Author's Chapter Notes:
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Paris sat there in silence as she ate the steak and mashed potatoes that she made for her and Justin.Even though he didn’t want her to cook since she had a long day at the office,but she insisted.Cooking took her mind off of everything that happened today.
“Whats wrong?”Justin asked her
She looked at him,she heard him speak but didn’t hear what he said exactly.She was so out of it.”What?”she asked
“Whats wrong with you?”he asked her,”You….your too quiet”
“Nothing”
“Are you sure?It isn’t Sean is it?”he asked her
“No I'm over him Justin,you know that”
“You sure that nothing's wrong with you?”he asked
“Yes”she lied.She was fine if she didn’t lose her best friend,didn’t have to do this story and Gabrielle didn’t put her nose into her business.She sighed,Lita wanted a story by tomorrow if not,there goes half her paycheck and those pictures would be on the cover.”Justin can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,anything”he said
“What happened with you and Cameron?”
“Is that why your so quiet?”
“No…”she said,”Never mind,forget I asked”she said.She didn’t care anymore.She would rather get half a paycheck then hurt him
“No its fine”he said,”I mean I know about you and your escapade with Sean”he said,”So you should know about her”
Paris frowned,he actually was going to tell her?Now she had no choice now.
“Well to make a long story short…we just grew apart”he said,”It was mutual really”he said,”She was doing movies in other countries and I was working on the album and promoting and doing the tour with Christina”he said,”We barely had time to see each other and soon everytime we saw each other…it seemed like we were just friends with benefits.We were both feeling stuck.We both loved each other but knew it was best to leave but we both didn’t want to leave and hurt the other persons feelings.But one day we sat down and talked it out and said it would be better to be just friends”
“Oh…that’s understandable”she said. Nothing about that was juicy at all
“Also,she wanted to settle down.I mean Cameron is 31 and Im only 23…I wasn’t ready for that”he said,”But that wasn’t the main thing”he said,”Yeah our breakup wasn’t as juicy as Britney and I”he said,”Does that answer your question?”he asked her
“Yeah”she said quietly
“Why did you want to know?”he asked,”All of a sudden I mean”
“I was scared to ask before”she lied.She never cared before until today
“Oh…”he said,”Well I'm with you now and, Paris, I want you to be able to ask me anything.I don’t want to have any secrets between us”he said as he took her hand and kissed it,”Ok?”
Paris faked a smile,she wished that was true,”Ok”she said
*______________________*
Paris couldn’t sleep all night.She felt guilty every minute but she felt that fate would give her the perfect moment to explain herself to Justin.But she was wondering if she missed that chance.
The next morning she took a long shower and put on a white tank top,light pink tweed pants with a matching jacket,she put on some white heels and got her briefcase.When she walked into the kitchen,she saw Justin eating one of her Nutri Grain bars.She smiled,”Hey those are mine”she whined
“Eeew you can keep them”he said as he gave it to her,”These are nasty”he said
She took it from him and put it in her mouth,”Good more for me”she said as she chewed
“Want a cappuccino?”he asked as he went over to the machine.”I haven’t used this yet but lets see if it works”
“Sure”she said.They both poured some into some coffee mugs.She tasted it and smiled,”Ohmygod…this is good!”she said
“Yeah”he said,”I’ll be drinking this every morning”he said,”I can see why people are addicted to these”
“Yeah this is very addictive”she said as she poured some more
“I'm addicted to you”he said and smiled at her
“Aww stop it”she said and blushed.Its funny that his compliments still made her feel like a school girl.He put his cup down and kissed her and before she knew it she was on the counter again,”Justin stop”she laughed,”I have to work you know”she said
“Sorry…I told you that I'm addicted”he said as he helped her down off the counter,”Alright go to work huney”he said
She kissed him on his cheek,”I love you”she said
“Love you”he said as he slapped her playfully on her butt.She laughed and went to her car and headed to work
*__________________*
“So your flight will leave promptly at 10 am and you will be staying at the Waldorf Astoria in the city”Justin’s manager said,”Any questions?”
“No I think you have answered all my questions”he said
“Alright,good so we will see you on Friday morning then”he said,”I'm expecting another hit video from you”
“Of course man”he said,”When have I ever let you down?”
