Amber's View

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I said to myself as I pushed open the doors to the apartment building. "What even made me come here?" I silently shook my head as I stepped into the elevator and took it up to the 10th floor. I had been having this same argument with myself all the way down here (and believe me it's a long way from New York to Florida). It was the same exact questions over and over, and with it came the same exact answers. "You're doing this because you need a change too. You came because she's your friend and you've been through a lot together."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. "Well," I said taking a deep breath, "Here goes nothing." I stepped off the elevator and started walking towards Rhonda's apartment. Finally finding it, I took one more deep breath before I knocked on the door. "She's here," I heard a male voice call out. "Well then open the door!" was the reply in an ever-familiar voice. I had to laugh that sounded like the Rhonda I knew.

The door opened and in front of me stood one of the sexiest men I've ever seen. I mean I had seen him in pictures before but nothing did justice to the real thing. I took it all in – the hair (red tipped), the tattoos, the piercings, but what really got my attention were his eyes peeking over a pair of sunglasses. They just held a type of sexual magnetism. "Damn!" I said under my breath. It was all I could say. His grin turned cocky. Oh no, I hope he didn't hear that. I blushed, that was stupid of me, the last thing I needed in my life right now was to get involved with another guy. I was just getting over a three year relationship with Dan that went nowhere, and before that was Steve. I didn't even want to think about Steve, there are still to many wounds from that relationship that needed to heal.

"Hey, you must be Amber. I'm AJ," he said and flashed another one of his grins. "Rhonda didn't nearly do you justice." He pushed his sunglasses up, looked me up and down and said playfully, "Damn!" I started to blush even harder because now I knew he had heard me.
"AJ will you stop flirting with her long enough to let her in," Rhonda said as she pushed him aside to greet me with a big hug. "Sorry about him," she said gesturing over her shoulder to AJ "ever since he broke up with his ex he's been hitting on everything in a skirt."
"I have not!" he argued back, "besides she's in pants."
"Whatever!" Rhonda said laughing herself. "Let me introduce you to the others although I know you really don't need one. You've already met AJ, this over here is Nick, Brian, Kevin, and of course the best out of all of them – Howie".
"Hey!" they all shouted in mock anger, except for Howie who was the one blushing now.
"I have to check on some things in the kitchen," Rhonda said pulling my arm and walking in the direction I could only guess the kitchen was in. "Why don't you give me a hand?"
"Need some more help?" AJ asked looking right at me, "I've been told I'm real good with my hands."
"No thanks we've got it covered," Rhonda said continuing to pull me. I turned around and smiled as I saw which part he was watching leave.
"So how are you doing?" she asked with deep concern in her voice.
"What no 'hi, how was your trip?'"
"Hi, how was your trip, now, how are you doing?"
"I'm doing as well as can be expected. I mean how else can you be when you've broken up with the man you love after three years and you still can't go anywhere with out looking over your shoulder."
"I know what you mean," Rhonda said glancing over to the doorway to see if any of the guys were eavesdropping in on this painful conversation. "I still have this fear that when I turn around Cal is gonna be there."
"That's the main reason I had to leave, I could have handled the break-up with Dan just fine, but then Steve started showing up again and I just couldn't go through that again. It was all too much to handle at once. Besides I missed you, talking on the phone just isn't the same thing."
"Awwww, I missed you to," she said as we hugged again.
"So," my voice was nervous "have you told him yet?"
"Told him what?"
"About the situation?"
"Just parts of it."
"And what parts would those be?" I asked. I knew she really loved Howie. He was the first one since Cal and I knew the past was a painful subject. I was just curious to know how much she had revealed about it to him.
"He knows I had a painful relationship in the past and about the night Cal found us at Tommy's."
"That's all, that's not very much Rhon."
"I know I want to tell him but I just don't how."
"Trust me, it will have to come out sooner or later."
"I know," she said again a weary tone coming into her voice, "how did Dan find out about Steve?"
"The wrong way – he showed up at our house. You know when I look back on it all now realize that marked the beginning of the end for Dan and me. I guess he just couldn't commit to a girl whose past was always lurking in the shadows." I sighed and then said with my brightest smile, "Well, let's just forget all about it for right now." I tried to lighten the subject. "Look at us we're in here depressing ourselves when there's a whole room full of guys out there to have fun with."

