“Where are you taking me?” I asked Brian, glancing at the driver’s side, where he was. His lips curved up in a sly smile, but he said nothing, leaving me to guess for myself. “Come on! Tell me!”

“What’s the fun of ruining the surprise?” He chuckled as he took a brief look at me, the brown of his eyes mixed with something that resembled mirth.

“What if I don’t like the place?”

Shaking his head, Brian let out a long, frustrated sigh, “A little bit of trust wouldn’t hurt.” He said, and I pouted. “You’ll love it, okay? Don’t worry.” He assured, his gaze lingering on me for a little while.

“Fine.” I mumbled, leaning back in my seat to just enjoy the ride, since I wasn’t getting any clear answer about the mysterious place we were headed. “You’re paying, anyway.”

“Gold digger.” Brian scoffed.

I beamed widely at him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly, “Perks of having a rich friend.”

He shrugged away from my hand, laughing, “I’m not that rich.”

“You’re richer than me, which works for me.”

“I thought you liked me for who I am.” He stated, feigning hurt.

I sneered and flipped my hand dismissively, “Of course not. I just really want your money.”

“Damn,” He punched the steering wheel, and even though he seemed mad, I could see the tiny smile wanting to appear on his lips, “I should’ve known.”

I started giggling at his poor acting and he turned his head to me, giving in to a warm, full laugh as well. Oh, how I enjoyed hearing him laugh, all carefree and happy.

“Silly fucks we are.” I said.

“We make a good duo, though.” Brian commented, flashing me one of his sweetest smiles that always made my heart swell and made me go all mushy and soft.

Fuck.

“So…”

Shit. Think about something to say, Lara. Quick! Come on!

“Who’s Rachel?” I blurt out.

Oh, Goddammit! That was not what I wanted to ask. Or maybe it was, but not so straightforwardly. Brian would think I was desperate and super, utterly curious to know about that unknown woman that the little girl in his class had mentioned. And I was. But he was not supposed to know that.

Brian nodded curtly with his head, “I figured you had heard that.”

Seeing his discomfort, the way he fidgeted in his seat and the licking of his lips, had me regretting the question I had made, “Yeah, but… I mean… you don’t have to explain.” I told him shyly, “Forget that I asked.”

“If you asked, it’s because you want to know.”

“Well, yes.”

I squinted up at him, furrowing my eyebrows when I caught a glimpse of a smile tainted on his lips, “Rachel is my ex-girlfriend." Brian told me, his tone carefully low, almost as if he was scared.

Ex-girlfriend. Why am I relieved?

"Oh." I dropped my gaze to my lap, “What happened?"

"We wanted different things in life and we kind of fell out of love, so we decided to break up and live our own lives separately."

I let out a sad, languid chuckle, “That sounded like a written speech. How many times have you said that to people?"

Brian smiled wider through his nervous posture, relaxing just a tiny bit, “Too many for my own good. I don’t like to talk about it."

"I’m sorry."

"It’s alright.” He said reassuringly, “I’m actually glad you asked.”

“Why?” I chuckled, the shakiness impossible to hide. What was wrong with me and all of this anxiety and weird feelings?

“I like to lay all cards on the table.”

Fucking stop with the analogies!

I was so confused with this conversation. What did he mean by that? What cards? And why was he smiling so much? Wasn’t this supposed to be a touchy subject?

“Lara, what’s going on?” He queried, squeezing my knee lightly. I looked down at his hand, my body screaming with his warm touch. Oh my. I needed to cool down or I was going to get myself in big, big troubles.

“Nothing is going on. I’m f-fine.” I stuttered, but not even a smile I was able to put out. I swallowed the lump in my very dry throat, and tried to avoid all sorts of eye contact with Brian as I collected myself.

“You’re everything but fine.” He laughed, and just like that his hand got back to the steering wheel, gripping it smoothly, leaving my covered knee cold. Shit.

I shook all those nagging thoughts to the back of my head and did my biggest effort to look up at Brian, “I’m sorry. Don’t know what came to me.”

The car stopped at a red light just in time for him to meet my gaze, and there was a certain emotion deep in his brown orbs that I couldn’t understand. “Maybe you should eat something.”

Really, Brian? That’s all you’re going to say?

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” I agreed nevertheless, masking my embarrassment behind a giggle.

“And you still didn’t tell me where we’re going.”

