Chapter Twenty
"Really?" Chris asked, a grin settling on his face. She couldn't help but laugh at it. "That's awesome. So, what's your decision?" The smile dropped from Brooklyn's face, and she looked at him seriously. "You have to be kidding me. You're not going to tell me?"
Her hand moved to brush her hair away again. It was just entering the "in-between" stage, and she was started to get annoyed by the way that it settled, or the way that it would fall in her face. "No, I'm not going to tell you," she said, an evil smile starting to spread on her face. "I don't want to tell you, and this time, you're not going to be able to force me to tell you."
He sulked, slipping down further on the couch. "That's stupid. You won't tell me because you don't want to. I don't get that at all."
"Chris, why don't you try putting things into perspective. You always have to butt in. It's like you have this weird desire to get involved in everyone else's business, and this time, I don't want you involved. I want to do this myself, without any help or comments from the peanut gallery. Besides, if you get involved, then anyone else gets involved, and it just gets messy." She got off of the window seat and sat down beside him on the couch. "And the other reason is that I really don't want an audience for what I'm going to do."
Something wasn't sitting right with him. There was something about the way that she said those words, the audience comment, that he didn't like. It was something to do with the tone of her voice. Why wouldn't she want an audience, he asked himself, before it hit him. "Brooke, you're not talking about what I think you're talking about. Is that what you're talking about, because if that IS what you're talking about...you and I are going to have a little talk."
A puzzled expression covered her face, and she scratched her head. "Huh? Slower and less confusing this time."
"Well...I don't like how you said that. About how you don't want an audience, and the only reason that I can come up with for not wanting an audience is..." He trailed off and stared at her. "You're not going to bury him, are you?"
"Bury him? I really don't know what you're saying. You were making so much sense this afternoon, and now...now, it seemed like all the logic, all the brain cells, all of that has left you for good. Don't worry, all right? It'll be fine. Everything will be fine," she told him gravely.
And there was that voice again. That sound that made him sit back and think. She had made a decision, but she didn't want anyone to know it, and she didn't want anyone to be there when she did whatever she had come up with. She wouldn't even give him a little hint, and she was playing dumb. That was a dangerous combination, to say the very least.
She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of letting him know. It was almost like they were playing some sort of game, one that Brooklyn wasn't going to lose. She could fake confusion with the best of them, and she was banking on that to get her through this little fiasco. An uncomfortable feeling settled over her when she thought that this was almost like lying, but not exactly. Anything to ease her quickly moving mind.
"I have most of it planned, and I think I know what I want to do. No, I don't think. I KNOW what I want to do, and you're not going to stop me, whether you like it or not, Chris. You should know that by now. No one can stop me. People have tried in the past, but they've never succeeded. I thought you knew me better than that."
Rolling his eyes, he leaned back and groaned. "Would you just tell me what this is all about? Because to tell you the truth, I am starting to worry here, and that's something that I don't like. I've been worrying for a long time before of what went on between the two of you. I have never seen two people that deserve each other more than you guys do, and when you're like this, when you aren't together...it makes me worry."
One corner of her mouth pushed up into her cheek as she regarded him silently. "All right, why does it make you worry? What are you so worried about, would be the better question."
"It makes me think that there's no such thing as hope left in the world, to name one." Neither of their eyes wavered from each other's. "Doesn't it make you wonder? I'm sorry to tell you this, Brooke, but you and JC are like the super couple. The perfect couple. You were meant for each other, and if you're not together, that crushes everyone else's hopes of finding that perfect person."
Her mouth dropped open now. "What, your happiness is resting on my shoulders? Thanks," she said sarcastically.
He leaned forward to look at her better. "That's not what I meant, Brooke, but you have to admit that I'm right. You know all those trashy romance novels that are bouncing around everywhere about how some perfect woman finds her perfect man and they live happily ever after? They usually have Fabio on the cover." She nodded reluctantly. "Hello, does it ring a bell at all? That's what you guys are, but the ending hasn't been written yet. So, tell me, is it going to end like every other trashy romance novel out there with Fabio on the cover, or are you going to write something new that no one has seen before."
"And I suppose that this ending that no one has seen before, means that we wouldn't end up together, and it would be a surprise to the whole world or whoever reads this book, right? Great, now I'm going with your analogy. Besides, you never told me that you read trashy romance novels that have Fabio on the cover."
Chris sighed and pushed her lightly. "Loser. You're not as good at changing the subject as I am. But you were right with the description. That's exactly what it would be like. You're the only two that can decide what they want to do, how to write the ending, but it seems to be more in your hands than JC's."
