Chapter Fourteen
"So, do you have anything cute to go with this?" Brooklyn asked, picking a small piece of pizza from the box on the coffee table.
JC looked over as he grabbed a napkin and leaned back, putting his feet up on the table. "What do you mean, something cute? Are you trying not to make sense, or does that just come naturally to you?"
Her mouth dropped open before she bit off the tip of the pizza slice, chewing thoughtfully. "Cute. You know, like you planned that whole day for us. That's what I meant by cute," she said with a bright smile, before leaning back on the couch, curling her feet under her. This time, she wasn't pulling away when her toes rested against his thigh lightly. It was different than the day before.
"I can't plan something cute every single time, New York. Sorry, but I'm not THAT good. Do you know how long it took me to plan that one day? About a week and a half." Her eyebrows raised as she looked over at him, but she didn't say a word. "Yes, that means that I spent a week and a half of the time that I had off to plan that whole day for you. You're worth that much of my time."
"And you don't get that much. You poor baby." She reached over and patted him on the head. "If it helps, I definitely enjoyed myself that day. I hope that you're a good photographer, because you took all the pictures that day." Her eyes rolled briefly. "I can't believe that I forgot my camera with the rest of my stuff on the bus."
Laughing, he tossed his pizza crust into the lid of the box before leaning forward to take another piece. When Brooklyn saw that, her eyes widened. "What?" he asked. "I'm hungry. I missed lunch today," he said in his defense.
She leaned forward and rapped her fist against his left knee before leaning across him to knock on his right. "I can't tell which one if hollow. Damn, you inhaled that sucker. It's like you haven't eaten in months or something. You're not that thin, JC."
"Are you calling me fat?" he asked, smiling back at her.
Her finger pressed against her chin as she pretended to think about it. When he pushed her, she laughed. "I'd go with an athletic build, but fat? Definitely not." Grinning, he winked at her before taking his first bite out of the second slice. "Then again, if you keep eating like this, you might be caused for the next big earthquake," she said with an innocent smile.
His head slowly turned to look at her. "You are evil. Pure evil." Her shoulders moved in a shrug as her attention turned back to the television. "New York, do you even know what we're watching?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Didn't think so. Is there anything on?"
"Ten to one says that I can beat you at Jeopardy!" she said in a sweet voice, chuckling under her breath.
"I'm not even going to take that bet, because I know that I would lose that one. Every time that we've played each other, watching Jeopardy! you've kicked my butt so harsh, it's not even funny. I think the guys got a good laugh out of it, though," he added thoughtfully before shaking his head. "There is a TV Guide over there if you want to look through that."
Brooklyn reached for the remote and laughed. "Are you kidding? Channel surfing is one of the best parts of vegging out. I learned that after...you know," she said, flipping through the channels. "You don't have TBS Superstation, do you?" she asked quickly. When his head shook, she let out a deep breath. "Thank God. That channel is so addictive, it's not even funny. I must have spent the most amount of time on that channel."
He made a face. "They keep repeating the same shows over and over. You liked that?" he asked.
"Please," she said, shuddering. "That was the only thing that could take my mind off of everything. Watching the same movies over and over, and Gilligan's Island? Wow, that show is a trip, since I haven't watched it since I was a kid. It was interesting to say the least."
He lowered his voice as he reached for his can of soda. "I know that I haven't asked you this in a long time, but how are you doing since then? I mean, you look much better. I was just wondering, because I was really worried about you around that time."
Her eyes narrowed as she thought about what he said. "Do you mean worried or scared?" she asked.
His eyes went down to the hand that rested on his arm, and he stared at her light pink polished nails for a moment. "Scared, I guess. You had everyone scared, New York. With the attitude that you had, no one knew what you were going to do. You don't know how relieved I was when Mia told me that she had gotten you into a pillow fight that day that I went back to your house. That's when I knew that you were going to be okay."
She took a deep breath. "You know, I don't know what I was thinking back then. A lot of it is just a blur. I was this close to taking Joe's advice and going in to see a psychiatrist. There was something wrong with me, or so I thought. Maybe there was, and there still is, but...I'm better since then. I'll never get over it, JC, and I don't expect to. That was a life changing experience for me. What am I supposed to say? That it won't happen again."
"Could you?"
There was nothing she could say. Instead, Brooklyn shook her head. "To tell you the truth, I can't say that. I can't, because what everyone has been telling me has finally been drilled into my head and I believe it. It wasn't my fault what happened. That's why I can't say that it won't happen again. I could go through a whole string of guys like Tim, because he was good at hiding everything."
