An Unexpected Love (Complicated Love Series #2) (13 page)

I’m sitting in the quiet little coffee shop that Brandon and I always used to go to when we first got together. It’s a lovely place that’s family owned. Brandon and I always used to meet here in the mornings before work. We used to sit in the booth by the window and make idle chit chat. We used to speak about anything, and there was nothing that we couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about. We were great friends and in some ways I wish we hadn’t crossed that line into a relationship. Things were so much better when we were friends.

He was like my best friend and the first person that I could really talk to about anything and everything. Lily has always worked with me and been there for me, but there was just something about Brandon that made me want to open up and enjoy his company. It’s going to sound horrible, but he was a way to forget about Karl. I really wish I hadn’t used him. I’m so nervous sitting here waiting for Brandon to walk through the door. I haven’t seen him in a few days, and I’m slightly nervous about what he wants to talk to me about. I hear the doorbell over the door sound, and I look up to see Brandon. He glances across the tables before he finds me and makes his way over. He’s smiling which is a good thing.

“Hi, Tracy.” He gives me a kiss on the cheek before sliding into the booth opposite me. “Thank you for meeting me.” He must be off to work today because he’s dressed in a gray suit with a jacket and a blue tie. He keeps playing with the tie and it’s really annoying me, but I don’t say anything. He seems nervous himself.

“It’s fine, Brandon, just relax, please. This isn’t a business meeting.” I laugh to try and relax him, but he isn’t relaxing at all.

“Sorry… I need to say something to you.” He takes a breather and he looks like he’s going to throw up. “I really like you, Tracy, and you’re one of my closest friends. I love spending time with you and I’m really hoping that we continue to be close friends…” He quickly wipes his forehead, he’s sweating badly. I know what he’s going to say and I’m kind of relieved that he feels the same way.

“I totally get it, Brandon.” I place my hand over his and look him in the eye. “We aren’t right for one another. I love you and care for you…as a friend.” He seems to visibly relax and I finally see him smile. It may not be a sparkling smile, but more like a sad smile, but at least he’s smiling.

“I’m so glad you’re on the same page, Tracy. I was scared I was going to fuck up our friendship. We will still be friends, right?” I have to laugh at his question.

“Of course, we’re friends, Brandon. It’s no one’s fault that this didn’t work between us.”

“No, I guess you’re right. I can’t believe you felt the same, though. I’ve been fretting about telling you for ages.”

“Oh, thanks! For ages, have you?” I try to act as though I’m angry, but I’m not. I’m just glad that we’re finally sorting things out.

“I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.” He laughs and it’s so nice to actually be laughing together again. We spend another half an hour talking about everything. It feels so good to finally have my friend back, without any of the relationship stuff getting in the way. We both know that we never loved one another, and I know Brandon is waiting for the right woman. I just know that that woman is not me. I don’t tell him that I know about the other women because I honestly don’t blame him. I was a crappy girlfriend, and I can’t even remember the last time we had sex! Unfortunately, my mind keeps thinking about Karl and last night at the club. Brandon doesn’t know about me and Karl. Really, there isn’t anything to tell, but even though Brandon’s my friend and we’ve only just broken up, it doesn’t seem right to talk to him about his stepbrother.

We finish our coffee and say goodbye outside the coffee shop. We both seem to have a spring in our step, and I’m taken aback when Brandon gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It actually feels like it should, friends enjoying each other’s company.

I make my way home and have a whole day to myself and no one to share it with. Lily and Brandon are both working and lucky old me gets a day off. I have no idea what to do with myself, and so I head out to walk around the shops when I hear my cell ringing. It’s Karl, I programmed his number into my cell when he texted me last night.

“Hi, Karl.”

“Well, hello there. What are you up to today?” He sounds really chipper, and I can’t help but smile.

“Nothing much, I have the day off, so I’m trying to figure out what to do.”

“Well, look no further, because I have the day off too, and I’ve been dying to go Universal Studios. Would love some company?”

I don’t know whether this is a good idea. He wants to be friends…fine, but I can’t forget everything that’s happened. Lily did make a lot of sense last night.
What would it hurt to go and see how it goes?
Maybe it’s time to get over the past and just enjoy the future with Karl as my friend.

“You know what? Sounds great, count me in.”

“Great. I will pick you up in half an hour. Brandon has loaned me his BMW today, so at least we don’t have to wait for a taxi. See you soon.” He hangs up before I can say anything. I feel slightly uncomfortable about this, but I need to try and be friends. I can’t believe he’s the same person who treats women the way he does. I’m scared, though, scared that he will make me fall for him and he’ll break my heart. I can’t, because I don’t want a relationship. We can be friends, but nothing more. I sigh and try to stop these errant thoughts from entering my head as I walk back to my apartment to get ready for my outing with Karl.

