Focus

Chapter 1 -Back In the City

"Think he's going to trip?" Chase looked at Tyler Gage, shivering. The rain had only started about ten minutes ago but it was heavy enough that Tyler and his cousin, Chase Collins were pretty soaked. They were standing on Chase's older brother's steps to his house. It was four in the morning and the two of them were sure the last thing Blake would expect would be them standing on the porch to his house. They were both supposed to be touring with the dance company in Orlando, something Chase had left to go join Tyler with after the school year had ended.

"Hell yeah, he'll trip." Tyler nodded, wiping the rain off of his face. Then he gave a grin. "The lights are on in there so maybe he's up." He said, his hands in his oversized jeans as he looked down.

"He probably just left the lights on, ya think?" Chase rubbed his hands together trying to warm himself up. Tyler reached over and rang the doorbell.

"Here goes nothin." He shrugged, standing on one foot and then the other. The rain seemed like it was getting colder. There was some shuffling and then they heard the lock turn. The door opened and there stood Blake's newlywed wife, Brink. "Don't you think you should check to see who's out there before you go openin the door at 4 in the morning?" Tyler gave her a grin.

"Well, I would except I could hear you, smart ass." The girl said, ushering them in. She was in her mid twenties and almost as tall as Blake himself. She had long mahogany hair with deep brown colored eyes and she and Blake couldn't have been more different than day and night. But that is what made their relationship so much more exciting. She was a former student of his and the two hadn't waited long until after she had graduated to get married. She had been accepted by Tyler and Chase very well, something that wasn't always an easy task.

"Ha, she called you a smart ass. She knows you so well." Chase joked, hitting Tyler.

"Yeah, yeah. " Tyler looked down and laughed.

"So, what gives? Aren't you supposed to be in Florida?" She asked, her arms folded as she leaned on the kitchen table.

"Yeah." They both answered, both looking different directions.

"So, did my house get swept up by a tornado and dropped in the middle of Orlando?" She asked, a slight grin to her face.

"No." Chase replied while the smart ass replied, "Maybe. Possibly." He gave her a grin and tried to work his charm on her.



"Uh-huh. Spit it out, why you here and not there?" She asked, knowing they were likely cold and hungry but wanting to hear the story.

"Well, uh, " Chase stuttered, not really wanting to confess what had happened.

"We got drunk and then we got kicked out." Tyler laid it out, him not being one to BS anyone around.

"Wow, underage drinking and they kicked you out. Who would think it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't really pretend to be too mad, she knew the boys were generally good boys and were not the trouble making kind of sort.

"Yeah, well…." Tyler shivered, not really knowing what to say to that.

"Not much we can say for ourselves other than we're kinda glad to be back here." Chase interjected, ready to be out of his wet clothes.

"I'll go see if Blake has some clothes for you to change into."Brink started to head upstairs.

"Nah, we got our bags. I think they are still dry. We're straight." Tyler said, not really wanting to have to wake up Blake. Chase swore to him that since the night of the fundraiser and then marrying Brink had opened his eyes and made him a different person, but right now, Tyler didn't want to chance it if he wasn't.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat. You guys know this house, go change." Brink shrugged, her own mind preoccupied with something.
"Look, Brink, we had nowhere else to go. Do you think we can stay here for a bit? I mean, we'll get jobs and earn our keep til we get on our feet." Chase said, his hair dripping water off of it.

"I don't see why it'd be a problem. Blake won't take with you livin on the streets but you gotta get his okay." Brink smiled, shooing him off to go get out of his wet clothes. As if on cue, Blake came down the stairs, taking them two by two.

"Who was at the door?" Blake asked, looking pretty tired. He put his arms around his new wife and breathed in her scent, something that made him love her even more.

"Your brother and cousin." Brink said, waiting for his reaction.

"Funny." He grinned, playing with her hair.

"Seriously. They are in the rooms changing." Brink kissed him back and smiled at him.

