AJ slowly opened his eyes, greeted with dark skies as he laid in his large, empty bed inside the large, empty house. He had spent all day with the guys, working on their upcoming tour. His heart wasn't into it, but he put on his famous front and thought everyone bought it. At least, he hoped everyone had bought it.
He had been his usual, charming self. Hadn't he? He had sung his solos in perfect harmony... Without much enthusiasm. Had flirted carelessly with all the female backup dancers... Though he grimaced and ended up walking away when a hand was slipped into his pants... Had teased Nick endlessly for his constant dancing blunders... Though he had made far more mistakes and been ruthless in his critique. It seemed like a typical day...
When he came home, the large space in his house seemed to match the feeling in his heart. Since that day... everything seemed to be pointless. He had a chance to be happy and he blew it. Not that he was used to it, but this was different. She was different. And now her cell phone goes right to voicemail when he tries to call.
He had left messages when the voicemail triggered. An endless amount of messages that apologized for behaving like such a beast. But all the signs were there. She was begging to be kissed. The way she kept her lips so close to his ear, whispering with a seductive purr that sent a blaze throughout his body. She had been pleading for him to just do it. And she hadn't resisted... At first... What the fuck had he done wrong?
"I may as well become the crazy old man kids talk about on Halloween," AJ grumbled, sitting up in time to see rain pelt the large bay window.
Leaving her home that day had seemed to be the roughest day of his life. The whirlwind of emotions that flooded his system had sent him crashing faster than the hardest and purest of lethal drug cocktails he had been known for. It felt as if her fist had landed squarely in his stomach, sending a flood of tears to his muddy brown eyes. He couldn't help but worry that he was missing out on something terrific. Something so fantastic that Heaven itself wept at the loss... Demonstraited by the rainfall.
Rubbing the grainy feeling out of his eyes, he stood up and walked to the window, which allowed him to climb out onto a small balcony. He opened the window and rain began to soak his clothes.
When the iciness of the rain soaked through his t-shirt, he was somewhat thankful that he felt the chill. At least it was a reminder that he was still among the living. After all, it had been Howie that commented about him being among the walking dead. But, comforted somewhat by the feeling of something colder than his heart, he crept onto the balcony to wait amongst the downpour. Never had he felt so alone.
"If only I could have showed her that... God..." He closed his eyes, feeling the drops beat down on his pale skin. It seemed like his entire soul echoed with an ache that wouldn't go away.
He had been so comfortable with her the night before. Whatever had caused her initial dislike of him had dissipated when he reacted to the bastard at the bar. She had tended to the cuts on his hand so tenderly, making sure to blow softly when the stinging cleaning solution had been applied. Then, when he expected to be hurried out the door, she offered him a chance to watch a movie. Then, slowly, she had faded into a sleep. They had started out on opposite ends of the couch, but, when she drifted, she had nestled her head in his lap. What he wouldn't have given to have that back.
He looked down from the balcony. The drop was easily twenty feet; high enough to make sure-- he quickly tried to shake away the thought but it kept coming back. How easy would it be to jump and make the loneliness go away?
Since sobering up, everyone in his extended network of friends had assumed that he was healthy again. Both physically and mentally. That he felt thankful to be given another chance at life and had found a way to fight the depression lurking deep within him. But becoming sober had merely taken away the crutch that allowed him to drift from the depression. Now he walked on his own with the full brunt of the pain. He thought music would channel his energy, but now everything seemed to unravel.
"You're going to catch your death out here..."
Blankly looking up, AJ noticed Howie standing at the open window. His curtains looked to be soaked with the heavy storm, but it didn't seem very significant in terms of his life. He couldn't even muster the anger to berate Howie for stealing into his house without a proper invitation, mostly because he welcomed the intervention... Somewhat...
"Aje, get inside."
"Why did you come here?" AJ asked as Howie helped him climb through the window. A puddle of water gathered at his feet as he began to shiver.
"Intuition, I guess," Howie answered simply, reaching behind his young friend to close the window. Moving him into the middle of the large bedroom, he then quickly trotted toward the master bathroom to retrieve several towels. Draping them upon the shivering AJ, Howie sighed softly, "You okay?"
"I-I've been b-b-b-better," he chattered, wrapping the towels tightly around him.
"What in God's name were you doing outside in that downpour?" Howie questioned, though he wasn't certain that AJ would have an answer. Gently guiding the man toward the bathroom, he then moved to collect some dry garments of clothing. He had looked somewhat haggared at rehersals that morning, but Howie had assumed it was because of another late night in front of the TV...
