~*~ Heads Up ~*~
It had been a month since Andi had caught AJ with the other woman and she still wasn’t ready to face him. She’d kept up with what he was doing though, thanks to Howie and Kevin. He was drinking more, keeping late hours, turning into a vampire but he hadn’t slept with another woman. The guys were worried about him and told her that he was falling apart before their eyes. She knew all she had to do was talk to him, forgive him, and he’d straighten up but she was still hurt and angry.
Now, sitting in the living room, she stared at a picture of them on their wedding day when the phone interrupted her thoughts. Looking at the caller ID, she saw ALEX MCLEAN and knew it was his cell phone. She sat frozen letting the machine pick up.
"YO! You’ve reached AJ and Andi, leave a message…. BEEP…Ha, fooled ya! Wait for the REAL beep this time."
"Andi, please…pick up the phone. I know you’re there. I called the hospital and your grandfather’s. Beautiful, please…Okay, well, I love you, Andrea."
The connection was broken and Andi began to cry. She had heard the pain in his voice and she hurt too. She did love him with every ounce of her being and she missed the feel of his body holding her close but she still had the image of that 'woman’ in his arms.
Her thoughts wandered to all the good times they’d had together but were interrupted by the phone ringing again. Once more, she let the machine pick up.
"Andi, sweetheart. This is Denise. Are you okay? Alex just called and he’s worried. Did you two have an argument? If you need to talk, you know where I am. Just call or come by. Oh, and I thought you’d want to know, Nana isn’t doing well. I told Alex too. I love you, sweetie."
Andi pulled her knees to her chest and cried harder. Why had he hurt her like this?
The phone ran again and Andi heard the machine pick up, then Howie’s voice.
"Andi, I don’t know if you’re there or not but I thought you’d want to know. AJ’s coming home for your birthday. If…"
Grabbing the phone, Andi said, "No!! You have to stop him, Howie!"
"Andi, you are there. Are you okay?"
"No," she sniffled. "I’ve been here all evening."
Howie understood. "I take it you’re not ready to face him."
"No, not yet, ‘D’."
"That’s what I thought. Look, go to my club and find John. He’ll give you the keys to my condo and you can stay there."
"Thank you."
"AJ should be there around two in the morning."
"Don’t you have shows?"
"We’ve got a few days off. If you want to stay longer at my place, you’re welcome. We’ll be headed to South America for about two weeks then we’re coming back to California to make the video for ‘More Than That’ and the Kid’s Choice Awards."
"When are you gonna be back in Orlando?"
"I’m not sure. I’ll let you know."
"Howie, how can I thank you?"
"Give a little. Let him have a little hope that you two will eventually work this out."
"What?"
"That’s up to you."
"I’ll think about it. What time does his flight leave?"
"In about an hour. He’s already headed to the airport now."
"Thanks for the heads up. I’ll talk to you later."
Hanging up, Andi sat back and began to think. She wasn’t ready to face him but she knew Howie was right. A letter. She could write him a letter but she had to be careful. The letter had to be perfect.
Going to their desk, she found stationery and a pen. For the next hour, she sat at the desk writing and rewriting the perfect letter. When she had it the way she wanted, she read it over, put it in an envelope, and sealed it. Then she reached for the phone. Without hesitation, she dialed the number and waited.
"Hey, this is AJ. You’ve reached my voice mail so leave a message."
