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[Het] [N'sync] [PG-13]

Steal My Heart



(The Next Morning In Naomi’s Bedroom.)

“Wake up, sleepyheads!” James shook both Alyssa and Naomi awake. “It’s eight-thirty in the morning and if I remember correctly, your basketball tournament with Justin Timberlake is on at ten. If you don’t get changed and have your breakfast quickly, you’re not going to make it. It may take you only fifteen minutes to get to Justin’s house, but at the rate you’re going, you won’t even be there by ten! Now get up!”

Naomi rolled over and opened her eyes sleepily.

“One minute, Mom...” Alyssa murmured.

James raised his eyebrows, “Mom? Well, this is the first time I’ve been mistaken as a woman and a mom at that. But I’ll be a kind soul and forgive you this once, Al. Now get the HELL out of bed!”

“I’m up! I’m up!” Alyssa yelped, jumping out of bed.

Naomi rubbed her eyes, sat up slowly and yawned widely. “James?” Her hair was in a mess and Alyssa giggled. “How did I...” a yawn interrupted her and she covered a hand over her mouth. “Get home last night?”

“Chase sent you,” James smiled. “That boy is looking good. He never said he was with N’sync, Naomi. Is he doing well?”

Naomi nodded and smiled. “Mmhmm... what do we have for breakfast this morning, Dad?”

James rubbed the stubble on his cheek and grinned. “Pancakes.”

Alyssa’s eyes widened. She ran to the toilet and came out in about five minutes, all set to go. James stared at her in amazement, “That has got to be a record time for you, Ally.”

“Why didn’t you say there were pancakes earlier? Come on, Mayo, hurry up and let’s eat!” Alyssa was charging down the stairs at a breakneck speed. Their two-storey house was shaking a little bit from the impact of Alyssa’s steps.

James shook his head. His eyes were bulging, “I swear I have never seen her move so fast. If this is all it takes to get her out of bed every morning, prepare to eat pancakes for breakfast till you puke!”

Naomi chuckled. “Actually, the mere mention of food gets her going. As long as you don’t suddenly switch to vegetarian cooking... you’ll get her out of bed in five minutes flat. Oh, and if you want her to wake up early, you’ll have to make sure you mention the food to her the night before.”

James looked blown away. “You mean it’s that easy to control her? Whoa... I never knew,” then his surprised look turned into one of pure evil and a wide grin spread slowly across his face. “Oh Alyssa...”

Naomi got up and went to her closet. Her eyes widened when she saw a beautiful white dress in the closet. “I didn’t buy this...” she mused. Then a note on the dress caught her eye. ‘Catch, I was driving you home last night when I saw this dress. Bring it over to Justin’s house. I have a surprise for you after the b-ball tournament. Love, Chase.’

Naomi smiled. The dress was exactly her style. It was simple, yet elegant, and the colour simply took her breath away. She packed it into her sports bag just like JC had asked. Then she changed into shorts and a v-necked t-shirt before racing downstairs. She had barely eaten a few bites of her pancake before Alyssa was begging her to hurry and go. Naomi was starving so she packed a few pancakes into a tissue for herself and a few more in another tissue for JC before jumping into the Jaguar and racing off to Justin’s house with Alyssa.

“What’s up with the two ‘packets’ of pancakes?” Alyssa asked.

“Oh, one of them is for JC. I know he’s in love with James’ cooking. He used to come over all the time. One of the reasons was to walk to school with me, the other was so he could eat breakfast with us.”

Alyssa laughed.

Naomi grinned and chewed thoughtfully on a pancake. Even though she had only met the guys the day before, she felt more than welcomed by them. They were so generous with their hugs and praises that it didn’t take very much to get comfortable with them. They accepted strangers because of JC so easily, it seemed. Naomi couldn’t help wishing she had a bit more of their willingness to trust. But Marcus had taken that away from her. And she was still healing. But maybe... just maybe... it wouldn’t take her as long as she had expected to learn to trust others again.

Naomi continued to chew nervously on her pancake as they sped past the other cars. She felt a bit shy about challenging Justin when she barely even knew him, but he seemed completely comfortable with the idea, so she decided she wouldn’t worry about it. Alyssa had inserted an N’sync CD into the radio and was singing along to the music. Naomi smiled when ‘This I Promise You’ began to play over the speakers. She sang along softly, relieving her long chat with JC the day before.

When the song ended, Alyssa stared at her curiously for a few moments before staring at the road ahead again. “JC was right. You do have a beautiful voice, Mayo. Why didn’t you continue with the choir?”

