West Coast
four.
The sand felt nice as Scout stepped onto the beach. Blue and Pinkly had taken off in front of her chasing after a ball Brian had thrown. She laughed as Blue, wet paws and all, jumped on Brian. Scout took a seat beside Pinkly who was not as keen to take a dip in the ocean. The Maltese jumped into Scout’s lap and soon after had fallen asleep. The wind was calm and the waves were small which meant Blue was able to occupy herself, splashing around in the water alone. Brian threw the tennis ball for the retriever one last time before wiping his hands on his jeans and taking a seat beside Scout.
“Gorgeous day, huh.” Brian mused, running a hand through his hair.
Scout looked at Brian from behind her sunglasses and scoffed, “If you’re just going to talk about the weather, I’m leaving.”
Brian sighed, “Well what do you want me to say? I don’t even know where to start.”
The brunette looked at his incredulously, “Gee, I don’t know. How about you start with why you assumed we were dating? I thought this was a casual, no strings attached kind of thing we had.”
“It is…. I think.” Brian looked at Scout and took her angry expression as a sign to keep talking. “I like hanging out with you. You’re amazing and you’ve helped me forget about all the shit that’s gone down over the past few years.”
Scout knew Brian was referring to the death of Jimmy. She reached out a placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “I’m glad us spending time together has helped, but Brian, you can’t just keep trying to forget about him. I don’t want you to forget him.”
Brian shrugged her hand off his shoulder and sighed, “It just makes it easier living without him I guess. But that’s besides the point. I like spending time with you, and I care about you. But this… us, I don’t really know what to do.” He smiled for a moment, watching Blue roll around in the wet sand as a wave crashed on top of her, “You’re so young and a part of me feels like it’s wrong.”
Scout bit her lip and thought for a moment, both she and Brian just watching the waves crash into the shoreline and retract back out to sea. The brunette knew she was lying to herself if she said she didn’t feel anything for Brian, but she could see where he coming from in terms of them dating feeling wrong. He was fourteen years older than she was, but she couldn’t help just ask. “What does the other part of you feel?”
“It says to just go for it.” Brian reached out and grabbed the back of Scout’s head, pulling her toward him. He pressed his lips to hers and felt all his stress begin melt away. He pulled pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers and smiled, “It says that this is right and we should be together.”
Scout mirrored Brian’s smile, “Then maybe that’s the part of you that you should listen to.”
Just as Brian went to kiss Scout again, Pinkly began to wiggle anxiously in her lap. Scout laughed and moved away from Brian as Blue came bounding up the beach and pounced on the guitarist for the second time that afternoon. Brian groaned and stood up brushing whatever wet sand off that he could. He reached down helping Scout from her sitting position, Pinkly still cradled safely in her arms. As they made their way back up to the house, Brian grabbed Scout’s free hand and intertwined their fingers.
Once back in the house, Brian made a bee line for the shower while Scout washed off the dogs in the backyard. The shower in the master bathroom was still running by the time Scout got upstairs after locking the dogs in the basement to fully dry off. She peeled off her top and stepped out of her skirt with a smirk on her face. Brian, lost in his own thoughts, never heard the bathroom door open and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of arms snake around his torso.
“Hey you.” He smiled as he turned to face Scout.
She returned the smile as she reached up to massage some of the shampoo out of Brian’s hair, “Hey.”
They spent some time in the shower together before Brian stepped out grabbing a towel, leaving Scout to finish washing her hair. The guitarist dressed quickly and bounded down the stairs, hearing his stomach roar in hunger. He stopped on the last step as he saw the television on in the living room and voices coming from his kitchen. The smell of pizza and beer drifted beneath his nose as the memory of him inviting his friends over the day prior had returned to him.
He walked into the kitchen, his hair still dripping wet from the shower, and grabbed a slice of pizza out of Matt’s hand, taking a bite. “You jackasses ever hear of knocking, or ringing a doorbell?”
Johnny shrugged and took a swig of his beer, “Since when has that ever mattered?”
“How about since he started dating my intern?” Zack smirked helping himself to a slice of pizza before moving back into the living room to watch the Los Angles Kings face off against the New Jersey Devils.
The rest of the guys followed Zack into the living room, leaving their half eaten pizza on the kitchen island. “Oh shit, that’s still going on?” Matt asked kicking his feet onto the coffee table.
Brian brought his beer to his lips, pausing to respond with a simple, “Yeah”, before chugging nearly half his drink. “It’s Christmas Eve by the way, don’t you guys have your own families to annoy?”
The was a collective decision to ignore Brian’s comment.
“Way to go, man. What is she, like 12? Those are some mighty fine bragging rights…” The bassist joked, taking a bite of his pizza nearly burning his tongue. “I mean talk about using status to dip into a lower dating pool. Any other 34-year-old dude going after ass that young would be considered a creep.”
