The Young and Lost Club
023
By Sunday morning, I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. I don’t think I’d ever felt so tired in my life. Since Brendon and I had left New York, I hadn’t slept solidly for more than an hour. The stress of my dad being in the hospital, of just being here in Maryland was weighing me down.
It was only because of Brendon that I felt sane. Brendon: my anchor, my support, the best person in my life. He stayed up with me, rubbing my back when I started dry heaving at 3 am, telling me to go back to the house and get some sleep, staying with my dad and actually getting along with him. He was a miracle.
Max was coming down this morning, driving straight to the hospital in his rental car, so Brendon and I were sleeping in a little bit. We were supposed to be going to Nevada today, for two whole weeks, but I wasn’t sure what I should do. I wanted to go to Nevada and spend time with Brendon and his friends and family, but I also felt obligated to be here, with my own family, no matter how broken they were.
“You aren’t sleeping,” Brendon said suddenly.
I turned around to face him, putting my arm around his waist. “No,” I agreed. “I’m not.”
He sighed, brushing some hair behind my ear. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” I assured him.
He pulled a skeptical face, and then adjusted himself so he was closer to me. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Mmm?”
“Why does your dad call you C.C.?”
I laughed slightly, burying my face in the crook of his neck. “My middle name is Cecilia. So, like Clark Cecilia? C.C.?”
“Woah Cecelia, you’re breaking my heart, you’re shaking my confidence daily,” Brendon sang lightly.
I laughed more. “Shush, it’s a family name. My great grandmother was Cecilia, and my mom’s maiden name was Clark. That’s why it’s spelled the boy way, without the e on the end. Besides your middle name is Boyd that’s hardly any better.”
He laughed. “BB and CC.”
“Oh god, please kill me.”
Brendon laughed and my cell phone started ringing. He reached over to the bedside table and handed it to me. “It’s Max.”
“Hello?”
“Hey it’s me,” Max said. “I just got here, when are you and Brendon headed back?”
“Wait, what? What do you mean?”
“You and Bren, don’t you have a flight to catch tonight?”
“Well, Bren does at least, I think I should stay.”
“Clark, no, you should go with him.”
“Look, we’ll be at the hospital in like 30 minutes, okay? We can talk then,” I told him.
“Fine. But I’m serious, please pack.”
“Goodbye, Max.” I said irritated.
“What’s wrong?” Brendon asked.
“I just…well, you know how we’re supposed to go to Nevada today? I just think that maybe I should stay.”
Brendon sighed. “I mean, I understand, obviously. But the hospital said he was okay, and he’s coming home tomorrow, and Max is here, and…”
I shushed him. “I want to go with you, Bren, I really do. I might just have to delay it a couple days.”
Brendon opened his mouth, probably to argue but I cut him off again. “Let’s just go talk to Max, okay?”
|||
We arrived at the hospital a little bit later and I headed up to Dad’s room, while Brendon went to get us coffee in the cafeteria. I walked in to find Max sitting at Dad’s side, and in the chair with their back to the wall, a blonde woman.
“Clark, honey!” My dad said as I came into the room.
Max’s face clouded over and avoided eye contact.
The woman in the chair turned around and suddenly, I was seeing red. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I spat, my hands curling into fists.
“Clark!” Dad exclaimed.
The woman’s smile didn’t faulter. “Jonah,” she said soothingly. “I’m sure Clark is just a little surprised, it’s okay.”
“Don’t talk like you know me!” I said, my nails were biting into my skin. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough damage?”
Her face fell and she stood up. I took a step back. “It was a long time ago, Clark.”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” I spat back at her.
Brendon walked in at this moment, and taking one look at me, he set down the coffees and placed his hand on the small of my back. “What’s going on?” He asked calmly.
I scoffed and looked away, fury coursing through my body like I’d never felt. If I said something I was going to explode.
“I’m Hannah, a friend of Jonah’s,” she said, holding out her hand to Brendon.
