Before the Worst
You were my life
I picked up the phone slowly. "Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, it's me," a deep voice replied. My eyes filled with tears.
"Brandon?" I choked out.
"Yeah. Baby, I miss you. I miss what we had," he said. His smooth deep voice washing over me. "I miss your laugh and your smile. You're my best friend. I love you. Please just come back home." I closed my eyes tight.
"Brandon, you hurt me. I can't live like that. I won't live like that. I'm sorry," I said while tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Emily, I've changed.I promise I won't do it again," he was begging now. Actually begging. I was getting close to breaking. "Think about all that we have been through. Remember all the fun times we have spent together. I know I still remember those times. Do you? When I asked you to marry me I meant it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you I love you. You are all I need to live." I closed my eyes tightly and tried to remember back before it all went wrong.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 4. Emily's Bedroom 8:46 A.M.
The sun shone through the drapes hanging over my bed. I rolled over and hugged him. He was my best friend. He was my life. He was my love. He was everything to me. I watched him slowly wake up and look at me. He smiled at me, his white teeth sparkled. He brushed some hair behind my ear. I smiled back.
"Morning sleepy head," I murmured.
"Morning," he said and then kissed my forehead. "Emily I've been thinking." I tried to hide my fear.
"About what?" I asked trying to stay calm. I didn't want him to be done with me yet. I loved him.
He reached behind him and picked a little blue box with a white ribbon off of my side table. He put it between us on the bed.
"About our future," He opened the box. "I want to be with you forever." Tears welled up in my eyes. "Oh, don't cry, Em." He wiped a single tear off of my cheek. "I love you, Em. Will you be mine forever? Will you marry me?" I started crying tears of joy. I wiped my eyes and laughed.
"Of course, I'll marry you," I said my tears slowed down. He hugged me quickly and then lightly kissed my lips.
"Here let me help you with that," he said while taking the ring out of its box. I hadn't even looked at the ring yet. The ring had a diamond in the middle with a sapphire on each side of it. They were placed on a white gold band that looked delicate to the touch. Sapphire was my birthstone and I had told him once that I dreamed of having a sapphire on my engagement ring. I smiled up at him as he slid the ring on to my finger. He smiled back and kissed me again. I giggled and kissed him back. He hugged me close to him. "Emily you are my world I love you with all of my heart." He kissed the top of my head. I got choked up again.
"I love you too. I want to be with you forever and always," I said trying not to cry again. I couldn't imagine life with out him, I didn't want to.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 30 Deliah's Bakery 11:30 A.M.
"I told you already," I screamed at him. "Our appointments at 12 but they want us to check in by 11:30!" We were walking to the front door. I stooped in front of the door and turned to him.
"I don't see why that means I have to go check in at 11:30 with you!" he screamed back. "Why couldn't I come at 12 in my car?!" I teared up slightly.
"If you don't want to go with me while we look for stuff for our wedding then don't," I screamed back. I was hurt that we had only been engaged for a couple of weeks and he didn't want to do anything with me. He didn't want to help pick flowers or taste test cakes or decide if we were going to serve fish or chicken at the reception. I tried my hardest to include him in this but he just didn't want to help. I didn't want to become a bridezilla like my sister did but, he just wasn't cooperating. Tears rolled down my cheek. "I wanted this to be a thing we did as a couple. but if you don't want to do any of this just go home," I said softly in a defeated tone. "I'll get a taxi home." I turned and walked through the door. He followed me in.
"Don't pull the poor-pitiful-me-card on me," he said still angry. "I'm not going to be made out as the bad guy here. I turned to him getting tired of this.
"Just go home, Brandon," I said almost screaming again. "I don't care if you are here! If you don't want to help then don't just say so. I thought we were supposed to be getting married but right now all I want to do is get as far away from you as physically possible! Just go away!" I turned to the lady at the counter. She stared at me sadly.
"I'm sorry," she mouthed. I nodded. Brandon put his hand on my shoulder.
"I didn't think this meant that much to you," he said. He squeezed my shoulder and then hugged me from behind. "I'm sorry. I'll stay and I won't complain for the rest of the time. I promise." I sighed and rubbed his hand.
"It's okay," I said. He kissed my cheek. I looked at the lady again. She looked like she was having a complex. "Um, hi. We are here for the 12 o'clock appointment for Jones." She nodded and typed in the name.
