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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks you guys so much, for giving me the spirit to keep writing.

The next morning Millie awoke to a pounding head. She noticed that she was in AJ’s bed and that she was fully dressed. She found herself struggling to remember the night before and then noticed AJ laying next to her. “Shit!” she whispered, holding the sheet afraid to look under. Taking a deep breath she pulled the sheet up and noticed that he was bare. “What have I done?” she said, scooting back and falling off the bed onto the floor with a thud.

“Millie…” AJ looked down at her from the bed with sleepy eyes “Jesus are you ok?” he stretched out his hand.

Millie recoiled “No…where are your clothes and why am I still dressed?” she stood up on her own as she pressed down her rather wrinkled summer dress.

AJ cleared his throat, everything had happened so suddenly last night. There hadn’t been time to take the damn dress off. He found himself wondering if she remembered her initiating the moment. “Well…we…didn’t get to it. Everything happened so fast…Why?” he dreaded her stunned expression.

“So you didn’t bother to undress me or uh…it was just…to get yourself off. I was drunk…AJ” It was all coming back to her, the kisses, the places her mouth had explored, and the way she had taken over. Her cheeks flushed. “I have to go…” she walked out.

AJ pulled on his pants and walked out buttoning them “Millie…don’t do this. You know what happened and how it happened. Please don’t pretend you don’t.”

“YOU…didn’t take my dress off. People do that when they want to get the moment over…you know!” she paced her room, running her fingers through her hair. “How could you let it happen? You took advantage of me” she shouted at him with anger.

AJ gave her a glare and then he retorted with fury “You’re the one that came onto me.” she gave him an offended look and he ran his hand over his head “I didn’t mean that…I love you Millie…I wasn’t going to…stop…” he stopped.

“You weren’t going to stop the chance to finally screw me!” she yelled “You’re a pig! You took advantage that I was drunk. Get out of my room.” she turned him around and pushed him out.

He turned back around “Millie that is not fair…your not being fair. You don’t have to feel guilty, he doesn’t have to know…no one has to know.” he spoke softly.

“What…is this secret to pay for keeping my secret AJ…” she huffed in frustration, as she walked back toward the bed.

He slammed his hand on the door frame, making her jump. “HE DOESN’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU MILLIE!! He chose his wife…so what if you gave into me, not even two weeks after him.” he snapped angry at her.

Millie furiously flung the first thing she could get her hands on at him.

AJ paid no attention to Millie‘s hands he just saw the tears nestled in her angry eyes. Then it hit him, pain shot through the side of his face. He bent down holding his eye. “Fuck Millie…I’m not the one that deserves that.” he came back up, feeling the gash on his brow.

She bit her lip at the sight of blood on his fingers, he stared at her as his hand covered his brow, his chest heaving with anger. Her look softened as she admitted to herself that last night was vivid in her mind. That she had enjoyed it as much as she imagined he had. He had done the one thing she always wished Howie would have, he told her he loved her. There was no way she could love him, so she had no choice, but to push him away. She loved Howie, nothing would change that, not even an enjoyable night with AJ.

Before either one of them could say anything, Nick and Sarah were in the room “What the hell is going on here?” Nick asked trying to catch his breath. He looked at the twosome, Millie‘s shocked expression and AJ holding his brow, the blood dripping from his hand.

“Oh my god! AJ your hurt what the…” Sarah stared at the picture frame by his feet and then she shot Millie a questionable look “Millie…?” she gasped.

“Come on AJ you might need some stitches.” Nick helped him down the stairs “Why don‘t you stay here with her.” Nick felt Millie wasn’t dignified to even have her name mentioned in his sentence. “We‘ll be back.” he kissed Sarah and the two men were off.

Sarah entered the room, Millie sat on the window seat, the whole reason for picking that room among the rest. She wiped the tears as she rested her arms on her knees. “I messed up…the only person that really cares about me and I go do something so…”

“What happened? Why would you throw something at him…you could have poked his eye out.” Sarah was astonished at the act, she took a seat by Millie’s curled up legs. She knew this girl as quiet, innocent and kind. Not a brute!

Millie’s eyes slowly looked up at hers, she could feel her body shaking “He insulted me…”

“So you go and crack his eye open with a frame…that’s not you Millie. What the fuck is happening to you? What really happened?”

