Tell Me The Same (Brandon Rogers)

22. Happy Birthday

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It'd been a month since then, since that kiss put our relationship one step forward. I guess I could call him my boyfriend, that sounds like such a ridiculous teenage thing to say but then again, I am only twenty-one. We went on dates, simple ones that involved late night trips to fast food joints, going to the park and just staying over at one another's places. We kept up our daily morning routine of meeting at the gym and working out together and then our weekly hike through the LA wilderness.

I really, really cared for Brandon, so damn much. But those three 'little' words were so hard to get past my tongue. No matter how many times he told me, and no matter how happy it made me, it felt as if my mouth was filled with cotton whenever I came close to expressing the same.
He told me he could wait, but the longer I made him wait the more I could tell it wore and wore on him. I didn't enjoy hurting him, I never wanted him to hurt...

"So have you two had sex yet?" a voice asked from behind me, zapping me back to reality.
I turned to Rachel, "All day, everyday. Like wild animals." I replied and her nose crinkled in disgust. I laughed then shook my head, "No, no we haven't. Guess I'm not really ready yet." I turn back and continue hanging the party streamers around Brandon's home. I was slightly embarrassed.
Rachel reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, grabbing my attention. "Hey, don't worry about it. I know Brandon, he can wait if he really loves you." She assures me.
But how long will I make him wait? "Thanks." I smile back at her before resuming my work.

Today was his birthday, a glowing twenty-five. I tried to devise a plan to have a surprise party, I had Rachel invite a bunch of his friends. At the moment, Brandon was being taken around by a few of his buddies that made it early for the specific reason to keep him distracted.
Rachel came to help me do everything from decorating to baking. I really liked Rachel, she was so funny and so sweet to me. She let me in on little things about Brandon that he never told me and she told me about how he would gush to her about me in the beginning.

She was talking to me now, telling me everyone who would be coming and marking everything off the list, I was having a hard time concentrating on her voice as I organized the various alcoholic beverages for the nth time. Tonight would be an exercise in self control, alcohol doesn't mix well with the medicine I'm taking. That and I had realized, I had a bit of an alcohol problem. It wasn't healthy but I was getting better.

*Brandon*

Bug had been acting weird this past week, he knew about the party. She was so suspicious and he was on to it within the same day she began planning. No, it wasn't her surprise. It was her behavior, the way she was talking way faster than normal, the way she couldn't stop moving. She was staying up late once more again and she could hardly even hold her attention when talking. He couldn't help but worry, though he kept these worries to himself.
But, one blunt and a few hours later running around with Stephen, Dave and Davis, his worries faded away in to the back of his mind.

*Bug*

I stood, leaning against the back of the couch, a Coke in hand as I listened to Salim. We were catching up, I hadn't heard from him in over a few weeks. I had let Rachel do my makeup just moments before and I had already gotten compliments. Other than that my hair was still an untamed blonde mess and I wore ripped black jeans and a sweater I sneakily took from Brandon. My phone vibrated in my back pocket and I was quick to check it.
"They're down in the lobby!" I announced to the others, who all quickly scrambled for hiding spots. I flicked off the lights before finding my own place.

When Brandon stumbled in to the apartment, followed by his friends we all launched out of our spots and yelled our own, unrehearsed versions of "Surprise!" I heard a few 'motherfucker's added on.
Brandon gasped exaggeratedly, "Holy shit guys!" He looked around and took it all in, he seemed to be meeting eyes with everyone, a lot of them I didn't know. "This is fucking amazing!" He exclaimed then his looked down to me. "C'mere you." He opened up his arms and I made my way over and he hugged me tightly, planting a rough kiss on my temple. "Thanks for this." He whispered, and I smiled.
"Anything for you."

The night went as rambunctiously as you might guess. We quickly popped open the champagne and I felt a tinge of jealousy as everyone had their glass filled. Brandon watched me warily, his eyes asking for permission to drink when he knew I could not. I rolled my eyes and smiled, of course he could drink. And with that he downed the glass of champagne handed to him.
I felt myself staying to the back, not wanting to get in the way of him visiting with all of his friends. I listened to their laughter as I checked my phone, scrolling through twitter.

"So!" A raspy british voice called from beside me, a blonde, beautiful woman leaned against the back of the couch. "I think it's a bit of a crime for you to be here all alone." She shuffles around the couch to sit beside me, I notice the two plastic cups in her hands.
"Look, you don't even have a drink!" She laughas and pushes one of the cups in to my hands before I can refuse. "My name's Georgie." She introduces herself.
I stare at her for a moment, she was so pretty, "I'm Bug." I snap from my trance.
She giggles, "So, you're Brandon's girlfriend right? You're really pretty."
I laugh and smile at her, she was already tipsy. "Actually yeah, we've been dating for a few weeks." My cheeks burn a bit from someone like her calling me pretty,"Thank you."

We sit and chat a few minutes before Brandon himself find a seat right beside me, laying his head down on my shoulder, "Hello pretty ladies." He drunkenly slurred.
"Hey birthday boy." I lay my cheek atop his head.
I hear Georgie let out a happy whine, "You guys are too precious!" She claps her hands together, her cup held between her thighs.
"Aren't we?" Brandon smiles and gives my shoulder a quick peck, aware of how uncomfortable I can be with PDA.

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A few hours passed and our numbers dwindled down to just a handful, all people I knew by this point. Rachel, Stephen, Adam, Dave, Davis and Georgie.
I was much more comfortable with this and we all sat around in the living room, Brandon laid against me and I had my hands wrapped around his shoulders.
I half listened to them talk, half caught up in my own head. I had painted Brandon a picture, of a silhouette of a couple in a poppy meadow. I hadn't give it to him yet, too scared to give it to him while everyone was still here.

"We should go barhopping." I hear Adam and it brings me back to the present.
The rest of the group gave different version of 'That would be a good idea', along with Brandon.
"Yeah, It's a bit early to call it a night." He said, sitting up and away from me. I furrowed my brow, the universe really had to make it hard for me, didn't it? "You okay with that?" Brando asked me and who was I to tell him no?
"Of course, That'd be great!" I assured him, plastering on a smile.

Everyone grabbed their things as we decided to grab a cab. I held on to Brandon's hand tightly in an effort to hold him back while everyone left.
"Everything okay?" He asked me, eyebrows knotted together.
I nodded "Of course, of course." I laughed nervously.
"Then what's up?" He swung our hands.
I took a deep breath, this was his other birthday present, "Brandon, I love you." I confessed and he froze up.
"Really?"
"Yes, Yes of course!" My smile almost matched his.
"I-I love you too!" He grabbed my face tenderly and pulled me in for a deep kiss, I could taste the alcohol in his mouth and it drove me a little crazy. I didn't want to go to the bar, but the kiss ended and we had to join the others, my hand held tightly by a now ever so happy Brandon.

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I made it thirty minutes before I found myself sneaking around and ordering myself a drink. It became too much and after kissing Brandon's alcohol tainted lips I couldn't stop myself. The drink was strong and while everyone thought I was taking a bathroom break, I downed it. And then another... and another. I trailed behind the others as they left one bar for the next, the weeks of no alcohol depleted my tolerance and it hit me hard and fast.
And then I couldn't find them.

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Hey you guys! Yesterday was hell with wattpad, did any of you lose chapters as well? I went in to absolute panic mode. I lost all except 8 chapters. They all got restored though. So it's okay.