I spun around to face Brendon. “This is the bitch who had an affair with my dad while Mom was dying.” I said.
Brendon’s mouth fell open slightly, and then he grabbed my hand. “Clark and I were just coming to say goodbye,” he said quickly. “We’re headed to Nevada tonight so we’ve got to leave now.”
“That sounds nice,” My dad said, sounding strained.
I wasn’t done. “How long have you been talking to her again, Dad?” I said furiously. “Did you ever even stop?”
My dad reached out to me. “It’s not like that C.C.,”
“Don’t call me that!” I said shrilly. Brendon’s grip tightened on my hand.
Max decided to intervene. “Clark, come on,” he said quietly, standing up. “Let’s go.”
“You knew,” I accused him. “You knew and you aren’t upset?!”
“Clark, it’s not our business,” He started.
I pointed my finger at her, feeling my anger rising. “She tore our family apart! Of course it’s our business!”
“I should probably go,” Hannah said suddenly, standing up.
“Have some more lives to ruin?” I sneered at her.
“That’s enough Clark!” Dad said.
“Oh stop trying to parent, you haven’t been one for years,” I said to him. “Don’t bother leaving Hannah, I’m going.” I turned on my heel and was charging down the hallway, leaving all of them in the room, Max and Brendon on my heels.
“Clark,” Brendon said quietly, following me into the elevator.
I took several shaky breaths, trying to get control on myself again. “I’m sorry,” I said finally, to both of them. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper…I just, that woman. How dare she show up here, how dare she even speak to me, or look me in the eyes…”
Max simply nodded, looking shaken. "She was here when I got here, I didn't know what to do."
“It's okay,” Brendon said soothingly, he gave me a hug. “I’d be angry too.”
I sighed and tightened my grip on him. “Now I have a migraine.”
Brendon pulled away slightly and looked down at me, smiling slightly. “Kid, maybe when you calm down, you should call your dad and say goodbye properly? I mean, you and your dad built some bridges , I’d hate to see you burn them all down again.” The elevator opened and we headed out to the parking lot.
He was right of course. “I know,” I mumbled. “It just always ends like this. He upsets me and then I blow up and I…I’m just angry at him. I don’t know if I can ever get over it. He says he’s sorry, and yet she’s still here. He has to know how much that must hurt me.”
“It’s not intentional, Clark,” Max said. “He was just talking about how glad he was to see you.”
I looked at Max and frowned. “I’m sorry. I just have a hard time forgiving him. I’m trying Max, I really am. I love him, but I don’t like him. And I wish I could do better, but I’m doing my best.”
Max smiled and ruffled my hair. “I do have some good news though…” His excited face gave him away.
My hands flew up to my mouth. “Did we…?”
Max smiled even wider and nodded. “We’re getting signed, C. We actually did it.”
I couldn’t help myself. I let out a shriek of joy and flung myself at Max. “Oh my God. Oh my God!”
“I know!” He said, hugging me tightly and I could hear the emotion in his voice.
“Cograts, guys,” Brendon said. “Seriously, you all deserve it.” I smiled at him and gave him a hug as well. Brendon smiled at Max and shook his hand.
“So…Nevada?” I asked. “What do you want me to do, Max?”
“Go,” Max said, still beaming. “Go and celebrate.”
“Are you positive? I’ll stay here and help with Dad…”
“No, I’m serious. Go. And then when you come back we’ll get to work.”
“I should quit my job,” I mused, the thought suddenly occurring to me.
“Wait for a while,” Max said. “Save up money.”
“Right.”
“You better get going,” Max said, checking his watch. “You don’t want to miss the flight.”
“It’s true,” Brendon said. “I’ll drive, alright?”
“Sounds good.”
Max and Brendon said goodbye and then Brendon got in the car. “Thank you Max.” I said. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too,” he said, giving me a hug. “It’s going to be incredible. By the way…when are you going to tell Brendon you’re in love with him?”
“Max!” I scolded, hitting his chest.
“Come on, sis, I’ve never even seen you like this. You’re glowing for god’s sake.”
