When Justin got back to the hotel that night, Judy was nowhere to be found. Their room was dark, empty, and untouched. Rachel had stayed at the venue with him, and Trace, well there was no point in asking Trace. He rarely had contact with Judy outside of group conversations. Justin turned back to Mike as he stood in the hall.

"Where's Juicy?"

The big man shrugged and Beth answered.

"She's with Mindy, doing her commentaries for the show."

Justin nodded, walking back into their hotel room. Jon and Beth followed, filming as he stripped off his red hoodie, dropping it onto the bed along with his iPod. Justin let out a sigh as he rolled his neck, trying to work out the kinks in his shoulders. But his mind was wondering.

"What do you think they're talking about right now?" He asked Jon.

The camera crew shrugged, continuing about their work. He smirked at his own silliness. It had been Judy's idea all along to not tell MTV anything about their new found 'relationship' so he had no reason to wonder what was going on in Mindy's room. They were asking her about their friendship, and she was denying it all with an innocent smile.

More and more this new relationship with Judy was beginning to look better. She was casual about it all, as if kissing him was second nature to her. She held her head high in public, kept her personal life personal from the cameras, and still let her hair down when they were alone. She was the perfect balance for his lifestyle.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

He'd heard the door open and knew it was her from the blinding light being shown in his direction.

"Same 'ol same 'ol," she said. "Are you packing?"

"Yeah. You have 20 minutes."

"Okay. I'm pretty much all ready to go as it is."

Justin glanced around the room at her words. Most of her things had been packed away into her overloaded suitcases. It was just a two hour drive to their next stop in Philadelphia, PA. The stop hadn't originally been on their schedule, but was added later after the New York shows sold out with record speed.

The pair finished gathering their belongings and headed down to the lobby and out the back where the busses were waiting on them. Even though they were leaving just after the show had ended, many of the fans had been able to make it from the arena to the hotel as well. Hotel security and local law enforcement had created a human barrier several feet away. Judy could hear the chaotic screams and chanting from the back halls as they drew closer and closer to the door.

Trace was nowhere to be seen, but Rachel was ahead of them, leading the way out the doors and Mike bringing up the rear right behind Justin. The sun had already set, and the smell of diesel was overwhelming as they headed across the lot to the awaiting black bus. Judy glanced over to her right. At the entrance to the parking lot was the human chain of guards, the only thing keeping the group of screaming girls from breaking out in a full blown sprint towards Justin. Rachel ignored them completely, hopping up the steps onto the bus without as much as a glance in their direction.

Judy didn't have to look behind her to know that Justin had done something to acknowledge their presence. Suddenly the black sky was lit up by the flashes of cameras and the screams nearly deafening. Judy continued to silently watch them as she crossed the lot, intrigued by their dedication. Even she was dead tired and she hadn't done much of anything that day, let alone been jumping up and down at a concert for 2 hours wearing high heels. These girls had an amazing stamina.

"No wonder you're so full of yourself," she glanced back at him. "Girls are screaming at you all the time. I can see why you might consider yourself hot."

Even over the noise she could hear his snorted laugh.

"Riiight. Because if they weren't here right now I'd feel really bad about myself," he laughed.

Judy was nearing the bottom step of the bus when she heard her name being called. Her head snapped up to her right, the girls now chanting her name and sending flashes in her direction. It was nowhere near as loud as the way they called Justin's name, but it was still there. They waved at her excitedly when she turned her attention to them, and hesitantly Judy raised a hand to wave back, her cheeks turning crimson when they screamed louder at the gesture.

She probably should have been used to it by then, but every time someone outside of their circle -her world- shouted her name, took a picture, or asked for an autograph it boggled her mind as to what the hell was so memorable about her; a normal nobody from California. A slight push on her shoulder broke her train of thought as Justin impatiently waited for her to board.

"You can stare at your adoring public later," he said. "Right now we have a schedule to keep."

On the bus Trace was lounging on the bench in the front, the mini TV playing some reality show on VH1. Judy headed into the back to lay down for the ride while Rachel called dibs on the bathroom by plugging in her flatiron. She wasn't surprised when Justin came in a few minutes after they'd pulled out onto the street, but she was a little thrown off when he closed the door behind himself. The only time they really closed that door was when an argument was going on, usually between Judy and Trace.

