I'm Here To Stay (Brian Dales Fan Fic)

This Is How We Live

Brian picked me up the next day right on time. I stressed to Julia about a million times that it was important that she didn’t go out alone and if she did at least leave a note or call me. I didn’t need to go searching for her all over town again. I just wanted to have fun with Brian tonight without worrying about her. I had taken care of her for so long that I really just needed a few nights to not think about her.

We decided to get dinner at my favorite restaurant. Brian had never been there before, which shocked me. Julia and I had hung out there a lot in high school. She had pretty much been the same back then, too: drunk. 

“So, when do I get to see your band?” I asked at dinner. I was super psyched to be going out with someone in a band and I really wanted to see them live.

“Probably not for awhile. We’re off for a bit, but you should meet them soon. You and Jess could probably be really good friends,” he responded with a smile. Jess was the band’s drummer and I thought it was awesome. I mean, how many bands can say that the have a female drummer?

“That’s sounds awesome! I’d love to meet them,” I exclaimed. He had told me all about his bandmates on our last date and I really wanted to meet them. They all seemed so nice!

“Hey, John and Josh are actually having a small party tonight at their apartment. I turned them down so I could go out with you, but we could stop by when we’re done here so you can meet everyone,” he suggested. John and Josh were the guitarists for The Summer Set and they were roommates. I was truly flattered that he had turned down a party for me with his friends for me.

“That sounds cool, but I don’t to intrude on their party,” I told him reluctantly. I didn’t even know these people, so I didn’t know if they would appreciate me just showing up at their apartment unannounced. 

“No, it’s ok. I’m sure they’ll be ok with it. They wanted to meet you anyway and they’ll be drunk. They probably won’t even realize your there,” he joked putting a fork full of food in his mouth. 

“If you’re sure they won’t mind, it sounds like fun,” I responded. I hadn’t been to a party without Julia in ages and when I went with her, I had to look after her, so it turned out being less than fun.

We finished up our food, he payed the bill, and we were on our way. He drove us to an apartment buildings and we got out. As we got close to their apartment, I could hear the music. I bet the neighbors loved them. He knocked on the door and a girl with long, straight, brown hair opened the door. She appeared to be asian and had a tan complexion. She had brown eyes, a nose ring, and bottle of Jack Daniel’s in her hand.

“Brian, you made it,” she exclaimed a little drunkenly. I noticed the bottle in her hand was almost full, so she must not be too drunk yet. “And you must be Maya. I’m Jess. It’s nice to meet you,” she added when she saw me. She smiled warmly. I already liked her.

“Brian’s here,” she called over her shoulder at the rest of the group as she headed back to the kitchen area. When Brian said small, he wasn’t kidding. There were only six people at this “party,” not that I minded. I liked small.

“Maya, this is Stephen and Jen,” Brian started pointing to a tan guy with shoulder length straight brown hair, brown eyes, and a crooked smile on his face. He had his arms around a girl with straight brown hair and big brown eyes. I was guessing this was Stephen’s girlfriend. “John,” he continued gesturing to a guy who looked a bit like the first. He had wavy brown hair and brown eyes. He had on a beanie and a button down shirt. “Josh,” he added pointing a guy with blonde hair that was shaven on the sides and  longer in the middle. He had brown eyes and was wearing a blue button down shirt. “and you’ve already met Jess. And last but not least, Caroline,” he finished by pointing to a girl with light brown hair and dark eyes. She shot me a smile and I returned it.

“And everyone, this is Maya,” Brian announced grabbing us both a drink from the kitchen counter. I knew I shouldn’t drink too much, at least not tonight. Beside the fact that I should try to make a good impression on Brian friends, if Brian drank a lot, I should probably be sober enough to get him home safe.

“Ah, the infamous Maya. It’s nice to finally meet you,” John told me. He leaned against the counter and took a sip of his drink.

We all drank and talked. I found out that their new album would be coming out soon and that they were doing Warped Tour this summer, which excited me. I had never been to Warped Tour, but so many people I knew said it was awesome. They were all so nice and didn’t seem to be upset about me being there, which was nice. I didn’t have too many friends, so being excepted so easily make me feel good.

After a few hours, Brian was actually sober enough to drive me home. After a nice kiss outside my door, I entered my apartment and notice Julia wasn’t home, but there was a note on the kitchen table, so I could breathe easy. I texted her making sure she was ok. I doubted she would text back, but you never know. 

I watched TV for a bit, too buzzed from the little bit of alcohol I had consumed to go to bed. I also decided that I should make an attempt to wait up for Julia. Soon I felt like I was going to past out and gave up on waiting for my friend. I headed to bed hoping she was ok. I doubted she wasn’t. I mean, she went to the same places all the time and people knew her, so if she was really bad, I’m someone would have been nice enough to take her home. I fell asleep still worrying about her and thinking about how all this worrying couldn’t be healthy.