Don't You Dare
Chapter Thirty-Three
Author’s Note: Okay, before you read this chapter, just know one thing: I’M SORRY.
The day after she left Flagstaff, Aubrey walked into work ready to be productive. She sat at her desk with her computer booted up and her folders spread out around her. She had a mug of dark coffee and pens galore. She tried to read articles, she tried to make edits, she tried to respond to emails. But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t focus on her work. She was zoned in on her phone, willing it to ring.
Typically, after Aubrey and Brian said their dramatic goodbyes, they went weeks without communication. To cool off and get their minds right again. So, it wasn’t completely out of left field when she didn’t hear from him the next day. In fact, it was somewhat normal. But something still felt different. She couldn’t explain it but she could feel it in her bones, in her heart, and in her head. It wasn’t the same this time.
If she could just hear from him though, she could know for sure if things had changed. She stared daggers into her phone as it sat next to her computer. Ring, dammit.
A phone call. A text. An email. A voicemail. Something. Anything. She would take any slight reassurance that nothing had changed. But her pride wouldn’t let her seek it out, wouldn’t let her contact him first.
And yet, her phone didn’t chirp. Not for hours.
And when it finally did, it was Lauren. Then her brother. Then her parents.
Days later, it was Valary. Then Jimmy. Once or twice, it was Zack.
But it was never Brian.
And she didn’t know what to think about that, so she waited. Desperately, she waited. For hours, she waited. Those hours turned into days. And those days into weeks. Until she finally took matters into her own hands.
At first, it was a simple text message:
Hey, B.
Just to let him know that she was thinking about him. Just to open the door of communication.
And again, she waited. Hours. Then days.
After the third day with no response, she tried again:
Hey, just checking on you. Hope the tour is going well.
She knew it was. Because she talked to Valary a few days prior. Valary, who didn’t mention a word about Brian. And Aubrey, who was too scared to flat out ask about him.
And when she talked to Jimmy, she asked vague questions, to which he gave vague answers, of course.
“Is the tour still going well?” She asked him through the phone.
“It’s great!” He answered enthusiastically. The background sounded silent. As if he snuck off to talk to her privately. “The crowds have been massive!”
“That’s awesome!” She tried, but failed, to be as animated. “How many shows are left?”
“Ten more,” he answered. “Wrapping up in a couple weeks, sadly.”
“I’m sure you’ll be back out there in no time,” she replied, knowing their tour schedule was insane.
“You bet,” he confirmed.
“So... how’s everyone doing?” Aubrey asked him softly.
A small hesitation, but she still noticed it. “Just living life, you know,” Jimmy answered casually into the phone.
“Good,” she sighed with subtle dejection. “I’m glad everyone is doing well.”
He exhaled carefully, trying to balance loyalty to both of his friends. “He’s just taking it each day, you know? Some good days, some bad days, some numb days.”
She nodded, though he couldn’t see her. It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it still clued her in: something had definitely changed.
“How-” Jimmy cleared his throat. “How are you, AC?”
“I’m good, babe,” she lied to her friend. “Hanging in there.”
“Okay,” he breathed. “Good.”
And the worst part was, she didn’t know how much to push. Did Brian just want space? Or was it over?
If he wanted to end things, why didn’t he just say so? She wouldn’t be happy about it, obviously, but at least she would know. Or did he want her waiting around, desperately wanting to hear from him? Did he want her to feel what he felt? Constantly waiting, constantly yearning?
He wouldn’t talk to her, therefore she didn’t know what to do. So, she did the only thing she could: gave him more space. For a few days, then a few weeks, then a month, then another month.
And during that time, the calls and texts from Valary and Jimmy slowed. She never heard from any of the other guys anymore.
Everything was slowly becoming clearer.
One more time, she told herself. One more time then she would take the big, fat, obvious hint.
It was a Thursday morning. Over four months since she had seen him or spoken to him at all. She was nervous as she pulled up his contact information. What if he didn’t answer? What if he did?
She hit the ‘Call’ button with a trembling finger then put the phone to her ear.
It rang once.
Then again.
And after the third ring, the call was interrupted and transferred to voicemail. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. He had screened her call. Blatantly rejected it.
She swallowed hard. The message was received.
He was done.
Just as a last-ditch effort, she texted him. To clue him in as to why she had called.
Miss you...
But he never responded.