He plopped down next to her, sliding an arm behind her head and pretending to be interested in the episode of I Love Lucy on the TV. When he was silent for a little too long Judy turned her head, studying the side of his face. His jaw was tight, the corner of his bottom lip pulled into his mouth. Despite the act, she could tell something totally opposite of Lucille Ball was on his mind.

After a moment he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and cleared his throat nervously.

"This is the one where she stomps the grapes, right?"

Judy smirked to herself as she continued to stare at him.

"Yeah," she said.

He nodded absentmindedly.

"This one is a classic."

Judy's smirk became a full blown grin.

"What's on your mind, Timberlake?"

He turned to her, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Nothing," he said slowly. "Just thinking."

"With that look, I can only imagine what."

"Oh, I think you know," he said.

His arm curled around her tightly, drawing her body closer to his chest. But Judy immediately shoved him away, sitting up straight.

"Justin," she whined.

"What?" He sat up as well, leaning forward to see her face.

"We can't," she whispered harshly.

"Can't what?"

"We can't do that."

"Why not? We're the only ones in here."

Judy frowned at him.

"Big brother's watching," she said, jerking her head discreetly.

Justin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he watched her. Judy let out an exasperated sigh and jerked her head again motioning toward the corner with her eyebrows. Justin looking up, his features softening when he spotted the forgotten MTV camera mounted in the corner. Big brother really was watching.

"See," Judy said.

Justin sat back, his arms folded across his chest childishly. He'd been thinking about her lips all through the concert, and now when he'd finally gotten Judy alone, they still weren't truly alone. Damn television shows and signed contracts.

"Sorry," she said. "You'll just have to wait until we get to the hotel."

That only made Justin slump further.

It was around one in the morning when they arrived in Philly, the crisp air swirled through the small space when Mike opened the door to exit the bus and check in with the hotel security staff. Justin and Judy were still huddled in the back when Rachel came to get them. Judy had fallen asleep against Justin's shoulder, and he was wide awake watching South Park, one of his knees bouncing with pent up anxiety.

"Time to go."

He nodded, slowly slipping his arm out from under Judy's head. She stirred and cracked open her sleepy eyes to look at him.

"We're here," he stated.

Judy sat up, smiling at Rachel as she stretched her hands above her head. She'd just entered that realm of deep sleep when Justin had woke her up, and now she felt like her body was weighted down by heavy rocks. Justin rubbed a hand across her shoulder blades as she let out a yawn, and then she turned to him.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Let's go."

He stood and offered a hand to her, and she gingerly placed her palm in his. He led her down the small hallway to the front of the bus. Judy could see his exhaled breathes form smoke rings around his head as they neared the open door. She could see the flashlights of the security guards as they patrolled the parking lot, and could already hear the faint murmur of a small crowd as they waited for a glimpse of their favorite celebrity.

Judy had just begun her decent down the stairs when Rachel grabbed her arm, halting her forward movement and therefore Justin's as well.

"What?"

"Justin always gets off first," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Judy shrugged.

"Okay, let me rephrase. Justin always gets off first, alone."

Judy looked thoughtful for a moment before she looked down at her fingers intertwined with Justin's. He was looking back at them with a bored expression.

"Does it really matter?" He asked. "We're just walking off the bus."

"If you two want your little thing to remain a secret it matters."

Justin's eyebrows rose and he climbed back up the two steps to stand next to his cousin.

"Our little thing?"

"Yeah, you two. It's so cute!" She gushed.

His blue eyes shifted from her to Judy, and she shrank back slightly.

"You told her didn't you? I said let her figure it out on her own."

"She did!"

"No way. Rachel is smart, but her mind doesn't work that damn fast."

"Thanks a lot, jerk! I thought guys were supposed to be nicer when they got girlfriends."

"Shh!" Judy scolded.

She could see the lights from the two camera crews as they waited at the bottom of the stairs.

"It wasn't like I had a choice," she whispered. "She basically guessed it on her own, I just clarified a few details."

Justin turned to Rachel, who nodded.

"And it's a good thing she did tell me, because you two suck at hiding this on your own."

"Because you're the queen of secret rendezvous?"

"Are you guys coming? It's cold out here."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Mike who was leaning against the doorway. He was rubbing his gloved hands together in an effort to warm them up.

"We're coming," Rachel said. "Go, Justin."

