Elizabeth had finished applying the final coat of lip gloss to her plump lips as she took a step back and took in her appearance in her full length mirror. She smoothed out her fitted black top and readjusted her necklace. Her long hair was left loose with the diamond studded butterfly clip that Zacky had bought her for her twenty-first birthday. Satisfied with her appearance she slipped on her boots and picked up a hot pink shoulder bag, heading towards the kitchen.

Zacky had gone to band practice a few hours earlier and probably wouldn’t be back until late. She wrote a note for him saying she went to the amusement park in Brooklyn with Shane and that she would call him later. For the last two days Zacky had been extremely scarce and when she did see him he would act strange and barely talk to her. Sometimes it looked as if he was on the verge of telling her something important but decided against it and just shook his head. Elizabeth brushed it off and put it down to Zacky simply not wanting to talk to her about whatever was going on with him. It wasn’t the first time he had acted so strangely but it wore off after a week or two.

Locking the apartment, Elizabeth rushed down the two flights of stairs and hailed a cab. Within five minutes she was on her way to Brooklyn where she would be meeting Shane at the newly renovated amusement park. She was looking forward to seeing Shane again, which surprised her as she realized that she was picking nervously at her nails.

Half an hour later, she arrived at her destination. She paid her fare and climbed out of the taxi, crossing the street and walking towards the amusement park’s entrance. Her eyes carefully scanned each face of the people waiting around until she found Shane’s. Her heart rate sped up as she got closer to him. He looked gorgeous and even that seemed to be an understatement. He wore a dark colored tee-shirt that off-set his eyes, making them appear brighter than usual. His dark jeans only accentuated how long his legs actually were. He flashed a dazzling smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“you made it!” he exclaimed as she neared him, opening his arms.

She smiled and stepped awkwardly into them, feeling his arms encircle her and hug her tightly. She hesitated slightly before she hugged him back. He smelt like chocolate and cologne. Her body began to relax as her heart rate found a normal pace.

He released her and looked down at her, positively beaming. “Lets get this show on the road!” he said excitedly.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile. He seemed like a child that was about to be let loose into a candy store. She shrugged and made a shooing gesture at him. He took her small hand in his large on and half pulled her through the entrance.

“What should we do first?” she asked, tiptoeing to see through the sea of people that milled about the grounds.

“We can check out the rides, maybe the Shuttle Ride” he said with a mischievous smirk pointing at one of the rides that looked somewhat ominous as it rocked its passengers back and forth through the air at an alarming rate.

Elizabeth’s smile reflected Shane’s mischievous one; she was never afraid of any of the amusement park rides. That was one of the things Zacky had made sure of when they were teenagers.

“You’re on!” she said half-dragging him in the ride’s direction.

The time they spent together flew by. The laughed and talked about everything under the sun. Elizabeth found herself opening up to Shane in ways that surprised her. He seemed so different now and Elizabeth realized that she really was glad that she had given him a chance to ‘prove’ himself.

Shane slung his arm gently around Elizabeth’s shoulder as they exited the amusement park, both of them carrying large stuffed animals with them. Shane flagged down a taxi and opened the door for Elizabeth to get in.

“I had a great time Shane” said Elizabeth looking in Shane’s green eyes and smiling.

“Me too. Thanks for giving me a chance.” Replied Shane, looking back at Elizabeth with a smile of his own playing at his lips.

She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before getting into the car.

“We’ll do lunch soon okay?” she asked as she rolled down the window of the taxi.

“You bet.” Said Shane giving her a small wave.
                                                     Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When Elizabeth got home, she was greeted by a silent apartment and the note she had left for Zacky untouched. Sighing to herself, she crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash. She hadn’t seen very much of her cousin or his friends and it worried her as much as it relieved her. She allowed her thoughts to run onto Brian as she remembered that he had sent her a text message earlier telling her to call when she could.

Pulling out her cell phone she dialed his number and waited for him to answer.

“Hey.” came Brian’s smooth voice.

“Hey yourself.” Replied Elizabeth as she opened the refrigerator in search of something to munch on.

There was a moment of silence and Elizabeth could make out the sound of drums and guitars in the background. They were most likely in the band room from the sound of it.

“Are you home?” asked Brian. Elizabeth heard him inhale sharply and guessed that he had just lit a cigarette.

“yup.” Answered Elizabeth through a mouthful of marshmallows that Johnny had left behind a while ago.

“ Wanna come over tonight?” enquired Brian “I thought we could have dinner at my place.”

Elizabeth swallowed the rest of the fluffy goodness and cracked a smile that she was sure would split her face. She and Brian hadn’t had any alone time in a while. She enjoyed hanging out with him away from everyone else and she knew that he felt the same way.

“Sure. What time?” questioned Elizabeth, walking into her bedroom and opening her closet.

“9:30? We should finish practice around 8. So I have enough time to attempt cooking something for you.” Said Brian with a smile.

“Sure. See you soon.” Elizabeth said grinning from ear to ear.

Happiness coursed through her body. She had known Brian the same about of time she had known all of Zacky’s friends, but while she saw Jimmy, Matt and Johnny as brothers, Brian always meant something more to her. They connected on almost every level and shared the same views, morals and values. Brian was exactly what Elizabeth wanted in a man. Strong, intelligent, talented, ambitious, the list could go on and on; not to mention that the man was sex in jeans. Elizabeth felt comfortable in a way that she never had before around any other man. Brian saw her for who she really was and loved her for it.

Elizabeth knew that her heart belonged to Brian and she was more than confident that his belonged to her. For the last four years, they got closer and closer to the point where every single one of their friends knew that there was definitely something going on. Jimmy was the first to say something about it, making a lewd comment on the sappy puppy eyes that they gave each other from across the room.

Out of respect for Zacky, the two of them maintained composure and some sort of distance when he was around. Zacky and Brian had been friends for a long time, and that said, Brian knew that Zacky would be overly critical and more protective over his cousin. Brian had his fair share of failed romances and one night stands, but that didn’t mean that what he felt for Elizabeth wasn’t real. All of the guys had seen a change in him and his conduct after Brian and Elizabeth started talking and spending time with each other.

They gave him the usual jabs about it, but Brian remained steadfast in his promise to Elizabeth. When the two of them felt that the time was right they would tell Zacky. Maybe then would Zacky decide that he could over look Brian’s partying and womanizing past and accept that he was in love with Elizabeth.

In the end, it didn’t matter to Elizabeth how much time apart she spent from Brian; she loved and trusted him. They had had their shares of ups and downs but it made them stronger. The depths of their love certainly knew no boundaries.