Last Year Was Complicated

"I know, you think I'm dumb and I get it but will you please just help me find something nice to wear?" Brett called out to Gia from the door of her bedroom. She was mostly totally ready for her date; her hair was done and her makeup was on, only she had no idea what to wear. Everything in her closet seemed wrong and she wasn't sure why she was so damn nervous. It wasn't like she had never been on a date before, and it wasn't like this was she and Tyler's first date. Maybe her nerves had more to do with the fact that there was a lot riding on this one single date.

This wasn't just any old date to Brett. This was the date that would determine if she and Tyler really could fix things between them, if they could be better to each other, and if for once they could turn over a new leaf. This was probably the most important date she had ever been on in her near twenty-four years of life.

When Gia didn't answer from down the hall in her own bedroom Brett sighed and went back to her closet. She stood just inside the small walk-in, looking over the two rows of clothing she had and she pulled things out, looked at them and tried to imagine what they would look like paired with other things in her closet to try to create a full outfit but nothing was working.

At this rate she was going to still be in nothing but an off the shoulder t-shirt and a pair of spandex shorts by the time Tyler arrived.

"Try this." Brett jumped slightly, hand on her chest as she turned to face Gia in the doorway of her bedroom. She was holding two hangers in one hand, and a pair of shoes in the other, a complete outfit. Brett smiled and took them from her, stripping out of her pyjama's and slipping into the outfit Gia had presented her with. As Gia fussed with her hair and adjusted the dress here and there she told Brett, "This way you look hot but still somewhat covered because I still think you should make him wait."

"I am making him wait." Brett told her, and she glanced at herself in the mirror that hung between the section of her clothing and the shoe rack. She tucked her short, curly blonde hair behind her ears, smoothed out the front of her dress and she said, "We're gonna take things slow this time."

"Good, I'm glad." Gia told her, before she spoke again, "And promise me that you'll take off if things start going downhill again? That you won't wait until something like the last time happens."

Brett nodded her head and when the doorbell rang she smiled and said, "I'll see you later."

Gia dramatized being surprised when she asked, "You're not sleeping over?"

As they headed to the door Brett told Gia, "That's hardly taking things slow."

"I hope tonight is perfect, you know." Gia told her, giving her hand a squeeze before she disappeared down the hall to let them have some privacy.

Brett pulled the door open with a small smile, finding Tyler standing on the other side of the door in black dress pants and shoes and a white button up dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. Typical.

He glanced at her and smiled, and as he held his arm out and she linked hers with his he asked her, "Ready?"

"Yup."

As they walked out to his car together Tyler leaned over and spoke softly to her, "You look beautiful Brett."

She smiled up at him, "Thank you."

As she got into the passenger side of his car Brett noted the fact that he stayed to close the door for her, and that he must have gone through and cleaned his vehicle because there were no clothes in the back seat, no hats or bottles of Gatorade rolling around on the floor. She had to admit; she was a little impressed.

As he got into the driver's side and turned the key in the ignition Brett asked him, "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"It's a surprise, but I promise you're gonna love it." Tyler told her with a smile and Brett stuck her tongue out at him which made him laugh.

It didn't take her long to recognize where they were going as he drove; it appeared they were headed right back to Tyler's house and Brett was admittedly a little confused by this. As they pulled on his street she asked him, "Did you forget something?"

He glanced over at her with a smile and told her, "Nope."

So she didn't ask any more questions as he pulled into the driveway of his house and right up into the garage. Brett got out of the car before he could run around and open her door for her, which he grumbled about for a moment as she smiled at him. Instead of leading her into the house they went out the outside door of the garage and into the backyard.

He stopped by the patio table between two loungers and he held his hands out as he told her, "Shoes please."

Her brows raised but she didn't move until he moved his hands impatiently so she smiled and held onto his shoulder as she reached down and pulled her heels off of her feet. He took them and set them down on the little glass top table before he kicked out of his own shoes and slipped his hand back into hers and lead her to the brick cabana style structure off of the pool area.

This time her brows raised at the sight of dinner on the table in the middle of the room with pillows on the ground on either side of the coffee table. There was wine, and candles and even music and Brett was completely blown away.

Tyler wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back into his chest as he spoke softly, "The very first date we ever had once I moved into this house was in here."

"You remember that?" She asked him in surprise, and he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, we had... ordered in Thai because I didn't have my kitchen unpacked yet and I told you that I wanted you to move in some day and you said that someday you would." Tyler told her softly, and Brett turned her head enough to rest her forehead against his jaw.

"And then you threw me in the pool." Brett reminded him with a soft smile on her face.

Tyler grinned to himself and then he told her, "And then I realized how handy a little couch and curtains that can close were."

She reached down and pinched his thigh for his comment before she told him, "I really love that you remember that... the whole date that is."

He smiled over at her and then he let go of her and asked, "Shall we eat?"

Brett laughed when she realized that on the table was take out Thai. Go figure.

When they had finished eating Tyler left Brett alone for only a few minutes, long enough to take their dishes inside and deposit them into the dishwasher and to quickly check on the dogs and make sure they were destroying the place before he made his way back outside. She was sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her on one of the wicker style lounge couches so Tyler lifted her shoulders off of the back of it and pushed her forward a little before he sat down behind her and stretched his own legs out on either side of hers.

With his arms wrapped loosely around her waist and his hands clasped in her lap Tyler leaned back and Brett leaned into him as he asked her, "Do you ever wonder where we would be if the last few years hadn't been like they were?"

"What do you mean?" She asked him curiously, turning her head over her shoulder to look at him with a quirked eyebrow.

He explained what he had meant, "Just... our relationship. Where do you think our relationship would be if we hadn't have had all the issues we did? Do you think things would be better?"

