Every morning, one of them would wake up to an empty bed. This time, it was Brandon.
Well, technically, it wasn't entirely empty. Emma was beside him, her small form a comforting presence. But it wasn't the same as waking up next to Jade. Even though it was Saturday, she was off at work again, chasing her career while he and Emma were left to navigate their own Saturday morning routine.
"Papa, wake up!" Emma called, pulling the blankets off him in a playful attempt to rouse him from sleep.
"I'm up, okay? I'm awake, Em," Brandon groaned, turning onto his side and squinting against the morning light.
"We're supposed to be at Uncle Austin's for that cookout!" she reminded him, her voice a mix of excitement and urgency.
Still half-asleep, Brandon nodded in response, hoping it would satisfy her enough to let him have just a few more minutes of peace. Once Emma dashed out of the room, he rolled off the bed and checked his phone.
Jade: went to work. I'll see you later. x
Another sigh escaped his lips. He knew he wouldn't see her until nightfall, and the weight of that reality settled heavily on his chest. After getting dressed, he made his way downstairs, his mind preoccupied with the growing tension and conflict between him and Jade.
"Papa, can we go now?" Emma called from the bottom of the stairs, eager to see her best friend, Lily.
"Yeah, I'm coming," he replied, pulling on his jacket and trying to shake off the clouds of frustration that hung over him.
As Brandon drove through the streets of Los Angeles, he found himself lost in thought. Emma chattered excitedly about the cookout, but he barely processed her words, offering distracted replies of "mhm" and "yeah." Everything felt dull without Jade's bright spirit. It was as if his sunshine was fading slowly, leaving him in a gray haze.
He pulled up to Austin's driveway, and Emma had already jumped out of the car, unable to contain her enthusiasm. Brandon parked the car and joined her as he greeted Austin, Noah, and Jeff, a wave of relief washing over him as the friendly banter eased the tension in his mind.
"What's up, man?" Austin said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Brandon dapped up the boys, feeling the camaraderie settle in and momentarily distracting him from the conflict at home. They headed inside, and Noah handed him a beer as they continued their conversation, Brandon grateful for the distraction.
"Emma went upstairs to Lily's room," Austin reminded him, and Brandon nodded, eager to focus on his friends and forget about his troubles for a while.
"So, when are you planning to pop the question, buddy?" Jeff asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face as he patted Brandon's shoulder.
"I've tried, you guys. We're just all so busy," Brandon replied, his tone slightly defensive.
Noah furrowed his brows. "Maybe ask her on a break or have Ansley take her out? Aren't they always together?"
Austin nodded. "Yeah, Ansley always tells me she's going out to see Jade or something like that."
Brandon groaned. "It's not that easy, you guys." He grabbed a shot of something from the table, the warm burning sensation hitting his throat as he swallowed it in one go.
"Look at it this way: she's special, so you should do something special for her," Jeff said, his eyes serious.
"Well, no shit," Brandon rolled his eyes, feeling the familiar frustration rise within him.
The boys stayed clustered together, careful not to drink too much with the children present. The conversation about Jade soon faded, shifting to lighter topics, like Austin and Ansley's plans for another child.
"What if you had another kid?" Jeff asked, leaning back in his chair.
"I mean, it depends on what Ans wants. I'm happy with whatever she wants," Austin replied, a smile creeping across his face as he glanced toward the door.
Almost as if on cue, Ansley walked through the door, followed closely by Jade. Brandon's heart skipped a beat as their eyes locked. The air was thick with tension the moment Jade entered the room.
Their eye contact broke as she greeted the guys, but Brandon's gaze remained fixed on her. When she approached him, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, a soft "sorry" slipping from her lips, leaving him confused and tense.
"So, Jade, how are you and Brandon?" Jeff asked, his tone casual, but Brandon could feel the scrutiny in the air.
She glanced at him before responding, "Uh, I could say we're good, but we're just really, really busy."
Brandon muttered something under his breath, barely audible, but Jade caught it. She sighed and turned to him. "Something wrong?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine, but you're the one that's always busy," Brandon scoffed, unable to contain the frustration that bubbled beneath the surface.
Jade looked taken aback but chose not to escalate things. Instead, she continued her conversation with the others. "So, any big plans? Like marriage or whatnot?"
"I mean, not anytime soon," Brandon quickly interjected, trying to cover up the secret he hadn't even voiced yet.
"It's in mind, but you know, with busy schedules—"
"It's always work, huh? Work before all your important things, like your relationship or Emma? You've been at work almost every single day until midnight." Brandon's sudden outburst caught everyone off guard, and the laughter in the room fell silent.
Jade's eyes widened. "You're acting like your job isn't important. I have an important job, and you know that. Of course, I have to be busy. This always ends up in an argument, but I guess you don't understand how crucial this is to me."
"I do understand how important our relationship is to me!" Brandon yelled, his voice rising. "I want to marry you! Maybe have another kid! I want to spend my life with you, and you simply don't give a fuck, running off to your job every single day!"
The room went silent, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air. Jade's mouth fell open, but no words came out. She looked around at the shocked faces of their friends, her heart racing as she felt the floor beneath her shifting. "I'm sorry," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper, before turning and rushing out of the house.
Everyone's eyes were on Brandon, who stood frozen, his face a mixture of regret and disbelief. He had let his frustration boil over, and now he was left alone with the weight of what he had said.
