“Ali! Come on. The guys are driving us home!” Izzy screamed trying to cover herself from the rain.
    Ali looked up to find AJ beside Izzy with his jacket over his head.
    “THEY are driving us?” She turned to Izzy.
    “Yes, come on Ali. This is no time to complain.” She said moving her wet hair out of her face.
    Ali still looked at her stubbornly. She sighed and threw her hands in the air “Fine. Stay here. I’m waiting in the car.” She said running to the car where Brian opened the back door to her.
    “Come on Ali. Or do you want to stay here in this rain for the rest of the day?”
    “I’d rather be made of sugar and stay in this rain than being in the same room as you.” She accused glaring at him.
    He sighed and looked away. For some weird reason seeing her talking and looking at him like that hurt, real bad.
    “Come on! Stop being so damn stubborn! You’re gonna freeze here.” He told her.
She just looked away
    “You can’t be that stupid! You have no choice! Now get your ass in that car if you want to get home.” He half yelled at her.
    She looked at him with fire in her eyes. “You’re a son of bitch.” She spat out walking to the car.

Meanwhile in the car...

    “Isn’t your friend coming?” Brian asked snottily
    “What is your problem?” Izzy asked aggravated
    “Problem? I don’t have any problems. Do you?” he said smartly. Izzy snorted
    “You know what? Shut up! Just... shut the hell up! I’ve been sitting back all day taking your offenses and dirty looks, just watching you step on my heart over and over again. Well, there’s only so much one can take! From now on you don’t talk to me, you don’t even look at me. And I’ll just pretend you don’t exist until we get home. Then we will be free from each other forever! How does that sound?”
    Brian looked shocked and opened his mouth to reply when the door flew open and in came Ali. Izzy was sure that had they been cartoons smoke would be coming out of her head.
    “I hate him!” she exclaimed slamming the door shut
    “Don’t worry. You aren’t the only one.” Izzy mumbled loud enough for Brian to hear. He felt his heart crack.
    AJ also got in slamming the door.
    “How far is it from here?”
    “Too far.” Ali mumbled frowning and sliding down the seat
    “About half an hour.”
    AJ nodded and started the car.
    “Who’s gonna give me directions?” he asked looking at Ali. She just looked out the window. He sighed inwardly and looked at Izzy through the rearview mirror.
    “I’ll give you directions.” She said moving up in her seat, brushing her thigh against Brian’s. She felt a shiver run down her spine and wondered if he had felt it too. “Get real girl. He hates you, and probably thinks you hate him too.” She shook her head.
    “What’s wrong?” asked AJ seeing her shake her head
    “What?”
    “You were shaking your head.”
    “Oh. Well, I just... uh, this rain is getting stronger.”
    “Yes, it is.”
    “Maybe you should go a little faster?” she asked moving back a little. Izzy was terrified of storms and just wanted to get home.
    “No. He should go slower.”
    “No. I should go slower.” Ali and AJ said at the same time. They looked at each other and Ali looked away, not wanting to be involved by his eyes. Izzy smiled in the backseat. If AJ weren’t such a jerk they’d be perfect for each other.
    The tension in the air was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. AJ turned on the radio.
    “...and reports show that this tropical storm is one of the strongest ever. Authority advice that everyone stays home until it’s over. Alec Minky, reporting life from Orlando-“ AJ turned the radio off.
    “Damn!” he cursed under his breath
    “How much longer?” Izzy asked sitting back on her seat and wrapping her arms around herself. Brian watched her and could sense something was wrong. He moved a little closer to her.
    “You know, at the risk of breaking our little no talking slash looking arrangement is something wrong?” he asked softly so the people in the front wouldn’t hear.
    Izzy looked at him with a confused yet terrified face. Could she trust him? Or would he laugh at her? She looked into his eyes, for the first time since they had met again they looked warm. “I... I don’t like storms.” She said jumping a little when a thunder hit. Brian looked at her and smiled softly.
    “It’s gonna be okay.” He whispered taking her hand. She gently squeezed it. Maybe she shouldn’t be doing this after what had happened that day... but oh... it felt so right.
    “You know...” Ali spoke for the first time since she had gotten in the car. Everyone looked at her. “You guys won’t be able to drive back in this rain...” she said
    “Uh, I don’t think we have an option.” Brian said. Izzy looked at him with a small smile.
    “You could stay at our place.”
    AJ looked in the rearview mirror again. “I don’t know. Maybe we should drive back.” He said glancing at Ali who was now looking out the window again.
    “Or not.” Came the soft reply from the redhead. A smile graced AJ’s features as he watched her, so direct and simple.
    “That’s it.” Izzy said pointing their house. Ali opened the gate to the garage and AJ parked in.
    “Thank God. I’m gonna take a bath. Gosh!” Izzy said getting out of the car as soon as possible.
Brian followed her shortly. AJ was also about to get out of the car when Ali stopped him with an arm over his stomach.
    “Wait.” She said softly looking at her lap.
    Izzy entered the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. She noticed Brian leaning on the doorway staring at her.
    “Water?”
    “No thanks. I think we need to talk.”
    AJ sighed. “Yes we do.” He said looking directly into Ali’s eyes
    “I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?”
    “Make that a lot.” Brian answered walking towards Izzy.
    “Why did you leave?” he asked breaking their gaze, afraid that the answer would hurt him too much
    “I had my reasons.” Izzy said sighing and sitting on a stool.