Brett shrugged, "I don't know. I've never really thought about it."

"You haven't?" He asked her in surprise. That was all he ever seemed to think about.

Nodding her head Brett told him, "I've never seen the point in thinking about what could have been because it doesn't change things. We are where we are and we just have to do better in the future."

He smiled as he sat up, taking her with him, just enough to grab the blanket folded up by their feet. He spread it out over them and then making Brett laugh he wrapped another one around their shoulders before he relaxed again with her leaning back into his chest. That was when he told her, "I like the sound of that... doing better in the future."

"Good." She told him as she leaned to her right enough to tilt her head and kiss him quickly. When she went to pull away Tyler put his hand on the back of her neck and held her in place for just a moment longer and then he let her go back to leaning against his chest.

He tangled their fingers together in her lap and told her, "So... not to be planning our next date before this one is over or anything but there's this team thing on Friday."

"Oh yeah?" She asked him, rubbing her thumbs against the rough skin of his hands.

"Mhmm." He told her, pausing for just a moment to press a sweet, soft kiss to her jaw before he went on to tell her, "It's a dinner and drinks sort of thing at Rous' house. I was hoping that you would be my hot date for the night."

"There's only one thing I need to know before I can say yes or no." Brett told him, and so when Tyler's eyebrow raised she asked him, "Do I have to dress up?"

"No." He told her.

"So it's not in the least bit fancy at all?" Brett asked him for clarification. He shook his head and she went on, "Because I know what you guys are like. You say it's not fancy so I show up in jeans and a t-shirt and you're all in dress clothes."

Tyler let out a laugh and assured her, "It is jeans and t-shirt approved, I swear on my life."

"Then yes, I will go... admittedly mostly because I miss Antoine, I haven't seen him in like five whole days." Brett joked and Tyler agian let out a laugh. Even more so when she added, "And Jamie. I haven't seen him in weeks and I was tracking the progression of his hair."

"His hair?" Tyler asked her in amusement, unable to keep a smile off of his face.

She nodded her head and said, "It's always different every time I see him. It's like he can't decide what style he likes the best. I mean... granted I only really ever see him every month or more so it's totally normal that his hair would change each time but still."

Tyler shook his head at her, chuckling lightly, as he said, "God I love you."

His laughter stopped when he realized what he had said and he thought for a second he might have gotten away with it but Brett turned to face him with a look of surprise on her face. His cheeks pinked up, his ears felt like they were on fire, and he was so sure that he had just ruined their entire night.

That was until Brett put her hands on each side of his face and leaned over and kissed him square on the mouth. When she pulled back she looked at him with a smile, her blue eyes trained on his brown ones and she said, "I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me."

It wasn't. Not really. He had said it once before about a year into their relationship. At least, that was the only other time that he had said it and really meant it.

The handful of other times those words had come out of his mouth to Brett he had only said it because he knew it was what she wanted to hear, or because he felt like he had to.

This time it had come out without him even meaning to say it. This time he had really meant the words.

He smiled at her and leaned forward to capture her lips once more before he said, "I know, and I mean it."

She kissed him for a third time and she told him, "I know we're supposed to be taking things slow but I kind of sort of mean it back."

It was her way of saying she loved him too without actually saying it out loud. She was afraid that if she said it out loud it would either send him running for the hills or it would make things between them strange because they had agreed to more or less start over and exchanging those words on a technical first date wasn't taking things slow.

Hours later Brett woke up still wrapped up in blankets outside with Tyler, who was asleep. She pulled his arm out from under the blankets to look at his watch before she groaned and sat up and the sudden lack of weight against him and also warmth caused him to stir as well. He didn't seem all that disturbed though because he never actually opened his eyes, so Brett shook his shoulder.

"Ty."

"Mm?" He mumbled, his nose twitching when she shook him again.

"I need a ride home." She told him softly, searching in the dark for her cell phone on the table next to them.

When her hands clasped around it she picked it up and turned the screen on which caused Tyler to groan and cover his eyes as he mumbled, "Just stay here."

She thought about it for a moment before she got up, the concrete cold against her bare feet and she held a hand out for him as she said, "I need you to take me home."

He sighed and rubbed his eyes before he took her hand and heaved himself up onto his feet. They stopped long enough to slip back into their shoes before they went out the way that they came in through the garage and got into his car.

Tyler drove in silence and Brett rubbed his forearm as his hand held onto the gear shift for some unknown reason. It was a habit, one Brett had picked up on a long time ago. When he came to a stop at a red light two blocks over from her condo he turned to her and smiled and Brett leaned over to kiss him quickly before the light went green.

He pulled up in the empty parking space in front of the gate to get into Gia and Brett's condo and put the car in park. As he turned to face Brett he asked her, "Text me when you're inside and the door is locked and the alarm is on?"

She giggled and promised him, "Yes sir."

He smiled and leaned over lazily to kiss her quickly before she unbuckled her seatbelt and he told her, "Goodnight."

"You sure you're gonna be fine to get home?" She asked him as she grabbed onto the door handle. He nodded and straightened up, so she leaned over to kiss him once more quickly before she got out of the car and told him, "Goodnight."

She closed the door and opened the tall gate, pushing it shut behind her before she started up the walkway to the front door. It was unlocked, not unsurprising to her, so she stepped inside and slipped out of her shoes before she locked the door and armed the alarm and then she pulled her phone from her bag and she sent Tyler a text knowing he was still sitting outside in the parking lot waiting for her text.

In all safe and sound and locked up. Go home and get some sleep. Text me when you get home.

His response came a moment later.

Good. Breakfast tomorrow?

Brett leaned back against the door with a smile on her face. Maybe things were different this time.