"But I don't understand what's wrong with her," he started, "Why doesn't she realize what he does?" Melisa was so blind, and Brian just couldn't understand it. She was so blind...and so beautiful. But to Brian, she was so much more than words could ever describe. If only she knew it, he thought.
"I don't know man," Nick said. "I really don't know." The rest of the walk was spent in silence.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Jason what is your problem?" Melisa wailed. "I didn't do anything to you! Why are you being such a jerk?"
"Shut up Lis, I'm not in the mood for you." His eyes were cold and narrow and his tone was horribly demeaning.
"What?" Melisa's eyes widened and tears stung the backs of them. She couldn't understand Jason for the life of her. He could be so great to her, yet he could be so awful at the same time. No one understood why she loved him. She wondered how many people had actually asked her, 'are you sure?' He could be bad...but he wasn't that bad... Jay's eyes narrowed before she could speak again.
"I said shut up, Melisa!" She scrunched back a bit but she wasn't fast enough. Her face stung as it was met with the back of his hand. "Oh, Baby! Now see what you did?" He grabbed her and pulled her close into a tight embrace. Her shoulders trembled and she tried to shrug away from his touch, but he was too strong.
"I'm sorry Jay," she whispered.
"Don't do that anymore, ok Lissa?" He felt her nod against his chest.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
It was three days later when Brian saw Melisa in the diner. She was more than extremely interested in the half-empty ketchup bottle to her right. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were pink and puffy. She was alone and she had a oval-shaped, greenish mark on her left arm. What a sin, he thought.
"Hey Lis, what's up?" She turned from her blank stare at the bottle of crushed tomatoes. He could tell she was surprised at his presence, but was she...annoyed with it as well?
"Nothing special." Her reply was pointed, and she wouldn't look at him. Brian knew she probably didn't want to talk, but he didn't care much either. He invited himself to sit down across from her in the booth, and; seeing that she didn't reply, accepted his own invitation.
"What's going on with you Melisa? You're not what you used to be." He drifted off a bit at the end, partially because he didn't want to upset her and partially because he didn't like his own realization so much. She looked up in response to his comment, and he found himself becoming lost in her eyes and his memories.
'Hey you, where are you off to so late at night?'
'I'm on my way home, I work down the block at the bank.'
'Oh I see! Well a pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking all the way home by herself! Let me walk you?'
'I'm not supposed to talk to strangers,' she grinned.
'Oh so you're pretty and you have a sense of humor? My name is Brian.'
'Well I think Melisa could use your company.' She smiled again, and he couldn't help but notice how perfectly white and straight her teeth were, or maybe they just seemed it.
'Are you new in town?' He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her light brown hair cascaded softly down her shoulders to just above her mid-back, and her soft brown eyes were full of life. She must be new, there's no way he would have missed a gem like this before.
'Actually, no.' When she smiled her eyes smiled too. He felt like he could see her whole personality in her features when she smiled. And, for some strange reason, everytime he looked at her, he got this strange jittery feeling he hadn't gotten in quite a while.
Brian became so lost in his thoughts and in absorbing her every pore that he hadn't noticed she'd stopped.
'Your place?'
'Yea, it's not much..wanna come in?' Brian looked up and down once, then again at the huge brick apartment building. He grinned and nodded. 'Great!' she exclaimed.
They climbed a good six flights of stairs before she stopped in front of a door and began digging in her bag for a key.
'Wow, you must have great calf muscles,' Brian commented, slightly out of breath from his trek up the steps.
'Out of shape a bit?' The locked clicked as she turned the key and smiled.
'You like to smile, huh?' he asked as they strolled into her house.
'Love it.'
That was only six months ago, and he had seen her go from that bubbly, smiling, beautiful girl he'd met on the street, to some obviously miserable, sad, distressed woman he was sitting with in some cheap roadside diner.
"What happened to you Lissa?" She cringed. Was it more for the question or the way he said her name? Just like Jason has said it that night. Full of concern. The only difference was, in the back her mind, she knew Brian's concern was genuine.
