Part 16
"Yeah ma I know it wasn't a smart idea…" Talia sighed. "No it's not something I've made a habit of. I've only stopped once, and that was this time. You'd love Justin too… he's a doll." Talia listened to her mother begin the lecture that she knew she was going to get. She zoned her mother out and thought about the day's plans. If she concentrated hard enough she was sure that she could still feel Justin's lips on hers. Or his hands
wrapping around her so protectively, even though he was the one who needed the protection. "YES MOM I'M LISTENING TO YOU!" Talia yelled, "I'm sorry mom. I just had a REALLY long day of classes and I'm starving… yes I'll eat… I promise… I love you too… bye."
Talia gathered up her jacket and bag. She decided she'd run to the pizzeria down the block. It was a brisk evening and her pace quickened with every step. She wanted to sit down and just relax. She didn't want anything to invade her thoughts. Not schoolwork, not dancing, not Justin. Especially not Justin. She just wanted peace, quiet and a good meal.
"Bye guys… Thanks for coming with me to the doctors," Justin waved as he stepped out of JC's car. Liz exited the car with him and waved goodbye to the guys. Justin felt overwhelmed by her presence. She was everywhere, and he didn't want her to be. It was too much, especially after the doctor had just said the best way for him to regain his memory was under little to no pressure. Liz being in the apartment with him, continuously crawling into bed with him was far from no pressure.
"I'm gonna go up to bed and follow doctors orders," Justin said as soon as they entered the apartment. He didn't even wait for Liz to answer. He was already working his way up the stairs.
When he got into his room he searched through the pile of papers that had accumulated on his night table. He found Talia's number almost immediately. He had promised to call her and tell her what the doctor said. He looked down at the piece of paper and immediately his mind darted back to the sensational kiss they had shared. He smiled at the thought, but frowned when his memory got the point where she pulled away from him and explained why kisses like that couldn't happen again. It was so hard for him to
believe what she had said. They couldn't share moments like that because his memory might come back today or tomorrow, in a week or in a month and he might regret ever being unfair to Liz. She had a point, but honestly he couldn't see himself ever being happier with Liz then he was in his time with Talia. He shook the ideas out of his head and dialed the number. He hoped that she wasn't upset about the kiss. He could tell it bothered her, even if she said it didn't.
Unfortunately on the forth ring her machine picked up. He listened to her cheery voice speak about how she wasn't home. He began to talk after the beep.
"Hey Talia. I'm sorry I didn't catch you earlier, I just now got home from the doctors and he said I'm healing well. He also said my memory would come back with a domino effect. Please call me later… no time is too late I'd really love to talk to you. " He paused momentarily. "And 'Lia… I'm sorry again about yesterday. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin our friendship or make you uncomfortable. Well I'll hopefully talk to you later or tomorrow. Just… soon."
He stared at the phone… he had nothing left to say. He placed the phone on the receiver and slipped out of his clothes and into comfortable clothes for bed. He slipped under the covers and made himself as comfortable as his ribs would allow him to get.
Talia sat alone in the booth at the pizzeria and no matter how had she tried Justin continued to invade her thoughts. She finished off her slice and tossed money down on the table. She thought a day away from Justin would be just what she needed at this time. Maybe they were in fact getting too close. The day away from him only caused her to think of him more. Did he remember anything? Is he all right? Did the doctor give him a good report? Was the thinking about her?
Liz slipped under the covers next to Justin again. Her body barely covered by layers of silk. She slipped under his arm and snuggled against his chest like she had done so many nights before.
Justin's senses were being taken over. He saw Talia in the distance and ran to her. Reaching out to her he felt her silky soft skin against his fingertips. She was there, everything he wanted… right in front of him.
Liz heard Justin mumble incoherently in his sleep and leaned her chin on his chest. Maybe there were other ways to jog his memory other then patience. Patience was boring. She swiftly moved up his neck and to his lips with her mouth. She hungrily sought his lips and felt herself sigh as the kiss was reciprocated.
His dream felt so real and yet unreal at the same time. His head spun, was this Talia in front of him? He opened his eyes halfway and saw blonde hair dangling in front of his face. His eyes focused after a bit and he pushed Liz off of him. "Liz," he gasped.
"That was almost like old times," Liz smirked as she moved in to kiss him again.
