When the Moon Fell in Love with the Sun

The second week of September had arrived faster than Katelyn expected. She had all of her belongings packed and everything was arranged for her and her mother's journey to Irvine, California. The girl wasn't getting her hopes up about Brendon coming on the trip with her, he had been putting final touches on the album and it was taking up a lot of his time. Katelyn had already chosen her classes for the upcoming semester and been assigned her roommate, and it seemed like the two girls were going to get along.
"Mom? Have you seen that stack of photos I picked up from Target the other day?" Katelyn was tearing through what was left in her room to try and find the pictures she had printed of the guys, Brendon, and herself.
"Honey, you need to calm down. They're on the counter in the kitchen with a sticky note that says 'don't forget' on it."
The girl stopped looking through her bedside table and stood up, heading down the stairs and into the kitchen to find just what she was looking for.
"Perfect…" She mumbled to herself, tapping her fingers on the counter as the doorbell rang and caught her attention.
"Mom, is anyone supposed to be coming over?" Katelyn called up the stairs, but she was merely ignored.
The girl went to the door, running a hand through her coppery, sun-bleached hair and opening it, only for her jaw to drop.
Brendon stood there in a pair of plaid shorts and bright blue v-neck, his House of Blues sunglasses perched on top of his head.
"Hey Kate!"
Katelyn immediately threw her arms around the boy, plastering his face with kisses and making him laugh, saying that he missed her too.
"What are you doing here?" She finally found her voice, but she wouldn't let go of his hands.
"I promised I would help you move into your dorm, didn't I?" Brendon looked down at her, amazed that she had forgotten.
"But I thought you were busy with the record and stuff…" Katelyn suddenly felt like she had been played, and Brendon's smirk only confirmed her suspicions.
"I lied a little… We've been done for a few days now, but I really wanted to surprise you."
The girl smacked his chest before dragging him inside and kissing him roughly.
"I missed you so much, it isn't even funny, Brendon." Katelyn looked at him seriously but broke out into a smile. She couldn't keep the grin off her face now that he was around, and he was having the same troubles.
"Hey you two, keep your hands off of each other! At least until I'm out of the house." Helen came down the stairs, holding onto her work keys and blazer, winking at the kids blushing in her living room.
"Sorry, mom." Katelyn looked at Brendon expectantly and when he didn't apologize, she nudged him until he did.
"Since when did you get abusive?" He stared down at the girl with raised eyebrows.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Katelyn played dumb before standing on her tip toes to reach Brendon's lips.
"Okay, okay now kids. I'm going to work. Please don't make me a grandmother while I'm gone."
"You have nothing to worry about, Helen. I'm a good, wholesome, Mormon boy!" Brendon's dazzling smile didn't fool Katelyn, or Helen, whatsoever.
"Oh Brendon, you're quite the character. I'm a mother, I know what goes on in my house." Helen laughed at the boy before bidding the two farewell and leaving for work.

"So you've got everything ready to go, don't you?" Brendon leaned against the kitchen counter as Katelyn got them some Arizona peach ice teas from the fridge.
"Yeah I packed everything up a few days ago. I couldn't find anything else to occupy my time."
"You really missed me, huh?" He noticed the photos on the counter and picked them up, smiling as he thumbed through the memories he and Katelyn had made over the past few months.
"Like crazy. It was super boring without you!"
"What the fuck is this, then?" He showed her a picture and Katelyn took a closer look, making a face. It was of Katelyn, in her bright colored bikini, at Cape Cod along with a boy with golden blond hair and striking blue eyes, both covered in sand with smiles on their faces as they were in a one-armed, side by side embrace. It was obvious that Brendon was more than jealous, he was livid.
"I leave for four months to record an album and you go off to Cape Cod and get a new boyfriend? Seriously, Kate, what the fuck is that about?"
Katelyn stared at Brendon for a minute with a look of utter amazement before she burst out with laughter.
"Bren, oh wow. That's my cousin Craig!" She watched him look back down at the picture and notice their similar facial features, a hint of red creeping onto his cheeks as he apologized.
"I'm sorry… I am really, really stupid, aren't I?"
"No, you just jump to conclusions sometimes. There's no way I'd give you up that easily." Katelyn sent him a smile, letting him know that it was alright.

