CASUAL AFFAIR; brendon urie

Chapter Twenty-Seven

TWO MONTHS LATER

"It's nice, isn't it?" Breezy nudged her shoulder against mine, smiled in her nice, warm, Breezy way. "Just the two of us."

"I swear if you start singing, I'm denying all knowledge of knowing you. People will be like 'do you know that girl singing Just The Two Of Us?' and I'll be all like 'no, man, never seen her before'." I teased, nudging her back playfully, before reaching up to play with the ends of one of the two plaits I'd put my hair in. Breezy had hers in what I could only describe as a sleek-but-still-messy mom ponytail.

Breezy pouted. "Damn, I was all for the show tunes today. Professing my love for you through an elaborate song and dance after suddenly gaining the ability to both sing and dance. Y'know, like in all the good movies." She giggled.

"Breezy, High School Musical is not a good movie."

"I meant Dirty Dancing. Or Footloose."

"Ok, fair point."

Breezy laughed again, before sighing to herself softly. "What's up, Flo?"

"Um, the sky?"

Breezy arched an eyebrow and gave me a ha, ha, very funny look, before her face became ... concerned. "But seriously. You've been sort of ... Distant these past two months."

"I have?" I played with my plait a little more, just to give me something to do before I spoke again. I mean, I had to consider my words. It wasn't like I could say Oh, yes, I have, Breezy. Why? Oh, I've just been meeting with your husband's - and my brother's - bandmate to have fantastic sex. So of course, I apologised, first. "Sorry. I mean, I guess I have been a little busy. Just with the shop, I've been drawing loads, and ... other things. Time got away from me, I guess. As it can." The shop thing was an exaggeration, but the drawing part was sort of true. When I wasn't with Brendon, I'd be up at all hours, scribbling, and cursing, and smudging and sweeping granite lines on paper. I had a little more inspiration, and before I knew it, I had a whole bunch of Brendon drawings mixed in with my usual stuff. I thought about showing him, and I thought about ripping them up and stuffing them in the trash can. In the end, they sat, on the corner of the desk, untouched.

Breezy didn't look all that convinced. "Seriously, sweetie." She looped her arm through the crook of my elbow, and pulled me in tight. "What have you been doing? This is, like, the first time we've had a day together in so long. I need to have my updates."

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." I said with a giggle. "The secret organisation of secret things wouldn't take too well to me telling you the secrets I've been entrusted with."

Breezy made that soft, weary sigh she liked to use on my brother when he thought he was being clever, but was actually being a moron, or to the kids when they'd made a mess. Quite a few times the two were linked. But very rarely had she used it on me. It made me feel bad, like I should hide my face, apologise and tell her everything. As it were ... The situation was a whole lot more complicated and different from anything else I'd ever done and definitely not one I could share. "I wish you'd know that you don't have to hide things from me. I'm here for you, Flo. Whatever the sitch."

I lifted my head up off her shoulder, and kicked a stone out my way. It skittered, then plunked to a stop. "I know that Breezy, and I would tell you ... if there was anything to tell."

"Flo, you can tell me."

What could I tell her?

How, after that time at his aunt's, I'd wrapped myself in the tangled sheets of the bed, saying 'I'll take that drink now' to Brendon, who was lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling with a massive grin on his face, before going outside and sitting on the porch swing. It was still warm out, even with the sun beginning to set, and birds were singing from somewhere in the trees. Five, or ten minutes later, I couldn't really tell, Brendon had sat beside me, completely naked, handing me an uncapped beer.