"Okay guys! Let the party begin. Where are all the fun spots?" Brian asked.
"We could try a few clubs but knowing the Promenade, all the available ladies won't be out until 9 tonight." Alexei said, glancing around the pier.
"Rides aren't open during the week. Only the weekend, so we're basically SOLO hanging around here." He added.
"Then let's roll!" Nick shouted.
"If you want to pass the time since it's only 6 we could head over to Sunset Blvd. and cruise around. Trust me, the available ladies are out in full force at most of the cafes. Most of them are aspiring actresses." Alexei suggested. Brian had had his fair share of actresses in his life and wanted to finally find someone normal. A girl who went to school or just a girl who had a normal life. Kind of like Breanna. Nick didn't care. He just wanted someone who didn't recognize him. He didn't mind if she knew about him until *after* she got to know him first. Kind of like Eve. The guys hopped into Brian's car and took off towards Sunset Blvd. On their way there, they noticed a happening club for 21 and over. Nick looked old enough and if he had to, he'd inform the bouncers of who he was. It worked in the past. Alexei was familiar with the club. He and AJ talked about it earlier that day and AJ was excited to go.
"You'll love it! All of LA's freaks and wackos along with all of LA's yuppies and the girls-next-door. Every type of person available goes there." This was definitely AJ's club.
When the guys walked in a pretty girl with long black hair walked past Brian. "Oh my god, Brok, she looked just like..." Nick whispered into his friends ear.
"Yeah, I know. Forget it, Frack. It wasn't her." Brian shrugged off the image that the girl portrayed. Two years earlier when the guys were in LA, Brian and Rachel had a huge fight and decided to go their separate ways. To make himself feel better, he and AJ went out drinking that night and became totally wasted. During all of that time a beautiful young girl, around 21 years old, sat with Brian to talk. She told him her name was Izabel. They talked the entire weekend while the guys were in town, and even when they left back on tour. They became the best of friends while Brian remained single from Rachel. After two months of talking constantly on the phone, Brian decided to fly out and see her. She was a wonderful friend and he wanted to see how she was doing. They went out clubbing together looking for a girlfriend for Brian and a boyfriend for Izabel. After their night of clubbing and drinking both friends stumbled back to his hotel. As the ol' saying goes, one thing led to another. When Brian awoke the next morning he found Izabel still asleep. He smiled looking down at her and how beautiful she was when she slept. She reminded him of Snow White. Brian realized that Izabel made him happy; happier than Rachel ever could. She was beautiful and smart and most importantly, she treated Brian like a normal person. If he ever acted egotistical she was quick to put him back in his place. Izabel was like a best friend to him as well. When she awoke to his kisses on her body she jumped up with a start. She smiled when she remembered what had happened the night before.
"It was bound to happen, wasn't it?" She joked to him. He nodded his head with a silly grin on his face. "Proud of yourself too, aren't you Brok?" She smiled to him. He gave her the same silly grin. She laughed and pushed him backwards. "Dumb ass." She commented, getting up to take a shower.
Things went back to normal between the two of them. They never officially called themselves boyfriend and girlfriend but there was no need for titles. The guys already assumed she was his girlfriend; They liked her way more then they ever liked Rachel. She became friends with the entire group but it was always over the phone. After three months passed Izabel called Brian and left him a message on his answering machine. "Brian, I can't handle this anymore. We have to end it. This is what I want. Please understand. Don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. You know how stubborn I am. I'll miss you. Goodbye." and with that Izabel hung up the phone while tears streamed down her face. Brian tried to reach her but she changed her home phone number and her cellphone number. She canceled her AOL account and moved out of her apartment. After a few weeks of trying to find her, Brian gave up. When Rachel found out he was free she moved back in for the kill and thus the un-happy couple were once again dating. Brian never found out why Izabel ended it but this woman in the club brought those thoughts flooding back again.
"Frick? Yo, Frick?" Nick said flashing his hands in front of Brian's face.
"Oh hey, Frack. Let's get something to drink." Brian said putting an arm around Nick's shoulders.
Both men walked towards the bar. Brian felt a little depressed after remembering Izabel. Here he was, back in LA, single, with no clue where she was. He felt like such a fool for not letting her know how he felt about her. Maybe she would have stayed with him. "Why torture yourself, Brian?" He asked himself. At the bar Brian ordered a double vodka.
"Geez, man, hittin' the hard stuff when you're so light?" Nicked joked to his best friend. Brian laughed at his friend.
