Chapter Thirty Two, Continued
Okay, so this wasn’t supposed to be here. I really didn’t have it in me to write this part, but after taking quite a long break from the long and drawn out saga of Brooklyn and JC, I came back and finished the story (due to popular demand and so many people telling me that they didn’t like the ending). Now THIS is why I like constructive criticism. If you’re reading the story for the first time, all the way through, you didn’t miss out on anything. If you’re just reading this part, I’m sorry for the delay, and I hope that you enjoy!
“I don’t understand, Joey. He wants to talk to me outside? Why?”
His hands flew up in the air. “How the hell should I know? I’m not the producer in the group. That’s your role. I’m just the devastatingly handsome one. Maybe it’s a secret or something,” he added in a lower voice before snorting sarcastically. “I really don’t care, but he’s big and has plenty of muscles. The last thing I want to do is piss off someone like that, so I’ve grabbed you and I will deliver you.”
“Into sure death, of course,” JC muttered. “What if I have to say no to him? I’ll get the crap kicked out of me, and you walk away without a scratch. I don’t particularly like this situation. Did you even get a name?”
His eyes rolled. “When do I ever remember the names, anyway? Just... go,” he said, putting a hand on his back and pushing him through the doors that led to the balcony. He shut the doors and turned his back, leaning against them with a grin. “Oh, he’s going to hate me. So why am I enjoying this so much?”
JC sighed and turned around, ready to open his mouth and introduce himself when everything froze for a moment. Then, like nothing happened, he started to move.
He backed away when he saw her standing there, looking over the balcony. Always a balcony. The one thing that had been the scene of their break-up was always in his mind. It was like a movie that just wouldn’t end. A record that wouldn’t stop skipping. It replayed the same thing over and over. When Brooklyn had thrown down her necklace and bracelet, the two things that he had given her, and told him that it might give him a good reason for leaving her. At her brother’s wedding, no less. “Brooklyn?” he asked, barely above a whisper. Oh, Lord, his voice wouldn’t work, and she wouldn’t hear him. She wouldn’t hear him, and she wouldn’t know that he was there.
But she turned. She had heard. “Please don’t call me that.” What was he supposed to call her, then? Her head shook. “Hi, I’m the elusive producer with lots of muscles. I’d flex for you, if it would help, but you probably wouldn’t believe me, anyway,” she said, smiling lightly. His head turned towards the door and saw Joey standing there. “I know you think that we don’t have anything to say to each other, but-”
“There are no buts here anymore, Brooklyn. We DON’T have anything to say to each other. We’ve both said our piece and that’s all there is to it. Besides, you made yourself quite clear last time. Didn’t you tell me to leave you alone before you called the police?” he asked. The bitterness creeped into his voice again. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t show her just so how much she had hurt him. That would be a victory for her, and damned if he was going to let her have it.
She looked down. “But you didn’t hear what I said to myself when I went inside and closed the door. Maybe, if you had...”
“Maybe, if I had, I would have seen that I had been dating a psychopath the whole time? Is that what you were going to say?”
Her head shook. “My God, listen to you. You’re putting things so far out of proportion, it isn’t even funny,” she exclaimed, a flush starting to rise in her cheeks.
He couldn’t help a sarcastic laugh. “Excuse me? I’m the one that’s putting things out of proportion. May I remind you of every single thing that you said and every single thing that you did to me after you found out? You went completely ballistic, and didn’t even give me a chance to explain myself. You just jumped to your own conclusions. Now, I suppose, you’re trying to explain.” She nodded slowly. “Then it’s my turn to jump to conclusions. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Yes, you do. I can see it in your eyes, JC. Don’t turn away from me this time. I can’t...can’t have you turn away. Not again. I need this more than you could ever imagine.”
“What Brooklyn wants, Brooklyn gets, I suppose. Not that much of a surprise, if you ask me. Let me guess, this is just another thing that you have to make go your way, regardless of anyone else.”
Her hands flew into the air. “Do you want me to say that I’m egotistical? That I only care about myself? Let me tell you something, Joshua Scott Chasez, EVERYONE is egotistical to a degree. EVERYONE cares about only themselves at one point. So, yes, maybe it seems like I’m only looking out for myself, but the truth is, I’m trying to stop so many people from hurting, it’s not even God damned funny. You just can’t SEE the truth because your head is so far up your ass, it isn’t even funny.”