So, she took the hint. And she internalized it. And processed it. And shoved it down to the to the pit of her stomach and the back of her mind.
He was done with her. And, surprisingly, she didn’t blame him.
Ø
One year and one month later.
Ø
Aubrey’s heels clacked against the waxed tile flooring, shining under her brand new stilettos as she sauntered proudly to her new office. A higher position meant a new business appropriate wardrobe - black slacks and a silk blouse and the most expensive pair of shoes she had ever owned. But they were comfortable and so was she.
She was also proud. Damn proud.
The last year and a half had been a whirlwind. She immersed herself in online classes, attended various workshops, took on every single overtime opportunity that presented itself, came to work early and stayed late. She accepted every assignment offered to her and didn’t submit them until they were perfect. She edited them at home, off the clock, if she had to.
She worked her ass off and it finally paid off in the form of a giant promotion - one that came with a significant raise, a multitude of new and meaningful responsibilities, her own office, an assistant, etc.
One more step until she was able to be her own boss and could move and work wherever the hell she wanted.
Everything was falling into place. Well, almost everything.
Inside her office, she set her bags down and switched on her computer, shuffling through today’s to-do list while she waited for it to boot up.
“Ford.”
Aubrey glanced up to see the chief editor standing in her doorway, smiling at her. The stunning redheaded powerhouse was never rude to her, but she rarely smiled at people for no reason. Yet the look on her face almost seemed proud.
“Good morning,” Aubrey greeted, unable to tone down the excited smile that graced her face.
She braced herself for her first assignment, almost giddy about it despite the fact that she had hardly even settled into her office for the day.
“We have that meeting with the department editors at nine o’clock, but being that it’s the Monday after Christmas, I expect everyone will be fashionably late, so don’t rush over,” the woman spoke.
Aubrey nodded, although she knew she would still go find a seat in the conference room at 8:55 anyway.
“How was your Christmas?” Her boss asked unexpectedly. Typically, when she appeared in Aubrey’s doorframe, she barked her last name, gave her a task to do, and left. She was nice but all business.
“Oh,” Aubrey had a hard time hiding the surprise in her voice but quickly recovered. “It was really nice, thank you. How was yours?”
“Hectic but I was able to find some down time this weekend,” the woman answered simply. “It was not easy waking up this morning.”
“Holiday breaks are never long enough, are they?” Aubrey replied with a small chuckle, hoping she didn’t sound like she didn’t want to be at work. Because she did. She really did.
“Never,” the redhead winked. “We just have to survive until Wednesday then we’ll have another long weekend to ring in the New Year.”
“Then the fun really begins,” Aubrey quipped, knowing the beginning of the year was insanely hectic and busy for them.
“It’ll be great. 2010 is going to be your year, kid,” the chief editor said before she smiled again then walked away.
Those words reverberated as Aubrey inhaled a deep breath. She took a moment to soak them in then went to log onto her computer.
But when she reached for the keyboard, something caught in her chest and her heart fluttered, knocking the breath out of her with an audible exhale. She placed her hand over her chest, as if that could or would help, and took small short breaths, paying very close attention to her heartbeat.
She suddenly felt filled to the brim with anxiety. Oh god, was she having a panic attack?
She glanced at the clock. 8:12am. She had about 45 minutes before her meeting, 45 minutes to pull it together.
But just as quickly as it happened, it stopped. Her heart slowed to a normal pace. There were no more flutters. And the anxiety eventually dissipated.
She finally logged onto her computer and got to work. And by the time her meeting rolled around, she felt back to normal, so she pushed it all down, stood up, adjusted her top, grabbed her portfolio, and sauntered off to the conference room.
Ø
Downtown Phoenix was still lit with Christmas lights as Aubrey hurried down the sidewalk that night, already ten minutes late to her second annual Christmas dinner with Lauren. Since Lauren typically spends Christmas in Nevada with her family and Aubrey spends Christmas in whatever state her parents are in at the time (Oregon, this year), they started a new tradition of having Christmas dinner together at the nicest restaurant downtown once they’re both back in Phoenix.
With a red and green gift bag in her hand and her heels clacking on the concrete beneath her, Aubrey sauntered into the chic Italian restaurant to find Lauren already seated with a drink.
“Sorry I’m late!” Aubrey greeted as she bent down and hugged her friend.
“Don’t apologize, Miss Associate Editor,” Lauren teased, pulling out of the hug. “I’m just glad you were still able to make time for the peasants in your life.”
