If I Was Your Boyfriend
one hundred fifty-nine.
A few days after Thanksgiving I get a call from Chloe, my manager for a face-to-face meeting. Paparazzi stand in the parking lot shouting questions about Justin and the new girl in his life towards me as I shield my face to go inside.
‘Chrissy, how are you today?’ One of them shouts in between obnoxious questions about Justin and Jayde Pierce.
‘You don’t really care – you just want a photo.’ I scoff through a laugh walking into the building. Chloe’s assistant immediately lets me into her office where she sits behind a dark wooden desk looking at her computer.
‘Hey, Chris – I’m so happy that you could make it! I haven’t seen you in ages. Our conversations are usually over the phone so I felt like we needed this.’
‘I’ve missed you and Nikki, how’s the honeymoon?’
‘Good, good. She’s loving every minute of it. I’m sure she’ll be home soon, the three of us will get together for lunch or something but until then she sends her love as always.’
‘Alright, down to business. To what do I owe this face-to-face meeting?’
‘I know that it’s short notice but the American Music Awards have been calling and emailing none stop. I’ve been putting the offer off because I know that you’ve had a lot on your plate recently. The awards are in a couple of days so they really want an answer before the end of the day.’
‘The American Music Awards? I’m flattered, really I am but I just don’t understand my relevance there. I mean, I’m not really a singer. And I don’t want to feel like they’re only inviting me for views or buzz. It’s everywhere that Justin’s doing this amazing medley of his recent songs which everyone knows are based off of us so me being there would cause some sort of attention and I really don’t want that.’
‘I understand where you’re coming from but the DVD for Where Everything Happens is coming out soon and it would be a great way to get it some promotion just by you showing up there.’
‘Would there be any interaction with Justin, I just don’t know if I’m ready for that interaction especially on national television. I just don’t want to sound immature or complaining – I’m just not sure.’
‘I already covered that. All you would announce would be Best Group/Duo and that would be it. You can even skip the pre-show press interviews on the red carpet. Justin and you would be on opposite sides of the venue.’
‘Let them know I’m in.’
‘Do you want extra tickets; I can maybe squeeze in two or three extra if you want.’
‘I can see if Danielle and Garrett can get out for the night. I can call Jackie too and see if she can pull a few strings and get me something amazing to wear.’
‘Sounds good, I will see you on Sunday.’
Once I come back outside to get into my car, the paparazzi were still circling around the parking lot with their cameras in hand. I use my large bag to shield my face while I rush to my car to leave. After leaving Chloe’s office I head over to the small apartment that Danielle and Garrett shared. Danielle opens the door with a bottle in one hand and their daughter Bonnie in her free arm. Bonnie was nearly four months old and was getting so big already. I still remember Justin and I sitting in the hospital for hours until Garrett finally stepped out into the hall and invited us inside. They made me and Justin the godparents of little Bonnie as we took turns holding her in our arms.
‘Hi, please hand over my gorgeous goddaughter.’ I smile holding Bonnie lightly, ‘hey pretty girl – how are you?’
‘What brings you by? Not that I don’t love seeing you but I knew you were pretty busy.’
‘I wanted to come by to invite you and Garrett to the American Music Awards this Sunday.’
‘I would love to! I’ll talk to Garrett and we’ll have to get a babysitter but if it all works out I am in.’
‘Okay, good! You should come by the apartment in the morning – Jackie’s bringing over more outfits than you could possibly imagine so we can have our own little fashion show.’
‘I’m excited now,’ Danielle beams from across the room, ‘it would be so good to get out of the house for once. Garrett and I haven’t had a night out in so long. He’s always working and I’m always here with Bonnie.’
‘How is work for Garrett?’
‘I guess he likes it more than he thought. He’s exceeded his dad’s expectations but I mean he works from sun up to sun down.’
‘Yeah, I think this would be definitely good for the both of you.’
I spend another hour at Danielle’s apartment with her and Bonnie before heading back to my own place. For once, I actually use my kitchen and make myself some dinner. I sit down on the bed in my room looking around wordlessly. Justin would be bringing Rocky by tomorrow so it wouldn’t be so quiet for long. The next morning Jackie and her assistant bring up racks and racks of outfits for me to try on along with Danielle. There were skirts, dresses, pants-suits and every shoe and clutch imaginable.
‘Do you see any specific place you want to start?’ Jackie wonders standing back to place her hands on her hips, ‘anything poking out at you?’
‘Everything’s so good to be on such short notice.’ I purse my lips allowing my fingers to touch the pale pink material, ‘this is so nice.’ I beam tracing the flower material.
‘That’s one of my favorites – it does have plunging neckline so just a head’s up.’
‘I think I’m going to try it on.’ I grab the dress before heading back to my room.
I slip into this floor-length pink dress which was complimented by a flower detail along with small golden accents. The neckline was lower than anything I had ever worn but I had to admit it looked nice. From my room I hear a slight knock on the front door down the hall.
