The Girl

THIRTY-NINE: FALLING IN LOVE AT A COFFEE SHOP

"I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you. Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you. I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down, I wanna come too..."

SONG: FALLIN IN LOVE AT A COFFEE SHOP

ARTIST: LANDON PIGG

Brianna's mother was yelling loudly and ordering all of the men in the house to make sure all of the contents in the boxes were in the correct rooms. I was tired, and honestly my back hurt, but Brianna was having such a good time being with her mum I didn't want to ruin it. I exhaled and felt a hand on my lower back.

"You're breathing really heavy," She whispered and sat me down on the floor, placing her hand over my heart. "Did you take your medication this morning?"

I began nodding until the nosebleed gave me away. She sighed and lifted her shirt, bringing it against my nose. I sighed and allowed her to clean the blood off of my nose. Apparently, I was having more than the usual nosebleeds whenever I forgot to take my medication and I had to stop for a while during and after then because I'd get really dizzy and pass out.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot," I told her and started using my hand to wipe off the rest of my blood. She looked down at her blood covered shirt and sighed. "I'm just tired and a little stressed, honestly."

"Why?" She brought her hands to cup my face, a concerned look on her face. "Do you want to go get some lunch? My mom asked me to, but we can both go."

I swallowed and nodded, pushing myself to my feet and then picked her up. We were quiet and she pulled my jacket from the backseat of her car and put it on before we actually went to go pick up lunch for her entire family.

"I'm just really stressed and I don't want to leave for tour, but I really miss it and I can't sleep because of the anxiety meds," I exhaled and tried to rub the sleep from my eyes, leaning my head on the head rest. "And I honestly don't want you worrying about me."

Brianna shot me a look and bit down on her lip. "You didn't want me to worry? Luke, telling me not to worry makes me worry even more. Do you understand that our health is my top priority?"

"Babe, take a deep breath. I just missed one day of my meds and the stress will go away eventually," I assured her and reached for her hand, wanting to hold it, but she didn't allow me. She was angry with me, which is exactly what I feared. "Brianna."

"I'm trying really hard not to be mad, Luke, but I can't—Why—I don't understand why you didn't just tell me that you weren't feeling well? I would have gladly just stopped everything and made sure you and I were healthy and okay."

"I should have trusted you," I whispered and swallowed. "I just don't want to burden you."

"Taking care of you is not a burden," She practically snapped.

"I'm just scared that you helping me will go against your feminist views and I'm in full support of those,"

She parked in front of the restaurant and rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you think feminism is, but what you're saying is not it. Yes, women crave to be taken out from under the foot of oppressive men, but that doesn't mean that we have to stop taking care of the man we love, especially when that man is treating me like his equal all the time and constantly asking for consent even when I've assured him that you don't need it anymore."

"Okay, but babe, I don't really want to make you feel like as a woman your job is to take care of me just because I'm a guy," I told her and reached for her hand. This time, she allowed me to hold her hand. "I want to be able to take care of myself."