Open Your Eyes

“Brian?” Zacky heard his voice echo through out Brian's beachfront home, but was left without a reply as he stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and took in the sight before him.

Zacky knew Brian wasn't the most tidy of his friends. With the vast amount of time they had spent sequestered on the their tour bus together it was something he found out quite quickly about him. However, even during their long stretches of time on the bus, Zacky had never seen his friend's living quarters in such chaos. Clothes were scattered on the floor and the furniture, empty beer cans and bottles muddled the coffee table and a few were on top of the entertainment center. Half empty take out boxes sat among the empty cans and bottles, and filled the room with the smell of oriental spices.

The rhythm guitarist also quickly realized that the small white dog Brian loved more than anything hadn't run to the front door when he had let himself inside.

“Pinkly.” He called, adding in a whistle in hopes of getting the dogs attention. He darted his eyes around the room, searching for signs of movement but was met with nothing.

He stepped further into the living room, letting the bright sunlight shining in from the large windows graze the exposed skin of his arms. As he neared the center of the living room, he heard a quiet moan come from beside him.

Zacky glanced over his shoulder expecting to find his friend passed out on the couch. He was somewhat surprised when he was actually met with the sight of a young blonde. Who in her sleeping state, looked no older than eighteen. Given that she looked so young, he tried to ignore the fact that she was only in a small pair of red underwear and a matching bra.

He watched as she stretched her small body, and her green eyes fluttered open to meet his. The eyeliner she had been wearing was smudged and was only worsened as she rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes.

“Hey.” A tiny smirk crossed her lips at the sight of him before she sat herself upright on the couch. Zacky immediately noticed her eyes look him up and down, and for the first time ever he felt uncomfortable with a girl checking him out.

“Where's Brian?” He asked, ignoring the intense stare of the younger girl. He didn't have time to deal with her, Brian had missed a meeting with the guys and Zacky had volunteered to stop by his place to find out why. Matt had initially volunteered but Zacky knew Matt would've just yelled at Brian and only push the lead guitarist further away from his friends.

The girl before him bit her lip as she stood up, sauntering over to him. She stopped when she was within a few inches. “Zacky Vengeance right?” She asked, her green eyes gleaming with interest.

Zacky sighed heavily, growing annoyed. “Yeah, so have you seen him?”

“He stumbled off somewhere after we were done last night.” She said as one of her hands took his arm and studied the ink that was etched into his skin. “You know... I've heard some pretty crazy stories about you.” She trailed off as she flashed him a devious yet sultry smile.

“I'm curious to know if they're true.” She ran a finger lightly up his arm until it reached his shoulder then proceeded to move it down his chest. Her small hand only stopped when it hit the belt buckle that held up his jeans. Zacky rolled his eyes, subtlety was clearly not her forte.

Zacky furrowed his brows at the girl, taking a step back. “Don't believe everything you hear.” He said in a monotone voice, feeling slightly disgusted at her sexual innuendo. “How old are you anyway?”

She shrugged her bony shoulders and tilted her head to the side. “Nineteen.” She muttered before she pulled on a loose fitting black dress that had been thrown, Zacky assumed, in the heat of passion to the floor. Zacky scoffed and shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets while she continued to dress her slender frame.

“Your friend didn't seem to mind the age difference last night.” She smirked again, clearly proud of herself for getting his best friend into bed with her.

Zacky chose not to break the poor girls heart by informing her that Brian was in a dark place and had been mindlessly fucking around with anything that was female. Though his conquests had seemingly declined in the age department as of recently.

The blonde pulled on her black faux leather knee high boots and slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder. She looked back over at him with a calculating look in her eye. Zacky was about to tell her to leave when she swiftly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen then scribbled on it. She folded the piece of paper in half as she walked closer to him.

“In case you change your mind, you have my number.” She smirked devilishly, and slipped the piece of paper into his jean pocket, letting her hand linger longer than what was necessary.

Zacky snatched her wrist in his hand and removed her small hand from his pocket. His actions caused her to let out a girly giggle, instantly reminding him of her age. He let go of her wrist and watched as she started towards the door.

“I'm pretty sure he stumbled on to the deck.” She yelled back as she opened the front door.

Zacky didn't even wait for her to leave before he promptly made his way onto the deck. A white ball of fluff instantly rushed to his feet as he slid the door open. Zacky smiled down at the dog before bending down to scratch behind Pinkly's ears. He glanced up from the dog to find Brian lazily sprawled out on a lounge chair with several cans of beer on the small plastic table next to him.

The rhythm guitarist slowly got to his feet and stared down at his friend, even with his brown eyes closed, Zacky noticed the dark bags forming under his eyes. Zacky side ways glanced at the cans on the table before reaching out to find one that still had some beer left over. When he found one, he proceeded to tilt the can over top of Brian's face until the remnants spilled over his sleeping form.

As soon as he felt the liquid hit his face, Brian's eyes shot open and sat up quickly. He rubbed the beer out of his eyes, causing the eyeliner he had been wearing to smudge significantly.