"No man, I just want to loosen up a bit. I haven't been single in such a long time. I wonder if the scene has changed much." Brian said to Nick. AJ swaggered up to the bar where his friends were already getting toasted.
"The scene? You mean the dating scene? No man, it hasn't really changed. Our ultimate goal is still the same." AJ joked. Brian downed his drink and looked at AJ laughing. Alexei walked up to the guys with a beautiful lady with him. "Guys this is Kirsten. Kirs, this is AJ, Nick, and the close to drunk one is Brian." Alexei introduced the guys to his girlfriend of the evening.
"Hey!" All the guys greeted. Brian ordered another drink, but for Nick. If he was going to get wasted, Nick would join him. The guys took a seat at a table in the back of the club while Alexei and Kirsten danced.
"That boy has more charm with the ladies than I do!" AJ complained with a fake pout before a pretty waitress walked over to him and handed him a drink. "Thank you, sweet thang!" AJ said to the waitress right before he downed the drink. Nick saw Alexei across the club with a beer in his hand and waved him over.
"Hey, Lex, you're drinking beer, Brian's on his third or fourth Vodka, AJ never leaves a club sober and I'm on my second drink. Who's gonna drive home?" Nick didn't want to drink anymore if Alexei was planning to continue.
"I hate getting drunk. I usually stick to two or three beers so I'll drive home. I unfortunately do not share my sisters alcohol consumption ability. So, go ahead and get drunk if you want. We'll all crash at my place since my parents are out of town for the week." Alexei told Nick with a smile, before he walked away to join Kirsten.
"Nick, bring that pretty waitress over here, the one who looks like Izabel. I wanna get a drink from her." Brian stated looking around the room at the pretty ladies. Brian wasn't drunk but he was slightly buzzed. When Nick caught the eye of the waitress he motioned for her to come to his table. She happily obliged but when she got closer to the table and saw Nick, Brian, and AJ, she quickly turned her back and sent another waitress over. Brian became suspicious but didn't say anything. Brian ordered another drink for AJ and Nick but nothing for himself.
Two hours went by and Nick and AJ were thoroughly trashed. They were having a conversation about women in the universe. Alexei and Brian were just listening to them, laughing as the tears rolled down their faces. "I think we should jus' pick 'em up an mover 'em out." Nick complained. "They take up too much shpace." He added.
"Here here!" AJ said in a toast.
"If I need a lil' sasisfacsion, then I's have ma hookers or those plasshtic girrls." Nick explained to AJ.
"I like my women but I sometimes feel like they've gotta go. They are just I don't know....they piss me off." AJ said taking a swig of his beer. He wasn't nearly as bad as Nick was considering AJ could still talk straight, but walking straight and seeing straight were two different things.
"I dontch like women. My lascht one was a ho. She shlept wid everyone. So I's gave her's da boot. Now I'm here, in LA lookin' for a woman," Nick paused for a second to think. "...Naw, I jus wanna get laid." Nick said laughing.
After a few more minutes of laughing Nick got up to go use the bathroom but he walked into the wall instead. "Oh hehe, I forsgot, I gotta close ma eyes and figure out which wall ish real. That's half the fun of bein' drunk, trying to figure out which one is da real thing!" Nick laughed.
"No man! Don't close both eyes, you can't see. Just close one." AJ told his drunk friend.
"Oh yeah, just one? Right? Okay, I'll give it a try." Nick said. He closed one eye and put a hand over the opened eye. He ran back into the wall.
"Ouch! Bone, yo advice sucks!" Nick complained.
"I'll go help him." AJ informed Brian and Alexei. AJ stood up but almost fell right back down. He held onto the table until the room stopped spinning.
"Okay, Nicky boy, here I come!"
After a while the music died down a little bit and people started to leave. It was barely 10 but it was also a Tuesday. Brian looked up to hear one of the managers talking to the waitress he liked. "Hey, it's your babysitter on the phone. Your son won't go to bed. He's telling her he wants to play basketball instead." The manager informed the waitress. Brian was a little too buzzed to really comprehend what was being said. The waitress walked to the back room to take the phone call. Brain wondered away from his group of drunk friends and went to sit at the bar. Alexei joined him. He noticed Brian didn't seem to be acting like himself. Even though they knew each other for a day he liked Brian and knew that the attitude he was seeing wasn't the "normal" Brian.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Alexei asked Brian.
