Once In A Lifetime

Save Some Face

Saturday arrived, and I felt both anxious and miserable. Anxious because I was going to see Brandon after what had been the worst week in my life, and miserable because she was going to be with us, a dark cloud over the potentially beautiful sky me and Brandon were. I had intended on calling Brandon and telling him it wasn't going to work out, but seeing his frequent texts to me about how excited he was to see me made my heart melt, and so I just accepted what was going to happen.

I woke up, showered, dressed in a simple tank top and jeans, and drove to the hotel where Brandon and Emma were staying. The knot in my stomach grew bigger the closer I approached the hotel, and I wasn't sure that even Brandon could untie me from my nervousness.

I was wrong. Opening up his door after my knock, he looked stunning in a simple blue-and-white striped shirt and jeans, and brown boots. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but reciprocate his amazing smile. His short hair was gelled up, which made want to run my fingers through it. I missed him.

"Hey, Jules." He greeted me with his adorable grin.

"Hey yourself," I replied. He chuckled, and gestured for me to come in. I walked in, brushing my arm past his strong chest, and made my way to the bed which the room contained. I turned around, saw his eyes flick from my jeans to me, and grinned knowingly.

"A little distracted are you?" I challenged him.

"No, uh, just, you look so beautiful." He finally admitted.

My face softened, and I felt the familiar rush of emotions flush my face. I smiled at him, and looked into his dark eyes. I placed my hand on his upper arm and said, "Aww, thanks Brando."

"I really do mean it, Jules, I'm always blown away at how you can look so stunning everyday."

My smile widened, and was ready to get lost in his sparkling eyes. He came closer to me, and placed his hands gently on my arms. He brought his face close to me, and I held my breath, waiting for what was going to happen. Flashbacks of our first night, and the hot kiss we shared, ran through my mind, blocking out any other thought. Brandon continued looking at me, his desirable scent emanating from his body, and for a moment it seemed like everything was alright again.

That wasn't the case for long.

Emma's loud voice split out of the bathroom and into the peaceful bedroom, "Hey Brandon! Is she here yet?"

Our gaze broke off, and Brandon gave me a last longing look. "Yeah, Emms, she's here."

Hearing Emma's voice here and Brandon's pet name for her made me remember why I didn't want to come in the first place. Brandon was still hers, and no long eye contact or compliments would change that.

I dropped my gaze from Brandon, and looked down at my feet. Today was going to be hard.

Emma emerged out of the bathroom, looking more dolled up than usual. Her makeup was caked on her face, and more vibrant than I had ever seen her. She also wore a slim dress, even though it was the daytime and we weren't going out somewhere fancy. She must have dressed up special just because I was going to be here today, and Brandon noticed.

"Gosh, Emma, why the dress?" He asked.

She placed hand on her hip, "Because, Brando, it's supposed to be a special day today, and I wanted to look nice for you!"

Brandon made a confused face, and shrugged. Emma's face fell, and I took pleasure in that.

However, seeing Emma reminded me of why she and Brandon were together in the first place, and my frustration rose to my head. Why was I going to waste an entire day with Brandon taken? The day seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Brandon turned to me, "So, what do you have planned today?" He asked excitedly.

I shrugged, "Oh, just a couple places I originally wanted to take you when we..." I stopped myself not wanting to finish that sentence.

Brandon sensed my awkwardness, and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, ok. Cool!" He tried to end the silence.

Emma looked irritated. "I could've taken him to LACMA and Amoeba and-"

"Shh! Don't tell him the last one! That's a surprise!" I interjected.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"What's the surprise?" He asked, looking adorably confused.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "You'll have to find out!" I said, trying to keep up my spirits.

He grinned suspiciously, and said, "Alright. Whatever you have planned must be good then."

I nodded and looked at both of them, "Ok, let's get going."