Since Jessica had received the photo, Nick had noticed a drastic change in her attitude. She had become a total recluse. Jessica no longer cried. Her face never gave away any of the emotion chose to keep his inside her. She never made her feelings obvious to anyone. In fact, she barely said a word to anyone at all. Jessica took comfort only in Nick�s embrace spending hours in his arms without saying a word. She often sat there while he played with her hair, staring off into space.

She had always known that he would be back to haunt her. She had even anticipated it. Now that it was all beginning to happen though, she was scared beyond words. Of course he knew where she lived - she hadn�t moved. He could be anywhere. Two feet away or in the next city; it was all the same to Jessica. The idea of him being close enough to her to take a picture of her made her skin crawl.

Lila and Elizabeth were so worried about her that they had suggested that she see a therapist. Dr. something or the other. He was supposedly an expert in dealing with rape victims. Jessica however, had blatantly refused. A doctor couldn�t help her. He would listen and probably prescribe some sort of medication to help her calm down, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn�t stop the dreams that came to her each and every time she closed her eyes. They couldn�t help her shake the feeling that he was constantly there, every step she took. No one could.

The only time Jessica didn�t feel so desolate or frightened was when Nick was around. Every night, Nick would sit by her bed watching her until she fell asleep. Unknown to Jessica, Nick would often remain there hours after she had fallen asleep watching her.

Sometimes Nick wished he could crawl into her bed and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to protect her. He never acted on his whims though. Jessica wasn�t ready for that yet. They had shared kisses and such, but Nick secretly longed for the day when Jessica would kiss him back without any hesitation at all. He wanted her to know that he�d never hurt her the way Justin did and that sometimes if you were scared it was okay to cry.

Mya sat in her room wrapped in the warmth of her thick comforter, her sketchbook in hand. For the past 30 minutes, she had been flipping through the book gazing aimlessly at her sketches. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn�t keep her eyes from wandering to her most recent sketch. It was the one she had done of AJ that day on the beach. Every time she looked at it, her stomach would leap and her mind would begin to swirl with confusion.

She wasn�t really sure how she felt about AJ. At times, she was perfectly content just being his friend. There were other times though where Mya wanted nothing more than to feel AJ�s lips against hers or have him wrap his strong arms around her. Her urge to be with AJ sometimes was so strong that she almost felt that she couldn�t control it. On many an occasion Mya actually had to restrain herself from reaching out to kiss him.

Her friendship with AJ had blossomed so quickly she was sure there was a connection between the two of them. Since she had moved out to California, AJ was the only person she had spoken to besides her grandparents. Their friendship had often been one of the only things that had kept Mya going. It was one of the things that forced her to think about something else besides her parent�s death. That was why she couldn�t risk losing it. If it meant that she had to stifle her romantic-impulses, then so be it.

Although she told herself that things were best this way, her heart told her differently. She knew it was pathetic and useless but she couldn�t help wondering what it would be like to be his girlfriend. AJ had told her that he had recently come off a bad break-up so she knew there was no point in fantasizing about him in that way.

�You can�t keep doing this to yourself,� she said aloud. As it was, she already had too many things on her mind. Mya�s feelings for AJ just added to the long list. She could do with one less.

As she stared down at AJ�s face, Mya made her decision. Her friendship with AJ was too important to risk. As long as she kept seeing him, she was putting it on the line. Although he�d never outwardly admitted it, she was sure that her friendship meant as much to AJ as it did to her. It wasn�t fair to him.

Turning to the back of her sketchbook, her eyes fell upon AJ�s neat handwriting. He had eagerly written his phone number there on one of their dates.

With a deep breath, Mya picked up the cordless sitting on her nightstand and dialled his number. Their friendship meant such a great deal to her that she would rather have it exist at least in her heart than not at all.

The line clicked and AJ picked up. �AJ?� she asked timidly. The sound of his voice almost made her wish that she hadn�t called.

�Mya! What�s happening?� he sounded so enthusiastic that Mya almost changed her mind.

