Just as Kaci and A.J. are sitting down at the table with Kaley and Nick, A.J. gets a phone call.
“Who is it?” Kaci asks A.J.
“I gotta take this, I’ll be right back,” A.J. says getting up and giving Kaci a kiss on the cheek.
A.J. walks out of the ballroom and answers his phone, annoyed and angry.
“When I broke up with you, I told you I never wanted to see or talk to you again!”
“But I love you A.J.!”
“Well guess what Siren, my girlfriend loves me more than anyone besides my mother can love me. Do me a favor and lose my number or next time you won’t be dealing with me, you’ll be dealing with my girlfriend.”
“That’s a threat A.J.”
“Take it as you wish but I need to get back to my girl,” A.J. says then hangs up.
A.J. goes back into the ballroom, noticeably annoyed and not his usual self.
“Come here,” Kaley says when she notices how A.J. is acting.
Kaley and A.J. step outside the ballroom to talk.
“Who was that and what’s going on?”
“You remember that girl I was dating for like a week?”
“Yeah, I hated that bitch, so did everyone else!”
“I know and I should’ve listened to everyone!”
“That’s who called you?”
“Yeah. She won’t stop calling me!” A.J. says. “I don’t know what to do to get it through her head that I don’t ever want to see or talk to her again!”
“Well, for one, quit answering your phone when she calls! Or you can change your number – again!”
“You and Nick are staying here tonight, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I think so, why?”
“I think I’m going to leave my phone with you guys. The only person who I want to talk to is my mom, so if she were to call, give her Jess’s cell number,” A.J. says handing Kaley his phone.
“And what if Siren calls again?”
“Let it go to voicemail or answer it and have at it with her.”
“Well, let’s hope she got the hint and won’t call back! Now, get back in there and have fun with Kaci!” Kaley says grabbing A.J.’s hand and walking back into the ballroom with him.
When A.J. and Kaley go back in the ballroom, A.J. goes over to the DJ he hired, who is also a friend of his.
“You have the song, don’t you?” A.J. asks.
“You only sent it to me twice and gave me a copy of it again when I got here!”
“Just making sure Scott, just making sure!”
“Are you going to do it now?”
“Yeah, watch this,” A.J. says. “Jess, can you come here please?” A.J. says into the microphone.
“What is he up to now?” Kaci asks Kaley and Nick as she gets up.
Kaci goes over to A.J. who is in the middle of the dance floor.
“I know how much you love this song, so I had it redone,” A.J. says looking right into Kaci’s eyes.
“Which song would that be Alex?”
“Scott?” A.J. says looking over at him and handing the microphone to him.
A.J. joins Kaci in the middle of the dance floor and Scott begins the music.
“No you didn’t,” Kaci says instantly recognizing the song.
“Shh! It gets better!” A.J. says grabbing Kaci’s hand. “Shall we dance?”
“Do I have a choice?” Kaci says laughing.
A.J. and Kaci start dancing and Scott radios someone to come out.
“What are you up to Alex?” Kaci asks getting suspicious.
“You will see very soon,” A.J. says winking at Scott.
Scott leaves his DJ booth and goes back into the back part of the ballroom.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Scott says returning to the DJ booth, “may I give a very warm welcome to Ms. Shania Twain,” Scott says as Shania comes out and starts singing.
“Are you serious?” Kaci asks A.J.
“Hold on, it gets better.”
Shania sings “From This Moment” but where Bryan Adams usually sings, Howie, Brian, Kevin and Nick sing instead.
“How did you manage to pull this one off Alex?” Kaci asks.
“That is for me to know sweetheart.”
“So is that why there’s empty seats at our table and everyone else’s table is full?”
“It could be but only time will tell the answer to that question!”
“Why are you secretive with me Alex, you know I don’t like being lied to!”
“I’m not lying to you Jess, it’s called a surprise party for a reason!”
“Well how about this surprise. I’m leaving if you don’t tell me what’s going on!”
“I’m not paying Shania the money I am for you to be here arguing with me Jess. When she’s done, we’ll talk about tonight, alright?”
Kaci agrees and once Shania is done singing, her and A.J. thank her and then they leave the ballroom.
“Now what are you up to Alex? Everything about tonight is almost exactly how I told you I wanted to get married!”
“I know. I figured if I can’t marry you now we could have the party as if we were getting married and then when the real thing happens we can do it ten times better!”
“That’s real thoughtful Alex, but did you think that maybe Jose would like to know what you’re planning on doing with his girlfriend?”
“Are we going to argue the rest of the night or what Jessica? Because if we’re going to argue, there’s no sense of people staying here for a party that’s not going to happen!”
“I just want answers Alex, is that so hard to ask of you?”
“And what questions do you want the answers to?”
“Well for starters, why the last minute party?”
“I told you, this is not last minute! The invitations were, but I had been planning on doing this for you since before you called me!”
“Is everything okay?” Nick asks walking out of the ballroom.
“Yeah, everything is fine,” A.J. says. “We’ll be back in in just a minute.”
“Alright,” Nick says walking back into the ballroom and back to the table. “They’re fighting again,” he says sitting down.
“Oh lord, I knew this was a bad idea!” Kaley says.
Kaley gets up and goes out of the ballroom to find Kaci and A.J.
“We need to talk,” Kaley says pulling Kaci away from A.J.
“About what?”
“Just come here,” Kaley says forcing Kaci to go with her. “Go back in the ballroom with Nick until I get back,” Kaley says to A.J.
A.J. goes back into the ballroom while Kaley and Kaci stay outside the ballroom to talk.
“What’s going on? Why are you and Alex arguing again?”
“I’m tired of being lied to! I want to know what’s going on!”
“Alright, fine, I’ll tell you because I’m the only one who knows all the details besides Alex, but you have to promise me you won’t say a word to him that I told you!”
“Deal, so what’s he up to?”
“He’s told you exactly what’s going on! There’s nothing more to this than just a surprise party for your birthday!”
“So what about all the empty seats at our table?”
“That’s how he wanted it. Originally it was going to be a table for just you and him, but I convinced him to have us sit with you guys.”
“So I’m mad at him for no reason?”
“Exactly! So will you quit making a big deal out of nothing, please, for his sake?!”
“Alright, alright. Can you have him come out here?”
“Yeah, and remember, no more fighting!” Kaley says walking back into the ballroom to get A.J.
“Where’s Jess?” A.J. asks when Kaley comes in alone.
“Right where you left her. She said she wanted to talk to you.”
A.J. walks out the ballroom and over to Kaci.
“Kaley said you wanted to talk to me?” A.J. says grabbing Kaci’s hands.
“Yeah,” Kaci says. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for being such a bitch about what you’re doing for me tonight.”
“Apology accepted,” A.J. says giving Kaci a hug. “Now, what do you say we go back and finish having fun at your party?”
“Sounds good to me,” Kaci says giving A.J. a kiss. “Or we could go back up to the room,” Kaci says kissing A.J. again.
“What are you up to Jess?” A.J. says turned on, but insisting on going back to the ballroom instead of up to their room.
“Oh come on Alex, you wouldn’t tell me, so why do I have to tell you?” Kaci says getting so close to A.J.’s face that if he were to move even one inch his lips would touch Kaci’s.
“Ugh, god Jess!” A.J. says then hungrily kisses Kaci, turning her around and up against the wall.
Chapter 36/Story Index/Chapter 38/E-mail Brittany