i want to write you a song, brandon arreaga

fifty-three

JUNE 25th, 2020
REAL LIFE.

after about a solid three hour sleep, adele and brandon had awoken around nine in the morning to prepare for the wedding of lori taylor and corey smith.

adele would've fallen over in the car ride there if she hadn't been so excited for her favorite cousin to get married. and brandon would've done the same if he weren't so nervous to meet adele's mother. however, he felt a little more calmer about her.

"brandon, it's so nice to meet you!" marie johnson greets politely, pulling the boy in for a hug similar to his mom. "adele is always talking about you."

she stands beside them with a small smile on her red lips, and brandon couldn't help but smile as well. "it's great to meet you, miss johnson."

marie gives him an impressed look, seeing as he addressed her by her maiden name. "let's get you two seated."

"i'm actually gonna go see lori." adele informs, clasping her hands together and looking up at brandon. "will you be okay?"

brandon nods quickly, "oh, yeah. of course. go ahead."

she smiles gratefully at him, turning on her heels and walking towards the small building beside the outdoor venue. brandon awkwardly stands for a bit by himself, his own heart rate increasing.

but the loneliness hadn't lasted long. adele had returned a few minutes later, grabbing his hand and offering him a soft smile. "that was quick."

"i didn't wanna leave you out here alone." she says, and he felt his heart melt at her words. inspiration began to built up in his head, and he was tempted to grab the small paper in his pockets and write it all down. but instead, he pushed it to the side and enjoyed the way his heart felt around adele. 

he leans into her ear, slightly aware of the small crowd they've attracted. "i love you, adele."

she tilts her head up to meet his eyes, leaning her head against his. "i love you."

after a bit more convincing, brandon had finally gotten adele to leave his side and spend some time with her cousin. not that he wanted her to leave him—he wanted to hold her close as ever. but he knew how excited she'd been for her cousin, and it was only fair to allow her to fulfill that excitement. plus, he had to assure himself that he'd be perfectly fine on his own; he wasn't a child.

somehow, he found himself in a small circle with some of adele's family members, including ray and robin who he couldn't be less excited to see.

he respectively listened to a few of their conversations, slightly zoning out each time. it wasn't until his named was mentioned where he looked up, "brandon?"

"y-yeah." he clears his throat, a smile settling on his lips at the woman who had called his name. he recalled her as one of adele's aunts.

"you and adele look lovely together." she informs, "i've only seen her glow like that a few times in my life."

"she helps me glow, too." he nods, unable to contain the smile on his lips. but it had lessened slightly when ray opens his mouth.

"how does she help you? her last boyfriend wouldn't stop telling us how she tore him down."

a few family members stifle laughs, and brandon tilts his head to the side. "i would tell you, but then we'd be here all night." he says simply. "and i don't wanna be here any longer with you than i already have to."

everyone silences, and ray lets out a small laugh. "it's that hard to come up with a few excuses, huh?"

"i think adele's a lovely woman." her aunt from earlier defends, offering a small smile. "and i'm sure they help each other grow in many different ways."

"with her mental health issues, i doubt it." ray shrugs, "i remember when she would pathetically cry in her room every day over some little thing. it's a good thing she has a mediocre voice, or i think she'd be a failure."

brandon hadn't realized how much closer he'd stepped towards ray. though, he leans in slightly, just enough to reach his ear. "i think you need to shut up."

he noticed the twisted kick ray received from looking down on his younger sister, rolling his eyes. "you won't do shit—"

the tension in the air turned into a series of gasps as a punch had been thrown from brandon's end, sending the man right to the ground. "brandon!"

"you think i won't do shit?" brandon asks, lifting ray's gray suit with ease, surprisingly not losing grip as he heard adele's voice behind him. "fuck you."

as the words left his mouth, ray had lifted his free hand to knock brandon's jaw, allowing him to loosen his grip on ray's suit jacket.

adele stands before the two, her eyes widen as she decided on her next move. but as brandon goes in for another punch, she grabs his shoulders, pulling him back.

he relaxes at her touch, his eyes still trained on her brother as she pulls him away. but all ray had done was smirk at the blood dripping down brandon's lips.

adele pulls brandon by his tie as they walk through the silent parking lot. as they reach their car, she pulls out a small first aid kit she always kept by her side.

while she cleaned him up, she noticed he'd still been practically fuming. "you know what's hot?"

brandon gives her a look, before sighing. "what?"

"when you cuss." she murmurs, and he couldn't help but smile as he leaned back on the seat. "didn't think you had it in you."

"i don't like fighting.." he admits. "but he deserved it. so much."

"i know." she agrees, giving him a small kiss before proceeding to clean the dry blood forming on his jaw.

"i'm sorry." he says after a while. "i probably made a huge scene."

"oh, you did." she nods, "i'll just get shit about it for a few years, but it's worth it since i got to see ray's stupid ass all beat up."

"you enjoyed it, huh?" he leans in, and she grabs his face with both of her hands as she leans in as well.

"very much, but not the part where he hit you. i was ready to jump in there at that point."

"i'm alright now." he promises, "are you?"

"as good as i can be." she nods, before cleaning the mess she'd made. "i have an idea on how to get back at my brother."

interested, he lifts his head up to meet her angelic eyes with his own tired ones. "yeah? what?"

"get in the front." she orders, climbing into the drivers seat. "you'll see."