Blood

"Brian?"

"Hm?"

"Do you feel any different, now that we're engaged?" Kory questioned, looking up at him as he traced small circles on the small of her back. They had been laying like this for at least half an hour, with his arms wrapped tightly around her and her head laid on his chest as she listened to him hum a slow, smooth melody. "And, be honest. Your answer won't upset me, I promise you."

Brian had to think for a second. He hadn't thought about how he felt, really. "I'm happy that you said yes. I honestly thought you might have said no, so I was really anxious for a while. But, other than that, I feel kinda normal. Do you feel okay?"

Kory nodded. "Yeah, I feel normal too. I just asked because I thought something would have changed, ya know? I thought that I would feel different, and I just don't. Riss said that she felt different, but she also explained how we've already been through more than most married couples do," she explained. "I'm just really happy that you'll be home from tour in a week. I wish you could just come home now, I miss my baby already and I haven't even left." She let out a quiet sound of discontent, and nestled herself close to his side.

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it's only a total of eight days, and then we're taking off a few months of touring so Riss and Matt can have time together. Let's just survive the next week," he suggested, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Kory nodded, and closed her eyes. "Will you sing to me again?"

He chuckled softly, but did as she asked. Kory had nearly fallen asleep, when there was a light knock on the door.

"Ugh, just ignore it. I only have a few more hours with you, I don't care who it is," Kory muttered tiredly. She pulled the sheets up further and snuggled against him for warmth.

Brian didn't object. Instead, he pulled her close and hummed her to sleep, closing his eyes only after he knew that she was comfortable.

He was suddenly hit with the realization that Kory was his. After almost three years of constant struggle and fighting and disagreements, she was finally his. And of course, there would be many more fights and disagreements, but it didn't matter what happened from here on out. Because he loved her, completely and irrevocably, and she loved him in the same way.

Somehow, nothing else really mattered in the world.



Kory awoke to the annoying buzz of her cell phone on the bedside table. She was suddenly aware of how dark it had gotten in what felt like only a few hours. She groaned, and untangled herself from Brian's grip in order to grab her cell phone and answer it.

"Hey, Riss. What's up?"

Marrissa let out an obvious sigh of relief. "Kor! I thought you'd never answer. I know you're not feeling well and all, but we have to get up early tomorrow morning to catch the plane, and I know neither of you have gotten your things around or packed or anything, and I wanted to remind you to set an alarm, too," she rambled.

Kory groaned. "Yeah, I will. Thanks for calling, Riss. I probably would've slept through the whole night, honestly. I'm ridiculously worn out from today," she said. That statement seemed vague enough.

"I figured something like that, hence the call. Anyways, I'll let you get back to sleep. Love you! Feel better soon." And, with that, Rissa hung up the phone and left Kory to her own devices.

Brian looked adorable while sleeping, so Kory decided against waking him up. Instead, she gathered all of their things that had been strewn around the room, and pulled them to the corner furthest away from the bed, and turned on only the bathroom light. It was more than enough to distinguish between clothing pieces.

She didn't bother folding clothes, but instead just separated them and shoved them into their designated duffel bag. She was almost finished, only a small pile of black shirts left, when Brian turned in bed and mumbled something incoherent.

"Cuddling's no fun when you're on the other side of the room," he teased, his voice coated with sleep.

Kory laughed. "I'll be back in bed in just a second, my love. Hold on."

He tried to fall back asleep, because he knew that he would need the rest for tomorrow night's show, but he couldn't. He thought about how difficult it would be for him to go to sleep in a bunk on the bus all alone again, now that he had grown accustomed to sleeping in a warm bed with Kory by his side. It wouldn't be particularly easy, that was for sure.

"Will you come on tour with me, now that we're engaged?" He suddenly asked. Kory had avoided answering the question any time before, but he figured that it might be a different scenario now that the two were engaged. He wanted to give Kory the world. But, realistically, he couldn't do that. The least he could do was show it to her.

She groaned in frustration, and put all but one pair of her shoes into her duffel bag. "I dunno. I like being with you, I think we've both made that much clear, but I have responsibilities back home. I have a job, and I'll have an apartment as soon as I go back. Once we're actually married, I'll think about it a lot more. But, for now, I still have a lot going on, Bri. It's not anything personal, I just, I can't," she explained, a sad sigh coming form her lips.

"Yeah, I get it. I just figured I'd ask. Are you finished yet?"

Kory stood up, and nodded. "Mhhm," she mumbled, crawling back under the warm bundle of blankets. She laid her head on his chest, lacing her fingers with his, and slowly drifted off into sleep. Somehow, this hotel room that she'd only been in for less than five days felt like home. She was content. She was happy. She didn't think that things could get much better than this.