“It’s for me to know and you to find out.” He teased, smirking his oh-so smug smirk, before the car started moving again.

“Asshole.”

"You know you love assholes." My eyes swept up to him, and I saw that he was grinning.

"Only rich assholes."

"Works for me." He said, amused, using the same words I had used on him before. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out of my lips.

Massive idiot he was. But I had missed him, and his silliness, and his good looks even if I didn’t admit that to him.

We’d been in the car for more than twenty minutes and I knew we were heading out of Huntington Beach. I didn’t know what Brian’s plans were, but I was starting to get very curious about this date.

With the shore right by our side we could see the beautiful set of empty beaches laying there; waves crashing against the white, cold sand; wind blowing slightly in the air, shaking the most fragile trees that would outline the road.

I peeked up at the sky, smiling softly as I realized I could actually see it. California was so different from New York. There, whenever I looked up, the only thing I could see were big, intimidating buildings, skyscrapers, and it was sad. But here, even when the sky was not a bright blue, like today, I felt a sense of calm and comfort.

Fluffy, gray clouds were a semblance of company when the Sun felt lonely, and it’d hide behind its friends , perhaps in a wave of shyness. I laughed a little at the thought, making Brian glance at me shortly.

“What’s so funny?”

“Have you imagined how the Sun feels? Surrounded by millions and millions of humans… It must be terrorizing.” Brian threw his head back and burst into a fit of laughter. “What?” I asked innocently.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“What? Stop fucking laughing!” I smacked his arm and his laughter finally began to subside.

“Oh, you’re hilarious, you know that?”

“I know, I know. That’s why you keep me with you.” I beamed proudly, and Brian shook his head again, smiling.“What? You know it’s true. We make a good duo.Remember?”

“Yeah. I do.” He tickled my side a few times before focusing back on the road.

A handful of minutes passed, and we’d enjoy the music playing on the radio or we’d make small talk, but the destination was near and the road became familiar all too suddenly.

Gasping as Brian made a turn to the left, I leaned over the window, “We’re here…” I breathed, unable to speak louder. I couldn’t believe Brian had brought me to this restaurant, to this place. I felt my eyes water almost instantly, my throat constricting with the unshed tears, and it took everything in me not to break down right there and then.

Brian parked the car in silence, giving me the space he knew I needed. We both climbed out of the vehicle, shutting the doors close behind us. I stopped to scan the view, the surroundings, and it all looked the same as eight years ago.

“My dad used to bring me here.” I whispered, my voice cracking slightly under the emotions that were consuming my very soul.

“I know. And if you wanna go, I’ve got a back up plan.” He smiled wistfully.

I chuckled despite myself, but shook my head, “No… I just…” Words got stuck in my tongue, and taking a few steps forward, I heard the fallen leaves crumbling underneath my feet. It was such a comforting sound yet so sad. All the memories came rushing to my mind, clouding my thoughts, slapping the numbness out of my bones.

Oh boy. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

“Shit.” I hissed as the tears pooled behind my green eyes, blurring my vision. Now what? If I blinked they would fall, and if I didn’t my chest would burst with pain.

“Lara…” Brian murmured. I hadn’t realized he was by my side, so close, so tempting, until he talked. However, I didn’t raise my head to look at him, because if I did there was no turning back. I stayed still, controlling my breathing, fighting against every single emotion, struggling to keep my face straight.

But what could we do when someone pulled us into their embrace? Nothing. Nothing but giving in to those feelings that had been piling up deep in our chests.

Brian’s arms tightened around me, bringing me even closer to his warm chest, and one could only take so long. I let the first tears escape from my eyes as I held onto Brian, gripping his black hoodie and burying my face into him so he wouldn’t hear my sobs. His hand fondled my ginger hair gently, his lips brushing ever so lightly the top of my head, and it felt good.

“I miss him… a lot.” I mumbled into his chest before resting my cheek against it, snuggling into its warmth.

He rubbed large circles on my back and shoulders, “I know.”

“But I didn’t want to be this emotional.”

“It’s not up to you.” Brian laughed even if he sounded so subdued and worried. Pulling away, he took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay to be sad.”

Not in front of you. Though, he was cuddly and comfortable. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling amazingly good in his arms; safe, warm, almost loved.

Brian slid his thumbs over my cheeks and wiped the salty tears that lay there, and cocking his head to the side, he smiled, “You’re strong. And you’ll be fine.”

