An Old Friend
SS by Chris

I was lounging on the sofa reading a book the other day, when my eight-year-old daughter Isabelle asked me a question.

“Mama, when did you meet daddy?”

It was such an innocent question.  I thought about the answer and realized that my life could have been completely different without the meeting of An Old Friend.

“Well sweetie, which time would you like to hear about?  The first time that we ever met or the time we met and we fell in love with each other again.”  I asked my daughter

“The second time you fell in love,” she said with the same southern accent that I have. 

“Well, it’s a long story.  So sit down right here,” I said patting the seat next to me on the sofa “and I’ll tell you all about the time that your daddy and I found each other again.”

**Beginning of flashback**

**Britney’s POV**

I was just coming out of a serious relationship with someone, who I thought I might end up marring.  It turned out that he wasn’t really after me, but he wanted the fame that came with dating me.  That hurt me a lot.  I thought that this person loved me for me and it wasn’t that way at all.  I was in a great deal of pain, so I buried myself back into my work. 

I’ve quit singing, but now I’m producing, and choreographing dance numbers and directing tours.  Basically, I’m a manager for a small number of people. 

I still live in Kentwood at times, but mostly I live in New York.  I love this city.  There is always something going on in the city.  It just makes me feel like I can be me and not the pop star that I once was. 

Anyway, it was springtime in the city and I was doing what I’m always doing, working.  It was on a new artist that was supposed to debut in the fall and I was working really hard on making sure that everything was perfect for them. 

It was almost two am when the manager of the studio kicked me out, because he said that I looked like shit and needed to go and sleep.  The thing was that I wasn’t tired.  I wanted to keep working, but he threw me out of the building and told me to go home. 

Since I wasn’t tired I figured that I would do what I love to do at night, go for a walk. 

The nice thing about being out of the business limelight is that I don’t need twenty people around me at all times like before.  I can go for a nice walk alone and nobody bothers me.  Every once in a while I’ll get somebody who will recognize me, but that is getting rare. 

So there I was walking down Manhattan at two in the morning minding my own business when all of the sudden somebody walking out of one of the bars bumps into me.

The man quickly turned around an apologized.  I heard the voice from over my shoulder, as I never quit walking, but then it hit me whose voice that was. 

Slowly I stopped and turned around to see if it was indeed who I thought it was.

Sure enough, there were these two baby blue eyes staring back at me.

“Britney?  Britney Spears is that you,” he said

“Justin, hi,” I said.

We had never regained our friendship after our last tirade at one another of the Cry Me a River video.  I hadn’t seen him in years, at least not face to face.  I’ve seen his performances on the TV occasionally, but other than that, I haven’t had any contact with him at all. 

“How are you doing Justin?” I asked not really expecting an answer.

“I’m good, a little drunk, but pretty good otherwise.  What about you?”

“I’m busy, but good” I lied.   I was an emotional wreck, but working through it.  Plus he was the last person that I wanted to tell that I was miserable.

“Well, that is good to hear,” he said with a smile. 

We stood there staring at each other for a couple of seconds, but it seemed like hours.  It was as if we were both trying to memorize each other. 

Finally, his friends came out of the bar and distracted him and me for a couple of seconds that I needed to regain my thoughts.

“Well, I need to get heading home.  It’s late and I have to get to work tomorrow,” I said extending my hand.

“Then let me give you a ride home.  I’m done for the night anyway,” he said turning towards his car.

“No, that’s okay, I just live up the street a little bit.  It was good to see you Justin,” I said and turned to leave, but he stopped me.

“It was good to see you too Brit.  Maybe we could run into each other again some time,” he said shaking my hand this time and then turning back towards his car. 

I started towards my apartment and that is when he said it.

“Brit, could I get your number so that I can call you sometime?”

Such a small request, but not so small when it concerns us.

I thought about it for a while, but figured what the hell, he can’t possibly make my life any worse than it is right now or than he made it all those years ago too. 

“Sure, you got a pen.”

He grabbed a pen from the console of his car, and wrote my number down on his palm.  Then drove away. 

I thought that I saw a sparkle in his eyes when he started to pull away.

I noticed that one thing about his performances anymore.  There was no sparkle in his eyes.  That sparkle that was always there when we were together was gone.  I never knew if I had caused that sparkle to disappear of if the media had.  I figured that it was a combination of both.

When I got home, I still couldn’t sleep, I had Justin on the brain.  It was like right after we broke up the first time.  He was in every thought that entered my head.  I couldn’t get him off my mind.  Finally, about four I gave up trying to sleep that night and went to work out and then to the studio.

This went on for about a week.  All I did was work.  I didn’t sleep at night, because if Justin wasn’t in my head, then Todd sure was.  Then one night, after the studio manager had kicked me out again, Justin called me. 

“Hello,” I said.

“Hi Brit, It’s Justin.”