With a sigh, Brooklyn leaned forward and picked up his mug of tea taking a sip before handing it back to him. "Why would you say that? It's up to the two of us, not just me. It takes two to tango, right?"
"Yeah, but you're not talking about doing the tango. The only reason that it's in your hands more than his is because he's letting that happen. You pulled away from him, so he's going to let you choose what to do. Maybe Jace isn't as smart as we would all like to believe, but he's leaving it up to you. He's just following your lead. So, what's it going to be?"
She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Looks like you're going to have to wait until the hard cover copy is out on the shelves, because I'm not letting you see an excerpt from it. You're going to have to put down your twenty bucks, just like everyone else, and read it page by page. Sorry, but there is no such thing as an advance copy this time."
Rolling over in bed, Brooklyn yawned, rubbing her eyes. The rain seemed to have stopped sometime during the night, because the sun was shining brightly on her face from the window. "Oh, would Mother Nature just shove it up her ass and leave me alone," she groaned into the pillow, closing her eyes again. There was no way that she would get back to sleep; she never did when she woke up.
It wasn't so much the problem that she didn't want to get up, but the fact that she was putting her plan into motion today. It was time to start the ball rolling, to turn the crank, to... "To stop with these stupid analogies and call him already." She forced herself to sit up, and as soon as her back was against the head board, she readjusted her top, reaching for the phone beside her. She picked it up carefully and listened with a wince, hoping that Chris wasn't using the phone. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt his conversation.
When the dial tone sounded back at her, she sighed, and pressed the buttons cautiously, crossing her fingers. She knew that JC was up by now, but sometime during dinner, Chris had made a flippant remark about the fact that it didn't look like he had been sleeping that much lately. She really didn't want to wake him up if he hadn't been sleeping lately. "Hello?"
He sounded wide awake, and she was thankful for that, as she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Good morning," she sang. "And how are we doing this morning?"
There was a pause before he answered. "New York? I...uh...didn't expect you to call today. I thought that you would be stuck in practice for the next few days while you guys figured out how to do the concert."
"Eh, they don't need me until about three thirty. What, you don't want to talk to me? I can always hang up if you want, but you don't want to make me cry into my pillow, do you? Because that would be bad, and then I would have to hunt you down and kick your ass so badly, it's not funny."
"Cute," he said, a smile growing in his voice. "No, I just thought that you were going to be busy, so I figured that I wouldn't see you until your next break. Doing a televised concert isn't what it's all cracked up to be."
Her eyes rolled. "Believe me, I know. New set list, different songs...it's absolute hell, but such is the life I lead. However, I don't like your last comment. Do you really think that I'm so heartless that I wouldn't at least talk to you before I leave? That's cruel, JC. You should know me better than that." It seemed like that was a phrase that was being tossed around quite a lot in the past little while.
"I thought I did," he mumbled. He obviously didn't want her to hear that, but she caught most it anyway, and what she didn't, she figured out. Her heart fell when she heard that, and listened to him cover it up with a cough. "Anyway, how was the little bit of the tour?"
With a frown, she pressed her back against the head board more firmly and sighed, wrapping her finger around the phone cord. "Tiring, but I don't want to talk about work. PLEASE don't make me talk about work," she begged before laughing. "I was hoping that you could take time out of your endlessly busy life today to go out to lunch with me? It would be nice to have a meal with you, and without any interruptions, like we normally have."
Her fingers pulled away from the now knotted cord, and she crossed them, holding her breath again. "Come on, come on," she mouthed, closing her eyes. With her fingers still crossed, she raised her hand to readjust the phone that was leaning against her shoulder and immediately put her hand back down. He had to say yes, he just had to.
"Uh...sure. As long as it doesn't make you late, I'm up for it. Do you want me to come and pick you up, or do you want to meet me there...where ever there is going to be," he added with a slight chuckle.
That was something that she hadn't thought about yet. "Wow, um, well, I don't want to take the SUV away from Chris, because he might want to go somewhere, and I know that he doesn't have another vehicle around here, so I guess I'm going to have to chance having you pick me up. Not that there's anything wrong with your driving or anything..." she trailed off, a devilish grin spreading on her face.
"Thanks, New York. I appreciate that one. I'll pick you up around eleven thirty, then."
She said goodbye and hung up, laying in bed for a moment with her eyes closed before throwing the covers off of her. "Chris, Chris, Chris!" she shouted as she wrapped her robe around herself, opening up her bedroom door. She knew that he was downstairs, because she had heard him banging around before. "Chris, where the hell are you hiding out? I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. This butcher's knife behind my back means nothing," she added with a laugh, skidding into the kitchen.
