2, 6, 8, 2

~*~*~*~ 2 Weeks ~*~*~*~


Two more weeks had passed. AJ and Sydney still had not spoken. It was driving AJ up a wall. He got tired of waiting around for her midnight calls. And he was too afraid and nervous to call her himself.

He sat on the side of his bed and stared at the phone for a moment. And all at once, it was too much for him. He had to go to her. He had to see her. He just had to kiss her and hold her again. He jumped up from the bed and went out to his car. His mind was made up.

About 20 minutes later, Sydney heard her front door open, and for a moment she got scared. She sat still on her vanity stool, and all of a sudden, AJ appeared in her bedroom door. He stood there without saying anything. He just looked at her, directly into her eyes. And somehow she knew everything he was feeling. She knew all that he wanted to say.

She broke mutual stare when she turned back to her mirror, with a sorrowful sigh. It was then that AJ lowered his gaze and saw that she was wearing a gorgeous black evening gown. It stretched all the way down to her toes. And most of her back was exposed. He longed to caress her smooth skin and kiss it, but he got the feeling that she was dressed that way for someone else. It couldn’t have been for him.

He watched her put large diamond studs into her ears. And then she picked up a matching diamond necklace. He came up behind her and took both ends of the necklace, fastening it behind her neck.

“You look breathtaking.” AJ managed to say in complete awe. She looked at his reflection in the mirror and swallowed hard.

“What brings you here?” She asked, trying her best not to sound as if she didn’t want him there.

“You. I needed to see you. This can’t go on, Syd. It’s been a month. I miss you so much it hurts. I’ll do anything. Anything! Just please come back to me. I realize now that my world is empty without you in it. And I’m sorry.” He confessed. Sydney lowered her eyes.

“I’m sorry too. Because I can’t come back to you. I’ve met someone, AJ. And he’s a wonderful man. I’ve moved on and you have to move on too.” She stood up and went towards the bathroom. AJ grabbed her arm and turned her around. He pressed her up against the wall and kissed her deeply. He let go of her arm and started to feel her thigh through the high split in her dress. The kiss only got deeper and Sydney couldn’t take much more.

“No! AJ! We can’t keep doing this! If I come back you’ll only pretend that nothing has changed. I hav--- I had feelings for you that were too strong for even me to understand. All I ever wanted was for us to be together. A couple. But you couldn’t handle that, and that was the very thing that I needed. And Drew… he gives that to me. He loves me. Why can’t you understand that I need more than good sex?!?!” He let her go and she went into the bathroom to make sure her hair was straight.

“Sydney, please. You have to believe me when I say that I do love you. More than you know! No man could ever love you more than I do. Just because I enjoy the things we did together doesn’t mean that I don’t love you.” He argued. Sydney came out of the bathroom and stared him in the face.

“Just stop it! It won’t work! When we fooled around, that’s all it was. You never made love to me! You never even showed any affection towards me. So don’t say that the love was there all along!” She countered. Before AJ could get a word in edgewise, there was a ring at the door.

AJ followed Sydney to the front door. He wanted to see the man who had stolen his girl’s heart away. She opened the door and there he stood. He was decked out in a black tuxedo. AJ could tell he the spoiled rich type. And even though AJ had money, this guy flaunted it a little too much. The driver outside had the limo door open and waiting for Sydney and Andrew.

“Who’s this, darling?” Andrew asked, a grin on his face.

“Oh, this is an old friend of mine, Alex. Alex, this is Drew.” Andrew held out his hand and AJ deliberately failed to shake it.

“I’m AJ. And we’re more than old friends. I’m her ex-boyfriend. Nice to meet you.” AJ growled. A disgusted look on his face.

“Well, dear… you never mentioned AJ to me.” He said to Sydney, then he turned back to AJ. “Why the devil did you let her go?” He asked. Before AJ could answer with a smart remark, Sydney intervened.

“Irreconcilable differences… now Drew, we’re going to be late.” She turned around to AJ, standing in the doorway, his heart broken.