He faked a yawn and looked over at her. “Wait, I know what’s going to happen next. You’re going to tell me that you feel so bad, so horrible, that you just HAD to come and apologize. Right? And then you want to know if you’re going to have a chance at...what is it...finding your Prince Charming and having him carry you back to the palace. How close am I, Brooklyn.”
“So far off base, it isn’t even funny. Of course, that should be obvious. It’s not like I’m laughing or anything,” she shot back with as much anger as possible. “What is wrong with you, JC? You were so big on trying to get me to talk to you and trying to make this right...and now you’re...you’re someone that I don’t even know.”
His head shook quickly, as he shot her a smile. Definitely not the smile that made her weak in the knees and made her want to get ahold of him and never let go. It wasn’t that smile. And she was starting to think that she would never see that smile again. “Sorry, sweetheart, but this is me. This is me pissed off because of the way that you were treating me like a piece of trash. Oh, did that offend you? I was hoping that it would.” She just shook her head, not comprehending what he was trying to do. “Forget it, not everything is going your way, and this is one thing that definitely isn’t going your way. Yeah, I was big on us getting back together, but you decided that it wasn’t worth your time. So, I’ve moved on. Sorry, Brooklyn. You’re gone.”
“I can’t believe you,” she whispered fiercely, knowing that if she had allowed herself to say the words any louder, she would have been shouting them out for everyone...or whoever was in hearing distance...to listen to. “I can’t believe what a self-centered bastard you’re being. I thought...” She couldn’t allowed herself to finish the sentence. Not that she could have, anyway. Her throat was so choked with tears that she couldn’t force the words out.
“You thought...what? That I was perfect? Because you were wrong with that. That I was totally committed to you? That may have been true, but not anymore. That I loved you?” She nodded at the first chance that she had, watching as he slowly smiled. “You killed that, Brooklyn. It was your own damned fault, so don’t look towards me to make you feel any better. I’ve done that enough already, and to tell you the truth, I’m sick of being around such a dependent person that cries twenty four hours a day.”
Her eyes narrowed and she stalked towards him, her heels slamming down on the ground. “You God damned, son of a bitch, rat bastard, mother fu-”
“Uh uh, now. There’s no need to call me names. Besides, you wouldn’t want me to start that, would you? We all know who would come out on top.”
Shaking with fury, she kept her arms down at her side, afraid that if she moved them, she would take a swing at him. Although, at this point, she told herself, she was sure to make it one hell of a good hit. One that he would never forget. “Sorry, I forgot to add self-centered, egotistical, snobbish, self-righteous-”
“Be nice now, Brooklyn. This isn’t like you.”
“PRICK! There, I said it. You’re a damned prick, that’s what you are.” She shook her head, making her hair fly around her head. “How DARE you talk down to me like that. I deserve a little more respect than that, and Lord knows that I will beat it out of you, if I have to. So, when you’re down on the ground, picking up your teeth and looking down at that puddle of blood that comes from me cutting your balls off, you sure as hell better mumble to me that you’re sorry. Are we understood?”
Almost regrettably, JC shook his head as he looked down at her. Too bad she didn’t realize that he was faking it until he started to talk. “Who would have ever thought that the sweet, innocent, little country girl would turn into something like this. Let me guess, you’re going to start working the street corner next. You sure have grown up in a little amount of time.”
Her chest started to heave as she tried to breathe. Tried to get some air into her, but she was so mad at that point, breathing wasn’t coming as easily as it should have. Finally, with a triumphant grin, she raised her foot and slammed down on his toes, being slightly shielded by his shoe. “For Christ’s sake!” he shouted.
“Don’t you ever call me that again, you ass. Next time I won’t just bust your toes. I’ll bust your ass while I’m at it.”
“I’d like to see you try,” he said roughly, just starting to put pressure on his foot.
“Ask Little Piggy numbers two and three if I can do it. That, alone, should tell you the answer.”
With a smile, he shook his head. “You know, I don’t get you, Brooklyn. You say that you wanted to talk to me, but the whole time, you’ve been screaming at me and arguing. Not to mention, ATTEMPTING to break my toes. I sure like your idea of talking.”
Her eyes rolled. “If your toes aren’t broken, let’s see you dance, Mr. Pop Star. Come on, just a simple little shuffle without wincing in pain.” Her head nodded when he never moved a muscle. “That’s what I thought. You can’t, can you?”