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she sat down. “Oh boy. Here we go.”
“Tell me about your first day in your new position!” Lauren demanded with excitement.
“It was insane,” Aubrey explained with a sigh. “I was in meetings most of the day and I truly had no idea how exhausting it could be to sit on your ass and listen to people pitch useless ideas all day.”
“Yikes,” Lauren quipped. “Will you have to do that often?”
“Once or twice a month,” Aubrey shrugged. “But it felt surreal to be pitched to and not to be the one doing the pitching.”
“Boss biiitch,” Lauren sang.
“I can’t wait until that joke dies out,” Aubrey laughed. “How was Christmas?”
“The usual,” Lauren took a big swig of her drink. “How was yours?”
“Same,” Aubrey added. “The usual, too.”
The waitress came by and took Aubrey’s drink order then left again.
“So,” Lauren began casually but with slight reluctance. “Did you talk to anyone from California over the holiday?”
Aubrey glanced up at her, surprised that she was randomly bringing this up during their dinner, then shook her head and looked down at the menu. “No. Maybe I should’ve reached out, but it’s been so long now.”
“When’s the last time you talked to any of them?” Lauren asked carefully, gauging Aubrey’s expression as she brought up the taboo topic, not sure if she should press further or back off. “I know you talked to Jimmy and Valary occasionally until this spring. Have you heard from any of them since?”
“I sent Matt and Val a wedding present when they got married in October,” Aubrey shrugged. “Valary texted me when they got back from their honeymoon to say thank you. But that’s the last time I talked to any of them.”
Lauren nodded. “Still nothing from Brian?”
Aubrey shook her head sadly. “Not a word.”
Lauren sighed, dropping the subject for the rest of the night.
But the sadness still lingered.
Aubrey hadn’t heard from Brian, not once, since she drove away from Flagstaff that night. Everything about his strange reaction when she left made total sense now. He let her leave so easily because he was letting her go. He fucked her like he’d never see her again because he knew he wouldn’t. He stayed so present and in the moment so he could enjoy and appreciate their last night together.
It took her a while to accept what had happened. It was just too much for him.
For a while, she was angry. How could he just ghost her like that? She was bitter that he didn’t have the balls to truly break-up with her, probably because they were never truly in a relationship, not really, but she finally made peace with it.
She kept in touch with Valary and Jimmy for a while, though they both made sure not to mention much about Brian, but eventually those phone calls and texts stopped as well.
She’d be lying if she tried to say it wasn’t hard. She missed Brian dearly, she missed them all, but she finally realized it was better this way. She was less distracted and able to get her life together so much quicker than she anticipated. She gave Brian his space, the space he clearly needed, but she wasn’t going to give up entirely. His chapter in her life was just...on hold.
Ø
Aubrey was a little tipsy when she got home that night. Lauren had driven her home and dropped her off after practically pouring Peach Bellini’s down her throat all night. Aubrey tried to deny them, not wanting to walk into work hungover on her second day as associate editor, but Lauren was relentless.
Aubrey had just gotten out of the shower and just began sobering up a little when her phone vibrated on her kitchen counter with an incoming call.
She glanced at the clock nervously. It was almost 11 o’clock at night. Who the hell was calling her this late?
A thought popped into her mind but she quickly squashed it and leaned over the counter to pick up her phone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was her brother.
“Andrew, hey!” Aubrey greeted happily.
“Hey, Bree,” he greeted flatly.
She could tell right away that his tone was very unusual. It sounded sympathetic and solemn and it instantly frightened her.
“You sound...weird. What’s wrong?” She asked cautiously. Something deep in her gut told her that she didn’t really want to know the answer.
“God, I thought you would’ve heard by now. I really didn’t want to be the one to tell you,” he exhaled sadly.
Aubrey’s heart sank into her stomach at his words. She braced herself for bad news.
“I thought maybe Lauren would tell you at dinner,” he added.
“Tell me what?” Aubrey asked with panic in her voice.
“Your friend,” he said softly. “The one in the band.”
Aubrey’s breath caught in her throat. “Brian?” She half-choked out.
No. She wasn’t ready for whatever the fuck her brother was about to tell her. She was not ready.
“No, the drummer,” her brother corrected. “Jimmy.”
She froze. “Oh god... What happened?”
After a pause, her brother finally answered.
