"You gotta be fucking kidding me right now!" Justin was thinking it but Cherish vocalized it for the both of them.

Bobby was seething. "What the fuck's going on here!?" He glared down at the two of them, Justin kneeling, hands still planted firmly on Cherish's knees.

Cherish simply turned her chair back around and opened the file folder. "Nothing's going on Bobby." she huffed.

Justin slowly got up on his feet and rested his butt up against the edge of the desk. He folded his arms across his chest and started to explain. "I got drunk last night…She was just helping me home."

Bobby stalked forward and got in Justin's face. "I wasn't fucking talking to you, JT."

Cherish jumped up to stand in between them. Justin never flinching once, raised his hand, signaling for her to stay put. "I'll talk to you later, Cherish." he said, never breaking eye contact with Bobby. He stood up straight and said, "Listen Bobby, I don't have any beef with you.  But if there's something you wanna discuss, you know where to find me."

Knowing Cherish was more than capable of taking care of herself, Justin walked out the door, closing it behind him. He was this close! Justin walked down the corridor, punching his fists into the air, frustrated by the fact that he was interrupted during his quest for answers. As he descended down the stairs he could see the little boy from the day before sitting at a table nearby and pulling books out of his book bag,  tapping his foot on a basketball on the floor under his feet. Anne Marie was sitting with him and talking to him about his day. Justin stayed in the shadows and watched him, too afraid to be seen or even approach them. "...Get out! You got an A? We studied our butts off for this one! Anne Marie laughed. "I think that deserves one of Darla's specialty shakes, don't you?"

"Yes!" the boy gleamed.

Justin smiled as the boys eyes lit up. "Extra chocolate please!"

"You got it boss!" she said, before running her fingers through his curly hair, making him frown and push her hand away so he could fix it.

Justin jumped slightly when Anne Marie spotted and called out to him. He quickly pulled his hoodie over his head, terrified that the little boy would somehow see him. "Yeah? What's up?"

Anne Marie raised an eyebrow as she watched him suspiciously slide around the corner and ahead of her towards the bar. "Ummm…I was just gonna tell you Jimmy had them re-do your order since you were upstairs. Let me get it for you."

"I'll come with you," he said, quickly grabbing her arm and pushing her in the back kitchen so as not to be seen by the youngster.

After getting his food from Jimmy, Justin ducked out the side door and headed straight back to his fathers house. He sat on couch staring at the television, not really paying attention to what was going on. His trip back to Boone had turned into a mission for answers, and Justin had no idea what the hell he was going to do now. If he was too scared to come face to face with a mere child, how in the hell was he going to broach such a massive conversation with Cherish after 10 years?  Justin sighed deeply, before getting up from the couch and placing the Styrofoam container of half eaten food into the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. He didn't want to sit around the house all afternoon drowning in his own thoughts, so he decided to jog over to the basketball courts to toss the ball around and clear his head.

=================================

"…That's not what I'm saying, Cherish!"

"Then what are you saying, Bobby?"

"You weren't home and I hear from the guys that your car was parked in front of his house all night! Why wouldn't I wonder if something happened between the two of you!?"

"I would think you'd know me well enough to know that I wouldn't do something like that!"

Cherish sat and explained the vomit filled, horrific events from the night before that she endured, but Bobby was not amused nor satisfied with her explanation. "...The two of you have a history. A history you're very tightlipped about. I know I don't have any real claim to you, but you know the mere mention of the guy makes my blood boil!"

"Bobby, I've had a long night and even longer day. I've got a kink in my neck. I'm sore from sitting in a chair all night and I'm completely exhausted! All I wanna do is finish up this paperwork and head straight to the bathtub."

Bobby walked over behind her and began to gently massage her neck. She closed her eyes and moaned, "Yeah, down just a bit... right there…"

"I think it'd feel much better if we were doing this in the tub." he smirked as he continued to gently rub her shoulders.