‘Finally, Danielle. Jackie, go ahead and send Danielle back here will you? I need her opinion.’
‘Uh, Chrissy.’ Jackie calls back with an odd tone I couldn’t read.
I hold the ends of the dress with my hands coming down the narrow hallway. There Justin stood dressed in a pair of black jeans and a long grey sweater with Rocky in his arms. I couldn't help but think about just how good he looked right now. Rocky whines until Justin puts him down allowing him to race across the room and jumping in front of me. From across the room, I hear Justin let out a small amused laugh at Rocky.
'Always was a momma's boy.'
‘Hi Rock,’ I laugh being sure to hold the dress away from his claws, ‘I missed you too.’ I hesitantly make my way towards the door to get his things from Justin, ‘I wasn’t expecting you until later but thank you for bringing him by.’
‘I-… yeah, no problem.’ He nods in return running a hand through his newly dyed hair, ‘what are you, uh, what’s this?’ he gestures towards the sofa covered with clothes.
‘The American Music Awards.’ I answer with an awkward nod glancing over at Jackie who dug through one of the clear bins full of clutches.
‘I didn’t realize you were going.’ He speaks genuinely surprised, I couldn't tell whether he was happy that I was going or uncomfortable about me going.
‘Just a last minute thing.’
‘You should go with that.’ He suggests offering a half smile pointing a narrow finger at the dress I currently had on, ‘it looks really good on you.’
‘Thanks.’
'So you'll keep Rocky for a few weeks and just let me know when you want to drop him off or I could come back and pick him up whenever.'
'I will let you know in a couple of weeks.' I agree quietly running a shaky hand up my arm.
‘I better get going because I have rehearsals so I guess I will see you on Sunday.’
‘See you on Sunday.’ I repeat opening the door to let him out, ‘bye Justin.’
‘Bye Chrissy,’ he steps out onto the hall, ‘I like what you’ve done with your hair by the way.’
‘Same to you.’ I simply reply before shutting the door to lean against it. A deep exhale escapes my lips as I hear the elevator ding a few short moments later.
‘Is everything okay?’
‘Yeah, yeah. It’s just the first time I saw him in awhile.’ I assure heading over to slip my feet into a pair of heels.
Justin’s Point of View
I throw my head back once I step into the elevator. I couldn’t believe just how good Chrissy looked just now. She had this dress on that fit her perfectly and showed off her curves and her hair, God her hair, even though she cut nearly all of it off she looked perfect. I wanted to push her against the nearest wall and kiss her with everything I had in me before telling her how sorry I am for ruining what we had but I fought the burning desire. I wasn’t even in her new place for a good five minutes but it was enough to last me until I could see her again on Sunday.
‘Chrissy, how are you today?’ One of them shouts in between obnoxious questions about Justin and Jayde Pierce.
‘You don’t really care – you just want a photo.’ I scoff through a laugh walking into the building. Chloe’s assistant immediately lets me into her office where she sits behind a dark wooden desk looking at her computer.
‘Hey, Chris – I’m so happy that you could make it! I haven’t seen you in ages. Our conversations are usually over the phone so I felt like we needed this.’
‘I’ve missed you and Nikki, how’s the honeymoon?’
‘Good, good. She’s loving every minute of it. I’m sure she’ll be home soon, the three of us will get together for lunch or something but until then she sends her love as always.’
‘Alright, down to business. To what do I owe this face-to-face meeting?’
‘I know that it’s short notice but the American Music Awards have been calling and emailing none stop. I’ve been putting the offer off because I know that you’ve had a lot on your plate recently. The awards are in a couple of days so they really want an answer before the end of the day.’
‘The American Music Awards? I’m flattered, really I am but I just don’t understand my relevance there. I mean, I’m not really a singer. And I don’t want to feel like they’re only inviting me for views or buzz. It’s everywhere that Justin’s doing this amazing medley of his recent songs which everyone knows are based off of us so me being there would cause some sort of attention and I really don’t want that.’
‘I understand where you’re coming from but the DVD for Where Everything Happens is coming out soon and it would be a great way to get it some promotion just by you showing up there.’
‘Would there be any interaction with Justin, I just don’t know if I’m ready for that interaction especially on national television. I just don’t want to sound immature or complaining – I’m just not sure.’
‘I already covered that. All you would announce would be Best Group/Duo and that would be it. You can even skip the pre-show press interviews on the red carpet. Justin and you would be on opposite sides of the venue.’
‘Let them know I’m in.’
‘Do you want extra tickets; I can maybe squeeze in two or three extra if you want.’
‘I can see if Danielle and Garrett can get out for the night. I can call Jackie too and see if she can pull a few strings and get me something amazing to wear.’
‘Sounds good, I will see you on Sunday.’
Once I come back outside to get into my car, the paparazzi were still circling around the parking lot with their cameras in hand. I use my large bag to shield my face while I rush to my car to leave. After leaving Chloe’s office I head over to the small apartment that Danielle and Garrett shared. Danielle opens the door with a bottle in one hand and their daughter Bonnie in her free arm. Bonnie was nearly four months old and was getting so big already. I still remember Justin and I sitting in the hospital for hours until Garrett finally stepped out into the hall and invited us inside. They made me and Justin the godparents of little Bonnie as we took turns holding her in our arms.