Scout, who had gone unnoticed until that point, laughed and walked over to the couches and took a seat beside Brian, “Close, but I’m actually 20.” She leaned forward to grab a beer from the six pack sitting on the coffee table.
Zack smiled to himself and grabbed the six pack before she could, placing it on his lap, “In that case, no beer for you.”
Scout rolled her eyes and stole a piece of peperoni off Brian’s pizza before moving her eyes over to the television. “Fuck the Devils.” It was more a statement to herself but Scout knew the rest of them could hear here.
“Aren’t you from Jersey?” Zack asked, “You’re supposed to cheer for them, dummy.”
“The Devils fucking suck, who cares if they’re my state team? I’m a Saint Louis fan, myself.” Scout responded stealing another slice of peperoni from Brian’s pizza.
Brian frowned as his slice of peperoni became a slice of plain, “Why don’t you just go grab the box from the kitchen and bring it in here.”
Scout sighed, not wanting to leave her comfortable spot on the couch, before excusing herself. While still in earshot, Johnny called after her, asking for a beer from the fridge. Apparently the beer in Zack’s lap wasn’t cold enough. Brian’s eyes were trained on the brunette as she made her way out of the room. She had put her clothes that she had worn to his parent’s house back on upon hearing Brian’s band mates in the house. Surely they knew after their little display at Johnny’s Bar that the two were some sort of item, but Scout just couldn’t stomach the idea of her boss seeing her wearing Brian’s clothes.
Brian tuned out most of the conversation his friends were having as he stared intently at Scout. He could feel himself getting turned on just by the sight of her hips swaying as she walked. It was almost as if she was teasing him without even knowing it. He shifted the way he was sitting and gave a tug at his basketball shorts before finally being able to pull his eyes away from the brunette in his kitchen.
As she passed the door to the basement, Scout opened it which resulted in Pinkly and Blue to come running up the stairs. The dogs followed her into the kitchen, knowing that’s where the food was. Their beady little eyes followed her every move, just hoping for something to fall on the floor.
“I remember when McKenna was born, he kept going on and on about how he never wanted to have kids. Yet here he is now, basically dating one.” Zack said, laughing as he used the bottle opener on the bottom his sandal to open another beer.
Scout felt her heart leap into her throat as she heard Brian’s laugh echo through the house. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied herself before walking back into the living. The room fell silent as she handed Johnny the beer he requested and dropped the box of pizza on the coffee table before them. “I’ve had fun guys, really, but I just remembered I’ve got some stuff to get done early tomorrow morning.” Scout gave a quick wave over her shoulder as she called for Blue, grabbed her jacket, and rushed out the front door.
“Gorgeous day, huh.” Brian mused, running a hand through his hair.
Scout looked at Brian from behind her sunglasses and scoffed, “If you’re just going to talk about the weather, I’m leaving.”
Brian sighed, “Well what do you want me to say? I don’t even know where to start.”
The brunette looked at his incredulously, “Gee, I don’t know. How about you start with why you assumed we were dating? I thought this was a casual, no strings attached kind of thing we had.”
“It is…. I think.” Brian looked at Scout and took her angry expression as a sign to keep talking. “I like hanging out with you. You’re amazing and you’ve helped me forget about all the shit that’s gone down over the past few years.”
Scout knew Brian was referring to the death of Jimmy. She reached out a placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “I’m glad us spending time together has helped, but Brian, you can’t just keep trying to forget about him. I don’t want you to forget him.”
Brian shrugged her hand off his shoulder and sighed, “It just makes it easier living without him I guess. But that’s besides the point. I like spending time with you, and I care about you. But this… us, I don’t really know what to do.” He smiled for a moment, watching Blue roll around in the wet sand as a wave crashed on top of her, “You’re so young and a part of me feels like it’s wrong.”
Scout bit her lip and thought for a moment, both she and Brian just watching the waves crash into the shoreline and retract back out to sea. The brunette knew she was lying to herself if she said she didn’t feel anything for Brian, but she could see where he coming from in terms of them dating feeling wrong. He was fourteen years older than she was, but she couldn’t help just ask. “What does the other part of you feel?”
“It says to just go for it.” Brian reached out and grabbed the back of Scout’s head, pulling her toward him. He pressed his lips to hers and felt all his stress begin melt away. He pulled pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers and smiled, “It says that this is right and we should be together.”
Scout mirrored Brian’s smile, “Then maybe that’s the part of you that you should listen to.”
Just as Brian went to kiss Scout again, Pinkly began to wiggle anxiously in her lap. Scout laughed and moved away from Brian as Blue came bounding up the beach and pounced on the guitarist for the second time that afternoon. Brian groaned and stood up brushing whatever wet sand off that he could. He reached down helping Scout from her sitting position, Pinkly still cradled safely in her arms. As they made their way back up to the house, Brian grabbed Scout’s free hand and intertwined their fingers.