"No Liz," Justin said sternly, "we can't do this. The doctor said don't push things… That would be pushing things."
Liz watched as Justin paced the room. She hugged the pillow to her half-naked body and just watched him move back and forth at a dizzying pace. Justin turned his eyes to her and saw how hurt she looked. "I'm sorry," he apologized. His mouth had gotten him into a lot of trouble the past two days.
"No… you're right," Liz said hesitantly, "I just want you to regain your memory so things can get back to how they used to be." Justin nodded and left the room. He sulked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Things were beginning to get confusing. Talia was who he wanted, but Liz was who he could have. There had to be a way to fix this. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He was sure he could recruit his mother to help him.
Talia saw the blinking light of the answering machine. She hoped that it wasn't her mother who phoned to continue the lecture. She pressed play then proceeded to get dressed for bed. She froze when Justin's voice began to play. She listened to the message all the way through, smiling a little when he spoke about the doctors' visit. When he began to apologize for kissing her again, Talia felt her heart break. She pressed rewind and listened to the message again. The tone in his voice was sincere and truly
apologetic. As the audio replayed for the fifth time she became acutely aware the tears were streaming down her cheeks. Why did she have to care so much about everyone else's feelings? Why was she worried about Liz's feelings when in actuality all she wanted to do was let Justin kiss her like he did the other day?
"I'm too nice," she mumbled to herself as she curled up on the couch, preparing to listen to the message again.
Part 17
The more he thought about it, the more that Justin thought talking to his mom about Liz was a good idea. He picked up the phone and commanded it to ‘call mom’. She answered on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Mom? It’s Justin.” He still felt a little weird calling her mom, but he knew that it would make her feel better. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Anything dear.” She replied patiently.
Justin bit his lip, suddenly nervous about asking her. “I was wondering. Could you… umm… have a talk with Liz and maybe get her to go stay at her apartment?”
“Justin honey. What’s wrong?” Lynn asked.
“Nothing’s wrong really. The doctor said that I can’t be under pressure to remember anything or it will take longer for my memory to come back. And she just makes me feel uncomfortable.” He hoped that she would help him because there wasn’t anyone else that could. He couldn’t very well ask the guys for help. And Lynn just seemed like the type of person to get things done.
“Well, if she’s making you uncomfortable, I’ll talk to her. Would you like me to come over now?”
“Yeah. That would be great.” Justin replied. “If you’re not too busy that is.” He added quickly.
“I’ve never too busy for you dear. I’ll be right over.”
Justin hung up the phone relieved that he might finally have some time to himself. Trying to act like nothing was wrong, he went back downstairs and found Liz watching TV. He sat down on the other end of the couch and stared at the television set. Within a few seconds he felt Liz moved closer to him. He knew his mother would be there in a matter of minutes, but he couldn’t take it any longer. “Liz. I’m begging you. Please stay on your end of the couch. Please.”
There was a hurt look on her face, but she did as he asked. A moment later, there was a knock on the door and Justin got up to answer it. Lynn took one look at Justin’s face and knew that he was on the verge of losing his temper. ‘At least some things haven’t changed.’ She thought and went directly to Liz.
“Liz? Can I talk to you for a minute please?” Lynn’s question was more of a command.
“I’m going to go outside and get some air.” Justin called before closing the door behind him.
After Justin left, Lynn turned to face Liz again. She looked her square in the face. “Liz dear, I think that you should go back to your apartment and stay for awhile.” Lynn didn’t bother mincing words, she wanted to make this as clear as possible.
“Why would I do that? Justin needs someone here to take car of him.” Liz replied sweetly, not wanting to give in to Lynn’s wishes without a fight.
“I’m not disagreeing with that. But you heard the doctor yourself Liz. If he’s going to get his memory back, the he can’t be pressured. And that’s what you’re doing to him, pressuring him. If you want him to remember that he has a girlfriend, then you need to give him some space.” Lynn stopped for a minute to make sure that Liz was listening to her.
“So, I’m just supposed to go away? That’s it? Do I even get to visit him?” Liz tried not to show how upset she was, but it was hard to keep her composure.
“Of course you get to visit him. He just needs to be able to feel comfortable in his own apartment, not have a constant reminder of a life he can’t remember.” Lynn was trying to be gentle with this girl’s feelings, but it was getting harder by the minute.
