Ten

His voice answered, in typical AJ fashion, sounding gruff. Nicole had to smile at the sound of it. "Hey, there," she returned happily.

"Hey … " She could hear the smile in his tone before he paused briefly. "How’re you doing, Sweetie?"

"I’m okay," she smiled right back, as she laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. It was late for her, Chicago-time, and so she knew it was one-hour later for him. Calling first seemed ridiculous, yet, she had the Kevin conversation fresh on her mind. As well as thoughts of AJ. "How’re you?"

A light groan came through the lines. "Well, I was starting to nod off."

"Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you or anything."

"Nah, it’s okay."

"You sure? I can let you go."

"Nicole, it’s okay."

"No, I know it’s late." Her mind started top wander into wondering if she was being fair enough in the situation to give him some space. She was always one to want her own space. In her relationship with AJ, she didn’t want anything to go wrong. "I’m sorry for waking you up."

"Nicole," his voice pushed a bit harder, yet was still low. "It’s okay, Babe. Don’t hang up one me," he ended on a chuckle.

In a small voice, "I wasn’t gonna hang up on you."

"Sure you were. All afraid you’re pestering me?"

Nicole remained quiet, not wanting to be pegged.

He chuckled again, only softer this time. "You’re not pestering me. I’m not gonna get all annoyed by you. If I was going to be … I would have when I first met you."

She made a small tsking noise, but remained mostly quiet.

The humor was still in his tone. "I’m not bothered you called. I’m psyched."

After a few moments of thought, "You’re psyched?’

"Ya … you called me."

Nicole finally let a smile on her face. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"So, what’re you up to this late at night? Calling me," he snickered.

She began to stretch out more comfortably and push her feet beneath her blue comforter. "I just came back from Maggie’s place."

"Oh, Maggie," he spoke oddly. AJ tried his best to keep his voice level. "And what’d you two girls do?"

She certainly couldn’t tell him that they’d called Kevin. "Ordered pizza and watched some TV." Nicole wanted to change the subject. And do it quickly. ""What’d you do tonight?"

"I was by my mom’s for a while. Then went out for a few drinks," he trailed off.

Figuring at least one of the other boys was staying in Florida, she ventured on easily. "Oh, the guys are out there? That’s cool."

"Nah, Brian’s back with Jackie and I think Kevin went to his mom’s. Did you know Nick went off to New York?"

"New York?"

"Yeah, going to see Aaron."

"Oh, that’s cool. What’s Howie up to then?"

"Just doing stuff back at his parents’ house."

Nicole began to pick at the hem of the T-shirt she was going to sleep in. "Who’d you go out with then?"

"Huh?" AJ seemed distracted with something else, or just the question. Nicole wasn’t sure on which one, so she repeated herself. "Who’d I go out with?"

Something was stirring at her stomach and she definitely didn’t like that notion. "Yeah, who’d you go have drinks with?"

"Some friends." AJ’s voice the sounded slightly bothered. "Nic, why would this be a big deal?"

"Some friends? Who? Johnny and Carl?" she asked of two friends she knew he kept back home.

AJ responded strangely. "No. Nicole, why’s a big deal? Why’re you asking?"

"Because you’re so open to details and now you’re being vague."

A gentle sigh came on the phone. "Is this really a big thing? That I went out?"

Nicole suddenly realized she was most likely getting worked up for nothing. And in the way she’d always prided herself in being an individual – even in relationships – she couldn’t continue with the conversation and feel justified in making a case of it. "No … it’s just, I dunno."

"What?"

She then realized, if it was possible for her to talk to Kevin and not mention it at all to him – and have no problem doing so – then it would be just as possible for him. And she knew he still kept in touch with a few women in Florida who he’d dated previously. "Nevermind."

The way she sounded so dejected, he softened his voice. "Okay, I’m sorry that I made it a bigger deal with arguing."

"No, whatever. It’s okay. If you wanna go out with friends, you can do that. It’s not like you’re giving me the third degree about my hanging out with Maggie. And I’m sure it was harmless … whatever you did."

"It was harmless. Totally harmless."

With a slightly humored tone, "So who’d you go out with?"

"Nicole … "

With the same voice, "Okay, sorry. I was trying to be cute."

"You don’t really have to try, Babe."

She started scratching a finger at her chin. "Okay, you’ve cleaned up that one up well."

The continued with some conversation and playful banter, the way they’d always talked with each other. Nicole was easily falling into the talk, yet at the same time, was really trying to figure out how it could be so easy to feel that comfortable talking to him and knowing they weren’t exactly friends anymore. It was something beyond friends.

A comment from Nicole asking where he’d gone out to for drinks sparked him to be a bit defensive again.

"Dare I ask why this was such a big case to make?"

"I’m just curious," she replied annoyed with his own bothered tone.

"Does it really matter who I went out with?"

Nicole was then becoming agitated. "Apparently it does if you can’t even tell me."

He bit back quickly, "Nicole, we barely talk about what is seriously going on with us and in the meantime, I have to answer to you of what I’m doing on my off time?"

That really hit a nerve on Nicole. She never wanted to pressure things with him and in fact, she was enjoying his lead for the time being. But, apparently, things weren’t going as smoothly as either had figured them to be. "Fine then you don’t have to tell me. Don’t’ have to tell me who you went out with and I guess you don’t really need to tell me much else, right?"

