Recovery

It was weeks later that Theresa had become a good friend of Brian. They had coffee after every AA meeting, and sometimes he would go over to her place and watch Dexter with her. She would lightly punch him when he would give away what was going to happen next. They got along great. She gave him advice when he needed, and not just about his addiction, but in his relationship.

It seemed that instead of his relationship getting better, it was only getting worse. Michelle kept nagging him if he was better, so they could get married. He confessed to Theresa that he only proposed because Michelle kept bringing up the subject of marriage and he felt that Michelle would be the only woman who would love him for him.

He feared that if he broke up with Michelle, he would never find another woman who would love Brian Haner, not Synyster Gates.

Theresa knew what he meant. After she found out what band he was in, she looked them up. She found a lot of fans, loyal fans. She even found websites about fan fictions about the band members.

“Do you see yourself with her for the rest of your life?” Theresa asked Brian. They were at a café after their AA meeting.

Michelle was the topic once again.

He shrugged. “I guess. We’ve been together for a long time. I trust her.”

“Trust is something you need, but it can sustain the love boat,” she grinned.

He laughed. “The love boat?”

“What else am I supposed to call it?” she defended herself. “Look, you get what I’m saying. As a friend, I say do what you think it’s best. Forget the world. You don’t want to marry Michelle, have children, and then regret it. Your children will suffer.”

“There goes the Yoda talk that you took from Wilber,” Brian smirked.

She laughed. “Oh, crap, you’re right1 I’m turning into him. I guess it just comes with experience.”

“So, my friends are throwing my a Sober-Up party,” Brian said and she gave him a confused look. “I don’t know, I have weird friends.” She giggled. “It’s for being sober for four months, and I want you to be there. You have to be there. You’re a big reason why I’ve made it so far.”

“Hmm, is there gonna be free drinks?” she joked. They laughed together. “I’ll go. What time and where?”

He gave her the time and address to his place.

“I think my friends are gonna love you,” he said.

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Because I…” he stopped and then his face went a little pale. “I know them. If I like you, then they’re gonna love you.”

She smiled sweetly. “Thanks. I look forward to meeting them.”

The party was in three days. It gave her an excuse to go shopping.

The next morning, she was in the mall looking for something to wear to the party. Brian told her it was casual, so she didn’t have to wear a dress if she didn’t want to. She wasn’t going to. She never felt comfortable in a dress, not that she hated them, but she just more comfortable in jeans and a shirt.

She was in the middle of looking for a nice top when her phone began to ring. She thought it would be Brian, but it was her mother. She sighed and rolled her eyes a bit, but answered.

“Hello,” she said nicely.

“Theresa, how are you?” her mother asked.

“I’m well, shopping, and you?”

“Shopping? For what?”

“A party I’m going to go to, mom.”

“Oh…” there was a long pause.

“Is there something you needed, mom?”

“Well… it’s your father, dear. The cancer is back and more aggressive.”

Theresa’s stomach dropped. “What?”

“He went for his regular check up and… we got the results yesterday.”

“What did the doctors say?” she asked. She felt her face grow hot and tears begin to form.

“Not much just that he needed to get back to chemotherapy.”

“But he barely survived the last time,” Theresa muttered. “Oh, God, I’ll be over to visit right now.”

“Your dad went to the cabin for the next week, Theresa. There is no point in coming. He wants to be alone. I’ll let you know when he gets back, all right?”

“All right mom,” she whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Theresa closed her phone. She was no longer in the mood to shop anymore. She paid for what she had already and headed home. She called her dad’s cell phone, but it was turned off. Her family owned a cabin in the woods. It was where her dad and brother used to go hunting to. She used to tag along too, but she didn’t like the dirt much.

She thought about driving over there, but she knew her father. He probably wanted to be left alone.

Brian sprayed a little more hairspray on his hair. He had to make sure the spikes stayed up. He finished quickly. The party already started and it was going on downstairs.

“Babe, let’s go!” Michelle said.

He walked out of the room. “Okay let’s go,” he said.

“You look good,” she said.

“You too,” but he only gave her a simple glance. He went downstairs and started to look for a certain redhead. He had not seen her in a couple of days and he already missed her laughter. He missed how just her left cheek had a dimple and those freckles. Those sincere brown eyes shining whenever she smiled.

“What’s up man?” Matt, the lead singer of the band patted Brian’s back.

“Not much,” he answered. “Glad you came.”

“Four months sober man, that’s a fucking miracle,” Matt laughed and Brian chuckled.

“Yeah.”

“So where is this miracle girl that pulled you out of the gutters?” Jimmy walked up to them and placed an arm around Brian’s shoulder.