He glared at her, annoyance clearly evident in his features. Then he jogged down the stairs and toward the hotel. When he had a bit of a lead on them, Rachel and Judy followed behind, ducking their heads at the flashes from the tiny group of girls waiting by the backdoors to the hotel.

"Judy, I love you. You're like, the coolest chick ever!"

Judy glanced up for a moment, smiling at the pre-teen before she passed through the doors. Once inside, they were surrounded by heat, and Mike peeled off his gloves.

"Here's your room keys." He handed them two gray plastic cards. "Call times at 8am."

The girls headed to the elevators and up to the 5th floor, where they split off in different directions in search of their rooms. Judy could tell which one was Justin's by the guard posted next to it, and the two MTV employees standing nearby looking over several pages on a clip board. Judy turned to Steve and his trusty camera.

"How many people does MTV need to film a reality show?"

Steve smirked, but said nothing as he watched her unlock her door and head into her room. It housed a standard King sized bed, covered in a green floral comforter. She dropped her purse onto the floor, turned up the heater a few degrees, and pulled back the blankets. She climbed in, clothes and all, and settled against the rough pillow cases. She heard the door clicked closed as Steve left her alone.

Across the hall and a few doors down, Justin paced impatiently, trying to make the time go by faster. He'd patiently waited -more like pouted- his way through a two hour bus ride just to get to a hotel so he could kiss a girl that he probably shouldn't have been kissing. Then at the last second that whole plan had been thwarted by his prying cousin. Technically he paid her to stick her nose in his business, but he wished she hadn't have done that. He contemplated for a moment calling Judy and asking her to come to his room, but he could hear Mindy's voice in the hall and knew that the producer would love nothing more than to see a half asleep Judy slink down the hall and into his room in the middle of the night.

It was nearing two in the morning, and with a call time of eight, Justin decided maybe it was time for him to go to bed. Judy was more than likely asleep, passed out on top of the blankets because she didn't have the patience to actually get in bed. He changed into his own pajamas -green with little Mountain Dew soda cans- and climbed into bed. He lay on his usual side, leaving room for another person to slip in next to him. Then he sat up and shook his head. Judy had stayed with him two nights in a row and already his autopilot was set for her being there.

He sat up, scooting into the middle of the bed before flinging himself back down against the pillows. This was uncomfortable, he needed more pillows. He pulled one from each side and stacked them on top of each other. Too many pillows. Spreading them back out again, Justin turned onto his side, closing his eyes. This way he was facing the windows, and the moving lights from cars on the street below were distracting even through his closed eyelids. He flipped onto his right side, facing the bathroom and the entry hall. Now all he could hear was silence, and could see a thin strip of light creeping in under the door. Someone walked past, momentarily blocking his beam of light and Justin's eyes narrowed. He turned onto his back, staring up at the plain white ceiling above him.

This was bullshit. Total bullshit. All day long he worked like a dog, his limps were heavy with exhaustion, and now that he was finally in a dark, comfortable room all he could think about was how she was sleeping somewhere else without him.

Stumbling to his feet, Justin climbed out of bed and crept over to the door. He'd been in his room for an hour, Beth and Jon had more than likely retired to their own rooms by now. He put his ear against the door, listening for voices or any movements at all. Thankfully, he didn't hear Mindy. Easing the door open, he saw the shadow of the guard posted next to his door, but didn't see anyone else in the hall. Nonchalantly he stepped out of the room, letting the door fall closed behind him. The guard turned to him, slightly surprised, but nodded to Justin as he moved past him and down the hall, he was a few feet away when he paused and looked back.

"Do you know which room Judy's in?" He asked quietly.

The burly man pointed to a door a few feet down. "121."

Justin nodded a thanks and continued on his mission. He tiptoed down the hall, suppressing the urge he had to slink against the wall and put smears of black paint under his eyes. Who would have thought he'd have to sneak around hotels on his own headlining tour?

Reaching room 121 Justin turned his back to the door, glancing down the hallways in both directions. He was alone in the brightly lit hall, except for the guard keeping watch over his now empty room. Reaching a hand behind him, Justin knocked softly on the door three times, and waited for an answer.

He got none.

Knocking a little louder, he rapped his knuckles against the door again, bouncing on his heels impatiently. Inside he still didn't hear any stirring. Rolling his eyes he lifted his foot, landing a solid kick against the bottom of the door. It rattled loudly against its hinges. Inside he heard a loud thump, followed by muted stomping and muttered curses.

