Chapter 8

After they had soaked in the Jacuzzi, they took a hot shower together and then dried each other off. Maks and Brandy walked back into the bedroom holding hands; wrapped in bath sheets. Brandy grabbed her bag and pulled out a camisole and boy shorts from the bag and put them on.

Maks walked over to his dresser and grabbed a pair of silk pajama bottoms to put on.

They walked over to the bed, and Brandy pulled back the white comforter and black silk sheets and crawled onto the bed.

“I am so tired.” Brandy yawned.

Maks walked over to his bedroom window, and stared out into the darkness of the night with his tormented thoughts.

“Brandy we need to talk.” Maks said turning to face her.

“Can’t it wait until the morning, I’m exhausted?” She pleaded.

“No! It can’t”

“What’s wrong, Maks?”

Maks walked over to the bed and lied down beside her and pulled her into his arms so that she was lying on his chest. Brandy could feel his heart beating in his chest and the quiet rhythm soothed her nervous heart.

“Brandy, we never really talked after the show was over, I think we were in a state of shock after being eliminated, and then travelling to do all the press circuits and then with all of the controversy, we didn’t have time to think everything through.”

Maks continued as Brandy quietly listened. “Did you ever notice that during our interviews, and if the question of us dating came up, I never tried to squash them?”

Brandy lifted out of his arms and turned to look at Maks and she replied. “I just thought you were playing a game and so I played along with you. I watched a lot of the footage on you and Erin from last season and you guys looked really cozy and intimate. So I just told myself that this is the way he is; he’s a flirt and he knows how to charm women into falling in love with him. The whole world could see that Erin was and still in love with you, and unfortunately so am I.”

“Do you really love me?” He asked hopefully.

“Maks I do love you and I tried so hard to deny my feelings, I never felt this way with anyone. I was so giddily happy just to be in the same space with you. You have given me so much of my joy and confidence back. I thought it was gone forever, never has a man made me feel the way you do. I was devastated when we were eliminated, and not for the reasons that everyone thinks; it was because I wouldn’t be seeing your gorgeous face every day, your smile, that body, and I wouldn’t feel your touch, because when you touch me I feel complete, I feel loved, and special.”

Brandy continued, “I have never felt this comfortable with any man (besides my father and brother of course) before we met, we had instant chemistry, and it scared the hell out of me. Especially since I thought you and Erin were together, and I thought you could never be attracted to me.” She concluded.

“It was hard for me to keep my hands off of you. I am a touchy, feely person, but I felt the need to constantly touch you, because it made me feel complete. Every time you would touch me I felt little butterflies in the pit of my stomach that I tried to ignore, but it was too overwhelming. I felt this urge to protect you, and I wanted to be a better person just for you,” he said kissing her forehead.

“Maks I’m scared, where do we go from here? You live here in New York, and I’m in LA. I’ve tried doing the long distance relationship and it’s too hard. I don’t want to fail in another relationship, I want to win and be happy. I don’t know what to do, I’m so confused and scared, that maybe we should just be really good friends, and just chalk all of this up as a really great moment in my life.”

 “Do you understand how much I love you, and want you to be a part of my life? I’m tired of playing the role of just being ‘your’ friend; we are not in front of the cameras anymore.”

“I know this Maks, but you just said you will give me some time to try to figure out what this is between us.”

“Figure out what? You’re doing all these different interviews, telling these reporters how you are ready to be in a relationship and be in love. What is all that shit about?”

“Maks, listen I don’t want to argue with you, I didn’t come here for that.”

“Then why did you come?” He said angrily.

“I came because I wanted to see you and spend time with you.”

Maks abruptly pushed Brandy from him and got out of the bed, he began pacing the floor like a caged lion, and then he stormed back over to a bewildered looking brandy and said,

“I think your problem is you don’t know what it is you want, and that you need to grow up. You still act like a little girl, who is sheltered, I am not taking away any of your accomplishments but you don’t have a clue about life, and love. You want a storybook fantasy, and sometimes baby you better take what’s offered, because it might not come around again!”

“Why should I settle for anything less than what I want, I deserve to be happy.” She yelled.

“Because everything that glitters isn’t gold, Brandy.” He whispered, and walked out the room.

Brandy sat on the bed shell shocked in how things so quickly changed from wonderful into a nightmare. Brandy knew everything that he said was true, but to say she was acting like a little girl was a bit much. Yes she had her heart guarded, but so did Maks. He was always guarded and most times she didn’t know what he was thinking or feeling. However, brandy was willing to take most of the blame for why they have arrived here at this point.

Brandy debated if she should go and find Maks or give him time to cool off. She decided to do the latter, and rested her head on the pillow and cried herself to sleep.

Meanwhile, Maks sat down on the couch with his laptop in his lap and navigated to YouTube to watch the video on their Rumba dance. He loved to watch this dance over and over, because this dance was the only time he has witnessed Brandy unguarded and so free. He knew why she was able to be so free an uninhibited, because the night before was their first time making love. He knew it was dangerous to go to the lengths he did to get her to showcase this type of passion, but he couldn’t resist or deny the yearning he felt towards her.

He had been love before with Karina, and he thought they would be married by now with a baby on the way, but Karina didn’t want to start a family, she wanted to wait five years before they had children, but he was ready to be a husband and a father. Maks decided that they wanted too many different things to be married and mutually they ended their engagement.

With Erin she came into his life when he was still hurting from his break up, and she made him laugh, and see life from a humorous stand point. Erin’s friendship had brought some peace and happiness to his jaded world. What he didn’t know was how vulnerable Erin was and how deeply she had fallen for him. Yeah they that it would be cute to play around with the rumor about them being romantically linked, but it was really just get back at Karina, since it seemed so easy for her to move on to the next man, as if he did not matter.

With Brandy it was just different. Their instant chemistry was undeniable, that even his brother and close friends could see it. He loved flirting with her, because she was so innocent and sexy. She made his heart beat with excitement every time he saw her, and her smile...

This season of dwts had him seriously thinking of not returning, not because of what went down with Bristol Palin and the so called tea party voting scandal, but because he can’t imagine dancing with anyone else.

Maks shut down his laptop, and stood up and stretched and headed back up stairs to the woman he loved.

Maks stretched out next to the sleeping beauty and he stared at her and realized that Brandy was crying in her sleep.  It ripped his heart out to see her crying, because he knew her tears were caused by him.

Softly, he called out her name. “Brandy, Brandy.” He gently shook her shoulder and her eyes fluttered opened, and she stared at him.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, can you please forgive me?”

Brandy reached out for him and he snuggled in her arms and she said,

“Yes, and will you forgive me for my hang ups?”

They kissed and then fell asleep holding each other.