Reconciliation



Michelle slipped her feet out of her sandals and dug her toes into the sand. She looked out onto the ocean and admired the sunset on the horizon. As the waves pushed the water up to her ankles, she felt almost like she was floating.

“It’s the best isn’t it?” a voice said from behind. She immediately recognized the voice and turned to kiss the lips that so recently spoke to her.

AJ wrapped his arms around her neck and turned their welcoming kiss into a more intimate embrace. As he pulled away slowly, the wind blew Michelle’s hair into her face. AJ pushed her brown locks behind her ear and kissed her forehead.

“It’s about time you got here. I was getting worried.” There was a moment of silence after that. A look of worry came upon Michelle’s face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. AJ began to worry. Thoughts of the events of his previous night with Delia raced through his head. he started to worry if maybe he was making a mistake by not telling Michelle of his feelings for Delia. But he didn’t have the heart to break things off. She had been through hell and back with Nick for him, and he didn’t want to risk losing her friendship.

“Nothing. I’m just a little exhausted. Let’s head back.” he suggested. And they did so.

~*~*~*~*~*~


Nick was drawn off of the porch of his beach house and onto the sands. He decided a later afternoon walk wood do him some good. As he walked, he admired the couples standing along the beach. Some sitting, others standing. Some kissing, some just in a warm embrace. It all made him think of Michelle and how much he wished he could be with her at that very moment.

He walked for quite awhile, and soon he realized he was quite far away from his beach house. As he was about to turn to go back, he saw a light click on in a hotel room not far from the beach. He turned toward the light, just in a natural reaction. It was then he saw AJ holding Michelle, his hands caressing her bare back.

At first he thought it was a mere figment of his imagination. But the longer he stared, the more real the sight became. It was definitely Michelle. And she was definitely being romanced by AJ. Nick lowered his head and continued toward his house, not wanting to see any more.

~*~*~*~*~*~


“You know, we don’t have to do this tonight if you aren’t ready. I don’t want you to feel rushed.” AJ compromised. Michelle considered saying that she really wasn’t ready, for she did have inhibitions. But she didn’t want to make AJ think she didn’t have feelings for him anymore.

“No, I want this. Don’t you?” Secretly she hoped that AJ would put a stop to the whole thing and wait. But little did she know that AJ was hoping she’d have done that. Since she said she wanted for it to happen, he could do nothing but agree, worried that if he held back--- she’d sense that his mind was absent from that bedroom and only thinking of Delia.

“I want it too.” he lied. He then took off his own shirt and held Michelle close to his body. As he held her, his heart began to race. And it wasn’t from anticipation, but from the thought that the whole situation wasn’t right. He quickly pulled away and covered Michelle’s bare chest with his shirt.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle asked.

“I have a confession to make. And before I even begin, I want to say that I’m sorry.” He sat down on a chair near the bed. Michelle then sat on the bed and slipped AJ’s shirt over her head.

“While I was in New York, I met up with an old friend of mine. Well, an old girlfriend of mine. Delia. You remember her. And well, we parted on silly terms, and we never really lost love for each other. Shell, I don’t know what it was that happened, but the second I saw here again, things sparked. And I can’t allow myself to sleep with you tonight knowing that Delia is on my mind. It wouldn’t be right to you. I love being with you, Shell. You’re sweet, comical as all hell, you’re great to talk to. And yes, I am extremely attracted to you. But what I had with Delia was too complex for even me to understand. And whatever it was between us then is still between us now, and I can’t ignore that.” Michelle said nothing, but got up from her seat and sat next to AJ.

“You’re pissed with me aren’t you?” he asked.

“Not in the least. I’m cool with just being friends. And I want you to be happy, if Delia does that for you, than you have all of my support. And in light of your honesty, I feel as though I must confess something to you too.” She went on to tell AJ about all that had happened in that Florida hotel. In the end, they both had to laugh about the situations at hand. They had gone through so much to be together, only to break up on better terms.

“You should call him. I’m sure he misses you like crazy.” AJ said. They were now lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, still engaged in a conversation about their relationship issues.

“Yeah. But I don’t know where he is. He could be anywhere. He never told me where he was going. Stupid me for never asking.” AJ could sense how much she missed Nick and wished she could set things straight. The only thing he could do was hug her and reassure her that everything was alright.

~*~*~*~*~*~


Michelle was tossed the white sheet into the air and it fell over the bed almost perfectly. And as she made the bed, she tapped her foot to the music playing in her ear. She felt AJ’s arms around her waist, which startled her just a little. She pulled the headphones away from her ears so that she could hear what he had to say.

“You know, they do have maids to do this.” he reminded her.

“Yes, but this can be one room they don’t have to tidy up. Besides, it’s good to be neat.” she answered back. AJ just shook his head and smiled.

“Well I’m gonna go up to the mall really quick. Seems I forgot to pack summer clothes. Intelligent me, right? Want to come with?” Michelle thought about it, and she really wanted to take a long bath and relax for a while.

“Nah, I want to take a nice long morning bath. And I’ll be all ready to hang out with you when you come back, I swear.” AJ accepted her reasons and gave her a peck on the cheek before he left the suite.

