Blood

Kory leaned against the bathroom door, unbelievably close to tears. She put her hands on her knees and began taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down.

"Kory?" Vivian's velvet voice came through the door, concern laced with every word. "Can I come in?"

She cleared her throat. "I'll be out in a minute," she said in her calmest voice possible.

"There's someone here for you," Vivian responded. "Come out when you're ready, okay? No pressure. Just breathe."

This anxiety attack was seriously putting a wedge in Kory's schedule. It was her last day of work before the wedding, which was in just a little over 72 hours. She hadn't spoken to Rissa all day, and Brian hadn't called her at all since their last conversation, probably because he would be home tomorrow. She was stressed beyond the max over the smallest things and she hadn't so much as slept in the last 26 hours.

Breathe, Kor, breathe.

She splashed water on her face and took a few more seconds to herself before finally gathering the courage to go back outside. When she opened the door, Vivian was right there with a bottle of cold water in her hand, the cap already off.

"Here, drink. It'll make you feel better. There's only an hour left of today, go home and get some rest. Showering makes you feel better, too," she suggested, placing a comforting hand on Kory's shoulder.

Right then, Kory realized just how wonderfully she had it. Vivian was so understanding. She was hard on her employees, but she knew when they needed her. And she was always there for them, no matter the situation.

Kory felt stupid for her panicky episode.

"Cmon, I think you'll feel better if you see who's waiting for you," Vivian said, a shit eating grin plastered on her face.

Following her into the front lounge, Kory scanned the room briefly before her hazel eyes met his chocolate brown ones.

She pushed the bottled water back into Vivian's already prepared hands, and ran at full speed towards Brian, throwing her arms around his neck. She couldn't hold back her tears this time.

This was like getting to your bed after a long day. It was like finally finishing something you spent ages working on. It was like coming up from the water after holding your breath. This was Brian. This was home.

"Surprise! I came home a whole day early to see my baby," he said, planting gentle kisses on the top of her head. "Wait, why are you crying? Kory," he pulled her away, still holding her at arm's length, and looked at her carefully, "what's wrong?"

She shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just happy to see you," she answered, burying her face in the cook of his neck.

A sense of calm washed over Brian. Just having her so close felt like paradise. She smelled like strawberries and cream and nothing had ever been so heavenly. She was wearing his black hoodie, and for some reason that made him smile.

"Aw! So this is the fiancé! You snagged a cute one, Kory! I'm Electra, Kory's favorite coworker," she introduced herself with a sweet smile.

"Brian. And it's more like a snagged her, and even then only hardly. I can't imagine life without her though, it was all worth the struggle," he said, looking at Kory’s blushing face and smiling. He kissed the top of her head affectionately, and pulled her closer to his side.

“It’s been a long, rough day for you. Why don’t you head on home and spend some time together?” Vivian suggested, smiling at Kory.

“Viv, thank you so much,” Kory said, leaving Brian for only a second to give her friend a hug. She was so appreciative of Vivian, she understood how difficult everything was for her right now.

The engaged couple said goodbye to everyone, before walking outside into the warm, California air. They didn’t say anything to each other until they had gotten into Brian’s truck, he spoke up then.

“Okay, now that we’re away from everyone, can you please tell me what’s wrong? You were shaking like a leaf when you came out of the bathroom. Don’t lie to me,” he said, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb as he drove home.

Kory sighed. "I'm just stressed out. I didn't even sleep last night, I was too busy stringing the bead lanterns for the wedding. The only thing we have moved into my apartment is my bed from Mason's house, it's been nearly a week and I haven't even moved in yet. Ugh, I'm just exhausted," she answered, leaning her head against the back of the seat and closing her eyes.

Brian thought for a moment. "Alright, we'll go home and nap together. And when you get up, we can watch movies and cuddle and order pizza," he suggested, kissing her knuckles as they waited for the light to turn green.

Groaning, Kory pulled her knees up to her chest and moved as close to Brian as she could get. "Why do you have to be so perfect,"

He laughed. “I’ve gotta do something to keep up with you, babe,” he said, smiling. He really did love her. More than anything on this Earth. And the reassurance that she would one day be Korrissa Harmony Haner was enough to get his heart beating fast enough that he was afraid it might beat right out of his chest. She wasn’t always perfect, she made mistakes often. She over worked herself, sometimes she says things that she doesn’t mean, and at one point she didn’t even believe in love. Kory wasn’t perfect. Far from it, actually. But she was perfect for Brian. She brought out all the good in him, she made him want to have a family, she made him want to be the best person he could be for her. She wasn’t perfect, but together they were perfect for each other. And that’s all that mattered.



By the time Kory had woken up from her much needed sleep, it was already 9PM. She probably could have slept longer, but Brian’s absence worried her. She sat up, pushed her messy hair out of her face, and pulled the dark gray comforter off of the bed, wrapping it around her shoulders. She slowly padded down the stairs, Pinkly following close behind her.

She went straight to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, but got sidetracked when she saw various items laying on the marble counter top. There were two bags; one from Victoria’s Secret, the other from Barney’s. She then noticed that there was also a folded up dress laying next to the bags with a note on it.

