What if? | Frank x Brenda

Chapter 07

Five years later, in the bustling heart of Foodtopia, Frank found himself wandering into a sleek phone store, the neon sign above the entrance reading "Del Taco Tech" in vibrant letters. The store was filled with the latest gadgets, the kind of cutting-edge technology that Teresa del Taco had become known for. Frank wasn't particularly interested in upgrading his phone, but his old one had finally given up the ghost, and he had little choice.

As he approached the counter, his eyes landed on a familiar figure standing just ahead, browsing through the latest models with a distracted expression. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized Brenda, her hair styled differently than he remembered, but still very much the same bun that had once meant everything to him.

"Brenda?" Frank's voice was hesitant, uncertain if it was really her.

Brenda turned around at the sound of her name, and when she saw Frank, her eyes widened in surprise. "Frank... Wow, it's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," Frank replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, just needed a new phone," Brenda said with a small smile, though there was a trace of something deeper in her eyes—something that told Frank she wasn't here just for a new device. "I guess you could say I'm finally moving on."

Frank nodded, understanding the weight behind her words. "I know what you mean. I'm here for the same reason." He paused, then added, "Jack and I... we're not together anymore."

Brenda's expression softened with sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that, Frank."

"Yeah, well," Frank shrugged, trying to play it off, though his voice betrayed the lingering pain. "I'll miss his mustard, you know? But we just... wanted different things, I guess."

Brenda nodded, her gaze dropping for a moment before she spoke. "Teresa and I... we're not together anymore either."

Frank's eyes widened slightly. "Really? What happened?"

Brenda let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping a little as if releasing a heavy burden. "It just wasn't working anymore. We had different visions for our lives, different priorities. Teresa was always more focused on her career, on her success, and I... I wanted something more personal, more meaningful. In the end, we realized we were better off apart."

A silence fell between them, heavy with the shared understanding of what it meant to let go of someone you once thought you'd spend your life with. Frank looked at Brenda, seeing the traces of the bun he had once loved deeply, and maybe still did, in some small way.

"So, what now?" Frank asked, his voice softer, almost tentative.

Brenda smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But I'm trying to figure it out. One step at a time, I guess."

Frank nodded, feeling a strange mix of emotions—nostalgia, regret, and a faint glimmer of hope. "Yeah, I get that. It's not easy, but... I guess we've both learned a lot."

"Definitely," Brenda agreed. She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Frank with a vulnerability that reminded him of the old days. "Do you ever think about... us?"

Frank's heart thudded in his chest. "Sometimes," he admitted. "I think about what might have been, what we could have had. But I also know we both made choices, and those choices led us here."

Brenda nodded slowly, absorbing his words. "I do, too. But maybe... maybe it's not too late to figure out what comes next."

Frank looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time in years, he felt a sense of possibility. Not just for them, but for himself, for his own future. "Yeah," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Maybe it's not."