Chapter 15- In the Closet
"Do you think she'll be up to it?" I asked Gran when Brynn left us to take a shower.
"Physically? Yes, but you know this... never really was Brynn's sort of thing?" Gran said cautiously.
"What's not her thing? Proms? Dances? Getting dressed up?"
"All the above," Gran replied.
"But Brynn never had the need because she never had a boyfriend before," I countered.
Gran seemed to consider this for a minute or two. "True, but I'm just not sure how I can be of help."
"I want to set everything up here. In the back yard for starters so she doesn't have to go far."
"Okay and..."
"And I need help as far as Brynn getting a dress, shoes, jewelry... all that stuff the girl's get into for Prom."
"Now you see, that's where we have a problem again. It's not Brynn's thing to be all girlie and I'm no good at deciding now a days what she should wear. Besides..."
It must have been the face I was making that stopped Gran from continuing. "I have a friend, I could enlist if you think it would help."
"It might. Look Finn. I know you. I know you'll put a ton of effort into this idea. I just don't want you being too disappointed if you don't get a huge reaction?"
"I understand. However, I also get that this is a one-time thing, Gran. There is no going back and perhaps it isn't something she'd regret not experiencing but I would regret not experiencing it with her."
Gran grins with a little cockiness. "So what you're really trying to tell me is this is all about you?"
I smile back sheepishly. "Sort of, I'm hoping Brynn will get something out of it too."
"Okay, I'm in."
"Thank you!" I kissed her cheek and she blushed.
We spent the rest of the time making a few plans to make Prom night special but all too soon, Brynn was back with us, washed up and looking much more refreshed then she had when I'd first come in the door.
"Feeling better?"
"More... human. Yes," Brynn admitted.
"Good. Gran told me you had a follow up visit today."
"I did. Everything looks great as far as the surgery, but they still want to wait the full 8 weeks before starting radiation. They want to be sure I'm at my best before they subject me to anything, I guess. I sort of feel like Wesley in The Princess Bride." Brynn giggles at her reference of which I had no idea what she was talking about.
"The Princess Bride?" I asked and Brynn's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
"You've never seen..." She was looking at me like I just kicked a puppy or something equally as horrible.
"It's a movie I gather?"
"Just about the greatest movie of all time? How have you made it through this far in your life without seeing it just ..." She makes the 'mind blown' gesture with her hands. "Seriously?"
"Sorry." I shrugged, not knowing what more to say.
"That's it!" Brynn drags me over to the couch and gives me a shove causing me to flop onto it. Rummages through some DVD's ... does anyone watch those anymore... I thought everyone streamed their movies now a days... guess Gran is still old fashioned.
She finds what she's looking for, pops it in the player, and changes the input on the tv. Suddenly the movie she was talking about appears and she takes her spot to snuggle in next to me on the couch.
I had admit, it's a damn good movie. I laughed pretty hard when I got her reference of how Wesley had to be in perfect health before he was tortured, after surviving the perils of the Fire Swamp. I felt bad for Brynn though. I know it was her way of making light of the situation but I wished she didn't have to go through it.
We get to the end of the movie and it was getting late. Brynn had fallen asleep on me but I watched the movie until the very end. I picked her up and carried her off to bed. I haven't been staying these last few days. Since Brynn is up and wandering around on her own, her father made it quite clear, my services were no longer needed. I would have loved to argue with him but I didn't have a leg to stand on with him or with my own parents who agreed with him.
I pull the cover back and slipped her into bed. As I go to pull away Brynn pulls me down by my neck and kisses me. Oh how I live for those kisses.
"You little faker," I said as she pulled way. "Just pretending to be asleep so I'd carry you in here. So you could steal a kiss."
Brynn gave me a doe-eyed look of innocence. "Me? A faker? I trickster? Inconceivable."
I laughed. Now that I've seen the movie, I totally get the reference. I let out a long sigh as I stare at her smiling face, her eyes lit with laughter. "I really should go. It's getting late."
"Or?" Brynn grabs my shirt and pulls me towards her again.
I grin and let her do it. Brynn pulls me back to her lips and I have zero desire to stop her, only this time I upped the stakes. My hands drift to the sides of her face, pushing her hair way from it, I deepen the kiss. Brynn's hands that were holding my shirt, drift into my hair and lock me into place.
I just meant to tease her but things got heated between us pretty fast, faster than I expected but then again it had been sometime time since we could indulge. My hand's left her face and drifted over her body, images of our night together flood my mind and I pull back.
"Why did you stop?" Brynn looked both confused and hurt by my actions.
"This is not a rejection, Brynn. I just don't want things to go too far. Not until your ready and when you kiss me like that it makes it very hard for me to think... well anything other than how good it feels and how much I want you."
"I'm sorry," incredulously was Brynn's reply.
"Brynn, the very last thing you should be doing is apologizing right now."
"You know what I mean," Brynn said, "I know this has to be hard on you. Us not being able to... you know."
I smiled down at her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "You're worth waiting for."
Brynn smiled. "Inconceivable."
I laughed. "You keep using that word," I said in my best impersonation of a Spanish accent, "I do not think it means what you think it means."
Now it was Brynn's turn to chuckle. "Nice," she said grinning.
"You like that?"
She nodded.
"I thought you might."
"I liked what you were doing before too," she said with a note of mischief.
"No mercy, is that it?"
"You want mercy?"
