An Illicit Gentleman

                           Chapter Five

AJ slowly rolled over hoping to smell her vanilla peach scented hair but all he got was a face full of pillow.  He opened his eyes and lifted his head; a moan escaped his lips as he realized he was at home.  Slowly he got up from his bed, threw his robe over him and headed downstairs.  When he reached the bottom he heard someone in the kitchen and he stopped in the hallway listening.  He looked at the clock in the hallway and saw the time was just after one in the afternoon.  Taking a cab from Eve’s to his car and then driving home from the club, he didn’t get home till after five.

“Hello?” He yelled out as he made his way into the room.

“Hi” Sarah said as she sat at the kitchen island.  “Where the hell were you? I was here until one in the morning.” She snapped at him.

“I was out.” AJ said staring at her.  “With Mats, like I had planned, didn’t know I needed to report in.”

“You know were falling apart here and all you can do is go drinking and god knows what else with Mats.” Sarah yelled.

“It’s not my fault we’re like this, you’re the one who bitches over everything, and you’re the one who went to a friend’s house to cool off.” He yelled back his fingers waved in the air quoting his words. 

“You were with someone weren’t you; you went out with Mats got drunk and went home with some skank, maybe one of Mats stripper whores?”

“What?” AJ said looking at her, wondering if she heard something.  “You’re fucking losing it woman.” AJ laughed as he shook his head.  “I’m going to have a shower, chill the fuck out or leave I don’t care.  I’m tired of this shit, I had a good night last night and now you come in here fucking bitching at me for no reason.” He mumbled to himself as he headed up the stairs.

As he stood in the shower the thought of going back down into his own kitchen made him want to crawl back into bed.  Every time he was up she had to drag him back down but what could he do, it’s not like he didn’t do it to her before.  He moaned not knowing what to do and the thought of ending it all and waking up to Eve every morning pecked away at him, like he was getting pecked to death by a duck.  Taking a deep breath he let the water fall a little more before turning off the taps. 

“Raise or fold Mclean?” He thought to himself as he looked back at his image in the mirror.

When he came down she was sitting in the kitchen.  “I’m ending it.”

“What?” Sarah said looking at him shocked.

“I’m ending it.  I’m tired of this bullshit, of your bullshit, like I didn’t put up with it enough because of you from my Mom, from the fella’s and now the only time you talk to me is when you bitch at me. What kind of fucking relationship is that Sarah?”

“Well I thought we could use this time to get our thoughts straight and cool off.” She said her voice still showing how stunned she was.

“Well I did get my thoughts straight and I can’t live like this anymore, why kid ourselves we do it all the time.  I get bitchy with you, you get bitchy with me it’s been this way for years, I want to be happy Sarah and enjoy my life.”

“Well if you’re so fucking happy why are you still pumping your nose full of that shit?!” She yelled at him.  “Why you still drinking Jack like its fucking soda pop? Yeah Alex you’re real fucking happy.”  And with that she stormed out of the room and out of the house.

 “Fucking bitch!” AJ shouted as he slammed his fist into the wall and it crumbled around his hand.  He gasped in pain as he pulled his hand from the wall; small pieces of drywall falling from the hole.  “Dumbass” He moaned as he walked over to the sink.  Running the water he placed his hand under the tap and winced as the water hit the cuts on his knuckles. Wrapping his hand in a towel he turned around and looked at the damage he had done. 

He pulled the towel off his hand slowly and looked at it.  His fingers and knuckles swelling a little, he tried to wiggle his fingers but the pain wasn’t worth it.  “Fuck I hope it’s not broken.”  His eyes drifted to the phone and he found himself wanting to call her but he forgot to get her number again, maybe Mats had it. 

Sarah’s last words played in his head and he rolled his eyes.  “Eve doesn’t care what I do.” He said to himself looking at his hand again.  Picking up his cell phone he decided to do the rounds and let people know it was over, they’d give him his time alone to move on, and he’d use the time to get to know Eve.

When he had gone through his cell phone list he put it back down and took a deep breath.  It amazed him how an innocent night out sent his life into a tailspin and now here he was ending his engagement to a woman he had been with for years.  A woman many of his family and friends tried to get him to stop seeing a while ago.

Walking into the living room he lied down on the couch and closed his eyes.  The fight with Sarah all be it short was draining and he let his mind drift to Eve.  This time his imagination was larger with his memory of the night before and it played tricks on him as he slept.

A ringing broke him from his sleep and he sluggishly grabbed his cell phone.  “Hello?” He mumbled into the phone.

“You didn’t call me.” Mats said on the other end.

“Oh, dude sorry had a long day.” AJ said as he started to stretch.

“Long day or long night?” Mats asked sarcastically.

“Both but the night was better than the day.” He sighed as spun his wallet on the table.  “I broke up with Sarah today.”

