AJ sat in the corner of the club, holding onto a beer so hard her was sure he'd break the bottle. There they were again, close and cuddling, laughing and kissing.
Swallowing another mouthful of beer was all he could do to avoid throwing up at the sight. It was like she was taunting him, throwing an occasional glance his way, showing him just what he gave up when he let her go, and it was working. Every laugh, every smile, every kiss she gave to him, he knew she was doing it for the simple fact that she wanted to punish him.
AJ slammed the now empty bottle down on the table and got up to leave. This party was turning out to be not so fun anymore.
He never imagined in a million years that he'd be jealous of Nick. He was just the young, immature screw up, who had his girl. Nick had confessed to AJ earlier that day that he was head over heels in love with her, that he'd never felt that way before. AJ knew exactly what he was talking about, he'd felt it before and if he hadn't been so stupid to give it up for imagined freedom he'd still have it today. And if Nick had ever paid attention to more than himself maybe he would have remembered the way he used to talk about her, but he didn't, and she didn't see fit to tell Nick that they knew each other; that they used to be together; that they used to be in love.
She'd be in my arms, not yours. AJ thought as he left the absolutely stale birthday party someone had thrown Brian.
AJ walked outside the building, through the back door and into the small parking lot where a few cars had been parked. He lit a cigarette the minute he was in the open air, inhaling a slow long drag and blowing the smoke out his nose. He could hear the bass-filled beats coming from within the club and he paced around the parking lot to it's beat like a tiger stuck in a cage. He felt like his blood was boiling and just wished for one person to say the wrong thing to him, he just wanted to hit someone hard...just once. He lit a second cigarette on the butt of the first one and sat on the hood of his car, wanting to go back inside so he could watch her, but not wanting to for the same reasons.
He flicked the rest of the cigarette onto the pavement as he slid off the car, the smoke was making him sick, and he needed another drink, something stronger than beer.
He paused as he walked past the new big, black SUV Nick was driving, the familiar anger coming back to him that had been blown out with the smoke he'd had. Without a second thought, or even a glance around to see if anyone was there, he swiftly kicked in the left headlight with the heel of his foot, the glass shattering to the ground below. AJ smiled with a hint of satisfaction and walked back to the door of the club, dreading the people that were inside.
He didn't bother talking to anyone but the bartender, the last thing he needed was for his name to be all over the headlines in some drunken bar fight, but he was still itching to hit someone. Preferably a blond kid who was sitting on the other side of the room with my girl on his lap, he fumed, ordering a drink.
The glass was slid towards him, and he stirred it with the yellow straw that had been placed inside, sipping it slowly and staring at his own reflection in the mirror behind the bar. He searched for her amongst the crowd, looking for her familliar face, her hair, her smile, and finally he found her...nestled beautifully between the half empty bottle of tequila and a green bottle of something he couldn't pronounce. There she was, laughing and smiling and spinning around and around as she danced with Nick, and all he could do was watch.
Aj didn't even know how long he followed her through the mirror's reflection, or how many drinks he went through while he did it. But when he saw her coming towards him, he slumped a little lower in the stool he was sitting on, worried that she'd noticed.
"Hi Al." She said as she stood next to him at the bar, Calvin Klein's eternity wafted into his nose like the memory of so many nights gone by, nights with her.
She was wearing it to taunt him, he was sure of it.
"Hi." He muttered, setting his glass back on the bar and shaking the ice in it so he could get it filled up again, the woman behind the bar ignoring his request, having cut him off two drinks ago. "Having fun?"
"Yeah, I am actually. You?"
"Not really." AJ said flatly. "Where's Nick?"
"Over there." She said gesturing towards the tables on the far side of the room. "I'm just getting us another round."
AJ leaned against the bar, looking her over from head to toe as she tried to get the bartender's attention. "So, how are things with Nick anyway?"
She turned around to look at him after ordering her drinks, a cynical look on her face. "Don't start that again please. You're the reason I met him, blame yourself!"
He sighed loudly. "You know I never intended for this to happen. I've told you how I feel about you-"
"And I've told you how I feel about Nick. We were over a long time ago AJ, let it go." She said grabbing the two glasses from the bar and walking back over to where Nick sat, not even looking back his way.
This had been going on for far too long. He figured Nick would use her for a week or so and let her go...but that wasn't happening, they seemed to be getting closer and closer and he had to do something about it. He had to break them up and get her back because he couldn't stand seeing this day in and day out.
He loved
her at an almost suicidal level, and he wasn't going to let Nick have her
anymore.
Jenna was
his.