Won't Let Go
This short story was written by Lynn.He had fallen in love with her the moment they locked eyes. He remembered staring into the bright blue jewels and the fire that began into burn within his chest. The long blonde strands of her hair were tied back in a pony tail. The color reminded of the sun's bright gleam.
"Can I help you?" she asked politely though her face gave away how tired she was.
Brian swallowed hard. The girl stared at him and he realized that he had been staring at her.
"I'm sorry. Uh, I'll have one number two."
The girl began clicking on her register. Brian read her name tag, "Lila" it read. She spoke into the microphone. He stepped aside to allow AJ to order. The girl walked away to get their food. AJ tapped Brian on the shoulder.
"Yo, B, I tell ya, McDonald's has got the best food of the world." AJ spoke loudly, but Brian didn't seem to notice. "Hey Brian, did you hear me?" AJ shouted in his ear.
Brian snapped his head up. "Oh, yeah. I did AJ." he lied.
"Are you feeling ok, Bri?" Concern filled AJ's face as he placed his hand on Brian's forehead. Brian quickly slapped his hand away.
"I'm fine, Bone." he replied and returned his attentive gaze back to the girl. AJ followed his gaze as the girl placed a tray on the counter.
"That'll be $5.50." she told Brian.
He fumbled to get his money. Finally, he found the correct amount and handed it over.
"Thanks." he muttered. and stumbled away as quickly as he could.
"Is your friend always like that?" she asked AJ.
"No, actually." he said as he watched Brian exit the double doors. "He must like you."
"Excuse me?" she choked out. "Like me, why?"
"I don't know, I'm not Bri."
"Well, too bad he ran outta here so fast. He's cute." she sighed.
AJ's eyes twinkled. "I got an idea."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brian laid there his bed. He had finally had time to spend at his summer house. He invited the group there expecting to have the time of their lives. Instead, here he was lying in bed thinking about the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
*Why didn't I just say hi or something?* his mind screamed at him.
"Brian, we're all going to play some b-ball. You wanna come?" AJ appeared out of nowhere.
"Uh..." Brian hesitated out of shock. "Sure."
At least he could get his mind off that girl.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Shoot it!" Nick yelled.
Brian leapt up and the ball went through the hoop.
"Yeah Baby!" Brian shouted in victory.
"No fair. You guys only won cuz I only have Howie on my team." Kevin proclaimed.
"No, you guys got AJ, too." Nick argued.
"Like that'll help us out look at him." Howie pointed over to AJ. He was cuddling with his girlfriend. "He's too busy smooching Sarah."
"Well that's not our fault." Brian defended.
They were interrupted by a loud giggle. They all turned to stare at AJ and Sarah. She continued to giggle as AJ mercilessly tickled her.
Kevin laughed silently at the sight. "C'mon guys let's go."
"One second, guys. I forgot my bag over there. You guys go back to the house and I'll catch up." Brian said as he raced over to the side of the park. He was alone there, or at least he thought, until he heard bouncing.
He was surprised to turn and find a basketball roll right up to his feet.
"Excuse me. Can you toss me my ball?"
He looked up to see the girl he had been trying to forget about. He stumbled forwards.
"Uh, wanna play some one on one." he finally got out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"No fair." She screamed and jumped on his back. "No cheating!"
"Look who's talking." he argued and made a perfect shot.
She got off his back and made a move for the ball.
"All no you don't." Brian warned and grabbed her by the waist. He swung her around to face him.
She stared into his eyes and a serious expression filled her face. He stared back into her eyes. He hesitated to draw her closer to him. When he was sure that she was comfortable with him, he placed a simple kiss upon her lips.
It drove her mad with passion. A playful smile played on the lips he had just touched. She wrapped both arms around his head as he placed another kiss on her lips. He lifted her up and swung them around as their lips met again and again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brian walked into the door and his eyes were greeted with the unexpected darkness of the house.
*Must be late.*
He walked into the living room bumping into things along the way. He sat down in a chair to rest a bit, when a bright light nearly blinded him, causing his eyes to snap shut.
"Brian, what the hell are you doing?" I thought you were a burglar." Kevin softly spoke, careful not to wake up anyone.
Brian laughed to himself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just out playing with Lila and I lost track of time."
"Well, that's alright cous. Is that who that girl was, so what's up with you two?"
