"Guys?" Summer interrupted our moment. "AJ, you've got to go to the venue, it's 5:30. Besides, I think Cass and I need to have a nice long chat."
AJ nodded and kissed me on the cheek. "You'll be ok when I'm gone?" he asked as he stood up.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Have a good show!" I reasured him, and watched him walk out the door.
Summer came over to the bed and sat down beside me. "First, how are you?" she asked, obviously concerned.
"I think I'll be ok, I'm just sore, and a little shaken up. Don't I need to go to the hospital for a check-up, and the police station for a statement?" I asked her.
"Well, this is what happened. After AJ found you, he sent his security guys after Jord, and they caught him. He's guarded, and not going anywhere. We called the hospital, and they said that you can go in tomorrow morning to get checked out, which we thought was good, so we let you sleep. We'll go to the hospital first thing in the am, and then with their records, we'll take Jord to the police station. He'll be behind bars in no time." Summer concluded.
"That's definitly a huge relief. At least I know I won't be pregnant, seeing as I've been on birth control since forever." I sighed. "But I think that all this just hasn't hit me yet..."
"Well, we're all here to help you through it... me, AJ, the rest of the guys..."
"Speaking of the rest of the guys, Summer, what is going on with you and Nick? He was being very 'supportive' earlier..." I smiled, as she started to turn red. "Fill me in!"
"Well, I talked to him. It was probably the hardest thing I've done in a long time, but I did it. We sat down, and I said, 'Nick, I really like you, and I would like to take the next step in out relationship, but I need to know how you feel.' Lord, that was the worst! I thought he was going to laugh! You can't imagine how long I practiced saying that!" Summer laughed at herself, remembering how awkward she had felt.
"So I take it he felt the same way?" I prodded her on in her story.
"Well, yeah! I was so happy, I think I giggled..." Summer blushed. She hardly ever giggles. "So he said, 'I was actually thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to make a move incase it would ruin our friendship...' Right out of a story book! And then he moved toward me and tucked my hair behind my ear, letting his fingers stay there for a moment. I swear, Cass, my heart was gonna bust out of my chest! And then, soft and sweet, he kissed me..." she sighed, sitting back against the headboard.
"Yeah, and how long did it stay 'soft and sweet' there, Summ? I know you better than that..." I laughed as she smiled.
"Well, of course I turned up the heat pretty quick, I'd wanted to do that for ages!" she laughed out loud. "Damn, he is a good kisser too!" She looked at me, waiting for me to say something.
"What?" I asked, not knowing what she wanted me to say.
"So... you and AJ... fill me in..."
"Oh... right. Well. I was incredibly spazed after... you know. And I didn't want him to touch me, let alone kiss me. I guess I bit his head off. Remind me to apologize for that later. Anyway, as he was getting up, mad, he told me that he loved me. I was crying too hard for it to register right away, but when it did I was shocked. I mean, how can someone love me after that?" I sniffled.
Summer rubbed my back gently. "It's not hard. How could we not love you?"
"Oh Geez..." fat tears rolled down my cheeks. "You had to go and say that, didn't you?" I smiled as I wiped them with the blanket, recognizing more dark circles being formed. "Anyway, when he came the second time, he said it again, and I argued with him. After I was done my rant, he took my face in my hands and looked me in the eye. I was going to die right there, I swear it. Become a big puddle in the bed." I paused and sighed at the memory.
"What did he say!!!!" Summer commanded to know, getting impatient.
"Hold your horses! Geez..." I teased her. "He looked me in the eye and said 'Cassandra Aspen. Listen to me. I love you. I said it, I mean it, I can and I do.' God, I nearly broke down!"
"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" Summer gushed. "Wow!" She smiled, her grin almost the size of mine. "What do you think they're doing right now?" she asked, dreamy.
"Well, it's what, 6? The show doesn't start till 7:30. Probably backstage chilling out. I wish I was there... sucks that I can't move..." I stated, reminded of the earlier events as I shifted my weight.
"I'm really glad that you're dealing ok. I was worried sick." she hugged me.
"Well, I think it'll be a day by day thing. Who knows what will bring back the memories... but for now, I'm good. Hey, do you remember that time when we were 14 and we got so freaked out by the Ouija board?" I asked, totally off topic, but I needed to be distracted.
"That time with your sister and Paul? When Emily swore that her 'guardian angel' would protect us all? That was so funny. Scary then, I guess, funny now. That thing circled 6 so many times... was it you that threw the cross on it?" she asked.
"Yeah, that was me... and it went psyco! Spinning all over the place... I think we threw it under the couch. That was so scary! And people say that they aren't real..." I shivered, remembering the cold feeling of my basement that night.
"The best was tucking your 16 year old sister into bed... and checking her closet and under the bed to make sure it was 'safe'. Lord. I love your sister though, even when she's a pain in the butt." Summer laughed.
We've been friends so long, we have our whole lives worth of memories together. "Ya, Sis is great. Remember my 17th birthday when she took us to the concert and we stayed at her apartment? That was so much fun, especially taking the train there."
"Yeah, and remember yelling stuff in the middle of the night at the drunk people that were out? It was a Saturday, right? People can never tell where you are when you're on an 18th story balcony..."
We talked that night until we both fell asleep on my bed with all of the lights on. It wasn't late, only about 11:30, but it had been a long day for both of us.