"Have a seat over there and Deliah will be out in a minute to talk with you," she said and pointed to a love seat over by the window. We sat down. He put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned on him.
"I love you," he whispered in my ear. I smiled and looked up at him.
"I love you too," I said. He kissed my lips passionately and I kissed back. No more then 10 minutes after being there he checked his watch and sighed. I picked up a wedding dress magazine and flipped through the pages. I found the ugliest one in the book and showed it to him. "I'm gonna wear this one," I said. I smiled up at him and winked. He chuckled.
"You do that, babe," he said still laughing some. "I'll be the one in the hot pink tux." He winked back. We both sat there and laughed for a while and then it was silent again. He looked at his watch and sighed.
"Really you don't have to be here," I said. He smiled a fake smile at me.
"I want to be here," he said. He coughed and started tapping his foot while looking around the room. I put my hand on his leg so he would stop tapping. He started tapping the other boot.
"Hun, can you stop tapping?" I asked. I was very stressed. He looked at me slightly annoyed.
"Sure," he said. No less than 2 minutes later he started drumming his fingers. I looked at him angrily. He kept drumming. I stood up and walked to another chair. I couldn't take the noise. He looked at me. I could tell that I had pushed a wrong button. He stood up and walked out the door. I sighed and started reading the magazine again.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 30th Emily and Brandon's Loft 2:45 P.M.
I walked through the door and dropped my keys on the table in the front hall. I sighed and walked into the sitting room. I saw Brandon's clothes laying across the floor. Hmm, maybe he's wanting for us to have make up sex. I walked to our room. Along the way I found a pair of black high heels and a black lace skirt. When I stepped into the room I found a red and black striped Polo and black lace bra. I picked up the bra and walked over to the bed. I saw Brandon asleep sprawled out across the bed. Our comforter coverded his body. On the comforter say a little black g-string. I gawked at it for a minute.
"Brandon?"I whispered. I shook him slightly.
"No,' he murmured. "Go home. Em's, going to be home soon." He swatted at me. I slapped him in the back of the head.
"That's who's talking, jackass," I said loudly. His eyes opened quickly. He turned over and looked at me. Something in the covers stirred and a hand reached out from under the covers and rubbed Brandon's chest. My jaw dropped. I stood there staring at him in shock. I pulled back the covers. There laying in bed with him was his assistant Angie. Her blond hair was matted. She lay there in my bed with my fiance naked and petting him. She looked up at me. I glared at her. "Angie get your slutty ass out of my fucking bed and out of my fucking house now!" I screamed. I looked at Brandon. "How the hell could you do this to me?" I started tearing up as Angie frantically grabbed up her garments from around the room. As she left I stood there starting at him waiting for a reply. He just sat there dumb founded.
"I love you," he said. I laughed. "It's true. I was drunk and then she came in and I thought it was you so I said I was sorry and that I loved you and then we made out and then... well you know. But I thought she was you!" He looked pathetic. Like a 2 year old trying to get out of trouble. I laughed.
"Brandon, you think I'm that stupid?" I asked the anger in my voice was like poison. "One, Angie's blond! I'm a brunette! 2. I say I love you too! 3. If you were drunk where the hell is the beer or vodka or whatever you drank?"
"I went to a bar," he said. he looked at me. "I got carried away. I didn't pay attention to the fact she was blond. She climbed on me." I put my hand on my hip. Angie walked into the room and looked at Brandon. He looked over my shoulder at her.
"Same time next week?" she whispered. His eyes bugged out of his head.
"Yes, Angie," I said. "In fact he can move in with you and you guys can have sex every day for the rest of his life!" I turned to her. I was ready to kill her but I knew that they would send me to the funny farm. I turned to him. "I want you packed up and moved out by 8 o'clock tonight. You can stay with Angie. I'm sure she would be happy to have you. Right Angie?" I asked over my shoulder.
"I'm just going to go,"she said. "Call me later, Brandon."
"Bitch you better get the hell out of my house now," I screamed at her. I heard her loud obnoxious shoes clanking down the half and then heard the front door slam shut. "I'm going out when get back you better be gone." I turned and stalked out of the house just as the tears in my eye welled over and begin to pour out.
