In My Dreams It's Me And You

Brian's POV

The ride over to Nat’s couldn’t have been more awkward; especially with Chloe glaring at me through the side mirror. I felt sorry for Zacky though, since he had to put up with it. I didn’t even think that he still understood what was going on, but I could tell he knew better than to try and tempt fate- especially with fate being an irritated blonde with a killer expression and the heels to match.

When we pulled up to the gate and Chloe got out of the car Zacky turned back to look at me, his expression a strange combination of curiosity and fear. “Man, what did you do?! Why is Chloe pissed at you? And why are we here?”

My head slipped into my hands as he fired questions at me. “I don’t know Zack. I said sorry and everything about the frame and she seemed fine with me after that, but when we got to yours she was acting weird. Then she just went and left.”

“All this about a frame? Can’t you just buy her a new one?” Zacky asked, looking as confused as I felt about the whole thing.

“I guess so,” I agreed. “But she didn’t seem to care too much about it at the time; she just kept staring at the photo.”

He frowned. “Who was it of?”

“Her and her parents.”

“Well... maybe it was like a treasured photo or something. You didn’t ruin that as well did you?”

“No! It was only the frame!” I defended, falling back on the seat with my arms crossed. “It looked fine.”

Zacky just shrugged and turned to stare out at Chloe who had started some sort of shouting match with the security system. He quietly eased down the window, allowing us to listen in on what she was saying.

“Nathalie Amber Taylor, you better fucking open this gate right now!”

Upon hearing this Zacky murmured to me, “That’s one way to go about a situation I suppose.”

Chloe continued ranting to the silent box in the wall for a while until she gave up and moved in front of the car staring questionably up at the gate. We both watched her from the car as she stepped towards the iron bars wondering what she was going to do. However as soon as she hooked her foot upon one of the bars Zacky quickly got out of the car and pulled her off, much to her annoyance.

“Zacky!” She screeched as he curled his arms around her waist and dragged her away from the gate. “Get off me!”

“So what, you can be a fucking idiot and climb up the gate? Have you seen how tall it is?!” Zacky retorted, his anger arising more from concern than annoyance. He gripped her at the shoulders and forced her to look at him, the look in his eyes making it seem that they had known each other for a much longer time than the reality of a day. “What if you fell and hurt yourself? What help would you have been to Nathalie then?”

She instantly fell silent at his last comment, tears gathering in her eyes as she turned to look up at him. “I’m sorry Zacky.”

Pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear he dropped his grip on his shoulders and instead pulled her close to him, rubbing his hand across her back, murmuring comforting things softly in her ear.

Was it wrong to say that I hated him for that? I would have given anything to have Nathalie in my arms just like Chloe was in his...

“Syn!” I jumped as Zacky knocked on the window beside me, cradling Chloe in one arm and opening the door with the other. “Would you mind driving? I’ll sit with Chloe in the back.”

He slid in the back with Chloe as I took his keys and got into the front. “Can’t you get in?”

“Not without my remote to open the gates I can’t,” Chloe explained, looking miserably up at me in the rear view mirror. “Since we both went out together we just took her pass... and obviously she has locked herself in there, so I can’t get in unless she lets me. Right now, she’s not letting me.”

I glanced up at the house and realised that while her car was parked in front that none of the lights were on- it almost looked like one of those haunted houses some people do for Halloween.

“Can’t you ring her? Maybe she didn’t hear the screen thing.”

She sighed before replying, “Don’t you think I’ve tried Brian? She’s not answering the home phone or her cell. Obviously she doesn’t want to speak to me.”

Pulling out my cell I held it in my hand uncertainly, not really sure if I should bother. If she wasn’t going to speak to her best friend I doubt she was going to speak to me.

Chloe's eyes flickered from my cell to me, obviously figuring out what I was thinking, and answering for me. “She might talk to you.”

I wearily flicked through my contacts until I reached Nathalie’s number, toying with the idea for a while before pressing the call button and bringing it to my ear. My heart did drop slightly as the ringing tone continued, almost ending the call when she suddenly picked up.

“Nathalie?”

“I’m tired Brian. I don’t feel like talking.”

As soon as she answered me I could tell that Chloe didn’t like it, even if she did bury her face in Zacky’s shoulder before I got to see. Especially when I guessed that it was my fault she was acting like this.

“Well then don’t. Let us in.”

When the screen flashed with ‘Call Ended’ I fell back onto the seat with a sigh, defeated. I started the ignition and was about to pull out onto the road when the gates in front of us opened which seemed to be Nathalie’s silent invitation.

--

Walking through the house when it was pitch black was a lot creepier than I imagined, even though it didn’t last long since Chloe managed to find the light switch. Of course this had to happen after I fell over something onto my ass but before I could get back onto my feet so Zacky had something to laugh about. He couldn’t seem to keep quiet so Chloe ended up pushing him into the front room. I was about to follow when she blocked me off, stepping in front of me.

“You know where Nat’s room is right? The last door on the left, just after the bean bag room,” Chloe said, just poking her head around the door to look at me.

“You’re not going to go see her yourself?”

“By the looks of it she didn’t want to speak to me,” she said sadly, cutting me off when I tried to say something. “It’s not your fault Brian. None of it is. Just remember that.”

Wasn't my fault? Then what was that look you gave me all the way back from Zack's earlier?

The door shut behind her as I walked up the stairs to Nat’s room, feeling my way down the hallway in the darkness since the lights hadn’t been turned on here either.

Pushing open the door I looked around the room as an icy gust filtering into the room, making something shiver on the bed underneath the window. Nat had her back turned to me as I walked over to where she laid, her body feeling as if it were made of ice as I ran my hand across her arm. She didn’t move as I got onto the bed beside her and pulled myself close to her freezing frame. I think she was just glad that there was something warm for her since the open window didn’t help, and my hoodie that she had been wearing was the only defence she had against the icy breeze.

I curled my body around hers as I kissed her gently on the neck, seeing the photo from before hidden partially by her hands. In the dim light from the window I could see how worn it actual was, the deep creases from where someone had held it constantly showing how precious it must have be to her. And I had broken it.

“It’s not your fault Brian.”

Nathalie stiffly moved one of her hands from the photo and reached up for one of mine, drawing it closer around herself. She seemed to relax instantly after, her eyes flickering closed as her breathing slowly evened out indicating sleep.

I don’t know how long I watched her as she slept, unable to follow in her steps due to my mind thinking about what she said.

It’s not your fault Brian.

That's what Chloe said, but how could it not be? Before I ruined her picture she seemed fine, but then she just suddenly became distant from everyone. She wasn’t even talking to her best friend thanks to me. Between her childhood friend and me, why would she choose me?