Like a Dream Come True

“Honey, your… bag is ringing,” Lianna’s father handed her the oversized black purse. The whole family was sitting around in the living room the day after her arrival, watching movies and eating popcorn.

Pulling her phone from the bag, Lianna heard Kirsten squeal. “Maybe it’s him!” she looked excitedly up from her seat on the floor at Lianna, who was sitting on the couch.

“Who’s ‘him’?” Lianna’s father looked perplexed.

“Nobody,” Lianna said pointedly, throwing daggers at her sister with her eyes. She turned back to her puzzled father and gave him a small smile. “I’ll, um, take this inside. Don’t bother pausing it. I’ve seen this movie a dozen times already.”

Walking into the kitchen, Lianna answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Oh, good, you didn’t give me a fake number,” Joseph’s voice was warm and immediately send chills down Lianna’s spine. “How goes the trip home so far?”

“So far, so good,” Lianna felt her pulse racing. “The constant cloudiness sucks, but that’s to be expected in the Bay area. So how are things going for you?”

“I love being home,” Joseph sighed contentedly. “No band mates to fight with, no press to deal with, and my mom makes the world’s best spaghetti sauce.”

Laughing, Lianna began to relax. “Sounds like you like being a spoiled mama’s boy when you get the chance.”

“I never denied that. So, listen, I never asked you where your parents live.”

“In the same house I grew up in,” Lianna looked appreciatively around the small comforting home she had always known. Nothing much changed there between her visits, and she liked it that way. “In Berkeley, the north part, away from Cal and stuff. How about you?”

“I bought my parents a place in the City last year, on Alamo Square Park,” Joseph sounded completely nonchalant about his ability to purchase a home that likely cost upward of three million dollars as a gift. I got my parents potholders for Christmas, Lianna thought to herself wryly. “Anyway, I was calling because I wanted to see about getting together for dinner one night this week. You can still get together, can’t you?” There was a confidence in his voice that Lianna wasn’t accustomed to. It was the knowledge that Joseph had that, along with being gorgeous, he was also rich and famous. Lianna couldn’t begrudge him that confidence, either; he was all those things.

“When were you thinking?” Lianna didn’t want to sound too eager. She had plans on Saturday to have a ‘girls day’ with her mother and sister, so she would refuse anything on that day. Yeah, right, Lianna told herself. I’d consider selling my sister for the chance to go out with this boy. But her desire to see him had little to do with his fame; his voice and the picture of him she still had in her head made her stomach do somersaults.

“How about tomorrow night?” Joseph was at ease with himself. “I can pick you up, and maybe we can get something to eat around there. I never spent much time in Berkeley. I was only in San Francisco for my last two years of high school, and I never ventured out of the City much. I’d love it if you could think of somewhere cool and relaxed for us to go and chill.”

“That all sounds great,” Lianna told him. She gave Joseph her address and started winding down the conversation. She was afraid she would squeal with happiness, like Kirsten had done earlier, if she stayed on the phone much longer. “So I’ll see you tomorrow at seven, then?”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Joseph sounded so sincere, it brought a blush to Lianne’s cheeks. “And listen, promise me one thing. Please don’t start acting weird around me now that you know who I am. What I like most about you is how unassuming and easy-going you are. Just look at tomorrow night as a date with the guy you met on the plane, not the guy on MTV, okay?”

It was embarrassing to hear, but Lianna quickly agreed. “Sorry,” she said. “I mean, if I was acting strange. I promise, from here on in, I will not hold back. I am pretty strange myself, though, so I might scare you off.”

Chuckling, Joseph disagreed. “I don’t scare so easily,” he told her. “Okay, so I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“See you then,” Lianna replied lightly. “And… um, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me, too,” Joseph said before hanging up.

As soon as Lianna hung up the phone, Kirsten began yipping from the kitchen doorway. “It was him! He did call! You are going out with Joey Hart!”

Spinning around, Lianna tried to give her sister a dirty look for eavesdropping, but the expression of pure bliss on Kirsten’s face was too adorable for Lianna to really be mad. “No, I am going on a date with Joseph, the guy I met on the plane.” At Kirsten’s confused expression, Lianna went on. “That’s who he was when I kissed him, and that’s who I’m going out with. The rest of the world can consider him Joey, but I’m not going to, and I’m asking you not too, either.”

