9 comments/ 112256 views/ 43 favorites 34 Minutes Ch. 01 By: fcknfresh It had 34 minutes since either of them had said anything. Justin had been watching the clock closely, almost hearing the numbers changing. He sighed and gripped the steering wheel, and glanced over at Nicole in his passenger seat. She still sat there, arms crossed, frown tugging at her lips. She had been that way the entire ride, the entire 34 minutes. And if he didn't know any better, she looked like she was getting closer and closer to crying. "Nicole." "What?" She kept her eyes forward, barely blinking at his words. "Say something? Talk to me... tell me about your trip." Her frown didn't falter. "You got a nice tan." She looked at him then, glaring. "Has he called you?" He didn't have to pick up his Blackberry to know he didn't have a single missed call. "No, I'm sure he will though." "That piece of shit... stop backing him up. You just look like a tool, too." She turned to look out the window. "It's the same shit all the time, but now he's got his boys in on it too." That wasn't fair, but Justin kept quiet—which now that he thought about, probably made him look guilty. Seriously though, he wasn't in on anything. In fact when Tony had called him this afternoon, and said that he needed him to scoop Nicole up from the airport at 6:45, he had said no. "Its 5:30 now, you asshole... it'll take me at least forty minutes to get to Hartsfield in the first place." "Just do me this favor. I'll owe you. She'll kill me if she has to ride Marta back to her place." "Sounds really personal, bruh." Tony had been his teammate on his college basketball team before he had transferred out. And this definitely wasn't the first time he asked for a last minute favor on some bullshit. "Why can't you do it? And don't even fucking lie." He heard Tony sigh. "I just can't get away from what I'm doing right now." He was almost whispering. "Come on, man." He knew that Tony was most likely up to some no good shit. Because he was Tony, and that's usually what he was on. He had that college hoop star mentality—and Justin wondered why he would always try to settle down if he was never going to stay on the straight and narrow... but that was really none of his business. So when he got to the airport, and he pulled up next to Nicole at the Delta terminal, he stayed tight lipped about why he was there. "Where is Tony?" She stared at him as he loaded her bags into the back of his Infiniti. He ignored her at first, because he seriously didn't want to get involved, but when he slammed the trunk shut, she was next to him, trying to make her 5'2 frame come eye to eye with his 6 feet. "Why are you here, Justin? And why isn't Tony?" "Look Nicole—Tony just called me a minute ago asking me to come get you. He said he would meet you back at your place." Which was a lie, but she was practically on the tip toes of her espadrilles, in his face. He needed to say something to calm her down. She hit him in the chest with a small fist. "You're lying for him. Stop that." "You stop it, crazy." He moved around her to open the passenger side door. "Just come on. I'm sure he will call you in a minute." She gave him another evil look before getting into the car. "There... now calm that ass down and I'm sure your phone will be ringing in like two minutes." But it didn't. And Justin really wanted to punch Tony in the face. It's one thing to bail on your girl for whatever reason, but now he was starting to make Justin look bad. "I've been in the fucking Dominican Republic for almost a week, Justin." She sniffed, and he was afraid to look. "I know, I'm—" "What the fuck is more important than seeing me? Seriously?" When he looked she was staring at him, like it was and actual question. When he didn't answer, she kept on. "I mean, honestly—I get it, he's big shit, everybody wants him—but does he not get that he asked me out? I wasn't even on dude like that..." She had been waving her arms around, but now slumped back in her seat. "How do you know it's like that? I mean he could really have a good reason." Which Justin knew was a lie, but he tried. "The fuck right... you know how he is...always about some pussy. And you know that's what he's doing right now. You don't have to act, we both know he's trash." That was harsh, but Justin nodded. Then silently thanked God that he had never been man enough to be in a real relationship with anyone. This was just drama. He merged off of the highway into the city, thankful that it was in sight. He knew how this would play out, too. He was glad that they hadn't moved in together, because he knew that he would have gotten that late call asking for a couch to sleep on when Tony finally did show up. "I'm seriously done. I don't need this drama... look at you. I'm sure you were having a good day before Tony made you apart of his bullshit." "I was. Not gonna lie." He smiled. "I knew I should have hit ignore on him." She smiled back, surprisingly, and then looked down at the phone in her lap. "You're not done though. You love that bum." Justin said that, and felt bad when she didn't come back with anything. It really sucked that girls like Nicole ended up with guys like Tony. From what Tony said, she was really good to him, did everything for him, and was a beautiful girl to boot. Even now, all sad and shit, she looked good. I guess she had planned on seeing her man. She was all dressed up. Her makeup was done naturally, golds and brows on her lids made her deep brown eyes shine, and her long dark brown waves had natural highlights from the sun, which framed her face beautifully. Despite a three hour plan ride she still looked like she had just walked off of a runway somewhere. Her caramel colored, sun-kissed skin looked amazing in the white baby doll dress she wore, and her legs... "Can you help me take my stuff up?" He had almost missed her neighborhood, but luckily caught himself. "Sure, no problem." But yeah, Tony had good taste. And if she wasn't with that bum Tony, she could definitely get it. Anytime, any day. He pulled along the curb in front of her townhouse and parked his car. He looked at her again before she got out of the car. "Seriously, don't stay mad about this ok?" She grinned. "Uh huh, sure... just help me with my bags." - Before she had left for the fucking airport, she had spent almost 2 hours in her humid hotel bathroom making sure she looked amazing for Tony. She had wanted him to snap out of whatever fucked up mood he had been in before she left, see her, realize that his girlfriend is amazing, and fall in love with her again. But instead, she got her man's virtual stand-in, and best friend Justin. She really had wanted to say thank you at first. Because as soon as she saw his charcoal colored SUV round the corner, she knew what was up. But it pissed her off, because it really seemed like Justin was trying to cover Tony's ass. It wouldn't have been the first time. Her boyfriend Tony, though fine as hell, with his mocha colored skin, 6'3 sexy muscular athletic frame, and gorgeous shit eating grin, was a fucking loser. And she knew for a fact, that he got around. It was pretty lame to be that girl. You know, the one who all the other chicks are always coming to in confidence, saying where they saw your man, and what he was doing with whoever. Thinking it was a one time thing, but not knowing that for her not to hear something at least once every two weeks was rare. Tall, sexy, light-skinned basketball players pulled. And she must have been smoking to think that that would change, just because after a sprained ankle he had some type of break down, and vowed that no girl had ever taken care of him, and because of that, he wanted her to be his girl. So part of her really wanted to be shocked when Justin hopped out of the car, without Tony, but seriously... she knew it was coming. She was mad for awhile, sad as they neared her house, and as soon as Justin closed the door behind him, a fucking crying mess on the floor of her foyer. She thought about what Justin had just said, you know... not to stay mad, but it didn't work. She gasped, cried, and couldn't breath for awhile... really hoping Tony would walk in, and see what a douche he was, but after and hour, she sniffed, wiped her face with the hem of her white dress, and walked upstairs. Washing all of the shit off her face would make her feel better. Washing the time she wasted on Tony off of her. She took a long shower, lotioned up, and pulled on one of Tony's stupid vee-necks. She slipped under her covers, turned on Lifetime, and geared up to cry some more, when she heard the front door open and close downstairs. She glanced at the clock... 