Chapter Twenty One

Vanessa walked in about 11:30 the next day. I was still asleep. I woke up when she came in.
"What happened last night?" she asked sitting next to me on the bed. She smelled like Nick's cologne.
"I don't wanna talk about it right now," I said rolling over.
"Okay ... well Nick's going to stop by here in a couple hours. He says he wants to talk to you..."
"I don't need to talk to him or anyone else!" I stood up and brushed my hair and changed.
"You know you really should, I mean you'll feel better, so you wanna tell me what happened?"
"No I don't." There was a knock at the door. "I thought you said a couple hours?" I said as I headed for the door. Nick grabbed me and sat me down.
"What happened?" Nick asked. "You need to talk to us. We're here for you, you know?"
I sighed I knew they weren't going to leave me alone so I told them what happened.
"So Nick how long has this been going on?" I asked him he looked down.
"I never saw them do anything but they got pretty close. They talked a lot and hugged a lot but ... that's about it."
"So this probably means that you want to go home?" Vanessa asked.
"Yeah. I don't want to be here anymore." I walked out of the room and went for a walk.
Vanessa and Nick sat there looking at each other. "I'm going to have to go back with her."
"I know," Nick said running his fingers through her hair. "I'll miss you. At least I got to see you for a day."
"Yeah it was a fun day. I'll be able to see you again in a couple months." They sat there for a little bit longer before going to lunch.
When I got back from my walk there were roses outside my door. I picked up the card.
'Please don't go. I need you too much. You're my sunshine in the day and my bright stars at night. I don't know what I'd do if I knew you weren't mine. I love you, AJ.'
I walked in the room. I wasn't going to change my mind no matter what he did. I dropped the roses in the trash. I didn't unpack when we got there so I didn't have anything to do. I turned on the light and jumped.
"Geez! Do you always sit in dark hotel rooms waiting to scare someone?" I asked AJ who was sitting on a chair towards the back of the room. He didn't say anything for a second but he stood up and walked towards me. We stood face to face. He looked at the flowers in the trash.
"So does that mean you really don't want to have anything to do with me?"
"Not right now AJ. It still hurts too much. Don't you get it? Why don't you seem to understand?" He didn't say anything he just nodded his head and slowly walked out the door. My heart just about exploded. I knew after that things between us would never be the same.

Vanessa and I left early the next day. I felt terrible for tearing Vanessa and Nick away from each other. Home was such a hard place to be with AJ's letters, pictures and poems scattered over my desktop. I picked up a letter. I could smell the cologne he had sprayed on it. I put all the stuff in a large shoebox and shoved it under my bed. A few months went by.

I talked to Nick sometimes when he called for Vanessa. "How's AJ been doing?" I asked Nick one day.
"He's good. You know he always asks me about you. You guys should talk to each other for once. I'll tell him to call you later, if that's okay with you."
"Umm, I guess. I miss him a lot. It wouldn't hurt to be friends with him would it?"
AJ called later that night. "Hi," he softly said.
"Hi AJ." We sat in awkward silence for a couple seconds.
"So how have you been?" he finally asked.
"I'm good. How 'bout you?"
"I've been alright. Tired. I'm kinda glad this tours almost over."
"Oh that's right you only have a couple more weeks, don't you?"
"Yeah then we're home free for awhile."
"That's cool."
"I didn't really want to bring it up. Are you still angry at me?" he slowly asked.
"AJ ... no I'm not. Just alittle tender still but I'm passed it."
"Well Vanessa is going to meet us at the airport in Orlando. Are you going to go too?"
"Oh she told me about that but I wasn't able to get that week off work."
We talked for about an hour. We decided we could still be friends. He told me he still loved me with all his heart. We talked about twice a week until their tour was over.
"I'm on my way to Orlando. I'll be back next week. Anything you want me to do?" Vanessa asked.
"Actually yes. AJ and I have been talking and I think I'm ready to try it again with him if he still wants to. So I wrote this letter telling him everything. I wish I could go and give it to him myself. So will you please give this to him?" I handed her the letter.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean he thinks that you want to be his friend. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Yes. I love him too much to let him go. I can't stand being apart from him for much longer."
She sighed. "I don't get you two but I'll give it to him." With that she was on her way. Her plane got there in the late afternoon. She only waited about an hour before the guys got there. Nick came out first. She rushed over to him and he wrapped his arms around her. They kissed and hugged.
"I'm so glad you could come," he said looking at her is if he were drinking her in with his eyes.
"Oh where's AJ? Angela wanted me to give him this letter." She pulled it out of her pocket. "I guess she can't live without him for much longer." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well, uh, actually ... AJ thinks they are just friends," Nick said.
"Yeah but she said this explains everything..." she looked for AJ when she saw him and was about to call his name when she saw Amanda walking next to him.
"What she doing here?" she asked surprised.
"Well she came back like a week after you guys left. Her and AJ were talking and hanging out together then they started dating again."
Vanessa looked down at the letter in her hand and stuffed it, back into her pocket.