Chapter 8

Worlds Apart

    The two girls sat on the sofa, surfing through the channels. Brianna looked at her friend, she recognized Hannah's sad face. Slowly she started to question her about the last night.

    "How was your date last night?" Hannah didn't move, she didn't even react. "Hey girl, you hear me?" Brianna was unsure to go on asking, but she had to knew what had happened.

    Hannah wrenched her gaze away from the TV and looked at Bry.

    "What about you? What did you do last night?" Hannah tried to distract.

    "Well, my date...Mark was so affectionate, this was great ..." Brianna thought of yesterday.

    She imagined herself and Mark sitting on a bench outside the house in the garden, looking at the flowers and the four little kitten playing in front of her, in the pale light of the moon.

    Brianna started going into raptures when she thought of yesterday evening. She was so overwhelmed by joy when Mark gave her that first real kiss. And now her thoughts were running wild. The girl didn't know what to do, because she felt both, quiet desperation and fervent dedication.

    "But back to business! Don't change the topic! Do you like him? Does he like you?...Nah, otherwise he wouldn't have asked you out!"

    Suddenly Hannah stood up, furiously, then turned around and ran to her room. Bry ran after her, but the door was already closed. Carefully she knocked. There was silence. Hannah didn't answer. "Hannah! You hear me?" Brianna banged the door again, but there was no reaction.

    Slowly the blond girl opened the door, to see her friend laying on her bed, crying. Brianna sat down beside her. She touched Hannahs shoulder, soflty, not to make her angry again. Hannah sobbed.

    "Why did you run away? Why didn't you answer my question?"

    Hannah turned her head, her face a puffing red, her cheeks drained with tears.

    "Yes! I love him! Is it this you wanted to hear from me?" she managed to mumble. "But...but what about him?" She shook her head, sadly.

    "Hannah! You know that he is in love with you, he fell in love with you right from the first time he'd seen you! Why won't you believe that?" Brianna touched her friend's shoulder gently, but Hannah turned away, crying again.

    "How could I? I don't know anything, I don't know if it's for real..."

    "Mark told me about Shane feelings...He loves you, but he doesn't know what to make of it all...He's not sure about you. Show him that you feel, that you care...Show him that you love him!"

    "And how should I do this? I can't go to him and say: 'Hi Shane, love ya!' Kinda childish..." She smiled weakly. „I can't tell him..." she paused, „I don't wanna be a short-lived passion..."

    Hannah sobbed again: "I just wanna have a love that's real, how can I stop this burning desire...I would give everything to be with him..."

    "Ok, if you don't want to tell him, I'll go!" She stood up, ready to step out of the room. Hannah screamed: "No! Don't do that!"

    "Girl. Please don't make it hard on me...I want you to be happy, I want him to be happy, I can't take seeing you two so dejected and blue!" Brianna went back to Hannah still laying on her bed. "Tell him." Quietly she left the room.

* * * * *

    The group entered the little pub. Hannah and Shane were the last to come in, the two of them looked very shy and detached. Brianna was sure that her friend didn't tell him about her feelings, otherwise they would be holding hands or something like that. But Shane smiled, and seemed to be very happy. Just because of being together with Hannah?

    Mark sat next to Kian, not next to Brianna. He was a little anxious, he didn't dare even to look her in the eye. What Shane had told him was a good advice but what to do when he wasn't strong enough to?

    The owner of this little pub came on stage and asked the audience for someone to sing some nice songs. For a few seconds everything was quiet, then Kian got up on his feet, screaming. He pushed Brianna directly to the stage.

    The man on the stage took her hands, leading her to and helping her up onto the boards. The people were silent and the music began to play. Softly the blond girl started singing. Somewhere she knew this song from, somehow she knew the text.

I know something about love

You've gotta want it bad

If that guy's got into your blood

Go out and get him

If you want him to be the very part of you

That makes you want to breathe

Here's the thing to do

Tell him that you never gonna leave him

Tell him that you always gonna love him

Tell him, tell him, tell him right now

I know something about love

You gotta show it and make him

See that moon up above

Reach out and get it

If you want him to

make you heart sing out

And if you want him to

Only think of you

Tell him that you never gonna leave him

Tell him that you always gonna love him

Tell him, tell him, tell him right now

Ever since the world began it's been that way

For men and women were created

To make them love their destiny

Then why should true love be so complicated

I know something about love

You gotta take it and

Show him what the world is made of

One kiss will prove it

If you want him to be

Always by your side

Take his hands tonight

Swallow your foolish pride

Tell him that you never gonna leave him

Tell him that you always gonna love him

Tell him, tell him, tell him right now

Tell him that you never gonna leave him

Tell him that you always gonna love him

Tell him, tell him, tell him right now

    Slowly the music became silent. Brianna smiled, her face shone bright. Her eyes searched the eyes of Mark. When she found him, she recognized that the boy could hardly hold back the tears.

    Quietly she whispered: "I love you..." but somehow hoped that Mark didn't see it. It suddenly came over her, she couldn't refuse. Brianna wasn't sure what Mark would think about this confession because he might feel that the girl just took the piss out of him.

    Mark watched the blond girl singing, he couldn't help himself, he was on the verge of breaking into tears. Now he realized what Brianna wanted to tell him, now he knew how much he meant to her.