"New York, he wasn't good at hiding anything. Everyone saw but you, and every time that we told you, it pushed you closer and closer to him, so after awhile, I didn't say anything about it." Sighing, he covered the hand that was holding his remote control at the moment. "But you're okay now."
She wouldn't say that. "I'm better," she ventured. "It's like an alcoholic, JC. You're never okay, but you take everything one day at a time. That's the only way you can do it."
His head turned towards her, his eyes practically glowing. "I'll let myself think that what you said means that you're okay, all right?"
"Believe what you want." She wiped her hands and sighed. "You know, I don't know what's special about that pizza, but one piece did me in." She looked over at him. "You're still eating?!" Her voice raised as she exclaimed. He nodded calmly, going for his third piece. Her eyes turned towards the ceiling, and she clasped her hands. "Please make him stop eating before he blows up. Lord, if you do one thing for me, let this be it."
"I told you, I'm hungry. I prefer three meals a day, like most people. I just don't usually get them, so I eat a lot for dinner. Like I said, I missed lunch. Lunch is one of the biggest meals for me. Right up there with breakfast and dinner. Then, you have your snacking time, which is something like...every half hour or so. After that, you have your munching, which is every ten minutes, I'd day. Why do you look so sick?" he asked, blinking innocently.
Brooklyn couldn't believe her ears. "Uh huh. I am so glad that you don't live in a third world country. The whole damned place wouldn't have enough food to feed you. You'd eat them out within a day, I think." After thinking for a few seconds, she had it right. "Actually, I'd be more scared to see you and Austin locked in a room full of food for an hour. I bet if we unlocked the door in an hour, exactly, you guys would be fighting over the last roll."
The last pizza crust joined the other two, and he wiped his hands off before his arm went around her shoulders. "And just who do you think would win?" he asked, pulling her towards him.
"Uh uh, that doesn't work with me," she told him with a bright smile. "In this case, I'd go for Austin. He may not be as big, but he's very focused when it comes to food. You wouldn't have a chance, honey. Sorry, but it's true."
His head moved up and down in a nod before he reached for the remote and continued to change the channel. "Just remember who's place you're staying at right now," he warned her.
"Oh, please, you think that's going to have anything to do with it. I still stick by my comment that my brother would kick your ass. Don't forget that I'm a very loyal little sister. He would beat me if I didn't say that. I'm obligated to take his side over yours. The love that I have for my brother is a little stronger than the love that I have for a friend. That's just the way that it goes," she said with a shrug.
His eyes moved from the television towards her for a moment. "Maybe I should shoot for something a little bigger than a best friend, then," he ventured.
He got a smile as a response before she spoke some of the sweetest words that he ever heard. "Maybe you should. You can shoot for whatever you want, JC."
Brooklyn narrowed her eyes and looked at the man ahead of her. "What makes you think that I'd ever go back to you? Maybe you forgot what you did to me, Tim. God, you would have killed me if you had the chance, and you want me to take you back. I may have been stupid the first time, but I'm not going to stay that way for the rest of my life."
Tim Croft let out a short chuckle, so dry it was like the desert. She hated that chuckle; she always had. "Brooklyn, baby, you forget everything good that we did together." He took a few steps closer to her, and she closed her eyes tight, wondering which fist was going to hit her first. Wondering which side of her face he was going to attack. His hands rubbed up and down her bare arms, and she could feel goosebumps covering them almost instantly. "What about all those nights that we spent together. What about all the dates that we went on. You were happy with me. You know you were, so why are you fighting this?" he dropped his voice to a whisper as he stepped closer to her.
Tears welled up behind her closed eyes, and she took a deep breath so that they wouldn't fall. "Tim, do you ever think that I could forgive you for what you did to me?" she asked in a choked voice.
"You don't have to forgive me, Brooklyn. Just forget about it." She knew what was coming next, but why the hell didn't she push him away? No, she let his lips touch herself before her eyes opened.
"Bloody hell," she whispered in the confines of the guest room, running her hand through her hair. The dream was one thing that she could have done without, she thought, as she sat up and pulled her knees towards her.
Both hands were tugging at her hair now, and she had to force herself to breathe for a moment. It was just a dream, she told herself. A dream that she hadn't had for a little while, and one that she was hoping to forget as long as she lived. A dream that always scared her beyond belief.