"Oh, so I brought you a little present from Maryland and Texas…" They had to do a bit of recording in Texas, which Katelyn found humorous for some reason.
"You did, huh? And what would that be?" She eyed him suspiciously and Brendon said that it was out in his car. He excused himself, leaving the girl in the kitchen as he left the house briefly, returning with his hands behind his back.
"Pick a hand."
Katelyn stared at him, wondering if he was really serious. When she saw that he was, she pointed to his left hand.
"That one."
He held up his empty hand, a sorry look on his face, telling her that she was out of luck.
"Really, Brendon? What can I do to get you to change your mind?" She took a step closer to the boy, taking his free hand with one of hers.
"There are a lot of things you could do…"
"You're being mean! Just give it to me, Brendon!" Katelyn immediately realized what she had said when she saw the smirk on the boy's face and it made her blush.
"Well if you put it that way!" He gave her a sweet kiss before handing her a CD case. Katelyn looked down at the cover and saw the words 'Panic! At The Disco'.
"A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, huh? Interesting title. Can I listen to it now?" She had only heard the songs they practiced before leaving, so the girl was excited for the finished product.
Brendon nodded hesitantly and Katelyn smiled, leading him to the living room where she opened the CD case and put the disc in the DVD player.
Katelyn sat on the couch and Brendon sat beside her, then she pressed 'play' on the remote.
Upon hearing Brendon's voice through the surround sound speakers, Katelyn couldn't contain herself. She let out a delighted squeal and pulled the boy into her arms, ruffling his hair lovingly and kissing his cheek.
As they listened to the CD, Brendon watched Katelyn's every move, trying to figure out her reaction to the music he had put his soul into. At certain points she would smile because she got Ryan's reference to Chuck Palahniuk's novel, Invisible Monsters. She had read all of his novels over the summer at Ryan's recommendation. During the intermission song, Katelyn leaned her head back and closed her eyes, listening intently to the piano interlude. A slight smile played across her lips at the trills Brendon had worked so hard to perfect. When the last note of the final song had finished playing, Brendon watched the girl hesitantly, waiting for her response. She was looking at the insert that folded out into a poster, glancing over the lyrics in silence.
"You hate it, don't you?" Brendon blurted out and Katelyn immediately looked up at him.
"No, that's not true at all. Ryan is just… Really wordy with his lyrics. I'm trying to figure out how you managed to sing the way you did. For a CD put together by a few eighteen year olds, it's beyond what I expected."
"So you're saying you thought it was going to suck?" He backed away a little, increasing his slight distance from the girl with his eyebrow raised.
"Don't assume things, Brendon! I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it was going to be good. I didn't know it was gonna be this good." She looked down at the insert again, noticing her name in the Notes and Thank You's section.
"You thanked me?" She seemed surprised and Brendon nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Duh. You basically got us this record. How could we not thank you?!"
Katelyn moved the conversation away from herself and turned it back to the album.
"The music was rough in some parts, but I think it adds to the character of the whole thing."
Brendon nodded at Katelyn's reasoning, knowing that the music was extremely sloppy.
"You know how they say that everyone is their own worst critic?" Brendon looked at the girl and she nodded a little bit.
"Yeah, well I never realized how true it is until this… Sometimes I can listen to a song or two and think, 'What the hell is this shit', but other times I think it's one of the greatest things I've ever done."
"I can see where you're coming from." She knew that was exactly what Brendon would do. He could go from hating something one minute to loving it the next. He was like that with his style, music, and even favorite foods.
"I'm starving, how about you? Let's go get some dinner, college girl!" Brendon quickly jumped off of the couch, taking Katelyn's hands with his and pulling her up and into his chest, holding onto her tightly before they went to get something to eat.