::Alex::

The last few days I had home seemed to fly by a lot quicker than I was prepared for. I did my best to make sure I spent an equal amount of time with Brook as I did with my parents. In a way it worked out that my parents were both retired because I could spend time during the day with them and then have my nights free when Brook got off from work.

There was one night in that last week where I didn’t see Brook. She had an event up at school and was there until way late.

I'd like to say that I didn't use a Brook-free night to see Lina but I did. She had been trying to make plans with me all week to see me before I left and she apparently had some big news for me that she was dying to tell me.

We went to dinner and it turns out she was being sent back to Europe for a few weeks for follow up meetings for her job and there was a pretty big chance that our paths were going to cross again when we were there.

I tried to be excited for her but all I could really think about was how the wrong girl was going to be there.

The good thing about this outing was we'd taken our own cars to the restaurant and when we said goodbye I shifted before Lina could try and kiss me and just gave her a quick hug, wishing her luck with her job and rushing to my car before she could try anything more.

I hated blowing her off like that but I figured if nothing happened but a goodbye hug, I shouldn't feel bad about it. It was dinner with a friend and while Lina may have not always been just my friend, she always would be my friend. We had too many mutual friends to just write each other off like that. Plus, I shared my dogs with her.

It was a step in the right direction and I figured at this point that was all I could ask for.

Since we were leaving at the ass crack of dawn on Tuesday morning, I decided that Brook and I would say our goodbyes Monday night.

She insisted we see each other last on Sunday so I could see my family before I left but I assured her that my mom would be spending most of Monday morning and afternoon at my house making sure I was properly packed for the long time I would be away.

I spoke to Brook earlier in the day and she insisted that she would drive tonight. She said she felt bad that I normally drove us around and since she knew no matter how hard she would try I wasn't going to let her pay for dinner, so driving was the least that she could do.

It was really cold this night in particular so I made sure I was standing outside waiting for Brook a few minutes after she had texted me that she was on her way.

"What are you doing waiting out in the cold?" Brook scolded me when I got in her car before she could even attempt to get out herself.

"I was waiting for you so you wouldn't have to come out in the cold," I explained, leaning across the car and kissing her quickly.

Her mouth tasted like the vanilla lip gloss she always wore and I realized it was just another thing I was going to miss about her.

"Well, aren't you thoughtful," she smiled as she pulled away from the side of the road. "Remind me how to get to this place again," she said as she drove.

"Oh," I said digging into my pockets and pulling out a piece of paper. "I got directions."

I was a little nervous when we pulled up in front of the restaurant and were immediately greeted by the valet parking people. This automatically meant this was a fancy place and I just hoped I didn't do anything stupid to embarrass myself or Brook.

"How did you find this place?" Brook asked once we were inside.

We were a few minutes early for our reservation so the hostess advised us our table would be ready in a minute.

"My mom recommended it. I don't generally go to restaurants that I can't pronounce the name," I said with a shrug.

She laughed a little and nodded. "Good point."

"Mr. Gaskarth” the hostess called. "Your table is ready."

"Thank you," I smiled and slipped my hand into Brook's as we followed her to the table. "Mr. Gaskarth? When did I become my father?" I muttered and Brook giggled.

The hostess offered to check our coats once we reached our table. I quickly slipped mine off and passed it to the girl.

Brook took a little longer, slipping off her coat and then taking off her scarf and mittens, stuffing them into the pocket of her coat before passing it over to the girl and politely thanking her before she turned back to me.

When I caught a good glimpse of her I was immediately brought back to a seventh grade gym class when I was hit in the stomach by a kickball and had all the wind knocked out of me.

Brook looked breathtakingly beautiful in the dress she wore. The fabric hugged her body just right. She wore a little more makeup than usual. Her hair was loosely curled and fell perfectly around her face and to the middle of her back. I couldn't help but notice the heels she was wearing. They were pretty high and I still towered over her.

"Everything okay?" she asked when I hadn't said anything for too long and just stared at her.

"Of course," I smiled, pulling out her chair. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight," I whispered in her ear, kissing her quickly before she sat down.

I sat down and a moment later our waiter came over and passed us menus and introduced himself.