The old Brooklyn would have curled up on the couch and watched re-runs of classic television shows, she thought as she threw the covers off of her. The old Brooklyn would have stared at the television like a mindless zombie, wondering if she should buy that stupid product or this stupid product from the Home Shopping Network. She didn't believe in the Thigh Master anyway, but she was willing to buy one. And a take of Buns Of Steel, and a treadmill, and an ice cream maker, and how many other things that she couldn't remember.
But, that was the old Brooklyn, and the new one was in her place. The new Brooklyn put her hair in a ponytail and pushed the piece that escaped the elastic behind her ear before she straightened the tank top that she was wearing. She opened her door and walked softly across the living room to the other bedroom and tapped her fist on it for a moment. When JC told her to come in, she wasn't surprised that he was still awake.
Opening the door, she slipped in and smiled, closing it behind her. "What are you doing?" she asked, leaning against the closed door.
He brought down the novel that he was reading and looked at her through his reading glasses. "Doing my laundry, New York. What does it look like?" he asked, patting the side of the bed beside him. Brooklyn walked over and jumped up, leaning against the pillows to look at his book. "I thought that you were asleep already."
"Nah, I woke up and couldn't sleep anymore," she said, turning his hand so that she could see the title of the book. "I've read that one before. It's not bad, but the ending sucks. Since when do you read medical suspense books?" she asked him, trying to look as innocent as possible.
His eyes narrowed. "Since I saw this one on your bookcase. I didn't get a chance to read it when I was there last time, so I bought it. New York, is there something wrong? You've got goosebumps, but it's definitely not cold in here. It's a little too hot, if you ask me."
Her automatic answer was, "I didn't ask you," before she smiled brightly. "I'm not cold. Not at all. I was...just wondering what you're up to." Pausing, she looked down at her hands, and her fingers went nervously towards her ring finger, as if her engagement ring still rested there. "I could tell you the ending, if you want, and save you a lot of time."
"No, thanks. I'll do without the spoilers." He reached over and put the book down on the night table before taking off his glasses and adding them to the clutter atop of it. "Something's wrong, and you're not telling me what it is. Why not?" he asked. His eyes went down to where she was playing with her hand. Slowly, he took her hand away and replaced it with his own, gently circling her ring finger. "You're thinking about Tim, right?"
Her head nodded. "Unfortunately," she whispered, not taking her eyes off of her hand. "I don't know what it is, but..." She still wouldn't look up, and he slipped a finger under her chin, raising her head to look at him. "I dreamt about him a few minutes ago. It's the same dream that I always used to have."
JC nodded slowly. "What is it about?" Her head shook slowly, and her eyes dropped again. "What is the dream about?" he asked her again.
"The dream is always the same, and I don't care for it. It scares me because, every single time I have it, I tell him that I don't want him back. He always tells me something like the fact we could work past it, or we could just forget about it, or, my personal favorite, that it doesn't matter because I should still love him. I always tell him that I can't, and he always...always...it gets to the point where I wonder if I really would take him back." She let out a shuddery sigh and looked up at him. "I don't want to, you know? I really don't, and I know that it could never happen, because he's in jail for most, if not all, of his natural life, but...sometimes I wonder."
"You wondered that if you had the chance, you would take him back." Sighing, he leaned back and let go of his hand. It fell limply in her lap and she stared at it curiously. "I thought you were over this."
She nodded. "I am." A short laugh sounded from her. "I guess it's just that...it's something that I was comfortable with. Well, I was comfortable with the old Tim, not the new one. I don't like the one that's hanging around right now. Then again, no one likes him, but it's just...I know it's just a dream, JC. I really do. It's only in the dream that it happens. I've moved on from Tim in real life, but not in my dreams, and it scares me." Her eyes raised to look at him. "It scares me and I don't even know why," she finally said, shaking her head when she felt the familiar prick of tears.
Now he looked at her again. "I know why. You're the type of person that has to be in control of every single thing in your life, and to know that you can't be in control of that...it bothers you."
When she laughed this time, it wasn't as bitter. "That's not the only thing that I'm not in control of, but I suppose that's part of the whole deal," she added, shaking her head. She slipped down a little further on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Wow, now that is cool. What does it look like with all the lights off?" she asked, pointing to the ceiling.
