Notes: I'm gonna write in first person now, I really don't know if I'll switch between Rowan and Brandon's POVs. Enjoy!
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I woke up to Hailey shaking me in bed.
"Finally!" she said groaning.
"What do you want? I'm trying to sleep." I said pulling the blanket over my head.
"Seriously. You forgot?!"
"Forgot what?"
"We were all gonna go get coffee."
"Oh, yeah. Uh, let me get ready and I'll meet you outside."
Hailey nodded and left my room. I started getting ready thinking about how in a few hours I would see Brandon. I only visited him once, it was his 2nd week there. He had gotten in a fight with another prisoner and had a huge bruise and gash on his face. His knuckles were bruised and cut up as well. I went just to see him, not to talk. I didn't say a single word to him, all I did was sit there and look at him. He explained what happen, understanding that I wasn't going to say anything.
I shake out of it and finish getting ready. I grabbed my phone and my bag and went outside. Hailey was waiting in the car, and I got in.
"Took you long enough," Hailey laughed as she started driving to the coffee shop.
We would be meeting up with Elisia, Hawk, and Ash since he had a shift. We arrived and went inside.
"Hey Row," Elisia said getting up and hugging me.
I was confused because they didn't really hug that much.
"We heard about Brandon," Elisia said.
"What? What about him?" I said starting to panic. 'Did Stinger tell them?' I thought to myself.
"Didn't you hear? They are releasing him today." Hawk said sipping his coffee.
"Oh, yeah. I think tonight I'm gonna stay home. I don't think I can see him." I said lying.
I felt horrible lying to my friends, but they couldn't know what I am going to do tonight. They would want to come and I can't risk it. I just- I just can't. The entire time we hung out I sorta just sat there. Counting down the time until I would see him again. 3 hours....2 and a half....1 hour....
"Okay well I'll see you guys later," Elisia says standing up. Ash came from the back door and walked up.
"I'll drive you, see you guys," Ash said opening the door for Elisia.
"Bye!" We all said to them.
"I should get home too. I want to be home when he.. you know." I said getting my things together and standing up.
"You need a ride?" Hailey said to me.
"Nah, I can walk home," I said hugging her. "Bye, you guys."
They said bye and I left. Walking down the street I felt the breeze hit my neck, I still wasn't used to having short hair. I went towards the police station, I knew he had been sent from the prison because it was too far from here and his dad wasn't going to pick him up. He was going to be released in half an hour which is fine because Rowan needed the time. She got to the station and sat down. She waited and waited. Thinking about what she would say, what she'd do.
All of a sudden the door opened and Rowan kept her head down. She was scared, really scared. She lifted her head to see Brandon sit down, filling out paperwork. She waited another few minutes for him to finish. She stood up and was about to leave, not being able to take the pressure.
"Rowan?" she heard his voice. They never had a good connection over the phone so hearing his voice, the same one that reassured her that nobody could forget her, that she wasn't a shitty person.
She slowly turned around.
"Brandon. Hey," She said looking down and twiddling her thumbs.
He walked up to her, not too close because he knew his boundaries. She couldn't take it anymore. She walked (more like ran) to him, hugging him tightly. Her face buried in the crook of his neck, her hand in his hair.
Brandon finally reacted by putting his arms around her.
"I thought you hated me," he said whispering.
"I don't know what I feel. Right now I'm pretending you were never bad, that you went away for 2 months. That we- that you-" I tried to get it out but all hell broke loose. I wasn't going to let him see me break down but I did. I cried in his arms and I couldn't stop.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." He said holding me tighter.
"No, it's not. Nothing is okay." I said running out of his grip and going outside. I sat down against the building not knowing where to go or what to do.
I heard him come outside, he sat next to me and didn't say anything.
"You know, I've been going up to your roof every weekend. I dreamt about you every night. All I ever wanted was for you to come back, and now that you're here I don't know what to do. I trusted you. Hell, I liked you. After everything you had done I, I actually liked you." I said, looking ahead of me.
"I never wanted to hurt you. You remember, the day that, that you could've told Trevor and Sean about Fishy and you didn't?" He said, and I nodded.
"That was the day I realized I liked you. That was the day that I told 'The Zoo' to stop. I tried so hard and they wouldn't listen. That night when I kissed you, I meant it. I only went to find out who King Cobra was and I didn't know you would be there. I'm sorry, Row. I really am."
I forgot about the plan. I didn't trust him yet, but I missed him. I slowly intertwined our hands and we sat there in silence.
It wasn't awkward, it was peaceful.
