Fragile Hearts

All Kasey can think about is how Brian is a really good kisser. And that’s probably a bad thing.

Because his lips are on hers and that’s really all she can think about, as her knees get weak and her stomach flutters and she kisses him back.

Until there’s a cough and she’s forced to break away. Matt and Val are looking at them a little weirdly, and Kasey can’t help the heat rising in her cheeks.

“Are you two lovebirds ready?”

Brian laughs, and Kasey lets out a nervous giggle.

“Of course.”

It all started with a text from Tess. At eleven o’clock at night.

You’d better be out of the house when I get back.

That’s what it said. More or less. Kasey was too tired and comfy to decipher the full meaning of Tess’ most likely drunk text.

Why?

I’m getting laid tonight.

Kasey hadn’t needed much more than that before she scrambled to get dressed and make plans with her nonexistent friends in the ten minutes Tess had given her.

That’s how she ends up at the movie theatre, at the 11:45 showing of Evil Dead on a sort of double date with Brian, Matt, and Val.

Kasey finds it odd that they’re all going to see a horror flick, because Val certainly doesn’t seem like the type to handle one, but she’s never been on a double date to the movies to know what kind of movie is protocol for a double date. In fact, she’s never been on a double date period. So maybe horror is the way to go.

Not even halfway through the movie, she’s curled up into the seat and peaking halfway above her knees to watch the action.

A large, slender hand rests itself on one of her kneecaps and she nearly screams before looking over at Brian, who has an amused smirk on his face.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Of course.” Kasey gulps.

She never claimed to be a horror lover when Brian told her the name of the movie. She didn’t exactly have a choice, since it was either that, or lock herself in her room while Tess did whatever she had to do with some guy she randomly brought home.

Just as the movie is about to end, Val drags Kasey outside.

“Hey- what was that for?”

“Oh please. I could tell you weren’t watching the movie. You weren’t even enjoying it. But I really needed to ask you this alone. Have you talked to Michelle about Brian recently?”

“Only when he called her up by mistake.” Kasey frowns.

Val has that worried slant to her eyebrows again.

“You know Brian still hasn’t signed the divorce papers, right? I mean, I know it’s none of my business, but doesn’t that worry you?”

There it is. Kasey knows it. Val knows she’s just a rebound.

For a second, Kasey really considers lying. It’s not like she hasn’t been doing it the whole time to Brian’s friends. It’d be easy just to say he needs some time, but she doesn’t. Instead, she tells the truth.

“It’s really none of my business either,” she says softly.

Val goes to open her mouth again but her eyes wander over Kasey’s shoulder and she’s plastering on a smile that says ‘everything is alright here’. Kasey turns around and there are Matt and Brian, laughing and talking about the movie.

“Alright, well, we’ll see you later man,” Matt says when they come into hearing distance. “It was nice seeing you, Kasey.”

“It was good seeing you too. Bye Val.” Kasey waves, feeling a pit in her stomach when Val waves back with an unsure smile.

“See you later guys,” Brian echoes.

“Thanks for having me on such short notice,” Kasey says.

“Don’t thank me,” Brian snorts. “I should be thanking you. I almost did call when I found out Val was coming. I thought it was only gonna be a guy’s night, you know?”

Kasey’s yawning by the time she and Brian settle onto the motorcycle, but the road they take isn’t the way back to Kasey’s.

“Where are we going?” She asks.

“Wanna go to the beach?”

“I guess we’re going anyway, huh?”

Small smiles creep up onto both of their lips as they continue the rest of the ride silently.

“So why are we here?” Kasey asks again once their feet hit the sand.

“I don’t know,” Brian admits. “I feel like… We’ve been keeping this charade up for a while, and I know you, but I don’t. You’re still a stranger that I kind of know.”

Kasey nods.

“I can get that. But even a coffee at nine is better timing than a walk on the beach at one. In the morning.”

Brian laughs.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Just acted on an impulse, you know? Just tell me if you want to go home.”

Kasey hums softly, just reminding herself that she has to work in a little less than five hours.

I can take the day off, she rationalizes. She’s never taken a sick day or skipped a shift. They won’t miss her or question her when she calls in tomorrow.

“I can stay.”

“Awesome.”

And then, Brian gently takes her hand to lead her to the water and Kasey’s heart is racing against her chest like she’s sixteen again and going on her first date.

The two strangers turned friends talk about nothing in particular as they walk along the dark shore. There’s laughing and giggling and playful shoving around.

Brian laughs harder than he’s had in a while when Kasey squeals as he picks her up, threatening to throw her in the water before putting her down.

There’s this sparkle in her eyes he hasn’t seen before, but it’s really nice, he decides, without thinking too much of it. And he runs his fingers through her long brown hair, earning a lopsided grin before moving to rest his hand under her jaw to set her cheeks on fire.

He doesn’t know why, but he’s leaning in closer and closer until their lips meet again. And then they’re kissing. He can faintly recall her telling him ‘no sex’, but this isn’t sex. And she’s kissing him back and threading her hands through his hair and it feels really good to be this close to someone after a while. So he takes it as an okay.

Brian doesn’t even bother picturing Michelle. Instead, it’s just Kasey and it’s kind of nice for a change.

“What was that for?” Kasey sucks in a deep breath.

Brian shrugs with a small genuine smile before sitting down in the sand. Kasey follows suit, and they watch and listen to the waves rise and recede on the shore.

“I know I have to get over her sometime,” Brian says after a while. Kasey looks over to see him twisting his wrists as he stares out to the black sky. “I just don’t know where to start.”

Kasey frowns, biting her lip. “Admitting that to yourself is a good place to start.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Brian sighs.

The sound of waves rolling against the shore fills the space between them once more, and Kasey chews and chews at the side of her mouth until she connects the kisses and Brian’s confession.

And maybe they’re not supposed to be connected, or there is really something going on with Brian. Kasey doesn’t get to know, or ask because he’s placing his hand on her back for her attention.

“C’mon, I’ll take you home.”

All Kasey can do is nod.

Tess is sprawled out, or what looks like it, over their couch with only a blanket covering her when Kasey walks into the apartment. Kasey wrinkles her nose, knowing that there’s probably not much else between that blanket and her dignity.

She also knows she’s not going to be sitting on that couch any time soon.

“Tess?” Kasey leans in, pushing her friend’s hair away from her flushed face as the drunken girl lets out a groan of discomfort.

“Did you have fun?” She continues softly.

“Mhm.” Tess curls into the blanket more.

“Do you want to go back to your own room now?”

“No.”

Suddenly, Tess’ eyes crack open and brim with tears.

“I messed up, didn’t I?” She whimpers.

“What? Why do you say that?”

“I have needs too, y’know?”

Kasey sighs, knowing exactly where this is going so she quickly fetches Tess’ bathrobe, forces Tess into it and gently guides her back to her room where Tex greets and jumps into bed with them.

“I know you do, everyone does,” Kasey finally answers, rubbing Tess’ back as she sobs quietly until she’s fallen back asleep again.

Tex meows softly and Kasey realizes that the sound has gotten deeper, and she looks at him and notices he’s gotten bigger.

Maybe that’s how she starts thinking seriously about what Tess said, because even though she won’t remember it in the morning, it’s so true. And then Kasey is thinking about what Brian said on the beach, and she knows everyone has needs, and they’ll go to whatever lengths to satisfy them, even if it hurts them in the end.