Chapter 8 – Can I Ask You Something?

AJ and Dean walked slowly, hands in their pockets and eyes on the sidewalk. The party sprawled outward from the house; there were people hanging out outside, on the porch and in the yard, next to their cars and down the block. They'd have to walk a minute to get some privacy.

"It's nice out." said AJ.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "I like it when it's like this."

"Chilly, but not too cold?"

"Yeah."

AJ figured weather was a safe subject. Now that it had been discussed, she started to feel nervous again. Part of her wanted to pounce on him and skip ahead to the girlfriend part. That part was fun.

"Can I ask you something?" Dean broke the silence.

"Sure." she said. "I might not answer," she warned, half joking. "But you can ask anything you want."

Dean smiled and glanced at her. "Fair enough."

AJ waited, but Dean wouldn't ask yet – not until they were past the other party stragglers. They got to the corner and crossed the street. Dean made sure to slow his gait so AJ could keep up without having to walk too fast. Dean glanced behind them, and finally asked his question.

"Do you work at that club?"

AJ's first instinct was to play innocent. She'd practiced denying it so many times, in case her parents ever confronted her.

"What club?"

"The one you were running away from, in the rain."

She felt a spike of anxiety in her stomach. "You saw that, huh?"

"It was the only place over there that would have been open that late."

AJ nodded and looked at the ground in front of her, placing one foot carefully in front of the other.

"I'm not judging." he reassured her. "Just curious. Just trying to get to know you."

AJ smiled and glanced over at him. "That's how we know all of those girls. They work there too."

"So...you're all dancers?"

AJ shook her head. "Not me. Kaitlyn and I just wait tables. Short-shorts, bikini tops..."

Dean couldn't help glancing at her body when she described the outfit. Her tight fitting clothes made it all too easy to imagine.

"Why not dance?" he asked.

"It's just...not something I want to do." said AJ. "And it's competitive. Some of them are really good at it. If I'm going to compete, I want it to be in martial arts. Something that's important to me."

"I get that." said Dean. "If you ever do it, I'll come see you."

AJ smiled to herself. "Which, the dancing or the martial arts?"

Dean smiled and shrugged, not committing to either. AJ chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed." he told her.

"I'm not-"

"You're not?" Dean challenged her immediately, calling her out on how cagey she'd been just a few minutes before.

AJ gave him a look of reproach. "It's just weird, telling certain people. You're cool, you seem fine with it, but some people...they treat you different if they know."

"Your parents don't know?" Dean guessed.

"No." AJ stated emphatically, eyes widening at the very thought.

"What, they think you work at a restaurant?"

"They know I work at a club, they just don't know what kind."

"Would your dad really freak out that bad?"

"I don't know..." AJ answered. "I've thought about it a lot. It's not that he would be angry, it's just...he doesn't need more stress. I don't want him to worry about me."

"I bet even if your life was perfect, he would still worry about you. It's a dad thing."

"Yeah. Especially since I'm a girl, his only daughter..."

They got to the next corner, and wordlessly agreed to keep walking that direction.

"Why is he so stressed?" Dean asked.

AJ took a deep breath. It was the story of her family's life.

"He works two jobs," she said. "Sometimes three if he's doing security on the weekends. My mom got really sick a few years ago, so she stopped working, and the medical bills have piled up this whole time."

"Sorry to hear that."

"We're dealing with it. I contribute when I can, but they don't want me to skip on my gym stuff, even though it's looking more and more like I might have to. Just so they can keep living in their house. It's most of the reason I still live there. I would have moved in with Kaitlyn a few years ago if not for all of that."

"Gotta take care of your family. Whatever family you've got left."

"Yeah..."

The sounds of the party had faded completely, and they kept wandering out into the surrounding neighborhood.

"So is your mom okay now?" Dean asked.

"You are asking a lot of questions." AJ pushed back.

"Oh, I've barely scratched the surface." Dean warned with a grin.

She smirked; she was teasing him, but she was also getting uncomfortable talking about herself. She'd be at a disadvantage if she gave too much away.

"You can ask me anything." he offered.

"Hmm..." AJ hesitated, trying to think of a good one. "Well, you know where I work. Do you work for your dad?"

"Part time. Mostly just to fill in when he's down a driver."

"You don't like it, do you?"

"It can be pretty fuckin' boring. I don't like sitting still. Or obeying the speed limit. And I don't like wearing a suit. But it pays alright."