"Trying t-t-to... I don't k-know," AJ shrugged. Howie had a good thing going with Stephanie, he didn't need to worry about him.
"You do know," Howie disagreed, setting the clothing on the large bathroom counter.
"D, it's n-nothing--"
"Aje, don't pull that with me... Kevin maybe, but not me..."
"I fucked it all up," he whispered, drying himself off.
"Rehersing wasn't that terrible, J."
"It's not about rehearsal."
"Then you want to talk about Ana?"
"No... yes..."
"Okay..." Howie trailed, watching AJ continue to shiver quite terribly. Motioning toward the clothing, Howie then stepped out of the bathroom. "Why don't you get changed? I'll wait out here and then we can talk."
"Alright," AJ said between chattered teeth as he walked into the bathroom. He peeled off his soaked clothes and changed into the jeans and sweatshirt Howie had picked out for him. He came back out to see Howie sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Here," Howie called, tossing a thick flannel blanket that had been folded over the end of the bed. He recalled it was one of the blankets they had bought while touring across the country. AJ had seemed to catch his death in the colder climates, so pale and sickly, and there had been on particularly bad scare that landed the man in the hospital. Hooked to IV solutions and delierious, he had been so homesick and lonely. Howie had made sure to find the softest blanket to bring his friend, spending the entire night at his side till the fever broke. Tough times seemed to follow both men frequently and now as Howie turned the corner to a brighter path, AJ's seemed to darken. Again.
"Thanks," AJ wrapped the blanket around his thin frame, the fabric trembling with his shivering. He sat down on the black leather couch, directly across from Howie. "Why did you know to come here?"
"Because I'm your best friend," Howie answered simply, as if that spoke volumes though it was barely an explanation. But, it was the truth. He had noticed the drastic decline in AJ's demeanor throughout the passing week. His inability to concentrate through practice had been quite suspect, but the darkness of AJ's cocoa eyes had given him away. It was a loneliness that Howie knew quite fondly. A dark, pitiful depression that warranted an intervention. Like those days when AJ had drove himself to a near death.
"Yeah..." AJ sighed heavily as the shivers began to subside. During the dark times of his deadly addictions, Howie had been the speck of light that kept hope burning dimly inside his soul. He had gone to rehab for everyone, but especially for Howie. It was because of his best friend that he was even alive. "Did Stephanie tell you what happened?"
"She told me that something happened, but couldn't tell me any more than that. Ana's been running herself ragged with tons of overtime at the hospital. Steph said that she's literally working herself to death," Howie explained softly, curious to know what had happened though he didn't want to pry.
"Because of me," AJ muttered, feeling his heart become even heavier with the news. If only he hadn't crossed the line.
"Because of you?"
"I fucked up big time."
"I know, you told me that--"
"And it's true. I fucked up. Bad."
"But how could making a simple mistake cause so much chaos?"
"It wasn't a simple mistake, D," AJ groaned, not even wanting to relive the nightmare through words. Sinking deeper within the layers of blanket, he tucked himself into a protective ball. It was hard enough when his subconcious lureed him into the memory, electrifying the heinousness of the situation. And now, what had once been an innocent kiss now looked, in his mind's eye, like a outlandish physical assault.
"You know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to women," Howie disagreed with a frown.
"A-fucking-parently not," AJ snorted quite loudly, pounding the heel of his hands against his throbbing head. Rehab had been good for him. That much was true. But the depression remained. Medicine could only do so much. And now, when it looked like he might have the slighest chance to be happy, he found himself fucking up any possibility of seeing that become a reality.
"Not to be blunt, but... what the Hell are you talking about? What exactly happened?" Howie finally asked. Going around the question was just making his head spin.
"Ana's a great chick, y'know? I mean... Fuck... I haven't spent a lot of time with her, but I know enough about her. I know that she's funny as Hell. She loves to make people laugh and she has this way of peeking at you when she says something funny, hoping that she'll see you smile. And when you do, her blue-green eyes turn this gorgeous shade of sapphire... And she cares so much about everyone and... Damn is she sarcastic. She'll rip you a new asshole if you ain't careful, but then she's just so sweet... I... I've never met a woman like her before, y'know?"
"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," Howie nodded in understanding. He felt the same way about Stephanie. "That's why Steph thought you two would be good together."
"Well... You'd think that she might have mentioned that to Ana before I tried to score--"
"You tried to what?" Howie supressed a groan.
