Seven

"Hey, where you headin’?"

Nicole stopped her walking in the hallway and turned to find Kevin coming from his room. He had his jacket in his hands and a smile on his face. She had to smile in return. And as he neared her, her smile grew with it reflecting in her eyes. "Thought I’d go get something to eat."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," Nicole smirked at his playful voice. Her hands went to her hips and she tilted her head. "Where you headin’?"

Kevin smirked, still walking towards her. "Funny you should ask."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Once he was in front of her, he started pulling his jacket on. Then he poked at her arm. "Go get your coat."

One eyebrow rose on her forehead. "Why?"

"I was heading out for food."

Nicole crossed her arms in front of her and tilted her head to one side. "What makes you think I want to have you tag along with me and my lunch?"

"A lot of things." Kevin then shifted her to the door of the room he knew she was staying in, then pushed her in that direction. "Now, go get your jacket."

As she used her keycard in the lock, she spoke over her shoulder. "You’re hard to argue with."

"I’m gonna remember that you said that."

The two settled at a diner just two blocks up from the hotel, Kevin’s bodyguard three tables away, trying to give them some space. Between bites, they shared casual conversation, both giving smiles and the random laugh when jokes were shared.

"How long you staying around for?"

Nicole stabbed her french fry into the ketchup pool on her plate, feeling awkward at the question. There really was no definite answer to that question. She shrugged lightly. "Who knows. However long it takes for AJ to grow tired of me," she ended on a smile.

Kevin dismissed her comment. "I’m sure that won’t happen any time soon. What, with the way he talks about you."

"Yeah, I guess," Nicole nodded lightly, thinking about their relationship and then she paused, wondering how much or what Kevin knew. AJ and she had agreed to keep things quiet for the time being. "What do you mean? The way he talks about me?"

He glanced up, finding her eyes watching his face intently. Kevin took the napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth before sitting back in the seat with a small smile. A part of him still couldn’t believe Nicole was around, let alone spending time with him. He shrugged easily, "Just how you’re always in one of his sentences. ‘Nicole said this … Nicole said that.’"

"Oh, right." Nicole tried to smile through the awkwardness she was suddenly feeling.

"Why you ask?"

She took one final fry then pushed her plate away to signify she was finished. Bringing her drink towards her mouth she answered as easily as possible. "Just thought maybe you were getting into something else."

"What? Like how he feels about you?" Nicole’s head snapped to attention and she kept her eyes to his. Kevin simply held a smile. "He really cares about you."

Carefully, she answered, "I know."

Kevin leaned forward on the table. "I’m not sure you do. I think he really has some thing for you."

Nicole tried to keep her eyes glued to his as if she were listening very closely to what he had to say. But, in reality, she was fighting to keep from looking anywhere else because she was certain if she smiled at any of his statements, he’d realize there was something going on. And she wasn’t ready to face that conversation with Kevin just yet. It seemed they still acted like they had feelings for each other and he still wasn’t discussing Kristin at all. As if he were just dismissing her.

"I mean, why else would he have begged you to come out when you were first fired?"

She had to shrug. Besides the fact that she knew he did care about her beyond friendship, she had no real reason to give to Kevin. "I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t want to lose me."

"Right."

"As a friend," she quickly added on.

Kevin shook his head. "I don’t believe that. Besides, he wouldn’t be getting so weird talking about you in front of me."

"He gets weird …" she questioned.

"It’s just something I see. You may not. But I see it ‘cause I know him." Kevin took a sip of his pop then looked right back to Nicole. "It’s probably almost worse for him if you’re out here and knowing that you’re not going to give him a relationship."

"What makes you think I’m not," Nicole spoke much sooner than she’d realized. The thought had barely made it through her mind before she heard it from her own voice.

Kevin laughed lightly with a smile. "I’m sure." She saw the ease of laughing along with it to make Kevin keep believing there was nothing going on. "Besides, he was getting so chummy with your friend."

Her face then dropped. For some reason, that had been the farthest thought in her mind the entire time since she’d been back to traveling with them. Nicole still kept in touch, but kept AJ out of most conversations, even when Maggie pointedly asked about him. Nicole just felt as long as they weren’t telling his friends, there was no need to tell her friends.

