Just Say Yes

“So that was your ex huh?” Brian asked, watching Erin practically inhale her drink.

“Yeah, it's embarrassing.” Erin said, placing her almost empty cup on the bar. “I had shitty taste back then and it's a small town.”

“I can tell.” He laughed.

“You were really lucky he didn't want to beat the crap out of you.” Erin finished the last of her drink off and placed the cup on the bar for the bartender to take away.

“I could've taken him.” Brian scoffed, taking a sip of his drink. “Easy.” Erin couldn't help but laugh, it came out louder than she intended.

“Men and their egos.” She shook her head smiling.

“You want another drink?” He asked, noticing her empty glass.

“Just one more, then I should go.” Erin said, glancing around the bar for Lisa but couldn't find her... or Zacky for that matter. “Where did Lisa and Zacky go?”

“Uh, I'm not sure.” Brian looked around but just like Erin he couldn't find their two friends amongst all the patrons.

“Well she's my ride.” Erin huffed, it wasn't the first time Lisa had done this to her when they had come for drinks, but most of the time they'd come with other girls so Erin usually caught a ride home with one of them on the odd chance she hadn't driven. Luckily the bar was within a decent walking distance to her house so if she needed to walk, that was always an option but she preferred not to.

“I can drive you.” He offered, she glanced over at him.

“How many drinks have you had?” She asked, he paused thinking it over. “It's okay, I'll walk.” She got up from the bar, reaching for her coat but he stopped her from getting it.

“I'll walk you.” He stood up and she slipped on her coat, then grabbed her purse.

“And what will you do when I get to my house? Wonder around town until you find your way back?”

“Why not?” He shrugged, smirking at her. “Just say yes, it's not hard.” She rolled her eyes then smiled. Brian took her by complete surprise as he took two steps closer to her. His head was now right next to hers as he whispered to her. “He's staring again.”

Erin turned her head slightly and caught David staring at them out of the corner of her eye. She turned back to say something to Brian, expecting him to be back at arms length but he wasn't.

“Are you trying to get him to fight you?” She questioned, taking a step back, distancing herself from him.

“It's fun.” He answered with a large grin.

“Let's just go.” She began walking towards the exit, but he just stood there.

“But you didn't say yes.” He protested, she turned back giving him an exasperated glare.

“Yes, Brian you can walk me home.” She continued her way to the door, Brian followed two steps behind her. He decided to give David one last smirk and wave before he left the building, he could see the annoyance in David's face and Brian loved it. Luckily Erin had been too busy making her run for it to notice.

“How far of a walk is it?” He asked, when he met up with her outside of the bar. Even though it was completely black outside, it was colder than he thought it would be.

“Fifteen minutes.” She answered, then looked around the parking lot spotting Lisa's car still in the spot where they had left it earlier. “Lisa's car is still here. Is Zacky's?”

“Uh,” Brian looked around the darkened parking lot and spotted the car him and Zacky had arrived in across the parking lot. “Yeah, they must be inside somewhere.” Erin really hoped they weren't hooking up in the bathroom or something, Lisa was better than that. Putting those thoughts out of her mind, she started to walk, leading him in the right direction.

“Mind if I smoke?” He pulled out his cigarettes ready to light one up if she gave him the okay. Erin nodded and watched him pull one out, lighting it eagerly. “I know.” He said, letting the smoke filter out from his lungs and disappear into the air.

Erin looked at him, with a puzzled look in her eyes. “You know what?”

“Smoking is unhealthy.” He told her as they walked down the dimly lit and quiet streets of Boulder City. “You were thinking it.”

“Actually,” She started, adjusting the strap of her purse on her right shoulder. “I was thinking you know what I do for a living. I was wondering what you do, Brian.” Erin peaked out of the corner of her eye to see his reaction to her question, if she hadn't known that he was probably going to lie to her, his calm and collected manner would have fooled her.

“I work with Zacky and three of my friends.” He answered, not looking at her at all when he spoke then put his cigarette back in his mouth. He was being honest with her at least, he just never said what they did. Erin wanted to press a little more.

“Doing what?” He exhaled the cigarette smoke slowly, trying to think up something on the spot. Why wouldn't he just tell her?

“We have a clothing line.” He almost laughed at himself, it was a bad answer and not a very believable one either but it wasn't a complete fabrication, there was some truth to it. However small it may be.

“Definitely not what I thought your profession would be.” She played it off, and lead him around the corner when they had to change their direction. “Another question.”

“Is this twenty questions or something?” He asked, glancing at her, she gave him a smirk.

“Well I did win and before we were rudely interrupted, you were going to reveal something big.” She pointed out, to which he simply nodded. “Why does Zacky call you 'Gates'? Is it your last name?” She hated playing stupid, but she didn't see any other way of approaching it other than telling him she knew who he was.

“It's a nickname. Just something I called myself when I was drunk and it kinda stuck.” He answered, flicking his cigarette to the ground as they continued walking down the street. Erin nodded, and decided maybe it was time for a subject change.

