Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

I awoke the morning of my parents' arrival with a huge smile on my face. The last three days had been perfect. I was engaged to Brian Elwin Haner Jr. and I'd had the weekend with my parents to look forward to. I'd thought life was good before; now, it was even better.

I showered and dressed in a Metallica tee and a pair of denim short-shorts. As soon as I entered the kitchen, Pixie began meowing and rubbing my ankles. Pixie was my birthday present from Matt. She was a pure bred Abyssinian kitten and needless to say, I was in love. I was fixing her food when Brian came in from the back porch with his dog Pinkly trailing along behind him.

"Hey." Brian pecked me on the lips.

"Hey. What do you want for breakfast?"

"I don't have time for breakfast," Brian said, turning me to face him and wrapping his arms around my waist. "We're in LA today, remember?"

"Oh yeah." I sighed. "What time will y'all be back?"

"Before dinner." Brian kissed me again. "You should be glad. This will give you time to catch up with your parents."

"That is true." I smiled up at him. "But I'm not telling them that we're engaged until you're there, too."

"Damn," Brian said in mock dismay. "I was hoping to get out of that."

I giggled. "I know."

"I love you."

"I know that, too."

Brian gave me one last kiss. "Bye, babe. I'll see you later."

"Bye," I echoed.

He walked out of the kitchen. I heard the jingle of his car keys, then the front door opened and closed. A second later, I jumped as Pinkly let out a yip and scrabbled across the hardwood floor in the direction of the hallway. Pixie was backed into the corner, fur raised and pupils dilated. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. This had already happened a few times. Pinkly was curious about Pixie and kept invading the kitten's personal space. Pinkly didn't mean her any harm, but it wasn't like I could explain that to Pixie.

I checked the clock over the stove. My parents' flight would be arriving in two hours. I sighed and poured myself a bowl of honey nut Cheerios, topping the cereal with slices of banana. Carrying my breakfast into the living room, I situated myself Indian-style on the overstuffed sofa and switched on the television.

I knew traffic in Los Angeles would suck, especially traffic near the airport. So forty-five minutes later, I locked the front door behind me and got into my car to head to LAX.

Traffic was even worse that I expected, making me late. I parked in the long-term parking area, but there was no need. My mom and dad were waiting with their bags.

"Sorry!" I apologized. "Traffic."

"That's fine." Mom hugged me. "How are you?"

"Good." I lifted one of Mom's bags and started for the car. "How was the flight?"

"Long," Dad grumbled.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Where's Brian?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Doing 'band stuff,'" I answered. "The album is set to be released in, like, two weeks, and the guys have been really busy. He'll be back in time for dinner, though." I glanced at my ring-free finger and felt a smile tugging at my lips. (I'd taken off the engagement ring so they wouldn't figure it out before I was ready to tell them.) Mom and Dad were going to freak when they heard the news. They both liked Brian. Dad had only met him about three or four times; Mom, six or seven times. This weekend was going to be for more than just me catching up with my parents.

We drove back to Huntington Beach and had lunch at a restaurant owned by one of Brian's friends. Afterward, I showed them around town and we, mostly Mom and me, talked about anything and everything.

I took them to the house around five. I'd barely made it through the door when Brian sent a text, letting me know he'd be home some time close to six-thirty.

I got Dad settled in the living room, parked in front of the big screen with a beer. Mom joined me in the kitchen and we started preparing dinner. I had made Brian buy plenty of peel-and-eat shrimp. My parents loved seafood, but they rarely got it fresh. Mom and I continued chatting away while we cooked. At some point, Dad wandered in for another beer. He added his own touch to the food, which was fine with me because he was an excellent cook.

Brian walked through the door at six thirty-five. The table was set and dinner was ready. I ran to him and jumped into his arms, kissing him. Everything was going my way and I was in a wonderful mood.

"Mmm," he murmured against my lips. "Something smells delicious."

"It's shrimp and--"

"I wasn't talking about the food," he interrupted, kissing me a little more firmly.

"Behave!" I scolded with a grin. "My parents are here." I grabbed his hand and led him to the dining room. "Look who's home!"

Mom smiled. "Hello, Brian."

"Hey, Mrs. Andrews," Brian said. "Mr. Andrews."

Dad mumbled a response. He wasn't being unfriendly, that was just how Dad was with everybody.

During dinner, Mom asked Brian about the recording of City of Evil. I enjoyed seeing the two of them getting along so well, especially since butterflies were waking in my stomach. I shifted restlessly in my seat and Brian glanced at me. His hand rested on my thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

I excused myself once dinner was done and I'd loaded the dishwasher. I climbed to the master bedroom. My engagement ring was in its box, safely nestled in the drawer of the bedside table. I put it on and held my hand up, watching the diamond catch the light and sparkle. And for the three thousandth time since Brian had proposed, it hit me. I'm engaged. I am going to marry Brian Haner Jr. I am going to spend the rest of my life with him.

The butterflies vanished. I smiled to myself. I was in love, damn it. Why should I be apprehensive about telling my parents that I was going to share my life with the person I loved more than anything else or anyone else in the world?

I descended the stairs. Brian and my parents were on the patio. Brian was smoking a cigarette and listening to whatever my dad was saying. Mom was sitting in one of the lounge chairs, petting a very content Pixie. Pinkly was laying at Brian's feet, mournful doggy eyes fixed on the attention Pixie was receiving.

