if there's something that I could do, won't you please let me know
The time is passing so slowly now, guess that's my life without you
And maybe I could change my everyday, but baby I don't want to
So I'll just hang around and find some things to do
To take my mind off missing you
And I know in my heart, you can't say that you don't love me too
Please say you do, yea
Repeat Chorus
What will I do if I can't be with you
Tell me where will I turn to, baby who will I be
Now that we are apart, am I still in your heart?
Baby why don't you see that I need you here with me?
Repeat Chorus
(*Nsync- Gone)
Gabrielle sat there wide eyed as the song finished and she jumped up and ran upstairs into her room. She pulled out her bags and threw her clothes in them as her vision blurred due to the tears threatening to spill. Once she was all packed up she left a note for her parents in the kitchen before throwing her bags into the back seat of her car and driving out to Justin's house. Gabrielle saw all of Justin's cars where there and she sighed as she got her bags and walked into the dark house. She dropped her bags in front of the door and found the light switch, flicking it on to find Justin curled up on the couch.
"Just?" She said quietly and Justin shot up and stared at her. He didn't know if it was really her or his mind playing with him.
"Gabby?" He said and reached out and touched her as she walked over to him. "Oh God, Gabby." He said and pulled her into his lap and cried into her shoulder.
"Justin." She sighed and buried her face in his neck. "That song was just beautiful. I love you so much. And I know you're right, we can work this out."
"You know, I was going to ask you something that night." Justin said softly as he tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.
"Oh?"
"Yea, um...I was gonna ask you to marry me." He said and moved so he could take the box that held the ring out of his pocket. "So I guess I should ask you now?" Justin opened the box to show the diamond and Gabrielle's mouth opened slightly. "Gabrielle will you marry me?" Justin asked and she started crying all over again.
"Yes," She laughed and he grinned as he placed the ring on her finger and leaned in to capture her lips with his own.
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