Catfish

"Leana, it isn't that big of a deal. I can dress myself," Jordin groaned out of frustration. The woman had shown up unannounced with the key Jimmy had taken for himself. She let herself in before heading straight to her closet, demanding to see the outfit choices for her dinner with Brian.

"Oh this is cute!" Leana exclaimed at a body wrap dress hanging in the corner of Jordin's closet, completely disregarding her frustrations.

"Ugh. Why are you making this such a big deal anyways?" Jordin asked and Leana turned to her and shrugged.

"I just wanted an excuse to pry in your closet," Leana winked. It wasn't the case at all. She had promised Jimmy he would get her ready for Brian. He honestly didn't need any extra extravagance on Jordin, seeing as he found her beautiful either way, but Leana said it wouldn't hurt. Brian was still clueless to the fact that both Leana and Zacky knew about his situation.

Jordin huffed as Leana tossed her a pair of black tights, a pair of boots, and a sweater top. Jordin was thankful that Leana had decided to dress her comfy, and not like Jimmy did for the bar. She made a mental note to never let Jimmy dress her again.

"So, why is Brian so closed off anyways? Is he always like this?" Jordin asked as Leana scavenged through her makeup drawer, debating on the perfect shade of lipstick.

"Well, he used to be a lot more animated. He still is, but only around us. He's been like this since him and Michelle didn't work out," Leana shrugged.

"I can't imagine why he would leave her. She's seriously perfect," Jordin stated and Leana turned to her.

"He left her because she's a cheating whore," Leana stated simply and Jordin gasped, "I mean, I love the girl, but she doesn't know how to keep her legs shut. Michelle married Brian because she was jealous of Val's relationship with Matt. Her sister married a rockstar, so why couldn't she?" Leana tossed a pair of jeans aside, "Anyways, Brian adored her, because she was the only girl that stuck around long enough to be with him. Brian's a hopeless romantic, sure. But girls didn't realize that he's a busy guy, and they never stuck around long. So Michelle played perfect wife by day, but when Brian was gone... Let's just say she made her rounds around town," Leana explained.

Jordin was speechless, "Thats... horrible. I feel so bad for him," She said softly.

"It was definitely rough. Especially since he continued to see Michelle after the divorce. Wherever Val went, she went. Sometimes we thought she did it just to purposely drive Brian insane."

"My boyfriend's last girlfriend cheated on him," Jordin said softly, "Well, ex-boyfriend," She shrugged and Leana turned to face her.

"You and Cameron broke up?" She asked and Jordin nodded.

"I just... Despite what Zack did, he made some good points. Cameron had no intentions of ever becoming serious with me. He was too focused in work and his own life. It's why he never came to any of the get togethers," Jordin explained and Leana nodded slowly, "But Cameron understood. I mean, he just wants me to be happy. I just wished he would have fought for me more. It was like he didn't even care."

Leana didn't know what Brian was planning, but she just hoped he had everything under control.

-

Zack had once again called Jordin, receiving no answer. He knew she was about to meet Brian for dinner, and he felt helpless. He had tried so hard to wrap Jordin around his finger, and it didn't work. This never happened to him. Zack always got what he wanted.

He was back again at square one. Except now he had ruined his trust with Jordin. She's stay away from him as long as he still wanted her, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. He needed to put Brian in hot water, and fast.

Zack looked back down at his phone, battling himself. Was he really going to stoop that low to get what he wanted? He wasn't even sure if this was about Jordin anymore, or just getting back at Brian. He just needed to feel something. He scrolled down his contacts, finding the right one before dialing.

He waited impatiently before the familiar voice greeted him and Zack's smile turned into a smirk, "Hey, Jason it's Zack. So, when are you coming home?"

-

Jordin had her her head rested on the palm of her hand as she stared at Brian. He animatedly explained his experiences in the band. She couldn't understand the feeling within her when Brian started to talk about music. It made her happy to see him happy. Truth be told, she hadn't seen him smile all that much since she's started working at the studio. He always has a blank look on his face, or staring out into nothing.

"So what about you?" Brian asked and she smiled softly with a shrug.

"There's not much to know. Your life is much more interesting that mine," She stated and he shook his head.

"Not possible. You're one of the most interesting people I've come across," He noted, taking a sip of his water.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "How so?"

"I like to read people. And reading you was fun," He smiled.