Brian blushed. "A gentleman never tells." Now, if you don't mind," he announced standing up. "I'd like to get some sleep."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next few months felt as though he had been flying through the clouds. Brian and Lila had spent all their time together. He knew he could never live without her. At that minute Brian made a decision that would forever change her life.
Lila couldn't wait to get out of work. She was off in ten minutes. She couldn't wait to get home. Brian said he had surprise waiting for her and the intensity was killing her. She served her last customer and shut down her register. She casually finished her everyday routine and exited the building.
She glided over to her car with excitement. She just couldn't wait to go see Brian. Her excitement was quickly struck down as she heard a low voice call out her name.
"Lila." the voice called again causing her to shiver unconsciously. Her eyes searched the darkness for the owner of the voice.
"Who's there?" she asked, trying hard to keep the fear out of her voice.
A figure stepped forward into the light. All dressed in black, the person was scaring Lila. Even though she was quivering with fear on the inside, her figure showed no interest in the man.
"Lila, you don't know me, but I'm here to help you."
"Excuse me?"
"You're making a mistake You'll ruin his career."
Tears sprung to her eyes. Brian. The man was talking about Brian.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you do. He's a famous singer. A lot of girls love him. They'll hate him if they find out he has a girlfriend. They'll hate the other group members, too. You'll ruin all their careers."
The tears silently streamed down her face. She made no move to wipe them though.
"And do you think you're relationship will survive that? Nope, because while teenage girls everywhere hate you, so will Brian."
The mysterious stranger turned and walked away. She opened up her car door and sat down. For what seemed like hours, she just stared out into space. She placed her head onto the steering wheel feeling defeated. And let out a strangled sob.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So you haven't seen her?" Brian's worried voice asked Lila's boss. "No, I'm sure she's just stuck in traffic. Thanks anyway."
Brian hung up the phone disappointed. Something was wrong. He wasn't sure what, but there was no way it could be good. He silently prayed with all his heart she was alright.
"Brian?" Lila asked as she entered his apartment.
"Lila? Is that you?" Relieve rushed over him as he ran over to her and put both arms around her.
"I was so worried." he whispered in her ear. When she didn't say anything he turned to look at her face.
"What's wrong?" his concerned voiced filled her heart. He wiped away the tears streaming down her face.
She engulfed him in a huge hug and cried uncontrollably. Brian held her tightly as he whispered soothing words to her.
"What happened?" he asked as she began to calm down
"He's right." she whispered.
"Who?" Brian asked.
"That man. He was right and that's why I have to do this."
"Do what? Sweetheart, you're scaring me."
"We have to brake-up."
The sentence cut through him like a dagger.
"No, I can't...I can't accept that."
"Please don't make this any harder than it is."
"If it's so hard, why do it?"
"Brian, don't you see? I'll ruin you. Those girls find out you have a girlfriend and The Backstreet Boys are over."
Brian closed his eyes as she spoke. "How could you think that? I love my fans, and if they want me to be happy they would be happy for us."
"No, not all of them are like that Bri." Tears ran silently down his face as a result from her harsh words. "I'm sorry, Bri, but you know I'm right."
"No, you're not!" he shouted. "You're so wrong! Don't you realize that nothing matters if I don't have you!"
"You may think that now, but eventually you'll change your mind."
"I love you!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her harshly to get through to her.
"I need to go now, Brian."
He let her go, even though it was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. He watched till she was out the door. The slamming of it echoed through out his ears. He wiped away the remaining tears on his cheeks, grabbed his keys, and walked out into the darkened streets.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick was hesitant to answer the phone. It was really late and he was tucked into bed. When the phone refused to stop its consistent ringing, however, he ran over to pick it up.
"Hello?" his drowsy voice answered.
"Is this Nick?" an unfamiliar voice questioned. In the background Nick heard some loud music and laughter voice on the other end.
"Yes, it is. um, Is there something I could help you with?"
"Yes, um. Your buddy's down here and i think he needs a ride home."
"What? Who's where?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's late." The friendly female voice softened. "Brian, I think that's his name, is here at The Pub."
"The Pub! Why is he there?"
"Why do people come to bars?"
Nick smiled at the girl's humor.
"I guess I should have though of that. Alright I'll be right there, Um, keep an eye on him for me."
"I assure you that's not too hard to do."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick entered the crowded bar and walked over to he bar tender. She was a beautiful brunette. her name tag read Laurie Beth.
