AJ woke up feeling refreshed but slightly dazed. He knew he wasn't at home but he was comfortable. He turned to his side and found Xanda curled up against his body. He smiled down at her and moved a few wisps of hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and looked up. "Morning." He whispered. Xanda shook her head with a smile before she stretched. "Good afternoon." She corrected. AJ rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to his body. The clock on the wall read 4pm and the sun was starting to go down slowly. Xanda laughed when she realized that AJ had fallen asleep in his long sleeved shirt and boxers. They had spent the morning talking until it was almost 7am. He told her about his playboy ways and his fear of commitment and she in turn told him a little bit about herself and her family. When his career came up, AJ quickly explained that he worked for Jive Records but failed to elaborate. Before drifting off to sleep, the two agreed to start off as friends to see where it took them. One day at a time.

Xanda and AJ laid in bed talking and laughing until they heard a crash that came from downstairs. Xanda quickly hopped out of bed and ran out of the room in her see-through, cream colored, satin camisole with matching shorts. She followed the noise and the quiet laughing but stopped the moment she walked into the kitchen. "Hey!" She shouted causing the two men to jump. "Did we wake you?" Nick asked with a sheepish grin as he subtly gave Xanda the once-over. "No, we were already awake." Xanda replied as she helped herself up on top of the counter. "We?" Nick asked from the cabinet. Xanda giggled when she saw the flour on his face. "Yes, 'we', Pillsbury Dough Boy." Xanda said while she watched Nick put frozen cinnamon bun dough on an oven sheet."Hey! Just for that I'm not gonna cook you breakfast." Nick replied. "You mean lunch." Howie corrected. "You mean dinner." Xanda added as she pointed to the clock. "Hey guys, make sure you wash those dishes before you use them. They've been sitting there collecting dust for a year."

***

After some burnt cinnamon buns, bacon and eggs Howie and Nick decided that it was time to leave. Howie had to get ready for a date and Nick had promised his girlfriend that he would spend the rest of the evening with her. "No plans for you?" She asked AJ. "Not one. Actually, I need to go Christmas shopping. Do you want to go with me?" He asked while he helped her clean up the kitchen. "Sure. I'm not familiar with this place yet so you're gonna have to show me around." Xanda explained. "I think we can arrange that." AJ said as Xanda stood on her toes to kiss his forehead. "Go home and get ready. Call me when you're on your way." Xanda said as she tried to usher AJ toward the frontdoor. "Wow, you're in a hurry." He teased as he opened the door. "It takes me forever to get ready so I need all the time I can get." She explained. "Well, I can help you with your shower. Wash your hair for you, scrub your back..." "One day at a time. Remember?" She said. AJ rolled his eyes and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm trying not to remember." He said as she hugged him good-bye.

***

Xanda ran upstairs giggling like a school girl at the thought of AJ. She had to admit that she was crushing hard. 'It's purely sexual...right now.' She had to remind herself. Xanda let the water run for her shower while she walked around her closet room looking for an outfit to wear. It was a cool, cloudy November evening and she wasn't sure what she wanted to wear. She finally settled on a pair of Levi's and a black and gray V-necked sweater. After picking out her outfit she hoped into the shower and screamed when she realized that she had mixed up the hot and cold water. "Oh well...maybe it's for the best." Xanda commented on the cold shower.

After getting ready Xanda looked outside her window anxiously waiting for AJ when she noticed a familiar form walking up toward her frontdoor. She ran to the door and opened it just as Brian was leaving. "They sent your mail to my house." He commented as he continued to walk. "This isn't mine." She shouted back after picking up the letters and looking down at the names listed. She had barely moved in the day before and the post office hadn't been notified about the new address. "It's your address." He shouted back. "Could you be any more rude?" She yelled. "Yup!" He replied. Xanda took in a deep breath and tried to remind herself that Brian and AJ were tight. She walked back into the house and closed the door slowly. "What a prick!" She shouted as her phone rang. Xanda hopped over the couch and grabbed her cell.

"What!?" She shouted into the phone. The very presence of Brian irritated her. "I'm sorry...Xanda?" He asked. "Oh god, AJ. I'm sorry. I just had another run-in with Brian and he pissed me off." 'Oh boy.' AJ thought. "Well, I was just calling to tell you that I'm on my way. You're ready, right?" He asked. "Yeah, I'm ready and waiting." 'Willing and able.' She mentally added. "Okay, I'll be there in about 10 minutes. Bye."

