Womanizer

Groaning, Megan cautiously opened one eye. The room was dimly-lit and silent, blessings to her aching head. In the faint glow from the nightlight Janine had plugged in on the far side of the room, Megan could just make out a glass of water, a bottle of Aspirin, and a couple of Alka-Seltzer on her bedside table.

Megan managed an upright position. She swallowed the Aspirin, dropped the Alka-Seltzer tablets into the water, and drained the glass. Then, she collapsed back against her pillows and closed her eyes.

Seconds later, her door opened a crack and Janine stuck her head in. "Are you awake?" she whispered.

Megan wrenched her eyes open again. "Yeah," she murmured.

Janine came in and shut the door quietly. "I brought you an ice-cold Dr. Pepper."

"Thanks."

Janine handed Megan the tall glass filled with Dr. Pepper, then sat on the edge of Megan's bed. Megan sipped the drink. She only liked Dr. Pepper when she was hung over. The other colas were just too sweet for a sensitive stomach. "So," she said, toying with her straw. "What happened last night?"

"You got hammered."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Brian leaving with that girl." Her stomach lurched as the words left her mouth.

"Nothing else really happened. Jimmy and Johnny sang 'Sex Type Thing' and 'Nothing Else Matters,' which was...interesting, to say the least. Zee and Shads played a few games of pool. You drank yourself into unconsciousness and we came home."

Megan's cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame. "I'm sorry, J."

"It's fine, sweetie."

"God." Megan buried her face in her hands, muffling her next words. "I finally meet the other members of Avenged and I make a total ass out of myself."

"You weren't the only drunk one. Shads had to carry Johnny to the car, and Zacky had to help Jimmy walk."

Megan frowned. "How did I get to the car?"

"Zacky is very well-trained in the art of aiding more than one drunk friend at a time. He carried you over his shoulder. And don't worry," Janine added quickly. "I made sure no one saw your ass."

Megan couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Thanks, J."

"Don't mention it." Neither girl spoke for several seconds. Finally, Janine said, "I'm sorry Brian is a douche."

Megan lifted a shoulder. "It doesn't matter."

"It does. He's an idiot to not make a play for you."

"It could never work anyway. Zee hates the idea of us together, remember?"

"Zee isn't Brian's daddy," Janine stated firmly. "And he's not yours, either. If Brian wasn't a total retard, he'd go for it and not care what Zee thinks."

"I don't think I could handle Zee's disapproval," Megan admitted. "He's like an older brother to me."

"If Brian truly made you happy, Zee would get over it. He wants what's best for you and if that turns out to be Brian, so be it."

"Yeah, well, Bri would rather fuck bar skanks, so I guess Zee has nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Janine said sympathetically.

"Me, too." Megan sighed and drank more of her Dr. Pepper.

"I think Zee liked your little dance," Janine commented.

Megan blushed again. "Oh, God. I'm sorry, Janine. You know none of that was aimed--"

"I'm teasing!" Janine interrupted, laughing. "It's perfectly fine."

Megan slumped with relief. "Good. You know I would never ever try anything with Zee."

Janine nodded. "I do know that." She grinned mischievously. "But, you know, you gave every guy in that room a damn hard-on."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did," Janine said matter-of-factly. "Shit, woman, that was some sexy dancing! The fact that Brian didn't rape you kinda makes me question his sexuality."

"He left with another woman."

"She looked like a man."

Megan giggled. Janine was trying to make her feel better, and it was working. "Well, Zee didn't rape me, either. Does that mean he's gay?"

"Uh, hello?" Janine pointed to her swollen belly. "I think no. Brian has no proof against my suspicions, however." Janine nodded decisively. "There's just no other explanation. Brian likes the cock."

"He does not!"

"He does." Janine sighed dramatically. "There are going to be a lot of disappointed fangirls."

"If Bri is gay, he's fucking your man," Megan retorted.

"Haven't we been over this?" Janine again pointed at her belly.

Megan laughed. Janine grinned. Megan leaned over and hugged her cousin. "Thanks, J. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie." Janine returned the hug and stood up. "Do you need anything else?"

Megan shook her head. "Nah. I think I'm gonna go back to sleep for a while. This hangover is kicking my ass."

"Okay. Sweet dreams. Oh, and there's a garbage can right next to your bed. Just in case."

"You're amazing, J."

"That's what everyone tells me."

Janine left and Megan snuggled back under her blankets.