1:26AM. She was so ready, too. She stared at the door knob, waiting for his punk ass to walk through the door. And when he did, wearing a wrinkled polo, and equally wrinkled denim... she almost jumped out of bed, but she forced calm. "Forreal Tony?" He smiled big. "Baby... I missed you." He was pulling off his clothes, making his way towards the bed. "I'm so glad I'm home. I've been waiting to get into bed and hold you all—" "Wrong." Nicole pushed him hard away from her, almost knocking him off balance. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you know what time it is?" He glanced at the clock. "Babe, I know it's late." "Oh, really?" Her eyes narrowed at him. "Then you must know that you didn't pick me up today? And that you pawned me off on Justin?" "Was he late?" She wanted to hit him. Only Tony would have the audacity to ask some shit like that, looking for anyone to put the blame on. "Tony, you need to leave." He looked confused, standing there in his boxers. "Take your bullshit back to your house, or wherever the fuck you came from." "Are you being one hundred right now?" He bent to pick up his jeans. "You want me gone?" She looked away from him to the TV. "I'm not going to be happy with you tonight. You fucked up. And I'm not in the mood for your bullshit." He laughed, and nodded. "Ok... yeah, ok." He slipped his jeans on and grabbed his shirt. "I'll be at Justin's... hit me up when you're not being a bitch anymore." Her eyes widened, and she wanted the throw something at his retreating frame, but she just crossed her arms. "You call me when you're not getting your dick wet with someone else." 34 Minutes Ch. 02 So he didn't get the late call, text or whatever. It was worse. He looked at the clock when his phone started ringing, signaling that someone was trying to come upstairs to his condo. 6:15AM. He really should have hit ignore when he had to chance, and he almost did. He hit answer and sunk back into his bed. "Hello?" "Justin. Let me up." Definitely not Tony, definitely a female. "Who is this?" The line was silent, and he heard shuffling. "Justin! Its Nicole... come on." Of course. If it wasn't one part of the unhappy couple, it was another. But this early? He pressed nine on his phone and hung up. Good thing he never locked his door, because he definitely wasn't getting out of bed to deal with whatever it was she was here for. He heard his front door open and shut, and he turned over, pulling a pillow over his head. "Justin! Where are you?" She was yelling, and he could hear her flip flopping through his kitchen. "Where most people are at 6AM," he yelled back. He heard her come into his room. "Why in Christ are you here this early?" He moved a pillow to look at her. She was standing beside his bed, holding her little Louis bag and a tray with two coffees from Starbucks. She apparently never slept, because she was dressed already, in tiny white sweat shorts and a baby pink tee shirt, and matching pink sandals. And despite trying to look dressed down by throwing a white Nike hat over her ponytail, her make up was done, so this wasn't some pop up shit. "On a dummy mission." She set the tray down, and Justin tried hard not to notice how the bottom of her amazing ass flashed at him when she bent over. She sat next to him, holding her bag in her lap. "Your mans showed up last night at almost 2AM. Then said when I was done being a bitch," he winced, "that I could call him, and he would be over here." Justin laughed. "Well, surprise. The bitch lied." "No kidding." She pushed off her sandals and pressed her manicured toes into the carpet. "He's not at his house, either." Justin shook his head and sat back, wondering less about where Tony was, and more if he had morning breath. He thought about getting up to brush his teeth, but under this comforter he was only wearing boxers, and morning wood was still poppin'. "Well, I don't know where that snake is. He called me last night, but I sent him to voicemail." He watched her think for a second. "I brought you coffee." She motioned towards his nightstand. "I honestly thought you would be awake, but sorry for the wake up." "It's cool." He lied. He didn't really have shit to do today, but he had wanted to chill out today and catch up on his sleep and reality TV. He didn't want to ask, but he did anyway, just because she looked sad. "You want me to call him?" Like a kid in a candy store, her eyes lit up. "Would you? I don't know why I even care, but I haven't been in the right mood to call him." He sat up and grabbed his phone from beside him. "I'm sure he's just at Rell's house or something." He dialed. "Probably won't even pick up when I call." Nicole reached past him and tapped the speakerphone button. Justin grimaced, and prayed over and over again in his head, harder than anything that he had ever prayed for in his life that Tony wouldn't pick up. He started shaking his head, preparing himself for voicemail, but... "Yo, it is early, son. What are you calling me for?" Tony's voice rumbled through the speaker, like he had just woken up. Nicole grinned, and motioned him forward. "Yeah, you had called me last night late as shit... just seeing what was up." This was going to be ugly, for someone. Nicole was sitting in front of him right now, not Tony, and as usual, he would probably be the stand-in. "Oh shit, yeah. Nicole was trippin' last night. Seriously. Kicked me out and everything." Justin rolled his eyes. "Forreal? She was mad you didn't pick her up?" "Yeah, and mad I was late or whatever. I drove all the way out there for her to act like a bitch." Nicole looked at Justin, like, See? And Justin asked, "Well, why were you late? I tried to call you and tell you she was hot about you not being there to get her." Tony laughed. "Yeah, I had forgot yesterday that she was coming back, you know? I was way out north of Atlanta with this shorty I met at the mall. I would have picked up her up, but I had to go home and shower before I saw her." Justin tried to read the look that spread over Nicole's face... was that anger? Sadness? This is why he didn't have a girlfriend. "Yeah, son, but when you said you would pick her up, I hung out a little bit longer. And I came back last night when she went ape on me." "That shit is grimy, T." He figured that she didn't need to hear anymore, and he really couldn't even tell what she was feeling about all this. "Yeah, I know—I don't even do it on purpose though. I don't even try to pull anymore. Bitches just want it." Tony was laughing... what a douche bag. "Yeah, well Tony. I'm about to go, I was just seeing what you had wanted." "Alright. But son, if she calls you, tell her I just left." Justin hit the end button on that note. He watched Nicole pull her legs up into the bed, facing him. Still that weird look on her face. "Hey, what's going on in your head? What are you gonna do?" She smiled suddenly. "Honestly, I don't know. This isn't some new shit, Justin." She looked right at him, looked kind of sad. "I'm not even upset about this shit. I just wished he would be a hundred with me." He didn't really know what to do. Sad girls weren't really his thing. He figured though, that despite the fact that he did this shit on the regular, Nicole was sad about Tony's bullshit. He patted her legs for her to move them. "You don't have to play tough with me." Justin pulled back his covers, and reached out for her hand. "I'm not good at this consoling thing, but I know you didn't wake up this early because you had to. I know your ass is tired." She looked like she was thinking about it. He was probably way out of line, too. When Tony had started dating Nicole, Justin had said something about her being cute, and Tony flared up on some 'stay away from my chick' shit. He was a crazy jealous type—cheaters usually were. So Justin knew that cuddling up with his girlfriend was probably on the top of Tony's "Ways To Get Killed" list, even if it was his best friend. But he was tired, and if he knew girls, snuggling up with another dude was the best way to get over a cheating boyfriend. "Come on, you can cry on my shoulder or whatever." She gave in, pulling off her hat and crawled in next to him. He grinned, pulling her into a hug. "I'll probably be asleep, but you can cry all you want." - Why would he be so open about cheating to Justin? Like he had no shame at all? Nicole was still sitting up next to Justin, even though she had accepted his offer to cuddle up and go back to sleep. Was it stupid that she felt guilty even sitting on his bed, much less getting into it? She knew that if Tony