I ordered a bottle of wine right away, hoping it would impress Brook. I didn't know much about wine but my mom told me the particular wine I ordered was the restaurant's specialty and assured me it was really good.

"This place is really nice, Alex," Brook said after glancing over the menu. "Like really nice," she repeated.

"I know," I said, realizing by nice she meant expensive. "Don't worry about it."

I tried to keep the conversation flow between us light and fun. I knew eventually Brook and I would have to acknowledge the fact that I was leaving in less than twelve hours but, for now, I was okay avoiding the topic like the plague.

"Spiders and clowns," Brook said.

We'd somehow gotten on the topic of how I was incredibly creeped out by cats and she was now telling me what creeped her out.

"But definitely more spiders than clowns."

"Really? So what would happen if a clown pulled a spider out of his pocket?" I teased.

"I'd probably go into shock," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. I understand. I can't even be in a house with cats without being paranoid that I'm going to be attacked. You just never know what a cat is thinking."

"I never really thought about it that way but you're right. I've never met a cat that was nearly as friendly as most dogs I meet," Brook agreed.

"I know! Right?" I said excitedly.

"The only good thing about cats is that they would keep the spiders away," Brook mentioned.

"Because they will attack them!" I exclaimed.

Brook laughed a little, playing with her glass of wine, swishing the liquid around the glass before she took another slip.

"How'd you know to pick this wine? It's really good."

"Well, you know, when you're a wine conesusseur like me, you just know these things," I said with a shrug.

"Or..." she pressed.

"Or my mom told me it was their specialty."

Brook giggled. "Well, either way, it's really good. It reminds me of the wine my grandparents make."

I smiled. I loved when Brook talked about her family. Her eyes always looked so happy.

"Is there anything your family doesn't make on their own?"

Brook laughed a little. "I'm not sure. I'll let you know if I think of something."

"Please do," I said as the waiter came back and placed our meals in front of us.

Brook smiled and thanked him as he re-filled our wine glasses.

"Smells great," she mentioned, placing the white cloth napkin over her lap.

I nodded, lifting my wine glass once the waiter had disappeared. "I know this is cheesy but I would like to make a toast."

"Okay," she smiled, lifting her glass. "A toast to what?"

"Us," I said. "To the good times we've had together already and the even better times we're bound to have in the future," I said, keeping it short and sweet. I could have said so much more but I didn't want to run the risk of being even cheesier.

Brook smiled and clinked her glass with mine.

"I would like to toast to you. May you and the guys have a great tour while overseas."

"Thanks," I smiled, clinking my glass to hers again before we took a sip.

::Brook::

After we had finished our meals, the waiter came to take our plates away. Alex and I both denied dessert, deciding Alex still had a ton of leftover cookies and stuff I'd baked from the holidays back at his house. The waiter then brought the check and even though I knew it was hopeless, I offered to at least pay half. Alex ignored me.

We went to the coat check to retrieved our belongings, I quickly put all my layers back on and made a face at Alex when he made a comment about wanting to take me to Alaska.

When the valet guy pulled up with my car, I didn't argue when he passed the keys back to Alex. I was feeling a little light headed from the wine and figured it was best if Alex drove us home.

"Dinner was great," I said, leaning my head back against the seat. "I had a good time."

Alex smiled at me. "I had a good time, too."

When we pulled up in front of Alex's house, he turned to me and asked if I wanted to come inside.

"Duh," I smiled.

"Good," he said, turning off the car and passing me back my keys, while he took his own keys from his pocket.

"Don't judge me, okay?" I asked and he raised his eyebrow at me. I reached into the backseat and pulled out a larger bag. "I brought a change of clothes with me."

He smiled. "I wouldn’t judge you for that. It's very efficient."

"Thanks," I laughed as we both climbed out of the car and hurried to the house.

Somehow it had gotten colder.

Once inside, the dogs went wild again and this time Alex decided it was because they were hungry. I followed Alex into the kitchen where he discarded his coat, draping it over the back of a chair before pulling a plastic container from the refrigerator.

He scooped some of the contents into the two bowls and mixed in a scoop of kibble. The dogs quickly began to devour the contents of the bowls before Alex could place them down.

"Sometimes these dogs eat better for dinner than me. I add chicken and rice to their kibble at dinner time."

I smiled, leaning over and kissing him. "You're such a good doggie-dad."

