Second Chances

The rest of the night was spent sharing stories of past relationships and awkward first dates. Between the laughing and the trying to one up each other, Brian and Sam were having a good time.

A few times one of the other guys would come up and stand by the door, but none of them dared to knock on it. They all eventually broke down and invited their significant other over, minus Zacky and Johnny though. They were remaining single after both had gone through some rough break ups.

Upstairs, Brian and Sam were enjoying each other’s company and revealing deeper secrets about each other. He told her about his drug problem and how Chelsea helped him get away from it, how she was his rock and how he wanted to marry her because of it.

Sam nodded in the appropriate places and let the man vent out his anger and sadness to her.

“What about you?” He asked switching gears in the conversation. “Why are you now in California? I thought you loved it out in South Carolina.”

An uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as she tried to think of how to answer his question. “I just needed to try something new,” She answered hesitantly. “Ya know.”

“Jimmy wouldn’t have given up the room he kept all his weird shit in for his baby cousin,” Brian said shaking his head. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

“So,” He said putting his hand on her shoulder, making her avert her attention from her painted toe nails to him. “What made you come out here?”

She bit her bottom lip and searched his eyes hoping that maybe there would be some sort of excuse hidden behind them and she could use it to avoid answering his questions. Instead all she found was a comforting warm shade of brown that said everything was going to be alright. And she believed it.

“Promise not to say anything to anyone?” She asked after tucking the hair behind her ears. He nodded. “Jimmy knows, but don’t say anything about it to him.” He nodded again.

She sighed. “I came out here because I couldn’t stay at home anymore.” He waited for her to continue on with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

“I guess I should start from the beginning then, shouldn’t I?” She added with a nervous giggle.

“My dad fought for us in Iraq for six years. He told my mother that after this tour he would quit, but he didn’t and he signed up for a four year extension. The last time I saw him was at my sister’s wedding and that was when I was sixteen.” She stopped and looked down at the ground so he wouldn’t see her cry again. “He died because of a suicide bombing at a checkpoint in one of the vehicles. He never even got the chance to see me graduate high school.”

She pawed away her tears. “Then my mom fell in to a depression because she thought she’d never be able to raise me on her own. Madison already moved to New York with her husband and that left me in South Carolina with my mom. For a whole year and a half after that, I drank and drank and drank. We both fell in to this dark hole and didn’t know how to get out of it. We were both hospitalized because of it almost six times.”

She fought hard to fight back the on coming tears she could feel welting up behind her eyes. “When the anniversary of my Dad’s passing came, my mom told me to go over to my friend’s house for the night and I did. If I knew she was going to do this… I shouldn’t have… I wish I didn’t…” She cried.

Brian took her in his arms and pulled her in to him, letting her cry in to his chest, stroking her dark hair soothingly. “Shhh,” He cooed. “It’s all gonna be alright.”

“She shot herself with the gun my father used to take to the shooting range.” She managed to blurt out. “She left me with five thousand dollars and two dead parents.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as they sat there with him clutching her in to his chest. He kissed her hair and let a few tears escape past his own eyelids in feeling the same pain she did. Never had he felt so much for a person before. He felt like he needed to be the one to take care of her and be there for her.

After she told him her story, all of the puzzle pieces fell in to place.

A random girl showing up at Jimmy’s house, the call Brian got asking if he could come help Leanna decorate the room, the disappearance of Zacky for a whole day, the surprise party that Matt and his girlfriend helped plan, all of it.

Every single little detail fell together perfectly. And just like that, a light bulb went off on the top of Brian’s head.

He was going to win this girl’s affection come hell or high water.

He wanted to be there for her and be her rock like Chelsea was to him. He wanted to give her everything she probably never had. He wanted to show her that even in the darkest storm, there would be a bright rainbow in the sky.

He made a promise to himself to stay away from the drugs and to not think about them anymore. He also made a promise that the whole ordeal with Chelsea wasn’t going to bother him.

Brian looked down at the girl who had fallen asleep in his arms and simply smiled. He hunched over and kissed the top of her head, leaning his head against the bed and closing his eyes for some well needed rest too.

When he woke up the next morning, the weight that was on his chest before he went to bed was no longer there. He had a mini panic attack, poking his head up above the bed where he found her sitting in the corner of the room with the guitar he bought her.

“We are, we are, we are. We are, we are, we are. Lovers lost in space. Searching for our saving grace. Keep on searchin’. Keep on searchin’. Keep on searchin’.”

He slid back down and kept his eyes closed, pretending like he was asleep and letting her finish the song. Just as he was actually falling back asleep, she stopped playing. She set the guitar back on its stand and tip toed her way around Brian.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He smirked with one eye open.

“Downstairs?” She said as more of a question than an actual statement.

He shook his head and stood up from the ground. She could’ve kept on walking towards the door, but something told her to just stay put.

He looked like he was about to say something when he was standing in front of her, but all he did was engulf her in a warm hug.

“Thank you,” He whispered in to her ear.
“You’re welcome Bri,” She giggled back.

She was about to pull away when he pulled her back and stumbled back towards the bed, spinning her around and falling down on top of her but being extra careful not to squish her. His brown eyes had a glassy tint to them and she could feel the same on her own. Her eyes moved from his lips back up to his eyes and his seemed to be doing the same.

For some odd reason unknown to man, Sam felt awkward put in to this situation.

“Brian,” She spoke softly. He looked at her attentively. She drew in a breath and looked back at him with confidence.

“You just got out of a relationship,” She reminded him. “I don’t want to be the rebound.”

He nodded understandingly and got off of her. She sat up on the bed and smoothed out her shirt, trying to forget what just happened.

“So…”
“So.”

“Can I still ask you to hang out tonight?” He asked with hopefulness in his voice.

“Of course.” She replied in a ‘duh’ tone.