☼ ☼ ☼
Present day
"What about Angie?" I asked the tears pouring down my face. My nose was stuffy and you could tell I was crying. I sat on my bed staring at the last picture we took of the two of us.
"Angie's gone," he said. "I fired her the day we broke up" I got choked up. "Look out your window." I went to the window and looked down. He was standing there with his ear-peice in. He pressed a button on a boom box he had and then raised it above his head. Before The Worst by the script was playing.
"It's been a while since the two of us talked
About a week since the day you walked
Knowing things would never be the same
With your empty heart and mine full of pain
So explain to me, how it came to this
Take it back to the night we kissed
It was Dublin city on a Friday night
You were vodkas and coke, I was Guinness all night
We were sitting with our backs against the world
Saying things that we thought but never heard
Who would have thought it would end up like this?
Where everything we talked about is gone
And the only chance we have of moving on
Is try to take it back
Before it all went wrong
Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Lets try to take it back
Before it all went wrong "
I began to cry again. He pulled the boom-box down and screamed up to me. "I LOVE YOU! I'M SORRY! TAKE ME BACK?" I laughed slightly.
"Of course," I said into the phone. "I love you too. But, promise you won't cheat on me again?" I almost whispered the last sentance.
"I promise. Can I come home now?" he asked.
"Yes come on up," He ran through the door and up the stairs. I ran to open the door. As I opened it he bounded in and tackled me to the floor. He kissed me deeply. I giggled slightly and kissed him back. I giggled slightly and kissed him back. He laughed and sat up. He got onto one knee and pulled me up so we were eye to eye.
"Emily, will you marry me again?" he asked. I smiled and began to cry. He hugged me. "I'm sorry! Never mind. I'll ask when you're ready and I have proved my self."
"No," I said frantically. "I love you. I want to marry you."
"Really?" he said smiling and letting me go. I looked up at him.
"Yes," I said. He kissed me.
"I promise it will be right this time," he said. "You are my life. I hated life with out you. You are my everything. I'll love you forever. You are my best friend. I need you like air." He kissed me again as if to seal the deal. It was right finally.
"Hey, it's me," a deep voice replied. My eyes filled with tears.
"Brandon?" I choked out.
"Yeah. Baby, I miss you. I miss what we had," he said. His smooth deep voice washing over me. "I miss your laugh and your smile. You're my best friend. I love you. Please just come back home." I closed my eyes tight.
"Brandon, you hurt me. I can't live like that. I won't live like that. I'm sorry," I said while tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Emily, I've changed.I promise I won't do it again," he was begging now. Actually begging. I was getting close to breaking. "Think about all that we have been through. Remember all the fun times we have spent together. I know I still remember those times. Do you? When I asked you to marry me I meant it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you I love you. You are all I need to live." I closed my eyes tightly and tried to remember back before it all went wrong.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 4. Emily's Bedroom 8:46 A.M.
The sun shone through the drapes hanging over my bed. I rolled over and hugged him. He was my best friend. He was my life. He was my love. He was everything to me. I watched him slowly wake up and look at me. He smiled at me, his white teeth sparkled. He brushed some hair behind my ear. I smiled back.
"Morning sleepy head," I murmured.
"Morning," he said and then kissed my forehead. "Emily I've been thinking." I tried to hide my fear.
"About what?" I asked trying to stay calm. I didn't want him to be done with me yet. I loved him.
He reached behind him and picked a little blue box with a white ribbon off of my side table. He put it between us on the bed.
"About our future," He opened the box. "I want to be with you forever." Tears welled up in my eyes. "Oh, don't cry, Em." He wiped a single tear off of my cheek. "I love you, Em. Will you be mine forever? Will you marry me?" I started crying tears of joy. I wiped my eyes and laughed.
"Of course, I'll marry you," I said my tears slowed down. He hugged me quickly and then lightly kissed my lips.
"Here let me help you with that," he said while taking the ring out of its box. I hadn't even looked at the ring yet. The ring had a diamond in the middle with a sapphire on each side of it. They were placed on a white gold band that looked delicate to the touch. Sapphire was my birthstone and I had told him once that I dreamed of having a sapphire on my engagement ring. I smiled up at him as he slid the ring on to my finger. He smiled back and kissed me again. I giggled and kissed him back. He hugged me close to him. "Emily you are my world I love you with all of my heart." He kissed the top of my head. I got choked up again.