�I�ll make this quick,� she said her voice shaking as paused to take a deep breath. � I think it would be best if you and I didn�t see each other anymore,� she let out in a rush.

Silence ensued. Closing her eyes, she imagined AJ�s face, masked with pain. �Look I have to go,� she said quickly. She wanted to explain her actions to him, but she couldn�t. He wouldn�t understand why things were better this way. A part of her wanted so badly for AJ to tell her not to hang up or to tell her that she was wrong and acting foolish. He didn�t though. She hung up the phone quickly without saying bye.

�Goodbye AJ. This is for the best,� she said as the tears slipped down her face.

AJ sat in stunned silence. He didn�t want to believe that this was happening to him again. What was it about him that repelled people so easily? He sat unable to move still clutching the phone in his hand. He had promised himself that this time he wouldn�t mess up. He wouldn�t let himself loose Mya. It would be different this time. He planned on telling her how he felt about her. He had decided to wait though until he was sure her feelings were reciprocated. Unfortunately again, he had waited too long.

Sadly AJ replaced the phone lying back against the headboard of his bed. The same dull aching that he had now become familiar with returned. This time it was so strong that it took over his whole body. He felt almost as if he couldn�t breathe.

Suddenly his mind was transported back to the day of the storm. He remembered the first time he had laid eyes on her. Even then, he had felt something. Little did he know that it would develop into something so strong. A force of attraction so compelling that he couldn�t stop thinking about her.

With a sigh, AJ forced all thoughts of Mya out of his mind. Strangely a new figure appeared in his mind. Elizabeth. He missed her. At least he thought that he did. Was life really so meaningless without her or were his feelings just the brunt of Mya�s attitude towards him? He couldn�t be sure. Maybe he just wanted their friendship back. As confused as he was, all he could remember was that she had been ready and willing that night and he had turned her down.

Ready and willing, he mused to himself. Elizabeth had been more than willing. If he hadn�t stopped things they definitely would have made a big mistake. Would it really have been such a mistake? he began wondering. Maybe Elizabeth was what he needed. The look on her face that night had said it all. She wanted him back. The question now was did he? Maybe the only reason he had become interested in Mya was because he missed Elizabeth. In many ways, they were similar to each other. As all of these questions swam through his mind, he still wasn�t sure.

�Only one way to find out,� he said aloud.

He got up off the bed and threw on a decent pair of pants and a tank top. It was late, he noticed glancing at the clock. Hopefully Elizabeth would still be up.

�Elizabeth,� he said softly as he gently cupped her face. He traced the outline of her jaw delicately with his finger. �I love you,� he said his touch tantalizing her no end. �I love you too AJ,� she murmured running her fingers along his arm as he gazed into her eyes. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as AJ�s eyes penetrated her body. The long drawn wait for the inevitable began aching slowly as their bodies moved closer and closer to each other. As their lips finally met, their bodies were consumed with dizzying passion driven by their lust for one another. Their lips met again and again as the world around them ceased to exist. They pulled away from each other finally gasping for air. Elizabeth opened her eyes, and took a deep breath filling her lungs with air. That�s when she noticed he was gone � disappeared into thin air.

�No! AJ don�t leave me! AJ come back!� she woke up tears trickling down her face. It had all been a dream. A mere figment of her imagination. A creation of the mind so to speak. It had seemed so real in so many ways though. His lips, his voice, his eyes, everything about him had been real.

A lone tear trickled down her face as she realized that her dream was about as close to reality as she would ever come. The only way she would ever be with AJ again was through the power of her mind. Her body shook involuntarily as pangs of regret plagued her. He and I should be together, she thought miserably to herself. Without AJ, life just wasn�t worth living.

Outside Elizabeth could hear the faint sound of raindrops as they hit the surface of the roof. Suddenly, a scratching noise against her windowpane shook her from her reverie. She immediately cowered in fear taking refuge under her comforter. The sound came again. Fear instilled, but somehow her curiosity peaked she slowly removed the quilt from her face. The noise sounded yet again.