“Seriously?” Mats said stunned.  “Eve have anything to do with it?”

“No, I mean like maybe five percent of it but I just couldn’t take the bitching anymore.”  AJ said.

“She was a downer.” Mats agreed.

“Are you going to the club tonight?” AJ asked rolling his eyes.

“After work yeah.” Mats told him.

“Alright then I’ll talk to you then.” AJ said into the phone.

“Later man.” Mats said and then AJ flipped his phone closed.  He looked at his watch and decided to go out to eat before heading to the club. 

When he got to Messieurs his hand was feeling better but the bruising, cuts and small swelling around the fingers made it look worse than it felt. Lighting a smoke he stopped at the stairs inside and looked around for a place too sit.  The table he sat at the last time he came here by himself was opened so he decided to sit there.  He put his pack of smokes on the table and sat down.  The waitress was right there to take his order.

Even knowing Eve was dancing tonight wasn’t enough to bring him out of his solemn mood.  He knew it was something he had to do but it still didn’t make him feel good doing it.  As he looked his hand over he touched a cut on his knuckle and winced in pain. 

“Damn, I got it good.” He mumbled to himself with a sigh.

Then her music began to play and he looked up at the spot where she and the chair would appear.  On cue the lights on the stage came on and there she was dancing.  The pain in his hand lessened, maybe it was because all of his blood was rushing some where else at the moment.  His thoughts cleared from his head and he no longer gave the break up another thought for the entire three minutes she danced.

AJ watched her walk off stage when her routine ended and then he looked at his pack of smokes.  Pulling one out he brought it too his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply he relaxed in the chair. He took his glass of Jack in his fingers and lightly spun it around, watching what little alcohol that was left in it swirl around. 

Someone sitting beside him took his attention and he looked up seeing Eve on the chair beside him.  He realized he must have drifted off because she was wearing a T-shirt, jeans and a Bucs ball cap but he could still see her make up under the cap.  It usually meant she was done for the night.

“Everything ok?” She asked looking at him.  “I saw you earlier and you looked like you were far away, after my set I find you staring at your glass.”  He was about to tell her when she grabbed his hand.  “What the hell happened?” She asked looking at him with concern.

“Long day” He said looking at her.  “Are you done here?”

“Yeah” She nodded.  “Let’s go.”

They both stood up and left the club, agreeing to take their own cars, AJ following Eve to her place.  He parked on the street and got out of the car, flipping his alarm on.  He figured he’d be here over night, so he better have it on.  When he got to the front doors Eve was walking up inside the building to let him in.

“Did you want a drink?” She asked as they walked into her place.

“Yes please.” He replied as he took his jacket and shoes off.  He walked over to the couch and sat in the same spot he sat in yesterday.

“So what’s going on?” Eve asked as she handed him his drink and she sat down beside him.  Her back was against the arm, her one leg folded against her, her other leg hanging over the side, her foot resting on the floor.  He stared at her as she took a sip of the drink she poured for herself.

“When I got home from here I went and crashed, when I woke up Sarah was sitting in the kitchen.” He took a sip of his drink.  “She immediately started bitching at me.  I mean literally I walked in the kitchen and she went off about how she was waiting for me till one in the morning.”

“Oh.” Eve said quietly knowing the reason he wasn’t there was because he was with her.

“I told her I was going out; I didn’t ask her to wait around for me.” He said taking her hand.

“Why was she waiting for you?” She asked.

“She wanted to talk but that’s just like her, wait till I have something planned or going on and then make a big deal about me not being there for her, when she damn well knew I couldn’t be.”  He told her.  “I was tired of it, all of it.  I went for a shower and I realized that last night was the first night in years I felt wanted making love to someone.  I knew you were there with me feeling what I was feeling and I deserve that, I want that so I let go.”

            AJ put down his glass and then took hers, placing it on the table.  He grabbed her legs and slid her down towards him.  “I don’t know where this or we are going but right now I don’t want to lose it.” And then he leaned in and kissed her.  There was no guilt in this kiss and no regret when he pulled away.

“Still doesn’t explain what happened to your hand.” She said as she gently took his fingers in her hand and looked at his knuckles.

“She said some things I don’t wanna repeat, basically pushed my buttons and I put my fist through my kitchen wall after she left.” AJ said and she looked up at him with a frown.  “Looks worse than it feels, I swear I’m fine.” He smiled.  “I mean, I think my hand is broken and I need a nurse to take care of me.”

“I see.” She smirked as she gently kissed the back of his hand.

“Yup and I’m due for my sponge bath.” He smiled and he thought she was going to laugh but she didn’t.

“Well then you better come with me Mr. Mclean.” Eve said as she stood up.  He got up and followed her down the hall.  He lightly laughed as she walked him into her bathroom and closed the door behind them.