"Yeah?" AJ growled into the phone.
"Hey Bone, it's Nick. Kyndall around?"
"She is sleeping. What the fuck you doing up at 9:30 in the morn-"
"Is that Nick?" Kyndall asked sleepily as she wrapped her arms around AJ, placing soft kisses on his back.
"Yeah," he answered smiling softly at her touch.
"Hey," Nick said. "That's her. Tell her she's late and I'm leaving without her."
"Where-"
"What time-" Kyndall interrupted him as she jumped out of bed with a shriek. "Dammit, tell him I'll be downstairs in ten minutes," she said grabbing some clothes and running into the restroom."
"She said she'll be downstairs in ten minutes. What's going on?" he asked.
"We're going to go sailing," Nick grinned.
"Sailing? Why wasn't I invited?"
"Umm…you don't like sailing?" Nick replied. "Last time you went you got sick, remember?"
"That's beside the point," he said looking up as Kyndall came back in the room.
"See you tonite," she said kissing him on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too," AJ called after her as she ran out of the room.
"Guess I gotta go," Nick said hearing the door close. "Bye."
"Wait," AJ said, but realized he was talking to no one. "What the fuck is going on?" he mumbled laying back down on the bed. Pulling the covers over his eyes, he tried to go back to sleep, but his mind was too awake now. Kyndall and Nick had been spending more and more time together since Catlyn left over a week ago. They were all going back to the states on Friday, and AJ had wanted to spend the next two days with Kyndall. But she always seemed to have something planned with Nick.
Nick. With Kyndall. The possibilities of what could happen with them…alone…on a boat. Alone…in the middle of the ocean. Alone. "Dammit," he exclaimed throwing the blankets off, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up. Getting out of bed, he threw on some clothes. Grabbing a hat and some glasses, he stuffed his wallet and his loose change in his pocket and headed out the door.
Making his way to the lobby, AJ ducked his head as he nearly walked into the eager arms of the small group of fans waiting for a glimpse of their favorite celebrity. That was an educated guess, based purely on the animal print and bright yellow clothing; indications that these adolescents had too much money and too much time on their hands hence their dedication to "AJ worship".
He walked to the dining area, ordering a cup of coffee and some pancakes. Glancing around, he noticed a familiar figure sitting in the far corner, hunched over the table. Smiling to himself, AJ stood up, indicating to his waitress that he was moving to a different table, and he walked over. "Mind if I join you?" he asked tilting his head to the side.
"What? AJ?" Shelly asked in surprise as her green eyes met his.
"Saw you sitting her all by yourself, thought I'd stop by and say hi. And then you looked so sad, I kind of invited myself over," he nodded towards the waitress who was bringing his food over.
She giggled. "Not a problem. Was kind of lonely," she shrugged, sipping her coffee.
"How have you been? Haven't seen you in a while," he said drowning his pancakes in butter and syrup.
"Been keeping busy. I run a souvenir shop on the boardwalk," she said pouring some sugar into her cup and stirring it.
"Really?" he asked looking at her in surprise. "Didn't know that."
"Of course you didn't," she grinned. "Nick never gave me the chance to get to know any of you." There was an awkward moment of quiet that was broken by AJ making an offhanded comment about pins dropping, and someone stepping on it and shouting in pain being a really strange way to break a silence. The ice was broken, plunging them into an easy rapport.
"Ya know," he mumbled with his mouthful of pancake. "You aren't anything like I thought you were," he said pointing his fork at her.
Shelly laughed. "You look silly. Here," she said wiping a spot of syrup off the corner of his mouth before it could dribble down his chin. Licking it off her finger, she noticed that AJ was staring at her strangely. "Ooh. Strawberry," she smiled. "My favorite."
AJ cleared his throat and looked back down at his plate. Whoa, he thought. That was unexpected. And definitely NOT something I should be thinking about. "I um…yeah," he stuttered. "Strawberry is good. They didn't have any blueberry."
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked in reply, avoiding her eyes.
"The air suddenly is charged with electricity," she said reaching across the table, and tilting his head up so she could see his face. "I'm afraid if I reach out too far, I'll get shocked."
"Not as shocked at I am right now," he muttered under his breath. Look, he reprimanded himself. You are no longer allowed to fool around. You have Kyndall to think about. Besides, Shelly really isn't your type. He looked at her, his eyes discreetly checking her out. Oh, she's your type, the little devil sitting on his shoulder argued. All feminine curves and softness. "Let's get out of here," he said tossing his napkin on his plate.
"What?" Shelly asked, a little shocked at his statement.
"I want to see your shop." He flashed a grin at her and pulled some money out of his wallet, setting it on the table.
"Oh, okay," she said smiling nervously at him. Waving his arm in front of him chivalrously, he followed her out of the dining room to her car parked in the lot.