Tilting her head, Kirsten studied her sister before giving her a lopsided grin. “I get it,” she nodded her head. “I promise, I’ll treat him like a normal person when he comes to pick you up tomorrow.”

Walking over towards her sister, Lianna hugged Kirsten. “Thanks,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m so into him already, but I really am. I don’t want to do anything to mess this up.”

-----

Lianna was ready for her date half an hour before Joseph was due, so she ended up pacing around nervously. “Sweety, you know that we love having you home,” her mother told her as she made her way through the kitchen for the third time in ten minutes. “But you’re making me dizzy. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Lianna told her mother. “I’m just a little nervous about this date.” She sat down at the kitchen table and looked across it at her mother.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this about a date,” Lianna’s mom told her. “You don’t usually dress up or wear makeup – although I must say you look beautiful. So, who is this boy? You just said you met him on the plane.”

Not wanting to say anything more about Joseph just yet, Lianna shrugged. “That’s about it. He lives in New York, his parents live in San Francisco. We talked through the whole flight, and he seems really nice.” None of this was a lie, but Lianna knew she was definitely withholding information.

“Let me see you,” Kirsten had just dashed into the kitchen. She had gotten off her part-time job at 6:00 and raced home to see if Lianna needed any help. Watching Lianna stand up, Kirsten decided that she didn’t need any. She was wearing a pair of form-fitting jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that complimented her figure, with a small studded belt borrowed from Kirsten around her waist. Her hair was loose, just grazing her shoulders in soft waves, and her eyes were outlined, making them seem even larger and more wide-set than usual. “You look so hot!” she told Lianna with a big grin.

“Why are you so concerned about her date?” Lianna and Kirsten’s mother looked completely lost.

Giving Lianna a small grin, Kirsten shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just good to have my sister home for her spring break,” she said matter-of-factly. “Plus, Lianna seems to like this Joseph person, and I want to see her happy.”

“You are both big liars,” their mother responded with a smirk. “But share your sisterly-bonding. I love it.” With that, she rose from the table and left the room, leaving Kirsten to look over at Lianna with wide excited eyes once again.

“You really look incredible,” Kirsten complimented her sister. “He’s not going to know what hit him.”

“Thanks, Keer,” Lianna smiled happily at her sister, a flush filling her cheeks. Hearing a knock at the door, she glanced at the clock. “That must be him. He’s a little early; I’m glad I was such a psycho and got ready at five.”

“Lianna, you have a visitor,” the girls’ heard their father call out. Giving Kirsten one last hug, Lianna walked into the living room with her sister in tow.

“Hi,” Lianna greeted Joseph. He looked great in loose jeans and black t-shirt under a gray mechanic’s jacket, and he was just standing there with an easy confidence that sent a thrill through her body. “So, this is my dad. And this is my sister, Kirsten. And this is my mom,” Lianna added as her mother joined the group. “Everyone, this is Joseph.”

“Hi,” Joseph gave everyone an easy grin. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

“Well, are you ready?” Lianna asked, anxious to get away from her parents wary glances.

“I am,” Joseph replied. “It was nice to meet everyone.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kirsten called out as the couple left the house. “Oh my god, he’s hotter in person than he is on TV and in magazines!” she said with shock.

“When did you see him on TV? Why is that boy in magazines?” her mother looked completely perplexed, and Kirsten felt her stomach drop.

Kirsten hadn’t meant to say anything out loud, but she hadn’t been able to stop her words. Joseph Hart was the type of guy that made you loose all self-control. “Well, um, see, the thing is…” Kirsten struggled to figure out what to say to her parents, but finally gave up. “He’s a musician, a really popular musician. Lianna is out right now with a bona-fide rock star. She didn’t want to tell anyone, because she doesn’t want it to be a big deal, but I have a big mouth, so I told you. There. Happy?”

