Part 26

Justin waved good night to the guys and jogged into his apartment building. He made his way up to his apartment and immediately checked if he had any messages. There were two from his mother and one from Liz. He rolled his eyes at the last one as Liz's sickeningly sweet voice came through the speaker. He couldn't hide his disappointment that Talia hadn't called. Maybe she was busy… she did deserve to have a life after all. He couldn't have expected her to be with him or calling him every day of her life. He'd have to learn to spend days without her. And even he had to admit that the day wasn't bad. He had a lot of fun with the guys and he couldn't help but imagine that days like that had been common before the accident.

Talia began to do her stretches. She hadn't practiced her dancing for a week and she could feel aches and pains coming on. Dance had always been her outlet. At this point in her life when she was as confused as ever she figured dancing would only help her.

Justin picked up the phone and dialed Talia's number. He silently prayed that she would be home. He felt the need to talk to her. He always seemed to feel that need. The phone rang a few times before there was an answer.

"Hello."

Justin could hear soft melodies playing in the background. "Hey 'Lia."

"Oh… Justin… what's up?" Talia rattled off. She rushed to her stereo and shut it off so she could hear what he had to say.

"Nothing. I just got in and I was wanted to call and tell you about my progress today," Justin said proudly.

"I heard some of that on my machine earlier. Congratulations. So you can play basketball huh?"

"I don't mean to brag either but I'm pretty good." Justin boasted.

"I'm gonna have to come and watch you one of these days then," Talia smiled, "nothing better then watching cute guys sweat and all that fun stuff."

"Oh… is that your odd way of telling me that you think I'm cute?" Justin smirked.

"Don't let it get to your head now," Talia warned, "or I might just have to take it back." She felt uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going so she decided to change the subject. "So what else did you do? I called back and you weren't home."

"They treated me to a movie," Justin explained, "I had a Liz memory."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It was of Liz and I in a movie theatre and we were cuddling up, smiling, tossing popcorn at each other…"

"Cute stuff," Talia laughed. Her heart sank in her chest, but she couldn’t let him hear the break in her voice.

"I guess so," Justin shrugged. "I still have this feeling something was off though. Maybe not from the memory… but just other things. I don't think we were on CUTE terms when the accident happened."

"Well you had a good vision of you together, maybe you shouldn't question that." Talia couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth. She wanted to yell how much she wanted him, how she wished he could throw away everything he MIGHT have had with Liz for her. Justin listened to her in disbelief, he had hoped that she would encourage him to explore the bad feeling he had about Liz. But she didn't and it hurt him.

"This memory was different though," Justin explained.

"How?"

"Well usually as I've gotten memories back they've been accompanied with a feeling or a emotion. Maybe I don't FEEL it, but it's like a storage tag that shows me the memory and I just know… oh that was a good time… oh that was sad. That made me upset. With this Liz memory… there was NOTHING. I looked happy in the memory but who is to say I was? Who is to say she was?"

"I don't know what to say Justin," Talia sighed. "Maybe you need to talk to Liz."

"I'm just saying if there was any immense feeling between Liz and I, I think I'd feel it. That's all I'm saying."

"Well… maybe you are feeling it. You just can't describe it cause it seems too new for you," Talia reasoned.

"I don't think so." Justin swallowed hard. "Happiness. I know what that feels like. If Liz and I were happy I'd feel what I feel when I'm with you…" Talia nearly choked on the water she was drinking. Justin laughed. "Does that surprise you? I thought you'd get that idea from when I kissed you."

"And I thought we had cleared that up," Talia laughed uncomfortably.

"NO. You think YOU cleared that up." Justin smiled to himself. "I can tell this conversation is making you uncomfortable though so I'll stop and say good night before I get myself in any more trouble."

"Good idea," Talia agreed, "good night Justin."

"Wait… 'Lia. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I have to go to a classical music concert/exhibition at night. I have classes in the morning."

"So I won't get to see you again?"

"Unless you want to come to the concert…" Talia trailed. "It's not that excit…"

"I'm in." Justin jumped at the opportunity.

