Begin Again

Chapter 18

It has been a month since I had woken up from my day coma. I was so tired that I had slept through my alarm that morning, through seven calls from work and about a million calls from Sarah.

When I woke up the next morning at five o'clock I couldn't believe I had slept and entire day. Claire had gone in to cover for me and Brandon apparently came and checked on me the entire day. Claire told me when she got off work the evening he was a sleep on my couch.

I was worried Claire would have freaked but apparently she found it so sweet that he cared so much about their friends that she just fell in love with him all over again and even more if that was possible.

Things between me and Claire was going great and me and Sarah had called a truce. Brandon and I had agreed not to talk about the night on the dance floor and all was good with the world again.

Sarah seems to have forgiven John for his little indiscretion and the two of them are trying things again. And I must say the last two weeks they were inseparable. John made sure Sarah knew she was the only girl he was seeing and she rewarded him handsomely for that.

Claire was starting to have weeding fever and she didn't even have the ring yet. So every off day the two of us had she would drag me to another wedding venue or to a wedding expo and she would tell me all about her perfect dream wedding.

I wanted to hate her for wanting to have Brandon but the way she talked about him and their lives together I couldn't help but get into the spirit of her wedding. And knowing the proposal wasn't too far off I started making mental notes of all she was showing me so that when the day came I could help in any way possible.

Brandon and I have also been hanging out quite a lot the past month. We never touched the deeper subjects but always stuck to the lighter topics. And it worked. We would meet after my shift at The Corner Café or just before my shift and have a coffee and just talk and laugh and joke around.

Once or twice we went to a museum when Claire was either working or not in the mood. As far as I could tell she knew about every meeting and was fine with it. In fact she kept telling me how awesome it is Brandon got to reconnect with me.

She could see that he was a new man since we cleared the air between us. What she didn't know and what I didn't tell her was that I was still madly in love with him and every passing second I spent with him I just fell more and more in love with him.

But I kept that bit of information to myself. I didn't even let Sarah get a whiff if it otherwise she would have been bugging me day in and day out about it.

As I was standing in front of my closet trying to decide what I was going to wear to the zoo with Brandon my eyes crept drifting over to the blue dress the day I wore when I tried to end it all.

He loved me in that dress. But that dress would not work at the zoo so I settled for pair of jeans, a green camisole and my denim jacket. Stepping back to take a look in the mirror I couldn't help nodding my head in approval.

It was simple yet nice but very casual and perfect for the zoo. Slipping on my sneakers I head to my dressing table to see what I could do to my hair. Pinning up a few strands I reapplied my lipstick and grabbed my bag.

I was meeting Brandon at his apartment and then we will head over to the zoo together. No sense in driving with two cars when we live in the same building. Locking my door behind me I knock on Brandon's door.

When Claire opened the door the confusion was very clear on my face.

"Hi Claire. Didn't expect to see you here. Did your plans change? Are you coming with us?" I ask as I give her a hug. All the while I was repeating a little mantra of 'please say no' silently hoping she didn't change her mind.

"Hey Sam. Brandon will be right out. No I didn't have plans I just don't like the zoo and Brandon loves it so I told him you guys must go I am more than happy to have a day to myself and just catch up on my reading."

Pumping my fist in the air, in my head of course, I say as casually as I could.

"O okay. That sounds nice. I myself enjoy a lazy day of reading once in a while. It's a shame you are not going with us. I love the zoo to. Especially the lions."

Laughing as she settled back on the couch she point over to Brandon's bedroom door.

"Yeah I know. He told me you guys went there once before you went back to Ireland. He is crazy about the bears. He took me once. But I had a bad experience when I was a little kid and since then I hate the zoo so I'm glad he has a friend who loves it. It means I don't have to go there ever again. I can just send him with you and then one day with the kids."

That last part nearly killed me when she said that. She was thinking kids already and I still had to reapply for my working visa if I was going to do a disappearing act as soon as they tie the knot.

Just then Brandon comes out of the room dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and to say he looked hot was an understatement. Looking over her shoulder Claire gets up and goes over to him. Folding her arms around his shoulder she kisses his neck softly and I could see the tell tale shudder crawling down his body.

"You look so good I might tell Sam to leave and have my way with you." Clearly she agreed with me on the hotness part about Brandon.

Brandon was looking me right in the eyes and he could see I wished I was anywhere but in his apartment right now.

"Sounds fun babe but I already got tickets to the bear show so I wouldn't want to waste any money." He says giving her a kiss on the head.

He had been a bit distant with Claire the last week or so. And I was starting to wonder if I had anything to do with it. But us never having ended up in a compromising position since the dance floor I couldn't think it was that.

He didn't have anything to feel guilty off. I think Claire and me both were just a bit over sensitive. After all he bought a ring, and if he wasn't sure he wouldn't have bought her a ring so she needed have anything to worry about.

"Ready to go Sam" Brandon asks bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah ready if you are. We still taking your car right? I still need to get a new one. Insurance finally paid out."

"O that's great." Says Claire giving me a hug. "You guys must have a blast. I'll see you for dinner at The Corner Café tonight."

"Enjoy your lazy day babe. I'll see you tonight." He says giving her a kiss on the head

"Bye Claire enjoy your day. See you tonight." I say giving a little wave and I exit the apartment and head for the elevators not waiting for Brandon.

I didn't feel like witnessing there goodbye so I decided to wait down the hall.