Tomorrow Is the Day

The morning dawned gray.

Talia’s nap on the yacht hadn’t sufficed in making her sober. Johnny had woke her up when they were back on shore and she’d felt miserable. She’d suffered through two hours of chatting with Michelle and the boys before the brunette woman left, allowing Talia to disappear into her en suite bathroom to throw up profusely. She’d fallen asleep crying into the toilet.

Vengeance had admitted to thinking she’d found a way to escape as they ate a quiet breakfast. He’d been perplexed by not seeing her in bed and then found her collapsed against the toilet (“it was really pathetic actually, the way you were leaning against it”). They’d worked out in the gym down the hall instead of running in the rain. Talia had taken it easy and watched Vengeance lift weights for most of the time, her stomach and head still whirling from the day before.

Talia had taken a shower and dressed comfortably in shorts and a long, oversized sweater. She didn’t bother with her hair or makeup. Instead, she found a book from the shelf in her room and settled down to read it for the day. Her throat burned after a while, protesting from the vehement vomiting from the night before. She wandered into the kitchen for some tea and ended up settling in the little breakfast nook to continue reading for some time.

“What are you reading?” came the first voice she’d heard directed at her in hours. Talia looked up at Vengeance.

“A book,” she answered with a smirk. He rolled his eyes and huffed.

“Obviously. What book?”

“It’s called Ten Thousand Saints,” she answered, “I found it on the bookshelf in my room and it’s really good so far.”

“Yeah, I’ve read it,” he mumbled, moving away from her and over to the kitchen. Talia watched as he started making a pot of coffee instead of resuming her reading.

Vengeance leaned his back against the counter and met Talia’s gaze. His green eyes were piercing as always, almost challenging her to speak. She didn’t, however. Instead she took in his appearance. He was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, his hair was a tousled mess, and he looked exhausted.

“Did you like it?”

“Like what?” he asked, tilting his head and furrowing his brow.

“The book,” she smirked, holding it up.

“Oh,” she could have sworn a touch of pink reached his cheeks, “It was interesting. My, uh, friend made me read it. It was a favorite of his.”

“So you didn’t like it?”

“I said it was interesting.”

“You didn’t say you liked it.”

“Interesting is a good thing to say about a book.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Have I told you how much of an insufferable pain in my ass you are yet today?” he asked, moving his back off the counter and leaning his elbows on the island in front of him. “Because I’m ready to smack you again.”

Talia smirked at him and tilted her head. She enjoyed getting on his nerves, even if it was childish. There wasn’t much for her to do these days and he provided some entertainment.

“You told me I was a pain in your ass this morning actually, when I wouldn’t get off the bathroom floor,” she reminded him idly.

“Oh yeah,” he snorted, “That was the saddest thing I’ve ever fuckin’ seen.”

“As if you’ve never drank too much hot shot,” she snapped back at him. He smirked and rolled his eyes as she closed her book and crossed the room to sit at the island across from him.

“I’ve never fallen asleep with my head in the toilet,” he pressed. It was Talia’s turn to roll her eyes. They were quiet, listening to the rain and the coffee percolating. His eyes were on her face but she stared out the window over the sink at the gray sky.

“It must have been some party on the boat, huh?” he said finally, breaking the silence. She shrugged.

“I kind of just drank by myself actually,” she admitted, flicking her eyes over to meet his. “I wasn’t up for social hour and Johnny pissed me off.”

He didn’t seem surprised by her admission to drinking alone. His eyes flashed when she said she was angry at her closest friend in the house other than Val though. He said nothing though, not wanting to come across as though he cared.

“I seriously regretted drinking so much though,” she continued dryly after a pause, “As you obviously could tell this morning.”

He snorted and turned away from her without an answer. The coffee had finished and he prepared two mugs. Talia wasn’t sure if one was for her or one of the guys, though she hadn’t seen anyone for what seemed like all day. She figured they were busy with business as it seemed like Vengeance was the only one who had the closest thing to a day off.

He placed the mug in front of her though and she smiled tightly as she wrapped her hands around it. They were silent; Talia stared down into the black coffee while Vengeance stared at the rain. It was mildly uncomfortable.

“You were mad at Johnny, huh?” he brought up finally. His curiosity had burned a hole in his brain large enough to make him forget about his uncaring act.

Talia sipped at the hot coffee thoughtfully before answering.

“He’s hiding something,” she began, “I mean, you all are but it pissed me off because he was throwing it in my face that you all know too much about my father and me.”

