CHAPTER 22
Brian returned home not sure how the whole thing had gone. He was here and Skye was over there. It just wasn’t the way he had seen it ending. What would be going through her mind right now and he wasn’t there to reassure her if she had any questions. And she had no idea what his life was really like. She would be drawing all her own conclusions and they could all be the wrong ones. The thought of leaving her here when he returned to his life in the public eye depressed him. The thought of leaving to go to Orlando was bad enough. “Oh man I forgot to ask her to come to Orlando with me.” Brian moaned to himself suddenly remembering his plan to ask her to join him.
“Are you planning a trip?” Brian heard the familiar voice ask him. It was one he hadn’t heard in about 2 weeks.
“Oh hello stranger. You have great timing for your return,” Brian said sarcastically.
“Do I hear a touch of disdain in your voice Brian?” she chuckled.
“Well, you have been missing for two weeks and now, just when I want to be alone you arrive again. What does that tell me?”
“It simply tells you that today is the first time I have seen you alone during waking hours. Now I have revealed myself to both of you, I have to stop being here for you. You have to work everything out on your own without my intervention.” She stopped and Brian wondered if she was waiting on a reply. “But Brian,” she continued after a brief pause, “Is there a problem? Where is Skye this evening? You have been together so much lately.”
“She is at home thinking a few things over,” he admitted.
“Thinking things over?” She asked, pure excitement in her voice. “What is she thinking over? Something exciting.”
“Now don’t go getting excited, it’s nothing like that at all,” he told her and he heard the huff of disappointment. “I told her all about my life and what it entails.” He thought about what he had revealed to her this evening and it really hadn’t been all that much. “Actually I didn’t tell her a whole lot,” he said more to himself. “I have to call her.”
Brian raced to the phone and dialled her number and had the chilling feeling that the grandmother was watching over his shoulder. He brushed his hand over it in an attempt to rid himself of the feeling and the chill vanished.
Skye answered on the 4th ring. “Hello Skye,” Brian said into the phone. His body reacted immediately on hearing her voice and he took a deep breath looking to the ceiling to calm himself.
“Brian. Are you okay? You sound upset.”
“I’m okay. Wishing I was holding you in my arms, but I am okay.”
“Brian. You have to know I want that too. Even though I want to think about this, I don’t want things to change between us. I want to work this out, I’m just not sure I know how.”
“That’s a start Skye. I’d be miserable without you. Actually, that is one of the reasons I called. I forgot to ask you something.”
“I know I would be miserable too Brian. What did you forget?”
“Well, you know I have to go away this weekend?” The thought was a gloomy one if it meant he was leaving her.
“To Orlando, yeah. Another meeting isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s it. I was wondering if you would like to come with me. Your parents are there aren’t they?”
“Do you think that’s wise Brian? I mean it will give me more time to think if I am here.”
“I think it is very wise Skye. I’ll hate leaving you here, and it will give you a bit of a chance to see what my other life is, although it won’t be full on there. You can spend some time with your parents and we can still see each other.” He paused for a moment, trying to think of something more to say to convince her. “Please Skye. I want to share some of my life with you.”
“Let me think about it overnight, okay? I’ll let you know tomorrow?”
He had to agree with that for now. He had to let her decide without his pleading. “Okay Skye. I just thought… I just thought it would be a good idea.”
“You’re probably right. Just let me think.”
“That’s all I can ask Skye. Thank you,” Brian said to her. “Well, goodnight then,” he continued hesitantly. He really didn’t want to hang up just yet. “Sweet dreams.”
She chuckled. “I hope so. See you tomorrow Brian.”
When Skye hung up the phone she walked out to the deck where she had left her coffee. She picked it up and felt it was now only lukewarm. She put it back down and sat on the deckchair pulling a blanket over herself to ward off the evening chill. Even in the middle of summer there always seemed to be a chill in the evening coming off the water.
It seemed she had a lot of thinking to do, but the one thing remained clear in her mind. She didn’t want to lose Brian for any reason. The question now was whether or not she could cope with the lifestyle he led. Would she be able to cope if she was thrust in the middle of it? She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like, and it scared her. And what did he have in mind for them anyway. He had never said what he wanted from their relationship after the summer was over and they both returned to work.
She yawned, watching the ocean as she sat there, a feeling of drowsiness washing over her. The stars in the sky were bright tonight shining brilliantly on the surface of the ocean. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again. She really should take herself to bed.
Something in the water caught her eye, something coming out of the waves and she sat up to look closer. It was a person, their white shirt standing out against the darkening sky. Who would be swimming in the ocean at this time of the night? Surely Brian wasn’t out swimming to let off steam.
The person walked out of the water and started to walk up the beach. As he got closer, Skye began to feel fear run through her veins. Who was this person? He didn’t look like Brian. And if it wasn’t Brian, what did he want with her? Fear froze her to the spot when she should have been returning to the kitchen and locking the door.
“Trevor!” Skye whispered as recognition swept over her. She felt the blood drain from her body as the chill seeped into her. “Trevor,” she repeated. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to talk to you Skye.”
