Things between her and Brian weren’t going over as well. She started distancing herself from him and he would get upset over it because she would never talk to him. That led to arguing and left them both unhappy. Brian knew that it wasn’t anything about the two of them that it was just about the press and everything but after awhile it was all getting to him to because it was coming between him and Teresa.
Then the day came. The day Teresa left.
“Brian I just think it would be best for both of us if we just took a break from each other. It’s not how it used to be.” Teresa said as she brought her bags down the stairs and to the front door.
“Teresa you can’t just back out on this when it gets hard. We can get through this. I know this is about what the public is saying. Why should it matter? I know none of this is true. Just stay.” He pleaded as he followed behind her. “You can’t leave. I can’t let you.”
She put her hand on the doorknob. “You’re going to have to.” She couldn’t look at him anymore fearing that she would start to cry. She picked up her stuff and lugged it down to the waiting taxi. Brian walked up to the door and leaned on the doorframe watching her walk out of his life. She didn’t even give him a chance to plead his case. She just packed her bags, told him she was leaving and was gone. He was relieved she didn’t say it was over though, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t later. The cab driver put her stuff in the trunk while she got in the car. She never once looked back. He stood there, frozen in place as he watched the car drive out of site, not exactly knowing what to do, or where she was going. When he couldn’t see the car anymore he slowly turned around to go back inside. After closing the door, he made his way out to the backyard to think.
----------
Brian was still lying in his hammock, he had been there ever since she left. After he thought about all that happened, he still couldn’t figure out how she could just leave him like that. He loved her so much and she left like she didn’t even care.
By the time he had snapped out of his thoughts, it was getting dark. He sighed and got up and went back inside. He didn’t even know when she was leaving to go on tour. She never really told him anything. He didn’t ask either because he didn’t want to think about her leaving. This was the time when he cursed at himself for not asking. He slowly made his way into the living room to watch a little tv.
He began to wonder if she was staying with AJ and decided to give him a call. He picked up the phone from the end table of the couch and started dialing the number. After about four rings there was an answer.
“Hello?” Came a female’s voice.
“Hey Whitney this is Brian.”
“Oh hi Brian.” She said happily.
“Can I talk to AJ?”
“Oh sure hold on.”
After about a minute she heard a few muffled voices and finally AJ picked up.
“Hey Rok.” Said AJ.
“Hey, do you by any chance know where Teresa is?” he asked. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his free hand.
“No she wouldn’t tell me where she was going.” He answered. By the sound of his voice he could tell that Teresa had told AJ, and he figured that AJ knew what Teresa was going to do before she did it.
“Look Rok I tried to talk her out of it but she just wasn’t hearing me. She wouldn’t even give much of a reason. I’m sure you know just as much as I do.”
“Thanks man. I guess I should just get going.”
“Is there anything you needed? Maybe you should come over here. You know, so you don’t have to be alone.” AJ suggested.
“No, I’ll just let you and Whitney be alone.”
“Nonsense B. We’ve been alone all day, we could use a new face.”
“Well, all right I’ll be over in a bit. Bye.”
“Good. See ya.”
Brian hung up the phone and waited a few minutes before he stood up. He didn’t exactly want to go out but he didn’t want to be alone either. After a few minutes of searching for his keys and then realizing that they where in his pocket, he made his way over to AJ’s house.
“Hey Brian.” Whitney said as she opened the door. She stepped out to give him a hug while whispering in his ear,
“You didn’t hear it from me, Teresa is staying at my place.”
Brian pulled back and looked at her.
“She is?”
Whitney placed a finger over her mouth.
“Shh, no one knows she’s there but me, and now you. And I know I’m going to pay for this too, but if you want to talk to her, it’s going to have to be tonight because she leaves tomorrow for LA.”
“Whitney, you are the best!” Brian said and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey no putting moves on my girlfriend now.” AJ said while he stepped outside. He knew that Whitney had told him where Teresa was, but he didn’t know where she was because Whitney wouldn’t tell him.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Brian said as he ran back to his car.
Chapter 10
It took Brian twenty minutes to get to Whitney’s apartment. Once he pulled into the parking lot he turned off the ignition and just sat there. He didn’t know what he was going to do. She could be pretty stubborn sometimes and he wasn’t sure if she was going to be angry at him for finding her, or happy that he did.
“Here goes nothing.” He said to himself.
He got out of the car and locked it and walked to the building.
~Actually here goes everything.~ he thought to himself. He opened the door and used the key that Whitney had thrown to him right before he had gotten into his car. He ran up the nearest staircase to the second floor and found apartment 218. He didn’t hesitate and knocked on the door.
