Comfort

Part Six

Brian couldn't even move. His feet were glued to the floor and he simply watched Roger back away, an embarrassed, upset look upon his face, repeatedly mouthing "I'm sorry". He simply couldn't find it in him. He was practically in shock after Roger's statement.

"I love you."
It couldn't just be "I want you" or "I need you". It had to be love. "I love you." It couldn't be possible. How could it? There was no such thing as love in their relationship. It had all been lust; pure lust and wanting, all throughout the summer. Love had no part in it. Or did it?

Sure, they'd cuddle after sex, or simply lay in bed and chat, watch TV, or even just go right to sleep. Shows were tiring, so neither of them had a whole lot of energy for any sort of fooling around sometimes. They simply enjoyed each other's company. Friends with benefits, right? Or was there something more.. Something that was underneath all of that; something much deeper than Brian knew?

A stewardess soon came, informing Brian that he would have to soon leave the plane, so he let her escort him to the other end, and thanked her as he exited the plane. He trembled slightly as he approached the terminal. How could he face his wife and kids now? He just had an affair with a man while on tour, and that man just said he loved him. He paused outside the entrance to compose himself. If Chrissie asked why he looked so stressed and worried, he would simply say that he didn't have a good flight, and just wanted to get some sleep. Yeah, that'll work.. She won't suspect a thing.

Once the security guard cleared him, Brian made his way through the empty airport, to the baggage claim area where Chrissie would be waiting. You can pull it off. Just get him out of your mind. Brian smiled as soon as he saw them.

Chrissie wore the blue dress that he loved, with her hair fixed up nice, and her face looking fresh and happy. Jimmy was sitting beside her, half asleep under a blanket, with his equally-tired sister in his arms. Besides them, there was no one else in the airport.

Roger most likely got a cab; Dominique wouldn't waste time in picking him up. John had Veronica, and Freddie had Mary and several other friends greeting him. He would most likely have a party when they got back to his house.

Chrissie was flipping through a magazine, taking the occasional glance at her watch, quite oblivious to Brian's presence. He cleared his throat and she immediately looked up, a wide grin forming on her face when she saw Brian. He couldn't help but to smile as well, as his wife stood and ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Easily scooping her up, Brian buried his face in her hair, and both were silent as they simply held each other close.

Soon Jimmy came to them, hugging Brian's leg with one arm, while the other held his baby sister. Once Brian put Chrissie down, he leaned in to give her a kiss, before reaching down to pick up Jimmy and Louisa. He commented on how big they were getting, and asked what Chrissie had been feeding them. The couple laughed as they left the airport.

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Roger sat in the backseat of a cab, with his head in his hands. How could you be so fucking stupid?! Now everything is ruined. And you ruined it. It's your fault.

The drummer tried to keep himself from crying, because he would be home soon, but he just couldn't help it. Tears rolled down his cheeks and fell on his lap, causing small wet spots to form on his pants. The driver noticed him crying in the rear view mirror, but kept silent, not wanting to concern himself.

Roger knew it was likely he wouldn't be seeing Brian any time soon, but it was the fact that he would probably never get to hold him, kiss him, and love him ever again. He had most definitely screwed up, and there was no way he could think of to fix things. Hell, all he wanted was Brian, and Brian was the one thing that was out of reach.