His cheeks flushed pink for a moment before he went back to cleaning up the small mess he had just made.

"Why don't you go change in the bathroom and I'll go change in my room and we'll meet in the living room." Alex decided.

"Okay," I said, slipping off all my layers, Alex taking them from me and putting them away. I grabbed my bag and headed to the bathroom.

I kicked off my heels, my feet instantly thanking me and carefully slid out of my dress. I stepped into a pair of plaid pajama pants and pulled an old Bon Jovi t-shirt over my head. I slipped my feet into my slippers and carefully packed my stuff away into my bag before doing my best to wash away the makeup I had on my face. I wasn't used to wearing so much of it and my eyes were starting to burn.

"Damn," I mumbled to myself, stepping out of the bathroom and bumping into Alex.

"What's wrong?" he asked, surveying my appearance.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "I just realized I forgot to bring a sweatshirt."

"Oh, that's an easy fix," he assured me, disappearing down the hall into his bedroom and re-appearing a second later with a grey sweatshirt and passing it to me.

I smiled, slipping the sweatshirt over my head, looking down at the design.

"Do you always buy clothes with your initials?"

He laughed, leading me into the living room. "I designed a few hoodies and t-shirts for my friend's clothing line," he explained. "You're wearing one of them."

I nodded. "That makes sense," I said, sitting down on the couch and taking in his appearance -- a plain white t-shirt and maroon basketball shorts. "Why'd you change? I liked seeing you all dressed up in your button down shirt and jacket."

He scoffed. "Uncomfortable. Why didn't you stay in your dress and crazy heels?"

I laughed. "Point taken."

He smiled, sitting down next to me and kissing me quickly.

"Where's Rian?" I asked, leaning back into the couch and pulling my knees up to my chest.

"LA. He's staying with Cass. He'll meet us in New York tomorrow morning for our connecting flight over there."

I nodded, trying not to completely frown.

"Don't look like that," he said, touching my cheek lightly.

"Sorry," I whispered, looking away from him. "I guess I'm not as prepared for this like I thought I was."

"I know," he said, slipping his arm around me and pulling me close. "It sucks."

I leaned my head against his shoulder. "It totally does."

"Why don't you come with us?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

"A month in Europe? I wish," I sighed. "But there's this annoying thing called work I have to deal with."

"Details. Details," he shrugged. "You're a webcam expert now; do all your guidance meetings via computer."

I laughed slightly. "Yeah. I'm sure that would work," I said, a slight sarcastic tone to my voice.

"It was worth a shot," Alex shrugged.

"What time do you have to leave?" I asked. I already knew the answer but I hoped maybe the time changed and I could milk a few more hours out of him.

"Matt, he's our tour manager, is picking me up at 4am sharp, which means in Matt time is 3:50am."

I winced, glancing at the clock above the TV that read 11:37.

"I should go then. You need to get some sleep," I said, reluctantly moving to stand up.

"No!" Alex almost shouted, grabbing tightly around my waist and pulling me back down to him. "I mean, no," he said softer. "You don't have to go. Not unless you want to. I know you have to get up early for work, too. I just know I won't get much sleep now anyway and I'd rather you be here."

I smiled a little and kissed him softly. "Then I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not," he said softly, before grasping my face and crashing his lips to mine.

Soon after, I was laying back against the arm rest of the couch, pulling Alex on top of me as he comfortably settled his body between my legs.

We kissed like this for a while, Alex knowing exactly when to deepen the kiss and when to introduce his tongue like always.

I hadn't noticed right away, but at some point my hands found their way underneath the back of Alex's t-shirt and I was lightly dragging my nails up and down his back.

I did notice immediately when Alex's hands moved from my face to my hips and he'd been grasping so tightly he caused the hoodie and t-shirt to rise up a bit and his hands were now grasping my bare skin.

At this point it felt like my entire body was on fire and it was probably the first time I seriously considered ripping off all my clothes and letting Alex have his way with me right then and there.

"Brook," Alex said in a breathlessly way, pulling away.

"Yeah," I replied, turning my head to the side and holding back a gasp when Alex's warm lips connected with the side of my neck.

"We should stop, right?" he asked, his warm breath brushing my ear and causing a chill to go down my spine.

