Milestones: Commitment

Acing all her finals, Michelle was greeted with praise from her parents upon moving back home. Though she was settled and happy to be home, Michelle did miss life on campus and always being busy with something to do.

As she was settled on the couch with a book, Michelle heard a car door shut from outside and immediately perked up. Folding the corner of the page she was on to mark her place, she quickly got up and headed to the front door. Looking out the window she saw Matt's car parked in the drive, the engine still humming as it ran.

"Val!" Michelle shouted, throwing open the door and hurrying outside. Her sister looked up and smiled just as big, dropping the suitcase she had in hand as Michelle leapt at her, hugging her tight.

"I missed you, sister," Michelle said before they pulled away, and her smile faltered for a moment as she looked Val up and down. "My God, woman! When was the last time you ate?" she asked, poking at one of Val's ribs.

"I think it was yesterday," Val said, though the question was meant in a playful way, and Michelle was shocked.

"Okay, I think it's time you guys took a break from touring. It's definitely not healthy, especially with everyone cramped in a van."

"Hey Michelle," she heard another voice say, and she saw Matt get out of the car. Smiling again even at the pale, drained sight of him, she launched herself at Matt, wrapping her arms around his neck like she had her sister.

"Did you hear what I said, Matthew?" Michelle asked sternly. "No more touring, you guys look sick as dogs," she scolded, and Matt smiled.

"Don't you worry about that," he answered. "We're done touring for awhile - at least until we get a damn bus, though I'm not sure how much better it'd be."

"Well," Val spoke up, walking around the front of the car to where Michelle and Matt were stood, "I'm going inside and sleeping for a week." Leaning up, she kissed Matt quickly.

"Here, I'll get that," Michelle said, taking the suitcase from Val before ushering her inside. Looking over her shoulder, she watched Matt get in his car. "Bye, Matt!" she called, receiving a wave before he drove away.

"I am so exhausted," Val grumbled, quickly heading into the kitchen. Michelle left her sister's suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and followed her.

Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as fast as she could, Val quickly started stuffing it into her mouth, wondering if she might need another afterward. Seeing her sister walk in, she looked up. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They left to go shopping about half an hour ago, so they'll be back in a couple hours," Michelle answered, almost smiling at the wolfish manner in which Val was eating until she remembered her statement from earlier.

Nodding her head, Val continued to eat, heading to the fridge to get something to drink. "Can you make me another one as I eat this?" she asked through her chewing, and Michele nodded though Val couldn't see her. Finding a bottle of soda in the fridge, Val grabbed it, taking the entire two liter bottle that was half full and drinking right from it. It may have been loaded with sugar - which was a good thing due to her blood sugar and everything else being so low - but she knew it wouldn't keep her from sleeping for a good, needed ten hours or so.

Turning back around once she had finished her first sandwich, Val saw Michelle standing with another one for her, one thumb sucked into her mouth to rid it of excess peanut butter.

"Oh God, thanks," she groaned, stuffing the second sandwich into her mouth much like the first.

"Don't you think you should maybe slow down?" Michelle asked, and Val shook her head, swallowing.

"You try and go weeks eating less than one meal a day, and then you can talk," she said, though she wasn't trying to be mean, and Michelle knew that. Taking deep lungful of air once she was finished, Val took one more drink from the bottle of soda in hand before putting it back in the fridge.

"Alright, go upstairs and sleep. Those bags under your eyes are atrocious," Michelle joked, and Val smiled, rolling her eyes as she turned and headed for the stairs. As Michelle could hear the pounding footsteps up the stairs, another sound made itself known. Cocking her head, she heard the knocking again and headed for the living room. Opening the door, she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Brian..." she sighed, almost in disbelief that he was standing there after so long - though not entirely surprised. Quickly she took in his appearance. Much like Matt and her sister, Brian was pale and looked skinnier than the last time she had seem him when she had visited in the hospital.

"You look sick," was the only other thing she could force herself to say.

"Yeah, the tour was a bit rough on us. That van wasn't meant to fit so many people for that long," Brian muttered, looking down at the wooden boards of the porch under his feet. Suddenly he felt nervous, but he had already driven all the way to Michelle's house to see her and tell her something that was rather important, and he wasn't about to just turn and walk away now.

"So I've heard," Michelle said. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you so-"

"Michelle, I didn't come here to make small talk," Brian said, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"...Do you want to come inside?" she offered, almost hesitating as she stood aside with her invitation to let him in.

