There comes a time in every girl's life where she finds herself gawking at some other human being's body parts in awe and wonder of how the hell could they be so wonderful. That time for me came when I was a freshmen in high school and found myself walking by the boys locker room only to have David Lachowski walk out in nothing but a pair of shorts and tennis shoes after a long day of basketball practice. His body was still streaked with sweat as he caught my eye and all I could do was try not swallow my tongue as I held in all the drool that would otherwise be dripping down my chin at that moment.
Somehow John seemed to shatter this image and make it seem like what it was - a school girl moment. There was no facing the real experience when you were terrible with other human beings like I was so when times like this and back in the gym happened I couldn't really fathom why these things happened to me. There he was seated on my bed in nothing but his pride and all I could do was stare before turning back to a pouting Tony who looked about done with all of this shit as he leaned against the entrance of my doorway, eyes on the man on my bed who was now sipping his coffee and staring at me.
"Where's Melanie and -?" I cut him off before Tony could snap out of his calm moment and probably snap my neck at the mention of the guy who he was apparently interested in. Hearing that I'd checked his little crush into a hotel wouldn't stop the little fight that was no doubt not over.
"They checked themselves into a hotel so that Tony and I could work. Matter-of-fact, you should probably join them!" I rushed over to his side and commenced to try and pull him up without really thinking and when he was standing both Tony and I were graced with a site that wasn't intentional but was there all the same and I could feel Tony tug me back and place a hand across my eyes no doubt eye communicating with John. Oh my God.
"I'll bring you back something to wear from my place. Samantha and I are taking a ride." I knew that if he'd used my full name that I'd managed to agitate the man close to his breaking point and that he was no doubt going to yell his freaking head off.
So as soon as he managed to maneuver me through my living room and get me out to my car, my purse from the coffee table under his arm as he shoved me inside, all I could do was pray that Brian wasn't a complete and total dickbag because I don't think poor Anthony can take much more. I slid into the driver's side and slammed the door before turning on the car light and beginning to desperately rummage through my bag for my keys. During the struggle of it all I saw a glint of light out of my peripheral and looked up see Tony dangling my keys between his fingers with a thoughtful look on his face.
"So you weren't lying." He stated after a while and I could only shake my head to which he sighed what I guess was a resigned sigh. I could tell that he still wasn't quite believing what he was hearing but the fact that he was giving the thought a shot was good enough for me.
"I was really hoping that this was someone who wouldn't lie to me." He said, leaning back in his seat and getting into that position that meant eternal sulking if you were Tony. It was the same position he got in when he heard that he was being taken to the dentist/doctor or that we were going to our grandparent's house. Of course him being the middle child it was a very subtle type of sulk that you wouldn't really know the difference unless you were apart of his close family. Unfortunately for him, I was his older sister and I knew that sulk very well.
"Would you have believed the man if he'd told you that he was the character that he was trying out for? You would have thought he was lying and wouldn't have given him a shot in the first place and don't give me that damn look because you know good and well you wouldn't have." I snapped before snatching my keys, shoving them into the ignition, and revving the engine.
Surprisingly our drive through the city was quiet as Tony stared out of the passenger's side window and I could tell he had a lot on his mind considering he didn't notice me pulling up to the tall building with a lit sign that said Murray Hotel.
"C'mon." I stated before climbing out of the car.
"Where are we going?" He asked, still buckled into his seat.
"In."
That was the end of that conversation as he rushed to get out and follow me and at some point he probably looked up but we were already too close to the hotel for him to see what the sign read or what he was clearly walking into until we were already inside and I had a vice-like grip on my arm.
"Ramos, I paid for two rooms this morning and I'd like to talk to one of the residents if you don't mind." I could feel Tony struggling beside me but he wasn't going to get away that easily as I tightened my grip, if that were possible, and gave the receptionist a huge smile as she read off my name for the two rooms and asked for ID. I'd clearly left my purse in the car and mentally groaned when I was forced to let go of Tony.
"I need to go get my purse out of the car. I'll be right back." I then began to speed walk out of the hotel and went straight to my car that may or may not be parked illegally and hit the unlock button on the key to get inside. I grabbed the black purse that sat in between the seats and rushed back in to see Tony surprisingly still standing at the receptionist desk, eyes on the desk itself as he waited there and I had to approach him slowly to make sure it wasn't because he was waiting to choke me.
He didn't move a muscle when I came to stand right next to him and when I passed the woman my license and debit card he merely watched on in silence.
"I was just telling your brother about how I love his movies!" The receptionist chirped. So that's why he couldn't get away. My brother may not seem it but he's a very polite and humble man and he couldn't walk away from one of his fans, and of course if she knew him then she knew me because last year and the year before that - when the nasty divorce was being filed - I'd found myself standing next to him in my best and most expensive piece of clothing and smiling a nervous smile while they snapped pictures of the 'Ramos Trio' as magazines had deemed us. Nick had also showed up for the moral support, irritated to find himself on the other side of the camera, but he stood there none the less. The two of us stood on either side of our brother practically keeping him together as people shoved cameras in our faces and practically blinded us as we moved down that carpet.
