Just Another Barcode Against the Gone

It was cute to see him leaning against my door in the morning, his hair looking messy like usual. But he has a crease in his brow like he was dreaming of something that made him think too hard. His dad was looking down at him with me giving a creeper smile – but its okay; if it made him smile I would let him make whatever faces he wanted.

Brian woke up and looked at his dad when he asked if Brian wanted food, he looked like he wasn't fully awake yet. We made the briefest eye contact when he woke up, he was caught. I shouldn’t care but the fact that he sat outside my door all night was a bit of a confidence booster. Maybe my kiss affected him like his did to me – I sure hope so we could both use some happiness in our lives.

I walked past him and into the kitchen with Sr. he was taking out vegetables for an omelet and that sounded mouth watering to me.

“Did you have a good sleep?” Sr. shrugged his shoulders as Brian slugged his way into the kitchen with us.

“It can always be better,” he stopped and paused looking out the window. He was thinking of Suzy, the look in his eyes was painful. He shook it off quickly and smiled back at us. “It couldn’t have been better then Jr’s though, he looked pretty comfortable.” Brians dad just looked at him before looking at me. I hopped onto the bar top and swung my legs as Brian Sr. cooked and Brian drank milk from the carton.

“I'm going out for a smoke.” Brian left to the front door tugging at his hair like he had something on his mind.

“I hate smoke.” I sighed and looked at Brian Sr. as he cracked an egg into the pan.

“You will have to deal with it if you are thinking about getting into a relationship with my son.” I stopped my swinging and started to blush at the comment, I know I wasn’t much of a person who tried to kept secrets but was it really that obvious.

“I have no clue what you are talking about.”

“Don’t try and play innocent. I’ve noticed you being close to him and wearing shorts to sleep when he’s around. Suzy and I use to play that cat and mouse game before we got married.” A weak smile went back on his face and I smiled at him. He was trying to be strong and get through this, it was admirable.

I blushed and tucked strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I don’t act this way – I’ve never tried to even bother getting guys attention. But he is different or he seems to be.”

“I get it kid, but know that Jr. isn’t always like this – he just lost his best friend, his step mom – his life is in a place that isn’t the usual, you don’t know what he is really like. That’s not to say that I don’t like the idea of your guys in a relationship – you just need to make sure you know what you are getting into.” I nodded my head as he flipped he omelet. “And kid, you are much younger than him – you don’t need to act like you are older or mature for him, play by your own rules and be who you are. That’s the greatest you that you can be.”

I hopped of the bar top and went to hug my arms around his waist. “You’re the best substitute dad any teenager could want.” He flipped the omelet again and patted my hands. Today we should start getting pictures of Suzy together and make a slideshow for her. I just couldn’t tell him that though, I couldn’t ruin this glimmer of happiness.

Brian walked back in; he lied saying he would go out and smoke. He didn’t smell anything like smoke and his lips weren’t chapped like the usually were after he went to go get a cigarette. I didn’t push asking what was going on in front of his dad – plus it wasn't even my place to ask.

Brian Sr. placed the first omelet on a plate and handed it to me while he got to work on the next one. I got some ketchup from the fridge then sat at the bar to eat my breakfast. Brian sat across from me. “You want to go out and so something today?”

I paused mid rise of my fork and looked at him; Brian Sr. was turned and had a crooked smile at me. “Something?”

“I haven’t thought that far into it yet, but we can do whatever you want.”

“We can go rent a movie? Then come back and watch it with your dad. I think they had a red box at the strip. It can be a movie day; we won’t have to do or worry about anything and just watch stupid movies.” I smiles at the Haners and they looked at each other. With the eye contact they gave each other you would think that a movie was something foreign to them. “Unless you two don’t want to spend time with me.”

“Its not that, normally girls want to go run off and shop.”

“Well Junior, what we have here is not a normal girl. She is a classic.” I tossed a napkin at Mr. Haner.

“You make me sound old.”

Brian smiled. “Movies it is.”