The Way You Said Hello ~ Chapter Nineteen

"Well, here we are." The car jolting to a stop roused me from my reverie, staring silently out the window at the buildings flashing by, covered in shadow. I turned to AJ, who had just spoken, and gave him a small smile. I was nervous about being in his house for the first time, but hey, there was a first time for everything.

The entire car ride had been spent in alternating periods of subdued conversation and thoughtful silence. We talked about anything and everything that came into our minds, not hesitating to voice our opinions on a number of topics. I was amazed at how intelligent and attentive AJ was. It was like a whole new side of him that I was just beginning to uncover - hopefully, I would be allowed to see the rest of him someday as well.

I stirred and moved to unbuckle my seatbelt. Without thinking, I glanced out the windshield in front of me. I froze, unable to move. AJ's house was like nothing I had ever seen before. All I could do was sit and stare.

"And I thought my house was nice," I murmured under my breath.

AJ ran his fingers through his hair impatiently. "Well, are you going to come in or not?" he inquired, opening his car door and stepping into the fresh night air. I followed his lead and walked slowly behind him, my eyes dancing from sight to sight uncontrollably. It was nothing short of amazing.

"Come on!" AJ turned to me, urging, as I stopped again to look in wonder.

"Sorry, sorry," I muttered as he tugged on my hand. "I've just never seen a house this big. Not in person, at least." A cool breeze tickled a stray hair across my forehead, and I absently brushed it away. We continued to the front door, and I waited as AJ fished through his pocket to search for the key. He found it and swung the wood and glass door open, leading me through.

"Now, we have to be really quiet," he whispered to me. "My family's all sleeping, including my cousin Eva upstairs. Just try not to make too much noise."

"Like they would hear us even if we did," I laughed softly. "Are you sure this house doesn't span two continents?" AJ shot me a look that said, enough with the house. We tiptoed quietly through the hallway, our footsteps muted on the hardwood floor.

AJ gave me a quick once-over and suggested, "Why don't you change into something more comfortable?" I was still dressed in my nice black silk dress, and even I had to admit, those shoes were killing me. I silently reminded myself never again to wear the four-inch heels.

"That would be wonderful," I sighed.

"Then let's go up to my room. You can borrow some of my clothes." We turned right into another hallway and ascended a flight of steps. At the top, we turned left into a large room - AJ's bedroom. It was decorated very tastefully, but with his own individual 'flair' - if that's what you want to call it.

"Funky décor," I remarked dryly, looking around.

"It suits me, though, don't you think?" AJ called from the walk-in closet, his voice muffled.

"Oh…definitely." I stood in the center of the room, right next to the bed with its leopard skin sheets. Only AJ, I thought amusedly to myself.

AJ strolled out of the closet carrying a pair of his trademark baggy jeans and a T-shirt. "Put these on," he said helpfully and offered them to me.

I looked at the jeans skeptically. "You really think those are going to fit me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's better than nothing," he said, thinking positively. I shot him a glare and grabbed the clothes, heading for the bathroom.

"I don't suppose you have a bra, do you?" I threw back at him over my shoulder.

I could hear his jaw drop. "You mean you're not wearing…"

I simply turned and gave him an innocent smile before shutting the bathroom door behind me. That'll give him something to think about. I hastily took off my expensive silk dress and folded it carefully, setting it next to the sink. I threw the T-shirt on over my head. It was pretty baggy, but would do. Next up: the jeans. I pulled them on, only to have them fall off again. I sighed impatiently and tried again. Holding them up around my waist, I emerged from the bathroom.

"AJ, this is ridiculous!" I said sharply. "Can't I have something else to wear? If I let go of these, they're gonna fall off!"

AJ just took one look at me and buckled over laughing. "But…you look…so cute," he gasped breathlessly, tears practically running down his face.

"I really don't see the humor here," I muttered, my face softening. I looked back down at myself and understood where his laughing fit was coming from. I started laughing too, harder and harder until we were leaning on each other in order to avoid collapsing on the ground.

"Well," he finally said, catching his breath, "let's go downstairs and have some dessert, shall we? We never did get to finish our dinner at the restaurant."

"Sounds good to me," I said, smiling. "Lead the way."

I followed AJ out of the bedroom, clicking off the art deco lamp and shutting the door behind me. He led me through what seemed a labyrinth of hallways and marble-floored great rooms. I appreciatively admired the swing of his hips, the movement of his body as he walked in front of me - and meanwhile, there I was, holding up my jeans for fear they would fall off me entirely.

The house was dark and silent, but comfortingly so. I could hear the tick-tock of a tall grandfather clock in the large, main hall, steady and reassuring. Although I could get lost in AJ's house as easily as if I were in a foreign city, I found myself feeling quite at home there.

Entering the kitchen, AJ moved to the refrigerator. "Ice cream?" he offered, his head stuck deep inside the freezer, searching for something that seemed the least bit appetizing.

"What kind do you have?" I asked, opening the cabinets, looking for bowls and spoons for us to use.