"Yeah," Nicole agreed, with a distant sounding voice. Then she perked up a bit. "Speaking of that, has he said anything about her?"

Kevin chuckled, "Not much since she left. Or you came back. Whichever you wanna consider. What’s she saying about him?"

Nicole pushed her plate a few inches to the side, just to give herself something to do. "Nothing really. She asks, but I don’t know what to say. He just tells me it’s weird to talk about it with me. Since we’re all friends and that."

"Maybe he doesn’t wanna tell you because he does want you," Kevin ventured lightly. "But, then again, he’d have to get in line for that."

She shook her head, wanting to roll her eyes. Nicole looked away, but talked with a humored tone. "Like it matters. You’re hip to hip with Kristin."

Kevin didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure on how to do so and be in safe regards with Nicole. So, he just kept quiet about that and let the topic roam.

A few days later, Nicole cornered AJ just before he was leaving to the arena. "Lemme ask you something."

"Hmm?" he questioned as he pulled her into his embrace, kissing at her cheek.

She took a deep breath. Asking her question was pretty hard being in the hug with him. "Whatever happened with Maggie?"

AJ stiffened a bit, and Nicole could tell. He slowly pulled back and watched her face. "What happened with Maggie?" he repeated.

With a pointed look, "Yeah, that’s what I asked."

He moved away and grabbed at a sweater before pulling it over his head. "Why you ask?"

"Because I’m curious."

"She say something?" AJ asked with an odd voice.

"No. But, you two got along great when she was here and I don’t hear a word from either of you of what’s happened since. And then now … this," she motioned between them with a hand, "kinda puzzles me."

He fiddled with the hem of his sweater. "Why are you asking now?"

Nicole sat at the edge of the bed, seeing how the conversation wasn’t progressing at all from his end. "AJ, please. I just want to know." There was no way she was going to say that she thought of it from Kevin a few days ago. Then AJ would know she’d been still spending time with him. And she knew that would bother AJ to no end. "I’ve just been thinking a lot lately and that just stuck out."

While scratching at his head, AJ moved over to the bed and sat beside her. "I don’t know … I mean, she’s really cool and whatever. I was gonna keep in touch with her, but," he trailed off.

Nicole shifted to face him, bending a knee on the bed. "But, what?"

"I just, I, um," AJ then coughed lightly to clear his throat. He let a few moments pass between them. "Nicole, I really don’t feel comfortable talking about this."

"Why not?"

"Because it’s your friend and … well, this, here," he pushed a hand between them, "it’s just weird to talk about it."

Nicole grabbed at his hand, pulling it to her lap and holding it. "It shouldn’t be that weird. I’m still your friend, right?"

He tugged at his hand, forcing her closer. AJ kissed her and smiled slowly. "I’d hope a bit more than that."

Her eyes kept to his mouth, still not believing how natural it felt to be so close to him. And at the same time, not believing how easily that kiss had knocked her off track of their conversation. "Yeah, I’d suppose … "

"Hmm, me, too," he murmured, dipping back in for a kiss. As AJ pulled her closer to him, he mumbled again. "I wish I didn’t have to leave soon."

Nicole allowed his weight to push her onto the bed as they continued kissing. "Yeah, I know." Then she nudged at his shoulders, forcing him away just a bit. "But, you have to."

He looked down on her. "Yeah, I know. This sucks. Stupid job."

She laughed at his dejected voice. When some time had passed, Nicole tried lightly. "AJ, for the sake of this … "

AJ sighed, shifting away from her to a more comfortable position and looked to her face watching him. "Alright, alright. Maggie, right?"

"Yeah, Maggie," she nodded.

He sighed before beginning, and even when he did talk, he was halting his words. "Basically, with you back out here, I started just wanting to just be around you. And I let a few days turn into a week and then that turned into two or three weeks and I felt like a lug to call her then."

Nicole nodded, generally understanding the situation.

"And besides, I was starting to like kissing you," he smirked, leaning in to kiss her again. "And I didn’t see the point in breaking two hearts at once."

"No, there’s no point in that." Nicole kissed him once more then made him move on to getting to the arena.

AJ stopped back at the bed, giving a peck to her lips. "See ya when I see ya."