“Great show, guys! The ratings have been through the roof ever since Brian joined the Friday morning crew,” Roger congratulated. But I knew him better than that.

“What’s the catch?” I asked, giving him my blank, bored stare. I raised an eyebrow when he didn’t say anything for a moment, urging him to begin.

“Well, I need your help. Everyone loves you two together. We need that chemistry for our big Anniversary Bash this weekend. I know I said you could have the weekend off, but the station owner is breathing down my back about getting you two to host the concert and be there to interact with the crowds, sign autographs and basically be the project leaders on the whole thing,” he confessed.

“Roger…” I said in a warning tone.

“Melanie…” he said in a similar tone.

I just glared at him, giving him that look that I was going to be arguing with him on this. “Roger, you know how I feel about those kinds of bashes…especially autographs. I HATE signing autographs because I think it is ridiculous and pointless. I am NOBODY! What the hell is my autograph worth?” I scoffed.

“Mel. You know I need you to do this. Now I am not asking you, I am telling you,” he ordered. I knew he would never fire me, but when he got that tone, I knew it meant he would take away a lot of the benefits I was getting.

I looked at him, and then at Brian, who was looking at his feet. “I guess I don’t really have a choice, then,” I said with sarcasm. “If we’re done here, I would like to get some things done before I have to be at work tomorrow.” With that, I pushed my chair back and walked out of the room without a second glance back.

I honestly don’t know what had gotten into me. Maybe it was stress. Maybe it was the fact that I was in love with someone I could never have, and it killed me to know that. Maybe it was the fact that I was being forced to spend even more time around the man I longed to be with more than anything, but I would never even have the chance to know what it felt like to be kissed by him. I was lonely and heartbroken. It was all weighing down on me, and I could feel myself about to crack from the pressure.

“Mel! Wait up!” I heard Brian call after me as I made my way out of the building.

“What now?” I questioned to myself.

“Mel! Stop!” he continued to call after me.

He reached me just as I was about to get into my car. “Mel, didn’t you hear me calling you?” he questioned.

“Yes, Brian, I did. But I’m really tired and I just want to get home,” I told him, my face showing my exhaustion.

“Mel, what’s wrong?” he asked, worry overcoming his features.

I sighed, slamming my car door in frustration. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. I didn’t want to break down and then have to explain why. I just wanted to go home and sleep the pain away. I just wanted to curl up and cry for all that I had lost over the years.

But it seemed that Brian had other plans. He pulled me gently into his embrace, whispering softly in my ear to just let it out. The feel of his arms around me, the smell of his aftershave surrounding me, the sound of his voice with so much emotion in it brushing against my ear was all too much. Before I knew what was happening, I felt myself give in as my tears began to seep through my closed eyes. In only a matter of seconds, my silent cries turned into full-fledged sobs. I let go of all my restraint, finally giving into the need to just let go.

I felt Brian moving, guiding me slowly somewhere more private, but I honestly was too caught up in my breakdown to really care who saw me. When I was finally able to calm down enough to notice my surroundings, I found out that Brian had led us through the back hallways to get to my office. We were now seated on my couch, and Brian’s blue shirt was drenched with all my tears.

As my tears started to dry up, Brian lifted my face and wiped the few remaining drops that managed to escape through my lashes with his gentle caress. “Do you feel better?” he asked, not daring to raise his voice too loud in fear of scaring me off.

Too caught up in the depth of emotion I saw in his eyes, all I could do was nod. I watched his eyes, filled with so much concern and love, as they stared deep into my own, searching for the reason behind my meltdown.

“How long have you been holding everything inside?” he asked me, refusing to release my face from his caress. His thumbs were still rubbing my cheeks softly, soothing away my worries and putting me into a hypnotic state.

“Too long,” I whispered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he urged.

In all truth, I wanted to open up and tell him everything that was plaguing me. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him and how much I yearned for just one kiss. I wanted him to know what was on my heart, but at the same time, I knew it was wrong. He was married. His heart belonged to another woman, and he didn’t need someone else make a mess out of his life. I didn’t want to cause him any stress or unhappiness, so I just shook my head, declining his offer.

“You’re lying,” he said, reading my eyes.

I studied his face, trying to read his thoughts. “You’re right. But I have no right to burden you with my problems,” I confessed.

He gave me a bittersweet half-smile as his eyes flashed back to a time so many years ago.

*flashback*

“Mel, you have to talk about it. Whatever it is, it’s eating at you. What’s wrong?” Brian begged me, knowing that I was in pain.

“Brian, it’s not right for me to burden you with my problems,” I sighed, despite the fact that I needed his advice more than anything.

“I’m your friend, Mel. It’s in my job description to listen to all your problems,” he answered assertively.

“It’s nothing really. My parents are getting a divorce, and my dad said he doesn’t want me to contact him anymore. Apparently, he’s been cheating on my mom for over 10 years, and he has another family waiting for him in Michigan or Minnesota or somewhere. He said we were a mistake, and he doesn’t want us in his life anymore,” I finally confessed.

I could see the pity in Brian’s face as I told him about my screwed up family life. The more I began to open up and let him in on my problems, the better I began to feel. I felt like I was no longer alone in this. I felt like I now had someone to turn to. And Brian made it that much easier just by listening to me rant.

“I’m glad you told me, Mel,” he whispered after I had finished my tale.

“Me too, Brian. Me too,” I agreed.

*End Flashback*

“I’m your friend, Mel. It’s in my job description to listen to all your problems,” he quoted our past conversation.

I smiled at the fond memory before the present situation hit me again. There was no way I could tell him. He didn’t deserve it. But as I looked into his pleading eyes, begging me to open up, I found myself involuntarily offering the information I had tried so hard to hide.

“I’m suffering from a broken heart,” I told him discreetly. “I’m in love with someone who is already taken. He doesn’t even know how I feel because I don’t want to make his life even more complicated than it already is. He deserved better than that.”

“You need to tell him, Mel. He has a right to know and make his own decisions,” he advised, giving me a look.

“Even if it will just make his life more stressful?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow. “If I know I am just going to screw up his life, I should just keep it to myself and try to get over him. He doesn’t need me ruining his marriage.”

“You should let him be the judge of that,” he lectured.

I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine. We got lost in each other, neither one of us realizing that we had slowly started moving closer and closer to one another. Before I had time to react or realize what was happening, I felt his lips gently cover mine in a soft, hesitant kiss. When I didn’t pull back, he deepened the kiss, applying more pressure and letting out a moan of pleasure.

I felt myself get lost in the kiss as I responded to his gentle probing. It was like he was searching for answers through the kiss, trying to see the extent of my feelings for him. I hesitantly reached out my tongue, lightly tracing his lips and asking permission. When I felt his lips part and our tongues touch, we both let out moans. I felt one of Brian’s hands reach behind my neck to pull me closer while his other hand sought out one of my hands, intertwining our fingers together.

When we finally pulled away, we were both gasping for air, but neither of us cared. He rested his forehead against my own as we got lost in each other’s eyes again. I saw his mouth lift up in his famous Littrell smirk, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’m glad you told me, Mel,” he laughed.

“Me too, Brian. Me too,” I quoted back.