"Why are they here and not at Orlando with the dance company?" Blake asked, sitting down at the table.

"I'll let them tell you." Brink shrugged, not wanting to get in the middle of it, if there was going to be a confrontation.



"We uh, we got kicked out for drinking at a party. It was a stupid mistake." Chase said, his head down. He looked a little refreshed now being in dry clothes.

"Really? Well, that's interesting. Did you guys forget how old you were?" Blake asked, no sign of amusement on his face.

"Well, Blakey, the truth of the matter was that Me and Nora, we had been havin some problems, and we finally broke it off for good and well, I drug your good old bro downstairs in the hotel we were stayin in to have a few drinks wit me." Tyler said, looking Blake in the eye. "I guess you can take the boy outta the streets but you can't take the streets out of the boy, eh?" He asked, a small grin forming. Chase and Brink both grinned at that remark, knowing Tyler had his point.

"I guess so. And so you need a place to stay?" Blake asked, arms still folded.

"You got it. So how about it? You down wit it?" Tyler asked, not beating around the bush.

"On one condition. " Blake nodded, not really wanting to give the boys a hard time. He had made his mistakes by doing that to Chase and almost lost their brotherly friendship and he wasn't going to do that again.

"What is that, big bro?" Chase asked, doing a spin around the room randomly.

"You go back to MSA and pick up where you left off and Tyler starts working with Brink at her dance studio." Blake said, watching Tyler closely for his reaction. He was known to be stubborn.

"I can do that." Chase grinned, almost relieved. He loved the Maryland School of Arts School. It was almost his security blanket, he was popular, well liked, and most of all, he could dance the way he wanted to when he wanted to. Back on the tour, they were really robots and having to do only the dances that the chorographers saw fit to do.

"Good. You boys go get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning. It's too early for all of this right now." Blake said, giving them a nod.

"Thanks Blakey." Tyler grinned, getting up and giving him a 'blow it up' handshake.

"Yeah, yeah. It's Blake." Blake said dryly, though smiling.

"Thanks Bro." Chase said, giving his brother a half hug, then he stared at Brink. "Thanks, Brink. We appreciate you letting us stay. You're cool." Chase gave her a hug.

"You're all right too, Chase." She laughed, patting his back as she hugged him. "You guys can pick out any room you want. It's no problem, we have plenty of room, it'll be good you're staying with us." She nodded, being serious now.

"Sorry they woke you up." Blake held her close, kissing her neck.

"I was already up. They scared me but once I heard them talking, I figured it was cool." She grinned.



"Why were you up?" He asked, looking concerned.

"I just have this student that I work with every day. She didn't come in today. She's got some personal things going on at home and I'm just worried about her. It's not like her to miss a day." Brink sighed, letting her long mahogany hair down and sighing. She rubbed her eyes.

"Is it your star student?" He asked, making sure he knew of who she was talking about.

"Yeah, I just don't have a good feeling about her. I don't know. Maybe I'll try to get some sleep." She said, yawning.

"Come upstairs and I'll give you a backrub. Maybe that will relax you. You'll need sleep if these boys are going to be stayin here." Chase said, holding her close.

"Yeah, so I see." She smiled, leaning into Blake. He made her feel so safe and took the world away from her in a good way. The two climbed the stairs and headed to bed. "Hold on. Let me make sure they got what they needed." She said, wanting to check on them.

"You are so awesome." Blake kissed her forehead before going into their room. He watched her walk down the hall, loving the fact that she was so accepting and so caring about people around her. Brink looked in the rooms, two that were side by side, and saw them both already asleep. They had been so tired they hadn't even bothered to pull off their shoes. She thought about taking them off for them and then thought about it again. She wasn't touching those dirty sneakers on either of them. She made a mental note to force them to be washed tomorrow before she treaded back down the hall to her room. She slipped in the satiny covers with Blake and he put his arms around her tightly. She fell into a troubled sleep and morning came too soon.