The Gift

Chapter 6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They didn't speak much on the way home. Lainie drove, since Nick wasn't familiar with the backroads they had to travel to get back into town, and it was very dark by then. Of course, there were no street lights that far out in the country. Nick thumbed through the CD case she brought with her and popped one in the player, and immediately made his song selection.

You've got your ball
You've got your chain
Tied to me tight tie me up again
Who's go their claws in you my friend
Into your heart I'll beat again
Sweet like candy to my soul
Sweet you rock and sweet you roll
Lost for you I'm so lost for you

You come crash into me
     and I come into you
I come into you
In a boys dream
In a boys dream

Touch your lips just so I know
In your eyes, love, it glows so
I'm bare-boned and crazy for you
When you come crash into me, baby
      and I come into you
In a boys dream

If I've gone overboard
Then I'm begging you to forgive me
In my haste
When I'm holding you so girl...
        close to me

Oh and you come crash
         into me baby
And I come into you
Hike your skirt up a little more
         and show the world to me
Hike up your skirt a little more
         and show your world to me
In a boys dream.... In a boys dream

Oh I watch you there through the window
And I stare at you
You wear nothing, but you wear it so well
Tied up and twisted the way I'd like to be
For you, for me, come crash into me...

"So you like Dave Matthews?" Lainie asked, once the song was over. It was the only thing she could think of to say, and the silence was killing her.

"I like this song," Nick replied. "It reminds me of you. This can be our song."

"Our song, huh?" Lainie laughed. "I wasn't aware we were at that stage in our relationship."

"Sure we are. We have to have a song," Nick laughed. "Music is my life. You think I'm gonna fall for a girl and not have a song that reminds me of her?"

"So you're falling for me?" Lainie said, laughing harder.

"Damn straight. Falling hard and fast," Nick replied, nodding his head. "Will you catch me?"

"Oh that was a bad, bad line," Lainie laughed, shaking her head. "Couldn't you think of something more creative than 'will you catch me?'. I mean, damn, Nick. That was pretty bad."

"Well SORRRRY!" Nick exclaimed in mock sarcasm.

"I'm kidding," Lainie said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, me too," Nick said, smiling at her. He held her hand as she drove, and he played Crash Into Me once more.

"Kidding about falling for me?" she asked. Half of her wanted him to say yes. The other half was begging for him to say no.

"What do you think?" he asked, smirking at her.

"I don't know what to think."

"Well, I guess you're shit out of luck, aren't you?" Nick laughed.

"Come on. Don't curse. I've already told you it's unattractive." She laughed with him, but her heart wasn't in it.

When they reached the big old house, Lainie noticed a black convertible Mercedes parked in the driveway. Her brow furrowed and she strained to see if she could figure out who it belonged too, but it was too dark out.

"Well fuck a monkey," Nick muttered. "It's AJ..."
***********************************
Lainie felt cold all over as she walked behind Nick. As they approached the porch, AJ hopped out of the swing and called out to them.

"Well it's about fucking time you got back! I've been waiting for... shit... 3 hours at least! Hell, I've made two trips to McDonalds and I've gotta piss like a racehorse," AJ laughed.

"You weren't supposed to be here until Monday, you dumb fuck," Nick chuckled.

My gosh, Lainie thought. Could the cuss just a little more? Sheesh! It was like being at a sailor's convention.

"I know," AJ said. "I moved all of her stuff out of my house, and it was so empty, I just had to get out of there. I got lonely. I figured you wouldn't mind, being that you didn't wanna come here to begin with. So are you bored out of your mind yet?"

Lainie's eyes grew wide. Nick hadn't even wanted to come? To his own uncle's funeral? Why did he stay if he didn't want to come to begin with? It made no sense.

"AJ, this is Lainie. She was Uncle Edward's nurse, and his best friend," Nick said sheepishly.

"Hmmmm best friend, huh? Hey, I just lost my best friend last week, so I have an opening in that category. You wanna be my new best friend?" AJ asked, eyeing her lasciviously.

Lainie felt a sudden urge to run and hide under her bed. This was a nightmare. He was taunting her.