saw or even found out about any of this, he would kill her. Yeah it was stupid... because she had just found out he was cheating, again. But why would he cheat again? Why wouldn't he ever stop? Would he like it if she did it to him? Would she ever do that to him? No. She loved his stupid ass. Even now, she felt guilty about Justin, even though she wasn't doing shit. All of this shit was racing through her mind... and she couldn't get comfortable, much less fall asleep. Justin had knocked out about twenty minutes ago and left her watching TV. He had sat propped up on one elbow listening for about five minutes before he dosed off. She let him sleep, but appreciated the effort. She silently asked herself again why Tony couldn't be faithful to someone as great as her, when she felt Justin move. He barely opened his eyes, scooted closer, and laid his head down. "Somebody is still stressin'." He spoke, his lips so close to the skin on her hip that the warm breath made her jump. He was barely awake, she didn't talk back. He moved his arm so it rested around her waist, and he lightly pulled her down towards him. "Lay down... stop thinking about that loser. Get some sleep." She let him do it too. He pulled her until she was flat on her back, and then into his chest, so that he spooned her. She felt his breath on the back of her neck, slowing back down. His hand pressed against her stomach, pulling her closer, then moved to rest around her waist. She finally closed her eyes, and felt the soft circles he was rubbing into her hip. "Just relax, get some sleep," he said quietly. And this time she listened. She felt warm, safe, and happy? And definitely sleepy. Fuck Tony. - So he wasn't exactly asleep. He had been at first, seriously. But then we woke up, and Nicole still wasn't asleep. He knew a lot was on her mind. And he knew, because she was hyper faithful to that bum, and that she didn't feel entirely comfortable sleeping with him. But the fake sleepy, cuddle-with-me routine had worked, and she had finally fallen asleep. Trouble now? The fact that he just woke up next to his best friend's girlfriend, arms wrapped around her, lips against her neck, and hard as shit. And he just got a text message from Tony saying he would be there in a second. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to him. He was single, easy going, and never even in a position for shit like this to happen. But thanks not hitting the ignore button, here he was, and if he didn't make moves, Tony was about to walk in on all this. He moved his arm from under her, stirring her from her sleep. She didn't say anything. Just yawned, and blinked up at him. He pulled away from her, pulling his legs out of bed and moving to stand up. "Nicole, you need to be really quiet for like... 10 minutes." "Why?" She stretched her arms out above her head and arched her back. "Where are you going?" Tony seriously had a hot girlfriend. But he would address that later. "Your man is here. Or at least he will be in about 30 seconds." Her eyes shot open, and she sat straight up. "No... no. You're lying." She scrambled to get out of the bed, grabbing for her sandals. "Fuck, he's going to murder me. I'm dead." She looked pale, and scared as shit. "Calm down. It'll be fine." He reached across the bed, and pulled her down to sit. "I just have to send him home. You just stay in here." His phone started ringing and he grabbed it and hit nine. He looked down at himself, realizing he was still very much tenting his boxers. "Eww Justin..." He looked at Nicole and followed her eyes to his crotch. He shook his head. "I've been thinking of my grandmother for like 20 minutes, but hey, turn around and hot girl in my bed." She blushed, and he grabbed a pair of basketball shorts off of the floor. "It's counter reactive." The front door opened, and Justin put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, before he walked out into the living room. Tony was in the kitchen, as usual. "T, what's good?" Tony pulled his head out of the freezer and turned to Justin. "What's poppin'?" "What are you doing here?" Justin moved to sit at the bar. He doubted Tony was staring at his crotch, but he didn't want to chance it. He grabbed a few Oreos from the package on the counter. "Just stopped by. Nicole hasn't called me yet, so I don't really have shit to do." "Oh forreal. She's mad, huh." Justin thought about the most efficient way he could get him out. "Shit, man—now is not a good time." "Why? Whats up?" Justin grinned. "Tryna' get that early morning poppin', you know? I met this girl last night, and she stayed for breakfast..." "Oh shit, that's what's up..." He grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry, and then grabbed his keys. "Well, I'm not tryna block or anything, so I'm out, son. Enjoy that." He gave a cheesy grin, and moved towards the door. "If you wanna hoop or something later, hit me up." And he was gone. What a moron. Justin locked the door behind him, checked out the peep hole to make sure he was walking away, and then went back into the bedroom. Nicole was sitting on the bed ready to go. "Is he gone?" He had kind of hoped that she would still be in the bed when he came back in the room. "Yeah... it was easy. You're boyfriend is a tool." He had kind of felt like resuming position as soon as Tony bounced. "No kidding." She smiled. "What did you say to him?" She stood as she said this, and Justin watched her grab her coffee from the side table and take it to the bathroom, pouring it out in the sink. She was really outta here, huh? "I told him I had a girl in here... and he had interrupted us." She looked at him as she came back into the room... blushing? "I thought he would hang around much longer than that... but I guess pussy is always a good excuse for him." "Wow... yeah, I guess you're right." That looked like it stung a little bit. It was true though, and Justin was kind of past covering his friend's ass. She pulled her keys out of her little bag, and hooked them around her finger. "Well... I guess I'm going to go home now... maybe go to the gym or something." She reached her arms out for a hug. "For what?" He came into it, returning it. "Just thanks for not being a tool." She said this into his shoulder, then pulled back and looked up at him. "Seriously, this is not even your fucking drama..." she grinned, "thanks for picking up the phone." And she let go, and walked out of the room, and out of the apartment. - Okay, so the hug had more than one purpose. She was thankful, yes. Justin really had done her the huge favor of really showing what a tool she was dating. Not that she didn't know already, but the confirmation was good. Well, not good, but necessary. Oh, and he had also prevented her early death by sending Tony home when he showed up. No matter how many times Tony had cheated, one indiscretion on her part would be the end for Nicole. So she was glad he had so easily done that. But the main reason for the hug? She waited until she was safely in her car, windows up, and doors locked before she even thought about it. She started her car, and pulled out of the garage of Justin's building. When all of it was in her rear view mirror, she finally breathed. He had looked so good... muscles all perfect and tan. How can someone wake up and look like that? She had wanted to make sure, that up close, touching him, feeling his amazing sexily warm body against hers... that she didn't have any less than innocent feelings about him... ... but obviously, that wasn't the case. It was somewhere around the time when he had woken up her up, and he had said whatever... about a hot girl being in his bed, that she discovered the possibility of Justin. She had blushed when he had said it, but thought You think I'm hot? And as she watched him step into his shorts, and walk out of the room, she realized that he was ridiculously attractive, and she had just slept with him, and he had just spooned her, and he was hard... and he thought she was hot? She had honestly never looked at him like that. She didn't even like white guys. Tony, as light as he was, was pushing it. Even when she had met Justin, she thought he was cute, but not anything special—though now that she thought about it, she had met Tony and Justin at the same time, and her focus may have been somewhere else. Her female friends would always talk about what a fine white boy he was. With his sexy always mussed brown hair, and perfect grin. He was muscular too, with tattoos all over his back, and chest. Close to Tony's height at 6'2, and just as toned and tanned from playing basketball. And those amazing blue