I flushed.
“He’s a great guy,” Max said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “And I suppose if anyone deserves you it’s someone who makes you look as happy as you do.”
“Thank you.” I said honestly. “I’ll see you all in two weeks.”
“Call when you land.”
“I will.”
|||
By the time Brendon and I landed in Nevada I was extremely tired. I hadn’t had a solid night sleep since I’d left New York, and I was always slightly uneasy on airplanes so sleeping there wasn’t really an option either.
I followed Brendon as he expertly navigated around the airport, wearing, for the first time ever, a sort of disguise: sunglasses and a hat. He had told me that home town fans were always more observant. “And now,” he said, wheeling both our suitcases behind him. “We’ve just got to find Liz…Lizzie!!” He bellowed and ran to a brunette girl who was looking around for someone.
“Brennie!” The girl shrieked back and threw her arms around him. She was shorter then Brendon, but not by much, but even still, he picked her up and swung her around before settling her back on her feet. “Look at you!” She exclaimed, pulling his sunglasses off his face. “You look great!”
“So do you!” He said back, just as excitedly. “Liz, come here, you have to meet…” he grabbed her arm and led her over to me. “This is my girlfriend, Clark. Clark, this is my favorite sister, Liz.”
Now that they were close to me, I could easily tell they were related. They looked extremely similar and Liz was absolutely beautiful.
She smirked at him. “Nice of you to make the distinction.” She turned to me. “Oh my god. You’re like, seriously gorgeous. Brendon wasn’t lying.”
I smiled softly. “Thank you. It’s so nice to meet you, Brendon’s told me so much about you.”
“Likewise. It’s so great to finally meet the girl who’s been the main topic of conversation for the past six months. Brendon stop fidgeting! No one’s going to recognize you.”
Brendon yanked on his hat. “Can we just get out of here? I don’t really feel like being mobbed today.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Clark where’s your suitcase? I’ll get it for you.” She grabbed one of the bags from me and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
I didn’t speak much on the way out to the car, I was tired and I knew Brendon and Liz wanted to catch up, and besides they were talking about their family and people I didn’t know. Once settled in the car (Liz and I up front--she insisted, and Brendon in the back) and out on the highway, Liz started grilling me. Asking about college and New York and my band and my job. She was very nice and I liked her immediately, despite the fact that I usually disliked girls. She was too much like Brendon, I suppose. “Okay,” she said finally, getting off on an exit. “So, I’m dropping you all off at your apartment, Bren?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And then we’ll clean up and rest for a bit before coming to Mom and Dad’s.”
“Alright. James dropped Boggart off at your house this afternoon. Oh, and Clark, Mom said to tell you if you’re too tired or anything that you shouldn’t feel pressured to come to dinner tonight, just as long as she gets to meet you ‘ASAP’.” She made quotation marks with her fingers.
“Are you kidding?” I said. “I’ll absolutely be there.”
She grinned. “Good. You’re the guest of honor actually.”
“What about me?” Brendon said, pretending to whine. “It’s only been like 4 months since I’ve seen you.”
“Eh,” Liz said, shrugging. “You’re just boring old Brendon.”
“You suck,” he grumbled.
|||
Brendon and Spencer’s apartment was nice and large, but also extremely empty. “I never spend much time here,” he explained, with a shrug. “Spencer and I tried for a little bit but it turns out neither of us are that good at home décor.” Spencer wasn’t here, of course, he was spending time with his family before they all went out to the cabin in California for a while, to work on their new record.
I beamed at him. “I like it anyways.”
Brendon opened up the door to what I assumed was his bedroom, only for us to suddenly become ambushed by a barking, jumping dog. “Boggart!” Brendon cried, dropping down to his knees and scooping up the little Jack Russell, who was determinedly trying to lick his face. “How are you, bud?” He stood up, Boggart still in his arms. “This is Boggs,” he said, beaming and holding him out to me.