"Sure, buddy!" Brian smiled to his new friend. They talked for a while but when the waitress walked back from the back room Brian went quiet. He looked down at his beer bottle and just turned the bottle around and around.
"Hey girl! Your son giving you problems again?" The other waitress asked.
"Yes! He's not even one and a half but all he wants to do is run around like crazy. He's addicted to basketball and he can never sit still." The waitress complained.
"Wow girl, where does he get all of his energy from? His father?" the other waitress asked. A sad look came across the young waitresses face.
"I don't know. I guess, I think so." She answered. After a few seconds of listening to the conversation Brian realized that Nick was right. Brian turned around on his bar stool to face the two waitresses who were cleaning up part of the bar.
"Izabel?" Brian asked in shock. When Izabel looked up at Brian she realized that he had heard the entire conversation. Her hands went numb causing her to drop a glass that shattered everywhere.
"B-roks workin' his charm again!" Nick yelled from the back of the room.
Breanna and Howie dropped Eve and Kevin off at the hotel with few words exchanged. "I'll pick you up in the morning here, right?" Breanna asked, watching Eve getting out of the backseat with a painful grimace on her face.
"Um, yeah. My stuffs here." Eve said.
"You okay?" Breanna asked. Eve nodded her head yes while her hand pointed to the area where her new tattoo laid. "Me too. I'll call you." Breanna said. After a minute Breanna and Howie were driving back to her house. "So, what's our plans for the rest of the week and a half?"
"I figured you'd finish your finals then we'll take it from them. But we gotta get you moved out to Orlando before we leave for Sweden." Howie explained.
"What? Leaving for Sweden?" Breanna asked. She had been in a daze the entire time Brian and the rest of the guys explained their situation.
"You don't remember? We're leaving in less than two weeks to Sweden. You said you'd go with us." Howie said facing Breanna.
"I don't remember, sorry. That means I'll need a passport. I don't know where mine is." She told Howie with a concerned voice.
"Don't worry about it. We have people for all of that." Howie relaxed in his seat for the rest of the ride home.
Once they were back in their hotel room Kevin grabbed Eve by the waist and kissed her with so much hunger Eve didn't know what to do. She didn't think she could satisfy him that night. She had too much on her mind and she was still a little weak from the flu not to mention the pain from the tattoo. "Kev, hun, I really need to study." She told him, pushing him away from her.
"I know, I know. I've missed you." He tried to explain.
"I know. Me too. You have no clue how much I want you but I can have you whenever I want and right now I need to study. Um, that didn't come out right. I didn't mean to make it seem like you're some toy or something." Eve tried explaining.
"Don't worry about it. I know what you mean." He told her smiling. "Go study. When you're done, if you have the energy I'd like to spend a little time with you."
"You mean you'd like to spend a little time *on* me." She corrected.
"Which ever you prefer." He explained with a wink.
"Oh don't start that now! Let me study then we'll see." She smiled.
"I'm hungry, could you order something for me to eat?" She asked while going through her backpack looking for her notes.
"Sure!" He agreed.
When Breanna walked into her house she went straight to her room with Howie on her heels. Breanna's parents were out of town until that weekend and the happy couple, and Alexei, had the house to themselves. "We should just have everyone stay here, D. Eve and Kevin can take my parents room, Lex could share a room with AJ, and Brian and Nick could take the guest room." Breanna told Howie while she changed out of her dress into some lose sweat pants and a Nike t-shirt.
"What about when your parents get back?" Howie asked.
"Eh, good point but hopefully I'll be packed up and ready to go by then."
"Let's talk about it after you finish studying. Let's get that done first." Howie told Breanna handing her her backpack. She nodded thanks as she unzipped it to pull her books and notes out.
"Okay, you're gonna help me with this cause I want to finish quickly. Then we can discuss living arrangements for the week?" She asked Howie. He grinned and nodded his head at her, staring at her face with a questioning look. "What?" She asked him.
"Nothing. Have I told you lately that I love you?" He asked with a smirk.
"Yes, Rod Stewart. You have. Maybe later you could show it." And with that Breanna stood up and walked into the living room to grab some plain computer paper to write notes on. Howie's face registered a shocked look. When Breanna walked back in she looked at Howie and laughed. "I meant that we could, um, finish what we started last night without falling asleep right afterwards." She told him, giving him a small kiss on the lips. He smiled back at her.
"Okay, so what are we studying? Economics? This should be fun." Howie said in an attempt to take his mind off of what he wanted to do to her at that very minute.