"I'll pick you up at 7:30 on the dot. Don't be late, cause I'll be upset if we're late for the concert."

"See you then…" Justin nodded.

-The Next Day-

Justin pulled his shirt over his head, Talia was due at his place in less then a half-hour and he hadn't chosen a suitable thing to wear yet. He had settled on khaki pants, but was debating what shirt could go with it. It was a concert, he hoped that the dress code wasn't anything too formal. He finally pulled a tan and white checkered shirt over his shoulders and buttoned it. He tucked the shirt in and nodded at his reflection. He then pulled on a sweater vest and smiled. He was ready to go.

Talia slid into her black knee-high boots and zipped them up. She was running a few minutes later then she had planned, which was good for her. She checked herself in the mirror. Her black, leather, knee high boots complimented her outfit perfectly. She was wearing a gray three-quarter-length skirt and a black tank top. 'Justin will like this' she nodded, then cursed herself for thinking such a co-dependant thought.

Talia honked the car horn and waited for Justin to come out of the building. "Hey you…" the car door swung open and he stepped in.

"You look presentable…" Talia kidded. She shifted the car into drive and began the half-hour ride to the hall. The drive was made in relative silence. The soft hum of the radio and the engine merged into a comforting blend.

"Here we are!" Talia exclaimed, "FINALLY!"

"So what is this for?"

"I just enjoy classical music," Talia defended herself. "And it's a required attendance for one of my classes."

They entered the hall and stood amongst a bunch of middle-aged people. They were easily the youngest people in the room. The theatre wasn't going to be opened for another fifteen minutes, so the key word became mingle. Talia would pull Justin's ear to her lips every time someone new entered the room. She had so many stories to share.

"Miss Carlisle."

Talia turned around quickly, her auburn hair cascaded over her shoulder. "Professor Stokes. Hello."

"This must be the guy that has been keeping you from attending class the past few days," her professor laughed heartily as he pointed to their intertwined fingers. Talia could feel her face redden. She hadn't even realized that they were holding hands.

"This is Justin." Talia said simply. "Justin this is Professor Stokes. One of my classical music teachers."

"Nice to meet you," Justin smiled. His fingers were still locked with Talia's. IT was so comfortable, so natural.

"Ah… well enjoy the show… looks like they're letting us in." Professor Stokes noticed. He met up with what Talia assumed to be his wife and wrapped his arm around her lovingly.

"Exactly how many classes have you missed on my account?" Justin whispered to her.

"A few… he understands." Talia brushed of the question. "Come on. We have to find seats." She pulled him behind her into the theatre and found two seats next to each other.

The concert began and Justin tried his hardest to stay awake but the violins were putting him to sleep. Talia managed to glance at him in the middle of her music induced daze and shook him awake. "We can leave if you want to…"

"No." Justin said sternly. "You obviously are enjoying this right?"

Talia nodded. Classical music was her favorite. It put her in a certain state of mind that everything was right with the world. "You're obviously not."

"Well I just don't get it," Justin smiled. "I mean I can hear this music every Saturday morning with cartoon accompaniment. It makes it a lot more fun."

Talia couldn't hide her smile. How could he be THAT cute?


Part 27

Justin managed to make it the rest of the way through the concert without falling asleep. He hoped that Talia wasn’t upset with him for being less interested than she was. Various times that night, he had looked over at her and found that she was caught up in the music. He saw that her face was so animated as she listened. Then she would catch him watching her and blush.

As they headed back out to her Jeep, Talia thought about the evening. It was odd that they were so comfortable and relaxed with each other. She remembered how she’d caught Justin watching her numerous times during the concert. She, of course, had looked away because she knew that she wouldn’t be able to resist the heat in his stare. She recalled the way she’d felt last night when he’d told her the way he felt when they were together. She felt the same way, but she refused to tell him that. Talia knew that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she broke someone else’s relationship up.

“Are you hungry?” Justin asked, bringing her out of her daze.

“Umm, a little I guess. We can grab something if you want.” Talia replied and went back to thinking. She had such a huge vibe that he was THE one, but she had to put that aside.