Brooklyn had tried to stop, but her sock covered feet caused her to slide towards the counter, and she grabbed the edge of it with her good hand, laughing. Chris just looked at her like she was crazy as he finished buttering a piece of toast. "Uh huh, I'm going to go look for the straight jacket right now," he warned her, licking his thumb before reaching for the strawberry jelly on the counter. "Brooke, maybe you can answer this, because I've always wondered. Why is there jam and jelly? Aren't they just the same thing?"
The question caught her off guard, and her brow furrowed as she thought. "I think it's because of the fact that jam has seeds and jelly doesn't, but I could be wrong. Who cares?" she added, throwing her hands into the air to emphasis her point. "Oh, you can make me some of that while you're at it."
"Sure," he said, drawing out the word as long as possible. "So, why are you running like a madman...woman through my house, screaming my name at the top of your lungs? I mean, I know that you like me, but you didn't have to wake up the neighbors and tell them, too."
"Please, they didn't hear me," she said, smirking as she sat down and tapped her fingers on the breakfast nook table top. "Since you're always so concerned about my life, and what happens in it, I thought that you would like to be the first to know."
He sat down and pushed the plate of toast towards her, watching as she took a piece of herself and bit into it. "What, you've decided to be the first woman president?" he asked. Brooklyn shook her head, licking at the corner of her mouth to get the jelly away from it. "Um, you got a ten million dollar contract to play for the New York Mets." She shook her head again. "Something of what I said last night penetrated your thick skull and made it to your brain, and you've realized what an idiot you were, so you and JC are finally dating like you should be?"
A smile appeared on her face, and she captured a glob of jelly before it went down the side of the toast and onto her lap. "Close, but no cigar," she told him after licking it off her finger. "Damn, this stuff is messy. No wonder Mom usually made me peanut butter toast in the morning. Anyway, remember that book thing that you were using last night?"
He grinned. "I know, I'm the smartest."
"Well...no, but believe what you want. You were asking me about the end of the book, right? The beginning of the end is being written right now. Amazing, isn't it? When I want something to get in action, I don't wait. JC and I are going out for lunch today. He's going to pick me up in two hours," she added, looking towards the clock.
"No offense, Brooke, but that worries me just a little." She rolled her eyes, muttering something that he couldn't catch under her breath. "I'm going to let that pass, because I know that you were calling me down. The beginning of the end, eh? What does this mean? That it's going to be a happy ending, or a 'grab a box of Kleenex and cry your brains out' kind of ending."
A look of awe covered her face for a moment. "Wow, you're better at this than I give you credit for." Her shoulders moved in a shrug. "No clue yet. At least, YOU don't have a clue yet, but I have a pretty good idea of what this is going to mean. What kind of ending that's going to happen, I mean. Damn, you've got me so confused, I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore."
Chris grinned evilly, but he passed by on the easy joke. "You're going, Brooke. You're going out for lunch with JC, because I'm not putting up with another night of your bitching. If lunch with Lover Boy is going to stop that, I'm all for it." She shook her head and pushed the last piece of the toast into her mouth. "You're not planning on totally crushing him, are you?"
"I guess you won't know until I come back from practice, because I'm not going to see you until then." She stood up with a laugh. "I have to go pick out something to wear. I never do anything like this, but for the first time, I think I'm going to do the staring at my clothes bit before I start to throw them around the room, trying to find something to wear."
He scratched his chin as she started to walk by. "Wait, you need something to wear for lunch and something that you can wear for practice, too, right? Don't go for a skirt or a dress. I'd hit the shorts and tank top sort of thing. Show off those legs, Brooke."
She spun around before she left the kitchen and smiled brightly. "In other words, make him breathless. I think I can handle that," she laughed before running upstairs. In her room, she threw open her suitcase and started to dig through it, dropping clothes on the bed. She heard the door open just as she threw a pair of jeans behind her. "Thanks, Brooke. Thanks a lot." She turned around to see the jeans laying on his head, and she covered her mouth as she started to laugh. "Wow, you wear a 24 waist? You're tiny," Chris finished, taking the jeans off and throwing them back at her. She caught them one handed and dropped them on her bed.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you were still eating," she said, pulling out a pair of shorts and looking at them critically.
He took them out of her hands and threw them back on the bed. "Those are bad. They're too long. I forgot to tell you that Mia wanted to talk to you about something important, but she wouldn't tell me what. Do you know what it is?"
Brooklyn looked up at him, and narrowed her eyes. "You are the biggest gossip that I have ever heard of. You'd think that you would have had your fill for a little while, but no. You just need to get the latest scoop. How come you're not working as a entertainment journalist or something. At least you would have something to fall back on if this thing ever ends," she added, with a laugh before pushing him with her hip.