"Finally! I'm done studying for the night!" Eve shouted out of the bedroom so Kevin could hear her downstairs. Kevin entered the room to see Eve putting her books away. After that she stood up and stretched her lean frame. He walked into the room and wrapped his arms around her waist while she stretched, pulling her in for a tight hug. He kissed the top of her head while Eve smiled to herself. "So Mr. Richardson, did you have any plans tonight?" She asked him. He smiled seductively before replying.
"Yeah, I had a few plans. I planned to make love to you all night long." He stated. She smiled and purred into his ear.
"Do what you will. I won't resist." And with that Kevin picked her up and placed her gently onto the bed. She stood up on her knees while Kevin stood near the bed facing her. They kissed softly while Eve's hands unbuttoned his shirt. She pulled the shirt off of his arms and threw it behind her. Kevin stopped kissing Eve long enough to pull her dress over her head, tossing it with his shirt behind Eve on the floor. She unzipped his pants and he pulled them down and kicked them off in a hurry. He still had trouble with her bra which she took care of. He had no problems taking off her panties, a little joke shared between the couple. They took their time kissing and touching each other before Kevin lowered Eve onto her back. Within minutes the couple had begun to make passionate love. Eve had never seen Kevin so hungry for her body and she enjoyed every minute of it. After three hours Eve noticed the clock read 10 pm. Kevin was already tired from making love and Eve smiled to herself. "My job here is done." She said aloud. Kevin turned to Eve and started laughing.
"It's only just begun." He told her. His hands wondered Eve's stomach and upper thighs. When he reached Eve's tickle spot she jumped and giggled, turning to the other side so she would be laying on her tickle spot, keeping it out of Kevin's reach. Kevin went to tickle the other side but noticed a large marking on Eve's upper hip. He did a double take before realizing that it was a tattoo. A real tattoo. A brand new tattoo. He touched it softly but Eve jumped. "I'm sorry." He told her, still staring at the tattoo. "Is this what Alexei was yelling about?" Kevin asked. Eve nodded her head giggling. It was too dark to notice what the tattoo was let alone see if anything was written. Kevin reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on. He looked closer at the tattoo and noticed it was a beautiful rose with something written in the petals. It said "Kev." He stared at it for a little longer before looking back up to Eve. Her face was expressionless for fear he would hate it. He pulled himself up towards her face and kissed her softly before pulling away. "I love it! But you two are CRAZY! Breanna has one, too, doesn't she?" Kevin asked. Eve nodded her head. "And it has Howie's name written somewhere, doesn't it?" He stared intently into her eyes. Eve nodded her head again. He laughed before reaching for the phone. Eve watched him with a smirk on her face. "I know they're up to something but I'm gonna interrupt them." Kevin said laughing.
"No....don't....get.......it." Howie moaned to Breanna while the phone rang.
"I....have to, Hun. What.....if it's...my....parents?" Breanna asked. Howie stopped moving and rolled over to his side of the bed. Breanna caught her breath quickly before answering the phone. "Yeah?"
"Hey Bree...it's Kev. Is Howie around?" Kevin asked innocently.
"Oh cut the crap, Kev. You know that you...interrupted us. I can hear Eve giggling in the background." She yelled out. Howie rolled his eyes and sighed.
"What does he want now?" Howie asked, his breath fully recovered.
"Hold on, Kev. It's for you." She told Howie handing him the phone.
"Yo man, it better be important." Howie told Kevin.
"Well, it is kinda. I figured out what the girls did today."
"What they did today? What are you....? Oh no way! What'd they do?" Howie asked looking straight at Breanna. She was smoking a cigarette, something she rarely did. Howie wrinkled up his nose in protest.
"I won't tell you exactly. Just be nice to Breanna's hips." Kevin said with a short laugh.
"What? Um, okay. I'll talk to you later, Kev." Howie hung up the phone and jumped lightly back on top of Breanna.
"Now, where were we?" He asked with a hunger in his voice.
"Right about...here!" Breanna said taking Howie into her. Another hour passed and Breanna glanced at the clock.
"I gotta go to sleep, babe. It's close to 11:30." Howie let out a tired sigh.
"Okay. We'll finish this tomorrow." He told her laughing. Breanna snuggled close to Howie's chest while he pulled her lower waist closer to him. He brushed up against her hip and Breanna jumped. Howie remembered Kevin's words loud and clear and quickly turned on the bedroom light, pulling back the sheets.