I wasn’t really an animal person in general, but Brendon looked so cute, and Boggart was adorable, laying in his arms, his pink tongue lolling out, that I couldn’t help but smile and scratch his head. “Well hi there, cutie,” I said, and he licked my hand.
“I should probably take him out real quick,” Brendon said. “Did you want to lie down for a while before we go to Mom and Dad’s? I know you didn’t sleep on the plane,” he added.
I shrugged. “Sure that sounds good.”
“I’ll be right back to join you,” he said, stifling a yawn and kissing me, squishing Boggart between us. He pulled away smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I woke up about an hour later, Brendon snuggled into my back, Boggart lying on top of our legs sleeping as well. I gently got up, kissing Brendon on the cheek and scooping up Boggart and putting him in Brendon’s arms to replace me.
I was nervous to meet his parents and really the only solution was to make sure I looked extremely nice. I showered and then spent time doing my makeup and picking out my clothes, settling on a black and white striped skirt and a red v-neck shirt. I was just starting to curl my hair when Brendon woke up, walking into the bathroom, his hair all crazy from his nap. “You look…beautiful,” he said, looking at me in the mirror.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling lightly.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, bending down to rest his chin on my shoulder. “Remind me again how I got a girl like you?”
I turned around so I could face him. “Your devilish good looks and charm,” I said, pecking him on the lips. He pouted when I pulled away. “You better hurry and get ready, we have to leave in like 15 minutes.” I reminded him.
“We can be late,” he murmured, kissing my neck.
“No we can’t, I want to make a good impression for your parents.”
He laughed. “You’re so nervous! Seriously Clark, how can they not love you?”
“Very easily,” I said, nudging him towards the shower. “Please get ready?”
He sighed dramatically. “Fine. But tonight I get you in that skirt all to myself.” He winked at me.
“I don’t know how my skirt feels about that,” I teased.
“Your skirt likes it,” he shot back before getting into the shower.
|||
It took all of 5 minutes for me to feel comfortable at Brendon’s house. I owed a lot of that to Liz, who seemed to like me a lot more then she should have. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about his parents, knowing Brendon and their history, I almost felt as though it would be awkward; Brendon had told me many times about how they had kicked him out for wanting t do music and they still didn’t entirely approve. It appeared however, that in the end, they missed him more then they cared about his career pathway, so they welcomed him with open arms.
“Oh my goodness, you are so beautiful,” his mother said, giving me a hug also. “Brendon has told us so much about you, it’s nice to finally have the face with all the stories.”
I smiled at her, my nerves still giving me a stomach ache. “It’s so nice to meet you too.” I told her honestly.
Brendon’s father gave me a similar greeting, sans hug, and welcomed me warmly before Liz dragged me off to meet her husband, James and their two sons Kyle and Andrew, who immediately attacked Brendon and asked him to play with them.
All in all, it was a relaxing and fun evening. We ate dinner in their backyard, and I mostly listened to them tell stories of Brendon about when he was younger, which made him turn red with embbaressment and me to turn red with laughter. And then there was Brendon playing with Kyla and Andrew, chasing them around the yard, roaring like a dinosaur, like a little kid himself, while the rest of us drank coffee. I always felt like I was missing some important motherly instinct, I was never really a fan of babies, but the sight of it made my ovaries hurt and thought of Brendon and I having kids someday pop up more than once.
We left around midnight, his mother and Liz made me promise to go out shopping with them before I left, and we walked out to his car hand in hand. “So, what did you think?” He asked.
All I could think was “I love you, I love you, I love you.” I had been thinking it on repeat throughout the whole evening, worrying that at some point I would spew them out at a wrong moment and ruin the moment. And I wanted to say the words to him then, but at the last minute I chickened out. “I love,” I swallowed. “I love them, they’re great.”
Brendon smiled at me, opening up my car door, but giving me a quick kiss before I slipped inside, feeling disappointed in myself.
