AJ tried Justin's cell phone again as he raced down the nearly-empty street and still got his voicemail. He knew where Justin was planning to spend the day, but it was already late afternoon and he had no idea if he was still there, or if he'd gone back home, or to Fatone's, or anywhere.
He swerved off onto a curved, twisting road that led to a secluded park and didn't slow down nearly as much as the road demanded. The sense of urgency he felt was getting greater, not shrinking at all. Part of him knew his chances of finding Justin were slim, another part of him refused to believe that. If he didn't do this now, he knew he might talk himself out of it. Convince himself that there were a lot easier ways to live his life than to try to spend it with Justin Timberlake.
He emerged from the tree-lined lane on the edge of a ball field and looked out across it, at the worn, empty bleachers and the uneven fence. At the few people still milling around. He slowed down and squinted and tried to make out their faces but he was still too far away. Then he saw something that made him stop short.
He'd know that car anywhere. He'd sold it to Justin just a few weeks ago.
He pulled over to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes, jumping out of the car and heading across the field, a straight line between the two points. He didn't see Justin but he had to be there, somewhere, not far from where his car was parked on the other side of the diamond.
"Justin," he called out, turning a few heads but none of them the one he was looking for. He broke out into a jog. "Justin."
He scanned the area frantically as he drew closer to the car, and then he saw them -- Justin walking next to Joey, laughing and lifting Joey's baby girl in the air over his head. "Justin," AJ called again, a little softer now so he wouldn't startle him.
He could see Justin scowl and look around, lowering the kid and handing her back to Joey. Then saw Justin's expression change as he saw who was calling him; he couldn't read it, but he could see it transform. AJ stopped where he was and waited. Waited for Justin to come to him.
And he did.
"AJ?" he said, Joey still close behind him, swinging a giggling child in his arms. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk to you," he said, breathless, looking from Justin to Joey and back again. "I need to talk to you, Justin."
"And it couldn't wait?" he asked, frowning at him. "AJ, I told you I was busy today ... "
"Not too busy for this," he insisted.
Justin looked back at Joey and shrugged his shoulders and AJ just wanted to shake him, to make him understand that something big and important was happening here. "AJ, you can't just, like, expect me to ditch what I'm doing just 'cause you showed up. What do you want, anyway? What are you doing here?"
AJ just wanted him to shut up, to stop asking that, to understand. He took the two steps to close the distance between them and then just grabbed Justin and kissed him. Right then, right there.
"All right, time to go, kiddo," said Joey, holding his daughter securely against his hip and turning to Justin. "Timberlake, give me your keys. I don't need to be here for this."
Justin looked stunned for a long moment before he started digging around in his pocket; Joey got impatient with him quickly. "Nevermind," he said, bouncing his kid a little and turning back to face her. "What do you say, Brianna? You want some ice cream?" He gave them a wave and started off before Justin had said a word. "I'll be back in half an hour. Be warned."
AJ waited until they were out of earshot before speaking. "Do I need to do it again?" he asked. "Because I will."
"Don't fuck with me," snapped Justin, so vehemently that AJ took a step back. "What do you think you're doing?"
He didn't back down, though, no matter what his body language might have been saying at that moment. "I'm making things right," he said firmly. "I really fucked up and I'm making things right."
"By kissing me? Shouldn't you be kissing your fiancee, if you want to do that?" He might as well have been spitting venom.
"We broke up," he said bluntly, wincing a little himself at the words. The confrontation with Sarah was still so raw. "The engagement is off. I wasn't in love with her."
"And you thought you could just come down here and ... "
"I wanted someone else."
" ... expect me to just be waiting for you? Just like that?"
"No," said AJ honestly. "I expected to have to work for it. But it couldn't wait, Justin. It couldn't wait until Saturday. It needed to be now, you needed to know."
"Know what," said Justin. "What is it that's supposed to be clear to me now? You want me? For what, AJ? And why? And how?"
"I don't fucking know how, or why, or what happened that suddenly you are what every bit of me seems to want. Sarah was perfect for me, she was everything I was supposed to want. So trust me, I didn't see this coming. Had no fucking clue. But it's true."
Justin fell silent, and stared and stared until AJ felt like he was torn open and on display to Justin's critical eye. Any flaws in his reasoning would be picked at until there was nothing left of it. Until either the flaws were gone, or the feelings.
"You broke up with Sarah," he said finally. "Because of me?"
"No, Sarah dumped my ass when she figured out that I'm in love with you," said AJ. The words felt clumsy as he said them; he hadn't tried them out before, and there was no room here for practice. "For some reason she thought that might get in the way of a good marriage."
"You're ... Jesus, AJ, way to spring this on a guy."
"I feel a little sprung on, too."
"No, you feel a little sprung," said Justin. "There's a difference."
AJ almost laughed. "So, what? Will you have me or what, Justin?"
"You're such a fucking romantic, McLean," said Justin, but a slow smile was spreading across his face. "You're for real? You sure I'm on your approved list?"
"Yeah, I'm for real," said AJ. "Do I need to kiss you again to prove it?"
"No, you need to kiss me again because I want to be kissing you," said Justin, full out grinning at him now. "Stupid fucker. Of course I'll have you."
AJ felt a shudder of relief go through him. He leaned in to kiss him, but Justin stopped him with a hand over AJ's mouth and shook his head. "Not here," he said. "Fuck. There are people around."
"It's a little late for that now," said AJ when Justin released his mouth. "And no, there aren't, not anymore. Justin."
"But there could be," he insisted, fishing around in his pocket and emerging triumphant with his keys this time. "Come on, get in. This needs privacy."
As soon as Justin popped the locks on the car, AJ climbed into the back seat, feeling vaguely strange about it and more than a little excited. He grinned at the McDonald's take-out bag that Justin had dumped on the floormat, then swore at the carseat that kept him from taking over the whole space.
"So are you coming or what?" he said, sliding over as far as he could. Justin looked around once, the climbed in and relocked the doors and leaned over him. There was no hesitation before he kissed AJ; it was one smooth motion between closing the door behind him and the moment their lips met.
"This is what you call private?" mumbled AJ, his body gradually sliding up underneath Justin's.
Justin just shrugged and grinned back at him. "You take what you can get," he said, and kissed him like he was trying to make up for lost time. AJ wondered how long he'd been wanting to do it. As Justin stretched out he hit his head on the carseat and his feet against the opposite door. "Fuck," he murmured. "This thing isn't big enough."
"You should be carting me around in it then," said AJ. "Not some guy with a kid."
"Nah, you shoulda just sold me a bigger car, McLean."
"I'll remember that," said AJ, leaning back contentedly with Justin in his arms. "You know. For next time."
THE END