Chapter 41
~Day Before Kristen's Birthday~
"So I'll be at your place in about ten minutes to pick you up?" AJ asked on the phone with Toni. He was taking Toni out shopping so she could find an outfit for Kristen that he would buy her to wear on her birthday.
"Alright, I'll be ready," Toni said then hung up the phone. She went into Kristen's room to find her sitting on her bed reading a book. "I'm going out for a couple of hours. I want to take you out tonight so make sure you're ready when I get back."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you somewhere for your birthday."
"My birthday isn't until tomorrow."
"I know but I have to work tomorrow. Where something nice but not a dress or anything like that. Just simple but nice. Bye." Toni walked into the living room when there was a knock on the door.
"You ready?" AJ asked when Toni opened the door.
"Yeah, let's go," Toni said grabbing her purse and walking out the door.
"So where should we go first?" AJ asked.
"We should get party supplies for tonight first."
"Does Kristen have any idea about the surprise party tonight?"
"No, I told her that I was taking her out tonight since I have to work tomorrow. So while we are out you will be at the apartment getting ready. This is was a good idea of yours so we could all celebrate her birthday since you will have her tomorrow. What are you doing for her anyways?"
"I wrote her a song which I'll sing to her is the main event."
"Can I hear it?"
"Nope, not yet. Only me and the guys have heard it since we've had to rehearse it together. So how's it going with Nick?"
"Shit! I totally forgot! We have to pick up Nick, Kevin, and Howie. They all called earlier trying to figure out what to get Kristen and I said we were going out today and we could bring them along. That is if you don't mind."
"I don't mind. Hey why not bring Brian too since everyone else is going?" AJ asked sarcastically.
"He's got Angela. Angela keeps him ahead of things so he already got her something."
"And you don't have Nick ahead of things?"
"Oh hell no. I don't even have myself ahead of things." AJ laughed at her then went to go pick up the other guys. Nick was the last one they picked up.
"Ain't that sweet," AJ commented as Toni went to get Nick and when he opened the door they stood there kissing.
"Just admit it Bone. You're jealous of Nick cause he's got Toni and you don't have Kristen," Howie commented.
"Me? Jealous of Nick? Not hardly."
"Give it up AJ. You know you want Kristen just as bad as Nick wanted Toni. You're jealous because he's now dating her and you still aren't dating Kristen," Kevin said.
"I'm just giving Kristen time. If she's not ready for a relationship I won't force her into one."
"Since when did you get so smart?" Howie asked.
"AJ got smart?" Nick asked getting into the car with Toni.
"Shut up," AJ said as he drove off. "Where are we going first?"
"The party store for supplies," Toni said. When they got there AJ and Toni went to the front to get some balloons while the others went around the store for other things.
"Okay, I have to ask this before it drives me crazy," AJ said to Toni.
"What?"
"I'm going to ask Kristen out tomorrow night. Do you think she'll say yes?"
"Let me tell you what I know. I know that Kristen is still going through a lot of pain because she feels like that she can't love again or she'll just get hurt. I also know that she has been avoiding you lately. Have you noticed?"
"Yeah I have and it's beginning to worry me like I did something wrong and she doesn't want to have anything to do with me."
"Which is completely false. She's falling for you AJ, majorly."
"Okay, now I'm confused. If she's fallin for me why is she avoiding me?"
"Because she's trying to keep herself from falling in love with you. She feels the only way she won't is if she doesn't see you."
"Boy, I guess tomorrow will go real well then. Maybe I should just forget about it all then," AJ said with sadness in his voice.
"Oh I don't think so. You've been planning to make her birthday something unforgettable for two weeks now and I had to convince Kristen not to fly home for her birthday."
"I guess I owe ya one then huh?"
"Yes, you do." They finished getting the supplies then headed over to Suki's to get an outfit for Kristen. "This store has the coolest outfits," Toni said as she walked in.
"Yeah Kristen thought so too. The last time we came here we were here for hours. So I thought you would know something that she would like here."
