Chapter
26
Mariah
opened her eyes to the bright sunlight shining into her eyes. She looked over
and saw Brian sleeping soundly, but he too looked a little uncomfortable. She
shifted her position in her seat, she heard some bones crack.
'I've
got to go see my chiropractor,' thought Mariah wincing at the pain in her back.
She got out of the car and looked out into the scenery. It was the prettiest
sunrise she had ever seen. Actually, it was the only sunrise she had ever seen.
She laughed at the thought.
She
walked to the edge and sat down on the rock. From here, she felt like she was
on top of the world. She could see so far into the distance. It was rather cold
and Mariah pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged herself. She hadn't gone
home to change, so Brian offered her his shorts and a sweater.
Mariah
thought back to the night before. The pizza arrived and they ended up eating in
front of the TV, watching an old movie that was on. She felt uncomfortable so
Brian lent him some of his clothes. Halfway through the movie, she got restless
and Brian suggested going for a drive. They agreed and they ended up on top of
a cliff, talking the night away. Brian fell asleep first, and after a while,
Mariah drifted off too. She smiled, recalling that she was the last to sleep,
but the first to wake. Suddenly, she felt warm inside his clothes. She felt a
hand on her shoulder and then arms enveloping her and she smiled.
"Good
morning," greeted Brian, nuzzling her neck and giving her a peck on the
cheek.
"Good
morning, sleepyhead," she replied smiling. It felt good to have him hold
her the way he was.
"I
got frightened when I woke up and saw that you weren't beside me."
"I'm
sorry, I just had to come out and stretch a little. Then I decided to watch the
sunrise. It's so beautiful."
"It
sure is." he replied sighing.
"What's
the matter?" she asked at the sound of his sigh.
"Nothing,"
he answered.
"Okay,
well, what was that sigh for?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing
but a sigh of contentment," he answered. "I'm glad I'm sharing this
moment with you, that's all." He smiled at her.
She
felt her heart melt. "So am I," she answered and gave him a soft kiss
on the lips.
They
sat together quietly holding each other, neither saying a word, but just
enjoying the moment. The world looked at peace.
"Come
on, let's go." said Brian a while later bringing himself to his feet.
"Why?
Do we have to?" said Mariah looking up at him, giving a playful pout.
"Because
I have another dumb meeting with the managers today." he said making a
face. "I think I have to go back on tour some time real soon. Nick's mom's
getting better, and we've been rehearsing quite a bit, so I think they're
rescheduling the cancelled places."
"And
when did you plan on telling me this?" said Mariah getting a bit upset.
"You can't be leaving already. Things just got...good."
"I
know," said Brian walking closer to her. He linked his fingers with hers.
"Don't worry. It's not that bad, you could always visit. Don't worry about
it. It shouldn't be too long."
Mariah
nodded, and, hand in hand, they walked to the car. When they got in, Mariah
said, "I guess it won't be that bad," she said with a smile. When she
looked over to Brian, her smile faded. He was holding his chest with pain in
his eyes. His face was scrunched up.
"Brian!"
yelled Mariah. "Are you alright? Talk to me, look at me!"
Brian
looked up at Mariah, his pain eased a bit. "Don't worry," he assured
her, his voice a little strained. "I'm alright, I don't think I should've
had that pizza last night. I'll be alright. I just need some Alka-Seltzer, a
little rest, and I'll be good as new." He gave her a reassuring smile.
Mariah
looked him uncertainly. "Well, why don't you let me drive then, okay? You
can have a rest."
Brian
nodded and gave her a grateful smile. "Yeah, alright, that'd be
good." He saw that she was still a little dissatisfied. "Honey, I'm
fine. Come on, switch places and let's get home."
Mariah
nodded and she got out of the car as Brian slid into the passenger seat. When
she got in the driver's seat, she turned on the engine and then a realization
came to her.
"What
did you call me?" she asked facing him.
"Huh?"
he asked looking at her, wondering what in the world she was talking about.
"Just
now, what did you call me?"
"Uh...M..ariah?"
he said uncertain.
"No,"
she answered. "You didn't, you said something else."
Brian
thought back and wondered what he had called her. He smiled, then said,
"Oh, I called you honey. You don't like that?"
Mariah
smiled. "No, it's not that. It's just the first time you've called me
that. That anyone's called me that."
Brian
grinned. "Well, since you like nicknames so much..." He smirked and
started making up these ridiculous nicknames for her. Mariah laughed out loud.
"Shut
up!" she yelled. "You're suppose to be resting." When he didn't
stop, she turned up the radio real loud.
"Okay,
okay!" surrendered Brian.
Mariah
smiled and turned off the radio. The rest of the trip home was full of peace
and quiet.
***
