Sarah sighed in her sleep and willed her eyes open. The room was dimly lit by a stream of sunlight coming through a crack in the curtains.
And something felt different.
Then it registered in her mind - the feel of strong arms around her waist, the gentle rise and fall of someone else's breathing, the muscular stomach pressed to her back. AJ was there. And they had made love.
Sarah smiled and a feeling of warmth swept over her body. She could feel an almost tangible tingling in her limbs. The one and only thing on her mind was AJ.
She turned over gently in AJ's arms and he groaned in his sleep, then turned onto his back. Sarah laid on her side and propped herself up on her elbow, just watching AJ.
The sheet was draped over his waist, revealing most of his upper body. Sarah reached out and lightly traced the tattoo on his stomach. Running her hand up his chest, she caressed his cheek gently. His face was as beautiful as always. But in his sleep he looked relaxed, as though he didn't have a care in the world.
And in that instant, Sarah fell in love with him all over again.
Smiling softly, she curled up next to him and sighed happily as his arm fell across her waist, holding her close. Sarah closed her eyes and as she fell into a light slumber, she knew that this was the beginning of something wonderful.
* * *
Brian sighed and squinted his eyes at the bright sunlight as he stumbled out of his room the next morning. Walking towards the kitchen, he ran a hand through his rumpled curls and yawned. Just as he was about to walk into the kitchen, he heard Sarah's laugh. Peering around the corner, he watched an unfamiliar scene unfold before him.
Sarah was sitting on AJ's lap, dressed in his favorite shirt. AJ's arms were draped lazily around her waist, holding her close to his body. Brian watched as Sarah picked up a strawberry from the table, dipped it in a bowl of whipped cream, and fed it to AJ. She laughed as AJ took a bite out of the strawberry, whipped cream lingering on his lips. Leaning forward, she kissed him, licking the cream off his mouth.
Brian's mouth went dry as Sarah pulled away from AJ and noticed him standing in the doorway. She smiled widely and hopped off AJ's lap, running over to Brian and grabbing his hand.
"Hey, B! I made breakfast," she gushed excitedly, pulling him towards the table. Pushing him down onto a chair, she hurried over to the counter to fix him a plate. Brian looked over at AJ and saw the look he'd seen countless times before - the look AJ wore only when he'd accomplished something. That something was usually winning a woman's heart. But there in AJ's eyes was a hint of something Brian had never witnessed. He wasn't sure, but it looked like love.
AJ noticed Brian's side-long glances and the dark circles under his eyes. He patted Brian's shoulder reassuringly. "Long night?" AJ questioned.
Oh yeah. Listening to you fucking my best friend all night really made me feel wonderful, you asshole,Brian thought vehemently. Faking a grin, he shook his head. "I'm just a little tired. Didn't get much sleep."
Sarah came back at that moment, setting a plate of steaming pancakes down in front of Brian. He smiled gratefully as she sat down across from him. Their eyes met and Sarah saw a strange look in his eyes. A look that told her Brian knew what had happened last night.
She swallowed hard and looked away, feeling strangely uncomfortable. AJ noticed and patted her leg under the table. Sarah looked at him, asking a question with her eyes. AJ nodded. He knew the same thing she knew about Brian.
The three sat in an uncomfortable silence while Brian ate. Finally, AJ stood and grabbed his jacket. "I should be going. My mom's coming by the house in a little while."
Brian waved goodbye as AJ headed towards the front door, Sarah following.
"Thanks, honey," Sarah said gratefully as she helped AJ into his jacket. "I need to have a talk with him alone."
AJ smiled and kissed her softly. "No problem, baby. I know. I'll call you later?"
Sarah smiled and rubbed his cheek affectionately. "You better." She held the door open for him and watched him walk towards the stairs.
A second before he started down the steps, AJ turned to her and grinned. "I love you," he whispered.
Sarah smiled at him. "I love you more," she replied quietly.
AJ smiled and disappeared down the stairs.
Sighing, Sarah shut the door and walked back into the kitchen. Brian had finished his pancakes and was sipping a cup of coffee, staring out the window absently. Sitting down across from him, she tried to ask the question she was dying to know the answer to in a roundabout sort of way.
"So, B, did you come home early last night?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Yes, I did, Sarah," Brian said evenly. "It didn't matter to you anyway, did it?" he asked, looking at her strangely.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah retorted. "It's not like you haven't had your fair share of women in the apartment. I've been telling you about my anniversary for weeks now. Can't you just respect my feelings for once? Last night meant a lot to me, but you've ruined my mood with your lousy attitude."
"Sorry to rain on your parade, but I live here too and I don't wanna know when you're having sex."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sarah asked angrily. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"You wanna know how I feel about this?" Brian asked. Sarah nodded. "I think AJ has you wrapped around his little finger and you don't even know it. You're not ready for any of this. You don't know anything about his prior relationships and the shit he's pulled in the past. He may make you feel like you're on top of the world now, but as soon as something new comes along, you're no longer gonna be his main interest."