"Now you’re gonna be like that?"

"Be like what?"

His tone went serious and almost reprimanding. "Like some stupid, jealous chick? Nicole, you’re above that."

"Whatever," she replied, defeated.

AJ pushed more, "You really are, okay? You’re different because you’re not into that. You don’t need all that."

"Need what?" Nicole asked, still with attitude present.

"Need to be questioning and wondering. You’re confident enough on your own and being your own person with or without someone in your life. You’re the girl who deserves everything and is gonna get it."

The way he sounded so certain, she had to question. "Really?"

"Yeah, Nic, really."

As he continued speaking so seriously, Nicole felt a tightening in her chest and wasn’t sure on how to assess the situation. In one way, it was like AJ was trying to convince her of feelings beyond even their relationship. In another way, it was like he was offering something up to her.

Yet, as they continued talking, and their conversation turned more neutral, neither contributed more to that part of their talk.

When Nicole joined the Boys back on tour for their last week, she found herself feeling odd around AJ. She still had yet to evaluate their phone call when she’d found herself mistrusting what he had to say, and in the same light, comforted with his confidence in the type of woman she was.

The first night she was there, long after AJ had returned from the performance, they were settled on the floor near the balcony glass doors. The interaction had started simply enough from the balcony, then soon moved indoors, and Nicole had slid her body down the length of the doors to the floor.

They had been talking so seriously about parts of their lives that occurred far before they knew each other. Nicole didn’t find it hard to bring up some other seriousness that had been plaguing her.

"J," she started, sounding like she was asking of him.

He leaned back on his palms to the ground, stretching his legs out. "Yeah," he smiled in return.

"What is it? What is it here?"

Tilting his head to one side in question, "Here?"

Nicole leaned a bit forward while keeping her feet crossed Indian-style. Her hands went in front of her, motioning the distance. "Us."

His head rolled onto his shoulder. He was pensive for a few moments. "Us," he spoke softly with a smile. "We never really talked about this before, have we?" His answer was her shaking head. "This is nice, isn’t it? Us being us. Being Nicole and AJ like Nicole and AJ always have been, but with just a stretch more?"

Nicole softened her voice, believing the words. "Yeah, it has."

"I’d like to think this would continue just like this." He then shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Between us. I love you as my best friend. And you’ve really just made it so wonderful these past few weeks."

Nicole’s lips curled a quick smile. She could feel her cheeks warming up and tried to stop any further, obvious signs of how deeply flattered she was by the simplicity in his words. One of her hands immediately went to rub down the side of her neck in nerves and her eyes went to the space of carpeting left between her bent legs.

His presence was known before it was seen. And his hand was felt before she could register it touching her cheek. "I like this look on you."

"What?" she asked in a shy voice.

In his voice turned playful. "All cheeky. You’re so cute when you blush." AJ leaned forward to press his lips on her briefly for a sweet kiss.

With her own trademark sarcasm, "I bet you say that to all the girls." Despite her comment, internally, she wanted to her otherwise.

"Nic," he followed with a tsk. "Why’re you always questioning these things?"

She finally felt the strength of honesty with AJ. She’d known it before when they were developing their friendship, yet she felt as if it had disappeared for the past few weeks. "Because I just don’t know with you. Not in a bad way. But I just didn’t want to misunderstand anything or assume too much."

"Same here," he nodded with solemn eyes. "I feel like I’m the one going out on the limb here with you because I don’t get much beyond agreement."

"What does that mean?"

"It’s like, this." AJ smirked as he neared her and watched her eyes drift to his lips. Within inches of her face, he remained and continued his explanation. "If I get close to you, you give in and you’ll kiss me back. But it never feels like it’s you first."

Nicole licked her lips in thought as her eyes flashed from his imploring, brown eyes, then back to his mouth. "How would it be to specifically be me first?"

He smirked, hearing her voice so distracted, yet full of emotion. "I have yet to know that."

After blinking slowly and letting her strict feelings of control slip, she leaned forward, pressing her mouth against his in a soft fashion. So soft, AJ barely moved, reveling in the feel. His hands went immediately to her face, fingers touching carefully. She made a noise from her throat as she leaned closer to him, her hands pressing into his throat while the kiss deepened to make use of tongues.

In all the time they’d slept in the same bed together, nothing more than random touches had occurred from either end. When Nicole started tugging at his shirt, running her hand against his warm skin, AJ was slightly surprised, but carried on as if they were in an understanding of movements.

Her shirt followed his. As she leaned even more forward, he pulled back while snaking his arms around her back to force her body against his while he laid down on the floor. AJ turned her over and tried to ease his weight against her as their intimacy seemed to be intensifying.

AJ broke their kiss and rested his elbows on the floor, on either side of her head, while his hands held her face. "Nic," he breathed heavily.

"Hmm?" she sounded.

"I didn’t intend for this …" Nicole watched him silently. "… With all of the talking. I didn’t, I wasn’t." AJ paused to take a deep breath in calming his words. "I wasn’t trying for this."

Her smile was gentle. "Okay. It’s okay." And she leaned up to pick up their closeness right where it had left off.