“That’s not nice,” Vengeance mocked, smirking into his coffee cup. Talia rolled her eyes as he watched her playfully over the mug.

“Oh, fuck off! It’s really annoying being surrounded by pricks that act like they know everything constantly, alright? Shit…” she trailed off, shaking her head and glaring out the window. They were silent again, until her gaze softened.

Vengeance felt the smallest twinge of pity for the girl. He’d disagreed with the entire operation from the beginning. Avenged Sevenfold did not babysit spoiled heiress’ just because of a little spot on their record. In fact, the entire situation was completely fucked, in his opinion.

“It’s interesting who you chose to befriend in the house,” he said thoughtfully, capturing Talia’s attention. “One man who’s only using you and another that’s hiding a dark secret…very interesting.”

Talia narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Kind of like your book,” he continued, “Why don’t you be a good girl and go sit in your corner to read some more?”

“Like hell!” she protested when he turned to leave the kitchen with his coffee, “Who has a dark secret? Using me? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Vengeance stopped walking and turned to consider her. She was slightly pissed, her cheeks flushed and her jaw set determinedly. She looked almost beautiful to him when she was angry enough to claw his eyes out.

“You’ll be here for a while Talia,” he said softly, “You figure it out.”

He was gone as he said it and the girl rolled her eyes at his dramatics. She was living in such unrealistic conditions already. He didn’t have to make it a fucking soap opera. His dramatic mood changes were hard to keep up with. She never knew whether he hated her or could tolerate her.

She swiped some of her blonde and brown hair out of her eyes and tried to settle her heart, which was pounding ferociously. Her brain buzzed with the information Vengeance had slipped her. She knew he was trying to annoy or upset her but that didn’t stop it from working.

The two men she’d befriended were Johnny and Brian, obviously. One of them was using her and the other one was apparently hiding something. She figured Brian was at least trying to use her, sexually she assumed. That might be something she was okay with. Vengeance hadn’t revealed anything too scandalous though; she’d already said she knew Johnny was keeping secrets.

Talia huffed in frustration, taking a deep sip of the black coffee. It would be difficult for her to focus on the novel now. She tapped her fingers against the marble counters and bit her lip. She decided to find Brian. If he wasn’t busy, she could do some of Val’s homework.

He wasn’t in any of the obvious places. After searching the first floor, she became nervous that he wasn’t in the house at all. She knew Johnny had gone to bring Val to her classes and run some errands. Shadows had also left the house, though she would never be informed of what he was doing.

She wandered up the stairs quietly. The door to Vengeance’s bedroom was open but he wasn’t inside. Talia had heard him in Shadows’ office and assumed she’d been wrong about the day off. Brian’s door was closed and she gave herself a moment before she knocked on it. There was no immediate answer.

Brian pulled the door open just when Talia was beginning to think he wasn’t inside the room. His shirt was barely over his torso and his hair was messy. He yawned before he spoke and rubbed a hand over his face.

“What’s up Tal?” he asked, his voice low and sleepy. Talia’s heart leapt at the casual nickname and she bit her lip.

“Were you asleep? I-uh, I didn’t mean to bother you,” she stammered.

“I dozed off a little, its fine; is something wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine. I was just wondering if you were busy. I wanted to do some of Val’s schoolwork and I need you to watch, obviously.”

“Oh sure,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck and stepping away from the door, “All the shit’s in here. Do you mind doing it in here? I might try to fall back to sleep.”

“And sleep on the job?” Talia joked, stepping into the room timidly.

She hadn’t seen any of the other bedrooms in the house. Brian’s didn’t disappoint. It was just as large as hers, with an en suite bathroom as well and a giant bed in the middle of the room. The furniture was all black and the walls were a neutral crème color. There was a large flat screen television and a couch on the far side of the room.

Talia closed the door behind her and then wandered, gazing at his haphazardly placed belongings. Laundry littered the floor and his small desk was cluttered. There was a photo of Brian and an older man, sitting side by side in a room filled with guitars. She assumed it was his father and smiled, stroking the familiar man’s face through the glass.

“Having fun inspecting my room?” his voice came unexpectedly. Talia jumped, having momentarily forgotten he was there, and turned to face him. He smirked at her, the books and tablet in his hands.

“It’s messy,” she said, bending down to pick up some of the wrinkled shirts that were strewn across the floor. He snorted and watched as she began piling his dirty clothes. “I have some shit to wash too. I could throw your clothes in with mine.”

