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I was beyond tired. Beyond exhausted, even. I could feel the neurons struggling
to produce the synapses necessary for complete sentences, but to no avail. After an entire evening of work and a morning in
the lab, I was death incarnate...with a raging migraine.
I somehow managed to stumble out of my car and up the stairs
to the tiny, drafty apartment that I shared with Taylor. With coordination I didn't know I had, I stuck my key in the lock,
stepped over the neighbor's cat, and fell into the living room.
"Honey? I'm home!"
"Shh..."
Beneath heavy
eyelids, I shifted my gaze to the couch, where Taylor and AJ were watching Saturday morning cartoons side-by-side. He had
one arm around her shoulder, and she had one arm around his waist. With their other, less occupied hands, they were attempting
to finish breakfast.
It was enough to make a single girl vomit in her Cheerios.
It was enough to make this
exhausted single girl groan in complete and utter disgust.
"I can't believe you two are watching that crap."
AJ
dragged his gaze away from the neon screen long enough to nod in my direction. "And a good morning to you too, Lady Di."
I
fucking hate it when he calls me that. It's almost worse than that stupid "Heads" nickname.
Okay, so that's kind of
endearing.
"Late night?"
Had I been any more energetic, I would've smacked the smirk right off his cleanly-shaven
face. Unfortunately, I was too tired to attempt to retain my dignity.
"No, actually. I got plenty of sleep last night.
In fact, I got enough sleep that I didn't have any trouble at ALL with the experiment I was supposed to finish this morning..."
"What
happened?"
I grunted. Literally. "Stupid-ass iodine sulfate..."
Taylor looked up at me with a knowing smile.
"Someone needs a nap."
She was right.
Don't get me wrong. As much as it pisses me off that she reads me
so well, it's never a surprise when Taylor's right. We've been living together for four years now, and we've been friends
ever since Taylor moved from New Jersey to New York. Hell, we even work at the same bar. Needless to say, Taylor knows me
better than anyone, and she knows all too well that work nights mean bitchy mornings, especially when the mornings begin with
lab.
With a heavy sigh, I flopped into the nearest armchair and groaned. "I'm SO tired..."
"I can tell," Taylor
chuckled. "What the hell happened to you last night? One minute, we're closing, and the next thing I know, you've run the
hell off and I'm walking out of the bar by myself."
"And when she says `by myself,' she means that she was holding
my hand and complaining about winter in the city," AJ added with a smirk.
"I'm sorry I left you alone with her," I
mumbled, eyes half-closed. It's not my fault, man. We bought cheap chairs when we first furnished this place, but they're
damn comfortable.
"Eh, it could've been worse. I could've been alone with the both of you."
"And then you would've
peed your pants at the prospect of a possible threesome with two hot bartenders from New York City."
AJ chuckled. "Nah.
I've got one bartender, and she's more than enough for me."
"Thank God. I'd hate to have to cater to your needs every
day."
"Baby, you're too busy with other boys to cater to my needs every day."
I glanced up from my lounging
position on the armchair. "Keep going, boy, and you won't have any parts for me to cater to."
AJ flinched, and Taylor
laughed. "Baby, when are you going to learn not to spar with Diana?"
He pouted. "One of these days, I'll catch her
off guard and win. Just wait."
"We've been waiting," I muttered. "Freaking Christmas has come and gone...twice."
AJ
grunted, and Taylor laughed. After living with me for a few years, she's just amused by my antics. AJ...well, he's learning.
I
should probably take this moment out to explain my relationship with AJ. When he first showed up in our little Manhattan hang-out
begging for a drink, I totally dismissed him. I usually leave the raging drunks to Taylor because she's more sympathetic.
Taylor tolerates drunk boys. Sometimes, she even listens to them and strikes up a conversation.
Me? I'm a bitch. I
serve the drinks. Sometimes, I dance a little. Needless to say, there's a better chance of Paris Hilton joining a convent
than there is of me finding my future boyfriend in our dive bar.
