“NO!!!” I scream after the retreating car which holds the guy I’ve chosen. He doesn’t hear me and I sink to my knees on the tarmaced drive, watching him disappear from my life forever.
“Jade?” somebody asks from behind me and I look round. “Did you think I’d gone?” he asks.
“Brian,” I murmur, tears falling down my cheeks.
“I haven’t gone,” he states the obvious and walks over to gently pull me up. “It’s only 10.15am. My car doesn’t go until 11.”
“Oh,” I whisper as he pulls me into his arms.
“I take it you’re coming with me?” he asks softly, holding me tightly.
“Yeah,” I murmur, burying my face in his clothes. JC has gone, he left me and Brian is the one standing here. JC will never know how close I came to being with him and neither will Brian. I look up at him and sniff slightly. “It was always going to be you baby.”
“I wasn’t sure,” he admits. “But I hoped.”
“I do love you,” I tell him and kiss his soft lips. “And I’ve missed you lately. Not having you hold me in your arms as I tell you about my day, and listen to you talk about the day you’ve had. I love you Brian and I am so sorry for hurting you. I never realised I was doing until you told me. And kissing JC, that meant nothing at all. I mean you kissed Farrah and that meant nothing too so maybe you’ll understand that one day. I was incredibly dumb to throw away our relationship and I wish I could go back in time…”
“Would you have said yes?” he asks quietly and I look at him. He has tears in his eyes which makes me start to cry again.
“God yes,” I whisper.
“Then marry me,” he says simply. I stare at him and he touches my face gently. “I love you Jade and all I want to do is marry you, to put this whole thing behind us. I can’t live without you. This last month has been hell. Sure, you hurt me but it hurts a helluva lot more bein’ without you.”
“I am so sorry I hurt you Brian.”
“Then make it right Jade,” he whispers and winds his fingers through my hair so that our heads rest against each other’s.
“Brian, will you marry me?” I murmur, tears falling down my face.
His reply is a long tear-stained kiss. After a while, he takes my hand and leads me to his room.
Nick knocks on Brian’s door. He has gotten into the habit of going down to meals every day with Brian in an attempt to make him feel less alone. He knocks again before Brian finally opens the door. His eyes are dark and his hair is sticking up all over the place. He looks like he hasn’t slept all night and Nick smothers a sigh. He really thought Brian had moved on a little from the not-being-able-to-sleep part of breaking up. Obviously not.
“Hey dude, ready to go eat?” he asks and Brian chuckles slightly.
“Do I LOOK ready?” he looks down at his bathrobe.
“Uh, I guess not but I can wait,” Nick offers and Brian shakes his head.
“I’m gonna give breakfast a miss I think.”
“Ya can’t dude!” Nick exclaims. “It’s the most important meal of the day…”
“Yes mom,” Brian interrupts with a grin.
“And I don’t wanna think of you gettin’ all down up here alone…” he stops when he realises Brian is chuckling. “You’re all…happy… Why are you happy?” he asks.
“One guess,” Brian says, opening the door a little further so that Nick can see into the room.
“Wha?” Nick starts off but then realises there’s somebody under the white sheets on Brian’s bed. “Aw man, ya didn’t?” he groans.
“It’s Jade ya dumbass!” Brian exclaims with a burst of laughter.
“It is?!” Nick’s eyes widen and he breaks out into a slow smile. “’Bout time too bro!”
“So, if ya’ll excuse me…”
“Of course!” Nick grins and backs out of the doorway as Brian closes the door behind him. He had got it all wrong. Instead of being in the not-being-able-to-sleep part of breaking up, Brian is in the not-being-able-to-sleep part of making up and that is infinitely better.
“Where’s Brian?” asks Kevin when Nick finally reaches the breakfast table.
“With Jade,” Nick grins. “They made up.”
“They did?” Howie asks and then grins. “Awesome.”
“Finally!” AJ exclaims and then rolls his eyes. “Thank God, I was thinkin’ I’d have to beat Jade’s ass. They’re kinda like Oreos – they go together like the white stuff and the cookie,” he adds. “Not sure which one is the white stuff though…” he muses and then realises everybody is staring at him. “What? I think it’s kinda poetic.”
