Just Say Yes

“I'm goin' to California, gonna live the life sippin' on tequila night after night.” Lisa loudly sang, almost completely butchering the song in the process from the drivers seat. It had been the fourth or fifth, Erin had lost count after the second, time that the song had played during their four and a half hour drive from Nevada. Erin smiled and shook her head at the severely out of tune singing, she sat shot gun while Ben was in the backseat playing quietly on his Nintendo DS. As Lisa's singing had revealed, Zacky had invited her and Ben to come for the summer as well which naturally she accepted.

“In case you forgot we're already in California.” Erin pointed out as they drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, minutes away from entering Huntington Beach. “So you can stop singing now.” She finished with a laugh.

“Whatever, it's a catchy song okay!” Lisa defended, then reached over to the volume dial and turned down the music. Instead of belting at a the top of her lungs like she had been, she hummed softly and rhythmically tapped her finger tips along the steering wheel.

Erin shook her head at her friend then gently leaned it against the window, staring at the landscape pass her by. She had been captivated by the scenery ever since they entered the beautiful state, it was unlike Nevada in that there was much more greenery and colorful plants to please her eyes rather than boring old brown desert. Not to mention now that they drove along the highway and she could watch the sand meeting the ocean, it definitely trumped Nevada in the breathtaking department.

Erin felt the car come to a halt which snapped her out of the trance the view out her window had caused, she glanced forward seeing the red light in front of them. She tilted her head to look at Lisa who had her head down with her cellphone in her lap as her fingers went from one key to another in a quickened and furious manner.

“You know they're passing through a law to make using cellphones while driving in California illegal.” Erin informed remembering that she had read it in a newspaper when there was talk of doing something similar in Las Vegas and the areas surrounding it.

Lisa glanced up at the light ready to move but it still glowed a bright red. “I'm just getting directions to Brian's from Zack.” Lisa bowed her head down to finish her message, once she was done she dropped her phone onto her lap and placed both hands back on the steering wheel. “See no harm, no foul. I never do it while I'm moving anyway.”

“Did you get those directions?” Erin asked as the light flickered green and Lisa stepped on the gas and turned left coming off the highway.

“I sure did, Zack only lives a few blocks away.”

Minutes later Lisa slowly pulled into the long driveway of what looked to be a two level home, it was a light taupe color with white rimmed windows and black shutters. On one of the large windows was a Juliet style balcony that over looked the driveway. There were two garage doors one large and one small which made her wonder how many cars Brian actually owned since she had only ever seen him drive the black SUV.

From the outside it wasn't a home she would've envisioned Brian owning, she pictured a more modern contemporary California style home rather than the traditional style. However it gave off the comfortable homey feel and she much preferred that than a cold, metallic structure that was simply made to be visually appealing not to be actually lived in.

Erin stepped out of the vehicle, the warm California breeze greeted her graciously by blowing her hair off her shoulders and tickled her exposed skin. Lisa met her blonde friend at the back of the car to help Erin unload her three pieces of luggage. Once they had maneuvered them all free, Erin gave the brunette a one armed hug and promised her they'd talk later. Erin walked up the driveway and waved to Lisa as she pulled back onto the road en route to her summer home.

Thankfully the walkway that lead to the front door was flat, if there had been stairs Erin wasn't sure whether or not she'd be able to get up them as she had a bag swung over her shoulder, a large rolling suitcase in her right hand and a smaller rolling suitcase in her left.

She stopped herself just short of the front door, the bag on her shoulder was digging deep into her flesh. She quickly knocked, and shifted the strap from one shoulder to another as the anxiety built in her stomach. It took him around seven seconds to make it to the door, she could tell because although the double doors were wood there was a large cut out in the center of each and in the center sat a panel of frosted glass.

She was greeted with a bright smile, then wide eyes as he saw the amount of luggage she had brought with her. She mustered an innocent shrug which was followed by him laughing softly to himself.

“Hey,” He said in a low voice as he stepped out onto walkway and kissed her quickly on the lips. She smiled against him, and kissed him back before pulling away. “Did you bring your whole fucking closet or what?” He smiled.

“Two months is a long time Brian, unless you want me to walk around naked, I need clothes.”

“Actually...” He smirked devilishly, which prompted her usual reaction, a roll of her eyes. Suddenly something fluffy and white appeared at Brian's feet, Erin glanced down to see a small white Maltese dog with a pink bow on top of her head.

She awed loudly, kneeling down to the dog's level. Pinkly excitedly pounced over playfully attacking Erin's hand, after a few seconds she let go and allowed Erin to scratch behind her ears. Pinkly then jumped onto Erin's lap and put her paws onto Erin's chest bringing her nose up to Erin's cheek and licked it.

“Wow, my dog is getting more action than me.” He spoke watching Pinkly interact with his girlfriend.

