Elena stood out there rubbing her hands up and down her arms. It wasn't really that cold, but nevertheless, a cold shiver ran up her spine. The guys came out baffled at her strange actions and asked her if she was ok. She seemed so sad.
"I'm fine. I was just too nervous, that's all. I didn't want to look like a fool in front of him."
"Are you sure?" asked Kevin not completely satisfied with her explanation.
"Yeah, can we go home now please?"
"But it's only---"
"Please?" she pleaded.
" *sigh* Ok."
"I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not feeling too well. You can just drop me off and enjoy the rest of your day. Don't let me ruin your fun."
Nick put a reassuring arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry about it." He gave her his famous half smile. "Let's go."
They all climbed into the van and went home.
Elena went up to AJ's door and knocked on it. "Hey AJ, I need to talk to you."
There was no answer.
"Please open the door. AJ, are you there?"
"He's not there."
Elena turned around at the sound of a woman's voice.
"Denise!" The two hugged. "How are you?"
"I'm fine! How have you been, dear? It's been a while!"
"I know! I'm sorry, but you know, life. So what's this about AJ not being here?"
"He left for the beach a while ago."
Elena wrinkled her brow in consternation. "The beach? Isn't that like two hours away? Why would he want to go so far? And alone?"
"I have no idea."
"Hmmm…well thanks, Denise. I'll see you later."
"Wait. Is this thing you have to talk about urgent? Do you need someone to talk to right now?"
"It's not really important. It can wait."
"Are you sure? Because I'm here if you need me."
"Thank you, I'm sure." Elena smiled at her and entered her room. She sat down on her balcony and sighed. "Damn, AJ. Just when I needed you."
AJ had spent the whole day just wandering around aimlessly. He really needed his time alone which was impossible in such a densely populated city as LA. The ocean brought him peace. All there was was the pounding surf, occasional squawking of the seagulls, and himself. He sat on the soft sparkling sand dunes watching the beautiful and warm sunset whilst the waves splashed against the jagged rocks and a cool gently sprinkling of the rejuvenating water sprayed his face.
"What am I going to do? What should I do?" he quietly asked no one present. "I can't tell her. It's obvious she doesn't feel the same way so what would be the point? Man, when did my life get so complicated?"
He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and held his head in his hands.
"You know her better than anyone. What would she say? I can't force her to love me, but…could this be a sign? Is it wrong to have feelings for my best friend's girl?" He looked up at the blood red sky. "God D, you're the only one who would understand me. Why did you have to leave? I need some good old-fashioned friendly advice right about now. Can you give me some sort of sign…anything…to let me know that you're listening and that I'm not just acting crazy?" He looked around half expecting something to happen. How foolish. After a few more moments, he gave up hope. "Who am I kidding? I'm just fuckin' crazy." AJ got up, dusted off his pants, and started walking back to where he had parked the black Mercury Sable he had borrowed for the day. He looked back once more then shook his head solemnly. He would go back tomorrow morning. It was too dangerous to drive so far so late.
"I'm such a fuckin' idiot. This isn't some fairy tale where an angel flies down and makes everything all better. This is my screwed up reality. I can't expect miracles. I don't care. I just don't care anymore," he muttered angrily to himself and drove off to seek some hotel to spend the night in. He did not see the glistening seashell that had washed ashore to the place he had asked for an answer.