"You're the boss' son, it can't be that bad." AJ teased him.

"Eh, you'd be surprised." said Dean. Then he remembered the level of effort he'd put in to dressing himself the previous night. "He lets me get away with some stuff, I suppose. You just haven't seen him angry."

"Aw, he seemed nice yesterday."

"Oh, that's because there were ladies present. He's an old flirt."

"I think you guys are exactly alike."

Dean's eyebrows rose. "Are you serious?" he said with a chuckle.

AJ smiled at his shock. "What, you don't think so?"

"That is honestly the last thing I thought I'd hear."

"Okay, I've only been around your dad for a few minutes, and I don't know you that well yet. But he definitely reminded me of you when he came down the stairs."

"How so?" Dean asked, reveling in the opportunity to hear AJ describe him in her own words.

"Ohh, if I had to choose one word, it would be..."

AJ hesitated, afraid of embarrassing herself. Dean's gaze was intense, and he wasn't letting her off the hook.

"...swagger?" AJ offered with a wince.

Dean's grin grew wider. "You think I got swagger?" he said, barely able to stop himself from picking her up by the waist and squeezing the cuteness right out of her.

AJ smirked and raised one eyebrow. "Don't get cocky." she said defiantly.

"It's way too late for that." Dean warned her.

"I've noticed." AJ said with a laugh.

"Hey, what does AJ stand for?"

AJ shrugged. "My first and middle names?"

"Smart ass."

"Mm-hm." AJ agreed, nodding and smiling to herself. She glanced up at him, withholding the answer because he was clearly still waiting for one.

"It's not for me," said Dean, still playing it cool. "It's for my dad. He was wondering what it stood for. All these questions are for him, really."

"Maybe I should hang out with him, then."

"If you're into older guys." Dean conceded. "I'll tell my dad to stop by the club, how about that?"

"Oh my god..." AJ muttered, right before she playfully shoved Dean away from her. Dean threw himself against the fence of the house they were walking past, making it rattle loudly as he yelled in mock pain. The face that AJ made during the one second she thought he was really hurt was worth it.

"You did not just do that." she said, looking around to see if anyone had heard his shouts.

"You're so mean." he teased, rubbing his shoulder, which AJ was certain felt just fine.

"You're crazy."

"Making me break someone's fence, they're probably calling the cops right now..."

AJ laughed and shook her head. Dean glanced back at the house, and saw someone peeking through their curtains.

"Whoops, we better go."

AJ giggled and shuffled along with Dean as they hurried away.

"You're good at that." she said. "You should be a professional wrestler."

"You think? Nah, that's too safe. I like to hurt people too much."

"You better not hurt me."

"I'd never. You'd hurt me back."

"You better believe it."

Dean chuckled. "You're cute when you're feisty."

"Don't call me 'feisty'."

"That's such a feisty thing to say."

"Ugh." AJ rolled her eyes, even though she really couldn't keep herself from smiling.

"You never answered my question." Dean reminded her.

"About my name?" she asked, stalling for time again. "You don't remember from school?"

"I try not to remember high school, honestly."

"You should have stayed in Spanish 2 with me. The teacher made a big deal when we went over the names of all the months."

Dean's brow furrowed as his mind raced to pick apart her obvious clue. "April?" he guessed, smirking at how hard she was making him work just for this answer.

AJ smiled, not giving anything else away.

"You're middle name's not June, is it?"

"No," AJ chuckled. "He didn't make that big a deal over my name."

"Well I wouldn't know," Dean said, mockingly defiant. "I wasn't there."

"Why did you leave school, so close to the end?" AJ cut in, before Dean could get another question in.

Dean shrugged. "If the end didn't mean anything, it didn't matter how close we got to it. None of us were planning on college, and there was no getting along with the authority there."

"What did your dad think about it?"

"There you go again, interested in my dad..."

"Deeean." AJ groaned jokingly.

"He understood." Dean relented and told her. "The trouble I was getting into, he knew I'd be better off on my own. He was the same way at my age, he remembered what it was like. And look at him now, a successful businessman."

At some point in the conversation, they turned back in the direction of the party. AJ felt like she could keep walking with Dean until they got to another city, but she was also worried about how much Nikki would tease her in front of everyone if they were away from the crowd for too long. So they continued quizzing and flirting with each other, until the sounds of the party could be heard again from a block away.