They made it through the parking lot to the Jeep, and Talia unlocked his door first. She started to walk to the other side, but Justin put his hand on her arm and stopped her.

“Penny for you thoughts.” Justin said quietly.

Talia could feel her face redden because she’d been thinking about him. She was glad that it was dark outside and hoped that he couldn’t see because they were standing so close. “Just thinking about the concert. I love that music, it does something to me.” She looked up at his face and wanted so much to tell him that he was what she wanted, but she just couldn’t do it.

Justin studied her face for a moment. He could tell there was something else, but decided not to push it. He secretly wished that she would give in to him and let him love her, but he knew that she wouldn’t until he remembered everything. It made him want to try even harder to get his memory back. He let go of her arm and she walked to the driver’s side and got in.

Talia started the Jeep and turned in her seat so that she was facing Justin. “So what do you want to eat?”

He thought about it and said, “How about pizza?”

“Sounds good to me.” Talia put the Jeep in drive and headed out of the parking lot into the busy street. She drove a few miles to where she knew there was a pizza place. They decided to eat inside rather than taking it home. Talia went and found a table while Justin ordered for the two of them.

He came back and sat down across from Talia. “I got pepperoni, hope that’s okay with you.” His fixed his eyes on her face.

“Just fine.” Talia replied. She could feel his eyes searching hers. She knew that he was thinking there was something that she wasn’t telling him and he was trying to find out. She smiled. He was always doing something cute.

They made some small talk until the pizza arrived at the table. After the waiter left, Justin insisted on dishing Talia’s into her plate because the pan was hot and he didn’t want her to burn herself.

When they were about halfway through eating, Justin got really still. It caught Talia’s attention immediately. She watched him as he sat there, a mixture of emotions passing across his face. She started to ask if he was alright, but it dawned on her that he was remembering something. So she sat patiently until his eyes found hers again.

Then she said, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I was having a little memory flash.” He smiled at her. “You noticed huh?”

“Well I knew that something was happening.” Talia replied and waited for him to tell her about it. But he didn’t say anything. They finished mostly in silence and then headed towards Justin’s apartment.

Once she pulled up in the parking lot of the complex, Talia put the Jeep in park, still hoping that he was going to tell her about what he’d remembered.

Justin leaned over and kissed Talia on the cheek. “Night ‘Lia.” He said and got out.

She watched until he disappeared inside the building. Frowning, she wondered why he hadn’t told her about the memory. But then she realized that it must have been about Liz. ‘Was he starting to remember what a nice couple they were? Or that he loved her?’ Talia’s heart sank at the thought of them together. Sighing, she started the drive to her place.

“Justin hasn’t called today. I wonder where he is.” Lance mused out loud to the other guys that were gathered on the floor of Jc’s apartment.

“He’s probably with Talia.” Jc replied absently. He had a feeling that Justin liked her even though he hadn’t come right out and said it.

“They sure do spend a lot of time together.” Joey joined in on the discussion. “I wonder if there’s something going on between them.”

“I don’t think so.” Jc said. “He’s just really attached to her. You see that all the time on TV. Victims getting attached to the people that save them.”

They all agreed and the discussion was dropped.

Justin’s mind was wandering as he locked the door behind him and went straight to his room. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and thought about the memory he’d had earlier. He knew that Talia was probably feeling rejected because he didn’t tell her what he’d remembered. But he didn’t think she’d want to hear, nor did he want to tell her, that what he’d been thinking about was him and Liz being…intimate. The visions he’d gotten were very complete, but it didn’t change anything. He still didn’t feel anything along with the memories. They were just that. Memories, nothing more. It didn’t make him want to call Liz and ask her to come over so that they could pick up where they left off. Something still didn’t feel right. Justin hoped that he could get it all back soon, so that he could figure out the bad feeling he had about Liz.

Talia opened the door to her apartment and stared into the darkness. She turned on the light and walked into the living room. No messages on the machine. She flipped the lamp on, then went back and turned the big light off. She grabbed her panda bear and leaned back against the couch cushions. ‘Was he slipping away from her already?’