“What the fuck Zacky!” Brian protested, clearly annoyed with his friend. “That was perfectly good beer.” He argued as he then checked what was left in all the other cans but was met with only empties.

Zacky crossed his arms across his chest as he stared down at Brian. Brian was instantly reminded of the similar stance his father would take when he was about to give him shit for misbehaving. “You missed the meeting this morning.”

A bitter, gruff laugh escaped from Brian's throat as he ran a hand through his messy black hair. “I got busy.” Brian shrugged it off as if the meeting with his three best friends hadn't been important.

“Clearly.” Zacky's voice came out in a monotone, not amused by his longtime friend's antics. He glanced down to the ground and caught sight of the piece of paper sticking out of his pocket. He reached down and removed the paper from the spot in his jeans before he held it out to Brian.

“She told me to give this to you.” Zacky lied but he wasn't going to meet up with his fiance with another girls number in his pocket. Brian happily took the white paper in his fingers and slipped it into jeans.

“Dude, you should have been there this morning.” Zacky started. Brian's mood immediately darkened, instantly knowing where Zacky was going with his statement. “The shit we were discussing is important. It should be all four of us, not just three. It already feels incomplete with just four.”

Brian shakily stood up from the lounge chair. “I'm not interested in discussing anything to do with the band right now. You and the boys discuss whatever the fuck you want without me.”

Zacky shook his head in disappointment. “Do you have any idea how selfish you're being right now?” He snapped, raising his voice slightly.

Brian raised an eyebrow at Zacky and opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it. He wasn't in the mood to hear another long speech regarding his behavior. Instead, Brian brushed passed Zacky, their shoulders made brief yet rough contact in the movement. Brian walked back into his house and grabbed the jacket that was hanging off his mantle before heading towards the small table by the door where he had left his keys.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Zacky yelled from the doorway that led to the deck. Brian ignored his friends inquiry, and proceeded out the front door to his vehicle.

Upon starting up the black sports utility vehicle, he knew exactly where he was headed, though whether he could manage to get out of the car this time was still to be determined.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“California dreaming, on such a winters day.” Erin sung softly to herself as the song slowly faded out until she was left waiting in silence for the next one.

Lisa had sent her a road mix collection for her drive down to the sunshine state to her get excited. Erin had actually forgotten about compact discs until she hit a gas station when her car told her it was time to refuel. With only a little ways left to drive before she hit the main strip of downtown Huntington Beach, she had decided to humor her best friend's antics and take a listen to one of the mixes. During her drive, she had found that many of the songs mentioned California in some shape or form.

She breathed out a content sigh and let her eyes stare out at the familiar scenery of the beach town she would now call home. Though, she still wasn't sure how long she'd actually be staying for, or if the job she'd accepted would even be something she'd enjoy doing. What she did know though was that she'd be in California until the end of April, at least. Zacky and Lisa had set the date for their wedding, the twenty fifth of April, and being the maid of honor Erin was required to attend.

Pushing aside the thoughts of all the things Lisa would surely drag her into doing for the upcoming wedding, Erin focused on the road and listening to the next song being emitted from the speakers. As she listened to the melodic sounds of the piano she absentmindedly tapped her fingers along the steering wheel that her hands rested on.

“Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band. Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man.” Elton John's voice filled the car softly.

Erin felt her body tense as her mind became aware of the song playing. She squeezed her hands tighter around the wheel as her mind traveled back over eight months ago to the night when her life slowly began to change. A night where she found herself swaying slowly to the song with a certain raven haired and heavily tattooed guitarist dangerously close. His rough yet gentle hands on the curve of her hips, and his brown eyes darkening slowly as he was staring back at her with that signature smirk. It still surprised her how one simple curve of his lips could make her knees weaken and her heart beat a tiny bit faster but he somehow managed to do it each and everytime.

Even just imaging it caused Erin to consider finding a spot on the side of the road to stop her car so she could pull herself together. However, she was already running late so she fixed her problem by turning off the stereo and settled for silence until she found herself reach her destination.

She pushed all thoughts of Brian out of her mind as she searched for a decent parking spot along Main St. When she found herself unlucky in that search, she parked her car on the street over from the main strip. Mentally deciding to take the scenic route to the restaurant and clear her head before meeting up with her best friend.

The girls had happily agreed to meet at a local cafe that was visited by many of the area's local surfers and was renowned for their delicious breakfasts. They had discovered it during back in the summer their first week of staying in Huntington and had made it a routine to come at least once a week.

Erin's heels clicked sharply against the cracked and weathered pavement of the sidewalk. She let herself take in the familiarity of the various shops and restaurants settled along Main St. As her feet continued to lead her south, she felt the warmth of the sun dance along her body. A subtle smile inched across her lips as she took a moment to enjoy the heat the beams of sunlight provided.

Her thoughts of Brian disappeared as she neared the outdoor patio in front of the Sugar Shack. She spotted Lisa easily, she sat at one of the tables out front with her sunglasses perched on top of her head and her long dark brown hair was left down in beachy waves.

