"Keep talking" Michael said while applying more pressure to the wound. "Ahhh" AJ grunted. "He was...going to... kill me... But then he mentioned... her. He said if I don't help him then Marie was good as dead." At the sound of her name, I stood up giving him my undivided attention. He already knew? My thought got interrupted when he continued speaking. "He somehow already knew about her. I had... I had to save her... or at least I thought I was." AJ's tone turned sad.
Michael then began to ask another question. "Why did you care? Why did you choose a girl over your best friend almost brother?" Honestly, I had to know as well back then he wasn't so close to Marie and most importantly why didn't he just come to me. AJ then lowered his head in shame and then shook his head as a sign of no.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? What does he mean no? He better answer the fucking question before I tear his heart from his chest. Michael looked up at me and saw how angry I had become. Michael was about to do something but before he could do anything, I yelled loudly making both men flinch at how angry I sounded. "Answer the fucking question. Why the hell didn't you just come to me? Why?!"
What I was not expecting was what came out of him mouth after. I was truly shocked. I could not believe my ears. "Because I love her!" he yelled once again grunting in pain afterwards. I was left dumbfounded. It was true. What Michael said he noticed was actually true. My own best friend was in love with my girlfriend. What the hell?
"I love her I always did." He spoke softly as he tried to regulate his breathing. "Before you ever met her, before your father took me in, before you even met her, I was already in love with her." I couldn't believe it and I wasn't the only one even Michael was surprised. That's when I spoke again. "What do you mean before?" I asked. AJ closed his eyes tightly and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I mean I have loved her since we were 5."
"What?" was all I could say. That means it was me. I took the girl he loved. "I met her in preschool when we were both 4. Our mothers were best friends. We went to school together, we hung out after school and on weekends. I then fell for her. I used to tell her she was my girlfriend. But then after my mother died my father pulled me out of school and slowly went crazy.
During one of his depression he killed himself. I was left alone with nowhere to go and that's when I bumped into you and you took me to your father. He agreed and took me in. I never saw Marie again. Well, at least not until we started school again but she no longer recognized me. Your father changed my name from Alex to AJ so she had no idea it was me."
I couldn't speak. He never mentioned her before, I had no idea he even knew her. He could've said something but he never did. "Then you came in one day, bumped into her and fell for her also. I wanted to say something I wanted to tell you I loved her first but I was so grateful for what you had done for me I decided to back off. I decided to let you proceed her. Then I tried, I tried so hard to forget her and stop loving her but it was so hard when you constantly reminded me how amazing she was. I never stopped loving her."
I wanted to say something, I wanted to apologize from coming in the way, but not for loving her. I almost apologized but then I remembered he still betrayed me, me his best friend, almost brother. "You betrayed him because you loved the same girl?" Michael asked. AJ shook his head as no. "Randy somehow knew the story. I am not sure how but he knew it all.
The only person that knew the story was your father, I had been honest with him one day he caught me staring at a picture of me and her together. He promised not to tell you. That's when he decided to make me your partner.
But Randy knew the entire story. He then toyed with my feelings. He told me I should hate you, he told me that you took her from me on purpose. He said you could never make her happy and that eventually you would hurt her and I believed him. I began getting angry. Then I remember that you kidnapped and raped her and it convinced me. I began to hate you in silence."
I gritted my teeth at his confession. How could he let Randy persuade him to hate me? Some best friend he is. "He made me an offer" He continued while touching his chest in pain. "What offer?" Michael asked impatiently. "He said if I lead him to her, he would take her to lure you in but he promised that if I helped him, he wouldn't hurt her He promised he wouldn't touch a hair in her body, that he would just do it to scare you. So, I agreed.
At that moment all I cared about was her. I told him everything and then I told Michael to give you the target. I hated you at first but when I saw how much you truly loved her, I regretted it but it was too late. Then I figured that together we could easily save her, get rid of Randy and you never had to find out anything.
I knew you could save her, you loved her too much not too. At the time I didn't know she was pregnant I only found out that night. I called him I begged him not to go through with the plan but he assured me that he cared for her and he wouldn't hurt her.
I am so sorry Luke. I didn't think I just wanted her save and when he threatened her, I panicked. I'm so sorry." I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. He did try to save her but why did he believe Randy instead of coming to me? Why not warn me? There is more I know it and I was still fucking angry.