The conversation grew boring until Kristen looked right at me.
"So Stephanie, what do you do for a living? Theresa already told us she's a make up artist. Do you work with her?"
"Yeah, I'm the host of TRL. I was just another VJ until Carson took an extended vacation." I replied, glancing up from my plate for a moment.
"Oh, really. You don't really look that part but I bet you fit in. Being Aj's cousin probably had some major help with it." She responded, causing me to grit my teeth. Aj looked at me to tell me not to get angry, knowing how hard I had worked for that job without ever mentioning once that I was even related to a Backstreet Boy.
"Actually, me being related to Aj didn't leak out to the public until after I got my job." I stated, trying not to sound defensive about it.
"Oh, had any boyfriends lately?" She asked yet another question. I suddenly wished she would stop treating me like a little kid she's trying to make friends with.
"A few…" I answered simply.
"Oh, don't be modest. I'm sure you've been with tons of guys. Shoot, I would be too if I didn't already have the best of the best…"
That is what really set me off. She may not have meant it the way I heard it, but it seemed to me that she was calling me a slut. I may have had a few minor relationships, but I was in no way easy, or willing to be called easy by anyone.
"Excuse me but you have no right to make accusations about my sex life. Personally I would prefer you keep your fucking nose out of my business." I felt Nick's had close over mine to get me to calm down but today had been too fucked up for me to calm down any time soon. "Pardon me, but I've lost my appetite."
I quickly stood from the table and tossed my napkin down, leaving the room quickly. I felt everyone's stares as I headed for some other room of the house. I found Aj's study and hurried in, closing the pocket doors behind me. I felt such frustration that I kicked Aj's large oak desk, immediately regretting it. I sat down to examine my toes and noticed a drawer had popped open. I pulled it open to find a pack of Marborol Lights and a lighter.
"Thank you Aj!" I sighed, pulling one out and lighting it up quickly. I inhaled and coughed a little, having quit sometime ago, only smoking one when I desperately needed it. Aj suddenly walked in, shutting the doors quickly after seeing what I was doing.
"What has gotten into you?" He demanded, pulling the cigarette from my mouth and inhaling it deeply. "Kristen didn't mean it that way. She was just trying to be nice."
"Excuse me, but she has no right to imply that I have had many guys or that I use the fact that you're my cousin to get what I want."
"I know Honey. But she didn't mean for it to come out like that. She feels really bad for making you upset." He handed the cigarette back and let me take one last puff before stealing it away to inhale the last little bit, then ground it into the ashtray on the desk.
"Today has been a very shitty day and that didn't help in the slightest. You go ahead and go back to the party. I'm not feeling very social this evening." I sighed, standing up and leaving the room, heading for mine this time. Little did I realize someone was following behind me.
**********
Aj rejoined the dinner party, noting another vacant seat. He shrugged it off as Theresa whispered softly to him.
"Is she okay?"
He just nodded, noticing everyone's now quiet conversation. Kristen looked upset, keeping her head down a little sadly. She looked up when he returned, probably wondering if I was gonna come back and fuss even more.
"I'm really sorry I said that. I didn't mean it like that…"
"It's okay Kris, she's just not having a great day. She went to lie down for a while. She'll be back down a little later." Aj interjected, watching her nod and continue to eat in silence. He turned to Theresa and found her staring at him. Her cheeks flushed pink when she realized he caught her gazing.
Theresa looked back down at her plate when Aj's eyes met hers, finding herself blushing. She felt a hand softly rest on her nearly bare thigh, rough fingertips brushing up a little further. She peeked up at him through her lashes and saw a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips, even as he chatted casually with Howie. She grinned a little and sneaked a hand under the table as well, searching for his knee but miscalculating where it was.
Aj jumped and gasped a bit as her tiny hand covered his crotch. Brian noticed his weird behavior and raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Theresa just smiled innocently as Brian looked towards her as well. He gave them both a disapproving glance then turned back to talking with Leighanne. Aj leaned closer to Theresa, inhaling her hair as he got to her ear.
"You keep that up, and I won't be able to wait for them to leave." He inconspicuously ran his tongue along the ridge of her ear and to the sensitive part of her neck behind her ear. She shuddered and sighed in reaction, getting a low chuckle from Aj as he moved away.
