If You Leave Before Me
Chapter 2
"What the hell are they doing?" I asked.
"It's Brian and Jimmy...being themselves. Need I say more?" Val giggled.
"There she is!" Brian swam to the edge of the pool when he saw me. "You look normal now," he took a mouthful of water and spit it at my feet with a grin.
He always teased me when he saw me in my work garb; dress pants, long sleeved shirts. If you knew me well, you'd be taken back when you saw me "cleaned up". Another thing Brian and I had always shared was a love of tattoos and when we stood next to each other, you almost couldn't tell where his skin stopped and mine began.
"Come in," Brian swiped at my leg with his hand.
"No!" I jumped backwards out of his reach, almost spilling my beer in the process. "You'll fuck up my hair," I teased. "You wanted me to change my clothes and now you want to get them wet?"
"I want you to stop being a priss," he splashed me, entirely soaking the leg of my jeans.
"Now you've done it, punk!" I handed my beer to Johnny and sprinted to the pool, jumping in feet first with a mighty splash which nearly soaked all the bystanders.
It must've been contagious because within a matter of moments, everyone ended up in the pool. We carried on and played like 10 year olds for almost 45 minutes before it started to become uncomfortable being in wet clothes.
One by one we exited the pool, sopping wet. "Alright kids, I'm putting on dry clothes," I announced as I headed into the house.
"Party over!" Matt shouted. "I can't squeeze into Syn's clothes! We're gonna head out."
Everyone shared in good bye hugs and hand shakes. By the time I got back downstairs the house was empty except for Brian and I. I saw an evil grin spread across his lips as he started to snake his way towards me, his jeans dripping water across the floor.
"Don't even think about it Brian," I warned, holding my hand in front of me. "I'm not changing three times in a matter of two hours! Go put on dry clothes before you even THINK of coming closer to me."
He sped up and right before he was about to grab me he turned a quick left and ran up the stairs with a maniacal laugh.
While I waited for him to return, I grabbed a trash bag and began to clean up the dozens of empty beer bottles strewn about the living room and kitchen. “Fucking alcoholics,” I joked under my breath.
“Want a job?” Brian asked, appearing at the bottom of the stairs wearing a pair of camo shorts and nothing else.
“There’s not enough money in the world for me to be your maid,” I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Name your price,” he leaned with his elbows on the kitchen bar.
I only rolled my eyes at him and continued tossing beer bottles in the trash.
“Ohhhhhhh, I know what it is.”
“You know what what is?” I asked curiously.
“The reason why you won’t come back to Huntington,” he replied.
“Ok then Sherlock, why won’t I come back to Huntington?” I sat the trash bag on the floor and mocked Brian’s stance on the opposite side of the bar, facing him with a stare of intrigue.
“You and Stacey are,” he cupped his hands together provocatively mimicking lesbian sex as he winked and sneered at me.
Stacey was my best friend in LA. I knew that Brian sometimes felt like I wouldn’t come back home because of her, but he had never made the insinuation that we were lovers.
“You are fucking sick!” I laughed and threw a dish towel at his face. “Do you honestly believe that?”
“Well, you haven’t had a boyfriend or a date in quite a while!”
“Oh and you are some kind of Don Juan DeMarco?” I poked right back. “When was the last time YOU had a date?”
“Well,” he said matter-of-factly, “I am going on a date this week.”
“Suuuuuuuuure,” I teased. “With who?”
His hand found its way to his mouth as he tried to mumble “Michelle” under his breath, not doing a good job disguising it what so ever.
“Michelle? As in Michelle DiBenedetto?” I was sure I had to be mistaken.
Brian scratched at his throat as he looked up to the ceiling then out the window nodding ever so slightly.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Michelle a lot--I grew up with her and Val just the same as I did with everyone else. But this struck me funny, a weird feeling washed over my body. The feeling was very foreign to me in regards to Brian...jealousy. It was the first time in 26 years that I had felt it.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“What?” he asked, somewhat surprised at my lack of words. “Are you jealous?”
I forced a throaty chuckle. “What’s there to be jealous about?”
Brian shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe because my dry spell is over? Maybe you think I’ll fall madly in love with her and move to Mexico and spit out ten kids and forget all about you?” he joked.
“Well aren’t you Mr. Cocky?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Just the way you like me,” he winked. “Leave this mess--we’ll clean it up tomorrow. Beer has taken over and I need to pass the fuck out.”
“You know I can’t stand to leave this shit all over. Go ahead and go to bed, I’ll be up in a little bit.”
“Fine, be that way,” he grinned and kissed my cheek before heading up to his bedroom.
When I was sure he was gone, I sat down on the bar stool and re-ran the conversation we just had through my head. I really was jealous...and not because Brian was dating and I wasn’t..
