| �Yeah, it feels good now. It was hot as a crotch earlier today�, he said, then glanced at her quickly. She stifled yet another giggle. She never would have put it quite that way, but it seemed OK that he had. �Sorry�I barely know you and here I am saying �crotch� in front of you. That�s not polite�my mother would be so ashamed!� he laughed. �I�m sure Denise has heard worse!� she said without thinking, then instantly regretted it. He eyed her suspiciously. �You know my mom�s name, huh? That�s�kinda freaky�� he said as he lit another cigarette. �I�m sorry. I guess that must be weird to have your personal life on display all the time�, she countered, trying to get back into his good graces. �Well, it�s the life I chose, and I wouldn�t trade it for the world.� He dragged heavily on his Marlboro. �Most of the time it�s cool, but sometimes I just want to�you know�talk to somebody, without having to live up to any expectations.� He looked off into the distance as he spoke. �OK, let�s talk then. And I won�t expect you to be�� her voice trailed off, once again searching for the right words. �The Bad Ass of Backstreet? The troublemaker? The ex-drunk? It�s OK. I�ve heard �em all�. He pulled off his sunglasses and hooked them to the chain around his neck. A huge silver cross clinked against the metal frame of his glasses. Kat smiled. His seemingly genuine lack of pretention was quickly putting her at ease. �So,� he said, his eyes locking onto hers. �You seem to have the advantage here. You know all about me, and I know absolutely nothing about you. Why don�t we start at the beginning.� He extended his hand to her. �What�s your name?� His soulful eyes seemed to bore right through her. She blushed. �I�m Katrina. Nice to meet you, AJ,� she said, offering her hand in return. He took it into his, and kissed it gently. She couldn�t recall the last time a man had kissed her hand. �Pleased to meet you, Katrina,� he said with a flourish. �But, if you don�t mind, I don�t really wanna be AJ tonight. I just want to be Alex.� �OK. Well�pleased to meet you, Alex,� she answered. He continued holding her hand for a long time, then finally released it to flick another cigarette butt off the balcony. |
|