When the Moon Fell in Love with the Sun

Katelyn had watched the set in Phoenix from the side of the stage, unable to keep the smile off her face as she watched Brendon and the guys perform. He seemed to be a completely different person when he was on stage, but he still seemed real at the same time. He had thrown her smiles and winks the entire time, trying his best to win the girl over before he had to take her to the airport.
Brendon had gotten Spencer to tell him everything about Katelyn's ex-boyfriends, including the verbally abusive guy named Aaron, after she had gone to sleep on the bus the previous night. He was relieved to hear that none of her relationships had been serious, because none of his were either. It was good to know that she hadn't found someone to replace him. As hesitant as Katelyn was to start something back up with Brendon, she wanted to more than anything. She missed everything about him, not to mention the way she felt when they were together. Spencer had told the girl to go for it after the set, but she couldn't do it.

"Bren, don't come anywhere near me until you've showered!" Katelyn squeaked after they came off the stage and he tried to hug her.
"Fine! I see how it is! I call shower first!" He ran off toward the showers, leaving Katelyn and the three guys alone in the dressing room.
"Your flight is at midnight, right?" Ryan asked and she nodded, saying that it was the last flight out for the night to Santa Ana.
"Are you gonna have a ride home?" Jon seemed to be a lot like an older brother, from what Katelyn had gathered.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna get a cab. It's no big deal." She glanced around the room, noticing Brendon's open backpack sitting on one of the vanity counter tops. Katelyn saw something familiar inside, so she casually got up and casually sat on the counter, listening to the guys talk. She discreetly reached into the bag and pulled out the old frame, smiling at it fondly, amazed that Brendon had kept it all this time.
"Kate what are you doing in Brendon's backpack?" Jon's voice made her jump a little, almost dropping the frame, but she managed to keep a firm grip on it.
"I, uh, saw this frame and I wanted to make sure it was what I thought it was…"
"And is it?"
Katelyn showed the frame to the boys and she nodded, telling them that she gave it to him before they, minus Jon, left to record their first album. She slipped the frame back into the black Jansport backpack and returned to the couch.
"He takes that everywhere he goes, no joke." Ryan told the girl as he ran his long fingers through his hair, mumbling about how he was ready for a shower and that Brendon was taking forever.
"Quit your bitching, Ry. It's all yours." Brendon came into the room wearing jeans and a navy blue t-shirt and sat beside Katelyn, asking what he missed.

When they were dropping Katelyn off at Sky Harbor International airport, Brendon offered to walk her inside and she accepted gratefully. She hated being in huge airports by herself, despite the fact that she had braved them alone numerous times. Something about the mass of irate people got to her.
"We'll drive around the huge loop thing, then pick you up right here, Bren. Have a safe flight, Katie. We'll see you in June!" Spencer gave the girl an enormous bear hug, followed by Jon and Ryan.
Brendon and Katelyn hopped off the bus and walked into the major airline hub, finding the Southwest counter so she could check in and print her boarding pass at a kiosk. They went up the escalators to the security checkpoint, staring at each other silently.
"So this is goodbye?" Brendon shoved his hands in his pockets, his dark, shaggy hair falling into his eyes. Katelyn brushed his hair out of his face, saying that she was going to see him in a few months.
"I hope you had a good birthday." Katelyn watched him smile brightly.
"It was the best birthday I've ever had." He nodded enthusiastically, thanking her for coming again.
"You can call me anytime you want, okay?" She kissed his cheek and he pulled her into a tight hug, trying his best to keep himself from making her stay.
"I saw that you still have the picture I gave you in that frame." Katelyn's soft voice fell over Brendon's ear before she pulled out of the hug and gave him a smile, waving as she said goodbye and walked to the check point.
"Bye Kate…" Brendon barely breathed out the words, unsure as to whether or not she had actually heard them, but she in fact did.

When Katelyn got back to her apartment around 2 am, she saw that she had a text from Brendon.
Have a safe flight. Let me know when you're home.
She quickly sent him a message saying just that, then went to bed so she could get up for her 11 o'clock class.

