Arcane Guardian ↣ Avenged Sevenfold

22 ☼ silhouette

March 2008

"So where are we going for our secret first date?" Noelle laughed as her and Brian walked down the streets of downtown LA. They had figured it'd be easier to blend in when there's more important people and sights everywhere around. Avenged weren't the crazy kind of popular where they couldn't leave their houses yet; but paparazzi were still fucking crazy and that doesn't really change. 

"That's part of the whole secret part." He smiled over at her. 

It felt weird to be dating unofficially officially. Nobody really knew but Mandy, which Noelle wasn't crazy about. But the truth was Brian just felt incredibly weird telling the guys hey you know this girl we've been taking care of for the last twenty something years? Yeah she's my girlfriend now. He expected her to fly into his arms like a Disney movie but he was relearning her all over again. 

Things he hadn't known about Noelle in his entire time knowing her. Like what she was like in relationships; and how she wanted hers and his to be slower. She explained that her and Arin were lightning round fast in their relationship and how if her and Brian were to have anything, it would be built. Over time. 

"The weirdest thing happened, the other night." He began. "I thought I saw Thellessany." 

"Thellessany? You're kidding." She suddenly became drop dead serious. 

"I was probably hallucinating or something," He said quickly. "But it scared me." 

"Well no shit seeing her would scare you," She reached out and took his hand. "Brian. You're out of purgatory. Nothing there will ever hurt you again." 

He smiled at her, really wanting to believe it. But the image of Thellessany standing in the corner of his room watching him with an inhuman smile had shaken him pretty deeply. 

☼

"God, I feel it moving in the to-go box!" Noelle giggled as they made their way to the middle of the ramps at the vacant skate park. it was around midnight on a week day so barely anyone was there to interrupt. They had ordered the weirdest sushi they could find, and were already slightly drunk. They plopped down on the concrete next to each other and opened the box, and Brian laughed as he gagged. 

"Man, they make anything into food, huh?" He said, picking up the weirdest specimen he had seen in his life.

Noelle lightly shoved him. "Hey! This is cultural. We are being cultured." 

They were silent again as they dove into the food. Noelle's phone beeped. Then it beeped again. And again. And then she got a call. 

She hid the screen from Brian, embarrassed as she saw the caller ID. "God, why won't he stop fucking calling me?" She said, about to hit end before Brian grabbed the phone.

"Yello?" Brian said through three California rolls in his mouth.

"Who is this?" He heard Arin's whiny voice start in. "Give the phone to Noelle." 

"Nope." He ended the call, taking the phone and putting it in his back pocket. He grabbed his chopsticks and continued his box. 

"Hey! My phone," Noelle went to grab it, and he scooted back slightly. 

"Nope." He shook his head again. "You deserve a night out just for us. If we don't get past the awkward stage now then we'll have to face it later and that's no fun." 

"It's not awkward." She leaned in and put her arms at either side of his neck, kissing him. "And you taste like disgusting sushi." 

They laughed as Brian finished his box. "You're great with chopsticks," Brian pointed out. It was true. Brian was a disaster with them. "Where'd you learn?"