"Hands off, McLean," Nick laughed, his arm draping protectively around Lainie's shoulder.

"Ahhh I see how it's gonna be. But Nicky, you know we share everything," AJ said, still gazing at Lainie.

"Not this time, asswipe," Nick said, playfully shoving AJ toward the front door.  Lainie walked in front of them and opened the door.

"You mean that fucking door was unlocked the whole time?" AJ exclaimed, his mouth dropping open. "You mean I drove to fucking McDonalds twice when I could have just raided your refrigerator? I was accosted at McDonalds. Now what kind of morons accost somebody in the parking lot of McDonalds, you ask? Some blonde chick and her friends... they were all over me. One of them kissed my cheek so long I'm surprised she didn't leave a hickey. She didn't leave a hickey did she?"

"We hardly ever lock our doors around here," Lainie explained, ignoring the rest of his comments. "There's no need. We don't have any crime or anything."

"Well surprise, surprise, surprise!" AJ said loudly, in his best Gomer Pyle voice. "Hey, this place really is fucking Mayberry, isn't it? I wanna see the jail. Can we be like Otis and let ourselves into the cell to sleep it off if we get drunk? Oh wait, I don't do that shit anymore. Never mind."

Lainie was very nervous as she turned on the lights and made her way into the kitchen. She threw the keys down onto the counter and listened to her messages.

"Hey Lainie, this is Chip. I was just calling to see if you were free next Friday. I've got tickets to see *Nsync in Pensacola, and I thought you might wanna go. Just call me."  Lainie rolled her eyes.

"What??" Nick called out from the living room "Don't you dare!"

"Are you talking to me?" Lainie called back.

"Hell yeah I'm talking to you. Don't you dare go see the Sink boys! I'll never forgive you!" he chortled.

"Why the hell would you wanna go see those cheesedicks anyway?" AJ laughed. "They're just a bunch of fucking asskissers anyway. Justin and his backup singers."

"Be nice," Lainie called back.

"I'm always nice," AJ yelled. "I'm the nicest guy in the world. You just haven't learned to appreciate me yet."

"Great," Lainie muttered to herself, opening the refrigerator to see what she could possibly cook for dinner. Um... leftover pizza. Yuck. Chicken? Nope. It had been sitting in the fridge since before Edward died. They'd get botulism or something if she fixed that. Lunch meat for cold sandwiches? Nope. Ugh. It was time to hit the grocery store.

"Well, guys," she said, entering the living room, "we've got no food for dinner. There are a few restaurants in town. Probably not up to your usual 5-star dining standards, but they're pretty good."

"Hell, I'd eat shit on a shingle right now," AJ said. "I'm starving."

"But I thought you went to McDonalds twice," Lainie said, confused.

"You have to excuse Alex here, Laine," Nick laughed. "We're convinced he's got a tapeworm. He eats every two hours. Without fail. And he never gains weight, either. It's disgusting."

"Yeah, unlike you, huh, Doughboy," AJ laughed, popping Nick's stomach.

"Shut up," Nick sulked. "I look fine."

"Yes you do," Lainie agreed, smiling in his direction. She wasn't about to let AJ make Nick feel bad about himself. Never. "In fact, I kind of like a guy with some meat on his bones. Who wants to hang onto a skinny guy when you can put your arms around big, broad shoulders?" She winked at Nick and went back into the kitchen.

"Huh? What? She's been putting her arms around your big, broad shoulders?" AJ laughed. "Is there something I should know, Nicky?"

"Nope," Nick smirked. "Not a damn thing you should know."

"Hey Lainie! Commere and touch my tummy. It's as hard as a rock. Unlike Doughboy, I do my situps. Come on! I dare ya! If you touch my stomach, you won't be able to stop yourself from touching everything else!" AJ yelled, laughing like a hyena. "LAINIE!!!! Come here!!!"

Lainie went back into the living room and stood in front of AJ, her tiger eyes blazing. He was being an ass. He was being mean and deliberately disrespectful to Nick, and it was making her mad. This was going to stop. She mustered all the courage she could and placed her hands on her hips.

