Like a Dream Come True

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Madison’s eyes were wide with awe. “You went over there, told him it was over, and slept with him. And THEN, when he was asleep, you packed up your clothes and your cat and took off without even leaving him a note?” She watched Lianna, sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her and Starsky in her lap, as she nodded sadly. “Damn, that’s awesome!”

“It’s not awesome,” Lianna gave Madison a hard stare that was completely ignored. “It was incredibly stupid, and also pretty callous. I mean, I tried to think of something to write in a note, but… the words just wouldn’t come. An hour earlier, he had all this power over me. I was a mess. And then – poof – I’m the one pulling something like this. It’s all so fucked up.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” Madison climbed next to Lianna on the couch. “I guess I’m just doing that defensive best friend thing. I just feel good knowing that, after what he did to you, you got some sort of revenge. But that’s me, not you, I know, and I’m sorry. But you do have to figure out what you’re going to do next. After all, he’s going to wake up later tonight and have no clue what happened. Do you know what you’re going to say when he calls? Because he will call.”

“I know he will,” Lianna scratched behind Starsky’s ear as the cat purred, oblivious to everything else. “And it’s not like I don’t WANT to be with him; I just feel like I CAN’T be with him. But when I’m near him, it’s another story. It’s like nothing else matters but being close to him again. That’s what led to us sleeping together tonight. All I wanted was to feel connected with him and forget everything else.”

“That’s an understandable desire,” Madison said kindly. “But it’s one you’re going to have to learn to control. I know you love Joseph, and I know this is unbelievably hard for you right now, but you do have to make some sort of decision, you know?”

“I know,” Lianna rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. “I just don’t know which decision I’m supposed to make. I mean, I know what decision I SHOULD make, but my heart just won’t let my mind choose that once and for all, at least not yet.”

“I know it’s hard,” Madison was sympathetic. “So I’ll stop harping on you. But… well, how was it? Not the sex part; I don’t need details. I mean, how was it, you know, being close to Joseph? Was it what you were looking for?”

“Not entirely,” Lianna admitted sadly. “But it did feel a hundred times better than not being close to him has felt for the last three days.”

Nodding, Madison put her arm around Lianna’s shoulder. The two women then sat in silence for the next several minutes, Lianna contemplating what she would say to Joseph when he finally called, and Madison worrying that her friend was going to allow this pain to drag on indefinitely because of how much she loved Joseph.

-----

Knowing Joseph would be calling soon, Lianna felt like a caged animal in Madison’s apartment. Needing some space, she walked to a nearby coffee shop and ordered a decaf; caffeine was the last thing she needed at the moment, considering that her adrenaline levels were probably off the charts.

“Miss Long?” a familiar looking man questioned Lianna. She knew she had met him before, but she couldn’t place his face. He was several years older than her, and he had a laptop out on the table.

“Yes.” Lianna finally gave up trying to figure out who he was. “I’m sorry, I know we’ve met before, but for some reason I’m having a hard time remembering how…”

Raising his eyebrows, the man gave her a wry smile. “Oh, you weren’t very fond of me when we met,” he told her. “As you were getting your coffee, and I took some pictures and got that quote from you. By the way, the fans loved it: Like a Dream Come True. You are the little guy superhero right now; the ordinary girl who ends up winning the rock star’s heart.”

“I’m glad invading my private life allowed you to share such an inspirational story with so many people,” Lianna snapped at the reporter. She had no desire whatsoever of speaking to this man any longer. She rose from the table, picking up her coffee as she tried to word in her head exactly the phrasing she wanted to use when telling off this leech. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, as her phone began ringing. Glancing at it, she saw that it was Joseph. “Excuse me,” she said to the reporter. “I have to take this.”

Heading outside, Lianna sat on a nearby bench. Now her blood was boiling from the interaction with the reporter, and her heart was pounding in her chest knowing Joseph was on the other line of her phone. Overall, she felt like she would rather be run over by a Mack truck than be in her own skin at the moment. “Hello?” she finally answered the cell phone.

