When The Snow Settles - Justin Bieber Fanfiction

Beneath the Frozen Night

Emma's Point of View: 

As we reached my apartment building, the feelings of the entire night started to settle. I turned to Justin, smiling softly. "Thanks for walking me home. I had fun at the coffee shop," I said, thinking about how easy it had been.

"Do you want me to walk you up?" He asked, a little uncertain.

I hesitated. The stairs leading up felt like a step deeper into my world, but then I nodded. "Okay, if you want to."

We climbed the creaky, wooden steps together. The hallway lights flickered while some of the paint on the walls was peeling. My building wasn't much, but it was mine.

At my door, I slid the key into the lock, but before I could push it open, I felt his hand touch my arm. It was barely a touch, but it stopped me I turned to him, and he just looked at me.

"Will I see you tomorrow at the festival?" he asked.

I nodded softly. "Yeah. I'll see you there."

His thumb moved in a slow circle against my arm, and my breath caught. I looked at his hand on my arm. When I looked back at him, the distance between us felt shorter.

I wondered if I stayed in this moment long enough what might happen next.

Justin's Point of View:

I didn't know what the fuck I was thinking. One second, I was being pulled toward her, and the next, reality smacked me in the face. Alison. This whole mess I'd gotten myself into. It yanked me back before I did something I couldn't take back.

I forced my hand to drop from her arm, but the ghost of the touch stayed on my hand, like some kind of reminder of how close I'd come to crossing a line I had no business even thinking about.

I forced a smile, keeping it casual. "Good night, Emma."

She nodded, slow, like she knew. Like she felt it too. There was something between us, something real but fragile as hell. She gave me a small smile and then she turned away. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me standing there like a fucking idiot.

I just stood there, not moving, not thinking straight. My heart was pounding, and for a split second, the thought of just going for it, closing that space between us, kissing her, hit me so hard it almost knocked the breath out of me. I could see it so fucking clearly.

But I couldn't. Not to her. Not to Alison. Not like this.

I exhaled and forced myself to turn away.

Emma was still in my head. And no matter how hard I tried, I knew she wasn't going anywhere.

Tomorrow. I'd see her again at the festival.

I just hoped I could keep my shit together when I did.

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Emma's Point of View:

I woke up with last night running through my head on a loop. The way Justin looked at me, how close we were. It was impossible to let go of. It made my heart race, which was ridiculous. I wasn't the kind of person who got caught up in moments like that. But here I was, sitting in bed, replaying it like it actually meant something.

I sighed, pushing the blankets off and heading to the kitchen. As I made my coffee, I tried to focus on anything else. The snow outside was falling, covering the street in white. It was peaceful, the kind of morning I usually loved. But my thoughts were too scattered to enjoy it.

I settled onto the window bench with my coffee, watching the world outside and hoping my brain would quiet down. It didn't. Justin was stuck in the back of my mind, as frustratingly persistent as ever. The way he hesitated last night, like he wanted to say something or do something. I wasn't used to this. To feeling so unsteady because of someone else. Because of him.