Part 28

Justin stared up at his bedroom ceiling. Since he had returned home from the concert, memories had continued to stream into his consciousness. A lot of them had to do with the guys, but some had to do with Liz. There seemed to be a bunch of happy memories. He remembered them together smiling and laughing at what the other had to say. He also knew the feeling he had around her now. The lingering uncomfortable feeling he felt when he was around her. In his mind there was no possible way that he and Liz were happy when the accident happened. He knew that. He'd feel it if they were. He'd know. He closed his eyes tightly and reveled in the vision of Talia that appeared. She was amazing to him, from her auburn hair to her tinted hazel eyes and her spirit that shone brightly through them. Everything entranced him about her. His vision of Talia slipped slowly into yet another memory of Liz and him.

- "Why are you so good to me?" Liz asked quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The setting was that of a dance club and Justin was surrounded by a lot of people, though it seemed that they were alone in the room.

"You know why I'm good to you," Justin smirked.

"Care to remind me?" Liz had smiled seductively. Justin leaned in and kissed her slowly and sweetly. -

Remembering that time caused Justin to shake his head. He felt a tingling sensation on his lips, which was different from the one that Talia caused. They were definitely different in more ways than what was obvious.

Talia ran down the hallway and reached her class a minute before the professor began to speak. She smiled at her teacher apologetically and found an empty seat in the front of the class. During the lecture she found herself absent-mindedly drawing hearts on the pages of her book. It was hard for her to imagine what memories Justin had the previous night. It was something as simple as him remembering something from his past that brought her down to earth. It was easy for her to get caught up in what happened between them. What seemed to continue to happen as the days passed and they spent more and more time together.

"Miss Carlisle… care to repeat what I just said?"

Talia looked up briefly and blushed. "Sorry."

"That has been happening WAY too much Talia. See me after class."

Talia rolled her eyes; this couldn't be good for her scholastic career. If word of her lackadaisical behavior toward her education ever got back to her parents she'd be as good as back home in her mothers house. She couldn't afford to let that happen. Not when so much seemed to be happening in Orlando. But maybe considering the situation, not being in Orlando would help her out.

Justin hopped into JC's jeep and said his hellos. Joey was sitting in the back seat and they were on their way to the studio. The hope was that this would only help Justin further his memory. Give it the push that it needed to recall everything from his past.

"Where were you yesterday?" JC asked nonchalantly. "We must have called… What? Five times."

"Oh…" Justin shrugged. He stared blankly out the car window and sighed. "I shut the ringer off on my phone and slept in. Then last night I went out with Talia."

"Oh?" Joey raised his eyebrow. "Where did you two go?"

"She had to do something for school. A classical music concert and she invited me to go with her… I accepted." Justin explained calmly.

"Classical music huh? That is what she's studying?" JC questioned.

"No. She's a dancer," Justin smiled.

"Like… exotic?" Joey asked. His interest was now at an all time high.

"NO! Like ballerina," Justin shook his head. "He's always like this huh?" JC nodded in response.

"Professor Curtis," Talia said quietly, "you said you'd like to talk to me…" The usually jovial man peered up at her from under his bifocals. He sighed heavily and collapsed back into his chair.

"What am I supposed to do about you?" he asked quietly. "You've missed a lot of classes lately. Are you ill?"

"Me? No. I just have this friend who… who… is having problems right now," Talia began to ramble. "Just problems that I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing with you. I have to be there for him. I have gotten my work to you on time, haven't I?"

"Yes you have," he nodded, "and I like you Talia. I want to pass you. Try a little harder to be here please."

"Yes sir. Thank you… thank you…" Talia rambled as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and rushed out of the classroom.

Justin sat at the control board playing with the buttons and listening to some recordings he did right before the accident. Or so they said. The room was alive with discussion. Justin couldn't help but feel at home there. For once he wasn't thinking about Talia, the accident or regaining his memory. His mind was focused on the music. It had an oddly soothing effect on him.

"Hey boys!"

Justin looked up as Liz entered the room. 'Who invited her?' Justin thought to himself. He spun his chair around to face her and was immediately greeted with the memory of him and Liz together… in every sense of the word. He looked at her, dressed in jeans and a small top. It was easy for him to mentally imagine her as they were at one time. When he had seen all of her on more than one occasion.

