"Hi, Grace. I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you," Justin waved, a look of bewilderment on his face. Zenia immediately felt bad that Justin's plan had been derailed.


Grace made her way over to the two, looking up at Justin. "Are you my mommy's boyfriend?"


Zenia interrupted before Justin could answer. "No, honey. We're just friends. Why don't you go watch the movie? I'm going to talk to Justin really quickly in the kitchen."


Graced nodded before hesitantly going back to the couch and it didn't take long before she tuned them out.


Zenia led Justin into the kitchen and they both took a seat on either side of the small dining table. Justin was eerily quiet, which was unlike him lately. 


"So, I'm sorry I didn't mention that I had a kid," Zenia started nervously wringing her hands. "I just didn't know how to bring it up. I actually haven't had any men around her ever so this is all new to me. I wasn't sure if you'd even want to continue to talk to me if you knew. There's just so much unknown when it comes to this. I understand if you want to leave. I'm sorry I ruined your surprise."


"Zenia, stop." Justin reached his hand out to touch hers. "First, I wish you would've told me. I am a little surprised, but it doesn't change anything for me. I still really like you. Secondly, I would love to have a movie day with the both of you, that is if you're okay with  it."


Zenia blinked and looked at him in confusion. "You're not mad at me?"


"No, I'm not."


Zenia looked down at his large hands that were still enclosed around her smaller ones, noting how good it looked and felt.


"Thank you for being understanding. Wanna join us and watch your own movie?" She laughed, nervously.


"I'd love to. So, who's going to tell her Branch is sitting in her kitchen right now?" Justin joked.


"I think you're going to get major brownie points with Gracie for that."


"That's my plan, then hope to get a couple points with you too," he winked.


--


It took a little time, but Gracie warmed up to Justin. Once they told her that Justin was Branch in the movie, she was sold on Justin. She asked him to sing some of “Can’t Stop the Feeling” to prove it, and he sung a line or two to appease her. Her little brown eyes were wide with amazement.


They all spent the rest of the day watching kid friendly movies and snacking on chips and popcorn. Justin caught himself looking at Zenia and Grace and envisioning what it would be like if this was his own little family. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head, convincing himself that all he and Zenia were both looking for was a platonic relationship.


After pizza for dinner, and in the middle of The Lion King, Grace fell asleep in Zenia’s lap. She pushed the soft brown curls away from Grace’s face and kissed her forehead and sighed. Justin looked over at the scene admirably.


“You’re such a good mom, Zenia,” he said softly.


Zenia locked eyes with him and smiled, “Thank you, Justin. That means a lot.”


After a bit of a struggle, she managed to get up holding Grace and carried her to her room where she tucked her in. When she returned to the living room, Justin patted the seat beside him, inviting her to sit.


“Today was fun. Thank you for staying,” Zenia said looking up at him.


“Don’t thank me. I wanted to stay.”


 He looked at the woman before him who was dressed comfortably in a pair of sweats and a tank top, her messy curls atop her head in a bun, and not a stitch of makeup on, and he thought she looked more beautiful than the night they met when she was all dressed up. He could tell that she was much more comfortable in this attire, and that alone made her more attractive in his eyes.


“So, now that we’re alone, what do you want to do? Do you want to pop in one of the movies you brought?” She asked. Zenia had a great time as a trio but was looking forward to having some one on one time with Justin, and she hoped that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. 


“Sure. You pick,” he replied.


She picked the latest Spider-Man movie and popped it in, then reclaimed her spot beside Justin. He looked at her surprisingly, “You like Spider-Man?”


“Yep. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Timberlake.” She grinned.


He placed an arm around her shoulders, “I’m looking forward to finding them out.”


Zenia placed a blanket on top of them as the movie started. Fifteen minutes later, she felt Justin's head lean against hers and soft snoring coming from him. She hated to wake him, but knew he couldn't spend the night there. 


"Justin, I hate to wake you, but you're going to be pretty sore if you fall asleep on this couch," She nudged him.


He jokingly replied with, "Well, I'm sure your bed is more comfortable."


She tapped him harder and laughed, knowing he was not being serious. "It is, but you're not going to find out."


He opened his eyes and made a pouty face. "You're hurting my heart here, Z."


She ruffled his short brown hair that was beginning to curl. She knew she was joking. She had possibly fanaticized about Justin being in her bed, especially after those late night calls with him while he was he away. However, she wouldn't let him know that just yet. Plus, they agreed to be friends. Friends of the opposite sex don't share beds... right?


Justin stood up and stretched his arms, trying to wake himself to prepare for his drive home. He really didn't want to leave yet, but the exhaustion from his months of touring had caught up to him tonight.


"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you. In my defense, I'm getting old and I just finished a tour that my old bones had no business doing," He chuckled.


"I'll let it slide this time, old man." Zenia joked, leading him to the door. 


Justin opened his arms and Zenia easily stepped into them as he enclosed his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. It happened so naturally and felt so right. 


"Zenia, I want to do something that I have thought about since the moment I met you," His hands came up both sides of her arms, caressing them gently. She was lost in this moment, reveling in the feeling of having his warm hands on her. 


"Hmm?" She asked looking up at him.


No other words were exchanged as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. Zenia eased into the kiss and let out a slight moan, which he took as an invitation to further the kiss. His tongue eased its way into her mouth, noting the salty taste of potato chips that they consumed earlier, but he didn't care. It tasted like heaven to him and he wanted more of it. Placing his hand on her cheek, he deepened the kiss feeling the heat of her face radiating under his touch. 


Zenia pulled away first, a dazed look on her face. "Wow."


Justin ran his thumb across Zenia's soft, swollen lips fighting the urge to kiss her again. 


"Goodnight, Z."


And then he was gone.