Complicated Love

My alarm went off too fucking early the next morning. I had planned to ignore it like I usually did when I felt a movement next to me. It was Brooke.
"Will you shut that fucking thing up?" she said sleepily.
I smiled and put it on snooze, then I turned over and pulled her to me. We were both naked and she was stunning.
The night before had been the best night of my life, but today I had to leave her. The thought of that almost made me want to cry. I wanted to take her with us and have her never leave my side.
Brooke wouldn't do that, of course. She had a class to teach and who was I to ask her to walk away from something she had always wanted.
She turned in my arms and looked up at me. "Morning Jimmy."
I kissed her. "Morning, Baby." Her hair was tangled and standing up everywhere but she was so fucking cute.
Brooke groaned and stretched. "Jimmy," she said. "Do you have to go? Can't we just stay here forever?"
"I wish we could, Brooke. You know that." I smiled at her.
We finally got up and got ready to go, but we moved in slow motion in order to stay with each other as long as possible. Soon we had to get going, so we grabbed my bags and headed out to her car. Brooke was going to drive me to the airport so she could take her car back home.
When we got to the airport, I could see the rest of the guys waiting for us. Brooke and I walked up to them hand in hand.
Matt smiled at us as we approached. "Hey guys. We're gonna miss you, Brooke."
She nodded and hugged all of them. "I'll miss all of you too."
Brooke hugged me last and the longest. "Where's your first show?"
"London" I said.
I felt a hand on my back and turned around to see who it was. It was Brian. "Come on, bro. We have to go. Bye Brookie."
I turned back to her and kissed her hard. "I love you," I whispered.
"I love you," she said.
Then I turned and walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to me.

*********

Two days later, I was waking up in my hotel room to the sound of my phone ringing. I looked and saw that it was Brooke.
"Hey, Baby" I answered.
I was missing her like crazy. It was almost two in the afternoon here so that meant it was six in the morning for her. I yawned. "What are you doing up so early, Brooke?"
"School," She said. "I have to be there just a little bit early today. I've got projects I have to start setting up for them today."
I smiled. Brooke was so great for and with those kids. I knew she was going to be an amazing mom if we ever decided to have a family.
I for one, had always wanted children, and for the longest time, I had wanted them with Brooke. I didn't know how she felt about it, so I had decided not to talk to her about it until we were farther along in our relationship.
"What kind of projects?" I asked her.
"I'm going to have them go outside and outline themselves and then outline their shadows. It should be fun but I have to pay for the chalk on my own." Brooke said.
I knew that she would have to pay for a lot of stuff with her own money. When she had told me, I had offered to help, but Brooke was not one for charity. She wanted to do it on her own.
I heard a knock on the door, and saw Brian come into my room. "Come on, Jimmy. We're going for lunch and then a sound check. Hi Brookie!" he said.
She had heard him. "Hey, Bri."
"She says Hi. Brooke, I have to go, Baby. I'll call you when I can. I love you." I said into the phone.
"I love you too," she replied before I hung up.
I got out of bed and started to look for some clothes. Brian threw a pair of black pants and a Slayer shirt at me.
This was going to be so fucking hard, being away from her. I had been away before, but that's when she saw me as her bestest of best friends. Now I was her boyfriend and she loved me like I had loved her for so many years.
"Hey," Brian said. "It'll be ok, bro. We're all going to miss her. But we will be home for a few days for Christmas."
I smiled as I followed him out of the room and down into the lobby with the rest of the guys. Brian was right. At least I wasn't alone. I had my best friends, my brothers, with me.
That night after the show, we were a doing a meet and greet backstage. Of course we all had girls throwing themselves at us, but this time I tried to keep them away without being rude.
One girl who had red hair much like Brooke's stood in front of me. She was wearing a tight green tank top and a black mini skirt. She had a Death Bat tattoo across her chest that she was asking all of us to autograph. She came up to me last with the sharpie.
"Hi, Jimmy. My name is Leyla and I think you are so fucking hot. After you sign my tattoo, would you like to come back to my room? I'll show you a good time."
I took the sharpie from her and signed the tattoo close to her collar bone trying not to get to close to her chest. I shook my head at her as I handed her the marker back.
"Sorry, Leyla. I happen to be taken."
"Lucky slut," she said as she stomped away.
Matt came up to me laughing and put his arm on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you, dude."
I shrugged him off and headed for the bus. "I just got Brooke. You think I'm going to jeapordize her over somebody like that?"
Matt followed me onto the bus and sat down. "I didn't say that. Just meant that you didn't even think about it. Brooke has been good for you."
I headed to the back of the bus towards the bunks to call Brooke. It was just about midnight here so it would be four in the afternoon for her. She was probably just leaving school now.
I called her once but she didn't answer. I waited about twenty minutes before I tried again. This time she answered.
"Hello?" she sniffed. It sounded like she had been crying.
"Brooke? What's wrong?" I asked worry filling my voice.
I heard her sniff again. "Hi, baby. It's nothing. I'm fine."
I knew her better than that. "Liar. Want to try that one more time for me?"
"It's my boss. Principal Walker," she sighed. "He has a thing for me and this time he..."
I was starting to get angry. "Brooke. What did he do?"
"He ran his hand up my leg today and threatened my job if I didn't go out with him."
"What?!" I yelled. Some fucking creep was touching my Brooke and I was half way around the world. On the other hand, the guy was rather lucky I wasn't there.
My shout had gotten the attention of the guys and soon they were all back there with me.
"What's wrong, man?" Zack said.
I told brooke to hold on and pulled the phone away from my ear. "Brooke's boss, the creep, made a move on her today and threatened her job if she didn't go out with him."
"And she didn't knock him on his ass?" Johnny said.
"Yeah," Brian said. "Our Brooke would have knocked that guy out."
I shook my head. "She loves her job. She didn't want to do anything else to lose it."
Matt took the phone from me. "Brooke? It's Matt. Listen, you need to file charges against him. You know that." he paused while he listened to her. "I know that, sweetheart, but your job isn't worth sexual harassment. Get yourself a good fucking lawyer too."
"She can't afford one," I said.
Matt held up a hand to silence me so he could listen to Brooke. By the look on his face she had said the same thing.
"We'll wire you some money. It's not charity, Brookie. It's helping out my little sister. Here's Jimmy."
Matt handed me the phone. "Brooke." I said. "Will you do this for us? For me?"
She was silent for a minute. Then, "Yes Jimmy. I'm going to go. I love you."
"I love you, Brooke."
After she had hung up, I turned to the guys. "I could kill him"
Matt put a hand on my shoulder. "Jealousy comes with the territory. Especially when you're gone as long as we are. It'll be ok. Brooke is strong."
I nodded and laid back in my bunk. She was strong alright. That's why it had scared me when I had heard her crying. It takes a lot to do that to her.
I vowed never to be the cause of her tears.