Amnesia | Brian Quinn

Chapter Ten

A couple of days had passed, and Brian still hadn't built up the courage to message Maya. The gap before it becomes too late was slowly closing. He knew that he had to do something, but whenever his thumb would hover over the send button, he couldn't bring himself to press it.

Sal was coming round for the evening to hang out and plan a punishment for the show for Joe and James for the upcoming series. Brian quickly showered beforehand, slipping into a pair of sweatpants and a plain black tee. He knew that Sal wouldn't mind him not getting too dressed up for the night. Brian was busy brushing over his hair, when he heard his doorbell ring out. He made his way to the front door, pulling it open. Sal smiled at him, as Brian stepped aside to let him in. They greeted one another with a side hug, as Sal made his way through to the kitchen. He helped himself to a glass of water, pouring one for Brian also. They sat at the barstools located against the island, opposite one another, as Sal pulled out his laptop. He loaded up the notes that he had already made for the show, as Brian sat on his phone, scrolling down his feed. Sal, noticing this, decided that a small tease wouldn't be so bad.

"How are things, you know, between you and your girl?" Sal winked, as Brian looked up from his phone, slightly perplexed.

"Huh? O-Oh, right...yeah, I haven't actually texted her yet..." He frowned. Sal raised his eyebrows, before closing his laptop. He looked at Brian sincerely, knowing the reason as to why he hadn't.

"Bri...you can't let the past get in the way of your future. I know that things have happened, but that doesn't mean that she'll do the same. She seems a nice girl, what's stopping you?" Sal asked. Brian shook his head, as he took a deep breath.

"I don't know...I guess that I'm scared that she'll leave me when I'll finally be happy for once. I can't tell you how many times I've typed to her, but my thumb physically won't press the send button. I can't bring myself to go through all of that again." Brian sighed. Sal moved around the island, putting an arm around his best friend's shoulders.

"You'll never know until you find out, Bud. You could be throwing away your chance at happiness as we speak." Was the last sentence spoken on the matter, as the two got stuck into punishment planning.

The evening went by fast, as the two kept their heads down, working out every single detail as to how they'd get revenge on their friends. Sal had typed up all of the ideas, as Brian blurted out different suggestions. They came to the conclusion that they'd make the two of them stand there in public, and play a game of strip high five. It would be payback for the whole miss and a swing that they had to endure. Brian still had marks from where the baseball bat had been whacked against his shins. Sal closed down his laptop, packing it away, as the two made their way into the living room for more comfort, placing everything on the coffee table. Sal took a seat, as Brian stood in the doorway.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, put on whatever you want on the TV." He announced, as he stepped out of the room. Sal pulled out his phone as he waited, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brian's phone lying there on the table. Sal checked that the coast was clear, before sitting up and grabbing hold of the device. He swiped across the screen, being met by a passcode request. Sal pondered for a second, before he thought of a four digit code. He tapped it in, instantly unlocking the phone.

"Oh Brian, when will you learn that your birthday isn't a good idea for a password." Sal chuckled to himself. He clicked on the messages app, starting a new chat, as he scrolled through the contacts, finding Maya's number. He tapped out a message that read;

Brian: Hey Maya! Sorry it took me so long to contact you, I've just been so busy with planning things for the show. I would love to see you again at some point. Let me know when's best for you. X

Sal contemplated adding a kiss at the end, but felt that it'd add some charm to 'Brian's' message to Maya. He quickly tapped send, locking the device, and placing it back down where he had found it. There was a flush from the other room, as Brian soon returned. He walked into the room, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Sal. Instantly, Brian could tell that Sal had been up to something that he shouldn't have.

"What did you do?" Brian asked, his eyebrows furrowing. Sal acted innocent, as he pointed to himself, staring open-mouthed.

"Me? What? Nothing!" Sal exclaimed, as an awkward chuckle escaped his lips. Brian looked at him questioningly, he wanted to believe his friend, but there was something about Sal's persona that made him look suspicious. With that, Brian's phone dinged on the table. Brian looked across at the device, before looking back towards Sal, who was looking round the room, his lips tightly sealed. Brian bent down, picking up his phone, as he unlocked it. Sal watched, as Brian's eyes widened.

"It's...Maya. Sal...did you fucking text her through my phone?" Brian yelled, as Sal sheepishly nodded his head. He winced, as Brian jumped out of his seat, leaping on top of Sal, as he slapped at his arms. Sal cowered away, as he held his arms up in defence. "How could you do that to me?! I wasn't ready, you knew that!"

"Okay! Okay!" Sal called out between each thump of Brian's hand. He pushed him from him, as Brian glared at him. "I sent the text, but I did it because this will be good for you."

"How do you know what's fucking good for me, Sal? You think just because you're married and are happy that you know everything?" Brian spat. Sal sat up, shaking his head.

"No, Brian...I just know what you like in a girl, and she seems a perfect match. I did it to help you, I mean, have you even read her response?" Brian peered down to the device, as his eyes soaked up Maya's text.

Maya: Hey Brian! Sure, I would love to meet up with you. I'm quite busy across the next few days but next week I'm free as a bird. X

"She said...she said that she'd love to see me." Brian chimed, as a small smile pulled at his lips. Sal gave him the 'I told you so' look, as he watched Brian immediately type out a reply. He sat back against the sofa, as his phone remained tightly gripped in his hand.

"See...faith." Sal smugly smiled, as Brian rolled his eyes.