Cautiously, she pushed back her covers. Her heart began beating at a maddening pace. Her tongue felt as dry as cotton as she wearily got out of bed and began walking to the window. Her eyes darted furtively around the room as she slowly walked.

Approaching the window, her heart began to soar as she saw him. Standing outside her window, his face illuminated by the moon stood AJ. The rain pelted down around him soaking him as he stood. Pebbles in one hand, he motioned towards the door with his other free one.

Elizabeth felt light-headed as she nodded her head. Breaking away from the window she walked out of her room. As she began her descent down the stairs she could feel her heart in her throat. Her head spun with confusion as she desperately tried to distinguish between the reality and illusion of the situation.

As she opened the door and came face to face with AJ she knew she wasn�t dreaming anymore. The look in his eyes told her this was real. As their eyes met, a feeling of loss and loneliness washed over AJ. He did miss her. Elizabeth and AJ had always shared this unspeakable bond between the two of them. AJ could feel it coming back as he stared deeply at her.

�What are you doing here?� she asked her voice barely above a whisper.

�I had to see you,� AJ murmured quietly.

He moved closer to her. He had to know. The sooner the better in fact. He needed to feel her against him one more time to make sure that he hadn�t made a mistake. If there were any sparks still left between the two of them it was best to know now. He closed the door behind quietly so as not to wake anyone else up. His face now only inches away from hers, he closed his eyes. As he kissed her, AJ felt whatever sparks they had shared in the past resurface but then fade surprisingly quickly. His lips lingered on hers for a few seconds as he wondered if he would feel something else; something stronger than a tiny spark. AJ felt nothing though except that same desolate sad feeling which had now become a part of him.

As he broke away from her and looked in her eyes, the look upon her face was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a look so intense that he began to forget all about the sparks between them or lack there of. He wanted all the pain to hurt less. The solution to all his problems was standing right in front of him. Ready and willing � just as before. This time he wouldn�t let her get away.

Without a word, he grasped her hand tightly sending a jolt of electricity down her spine. To AJ, her hand was cold to the touch. He carefully guided her up the stairs in silence. His mind screamed out to him telling him to stop, but his heart overpowered his mind�s reason.

They climbed the stairs walking slowly down the dark hallway. Droplets of water dripped from AJ lean figure onto the floor. Elizabeth led AJ into her room and over to the bed. For a moment, they both remained silent � almost as if they were embarrassed.

Looking over at her, her bedside lamp cast a glow upon her soft features. As he stared at her, it was almost as if he was seeing her in a new light. She looked so beautiful. She was sad and vulnerable all at once. Gazing intently at her, her features suddenly shifted and AJ saw a new face sitting before him. Mya. Just as quickly as she had appeared though, she disappeared.

�AJ? Are you okay?� Elizabeth asked softly noticing the look of confusion on AJ�s face.

�I�m fine,� he said unconvincingly. Elizabeth looked so frail and yet angelic as she stared back at him concerned. Pieces of her light hair fluttered around her face, as there was a sudden gust of wind from the window she had forgotten to close earlier. Her hair framed her face creating something of a halo around her. Elizabeth shivered slightly in her delicate white night gown, rubbing her bare arms for warmth. Looking up she realized that AJ was staring straight at her.

�Did we make a mistake?� he asked suddenly catching her slightly off guard.

No response from her was needed. The look on her face said it all. AJ understood her perfectly. Taking her silence as his answer and ignoring all the confusion and thoughts of Mya that were running rampant through his mind, he moved closer to her. He slowly wrapped his arms around her body, taking in the scent of her hair. He felt Elizabeth tremble slightly beneath his touch, which was something he�d always been able to do to her. AJ began by kissing her tenderly at first his intensity increasing as she returned his kisses.

Gently, AJ laid her back against the mass of pillow on her bed. He hesitated slightly as another thought of Mya flashed through his mind. He tried to ignore it as best as he could. Painfully slowly, he undid the buttons of Elizabeth�s nightgown. As he removed it, he could still see Mya�s face before him.
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