***

After AJ clicked off the phone Xanda smiled to herself. He was everything she never wanted. He seemed wild, crazy and spontaneous. She was calm, collected, and planned things out thoroughly. She had her wild and crazy tendencies but with her career she had given up those traits long before. Maybe AJ was the one who could remind her about who she used to be. Xanda's thoughts were broken when she saw AJ pull into her driveway. AJ climbed out of his car while Xanda locked her front door. "Ready?" She asked with a smile in her voice. AJ turned around and let out a low whistle. "Oh c'mon! I'm dressed down." She said as she rolled her eyes. "When a lady looks lovely like you do right now, she should know." AJ explained as he lead her to the other side of his car, trying to be a gentleman. Xanda smiled and let out a low whistle. "Oh stop it! You're gonna make me blush." He joked as he closed the door. "Yo B-rok!" AJ shouted to Brian when he noticed that Brian was leaving. "Hey AJ, call me tomorrow." Brian replied. AJ nodded his head and preceded to get into his car.

As they drove toward the local mall Xanda could tell that AJ was becoming slightly restless. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just thinkin' about something." He replied. "Okay, what are you thinking about?" She could sense that something was bothering him but she didn't know him well enough to figure it out. "I guess I should be honest with you..." He started to say. "Oh god..." Xanda mumbled when she received a flashback from her time with John. "Well, it's not that bad. There's just something you need to know." Xanda held her breath waiting for AJ to tell her that he was married or had children. "No, I'm not married or with kids." AJ said, reading her mind. Xanda exhaled and laughed at herself. "Do you remember when we talked about what I did for a living and I told you that I worked for Jive records?" Xanda thought back to their conversation earlier that morning. "Yeah. What about it?" She replied. "Well, I do work for them but in a different sense than what you probably think." Xanda couldn't understand what he meant. "Okay. So you're a producer or what?" She questioned. "Not exactly. Kinda, but not really. I'm a singer for the label." He blurted out. He wanted to see if she liked him for who he was before he told her what he was. "You're a singer? Okay. Is that all?" She asked. "Yeah, that's all. Oh yeah, I might be recognized by fans at the mall but I'm dressed down so hopefully they won't notice me." AJ explained as he stopped at the red light, struggling to take off his jacket while Xanda watched him closely. She looked over his outfit that consisted of black fitted pants and a tucked-in maroon short sleeved shirt. "I didn't know you had tattoos." Xanda said as she leaned over to get a better look at the art work on his arms. "Yeah, they usually give me away with the fans. You didn't notice them last night?" He asked with one eyebrow raised. "I saw the one on your stomach but I didn't think there was any more. Oh, good number, by the way." She added with a smirk referring to his 69 tattoo.

***

"Okay, back to this singing thing..." Xanda stated. AJ groaned slightly. "You said fans. Exactly how popular are you cause I've never heard of a singer by the name of AJ before." Xanda joked. "How popular? Very. Have you ever heard of the Backstreet Boys?" She could sense how proud AJ was with his popularity. Xanda thought for a moment. "Yeah! They had that 'I Want It That Way' song that came out a few years ago." AJ nodded his head while keeping his eyes on the road. "What about them?" She eventually asked. AJ gasped slightly while he laughed. He gave her a look that said it all. "Oh shit! You're in that group?" She said with disbelief. "Yeah, I'm in that group. So is Nick, and Howie and Kevin...and Brian." Xanda shook her head when he mentioned Brian's name. "So. Sing something for me." She playfully demanded. "Nah, I'll sing something later. We're here and if anyone hears me singing, then there won't be any shopping. We'll get mobbed" He teased. Xanda placed her hand on AJ's knee and started to move it upward. "Please? Sing something for me." AJ laughed, "you sure know how to work a man." Xanda nodded her head while AJ parked the car. AJ looked into Xanda's eyes while he tried to think about what song he wanted to sing. Finally, he sang his solo from 'I Want It That Way'. "That's you!?" She asked in shock. "No one else, babe." He smirked. "Phhss...get your egotistical ass outta the car and let's shop!"