    But still he didn't know what to make of her, not even his mates could help him. As the girl came back to the table, she didn't look Mark in the eye, she took a seat next to Bryan and Samantha, far away from the black-haired boy.

    The owner of the pub came again to their table. Quietly he whispered to Mark, then he left, with a weird smile on his face.

    Mark got up, too. Without a look he went away. Brianna was entangled, what was he going to do?

    Suddenly the light went out. A soft voice appeared from out of the darkness. Then a spotlight showed who the singer was. Brianna broke into tears, silenty.

When the visions around you

Bring tears to you eyes

And all that surround you

Are secrets and lies

I'll be your strength

I'll give you hope

Keeping your faith when it's gone

The one you should call

Was standing here all along

And I will take you in my arms

And hold you right where you belong

'Til the day my life is through

This I promise you

This I promise you

I've loved you forever

In lifetimes before

And I promise you never

Will you hurt anymore

I give you my word

I give you my heart

This is a battle we've won

And with this vow

Forever has now begun

Just close your eyes each loving day

And know this feeling won't go away

'Til the day my life is through

This I promise you

This I promise you

Over and over I fall

When I hear you call

Without you in my life, baby

I just wouldn't be living at all

And I will take you in my arms

And hold you right where you belong

'Til the day my life is through

This I promise you

Just close your eyes each loving day

And know this feeling won't go away

Every word I say is true

This I promise you

Every word I say is true

This I promise you

I promise you

    Mark didn't dare to look Brianna in the eye when coming back to the group. Brianna quickly wiped away her tears, then smiled at the shy boy who sat down next to her.

    "This was wonderful..." How she wished to take him into her arms and to kiss him. But there was no chance to do this, the others were obviously watching the scene.

    Softly she brushed his leg with her knee and took his hand under the table. Marks face had gone a lovely shade of red, he was smiling contently.

* * * * *

    Hannah breathed the cold air. Shane also took a deep breath. The two of them stared into the dark-blue sky. Stars were shining bright, the full moon hang betweeen them, pale but intensely gleaming.

    The two of them had decided to leave for a few minutes, they needed some fresh air. Also Hannah wanted to take heart and confess her feelings for Shane.

    Both remained silent, noone dared to break the reticence. Shane who knew that he had to do the first step, wasn't quiete at ease. Hannah, too. She felt uncomfortable. The brown-haired boy moved closer, he recognized Hannah shivering with cold. He wanted to cover her shoulders with his jacket.

    Suddenly he piped up, moving tight to the girl and flinging his arms aroud her.

    "Look, over there! There is a 'Will-'o-the wisp'."

    Hannah enjoyed feeling Shane's warmth, his breath on her cheek. She leant against him and he softly touched her face.

    The two of them didn't care anymore about the miracle, this was their own little wonder. Slowly she raised her head. Silence was all around, the tension grew as they stood continuing to stare into each other's eyes, and they started kissing passionately. Shane held the girl close and safe.

* * * * *

    The girl woke up by a deviant sound. Quickly she budged and crept out of her bed, brushing through her recalcitrant hair with both hands. The door slammed open, Hannah rushed in.

    "There she is! Mark? She is in her room!" She rushed out, and Mark entered, smiling apologizingly.

    "Just got up!"

    "Yeah...I see, apparently!" The boy glared at Brianna.

    "Ahm..I wanted to say...Nah...Ahm...Oh, that's gonna be harder than I thought..." Mark felt like being torn into pieces but he was too shy to ask her if she'd wanna be his girlfriend.

    "Ahm, the days together with you were so wonderful, everything was wonderful..." The boy managed to look into her brown eyes. "Uhm...I don't know how to go on..." He laughed uneasily but continued slowly: "Ahm...seem to make a complete idiot of me..."

    He noticed her growing fear and panic with consternation, but he thought this would be because of him trying to ask her to be his girlfriend. Yesterday's made him a little more sure, he was now a bit more stouthearted.

    "I've been waiting all my life for the moment I knew it was right to give my heart away. And I don't want to go on like the time before when you have to fly home. I don't want you to go away and not to hear the words I long to say..."

    But what now happened was quiete unthinkable!

    She cried: "Go away, leave me alone! Please Mark, please, go...!" Brianna sobbed, trying hard to keep herself under control.

    Without saying a word Mark left. After a few minutes Brianna opened the roomdoor to say: "Stay!" but Mark was gone. She tilted her head, would it now be too late to let him know what she felt? She looked at the ground, just to see a piece of paper in front of her. The girl picked the letter up, and started reading.

    'Love and everlasting fidelity, that's what you searching for. Don't you know that you break my heart with trying to hide your feelings? I wish that you take me in your arms, so that I can give you all my love. With you my life would have a sense at last, but why do I dedicate myself to these illusions? In my thoughts you whisper quietly: "I love you", maybe you'd never love me the way I want you to, maybe the pain passes by some day. I don't think that you are that kind of girl. What does discourage you? If you don't want to tell me what you feel for me, then let me know this!'

    Brianna broke into tears once again. Mark knew that something was wrong with her, and she was not strong enough to tell him, she was not able to trust him.