Finally Liz relented and agreed to go back to her own apartment that evening. Satisfied with what she had accomplished, she went out to see how Justin was doing. But before she went out the door, she turned back to Liz one more time. “I’m going to make this as easy on you as possible. I will try to get Justin to come home with me for a couple of hours.” With that, she left Liz in the apartment alone.
Lynn walked around the building and found Justin sitting on a bench near the road, watching the cars go by. “Justin?” She said softly, not wanting to startle him.
Justin turned around and saw his mom standing there. “Did everything go okay in there?”
“Yes. She’s going to leave.” Lynn replied and watched her the tension leave her son’s face. “And now I have a favor to ask of you. Will you come home with me for a few hours so that she can retain some of her dignity in leaving?” Justin nodded and followed Lynn to her car.
After about 10 times of listening to the message that Justin had left her, Talia’s eyes were puffy from the crying she’d done. She went and threw herself down on the bed, holding tightly to the panda bear she’d had since she was 10.
*~*To whoever listens to starlight wishes, this one is for you. I wish when I get older that I find someone to love me. Someone I won't fight with like mom and dad do... did. Someone I can be happy with forever*~*
Talia buried her face in her pillow. The feelings that she had for Justin wouldn’t go away. Everywhere she turned, everything she did, she thought of him. ‘Is this how love was supposed to feel? Was it supposed to be this painful and complicated?’ She groaned aloud and tried to fall asleep.
After Justin’s mom brought him back to his apartment, she went in with him to make sure that Liz was gone. And she was, there was a note taped to the refrigerator saying for Justin to call if he needed anything. He read it and then tossed it onto the counter.
“Thank you for what you did, mom. It’s really going to help my nerves.” Justin said, then stepped forward unsurely to hug his mother.
A smile came across her face as she pulled her son into her arms. She hugged him tightly, but briefly. Then said goodbye and left. Justin sighed. He was finally alone. There was no Liz looking over his shoulder and watching every move he made. And most importantly, he could sleep in his own bed, by himself. He took a long, hot shower, then went upstairs and got in bed.
Talia awoke with a start. She looked at the clock and noticed that it was almost 10pm. She realized that she hadn’t called Justin back. He had said ‘no matter how late..’ so she took a chance and dialed his number. He answered on the third ring right before she hung up. The sound of his voice rendered her speechless for a moment.
“Hello?” Justin asked for a second time. When no one answered, he started to hang up the phone.
“Justin?”
He perked up at the sound of the one voice he’d be longing to hear all day long. “Talia? Is that you?” He asked, though he already knew the answer.
“Yah. Sorry it’s so late. Were you asleep?” She asked nervously.
“In bed, but not asleep. I just got out of the shower. I’m glad you called.”
The thought of his lean body lying in bed all alone nearly drove her up the wall. She imagined his blond curls glistening with water droplets and his blue eyes shining in the dark. She took a deep breath and tried to direct her thoughts elsewhere. “So how did the doctor’s appointment go today?”
Justin recounted the entire day for her right up until that moment. He even told her the part about his mom getting Liz to go back to her own apartment. Talia felt an unstoppable smile spread across her face. She was oddly happy to hear that. Even though Liz was his girlfriend, Talia knew how Justin felt. She could hear the relief in his voice. They talked for a little while longer and agreed to do something together. Talia said that she would be there first thing in the morning and hung up the phone.
Part 18
Talia checked herself in the mirror for what seemed like the tenth time. She hadn't really put much thought into what her and Justin would do for the day. She was just sure that they couldn't spend the whole day in his apartment. The temptation was too great for her to handle. She knew that she wouldn't be able to turn him down again. It was hard enough to do it the first time. She couldn't let on to him that she wanted him. It would
ruin everything.
Justin woke up feeling completely rested. For the first time since the accident he had a good nights sleep. He enjoyed his bed in all its emptiness. He was also convinced that Talia's phone call was a direct result of his peaceful slumber. Her voice did something to him, caused him to smile. He wanted so badly to tell her that he had gotten his mother to
kick Liz out of the house because he'd rather her keep him company at night. He decided against it though, he didn't want to seem pushy. He didn't want Liz, he wanted Talia. Even though Talia made it imminently clear to him that nothing was to happen between the two of them. He couldn't understand who she was trying to protect? Him or herself.