JC slipped down as well and stared up at the glow in the dark stickers all over the ceiling. He couldn't remember who gave them to him, but he had put them up anyway, thinking that it was a joke. The stickers he had originally been given only covered one corner of his room, and it looked wrong, so he had went out and bought quite a few more so that he could cover the whole ceiling. There were small galaxies and intricate patterns all over. "It looks pretty cool, but it doesn't seem as cool when you find out how much time I spent on all of that," he said with a laugh. "I think it took me about three weeks to finish all of it and make sure that it looked good. Pretty impressive, huh?" He pushed her lightly.
Brooklyn giggled, still staring at them. "I looks fantastic to me. You probably don't get to see the stars out here like you do in Tennessee. With all the bright lights and everything, I mean."
"No, we don't get a display like yours. You're lucky to live in a small town like that, where you can enjoy looking up there and actually seeing quite a few stars. Out here, you might see a handful, but not very much. They don't look the same at all." He reached over and turned off the lamp beside him. The room was enveloped in darkness, and both of them stared up, Brooklyn smiling. "It still looks cool to me."
"It looks cool to me, too." She yawned softly and stretched her back. "You're putting me to sleep here, and I thought that I wasn't going to get any sleep at all after my dream. I guess I should head back to my room. You're probably pretty tired yourself."
His hand rested on her arm before she could even think about getting out of the bed. "You don't have to. Why don't you just stay with me? I promise to keep my hands to myself," he said slyly.
Her eyes rolled in the darkness before she rolled over to look at him. "That I very highly doubt. You have yet to keep your hands to yourself whenever we sleep in the same room. You know that," she said, hitting him softly. "But don't think that it bothers me, because it really doesn't. I don't know why, but it makes me feel safe."
"Ego boost," he said, faking his excitement. "Wow, I can't believe that THE Brooklyn Arizona Turner just gave me a compliment." He paused for a moment. "Hey, did you notice that you have a song on your album called 'There Is No Arizona'? That's kind of weird."
"Not in country music. Using state names has always been big. Remember when you were asking me who sings 'Complicated' that night that we went out? Carolyn Dawn Johnson sings a song called 'Georgia', too. It's kind of weird, in a way." She sat up a little and groaned. "Damn, I forgot that in four weeks, I have to do Fan Fest. Have you ever heard of that?" she asked him.
His head shook. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the rustling against his pillow. "No, what is it?"
She rolled onto her back and looked back at the ceiling. All of the stickers were still glowing brightly. "Basically, it's a huge autograph signing, but there's mini concerts, there's contests, and my personal favorite, the charity baseball game. I hope I'm on Tim McGraw's team again. We kicked some serious butt last year," she said with a laugh. "It's fun, though. A lot of fans that you wouldn't have a chance to talk to get the chance to spend a few minutes with you, and something interesting always happens. I remember that last year, two people jumped ontop of one of the tables and started dancing around. Can't remember who, though."
"Too bad I'm going to be on tour. I would have loved to see that. Hey, when is Mia coming out, anyway?"
"You sure you want to know? When I called her today, she said that she's cutting her vacation short and coming out to spend a few days out here before the first concert. I'm scared. Terrified, actually," she said. Brooklyn could feel JC squirming around beside her and she narrowed her eyes. "Just what in the world are you doing?"
She heard something soft hit the floor before he answered her. "Are you kidding? It is so hot in here. The air conditioning is only in the living room, so it's always hot in here. I would open the window, but I once had a photographer try and climb the fire escape and get in my window. I caught him in time, but it was still funny to see him hanging there with his camera around his neck. They had to call a fire truck to get him down, because he had lost his footing. That had to have been one of the funniest days of my life." He laid down beside her again and stretched his arms, his shoulder popping painfully. "If I kept my shirt on, I probably would have lost five pounds just by sweating by the time I woke up in the morning."
Her eyes widened and stayed that way for a long time. "You took off your shirt?" she asked.
"Yeah, does that bother you? I could put it back on, if you want," he added as an afterthought.
"No, no, I'm fine with that." She was more than fine with that, actually, but she wasn't going to tell him. Brooklyn would have preferred sleeping in the same bed with a shirtless JC rather than if he was wearing his shirt. She almost felt like slapping herself in the forehead when she thought about how it sounded to herself. Thank God that she didn't say anything aloud.
They were both silent for a moment. "Are you sure? I'm serious, New York. If it bothers you, I'll put it back on. The last thing I want if for you to be uncomfortable." That didn't mean that he didn't have an evil grin on his face. He knew exactly what she was thinking, and he was enjoying this more than he thought. It was flattering to think that she had even thought of him that way, and there was no chance in hell that he was going to put his shirt back on, whether she wanted him to or not. This was far too good to do something like that.
