Always Had Your Way

Brighten was feeling a little bit out of her comfort zone as she followed Anais up the path way to the house. For some reason she also felt quit comforted with the area, before she was a famous rock star and had Ryan, her fiancé, she once lived in Detroit Michigan.

That’s right, Brighten Stone came from the 8-Mile as her cousin Marshall liked to put it, but that was something she had long put behind her three years ago. A voice calling from across the street pulled Brighten from her thoughts. A little girl about the age of 8 was screaming Anais’s name at the top of her longs as she hung out the window.

“Anais, your home! Dan and Josh went to Max’s place for practice!” Anais looked at the girl with a huge smile on her face, it sort of clicked in Brighten’s mind that very little girl was Max’s little sister, Bridget, that Anais had told her many stories about.

“Thanks Bridget, get back inside its really cold, I don’t need you getting sick. I’ll be over tonight I promise.” Anais yelled back as she took her key from her purse. Anais never threw the key to Dan’s and her place away. It was still the same old hot pink key that Dan had made her as their anniversary gift right after they had bought the place.

“Now Brighten, be aware I haven’t been here to clean up after them so bare with me, please?” Just like Anais had suspected as soon as she opened the front door her face was hit with a stale air smell causing not only hers but Brighten's nose to scrunch up in disgust. Beer cans and empty pizza boxes amongst other things littered the house floor.

Anais dragged her luggage in as well did Brighten, both clearly not happy with the sight that was before them. First thought in Anais mind was, I’m not even going to bother cleaning this pot hole of a place up, and secondly it was that she definitely needed to open a window up.

Setting their luggage by the old rocking chair that Anais mother had had given her when she moved in with Dan, she started to jump over said beer cans, making sure not to scuff up her brand new shoes Jake had brought her as their engagement gift, she pushed opened the old window with a hard push. Dan still had yet to fix it like he promised; then again that was no surprise to Anais.

“Anais you don’t suppose I could get a nap do you?” Anais was in shock that Brighten had yet to say a thing about the place, then again her pep talk outside was probably still playing in her head, or Brighten just understood the situation.

“Yeah, sure. We have a guest room right down the hall.” Anais made her way back through the empty beer can village, she took hold of Brightens shaking hand, guilt started to set in. She really had taken Brighten out of her comfort zone, but then again that was what life was about, taking adventures never knowing just where you are going to end up.

Leading Brighten down the hall Anais saw that nothing had really changed: the same old photo’s lined the walls, some from Dan’s and her childhood, some from their years as just a couple, others from the wedding, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes start to fill up with tears.

”Stop that!” Anais told herself, ”he’s not worth any bloody tears.”

The door to the guest bedroom was wide open, the room was much more different then it had been when she had lived there. Posters now lined the walls of Bring Me The Horizon, Offspring, Ok Go, Attack Attack!, and many more, she recognized them as Josh’s posters. At least Josh had kept his room clean, unlike the rest of the house.

“It looks like my brother Josh moved in, you can just sleep in his bed. They won’t be home for a good six hours. So don’t worry about him coming in here, if he does, he’ll walk right on out, he has good manners.” Brighten rolled her skateboard onto the floor of the room simply nodding her head,

“Thanks Anais.” Anais gave a soft smile to Brighten. She wasn’t really sure why Brighten was thanking her, after all it was Anais who begged Brighten into coming with her back home, and facing her past. There was no way she could have done it on her own.

“No, thank you Brighten.” Before Brighten had the chance to say anything, Anais turned around, walking the rest of the way down the hall where she came face to face with the old door that held many memories. Right then and there, she was mentally beating herself up, trying to figure out just why did she let Dan get rid of the couch. Oh, that’s right Max had spilled to many beers on it, and it was starting to make the house reek of something dead.

Deep breath in and then a deep breath out, Anais got the courage to open the bedroom door. Not a thing was different; it was just the way she left it, clean. To say Anais was in shock would be an understatement, Dan had never made the bed in his entire life, neither had he ever done a load of laundry. Oh who was Anais kidding, Josh had probably been the one to do their laundry, also keep the place somewhat clean.

Walking around the room, her things were all in the same place, the clothing she didn’t take were still in the closet, flat iron and curling iron still laid on her out on her vanity, it was almost as if she hadn’t left, sighing softly Anais made her way over to their bed, where she laid on her side of the bed closing her eyes, as she took in the usual scent of Dan.

It almost made her want to stay.

Brighten laid in the bed, in only her shirt and underwear, she felt almost as if she was back home in Detroit, but she knew she would never go back, not even if Anais bribed with a thousand Juicy Couture purses, she would never go back. That was the last thought on her mind drifted off to Neverland.