Chapter 1
It was a perfect night. The stars were breath-taking and the moon was as
full as he'd ever seen it. Not that he'd seen many these few years. Nost
nights would be spent either in the hotel toom or on the tour bus, with him
tired out after the performance or rehearsal, too tired to care about most
things except taking a bath, changing into some fresh clothes and
sleeping. "Growing old," that was what his cousin had told him he was.
Nick, on the other hand, would be totally hyper, bouncing around like a
small kid. How old was Nick anyway? 19? 20? Yeah, nearly 20 in a few
months' time. For a moment Brian luxuriated in the memory of Nick. Stop, he
told himself. The reason why was here on the balcony was becasue he wanted
to sort out hid thoughts, not get lost in them. With the help, of course,
of a little bourbon. Him and the bourbon had become quite close friends,
especially now. Brian poured himself a second glassful and settled on the
deckchair. Home away from home away from home. His very own beach house,
which he had actaully bought for his family, but they seldom used it, as
everybody was very busy with work. As his brother Harold often said, "We
have to work too, y'know, bro." He heard Kevin rustling the bedsheets next
door, then all was quiet again. His cousin was staying overnight, before he
could catch the plane to Kentucky on Wednesday. Frankly, Brian would
usually look forward to to breaks so that he could be with his family. But
this time, it was different. He looked forward to being alone. He then
absently drank the courcon, and filled it up again. Then he stared into the
night sky and let himself be lost in it before coming back softly to earth,
and suddenly thinking of Nick again. His smile. His laughter. His antics.
His childish behaviour, even thought he wasn't getting any younger. And
suddenly Brian felt a pang. His girlfriend. Nick had been seeing a girl for
what, four to five months now. Even though Nick had insisted that they were
merely friends when they teased him about it, it was obvious that there was
more to their relationship than that. Painfully obvious to Brian. Oh Nick,
he thought. Brian put down his bourbon and sobbed.
Kevin fumbled about in the bed, tossing and turning, trying to find a
comfortable spot. Finally doing so, he turned his attention to the sounds
coming from the next room's balcony. A sigh floated on the night air,
coming to his ears. There was another clink, and a sound of a liquid being
poured. This was what, Brian's third drink already, and he knew that his
cousin was never a very good drinker. As he drifted off to sleep, the faint
sounds of sobbing drifted to his ears from the next door balcony. He spent
a bad night, floating in and out of sleep, worrying about his cousin.
The next morning, he bent over his cousin, gazing at the angelic face that
was crowned by a mass of blond hair. The only thing marring the scene was
the tear-stained cheeks of the angel. He suddenly remembered a saying that
went something like "When an angel cries, great misfortune is sure to
follow." He reached out, want to touch and comfort that face, but quickly
withdrew it, as Brian's eyes fluttered open
Chapter 2
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