Whiskey in the Jar

Brian opened his eyes to see Jordan hovering over his body with a bright smile on her face, he stared into her green eyes as a smile formed on his own face. With no sound but the waves crashing behind them, their intimate happiness radiated from their bodies as they silently communicated with smiles. They both leaned in into their embrace and began to kiss passionately, the taste of her lips on his had intensified the beating of his heart and the feeling of their bodies intertwining had him wanting more. He deepened the kiss and tangled his hands into her hair causing Jordan to make a small sound of pleasure. After a while of grinding their bodies against each other and fighting with their tongues, they were losing breath and needed to pull apart for air. Slowly they untangled from each other, their breathing patterns erratic and their eyes fluttering open.

Brian expected to see Jordan’s beautiful face but to his shock he was met with Becca with tears pouring down her tanned face. Brian’s eyes widened and his breathing was getting out of control. A swirl of emotions was going through his body, none that he could decipher. He grabbed her long wavy two toned blonde hair and pushed it back to make sure it was really Becca’s tearful face he was seeing.

“It hasn’t even been a year and already you’ve found someone else?” Becca lifted a finger to her left eye to wipe a tear. Brian’s heart dropped to his stomach and he couldn’t feel worse if he tried.

“What have I done?” He whispered to himself in disbelief at his betrayal. This was the woman he loved not the short haired brunette! He wiped away Becca’s tears as she silently cried on top of him. “I’m so sorry Becca! Please forgive me!” Brian’s voice broke as he spoke and his eyes watered. He kept repeating his words and grabbed Becca’s face tucking it into his neck stroking her hair that was covering most of their torsos. Brian looked up at the morning sky, his expression pained as he was holding Becca tightly.

Then all of a sudden, he heard laughing coming from the woman he was holding, she escaped his grip and slapped his chest. “What the fuck are you crying for? Didn’t we say fuck it all just last night?!” Jordan laughed at Brian. Brian began to speak but no words were coming from his mouth, he didn’t know what to do or what to say, it was a total nightmare. Before Brian could try coming up with words again Jordan had kissed him again and rolled them over so he was now on top, instantly he pulled away from her to once again see Becca but this time she wasn’t crying she was smiling. Brian’s heart jumped at the sight of his dead wife’s smile even though he was confused as fuck as to what was happening, being so close to Becca made him truly happy.

“Becca…” he softly pressed his lips to her smiling ones. She looked angelic under his body and while Brian knew that Becca was dead, he never felt so alive.

“Brian, be happy.” She said as she stroked his face. He closed his eyes and enjoyed Becca’s touch.

“How can I when you’re not here?” He softy questioned before kissing her cheek and inhaling her sweet scent as he did so.

“I’m always here. Just because you can’t see me, it doesn’t mean I’m not here, silly.” Becca giggled a little bit. “But seriously, Brian my love, don’t spend your time beating yourself up about what happened. Move on, be happy and live your life. You know, Jordan’s good for you…”

“What? Jordan? Becca, you’re my wife, you’re the woman I love and you’re the only one that makes me happy!”

“Brian, listen to me!” She grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. “Jordan is beautiful, she’s fun and she knows what you’re going through!” Brian stared at his wife with furrowed eyebrows, he couldn’t believe what she was saying to him. “Brian, please just move on. I’ll always love you and it hurts to see you hurt. She needs you and you need her.” She kissed him softly before he could argue with her. Brian couldn’t help the few tears that escaped his eyes, it felt like his wife was saying goodbye to him but he didn’t want to let her go. He held onto her tightly and refused to remove his lips from hers as tears were falling from his eyes. Brian felt his world shaking like an earthquake and his wife was disappearing from his embrace which only made him hold onto her non-existent body tighter.

Brian opened his eyes to see Jordan shaking his body and it dawned on him that everything that just happened was a dream. He had a weird feeling in his gut that caused him to frown, it’s not like he believed that he could communicate with the dead but that dream felt all too real. He looked at Jordan who was still shaking him and instantly his mind looked at visuals of his dreams. He looked at her lips remembering how soft they felt against his and how silky her hair felt draped over his hands.

“WAKE UP!” She repeatedly shouted at him.

“Fuck Jordan, I’m awake can’t you see?!” He sat up and rubbed his face with hands.