"Hey," Justin smiled as he opened the door to find Talia. Talia blushed; he made her feel happy. Just the sight of him caused an immediate smile to jump to her lips. He hugged her again; it was habit to him. He'd see her, he'd hug her it was a common occurrence that seemed strangely intrusive that morning. She felt his warm body against hers and let her mind drift back to the kiss they had shared. He could have kissed her right then and she wouldn't pull away. For the first time she wasn't afraid of Liz lurking somewhere in the shadows.
"So what have you planned for the day?" Justin asked. He took her hand and pulled her to the couch, urging her to take a seat.
"I thought we could do something outdoorsy." Justin looked at her with confusion causing Talia to laugh. "Like a park or something Justin."
"Oh… that could be interesting."
"That's if your ribs are up to it," Talia said carefully.
"I'm feeling really rested and altogether good today. So I'm up for it…"
"Good," Talia smiled, "my Jeep is parked right outside. Let's go…"
"Hey Lia…" Justin called down the hall to her as he locked his apartment door. Talia turned around to face him, wondering what he had to say to her. "I'd like to see your apartment. Where you live."
Talia smirked. "Maybe later."
Justin once again held Talia's hand as they made their way through the park. It had become like a security blanket to him, his attachment to her when he couldn't have her any other way. The day was beautiful. Tranquil breezes and cloud-filtered sun guided them through the park.
"Anything?" Talia questioned as she stood in front of Justin, blocking his path.
"Nothing," Justin shrugged. He noticed a flash of disappointment in Talia's eyes. "But I'm having a lot of fun with you even though it's really not serving its purpose."
Talia pointed to a pick up basketball game a little bit away. "Maybe that would help. Guys and sports go hand in hand." They made their way over to the benches beside the court and took a seat. Talia watched, as Justin seemed taken in by the action on the court. His eyes would follow the players up and down the court.
"Don't look now but I think we finally found something that interests you,"
Talia laughed. She unconsciously rubbed Justin's knee. Justin, for the first time let his eyes leave the game. He looked at Talia, melting her with his blue eyes.
"Finally?" Justin whispered. Talia felt her heart jump to her throat and it took all her restraint not to kiss him right there. She knew it was meant in the most innocent way but she knew what he was insinuating. There had been something he found interest in before the game of basketball… her. Talia had to shake away the thoughts that had begun clouding her brain. "Any specific memories?"
"I kinda think I must have played this game before," Justin nodded, "nothing specific. But I can see me and the four other guys that visit me playing… what's this?"
"Basketball," Talia smiled, "well that's good for today."
"Now do I get to see your apartment?" Justin asked. Talia silently cursed him, he had the hurt puppy expression down pat.
"Yeah... just for a bit."
*ring ring*
"Nothing!" JC yelled as he slammed down the phone. "He's not home! Where the hell can he be? It's not even like he knows his way around the city."
"Calm down," Lance urged, "he could be sleeping. Maybe he unplugged the phone."
"Maybe he's lost," Joey contradicted.
"Maybe he's just sick of hearing from people who claim to know him," Chris pointed out.
"I'm gonna call Lynn," JC said frantically. He picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. He waited until he heard Lynn's voice, then began to ramble.
"JC calm down," Lynn said quietly, "I saw him last night. He was fine then, I'm sure he's fine now."
"You saw him last night?"
"Yeah... he called me and asked me if I could go over and talk Liz out of staying with him another night."
"So you went and spoke to her?"
"OF COURSE I WENT. He's my son whether he remembers me or not. If at the
moment Liz is making him upset... then I'm going to help him take care of that situation."
"Okay... but he's not home now," JC whispered.
"Maybe he called Talia. He seems to like her. He seems to feel comfortable with her," Lynn reasoned. JC shook his head, it was amazing to him that Justin's own mother rationalized the situation out better then he did. She should be the basket case not him.
"Okay. I'll just keep on calling and leaving messages in hopes he'll call back," JC sighed. He hung up the phone and looked up into three pairs of anticipating eyes. "She's calmer then me. She said he's probably with Talia."
"Ouch. What would Liz think of that?" Joey cringed.