“I’m sorry. Goodbye.” She whispered. Then Andrew took her hand and led her to the limo. AJ watched as the got inside and drove away. He wasn’t even Sydney’s type! He was an older man, maybe in his early forties. He was very materialistic. And appearance wise, he was just too… AJ couldn’t even think of a word to describe him. For as long as he had known Sydney she was into down-to-earth guys, guys who liked to have fun. No one like Drew.

Then he thought for a moment. Maybe she was right. Maybe she did need someone like Drew. Maybe she wanted the finer things in life. He looked down at himself. Baggy jeans. Tattoos. Wife-beater. All kinds of silver and platinum jewelry. Could changing his appearance and behavior win her back? He hoped it would.

~*~*~*~ 6 Months ~*~*~*~


That was the last time Sydney and AJ had seen each other. And now, six whole months had passed. The entire six months she spent with Andrew. He spoiled her. And though Sydney wasn’t one for material things, she couldn’t help but become overwhelmed with gratitude when he showered her in diamonds and even a brand new car.

It did compensate for how unlike AJ he was in bed. At that very moment she was lying under him, feeling very much like a cadaver. No matter what he did, she didn’t feel a thing. She felt dead, that was, until he was finished. Though she loved how sweet Andrew was to her, she missed AJ’s touch, his kiss, and especially his body.

Sydney was not the only one making love to one person and fantasizing about someone else. AJ was lying in his bed with Laura, a girl he had dated for only two weeks, riding the hell out of him. Though he wasn’t completely dissatisfied, she wasn’t Sydney. She didn’t feel like Sydney. She didn’t move, moan, or look into his eyes like Sydney did. It just didn’t feel right.

Laura grew tired after her last climax. So tired that she couldn’t go any longer. She climbed off of him and stretched out beside him. AJ felt her kiss his cheek, which was the first kiss in a trail toward his lips. He stopped her just before she reached his lips and sat up.

“What’s wrong, baby?” She asked in a very innocent voice.

“Nothing, I’ve just got so much on my mind.” He responded. But he was lying. There was only one thing on his mind. A woman. Sydney.

“Did I do something wrong?” She asked, rubbing his sweaty back.

“No, of course not. You were fine. Better than fine. It’s just me, I’m going through a lot right now. I’m sorry I had to ruin this.” He put both of his legs in his boxers and then slid them all the way up before walking out of the room and leaving Laura lying on the bed, puzzled.

He almost had a craving for a cigarette. Not because he had just had good sex, but because Sydney’s absence, for so very long, was doing a number on his nerves. He opened the refrigerator door and the cool air inside shot out on his still damp skin, causing him to shiver a little. The fridge was virtually empty. Just a few bottles of water. A Tombstone pizza. Chinese food from the night before, and lunchmeat.

He thought back to how Sydney would always cook the most delicious things, just to test her recipes out on him. His fridge was always stocked with good food. Now it was, well, pitiful.

He closed the door and went to the pantry. There was plenty to eat in there… all junk of course. He grabbed a bag of Tostitos and reached in, getting a handful, then closing the bag up again and putting it back.

He munched on the chips as he ascended back up the stairs. By the time he got back up to his room, Laura was fast asleep. And she was snoring. Not as bad as Kevin or Nick snored, which was a masculine deep sound. Nevertheless, it was an annoying snore. Again, it made him think of Sydney.

He never realized until how often he watched her sleep after they had spent a hot night together. She slept so soundly. With her small arm on his chest. Sometimes her head rested on his chest too, and he would always stroke her hair. And if she happened to fall asleep next to him, he would kiss her in her sleep and watch her unconscious reactions. Sometimes she would lick her lips after he kissed her, other times she would smile slightly.

He had to get his mind off of her. He went into the bathroom and started to run the water. At first he ran hot water, then he made it cooler. This was after he noticed his penis responding to his thoughts of Sydney. Yes, cold shower it was.

It was at that same time that Sydney was sitting in front of the mirror brushing her hair. Andrew had a tendency to rake his hands through her hair and tangle it up, which she had grown accustomed to.

As she brushed her hair back into place, Andrew climbed out of his huge king-sized bed and slipped on his robe. Then he went to open a bottle of champagne, which was conveniently waiting in a silver bucket of ice.