“After we eat.” I pointed in an attempt to lighten the mood between us, the first honest grin tugging onto the corners of my lips.

“No need for my Plan B, then?”

“Nope.” I said, stressing the letter P.

“Great! Because I’m starving.”
We both chuckled and started for the restaurant, but before we reached the entry, I pulled onto Brian’s hand and he turned to me, seeming confused. “Thank you,asshole .” I half smiled, throwing a slow punch in his arm.

“No problem, shorty. But you forgot the rich before asshole.” He added, making me giggle.

Idiot.

---

"You’re still not into red meat." Brian noted, a lopsided smile dancing on his lips, as I glanced up at his face.

"Yup. Problem?"

Brian lifted his hands up in defense, chuckling, “Not at all."

"Gotta love the food here. It never failed to amaze me." I commented, delighted, stuffing my mouth with a fork full of delicious food.

Brian watched me with amusement as I ate away, and if I didn’t know him well, I’d think he was a creepy stalker that liked to stare at people while they had a meal. But thinking back on that, did I even know Brian well? Did I even know him at all?

"And there you go, spacing out to God only knows where." Brian sighed, “A penny for your thoughts? What’s in your head?”

Narrowing my eyes, I pointed the knife at him threateningly, “You."

A few emotions weaved through his iris, but it was so hard for me to tell what they were, “Me, uh? I’m flattered.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I let a small giggle slip into the air.

"I mean… you’re looking at me like you’re a serial killer and I’m your next victim.” I explained myself and his gaze turned dark and dangerous. And sexy. What? No, not sexy.

Shrugging his shoulders, he took a bite on his food, “Who knows?”

I pursed my lips and sent him a knowing look, “Oh, shut up! You couldn’t even hurt a fly, much less me.”

“True. But that’s in the daylight. You don’t know what monster comes to life when the night falls.” He told me in a mystic tone, and my will to laugh was too much for me to handle. I spat the food that was in my mouth and began to laugh, making my entire body tremble. After a long while, I circled my arms around my hurting stomach, something that happened pretty often when I laughed so heartily, like I had now.

“I’m so glad you find me funny.” He said dryly, even though he couldn’t hide the grin that took over his face. His high cheekbones always gave him away.

“You are funny, indeed.” I agreed, sticking my fork in a piece of chicken, “I‘m almost tempted to stay with you tonight so I can see that monster of yours.”

Brian chortled a little, his brown eyes shining with my proposal, “I’ll hold you to it, if you accept the challenge.”

Spending the night with Brian. Uhm. Perhaps, it would be fun. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last one. Beaming the widest I could, I held my hand out and nodded, “Let’s do it, big guy.” He shook my hand gladly, before we both snickered at the crazy idea. We seemed such kids for doing this.

We were almost finishing our meal, when Brian turned his gaze to me yet again, “Since you asked about Rachel,” I froze for a moment at the mention of his ex-girlfriend, “may I know about you?” He asked, “Do you have like any… weird ex-boyfriend?”

I smirked, “Who said I don’t have a boyfriend?” Brian chocked on his own intake of air, and a very, very slight blush covered his cheeks. Now, that was rare. “You okay?” I giggled.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and frowned, “Fine.” He grumbled. “Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Have a boyfriend?” He sounded quite an irritated dog.

“No.”

Brian rolled his eyes, visibly relieved, and my eyebrows knitted together at his unexpected reaction, “You happy about it?”

“No… I mean… It doesn’t matter, right?”

You tell me.

“Not for me.” I forced a smile out, but in the back of my mind I kept trying to understand his frustration at my little teasing. Was he really bothered by the simple possibility of me having a boyfriend? Wow.

“Well, what about ex-boyfriends?”

“Why are you so curious?” I queried. He looked so keen to know about my love relationships, or was it just me making a big deal out of this?

Yeah, Lara. He’s just curious, like you were with the girl Rachel.

His harshness melted away and the easy going Brian was back, his eyes softening as they locked with mine, “I’m being fair.” He said, “We talked about Rachel, and now I want to know your sob story.”

“Fine, fine.” I gave in, “So pushy.” Resting the cutlery on the plate, I leant forward and joined my hands under my chin to create some support for my head. Lazy ass I was. “So…” I dragged, “His name was Damon. He actually works at the same place than me. I met him there.”

“Oh,” Brian scrunched up his nose, “that must suck.”

