* * * * *
Oops. "I totally forgot mom, I'm so sorry!" he replied, remembering the note on the door.
"Jackie, let the boy breathe. Get your lazy butt over here and give me a hug!" his father, Harold boomed.
He saluted. "Yes sir!"
Jackie smiled as she too embraced him. "I'm sorry to jump all over you. We just missed you, that’s all."
"I'm really sorry mom, I just forgot to leave a note I guess . . . I don’t know." He sat down across from his parents on the couch and sighed. "It sure is great to be home!"
"I can only imagine . . . Of idle curiosity where were you?" his mother asked.
"Out."
Harold laughed. "He’s not in junior high anymore Jackie. We don’t have to check up on him."
She laughed. "Well, I'm glad you got my note. Nick seemed pretty insistent on you calling that girl." He yawned, anxious to avoid any questions.
"If you two don’t mind I'm going to go to sleep. I'm exhausted, and this is my first day back," Brian faked.
"Sure," they agreed.
"Love you," he replied, walking up the stairs. "Goodnight!" Brian smiled remembering the way Malia’s eyes had sparkled as she had slipped inside. What would Nick say right now? 'I told you so!' And he's justified, Brian thought. That’s the annoying part. Nick Carter knows me better than I know myself! He shuddered at the idea.
* * * * *
"You're welcome. I'm just glad you aren’t sick of me," he replied. "What time should I pick you up tomorrow?"
"Oh shoot! You mean I didn’t tell you?" Malia bit her lip.
"Tell me what?" He pulled into a parking space.
"Tomorrow is my birthday and Julie invited Megan and I down to New York, just to have some fun and catch up. So I won’t be back, let’s see today’s Friday, Monday night, around midnight at the earliest." She opened the door. "I'm sorry. It just slipped my mind." He followed her up to her apartment. For the time being they had avoided another confrontation like the one on last Friday night. Doing ordinary things like going to the movies, the mall, and just talking had helped build a friendship. Aside from a few small skirmishes the fans hadn’t been a problem either.
"It’s okay. I’ve been forcing you to hang out with me this entire week."
"Not really. I’ve still had to work and I’ve still seen my friends, but yeah, you’re right, I’ve seen you every day since you got back." She put her key in the lock. "Well, goodnight, and I'm really sorry about tomorrow."
"You’ll be eighteen?"
"Yup. Thanks again, It really has been fun."
"See you Tuesday," he called as she shut the door.
This is going to be for the best, she thought. We’ve been hanging out together so much. Maybe this will give me a chance to clear my head. Despite what had happened she was gradually allowing herself to become attracted to Brian again. She knew he still contained lingering feelings for Leighanne. Oh well.
* * * * *
"Hey, what’s up?"
"Nothing, did you get my message?"
Brian laughed. "Yeah," he answered, not bothering to tell him what happened.
"Did you call her?"
"Yes."
"Details would be nice."
Brian hesitated. No one knew that he had been seeing Malia and he didn’t want anyone to know yet. He wasn’t sure what he felt, but he was sure it was more than friendship and mutual admiration. "I took her to the lake. We talked."
Nick knew Brian was hiding something. He doesn’t even know how transparent he is sometimes, he thought with a sigh. This is going to take some time to pull things out of him. "Oh, the lake. That’s all?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"So then what did you do the rest of the week?"
"Went to the movies, the mall, hung around. You?"
"All by yourself?"
"Shut up."
"You just don’t want to admit I'm right," Nick teased. "Nah, nah, nah, I told you so!"
"I now remember why I didn’t want to call you."
"You really don’t want to admit I'm right!" He laughed. "So you’ve spent your time with her."
"If you really must know, yes." Brian sighed. Why can’t I ever keep my mouth shut? he groaned silently. In a moment Nick would press him for every detail of his 'relationship.' Details he couldn't give.
"Well, what does she have to say about all this?"
"I don’t know. Look, I don’t have a lot of time, I called to ask a question."
"You called, I answered."
"Remember when you sent Lindsey that beautiful bouquet?"
"No, I just complete forgot about my girlfriend, who I am just about to go see."
"Cute. Where’d you get it?"
"You’ve been 'hanging out' with her for a week and already flowers?"
"My mother’s birthday is coming up," he lied. "You’re awfully cocky Carter."
"Forgive me. It comes with the territory." He listed off a number. "There you go."
"Thanks."
"Brian?"
"If you love her tell her."
"I don’t!"
"Sure, sure. Look, we have a little less than a month left. That’s all. Don’t throw away a chance. I am being dead serious for once."