It was only because of Brendon that I felt sane. Brendon: my anchor, my support, the best person in my life. He stayed up with me, rubbing my back when I started dry heaving at 3 am, telling me to go back to the house and get some sleep, staying with my dad and actually getting along with him. He was a miracle.
Max was coming down this morning, driving straight to the hospital in his rental car, so Brendon and I were sleeping in a little bit. We were supposed to be going to Nevada today, for two whole weeks, but I wasn’t sure what I should do. I wanted to go to Nevada and spend time with Brendon and his friends and family, but I also felt obligated to be here, with my own family, no matter how broken they were.
“You aren’t sleeping,” Brendon said suddenly.
I turned around to face him, putting my arm around his waist. “No,” I agreed. “I’m not.”
He sighed, brushing some hair behind my ear. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” I assured him.
He pulled a skeptical face, and then adjusted himself so he was closer to me. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Mmm?”
“Why does your dad call you C.C.?”
I laughed slightly, burying my face in the crook of his neck. “My middle name is Cecilia. So, like Clark Cecilia? C.C.?”
“Woah Cecelia, you’re breaking my heart, you’re shaking my confidence daily,” Brendon sang lightly.
I laughed more. “Shush, it’s a family name. My great grandmother was Cecilia, and my mom’s maiden name was Clark. That’s why it’s spelled the boy way, without the e on the end. Besides your middle name is Boyd that’s hardly any better.”
He laughed. “BB and CC.”
“Oh god, please kill me.”
Brendon laughed and my cell phone started ringing. He reached over to the bedside table and handed it to me. “It’s Max.”
“Hello?”
“Hey it’s me,” Max said. “I just got here, when are you and Brendon headed back?”
“Wait, what? What do you mean?”
“You and Bren, don’t you have a flight to catch tonight?”
“Well, Bren does at least, I think I should stay.”
“Clark, no, you should go with him.”
“Look, we’ll be at the hospital in like 30 minutes, okay? We can talk then,” I told him.
“Fine. But I’m serious, please pack.”
“Goodbye, Max.” I said irritated.
“What’s wrong?” Brendon asked.
“I just…well, you know how we’re supposed to go to Nevada today? I just think that maybe I should stay.”
Brendon sighed. “I mean, I understand, obviously. But the hospital said he was okay, and he’s coming home tomorrow, and Max is here, and…”
I shushed him. “I want to go with you, Bren, I really do. I might just have to delay it a couple days.”
Brendon opened his mouth, probably to argue but I cut him off again. “Let’s just go talk to Max, okay?”
|||
We arrived at the hospital a little bit later and I headed up to Dad’s room, while Brendon went to get us coffee in the cafeteria. I walked in to find Max sitting at Dad’s side, and in the chair with their back to the wall, a blonde woman.
“Clark, honey!” My dad said as I came into the room.
Max’s face clouded over and avoided eye contact.
The woman in the chair turned around and suddenly, I was seeing red. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I spat, my hands curling into fists.
“Clark!” Dad exclaimed.
The woman’s smile didn’t faulter. “Jonah,” she said soothingly. “I’m sure Clark is just a little surprised, it’s okay.”
“Don’t talk like you know me!” I said, my nails were biting into my skin. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough damage?”
Her face fell and she stood up. I took a step back. “It was a long time ago, Clark.”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” I spat back at her.
Brendon walked in at this moment, and taking one look at me, he set down the coffees and placed his hand on the small of my back. “What’s going on?” He asked calmly.
I scoffed and looked away, fury coursing through my body like I’d never felt. If I said something I was going to explode.
“I’m Hannah, a friend of Jonah’s,” she said, holding out her hand to Brendon.
I spun around to face Brendon. “This is the bitch who had an affair with my dad while Mom was dying.” I said.
Brendon’s mouth fell open slightly, and then he grabbed my hand. “Clark and I were just coming to say goodbye,” he said quickly. “We’re headed to Nevada tonight so we’ve got to leave now.”
“That sounds nice,” My dad said, sounding strained.
I wasn’t done. “How long have you been talking to her again, Dad?” I said furiously. “Did you ever even stop?”