"How could you say that, Brian? About your best friend? And why are you telling me this? Do you think I'm naive or something? Do you think I depend on AJ for everything?" Sarah sighed deeply. "I thought you had more faith in me, B. I haven't changed. I'm still the same person."
"You have changed, Sarah," Brian said softly, his voice strained.
Sarah felt his words hit a strange chord within her. She shook her head and looked down at her coffee cup. "Ya know, Brian, I think it's best if I move out. It'll be better for both of us."
Brian's eyes widened at her. "Move out? Sarah, you can't be serious! You're gonna go live with him?"
"Yes, Brian, I am. I already told you this once and then you seemed so excited for me. What's gotten into you?"
Brian ignored her questioning. "Are you nuts, Sarah? You do know why he wants you there, don't you?" Sarah looked at him, confused. "Oh, don't even tell me you don't get it. What'd he tell you? That he wanted to spend 'every waking moment with you'?" Brian scoffed. "Give me a break. He wants you in his bed - every day, every night. And that's all there is to it."
Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I can't fucking believe you, Brian. How could you talk about him that way? He is my boyfriend whom I love and he is your best friend." Sarah shook her head and let out a scornful laugh. "I should of known you'd turn on me one day. I just can't believe you would do it now of all times." Sarah got up from the table as Brian started to say something, but she cut him off. "Save it, Brian. I'm leaving."
* * *
"Okay, about the last couple of tour dates..." Denise flipped through a thick stack of papers. "Mark wants to end somewhere in Florida. He was even thinking of a homecoming -" She was cut off abruptly when the doorbell rang.
AJ looked up distractedly. "Who could that be?"
"Probably one of the guys," Denise replied, scribbling something on a notepad. "Go answer it, honey."
AJ sighed and got up from the couch, manuevering around the coffee table littered with papers. Opening the door, he saw Sarah standing on the front step, crying. His heart broke.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, touching her cheek.
Sarah sniffled and took a deep breath. "Brian...he...yelled at me..." Before she could finish, she broke into tears again.
AJ gathered her into his arms and stroked her hair.
"Shhh, baby. Shhh...It's okay. You're safe now." He noticed her crying lessening. "Hey, look at me. Look at me." He tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "You're fine. Come inside. I'll get you some water. You can go lay down if you want. Does that sound good?" Sarah nodded and AJ smiled at her. "Good girl. Come on." Taking her hand, he led her inside the house, shutting the door behind him. "My mom's here. You wanna say hi?"
Sarah shook her head furiously. "No. I don't want her to see me like this."
"It's okay, baby. Go to my room and lay down. I'll bring you some water and we'll talk about it, okay?" Sarah nodded and AJ kissed her forehead gently. She turned and wandered down the hallway towards his room.
AJ raked a hand through his hair and went back into the living room. His mom looked at him questioningly. "She got in a fight with Brian. She's really upset. Mind if we finish this another time?"
Denise nodded. "No, of course not. Does she need anything? Want me to talk to her?"
"No, she didn't want you to see her upset."
Denise smiled maternally. "Oh, poor girl. Take good care of her, AJ."
AJ nodded and kissed his mother on the cheek, giving her a hug. "I will, mom. Call me later and we'll reschedule this little meeting."
AJ walked Denise to the door and then made his way into the kitchen. Filling up a glass with water, he walked down the hallway and into his bedroom.
Sarah was curled up on the bed, her back to him. AJ walked around to the other side of the bed and sat next to her. She looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks and red eyes.
"I brought you some water," AJ said, smiling. Sarah sat up and took the glass from him, gulping it down thirstily. AJ watched her and saw how much of a little girl she still was.
When she finished drinking, he took the glass from her and set it on the bedside table. "What happened?"
Sarah sighed and rubbed her eyes. "After you left, he got mad at me for some stupid reason. Something about not wanting to know when I was having sex. Then he started saying I changed and I wasn't the same person, so I told him I was leaving. I mean, he already knew that, but when I said it, he blew up at me." Her eyes filled with tears. "He said so many horrible things, AJ. About you. And I just couldn't believe he would talk about his best friend that way. So, I told him I was leaving and I left."
AJ rubbed her knee sympathetically, but his mind was taking a totally different path. I'm gonna fucking kill him. What the hell's he telling her? I can't fucking believe this. Wait until I go over to that apartment. Shaking his head, he smiled and kissed Sarah sotfly. "I'm sorry, baby. Brian can get like that sometimes. It's best to ignore it."
"But I don't wanna ignore it," she protested. "He's my best friend and I don't want him to be mad at me. But right now, I just want to get away from him. I wanna be here - with you."
AJ smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you so much, J. Promise you'll never leave me."
AJ pulled back and looked Sarah in the eyes. "I wouldn't think of it, honey."