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I heard AJ returning before I saw him -- he was singing as he
came
down the hallway. When he got close enough to discern the lyrics,
I
listened. “If you lay down, lay down beside me ... you could
get all inside
me, I could get all inside you too ...” Wow, there was an image
... I
stretched out on the bed, trying to shake the melancholy that had overtaken
me.
He walked in, carrying McDonald’s bags. “Dinner is served ...”
“Oh, that smells good. Bring those over here.”
When he sat down, I reached into the bag. Slowly, though,
I
realized that he was staring at me. I looked up. “What’s
wrong?” he asked.
“What? What makes you think something’s wrong?”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty good at reading people, I guess.
You’ve
got a strange look on your face.”
Sighing, I popped a french fry in my mouth. “I just think
too much,
that’s all,” I mumbled.
“Well, that’s better than not thinking enough,” AJ said.
I thought about that for a second ... “You’re probably right.”
Changing the subject, I asked, “Hey, what was that song you were
singing
when you came in?”
“Huh? Oh ... just a song I sing in concert sometimes.”
I looked at
him closely -- was that a blush? I hadn’t seen him do that before.
“Interesting ... I think I’d like to see you perform sometime.”
“Well ... when we get to Philadephia, I’ll have a show to do,
if you’d
want to stick around ...” He trailed off. He sounded uncertain
... as if there
was something he wasn’t telling me.
“Sure, I guess,” I said slowly, after I realized he wasn’t volunteering
any information. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
We fell into silence ... as I watched him eat, I sensed a growing
sense of discomfort. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any more.
“My turn --
what’s wrong?”
AJ sighed. “I guess ... well, there’s a lot I haven’t told
you. Some
important stuff.”
“Important? Important how? ‘Whoops, I forgot to tell
you I’m
married’ important?”
He shook his head vigourously. “No, no, not like that.
Just ... Tori,
for the first time in a long time, I’ve been able to meet someone new
and
not have them have any preconceived notions about me. That’s
what I love
about you ... and I’m afraid of ruining that.”
“You’re not making any sense, AJ.”
“I know I’m not ... I just don’t want to ... can you promise me
something?”
“That depends on what it is.”
“Can you promise me that, no matter what I am, or what I seem
to
be, you’ll always remember me like this, the way we’ve been for the
past
two days?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re kind of scaring me ... like
I’m going to
find out you really are a mass murderer or something.”
“No ... not like that. Can you trust me? And promise me?”
I looked into his eyes ... they were dark, intense, and sincere.
I was
still confused -- I had no earthly idea what he was talking about.
But,
something made me trust him ... “Yes, I promise.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ick, hamburger breath!”
“Oh, boy ... so, that means I have to brush my teeth before I
can kiss
you again, huh?”
“Absolutely ... and you’re not touching me with those greasy hands,
either,” I informed him.
“But you look so sexy in my t-shirt,” he whined. “You’re
not
wearing anything under it, are you?”
“Nope,” I said cheerfully. “But, aren’t you still tired from before?”
AJ gave me a wicked look as he headed for the bathroom.
“Honey,
you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
I shoved the remainder of our dinner into the trash can.
Yep, I was
ready for a dessert of a different kind ...