eyes... That's what had almost fucked her up just now before she left. When she had looked at him, something soulful and sexy had been looking down back at her, something that almost made her drop her keys and pull him back into bed. But what the fuck was she thinking? This was Justin fucking Taglianetti... Tony's best friend, and therefore completely off limits. No matter what was going on with her and Tony. She sighed, and picked up her phone, dialing her best friend Brook. She hoped she wouldn't pick up, because maybe if she ignored this it would go away. "Hey, I'm at work... what's up?" She sighed. "I'm fucked." "What? What happened? Are you okay? Hold on." She heard shuffling, and a door closed. "Okay, tell me." "I may be just saying this shit because I just found out about Tony cheating again—" "That bum ass—" "No, that's the not problem." She geared up the tell the story, but it all came out at once. "I wentovertoJustin's house thismorning, 'cos Tony wassupposedtobethere, ended up falling asleep, we're cuddlingandshit, we wake up, Tony is there... Justin gets him to go home, and now I'm fucked." "What? It's like 10AM... I can't imagine what your drama is like at night." Nicole smiled. "But what is the issue?" She paused, deciding how to word it. "Yo, when did Justin get so fucking fine?" Brook giggled. "Umm, at birth? Are you forreal?" "Yeah, well I guess this morning, all cuddled up with him, waking up with his dick hard against me, I finally realized it." She thought about what she had felt and shivered. "I'm fucked because I'm totally into this white boy now." "And? Go for it... Tony is a bum anyway. And what a better way to teach his ass than to hook up with his best friend." "That shit is scandalous... no way." "But I suppose him getting it all day everyday from everyone but you is cute, right?" She frowned. "No." "Well then, fuck that bum ass loser Tony. You know Justin is fine, and you know he only messes with black girls—so he's gotta be working with something." Nicole thought about it, and smiled. This was really gonna fuck everything up. 34 Minutes Ch. 03 "Son, I swear Nicole is fucking around on me." Justin looked up from untying his sneakers. "Why?" Tony and him had been playing basketball for the past couple of hours and Tony hadn't been saying much. He guessed this was why. Tony shook his head and pulled his own back across his body. "I went to her house after I left yours... and son, she wasn't there." Justin smiled, even though he probably shouldn't have. "Maybe she was just out somewhere." "It was 10AM... Where the fuck did she need to be? Her ass should have been at that house waiting for me." Wow, he was mad. Justin looked up at him. Deciding whether he should tell this loser that even though she hadn't cheated, she fucking should have. "She was probably at her girlfriend's house or something... you call any of them?" Tony shook his head. "What do I look like? I don't know any of her friends." Of course he didn't. Tony was a fucking loser, and he really should have made his hot girlfriend forget his stupid ass this morning when he had the chance. "She's not cheating on you—you have a really good girlfriend, man." Justin grabbed his bag and stood up. "Seriously, if she's cheating, she's really good at pretending she's in love with you." "Good girlfriends are the ones who be runnin' around." Fucking idiot. "Alright, Tony. Whatever." He pulled his Blackberry and keys out of his bag. "I'm about to bounce." His friend was still standing there looking mean. "Stop thinkin' about dumb shit. Nicole loves you." Those last words he really hadn't wanted to say, because it was stupid she did, and that it was so true. He patted his friend on the back and headed to his car. When he pulled into his garage his cell phone rang. It was Nicole. This creeping around shit made him scan the area around him and lock his car doors before he picked up. "What's up?" "Nothing... what are you doing?" Nothing about Tony? "Just finished hooping with your noid ass boyfriend. Where did you go today after you left my house? Cos' he stopped over at your crib." She sighed audibly. "This motherfucker... I went to have lunch with Courtney at her office. I didn't think he would even care to pop up, though." "Yeah, he was trippin'." He got out of his car and pulled his gym bag out of the passenger seat. "So, did something happen? You don't usually call me just to talk." There was a beat of silence, and Justin thought maybe he should have just let this unusual moment slide. But she laughed. "This sucks, but yeah I did call you for a reason." "What's that?" Another bout of silence, a giggle—he pulled his phone away from his ear and checked the caller ID; yeah, it was Nicole. "I was seeing if you were doing anything tonight. Like, are you going out or anything?" He wasn't, at all. In fact he was gonna hit up Tony to see if he was getting into anything. "No, why? Ya'll tryna go somewhere or something?" She laughed. "No... well, not Tony anyway." "Then what's up?" "I was seeing if you wanted to come over later... I'm not really talking to Tony right now, and I'm a little bored." "What about your girls?" He didn't really care or want to question why she wanted to hang out with him. He really didn't mind, but he wasn't about to look like he was over eager to do it. "Half of them are booed up, and other half are trying to go out and get some." He laughed at the second part. "Yeah, on some other shit., huh?" He was already up in his apartment, pulling off his shirt and turning on the shower. "I guess I'll come over there and keep you company... only cause I'm not doing anything, though." "Oh really? Only cause?" She laughed. "I'm so lucky." "No kidding." He checked the time on his phone, and wondered where Tony would be at right now. "You want me to bring anything?" "Just yourself." And the way she said it made him smile—which was no good. This whole thing was a bad idea—and if Tony found out, it would be some shit. And as he was getting ready, pulling on his 'casual, but still GQ' black vee neck and Michael Kors camo shorts, he thought about how he would feel if he was Tony right now—with his best friend getting ready to go chill with his girl. No good. But Tony was a fuck up. He had a sexy ass girlfriend who loved the shit out of him, and all he could do was put his dick in anything moving. When he had thought earlier, that he should have made Nicole forget about Tony this morning—he was right. She deserved to at least know that Tony wasn't the only dude out there that would treat her right. Though treating her right probably didn't mean layin' pipe... but he would be lying if he said he didn't want to. He smiled at himself in the mirror—Fuck Tony. On his way to her house he dialed Tony's number. He wasn't by any means scared of his best friend. In fact he hoped Tony would show up and see them mid-thrust; only because it would serve him right though. He only called him to check where he was at, because he knew Nicole would probably trip if he popped up again. "Whattup?" "Aye—where you at?" Justin pulled along side the curb in front of Nicole's townhouse. Tony sighed. "I've been tryna call this chick, man. She keeps putting me to fucking voicemail." "She's not doing anything—" "Nah, nigga. Fuck that. She wants to cheat and shit, play games... that's why I'm already back over here up at shorty's crib." Justin smiled at the reminder of what trash this motherfucker was. "You're a snake, man." "No, I'm just not tryna get played by this bitch." "Whatever, man. I'm telling you she's not up to anything." He felt like he was lying, because he just pressed her doorbell. She definitely was up to something. "But I'm about to go—I just got to my boys house." "Alright—and son, if she calls you, tell her you just left my house." Justin shook his head. This motherfucker still wanted him to lie? He was really over Tony's bullshit. He stood waiting at the door, and heard her skip down the stairs. When she pulled it open he was a little surprised. "Hey, you didn't call or anything before you came." She grinned up at him. No make up on, glasses, and hair in a bun—she was still hot as hell. Her tiny little white sweatshorts were super low, and the black tank top she wore gave him a good view of her flat caramel colored tummy and— "Justin?" "Yeah?" He grinned. Not gonna lie. "Come in?" She pulled the door further open and turned around walking further into the house. "I got some movies... also got some popcorn." "Sounds good." He followed her into her living room and sat down on the couch, trying really hard not to look at her legs and ass. Maaaan, this