A frustrated sigh sounded from beside him. "I said I was fine with it, JC. It doesn't bother me, and even if it did, I would be able to deal with it, I'm sure. Besides, I wouldn't want you to lose those precious five pounds since you're skinny enough as it is," she added with a smirk that he couldn't see but he could hear in her voice.
"Okay."
"Okay."
They both fell silent, not moving other than taking a breath occasionally. Brooklyn cursed her decision when she turned her head slightly, the scent of JC's cologne drifting from the pillowcase she was leaning against. The damned stuff was everywhere, and she wondered idly if he would notice if she stole the pillow to take with her on tour. Of course he would, she chastised herself, rolling her eyes. "JC?" she asked suddenly.
His head turned towards her. "Yeah, sweetie?"
Her mouth opened and then shut. She tried two more times, and failed each time. "Never mind." He nodded. "No, wait," she said before trying one more time. "Never mind."
"Is that all you can say?" he asked her, trying not to laugh. When she told him that he was allowed to laugh, he let out a few chuckles, but stopped himself before he let it all out. He thought that her indecision was kind of cute, to tell the truth. "New York?"
This time, her head turned towards him. "Yeah, JC?"
He waited for a few moments before saying, "Never mind." She groaned and turned away from him, pulling the covers with her purposely. "Oh, no, you're not playing cover hog tonight. You have to let me have some."
Her head raised and she looked over her shoulder towards his dark profile. "If I remember correctly, you said that you were too hot as it was, so why would it matter if you didn't have any covers? You're contradicting yourself, JC, and that's not always the best thing to do, because you're confusing me. Do you want the covers or not?" she asked sweetly, before going back to facing the window, trying not to laugh.
"I...don't know anymore. You just confused me beyond belief. You've been doing that a lot lately," he added, closing his eyes as he tugged at the blankets. Brooklyn groaned and completely pulled them off of him. "Hey, now I'm cold. This is so not fair."
She sat up and readjusted them, tossing the blankets overtop of him. "Maybe I should just go back to my room, because it seems like you're going to be complaining about this for a long time tonight, and I would like to get some sleep." Brooklyn chewed on her lip softly. "And JC? You haven't exactly been the clearest person lately, either. I'm just feeding off of the confusion that you've been giving me, and twisting it so that it's my own brand of confusion."
JC laughed, tucking the covers under his arms as he turned on his side. "That actually made sense. I would applaud, but I was going to ask if I could take the ponytail out of your hair."
"It's all yours," she said, moving towards him a little. He stretched out his arms and tugged gently at the elastic, unlooping it from her hair before he ran his hands through it a few times to let it settle normally. "Are you happy now?" she asked.
"Like you wouldn't believe. I get the greatest thrill out of life whenever I take out your ponytail, New York," he said sarcastically, tugging at her hair. She swatted his hands away with a laugh. "How have I been confusing?"
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "How would I know? It's just..." The words were so close to coming out. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but damn it, for some reason, she just couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to say the words when she should have been able to. "Just normal confusing, I guess. Nothing special." Brooklyn almost sounded dismayed to him when she said that. "Why, how have I been confusing?"
One of his arms draped over her waist, and he sighed. "Same, I guess. There goes the 'keeping my hands to myself' thing. I'm doing pretty good tonight, huh?" She nodded, and just laid there for a moment. "You do know that both of our confusion is far from normal, right?"
"Oh yeah. Just try and convince yourself to say it the first time that you're asked. This is definitely not normal confusion."
"Not at all."
"It couldn't be."
"It's too different." He sighed again and moved a little closer to her. "So, how come you and I don't say anything about it? I mean, we just keep going around the subject in circles, and never touch on it, when we know that we should. We know that we want to, but we don't. Why? I don't suppose you have the answer, do you?"
One of her hands lifted and rested against him that was on her stomach, resting lightly. "We don't want to make fools out of ourselves. We don't want each other to know the real truth. We're scared of what it could bring us. Should I go on, or are those enough reasons for you?"
His mouth twisted into a frown. "That's pretty good, if you ask me. There's probably a few more that you didn't mention, but that's still pretty good." JC didn't say anything for a moment. "Okay, I have another question for you. Why don't we just give it a shot and see what happens? Throw caution to the wind and let whatever happens...happens, I guess."
