A.J. half-expected Nick would spend all night and the rest of the weekend talking about Lina, but he wasn't all that surprised when, after the anecdote had tumbled out, Nick clammed up. He went back to old habits and bottled up his feelings. A.J. knew it was going to be a while when Saturday morning started with a call from Mandy.
"Hey Manders," A.J. greeted her, seeing Nick's number on the caller i.d. "Hang on, I'll haul Sleeping Beauty's ass out of bed for you."
"That's ok Alex," He winced. Only his close friends called him anything other than A.J.. Mandy didn't qualify, although she thought she did. "I kinda wanted to talk to you first."
"Yeah?" somehow he managed to sound a little surprised and only vaguely interested.
"Is he seeing someone else?"
A.J. choked on a gulp of coffee. When he'd calmed down, he replied, "Yeah Mandy. Since the accident he's been doing physiotherapy, a little psychotherapy and hitting the clubs."
She laughed. "Okay so it sounds dumb. But ever since the accident he's been sort of spacey around me. And now he's telling me he needs space and moving into your house."
"Maybe if you didn't treat him like he's made of glass..."
"Get off it," Mandy sounded exasperated. "It's got to be more than that! This is a big house, he could avoid me in here for weeks if he wanted."
"Well, I can't help you babe. Have to talk to him."
"You don't think that..." she trailed off, seeming to remember she was talking to A.J. and not one of her girlfriends. "Never mind."
"I'll get him for you."
The look Nick gave him when he emerged from his room was priceless. "Man you are not some death-row prisoner doing the long walk."
"My girlfriend is on the phone, right?"
"Uh huh."
"And she's about to do the "You don't pay enough attention to me" speech?"
"Could be."
"With a little of "Are you seeing someone else?" and "What is wrong with you?" thrown in?"
"Pretty likely."
"Do you know how many times we've had this fight over the last three years?"
"You're gonna tell me?"
"I could write the fucking script. And she's alone in my house. She'll probably kill one of the dogs and smear his blood all over my bed or something."
A.J. laughed. "Glad I'm not you, buddy. I'll be outside if you need reinforcements."
Nick and Mandy fought again, as Nick knew they would. He took her out to dinner that night, trying to smooth things over, but A.J. picked up a vibe and decided to leave the front door unlocked. He wasn't terribly surprised when Nick wandered in at one in the morning.
"Past your curfew Nicky!" he teased.
"Fuck off," Nick groaned. "Why couldn't you be in bed already?"
" Cause it's only one? Bars ain't closed yet."
"You're not at a bar."
"But I am the Party Animal. Question not my lifestyle, young Nickolas!" A.J. thundered.
"Were you watching porn again? Should I leave?" Nick mocked back.
"Nah, you should sit down with me and we can complain about how neither of us is gettin' any tonight. And watch porn."
"Mandy thinks I am gettin' some tonight," he sighed, dropping down onto the floor, his back against the couch.
"What, with me? You should tell her I don't like you that way," A.J. grinned. "And Amanda wouldn't like it anyway."
Alex. Nick warned.
They both froze, realising what Nick had done.
"Jeez, sorry man," he apologized. "I know I said I was comfortable around you but I have no right to.."
A.J. shrugged it off. "Don't sweat it. I was just a little surprised."
Nick stared. "You mean you're okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay? Didn't we go through this when we dragged you out of that coma?"
"Physically okay. No headache?"
"Nick I spent like, thirty-six hours with you or Mins in my head and all I got was a little tired from the last part. Why would two seconds give me a headache?"
"Mindi was in your head?"
"Well, not like you and Brian, but we kept in touch."
"Shit." Nick was still staring at him, and A.J. shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I must be completely and totally dense. It takes me years to realize one of my best friends is allergic to me, months to realize my better half has left me and now this."
"What?"
"Alexander James McLean you are psychic and no one has ever thought to tell you."
A.J. stared at Nick as if his blonde friend had grown an extra head. His mouth worked, but no sound came out. It was one thing to be told that one of your best friends was psychic, quite another to have the announcement be about yourself. Finally he chose something safe to say.
"So how much does Mandy really know about Lina?"
"Sorry, I'm not really good at subtle first-contact things."
"Nick, I asked a question," A.J. replied in an even voice. Nick nodded in comprehension.
"Want to watch the Exorcist?"
"You're avoiding the question."
"So are you. I don't want to talk about her, I'm not sure I can even stand thinking about her until sometime next year. Hopefully you'll be able to start dealing with your issue before we hit the road again. Now, I happen to know you have a DVD of the Exorcist and I think we need to see it."
And so, for a few hours, the McLean residence became the House of Denial.