“Justin do you know what time it is.” I said trying to sound upset that he called me at three in the morning.

“Yeah, but I figured that since I can’t reach you any other time of the day and you don’t return phone calls that I would try now.  It worked.”

I just laughed.  He had a point.  I’m never home and I’m horrible about picking up my messages. 

“If you were sleeping I can call back later if you want>”

“No, that’s okay.  I can’t sleep anyway,” I said getting out of bed to get some water.

We didn’t say anything for a little while, but I would hear him start to speak and then stop.   He did this about three times before I said something.

“Justin, just say whatever it is that you’re trying to work up the nerve to say.”

“Okay. Here goes nothing.” He took a deep breath and said; “Go to dinner with me please.”

I was in shock.  He went straight for the kill.  He didn’t want to talk over the phone. He wanted to go to dinner.

“Justin, I’m not sure if”

“That’s okay.  I wasn’t expecting you to say yes anyway, but I had to ask.” He interrupted me before I finished.

“Justin you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say I’m not sure if I have an open evening this weekend, but I have all next week open.”

“Oh, sorry.  Well would Tuesday work for you?”

“Tuesday is fine”

“Ok, I’ll pick you up about eight”

“Eight it is.  Do you know where I live?” I asked

“Yeah, I think I can find it,” he said laughing.  I never understood why he was laughing until later.

“Okay, then I’ll see you Tuesday at 8” I said before I hung up.

After I hung up the phone, I felt so good.  I hadn’t felt this way in a long time.  I had the butterflies in my stomach and my face was flushed.  I felt so good that I put on one of my favorite CD’s and started dancing right there in my living room.

That weekend and Monday felt like they would never get over.  I was so excited about Tuesday that I took the whole day off.  I hadn’t taken a whole day off in almost two years.  I thought that the studio manager was going to die of shock right there on the spot when I told him that I wouldn’t be coming in. 

I spent Tuesday pampering myself and getting ready for my date.  I went to the spa and got a massage and facial.  I had my hair, and nails done.  It is funny to think back on everything that I did for that one date.  I had never done that for a date before and I have never done it since.

After about 7 o’clock time seemed to move unbelievably slow.  It seemed like eight would never get here, but the closer it got to eight the more my brain started to kick in.

The last 15 minutes before eight were the worst.  I was having second thoughts if I should put myself out there again.  Should I even consider going back to him?  But then I remembered that it was only dinner and I sort of calmed down.  That was until it was five after 8 and he still hadn’t shown up. 

At first I didn’t think too much about it.  I just figured that he was stuck in traffic somewhere or he couldn’t find my apartment. After about 15 minutes, I started to worry that something had happened to him.  At 8:30, I was frantic.  I didn’t think he was coming. If he were stuck in traffic, he would have called to tell me that he was going to be late, and he hadn’t called.  I started crying because I had gotten all dressed up and he wasn’t going to show.

Then around 8:45, the doorbell rang. 

“Hello,” I said through the intercom.

“Brit?  It’s Justin.  You ready to go?” he said.

“Yeah, come on up,” I said trying to wipe away the tears that were still falling down my face.

A few minutes later, he knocked on the door. 

I opened the door and the sight of him standing there all dressed up in a suit and tie made me weak in the knees.  I just stood there staring at him, like I had never seen him before in my life. 

“May I come in,” he said looking at me questionably.

“Sure, come on in.  I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you stand out there,” I said opening the door so he could walk through.  I turned to face him after I closed the door behind him.

“Britney, what’s the matter,” he said when he noticed my face.

“Oh I was watching this really sad movie and it got to me.  You know how I get at those kind of things,” I said trying to get around the real reason why I had been crying.

“Brit, come on.  Tell me the real reason why you were crying.  I know you better than that,” he said turning me around so that he could look in my eyes.

Then he just stared at me with those damn baby blues of his.  He could make me do almost anything by just looking at me with the eyes of his.  I get so lost in them.  I feel so safe with them staring at me.  I broke down right there in his arms.

“I didn’t think you were coming.  I thought that you found somebody else or that you didn’t want to have dinner with me anymore,” I said through the tears.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that.  Traffic was a bitch and then I couldn’t find the apartment.  I had to call Mike to make sure that I had the right address.  I meant to call you, but my cell phone died.  I had to call Mike from a pay phone down the street.  I would never change me dinner plans when they are with you.  No more tears please.  You’ve already ruined your makeup and now your making those beautiful brown eyes of yours all red,” he said wiping the tears away from my eyes with his thumb.

I always loved how he could make me feel so much better after saying something just like that when I was depressed about something. 

“I guess I should go redo my makeup and then we can go,” I laughed as I got up to go redo my makeup.

“Sure,” he said letting go of me.

Thirty minutes later we were at the most expensive Italian restaurant in the city. 

