| Sailing by destiny He stood on the dock, bracing against the breeze that numbed his face, causing it to tingle. It was the kind of wind that whipped through your bones, leaving him begging for mercy. The hot cocoa he'd consumed earlier was long gone, and he contimplated heading back to the coffee shop for another. It was a long walk from that dock, though, and he was afraid he wouldn't return. Blowing into his hands, he shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring up into the cloudy sky, begging the sun for mercy. It had been a year since he'd seen her, and while she agreed to meet him, he wasn't so sure she'd show. His nerves were a mess, and he squinted out over the ocean into the horizon, searching for signs of her. Nothing thus far. Checking his watch, he frowned as time ticked on. She was already half an hour late. Ten more minutes, then I'm gone. Maybe fifteen, just in case. "Damn fool kids," the old sea captain muttered from nearby, puffing on the pipe clamped in his teeth. "I'm telling you, son. It's not safe to be out there today. The ocean is cruel. It's not for amatuers." Justin looked over his shoulder, pulling the collar of his windbreaker up around his neck. "I appreciate your concern, sir. But my friend, she's a professional sailor. Been sailing since she was a kid." "And just how old is she? Can't be more than you, and you're what? Seventeen at best." Justin bit back a laugh. Seventeen indeed. "Nineteen, sir. Twenty next month." "Oh, hell, you're still just a baby. She old as you?" "She is." Justin chewed on his lip, already raw and chapped from the wind. He returned his attentions to the sea, not meaning to be rude, but he knew her, and he knew what a good sailor she was. It was true, she had been sailing since she was old enough to understand, and Justin had been out with her several times in the past five years. He wanted so desperatly to see her again, hold her and feel her body next to his. Once a year sucked, quite frankly, and he wished it could be more. Since meeting all those years ago, they'd become close friends, and when the time was right, lovers. Loosing their virginity to one another was an experience. Justin smiled as the images danced in his mind. They'd been sixteen, and so scared. He loved her, though, in a way he could love no other. Although he dated his pop princess, and she dated local men, they'd always stayed connected, and every time N Sync came to the area, they met up, spending what little time they had in each other's arms, chatting and laughing, enjoying one another. He felt safe with her. She had known him as his rise to fame began, as he was a gangly, awkward 14 year old. She knew him when the very thought of flying across the world made his stomach churn, and his face loose color, she knew him through the bad times, the good times, and he often called her while on tour, just to grasp a hold of something real. "Seems your lady friend made it," the captain said, pointing to a schooner crashing through the waves toward them. Justin peered out over the water, barely containing a broad grin as he made her figure out. He was due to fly out in the morning, to continue his tour, and would have been greatly disappointed had she not shown. In the sky, the clouds parted, the sun making it's grand entrance, warming the land a bit. From the boat, she stood on tip toes and waved to him. He returned it, striding closer to the dock's edge. He watched with admiration as she manuevered the large sailboat to dock, helping him aboard. Without words, he pulled her to him, brushing her curly brown hair from her face, memorizing the way the sun glinted in her almond shaped green eyes. His lips crushed to hers in passion and release, intensifying when a low moan formed in her throat, making him press closer to her. The sailboat swayed carelessly unattended, causing her to back off a bit. "I better get us underway," she grinned, tugging playfully at his windbreaker. "I've missed you," she admitted, drinking him in. The past year had done wonders for him, his body, his actions, everything. She tended to the matters at hand, not able to focus on much more with him so near. Justin took a seat out of her way, watching her body move gracefully about. He sighed, imagining the night ahead, docked out on the water, just the two of them, far away from the real world. He'd purposely left his beeper and cell phone at the hotel, for peace and quiet. His eyes closed, and he let the newly shining sun beat down on him. She couldn't help but steal glances at him, so handsome and so sure of himself. Five years and they'd both grown up. Five years and her family still loved seeing him, and his loved seeing her. If only they could stay this way forever, but she wouldn't be selfish. The world deserved him, and while she was unsure if his girlfriend actually deserved him, she