"Okay, here we are, home sweet home," AJ announced, looking over at his passenger. He pulled his car through the gate and around the driveway, stopping in front of the house.
Marit yawned and muttered something noncommittal, before undoing her seat belt and opening the door. AJ looked at her in concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Because I can always put you up in a hotel." Marit turned to glance at him and shook her head.
"I'm fine, a little tired. This is okay with me, really, since it's temporary, as long as it's no problem with you." She walked around the car to the trunk, waiting for him to pop it. Reaching down, he flipped the switch, then met her at the back of the car. Removing their bags, the two walked towards the house.
"Okay, so this can be your room, the bathroom is through that door. Towels and things should be in the closet," AJ explained, as Marit walked into the room and threw her bags on the bed. "I have to meet the guys and catch up on what I've missed. I won't be gone too long, and in the meantime, you can have the run of the house. If you need anything, my cell number is on the fridge. Okay?"
"Okay," she smiled at him. "I think I'll get something to eat."
"I had a feeling you'd say that," he teased. She laughed and he felt better.
After a nap and a shower, Marit headed downstairs in search of sustenance. She rummaged through the fully-stocked kitchen, noticing that AJ had something for every occasion. "Does he actually cook this stuff?" she wondered out loud, as she pulled out boxes of something found only in a gourmet food store.
Judging from his penchance for McDonald's on the drive down, she doubted it. Opening another cabinet, she found boxes of pasta, sparking an idea in her mind. As she searched for the rest of the ingredients, she softly began to hum to herself. Things might work out after all.
~~~
"So, you just brought her home?" Kevin asked incredulously after AJ has finished recounting the events of the past few days.
"What's your mom gonna say?" Nick asked.
"Mom's gonna love her," AJ said sounding more confident than he felt. After discussing it with the guys and thinking things through, he wondered if maybe he had been a little too hasty. He really didn't know anything about her, after all, except she had a troubled past.
"Well, I think it's pretty cool," Howie said. "I'm proud of you, Bone, for actually thinking about someone else for once."
"Hey!" AJ said, smiling. "I always think about other people. But trust me, you guys, once you meet her, you'll understand."
"So, what are we waiting for?" Brian asked, "the curiosity is killing me."
"Now?" AJ asked, a little nervous. "She just got here. I think she needs time to, you know, get settled in or something. Besides, meeting all you guys at once might freak her out."
"Gee, AJ, you make her sound like, I dunno, a rabbit or something," Nick observed. "I wanna meet her, you can't keep us in suspense like this."
"Besides, otherwise we might get the impression that you don't want us to meet her," Brian added. "Is she hot? Are you afraid I might steal her away from you?" AJ just laughed.
"Whatever, Rok, the day you steal a girl away from me..." he left his sentence unfinished.
"Oh, yeah? I bet I can steal this girl from you," Brian challenged.
AJ grew serious suddenly. "Don't, Brian, she's not some toy you can play with. Leave her alone," he warned. Brian just shrugged as Howie looked thoughtfully at his friend's serious expression.
"You've really fallen for her hard, haven't you?" Howie asked. "Just be careful, I don't want to see either of you get hurt."
"Don't worry, I have everything under control," he said. "So how about you guys come over for dinner?"
~~~
After popping the dish in the oven, Marit cleaned up and headed in to the living room. She wandered around, taking in the décor, the pictures on the wall, AJ's CD collection.
Her perusal of the room came to a stop when her gaze rested on an object in the leaning against the wall in the corner. Walking over to it, she knelt down. It was a guitar, similar to one she used to own. Picking it up carefully, she walked back to the couch and sat down. She ran her hands over it gently, caressing it like a long-lost lover. Smiling, she plucked a few notes, listening as the soft twangs broke the silence.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Marit?" she asked herself. Settling the guitar on her knee, she began to tune it, as the memories came flooding back to her.
~~~
"Marit, are you ready?" Eva asked her, nervously picking invisible fibers from her black velvet shirt. Marit looked at her friend and giggled.
"Stop that, you'll pick it to shreds! Listen, we're gonna do great, don't worry about a thing," she said, confidently. Just then, the coffee house owner stepped up to the mike.
"Good evening friends, before we bring our next performers out, I'd like to say a few words about them. These two extremely talented girls are performing for the first time in front of an unknown audience, so please make them feel right at home. And without further ado, I'd like to present Marit Rawlings and Eva Corelli!" There was polite applause as the two girls hugged, then walked onto the set, seating themselves o the stools before the mikes.
"Hi, we're really excited to be here," Eva began, softly. "We're just a couple girls with an appreciation of folk music, so we thought we'd perform a few covers tonight, and you can let us know if you like them?" With a quick glance at each other, Marit silently counted them off, then began the opening chords to the song. The two girls played their way through a set of songs, before finally ending their performance. As they finished, there was heartening applause from the audience. Giving their thanks, the two girls made their way off the set.
"I think that went well," Marit said. Eva giggled and the two girls hugged each other in excitement.
"That was beautiful," a voice spoke behind them. Marit whirled around, coming face to face with a gorgeous pair of blue eyes and soft honey blond hair. "But not as beautiful as you are." Marit blushed at the compliment, as Eva glanced between her friend and this strange man who had approached them. Seeing the look on Marit's face, she decided to excuse herself.
"Hey, I'm gonna go get something to drink," Eva said, "I'll be right back."
"Uh-huh," Marit replied, never taking her eyes from the stranger's face. He smiled at her, and she blushed again.
"Thank you," she said, shyly. "I'm glad you enjoyed the performance."
"Performance? I wasn't listening, my attention was completely captured by your beauty," he said. Turning even redder, she smiled at him. "My name's Jordan. You're Marit, right?" She nodded. "Well, Marit, would you care to join me for a cup of coffee?" She nodded again, not trusting her voice, and followed the angelic young man to a corner table."
~~~
Marit shook her head, clearing her mind of
unwanted memories.
"It's in the past, Marit, let it be," she
whispered. Looking down,
she ran her hands along the body of the
guitar. Sighing to herself,
she began to strum a familiar tune.
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