19. Oh...So Close!

A few days later

June

Friday

Lilah's P.O.V

"You know, even if you do that, you're not going to get any smarter Justin." I quip, walking towards him.

"You know, that was so funny, I forgot to laugh." He says dryly and I smile while looking at him closely.

"What are you doing anyway?" I inquire out of curiosity.

I finally decided to check up on him after his basketball practice today and I find him in the gym being...well...Justin.

"I'm just chilling, getting psyched up for the big game later tonight before the dance...which you're going to."

"Right..." I drawl, glaring. I still don't do dances and school basketball games, he knows this. But, there's no getting out of it with him. Believe me, I've tried. "And you standing upside down on your hands helps how?"

"It doesn't. This is just fun. You should try it sometime." Justin grins, looking up at me. "The blood rushing to your head takes some getting used to though."

I smirk, brushing his statement off for the most part. "If I ever put suicide by a broken neck on my list, you'll be the first person I call to show me how to do that."

"Cute Lilah." He huffs and I shrug, taking a seat on the closest bleacher since we're in the school gym. "I'd teach you though, if you really wanted to learn."

"I'll pass." I smile.

I can't complain too much here. I mean, Justin's playing Mr. flexible acrobat in only his gym shorts, socks and sneakers. I'm enjoying the view, even with him the wrong side up.

A few seconds later, he drops his feet and stands upright before coming over to take a seat next to me.

He takes in a deep breath, grinning demurely before he leans towards me to plant a kiss on my lips but I'm quicker and I shift away from him, making him kiss the air instead.

He pouts, slicking his hands over his damp bare chest and I swallow hard, trying my best not to gawk.

How long am I going to be able to put up this front like he has no effect on me? How long can I pretend to not want him? This is absurd, yet I feel like I need to make a point but I'm not sure why.

I confuse my own damn self sometimes.

"In case you forgot Justin, we're in school. Public displays of affection are a big no-no." I point out.

He curves a brow at me, pursing his lips with a light shake of his head. "In case you forgot Lilah, I don't give a damn. People are already talking about us anyway."

It's true. Ever since we threw the little house party at Justin's place and people found out I was sleeping over, the rumors started spreading. We realized what was going on when we returned to school on Tuesday and students were openly staring at us.

It would maybe explain why Justin and I haven't spoken about our little bedroom conversation since it happened. I told him I liked him, he told me he liked me too, and that was it, for now at least. We haven't had much alone time since then either.

Rachel and Trace kept us occupied the rest of the week and then Justin had practice almost every day preparing for the big game. I can't say that I'm not relieved.

I personally have no clue where we should go from here and he's obviously not in a rush to clear that up.

Except, the little touches and kisses here and there are starting to bug me.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" I ask, suddenly self-conscious.

"It's been months and I still can't figure you out Lilah." Justin says softly. "And, I'm really good at figuring people out. In fact, I pride myself on that." He hums, keeping his focus on me.

I laugh softly, thinking that he's funny but still very much annoying, in a cute sort of way. "What is this, a Twilight moment between Edward and Bella where Edward wonders why he can't read Bella's mind?" I question. "Give it up Justin, you will never figure me out...but, keep trying though." I wisecrack and he huffs before standing.

"I will figure you out and when I do, I will most certainly break you down until I have you right where I want you." He says seriously and I roll my eyes in a bored fashion.

"Oh, is that a threat?" I mock him and he grins, waving me off as he begins to walk away and towards the locker rooms.

"No babe, that's a promise!"

"Whatever, you wish!" I yell back and he chuckles loudly.

"I'll see you later at the game Lilah. I've got an interview with the media to do when I get out of here but we'll hook up later." Justin calls out.

"Ok! And be nice for the press!" I scold him before he's out of sight.

Seconds later, his head pops out from around the corner. "You know I'll be nice...I'm innocent after all." He gins mischievously before he winks at me and disappears again.

Oh god, that man. I just hope he knows what he's going to say when the questions start rolling. The media has the ability to twist everything you say around. But, it's Justin. He's had tons of practice and experience right? So, he should be ok.

*****

Later...

In the Cafeteria

Justin's P.O.V

When I agreed to do this interview at my manager Johnny's request, I asked that it be kept as private and as impersonal as possible.

Somehow, my requests went unheard or maybe they were just ignored.

"So Justin, what has your experience here at Higher Heights been like so far? I know your fans are dying to know."