She looked back out the window, around the room and then at Sarah “You want to know…fine, I slept with him last night. I freaked out, so I thought if I pretended to be pissed about it…he would leave me alone and forget it happened.” Sarah rolled her eyes “ It was…different Sarah.” Millie smiled as she remembered the nights events “I freaked out this morning…he told me he loved me last night while in the act. I can’t love him…” she stood up and began to pace, meanwhile Sarah sat speechless.

AJ yelped as he felt the needle enter his skin for the last time. “Alright fifteen stitches young man. You need to be more cautious with flying elbows when playing sports.” the doctor chuckled as he patted his back, then left the room.

“Playing sports?” Nick grunted “Why didn’t you tell him that some maniac BITCH flung a frame at you.” he crossed his arms angry at his friend. “What in the hell is wrong with Millie…?”

“Don’t call her that Nick…please! I fucked up I practically called her a slut.” he touched his stitched eyebrow. “You know maybe I did take advantage of the situation.” AJ said as he stood up and opened the door.

“Bullshit…Millie is a nice girl, but she isn’t as innocent as we all think she is. She knows what happened last night. I just think that…well…that she regrets it.” Nick shrugged walking out of the room, AJ pensively trailing behind.

In Orlando Howie looked around his office, he had missed the room. His overgrown redwood desk, the big flat computer screen, with a picture of the wedding bobbing from one side to the other. He took a seat on his comfy chair, letting out a sigh as he did. The rental had been found and nothing was recovered except for his planner that was found under his seat.

He held it in his hand, remembering where he had written out every stop and go in order to have a smooth and problem free road trip. Which hadn’t worked out at all as he planned.

As he opened it he came upon the stops he had marked. He laughed, the stops had been accurate, but not the events. The hell was he supposed to know that somewhere in a small town he’d be robbed at gun point, or that he’d be kissing some girl in the middle of a watermelon celebration. Who celebrates watermelons anyway.

His stomach somersaulted as he saw ‘SAN ANTONIO’ written in big letters, he hadn’t even remembered he planned on stopping there. That stop was unforgettable, he remembered the walk with Millie, her nervousness, getting punched. He chuckled as a tear slowly made its way down his cheek. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and he found himself wiping his face quickly and frantically closing the book and stuffing it in his desk.

“Hey I thought you…” Leigh stood frozen as she looked into Howie’s red eyes “Are you ok?” she questioned him, as she tilted her head to the side with concern.

He faked a smile, trying to convince himself that she was the one for him. That he had made the right choice. “No, I was just sitting here looking at this picture and it…” he couldn’t finish the sentence he knew it was all bullshit.

“Oh Howard…” she walked over to him and embraced his head against her body “Everything is going to be just fine…baby! You will see” she kissed his mouth, but he didn’t respond “I just came to tell you lunch is ready. Come on” she waited for him at the door as he stood up and took her hand in his.

The car pulled up and Nick placed his hand on AJ’s shoulder “Look I know I was talking shit about Millie a while ago. But I think that your going about this the wrong way. Just because you sleep with her and she likes it, doesn’t mean that she is going to fall in love with you man. We both know that by experience.”

AJ looked straight ahead at Mrs. Lillie, the neighbor. She made her way towards the front door, with his two dogs Jack and Roxie. “Yeah I know…thanks man!” he nodded getting out of the car “Mrs. Lillie” he shouted as she waved at him, the dogs running loose towards their owner.

Millie jumped up at the sound of the car doors slamming shut and the barks following. “Oh god! They are here…what am I going to say? What if he kicks me out? If he’s mad at me?” she sat back down, placing her hands on her legs. She had showered and changed into her jeans, a band shirt and some flats. “Sarah?”

“Well you’ll have to apologize obviously. Look there is nothing wrong with sleeping with him, I mean you guys were together for so long and maybe it was just inevitable. Now the thing is if your going to keep doing it, you have to make sure to be honest with him and let him know that it’s nothing more than screwing.”

Millie looked at her with an offended look. Why would she continue to sleep with him if she didn’t love him? There was no way it would happen again. Never. “No, it was just last night and that is it. I believe that at some point Howie will realize that he loves me enough to come for me. I know it” she tried to convince herself, because she knew Sarah wasn’t.