Naomi shrugged. She wasn’t ready to share the bond between herself and JC with anyone just yet. They wouldn’t understand. And it wasn’t something she could put into words. “I don’t know. It just didn’t seem right singing without Chase. And I wanted to try something different, I guess. I don’t know. But I’m glad I joined basketball,” Naomi smiled. “It’s such a fun sport. Even if I had to live my life all over again, I would still choose joining b-ball after Chase left for High school.”

Alyssa nodded slowly and her ponytail bounced up and down as she moved her head. “I see...” Alyssa screeched to a stop just outside Justin’s house. Naomi looked at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?” she asked Alyssa.

“Mayo...” Alyssa had a pained look on her face. “Please, just answer me truthfully. What is JC to you? Is he really just an older brother you look up to? Or... is he someone... is he someone you could... you know, love?”

Naomi looked at Alyssa in shock. “Ally, I made a mistake with one man. I’m not going to trust so easily again, you know that. I trust Chase with my life, yes, but not with my heart. I’m still scared that if I hand my heart to anyone again and they make just one small mistake, I’d be shattered. I’m just... I’m not ready for someone else in my life again, Ally. Not now... if I get shattered again... I don’t think I ever will heal anymore.”

Alyssa squeezed Naomi’s hand, “I’m sorry I asked. But... I... I think he’s a nice guy. And the fact that he is totally eye candy only makes it worse. But... well... I just had to ask you... because your friendship is more important to me than anything else in this world, and definitely more than any guy could be, even if he is in a boy band. You see, I was wondering... if you would mind... if I went out with JC... like... on a date?”

Naomi did mind. But she didn’t know why. She was quite sure she didn’t see JC as anything more than an older brother whom she loved dearly. But something didn’t feel quite right. Naomi pushed her selfish feelings aside and smiled at Alyssa. “I wouldn’t mind, Ally. And it doesn’t really matter even if I did mind. We’ll still be best girl pals all the way. And you have every right to go after him. You don’t need my approval you silly girl. Let’s say I did like Chase more than in a sisterly way, I’d go after him even if you liked him. I’m sorry, but I would. I mean, as long as he’s single, I have a chance right? So it’s the same logic for anyone else... as long as he’s single, you should definitely go for it.”

Alyssa smiled, “Okay. Even if you do start liking him in a different way... I’ll still go after him... as long as he’s single, I have a chance. But we’ll still be best girl pals all the way. And if he chooses you then I’ll give up.”

“Atta girl! That’s the spirit!” Naomi looked funnily at Alyssa. “But he won’t choose me because I won’t ever see him as anything more than a brother.”

Alyssa shrugged. “We’ll see, Mayo.”

“But Ally... there’s just one small problem with this whole thing that I can’t figure out... I... I thought... I thought you liked Lance...?”

“But Mayo...” Alyssa threw her hands in the air in mock exasperation. “I thought after all this time of getting men’s attention that you’d be able to sense it. I guess you can’t... not yet anyway.”

“Sense... what?”

“Don’t you feel it at all? Don’t you see the way Lance looks at you? For crying out loud, Mayo! You can’t be that blind. It was obvious that he liked you from the start. Didn’t you feel that yesterday when you talked? Don’t you even feel anything towards him at all?” Alyssa was practically shaking Naomi.

Naomi thought back to the day before - when her eyes had slammed into Lance’s. And she thought of the faint blush that had crept onto his cheeks... and onto hers. There was no denying it; there was definitely a chemistry of some sort between the two of them, but Naomi didn’t feel ready to give her heart to anyone yet... not when she was still weak and hurting. Lance was certainly someone she could trust - she knew it just by looking into his eyes - but... she needed more time. And more faith. But for now, she would only remain as friends with Lance and nothing more.

Alyssa was waiting anxiously for Naomi’s answer. She was interested in JC and Lance certainly intrigued her, but Lance was so obviously wrapped up in Naomi that Alyssa didn’t think it would be possible for him to even notice her. They were both suave, good-looking and such perfect gentlemen that Alyssa couldn’t help but feel a little attracted to both of them. She wondered if Naomi was blind to all the good men in the world. But she knew that Naomi needed time to get back on her feet and trust anyone again. Still...

“Well... I guess there is something going on with me and Lance,” Naomi admitted finally, biting her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know... there’s just this feeling... but that doesn’t mean I’m going to start seeing him as anything more than a friend. It’s too rushed and it’s too soon. I hardly know him, Ally! Maybe he likes me, but I’m not going to reciprocate in any way to make him mistake my feelings for him - which are far from love.”

