He took a deep breath. This was the moment he'd been longing for every second for the last 3 years.

He'd spent the last 5 minutes staring at her through the glass pane while trying to regulate his rapid breathing. Now was not the time to have a panic attack! 1...2...3...he counted as he inhaled and exhaled calmly.

He admired the long chocolate coloured curls that travelled down to the small of her back. She had a pretty face. Her lips were full and coated with a clear gloss, he noticed. Her eyes, almost the same colour as her hair, were full of anticipation. She was wearing a red singlet with matching heels and tight black jeans that showed off her killer legs. He watched as she fidgeted nervously and took a sip of the ice water the waiter had placed in front of her.

"This is it..." he thought.

He took a final deep breath as he pushed the door open. It felt like everyone in the room was staring at him. Including her. He felt his face redden as their eyes met across the room. A shy smile crept across her face making it light up. She looked even more beautiful, if that was at all possible.

"Bill...hi!" She grinned as he gave her a hug and kissed her cheek lightly.

Sitting opposite her, he could see her beauty in so much more detail. Like the amber flecks that floated in the chocolate pools that were her eyes, the beauty mark under her right eye that was so tiny but made all the difference... And her piercing! Wow. He loved that piercing. The way the silver ring hugged her plump lip, mmm! She'd gone through a drastic change since the last time they'd seen each other, but he was glad she kept the lip ring. He remembered the day they'd gone to the piercing shop together; she got her lip pierced and Bill pierced his tongue. She'd always liked that about him too.

Last time they'd seen each other her hair was as red as fire and her eyelids were painted black. She wore a Greenday tee, their favourite band, and a short denim skirt...knee length socks and her brand new converse. Bill remembered every detail of the day well. His heart ached at the painful memory.

"So, what made you call?" She asked.
"Well, you know..." He started. "The band is in town to record the new album and...I missed you." He was blushing now and avoiding eye contact.
She paused. "I missed you too."
She reached across the table for his hand and stroked it gently. He managed a smile.
"I'm sor-"
"Don't, Bill...Please." She removed her hand from his.
"I need to explain."
"No, it's fine. It was a long time ago-"
"Please Brooke, just let me explain?" He begged.

She thought about it and rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh. There's no way she was going to win, he was very stubborn! He took her hand and looked apologetic as he started.
"You know how important the band is to me...and Tom, right? Well, we'd finally been given a break! Mutti had been working so hard to find us a manager and she eventually found someone willing to give us a shot. Things happened so fast... We met him one day, sang him a few songs and the next day he had us playing for producers and labels. We didn't know what was going on, we just went with it. We were offered a contract and had to fly out to L.A. the next day..."

Brooke remembered their last day together too, and the heartache that followed.