Happiness
"So you want like a drink or whatever?" Brandon said happily as he put the keyboard down on the kitchen bench top.
Callie walked slowly in gazing around at the room.
There were kids toys scattered across a green carpet. An old couch sat in front of a box TV.
Callie's eyes drew to an slightly open door. She peeked in and could see an unmade double bed.
She swallowed nervously at the idea that they were sharing a bed. It wasn't obvious to what else they were doing there.
She looked away and back at Brandon who was searching the fridge for something.
"Well, we did have juice but now-"
"What are you doing?" Callie asked almost another by his burst of glee and maturity.
He turned around and looked at her in a frown.
"What do you mean?"
"This, all of this. You're really running away?"
"I'm not, I" He began but his words got all choked up in his throat. "Well so what if I'm running away?."
"You can't just run, Brandon." She shrugged loosely. "Besides, that's my thing."
If he wasn't in that position he probably would've laughed.
He placed his hands down on the bench top and looked at her. His brown curls falling along his forehead and his dark eyes meeting with hers.
"So how are things? At home, I mean?" Brandon asked.
Callie smiled inside as he still referred to it as home.
"Uh, yeah things are good." She nodded slightly as she sat down on a yellow chair on the other side of the bench top.
"No ones, like, weirded out?" He chuckled under his breath.
Callie frowned. "What like between us?"
Brandon bit down on his bottom lip and nodded.
"No one knows anything." She replied.
Brandon jolted his head to the left slightly. "Really?"
"Well, yeah. Moms haven't even asked me anything else."
"Why not?" He asked as he too sat down on a yellow chair across from her. "I thought they'd be all over you by now, specially with me gone."
Callie tucked her hair behind her ear.
"They know you're here, with Courtney. I didn't tell them that you bought the house, and I won't."
Brandon gave a small quick smile then turned and faced the sink.
"So how is everyone? How's Mariana going?" He asked over the tap of streaming water.
"She's getting there. She's back with Mat, I think. He comes over a lot, actually he asked where you were do you- you want me to tell?"
Brandon turned off the tap and turned back around wiping his hands with a very overused flannel.
"No, its best if people don't know where I am."
Callie straightened up in her seat.
"Why not?"
"Because, well... I'm happy here." He finalised, it was like he was trying to convince himself more than Callie.
"Really?" She nodded impatiently. "Because it looks like you haven't slept in days, your house is full of nothing you own, you didn't even have a piano to play until now. Are you happy here, brandon? Are you really?"
Brandon looked down at the floor as he continued to wipe his hands on the towel.
Callie could see the hesitation and almost guilt he possessed. She knew he wasn't happy there.
He flickered his eyes back up to her.
"I am happy here." He placed the flannel down on the drying dishes then leant against the cupboard doors. "And I don't want anyone else to ruin it, to come here."
"Then why did you give me the address?" Callie asked strongly trying to get some of 'Brandon' out of this stern, tired man.
Brandon looked to her and it was almost like he was talking to her with his eyes. Like he was saying, I need you.
Callie looked back at him and she felt every ounce of pain he felt.
Just then the door flung.
"Courtney" Brandon said in surprise as he thought she'd still be at work. "I thought you were working?"
"Yeah, I had to pick up mason from Day Care, Eddie was done with DUI last night" she replied sarcastically she
hadn't even turned to look at them. She just fumbled around with her bag and her shoes facing her back to the others.
"Looks like I'll be driving mason every-"
She turned and saw Callie sitting tensely in one of her yellow chairs.
"Oh, hi..."
Callie gave a small nervous smile.
"I didn't know you were coming over" she began slowly as she was walking towards them. "Or anyone for that matter."
"Yeah, sorry I didn't mean to, you know, just barge in" she laughed nervously. "I just came to drop of Brandon's keyboard, I was just leaving."
Callie slid off of the chair and stepped forward when Courtney spoke.
"No, it's ok."
Callie turned and looked at her and her slightly creepy smile.
Courtney placed a big brown paper bag on the bench top.
"I bought Chinese. I got an extra serving, cause this one always eats mine." She looked over and smirked at Brandon.
Brandon gave a small smile back feeling slightly uncomfortable and trapped between the girl he loved, and his actual girlfriend.
"It's ok, I gotta lot a homework anyway, thank you though." She smiled like she was saying goodbye.
"Isn't school closed tomorrow?" Courtney grabbed the bag and held it in front of her chest.
Callie's eyes widened at her seriously strange approach. She could tell she was mad that she basically walked in on her boyfriend and the love of his life. This was her of figuring out why it was that way.
Callie looked from her to Brandon and Brandon was thinking the exact same thing about Courtney.
Courtney looked up to Brandon and smiled then back to Callie.
"Uh, yeah, stay." He grinned.
Callie bit on the inside of her lip realising what she was getting hers elf into.
"Ok yeah." She faked a smile then sat back down on the seat.
Oh god, Callie thought. Here we go.