As if knowing Erin was there, Lisa turned her head to catch Erin's gaze. The brunette flashed a blinding white smile as she got to her feet. It was then that Erin caught sight of ever growing baby bump underneath her brightly colored sundress.

Lisa rested one hand on the small of her back as Erin's heels loudly clapped against the pavement, quickening her step towards her best friend.

“How are you?” Erin embraced her best friend tightly, feeling the slight curve of the pregnant woman's stomach against her body. Erin released Lisa, stepping back to admire the growing bump. She placed a gentle hand on top of it, her fingers gently caressing the area. Lisa slid one of her hands across her stomach as well.

“How's baby Vengeance doing?” Erin questioned in awe. Lisa smiled softly with a knowing look in her eye.

“She's doing great.” Lisa announced, her teeth biting down softly on her bottom lip. Erin's gaze left the protruding bulge under Lisa's dress and focused on the beaming brunette. Erin tilted her head to the side as she digested her best friend's news.

“It's a girl?” Erin felt her mouth drop open in surprise. She had known that Lisa was bound to find out the sex of the baby within the next week or two, given that she was about to hit her twenty week mark in just a couple of days. Erin hadn't guessed that she had already known.

“Well when did you find out?” Erin eagerly questioned as the girls took their respective seats across from one another.

“A few days ago,” Lisa took a small sip of her glass of orange juice. “I would've told you sooner but I wanted to do it in person.”

“I'm glad you did.” Erin felt her lips tug upwards as she noticed Lisa couldn't fight the smile that seemed to be permanently etched onto her mouth. “Got any names picked out?”

Lisa shrugged, then rubbed one hand along her stomach. “We've discussed a few but nothing definite, though Zacky and I really like Elise. But Ben thinks we should let him chose.” Lisa finished with a laugh.

“Speaking of, how are Ben and Zacky dealing with all this?” Erin questioned.

Lisa chuckled softly as her eyebrows raised slightly. “Ben's excited to be a big brother.” She replied as she recalled the day she had told her son of the impending change to occur to their newly formed family.

She wasn't sure if Ben had fully understood what she had told him right away, the puzzled look in his brown eyes told her that. However, she noticed that as time went on and her stomach grew larger, so did the small boy's excitement of the upcoming newborn baby.

“And Zack's been great...” Lisa trailed off, leaving the blonde sitting across from her feeling as if there was something else she was meaning to say. The smile on Lisa's face faltered slightly and she briefly pursed her lips together in a tight line.

“But seriously if I hear 'Babe, did you take your vitamins?' one more fucking time...” Lisa said in a warning tone. Her playful yet moderately annoyed expression made Erin giggle.

“At least he's excited.” Erin pointed out with a shrug as a curly haired waiter came over to offer her a cup of coffee. She took it politely and turned back to Lisa, suddenly realizing that her fiance was supposed to be accompanying her.

“So where is Zack? I thought he was joining us.” Erin glanced around the street, wondering if he was just running late or not showing up at all. She had been excited to see him and hoped it wasn't the latter.

Lisa shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her chair before answering. “Oh, he had some band stuff to do before, he should be here soon.” If it weren't for the nervous look in Lisa's eyes, Erin would've chalked up her best friend's uncomfortable behavior to her pregnancy.

However, the expression filling Lisa's eyes told Erin that there was something being left unspoken, she just wasn't sure what that was. Before Erin had a chance to question further, the curly haired waiter returned to their table asking if they were ready to send in their orders.

A mere ten minutes later Erin caught sight of Zacky strolling along the sidewalk, looking the same as the last time she had seen him. She stood up from her chair as soon as he came within arms length. A bright smile was on his face as he pulled her into a friendly hug. When he pulled away he moved his sunglasses down his nose as he looked her up and down, instantly making her feel too dressed up.

“I didn't know this was such a formal affair.” He joked with laugh. Erin tried to hide the blush forming on her cheeks.

“I have to make a good impression on the first day.” She argued playfully. “Not everyone can just wear whatever the hell they want to like you.” Zacky simply laughed and silently agreed.

“I feel so frumpy compared to you.” Lisa pouted to which Erin rolled her eyes and sat back down. Zacky took the seat next to Lisa and draped an arm around her shoulders. He placed a loving kiss on her lips, lingering for a few moments before his attention turned to his fiance's stomach.

“How are my girls?” He asked moving his hand in a circular motion across her belly. He took a moment to look up at Lisa. Erin leaned back in her chair and watched the couple's exchange from across the table.

“We're good.” She smiled happily before her expression softened. “Did you and the guys get anything accomplished today?” The question peaked Erin's curiosity, she had been severely out of the loop ever since Jimmy had passed when it came to the band. He had been the one to let her know everything new that was happening with them.

Zacky clenched his jaw briefly before speaking. “It's a work in progress.” He answered ominously before the table was left in silence. Zacky's usually lively green eyes held traces of doubt and Erin couldn't help but wonder what was causing it.