Best of Me

Kat slid her house key into the lock and turned it, but before she could open the door, Brian stopped her. He grabbed hand, gently pulling her closer to him. His free hand rested on her jaw and he ducked down, pressing his lips to hers.

Their lips moved in sync and Kat was finding it difficult to contain herself. She felt so many different things all at once. She was happy, nervous, scared, and, if she was being honest, completely attracted to Brian. When he pulled away from her, he smiled at her.

“What was that for?” Kat asked softly. Brian shrugged his shoulders playfully.

“I don’t know, it’s just what happens at the end of a date. I don’t make the rules.”

“But you’re coming in with me.” Kat pointed out, quirking an eyebrow.

“Actually, I’m not yet. I have to run home and grab Pinkly and a change of clothes. But I won’t be gone long, I promise.” Brian gave her another brief kiss and then went back to his car.

Kat went inside her house and smiled brightly. She felt like a teenager all over again. Part of her felt ridiculous for feeling like such a school girl, but it was awesome to feel like that again. Taking advantage of the little bit of alone time she had, Kat ran upstairs to take a quick shower and change into comfortable clothes.

Kat then texted Val about their date, spending a few minutes filling her in on all the details. Kat was sure that the blonde was running around her house, screaming out of happiness and excitement.

Now that Kat had some time to sit and take everything in, she started thinking about Brian’s move-in proposal. They had just worked everything out for right now, so moving in right away wasn’t a good idea. But she thought of a solution that Brian would hopefully be happy with.

When Brian got back to Kat’s, he let himself in knowing that she left the door unlocked for him. He set Pinkly down on the floor and watched the white fluffball immediately run upstairs. He followed, going straight to Kat’s room.

The brunette was lounging on her bed, phone in hand, and Brian could hear her typing away. She had thrown her hair into the usual messy bun and had put her glasses on. Brian had always loved when she wore her glasses; they made her look absolutely adorable.

Kat set her phone down as Pinkly jumped onto the bed, going straight for cuddles. Kat gently stroked her head, giving the occasional scratch.

“She likes you more than she likes me.” Brian laughed as he flopped onto the bed.

“That’s because I spoil her.” Kat responded, her voice bordering on baby-talk. After a few minutes of cuddling, Pinkly moved to the foot of the bed and curled into a ball.

Brian spotted the small box on the bedside table and he placed his hand on Kat’s thigh. “Do you want to go through that stuff now?” He asked. He wasn’t trying to force her, but he thought it might be good for her. She nodded and grabbed the box, placing it in front of her.

Kat pulled the lid off and was met with several envelopes filled with photographs. Her chest felt tight as she realized that almost all her childhood memories were in that box.

“Holy shit, mom.” Kat mumbled, grabbing the first envelope. It was marked with her birthday in her mom’s handwriting. October 30th. Kat pulled out the photos, ready to break down in sobs over the first one.

Nicole was lying in a hospital bed, a tiny baby girl in her arms. Brian smiled sadly as he looked at the picture; this was a bittersweet moment for the two of them. Even though Nicole was Kat’s mom, Brian had grown close to her over the years they grew up together.

“This is crazy. You look so much like Nicole. The same dark hair, the same skin tone, the same blue eyes. You even have her nose.” It was blowing his mind just how identical Kat was to her mom. Every inch of Kat came from Nicole; she didn’t inherit a single thing from her dad.

Kat remained quiet as she continued to flip through the photos, a smile gradually appearing on her face. There were so many pictures of her as a baby, documenting her aging. Kat came across the occasional picture of her mom, some of her dad, and some of them together.

While Kat was absorbed in the photos, Brian looked inside the box. He spotted two small items on the bottom, and he pulled them out. One of the items was a necklace; a thin silver chain with an opal pendant. The other item was a ring, a class ring.

“Kat.” Brian said, catching her attention.

“Oh, my god.” Kat breathed as she took the necklace from him. “Mom used to wear this all the time. I don’t think she ever took it off. And her class ring! I’ve been looking for that. I thought it was lost.”

And just like that, the dam broke, and Kat burst into tears. Brian simply grabbed her and pulled her close, letting her cry it out. Kat didn’t cry often, it just wasn’t part of her personality, but her mother was a hard and avoided subject. As much as Brian hated to see Kat upset, he knew that this was good for her.

When the tears stopped, Kat wiped her eyes and slid the box under her bed. She needed to finish going through it, but she was ready to relax and move on from the heavy stuff. She switched on her television and flipped through the channels in search of something to watch. She settled on some reruns of Ink Master.

“You feeling okay, doll?” Brian asked as he leaned back against the headboard, his hand resting on her back.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for being here. I don’t think I could have gone through that stuff without you. It’s still really hard.”

“I know it is, I understand. It was really hard for me after Jimmy. I don’t think it ever gets easier, I think we just learn how to live with it and make room for it.”

Kat nodded as she took in his words. He never ceased to amaze her. Brian, most of the time, was goofy and could come across as a hard ass to people who don’t know him. But he was one of the sweetest people that Kat knew, and he always knew how to cheer her up.

“After your local shows.” Kat spoke, looking over at him. Brian’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

“After your local shows, if everything is still going good between us, I’ll move in.” Kat compromised. Brian’s face lit up like a kid in a candy shop.

“Are you serious?” He asked, grinning ear to ear. “When did you decide that?”

“Tonight. That’s what I was talking to Val about.” Kat admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

“How much does Val know?”

Kat smirked as she lied down and turned on her side to face him. “Everything.”

“Well, you better make sure she knows that she’s helping you pack. You’ve got a lot of shit and I don’t want you doing any heavy lifting.”

“Yes, dad.” Kat rolled her eyes. This earned her a sharp poke in the ribs and she laughed at the ticklish feeling. A yawn followed the laugh and Brian went to get off the bed.

“Where are you going?” Kat asked as she pulled her glasses off and set them on her bedside table.

“You need sleep, so I was going to sleep on the couch.” Brian stated as if it should have been obvious. Kat pulled a face and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down.

“You don’t need to sleep on the couch. We’ve shared a bed before, it’s no big deal.”

Knowing that arguing with Kat would be pointless, Brian emptied his pockets and pulled off his jeans, leaving him in his shirt and boxers. They pulled the covers over themselves and nestled into the memory foam mattress. Kat quickly fell asleep, her back pressed against his chest.

Brian realized that this felt right, being here with Kat; this moment made him happier than he had been in a long time.