My dad reached out to me. “It’s not like that C.C.,”
“Don’t call me that!” I said shrilly. Brendon’s grip tightened on my hand.
Max decided to intervene. “Clark, come on,” he said quietly, standing up. “Let’s go.”
“You knew,” I accused him. “You knew and you aren’t upset?!”
“Clark, it’s not our business,” He started.
I pointed my finger at her, feeling my anger rising. “She tore our family apart! Of course it’s our business!”
“I should probably go,” Hannah said suddenly, standing up.
“Have some more lives to ruin?” I sneered at her.
“That’s enough Clark!” Dad said.
“Oh stop trying to parent, you haven’t been one for years,” I said to him. “Don’t bother leaving Hannah, I’m going.” I turned on my heel and was charging down the hallway, leaving all of them in the room, Max and Brendon on my heels.
“Clark,” Brendon said quietly, following me into the elevator.
I took several shaky breaths, trying to get control on myself again. “I’m sorry,” I said finally, to both of them. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper…I just, that woman. How dare she show up here, how dare she even speak to me, or look me in the eyes…”
Max simply nodded, looking shaken. "She was here when I got here, I didn't know what to do."
“It's okay,” Brendon said soothingly, he gave me a hug. “I’d be angry too.”
I sighed and tightened my grip on him. “Now I have a migraine.”
Brendon pulled away slightly and looked down at me, smiling slightly. “Kid, maybe when you calm down, you should call your dad and say goodbye properly? I mean, you and your dad built some bridges , I’d hate to see you burn them all down again.” The elevator opened and we headed out to the parking lot.
He was right of course. “I know,” I mumbled. “It just always ends like this. He upsets me and then I blow up and I…I’m just angry at him. I don’t know if I can ever get over it. He says he’s sorry, and yet she’s still here. He has to know how much that must hurt me.”
“It’s not intentional, Clark,” Max said. “He was just talking about how glad he was to see you.”
I looked at Max and frowned. “I’m sorry. I just have a hard time forgiving him. I’m trying Max, I really am. I love him, but I don’t like him. And I wish I could do better, but I’m doing my best.”
Max smiled and ruffled my hair. “I do have some good news though…” His excited face gave him away.
My hands flew up to my mouth. “Did we…?”
Max smiled even wider and nodded. “We’re getting signed, C. We actually did it.”
I couldn’t help myself. I let out a shriek of joy and flung myself at Max. “Oh my God. Oh my God!”
“I know!” He said, hugging me tightly and I could hear the emotion in his voice.
“Cograts, guys,” Brendon said. “Seriously, you all deserve it.” I smiled at him and gave him a hug as well. Brendon smiled at Max and shook his hand.
“So…Nevada?” I asked. “What do you want me to do, Max?”
“Go,” Max said, still beaming. “Go and celebrate.”
“Are you positive? I’ll stay here and help with Dad…”
“No, I’m serious. Go. And then when you come back we’ll get to work.”
“I should quit my job,” I mused, the thought suddenly occurring to me.
“Wait for a while,” Max said. “Save up money.”
“Right.”
“You better get going,” Max said, checking his watch. “You don’t want to miss the flight.”
“It’s true,” Brendon said. “I’ll drive, alright?”
“Sounds good.”
Max and Brendon said goodbye and then Brendon got in the car. “Thank you Max.” I said. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too,” he said, giving me a hug. “It’s going to be incredible. By the way…when are you going to tell Brendon you’re in love with him?”
“Max!” I scolded, hitting his chest.
“Come on, sis, I’ve never even seen you like this. You’re glowing for god’s sake.”
I flushed.
“He’s a great guy,” Max said and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “And I suppose if anyone deserves you it’s someone who makes you look as happy as you do.”
“Thank you.” I said honestly. “I’ll see you all in two weeks.”
“Call when you land.”