Hope you feel better after sleeping. Put this on, I’ll see you at ten thirty. love you, princess. xoxo, B

Kory couldn't stop herself from grinning ear to ear. He really did know how to please his lady.

Kory looked at all of the things he had bought for her, and couldn't help but blush when she realized that the dress matched her engagement ring perfectly. The next thing she looked at were the shoes in the Barney's bag. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips when she pulled out the black glitter stilettos. Oh, he knew her too well.

It took her all of an hour to shower and do her hair and makeup. By ten thirty, Kory was ready to go and just itching to find out what this surprise was.

At exactly ten thirty-one, there was a knock on the door. It took just a second for Kory to answer it. The same sense of calm that she felt when she first saw Brian at work washed over her when she saw him now.

He was in a pair of fitting, dark wash jeans, a white vneck, and the leather jacket that she had bought him for his birthday. In his hands were a bouquet of purple, blue, and white colored flowers.

"I know you don't like roses, so these are called orchids. They match your ring. And your dress," he said, handing them to her. He pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket, and got down on one knee.

"Brian, what are you d–?"

"Korrissa Harmony Lukay, would you do me the honor of becoming my date for the night?" He interrupted, opening the box to reveal a folded up piece of paper.

Curiously, Kory took the paper from the box and unfolded it. Inside were two pencil sketched boxes, the words yes and duh scribbled next to them in Brian's handwriting.

Laughing, Kory grabbed Brian's hand and pulled him up. "Let's go on a date, you nerd."

Brian grinned. “Okay, one more thing. Close your eyes.”

Kory looked at him cautiously, before agreeing and doing as he said. Once she did, she felt something being placed over her eyes. “A blindfold? Really? Is this necessary?” Brian’s adorable laugh sounded in her ears and brought a smile to her face.

“Very necessary. Now hush, the princess has to work on her patience,” he said, guiding her out of the door and towards his truck. He helped her get inside, buckled her in, and began driving to their destination.

Once they had arrived, Kory had officially become impatient to the point of irritation. She just wanted to know where they were going. Brian guided her into an air conditioned building, which gave her goosebumps. “Brian, you’re sort of scaring me. You’re not going to chop me into little pieces and throw me in the ocean, are you? Because I think Marrissa would-” she was cut off abruptly when her feet came out from under her. “Why do you feel the need to take away all of my senses? First sight, and now movement.”

Chuckling, Brian kissed just above her eyebrow. “There’s stairs. Just trust me.”

A few seconds later, her put her back on her feet. Kory could hear the jingling of keys, and the opening of a door. Brian guided her in slowly, closed the door behind them, and finally removed the blindfold.

Least to say, she didn’t expect what she was seeing.

It was her apartment, all of her things completely moved in exactly the way she and Marrissa had arranged. Even her framed posters were up on the walls. Everything, down to the very last detail. The only difference was that her dining room table was in the center of the lounge, a vase of the same colored orchids in the center of it. It was set up beautifully, though no food was on the table.

“Brian, how? How on Earth did you manage this?”

“While you were sleeping, I called Marrissa and had her set it up. The guys all pitched in, even the Berry’s helped out. Riss helped me pick out the decorations and stuff and she set them up while I went shopping for you. It took me an hour and a half just to find these flowers though, which was what I was doing while you were getting ready. I didn’t really think about food though...I can take you grocery shopping in the morning,” he rambled quickly. He was nervous, to say the least. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. He suddenly wondered if this was too clingy.

She covered her face with her hands, and leaned into him. “I love you so much,” she mumbled. “And, I’m not hungry. You know what we could do though?” She hinted, biting her lip and looking up at him.

“Oh, we will, princess. But first, what’s a date without a little dancing?” He walked over to the stereo and hit play. Some classical music that he didn’t even listen to began playing, and he walked over to her.

Kory laughed at him. “Brian, neither of us can dance for shit,” she stated, walking over to the stereo and hitting the eject button. She went through the stack of CDs next to it the stereo, and picked the Duran Duran album that she knew to be his favorite.

Once she hit play, she took of her heels and set them aside. They both danced terribly for hours that felt like minutes. They even went as far as to slide around on the wooden floor in their socks. They laughed together, and Brian was pretty sure that this was what heaven was like.

By 1AM, they were both exhausted. They stripped themselves of their clothes, and crawled into Kory’s small, twin sized bed.

“Brian?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you. For like, existing. I’ve missed you more than anything.”

Brian felt his heart start to beat fast at her words. “I’d do anything to make you happy. You mean everything to me, Kor. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, grinning. She cuddled up next to him, their limbs entwined. “I’m too tired for sex now. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the store, come home, and fuck till we can’t anymore. Okay?”

Brian laughed. “We don’t have t-”

“We do. I need you,” Kory confessed, kissing him passionately. “But I also need cookie dough ice cream. Don’t let me forget.”

Shaking his head, Brian ran his hand through his hair and chuckled at her statement. “Ben and Jerry’s, always.”

“What?! No! Never! Häagen-Dazs for ever.”

And with that, they got into a heated conversation about ice cream until they finally put it aside and fell asleep more in love than either of them had ever been.