“Lianna, oh good,” Joseph sounded concerned on the other end of the line. “Where are you? I woke up, and you were gone. Is everything all right? Why didn’t you stay?”

Taking a deep breath, Lianna had to keep a continuous conversation going with herself in her head to remember what it was she wanted to say to Joseph. “Listen, Joseph,” she began. “I’m sorry I just took off like that. I just needed… I just needed to get away. Things aren’t alright; tonight shouldn’t have happened, and I’m sorry for creating a confusing situation by allowing it to happen.”

“Lianna, I don’t know what you’re saying,” Joseph’s voice was getting desperate, as it had been back at the condo several hours ago. “I thought we talked about this… I thought you wanted to be with me. God, I know I want to be with you. It’s all I want. I love you.”

Tears sprang to Lianna’s eyes at Joseph’s words. This was so hard – telling someone she loved with all her heart that she couldn’t be with them anymore. “Joseph, this isn’t about whether or not I WANT to be with you,” she told him softly. “This is about the fact that being with you causes me harm – actual emotional harm. I’m no good to myself, and therefore no good to anyone else, when I’m with you. Do you get that at all?”

“No,” Joseph’s voice was thick with emotion. “I don’t get that. I get that I made mistakes; I get that we have issues to deal with. But I don’t get what you’re saying. Lianna, why did you sleep with me tonight? Was it just to hurt me, to get even with me or something?” His words didn’t sound like an accusation; Joseph was genuinely asking for an answer.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Lianna told him firmly. “I love you, Joseph. And even with our problems, even with you sleeping with Frankie the other night, I’m just not the type of person who seeks revenge. You’ve got to know that about me by now.”

“I know,” Joseph sounded on the verge of crying again. “But I don’t get it. Lianna, I fell asleep feeling like we were going to be able to work through this. I haven’t slept that well in days. And now… now you’re telling me it’s STILL over. That there’s nothing I can do. That I fucked up so bad, I can’t possibly ever make it up to you, so I’m just going to have to deal with losing the most important person in my life without getting any sort of second chance. Is that what you’re saying?”

Biting her lip hard, Lianna could no longer hold back the tears that had been threatening to escape from behind her lashes since the conversation had begun. “It’s not how I want to put things,” she said, her voice tight. “It’s not what I want… but I guess so. Yeah, Joseph, we can’t be together anymore.”

It broke Lianna’s heart to say the words, and it hurt just as much to hear Joseph let out a soft sob. Was she doing the right thing? Why couldn’t she and Joseph try to work things out? Shouldn’t love conquer all this crap? It didn’t make any sense at the moment to be experiencing so much pain, and at the same time allowing the person she loved most in the world to feel that kind of pain as well. Damn it, there was no way for her to think clearly. “Joseph,” she finally whispered into the phone. “I need… I need some time. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe we can meet up in a couple days to talk. But I need for it to be somewhere neutral, where we won’t be alone or in the middle of an entourage.”

“Really?” The hopeful sound in Joseph’s voice filled Lianna with a sadness she couldn’t quite explain. He just sounded so childlike and innocent in his eagerness. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who also had Lianna crying for the last seventy-two hours. “That… that would be amazing. Really, Lianna, please… thank you. I love you, Lianna. Thank you for not giving up entirely yet. I know we can work through this; I just know we can.”

“Okay,” Lianna breathed heavily, unsure if she was making the right decision. “But I need you to give me some space for a few days first, Joseph. I’m still at Madison’s, and I don’t want you calling or coming by until I have called you, okay? And I know you leave for tour in a couple weeks. I won’t wait that long. Just a few days, okay?”

“That’s fine,” Joseph replied immediately. “Whatever you need, Lianna. I just want to show you how much I love you, and how much I will do to be with you. If you need space right now, you’ve got it. But if you wanted to come home tonight…”

“Joseph,” Lianna warned, her chest tightening at his words.

“No, I get it,” Joseph didn’t want to upset Lianna any more than he already had. “I was just saying, whatever you want, I’ll do it. I’ll do it, because I love you.”

