Chapter 4

They landed, rushed off the plane with their bags, and grabbed a cab.  They got to the hotel and checked in. Justin changed his shirt and looked at Jenn.

“This look ok?” She nodded in approval. 

“Sexy but comfortable. That’s the Justin I know.”  She held him close and kissed him. She grabbed his ass and gave him a look. 

A knock on the door broke their moment. “Later,” she said. 

“Definitely,” he answered. 

They went downstairs with Angela and got into a car for the studio. They were whisked into hair and makeup for Justin before getting on set. Soon Angela and Jenn sat off to the side of the studio while Justin and the reporter chatted. 

“What was your inspiration for this album?” 

“Well, a lot of it was really personal, based on moments in my life.”

“Anyone special in particular?” the reporter pressed. 

“I’ll let the songs speak for themselves on that. Draw your own conclusions on who they might be.”

He’s good, Jenn thought. Great deflection.

She knew there was one song that could be about Britney, but she knew most of it was for her. 

“What about SexyBack? What was the inspiration there?”

“I heard the beat, and a conversation my girlfriend had with her friends popped into my head.”  

“I thought I was off limits,” Jenn whispered to Angela. 

“They couldn’t really ask, no, but if he offers anything up it’s on him. He knows what he’s doing, Jenn. It’s not like you guys are a complete secret at this point where it would be shocking,” Angela rationalized. 

...

The interviews ended, Justin was smooth and confident, Angela seemed pleased by how they’d gone. Justin had a smile on his face, he clearly thought they’d gone well too.

They got back outside and got in their private car for the hotel. 

“I wish you hadn’t mentioned me,” Jenn breached the subject. 

“Why? It’s not a secret,” Justin defended. 

“I want them to like your songs on their own, not because your girlfriend inspired them.” Jenn continued. 

“What’s done is done, no point in worrying about it. They could decide to cut that part,” Angela suggested. Jenn laughed in disbelief. 

“It’ll probably be the most watched part of the interview and increase album sales. I know we WANT that, but at what cost to our relationship?” Jenn asked. 

“It only affects our relationship if we let it. Thick skin, remember?” Justin said. 

She knew he was right. She had been worried about this when he was filming and the press around his first big movie role. She did well in spite of her nerves, being so public about their relationship for the first time. Now was no different. He’d be going on tour soon, which opened her up to a lot of criticism from fans one way or the other. 

She nodded. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. “We’ve got this. We went through hell and back together. We made it through that, we can make it through anything. 

She looked at him, tears welling up. Thankfully dad was in remission, but it was a rough road to get there. She had Justin by her side when she needed it most. Now he needed her.