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Chapter 8


Nick scampered about his bedroom somewhat giddy, as he got ready. A squirt of his favorite cologne, a quick check in the mirror and a splash of breath spray before grabbing his keys off his dresser. He hurried down the stairs where he found Brian leaning calmly against the front door with his arms folded tightly across his chest. “You wouldn’t dream of skipping out on your own party.” He said coolly.

“I was just-“

“I know what you were doing.” Brian said cutting him off. “Sure is a nice night for a drive isn’t it?”

Brian took the keys from Nick’s hands. Nick gave his brother a guilty expression. He knew he was busted. He figured there was no sense trying to deny it so he immediately began defending himself instead. “Brian, she’s amazing!”

Brian smirked at the stupidity of his little brother. He agreed that Sarah was amazing, but he knew Nick had no idea why. “I think I’m in love.” Nick said with a sigh.

For the first time in almost a year Brian was truly disappointed in Nick. It was like all the progress of the last year had been erased and he was staring at that same irresponsible, fickle, ladies man that he used to resent.

Brian was angry with his brother for so many reasons. Nick was being so selfish at the moment. He was about to betray Deanna and destroy everything that he’d spent the last year building with her as if her feelings didn’t matter at all. He also hadn’t stopped to think that if he broke her heart right now their little business venture would most likely fall apart. Deanna had not signed the contract yet and wasn’t likely to if Nick dumped her. The blatant threat she made to Brian by the pool was proof of that. Brian had worked so hard for this. It had consumed his life for months and he was not about to see it all flushed down the toilet because Nick decided to get a new crush.

“Love?” Brian repeated with disdain. He felt it obvious Nick didn’t know what that word meant and to hear him say it so cavalierly about a girl Brian held so dear to his heart was enough to make him feel sick. “That’s funny. You said the same thing about Deanna.”

Nick shrugged as if to say what can I do about it? “This morning!” Brian added making Nick’s face drop.

“I thought you liked being in a serious relationship.” Brian questioned in a very harsh tone.

“I did at first.” Nick insisted, “But lately I don’t know. She’s been driving me crazy with this wedding and talk about the future… and… and that damn dog!”

“You gave her that dog!”

Nick sighed as he struggled with the mixed emotions that were clouding his heart and his better judgment. “How can I stay in a relationship with Deanna when I feel this way about Sarah? I’m crazy about her. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her all day!”

“And what about Deanna? Are you just going to hurt her without even thinking it over first?”

“Better now than later don’t you think? I mean what if we’d spent three years together before I realized it wasn’t meant to be? What if we were engaged?”

Brian’s blood began to boil. “Listen to yourself!” he yelled, “Better now than later? God Nick! How big of a jerk can you be?”

Nick was surprised to see his brother so upset and it stung to hear him say he was a jerk. Brian regained control of his temper and placed his hands firmly on Nick’s shoulders. “I know you think you like Sarah.” He said quietly, “She’s beautiful and new and it’s exciting, but trust me, you’ll regret it tomorrow.”

Nick stared into his brother’s eyes feeling distressed and desperately searching for an answer. “Think about it.” Brian said, “You don’t want to break Deanna’s heart the day before her best friends’ wedding.”

Nick shook his head slowly as he started to realize what his brother was talking about. He was confused but he really didn’t want to hurt Deanna like that. There had to be a better way. “Then what do I do Bri?” he asked.

“Look, Deanna leaves in the morning. Use this time apart to really think it over. If, by the time she comes back you still feel the same way, then break it off. Just don’t do anything impulsive that’s going to hurt people.”

Nick stood there thinking about his brother’s words when Deanna walked in the house, dripping wet with make-up running down her face. A look of concern swept over Nick and Brian nudged him. “Go be a good boyfriend.”

Nick began to walk off but suddenly turned to Brian with a worried look. “What about Sarah? She’s waiting outside.” He whispered.

Brian smiled. “Don’t worry about Sarah. I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks Bri.” Nick said sheepishly and then quickly went to the aid of his very upset girlfriend.