Alyssa smiled, “Speak for yourself, Mayo... speak for yourself.”

Naomi smiled as Alyssa kicked the car into action and they roared down Justin’s driveway. “I may be speaking for myself, Ally... but the only love that he’s going to get from me right now is the friendship kind and nothing more.” Chris peeked his head out of a window and giggled, poking Justin in the ribs. “Well, J-man, there’s finally someone who drives as recklessly as you. It’s amazing how the car survives!”

Alyssa parked the car and hopped out, narrowing her eyes when she heard Chris’ comment. “You can forget about any rewards today, Chris-y boy. If that’s the way you’re gonna praise my driving, then your attitude needs a lot of work.”

Chris made a face. “And she talks about my attitude.”

Justin giggled. He pushed Chris out of the door and went to greet the two girls. “Good morning, young ladies,” he smiled sweetly and batted his eyelashes. “Please come right this way. They are all waiting.”

Naomi pushed her sunglasses down her nose to stare at Justin, “Young ladies, huh? Shouldn’t it be somewhat different? Like, shouldn’t I be the one saying young man? How old are you again, Justin?”

Justin just smiled at her comment. He ushered Alyssa and Naomi to the basketball court where Lance, Joey and JC were waiting. JC smiled and waved to Naomi, who waved back and mouthed, ‘I brought the dress’. JC winked and gave her a thumbs-up sign. Lance smiled at her and Naomi smiled shyly back. She walked towards them and gave Joey a peck on the cheek. “Morning Joey!”

Joey had that cute, goofy look back on his face. “Man! I could get used to this. GOOD morning sweetie.”

JC and Lance were giggling when she walked towards them. Naomi heard Lance complaining about his growling stomach and she pulled out her pancakes. “Catch!” she threw them to Lance but JC had to lunge forward to catch them.

“Lance here is hopeless at catching and throwing stuff. So don’t try that again.” JC warned Naomi, handing Lance the pancakes. Lance was blushing. He smiled and thanked her for the pancakes. Naomi shrugged and smiled as Lance bit into a pancake and looked at her in surprise.

“Did you cook this?” he asked.

“Well... no...” she admitted, giggling. “My brother, James, did.”

Naomi threw the other tissue to JC and grinned, “Eat up Chase. You’ve got to miss my brother’s cooking after so long.” JC giggled and gave her another thumbs-up. “Any day, Chase... any day.”

Naomi and Alyssa spent the next few minutes talking to Lance, JC and Joey. They were laughing over something JC had said when Justin’s voice interrupted them.

“Hey Chocolate! You aren’t admitting defeat already, are you?” Naomi turned around slowly when she heard Justin’s mocking voice. “Aww... are you scared? Don’t worry... you were a worthy opponent, considering the fact you actually... turned... up...”

His arrogant words and smile faltered when Naomi stood right in front of him and glared fiercely at him in the eyes with a confident smile on her face. “Justin sweetheart, read my lips - take... it... to... the... court.”

Naomi walked to the middle of the court as Alyssa giggled at Justin’s stunned expression. He yanked at his shirt collar and gulped, “Man, that girl is hot!”


At the shrill sound of JC’s whistle, Justin and Naomi set off down the court. They were dribbling, shooting, blocking, and running all over the court. As much as she hated to admit it, Naomi had to agree that Justin could play a mean game of basketball. Too bad he just isn’t good enough, she thought, smiling triumphantly as she shot the ball into the hoop, scoring another point, which brought the score to three-one.

After another half hour of vigorous play, Justin sank to his knees in the middle of court, howling his protests as Naomi dribbled the ball around him exultantly. The score was five-three. “Ha! Who’s crying in defeat now, Timberlake? Revenge is hell, buddy.” Naomi couldn’t resist making a dig at him. After the way he had been taunting her, she figured she needed to get her own back, “You want a rematch? Any time, baby. Any time.”

As Naomi ran off the court to change, Justin stared after her with a look of respect and astonishment in his eyes. The first girl who isn’t throwing herself at your feet, Curly. Damn... if I wasn’t going out with Britney and completely devoted to her, I’d go after Chocolate faster than you could say ‘b-ball’.

Lance helped Justin to his feet and laughed, “Maybe you should be careful with what you say the next time, Justin. She could’ve beat you bad...” Justin stared at Lance and grinned. “What? What’s up with that look?”

