| Chapter Thirty Six |
| "No I haven't." She wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear, still trying to cook the french toast she had had a craving for. "Neither have I. You think he's okay?" Justin hoped for everyone's sake he was, ecspecially his, it had been his fault JC had found out. "I'm sure he's fine, he just needs some time to gather his thoughts." She flipped the toast in the pan, reaching for a plate. "How can you be so calm?" Justin threw the phone an uncertain glance, hoping it would show in his voice. "I am calm because I did nothing wrong. He'll come to his senses, and if he doesn't it's his loss." Her shoulders shrugged as best they could as she sprinkled powdered sugar on the toast. "Bri, maybe you should try to call him. He's a little hard headed." "Justin, he has to figure this out on his own. I can't be in his face, it'll just make matters worse." She carried her dish and drink to the table, setting them down, but waiting to sit until Justin was off the phone. "I give it until Monday morning for your plan to work, then I get to step in. This is kind of my fault." "Justin, you will not step in..." She was interrupted by the ringing of the front doorbell, then went to see who her company was. "Because mine already did, I'll talk to you later." She eyed JC carefully, then motioned for him to come in, and he did, taking a seat at the table next to the one he guessed she would take to eat. "He's there? Tell him to call me when you're done with him." "I will, bye." She hung up the phone and set it on the charger before Justin had a chance to answer, then took a seat in front of her breakfast. "Justin?" JC ran his fingers along the edge of the table, something Brianne was noticing he did when he was nervous. "Yeah, you need to call him later." She took a bite of her breakfast, then turned to see his face while she chewed. "Would you like some?" "No thanks." He threw her an uncertain glance, something a lot of people had been giving her lately. "What?" She loaded the fork with a piece of french toast, then held it up for JC to take a bite, and he did. "Very good." He approved, then licked his lips before adding. "Aren't you the least bit curious why I am here?" "Yeah, I just figured you would indugle me over breakfast." She took another bite, taking a sip of milk afterward. "Bri, you're making me feel useless." He blurted out, resisting the urge to cover his mouth when the words came out. "How?" She kept face, still eating while acting as if the conversation wasn't effecting her the way it was. "I mean, you were going out of town, losing your grandmother, and me, and now this. And you didn't come to me about any of it." He took another bite when it was offered, then watched her for any signs of distress. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. But I did come to you, you took me to my parent's house that night." She countered busying herself with another bite. "That's only because I was here, and pretty much forced you to let me." "That's because we were fighting then." She turned to him for response, taking another sip of her drink. "That's not even what I mean. I don't mean like come to me for help, I mean you can. But my point was like just to talk about it. I know that something's wrong, do you think I haven't noticed?" JC stared down at her plate, hoping she would offer another bite to busy his mouth. "Something's wrong? Like between us?" She bit her inner lip, she knew what he meant. "No, not between us. With you, you've been tired and distant." His head fell into his hands, was she always this hard headed? "Oh, I'm sorry, I've been on a horrible sleeping schedule lately." She kept her eyes on her plate, then finally took a bite. "Bri, please. I need to feel like you need me for something. Because I know I need you, I need you to keep me level. But sometimes I feel like you don't need me for anything." Her hand was soon at his lips for a quick kiss to tell her he wasn't mad, more upset. "Josh, I do need you for all the same reasons you need me. But I have a problem with showing my feelings like that, I'd rather just get over it myself." She let the fork drop to her plate, it didn't look as appetizing anymore. "I'd rather you talk to me about it, that's what I'm here for." He pulled her to rest in his lap, her head falling on his shoulder. "You sure? I feel like I'm whining or something." "I'm sure, more than sure, positive." He smiled in hopes his reassurance would make her tell him everything. "Ok, well let's see. My grandmother was my last grandparent. Both of my grandpas died before I was even born. My other grandma died last year, and now that's it, no more grandparents." She took adeep breath, ready to tell him everything. "And then you, you were doing exactly what made me rethink this relationship in the first place. I didn't want to be a rebound relationship, and then there you were, seeing her. And I kind of starting doubting my own judgement. And now I've been, like an idiot, thinking of how now that I have no grandparents, my parents will be the next to die. I've been losing sleep over all this small stuff, and I'm not even sure why. I feel so stupid, because unless I have you there, I don't sleep through the night." "Wow." He hadn't expected so much so soon, and was trying to process all the information he had gotten. "I know, it's all so stupid, huh?" Her head was soon burried in her hands, hiding the tears stinging her eyes. She had done such a good job at hiding all this, or so she had thought. "No, it's not stupid at all. I completely understand it all. I have to admit that even though I don't have nearly as much going on as you, I don't sleep as well without you there." "Thanks." It made her feel a lot better, to know she wasn't the only one. "And speaking of sleep, I didn't get much last night, how about a nap?" It wasn't a lie, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but he did altier motives for getting her to nap. "Sounds good to me." She pulled herself from the warmth of his body, looking around the living room quickly. "What?" JC stood, stretching his tired muscles. "Call Justin and I'll pick up, then we can take a nap." She instructed, then started her chore while he went for the phone. Not even ten minutes later they were curled up in her bed. Justin having apologized, and the dishes had been rinsed and set in the dishwasher. "I love you." JC squeezed her lightly, then set a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, too." |