Chapter Three: It's Just A Little Crush


Tia sat staring at the clock, her bag packed not believing that she was actually going to go.
“They’re gonna kill me, they’re gonna kill me,” she kept mumbling. They being her parents.
At 6:45 she her his car pull up.
Everyone in the house was still sleeping as she quietly walked downstairs and out of the house.
She got in the car and shut the door, a little tense.
“You okay?” Brian asked, still looking a bit sleepy.
“Oh yah, fine,” she replied.
“You sure you’re okay to take this trip, your parents are okay with it?” He asked as they pulled out of her driveway and began down the road.
“They don’t really know I’m going,” she muttered.
He slammed on the brake and looked at her.
“Tia what do you mean they don’t know you’re coming?” He asked worriedly.
“I mean they don’t know that I’m coming,” she said slowly.
“You need to go back right now and tell them Ti,” he said.
“No, I won’t. They want me to go with Donny’s family this weekend and I want to go with you, so just go, go on, drive,” she insisted.
He sighed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll say you didn’t know,” she chuckled.
“It’s not that, I just don’t want you to-“
“To what, get in trouble? Hello Brian, I’m not sixteen anymore,” she chuckled even harder.
“Aren’t your parents going to the gathering?”
“Nope, so they’ll never know I didn’t go,” she smiled.
“Donny will tell them, he’s a little brat like that,” Brian laughed.
“He won’t even notice that I’m not there and if he does I’ll just twist his finger until he shuts up.”
Brian laughed as the car picked up speed down the highway.
“Since when did you become so evil Tia Lowell?” He asked.
“Since I met you,” she chuckled.

~ NEW YORK~
Tia followed behind Brian down the corridor to his hotel room.
“Are you sure you don’t mind sharing a room? I can get you your own,” he asked her again.
She hated staying in places she didn’t know, not only because of her condition, but because she was so use to having so many people around her that she felt lost whenever there weren’t others around, especially in a strange place.
“No, no it’s okay, thank you,” she smiled at him.
He smiled back as he opened the door to the luxurious suite.
“Wow it’s beautiful,” she gasped as she stared at the crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling. The room was mostly done up in gold trim with a small kitchen, sitting area, huge bathroom and two bedrooms.
“This is bigger than most apartments,” she replied as she looked around like a child.
“Come on, we’ve got lunch with the guys,” he grabbed her by her hand and tugged her out the door.
“The guys?”
“In my group silly,” he chuckled as he pulled her onto the elevator.

~DOWNSTAIRS~
In a private restaurant that was part of the hotel sat a group of people who greeted Brian sweetly when he entered the room.
Tia looked up, tracing the hair of Kevin Richardson.
“If it isn’t Kevin Richardson,” she replied as he embraced her.
“Tia Lowell, my have you grown darling,” his eyes traced her curves carefully.
“Tia this is Nick,” he said as a tall blond shook her hand and smiled.
“Hi Nick,” she smiled back as another person took her hand.
“This is A.J. and that’s Howie,” Tia shook A.J.’s hand and then Howie’s.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” she blushed a bit; they were all looking at her with admiring eyes.
“So what’s for lunch guys?” Brian pulled out her chair for her as she took a seat.

~THAT AFTERNOON~
Tia reassured Brian that she’d be fine shopping in the city for a bit while he went to a meeting.
She peered through the window of a huge store on Broadway and saw a gorgeous violet dress. She stared at it admiringly and smiled.
It was a wedding store, something Tia didn’t know much about. Inside, past the dress, she saw a man and a woman, discussing the dress that Tia had her eye on.
They must be planning their wedding; they’re such a cute couple.
She smiled. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she’d live long enough to find love, but she was afraid of finding that sort of thing because she didn’t have that much longer to live.
Then she thought of Brian, she hadn’t told him that the doctors gave her almost a year, if that. After all, he was only in town for a while. When she was a little girl her and Brian use to pretend they were getting married. They’d dress up as best as they could in their nice clothes and have the neighborhood children over for a mock-wedding. She told her mom when she was just seven: I love Brian mama, and I’m gonna marry him someday.
Her mother laughed and simply replied, Tia, honey, it’s just a little crush, someday you’re going to marry Donny.
Tia turned around and looked out at the cars.
She wouldn’t marry one at all, but if she did, it sure in the hell wouldn’t be Donny.

~THAT NIGHT~
“Wow you look radiant,” Brian smiled as Tia stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a simple red sleeveless dress that she’d had for years. Her hair was pinned up in a twist and glitter covered her body.
“Thank you,” she blushed.
“Ready for dinner?” He asked as he stuck out his arm for her to loop through.
“Why yes Mr. Littrell,” she smiled as he escorted her downstairs to the limo.
It was a business dinner with some big executives from their record company. All the guys had dates and were dressed nicely.
Tia looked around, she felt a bit out of place.
“Why Brian, this is a lovely date you have here,” a gray-haired man smiled.
“Ronald, this is my friend Tia, Tia, this is the assistant CEO of Jive Records,” Brian replied.
Tia shook his hand and smiled at him.
“Wow, I’m not use to conversing with such big shots,” Tia muttered as her and Brian strolled around the room and were seated at the table.
“It’s okay, just smiled and you’re doing fine,” he winked.

~AFTER DINNER~
Brian and Tia walked up to their room and once inside both collapsed on her bed and stared at the television.
“Wow you know some interesting people,” she said as she took off her heels and tossed them at her suitcase.
Brian undid his jacket and got up to hang it up.
“Yeah, they’re a bit of a bore, but I have to kiss ass because they’re my bosses,” Brian chuckled as he undid his tie and took off his shoes.
Tia got up and went into the mini kitchen to get a bottle of water and then plopped back down on the bed.
“Mind if I lay here too?” He asked.
“Not at all,” she moved over and patted the comforter.
He laid down next to her and they both stared at the ceiling.
“It’s so good seeing you again, thank you for coming,” he muttered.
“You know I’d do anything for you Bri, I’ve known you almost my whole life,” she rolled over and looked at him.
He smiled as he opened his arms and she curled up in him.
“We made a promise when we were eight to be friends forever,” he whispered.
She nodded up and down.
“Now that I have you back in my life, I don’t know if I can let you go Tia.”
She looked up at him, a bit taken back. He sat up and met her gaze.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
Suddenly his lips glided across hers. They were soft and warm as he amorous pattern made her body quiver.
She wanted him, she always had. She’d had a crush on him since she was just a child, but how could this be for the best at this point in their lives?



Chapter 4
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