PEACHES [bws]

31. GOOD TIMES

31.

Summer had left barely half an hour ago, but Brad had one single thought as he packed his things away at the end of the shift.

He was absolutely certain he was going to make it up to her tonight. As soon as he leaves work, he'll go to the shop to get some flowers and maybe a card or chocolates. He hadn't made his mind up just yet.

As soon as he had walked her to the checkout desk to go pay, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked so beautiful without even trying.

He wanted to groan out in frustration at how much he wanted her. Not even just a sexual craving: he wanted to run his hands through her hair and talk about anything just so he can hear her voice, he wanted to hold her close and fall asleep with her.

He slings his rucksack over his shoulder and leaves the tattoo room, throwing Connor a tight smile. "I'm out for the night. See you tomorrow."

"You can have tomorrow off," Connor says, biting back a knowing smirk. He could tell that Brad was in a rush to see Summer, he was like an open book sometimes. "I'll get Tristan to cover your shift."

"Awesome, thanks."

They were all being hopeful that Brad would successfully apologise without getting himself into deeper shit with Summer.

Brad shoves his rucksack into the back of his car and starts driving towards the nearest supermarket. He goes straight for the flower aisle, picking out the most perfect pink orchards.

He pays, getting back into car and making his way straight to Summer's and praying she'd be there.

She was and he's never felt more relieved and anxious, and Brad Simpson never gets anxious because of girls.

He clicks his seatbelt off and grabs the flowers before walking up to her door, composing himself before knocking twice on her door.

She answers, wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt, her newly inked tattoo hidden. She was confused why Brad was at her door, let alone with flowers.

"You alright, Brad?"

Brad inhaled sharply at the sound of his name perfectly rolling off of her tongue. "Y-yeah. I got these for you."

He hands her the orchards and she takes the large bouquet in her small hands, smelling them before smiling.

"Thank you," she replies. "They're beautiful." He smiles. This is a good start. "I'm gonna assume you're not just here to give me flowers?"

"You're right," he nods. "I was hoping you'd give me a chance to explain myself to you."

She purses her lips before nodding. He composes himself for a moment before beginning his speech he'd made in his head on the way here.

"I can't really justify why I said what I did to Tristan because it's just not right to do," he says. "About you, about anyone, but especially about you. You're this amazing, happy ball of sunshine that I didn't realise lit me up and cheered me up all the time and that I actually need you in my life. I took you for granted and then I lost you because I was selfish and stupid and childish."

"Brad—,"

"Hold up, I'm not finished," he says softly. "But I'm not the best with words and that's why I couldn't explain to Tristan how I really felt, that's why I said the complete opposite to him about what I thought about you. And they were shitty words and if I could take them back I would, three thousand times over, because in reality you were never just someone I got to sleep with sometimes, you're someone who I need in my life to keep me going."