Brallie Metropolis AU | In This Together

Chapter 29 | Settle In

The past week in New York has not been all it was cracked up to be. They thought it was going to be butterflies and rainbows, but in reality it was the exact opposite of what they expected.

Ever since Callie and Brandon left San Diego, something set in her when they were unpacking boxes that first night. She had left everything she had ever known. She had never traveled, and now she was in a city she didn't know. She loved Brandon, no doubt about it. She was just sad; sad about Jude, sad about Mariana, the list goes on and on.

Callie was standoffish. She didn't let Brandon touch her. She slept on the very edge of the bed. Callie didn't blame Brandon for anything, but that's what he thought she was doing. They were still the same Brandon and Callie, but they weren't the same. It was like there was an elephant in the room or a gray cloud hanging in between them.

"Wanna get some dinner? We haven't gotten any groceries since we've been here." Brandon spoke politely to Callie, who was sitting on the couch flipping through a history textbook. He got straight to the point of what he thought she needed to hear. "I know everyone hates us now, but they just need time to cool off-"

"Sure," Callie cut off his words. She tossed the book on the cushion next to her, grabber her bag, and walk out the door; Brandon following closely behind.

"Where do you wanna eat?" He mumbled while they descended the stairs cases of the building.

"I kind of just feel like pizza."

"Alright, pizza it is."

After Brandon and Callie ate, they walked around times square. It was weird for them to be out in public together. They had never been able to do that before. In San Diego, they didn't even go out in public because, given their relationship history and even though people thought they were foster brother and sister, they didn't want anyone to get suspicious. It was weird to express themselves as a couple.

"It's getting late, maybe we should head back." Callie said as she looked at the clock on her cell phone.

"Yeah, okay." Brandon didn't argue. They began their walk back to their home. Every now and then Brandon looked over at Callie, his beautiful Callie. She had her eyes on the street in front of her.

Once they got back to the apartment, Callie finally noticed something. The apartment that Brandon got, some how, was so nice. When she first saw it, she wondered how Brandon could ever pay for something like this. The apartment was more like an loft. It was on the top floor of the building and had long windows all around the living room looking out over the whole city. The space wasn't huge, but it definitely wasn't small. The kitchenette at stainless steel appliances and the bathrooms looked like they had recently been remodeled. The hard wood floors were a deep cherry brown color and the walls were crisp white. The furniture that was there when they arrived had plastic wrap over it, claiming it was new.

"How did you find this place? I never asked," Callie asked as she was taking off her shoes.

"I'm connected," His vague response made her laugh on the inside.

"I'm serious, how could you afford this? Or...we afford this? I don't know, who paid for it?"

"When I was working, most of the paychecks I got went to college. But I took a little out of each one  to save up for us. This apartment, bills...anything we would need to...have a life together." Brandon took a seat at his keyboard and began to tap the keys into a quiet melody. Callie didn't know how to respond. He was the best guy she had ever met. They had always done what they thought was best for each other.

Callie awkwardly nodded her head. "Oh... uh, I'm going to take a shower," she scurried out of the living room and into the bedroom. She picked out some pajamas; her go-to was one of Brandon's t-shirts and underwear. Sometimes she opted for pajama bottoms.

As the water was running in the shower, so was her mind. She was thinking about Brandon. All they had were each other. She needed to stop icing him out. She needed to let him all the way in.

Callie stepped out of the shower, tried off, and put on her underwear and t-shirt. She grabbed the towel and sifted it through her dripping hair, then threw it over the shower rod. Callie walked out of the bathroom only to find Brandon already laying down in the bed in a partially dark room. He was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling on his side of the bed, the right side.

Callie walked to the other side, pulled down the covers, and slipped in beside Brandon. She mimicked Brandon's position, laying with back down and staring at the ceiling above. Callie didn't do her usual routine, rolling over, facing away from Brandon, almost falling of the bed because she was so close to the edge. Instead, she rolled the other way, towards him.

"I'm sorry," Callie spoke softly after she cuddled up to Brandon's side. "I'm sorry for being so..." her words faded away. He swung his arm around her body and hugged her tightly.

Brandon sighed in relief that he could finally hold his love. "I missed you." She knew what he meant. Callie had been there physically, but emotionally, it was in and out.

"I love you, you know that? Thank you for everything you have done for us." Callie whispered, pulling Brandon tighter. There was a long pause, complete silence. Brandon opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Let's get married." He finally says and the room fills with silence one again.

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A/N- Hello readers! I know this is a short one, but I wanted it to build up to the proposal! I already have the next chapter in progress and I'm so excited, I think you guys will like it a lot! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter! Stay tuned, there is much more to come! Thank you so much for reading! 36 days until season 4 on June 20! XOXO

side note: Three thousand reads! Oh my goodness! Thank you so much!