The Juxtapose Accentuation

The Ear-worm Reverberation Exploration I

A/N: So apparently this will be a two-part conclusion... Here's the first one.

Disclaimer: Nothing that belongs to The Big Bang Theory, included in this fiction, is mine. They all belong to the creators and producers of the TV show.

Chapter 15: The Ear-worm Reverberation Exploration I

Monday morning, found Vanessa in one of the benches lining Griffith park. The talk she had with Brent over the phone, early last Sunday ended with her agreeing to meet him. He said he'll fly to California anytime she wants. She honestly didn't care too much about his attempt at impressing her. If that was his intent, then she definitely wasn't affected. Her words to Sheldon were true. She had to somehow move forward instead of running away from the ghost of her past. She figured the sooner she deals with it, the better, so she challenged him to be in California by Monday morning. He was more than willing to fly out. While waiting for the said man, her thoughts were on what happened last Saturday night. She broke down in front of an, albeit nice, stranger, then jumped on him out of desperation to cover the sadness that followed. Not knowing that the guy has no experience on physical intimacy. She still feels embarrassed about what she did to him, but she felt that she found a true friend in him after being transparent with Sheldon. That was another thing that she still couldn't believe; the uptight, Physicist opening up to her. They have only known each other for a month, but she feels close to him. Like she can be honest with the man about anything. It's refreshing to know someone in that way. Coming to LA is proving more and more of a good decision as months go by and meeting Sheldon only made things better. In Texas, she's always kept herself away from a lot of people who could've been her friends; choosing to stick with her brother and Brent for company. She knew people, but never allowed herself to be close to anyone else. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and had to hold her breath at the sight of Brent. He looked different, and not in a good way. He has dark circles under his eyes and he looked thinner than the last time she saw him. He looked so different than the youthful guy he used to be, but it was his smile that almost made Vanessa want to cry. Despite the changes in his physique, he still had the kindest smile the same smile he wore when they're together.

He walked around her and asked if he could sit next to her. He sat down and set his bag next to him at his feet. Vanessa didn't want to stare at him but couldn't help but do just that. She planned to remain as cold as possible during their meeting, and it's proving harder and harder stick to her plan the longer she look at him. If it weren't for his eyes, she would think that he's about ready to lose consciousness. He looked frail.

When she couldn't look any longer, she diverted her eyes to the people passing, jogging or walking their dogs. She had to steady her breath. The muscled man with the boyish features was nowhere to be seen today. His brown eyes were the part of him that's giving off sense of familiarity. Despite of everything that happened over the past year, her facade of being a cold hearted person was quickly melting away. She felt that it wasn't fair and that she had to regain control. He's the one who wanted something from her, he's the one who asked to see her. Shouldn't he be talking by now? Minutes slipped away and neither one spoke.

"Surely you didn't fly all the way from Texas to sit on a bench," she said, coldly. Brent looked sideways at her and she saw it through her peripheral vision. She didn't look at him. She knew she'd get lost in his eyes if she did. Letting all her effort of getting over him will be all for naught if she allowed him to get to her.

"No. Not really," he started, looking away. "You look well. And you cut your hair," he continued.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," she replied, sounding harsh. She wished he would just get to the point. Not in the mood for pleasantries, she willed herself to look at him and tell him to get on with whatever he wanted to tell her. "What do you want to happen here exactly?"