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I exited the elevator in a cheerful mood, my shopping bag swinging
wildly at my side. I was striding towards AJ’s room when a voice
stopped
me. “Tori?”
I turned -- there was an open door next to me, and Denise was
standing just inside the room. She came to the door. “Can
I talk to you for
a second? If you don’t mind?”
“No, not at all,” I said, stepping inside. My butterflies
started
churning again, though.
As I set my bag down and took a seat, Denise smiled at me.
“I’m
sorry, I really didn’t mean to barge in and interrupt like that earlier.
It’s just
that ... well, motherly instincts are kind of strong. When I
called this
weekend to say hello to my son, and was told that he was gone, and
no one
knew where he was, I panicked a bit. Even with all of this,”
she waved her
hand -- I knew the gesture included the hotel, the fans, and all the
rest, “I
still worry about him.”
“Oh, I understand,” I assured her. “I’m sorry, it’s kind
of my fault.
I’m the one who offered to take him with me.”
“Don’t apologize,” she ordered with another wave of her hand.
“I
gave birth to that boy, I know exactly how impulsive he is. If
it hadn’t been
the trip with you, he would have found something else off the wall
to do to
relieve his tension. I guess I’m just glad he did something
relatively
harmless. Except for the accident, of course. How is your
head?”
I touched my injury automatically. “A lot better.
My head still
hurts a little, but I’m dealing with it. Thanks ...” Suddenly,
I looked at her.
Something wasn’t adding up. “But, I want to know ... you don’t
know me
at all. How do you know I’m not some psycho stalker fan or something?
How do you know I’m harmless?”
“Vibes. I get them all the time. The minute I walked
into that
room, I knew you were one of the ‘good people,’ as *my* mother would
say.”
Vibes ... I shrugged. “Do I look that innocent? I’ll
have to work on
that ...” I joked.
She laughed. “Sweetheart, never doubt a mother’s instincts.
They’re invariably right. Now, I’m not going to keep you any
longer -- AJ’s
probably pacing the floor, wondering if I’ve run you out of town or
something. I gave him all the hell he deserved, and he probably
expects me
to do the same to you.”
“I’ll have to tell him not to feel too bad ... trust me, when
I go home
to Wichita, my mother’s going to have my head on a platter.”
“And you’ll deserve it from her,” she informed me. “But
not from
me. Go on, have a good time, before you’re a victim of parental
homicide.”
When I walked in the room, AJ was, as predicted, pacing in front
of
the window, talking on his cel phone. He spied me and immediately
told
the person on the other end, “Hey, dude, I’ll call you back.”
Before he could say anything, I walked over and kissed him on
the
cheek. “Your mom’s a great lady. I can see why you turned
out so good.”
He looked at me in confusion. “What the hell did she say to you?”
“Not much ...” I grinned at him. “A lot less than
she said to you,
apparently.”
“I got ripped a new asshole. If I was a few years younger,
my ass
would actually be stinging right now. She was never one to ‘spare
the rod,’
you know.”
“Well, as I just told her, you shouldn’t feel too bad -- you have
no
idea what kind of shit I’m going to be in when I make it back to Kansas.”
He grabbed my shopping bag. “So, what’d you get?”
I grabbed it back, smacking his hand. “You’ll see ... are
we still
going to dinner?”
“Yep -- as a matter of fact, I made reservations at a really great
Italian restaurant. Does that sound good?”
“Pasta ... mmm, sounds heavenly. Okay, I’m gonna go shower
and
get ready.”
“Ooh, want help washing your back?” he asked mischievously.
“No, I don’t. We’d never make it to dinner.”
“This is true ...” AJ sighed. “Go on, I’ll meet you
out here when
you’re done.”
The bathroom in the suite was heavenly. I lounged under
the
shower spray for a full half hour, letting the heat and the water dissolve
all
remaining knots in my muscles. The bruise on my head was only
causing
me minimal headaches ... I felt 99% human. The plush surroundings
made
me feel like a very pampered human, as I wriggled into my dress and
pulled
on the nylons I’d bought. I painted on my makeup, slipped on
the shoes,
and finished the outfit with a necklace and pair of earrings I’d found
in one
of my suitcases. When I was finished, I looked at myself.
Not bad ... not
bad at all.
Out in the main room, I was treated to a wolf whistle. “Oh,
baby ...
you look gorgeous,” AJ told me. He didn’t look so bad himself
-- actually,
he looked good enough to eat, in a black suit, with a blue silk shirt
underneath. We actually matched very well, without meaning to.
As he walked towards me, I noticed his hand behind his back.
He
stopped just in front of me and brought his hand forward with a flourish,
presenting me with a single red rose. He bowed slightly as I
took it. “Oh ...
thank you ...” The simple romantic gesture floored me.
Steve had never
given me flowers. How sad was that?
“There’s a flower vendor downstairs,” he confided, taking my arm.
“I hope you appreciate that ... I braved the masses to get it for you.”
I smiled at him. “I love it.”
“Good. Shall we?”
“Yes, let’s.”
He led me gallantly out the door. Somehow, I felt like Cinderella
at
the ball. What an interesting Prince Charming AJ made ...