    “Please! I’m sick and tired of hearing that! Which reasons were those? What was so important that you think gave you the right to rip my heart apart?” AJ asked with fire on his eyes, the unshed tears burning inside of him.
    “AJ, please. Try and understand... that was never my intention.” Ali said taking a deep breath.
    “Oh, so it makes it all alright! Let’s just forget the terrible month after you left when I was cranky and hurt the people I loved simply because they wanted to help, right?”
    “That’s not what I meant.” Izzy said standing up and walking around the kitchen, fumbling with her rings.
    Brian sighed from his place on the table.
    “What were you so afraid of? I would never have hurt you.”
    “I know! I know you wouldn’t have.” Ali said with quivering lips. Someday she would have to deal with that, she just wasn’t sure she could do it then.
    “What was it? Was it something I did?”
    “Of course not! How could you think something like that?” Izzy looked at Brian with a shocked face.
    “How could I not? We had a wonderful night and when I woke up you weren’t there. No note, no phone, no nothing! How do you think that made me feel?”
    “I... I’m sorry.” Ali said once again looking away from AJ.
    “Stop saying that! Don’t you even have an explanation? Anything would make me feel better.”
    “Of course I have an explanation!”
    “Well, I’m all ears!” Brian said also getting up and leaning against the table, crossing his arms over his chest.
    “This isn’t easy for me.”
    “Good.” AJ said turning on his side so he was facing Ali. She sighed.
    “Are you sure you’re ready to hear this?”
    “I’ve been waiting to hear this since the morning I woke up and you weren’t by my side.” Brian said never taking his eyes off of Izzy’s. She sighed and shrunk into a chair. She stared at her hands for a few minutes, while the silence reined and the tension raised. Finally she looked up and met his eyes.
    “I left because...”
    “...I couldn’t afford falling in love with you...”Ali looked into his eyes
    “...but what I didn’t realize...” Izzy said never breaking eye contact
    “...was that I already had.”
    “Ali, that’s...”
    “...incredibly selfish!” Brian said glaring at Izzy moving to the other side of the room.
    “Brian... I-“
     “Was afraid of hurting yourself so you just decided to hurt others.”
     “NO! That’s not what happened!” Ali said her eyes filling with tears
     “What happened then? Because honestly that’s the only way I see it!”
     Izzy was speechless; she bit on her lip and looked away. There really was no other reason why they had left. They were too selfish to think about the boys’ feelings, but at the moment it hadn’t occurred to them that they would miss them as much as Ali and she had missed them. She finally looked up
     “Brian-“
    Brian put a hand up indicating for her to stop “Don’t! I gotta think.”
    Izzy sighed and nodded “I’ll take a bath. If you need anything you know where to find me.” Isabella left the room leaving Brian seating on a stool with his head in his hands, thinking whether or not he could forgive the woman that loved him... and that he loved.
    “Ali?”
    “Yes?” she said still looking at her lap.
    “How could you hurt me so much?”
    Ali’s head shot up “God damnit! Don’t you think I was hurt too?”
    “Yes! Hurt by your selfishness!” AJ glared at her
    “Shut up! Look, I can’t go back in time! I made a mistake! I’m only human!” she exclaimed
    “Well, so am I! I’m hurt!” he said turning to look at her, glaring
    “And what do you want me to do about that! I’ve already told you I’m sorry!” she said throwing her hands in the air.
    “Gosh I wish you would never have come into my life!” AJ yelled at her.
    “Well, I’m sorry for loving you!” She screamed centimeters apart from AJ.
    They stared at each and before Ali knew it, AJ’s lips were on hers, pressing forcefully. He probed her mouth open with his tongue, pulling her close to his body, while his other hand held her face to his. Ali was shocked at first, but started answering to his kisses. She brought her hands to his neck, pulling him closer as she moved her tongue in his mouth, caressing his tongue, dueling a delicious battle. AJ moaned as Ali pulled him closer, her wet lips crashing with his. Damn he had missed those kisses. They pulled away breathlessly, and AJ rested his forehead to Ali’s. He caught his breath before speaking.
    “All I’m gonna ask you... is not to leave me again.” He said his raspy voice doing wonders to her, his hot breath tickling her face. She looked up and into his eyes
    “You got my word Cowboy. I promise.” She said moving her lips to his again, barely touching, tickling gently, and making AJ grin and press his lips to her with a little more pressure. He smiled as he pulled away.
    “I missed you.” He said surprising Ali and himself. Ali looked at him a little shocked and didn’t reply for a few minutes. AJ was getting worried he had made the wrong decision. He started pulling his arms from around her when she stopped him.
    “I missed you too.” She whispered kissing him.
    He sighed into her mouth, relaxing, kissing her like old lovers would. She gently caressed the side of his face as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She moaned as he thrusted his tongue in her mouth, touching everywhere. He pulled her closer so she was straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his head, loving the feel of him. His hands traveled her body, from her face to gently caressing her breasts through her still somewhat wet shirt, massaging her sides making her growl, running his hands over her bare thighs, up and under her wet shorts. He kept his hands there, his fingers doing little circles on her skin, driving her wild. She kissed him deeply pulling him so close you thought they were almost one. She brought her hands under his shirt everywhere she touched burned. AJ’s hands went to her top, but she stopped him before he took it off.
    “Why... don’t...we...take...this... inside?” she asked in between kisses. AJ looked at her lustfully and nodded slowly. She grinned and opened the car door, climbing out offering her hand to AJ. He looked at her hand for a second before finally taking it. She smiled at him and turned pulling him inside with her.