“Whatever,” Kevin throws him a look and then sighs. “But if they’re back together for good, I’m glad. He was a total wreck without her. But she BETTER treat him good,” he adds darkly and the rest of the table agree.
“Yup, and if I EVER see that JC again…” Nick scowls and then brightens up. “So I’m guessin’ they’re grabbing a little alone time in his room this morning.”
“Okies,” AJ says. “Lucky white stuff.”
“Okies, so we’re flying to LA at 2pm,” Kevin says pulling out the tour itinerary. “And we have to film a couple of TV appearances from 7pm onwards. It’s gonna be a crazy day with the concert at the end of it, but at least we got the next day off.”
“Yay,” Nick says. “It’s Vegas soon too right?”
“Next week,” Kevin says.
“Man, I’m gonna gamble my life away,” grins Nick excitedly.
“Ali might have somethin’ to say about that,” said AJ wryly.
“Ali might find herself bein’ put up as a bet if she’s not REAL nice to me,” Nick grins.
I lie in Brian’s bed and listen to him moving around in the bathroom and smile. I have missed this stuff. Even the dumb stuff like the way he always leaves the cap off the toothpaste. He walks into the bedroom and smiles when he sees that I’m watching him. He climbs back onto the bed and wraps me up in his arms, kissing along my neck softly as I cover his hands with mine.
“Mornin’ honey,” I say.
“Afternoon almost,” he grins and I check the clock.
“Wow, where’d the morning go?” I smile. “I guess we should go down. The car’ll be here soon.”
“Uh huh,” he nods but makes no move to stand up. We have spent the last couple of hours just kissing and hugging in his room. “You know where we are next week?” he suddenly asks, rolling me over in his arms as that we are facing each other.
“Nup.”
“Vegas baby!” he says excitedly.
“Chill!” I giggle. “What’s the big thing about Vegas?”
“It’s crazy… It’s always open… Elvis impersonators… Casinos… Wedding chapels…” he grins and reaches for my hand. “Marry me in Vegas Jady.”
“Wha-?!” I stare at him, too shocked to even finish that one very simple word.
“I love you Jade Greene,” he sits up and gazes seriously into my eyes. He leans forward and kisses me gently. “I love you and I want to marry you already. Put this whole thing behind us.”
“B-b-but Vegas…” I stutter.
“Yeah, Vegas. Jade, I want to marry you next week. Nobody else there – just you and me. And then when we finish this tour we can go to Atlanta or Lexington and have a big ol’ church blessing for all our family and friends. They’d never have to know that we’re already married. And we’d have two anniversaries each year – one just for us.”
“Why not wait then?”
“Why should we?” he asks with a smile. “I wanna wake up with my wife every morning – starting from next week. Vegas would be just for you, and me, and God. Nobody else. Not ever. That’s the way it should be.”
I stare at him, not sure what to think or to say. I like the idea, I really do. But I’m kinda worried about what my family would do to me should they ever find out. My mom is the sweetest lady alive but boy could she pack a mean left hook. I look into the eyes of the man sitting in front of me and I know my answer. Jay was right – JC could never have come anywhere close to what Brian means to me.
“Next week isn’t soon enough,” I whisper in his ear. “But I guess I can wait.”
I leave Brian to finish his packing and go to say goodbye to Britney. She’s flying to Tampa this afternoon to hang out with her girlfriends. I knock on her door and she lets me in.
“Hey girl,” she smiles and throws herself across the bed. “I only just woke up and I am still tired!”
“Lazy,” I laugh. “I haven’t got long – the car will be here in a few minutes.”
“You chose Brian huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Y’know, I never really thought you wouldn’t,” she admits and sits up. “I know JC turned your head but you and Brian are so good together.”
“But you seemed to be rooting for JC.”
“I had to!” she laughs. “You had all the Boys rooting for Brian on one side so I figured I’d try and make it even. That way you end up making the choice on your own agenda instead of getting swayed.”
“Well, thanks. For coming out here,” I smile and hug her. “It meant a lot to me.”
“No problem. Just do the same for me one day?”
“Of course!” I promise her and she grins.
A BIG thank you to the fan who wrote about Oreos and white stuff in the Jade/Brian/JC poll! It made me laugh and sounded like a total AJ thing to say. You rock girl!