"It's Brian and Jimmy...being themselves. Need I say more?" Val giggled.
"There she is!" Brian swam to the edge of the pool when he saw me. "You look normal now," he took a mouthful of water and spit it at my feet with a grin.
He always teased me when he saw me in my work garb; dress pants, long sleeved shirts. If you knew me well, you'd be taken back when you saw me "cleaned up". Another thing Brian and I had always shared was a love of tattoos and when we stood next to each other, you almost couldn't tell where his skin stopped and mine began.
"Come in," Brian swiped at my leg with his hand.
"No!" I jumped backwards out of his reach, almost spilling my beer in the process. "You'll fuck up my hair," I teased. "You wanted me to change my clothes and now you want to get them wet?"
"I want you to stop being a priss," he splashed me, entirely soaking the leg of my jeans.
"Now you've done it, punk!" I handed my beer to Johnny and sprinted to the pool, jumping in feet first with a mighty splash which nearly soaked all the bystanders.
It must've been contagious because within a matter of moments, everyone ended up in the pool. We carried on and played like 10 year olds for almost 45 minutes before it started to become uncomfortable being in wet clothes.
One by one we exited the pool, sopping wet. "Alright kids, I'm putting on dry clothes," I announced as I headed into the house.
"Party over!" Matt shouted. "I can't squeeze into Syn's clothes! We're gonna head out."
Everyone shared in good bye hugs and hand shakes. By the time I got back downstairs the house was empty except for Brian and I. I saw an evil grin spread across his lips as he started to snake his way towards me, his jeans dripping water across the floor.
"Don't even think about it Brian," I warned, holding my hand in front of me. "I'm not changing three times in a matter of two hours! Go put on dry clothes before you even THINK of coming closer to me."
He sped up and right before he was about to grab me he turned a quick left and ran up the stairs with a maniacal laugh.
While I waited for him to return, I grabbed a trash bag and began to clean up the dozens of empty beer bottles strewn about the living room and kitchen. “Fucking alcoholics,” I joked under my breath.
“Want a job?” Brian asked, appearing at the bottom of the stairs wearing a pair of camo shorts and nothing else.
“There’s not enough money in the world for me to be your maid,” I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Name your price,” he leaned with his elbows on the kitchen bar.
I only rolled my eyes at him and continued tossing beer bottles in the trash.
“Ohhhhhhh, I know what it is.”
“You know what what is?” I asked curiously.
“The reason why you won’t come back to Huntington,” he replied.
“Ok then Sherlock, why won’t I come back to Huntington?” I sat the trash bag on the floor and mocked Brian’s stance on the opposite side of the bar, facing him with a stare of intrigue.
“You and Stacey are,” he cupped his hands together provocatively mimicking lesbian sex as he winked and sneered at me.
Stacey was my best friend in LA. I knew that Brian sometimes felt like I wouldn’t come back home because of her, but he had never made the insinuation that we were lovers.
“You are fucking sick!” I laughed and threw a dish towel at his face. “Do you honestly believe that?”
“Well, you haven’t had a boyfriend or a date in quite a while!”
“Oh and you are some kind of Don Juan DeMarco?” I poked right back. “When was the last time YOU had a date?”
“Well,” he said matter-of-factly, “I am going on a date this week.”
“Suuuuuuuuure,” I teased. “With who?”
His hand found its way to his mouth as he tried to mumble “Michelle” under his breath, not doing a good job disguising it what so ever.
“Michelle? As in Michelle DiBenedetto?” I was sure I had to be mistaken.
Brian scratched at his throat as he looked up to the ceiling then out the window nodding ever so slightly.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Michelle a lot--I grew up with her and Val just the same as I did with everyone else. But this struck me funny, a weird feeling washed over my body. The feeling was very foreign to me in regards to Brian...jealousy. It was the first time in 26 years that I had felt it.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
“What?” he asked, somewhat surprised at my lack of words. “Are you jealous?”
I forced a throaty chuckle. “What’s there to be jealous about?”
Brian shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe because my dry spell is over? Maybe you think I’ll fall madly in love with her and move to Mexico and spit out ten kids and forget all about you?” he joked.
“Well aren’t you Mr. Cocky?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Just the way you like me,” he winked. “Leave this mess--we’ll clean it up tomorrow. Beer has taken over and I need to pass the fuck out.”
“You know I can’t stand to leave this shit all over. Go ahead and go to bed, I’ll be up in a little bit.”
“Fine, be that way,” he grinned and kissed my cheek before heading up to his bedroom.
When I was sure he was gone, I sat down on the bar stool and re-ran the conversation we just had through my head. I really was jealous...and not because Brian was dating and I wasn’t..
I like this alot
6/25/14