When AJ and Taylor became friends, I tolerated him
for her sake. When he went through all of the shit with rehab, I was a bit more understanding. There's nothing more attractive
than a man getting his shit together, and the fact that he was honest with the public about it really boosted my respect for
him.
When AJ and Taylor started dating, I started to like the guy. A lot. It's fair to say that I'm a little bit protective
of my best and only girlfriend, and he's treated her like a queen since the day they fell off the platonic cliff and onto
a pile of satin sheets in a bungalow in the Bahamas. AJ supposedly lives in Los Angeles somewhere, but he's become a permanent
fixture in our Manhattan apartment, and he and I have developed a love/hate relationship. He loves Taylor and hates me.
Nah,
that's a lie. Truth to tell, AJ's all right for a guy.
"Diana?"
I opened one eye and furrowed my brow in confusion.
AJ rarely--read: NEVER--calls me by my name. He's big into nicknames and not so much into that whole normalcy thing.
"Alex?"
He
smiled in acknowledgement. "Are you okay, chica? For real, and no harm meant, but you look like death warmed over. It's kinda
scaring me."
If I had to pick any boy in the world for Taylor to date, I so would've picked Alex McLean. "Aw, man...I'll
be fine. I just need a cup of coffee."
Taylor shot a disapproving look in my direction. "What you need is a nap."
"But
I have a lab write-up to finish!"
She shot me an expectant glare. "When is it due?"
Sigh.
"Di, I asked
you a question."
"Next week," I mumbled. "But it still has to get done sometime!"
AJ bit his bottom lip to keep
from laughing at me, but I was too tired to throw something at him.
"Call me crazy, stupid, PRACTICAL, or whatever,"
Taylor began, "but I think you can spare a few hours to bond with your bedcovers."
I resisted the urge to pull out
my day-planner and start checking stuff off. I knew without even looking at my to-do list that I had a ton of shit left to
finish.
"I really need to do work."
"You bring a whole new meaning to the term 'overachiever,' you know that?"
AJ muttered. "Shit, girl, you make the rest of us look bad. Take a break and rest your brain so you can actually think a little
without it hurting."
I sighed. Heavily and petulantly. So sue me. Sometimes, I feel like these two are my parents.
Go to bed, Diana. Make your bed, Diana. Let me tell you what's wrong with you, Diana.
I could already feel a headache
forming at the thought of my parents.
"Hon, you're already almost asleep. Why fight it?"
I smiled at that. Taylor
did have a point. I wasn't going to get any of the lab done with my eyes swollen shut from lack of sleep.
"Okay, I'll
go to bed."
I didn't move for a minute, though, and AJ's raspy voice spoke softly from above me.
"You want me
to carry you?"
See what I mean? SO fucking sweet...
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." I stretched. I stood. I
made it to the bedroom and opened the door. "Don't have too much fun without me, you two."
I didn't even have to turn
around to know what expressions they were wearing. Like RABBITS, the two of them.
Taylor was the first to laugh. "Go
to bed, babe. I'll wake you up in two hours."
I shut the door to my room, collapsed onto my bed, and fell asleep with
my clothes on.
* * *
* *
Still clad in sweats and a ridiculously large tee-shirt, I stretched my arms out
and padded towards the living room in a state of semi-consciousness. Normally, I would've been angry with Taylor for not waking
me up, but...the girl knows me too well. I needed the sleep much more than I needed to work on that stupid lab report.
"And
he really needs someone to go with?"
My arms fell.
"Yeah. Don't know how he manages it, but he really can't
find a date."
"I doubt that."
I frowned. Deeply. What the hell...?
AJ laughed before I could
make my grand, confused entrance. "Truth be told, so do I. I don't think he wants to look for a date. He's fucking tired of
women. He doesn't have time for a relationship, and he's afraid that any girl he asks is going to expect more than a night
on the town."