"Upper left," he said off-handedly, guiding me to the correct cabinet. He recited the flavors: "Umm…chocolate…vanilla…cookie dough…"

"Whoa, stop right there!" I exclaimed, my head snapping around. "Get out that cookie dough ice cream, boy, before I do something irrational."

"Yes, ma'am," AJ saluted, dragging a gallon of Ben & Jerry's chocolate chip-cookie dough ice cream from the freezer to the table.

I continued to search the kitchen cabinets. "I've got the spoons, but where are the bowls?" I asked, opening and closing random doors.

"Don't worry about it," AJ said, sitting down at the table. "We can just dig in."

I sat down across from him and handed him a spoon. Soon, we were up to our elbows in ice cream, getting it everywhere and not really caring about the mess we were making. A few minutes into our ice cream binge, I was digging away in the carton when all of a sudden I felt something very cold hit me square on the nose. I looked up, and there was AJ, holding a recently-emptied spoon, with a very guilty look on his face.

"What, exactly, was that about?" I asked, holding in the laughter that was threatening to bubble up again.

"I have no idea," AJ grinned.

"Well, that's funny," I said calmly, loading up my spoon. "Because I'm not quite sure what this is about, either!" With that, I flung the spoonful of ice cream at AJ's forehead, where it stuck and proceeded to drip down his face.

Ten minutes later, we were both dripping ice cream from every visible inch of skin, and having a great deal of fun at the same time. Once again, I marveled at AJ's ability to set my worries free and simply allow me to enjoy life. If there was one thing about him that I loved at that moment, it was his capacity to make me laugh.

How could you ever have doubted him? I asked myself beratingly. Shame on you, Rebecca Jane. He's more than you ever thought a man could be, and he's more than you deserve.

After washing up and cleaning the ice cream off the table, we sat back down to talk. Soon, the conversation turned to our families, and we discovered that both our dads had left when we were young. Yet another bond between us.

"I don't even remember him," I murmured thoughtfully. "He left when I was two and never came back."

"That's terrible," AJ said, his eyes clouded.

"Yeah, but my mom remarried. I love my stepdad just like a real father…so it's not like I was without a positive male role model growing up."

"That must have been my problem," AJ chuckled. "My dad left, but my mom didn't remarry. She ran the house, she did everything for me. Of course, then my dad came back, but only after I got famous. It was weird."

"Wasn't that uncomfortable?" I asked, shifting in my seat.

"Yeah, but I'm okay with it now," he said. "People use you for fame. It's just human nature." He stroked his goatee, pensive.

"What about Eva?" I asked curiously. "I don't mean to pry, but have you ever wondered the same about her?"

"Honestly, I have," he said, his voice deep. "But I don't think she's like that. Eva's always been a buddy of mine…until I was about twelve, that is. Then we kind of grew apart and haven't seen each other since."

"I hope she's worth the trouble she's inadvertently caused," I grinned almost shyly. A feeling inside me told me that I'd find the answer to that comment in the near future, and that I most probably would not be pleased. I trusted my instincts, and I felt something about Eva. What it was, exactly, that I was feeling would have to be determined at a later time.

"We did spend some time together last night, like you overheard." AJ propped his chin on his hands, elbows on the table.

"That's good," I said noncommittally, thoughts still wandering.

We sat in silence for a few more moments, both lost in thought. Suddenly AJ blurted out, "You know what?" He paused a moment and then continued: "I wonder how our friends are all working out with each other."

"Yeah, me too!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I can't believe they're getting along so well…Do you think it's possible that some of them might get together?"

"Well, let's review the potential couples," AJ said, silly as always, in his mock game-show host voice.

I ticked off the choices on my fingers. "Well, first we have Kevin and Anne. I noticed some hidden feelings last night when they were talking. Could be lust, but is there something more?" AJ and I grinned at each other as I moved on. "Next we have Brian and Eilene. Of course there's the Jenna thing to worry about, and I don't think Eilene knows about that yet. Aside from that, they're perfect for each other."

"Yeah," AJ added. "Brian's never as happy around Jenna as he was the other night with your friend Eilene. That girl is crazy!" We both laughed softly, remembering.

"Third there's Gillie and Howie. Now, I think they like each other, but Gillie's really shy so it's hard to tell. Did you pick up any vibes from Howie?" I asked.

"He seemed interested enough," AJ said, unsure, his brow wrinkling.

"And then, of course, lastly we have Ryan and Nick. The perfect couple." We both smiled at the thought of those two. "We both know they're madly in love, even though they've only known each other for a short time. They definitely do not need any help from us."

"Help?" AJ smirked knowingly. "Who said anything about help?"

Our eyes met across the table, and we both grinned. If there was anything that we could do tonight to occupy ourselves, it was help out our friends in their relationships.

"So who's up for a game of matchmaker?" I said evilly.

"I'm up for anything you can toss my way," AJ responded.

"Just what are you implying?" I said, pretend shock in my voice.

We both got comfortable in our chairs at the small wooden table and prepared ourselves for the long night ahead of us. It was time to devise a plan of action.

~

Continue to chapter twenty

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