“I had tons of fun Stacy see you tomorrow at work,” Valerie said as she hugged her and then hugged Madison. “Josh I hope to see you soon again,” she told the still star struck man.
“Yes girl of course, we’ll make plans. Nice to meet you and AJ nice meeting you too,” Josh said extending his hand to AJ who just waited patiently for Valerie to finish saying her good byes.
“Yeah nice meeting you all,” AJ said smiling to him and then the rest of the group. He was waiting for Valerie to finish saying good bye to her new friends but he was here because in a desperate whisper Valerie had asked him to stay and talk to her. “I’ll get Howie’s and Brian’s autograph for you. Val can give it to you later…” he told Josh eying Valerie who was staring at him with a smirk on her face.
“You have made his night,” Stacy said patting her friend on the shoulder. “To bad Nick is still not here if not he would’ve made a fool of himself even more.”
“Next time I’ll make him stay,” Valerie said smiling.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to take you home?” Madison asked as she eyed AJ curiously.
“Yeah I’m sure AJ is trust worthy… if not he knows he will get his ass kicked.” Valerie told Madison. “Just go and have fun, I’m done for tonight. Later…” she told them and then turned to look at AJ. “Ready?”
AJ shrugged and sighed with a half smile on his face, “I am ready when you are,” he finally stated. “My car is this way…” he pointed to the opposite direction of where they stood.
“Good a nice walk so we can talk,” Valerie said as she looked through her purse for her lighter and cigarette pack.
“Talk, hmmm…” he said as they both began to walk. He watched her light the cigarette, he was feeling pretty bad about his comment earlier to her but he didn’t know why he had said it. “I’m sorry.” He finally said with a guilty voice.
“For what?” Valerie said exhaling the smoke from her lungs. “I am the one who needs to apologize for my stupid behavior. All you have shown me since I’ve arrived is that you want to be my friend among other things and I just keep finding a lame excuse after excuse to refuse it.”
“No it’s totally understandable and I am apologizing for my rude comment earlier in the restaurant.” AJ said finally giving in to temptation and also looked for his cigarettes.
Valerie handed him her lighter so he could light his cigarette, “I knew you were just being funny in a cruel way…I know you didn’t mean it. My behavior toward your honest feelings is not understandable AJ… this week has been horrible for me and all I kept wanting to do is go looking for you. But I couldn’t because I knew I had hurt you…” she told him as she finished her smoke.
“It was a hectic week for me too… I was so close to call you a few times but I didn’t want to make you think I was being obsessive.” AJ said smiling genuinely for the first time that night.
“AJ I am not the best girlfriend material but I can’t deny that I like you a lot.” She sighed heavily and then she continued, “I know it’s going to be hard but I want to try if you can forgive my childish behavior…” she stopped and turned to look at him.
AJ tossed his cigarette butt and exhaled the smoke before he spoke again, “I think you’re the best girlfriend material… your just what I want and need. We can try and we can take it super slow if you want…” he closed the space between them his eyes staring intently into hers.
“I don’t want you to feel obligated by my stupid reasoning…so tomorrow I will tell Howie about us and my sister I will call her. Our friends should know, now maybe the other non important people to our relationship we can wait to let them know.” She bit her lip as she got closer to him as well.
“Yeah? So you wouldn’t mind me kissing you here in front of all these people walking?” he asked inching his face to hers.
“I won’t care anymore as long as I am happy.” Valerie said as she traced her finger on his chin and jaw line. “Kiss me….” she whispered as she began to close her eyes in anticipation.
“My pleasure,” AJ said crashing his lips on hers.
***********
“Let’s see what Miss Mendez is listening to at the moment…” AJ said as he pushed play on the media player in her laptop.
“You sure you want water?” Valerie asked from the kitchen.
“Yes water is fine,” AJ said smiling as his ears were hit with a Spanish song. “Who’s this?” He asked with a smile as Valerie returned with a bottle of water in hand.
“That’s Maná,” she told him as she took a seat next to him. “The best rock group in Spanish history…” she told him smiling. “I love this song Sabanas Frías.”
“Translation please?” AJ asked arching his brow at her.
“AJ you have Spanish blood too you should try to speak Spanish you know…” she elbowed him with a smile, “wait no its better that you don’t that way I can talk about you in Spanish and you wouldn’t know what I am saying.” She laughed at AJ’s surprised face, “What I was only kidding….the songs name is Cold Sheets, I know its sounds weird in English but it’s a good song. Also the fact that Santana is playing with them only makes it better.”
“Santana as in Carlos Santana?” AJ asked as he turned to face her, a small smile on his face.
