Valentine's Day

Chapter 4

 Good girl, my ass.. Brian  thought, Good girls don't get wasted and pick up men in bars. He'd had been trying not stare but he couldn't help but steal glances at Maddie while she wasn't looking. The fact that she seemed to be trying to avoid eye contact with him let him know that she remembered him all too clearly. Matt was steadily giving Larry the details of the deal with Brooks Wackerman but Brian had heard it all before and was only half listening. He knew they were lucky to get the talented drummer to come on board and that Larry would have no problem giving his blessing. So instead of listening to Matt ramble on, he strained to hear the conversation Zacky had started with Maddie.

"How long do you plan on staying in town?" Zacky asked amiably.

Brian turned slightly to see her face when she answered. The last time he had seen her, her reddish brown hair had been down, long and flowing. Today, however, she was wearing it in two braids that reminded him of the girl from the Wizard of Oz. He definitely liked it better down. Her face had been pale from the moment she laid eyes on him, but she rallied nicely. She raised her head, straightened her spine and said "As long as Larry needs me." Then turning to her father, she said "I'm going to finish up paperwork and then head home. See you tomorrow. Johnny, Matt, Zacky, um, Brian, it was really nice to meet  you all."

Brian nodded in response. He knew she had been wondering if he remembered her. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head trying to read his expression. As if he could forget her offer. No he hadn't forgotten. The image of her within the soft light of the bar had stayed with him long after he'd left her sitting alone. That night and many after, he'd dreamed about her long brown hair and glimmering green eyes. He was embarrassed that he'd had a few erotic dreams about her, so intense that he'd almost climaxed in his sleep. That hadn't happened to him since he was a teenager. A guy doesn't forget things like that..well at least not right away.

"It's been a real help having Maddie here" Larry said in response to question that Brian missed from all his internal conversation, "the staff loves her and she does a good job at keeping the interns on track. She also doesn't mind some of the repetitive tasks I asked her to do. Her mom is also thrilled she's here. I just hope she doesn't decide to pick up and go back home but if she does, hopefully that's after a long while"

"Where  is home? Vegas?" Brian asked the group trying not to act too interested.

Larry's eyes narrowed. Shit, Brian thought...no one had mentioned Maddie was in Vegas.  

"No actually, home was Utah for the longest time. She drove home a few weeks ago."

That made sense, Brian thought. That is why they crossed paths in Vegas. 

"What did she do in Utah?" Johnny inquired.

"She was an art teacher in a high school actually," Larry replied. "She may try to apply for her certification in California but until then, she's welcome to stay here. Lord knows I need her to keep me straight."

Brian was surprised at her being a teacher but remembering how warm and personable she'd been in the bar, he could imagine her being a teacher. And probably the source of a lot of teenage crushes.

"She's good at what she does." Liza added.

Since his split from Michelle, Brian had been doing a pretty good job of resisting women for a while now. Beautiful or otherwise. It just seemed like women had been the cause of all his problems for all of his life so he felt like he needed a break. It wasn't easy but he thought he'd gotten over the worst of the side effects. 

"So we have a plan then" Larry said "I'll have Liza or Maddie set up a lunch meeting for Thursday. We can bring Brooks in and hash out the details."

"That sounds great," Matt agreed."I'll give Brooks the call and let him know."

After a series of goodbyes, they left the studio and headed back to their homes. They'd only been home a few days since their last concert dates and Brian was still enjoying being able to sleep in his own bed. Of course he would have loved to lay in his own real bed, but Michelle had gotten most of the furniture in the divorce. So he had to settle for the new bed he bought for the condo he was sleeping in.

His thoughts automatically drifted to Maddie. The night he walked out of the bar, he never thought he'd ever see her again. Not in a million years. But here she was, working for their band manager in an office that Brian visited at least a couple of times a month, more in the next few weeks since they'd be negotiating new contracts and hiring a new drummer. She'd be present every time he walked into Larry's office looking better than he remembered- and what he remembered was pretty damn good. She had not been pleased to see him. Not that he blamed her. He could have let her down easier, a lot easier. But he was pissed off at himself because her offer reminded him of a time in his life when he would not have even hesitated before kissing her. 

But after fucking up his relationship with Michelle,  he knew he needed to make a change. He had to get his shit together before he fell apart.