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Part I Chapter 17

As the tour wore on Win fell comfortably into her routine. She loved her job, save for her boss Red who tried to make life unbearable. Since AJ had taken an interest in her and put a demand on her time, Red had become angrier with her. He seemed more vindictive than ever the closer she and AJ got.
Closer indeed they had become. It had been a month, and despite the childish ways of the rest of the crew, AJ and Win had become an item. AJ ran himself ragged just to spend time with Win. Some nights he even stayed after the concert and helped her pack up her stuff and then slept in a spare bunk on the band bus.
Now Win still hadn’t given AJ that kiss, and he was relentless in the pursuit of it. He continually asked her when he could kiss her on the lips, but on that count she remained silent. Even though AJ wanted that kiss, it was driving him crazy, and it made Win all the more interesting. The chase was just part of the thrill. He disliked girls who just fell into arms because he was who he was.
It had been two months since Win started the tour, and for the first time in five years, she felt as if her life was going to turn out okay. She had friends, and for the first time in her life since Elizabeth died she felt among family. Everyone ate together, hung out together and joked around. She was beginning to feel as if she belonged.
Brian had not gotten Brianna to go home and consequently she had been making everyone nervous. Win was worried that Brianna would go into labor early with all the stress of going from venue to venue, riding on the bus and sometimes having to sleep there. She was also driving Brian insane, but he was good about it. Three or four times a day Brianna would burst into tears and sometimes in the middle of the night. Brian would often have to run from somewhere to comfort Brianna until she stopped crying. Kevin had flown his wife Tessa in to give Brianna some company.
It was early one afternoon when Brian returned from his room to the dining room of the hotel they were staying in that night to eat his lunch. It was the fourth time that morning Brianna had paged him, and he wasn’t in a mood to be reckoned with. Win, AJ, Gina, and Evan were all eating when Brian plopped down at the table.
“Now I understand that it has to be hard carrying another human inside of you, but how many times a day can you cry over cold toast, or how wonderful it’s going to be to have a child.” Brian said holding his head in his hands.
“Tessa not helping any?” AJ asked.
“A little, but she always wants me when she’s crying.” Brian replied.
“Only a little longer Brian, and then it’ll be the baby crying all the time.” Win remarked.
“Thanks for reminding me.” Brian replied sulkily.
“What’s on the agenda for this afternoon?” he asked yawning.
“Nothing, Dennis said the last appearance backed out at the last minute, so we’re free until the concert.” AJ replied.
“Nice.” Brian replied laying back in the chair.
“Hey Win, guess what I found out!” Daemon yelled trotting up to the table.
“What?”
“The hotel we stop at tomorrow night is having a live karaoke night, band and all. So we finally get to hear you sing!”
“Oh fabulous!” Win replied sarcastically.
“Come on, I want to hear you sing!” AJ said grabbing her side so she laughed.
“All right, all right, I will.” Win replied.
“Now?” AJ tried again.
“No! AJ, stop it!” Win exclaimed laughing.
“You love it when I tease you, admit it, other wise you’d be bored.”
“Oh knock it off, I’m gonna be sick,” Daemon said pretending to vomit. AJ snaked his arms around Win and kissed her on the cheek.
“If he didn’t tease me, we wouldn’t have any thing to talk about at all.” Win remarked twisting away from AJ’s arms.
“We have more in common than that,” AJ retorted.
“Just what exactly?” Win asked with raised eyebrows, one elbow leaning on the table.
“Well, we’re both working on the tour, and,”
“Eh, try again, you sing, I work. You are the reason any of us have jobs.”
“We both sing,” he tried again.
“Eh, wrong, I sang, you sing.”
“Ouch, Win, you are mean!” Gina laughed.
“All right, enough with the technicalities. We like the same kind of movies, talking on the phone, we both love getting attention.”
“Ham, that is just what I am gonna start calling you. Cause you are just a big fat ham.” Win said shaking her head and going back to her lunch.
“What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?” he asked laughing. She put down her fork and turned to him.
“Ham just doesn’t seem to fit, I’ll just call you pig, a big, fat, oinking pink pig.” Everyone at the table had their ribs cracking, trying not to laugh.
“Pig? You’re going to call me pig?” he asked staring at her.
“Miss Piggy would fit just as well, what do you prefer?”
“What did I just walk myself into? My girlfriend is gonna call me Miss Piggy.” AJ asked turning back to the table. The table erupted into laughter.
