"Catching Feelings (Part 2 to One Night Stand)"

"Threes Company"

Brian was no longer giving rides or studying with Serena at this point. He missed her, but his time was preoccupied with Ally anyways. If they weren't in class or at work, they were together. It was a Monday morning, the hardest morning of all days & Brian found himself outside the cafe waiting for Ally. He leaned against the wall's brick exterior with one foot against it & his arms crossed against his chest. There was a male's voice & a female's laugh that could be heard coming around the corner. The sound was faint, but was familiar. He turned to look at who was approaching. As he looked up, he & Serena made brief eye contact. She quickly broke the contact to look at Bennet who then looked at Brian. Brian noticed she was wearing the scarf again. Ally opened the door to let the two in as she was coming out. Her smile distracted Brian from his feelings of insecurity.

Ally: Goodmorning!
Brian: Morning!

Brian hugged Ally. Ally handed him his pastry & coffee. They walked to their first class as Brian started sipping on his coffee.

Ally: It's a special pastry this morning.
Brian: Special? I didn't know you had those kind of pastries.
Ally: No! Not like that! It's in lieu of Valentine's Day.
Brian: Oh is that coming up?

Brian opened the pastry to see a heart shaped donut decked with pink & red sprinkles.

Ally: Isn't it cute?
Brian: It's the girliest thing I've ever eaten. Thank you!
Ally: You're welcome.

They walked over to a bench outside of the building since class wasn't starting yet.

Ally: I couldn't help but notice your "not girl friend" walk in the cafe with another guy.
Brian: Oh yeah, I think that was her.
Ally: Serena, right?
Brian: Yeah.
Ally: Are you guys still friends?
Brian: Yeah, I think it's just complicated.

Ally checked her watch.

Brian: You gotta go?
Ally: Yeah, Professor Morales likes to start early. I'll see you later? We still have to finish that project. You wanna go to the library or something after school?
Brian: How about you come over to my place?
Ally: Um... Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great. I'll call you.

Bennet walked Serena over to her class which was the same class as Ally's. Serena tiptoed up to kiss Bennet. Bennet slapped her butt as she walked up the stairs. She gasped & looked back at him to smile.
Ally was already in her seat & looking over her notes from the previous lesson. Serena stood at the back & decided to sit next to Ally.

Serena: Anyone sitting here?

Ally shook her head. Serena sat down & struggled a bit to fit. She let out a laugh.

Serena: It's getting harder & harder to squeeze through these seats.

Ally smiled.

Serena: I'm sorry, my name's Serena.
Ally: I know who you are. Decaf Caramel macchiato with low-fat milk & 4 pumps of caramel.  I'm Ally, I work at the campus cafe.
Serena: Oh that's right. You've got a good memory.
Ally: Yeah, I've seen you at the cafe with Brian.
Serena: Yeah. It's one of my favorite spots on campus.

Ally nodded.

Serena: So are you & Brian
Ally: Dating?
Serena: I noticed you've been hanging out a lot.
Ally: We are, but we're taking things slow.
Serena: I see. He's a really good guy. We're friends.
Ally: Yeah, he is a good guy. So was that guy the baby's dad?
Serena: Oh! Bennet? No!
Ally: Just another friend.
Serena: I mean we're dating, but he's not the father.
Ally: You're such a strong woman for having this baby & going to school all at the same time.
Serena: I need to be strong.
Ally: Hey, anytime you need a pick me like a cookie or muffin, hit me up & swing by the cafe.
Serena: Really?
Ally: Yeah.
Serena: Thanks.

After school, Brian drove in front of Ally's dorm to pick her up. He didn't see Ally & so he texted her. He noticed Serena was sitting on the bench in front of the dorm & he decided to go talk to her while waiting for Ally to come down.

Brian: Hey...
Serena: Hi Brian.
Brian: Why are you out here in the cold?
Serena: I'm waiting for Bennet. He was supposed to be here an hour ago. I'm not sure if he got lost or what. Anyways, he should be here soon.

Brian took off his coat to put over Serena.

Serena: Brian, what are you doing?
Brian: You're gonna catch a cold.
Serena: I'm fine. Really.
Brian: No, you're not. Come on. Come with me. I'll bring you home.

Ally came out & saw Brian & Serena on the bench.

Serena: Hey Ally.

Serena removed Brian's coat & handed it back to him.

Ally: Hey, you guys. You ready to go, Brian?
Brian: Yeah.
Ally: Bye Serena.
Serena: Brian, just go. I'm fine.

Brian handed the keys to Ally & told her to start up the car. Ally took the keys & was a bit confused. Serena looked around & finally gave in to Brian's offer. He opened the car door & took her books for her as usual. She missed that. It's been a while since someone has done that for her. Bennet wasn't a gentleman like Brian was. He also wasn't reliable like Brian was. The only thing that changed was now she was seated in the back instead of shotgun next to Brian. That's where Ally was sitting.

The car ride was awkward & it was mostly Ally talking. She was creating small talk topics, but ran out of questions to ask. Brian was trying to hide how upset he was at Bennet for not taking better care of Serena. Serena was jealous over what Ally & Brian had. They arrived at Serena's house. Ally stayed in the car & watched as Brian walked Serena to the door & chatted with Serena & her Grandma. At one point they all turned to look at her at which she smiled & waved out of politeness. She looked away when Brian hugged Serena.

Ally: This isn't awkward at all.

Brian came back in the car & rubbed his hands together before driving off.

Ally: That was real nice of you to bring Serena home.
Brian: Yeah, it's freezing out here. I didn't want anything to happen to her.
Ally: So I've been avoiding this question... but do you & Serena have a history together?
Brian: What do you mean?
Ally: I'm a pretty patient person, Brian. But I just feel pushed to my limit. You get all tense when she's around. You seem to like staring at her. And you've never actually kissed me & we've been on several dates.
Brian: What? Where is this all coming from, Ally?
I do kiss you.
Ally: No, you don't. You kiss me on the head, cheeks or nose. You've never actually kissed me kissed me.

Brian parked the car & turned to look at Ally. He grabbed her & kissed her. She pushed him away. Ally felt pitied. She felt like she was in second place to Serena. She asked for Brian to just bring her back to campus.

Ally: Look, Brian. I really like you, but I think there are a few things you should figure out before we put a label to what we are.