Page 33 of Two Is Better Than One

"I'm good. Better. I didn't mean to take a nap. I'm sorry if you were bored."

"I wanted you to. I want you to rest and be the most comfortable you can be." I shifted and got to the edge of the bed. "Can I get you anything? Some ice? Juice?"

"No. Thank you. I have water right here from earlier."

"Do you want me to go?" I said. "Would you be more comfortable without me here?"

AJ smiled and shook his head with a long, comfortable blink that let me know that he wanted me to stay.

"No, I would not be better without you. I want to impress you, and I'm sad you're seeing me gross, but I am way more comfortable with you here. I wish you could sit by me all day."

And that was what happened.

I stayed at Max Morgan's house for the next six hours. We talked some, and part of the time we did other things like watch TV or let AJ take another nap. He slept for thirty minutes here and there as his body healed.

He never got sick again, but he also didn’t eat anything. We connected in those times when we talked. Being in a sick state caused our conversation to be raw and honest and different. Most of the time, I stared straight ahead and didn't look at AJ at all.

I fell madly in love with him during those random candid conversations we shared on his sickbed. AJ was funny, and tender, and mostly still quick-witted and sharp in spite of being sick.

It wasn't unheard of for me to do something by myself for a day now and then. I told my sister I was out, and that I would check in with her later, but ultimately be back at the hotel sometime that evening. She was busy maintaining movie-related connections, and she didn't ask me to explain my whereabouts.

AJ's cousin, Caleb, and his wife wound up coming over at dinner time. They had called him earlier to check on him, and found out his situation—that Max was not home, the doctor had taken care of him, and that I had been there all day.

I could tell they were curious about me when they came in. They knew of my sister and asked me a few questions about my life traveling with her. They told me about themselves. I had talked with AJ enough to know some of it, but I didn't say that to them. I felt like we were instant friends. They brought food for me when they came by and some soup for AJ for him to heat up when he got back onto his feet.

Caleb and Chloe stayed for thirty minutes or so, and while they were there, we talked in the living room and I ate the sandwich they brought me. AJ came out there with us, but he laid back in the corner of Max's couch. We went back into the bedroom after they left, and we put on another movie. It was still playing a little while later when my sister called. I told AJ that I was going outside to take the call.

"Where are you?" was the very first thing my sister said when she heard me pick up the phone.

I walked through the house quickly, heading for the sliding glass door that led to the patio. "I'm here at AJ's uncle's house. I came over to check on… yesterday when we went to Vincent's house, AJ ate something that made him really sick."

"I know all of this. Remember, I was here when Casey told us that."

"I know but, Summer, is Casey right there?"

"No."

"Is Brooks?"

"No, I'm in here writing. What's the matter? What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just, AJ got really sick, and I felt like it's kind of, in a way it's my fault since we're the ones who hired him to be there. And his uncle had to go to work so he was here by himself. He's been sleeping a lot of the day."

"Do you like him?"

"What? No. He's sick. I'm just sitting next to him in case he needs a doctor or something."

This was so false. I liked AJ so much. I was terrified by how much I liked him.

"What time do you want to come back?" she asked. "I'll send a driver."

"I think nine's fine."

"Nine at night?" she asked.

"That's just a couple of more hours."

"You've been there all day. Is he that sick?"

---