“A little. It was harder in the beginning, after we broke up, but now I’m okay with it.”

Brian nodded, his look impassive, giving nothing away, “What happened?”

“Long story short, he was the jealous type, and after a while it started to really bug me. I was going crazy with it.” I said, Brian listening attentively, “He became very controlling over me, over my actions, and it reached a point where I couldn’t even go out with friends without him sending messages every five minutes. It was so messed up and so fucking annoying.”

“Sounds like a douche to me.” Brian scoffed, clearly not impressed.

I chuckled humorlessly, “He was.”

Brian’s anger slowly drifted away, his eyes molding with concern, “Did he hurt you?”

“Physically, no."

“Emotionally?”

I lowered my head to the table, “I don’t like to talk about it, just like you don’t like to talk about Rachel.”

“Did you love him?” Brian insisted, and I looked up, my eyes burning into his. He didn’t flinch with my glare, neither did he broke our eye contact. Instead, he just stared at me, his arms crossed over the table.

“Brian.” I warned.

It was only after a few seconds that he backed away, leaning against his chair, “I’m sorry." He said, “I didn’t mean to upset you."

"You didn’t. I just don’t want to ruin our lunch."

"But he hurt you." Brian seethed, “I can see it. I swear I’d beat him up if I knew where his house was."

"Why would you do that? Don’t be silly."I laughed, even if internally I was battling with myself to understand his temper.

"You’re my friend. Isn’t that enough? I bet Zacky or Jimmy would side with me." Brian said matter-of-factly, but still they wouldn’t act so hot-headed, that I was sure.

"Fine. You’ve got a point there." I decided to just go with it.

"But you did love him, right?"

"Brian!" I shouted lowly, almost knocking the table down when I moved forward to slap his arm. However, my voice mixed with a tiny chuckle that tricked me and blew my anger away. Brian was laughing, too, enjoying the pissed off Lara he had brought to life.

“But, yeah, I loved him." I finally answered, “We dated for a year and a half, and I was so blind I couldn’t see the real him."

Why am I telling him this?

"I’m pretty sure he allured you and made you think he loved you."

"Probably." I shrugged my shoulders, diverting my gaze from Brian, “Jane always advised me to stay away from Damon, but I still fell for it.”

“It’s his loss, you know." Brian’s voice was soft as he said that, and it forced me to look up at him. Our eyes locked but for only a second, as Brian cleared his throat and turned his head to the side.

What’s wrong with him today?

"But tell me more about Jane." Brian smiled, even if his smile hadn’t quite reached his eyes.

“Jane…" I whispered. “Jane is like the best friend you can have. I also met her when I got my job, and she was always so nice and so crazy." I started off, my mood raising at this new topic of conversation, “I loved her in our first minute of talking, and then she offered me a room in her place, and now we’re roommates, and best friends."

"What did she say about your trip back to your hometown?"

"She was the one suggesting that I should come here." I said to Brian’s surprise. His eyes widened a little at my confession, but he seemed pleased.

"Remind me to thank her for that."

I smiled a bit shyly at Brian’s words, but damn, how right he was. I had to thank Jane for insisting on me. I’d have never gone for it if she hadn’t been by my side the entire time.

"She’s great. I mean… To me she’s my sister. I know I can count on her for everything. She’s the only person, besides you and the guys, that knows about my life, about my problems, about my past. She’s been my pillar for these past eight years."

Brian’s lips twisted in a guarded smile, too, “Do you miss having her around now that you’re here?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed. “But I know it’s for a good cause."

"I’m really happy you came, Lara." Brian stated, honesty pouring out of every single syllable he uttered, the brown of his eyes glistening with raw sincerity, and I felt my heart giving away for the second time today.

Oh, no. Not again, Lara. You’re not going to cry! What a bloody mess I was.

"I know I freaked out in the beginning," Brian went on, “but these last few days…" As he trailed off, his hand found his messy hair, pulling at it, “Saying they’ve been amazing would be the fucking understatement of the year." He chuckled. “It’s like we’re eighteen again."

I nodded with my head, not fighting my grin, “I know. It’s been fun."

"A lot of fucking fun!" Brian nudged me under the table with his knee, and I nudged him back. But he furrowed his eyebrows, and nudged me again. I opened my mouth to protest when the waiter appeared right next to us, asking if we wanted desserts.

"Chocolate cake for me." Brian told the guy.