"We should…?" I said, even though it sounded like I was asking.

He pulled back, holding himself above me and locking his eyes on mine. "You didn't want to go any further, did you?" he asked, sounding nervous.

"W-Well," I said, biting my lip. "I-I do but just not right now."

"Thank God," Alex sighed. "I don't think we should yet either," he said, surprising me a little.

"Okay," I nodded, smiling a little as he pressed his lips to my forehead and shifted his position so he was lying next to me on the couch, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Any movie you feel like watching?" he asked, reaching for the remote on the coffee table and flipping to the movie channels.

"No," I said, leaning back against him. "You always let me pick. You pick this time."

I felt him nod from behind me, as he continued to flip through the channels, eventually stopping on Billy Madison.

"Good choice," I whispered and I felt him kiss the back of my head.

We laid there in mostly silence as the movie played. I ignored the bittersweet butterflies I felt whenever Alex would randomly kiss the back of my head or my shoulder.

The only time we had really spoke was when I asked him if he was all packed. He had laughed and told me his mom had been over earlier and all his stuff was lined up in his bedroom ready to go.

I wasn't sure what movies had come on after Billy Madison had ended because I had kept drifting off to sleep. I could tell Alex was too because I'd occasionally hear light snoring from behind me.

Eventually I had fallen asleep completely but was jolted awake by a loud, obnoxious beeping sound.

"It's okay," Alex assured me. "It was my alarm," he explained and I looked over at the clock and saw it was three o'clock. My heart sunk deep into my chest.

"I'll be back," Alex whispered, crawling over me and off the couch, kissing me in the process.

I closed my eyes, knowing I wasn't going to fall back to sleep completely. I listened as Alex moved around his house. First he had gone into the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up a bit before he changed into a fresh t-shirt and clean hoodie and a pair of jeans.

Then he dragged all his suitcases to the front door and checked his backpack for all the vital paperwork he was going to need.

After that, he went into the kitchen, opening the back door to let the dogs outside while he fixed them breakfast and brewed a pot of coffee.

The next time I opened my eyes, it was now 3:30 and Alex was sitting on the couch pulling my legs over his lap. I smiled up at him sleepily and leaned up on my elbows.

"You all ready to go?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Just about."

I sat up all the way, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and slipping my feet back into my slippers.

"Who's taking care of the dogs while you're gone?"

"Mostly my mom," he said with a shrug. "That actually reminds me... Would you mind terribly if I left a spare key with you just in case for whatever reason my mom can't make it one day?"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't mind at all," I assured him, standing from the couch when he did.

He disappeared into his bedroom again for a second, coming back with a key. "I doubt you'll need to but I figure it couldn't hurt," he said passing me the key.

"It's not a problem," I said, tucking the key into my small clutch purse that was sitting on the coffee table.

I wondered why, if he shared custody of the dogs with his ex, she wasn't taking care of them while he was gone. I didn't ask though. I knew better than that.

"Did you want some coffee?" he asked, taking a sip from the mug.

"No, thank you," I shook my head. "I'm hoping to get an hour or so more sleep once I get home."

Alex nodded. "Why don't you just go now? You're going to be exhausted today."

"No," I shook my head. "It's fine."

He smiled sadly at me and pulled me in for a hug. "It's going to be okay, Brook. I promise."

"I hope so," I said, pressing my head into his chest and inhaling his scent deeply.

He let me go a few second later once he heard the dogs barking to come back inside.

He let them in and locked up the back door and I bit back a smile as I watched Alex sit on the tiled floor in the middle of his kitchen as the dogs jumped around him.

He was talking quietly to them and I realized he was saying goodbye and I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a private moment so I walked away to gather my stuff together.

"Brook," I heard Alex call my name a little while later.

"In the living room," I called back and he appeared a second later.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, feeling a lump grow in my throat. "I felt like I was eaves dropping there," I said with a small laugh.

He smiled at me, pulling me into another hug, squeezing me a little tighter than he did before.


"I'm going to miss that laugh."

I smiled, looking up at him. "Don't worry, you can still hear my laugh through the phone."

He nodded. "Good point. I should probably worry about missing the more tangible things."

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked.

He smiled, hands grasping my face like usual. "Like this," he said before lightly pressing his lips to mine.

