Chapter 3

"Oh! Whoa! Whoa!" Evie covered her eyes as she walked into the women's restroom to see AJ with his pants around his ankles and a woman on her knees in front of him.

"Shit! Evie!" AJ pushed the woman off him causing her to fall back and hit the floor with a thud.

Putting her hand up in a dismissive manner Evie just walked by. "Don't mind me." Attempting to find an empty stall, they were occupied.

"They're being used, why do you think we're out here?" The woman asked getting back on her knees and reaching for AJ.

"I…..you….there are people using the bathroom! And you're okay with giving him head just out in the open? You know what? Don't answer that. It's rude to talk with your mouth full anyway." Evie heard someone snicker from inside a stall.

"Hey!" The woman protested as AJ pushed her away again.

Evie turned her back to the couple and pulled her jeans out of her bag. "Did either of you do anything on the counter?"

"Evi-." AJ started.

"Call me." The woman stood and straightened her dress while slipping AJ a piece of paper with her number scribbled down on it. Standing on her tippy toes she went in for a kiss.

AJ jerked away roughly. "Don't try and kiss me!"

"I will ask again! Did you do anything on the counter?" Evie repeated a bit louder.

"No." AJ sighed as he buckled his pants and the woman walked out.

Throwing her bag on the counter and kicking off her heels Evie slipped her jeans on under the dress and bent over putting on socks and her boots. "Evie-." AJ tried again but was given the hand.

"Get out AJ! This is the women's restroom." Evie dug in her bag for a shirt and pulled the dress off quickly replacing it with her t-shirt. AJ barely had the time to enjoy the view, she moved so fast but he thought he caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her side. Stuffing the dress and heels into her bag a toilet flushed. "Now someone finishes." Evie pulled her hair out from the shirt and swung her bag over her shoulder. Giving AJ one last disgusted look she walked out.

"You okay?" Lily stopped Evie as she nearly ran by.

"I am fine, just saw a little more of AJ than I wanted to thankfully I have the next two days away from him. I'll see you Saturday."

The following day AJ waited for Evie but after a few hours and her being a no show Lily told him she was off that night and the next night. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing." AJ denied even though he felt like shit, he couldn't wait until Saturday to apologize.

Friday evening…

AJ sat back in his car watching the runners pass by, some short and some tall, some skinny and some fat, some looked as if they were running marathons and others as if they were on their death beds.

AJ had went to Evie's apartment to talk about what happened the other night and after seeing her bike in the parking lot he assumed she was just ignoring him. That was until the neighbor; tired of his persistent knocking informed him Evie went running around this time every evening.

There was only one park close enough for Evie to walk to so that is where AJ sat and waited. It seemed the trail was emptying out as one by one each car left and the sun began to set and then she ran by wearing a stretchy long sleeve white top, and tiny black stretch shorts. Putting out his cigarette, AJ got out his car and called after her but it was obvious she didn't hear him. "Evie!" AJ picked up his pace a bit to catch up and grabbed her arm.

Spinning around Evie kicked AJ in the stomach, as he doubled over she swung and hit him in the jaw before swiping her leg behind his to knock him to the ground.

"It's me Evie! It's me!"

Evie gasped pulled out her earbud. "AJ? What are you doing here?" Getting on the ground she looped her arm with his to help him up.

"Apparently getting my ass kicked by some chick!" AJ coughed and held his ribs. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm so sorry; I swear I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry but didn't I tell you I took self-defense classes, why would you sneak up on me?" Evie felt bad as AJ hobbled over to a park bench. After a second of remorse Evie punched AJ in the shoulder.

"What the hell Evie?"

"How did you know I was going to be here? Are you following me? And why did you sneak up on me?" Evie repeated as she sat down beside him.

Wiping his lip, AJ saw blood on his thumb and looked at Evie. "You are lucky I don't hit women."

"And you're lucky I didn't take out my pepper spray. You're supposed to be smart right? What part of coming up behind a woman that is running, alone with headphones in sounded like a good idea to you?"

AJ held his side. "You're supposed to be smart too, don't you watch the news? It's not safe to run by yourself."

"I am aware of that which is why I almost broke your ribs." Evie sighed. "…Are you okay?"

"I will be." AJ nodded. "I think I'm a little bit in shock more than anything." AJ laughed but hissed at the pain in his side.

"I'm sorry." Evie apologized as she stood up and held her hand out. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To the hospital, I want to make sure I didn't do any damage when I kicked you."

"I'm not going to the hospital." AJ refused. "What am I supposed to say? That a 5'2, 115lbs woman kicked my ass?"

Evie rolled her eyes. "Fine, then at least come to my place and let me check you out."

AJ took her hand and stood up. "So now you're a nurse too?"

"I never said that."

"Too bad, I'm pretty good at playing doctor."

"…..And even after I kicked your ass, you crack jokes about sleeping with me." Evie arrived at AJ's car. "Can you drive?"

AJ smiled. "If both my legs were broken…you wouldn't drive my car." AJ got in the car and headed to Evie's apartment.

"I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing." AJ walked into the ultra mini apartment and sat on the couch with a huff, putting his head back he closed his eyes.

Grabbing some ice, Evie wrapped it in a towel and walked over AJ placing it on his lip. "I'm sorry."

"Evie." It sounded like a warning as he took the ice and held it in place.

"How does your side feel?"

"It feels like I got kicked."

"AJ! You're not helping me feel any better about the situation!" Evie whined. "I feel bad enough as it is…I still don't get what you were doing there."