"Honestly, right now I don't think she has much of a say," JC said quietly.
"This is my apartment," Talia said as she swung open the door. "It's a mess. Sorry." She rushed over to the couch and quickly picked up a bra that was lain across the cushions. She tried to make it as nonchalant as possible, but Justin caught her. She blushed under his stare. "Sit down... please," she urged.
Justin pulled off his jacket and laid it on one of the chairs before he took a seat on the couch. He took a seat and looked around carefully. "Do you umm... want something to drink?" Talia asked.
"Yeah... sure. Thanks," Justin smiled at her.
Talia went into the kitchen and grabbed some sodas out of the refrigerator and some glasses out of the cabinet. When she re-entered the living room she saw Justin sitting on the couch, holding her stuffed panda bear. Her favorite childhood toy. The one that was with her when she made the wish. The shock of the sight before her caused her to let one of the glasses drop to the floor.
Justin's head snapped up as the glass shattered into pieces on the floor. "Are you okay?" Justin jumped up and rushed toward her.
"Yeah... I'm fine," Talia stuttered, she was still a little dazed. Was that an omen? Him holding the bear... it had to mean something. She began to pick up the glass and wound up cutting herself. "OW!" she screamed in pain.
Justin pulled her up by her shoulders and brought her to the couch. "I'll clean up," he whispered, "do you have band-aids?"
"In the bathroom," she whispered. She glanced down at her bleeding finger.
"Sweetie you're going have to point me to the bathroom cause I've never been here before," Justin smiled. Talia laughed a little, forgetting the pain in the finger for her moment.
"Down the hallway right there," Talia whispered, "they're in the cabinet above the sink." Justin went to the bathroom and searched until he found a band aid.
"Found one," Justin waved the band-aid in the air. Talia smiled up at him, it was hard not to fall for him over and over again. "Give me your hand," he whispered kindly. He was always so gentle around her and she reveled in every minute of it. He took hold of her hand and wrapped the band-aid around her finger. "All better," Justin sighed.
"Yeah... all better." Talia shifted uncomfortably.
Part 19
Liz paced the floor in her living room trying to come up with ways to keep Talia away from Justin. There had to be something she could do. She refused to just sit back and watch as the guy that half the teenage girls in the country wanted slip through her fingers. If only he hadn’t found her and David that night, things would be different. On top of worrying about Talia, she was worried about whether Justin would regain his memory at all. The doctor had said that a traumatic experience could hinder his ability to remember. ‘Well finding me and David together wasn’t necessarily traumatic.’ She tried to convince herself. ‘No. But if he wouldn’t have found you with David, he probably wouldn’t have had that accident.’ “Damn! What am I going to do?” She said out loud.
Talia sat on the couch and watched Justin sweep the glass up off the floor. He was being very careful picking up the larger pieces so that he wouldn’t cut himself too. Her eyes followed his every movement. His tall frame bent over at the waist, sweeping with the little hand held brush and dustpan. Every time he swept some glass into the dustpan, his arm muscles flexed. There was something about a gorgeous, sweet, perfect guy cleaning up something that she had broken that appealed to Talia.
Justin finally finished cleaning up the glass and stood straight up again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Talia watching him from the couch, but pretended not to notice. He walked over to the trash can and emptied the dustpan. Was there any way that she felt the same way he did? And what about his memory? When it came back, he would remember being with Liz. But Justin didn’t think that would matter one bit. He had a feeling about Talia. There was something about her that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he knew that it was good. She was so sweet and she had been there for him from the beginning.
Finally Justin turned around to face Talia again. He saw that she was still looking at him, but averted her eyes quickly. “There. All done.”
“Thank you.” Talia was trying to fight the heat that was rising in her cheeks. He had caught her looking at him. She rose her eyes to his again, and could almost swear for a minute that she saw something there. But it disappeared quickly and she pushed it out of her mind. He probably didn’t feel the same way that she did. What he felt for her was more than likely out of gratitude for saving his life.
“So… what now?” Justin asked as he plopped down on the couch next to her.
Her breath caught in her throat involuntarily. He had such an affect on her whenever he was around, not to mention inches from touching her like he was right now. “I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired.”
“So am I.” He admitted. He hadn’t wanted to say anything, but all that walking had taken its toll on him.