“Thank God, you were having a nightmare or some shit, you were like squeezing the shit out of my arm and almost fucking laid on top of me you weirdo.” She scoffed at him. His face turned red, he was so embarrassed about his actions and he thought to himself that she’s lucky she doesn’t know what actually happened in his dream.

“Well thanks for waking me up, dickwad.” He grabbed a bit of sand and threw it at her playfully. She scoffed at him again and rubbed off the bits of sand that landed on her.

“So what’s the plan today?” She asked hoping that he would want to do something productive.

“How about today I stay the fuck at home and watch a shit load of cheesy 80’s and 90’s action movies?” Jordan rolled her eyes at Brian’s response. Of course he doesn’t want to do anything, Brian noticed her response and quickly came up with an efficient excuse. “I mean, I can’t go out with a face like this.” He pointed to his black eye that was mildly irritating him. “It’ll scare everyone away!” Brian noticed Jordan’s face shifting from a sceptical one to an understanding one. She nodded her head and said “fair enough. You look like a zombie out of The Walking Dead, the general public would want to stab you in the head for being so ugly.” She laughed to herself feeling very proud of her joke while Brian just stared at her, his face deadpan.

Eventually the pair decided it was time to get back into the house, so they rolled up the blankets after dusting them off and slowly walked back into the house. Brian fell behind as he had to do the lace on his Nike shoe and as Jordan was walking in front of him he couldn’t help but notice her body from behind. If Brian were ten years younger he would say that her ass was nice and plump; that it was worth a spank and pinch. He would say to Jimmy how sexy her legs were when she walked and how fucking erotic it was when she swung those hips. But he’s not that age anymore and what he noticed now was how she looked cold and how he wanted to make sure she was nice and warm. Another thing he noticed was a small mark on the small part of her side that was exposed because of her crop top. He walked a bit faster to see what it was, he saw that is was a tiny tattoo of a date but he didn’t know what that date meant. That only made him realise how little he knows about the woman he let into his home.

When they got back to Brian’s house, they went their own ways into their bedrooms to get cleaned up. Brian was adamant on staying in to watching movies and after Brian's nightmare Jordan wasn't sure it was a good idea to leave him alone so she decided to join him. After the showered in their separate bathrooms, they got changed in to some pyjamas. Jordan's choice were flannel shorts and a strappy top that clung to her body and Brian's choice of wear were batman lounge pants and a black t shirt. Before they sat down for their movie marathon, Brian shut all the curtains to create a cinematic atmosphere while Jordan made popcorn and grabbed various breakfast snacks since it was still morning. The couch was big so they weren't afraid of their bodies running into each other as they collapsed on it and got into comfortable positions.

They quietly began to watch ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and everything was going well until Brian’s mind began to wonder back to his dream. He tried to analyse what it meant even though it was quite obvious; his dead wife shipped him with his sober friend. He rolled his eyes at the thought, it’s not like he can communicate with the dead. He thought to himself that his mind made everything up because he was starting to get lonely. His foot started tapping after he looked over at Jordan who was sitting with her knees cradled to her chest, every time he looked at her he could only imagine how she felt on top of him. Her exposed legs made him want to grab them and wrap them around his waist but the thought instantly reminded him of his crying wife. His foot tapping was getting out of control and Jordan noticed this, she put her hand on his knee to stop it from jerking and gave him a concerned look. In that moment he couldn’t think of a better solution than take a bottle of Jack and down in a second. His throat went dry and itchy and all he wanted was to disappear into a dark room alone so he could drink.

“Brian talk to me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Trust me, it helps to talk about it instead of bottling up inside.” Her knee was still on Brian’s and it wasn’t making things easier on him.

“There’s nothing that I can say to you, Jordan. I just want to watch this masterpiece of a movie.”

“Brian look at me,” she grabbed a hold of his face and forced him to have eye contact with him “tell me what’s on your mind.” Jordan said softly. Brian was silent for a moment, it’s not like he can tell her that he dreamt of making out with her. It’s not like he could tell her that he dreamt that his dead wife told him that Jordan is hot and that he should get with her. He swallowed thickly as he felt so conflicted; the dream had really messed him up as he thought he felt a physical attraction towards Jordan and then felt insanely guilty for it.

