Chapter 11

			*****
	AJ shook his head with a pitying smirk towards Nick.  Nick glanced back at AJ
before walking past Natalie and out the door.  AJ sighed when the door shut.
“ He didn’t mean that,” He said after a few seconds.
“ Everyone has their own opinions...Why’dja leave the door open?” She asked, covering
her hurt tone by putting on a slightly annoyed one.
“ Actresses,” AJ sighed again, knowing exactly what she was doing as he turned to walk
into the kitchen.
“ What do you mean?” She demanded, up to the point where she was just looking for an
excuse to blow.
“ Too complicated and too damn elusive,” He complained as she followed him.
“ Yeah, and don’t forget; shallow, insensitive, vain, selfish drama queen, right?” She
spat angrily as he set out two glasses and filled them with sparkling water.  He merely
gave her a curious look.
“ That wasn’t what I said and certainly not what I implied, Nat.  Nick’s just being an
ass.”  She felt her angry dissolve and was left yet again with that annoying hurt feeling.
“ Have a seat,” 
“ Who said I was staying?” She asked, slightly mockingly.
“ Me,” He continued in that calm voice and indicated the stool along side the island. 
She looked at him before reluctantly sat down, taking her glass.
“ So what brings you here?” He asked, focusing on her face.
“...I did what you told me to...” She said uncomfortably.
“ You agreed to that Playboy centerfold?” He joked but kept his tone serious, noting
how she was acting nervous.  
“ I invited them to dinner.  ALL of them...” She finished quietly.  He was silent,
studying her face as she looked down at her glass.  She finally met his gaze and
searched his eyes for approval.
“ That certainly took guts,” He said after several seconds.
“ And?”
“ And it was the right thing to do...” He said, nodding in approval.  She sipped at her
water just to avert her face but she looked like she was gonna start crying.
“ Nat, it was the right thing to do.  It was smart.  You wanna live the rest of your life
alone?” He insisted, taking her glass from her hands.
“ No...But I don’t think it was a good idea, AJ.  They hate me...” She said, her voice
rising to a wail.
“ They don’t hate you, they’re family.  Prove them wrong.  You gotta do this for
yourself.”   She swiped away at a tear and he chuckled.
“ For a sucessful actress, you sure do suck at willing away tears.”  She managed a tiny
smile for his benefit.
“ When are they coming?” 
“ Friday night,” She replied.
“ Friday?  Whoa.  That’s pretty soon.”
“ Can you come?” She asked immediatly, sitting up straighter.
“ I’d feel so much better, AJ, if you were there.  You’re good at breaking awkward
silences,” 
“ So I’d be damage control?”
“ Yes,” She said promptly and he quickly thought it over.
“ Fine...Just don’t ask me to cook,” She grinned and thanked him.
“ No problem...Okay, hun, since you’ve weasled me into a dinner with your family and
you’ve got it done and over with, I’ve gotta head to somewhere, I’ve gotta meet someone
at seven.”  She nodded.
“ Okay, thanks again,” She gave him a hug and walked in the direction of the glass
doors.
“ Lock up, okay?”
“ You, too.” She said meaningfully.
“ That was Nick’s fault,” He said after her.  The house fell silent again and AJ looked at
the clock.  He needed to go get ready if he was gonna go meet Marielle soon...


					*****
	Nick opened his eyes as soon as he heard his little baby cousin’s wails at three in
the morning.  He moaned and peered at the door, wishing she’d shut up or his aunt
would hurrry up and shut her up.  He needed sleep.  His head was pounding from the
lack of it over the past couple of days; all he could think about was her.  The look on her
face when he went ahead and took out his frustration.  He rolled over, wondering it was
taking his aunt so long to wake up to feed her kid.  It was friday- well, really early friday
anyways.  He felt himself blush with embarrassment again, incredibly furious with
himself.  Hell, he had managed to make himself believe that heh really didn’t like her
and it drove him up the wall that AJ could see through it and he was sitting back and
just watching it all.  Casey’s cries diminished a few minutes later and Nick turned in for
yet another restless night...

				  ***MEANWHILE***
	Across the country, the sun had just come out and AJ was happily asleep when
his phone rang shrilly, jolting him awake of whatever dream he had been absorbed in. 
Cursing whoever was on the line, he let it ring a few more times before picking it up.
“ Hello?” He spat rather than ask.
“ You were’nt asleep were you?” Natalie asked in a meek voice, just now realizing the
time.
“ Of course not, Nat.  It’s already sunrise, what would I be doing asleep?” He asked, his
voice muffled as he rested his head back on his pillow.
“ I’m sorry...Well you gotta wake up, now.  You have to help me.  The caterer I had
booked canceled last minute saying something about someone going in labor or
something and I’m seriously considering a lawsuit cause it’s just-”
“ Natalie, continue with the scenario, I’m falling asleep again,” 
“ Right...So I need to go find someone to cook,” 
“ And you called me because...?” 
“ Because I need you to come along, you know about this kinda stuff, you throw enough
dinner parties,” AJ chuckled to himself, remembering all too well that it was only a few
hours ago that he had gotten into bed.
“ Okay, okay, I guess I’ll come...I can’t squeeze in a few more hours of sleep?” She
paused and finally agreed.
“ My maid has to clean anyways and I haven’t had breakfast yet so I’ll give you a call at
nine?” 
“ Okay, hun.  Goodnight...”...


					*****
	AJ looked down at his cell phone to check the caller ID as him and Natalie sat in
his dining room, eating lunch after they got back from their little expedition.  
“ It’s my mom.  Hang on,” He hit the talk button and greeted his mom but his smile
quickly disappeared and he set down his glass of water.
“ Uh-huh...Okay, don’t worry-...Mom, don’t worry about it, he’ll be fine...Yeah, I’ll be on
the next flight out, okay?...Allright, I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” He didn’t bother
awknowledging Natalie after he hung up with his mom, he just dialed the airport and
quickly scheduled a flight.
“ What’s wrong?” Nat asked when he finally put down his phone.  AJ jumped up and
began clearing the table.
“ My Grandfather had a heartattack, he’s in the hospital,” He said quickly, taking the
food to the kitchen.  
“ But what about the dinner?”  
“ I’m sorry, Nat, I gotta go to Florida,” He called back, not really paying attention to
what she was saying until she walked into the kitchen.
“ AJ, you promised-”
“ Natalie, I’m sorry.   I think this is a little more important than your fucking dinner,”
He finally said, incredolous at how selfish she was being.  She glared at him for raising
his voice and walked out of the kitchen.  The front door slammed shut a few seconds
later and he sighed, not knowing what he should do first, clean or pack...






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