“He died, Bree.”
The day after she left Flagstaff, Aubrey walked into work ready to be productive. She sat at her desk with her computer booted up and her folders spread out around her. She had a mug of dark coffee and pens galore. She tried to read articles, she tried to make edits, she tried to respond to emails. But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t focus on her work. She was zoned in on her phone, willing it to ring.
Typically, after Aubrey and Brian said their dramatic goodbyes, they went weeks without communication. To cool off and get their minds right again. So, it wasn’t completely out of left field when she didn’t hear from him the next day. In fact, it was somewhat normal. But something still felt different. She couldn’t explain it but she could feel it in her bones, in her heart, and in her head. It wasn’t the same this time.
If she could just hear from him though, she could know for sure if things had changed. She stared daggers into her phone as it sat next to her computer. Ring, dammit.
A phone call. A text. An email. A voicemail. Something. Anything. She would take any slight reassurance that nothing had changed. But her pride wouldn’t let her seek it out, wouldn’t let her contact him first.
And yet, her phone didn’t chirp. Not for hours.
And when it finally did, it was Lauren. Then her brother. Then her parents.
Days later, it was Valary. Then Jimmy. Once or twice, it was Zack.
But it was never Brian.
And she didn’t know what to think about that, so she waited. Desperately, she waited. For hours, she waited. Those hours turned into days. And those days into weeks. Until she finally took matters into her own hands.
At first, it was a simple text message:
Hey, B.
Just to let him know that she was thinking about him. Just to open the door of communication.
And again, she waited. Hours. Then days.
After the third day with no response, she tried again:
Hey, just checking on you. Hope the tour is going well.
She knew it was. Because she talked to Valary a few days prior. Valary, who didn’t mention a word about Brian. And Aubrey, who was too scared to flat out ask about him.
And when she talked to Jimmy, she asked vague questions, to which he gave vague answers, of course.
“Is the tour still going well?” She asked him through the phone.
“It’s great!” He answered enthusiastically. The background sounded silent. As if he snuck off to talk to her privately. “The crowds have been massive!”
“That’s awesome!” She tried, but failed, to be as animated. “How many shows are left?”
“Ten more,” he answered. “Wrapping up in a couple weeks, sadly.”
“I’m sure you’ll be back out there in no time,” she replied, knowing their tour schedule was insane.
“You bet,” he confirmed.
“So... how’s everyone doing?” Aubrey asked him softly.
A small hesitation, but she still noticed it. “Just living life, you know,” Jimmy answered casually into the phone.
“Good,” she sighed with subtle dejection. “I’m glad everyone is doing well.”
He exhaled carefully, trying to balance loyalty to both of his friends. “He’s just taking it each day, you know? Some good days, some bad days, some numb days.”
She nodded, though he couldn’t see her. It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but it still clued her in: something had definitely changed.
“How-” Jimmy cleared his throat. “How are you, AC?”
“I’m good, babe,” she lied to her friend. “Hanging in there.”
“Okay,” he breathed. “Good.”
And the worst part was, she didn’t know how much to push. Did Brian just want space? Or was it over?
If he wanted to end things, why didn’t he just say so? She wouldn’t be happy about it, obviously, but at least she would know. Or did he want her waiting around, desperately wanting to hear from him? Did he want her to feel what he felt? Constantly waiting, constantly yearning?
He wouldn’t talk to her, therefore she didn’t know what to do. So, she did the only thing she could: gave him more space. For a few days, then a few weeks, then a month, then another month.
And during that time, the calls and texts from Valary and Jimmy slowed. She never heard from any of the other guys anymore.
Everything was slowly becoming clearer.
One more time, she told herself. One more time then she would take the big, fat, obvious hint.
It was a Thursday morning. Over four months since she had seen him or spoken to him at all. She was nervous as she pulled up his contact information. What if he didn’t answer? What if he did?
She hit the ‘Call’ button with a trembling finger then put the phone to her ear.
It rang once.
Then again.
And after the third ring, the call was interrupted and transferred to voicemail. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. He had screened her call. Blatantly rejected it.
She swallowed hard. The message was received.
He was done.
Just as a last-ditch effort, she texted him. To clue him in as to why she had called.
Miss you...
But he never responded.
So, she took the hint. And she internalized it. And processed it. And shoved it down to the to the pit of her stomach and the back of her mind.
