Dreams of Tomorrow

"Morning!" she whispered, before blowing on her milked tea.
Jimmy eyed her from head to toes, scanning every little details.
"For real Lya? Are you going to cock block him forever?"

Lya almost spat out her drink and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth.

"For Heaven's sake!! He took you out for dinner, didn't he?"

She clenched her jaw and glared at him.

"He's your boyfriend! Give the guy some loving! Spread them out." said Jimmy, shaking his head as he poured himself some coffee.

"You know what Jimmy? It's because of those kind of reaction that I don't feel comfortable enough to spread my legs" she said, glaring at the bowl of fruits on the counter.

"Come on... Don't act like a nun Lya, it's not like you never done it before. You're 21."

She snapped.
"Fuck you Jimmy. As a matter of fact, I respect myself. And for your own knowledge, I am a virgin. So no, I won’t spread my fucking legs until I'm fucking ready to. Yes, I am fucking lame. Get over it.'

Furious, she grabbed her cup and emptied it in the sink.

"Because you actually believed that between my mother's sickness and my stay in the US I wanted to have sex with whoever crossed my fucking path? And after that, on tour, I was staying 24/7 with my dad and his bandmates... I didn't have the time or the need for a boyfriend, mind you." she stopped a second to breathe. "And just who the fuck do you think you are to tell me to have sex with Brian!!" she yelled, fed up completely.

"Should I come back later?" asked Matt.

Neither Lya nor Jimmy had heard him and since the door wasn't lock often...

"I'm out of here." she said, holding her hands up. "I'm done."

"Come on Lya..."

"No, no, no... I'm fucking done here. This is a fucking conspiracy... And I swear, if either one of you, or your respective girlfriend mention anything about my relationship with Brian, this is going to get ugly." she snarled angrily. "Just mind your own fucking business."

Lya swung the door to the bedroom open just as Brian walked out of the bathroom, looking upset. She ignored him, grabbed her bag and threw everything in it before leaving.

"Lya..?"

She shook her head, tears threatening to fall.

In a blink of an eye, she was out.

**

Cha winced as two doors slammed shut in the span of 30 seconds.

"Lya...?"

Lya opened her bedroom door and slammed it shut again, violently as she walked out.

"Lya..." started Cha, not liking it when Lya had those burst of violence. Cha wasn't stupid enough to think she'd hurt her, but it made her feel uneasy because she could see that Lya couldn't control those bursts.

Derrick walked out of Cha's room with a bag.
"Hey Lya, you busy right now?"

Cha looked at him with big eyes. Talking to Lya when she was angry wasn't one of the brightest idea.

"I'm heading to the gym, do you want to come? I think I spot a punching ball there somewhere."

She looked at her feet, feeling her blood boiling in her veins.

"Going there could be a good way for you to blow off steam."

"I'll be right there." she whispered.

Derrick nodded and turned back to Cha.
"See?"

Cha simply sighed in relief.
"Just keep an eye on her, don't let her hurt her wrist or anything."

"I know. I will look out for her Cha. I can manage Chuck, I think I can manage Lya..."

Lya walked out, with a backpack and her hoodie.
"Ready..." she said, hiding her shaking hands in her pockets.

"Have fun guys, I'll get started on lunch." Cha called out as Derrick and Lya both walked out of the apartment.

"Hey Lya? Don't stress it okay? You're angry? Fine, no problem. You have the right to be." said Derrick leading the way.

"I know, it's just.... It's overwhelming sometimes. I feel angry all the time and sometimes it comes like waves you know and I just want to smash something..." she whispered, her hands still shoved in her pockets. "I wanted to slap Jimmy, so hard. Make him think straight." she said, before clenching her jaw. "I feel like a monster when that happens."

"You might find relief at the gym Lya... Working out can be a good way for you to let out this frustration and anger you're feeling."

'Well I hope so."

"You'll see."

**

She didn't punch anything, but she felt better, lighter even.
Derrick and she had spent a good half an hour at the gym, she started by running then joined Derrick in the back room and tried to lift some weights.

"Lya?"

She turned her sweaty head to the side.
"Dan? Hey! I would hug you you know, but I'm smelly."

"Finally taking care of that body of yours?"

"Nope, taking care of my anger issues."

"How is it going then?"

"Not so bad, quite good actually. It’s my first time at the gym, but it's nice... Wait. Hey Derrick:" she called, waving him over.