was happy for him all the same. With the boat headed out toward the sea, cutting with ease through the waves, she took a seat near him, where she could inhale his musky scent, and run her fingers through those soft curls. "You look good," she whispered in his ear, kissing his earlobe gently, and helping herself to the unique smell that was Justin. "Aw, shucks," he blushed, kissing the tip of her nose. He knew he had to wait to hold her properly while she steered, and he was already dreaming of the way she would feel naked in his arms. "Now you," he grinned, taking her hand in his. "you look amazing." "Sure. I'm sure I look like hell compared to those Hollywood starlets you hang with." Justin shook his head furiously, to stress his point. "You are so beyond them. Lance and I got cornered taking two of them out one night. You know he's so wrapped up in that acting shit, and he begged me, so we took them to this really fancy hotel. They didn't eat!" He listened to her giggle in wonder and nodded. "I mean it. The two of them drank like fish, ordered some crap that cost a fortune but looked like a starving salad, then didn't eat it." She raised her eyebrow, quite used to Justin's dramatics. She could never tell just how much of the stories he told were real, or dramatized for effect. "And I assume you guys got stuck with the bill." "Naturally." He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling brightly in the sun, and held her hand firmly. "I want you to know, there's no one in my life that's as special as you are. For real. You know me, the real me. Not the me that's so far gone, I don't even know him anymore." "Oh, Justin," she sighed, leaning into his embrace. Sometimes she wanted to ride in on a white horse and swipe him away from N Sync, away from the lights and the cameras, the screaming fans and the adulation. She knew better, though. All this was in his blood, meant for him, as sad as he seemed at times. "Can we dock now?" he asked, a small laugh dying in his throat. "Cuz, I don't think I can wait another minute to be with you." She nodded, wordlessly, and prepared the boat, well aware of his eyes on her every move. Her heart swelled at what was to come, his touch, the feel of him inside her. She shivered involuntarily at the thought, hurrying through her shut down procedure, anchoring in the swelling sea. Justin took her hand, leading her down below deck. His heart hammered violently inside his chest with anticipation, but he moved slowly, deliberatly. Once down the steps, he guided her to the bed, silence falling comfortably upon them. They had their bodies, as always, to do the talking for them. He kissed her, firmly, enjoying the feel of her melting into him. His hands unzipped her jacket, tossing it aside, and he lifted her sweater from her, his cool fingertips warming on her hot skin. She gasped at his touch, barely there, but so vivid. This was what she waited all year for, this moment, and he never disappointed. When they had discarded their clothing, they fell onto the bed, smiling and gazing at one another, re-exploring each others bodies. He moved over her with no fear, no hang ups. So often in his world, he found it more comforting to perform in the darkness, his face hidden from his partner, random or otherwise. Now, he didn't want to hide, he wanted to see her, taste her, be in the light with her, share her pleasure, revel in her very being, the most pure of beings. She closed her eyes in sweet wanting, letting him ravish her body with ease. When he entered her, she bit her lip, clutching at the bed sheets, whispering his name as the curls on his head tickled her shoulder. Justin leaned on his elbows, staring down at her as he moved, tears burning his eyes. This was right, the way God intended it to be. She was the only woman he'd ever made love to, the only one. Sex was not making love, and he knew in the morning, she would be gone, and another year would sail by, leaving him inside his black hole again with only the phony placsticness of the music industry to keep him company. When he felt her tighten around him, he grinned, quickening his pace, letting himself go with a small moan. Collapsing ontop of her, he kissed her neck, breathing erratically on her skin. She held him to her, afraid to let him roll over, not ready to feel the chill the air would bathe her in when his body was gone. She gazed at him, letting her fingers float through his hair, so soft and so him. His blue eyes met her green ones, and she saw the wetness in them, melting her heart into his. "Justin," she mumered, cradling his head to her chest. He bit his lip, forcing the tears back. It would be time to leave her soon, and he wanted more of her, to make more memories, in the hopes it would comfort him through the next year. Hugging her tightly, he took a deep breath, remembering it all, for later. |