Taking a deep breath, Lianna said goodnight to Joseph and hung up the phone. Damn, how did her resolve weaken like that whenever she spoke to Joseph? Probably because there was still such a big piece of Lianna that wanted nothing more than to go back to Joseph at that exact moment. It was as if she would be in pain with or without him, and when she spoke to him a part of her said, “If it’s going to suck either way, then at least I can be with him.”

Standing up from the bench, Lianna stretched. It was almost ten at night, and she had to get up in the morning for work. Slowly, she began making her way back to Madison’s apartment, thinking about how out of control her life felt at that moment.

-----

BROKEN DYNAMITE’S JOEY HART BROKEN HEARTED
by Arnold Dillon

Imagine my surprise last night when I went to get an evening cup of joe at a little café near my apartment and ran across my old friend, Lianna Long, girlfriend to rock sensation Joey Hart. It was clear she was dealing with some issues as soon as she arrived, and she nearly bit my head off in response to my greeting. BUT! This is not the news I need to share, no, no!

What really caught me off guard was to hear the girl dating modern American royalty talking on her phone to none other than the brooding guitarist himself. Now hold onto your hats, ladies and gentleman, as it seems Ms. Long and Mr. Hart may be calling it quits after six months together!

From this side of the conversation, it was clear that the decision to break came from the fair maiden, and that Joey is begging her to return to him. The really juicy part, though? It appears that a certain band manager may have been practicing a little more pleasure than business with Joey recently, leading up to the situation they are in now.

So the real question, lads and lassies, is this: Has Lianna Long finally woken up from her dream come true, only to find out she’s living a nightmare? Only time will tell…

-----

“Lianna, could I see you in my office for just a second?”

“Sure, Sandy,” Lianna looked a bit perplexed as she entered her boss’s office, and even more so when Sandy motioned for her to close the door behind her. “Is everything okay?” Lianna asked nervously.

“Oh, you’re doing great, that’s not what this is about,” Sandy indicated for Lianna to take the seat across from her. Now Lianna was completely lost. “See, honey, I just… well, the receptionist brought something to my attention this morning, and I wanted to make sure that you’re okay.”

Holding out a newspaper to Lianna, Sandy frowned thoughtfully as she watched Lianna scan the article, her face falling as she read. “Oh, God,” Lianna covered her mouth with one hand. “I really thought this part of it was over – the gossip columns and such. I’m sorry, Sandy. Does this make the company look bad or something?”

“No, not at all,” Sandy smiled gently at Lianna. “I just… I wanted to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, I’d like to believe that you and I are more than coworkers. If you’ve got something going on in your personal life that you want support for, I’m always here.”

“Thank you, Sandy,” Lianna’s voice was tight as she repeated to herself over and over that her boss was just trying to be nice. “I appreciate that, but really, I’m dealing with this myself right now.”

It was infuriating, though, that people were privy to the most personal portions of Lianna’s life. After all, if a rumor was going on around the office that so-and-so’s husband was cheating on her, no one would be giving this ‘I’m here for you’ speech unless it was asked for. Lianna, however, going through one of the most difficult experiences she had ever gone through, had reports of Joey’s tryst with Frankie on page six of the newspaper. Therefore, people felt this was an open invitation to pry into her life even further.

“Of course,” Sandy said soothingly. “And you’re doing great work here at the office. You really seem to be channeling all your negative energy into something positive. I really admire that.”

Grinding her teeth, Lianna nodded and rose. “Well, thanks for the concern,” she told Sandy. “But please, don’t worry about me. I’m doing fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Sandy gave Lianna a warm smile as she rose, too. “And please, if you ever change your mind and just need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to come in here, okay?”

“Okay,” Lianna tried to sound chipper as she seethed internally. “Thanks again.” As she stalked away, she tried to control her temper. Sandy hadn’t meant anything hurtful; however, Lianna was sure there was a part of Sandy that was interested in being there firsthand as part of the gossip. She’d love to know the ‘truth’ about Joey Hart, his lowly girlfriend, and the wild manager that had come between them.

