Chapter 35 Disclaimer:
On July 9, 2001, Alexander James McLean entered rehab for alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and depression. This story in no way takes away what Alex has accomplished in his sobriety and the author of this story continuously supports Alex in his sobriety. The situations concerning alcohol consumption with regard to Alex in this story are for fictional purposes only.
Chapter Thirty-Five
A.J. has Kaley call Kaci to tell her that she was coming up to get what she forgot and that she’ll knock three times so she knows to open the door. After Kaley and Kaci hang up, A.J. leaves to go up to Kaci’s room.
“Hello?” A.J. says answering his phone.
“Where are you at, we just got here,” Brian says.
“I’m on my way to surprise Jess, but you all have your own rooms, so just go check in.”
“It’s under our real names?”
“Yes. Nobody knows we’re here. I had WEG put out something about us being in LA to work on a new album. Don’t worry, everything is taken care of. Just be in the ballroom by nine.”
“Alright, we’ll see you later.”
A.J. and Brian hang up and A.J. gets to Kaci’s room. A.J. stands there for a second taking in what is about to happen and gets nervous.
“You can’t let Jess see you nervous like this!” A.J. says to himself.
A.J. knocks on Kaci’s door and waits nervously for her to open the door. Kaci gets up and opens the door without looking.
“Hey girl, what did you…” Kaci says then looks up to see A.J. standing in front of her. “Alex!?” Kaci says jumping into his arms, giving him a hug.
“Are you surprised?”
“Yeah!” Kaci says still in A.J.’s arms.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
“Oh yeah, but Kaley is coming, she called saying she forgot something,” Kaci says as her and A.J. walk in the room.
A.J. momentarily contemplates telling Kaci the truth but instead goes along with the story Kaley came up with.
“Well, Kaley is just going to have to find another time to get what she forgot!” A.J. says putting his arms around Kaci as the door closes behind them.
“So what are you doing here?”
“This,” A.J. says. “This is why I’m here.”
“You mean you’re the one behind all this hoopla?”
“Guilty as charged!” A.J. says with a big grin on his face. “Oh, but it gets better!”
“Oh really? How so?”
“There’s other things I’m guilty of,” A.J. says sitting down on the couch.
“Like what?” Kaci asks as A.J. pulls her down to sit on his lap.
“Well, I’ve been here all day and had all this planned before you called me earlier about your bet with Nick. Him and Kaley are in on it.”
“So is that the reason he wouldn’t take me back to my house earlier when I wanted to?”
“Guilty! Justin is in on it too.”
“So where is Justin? Why did Kaley take me here instead of J like your note with the roses said?”
“Him and Angela got in a fight and we moved camp to Omar’s house and he was still finalizing everything, so I called Kaley. If she was on the phone, it was probably with me.”
“Oh so you’re the friend from California that she was always talking to?”
“Well that’s not a lie! We’re friends and I live in California!”
“But you’re moving back here, right?”
“This time next month, I will be here.”
“So then how will you pull something like this then?”
“Oh, I have my ways!” A.J. says with a devilish grin.
“And what is that grin for Mr. McLean?”
“What grin?” A.J. says trying to play it off.
Kaci gets up from sitting on A.J.’s lap.
“You have something else planned, don’t you?”
“Nope, just this.”
“You’re lying! Look me in the eye and say it!”
“This is all,” A.J. says looking Kaci is the eyes, “I have planned,” he says looking away from Kaci.
“I knew it! You can’t even look me in the eye and say it!”
“Alright, alright, alright, you caught me! But you’re stuck here with me until at least nine.”
“Oh really? And what is this dress for?”
“You’ll see,” A.J. says with a grin.
“I’m not marrying you Alex, so get that idea out of your head!”
“I never said you were!”
“Then why the wedding dress?”
“A gorgeous woman deserves a gorgeous dress and I figured your twenty-first birthday was perfect for it!”
“Okay fine, but why a wedding dress?”
“Are you complaining? Because if you’re complaining then I’ll call the whole party off and you will have a bunch of people mad at you!”
“I’m not complaining, I’m just confused and want answers!”
“And you’ll get them, just wait until later!”
“Does Jose know what you’re doing?”
“Yes.”
“Is he in on it too?”
“No.”
“You’re not lying to me are you Alex?”
“No.”
A.J. grabs Kaci and pulls her down on the couch and puts his arms around her.
“Well then what are you up to? I don’t like being the only person that doesn’t know what’s going on!”
“That’s why they call it a SURPRISE party Jess!”
“Ugh, fine,” Kaci says giving up on trying to get information out of A.J.
Kaci and A.J. talk and catch up with each other since they haven’t seen each other since 2001. Around nine o’clock, room service arrives.
“Stay here, I’ll get it,” A.J. says getting up from the couch.
A.J. goes to the door, gets the room service he ordered and goes back to Kaci.
“Look what room service brought us,” A.J. says holding up a bottle of champagne and pushing in a car that has two glasses on it and chocolate covered and regular strawberries.
“Why are you doing all this Alex?”
“I’m doing it for you. I never stopped loving you and I can tell you never stopped loving me. We belong together Jess!”
“But I’m with Jose, Alex!”
“But do you love him like you love me?”
“I love Jose, I always have! I was stupid to break up with him to date Michael! I learned my lesson Alex and I’m not letting him go again! If we were to break up, it would be because he didn’t want this relationship. Then, and only then, would we be able to date.”
“Fine, then we’ll toast to your twenty-first birthday,” A.J. says pouring two glasses of champagne.
A.J. hands one glass to Kaci and raises the other and makes a toast.
“Do you want the strawberries now or later?”
“Me, pass up strawberries, are you crazy?”
“I guess that’s a now,” A.J. says laughing.
A.J. hands Kaci a strawberry and then feeds one to her.
“So what’s going on?” Kaci asks once they finish the strawberries.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“You do realize it’s almost nine thirty, don’t you?”
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