If I Was Your Boyfriend

I sit in Justin’s dark Bat Mobile on the outskirts of the beach. I glance at the time on my lock screen. 3:00. I was here, on time. Finally a dark unmarked car pulls alongside of the car. I hesitantly get out and close the door behind me.

‘Chrissy Thorton.’ His throws his cigarette out stepping towards me, ‘James Wilford.’

‘Thanks for meeting me.’ I nod shaking his hand. ‘I understand that you are the best private investigator in California.’

‘It doesn’t come without a price.’

‘Let’s talk about the price after you know the situation.’

‘I know enough. You have some wacko tailing your every move. You want to find him before he finds you. It was all pretty clear on phone.’

‘So what price are we looking at?’

‘I’ll need a deposit, if you will. Half now and half when the job’s done.’ He hands me a piece of paper with his amount scribbled down on it.

I pull my checkbook from the card and quickly write the check before handing it back to him.

‘I hope you’re worth what I’m paying.’

‘I think you’ll find I am.’

We say goodbye and agree to talk tomorrow before we both go our separate ways. I get back into the car and start it up. The Bat Mobile growls with life in an instant. I pull out of the beach’s parking lot and onto the busy LA highway. I make it to the apartment and pull Justin’s car into the garage. I disarm the alarm and sit down on the sofa. The apartment was quiet. Justin wasn’t singing one of his favorite songs from the other room while he cooked dinner. Rocky wasn’t in the corner snoring in his dog bed. The air wasn’t filled with the smell of Justin’s cologne.

Hey beautiful. I’m here at my dad’s thinking of you. I love you. – Justin.

I love you too. Send your dad, Jaz, and Jax all of my love. – Chrissy.

I will. I’m gonna rest and call you as soon as I wake up so we can talk – Justin.

I’ll be waiting – Chrissy.

It was about two hours later when Justin was calling me to Face Time. I accept the call and wait as the screen loads. Justin was on the other side with his messy bed hair and tired smile across his face. He wipes his eyes and repositions the phone screen.

‘Hey gorgeous.’

‘Hi babe.’ I wave in return.

‘Rocky’s here.’ He moves the camera showing a sleeping Rocky.

‘Of course he’s asleep.’ I smile touching the screen.

‘I miss you already.’

‘I miss you.’

‘Are you finished with that stuff?’

‘Not quite.’

‘Can you give me a hint about what it is?’

My mind wanders back to outside the party when Justin found out about the notes. He held me close to him tighter than before. His eyes were filled with confusion and concern. Never keep anything like that again. Justin said in his most serious tone. How could I get mad or upset with him from keeping secrets from me when I’m keeping an even bigger one from him? He’d be devastated if something happened to me and he was in Canada. He’d be pissed off at the fact I was chasing someone chasing me in the first place.

‘Justin?’ I say shaky.

‘Are you okay?’ his eyebrows immediately knit together.

‘Can I tell you something?’

‘You can tell me anything Chris.’

‘I don’t want you to be mad.’

‘You’re stalling. What is it?’

‘Or yell.’

‘I have never yelled at yo- I won’t yell.’

‘I really don’t know how to tell you.’

‘I was kidding about the car. If something happened its fine.’ He stiffs out a laugh but his features don’t change. ‘I mean I can easily call the insurance company and have it in the shop by the end of the week.’

‘I didn’t wreck the car.’

‘Well get out with it then. You’re starting to scare me.’

‘Promise to listen to everything before you say anything.’

‘I promise.’

‘So I actually got another note in the mail yesterday.’

‘What?!’

‘You promised.’

Justin squeezes the bridge of his nose as he nods his head. He runs a hand through his hair lying back in his bed. The camera shakes for a moment before he props it up with something.

‘The note said something about getting rid of you. They gave me three days or else something would happen to you. I thought if you were in Canada you wouldn’t be around to get hurt. I hired the best private investigator around and met with him earlier today. I’m telling you now because I don’t want there to be any secrets between either of us. I don’t want to keep anything from you and I don’t want you to keep anything from me. I’m sorry.’

‘This is why you were pushing for me to come to Canada?’ he asks after awhile.

‘Yes, I really didn’t think it through.’

‘Did you think that this is what they wanted? They wanted to get you alone? Get me out of the way so they could swoop in and grab you?’