I couldn’t leave it last night without telling Tracy that I was sorry about the argument. After she’d left, I went to a bar nearby and drowned my sorrows. A beautiful blonde with a very curvy body and gorgeous tits tried to flirt with me but after that kiss with Tracy, nothing seemed appealing anymore, and the blonde who was sitting next to me wasn’t doing anything for me. Seeing Tracy has put me off my game. That kiss was mind blowing. I hated Lily for interrupting us, but the moment was over and it was proved so when Tracy walked off with Lily.

I’ve never done anything like it before, but I waited until Brandon was in the shower to pick up his cell to get Tracy’s number. I wasn’t sure if she would reply to me and I was pleasantly surprised when she did. We may not have said much, but that conversation made me feel fantastic. I’m determined to have Tracy in my life as a friend, so when I woke up this morning, I had to find something that I could invite her to do with me. Brandon was working today and I got slightly jealous when Brandon told me he was meeting Tracy for coffee. I have no right to be jealous and I have to remind myself that he’s her boyfriend and I’m her friend.

I don’t want to be her boyfriend or anything like that, so I have no right to be upset that she’s meeting her boyfriend for coffee. She’s coming to Universal Studios with me, and that’s all thanks to Brandon. I asked him about places that I should go to before I leave. I only have one more week left, so I want to do as much as I can. I text Tracy and ask her if she wants to come and I’m ecstatic when she says yes. I wasn’t sure she would, and I was in two minds whether to ask her or not.

Brandon offered me his car so at least I don’t have to wait for taxis. Getting dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a green T-shirt, I wear my white baseball cap and sunglasses that I bought at a little shop at Venice Beach the other day. I put on my white trainers and I’m all set to go. Just as I’m making my way to the car my cell rings. It’s Joshua.

“Hey Josh, what’s up?”

“Nothing mate, everything sweet here. How are you doing in LA? Worked your way through all the women yet?” He bursts out laughing. He always takes the piss about the number of women I’ve shagged.

“Nah mate, haven’t been doing much of that since I’ve been here. I did meet one lady, but that was over rather quickly.”

“Whoa mate, you’re losing your charm. I’m utterly speechless.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen I have to go because I’m off to Universal Studios.”

“Okay, no problem. I just phoned to give you the heads up that Annabelle has an idea about all of us going away on holiday.”

Sometimes, I hate Annabelle’s ideas.

“Okay…”

“Yeah, I know. You know how she is. She thinks it will be great for everyone to get together since we are all busy off doing our own things. She’s planning on asking Tracy and I believe she said something about Tracy’s friend or something. I’m not sure of the details, but there’s going to be a group of us apparently. Just thought I’d warn you because she’s planning on talking with you when you get back.”

“Okay mate, thanks for letting me know. See ya.” I end the call and slide into the BMW. I haven’t spoken to Joshua about seeing Tracy over here. It seems to me that Tracy hasn’t mentioned anything about Brandon or seeing me again to Annabelle because she would definitely mention it to Joshua. I take off for Tracy’s apartment, my excitement is building because I can’t wait to spend the day with her.

Driving quickly, I pull up outside Tracy’s apartment and she’s already waiting for me. Before I have a chance to do the gentlemanly thing, she opens her door and slides in.

“You could’ve waited for me to get out and open your door for you,” I smirk at her and she glances at me.

“No way! That would seem like too much of a date, and this is definitely not a date.” I laugh and drive off toward Universal Studios with a big smile on my face.

On arrival we park in the car park, I’m really excited to be here with Tracy. I get out and race around to her side before she can get out. She rolls her eyes at me but allows me to help her out of the car. I really want to hold her hand, but I stop myself from reaching out and linking hands with her.

This isn’t a date, I remind myself.

This is two people going out and having fun as friends. I’m utterly speechless when I walk down the red carpet toward a big cream stone archway with the word Universal Studios Hollywood. I’m so excited like a little kid, but I try not to show my enthusiasm too much. I paid for a front of line ticket as I hate queuing, and I only have one day to get around all the rides. We both have a badge to wear around our necks so they know we are front of the line ticket holders. I kind of feel like royalty and I’m sure Tracy will love it. In some ways, I am trying to impress her even though she’s told me that it’s strictly friends only. I have to keep telling myself that she’s my brother’s, but at times it’s hard.

“Have you ever been here?” She looks at me and shakes her head.

“Nah, I haven’t really had time to venture out and do all the fun things I would do if I were a tourist.”

“Well then, you’re in luck because this is going to be awesome!” I look over and give her my most charming smile. “I really want to do the studio tour. We should definitely do that first.” She smiles and I see a hint of excitement in her eyes.

“Come on then.” She links arms with me and we proceed toward the studio tour entrance.

We are asked to make our way onto a white tram which has Universal Studios written on the side. It has four carriages linked by chains and there are no windows. I sit on the right-hand side and Tracy sits down beside me. She looks really excited, and it makes me smile knowing she’s as keen as I am. The driver and tour guide get on and take their seats. They’re both dressed in tan colored trousers and blue shirts with white collars. I can just see the Universal Studios logo on their shirts. The tour guide has a headset on and goes around and hands out 3D glasses before sitting in her seat facing us. She introduces herself and welcomes us on the tour, then tells us what to expect.

