“Hello?”
“Hi, Justin?”
He paused. “Yeah?”
“Oh. Hi, it’s Storm.”
He sat up straight, holding the phone closer to his ear. “Hi, Storm.”
“Hi. Um . . . listen, I’m kind of in a bind.”
“What is it?”
She hesitated. “Well, they called me in to work last-minute, and my babysitter can’t come take care of Cole . . . . Listen, I wouldn’t ask, but I really have no choice . . . .”
“You want me to take care of Cole?”
“Only if it’s not any trouble to you. I mean, it’s not your respon . . . .”
“I’d love to,” he cut her off.
“Really?”
“Yeah, no problem. Bring him over, we’ll watch a game or something.”
“Oh, my God, Justin, you are a lifesaver.”
“That’s what I was put here for.”
She laughed softly. “I’ll come and pick him up at eleven. We’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Okay. See you then.”
“Yup. Thanks again.”
“No problem.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” He hung up the phone, and paused, holding the antenna against his chin. What was he going to do with Cole for six hours?
He tried to brainstorm, and before he knew it, the doorbell rang, and he jumped up from the couch, making sure that he was wearing clothes before proceeding to the door and opening it to reveal Storm and an excited Cole.
“Juthtin!” he exclaimed as Justin pulled open the door.
“Little Man!”
Storm laughed. She started to hand Cole to him, and he took him, swinging him up before plopping him on his shoulder. Cole laughed uncontrollably, and Storm smiled.
“Thanks again, Justin. You’re saving my life here.”
He shook his head. “It’s no problem, really.”
She smiled. “All right. I’ll be back a little past eleven. Cole, you be good.”
“I will!” he yelled.
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye!” both of the boys voiced as she turned and started down the path to the driveway.
Justin took Cole off of his shoulder and placed him on the floor in front of him. “So what are we gonna do tonight, Little Man?”
Cole beamed. “ITHE CWEAM!”
Justin giggled despite himself. “Dairy Queen sound good to you?”
“YETH!”
And Dairy Queen it was.
After two ice cream cones, Justin had decided that a toy store was the place to be, and they headed out to Toys-R-Us where he let Cole pick out some action figures. He had chosen three X-Men figurines from the wall Justin held him up to, and he giggled when Justin told him one of the figurines was named “Storm.”
“Thith ith my mommy doll!” he had exclaimed, giggling again.
“Yeah, mommy doll!” This kid was giving so much back into Justin’s life, and he was so powerless to stop it.
They had spent an hour and a half playing with the X-Men figures on the floor of the living room before Cole began to yawn, and Justin had called Disney Time. They had both fallen asleep before The Famous Jett Jackson was even halfway over.
Now, Justin stirred. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw the Cole was still lying there in front of him on the couch. He lifted his arm and checked his watch. 11:00 on the dot.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes before slowly standing up and leaving Cole on the couch. He stirred slightly at the disturbance, clutching the Storm figure closer to his little body.
Justin looked down at him fondly, a slight smile spreading across his face as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck gently. He sighed out loud, dropping his hand back down to his side and headed out to the kitchen. He caught a glimpse of his face in a mirror and stopped, looking again at his reflection.
He chuckled softly to himself as he wiped some chocolate off of his chin and ran a hand through his hair. For some reason, he felt as if he LOOKED different. He sighed and dropped his hand to his side, turning as he heard a car outside.
He went to the door and opened it, waiting on the porch for Storm as she walked up the path, smiling.
“Long night?” he asked.
“Yeah. Must’ve been for you, too.”
He shrugged, leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed across his chest. “Nah. I had a great time.”
She smiled. “Good. Where is he?”
“Sleeping on the couch.”
She nodded. “What did you guys do?”
He grinned. “I’ll never tell.”
She groaned. “Nothing bad, I hope.”
“No, nothing bad.”
She smiled up at him, her face bright despite the late hour. “Are we gonna go out again?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Well, I dunno. Maybe.” He grinned.
“Maybe means yes,” she said quietly.
