Assigned

Chapter 8

Brandon Miller sat at his kitchen island. He sipped his morning coffee and waited for his husband to come downstairs. His auburn hair was messy from sleep, and his baggy shirt and pants he wore actually belonged to his husband. He always stole his clothes. They had been married for almost six years, and they couldn't be happier. "Good morning, sunshine," Brandon's husband, Ian, called before kissing him gently on the cheek. Brandon smiled at the act of intimacy. "Good morning," he cheered back, "Your coffee."

Brandon slid the cup of coffee to his husband. Ian looked down at the cup through his ashy blonde bangs and smiled at the gesture. He knew him too well. "Thank you," he smirked as he picked the cup up. Brandon smiled. He couldn't ask for anything better than that.

"Any meetings today?" he asked. "Yeah, so I'll be a little late coming home," Ian sighed at the fact. He worked at a bookstore. The meeting was mainly on what new books to order, but the team was very indecisive. "Gardening today?" Ian pondered. Brandon nodded and sipped his coffee. Ian leaned over the island and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He pursed his lips at Brandon. He looked over at his husband and lightly chuckled. He leaned in and kissed him gently. Ian smiled. The morning kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it was meaningful.

Ian was already dressed so he was ready after he finished his coffee. He finished and put the mug in the sink for later. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Brandon from behind. Ian rested his chin on Brandon's head. "Sometimes, I don't want to work," he sighed. Brandon reached up and patted his hair with a smile.

"You love your job," Brandon protested. "But I love you more!" Ian laughed as he kissed the back of Brandon's neck making the other jump. "Ian! Go to work! You'll see me this afternoon," Brandon laughed. Ian gave in and gave Brandon one last kiss on the head. Then he was gone.

Brandon put his mug in the sink along with Ian's and left the kitchen. He could do anything while Ian was gone at work. He could read, sleep, anything he wanted, but he always did the same thing. Gardening. He loved it, and his husband loved the flowers he grew. That morning, he decided to watch a bit of news. Wouldn't hurt, right? It did.

Brandon tuned in right when the reporter was discussing the serial killings of previous AHDA agents. He quickly turned the TV off and sat down. He started to remember his time at the AHDA. The time he spent in hell. His "gift" was seeing into the future, but the future had multiple possibilities. He could see everything that could happen. Brandon quickly made the memories of his torturous years leave his mind. He thought about the garden. Brandon got up and left through the back door.

His garden consisted of many beautiful and colorful flowers. His favorites were the oleanders. He loved the red and pink colors. Brandon started watering his flowers where they needed and prepared to plant some marigolds.

The warm August sun made the breeze feel wonderful to Brandon. He dug the hole for the already growing flowers with his shovel and planted them gently.

Brandon had continued gardening for hours, and finally took a break. He headed inside for lunch and a drink, but he paused while he made a simple sandwich. Might've just been his paranoia, but Brandon looked into the future for today. He saw his husband coming home or himself getting killed. Brandon froze in place and started to tear up. The second possibility couldn't happen. Ian would be destroyed if Brandon was killed. He'd blame himself.

Brandon decided with the new future possibilities that he wrote a note to Ian. If he died, he'd want to reassure Ian once he was gone. Brandon wrote a simple letter saying that Ian was the best thing to happen to him, that he loved him, and for him to hold on after he died. He stuck it in his back pocket so that if he didn't die Ian wouldn't find it and freak out. Brandon resumed his lunch break as usual and went back to gardening.