"Thank you, thank you. I'm taking it that you're dying to know what she wants, too, huh?" Brooklyn nodded quickly. "That's all I wanted to know. I guess I can wait until you get home." He started to smile. "Maybe."
"Most likely. I'll warn security not to let you in."
He just smirked and walked out of the room, leaving her alone. Before he went down the stairs, however, she heard his footsteps stop. "Wear the jean shorts that are right in front of you, and roll them up a few times so that there's no inseam left. That should get his attention!" he shouted before going back down the stairs.
She turned around and looked in the direction that he had left before laughing and collecting her shorts and shirt, going into the bathroom. A hot bath (while making sure that her cast never touched the water) took her about forty five minutes before she stepped out and wrapped her towel around herself, reaching for her brush. It moved through her hair easily, and she let the wet strands land on her shoulders before drying herself off. It took her a few minutes to get her clothes on, before she turned to face the mirror.
"I must be crazy," she told herself, before leaning out the door. "Chris! Get your pop singing ass up here, please!" she shouted, going back into the bathroom. When she saw his head pop around the frame and look at her, she waved him in. "I need help," she whined.
Chris crossed himself with a laugh. "I feel like I'm selling my soul to the devil. What do you need, sweetie?"
Her hand came out, and she handed him a hair elastic and her brush. "Want to put my hair up in a ponytail for me? Just make sure that it's somewhat even on my head, and that it looks like something that I would do."
Rolling his eyes, he had her sit down on the floor, while he sat behind her on the bed. "You are SO lucky that I have experience doing this. My sister broke her wrist once, and she didn't go out without a ponytail in her hair back then. I swear, I'm the master at this," he added with a laugh, pulling the brush through her hair.
"If you do a good job, I'm either going to marry you or hire you to do this every single morning. Is there anything that you can't do? You seem to be able to do everything else."
"Whatever you do, don't ask me to do your laundry. I mean, losing socks is no problem whatsoever. Everyone does that, because the dryer is an evil thing and it likes to eat them. That's normal, but I've been known to have white shirts turn funky tie-dyed colors, and clothes come out about ten sizes too small."
She groaned when he pulled back on her hair a little harder than she was normal to. "Easy on it, buddy. My head is very sensitive. You don't know how to do your own laundry? Most simple thing in the world. Look, I'll make you a deal. You've helped me more than enough. Why don't you get together whatever you need to wash, and when I come back, I'll do it for you. Just don't be surprised if a pair of underwear is missing and it shows up on eBay because I need some money, baby."
Laughing, he put down the brush and pulled the elastic off of his wrist. "Really? I'm warning you, some of it might scare you off."
Her eyes rolled up in her head to look at him, but it didn't do much good. "I do my brother's laundry all the time. Nothing can scare me. Trust me on this, Chris. You do understand that this is going to be the only time that I do this, though, right?" He murmured approval as he wrapped the elastic around her hair one more time, and let it go with a snap. "You're done already? Austin used to take hours to put my hair up in a ponytail."
"Your brother may put your hair in a normal ponytail, but mine looks cool. I know, I'm the best, and I'll bow just as soon as I get up. It sucks being old."
"If I say that I'm old, then you're over the hill," she said with a giggle, going into the bathroom to look at her hair. "Okay, you're coming home with me in my suitcase, and you can do my hair every single morning, because this looks so cool." Her hand came up and felt the pieces of hair that were sticking out. It was her usual half twist ponytail, but she hadn't asked him to do it, because she didn't think that he would be able to. "I owe you so much," she said as she came back in.
By then, he had stood up. "No, because you're doing my laundry, which is perfectly fine with me. I'll owe you after that." He checked his watch and grinned. "Well, Jace should be here in about ten minutes. Are you ready?"
Her eyes widened, and she ran back into the bathroom, reaching for her perfume. "I'll be done by then, but I'm definitely not ready. I never even noticed the time." She put on a little perfume and reached for her lip gloss, putting on some of that before slipping the tube into her front pocket. Coming back into the bedroom, she opened her wallet and took out the few bills inside, pushing them into her back pocket. "Now I'm ready."
"Good, because he's here," Chris said as a car horn sounded from the driveway. "Have a good time, and be sure to tell me every little single thing that happened when you get back." As she ran by, he kissed the top of her head.
Brooklyn went down the stairs and stopped long enough to push her feet into a pair of thong sandals before taking her sunglasses from her purse and slipping them over her eyes as she ran out the door. "Hey," she called, opening up the passenger side door and slipping into the seat. "What's up?" she asked, leaning over to kiss his cheek quickly.