"Stand up," she said calmly, staring right into AJ's gorgeous brown eyes. He smiled a sexy smile and did as she asked. She yanked his shirt up and ran her hands, which she had just removed from the ice container in the freezer, over his firm stomach.

"AHHH!!! Oh my GOD! Your hands are fucking FREEZING!" AJ screamed, jumping back. He tripped over the edge of the sofa and fell back onto it.

"There. I have felt your stomach. Are you happy?" she asked, placing her hands back on her hips. "To be honest, I prefer my men built a little more like men. Sorry to disappoint you."

AJ stared at her for a second, confused. Then a smile broke out over his face. "I like you," he said, nodding his head. "Nick, I like this one. She's got balls."

Lainie rolled her eyes and walked to the stairs. "Oh yeah. I've got balls," she muttered. "They're so freakin' huge, I don't even see how I can still walk."

She could hear them laughing hysterically as she trudged up the staircase to get a shower.
**************************
"Well, well! It's not often that we get celebrities in here," Debbie laughed, showing them to their table.

"And it's not often that I eat at restaraunts at the end of an airport runway, either," AJ laughed.

The Airport was a tiny little restaraunt in the middle of a field at the end of the Eufaula Airport runway. If you could really call the Eufaula Airport an "airport". Basically, it was a landing strip in the middle of nowhere. The place was dimly lit, with only about ten tables.

"Don't let the appearance fool you," Lainie laughed. "Tom, the chef, makes the best steaks I've ever had in my life. And the desserts are incredible. Ok, so I haven't ever been to any really, really nice restaurants, but I know good food when I eat it. Believe me."

Nick ordered a bottle of wine and poured Lainie a glass. She looked uncomfortably at AJ, who ordered a Mountain Dew. She felt bad drinking in front of him. It just seemed rude. He noticed her discomfort.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm fine," he said, smiling. "I'm all happy over here with my caffeine. You two get toasted if you want. It's all good."

Lainie sipped her wine and smiled back at him nervously. Nick and AJ chattered between themselves as if they hadn't see each other in years. Lainie just sat back and listened quietly. It was entertaining. They talked and gossiped about people like a couple of old hens.

"He's a dick."
"She's screwing him. You know she is."
"Can you believe she actually thought she looked good in that outfit?"

It was hilarious. After dinner, the guys were completely stuffed.

"Well, I stand duly corrected," AJ said rubbing his full stomach. "This place is awesome. You were right. That was the best steak I've ever had in my life."

"Told you," Lainie said, finishing the last of her wine. She wasn't used to drinking, and she was feeling a little tipsy. Nick poured the last glass out of the bottle and downed it quickly.

"Damn. Who would have ever thought I'd be a designated driver," AJ laughed, shaking his head.

"Not me. That's for damn sure," Nick giggled.

"Fuck you, Carter," AJ spat. But he was only kidding. Even Lainie could see that.

"You guys ready head home?" Lainie asked.

"I'm ready to hit the town," AJ said, standing from the table and throwing his napkin down. "Wait, is there anywhere to go in this town that's worth hitting?"

"Well..." Lainie thought, "there's the hotel bar at Eagle Point Resort. That's where everybody goes around her on Saturday nights. They have live music and stuff til about 3am. If you really want to, we could go there."

Lainie had only been there once, and it was a nightmare. It was back in the days before she lost the weight, and Jan and her friends had tormented her until she had left the bar in tears. She had never been back. She was really hoping AJ would say he didn't want to go.

"Sounds like a plan," AJ said, walking towards the door. He stopped to pay for dinner and handed Debbie a wad of money. Debbie's eyes grew huge as she counted it. AJ walked out without waiting for any change. Lainie sighed and got up to follow.

"If you don't want to, we can go home," Nick said sympathetically.

"No. It's fine. Really," she said, trying to sound convincing.

"Ok then. Let's go. Let's just hope he doesn't embarrass us too bad," Nick laughed, holding her hand as they walked out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 alternate chapter back to tales.home