‘Hi, please hand over my gorgeous goddaughter.’ I smile holding Bonnie lightly, ‘hey pretty girl – how are you?’
‘What brings you by? Not that I don’t love seeing you but I knew you were pretty busy.’
‘I wanted to come by to invite you and Garrett to the American Music Awards this Sunday.’
‘I would love to! I’ll talk to Garrett and we’ll have to get a babysitter but if it all works out I am in.’
‘Okay, good! You should come by the apartment in the morning – Jackie’s bringing over more outfits than you could possibly imagine so we can have our own little fashion show.’
‘I’m excited now,’ Danielle beams from across the room, ‘it would be so good to get out of the house for once. Garrett and I haven’t had a night out in so long. He’s always working and I’m always here with Bonnie.’
‘How is work for Garrett?’
‘I guess he likes it more than he thought. He’s exceeded his dad’s expectations but I mean he works from sun up to sun down.’
‘Yeah, I think this would be definitely good for the both of you.’
I spend another hour at Danielle’s apartment with her and Bonnie before heading back to my own place. For once, I actually use my kitchen and make myself some dinner. I sit down on the bed in my room looking around wordlessly. Justin would be bringing Rocky by tomorrow so it wouldn’t be so quiet for long. The next morning Jackie and her assistant bring up racks and racks of outfits for me to try on along with Danielle. There were skirts, dresses, pants-suits and every shoe and clutch imaginable.
‘Do you see any specific place you want to start?’ Jackie wonders standing back to place her hands on her hips, ‘anything poking out at you?’
‘Everything’s so good to be on such short notice.’ I purse my lips allowing my fingers to touch the pale pink material, ‘this is so nice.’ I beam tracing the flower material.
‘That’s one of my favorites – it does have plunging neckline so just a head’s up.’
‘I think I’m going to try it on.’ I grab the dress before heading back to my room.
I slip into this floor-length pink dress which was complimented by a flower detail along with small golden accents. The neckline was lower than anything I had ever worn but I had to admit it looked nice. From my room I hear a slight knock on the front door down the hall.
‘Finally, Danielle. Jackie, go ahead and send Danielle back here will you? I need her opinion.’
‘Uh, Chrissy.’ Jackie calls back with an odd tone I couldn’t read.
I hold the ends of the dress with my hands coming down the narrow hallway. There Justin stood dressed in a pair of black jeans and a long grey sweater with Rocky in his arms. I couldn't help but think about just how good he looked right now. Rocky whines until Justin puts him down allowing him to race across the room and jumping in front of me. From across the room, I hear Justin let out a small amused laugh at Rocky.
'Always was a momma's boy.'
‘Hi Rock,’ I laugh being sure to hold the dress away from his claws, ‘I missed you too.’ I hesitantly make my way towards the door to get his things from Justin, ‘I wasn’t expecting you until later but thank you for bringing him by.’
‘I-… yeah, no problem.’ He nods in return running a hand through his newly dyed hair, ‘what are you, uh, what’s this?’ he gestures towards the sofa covered with clothes.
‘The American Music Awards.’ I answer with an awkward nod glancing over at Jackie who dug through one of the clear bins full of clutches.
‘I didn’t realize you were going.’ He speaks genuinely surprised, I couldn't tell whether he was happy that I was going or uncomfortable about me going.
‘Just a last minute thing.’
‘You should go with that.’ He suggests offering a half smile pointing a narrow finger at the dress I currently had on, ‘it looks really good on you.’
‘Thanks.’
'So you'll keep Rocky for a few weeks and just let me know when you want to drop him off or I could come back and pick him up whenever.'
'I will let you know in a couple of weeks.' I agree quietly running a shaky hand up my arm.
‘I better get going because I have rehearsals so I guess I will see you on Sunday.’
‘See you on Sunday.’ I repeat opening the door to let him out, ‘bye Justin.’
‘Bye Chrissy,’ he steps out onto the hall, ‘I like what you’ve done with your hair by the way.’
‘Same to you.’ I simply reply before shutting the door to lean against it. A deep exhale escapes my lips as I hear the elevator ding a few short moments later.
‘Is everything okay?’
‘Yeah, yeah. It’s just the first time I saw him in awhile.’ I assure heading over to slip my feet into a pair of heels.
Justin’s Point of View
I throw my head back once I step into the elevator. I couldn’t believe just how good Chrissy looked just now. She had this dress on that fit her perfectly and showed off her curves and her hair, God her hair, even though she cut nearly all of it off she looked perfect. I wanted to push her against the nearest wall and kiss her with everything I had in me before telling her how sorry I am for ruining what we had but I fought the burning desire. I wasn’t even in her new place for a good five minutes but it was enough to last me until I could see her again on Sunday.