"Hello Justin," she said quietly. She leaned down and placed a feathery kiss on his cheek. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. It jogged a memory for him. How they met. She worked at the studio and they had met through Johnny Wright.

Justin cleared his throat and turned back to face the control panel. He slid on a set of headphones and waited for the music to start again. As he waited, he heard her voice again.

Liz laughed wildly as she continued her conversation with Lance and Johnny. "Lance! You have no idea how hard it is to do that!"

That was it. It all clicked for him. She had said that the night of the accident. He was sure of it. There had definitely been a fight, a war of words. He was now sure tears had been shed. But what had they fought about? At this point it didn't matter to him, all Justin could think about was if and how this would change things for him and Talia. Would this be enough for her to weaken her stance on being with him? He could only hope.


Part 29

The rest of the day couldn’t possibly go fast enough for Justin. He was itching to get home and call Talia with the good news. Unfortunately Liz hung around the whole time they were at the studio. He watched her interact with the rest of the guys and got more disgusted with just the sight of her as the day wore on. He studied her movements, her tone of voice, and her body language. By the time their work day was almost over, Justin could tell that she wasn’t a genuine person. She was all about impressing people with more money and power than she herself had. Another reason he’d been watching her so closely was to try and pick up on something that would help him remember what their fight had been about.

Finally, Johnny announced, “Looks like that’s a wrap for today guys.”

Joey, Lance, Chris and Jc came out of the recording booth looking exhausted. “So did our slave labor help jog your memory any more buddy?” Chris asked.

“Actually it did. There are only a few holes left to fill. I think I’ll be ready to start recording again very soon.” Justin replied with a satisfied smile. He could probably go back to recording right now if the truth be told. But he wanted to set things on the right track with Talia. He had to tell her that he remembered ninety percent of his and Liz’s relationship. Surely, once he told her the good news, it would be the final crack in her wall of determination.

He was glad that she had held out for him to remember though. It had made him more motivated. He turned his attention back to the guys and they joked around for awhile, then decided to head to their respective apartments.

Justin, Joey, and Jc got in Jc’s Cherokee and they headed to Joey’s first because his apartment was closest. After Joey had gotten out, Jc turned to Justin.

“Something on your mind?” He asked, trying not to be too nosy as he started the drive to Justin’s place.

Justin smiled. “You always did know me better than anyone else.” He commented and waited for the realization to hit Jc.

“Yeah I do.” Jc replied, not getting it at first. Then he snapped his head around to face Justin again. “Wait a minute… did you just say what I think you said?” Justin just nodded his head. “And does that mean what I think it means?”

“Pretty much.” Justin replied. “I have the whole picture now, just with a couple of gray spots.”

Jc clapped Justin on the shoulder. He was definitely happy about the news. But then he remembered what his initial question had been. “So, are you going to tell me what’s up, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”

“Well I have a favor to ask you first.” Was Justin’s response. He waited for Jc to nod, then continued. “I don’t want you to say anything to the other guys until I get those last few missing pieces.”

“Well… okay I guess. If that’s the way that you want it.” Jc was a little uncomfortable about keeping such a huge secret from the other three band members, but he would respect Justin’s request.

“It’s just… the main thing I DON’T remember doesn’t really affect you guys. It’s between me and Liz. I’m not going to say anything else besides we were on very bad terms the night of my accident.” Justin told Jc. He really did want to tell the whole story, but he wasn’t completely sure that Jc or one of the other guys wasn’t loyal to Liz in some way. He was almost sure, but he didn’t want to say anything until he remembered what happened between him and Liz.

The rest of the ride to Justin’s apartment was made in relative silence. Jc dropped Justin off and made sure that he got in the building okay before pulling out of the parking lot and heading to his place.

Talia was relaxing on the couch after a long, disappointing day of class. She’d received stern looks from all her professors on top of the lecture from Dr. Curtis. She thought back on his words and realized just how much time she’d been spending with Justin. Sighing, she picked up the stereo remote and turned on some Mozart. The deep, pounding melodies soothed her tired mind a little and she closed her eyes.