I smile tightly feeling slightly uncomfortable as I shift in my seat since this interview is being conducted in the school cafeteria of all places.

It doesn't get more public than this.

There are students lurking by, hanging on my every word and I'm getting really fucking antsy with this setup.

"It's been good. At first I hated it here I'll be honest, but I've warmed up and made some great friends along the way." I admit.

That's not a total lie, but it's not the truth either. Delilah is the only real friend I've made here since I'm very cautious with who I trust. The other friends I have here are really potential artists from my music class I plan on working with once I'm out of here. The public doesn't need to know that yet though.

The reporter smiles, her blues boring into mine as she flips through her notebook.

I hate that there's a microphone and camera being shoved in my face. You would think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. It's all about faking the enthusiasm and smile so you don't come off as a jerk.

"That's good. So, sorry to hear again that you got stuck here against your will. Maybe next time you'll be careful with the answers you give on live television huh?" She jokes and I grin widely.

"Don't try to get me in trouble now." I muse and she giggles but it's fake...I can tell. She wants good gossip but I'm not going to give it to her.

Shit, I can't even remember this woman's name. That's how disinterested I am.

"Of course not Justin. But, I would like to know a few more things before we conclude this interview..."

"Shoot." I say, ready for her.

Judging by her posture and body language, this is where the personal questions kick in. And I've had years of experience to deal with shit like that. So, if she thinks she's going to get anything out of me, she's sadly mistaken.

"There are a few rumors spreading that you may be romantically linked to someone who attends Higher Heights...one of the other students. But, as far as anyone knows, you're still dating Jessica Biel. So, my question to you Justin is, are the rumors true?"

I hesitate, glaring at the reporter with narrowed eyes. I wasn't aware that there were public rumors spreading about me and...well...she didn't exactly call a name here.

Plus, if that were true, Johnny would have called so I'd say she's bluffing.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." I nod for the reporter and she smirks.

"Really? Because I got this from a very reliable source Justin, who also happens to attend Higher Heights."

"I bet you did." I roll my eyes for her, ready for this interview to be over, but she's not letting up.

"Then how do you explain your relationship with a miss..." She pauses, looking down at her notebook and I follow her stare, my heartbeat instantly speeding up when I read the name she's going to say. "Delilah Marshall? How do you explain your relationship with her Justin? Because as far as your fans and the public knows, Jessica is still your only girlfriend right? Or at least, she used to be..."

Swallowing hard, I groan and shift in my seat before tugging on the blazer of my school uniform. Great. Just fucking great. Like I haven't had to deal with this my entire life.

Here we go again...

*****

Later That Night

After The Big Game

Delilah's P.O.V

Well, he did it.

Justin persuaded me to attend their big basketball game which they won and then forced me to attend the dance afterwards.

This is what I get for letting down my guard with him.

But, I will admit the game was amazing. Justin and the rest of the team played their hearts out on that court tonight. Even Ethan and Ryan were looking good out there.

For anyone on the outside looking in, they would be clueless to the fact that Justin and Ethan are mortal enemies because they placed all of that behind them when they were playing. They passed the ball to each other and showed great teamwork.

It was kind of surreal to witness but I am proud of the team. They deserved their win.

After the cheering and excitement was over, some of the students retreated to their dorms to get ready for the dance while others were already dressed and ready to go.

So far, the night has been going well.

I'm wearing yet another dress at Michelle and Sandra's request, but this time, I don't mind.

In fact, this time I was down for looking my best.

I haven't spoken to Justin all day ever since I checked up on him in the gym earlier today.

Word is, he had his interview in the school cafeteria to which some students claimed that he walked out on the person interviewing him in a huff.

I've been meaning to ask him what happened but haven't gotten the chance to yet.

We've both been preoccupied today but I'm hoping that we'll get some alone time tonight.

This past week has been busy but it's also been fun with Rachel and Trace. In fact, I think I might reconsider visiting them in California. I've always wanted to go there too. I'm sure it would be fun like Justin stated. I guess I've just been too stubborn to admit it.

As I sit casually on one of the bleachers in the school gym, since that's where the dance is taking place, I notice my two best girls Sandra and Michelle making their way over to me with Cindy in tow.

Hmm, I hope Cindy isn't mad at me for rejecting her request of helping to plan this dance. I'm sure she didn't think I'd do it a second time around. She was maybe just testing her luck. Everything looks like it turned out great though. It has a spring mixed with summer theme to it.