"Thanks for the love advice. You’re lucky if you can keep a girlfriend longer than a few days!"
Nick laughed. "Well, my flavor of the week awaits . . . bye Rok, see you soon."
"Thanks, bye!" He punched in the numbers Nick had given him and placed his order. "My credit card number?" Brian rattled off a list of digits. "Yes, I wanted eighteen red. Okay, great, thanks," he told the florist as he hung up the phone, smiling. The first part of his plan was going perfectly, just as . . .
* * * * *
"Sure, just let me sign this napkin," Malia kidded. She and Megan were sitting outside at a chic restaurant having lunch and catching up with Julie before she went back to class. She had managed to get the afternoon and full next day off for shopping and a small birthday celebration.
Megan laughed. "I still don’t want to believe it. It’s not even like we’re in the video, really. Just a few seconds."
"Sure, sure . . . " Julie smiled and dug into her salad. "Boy, it’s sure great to have you guys here."
"I'm just glad I get to have my eighteenth birthday in the city," Malia said. "How incredible!"
For the next forty-five minutes the girls poured over the most recent events in their lives. Malia carefully avoided the subject of boyfriends. No one, not even Megan, knew about the past week. She had carefully made up excuses for not being able to make new plans. Brian had done the same. It was an odd friendship, to say the least. Very odd, Malia thought as she fell asleep that night.
* * * * *
"I'm sorry, just a little preoccupied," he responded, following her into the kitchen and sitting down at the table.
"All right. We miss you; we never see you even though you’re here."
He sighed. "Well, I’ll be around all weekend."
She poured a glass of iced tea and sat down across from him. "Yes, but does that entail sitting on the couch moping for some unknown reason or being active? I was referring to the past week. . . though I can understand how you wouldn’t want to be with your old parents."
He laughed. "It’s nothing like that. I love you guys, and you know it."
She smiled. "We all need to hear that sometimes." If you love her tell her, suddenly came to mind.
"Good point . . . " he said, his voice drifting. “Very good point mom."
* * * * *
"Boy, what am I going to do without you guys for another three months?" Julie moaned.
"Oh no, you’re stuck with me," John kidded.
She lightly socked him. "Well I had a blast with you two. Especially taking you to see the city for Nat’s birthday."
"Now boarding flight 4309 to Lexington, Kentucky, now boarding flight 4309 to Lexington at gate D9," an announcer droned over the loud system.
"That’s me," Malia sighed. "Check your email and voice mail Jules!"
"Definitely!" seconded Megan. "You too, Nat, since I won’t be back for another week, at least." While Malia was returning to Kentucky, Megan was going to see her family in Orlando. No one could say when the three would be together again, as Julie was planning on staying in New York as long as possible.
"Oh, I hate doing this!" Malia cried, giving them both a hug. "I'm going to miss you both so much!" With a sigh, she straightened her shirt and hoisted her purse. "Ciao!" she called, turning around and quickly walking away. Don’t look back. In everything you do, don’t look back, she steeled herself. Mechanically she handed her ticket over and boarded the plane.
She checked her watch. 9:45. She pulled out her notebook but felt like writing nothing. She simply stared at the sky while . . .
* * * * *
He began cleaning her apartment to a shine. The counters were scrubbed, the mirrors clean, and he had even vacuumed. By the time he was done an hour had gone by. He sat down to the TV and began watching ESPN . . .
* * * * *
Malia sighed, and yanked her bag off the rotating belt. After a series of delays, the flight had started about 45 minutes later than expected. Because Megan had taken her to the airport Friday morning she only had to call a cab to get home. Tugging her suitcase behind her she made her way to the row of payphones. No dial tone. Fighting the urge to scream, she slipped in a headband and found a phone that worked . . .
"Thanks," she said with a smile as she tipped the driver, finally arriving home. 12:45 AM. Oh God, she thought, stretching her mouth into a huge yawn. "Brian remembered to turn out the lights," she noticed, surprised, staring at the dark interior of home.
*
That’s her! Brian realized, staring the figure in the moonlight. Yeah, that’s her all right, he decided. Dressed in jeans and a white tee shirt, and with her hair off her face it was hard to tell. "Over here Max," he whispered, forcing the sleepy dog to sit. He grabbed the roses off the table and waited.
*
A red rose was slipped through the doorknob. She pulled it out and inhaled the heavenly scent. "Yumm . . . " she sighed, feeling like a very foolish Juliet. A note had been attached. "Happy birthday!" it read. She smiled. "Thanks Mom and Dad," she said aloud, assuming it was from her parents. She sniffed the flower again and opened the door.