I went to Brian's side and he reached over to twine his fingers with mine.

"Well, it's been a long day," Mom said, getting to her feet. "I think it's time for bed."

"Just a minute," I said. "We have something to tell you."

Mom's eyes immediately dropped to my left hand. In the dim light spilling through the sliding glass doors, she might have been able to catch a faint glimmer, I wasn't sure. Still, with that one statement, I'd given away the surprise. So, smiling, I raised my hand. "We're engaged."

There was a long moment of silence. My grip on Brian's hand tightened as worry swept through me. Were they going to be angry or disappointed? How could they possibly consider this a bad thing?

Then, my mom threw her arms around me. "Congratulations!" She kissed me on the cheek before stretching up to hug Brian.

Dad hugged me next. "I only want to know one thing," he said quietly in my ear.

"What, Daddy?"

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He gave me an extra squeeze. "Congratulations, sweet."

Much later, I was laying in bed, gazing at the ring on my finger. Brian was snoring softly, satiated and sleeping peacefully. And I smiled, as I did so often these days.

Yeah. My life was perfect.

*****

"It never gets old, does it?" Jimmy asked, sauntering into the living room and collapsing next to me on the sofa.

The video for "Burn It Down," the first single from City of Evil, was playing on the television in front of us.

"No," I said, smirking. "I love seeing Bri all hot and sweaty. It brings back extremely pleasant memories."

Jimmy punched my shoulder playfully. "Do you have to do that, Jordan? Now I'm thinking dirty things."

I arched an eyebrow. "You're thinking about a sweaty Bri?"

"No, I'm taking Brian out of the equation and imagining a sweaty you. Oh, and me."

I swatted at him. "Perv."

It had been a week since my parents' visit. The album release date was nearing and the guys were getting a bit antsy. They were very proud of the work they'd done and were ready to be on the road, promoting it. Having heard some of it, I shared in their nervous excitement. They had gone to new and greater lengths with this album, and it sounded like nothing that was on the market right now.

"Sunshine?"

"Yeah, scientist?"

Jimmy looked at me, expression serious. "This is the one. This is the album that's going to change everything. I can feel it."

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I believed in them with every fiber of my being, but it would sound like such a predictable and automatic response to say that.

"I know you can't come with us for Warped, but you should come on the road with us this fall," Jimmy commented, focus back on the television.

"Mmm," I mumbled noncommittally.

"You have to, Jordan! What will I do without my sunshine?"

"I'll only come if Brian wants me to."

Some thought or emotion flickered across Jimmy's expression, then he said "I guess that's fair."

"I don't want him to feel like I don't trust him."

"Coming with us on the tour doesn't mean you don't trust him. It means you want to be with him. Hell, you guys are getting married. This will be like training."

"Training?"

"Yup. Learning how to stand being with each other all the time."

I rolled my eyes. "You're such a cynic, Jimmy."

"No, I'm not. I just don't think it's possible for two people to spend their entire lives together."

"You don't think that every person has his or her other half and that's it?"

"Uh, no. That's bullshit. Human beings are sexual creatures by nature. To think that Brian is the only guy you will ever find sexually attractive for the rest of your life...that borders on foolishness, my dear. And the same goes for him. There will be other females he is sexually drawn to."

"Whatever," I said, frowning. "You'll feel differently when you meet that person who takes your breath away and turns your world upside down."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "I'm not saying your marriage won't work, sunshine. I'm simply saying you two better be prepared to resist temptation. There will be days when your love for him won't seem like enough and you'll crave other people's company." Jimmy shrugged. "For a marriage to work, both individuals have to be strong."

"We are," I stated confidently. Then, I rested the back of my hand across his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? I've never known you to get all...deep...like that."

Jimmy pushed my hand away, chuckling. "I'm fine. I just love both of you and I don't want to see two of my best friends go down in flames." He met my eyes. "You need to come with us."

"We already live together, Jimmy. That's practice."

"That's practice for normal people. You're marrying a band guy, sunshine. You need to see what happens on the road and decide if you can live with that."

"As long as he doesn't cheat, I don't care."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Flirting and teasing is just part of the show. It goes with the territory. It's why girls love band guys so much. Y'all act interested and make us feel sexy and we go home happy and adoring the band even more than we did. I get it."

Jimmy sighed. "I don't think you do. I've met a couple of girlfriends who 'got it,' and then, once they were faced with the reality of what their men were doing, they couldn't overcome their jealousy and their insecurities."

"Jimmy--"

"Promise me," he cut in, and I closed my mouth. "Promise that if he asks you to come with us, you will."

I nodded. "I promise."

Jimmy changed the channel to find something decent to watch and I sat there, thinking. Was he right? Would seeing Brian in his role as Synyster Gates, lead guitarist for Avenged Sevenfold, bring out my insecurities? Would I get jealous? I'd been to more than a few of Avenged's local shows, and I'd never gotten jealous when the girls flirted with Brian. Why would that change now?

Jimmy's wrong, I told myself. He cares about me and he wants what's best for me, but he's way off on this one. Brian and I have been together for almost six years. We're getting married! Nothing is going to change the way we feel about each other. Nothing.