At Home

Chapter Twelve

The inside of the house is decorated with mainly black, white and shades of gray. There's a pop of maroon here and there, primary with decorative pillows. Who knew you'd see decorative pillows in a bachelor pad? Maybe this Ryan guy isn't single. AJ gives us a tour of the house, which doesn't take vary long. During the tour, I look for any signs a female lives here. Nope, looks like a bachelor pad. "Sooo.. Only two bedrooms?" I hear Maya from behind me. "Yeah, you'll be in one and Car and I will be in the other." AJ states. "Funny, I don't remember agreeing to that." I say, fake scratching my head like I'm trying to recall that conversation. "That's because you never did. If it is really an issue, I can stay in the living room, but I figured you might not mind after last night." He pauses a moment before adding, "Or this morning." He smirks at me and I blush. "Oooooh. What happened last night??" Maya asks wiggling her eyebrows. "And this this morning?" She adds. "Nothing!" I say too quickly, glaring at AJ. Maya raises her eyebrow at me, and I know she isn't going to let this go. I decide to just tell her, otherwise she will jump to conclusions that definitely aren't going to be correct. I let out a sigh, "Nothing happened. I just got another text last night and called AJ, and he came over and spent the night. That's it." AJ lets out a laugh before muttering, "Well, that's not ALL of it." I glare harder at AJ then soften my face slightly begging him to stop talking. "Ok, that was last night. What happened this morning?" Maya asks accusingly. "Did you guys fuck? I mean, not surprising. Old habits and all that. Plus you could cut the sexual tension with a knife." "OH MY GOD MAYA" I screech. "No. We did NOT have sex." "She's telling the truth My. We didn't have sex. We ALMOST had sex." AJ says while smirking at me again. I wipe my hand down my face and groan. "And with that, I've decided you get the living room." I say, leaving no room for debate. AJ looks at me like a sad puppy but just says "Fine."

    We spend the next several hours just lounging around. There's not much to do when you're basically on lockdown. Something I'm not really paying attention to plays on TV in the background. Maya fell asleep in the oversized chair at some point. She's snoring away, and it makes me giggle a little. AJ is on his laptop doing something, and checking his phone regularly. I zone out and think about the fact that 48 hours ago I was living a normal life, at least as far as I could tell. Now, I'm hiding away in some strangers house with my best friend and sort of ex? We never really labeled it. You practically lived together. He's your ex. I feel a hand on my shoulder and shutter. Then, I hear AJ's voice, "Hey, you ok gorgeous?" I turn towards AJ's voice. He must see the worry in my eyes, "It's going to be ok you know. Ryan and I will get this figured out, I promise." I nod my head, letting him know I believe him. I don't know who Ryan is, but if he is letting us hide at his house, and doing all these errands for us, he must be ok. Plus, AJ seems to trust him, and I trust AJ. Holy shit I do. I trust AJ.

    A little longer passes, my mind still reeling. Who the hell would want to stalk me? Why text me to let me know? Am I going to get murdered? I hope the documentary they make about me is at least good. I miss Blue. As if reading my thoughts, I hear AJ say, "Ryan will be here any minute with Blue and Maya's stuff. I also had him grab us some groceries. I'm going to go wait for him at the end of the road. I'll be back as soon as I can." "Wait! You're leaving us? Can't we go with you?" I say, fear in my voice. AJ walks over to me while responding, "Doesn't look like she's going anywhere any time soon." He points his chin in a gesture towards Maya, still sleeping away. "I will be right up the road if anything happens. It will be ok." AJ bends down to kiss my forehead. He stares into my eyes, "I promise. I won't let anything happen to you Car. To either or you." I trust AJ. I nod my head and let out an embarrassingly weak, "OK." He kisses my head once more, before standing up and walking to the door. I hear the from door open and shut, and then moments later hear the sound of AJ's Charger in the driveway. It's going to be fine. AJ will be right back.

    I sit frozen for a moment, before deciding to watch something on TV. I flip through the channels until I land on some true crime show. I realize it's probably an odd thing to watch right now, considering I am basically living in my own true crime show, but true crime has always brought me comfort. I watch the show for a little bit and then my vision starts to get hazy. I let out a deep yawn. Maybe Maya has the right idea. I fight sleep for a while. I keep telling myself that one of us should stay awake just in case. But, eventually I lose that battle. The next thing I know, AJ is picking me up from the couch and cradling me on his lap. I'm barely awake but feel myself curl into the warmth of his chest. Home. And then the real world fades out again.