Once back in the house, Brian made a bee line for the shower while Scout washed off the dogs in the backyard. The shower in the master bathroom was still running by the time Scout got upstairs after locking the dogs in the basement to fully dry off. She peeled off her top and stepped out of her skirt with a smirk on her face. Brian, lost in his own thoughts, never heard the bathroom door open and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of arms snake around his torso.
“Hey you.” He smiled as he turned to face Scout.
She returned the smile as she reached up to massage some of the shampoo out of Brian’s hair, “Hey.”
They spent some time in the shower together before Brian stepped out grabbing a towel, leaving Scout to finish washing her hair. The guitarist dressed quickly and bounded down the stairs, hearing his stomach roar in hunger. He stopped on the last step as he saw the television on in the living room and voices coming from his kitchen. The smell of pizza and beer drifted beneath his nose as the memory of him inviting his friends over the day prior had returned to him.
He walked into the kitchen, his hair still dripping wet from the shower, and grabbed a slice of pizza out of Matt’s hand, taking a bite. “You jackasses ever hear of knocking, or ringing a doorbell?”
Johnny shrugged and took a swig of his beer, “Since when has that ever mattered?”
“How about since he started dating my intern?” Zack smirked helping himself to a slice of pizza before moving back into the living room to watch the Los Angles Kings face off against the New Jersey Devils.
The rest of the guys followed Zack into the living room, leaving their half eaten pizza on the kitchen island. “Oh shit, that’s still going on?” Matt asked kicking his feet onto the coffee table.
Brian brought his beer to his lips, pausing to respond with a simple, “Yeah”, before chugging nearly half his drink. “It’s Christmas Eve by the way, don’t you guys have your own families to annoy?”
The was a collective decision to ignore Brian’s comment.
“Way to go, man. What is she, like 12? Those are some mighty fine bragging rights…” The bassist joked, taking a bite of his pizza nearly burning his tongue. “I mean talk about using status to dip into a lower dating pool. Any other 34-year-old dude going after ass that young would be considered a creep.”
Scout, who had gone unnoticed until that point, laughed and walked over to the couches and took a seat beside Brian, “Close, but I’m actually 20.” She leaned forward to grab a beer from the six pack sitting on the coffee table.
Zack smiled to himself and grabbed the six pack before she could, placing it on his lap, “In that case, no beer for you.”
Scout rolled her eyes and stole a piece of peperoni off Brian’s pizza before moving her eyes over to the television. “Fuck the Devils.” It was more a statement to herself but Scout knew the rest of them could hear here.
“Aren’t you from Jersey?” Zack asked, “You’re supposed to cheer for them, dummy.”
“The Devils fucking suck, who cares if they’re my state team? I’m a Saint Louis fan, myself.” Scout responded stealing another slice of peperoni from Brian’s pizza.
Brian frowned as his slice of peperoni became a slice of plain, “Why don’t you just go grab the box from the kitchen and bring it in here.”
Scout sighed, not wanting to leave her comfortable spot on the couch, before excusing herself. While still in earshot, Johnny called after her, asking for a beer from the fridge. Apparently the beer in Zack’s lap wasn’t cold enough. Brian’s eyes were trained on the brunette as she made her way out of the room. She had put her clothes that she had worn to his parent’s house back on upon hearing Brian’s band mates in the house. Surely they knew after their little display at Johnny’s Bar that the two were some sort of item, but Scout just couldn’t stomach the idea of her boss seeing her wearing Brian’s clothes.
Brian tuned out most of the conversation his friends were having as he stared intently at Scout. He could feel himself getting turned on just by the sight of her hips swaying as she walked. It was almost as if she was teasing him without even knowing it. He shifted the way he was sitting and gave a tug at his basketball shorts before finally being able to pull his eyes away from the brunette in his kitchen.
As she passed the door to the basement, Scout opened it which resulted in Pinkly and Blue to come running up the stairs. The dogs followed her into the kitchen, knowing that’s where the food was. Their beady little eyes followed her every move, just hoping for something to fall on the floor.
“I remember when McKenna was born, he kept going on and on about how he never wanted to have kids. Yet here he is now, basically dating one.” Zack said, laughing as he used the bottle opener on the bottom his sandal to open another beer.
Scout felt her heart leap into her throat as she heard Brian’s laugh echo through the house. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied herself before walking back into the living. The room fell silent as she handed Johnny the beer he requested and dropped the box of pizza on the coffee table before them. “I’ve had fun guys, really, but I just remembered I’ve got some stuff to get done early tomorrow morning.” Scout gave a quick wave over her shoulder as she called for Blue, grabbed her jacket, and rushed out the front door.