~Dandy, you know you can't escape the past. Look around you and see the people settle down and when you're old and grey you will remember what they said, that two girls are too many, three's a crowd and four you're dead.~

Brian never really believed in fate. Everything happened for a reason, that was true, but there always was an explanation and a reason somewhere.

Even if he seriously was lacking one at the moment.

He had caught the bit with Marion's sister going with them, even if he couldn't understand why and especially not when he saw her. She was like Marion beautiful, but differently, whereas Marion looked thin and had a rather androgynous body, her sister was more womanly, which her long black skirt underlined very well. Brian had to admit, even though her fashion sense was too boring for him, she knew in what she would look good. Her white tulle blouse embraced her natural curves and made them stand out. She definitely had no hourglass figure, but she knew how to pretend to have one.

Celeste as she was called, was definitely not Brian's type physically on the first glance. Maybe if she lost a bit of weight, wore a shorter skirt and some more flashy clothes, she would be. Not that he had a need for her anyway. Marion was good enough for him at the moment, and anyway he doubted Marion had taken her with them for him to sleep with her.

Or maybe she had.

Even if she wasn't really his type, Marion still had to fear that Brian would still try to make a pass at her sister. They were surely nothing exclusively and she had to know that he wasn't exactly fond of her as well. Furthermore, wasn't it dangerous for her plan to bewitch the director too if she brought another beautiful girl with her? If he preferred more curves on a girl, Marion surely wouldn't be his first choice and her plan would be ruined. Not that Brian cared, he was just curious about Marion's motifs. Whatever it was she was plotting was surely no fate.

Celeste was a waitress apparently, which raised Brian's suspicions only more, that indeed there was something more behind this get-together than Marion's movie career. At least at first, Celeste seemed not interested in him or anything else that went around them. She nipped on her drink all evening and similar like him she sometimes nodded when her sister said something.

Brian sat opposite of Marion, so that he didn't get a full look on Celeste, who was sitting next to her sister, but she seemed very bored and he understand less and less why Marion had persisted on dragging her along. He could understand the use of his company perhaps, but not the one of her sister.

Their table was located at the back of the club, that way they (or rather Marion, because Brian surely didn't care and Celeste seemed more occupied to play around with her glass than anything else) could overlook the whole club to wait for Marion's prey to arrive. It was already getting late and Brian started to suspect, whoever had told her that the director would be here had obviously misinformed her and hence the whole evening had been even more of a total waste then he had already feared. Brian was already looking for an excuse to disappear without an argument on Marion's side, when she suddenly jumped up and run off. Leaving her sister and him on their own as if they hadn't mattered to her for a minute, which they probably hadn't.

Brian quietly snorted and lit a cigarette. At least now he didn't need to worry about an excuse to disappear or he could try to make this evening not a complete waste. It might be low of him that he wanted to sleep with Celeste, as long as he was involved with her sister, but Marion surely wasn't thinking about him either while she was seducing the movie director and Brian still had the suspicion that this was some stupid plan of Marion. As long as he was occupied with her sister, he wouldn't move on to the next girl so that he was still around if she needed him. Brian was really tempted to leave and crush her plan, but on the other hand Celeste did indeed look good and it would be stupid of him to pass her by.

"So you-"Brian started off, but he didn't get a word further.

"I'm not my sister, so don't even think about it," She interrupted him, visibly annoyed that Brian had addressed her. Her glass was empty and she was already back in her coat, ready to leave, which diffused Brian's suspicions. She obviously didn't want to keep him company. "I know your sort and it never worked out in my favour before. I want a man to love me and only me, somebody I don't have to share with everybody else and that's definitely not you, Mr. Jones."

He had to admit she had startled him a tad. Celeste hadn't said more than a few words all evening and for her suddenly to be so open with him, seemed out of character. He had thought she was some bored waitress, who had begged her sister to take her to some club and introduce her to a different life to spice her boring one up. Her guarded manner had somehow even underlined this theory, until she had crushed it in the blink of an eye, but Brian liked turns and especially this made him curious.

"Call me Brian and you would be surprised how many people actually don't like me," He told her smirking. "I can be really vulgar, unpleasant and obstinate apparently, so technically you wouldn't have to share me with everyone."

She raised a single eyebrow. "And that's supposed to change my mind?"

"I have my ways." Brian smiled. He had definitely underestimated the girl. Maybe this evening wasn't a complete waste after all. He usually didn't have to chase after a woman he wanted, being famous opened a lot of doors. Therefore it might have been even more fun to play with somebody, who clearly tried to stay away from him than somebody who was already blown away upon seeing him. Celeste was annoyed and that very visibly, but at the same time there was a spark of curiosity and longing in her eyes. Brian knew if he pushed her buttons right she would forget her resolutions and he could have even more fun with her than he already had. It was really tempting offer, even with the prospect in mind that he exactly played into Marion's cards.

"And I have class," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She was witty, Brian had to give her that, even if he wasn't sure if he liked it or if it annoyed him. On the other hand, it wasn't like he wanted to keep her around for the rest of his life and currently he found her act highly amusing. "Listen I just went with my sister, because she begged me to and as far as I can tell she left, so there's no reason for me to stay anymore. It was nice to meet you and everything, but I need to go home," she said and got up.

"So you're not part of Marion's plan?" he wondered and nearly hit himself. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. Simply because it sounded ridiculous and judging by Celeste's face it was even more than he had suspected.

"Marion's plan?" She asked frowning at his words, clearly not understanding what he exactly meant.

"You occupy me with your hard to get act, giving her time to seduce the director and come back to me before I leave with a different girl," Brian lamely explained and he knew he had ruined his chance with Celeste.

"If that was her plan, I didn't know about it nor do I care. In my opinion she's better off without you anyway. So I surely won't hold you back. Go and make some other girl unhappy," she pointed out with a rather disregarding hand gesture.

Brian knew he was a cad sometimes, so her words shouldn't have bothered him, but they did. It was low to blame him for corrupting her sister, when Marion was the one using him and not the other way around. He was so tired of people assuming things of him, because they had read some shitty newspaper story. "Sure blame me, but do you want to know the truth? Your sister is a slut, who sleeps with everyone, who might help her become famous!"

He expected Celeste to get angry, but instead she seemed hardly fazed by his words. "Trust me I know how my sister is, but that doesn't mean I have to like you! You only care about her, because she's good-looking and easy, so please explain me why I should have any sympathy for you? On the other hand, save it, I don't want to know. I really don't care; I just want to get home. So bye."

"I don't want your sympathy anyway, "Brian yelled after her, it was stupid of him, but he felt ridiculed by her and he couldn't let her have the last word too nor did he want to admit she had caught him off guard again. He had to stand his ground. "Tell your sister she can look for somebody else to hang on to, I don't need this drama, I have better things to do. Oh and tell her that maybe she should switch her career to a more sideways business as well."

He doubted she had heard him and even if she had she made no intention of it, instead everybody else around him in the club seemed to look at him judgingly. Brian knew on his own how childish he had behaved, he didn't need their stares too. Since Marion had asked him to accompany her to this club, his mood had been shit and it seemed to have got worse by every minute. Sulking on his own with a cigarette and a drink probably wasn't helping improve it either.

The evening had been a complete waste of time.

Chapter title and lyrics by the Kinks.

Maybe it's just me, but Brian always seems like a total idiot in my stories. Sorry. 😅

Well thanks for reading, voting and of course feedback is always very welcome. ❤❤❤