"I shouldn't have to repeat all those reasons again. I said them about a minute ago. Wasn't that enough for you?"
JC rested his face in her hair for a moment, breathing in the clean scent of it. He loved the smell of her shampoo. "I know, but why don't we just try? If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, right?" he asked her. "Seriously, New York, think about it. It's not like it would be the end of the world as we know it. I think that we probably should give it a try."
Her head nodded against him. "I think we should too, but for some reason, I can't shake this feeling that something is going to change, and it's going to be a major change."
When he let out his breath, it moved her hair away from her neck. "It would be a major change, but it wouldn't be bad. At least, not in my mind. You...you don't think that it would be, do you?"
"Of course not. I've put so much thought into this, it's not even funny. I've been thinking about it for about two months now, and I still haven't come to a decision. Sure, I thought that I had, but I changed my mind, and then I changed it again, and then...you get the picture, I'm sure. For some reason, I just can't make up my mind, and I don't want that to affect anything. Believe me, Jace, I want this as much as you do."
His voice could barely be considered a murmur. "I love it when you call me by that name. I really do, only because you rarely call me that, so when you do, it sounds...what, special?"
She laughed softly. "I feel the same way whenever you call me Brooklyn, but to tell the truth, I do prefer being called New York, only because, like you always tell me, it's something of me that only you can have, and I like that. I love knowing that you're the only one that's ever going to call me that."
"See, I knew that giving you that nickname was worth it," he said with a smile. "So, what do you think? Do you want to give it a try?"
Brooklyn yawned again. "What I think is that we should get some sleep, because you and I are going to be like zombies tomorrow, and that's not the most attractive thing for me. Other than that..." She trailed off and took a deep breath. JC closed his eyes, wondering if he was going to be shot down or not. It was hard enough just to bring up the topic. Since when was he so insecure about something like this.
Since he met an unbelievable woman. Ever since he met Brooklyn, he reminded himself, because she brought that part of him out. "Stop avoiding the subject, but if you're wondering, I slipped in the deadbolt, so no one can walk in on us in the morning. I turned the ringer off of all the phones, including my cell phone. I even unplugged my alarm clock, just in case. You and I can sleep in as long as we want."
She sighed happily. "I love you so much at this point." It didn't take long for her to quiet down again. "As long as nothing ruins our friendship, I'm all for it. I don't want to sound like a pessimist here, but if this doesn't work out, I want to know that you and I are still going to be friends, because that's something that I never want to lose."
"I don't think anything could ruin what we have, New York. No matter what, you and I will always be friends. Nothing could take me away from you."
Her head moved in a nod. "All right, let's try this, then. I'm not against it at all. Just so that you know," she said, moving her to the side so that she could smile at him. Being so close, he could actually see the smile and the genuine happiness that shone through it.
He returned the smile with one of his own. "I'm not against it, either. Just so that you know."
When she rolled over in bed, there was no one beside her. Brooklyn raised her head and rubbed her eyes as she looked over at the side that JC was sleeping on the night before. It clued in when she could hear him shaving in his bathroom. "Not too bright this morning, as we, Brooklyn," she said to herself as she threw the blankets off of her and yawned, looking at her watch. It was already one in the afternoon.
She went back to her own room and collected her things before she walked into the other bathroom and turned on the shower. From all the times that JC had stayed at her house, she knew that he always shaved after his shower, meaning that it was free for her now. This shower ranked up on her list as one of her shortest showers ever, and before long, she was wrapped in a towel, brushing her teeth at the sink. Muttering to herself under her breath and around a mouthful of toothpaste, she wiped off the foggy mirror with one hand and looked at her reflection.
The effects of their talk last night, which had lasted until at least three in the morning, was evident on her face. She rolled her eyes and leaned over to spit in the sink before she washed off her toothbrush and put it back beside the sink. Turning around, she picked up the other towel she had pulled down and rubbed it over her hair furiously, trying to dry it somewhat before she got dressed.
Once it stopped dripping, she pulled on the pair of tight denim clam diggers and the women's muscle shirt that she had pulled out of her suitcase, reaching for the brush that was sitting on the counter. She pulled it through her hair a few times before putting it up into two small pigtails and walking out of the bathroom.
Like normal, she walked towards the kitchen for her first cup of coffee of the morning, but she had been beaten to the punch. JC handed her a full mug of coffee. "You are my savior, I swear," she sighed, pulling herself up on the countertop to sit beside where he was standing.
