Milestones: Commitment

Surprisingly enough for both Brian and Michelle, time seemed to go on with their relationship just the way it had left off, and it felt like they had never even been apart in the first place which was a relief - they didn't want anything to feel awkward.

Val found out that her sister and Brian were back together, and she couldn't have been happier. She had always liked Michelle and Brian as a couple, and was pretty upset (though mostly for her sister) when she'd heard the news at Zack's end of the year bash that Michelle and Brian were no longer together. She just hoped that the relationship's original foundation would be enough to keep them together the second time around.

The summer that followed the reconciliation between Michelle and Brian started off much like the summer after their high school graduation had. It was a summer of young love all over again, and the two rarely ever spent too much time away from each other. It was almost like Michelle and Brian were making up for the year and a half they'd been apart. Which was what prompted Brian to take the plunge, hoping his proposal wouldn't form a rift in the relationship he was thankful to have gotten back.

"Where is it we're going, Bri?" Michelle asked as she sat in the passenger seat, watching as the houses in the neighborhood zoomed past. Brian had called her and told her to be ready for him to pick her up because there was something he needed to show her. He hadn't disclosed exactly what it was he wanted her to see or where it was he was taking her, and Michelle was growing antsy - she didn't like waiting for surprises.

"You'll find out when we get there," Brian answered with a smug grin, squeezing Michelle's hand lightly in his. He knew the suspense was killing her, but the destination was fairly close, and it would only take another minute to get there.

Confusion spreading across her face when Brian turned onto the gravel driveway of a blue house she'd never seen before, Michelle turned to him. "...You wanted to show me a house?" she asked, looking skeptically at Brian, but he just shut off the car and smiled.

"Come on," he coaxed, and Michelle followed him out of the car and onto the front porch that wrapped around to the other side of the house. Finding the key on the ring, Brian slid it into the lock on the door and turned it, pushing the door in and allowing Michelle to follow him. The room they entered was nothing more than an entrance hall with no other doors, only a staircase leading up to the second floor. Wondering just what he was up to, Michelle took Brian's outstretched hand, and he led her up the stairs.

"Okay...so this is the hallway," Brian announced, though it was rather obvious. Through the open door facing them at the top of the stairs, Michelle could see a bathroom, and then a doorway facing the railing of the hall that shielded the stairs coming up, and another doorway adjacent to the bathroom. Brian led her through that doorway, revealing a tiled kitchen.

"This is the kitchen, obviously," Brian said with a slight laugh, and then crossing the kitchen he guided Michelle up the two steps to the landing of the second staircase from behind her. There were two steps down the other side of the landing, leading into another bare room. "This would be the living room," he announced as they looked in on it, and Michelle could see the doorway to the hall across the room.

Nudging her, Brian followed Michelle up the narrow, carpeted staircase that ended on a very small landing, with a doorway directly to the left, and another to the right.

"These are the bedrooms," Brian said, and after realizing the two rooms in the third story attic space were identical, Michelle stepped into the one on the left. There was one window in the middle of the opposite wall, the ceiling slanting down along either side due to being directly under the roof. She stepped up to the window and looked down at the street below. Sighing, she realized what this all meant. Brian wouldn't have a key for no reason, after all. All the rooms were bare, and she knew that Brian must have just rented the place and wanted to show it to her.

Slowly Brian walked up behind Michelle, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his chin on her shoulder, pulling her back into him. She smiled, feeling his affection through his touch.

"I want to make love to you in this room..." Brian whispered into her ear, moving his lips down to lightly kiss her neck.

Michelle's smile faltered but only for a moment. "...Right now?" she asked with a chuckle, her eyebrows furrowing at his request.

"No...," he answered, kissing her neck one last time before placing his chin on her shoulder again. "But eventually...yes."

Turning in his arms, Michelle looked up into Brian's dark eyes. "What do you mean?'

"Well, this is my apartment now. This is my home, as soon as I get everything moved into it. And I want..." Brian said, pausing for a moment to rephrase what he was about to say. "...I'd like for you to live with me."

Blinking a few times, Michelle took a deep breath. "You want me to move in with you?" she asked, and Brian nodded before placing his forehead against hers. "You don't think it's too soon?" she asked. "I mean, we did just get back together. You don't think this will put stress on our relationship?"

"No," Brian whispered. "I think it's exactly what we need, actually. A place all our own, just for us. Where we can do whatever we want whenever we want, and there are no parents or siblings to get in the way or tell us we can't," Brian explained, gently swaying back and forth with Michelle in his arms as she seriously contemplated what he was asking of her.

"I'll think about it, and when I've decided I'll tell you, okay?" she asked, and Brian nodded.

"Of course. You just let me know whenever and we'll go from there," he answered with a smile. At least it hadn't been a no.

Later that night during dinner, Michelle kept running Brian's offer over and over in her head. She still hadn't come to an answer, but she didn't want to make Brian wait too long.

"What's wrong sweetie? You're not eating..." Debbie asked from across the table, and when Michelle looked up she was met with three pairs of eyes focused on her. Sighing, Michelle set her fork down and decided she might as well tell them what was troubling her.

"...Brian showed me to an apartment he's renting today, and asked me to move in with him."

Both Debbie and Nick looked slightly surprised, but one look at the sly smirk on Val's face and Michelle knew she was excited and may have even known beforehand that Brian was going to ask.

"Well, what did you tell him, sweetie?" Nick asked, taking a bite of his food and slowly chewing. Looking at her father, Michelle shrugged.

"I told him I had to think about it," she answered.

"Well, do you want to live with him?" Debbie asked. "I mean, it's completely your decision. You're twenty years old, and we can't exactly hold you back."

"Yeah, I want to live with Brian. I think. I don't know, there's just so much to consider. I don't want to move in with him and then have our relationship just completely fall apart. I'd feel like a complete fool," Michelle mumbled, looking down at the table as she rested her head in her hand.

"...Sounds to me like you're having trust issues with him..." Debbie said, and Michelle sighed.

"Chelle, there's nothing to be worried about. The past is in the past," Val butted in. "Brian was an idiot for letting you go the first time, but he won't let it happen again."

"How do you know that?" Michelle asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Because he told me," Val answered with a Cheshire-like grin.

Seeing her parents finish their meals and leave the table, Michelle had to solely rely on her sister for advice.

"I just feel so nervous about it, you know?"

"You're probably nervous because if you follow through with this, it'll take you away from the comfort of your own home. Think of it like when you're at college, only permanent..." Val said.

"What do you think I should do?" Michelle asked.

"Well I would move in with him. Mom's right. We're twenty years old, Michi. Time to start getting used to life on our own..." Getting up from the table with her plate as well, Val left Michelle to contemplate the rest of her choice on her own.

Finally coming to a decision, Michelle pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and called Brian, who picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, baby," he answered, and Michelle smiled, feeling her decision solidify even more.

"I want to live with you, Bri," she said quickly, and it was silent on the other end for only a moment as Brian comprehended what she had said.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."