JC looked at her like she was crazy for a moment before his face melted into an almost shy grin. "Not much. You look great, New York."
A flush appeared in her face and she looked down at her lap. "Thank you," she said quietly, reaching for the seatbelt. He started to pull away and down the street as she relaxed in her seat, looking around. "So, do you know where we're going, or are we just going to drive around until we find some place?" she asked with a small laugh.
He looked over quickly with a smile. "There's this little place downtown that I was planning on taking you. They've got some of the best desserts in town, and I know how much you love your chocolate," he added with a full fledged grin, turning the corner.
The ride to the restaurant was quiet, save for the wind that rushed past the open top. JC pulled onto the busy street and saw a parking space in front of the small cafe. Brooklyn laughed as he parked the car. "I don't know how you can do that," she said, as she opened up her door. "I only failed one thing on my driver's test and that was parallel parking. I have no clue how ANYONE can park like that. It's just not possible."
Rounding the car, she waited until he met her and they started to walk towards the restaurant. "It's not that hard, New York. Austin hasn't taught you how to do that yet?"
She started to laugh harder than before. "Austin has absolutely no patience when it comes to my driving. My boyfriend at the time got his father to teach me how to drive, because no one could handle me except for him. It was definitely a strange experience, but he was never good at parallel parking, either."
JC just shook his head and asked if it was possible for the two of them to be seated outside. He pulled the bill of the baseball cap that he was wearing down a little further as they took their seats on the sidewalk, taking the menus from the waitress. "I shouldn't be so surprised that you're not good at that. Your driving is really bad. No offense or anything," he added with a chuckle.
She smirked and hit his arm lightly. "You're such a comedian today. Haven't you ever noticed that I usually use a regular parking lot? I avoid parallel parking at all costs. I'd rather pay a ten dollar parking fee at a lot than park in the street. I thought that everyone knew that."
"You learn something new every day, New York." She nodded slowly, her sunglass covered eyes sliding over the menu quickly before she turned it over and looked at the selections of desserts. "Uh...you do know that people usually eat actual food before they get dessert, right?"
Her eyes came back up, and she looked completely innocent. "Yeah, but when I eat, I'm so full that I never want dessert, so if I really want something that's gooey and chocolate filled, I should get that first before food, right? It makes sense. At least, it makes sense to me."
He laughed at her twisted logic. No matter what, she had to try and get her way. "In your own twisted way, yes, it does make sense, but most people would disagree. Then again, most people don't know you the way that I do."
A playful smile danced on her lips as she looked back up. He was sure that if she took off her sunglasses, her eyes would be sparkling with their usual mischievous light. If he didn't know better, he would think that she was flirting with him. In fact, he was pretty sure that that was what she was doing. "And just how well do you know me, Mr. Chasez?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Hm...that's a hard one to judge. I'd say that I know you pretty well. Better than most people, but I'm starting to think that maybe I don't know you as well as I'd like to." It was a statement that could be taken many different ways, but they both took it the same way. There was no mistaking the underlying message in the words that he had spoken, and she was more than happy to hear them.
"Really," she started, rather dryly, before taking a sip out of the glass of water on the table in front of her. "But if you didn't know that I don't like to parallel park, then you probably don't know me as well as you think, never mind how much you would like to know me."
He nodded. She was pulling out all the stops this afternoon, and he could see them plain as day. JC was more than willing to play along with her little game. "True, but not every man has had the same experiences with you that I've had."
She whistled under her breath. "Since when did we start to talk about men, instead of people in general. I think you're losing track of the conversation here. You might want to back up a little and re-think your words."
"Believe me, that was exactly what I meant."
"You don't mind, do you? It's just easier than calling someone to pick me up. Besides, I think that Mia said she had something to discuss with you. I'm completely lost to everything. She wants to talk to me, she wants to talk to you. Hell, she wanted to talk to Chris one day, so you know that she has to be a little desperate." Brooklyn smiled brightly and readjusted her glasses before getting back into the passenger seat. "Whenever anyone wants to talk to Chris, they have to be desperate."
JC raised his eyebrows as he started the engine before he looked over at her. "May I remind you that you were the one that wanted to talk to Chris quite a bit recently?" he asked her, blinking innocently.
A shadow passed over her smile before it brightened again. "Let's just say that I was a desperate woman, and that it doesn't happen very often," she added, crossing her arms and slouching a little. "I can't believe that you would throw that back in my face, anyway."
"I'm not throwing anything back in your face, but you have to admit that you've been hanging around with him a lot recently."