"To score a kiss!" AJ exclaimed hurriedly, shooting Howie a hateful glare for thinking less of him. "All the signals were there. I swear to fucking God above. She had fallen asleep watching movies with me the night before, so I carried her upstairs and put her to bed. I could have jumped in beside her and gave her some smartass comment in the morning about her wanting me there, but I didn't want to play games with her. She deserved better. So, I went downstairs and slept on the shitty couch of theirs--"
"Okay..." Howie trailed vaguely, allowing AJ a small oportunity to string together a colorful expression of curses. "I still don't understand--"
"It happened in the morning, damnit! She didn't realize I spent the night and almost fucking killed me. Then she gave me a back massage and offered to cook me breakfast. Like I'm going to turn down a meal. So, I'm helping her and our conversation just takes this erotic turn and... Fuck... All the signals were there when I went to kiss her. She was standing in front of me and her lips were against my ear. She was even purring like some kind of sex kitten. She wanted to be kissed. I swear to God she did and she was so eager at first. She pushed back against me and then suddenly she freezes!"
"I believe you, Aje. If a woman isn't interested, you don't persue anything. Especially a kiss or whatever else..." Howie trailed off, biting the inside of his cheek for a moment. He had a good idea why Ana became so frightened. "What happened after that?"
"She told me to never do that again and said she needed a shower. Told me to finish breakfast because I looked like I hadn't ate in years and ran away. I wanted to stay... Wait for her to come back down... But I knew it was wrong... I wrote a note and left..." AJ answered, crumpling with the completion of the story. Folding his face into his hands, he released a weary sigh. "I liked her a lot. But, I don't deserve anything that good, huh?"
"What? Of course you deserve a good woman. You're a good man, even if this situation happened," Howie disagreed, standing up and sitting back down next to AJ. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Maybe she had a bad relationship in the past and isn't ready for something like that."
"She wouldn't let a guy fuck around with her like that, D..." AJ disagreed with a furious shake of his head. "She's too strong."
"She was scared to death and the bastard was someone who had a lot of power over her--"
"What bastard? Who are you talking about? Who hurt her?"
Holding his breath, it wasn't till AJ's fingers crushed into his upper arm with a demanding grunt that Howie realized he had even mentioned Ana's past. Yanking his arm away from the painful sting, he lurched upward and bit down on his tongue to keep from cursing. He had swore to Stephanie that he wouldn't tell AJ about Ana's father and yet he had let it slip so easily. "Jesus, Aje, I can't--"
"Howie, what happened to her? I deserve to know! I've been killing myself over this since that morning..." AJ trailed off and glanced back at Howie. "Tell me. Please."
"Aje..." Howie strained, moving into the bathroom to collect the dirty clothing. AJ was hardly known for being immaculate, which is why he had a maid tend to his house weekly. Though, surveying the house upon entering, Howie decided that AJ must have fired the maid several months ago. No man could make such a mess in a week. "I promise Stephanie that I wouldn't say anything to you. Hell, she didn't even know till a few weeks ago..."
"But I should have been told! This whole damn thing could have been prevented," AJ followed him, letting the blanket fall onto the plush carpet. "Damnit, D, tell me!"
"I don't even know the whole story!"
"You know SOMETHING!"
Straightening with every intention of taking the now heavily loaded basket of clothing to the washroom, Howie stiffened when AJ blocked his path. The younger man stood in the doorway and, despite his lithe stature, looked quite intimidating by bracing himself. His chest puffed outward and such a angry defiance smoldered within his dark eyes. "...What good is it going to do you, J?"
"It doesn't matter. I should have been told before I tried persuing anything with Ana. It was fucking unfair and you know it, D."
"I didn't even know about it until afterwards."
"You're going to tell me."
"I am not--"
"I DESERVE TO KNOW!"
Holding his breath when AJ's voice radiated from the bathroom marble, electrifying the furiousness of his voice, Howie could feel his heart flutter. His entire body tensed at the desperate tone to AJ's voice and he dropped the basket of clothing. "She was hurt, AJ... When she was a teenager... Probably before that too... By someone very close to her."
"Who hurt her?" AJ's voice was suddenly calm and even, though his eyes gave away to the turmoil of emotions.
"I can't--"
"Who hurt her, D?"
"Her father," Howie whispered.
"Her... her... FATHER?"
"I'm sorry, Aje, I wish I could have told you... But, I didn't know... Not even... Steph had just mentioned that Ana didn't date much and she deserved a good guy. I thought... God, I'm so sorry, Aje... I never meant to get you involved in such a mess--"
"I'm going to prove to her I'm not like him."
"...What?"
"I'm not giving up. She's the one and I'm not going to let her slip away."