“Just trust me. No matter how bad your thoughts are, you can be honest with me. I won’t judge you.” She meant what she said and Brian felt it. But this only reminded him of that tattoo he saw above her hip, he contemplated whether to ask her about it so that he can get to know something personal about her in return of him telling her about his personal thoughts.

“Your tattoo. What does it mean?” Brian asked, his voice strong like he wasn’t accept anything less than the whole truth.

Jordan sighed, broke eye contact with him and she looked down at the space on the couch between her and Brian. She knew that one day someone would ask about this tattoo and she knew it was her fault really for wearing a top that exposed it but many people just didn’t care to ask. After a second she realised that Brian was using this as a bargaining chip and she decided to play the game. It was only fair for her to get personal when he was. Just when she was going to begin the story of what that date meant there was an obnoxiously loud knock on the door.

Brian tried to ignore it but it wasn’t going away so he sighed and got up to open the door to be greeted by his father, his sister and his step-mom. They were holding grocery bags and happily barged into Brian’s house pushing past leaving him looking shocked and didn’t even give him the opportunity to greet them and invite them in properly, he wasn’t expecting a visit from them after all.

“Hey Brian, hey Jordan!” They said almost in unison as they wondered into Brian’s house. Jordan felt rather relieved that she wouldn’t have to get into the story of her tattoo but judging by Brian’s tone, she knew he wouldn’t let it go easily.

Jordan awkwardly waved and smiled at them, then looked down at her attire and felt like she should go put something more appropriate on. Instead she pulled a blanket over her body as she was sitting on the couch, meanwhile Brain sat on the stool with a quizzical look on his face. His family had completely taken over his house; his mom was in the kitchen taking the groceries out the bags and using kitchen utensils to prepare what looked like breakfast, his dad had opened all the curtains to let the light in and Mckenna, his sister had sat in his spot on the couch and engaged in a conversation with Jordan. He looked at them confused thinking, just how much Jordan has assimilated into his life and how well everyone seemed to accept her.

“What are you all doing here?” Brian asked, lighting up a cigarette which his step-mom grabbed a second after and threw it in the trash leaving Brian with an open flame on his flashy lighter.

“Making breakfast. It’s been a long time since we’ve spent time together and we wanted to see you and Jordan.” Brian’s dad said while cracking some eggs.

“So you and Jordan talk often?” Brian asked in a hushed voice with a raised eyebrow.

“All the time, she sends me photoshopped pictures of me every day and keeps me updated on how my alcoholic son is doing.” Brian Sr. shook his head at the last part.

“I’m not an alcoholic dad, everyone in the band drinks a shit load but that doesn’t mean they’re alcoholics!” Brian defended himself restraining his voice from raising.

“Yeah but then you had to go and take it up a notch didn’t you?! Look son, I know you’re hurting but alcohol is never the solution but I hear you’ve been doing a lot better these days thanks to Jordan.” Both Brian’s looked over at Jordan who was intently listening to Mckenna with admiration.

“Yeah, I have.” Brian quietly agreed with his father. He was tempted to tell him about the dream that was bothering him but didn’t want to talk about it with everyone around him. Instead he started talking to his family about how they were doing and what they were up to.

After breakfast was prepared they all sat down by the dinner table was hardly ever used since it’s been placed in the house. They had pancakes, bacon, eggs and pretty much anything that makes breakfast great. Coincidentally, Brian and Jordan sat next to each other on the mahogany table and loaded their plates with the food that they wanted. Considering the fact at how stoned they were the night before they felt very hungry and so they piled up a lot of food in unison causing Brian’s family to exchange looks which consisted of raised eyebrows. Brian and Jordan didn’t even notice the strange looks they were given and stuffed their face with food.

Jordan accidentally elbowed Brian as she was cutting up her food which in return, Brian elbowed her a fraction harder than she did. Soon enough they were in a full on playful elbow fight, occasionally giggling or snorting at each other for missing or hitting too hard. Unfortunately for them, Brian’s family noticed this interaction between them and once again exchanged looks. They didn’t expect to see this dynamic flourish between them but they were glad that Brian was moving on. Brian Sr. and his wife had wiggled their eyebrows at each other insinuating that they both enjoyed Brian moving on with another woman. However, Brian and Jordan were completely oblivious that these looks have been exchanged and continued elbowing each other and eating.