The look on Brian’s face bordered on incredulous. Talia was possibly acting the most civil she’d been the entire time she’d been in the house. She finished piling the clothes and looked at him, a hand on her hip. He grinned at her and held out the books she needed.

“I offered to do your laundry, not kill your mother,” she quipped sarcastically as she swiped the books out of his hands, “You don’t have to look so shocked.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head. She planted herself on the left side of his bed and spread the books out on the black bedspread. He watched her sink into the comfortable mattress and turn on the tablet, tucking her hair behind her ear and peacefully opening notebooks.

He stood over his desk to ignore her. There were papers she shouldn’t see on it anyway, so he stacked them neatly and turned them over. It was odd to see Talia in his bedroom. A month ago she’d simply been an idea, a job for him to carry out. Now she was living in his house. She was a personality and a force to be reckoned with.

“Zacky told me he found you in the toilet this morning,” he mentioned, turning to face her. She rolled her eyes without lifting them from the tablet in her lap.

“I drank a lot of whiskey yesterday Brian,” she answered in a restrained voice. He smirked and moved across the room to lie down on the massive bed. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and then chose to ignore him. “Wipe that smirk off your face, ass. It’s unbecoming.”

“Unbecoming, huh?”

Talia ignored him and began writing things down in the notebook. She figured it would be best for her to focus, though her heart wasn’t really in the work. Her head hurt a bit and her eyes were dry from her exhaustion. Sleeping while sitting up with her head in the toilet had hurt her neck and hadn’t supplied a sufficient sleep.

She suffered through a chapter of reading and six critical thinking questions that required paragraph-long answers before deciding she couldn’t go on. She turned off the tablet and piled everything neatly on the small table next to the bed. Brian hadn’t said anything the entire time, glued to his phone with seemingly no distraction.

He finally looked up when she eased her body down to lie down, her head sinking into the soft pillows before she closed her eyes. When she opened them, the phone was missing from his hands and she had his undivided attention.

“Done with schoolwork?” he asked. She admired the sharpness of his cheekbones and the gentle pout of lips.

“I’m tired and the rain is making me even sleepier,” she answered, moving some hair out of her eyes and turning on her side to look at him better. She moved her hands under the pillow and cuddled her body deeper into the mattress.

“Your birthday is coming up,” he murmured softly.

“Two days until 23,” she smirked, “Nobody likes you when you’re 23.”

He laughed and buried his face in his pillow. Talia giggled and felt a light feeling in her stomach. His smile always managed to make her heart flip. She tried to stuff those feelings down though. She wasn’t trying to get involved here, she was trying to get answers about her father and the supposed secret Johnny was keeping from her.

“I think Val is planning something for you,” he commented, “Don’t tell her I said anything though.”

“She might kill you,” Talia joked, moving her falling hair out of her eyes again. Brian’s eyes searched her face. “I’m probably only scared of Val in this house to be honest.”

“Me too.”

They both laughed and then fell silent. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the gentle rain picked up a heavier pace. They analyzed each other’s faces until Talia felt mildly uncomfortable under Brian’s gaze. She closed her eyes to avoid his eyes and breathed in his scent deeply.

“It’s not polite to stare,” Talia said lightly, keeping her eyes closed. Her head hurt and she was ready to fall asleep. Brian’s bed was soft and she felt at ease with his presence next to her. She reminded herself of Vengeance’s words earlier; “one man who’s only using you…” “Don’t you have work to do or something?”

“Yes, actually,” he answered. She opened her eyes when his weight shifted and he was sitting up, stretching. He walked over to his desk and opened his laptop, turning it on and then looking at her. “You can sleep there if you want though. I don’t mind.”

Talia smiled and buried her face back into his pillow. She couldn’t shake the feelings he gave her. Brian could say something so simple and make her heart beat into overdrive. She wondered what this could possibly mean about him-and about her. She’d never been a sappy romantic person and she’d never felt a connection like this with someone before.

“Okay, I’ll nap then,” she said, her voice muffled from the pillow. She turned her head so she could see him in her peripherals. He picked up a blanket that had been folded on the end of his bed and spread it over her. Warmth spread through her, starting near her heart and ending near her toes with a long pause between her legs. She moved the pillow around and pulled the blanket up a bit.

“You look good like that,” Brian commented.

“Like what?”

“All curled up on my bed.”