Wrinkling his brow in confusion at the determination in AJ's voice, he was flabbergasted to find AJ stomping from the room. Stepping over the laundry basket, Howie stumbled somewhat, but managed to catch AJ's upper arm. "J... Wait... You can't tell her that you know... God, she doesn't even know that I know. And I'm sure if she knew, then Stephanie would be banished from her life completely--"
"I'm not going to tell her I know. I may be an idiot, but not that much of one," AJ pulled his arm away.
"I know you're not an idiot, J. It's just a delicate situation and-- Did you just say that she's the one? As in..." At a loss for words, Howie made sure to put emphasis on his previous words. "The one?"
"Yes. The one. I thought a lot of girls in the past were the one, but... I know it's Ana."
"...You were always the type of person to chose the most difficult path in life..."
"And it led me to Ana."
"Steph kept insisting that you two were going to fall hopelessly in love. She wants to come up with some kind of grand plan to get you two together," Howie confided, watching as AJ went on a furious cleaning streak. It was as if the devastating news had renewed his passion for life. Though, Howie feared the anger brewing in AJ's heart could be dangerous.
"I knew I liked her," AJ gave a soft chuckle. "Has she thought of anything yet?"
"Not really... I wanted to have a kid sneeze on her to give her a terrible case of the flu. Then I could take Stephanie on some romantic vacation and you could tend to Ana... Of course, I think that's more for me and her than you and Ana..."
"Yeah, and I don't want to get the flu. But nice try," AJ stopped cleaning and glanced at his best friend. "A romantic vacation? It's getting pretty serious?"
"I'm too old to take it slow," Howie answered with a small smile, though he nodded nonetheless. Stephanie was such a breath of fresh air in his life. He felt as if he could do nothing wrong whenever he was in her presense. And, as the days waned, he found himself falling helplessly into her.
"I'm happy for you," AJ smiled as well, which soon turned into a smirk. "But y'know... you are in close running with Kev... pretty soon you'll need a walker to catch up with Steph."
"I'll just borrow your vast arrays of canes from all your injuries--"
"Stop before you start, old man."
"I'm not the idiot that got his foot ran over by a van--"
"I was trying to avoid rabid fans!"
"You're in a better mood now."
"I know. Thanks, D."
"I don't know where Ana is right now, to be honest. I just know that she's been sleeping at the hospital and then sometimes she'll come home for a few minutes... I wish I could give you an exact location, but I'm sure you've got plans brewing in your head already. You don't need my help... Though, you should know that what you did wasn't wrong. She's just terrified..."
"I'll make everything right. I'll show her I'm nothing like that bastard."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Easing herself carefully from the seat of Stephanie's vehicle, Ana made sure to wedge the crutches underneath her arms before pushing herself into a standing position. Her right leg immediately barked with pain at the position change, the thick plaster cast weighing heavily upon the appendage. A broken ankle from tripping and falling in the house. It seemed absurd, but she had managed to fracture several bones in the ankle with the violent twist. Of course, the doctor had chided her for poor nutrition, which ultimately led to the weakening of her bones. But, when she stressed, she couldn't eat. And, she seemed to be constantly under the weight of stress. So, quietly, she moved toward the house with every intention of taking her pain medcation and falling into a pit of darkness.
Stephanie quickly got out of the car, holding in a sigh as she kept up with Ana; medication in hand along with a 24-ounce bottle of Pepsi. "Do you want me to grab an ice pack before we head upstairs to your room, CT?"
"That'd be fine," Ana answered softly, fumbling with her keys before managing to push the door open. Of course, her crutches loosened beneath her hold and she toppled into the house. Cursing loudly at the fiery throb of pain starting from the tips of her toes and moving up through her body. Nothing ever seemed to work out for her. It hurt so badly to know she was such a pitiful failure. But, she said nothing of her horrible luck, crawling toward the stairs and abandoning her crutches.
"CT, wait!" Stephanie grabbed the crutches and rushed to the younger woman's side. "Sweetie, you don't have to crawl up to your room. C'mon, I'll help you up."
Collapsing on the stairs, she shifted uncomfortably and used her fists to grind the tears from her eyes. "I absolutely hate my life."
"I know..." Stephanie sighed, kissing the side of Ana's face. "It'll get better. I promise."
"I won't be able to work till this damn cast comes off... I had to go on extended leave..."
"It's okay. I'll get some overtime in and we'll be fine--"
"I don't want you working overtime to make up for my mistakes. It's not fair to you. I mean, I'll have money coming in and I did all that extra overtime, it's just the fact that I'm going to be cooped up in this house for how many weeks and..." Ana let her thoughts trail to an oblivious conclusion, but she knew the rest. Staying home meant that she would be unable to run away. That she would have to face the pain that she fought so hard to erase.