"The entire chocolate cake?" I mocked, knowing that Brian would turn into a drama queen and get all sulky.

"Ah. So funny."

Jackpot. I knew it!

I beamed at him and he made an ugly face, his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth. “You look like an old camel." I said nonchalantly.

"Shut up."

"Excuse me." The waiter cut in.

Oopss. I guess we forgot the guy was standing there while Brian and I were lost in our childish fights.

"Sorry. I want to see the list, please."

The waiter nodded politely and walked away to bring me the menu of desserts.

"I want to see the list. " Brian mumbled. “You know what desserts they have here better than anyone else."

"Stop being a baby."

"Stop annoying me on purpose."

So he knew I was just picking on him, yet he still got all fussy about it. “But it’s so damn easy. I can’t help it."

"You’re mean. Do you hate me that much?"

"Oh my god." I rolled my eyes.

"The list." The waiter had come back quickly. I thanked him and he was out of sight in the next second. Either he was very competent or he was tired of hearing Brian and I bitching at each other.

I looked through the list of desserts, and there were so many. I’d pick them all if I was allowed to. Okay. Most of them. “They don’t have donuts. I’m sad." I pouted, just to have Brian staring blankly at me.

"You’re in a restaurant. Of course they don’t have donuts."

"Then I might have to steal your chocolate cake." I said, smiling, to which Brian could only smile, too, even if unwillingly.

"You steal my money, you steal my chocolate cake. Anything more?"

I chuckled, batting my eyelashes innocently, “Your patience?"

"Yeah! That a lot." He laughed, leaning over the table, “I think I’ll need to find some way for you to pay me."

"That didn’t sound very nice, you know."

"Oh, no, why?" He buried his face in his hands, a deep growl ripping through his chest. “Why do you always turn my ingenuous words into naughty ones?"

"You should’ve seen it coming."

He peeked at me from the gaps between his fingers, hiding most of his face, “I’m sorry if I’m not one hundred percent of the time having pervert thoughts."

I bit my bottom lip to suppress a giggle from coming out, “It’s not one hundred percent of the time."

Brian’s brow crinkled as if he was apprehensive about my contradiction, “It’s not?"

Shaking my head, I freed my lip from my teeth, “It’s like… Ninety nine point nine, nine, nine, nine-"

"Oh, please." Brian drew out dramatically, his hands covering his face again, making me laugh.

"I’m sorry if it’s such a shock!"

"It’s not, really." He chuckled, looking up at me, “But I’m still getting used to it. Eight years without you have its disadvantages." My grin faded, and Brian noticed, his hand quickly reaching for mine over the table, “I’m sorry… it’s not… I didn’t mean it that way."

"I know."

"Hey," He called softly, caressing the back of my hand with his thumb, “Eight years made me realize you’re much prettier than I remember. That’s good, right?"

How could I not blush and smile and writhe at that? Brian, Brian. Stop right now or God help me.

"Always the charmer." I joked, “But I think these eight years have ruined your eyesight. Getting old so soon, Haner?"

"Oh, now I can’t even give you a compliment?" He said, removing his hand from mine and reclining back in his chair. “You’re hard to please."

I shrugged my shoulders, “If you play nice, it’s not so hard." Seeing the smirk crawling up to my lips, Brian sighed, defeated.

"You’re helpless!"

"Thanks, though, for the compliment." I laughed, but this time I was being serious, and Brian knew it because he nodded his head slightly, his eyes deep as I looked into them. They seemed different every day, holding Brian’s feelings with everything they had, and sometimes I wish I knew what they hid.

It was only when Brian raised his arm that I pulled away from my thoughts. Our waiter came to the table, that polite smile still plastered all over his face.

"Bring me the biggest piece of chocolate cake you can manage." Brian whispered, placing in the guy’s hand a few bills. My eyes almost jumped out of my face and my jaw hit the table as I saw what was rolling right before me. Was he serious?

"Sir-" The waiter stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

"Please, come on."

Looking around, the waiter chuckled, “Okay. But you can’t tell anybody or I’ll be fired."

"Don’t worry. You have my word." Brian said and the guy ended up by giving in.

"Are you out of your mind?" I asked Brian, extremely serious, once the waiter was nowhere near us.

"It’s romantic."

Scoffing, I locked my gaze on something else beside him. Romantic. “We’re not even a couple." Why did my voice sound so sad, disappointed, or even frustrated, for the fact that we were friends, and only friends? Shit, Lara.