“Well come on let’s make sure poor AJ is ok.” the two girls walked down the stairs side by side, the dogs now barked inside the house. “Roxie! Imagine the guys are going to be asking him what happened?” Sarah giggled taking a seat on the first stair and letting the dog lick her face, while Jack the tiny one joined in the kissing fun.

Millie winced as she saw the long trail of stitches on AJ’s brow, he smiled and nodded as he talked to the older woman, unaware of Millie‘s gaze. “I can’t face him not right now.” she said jumping over Sarah and the dogs and storming up the stairs.

“Millie get back here…you can’t ignore this…” she shouted.

AJ and Nick waved at Mrs. Lillie as she exited the gates closing behind her “Glad to see my babies, to bad I have to take them back to her…” he smiled watching Sarah playing with the dogs then looking at his watch “Damn in like four hours. Where is Millie?” he asked looking around.

Sarah looked up “Oh she is upset and said she couldn’t face you right now. Maybe you should give her some space.” she stood up locking lips with Nick.

“Yeah just buy yourself some armor for the remainder of the day…” Nick giggled, then got an elbow in the ribs by Sarah “Ouch! I was just kidding. Come on I gotta go see my buddy Mason, before we leave. Well man see you at the airport in a couple of hours.” they embraced and Sarah kissed his cheek.

He watched the twosome drive off, then made his way up the stairs with his dogs and the noisy bag of pain killers. He stopped at her door and paused, balling his hand into a fist to knock. He decided to keep walking, the dogs jumped on his enormous bed making themselves comfortable. They watched as he took a pill from one of the bottles and downed it with a glass of water. He laid next to them staring at the ceiling, his eyes closing almost instantly.

Millie laid on her stomach, her head resting on her arms, barely waking from a long nap. Sluggishly she sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking around the room. “Wow it‘s still early.” she yawned, stretching out her arms. Images of the night before flashed through her mind.

She sat on the window seat and stared at the blue sky, trying to make out objects from the clouds floating about. She wondered what Howie was doing? Was he with her? Kissing her? Making love to her? Closing her eyes slowly she imagined him standing in front of her, his soft hands caressing her face. His lips pressing against hers. His strong arms around her, keeping her safe, suddenly anger flushed through her body. He was a liar and had only played with her feelings, once again. He didn’t deserve her thoughts. She jumped and her eyes flew open at a knock on the door. “Come in” she hollered.

AJ poked his head into the room, his stitches gave her chills. “Hey…” he said cautiously.

“Hi…come in.” she motioned him to come closer, then she looked back out the window. She didn’t know what to say, or better yet how to say it. “I’m sorry!” she whispered, looking up at him “I didn’t mean to hurt you…it’s just that…” she began to chew on her bottom lip “What you said was…”

He placed his hand on her shoulder gently “It’s ok…I know I was an asshole.” he chuckled nervously as she looked at him apologetically. She stood face to face with him, as her finger ran over his brow, AJ flinching at the touch. They stood so close he could feel her breathing. “About last night…Mill…I wish you remembered…” he spoke softly as he cleared his throat and looked away.

Millie continued to stare at him, she whispered “I remember…all of it…” he turned back to face her, as she ran her finger over his mouth “Every kiss…” she took his hand and placed it on her chest “Every touch and the way you looked at me.” she smiled as his eyes beaming with her words. Her fingers continued caressing his face, from his cheeks to his chin, then his lips again “I have to admit…I…” She leaned in closer “I enjoyed it…” she covered his mouth with hers.

AJ kissed her back and then he suddenly pushed her away gently “I know you don’t love me…and you probably never will.” he paused looking down at the ground, the urge of touching her and being with her again came over him. She made him weak.

“AJ I can’t promise you anything. I can’t lie to you or myself, I still love him.” she covered her mouth wanting to take the words back. “I’m sorry…I don’t want to hurt you AJ…you mean so much to me.” he did something to her, she couldn’t figure it out. Lately when she was around him she could only think of kissing him, touching him and her body wanted him. She let out an exasperated sigh.

He gave her a crooked smile. “It’s ok Millie. I’m a big boy I know what I’m doing. I just want to be here for you.” he ran his fingers through her hair and cupped her head firmly from the back and brought her forward, kissing her deeply.