He was done with her. And, surprisingly, she didn’t blame him.
Ø
One year and one month later.
Ø
Aubrey’s heels clacked against the waxed tile flooring, shining under her brand new stilettos as she sauntered proudly to her new office. A higher position meant a new business appropriate wardrobe - black slacks and a silk blouse and the most expensive pair of shoes she had ever owned. But they were comfortable and so was she.
She was also proud. Damn proud.
The last year and a half had been a whirlwind. She immersed herself in online classes, attended various workshops, took on every single overtime opportunity that presented itself, came to work early and stayed late. She accepted every assignment offered to her and didn’t submit them until they were perfect. She edited them at home, off the clock, if she had to.
She worked her ass off and it finally paid off in the form of a giant promotion - one that came with a significant raise, a multitude of new and meaningful responsibilities, her own office, an assistant, etc.
One more step until she was able to be her own boss and could move and work wherever the hell she wanted.
Everything was falling into place. Well, almost everything.
Inside her office, she set her bags down and switched on her computer, shuffling through today’s to-do list while she waited for it to boot up.
“Ford.”
Aubrey glanced up to see the chief editor standing in her doorway, smiling at her. The stunning redheaded powerhouse was never rude to her, but she rarely smiled at people for no reason. Yet the look on her face almost seemed proud.
“Good morning,” Aubrey greeted, unable to tone down the excited smile that graced her face.
She braced herself for her first assignment, almost giddy about it despite the fact that she had hardly even settled into her office for the day.
“We have that meeting with the department editors at nine o’clock, but being that it’s the Monday after Christmas, I expect everyone will be fashionably late, so don’t rush over,” the woman spoke.
Aubrey nodded, although she knew she would still go find a seat in the conference room at 8:55 anyway.
“How was your Christmas?” Her boss asked unexpectedly. Typically, when she appeared in Aubrey’s doorframe, she barked her last name, gave her a task to do, and left. She was nice but all business.
“Oh,” Aubrey had a hard time hiding the surprise in her voice but quickly recovered. “It was really nice, thank you. How was yours?”
“Hectic but I was able to find some down time this weekend,” the woman answered simply. “It was not easy waking up this morning.”
“Holiday breaks are never long enough, are they?” Aubrey replied with a small chuckle, hoping she didn’t sound like she didn’t want to be at work. Because she did. She really did.
“Never,” the redhead winked. “We just have to survive until Wednesday then we’ll have another long weekend to ring in the New Year.”
“Then the fun really begins,” Aubrey quipped, knowing the beginning of the year was insanely hectic and busy for them.
“It’ll be great. 2010 is going to be your year, kid,” the chief editor said before she smiled again then walked away.
Those words reverberated as Aubrey inhaled a deep breath. She took a moment to soak them in then went to log onto her computer.
But when she reached for the keyboard, something caught in her chest and her heart fluttered, knocking the breath out of her with an audible exhale. She placed her hand over her chest, as if that could or would help, and took small short breaths, paying very close attention to her heartbeat.
She suddenly felt filled to the brim with anxiety. Oh god, was she having a panic attack?
She glanced at the clock. 8:12am. She had about 45 minutes before her meeting, 45 minutes to pull it together.
But just as quickly as it happened, it stopped. Her heart slowed to a normal pace. There were no more flutters. And the anxiety eventually dissipated.
She finally logged onto her computer and got to work. And by the time her meeting rolled around, she felt back to normal, so she pushed it all down, stood up, adjusted her top, grabbed her portfolio, and sauntered off to the conference room.
Ø
Downtown Phoenix was still lit with Christmas lights as Aubrey hurried down the sidewalk that night, already ten minutes late to her second annual Christmas dinner with Lauren. Since Lauren typically spends Christmas in Nevada with her family and Aubrey spends Christmas in whatever state her parents are in at the time (Oregon, this year), they started a new tradition of having Christmas dinner together at the nicest restaurant downtown once they’re both back in Phoenix.
With a red and green gift bag in her hand and her heels clacking on the concrete beneath her, Aubrey sauntered into the chic Italian restaurant to find Lauren already seated with a drink.
“Sorry I’m late!” Aubrey greeted as she bent down and hugged her friend.
“Don’t apologize, Miss Associate Editor,” Lauren teased, pulling out of the hug. “I’m just glad you were still able to make time for the peasants in your life.”