She playfully glared as he laughed then he motioned for her to come inside, she got to her feet and brushed past him instantly dropping her heavy bag to the floor. She felt Pinkly's fur brush against her bare legs as the dog rushed inside.

Erin was blown away by the sight before her, while the outside of Brian's house looked like your standard California family home the inside was anything but that. The front door led straight into the living room which was large and open, and the almost floor to ceiling windows gave off an astounding view that no piece of art could possibly compete with. It wasn't outrageously decorated either, the muted and neutral colors of the furniture worked with the beachfront view and mixed with the bright blue of the ocean wonderfully.

“You like the view?” He asked her as he pulled her two suitcases inside the house, and shut the door behind him. He left the luggage by the stairwell next to her bag to take up later. She nodded, unable to speak words coherently at the moment but had a permanent smile spread across her lips.

“There's one in the kitchen too.” He nodded his head to the left and began walking down the hall, she followed close behind and was greeted with another gorgeous room with a view. The kitchen had a more contemporary feel; the cabinets were all dark wood with silver handles, the counter tops were a black granite and the appliances were a shiny stainless steel. Three lights, which had electric blue lamp shades, hung from the ceiling over top of the island which also doubled as a breakfast bar. Behind it there was a decently sized table that looked to be made of the same granite that covered the counter tops, around it sat six chairs that matched those of the bar stools at the breakfast bar.

Beyond the kitchen table there was a large bay window that overlooked the beach below. Erin walked closer to the bay window, her eyes taking it all in. Her lips were slightly parted in admiration of the view of the soft looking sand and sparkling water.

“The views not going anywhere you know.” He laughed, as she heard him opening cabinets. She took that as a hint and walked over to the kitchen island, her hands resting on the cold granite surface. “I was going to make us lunch, are you picky?”

She shook her head no. “Make whatever you want.” She stood there for a few minutes, watching him pull things out of the fridge and began cutting some raw chicken into chunks. She offered to help him but he vehemently refused for her to lift so much as a finger.

“So, uh,” Brian started, he wanted to sound casual rather than sounding like he was prying for answer even if that was his intent. “How's everyone at home?” He kept his eyes down on the pieces of bell pepper he was now cutting. He wasn't sure if he'd be cunning enough to mask the sadness in his eyes when she spoke about Corinne and he wasn't inclined to take that chance.

“Good, Jon's in Oregon spending time with my dad and my grandma is enjoying her summer free of grand kids.” Erin laughed softly, which only made feelings of anxiety and sadness swell in the pit of his stomach.

He quickly changed the subject, not sure why he had really brought it up in the first place, it was presumptively due to the guilt of keeping something so perpetually heartbreaking. Erin continued to ask him if there was something she could do and he repeatedly said no. He told her he'd come get her when everything was ready and she was free to check out the house.

Erin took the hint and wondered aimlessly into the living room trying to find something to amuse herself with until Brian was done. She let herself out onto the large balcony, she inhaled a large breath of the salty warm air, and let the mild breeze flow through her hair. She had never felt so care free before, no wonder Brian loved living in California so much.

She stood outside for a few minutes taking it all in then gracefully stepped back inside, sliding the door shut behind her. She spotted Pinkly laying on the floor a few feet away, a purple tennis ball planted between her paws and her eyes staring at it intently. Erin bent down on her knees, and tapped her thighs lightly.

“Pinkly, bring it here.” She called softly, Pinkly took the ball in her mouth and ran over to Erin excitedly. Pinkly tried to stop herself as she got closer to Erin but with the wood floors, her paws couldn't get any grip and she slid into Erin's lap.

Erin laughed, ruffling Pinkly's hair on her head but was careful not to mess up the bow. Pinkly dropped the ball on her thighs, then glanced up at Erin with her big brown eyes. Erin took the ball in her hands and tossed it gently across the room, Pinkly dashed to grab it and brought it back to her. Before she tossed it again she heard a loud crash from the kitchen and an angry 'Fuck!' from Brian.

“You okay in there?” Erin asked a smile on her lips waiting for a reply, she heard a few more things clatter before she got a response.

“Everything's good.” He insisted even though she knew he probably wouldn't have admitted to anything being wrong anyways. Erin laughed softly to herself and turned back to Pinkly who was perched in front of her. The Maltese had her front paws resting on Erin's thighs as the dogs eyes stared at the ball in her hand.

Erin played with Pinkly for another fifteen minutes before she threw it and accidentally hit something. She cursed under her breath and prayed that it wasn't anything too expensive or sentimental. She walked over to where the ball had landed luckily for her it hadn't hit anything glass.

She spotted the ball in the corner of the room resting near a small black looking speaker that had 'Marshall' written on it. She didn't realize it was an amp until she looked further over to her left and saw several guitars all in a row, there were four including one acoustic.

