It had been a week since they'd heard the news of Kayla's arrival and no one, including AJ, had seen heads or tails of her. Everyone knew she was there in Toronto, and everyone pestered Nick about her, wondering when they'd get to meet her, when she'd come hang out with them, but he stayed silent.
The group of women that traveled with them, be it wives or girlfriends, were always eager to have another person joining their clan. Fresh ears to listen to the bitching he figured. But AJ knew Nick better than that. He had his reasons for keeping Kayla away from everyone. He didn't like to mix his personal life with his professional one. Nick had done the same thing with Jenna, keeping her away as much as possible. But mainly, AJ always figured Nick kept his girlfriends away from everyone because when he decided he wanted to cheat and screw around on them, no one would know her well enough to pity her and let her in on what Nick did while she was away. That answer seemed much more plausible.
He just wished for the opportunity to see her, just once. He thought he caught glimpses of her every now and then, but it always turned out to be someone else. He had so much he wanted to say to her, mainly to mend the badness between them. He didn't want to lose her to Nick like he lost Jenna, he couldn't bear to have that happen twice. But his feelings were torn. He wanted to get her away from Nick as fast as possible so she wouldn't get hurt, but he knew inevitably it would happen either way. Should he let her be happy now, knowing she'll get hurt later on?
AJ stared out the window of the diner, his appetite was long gone, and he just wanted some resolution with all the turmoil in his mind. He wasn't even paying attention to anyone around him, not even his girlfriend. Ever since he found out Kayla was there, he couldn't keep his mind on anything else, and he knew it was starting to bother Elisa, he was just waiting for her to say something about it.
"How long are you going to dip that french fry in the ketchup?" Someone asked, he didn't even know who.
"Huh?" He replied, something outside catching his eye.
"The fry AJ, you've been stirring it in that ketchup for like twenty minutes." Elisa said. He didn't respond. He only stared with squinted eyes at what he thought he was seeing in the entry of the restaurant. First he thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but the longer he looked the more he realized Kayla was standing right inside the door of the restaurant. Unfortunately so was Nick, and neither of them looked pleased. Nick was shaking his head, and Kayla stood defensively with her arms folded across her chest. Finally Kayla pushed Nick away from her and stormed back out onto the street. Nick took off after her.
"Excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes!" He said hastily getting up from the table and bolting out the door. He could hear Elisa yelling his name as he left, but he couldn't stop now, he'd seen her and they needed to talk. Regardless if Nick saw them or not. He could see them up ahead as he stepped out onto the street, Kayla speed walking her way through the crowd and Nick following a few steps behind. AJ stayed as close as he could behind them without being seen, but with Nick calling her name and yelling at her to stop he didn't think they'd notice anyway. She walked without stopping once to the hotel, both she and Nick racing inside and into the elevator as soon as they arrived. As the elevator doors shut AJ bolted into the stairway, he couldn't wait for the elevator to come back down.
He could hear them yelling the minute he came out of the stairwell, it was like a scene from a movie, echoing down the halls like no one else were in any of the other rooms. AJ stood frozen, he wanted to know what they were fighting about. He needed to know.
"No Nick, that was the last straw. Don't you think they know you've been spending your time with someone, do they even know my name?
You don't understand Kayla.
Then make me understand. I want to spend time with you too, but damnit Nick, I won't be treated like some mediocre mistress who isn't good enough for your friends to meet.
That's not how it is.
That's how it feels.
I can't help it if I want to keep my work and my private life separate Jenna. It's hard for me to live if I don't, it makes me crazy."
AJ heard the door of their hotel room shut closed and waited to see if he could hear what they were saying, but almost as soon as it closed, it opened again. AJ leaned back against the wall so they wouldn't see him hidden behind a large plant in the hallway.
"Kayla where are you going?
I don't know Nick. Just leave me alone for a little while okay."
AJ watched as Kayla walked right past him and into the elevator, not even looking up as the doors shut.
He made his way back downstairs and followed her out the front doors of the hotel and across the street, not even caring if Nick was intending to follow her or not. She walked right into a coffee shop on the corner and sat down on a couch. He knew she was upset, he would have known even if he hadn't heard bits and pieces of their fight. He could see it on her face, in her body language, in her eyes.