“Well you know ‘Cry Me A River’ didn’t do so well”he said playfully and winked at him
“I know,its only nominated for 5 awards, that’s too bad huh?”Justin said and laughed.A few minutes later he left the building and walked to his car, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to see if there was some nosy photographer.He drove to a nearby coffee shop and got some coffee.When he left he ran right into someone.”Oh I'm sorry”he said,then he smiled,”Hey Francine”
“Justin?Oh I didn’t recognize you with those huge shades on”Francine said to him
“That’s kinda the point”he said
“Oh gotcha”she said,”So what are you doing,getting yourself a coffee?”she asked as they walked by a floral shop.Justin looked into the window and had an idea.
“Yeah you could say that”he said
“Are you visiting Paris?”she asked him
“No…well actually I was”
“Oh cuz her building is right there” Francine said as she pointed to the huge building across the street.Then she stopped herself,he wasn’t supposed to know!
“Oh really?”he asked,”Thanks Francine…but I gotta get going.You have a good day alright?”he told her as he walked away from her in a hurry.He walked into the floral shop and bought a dozen roses.He was going to surprise Paris,he went across the street and went to the front desk.He didn’t know what floor she was on.
“Hello…does a Paris Madison work here?I don’t know which floor she is on”he said
“Hold on please”the old woman said as she typed into her computer,”Shes on the tenth floor-“
“Ok thanks”he said not wanting to hear anymore,he ran to the elevator.He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when he showed up.
*________________*
Paris was trying to do her best to stay away from Lita.She really didn’t want to talk about Justin and was afraid what she would say when she told her that the story wasn’t as juicy as it seemed.She kept herself busy by making a lot of calls,working on her deadline and she told Chelsea to not let anyone in her office. Maybe if she was lucky Lita forgot or she could go the whole day without seeing her.She couldn’t wait for lunch.
Then her phone rang,”Hello?”
“Hey Paris,your fax is coming in now”Chelsea said,”Would you like it now?”
“Yes please”Paris said.She got up and walked to Chelsea’s desk,”Thanks”she said hurriedly and went back in her office
“PARIS!”she heard someone call.It was Lita,she turned around and saw Lita motioning to her from across the room.She sighed,she was caught.She had no choice now.She walked over to her slowly.She waited for her as she had a conversation with someone else.
Then Lita turned to her,”Paris,finally you have been so busy all day I haven’t been able to reach you”she said,”So…do you have any good news?You got the story about Cameron and Justin?”she asked her
Just then she heard someone scream,”OHMYGOD!”
Paris and Lita turned around and Paris gasped.There was Justin standing before her,he had a dozen roses and a confused and hurt look on his face.”Justin-“she said
“Yeah Paris,did you get the story on me and Cameron?”he asked her
“Justin,let me explain”she said as she went up to him
“You work here?”he asked her
“Yeah but-“
“That’s all I need to know”he said angrily as he walked out of the office.It seemed like the whole office was transfixed on Justin being there.Once he left everyone started talking
“He came!”Lita said as she came up to her,”Someone get security in here!The security cameras caught everything!Congratulations Paris,you have brought our first celebrity into our office!”she said,not knowing what just happened
Paris just stood there,staring at the elevator doors that Justin had just went through.He knows,he knows everything.He wasn’t supposed to find out this way!Tears rolled down her face and she turned around and ran into her office and shut the door.
*___________________*
“Pierre!Get out here!You gotta see this” Dave said to him as he came in and out his cubicle.Pierre got up and saw Justin,he looked upset and he knew why.Justin knows.But everyone was celebrating as if he came to visit all of them.He saw Justin leave and saw how devastated Paris looked.He saw Lita go up to her and then Paris ran into her office.He wanted to go in there and comfort her.He knew how much she loved him,but he couldn’t.She hated his guts,she told him that yesterday.He sat back in his seat sadly.He could feel her pain.