Why was she getting a sinking feeling about this conversation, she wondered as he pulled away from the curb and joined the heavy traffic flow. Her eyes turned towards the road, watching it and the people walking on the sidewalk, rush by. She had become quite good at reading his expressions and body language, but she didn't like what it was saying to her now. All that was missing was one thing, but it was sure to come pretty soon.
"Is there something that you would like to ask me or tell me, because I'm really not in the mood to play Twenty Questions right now. I probably wouldn't even come close after that piece of absolute Heaven that I just ate. I'm still euphoric over that one." A laugh masked her nervousness, and she turned her head to look at him, her good hand resting lightly on her cast.
His lips pursed as he thought about it, and she couldn't help but admit to herself that it looked absolutely adorable. She had to stop herself many times from reaching out to rest her fingers against the pouting lips. Just the thought of doing that made her turn away and inhale sharply. He could get under her skin without even trying, and she was wondering what it would be like if he was really intent on doing that. Brooklyn thought that she probably wouldn't be able to survive it.
But he was still silent for a little while before letting the pout melt away and answered her question. "Maybe," he said evasively. His eyes flicked over to her, but this wasn't a game anymore. They had finished playing the game, and this was real life. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
"Maybe yes, maybe no," she said with a fake French accent. "Great, so that means...what? That you do or you don't have something to ask or tell me. Come on, JC. You've never had a problem saying anything to me before, so you shouldn't have a problem with it now."
His eyes stayed on the road, but his hands tightened on the steering wheel. She looked over when she saw that, and again, she felt the desire to reach out and touch him. It was almost like something inside her was craving for that as she watched him do something completely normal. His actions may have been completely normal, but her actions weren't going to be so normal for her if she let her mind tell her what to do.
Instead, she took a deep breath, and left her hands in her lap, trying not to look at him. Even if it was pretty hard not to look at someone like him. "You obviously don't understand as well as you pretend to, because if you did, you would know that I do have problems telling you certain stuff. I just happen to be able to hide that from you, and when I can ask you or tell you something, I do. It's just that I need to get the nerve up to do it."
"You know, I'm not going to be a bitch and use my cast as a weapon or anything. This isn't professional wrestling. I'm going to attack you for speaking your mind...whatever may be on your mind."
"And there's a hell of a lot on it at that," he added, staring ahead still. His hands loosened a bit, and his tense shoulders relaxed. Brooklyn made the mistake of looking over at him again, and this time she couldn't control herself as well as she had hoped. An almost strangled sigh sounded from her, causing him to look over. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Her eyes shut and she shook her head. "Oh, there's nothing wrong. There's a lot that's right, but not wrong. No, DEFINITELY not wrong." Her face turned back towards the other side and she allowed the wind to hit her cheeks, cooling them quickly. "Uh...you were going to say something, I believe," she added, trying to smile. Trying but not succeeding.
Again came the hand tightening and the shoulder tensing. Brooklyn sighed again, and smirked. "You know, I got into a pretty nasty fight yesterday, so I don't want to get into one again. Although, I think the tactic that he tried to use last night would probably work now." She noticed his look and her mouth dropped open. "Oh, I SO did not say that. Why do I always do this to myself? My foot always ends up in my mouth somehow and...I'm just going to shut up now."
JC nodded. "That would probably be best, I would think. I'm not even going to ask what you meant by that. All I want to know is why you and Chris got into a fight?"
She shrugged. "We learned not to mix PMS and annoyance. It just does not work. Not a big surprise, I guess."
"Yeah, a little more than I wanted to know."
"You asked."
If Brooklyn had been trying to avoid the subject the day before, JC was taking a try at it now. It just wasn't working as well as it had for her, not that it had worked that great for her, either. His tactic was the same as hers. Ask as many questions as possible, and then defend your opinion. It was a fool proof way to go about it...unless the other person was used to playing the same card.
They seemed to be just going around in circles, and that wasn't what she had planned for the day. Even the silence in the car was beginning to get to her, but she didn't want to turn on the radio. They were supposed to be talking, discussing what had happened, but both of them had to be stubborn.
Now the wind roared in her ears, but it was no help. Tapping her finger on her thigh, she looked towards him a few times before she couldn't help it anymore. "Damn it, would you just say something already?" she exclaimed, before rubbing her forehead. "I'm sorry, but PMS is a real bitch," she mumbled, wishing that the ground would just open up and swallow her.
"What do you want me to say, Brooklyn? I don't know what you want to hear, and I'm not exactly a mind reader." His patience was worn more than thin. It was practically non-existent. All of it had been growing inside of him, and it was about time it came out. He just wished that she wasn't around to take the brunt of it.