**********

Megan stepped out of the shower, onto the cool tile floor. She'd slept for three more hours. Her headache was gone, but her body was still a bit sore and a hint of nausea lingered.

I will never drink again, she thought, wiping fog off the mirror. She was pale and there were shadows under her eyes. She made a face at her reflection.

Securing one of her huge white towels around her body, she trudged into her bedroom. And stopped short.

Brian was sitting on her bed. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Megan echoed, hugging herself. "Um, why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Oookay?"

Brian's dark eyes flicked down her body and back to her face. "Will you put something on? You in a towel distracts me."

Megan's face flushed. "Yeah, sure." She crossed to her dresser and dug out a pair of Led Zeppelin pajama pants and a black wifebeater. She changed in the bathroom, then went back into her bedroom. "Okay. What?"

Brian stretched out, supporting himself on one elbow. Megan moved to stand on the far side of the room. Brian laying on her bed was making her think things. Things she had sworn to herself she would not think about Brian.

"That was a pretty impressive show you put on last night," Brian remarked. "Better than the one you put on for Parker-Wilson by far."

"Then I'm surprised you didn't come over there and drag me away from Zack."

"Nah. The dance wasn't for Zack. He wasn't the one you were trying to lead on last night."

"I wasn't trying to lead John on when I was dancing with him! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"It's not about whether you were actually trying to or not. It's about what he was reading into it. You don't understand guys very well, do you?"

"No, I don't." Megan's temper had officially flared and there was no going back now. "For instance, I don't understand how you could leave with someone who obviously had every fucking disease known to mankind and probably a couple science hasn't discovered yet!"

Brian smiled, which pissed her off even more. "Yeah, I could tell you didn't like my choice of partners last night."

Megan glowered at him but didn't speak.

"So we're even now, right?"

Megan frowned, confused. "What?"

"I was unhappy with the man you chose to give attention to, and you were unhappy with the girl that I gave attention to. We're even."

"No. We are not even! You stopped whatever would've happened between me and John. I didn't stop you. You fucked that girl!"

Brian pursed his lips. "I stopped you for good reason. And, not that it's any of your business, since you don't own my cock, I did not sleep with her."

Megan snorted.

"I didn't," Brian said.

"Okay. But it wasn't your business what I was doing with John, either. You don't own my--"

Brian made a sound of protest, interrupting her. "Don't say it."

"Why?"

Brian shook his head, sitting up. "The difference in you and me is that I know what I'm doing. There was a reason I didn't sleep with that girl." He eyed Megan steadily. "If I hadn't dragged you away from John, would you have stopped?"

"Haven't we already had this discussion? Nothing was going to happen."

Brian stood and approached Megan. He backed her into the wall and placed his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her. Her heart kicked into overdrive. She licked her lips and met his gaze, trying to ignore the heat spreading through her body.

Brian leaned down until Megan could feel his breath tickling her neck. She tensed, but couldn't move or speak.

"I could do anything," he said, voice low and husky. "I could kiss you--" His lips brushed her jaw line. "--I could...touch you." He reached up, caressing her cheek. "And then, when you did nothing to deter me, I could go further." He traced her lips with his thumb. "Peel off your clothes and fuck you." The last words were spoken in a whisper, making Megan shiver.

Brian straightened to his full height and stepped away from her. "You're not good with confrontation. Not when you feel threatened and know that you'll lose. You yelled at me on the sidewalk that night because I'm not a threat to you. I'm safe. But John...He would have pushed you further and further, and you would've done what you did just now."

Megan let out the breath she'd been holding since his cool breath had made contact with her burning skin. She hoped Brian couldn't tell that she was trembling from her head to her feet.

"Do you understand now? I had to do what I did. Unless..." Brian studied her face. "Do you want to fuck John Parker Wilson?"

"No." Megan barely managed the one word. She swallowed and tried again. "No, Brian, I don't want to fuck John Parker Wilson. I've already told you that."

"I thought you might be lying for Zacky's benefit."

"Zacky's not my dad. It's none of his business who I'm attracted to."

Brian ran his fingers through his disheveled black hair. "And I'm not, either."

"No, you're not."

"I'm protective of you, Megan. I can't help it. It's in my DNA to take care of people who matter to my friends." Brian paused and looked at her again. "Who matter to me."

Megan's heart skipped a beat.

"So, now that I've made my point, I'll see you Saturday morning." He flashed his totally knee-weakening smile and sauntered out of her bedroom.

Megan closed her eyes, inhaling the scent he left behind. A smile spread across her lips.