AJ had been relatively calm up until this point. As soon as the words left my mouth, though, he jumped off the couch. “What?” he yelled.

I told him my reasons for believing this to be true. I expected him to tell me I was overreacting, but he started pacing back and forth the living room.

“We need to call the police,” AJ exclaimed. His hand was already in his pocket grabbing his cell phone by the time I could stop him.

“I’ve already spoken with them, but… I don’t think they’re going to be much use.”

“You talked to the police? When?”

“The day I… saw you at the studio. Well, outside of it.”

AJ stopped pacing, thinking about the situation. Realization came over his face, but he still asked to make sure. “Why’d you visit me that day?”

I couldn’t look him in the eye. “I’d gotten some text messages that were freaking me out.”

“Oh…” he looked guilty, but returned to his point. “What did the police say?”

“They basically said they’d be looking into it,” I sighed. “They weren’t exactly supportive of my theory, though. Sure, they believe that, if he’s here, he’s looking for me and could hurt me, but they think I’m… being extreme.” I didn’t want to voice my thoughts on his purpose. Saying it once had been hard enough.

Was it so hard to make the leap, though? I’d been black and blue countless times, so was there a line he wouldn’t cross? I didn’t think so.

“Extreme? Are they kidding?” AJ was yelling again.

I glanced out the window. A pink hue was already settling into the horizon. Night would be falling too soon.

“So… if he’s been following you, then he knows where you live?”

I nodded. “He got into my apartment awhile back… I just didn’t realize it at the time. But the door was unlocked, and… I don’t know. I just had a bad feeling about it.”

AJ took another shaky breath, absorbing all of the information. “I don’t get why Peter waited.”

“Knowing him, he probably wanted to scare me first. Make a slow entrance. He’s all about theatrics.”

AJ was the one looking out the window this time. “You’re staying here tonight.”

“AJ, I-”

“No,” AJ said. “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. I’m not letting you spend the night in your apartment alone with that psychopath on the loose.”

I didn’t argue. The truth of the matter was, I was grateful for the invitation. I wouldn’t have been able to stay there by myself tonight. I would have spent every second wondering if Peter was about to appear.

The texts had been scary enough, but seeing him today had made the situation too real. I’d been holding it together considerably well today, but the room had gotten silent. AJ was mulling over everything. I had time to rethink today. I could see him standing in front of me, the knife in his pocket.

I didn’t realize my eyes had watered until AJ was sitting next to me again, looking at me worriedly. I snapped back into reality and tried to pull it together.

“It’s okay,” AJ said, as I looked down at the ground, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “With everything you’ve been through today, I’m surprised you’ve kept it together this long.”

“Crying always made him angrier,” I said tonelessly. I didn’t know why I had the need to tell him that, but he’d listened to everything else I’d said today. And unlike the police, he believed my fears about Peter. I appreciated it more than he knew.

AJ let out some more choice words for Peter as he put an arm around me. “Screw him.”

He didn’t say anything more to me, but the invitation was there. He leaned my head against his shoulder, and I let the tears run. AJ didn’t say anything when they soaked his shoulder. He didn’t move until my eyes were dry.

I was surprised at how much better I felt.

“Come on,” AJ took my hand and led me to the kitchen. “You hungry?”

“Not really,” I said, my voice still shaky. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window. My eyes were red. I looked horrible. I excused myself to the bathroom and washed my face. When I returned, AJ made me put the icepack back on my arm and was boiling water.

“You are in luck,” AJ said. “Not many people get to sample my fine cuisine.”

“That’s because you don’t cook,” I said, sitting at the island. “Besides, I said I wasn’t hungry.” I still sounded a bit hiccup-y, but my voice was getting steadier again. I wasn’t quite as jumpy. That was progress. I was used to having to pretend everything was okay. Peter was moody; he could be violent one minute, and back to “normal” again the next. I’d been expected to adapt my emotions just as quickly.

“And I chose to ignore you. It’s way past dinnertime,” AJ said. “And I do cook… occasionally. Like right now,” he motioned to the pot on the stove. “You get to try my specialty.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

He went to the pantry and pulled out a blue box. He started humming the jingle, then sang, “If momma wants to please me, she’s only got to cheese me. I got the blues!”

I laughed. “You are something else.”

AJ made the macaroni and cheese and pulled out two bowls, splitting the food into two.

“I can’t eat all that,” I protested.

“Not with that kind of attitude,” he teased, handing me the bowl with slightly more macaroni in it.

We ate in front of the TV, watching a rerun of Friends. It was odd to be doing something so normal after the day I’d had, but then I wondered what was considered “acceptable” after you’d almost been kidnapped at the mall.

On a commercial, I noticed AJ was giving me a look.

“What?”

He peered into my bowl.

“Yes, I finished it. Happy?” He did make good macaroni.

He laughed and took the dishes back to the kitchen. I leaned my head back on the couch cushion and rested my eyes for a second. It wasn’t that late, but I was mentally exhausted. And my eyes were tired from the sobfest I’d had.

“Come on,” AJ came back in.

He led me upstairs. After rummaging through the hall closet, he found a new toothbrush.

“There’s toothpaste and… anything you need should be in there,” he flipped on the bathroom light. “Hmm, I don’t have any girl clothes…”

“That’s a good thing, AJ,” I said, smiling.

By the time I’d brushed my teeth, he’d come back with some clothes. I changed in the bathroom, reemerging in a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt.

“Wow,” he gave me his lopsided grin.

I rolled my eye, knowing that I looked like a wreck. He led me to the guestroom.

“Is this alright? Do you need anything else?”

I shook my head. “This is more than enough.” The room was twice the size of mine and looked like it was decorated by a designer.

Well, he was a Backstreet Boy. It probably was the product of a designer.

“Thanks, AJ. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s no problem,” AJ said. He gave me a quick hug. It was a little awkward.

We weren’t dating anymore, so where did that leave us? Friends? Or did he just feel guilty now that he knew what I was going to tell him the day I saw him with Cheryl?

I didn’t feel like trying to define anything tonight. I just wanted to jump in the huge bed and go to sleep.

“I’m down the hall if you need anything, okay?”

I nodded.

An hour later, I still hadn’t slept. Every sound I heard, my heart raced. I knew that AJ was only a few rooms away. That fact kept me from completely going insane, but despite that and despite the high-tech security system he’d shown me, I couldn’t calm down enough to sleep.

I got up to use the bathroom and was about to go back into my room when I heard a voice behind me.

“Hey. Still up?”

I jumped, even though I knew it was AJ. “Yeah. I’ll get to sleep eventually,” I shrugged, trying to make it seem like no big deal. “What about you?”

“Eh,” he said, “I’m a night person. I was on my laptop.”

“Oh.”

“You sure you’re okay sleeping?”

“Oh, yeah,” I said nonchalantly. “Good night.” I retreated back to my room, to lie down in vain again. A few minutes more of tossing and turning passed.

“Knock knock,” AJ said, walking in holding his laptop carefully.

I laughed. “What are you doing?”

He sat down on the other side of the bed. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m afraid of the dark.”

I laughed again. “You are something else.”

“Yeah, I think you’ve mentioned that already.”

“Well, it’s true.”

I glanced at his screen and saw youtube pulled up. He was watching music videos.

“This isn’t going to bother you, is it?”

“No.” I turned around to face the other way, but I smiled at him before I did so.

He probably hadn’t had time to watch the rest of that video by the time I’d finally fallen fast asleep.