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* Chapter 34 *

"Why am I here?" I asked myself out loud as I looked at my watch.

’11:59’ it read. I looked out over the dark water in front of me and thought of whom I would meet in the next couple of minutes. ‘AJ better be right...I better be more than fine when I leave this little rendezvous...’ I thought to myself as I stared at the massive amounts of water ahead. Just when I was about to shift positions, someone put a hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming.

"You’re here because I asked you to come," the voice from behind me whispered softly in my ear. "I wanted to tell you how much I missed ya."

I stood there silently as his other hand wrapped around my waist. I froze with fear when I felt his hand sitting on my side. ‘Please don’t hurt me...please don’t hurt me...please don’t hurt me’ I pleaded silently. He pulled me closer to him as he kissed my neck a little.

"I’ll never find someone like you," he whispered in a low voice before he started singing softly. "Girl you take my breath away and when I’m with someone new, I’d rather be here with you...baby forever. My heart belongs to you cause I think about you all the time. I know my love is true when we’re together..."

I knew that voice anywhere. I leaned back into him as he sang quietly in my ear. He moved his hand from my mouth and put it on my waist opposite of his other hand. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I set my arms on his. We just stood there like that until he finished singing. When he was done, I turned around so I was facing him.

"I was hoping with all my heart that it would be you meeting me here tonight," I said with a smile. "All those things that you sent to me were well...I can’t even explain how good it felt to know that someone cares about me that much."

"That’s what I wanted you to know," AJ replied while he pulled me close again.

My eyes were lost in his gaze as he stared at me in his arms. His fingers played with the ends of my hair as he leaned closer to give me a much-anticipated kiss. We locked lips and exchanged a passionate kiss...more intense than one I’d ever experienced before. Memories of our first ‘real’ kiss flooded my mind after we broke apart. I wrapped my arms around his middle and laid my head on his shoulder with my forehead on his neck.

"You done?" I asked as I pointed to his glass.

"Yeah. Thanks," he said as I grabbed his glass along with mine and turned to put them in the sink.

I swiftly went over to the sink and turned my back to AJ as I set the glasses in the right side of the sink. ‘I wonder why Meg always has to have the dirty dishes put in the right side’ I thought to myself while I turned to walk back to the table. I was still lost in my thoughts.

"Umph," I said as I walked into AJ. "Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you standing behind me," I said looking at his face as he brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen into my face.

"It’s ok," he replied as one of his hands traced my jaw line before stopping to hold my chin in his hand.

He slowly leaned closer and closer to me. I closed my eyes in anticipation as his lips met mine. Butterflies seemed to arise in my stomach as the kiss progressed. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and started running my fingers through the hair on the bottom part of his neck. I was almost absolutely sure that I wasn’t as experienced at kissing as he was, so I just let him lead the way. After about a minute, we finally broke apart.

"Wow!" AJ exclaimed as he backed up a step.

I kept my eyes closed for a few seconds, still savoring the memory while it was fresh in my mind.

"That was well...wow!" he said again as I opened my eyes to see his silly smile.

"Ya like?" I asked sarcastically.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked me as if I was crazy.

"Just wonderin," I answered.

I remembered it as vividly as if it happened only a few moments before. The ocean waves beating against the sand in the distance blended in with the sound of AJ’s heart beating wildly in my ear. It was as if my heart was beating in time with his while we stood there in the comfort of each other’s arms. It seemed as though no person or thing could break us apart. He brought his hand up and stroked my cheek a few times as I took in the smell of his ‘oh-so-famous’ cologne.

"Ya know...no one’s ever done or said anything like that to me before," I whispered to break the silence.

"I’m glad I was the first," he whispered back happily.

I looked up at his face and saw the same silly grin that I had remembered a few seconds before. I laughed a little at the dreamy look on his face and gave him another little kiss on the lips before I grabbed his hand. I pulled him back to the beach and we walked along in the sand until we got to the steps of the hotel. AJ followed me up to my room and came in to watch some TV with me until I was tired enough to go to bed.

"Leave it here," AJ called from his sitting position on my bed as I turned on the TV and found ‘Ghost’ playing for like the ten-billionth time in the last 3 days.

"Fine," I said with a sigh before I went in the bathroom to change into my pajamas.

I had replaced my worn pajama bottoms and thermal top after my little Orlando encounter with a dark purple silk long sleeve button up shirt/pant set that I absolutely fell head-over-heels for when I found it on sale at one of my favorite stores. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and combed through my hair a few times before I headed back out to take a seat next to AJ on my bed.

"This is the ultimate chick-flick," AJ said, not breaking his eyes from the TV screen.

"Really?" I asked as I rubbed his shoulder a little.

"Yep...it’s one of my favorites. Right here," he said sweetly with a smile as he pointed to the bottom of his neck where his neck and shoulders met.

"I always thought of you as a ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ type of guy," I said sarcastically as I gave him a mini neck massage.

"’Can’t Hardly Wait’...THAT is a funny movie..." he replied with a little laugh.

"I liked it! Come on hun...get up so we can both sit on the bed...I can’t see," I whined while I stood up on the opposite side of the bed.

After he got up, I lay down across the bed the short way on my stomach and watched as he laid down next to me.

"There! Now we can both see and we’re nice and comfy too," I said after he was settled into a comfortable position.

It wasn’t even twenty minutes later that I found him sound asleep next to me. I carefully got up off the bed and shifted him so he was laying down in the right sleeping position with his head on one of the pillows. After turning off the TV, I threw a blanket over him before I crawled under the sheets next to him. He was on top of the covers covered with a blanket so that he wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor and I was underneath the covers so I didn’t feel weird with him sleeping on the same bed as me.

"Goodnight AJ," I said softly before I reached over and flicked the lamp off.

"Night Liz," he whispered back before he gave me a little goodnight kiss.

He soon drifted off and I lay there watching him sleep peacefully for a few minutes. He looked so helpless and innocent while he lay there sleeping oblivious to the fact that I was watching him. I moved a little closer and leaned in so that our foreheads were touching a little. I closed my eyes and thought about what he’d done for me in the last hour or so. I drifted off to sleep with the thought of the e-mails on my mind.

‘Hey chica! What’s up? I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you look! I can’t wait to see you again. I love to run my fingers through that long blond hair of yours...it always smells so good! Your eyes put me in a trance where my heart takes over my mind and I lose all control. Mmm...I hope we can meet again soon cause I don’t think I can stand being away from you for too much longer. Laterz, Phantom’

‘To my girl, Every time I look at the sky above and see the stars at night, I think of you. It gives me strength thinking that you could be somewhere else on the planet looking at the same exact stars shining brightly in the heavens. I wish you knew how much I think of you each day that we are apart on our different courses in life at this very moment. You are my angel in disguise and I always hope to know that you’ll be there for me. Much Love, Phantom’

‘My girl, Straight from the words of my favorite poet...’I wish I may, I wish I might...be that certain someone you wish for every night.’ I know that I wish we would meet again and I can only hope that you feel the same way. You haven’t written back, but I know that you read these messages, so I’ll keep writing them as long as I need to let you know how much I miss you. ‘7 A.M....thinkin’ ‘bout you. Wondering if the thoughts I’m feeling you’re feeling too. Like a newborn child, soft to the touch. Baby is it possible to love someone so much?’ Another one of my favorites. Phantom’

‘Is it possible to love someone so much? I dunno... Maybe... Maybe not... I certainly haven’t loved anyone that much...until now...’ I subconsciously thought to myself before I was all the way asleep.