Cherish didn't know how to tell Bobby she preferred to be alone in said tub. She silently whispered a prayer of thanks when his cell phone began to ring. She playfully reached behind him and grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and looked down at the caller ID. "...It's her." she said,  lifting the phone over her head to hand it to him.

"Let it go to voicemail." he instructed as he continued to massage her shoulders.

"Why?"  I thought she invited you to Nashville for the weekend?"

Bobby stopped massaging and looked down at her. "I don't know why you keep tryna push me off on her."

"Because you like her.  And I want you to be happy." Cherish stated matter-of-factly before grabbing a pen to write.

Bobby snatched the pen from her hand trying to get her to look at him. "I'd be happier with you."

"No…you wouldn't." Cherish said, looking away and pretending to read over the documents in front of her.

"You keep saying it, but you never explain why you believe that bullshit."

"Bobby, I love you, but I just can't give you everything you want. And she probably can.  I don't want you to miss out because you were waiting on me."

Bobby leaned down, catching her chin in his hand and gently lifting her head up to make eye contact, "You're worth waiting for, Cherish."

=================================

On his way back from the basketball courts, Justin spotted Cherish walking out of the bar with the little boy and Bobby not too far behind them. He slowed his pace to watch them. Bobby tossed the kid the basketball and pretended he was a commentator, while chasing after the boy, "Jordan fakes left, he fakes right…he dribbles the ball between Ewings' legs…"

Justin turned away quickly so as not to be seen and continued to watch them in the reflection of the glass storefront.  Bobby ran ahead of the little boy and opened his arms wide, pretending it was a basketball hoop, "...and with 5 seconds on the clock, Jordan dribbles over to the basket and dunks it for the win!"

 A strong twinge of discomfort began to build in the pit of Justin's stomach as he watched Bobby playing with the kid. It was an ache Justin had never felt before and would give anything not to feel again.

"...And the crowd goes wild!" Cherish rooted, opening her arms to hug the boy tightly to her chest. "Do you forgive me for not being there last night?"

The little boy nodded his head as he held onto her waist, still hugging her. "I love you!" she smiled, leaning down and kissing him on his cheek.

"Love you too." he smiled.

"Okay, now hurry up so you're not late! And make sure you put on your seat belt!"

Bobby walked over to Cherish and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, leaning her chin against his chest and looking up at him. "Make sure he puts on his seat belt please." Cherish begged.

"Okay" he smiled down at her, leaning in to kiss her.

"And don't let him drive!"

Cherish watched as Bobby rounded the car and got in, making sure the boy had on his seat belt before backing out of the parking space to leave. Cherish waved goodbye as they drove off down the road. She looked across the street and could see Justin slowing walking by.  She wondered to herself if he'd he'd been there awhile or if he'd just come around the corner. She expected him to come over and try to talk to her again, but instead he just kept walking, never once looking her way. She turned around to head back inside and glanced at him one last time, secretly hoping he would change his mind and come back.

"So do I have to beat it outta you or what?" Anne Marie asked as Cherish walked in the door.

"Beat what out of me?"

"What the hell is the deal with you and Justin!?"

What do you mean?" Cherish feigned. "Nothing. We dated a long time ago. He's just my ex. "

"Yeah....just an ex...okay." Anne Marie rolled her eyes before taking an order from the man sitting at the bar.

"Bitch, You owe me big time!" a voice called from behind.

"Oh Jesus, Caroline!" Cherish exclaimed slightly startled. She reached over and hugged her best friend tightly, "Thank you so much! I'm so sorry about last night!"

"I, personally, woulda left JT's ass to choke on his own vomit, but then again, I've known him longer than you." Caroline walked over and plopped her purse down on an empty stool and took a seat next to Cherish at the bar.  "All I wanna know is when he's leaving, so I can avoid him at all costs. I can't afford a manslaughter charge for runnin him over with my car...even though it'd be considered justifiable homicide."

"Don't hold back...Tell us how you really feel." Anne Marie laughed as she placed the customers drink on the bar.