He poured two glasses, and gave one to Sydney. She put the brush down and turned to him, quite confused.

“Why the bubbly? What’s going on?” She asked, a cute smirk on her face. Andrew just touched the side of her face, smiled, and said:

“We’ve been together for a little over six months now. And I have never been so happy in my entire life. From the moment I saw you in that restaurant, I knew you were meant for me, and that I was meant for you. I have so many things. A beautiful home, a great job, money up to my hears… but I don’t have the most precious thing that a man should have, a wife…” He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a little black, velvet box. He opened it slowly, and even in the dim light, the ring shone garishly. It had to have been over 2 karats.

He took it out of the box and slipped it onto her left ring finger. Then he held her hand in his.

“Will you be my wife, Sydney? Will you make my life complete?” He proposed.

A thousand and one thoughts flew through her mind. She almost feared that she would faint. All at once, all of her thoughts turned into one, AJ. She loved him. After all that time with Andrew, she still loved AJ. Why? Andrew was the type of man to devote his life to her. AJ… he was, well, he was just someone she thought she had strong feelings for. But it had to have been lust. It just had to have been. The more she convinced herself to accept his proposal, the farther back AJ went into her mind.

“Well?” He asked.

“Yes. Yes, Drew, I would love to be your wife.” He gave her an extremely tight hug and kisses her deeply. When he pulled away, he started to pour more champagne, overjoyed that she said yes. Sydney, on the other hand, began to get teary. What had she done???

~*~*~*~ 8 Months ~*~*~*~


Sydney’s hands shook as her sister lifted her veil over her head and fixed it perfectly over her face. Melody, Sydney’s sister, had a sorrowful expression upon her face as she did this. Sydney saw it and had to ask.

“Mel, what’s wrong?” Melody looked at her younger sister and sighed.

“There are at least 1,500 guests out there. You probably only know 150 of them. And Drew is a wonderful guy. He’s handsome, he’s sweet, and he wants to take good care of you. But honey, none of that means anything unless you love him. And your heart belongs to someone else.” Melody looked toward the stained glass window. Sydney went to the window and opened it slightly.

AJ stood outside, pacing to and fro. Sydney closed the window quickly and started to breathe heavily.

“How did he know I was getting married today???” Sydney shrieked. Melody lowered her eyes and pretended to be meddling with something.

“You told him?!?!” Sydney shrieked, yet again.

“Well, he deserved to know! And maybe he’ll stop this wedding and get you out of this mess!” Melody said back in defense.

“No! NO! I do love Drew. He’s a beautiful person. And in he’ll be my husband soon. I wouldn’t have it any other way. AJ had his chance, and he passed it up. It could have been him downstairs waiting for me to walk down that aisle. But he was a coward, and he gave me no other choice but to end things.” Melody looked at her sister as one would look at a wounded puppy, with pity and sympathy.

The time had come for Sydney to walk down the aisle. She was escorted down the stairs and she waited for her cue to enter the sanctuary. Once the doors were opened, She began her last steps as a single woman.

AJ entered the church the second she started towards the alter. Her beauty took him aback. And he couldn’t bring himself to call out her name. Instead, he went in behind her, unnoticed, and took a seat in the last row of the church.

He felt like keeling over and dying as the ceremony went on. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ruin her special day. She seemed so happy. How could be mess up the wedding day of the one woman he truly loved.

“If there be anyone amongst us here who opposes this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” The priest said. Sydney looked out amongst the 1,500 guests and saw AJ in the very back. Because her eyesight was so keen, she could see the hurt in his eyes. He got up slowly. She quickly turned back to Drew and smile.

She expected for AJ to cry out her name, tell the priest to stop everything, and carry her off to claim her as his own. But he did not. She turned again to see what he was doing, but he was gone. In fact, the door was still closing. The second it closed completely, the priest continued.

“Then by the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I pronounce you man and wife.” Music began to play and Drew lifted her veil. He kissed her and Sydney knew that there was no turning back. What was done, was done. She couldn’t think of AJ any longer. Drew was her husband, and he was her first and only priority.