AJ kept an eye on her as he went to the counter and placed an order. She didn't even look up when he he set the frothy moccachino down in front of her.
"Nick, I said I wanted to be left alone." She sighed.
"It isn't Nick." AJ said quietly, sitting down next to her.
"AJ?" Kayla questioned as she looked up to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw you come in. I wanted to talk to you."
"Talk or yell?"
"Talk Kay. You are, well at least you were my best friend. I miss you."
"I miss you too." She said with a shake of her head, picking up the mug he had set before her. "Sorry I haven't called you."
"I understand why you didn't."
"But still." She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.
"I heard you guys fighting." AJ confessed. "I guess things aren't going well."
"Things are going well though!" She sighed. "I mean, I know you don't like the fact that we're involved, but when I'm with him I feel good, I mean I'm happy. Well at least I was up until about twenty minutes ago."
"What happened? I heard some things, but why are you fighting." AJ tried to push past all his animosity and just be her friend for the moment, maybe now she'd listen to him. Really listen to what he had to say.
"He just won't bring me within two feet of any of you guys. I feel like I'm some sort of dirty secret. I feel like he doesn't think I'm good enough for you guys." Kayla muttered, AJ could see the pain on her face.
"He always does that Kay. He did it with Jenna too, I told you about that."
Kayla laughed sarcastically. "He called me Jenna AJ. When I freaked out at him over all of this he calls me Jenna. Then of course I freaked out about that too. Today just isn't my day is it?"
AJ sat silently, he hadn't heard Nick call her Jenna, but knowing Kayla he understood how furious it would have made her, especially while they were fighting.
"Don't you just ever wonder if you're wasting your time with him Kay? I mean, it just doesn't seem like he's letting Jenna go even after all this time." AJ said. "How long ar you gonna wait for it to happen?"
Kayla looked up at AJ, her eyes red with tears. "Wait for what to happen?" She asked.
"For him to use you up. To hurt you like he hurts everyone. Or at the very least, wait for him to get over his ex."
Kayla stared silently at AJ, her brow furrowed in thought. "AJ, " She finally spoke. "Nick and I had a fight. I'm not just going to go home and forget him. I'm happy with Nick, and sure it might not look like it right now, but I am. You know how long it's been since I've been happy with someone, why can't you just be my fucking friend and let me be."
"Kay I-" AJ stammered, He hadn't meant to make her mad.
"No, I don't want to hear it. You've been on my case since the moment you imagined we were together. If you didn't want me to be near Nick, then why the hell did you get my the job in the first place?" She said quietly, but angrily. "I don't understand why you can't just be my friend. Why all of a sudden have you become like a jealous ex-boyfriend. Will you please just tell me why you have such a problem with this?"
"I don't want to see you get hurt?"
"And you don't think my best friend screaming at me that I'm making a mistake doesn't hurt? Well it does, it hurts a lot more than anything Nick's ever done. I never expected you to ever make me feel so shitty AJ."
"I'm sorry Kay, I didn't mean to. I mean you're the last person in the world I'd ever want to hurt."
"Then will you please just give me your support? You don't have to like it, but AJ all I ask is that you respect my decisions."
AJ looked into her dark eyes, he really didn't want to hurt her.
"I'm sorry Kayla, I can't. There are things that have happened. Things I can't really tell you about. All you need to know is that Nick is trouble, and the only thing that's going to come out of this relationship is pain. I can't support that, and I'm sorry if that upsets you, but I just can't. "
"Fine then." She sighed. "You made your decision."
AJ watched Kayla get up off the couch and walk slowly out of the cafe. He knew full well that there was no point in following her. He had nothing left to say, and she undoubtedly didn't intend on speaking to him for awhile.
This is all Nick's fault, he thought to himself. Why did he have to pull the same shit with her that he pulled with Jenna? If he hadn't heard them fighting, if he hadn't seen how upset Kayla had gotten maybe he could have supported their relationship, or at least tried. But seeing how upset Kayla had been over his inconsiderateness of her just made him see that Nick was exactly the person AJ had turned him into. An asshole. He would use her, hurt her and dump her, just like he always did, and no matter how angry Kayla was with him, he wasn't going to let that happen.