Post by Mandy on Jul 2, 2008 9:55:10 GMT -5
A/N: I suck. I'm sorry.
I was a nervous wreck all morning at work. People kept popping in and reminding me of the meeting I had later in the day, David hadn’t come to visit all morning, and I was so distracted that I accidentally ordered myself a coffee at Starbucks instead of my regular English breakfast tea. I sat in my workspace and tapped a pencil all morning. Not that I didn’t have anything I should have been doing, I just could not focus. Why did he have to come back today? I had my meeting and then I had my dress appointment after work. I really didn’t have time to give him a proper welcome back. Not today. Tomorrow was a lot less of a hectic day. I flipped my desk calendar to tomorrow. In fact, I had nothing tomorrow. Well, I had planned on going to visit with my mom for a bit after work, but tomorrow would have been perfect. My mom would understand if I needed to come over the next day. Stupid Brandon having to come home today.
“Mandy, are you ready?” David’s voice broke my thoughts. Holy shit. Brandon was back. I grabbed my purse from my desk and practically ran out of the building and to our car. David eventually caught up, climbing into the driver’s side. He started our journey to LAX.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” I really wasn’t. I couldn’t decide if I was excited or nervous or scared or about to throw up or burst. Would he be mad that I showed up at the airport? Maybe he didn’t call for a reason. Maybe he wanted to surprise me. Oh fuck! He probably wanted to surprise me! And now I’m ruining it!
“Turn around!” David pulled into a nearby parking lot and parked the car.
“Do you want to go or not? We don’t have time for you to change your mind every mile.” I stared at my feet.
“What if he wants to surprise me? I might be ruining his plan”
“But he hasn’t told you anything. You didn’t even know he was coming back until yesterday. How do you even know that he has a plan to surprise you?” All new negative thoughts started running through my head. He didn’t want me anymore. He has seen all these new and exciting things and I’m old and plain. That’s why he didn’t call.
“What are you saying?” I choked back.
“I’m not saying anything other than you won’t know what he was thinking unless you see him. And if you want to see him today, then we have to go now.” Stupid work. Stupid wedding dress appointment. Stupid having a life. I just want to hang out with my best friend until the world ends.
“Okay, let’s go.”
+=+=+=+=+
We parked the car and made our way towards arrivals. I had no idea what flight he was on or where he would be, I was just hoping to catch him before they left. David was silently trailing behind. We passed the baggage check and rounded the corner where all the cafés and shops were. I stopped short.
Was that him? I think it’s him. It sort of looks like him. At least, it looks like the Brandon from the Drive video, not the one that left me two years ago. He seemed taller, a bit more filled out in his chest and shoulders. His hair was a short curly mass that was just peaking out from underneath his knit beanie. The barista shouted an order for a venti chai tea latte. Oh my God. It was him. I watched him pick up his order and sit at a nearby table. He looked so…cool. So much like the guy on TV I had seen him become. And here I was, in my same jeans and black tank top that I had worn two years ago. I hadn’t even changed my hair. The only thing about me that had changed was my ring.
My ring. I hadn’t told Brandon that David had proposed. It only happened a month ago, but we had had approximately 30 conversations since then, and not once did I mention it. And now, he was going to see it and wonder why I hadn’t told him. I didn’t know why I didn’t; I just could not bring myself to break that to him over the phone. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and walked over to him nonchalantly.
“Let’s see. Dark glasses, beanie cap, latte, and a distinctive best friend glow. I think we have found ourselves a rock star.” It was the most cleaver thing I could think of, and it was lame. He visibly stiffened to my words, my voice seeming to register. He quickly stood up and turned to me. The entire world fell away. “Surprise.”
“No fucking way!” He said as he scooped me up and into his arms. I refused to let go. If I never let him go, he can’t leave me again. This little bit of contact after so long; it wasn’t enough. I held back a few tears.
“I missed you so much” I whispered into his ear. A chill ran through him and into me, making my hair stand on end.