"Hey girl!" Sandra smiles, taking a seat next to me.

"Hey Sand, how's everything going?" I question, accepting the cup of punch she hands me.

"It's good. We're having fun. You know, exams are over and school officially lets out next week after results come out." She smiles, nudging me playfully and I smile in return.

"I can't wait." I sigh, taking a sip of my drink.

"We missed you this week. We're all going home for our summer break. It's going to be so different being away from here." Michelle speaks up and I shrug, taking another sip of my drink as I eye them silently.

"So, did you have fun with Justin? He told us Rachel and Trace were there when we were in the gym practicing our cheers while the team was training a few days ago." Sandra explains and I nod offhandedly.

"It was an interesting week." I utter. That's all I'm willing to say right now.

"Well, I for one am glad that Justin was able to make a friend here. I'm sure it's hard for him to trust people and open up to them. I mean, I've seen people try to get closer to him since he's been here and he wouldn't let them in past acquaintance level. But, he seems comfortable with you Delilah so that's good. We want him to give positives reviews of our school after all." Cindy vocalizes and I glare at her, a light scowl forming on my face.

"Justin has other friends beside me." I tell her, not sure what she's trying to get at.

"Of course he does. But how many of them has he invited over into his personal life to spend time with him? Sweetie, I'm just saying that I'm happy for the both of you. I told it to you the first time I asked you to show him around campus a few months ago and I'll say it again; you two are good for each other. And don't worry about the rumors either. Personally, I would just ignore them since no one dictates your life but you." Cindy gives me a reassuring smile but I find it hard to even crack a smile for her.

Why do I feel like she paired us up on purpose all those months ago?

"Cindy, can I ask you something?" I state softly.

"Sure hun."

"Why did you pick me out of all the students attending Higher Heights to be stuck with Justin when he first arrived? And don't give me that I was the only volunteer left crap. Anyone could have done what I did for him. It wouldn't have taken much out of their free time."

"Well, Delilah..." Cindy pauses, shifting on her feet but I continue to eye her, taking in the green knee-length dress and heels she's wearing. She's a very beautiful girl. In fact, a lot of the girls who go here are beautiful; which again has me wondering why Justin even stuck around this long. "I knew that I could count on you being yourself with Justin. I knew he didn't have to worry about you using him or trying to get something from him. What he saw was what he was going to get and I really think he needed that with his status since he was somewhere new. He needed someone to trust, someone to rely on and believe it or not, you've always displayed those traits. Plus, you kept him from being distracted." She explains and I frown deeply.

"Wow, in other words, you knew I wouldn't have been a distraction because he wouldn't have taken any interest in me. Since, I'm not beautiful like some of the girls who go here..."

"No Delilah! You have it all wrong!" Cindy quickly interrupts me.

"You're beautiful Lilah!" Sandra states firmly and I glare at her.

"You are sweetie." Michelle confirms only causing me to roll my eyes.

"Spare me...really." I stand, shoving my cup in Sandra's hand as I get ready to leave, but Cindy stops me again.

"Delilah, it had nothing to do with looks. I knew you would have kept Justin from being distracted because of who you are. You didn't take nonsense from anyone including him. Him being a celebrity didn't faze you and that was critical. You kept him grounded and you've always been about getting your school work done. Justin needed that and when his mom required that we paired him up with someone who had such high values and standards, you were perfect."

Wow, well, I guess being a stubborn hard ass has its perks huh? And this is the first mention I've heard of Justin's mom. Obviously, she has a big part to play in his life somehow so I'm going to have to ask him about her sometime.

"Fine Cindy. It's fine. I guess I understand or whatever." I mumble and she nods with an apologetic look on her face. "Will you guys excuse me for a while? I'm going to grab something to eat." I speak up, waving them off.

I don't wait for them to respond as I make my way through the crowd towards the buffet.

When I get there I grab a plate and start piling up small eats like sandwiches and whatever else I can get my hands on.

"You look hungry. Nice black dress by the way...considering you don't wear dresses...hardly. It suits you."

I turn to the side, a soft smirk escaping me before I continue what I'm doing.

"What do you want Ryan?"

He clears his throat uncomfortably, following me down the buffet table.

"Did you talk to uncle..."

"I spoke to dad and I told him what you said about Ethan. He's aware and alert for any trouble Mr. Landing may cause." I assure my cousin.

