Chance Encounter ➳ Drew Dirksen

12. boyfriends & breakdowns

Nate hadn't seen or heard from Brandi in quite a while and he began to worry about her. For all he knew, she could've died and no one had told him yet. Although, he really hoped that that wasn't the case.

Nate stopped by the store to get them some ice cream to snack on, whilst he was there, and drove to Brandi's flat, where all of the windows were closed, which really surprised Nate, because Brandi loved the sunlight.

He walked up to her front door and rang the doorbell, which made Brandi jump inside as she lounged on her couch. She had kept herself isolated for so long, that she actually forgot that she was still alive.

Nate waited for the door to open, with a whole lot of patience, because he knew how much Brandi hated answering the door.

Once Brandi had gathered enough energy to walk over to the door and undo all of the locks, she was ecstatic to find her beloved boyfriend on the other side, holding a tub of cookies and cream ice cream. Her little stash was running low, because she hadn't gone grocery shopping in about a week. She just couldn't bring herself to walk by Drew's house.

Brandi greeted Nate with a massive hug and a sweet kiss. She missed his lips, but she couldn't help but remember how good it felt to kiss Drew.

"Are you alright? I haven't heard from you in a while," Nate said, walking into her flat with his arm around her waist as she hugged his torso.

"I'm fine, Nate," Brandi replied, both of them taking a seat on the couch and tried to get comfortable as Brandi snuggled into Nate's side. He didn't have the same warmth as Drew though. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, baby," he said, kissing the top of her head.

Nate and Brandi just cuddled on the couch under a cozy fleece blanket, because it was very cold in her flat, as they watched Disney movies on Netflix.

Brandi would glance up at Nate ever once in a while and for a split second, she would see Drew. Her eyes were playing some nasty tricks on her and she hated it.

"I'm sorry," Brandi blurted out, before she could even stop herself.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I've been a terrible girlfriend."

Nate didn't know how to react to Brandi's words. She wasn't a terrible girlfriend at all. In fact, she was the girl of his dreams. There wasn't one thing that Nate didn't like about her. Brandi was absolutely perfect; perfect for him.

"Is that a joke?" Nate laughed as he pulled her even closer to him and squeezed her even tighter. "You're perfect."

Brandi heard that last part in Drew's voice and her vision went blank for a few moments, making her flashback to that stormy night when Drew said the exact same words to her as he teased her with kisses.

"No I'm not," Brandi protested. "I'm a terrible person who doesn't deserve the kind of love you give me."

Nate didn't understand why Brandi was thinking like this. He had always thought that what he had to offer would never be enough for Brandi. He thought his love for her would never suffice, because Brandi deserved so much more than what she was getting.

"I'm pretty sure it's me who doesn't deserve your love," Nate corrected, but Brandi just shook her head as she tried her best to restrain her tears from falling.

Brandi wanted to tell Nate about what happened between her and Drew, but she didn't want to bear the guilt of hurting Nate. With every day that passes, the weight on Brandi's shoulders would only get heavier, but she was willing to carry that weight, for the sake of Nate's feelings.

"I just love you so much and I never want to hurt you," Brandi said as she buried her face into Nate's chest, inhaling his scent.

"I love you too, baby," Nate sighed, running his fingers through her soft blonde hair a couple of times. "Never think otherwise, because I will always love you, and I hope you will too."

Brandi gave Nate a genuine smile, before pulling him into another sweet kiss, although, this time, Drew didn't enter her mind. Nate was all she could think of as their lips moved in sync, because he loved him, and she was just now realizing how strong their love really was, so when they both pulled apart, Brandi couldn't help but trace her fingertips across his face, invisibly outlining his perfect features.

Brandi loved how clear her reflection was as she stared into the blue of his eyes. It was like he could see nothing else but her. She also loved the way his nose and his eyes would crinkle up whenever he smiled at her with the purest of love and joy. She just generally loved everything about him

"You make me feel so happy," Brandi whispered, letting Nate's lips press a loving kiss to her forehead as she shut her eyes. "Thank you."

Nate looked into Brandi's, seemingly, happy eyes and he broke a little inside, seeing how shattered she was and how she was trying so hard to hide it.

"Brandi, are you alright?" he asked, rubbing circles onto her cheek with his thumb.

"Of course, I a-"

"Tell me the truth," Nate ordered, cutting Brandi off in the middle of her lie. "Are you alright?"

"No."

"What's been troubling you?"

"A lot of things."

"You can always talk to me. You know that, right?"

"I know, but I'd rather not tell you," Brandi replied as she took his hand and intertwined their fingers together. "At least, not now."

"I'm always here for you."

"I know you are."

~

It was nearly midnight and Nate was already fast asleep on Brandi's couch with his arms wrapped around her waist. Brandi was still up, watching some old episodes of Spongebob Squarepants, because there was nothing else on.

Nate was snoring silently and Brandi could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, which did tickle a bit, but she tried her best ignore it.

Then, suddenly, she felt the urge to do something. To tell him what had been on her mind all week. Brandi just wanted to get it off of her chest, and needed to confess what she had done to him. It wasn't like he would hear her. He was asleep after all.

"Nate," Brandi cooed into his ear. She waited to see if he would respond, and when he didn't, she decided that it was safe to tell him. "Drew and I made out last week."

Right after those seven words left Brandi's mouth, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and a wave of fresh air had made its way into her lungs, making her feel refreshed and free.

"I'm so sorry, Nate," she added, in barely a whisper, as Brandi felt Nate stir a little, before she was pulled even closer to his body.

"It's alright. I forgive you," Nate whispered in her ear and she felt all of the blood flush from her face. "I still love you, though."

~

a/n: omfg tHAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN I SWEAR but can we please talk about how much of a sweetheart nate is. i felt like this story was lacking some brate moments so here it is lol.

also can we talk about how pretty the cover is now? it took me like four hours to make that cover. and i linked the picture i used and I SWEAR THAT THE BOY AND GIRL IN THE PHOTO COULD BE BRANDI'S AND DREW'S SILHOUETTES. I LITERALLY ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK WHEN I SAW IT. I MEAN DOESN'T IT LOOK LIKE THEM? this was pretty irrelevant bc it's a brate chapter and im fangirling about brew but what the hell it's nearly midnight and i've been drinking coffee nonstop so im feeling pretty delirious right now.

at this point, i really admire you for reading this pointless author's note lmao. i salute you for being awesome and for putting up with all of my bullcrap yay