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Chapter 6
December 22nd, 2005

“AJ, hey man, how’s it going!” Howie called once he spotted him across the room.
“D! Hey, get over here!” AJ replied enthusiastically. Howie came through the crowd smiling jovially and greeting his fellow bandmate with a hug.
“Great to see you man, how’s Rene?” AJ asked.
“Fabulous, she can’t wait to meet you guys. But what about you, what’s this about you and Win I hear?” Howie asked in a joking and happy manner, trying not to alarm AJ to his worries about what was going on.
“Back together,” AJ replied simply, grinning broadly.
“Really now?” Howie asked carefully.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either,” AJ replied waving to Win across the room. She waved back, smiling and turned back to Brian and Brianna.
“Howie, hey man, what’s up?” Kevin asked smiling as he came over. Howie and Kevin hugged before Howie asked the next question that was burning in the back of his brain.
“Don’t you want to talk about this with us?” Howie asked quickly.
“What?” AJ asked confused.
“About you and Win,” Howie continued.
“Howie, come on, not now,” Kevin said, his lips stiffening.
“What, don’t you think we should talk about this?” Howie asked, looking up at Kevin.
“Later, not now, you didn’t even get off your flight until what, a half hour ago? Give it a rest, we’ll talk about it later,” Kevin replied. AJ looked back and forth from Howie to Kevin, each time the crease in his forehead deepening.
“Why is it that we, all us guys I’m assuming, need to talk about my relationship with Win?” he asked suddenly, surprising Howie slightly.
“It’s a little quick, don’t you think?” Howie asked.
“It’s not up to you to decide,” AJ retorted angrily before Kevin put his hand up between the two men.
“Not, now,” Kevin said slowly and steadily. Howie looked up at Kevin worried, seeing the look be returned, but shrugged.
“Okay, but later,” He replied turning to go say hi to Brian and Brianna.

Nick had been sitting in the car with Jen when he saw Howie and Rene pull up in front of the hotel and get out. He had been sitting there for twenty minutes already, trying to get the nerve to get out of the car.
“Nick, how long are we going to stay out here?” Jen asked quietly, gently patting his arm.
“I don’t want to go in there,” he said looking over at her. She knew the feeling. Win was her friend, had been Nick’s girlfriend, for a little while anyway. And the guys? Taylor was their best friend, how were they going to look at her now? Her gut twisted at the thought. She could only imagine how Nick felt.
“How do things get so complicated so fast?” he asked. He felt so bad for everything he had put Win through, especially finding out the way she did. He had made such a big deal about being with her. It even got AJ so mad that he had actually hit someone, and that someone had been Win. AJ had never hit anyone, not even one of the guys when they had gotten in a fight. This had to be the crowning moment of his anger. His best friend stealing his girlfriend. Now, after all that, he had cheated on Win with an engaged woman. A woman engaged to another of his best friends, Taylor. Taylor who had been so betrayed that he quit the tour and moved back home to work as a bodyguard for a local senator.
“Oh who knows. Look at it this way, maybe Win and AJ will get back together,” Jen said, hoping that it was true.
“I highly doubt that. She’s probably so angry with me that she might have left the tour.” Nick replied. He wasn’t trying to be arrogant, but he reasoned that she’d been burned three times, first by AJ, then by Nick and Jen. She might be wondering how long it’d be before the rest of them turned on her.
“No, she didn’t, I spoke to Daemon yesterday and he said that she was on her way with AJ. He insisted that he fly here with her. I bet you Nick, that she and AJ will be back together as soon as we go in there. I mean it, maybe this showed her how good she had it with AJ.” Jen said trying to comfort Nick.
“And how bad a friend I was to her. She won’t trust me anymore,” Nick replied sadly.
“That’s what happens with love sometimes though Kiddo,” Jen said smiling, gently fixing a piece of hair by his ear. She knew he loved when she called him that and touched him that way. He had to smile back at her.
“Are you worried that I’d do that to you?” he asked looking at her.
“What, sleep with Win or something? Nick, I know you, and we both have done things that we are ashamed of. I mean, you cheated on Win, I cheated on Taylor, so Kiddo, we’re even, we’re both in the same situation, you could do it to me as much as I could do it to you,” Jen said stroking his face lightly.
“And if you could?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t,” she said simply.
“I am glad I’m with you again,” he said smiling at her.
“It sure took us long enough Kiddo,” Jen laughed.
“All right, lets go face the music,” Nick replied squeezing her knee gently before opening the door.