When (he)arts Prevail

26

It turned out to be a great end of day to be sprawling on the towel at the beach and floating in the water and a very poor one for taking any pictures, as there were zero people surfing. The ocean was flatter than a surf board. Kaylee ended up joining Brian camera free and simply enjoyed the stunning sunset with him.

Brian appeared to be tired and so conversation was kept to a minimum. Kaylee was okay with that. That was one of the things she cherished in her friendship with Brian. They didn't need to be talking 100% of the time. Being in each other's presence was comfortable enough. However, she did relish in the opportunity to mess with him, so from time to time, she would splatter water at him, as they lazily swam next to each other, and he would strike back by doing the same, or pull on her ankle or tickle her feet pretending he was a fish, making Kaylee squeal and paddle away.

Yet, as the sun finally disappeared in the horizon and they gathered their things to leave, Brian broke the silence.

"I think it'd be cool if you did a session at the studio, with the new band," he said, his towel casually thrown over his shoulder, with nothing to cover his naked torso. "You could take pictures while we're recording, you know? Do your thing."

Kaylee turned her narrowed gaze up at Brian. "That actually sounds like a good idea. It reminds me of old days when I followed Nate around and ended up hanging out with you guys while you played."

Brian's lips curved in a smile at that, as he seemed to recall those times as well. "I know. Fun times."

"Well, I do have work during the day."

"We can arrange a late night session. It's not that unusual these days."

"Cool."

They slowly strolled up the beach towards their cars, no rush following their steps. Brian's arm would brush Kaylee's every other step, his skin warm from the sun.

"How have you been doing lately?" Brian asked a moment later.

"I'm feeling good, to be honest."

"How about work?"

Kaylee sighed. "Not that good and definitely not that exciting. All I think about is getting home to do my things and most of the day I get so distracted. It's been hard to focus. I have to force myself to do stuff, you know?"

"Have you considered doing anything about it?"

They reached Kaylee's car first and Kaylee stopped on the driver's side, putting down her bag too look for her car keys. "We've discussed this already."

Brian leaned against the side of the car, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe you could find something else. Do a job here and there."

"That's what I did before and it's not enough, Brian," she told him while rummaging through her bag.

"Yeah, I know. I just... You seem so frustrated and disconnected from that job."

She finally found the keys and straightened up. "And I am."

"Just think about it. Do some research. See if there's anything else you could be doing and would be more full filling."

"Like you writing your own musics and record an album," she threw at him with a playful grin.

"We're not talking about me."

She mimicked his pose, leaning against her car in front of him and crossing her arms. The difference was that hers didn't seem to bulge out of her skin. When did he get those muscles? "Now we are," she said, fighting to keep her eyes on his face.

His mouth quirked into that familiar smirk.

"You're so annoying when you change the subject."

"I learned from the best."

That brought out his smile. "Shut up," Brian said.

Despite the playfulness, what Brian said kept playing in Kaylee's mind the days that followed. Maybe she could find something else even while working at her company. Like a head start before she completely ditched it.

She put a reminder in her cell to look for other jobs after work. It wouldn't do to do it at her office where everyone could see.