"I have two more questions." said Dean, sensing the end of their private meeting.

AJ's soft smile let him know that she was ready.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

AJ could not keep a smile from forming on her face. It was so straight forward.

"No." she answered, equally direct and teasingly so. "Next question."

"Well." Dean started, showing the first signs of hesitation. "Since we've hung out a couple times, gotten to know each other a little better, I was wondering..."

AJ was already filled with a happy, excited feeling, even though her brain was telling her not to get her hopes up too high.

"Can I take you out to dinner and a movie?" he asked.

AJ nodded, playing it cool even though she was jumping up and down on the inside.

"I'd like that."

Dean smiled. "You working tomorrow night?"

Back inside the house, Roman was surrounded by pretty girls, Dean was nowhere to be found, and Seth was still leaning against the far wall with Kelly. They were standing very close, chatting about each other's hair, a fact made obvious by the way they kept touching loose strands on each others' heads.

Heath Slater thought this would be the best time to humiliate Roman in front of the whole party. Heath strolled up by himself, motioning for his friends Drew and Jinder to stay where they were.

"Well, hey there, Roman." Heath said, shifting his weight to one leg. His fake friendly tone gave his southern accent a confrontational edge.

Roman did not appreciate being interrupted while he was flirting with Kaitlyn. He paused at the sound of Heath's voice, taking a long moment before he looked up. He didn't say anything; he just raised his eyebrows and stared, waiting for Heath to either make his point or turn around and leave at the sight of his death glare.

"I heard you and your 'boys' were workin' for Santino these days." Heath said, with patronizing air quotes and everything.

"Do me a favor, Heath?" Roman asked.

"What's that?"

"Mind your own fucking business?"

A beat passed, as everyone in the room stopped their conversations and turned to look.

Taken aback, Kaitlyn glanced at Roman, wondering if she'd actually heard him right. Roman was staring Heath down hard, blue eyes unflinching. Kaitlyn saw Alicia from the corner of her eye, mouthing the word 'wow...' to Nikki. They were all wondering if they should leave, or at the very least move out of the way.

"Oh, but it is my business." Heath said, growing more agitated. "I'm his top guy for two years runnin', and all of a sudden Santino don't wanna talk to me no more. Explain that!"

Roman stayed in his seat. It wasn't worth standing up to intimidate Heath. He could do it sitting down.

"I don't have to explain anything to you." Roman said, his voice harder than before. "And if I did work for Santino, it wouldn't be my responsibility to figure out why you suck so bad you can't even keep a two-bit car thief happy."

Jinder and Drew appeared from the crowd of people, flanking their friend. Roman didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He stared at Heath until Heath forced a laugh and turned toward his lackeys.

"I don't have time for this."

"You should spend all the time you do have looking for a new job, Wendy."

"Stand up and say that to my face." Heath demanded, turning back to Roman and stepping forward.

At that, Roman stood up and looked down his nose at Heath.

Some people in the living room were turning to look, and the shift in mood caught Seth's attention. When Roman stood up to Heath, Seth put a hand gently on Kelly's arm and said he'd be right back. Kelly followed, keeping her distance. The girls watching sensed that Seth had not gone over to help Roman, but to make sure he didn't do anything to Heath.

Roman stood, but he refused to repeat himself.

"The fuck you gonna do, Slater?" Seth asked once he got to Roman's side. "Huh?"

"You're a man short." Heath pointed out, since Dean was still gone, and he had Jinder and Drew behind him.

"And?" Seth asked, clearly amused by the implication. Roman continued staring at the man who'd called him out in a room full of people. Not one fist needed to fly to get his point across.

As if Heath finally realized that, he put his hands up dismissively and tried to play it off.

"Man, I don't need this." he said, forcing another chuckle as he turned away.

"Yeah, no shit." Seth called after him.

The rest of the party guests eyed the remaining pair warily, though they quickly resumed their previous conversations, as if they didn't want to be caught staring.

"Yoooo!" Zack bounded over exuberantly as the atmosphere went back to normal. "That was crazy! You're like, bosses of this house and you don't even live here!"

Roman was still staring a giant hole into the back of Heath's head.

"You alright, man?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Roman said, rolling his shoulders to get the tension out. He'd been ready for a legitimate brawl. Dean may have been the one with the short temper, but his friends were just as dangerous when pushed far enough.

When Dean and AJ returned moments later, they could feel a tonal shift in the house. Dean could also read his buddies easily.

