A/N: Sorry about the late update, but here it is! Enjoy!

P.S: Guy in the pic is what Brian is supposed to look like, I do not own the original picture and give all credit to the original owner!

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It wasn't the knocking that had woken me up, or the fact that someone was practically shouting my name through the wooden door. It was the fact that my oh so loving Link decided that it was time for me to get up by jumping onto the bed and pawing at my face while purring loudly. I grumbled in annoyance and nudged him away before realization sunk in that someone was, in fact, knocking very loudly on my door.

    Glancing over at my clock on my nightstand I had realized that I really needed to get up. Jumping out of bed, which caused Link to jump in surprise and fall off of my bed with a soft thud he glared up at me and walked out of the room. I didn't really care. I rushed out of my room and ran to the door, nearly slipping on the wooden flooring because of my socks. I opened it and smiled faintly up at Brian, he raised an eyebrow in amusement and confusion.

   "I didn't hear you knocking." I admitted as I stepped aside to let him in, running a hand through my messy morning hair.

   "If I would've known that you were still sleeping, I would've come at a later time." He replied, stepping inside my apartment and glancing around before taking a seat on my couch.

   "So..." I started, wanting to get straight to the point. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked while wandering into my bedroom to grab a hairbrush and quickly brushed through my hair, pulling it up into a ponytail as I did so.

   "I wanted to apologize for such short notice of my departure." He began. "It was wrong to wait so long and I didn't mean to upset anyone." He said softly.

   "You don't need to apologize to me, I can understand why you didn't want to tell me." I replied back, setting the hairbrush down before turning to him. "But it was moreso wrong not to tell Chris... He didn't seem to pleased by it after he dropped you off last night.

   A flicker of sadness and hurt flashed across his features as he gazed down at the floor in front of him. Link came wandering up to him and began to rub up against his legs, demanding attention in his usual ways. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips but then it disappeared as he began to shift his fingers through Link's fur.

   "I know... I..." He sighed softly as if searching for the right words. "I'm not sure how to make it up to him, I really want to make it better but... You know how Chris can be." He added on after a moment's thought.

   "I know. Which is why I think you should give him a bit of space to cool down. Then apologize for your actions." I said thoughtfully, he gave me a hesitant smile in return.

   "Alright, I'll try. Since you're the expert on these things." He mused, chuckling quietly.

   "Not necessarily an expert in this depart. I'm not good at handling situations with friends." I joked, though it was said jokingly it was true. I really wasn't good at handling these kinds of situations.

   "Oh don't be too hard on yourself. You handle them just fine." Brian said, looking at me with a smile.

   I sighed softly and thought to myself "If I really was good at these situations, she wouldn't have disappeared off the face of the earth." But I must've voiced my thoughts. Something that's not unusual of me, seeing as Brian was now staring at me with concern.

   "Who disappeared?" He asked, steering the topic of Chris away. It was something he did when a situation was bothering him.

   "You remember Kat? One of my closest friends throughout my high school years?" I asked, almost wishing not to be discussing this topic but at the same time I knew Brian would pry if I didn't answer him.

   "Yeah I remember her. You guys hung out all the time when you weren't talking to me." He replied easily.

   "Well after high school we continued to keep in touch ya know? We would visit each other frequently and nothing ever seemed wrong. At least not with her, she was always smiling and happy for the most part. Her home life wasn't the greatest but she still managed to laugh and make me laugh when I was feeling down. The one day I tried to get in contact with her only to find out she had left..." I paused, I could feel my body begin to tremble as tears threatened to spill but I continued on anyway.

   "I tried her cell phone, I tried looking everywhere for her at places she might be. I even got in contact with some of her old friends but they didn't know where she was either. She was just gone... She completely disappeared and didn't even bother with a goodbye. I haven't seen her since that day." I finished, thick tears rolling down my cheeks as I sniffled quietly. Link now rubbing up against me and meowing, as if he was concerned.

   Brian was silent for a moment or two, looking as if he was trying to find something to say but couldn't seem to find the words. So instead he pulled me into a hug, squeezing me tightly reassuringly before he wiped the tears off of my face with the ends of his long sleeved shirt.

   "Crying doesn't suit you." He began teasingly. "You look like a mess." He finished, still teasing.

   "Thanks, I know I'm a mess. But I'm an adorable mess." I muttered with a quiet chuckle. Wiping the remaining tears off my face and taking a deep breath before sighing softly. Pushing the emotions that had come rolling in like waves away for now, they could be dealt with another time.

   "I agree with the adorable part." He said sneakily before a more serious look came upon his features. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked, worry lacing his voice.

   "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Worry about you." I replied, smiling faintly.

   "So I have to ask... Who is this little guy?" He asked while petting Link once again before picking him up and holding him while petting him.

   "That is Link, my very loving and very adorable cat." I said sarcastically as Link snuggled into Brian, purring loudly. "I adopted him from the same shelter I volunteer at, he was the one that would let only me pet him or give him any sort of attention. He disliked the other volunteers and would bite or scratch them if they tried to pet him. Therefore I adopted him and he's much friendlier now... At least he lets other people hold and pet him."

