Blood

It had been three days since Kory and Rissa's mini vacation to see the guys, but they were both already more stressed than ever. The wedding was in five days, and nothing seemed to be going the way it should have been.

Kory was grabbing her jacket and bag from Vivian's office on her way out, when her cell phone rang. Hoping that it would be Brian, she hurriedly picked it up and hit the 'accept' button. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon, Ms. Lukay. This is Aubrey, whom you spoke to at Hobby Lobby about the extra orders of crystal beads. I'm calling to inform you that the packages have arrived this morning and are ready to pick up."

If she was honest, Kory was disappointed that it wasn't Brian who called. She cleared her throat. "Alright, is it okay if I come pick them up in half an hour?"

"Yes, of course. See you soon, Ms. Lukay," Aubrey responded.

Ugh. Ms. Lukay. Such a weird way to hear her name. "Okay. Thanks for calling!" And with that, Kory hung up the phone and began texting Marrissa while she walked outside.

Just before she walked out, Electra stopped her. Electra had, unsurprisingly, dyed her hair again. This time, it was a bright neon green, tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head. "Kory! The rest of us are having a bonfire tonight at my place. You wanna come? There's gonna be booze and smores!"

Kory's heart sank. There was something about Electra that seemed so child like. Maybe it was because she was short and chubby and looked younger than she actually was, or maybe it's the constant joy and happiness in her eyes, but there was something about her that made you want to protect her from any type of disappointment. "Rissa and I have a lot of stuff to do for the wedding tonight, but I promise you that I'll try my very hardest to get over there. Even if it's just for a second. Okay?"

A huge grin spread across her face. "Okay! I hope to see you guys!" She gave Kory a quick hug before going back to cleaning up her station.

Sighing, Kory went back to texting Marrissa as she walked outside and got into her car.

To: Rissa

From: Kory

Txt: beads came in at hobby lobby. on my way to pick you up, be ready in 5.

As she drove towards Matt and Marrissa's place, Kory listened to You're Going Down by Sick Puppies, singing along happily. Once she got to their house, she sent Marrissa a quick text and waited outside. She was incredibly relieved when she got in the car, though. Just to have her best friend by her side eliminated at least half of the stress resting on her shoulders.

"Electra invited us to a bonfire tonight. We don't have to stay long but I want to show up for at least five minutes. Is that okay?" She asked Marrissa, turning the music down.

Nodding, Rissa put her bag in the back seat. "That's cool, and Mason called me this morning. He said you've been dodging all of his calls, what's all that about?"

Kory groaned. "I haven't been dodging him. Just...busy," she lied, reversing out of the driveway and heading towards Hobby Lobby.

Marrissa sighed. "Is it because of the engagement thing? Because, Kory, I can promise you that he won't be as pissed off as you think he's going to be," she reassured, turning in her seat to face Kory. "We can tell him tonight, after the bonfire. I'll go with you."

Kory groaned even louder. She knew that she had to tell him eventually. Just, why now? Couldn't they wait a few more days?

Marrissa sighed, already knowing the thoughts running through Kory's mind. "You love Brian, right?"

"More than anything."

"Then what's the problem? Mason has always dealt with whatever made you happy. He'll be fine."

Kory thought for a second. Marissa was right. It's just that she feared actually having to say it. Saying that she was getting married out loud made her feel like she was being naive. She's still young, what if this isn't what she wants in ten years? She would still want Brian in ten years, she knew that much, but what if things were different?

She shook the thought from her head, and turned up the stereo as she drove to Hobby Lobby. It was just the stress, that’s all.



After Rissa and Kory had arrived at Electra's bonfire, Brian finally called. It was the first time Kory had spoken to him in nearly two days. After informing Marrissa of her departure, Kory snuck away from the crowd of people and answered her cell phone.

She didn't even get a chance to say hello before Brian started rambling.

"I am so sorry that I didn't get a chance to call you yesterday, baby. Two of my amps ended up shorting and there was a huge proble–"

Kory cut him off. "It's fine, Bri. I've been busy too. I'm just happy that you called," she breathed out, a grin on her face. It was so calming just to hear his voice. "I miss you."

She sounded so sad, and it shattered Brian's heart. "Baby doll, I love you so much. I'll be home in just a few days, okay? Not much longer, I promise." Brian hated knowing that Kory was sad, and it was even worse to think about the fact that he was the reason behind it. She was coming on the road with him next time. He didn't care what it took.

Kory sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it just feels like forever. We have so much to do yet for the wedding. We'll be up all night stringing bead lanterns, and I have to work early in the morning and then after my shift we're moving stuff into my apartment. Tomorrow is just going to suck and I wish more than anything that you were here to make it easier," she rambled. If she was honest, she just wanted this wedding to be over with already. It was so stressful, and no one needed that. "Just so you know, we are not planning our wedding in less than two months."

Brian laughed. "I wouldn't expect that. Are we doing it soon though? Like, within the next year or two at least?" He didn't mind waiting for her to be comfortable with it. They could wait twenty years before actually getting married and he knew that his heart would still beat just as hard for her. It didn't matter, because he loved her with every breath that he breathed. But even through all of that, he didn't want to wait twenty years. He would, if he had to, but that's not what he wanted.

"Probably in a couple years. Not long but definitely not right now," Kory answered honestly.

"Will you guys be up a little after midnight?" Brian asked.

"Probably, why?"

"We can do a Skype call after the show. I know that the guys would want to. Can we? Can we pleeeaassee?"

Kory laughed at his persistence. "Yeah, we can. I should probably get going though. Rissa and I were just about to head out to Mason’s. We plan on telling him about the engagement,” she said, biting her lip. The thought alone made her sick to her stomach.

“Wait! No, don’t do that yet. Can you wait until I get home? I wanted to tell him with you. I should have asked him before I asked you. The least I could do is be there when you tell him.”

Kory thought for a moment. If she was honest, the thought of Brian being there with her to tell Mason was comforting. Not only did it mean that she would be able to put it off for a while longer, but she would have Melody there too, who was coming back to town the day after Brian was. “Yeah, I can wait. It makes me happy that you want to be here. And, just so you know, you don’t need Masons approval. You have mine.”

Brian sighed. “I know, but he’s your dad. It’s important that he’s there,” he said. He hoped that Mason would be there and be supportive. Before all of this happened, Brian and Mason were pretty close friends. Now that he was so involved with Kory though, it might be a different story. That thought scared him.

Kory groaned loudly. “I know, I know. We’ll talk about it more later tonight, okay? I should probably get going. I love you!” She couldn’t stop grinning as she said it, a small giggle falling from her lips.

Adorable was the only word Brian could find to describe her. “I love you too, princess. I’ll text you after the concert, promise.”

Kory hung up the phone with a huge smile on her face. The pet names made her happy, she wasn’t going to lie. She couldn’t wait until her baby was home.