Walking into the bathroom, Lianna went straight to the sink and turned on the cold water. Splashing her face a few times, she began to feel a little better. She would have thought that seeing information in print about Joseph and Frankie would have been enough to send her into a sobbing fit, but she had held it together this time. She had read the article and not lost her control entirely.

Now she just had to figure out what it meant.

-----

“I think it means you’re ready to tell him to take a hike,” Madison said to Lianna later that night in her living room. “I think the fact that you were able to read a newspaper article about him and her, and not cry, means you are ready to permanently kick him to the curb.”

“Maddy,” Tavian’s voice came with warning from his seat on the couch beside his girlfriend. “I thought we were going to try NOT to tell Lianna what to do in regards to her relationship. This sounds an awful lot like bullheaded opinion, not friendly support.”

Giving Tavian a dirty look, Madison got huffy. “How do you expect me to just sit by and not give my opinion on the very important goings-on in my friends’ lives?” Her eyebrows arched as she looked toward Tavian for an answer. “Do I have a button I’m supposed to press, or a switch I can flick on and off that makes me care less about my friends? Because if so, please show it to me.”

“You’re a wiseass,” Tavian rolled his eyes.

“Come on guys,” Lianna interjected from the chair. “None of this. I hate that I have you two in the middle of something right now. It feels so unfair of me, especially to you, Tavian. Please, I don’t want you taking sides in this…”

“Too late,” Tavian told her. “I chose sides – not because of you or Madison, but because I have been watching the way Joseph has been acting over the past few months. I don’t know what kind of ego trip they’ve been putting him on or whatever, but he’s not the same person I used to know.”

Suddenly, Lianna felt an overwhelming need to defend Joseph. “There’s more to it than meets the eye,” she said softly. “I mean, he really seems sorry… for everything. He seems sincere when he says he loves me and that he wants to work things out with me. I just think… Oh, I don’t know.” Sinking back in the chair, Lianna chewed on her bottom lip, frustrated that she couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be a bitch,” Madison leaned over and put her hand on Lianna’s knee. “And I’m not trying to diminish the feelings you have for him. But even before he SLEPT with that devil woman, he spent months treating you like crap. Do you really think he can change overnight?”

“Back down, Mad,” Tavian said in a disapproving tone. “Take a step back; you might be crossing some boundaries.”

“Excuse me,” Madison’s eyes were flashing. “But I’m talking to my best friend right now-”

“Stop it!” Lianna yelled, standing up. Both Tavian’s and Madison’s gazes turned on her, surprised by the outburst. “Now, I cannot begin to thank you enough, Maddy, for all you’ve done for me so far. And Tavian, you are such an amazing friend. But it is SERIOUSLY not going to help me to have you two fighting. In fact, it only makes me feel guilty. So here’s how it goes. Tavian, in my opinion, I think you should get in touch with Joseph before he goes on tour. Your friendship with him, unrelated to me, has lasted over five years. Call him to talk, to yell, to insult him, but just call him.”

Turning her gaze onto her best friend, Lianna took a deep breath before continuing. “And Madison, you have every right, in the best friend capacity, to be infuriated at Joseph for what happened, but for me, try not to put him down too much.” Hot tears were blurring Lianna’s vision at the moment, but she refused to let them fall. “As weak and dumb as it makes me, I still love him, and a big part of me still wants to be with him. Just give me a little time to figure out what my next move is, okay?”

Glancing sideways at each other, Tavian and Madison both looked up at Lianna at the same moment. “Okay,” Madison replied softly. “We can do that. And sorry about the fighting.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, too. And whatever you need, you’ve got it,” Tavian gave her a small grin. “That’s what friends are for.”

Biting her lip, Lianna nodded and felt one salty tear slide down her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“Listen, why don’t you go take a bath?” Madison smiled at her. “And Tavian and I will pick up some dinner in the meantime. That way we can all eat together in about an hour. Does that sound good?”