Brian leaned against the door with a heavy sigh as he watched Nick help Deanna up the stairs. The crisis had been averted for the moment. Brian’s thoughts then turned to Sarah. He stepped outside to see her dreamily staring up at the stars as she leaned against the corvette. Brian smirked. There was something eerily familiar about all this. She may be wearing a dress but she was still the same old Sarah.

Brian quietly closed the door behind him and watched her for a moment. Brian had always watched her from a distance from the time he was old enough to take any notice but he wasn’t like his brother. The opposite sex made him nervous. He never knew what to say and always felt out of his element. Having Nick as a younger brother didn’t exactly make it easier either.

Brian desperately wanted the chance to talk to Sarah, he’d been dying for it ever since their bitter goodbye. She didn’t know it, but they were having the exact same problem that night. They were both in love with someone who wasn’t in love with them back. Brian wanted to simply whisk Sarah into his arms and run away to a place where no one would ever find them so they could live out the rest of their happy lives far away from Whitmore Lake. But Brian knew that would not be happening tonight because as long as he’d watched Sarah she’d watched Nick with the same look in her eyes. If only she knew. If only she could see past the charm. If only she could see what was in Brian’s heart then maybe she could look at him the way she looked at Nick. Brian took a deep breath, mustered all of his courage and then picked a flower from the landscaping as he slowly made his way to where Sarah was waiting for Nick. “Nice night for a drive.” He said as he walked up beside her looking at the clear night sky.

At the sight of Brian, Sarah’s beautiful genuine smile became forced. Brian gulped and then held out the flower with a shaking hand. “Nick wanted me to tell you that he is very sorry, but he won’t be able to make it tonight.”

Sarah didn’t try to hide her disappointment. She stared at Brian in confusion and then accepted the flower cautiously. Brian felt bad knowing that he was not the brother she wanted to see. He didn’t have the heart to tell her about Nick’s girlfriend but he still wanted to give her an explanation. “Something came up.” He said when he was unable to come up with an actual excuse for the lack of his brother.

“Is everything all right?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Brian stammered, “Yeah he’s fine.”

Sarah waited for some sort of reason but Brian still couldn’t think of one that wasn’t going to hurt her and that was something he never wanted to do. Instead he held up the keys to the corvette and gave them a shake. “I’ve come to take you for a drive.”

The subject change was successful for the moment. Sarah was not only surprised by the gesture but also confused. “That is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Brian asked.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself and managed a polite smile. From what she could tell Brian was just trying to be nice. Brian nodded slowly. “I understand.” He said.

He turned around to lean against the side of the car. “Some things never change.” He sighed.

Brian looked up at his house resentfully. There was no use in trying. Sarah would never love him. Brian couldn’t help by feel angry and jealous. He didn’t understand why everyone liked his brother so much more. Sarah was a smart girl. How come she couldn’t see through his brother’s façade? What did Nick have that he didn’t? Brian’s mood turned in the blink of an eye. “Well there’s no use in waiting out here all night for someone who isn’t coming.” He spat bitterly, “So let me at least take you home.”

Sarah looked at Brian curiously and was insulted by the tone in his voice. He sounded so condescending and she’d never heard him like that before. “Did Nick send you to blow me off?” she asked becoming defensive, “Cause if that’s the case, you could have just said so.”

“Not that it would be the first time he’s asked me to do that,” Brian grumbled, “But no. Unfortunately, he really did want to come, he just couldn’t.”

Brian was venting his frustrations and didn’t hear how that sounded and was too busy sulking to realize how much he’d just offended Sarah. “Then why didn’t he come?” she asked.

Brian frowned and to himself mumbled, “Hopefully because he came to his senses.”

He didn’t manage to say that quiet enough and unfortunately for the both of them, Sarah understood every word he said. “Excuse me?” she gasped.

Brian was pulled from his inward tantrum by the sheer shock in Sarah’s voice. His face paled as he realized his mistake. “No! Wait! That’s not what I meant!” he said trying to backtrack but it was too late.

“And just what exactly did you mean? I mean I know I’m not exactly sorority material and all.”

Sarah’s sarcasm cut right through Brian’s heart. He came out here hoping to make the situation better, not worse. He began to panic. “Look, you don’t understand ok?” he pleaded.

