Twenty Two

"So do you have everything set?"

"Yeah I think so…" I said as I stood in the middle of my apartment double checking to make sure I’d packed everything that I wanted to take with me while I talked to AJ on the phone. "I forwarded my mail to your house, Jimmy downstairs is going to keep my plants for me, Johnny is coming with me…" I stopped to pick Johnny up and smiled as he began to purr. "He’s all set to come see his Daddy again…"

"Aww… well I can’t wait to see him, or his Mommy…"

I smiled again, "Oh and I have to give him is kitty Valium for the p-l-a-n-e…" I laughed and AJ did too. "What am I forgetting?"

"Um… you paid your rent?"

"Yup…"

"Did you get the spare keys to your cousin so she can get in when she gets to New York?"

"Yeah I overnighted them and she called me this morning to let me know she got them. She’ll take over the bills and junk next month."

"Okay… um… did you unplug all of your small appliances?"

I laughed, "You sounded like your mom just then…"

"I know…" he giggled. "Scary…"

"Yup it is… but yeah I did unplug them."

He laughed, "Well, that sounds like you’ve got it all."

"Yeah…" I mumbled biting my lip and walking around the living room. Every time I did a walkthrough of the apartment I’d find something else that I didn’t want to leave. I knew that half of the stuff would probably end up staying in AJ’s house during the house, but I knew that he didn’t care. Plus there was the fact that during breaks from the tour I’d be staying with him in Florida, so it made sense to have some of my things there.

"Oh! Do you have your cows?"

I giggled and looked down at my feet, "Wearing them…"

"You might want to pack them… I doubt if you want to wear them to the airport."

"Why not?" I joked.

"Kel…"

"What? Why can’t I wear cow slippers to the airport?"

"Babe…"

"So are you saying that if I step off of the plane wearing cow slippers that you’ll disown me?" I smiled.

"No…"

"Good… because I don’t want a man who can’t accept me in anything that I wear."

He laughed, "Baby, I love you in everything that you wear, and everything that you don’t wear."

I smiled, "Yuh huh… and I love you in almost everything you wear and everything that you don’t wear. I love your naked body, baby…"

"Hey!"

"What?" I laughed.

"Almost everything that I wear? That’s not fair, I just said that I love you in anything. You’re supposed to say the same back to me."

"Whine much?" I giggled. "Nope, cause I don’t want to lie to you, and well let’s face it… there are a select few things of yours that I don’t like."

"Kel!"

"Yes?"

"What of mine don’t you like?" he pouted.

"You’re pitiful… I’m kidding! Why is it that you’re the girl in this relationship when it comes to clothes?"

"Kel!"

I cracked up and he whined on the other end of the line, "Stop saying my name!  I love everything about you. Oh! Well expect that slot machine suit that you wore to the premiere of The Phantom Menace… that was bad."

He laughed, "Yeah that was bad…"

"Oooh and that coat that looked like you killed Grover from Sesame Street to make…" I snorted.

"True… that was bad too."

"Oh! And the shirt from the Larger Than Life video… and…"

"Dude!  Stop! You’re giving me a complex here…"

"My bad…" I giggled as I slid Johnny into his pet carrier.

I grunted, yelled and dropped the phone as Johnny fought me and yowled at me. When I picked up the phone again AJ was laughing, "What the hell just happened?"

"Your child just scratched the hell out of my arm. Then I dropped the phone."

"Why did he do that?" he asked between giggles.

"It’s not funny, No Ass, I’m bleeding here. I was trying to put him in the damn pet carrier…" I glared at Johnny and walked into the bathroom to clean the scratches on my arm.

"I’m sorry, baby…"

"It’s okay…" I sighed as I ran water over my arm wincing at the sting. "I’m sorry I called you No Ass…"

He chuckled and I smiled, "It’s okay. I know you love it…"

"Very much so. You’re MY No Ass…"

"Yes I am…"

"Damn he really got me…" I groaned looking for Band-Aids in the cabinet.

"How about I kiss it and make it all better?"