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she sat down. “Oh boy. Here we go.”
“Tell me about your first day in your new position!” Lauren demanded with excitement.
“It was insane,” Aubrey explained with a sigh. “I was in meetings most of the day and I truly had no idea how exhausting it could be to sit on your ass and listen to people pitch useless ideas all day.”
“Yikes,” Lauren quipped. “Will you have to do that often?”
“Once or twice a month,” Aubrey shrugged. “But it felt surreal to be pitched to and not to be the one doing the pitching.”
“Boss biiitch,” Lauren sang.
“I can’t wait until that joke dies out,” Aubrey laughed. “How was Christmas?”
“The usual,” Lauren took a big swig of her drink. “How was yours?”
“Same,” Aubrey added. “The usual, too.”
The waitress came by and took Aubrey’s drink order then left again.
“So,” Lauren began casually but with slight reluctance. “Did you talk to anyone from California over the holiday?”
Aubrey glanced up at her, surprised that she was randomly bringing this up during their dinner, then shook her head and looked down at the menu. “No. Maybe I should’ve reached out, but it’s been so long now.”
“When’s the last time you talked to any of them?” Lauren asked carefully, gauging Aubrey’s expression as she brought up the taboo topic, not sure if she should press further or back off. “I know you talked to Jimmy and Valary occasionally until this spring. Have you heard from any of them since?”
“I sent Matt and Val a wedding present when they got married in October,” Aubrey shrugged. “Valary texted me when they got back from their honeymoon to say thank you. But that’s the last time I talked to any of them.”
Lauren nodded. “Still nothing from Brian?”
Aubrey shook her head sadly. “Not a word.”
Lauren sighed, dropping the subject for the rest of the night.
But the sadness still lingered.
Aubrey hadn’t heard from Brian, not once, since she drove away from Flagstaff that night. Everything about his strange reaction when she left made total sense now. He let her leave so easily because he was letting her go. He fucked her like he’d never see her again because he knew he wouldn’t. He stayed so present and in the moment so he could enjoy and appreciate their last night together.
It took her a while to accept what had happened. It was just too much for him.
For a while, she was angry. How could he just ghost her like that? She was bitter that he didn’t have the balls to truly break-up with her, probably because they were never truly in a relationship, not really, but she finally made peace with it.
She kept in touch with Valary and Jimmy for a while, though they both made sure not to mention much about Brian, but eventually those phone calls and texts stopped as well.
She’d be lying if she tried to say it wasn’t hard. She missed Brian dearly, she missed them all, but she finally realized it was better this way. She was less distracted and able to get her life together so much quicker than she anticipated. She gave Brian his space, the space he clearly needed, but she wasn’t going to give up entirely. His chapter in her life was just...on hold.
Ø
Aubrey was a little tipsy when she got home that night. Lauren had driven her home and dropped her off after practically pouring Peach Bellini’s down her throat all night. Aubrey tried to deny them, not wanting to walk into work hungover on her second day as associate editor, but Lauren was relentless.
Aubrey had just gotten out of the shower and just began sobering up a little when her phone vibrated on her kitchen counter with an incoming call.
She glanced at the clock nervously. It was almost 11 o’clock at night. Who the hell was calling her this late?
A thought popped into her mind but she quickly squashed it and leaned over the counter to pick up her phone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was her brother.
“Andrew, hey!” Aubrey greeted happily.
“Hey, Bree,” he greeted flatly.
She could tell right away that his tone was very unusual. It sounded sympathetic and solemn and it instantly frightened her.
“You sound...weird. What’s wrong?” She asked cautiously. Something deep in her gut told her that she didn’t really want to know the answer.
“God, I thought you would’ve heard by now. I really didn’t want to be the one to tell you,” he exhaled sadly.
Aubrey’s heart sank into her stomach at his words. She braced herself for bad news.
“I thought maybe Lauren would tell you at dinner,” he added.
“Tell me what?” Aubrey asked with panic in her voice.
“Your friend,” he said softly. “The one in the band.”
Aubrey’s breath caught in her throat. “Brian?” She half-choked out.
No. She wasn’t ready for whatever the fuck her brother was about to tell her. She was not ready.
“No, the drummer,” her brother corrected. “Jimmy.”
She froze. “Oh god... What happened?”
After a pause, her brother finally answered.
“He died, Bree.”
This. Was. Friggen. Perfect.
12/30/19