“Yeah that Santana.” She pushed stop on the song and faced him. “Stay with me tonight,” she told him blushing a little as she told him.
AJ was happy as he heard her, but tried not to show that much excitement they still had a lot to talk about. “I’d love to stay Val but…” he was cut off by her lips on his. He lost his senses then and just kissed her back.
She stopped kissing him to catch her breath, “then stay…I know we have a lot of talking to do and I need someone to talk to. I need someone to listen to me and give me the right advise, please?” she looked at him with pleading eyes. She wasn’t going to loose him again, she realized that she needed him. She wasn’t quite ready to confront all that would come from this but she knew that with him by her side she could at least handle it.
AJ smiled at her and then sighed, “So you’re my girlfriend again?” he asked arching his brow.
“Well I don’t know I never broke up with you…you broke up with me remember?” she told him teasingly. “I want to be with you that’s all I know.”
“I want to be with you too…” he told her cupping her face with his hand. He teased by taking extra slow in inching his face to hers, he grinned at her facial expression of impatience. He finally took her lips with his moaning as she felt her kissing back intensely.
*******
“Good morning,” AJ said as he saw Valerie walk out the room still in her pajamas and hair still tussled. He gave her a grin as she smiled at him.
“Good morning what are you doing in my kitchen? You left me so I got cold and I had to come look for you.” she walked to where he stood in the kitchen scrambling some eggs.
“I thought it would be nice to make breakfast for you,” he looked at her again and laughed, “I like your look babe but I think you should freshen up a little unless you plan to stay here with me all day.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and walked away, “I’ll be right out,” she was happy he was here but the smell of food in her apartment did not mesh well. She hadn't cooked in a while because of her lack of interest in food. She was trying to look descent not only for her sake but now for his sake. She wanted to look good by his side; he never had someone fat by his side. She knew he didn’t care that’s what he had told her but she did.
AJ continued to prepare the breakfast thinking about the conversation they had the night before. But more than that he was thinking about her sudden lost weight, knowing what he knew she was probably starving herself she had lost quite a few pounds since he had last seen her. He was determined to make her eat, yeah she looked good in a way but sickly too. She had sort of lost her color and something told him she was hiding something more. “If she wants this to work we have to do something about this,” he said worriedly.
*****
She was still mad about the conversation from that morning, “Do I honestly look like I need help with my health? I know what my body can handle,” she told herself still remembering AJ’s words. Maybe he was right but she was still not ready to let him know he was. “I just need to loose a few more pounds then I will start to eat like a normal person,” she assured herself as she punched out from work.
“So did you get home safe?” Stacy interrupted her.
“Oh hey, yeah I did. How about you did you have fun?” she asked Stacy as they both walked to the elevators.
“Yeah but Madison wanted me to ask you that. I tried to reassure her that you would be fine; I mean I saw the look AJ was giving you. I don’t know if you know but he likes you…I can perceive that from him, call it woman intuition. I also….saw they way you looked him,” she stopped at that not trying to push anything more on her.
Valerie laughed lightly, “I will tell you about it eventually just not yet ok?” she said winking at Stacy. “Its complicated,” she sighed.
“Hey I get it, its cool, so have you seen Mrs. Bates today?” she tried changing the conversation.
“Yeah but then we got really busy and I was able to ignore her…How much longer do you think she will be here?”
Stacy shrugged, “I don’t know? Maybe another week or so.”
“Ugh,” Valerie said making a face. “Well I’ll just have to endure it. I’ll see you Monday?”
“Yeah, sure or if you want to go out tomorrow or tonight call me,” Stacy told her.
“Ok I will if I do… I kind of have plans,” Valerie said blushing a little.
*********
“I can do this,” Valerie said as she walked up the big building.
“Can I help you?” the security asked as Valerie approached.
“Uhm, yeah I am here to see someone, I believe they’re in studio 34?” Valerie said looking at her scribbled sticky note.
“Your name?” he asked.
“Valerie Mendez,” she watched the guard look through a clipboard and after a few minutes he opened the door for her.
“Mr. McLean left your name here so we would know to let you in. Just go straight in and take the elevator down you’ll see the signs toward the studio.”
Valerie nervously nodded and began to walk into the building. She was going to do it and today tell Howie and the rest of the guys about AJ and her. It hadn't been his idea but hers she wanted to prove to him that she did want him in her life. Her sister in the other hand would not find out so soon. “I know there going to laugh,” she whispered to herself. They were especially Howie who knew the rivalry they had sworn to have since they met.
Sure enough like the guard had said she found the many studios and finally she saw the big 34 on a door. There was no turning back, she took a deep breath and walked in.
Chapter End Notes:
ok two more chapters... let me know what you think.