*_________________*
Paris ran inside her office and sat behind her desk and sobbed.He hated her now,she knew that now.By the look on his face she knew that he was upset and disappointed.She cried so much that her whole body was shaking.She looked at her watch,it was almost 12.She was going to take an early lunch,she had to see Justin now, she had to explain everything to him.She got up and got her purse and car keys and walked out the office
“Im going to lunch”she said to Chelsea as she walked past her
“Paris whats wrong?What happened back there?”Chelsea said to her as she walked beside her
“Its none of your concern”she said coldly as she got on the elevator and pressed the lobby floor number
*_______________________*
Paris walked into the house,surprised that the door was unlocked.All of his cars were here so she knew that he was home.The house was so quiet.Then she saw Baby,”Hey Baby”she whispered to her,”Wheres Justin?”she said.Of course Baby couldn’t say anything.She went upstairs and looked in his room,he wasn’t there. She passed the Berry Room and saw that he was in there,out on the balcony, staring at nothing.She walked in past all of her boxes and said,”Justin?”
He turned around and then looked away,”What do you want?”
“I want to explain”she said as she stepped out on the balcony
“I don’t want to hear it Paris”he said,”Let me sum it up for you.Your with me to get a story for that fucking tabloid that you work for and you have been lying to me all this time.Romance writer my ass”he said as he turned and looked at her,”Is that right Paris….your name is Paris isn’t it?”
“That’s not fair Justin and that’s not it at all”she said,”I wasn’t trying to make you into a tabloid story”
“That’s not what I heard”he said
“Your misinterpreting what you heard,you shouldn’t believe everything that you hear”she said,”But let me explain everything to you-“
“Your right Paris…I shouldn’t believe everything I hear”he said,”Because believing that you love me and all that..everything you said has been a lie”
“No Justin”she said,trying to hold back the tears,”I love you,I was never lying about that.I would never do that”
“Could have fooled me”he said,he looked at his watch,”What are you doing here anyways?Shouldn’t you be writing about me and Cameron?”
“Im on my lunch break and Im using it to explain everything to you”she said as she came up to him,”Im not leaving until you know the truth”
“How sweet of you”he said sarcastically,”Your using your free time to tell me the truth”he said and turned to her,”Paris,I have known you for a month and you had plenty of times to tell me the truth”he said
“I know,but I was waiting for the right time-“
“There's always a right time for the truth”he said,”There was never a bad time”
“I know and I wanna tell you now.You still don’t know the whole story”she said
“No Paris,I don’t wanna hear it”he said as he started to walk back into the room,”I don’t want to hear anything you have to say”he said
“Justin stop!Please”she said as she grabbed his arm
“PARIS GET OFF!”he said loudly as he shook her off of him
Paris jumped back,shes never heard him talk like that,he has never yelled at her before until now.The tears started to fall,”Justin-“
“Just leave Paris,go back to your job and write your fucking stories”he said as he walked away from her and went to his room and slammed the door behind him and locked it
“Justin please!”she said as she cried,”I didn’t mean for it to turn out this way…baby just let me explain”she said as she knocked on his door.He didn’t answer,he totally ignored her.She stood there and cried for who knows how long,then she accepted defeat and walked away. She went downstairs and walked out to her car and sped away.
*__________________*
“So it was mutual?”Lita asked her.After Paris left Justin’s house,she drove to the beach and sat there and cried for an hour.She didn’t use her lunch break to eat because she wasn’t in the mood.She was thinking about not going back to work.This place was ruining her life,but it was putting money in her pocket.
“Yeah”Paris said quietly,”And that’s it,nothing juicy about it at all”she said
“Well its still juicy because no one knows”Lita said,”Everyone thinks that they are still dating,just in different locations”she said,”This hasn’t happened since the whole Janet Jackson story”
“What do you mean?”Paris asked,”The Super Bowl story?”
“No,when Janet admitted to being married for 10 years.No one saw that coming”Lita said.Paris just sat there,she wasn’t herself.”Paris?Whats wrong?”
Paris looked at her,”Lita,he hates me now”
“Who?”
“Justin!Didn’t you see his face when he was in here?”
“He looked a little surprised…but…”
“No he was upset”
“Why would he be upset?”
