by Sherry Wood
“I missed this couch…it's sexy…you’re sexy…” they collapsed into another long kiss. She ran her hand up under his sweatshirt as they kissed hard and heavy. “You’re not regretting this are you?” she checked. He shook his head, his eyes getting lost in hers before they kissed again.
They watched the movie at 6 am, Vanessa wrapped up in Brian’s arms. After it was over, he looked down and kissed her on the top of her head.
“You want breakfast?” he offered.
She turned so she was sprawled out on top of him and he wrapped his arms around her.
“I love how you hold me,” she said. “I love how affectionate you are.”
She looked up at him. “Puppy dog eyes,” she said. He started whining like a puppy and she snaked up his body to kiss him.
“Let’s go out for breakfast,” she said. “Then…maybe you could show me where you grew up,” she suggested. “Or is it too soon?”
His eyes remained on hers always. “No.” He started to smile. It was subtle. He seemed distracted.
“What is it?”
He gazed at her. “Before…this…it was a fantasy. Are you ready for that to be over?”
She knew exactly what he meant. She sat up and wrapped the throw around her. He helped her, making sure she was nice and warm before he folded his arms and stared at the credits of the horror film.
CHAPTER 31
“I think we’re both afraid,” she said over coffee as they sat at an outdoor patio. “Because…of the relationships we’re coming out of. Like…they weren’t ready for something…”
“For what we want,” he summed up. He looked around the patio. He had something to ask her, and Vanessa could tell.
“What did you tell him? John, when you left?”
“Just…I don’t know, it was crazy, you know? We had a tiff about his band. Him bringing his whole band out to California.”
Brian frowned in a way Vanessa didn’t know he was capable of. All she ever saw Brian do was smile, or look at her through those engaging brown eyes with such dreaminess.
“What?”
“The band…” she said, nervously changing her position in the chair.
“The band’s staying…in a hotel?”
She moved her head to the left, in a premature shake. “No…your…place.”
“The whole band is staying at my house?” He frowned intensely.
“It was only for a couple of days,” she assured him. “They’re gone now.”
Brian calmed down and looked at her. “So okay, what did you tell him? Did you tell him you were coming to see me?”
“I said…yes.” She hated lying to him. That wasn’t her. “No.” She shook her head. “I said I just missed Chicago.”
“So, he has no idea about us?” Brian sounded very perturbed. “I want you to call him and tell him what you’re doing,” he said. He didn’t come across as bossy, but still with control. She stared into his eyes. Her body was on fire. She needed this. She always felt like the one having to take care of everything with John while he was off with his band. She made sure the bills were paid. The house was cleaned. Yet she never got any recognition for any of it. The only thing she got was taken for granted.
“Here,” he held his phone up. “I’ll even let you use my phone.” He waved for her. “Come.”
She leaned across the table so he took a picture of them together. He showed her the picture of them afterwards.
“This is happening,” he said to her. “Are you happy about that?”
“Yes, Brian.”
“Then tell him.” Brian sat back in the chair and waited. She looked down at his muscles flexing under his shirt and dialled the number.
“Hello?” John answered.
“Hey…” Vanessa started.
“Vanessa? You got a new phone?” He asked, confused.
“No…”
“I was wondering when you were going to call. How’s Chicago?”
“Fine.” She looked around. He leaned forward and took her hand. “I…I have to tell you something.”
“Okay. “
“I’m with Brian.” She looked at Brian when she said this. Her guts felt like they were on a roller coaster.
“Okay…” he said, darker than before.
“I’ve been…with him this whole time.”
“Wow.” He was quiet for a minute. “Yeah…Saphire came by, she didn’t seem happy. She took Izzy.”
Vanessa was quiet. There was a lump in her throat. She eased up a little when Brian put his hand on hers.
“You have sex?” John asked. Vanessa looked away, upset that he would ask that of all things. She placed the phone down on the table.
“Hey?” John called. Vanessa picked the phone up.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was going to tell you but all you seemed to care about was the band – all you care about is the band, the band, the band! You seemed to have forgotten that there is a woman in your life – a living, breathing, beautiful woman. It's like you think I’m some fixture that’s not going to move while you’re gone!”
“Move?” he shot back. “Oh you moved alright. Is that guy there? Is Brian there?” John was livid.
“Yes…” Vanessa spoke.
“Let me talk to him,” John demanded.
Vanessa reluctantly passed the phone to Brian.
“Hey,” Brian said, as if this was going to be a friendly conversation.
“I want you out of my house!” John yelled.
“Okay, I have another one already.” Brian was so cool. Vanessa couldn’t help but smile as he passed the phone back to her.
“Hello?” she called out.
“The band – we’re going on tour. We decided this. So if you want your things, you should come and get them.”
“Okay.”
John hung up and Vanessa passed Brian’s phone back to him.
“You alright?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Hey, you wanna get out of here? Go to Evanston?”
Vanessa’s face lit up. “Yes. I’d love that.”
They got into the rental car and started it up. “I want to get Izzy down here,” Brian said. “My mom’s house has a nice backyard.”
“Sounds good,” Vanessa said, rolling the window down and turning the radio on.
“You’re listening to Q101,” the DJ said, his voice very perky. “Here is what people are calling the song of the summer already.”
“I like cheesy radio songs,” Brian said.
“Me too,” Vanessa said, smiling as she turned and looked out the window and they headed towards his old neighborhood.
The End.