was so bad. "What are you doing?" Nicole came from behind him, holding a bowl of popcorn. "Getting ready for the movie?" She grinned. "No, we're watching up in my bedroom... I only have one DVD player." She stepped around the sofa and bounced up the stairs. Justin blushed, and tried not to think about his best friend's girl, on her back, fingers in his hair, sweaty, screaming— "Justin?" He was still sitting on the couch. This was going to be fun. He climbed up the stairs, and walked down the hall to her room. She was in bed already, snuggled up with the covers beside her pulled back. "Come on, let's start the movie." This was weird. Nicole was acting mad different. "What's going on?" Justin said this as he sat down beside her, kicking off his slides and moving in beside her. "What do you mean?" Her eyes stayed forward. Justin grabbed the remote out of her hand and she turned towards him. "Don't play me—this morning you wouldn't even sit on my bed without thinking you were cheating on Tony. What are you up to?" He smiled. "Did you kill him or something?" She laughed. "No, not yet—though he probably deserves it" "So what you being all cuddly with me for?" She blushed and looked away. "You're just cool to be around... I'm really lonely, and I liked hanging out with you this morning." "Awww... we'll shit." "Fuck off." She smiled and snatched the remote back. "Don't get a big head." - He stopped paying attention sometime around the first performance from The Kid in Purple Rain. He loved Purple Rain, and loved this song, but when he felt Nicole's lips and tongue touch the tip of his ear lobe, he completely forgot who The Kid was, why doves cry, and all that shit. "Hey." She had whispered that, and was now leaning close, kissing behind his ear. "Is this okay?" "Is it?" No, no, no. It wasn't fucking ok. Here he was again, in his best friend's girlfriend's bed, cuddled and rocked up. He pulled away. "You're trying to get me and you killed?" She didn't smile, even though he had been. "Yes, its okay with me. And no, nobody is going to get killed." She kissed his jaw, stopping short of his mouth. "You want me to stop?" "I don't know yet." He watched Nicole rise up on her knees and move to straddle his thighs. "This is why you invited me over?" "Partly to get back at Tony—I'm not going to lie." She grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. "But its more because I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." "Really now?" He watched her smile softly, and grab the hem of her tank top and pull it over her head. And fuck him if he wanted to literally lick every inch of brown sugar skin in front of him. The sexy ass yellow lace bra needed to come off right now, as good as it looked on her. He pressed his fingers against the skin on her hips down into her shorts, feeling the lace of her panties... and the smooth, hairless skin beneath it. "Yes... really" She pushed her shorts down over her ass and Justin's hands immediately curved around it. "How do you feel about that?" - She made the decision a little bit after she left lunch with Courtney. Tony was really, really a piece of shit. And Justin was really, really fucking gorgeous. Courtney had called it "killing two birds"... and Nicole had no problem with that rational. And she repeated those words mentally as she hid her other DVD player, and pulled on the tiny yellow lace set she bought from La Perla on the way home. She knew he wouldn't turn her down, but she really didn't know how it would go. She hadn't been with anyone except Tony in a long time, and her seduction powers were rusty, but things were going well... until now. "How mad are you at Tony?" She looked down at Justin, which was a mistake, because once again she was dead and her nerve was shot as soon as she looked into those fucking blue eyes. "Fuck Tony." Justin grinned, and it was a split second before she was on her back. Justin came down on top of her, grabbing her thigh and roughly pulling it up next to his body. She felt how ready he was between her legs, pushing against the fabric of his shorts. "You sure?" His lips came down on her chest, licking and biting along the bounds of her bra. "You're done with Tony?" She couldn't speak, so she nodded. He was tracing his tongue down her stomach and slipping his palm further down her thigh. He stopped, and she watched him pull his shirt off in one swift move, when he came back down, his lips pressed against hers. "Take them off." He spoke against her lips, biting at the bottom one. He was pressing his fingers at the embarrassingly wet spot between her legs. "Wait." She felt his lips curve into a smile, and he sat up. "Why?" Why? She didn't know. He was so fucking fine, and that was further reinforced as she looked up at him, cheeks flushed, biting his lip giving her a stupid sexy grin, sexy blue eyes all over her body. Her own eyes moved down to his hand, which was now pulling her panties slowly down over her hip. "I can't cheat." He shook his head, but smiled. "Who's cheating?" He bent down and kissed the spot that he had uncovered. Was he ignoring her? Honestly, she hadn't even really planned on doing anything more than making out with him. And she had thought, even said to Courtney, "...But if he wants to do more than that, I'm game." But obviously that was bullshit. "Justin... wait." And her back was arching in response to the tiny bites that he was placing all over her hip. But he stopped, and stood on his knees looking down at her again. "I thought you were mad at Tony?" "That's your best friend... I don't think I can do that." Justin rolled his eyes and moved falling on his back next to her. "He's never worried about that shit." "That's not fair." Asshole—that wasn't called for. True, but not called for. "No, what's not fair is calling me over here on some one night stand shit, getting me hard, and then deciding you want to be faithful to your trash ass dude." Justin was looking forward, but then turned to look at her. Was he mad? "I'm sorry?" - "For what? I understand." And he hated Tony forreal now. He wasn't mad at her though, at all. In fact, he was kind of in awe at the fact that she could still manage to be faithful through the almost-fucking that just happened. He had thought, briefly, that something like this might happen. He figured it would be more like a "Wait, ok nevermind—fuck Tony" type of deal, but he never put it out of his mind. He fake smiled at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for." It was ridiculous how good she looked lying next to him. Breathing hard, hair a mess, legs still spread... and most importantly ready for him. He had felt it, and almost tasted it how wet she was, how much she wanted it. "I knew you weren't ready for that. It's fine." He sighed and slid out of bed and looked for his keys. "I was, I mean... I don't know... I don't know why I'm so stuck on him." "Yeah, me neither." Justin shrugged and grabbed his shirt off of the floor. "You're just a good girl with a problem." He pulled it on. "I want you to know something though." Nicole looked up at him, still sitting in the center of the bed. She looked like a little ass girl. "What?" He grinned. "I really don't mean to make this shit awkward—but if you hadn't stopped me, I would have done some shit to you I promise no one ever has." Justin bent down and rested his palms on the bed, leaning forward so that his lips grazed her ear. "I promise you, I'll make you forget about him." Justin kissed her on the cheek before pulling back. She didn't say anything, but Justin saw her cheeks flash pink. He figured she got the point. He added, "When you're ready," and walked out of her room. He was immediately on the phone with Tony; mainly so that he would snap out of it. It took a lot for him to not walk back into her room and deliver on his promise. He started his car as Tony picked up the phone. "I hope you're calling to tell me she hit you up." Justin laughed. "Um, nah... sorry. She still hasn't picked up?" "Fuck no. But I know she's with some other nigga. Real talk." Justin blushed involuntarily, like most people do when they get caught. "What? How do you know?" He remained composed, but then thought maybe he shouldn't have parked out on the curb. "This bitch doesn't know it, but she accidentally picked up her phone. And I heard a nigga's voice." He heard a car door slam on Tony's end. "I'm about to go over there now and see what the fuck she's up to. This bitch is tryna play me, son." Justin was sitting at the light on Peachtree a block away from her house. "Well I'm right here by her spot... you want me to stop over there and