“You like her, don’t you?” Justin taunted.

“I... Dammit Justin, you’d better watch that mouth of yours because one day it’s gonna bring you hell.”

“Aww... using that tough-guy technique ain’t gonna work, Lance. I know you too well, buddy... far too well.”

Lance rolled his eyes, sighed and walked away from the rest of the group, dragging Justin along behind him. “Okay...” Lance admitted when they were out of hearing range, “So I think she’s a great girl. But you can’t blame me Justin. I mean, would you look at her? She’s got the looks, she’s got the talent, she’s got it all and I... I’ve got it bad.”

Justin noticed the way Lance’s eyes traveled to Alyssa as he said the last few words. “Lance, you’ve got me way confused here... are you talking about Chocolate or her cute chick friend, Alyssa?”

“I’m talking about Naomi... trust me, J. I like the girl. But she and JC... I mean, they’ve got a past since, like, forever. But... would you look at Alyssa? She’s interested in JC. And if I’m right, she’s asked Naomi how she feels about JC. And it looks like Naomi’s okay with the whole Alyssa-and-JC thing... does that mean the coast is clear now? Like, can I go after Naomi? I don’t even know how JC feels about her!”

Justin rested his arm around Lance’s shoulders. “Look, Lance. Even if JC likes Naomi, it’s obvious he’s not doing anything about it. And, yeah, now that you’ve mentioned it, I guess it is pretty obvious that Alyssa’s all hung up over JC... so go for it, man! This is your chance! I was just thinking that if I hadn’t met Britney earlier than Chocolate, I would’ve hooked up with that girl! Damn, she’s good. She is, like... whoa! Mmhmm...”

Lance smiled at Justin’s expression. “I know... but...”

“Look, trust me... go for it. If she doesn’t like you, she’ll turn you down. I can see it in her eyes. She knows what she wants. Maybe not yet, but she’s figuring it out.” Justin held up a hand when Lance tried to speak. “And don’t tell me she may be too nice to turn you down. Ha! Too nice, my ass. If she doesn’t like you, she’ll turn you down in your face, trust me on that one. I feel like I’ve known her forever. Only thing is, it feels like we’ve been at war since forever as well.”

Lance laughed loudly at Justin’s last comment. “That’s real easy to see, Justin. I think you’ve messed with her the wrong way. She doesn’t mind sarcasm, but when you start taunting her and showing off... I think she has a problem with your chauvinistic ways.” Lance shrugged. “But I wouldn’t know, would I?”

Justin slapped Lance on the back, “Can you show me some life, man? Give me some ATTITUDE, baby boy.”

Lance rolled his eyes and jerked himself out of Justin’s grasp. “Dammit Justin! Is this your problem or mine?”

Justin flashed Lance a brilliant grin, “Your problems are my problems, buddy.”

Lance sighed, turned and started walking back to the house when Naomi came out of the it. She was freshly bathed and changed. And she had a beautiful, stylish white dress on. She looked... gorgeous. Lance grabbed Justin’s shoulders and shook him. “J...Justin... do you... do you see her? Pinch me! Pinch me so I know I’m not dreaming!” Lance was practically tripping over his own two feet. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

Justin swallowed painfully and stared, wide-eyed, at Naomi. He pinched Lance without knowing what he was doing. “Damn... oh hell... Dammit...” he muttered, pulling at his curls. He closed his eyes tightly and muttered to himself, “Okay Timberlake, think Britney, think Britney, think Britney... come on...”

“Ow!” Lance shook himself and stumbled towards them. He smiled a little when he realized he wasn’t dreaming and continued to drag Justin along. Justin still had his eyes closed and he was still mumbling under his breath. Naomi was twirling around so JC could see how she looked. Chris and Joey were pulling at each other’s hair in disbelief at the sight of Naomi in front of them. Alyssa was laughing and clapping. She hadn’t seen Naomi laughing so happily in what seemed like eternity.

“Justin!” Lance shook Justin so hard his teeth rattled. “Open your eyes! Look at her! I mean, just look at her! She looks like a freaking angel!”

“Dammit Lance!” Justin struggled blindly to get out of Lance’s grip. “Let me go! Don’t make me look at her! Britney’s gonna kill me if she ever finds out the kind of thoughts that are going through my head right now. She’ll kill me! No, wait, I’ll kill me! That would make it a lot less painful!”