I glanced around the corner to see Taylor rolling her eyes. "Poor guy. He's got, what, fifty million
women ready to fall at his feet?"
AJ gave her a pointed look. "Tay, you know he doesn't care. That's not his style.
When Nick has a relationship, he does it right."
Who in the hell is Nick?
"You have a point. And she's
always teasing me about finding her a Backstreet Boy."
My eyes widened. No way was Taylor trying to set me up. She
is SO not that stupid.
"Shit...when was the last time she went on a date?"
"You mean one that didn't involve
a hefty check at the end of the night?" Taylor chuckled. "I don't even know. Hell, I don't think she knows..."
I'd
most definitely had enough of this discussion. I didn't know exactly what they were talking about, but I knew without a shred
of doubt that I was not going to let them whore me out to the Backstreet Boy for a night. Fuck, I have my limits.
"Hey."
Play
it cool, right? Don't let them know I've been sitting there listening to their entire conversation.
AJ glanced up with
a grin. "Morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, actually. What did I miss?"
"Nothing much," AJ began,
but Taylor knew me better.
"AJ got an interesting phone call while you were asleep."
I arched an eyebrow nonchalantly
and sank into an armchair. "Oh?"
AJ nodded slowly. "Yeah, Nick called. Apparently, I've got to fly to LA this weekend
for some awards show. We were asked last minute to present some award, so we're going to go as a group, and he wanted to make
sure Taylor and I knew to get reservations because I wasn't in LA for the meeting."
I shrugged. "No big deal. I'll
be okay on my own here."
Taylor and AJ exchanged looks. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the apprehensive looks
on their faces. I'm a bitch, I know, but...a girl's gotta have her fun, right?
"That's not exactly all he called about."
Taylor
arched an eyebrow at me pointedly. "She heard, J. She's just giving us shit."
Damn Taylor. She is quite possibly the
only person in the world who can read me like an open book.
"Right?"
I groaned. "Yes, I heard you. No, I'm not
going to do it."
THAT got their attention.
"What the hell, Heads? Why not? He's a great guy, it's a free trip
to LA, and you get an excuse to wear that really cute dress that's been hanging in your closet for ages."
Like I'd
agree to a blind date just for a fucking dress? Okay, maybe Taylor DOESN'T know me.
"That has absolutely no relevance
and you know it." I turned pointedly to AJ. "He just mentioned that he doesn't have a date, right? He didn't say that he needed
help finding a girl."
"Actually, he did," AJ admitted sheepishly. "He specifically asked if Taylor or I could invite
a friend of ours who can carry on an entire conversation without mentioning the words 'record deal'."
"So he wants
a smart girl," I muttered. "He doesn't want me. He wouldn't know how the hell to handle someone like me."
Taylor rolled
her eyes. "For God's sake, Diana, it's one date. It doesn't even have to be a date, because Nick has no time for a relationship
and neither do you. You guys could just have a nice night together."
I raised an eyebrow. "A nice night together? Does
he have any idea what I do for a living?"
AJ blushed guiltily. "I might have mentioned it once or twice, but I doubt
he remembers."
I snapped. I could literally hear the shards of my sanity cleaving against the floor.
"You have
GOT to be kidding me!"
Taylor frowned. "What?"
"I can't believe you would do that to me! I am NOT fucking a
Backstreet Boy, okay? Not even for the two of you. Good fucking grief, I have morals!"
Their eyes widened at exactly
the same time.
"Holy shit, Heads..."
"Lady Di, I would NEVER do that to you," AJ said solemnly, sitting up.
"First of all, I respect you far too much. Secondly, my friends aren't like that, okay? I honestly think Nick wants someone
who can have a real conversation with him. He's not big into crazy industry parties, so he gets insanely bored at this stuff."
"He's
a sweetheart, Heads," Taylor offered. "Really. He's witty, too, so he'll keep you on your toes."
"You deal with so
many assholes," AJ spat, making me smile a little. He really is a good guy. "You deserve a night with one of us boy banders.