“I missed you even more.” No way. There was no way he could miss me more than I missed him. He finally set me down and let go, the cool air that came between us reminding me of the horrible distance we had endured for so long.
“Damnit, I wanted to surprise you.” I knew it! Fuck! Now I ruined everything. All I could do was giggle nervously. He beamed down at me and took off his sunglasses, finally letting me look into his amazing brown eyes.
“Yeah, well, too bad. I got to surprise you this time”
“How did you find out?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s not like we work for the same company or anything. I was bound to find out” I grinned. He held me out in front of him and looked me up and down. This was it; this was when he was going to realize that he could do so much better than me. I should have worn something else. I should have tried harder.
“You have not changed at all,” and he hugged me. Was this a good thing? He’s changed so much and I’m still the same.
“Well, you have. I saw that you cut off the dreads. I must admit, I was sad but this is definitely working for you” and I ran my fingers through his hair. I had been dying to do that since the Drive video. As much as I loved the dreads and what they represented, Brandon just flat out looked better like this. His soft, silky curls slipped through my fingers and tickled my palms. They fell softly back into place.
“Is that a Mandy Achter I see?” José called.
“Nah, couldn’t be. The Mandy I knew was taller and a bit heavier,” Mike said as the rest of the guys made their way over to us.
“That’s just because she was attached at the hip with this fat ass,” José finished. God, it was good to see all of them again. I gave hugs all around.
“If he is a fat ass, none of my sister’s friends seem to mind,” I countered. Brandon turned so fast that I swore that he gave himself whiplash.
“Oh really? What exactly have you been telling them?” I haven’t been telling them anything. He did it to himself, getting muscles and amazing hair and taking off his shirt. I put my hands up in defense.
“Nothing that she didn’t already know. You have been swimming at my moms before…” Oh God, did I actually just say that? What is wrong with me? It’s just Brandon.
“Eh hem?” I squeaked and whirled around. David. Fuck. He scared the shit out of me. I took a deep breath. This was it.
“Oh! Sorry. David, this is Dirk, Mike, Kilmore, Jose, and Brandon,” referring to each of them, “Guys, this is David, my fiancé.”
I was a nervous wreck all morning at work. People kept popping in and reminding me of the meeting I had later in the day, David hadn’t come to visit all morning, and I was so distracted that I accidentally ordered myself a coffee at Starbucks instead of my regular English breakfast tea. I sat in my workspace and tapped a pencil all morning. Not that I didn’t have anything I should have been doing, I just could not focus. Why did he have to come back today? I had my meeting and then I had my dress appointment after work. I really didn’t have time to give him a proper welcome back. Not today. Tomorrow was a lot less of a hectic day. I flipped my desk calendar to tomorrow. In fact, I had nothing tomorrow. Well, I had planned on going to visit with my mom for a bit after work, but tomorrow would have been perfect. My mom would understand if I needed to come over the next day. Stupid Brandon having to come home today.
“Mandy, are you ready?” David’s voice broke my thoughts. Holy shit. Brandon was back. I grabbed my purse from my desk and practically ran out of the building and to our car. David eventually caught up, climbing into the driver’s side. He started our journey to LAX.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine…” I really wasn’t. I couldn’t decide if I was excited or nervous or scared or about to throw up or burst. Would he be mad that I showed up at the airport? Maybe he didn’t call for a reason. Maybe he wanted to surprise me. Oh fuck! He probably wanted to surprise me! And now I’m ruining it!
“Turn around!” David pulled into a nearby parking lot and parked the car.
“Do you want to go or not? We don’t have time for you to change your mind every mile.” I stared at my feet.
“What if he wants to surprise me? I might be ruining his plan”
“But he hasn’t told you anything. You didn’t even know he was coming back until yesterday. How do you even know that he has a plan to surprise you?” All new negative thoughts started running through my head. He didn’t want me anymore. He has seen all these new and exciting things and I’m old and plain. That’s why he didn’t call.
“What are you saying?” I choked back.
“I’m not saying anything other than you won’t know what he was thinking unless you see him. And if you want to see him today, then we have to go now.” Stupid work. Stupid wedding dress appointment. Stupid having a life. I just want to hang out with my best friend until the world ends.