“Whit did you forget your key again?” He could hear Teresa say as she made her way to the door. She hardly opened it all the way and she could see Brian standing there and started to close it again but Brian’s foot stopped it from closing all the way. She swung it open all the way, angry to see that he was there.
“What are you doing here?”
“I can’t let you just walk out like this.” Brian said.
“Get in here first.” She said and moved out of the way to let him in. She didn’t want the neighbors to get angry.
“Brian I’m not walking out on you. I just need my space.”
“I know you too well Teresa. You’re looking for a way out. I’m not going to let you do that.”
He searched her eyes for any sign of love that she had for him. Even hidden under all that anger, he found it. She looked away, not wanting him to look in her eyes any longer.
“I just need some time to think Brian. Why won’t you let me do that?”
“Because I know that when you leave here, you won’t come back.”
She opened up the door again and looked at him with no emotion at all.
“Just leave.” She said simply.
Without another word he walked out the door. He said what he had to say and there was nothing else he could do. Although she wasn’t admitting that she wanted to break up with him, he knew that that’s what she was trying to do. He also knew that if he had said anything else, she would just get angrier and that’s not what he wanted at all. So he left this time, not looking back, and she was the one watching him walk away.
Chapter 11
Weeks passed by and there were no phone call from Teresa to anyone. Not even Whitney. Teresa never got mad at Whitney for telling him where she was. He read reviews about her concerts and they were all great and there wasn’t anything negative about them. He’d seen a few appearances on some TV shows but she wasn’t on them very long and they were just to promote her tour. TRL was the first appearance where she actually got to talk and answer questions. Brian made sure that he was there to watch it. He flipped on the TV just as she came out.
“Everyone please welcome Teresa Stephans.” Carson said. The crowd went wild as she walked out to greet Carson and everyone else. Brian watched as they talked about the tour and a new video that was going to come out and then came the questions from the fans.
“What was it like to hear your song on the radio for the first time?” Asked a girl from the audience.
“I was so excited.” She answered with a smile across her face. “I kept asking everyone around me if that was really my song or if I was hearing things.”
“Ok and we have a caller on the line. This is Lindsay from Tennessee.”
“Hi Lindsay!” Teresa greeted.
“Hi! I was wondering if you’re still dating Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys.”
Teresa new that question was coming and still didn’t know what to say. Finally she just let out an answer.
“No I’m not dating him anymore.”
Brian didn’t need to hear anymore. He turned off the TV and threw the remote across the room in anger. He didn’t know exactly what to do. She would be on tour for about two more months, he had to start recording their new album in a week, and there also was no way he could find her. He just couldn’t let her leave like that. Not after all they’ve been through. Brian was startled by a knock at his front door. He got up from off the couch and made his way to the door to see that it was AJ and Nick. He opened it and the guys walked inside.
“Hey man.” Nick said. “How you doin?”
“Oh the same I guess.” Brian answered.
“So uh, did you watch TRL by any chance?” AJ asked.
Brian began walking to the kitchen and the other two guys followed.
“Yeah unfortunately.” He replied. “Has she called any of you?”
“No we haven’t heard a thing from her. I would have thought she had fallen off the face of the earth if I hadn’t seen her on TV today.” Said AJ.
Nick and AJ sat down at the kitchen table as Brian walked around the room telling them everything he had on his mind. He had to get it off his chest and it made him feel a lot better after he got it all out.
“I have no idea what to do.” Was his last statement.
“Well you know..” AJ was cut off by the sound of his cell phone. “Sorry.” He apologized and answered it.
“Hello?…..Hey…..Yeah I saw it…Yes he did too…Well obviously he would…..I know but…..Give him more credit than that……I think you’re making up your own stories in your head…..No……He does….alright…..Bye.”
AJ clicked off the phone and looked at Nick and Brian who knew exactly who that was.
“So are you going to tell us what she said or are we going to have to beat it out of you?” Nick asked.
“She wanted to know if we saw TRL and if Brian was mad. She also was saying that you’d rather have it that way and that you probably don’t want her after what she’s done to you and then she had to go to a photo shoot.” AJ answered.
“Great I’m doomed.” Brian said. He sat down at the table with the other two guys and put his head down on the table.
“Not exactly.” Said AJ. “I don’t think she’s thinking to clearly and she doesn’t sound too happy so I think she’s getting to the point where she knows she went the in wrong direction when it came to you and her.”
“Well how am I supposed to get her back?”
“She called from her cell phone, meaning that I can now talk to her and get information out of her. She’s going to hate me for this in the beginning, but in the long run, both of you are going to love me.”