see?" He was banking on the fact that Tony was far out somewhere at some bitches house, and also that he was too lazy to really drive out. He hit a u-turn in the middle of the intersection. "Yeah, 'cause by the time I got down there she coulda been fucked this nigga." "Well, I'll text you when I get in there, let you know what's up." He was already pulling down her street. He lied, "But right now I see a Comcast truck out front." Lying and shit... how did he get so caught up in ths bullshit? "And... you act like she couldn't fuck that nigga." Wow, really? I guess if Tony wasn't beyond fucking any pussy that came along, there's no reason he would think Nicole would be. "Hit me back." Justin ended the call and got out of his car. As he walked up the drive the front door opened and Nicole stepped out onto the front steps. Barely wearing more than he had left her in. "What are you doing back here?" "Don't sound so excited to see me." He was past fucking around this time. 34 Minutes Ch. 04 It was actually completely the opposite. She was definitely excited to see him... and definitely panicking because she didn't know what to do now. What comes after a completely embarrassing fail at seducing you boyfriend's best friend? "No, no... I'm glad you came back... but why did you come back?" Justin shook his head and pulled out his phone. "Your stupid ass boyfriend wanted me to stop by and check on you." He began texting someone as he climbed the stairs. When he stood in front of her he handed her the phone. "He said he heard a dude's voice when you accidentally picked up the phone when he called you." Nicole felt sick instantly. "What?" She read the screen in front of her. its nobody over here but the cable guy, and I don't think he's her type. "What is this?" He moved past her and led her into the house, and for the brief moment his hand touched the small of her back she felt it go to her middle and blushed. "I told him the voice he heard was the Comcast guy." Justin walked past her into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I covered for you... and me." Nicole stood against the counter furthest from him. "Thanks, I guess." She watched him grab a bottle of water from her fridge, then turn to face her. "So, what should we do now?" Apparently what happened earlier was going to go unmentioned, and that was fine with her. "We can finish the movie?" Justin nodded slowly and took a sip of water. "Yeah, we can do that." He was staring directly at her now, which made her want to pull her robe a little tighter. "Or maybe just watch some TV." "Whatever you want to do." He laughed. "We tried that already." He moved across the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to her. "Your boy wants me to spend the night here... so I think it would be better if we stay out of your bedroom." She felt like she was 12. "Thats fine, but I promise I'm not going to try to jump your bones again— "—At least not until your serious." "Right. Well I guess we can go to the living room now." She turned to leave, but Justin grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Hold on." He moved in front of her so that she was between him and the counter. The friction their hips made her blush. "Let's talk for a second." Justin pulled her up onto the counter, and spread her thighs so that he could stand between them. "About what?" She smiled and pushed his hand from where it was resting on her thigh. "We can talk in the living room." Justin shook his head and pushed her hand out of the way. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer to him. He ran his hands down both of her legs, making sure they wrapped around his waist. "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." Justin's lips were inches away from hers, and it took a shit load of restraint to listen to the words that were coming from them. He leaned forward and Nicole felt a cold chill when his finger tips touched her sides. They moved up slowly, and he leaned forward kissing along her jaw. She sighed when his teeth came down on her earlobe. "Do you want me to stay here tonight?" "Yes." Justin leaned back so that their eyes met again. "Because you want me? Or because you're tryna fuck with Tony?" He slowly pulled the knot loose on her robe until it came undone. "No bullshit." Nicole smiled. "Both... no bullshit." Justin smirked and she watched him pull his shirt off. "We'll see." He leaned forward and kissed Nicole. She melted into it, and decided to stop fighting. He kissed her softly but bit at her bottom lip. "I've been thinking about this all day." He pulled her to the edge of the counter and pushed her robe off of her shoulders. He kissed the now bare skin and moved down her body. When he reached the lace of her panties, he pulled them down slowly, kissing the skin as he uncovered it. As he lowered himself to his knees, Nicole grabbed the hand that was pulling her panties over her hip, stopping his movement. "No bullshit?" Justin looked up at her. "We should go upstairs." He laughed and kept pulling her panties until they were around her ankles, then on the floor. "We're fine right here." She opened her mouth to fight it, until she felt his tongue press circles against her clit. She gripped tightly on the edge of the granite countertop underneath her. He let go and pressed his tongue against her opening, tasting all of the wetness he had incited. He pressed her legs further apart and flicked his tongue quickly over the sensitive spot. Her back arched involuntarily and he sucked it into his mouth. "Fuck, Justin." He took her words as a signal to pull her even closer. He licked up and down, teasing her opening, and kissing her inner thighs. "You taste so fucking good." "Do I?" Nicole's eyes were closed now, because he was licking faster and faster, bringing her closer. She was grabbing at the cabinet handles behind her, arching her back. She felt her face and neck getting hot, and barely opened her mouth to get out, "J... Justin, I'm going to come..." As soon as she said that, Justin slid his fingers underneath her and gripped her ass, pulling her closer and pressed his tongue as far into her opening as it would go. He didn't stop, letting her ride out her orgasm, bucking hard against his mouth. Before she could get a chance to say anything, his lips we against hers. She tasted herself on his lips and tongue. She didn't even realize her legs were wrapped around him and she was grinding against the bulge in the front of his shorts. She let her eyes wander up his body, taking in his perfectly tan abs, and the freckles on his shoulders, his lips that were now bruised from kissing her... when she finally reached his eyes, he was staring directly into hers. "That's how bad you want it?" --------------- When Nicole looked up and met his gaze, Justin was startled by the look she had in her eyes. The nervousness was completely gone. There was need in her eyes, and a satiated lazy grin on her face. He had been watching her as she took him in, all the while pressing the parts of her body he had just tasted roughly into his growing erection. The way that her eyes fluttered open and close and he moved his hips with hers almost caused him to lose himself. And when he asked her how bad she wanted it, she responded by showing him. She leaned forward roughly pulling him for a kiss, and he felt her fingers scratch down his sides trying to pull him even closer to her middle. That was all he needed from her. Justin scooped her up from the counter, pulling her close to him. He didn't stop kissing her as left the kitchen and climbed the stairs up to her bedroom. Never in his life had he wanted to be inside of someone so bad. He threw her down on the bed, and looked at her for a second. He more than anything wanted their first time to be passionate... he wanted to make love, and all that shit. But he had felt how wet she was, and how the scratches to prove how bad she wanted it. "Lay on your stomach." Nicole smiled, and turned over, arching her back slightly giving him a perfect view of exactly what he wanted. He could see how dripping wet she was, waiting for him to deliver on his promise from earlier. Justin bent down and buried his face in her pussy, grabbing her ass pressing it apart giving him more access. He sucked and licked her, watching the arch in her back deepen with each move. She was pulling on the sheets around and groaning into the mattress. "Justin, please..." He felt himself flush at her pleading, but he kept licking. He reached around her body, pressing his fingers against her clit, moving back and forth, only lightly touching it. "Please