“I don’t want to impede on you guys for another night,” Lianna replied, shaking her head when Madison gave her a dismissive wave. “I’m going to get out of your hair soon, find my own place. You two haven’t been able to get a minute alone in almost a week. I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s no big deal,” Madison said, smirking when Tavian pretended to get offended. “No, I think we’ll survive with our pants on for a few days.”

“Well, I know I will,” Tavian smirked at Lianna. “But this one over here is like the Energizer bunny. Oof-” His joke was cut off by the smack Madison gave him with a pillow. As he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her beneath him on the couch, tickling her, Lianna couldn’t help but smile. If nothing else came from her time with Joseph, at least their relationship had helped to forge the strong love that she was watching wrestle on the couch. Without another word, she turned and headed into the bathroom to take a long hot bath and think.

-----

As Lianna took her bath, she tried to give herself some time to clear her mind and think more about the possibility of separating from Joseph, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate. Instead of thinking of the reasons why she and he didn’t belong together, she could only think of the good things.

Joseph had loved cooking dinner for Lianna, and would always set the table nicely, which was such a cute idiosyncrasy in comparison to his rock-and-roll lifestyle and appearance. At night, when he came back from the studio or a party, he would pull her to him in bed, resting her head against his chest even if he thought she was asleep. When they watched movies on the couch, he let Starsky curl up on his lap, even though it would mean his clothes would be covered with cat hair. And sometimes, he just made her feel like she was more special than anyone in the world.

A few weeks earlier, before everything bad happened and while they were getting along, they had made love in the bedroom. Afterwards, Joseph had stood up to use the bathroom, and Lianna made a joke to his reflection in the full-length mirror about how she had ended up being so lucky as to have such a hot boyfriend. He had dragged her to her feet and stood her before him. Lianna had blushed into the reflection. They were both nude, but she looked so plain when compared to Joseph’s tight body, chiseled face and colorful tattoos that wrapped around her as he hugged her waist.

It had been like their first date, when Joseph had insisted she tell him how sexy she was, only this time it was ten times as intimate. He had taken his hands and ran them over her body, and he made a unique comment about each part. He told her that she had an angelic face. He had kissed her neck and said that its curve was graceful. He brushed his hands over her chest and told her that her breasts were perfect, round and full. He said that her hips were feminine and sexy, and that her thighs were strong and sensual. And as he took her hands in his and slid them over her stomach, he had whispered, “Do you want to have kids one day?” Lianna had nodded, and he smiled at her reflection, not saying anything, just touching her tummy. The moment had brought tears to her eyes at the time, and was doing the same as she thought back on it.

“Damn it!” Lianna said out loud, splashing the bath water as she became aware of the tears welling in her eyes again. It felt like she couldn’t have one minute outside work where she wasn’t thinking of Joseph. Now that she was able to actually think of him and Frankie together without bursting into sobs, her oversensitive reaction took place whenever she had memories of their good times together. Was this ever going to let up? Would she ever be able to just not think about Joseph for a while?

-----

Lianna was actually looking forward to lunch with Eddie the next day. Eddie was safe. He was uninvolved in everything that was going on in her life just then, unlike Tavian and Madison. She could talk about Joseph, or not talk about him. Eddie was easygoing either way, and it was relaxing for Lianna.

“Hey,” Eddie greeted her at the small café where they had planned to meet up. “Look at you; you look great. I’m so glad. I was worried all the stress in your life would get to you, but I guess you are getting through it.”

Smiling, Lianna shrugged. “I’m surviving,” she told him. “Thanks for the concern. But I’ve been talking about this non-stop for days. Let’s talk about something else. How are you doing? Have classes started?”

“Last week,” Eddie grinned. “And it’s really interesting. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s all something I love, so it doesn’t really feel like work, you know? Besides that, my life’s pretty boring.”

“Oh, I don’t believe that,” Lianna told him with a grin. “What, going through a dry spell? Is that what’s getting you down?”

“You might put it that way,” Eddie’s cheeks seemed to turn a little pink, and he stared down at his plate for a moment before continuing. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you, before I forget. I have a friend that has an apartment not too far from here, but she got a job offer in Boston, so she has to leave at the beginning of next month. She’s still got an eight month lease, though, and it should be in your price range, if you’re still looking for a place.”