“I’m not answering to your every beck and call, Miss Turner. I decided to stop doing that a little while ago. It’s a damned good thing that I didn’t get attached to you. In fact, it’s easier to walk away from you than I thought it would be.” A smirk landed on his face. A smirk in place of the smile that she loved to look at. “Did that hurt, Brooklyn? It looks like it did. I can tell by the look on your face that it hurt you. And here I thought that you didn’t care.”
She took a few steps towards him and couldn’t stop her triumphant smile when he stepped backwards quickly, trying to get away from her feet and her high heels. “You want to talk attached? How about my foot and your ass. That sounds like a wonderful attachment, if you ask me.” Instantly, the smile dropped from her face as she looked at him. “You’re right. I can’t believe, that after screaming at you and listening to what you’ve been saying to me, I’ll telling you that you were right. I didn’t come out here to argue, and I most certainly didn’t come out here to shove my foot so far up your ass, I’d have to give myself a pedicure through your mouth...yeah, I didn’t mean to say that.”
His arms crossed and he leaned against the balcony, looking at her carefully. “Sure. I see the regret written all over your face.”
“Well, when you’re being this much of a bitch, then yes, I did mean to say it, but I didn’t MEAN it. Ugh, give me a second.” She turned and walked away from him, towards the glass doors. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and wished that she could just keep her damned mouth shut for once. When her eyes opened again, she saw him looking at her. Staring at her. His eyes...there just wasn’t words to explain what was in his eyes at that moment. All the emotions, and none of them anger. He was putting on a show for her. She smiled slowly when she realized that. He was putting on a show for her, because that was what he thought she wanted.
Turning back to face him, she took another breath before speaking again. “JC, I swear. I didn’t come out here to fight or anything remotely close. I came out here to apologize. For all the things that I said, and all the things I did. Just like...just like how you don’t mean them now, I didn’t mean them then.”
His eyebrows shot up quickly. “Really. Could have fooled me.”
“Stop trying to justify the fact that you’re acting like an ass. You know that you’re just itching to listen to me and then give in, but first you have to play the role that you think I want you to. Newsflash, Joshua Chasez. I don’t want you to. I was hoping that when you walked through those doors, you’d be the JC that I know. I suppose that was asking for a little much.”
“Most likely,” he murmured, looking down at his shoes. “Well, I’m out here, and it doesn’t look like I’m going to get in any time soon, so why don’t you just tell me, Brooklyn, and let me come to my own decision.”
She nodded slowly, and looked down, almost afraid to look at him. She had felt so strong, so in control during the whole thing, and now...she was afraid to look at his reaction to what she was going to say. “You scared me, JC,” she started softly. “More than one time. You scared me when you broke up with me that night. When...you left me on the balcony. I was scared because I...I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. You had become everything to me, as obsessive as it sounds. You were...no, ARE my everything. My heart, my soul, my dreams. Everything that I had cherished and believed in after so many years, it all changed that morning that I saw you sitting in the conference room at Curb. Just...I don’t even know WHY it hit me then, and I never understood it, but there it was, right in front of me. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, it hit me.”
Her back turned and she walked a few steps away from him, facing the railing of the balcony. She rested her hands on it and looked down at the plain silver rings she was wearing. “And when you told me about going to talk to Tim...God, I had never felt so scared in my life. Not betrayed, like I said. It’s just that I don’t admit it when I’m scared. I don’t like to admit to the fact that I’m scared, and I cover it up with something. I said that I was betrayed, but that’s not the truth. I felt so...I can’t even explain what it felt to know that there was someone that wanted to protect me. To try and protect me. You did that, and I knew it, but I was frightened beyond belief. He...he isn’t exactly someone that you want to invite over to dinner parties, you know? I wasn’t worried that you would become like him, or that you would even believe his lies. I just didn’t want to have you associate with that part of my life anymore. I’ve been trying to forget about it, and you just up and went to see him. To protect me, so that I wouldn’t go. The truth is, JC, I wasn’t going to go. I was going to contact my lawyer, have him contact Tim’s lawyer, and let the two of them have it out. I didn’t want to see him, but I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t do it. That I couldn’t face him, like I’ve wanted to all this time.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to him, her eyes sparkling with tears. “And that night that you came after me, that you wouldn’t leave without me talking to you. I was so scared because...in all the times that I had known someone, or dated someone, I’ve never felt so strong about a person. I’ve never had the multitude of these feelings before. The way that you cared for me, and loved me...it was scary. No one was supposed to feel that way about me. No one, at all. But you did. Why, I don’t know. It hurt me so bad to just turn away and leave you standing out there. It did. When I got in the house, I asked myself why I was such an idiot, why I couldn’t just take you back...and I didn’t know the answer. All I knew was that I needed you and loved you, but I couldn’t bring myself to get passed the fear that I had and just let go of everything.