He looked over and let his sparkling eyes look her over, for once not having to do it in secrecy, like he had for most of the past two months. "Well, you're only half zombie like this morning," he said with a bright smile.
She smirked, looking down at him. "Aren't you supposed to tell me that I look stunning, like always?" she asked him, laughing under her breath as she sipped her coffee. "There is nothing that I love more than Juan Valdez. All I have to say is that at least his coffee doesn't taste like the donkey. “That struck him as funny, and he had to put his mug down on the counter so that he wouldn't spill it as he laughed. "You must be really tired, because that was nowhere near my best, although, you have to admit that it was the slightest bit creative for just getting up."
"I have to admit, you do look great, as always. You pull off the zombie look real well," he told her, smiling at her as he took hold of his mug again. "New York, I was going to ask you something."
Her eyes rolled quickly. "No, I don't know why a pig snorts instead of barks, JC." When he looked at her strangely, she put her hand over her mouth and laughed. "Sorry, Chris asked me that one day, and it's stuck in my head."
He nodded slowly. "I think it's because we perceive it as a snort. That's the only think it's been called, so we don't know what else to call it. For all I know, we're the ones that bark, although I know that you have the snorting thing down pat." She shot him a bad look before giggling.
"No, seriously, what did you want to ask me?"
When she looked up at him, he faltered for a second. "It's not a deep question that you'll sit there thinking about for hours, New York, so don't give me that look. I was just wondering if you...wanted to go out with me tonight." He almost seemed shy when he asked her that.
That didn't mean that a smile didn't creep onto her face. "You're asking me out on a date? This is a trip. I haven't been asked out in years." She grinned up at him. "I would love to." Looking at her watch, she finished off her coffee and slipped off of the counter. "Formal or casual, just so I know if I have something."
JC thought for a moment before looking back at her. "Semi-formal. Does that help?"
"Yeah, it helps me to know that I have to go shopping and pick something up. I'll have to find a shopping partner, too." Her eyes went towards him and she smiled. "Don't get your hopes up, because you're not coming with me. I think I'm going to call Chris and ask if he can lend his expert fashion advice to me today. What time are you picking me up?" she asked slyly.
"Picking you...New York, you're staying at my place. Unless you consider picking you up to be when I knock on your door, I don't think that the time really matters."
She giggled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Like hell you're getting away with this easily. I'm planning on making you pick me up at Chris' place. You're going the whole nine yards with me. If I'm going to be taken out, I'm going to be taken out in style. How's six thirty?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
He laughed. "Six thirty works for me. Am I going to get the third degree from Chris, too?"
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "You never know. I could pay him to do it. That would be wild."
He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "All right then. I have to do a few things before tonight, so I'll see you at six thirty. Have a good day without me," he added, pouting towards her. She rolled her eyes again and swatted at his arm. JC reached around her and took his car keys off of the counter. Before she knew what was happening, he bent down and kissed her quickly. "Couldn't resist," he told her, winking. "Don't let Chris warp you too bad before tonight," he added, walking out the door and shutting it behind him.
Brooklyn sighed and leaned against the counter. "Yup, this is going to be one hell of a night," she said to herself before racing towards the living room for the phone. She dialed his number from memory and waited for him to pick up. "You better not be doing anything today, Chris," she warned him.
"What have I been talked into this time?" he asked her, laughing. "By the way, hello, Brooke. It's only been...two days since I saw you, I believe."
"Around that, yeah. We're going shopping today. I need something cute to wear tonight, since I've got a date, and I need to be ready before six thirty, because that's when he's coming to pick me up." A smile spread on her face.
Chris was silent for a moment. "Oh...you've got a date tonight? A real one, this time. Who...who are you going out with?" She could just imagine him crossing his fingers and mouthing 'JC'. "Does Jace know about this, because obviously, this guy is picking you up, right?"
The country singer nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, the guy is picking me up. I already told you that, but he's picking me up from your place, because it's a little wrong if he picks me up for a date at his own apartment. That's a little tacky, don't you think, so I asked JC to pick me up at six thirty at your place. In other words, I'm stealing your bathroom or something for an hour to get ready."
There was an even longer pause then last time. "Did you just say that you have a date with JC?"
"I believe so. At least, I think it was him that just asked me out for tonight, and told me that I should dress semi-formal. That gives me a pretty wide range, I guess, but I don't have anything with me that he's never seen before, and since I trust you quite a bit, I figured that you would be the perfect shopping partner for me. I'm willing to blow money on this, and that doesn't happen very often, you understand."