   "Oh yeah, speaking of cats... I also wanted to talk to you about Scooby... Since I'll be gone for a month on the business trip... I need someone to look after him..." He trailed off before asking. "So if you wouldn't mind... I see how much you love cats, so could you take care of him while I'm gone? I could bring him here and drop him off... Or you could visit at least twice a day to make sure he's okay."

   "I'll check on him twice a day. Dropping him off could cause unnecessary stress since he just got settled into his new home and he'll be a bit more stressed once you leave. So yeah.. I'll definitely watch him, he's a sweetheart." I smiled.

   "Thank you, I really appreciate it." He sighed in relief before asking "So... Is there anything you'd like to do?"

   "I'd like to at least finish getting ready before work." I answered amusedly.

   "Oh my gosh I didn't even think about that when I texted you last night! I'm so sorry!" He said quickly, quick enough that I didn't necessarily hear all of what he had said but I got the gist of it.

   "It's fine, just wait here. The tv remote is on the coffee table in front of you." I said while walking off into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me to finish my daily morning routine.

   It only took about ten minutes or so till I was completely finishing getting ready. After I was finished, I walked back out into the living room to see that Link was all curled up against Brian while Brian was browsing through the channels. I smiled to myself at the site, a little voice in the back of my mind saying "I could get used to this." I shook my head, sighing quietly to myself at the thought. Replying back to that little voice "He's just a friend." To which it replied simply "But he could be more than just a friend." Rolling my eyes at my own thoughts, I headed into the kitchen.

   "Hey Brian! Do you like coffee?" I called out to him, beginning to make a pot of coffee.

   "Yeah!" He called back from the other room, I could hear faint voices drifting from the tv as he turned the volume up.

   "Want a cup?" I asked him, getting out two coffee cups and setting them down on the coffee table.

   "Yes please!" He responded back, I smiled to myself and busied myself with making a quick breakfast as well.

   A few minutes had passed by and the coffee was ready. I poured it into the two coffee cups and grabbed the sugar and small carton of milk along with two plates of a breakfast and managed to carry it all into the living room. I set the coffee and breakfast down, then finally the sugar and milk before handing him his plate of breakfast.

   "I made breakfast as well." I said, he opened his mouth as if he was about to argue that he didn't want any breakfast, but before he could argue I cut in. "Don't argue with me." I added on. He closed his mouth and then began to eat the breakfast I had made.

   The silence that followed between us was not unwelcome, it was more of a comfortable silence. After a few moments we had both finished eating and set the plates off to the side, I grabbed my cup of coffee and added sugar and milk to it before curling up on the couch. Watching whatever show Brian had put on which just appeared to be the news channel.

   Link had decided at that moment in time that he desperately needed to wedge himself between me and the side of the couch which could not have been all that comfortable for him. So I scooted a bit closer to Brian, still sipping at my coffee. The comfortable silence was broken when the alarm on my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket with one hand and glanced at it, seeing that it was already ten thirty. I got up and put my phone away, setting my now empty  cup down on the coffee table. I looked at Brian and smiled faintly.

   "Sorry. But duty calls. I've got work in thirty minutes." I said, cleaning up the table really quick and taking everything out into the kitchen to set it in the sink.

   "No need to apologize. I understand." He said as he got up himself, stretching. I paused momentarily and watched him as I had re-entered the room. A blush had crept up my neck and onto my features, so naturally to distract myself I slipped into my shoes. Afterwards I grabbed my keys that were hanging on one hook of the coat rack I owned. I then turned towards Brian and smiled faintly.

   "Ready to go?" I asked as I slipped into my coat.

   "Ready whenever you are." He said as he approached me. A smile adorning his features as he slipped past me and stood out in the hallway, waiting for me. I smiled and then walked out, shutting and locking the door behind me. As we walked he held my hand lightly, something that he used to do when we were in high school. A smile slipped onto my features as I squeezed his hand lightly, savoring the moment while it lasted.

   As we exited the building and headed into the parking lot, we paused before parting ways. He smiled and pulled me into a tight embrace, to which I responded by hugging him back just as tightly. I smiled faintly, he was wearing cologne and it smelled really good. It had a slight sweet smell to it, I couldn't put my finger on what the scent was exactly but it suited him just fine.

   "So this is goodbye?" I questioned as he released me from the tight embrace. He smiled and ruffled my hair lightly, being careful not to mess up the ponytail I had it in.

   "Not for long, besides I'll be bugging you even when I'm away." He smiled reassuringly, a quiet laugh escaping him.

   "Alright, and if you don't bug me, I'll bug you." I responded back, laughing quietly.

   "I look forward to every moment of it." He smiled and then pulled me in for one last hug before releasing me and walking towards his car while waving. "Don't miss me too much!" He called out as he got into his car.

   I rolled my eyes playfully and smiled. "I think that's the other way around. You would be missing me more than I'd miss you." I climbed into the driver's side of my truck, watching as he drove away in my mirror. Sighing softly I started my truck up, it took a few times before it finally sputtered to life with a low grumble. I turned on the radio to distract me from my thoughts as I drove to work.

   The only thought that rang out clearest in my mind was that this friendship could definitely be something more, so long as I took the opportunity. As I pulled up into the parking lot of the diner I worked at, a smile crossed my face.

   "Yeah, this could definitely lead to something more." I thought to myself as I got out of my truck and headed inside the already busy diner.