An Illicit Gentleman II

                                                  Chapter Six

            AJ sat on the couch his phone sitting on his leg as he waited for a text back from Eve.  She was at the restaurant now and he sat waiting for Brian and Howie to get back with dinner, although it was Subway and not from Eve’s.  Nick spun around in the chair in the middle of the room.

            “So tell me dude.” Nick spoke up as he spun around.  “What the hell happened, cause yesterday you had a serious hate on for her.”

“Who?” AJ asked looking up from his phone.

“Eve dumbass.” Nick sighed still spinning.

“You’re going to make yourself sick.” AJ replied.

“No I won’t.” Nick said as he stopped the chair and sat up.  “Oh crap.” He moaned as he slid out of the chair and laid on the floor.

“Who’s the dumbass?” AJ asked as he looked back at his phone.

“Shut up and answer the question.” Nick mumbled from the floor.

“Uhh…” AJ said looking at him.

“You know what I mean.” Nick replied as he shot his middle finger up at AJ and he giggled at Nick.

“We just both agreed that the reason we were really angry with each other is because…”

“Is because you didn’t wanna break up in the first place.” Nick finished as he sat up.

“Dude.” AJ said irked Nick answered.

“Sorry, but come on, if you weren’t with someone in Cali you were in Italy or France, and then when she got the job in New York before you stopped talking.”  Nick said as he got up on the chair.

“Well she never said no.” AJ replied.

“I know, that’s my point” Nick sighed throwing his hands up a little.  “What about what she said about Kaci?”

“What about it?” AJ asked.

“Are you still mad at her, I don’t even know what she said.” Nick replied. “What did she say?”

AJ looked at Nick a minute and then sighed.  “She told me that she didn’t agree with the relationship and not because she was seventeen, it was because she knew Kaci wouldn’t be able to handle or understand my past and my problems and she was worried that I could slip up easier.”

“What was the choice tho?” Nick asked.

“She never really made me choose, she told me that if I did ask Kaci to marry me, then she wasn’t going to play sloppy seconds to a seventeen year old.”  AJ told him.  “I then told her fine, I’ll marry her and she won’t have worry about it.  I hung up and that was that.” 

“Well she was kind of right.”  Nick said with a light shrug.

“I know.” AJ sighed.  “Like I said I was pissed and hurt it ended at all, so anything she would have said probably would have set me off.”  He picked up his phone and rolled it down his leg with his fingers.  “You know, I’ve thought about it all day and it was so fucking childish, all of it, to toss what we went through away because one phone call, over Kaci.” AJ sighed.

“Well it’s not all on you she ended it in the first place, instead of trying to make it work.” Nick replied.

“Yeah, but she told me she was scared and I get that, that internship was huge for her.  It’s not like she was use to having such a big thing happen to her and I guess I can see why she did what she did, maybe I should have stopped her, maybe I should have not let her walk through security.” AJ said as they heard Brian and Howie walking down the hallway.  “We’ll just see what happens from here I guess.” AJ shrugged. 

Brian and Howie walked in with the Subway bags and AJ looked at Nick and his friend knew to drop it.  Eve wasn’t really Brian’s favorite person in the world and there would just be even more questions, especially with what happened this morning with Rachel.

As he sat on the couch eating his sub, his phone started buzzing and he wiped his hands then picked up the cell.  “Who’s that?” Brian asked.

“Eve” AJ replied as he started typing on the keyboard.

“So you two are buddy buddy again.” Brian scoffed and then turned to Nick. “Don’t even say it.”

“Wha” Nick mumbled with a mouth full of sub.

“I don’t know what we are right now.” AJ said sternly as he hit send on his phone.  “But trust me, when I find out you’ll be the first to know, so you can get your stones ready.”

“Let’s not fight guys, come on.” Howie sighed.

“Who’s fighting?” AJ said as his phone buzzed again.  “We’re going to be done by ten right?”

“Maybe” Brian said as AJ looked up at him.

“Yes” Howie said rolling his eyes.  “I need to get up early and meet Leigh at the airport.”

“Leigh’s coming?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, wedding stuff that can’t be discussed over the phone.” Howie said with a light smile.

“Cool” Nick nodded.

When they were done eating, he sent one last text to Eve and then got back to work.  As they talked and listened his mind would wonder to her.  He smiled as he thought about the others, how his mind wondered in a different direction but with Eve it always found it’s way to her.  His thoughts were broken when his phone buzzed and he looked at it confused.

“You should have stayed away.” The message said and he didn’t recognize the number.  His face fell in puzzlement and then he got a weird feeling. 

“H-hey guys can I take five?” AJ asked as he looked at them.

“Hurry.” Brian sighed.

AJ got up and walked out of the room, dialing Eve’s cell number.  “Eve?” AJ said when he heard someone pick up.

“Yeah?” She replied

“Is everything ok?” He asked.

“Yeah why?” Eve asked a little surprised by AJ’s sudden concern.

“When are you leaving the restaurant?” He asked.

“In an hour.” She told him. 

“Meet me here ok? I’ll tell the lobby you’re coming.”

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yeah” He replied. “Just call my phone when you get here, I’ll meet you.”

“Ok” She agreed.  “Is everything ok with you?” She asked.

“Yeah I’m good, just want to see you.” He said, deciding not to tell her about the text maybe it was nothing, and Mats and Thomas were still sitting snug in their cells.  They said goodbye and then he called down too the desk to tell them she would be coming.  AJ walked back inside the room and saved the message.  

“Everything ok?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, just letting the lobby know Eve will be showing up.”

“She’s coming here?” Brian asked.

“In an hour, we’ll almost be done by then.” AJ sighed.

“Yay, oh, is she bringing food?” Nick asked.

“I don’t know” AJ replied as he looked at the text message on his phone.

“Alex I hope you know what you’re doing.” Brian said and AJ looked up at him.

“What the fuck dude, I’m not going there with you, so not fucking going there with you.” AJ replied getting pissed.

“Yeah Bri what the hell is with the Holy Roller attitude.” Nick spoke up.

“It’s Eve, he’s always been like this.” AJ snapped.

“Yeah, can’t wait to hear what you Mother has to say about you two hooking back up.” Brian replied.

“Like I care what she thinks.” AJ mumbled.

“Enough, please.” Howie yelled over them as the two started bickering.  “We’re tired, we want to get home, let’s just do this shit and go.”

“Ooh you two got D swearing.” Nick lightly sang as he turned in his chair.  AJ sighed as he shook his head and sat back on the couch.