| �I�d love to,� she said, practically squealing. �But�my friends are still here. I don�t know if I�ll be able to find them�.� �Call �em. Page �em. Tell �em you�met a photographer and the two of you are going to have coffee and discuss�I dunno�film speeds or shutter apertures. Black and white versus color. Pick something! They�ll never know the difference.� He put his arm around her and began walking her toward the French doors. She was ecstatic. She opened her pager and typed nervously as they walked. �Met someone, be back later�. She sent the page to Annie and Lisa, wondering when she would have the chance to tell them the whole story. She hoped they wouldn�t be mad at her. But�she knew once they found out who she was with, they�d get over it. Back inside, AJ and Kevin had to use their cell phones as homing devices to locate each other. They finally hooked up, and Nick was there with Kevin. Katrina stayed behind AJ, not sure if she should make her presence known. �Dude, I hear you�re gonna bail?� Nick asked over the din. �Well, you guys don�t really need me around saying stupid shit,� AJ answered, greeting Nick with a hug. Kevin laughed in agreement. �True, bro. It was cool of you to show up. Especially on such short notice.� He punched AJ lightly in the shoulder. �And don�t worry�on the �saying stupid shit� tip, I think baby Nick�s got that angle more than covered,� Kevin teased. �Hey, come on, man!� Nick protested. �I haven�t said anything stupid tonight!� �The night is young, my friend. The night is young.� Kevin assured with a sly grin. Nick rolled his eyes. His face was slightly flushed when his eyes came to rest on the woman standing behind AJ. He smiled slightly and gave AJ a knowing glance. �Dude,� Nick said, nodding his head. He said nothing else. �Later, man,� AJ answered. He winked at Nick. �See you back at the house later?� Kevin yelled. �Probably. Well, good luck you guys. Raise a ton of cash. And Nick�don�t let Kev hassle you too much�,� he said as he began pulling away from the two of them. Nick gave him the finger. Kevin saw this and promptly pushed his hand down, scolding him. �Come on, let�s get outta here before Kevin changes his mind,� AJ grabbed Kat�s hand and pulled her quickly through the crowd. |
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