* In Justin's Jeep*

"So what kind of errands do you have to do?" Juliet asked as she sat beside Justin in his Jeep.

"I need to buy my dogs some new leashes and dog food and stuff. Its nothing much but it got us out of the office." Justin said instantly feeling ridiculous for not coming up with a better errand for them.

"And to that I am extremely grateful. So, do you do a lot of stuff with your dogs?" Juliet asked, not really sure what to say.

"Yeah. I like to take them with me when I go jogging and I try to take them on tour with me when possible. Do you have any pets?" Justin asked as he drove them to PetsMart.

"Yeah I have a chocolate lab named Java and a Alasken Huskie named Juno. I love dogs." Juliet told him with a smile as they arrived at PetsMart, "Oh my God, they really do follow you everywhere don't they?" she asked as paparazzi followed them taking pictures of them entering PetsMart together.

"Yeah, I almost don't notice them anymore." Justin said as he grabbed her hand and rushed them inside the store.

He watched her intently as they made their way to the dog area of the store. He watched as she looked at the different leashes before turning to him catching his gaze, she cocked her head to the side before grabbing a leash, "Do you like this one?"

"Yeah I do." Justin said barely noticing the dark blue leash in her hand, "I don't think Brennan will though."

"Oh well, I don't think you want to be holding a pink leash. How about this red one?" Juliet asked him with a smile as she held out the red leash to him.

"Yeah I like the blue and the red one. I'll take both one for Buckley and one for Brennan. I like how the leashes have that reflector side to them." He said as he took both leashes from her and headed to the dog food aisle.

"Yeah I have the same leashes in green. The reflector side helps in the nighttime." Juliet told him as they looked at dog food.

"I should've got a shopping cart." Justin said with a chuckle as he stood there looking like a dork with a huge bag of dog food.

"I'll go get you one. Stay right here," Juliet told him with a smile, "Actually I don't think you could go anywhere even if you wanted too," she finished with a giggle laughing at the look he threw her.

*Getting the Shopping Cart (Juliet's POV)*

Shopping for dog stuff is kind of lame, but I realized really soon that Justin didn't have any errands to run. And even if he did Rachel, his cousin and personal assistant, would probably do them for him. I mean that is what he pays her for. But he really is sweet making up some excuse to get me out of that horrible situation. I really just don't know how to act around him. I mean in the office its different I have a job to do, an excuse to walk away if I need too. But here, I really don't know what to say I mean I cried in front of the poor guy. What was I supposed to be doing again? Oh yeah, getting a shopping cart.

"Juliet, what are you doing here?" I hear a voice behind me say as I turn around and face him.

"Running some errands." I say simply as I cross my arms and plant my feet in defiance.

"Oh, I thought you would be at work. So, have you given any thought about what I said?"

"No Kieran. I'm not taking you back. I'm not marrying you. Now if you'll excuse me I have someone waiting on me." I tell him as I take the shopping cart back to where I left Justin. Could this day get any worse? I mean seriously! Alex is an asshole to me, and then out of all the PetsMarts in the world Justin chooses this one where I run into Kieran! Someone has it out for me I swear!

"Hey, there you are. I was beginning to think you forgot about me." Justin said with a sweet smile as I walked up to him with the shopping cart.

"Sorry about that. I ran into my past." I tell him with a tight smile. I see the concern flash in his eyes and I instantly feel bad for wording it that way, so I do something I probably shouldn't have. I walk up to him and cup his face in my hands. "Its okay J." I say as I pull his face down and kiss him on the cheek. I smile as his arms wrap around my waist picking me up in a hug before he kisses my forehead and places me back on the ground.

"Is he the reason you won't give me another chance?" I hear behind me as I close my eyes and let out a sigh.

"Kieran, please just leave me alone. I already explained why there won't be another chance. You need to let me go. You know this has nothing to do with Justin or any other guy." I tell him as I face him and Justin places his hands on my shoulders squeezing them supportively.

"See, I don't buy that. Alex told me about how you hang all over him at work. How he checks you out all day long. He told me about how you're always in his office doing God knows what? You know it's pretty damn convenient how loverboy here starts showing up at the office more and suddenly you get promoted. Tell me this one thing baby girl, was it worth fucking him for?" Kieran asks me. I can feel Justin let go of my shoulders and make his way to stand inbetween Kieran and I.