"Oh, but it's so much fun to tease you…" She responded sweetly, not caring that the entire table was now staring. She slowly massaged his package, watching his face for when he was going to make her stop entirely. To her surprise, he simply moved his hand closer to her, sneaking up her khaki skirt to taunt her through her thin panties. She bit her lip to keep from groaning, turning her face away from Aj to talk to Hailey.
"So Hailey, how long have you and… Howie been date… dating?" Her words were stressed from the attention she was receiving from Aj under the table.
"Eleven months next week." The model-like brunette smiled, leaning against Howie slightly.
"Really, that's sooo… mm… cute…" She mumbled, involuntarily shifting closer to Aj's hand.
**********
I fell onto my bed, emotionally exhausted from that day. I wanted nothing more than to just curl up under the blankets and sleep until we had to leave. But, before I could doze off, someone knocked at the door. I mumbled a soft 'come in' figuring it was just Aj coming to tell me to stop sulking and return to the party. The door opened quietly, but did not shut so.
I shot up from the bed and noticed Kevin glaring at me. He looked very angry, I already knew about what.
"Why were you like that to her? She was just being nice…" He yelled, his green eyes looking down on me in rejection. I could no longer meet his eyes and stared at the comforter on the bed.
"I didn't mean to, it's just been a really crappy day and I took what she said the wrong way…"
"God, you act like such a child sometimes, she's just trying to be friendly and get to know you. She's probably downstairs right now very upset. I thought you had grown up at least a little."
"I'm sorry but…"
"You shouldn't be telling me sorry… And why the hell are you crying. Stop acting like a baby. Now we'll go downstairs and apologize for you little outburst."
I couldn't manage to wipe away all the tears that flooded my eyes. I started to cry in hiccups at his words feeling ashamed of myself. I felt him grab my arm tightly and start to pull me towards the door.
**********
"Hey anybody else want something to drink?" Aj smirked, slowly removing his hand from Theresa's lap. Theresa glared at him, left on the edge of satisfaction by his fingers. Aj stood from the table and wandered back into the kitchen.
Theresa wanted to follow but didn't want to look suspicious so stayed in her seat. She noticed Nick slowly stand from the table after a door upstairs slammed shut.
"And where are you going?" She asked, still trying to recover from the absence of Aj's hand.
"I gotta take a piss, ya mind?" Nick smirked, heading for the staircase and up to the second floor.
Theresa thought nothing of it, more worried about what had happened to Aj. He returned shortly to the table passing a coke to Hailey and sitting a glass in front of her.
**********
Kevin tugged me from the room, me sobbing softly. He pulled open the door and started for the stairs, stopped when Nick stepped in our path. He looked confused at us for a minute then flew off the handle.
"Kevin, what the fuck is going on? Get your fucking hands off of her!" He yelled quietly, pushing Kevin away from me and holding me tightly against him. "Are you okay, Sweetie?"
"Nick, she had no right to say those things to my girlfriend. I think she needs to go downstairs, this minute, and apologize for being a bitch."
Kevin's harsh words stung me, the fact that he had called me a 'bitch' having hurt the most. I sobbed harder against Nick and wrapped my arms around his waist. Nick rubbed my back softly to calm me a little, glaring towards Kevin.
"I think she's had enough for one day. She can apologize later. She's had a rough day and she doesn't need any help from you. To think she once actually liked you…" Nick stated without thinking. I felt my face burn like fire and pulled away from him, hurrying back to my bathroom and slamming the door. "Shit…"
Kevin just stared a little disbelieving, shaking his head. "She's still a bitch."
Nick's sky blue eyes flashed rage and he shoved Kevin back against the wall. "Don't you ever say anything like that about her again, you understand me? Ever."
Kevin moved away and headed back downstairs, muttering softly, "And to think, women have us acting like this."
Nick couldn't have agreed more with that statement. He walked back into my room and tapped softly on the bathroom door.
"Steph, please open the door… I'm sorry about everything…" I heard him almost whimper outside the door. I just stared at the door, trying to dry the multitude of tears on my face. I couldn't find my voice or enough air in the room to breathe. I suppose Nick realized the door wasn't locked, because when I closed my eyes for what seemed a second, he was standing over me.
"I'm sorry…" He muttered simply, sitting in front of me as if to wait for an answer. I nodded a reply and climbed into his lap, curling myself against him.
"Say you love me, Nick…" I muttered, the warmth of his embrace brought a little peace to me, wrapping my arms tighter around his shoulders.
"I love you…"
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Kit Kat's Stories