The door flung open and there stood Judy, one hand on her hip, her glaring eyes narrowed into small slits.

"Wha-?"

Before she could finish what Justin was sure was going to be a lecture about what time it was, he pushed past her and into the room, shoving the door closed behind himself. The room had been bright with the light flooding in from the hall, but now they were left alone in darkness. He could hear her breathing, and the shifting of her feet.

"What are you doing? It's 2:30 in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep," he explained.

He didn't need light to see the way she dramatically dropped her head to her chest in mock disappointment. He could hear her feet padding away from him.

"Fine," she said. "Come on."

Heading further into the room he could make out the large bed under the window. Her window over looked the pool, rippling beams of blue and green light danced across her ceiling. Justin climbed over her to lie down on the other side -his side. From here, he couldn't see the strip of light under the door.

Judy was fidgeting beside him, fluffing her pillows and straightening the blankets over her. She was still wearing her tank top and jeans from earlier in the day. Finally satisfied, she settled down and met his gaze across the pillow.

"I was sleeping really well too."

One corner of his mouth raised in an Elvis-esque smirk.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I'll make it up to you."

"How are you going to do that? Turn back time an hour so I can start all over?"

"Better."

She felt his hands under the blankets, smoothing up her arm till it rested on neck, his thumb gently caressing her skin. She could tell by his slow movements that his eyes had already darkened to that familiar navy blue and he was planning a kiss in their near future. Her suspicions were confirmed when he sat up slightly, his face drawing closer and closer to hers. Judy turned her head, feeling his lips graze her cheek. Then she planted a peck on his jaw before she rolled over and snuggled into the bed.

"Goodnight," she chirped cheerfully.

There was silence behind her before the bed started to shift and she heard him grumble low under his breathe.

"…Turn your back on me," he said.

A strong arm snaked around her and she felt her body being hauled across the bed, her back pressing against something warm and solid. A wide grin spread across her lips, and she wiped it away quickly before rolling over to look up at him.

"Can I help you?" She snapped. "It is the middle of the night and some people need their beauty rest."

She was teasing him, and they both knew it. Justin didn't bother giving her an answer. He felt his fingers brush her cheek, holding her head still as he tilted his head down. They kissed lightly, her bottom lip between both of his. All at once her body felt alive with electricity, and she held as perfectly still as she could for fear that she might do something to ruin the moment.

He kissed her again, more intensely as his body settled over hers. She could feel his weight pressing down on her torso, his hands tracing delicate patterns on her skin. This was definitely better than sleeping.

"Judy!"

Instantly she knew who it was. Rachel's voice was a voice you could recognize anywhere, especially when it was being shouted at you down an echoing hallway. Judy's feet picked up speed.

"Juice pop Bucklass, don't act like you don't hear me."

Try as she might, Judy wasn't able to out speed walk Rachel down the long corridor. The older brunette quickly caught up to her, striding happily along her side.

"So, I see Justin's love of juice related nicknames is starting to spread."

"Indeed, although I don't think anyone will be able to come up with as many variations as he does."

"Thank God."

"So," she began with a chestire grin. "What happened after everyone checked in last night?"

Judy dropped her gaze to the floor as they turned a corner on their way to the arena floor, letting her hair block her face from Rachel's vision.

"What do you mean?"

Rachel snorted.

"Judy, how long have we been on the road together? I thought we were closer than this. Not to mention, you dry hump my favorite cousin on a daily basis."

That remark earned her a glare and she giggle lightly.

"Okay, okay. Word on the street has it that when Mike went to wake Justin up this morning he wasn't in his room, and the guard that was supposed to be posted outside his door was posted outside of yours instead."

"Okay."

"So, guess who's room Jon and Beth got footage of him sneaking out of at six o'clock this morning -looking rather rumpled might I add."

Judy already knew who's room Rachel was referring too. She'd been woken up by Beth's bright lights and Justin grumpily shouting at them for some space.

"Rach, I'm not really seeing the point here."

The pair stopped outside the metal double doors that lead to where the Meet and Greet and sound check were already under way.

"My point is, dear little inexperienced one, that if you and Jay want to keep your adorable little romance under wraps you're going to have to be a little more careful. That means not doing things like sleeping in each other's beds or holding hands when you get off the bus."

Judy merely shrugged.

"But what is the big deal? Justin and I always held hands before, and I've slept in his room plenty of times. We even did that stuff on Senior Year."