what, baby?" --------------- Nicole didn't think it was possible to have a little control over her body as she had now. She couldn't think, and could barely speak, but she knew that she was ready for more than Justin's tongue. She was begging him. He was licking her opening, and when she felt him play with her clit, she knew she was seconds away from coming. "Justin, please..." "Please what, baby?" She could hear the want in his voice, and closed her eyes bracing herself for him. "Please fuck me... I need you, Justin..." She heard him chuckle and felt him stop and pull his tongue away from her. "I don't think you're wet enough." She barely had a second to open her eyes before she felt the tip of his tongue trace its way from her pussy and press a circle around her asshole. She couldn't hold in the gasp that escaped then, and she definitely couldn't stop herself from pushing her body back onto his tongue. He was still rubbing her clit, and teasing her ass. Her breathing was erratic. When he plunged two fingers into her slit, there was nothing that could stop the orgasm that rolled through her body. Nicole wanted to collapse. But she felt Justin slide his fingers over her opening. "Now you're ready for me." She felt his hand wrap around her waist and he pulled her up onto all fours. He roughly grabbed her ass, and pressed the palms of his hands down the length of her back, forcing her upper body down onto the bed, making sure her ass was curved up towards him. "Goddamn... you look good as fuck." She felt his hands on her hips again, steadying her. And finally felt what felt the huge head of his dick slide up and down against her opening. He only waited a second before he slid it in. Nicole wanted to scream. She felt her eyes shut and she bit her lip as he pressed himself all the way into her. He grabbed her ass hard, digging his nails into her flesh and he pushed it to the hilt. "Shit, Nicole..." He pressed even deeper and she started to ache, feeling it in her stomach. "Let me just stay right here... I've been waiting for this." She tried to wait, but she couldn't. She had never wanted anything so badly in her life. She pulled away from him and heard him groan. She moved until she could only feel the head. She listened to him moan as she moved slowly, letting it slide in and out of her. "Oh yeah?" Nicole looked back at Justin. His arms were behind his head and he was watching her fuck him with heavy lidded eyes. "You don't want all of it?" She felt his hands come down around her waist again and he pulled back onto it, forcing her to take it all. She let him fuck her, holding her hips as he slammed into her. She felt herself about to come again, when he slowed his movements and his body came down on top of hers. He was moving torturously slow now. She felt his lips against her neck now, planting small kisses and bites as he slid in and out of her. "Fuck, Nicole..." He had almost growled when he said it. He suddenly quickened his pace again and lifted himself back up and pressed her shoulders down into mattress. He was so deep now Nicole couldn't think. She was biting and scratching at the sheets beneath her when she felt her orgasm tear through her. She felt herself wanting to rest, but Justin pulled her hips harshly towards him. He was in her ear again whispering, and she could hear how erratic his breathing was. "Where do you want me to come, baby?" She had thought she was finished, but felt her body shudder when he spoke. He was still moving in and out of her, and she couldn't believe she felt her body tensing up again like she was about to come. "... please come inside of me... please." --------------- Justin completely lost himself when he heard those words. He pulled her hips towards him and buried himself as deep as he could. His eyes were closed, but he could hear her moaning softly, and felt her pressing back against him. When he regained self-control, he leaned forward and kissed her shoulders as he slid himself out of her. He wanted to say something, but this was the awkward part. Sober, and faced with that he had just fucked the shit out of his best friends girl. And he didn't even want to deal with the fact that he had done it raw. He moved towards the bathroom and mentally cursed himself for not drinking a few beers before he decided to go through with all this. Justin grabbed a towel and walked back into her bedroom. Nicole was laying on her back now, half of her body under the covers. "Are you okay?" She smiled softly and blushed. "Yeah... I'm okay." She started picking at invisible lint on the bed spread. "You good?" --------------- Nicole was more than good. Which was bad. Even now, looking at Justin, still standing in her bedroom naked, tan, and chiseled... she knew that what just happened between them was going to have to happen again. And she tried to ignore the obvious physical sign that Justin was feeling the same way. "You good?" She watched him grin and make his way towards the bed. "I don't know." He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. Nicole panicked slightly. "What don't you know?" He sighed and turned towards her, leaning close and kissing her softly. "I don't know how I'm going to break it to Tony..." He kissed her again. "That this is my pussy now." Nicole smiled against lips as he kissed her again. Fuck Tony. 34 Minutes Ch. 05 Nicole stared from behind her oversized Chanel sunglasses across the table at Tony. He was talking, but her mind was somewhere else. It always happened like this with them. Tony would cheat, Nicole would go ghost on him, and he would come back running, and crying with promises that he was changed. And usually, Nicole would be waiting for that call. But a few hours ago, when the call from Tony came inviting her to breakfast, she was on Justin was on top of her, making love to her like Tony never ever had. And right now, all she could think about was the way it felt when he kissed her neck, and the things he whispered as she came. "Baby?" She looked back towards Tony. "What?" "I was asking you if you liked the earrings?" His sad eyes moved to the box that was still on the table. The green onyx Tacori earrings that he had forgotten to get her for her birthday; the gift that he had brought her today as an apology. "Yeah, I like them. You know I've wanted them forever." He nodded. "Yeah baby, I looked all over the city for them." The proud smile he had on his face made her sick. Like really? Buying affection? Though it probably would have worked before, things were a little different this time. "Baby, I'm really sorry about the whole Justin thing." Hearing his name made her blush, but she was suddenly more interested. "What do you mean?" "I had him stay over there last night... Just to—you know make sure you were being 100 with me." He rubbed a hand over his head. "I know I get crazy sometimes, but I was fucking sick when I couldn't talk to you... you know I start thinking all this crazy shit... I'm sorry." Nicole smiled. She lied, "Oh... so that's why all of a sudden he was so friendly." Nicole looked down at the earrings and back up at Tony. His hazel eyes were pleading, and seemingly sincere. And they almost made it easy to forget that he had been balls deep in another bitch a few hours ago. "Why should I even keep fucking with you, Tony?" He looked confused. "What do you mean?" He really seemed to be caught off guard by her question. "You know how much we love each other, babe." He reached across the table. "You know how much I need you." "Do you , though?" Nicole was really struggling not to slap him. She couldn't let him know how much she really knew about what he was doing to her, thanks to Justin. Usually, she was completely in the dark, and a few sweet words was all she needed to hear. "Of course I do, baby." He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed her fingertips. "I can't do shit without you. You see how crazy I am about you... having Justin check on you... you're all I care about." Nicole started to rebut every word he had just said, "Tony—" "Baby, look." Tony's face changed. He looked down, and around at the other tables at Brio. "I'm going to do something different right now. I'm going to keep it 100 with you." Nicole made a face. Honesty? This was new. "I'm listening." ---------------- When Justin woke up the next morning, he was a little blown when he realized that Nicole wasn't there. He had spent the entire night trying to make up for their less than romantic first time. He made love to her more times than he could remember, slow and deliberately, so that he made sure he delivered on the promise he had made before. The