A myriad of emotions were rushing through Skye at the sight of Trevor. Her heart swelled with the love she felt for him, but there was something else. A feeling of letting go settled over her. Peace with her past and all she had lost. It was then that she realised she had moved on. “Come here Trevor,” she asked of him holding her arms out.
He moved towards her and into her arms. He sighed when he got there and tightened his arms around her. It felt as if he never wanted to let her go. Skye felt no fear, only contentment. “I’ve missed you Skye.”
“I’ve missed you too Trevor. It’s been so long. You shouldn’t have left me, but you had to. You have someone waiting for you?” she asked him. “Like I have someone here?”
“Yes Skye, so I have been told. I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for me than you were, but they say she is. She is waiting for me. Just like Brian is for you.” He stepped back to look at her and saw the smile light her face at the mention of Brian’s name. “You love him don’t you?”
“I think so Trevor. But I loved you too.” She seemed distressed to be admitting it to him.
“It was a different kind of love my beautiful girl. Ours was a comfortable love, one that would have continued to grow for all of our lives, but it would never have had fireworks. With Brian, you will have a lifetime of fireworks and complete love.” Trevor was calm and relaxed when he spoke. It didn’t bother him like it had before. He had seen how happy she was now. That was what was important to him. “He is the one for you and you found him.”
“Well, if it ever happens. Do you know what he does for a living?”
“He is famous right? I know that.”
“You knew that? Trevor, his life is so different to anything I could ever imagine. How would I fit in to it?”
“It’s one of life’s challenges. Do you want your safe little haven here alone, or happiness with Brian out there? Skye I came here tonight to tell you that you have to take a hold of your life and move on. You have found someone who loves you. Don’t let him get away.” He looked over his shoulder towards another image. Skye looked past him and saw Brian. He was walking away from her. He walked without looking back with purpose. He was leaving. “You don’t want this to happen do you? You don’t want him to walk out of your life do you? You have to take a chance Skye. Take the chance and live and love.”
Skye looked at Trevor and smiled. “Thank you Trevor. I hope you find everything you are looking for too. I know I have found my happiness.”
He smiled back at her. “Have a good life Skye. Now GO!”
She hugged him tightly, one last time, then turned towards where Brian walked. She began to run in his direction. “Brian… Brian… Brian!” She called getting louder each time. “BRIAN!” she yelled. He stopped walking and turned to look at her, his eyes full of question. She had to tell him she had made up her mind. She would go with him.
***********
“Skye, wake up will you! Brian’s not here and you need to get to bed,” she heard a voice saying to her. Her eyes opened and she looked around, wondering where she was. Had she been dreaming again?
“Jay?” she asked in a drowsy voice. She wasn’t fully awake yet.
“Yes it’s me. Who else would it be?”
“Trevor, Brian.” Skye mumbled. It had seemed so real. She looked in the direction she had seen Trevor and found no one. Trevor had been telling her it was time to move on just as everyone else had been telling her. This time he seemed happy to be letting her go. He was freeing her to move on and she felt the uncertainty she had felt disappear. She smiled.
“Skye, you have to get over Trevor,” Jay said in frustration.
Skye lay her hand on Jays arm. “I have Jay. I’m moving on. I just…” she paused. “I just had another dream.”
“Another dream? Will they ever stop? Skye you need to stay in the land of the living, these dreams can’t be helping you any.”
“Quite the contrary Jay, they help a lot,” she told her mysteriously. “Say, do you know who Brian is?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Who he is? He’s Brian.” Skye giggled at her confusion and jumped off the chair hurrying into the living room to pick up the same CD Brian had shown her. Jay had reached the kitchen by the time she raced back to her and they sat at the kitchen table.
“Take a look at this,” she said handing the CD to Jay.
“Skye, what games are you playing? Why do I want to look at my CD?”
“Just look. Closely.”
Jay turned the CD in her hand and studied the CD. “Yeah, so what about it… Oh My God. That’s Brian!”
Skye laughed at her reaction, remembering her own mere hours before. “Yes it’s Brian. So what do you think hey? I have a famous boyfriend.” She smiled proudly.
She looked at her raising an eyebrow. “And you are okay with this?”
Skye shrugged. “I didn’t know what to think at first. I was confused and all I could think about was how could I possibly cope. But you know what?”
“What?” Jay asked cautiously.
“I don’t think I could let him go. I couldn’t watch him walk out of my life. I don’t know if I can handle his lifestyle, but I know I couldn’t go on without him.” She looked at Jay. “Does that sound totally sappy or what?”
Jay smiled warmly at her. “Not at all. To me it sounds like you are in love.”
“I think I am,” Skye said her eyes drifting off in the direction of where Brian was in his house.
“So,” Jay asked moving over to Skye and putting a comforting arm around her. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you with him?”
“I told him I needed time to think. But I have thought. Tomorrow I will tell him I will go to Orlando with him to see what his life is like.”
“Orlando? You really have been busy. Tell me about all this.” Jay said to her and Skye told her everything that had happened between her and Brian that evening. All their dreams and the ghosts would be something the two of them would always keep between themselves, but the real life stuff she would share. It was back to being like old times again. She had missed it.
Chapter 23
Index
|