"Care to elaborate?" She asked as she popped another California roll in her mouth.

"Well," He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. He looked over at her, a piece of hair fallen into her face and he refrained from reaching over to brush it behind her ear, "You put others before yourself. Every single day of your life. You'd rather see other people happy than yourself. You trip over yourself all the time, and it's because you're never paying attention. You like to slow down and look at the world around you instead of looking straight ahead. You spend most of your day smiling, because you know it's contagious. You're also exceptionally shy, especially around other girls like they intimidate you. You're always polite and I don't think there's a mean bone in your body," He finished.

Jordin sat there, mouth agape and eyes wide. "How…"

"Like I said," He leaned back cooly, "You're fun to read." She blushed, looking down at her plate. "But I still don't know you. I only know your habits. So… what was growing up like?" He asked.

"Well, pretty normal. My parents were very over protective and wealthy. They were constantly bickering with the school administrators about me," She laughed.

"Oh, really? What about?" He asked.

"Well," She bit her lip, "I got teased a lot," She confessed and he looked at her sadly. Brian had heard this story a handful of times, and each time had been heartbreaking. He always heard the pain in her voice, but to see it on her face was an entire different experience, "I was nerdy, always studying. Didn't help that I wore glasses. Kids liked to pick on me. It continued throughout elementary all the way through high school. I had to switch schools my senior year because a group of girls beat me up the night before homecoming," She explained.

"Wow," He breathed, "You're a lot better than them, you know," He stated.

"Yeah," She looked away.

"It really effected you. You're self-conscious because of it. You still wonder if you're good enough. But you are," He assured, "You're one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Thanks," She smiled, "Um, thanks for inviting me. I mean, you really didn't have to," She noted and he shook his head.

"I like you. You're different. Besides, all the guys have deemed you their own best friend. I didn't like being left out," He grinned and she giggled.

She looked over at him. She had never really looked at Brian before. But now she sat in front of him she could see some sort of sparkle in his eye. She had no doubt in her mind that he was, by far, the best looking member of the band.

She noted how strong his jawline was, leading all the way up to high cheekbones. He was toned. She never realized how muscular he was, seeing as he always wore jackets in the studio. But she could see through his plain white shirt that he was well-sculpted. She liked that he didn't have as many tattoos as the other guys. She couldn't see any ink showing through the shirt. His muscular arms seemed to be the only part of his body covered with ink.

But his eyes, she noticed, were the most beautiful shade of brown she had ever seen. They weren't dark enough to be a regular brown, but weren't light enough to be golden. She felt like they held so much life and joy. They were crystal clear, not muddy. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

"Well, you were once the stranger, but now you're becoming my favorite. Just don't tell Jimmy," She scolded and Brian's heart swelled.

It was working. He was working his way into her life little by little. And pretty soon he would say he was single, and be able to pursue Jordin more personally. And when he did, he'd have her completely.

Jordin felt a strong connection with Brian. She couldn't deny it. She wasn't sure if it was a connection meant for friends, or more. Regardless, she would keep the feeling to herself. Brian was almost ten years older than her, something she wasn't looking for in a relationship. She wished he were younger. Even if he were Cameron's age, she'd be okay with that. But she couldn't wrap her head around being with a man that much older than her.

He had already lived his life. He was divorced, dating a new woman, and already successful. Jordin felt like she was still catching up to him. She was so much younger than him. Surely he needed someone more mature.

But what was she thinking? She didn't see Brian that way, she thought. She was just confused with everything going on between her, Cameron, and Zack.

"I had a great time getting to know you," Brian smiled.

"I did too. Thanks for dinner. You picked a great place," She looked over at him as they walked to their cars parked in the lot. They were surprisingly the last people there. Jordin hadn't realized that she had been talking with Brian for over three hours. The place had closed twenty minutes ago, but was kept open because the owners knew Brian.

"Yeah. We should do it again sometime. I like having you around," He joked and she playfully punched him in the arm before she reached her car.

"Well, thanks again. I had a great time. I'll see you at the studio tomorrow," She smiled before leaning in and giving Brian a hug.

He was shocked at first. It was the first time he had actually touched her. Physically touched her. He couldn't fight the electric feeling soaring through his body as he wrapped his arms around her small frame, inhaling her scent. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right there, but he couldn't. He needed to have more control than Zack. He'd wait for the right moment.

He'd wait forever if he had to.