I couldn’t help but smile as I put the Band-Aid’s over my scratches, "Okay…"

"Well then you have to come home for that…"

I threw away the wrappers and turned off the light, "I’m on my way…"

~~~~~

Stepping off of the plane I spotted Kevin waiting for me and I walked up to him grinning, "Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, but why are you here and where the hell is my man?"

Kevin laughed and grabbed the backpack I had thrown over my shoulder putting it over his own, "He’s tied up… asked me to come get you for him."

"Who tied him up this time?" I laughed.

"I think it was Brian… could have been Howie…" he joked.

"It happens…" I smiled and reached out to hug him. "I missed you, Kev…"

"I missed you too. You’re the only one who can contain AJ most of the time. Not to mention Brian... Lordy the two of them together without you around is scary."

I chuckled and nodded, "Aren’t you glad I’m touring with you?"

"I’m ecstatic!" he grinned. "Um, Kel?"

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell do you have cows on your feet?"

I looked down at my feet and cracked up, "Oh shit… I forgot! See, AJ and I were talking earlier and he told me not to wear my cows on the plane, well kinda… So I put them on during the flight so that when he picked me up he’d see them…"

He shook his head and laughed, "Have I mentioned that I’ve missed you? You’re nuts…"

"Gotta love me…" I smiled and pulled at his hand. "Come on, let’s go save my child from the mean luggage people."

"Don’t you want to change out of your cows?" he laughed as he trailed behind me.

I looked at him and shook my head, "Nope… come on, my kitty needs to be saved…"

We walked through the Orlando airport together laughing at the weird looks that people were shooting at my cows mixed with the second glances that he was receiving from being recognized by fans. Half an hour later we were in his car headed to AJ’s house and Johnny was happily sleeping in my lap as I ran my fingers over his fur.

"Kev?" I asked quietly as I looked out of the window at the scenery passing by.

"Yeah?"

"How’s Nick been this week?"

Kevin glanced at me sideways and then looked back to the road and shrugged, "I don’t know, I guess he’s been pretty normal. Why?"

I shrugged and shook my head, "I’m just worried about him."

"Why?"

"You sure he hasn’t been a little off this week?"

I watched Kevin as he clearly processed the question and then nodded, "Well I guess he’s been a little more quiet than usual."

"Has he been talking to you at all?"

"Not about anything important… What’s going on?"

"I don’t know… it’s complicated. He called me the other night in New York though and I was worried about him. He’s not…"

"You know," he interrupted. "I did notice that he and AJ aren’t nearly as chummy as they have been in the past year or so. Thought that was kind of weird…"

I sighed inwardly and looked back out of the window as we turned into AJ’s neighborhood, "Yeah…"

"Did something happen?" I laughed to myself and thought about all that had "happened." Kevin pulled into AJ’s driveway and stopped the car. "Spill it… what’s going on?"

"You’re giving me The Look…" I smiled trying to make light of the situation.

He nodded, "Yes I am…"

I sighed and began putting Johnny back into his pet carrier. I looked at him and he was still giving me his look, "I’ll tell you…" As I spoke I watched as the front door of AJ’s home flew open and my adorable grinning boyfriend came running out trailed by two small barking dogs. I looked back at Kevin and shook my head, "I just can’t tell you now…"

AJ opened my door and literally pulled me out of the car as I giggled, "I… love… you… I… missed… you… I… love… you…" he mumbled between kissing my lips.

I laughed and grabbed his face holding it away from me, "Baby! Kiss me for real, then you can tell me how much you love me and missed me." I raised an eyebrow at him and grinned then leaned in toward him as his head dipped down to mine and his lips pressed at mine urgently. His tongue quickly and easily found its way inside my mouth and danced with my own tongue slowly. His hands found the small of my back and pulled my body against his and a rush surged through my body at being so close to him again.

Breathlessly we pulled away from the kiss and he wrapped his arms around me tighter as he hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I love you and I missed you."

I smiled from ear to ear, "I love you and I missed you too, honey…"

"Okay, loverboy, help me with this girls luggage," Kevin called out from behind the trunk. "You can grope her later…"

AJ laughed, "Promise?" I nodded and kissed his cheek, "Cool!" He bounced away excitedly and helped Kevin with my things while I pulled Johnny from the car and headed for the house.

Kevin followed me and set my suitcases down in the foyer of the house. He looked outside to check to see where AJ was and then looked at me, "We will talk about this right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, honey… I promise."

"Good…" he smiled and kissed my cheek. I smiled at him and then laughed as we watched AJ struggling to carry the last of my bags into the house while the dogs ran circles around his feet. "I’m outta here… I’ll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely…"

"Bye, Kiddo…" Kevin gave a little wave and then patted AJ’s back as he walked past him, "Later, Bone…"

"Thanks, Kev!" I called out and he waved as he got into his car. I shut the door for AJ and then smiled at him. He had two bags thrown over his shoulders and then held three smaller bags in his hands. "Nice luggage, McLean…"

"Mmm hmm…" AJ literally dropped the bags to the floor with a thud and walked toward me slowly smiling as he looked at my feet and laughed shaking his head, "Nice cows, Johnson…"