After they were all finished up the men went into the kitchen to the dishes whilst the women disappeared into the garden to sit by the pool, that way both parties could talk in private. As Brian was pretending to help his dad with the dishes his father was gearing up to ask a ton of questions about his relationship with Jordan.

“So this thing between you and Jordan…” Brian’s dad started with a smirk on his face.

“Dad there is no thing. What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m saying is, is that you two seem like you got a good thing going. She’s obviously helped you a lot, I mean, Brian just three weeks ago you were drinking yourself to death and now I see you shaved and brushed your hair. You’ve showered,” his dad sniffed him for comedic effect “and you’re smiling again. Oh and let’s mention the way you two were flirting at the table.”

“I was not flirting with her!” Brian’s jaw dropped and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Well whatever the heck that was, it was nice to see you happy with someone.”

“You know, Johnny just yesterday he said that it would be okay if I were to get with Jordan. Is this a thing now? My family and friends starting a fan club for me and Jordan to end up together?” Brian’s dad laughed at his son.

“If that’s what it takes to get you out of the slump then call me the president of the Jorian fan club.” Brian rolled his eyes at his dad and lit a cigarette without his step-mom interfering this time. “If you feel like it’s too soon, then it’s too soon but don’t feel like you have to stay sad for the sake of it, son.” His dad said getting serious for the moment.

“Thanks dad.” Brian was happy about the support he was receiving but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that there were still too many things he had to battle through to even begin about dating someone new. What he also began to believe was that he didn’t have to face these things alone, he had his family, friends and Jordan.

Meanwhile the ladies were soaking up the sun and talking about Brian. Suzy and Mckenna were trying to get all the juicy details from Jordan about the time she’s been spending with Brian. Jordan felt like she’s been put on the spot and blushed quite a lot at the questions she’s been asked by Brian’s family. She didn’t want to admit to herself let alone his family how much she enjoyed working with Brian. Jordan mainly enjoyed the way they talked and how most of their conversation consisted of sarcasm and swearing, she enjoyed how honest they could be around each other even though there were a lot of truths and feelings that still needed to be uncovered. She definitely didn’t want to admit how hot she thought he was and how even the simplest things like the way he drove his car had an effect on her body. Admitting this to even herself would go against all her rules and even her morals, the man is still mourning his wife after all.

“So you like him?” Mckenna asked refraining from squealing when Jordan blushed again.

“He’s my client!” Jordan blushed at Mckenna’s forwardness. “No but seriously, he’s great. I feel like we’re building a great relationship here I’m encouraging him to open up about his pain and just letting him know that’s okay to move on. That’s really the most I can do. And well slap a bottle out of his hand whenever he grabs one which surprisingly isn’t that often anymore.”

After Brian’s family left, Brian and Jordan resumed watching their movie in the dark covered in blankets and stray popcorn pieces. Jordan began to think of ways that will help Brian recover; while she knew that on the surface it looked like he was getting better and she knew that he wanted to fully recover but to be able to get to that he had to face the stuff that hurt the most. In her head she began to make a mental list of some of the things that he would need to do to get to that and she hoped that he would add to the list. Jordan pulled out her iPhone and began a list.

1. Move back into the master bedroom
2. Visit Becca’s grave
3. Start writing music again

Those were the three that she thought were the most important. She looked to her left to see that Brian was quietly asleep on the couch snuggling the blankets with his mouth hanging open. Jordan thought that he looked deep asleep and that he would be passed out for a while so she decided to get ready to leave the house to run some errands and check on her apartment. Changing into a pair of classic blue jeans and a white shirt she went back in to check on Brian making sure that he was asleep and then left the house. Since she’s been living with Brian, which was now three weeks she barely had time for herself and dealing with the things in her life. She was too busy dealing with Brian’s things and she was scared to leave him alone for a longer period of time in case he would go out and get drunk. But now she felt that he was in a place where he could begin to fight the urge to drink and in case he wasn’t, she left him when he was asleep. Because of this, she tried to be fast so that she could return to Brian’s house quickly in case things went wrong.

And oh boy, things went wrong.