Holy hell! Her look switched from playful to seductive in like a flash of a second. "Um... not when you look at me like that but I really don't think we should..." I cough to clear my suddenly constricted throat, "continue until you're fully healed."
"We can't have sex..."
"Make love," I corrected her and she smirked at me.
"But certainly a little fooling around can't hurt, can it?"
She's killing me. "That's just it, Brynn. I don't know if it can and I don't want to risk it... you. If I was responsible for hurting you I'd..."
Brynn didn't let me finish that sentence she pulled me back to her, crashing her lips against mine. She was determined and I found when Brynn makes up her mind about something it's not likely your going to change it.
I sighed against her lips and felt her smile, she knew she'd won and was relishing her victory over me when we heard the front door open and close.
Foot steps echoed down the hall and then there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Brynn, its Dad. Can I come in?"
Her bedside lamp was still on. So he must have thought she was still awake. It was late and I was to leave hours ago. I looked at my phone. Mr. Shelby was back early.
"Brynn?"
Brynn motioned for me to get under her bed.
I motioned the length of my body because that wasn't going happen.
She quickly points to her closet and I step in and shut the door. It's times like this I'm glad my girlfriend isn't a clothes whore as there was very little to fight with in here, leaving me enough room to well... not be comfortable but at least fit.
I heard Brynn open her door.
"Did I wake you, Sweetheart? You look tired."
"I'm okay. I was just listening to some music so I didn't hear you right away."
"Oh, um... Do you have minute? I'd like to talk to you about something?"
"Does this have anything to do with you being home early?"
"Just like your mom. You never miss a thing do you?"
Mr. Shelby didn't sound like that was a compliment, exactly.
"What's going on, Dad?"
"I've lost my job or well I will if I don't move with the company. They've been bought out and are moving the whole operation to a different city. They'll pay for our moving expenses. Gran can still live with us. Brynn don't shake your head at me. I need to do this. There's not a lot of work I can do, if I lose this job..."
"Dad, my whole life is here, my doctors... I'm about go through radiation in just a few short weeks... I can't..."
Moving! To a different city?!
"I'll get you to your doctors or we'll find new ones... better ones... but Brynn I have to take this job."
"Then take it. I'm not stopping you but I'm not going to uproot my entire life again. My life is here."
"Augh! Why must you make everything more difficult then it needs to be? The only thing that would change if we move is that boy."
"Finn, his name is Finn, Dad."
"I know his name, Brynn. The kid has been a thorn in my side since day one. He's the real reason you won't go isn't he?"
Brynn was silent. Silent and probably seething if know Brynn.
"Leave, Finn out of this! I'm about to graduate. I'm going through therapy. The best doctors are treating me. They care about me and have been watching over me for years now. Gran is here. Her whole life is here, her house, her friends, her doctors... all here. I don't think I'm the unreasonable one when you're asking both of us to completely up and change our lives for you."
"So you don't give a shit about me, is that it? Everyone else is more important in your life. I'm the expendable one. Well thank you for clearing that up for me. I don't know why I thought I would get any other response. I should have known better."
I heard Brynn's bedroom door open.
"You know, I'm just trying to keep our family together, but I guess... I guess I'm not really family." The door shut and then opened again.
"Dad?!" Brynn yelled. "Dad!"
She shut the door and heard her mumbling to herself. I opened the closet door and stepped out.
"Hey, you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay!" Brynn barked at me.
I held up my hands in surrender. "Okay, stupid question. Is there anything I can do?"
Brynn sits down and puts her head in her hands and I sit next to her putting my arm around her.
"This news is all new to you Brynn. He must have known his company was in trouble for some time but didn't want to worry anyone. Maybe you just need more time to figure out a better solution."
"He's right you know?" Brynn said looking up at me with tear filled eyes.
"About what?"
"You are the reason I don't want to leave."
I couldn't help but smile at that. "You silly, girl. Haven't you figured out that there is no place you can go that I won't follow? You can't get rid of me that easily. Talk to your, Dad. Maybe he can move, set things up. You stay here finish your treatments. You graduate, Gran can sell the house and you move in with your Dad."
"But I thought we would ..."
I smiled at her. "Live together?"
"Yes."
"That can happen too. Depending on where it is, I'm sure I can get an apartment. Let's just get more details before shutting the idea down entirely."
"What if it's really far? How will you get to class? Are you going to change colleges, too? He's asking everyone to change his life for him."
"That's because he feels he has no other choice. Brynn, I've seen how stressed out my Dad has been thinking he's going to get let go from his company as they keep laying people off or downsizing departments. He's scared, not so much for himself but because he knows it will change everything for us, for me and my mom. I'm guessing this is the last thing your Dad wanted to tell you."
"You think I was too hard on him, don't you?"
"No, you were blind sided, Brynn. You reacted to what you were being told but I still think we need more info before deciding definitively that this won't work."
"Okay," Brynn agreed. She kissed my cheek. "Thank you!"
"Glad I was here to help," I replied.
"Speaking of which I gotta get you out of here and then go talk to my Dad."
"Okay, you go talk to your, Dad. I'll leave and we'll catch up more tomorrow. Okay?"
"Sounds like a plan."
I follow, Brynn out of her room. As she reached for the handle for the front door I stop her to give her a kiss good night. She smiles. "Sweet dreams, Wonder Boy."
"Sweet dreams, Pain in the... " Brynn shoved me out the door and closed it on me. I chuckled all the way back to my car.
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