"Good." Ryan sighs with relief. "Ethan may be my boy but he's going too far. I've told him to leave you alone." Ryan states and I curve a brow at him.

"Oh? And?"

"He, he ignored me, but I'll try my best to keep him away from you." Ryan admits.

"Wow, you do that Ryan." I say sarcastically. "Where is Ethan anyway?" I ask, noticing Ryan's reluctance to respond.

"He's not here. He's not coming to the dance." He voices softly and I nod, grateful for that even if Ryan's behaving suspicious right now. "Shit, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad Justin's there for you." He adds in.

"You mean, like you should be? My own flesh and blood?" I snap at Ryan and he cringes at my harsh tone.

"Delilah..."

"Save it cousin. Because guess what? I'm glad Justin's there for me too, which means I don't need you to be anymore."

"Look I'm sorry Delilah, for everything we've been through." Ryan admits solemnly, but I simply brush him off before grabbing one of the strawberries in the fruit bowl and popping it into my mouth.

"I'll see you next week when we head home. Bye Ryan."

I turn away from him with my plate, about to leave, only to bump into someone's hard chest. "What the..."

I look up, catching a pair of deep blue eyes that gaze down at me before they drift over to Ryan and their stare hardens.

"Is he bothering you?" Justin whispers with a protective hold on my shoulders to balance me.

"Nope. I was just leaving." I voice and Justin nods before releasing his hold on me and leading me away from the buffet table, after giving Ryan his signature death glare.

As we maneuver through the crowd towards the bleachers, I steal a few small glances at Justin, loving the double layered long-sleeved blue and white shirt he's wearing with his jeans and sneakers.

"Well, you popped out of nowhere." I snicker and he looks at me, giving me a huge grin.

"Yeah." He sighs. "Sorry. I would have been here sooner but I had to head back home to change and then order Trace and Rachel to pack their shit so I could drop them to the airport first thing in the morning."

"Oh, I'm going to miss them." I pout and Justin chuckles just as we make it to Sandra and Michelle sans Cindy, thank goodness.

"Well, you could see them again if you came out to visit but it's all good." Justin voices with a hint of discontentment in his tone.

"Justin..." I whine and he groans in response.

"Fine, fine! I give up. Let me take that for you." He demands, pulling the plate of treats I prepared for myself out of my grasp.

"Hey!" I protest but he ignores me, handing the plate to Sandra before telling her and Michelle ‘hi'.

"I'm stealing Lilah here for a while, you guys don't mind do you?" Justin questions, but before they can respond he's dragging me away from them and towards the locker rooms.

I twist my body around and wave goodbye to my friends. When I turn back around, confusion engulfs me as Justin pushes his way through the crowd until we make it into the locker rooms.

He leads us quietly down the halls until we get to the team's showers and changing room.

I look around silently at the brightly illuminated room, taking a seat on one of the benches as he rummages through his locker.

"What on earth are you doing Justin?" I finally speak up with a giggle.

"You'll see..."

"Why are we in here? I'm pretty sure this place is off limits outside of practice."

"Well, I figured we hardly got to hang out today and I wanted us to have some alone time. Plus, I wanted to tell you about my interview."

"Ok, this definitely beats the dance. So how was it? Did you give your fans something to obsess over?" I joke and he grunts before turning to face me with a box in his hand.

"It was horrible. I hate that the media thinks it's their right to check up on me since I've been M.I.A for a while. They asked me about you too, but I told them we were only friends. I'm not sure who lied and told them we were hooking up but I wouldn't be surprised if Ethan had something to do with it." Justin shrugs and I mouth an ‘oh' a little miffed by his statement.

"Well as long as I won't be stalked or anything..."

"You're good." He smiles.

He moves over to me and pulls me up to stand.

I rest my back against one of the lockers as he closes the tiny gap between us until he's practically breathing down my neck.

My heartbeat increases as I continue to look at him befuddled.

"Uh, Justin, you're kind of acting strange." I point out but he ignores me.

"So I've been thinking..." he starts off in a low voice. "And, since you enjoy being hardheaded about coming out to visit me in Cali, I've decided to..." But I cut him off.

If I'm right, he's going to say something along the lines of he'll come to me instead which would be a huge mistake.

"I changed my mind actually."

"You what?" He questions, looking down at me confused.

