Part Three
Dinner had been an unmitigated disaster. They ate at a fancy restaurant that he wouldn't have chosen except that he wanted to placate both Iris and Kelly; Iris because he knew that she was angry at him on Brenda's behalf – he was angry at himself on Brenda's behalf – and Kelly because he knew she was not happy to find out that he had 'invited' people to his graduation ceremony after all. Then, just after they'd ordered, Erica had made damn sure things wouldn't improve any over the course of the meal.
"I've been looking into transferring to West Beverly for my senior year," she'd mentioned, as if she wasn't dropping a major bombshell on Dylan and Iris, as if she wasn't about to accidentally-on-purpose drop another bombshell on Kelly. "You know, since you're here full time now, and since Brenda will be here at least for a few more months. It would be nice to be close to you guys again."
"Brenda's here?" Kelly had asked, her voice soft but hard, a tone that had Dylan spiraling back to the days when he'd been eighteen and in love with them both, and Kelly had resented him for it every second of every day that they were together.
Erica pretended to be oblivious, although Dylan knew she wasn't.
"Well yeah, she flew out for the graduation ceremony, and then she's filming a movie out here, and then I think she's appearing in a play in San Francisco," Erica had shrugged casually, taking a sip of water before continuing, "at least she's in talks about a play in San Francisco. Either way, she'll probably be in town for awhile after the movie wraps because her other movies are coming out this fall and then there's all the press stuff and premiers and of course she'll probably be around for awards season this winter. Of course, she'll have to go back to New York for the Tony's next month. She's nominated, you know."
Iris and Dylan were both frowning matching frowns at Erica, both wondering where the little girl who'd come into their lives so long ago had disappeared to. This Erica was harsher and more manipulative. Watching her talk to Kelly was like watching Valerie Malone at her most scheming. And Kelly was proving easy to manipulate, looking down at the table, not even trying to maintain appearances. Later, when he drove her home, Kelly barely spoke to him until they reached her apartment.
"I almost threw away my marriage for you," she said quietly as he walked her to the door. "I really thought you'd changed. I really thought you were capable of changing."
"Kelly…"
"You've been lying to me for two years, haven't you?" she demanded, turning to face him with her arms crossed against her chest. Dylan just shook his head and turned to look out at the ocean. "Haven't you, Dylan?"
"I never said I wasn't in contact with her."
"No, but you did say that you broke up almost four years ago, when, according to Erica, you were still together and actually engaged two years ago," Kelly snapped angrily. Dylan winced. He hadn't realized his sister 'let' that detail slip. "You said that you were at my wedding, and I believed you like an idiot, even though I knew that Brandon talked to you, in England, that morning!"
Dylan didn't have anything to say to that that wouldn't make things even worse between them. Or at least, he assumed that telling her he'd used Brandon's description of Kelly on her wedding day to convince her that he had actually been there probably wouldn't go over very well.
"I cannot believe you actually wanted me to leave Matt so that I could be your backup plan!" Kelly hissed, before stalking inside and slamming the door.
Knowing better than to try to talk to her when she was like this, Dylan decided it would be best to just give up on improving his night at all. He climbed back into his car and started to head back to the Royale, but somehow found himself outside the Omni Hotel, where Brenda was staying. He knew because she, Iris and Erica were sharing the Presidential Suite, and he'd dropped Iris and Erica off before driving Kelly home.
Although he was certain that going in and trying to talk to Brenda would be a bad idea, he found himself handing his keys over to a valet and rushing to catch an elevator.
"Dylan," his mother said when she opened the door. Her eyebrows were raised in surprise. "Did you forget something?"
"No, I was just… I hoped Brenda might…"
"I see," Iris forced a smile that looked worried to him. He wasn't sure if it was for his own sake or for Brenda's. Probably somewhere between the two. "Erica and I will just be in our room, if you need us."
Iris pulled Erica forcibly from the room, leaving Dylan alone with Brenda, who sat stiff as a board at the dining table, leaning over a script and pretending to read it.
"I thought you said you needed to memorize a script."
"I do."
"Come on Bren," he shook his head, pulling the script away from her. "Macbeth? You've had this memorized for years."
"Don't say the name," Brenda hissed. "And this script has the director's notes…"
"For a play you still haven't officially signed on to do, that wouldn't even start rehearsals until September anyway."
"Maybe I just didn't want to have dinner with you," Brenda sulked, crossing her arms over her chest. Somehow, the gesture that only aggravated him on Kelly seemed adorable on Brenda.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, sitting in a chair next to her and reaching out for her hand. Brenda didn't pull away, but she didn't encourage him either. "I know I haven't been clear today…"
"Haven't been clear," Brenda snorted. "You proposed to me and then shooed me away so that I wouldn't make Kelly uncomfortable."
"If it helps, I was miserable all through dinner."
"I don't want you to be miserable," Brenda shook her head, getting up from the table to pace the room, her arms wrapped around her own stomach. She was avoiding his eyes, but she didn't sound angry so much as hurt and confused. "I just want you to be sure, Dylan. For once, I want you to be sure of what you want."
"I am sure."
"How the Hell am I supposed to believe that?"
There was no possible answer to that question; he'd never been the most consistent person before, and he certainly hadn't seemed consistent today. So instead he asked her how he could make her believe him.
Brenda didn't answer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
