CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The days AJ was gone couldn't have gone any slower. It seemed that every minute lasted an hour, and every hour lasted a day. The lengthy intervals were only shortened by his calls, coming about 3 times a day. Every time that I hung up the phone, the time of his arrival back to me seemed to triple. But the time did come, and eventually, he was on his way home.

"Vic, I'm gonna see AJ in 2 hours!!" I screamed ecstatically while jumping on the bed in my room. "That’s like, less than the time it takes to watch TITANIC!"

"Calm yourself, child," Vic said, laughing. "He's only been gone about 3 days. They way you're going on, you'd think he was gone for a year!"

"So sue me for missing him! Geez," I said, exasperatedly. Vic just didn't understand. I continued to bounce on the bed, reaching higher and higher by each jump.

"I know, I know. I just like giving you crap," Vic said, devilishly. This was something I knew. She sat on the chair in front of my vanity, watching me jump. She shook her head, maternally.

"You just wait. When you get a boyfriend, I'm gonna torment you like your tormenting me!" I warned, laughing at my empty threat. I jumped down off of my bed, and started walking towards the kitchen, out of breath. I stopped when I remembered AJ's promise. I was hungry, but I couldn't allow myself to eat, since he'd promised to take me out to dinner.

Vic just laughed. "You're killin’ me Summer. Anyways, I gotta go. I've got a dirty bathroom that’s just crying out to me."

"Oh, sounds fun! Remember to scrub the inside of the toilet!" I taunted, lamely. "Ciao Vic!"

"Later funny girl!"

The sky was dark, and the air was cold. I clutched onto myself, in vain, trying to keep warm. I had my jacket buttoned up, my scarf tied around my neck, my little beanie, and my gloves. I was all bundled up.

I walked into the airport entrance, and felt a rush of happiness overcome me. I realized that I would be seeing AJ soon, a joy I had not been able to experience for nearly half a week. I know it doesn't seem like that long, but when you have a relationship like we had, the time goes by really slow, or really fast, depending on the circumstances.

I checked my watch. I still had 20 minutes before his plane even landed. Feeling a little daring, I decided to go ahead and have a tall latte from the Starbucks in the airport concession area. It wouldn't kill my appetite too much, considering the fact that I had starved myself all day in anticipation of our dinner.

As I made my way over to the small coffee shop, the several smells of various airport dining experiences invaded my nose. One of which reminded me greatly of AJ and our first date. That smell was spaghetti, although I doubted greatly that it tasted nearly as good as that of Tony's.

When I reached Starbucks, another aroma hit me strongly. The sweet aroma of coffee. I ordered, and proceeded on to browse through the store, looking at various bags of coffee, mugs, and other miscellaneous items. I noticed an adorable, art deco type mug, decorated in leopard print. I decided it would be a good thing to get AJ for a coming home present. I also decided to get Vic a really awesome bag of coffee called Jimbalayan Java. She'd love it, or else.

I smiled to myself, and checked my watch again.10 minutes. I better get started towards the terminal. I was still freezing, although it was considerably warmer inside than out, but the cup of latte I was sipping was definitely helping.

In record time, I was at gate 44. I waited outside the gate, along with many other families and friends to the passengers on board. I waited for about 10 minutes, for the moment I had waited for. When he came out, it was as if I had never even laid eyes on him before. He was wearing baggy blue jeans, and a big black v-neck sweater. He had a white baseball cap on, and his trademark shades. He looked great, as usual. He seemed happy to be home, but very tired. I ran up to greet him.

"Baby!" I yelled, running up to hug him. I embraced him happily, and at that moment, felt completed, safe, and incredibly warm.

"Hey babe! I missed you soo much!" he said, pulling away for a moment to say that. He kissed my lips, and proceeded with a number of small kisses all over my face. "Are you cold?" he asked, rubbing his gloved hands up and down over my arms in an effort to keep them warm.

"Not anymore."

