The telephone rang. The young man, alone in the house, slowly walked across the room to answer. Had anyone else been there, they surly would have swooned over his bare well muscled chest, his famous shaved head, his full sexy lips and his intense moody eyes.
The voice at the other end was quiet, but he recognized the soft drawl immediately. “Justin, it’s me.” The young man’s heart immediately began to race. He had mixed feelings about hearing her voice after all they had been through; after all she had done to him. He had to admit her still had feelings for her, who wouldn’t? He had loved her with all of his heart, and she had chosen him- him, above all the others. He tried to speak, but he found that his breath was caught in the pounding of his chest. No words came out.
“Justin, are you there?” That voice, that sexy little accent, he thought that he’s never hear it again. His TV and radio was closely monitored, so that he could avoid those harsh memories, that feeling of his heart tearing in two every time he thought of her. If he wanted a newspaper, he’d send someone out for it, just so he wouldn’t have to take the chance of seeing her smiling out from a magazine cover. A chance, who was he kidding? Her face practically wallpapered the newsstand.
“Yeah, I’m here.” He had tried to make his voice sound hard and unforgiving. He’d be damned if he’d let her know how hearing her voice had made him feel. But instead it just came out tired. He wished that he would have let the service screen the call, but his thoughts had been so far away from this girl for a change; he had let his guard down. Now he knew what a mistake that was.
“Justin, I’m sorry to bother you,” she whispered. Was that sadness her heard in her voice too? “This house is so empty right now. I-I just needed to hear your voice. I’m sorry- I’m sorry. That sounds so stupid. I’ll just let you go, I know you don’t want to talk to me- I‘m sorry I bothered you.
“Britney, wait!” Justin called out just in time. The girl didn’t disconnect. “It doesn’t sound stupid. I understand if you need to talk.” Damn! Why had he said that? He could have just let her hang up and went on about his business of forgetting about her.
“Justin, I’m so lonely right now. I just can’t stand the quiet. I’m sorry to ask, but can you come over for a little bit? I’ll understand if you say no.”
Justin could feel his brain go thick and fuzzy. If there was a reason to say no, he couldn’t remember it. He asked her where she was staying, and realized that it wasn’t far at all. “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he told her.
He set the phone down on its base, and without bothering to put on a shirt, headed to the door. His sandals were right by the door, and his keys hanging right above them. He slipped into them, grabbed the keys from their hook, and quickly locked the door behind him.
He pealed out of the driveway in record time, and made it to Britney’s rented townhouse with two minutes to spare. Looking at the front door, he felt the fog start to lift from his brain. Slow down, he told himself, be cool. He walked up the steps as slowly as he could manage, which was still too fast, too eager. He realized that there was no way he could disguise it, any longer- he was still in love with the girl, and probably always would be.
Britney greeted him at the door and quickly ushered him in. She looked like an angel, in a white wrap dress that covered barely more than a towel would have. Her golden blond hair fell in soft curls around her delicate creamy shoulders. She gave him a shy smile, and her rosy cheeks puffed out giving her a deceptively innocent appearance he had fallen for so many times before.
