As Laura and Leon pulled up in the driveway Laura noticed the silver Skyline was there too, along with Mia's Acura. She suddenly felt panicked! What would she say or do? She made her way into the house with Leon very close behind. Letty looked up and smiled at them both and as Laura looked round she couldn't see Mia, Dom or Brian. As if she knew what Laura had been thinking Letty spoke up,
"Mia is up in her room. Said she needed sleep. Dom and Brian went back to the coast to pick up Doms car. They'll be back soon."
Laura settled on the sofa beside her and Leon almost sat on top of her. He seemed a little on edge. She gave him a strange look as if to say 'what's up'. All he did was smile and turn to watch Letty on the PS2.
Half an hour later Dom arrived back with Brian and the whole room, which had become very loud, quietened down until you could have heard a pin drop. Leon and Letty both looked at Brian as if he were the plague and Laura tried her best not to act strange, she knew Leon would notice straight away.
"Want a beer?" Dom asked Brian and he led him into the kitchen. Laura looked around the group and she knew they wanted answers as much as she did, maybe even more. She decided to go up to see Mia, she knew she would have answers. She got up and headed to the stairs only to have Leon jump up after her and grab her arm,
"Where you goin'?" he asked her looking really nervous.
"Leon, let go of my arm, you're hurting me!"
He dropped her arm and as he noticed the estranged looks he was getting from his friends his face went bright red.
"Sorry…" he mumbled.
"I'm goin' to the bathroom, if it's any of your business!"
This was the first time Leon had made her truly angry and she didn't like it. As she made her way up the stairs she saw him watching her with so much suspicion. What was his god damn problem? Was he this possesive with all his girlfriends?
She knocked Mia's door and was greeted bye a cheery but tired hello.
"Hey hun, you ok?" Laura looked at her friend, knowing she didn't look Ok. She sat on the bed beside her.
"Oh, I'm just tired is all. Long night… you know…"
"Uh huh. You wanna talk about anything?"
Mia must have seen the desperation on Laura's face because she laughed,
"Sure. What do you wanna know?"
"Everything really."
"Ok, well, when I drove off I went to the beach along the highway. Dom knew that's where he'd find me and sure enough ten minutes after I arrived so did he…with Brian."
"And that wasn't Ok…"
"Well, after all that had happened I didn't really wanna see Brian but it was better that he came cuz we sorted a lot out. He told me he was sorry, explained things a little so I wasn't as mad and then said he'd really like it if we could be friends at least."
Laura picked up on the at least part and felt a little jealous. They would probably end up dating again.
Mia sat for a minute thinking and then said something that made Laura's heart skip a beat,
"I loved Brian at one point but after all that's happened that love is gone. I'll be friends with him but I could never think like that about him again. In fact the thought makes me feel a little sick…" she giggled at this last part as if she'd made a joke.
Laura smiled, but not at the supposed joke,
"So if he started dating someone else you would be Ok with that?"
"Yeah, I think I would. Plus, me and Vince are kinda, well…getting along well."
Laura laughed. She knew something had happened between them. Mia finished telling Laura about how Dom had agreed to give Brian a job in the garage again, just to help him until he had enough cash to set up his own or get another job. She said Brian had found a place just two blocks away that he was planning to buy and that in a while she thought it would end up being the same as it was last year, with Brian a part of the team again.
As Laura walked back downstairs she couldn't help but grin. Maybe Brian wasn't off limits after all… As soon as she saw Leon smiling at her as she walked into the living room her heart sunk. She couldn't hurt him. She knew now she didn't and wouldn't love him, but she really cared about him. How would she break up with him without hurting him? Truly the only reason she would end things between them would be for Brian…but she didn't know Brian at all yet and may regret breaking up with Leon. Things were just way too confusing and she spent the rest of the night sitting on the sofa in a daze, trying her best to ignore Leon's worried looks and Brian's stare. Letty noticed she was in turmoil and at nearly midnight she took her out the back, handed her a beer and sat on the step, waiting for her to talk. When Laura didn't say anything Letty started the conversation off,
"So girl, what's up? What did you and Mia talk about for so long?"
"How did you know I went up to Mia, I said I was going to the bathroom…"
Letty grinned,
"No one pees for that long, unless they're a dude. And I know you and Mia tell each other everything."
Laura smiled. Letty knew a lot more about everyone than she liked to admit.
"Well, she just explained how Brian would be living a few blocks from here, how he'd be working in the garage and how him and her were never going to get back together. She's prepared to be his friend but nothing more. She actually seems quite happy with the set up she has with Vince…"
Letty laughed and looked in towards the kitchen,
"I knew those two were up to something. And it's about time, Vince has been in love with her since 5th grade! So, you like Brain? You think he seems dead on?"
Letty was trying her best not to smile when she asked this.
"Yeah he seems…nice." Laura knew Letty could see right through her façade.
"What are you going to do about Leon? I like you Laura, but I love Leon. You better not break his heart…although it may be worse if you stay with him. That'd be making him think he had you…when he doesn't anymore…am I right?"
Laura nodded, feeling a little ashamed. Letty just glared at her for a minute and then did something Laura thought she'd never see, she walked over and hugged her!
"Look, I know it's a hard thing, trying to control your heart. You cant help who you fall for and who you don't…I know that better than anyone…but just remember Brian is a complicated guy and you don't know him for shit. I think the best thing you could do right now is let Leon down easy, give it a while before you make any decisions about who you want to be with and get to know Brian better. Don't go chasing him, because when you do catch him you may not like what you get."
Even Mia had never given Laura such good advice, and she hugged Letty again until she had to pull away clutching her ribs.
"Damn girl, don't go breaking me!"
Laura laughed a happy laugh. She was glad Letty had finally accepted her as a friend. As they both returned to the living room she noticed Leon had left,
"Where'd Leon go?" she looked at Dom and he shrugged.
Surprisingly Brian spoke up,
"I think I heard a car skid out of the drive…coulda been him."
Sure enough when she looked out the window his Skyline, which had been parked on the curb, was gone.
"Dom where could he have went?" Laura asked him impatiently. What type of a friend was Dom anyway when he didn't even realise Leon had left.
"I dunno…"
That was the final straw. Laura snatched the PS2 controller out of his hand and threw it on the sofa beside him.
"Dom, where could he have gone! I need to talk to him!"
Doms face filled with anger and then, when Letty gave him a look of warning, he sighed and calmed down a little,
"Laura I dunno, I'm not his fucking keeper. He's only went for a drive, he'll be back later, talk to him then or tomorrow."
She sighed and stared out the window. She realised Brian's eyes were on her and as she went towards the stairs she looked back in time to catch his glare. He just looked straight into her eyes and she had to stop herself from smiling at him. She looked away and went upstairs,
"I'm away to bed, see you guys tomorrow…"
The team groaned a response, apart from Brian who just kept staring at her. She could feel his eyes pierce through her and when she got to the top step she looked down and could just about see him. His eyes were still on her and he smiled when she looked at him. She thought for a second and then decided shecouldnt flirt so openly with Brian...not yet anyway. She was still 'Leons girl'. She walked into her room, sighedand collapsed on the bed.Things were certainly going to get interesting around here…