"Anyone in particular you want to have fun with?" Rhonda said knowing I had kind of a wild streak in me.
"Hmmm…maybe," I flashed her a mischievous smile and headed towards the living room.

"That was quick for girl talk – you must have missed me," AJ said to me as soon as I walked back into the living room.
"Of course," I shot back not missing a beat. What the hell a little flirting couldn't hurt anything. In fact maybe that's just what I needed, a sexy guy paying attention to me with no strings attached. "Who needs girl talk when I can be sitting next to a big 'ol stud like you?" I said doing my best southern bell impression complete with the batting eyes and everything while plopping down on the couch next to him.

"Watch out Bone - I think you may have met your match," Kevin said on the other side of him laughing at my impression.
"Oh I don't know about that but I'm definitely up for the challenge," AJ said while putting his arm on the back of the couch behind me.
"Oh you think you're up for the challenge, do you?" I said with a sly grin on my face. "Well then, name your challenge." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Rhonda giving Howie a worried glance. I knew she was worried about me, because I still had feelings for Dan, but as I said before a little flirting wasn't gonna hurt anything besides, I was just a natural flirt at heart.

"A kiss."
"What!?" I said a little taken aback.
"My challenge is for you to kiss me," AJ said leaning in closer to me on the couch.

I could now see Rhonda whispering something to Howie, gesturing towards me and AJ and Howie looking like he wasn't sure of what to make of all of this. I almost laughed out loud because I also saw all the other people in the room trying to look as if they weren't in the least bit interested in what was going on, but none of them were moving either. They were waiting to hear, or see, my response to the challenge.

I leaned into AJ even more, looked into those sexy as hell eyes and said once again in my best bell voice, "Why Mr. McLean I do declare that I am not that kind of girl."
A.J laughed. "And what does it take to make you become that kind of girl?" he asked with an evil grin and one eyebrow cocked. "More than you know how to do," I said with an evil grin of my own.
"Well I doubt that," he said leaning in ever closer, " I know how to do an awful lot."
"Umm... AJ look at the time – we have to get to rehearsal," Howie said suddenly standing in front of us. I knew Rhonda had sent him over. AJ shot Howie an annoyed look. "In a minute –I 'm kinda busy right now."
Brian quickly judging the story from Rhonda and Howie's looks and from what must have been told to them about my situation, stood up. "Nah Bone, come on we're late already."
AJ got up slowly, still looking annoyed that he was interrupted. He turned towards me, "We'll continue this later," he said with a wink.
"Come on," Brian said not so gently guiding AJ to towards the door. "It was nice meeting you Amber, hope everything works out for you here." "Nice to meet you too."
"Bye!" said Nick as he headed out the door with Kevin following him. "It's uhhh been interesting."
"Well Amber I guess I'll be seeing you, and I'll call you later hon," Howie said walking over and giving Rhonda a light kiss on the lips. I could see the faintest hint of a blush covering his cheeks and I sighed thinking that I used to have a guy like that.
"Bye!" I said to him as he walked out the door to catch up with the rest of the group. "You're so lucky to have found someone like him. You really deserve it," I said to Rhonda with a catch in my voice.
"Don't worry," she said coming to sit next to me on the couch. "You'll find the right guy sooner or later. You just have to get over the ones in the past."
"I guess you're right," I said. "Maybe AJ can help me forget – he seemed very friendly."
Rhonda looked at me, "Maybe you should stay away from him."
"Why?"
"You've both just been through major break-ups. I don't know the whole story of what happened this time, but I do know that him and Amanda are a permanent off again / on again couple. I don't want to see you get involved with someone who isn't in it to stay."

I thought for a minute about what she said. Half of me knew she was right. The last thing I needed was to get hurt by another guy. But the other half of me couldn't stop thinking that maybe a casual fling was just what I needed to get my self-confidence back and to move on with my life, besides I was extremely attracted to AJ. This battle between the two halves was causing me to get a headache. "I don't know what to do. My emotions are running to high to make any rational decisions," I said as I stood up to leave. "I think I'm just gonna go back to my place and straighten some thoughts out. I'll talk to you later."

"Don't worry – I'll take care of everything," she said as she closed the door. I wanted to ask her what she meant by that but decided that it probably didn't mean anything. I walk down to the elevator and stepped inside.