An hour or two later . . . Christel was on the phone calling everyone to her house.
"Hello Chinita?"
"Hello Christel is that you?"
"Yeah, I'm calling to ask you over at 3."
"What's happening at 3?" Chinita asked suspiciously.
"Just come, you'll see when you get here," Christel pleaded.
"Alright I'll come. This isn't some kind of setup is it?"
"Not for you," Christel mumbled
"What does that mean?" Chinita asked.
"Nothing! Just come at 3."
"Alright," Chinita said.
"Goodbye," Christel replied.
"Bye." Luckily Christel's phone calls to Nick and Brian were much easier.
At 3pm exactly Kevin arrived while the others poured in a little later. Finally they were all there, AJ included. Kevin and Christel sat on the loveseat while Ohniece, Nick, Brian and Howie sat on the sofa. Chinita and AJ sat on the armchairs across from each other. They all sat staring at her and Kevin until she spoke,
"Well I know you're all wondering why you're here. I also know that you all know that AJ and I aren't together anymore. Well, uuhh lately I've been uuhh seeing someone else and.. . and that uuuhhh someone is . . . is uuhh that someone is... Kevin," she said looking at the floor. The room went silent. Christel glanced at AJ but she couldn't read his expression because of his sunglasses. She looked at the other faces in the room, everyone looked surprised, except Chinita and Brian. Suddenly, AJ got up and went into the kitchen.
"I'll go talk to him," Kevin said rising from my side. Christel watched him stroll into the kitchen out of her sight. She turned back towards the surprised faces staring at her.
"Well what do you guys think?" she asked timidly.
"I uuhh for one really thought you and Kevin would make a great couple anyway," Ohniece said then, "Are you sure you want this?"
"I haven't been more sure of anything in my life at this point. I never felt this strongly about AJ and my relationship. I don't know where these feelings came from but when they did come they came strong. Kev and I were always friends but, I guess we were also always more, I just didn't realize it," Christel replied.
"Yeah she's been bitten. I've seen this before," Howie said jokingly.
"Why did you call us here? You only really needed to see AJ," Nick asked.
"Well I thought we should tell all those it would affect most," Christel answered.
"You're right it will affect us," Howie said looking at the gathered company.
******
Meanwhile in the kitchen . . .
"AJ, can we talk?" Kevin asked.
"No, get out," AJ mumbled.
"Look AJ, I won't leave until you talk to me," Kevin said.
"You're gonna be standing there for awhile."
"Come on AJ just speak to me, damn it!"
He didn't answer. Kevin stood waiting, growing impatient.
"Is that why she won't take me back . . . because you're fucking her? You know what, fuck you Kevin!" he said finally.
"Look AJ, she wouldn't take you back even if she weren't with me," Kevin said.
"Oh yeah, I wouldn't be so sure," AJ said between gritted teeth.
"AJ be serious. Christel is an intelligent woman, she won't just --"
"I am being serious damn it. She was mine and you stole her away from me," AJ said walking toward Kevin. Suddenly, AJ punched Kevin across the right side of his face. Before he could throw another punch, Kevin grabbed AJ and threw him into the refrigerator, pinning him there he yelled,
"I didn't steal her from you she left!" then more quieter, "You didn't see her after the club, she was devastated. You broke her heart and it killed me to stand there and watch you do it," Kevin held AJ pinned to the refrigerator until he shoved Kevin off sending him flying into the counter on the opposite wall. Kevin got up and AJ charged toward him. Kevin jumped out of the way when he saw AJ coming. AJ fell into the counter and sent Christel's Winnie the Pooh cookie jar crashing to the floor.
Hearing them struggling in the kitchen everyone came in from the living room to investigate. When they came in AJ had gotten another punch in and Kevin had just punched him back.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Christel yelled as she came into the kitchen. She walked around to them and noticed the broken remains of her cookie jar on the floor.
"My cookie jar! Look what you did! You broke my cookie jar!" she exclaimed.
"Luckily there weren't any cookies in it," Nick said when Niecey nudged him with her elbow.
"Your cookie jar? Shouldn't you be worrying about the guys that were just fighting in your kitchen?" Chinita retorted.
She squatted and picked up the sad remains of her cookie jar. The cookie jar that Kevin gave her for her birthday last year after she told him how much she loved Pooh. Behind her Brian said, "Hey Kevin your face is turning red." Christel looked up and sure enough, Kevin's face was turning a bright shade of red. One side of Kevin's face was going from pink to red and it was a little swollen.
"Ohmygosh, Kevin what happened?" she asked getting to her feet.
