Until You Feel At Home

Chapter Fourteen

Brandon

Brandon didn't bother asking. He just sent her a text saying he'd pick her up at 10 the next morning. That was the plan anyways, until he spent the entire night falling in and out of sleep, annoying the hell out of Simon with his restlessness. His brain played a slideshow of her disappointed expressions, of her on top of him. He was giving her everything she wanted. It was what he wanted, too. He just wanted to be able to say goodbye to her without having his soul crushed a little more.

But it was around 3 AM, one arm under his pillow and the other covering his eyes, that he resigned to complete lack of sleep and started playing scenarios out in his mind. If they become great friends and resist the urge to hook up then they can stay in touch after she leaves and pay a couple visits to each other here and there. That sounded lovely despite the never ending tension between them. And couldn't they still do that if they slept together? They could... if no one got their heart broken. But Brandon had this feeling his heart would surely break if they spent a summer getting closer and closer just for her to leave, and only come back once or twice a year.

But that was going to happen whether they slept together or not, he told himself. They could never touch again and he'd still fall for her. He knew because it was happening right in front of his eyes. He'd known her for barely a week and he had his tongue in her mouth on his couch just hours ago. You're thinking too hard. She said. She also said she wouldn't ask him to kiss her again. If he decided to go against his better judgment and act on his impulses he'd have to initiate. It wasn't going to be easy for him, and he didn't know what to do.

He gave up on sleep hours before she expected him, and decided to go to the diner for breakfast. He could take comfort knowing she was only one floor away from him while he waited for time to pass. He entered the diner with a bing from the bell above the door, and caught Rob's attention.

"Brandon!" He greeted cheerfully. "Nice to see you again so soon. The service was great yesterday, you and Claire did a fantastic job."

"Thank you Rob. I appreciate it." He shook Rob's hand in thanks and pointed to a booth in the back. "Mind if I sit there?"

"Not at all. What are you eating today?"

"French toast and some coffee, if you please."

Rob shouted the order to his son back in the kitchen and Brandon made his way back to his booth. He did some business on his phone as he waited for his food and sipped his coffee. He ordered supplies, scheduled drop offs and pickups, and sent a few follow up emails to confirm future appointments. It wasn't distraction enough to keep him from checking the time every 30 seconds. 8:08 AM. 8:10 AM. 8:11 AM. He closed his eyes and sat his phone face down, rubbing his eyelids until he saw kaleidoscopes.

"Your food, sir." Someone said, clanging the plate down on the table.

"Thanks." He muttered back, not taking his face out of his hands. He groaned to himself and inhaled, comforted by the smell of cinnamon and powdered sugar. He could feel the steam from his breakfast on his skin and his stomach rumbled. He opened his eyes to find Rob, and tried to give him a silent thank you before digging into the best looking french toast he'd ever seen, but instead found that he must've fallen asleep and begun dreaming. Claire was at the counter, her hair tied up in a bun at the top of her head, she wore a shirt that was several sizes too big and shorts that were almost completely hidden underneath her top. Her slippers that looked like she'd worn them through the mud.

He pinched his left hand with his right before realizing he was awake, and witnessing Claire order her breakfast. She laughed with Rob, pointing at a menu on the table. He poured coffee over ice for her as he grinned, listening to whatever she had to say about the food. He watched her hands move with her words and her hips sway as she transferred her weight from one leg to another. Rob looked to Brandon, and pointed Claire toward him. He blushed watching her face light up when she saw him. He was completely screwed.