Nick was sitting across the street in his rented car looking at the door of the suite Michelle and AJ occupied. He wanted to make sure it was them he actually saw the night before. And when AJ left the room and drove away, he had his confirmation. He got out of his car and walked across the street to the door of the suite AJ had just exited.

He knocked three times and waited. And as he stood there waiting, he contemplated whether he should just leave things well alone and go on with his life. But he could not. His feelings for Michelle burned to forcefully within him to ignore them.

Michelle heard a faint knocking noise in the distance. She pulled her headphones away and listened. There was nothing. Just before she put them on again, there was another knock. She turned her CD player off and went to answer the door.

She pulled it open and then turned away before she even saw who was at the door, assuming it was AJ coming back for something.

“So what’d you forget this time, Chez? And where is your mind lately?” she asked, going into the bathroom and running the water in the tub. When she heard no answer, she leaned her head out of the bathroom door and saw Nick standing in the hallway, shutting the door behind himself.

“Nick…” she whispered. So in shock that he was there, she stood there speechless.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your vacation with AJ. But there are just some things I have to tell you. I was walking on the beach last night and I happened to see a light coming from this room, and the curtains were open, and I saw you and AJ in here. And I don’t know, maybe that was a validation of your relationship. One that I needed to move on in my life. But even after seeing you two together like that, I still can’t make my heart stop loving you. And I still can’t get you out of my mind. Shell…”

“Shhh…” She put her hand in the air, signaling for him to stop talking. She then stepped closer to him and brushed his messy blonde hair out of his eyes. It was then she noticed the puffiness of his eyes. He’d been crying. And she knew, from having known Nick for so long, that when he cried he held it in. And with holding in his tears, he got puffy and splotchy, and red. She kept both of her hands on either side of his face and Nick had to close his eyes, taking so much comfort in her touch.

He was surprised to feel her lips press against his. And for that moment, all they could do was kiss. The initial soft kiss transformed into a deep, passionate one and she felt his arms curl around her back and pull her in. She responded by embracing his neck as opposed to his face.

They both pulled away for air and Nick’s lips were just as red as hers due to the intensity of their kiss.

“But Shell… you and AJ…” he protested.

“It’s over. He still loves Delia. And I… I still love you. And I’m sorry I didn’t acknowledge that before. AJ and I just had a silly little attraction. I’m sorry I put you through that.” Nick stopped her this time by kissing her again, not ever wanting to let her go. Hearing her say that she still loved him was like music to his ears, and all else was forgotten.

“And nothing happened between AJ and I. I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop thinking of you, and AJ couldn’t stop thinking of Delia.” she explained.

“Yeah, well, I’m still pissed at him for getting involved with you in the first place. He knew all too well how much I cared about you. And he still went and seduced you.” Michelle let Nick go and went back into the bathroom to turn the water off in the bathtub.

“What? What did I do?” Nick asked, not quite understanding what made Michelle tear away from him like she did.

“You keep blaming AJ for this whole thing. AJ couldn’t help his attraction for me. In case you haven’t noticed, Nick, I’m not the same plain hometown girl you once dated. I’ve grown up, and I’ve matured, and he wanted me. Like it or not Nick, AJ and I have so very much in common. I can talk to him. We understand each other. He makes me laugh. He listens. He’s a very dear friend of mine, courtship or no courtship. And you’re just going to have to respect that. What he and I had was a mistake. We walked into it blindly, things were intense at the time. I was lonely and so was he. And I had no clue that you were still in love with me then. And even if I had an inkling of what your feelings were, I might have still went into a relationship with him. So stop pointing fingers. And stop holding a grudge. AJ loves you dearly. You’re the little brother that he never had. And all that time you thought he was rubbing your nose in our relationship, he was torn about hurting and he just didn’t want to show it. So be the bigger man and let it go! Forgive him.” she demanded.

“But---”

“Forgive him.” she repeated.

“No. I can’t. I just can’t.”

“How the hell are you going to cast your friendship with him aside, yet embrace a renewed relationship with me? You can’t do that, Nick! Especially when he forgave you after all the shit you said to him and he was below rock bottom. His spirits were as low as they could possibly go, and you treated him like shit. And after you stepped down from your high horse, he forgave you. Now he’s hurt you, and he’s sorry, and you mean to tell me that you couldn’t possibly find it within your heart to forgive him?” Michelle always had a way of proving her points. And in this instance, she proved herself by bringing up a time when Nick was awful to AJ, and AJ forgave and forgot it.

“You’re unbelievable.” She spat as she walked passed him. Nick caught her by the arm just before she stormed out of his reach and he pulled her back toward him gently.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I was being an asshole. An insensitive one at that. And you’re absolutely right, I need to forgive him just as I’ve forgiven you. Now that I think about it, I don’t know what I’d do without AJ as a friend… a brother.

“He’ll be back soon, you know. You should stay and be here to talk to him when he gets back.” And Nick did so. When AJ returned, they had a long conversation, all three. And they all agreed to live and let live. Nick had no hard feelings toward AJ, and the same went for AJ toward Nick. The only problem left unsolved was getting AJ back with Delia.


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