“I will.”
|||
By the time Brendon and I landed in Nevada I was extremely tired. I hadn’t had a solid night sleep since I’d left New York, and I was always slightly uneasy on airplanes so sleeping there wasn’t really an option either.
I followed Brendon as he expertly navigated around the airport, wearing, for the first time ever, a sort of disguise: sunglasses and a hat. He had told me that home town fans were always more observant. “And now,” he said, wheeling both our suitcases behind him. “We’ve just got to find Liz…Lizzie!!” He bellowed and ran to a brunette girl who was looking around for someone.
“Brennie!” The girl shrieked back and threw her arms around him. She was shorter then Brendon, but not by much, but even still, he picked her up and swung her around before settling her back on her feet. “Look at you!” She exclaimed, pulling his sunglasses off his face. “You look great!”
“So do you!” He said back, just as excitedly. “Liz, come here, you have to meet…” he grabbed her arm and led her over to me. “This is my girlfriend, Clark. Clark, this is my favorite sister, Liz.”
Now that they were close to me, I could easily tell they were related. They looked extremely similar and Liz was absolutely beautiful.
She smirked at him. “Nice of you to make the distinction.” She turned to me. “Oh my god. You’re like, seriously gorgeous. Brendon wasn’t lying.”
I smiled softly. “Thank you. It’s so nice to meet you, Brendon’s told me so much about you.”
“Likewise. It’s so great to finally meet the girl who’s been the main topic of conversation for the past six months. Brendon stop fidgeting! No one’s going to recognize you.”
Brendon yanked on his hat. “Can we just get out of here? I don’t really feel like being mobbed today.”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Clark where’s your suitcase? I’ll get it for you.” She grabbed one of the bags from me and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
I didn’t speak much on the way out to the car, I was tired and I knew Brendon and Liz wanted to catch up, and besides they were talking about their family and people I didn’t know. Once settled in the car (Liz and I up front--she insisted, and Brendon in the back) and out on the highway, Liz started grilling me. Asking about college and New York and my band and my job. She was very nice and I liked her immediately, despite the fact that I usually disliked girls. She was too much like Brendon, I suppose. “Okay,” she said finally, getting off on an exit. “So, I’m dropping you all off at your apartment, Bren?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And then we’ll clean up and rest for a bit before coming to Mom and Dad’s.”
“Alright. James dropped Boggart off at your house this afternoon. Oh, and Clark, Mom said to tell you if you’re too tired or anything that you shouldn’t feel pressured to come to dinner tonight, just as long as she gets to meet you ‘ASAP’.” She made quotation marks with her fingers.
“Are you kidding?” I said. “I’ll absolutely be there.”
She grinned. “Good. You’re the guest of honor actually.”
“What about me?” Brendon said, pretending to whine. “It’s only been like 4 months since I’ve seen you.”
“Eh,” Liz said, shrugging. “You’re just boring old Brendon.”
“You suck,” he grumbled.
|||
Brendon and Spencer’s apartment was nice and large, but also extremely empty. “I never spend much time here,” he explained, with a shrug. “Spencer and I tried for a little bit but it turns out neither of us are that good at home décor.” Spencer wasn’t here, of course, he was spending time with his family before they all went out to the cabin in California for a while, to work on their new record.
I beamed at him. “I like it anyways.”
Brendon opened up the door to what I assumed was his bedroom, only for us to suddenly become ambushed by a barking, jumping dog. “Boggart!” Brendon cried, dropping down to his knees and scooping up the little Jack Russell, who was determinedly trying to lick his face. “How are you, bud?” He stood up, Boggart still in his arms. “This is Boggs,” he said, beaming and holding him out to me.
I wasn’t really an animal person in general, but Brendon looked so cute, and Boggart was adorable, laying in his arms, his pink tongue lolling out, that I couldn’t help but smile and scratch his head. “Well hi there, cutie,” I said, and he licked my hand.
“I should probably take him out real quick,” Brendon said. “Did you want to lie down for a while before we go to Mom and Dad’s? I know you didn’t sleep on the plane,” he added.