“AJ.”
“What?” he asked turning to look at her.
“Did you actually think I was serious?” He looked at her, with his mouth gaping open. She grabbed his side and he jumped up so fast he knocked over his chair.
“So you’re ticklish, this could work to my advantage.” Win said with a devilish smile.
“Don’t even think about it,” AJ said edging away.
“Oh I’m thinking it, now what you gonna do about it?” She asked threateningly as she stood up from the table.
“Come on Win, don’t, really.” He said panicked, backing away.
“Is he for real?” Win asked looking back at the table.
“Yeah he is, when he annoyed us we’d gang up on him and tickle him until he was out of breath.” Brian replied.
“This is definitely going to work to my advantage.” Win replied taking a step towards AJ.
“What? I’m not going to do anything.” She said innocently, but before she could take another step he’d turned on his heel and sprinted towards the elevator.
“Oh this is gonna be fun.” She said sprinting after him.
Now she had to figure out which room he would probably go to, his, or hers. If he really wanted to get away from her, he’d be in his own room. If he wanted to play, he’d be in her room. But he might double back, just to fool her.
She took the next elevator up and went to the hall of his room. The door was closed, but that didn’t mean he was in there. Win went down the hall to the corner away from the elevator. She hid herself so she could see his door, and waited.
It was approximately ten minutes before he showed up and slowly Win crept up behind him as he opened his door. She padded silently behind him and just missed the door as it swung closed. AJ threw his keys down on the side table and walked towards his bed.
He turned around and Win flew at him. She attacked his sides as he backed up and tripped over his own feet, just catching the edge of the bed. He tried desperately to push her hands away as he laughed, his glasses flying askew.
“Please Win, ha ha, come on, stop it!” he couldn’t stop laughing.
“You give up?” Win asked, still tickling him.
“Yes! Yes! I give up! Please, I give up!” he shouted. Win rolled off him and sat up on the edge of the bed while AJ lay panting, one hand over his heart.
“You, scared, me, to death.” He said in between breaths.
“That’s a good thing right?”
“I don’t know, let me get my breath.”
“So the guys used to really gang up on you?”
“Yeah, I was the second youngest in the group, they loved to do that to me. But nowhere as fun, as when it’s a pretty girl, especially you.” He replied sitting up.
“I bet you did like that, despite the fact that you were screaming like a little girl.”
“Excuse me, what was that you called me?” he asked standing up and putting one knee on the bed.
“Oh that’s right, you’re the ham,” Win replied as he placed his other knee on the side of her hip, forcing her backwards. He inched his knees forward, leaning down, each of his hands taking one of hers and intertwining their fingers as he fell forward.
“Hi.” He said grinning. His nosed touched hers. He brushed his lips along her cheeks, nose, chin, forehead and down her neck. As he worked his way down her neck and back, his grip on her one hand loosened and she was able to pull her hand free. When he felt her hand on his neck, he felt encouraged and pressed a little into her neck, moving in closer, placing his hand on her hip. She felt his heart pounding against her chest. His lips moved back up her neck up her chin. He was about to kiss her lips when Win turned her head, and he kissed her cheek instead.
He picked his head up and looked at her face that was turned away from him.
“Not yet, sorry AJ.” She said. He didn’t move though, he waited for further explanation. He felt he’d been so close, and to be denied now, actually hurt, he felt cheated.
“AJ, come on,” she said and squirmed a little. He climbed off of her and sat on the bed as she sat up.
“It’s not you, honest,” she said looking at her feet.
“Is it you then?” he asked.
“I don’t want to push it, things are going good.”
“Okay, okay. I want to be affectionate with you, and yes I want to be intimate with you, I’m not afraid to admit that. I just want to know why you keep pushing it away. You seem to want me, then you don’t, I just want to understand why is all.”
“AJ, I had several relationships where I just fell in love with the idea of love. Believing that a kiss is love, sex is love. I’ve fallen in love so many times, but just with the idea of it. I want to be in love with you, not your kiss. I’m sorry I’ve been so stupid about it.”
“That’s okay. Now that I understand it doesn’t feel like I’ve been rejected.” Win looked over at him suddenly.
“Oh AJ, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her.
“I’ve been so stupid about the whole thing.” She whispered in his ear.
“Just be honest with me from now on, about everything, okay?” asked pulling his arms tighter around her.
“I will.”