Someone who'll make you feel like a queen for an evening, treat you with the proper amount of respect. Seriously, Diana, I
think you'd like Nick."
"He's blonde," Taylor mentioned with a grin. "And he has really pretty blue eyes."
I
gave her a look. I lust after men as much as the next girl, but I will not date a guy just because he's hot. That's just stupid.
"He's
really interested in marine biology."
Against my better judgment, my eyebrows rose appreciatively. "He is?"
"Yeah,"
AJ agreed. "Before we got into the business, he wanted to study environmental science. He's also big into football."
I was caving, dammit. As a girl who was born and bred in the heart of Buffalo,
New York, I pay insanely close attention to the NFL. All through high school, I wanted to go into sports medicine.
A
gentleman who likes football and science? At the same time? Does such a creature really exist?
Taylor smiled at the
hopeful look on my face. "It'd just be one night, Di. If you hate him, I won't ever make you talk to him again."
"But
that won't happen," AJ put in quickly, "because he's a great guy. You'll have a blast."
I sighed heavily. "Guys, I
don't have time to go to LA this weekend. I have lab reports to do and a research paper that needs revising and..."
"And
you work too damn much," Taylor muttered. "Just come with us, okay? Prove to me that you still have a life."
"I can't
pay for a ticket," I shot back.
"It's on the record company, actually," AJ offered with a barely-concealed smirk. "Each
of us gets airfare for two. They want us to show up with dates so we don't look like losers."
I frowned. "Aren't some
of you married?"
"Brian and Kevin, yeah," AJ agreed. "And Howie and his girl have started getting really serious. Nick's
the only single one."
I groaned aloud. "Man...is he the one that all the little girls scream over?"
"Hey!" AJ
hollered. "The little girls scream for all of us, thank you very much."
"Is he worth screaming over?" I asked
doubtfully.
"He's sweet, yeah," AJ nodded. "Sometimes he puts on a cute and stupid front so the girls scream a little
bit more, but he knows better than to do that around girls that I introduce him to."
The frown deepened. "So he's a
charmer."
"He can be," AJ admitted. "He's a lot like Howie, though, in that he's sweet and shy beneath the cool and
confident exterior. You like Howie, right?"
I'd met Howie a few times when the Backstreet Boys were in New York. That,
and Howie likes to visit the bar when he's in New York by himself. He's always insanely polite.
"Yeah, I like Howie."
"Then
you'll like Nick." He paused. "Please come, Lady Di. He's kinda desperate. If you don't say yes, he's going to have to bring
one of his sisters."
"Why doesn't he ask one of the other guys to find him a date?"
"Honestly?"
I leveled
AJ with a breadbox look. "No, I want you to lie to me."
He rolled his eyes. "He doesn't really trust any of the other
Backstreet women with his love life. All of Leighanne and Kristin's friends are looking for marriage, and he doesn't know
Howie's girlfriend Kylie well enough to trust her judgment. He knows and likes Taylor, so he figured that she'd have the coolest,
smartest friends."
"And I do," Taylor finished with a pointed look. "And you're the coolest, smartest one of them all,
so you're coming."
I may be a stubborn ass sometimes, but I know defeat when I see it.
"Fine."
Taylor's
eyes lit up. "Fine? Really?"
"Yeah."
She squealed. "Score! Dude, we're going to have so much fun..."
AJ
just shook his head and smiled. "Heads, are you sure about this?"
I sighed, allowing myself to plop down next to him
on the couch. "Yeah, I'm sure. Tails is right, it's been a long time since I went on a date."
AJ grinned. "Good deal,
chica. You won't regret it, I promise. He's a nice guy."
"So you say..."
AJ stood up and whipped out his cell
phone, dialing Nick's number. Meanwhile, Taylor was grinning goofily at me.
"What?"
She chuckled. "I'm proud
of you. You need a break from school and work and shit."