"Hey this would look really cute on you, Toni," Nick said. Toni turned around to see Nick holding up a tube top that was really short showing a lot of stomach and a pair of shorts that would ride her ass.
"I don't think so Nicky. If you want to see a girl in that then you better find someone else," Toni said turning back around to look for an outfit.
"Nice try Nick," Howie sat patting him on the back. They looked around for about ten minutes when AJ showed Toni a pair of silk pink shorts that had a long sheer pink skirt over it. It had a matching pink spaghetti strapped shirt with a sheer pink jacket with sleeves that would go just above the elbow and it tied at the stomach.
"Pink?" Toni asked.
"What's wrong with pink?"
"Nobody wears pink. Or at least not that much."
"Hey Britney Spears wears an awful lot of pink and she looks mighty nice if you ask me," Nick said.
"Well, we weren't asking you and Britney Spears is a little hoe bag who knows that the only way she can get a guy is if she fills her boobs with rubber. She can't even get a guy that way," Toni snapped back.
"Don't you think you should be a little more considerate to someone you have never met?" Kevin asked.
"Sorry. I didn't mean it," Toni said.
"Okay, well I think we'll just skip out on the pink. They also have a light blue," AJ said holding up the same outfit only a different color.
"Hey, she'll look good in that," Howie said.
"I agree. That outfit is definitely Kristen," Toni said
"So I should get it for her?" AJ asked.
"Definitely. But there's just one little problem."
"What's that?"
"She doesn't have shoes to match that."
"Are you serious? That girl has like five million pairs of shoes," AJ said.
"Haven't you dated enough girls AJ to learn that they have a pair of shoes to match every outfit almost?" Kevin asked.
"Well, then I guess I'll just go buy her another pair of shoes. What size do I need to get her in this outfit?"
"Get her a three. She's small," Toni said.
"What exactly does a three mean?" Nick asked. "I mean, it has nothing to do with measurements like clothes for guys do."
"Nick, be quiet," Toni said nicely.
"They don't have numbers on the tags," AJ said.
"Then get a small." AJ got the outfit and went to the front of the store to pay for it. "Oh Toni. It just came to my brain that I should invite you and Angela tomorrow night so if you want an outfit to wear pick it out and I'll get it for you," AJ said.
"Why? I thought this whole deal was something special for you to be with Kristen?"
"It is. I just think you should be there late tomorrow night when we all sing the song to her since Brian and Nick and the others will be singing it to. I figured you would want to hear it. It won't really apply to you and Angela but you can still come. Then everybody leave when the song ends."
"Ah Bone, you dog you," Nick said punching him on the arm. Nick received glares from Toni and AJ so he shut up.
"I'll accept the invite. I just bought a nice outfit the other day so I'll just wear that. Thanks anyways." AJ finished paying for the outfit then they went to the shoe store. Toni picked out a pair of light blue platform dress sandals that went perfectly with the outfit.
"Don't they have anything flat?" AJ asked.
"Kristen's short. She needs platforms. Haven't you ever noticed almost all her shoes are platforms?"
"Yeah but I never knew it was because she didn't like being short."
"I don't think it has anything to do with her not liking being short. I think she just likes to be in kissing range for guys," Toni said with a smile.
"We'll stick with the platforms," AJ said and went and paid for them. Next they stopped by the mall to buy Kristen's birthday presents.
"What exactly does she like?" Kevin asked.
"Phsycadelic stuff," Toni said. "You've seen her room. She's got blacklites and blacklite effect stuff everywhere. Let's go into Natural Lights. We'll all definitely find something in there." After they finished purchasing things in Natural Lights Toni dragged all the guys into Claire's since she wanted to get Kristen some hair excessories, jewelry, a small patching hand bag, and nail polish to go with the outfit AJ bought her. They piled everything they bought into the car and headed back to the girls' apartment. "Here's the key to our apartment," Toni said handing AJ the key. "I'm taking Kristen out at five o'clock and we'll be back by seven so that only gives you two hours to get everything ready. And don't forget to pick up the cake. Bye guys. Bye Nick," Toni said giving him a kiss then headed into the apartment.
Chapter 42
