Chapter 3- Can You Say "Brotherly love"?

In the end everyone ends up alone
Losing her, the only one whose ever known
Who I am, who I'm not, who I want to be
No way to know how long she will be next to me

You Found Me- The Fray

Suze's POV

When the pilot finally called for us to take off our seatbelts, I was too relieved. The flight panic was now over. Now only crazy and unpredictable New York awaited. Along with a very crazy and unpredictable Gina. She told me that she would get a total makeover just for this. But before I saw her, I saw the terminal. It was dirty. There was graffiti. People were yelling and were grumpy. I was home. Suddenly, I saw a brown blob jumping around the crowd. It took me a second to realize it was Gina.

She wore dark skinny jeans with black converse. A blue Ed Hardy t-shirt was paired with a beaded black and white necklace, bangles, and a large, black ring. But I saved her head for last. Her hair! It was slightly curled and was a light chocolate-y brown.

"G!" I yelled as I started jumping up and down with her. "Look at you! What did you do to your hair?"

"You don't like it?" she asked me. I just laughed at her. Of course she looked great. She had an unbelievable talent for that.

"I love it! I can't believe I'm back!" I said as I hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're here! Things have been so crazy lately! Now I'm with this new guy named Jack. I swear he is the sweetest guy ever! And how we met? Awesome!" she ranted on without taking a breath. I saw Jesse go to the luggage carousel where he looked for our luggage and the intricate parts that made the carousel go around. I loved that look he was thinking.

I listened to Gina's story with some interest, but in truth, I was drained. Physically and emotionally. I felt like I could sleep for a few good hours. Stupid jet lag….

"…but really, Alex introduced me. They were in the same dorm and—" I cut Gina off.

"Wait, who introduced you?" I asked with great care. She looked at me like I was high.

"Alex," she said with emphasis. "My brother?" Luckily Jesse had returned with our bags right then, so he could think for me. I was utterly speechless.

"Oh," Gina said, ignoring me. "I'm Gina. I've heard so much about you! Was it true that…you know," she added with a whisper. How could I have forgotten? All those times when Gina and I were together, so were her brothers! But Alex was the oldest, so we rarely ever saw him.

"Yes," Jesse answered politely. "I'm Jesse. Nice to meet you." I shot Jesse a panicked look that I hoped Gina wouldn't see. No dice.

"What?" Gina asked worried. "What is it?" I took Gina's arm and lead her through the automatic doors.

"G, we have a slight problem," I started.

***

"I can't believe Lindsay is here," Gina muttered. She was looking all over living room for a sign that she was here. "She was so nice." Lindsay was indeed there. She kept on looking at Gina blankly, as if she were some complex trigonometry problem that no one would ever figure out.

Gina's house was empty, due to her parents' jobs and her brothers' active social lives. But we got no luck. There was a message on Gina's phone that Alex was coming over for dinner. Jesse didn't really say much. He was quiet. But not bored quiet, but offended and pissed quiet. He didn't leave my side for a second and it looked like he would bite someone's head off if they got too close. Gentleman my butt. Then again, I would be crazy jealous, too. I actually thought it was fairly sweet.

"What is he thinking? What is he thinking?" Lindsay kept on whispering to herself. She sat in a chair in the far corner of the living room. The TV was on, but no one was watching.

In that moment, I truly felt sorry for her. Here I was, sitting with one of my best friends and the love of my life—I was aware of the love of my life because that certain love was cutting off my circulation from his shaking grip—while she was still invisible and her boyfriend was hitting on me.

Truthfully, my memories of Alex were a bit iffy. All I remember was that he had brown hair, blue eyes, and tan (well, as tan as you could be in New York). As I looked up, I saw that Lindsay was still staring at Gina. With jealousy, maybe? So I almost felt sorry for her when I asked my question.

Almost.

"Lindsay, how did you die?"

"What?" she responded slowly. She didn't wait for me to repeat my question. She put up a hand and drew a deep breath. "I was strangled to death. I still remember. I was standing next to my car alone. Alex ran into his house to grab his wallet. He was taking me to this really expensive new restaurant." I looked at Lindsay. She wore a light green dress with a pleated skirt and there was a jewel accented sash around the midsection and black high heels that were more likely L.A.M.B. All in all, expensive. "Then, out of no where, someone pulled me aside and put a plastic bag over my head and held it there," Lindsay continued. " All of a sudden, I was watching myself die. I never saw who my killer was, but two minutes later, Alex came back out. I rode with him all the way to the hospital. You'll never know how much time you'll have," she told me with a pointed look. Yeah, I definitely understood her.