"Did I miss something?" Dean asked as he rejoined his friends.

"Tell you later." Roman muttered, since they had some things to discuss in private.

"Hey, buddy." Kaitlyn said to AJ as she reclaimed her seat on the couch. AJ stifled her excited smile. She had things to discuss with Kaitlyn later too.

During the car ride home, the Bellas insisted on singing along at the top of their lungs to whatever was on the radio. After relaxing at the party, Brie had finally decided to forget what was troubling her, even if it was just for the night. She was wasted, yelling at the people in other cars while Nikki yelled at her to keep singing.

"Drink lots of water!" Kaitlyn shouted from her car as the twins helped each other stumble up the walk to their apartment building.

"Should we make sure they get in alright?"

Right as AJ asked, Nikki tripped and almost fell over, grabbing on to Brie. They both started giggling as they caught their balance.

"I think they've had a lot of practice, they'll be okay." Kaitlyn reassured her. "So what did you and Dean talk about?" she transitioned immediately as she pulled away from the curb.

"Oh, Kaitlyn." AJ sighed jokingly, a dreamy smile beginning to form. "Always so desperate for details."

"Don't! Make me pinch you." Kaitlyn threatened, reaching for AJ's thigh. AJ squealed and tried to get away.

"Okay!" she relented. "Both hands on the wheel, jesus."

"Tell me now or I'll drive us into a lake! Was it nice?"

"Yeah, it wasn't awkward at all. We could have kept talking all night."

"Why didn't you?" Kaitlyn asked with a curious smile.

"I didn't want to hear the reactions if we took too long getting back."

"Oh forget everyone else, what does it matter what they think?"

"I know, I know."

"What did you talk about?"

"Mostly me, at first. He was asking so many questions."

Kaitlyn's ooh! rose in pitch as she took in this exciting news.

"Stop." AJ said, features flat with mock-seriousness.

"He's so intrigued! Oh my god, he loves you so much."

"I told him about where we work..."

"For real?" Kaitlyn asked, genuinely surprised. "What did he say?"

"He already knew, since that's where they picked me up the other night. I told him we just wait tables, but he seemed fine with it either way."

"Aw. Now you don't have to worry about him finding out."

"True..."

"Did you ask questions too?"

"You sound like my mom, and I feel like I am still in high school."

"I want to know about this boy, especially if he's going to steal you away from me."

"Nooo, I don't want that to happen again."

"Oh, stop." Kaitlyn scolded her softly. She didn't mean to bring up the Daniel Bryan debacle again.

"For real, though. I feel like I'm in high school again. I was all nervous at first."

"Did he ask you out?"

"We have a date in a few days."

"I knew it! He wanted to take you outside and propose."

"You've really got me on the fast track, buddy."

"I just need you to find happiness so I can once again concentrate on my own."

"You were sitting next to Roman all night, huh?"

"Oh that reminds me, I have to tell you about what happened right before you came back..."

Kaitlyn described the scene, concentrating most of the detail on Roman coming off like a total bad ass. Despite her obvious attraction, Kaitlyn also expressed concern over the comment Roman had made to his red-haired rival, something about working for a car thief.

"It sounded like some real gangster shit."

AJ got quiet, thinking about how Dean avoided talking about what he really did for a living.

"Whatever they're into, they seem to be the ones on top." Kaitlyn mused. "The ginger guy got scurred when Seth came over."

"Sounds like it was intense."

"It was, it was like a record scratch moment, everyone turned to look. Then Roman stood up and it was like, the king has spoken, go back to what you were doing, peasants."

AJ giggled at the image.

"They can take care of themselves, is what I'm saying."

"But we already knew that." AJ leaned back on the headrest and turned to look at Kaitlyn. They shared a smile, remembering their first little get together with the boys.

"That we did." Kaitlyn agreed.

"So you want me to marry this possible gangster?"

"Yes! And I'll be your bridesmaid."

"Of course you will." AJ chuckled, looking out at the road in front of them. Dean was not like her exes - those clean-cut, ambitious boys that she took home to meet the parents without hesitation. But it wasn't like those typical guys had worked out for her in the end. Dean definitely had a naughty streak, but he also seemed down to earth and solid. And, unlike her exes, he understood where she came from, and he was so easy to talk to right from the start.

"I'm excited." she admitted to Kaitlyn, causing her friend to flash a big, excited smile.