“I’m so happy, I’ve wanted to come here since I moved here,” Tracy whispers and I do a fist pump in my mind. I’ve finally got something right with Tracy. We relax and watch the television on the tram that’s showing this particular part of the tour’s history. We go through a lot of streets, and I will admit it was awesome to hear that parts of Spiderman were filmed on these streets. I loved Spiderman when I was a kid, I try not to give away how excited I am over that little bit of information. I glance over at Tracy and she’s taking in everything. She looks absolutely beautiful, and it’s hard to take my eyes off of her. I casually put my arm around the back of her seat and I feel her leaning into me. I shouldn’t like it so much, but I do. Tracy suddenly sits up straight and looks slightly scared.

“Erm…Karl, we are going in a dark tunnel. Why are we going into a dark tunnel?” She looks slightly panicked, and laugh at the look on her face.

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know what’s happening.” We go into the tunnel where it’s pitch black. The guides ask us to put our 3D glasses on. I can feel Tracy shaking beside me.

“Are you okay, Tracy?” I can’t see her.

“Uh, yeah, but I’m a bit…scared of the dark, and this is freaking me out.” She has a wobble in her voice as she talks.

“Take hold of my hand.” I hold my hand out to her and I’m not sure if she’ll take it or not. I smile wide when she takes my hand and gives it a little squeeze. The next thing that happens is surprising to say the least. It feels like we are in a jungle until suddenly dinosaurs appear, and being 3D it feels like they are all over the tram. I hear Tracy gasp beside me while she’s squeezing my hand tightly. I chuckle when King Kong appears and starts a huge fight with the dinosaur. It feels like your actually there in the jungle and amongst the fight. It is pretty amazing how this is all done and before I know it we are making our way out the other end of the tunnel. My hand is throbbing and I try not to let on, but Tracy lets my hand go pretty quickly after we exit the tunnel.

“I’m so sorry, Karl. Your hand looks really red.” She's looking so adorable being worried about me.

“It’s all right, gorgeous…no harm was done.” I smile to reassure her. I place my arm around her shoulder and she scoots to me and nestles into my side. We carry on through lot after lot and the sets are wonderful to see.

“Oh my God! I don’t want to do this.” I see Tracy point to a set of doors that we’re about to go into. Tracy was fine with all the outdoor sets, but she’s starting to freak out again. She snuggles closer to me and I wrap my arm around her.

“It’s okay, beautiful. You do realize it’s not real!” She hits me in the stomach and I chuckle at her. It’s so funny to see her scared. We’re taken into an indoor set and it’s a subway station. We’re not in there long before the tram starts trembling and rocking around. Tracy stays by my side, but she looks like she’s enjoying herself. Suddenly out of nowhere a train comes barreling past us and crashing while the train cars come toward us as if they are going to hit us. Tracy screams, and I can’t help but burst out laughing. She’s the only one screaming and the couple behind us look very amused by Tracy’s demeanor. She gets louder when the lights go out. I look over to my right and the place is filling up with water. It is so cool watching it, but before it gets too much, the tram carries on out of the set and into the beautiful sunshine.

“Did you see that? It was so cool.” I look down at Tracy and she has her hands over her eyes. I laugh and she pulls away with a pout on her face.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, precious. You’re just so adorable.”

She sits back and crosses her arms looking angry. “Don’t talk to me right now!” I try not to chuckle and enjoy the rest of the tour.

Tracy was hilarious when we went across the water in the tram and met Jaws himself. She jumped out of her skin and I tried very hard not to laugh at her skittishness. I never found it scary and it was obvious what was going to happen. She never jumped into my lap like I had hoped, but it was still fun to watch her. It didn’t take long for Tracy to snuggle back into my side, and I was glad to have her right where she was. It didn’t last long, though.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! It’s Wisteria Lane…I love Desperate Housewives!” She’s so excited that she’s bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. Her beautiful smile is on display for all to see. It’s adorable seeing her this way.

“There’s Gabby’s house…Oh and look, there’s Susan’s house….she was my favorite.” She points to every house she knows. “Lynette…she was cool. Bree’s house! She was my favorite too. Oh my God, this is amazing!” she continues to tell me all about Desperate Housewives. I’m surprised the tour guide isn’t telling her off for talking. She actually looks amused.

We both enjoy the rest of the tour seeing Norman Bates’ Motel. Tracy didn’t know who he was and she hadn’t heard of the film
Psycho
. She tells me that she doesn’t like scary movies and it doesn’t seem so surprising. We go through the set of the plane crash from
War of the Worlds
, and the last part of the tour was another dark tunnel and Tracy looked so freaked especially when the tour guide said it was based on the movie
The Mummy
. Tracy whispered to me that she had seen that movie, but absolutely hated it, so it didn’t surprise me when she freaked out and cuddled into me through the whole thing. I obviously didn’t mind one bit. After we had departed the tram, we looked at a map to figure out what we wanted to do next.