These Little Wonders
Chapter 18
"You gonna be okay man?"
Spencer's voice pulled Brendon out of his head, bringing him into the reality he hadn't been a part of for five hours.
He nodded absentmindedly, still staring out at the traffic in front of them like a bowl of fish from inside the airport.
"Bren, we're gonna go stop by Pete's bar, should we drop you off at the hotel?" Ryan asked, terribly masking his concern by glancing down at him many times over a few seconds.
Brendon shrugged, which must've been taken as a yes because the next time he was aware of his surroundings they were parked out front a swanky looking hotel.
"Okay Bren, we'll be a few blocks from here. If you need anything, call us okay?" Spencer reminded with apprehension lacing his young features.
He nodded dazedly and left the van they rented, a part of his mind still conscious enough to grab his carry-on bag.
As the van drove away suddenly the last place Brendon wanted to be was in the stuffy hotel, surrounded by expensive things that screamed 'do not touch'.
Brendon thanked the marketing schemes of several fat cats high up on Wall Street for building a Starbucks right next door to the hotel.
Hoping the therapy of over-expensive coffee beans and snotty big city minimum wage baristas would do what it normally did, Brendon braved the busy Chicago street and the angry business woman he almost knocked out as he walked in.
It was everything he had hoped for and more.
He didn’t even stop for a coffee, though he could feel the chill of the Chicago winter on his skin, and instead went to sit in one of the cushy looking chairs in the back of the room, abandoned with the exception of one man nearby.
Brendon wasn’t rude, his parents had raised him well, but he couldn’t help but stare at the guy near him, something so familiar about him.
Of course he looked away after a moment once he had realized he was staring, but still, he couldn’t help but feel some sense of familiarity with him.
Maybe spending so much time with Felix had changed his moral complex, or at least his shyness with people who didn’t know him or were shoving a Sharpie at him, because he did something old Brendon would've never done.
He walked over to him.
"Hello?" He asked, confusion creasing his expression.
"I'm sorry, this is really random, but, have we met before?" Brendon asked him, hoping he didn’t come off like a total creep.
The guy, who looked around Jon's age, watched him oddly.
"Well... I know who you are, but I don't think it works the same way." He explained, trying to keep his curiosity at a minimum by glancing back down at the lap top in front of him.
Brendon sighed.
"I'm sorry I bothered you, it's just, you're so familiar and I can't ignore that."
He smiled a small but easy smile. "That's okay, I'm sure with all of the places you've been you get a few familiar faces along the way. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone looked the same to you."
With a laugh Brendon glanced down at the chair next to him, looking to him for permission and answered with a nod.
"That's not as true as you'd think. I've been spending most my time either with my band mates in a windowless room or with this girl I met." Brendon explained, not sure why he was still talking to this guy he had no connection to, but didn’t really care.
The usual barriers that were up with strangers weren't there and they began chatting like old friends.
"So, you found a girl out in Las Vegas that you're possibly madly in love with... and you left her there?" The guy, who had introduced himself as Louis, said with a raised eyebrow, almost condemning him for his idiocy.
Out of guilt from him and himself, Brendon hung his head and nodded. "Yeah, but like I mentioned, things were pretty messed up."
Louis nodded knowingly, looking away.
"Yeah, I did the same thing, and I've regretted it since then." He muttered, sounding older beyond his years. "But you've still got a chance to go back and fix your mistake."
Brendon shrugged, the most guy thing he could think of doing in that situation and showing as little emotion as he could.
"I left her pretty much saying I was going on tour and she should do something or I might find someone else but..." At this his voice dropped into a whisper. "There's no one in the world like Felix."
Brendon expected Louis to nod in agreement or possibly add in some of his own thoughts.
Instead however, the man next to him froze, turning into a statue for all intensive purposes.
It was silent between them until his lips, barely moving, spoke a few words.
"Her name's Felix?" Louis whispered hoarsely. "Quirky, constantly changing hair, and from Vegas?"
Brendon nodded captivated, unintentionally leaning closer, getting that feeling where the next few moments could be life changing.
Louis then turned to him, ashen faced but with fiery eyes.
"That's my sister."
Spencer's voice pulled Brendon out of his head, bringing him into the reality he hadn't been a part of for five hours.
He nodded absentmindedly, still staring out at the traffic in front of them like a bowl of fish from inside the airport.
