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"Hey," she said as he hopped to his feet "Where the hell were you tonight?"

She tried not to convey just how annoyed she was, but jeez, she did not like being stood up She’d been ready to leave the party an hour after she’d gotten there, but she’d hung around at the pub for two extra hours waiting for AJ to arrive Two hours of listening to Jessica babble on about et drunker and drunker, a state that never failed to lead to an argument between hiot home to find AJ hunkered down on her doorstep like a street urchin?

"I waited for hours," she said accusingly, her annoyance spilling over before she could stop it

"I’ve been calling for hours," he shot back "Why didn’t you answer your phone?"

"Because it died right after we talked" She scowled as she rued in her purse for her keys "Seriously, dude, what the hell happened to you? Jordan was bummed that you didn’t show"

"Oh, I showed," he"You did not Trust me, I’d know if you did Unlike you, I was actually there"

"You sentto figure out if it was an honesta prank on me"

Her irritation dissolved

Cue: confusion

"I have no idea what you’re talking about" She strode inside and flicked the light switch, then kicked off her heels and spun around to face hi lared at her "I went to Donnelly’s, Brett You weren’t there"

"Of course I wasn’t"

"Ha!" he said again "See?"

"Because Jordan’s thing was at Donaghy’s"

"You said Donnelly’s"

"Nuh-uh, I said Donaghy’s Do-na-ghy’s" Her victorious smile faded when she noticed the miserable look on his face "Why? What happened at Donnelly’s?"

"What didn’t happen at Donnelly’s?" was his muttered response

Without another word, he stalked to the kitchen and rifled through her fridge like he owned it He pulled out a bottle of Heineken, the last of the six-pack he’d brought over the other night, then twisted off the cap and took a hearty swig