Marit was trying to decide between a simple cheese sandwich and soup and a more elaborate chicken dinner when a voice spoke above her.
"I hope you're not going to order a salad or something equally disgustingly healthy." She looked up in surprise and saw the same dark-haired stranger that was staying on her floor. He smiled, and motioned to the other chair.
"Do you mind if I join you? I hate eating alone." Marit looked at him in alarm. What did he want?
AJ watched the hint of panic flutter over her features, and frowned slightly. Again with the jumpiness.
"Don't worry," he reassured, "I'm just looking for a little light dinner conversation. I won't bite," he said.
"Yeah, that's what they all say," she muttered. Mustering up her strength, she nodded her head.
"Sure, why not? I've been on the road all day, it would be nice to talk to someone." AJ smiled at her again and sat down, choosing to ignore her first statement. He picked up the menu and began to leaf through it. After a few minutes of silence, he put it down and looked at her.
"You know, conversation usually involves talking. Since you don't seem so eager, why don't I start? What are you getting to eat?" he asked. She looked at him thoughtfully, her mouth cracking into a slight smile.
"Oh my God, is that smile I see?" he asked, feigning amazement. "I wasn't aware you could do that." Despite herself, she laughed. He gasped.
"A laugh! Please stop, I don't think I can take too much of this at once." She shook her head at him, still laughing. He watched her for a few moments, then joined in himself.
"See, now don't you feel better?" he asked. "And you have a very nice laugh. It's a shame to hide it from the world." She smiled at him again, flushing slightly.
"Thank you I do feel better," she informed him. "And I think I want a grilled cheese sandwich, with tomatoes."
"And lots of butter," he added," yum, that sounds good. Me, too."
"Copycat." She stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed.
"Fine, I'll get mine with pickles. No tomatoes." She made a face.
"Ew, I hate pickles," she said, her nose wrinkling. He gasped again.
"What? Girl, you have NO taste," he joked. She stuck her tongue out at him again, but was saved from replying by the waiter who was approaching their table.
"May I take your order, please?"
"Yes," AJ said, before Marit could respond. "We'd like two grilled cheese sandwiches, smothered in butter, one slightly inferior one with tomatoes, and one much better one with pickles." Marit giggled.
"And two bowls of cream of potato soup," she looked at him in confirmation. He nodded. "And two Cokes."
"Okay," the waiter said, writing the order down. "They'll be right out." He turned and walked towards the kitchen. AJ turned his attention back to Marit.
"So, do I get your name, or am I going to have to call you 'the girl with the sad eyes?'" he queried. She smiled hesitantly, a but unnerved at his comment, but chose to ignore it.
"It's Marit," she said. "And yours?"
"AJ. Nice to meet you, Marit," he said. "So, what do you do?"
"Do? Well, I just graduated from college, but I haven't really started working yet. I'm kind of in search of the perfect job right now."
"Really? What was your major?"
"Graphic Arts Design. I want to work in advertising, or maybe PR."
"That's really cool. I bet you're really good. You have that dreamy artistic quality," he said, cocking his head to the side to study her thoughtfully. She smiled and blushed.
"Thanks," she replied. "What about you? Let me guess, you're a comedian." He laughed.
"You think I'm funny? Cool." She shook her head, her eyes twinkling.
"I never said that. There are lots of comedians out there that aren't funny at all," she declared. He looked at her in mock hurt.
"Way to inflate my ego," he said, pouting. "I'll have you know, I'm a pretty funny guy. But no, I'm not a comedian, I'm a singer in a group."
"Really, can you sing?" she asked. He stared at her.
"What is this, pick-on-AJ night? Geez, of course I can sing, why else would I be a singer?" He waved his hand as she opened her mouth to respond. "Yeah, I know, there are plenty of singers out there that can't really sing. You want me to sing for you?" She nodded, and softly, he began to sing in a low, slightly rough voice.
"Wow," she said. "You're really good!" He laughed.
"You sound surprised," he teased.
"So are you guys famous? You'll have to forgive me, I've lived a, um, sheltered life, I'm not familiar with the music scene."
"Hmm, moderately, especially for a bunch of guys that can't really sing," he teased, though his tone was serious.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, thinking she had hurt his feelings. "I didn't mean-"
"Don't worry about it, trust me, we get worse from our critics and sometimes even our fans."
"Well, I think you have a beautiful voice, and if your bandmates are as talented as you, then you guys must be pretty good."
"Oh, well, I'm the best one in the group," he joked. "But yeah, we're pretty good.
Though I may be biased." She laughed again, as the waiter approached the table with their dinner.
The two sat there talking and laughing long after the other diners had eaten and left. When the cleaning staff arrived, Marit turned to AJ reluctantly.
"We should leave," she said. "I think it's time to close up." She reached for the bill, but he got to it before her.
"No way," he said, " this one is on me. There's no way I'm going to let a pretty girl pay for dinner."
"Give it to me, AJ. This wasn't a date. Let me at least pay my half," she pleaded. He shook his head, standing his ground. She glared at him, her anger slowly building.
"Fine, I'll pay the tip," she said, standing up. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a twenty and threw it on the table.
"Men," she bit out. "You're all the same." Pivoting, she stalked away from the table and out of the restaurant. AJ watched her go in confusion. What had just happened? Dropping a few more bills from his pocket, he got up and headed out after her.
Catching up to her at the elevator, he reached out to clasp her arm. She froze instantly, her face shutting down, an emotionless mask covering her features. He let go of her as if he had been burned. She strode into the elevator and he followed after her, unsure of what to say. The silence hung between them like a heavy curtain, until finally he could take it no more.
"Look, I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm really sorry for whatever I did that upset you," he said, looking at her and hoping she would turn to look at him. As if she could read his thoughts, she did, returning his gaze directly.
"Just... let it go, it's not a big deal. I just don't like having other people pay for me," she said. "It just... I just don't like it." She held his gaze for a few minutes, but finally broke eye contact and looking away. He continued to look at her, sensing something deeper, but unwilling to probe any further. As the elevator reached the fifth floor, the doors opened and Marit made to go to her room.
"Wait," AJ called, stepping out after her. "Look, I'm not... It was nice talking to you and I'd really like to hang out more, and I'm not really tired or anything. I was wondering, maybe you'd like to come in and we could, like, watch a movie or something. Just talk." He watched as she hesitated, unsure of his intentions.
"Just talk, I swear. Really, I'm not trying to come on to you or anything," he added quickly. She was silent for a few more moments, then shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry, I'm kind of tired and I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow. But thanks," she answered as she turned away and walked down the hall. AJ watched her go, mixed emotions battling within.
He lay awake that night, unable to tear his thoughts away from Marit and the mystery surrounding her. He was certain that at some point in her life, she'd been hurt, and he found himself wanting to know more. Whether it was curiosity or something deeper, he didn't know, but he knew he'd be a fool not to find out, especially if there was some way he could help her.
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