The pause that followed that was even longer than the third one. "What you're telling me is that JC just asked you out on a date, right? Since when are the two of you going out together. Since when does he actually ask you out, formally, on a date. This is...weird, to say the least. I want answers, girl."
She smiled to herself. "And you'll get answers. You just have to hurry your butt down here. I'll give you all the answers in the car, all right? I'll be waiting downstairs for you," she said, and hung up on him, not saying goodbye. She snickered and went into her room, picking up her wallet and chapstick, throwing it into a shoulder bag that was smaller than her normal purse. She slipped a pair of sunglasses over her eyes and perched a black baseball cap on her head before she took her own keys out of the kitchen (now complete with a key for JC's apartment, and a key for the door to let herself into the lobby), and dangled them from her hand as she opened the door and closed it behind her outside. She put the key in the lock and turned it the opposite way than normal, listening as it clicked inside.
Her hand turned the knob to make sure that it was completely locked before she started towards the elevator, smiling at a young man that lived further down the hall from JC. He grinned back and held open the elevator door for her. "Thank you," she said, pressing the button for the lobby.
"No problem, miss. With a smile like yours, I could hold doors open for you all day," he told her, just as the doors shut. Brooklyn laughed in the confines of the elevator car before it hit the lobby, and she stepped outside, opening the glass doors to let herself out. The keys that she had been holding in her hand dropped into her bag, and she looked down the street just as Chris pulled up in his black Ford Explorer.
"Cute vehicle," she said, opening up the passenger side door and slipping in. He turned to look at her and started to pull away.
She waited in silence for what she knew was sure to come, and tapped one finger on her thigh. "Okay, spill and spill now. God, I feel like I'm stuck in Waiting To Exhale or something, but I want to know what happened this morning."
She looked over at him and smiled. "It didn't start this morning...well, I guess it did, since it was about one in the morning that I went to go and see him," she said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I'll try to make this as short as possible, since I don't know how long this drive is going to be. Basically, we decided that we're going to give this relationship thing a chance. He asked me out on a date this morning, and the rest is history, I guess."
"I expected details. Something more along the lines of 'and then he kissed me' and a squeal or something like that."
Her eyes narrowed when she heard that. "It's either you or JC always telling me to squeal. And, in case you're wondering, he did kiss me, but I don't see where that's any of your business," she said with a secretive smile. "I'm kidding, Chris. You know that I'll end up telling you everything anyway. It just has to come out in its own time. I thought that you knew me by now. This is normal behavior for me." She looked out the window and sighed. "At least we somewhat got it out in the open."
Chris looked over at her quickly before back at the road. "What took you so long to say it all?"
"I didn't really say anything," she said with a laugh.
He shook his head. "I knew it would be Jace to bring it out."
"JC didn't really say anything, either. It was sort of mutual...you could say. Neither of us said anything significant, yet we did, you know? Basically, he asked me if I would be willing to take the chance, and I told him that as long as it didn't ruin what we have going right now, I would give it a chance."
A smile appeared on his face and he turned the corner, heading towards the large mall in front of them. "Finally!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air before they went back to the steering wheel. "Brooke, you should be glad that someone finally came out with it, because at the rate that you were both going, you were going to be sixty before you guys said anything. There's just one thing that I don't understand." He turned down the radio. "Something had to have started him, because he wouldn't just come out with that. I know him too well. Did you say something before that?"
Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "I made a comment about how I knew what he was going through in his mind, because I was thinking the same thing. I guess that's what started the whole thing. I don't know why it's such a big deal to you, though. Really, I understand that you wanted us together, but why...that's what I don't get at all."
"You guys are good for each other. How many times do I have to tell you that? You and JC are perfect for each other, and I could tell that the moment I met you that you two were going to be together. There's just something about the two of you. I can't really explain it. It's not the 'chemistry' argument that everyone could come out with. It's different. It's more like an electricity. It's weird. I don't even know why I'm TRYING to explain this to you."
Brooklyn laughed and put her hand on his arm. "Believe me, I don't understand it myself, but it feels right. Who knows? I could be wrong, you never really know, but this...there's something about the way I feel when he looks at me. I know what I'm feeling now. I really do, and I want him to know, but how to go about it, that's what's bothering me."
He grinned brightly as he put the car in park. "Well, Brooke, you've got a date with my boy tonight. That would be the best place to start, don't you think?"
Chapter Fifteen
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