The Only Thing I Ask

The pain of hangover was starting to clear off his head once he took the aspirin and drank his coffee. He stared at the happy couple, who were sitting on the couch, cuddling and laughing. He felt that churning again in the pit of his stomach. He wanted some of that too. He wanted to be happy, to have someone to hold and come home to after a long and tiring tour. He was glad that Matthew found it first. He didn’t know about the rest but he guessed that Jimmy, Zacky and Johnny were in the same boat as him.

“Things I’ll do to have something like that in my life, you know.”
Brian glanced over his shoulder. Jimmy was sitting next to him at the breakfast counter, and was staring at Matthew and Valerie too.
“Matthew is one lucky motherfucker. She’s hot, kind to us, plus she has a twin sister! Who happens to rock!”
Brian felt uneasy.
“Hey Rev, do you…uh, do you like Michelle?”
Jimmy raised his eyebrow at Brian. “Hell yeah I do. In fact all of us do. Except for you.”
Brian frowned. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Well, you’ve shown enough. Are you fucking blind or something? It was really great of M to set you up with someone like Michelle and you blew it away?”
“I didn’t blew anything away, Rev.”
“Then why are you still cold and alone?”
Man, those words can truly hurt. But it was all true, he thought. He was still alone.
“You’ve got to let go of Maya, dude. She was nothing, just a blip in your past. Don’t linger.”

Brian loved Jimmy. He always does. Especially when he suddenly became so philosophical and full of advices.
“Just a blip. How do you know that Michelle wouldn’t be just the same?”
Jimmy chuckled and patted his shoulder. “That’s just a risk you have to take.”

After that Jimmy moved on to the living room and intentionally sat in between Matthew and Valerie, making them split.
“Rev!”
“Sorry, cockblocker coming thorugh!”
Matthew shook his head in frustration and Valerie laughed.

Brian got lost deep in thought after that. He wanted to try it with Michelle. Hell, he liked her a lot too. He can’t stop thinking about her since that night at the pool bar. He felt something was there but he denied it again and again.

“Dude, you’re coming?”
Brian snapped back to reality. “What?”
“Get dressed. Got signing to attend.” Matthew stood in front of him, no longer shirtless and only shorts. He was fully dressed. Brian glanced at the clock. Oh yeah, they had a schedule to follow.

During the signing, he swore he couldn’t really stop thinking about Michelle. He didn’t know why, but all the female fans that stood in front of him, he saw as Michelle.
“Er, Syn. My name’s Susan, not Michelle.”
Brian looked down at the poster he was signing. He signed;
Dear Michelle, you rock! Signed: Synyster Gates
His eyes bulged in horror. “How many have I screwed up?” He asked Matthew who was beside him, whispering.
“Just that one. Come on man, get a grip.” Matthew replied, also whispering.
Brian apologized to the fan and signed another.

“Brian, I think you’re ready.”
After the signing, Matthew handed him something. He took one look at it and he knew that was Michelle’s phone number.
“Ready for what?”
“Dude, don’t get cold with me. I’m your fucking best friend for God’s sake!”
Brian nodded slowly. “I know.”
“Good. Now call her. Ask her out.”
“What if she said no?”
Matthew chuckled.
“Never have I imagined that Synyster Gates is afraid of being turned down!”
Brian rolled his eyes.
“You are Synyster fucking Gates, come on. You can have anyone.”
That advice motivated Brian a lot. He was so determined that he actually thought of a plan.
“She worked at Hellwin, OC branch right?”
Matthew nodded. “Yeah, why?”
Brian grinned broadly. He knew what he had to do.

***********************************************************************************************

But of course that plan backfired. He was smooth, but he acted like a jerk. Two years without a girlfriend in his life, he really didn’t know how to ask a girl out. Mostly the girls involved with him practically threw themselves at him to do as he pleased.
Now he was left alone again, this time in the middle of a music store. Clueless, and taken aback, he just stood there, regretting everything. Until his entourage came over to get him and they left the store eventually after saying thanks to the owners.
Michelle leaned against a wall, her chest rising up and down. What the hell was he thinking? Coming here and asking her out like that? He did ask her out right? Well, he might have just stated that they were now dating, without any consent from her.
“Are you okay?”
Michelle flinched at Wendy who just got out of the store room.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“You’re…panting. Like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
Michelle calmed herself down. Smiling to Wendy, she just went out to the back, found her blue Volkswagen and drove off.

