“Come on, Sebastian, let’s go out and do something, man. You can’t sit in this house forever waiting for her to call. You’ve got to live a little. Surely, she doesn’t expect you to be a hermit.” Dek had been trying to get me to hang out with him for the past few weeks, and each time I had turned him down with some lame excuse, but he and I both knew the reason I didn’t want to go out. He had just made that crystal clear.

“I’m not sitting around waiting for her call, and she doesn’t expect me to either. I just haven’t felt like going out. I’ve grown quite fond of my sofa. The pillow on it still smells like her.” Dek rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

“Man, don’t make me do another intervention,” he cautioned.

“That’s not what this is. I just miss her, that’s all. It’s hard to explain, Dek. When she was here, she filled a hole in my heart that I hadn’t even realized was there. I liked having someone around who laughed with me, and she danced with me; we could just hang out together on the floor, and that simple act meant everything. When she was with me, everything seemed to fall into place. And now that she’s gone,”—I turned away, looking out the window at a sailboat in the distance—“I feel that emptiness again, and I don’t like it.”

“Look, I’m really sorry that this is tearing you up inside. I get it. I honestly do. You’re in love with her, and I think that is fantastic, but she isn’t here, and you hanging out in this house just to smell a pillow or reminisce isn’t exactly healthy, buddy. Why don’t you give her a call, and then you and I can go out and grab a bite to eat and maybe play a game of pool or go night surfing or something off the wall like that? Does that sound good? We could even catch a movie if you like. I just think you need to get out of the house. The only time you’ve left has been to go to the studio or your Mom’s on Sunday,” Dek pleaded.

“I know. You’re right, this isn’t healthy. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll give her a call. She may be at work, so I might just have to leave a quick message.” I turned to head to my room for some privacy, and then I turned back when I’d made it halfway down the hall. “Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate your concern.”

“No problem, that’s what I do best, taking care of you.” He winked, then sat down on the sofa to wait while I called Brooke.

The phone rang five times, and I was just getting ready to listen to her outgoing message on her voicemail when I heard her pick up the phone, sounding out of breath.

“Hi, baby,” she smiled, well, I don’t know for sure if she was actually smiling, but the tone of her voice made it sound as if she were.

“Hey, it’s so good to hear your voice. I haven’t talked to you in a few days. How are things?”

“Oh, I know. I’m sorry about that. We’ve been busy at work and I’ve been putting in crazy hours because we are into wedding season, and everyone wants to hold their rehearsal dinner at our restaurant. Plus I’ve been doing some catering on the side to make extra money.”

“You need money? Babe, if you need extra money, I will gladly help you out.” The phone went silent, and it dawned on me that I had probably crossed an invisible line.

“I don’t want your money, Sebastian. I can make a way for myself. Besides, I like being able to do jobs on the side. It gives me extra spending money, and I am saving for something special. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you working too hard when I can help you out if you ever need it. That’s all I meant, honest. I know you are very capable of doing things on your own. I just want you to know that I’m here if you need me.” I heard a soft sigh on the other end.

“Okay, I’ll take that into consideration. Thank you, though, I do appreciate the offer.”

“So, tell me about these catering jobs.” For the next ten minutes, I listened as she shared all about the large events she had cooked for. I couldn’t imagine overseeing all of the tasks she was responsible for. She amazed me with her abilities. Her organizational skills and attention to detail were beyond impressive. I had no doubt that the restaurant in L.A. was going to be calling on her once the owner got back to town, and that thought brought a smile to my face.

“What are you up to this evening? Anything exciting planned?” she asked.

“Dek is here, and he invited me to go out with him. I think we might grab dinner and play some pool.” I wanted to tell her that I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving the house now that she had gone, but I didn’t want to sound weak. A small part of me wondered how on earth she managed to carry on with her day-to-day life without me in it. I wanted her to tell me her secret, so that maybe I could do it too.

“That sounds great, sweetie. It’s good for you to get out of the house. Keeping busy is what helps me get through the day. If I stayed here all day, I would go out of my mind wondering what you were up to,” she encouraged.

