Dear God

Walking off stage, Brian sighed as he looked around. He knew that she would possibly be unable to make it to tonight’s show, but it didn’t make it any less hard on him. Grabbing a beer, he trudged back towards the dressing room. Bypassing all the couples, he grumbled incoherently as he plopped down on a sofa and flipped his phone open, regretting it almost instantly.

The beautiful brunette that smiled gracefully back at him was making him a sap. He’d known that starting a relationship so soon before touring had been a mistake, but he didn’t think he’d get this attached so early on. She was different though, as cliché and corny as it sounded. She wasn’t interested in what the latest gossip was or being in the spotlight all the time like his ex-wife had been. It wasn’t a hidden secret that Brian regretted ever proposing to the other twin, let alone letting her bullshit him into thinking she had changed her ways. She hadn’t and he’d learned that the hard way.

Thankfully, his heart had been mended by a down to earth, southern bumpkin who knew a thing or two about being hurt herself.

Brian could remember clearly the moment when he’d first met her and how dumb he’d been. She wasn’t interested in him in the least. She knew of him and of his antics. Knew he was one of those men who was more interested in his next score than the name of the current girl he was fucking. She’d seen right through his little façade and put him in his place. He’d walked into the music store she was running while still going to school, Dear God had been playing on the sound system and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

The two sizes to large, cut and worn shirt she’d been wearing had caught his eye, next being the long, fire red hair she had been sporting at the time. She wasn’t like the normal girls around Cali. Just something about the way she carried herself was…different.

“Can I help you find anything sir?” Brian smirked cheekily, hearing the soft southern accident that left her soft pink lips and the slight intake of air as her gaze met his.

‘Piece of cake,’ He thought snarkily as he walked forward, taking his sunglasses off and giving her a smile. “Yeah, actually there is. I was wondering what time you got off work?”

Most girls feel for it, so why wouldn’t she? Her smile was polite, but he could clearly see the fire that was behind her moss green eyes. She cleared her throat before letting out a nervous chuckle and turning to walk towards a rack of albums.

“I’m sorry to inform you Mr. Haner--”

“Brian, or Syn, my dad is Mr. Haner.”

“—Brian, I’m sorry to inform you but I’m not interested in a cocky rock star who thinks he can hit it and quit it with me. That’s not what’s written in my pages and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Giving him a warm smile, she moved around the room gracefully, completely ignoring the awestruck man who was completely baffled by her. He wasn’t so easily persuaded though and his ego couldn’t be that easily deflated.

“So what is written in your pages then?” He asked, another cheeky smile gracing his thin lips.

“Not something you’d be interested in.” She muttered harshly, not looking at him but clearly annoyed by the way her forehead creased.

“Look, what if I’m not just interested in laying you once. What if I want to take you on a proper date?”

She laughed. Surprised as he was, Brian didn’t let it stop him. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“You can ask all you want, but it isn’t going to change anything. I’ve heard all about you Mr. Gates. You’ve actually already met me. You slept with my friend three weeks ago when you met us at Johnny’s, but by then you were already two sheets to the wind so I didn’t expect you to remember some stupid southern bumpkin who didn’t catch your eye like Heather did. Please, just run along and go find some bleach blond, Beverly hills, trust fund baby to bother so I can keep the job I have.”

For almost a month, Brian tried to get her to go on a date with him and after a few good words from Matt and Zack, he finally managed to get her on a date. She’d made it clear that if he took her to the regular food and movie gig, she’d been out of there before who could ask her what had made her move across the country.

“Did she not end up coming?” Brian turned to look at Matt, giving him a sad smile before shrugging her shoulders.

“She had finals and said she’d try to catch the first flight out here but wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it. It’s whatever.”

Matt snorted, grabbing a beer himself and shaking his head. “You don’t have to act in front of me man. I know how much you care about the girl. You made that clear a while ago.”