Erin examined them, one was strictly white, the one next to it was black with silver stripes, then there was the acoustic and the last one was white with gold stripes. She always wondered what it would be like to play guitar, watching Brian and Zacky perform made her want to try even more so. She reached out to grab the acoustic guitar and took a seat on the lounge bench near by, she positioned the guitar on her knee and strummed a few times.

She laughed at herself, she sounded horrible and had no idea what she was doing but just the feeling of holding the guitar was good enough for now. She strummed a few more times before she decided was getting no where fast.

“Giving up already?” Her head snapped up to see Brian leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. She bit her lip nervously and slightly embarrassed, here she was in front of one the best guitarists in the industry and she couldn't play a note to save her life.

“Yeah, I'm terrible.” She was about to stand up to put the guitar back but Brian walked over to her quickly and stopped her before she could.

“Well you can at least hold it right.” He complimented with a laugh. “That's a good start, now can you actually play?”

“Um, no. This is the first time I've ever held a guitar.” She answered honestly.

“Well then we have a lot of work to do.” He chuckled as he moved behind her, taking the guitar out of her hands and placed it back on it's stand. Instead he took the black guitar with silver stripes, and moved behind her, one one of his knees rested next to her thigh and the other was planted firmly on the floor. She could not only hear him laugh but also feel it as her was back pressed flush against his chest. He put the guitar strap around her shoulder and lowered the guitar onto her lap.

“The other day Zacky was bragging that he taught Lisa how to play Seize The Day on acoustic, so I wanted to one up him and bet him fifty bucks that I could teach you my part.” Erin's went wide and looked at him as if he had suddenly lost his mind.

“You're not serious are you?” He laughed softly enjoying the look of fear in her eyes.

“Dead serious, doll.” He placed his hands over top of hers. She sighed heavily, wondering what exactly she was getting herself into. “If we win we'll go out for dinner, anywhere you want to go. Courtesy of ZV.” He moved her hands and showed her the first part of the song he'd get her to try. She was amazed at how well he could play even with her body crushed in between him and the guitar.

“Be prepared to lose this bet.” She huffed as he finished his demonstration, then dropped her eyes down to the guitar where his hands were again intertwined with hers.

His left hand moved hers down the neck of the guitar, placing her fingers correctly along the frets, while his right hand positioned her other one just above the top string. He dipped his head down lower, his chin hovering over her shoulder and his mouth dangerously close to her ear.

He quickly went over some basic things that she needed to know and then showed her the beginning chords of the song. As he spoke she could feel his breath on her neck, it was slightly distracting but she tried her hardest not to show him that.

“Got it?” He asked as he removed his hands from hers.

“I'll try.” She answered hesitantly, she was pretty sure she was about to embarrass herself. She placed her fingers back where Brian had told her to and began to play the part he had just gone over with her. She was terrible and she knew it. “We're going to lose, horribly.” She pouted, her right hand dropped from the strings in defeat.

Brian started to laugh to himself, as he did so his forehead rested against her shoulder trying to contain himself.

“You're not that bad.” He insisted as he removed his forehead from her shoulder and replaced it with his chin.

Erin glanced over at him, their faces dangerously close. From the close proximity she could see the freckles adorning his face, she never really noticed them before. She watched as Brian licked his lips, his brown eyes locked with her blue ones the entire time. He leaned down and his lips captured hers aggressively. Her breath caught in her throat but she didn't pull away, she could feel Brian's hand cup her cheek pulling them closer as his tongue swept over her bottom lip. Erin was tempted to open her mouth like she knew he wanted but instead she pulled away, breathless.

“Aren't you supposed to be making me lunch?” She spoke softly, a hint of a smirk on her face.

“You're seriously thinking about lunch right now?” He asked bewildered.

“I'm hungry.” She pouted, and watched as his features softened, giving in.

He told her to practice as he finished up in the kitchen, she nodded in agreement. Ten minutes later she was called into the next room, and was met with a plate of what looked like a large golden pastry. She sat down at the table, Brian told her what was on her plate was an empanada, something him and his mom used to make together.

“So uh, do you normally do anything for the fourth of July?” Brian asked, pushing around some of the empanada left on his plate. How he had inhaled that thing so fast she would never know, she was half done and almost already full.

“Not really no, we're usually in Oregon. We just watch fireworks, why?” She took a sip of the water Brian had poured for her.

“Well, Johnny's having people over at his place, I was wondering if you wanted to go. Zack and Lisa are coming, and you'd get to meet Jimmy's girlfriend, Leana and Matt is bringing Val. You already met Lacey...” He trailed off at the mention of the short lively brunette Erin had met back in Las Vegas, Lacey had surprised Johnny that night by showing up unexpectedly. Erin and Lacey had bonded quickly, the brunette reminded Erin of Corinne personality wise which put her to ease instantly.

“Yeah, I'd love to meet them.” Erin answered with a smile, genuinely excited to be meeting some new people especially ones she had heard numerous stories about from their significant others.

Little did she know the drama that was about to unfold.