“Maybe means maybe.” He reached out and took ahold of her hands, unconsciously reeling her closer to him. His back was pressed against the curve of the pillar, and he leaned his head against it, gazing at her with a soft smile on his face. “You make me smile, you know?” he said. It was true. She did make him smile. He never smiled. And somehow, he found the corners of his mouth turned up every time he was around her. Maybe he was wrong about being more interested in Cole than her. Sure, Cole made him feel like he was made of flesh and blood again, but she . . . she made him feel like he was capable of giddiness. And giddiness was something he had not felt in a long time. Years.
She blushed and looked away slightly, towards her car.
Before he could register what he was doing, his hand reached up and he turned her face to his, pressing his lips gently against hers.
Holy shit! his mind screamed. What the hell had he just done?
He was holding her fingers gingerly in his palms as the kiss ended. He pressed his lips together softly, his eyes still closed.
“Stay with me tonight?” he whispered against her lips.
He could feel her smile. “I don’t know, Justin . . . .”
“Please? Cole is already sleeping. Don’t wake him up.” He again pressed his lips against hers. What had come over him? He was enjoying this new feeling of not only returning, but instigating a kiss. He couldn’t get enough of it, and it was freaking him out. And yet, he felt no resistance. In fact, all he felt was inclination.
“Maybe I’ll stay for a little while,” she breathed, and he moved his lips down to her neck. She gasped softly and her hand moved up to brush against the back of his neck.
“Come on,” he whispered, pulling away and turning towards the door. He pulled her inside and led her to Cole, who was still sleeping peacefully, the action figure now lying next to him. She smiled softly. Justin’s hand wandered to the couch, pulling a blanket up and over Cole’s sleeping form.
Storm turned her face up to his and he looked down at her softly, running his fingers slowly up and down her back. He nodded his head towards the stairs.
“Come on,” he whispered.
She giggled apprehensively and followed him up the stairs and into the master bedroom.
He was nervous. Really nervous. He was planning on actually taking part in what they were about to do, and it freaked him out. He wasn’t quite sure if he knew how. That struck him as rather twisted and he shook his head to himself as he led her into the bedroom.
Slowly, he turned to face her, his fingers intertwined with hers. A slight smile crossed his lips and he raised a hand to brush across her cheek, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. He leaned forward and kissed her earrings softly, one by one. A moment later, his mouth met hers in a kiss of pure passion and he felt her fingers tugging at the bottom hem of his shirt.
Slowly, she removed the shirt from his body and tossed it aside, turning back to him slowly, her lips a breath away from his. He was looking down at her, and she traced her fingers over his chest, circling his nipples gently. Her mouth connected with his jaw, and she kissed her way down across his neck to his collarbone. He tilted his head back, his eyes closed, and his hands holding her waist.
“I’m scared,” he whispered to her almost silently.
She smiled. “So am I, sweetheart. So am I.”
God, he hated coming here.
“Yeah, I did.”
“And what does that mean to you?”
He shifted on the shrink couch. “Well, I used to think it meant I had found ‘The One,’ but I’m not really sure if that’s true.”
“Why not?”
Jesus, she was already prepared to end the session.
“Well, because I know I really care for Storm, but I don’t know if we’re like, meant to be together forever or anything like that. I actually think she needs something different from what I can give her.”
“And how long have you been seeing this girl?”
He sighed. “Three weeks.”
There was silence for a moment, then, “You’re making progress.”
He sighed again.
He shook his head as he entered his house.
“Justin . . . .” He almost jumped at the sound of his name.
Again, God damn him for never locking his doors. He ventured into the living room and saw Storm sitting there on the couch.
“We need to talk,” she said quietly.
His face looked so innocent. “What about?” He dropped down onto the couch next to her.
“There is no easy way to say this . . . .”
She didn’t even need to say anything else. He closed his eyes gently and prepared for the statement to come.
“I’ve met someone.”
He nodded. “Mm hmm.”
“See, Justin, I really care for you, but . . . .”
“We’d be better off friends, I know.”
“I’m sorry, Justin,” she said.
He nodded, and opened his eyes. He answered earnestly. “Me, too.”
The Next Chapter
The Justin Files Chapter Directory
Jones' Main Page
Home
Email the Author: Jones