Exchanging puzzled looks, Kirsten’s parents didn’t know what to say. “A musician, huh?” her father finally got out. “Oh, well, what instrument does he play?’

Letting out a laugh, Kirsten ushered her parents in the living room and sat them down, telling them what she knew about Joseph and Broken Dynamite. While she was talking, though, she was hoping and praying inside that Lianna would have a good night. Her sister deserved it. After all, her track record with men – limited as it was – was not a good one.

-----

Lianna had recommended that they go to a casual restaurant not far from her parents’ house. She had spent tons of time there during high school, and it was still one of her favorite places to go whenever she came back to visit.

“I like this,” Joseph looked around the small, quiet, homey café with an approving grin. “You say you used to come here a lot when you lived here?”

Taking a seat at one of the well-worn tables in the corner, Lianna nodded. “It was like a home away from home when I was in high school,” she told him.

“I had one of those in San Fran, too,” Joseph gave her a warm smile as he sat across from her. “Of course, it was a bar that didn’t card, where I used to go and play pool when I skipped school. I wasn’t exactly what you would call an exemplary student or an easy kid. I was more of a…”

“Risk taker?” Lianna offered.

“I was going to say arrogant jackass that was lucky to make it through my teen years alive,” Joseph laughed. “But risk taker works, too.” Joseph slipped off his jacket at that point to put it on the back of the chair, and Lianna suddenly felt like the breath was taken from her. Both his arms were covered entirely by tattoos, and they were very muscular as well. She had never dated anyone that wasn’t preppy and predictable before, but if the warmth that spread through her body when she was around Joseph was any indication, she was going to enjoy this.

“You weren’t kidding about having more tattoos,” Lianna finally forced out.

“Yeah, and I wasn’t kidding about letting you see the ones other people don’t get to,” Joseph smirked suggestively.

“You’re a pervert,” Lianna laughed.

“Yes,” Joseph nodded with a mock look of seriousness on his face. “Yes, I am.”

Ordering their meals, they talked, joked and laughed while they ate. It made Lianna very content that she and Joseph were able to talk as easily as they had on the plane. She didn’t even have to try to forget that he was famous; outside of his extreme confidence, he was just like any other guy. Any other drop-dead gorgeous guy that makes me want to climb on top of the table and have sex, Lianna thought amusedly to herself.

Suddenly, the door to the café opened and voices traveled across the room. No, no, no, Lianna thought as he heart rate increased. Don’t let it be him, she prayed. Don’t let this perfect date be ruined. Looking up, Lianna’s stomach dropped as her eyes met Vincent’s.

“Lianna?” A tall guy with cropped brown hair looked confused to see her. “What are you doing here?”

“My parents do still live here,” Lianna tried to control her voice as she looked at her high school boyfriend, his arm draped over the shoulder of a pert blond girl. “And it’s good to see you, too, Vincent.” She knew that Joseph had picked up on the aggravated edge in her voice, and he looked suspiciously at the man Lianna was talking to.

“Yeah, I know,” Vincent was obviously surprised to see Lianna sitting with what he probably considered such a dangerous and strange looking guy. “So… you on a date?”

“Yeah,” Lianna’s voice was still cold. “You?”

Looking at the girl next to him like he had forgotten she was there, Vincent tried to collect himself. “Oh, yeah. This is Deb. Deb, this is Lianna. We knew each other a long time ago.” His voice was just as unfriendly as Lianna’s.

“Hi Deb,” Lianna looked at the girl who was probably eighteen. “And this is Joseph. Joseph, this is… Vincent.”

Raising his chin a little in greeting, Joseph obviously didn’t like seeing Lianna uncomfortable. And this guy was clearly making her uncomfortable. His eyes then traveled over to Deb, and he gave her a small smile. “Nice to meet you,” he made sure his eyes stayed focused on the girl when he spoke.

With her eyes getting wide, Deb let out a small squeal. “Oh my God. Joseph? You’re… you’re Joey Hart, aren’t you?” She was bouncing with excitement.

Lianna was about to deny this on Joseph’s behalf, but she was surprised when he answered immediately. “Yes, I am. Do you listen to Broken Dynamite?” As Lianna looked over towards Deb, she realized what Joseph was doing. He was making Vincent very unhappy, and that made Lianna smile wide.