“In a way, I’m trying to tell you that I’m passed all of that. I’ve gotten through it, and I know what I want.”
JC simply crossed his arms again and looked down. Anything so that he didn’t have to see the tears in her eyes. Anything so that he didn’t have to see the one that managed to escape and roll down her face. Anything...so that she couldn’t see the tears that had gathered in his own eyes and were threatening to fall. Never in his life had he heard such an impassioned speech, one that came straight from the heart, one that made him want to grab hold of her and never let go.
"I'm sorry that we lied to get you out here, JC, but would you have come out here if they had told you that I was out here?" she asked softly, looking down at the ground before back at him. He shook his head, and she sighed under her breath. "I'm sorry, but I...I just have to put an end to all of this. It has to end sometime, why can't it end now?"
There was a slight pause before he began to talk. "Are you telling me that you...you're apologizing? After all that time I spent talking with you, NOW you've decided to give me another chance?" Chuckling, he turned away and wiped at his eyes. They had already overflowed once, and he wasn't going to let that happen again. "I can't believe this."
"I...oh shit," she said under her breath. "I knew that my luck wasn't going to last much longer. JC, I just...I'm sorry. It's all I can tell Chris, and it's all that I can tell you. I'm sorry." Her head moved from side to side as she tried to decide what to do. "I guess I'll just leave. Can't say that I didn't try," she whispered, turning to leave. She had tried every single trick in the book, and nothing worked.
He cleared his throat, and she listened to him breathe for a moment. "What gets me is that you just expect me to take you back after all of this. You didn't do the same thing for me," he said, turning away from her. She paused and turned her head, watching his back move up and down with his breathing. "And the strange thing is...I can't think of letting you go again. I can't just let you walk away. So, what does that say for me?"
She smiled softly. "That means that you and I are going to leave this party, and go back to my hotel." Her smile turned into a devilish grin. "Oh, don't get the wrong idea in your head. I'm just saying that we have to go back because...I brought the bracelet and necklace with me. Austin put the necklace on me the first time, but there's no one other than you that I want to put it on me now. Would you mind?"
"One more...one last shot at this?" he asked.
She nodded. "One last shot. If it doesn't work out, we walk away as friends. If it does work out...you're going to have a hell of a time chasing me off."
With a laugh, he walked up to her and reached a hand to her face, brushing away her tears with the slightest caress. “I have a feeling that the friend thing that you mentioned is going to go flying straight out the window. I have a feeling that this is going to work.”
“Third time’s a charm, huh? I like the sound of that one. Besides, think of the fun Mia could have with writing up a statement about this.”
Finally, that smile. The smile that she had been dreaming about for what felt the longest time. The smile that could make her heart beat just a little faster, make a blush come to her face, make her feel like she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth, graced his face. She resisted the urge to reach out and run her fingers across his lips, to see what it felt like. To keep in her memory until the day that she might have a daughter falling in love, and she could tell her what it felt like to touch the smile of her true love. Of her soulmate.
His head dipped and caught her lips for a tender kiss, one that held all the promises and feelings in the world. One that made everything all right. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to do that again?” he asked her in the softest of whispers.
She grinned and titled her head. “About as long as I have, I’m sure. But you know, we can continue this in the hotel room. I feel kind of naked without my necklace and bracelet on.”
“Naked...interesting choice of words, when you put it together with hotel room. I think we can work on that, New York.” As soon as he had said that, the smile wouldn’t leave her face. That name made it all come to an end, she knew that for sure, as did he. “You know, just to be on the safe side, I’m going to make you a promise.”
Her eyebrows raised as she looked over at him. “Really? Now this REALLY sounds interesting. What kind of promise?”
“Never to piss you off again. You have a mean slap.”
Her head fell back as she started to laugh. “Oh, that’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard, Joshua Scott Chasez, but it’ll work, for now.”
Epilogue
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