"No, I can't stay very long anyway.... Look, I stopped by here for a reason - I'm so tired right now that I just want to pass out, but I had to come here first and talk to you the first chance I could, and I'm here now, so I'm going to get right to the point," Brian said, sighing as he reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"I was a real dick before I went on tour. I honestly don't know what my problem was, but I've had a lot of time to think. I was completely miserable this entire time because you didn't want anything to do with me while I was gone. And I know you had perfectly good reason - I fucked up, and I ruined a perfectly good thing." Brian didn't break the steady eye contact he held with Michelle, and he fought the urge to just pull her into his arms and make every bad thing just go away.

Biting her lip as she listened to Brian, Michelle couldn't help but feel her stomach flutter. It was good to see him again - she wasn't about to deny it.

"And all this has made me realize," Brian continued, "that I don't want to be without you. Being lonely on the road and not even having you there to talk to on the other line was hard, and I don't want to feel like that ever again. This whole...thing that happened really made me realize that...," he paused, licking his lips as he tried to force the words out of his mouth. He didn't think he would feel so nervous to tell Michelle the one thing he really needed her to hear. "...that I love you, and I don't want to live without you. Every bad thing that happened in our relationship was a mistake, and it's taken me all this time away from you to realize I love you, and that I probably have for awhile..."

Michelle took in a sharp breath upon hearing his words. She hadn't expected him to say that at all, and was shocked at the sincerity in his voice. She already knew how she felt about Brian - she had loved him really ever since he had taken her up to his uncle's home in the previous summer. But with all of Brian's conflicting emotions toward her before he left for tour with the band, she had felt confused, and really questioned her feelings for him.

Feeling her eyes well up with tears unexpectedly, Michelle parted her lips in a smile and stepped out onto the porch. She wrapped her arms around Brian's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his neck.

"I love you, too," she whispered back as she felt Brian wrap her in closer with his strong arms. She felt the rumbling through his chest as he let out a small laugh.

"Good, because I was a little worried you didn't when you didn't say anything for awhile...," he said quietly, and then he pushed her gently out of the embrace. Smiling at the tears in Michelle's eyes, Brian swiped his thumbs under them to brush the wet droplets away. His hands on Michelle's cheeks, he smiled as he pulled her to him, placing his lips on hers. They both reveled in the feelings of the kiss, as it was something they had been missing for an entire year and a half. Pulling away, Brian just looked in Michelle's eyes, feeling very overwhelmed.

"I love you so damn much.... It feels so good to finally say that," he whispered, and Michelle laughed.

"It feels even better to hear it," she replied, her arms still wound around his shoulders. Pulling her in for another kiss, Brian then placed his forehead against hers.

"I've never actually said that to another girl before," he admitted quietly, and Michelle would be lying if she wasn't slightly taken aback by his statement. She hadn't known anything of his past relationships before she had met him, so she had no idea how close he had gotten with them either. She had thought that surely he had to have told another girl he loved her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, except for family and really close friends. But no, you're the first one I've ever felt this way about." Kissing her again as he couldn't control himself, Brian pressed his lips a little harder, making it last just a second longer. "Alright, enough of this mushy stuff. I gotta head back to my house and crash. I'm so exhausted."

Stepping out of her arms. Brian gave one last look at Michelle and turned, ready to get back in his car.

"Brian?" Michelle called after him, leaning against the open doorway. For the second before Brian turned around, the image flashed through her mind of their first kiss, which had taken place in the very spot she was standing.

Facing her again, Brian answered, "Yeah?"

"You know, I do have a bed...," she said pointedly. "I could lay with you." Instantly Brian perked up and smiled once more.

"I miss just...laying with you," he said, and Michelle extended her hand to him, which he took. Leading him inside, she headed for the stairs, intent on getting next to Brian again. She had missed it, too.

As she brought him up the stairs behind her, Michelle looked over her shoulder. "So does this mean we're together? Cuz you never said anything about that..."

"I would certainly hope it meant that. I mean, I did just pour my heart out to you," Brian said, an air of sarcasm tainting his voice. Michelle couldn't help but giggle like a school girl as she entered her room with Brian, and she waiting for him to kick his shoes off before getting into her bed with him.

With a content smile on both their faces, Michelle rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder, Brian's arm securely around her. She was finally back in the place she knew she belonged, and she didn't plan on leaving for a long time.