"Bren, we're gonna go stop by Pete's bar, should we drop you off at the hotel?" Ryan asked, terribly masking his concern by glancing down at him many times over a few seconds.
Brendon shrugged, which must've been taken as a yes because the next time he was aware of his surroundings they were parked out front a swanky looking hotel.
"Okay Bren, we'll be a few blocks from here. If you need anything, call us okay?" Spencer reminded with apprehension lacing his young features.
He nodded dazedly and left the van they rented, a part of his mind still conscious enough to grab his carry-on bag.
As the van drove away suddenly the last place Brendon wanted to be was in the stuffy hotel, surrounded by expensive things that screamed 'do not touch'.
Brendon thanked the marketing schemes of several fat cats high up on Wall Street for building a Starbucks right next door to the hotel.
Hoping the therapy of over-expensive coffee beans and snotty big city minimum wage baristas would do what it normally did, Brendon braved the busy Chicago street and the angry business woman he almost knocked out as he walked in.
It was everything he had hoped for and more.
He didn’t even stop for a coffee, though he could feel the chill of the Chicago winter on his skin, and instead went to sit in one of the cushy looking chairs in the back of the room, abandoned with the exception of one man nearby.
Brendon wasn’t rude, his parents had raised him well, but he couldn’t help but stare at the guy near him, something so familiar about him.
Of course he looked away after a moment once he had realized he was staring, but still, he couldn’t help but feel some sense of familiarity with him.
Maybe spending so much time with Felix had changed his moral complex, or at least his shyness with people who didn’t know him or were shoving a Sharpie at him, because he did something old Brendon would've never done.
He walked over to him.
"Hello?" He asked, confusion creasing his expression.
"I'm sorry, this is really random, but, have we met before?" Brendon asked him, hoping he didn’t come off like a total creep.
The guy, who looked around Jon's age, watched him oddly.
"Well... I know who you are, but I don't think it works the same way." He explained, trying to keep his curiosity at a minimum by glancing back down at the lap top in front of him.
Brendon sighed.
"I'm sorry I bothered you, it's just, you're so familiar and I can't ignore that."
He smiled a small but easy smile. "That's okay, I'm sure with all of the places you've been you get a few familiar faces along the way. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone looked the same to you."
With a laugh Brendon glanced down at the chair next to him, looking to him for permission and answered with a nod.
"That's not as true as you'd think. I've been spending most my time either with my band mates in a windowless room or with this girl I met." Brendon explained, not sure why he was still talking to this guy he had no connection to, but didn’t really care.
The usual barriers that were up with strangers weren't there and they began chatting like old friends.
"So, you found a girl out in Las Vegas that you're possibly madly in love with... and you left her there?" The guy, who had introduced himself as Louis, said with a raised eyebrow, almost condemning him for his idiocy.
Out of guilt from him and himself, Brendon hung his head and nodded. "Yeah, but like I mentioned, things were pretty messed up."
Louis nodded knowingly, looking away.
"Yeah, I did the same thing, and I've regretted it since then." He muttered, sounding older beyond his years. "But you've still got a chance to go back and fix your mistake."
Brendon shrugged, the most guy thing he could think of doing in that situation and showing as little emotion as he could.
"I left her pretty much saying I was going on tour and she should do something or I might find someone else but..." At this his voice dropped into a whisper. "There's no one in the world like Felix."
Brendon expected Louis to nod in agreement or possibly add in some of his own thoughts.
Instead however, the man next to him froze, turning into a statue for all intensive purposes.
It was silent between them until his lips, barely moving, spoke a few words.
"Her name's Felix?" Louis whispered hoarsely. "Quirky, constantly changing hair, and from Vegas?"
Brendon nodded captivated, unintentionally leaning closer, getting that feeling where the next few moments could be life changing.
Louis then turned to him, ashen faced but with fiery eyes.
"That's my sister."
♠ ♠ ♠
Cameoskye's wins! It is These Little Wonders by Rob Thomas(New question is what movie was it featured in? Without googling?)
And due to my comments being severely screwed up, and nothing/nobody being able to fix it, I've been toying with the idea of changing accounts and putting my next story on that.
So if you support that idea, hate it, or have connections where you can fix the comment system (or can bribe the admins), please do so (if it works I'll give you my real soul).