~*~ Back To Reality ~*~
The party at Kevin’s lasted until almost midnight and then the couple had returned to AJ’s where they’d made love into the morning hours falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Andi woke with a start but couldn’t move. The weight of AJ’s arm and his leg draped across her kept her in place. She turned her head to see the clock. Seven AM. She had an hour before her first class. AJ had said he’d take her but as she looked at him sleeping so peacefully, she didn’t have the heart to wake him. Carefully, she untangled herself from his hold, grabbed her clothes, and headed to the bathroom to get ready.
Returning to the bedroom, she saw that AJ was still asleep. I’ll write him a note she thought and headed downstairs. She had decided to call her best friend to bum a ride since they had the same basic schedule. Standing at his desk, she made the call.
"Hey, Tabbie…I need a ride."
"Okay. I’ll be there in about 5 minutes."
"Wait a minute. I’m not at home." Seeing an envelope addressed to AJ, she read the address off and then hung up.
After talking to Tabitha, Andi dug through her backpack to find a piece of paper and pencil. Sitting down, she wrote AJ a quick note.
You looked so sweet and peaceful this morning, I didn’t want to wake you. Tabitha gave me a ride to class. Call me tonight, please. I’ll get my stuff later. Luv ya!! XXOO
Going back upstairs, she placed the note on the pillow beside him and leaned to give him a kiss.
Her wait for Tabitha wasn’t long and as her friend pulled in the driveway, she looked around quickly, closed the door, and took off for the car. She completely missed AJ coming down the steps.
As Tabitha backed out of the driveway, she was dying to know what was going on. "Okay! SPILL IT!" she finally blurted out as Andi stared at the ring on her hand. "You skipped the study session yesterday, the one YOU set up I might add. You didn’t answer your phone all freakin’ weekend, and you have me pick you up in one of THE RICHEST neighborhoods in Orlando. Did Seth hit the lottery or something?"
Andi ignored the mention of Seth. "Remember the car I hit last week?"
"Yeah, you were pretty steamed. So?"
"Well, what I DIDN’T tell you was who the driver was."
"Okay. Who was it?" asked Tabitha anxiously.
"Who is your favorite group?"
"The Backstreet Boys. You know that, but what does th….NO FUCKING WAY! You HIT one of the Backstreet Boys? Please, god, tell me it wasn’t Nick?"
"No, it wasn’t Nick. It was Alex."
"OH MY GOD! This is so awesome…well, not really, but you know what I mean. What’s that got to do with this weekend and since when do you call him Alex?" It all came out in one breath.
"I’m getting to that and I’ve called him Alex ever since he told me his friends call him that. So, when I hit him, I was coming from a job interview at that new dance club, ‘Tabu’."
"DAMN! Howie just BOUGHT that place. You don’t even LIKE the Backstreet Boys and here you are working for one of them and hitting another. Why can’t I have luck like that?"
Andi laughed, "I promise, it gets better…the story and your luck. Friday night, I worked my first night and was put in the VIP section." She went on to explain all about that night, including the time she spent with Howie.
As Tabitha parked the car, she said, "So, what about Sunday and this morning?"
Andi was still smiling. "That’s the BEST part. Howie was really tired so he decided to go home. Instead of just letting me call a cab, he called Alex to come get me. Tabitha, we’ve been together the whole time and that was HIS house you picked me up from."
Tabitha was speechless. All she could do was stare at Andi.
Andi laughed as she grabbed her backpack. Getting out of the car, she said, "Let’s go before we’re late. I wanna grab a soda before class."
Andi was half-way to the building when Tabitha caught up to her. "You’ve been with one of the sexiest men on the freakin’ east coast for the last, what, 24 hours?"
"29 to be exact," corrected Andi as she walked towards their building playing with the ring on her hand.
"Whatever!! How can you be so calm?"
"He’s just a man," smirked Andi.
"Uh huh, and Disney world is just a park."
"Very good, Tabitha," grinned Andi. Seeing the exasperation in her face, Andi said, "Okay!! Tabitha, Alex is so incredibly wonderful. He’s everything I’ve EVER dreamed about in a man…passionate, carefree, tender, attentive."
Tabitha saw the love-sick look Andi had as she talked about AJ. "Oh, girl! You are SOOOO gone. Did you sleep with him?"
Andi blushed as they reached the drink machines. "Tabitha, he was….it was…heavenly. The only thing he was worried about was pleasing me. Sunday, when we got to his place after breakfast, he was going to join me while I slept and he realized that I was scared. We talked and I told him about Seth. Tabitha…he wanted me so bad and we didn’t have any clothes on but all we did was sleep. He held me close and we slept."
"So, when did you make love?"
"That afternoon, after we woke up and then after the party we went to at Kevin’s."
The girls headed to their class. "You’ve met the other Backstreet Boys too?"
"Last night," answered Andi as she took her seat.
Tabitha sat beside her and whispered, "You are so lucky. Now for the big question."
"What about Seth?" Tabitha nodded her head, and Andi went on. "I’m gonna tell him to take a hike. I love Alex and I’m gonna be with him."