She set her jaw just as he pulled into the parking lot, and shut off the car. "You're the one that has something to tell me, but no, you have to keep quiet about it. Do you know how much this annoys me when you do this?" The gloves were coming off, and Brooklyn was ready to fight. All that was missing as the opening bell ringing. "I cannot STAND it when you get like this."
With a frustrated sound coming from her, she tore at her seatbelt, letting it fly backwards. "I'm confused. Is it that you can't stand my attitude right now or the fact that you can't stand me? Because I'm starting to wonder what your intentions are here. You've got me so completely confused that I barely know my own name. What's it going to be, Brooklyn? You have to make a decision soon, don't you?"
Her eyes narrowed as he leaned closer to her. "Isn't your attitude and you one and the same at this point? It sure as hell seems to be. I have never seen you so...so...cranky in the entire time that I've known you. My God, did you miss nap time or something? Need your diaper changed." Her hand hit the handle for the door and she pushed it open before slamming it shut.
When he didn't move, she sighed and stomped her foot. "Are you coming or what? Need I remind you that you're supposed to talk to Mia today? You can stand her up if you want, but don't think that I'm going to protect you. There is no way that I'm going to drag your ass out of the fire."
She spun around and started stalking towards the back entrance. JC sighed and pulled the key out of the ignition, locking the car up and setting the alarm before running after her. "Don't think that you're going to walk away from me this time. I'm not going to let this go, Brooklyn."
As the door opened, she looked at him. "Don't call me Brooklyn. You know that I hate that name."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that it would bother you that much, BROOKLYN." She lengthened her stride as she started towards the stage, and sighed impatiently, wishing that the day would just end. Things had been going so well ever since she had woken up, and in the span of ten minutes...the day had gone completely sour. "Are you trying to get away from me?"
"If only I could," she shot back, not bothering to look as he matched her stride, and looked over. "Look, can you put a little distance between us, please? Not only am I about to crash into a wall, but I don't want the ignorance and stupidity germs that seem to have invaded your body to enter mine."
He knew what would piss her off at that moment, and a grin spread on his face as he whistled. "And what a FINE body it is at that."
Brooklyn rounded the corner and started towards Mia, who was standing in the middle of the stage, screaming at someone as usual. "Would you just shut up?" she asked. Her eyes rolled when she noticed another person standing on the stage beside Mia. A person that she really didn't want to see at the moment. Chris. "This day just keeps getting better and better. I'm sorry that I haven't set foot in a church for decades, but do you really have to punish me this much at once?" she asked, directing her eyes skyward.
"There's my girl! You wouldn't believe how hard this job actually is. Joe just HAD to break his leg, skiing, didn't he? He's in the hospital, and I'm stuck being the temporary manager for the moment. Just great." Mia turned around and took a good look at the two of them. "Okay, what was the name of the hurricane and why did it attack you?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
JC smiled coldly. "I believe that the hurricane's name would be Brooklyn, and she seems to have some problem with me at the moment, not that I mind at all." She shot him another bad look. "I also have no clue why she attacked me. I don't think she knows this, but her eyes just look SO incredible when she's mad."
"SHUT UP!" she shouted, her voice ringing through the almost empty stage. "Would you just stop it? Damn it, leave me alone. Were you able to understand that, or should I show you what I mean."
"I just tremble at the thought of you touching me."
Her hands were thrown up in the air. "That's it, I'm out of here. Mia, reschedule, because I am NOT in the mood to do this today, all right?"
Chris walked closer to Mia and grinned when a thought entered his mind. This was absolutely perfect. "Hey, can you keep them both here while I go backstage for a second? I saw something in the props box that might help those two." She nodded and waved him away.
Both of their yelling could still be heard as he stopped at a table lining the wall and started to dig through the objects inside. He and Mia had taken the time, while waiting for Brooklyn, to look through anything they could to get rid of their boredom. Something had caught his attention, and he didn't know why they were there, but who was he to mess with destiny, he figured as he pulled them out and looked around for the piece that he shouldn't forget.
The first thing that he had picked up was pushed into the waistband of his jeans in the back, while the other object went in his pocket before he went back on the stage. He stood behind the two of them and waved at Mia, grinning again. He reached behind him and pulled it out, making sure they were open before making his move.
Brooklyn and JC both yelped when they felt cold metal hit their wrists, and they looked down incredulously. Both of their hands had been down at their sides, and that was the big mistake. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked Chris, turning her head to see him. She tried to turn around the whole way, but she ended up stumbling towards JC. Not wanting to actually touch him, she stopped and stepped away again.
"I just thought that since you guys had spent so much time apart that you would want to be as close to each other as possible," he said with an innocent smile, reaching into his pocket. Two silver keys dangled in front of them. "And guess you has the only keys that will release you."