"And?"
"I don't want you to feel obligated to take care of me," Ana answered quietly, reaching for the crutches resting on Stephanie's legs. Pulling them under her arms, she forced herself upward and started the painful climb to her bedroom.
"I'm not obligated. I want to take care of you. That's what best friends do," Stephanie argued as she followed Ana up the stairs.
"It's my fuck-up, Cocci," Ana insisted with a hard groan, moving slowly into her bedroom. She noticed the clothing littering the floor and was careful to make her way toward the large bed. Collapsing onto the pillow top, she pulled away her sweatshirt and wriggled out of her jeans, leaving herself in a pair of boxers and a tank top. Then, she moved herself to the top of the bed, just wanting a long nap.
"You always take care of me when I fuck up. Why is this time so different?" Stephanie countered as she sat on the edge of the bed with medication, soda and ice pack in hand.
"Because... I've never... I'm not... I don't need help..."
"Ana, you can barely get around the house. Your ankle is too tender."
"I can manage," Ana promised, though she said nothing when Stephanie placed the items in her hands on the nearby nightstand and moved to collect a variety of pillows scattered on the bed. Propping up the ankle, Stephanie then placed the ice pack onto the broken ankle and tucked Ana into the covers. "...I'm not your daughter, y'know?"
"You're right. You're my sister. My best friend. And best friends take care of each other no matter what," Stephanie took out the recommended dose of pain killers and handed them to Ana along with her Pepsi.
"Thank you," Ana murmured softly, taking a long swallow of the carbonated beverage to wash down the large pills. Then, laying back amongst the pillows, she folded her arms over her face, just wanting to disappear. "You have a date with Howie tonight?"
"Nope. I'm going to stay here with you."
"You didn't cancel on him, did you? Because once these pain killers kick in, I'm going to be knocked out and you'll just be here to watch me sleep--"
"No, I didn't cancel any plans. He wanted to work on some songs and I like to give him space when he does."
"Such a good girlfriend," Ana crooned playfully.
"Yeah, you can hush now," Stephanie chuckled, making sure the cap was tightly secure on top of the soda bottle and the ice pack was still on top of Ana's cast. "Is there anything you want me to make for dinner? A meatloaf sandwich?"
"I'm not hungry," Ana declined, pulling up the covers that cocooned her to her neck. Satisfied that the blankets would provide some kind of warmth, she looked to Stephanie's crestfallen expression. "I'm just really tired..."
"You need to start eating again. That's why your break was so bad; you were almost malnourished."
"When I wake up from my nap. Okay?"
"Okay," Stephanie smiled softly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "When you wake up, just holler."
"I will," Ana promised, offering a soft yawn while Stephanie slipped from the room. And, when the door closed, she considered drifting into a state of unconsciousness, but her phone came to life. Groaning, she blindly reached out for the phone, wondering if work had come up with some brilliant plan to let her work again.
Her heart almost seemed to stop when she saw the name on her caller ID. After what happened that one morning while making breakfast, she never thought she would hear from him again.
The ringing of the cell phone seemed to grow with impatience and it became apparent that AJ would not cease. It looked to be the same type of perserverence that sustained him when the incident first occured. He had filled her entire length of voice mail with apologies, but the calls had slowly waned. That is, until now. And, though she had been terrified by the kiss, she couldn't help but wonder... Hesitating for a moment, she flipped open the cell phone and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Ana?"
"AJ?"
"I'm so glad you answered. I thought I was going to have to leave another voicemail."
"You're the king of voicemail... That's for sure..."
"I just wanted to talk to you and say I--"
"You're sorry," Ana finished softly, knowing he had repeated those same words dozens of times as he contineud to call. She was exhausted to say the least and could withstand his apologies. He seemed truthful and she had perhaps overreacted. She was known for being a tease. Instigating men.
"I really am sorry. I got some signals from you, and I should have asked first," AJ ran a hand through his locks as he paced his living room.
"It's my fault," Ana assured, closing her eyes to concentrate on his voice. The low rasp had always enchanted her, especially when Stephanie tuned in to countless interviews. Even now, despite the drama she had caused, she still found herself falling for his voice. "I'm just a horrible tease. I know."
"I'm not the innocent one here," AJ disagreed. He wouldn't let her take all of the blame. "I crossed the border--"
"Because I kept egging you--"
"I should have asked first. I just wanted to say I was sorry and if we could still be friends."
"It's okay," Ana soothed softly. "Don't stress yourself out. It won't do you any good for when you go touring. Ain't this supposed to be your lay-back-hang-out-calm-down time?"
