5.
AJ was dreaming. Or, he had been dreaming but then the loud,
frantic knock at his front door woke him immediately. He rose from his place on
the couch and went over to the door and opened it, found himself peering into a
precious and soaking wet, barely freckled face with wet blue eyes to match.
"Britt, what are you doing here?"
"I-- I don't know," she was shivering. AJ pulled her
inside and shut the door.
"Did you walk here?"
She nodded. "It's really not that far."
He was going to tell her how stupid that had been but then he
noticed the crown on her head. His eyes lit up. "You won?"
Here purple lips curled into a small smile, "Yeah..."
"I knew you would."
Brittany smiled as big as her quivering lips could manage.
"C'mon, Britt, let's get you outta this dress ... you'll be
sick." He tried to sound a little stern and as mature as was humanly
possible, but she just looked so pretty, even drenched from head to toe that he
found himself smiling -- from ear to ear. He had to say that he was really
happy to see her....
In the middle of the night, AJ was awaken once again. Someone was
downstairs and making a helluva lot of noise. He should have known he would
find Brittany, in his kitchen, sifting through the refrigerator. "What's
up?"
"Oh, I'm sorry... I woke you up didn't I?"
"Yeah, but it's fine."
After a short pause she said, "We can talk ... can't
we?"
He shrugged. "About what?"
She was looking at her hands now. "What else is there, AJ?
Just what we've been avoiding all week.
Because, I don't know about you but I'm tired of pretending like I don't
want you," the reply had even surprised her. It was so bold. So take
charge. She had no idea where that had come from, it didn't sound like something
she'd say. Not flat out like that anyway.
"What?"
Brittany's words were a long, thick rope of emotion after that.
"When we kissed," she sighed and felt her throat
tighten. Please don't cry, Britt ... not now! "When we
kissed," she said again, "and when you were running your fingers
through my hair... I felt so safe, and so loved that it scared me. I have spent
so much of my life being alone and by myself. That all changed when I met you
and I feel like I will never be happy with anyone else but you. You've done so
many things for me ... things you may never understand ... and I feel so stupid
telling you all this... 'cause you don't care ... right?" her last word
broke against the air and shattered into a million pieces.
"I do care, don't forget that. I care about you, Brittany. I
wish you would've told me before. Why didn't you?"
"Because, I didn't know what you'd say, how you'd react. Or
if we would go another long period of time without speaking..." her voice,
her hands and insides all trembled out of control. She'd lost whatever control
she once thought she had grabbed a hold of. "I know I could never deal
with that again."
AJ said nothing.
"And I'm not like the other girls you've ever been with
before ... you should know that... I'm nowhere near my twenties... I have a
curfew, I'm a virgin. I don't know how you could ever want me?"
"But I do," he said in a peaceful voice. "I swear
to God you are the most beautiful, the sweetest, most intelligent girl I have
ever met. You're fun. I see things in you that sometimes I envy. It's easy to
fall in love with you. It's so easy to want you."
Brittany sank down onto the couch and, leaning forward, covered
her eyes with both hands and let the tears come. She was breaking apart without
him in her life. It was so obvious that she needed him and she wanted him --
bad.
"How can this work?" she whispered and sniffled
lightly. She felt the sofa sink down a little underneath AJ's weight as he sat
beside her. "Do you want to be with me?"
Brittany looked up at him and he wiped her eyes. "Of course
I do," she put her hand on his.
"Do you trust me?"
She nodded, "More than anyone I know.."
"Then it can work. I promise you." AJ wrapped his arms
around her, pulling her close, then kissed her tenderly on the lips.