"Derrick, this is Dan, one of Jimmy's friends. Dan, this is Cha's boyfriend. You know, my roommate."

They exchanged a sweaty handshake and Derrick went back to work on his shoulders.

"You know, next time you wanna go to the gym, call me or something. I can pick you up on the way."

"Don't you have a gym that's closest to your place?"

"It's not that far from Matt's place." he said.

Lya nodded to herself.
"Well, it was nice seeing you Lya."

"Yeah, you t... Wait, didn't you say I should call you or something?"

"Oh yeah, right. But you know, I come here almost every day... In the mornings on the weekends, and in the evening during the week."

"All right then, see you later."

"Bye Lya."

"You sure know a lot of people." said Derrick coming back not 5 minutes after Dan had left. "I'm starving, let's go?"

Lya nodded.

After using the wet wipes to clean the machines, they both headed for the showers.

"Lya... Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" Lya was tying her hair up, walking beside Derrick as they headed back to their place.

"Why didn't you introduce that Dan guy as your friend?"

"Because he's not my friend... He's friend with the guys. Not me." she replied simply.

"Okay, so now I get why Cha wants you to be her case study so badly."

"What, why? I mean... I barely know the guy, yeah sure we hang out with the same people... But just seeing each other every once in a while doesn't make us friends... I mean come on, otherwise I'd be friends with half the Warped Tour line-up...." she said.

"I am friends with half of the Warped Tour line-up."

"Then good for you Derrick." she said, with a small smile. "But that's not my thing. Just so you know, you'll still be Cha's boyfriend for a while. Then maybe you'll move your way up the ladder and become one of my friends." she said, smiling at him, trying to show him she was joking.

"I hear you Lya. But I'll be one of your friends sooner than you might realize." he said, before touching her shoulder and he started running off towards the apartment. "Last one to reach the apartment is a looser."

"Hey!!"

-

Cha blinked a few times as Derrick burst through the door, with Lya racing after him, her face all red from the running.

"You.... idiot..." she said, gasping for air in between. "Don't.. do... th-...that ever again..."

"You're the looser!" said Derrick, as he kicked off his shoes and walked towards Cha, circling her waist with his arms and kissed her cheek.

"I'm starving."

"And I'm dying..." said Lya, taking a seat at the counter and moved her hand in direction of the fridge. Cha untangled herself from Derrick's arms and grabbed a bottle of water, handling it to Lya. "I'm starving as well..." she added, after she took a few gulps of water.

"Lya, Jimmy called." said Cha, a sorry look on her face.

She groaned and sank on her seat.
"And Brian called."

Lya held her head in both hands.
"Leave me alone..."

"Told them you were at the gym. No one actually believed it." Cha went on.

"Hey, you know what? This is bullshit." she said, getting of the stool. "Hand me your car keys will you?"

Cha pointed to the small wooden table near the door.

"Don't wait for me, I am going to set things straight." she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Be careful Lya..." mumbled Cha.

"Yeah..." she said, waving it off and grabbing her purse.

Lya marched towards the car and drove off to Matt's place.
She parked the car, making sure to block Jimmy's.

Getting out of the car, she locked it, and walked up the few steps and knocked on the door.

"Lya? Hey! How have you been?"

She put on a fake smile, cooled down a bit and hugged her.
"Is Gates' here? I saw Sullivan's car..." she said, letting go of Val.

"Out back..." she said, pointing over her shoulder. And she knew at that moment that Lya was pissed off. When she was using family names or stage name.

Out back wasn't actually far away. Matt and Val's new place was something small, just to get started with their life together.
When you walked in, it was the living room and then in a corner, it was the kitchen. In the corner was a door, which led to the patio.
The room and bathroom were located opposite to the living room.

So Lya walked to the patio.
"G... Brian... Su... Jimmy. Can you please come here for a second?" she said, trying to keep a composed face, her hands in her pocket, pretending she wasn't mad.

She led them out of the house and back to the cars.

"Now you two, you listen to me. I understand that you guys are best friends, like brothers or whatever. But... I would be grateful if you could refrain from talking about me. What I do or don't do with Brian in a bedroom –or anywhere else for that matter - is absolutely known of your business Jimmy and I mean it. I'm sorry I blew up at you like that this morning but if you ever make another comment about spreading my legs..." she trailed, in a threatening manner. "Now you Brian, if you have something to tell me, you talk to me, directly. If it concerns me, you talk to me. Because I really don't like it when people talk about me behind my back... Okay? I'm not a social bird..."