"Well, yeah... and I wanted to know if you could be a part of that time with me."
"...What do you mean?"
"You're a great person to hang out with. I don't think I laugh as much as when I'm with you. I thought maybe we could continue a friendship... that is, if you want to."
"AJ..." Ana trailed softly, awed by the hopefulness flodding his voice. "If things had been reversed, I doubt I would have been calling you... Of course, I can't really see you turning down any kind of sexual advance..."
"Are you calling me a horn dog?"
"No..." Ana trailed, though she couldn't help her smirk.
"Yeah, and I'll bet you're smirking right now," AJ chuckled. He could almost see it.
"Never..."
"You're definitely one of a kind, Ana Lord."
"Some days more than others," Ana agreed, continuining to smile when he laughed once more. She could feel the faint flutter of her heart at his laugh, knowing that she had brought him some kind of happiness. Though, she wasn't sure she had the strength to keep a friendship with him, knowing the sexual tension would always be present. Perhaps if he were lonely on the road, then he could call--
"So, what do you say? We could hit the batting cages, go surfing, bum around the mall and avoid rabid fans... anything you want. I would really like to be friends."
"You sound like such a teenager."
"Is that a yes?" AJ grinned.
"I..." Ana hesitated on answering, not knowing if she really wanted him to know that she had injured herself. Because then she would have to explain how the injury occured. It was because she worried over him. Feaering the implications of the kiss when it warmed her heart in a way that she never expected. "You're really sweet to offer..."
"But...?"
"Work's been... I've been... Busy..."
"So we can't hang out?" AJ tried not to sound disappointed.
"I'd like to--"
"Really? You would? That's fantastic! When do you want to do something? I could come pick you up and get a bite to eat and--"
"Are you trying to spoil me or what?"
"What if I was?"
"I... I don't know..."
"I just like to have a good time with my friends."
"Me too," she agreed, watching Stephanie poke her head into the room with a deliriously happy grin. Immediately, Ana rolled her eyes and pulled the blankets over her head. She was certin that Stephanie had been eavesdropping, not that the conversation had been that juicy.
"Good, good. What day would be good for you?" AJ began to silently dance with joy around the living room, which he had just recently cleaned.
"I think it'd be easier to start with your schedule--"
"We're pretty much clear for a few weeks, so it depends on your schedule, Sweetheart."
Looking up when Stephanie pulled the covers from her face, Ana could feel the flush of embarrassment burn at her cheeks. It was worse than the pain in her ankle, yet AJ sat waiting patiently for an answer. Even Stephanie wanted to hear, prodding gently at her side to force an answer. "I don't know--"
"Saturday would be good, CT, considering that Howie will be taking me out."
Ana immediately growled at the intrusion. "You know what--"
"I know, I love you, too!" Stephanie smiled.
"That is not what--"
"Can we do something Saturday, Ana?" AJ pressed, hoping to interupt the potential argument.
"I guess," Ana grunted, resisting the urge to throw her cast foot into Stephanie's gut. She hadn't even mentioned a word about the injury, having no intention to do so.
"Fantastic! Should I come get you around noon? Give you time to sleep in?"
"Yeah..." Ana trailed vaguely, wincing at Stephanie's sharp squeal of delight.
"Okay, perfect. I'll call you before Saturday, alright?"
"Alright--"
"We'll have fun. I promise."
"Can't wait," Ana answered, listening to AJ's raspy laugh. She could actually feel the thrill of his excitement race through her body as if they were one single entity. Yet, she said nothing of the connection when they spoke their goodbyes. And, when Stephanie opened her mouth, Ana growled. "We're just friends and I didn't even want to go out."
"Oh, come on! I know you want to at least hang out with AJ. He's a really sweet guy," Stephanie insisted.
"For now..."
"CT--"
"I'm really tired, Cocci."
"You're lucky you're casted, or else we would continue this talk," Stephanie frowned a little.
"I'll take what I can get at this point," Ana decided with another yawn, turning onto her side and closing her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay, I'm dying now! No more rehearsing!" Nick panted as he fell onto the studio floor. Fatima had called all the boys in for practice since their tour was going to start in about three weeks. She said they needed the conditioning. Nick just thought she was doing it to torture them and he planned on making a scene about it in a form of protest. "See? On the floor, DEAD!"