"Nothing happened to me, Brian. Why do you always ask that?" She rasied her face for the first time in the conversation. It was the first time Brian got a good look at the greenish bruise next to her right eye. It was similar to the one on her arm. He reached over and touched it lightly with his fingertips.
"God, what is his doing?" She snapped her head away quickly. "Melisa, why do you let him? He doesn't love you!" It wasn't his business to say, but it was all coming out at once. "What's the use in denying that what you have is wrong?"
"He promised me forever, and he loves me."
"He would say whatever it takes to keep you blind, Lis! He doesn't love you..I would love you more than that!"
"He does love me, Brian! I thought you were my friend." She jumped up and ran out of the diner, covering her face on the way out. Brian slammed his head down on the table. Oh God.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Four months later...
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Melisa lay quitely on her back in the hospital bed. She would have liked to lay on her side, but every time she tried to turn her ribs shifted and she was thrown back in a sharp stab of pain.
It had been one week since they put her in there. One week since he'd finally lost it all. One week since he'd managed to wreck her whole world.
It would all be ok in time. He'd really done it this time. It was all over the local papers. All over the local news. Everyone was talking about her. The girl who didn't know better.
Jason was in jail now. He would be tried, and he would surely be convicted.
She had put off reading the papers. She hadn't read a single paper that whole week. But there they were, stacked next to her bed. 'Just in case,' the nurse had said.
Today she was bored. She reached over and picked up a paper. There was her headline. But there was something beneath it...
Four months ago, I ran into a girl at a diner. She was a friend, that I hadn't seen much of at the time.
I remember when I met her, with her stunning brown eyes, and her long soft hair. Her eyes told the story of her soul, and she loved to smile. She told me herself... She was beautiful.
But that day, when I saw her, in that dirty old diner, it wasn't the girl I'd met that day on the way home from Nick's house. Not the girl I'd walked home and up six flights of stairs with. This girl had dead, dull brown eyes. Her hair was stringy and frizzed. She was bruised and tired-looking. Any old stranger would see she was down right miserable. But she was beautiful.
Why didn't she know how beautiful she was? I don't think I've ever met someone so beautiful. Inside and out she was perfectly beautiful... I wrote a song the night I left that diner. It went something like this...
I can see that you've been crying,
I heard he promised you 'forever',
Oh, I will love you more than that,
Baby, you deserve much better.
I will love you more than that,
There's not a day that passes by,
I will love you more than that,
I will love you more than that,
Oh, I will love you more than that,
Well, I sent that song to a producer in London, and he liked it. He wants Nick and I to fly down there this weekend and meet with the other three guys he's rounded up. He says my song will be a hit, and so will Nick and I. That's great isn't it?
Now I have to go far away and leave the girl I fell in love with. The beautiful girl that I fell in love with the night I met her. The girl I fell in love with all over again that horrible day at the diner.
I would give the world to her if she wanted. I would give it all to her, cancel all my big plans, and stay right here at home, if she only knew what she was involved in, what she deserved... If she only knew how amazing she was...
Why didn't you know it Lissa? Why didn't you know?
You can't hide it with a lie,
What's the use in your denying
That what you have is wrong?
But forever's come and gone.
Baby he would say whatever
It takes to keep you blind
To the truth between the lines...
I won't say the words,
Then take them back..
Don't give loneliness a chance,
Baby listen to me when I say,
'I will love you more than that,'
What's the use in holding on?
Don't you see it's now or never?
Cause I just can't be friends,
Baby, knowing in the end that..
I won't say the words
Then take them back..
Don't give loneliness a chance,
Baby listen to me when I say..
I don't wonder why we haven't tried,
It's not too late to change your mind.
So take my hand,
Don't say goodbye...
I won't say the words,
Then take them back..
I won't say the words,
Then take them back..
Don't give loneliness a chance,
Baby listen to me when I say..
'I will love you more than that.'
I won't say the words,
Then take them back..
Don't give loneliness a chance,
Baby listen to me when I say,
'I will love you more than that.'