“Only all the time,” Deb was still thrilled.

“You’re in Broken Dynamite?” Vincent still didn’t seem convinced. “Why are you on a date with Lianna, then?”

Feeling her face flush with a combination of anger and embarrassment, Lianna didn’t know how to respond, but luckily Joseph responded for her. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he sounded shocked to hear the question. “Being a musician doesn’t make you immune to beautiful, smart, funny, sexy women. Plus,” he leaned forward conspiratorially and dropped his voice. “Lianna is, hands down, the best lover I’ve ever had.”

It took all Lianna’s willpower not to burst out in laughter at the look of shock on Vincent’s face. “Yeah, well,” Vincent seemed completely at a loss for words. “Um, well, we have to go.”

“But we haven’t even ordered yet-” Deb began objecting, completely mystified.

“We have to go,” Vincent barked. “Come on.” Without even saying goodbye, he turned and headed out of the café, pulling Deb behind him.

Looking at Joseph with admiration, Lianna shook her head. “I don’t even know how to begin to thank you,” her blue eyes shined brightly. “My God, I dated that asshole for over a year, and I was never able to make him speechless like that.”

Giving Lianna a sexy grin, Joseph shrugged. “I like making dickheads squirm, and I could tell he was a dickhead from the minute he walked in here.” He looked questioningly at Lianna before continuing. “How did you end up dating that prick for over a year?”

Rolling her eyes, Lianna sighed. “I met him the summer before my junior year of high school,” she explained. “I was this total loser back then, and Vincent was a year older and really popular. So when he was interested in me, it’s embarrassing to say, I was flattered. But he really treated me like shit the whole time we were together, telling me I was worthless and whatever. But in my adolescent stupidity, I thought I was in love with him. I thought if I tried harder, was a better girlfriend, he’d be nice to me. Finally, I decided sleeping with him would do the trick, so we did that after his senior prom. And he proceeded to dump me the next week.”

“Wow,” Joseph looked shocked. “He really was an asshole. I’m sorry.”

Shaking her head, Lianna gave Joseph a smile. “It’s in the past,” she said. “And in the present, I’m here with you. Thanks for sticking up for me like that.”

“I meant everything I said,” Joseph gave her another of his dazzling grins.

“You can’t have meant ALL of it,” Lianna replied. “I mean, you told him I’m the best lover you’ve ever had...”

“And I’m sure you will be,” Joseph smirked.

“You are really confident, aren’t you?” Lianna couldn’t believe how attracted to him she was at that moment.

“Unbelievably so,” Joseph admitted. “Confident, secure, cocky – you name it.”

“And unapologetic, too,” Lianna teased.

Leaning forward, Joseph took Lianna’s hands and looked at her with his intense green eyes. “Why should I be apologetic?” he asked. “I know what I like about myself. You should, too. You’re pretty fucking amazing.”

A blush crept across Lianna’s cheeks. “I don’t know-” she started to object, but Joseph cut her off.

“Don’t be that girl,” he told Lianna forcefully. “Don’t feel bad for knowing how awesome you are. Come on, tell me you’re sexy.”

“What?” Lianna asked incredulously.

“Tell me you’re sexy,” Joseph’s expression was serious. “Tell me that almost every guy that sees you wonders what it would be like to touch you. Tell me that perfect strangers see you and fantasize what it would be like to fuck you. Tell me that you know how much you’re driving me crazy right now.”

With her eyes wide, Lianna didn’t know how to respond. Joseph looked so intent, so honest. She couldn’t believe that he was saying these things about her – boring little Lianna. Finally, she looked into his eyes and smiled a little. “I’m sexy,” she said softly.

“Damn right you are,” Joseph grinned widely in response. “Now, come on. We’ve still got a couple hours of daylight left. Show me some of your other favorite spots around town. Maybe we can run into some other people you hated from your past and find new and exciting ways to insult them.”