I shrugged. “Sure that sounds good.”
“I’ll be right back to join you,” he said, stifling a yawn and kissing me, squishing Boggart between us. He pulled away smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I woke up about an hour later, Brendon snuggled into my back, Boggart lying on top of our legs sleeping as well. I gently got up, kissing Brendon on the cheek and scooping up Boggart and putting him in Brendon’s arms to replace me.
I was nervous to meet his parents and really the only solution was to make sure I looked extremely nice. I showered and then spent time doing my makeup and picking out my clothes, settling on a black and white striped skirt and a red v-neck shirt. I was just starting to curl my hair when Brendon woke up, walking into the bathroom, his hair all crazy from his nap. “You look…beautiful,” he said, looking at me in the mirror.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling lightly.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, bending down to rest his chin on my shoulder. “Remind me again how I got a girl like you?”
I turned around so I could face him. “Your devilish good looks and charm,” I said, pecking him on the lips. He pouted when I pulled away. “You better hurry and get ready, we have to leave in like 15 minutes.” I reminded him.
“We can be late,” he murmured, kissing my neck.
“No we can’t, I want to make a good impression for your parents.”
He laughed. “You’re so nervous! Seriously Clark, how can they not love you?”
“Very easily,” I said, nudging him towards the shower. “Please get ready?”
He sighed dramatically. “Fine. But tonight I get you in that skirt all to myself.” He winked at me.
“I don’t know how my skirt feels about that,” I teased.
“Your skirt likes it,” he shot back before getting into the shower.
|||
It took all of 5 minutes for me to feel comfortable at Brendon’s house. I owed a lot of that to Liz, who seemed to like me a lot more then she should have. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about his parents, knowing Brendon and their history, I almost felt as though it would be awkward; Brendon had told me many times about how they had kicked him out for wanting t do music and they still didn’t entirely approve. It appeared however, that in the end, they missed him more then they cared about his career pathway, so they welcomed him with open arms.
“Oh my goodness, you are so beautiful,” his mother said, giving me a hug also. “Brendon has told us so much about you, it’s nice to finally have the face with all the stories.”
I smiled at her, my nerves still giving me a stomach ache. “It’s so nice to meet you too.” I told her honestly.
Brendon’s father gave me a similar greeting, sans hug, and welcomed me warmly before Liz dragged me off to meet her husband, James and their two sons Kyle and Andrew, who immediately attacked Brendon and asked him to play with them.
All in all, it was a relaxing and fun evening. We ate dinner in their backyard, and I mostly listened to them tell stories of Brendon about when he was younger, which made him turn red with embbaressment and me to turn red with laughter. And then there was Brendon playing with Kyla and Andrew, chasing them around the yard, roaring like a dinosaur, like a little kid himself, while the rest of us drank coffee. I always felt like I was missing some important motherly instinct, I was never really a fan of babies, but the sight of it made my ovaries hurt and thought of Brendon and I having kids someday pop up more than once.
We left around midnight, his mother and Liz made me promise to go out shopping with them before I left, and we walked out to his car hand in hand. “So, what did you think?” He asked.
All I could think was “I love you, I love you, I love you.” I had been thinking it on repeat throughout the whole evening, worrying that at some point I would spew them out at a wrong moment and ruin the moment. And I wanted to say the words to him then, but at the last minute I chickened out. “I love,” I swallowed. “I love them, they’re great.”
Brendon smiled at me, opening up my car door, but giving me a quick kiss before I slipped inside, feeling disappointed in myself.
♠ ♠ ♠
Filler filler filler.But its all necessary. Sorry it took so long, it still feels fragmented, but better then before.
The next chapter is almost ready, its also slightly filler and then, shit will hit the fan.
Uh oh.
Questions?
EDIT: OMG THANKS TO THE ANON WHO POINTED OUT THAT LAS VEGAS IS IN NEVADA NOT ARIZONA
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
I'VE BEEN TO LAS VEGAS. asjbufweifvi
Much Love, Sophie <3