Lance giggled despite his astonishment. More than anything, he wanted to hold Naomi in his arms and tell her how beautiful she looked. He wanted to do that more than anything in the world at that moment. “Lord help me,” he muttered, under his breath.


Naomi laughed as she twirled in a circle, showing off her figure in the perfect dress that JC had chosen for her. He just knows me too well, she thought, giggling. She could see Chris and Joey yanking each other’s hair out and she giggled all the more. She looked at Alyssa standing next to JC and a pang of sadness hit her so suddenly and so hard, for a second, she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t understand why she was feeling that way, or what she was feeling, for that matter. She kept the smile on her face but an inner battle was raging inside of her. She was trying desperately to make sense of what she was feeling, but...

“Catch!” Naomi jerked herself out of her thoughts when she heard JC call her by his nickname for her. “Stop daydreaming over there and get over here!”

Naomi rolled her eyes, “Okay, okay... I’m coming, I’m coming.” She smiled as she passed Chris and Joey. They smiled back and Naomi giggled when she saw their Adam’s apple bob up and down as they swallowed with a lot of difficulty. She slowed her pace deliberately and gave them each a sisterly kiss on the cheek.

They giggled like drunkards and Naomi hid a smile with her hand. She ran to JC and giggled dizzily when he caught her in his arms and swung her around and around in the air. “You look beautiful,” JC whispered in her ear as he set her down.

“Don’t I always?” she laughed.

“That’s kinda true,” JC admitted. “But you look better than usual today. I think basketball and beating Justin Timberlake has a good effect on you.”

Alyssa laughed, even though she felt miserable inside. She couldn’t push the feeling of jealousy completely away, as hard as she tried. Naomi hugged her and whispered, “Only a brother to me,” and Alyssa smiled. She should have known Naomi could tell how she was feeling. They were as close as sisters and they could practically read each other’s minds.

“Lance is looking at you and I think Justin’s dying,” Alyssa told Naomi as they released each other. Naomi spun around and caught Lance’s eye. He blushed and turned to Justin, who had his eyes closed and was muttering something.

Naomi laughed and called, “Hey you! Yes, you there! The one with the curly ‘do! Come over here!”

Justin walked nervously to Naomi, with Lance guiding him. He stood in front of her with his eyes shut tightly. He could smell her light perfume and when it attacked his senses, he almost swooned. I am acting like a complete idiot and a total moron! Since when has any girl succeeded in making me go weak in the knees? Besides Britney, of course.

Justin opened first one eye, then the other. And his breath stuck in his throat when he saw Naomi directly in front of him. He tilted his head to a side and tried to appear unaffected. His act didn’t fool anyone - not even Chris. “I’m only gonna say this to you once, Chocolate. So listen hard and listen good.”

Naomi hid her smile and flipped her hair over her shoulder in a way she knew would definitely get to Justin. What she didn’t realize was that he was not the only one her gesture was attracting attention from.

Justin stared at her for a few seconds before losing his cool and yelling, “Dammit Naomi! You’re good!”

The world seemed to grow silent for a few seconds before every one of them started laughing - except Justin. Naomi was laughing so hard she had to lean against Justin and Alyssa was leaning on JC. Lance was just laughing and so were Chris and Joey. Justin’s mom came out of the house at that moment and her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Naomi quickly recovered from her laughing fit and introduced herself and Alyssa to Justin’s mother. “Call me Aunt Lynn,” she said generously.

“Only if you call me Naomi,” Naomi grinned and Lynn grinned back.

“I like you already, Naomi. Now what have you been doing to that son of mine?” Lynn demanded as she watched Lance dissolve into another giggling fit.

Naomi bit back a smile. “I didn’t do anything. He... did it.”

“Did what, dear?”

“Um...”

JC looked at Naomi and the gleam in his eyes sent her into peals of laughter. “Oh gosh... I’m s-sorry... Aunt... Aunt Lynn...” Naomi tried to say in between her laughter. “It’s just... just that...”

Justin marched up to his mother with a scowl on his face. “Don’t like her, Mom. Please say you just absolutely can’t stand the sight of her! And say that you just want her out of the house! Please Mom!”

Lynn raised her eyebrows, “Now why should I say that, Justin?”

“Well, um... she... I... Oh forget it!”

Naomi was smiling as Justin pouted and turned away from Lynn in a huff. “I’m sorry, Justin,” Naomi said as she kissed him lightly on the lips. He looked amazed but pleased when she pulled back. She stuck out her hand, “Friends?”

Justin took her hand without realizing what he was doing. Then he nodded quickly. “Friends,” he agreed.

