Why Your Love Went Away (Justin Timberlake/Britney Spears)

Chapter 1 Don't Want To Think About It

"Brit," Justin called as he opened the door to her hotel room. He had a magazine rolled up in his hands. He quickly tossed it to her as he walked over to her bed. "Check out the headline."

Please don't be what I think it is, Britney prayed. Justin couldn't find out, at least not like this. Not from a damn tabloid.

Britney slowly forced herself to look at the magazine cover, and she suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a picture of the two of them in the matching all-denim outfits they had worn a few weeks ago. "Oh my God..." she sighed, unable to fight the color that rose to her cheeks.

"Not our best style choice," Justin said with a cheeky grin. "You still looked pretty freakin' hot, though."

Britney stifled a giggle. "How charming," she muttered sarcastically.

Justin just shrugged. "I try, babe," he said. "But you really did look hot. And you look pretty damn hot right now, too..."

Britney rolled up the magazine and hit his shoulder with it.

"Hey! What was that for?" Justin asked, faking annoyance.

"I'm not sleeping with you," she said simply.

"Hey, maybe I was just trying to give you a compliment."

"Were you?" Britney asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." Justin said, grinning like an idiot.

Britney sighed. "Are all men this disgusting?"

"Pretty much," Justin replied.

Britney scowled and continued reading the tabloid. Justin could tell she was reading something unflattering about herself as she crumpled up the magazine and angrily launched it across the room.

Justin just looked at her. "You missed, babe."

"What?" Britney asked.

"You missed."

Justin got out of the bed and went to pick up the magazine. He gracefully rolled it up into a nearly perfect ball and threw it in the trash.

"Been working on my jump shot," Justin said with a satisfied grin.

"What'd you do that for?" Britney asked.

"Because trash," Justin said, gesturing to the magazine, "belongs in the trash. It's simple physics."

"I was still reading it!" Britney said, somewhat frustrated.

Justin walked over and plopped himself down on the bed next to her, and without warning he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Slowly he pulled back just a little bit, so that he could look into her perfect brown eyes.

"Listen to me, babe," Justin said softly. "Not those magazines, okay? You're beautiful. You're talented. You're funny and you're smart and you're...you're just perfect. Those magazines don't know shit about you, they don't know shit about us."

Britney felt tears come to her eyes as guilt washed over her in waves. Why did he have to be so good to her? It just made everything so much harder, so much worse. If he could just be a jackass for a second maybe she wouldn't be riddled with constant guilt. But even though he had his temper, and he could be stubborn, he had been nothing but his sweet and funny self since she got back from tour.

"I missed you so much while I was away," Britney said quietly. She felt Justin's strong arms come around her waist and pull her close.

"I missed you too, Brit," Justin said. "So much. I honestly don't know how you do it."

"What? Go on tour?" Britney asked.

"Yeah," Justin said. "I would lose my freaking mind. Must've gotten lonely."

Britney propped herself up on a mound of pillows. "Um, earth to Justin? You've been on tour a couple of times yourself. Don't tell me you've forgotten already," Britney said, giving Justin a playful smirk.

"I know," Justin said thoughtfully. "But at least I had the guys with me. Those guys are like my brothers, you know that. And you were just gone so fricken long..."

"It was a really long tour this time," Britney said mostly to herself. God, it was a long tour... maybe if she hadn't been away so long, just maybe she might not have let it happen. But she did. She let it happen, and it did happen, and there was nothing she could do about it. She screwed up. And that was that.

"I'm just glad you're back," Justin whispered, tightening his grip around her small waist. "I hate being away from you."

"I hate it, too," Britney said. And she meant it. She couldn't stand being separated from him.

And that's why he could never know the truth. He could never find out what actually happened on tour.

Never.