(Love) Contract

Matt’s POV

I knew Brian, Tara and Jason must have arrived already and in about an hour I would make my way over to Portland as well, together with Jimmy.
He must be here at any second.
I checked my bag again, just a new set of clothes, my phone, keys and wallet.
We didn’t plan on staying there any longer than necessary.

Seeing Tara and Brian together during the last meeting and planning had hurt. I thought it wouldn’t be that tough, but seeing exactly just how good they fit, made me realize how wrong I had been.
Or maybe we would have been even better?
I shook my head, I would never get the answer to that one.
Brian and Tara were a couple and they were good together and good for each other, which meant for me not only to back off but also to get over it…
Time will heal all the wounds, and after this thing was finally done now, I think I could get a little distance and it wouldn’t be that hard anymore.

The doorbell rang and Jimmy stood there, not even having a bag with him.
“Have you not forgotten something?” I asked him with a lifted eyebrow and he smirked at me.
“Well, we could make a quick stop at my house or you could lend me a shirt.” Jimmy grinned and I frowned.

“My shirts won’t fit you, bro. Why didn’t you take any clothes with you from your home?” I frowned and he just walked past me.
“Well, duh… because I wasn’t home…” Jimmy grinned even wider and I rolled my eyes.
“Cara?” I asked and he nodded with a smile like a little child on Christmas Eve.
“Oh yeah.”
“I won’t ask any further and will just ignore that.” I said and shoved Jimmy out of my home.
“So, we stop at my home?” Jimmy asked and I nodded my head.
“Yeah, I don’t wanna spend my whole drive back with you in the same clothes, smelling bad.”
“I don’t smell bad.” Jimmy lifted his arm and smelled underneath his armpit.
“See, not bad at all” He walked up to me and I shoved him away.
“Yeah, now but… tomorrow… now, don’t start a discussion with me.” I shook my head at him, he was making the weirdest things being the main topic.

A couple of hours later, we had a lot of miles behind us and made a short lunch break and sat in the car eating, and I noticed Jimmy was looking over at me but didn’t say anything.
“What’s on your mind, Jimbo?”
“How are you feeling with Brian and Tara being a couple?” He asked serious now.
I shrugged my shoulders, “Well, they are good for each other, I’m happy when Brian is happy. I haven’t seen him this way around a woman… well since Michelle.”
“Yeah… but how are you?” Jimmy asked again and I sighed.
“It’s tougher then I thought… or hoped. I know they fit, but I keep thinking… if we would have fitted that well, too? Don’t get me wrong, I would never get between it… but the thought keeps bugging me.”
“Hmm… did you have something like a final talk with her? Alone? Maybe that could help you?” Jimmy drank the last of his coke and threw the empty trash into the bag again.
“No, I was planning to do that, but not before this whole thing is settled, this would only confuse everything more, right?”
“Right…” Jimmy nodded. “You know, last night after-” Jimmy began and I held my hand up frowning.
“Stop, that, I don’t wanna know…”
“No not that…” Jimmy grinned “I said after… but what I was getting to was, that Cara and I thought of another way out of this…” Jimmy finally said and I raised my eyebrows looking confused.
“What other way out? Can she do something for us?” I had a small spark of hope.
But Jimmy crushed it when he started shaking his head.

“No, well.. she doesn’t really know what the guy wants and she never been into any case like ours, she will see what she can find out, but we thought, if the shit really hits the fan, and he will sell the pictures or maybe videos… whatever to the press, we should have another plan to work against it.”
I tried to think of any good way out, when that guy would be selling whatever to the press, but I couldn’t come up with anything.
“What would that be?” I asked and Jimmy was not replying immediately.
“She thought we could… you know, tell the press that these are pictures leaked from a video we are shooting. She thought about Unholy Confessions, as a remake… We could set up a video shoot, with Tara being in the main role, making a story out of it, her with Brian and making it your Unholy Confession that you kissed her… you know… just a storyline for a video… we could set it up, after we know what that guy is having, that this was just pictures from the shoot, no beef between the band or anything…” Jimmy finished and I thought about that for a moment.
“I don’t know…” I shook my head but Jimmy got all excited.
“Think about it, if there is no way out of this for us, we could handle it like that. I think that would be pretty cool, don’t you?”
“Let me think about that…” I said and let my thoughts gather around the idea Jimmy just presented to me.

Brian’s POV

After the dinner with Jason and Tara I got ready for the meeting with Tara’s ex. I had to admit I was a little nervous, not knowing what the guy wanted and how I should best react.
But I didn’t let that show, didn’t want to upset Tara anymore that she already was.
“Be careful, babe.” Tara kissed me hungrily and I replied in the same manner. Pulling her closer, my arms around her waist and feeling her a final time pressed to me.
“I will, and you take care of Jason.” I winked at her a final time before walking to the car.
Jason stood at the passenger door, looking at me serious. “You call me if anything happens.”
I nodded “Sure, thing. And keep an eye on Tara, keep her safe.”
“Will treat her like she is mine.” Jason winked and I flipped him off, asshole.

It wasn’t far to the meeting point and my heartbeat was getting faster… was this really a good idea going alone?
Would he be alone?
I stopped the car in front of the bar we would be meeting, it looked shabby and I didn’t really feel comfortable walking in here.
It was dark, not many people around, but that worked out in my favor, since I didn’t want anyone to notice who I really am.
I put the cap deeper in my face and put the sunglasses away, I wouldn’t be seeing anything if I would keep on wearing them here.
But I wished to be able to keep them on since you could hide your emotion better with sunglasses on and the other couldn’t see where your eyes were wandering while you talked to him.

I didn’t know where to go so I asked at the bar for a John, hoping they could point me to the direction.
The woman behind the counter pointed to a door at the end of the bar and I lifted my eyebrow.
“Through the door?”I yelled over the loud club music in the bar.
“Yeah, he is waiting.”
“Thanks.” I yelled back and made my way to the door.
Before pushing the door open I breathed deeply in and out, put my professional face on and finally opened the door.

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It was really just a small room, looked a lot like our old rehearsal room when we were still teens, at the back of Johnny’s bar.
A couch, a few guitars standing around, some chairs, a big table in the middle.
And in the middle of the couch sat a guy, I knew it must be John because no other were around, but he also didn’t look anything like what I expected.
“Brian its good to finally meet you in person. I’m John and I think we have a few things to discuss. Take a seat.” John got up and motioned me to the free chairs and I frowned, he was speaking so formal, lets see how this would be going from now on.

Notes

Your Christmas treat :P
Another Update today !!

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