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april 23, 2020.
brandon takes his time looking at the picture adele had posted on instagram, only being able to handle one glance at the comments before handing edwin's phone back. "wow."
edwin clears his throat, nodding. "yeah. you done now?"
"sure."
edwin offers his friend a sad smile before heading out of his room, allowing brandon to bask in some privacy.
brandon wanted to take the time to maybe sit down at the piano, or hide away in their makeshift studio. but all he could do was stare at the wall in front of him and think about the only woman on his mind.
"i'm sorry."
adele glances over at the boy with confusion at his sudden apology, "what?"
"you can't go out..and explore," he explains. "because of me, you know?"
"oh." she murmurs, before shaking her head. "i would rather spend time with you, anyway. i'm sure i'll be back here soon enough."
he watches as she slowly migrated towards him in the hot tub they made sure to lounge in both nights, regulating his breaths when she wrapped her arms around him.
"adele?" he whispers as she leans into his ear, closing her eyes. she hums in response, and he takes a deep breath. "i love you."
"i love you." she responds almost immediately, hugging him tightly. "i'm not ready for you to leave."
"we'll see each other again." he promises, holding her tightly. "again, and again. til we're sixty and i poke fun at you for not knowing how to make spaghetti."
she pulls away with an embarrassed smile, "i'm definitely gonna unfriend you before then."
he smiles up at her, "don't..cause i don't think i can live without you."
brandon found himself staring down at her contact seconds after the memory blurb, his thumb hovering over the unblock option. but just before he could decide to press it, zion barged in. "coming down? hella people are here already."
brandon looks up from his phone almost instantly, nodding and shoving the cellular device back into his pocket.
a friend of the boys had been celebrating their birthday, and knowing them, they looked for every excuse to throw a party. so zion and edwin wasted no time inviting everyone over.
brandon would never admit it to the boys, but the parties just weren't for him. though as usual, the twenty year old had shown his face for the first few hours to please his friends.
"that's the spirit, man!" austin smiles when brandon takes a shot from an abandoned bottle of vodka. "just remember your escape route if the cops come."
brandon shakes his head with amusement, watching as a blonde approaches the two. "hi." she greets, "i'm grace."
"this is brandon." austin blurts, showcasing his friend to the oddly familiar stranger. brandon gives austin an annoyed glance before smiling politely at the girl.
austin looks between the two before taking a step back, "now..i'm gonna go..wash the dishes."
before brandon could object, austin had been lost in the sea of people and grace stared at him expectantly, "wanna sit?"
"uh—" he glances around awkwardly, slightly panicking. "sure."
a few hours had passed, and the two had been cramped on the couch between several people. brandon hadn't minded grace as much as he thought, considering all she did was talk.
"you're the guy adele rose cheated on abel reign with, aren't you?" she asks the drunk boy casually.
he groans loudly, catching her off guard. "i'm so tired of hearing those two names." he admits, and watches as she lets out a laugh.
"hey, did you know her?" she asks. "like, before you two hooked up?"
brandon took a moment to think, although all his mind could do was blank. "no, i'd just been following her on instagram."
"what were you doing in paris, then?"
"visiting a family member." he slurs slightly, leaning his head back on the couch. "big mistake."
"what?"
"getting with her."
grace, who hadn't been nearly as intoxicated as him, sits straighter up. "why?"
"she's a mess." no she's not, why would i say that?
"oh, really?" she inquires, finding herself more interested in his answers. "what about—"
"hey, grace." nick had interrupted, standing in front of the two. "i think that's enough. you can go now."
brandon looked at his friend with curiosity, while grace had rolled her eyes and stood from the couch, walking away from the boys without even sparing brandon another glance.
nick rolls his eyes at the girl before offering his friend a hand, "let's get you to bed."
"why were you being mean to grace?" brandon asks slowly, the alcohol racking with his mind the more he spoke. "she's so nice, and a good listener."
"she's an insider for a gossip website," nick informs. "she's rude as fuck, too."
"an insider.." brandon voices quietly, his eyes widening. but before he could fully process the information he'd been told, nick brings him to his room.
"sober up." he orders. "i need someone to play fortnite with and zion's wasted."
"you suck, anyway." brandon murmurs, resting on his bed. "i can play with my eyes closed and get more kills than you."
"fuck off."