in which Brian, try as he might, can't stop himself from emotionally tying himself to women he meets on tour--he knows it's wrong but can't seem to stop himself
in which Katie, an unintentional groupie, becomes hopelessly entangled in the life of a...
It took Katie a moment to process what her eyes were seeing. She stood frozen, feet cemented to the floor as she locked eyes with Brian. Even though he was on the other side of the room, dozens of people separating them, she still felt a shiver creep down her spine at the intensity. Breaking the stare to sidestep a stout man stumbling towards the refreshments, she began weaving her way through the mass of bodies. Before she knew it, there he was. He looked every bit as irresistible as he did on stage, although this time with a cream-colored button-up––only halfway buttoned, as usual––and a black scarf hanging loosely around his neck. In his hand was a half-empty glass of champagne.
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"Katie." He managed to infuse the single word uttered from his lips with deep, visceral emotion, and it left her short of breath.
"Brian, hi," she responded weakly, a smile trembling at the corners of her lips. They hadn't seen each other in almost two years, but in that moment, it felt as though only days had passed––the emotions of that night returned to her with a vengeance.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again," he murmured. She couldn't read the expression on his face.
Leaning against the wall for support, she bit her lip. "I didn't think so either––but I managed to snag tickets to your show. And now I'm here." She shrugged her shoulders with a smile.
His eyes flickered over her body, setting her cheeks ablaze. "So you are." A timid grin crept across his face as he mirrored her by leaning against the wall. "I was dead certain you didn't want to see me ever again, after the way you left––"
"No, no," Katie interrupted, wanting desperately to dispel the notion that she was disinterested in him. As she attempted to explain herself, he watched her with a careful, calculating gaze, eyes soft and head tilted. "That wasn't it, I was just—intimidated? By you." The words spilled out of her mouth before she could decide whether or not they were the right ones to say. "I didn't mean to offend you, that's the last thing I wanted to do."
His free hand fidgeted with his scarf, as if he wanted to reach out to touch her––and she wished he would. "It's alright. Y'know, I really enjoyed spending time with you, and I mean that." He cracked a smile, flashing his adorably pointy canine teeth. "I just still can't believe you're actually here."
"I guess I just couldn't stay away," Katie half-joked, grinning back at him. Her eyes wandered down his chest and to his right hand, which was currently occupied with his nearly-empty glass. She noticed his thumb tracing the crystal idly, her imagination filling in the gaps between what she was seeing and what she hoped he would do to her.
"And I'm glad for that." His laughter dispersed the remainder of her nerves––this was the same soft-spoken, easygoing man she first met. "So you still live in Waterbury, huh?"