“Okay, let’s go.”
+=+=+=+=+
We parked the car and made our way towards arrivals. I had no idea what flight he was on or where he would be, I was just hoping to catch him before they left. David was silently trailing behind. We passed the baggage check and rounded the corner where all the cafés and shops were. I stopped short.
Was that him? I think it’s him. It sort of looks like him. At least, it looks like the Brandon from the Drive video, not the one that left me two years ago. He seemed taller, a bit more filled out in his chest and shoulders. His hair was a short curly mass that was just peaking out from underneath his knit beanie. The barista shouted an order for a venti chai tea latte. Oh my God. It was him. I watched him pick up his order and sit at a nearby table. He looked so…cool. So much like the guy on TV I had seen him become. And here I was, in my same jeans and black tank top that I had worn two years ago. I hadn’t even changed my hair. The only thing about me that had changed was my ring.
My ring. I hadn’t told Brandon that David had proposed. It only happened a month ago, but we had had approximately 30 conversations since then, and not once did I mention it. And now, he was going to see it and wonder why I hadn’t told him. I didn’t know why I didn’t; I just could not bring myself to break that to him over the phone. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and walked over to him nonchalantly.
“Let’s see. Dark glasses, beanie cap, latte, and a distinctive best friend glow. I think we have found ourselves a rock star.” It was the most cleaver thing I could think of, and it was lame. He visibly stiffened to my words, my voice seeming to register. He quickly stood up and turned to me. The entire world fell away. “Surprise.”
“No fucking way!” He said as he scooped me up and into his arms. I refused to let go. If I never let him go, he can’t leave me again. This little bit of contact after so long; it wasn’t enough. I held back a few tears.
“I missed you so much” I whispered into his ear. A chill ran through him and into me, making my hair stand on end.
“I missed you even more.” No way. There was no way he could miss me more than I missed him. He finally set me down and let go, the cool air that came between us reminding me of the horrible distance we had endured for so long.
“Damnit, I wanted to surprise you.” I knew it! Fuck! Now I ruined everything. All I could do was giggle nervously. He beamed down at me and took off his sunglasses, finally letting me look into his amazing brown eyes.
“Yeah, well, too bad. I got to surprise you this time”
“How did you find out?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s not like we work for the same company or anything. I was bound to find out” I grinned. He held me out in front of him and looked me up and down. This was it; this was when he was going to realize that he could do so much better than me. I should have worn something else. I should have tried harder.
“You have not changed at all,” and he hugged me. Was this a good thing? He’s changed so much and I’m still the same.
“Well, you have. I saw that you cut off the dreads. I must admit, I was sad but this is definitely working for you” and I ran my fingers through his hair. I had been dying to do that since the Drive video. As much as I loved the dreads and what they represented, Brandon just flat out looked better like this. His soft, silky curls slipped through my fingers and tickled my palms. They fell softly back into place.
“Is that a Mandy Achter I see?” José called.
“Nah, couldn’t be. The Mandy I knew was taller and a bit heavier,” Mike said as the rest of the guys made their way over to us.
“That’s just because she was attached at the hip with this fat ass,” José finished. God, it was good to see all of them again. I gave hugs all around.
“If he is a fat ass, none of my sister’s friends seem to mind,” I countered. Brandon turned so fast that I swore that he gave himself whiplash.
“Oh really? What exactly have you been telling them?” I haven’t been telling them anything. He did it to himself, getting muscles and amazing hair and taking off his shirt. I put my hands up in defense.
“Nothing that she didn’t already know. You have been swimming at my moms before…” Oh God, did I actually just say that? What is wrong with me? It’s just Brandon.
“Eh hem?” I squeaked and whirled around. David. Fuck. He scared the shit out of me. I took a deep breath. This was it.
“Oh! Sorry. David, this is Dirk, Mike, Kilmore, Jose, and Brandon,” referring to each of them, “Guys, this is David, my fiancé.”