Julia was at the airport picking up Bryan who was now 20. He was flying back from California and he had been there for a year. She was sitting in the lounge waiting for her brothers’ plane to come in. She had a Walkman with her and had the same song playing over and over, “Open Arms.” She had lost full contact with Nick and hadn’t heard from him in about 3 or 4 years or longer. She saw a jet come in that she thought was a private one. Then she saw five people (guys) come off the plane followed by five more. Julia was curious and looked at the gate. The guys were in a type of disguise with sunglasses and baseball caps. Julia thought they looked funny and she laughed. The guys took them off and Julia was amazed at how attractive they were. Julia turned her music on again and sang softly. She crossed her legs and looked at the airport floor. (Julia was now 5’7”, long dark blonde hair, slim, blue eyes and she was attractive.) She was singing louder than she thought she was, and a guy tapped her shoulder from the back. Julia jumped and stopped the music. She turned around only to see Bryan.
“BRYAN!!!” She yelled. She jumped up and hugged him.
“Hey Julia!” he smiled. She picked her up off the ground and hugged her tightly.
“I missed you! How was California?” Julia asked walking with him to the luggage pick up.
“It was okay. I missed Florida though,” Bryan answered.
“Yeah well mom and I missed you so much!” Julia answered. They talked as they got Bryan’s luggage.
“And I’ve got a gift for you,” Bryan smiled.
“Really? What is it?” Julia asked happily.
“I’m not telling! You’ll get it when we get home,” Bryan answered.
“Oh fine!” Julia giggled. They finished getting his luggage and walked to the car.
“Damn! This car is nice!” Bryan smiled.
“Yup, and it is mine!” Julia smiled. It was a dark blue ‘98 Camaro Convertible. They loaded the luggage and drove home. When they got home, Bryan got a million hugs from Jackie. Bryan explained that he had also gone to Europe to visit some friends. Julia smiled and was glad he was home.
“Now, for the gifts,” Bryan smiled.
“Yay!” Julia smiled. Jackie smiled too.
“Okay, for mom, I got her this shirt,” Bryan said holding up a shirt that said, ”My son went to California and all I got was this lousy shirt!” Jackie laughed and said she loved it.
“What about me? What about me?” Julia asked playfully being selfish.
“I got you this CD,” Bryan answered handing her a CD with five guys on the cover and a blue background. Julia’s mouth dropped.
“OMG! I got a new CD! Thank you so much Bryan!” Julia said hugging him. She ran upstairs to her room and put the CD in the CD player. The first song she heard was a song called “We’ve Got It Goin’ On,” and she thought it had a nice beat to it. She looked at the cover again and smiled. Julia was curious and put on song number nine. It was called “Everytime I Close My Eyes” and she noticed it was a beautiful song. After listening to the CD for about an hour, she turned it off and walked downstairs with a smile on her face.
“Do you like the CD?” Bryan asked.
“Yes!” Julia answered. She hugged him again.
“I’m glad you like it,” Bryan smiled.
“I’m glad you’re home!” Julia smiled. Bryan and Julia never fought. They were really nice to each other and treated each other with kindness. They had a three-year difference and so they were close. They decided to go outside.
“So, how has school been?” Bryan asked.
“It’s been okay, but I hate some of the teachers,” Julia answered.
“Hate is a strong word,” Bryan said.
“Well, okay, I just dislike them,” Julia answered.
“Okay, but at least you’re learning,” Bryan joked.
“You want to go for a drive?” Julia asked.
“Sure! Can I drive?” Bryan asked.
“No! No one drives my car!” Julia answered with a laugh.
“Please?” Bryan asked giving her a puppy face. He pushed his bottom lip out and widened his eyes. Then he whimpered.
“Ugh! You’re annoying! But you’re still not driving!” Julia laughed.
“Damn! It always used to work!” Bryan said. Julia and Bryan jumped into the car and Julia started it. They drove out of the driveway and into town.
“Let’s stop for a pizza,” Julia said.
“Sure,” Bryan agreed. So, they stopped at this pizza place and went inside. The smell of pizza filled the air. Julia smiled.
“Come on,” Julia said sitting down at a table. Bryan sat across from her. They ordered and soon their pizza came. While they were eating, the same five guys that Julia saw in the airport came into the pizza place. They sat down not far from Bryan and Julia. Bryan and Julia were having an interesting conversation, and laughing so much.
“Hey, I have something else for you. I didn’t give it to you at home, but I’ll give it to you here,” Bryan said to Julia.
“Really?” Julia asked. Bryan nodded. Bryan reached in his pocket and pulled out a little black box. Nothing big, just a plain black box.
“Here,” Bryan said handing it to her. Julia smiled and took it in her hand. She opened the box and saw a silver ring with a little crystal on it in the shape of a heart.
“OMG! Bryan! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” Julia said putting the ring on her finger. She got up and hugged Bryan.
“You like it?” Bryan asked.
“Yes! I love it!” Julia smiled happily. She told Bryan she would be right back. She got up and began walking. While walking to the back of the pizza place, she began singing “Open Arms” loud enough for someone to hear her while walking by. A few minutes later, she walked back to her seat still singing. She sat down with Bryan and talked with him for a while. While talking to him, the blonde guy at the table with the other four and looked up at her. He dropped his cup and swallowed hard. Main Story Page | Chapter 4