“ Sssshhhhhh!!!!” AJ rolled over, wondering if the whispers were part of his dream. The leather couch squeaked as if someone sat on it. Jesus, he felt tired as hell still. Keeping his eyes shut, he realized he heard voices upstairs, and little kids running around. Who the hell was here this early? “ He’s asleep!” Came another whisper and he opened his eyes to see six pairs of eyes staring at him. He looked back before his head hit the pillow again and he shut his eyes. THis was getting better and better. On top his sleepiness, his privacy was being invaded. He listened as the stairs creaked and someone else joined them. “ What are you guys doing?” Came a female’s voice. “ SSssshhh! He’s asleep!” A little girl practically shrieked. More eyes on him. He groaned inwardly before he sat up. “ How may I help you, ladies?” He asked groggily, making sure the blanket was covering him. He scanned the group of girls and figured their ages ranged from around 4 to 12, except for the older one who had just walked in. She looked around 18. No one replied and he stared at them before the little one with blonde pigtails burst out giggling. “ You’re not wearing a shirt!” She exclaimed, still laughing. He looked at his watch. Only 9:30. He exhaled before looking at the group again. “ Um...Do you guys need something or...?” “ You’re AJ from the Backstreet Boys,” The 11 year old said giddily. “ Yeah...I am. Who are you guys?” “ Ken’s our uncle,” The eighteen year old spoke up. “ Really?” Pity for them. “ Your mom said we could come downstairs and-” “ Stare at me while I’m sleeping?” He asked, amused. The room was filled with an awkard silence on their part. “ Okay, girls, I’d love to sit and chat with you but I’m kind of tired,” “ We don’t mind!” Another one said, sitting at the foot of his bed. He chuckled and glanced at the eighteen year old for some help but she just grinned and shrugged. “ You can go ahead and sleep...” Said the eleven year old, settling down also. “ I’m not tired anymore but I need to change,” He hinted, silently cursing himself for being lazy after his shower and not bothering to wear anything but his boxers. “ I read you sleep naked!” The twelve year old said, a bit too excitedly, scaring him slightly. “ Well...” He looked up when Ken entered the room. “ Good! You’re awake, Alex.” He said cheerfully, looking at the group of kids. “ I sent them down to wake you,” Annoyance pricked at AJ; this guy was trying too hard. “ Thanks, man. How about I come upstairs after I change?” He asked the girls. “ Lena, let’s get some breakfast,” Ken said warmly to the 18 yr. old. Thanks, he had sent them down and now he was leaving him with them. AJ sighed and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around himself as he got up, sending the girls into a fit of giggles. He ducked in the bathroom and washed up before slipping on some clothes and returning to the main area of the den. “ Your phone is ringing,” The twelve year old said importantly. AJ looked at the caller ID off his cell and decided he didn’t want to talk to Kevin at the moment. “ Yeah! Cara’s here!” The little shrieked as they all heard a car pull in and doors open. She ran up the stairs and AJ turned to the others. “ Who’s Cara?” “ She’s our cousin. She loooves you!” This is where he makes his getaway. “ Really? Terrific...” He muttered the last part before grabbing his phone, wallet, and Marlboros and motioning for the girls to follow him upstairs. No way was he going to let them stay here alone with his stuff. He found his mom in the kitchen, fixing coffee. “ Good morning! Did you sleep well?” “ My neck hurts,” He complained, letting on that he was uncomfortable last night. “ Aaw. I’m sorry,” She replied absently. “ Do you want breakfast?” She asked him, dodging a group of kids who ran into the kitchen, chasing after Denise’s cat. “ Who are all these people?” He asked, watching as the poor cat was cornered. “ Oh. We invited Ken’s family here for the long weekend,” “ Long...?” “ Alex, honey, it’s President’s Day Monday.” “ Oh...” AJ looked lost in thought for a few seconds before he jumped when one of the kid’s bumped into him. “ Ma? Where are they staying?” He asked, not wanting to know. “ Here and there,” “ Here and there? What does that mean? The kids are gonna sleep in the den with me?” “ I’m not sure yet. Have some breakfast. You look tired.” “ Yeah, well I don’t apreciate Ken sending down people to wake me up.” He grumbled. “ Alex, come on, not now,” He looked at her. She was treating him like he hadn’t left, with the same annoyed tone she had when she was getting impatient. “ Good to see how welcome I am here,” He muttered. “ I’m not eating here. I need to take care of some things-” “ You have to be back by dinner, I want you to meet everyone,” “ Fine,” He said shortly. “ I’ll see you later, Ma,” “ Do you need a car? You can take mine; I don’t need it today,” “ Okay, thanks.” He headed towards the back door and left, his nerves grating...
****** Dinner. He had forgotten completely about it. He was too absorbed in the fact that he hadn’t thought of Valentine’s day at all. It had passed by. Yesterday. He gave an ironic chuckle. He had been dreading the day since they had broken up and yet it passed and it slipped his mind. He found himself wondering, as he had countless times before, what she was doing, who she was with and if she had been alone yesterday. He let out a sigh, trying to concentrate on the movie in front of him. “ You hungry, Aje?” Nick asked, glancing at his watch. AJ looked up, something clicking in his mind but not sure exactly what. “ Uh...Yeah....” He answered slowly, trying to figure out what was bugging him. Nick stood up and walked off in the direction of the kitchen in search of something for them to eat. AJ had come here after wandering around at a mall nearby, getting carried away with his urge to drive and ending up closer to Nick’s than his Mom’s house. They had spent some time playing basketball but for the majority of the night, they had been planted in the living room with the TV. AJ hit pause on the movie and tapped his fingers, looking around the room and at the clock. 7:45...What was he supposed to do today? He racked his brain and couldn’t think of an answer when it suddenly hit him. “ Shit,” He muttered, getting up from the couch and looking for his keys. “ What’s wrong?” Nick asked, re-entering the room. “ I promised my Mom I’d be back for dinner with Kennith’s family.” He located his keys and looked at the clock again. She used to start dinner at 7:00 and there was no way he’d make it back by 8:15. He exhaled, deciding he was already too late to rush. “ I gotta head back, Nick. Thanks for the company, Man,” They said goodbye and AJ got in the car he had borrowed from his Mom. He started the engine and backed out, weary of the evening and feeling himself drifting into another funk. And he was frustrated. Sick and weary were the two words that came into mind when he thought of himself without her and it was just getting a little too pathetic. Things here had continued when he had left and had resumed when he returned, as if he hadn’t been away for the past two years. If things were still the same, why wasn’t he? Why had so much changed with him? He wanted things to feel like they used, to feel sane. But now, here he was, walking in a stormy haze and feeling like shit. And he couldn’t leave just yet, it was too late. He had to stick around for a while. He had thought then when he saw his Mother, saw all of his family, he would know where he was headed but nothing here had helped in clearing his head. If anything, they brought him down even more. He was sick of how complicated things were nowadays...Or was he just making them out like that? It was like plague had stuck on him and he couldn’t manage to get rid of it. He stopped at a red light and tapped his fingers on the wheel, in time to the music he had on, marveling at his own jitteryness. ‘ You don’t look happy anymo-’... Damn. He was doing it again. Reflection had become his adversary, his foe. As if it wasn’t enough in his dreams, now memories were haunting him when he was awake. The light changed and he hit the gas pedal a little too hard, the tires screeching as he took off in the direction of his Mom’s...