"Nothin' we just got into a little fight," Kevin said.
"Bullshit! A little fight? That's not what I saw when I came in here. For goodness sakes Kevin look at your face. I want to know what happened and I want to know now!" she said getting angrier.
"Alright, alright he punched me and I threw him into the fridge," Kevin said.
"Then what happened?" she asked turning toward AJ.
"I pushed him off me and he fell into the counter. When he got up I charged toward him but he moved and I fell onto the counter and knocked over the cookie jar," AJ replied.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I mean really, you thought I'd go back with you! What made you think that AJ? You fucked up real bad! I don't want you anymore! I've moved on so should you!" she yelled at him.
"Well Christel you aren't exactly innocent in all this," Chinita mumbled. Christel turned and looked at her.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Christel asked.
"Well you did sleep with-" she started when AJ cut her off.
"I told you I didn't mean to hurt you. You know I would never intentionally hurt you, Christel. Just give me one more chance," he pleaded.
"Hell no! AJ you may never intentionally hurt me but the fact of the matter is you did. I already gave you one more chance and you messed up again. That's right AJ do you remember some one by the name of Carmen Graham. I got rid of her with out you even suspecting that I knew anything. I gave you another chance then. You're all out of chances AJ," Christel said.
"This time I mean it. I-I-I won't ever do this again," AJ said.
"Yeah, not to me you won't. Ya know AJ you're really something. You stroll in here and you just think you're going to get your fucking way well it's not gonna happen," she replied.
"But I-"
"No AJ! No more buts. You have a problem accepting this whole thing don't you? You come into my house punch my boyfriend and break my cookie jar! What the fuck is your got damn problem!" she yelled. Then she realized what she said " my boyfriend". Everyone else just stood there in silence watching. Christel turned toward the gathered group not knowing what to do.
"What the hell are you all just standing there for? Niecey why do you look like that? And why are you all staring at me? Get out!" she yelled. They just stood there shocked.
"Come on you guys, give us some privacy," Kevin said. They all cleared out except, AJ, Kevin, Christel and Chinita.
Chinita walked over to AJ and said, "AJ I'll be at home if you want to talk or something." AJ just nodded. Then she joined the others and left. Christel stood there not believing what one of her friends had just done. She was almost taking AJ's side in this whole thing. She couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe what her life had come to. She never saw herself having two guys fighting over her and here she was. Christel was getting more and more angry with the whole situation. AJ just wouldn't take no for an answer, Kevin and him were fist fighting in her kitchen, they broke her cookie jar, and Chinita her friend that she had known since Junior High School was on her cheating boyfriend's side. She was torn between being stunned, angry, and just weirded out by the whole thing.
None of them in the kitchen said anything until they heard the front door close and all went quiet in the house.
"Boyfriend? When did he become your boyfriend? I thought you were just fuckin'. Now he's your boyfriend?!" AJ asked.
"It just slipped out and so what if he is my boyfriend? What are you going to do about it?" Christel asked.
"I guess nothing," AJ said then he walked out of the kitchen into the dinning room through the living room and out the front door. Christel turned to Kevin.
"Aaawww Kevin are you ok? Look at your face," she said walking to the fridge. She opened the freezer and pulled out an ice pack.
"Come with me," she said. Christel grabbed Kevin's hand and lead him to the sofa in the living room. She sat down and motioned for him to sit beside her. When Kevin sat down, she pulled his head down to her lap and placed the ice pack on the left side of his face.
"Look what he did to your beautiful face," she said massaging his temples.
"I got my hits in too ya know? It's a good thing we don't have to perform anytime soon," he said sighing to himself.
"Uuuhhh, when do you have to perform?" she asked.
"We leave for Europe in two weeks. We're going to cut our next album and then there'll probably be some press conferences or something like that. So we won't really be performing just doing some public appearances," he said.
"Oh, two weeks? I wish I could keep you longer," she replied stroking his hair.
"You're tryin' to change the subject," Kevin said.
"Change what subject?" she asked.
"I'm your boyfriend?" he asked.
"Well . . . yeah I think of you as my boyfriend. I mean don't you wanna be my boyfriend?" she asked looking down into his clear green eyes.
"I guess, I mean I'm not busy or anything," he said jokingly.
"Very funny Mr. Richardson," she replied hitting him on his thigh.
"Hey I have millions of girls all around the world throwing themselves at me," he said with that easy smile.
"Oh really? Well this girl is right here giving herself to you right now. Are you gonna take her or go all the way across the globe for someone else?" she said. "What does this tell you?" he asked before leaning up toward her. Christel leaned down to meet him and they kissed passionately.