“You’re having a hard time too?”

“Oh, yeah. I think about you all the time. It’s very hard.”

“What kinds of things do you think about?”

“Oh, you know. I think about how soft and warm your lips are, how I love it when you bury your nose in my hair and whisper in my ear, and I miss how great you smell when you hold me in your arms. I remember the way your piercing tickles my skin when you kiss me. But I really miss your hugs. I think that’s the hardest thing to go without,” she whispered.

“I miss all of those things too. Hell, Dek just gave me a hard time because I spend most of my time in the living room with my nose pressed into a pillow that still smells like you. We’ll get to do all of those things again soon, I promise.”

“That’s the very thought that gets me through each day, knowing that soon I will be in your arms again. I don’t know exactly when, but I do know it will happen. Go out and have some fun, just not too much fun. I don’t want some other girl stealing your heart,” she giggled.

“No chance in hell, babe. You already stole it, and I don’t want it back. I only want you back in my arms. Call me later?”

“You know I will. Bye.” She hung up the phone, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She had a way of putting me at ease, even from far away.

“So, are you through with your mushy phone call?” Dek asked, waltzing into the room with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You heard all that?” I winced.

“Every last sappy bit, bro. Since when did you get so soft? What am I going to do with you?” He ruffled my hair and gave me a slap on the back. “Come on, tough guy, let’s go get some food. I’m starving.”

“You know, it kind of breaks my heart that you would eavesdrop on me like that,” I responded playfully.

“I thought you didn’t have a heart anymore. It was stolen, remember?” he teased.

“Shuddup.”

* * *

We ended up eating dinner and catching a movie. The thought of hanging out in a bar playing pool didn’t seem like the best idea, given the state of mind I had been in lately. It felt good to be out with a friend, my best friend, and just cut loose. We talked about Brooke for a bit, but mostly, we just talked about the typical guy stuff. While we were in the restaurant, a few fans spotted us and politely asked for an autograph. Of course, there was a lot of flirting on the girls’ part, which Dek always encouraged by flirting back. I tried to remain neutral. The old me, before detox, would have been right there with him, trying to score a little action, but not tonight. We sat through the movie, a new Sylvester Stallone action-packed production, and it felt good to get lost in the plot. It was a great way to spend two hours and not mope about Brooke being gone. When I got back home, I gave her a call.

“Hey, handsome,” she answered. Her voice sounded incredibly sexy at night. “Did you have a good time with Dek?”

“Yeah.” I yawned quietly, “We just had dinner and went to a movie.”

“Isn’t it hard to go out in public like that? I didn’t realize that rock stars could go to movies in public. Don’t you get hounded?” she asked innocently.

“Not really. We wear a baseball cap or a beanie and dress like normal people. Most people around here are used to seeing movie stars out and about, so it’s not uncommon. The tourists are the biggest issue; they aren’t accustomed to it, so they don’t know how to act when they do recognize us. But, for the most part, it’s not too bad. It comes with the territory.”

“I guess. I’m not sure I would like all of that attention. I would feel self-conscious all the time,” she groaned.

“You have nothing to be self-conscious about. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever met.”

“Wow, thanks. That’s quite a compliment, coming from you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re Sebastian Miles, drop-dead gorgeous rock star, perfect in every way,” she huffed, “Duh!”

“I’m far from perfect, Brooke.” I winced.

“Well, you are to me and half the world, so I think the odds are in our corner on that ruling, buddy.”

“Whatever. I don’t agree, but I’m not going to argue. If you think those things about me, then that’s great, but I’m definitely not perfect.”

“You are to me.” After that, I didn’t try to argue with her anymore. If she wanted to feel that way about me, I would just have to learn to accept it, even though I knew it wasn’t true.

* * *

The next morning, I woke to the sound of the doorbell. I got up, thinking it must be Travis or Dek, went to the door, and peeked out the peephole. No one was there. I cracked it open and looked down on the doormat, finding a cup of coffee and a small notecard.

