The Bird and the Worm

“Mrs. Haner?”

“Uhm…I’m going to have to talk it over with Brian, but I can call you back once I know. Does that sound okay?”

“Certainly. I’ll be hearing from you later on, then?”

“Yeah, sure.” I bit my lip, trying to contain my excitement. “Thank you, Jace, you just made my day even better.” He chuckled on the other end of the line before saying goodbye and hanging up. I did the same, and when I turned around, Brian was walking down the stairs. He quickened his pace considerably when he saw the look on my face.

“What is it, love?”

“Remember that guy from the concert, like….seven months ago? Gave me his card and told me to call him? And you remember how I called him last month just to see what my options were?” He nodded slowly, resting his hands on my arms as I slid them around his torso. “That was him, Brian! He said his company wanted to hear my voice, and that they want to talk recording contracts!” I hugged him tight, and he wrapped his arms around me haphazardly, still muddled my sudden excitement.

Seconds later, I pulled back, grinning at him. “Do you know what this means?” He shook his head, warily lifting an eyebrow. “This means that now, every dream I’ve ever had is going to come true.” He smiled at me, slowly beginning to understand my excitement. “I mean, first I meet you, and then I get to marry you, and now…well now I get to see if I have enough appeal to big bad corporate bosses for a recording contract.” I sighed, staring up into his eyes. “I don’t know if life can get any better.”

I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh as he rested his forehead on mine. “I haven’t seen you this excited in a while,” he said softly. “It makes me happy to see you smile so much.”

I gently kissed his nose, since it was all I could get at without having to really work for it. “Well you are my good luck charm.” He scoffed, and we had three or four more minutes to ourselves before car doors opened and closed outside and rough knuckles knocked on the front door. “Think you can wait to see me in that outfit?”

He whimpered. “I’ll try.”

“Good boy. I love you.” He pulled back first, and I offered a smile before I answered the door. With the situation at hand, it could have been classified as an apology in advance.

“Hiya Byrdie!” Vengeance greeted me, and he winked in my direction, pulling Gina along with him as he walked inside. “Hey Bri. How’s the wedded bliss goin’?”

Brian closed the door behind them. “It’s goin’.”

“Good to hear, good to hear. Ready for a party night?”

“Um, Zacky, I’m not sure that’s such a great- oh never mind. Put the alcohol on the counter, but that doesn’t mean we’re drinking it.”

Gina gave me a hug, and Brian and Zacky did their man-hug thing, patting each other’s backs a lot before we all eventually shifted to the living room. “So, what’s on the agenda tonight? Pong? Strip poker?” He eyed Gina hopefully. “Charades? Dirty movies?”

“Not with my wife in the room,” Brian said with a short laugh, and Vengeance rolled his eyes. “Strip poker, sure, but I’m not sure about pong, considering she’s not quite twenty-one yet.”

“True, true…hmm…what can we do…Oh! I know!” He held up a bottle of cheap wine. “Truth or dare..spin the bottle style?” He cracked a smile. “Come on. You know it’ll be fun.” It truly was a shame Jimmy wasn’t here. He would have been in heaven with this. “Okay kids. We know the drill. Square on the floor, spin for the victim. Kapeesh?” He pulled his arm from around Gina’s shoulder, and we settled onto the floor, Brian discreetly taking my hand. “Alright. Gates. You spin first.”

I glanced over at Brian, and he sighed. That meant he had to down the bottle in order to spin it. I wasn’t going to like kissing him for a few hours. He popped the bottle open after Vengeance passed it to him, and then, with it eyes shut, raised it to his lips and drank. I was amazed at how manfully he downed the thing. That wine didn’t look like it tasted too good, and he had to chug it. I gave his hand a squeeze, and he squeezed mine back.

Before I knew it, the wine was gone, and he groaned a little, keeping his eyes shut and tilting his head back as the alcohol rocked in his system. Then, he set it on the floor, giving it a spin, and all four of us watched as it spun rapidly at first and then slowed down, pointing right at Gina. I swallowed hard. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Okay, Gina.” She smiled and batted her eyes. “Truth or dare?”

“Uhm….truth.”

“Okay. Um. What was the first thing you thought when you first met Zack here?”

She actually blushed a little. “How good he would look tied to my bed.” I was sure they’d tested that theory already, considering they’d been together just about as long as Brian and I had been married. She exchanged a telltale glance with Vengeance, and then she spun the bottle.

Of course, it landed on Vengeance.

“Truth or dare, hot stuff?”

He narrowed his eyes manfully. “Dare,” he decided, and he was smirking a little.

“Alrighty then. I dare you to lick that little drop of wine left over from Brian’s bottom lip.” She crossed her arms, pleased with herself, and I glanced over at Brian. His eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them, and I couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Come on, mister. You can do it.”

Vengeance shrugged, glancing from me to Brian and then back at Gina, “You really want me to.” She nodded. “Alright then.” He leaned forward, supporting himself by basically crawling forward a little on his hands and knees, and then flicked his tongue out to run it along Brian’s bottom lip, picking up the leftover wine. “Mmm,” he said. “Tasty.” He resituated himself, crossing his legs, and spun the bottle. “Heather.” My heart thumped threateningly. “Truth or dare.”

I gulped. “Um. Dare?”

Vengeance smiled, and I pulled my hand from Brian’s expectantly. I knew it wasn’t going to be good. “I dare you…”

Gina giggled, whispering in his ear.

“I dare you to make Brian blush.”

I smiled, glancing over the man that prided himself on being my husband. This wouldn’t be an easy task, I knew that much. I’d have to come up with something good in order to make blood rush to his flawless face. Nonetheless, I smirked a little at Vengeance before shifting so that I was halfway kneeling beside Brian, nipping at his ear. “Alright then,” I said in a rough purr. “One beet red rock star, coming up.”

Brian shifted uneasily beside me. I knew I was going to pay for this later. And surprisingly…well. I was actually kind of looking forward to it.