AJ pretended to be asleep two hours later when he finally felt Annalise stir beside him. The truth was that he hadn't even gone to sleep. He couldn't...he was too busy thinking about what she had told him. So Howie and Jade had hopes that he and Annalise would eventually have some kind of relationship. Preferably the kind with love involved. Well, so did he...that didn't mean it would actually happen. Especially not with Annalise so adamantly against it. Before he had just wanted to know her. Now he realized that for the most part, he already did. She was headstrong, coy, undeniable in her beliefs. God help him, but he was already starting to love being with her. It wasn't just the sex...that was a given...but it was also the thrill of watching her try and be indifferent. He knew her defenses would eventually start to crumble. Their arrangement wouldn't be enough for her forever...it already wasn't enough for him. He wanted to take walks with her, take her out dancing, introduce her to his mother...hell, he wanted to love her. He wanted her to love him. He knew he could love her...if she would just talk to him. Right now, he didn't have much to go on. In time, he would change that, with or without Howie and Jade's help. He felt her long hair on his face, her hesitant breath on his lips. His heartbeat started racing. Seconds ticked by endlessly. He wondered what she'd do if he reached up and kissed her. Probably slap him stupid. Instead, he waited...hoping against hope that she'd kiss him. After a few minutes, he felt her index finger trace his lower lip lightly...then her weight lifted off of the bed. A few minutes later, he heard the door close, and she was gone.
He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't leaving until Sunday. He had exactly one day to work with, otherwise the whole reason he had wanted her here would be shot to hell. The whole plan had been to spend some time alone with her after the party...time alone that didn't involve a bed. He hadn't planned on her leaving back to Texas so soon. He had to make due with the time he had. Tomorrow had to be special.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Annalise hurried down the corridor to the room she shared with Jade. She was nearly hyperventilating by the time she slammed the door behind her. God, what was happening to her? She had almost stayed there with him. When she woke up, all she had wanted to do was curl up next to the heat of his body and stay there. Was she insane? Did she want to set herself up to get walked all over again? Hadn't she learned anything from the past? Men were all the same...once they had a girl's heart, they ripped it out and stomped all over it.
"I'm not going through this again," she whispered to herself. As much as she wanted to let AJ in, she knew she
couldn't. Just the thought that she wanted to spend time with him terrified her. It had been three years since she had
met anyone that she was willing to open herself up to. Three long years since she had trusted anyone with her
heart...since her realtionship with a married man had come to a disastrous end. At 17, it had left a huge impact on
her...one that hadn't left her yet. She often wondered if her heart would ever heal...if she was even capable of love
again. AJ's mere presence had convinced her that she could...but she wouldn't.
She couldn't figure out why he was so special. She had technically known him for one week, but her conversations
with him had only been functional and polite. How could she even think that she could love him? It was insane. Even
so, her gut instincts told her otherwise. She was drawn to him...she had to get away from him. To put as much distance
between them as possible. She prayed for tomorrow to pass quickly. Sunday she would go home back to her drab little
life. Things would go back to normal...she would work, have dinner at her parent's house on Mondays, spend hours in
her grandmother's rose garden...she would forget AJ. She just had to make it through tomorrow.
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