"God, don't I fucking wish," AJ grumbled, leaning against the cool glass of the mirrors lining the dance studio. What conditioning had to do with a tour, he would never know. His whole body ached at the physical exercion, reminding him that perhaps he wasn't as young as he used to be. Not that he was old, but his stints in drugs and alcohol had aged him. It just didn't seem fair. As if they had forgotten the dances. Black abd Blue was the most technical of all their tours, but he could move through the dances with his eyes closed. This was torture. Pure torture. He'd rather be with Ana.
"Amen to that," Brian collapsed onto the floor next to Nick. He was all for staying physically fit, but an impromptu rehearsal was evil of the woman who had worked with them for so long.
"Did you both just wish me dead?" Nick demanded with a firm scowl fixed on what he had meant to be a death-like mask. Raising his head from the wooden floor, he pushed on Brian's shoulder, causing the man to roll. "Thanks a lot, Dipshit!"
"We were agreeing with you, dumbass!" Brian groaned. The small movement Nick had caused him made his body ache even more.
"Although, wishing him dead would end all the whining..." AJ trailed off, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"Says the man who bitches worse than I do and has been having a rotten case of PMS for the past couple of weeks," Nick growled, grunting in protest when Howie dropped a cold bottle of water onto his gut.
"Nick, don't start," Howie warned with a roll of his eyes as he handed everyone else a water bottle. "Haven't you learned that your mouth gets you into unneeded trouble about ninety-five percent of the time?"
"Ninety-five? Try ninety-nine," AJ retorted.
"I was happier when you were in a coma," Nick muttered toward AJ.
"I have no qualms with kicking your ass."
"I have no qualms about it either! At least I wouldn't have to keep rehersing!"
"Will you both shut up? God, you're worse than ten year olds," Kevin interrupted, throwing towels in their faces.
"I think you should let them go at it, Cuz," Brian suggested with a lopsided grin, furiously fanning the hem of his t-shirt to provide some kind of cool air on his sweaty body. Fatima had stepped outside for a moment, deciding that the men could take a lunch break. Yet, none of them had thanked her. Instead, Howie, Brian, and Kevin had become engrossed in the pettiness of AJ and Nick's arguments. "Can you imagine J explaining a shiner to his woman-friend? ...She is still a woman-friend, right, D?"
"Yeah, she is--"
"Why are you asking D?"
Finishing the rest of his bottled water, Brian glanced upward to see AJ standing over him. He immediately gulped down the lump that had rose in his throat, knowing he was in no condition to put up a fight, though he loved to torment AJ. "D's the one that told us all about Ana--"
"That still doesn't make any sense. You call her my woman friend, yet you ask D--"
"Because you never give us any details--"
"Because it's none of your business!"
"But we're dying to know what's going on!"
"You guys sound like a bunch of fucking chicks," Nick groaned, crawling toward the table which held all the pamphlets for local resturants. Throwing a hand up, he blindly reached about before taking a fistful of paper. Collapsing underneath the table, he began to puruse the contents.
"Is it the wrong time for me to come in?" Stephanie peeked her head into the studio. She had ran into Fatima out in the hallway and was warned that the guys were cranky, to say the least.
"Nah, you're just in time to talk about how all our periods are running together and we have to buy a case of bloody tampons to stick up our dicks just to get through this next concert--" Nick called with a jovially wave, yelping sharply when Kevin's foot connected with his backside.
"Excuse Nick's crude remarks. We're still working the bugs out on him," Kevin apologized, giving the younger woman a smile. "Come in."
"Ana's twice as bad when it comes to her cycles..." Stephanie trailed with a nervous smile, playing with the strap of her purse while stepping into the studio. She still felt as if she were interupting some sort of religious ceremony, though Howie had practically begged her to come. And, after facing Ana's disgruntled attitude, she decided it was best if she visit.
"Definitely something to take note of, J! When she's on the rag, stay the Hell away--"
"Nick!"
"What?!"
"Why don't you go place the orders for lunch?" Kevin suggested wearily, rubbing his face as if that would ward off the tension. It had been several years of dealing with Nick's personlity and Kevin knew his patience was waning.
"But why do I--"
"If you don't, I'll tell Fatima that you need some more conditioning and you won't get any lunch. So make your choice."
"Fuck, I'm going," Nick whined, crawling toward the door to retrieve his cell phone.
"That's a way to get him to do something..." Stephanie trailed off, amused.
"Threaten him with starvation," Howie agreed with a smile, leaning close to press a soft kiss to her cheek. He knew that she wouldn't stand for having his sweaty body cover hers, so the kiss would suffice, especially when she blushed softly. "How are you?"
"I'm good. I missed you," She admitted shyly, reaching up to brush a stray curl off his forehead.
"We'll go out for dinner after I get cleaned up from this practice," Howie offered, grinning just the same when the curls fell over his eyes once more.