Lance bit his lip when Naomi squeezed Justin’s shoulder affectionately. Oh my God! What is wrong with me? He wondered. I’m jealous of a guy two years younger than me! I’m jealous because the girl I like is kissing him - and it’s a kiss to make up for all the taunting, for Pete’s sake! What am I thinking?

JC was staring at Naomi’s back as both she and Lynn chuckled and went inside the house, leaving Justin speechless. He ran to Chris and Joey, his eyes huge. “Did you see that, guys?” He was on the verge of exploding. “Did you see that? SHE... KISSED... ME! Oh my god! It was... amazing!”

Chris slapped Justin and shook his head. Justin snapped out of it at once, “Oh dammit! What am I thinking? Thanks Chris, I needed that.” Chris looked amazed as Justin paced on the driveway, ranting to himself. “What was I thinking? Dammit Justin! How could you even think those things? What about Britney? Huh? You are so dead man... you better be friends with Chocolate before she decides to give you another kiss to make things better. Actually... I wouldn’t mind that... what the hell am I saying? No, no, no... this is wrong, JuJu. Stop thinking stuff like that because I seriously wouldn’t recommend it. Okay, calm down... deep breathing... in, out, in, out... DAMN! THAT WAS GOOD!”

Justin was on the verge of tearing his curls out. “Oh, this I like... I have got to remember this moment forever,” Chris chuckled. “JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is actually PULLING HIS OWN CURLS OUT!”

Justin bit his fingernails nervously. “Okay, okay... think... how am I gonna calm down? I... I... I gotta call Britney! Yeah... I gotta call her and tell her everything. And... um, apologize. Yeah... yeah... that’s what I gotta do... uh-huh.”

Still muttering to himself, Justin pulled out his cell phone and dialed Britney’s number with trembling fingers. “Hey darling,” he calmed down visibly when he heard her voice. “I miss you.”

“Miss you too, baby. Where are you?” Britney’s voice sounded so good.

“I’m at home... listen sweetie, I kinda kissed another girl just now...” Justin bit his lip, wondering how Britney would take it. She was sweet and understanding, but there was only so much a girl could take. And he hadn’t exactly been very kind to her feelings, blurting everything out like that.

“What?!”

“Well, there’s this girl... our new chaperone... she’s pretty... Britney, I’m so sorry... you know I would never cheat on you. It’s just that... me and her... we never got along... so she kissed me in front of my mom to make up for it.” Justin cringed at his own words. “I’m sorry honey. I didn’t mean to say it that way... it’s just... I...”

Suddenly the phone was snatched out of his hand. Justin stared angrily at Naomi and she began to talk to Britney. “Hi, is this Britney? The girl Justin is going out with?” Naomi heard sniffing over the line.

“Uh-huh.”

Naomi smiled, “Britney, I think you’ve got a great voice, I think you’re a great girl, but I think you really have to work on controlling your guy a bit more. I mean, teach him some manners, you know. He is being such a chauvinistic pig... I’m sorry I kissed him, but I had to, or his mom would have made things difficult. And he was being really stupid and pouting and everything. That kiss didn’t mean nuts, okay? So don’t worry yourself about it. Why don’t I hand Justin his cell phone back and you guys just kiss and make-up all right?”

Britney’s sniffing had stopped and now it sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “It’s okay,” Naomi assured her. “Go ahead and laugh. It was a stupid situation, really. Oh, and tell your boyfriend that he’s not as good at basketball as he thinks he is. And he should also watch out for girls who can’t stand egotistic males, and are absolute stars at basketball. Okay? Bye Britney! Here’s Justin for ya!”

Naomi giggled as she handed Justin his phone. He glared at her and quickly held the phone up to his ear. “Sweetie? Are you okay?”

“Justin! Say sorry to that girl who talked to me! Tell her I said sorry for being so rude and not responding to her. I think she’s funny. And were you really trying to beat her at basketball and being a male chauvinist like she said? Justin Timberlake! I’m ashamed of you!”

“Britney... honey... okay! OKAY! I’m going to apologize to her on your behalf.” Justin covered the mouthpiece and glared at Naomi angrily, “Britney says sorry she didn’t respond to you and she’s sorry I acted like a total SLOB!”

Then he turned his back on her and continued talking to Britney, “I’m sorry hon. Honestly. Can we just stop talking about this? How was your day? Did the recording session go well? Good. Mmhmm... yeah... I know... maybe we should...”