"And all along people have been asking you what the deal was with you two. How many interviews did you do denying that you were anything more than platonic? Tons. And the more you keep doing it, the more people are going to keep asking questions, and this time you really are hiding something. What if you slip up?"

Judy gnawed at her bottom lip. Rachel did have a good point. The more she and Justin looked like they were playing house, the more people were going to wonder if they were doing more than just playing.

"But no one is paying any attention to us," Judy argued.

"My 'fan club'," she made air quotes with her fingers, "consists of a hundred twelve year olds."

Rachel's eyes widened.

"A couple hundred twelve year olds? Honey, you have no idea what is going around you, do you?"

Judy looked confused and Rachel dig into the stack of papers she'd been carrying and pulled out a magazine. She hurriedly flipped a couple of pages and then shoved the booklet into Judy's hand. She glanced down at it, her mouth dropping open when she saw pictures of herself.

"What is this?"

"This is the fashion forward section, featuring you."

"I'm in a magazine? About clothes?"

"And makeup. See right here were you're doing that cobalt blue gunmetal eye shadow combo I taught you? They LOVED that."

Judy took in Rachel's satisfied grin before turning her attention back to the colorful pages in front of her.

Justin's Girl Gets A Dose of Fashion Confidence, it said.

In the top left corner was a picture of her when the tour had just begun. Her eyes were encircled by thick lines of black liner; her faithful beige sweater was wrapped tightly around her awkward frame. Below it were various pictures of her in more recent days, a blue bubble hem dress, a yellow sequin tank, her beloved gray boots she'd slept in for the first 3 days after Justin had bought them for her. Surrounding those pictures were little comments and inserts on where readers could get their own inexpensive versions of her outfits.

"What do they think, I'm gonna be a fashion icon or something?"

"That's exactly what they think," Rachel said. "And twelve years don't give a damn about this magazine. This is aimed towards college girls and young professionals. Your fan base is alive, thriving, and consist of a hell of a lot more than a couple tweens. You better get used to it."

Judy let out a heavy sigh. While they had begun the conversation talking about hiding her budding romance with Justin, a much heavier, more important problem had reared its ugly head. Inside, the wheels in her head had begun to turn. If she was in this magazine then she was probably others. Those magazines were probably sold in stores all over the country, in places like Los Angeles, Central Valley, and even Travis Air Force Base.

"Okay," Judy said regretfully. "What exactly do you suggest we do?"

Justin was standing in front of the dressing room mirror, hooking his suspenders to his pants. The shirt was warm against his back, having just come back from a last minute press. His nervous hands smoothed out invisible wrinkles once he'd pulled the straps up over his shoulders. This outfit had already been through countless shows and it still looked as clean and sharp as it had during the very first show. He leaned forward, checking in the sprouting curls in his hair and adjusting his cuff links once again.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, and done with his nervous fidgeting he turned to Rachel as she sat on the couch looking over his itinerary for tomorrow. He was ready for his shoulder rub before heading out to the stage, but there was one small problem with that.

"Where did you say Judy was again?"

Rachel looked up, glancing at him over her shoulder with a shrug.

"I don't know," she said. "I think she went to get you water or something."

Justin picked up the chilled bottle on this vanity and tossed it into the air, catching it with his other hand.

"You already got me water, like 20 minutes ago."

"Oh," she said. "Well, maybe she's hiding out on the bus again. You know she does that sometimes."

Justin frowned. Yeah, she did do that sometimes, but something was always wrong when she did.

"I'm gonna run out to the buses," he said.

Rachel's eyes widened into the size of saucers as she jumped from her seat on the couch, the papers in her lap falling to the floor. Justin barely had time to crease his brow at her reaction before the door behind him opened.

"You can't go out to the buses." Rachel's voice was a little higher than normal. He could tell she was panicking.

"Who's going to the bus?"

Justin turned to find Trace, a bottle of vitamin water in his hand and a WR sketch book tucked under one arm.

"I am. I just want to check on Judy for one second."

"You don't have time to go out there, the show starts in less than 5 minutes."

"Yeah," Trace agreed. "Besides, Judy isn't even on the bus."

"Huh?"

"I just came from there, Judy wasn't on it."

"Are you sure?"

Trace made a face at him.

"I know I'm not the most observant person in the world, but the bus isn't so big that I'd miss an entire freaking person."

