“What’d I do?” I inquired.
“Why are you sitting wayyyyy over there when there’s all this room here on the couch?” Pointing out the empty space beside him, AJ leaned back, stretched his arms and rested them both across the back of the couch. He didn’t say another word, just waited for me to come to him. Confidence radiated from his body; the way he spoke, even when he was asking questions, was as though he was sure that you were going to comply with whatever his request would be. I thought it over for a moment and took notice of his position on the couch. He’d chosen to sit directly in the middle, which meant that no matter which of the other two seats I decided to take we’d still be close. This was obviously a calculated move on his part, signaling me that he was no amateur.
One deep cleansing breath swept down my throat and then rushed back out into the atmosphere before I began to walk toward him. Making eye contact was out of the question; way too nervous for that. I approached the couch and sat down at his right side with my body rigid and my hands clasped tightly together in my lap like I was on punishment or something.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He asked.
“No, I guess not.” Get a grip, Sam. He’s gonna think you’re mentally retarded if you don’t stop acting like this. Relaxing my shoulders a bit, I leaned back. I’d forgotten that his arm was still resting behind me, so I was a little surprised when the bare skin of my arm grazed his hand which felt much hotter than the normal 98.6 degrees that it should’ve been. Another shiver ran through my body and I could feel goose bumps rising up. What is it about him? I shuddered involuntarily, but he didn’t seem to notice. In such close proximity to him, his cologne whirled around me in tempting waves that threatened to take over my senses.
“You’re house is pretty quiet. Where’s everybody?” He asked, making me eternally grateful that he’d broken the silence.
“Umm…at church,” I replied shyly, fidgeting with my earring.
He smiled devilishly. “So, they don’t know that I’m here?”
“No, that’s why you’ll have to leave by 2:30. They wouldn’t appreciate me having company – male company – without their permission.”
He was silent for a few seconds. “Are they the only ones who don’t know I’m here with you?” He asked suggestively. His question caused me to acknowledge the guilt that I’d hoped to suppress for the next few hours. There was someone else besides my parents who would have been very disappointed in the poor decisions I’d made in the last few hours – someone who wouldn’t understand my selfish motivations or my unclearly defined feelings. I sighed and almost uttered his name aloud as I exhaled…….Antonio.
“Speaking of which, I’m curious about something,” AJ stated, jolting me from the guilty accusations that I was making toward myself.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Are you and the guy from last night together, or….?”
I was taken aback by his forthrightness which caused me to stumble over my words as I responded. “W–Well…..we’re together.”
It didn’t seem as though that shocked him at all. ”Thought so. How long?”
“Since May,” I said in a softer voice than I should’ve. AJ didn’t respond right away.
“Hmm, so are you happy with him?” he asked.
“Antonio’s a great guy; he’s thoughtful; considerate. All those things,” I rambled robotically. My eyes darted in AJ’s direction when he began to laugh to himself. “What’s funny?” I demanded.
“Nothing really, I’m just trying to decide whether you’re trying to convince me or yourself.”