“Just because it’s Wednesday, and because I can Love, B.”

I couldn’t contain my smile; her wit carried right through that paper and into my living room. Typical Brooke. Not to be outdone, I pulled out my phone and placed an overdue call to her best friend, Jade.

“Hey, it’s Sebastian. I need to know what her favorite flowers are.”

“I’ve got to hand it to you. You’re single-handedly helping to keep the stores in this city in business for a lifetime.” After her snide remark, she proceeded to give me the information I needed. Once that was taken care of, I had one more Michigan business to support.

* * *

BROOKE

“Order in! Table twenty, two covers – one lobster capellini, one lobster bisque, two filet mignon, medium rare.”

“Yes, Chef!” my team called out behind me. I really did love my crew. We all worked great together. I could always count on them to put out great food, and for the most part, we all got along really well while working under extreme conditions. While that order was taking shape, another came in through the ordering system. I pulled off the ticket and turned to my team once more.

“Order in! Table thirty-two, four covers – two lobster bisque, one order steamed mussels, one escargot, one duck breast, one sea bass, two paella.”

“Yes, Chef!” I turned and began plating up the filets, checking for temperature accuracy and cleaning the plate before setting it up on the service counter.

“Service, please!”

I had just turned to check on the appetizers when I heard someone behind me clearing their throat. When I whirled around, I caught a glimpse of a huge bouquet of the most beautiful pink and white calla lilies I had ever seen. They were my favorite flower. For a moment, I wondered how on earth he would have known that and then it occurred to me: Jade. I covered my face, attempting unsuccessfully to hide the blush that quickly spread over my face. I heard the click of a shutter and looked up to find Donnie taking a picture of me. I scowled at him.

“Don’t bite my head off. He specifically asked for a picture of you blushing,” he retorted, hands raised in the air as if surrendering.

“So, he’s sucked you into this too?” Good grief, the man knew no limits. Just when I thought I was one step ahead of him, he came up with something else to make my heart swoon and my knees weak.

“They’re really pretty. He must have spent a fortune.” Donnie made a clicking sound with his tongue against his cheek.

“Yeah, impressive. That one’s going to be hard to beat.”

“What, is it a competition?”

“Not really. Before I left I told him I wanted to be romanced. This is his way of doing that from afar. He’s doing great so far; I just like to keep him on his toes, so I send him a little surprise every now and again. It helps keep things interesting.”

“What kind of surprises are we talking about here?”

“My lips are sealed.” I laughed, walking off to place the flowers in the cooler. The heat from the kitchen would wilt them for sure.

“So what’s your next move?” Donnie called out after me.

“Not sure yet, but I’m working on one.”

So I received an embarrassingly large bouquet of flowers at work tonight.

Sebastian: Oh, yeah? Wonder who would have done that to you?

My new boyfriend, he’s always doing the sweetest things.

Sebastian: Is that so?

Yeah, he spoils me rotten.

Sebastian: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Definitely good. I love it! Don’t stop.

Sebastian: Oh, so you think I’m the one sending these presents, that’s pretty presumptuous of you.

Well, it could also be this really cute guy I met last week while grocery shopping.

Sebastian: That’s it. No more shopping for you. I’ll order all of your food and have a woman deliver it. Stay away from the grocery store! Just kidding.

You know, I meet men every single day at work too.

Sebastian: Ugh! You’re going to have to start working from home. So did you like them?

Like what?

Sebastian: The flowers, silly.

Oh, they were from you. Gee, it’s getting harder and harder to keep all of you men straight.

Sebastian: Keep it up, and the next present you get will be me standing at your door with a baseball bat, ready to fight off all of your admirers

I’ve got news for you, baby, that threat only makes me want to tease you more. I would like nothing more than to find you on my doorstep.

Sebastian: Well, one of these days you just might get your wish, pretty lady.

There you go again, making promises… Seriously, though, the flowers were insane. I loved them, and I love you.

Sebastian: I love you more. Sleep well, baby.

You too. Miss you.

Sebastian: Miss you more.