"Okay, now I'm cold and naked. What are you doing?" She asked Howie. He looked at her hip and saw the tattoo. "I sure hope that's fake." He told her pointing to the tattoo. "Well, it's not. Let's talk about it tomorrow. I put it in a place where no one could see it except for you." She informed Howie, grabbing the sheets out of his hands. She tossed the sheets back onto her tired and sore body. He sat back down on the bed and pulled the sheets to the side exposing the tattoo. He looked at it carefully. It was a beautifully drawn angel with beautiful wings and an innocent face. It didn't really look like a tattoo. When he glanced closer he noticed writing inside one of the wings. All it said was "Sweet D". Breanna decided to add more to the tattoo since the artist informed her that there was plenty of room for probably 7 or 8 letters written in tiny print. Howie looked back up at Breanna who didn't look really happy. He smiled at her and walked back to switch off the light. "I love it." He told her after he got back into bed. "You do?" she asked. "Yes, I do. And I love you." He pulled her closer to his body, where they both fell asleep.
Izabel looked at Brian hoping that he was drunk beyond belief. Maybe he wouldn't remember her when he woke up or what she had said. But her hopes were diminished when Brian stood up and walked towards her, obviously sober. "Hi." She managed to say into his shocked eyes. All color had drained from his face. Alexei didn't know their past but figured he was in for a history lesson that night. AJ and Nick swaggered up to Izabel and Brian who didn't seem to notice anyone around them.
"Hey, it's Bel! Hi'ya girlie." Nick slurred.
"Well I see Nick hasn't changed. He only got taller." She said with a smile. Nick laughed.
"Yo Iz, Brok and I are single now and what's her name's, um, what IS her name?" Nick tried with great difficulty to pronounce his words correctly.
"Rachel." Brian said flatly, staring at Izabel's shocked face.
"Yeah, Rashel...dat bitch is gone. We dumped er chicks and here we are." Nick took an unbalanced step backwards and was caught by AJ.
"Careful there, buddy." AJ said.
"Hey Izzy. How's life been treating you?" Leave it to AJ to get to the point without being too blunt. Izabel nodded her head slowly at AJ with a small smile on her face.
"Hi AJ. You *really* haven't changed. Life's good. It's really good." She replied giving AJ a warm smile before automatically looking at Brian. Her smile turned into a fake one instantly as Izabel tried not to look into his blue eyes. Brian looked hurt and she realized that he had every reason to be hurt and angry but there was no anger registering on his face.
"I hear you have a son." Brian said. She nodded her head.
"A son?" AJ asked in shock.
"Yeah, I do. It's been two years, AJ." Izabel politely reminded him.
"Oh right. Right. So, what's his name? How old is he?" AJ was being nosy. Brian didn't seem to mind but Izabel was growing uncomfortable.
"His name is Thomas and he'll be two years old in about 7 months." Izabel said proudly.
"I hope he looks like you and not his father. You're so much more beautiful!" Nick said while trying to retain his balance.
"His father? How do you know what he looks like?" She asked Nick with fear in her voice.
"I don't. I'm just hoping." Nick gave her his famous half smile.
"When did you get married, you crazy girl? I never figured you one to get married so young." AJ was being even more nosy but Izabel answered honestly.
"I never got married."
"So, what's daddy's name?" He asked again. AJ was sobering up slowly. He knew that there was something wrong with the picture. Brian looked like he needed a few drinks. Izabel shook her head.
"That's for me to know." She said looking down at the ground. She could feel Brian's eyes borring into her.
"Can we talk?" Brian finally asked. Izabel didn't have anything to say to him but at the same time her heart was crying out for her to say all. She nodded her head slowly. She glanced at the clock and realized that her shift was over.
"Alone." Brian said bluntly. AJ, Nick, and Alexei took their cue and stood up to walk back to their table.
"You look the same, Iz." Brian smiled at Izabel. She looked sad and tired.
"I guess I should take that as a compliment considering I had a baby." She laughed.
"Yeah, congratulations on that, by the way. Must be refreshing to be able to go home and know that your child is waiting for you, happy to see you." He was rambling on while his mind was working over time trying to figure out what he really wanted to say and ask.
"You make it sound like a puppy." She lightly punched him in the arm.
"I know, I did, didn't I?" He laughed.
"So, how have you been?" She asked him.
"Great! Life has been kind to me careerwise..." He started to explain.