Brian didn’t seem to notice the pain in my voice, seen that he was still smiling like a proud eagle. “He doesn’t need to know." He beamed.

"Why didn’t you ask for two pieces of cake instead of just one?"

Brian sighed, tiredly, “It’s romantic, remember?"

"We’re not a couple!" Oh my god, did I really shout that? Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I allowed myself to calm down, just enough to keep my voice straight, “Why would you want to be romantic?"

Now, I had gained Brian’s attention. Great. Just fucking great! He was looking intently at me, studying my face, my eyes, my posture. Stop, Brian! I let my head fall to my arms that were resting on the table, and groaned at my little fuss. What did I do?

"Lara…" Brian whispered, “What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." I drawled, the sound muffled by my arms.

Brian touched my skin and I almost shit myself with the sudden contact. Oh boy, it was addictive. He gripped my wrist, pulling it to him so it would unlace my arms. “I don’t understand. I’m sorry if I offended you someway…"

"No, no," I lifted my head slowly, our eyes meeting briefly, but he looked so worried that I dropped my gaze again, “it’s nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

I’m an idiot.

I chuckled a very sad chuckle, and realized Brian was still holding my wrist, “My feelings are all fucked up. That’s the fucking bottom line. Ignore me, please."

"I’m not going to ignore you. Is it the place? Your dad?" He queried, his tone gentle, matching the touch of his fingers as they absently drew circles on my skin.

"Yeah," I lied, “I’m an emotional wreck." Well that wasn’t a lie. Only the reasons were.

"The chocolate cake will help you." Brian smiled, his kind eyes promising.

"Really, why did you ask for only one slice of cake?"

"Because it’s romantic."

"Brian!" I chided, hitting him with my napkin, but we both erupted with laughter, anyway. Leave Brian to break awkward moments like these.

"See? I made you laugh." He said, covering my hand with both of his.

Heat sped off to my veins, my body, my heart racing just by that simple gesture. I was honestly confused, baffled even, with the sensations Brian had awakened in me. This was dangerous. Very, very dangerous. And scary.

I dared to meet Brian’s brown eyes, and his smile widened, showing his perfect, white teeth. Damn. I withdrew my hand from his grasp, combing my hair to make it look less suspicious, not that Brian bought it. He frowned at me just as the waiter came with our giant slice of chocolate cake.

"Here you go."

"Thanks. Wanna try first?" Brian offered, a small fork trapped between his fingers.

"Okay. Give me that." I stole the fork from him and helped myself with the cake. It looked absolutely delicious, making my mouth water.

"Fork stealer, too." Brian teased. “I need to note that down."

"Shut up."

"Just hurry up because I want to eat the cake as well." Brian told me impatiently.

"You should’ve ordered two slices of cake!"

"Please, it’s so much funnier this way." Brian grinned, the boy in him coming to life. “Chop chop, come on! I wanna eat."

"Calm your tits, will you?"

And to make things even worse, my cell phone started ringing. I dropped the fork on the plate and searched for my phone in my purse, and when I finally found it and looked up at Brian, he was caught in the act, his cheeks full as he chewed on the cake.

I shook my head and picked up the call, “Yo!"

“Hey, Lara, what’s up?"

"Oh, Zacky, it’s you." I said, happy to hear his voice, “I’m with your greedy friend who’s devouring an enormous slice of chocolate cake. Don’t fucking eat it all!" I told Brian when he almost buried his face into the dessert. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“Brian?" Zacky asked, and his tone held no sympathy.

"The same and only."

“You’re with him again."

"Don’t start, okay? We’re not discussing this now. I’m having a great time."

Brian stopped eating, the fork stopping inside his mouth. My talk with Zacky might have spiked his interest, because Brian’s eyes glued to mine at my words.

“Fine. Just go easy, okay? That’s not even why I’d called, anyway."

"Oh, what is it, then?"

“I wanted to hang out with you. Are you available to come dinner at my place? Audrey insisted." Zacky said and I smiled, feeling happy and excited to know that Audrey liked me to be around. She was really sweet, much more than me, and I wasn’t sure if she had enjoyed my company before, since my mouth knew no limits. But hearing Zacky say that she had insisted for me to go to her house and spend some time with Zacky and her, made me feel pretty good.

