Catfish

The day was coming to a close, the sun starting to set just outside the window in the studio. Jordin was busy cleaning up anything left behind. Empty pizza boxes and beer cans littered the lounge area, but she had the place spotless within minutes. If there was anything she couldn't stand, it was messes. Her apartment was always sparkling and always smelled nice. She always felt uncomfortable in messy rooms or areas.

"Hey," A cheerful voice greeted suddenly, and she jumped. She turned around to see sparkling curious blue eyes.

"Oh, hey, Jimmy," She smiled.

"Have a good first day?" He asked.

"Yeah, you guys are a lot nicer than I expected. I was worried you'd all be rockstar assholes," She giggled. Jimmy found himself smiling. He had noticed right away that this wasn't the type of girl Brian was usually after. Regardless, he liked her and found her kind of adorable in a way.

"Well I know you've only been here for a day, but you'll be here for a while. This makes you part of the group. My wife is cooking dinner for everyone this Wednesday. Just a small get together. We'd love to have you," He smiled. Really, he just wanted to see how Jordin would react around the rest of the group. He also wanted to see how she acted around Brian without the distraction of the studio.

"Oh," Her face dropped and she shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I don't know. You guys have all known each other for a while. I mean, I kind of just got here and..."

"You don't like meeting new people, do you?" He asked, a wicked smile on his face. She shook her head sheepishly, "Well not to worry, my darling. The wife will love you. Besides, I'm sure all of the wives will want to meet the new girl. It's a woman thing," He winked and she laughed.

"I'll think about it, okay?" She compromised.

"Fine. But I'm just going to consider this you accepting my invitation. See you tomorrow!" He waved before exiting the building.

She sighed, looking around. She finished cleaning up before grabbing her bag and her phone, ready to text Cameron. Her head was down at her phone and she was so absorbed in texting him that she didn't see where she was going. It wasn't long until she ran into something, sending her to the ground.

"Ow," She groaned, a sharp pain shooting up her backside, "Sorry," She mumbled looking up at Brian. She had noticed early on that Jimmy was the loudest of the group, and Brian was the quietest. He was also the most awkward as well. He never made eye contact and he stuttered quite a bit. Jordin took this as he was someone who didn't like new people, so she steered clear of him.

"Oh, no it's not a problem. I wasn't looking where I was going," He smiled softly. He leaned down, holding a hand out to her. She smiled and took it and he pulled her up to her feet. He bent down again to grab her stuff for her, noticing an empty message page open under the name Cameron. His heart dropped, remembering the dire situation he was in.

"Thanks," She smiled when he handed over her things, "Well, have a good night."

"Wait!" He called and she turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised, "I'll walk you to your car," He offered.

"Oh, you don't have to. It's fine," She assured.

"No it's okay. It's kind of dark outside anyways," He smiled, walking beside her out the door and into the parking lot, "So, you headed home to the boyfriend?" He asked.

"Oh, he doesn't live with me, actually," She smiled.

"What's his name?" Brian asked.

"His name is Cameron," She looked up at him and he could see the sparkle in her eyes, "He's amazing. I think you guys would like him. He's in the music business too."

"Oh, cool," Brian forced a smile, "Musician?"

"Well, he plays guitar in his free time. He's amazing," She breathed, "But he's actually an audio technician."

"That's cool. He sounds pretty amazing," He smiled and she nodded eagerly.

"He is," She smiled as they approached her car, "Thanks for walking me. Are you staying late?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to try and fix some of the parts I messed up today," He stated. Brian had been so fixated on Jordin the whole day, that he couldn't concentrate enough to play his parts perfectly as usual.

"Well don't work too late. You should get home to your wife," She joked, remembering that Jimmy had mentioned they all had wives.

He smiled sadly, "I'm actually the only one who isn't married. But thanks for being considerate."

"Oh, sorry. Well have a good night," She waved before shuffling awkwardly into the front seat of her car. She kept her eyes fixated forward as she turned on the car, feeling Brian's eyes still on her. She pulled out of the parking lot and Brian watched her drive way.

Jordin couldn't fathom how Brian's voice had sounded so much like Cameron's. It was exactly the same. Deep and velvet-like. She thought about the tall and handsome man she had met earlier. In a way he resembled Cameron, but not completely. Still she couldn't help but feel the guilt that rose in her as she compared Brian to Cameron.

When she arrived home the first thing she did was dial Cameron's number, hoping he would answer. And he did, "Hey, Baby, how was your first day?" He asked.

She sighed into his voice, forgetting everything about Brian, "It was great. I really like the band I'm working with."

"Which band is it?" He asked.

"Avenged Sevenfold. They're really cool. Each member kind of has their own character, you know. Matt is the leader, but totally a huge softie. He's like a big baby," He chuckled at that, "Johnny is the one always getting picked on. It's never ending with him. Zacky is the smart one. He's always trying to be logical. Jimmy is the jokester. He's always tormenting Johnny and he's like a big kid. He's my favorite of the bunch. And Brian," She paused.

"Who's' Brian?" He pressed, urgung her to continue.

"Uh, well I don't know much about him, honestly. He's quiet and likes to keep to himself I guess. I try not to bother him."

Brian remained quiet, realizing how awkward he seemed earlier. Even when walking her to her car, he just couldn't seem to act like he usually did around his friends, "Cam?" Jordin's soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I got distracted. Um, well maybe he's just getting used to you. He might be a really nice guy if you give him a chance. The others sound really great, though," He stated quickly.

"Yeah, they do. Jimmy invited me to his house this Wednesday for dinner. I guess everyone is going."

Brian raised an eyebrow. Why hadn't Jimmy told him he invited Jordin? Especially if he knew he would be attending. As much as Brian hated social outings with his friends, he didn't dare back out of Leana's plans. The other girls, for the most part, didn't mind if Brian skipped. Leana, however, was a firecracker and wouldn't hesitate to physically attack Brian the next time she saw him, "That's great. You'll have fun."

"I don't know if I'm going to go," She mumbled.

"Aw, Babe, you have to go. They just want to be your friend."

"I know, I know. It's just that I'm so awkward meeting new people. And they're all going to be there with their wives and I'm going to be a third wheel... I wish you could go with me," She sighed.

That nearly killed Brian. He felt a literal and very real pain strike his heart. How could he tell her that he was going to be there? How could he confess that he was there every step of the way, right in front of her. She was so close to him, but couldn't be any farther away at the same time.

"I wish the same thing, Baby. But promise me you'll go? It'll do you good," He smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose. Ugh, I'm going to look ridiculous in front of them," She sighed.

"You'll be fine," He assured. There was a thick pause and he could hear Jordin on the other line breathing softly. He knew she was laying still on the couch, just as she always did. She liked to slump on the couch as soon as she walked into the room, dialing him first. He smiled, "I love you, Jordin."

"I love you too, Cameron."

"Jordin," He sighed, "I promise I'm going to see you soon. Okay?"

"Okay," She stated sadly.

"Say you believe me," He stated sternly. She rolled her eyes playfully with a smile. He always made her say that.

"I believe you, Cam."

"Good," He sighed, "You should get some sleep. Call me tomorrow when you're not busy. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye," She hung up and he sighed.

"But I love you more," He whispered, tossing the phone aside.