"First of all, don't you ever talk to Juliet like that ever again. Second of all, you and Alex can go fuck yourselves. Juliet works damn hard and deserved her promotion. Third of all, not that it's any of your business but we haven't slept together. We've never hooked up and yes she has been in my office but it was solely for work purposes. With the way you just treated someone you supposely love I can see why she doesn't want to give you another chance." Justin told Kieran as he crossed his arms and kept his stance. Okay Justin just solidified my crush on him. I totally love how he just stepped in to protect me.

"Quit trying to act tough. You're nothing but a pretty boy who can sing while someone grabs your balls. I don't know why I'm worried, she'll find out sooner or later how gay you are. She needs a real man and when she realizes that she'll come back to me." Kieran tells Justin before he walks away.

I walk up to Justin and place my hand on his back and I can feel the tension in his body. This is all my fault. He should never have to deal with someone telling him that shit. He should never have to deal with Kieran or Alex. It's all my fault. "Are you okay?" I ask him quietly as I notice his beautiful hands clinched into fists at his sides.

"Yeah I'm good. I think its time we leave though." He tells me as he turns to me and throws me a small smile.

"I think you're right. Thanks Justin." I tell him smiling as he puts his arm around my shoulder. I can deal with this. I can deal with him and I here alone. This is comforting.

"Anytime girl anytime." He says as we make our way to check out.

*In the Jeep (Justin's POV)*

I have every reason to be pissed off right now. Pissed off at Alex, at Kieran, even at Juliet for bringing this drama into my life. But I'm not. I'm not pissed off because she kissed my cheek. I'm not because she let me hug her. I'm not because she let me kiss her forehead. And better yet she let me hold her hand and I have continued to do just that even as I drive to my house to drop off the stuff we bought for my dogs. I've got it bad for this girl and I'm to the point where I don't care who knows as long as they leave us alone.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there and at the office." Juliet tells me squeezing my hand.

"Don't worry about it. None of it was your fault. Although I will say you have a lot of assholes in your life." I tell her with a smile as she smacks my shoulder.

"Yeah you and Trace," she replies with a smile, "Alex's behaviour makes sense now. He is Kieran's Frat Brother from college so it makes sense why he didn't like you and told Kieran all about you." She tells me.

"See I pegged Alex as more of the 'I'm in love with Juliet and if I can't have her nobody can' type. That's why I thought he didn't like me." I tell her as we both share a look then a laugh.

"Oh my goodness. You're bad." She tells me with a laugh as we pull up to my house and I help her out of my Jeep.

I smile as I open the front door and get met with my dogs jumping at me. I watch as Juliet lets them smell the back of her hand before petting them. They obviously love her, especially Buckley who has done nothing but follow her around since she got here.

"I love your place," she says quietly as she continues to shower Buckley with attention. That traitor.

"Thanks, my mom came out here and helped me with it a lot when I first moved in. I'm thinking about changing it up though." I tell her as she looks up at me pondering.

"Sometimes," she whispers, "I look through catalogs like Pottery Barn, or Crate and Barrel and I imagine decorating a house like this. Not for me to live in but for someone else to enjoy. I know its weird." she finishes before petting Brennan, who has made her way beside Juliet.

I don't really know what to say because I just feel like she shared something sacred with me. Something she hasn't told anyone else. "It's not weird at all. Maybe you can help me sometime."

"Please don't..." she says meeting my eyes.

"Please don't what?" I ask geniunely confused.

"Don't pity me," she says as a sad smile graces her beautiful face, "It was merely a statement, not something to force you into some obiligation."

"I'm not pitying you. You have dreams and aspirations and creativity. You should follow them. Besides I wouldn't know the first thing about picking out furniture or paint colors or any of that stuff. So if you would like to do it then the offer is out there but if you don't then I'm going to make you go to every designer interview I have to help me pick out someone who will." I tell her as I walk up to her and pull her against me.

She's different. She's confident at times but so vulnerable at times. I wonder what she was like before her relationship with Kieran if she was like this. Or better yet, if he made her like this. Made her question herself and her abilities. I can see him doing that to her. I saw him do it to her in the pet store. Indicating the only reason she could have got a promotion was by sleeping with the bosses. Her work is damn good, her designs are damn good. Sometimes I wonder if he knows exactly how good she really is and if that is why he puts her down, so she'll stay with him when he knows, when he fucking knows she can do so much better. It's about time someone showed her how much better she can do.