Something made me wonder if we'd be doing the same thing the next time as Tony and I stepped into the elevator and let only the elevator music break the silence as we approached the fifth floor. Apparently Brian was in room 206 and Melanie was in room 214. I practically tugged Tony down the hall but when we finally did make it to the door he stilled himself like an unmovable object. I ignored the dilemma of my brother's stubborness and turned to knock on the door first and when the ass didn't answer, I shoved the key card that the receptionist had granted me into the door and opened it to find him laying across one of the beds with a slice of pizza seated on his stomach and his head lolled over to the side as the TV played in the background of this typical scene.
I stole the pillow from under him and smacked him until he was awake and staring at me wild eyed.
"What?!"
"Tony wants to talk to you."
"Who?" He looked up to see Tony loitering in the doorway, in a different outfit than when he'd first seen him but the man still looked the same so I was sure he could recognize him.
"Anthony Ramos, the movie producer." I answered him and was slightly surprised when the man didn't click back into character. This scenario always happened on TV and liars would always try and continue their lie until it was proven that they were lying or that the gist was up. This liar seemed ready to quit before it even began as he tossed the pizza into the nearby garbage and pushed himself up from the bed.
"About?" See! He didn't click back into the smooth flirter get up as he turned off the soap operas on TV and headed for the bathroom only stopping to stretch.
Anthony stepped into the room and they both just stared at one another for a while.
"Is lying on the first encounter your defintion of acting?" I wasn't expecting him to come at Brian that way, but this wasn't my -possible- argument to jump into as Tony took a step closer to Brian and I was guessing his jelly legs were gone and now he was just upset.
"Brian Gerard Garcia, twenty-three, secret agent, doesn't belong to your world or anyone's for that matter and I'd like to be left alone to wash a way the grease if you don't mind." Then Brian was stalking into the bathroom with a small bundle under his arm that I was guessing were clothes delivered to him by concierge because I knew that he literally had nothing here and for the first time since meeting him I actually felt bad for the man. I guess Tony didn't quite share my sympathy as he turned to me with a look that I hadn't seen since he came out to the family that he was gay his sophomore year and my dad had simply laughed thinking that his son was kidding or when he'd found his wife, Tanya, in bed with with another man deeming that "he just couldn't please her the way she wanted". This was that same look of complete and utter failure to comprehend something that had just been thrown in his face.
I hadn't expected for the man to just spit out the truth and I definitely hadn't expected him to practically put him out when just a couple of hours earlier he was trying to charm the man. I couldn't get angry with him when he'd been thrown into another world where he had nothing, so while Tony barged out of the room heading for who knows where, I waited outside of that bathroom until the man stepped out in his PJ's.
He frowned as soon as he caught a glimpse of me and spitefully came out of the bathroom anyway when I reminded him that I paid for this room.
"You really are quite the charmer aren't you." I commented when we were both seated on his bed and choking down slices of pizza.
"I just stepped into this world and if I ever manage to go back I don't want any memories of it. I'd rather it be of sitting in this hotel room alone eating unhealthily before I'm forced to fit myself back into that lame ass character that you wrote me to be. I mean soap operas, really?! What man enjoys soap operas?" He leaned back into the headboard when I drew a blank and let out a sigh.
"Y'know I'd sorta expected you to at least be just a tad bit like the character I drew up. He didn't break his love interest's heart at least." I said and watched as the man deadpanned and hit me with his best 'shut the fuck up' glare before returning to his pizza that was now only the crust.
"All I did was tell the man the truth. That's what he wanted to hear, right?" Brian growled and I simply shrugged.
"I think he was looking for more of an apology, but who am I to talk? I clearly went along with the lie." I sighed and almost reached for another slice of that pizza before changing my mind. I'd rather eat Chinese and savor the calories than force another slice of pizza down my throat so I stood up from the bed and turned to him quickly.
"Meet me at the cafe in the morning."
The drive back home was a lonely one considering that Tony had hailed a cab and was most likely at home right now while I found myself maneuvering through the light traffic. Even though it was 12:09 P.M. New York City was still lit up and the traffic was still slightly unbelievable.
When I pulled into my driveway about an hour later and stalked in I found John in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt seated on the couch and flipping through channels and surprisingly I found myself plopping down beside him on the 'what the fuck is my life coming to?!' couch.
"Well my life is officially ruined." I said out loud and got a pat on the shoulder in response.
"Me too...but I guess we're better off than some. Anthony looked like he'd just been punched in the face when he brought me these clothes."
Crap.
Great.
I admit that I wrote Brian to be a very fiesty character with a bit of humor because it made a light mood of somethings. I'd also written that he'd lost his parents at a young age, his sister died in a car wreck, and his possible other lover from a different time had left him at the alter amongst his adoptive family and his few friends. So basically I'd written him to be a type of person who was working through depression through with a sense of happiness and trying their hardest to hold onto something. Well there was nothing to cling on to when you'd just been ripped away from the few things that you had besides your almost possible lover and your boss.
His boss was seated beside me and my head was on his shoulder in a 'I'm-forcing-myself-not-to-hit-my-head-on-this-repeatedly' type of way so there was no surprise when the call came from Melanie.