Brittany scrolled through the comments on her social media post about her surprise return to the music industry. She had just gotten off the phone with Ian. He was ecstatic about the response their TV appearance had gotten. Reading the comments filled her with excitement. She had missed having fans doting on her, telling her how beautiful and talented she was. Then she came across a comment that chilled her to the bone.

YAY! Brittany's back all! Now if only she and Alvin would just get together!

Based on the number of likes the comment had received there was a large portion of her fan base that wanted to see her hook-up with Alvin. She closed the laptop as tears stung at the back of her eyes.

Her emotions had been running wild ever since returning to L.A. Everywhere she went, she saw Alvin's face. Thankfully, she had managed to not run into him yet. Her sisters had told her where he worked and that he was still living with Dave; Brittany had made sure to avoid both locations. Still, seeing his name on the screen was enough to chase out all the happiness from inside her. The memories of it all came pouring into her mind. His golden eyes shining in the night. His strong arms holding her gently. His lips touching hers.

The doorbell rang, pulling Brittany away from the memory. She wiped her eyes and checked her face in the mirror before answering. She wasn't sure who it could be, but since her sisters were both at their day jobs, Brittany was the only one who could answer. She quickly scaled the chair next to the door and unlocked the deadbolt. As she turned the handle, the door swung open slightly. Looking up, she saw no one, but when she looked down, she saw the face that had been haunting her since her return. This time, however, it was real.

"Uh...hey, Britt." Alvin said awkwardly.

"What do you want?" she asked, jumping down from the doorknob.

"I...uh...heard you were back in town?"

Brittany frowned. It had been five years since they had last seen each other and they had not parted ways on good terms.

"So, what? You thought you could come over and say hi like nothing ever happened?" she asked with disdain.

"Britt, please, don't be like that. Give me a chance to say hi at least."

"Alright, fine. Hi. Now, leave me the hell alone." She reached to shut the door, but Alvin grabbed her hand. Despite her anger, the feeling of his paw on hers sent a rush of warmth straight to her heart.

"No, wait! Just...just give me a minute, alright?" He pleaded. The desperate look in his eyes made her heart skip a beat, but she pushed it aside.

"What do you want, Alvin?" Brittany asked again.

"I want to talk to you."

"Too late, Alvin. Five years too late."

"Come on, Britt! You can't just arrive in town, not tell me, and then ignore me!"

"Oh, really?" She asked, taking his words as a challenge. "Watch me!"

With that, she slammed the door in his face and quickly locked it.

"Brittany, please!" Alvin pleaded through the door. "I just want to talk!"

She ran to the bedroom and buried herself under the covers, drowning out Alvin's voice. Tears poured out of her as the old wound reopened. She grabbed the pillow and screamed into it. She hated herself for feeling this way. She hated that his face still sent her heart racing, even after all this time. She had thought she was over him, but apparently, she wasn't. And she hated how much she had missed him. How much she loved him. How much she wanted to open that door.