Whoa! was the first word to come to mind. The entire apartment had been cleaned and scrubbed to a sparkle. Someone had obviously done her a big favor.
"Welcome home Malia," an unmistakable voice called. She dropped her purse.
"Bri-Bri-Brian? You did all this?" she gasped, finally seeing him hidden in a corner. Suppressing the urge to run over and shower him with kisses she memorized his angelic face. Okay, it's just about 1AM now, you’re hallucinating Malia, she scolded.
"Hey! Do you want the rest of your gift or am I going to have to come over there?" he asked, laughing at the obvious shock on her face. Please don’t have her throw me out God. Please tell me she feels the same. I don’t think she hates me . . . but does she love me? Help me out God!
She crossed the room silently and received the other seventeen flowers. Burying her face in them she murmured as she sat down on the couch, "These must have cost a fortune."
He smiled. "So you like them?"
She looked up and rolled her eyes. "Okay. It’s one in the morning, and a famous guy has just given me eighteen gorgeous red roses. Hmm, what do you think?"
The next thing she saw over the top of the petals was his face, level with hers, as he crouched down across from her. For a few minutes they didn’t speak. He gently pried the flowers from her and shaped his hands to hold her face. "Malia, I stayed to tell you something-"
"Brian, I can’t do this!" she cried at the same time.
"-I love you Malia and I want us to be together."
"I can’t let us fall in love," she finished a few seconds after he did.
He silenced her by pulling her up slowly. Still holding her face he pressed her body close as she tried to turn away. Hesitantly, he brushed his lips over hers and shut his eyes. A million warm feelings ran down her spine and her body. Throwing caution to the wind, and leaving her conscience towards Leighanne behind, she responded with an intensity that took them both by surprise.
He reluctantly pulled away. "Whoa . . . " he muttered. She smiled. "Are you sure about what you said?"
She sighed. "I don’t know. The odds are against us. Look at the past--Leighanne. The future? You’ll be miles and miles away with screaming fans and I’ll be trying to become a writer and survive college."
He hugged her. "Don’t be so practical. In any event, we still have a month."
"I can deal with that. Don’t expect me to make heavy emotional attachments when I know they will be broken."
"How can you just be eighteen? I swear, you act older than me." She responded by tracing a line of kisses down his jaw line and neck and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You can stay the night," she murmured in his ear, rising onto her toes. "If you want to. Just let me know if you’re going to leave." He silenced her with a long, deep kiss that seemed to show that he wasn’t going anytime soon.
* * * * *
"Umm?" he groaned. "Ow. I read somewhere that sleeping on the floor helped back problems. I think I’ve just been given about twenty."
"Want me to give you a massage?" she asked, arching an eyebrow and grinning wickedly.
"I’d say yes, but then I might never get out of here.” He continued staring at the beast on his chest. “Is he ever going to move?"
"Unless he needs to go use the big outdoor potty, chances are, no," Malia replied, giggling. She stretched. "Let me get my camera!"
"Heck no!" He sat up quickly, causing Max to yelp and run across the room.
"Aw, you hurt his little ego!" she cooed. "Come over here baby." Brian scrambled up on the couch next to her. "Not you!"
He kissed her, long and sweet, and she echoed his sentiments. "I hate to do this, but . . . "
"Duty calls?"
"More like a bunch of teenage girls." The boys had a meeting with their management the next day, as well as some promotion photos. The next day they were scheduled to attend a dinner party at some influential producer’s house in Orlando.
She sighed and looked away. "This is why I didn’t want to get involved with anything . . . too many times I won’t see you. Too many other girls who’ll be there in a heartbeat when I can’t."
He shook her shoulders. "Don’t talk like that! We still have an entire month!"
"All right,” she said kissing his nose. “I’ll see you later."
"Define 'later.'"
"If I don’t hear from you the second that thing is done I'm either going to charge over there myself or it’s over."
He pretended to cower. "Ah! She’s going to kill us all!"
"Why would I deprive the world of Nick Carter?"
He laughed. "I wish you could come. Donna, she’s in charge of promotion, good and bad, should probably know what’s going on, so that she can figure out if making the relationship public or private is best."
Malia pressed her eyebrows up and closer together. "I thought that was our choice," she said quietly.
"Well for the most part," he shot her a look. "What do you want?"
"I want to keep this totally private. No press, no name-dropping, none of that. I start college at the end of our month together. I don’t need my name smeared in the press."
"Okey-dokey, let me tell her that." She followed him to the door.
"Love you," she said, kissing him one more time.
"Love you too," he echoed.
* * * * *
| Chapter Twelve |