"You were going to say since I wasn't coming to visit you, you'd come to visit me instead on our summer break right? Well, I changed my mind. I'll come out to visit you guys."

He stares at me blankly, blinking dramatically before his lips curve into a grin.

"Delilah Marshall." Justin voices in a teasing tone. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to prevent me from meeting your family or something." He muses.

Oh he has no idea how right he is.

"No...no..." I lie and he laughs softly.

"It's ok, that's not what I was going to say."

"No? Then what were you..."

"I was going to say that since you weren't coming out to visit, I was going to give you your gift early since your birthday is in August and we're coming back to school in September."

Justin flashes the medium sized box he's holding in his hand for me to see.

When I stretch for it, he quickly roots it away from me.

"Ah ah, now that I know you're coming, you're not getting it." Justin wags his finger in my face and I smack his hand away.

"Aw, come on Justin!"  I whine. "What is it?" I ask curiously but he shakes his head in protest.

"Nuh uh...you'll see when you come out to Cali. Now you have a reason to come; if you want your gift that is." He grins deviously and I groan. I walked right into that trap didn't I?

"Ugh, whatever..." I huff, still eying the gift in his hand at his side.

"You're dying to know what I got you aren't you?" Justin grins triumphantly.

"No." I pout.

"Aw, yes you are. You're so cute." Justin coos, lifting his free hand to graze over my cheek and then my bottom lip.

I watch closely as he swallows hard, his Adam's apple bouncing before my eyes drift to his mouth just in time to see him lick his lips. "I don't know...sometimes Lilah I really think that..." But he drifts, the rest of his words dissipating into a light murmur.

"Sometimes you think what?" I ask almost desperately.

Come on Justin, you can do it. Whatever you're going to say...just spit it out. I'm pretty sure we both need to hear it.

"I mean really, this is going to sound a tad crazy but I really do think..." And he trails again.

It seems like he's not sure how to phrase his thoughts. Ugh! I wish I could read his mind. He's so close...so, so close.

You need to say it Justin. Just say it!

"What Justin?" I ask aggravated and he sighs, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't know if I should tell you what's on my mind. It might be way too soon to even...I mean, I don't want you to run away." He decides and I growl. These half sentences are starting to piss me off.

His eyes widen slightly but he remains mute for the most part.

"You should know me better than that Justin. Speak you mind." I plead but he shakes his head ‘no.'

"Why don't I show you instead?" He suggests.

In that same breath, he leans down before I have a chance to object and plants his lips gently against mine.

I breathe in deeply through my nostrils before my hands are up and in his hair, pulling him closer.

Wow, who is this girl and what the hell is she doing? Why do I feel like I need to feel, taste and touch more of him?

Justin responds like clockwork, his free hand dropping to squeeze my side before he places it against the locker behind me to steady himself.

His frame presses firmly against mine allowing me to feel his hard ripples all the way down to the arousal quickly growing in his jeans.

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest like it's trying to rip through my ribcage as Justin deepens the kiss but still allows me to keep control.

Oh my god...oh my god I want him. I want him so bad it's agonizing. And he wants me too. He has to. That has to be part of what he's trying to tell me.

I almost moan out loud when he suddenly ends the kiss and pulls away from me far enough so he can whisper.

"So? Did you figure it out? What I was trying to say?" Justin questions breathlessly.

All I can do in gaze into his vivacious blues as all my thought processes terminate.

"I..."

But my words are cut short when I hear voices and footsteps quickly approaching us.

It only takes a few seconds before we're greeted by a small group of people as Justin and I remain glued together.

"I think I saw them heading this way which really is against the rules. I was going to give them a few more minutes to come back out before I went looking for them..."

Justin releases a low, angry growl at the sound of Manny's voice, but getting in trouble with the Headmaster is the least of my worries right now.

Why?

Because Manny and his two other guests just walked into our line of sight and I think it's safe to say that I'm the spitting image of someone who's traumatized.

My body seizes up at the sight of Manny, Coach and...and...my...

"Bro?" I swallow harshly, my instincts kicking in immediately.

Justin's head snaps in my direction and his horror matches my own before I shove him away to create some space between us.

My breaths are shallow and sharp and while I was enjoying that Justin was the cause of this a few moments ago, my lack of air is now directed towards the look of murder that flashes over my brother's face.

I know my brother. First impressions are everything to him.

And, considering the compromising position he walked in on between Justin and me, to my bro, Justin is now the enemy.