"Butterfly..." piped in Jimmy.

She glared at him.
"Social butterfly or whatever but you guys keep doing that, we're gonna have a real problem. My virginity is my own concern, and absolutely not yours Jimmy. Just like what you do with your dick or where you put it is your own concern. Are we clear?"

"Cristal clear." said Jimmy.

Brian nodded.

"Great."

And she got into Cha's car, driving off.

"You're a fucking idiot Jimmy." said Brian, rubbing his neck.

"And you're a fucking saint Gates. She got you wrapped around her finger... Man up."

"She was right Jimmy. Her virginity is none of your concern. You shouldn't have brought it up to her. I can handle it."

"Fine man, but don't come crying to me when you're going to have the worst case of blue balls, ever."

Brian waved him off and walked back inside.

"You're completely in love with her man..." called out Jimmy, staying outside to smoke a bit, sitting on the steps.

Lya surely was a handful.

**

There was a buzzing sound at the door, Lya went to grab her bag and shouted out: "I'm off to the gym Cha, see ya!"

She jogged down the stairs and almost ran into Dan as she got out of the building.

"Hey Dan! Right on time!"

"Always! Off we go Lya."

She nodded, smiling and followed him out.
It was the end of October now, one month had passed.

Nothing much had happened during that month, except that Derrick had lived there for almost two weeks, and went back to Canada just a few days ago.
Cha was basically living for books and Mah Jong since then, and kept making food for 3 persons even though it was just the two of them now.

The guys' album was making its way up the charts, their schedule started to be quite booked with shows in the area and out.

Gena and Zacky were finally officially together.

Lya kept going to the gym, twice or three times a week and she met up a few times with Dan. So after a while, they decided to go there together. Dan became her coach of some sort. But she kept reminding him that she didn't wanted to be bulk, just fit.

Sometimes, she would see Matt.

She was happy with her progress, she wasn't breathless when she walked up the stairs in a hurry, and she was more fit. She had gotten rid of some of the love handle she had and her legs and arms were more fit. But no abs, because she didn't like the idea of having to work on them for long. She liked eating too much, and Cha's cooking was great. She couldn't possibly imagine saying no.

As for her college life, well... work was pilling up.
Between the gym, Brian, college and the restaurant, she barely had time to go to San Francisco.

Lya simply walked that day, on the treadmill. She walked fast, on the edge of running. She liked walking more than running and she didn't feel like working out on the machines.

Briefly looking at the clock, she muttered something and slowed down the treadmill, before stopping it and headed to the machines, while wiping her face with her towel.

"Yo Dan, I'm out."

Dan waited until he had put down the weights to actually reply.
"Sunday morning?"

"Nope, already got plans. I'll see you on Monday okay? I'll meet you there."

"Allright, see ya!"

"Bye..."

Lya jogged to the shower and was out in a blink of an eye.
With one last glance at the clock, she hurried back to her place.
"Fuck, Brian's said he would pick me up at 11.30am... Damn." she muttered, walking faster.

She jogged up the stairs and opened the door, already kicking off her shoes and almost got knocked off her feet when she saw Joey and Jakob running towards her. She barely had the time to close the door that she got engulfed in a bear hug by two of her favorite people in the world.

Her joy was quickly shortened when she saw Brian and Billie Joe, sitting in front of each other.

"Fuuuuuuuuu..." she started and didn't finished, as Joey and Jakob started pulling at her arms.
She went to hug Adie and then carefully, came closer to Billie Joe who was having a sort of starring contest with Brian.

Billie Joe engulfed her in a tight hug, glaring at Brian while he did so.

"Hey Cha..." started Lya, sitting on the armchair, next to Brian, not even daring to hug him or kiss his cheek with Billie Joe in the room.

"So, well... This is my family, but I've bet they already introduced themselves. So... this is Cha, you've heard a lot about her."

"And Mom, Jake... This is Brian, my boyfriend. Dad and Joey already met him a few years back."

Adie smiled warmly at him while Billie Joe kept silent.

"I had no idea you were coming!"

"I know right? Your father surprised us all yesterday evening. The kids could barely sleep, too much excitement."

"It's been too long!" said Joey and from the corner of her eyes, she saw Billie Joe glaring at Brian.

Great...

"So, I'm taking you out for lunch." said Billie Joe, finally speaking. "You're coming with us, right Cha?"

"Oh yeah sure, if it's okay with you." she said, smiling at him.

