AJ stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. “I guess to some extent, but if they can’t accept you, then I don’t really care if they’re happy or not.”
This conversation brought up thoughts that I’d had privately and didn’t think I was ready to discuss with AJ just yet, but here we were. “Do you think that maybe this is gonna be too hard? I mean….what if all the drama gets in the way and messes everything up?” I asked.
“Not gonna happen,” he retorted confidently. “Walking away from this because it got too hard would be like admitting to everyone that they were right to think that us loving each other was a mistake.” There was enough raw tension in the air that it was harder to fight than usual, which seemed impossible. Without a second thought, I moved closer to him and rested my head on his chest. As he trailed up and down my arm with the side of this thumb, a chill raced through my body like a bolt of electricity.
“You smell so good,” he said as he moved his hand up and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Thanks,” I said smiling. “You always smell good. That’s one of the first things I noticed about you that day. I thought I was gonna pass out.”
He laughed. “I’m glad you bought that up. What happened that day? It was like a light came on in my head and I could finally see you. I mean……you’re beautiful, so why hadn’t I noticed you before then? When we were sitting in Ms. Jamison’s class, it was so bad that I could hardly concentrate because I kept staring at you.”
“I know. It was like we just kept running into each other. Literally,” I added, smiling as I remembered something. “You know, I started to hook you up with my friend Megan, but I couldn’t even bring myself to tell her about you. I went up to her in the hall and said something random and stupid because I didn’t want to give you up. I didn’t realize it then…..but I guess I was saving you for myself.”
“Good thing you didn’t waste your time. I probably wouldn’t have liked her anyway,” he replied.
“Don’t be so sure. She’s really pretty, she’s got a nice figure, and…..she’s kind of out there. Most of the guys at school are all into her.”
“If you say so,” he laughed
“Well what about that nasty girl you were dancing with at Homecoming? The red-head. They’re not so different and you seemed to be pretty into her.” I remembered her grinding on him and admittedly felt jealous. But I’d been waiting for the opportunity to bring her up and this seemed to be the perfect time.
“Her name’s Leila, and I’m not into her. Trust me,” he added.
“Did you two use to date or something? It didn’t look like you were strangers. She wasn’t the one you……” I rattled off a string of questions not giving him a chance to answer the first one.
“Yes, we tried the dating thing a while back, but it didn’t work out. Now she’s kind of with my friend Trevor. And yes…..it was her.”
I knew it. My mouth wouldn’t move to speak. I was now seeing her little private dance in a whole new light. This chick wasn’t just some random slut; she was a familiar one – the worse kind. From a woman’s perspective, I could tell that she wanted him back and was probably willing to do anything to get him. If she didn’t want him, she wouldn’t have been all up on him like that. The uncomfortable thought of them still spending time together – due to the fact that she’s now dating one of his close friends – was the next thing that came to mind.
“But like I said, that was a couple years ago and it was over before it started,” he said, interrupting my thoughts.
Completely ignoring his last statement, I asked another question. “What do you mean she’s with your friend Trevor?”
He laughed a little. “Well, he’s with her and worships the ground she walks on, but she kind of does her own thing. We tried to tell him, but he’s too wrapped up in her to see the things that we see.”