"I love you too. I want to be with you forever and always," I said trying not to cry again. I couldn't imagine life with out him, I didn't want to.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 30 Deliah's Bakery 11:30 A.M.
"I told you already," I screamed at him. "Our appointments at 12 but they want us to check in by 11:30!" We were walking to the front door. I stooped in front of the door and turned to him.
"I don't see why that means I have to go check in at 11:30 with you!" he screamed back. "Why couldn't I come at 12 in my car?!" I teared up slightly.
"If you don't want to go with me while we look for stuff for our wedding then don't," I screamed back. I was hurt that we had only been engaged for a couple of weeks and he didn't want to do anything with me. He didn't want to help pick flowers or taste test cakes or decide if we were going to serve fish or chicken at the reception. I tried my hardest to include him in this but he just didn't want to help. I didn't want to become a bridezilla like my sister did but, he just wasn't cooperating. Tears rolled down my cheek. "I wanted this to be a thing we did as a couple. but if you don't want to do any of this just go home," I said softly in a defeated tone. "I'll get a taxi home." I turned and walked through the door. He followed me in.
"Don't pull the poor-pitiful-me-card on me," he said still angry. "I'm not going to be made out as the bad guy here. I turned to him getting tired of this.
"Just go home, Brandon," I said almost screaming again. "I don't care if you are here! If you don't want to help then don't just say so. I thought we were supposed to be getting married but right now all I want to do is get as far away from you as physically possible! Just go away!" I turned to the lady at the counter. She stared at me sadly.
"I'm sorry," she mouthed. I nodded. Brandon put his hand on my shoulder.
"I didn't think this meant that much to you," he said. He squeezed my shoulder and then hugged me from behind. "I'm sorry. I'll stay and I won't complain for the rest of the time. I promise." I sighed and rubbed his hand.
"It's okay," I said. He kissed my cheek. I looked at the lady again. She looked like she was having a complex. "Um, hi. We are here for the 12 o'clock appointment for Jones." She nodded and typed in the name.
"Have a seat over there and Deliah will be out in a minute to talk with you," she said and pointed to a love seat over by the window. We sat down. He put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned on him.
"I love you," he whispered in my ear. I smiled and looked up at him.
"I love you too," I said. He kissed my lips passionately and I kissed back. No more then 10 minutes after being there he checked his watch and sighed. I picked up a wedding dress magazine and flipped through the pages. I found the ugliest one in the book and showed it to him. "I'm gonna wear this one," I said. I smiled up at him and winked. He chuckled.
"You do that, babe," he said still laughing some. "I'll be the one in the hot pink tux." He winked back. We both sat there and laughed for a while and then it was silent again. He looked at his watch and sighed.
"Really you don't have to be here," I said. He smiled a fake smile at me.
"I want to be here," he said. He coughed and started tapping his foot while looking around the room. I put my hand on his leg so he would stop tapping. He started tapping the other boot.
"Hun, can you stop tapping?" I asked. I was very stressed. He looked at me slightly annoyed.
"Sure," he said. No less than 2 minutes later he started drumming his fingers. I looked at him angrily. He kept drumming. I stood up and walked to another chair. I couldn't take the noise. He looked at me. I could tell that I had pushed a wrong button. He stood up and walked out the door. I sighed and started reading the magazine again.
☼ ☼ ☼
June 30th Emily and Brandon's Loft 2:45 P.M.
I walked through the door and dropped my keys on the table in the front hall. I sighed and walked into the sitting room. I saw Brandon's clothes laying across the floor. Hmm, maybe he's wanting for us to have make up sex. I walked to our room. Along the way I found a pair of black high heels and a black lace skirt. When I stepped into the room I found a red and black striped Polo and black lace bra. I picked up the bra and walked over to the bed. I saw Brandon asleep sprawled out across the bed. Our comforter coverded his body. On the comforter say a little black g-string. I gawked at it for a minute.
"Brandon?"I whispered. I shook him slightly.
"No,' he murmured. "Go home. Em's, going to be home soon." He swatted at me. I slapped him in the back of the head.