"I'm fine." AJ took Evie's hand in his and pulled her to sit down beside him. "I've been in plenty of fights before and not to make you feel any worse….but they were all bigger than your little munchkin self, okay? And I stopped by to talk to you, I saw your bike downstairs so figured you were ignoring me. I guess I pissed off your neighbor with all the banging and she said you go running around this time. Went to the closest park and there you were little miss ninja."

Evie smiled. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"The other night…." AJ started but stopped when Evie began to pull her hand away. "No." AJ held her hand tighter. "The other night, I wasn't thinking an-."

"AJ, you don't have to explain anything to me. I'm not your girlfriend, we're not dating….I just met you like 2 weeks ago so it's fine."

"Really? It didn't seem fine. You wouldn't look at me or talk to me." AJ continued holding her hand and began rubbing his thumb over the back of it. "You're still not looking at me." Taking his free hand AJ lifted her face so they were eye to eye.

Evie laughed a bit. "I walked into the girls bathroom to see a half-naked guy getting head…I was a bit taken back, forgive me."

"So your feelings weren't hurt?" AJ asked.

"No."

"And you weren't jealous?"

"Not in the least." Evie stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Chill AJ, it's my house it's not like I'm leaving." Evie pulled her hand out of his grasp. "I'm in sweaty workout clothes and I would like to go change if that is okay?"

"Alright." AJ nodded. "And then maybe we can grab some dinner? I think I should get something from you after you assaulting me and all."

"Does everything you say have double meaning?" Evie asked as she walked over to her dresser and pulled out some clothes. "Now…I'm trusting you in my house if I smell a trace of cigarette smoke when I come out-."

"Yeah, yeah you'll break the rest of my ribs." AJ waved Evie off as she walked into the bathroom and laughed when he heard the door lock.

With nothing better to do AJ looked around a bit in hopes of figuring this girl out a little more. There were a stack of Cosmopolitan magazines in a rack to the side of her dresser meaning she wasn't a virgin. The cube end table was overflowing with movies, quite a few of them Disney and Pixar, god he hoped she didn't have a kid.

"Having fun?" AJ jumped and held his side. "At least you weren't going through my underwear draw." Evie smiled as she walked over to her dresser in a towel and nothing else. "I see you found my movie collection. I am a total kid at heart, I think I know almost every line of Monsters Inc." Evie grabbed a bra from the draw before turning around and seeing how AJ was staring. "And now I am going back to the bathroom because you're staring at me like I'm a piece of meat."

"I think you'd taste better." AJ licked his lip trying to be cute but flinched when it hit the cut.

"Yeah I'll be getting dressed." Evie went back into the bathroom coming out 10 minutes later. "You calm now horn dog?"

"Cute. You're the one that came out in a towel, you were trying to get a reaction."

"…..No I was trying to get a bra and wasn't about to ask you to go through my stuff for it." Evie sat at the little counter that divided her living room/bedroom from the kitchen and applied eyeliner in a tiny mirror. "Where do you want to go to eat?"

"Obviously I'm not dressed to impress tonight." AJ motioned towards his relatively normal outfit that consisted of black pants, and a plain white shirt with his hat.

"I like this look on you. Every time I see you, you're in some kind of suit."

After nearly debating for 20 minutes where to go they decided on a casual Italian restaurant. Throughout the dinner Evie seemed tense, she kept looking behind AJ and when he turned around he saw nothing. When he suggested a wine, she claimed she didn't drink. The only time she laughed was when AJ referred to their outing as a date, and then went on to deny it.

At the end of their meal Evie laid out some cash and stood. "Excuse me for a minute, I'll be right back."

Assuming she had gone to the bathroom AJ paid the check and waited but as the time slowly went by he became antsy. "Excuse me?" AJ flagged down their waiter. "When the woman I was with comes back to the table can you tell her I stepped outside for a smoke?"

"Sir, she is already outside." The waiter informed.

Evie walked down the street a bit when the man came into view. "What are you doing here?"

"Just checking up on you." The man looked back towards the restaurant. "So AJ?"

"What about him?"

"He likes you?"

"He likes the challenge." Evie looked towards the door seeing AJ walk out.

"Keep challenging him."

"I have to go." Evie went to walk away when her wrist was grabbed.

"Ivelisse."

"I know."

Walking outside AJ looked around and had to squint but there she was down a little ways talking to some guy. A twinge of jealousy hit and AJ watched the two but they were too far away and it was too dark to make out anything that was until the man grabbed Evie when she tried walking away.

"HEY!" AJ called to the duo and immediately the guy let go and walked in the other direction. "You okay?" AJ asked.

"I'm fine. You should know first-hand; I can take care of myself." Evie assured.

"Who was that?"

"Just an old friend." Evie shrugged and waved the smoke out of her face.

Taking a long drag AJ blew the smoke out to the side, away from Evie and put the cigarette out. "Like an old boyfriend?" Evie nodded while looking back to where the guy had been. "How old?"

"Don't worry about it." Evie looped her arm in his and walked to the car. Pulling up to her apartment Evie undid her seatbelt and couldn't help but smile when AJ walked around and opened the door for her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." AJ walked with Evie to her apartment and stopped in front of her door. "So is this it for tonight?"

"This is most definitely it for tonight." Evie laughed.

Moving a piece of hair from her face AJ whispered "I want to kiss you."

"Sorry I don't kiss on the first date." Evie was nearly hypnotized watching his lips.

"Thought you said this wasn't a date?" AJ leaned in to kiss her.

Biting her lip Evie sighed. "If I don't kiss on first dates then I especially don't kiss on non-dates." Pushing open her door she stepped inside. "Goodnight AJ."