Talia started to get up. “I can take you back to your apartment.”
“You don’t have to if you’re tired ‘Lia. Go take a nap. I’ll just relax here on the couch.” Justin offered.
Talia looked at him, trying to discern if he was being serious, or insinuating something. She decided he was just being nice. “Are you sure? I don’t mind taking you home.”
“Yes. I’m sure. Now go.” He shooed her away and watched her walk into the bedroom. Once she disappeared through the doorway, he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. It was going to be difficult for him to get any rest with her in the next room, but he was going to try.
Talia walked into her room and decided to leave the door open in case Justin needed anything. She crawled into bed tried to get comfortable. He was here, in her apartment, laying on the couch. ‘Why do I torture myself like this?’ All she really wanted was to march right back in there and curl up next to him on the couch. But she forced herself to lie still.
Jc called Justin’s apartment and got the answering machine again. “Damn, I wonder where he is.”
Lance and Chris smiled at each other from their place on the floor. They were playing video games with Joey. “Would you just cool your jets man? I’m sure he’s fine. Like Lynn said, he’s probably with Talia.” Chris told him and turned his attention back to the game.
Talia glanced at the clock again. She rolled her eyes. It had only been 20 minutes since she came in here, but it seemed like at least an hour. She decided to go get something to drink. She rolled off the bed and tiptoed towards the kitchen.
Justin had gotten up and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. He opened the refrigerator to see if there was any bottled water.
Talia made it to the kitchen and stopped. Justin was standing with his back to her, looking in the fridge. She smiled at the idea of the two of them thinking alike. Leaning against the doorway, she just watched him. Apparently he found what he was looking for because he closed the door. He opened the cabinet next to the fridge, found a glass and poured some water in it.
Justin poured himself a glass of water and gulped half of it down. He felt as if he was being watched and turned around. A smile graced his lips when he saw Talia standing in the doorway.
Talia nearly jumped out of her skin when Justin turned around and caught her watching him for the second time that day. He flashed her that prizewinning smile of his and a warm tingly feeling spread throughout her body. Their eyes were locked in a heated gaze.
Justin focused his blue eyes on Talia’s hazel ones, which were at the moment a clear green. His feet were moving him across the floor towards her. ‘I’m just going to hug her.’ He tried convincing himself. He stopped when their bodies were inches apart. They stood, motionless, for what seemed like minutes. Finally Justin reached out to her and she stepped willingly into his arms.
Talia felt Justin’s hands on the bare skin of her arms and melted under his touch. ‘It can’t be wrong when it feels this right.’ Was her last coherent thought before their lips met in a feather light kiss. His lips were soft and inviting and Talia sank further into the circle of his arms. He tightened his hold on her waist with one arm, while the other hand found its way into her hair. She brought her arms up around his neck and pulled him closer. His tongue pushed her lips apart and slid into her mouth. Talia senses were whirling. She wasn’t thinking about Liz or anything, all she could focus on was Justin and the way felt right now.
Jc was tired of getting Justin’s answering machine, so he decided to call Lynn. He dialed the number and waited for her to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Lynn. It’s Jc. Do you know Talia’s last name by any chance?”
“Hi Jc. Hold on one minute, I think I have it written down.” Lynn dug through her purse and came up with what she was looking for. “It’s Carlisle. Talia Carlisle.”
“Okay thanks a bunch Lynn!” Jc hung up the phone and dialed the operator. “Hello operator. I need the number for Talia Carlisle please.” He grabbed for a pen and wrote the number down. ‘I’m not waiting for him to get home any more. I’m just going to call over to her apartment and find out for myself.’ Jc thought and dialed the number on the keypad.
Part 20
"Jus… Justin…" Talia gasped as she pulled away from him. She was still in his arms, still so close to his perfect mouth. "We've discussed this before Justin." Talia felt her throat close, she couldn't look at him. She leaned her forehead on his chest and took deep, cleansing breaths.
"We have discussed it but I've thought about it and nothing that I'm remember will make a difference," Justin said quietly, "nothing. Not with Liz. I couldn't imagine feeling for Liz half of what I feel for you at this very moment."
Talia looked up at him shocked. He was serious, or seemed it. She bit at her bottom lip. "No what you feel is just gratitude. You're thankful that I found you that night. That's it… you're confused," Talia shook her head.
