Past

Present

Mind

He hesitated. Her words sank into his skull as soon as they left her mouth. It was not a foreign topic. They have discussed this in the past. This used to be their usual argument. His answer was always an imposing no. Eventually she got tired of refuting and just dropped the topic.

''It would be easier for both of us''

''Not for me''

She darted her eyes at him ''Being good is not that bad''

''Are you insinuating I'm not good?''

''Brick-''

''Blossom,'' He cut her off without taking his eyes off the horizon ''This is what I've done for all my life''

''You're exaggerating''

''I'm not,'' He continued ''This is what I've been doing ever since I stopped being a hopeless kid who kicked the shit out of people for fun.''

''I know you've got a lot of...vision concerning this evil enterprise,'' She started ''but it's such a waste of your talent to be trapped in a company that's dedicated to...'' She trailed off.

''Killing people?'' He finished for her. She rolled her eyes.

''That's not what I was going to say''

''It's the truth, Bloss,'' He looked at her ''Don't be ashamed of saying it out loud, in case you haven't noticed, there's no one around''

''I'm not the one who should be ashamed'' She murmured loud enough for him to listen.

He kept looking at her. She turned her head to him and held his gaze.

''There are such a lot of options for you,'' She insisted ''You could literally do anything you wanted to do''

He said nothing, but continued looking at her. She was talking about options. His options. He was surprised by the fact that she had been trying to figure out a way to take him out of the company. She had been thinking about it, when the truth was that it had never crossed his mind.

''You'd be an excellent lawyer'' She whispered.

His eyes widened. How did she-

''I know you,'' She continued ''In fact, I think I know you more than you do''

She placed her hand on top of his and he took the opportunity to get a hold of her hand. He squeezed her hand affectionately.

It's been four years already. He has been building his way up in the business. He couldn't drop his work just like that. Not for Townsville. Not for his brothers. Not for her. Not even for him.

''I want to help you'' She whispered.

''You can't help me'' He whispered back.

Blossom examined his face for a moment, trying to read him like she wished she could. She was trying to fully comprehend the meaning behind his words. Brick was exceptionally good at hiding his feelings.

She felt frustrated. Almost sad. They could spent time together while in high school. Of course, they could still date, but deep down she knew it would be pointless. They wouldn't be able to continue with their relationship in the future if he didn't choose the right side. It was already hard for her to ignore the fact that he actually did work for a killing corporation.

She knew what he was thinking. What he was mistakenly thinking. He was thinking there was no hope. Nothing else out there for him. It was stupid. He was an excellent student just like her. He was competitive. He was intelligent. He was talented. Not to mention that he was insanely handsome.

Blossom wanted to help him realize this. She wanted him to see the success he could achieve. But he was too stubborn to see it. He was blinded by his rational yet irrational thinking.

The words left her mouth before she could stop them.

''Can't help those who don't want to be helped''

He wished they didn't need to worry about it. He wished they could just drop everything, and leave it all behind. A place for them. Far away from Townsville and its drama. Far away from all the people who knew them. A place where it doesn't matter if he's good or she's bad.

He had never thought about it before she first said it. He had no need to.

But then she mentioned it and planted the seed in his head.

''I know you got some offers'' She told him, breaking his concentration.

Graduation was close. The time to take a decision. He received two letters on the morning. One from Yale, one from Harvard. He raised an eyebrow ''How?''

''I just know you did'' She smiled.

No one could have told her. He hasn't told anybody. Brick could feel how a genuine smile was creeping on his face.

''You have a lot of faith in me, don't you?''

Heat rose to her face. She felt unable to hold those penetrating eyes, so she lowered her head.

''I do''

And I can see that you're the first one in a long time that has some faith in me.

''So,'' She continued ''What is your plan?''

The answer should be a no. He shouldn't be contemplating the possibility. He should have shattered the letters without reading them. He shouldn't have applied for the scholarship in the first place.

But he did.

The implications were clear.

Harvard meant giving up his job. Going back to work was giving up on her.

Was he willing to give up on any of those?

There must be a way for him to stay with her and keep his job. He was just unable to figure out the answer. There were such a lot of things to do, a lot of places to visit with her. They couldn't be over. Not now. Not just yet.

The answer wasn't clear for him. But he was sure of something. He wasn't willing to give up on her.

''I'm not sure of what I want right now,'' He said as he took her hand in his, meaning every word. She met his eyes ''But if it means a lot to you, I could give it a try.''

-Fin.