"No luck in the relationship department?" She sighed to him. He shook his head no. "Me neither but at least I got Thomas out of it." She smiled at him.
"Well, at least I got rid of Rachel." He stated in the same way she did. She looked at his grinning face and started laughing.
"You haven't changed." She smiled, feeling a bit more relaxed.
Silence grew between them and neither knew what to say to the other one. "I can't handle this. Just tell me why you ended it two years ago." He bluntly cried out. Izabel sighed with frustration.
"You'd never understand. You couldn't comprehend it." She said in a mere whisper.
"Oh yeah? Try me." Brian finally found his anger towards Izabel within his heart.
"I would have ruined your career and you guys were finally starting to take off here. It wasn't the right time for you." She explained.
"I don't understand you at all. What are you talking about? I just want to know why you left me. I loved you!" He yelled at her. They had left the club a few minutes earlier to take a walk down Sunset Blvd. As he yelled at her he could see other people at the outdoor cafes taking notice. Some people pointed after recognizing Brian. Izabel stood in a daze staring at Brian.
"What did you say?" She asked slowly. He sighed and walked off in the opposite direction. "Brian. Wait!" Izabel yelled. Brian stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. His face showed little expression.
"You didn't answer me." She pointed out.
"You didn't answer *me*." He replied.
"You loved me?" She asked slowly.
"Yes. And you left me." He told her.
"You never told me you loved me. You never said anything." She tried to defend.
"I never told you anything? I told you everyday all the time how much you meant to me. I might have never said 'I love you' right out but I was younger then, and I was scared of what I felt for you. Rachel broke me so many times. It was hard to get back into another relationship, especially with someone who understood me so well. I was afraid." He told her. After saying everything he had to say Izabel looked shocked. She turned around so he couldn't see her face as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her sobs were becoming more audible as Brian walked slowly towards her. "Izabel. I'm sorry I never told you how I really felt. I thought you knew." Brain didn't know what to do. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be fine but she had a child now, and possibly a boyfriend. H didn't want to over step his boundaries.
"You're going to hate me. I'm going to ruin your life." She tried to explain.
"Hate you? Why? Izabel, I loved you. I still do." She turned around and looked into his eyes.
"You'll hate me." She said again with a small sob. He shook his head no and put his arms around her.
"I can't." He defended.
"Brian, I'm really tired..." Izabel tried to tell him.
"Okay, okay. We can talk about this later. Want me to take you home?" He asked. She nodded her head. As they started walking towards his car he realized that Alexei had his keys, he had them for a reason. Brian stopped and hit his head with the palm of his hand.
"Oh, Iz. I've been drinking. I'm sorry I didn't think about it."
"Don't worry. I live up the street. I always walk." She told him with a slight smile.
"Okay, I'll walk you home."
"Okay. But we don't have to talk about it later. I'll explain everything tonight." She offered.
Izabel and Brian walked down Sunset Blvd past the cafes and clubs. The street was filled with expensive cars zooming by in both directions. Because it was only Tuesday night, things were kind of slow. After a five minute walk Izabel turned down Laurel Blvd with Brian right next to her. He kept glancing sideways at her, smiling to himself. He couldn't believe he was walking home with Izabel. She had occupied his heart and soul while Rachel occupied his body and most notably, his wallet, for the past two years. Izabel turned towards her left and walked up an outdoor flight of stairs to her apartment. It was an older house that was turned into a two story apartment building. The only other occupants of that apartment were an older couple living downstairs. Izabel took out her key and opened the door.
A younger version of Izabel came running down the hall towards the door. "Izabel, he will *not* go to sleep. He wants his 'bball'." The girl complained.
"Like always." Izabel sighed, tossing her purse onto the couch. "Lita, this is Brian. Brian this is Lita, my little sister and live-in nanny." Izabel joked.
"Nice to meet you." Both greeted each other.
"Iz, go take care of Tommy. He's driving me nuts! I don't know where he gets that energy but he better let me have a piece of it." Lita sighed and plopped down onto the couch.
"Sounds like me when I was little." Brian laughed, sitting on the couch next to Lita while Izabel went to take care of her son. Brian and Lita made small talk while they watched the local news.
"...And the Backstreet Boys were seen today hanging out in Santa Monica with some very pretty ladies. Sorry girls, but it seems two of them are taken." The entertainment reporter stated. Brian moved around uncomfortably in his seat.
