Hush, Hush

"So Brian?" Chelsea said as she set down a cold glass of lemonade and a tray of cups. "I didn't expect you for another three weeks."

"Oh, sick of me already?" he asked, playfully pinching her cheek. Chelsea laughed, placing a hand on the now red pinch mark.

I know I am.

As if he could read my mind, Brian's dark eyes wandered over to mine, his smile still intact as if he put a lock on it. He had one leg on top of the other in that weird, guy fashion and his left arm was draped on the shoulder of the couch, coming to rest on Chelsea's. He had a beanie on his head that barely let any of his hair show and the curious cat in me wondered about its color. But the awkward, reserved, shy part of me refrained from asking.

''Not at all. Tour was good?"

I was grateful for that lemonade. It served as a great distraction. I stared at it, long and hard, watching the ice cubes dance in their yellow little ocean and how - if looked at from a certain angle - little rainbows danced off of them. It was a shame he was going to swallow their home and melt them to destruction.

"Chloe?" I looked up from the glass to meet two pairs of eyes giving me questioning looks.

"Yeah?" I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat when Brian's eyes darted towards me. I was so busy distracting myself I didn't hear what they were exchanging. Chelsea uneasily looked at Brian for a moment, who quickly looked back at her with a small frown, before turning back to me, a rather serious look on her face.

"Brian here was just telling me about how he just came out of--"

Shit. He told her.

"It's not true!" I burst out, widening my eyes and putting my palms up like a shield. Chelsea looked puzzled and Brian's frown deepened slightly. He looked at the small cuts on his jeans, picking at the loose threads for a second before looking back up towards my face.

"Oh..." Chelsea replied, scratching her head. "My bad. I could've swore Hannah said you were from Scottsdale."

I blinked uncomprehendingly, absentmindedly looking over at Brian. "Eh...what?"

"You're from Scottsdale, right?" It was Brian this time and it took me a whole dry swallow before I could look at him.

Should I tell this bastard where my home is? I think not.

"Err..."

"Here." Chelsea said, offering me a cup. "You look rather thirsty. Drink up." I gratefully took a sip, and then another, not realizing just how thirsty I was.When I was done, Chelsea hurriedly poured me another and I didn't even know I had downed that one too until Brian brought it to my attention.

"Slow down there, cherry." He half-worryingly said. "I'll go get a fresh glass."

I subconsciously tucked at my locks, giving him a silent glare. Only friends were allowed to give me nicknames and Brian was so not a friend of mine. In fact, Brian and my friend scale are so far from each other--I don't even know what to compare them to.

He grabbed the now empty glass of lemonade and made to stand up but Chelsea put a restraining hand on his chest. "Nonsense, babe. I'll go. You two? Make acquaintances." She got up before I could protest on any of those things: alone with Brian (again), making acquaintance and the lemonade.

The poor dancing ice cubes.

"So, Chloe is it?"

I can't deny it now; Chelsea already said my name. At least I won't come up on Google.

"Ryan, right?"

"Actually it's--"

"What brings you here?" I cut him off, casually looking around at the numerous items that adorned the living room. I never noticed before but if you took a good look at the walls and ceilings, you'd notice some kind of invisible circle engraved every inch or so. I made a mental note to ask Chelsea.

"Tour ended early. Thought I'd come home and surprise my boo."

"Tour?" I asked intrigued, but only a little. I was mostly trying to ignore the slight tension that rose when he called Chelsea his boo.

"Yeah, me and my band--"

"My band and I."

"You have a band too?" I gave him a skeptical look until the light bulb in his head lit. "Oh." he flushed, scratching the back of his neck. "Right. My band and I."

I knew I was avoiding what had happened mainly because Chelsea might walk back in any moment but also because I didn't know what to say if it was brought up. And I knew it was easier to bring something up in silence hence, the pointless small talk.

"My band and I ended up coming home before schedule."

I think he felt the same way because he didn't cut to the chase either. We both respectably sidestepped the obvious and busied ourselves by staring at the wooden table that separated our feet when the small talk died away.

"Hey." he suddenly whispered and I lifted my eyes cautiously. He looked behind him for a moment before edging closer, leaning slightly over the table towards me.

You have got to be kidding me!

"Don't even think about it, mister!" I whisper yelled back angrily and I saw fear swim in his orbs. "Whatever you think you're trying to pull, I'm not going to--" But before I could finish my threat, he jumped on me. No, really. He freakin' jumped on me, leaping up from the couch and landing right on me, one hand over my mouth. The other held my flaring arms in an iron lock.

He's going to kill me. This psychopath's going to kill me!

"Calm down, Chloe."

How can I freakin' calm down!?

"Just hear me out!" he pleaded, loosening his grip a little. "I promise to let you go if you promise not to scream or hit me, okay?" I nodded my coppery head, bumping foreheads with Brian.

"Okay." he repeated, taking back his hands. "HEY!"

With not a second to waste of my new given freedom, I slapped him hard across his face and added two more pounds to his arms before he grabbed hold of me again. I would've screamed too but honestly, I feared what Chelsea might do if she saw this scene unfold.

"What the hell's the matter with you? You promised!" I gave him a death glare because it was the only thing I could do in my current position. But it got my message across.

"Promised what?" Chelsea's voice came from behind us and we both froze. We stared at each other wide-eyed and slowly looked over our shoulders to see a full glass of lemonade in one hand,a jutted hip under the other and a look of suspicion plastered across her face.

Brian reluctantly freed me, still fearing I might rat him out on everything. But at the moment, I was too afraid. Brian, from the looks of them, knew Chelsea way longer than I have (which is roughly three days.) If he was frightened, God knows what I should be.

"Uh, uh..." I said, looking at Brian for assistance. He tried to read my expression and from the new look of hope that dawned on his face, I figured he received my plea for help.

"Well...it's a surprise." he started off hesitantly, looking to see if I wasn't silently giving Chelsea signals. "I thought if I told Chloe here, she'd make it...easier for us to keep you out of the loop." he easily lied, looking at me again for confirmation. "But I didn't expect her to jump the second I told her. Hence the hand cuffing and scotch-tape." he jokingly said and I hesitantly laughed along with him when Chelsea looked at me.

"Oh, Brian." she cooed, resuming her seat. She patted the spot next to her and Brian was at her side instantly, like a trained dog. I straighted up, brushing the part Brian held me absentmindedly as I watched another scene unfold in front of me. For the next couple of seconds, while Chelsea and her boo subtlety made eyes at each other, I entertained my previous thought, wondering what type of canine Brian could be.

He looks a lot like a Labrador. I thought funnily.

Chelsea giggled at something Brian whispered and I sat in my seat, full view of their little intimate moment. When Brian's hand wrapped around one of her hips again, what happened earlier hit me and I jumped up like I got electrocuted. Chelsea's head was turned towards Brian's ear and I figured she was whispering something back. That, or she was doing something I'd rather not think about. Ever.

I made to move away quietly, not wanting to intrude, but I froze when Brian's eye caught me. He stared at me for a moment, Chelsea still busy with--whatever she was busy with, and I found myself unable to break eye contact. He gave me a small smirk before kissing Chelsea on the cheek. I chose that moment their attentions weren't on me to retreat to the comfort of my room, locking myself in it before jumping onto my bed.

But aren't Labradors loyal dogs?