| "Hello, may I speak with Brian please?" A thick, drawling male voice asked when Leighanne picked up her boyfriend's phone. "Oh, sure. Hold on a second." She reached over to Brian, who was lying in his bed next to her, and kissed him lightly. "Someone's one the phone for you, Bear." She whispered, handing the receiver to him. Brian smiled, greatful to get away from what Leighanne no doubt had in mind for the rest of the evening. "Hello?" "Brian! My main man!" Brian recognized the voice of Jermaine Stevenson, the Backstreet Boy's manager. He surpressed an eyeroll. Jermaine tried so hard to be 'one of the guys'. Unfortunatly, the fact that Jermaine was pressing 60 sort of hindered that relationship. "How goes it, dude?" "Fine, thanks. What's up?" Jermaine, as usual, brushed off the question. He had a very annoying habit of calling people, and then refusing to say why he'd called until they were at their very last nerve with him. "Who's the fine young woman who answered the phone. I hope I'm not interupting anything." Brian sighed. "Leighanne. My girlfriend." Leighanne giggled. Brian looked over at her, and forced a grin. What a wonderful time he was having- being involved in a conversation with a man that litterally ground up every last one of his nerves during every one of thier conversations, while he was lying in bed with a woman he had no feelings for, knowing that she was going to want him to sleep with her later, and also knowing that the whole time, he'd be dreaming about Aimee. "What was it you wanted, again?" "You enjoying your break from touring? Still got a few months left. Hope you're taking full advantage of all the benifits of hiding out from everything." "Yeah, sure." Leighanne tapped Brian on the shoulder, and pointed to the bathroom, symbolizing that she was going there. Then she leaned down and kissed him quickle before disappearing. Brian couldn't help but sigh with releif. "You know, I don't have much time. If you'll just tell me why you called. . ." "Sure, man, sure. Hope I'm not interupting anything with you and the woman." Brian groaned. Enough was enough. "Just tell me why you called." "Fine, fine. Don't be impatient." Jermaine paused. Brian found himself envisioning his hands wrapped around Jermaine's neck. "There's something I need you to agree on." Jermaine said. "Fine. Anything." Anything to get him off the phone. "There's a ball this Saturday, I need you and the guys to be there. Black tie, your dates must get all gussied up, look presentable, you know. The works. Tickets are seventy five bucks, but it's for charity. So we bought ten, so you all could bring someone along. So you'll all be there? Seven thirty. The same place they held the charity ball last year." "Sure. We'll all be there." Finally. The conversation was coming to a close. "Whatever you say. I'll see you later." He pushed the off button on his phone before Jermaine could say anything else. He put the phone on the bedside table, and smiled with relief. His rapture was ruined a moment later, though, when Leighanne emerged from the bathroom. "Who was that, Baby Bear?" She asked, walking over to the bed, and lying down in what looked remarkably like a Playboy centerfold pose. "Oh, that? Just Jermaine." "He's not taking you away from me, is he?" She asked, puffing out her lips and batting her eyes. What a great idea! Brian would have to remember to thank her later for giving him such an easy way out of sleeping with a woman that he didn't love. "I'm so sorry, Lee-Lee. He needs me to go see him right now. It's important." He got out of bed, and pulled on his jeans and shirt over the boxers he was wearing. "It'll only take a few hours. But don't wait up. I'll see you when I get home, or tomorrow, if you're already asleep. "But Bear!" Leighanne started to protest, but Brian held up a hand. "There's no way I can get out of this." He said, with feigned remorse. "I'm sorry, honey." He kissed her on the cheek, then scurried out of the room. Leighanne watched him leave, then fell back in the pillows and closed her eyes. What was wrong with her? She was beautiful! She was sexy! She was cute, and fun, and much more desirable than anyone else he'd ever met. Why else would he have dumped his old girlfriend for her? So why didn't he ever seem to want her anymore? She thought of the real reason she'd come here. But now she wasn't so sure anymore. It wasn't a woman's place to propose, anyway. But everything had seemed so right between them. She'd decided that it didn't matter which one of them popped the question, just as long as someone did. She reached down onto the floor, and found the pants that she'd carelessly tossed there earlier, and felt around in the pockets until her hand hit a small box. She lifted it up, and looked up and looked at it. Tears filled her baby blue eyes while she looked at that tiny box, containing so much more than just it ring. The box held her and Brian's future inside. And, if she didn't find out with she was doing wrong, that box may never be opened. |