"Me neither." We shared a moment of appreciation together, as we held eachother in the airport terminal. A loud blast over the airport's PA system startled us out of our trance.

"Flight 382 from Los Angeles to New York now boarding." We smiled at the small occurrence.

"Shall we?" he asked, outstretching his arm. I accepted gladly.

"We shall," I smiled. We headed out to the car, to return to a place we'd both be happy to see.

We got back to the complex, and started for his apartment. He took hold of my hand, sending shivers down my spine. I squeezed gently, and he returned the notion. We quickly reached his door, and he lead the way, holding the door open chivalrously. I nodded, and said "Thank you," with a smile.

I entered his apartment for what felt like the millionth time. I looked around, in awe, as usual. The interior decorating in his apartment was like none other. Unique, stylish, sexy..just like him. I plopped myself down onto one of his plush, red velvet sofa chairs that adorned the front room. I picked up a magazine off of his modern style, glass coffee table and began flipping through it, aimlessly. AJ strolled into his bedroom with all of his belongings.

"You need help J?" I asked thoughtfully, taking one eye away from the article I was reading.

"Umm," he said contemplatively, "Sure baby. That would be awesome." I tossed the magazine on the table, and skipped into his bedroom happily.

"Ok, put me to work. What do you want me to do?" I asked, hands on hips, and ready to help. After seeing his multiple suitcases, I knew he'd need as much help as he could get, putting the stuff away.

"Oh, don't tempt me," he said, smiling devilishly. "Thats definitely not a question to ask your boyfriend, after not seeing you for 3 days." He wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed my forehead. He had me backpedaling, and soon enough, had me up against the wall. He put his arms up on the wall, blocking me in from both sides.

"No no no, mister, don't tempt me," I said, grinning. I reached up and kissed his lips, softly, and he embraced the kiss wholeheartedly. He kissed me with a passion so deep, so real, and I returned that passion genuinely. We stood there, oblivious to all around us, for what seemed like decades, enraptured in our own romancing lips. When we pulled away from eachother, we shared an intense moment of appreciation, and reduced ourselves to holding eachother for a while. The phone rang suddenly, startling me, and breaking us out of our daze.

"Should I get it?" he whispered needlessly, while running his fingers through my hair, gently.

"Mhhmm...it might be important," I said, always the sensible one.

"Ok, but only if you're sure you can do without me for the time being." He continued to play with my hair, much to my delight.

"Never, but go ahead and get it anyways." He kissed my lips quickly, and scurried off to answer the intruder. I looked around, and exhaustedly, plopped down on AJ's large bed. The sheets were bright red, and the comforter was plush, furry, and leopard print. Typical AJ. I made myself at home, and that was deep beneath his linens. I took a deep breath, and inhaled his sweet smell, which was embedded into his sheets. I closed my eyes, and images of him flooded my brain. I was as happy as a pig in mud, as they say. My mind drifted off, fluttering in sync with my heart. It doesn't get much better than this..

"Baby?" AJ said, nudging my gently with his palm. "Wake up princess." I opened my eyes slowly, and smiled at what I saw. He seemed perfect, in my eyes.

"I'm up J," I said, a continuous smile spreading across my face. He ran a finger across my cheek, and kissed my forehead.

"Good. Wouldn't want you to miss our dinner. We still need to exchange our Christmas gifts."

"That's right," I said, rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

"5:30."

"Ok, I'll be ready by 6:15. Sound good?" I proposed while leaving the comfort of his sheets. I got up, and stretched, while attempting to re-make the bed.

"Of course. I'm gonna go run a few last minute errands, but I'll be by your place at exactly 6:15." He shooed me away from the rumpled sheets, and led me out to his front door.

"6:15 then?" I confirmed, needlessly.

"6:15 it is. See ya then Summie." He gave me a swift kiss on the lips. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked the short walk down the corridor to my apartment. I turned around, and blew him a kiss. He pretended to be hit by it, and smiled, and returned it. My anticipation was mounting.

¤ To Be Continued… ¤

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