Turn the Other Way

"Hi," I muttered under my breath, not once looking up at him. I could feel the tension spinning around us.

"What's up? What's with the suitcase?" he asked, almost in a snotty tone. "And why the fuck are you here?"

"I need a place to stay," I admitted through a sigh. "Just for a few days."

"Oh, so you don't talk to me for weeks and then you expect me to let you live with me?" he scoffed, crossing his arms. "That's a real bold move, Seward."

"I know, I'm sorry," I sighed, finally giving into my stubborn ways to make eye contact. "I want to talk things through with you. And I sent you a text..."

"Yeah, I got it. I was pissed," he growled.

"Well, is it a yes or is it a no?" I asked finally. He was quiet for a moment as he looked up to the sky, as if searching for the right answer.

"Is there anywhere else at all you could stay? Hotel maybe?" he sighed.

"Brian...I'm really sorry. Please let me stay, I'm begging you," I pleaded.

"Fine," he sighed, opening the door wider and moving out of my path. He grabbed my heavy suitcase with one hand and swept it in the air, gently tossing it on the soft carpet. I hurried in; as if I was worried he was going to suddenly change his mind. I took a seat on the couch, eyeing Brian warily. He stood against the staircase, his arms crossed neatly. "So...why are you here?"

"Because I left Zack's place early..." I trailed off. He raised an eyebrow, asking for a better explanation. "His ex girlfriend came into the picture..."

"You dump him?" he asked. Before I could answer he cut in. "Of course not. Dumb question."

"Brian..."

"Why wouldn't you talk to me for so long?" he muttered, moving over to sit in the recliner opposite of me. "It really hurt."

"Because we had...we did things and I couldn't face the fact that I...well....enjoyed it," I admitted. His eyes lit up with the smile his face hid well. "I wanted to love Zack still. I wanted things to be better. But I couldn't get you out of my head. I thought maybe not talking to you would help, but it made things that much worse."

"Wow, Julie," he chuckled, finally letting the small trace of a smile show through. "I didn't know how you were feeling at all. I thought that maybe you thought I sucked and just didn't want to talk to me anymore. I didn't know you...liked me."

"I don't like you..." I countered. "I'm just...fond of you, that's all."

"Call it what you will, I know that it's you liking me again," he grinned. I looked down, ashamed of the emotions I'd finally let out. He stood up, grabbing my hands and bringing me along with him. He pulled me into a tight hug. "I missed you, babe."

"I kind of missed you too," I said, embracing him tightly. He kissed the top of my head and released me.

"So. How many days here?" he asked me, heading over to my suitcase as I shrugged. He picked it up and headed up the stairs, motioning for me to follow him. I hurried to get at his heels as he led me down a hallway. I remembered which room was his immediately. When he graduated, his parents moved away, but Brian stayed in the house I remembered well from when we dated. When we entered the space, not a single thing had changed about his room. He's always been the metal head punk ass kid that didn't care what people thought about his stuff. He even had a Barbie on his desk that I gave him for his eighteenth birthday as a joke. He dropped the suitcase and smiled at me. "Looks like we're rooming together."

"Why?" I asked coyly. "There's other rooms."

"Because I want to sleep with you by my side again," he said simply, pulling me close to him. He leaned down a bit, inching closer to my lips. "I want to be with you so bad..."

"I know, Brian," I said, feeling my chin being gently forced upward by his fingers. He softly planted his lips on mine, tenderly kissing me for a moment. He didn't try to deepen it. He pulled away and left me with a goofy smile on my face.

"Wake up, dipshit!" Brian yelled, bouncing on the bed a bit. I opened an eye and almost swore that it was Izzy waking me up. "Come on, up. I made food!" he grinned, landing on his elbows. He moved my hair out of my face and kissed my lips lightly.

"Give me some more time, I'm tired," I whined, trying to roll over. He stopped me and picked me up bridal style, hurrying out of the room. I wrapped my arms around his neck in panic. It was too early for this. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I spent tons of time making food for you, now eat!" he smiled, carefully speeding down the stairs. He plopped me down at the kitchen table and put a plate in front of me. I smiled broadly and felt my mouth water at the bacon, eggs, and sausage.

"You made this?" I asked happily, feeling myself begin to wake up finally. He took a seat beside me and kissed my cheek lightly.

"Yeah. And I never cook," he pointed out. "Now eat, because you get to spend a day in the life with Brian Haner. Your gonna be one busy girl!"

"I don't want to..." I trailed off. "You do too much. Your gonna make me play guitar, aren't you?"

"Yeah, babe," he smiled meekly. "You're gonna learn the guitar today. And you’re going to fucking rock it. If not, I'll still love you."

"Aw, thanks, Brian," I laughed, taking my first bite of the bacon. I moaned and almost melted at its tender taste.

"Ooh, I like that sound," he chuckled, resting his fingers on my arm as I ate. I watched him seductively and smiled.

"Good," I nodded, eating another piece of bacon. "But I think I'll pass on the Brian day."

"Fuck no, you live in my house, you do what I do," he said defensively. "It's time you become a man."