"That's who's talking, jackass," I said loudly. His eyes opened quickly. He turned over and looked at me. Something in the covers stirred and a hand reached out from under the covers and rubbed Brandon's chest. My jaw dropped. I stood there staring at him in shock. I pulled back the covers. There laying in bed with him was his assistant Angie. Her blond hair was matted. She lay there in my bed with my fiance naked and petting him. She looked up at me. I glared at her. "Angie get your slutty ass out of my fucking bed and out of my fucking house now!" I screamed. I looked at Brandon. "How the hell could you do this to me?" I started tearing up as Angie frantically grabbed up her garments from around the room. As she left I stood there starting at him waiting for a reply. He just sat there dumb founded.
"I love you," he said. I laughed. "It's true. I was drunk and then she came in and I thought it was you so I said I was sorry and that I loved you and then we made out and then... well you know. But I thought she was you!" He looked pathetic. Like a 2 year old trying to get out of trouble. I laughed.
"Brandon, you think I'm that stupid?" I asked the anger in my voice was like poison. "One, Angie's blond! I'm a brunette! 2. I say I love you too! 3. If you were drunk where the hell is the beer or vodka or whatever you drank?"
"I went to a bar," he said. he looked at me. "I got carried away. I didn't pay attention to the fact she was blond. She climbed on me." I put my hand on my hip. Angie walked into the room and looked at Brandon. He looked over my shoulder at her.
"Same time next week?" she whispered. His eyes bugged out of his head.
"Yes, Angie," I said. "In fact he can move in with you and you guys can have sex every day for the rest of his life!" I turned to her. I was ready to kill her but I knew that they would send me to the funny farm. I turned to him. "I want you packed up and moved out by 8 o'clock tonight. You can stay with Angie. I'm sure she would be happy to have you. Right Angie?" I asked over my shoulder.
"I'm just going to go,"she said. "Call me later, Brandon."
"Bitch you better get the hell out of my house now," I screamed at her. I heard her loud obnoxious shoes clanking down the half and then heard the front door slam shut. "I'm going out when get back you better be gone." I turned and stalked out of the house just as the tears in my eye welled over and begin to pour out.
☼ ☼ ☼
Present day
"What about Angie?" I asked the tears pouring down my face. My nose was stuffy and you could tell I was crying. I sat on my bed staring at the last picture we took of the two of us.
"Angie's gone," he said. "I fired her the day we broke up" I got choked up. "Look out your window." I went to the window and looked down. He was standing there with his ear-peice in. He pressed a button on a boom box he had and then raised it above his head. Before The Worst by the script was playing.
"It's been a while since the two of us talked
About a week since the day you walked
Knowing things would never be the same
With your empty heart and mine full of pain
So explain to me, how it came to this
Take it back to the night we kissed
It was Dublin city on a Friday night
You were vodkas and coke, I was Guinness all night
We were sitting with our backs against the world
Saying things that we thought but never heard
Who would have thought it would end up like this?
Where everything we talked about is gone
And the only chance we have of moving on
Is try to take it back
Before it all went wrong
Before the worst, before we mend
Before our hearts decide
It's time to love again
Before too late, before too long
Lets try to take it back
Before it all went wrong "
I began to cry again. He pulled the boom-box down and screamed up to me. "I LOVE YOU! I'M SORRY! TAKE ME BACK?" I laughed slightly.
"Of course," I said into the phone. "I love you too. But, promise you won't cheat on me again?" I almost whispered the last sentance.
"I promise. Can I come home now?" he asked.
"Yes come on up," He ran through the door and up the stairs. I ran to open the door. As I opened it he bounded in and tackled me to the floor. He kissed me deeply. I giggled slightly and kissed him back. I giggled slightly and kissed him back. He laughed and sat up. He got onto one knee and pulled me up so we were eye to eye.
"Emily, will you marry me again?" he asked. I smiled and began to cry. He hugged me. "I'm sorry! Never mind. I'll ask when you're ready and I have proved my self."
"No," I said frantically. "I love you. I want to marry you."
"Really?" he said smiling and letting me go. I looked up at him.
"Yes," I said. He kissed me.
"I promise it will be right this time," he said. "You are my life. I hated life with out you. You are my everything. I'll love you forever. You are my best friend. I need you like air." He kissed me again as if to seal the deal. It was right finally.