“So why aren't you with your friend who got engaged tonight?”

“I wanted to stay away until tomorrow night...he's engaged to my ex-girlfriend's twin sister.” Erin's mouth hung open in shock, what an uncomfortable situation.

“Wow, awkward.” She laughed playfully.

“Very.” Brian stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked. “So are you gonna give me a tour of this town or what?”

Erin shook her head. “There's not much to show you.”

He looked over at her with a playful smirk on his lips, when he looked at her like that it made it hard for her to say no. “Humor me.”

“Okay...” She paused looking around at their surroundings, they were currently on the main strip of the town where all the businesses were. The streets were dimly lit from the street lights placed every few feet, making the street seem somewhat picturesque.

She looked across the street and pointed. “That's the hardware store my brother works part-time at.” Brian looked over at the old looking store, with a worn out and faded sign that read Ace Hardware.

“If we still had a record store he'd work there instead.” Erin intentionally brought up Jon's love for music, hoping to spark some interest in Brian.

“He likes music?”

“Yeah, he plays drums. Our grandpa taught him.”

Brian was interested, he would have to meet this kid one day. “Is he good?”

“I don't want to sound biased, but yes.”

“Does he play anything else?” Erin smirked to herself, he was probably expecting her to say guitar but unfortunately that had been one instrument Jon hadn't picked up.

“Piano. Why so interested?”

“People who play instruments fascinate me.” He answered honestly.

“Do you play one?”

“Possibly.” He paused, Erin wondered if he was contemplating if he should tell her what he really did for a living.

“Let's get back to the tour.” Brian said. He wanted to avoid the question only because he didn't want to lie to her by telling her no. He also wasn't ready to tell her about what he really did, he wanted to be seen as Brian Haner, not Synyster Gates for once.

Erin surveyed their surroundings, they had come out of the commercial area of Boulder City, and were now into the residential therefore their weren't many things to show him. However, as they got closer to the on coming intersection, she spotted a tall white building she had been inside many times before during her childhood.

Erin removed her hand from her warm pocket to point over at the white building. “That's the church my grandpa used to run.”

Brian looked at it briefly then turned to her. “Used to?”

“He died when I was eighteen, but he gave it up long before that.” Erin remembered how hard it was for him to give up his church to someone else, but every so often he was offered to run a Sunday service. Her, Jon and her grandma would be there to support in the front row. “When Jon and I came to live with him and my grandma, he stepped down. It was too much to run a church and raise two kids at his age.”

“So you're a Reverend's granddaughter?”

“Yeah, scared off now?” She joked.

“No, intrigued.” He laughed. “It makes me want to take you to Vegas and corrupt you.” He smiled at her devilishly, making her mind immediately go to the gutter and her stomach flutter slightly.

“We'll see about that.” She said, trying to mask her nervousness by looking away. She spotted her house a few feet away, she sighed lightly. “Well this is it.”

She opened the gate of the white picket fence that surrounded the fairly large two story white home. There were two large trees framing the walk way to the front door on either side and it had a partial wrap around porch, with a porch swing near the back. She could feel Brian follow close behind her, he was walking her to her door. Suddenly it felt like a date.

She slowly walked up the stairs and stopped just short of her door, then turned around to face him. “Thank you for walking me home.” She smiled sweetly.

He pat the pocket in which held his cellphone. “Thank you for finding my phone and returning it.” She smiled again and was about to turn to open the door but his voice stopped her. “Would it be weird if I looked you up next time we're in Vegas?”

Erin wasn't sure how to respond to that, if she said yes he might get the wrong impression of her. She was pretty confident that she wasn't like the girls that he usually went for. After all he was a successful rock-star who could have just about any girl he wanted. She wasn't ready to get hurt again.

Before she could give him an answer the front door opened, she breathed a sigh of relief but then panicked when she realized it could be Jon and he could ruin everything. Luckily for Erin, it wasn't Jon, but her grandma.

“I thought I heard voices.” She said, still in her clothes from earlier in the night. She looked over at Brian, narrowing her eyes, trying to recognize him. “Who's this?”

“Grandma, this is Brian the guy from the diner I told you about.” Brian smiled, partially because Erin had told her grandma about him and the other half because he was happy to meet the woman.

“Nice to meet you ma'am.” He nodded at her, she laughed kindheartedly.

“Call me Corinne.” She opened the front door wider. “You're welcome to come in.” Erin shook her head, amused at her grandmas antics.

“Actually, I was just gonna walk back to the bar. My friend's waiting for me.” He explained politely then turned to Erin. “Get back to me on that.” He smirked at her again, she could almost hear her grandma smiling and melting behind her.

Erin waved as he made his way back onto the sidewalk and back the same way they had come. She turned around, and just as she expected, her grandma was smiling from ear to ear. Erin laughed and walked inside too caught up in her grandma's eagerness to hear about Brian to notice David's truck pass by her house and turn down the same street Brian had walked down.