"Remind me to bring something home that smells so delicious that Ana won't refuse it?" Stephanie suggested, taking Howie's hand when he led her toward the table.
"She's still not eating much?" Howie questioned softly as he took a long sip of water.
"She is so absolutely frustrating sometimes," Stephanie seethed quietly, pulling her purse onto the table and letting it drop with a soft thud. Holding her temples, she lamented over confessing all the troubles to Howie, not wanting him to worry too much. Yet, the tension at home was so unbearable some days. "She's so stubborn. She doesn't want to eat. So she doesn't eat. She goes all over the place on her crutches, even though she's not supposed to... Everything she would curse a patient for doing... She does!"
"I'm sorry, Baby. She's just going through a hard time, and she doesn't care what she is doing to herself," Howie sympathized, rubbing her back in a soothing circle.
"Do you think she'd hate me if I turned her over my knee and whooped her?" Stephanie groaned, not knowing how else to get in touch with Ana.
"I don't think you'd be able to get her over your knee."
"I could turn her over the bed--"
"Steph, she would whip you with those crutches before you could even pull her to the bed."
"So, you're saying she's stronger than me?"
"Sweetheart... You're more delicate..."
"You mean I'm a wimp."
"No, no, no. But you're not the physical type."
"I'm a big fat wimp!"
"Stephanie, you are not a wimp!"
"She'd kick my ass on crutches, Howie!"
"Anyone could get their asses kicked if someone hit them with crutches!"
"But she could throw the crutches to the ground, grab me by the neck, and whip me on one leg--"
"Who's beating you to a bloody pulp, Stephanie?" AJ inquired as he popped the top of a soda, flopping onto the nearby chair. Taking a long hearty gulp, he offered a chershire grin and immediately began to play with the chain on his neck. "...And, hey, why didn't you bring Ana with you? I'm sure she would have enjoyed this... Right?"
"Ana would beat me to a bloody pulp with her damn crutches--"
"Crutches? Why is she on crutches? Is that why you didn't bring her?"
"She snapped her ankle like a twig," Stephanie groaned, accepting the bottle of water that Howie offered her before pressing her head against his shoulder for support. Then, she suddenly realized when AJ grew quiet that he hadn't heard. Leaning upward, she groaned inwardly. "She wasn't going to tell you about the ankle because when you got there she was going to act surprised and you wouldn't be able to take her anywhere. She is such a..."
"She's just scared. It's not her fault. A lot of women have trouble trusting men," AJ took another long drink of soda, the wheels already turning in his head.
"She's just such a imp! I'm so sorry, AJ, honestly--"
"Steph, it's okay. I'm not going to give up on her."
"You should just change the plans to keep her at home and do something special, J. Play her game," Howie suggested with a small smile.
"Yeah... just what I was thinking..." AJ trailed off with a smile.
Looking between Howie and AJ, Stephanie immediately rolled her eyes at the devilish looks. "You two are going to do something horrible, aren't you?"
"Horrible? Never!"
"Howie..."
"It won't be horrible, Baby. I promise."
"Then what are you doing?"
"AJ's just going to show Ana he's not going to give up so easily."
"Don't take her bungee jumping or anything, okay, AJ? She's not been eating properly and her bones are tender... That ankle snapped in a couple different places. It's such a mess..."
"I wouldn't do that. But why hasn't she been eating right?"
"Because she doesn't bother to eat when she gets herself worked up..."
"Worked up? Over what?" Stephanie was silent for a moment, and in that silence AJ knew why. "Over me?"
Feeling Howie's hand slide to the small of her back, she leaned forward and bit down hard on her bottom lip. She hadn't wanted to spill all of Ana's secrets. It wasn't her place. But when Ana needed help otherwise she'd be spinning into a pit of self destruction. "She likes you AJ. I mean, she won't say as much, but I know. The way she smiled when you two got off the phone the other day... She enjoys having you around. But that scares her to death."
"I know she's scared... that's why I wanted to start as friends," AJ sighed heavily, finishing his soda and tossing it into the nearby trash can.
"And if that doesn't work, Steph and I are going on vacation and leaving you in charge," Howie teased.
"Hey... that's not a bad idea..."
"Italy would be nice," Stephanie suggested playfully, causing AJ and Howie to grin devilishly. "We could dine at several of those quaint little resturants and ride in a gandola and--"
"She really is a lush for romance," AJ chuckled.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello, everyone! I just want to thank you all for the reviews. Ana and I really appreciate it. I have computer access now, so expect more updates! Ana, you kick ass.
