Breathless

A Special Gift

Two months passed since the date with Brian, and nearly every day since then he's showed up at my work to talk to me, more often than not bringing lunch in a small paper bag with my name and a little smiley face written on it. Sitting on my bed, my cheeks flushed at the thought of his kind gestures. We had gone on a few dates since the first one at the restaurant, none of them fancy or extravagant, but amazing all the same. I glanced down at the small keychain he bought me. It was two cartoon panda bears holding each other, a small frame with a picture of us in the center. The photo was from a day we spent in the park, and though he was swarmed by fans every so often, I enjoyed the time that we had spent together.

Brian and the guys had just recently left on tour, and I was stuck without him for three weeks. Though I could still text and Skype him, it seemed lonelier without him here. Alex still hasn't figured out that we were dating, even though she did end up seeing the episode where he kissed me in the supermarket. Her first reaction was total denial, and it took her several days to process that I had snagged a kiss from her favorite Joker. I knew she was upset, she'd had a crush on him for the longest time, but I think after a while she got over it, or at least hid her jealousy. I couldn't imagine what she'd do if she found out that he and I were together, the thought alone scared me.

I was sitting on my bed staring at my phone, hoping for a response from Brian. I had waited for a good ten minutes before I set my phone down and glanced at the clock. It was reaching into the later hours of the night, and though I knew I had work tomorrow, I was hesitant to go to bed. I didn't want to miss a text from Brian, and though I knew falling asleep would bring me one day closer to seeing him, I couldn't stand the thought of missing a message from him. Maybe I was being a bit too clingy. I mean, he had his career, just like I had mine. I had to let him do his own thing and trust he would get ahold of me when he had time. A soft sigh hissed through my teeth, and I spent a few minutes debating whether I should go to sleep or wait a few more minutes and see if I hear from him. Finally, sleep won, and I reached over to flick the light off. I set my head down on my pillow, and though my body was tired and desperately craving rest, I couldn't find the mental peace that I needed. It didn't take long for me to get frustrated, flopping onto my back and pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. I didn't understand it, why did this man leave me so completely and utterly incapable of functioning like a normal human being? Every time I was around him, I grew flustered and stupid, like a little girl around her crush. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was famous, or if he was just different in some other way, something deep beneath the surface. I pondered the thought for a while, and eventually fell asleep to the thoughts of him.

I woke up with a jolt, some nightmare chasing me out of my sleep. I sat upright, sweat trickling down my forehead and along my jaw. I was shaking and on edge, gripping my sheets like my life depended on it. Even now, the nightmare was starting to fade. I could barely remember what had happened, though it still scared me, like a silent hand gripping my throat.

I turned to glance at the clock, cursing as I saw it was only 6:30, the sun barely peeking through my curtains. I fell back into my pillows, hoping to get as much sleep as I could on my day off, but my thoughts were interrupted by something tapping against my window. What in the world was that? I thought about ignoring it and going back to bed, but the noise became so insistent and irritating that I got up just to stop it.

I tore open the curtains and pushed the window up, peering out onto the sidewalk below to see who or what was making the noise. Below, I saw Brian looking up at me, a pile of rocks in his hand and a stupid grin on his face. I tried to act angry, though my pure joy at his return made me chuckle, and I reached my hand out to wave at him. He dropped the stones and waved back, gesturing at the giant muffin in his hand.

"Sorry for waking you up, but I got breakfast! Forgive me?" He asked, stretching his eyes wide and sticking out his bottom lip. He knew I could never resist when he made puppy eyes at me, and quite often used that against me. I groaned, rolling my eyes with a tiny smile on my face.