Justin turned back to Rachel, squinting at her alarm expression.

"Rachel, where's Judy?"

She opened her mouth, stammering a bit as she shrugged. Justin knew her well enough to know that she was stalling. Before he could question her again, the door opened and Mason cautiously poked his head in.

"Time to go," he said.

He peered around the door, surveying the entire room. Finding no sign of Judy, Mason sighed and opened the door all the way and stepped in with a relieved look. It was a look Justin wanted to slap off of his face, but Mason's all too happy demeanor was the least of his concerns right now. He turned back to his cousin.

"Rach, where's Judy?" Justin asked again.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe she went to watch the opening acts. I swear Jay, I have enough trouble keeping up with your busy schedule, do you really expect me to keep an eye on Judy too?"

Justin shook his head, not believing her for a moment.

"I know you're lying Rachel. I can tell, because the look on your face is the same one you had when all those rubber spiders mysteriously appeared under Trace's bed when we were 7."

Trace's eyes shifted accusingly to Rachel.

"That was you?!"

"Just tell me what you're hiding. Is something wrong? Is she hurt? Where did she go?"

He was growing more and more irritated by the second. It must not have been something serious or Rachel would have told him by now. But not knowing her whereabouts was beginning to piss him off. Judy had never missed their pre-show ritual of shoulder rubbing before.

"Justin, I hate tin interrupt whatever is going on here but we have to go. You've only got a few seconds to make it to the platform on time."

Once again, the duties of his career were getting in the way of matters that seemed more urgent and important. This was the balance between personal and professional that celebrities were always complaining about.

"You," he pointed a steady finger at the girl. "Don't go anywhere. I want to talk to you as soon as the show is over. And you better have an answer to my question."

When Justin turned his back followed Mason out of the room, Rachel put her hands on her hips and childishly stuck her tongue out at him. Trace smirked, plopping down on the sofa and opening his sketch pad to a blank page.

"So, what do you want to say?" He asked.

"What?"

"You know, for your last words. What do you want me to tell people you said, cause when he comes back he's gonna kill you."

Back at the hotel, Judy was 5 episodes in to a Cops marathon on FOX. She'd always been a fan of the Bad Girl episodes, but aside from that she'd never been a fan of this show. But with hotel cable, she didn't exactly have a ton of options. It was a little after eleven at night and she'd been stuck here a lone for hours.

She and Rachel had put their heads together and decided that a little distance from Justin was what she needed. Not because her newfound feelings for him were beginning to slip, but because being on the road put them under a much more public spotlight than she had expected. She'd still see Justin on the bus, and late nights after the MTV crews had gone to bed, they just needed to be a little more careful about it.

But now she was starting to regret her hasty decision to leave the arena. It was boring being in this room alone for hours on end. It was one thing when Justin was working and she had Rachel to keep her company, but this was completely boring.

Sick of listening to the bad boys, bad boys theme song Judy climbed off the unmade bed and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. She hadn't eaten in hours, having skipped the usual buffet dinner at the venue. A quick trip to the restaurant in the lobby was better than nothing. The hallway on their floor was nearly deserted, and she studied her reflection in the elevator doors as she waited for it to arrive. She'd felt pretty good about her appearance that morning. Dark skinny jeans, a teal slouchy tank top, and dark wood wedges were stylish, right? But now she felt as if her shirt was too baggy, her shoes out of date. She wished Rachel had never shown her that stupid magazine. It was a lot easier for her to feel good about herself when she didn't think anyone besides Justin gave a crap.

Stepping off the elevator, he shoes clacked against the marble floors of the lobby as she headed toward the busy restaurant. None of the fans from earlier in the day remain, they were all undoubtedly at the arena, screaming and sharing stories of how Justin had looked directly at them during part of a song.

"Good evening, how many in your party?"

The host behind the podium greeted her with a grin. Judy looked around the restaurant; it was noisy with the voices of the several dozen patrons taking up the many tables.

"Actually I just wanted to get something to go."

"No problem," he said, producing a long plastic menu. "Let me know when you're ready."

Judy moved over to the side, leaning against the wall as she went over the menu options. They offered an array of pastas, burgers, pizzas, finger foods and vegetarian options. She was looking over the pasta dishes -wanting something heavy that would induce sleep- when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

It was probably Justin, on the bus back to the hotel.

"Hello?"