Mia laughed and looked between the two. "This should be interesting. Oh, and by the way, Brooke? I'm not canceling your practice, but it looks like JC is going to have to hang around for a little while. I hope you don't mind, but it doesn't look like you have a say in the matter."
JC shook his head quickly. "Oh, no. You can't do this. Did you ever happen to think about what happens later? I mean, we have to sleep sometime."
"Sleep together."
"Eat?"
"Eat together."
"Drive?"
"Now that's a problem, but I can cover it. I'll just take these...don't get any ideas," Mia said, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out his car keys. "We'll put your car in with the trucks, but it's going to have to stay there until...well...until Chris and I see fit to release you, and you know that we never agree on anything."
A horrified look spread on her face as she looked over at JC. "Uh...what about the bathroom? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to have him standing in the bathroom while I'm sitting on the toilet. MIA, I swear to God, I'm going to fire you if you don't make Chris unlock us RIGHT NOW."
She smiled and cocked her hip to the side, putting her hand on it. "Too bad. That is, it's too bad that you don't employ me. I don't work FOR you. I work WITH you. And you know that Joe would never fire me. Looks like you're stuck. I'm sure that Chris can figure something out for bathroom breaks."
It was almost like a light bulb went on over JC's head. "But I have to go to the bathroom right now," he said slowly, looking over at Chris.
"Nice try," he said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "I happen to know that you can hold it for at least ten hours if you have to. You know, this is going to be kind of interesting, since Brooke has practice right now."
Brooklyn brought her hand up and smacked herself on the forehead, causing JC to do the same. "I happen to be an adult, Chris. You can't do this to me. I could very easily call the police, you know that, right? You CANNOT lock me up to someone against my will, and believe me when I say that being locked to this ass is the last place that I want to be right now."
He shook his head slowly. "Sorry, guys, but this is for your own good. I'm not going to listen to you guys fight."
She rolled her eyes when the band came on stage, and she stood still while someone came to put her headset on her. "Fine, whatever. I don't really care anymore." She started to walk away, but was pulled back when JC didn't move at all. "Damn it, COME ON. I have a job to do, you know," she snapped before pulling him along again.
"Are you two kids being good back there?" Chris asked, chuckling as he turned around to look at Brooklyn and JC sitting on the seat behind his.
Both heads turned away from the opposite windows that they were looking at, and he noticed the look of pure anger they directed towards him. "Shut up, Chris!" they both shouted at the same time. He started to laugh harder when he noticed that they were doing everything at the same time.
He turned around and shut off the engine, opening his door. "Come on. Jace, you're going to have to stay here tonight, because there is no way that I'm not going to be around for this. You may hate me now, but you're going to fall at my feet and thank me for this."
"Sure," JC muttered. "I'm really going to thank you for forcing me to be around this...bitch." Brooklyn spun around and kicked his leg soundly before pulling him to get towards the door. "Damn it, what are you trying to do to me," he asked, rubbing his leg with his un-cuffed hand before following.
"Don't give me that crap," she snapped, as they walked in the front door. "You're the one that asked for it." She kicked off her sandals and tried to cross her arms as he took off his sneakers. "Can't you hurry up just a little bit? I don't want to be standing here for another hour, you know. I need to take a bath and change, so...CHRIS!" she yelled towards the kitchen, where he had disappeared.
He came around the corner and looked at the two of them, laughing. "You bellowed, my dear Brooke?"
Her eyes rolled for what seemed like the millionth time that hour. "I have to take a bath. I don't exactly enjoy being all sweaty, and I need to change clothes. Now I am not going to take a shower with this ass, so you have to figure out how we're supposed to do this."
Scratching his head, he looked between the two of them. "I have it figured out. Come on," he said, beckoning them up to her bedroom. The two of them followed, grumbling under their breath as they walked in the door. "Go stand over there," he said, pointing to the side of the head board. Once they were there, he took the key out of his pocket and held onto Brooklyn's wrist as he unlocked them. Before either of them could move, he snapped the empty cuff around one of the poles of the head board and grinned. "Get your clothes together, go take your bath, and when you come back out, I'll be waiting to put you two together again. You haven't made up yet, so we're stuck with each other," he added with a shrug.
She snatched her wrist away from him and stalked over to the suitcase in the corner, pulling out a pair of pajamas to wear for the night. "And just what does it take for us to make up, I wonder. I'm only asking because I don't want to be stuck to his side for the rest of my life."
"It's simple, guys. You've heard of the phrase, kiss and make up, right? That's exactly what I'm looking for."
They looked at each other before back at Chris. "Not on your life."
Chapter Twenty One
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