Cherish wanted to continue their conversation, but the bar was too crowded with familiar faces, eavesdroppers, and gossips.  She grabbed two beers from behind the bar and motioned for Caroline to follow her upstairs to the office. Caroline sat on the couch and listened as Cherish brought her up to date.

"...So what did Bobby say after Justin left?"

"He asked me again what happened at Timberlake's. I told him again, and again…" Cherish recounted her and Bobby's exchange.  "I basically told him what I have always told him. He needs to find someone who can love him the way he deserves. He just said he was going to make himself scarce for a while, which is code for him going over to Ripley to be with that chick he messes around with from time to time.

Caroline took a sip of her beer before responding. "I mean I know the two of you aren't exclusive, but I'd have a problem with the guy I'm dating fucking someone else. But you welcome it!"

"The fact is, I should be jealous.  I should have a problem with it, but I don't."  Cherish shrugged.  "I love Bobby to death, but it's just not the same. I don't know if I've closed myself off and shut down or what. I want it to be different. I want to feel different. I've tried…I just..." Afraid to say anymore Cherish simply said, "...I just want Bobby to be happy. If this girl makes him happy then so be it."

"But what is going to make Cherish happy?" Caroline asked. "You're always worried about everyone else and you never take the time to worry about yourself. You have a big heart and I love you for that, but you're no where near as happy as you could be, Cher.  And allowing Justin to have access to you when what you really should be doing is telling him to stay the fuck away is concerning me.

Cherish tried to explain herself, "Since he's been here I've found I can't just push him out of my life like I had hoped."

Caroline took a long sip of her beer before speaking. "Justin comes back into town after 10 years…10 years with no word, no call, no letter, no concern for you whatsoever and you still let him back in, Cherish. I just can't understand that."

Cherish sighed deeply, "He'll always be the exception to the rule, Caroline.  I can't explain it to you…to myself either."   She stood up and walked over to the window, peering down the street where she had last seen him. "The day he left it felt like someone pressed paused on my life and I've been standing still.  The second I saw him again it felt like someone pressed fast forward and finally let the tape play. "

=============================

Cherish sat at the bar counting money and writing figures down in her log book as Anne Marie filled up napkin holders. Cherish could feel her eyes staring holes through her. "What is it, Anne Marie?"

"This town's full of gossips, yet no one can tell me exactly what happened with you and JT. I find that intriguing in a small town like this."

Cherish looked up at her and sighed. "Well I didn't really grow up in this small town, so I'm pretty good and keeping my business to myself…which is what you should be doing, nosey."

"Well it's obviously something big enough for your best friend to be talkin' bout runnin him over with her car." Anne Marie laughed.

Cherish chuckled at the thought. "Caroline's way too dramatic."

"Did you love him?"

"…Very much so." Cherish answered almost in a whisper. And there it was again. That heavy pain in her chest that she'd felt the moment she laid eyes on Justin the day before.  Cherish cleared her throat. "And that's all I'm willing to admit to today. Now hurry up and finish so we can get the hell outta here."

After closing up the bar a little after eleven, Cherish slowly drove down Eighth Street and stopped in front of the house.  It took three shots of Jack Daniel's and a pep talk with herself to decide to go over to Justin's dads, but when she got there none of the lights were on inside and his black truck was surprisingly missing.  She got out and knocked on the front door anyway, but there was no answer.

"…Justin?"  He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the nurse standing over him. "Did you want me to get you a blanket and pillow?"

He looked down at his watch and saw it was eleven thirty. "Sorry, I fell asleep.  I'm just gonna head home."

As he walked up the porch steps to the house, Justin noticed a brown paper bag sitting in front of the door. He leaned down and grabbed the bag and looked inside to find the clothes he had lent Cherish, freshly washed and neatly folded along with a note that simply stated, "Thank you-C."

Realizing  Cherish had stopped by while he was out, Justin cursed to himself, slamming the front door behind him.