A light knock on the door wakes Brian up. He stretches slightly and then climbs out of bed, padding over to the door. He opens it and Jay is grinning at him.
“Hey bro,” Jay greets, doing a weird handshake with Brian. “Mom said you got here ok.”
“Yeah. How are ya Jay?”
“I’m good. I was wonderin’ – do you wanna go fishing with me? There’s a lake out back.”
“That would be cool,” Brian grins.
“Great. Get ready and we’ll go in an hour,” Jay checks his watch. “We’ll be back here by lunch.”
“What about Jade?”
“Ah, she’ll be busy catching up with mom,” Jay laughs. “Plus she probably won’t wake up much before noon anyways.”
“True,” Brian laughs.
After getting back from the bar last night, we had walked in silence to our hotel room. Inside the room Nick had just looked at me and said “You came then”. I had to bite back a sarcastic reply and just nod. He hadn’t said another word. I haven’t slept all night and it’s now 9am. Nick starts to stir and I sit up slowly, waiting for him to open his eyes.
“Hey Ali,” he murmurs and I smile slightly.
“Hey.”
“Come here,” he reaches out to pull me back down and tries to kiss me.
“Whoa,” I put my hand on his chest. “I thought we need to talk?”
“About last night? I’m sorry about that Ali. I was just bein’ dumb,” he smiles. “Forgive me?”
“But you said we were over if I didn’t…”
“I know what I said,” he interrupts gently. “I was also pretty drunk. I’m sorry. But thank you for coming,” he adds with a sweet smile.
“I love you Nick,” I tell him. “Of course I’d come.”
“I love you too baby,” he grins and kisses me softly.
Nick heads into the shower and turns the water on before leaning against the wall with a heavy sigh. Things aren’t right between him and Ali. He knows that, he just doesn’t know how to let her know that without hurting her. He’s not sure that he wants to split up with her, he just knows that things need to change a little. He steps under the water and smoothes back his hair. The whole thing with Jade and Brian and JC had made him re-assess his relationship with Ali. The way Brian had held on for Jade, had been so sure that she was the only one for him, and the way he had forgiven her so easily. Nick isn’t too sure that he would’ve done the same for Ali. Maybe things will change in time, naturally. He should stop being so impatient.
“You ever catch anything here?” Brian asks after the two guys have sat by the lake for over an hour.
“Nup,” Jay laughs. “Not a thing. But it’s kinda therapeutic anyway. Just sittin’ here, doin’ a little guy bonding,” he adds cheesily and they both chuckles.
“It is nice,” Brian sighs and looks out across the still water. “I don’t get the chance to just sit very often.”
“I bet. Everyone wants a piece of ya huh?” Jay sympathises.
“Ya got it. Some days all I wanna do is go away from everybody and do my thing for a while.”
“What’s your thing?”
“Song writing, playing my guitar, b-ball, horse riding… Things like that,” Brian shrugs.
“All cool things,” Jay grins. “I like to come here whenever I have a real bad day. I work homicide now y’know.”
“Really? I couldn’t do that.”
“Me neither some days. Most days,” Jay admits. “It’s pretty awful. The things people do to each other.”
“Uh huh,” Brian agrees and they sit in reflective silence for a while.
“Are you and Jade ok now?” Jay suddenly asks.
“Yeah,” Brian nods. “Did she tell you about JC?”
“Yup. I called her during the whole thing and beat it outta her. She told me she loved you then so I knew she’d find her way back to you. It’s just my sister,” he rolls his eyes. “She pushes the big red button labelled Do Not Push when things get too smooth.”
“I’ve figured that one out,” Brian says. “I’m just glad she came back to me.”
“You’re over it? I mean, you don’t have that other guy in the back of your mind?”
“I guess I do, a little. I’m dreading when they meet again for the first time,” Brian admits. “But I love her so much. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Jade. She’s my one y’know?”
“I know,” Jay nods.
“So I just need to trust that I’m her one too.”
“You guys are lucky you found each other,” Jay sighs.
“Completely,” Brian smiles. “How about you?”
“Me? Oh, still looking,” he laughs.
“You liked Ali once right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I did,” he smiles. “But as long as she’s happy. She is happy?”
“Oh yeah! And Nick is. I’ve never seen him so settled. His last girlfriend was awful to him. She used to diss him, say he was fat, untalented… She even slapped him a few times.”
“No way?!” Jay exclaims. “That sucks. Well, I’m glad Ali makes him happy. Sounds like he deserves it.”