Parked her car in the driveway, Michelle ran inside. Can’t wait to tell her sister everything.
“Val! Val! You would not believe what happen…” her words stopped midway when she saw two figures on the couch, spooning and sleeping. Matthew was there.

Michelle watched them for a while. It was so good to see them happy together. They were so lucky to have found each other in such a short amount of time. Michelle will do anything to have this kind of relationship. It’s not that there isn’t anyone who wanted her but her last relationship was too painful that she was afraid to take a new leaf.

Valerie, being the best twin sister ever tried to hook her up with some guys from her work. She worked at a hospital as a nurse and there was a lot of hot doctors who interested but Michelle just wasn’t brave enough. Thinking about the event that happened just not too long ago, she sighed heavily.

Brian. How could he do that and made her heart pound so fast? How could he sent shivers down her spine when they just met once?
Valerie woke up and saw Michelle was standing in front of her. Realizing that Matthew was still asleep, she put her finger on her lips and slowly moved Matthew’s hand away from her stomach. She pulled Michelle away from the living room and into the kitchen.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’re at work.” Valerie yawned, half- awake.
“ I bailed. Sorry, I didn’t see his car outside.”
“That’s because Brian drove him over earlier.”
Michelle raised her eyebrow. Maybe after dropping Matthew here he went straight to his ‘little event’ a while ago.
“What happen to you? You look shocked.”
“Brian came over to the store.”
Valerie opened her eyes wide. “Go on,”
“He said we’re dating now. Him and me. Without my consent.”
Valerie’s mouth opened, as wide as her eyes. Michelle ran her fingers through her hair.
“He said that?”
Michelle nodded.
“He seriously thought that that would work?”
“What do you mean?”
Valerie froze. Didn’t know how to explain.

“We set you guys up.” A deep voice emerged from behind her suddenly. It was Matthew. He had woken up and heard their conversation from the start.
“What?!” Michelle stood up.
“Me and Val think that you guys are perfect for each other. So we set-”
“What makes you think that?”
Matthew raised his eyebrow to see an angry little twin of his girlfriend.
“I saw how you guys look at each other. I know there’s something going on between you two.”
“No there isn’t! I just met him once and I already knew he is a cold jerk. So, no thank you!”
“He’s a lost cause, Michelle. We’ve gotta help him.”
“And why are you sending me? Isn’t there someone else out there? Some other girl who would willingly entertain his cold and cocky attitude anymore? Why me, Matthew?”

“Because he fucking likes you!”

Michelle stunned. Jaw dropped. Her body went numb all of a sudden but the insides of her stomach starts churning, and that tingling sensation went through her spine again. Her heartbeats rose.

“What..?” she whispered.
“It’s not my place to say this, but he can’t stop thinking about you. He kept asking Val why didn’t you come to the studio anymore, he kept getting drunk during our sessions and he misspelled a fan’s name. From Susan to Michelle.”
Michelle couldn’t believe what she heard. Synyster Gates likes her? HER? The nobody? Someone who wasn’t even an Avenged Sevenfold fan?
“I..I…”
“He’s a motherfucking idiot when it comes to starting a relationship. But believe me when he does, he’s the best partner you’ll ever have.”
“Why does he like me? What does he see in me?”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “Women. Always wondering that one unsignificant thing.”
Valerie rubbed Michelle’s shoulder. “Do you like him?”
Michelle looked at her. Trying to find answers in that identical-to-her pair of eyes.
“I do.” She can’t help but confess.
Matthew grinned broadly. Almost to the point where he wanted to do a victory pose or something.
“I knew it. I knew there’s something between you two.”
“But-but why did he say that we are dating now, him and me? What does he mean?”
“It means what it means. He just don’t know how to ask a girl out.”
Michelle chuckled slightly. Now that is adorable. She sighed heavily after that. How can a cold, cocky and famous guy could be so clueless when it comes to picking up women?