“Thank you so much for thinking of me,” Lianna replied, touched by Eddie’s thoughtfulness. “And I’m definitely interested. I don’t know what’s going to happen between me and Joseph in the future, but I do know that I want my own place, no matter what we decide.”

“What do you mean?” Eddie looked perplexed. “I thought you two broke up.”

“We did,” Lianna said, sighing as she tried to figure out how to word the thoughts whirling through her mind at the moment. “But we haven’t decided exactly what is going to happen next. I’m still working on figuring that out.”

“Wait, didn’t he sleep with someone else?” Eddie had a look of annoyance across his face. “I mean, I can understand trying to work through certain issues, but that’s just crossing the line.”

Giving Eddie a startled look, Lianna felt irritation rising in her. It was one thing for Madison to say something like that; it was quite another for Eddie, who had met Joseph once, to say it. “Listen, I think you’re a good friend, Eddie,” Lianna tried to control her aggravation. “But I think you’re exceeding the boundaries of our relationship right now. You know very little about Joseph, except for what I’ve told you. And whether or not he and I get back together, I would appreciate it if you not say things like that to me. It makes me very uncomfortable.”

Immediately, Eddie looked remorseful. “I’m so sorry, Lianna,” he told her. “You’re right, I had no right to say anything like that. Listen, I want to be your friend; I want to be someone you feel comfortable sharing things with. Please don’t take what I just said to heart. I was just being unjustly overprotective.”

Giving him a wry smile, Lianna shrugged as Eddie finished his heartfelt apology. “It’s okay,” she told him. “I’m probably a little defensive right now, anyway. Let’s just forget everything that was said in the last five minutes, and start again. So where exactly is your friend’s apartment?”

As Eddie and Lianna began to relax again and eat their lunches, they talked about various issues in their lives. Eddie told Lianna about a phone call he got from his father concerning his little sister’s new boyfriend, who was six-foot-six and a bodybuilder. Lianna told little anecdotes about Madison and the crazy things she said so often. Still, it was now clear that there was one subject that was being intentionally avoided by both parties, and it made Lianna a little bit sad. She would have liked to have someone not directly in the middle of things to talk to about Joseph, but clearly there was something about him that Eddie didn’t like.

Rising after the meal was over, Lianna and Eddie walked out to the sidewalk together. “Listen, Lianna,” Eddie said before she could start saying goodbye. “I am really sorry about earlier. I want to be your friend, and I want you to be able to talk to me about anything, including Joseph. I have no idea where that asinine comment came from, but I promise you won’t hear any more of the same from me in the future.”

“I really appreciate that,” Lianna smiled as she reached for Eddie’s hand. “I don’t want there to be any weirdness between the two of us. I like our open, honest, somewhat-crass conversations. I don’t want to lose that.”

“You won’t,” Eddie pulled her into a friendly goodbye hug. “Like I said, I promise.”

“Okay,” Lianna smiled. “And I’ll be calling you in the next day or two to see if I can set up something with your friend about seeing that apartment.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Eddie told her. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Lianna replied and began walking back towards her work. But somewhere inside, something still felt off. She did like Eddie, but part of the reason she liked him so much was because of how comfortable she felt around him. So how come things suddenly felt uncomfortable?

-----

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO REVIEW. SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER WAS A LITTLE BORING. AFTER THE LAST FEW, I NEEDED SOME TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON THE OPTIONS THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED TO LIANNA, AND HER THOUGHTS ABOUT EVERYTHING. BUT I PLAN TO MAKE THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS MORE EXCITING.

I MUST SAY THAT IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THAT I’M GETTING A MIXTURE OF “I WANT LIANNA WITH JOSEPH”, “I WANT LIANNA WITH EDDIE”, AND “I WANT LIANNA ALONE”. IT GIVES ME AN ADRENALINE RUSH TO KNOW READERS ARE CONTEMPLATING THESE CHOICES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS AND COMMENT!