"Of course I am available! That’s really nice of you guys. Do I need to bring anything with me?" I queried, forgetting about the chocolate cake, or what was left of it, that Brian was still eating.

“Just yourself, says Audrey." Zacky chuckled.

"Cool." We set up an hour for him to pick me up at the hotel and then I hung up the call, the grin still slapped across my face. “Awn. That was sweet."

"You’re gonna abandon me." Brian said, his bottom lip plumped into a pout.

"We can still meet up at night." I tried, but Brian pushed the plate away, faking hurt. “Aw, come on. What if I wasn’t here?"

"But you are, and Zacky has Audrey to keep him company, I’ve got no one."

"What about Jimmy? And Johnny? They’re singles, too." I suggested, but Brian made a disgusted face.

"I’m tired of their ugly asses. I wanna be with you. Please…" He gave me his best puppy dog eyes, “I’ll even let you eat the rest of the cake!"

I giggled, “Yeah, when there’s barely anything to eat. Nice try, you fool."

Brian looked down at the plate, his lips molding into a smile of their own, “Well, fair enough. But I’m asking you, please, don’t leave me alone in this cold day of almost winter! Please, shorty!" He begged, and I could only laugh at the drama he was pulling out, the desperation as he grabbed my hand.

"Don’t be silly. I’ll meet with you later."

"No… that’ll ruin my plans." Brian sighed, taking his hands from mine.

"What about the monster thing?"

"We can get together tomorrow or something." He sounded sad as he talked to me, his eyes down on the table, subdued.

I ate the rest of the cake but Brian stayed in silence for the rest of the lunch. This time, I knew it wasn’t just one if his normal sulks, it was something more serious. He looked thoughtful, distant, and it was really concerning me.

As we headed out of the restaurant, I grabbed Brian’s hand to slow him down, “Hey, what’s wrong?"

He all but yanked his hand from my grasp, “Nothing." Hopping into the driver’s seat, Brian waited for me to follow him but I was so caught up in the moment that it took me a moment to finally react.

Once I was settled in, I hesitantly turned to him, “You’re not mad or that upset about me having dinner with Zee, are you?"

"I am. Sad mostly." Brian admitted, tilting his head up to connect our gaze, “I really wanted to spend the rest of the day with you. It’s one of the first times we’re completely alone, without the guys bothering us." He told me, appearing truly distraught, “I know you like Zacky a lot and Jimmy is…. Jimmy, but we used to be best friends, Lara. We did everything together and I really want to get those times back."

Oh, no.

We’d been avoiding to speak about what happened eight years ago. We’d been pretending that our relationship was based on two old friends that accidentally crossed each other’s path. However, we both knew that our minds had been restless ever since the day we talked after so many years apart. I knew that everything I was feeling, Brian was feeling it, too. I’d tried to ignore it and not make a big deal out of it, but Brian’s words and actions were starting to make it very difficult for me.

"We’ve got plenty of time, Brian." I smiled, a painful twist of my lips. We were not getting into that. Not today. Not so soon. Sighing a little bit in defeat, Brian nodded with his head and started the car.

He dropped me off that the hotel and I took that time to get some rest and put my thoughts in order. If Zacky saw me so troubled he would squeeze the information out of me, and, honestly, I wasn’t ready for that.

---

“Oh my god, it’s so good to have another girl in this house." Audrey beamed, excited, as she stormed off to the kitchen, leaving Zacky and I in the living room. We looked at each other and laughed a little before sitting down on the couch.

"She’s something else." I commented.

Zacky ran a hand through his short hair, his eyes diverting to the kitchen door for a moment, shining with love, “You have no idea."

"Damn," I leaned back on that comfortable couch, “I miss my house. The hotel makes me feel lonely."

"You could stay here while you’re in Cali."

I shook my head lazily, my eyelids too heavy, “Nah. I’m good. Don’t want to invade your space."

"Don’t be silly." Zacky chuckled, shaking my shoulder to wake me up, “It’d be fun."

"Seriously, I’m fine." I assured, offering him a small smile.

"So how’s Brian?"

"Zacky!" Audrey shouted from the kitchen, “Leave her alone!"

He rolled his eyes even if she couldn’t see it, but I just burst out laughing, loving the fact that Audrey actually scolded Zacky because of this. “Thank you, Audrey." I yelled back.

She peeked her head outside the kitchen and smiled widely, winking, “No problem, girl!"

