Turbulence - (18+)

42.

GATE B37 SHAY

Paris (CDG)--> New York (JFK)

Hours after landing in Paris, Justin pulled me close against him in his suite's Jacuzzi. My back was pressed against his chest and he was running his fingers through my wet hair-kissing my neck every few seconds.

Despite what he'd said on the plane about talking about "whatever [I ] wanted," no words were spoken when we first checked in. Instead, we'd spent most of the night re-connecting all over his room, letting our sex say all the things we still struggled to say aloud to each other.

It wasn't until a couple hours ago, that he'd held me still and began to tell me about all the things that had plagued his entire life. His father's lies. His brother's assistance in protecting those lies. His ex wife. And the saddest story of all, his mother.

"That's where you go every three weeks?" I asked.

"Yes."

I felt guilty for assuming it was something else. "Does your brother or your father ever go visit her?"

"No."

"Do they know where she is?"

"They do," he said. "I'm sure they've sent things their money can buy. Maybe once or twice they may have snuck in under the guise of a charity event, but..."

"They can't let the truth get out."

"Exactly. That can never get out because it would ruin them both," he said.

"But why haven't you said anything about it at least?"

"There's nothing to gain," he whispered into my ear. "Do you mind if I change the subject?"

I shook my head and he slid his hands underneath my thighs, slowly turning me around until we were face to face. He leaned forward to kiss me-letting his teeth slightly bite my bottom lip, and then he grabbed both my hands.

"I want us to make this work," he said, looking into my eyes. "I need us to make this work."

"I said I was willing to give us another chance when we were on the plane."

"No, no, no..." He shook his head. "You don't understand what I'm saying." His eyes were still on mine, looking more vulnerable than I'd ever seen him. "Almost everyone in my life has betrayed me at some point or used me for some type of personal gain. Almost everyone...My father is a goddamn liar and a cheat, my brother is a manipulative hypocrite, my ex-wife is an opportunist and a father-fucker."

"You on the other hand..." His lips found mine again and he pulled me down against his chest. "You're my anomaly."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely after all the crossword puzzles you've stolen from me, you know what the word 'anomaly' means."

"I know what the word means, I mean in terms of us."

"I mean that although I'm sure you're practically incapable of doing any of the things my family has done, I don't ever want to have to wake up and read the papers to find out about what lies your spinning, I don't want to have to worry about you being with someone else, and something tells me no one else would put up with your incessant talking as much as I do, so this relationship would actually be in your best interest as well."

"One of those clauses was not like the others..."

"I'm aware." He let out a low laugh. "I just need you to promise to continue being my anomaly. And I'm also just not sure how to say I love you."

I sucked in a breath, my heart immediately full of butterflies, and his mouth claimed mine with kisses, breaking down any playful resistance, cementing his feelings over my own.

When he finally let me go, I remembered what I needed to talk about tonight. What had changed in my life since we last broke up. "Wait, Justin. I have to tell you something."

He ignored me, pressing his lips against mine again, slipping his tongue deeper into my mouth.

"No, wait..." I pulled away from him. "It's really important."

"Is it bad?"

I hesitated. "It depends on your definition of bad."

"You know what bad is, Shay." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Is it really that bad to where you have to tell me right now, or can it wait?"

"It can wait."

"Good." His mouth was on mine again and he pulled me into his lap before standing up with me attached to his waist. "Tonight, I just want to focus on the good, and the fact that I really do love you."

"If you love me so much, maybe we don't have to do so much fucking anymore..."

"We'll always be fucking, Shay" He smiled, biting my lip before tossing me onto the bed. "That's the best part of us."

(a/n): Just in case anyone needs this:

a·nom·a·ly (n.) : something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.