After we are seated in a private room where he won’t be bothered by anyone, we start to look at our menus.

The waiter comes over and begins to take our drinks.

“I’ll have a bottle of white wine and she’ll have a…” he started then stopped.

“I guess that I’ll have a glass of his white wine,” I said after Justin started looking at me.

After the waiter left he said, “I’m sorry about that.  I didn’t mean to order your drink for you.”

“Hey, it’s okay.  You didn’t really order it anyway.  You stopped before you said anything.  Plus you knew what I was going to drink anyway,” I said with a smile.   He just laughed and continued to look at his menu.

After the waiter came back with our drinks and took our dinner order, Justin and I started our conversation about what each other’s lives have been like and what was going on in them.

“So, how is the family doing,” he asked first.

“Well, Jamie-Lynn got her driver’s license about a year ago.  She loves her new car that we got her a couple of months ago.”

“Hopefully she drives better than her sister, otherwise I’m glad that I don’t live in Louisiana,” he said with a smile.

“Hey, I don’t drive that bad,” I said as I playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

“Anyway, Bryan is working as a tour manager for some of the acts that I produced.  Mama is being mama.  She’s everywhere trying to help both Bryan and me and stay with JL while she finishes her senior year.  And Daddy.  I’m not sure what Daddy is doing now.  I haven’t talked to him as much after he and mama got divorced a couple of years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.  I always thought they would be together forever,” he said.

“Yeah well some said the same thing about us,” I replied quickly.

I regretted it the instant that it came out of my mouth.  I didn’t want to go there tonight.  It was the perfect evening up to this and now I may have just ruined it.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes before the waiter returned with our appetizers.

“So how is your family doing,” I said trying to restart the conversation that I had just killed.

“Well, they are all doing really well. Jon and Steven are getting so big.  Mama and Paul are constantly on the go as usual.  And Dad and Lisa are doing their parent thing with the guys.”

“What about the other family,” I asked. 

It was common knowledge that they weren’t too happy with Justin or me after we split.  They were all hurt that we couldn’t get along well enough to be in the same room, so they didn’t get to see me.

Justin took a deep breath and then spoke, “Well, right now we’re not seeing eye to eye on some major issues and have taken a hiatus from one another.  But the last time I checked they were all doing well.  Joey and Kelly are expecting another baby.  And everybody else is starting to settle down a little, well except for Chris and he is still the wild man.”

“Well I’m sorry to hear that.  You guys made great music together,” I could tell that I had struck a cord with him so I let it go at that.

“Yeah, well we had one major issue that we just can’t seem to get around and it keeps driving up apart,” he said and then took a drink of wine.

“So other than the group thing how is your career going.  I mean I’ve seen your performances on the VMA’s, Grammy’s, SNL, and some of the other big shows that you do.  But that is all that I know about.”

“Well, I’m working on my third solo album that is supposed to come out sometime in the next year, but I’m so far behind on recording that I’ll be lucky if I get it out in the next three years.”

“Why are you so far behind?”

“Well I’ve been having trouble writing good material anymore.  I guess that I haven’t had any real inspiration in my life recently to get me in that good writing mood,” he said looking directly in my eyes.

I always had a feeling that he drew from our relationship to write his music, but now it was almost obvious. 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I hope it gets better for you,” I said trying to sound supportive

“Well, actually the last week I’ve had all these ideas running through my head and they have been coming out to be pretty good songs.  Hopefully JIVE likes them and they can go on the record.”

We stopped talking for a little bit and I could tell that he was thinking hard about something, because he would constantly keep looking at me.  He always did that when we were together.  Anytime he needed to think about something he would pull me into his arms and just hold me, because he thought better when I was around.

Finally he spoke, “So what about your career.  Are there any plans to bring out a new Britney Spears album any time soon?”

“Nope, Britney the entertainer is in hibernation.  She hasn’t been out in almost three years.  I produce albums now.  It is much more fun that way.  I stay out of the limelight and still get to make music.  I love it so much better now.  Plus I’m a choreographer on some small tours that are running around the country right now.  Pretty much any tour that has Bryan as the tour manager, than I choreographed the routines.”

“Brit, he has been the tour manager on some of the biggest tours in the country over the last two years.  You mean to tell me that you did the choreography on all those tours,” he looked stunned.

“Yeah, I guess.  Why don’t you think I could,” I was annoyed that he didn’t think I could’ve done them.

“No, I mean those tours were awesome.  I should have known that you were behind some of those tours.  I can’t believe Bryan didn’t tell me that you…” he stopped.

“That Bryan didn’t tell you what?”

“That you were the choreographer behind his tours.”

“Well when did you talk to Bryan about his tours?” Now he had my interest.  What were these two up to while I didn’t know that they were even on talking terms.  The last time I knew, Bryan threatened to kill Justin if he saw him.