"I’m getting punished later." Zacky smirked, elbowing me in my ribs slightly.

"Ugh, I don’t wanna know about your sex life!" I chuckled, cringing in disgust and moving away from Zacky, playfully. “I won’t be able to sleep today.”

Zacky raised an eyebrow, “Over exaggerating much?”

“Maybe.” I replied sheepishly, shrugging my shoulders, that only earned me a head shake from my dear friend. “Hey, do you think Audrey needs help?”

“Oh, no. Leave her.” He said quickly, “She hates having people around in the kitchen.”

“Okay, okay.”

No sooner did I say that than the doorbell was going off, making us frown in confusion. “I’m not expecting anyone.” Zacky muttered to himself as he stood up and walked to the door.

“Baker! Smells delicious!” Jimmy, of course.

“Again without food at home?” Zacky asked, the two of them strolling back to the living room.

“You know it!” Jimmy grinned the widest as he saw me, “Peanut head!” He called, his arms opening widely as he lunged forward, landing on my lap. I was trapped between the couch and his lanky body, and somehow I found that funny because that urge to laugh hit me yet again.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, his smile as bright as it usually was.

“Same as you, I think.” I laughed, and without warning, he was tickling me and attacking me with hugs and kisses. “Jimmy!” I whined, trying my hardest to push him out of me, but he was heavier than people might think. “I can’t breathe!” Wiggling against me one more time, Jim finally jumped to his feet and I was able to sit up straight, still a little wobbly. “You crazy man!” I snickered, slapping his ass as he ambled toward the kitchen

“Audrey!”

Oh, poor girl. It was her time to greet Jimmy’s arms.

It was almost 8 pm when we started eating the delicious food Audrey had prepared for us. Jimmy reminded me of Brian at lunch, devouring the food without even savoring it. It made me wonder how old they actually were. “Jimmy, breathe.” I said, but he didn’t look up from the plate. I think he didn’t hear me. Zacky and Audrey laughed with me, Jimmy still oblivious to what was happening around him.

“Did you like the store?”

I smiled at Zacky, nodding vigorously, “It’s awesome, dude! Brian showed me everything and I attended his class. So fucking cool!” I told him, but he didn’t seem very happy about it. “Stop with that face!”

“It’s always Brian!” Zacky blurt out, “You guys seem like Siamese twins.”

“Zacky, come on. Don’t act like you’re her father.” Audrey said, annoyed with the way her fiancé was talking to me. “Let them be.”

“Lara knows I only want the best for her, and…” Zacky looked at me, and when his emerald eyes locked with mine, I could see the turmoil swirling in them. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” His speech was directed to me now.

Well, with the way things were left with Brian this afternoon, Zacky had no reasons to be worried. The mood between us was awkward and weird, not the usual teasing-like conversations, and it made me feel sad. I didn’t want this for us. We were always so happy and we had so much fun together, so why had things to become so awfully stupid?

While Jimmy and Zacky discussed some issues about the business, Audrey and I chilled out on the couch and watched TV. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the show on the screen, my mind working endlessly, trying to figure out what Brian had meant with his talk after lunch.

“Are you okay, Lara?” I heard Audrey ask, her blue eyes boring into my soul with their depth. I shrugged my shoulders, not feeling like talking. “Is it Brian?”

“Yes. We just… there was a little misunderstanding today, and I don’t know how we are now.”

“Maybe you should talk to him.” Audrey suggested.

Speaking of the devil, my phone signaled a message from him. I showed the screen to Audrey and she giggled. Opening the Inbox, my heart started beating faster. God, I was so nervous.

I’m sorry for today. Truce?

I smiled, my insides melting completely. I typed back as fast as I could, Of course, asshole :)

Make up meeting tomorrow morning at the store?

Chuckling at the second meaning behind that sentence, I replied nonetheless, Only if it’s not too early. 11 am?

9h30.

10h30? I tried.

10 am. No excuses, shorty.

I sighed, “Fine.”

You win, asshole. I typed, and only then I realized I was biting my bottom lip and that my heart race had increased significantly.

“Ooh, that look.” Audrey sang, and I looked up, noticing that she had been watching me from the very first message. Shit.

“What?”

“Lara…” She scrunched up her face.

My phone went off once again, distracting me from Audrey. Another message from Brian.

XO ;) Sorry again.

Oh my.

Notes

ah-ah one more chapter :D How did you like this one?