“Lita,he hates tabloids and tabloid writers”she said
“Well he obviously doesn’t if he loves you”Lita said
“That’s the thing,he didn’t know that I worked here.Celebrities hate tabloids and I was afraid that he would hate me and never get to know the real me.And now that he knows the truth…he hates me”she said as tears rolled down her face
“Aww huney,don’t cry”Lita said as she sat on the edge of her desk and handed her the box of tissues.”Yes it was wrong of you to lie,but you’re a big girl you know that.But he doesn’t hate you.That’s too strong of a word.And he doesn’t hate tabloids”
“Yes he does”
“No,see celebs just get annoyed with us from time to time.But we are just doing our job.We are simply giving information to the world.We are bringing to light and writing about things that people think about.We bring them to reality.But celebs need us to survive.Even though they are annoyed by us,they are also grateful for the exposure.If we didn’t write articles and took pictures about Justin or any other celeb,he wouldn’t be so hot now.Look at Monica Lewinsky,before she was in the tabloids,she was just some intern”
“The tabloids ruined her life”
“No,she said that so she could have someone to blame.But look at her now,she was a host of her own show and makes her own purses”Lita said,”Shes a household name now for people who don’t really pay attention to politics because of us.Celebs need us to survive and we need them to survive.That’s what makes the world go round”she said
“You make it sound so easy”Paris said as she wiped away some tears as more kept falling
“Your really upset aren’t you huney?Your really stuck on this guy”
“I love this guy Lita”she said,”I just wanna make everything right”
Lita looked at her,”Ok tell you what”she said as she looked at her watch,”You turned in your deadline and you told me the scoop on Cameron and Justin and its almost 3 now”she said,”Go on home early,explain what you need to explain to him and kiss and makeup and come back happy tomorrow”
Paris smiled at her,”Thanks Lita…I need the break”
“Your welcome”she said as she gave her a hug,”Go tell Justin the truth,if he really loves you,he will forgive you”Lita said with a smile
*__________________*
Paris parked her car in the driveway and took a deep breath.While she drove,she thought about what she was going to say to him.She wasn’t going to go up to him right away,she was gonna let him cool off and then tell him.This morning he told her that he loved her,his feelings couldn’t have changed in a few hours.
She took out her spare key and opened the door.She didn’t know what to do when she saw what was waiting for her at the front door.All of her boxes,everything that she owned was sitting in the foyer.Even Baby was sound asleep in her bed which was next to all the boxes.
“He actually did it,hes actually doing this”she said to herself.Now she really had to talk to him before he did something this drastic.”JUSTIN!”she yelled,waking up Baby.She ran into the kitchen,she went into every room,every nook and cranny and he was nowhere to be found.She opened the garage door and saw that all of his cars were there,but then she looked and saw one of his Harley’s was gone.Where was he?
She blinked back her tears as she reentered the house and walked back into the kitchen.She then saw something that caught her eye,she walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen and saw a note on it.She picked it up and read:
Paris,by the time you read this you would have seen that I put all of your things near the door.What was revealed to me today was much of a shock and I know that you being here wont help my situation.I strongly suggest that you move into your apartment because there's too much confusion,tension and hurt on my part.I don’t know what to think or what to do and with you being here,it wont help the situation much.I'm sorry that this isn’t in person but I had to leave to think about this some more.I know this is a cowardly way to go about things but this is all I can come up with.Lastly,I want to let you know that I still love you but since I do,that makes this decision even harder for me.But I strongly believe that if you cant trust the person your with,it wont work.I'm sorry it turned out this way…I wish it would have been different.
-J
Paris set the note down,she wasn’t surprised that he chose this.This is what shes been afraid of all along.But it was also a shock because it was actually happening. She wiped her tears as she threw the letter away.She picked up all her boxes and put everything in her trunk.She put Baby and her bed on the floor in front of the passenger seat.She walked around the house to check to see if she forgot everything,but there was nothing left.
She took out a piece of paper and wrote:
Your spare key is under the plant on the porch.
She left it where Justin’s note was and sadly walked out of the house.She locked the door and left the key under the plant and walked away.
*__________________*
“Hi Mrs.Sampson,sorry to come here on such short notice but…I have all my things and I'm ready to move in”Paris said sadly as she adjusted her black sunglasses. Her eyes were so red from crying,she didn’t want anyone to think that anything was wrong with her.Red eyes could bring up a lot of assumptions
“Oh already?”Mrs.Sampson said,”Um sure huney,do you need any help?”
“No I'm fine”she said
“Ok,just fill out these forms and I will give you your keys”she said to her.
Ten minutes later,Paris had her official keys.She got in her car and drove to where her parking spot was.She got out and got her purse and picked up Baby,”Well Baby,this is our new home”she said disappointingly.She knew that she was going to come here sometime,just not so soon.
*_________________*