"Is there anything else on TV?" He asked Lita. Lita hushed him.
"No wait, I wanna see this. My friend loves them and I want to see if the one she likes is taken or not." Brian looked Lita over and came to the conclusion that she was probably around 18 more or less. The TV displayed a video shot earlier that day of all five guys, Breanna, Eve, and Alexei walking down the pier laughing. The reporter continued with his report
"It seems Howie Dorough, left with the short haired brunette, and Kevin Richardson, middle with the long haired brunette are both officially taken. There were reports on the internet that they had girlfriends but their publicist would not confirm them. It is also reported that AJ McLean, mister rebel himself, is back with longtime on and off girlfriend, singer Mya Marson. As for more rumors, supposedly Nick Carter, the tallest and most popular Backstreet Boy broke up with his girlfriend as did his best friend, Brian Littrell, better known as Brok. Don't believe everything you hear, though, girls. The Boys have not confirmed anything but it does seem, as the video shows, that Kevin and Howie are off the market."
As the report ended Lita looked over at Brian who had his hands covering his face in embarrassment. He peeked through his fingers to see Lita staring at him with a shocked expression.
"Is it over yet?" He jokingly asked. Lita nodded her head.
"You're that guy!" Lita yelled. Brian nodded his head. "My sister knows a Backstreet Boy?" Lita asked in amazement. Brian nodded again and smiled.
"We were friends a long time ago, right before we became successful in the US." Brian stated.
"I didn't know that. She never said anything. What happened? After you became successful you were too good to be friends with Izabel?" Lita asked in an annoyed voice.
"No, in fact she kinda dumped me almost two years ago to the day. That's why I'm here. To find out why." He stated. Lita looked at him in amazement. "So, which one was your friends favorite?" He asked with a smirk, his head held high in the air. Brian tried to pretend he was the greatest while Lita laughed at him.
"Well, it sure as hell isn't you!" She replied.
"Just like your sister." He smiled to her.
"Ahem!" Brian and Lita turned to see Izabel in the hallway staring at them with a smile.
"Is he asleep?" Lita asked with her fingers crossed.
"No. He won't sleep. He keeps saying b-ball, so I'm just gonna let him play with his little hoop until he wears himself out." Izabel looked tired and stressed.
"I should cut into you for what you did to Brian two years ago, but I'm not. You're a moron, by the way." Lita told her sister as she walked down the hall towards her room. "WHAT?" Izabel asked her sister while staring at Brian. Brian looked scared then gave Izabel a goofy smile.
"Long story but she doesn't know about our past." Brian offered in explanation. Izabel looked confused.
"We were on the news." Brian told her. She nodded her head comprehending what he meant.
"She figured out who you were and she wanted to know how you knew me so you told her we slept together then I dumped you." Izabel joked.
"Everything but the sleeping together part." He smiled in reply.
Brian and Izabel started to talk about old times. They reminisced about their past together and the past two years. Brian told hilarious stories about the past two years of touring, recording, awards, fans, traveling, and the rest of the guys. He told her about how Howie had met Breanna in Las Vegas and by the end of the week they were in love. He told her the same story about Kevin and Eve. He explained AJ's situation with Mya, who Izabel met two years before, and about Nick and Naomi. He finally explained his situation with Rachel. Izabel listened intensely and sympathized. Brian decided to turn the table on Izabel by asking about the last two years and her son. Izabel felt panic build up inside of her but she was saved when Thomas ran out of his room towards his mother. He was barely a little over two and a quarter feet tall and his legs were still a little wobbly. Izabel helped Thomas climb onto the couch before he buried his head into her chest. Brian couldn't see his face but noticed his dark sandy blonde hair. His mother had her fingers running through it calmly, trying to comfort her son. Izabel sighed. "He always gets like this once he's tired. He wants me to hold him until he falls asleep." She explained with a tired smile. Brian grinned back at her as he continued to look between mother and son. "Thomas, say hello to my friend Brian." Izabel whispered into his ear. Thomas didn't move for a few minutes. Once he decided to look at who his mother was talking about, Brian's eyes grew wide. Thomas looked at Brian for a few minutes before climbing out of his mother’s lap. Thomas walked up to Brian who was sitting on the other side of the couch. Thomas, who could speak little for the fact that he was so young, mumbled something to Brian. Brian, realizing that Thomas was trying to have a conversation with him, lowered his head to look into Thomas' eyes.
