Starr had been pacing in front of AJ for more than twenty minutes. AJ massaged his neck and sighed.
"She should be here soon, don't worry." Starr stopped and rested her hands on her hips as she glaned out of the gigantic window.
"Why do you seem so nervous?" AJ handn't seen Starr like this since her movie extra audition two weeks ago.
"Because...you don't know my Mom. I always have to be so perfect for her," Starr exhaled deeply, "She doesn't expect me too, but if I'm not, I feel like I've let her down. I know I'm not on top of things right now, and I look like crap. She's gonna be so dissapointed." Her mouth made a cute little frown and she stared at her feet. AJ got up to comfort her and tell her she was the most beautiful thing in the world, but was distracted as a huge object carrying their purpose pulled in front of them. Starr grabbed his hand and yanked him along her side.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, people started flooding out of the small door way that seemed as though it was going to burst by all the sudden traffuc. She was on her tip-toes looking around franticly for her Mom. A heavy set, pink cheeked women stepped slowly out and smiled as she spotted her daughters exastic gestures from behind the red velvet rope.
"I missed you so much!" Starr threw her hands around the womens neck and kissed her cheek. Ms. Axen hugged back just as enthusiasticly and jittered as she did. "Mom, this is AJ."
AJ smiled and nodded his head as he hugged his girlfriends Mom. "Nice to meet you finally."
"You too. Wow, are you something." She stood back and admirred the casual AJ. The loose, knitted sweater hung over the waist of his faded blue jeans, which were slightly scrunched around his brown sandles. The pale green made his eyes almost shine. You could tell that he saw things in bright colors. Everything so clear and distinct. She squinted unoticabley at the tattoos decorating his arm, but decided the rest of him was nice.
"Thank you." He put his hands in his pocket and watched the women reunite.
After getting her luggage from the claim, where AJ tried his best to keep his tempure as the little old lady inf ront of them took what seemed years to find out which bags were hers, they headed to the car.
"Where am I staying?" Jan (Starr's Mom) asked with a hint of accusation in her voice.
"Well I never had a chance to tell you, but I moved in with AJ. Sai had to move back to India last minute, so I didn't have time or the money just yet to find a new place. He has a really nice house." She directed a smile next to her.
"That's good. Nothing's worse than a dirty man. Can't stand 'em. You know how your Dad was always a slob." An awkward silence errupted as "Dad" was spoken. Her Mom turned her head to the back seat. "Do you have a Dad, Alex?"
"I do, but my parents got divorced when I was six. So I don't really talk to him much." He kept a content smile as he answered.
"That's a shame. I wish all marriges could work. I know how hard it is, expecially on the kids. It's better that they divored while you were still young, rather than older. You didn't have much time to get used to having a Dad."
"Yeah, I kept telling myself that when I realized I was the only one out of my friends with no Dad to take me fishing, or have those man-to-man talks." AJ turned his head to the window and wished she would change the subject.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring back memories, I'll just shut my big mouth now." She quietly laughed.
"We're going to take you out tonight. After you settle in, ok?" Starr smiled and griped the steering wheel. She always got nervous with her Mom next to her nagging about the way she drives. "Starr! Your exit is coming up! Hurry and get in the right lane!" "What was that?! Do you want your Mother to die single, is that what you want??"
But not one escrustiating, well over-exagerated peep escaped her pastel pink painted lips. They just curved silently and remained that way for the next 30 minutes.
"That sounds great."
AJ awoke to a steamy aroma of sausages and eggs. He loved waking up to that. It brought back memories of when he was a young boy back at home. They were usualy just microwave breakfasts, but they were good. He turned to his side and watched Starr sleep. She was so quiet and rhythmic. He hated to have to wake her from what seemed like such a heaven;y place to be.
"Starr?" He shook her so lightly he wondered if she'd even wake up. Her eye's opened slowly. "Wake up baby. Your Mom's out cookin'. We can't let her do that..."
Starr pulled AJ back down as he began getting up. She smiled and kissed him so roughly it was the softess kiss he'd ever been given. "Just lay here with me for awhile."
"Ok." He layed his head softly on her stomach and stroked her arm. He could feel her breathing get softer and looked up to make sure hadn't fallen asleep again. When his eyes reached her face, he paused. A bask ray of sunlight cascaded Starr's face, making her seem angelic and spiritual. AJ couldn't help but stare as the image bombarded his every thought and made him weak-kneed.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She had a concered frown dancing on her lips. She started laughing at the expression that was stuck on her boyfriends face. "AJ?" She leaned forward and pinched his cheeks as if slapping him out of a daze.
"Sorry, you just looked so...beautiful...it was weird."
"Oh! So you're saying because I looked beautiful, it was weird cause I never look beautiful?" She joked with him and punched his arm.
"No! I-"
"Oh whatever AJ, let's go eat." She smiled at him as she hoped out of bed and walked to the kitchen. He stayed at the end of the bed, thinking about what just happened. He couldn't explain to her what he saw. It was almost historic. Thoughts starting forming in his mind, "What if she's really an Angel? What if I'm supposed to die soon and she's here to protect me. Or maybe another Angel was here and that's who I saw. But Angels only come around when someone's about to die..." he just shook his head and joined Starr and Jan.
"There is someone special," Starr looked at AJ then back to her mom, "other than you, who I want you to see today."
"Really? He...she...?"
"It's a guy I met somewhere. I know you're gonna love him."
"I can't wait." Jan smiled at he daughter and plopped bubbeling sausauges in front of her. Suddenly the phone rang. Starr jumped up to get it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Starr?" A perky, social voice asked with enthusium.
"Yes, who is this?"