"Confused?" Justin almost chuckled, "when Liz slips into bed with me I'm confused. When the guys come over and talk about performing I get confused. When I watch those videos I get confused. When I'm with you… that's the only time I'm not confused."
"But…" Talia protested. Justin placed a solitary finger on her lips, halting her words before they could manage to escape her lips. He replaced his finger with his lips and again began to kiss her. Again Talia found herself lost in him. Lost in his arms, which were so protectively wrapped around her. Lost in his scent which made him seem almost angelic. Talia brought her hands up and cupped his face in her hands. She was on her tiptoes so he didn't have to bend down too much to reach her. It was so easy for her to lose herself in him. He was amazing, truly amazing.
The phone began to ring and Talia slid away from Justin's grasp. "I… umm… have to get that." Justin reached for her hand and pulled her back to him.
"No… really you don't."
"Yeah I REALLY do." Talia laughed. It was the only way she could manage to pull herself from him at that moment. If she would have let the phone continue to ring things would have escalated to the point of no return. She walked to the phone and picked it up. She hoped it wouldn't be one of her professors calling about her recent attendance issues as of late. "Hello."
"Talia Carlisle please."
"Speaking." Talia turned around and caught Justin's eye as he moved from the kitchen to the living room where she was.
"This is JC. Is Justin there?"
"How'd you get this number?" Talia asked. She didn't mean to sound half as angry as she did. She was just surprised that he would call her.
"I got your name from Lynn and your number from the operator," JC explained evenly, "now… is Justin there?"
"Yeah he is," Talia said quietly, "do you want to talk to him? Or are you just checking up on him?"
"Listen… we're all worried. Just… he's there?"
"Yeah he's here. He's fine." Talia looked toward Justin, she knew he was now intently listening to her. "I'll bring him back to the apartment. I promise I'm not going to kidnap him." She again looked toward Justin who was smiling at her previous comment. "He'll be back at the apartment soon. Bye JC."
Talia hung up the phone and looked toward Justin. "That was JC. They were worried about you."
"I didn't know I had to call anyone before I left my house." Again he assumed the role of lost boy.
"You wouldn't know… I should have thought of that before I took you out. My fault… don't worry about that."
"You said you weren't going to kidnap me," Justin smirked, "kidnap me please? I beg of you."
Talia laughed wildly. "I can't do that Justin. In fact I should be getting you home. Then you can call everyone… tell them you're living."
"I have to leave?" Justin asked. His face yet again assumed the puppy dog expression it so easily could adopt. 'One day that isn't going to work for him' Talia laughed to herself. She took a deep breath and tossed him his jacket.
"I have some work to do which I know I won't get done if you're here." Talia's eyes widened after the sentence escaped her lips, she could not believe that she had just said that. She sighed, but Justin didn't seem to notice.
"Okay," Justin sighed, he seemed defeated.
He followed her out to the jeep and got into the passengers seat. He watched Talia drive him home. He examined her profile as she was staring at the road. After a few minutes she pulled up outside his apartment complex. He was planning on inviting her in but she didn't but she hadn't put the jeep in park.
"I guess I'll talk to you later," Justin whispered as he rested his hand on hers. Talia simply nodded and just stared out the front window. She heard the door open, but didn't dare look as Justin left. After a few seconds she still hadn't heard the door shut and she glanced out of the corner of her eye. Justin was still sitting there, half out of the jeep and half in. She closed her eyes briefly as she felt his fingers on her jaw line, turning her face to him. He kissed her softly and sweetly on the lips. "I'll call you later."
"Yeah…" Talia licked her lips. "Call me." She heard the door faintly close and quickly shifted the jeep into drive. She turned at the next corner and pulled to the side of the road. Her mind had never raced more quickly then it was at that moment. What was happening? 'I didn't ask for this' she thought to herself, 'no... wait... I did. But that doesn't mean it can happen. That doesn't mean it should happen.'
Justin seemingly floated up through the lobby of his apartment building. He reached his apartment and turned the key in the door. His day couldn't have gone better if he had planned it out step by step. Word for word. Motion by vital motion. Not even the relentless string of messages on his answering machine could break his mood. Talia was a step closer to being where he thought she belonged... in his arms.