~*~*~*~ 2 Years ~*~*~*~


AJ walked through the thick crowd with Kevin by his side. They were in the most talked about club in Australia. It was their only night off during their forth world tour and they decided to spend it in style.

The crowd suddenly seemed to part and Kevin spotted a beautiful woman in a deep blue, skin-tight dress. He hunched AJ and they both stood there gawking at her from behind.

“Look at the ass on her.” Kevin said in a raunchy voice. AJ nodded, lowering his sunglasses to check her out in better light.

“But hey, you’ve got a gorgeous woman who’s permanently yours. I’m the single one in this outfit. So, stop drooling and let me show you how the master works.” AJ bragged. Kevin shrugged. It wasn’t as if he would cheat on Kristen and flirt with the girl anyway.

AJ went the through crowd and approached the girl. The closer he got to her, the more he felt like he knew her. Her curves looked familiar to him, as if he had felt them before. In fact, he felt as if he knew her entire body by heart.

He acted on a whim and touched the side of her thigh, running his finger up her side, up her back, to her shoulder, then to her neck. She turned, without being offended. The second their eyes met, the room seemed to go silent.

“Sydney…” He whispered.

“AJ…” She answered. And they needed no further words. Everything came back to them. He slipped his hands through her arms and around her waist--- bringing her so close to him that they could feel each other’s hearts beating. She raised her arms to his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck. Then they swayed. He nuzzled her soft neck, and she kissed his.

AJ should have known that going to Australia’s capital, Sydney, would result to nothing but good things.

After a while of standing so close this way, they pulled apart and found a booth to sit in, close together.

AJ noticed the brilliant platinum wedding set she wore. He couldn’t help but imagine how much better a set he gave her would look if they had married those two years ago. She saw him looking at the rings and she covered that hand with the other.

“So how is Andrew?” AJ asked, hoping she was say something like he was hit by a bus and she kept his vegetable-like body sitting in front of the television with Good Times reruns playing. Unfortunately for him, he was doing just fine and working.

“Why are you in Sydney?” He asked, scooting even closer now that he was confident that she was alone.

“We live here. He’s the head of his father’s business here. We moved here maybe 18 months ago.” She explained. And she went on to tell him that Andrew was back in the states having all of these corporate meetings with each division’s representatives, he being the representative for Australia. He would be gone for another week. AJ felt more than happy.

“Can we go somewhere else and talk. This place is so, impersonal.” Sydney agreed and led him towards the exit. She pulled her cell phone out of her tiny little purse and dialed some numbers. Shortly after, a white limo pulled up to the curb and the driver let them both in.

AJ sat in the limo, amazed at how good Sydney had it. Of course, he was used to money and lavish things. But to see Sydney so well off made him happy as well. She didn’t have to work. She had money, a limo and driver, jewelry, the most expensive clothes. She had all that he wished he could give her.

He told her this as they walked through hers and Andrew’s gargantuan penthouse apartment.

“AJ, you know that all this means nothing to me. I could go back to working at the restaurant right now, and live in a one-bedroom shack… and I’d still be a very happy woman. And you’re wrong, there is something you can give me that no other man can.” She said, her voice deepening in the last part.

She took his hand and led him to the bedroom. Hers and Andrew’s bedroom. Then she pushed him on the bed and lay on top of him. AJ went with the flow and pulled her dress up so that he could feel her panties.

Thongs, they were. And he wouldn’t wait to rid her of them. One he pushed them down, Sydney managed to kick them off while still sitting on him. She was about to undo his pants when AJ stopped her. He gently guided her off of him and laid her down on the bed. Then he helped her slip out of her dress.

She wore no bra. But her breasts were the perfect size to go braless. He ran his fingers down her body and explored the woman he hadn’t been able to touch in so long.

“Tonight, I’m going to do something I’ve never done to you before.” He informed her. “I’m going to make love to you. Tonight is all about you, baby.” He added. Then he began kissing her in various places over her body, teasing her.

Though the teasing was torture, she enjoyed the fact that he was going out of his way to play with her and make her feel special. And at that very moment, she knew she was in for a night of passion and pure bliss.



Chapter 7 ~ Contents Page ~ Visuals ~ Stories ~ Home