“What can I do?” Nick asked.
“Well if it all goes the way I hope it goes, I’m going to need you to do a few things for me.”
AJ started to explain his plan to the guys. Once he was finished, Brian told him to go ahead with it because he had nothing to lose anyway. Maybe his dignity, but that was about it.
“I just have to make a phone call. I’ll be back.” AJ said and left the room.
“I really hope this works.” Brian said while resting his face in his hands.
“It will. Don’t worry about, just think for the best. It’s just all the pressure in the media and she probably can’t handle it all and she did what she thought would stop it. Sooner or later, let’s hope soon, she will figure that she made the wrong decision and when she sees you, she’ll know she did.”
“What makes you so sure that’s how it’s gonna be?” Brian asked.
“Nothing, I just really think that’s what’s going on in her pretty little head right now.”
“Thanks man, you really know how to make me feel better.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Ok guys I have everything set with Teresa. Now all we have to do is tie up some loose ends and we’re good to go.” AJ said while walking back into the kitchen.
“Thanks man. I really owe you one.”
“Yeah well when I get in trouble with Whitney I know I’ll have you to help me out.”
“When?” Brian smirked.
“Oh come on you know it’s going to happen. I’m going to say something stupid and then she’s going to get mad. That’s women for ya.”
Chapter 12
*The Next Day*
“This isn’t a good idea.” Teresa thought. “He’s just going to bring up Brian and then he’ll just see right through me.”
She sat on the edge of her bed in the hotel room that she would be staying in for the next few days. She was happy that she was going to be able to stay in one place for more than one night. Touring had been going very well for her. She didn’t come in contact with any of her friends and family except for her mother and AJ. After she called AJ she knew that he wouldn’t leave her alone and she was right. Before she knew it, he had talked her into letting him come and see her. He was going to meet her in her hotel room because they both knew that the whole airport experience wasn’t something that they wanted. AJ had a hard enough time trying to keep it on the down low, he didn’t want Teresa to be sucked into it. Or so he said.
She had started to get the feeling that he wasn’t going out there just to see her. She figured that he had something up his sleeve. She hadn’t known him that long, but she knew him pretty well.
Teresa was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. She took a deep breath and raked her fingers through her hair. Then she made her way to the door and opened it and just about fell over when she saw that it was AJ who was going to see her.
“Just hear me out before you slam the door in my face please.” Brian pleaded.
Teresa just stood there and Brian wasn’t sure if he could continue. Finally she spoke.
“Come in.” she said quietly. He walked inside and she closed the door once he was all the way in. “What are you doing here?”
“I just can’t take this anymore Teresa. Out of nowhere you up and leave and then you go on national television and tell everyone we’re not dating. When were you going to tell me huh?” Brian was face to face with her. Unable to look into her eyes because she was looking at the floor.
“Brian..I…” she began.
“Just let me finish first. Please that’s all I ask.”
She nodded her head and he continued.
“I have some idea as to why you left, but I don’t know why you would leave only because of that. If I did something to you, if I said something wrong, I need to know so that I can fix it. I can’t just let you walk out of my life like this. I love you Teresa. I love you with all my heart.”
Brian stopped talking right there. That was the first time that he had ever told her that he loved her. He loved her since the first time he talked to her, though he never told her. He was too scared to tell her because he wasn’t exactly sure that she felt the same way.
He watched her play with the hem of her shirt, while still looking at the ground.
“I love you Teresa.” He said again. Each time he found it to be easier to say. He was pouring his heart out to her, hoping that she would do the same back.
She finally looked up at him. He could see tearing forming in her eyes and that she was trying to keep them from falling. He knew she was trying to think of something to say.
“Brian.” She paused. “I don’t know….I just….I can’t do this right now.” She gushed. “ I just need more time.”
Brian couldn’t believe what she was saying to him. More time? How much time does she need? Another month? A year even?
“Just tell me you don’t love me. If you tell me you don’t love me, I’ll never bother you again.”
The tears starts streaming down her cheeks. He knew she was in pain, but it was nothing like the pain that he was feeling right now. It was taking her an awful long time for her to give him an answer. She stared at him, trying her best to avoid his eyes. She nervously started to tug on the hem of her shirt again and finally gave him her answer.
“I don’t.” she whispered so softly even she could hardly hear it. Her head immediately dropped and she walked to the other side of the room and outside on her balcony. He watched her as she leaned against the railing, looking out on the streets from the seventh floor. She didn’t say another word. He knew she was waiting for him to leave. Then slowly, he turned around and went out the door and softly closed it behind him.
Chapters 13-15
Chapters 5-8
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