"Of course!" said Joey, already under Cha's spell.

Adie looked at Billie Joe, annoyed.

"Oh yeah, how about you Brian? You were already there when we got there... You had plan with my daughter or something?"

"Yeah, we were supposed to see my parents..." he said, trailing off. Feeling uneasy under Billie Joe's gaze.

"Actually, I would love to see your parents... But it's a bit soon isn't? I will wait a bit, in case, you know..."

Adie elbowed him in the ribs, not amused.

Lya let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We will go to your parents tonight..." said Lya, touching Brian's arms lightly. "Let me explain the situation to Suzy..."

"No, it's okay. I will do it Lya." he said, before pushing himself off.

"You could at least ask..." started Billie Joe, muttering under his breath so no one but Adie could hear him.

"Can I use the phone Cha?" Adie shook her head at her husband and gave him a look that say see, he's asking.

"Sure, on the counter Brian."

Adie slapped his arm as soon as Lya left to drop her bag in her room.
"We didn't come here for you to be an ass to Brian!" she hissed. "We came here to see Lya."

"But he's here, how can we not see him?"

"Billie Joe..." warned Adie. "Where else would he be? He's dating Lya, get it in your head. Sooner or later, he will be a part of our family.."

His eyes widened to the size of plates and he almost choke on his spit.
"No, nonononononono!" he whispered, panicked.

"So you're having nightmares about Lya being pregnant but not about her getting married?"

"Stop it. She's too young."

"When we got married, you were 22... They could get married next year..."

"Over my dead body..." he snarled.

"Can you please get over yourself?" pleaded Adie. "At least pretend to be nice to him, you can hate the poor kid all you want once we're back home."

Billie Joe kept sulking until he saw Lya coming out of room with Joey and Jakob grinning and hugging new toys.
"Thank you Lya" they sang, while crushing the fluffy toys.

Brian showed up a few seconds later, holding the phone in one hand.
"My mother wants to know if you would be available to come over to our house for dinner. You too Cha."

“Thanks Brian, but I got work." she said, shooting him an apologizing smile.

Adie smiled warmly and accepted the invitation, while Billie Joe sank down in the couch.

Brian smiled shyly and went back to the kitchen, holding the phone to his ear.

Before Lya could say something, Adie asked for Cha's input as to where to go for lunch.

So that as soon as Brian hang up, they all headed out.

They all ended up at Cha's family restaurant. They were more than happy to meet Lya's family and treated them like guests, not like customers. Cha's uncle installed them on one of the round table, with the glass turntable in the center.

There were quite a bit of laughter as they all tried to use chopsticks to eat. Some of them ended up with forks, because they just couldn't manage. Various dishes were brought and placed on the glass turntable.

It warmed Cha's heart to see Lya's family all gathered around in the small restaurant. It felt a bit like a family dinner. Lya looked at Cha from across the table and smiled at her, warmly, and then went back to put some chicken and vegetables in the kids bowls. Just like in China.

When came the time to pay, Cha's uncle refused to accept Billie Joe's credit card, saying that they were his guests.
Billie Joe insisted and ended up paying him in cash, with a very large tip that would have been shared between Cha and Lya if they had worked that day.

Cha decided to stay there and help her aunt wash the plates and clean a bit before the evening.
She thanked Lya's family and they left, not before praising the food.

Billie Joe had linked arms with Lya and decided to walk ahead, with the kids, while Brian stayed behind, and Adie caught up with him.

"Listen kiddo, don't take it personally. Billie Joe can be a real pain... I know about it, trust me. I've been living with the man for years...." she gave him a warm smile. "He is a nice person once you get to know him."

Brian simply sighed and rubbed his neck.
"It's just... I don't get it sometimes. I mean I don't want to be rude or anything but.... He's not Lya's father, is he? So why is he acting so overprotecting with her. I know he cares but... I care about her too. It feels like when he's around, she's blocking me out completely."

Her heart went out to him.
"I could try to explain their connection to you, but even I don't get it completely. It's a very peculiar relationship that they have. Billie Joe had no idea what happened to Shania, Lya's mother, until he heard about her passing and was mentioned in her will. He promised he would take care of Lya if anything happened to Shania. But with Billie Joe, there's no in-between. It's either all white or all black, no grey. So... he either likes you or hates you."

"Reminds me of Lya."