Shaking herself from a dream, Talia reached over to pick up the telephone to simply quiet the ringing. “Hello?” She answered groggily.

“’Lia? You weren’t asleep were you?”

An instant smile found its way to her lips when she recognized Justin’s voice coming through the receiver. “Hello Justin. And yeah, I guess I was sort of dozing. But that’s okay. What’s up?”

“I have some good news that I want to share with you.” He replied, then added hesitantly, “Do you think you could come over?”

“I don’t know Justin… I’m really tired…” She started, then felt bad immediately for turning him down.

“Oh. Okay. I understand. I guess I can tell you tomorrow then”

The dejected tone of his voice tore at her resolve. “It’s not that I don’t want to see you, I’m just tired and I don’t know if I could drive over there, much less home.” Talia tried consoling him.

Justin perked up a little at her words. He wanted so bad to tell her that he knew he didn’t love Liz, almost despised her even. His brain worked furiously, trying to generate a feasible idea. His car was still in the shop, so he couldn’t just drive over there. “What if I took a cab to your place?”

The fact that he wanted to see her that bad made her feel all tingly inside. Whatever he wanted to tell her must be pretty important, so she relented. “Sure. I don’t mind.”

“Okay. I’ll be there soon.” Justin replied quickly. “Bye ‘Lia.”

Before Talia could even tell him goodbye back, he’d hung up the phone. She chuckled at his eagerness. It was rubbing off on her, she couldn’t wait for him to get there. She didn’t have to wait long. Forty five minutes later, there was a knock on her door. She changed into her pajamas and shuffled to the door in her bunny slippers.

“That was fast…” She began, but Justin stopped her from saying anything else. He bounded through the door and scooped her up in a bear hug, spinning her around in the middle of the floor.

Talia held on for dear life and waited for him to set her back down on the floor. He did after a few seconds, but held tightly to her so that she just slid down his body. On a normal level again, she looked up into his eyes and saw that they were sparkling with excitement.

Justin looked down at Talia. Her auburn hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders and she had on flannels pj’s. With the way she looked at the moment and the relief he felt from the memories he’d had, he couldn’t resist. He leaned down slowly and captured her lips in a quick kiss.

“What was that for?” She asked, trying to conceal the giddiness she was feeling.

Justin didn’t reply right away. He led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her after him. Bringing his hand up to touch the softness of her clean face, he kept his other hand intertwined with hers. “I have the best thing to tell you ‘Lia.”

She stifled a sigh at the feel of his hand on her skin. Resisting the urge to fall into his arms, she asked as calmly as she could manage, “Well, what is it?”

Justin smiled wider and kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose. He reveled at the look he saw in her eyes before he broke the news. “I’ve gotten my memory back.” He paused just to enjoy the widening of her hazel eyes. “And I know now that I don’t love Liz anymore, if I ever really did ‘love’ her. We had a fight the night of my wreck, and I basically broke up with her.” He decided not to say anything yet about not remembering what the fight was about.

Talia was stunned to say the least. She sat there, staring into his amazing blue eyes and tried to process what he’d just told her and what it meant for her.


Part 30

"Wow." Talia said finally. "That's… that's terrific! I'm so happy for you." She still refused to let down her guard. She couldn't get her hopes up too high. She looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled. She wondered what this revelation meant for them. She had told him that the reason she wasn't with him was Liz. Now… if Liz wasn't a part of the picture she was curious what that meant.

"I was in the studio with everyone today," Justin explained, "and she came in with this sickeningly sweet attitude toward me. I didn't feel the need to tell her that I have remembered what most of our relationship was about."

"Why not?" Talia asked.

"Cause it's not important," Justin said surely. "Then she was talking to Lance and she said something about him not knowing how hard things were. She said that to me the night of the accident."

Talia nodded along with his words. The whole situation was so unreal to her. He was unattached and sitting inches from her, touching her. All she had to do was squeal like a young girl and jump into his arms. "So what does this mean?" Talia asked quietly.