"So...?" Jess and Elaine had been pestering Katelyn all day for details of her little trip, but the girl wasn't giving it up.
"It was a lot of fun. Brendon and I did a bunch of talking and I got to know their new band mate, Jon."
"So did you two get back together?" Elaine continued to prod.
"No, Elaine. We didn't. I don't want to jump into something with him after two years of not talking." Katelyn told the girls about the picture he still had, and they laughed because she had a similar photo framed on her desk. Most of her pictures were put away in an album in her closet, but that one meant a lot to the girl.
"You're an idiot! He is clearly still in love with you." Jess tried to talk some sense into Katelyn as they all sat around eating Chinese food in their living room.
"So? That doesn't mean we're going to work out." She stared at the TV, eating fried rice as her phone rang out. Jess and Elaine quickly looked up, recognizing the sound. Why hadn't she changed that ring tone?
"Hey, Brendon. What's up?" Katelyn answered as she walked into her room, shutting the door behind her.
"You said I could call whenever... I hope this isn't a bad time."
"No, I was just eating some takeout. I'm actually glad you called because Jess and Elaine were interrogating me about my trip with you guys to Phoenix."
"Yeah… Sorry about that. I just couldn't let you go right after the show, so I did the first thing that came to mind." Brendon's uneasy laugh filled the girl's ear and she could hear that he was nervous talking to her.
"It's good that you invited me. I'm really glad I went. What are you up to now?"
Brendon said that he was just chilling out on the bus, driving to Oklahoma. The guys were playing Xbox and being loud, so Brendon had snuck back to his bunk to relax.
"So are you really gonna come to our last show? It's in Anaheim and stuff, so it's really close to you."
"Well I went to the first one, so why wouldn't I come see the last? Unless you're trying to get rid of me or something."
"Kate, you're gonna have a tough time getting rid of me now that we're talking."
The two talked for nearly two hours, and the only reason Brendon had to go was because they were stopping to get something for dinner.
"I'll talk to you soon, right?" Katelyn twirled her long hair, thinking about how she needed a big change in her life.
"If you want me to, I will." She could hear the hopeful tone in his voice and she smiled.
"Of course I want you to. I look forward to hearing from you soon."
They told each other goodbye, and Katelyn hung up, plugging her phone into the charger so she could return to the living room. Sitting down with her friends, she told them that she needed a change.
"I want to cut my hair."
Jess and Elaine looked at the girl, their mouths dropping almost simultaneously.
"But you've always had long hair… I associate it with you." Jess hated change, but Elaine was all for it.
"You should get it done before you go see Brendon in June. It'll give him a big surprise." Elaine winked at the girl, making her laugh.
"I want to change it now though. I guess waiting until June would be cool though. Hopefully I don't get too antsy and just do it myself! I'm kinda sick of taking care of this mess!" She ran her fingers through the waves of her sun drenched, copper hair and holding it up to her face like a mustache.
"He's gonna flip out. He always loved my hair…" Katelyn let out a little sigh, picking up her now cold Chinese food and continuing to eat it.

As April and May quickly passed, Katelyn and Brendon had spent a considerable amount of their time talking, whether it was on the phone or through texts. Whenever they talked, it seemed like neither of them had changed a bit. It was as if they were still the giddy high schoolers they used to be, even though Katelyn was nearly done with her junior year of college and Brendon was in a huge band.
Katelyn had forgiven Brendon for what had happened, saying that what went on was in the past and that she wanted to forget it ever happened. He, for one, was glad that she wasn't going to hold it against him, but it was always going to be in the back of his mind.
I can't wait to see you! One week left! Brendon had been counting down the days, just like Katelyn was.
I know, me either! It's great that it's the day after my last final. Katelyn texted him back. She was so ready for the year to be over, and this was the perfect way to celebrate.
She was sitting in a hair salon with Christina and Jess, nervously waiting for her appointment to begin. Katelyn had told the man that she wanted it cut up to just above her shoulders, and that there was more than enough to donate to Locks of Love.
Biting her lip, Katelyn held on to her phone nervously under the sheet to keep hair from going everywhere, and as soon as she heard the scissors make their first cut, Katelyn nearly began to cry.
"It's okay, Kate.. It's just hair." Jess soothed the girl from nearby and Katelyn said that she knew.
When it was all said and done, Katelyn loved her new look. Falling a little above her shoulders, her hair was still wavy, but now cut so that it was full of volume and layers. Her roommates said that Brendon was gonna freak out, and she nodded, noticing how light her hair felt now.
"The guys are all gonna freak. I can't wait!" Katelyn drove them all to a smoothie place nearby, where they all had some well deserved girl time.