Rising from the table, Lianna laughed as she looked admiringly at Joseph. His little speech had actually worked. Suddenly, Lianna did feel confident. She did feel sexy. As she watched him slide on his jacket and reach for her hand, Lianna grinned to herself. Even if she never heard from Joseph Hart again for the rest of her life, she would never forget how good he had just made her feel.

-----

Lianna and Joseph had walked through the small shopping district near her house, and then over to a nearby park after the sun set. Sitting down on the swings side-by-side, Lianna listened while Joseph told her stories about his wild adolescence and his move to New York at eighteen, right after graduation. He had met the singer of Broken Dynamite while working as a waiter, the two of them formed the band, they auditioned for a bassist and drummer, and three months later, they were playing around New York. It took a couple years, but the band eventually got signed, and since then they had put out three albums, all of which had made it into the top twenty. It was a pretty incredible story.

“It’s got to be so amazing,” Lianna stood up from the swing she was sitting on and looked into the darkening sky. “To do what you love, to get paid tons of money to do something you would do for free.”

“It is,” Joseph got up to and stood beside Lianna, looking at the same patch of stars she was gazing at. “But it’s got its downside, too. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, oh-poor-me whiner. I know how lucky I am; it’s just that, when you get famous, people treat you differently, and you don’t know why they want to be around you. That’s one of the things I liked so much about you on the plane. You had no idea who I was, but you still liked me.”

“I did,” Lianna smiled at him. “I do. I think you’re a really great guy.”

“I think I am too,” Joseph teased.

“Will you stop it with the cockiness for a minute,” Lianna laughed as she reached out to slap his shoulder jokingly. Before she reached him, though, Joseph grabbed her wrist. She stopped laughing and felt her pulse racing as Joseph pulled her wrist up to wrap it around his neck, pulling her body flush against his. Putting her other arm around his neck, Lianna looked up into Joseph’s eyes and shivered when she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

“I will not stop it with the cockiness,” Joseph’s voice was soft and low, looking into Lianna’s eyes. He dropped his head and Lianna closed her eyes as she felt his mouth touch hers. His lips were warm and soft as they pressed against hers. Lianna could feel his breath, hot and moist, as she opened her mouth and felt him take her bottom lip between his teeth. He scraped lightly and then traced Lianna’s upper lip with the tip of his tongue. Letting her hand bury into his hair, Lianna felt Joseph’s tongue slide into her mouth, meeting hers, as his hands ran across her back. They kissed deeply, moving from enjoyment to desire to urgency.

Regretfully, Lianna broke the kiss, looking up into Joseph’s eyes. He searched her flushed face, his hunger obvious in both the intensity in his eyes and his hardness against her hip. Finally, a look of resignation broke across his face and he gave Lianna a small smile. “I take it this is as far as the evening is going to progress?” he asked lightly.

There was nothing Lianna wanted more than to strip down and have sex with Joseph right there on ground, but she willed herself to be strong. She hoped he would want to see her again, and she wasn’t sure he would if they moved too fast right now. “I want this,” Lianna was breathless. “But… I’d like to wait a little. I know you’re probably not used to girls saying that, but I feel like I have to.”

“I’m not used to girls saying that,” Joseph agreed with a grin. “But you’re not like other girls, so I guess I can accept that.”

Biting her lip, Lianna disentangled herself from Joseph. “Well… thank you for understanding.”

When Joseph didn’t respond, Lianna looked up and saw him smiling. Wordlessly, he reached over and slid some loose hairs behind her ear. “And thank you for being you,” he finally said.

They walked back to the car hand-in-hand, and Joseph drove Lianna back to her parents’ house. During the drive, he asked when she would be back in New York, and told her he would call her the night she returned. He even walked her to her door, kissing her softly on the lips. “I really like you, Lianna.”

“I really like you, too,” Lianna was blushing.

“Now tell me one more time,” Joseph grinned wickedly. “What are you? What are you that you don’t have to apologize for?”

“I’m sexy,” Lianna laughed. “I’m damn sexy.”

“Yes, you are,” Joseph grinned. “And so am I. See how well this is going to work?”

Lianna watched as Joseph got back into his car and drove off. “Yes, you are damn sexy, Joseph,” she whispered out loud with a big grin before going into the house.