Picture Perfect

s i x

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Brad's music. He cursed whoever was calling. It was a long week and he was ready to be home. The weather was finally nice and he had the windows open and music blaring. Now the ringing of his phone is sounding through the speakers in his truck. He looked down at the phone screen as it flashed his sister's name. He took his BlueTooth headset and hooked it over his ear. He pushed a button to answer.

"Yeah sis,"

"Hey Brat. What are you doing?" She asked.

"Driving?"

"Damn, what is up your ass?" She said with a laugh.

"Just want to be home. It's Friday and I just want to be home."

"Yeah yeah. What are you doing this weekend?" She asked shooting the shit.

"I don't know Sam. I'll be with Rachel."

She sighed. "Oh right."

"What?"

"Nothing,"

"What Sam?" He growled.

"You usually come home around now. It's my birthday in three days. And ever since you started dating her..."

"Rachel."

"Rachel," She said annoyed, "You don't call and you don't come home."

"I've been busy."

"Come home."

"I'll visit when I can."

"Fine."

"Bye Sam," He said and pushed the small button on his headset. He slammed his hand on the wooden steering wheel and he approached a heavy surge of traffic. Why did Sam always have to do stuff like this? She always swoops in a says something that irritates him when he needs it the least. He's been busy with work, but he's also been busy with Rachel. They are still in the early parts of dating and getting to know each other.

Some people, especially around here would already be talking about marriage at this point. Brad was taking it slow. He never thought that he would be in a relationship, nonetheless a serious one. They had been together five months and he thought it was going real nice. He worked a lot and was gone all week but Rachel understood. She worked too and was tired at the end of the night. Some nights she would fall asleep while they were talking on the phone.

It wasn't like they kept each other to themselves. They went out with friends and spent time alone with friends. In fact Rachel and Hayley had taken a liking to each other. They even spent time together during the week while Brad was gone. He liked knowing that Rachel was settling in to his friends and his way of life. She kind of had to, she had no other way of life once she had moved down to Hampton. She didn't create anything that was hers yet before she met Brad. He liked it that way. She was comfortable in his regular places, like the bar they met in or at Duke's house out by the fire ring. In fact she was at home now making baked beans for a cook out tomorrow. Thinking about her waiting at her apartment for him made him smile and push Sam out of his head.

He would admit that he had slacked off in the sister and mom department lately. Before Rachel they were the only ones he really cared to keep steady contact with other than Duke and his grandparents, but they lived a few minutes away. Sam and Denise lived in Jersey, The only way Brad could keep the contact alive was through the phone. He didn't call as often as he should but he had other priorities. It wasn't as if he completely shut them out. He could never do that. His mom understood, she was good about things like that. She had brought it up once and they were able to talk about how Brad was starting to move into a serious relationship and how the importance of things would shift. He made sure to talk to her calmly, because sometimes when people didn't agree with him he would start to get angry. He also made sure to tell her that no matter how serious he and Rachel became his blood family was always the most important. She understood but Sam was different. A bit hypocritical if you asked Brad. When she had her boyfriends it was always all about them and sometimes Brad wouldn't hear from her for a week. Now, the second he has someone, she's on his tail. He was fed up with it.