Brian pours out two coffees from the machine and carries them over to where his wife is eating breakfast. He sits down, pushing one coffee towards Jade.
“Thanks honey,” she smiles and carries on eating her cereal.
“Is that strawberry?”
“Yup,” she pushes the pot towards him and he spreads his toast.
“Ya think Nick and Ali have gotten jealous yet?” he grins.
“Probably,” she giggles. “Honey, y’know our tour book is practically done?”
“Yeah, I know,” he takes a bite of his toast.
“Well, I had a call from Rolling Stone. They have some work for me.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“In Tampa,” she adds and his face falls.
“You’d leave the tour?”
“Uh huh. Brian, there’s only a month left so it wouldn’t be that long til you were back in Tampa too.”
“You can’t leave the tour Jady. What would I do without you?”
“Well I haven’t decided anything yet. I just wanted to see what you thought,” she shrugs.
“I want you to stay with me,” he tells her. “You’re my WIFE. That’s what married couples do. Stay together.”
“It would only be one month!”
“So? It’d only be one month til you could go back and work too.”
“Brian…” she starts but stops when Nick and Ali join the table. “Oh hey guys,” she smiles.
“Hey,” they both sit down.
“Things ok?” Jade asks.
“Fine,” Ali smiles sweetly. “We had a great talk last night, didn’t we Nick?”
“Yup, we sure did,” he nods as Jade and Brian exchange looks.
“We talked about us and we came to a decision,” Ali says.
“Yes?” Jade asks.
“We decided to see other people,” Ali says. “I mean, after what you told me about Nick…” she tells Brian.
“And you,” Nick looks at Jade.
“Uh…” Jade stammers, looking at Brian.
“We, uh… Brian starts and the blonde couple burst out laughing.
“You… BASTARDS!” Jade exclaims as she realises she has just been played.
“Hey, you did it to us!” Ali defends with a giggle.
“Because you guys were too dumb to get back together yourselves!” Jade laughs.
“Dumb?!” Nick reaches over and smacks her lightly. “Thanks Jady…”
“So, you guys are together again?” Brian asks and they both nod. “Finally,” he rolls his eyes and then chuckles. “Seriously, I’m pleased.”
After a long breakfast with Brian, Ali and Nick, I head back to my room for a shower and then decide to go shopping. Ali is taking some tour pictures while the Boys do a few interviews at the arena. I head out of the hotel and see Sarah loading her bag into a rental car.
“Hey Sarah,” I greet her with a smile. “When’d you get here?”
“Last night,” she says and slams the trunk shut.
“You leavin’ already?”
“Uh huh,” she turns to look at me. “Y’see, AJ called me last week and we talked and he ended it with me. So I flew out last night to talk it through with him. It’s still over.”
“It is?”
“Wanna know why?” she places her hands on her hips. “Because of you. He’s in love with you.”
“Uh, I…” I stammer slightly and she sighs.
“Don’t tell me you never guessed.”
“I thought he was just confused.”
“Well, I guess he’s been confused a long time then. I always knew he had a thing for you but I thought that maybe he’d end up loving me more,” she says as tears fill her eyes.
“I thought he would too,” I tell her quietly. “I’m sorry Sarah.”
“Me too. You need to talk to him Jade.”
“And say what?” I ask. “He knows I’m with Brian. What else can I tell him?”
“Make him realise there’s no way in hell you’d date him!” she exclaims and then studies my face hard. “But I guess you don’t believe that yourself. You actually feel something for him too, don’t you?”
“I love Brian,” I state.
“But you love him too,” she says before shaking her head. “You are seriously fucked up Jade. Sort it out before you end up hurting two of the best guys I know,” she climbs into the car. “Bye Jade.”
“Keep in touch,” I say lamely as she starts the engine.
“You bet,” she responds dryly before driving away.
AJ rolls his eyes to the ceiling and sinks down in his chair as the third interview winds up. He’s tired of sitting still and answering inane questions. Nick had given up halfway through the second interview, only grunting when he really had to and seriously winding Kevin up.
“We got a break now,” Howie observes with a touch of relief and the five guys stand up, stretching their limbs. “I’m gonna go get some toast,” he decides and heads out of the room, almost walking into Jade. “Hey, I thought you weren’t due in today.”
“I’m not. I’m just lookin’ for AJ,” she responds.
“In there,” Howie gestures at the room. “Goin’ stir crazy too. We been stuck in there for two hours already,” he adds with a grimace before heading off.
“Hey,” Jade greets the four guys as she walks into the interview room.
“Oh hey baby,” Brian grins. “I thought you were shopping or somethin’?”
“I’m gonna go in a minute,” she smiles and then looks at AJ. “I just need to speak to AJ about something.”
“Uh huh?” AJ asks.
“About Sarah.”
“Oh,” he says and heads out of the room. Jade follows him into an empty room and shuts the door behind her. “You saw her today?”
“Uh huh. She told me you guys split up.”
“Yeah.”
“Because of me?”
“In a way,” he shrugs. “I don’t love her. She deserves somebody who’s gonna love her and that’s not me.”
“But you don’t love me either.”
“Don’t I?” he stares at her.
“No!” she sighs. “You’re just confused. We’re friends – that’s all. I mean, it’s easy to confuse friendship with somethin’ else.”
“That right?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, ok, so the fact that I go to sleep every night praying that I’ll dream about you means I’m CONFUSED?! The way that you light up every room for me, the way that I’m scared of even brushing past you because of the way you make me feel, the fact that you’re the first person I want to tell everything to… All that means I’m CONFUSED?!”
“Please don’t say stuff like that!” she groans.
“Why not? It’s the truth. Or can’t you deal with that?!”
“I’m with your best friend!” she yells at him. “You have no RIGHT to do this to me!”
“I have no right to lie to myself OR to you.”
“What does telling me do?! Do you really think I will just leave Brian for you?!”
“No, I don’t,” he sighs. “But I need to be able to look back on this and say that at least I told you. But I think you feel something for me too Jade.”
“You’re my friend!”
“Something more than that.”
“I’m with Brian.”
“You keep sayin’ that,” he mutters. “It’s not an answer.”
“Fine. You want an answer?!” she asks him angrily. “I love Brian so much that I married him.”
“Huh?!”
“Yup. In Vegas. We got married.”
“You’re MARRIED?!” he exclaims and she nods. “I don’t fuckin’ believe it! How could you not tell us?!”
“It was just for me and him. You can’t tell anyone. Please AJ,” she begs. “I only told you so you would understand that I’m not going to leave him for you.”
“I can’t believe you would do that,” he mutters and sits down.
“I love him,” she says quietly and leaves the room.
“Fuck,” AJ whispers and runs his hands through his hair. He grips his hair and pulls it sharply. Jade is married?! How the fuck did that happen? It changes everything. He has to find a way of getting over her.