“Hopefully here,” Brian took out his phone and texted her.

He spotted her and smiled. She was by the entrance. She looked a little lost. She made eye contact with him. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes like it always did. She walked towards them, and he met her half way.

“Hey,” he said and hugged her. She hugged him back. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine… I’ll tell you later but right now I’m fine. Let’s meet your friends,” she smiled wider, but it wasn’t like before.

It worried him.

He introduced her to Matt and Jimmy. She shook their hands and gave them quick hugs.

She spent a great deal speaking with Brian’s friends. Everyone was interested in his progress and she answered politely. She began to joke around with them. Brian told her that if they joked with her it was because they liked her.

She felt very much comfortable with all of them, even their girlfriends. Theresa finally met the infamous Michelle and Val, the twin sister of Michelle. Theresa tried to main a smile for most of the party, but it was getting harder to do so.

She excused herself from talking to Gena and Cam and went to find Brian to say goodbye. She was told that he left to his room to get something. Someone told her where it was upstairs, so she went upstairs.

As she got closer to the room, she started to hear shouting. No one downstairs would’ve heard them because of the music playing. She felt like it was rude to walk in on them during that, so she turned to leave, but the door opened and Brian had a pissed off look.

It softened when he saw her.

“Theresa,” he said surprised.

Her cheeks blushed. “I just came to say goodbye. I’m not feeling well.”

“Do you need a ride?” he asked at once.

She had taken a cab to get to his home. She was going to decline him, but he was giving her a look that screamed for her to say yes.

“That would be very nice, thank you,” she nodded. She glanced behind Brian and saw Michelle crying. He closed the door. “Maybe you should stay and work things out.”

Brian shook his head. “We broke up.”

Theresa’s mouth opened. She didn’t want to intrude. She tried to help him. She gave him good advice.

“Let’s go, please,” he said and she followed him downstairs and to his car.

They got in silently. She strapped on the seat belt. She remained silent. Brian drove rather slow. He wanted to drag out the drive for as long as he could. He didn’t want to return to the mess that was his life.

“I really want a fucking drink,” he mumbled.

“I can tell,” Theresa said softly. “But we’ll get through this.”

“Can’t I just have a fucking sip?” he groaned.

“We just came from a party dedicated to sobriety, Brian,” she laughed. “It would be kind of fucked up. No, we’ll get through this. Why did you argue this time?”

“It was fucking stupid,” he muttered.

“What was it?”

“She said I wasn’t paying enough attention to her. She’s always been an attention whore!”

“Brian calm down, you don’t mean that,” Theresa said.

“Kind of. But she does love attention. She’s self absorbed and… I just can’t be with her anymore.”

“You’re upset right now, but you’ll get over it.”

“I’m not because I’m in love with someone else,” he muttered.

“Oh…” she said softly, “that’s bad.”

“I didn’t plan for it. When I’m around her, I can say anything I want and feel like I’m being judged.”

“And you trust her too?” she asked.

Brian gave her only a glance and smiled. “With my life. She has shown me she cares for Brian and not just Syn.”

Theresa shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Yes, she was jealous. She was developing feelings for him. It was something she knew couldn’t happen, but she thought it was only a crush. It helped to know that Brian wasn’t committed to Michelle, but now he was telling her that he was completely in love with someone else.

“Then, for your sake, you should go after the one you love,” she said with difficulty. “It might hurt others, but it will hurt more to just let true love go.”

“Which is why I broke up with Michelle tonight. When I saw her with my friends, I knew she would be welcomed. She looked so comfortable with them, like she always belonged.”

Theresa gave him a confused look.

“If you’re still wondering who it is, it’s you, Theresa,” Brian chuckled. “You’re the one I’m completely, insanely in love with. Did that sound too cliché? Ah, fuck it, it’s true.”

Theresa chuckled and grinned widely. She just couldn’t help it.

“You love me?” she asked.

“I’ve been trying to figure it out for the last couple of days, but I found out when… we fell asleep watching Dexter and I woke up and I found you in my arms. It felt so right, and I never had so much peace in my heart and mind.”

His words hit her like a truck and paralyzed her a bit. Brian wasn’t really the type to express himself like that, so it had to mean something.

“I love you, too,” she admitted.

“Good because I would’ve fought for your love until the end,” he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on top of it while still driving. He parked the car to the side, placed it park and had the breaks on. In a flash his lips were hot on hers.

The kiss was simple, but dynamic. Their whole worlds exploded and clouded them in a world of their own. A place where no pain was found. A place where there was only them.

They would use each other to get through the rough times. Would they live happily ever after? Who knows, but their love was strong. As long as they had love.