Justin gets up from the bed and walks over to the closet in the background. I watch as he grabs his large black suitcase and begins to throw clothes into it.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m getting on the next flight to LA.’ He answers not looking up. ‘I’m coming home.’

‘Justin, you don’t know who they are or what they’ll do.’

‘I really don’t care. I’m not sitting on the sidelines while you run around LA putting your life in danger.’

‘You really don’t hav-…’

‘I’m coming home Chrissy.’ Justin abruptly cuts me off zipping the suitcase. ‘And I’m going to end this.’

‘Justin.’

‘I’ll call when I get to the airport. Love you.’ He doesn’t wait for a reply before ending the call.

‘Chrissy it’s time to leave for your appointment.’ My dad knocks on the other side of the door.

My mom and dad got together and decided to arrange for me to meet with a therapist to talk about my feelings. Apparently talking about it with Justin isn’t good enough and I should open up more.

‘Okay.’ I call back and roll off of the bed.

My mind was racing about several different things right now. Justin’s on his way back to LA. Isabelle was booted from my dad’s life. Jeff still hasn’t come around since he was taken in for questioning. I now had two days to get Justin away from me. To top it off, the police department still didn’t have any leads on who this person is.

‘Are you sure you don’t want one of us to drive you?’

‘No, it’s fine. Paul’s right outside.’

Either it would be my parents, who ask one thousand questions every time I come into a room or Paul, the walking tower. I walk out of the house and get inside of the black SUV and close the door. Inside it was even darker because of the excessively tinted windows.

‘How are you today?’ Paul wonders from the front seat as he pulls away from the curb.

‘I’m okay.’ I sigh, ‘going to a therapist is always fun.’

‘You’ve been before? To a therapist?’

‘Yep, when my dad walked out. I was in and out of therapist chairs. My mom didn’t understand why I wasn’t acting out. I wasn’t made at anyone. One minute he was there and the next he was gone. That’s all I understood.’

‘It’ll be fine.’ Paul assures focusing on the road.

‘I hope so.’

Justin’s Point of View

I was on my seat on the plane, impatiently waiting. The plane jerks forward causing dozens of loud gasps. I sigh feeling my head hit the back of the seat. Great.

‘There’s a problem with the plane. We’ll be landing shortly in South Dakota and try to get you guys on a new plane as soon as possible.’

‘No, we cant land in South Dakota! I really need to get to LA.’ I blurt out.

‘Sir, please remain calm. We’re trying to do our best to get another plane at the airport.’ A stewardess smiles my way.

‘I’m sure you are.’ I direct my eyes to the window as the plane starts to descend.

Everyone from the plane rushes over to customer service booths and begins to shout over one another. The workers looked overwhelmed and anxious about everything. People waiting for their flight watched on to the scene going down.

‘Justin Bieber!’ someone shouts out and I was rushed by handfuls over people. ‘It’s Justin Bieber.’

Again, people shouted over one another asking for pictures. Me being claustrophobic I instantly started to feel boxed in. People were pulling me from every angle and way. Someone stole my hat. Airport security broke everyone apart and helped me to the back where I could wait for a plane to come. I call Chrissy but she doesn’t answer her phone.

Hey baby, it’s me. I was just calling to let you know I would be a little later than anticipated. Something was up with the plane so I have to wait here in South Dakota for a new plane to come. I hope that you’re okay and everything’s good. I’m trying to get home to you as soon as I can. When I get there we’ll figure this all out. Call me back whenever you get a chance. I don’t know how long I’ll be waiting here. So just call me back. I love you so much.

I send the voicemail and wait for the plane to show up so I could get back to Chrissy. Whenever that may be.

Chrissy’s Point of View

‘I would say this was a first great session, wouldn’t you?’

‘Yes, same time tomorrow?’

‘Same time. You have my card so don’t hesitate to call me whenever you need.’

‘Thank you.’ I grab my purse from my feet and walk out of the office.

I check my phone to see I had a new voicemail for Justin and from James, the private investigator. I quickly press listen while I wait for Paul for to pull the car around to the front.

‘Hey Chrissy. You won’t believe this but I’ve already figured out who they were. His work was sloppy for someone who’s been in the business for as long as I have. Too many simple mistakes. It wasn’t hard but I am surprised. Anyway, call me and I’ll show you what I found in perso-…’

James was cut short in his sentence when the sound of a loud crash erupts in the background followed by a car horn and his bloodcurdling scream.