Naomi smiled as Justin walked away from them. She mouthed the word ‘sorry’ to his back and then turned to face Lance, who was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. “WHAT?” she exploded.

“Nothing, nothing...” Lance giggled, holding his hands up in front of him. “I just... wow Naomi, you’ve got tact... I mean... whoa!” Lance was smiling and trying his hardest not to laugh at Naomi’s indignant tone.

Naomi started giggling. She couldn’t help it. Lance grinned and Chris started laughing. Joey smiled and shook his head at Justin’s retreating figure. “I can’t believe Justin actually said that to Britney! Well, at least it proves he’s loyal and damn devoted to her,” Alyssa had a shocked but pleased expression on her face. “And I thought he was the flirty kind. Well, well, well... that was a disappointment.”

“Disappointment?” Naomi raised her eyebrows questioningly. “I don’t think so. In fact, I’d say that went rather well. I think I’ll apologize in a more, um, practical way later on. I don’t think I should have crowed over him like that.”

JC looked at her. The words ‘I don’t believe you just said that’ were written clearly all over his face.

“What?”

“You think you shouldn’t have crowed over the Justin Timberlake when you beat him at a game of basketball? Damn girl! You’ve got a lot to learn about N’sync, don’t you?” JC laughed at Naomi’s surprised expression. “We do it all the time. But what we’re missing is the fact that none of us here can actually beat him at a game of b-ball. Thank goodness you’re here. Now it’ll be a piece of cake.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Naomi’s lips, “Hmm... you know something, Chase? You might just be right. It all depends, I guess. Oh, he’s back. I’m going to have a quick word with him... I just hope he doesn’t make it hard for me.”

“You’re hoping Justin won’t make this hard for you? You’re hoping against hope here, girl. Justin is a vengeful one. If you think you’re gonna get off lightly, you better think again. I just hope you can run fast... then at least if he tries to bite your head off you can run for it,” Chris said and Alyssa giggled.

Naomi shrugged and walked towards Justin. “I’m sorry, Justin,” she told him as soon as she saw the look on his face. “I didn’t mean for everything to turn out that way. I mean... well, the kiss didn’t mean anything. Honest.”

Justin looked at her for a second, studying her expression. He had a knack for knowing when someone was lying to him... but Naomi was just one of the few people he couldn’t read. Her face was like a mask. She could force it to show any emotion she wanted, and very few people could tell if it was a genuine emotion or not. He licked his lips, “It’s okay. I sorted everything out with Britney - well actually, you did - and she said I overreacted because she can tell you don’t mean me any harm. You’re both women, so I guess she’s right.”

Naomi laughed, “Okay. So... friends? For real, this time?”

Justin stared at her for a second before extending his hand and shaking hers warmly. She squeezed it tenderly before he smiled and said, “Friends... for real.”

Lance was shaking his head with amazement when Justin wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked back to join the gang. Chris’ eyes were wide when he said, “Naomi, you’re beginning to really scare me.”

(Half an hour later, In JC’s car)

“So what’s this surprise you guys have up your sleeve for me?” Naomi asked JC as she shifted in her seat. She was sitting at the back with Justin, who was playing with her hair, apparently fascinated by it. Lance and JC were sitting in front, with JC at the wheel. “It better be good, Chase. Because after that match with fro boy here, I’m starving! You’re expecting me to wait till two or three p.m. for lunch because of this... mystery. You should know you’re really pushing the limit here, Chase.”

“You’ll love this, trust me!” JC laughed as he pulled up at the location of the photo shoot. Joey, Chris and Alyssa weren’t far behind. All seven of them got out of the cars and Naomi gasped as she took in the beautiful scenery. “Told you you’d like it,” JC murmured in her ear. She smiled at him and he grinned playfully at her.

They were at a field. The meadows were full of juicy green grass and there were trees planted virtually everywhere. The sky was a blinding blue and the white clouds looked like cotton wool. Mounds and mounds of it.

A few minutes later, Naomi was shaking her head in protest instead of admiring the scenery. “Chase... don’t tell me you dragged me all the way here to take photos! Say it isn’t so!” JC shrugged and smiled apologetically.

“It is so, but you’ll enjoy yourself, I promise.”

With a sigh, Naomi sat down and allowed herself to be primped and petted. Her hair was curled and brushed a million times over and she felt as stiff as a statue as she sat waiting for the make-up artist to finish her work. She smiled and finally allowed Naomi to look into the mirror. Even Naomi wasn’t prepared for the result. She was absolutely... glowing. Sparkles were dusted over her eyes and it brought out their pale blue colour. Her cheeks had been brushed with a light pink and her lips were a shade darker than her cheeks. She looked... heavenly.

