Brallie Metropolis AU | In This Together

Chapter 72 | Present

Callie was walking down the sidewalk on a Friday afternoon, eyeing the thickening grey clouds in the sky with every step. She was only a block away from home and was already annoyed and agitated with the day. If she got rained on, that would be one more thing.

As she approached the door to the building, she spotted a middle-aged mail man struggling to open it because of the very large box taking capacity in his arms. Callie speed walked to the door to help him, but also because of the scattered sprinkles she saw drip onto the sidewalk.

"Thank you mam," he smiled widely, but then the box fell to the ground. The mail man grunted before both he and Callie bent down to pick it up. And just then, the rain started to poor. Her hair was soaked instantly when she tried to help the man pick the box up from the ground. She noticed who the package was mailed to.

"Oh, I'm Callie Foster," she told him, pointing to the label on the brown box. "I think this is for me?"

"Top floor? Brandon and Callie Foster?" He asked for clarification, reading the papers in his back pocket while getting through the door, pushing the soggy box with his foot into shelter.

"That's us," she laughed as she pressed the elevator button. "I can probably just take it up myself." She went to pick it up from the floor, but was warned by the mailman.

"Actually, it's pretty heavy."

"Yeah, it is," she nervously laughed, giving up on trying to carry it. "I'll just go get my husband."

"I can do it," he grinned politely as the elevator made a bing sound. He grabbed the box, letting out a soft sigh as he lifted it, and stepped into the elevator after Callie.

The elevator stopped once it got to the top floor and the mail man set the box in the hallway before going make into the elevator. Callie grunted as the drips fell off her hair, she got drenched by the rain. She dug in her bag for the keys and realized she forgot to put them in her bag earlier in the morning. She moaned again in frustration at the fact that she might not be able to get in, Brandon might have gone somewhere. Callie had an important exam she needed to take, and the online program she's in changed their policies this year, so now students cannot take tests at home. This meant that either Callie was going to fail whatever exam she had, Brandon would have to skip school, or Em and Colleen would be left alone, which obviously was not an option.

Callie grabbed the door knob, hoping that he had left the door unlocked, which would be bad but also good. She held her breath as she twisted the handle and released her breath as the door opened with ease. All of her clothes were wet and the only thing she wanted to do was to change, and open that mystery box.

"Hey, Cal. How'd the test go?" Brandon wondered with a grin on his face as Em played on the floor and Colleen bouncing on his knee while he sat on the edge of the couch.

"Ugh," she groaned, letting her head go limb, dropping her bag, which made a soft squishing sound from the rained on contents.

"Not good? Apparently you didn't get here in time with the rain," he laughed as Callie walked to sit next to him, laying back into the cushions, not even caring about getting the couch wet.

"No, it was fine. Just...bad day all together. Just feeling bleh, and cold. You had to stay home and miss school, and I had to leave, I just-"

"I told you this morning I didn't mind. It was nice. I wish I could do this everyday." He passed Colleen off to Callie, thinking it would cheer her up, and he leaped forward to bring Em into his lap. Brandon leaned to her, pressing his lips to hers for a lingering, tender kiss, both of them lightly humming. "How you feeling now?" He asked in a hushed tone.