"I was hoping maybe you could tell me," Justin said hopefully. "It's up to you, because I think you know where I stand."

Talia nodded, she didn't know what to say. There were no words to describe the feelings that were running through her body. There was happiness, promise, fear and all of them waged a battle amongst each other in her head. "It leaves us…" Talia stumbled on her words. She looked up from under some pieces of fallen hair and saw his eyes urging her to continue with all the hope and want one could muster up. "Leaves us just about…" Talia looked around nervously. "Here," she whispered against his lips.

JC entered his apartment and fought the voices in his head that were telling him to make phone calls to everyone important and let them know that Justin's memories were no longer black, but gray. It was such an overwhelming secret to hold. He could only hope it would all be revealed soon.

Talia felt herself slip into a blissful daze as his tongue slid past her lips and moved in perfectly synchronized motion with hers. For once she had no voice warning her. No one was telling her to stop or to pull away. She realized somewhere in the middle of the kiss that this was the first time she had taken the initiative and kissed him. She pulled away and looked at him. "You better not be kidding around with me," Talia laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Justin said quietly as he moved in to kiss her again. Talia leaned back away from him.

"So what does this mean?" she asked simply. "Does this mean we work a fling out?"

"I'd like to hope that we could arrange more than just a fling," Justin said seriously. Talia looked at him, trying to interpret if he was being serious. She determined he was and smiled as a response. "Does that sound okay to you?"

"More than okay," Talia laughed. She could barely believe what was happening to her. Her wish was coming true. He was her dream and he was there WITH her, wanting her as much as she wanted him. It was staggering with she thought about it. "I'm glad you told me tonight."

"Me too," Justin smiled. His happiness and relief shone through his eyes.

Talia yawned. The days events had taken a toll on her, she debated on telling him about her professor but she didn't want to ruin the moment they were having.

"You're tired," Justin observed. "Do you want me to leave so you can get some sleep?"

"NO!" Talia spat out. She blushed at her own eagerness. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Justin smiled. "I'll stay."

Talia stretched out on the couch and began to tell Justin about her day. She smiled at his concern when she informed him about her professors letting her know where they stood. "You've missed a lot of class because of me," Justin stated.

"Some. It was all worth it though," Talia answered honestly. "It's been more of a learning experience watching you get back your memory then it would be sitting in some class listening to the professor talk about the complexity and brilliance of Mozart. They're all just uptight. I still am getting good grades… okay so I haven't put on dance shoes in about a week but I have a feeling that will soon change. Not like they can take away my scholarship because I made a personal decision to take a small break."

"Scholarship?" Justin's eyes widened. "You must be good."

Talia shrugged. "I've been told that on occasion."

"Well I'll have to come and watch you sometime," Justin smirked.

"It's a deal if I can come and see you in one of your concerts," Talia smiled. Her heart was beating double-time.

"I think I'm going to start recording soon."

Talia's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's not too much?"

"I probably could have today if they were persistent enough. But I kinda wanted to get home quickly and talk to you. Now I'm so glad I did."

"Oh… me too," Talia smiled brightly. Justin moved in and kissed her again, this kiss was better than any other they had shared. It was as if everything was out in the open and they had a common understanding with each other. They both were getting what they wanted. They were both getting what they had thought might never happen.

Talia leaned back on the couch and pulled Justin on top of her. She couldn't get her mind off how good his hands felt as they held her slim waist. They were so powerful and made her feel oddly secure. A sigh escaped her lips as Justin moved to her neck, strategically placing kisses on her skin. He worked his way down further until he reached the first button of her pajamas. He moved his fingers to the button, wanting to rid her of the top part of her pajama set.

"Stop." Talia said breathlessly.

"What?" Justin asked quietly. He began to kiss her again.

"Stop." Talia said again. "I will not have it happen like this."

"Have what happen like what?"

"Sex." Talia said sternly. There was no way that she was going to have her first sexual experience with the man she had dreamed of so many years ago on her uncomfortable couch. If it was going to happen, it needed to be perfect. It needed to be planned, no matter how much she wanted to give into him right then.


parts 31-35



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