"What's happening?" Gina whispered to me anxiously. I just shook my head.

"Drama," I replied. I sat up and stretched my hands over my head. Jesse stood up, too. He looked cute playing bodyguard. "Relax," I said, while putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"That's probably a good idea," he said as he sat back down. I bent down and kissed the nape of his neck, feeling him tense beside me.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here, G" I said as I passed her.

"No problem," she muttered, her eyes still scanning the room for a trace of Lindsay. She couldn't see, but Lindsay patted Gina's hand.

***

"What do I wear?" I said to myself over and over again. I had no such feelings for Alex, but I was paranoid with first impressions. I stood there for two more minutes with my towel wrapped around my body. Curse you, indescision!

My door knob then clicked. I turned around to find a stunned Jesse standing in the door way.

"Sorry," Jesse mumbled as soon as he realized that I was in a towel. He hastily turned his head to the other wall, but I could see his eyes flashing in my direction. It was as if I could see the visible war raging in his head from his moral standards to his hormones. I almost started to laugh. "I'll go."

"No, no," It's fine. I'm just about to change, anyway," I said as I grabbed the outfit on the left. It was a Carmen Marc Valvo. I absolutely loved it. And not just because I got it on half price, but because it was violet, beaded, and a halter dress. "Finished!" I called out as I slipped on my Stuart Weitzman heels. I turned around, showing off my evening wear. Jesse laughed out loud and pulled me into his embrace. It did me good to hear his laugh, some of his tension drained away.

But, of course, Jesse outdid me. He looked great in his navy button-up shirt and slacks. Instead of eating in, Gina was taking us out. And apparently, to that really expensive restaurant that Alex and Lindsay were going to go to. And who would be accompanying us? Why, Gina, Alex, Jack, and Lindsay of course! Oh, happy day….

"I love you," he whispered into my hair. I felt so at ease there, that I didn't even mind that he was crushing my curls that took me so painstakingly long for me to perfect.

"I love you more," I retorted as I kissed him lightly on the lips. But as I was about to pull away, his arms tightened around me, forcing me back into him again. Our kiss went deeper, until I could feel it all the way down into my toes. I knew that I should have been relishing this moment—Jesse was still on the respecting women thing, so it wasn't like I got this often—but I thought something felt…off. I reluctantly pulled my lips away from his.

"What?" Jesse demanded as he pulled me against him again.

"Jesse," I said, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. God, he smelt good. "What's wrong?"

At this, he sighed and sat down on the bed. I followed him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"What is it?" I asked him again, as I looked up at his face. The muscles in his jaw were visibly tightened and was his skin paler than usual?

"I'm just—" Jesse started. He sighed angrily and paced around the room. He ran his fingers through his hair, at a loss for words. I blinked my eyes furiously. I needed to think rationally, and not daydream, especially with his scent in the air.

"Would it be crazy if I said I was jealous?" He asked me. "Of course I have seen men looking at you, Susannah. Don't think for one minute I haven't noticed.

"But this feels different. Like, I want to strangle him and bury him so no one finds the remains, even though I haven't met him.

"It's a sin," I muttered, playing with my fingers. I was too nervous to look up. Honestly, I haven't noticed the way guys look at me. I was just plain old Suze.

"What?" he asked me, anger still in his voice. I looked up and his eyes! There was something buried underneath there, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe I was just being paranoid….

"It's a sin," I repeated. "Envy, I mean."

He sighed and crouched down until he was eye level with me. He sat there for a moment, his head cocked to the side, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle.

He laughed and sat up. "You're just one little mystery, aren't you?" he asked. What a mood swing. But I'd take it. He put his lips to my cheek. "I'm sorry I lost my temper," he whispered into my ear, sending tingles down my spine.

I hooked my hand through his, and we walked out the door.

A/N: *GASP!* "DAISY UPDATED?!" Yeah…sorry for not updating anything in forever and a day. But! I did now. So, I tried to make it long. But that wasn't necessarily working well because I have summer-itis. I just got out today. I really hoped you liked this chapter. So, just in case you were curious, below is the link for Lindsay's dress and Suze's dress. Please R&R!

-Daisy

SUZE:

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LINDSAY:

.?Catalog=Celebration%20Gallery&ProductID=m-26M21-TAFF(VWOW%20Bridesmaids%20Celebration)