Brian only shot the man a smile before the rest of the guys walked in. It wasn’t uncommon for them to chill out for a bit, talk to a couple of fans and then move on to the next venue and tonight was no different. Hours later, along with several drinks and the guys were on the bus, headed to some town in South Carolina. Everyone was asleep, but him. He watched soundlessly as one county line turned into another. It wasn’t a long drive, but long enough to let his mind wander.

He wondered what she was up too and how she was feeling, what she was thinking about, whether or not she was thinking about him. He wondered all of these things and then some. Her mind and the way she thought never ceased to amaze him. She was one of the hardest people to read…until you really looked into her eyes. Sighing, Brian scrubbed his face and flipped his phone out, looking at the picture of her with him behind her.

They’d been at the beach and it had been an eventful day to say the least. Not only had it been the day before the guys left for tour, but it had also been a treacherous day for her. He’d known his ex would start shit and why he thought a friend of his since childhood would keep her away baffled him now; even if Val was Michelle’s twin, he expected better of her especially when it came to something she shouldn’t have been involved in.

“Brian, come on! Just one picture, that’s all I’m asking for.” Nichole pouted playfully, giving him an innocent look as he sighed.

“All right fine, one picture but if I hate it I get to delete it with no questions asked, understood?” Nodding her head happily, Nichole lined the phone up with the two of them and smiled, giggling a bit when her new boyfriend crept up behind her, wrapping his arms around her possessively.

“On the count of three, one-two-three,”

The phone made its buzzing noise and she flipped it around, just as Brian groaned.

“I don’t think it looks that bad.”

“No, not the picture,”

“I can’t believe you moved on so quickly! And with a piece of white, southern trash like that too! I thought you had more class Brian!” Brian groaned again as Michelle stomped her way over, Val in toe, towards the couple, Matt tried to race to catch up with the twins but was too late.

The brat had started her war and wouldn’t finish until she’d screamed her head off.

“Do you even know how to read?!”

“Michelle! That’s enough. Just because you’re pissed off at me does not mean you get to take it out on her.” Brian seethed, moving to standing in front of the younger and more petit girl in hopes of blocking her from his ex’s wrath.

Rolling her eyes, she scowled at the girl and continued on for another ten minutes till Nichole had had enough. Brian knew she wasn’t just going to sit there and listen quietly as she berated her to death. However, that didn’t mean he still wasn’t a bit shocked when she stood up and got right back into her face. He knew she was simply waiting till she couldn’t take it anymore out of courtesy for Brian. She cared about him deeply, even if the relationship was still a bit new.

“And what have you accomplished in life? Do you have a degree or a job? Do you have anything that you can own up to that makes you so much fucking better than me because from what I’ve heard, you’re a failure. You couldn’t even keep the label with Brian’s stage name on it afloat. I have a college degree and I also got a job just recently because they were impressed with my work. I make enough to support myself and by the flashy things you have that bought with his money. Now before you start calling my white, southern, trash I expect you to have done your homework and realize that I was raised by a wealthy set of parents who expected nothing less than the best from me. I was valedictorian…what exactly can you say you’ve done again?”

Michelle hadn’t bothered Nichole after that again…and Brian had been so turned on by her vibrato and courage that he’d shown her just how much her cared about her when they got back to his home, which hadn’t been long seeing he’d been to brash to hide the hard on he’d been sporting.

After they’d finished round three, he’d told her that he wanted her to stay in his home—their home. He wanted to know that she’d be there when he got back from tour. She’d smiled at him happily and told him she couldn’t think of anything better.

The dull sound of his phone going off brought him back to reality. Looking at the caller I.D. a smile graced his face as he flipped the thing open.

“I was just thinking about you.” He muttered softly, earning a soft chuckle from the other line.

“Oh really now, I hope nothing that would make me blush.”

Brian laughed himself and spoke to his girlfriend for quite some time long before getting off the phone with her at her demand after figuring out what time it was there. Her fear in him getting sick or hurting himself on stage for lack of sleep calmed him.

Lying down in his bunk, Brian looked up at the ceiling and with half shut eyes and slowing breath he whispered “Dear God.”