"Oh, so you're not completely avoiding me, just avoiding seeing me."

Judy's shoulders slumped, the menu now forgotten.

"I'm not avoiding you at all Justin."

"Really? Scheming behind my back with Rachel on ways to not spend time with me certainly sounds like avoidance."

"We'll we're not very good schemers if you know about it. I thought you said Rachel could keep a secret."

"She can, from everyone except for me. Now, what's going on? Since when do you go hang out at the hotel alone? And how did you sneak away without Steve? He's been carrying that camera around looking for you."

Judy shifted uncomfortably. This wasn't exactly the most appropriate place to be having this conversation. Who knew how many of the employees milling around were keeping this ears perked up for any little bit of gossip they could sell to a tabloid.

"I just needed a quiet place to think."

"About?"

Judy lowered her voice to a low mutter only he'd be able to make out.

"Rachel showed me a magazine article, all about my clothes. Experts were rating my outfits and giving designers details. It was weird."

"Congratulations."

"What?"

"Congratulations. Most women aren't deemed worthy of getting spreads in magazines like that. You should be proud of yourself."

"Justin, this isn't exactly a cause for celebration. I didn't realize how in the public eye I'd be, and it's making me a little nervous."

"Does this have anything to do with Ben?"

Judy's voice dropped even more.

"Okay, I know Rachel didn't tell you that because I didn't even mention Ben."

"You think I need Rachel to tell me when you're worried about Ben? Why do you have such little faith in me?"

"Jay," she sighed.

"Juicy, just tell me what's on your mind. Are you worried that he's gonna see you in some magazine and come looking for you? Does Ben even read fashion magazines? I knew there was something weird about that guy."

Judy snorted a laugh.

"He doesn't read them, but that doesn't mean someone else on base won't see it and point it out to him. I'm supposed to be lying low and now my face is splashed across the homepage of Instyle.com."

"Juicy, you do realize that you're on your second season of a very popular reality show, right?"

"Yes, but the show isn't airing yet. I was supposed to have time to do the show, get the check, and go into seclusion before he even knew I'd contacted you again."

"Seclusion? You sound like a bad Lifetime movie."

"Justin!" She shouted with aggravation and stomped her foot.

The host looked up from the pad he'd been writing on and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry." Judy smiled apologetically and turned around, facing the wall.

"Who are you talking to? Where are you?"

"I'm having a temper tantrum in front of the restaurant in the lobby and this is no time to make jokes."

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "It's just I've never heard of anyone having such a meltdown over getting compliments in a magazine."

As if a printed compliment was the only thing she had to worry about.

"I guess I'm just not used to anyone caring about where I am or what I'm wearing."

"I care where you are."

For the first time since they'd gotten on the phone, Judy smiled genuinely.

"I know. Thanks."

"And I care what you're wearing too. So feel free to model potential outfits for me anytime you need help. I prefer underwear, but I'm open to other ideas too."

The tender moment was gone and shook her head at the phone.

"You're perverted."

"Is this news to you?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Surprisingly, no it isn't."

"I'd hope not. Otherwise you don't know me at all. Now, listen, here's what we're gonna do: you're gonna order whatever you want for dinner, and you're gonna get a double bacon cheeseburger with extra fries for me. When they ask you how you'll pay you're gonna charge it to your room. In about a half an hour, I'm gonna leave the door to my room propped open-."

"Why are you gonna do that?"

"So you can sneak in. Duh! We're gonna eat dinner, you're gonna explain to me what it is exactly you and Rachel have planned, and we'll figure out the evil Instyle.com website situation before we leave for Chicago in the morning. Okay?"

Biting her lower lip to stop the smirk threatening to overcome her features, Judy nodded despite the fact that she knew he couldn't see her.

"Okay."

"Okay. I don't know what you and Rachel were hoping to accomplish by sneaking away from me anyway," he grumbled cockily. "As if I wouldn't be able to figure it out."

"I'm sorry, we'll never underestimate your intelligence again."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate a little credit. See you in a half hour."

"See you."

As she hung up the phone, the faint smell of diesel floated in from the open doors in the lobby. The buses were back, meaning Justin was as well. If she wanted to beat the rush of hungry techies she'd have to order now.

"Are you ready?" The host asked as she stepped back over to the podium.

"Yes. Can I have one order of the chicken broccoli fettuccini, and one double bacon cheeseburger with extra fries?"