way that she had been moaning, scratching, and begging for him... he definitely didn't think that after last night he was going to wake up alone. And when he checked his phone, he never thought that after last night, he would have a text in his inbox from Nicole that read, "Meeting Tony for breakfast. Hmu later?" He stared down at his phone, not entirely sure how to feel. ---------------- "Say something." Nicole stared across the table at Tony. Over the last few minutes, he had not only divulged the fact that he was cheating on her, but with more than one person. "What the fuck am I supposed to say, Tony?" He shrugged and sat back in his chair. "I'm telling you the truth because I want to change. I don't want you to hear this shit from someone else. So it's up to you whether you want to accept this change or not." Nicole definitely hadn't been expecting this. And she didn't like the way she felt. She had already known about both girls, but never in a million years did she think Tony would admit to anything. She didn't like that she actually felt herself wanting to accept his apology. "How do I know your really changing?"She crossed her arms. "You always say the same shit." "But have I ever admitted to anything?" Tony moved to pull his phone out of his pocket. Then slid it in front of her. "Look, I even text Courtney this morning asking about those earrings." He reached over and tapped the screen. "In fact, go through that shit if you want. I'm done hiding shit from you." Nicole was kind of confused, honestly. Part of her felt like this whole thing was more than sketchy. And oddly timed. For the first time in her life, she actually paid Tony back for the bullshit he did to her... and suddenly he wanted to turn over a new leaf? "Baby, even I'm starting to realize what a piece of shit I am. You have to be able to see a change right now." He reached across the table and put his hand out. Nicole felt guilty as shit. She sighed deeply and slowly put her hand in his. There was something endearing about the smile that spread over his face, but Nicole still had reservations. Mostly because this was not a part of her plan. Last night with Justin was a part of it. A few more times with Justin was a part of it. Getting back together with Tony was not. She knew that Justin was probably going to think she was an idiot. - Justin had decided not to hang around and wait for Nicole to get back from her reunion with Tony. He wasn't sure how he felt, but he knew he wasn't OK with it. It's not like he thought that Nicole was going to leave Tony for him after one night. He didn't even want her to. He didn't want any of the issues that came along with a girlfriend right now. Especially a girlfriend that used to be his best friends. But he thought that he would at least get a few more nights of "Fuck Tony" out of her. That had been her mantra all night and morning, after all. But now? She hadn't even bothered to give him the text back when he asked if she was OK. "She can have him," he mumbled to himself. Justin looked down at his phone a final time, then tossed it to the other end of the couch. He sighed and sat back and picked up the remote. A few hours of mindless reality TV would help him get over this let down. But, before he could even see what the Real Hip Hop Wives of wherever were up to, there was a knock at his door. He sat for second, partially wondering how the hell they got up without ringing his phone, and partially hoping whoever it was would go away. "Justin... it's Nicole." Justin hated how quickly he jumped up then he heard her voice. Hated himself more for how much he wanted to smile when he opened the door and saw her. But he didn't. He kept a straight face. "Oh, hey." He opened the door for her and walked back towards the couch and took a seat. Nicole closed the door behind her and slowly walked in, taking a seat beside him. "I'm sorry I didn't text you back." Justin shrugged and kept his eyes on the screen. "It's cool." He looked towards her briefly and caught a glimpse of how worried she looked. "I was really just checking to make sure shit was coo with Tony." Nicole sighed audibly. "I mean, as cool as it can be." She shifted towards him and pulled her legs up onto the sofa. "He apologized, and admitted a bunch of stuff to me." Justin looked over at her. "And I bet you took him back?" ---------------- Nicole was already nervous about going to see Justin. And the icy cold front he had been trying to put on since she walked in wasn't doing shit to make her feel better. In the car on the way her she had gone back and forth in her head. On one hand, last night has been crazy and perfect. And she had gotten way more than she bargained for. And she definitely wanted more. Last night had made her forget why she even needed someone like Tony in her life. But on the other hand, last night was just sex. It wasn't a promise of love or a relationship, and it wasn't a replacement for what she got from Tony. It was just one night... one mind-blowing and unforgettable night, but still just one night. Her and Tony had years. Fucked up years, but years. And who the fuck was Justin to think he could change that? Or have the right to be mad at her for taking him back? So, when she told Justin about Tony's admissions, the last thing she wanted to hear was criticism. "And I bet you took him back?" He wasn't frowning or grimacing when he said this. Even worse, his face was blank. Nicole's eyes narrowed. "And if I did? What's your deal?" She watched him stand up and cross the room to his kitchen. He silently opened and grabbed a bottle of water. He drank slowly, and pensively. Justin finally turned towards her. "Nicole, why do girls like you put yourself through this shit?" "Girls like me? What the fuck does that mean?" He threw his hands up. "Girls who deserve everything! Nicole, real shit, you're fine as fuck. You have all your shit together... you're fucking smart, accomplished... everything that dudes look for in a wife... but you're still settling for this weak ass bullshit?" Nicole was almost taken aback. She had been ready to be offended. But didn't know how to respond to his angry barrage of... compliments? "Justin, what the fuck kind of person would I be if I didn't give Tony a chance?" Justin laughed. "A smart one, Nicole." He ran a hand through his hair, obviously irritated. He walked back over to the couch and sat beside her. "Nicole... look. Last night..." "—We don't have to talk about that." Nicole stopped him immediately, trying not to blush. "Yes we do." Justin shook his head. "Last night, if anything, was an opportunity for you to be on some different shit. Whether you enjoyed yourself or not, whether you want to do it again or not... last night was about you, and what you wanted to do... right?" ---------------- Justin felt like it took Nicole a fucking eternity to respond to his question. But she nodded slowly. He was beyond frustrated at this point, but he guessed Nicole was one of those people who needed their hands held through a reality check. "... so if last night made you happy, that's all that fucking matters. Tony doesn't. And he hasn't in awhile. When are you going to stop counting on this nigga and move on to finding a situation that makes you happy all the time and not just when shit is good? Nicole looked directly at him and smiled. She raked a hand through her dark hair and sighed. "Justin. I agree with what you're saying. Really." "But?" "I been fucking with Tony for a minute. And I know that there is love between us. I would ultimately regret it if I didn't give him a chance when he's willing to change." Justin shook his head but had to laugh. "I can't fucking believe this." Nicole stood suddenly. "I'm gonna go Justin. I don't think we are going to agree on shit right now." She picked up her purse and walked to the door and Justin stood and followed her. He grabbed her hand as she turned the door knob. He pulled her towards him and embraced her, capturing her in a kiss before she had an opportunity to say anything. Justin pressed her up against the door and let his tongue and lips try to communicate what wasn't coming through with his words. She kissed him back, and he felt her hand on the back of his neck pulling him in deeper. Her other hand was over his, pushing its way up her side, encouraging him to touch the skin beneath her t-shirt. Justin started to pull her back towards the living room, when she suddenly pushed hard against his chest. She was breathing hard, lips swollen, and backing herself towards the door. And without a word, she turned and left him, standing alone in his condo.