"I know, right? So Billie Joe decided he would take care of Lya, for the rest of his life. Shania was a great person, but life wasn't easy on her. Billie Joe was devastated when she left and took little Lya with her. So now, that he has the opportunity, he sees it as his duty to protect her, even if he's a bit too overprotecting."

"Thanks Adrienne." said Brian, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Call me Adie, and you're welcome Brian."

"Are you guys coming or what?" asked Billie Joe while Joey and Jakob were fighting over ice-cream and Lya was trying to keep them in line.

-

After a quick shower the Armstrong’s showed up at Lya's apartment, ready to drive up to Huntington to meet Brian's family.

Brian barely talked to Lya while they were back at her place. She took a shower first and as soon as she got out, he took her place, glad that he had a few clothes in one of her drawer, just in case of emergency.

Billie Joe and Adie were in the car he had rented at the airport while Joey and Jake got into Brian's car, with Lya, trying to make every seconds count.

Brian's hands were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel.
He barely talked, simply smiled at the kids through the rearview mirror every once in a while.

He had a lump in his throat. To him, it felt like World War III was about to happen.

Lya's dad, with his Dad it would either be a nice evening or he would have to think about moving out of the country.

Brian parked his car and got out, his hands shaking as he locked the car while the kids started chasing one another in the front yard.

"Brian, you okay?"

He nodded, not feeling so well.

Lya gave him an encouraging smile and quickly kissed his cheek while Billie Joe was busy closing the trunk.

The door swung open before Lya could knock and she was crushed in a hug by Mc Kenna. Shortly after Suzy walked out of the kitchen and opened the door wider, inviting everyone to come in.

Brian cleared his throat.
"Mum, meet Billie Joe and Adrienne, Lya's parents. Billie Joe, Adie, this is Suzy, and Brian, my dad."

Lya crossed her finger behind her back, expecting her father to make a joke or comment about having two Brian in the family but he simply stepped forward and shook Suzy and Papa Gates' hand, same with Adie.

She sighed in relief and quickly hugged Papa Gates and Suzy.

"Son, are you all right?" asked Papa Gates, as Brian rubbed his neck again.

Lya quickly disappeared in the living room, following Suzy and her parents while Joey and Jake followed Mc Kenna to her room. Kids, so easy to socialize.

"Damn Dad... He's scary... He keeps glaring at me every time I'm too close to Lya, I can't even hold her hand without being afraid of having it cut off if he sees me. He hates me, Dad..."

"Come on son, he's just a man. There's nothing scary about him. He takes a piss like everyone else." said Papa Gates, lightly tapping his son on his shoulder.

"He's worth thousands of dollars Dad." whispered Brian.

"Wh-"

"Guys, are you coming or what?" asked Lya, poking her head through the door.

-

Adie, Suzy and Lya tried their best to warm up the atmosphere while Brian stayed silent and Papa Gates and Billie Joe were eyeing one another.

"So... what's your job exactly?" started Papa Gates. "My son here told me you're worth thousands of dollars."

Brian wanted to slap his forehead and hide under the table.

Billie Joe looked surprised for a moment and smiled at Brian Jr.
"I sing and play guitar in a band."

"Oh that's nice what kind of band?"

"You know Green Day?"

"Yes, that Lya's favorite band. Junior kept listening to it and learning their songs just to impress Lya."

It was Lya's turn to want to hide under the table. While Brian just wanted to rush out of the room.

"I sing and play guitar in Green Day."

And suddenly, it seemed like they were long lost friends, Papa Gates almost jumped from the couch and asked Billie Joe to follow him to the basement so he could show him his guitars. Brian followed, quietly and embarrassed.

-

The dinner went by smoothly, Billie Joe was still barely talking to Brian, but he would smile at the kid and even passed him the bowl of salad.
Lya felt like a spectator to the whole thing. Her brothers were getting on just fine with Mc Kenna, Suzy and Adie hit it off almost right away and now Papa Gates and Billie Joe were sharing drinks and talking about guitars and stuff, with Brian nodding once in a while.

She tried to be a part of the conversation and said a few words every now and then.

Watching her from aside, sitting between her father and his own father... Something clicked inside him and he knew, somehow... He knew that he would marry her someday. Because she was a part of his family and he couldn't imagine anyone else sitting there.

He knew he had been starring at her for a while when she looked up and blushed when she saw him starring at her. Billie Joe cocked an eyebrow and simply took a sip from his glass.

Once dinner was over, they moved from the table to the couch and kept chatting, until it moved to kids.
Papa Gates was more than happy to share stories about Brian's childhood. Without surprise, Jimmy was mentioned quite a few times.

