AJ woke to a loud pounding on the front door of the apartment he rented during their stay in Atlanta. He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of gray jogging pants and walked quickly out of his bedroom and toward the front door as the pounding continued. "All right. Just a minute." he muttered as he went to work on the chains and locks on the door.
He finally got it open and was surprised at who stood there.
"I'm sorry, AJ. I didn't know where else to go." Lily said and it was apparent that she'd been crying. "Hannah's on a business trip and Harold is staying with Brian. I can't go to my parent's house. I don't want Jeremy to see me like this..." She broke off, crying again.
AJ reached out for her and enveloped her in a hug. "Ssh. It's OK. You can stay here, don't cry."
Lily cried for a few more moments but when she felt as if all of her tears we're spent, she raised her head from his bare shoulder. AJ looked understandingly into her eyes and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?" he asked softly and she nodded.
They entered the apartment and AJ led her to the sofa, offering her something to drink. When he returned from the kitchen with a coke, he sat on the couch beside her and waited for her to tell him what was wrong. She began her story, starting from the fight that she and Kevin had, and ending with her finding him in bed with the blonde that morning.
AJ offered her reassuring words but inside he was seething. Lily was such a good, loving person. He couldn't believe that Kevin would treat her this way. She was clearly heartbroken and AJ felt as if he could strangle Kevin for hurting her.
After he listened to her story and tried to console her as best he could, he offered to take her out to breakfast. Lily readily agreed and waited as AJ went to put on clothes.
A few minutes later, AJ emerged from the back room wearing a pair of khakis with a long sleeve shirt along with a hat and pair of sunglasses. Lily surpressed a smile at the sight of AJ literally covered from head to foot.
"I saw that." AJ said and she laughed as they left the apartment.
They had breakfast at an outdoor cafe and after breakfast they headed toward a park where AJ convinced her to get on the swings and let him push her.
They spent the day together, doing leisurely activities that kept her mind off of Kevin and the entire situation. In the evening, close to the end of the day, AJ told her he was taking her home to cook for her. They stopped by the grocery store and picked up ingredients for what he called his "world famous spaghetti".
She sat at the table in the kitchen while he prepared it and they talked.
After dinner, they remained at the table and talked until they got tired. When they did, Lily borrowed and oversized T-shirt from AJ and he changed back into his jogging pants. They retired to the living room to watch an old Stallone movie that was on TBS.
They were each sitting on separate ends of the couch and AJ was attentively watching the movie. Lily, however, was not concentrating on it. Her thoughts strayed to Kevin and how much she missed him after only one day.
AJ was wrapped up in the movie but couldn't mistake the soft sobbing he heard coming from Lily.
"Hey," he whispered softly, pulling her close. "Please don't cry..." he pleaded with her, stroking her hair.
Lily quit sobbing and lifted her head to look at him. "I'm sorry, AJ." she said and then wiped her face, coming away with mascara on her fingers. "I'll bet I look real attractive right now." she laughed.
"You're beautiful, Lily." AJ whispered, close to her and leaned forward.
Lily watched helplessly as AJ leaned closer and closer and finally settled his lips on hers. She heard him moan as he deepened the kiss and let his tongue venture into her mouth. Lily moaned herself as she accepted his kiss and buried her hand in his wild hair.
Without breaking the kiss, AJ swept her up into his arms and carried her back into his bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. Still without breaking their kiss, he slid them under the covers and gently placed himself on top of her. His hands explored her body as his lips left hers to move to her neck.
Lily sighed and moaned as AJ moved to nibble on her ear and his hand crept under her shirt.
Kevin. The single thought crept into her mind before she had a chance to stop it. But as it did, Lily considered what she was doing. This is so wrong. She thought. This is AJ, your friend. Deep inside she knew that sleeping with AJ would not solve any of her problems, only add to them.
"No." she said quietly and AJ's head slowly came up. She met his eyes and smiled weakly. "Don't." she said.
AJ leaned up on his elbows and smiled mischievously at her. "We almost screwed up pretty bad, huh?" he asked and Lily nodded with a smile. "I think it's time for bed." he said and noisily kissed her on the cheek before collapsing beside her on the bed. He reached over her to turn off the lamp by the bed and when he settled back down, he pulled her close to him with an arm around her waist, her back to his front.
Lily had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard AJ speak. "Hey baby,"
"Hmmm?" Lily responded, sleepily.
"If I were to rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together."
Lily laughed at yet another of his pick-up lines and then drifted happily asleep.
***************
"Where is he?" Brian asked, exasperated.
"He's probably still asleep." Kevin said and tried the door, which he found unlocked. AJ hadn't showed up at the studio that morning and was not answering the knocks on the door.
The two of them walked into AJ's apartment and into the living room. Brian shook his head at the television which had obviously been on the entire night and shut it off. He followed Kevin back into the back of the apartment and reached the door of AJ's room at the same time Kevin did. Kevin opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. Brian looked around Kevin's big shoulders and gasped at what he saw.
AJ was laying in his bed with his arms wrapped around no other than Kevin's wife.
AJ had woken up to the sound of the door opening and slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the door.
"Oh shit!" he said as he saw Kevin standing there. He got out of the bed and stood next to it, about to explain to Kevin that nothing had happened.
He never saw the iron fist that came flying at him and landed squarely on his jaw.
The unexpected punch sent him reeling against a wall. Lily was awake by now and both her and Brian were yelling at Kevin to stop but he didn't hear them as he walked toward him.
AJ put up his hands to ward off another blow and to show Kevin he wouldn't fight him but Kevin ignored him and landed another solid punch to AJ's stomach.
AJ sunk to the ground, clutching his midsection, the wind knocked out of him.
"AJ!" Lily called out, rushing over to him. She knelt by him and tried to check on him. "Get out!" she screamed, looking back up at Kevin. "Both of you get out of here!"
Kevin glared down at her icily for a few moments before stalking loudly out of the apartment, Brian close behind him.