JC’s breath caught in his throat when he saw her. “Wow... are you really my Catch? Or a beautiful angel who’s decided to come down to earth and rain blessings on all of us? Honestly... I don’t care who you are... you look stunning.”

Naomi smiled but didn’t blush. She knew JC was being honest. They had always been critical of each other ever since they had become friends and they never showered praises on each other. With each other, they were honest to a fault and sometimes Naomi found herself wishing JC wasn’t so blunt. But that hardly ever happened. She grinned and said, “You’re looking good yourself, Chase.”

Naomi whistled loudly when Lance and Justin emerged from their dressing rooms. “Wow... do you guys always look this good or is it just the light?” she joked as Justin gave her a friendly punch on the shoulder. She grinned at him and he grinned back. They were getting along fine and it now seemed as though they had been friends forever. Both were easy-going and friendly and they both had a great sense of fun. Naomi was glad they had stopped being so competitive with each other. She liked Justin and hanging around him was beginning to become a favourite pastime of hers.

The only thing that Naomi felt disappointed about was the fact that Alyssa wasn’t going to be photographed. “She doesn’t have anything to do with N’sync... so it’s out of the question. We’re running low on film as it is thanks to our forgetful photographer and getting in a few shots of Naomi is going to be a task as it is-”

“I can sit this one out if you can’t...”

“Don’t be ridiculous Catch. There’s no way you’re sitting this one out. No chance at all,” JC warned.

Naomi sighed and looked over at Alyssa, who was trying her best not to look as though she minded being left out. It’s just so unfair, Naomi thought. Then her face fell and she said, “Whatever you say, boss. Whatever you say.”


Each of the guys was snapped a few times. Then Naomi was told to strike a few poses. “She’s a natural!” the photographer exclaimed over and over again, as he snapped photo after photo of Naomi in delight. Then, each guy took one photo with Naomi individually and finally a few shots were taken where all six of them posed as a group.

Naomi, JC and Lance had taken a photo with Alyssa because they ‘insisted on it’. JC smiled when Naomi collapsed onto the grass after the shoot, clearly exhausted. “That was fun,” she said as JC joined her.

“But?” JC prompted.

“But right now I’m ravenous, I’m tired... AND I WANT TO GO HOME!” Naomi yelled at him, stifling a giggle at his astonished face.

Everyone turned to stare at her when she wailed. Naomi giggled again and JC couldn’t help but smile at her. That was one of the things he liked about Naomi - she was always herself. He laughed and shook his head at her.

Justin plopped down on the grass next to them. “I’m not the only one who knows how to throw a proper tantrum, it seems,” he giggled when Naomi stuck her tongue out at him. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re really as old as you claim to be, Choc. You’re Lance’s age and he’s not as fun as you are.”

Naomi looked at Justin in surprise, “Am I supposed to do something about that? I thought you liked him just the way he is.”

Justin grinned, “I do. But everyone has room for improving. If you could just...”

Naomi shrugged and stopped Justin in mid-sentence, “I know your brain could use a LOT more improvement. I don’t see why God wasted so much space in that thick skull of yours if he never intended to put anything in there. Anyway, stop wasting your time, I know what you’re trying to do, Justin. And it’s not going to work. I like Lance... he’s nice. But I’m not getting into a relationship. Not now. I’m still working on some... problems.” Naomi bit her lip, “And I can safely say it’s going to be a while before I let someone else into my heart. Who knows? It may be a long while more.”

Justin sighed, “Maybe if you just gave him a chance...?”

“No.” Naomi said firmly, “Not now. I’ll take it a step at a time. I’ll know when I’m ready. There’s no rushing this kind of thing. You should know that, Justin. Hasn’t Britney taught you anything?”

Justin shrugged, “I’ve got a thick skull, remember?”

“Hmm... yes... but I’ve got an empty stomach. Chase, bring me for lunch. And bring me NOW!”

JC grinned, got to his feet and pulled Naomi to her feet as well, “Your wish is my command, my fair lady.”

Lance stood watching them and he sighed softly as the three of them pulled out of the car park. “If only I was the one saying that to her...” he took one last glance at the car and his shoulders dropped. He turned away and bit his lip, “But I just can’t summon up the courage. Damn! Why couldn’t I have known her earlier?”


TBC
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