"Yep. You definitely should worry about missing that," I said, leaning up and pressing my lips to his. "I will."

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he heard a knock at the door. Surprisingly the dogs didn't bark. It was as if they knew what was happening.

Alex glanced at the clock on the stove and rolled his eyes. "3:50 on the dot."

I followed him to the front door when he opened it and greeted Matt with a quick hug.

"Hey Brook, this is Matt. Matt, this is Brook," Alex quickly introduced us.

I smiled, shaking Matt's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. Alex has told me a lot about you," Matt said with a warm but sleepy smile.

I nodded. "You're the one who really likes Mickey Mouse, right?"

Alex laughed a little. "That's Matt."

Matt nodded, leaning down a bit and show the stitched in Mickey on the front of his beanie.

"Cute," I smiled.

"Do you need help bringing your stuff out to the cab?" Matt asked Alex.

"No. I can carry three suitcases, a carry on suitcase and my backpack all by myself," Alex said with a roll of his eye and a bit back a laugh.

Matt glance at me, shaking his head. "He's not a morning person."

"I can see," I said as I watched Alex struggle his way out the front door with two suitcases while Matt quickly followed with the third.

While they were outside I took the opportunity to slip on my coat, scarf and mittens. I began to panic when I couldn't find my car keys until Alex came back in and told me he took them and started my car to warm it up for me.

I tried to find any excuse I could to delay the inevitable but I was coming up with nothing.

The time had finally come. Alex was leaving for close to a month.

"I'll -uh- be out in the cab," Matt said, no doubt sensing the awkward tension in the air. "Nice to meet you again, Brook."

I smiled, waving as he headed out the door. "Bye Matt."

"Let me help you with this," Alex said, lifting my bag with my clothes from the couch and putting it on his shoulder as we headed outside and he locked up.

He slipped his arm around my waist as we walked to my car and he quickly opened the passenger side and threw the big bag on the seat and closed the door.

"Let's just get this over with," I finally said, letting out a deep breath.

"Right," Alex nodded. "Let's just do it quickly, like pulling off a Band-Aid."

"Just not too quickly," I said, allowing Alex to pull me into a tight hug.

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered into my ear.

"I'm going to miss you too," I said, looking up in time for him to press his lips to mine. "You think I can keep those here?" I asked, referring to his lips.

He laughed a little and kissed me again. "I would but it might be hard to do my job without them."

I nodded and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

He smiled, kissing me once again. "I probably have another thirty seconds before Matt starts bitching."

"Well, then you better go," I said pulling away from her. "Don't start trouble already."

I shook my head. "It's fine. He understands."

I took a deep breath, hoping to at least hold back the tears that threatened to spill over my eye lids until after he left.

"Promise you text me right before you take off and as soon as you land?"

"Don't worry," he said, pushing some hair that had blown into my face from the wind behind my ear. "I will be in touch with you at all times possible. I promise."

"You better," I squeaked out.

As if he heard Alex a few seconds ago, Matt poked his head out of the cab.

"I don't mean to be an asshole but we have to get going," he called over to us before ducking back into the cab.

"I don't mean to be an asshole," Alex mimicked, "but I'm totally going to be an asshole."

I laughed a little, despite the tears that now started to pool in my eyes. "Go," I said, pressing my lips to his before I pushed him away.

I stepped back to me and grasped my face his hand hands, using his thumbs to brush away the few stray tears that fell to my cheeks. "Please don't do that."

"Ignore it," I insisted. "I'm a girl. I'm sorry. I can't help myself sometimes."

"You're killing me here, Brook," he said, leaning down and kissing me.

"I'm sorry," I said, kissing him one last time. "Goodb-"

He interrupted me with a kiss. "Don't finish that," he said urgently. "Goodbye is too permanent. I don't like to say it."

"So what should I say?" I asked, sniffling a bit.

He smiled, pressing his lips to mine for the last time for real this time. "I'll see you later, Brook," he said and I smiled as he squeezed my hand before he started to walk towards the cab.

"See you later, Alex."
***

Notes

Story Title: Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
Chapter Title: Every Avenue - Think Of You Later
Brook's outfit -1
Brook's outfit -2


Now the fun starts... How do you think they're going to handle the distance?