"Hi Starr, It's Marta. I wanted to let you know today wouldn't be a good day to visit Adrien. He's going on a field trip with some of his friends."
"Oh..." She said sadly. "I was kind of hoping to intorduce him to my Mom. I guess I can come...tomorrow."
"Well Adrien's birthday is tomorrow."
"Really? Ohmigod. He never told me. Mine is tommorrow also. Maybe I'll come and surprise him. Ok, well thanks for calling." Starr hung up and hopped back to the table, so perky she looked like a cheerleader on her way to a pep rally.
"Who was that?"
"It was Marta from the hospital." She answered AJ's question. "Mom, we're going to go tommorrow to see him, ok?"
"Ok. I'm only going to be here until Thursday, remember, so we'll have to get all these things in."
"We will. This is the one most important thing to me though. We only have to spend thirty minutes at the most there...please?"
"I'll go, I'm just letting you know the short schedule I have. I want to go." She sat down and sipped her milk.
A dam of jealousy began flowing beind AJ's eyes. It seemed like the most important thing in Starrs life was Adrien right now. Like he didn't even exsist. He was just a set of lips to kiss and pair of hands to hold. He hated being the type to get jealous, but it was so strong right now, it felt like it would burst through his chest.
"Starr, can I talk to you in the room please?"
"Ok..." She scrunched her eyebrows and followed.
When she came into the room, AJ was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the ground.
"What's the matter?" She sat next to him and rubbed his shoulders. She squinted at how tense they were.
"I wish so bad I wasn't like this Starr. But I think any other guy would too. You have been spending almost more time with Adrien than me."
"AJ, I'm just really close to him. I have no feelings for him at all. Oh God, if you knew what I was trying to say, you would understand." Starr got up and began pacing in front of him, her hands gesturing her emotions. "I do have feelings for him-"
"What?" AJ's heart sunk.
"Let me finish! They aren't feelings like that. I don't want to fuck him or marry him, AJ. It's just a bond that we formed the day we met. I wish you wouldn't be doing this. I wish you could understand. Please understand." Starr got on her knees next to AJ and held his hand with both of hers. "Believe me when I say that I love you and no one else."
AJ looked away while Starr begged. Silence over-came the room and the two accomplices within it.
"I've tried too. Believe me, I have. But when your own girlfriend would rather spend time with another guy then you, it comes as a sign."
"You're right. Ohimigod, I'm so sorry. I haven't even noticed I've been doing that." Starr got up and sat next to him again. She stared at the ground for awhile. She was surprised to see AJ staring at her when she lifted her head.
"It's almost sickening how much I love you."
"Sickening? Nice choice of words." She laughed. AJ had the cutest expression on his face, she couldn't help but kiss him.
AJ kissed back passionatly. He didn't know if when they fought turned him on so much, but he wanted Starr even more than ever right now. He lowered his hand to the bottom of her shirt, then started lifting it up slowly.
Starr went along with it until reality rang. She pushed his hands away softly and kissed his neck. When he began kissing her chest, she threw her head back and exhaled deeply. "Of all times for my Mom to be here...ugh." She ran her nails along the back of his neck.
He stopped when she said that. "I forgot she was even here." He sat up and looked frustrated. Starr got up and leaned into whisper in his ear, "I'll take care of that."
AJ sat and listened to the short, soft conversation between Starr and her Mom. After a few minutes of convincing, AJ heard the front door shut and footsteps coming back to the room. Starr walked in and shut the door softly. She turned around and smiled, "Done."
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Starr, Happy Birthday to you!" The class sang as Starr walked in, surprised by the sudden outburst.
"Thank you!" She smiled and sat in her seet. She looked down at AJ who was smiling up at her graciously.
That was the third time she'd been sung that song to today. She never thought these words would come out of her mouth, but the song was getting annoying.
From the dozen red fire-roses to the big lunch with AJ, Jason, Jamie and her Mom, the one thing she was looking forward to today was seeing Adrien.
"This way Mom," she held her Mom's hand and led her to the 4th floor of the 50-year old hospital. The anticipation reached it's final climax at the last step of the stair case. As she turned the corner, a bouquet of balloons caught her eye. She saw familiar little bodies sitting around a table...some sitting on the ground and others wondering around. She smiled at Marta and Jean who were standing across the room.
"Starr!" She heard a muffled, excited voice.
"Adrien! Happy birthday sweetie!" She turned around to a precious smile with eyes like that of a small child coming down the stairs to a luciously decorated Christmas tree lined to the rim with voluptuous gifts and large, sparkling red bows. As she hugged him, she could hear her Mom gasp. A gasp she could tell her Mom tried to hush, but it was so broud, almost everyone in the room turned around in curiousity. When she faced her Mom, her hand was to her mouth with glossy eyes and a terrified expression.
"Mom?" She walked to her and put her hand lightly on her shoulder. "What's the matter?" Her Mom just stood in shock, staring right at Adrien.
"It couldn't be...no..." She began shaking her head and moving backwards so slowy, you'd think she was floating on a cloud in reverse.
By now, Adrien began questioning the situation. It looked like that little child's presents had been thrown away and the tree burnt down, leaving nothing but falling pine needles on his first Chirstmas morning.
"Is that really Adrien?" Her Mother gained sanity. "Is it really you?" Tears invisibly appeared in the gutter of her eye socket. "Adrien...Adrien baby..." She walked stiffly to him and wrapped her arms around his shivering neck.
Starr stood in amazment, shock and severe confusion. Why had her Mom acted so horrified when she saw Adrien? Why did she call him Adrien Baby? What the hell is going on?
"Starr...," Her Mom sniffed and wiped tears away from her dark eyes, "Adrien is your brother."