Then Joey and Mc Kenna had their share, of the time they were just toddlers.

Lya said nothing and happily laughed at the stories shared. She did realized that no one here knew her stories of when she was a kid. Her mom took them away with her.

"You know, there was a time when Lya was on the swing...." started Billie Joe, taking everyone by surprise. "Shania told her not to let go and hold on firmly you know. She let go while the swing was up in the air and opened her arms, pretending to fly. She landed straight into the sand box, hitting her chin on the piece of wood that were encircling the sandbox. Didn't get stitches but probably still has a mark..."

Lya swallowed the lump in her throat. She heard that story before, her grandmother told her quite a few times.

Papa Gates had a similar story with Jimmy, Brian and Brent.

After a while, they decided to head back. They exchanged thank-yous and invited Brian's parents to San Francisco to visit.

Papa Gates and Suzy were accompanying Adie and Billie Joe back to their car and Lya stayed behind with Brian.

"Are you staying here or are you coming back?" she asked, her hands in his hoodie.

"I don't know, I guess you can all fit in your dad's car." he said, looking over her shoulder.

She let out a quiet sigh.
"Yeah, I guess... Unless, you know... You want to stay over..."

Brian tried his best not to show his surprise.
That was the first time, ever, that she asked him to stay. He would always ask her to stay over at his place, or just invite himself to her apartment. But she never asked him to stay on her own.

"Yeah, okay."

"Really?" she asked, looking hopefully at him.

"Sure, I'd love to."

She smiled at him, her cheeks tainted pink and followed him to his car.

It was decided that Joey and Jake would go into BJ and Adie's car, straight back to the hotel and that they would meet up for lunch, at Lya and Cha's apartment.

The drive back to Los Angles was a quiet one, the radio was turned on and Lya pretend to be lulled into slumber while Brian kept his eyes on the road.

But Lya wasn't asleep, she was wide awake and looking out of the window. She felt weird, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

She was playing back the day in her mind, trying to analyze everything.

Too soon, Brian parked the car. They both walked up the stairs in silent and Lya reached out in her pocket for the keys.

Cha wasn't home. She came back but left.
"Cha's out." she said, turning the handle and taking off the sticky note.

"How do you know?"

Lya held up the sticky note in front of him.

"Those little drawings mean she's out?"

She chuckled and kicked off her shoes, closing the door behind him.

"Literally it says that she's not home. Which means she's staying at her friend's, probably off to play some mah jong."

"Oh okay...."

"Make yourself home Brian, I'm going to wash up a bit."

"M'kay."

Lya disappeared in her room and then rushed to the bathroom.

Brian rubbed his forehead and yawned, making his way to the couch. He turned on the TV and flickered through the channels, waiting for Lya to come out.

When she did, she told him he could use the bathroom and went straight to her room.

Lya slid under the covers and switched off the main light, turning on the bedside lamp.

She faked to be sleeping waiting for Brian to come back. He did, not five minutes and was slightly surprised to see Lya with her back turned to him. He said nothing and took off his jeans, and socks before sliding under the covers. He switched off the light and laid in the bed, his arms crossed under his head, starring at the somewhat dark ceiling. The lamp on her desk was still turned on, shinning a dim light in the room.

He felt some movement and suddenly Lya's cold hands were placed on his chest, as she curled up to his side.
Brian smiled and ran his hand through her hair and down her back. He froze.

Sensing his tension, Lya reached out to touch his face and tilted his head towards hers, pressing her lips against his.

His brain froze. She was shirtless and kissing him. It took him a few milliseconds to process the new information.

He gently cupped her face in his hands, not daring to press his chest against hers, even though he was dying to. She surprised him again by trying to pull him on top of her and then slid her hands under his T-shirt.

His mind was running wild, his heart was pounding in his chest and it almost gave up when she tried to tug his T-shirt off.

With his T-shirt now on the ground, Lya wrapped her hands behind his neck and gently pulled him towards her, his skin touching hers.

Brian used every ounce of will power he still had to not crush her into a hug and attack her.

He was scared she was going to push him off her if he went to fast or if he was too pushy.

With his lips moving against hers, he suddenly felt something salted. He pulled away slightly and in the dim light, he realized she was crying.

"Ly-..." he starred but she shook her head and tried to kiss him again.

"Don't Brian, just...." He thought his heart was going to break, seeing her tearstained face.

"Just make me yours."