Sitting on a stool in front of her was Brian. His head bobbled up and down due to his new feeling of drowsiness as he stared at his glass. He seemed to be mumbling to himself.
"Hey, B." Nick greeted with a gentle tap on the shoulder. Brian's head turned up. A small gasp escaped his lips at the site of Brian's tear stained face.
"What happened?"
"She left me." Brian whispered.
"Thanks for taking care of him for me." Nick thanked the woman. She tilted Brian's head upward. "Take care of him, he's a real sweetheart." She patted his head.
"C'mon, Bri, let's get you home."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick guided Brian the whole way. At one point Nick was sure Brian was going to fall right on him. He felt terrible. He knew what Brian was going though and it was hell.
The room wouldn't stop spinning. Why won't it stop spinning? Why does my heart feel like its been cracked. Oh God!
"I'm going to throw up!" Nick helped his best friend to the bathroom.
Hours later Brian finally got to bed and so did Nick.
The next day, Brian woke up with a pounding headache. Nothing, compared to the way his heart hurt. He just stayed in his house all week. Until Kevin finally said that he had to go to this party, and he had no way to get out of it.
He heard it was formal and groaned inwardly knowing that it was going to be pretty boring. Sighing, he checked his image in the mirror. When he was completely satisfied, he went to meet up with the others.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lila was shocked when Kevin invited her to his formal party. She knew Brian would be there, but she would have to face him sometime. All of the things that happened to them were heart wrenching, but her love for him was still strong. And she had a feeling that her love for him could never die But she unwillingly sacrificed their love for his job. She wasn't sure if she did the right thing though.
As soon as he walked through the doors, he could tell he was going to regret it. He looked around the room and decided maybe he was better off spending the whole night on the back porch. Before he did that though, he figured he'd need a drink first.
Lila entered the party. She said her hellos. She immediately began to feel uncomfortable. She spotted Brian over by the refreshments and her heart sunk. She had to get some air. She quickly excused from the party and stepped out onto the back porch.
The cool air hit her face and she felt some-what relaxed.
"Hello, again." The deep voice sent a shiver down her back. Being out of site of the party didn't help at all either. "What a coincidence I'd meet you here." The stranger said.
"Who are you?" she asked. She recognized the voice easily. It was the same person who convinced her she'd ruin Brian.
He walked out to reveal his face. "What you don't remember Little Freaky Mickey?"
"Freaky Mickey? Sure, I remember. He went to my High School."
"Yeah, and you would always tease me after I asked you to the Valentine's Day Dance. Remember that?"
"Oh, God." she spoke in horror as realization hit her hard.
"Now we can be together." he approached her with a shiny pocket knife. She screamed as he knocked her to the ground first. He pulled the knife above his, aiming for her.
"Get the hell away from her!" A new voice screamed in anger. She turned her head, but she couldn't quite find the owner of the voice. Her attacker backed away.
"Who the heck are you?"
"I said get away from Lila!"
"Brian!" she screamed as she realized it was him.
Brian approached her attacker. "Don't ever fucking touch her again, do you understand?" Brian hissed through clenched teeth.
"I told you. You're going to ruin that man." The mad man told Lila. "You're going to do nothing but ruin his life."
"What are you talking about?" Brian screamed. "Are you the one who has been putting this bullshit into her head." Brian's anger grew and he punched the man hard. "How dare you!" he screamed at the unconcious man at his feet.
He tore his attention over to Lila, who was sobbing. He went over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Oh, Brian. I missed you so much." she sobbed. "It's alright. I'm here." he whispered comforting her. "I'll never let you go again."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
ONE MONTH LATER
There were flowers everywhere, and the weather was beautiful. Birds were chirping, children were laughing. It was a perfect day, the perfect setting for a wedding.
Brian and Lila stood opposite sides of each other. Smiling like fools. Suddenly, Here Comes The Bride was played and everyone's eyes were directed to the opposite end of were they stood.
AJ stood beside Brian. AJ watched as Sarah walked down the aisle. Their eyes locked onto each other. Soon, they stood side by side. Grinning wildly as they said "I do". The crowd cheered as the priest spoke, "You may now kiss the bride."
Everyone danced at the reception, until it was time for the bride to throw the bouquet. All the women went over to the corner of the room. Brian watched Lila go over and join them.
His smile grew as he watched the bouquet rise in the air. His eyes followed it all the way down, as it landed softly into Lila's hands. He ran over to her and lifted her up.