“I was clubbing with one of the dancers and she was working on Bryan’s tour.  So I went backstage at one of them and we ran into one another.  We talked and we stayed in contact ever since.  Usually we talk when he is in New York or whenever I’m where he is.”

Well I’ll be hot damned.  They have been friends the whole time.  I should have known.  Bryan never could stay mad at Justin when we were together.  Why should it be any different after we have broken up.

“Well that is nice to know,” I said smiling from ear to ear.

Dinner arrived, but the conversation didn’t stop, but it sure did get serious real fast.

“So, are you seeing anyone,” he asked while I was taking a bite of my fettuccine. 

I about choked on it.

I started coughing trying to work some air into my lungs that he had just sucked right out of me with that question.

“You okay,” he asked with the most caring eyes that any girl could ever want

“Yeah, just tried to inhale my food without chewing it,” I said trying to lighten the mood and hopefully change the subject.  No such luck.

“So as I said, are you seeing anyone?” he asked again.

I thought about just ignoring the question or trying to change the subject again, but then I thought about it some more and realized that it was Justin and we were having a wonderful dinner, so why not answer his question.

“No I’m not.  I just got out of a long term relationship about two months ago and I’m trying to recover from that,” I said never looking at him

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.

“Why is that?  I’m sure that you’ve had your fair share of relationships since we broke up,” I retorted harshly.

There I was being a bitch again when all he did was ask a simple question. 

Justin didn’t respond he just looked at his food and toyed with it.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean that for it to come out that way,” I said.  He didn’t look up.  He continued to stare at his food.

It wasn’t until I reached over and lifted his chin up and made him look into my eyes and said that I was sorry that he finally nodded.  I had hurt him with that statement and I regretted it the instant that it came out too. 

“I’m really sorry Justin.  It’s just that I thought what I had with Todd was something special, but he was after nothing more than fame.  He didn’t want me for me, but he wanted Britney Spears.  It took me almost two years to figure that out and I was really hurt when I broke it off a couple of months ago,” I said almost in tears. 

I hated talking about Todd.  He was a jerk and didn’t’ deserve to be involved in my life anymore, but he still seemed to be a big part of it whether I wanted him to be or not.

“Hey, it’s okay. I understand,” he said wiping the tears away from my eyes with his napkin.

“Here I go ruining my makeup again,” I said with a chuckle.

I made him laugh at my comment and that is what I love most about him, his sense of humor.

He and only him can make me laugh when I’m really depressed. 

“What about you?  Are you seeing anyone?” I asked returning the question.

“No.  I haven’t been seeing anyone for almost three years now.  I did for a while, but it never seemed to workout,” he said

“Well, what was wrong?  If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, at first it was a nice change of pace for me, but then the more and more girls that I came across, the more I started to realized that every girl just wasn’t for me.  I had the perfect girl for me and lost her, and all that I was doing was trying to replace her with somebody else.”

I blushed at his comment.  I knew that he was talking about me.  He was staring at me again.

We sat in another few minutes of awkward silence before I asked him, “Justin, what happened between us.  Where did we go wrong?”

He stopped eating his dessert and looked up at me.  He took a deep breath for he answered.

“Well, we were real young and naive about what the world around us was.  We were always apart for long periods of time.  We had so much to deal with in terms of people pulling us in opposite directions.  And we started letting the media influence us about each other.  We both started believing what was being written about us.  That and us not being together much damaged what we had.”

I agreed with everything he said.  I had always thought that each of those things had helped to break us up, but I never knew what he thought about it.

“But, Britney I want you to know this.  I never,” he pulled my chin up to look into my eyes, “NEVER stopped loving you with all my heart.”

I was just staring into his blue eyes.  I started to cry as he continued to hold my face up.  With every tear that fell from my eyes, he wiped away with his thumbs.

“I love you so much Britney Jean Spears.  I never knew how I was going to get you back, but I was always thinking of what I would say when if I ever got the chance to see you again.  Then after all the days of going to that really lousy bar hoping that I would get to see your beautiful face one day, it finally happened.”

By this time, he was down on his knees right in front of my chair holding my hands in my lap, staring at me with those blue eyes of his.

“I’m sorry for everything that happened between us.  I’m more sorry that I have spent the last six years of my life without the only girl that I ever want to spend my life with.  Give me one more chance to show you what you really mean to me.  Give us one more chance to be that happy family that we always dreamed that we would have.  Please, just one more chance to make ourselves happy once again.”

I sat there on the chair and just cried while he looked at me.  What he had just said was what I had been waiting the last six years of my life waiting to hear from him.

“I love you Justin, and yes I’ll give us another chance,” I said standing up to hug him.

We stood there in our embrace for a couple of minutes before we broke apart.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

“ And that my dear, is how your daddy and I got back together,” Britney said as she looked down her daughter in her lap.