"Really? Is that so? How cool!" Brian replied to Thomas with much enthusiasm. Thomas looked at his mother then back to Brian. He grabbed Brian's hand and smiled to him.
"Room? Room!" Thomas shouted with a giggle.
"He wants you to go to his room with him." Izabel explained. Brain took Thomas's hand and stood up.
"Duh!" Brian said to Izabel, sticking his tongue out at her. She smiled and sighed. Izabel wanted to give Brian and Thomas a chance to spend time together. That would probably be the last time Thomas would ever see Brian.
"He shoots and he scores! Three pointer!" Brian shouted holding Thomas above his head as the little boy laughed. Brian placed Thomas back down on the ground, looking at him carefully for a second. Thomas stared back at Brian. "Better watch out, Tommy! The monsters gonna get you!" Brian yelled, chasing Thomas around his room. Brian finally caught Thomas by the waist and started tickling him. Thomas screamed with laughter. "Say uncle!" Brian demanded as he continued to tickle the little boy.
"Unnn!" Thomas managed to shout out. Brian knew that Thomas was too young to say uncle so he stopped tickling him. Thomas managed to crawl out of Brian's grasp towards his crib.
"Tired? Want to put your PJs on and I'll tell you a story?" Brian offered his new friend. Thomas looked at Brian quizzically before nodding head. "Great! Now, where are your PJs?" Brian asked glancing around the room. Thomas pointed towards his closet. They were hanging on a hook. Brian dressed Thomas slowly, taking extra time to talk to him. Finally Brian helped Thomas climb into his crib. Brian stood next to the crib trying to think of a story to tell Thomas. After a few minutes, Brian picked Thomas up out of the crib and walked towards a rocking chair. He sat down with Thomas on his lap. "How 'bout I tell you about Snow White?" Brian asked. The story reminded him of Izabel and thought Thomas would enjoy it. By the time Brian got to the part of the story where the seven drawfs made their appearance, Thomas started playing with Brian's facial features. Thomas grabbed Brian's nose while he sucked on one of his fingers. Brian smiled at Thomas but continued to tell him the story. Thomas finally touched Brian's eyes before pulling his hand back to touch his own. Thomas did the same thing three times, each time Brian would stop telling the story to look at Thomas with a curious smile. Brian finally finished telling Thomas the story and looked down to find him sleeping. Brian smiled down at the sleeping baby boy before standing up and carrying him back to his crib. He placed Thomas softly down and covered him with his blanket. He stood next to the crib staring at Thomas, with different thoughts and fears floating through his head. He glanced down at Thomas, smiled to himself, and walked out of the room slowly.
Brian walked down the hall towards the living room where he found Izabel sitting on the edge of the coach, her eyes swollen from crying. She glanced up and saw Brian standing in the doorway between the hall and living room. They stared at each other trying to read each other’s faces. Brian finally walked towards Izabel and sat down on the coach next to her. "He's asleep?" Izabel asked quietly. Brian nodded his head.
"He's beautiful." Brian managed to say. Izabel didn't know what to say for a few minutes.
"Thank you." She whispered. Brian sighed loudly.
"Izabel, I need to know something." He stated. She shifted her body so that she faced him. She nodded her head looking down. "Is that a yes or are you just letting me ask you something?" Brian asked.
"He has your eyes." She whispered, as tears slid down her cheek.
"I know, and he knows, too." Brian replied, sitting in stunned silence.
"I'm sorry!" She finally sobbed. Brian pulled her towards his body and encircled her with his arms. "I couldn't tell you. I couldn't lose you but I knew I would. You're life was just starting to take off and I couldn't let anything stop that!" She cried harder into his chest. He was in shock of what he just found out. He let Izabel cry while he held her, thinking about what he wanted to tell her. He loved her, he loved Thomas, but he was angry. She could have told him, he would have understood. But she cut all ties not allowing him to know that he was going to be a father, a "career" he had been planning on for his entire life. He finally pulled away from Izabel with a small sigh.
"I'm
hurt, angry, and just confused, Izabel. I need time to think about
this. I
have to go!" Brian stood up and walked towards the door. He heard
Izabel sob
harder. Brian couldn't stand seeing her so hurt but he knew he needed
some
time. He walked back towards Izabel and leaned down, pulling her face
out of
her hands so that their eyes met. "I still love you." He whispered,
leaning
in for a soft kiss. "Just give me some time." He whispered. She nodded
her
head in agreement. With that, Brian left.
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