AN: In which AJ is persistant and Corinne annoyed. An yes, Nick *will* be making an appearance next chapter. Thank you SSSSOOOOOO much to everyone who has left feedback for me on this story. You all have been totally fabulous. Disclaimer: I don't own em or know em. ************************ The Sometimes Girl: Chapter Three ******************* AJ finds me half way through my pity spree which included about three cartons of Ben and Jerry's and a stack of chick flicks. Ben and Jerry love me, even if Nick doesn't anymore. I look up as the tattooed wonder saunters in unannounced. Everyone else, even Nick, knocks or calls first. AJ's well, AJ. He doesn't need anyone's permission to come or go. Hell, he's seen me in every imaginable pose and situation over the last five years and well, I did mention the mind blowing sex right? I've never had anything to hide from him and, well, I'm not about to start now. I don't necessarily LIKE AJ but I respect him and we understand each other. Or, he understands me better than I'd like and I accept the fact that AJ is pretty much incomprehensible. "You're moping," he says with cool disdain as he lowers his habitual shades to watch me with narrowed dark brown eyes. AJ has the best eyes. Better than Nick's, not quite as beautiful as Kevin's pretty, pretty green. But Kevin's pretty green can be pretty scary and Nick and I have so much history its too easy to hurt each other. So I like AJ's best, petty as it may seem. "I'm mourning, there's a difference." He sighs, long suffering. "Nick Carter is NOT worth moping over Corrie." I raise dark brows and stare at him. "He's not!" AJ insists stubbornly. "Now I might be worth moping over but not Nicky boy. He's a child..." I snort. "You never have any girls moping over you because you don't have real relationships. You have sex buddies and groupies." "There was that one girl... Samantha... she lasted..." "All of three and a half weeks." He shrugs, graceful, and offers me a rueful smile. "What can I say, I have abandonment issues." "Bull. Try a raging libido." The smile turns into a grin that I find myself returning. "You've already tried it out, remember Corrie?" And then the bastard bats his eyelashes at me. "You're sick!" I manage through my laughter. AJ blows me a kiss and grabs an arm, hauling me up. "Come on. We're going out. I don't know what's going on in Nick's little blonde head and I don't know what's happening between you two but I'm home and I want someone to go clubbing with me and guess what sweetheart, you're it." "AJ!" I whine, "I just ate three cartons of ice cream. I no longer fit in my clubbing clothes." "Wear mine then. We're going..." He starts to propel me to my bedroom and I resist. The last thing I need is a wild night out with AJ of all people. With my luck I'll wake up with a tattoo and a marriage certificate. "I'm in mourning!" "Then wear all black. Just look sexy." His none too gentle shove sends me flying on the bed. I glare at him through my curls. "You know very well that I don't do sexy Alex." He frowns and studies my, sunglasses tilted, before taking them off and kneeling in front of me on the floor so that we're eye to eye. His fingers reach out and touch my chin and his stare is strangely serious. "You are an incredibly sexy woman Corinne Mattley. Everything you do, from the way you fall on your butt to those damn knee high socks you insist on wearing is sexy. "You're not blonde and you're not conventionally pretty but you're damn sexy Corrie and don't you ever let anyone tell you differently. And you look just as good without clothes as with. I should know." He winks, breaking the fiercely intense moment between us and I groan. "You weren't THAT good AJ." He chuckles gleefully and ruffles my hair. "That's not what I remember you saying. I think the words 'sex god' and 'mind blowing' were used, repeatedly." I blush, caught in my lie. "Come on, am I better than Nicky?" I know I'm fire engine red now and curse him silently as I rise and go to my closet. "Come on Corrie. Am I?" I ignore him as I rifle through my clothes, looking for something suitably 'clubish'. "Corrie..." "What about this?" I ask as I hold up a black number. He wrinkles his nose in an endearingly cute way. "Its boring." "Its sexy..." I coax. AJ frowns. "Its black." I roll my eyes and flatten it over my form to show it off. "I swear you're as blonde as Nick sometimes Aje. Think about it, a little black dress..." "Oh." He blinks and licks his lips. "You gonna try it on?" "No I'm going to the club butt naked because apparently I can pull it off. Of course I am. Now shoo, let me get pretty and sexy as demanded." The sunglasses and attitude were back in full force. AJ smirks. "Can I watch?" "You can get lost..." I snap as I force him out of my bedroom. "Ah Corrie. Its not anything I haven't seen before..." "That's right, so there's no reason for you to be here." His mouth opens and shuts and I chuckle slightly. "Don't burn down my apartment while I change." I kiss his nose and slam my door in his face, locking it promptly. Never trust a man who bleaches his hair, sometimes it goes to his brain and damages his better judgment. "Come on Corinne! Fine... just answer my question, who's better- me or Nick?" There's a long moment of silence before the door opens wide enough to reveal a sickeningly sweet face. "Piss off." "Where?" "Eww... Alex!" He grins, unrepentant. "Are you dressed yet?" "No." "Are you undressed yet?" "I hate you." He makes a kissy face I my direction. "I hate you too sweetie!" I groan in frustration and slam my door shut again. Only AJ could come over unannounced and uninvited when I'm incredibly depressed and make me laugh and smile. Go figure.