Sarah folded her arms tightly across her chest and gave him an expectant stare. “Then help me understand because honestly I don’t see what’s so horribly wrong with me that you should be so against your brother and I going out.”

The more Sarah yelled at him, the more flustered Brian became. He was not the confrontational type. Especially not when it involved girls. He stared at her at a total loss for words. There were so many thoughts in his head he just wanted to scream out what he was feeling. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was perfect. He wanted to tell her that Nick didn’t deserve her but the words just couldn’t escape the tip of his tongue. “There’s nothing wrong with you.” He finally managed, “It’s just that one dance with you and my brother’s ready to jump ship.”

“So you’re here to see that he doesn’t? Who made you damage control?”

Brian sighed again out of pure frustration. “I just want what’s best for my brother.”

“And that couldn’t possibly be me. What the hell do you know anyway? You don’t know me.”

Sarah was no longer just angry; she was quickly becoming upset. “I know you better than you think.” Brian said. “Nick is fine dining and expensive suits. You’re more K-mart and a carburetor.”

Sarah froze. She didn’t know how to react to such a comment. All the sudden the warm summer breeze felt icy against her bare skin and her eyes stung as she fought back the pool of tears behind them. Finally when she was sure she could speak without breaking down she looked at her feet and whispered, “Nick doesn’t seem to mind.”

“No?” Brian asked softly, “How many times did he ask you out before you got your hair cut and a fancy little dress?”

Sarah was crushed. The answer to his question hurt far worse than anything he’d said in the last five minutes. The tears she’d been holding back began seeping to the surface and the flower she held in her hand fell to the ground. The moment was pure torture for Brian. He knew he’d upset her but he also knew he was right about his brother and he wanted so badly for her to see that. Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Brian a piercing stare. In a calm cold voice she said, “I’m a big girl Brian. I’m capable of making my own decisions… and so can Nick. If I want to go out with Nick, that’s my life, not yours. If you want to live someone’s life, try living your own.”

As Sarah walked away from him, Brian realized she had a point. He needed to live his life. He was tired of making all his decisions for other people. He was tired of being a slave to it and he was tired of not having what he wanted. Before Sarah had time to get in her car Brian caught up to her and grabbed her hand. He gave it a gentle tug whirling her around to face him. “You’re right.” He said, “And I’m sorry.”

Brian’s heart began to race. His head and his heart were telling him two different things but this time his heart drowned out everything else. He’d wanted to tell Sarah how he felt for so many years but he never knew how. If he couldn’t tell her, then he would show her. Before he had time to think about it he pulled Sarah in for a kiss. Sarah was stunned. When Brian let her go he took a shy step back. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw how pale she looked. She was so confused that she couldn’t move. She didn’t know what to make of the kiss. How could someone be so angry at her and so insulting one minute and then kiss her the next? Sarah could hardly breathe and the tears returned to her eyes.

Brian immediately regret his action and felt like an idiot. All he’d done is frighten her. Even after kissing her Sarah just didn’t get it. She couldn’t see his feelings for her. Maybe she didn’t want to see. Sarah stared wide-eyed at him waiting for him to say something. Brian knew that if he were Nick right now he could say the perfect thing and she would leap into his arms, but he was just Brian and he had no idea what to say. He decided it was just best to call it quits and cut his losses. The best thing to do was say goodbye but he knew Sarah needed an explanation. All he could think of was, “Nick asked me to tell you goodnight. I just wanted to do it properly.”

Sarah thought he was mocking her and slapped him sharply across his face. She immediately drew back her hand showing some remorse for hitting him but said nothing. Her tears began streaming down her face and she was sobbing before she pulled out of the driveway. She was angry at herself for crying in front of him but not nearly as angry as Brian was with himself. He was so lost and overwhelmed by his emotions that he wasn’t really sure what just happened. He wasn’t sure why she hit him and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to make it right. He watched until her car turned the corner and was no longer visible, then slowly made his way back to the house. When he turned around he saw the flower he’d picked lying on the ground. He kicked the flower and then went inside to sulk in his new found depression.