No, I didn't. I had to read a hundred pages on covalent bonds
for the next lab in chemistry, and covalent bonds weren't nearly as interesting as molecular construction had been. I could
already tell that the reading was going to take forever, and...
Okay, maybe I did need a break.
"Hey dawg, it's
J. Listen, I've got you covered. You know Taylor's roommate?"
Taylor and I both froze to listen to the conversation.
Did
AJ just call someone "dawg?" Does he know he's white?
"Yeah, the neuroscience major. The other bar chick. She's agreed
to join you this weekend, so long as you make good on that intellectual discussion you're looking for."
Nick must've
said something amusing, because AJ started laughing. "No, that's not smart chick foreplay! I promise, she's not going for
your pants, okay? She doesn't even know which Backstreet Boy you are."
I arched an eyebrow in Taylor's direction, and
she shook her head. She knows how much I hate cocky men.
"Dude, she's not going to think you're stupid. She might think
you're a dork, but so do the rest of us."
Taylor grinned at me. "See? He's got insecurities too. He's just sick of
women hitting on him because he's a Backstreet Boy."
"And I'm sick of men hitting on me because I'm a whore," I muttered.
"You learn to live with it."
"He's living," Taylor retorted. "He's allowed to complain, though. Heaven knows you complain
enough."
Okay, so MAYBE I resemble that remark. A little.
"Yeah, she's big into football. I think she has the
entire NFL roster memorized."
Taylor and I both looked towards AJ in amusement. I've met a lot of boys, and I've never
met one that wasn't impressed with my football knowledge. Of course, outside of AJ, I've never met a boy that impressed me.
"She's
a huge Bills fan, dude. She grew up in Buffalo, so I'd watch it."
I turned to Taylor apprehensively. "Who does he root
for on a regular basis?"
"Who, Nick?"
I arched an eyebrow pointedly in AJ's direction. "Does that one even know
what a touchdown is?" AJ's a great guy, yeah, but he's not what you'd call conventionally athletic.
Taylor giggled.
"Point taken. Nick's a big Bucs fan."
I tried not to groan. Tampa was the underdog team in the Superbowl a few years
ago, yes, but they've been less than impressive since then. Despite their semi-talented line-up, they can't ever seem to get
the ball going. Literally.
"He follows Tampa Bay?"
"He lives there and he's loyal," Taylor shrugged. "At least,
I think that's what he said about it. You know me and football..."
Yes, I know Taylor and football. They're about as
compatible as Jennifer Lopez and marriage.
"Hey, Heads!"
I looked up expectantly to see AJ with his hand over
the receiver's mouthpiece. "Yes?"
"You promise that you're going to go on this date with Nick no matter what?"
I
shrugged. I really did need to go on a date. "Sure."
He grinned. "Oh, good."
Enter suspicion. "Why?"
"Because
Nick says that he respects the Bills all right, but he's got mad love for Dallas."
My eyes widened to the size of saucers,
I'm sure, but I was momentarily pissed. "Mad love for Dallas? The fucking COWBOYS?! Is he insane?"
I could already
hear AJ giggling into the phone. "Man, she's livid. I think you've started some kind of war."
Allow me to explain.
My Bills went to the Superbowl four times in the early nineties. The last two times we went, we lost to the fucking Dallas
Cowboys. Twice in a row, each time by more than 10 points. What were supposed to be the glory years for my wonderful team
were overshadowed by the fact that stupid Emmitt Smith and stupid Troy Aikman and their stupid team won two Superbowls in
a row. Granted, this was over ten years ago, but I have a teeny, tiny grudge against the Cowboys.
Thank God Barry Switzer
became coach and ruined their team.
"I can't believe he likes the fucking Cowboys."
"You said you wouldn't back
out!" AJ reminded me with a grin. I groaned.
I had yet to meet a boy that impressed me. I doubted that Nick the Backstreet
Boy was going to be any different.
Fucking Cowboys.
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