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Chapter 3.

"Any home can be a castle when the king and queen are in love."
-Unknown

Callie woke up warm and content, if not a little cramped, in Brandon's arms. From the car window, she could see the sky, streaked with peach and orange. It looked like a watercolor behind the rising sun, and she watched it until Brandon stirred, yawning. They ate donuts and weak coffee from the vending machines at the rest stop, and then they continued their trip, driving for what seemed like hours, only stopping at a grocery store to use the restrooms and buy a few provisions. Callie knew Brandon was probably still tired, and she wished she could take up some of the slack for him, but unfortunately, she couldn't. She didn't have a drivers license, and she had no idea where they were actually going. "So, where did you find an apartment?" she asked, curiously.

"I found it online," Brandon told her. "I don't know what to expect, though, so... just be ready for anything." He turned a corner, and happily announced; "We're almost there!"

Callie surveyed their unfamiliar surroundings, curiously. "Are we still in California?" she asked. Wherever they were, they were most certainly not in Anchor Beach anymore.

"Yeah," Brandon laughed. "We are." He made another turn, then drove a few more blocks. "Look," he said, pointing to a street sign. "This is our new street."

Callie pressed her nose to the window, then gasped, grabbing Brandon's hand. "Oh my gosh! No way!"

"What?" he asked, confused. "What is it?"

She turned to him and smiled. It was the name of the street that caught her attention and made her heart skip a beat. Lismore Street. It had to be a sign... she didn't believe in coincidences. She explained the significance to Brandon, telling him about how she pulled a made up street name right out of the blue while filling out a job application at that cafe in the desert. She had no idea a street by that name actually existed, but there it was. In her heart, she knew that the real Lismore Street was the right place to start their new life.

About a quarter of a mile down the street, Brandon turned into the driveway of a large, boxy house, and parked. They sat in the car, silently, for a few moment. Just when Callie started to wonder what they were waiting for, Brandon finally turned to her. "Well, we should go in." He took her bag from the backseat, then led her to the trunk. "Got a few things in here we should grab."

"Okay," Callie shrugged. She watched him unlock the trunk, and she squealed with delight, because her guitar was inside. She threw her arms around Brandon, her eyes filling with tears, and he hugged her tight, lifting her feet off the ground. "Thank you," she breathed, once he set her down. She touched the neck of the slightly worn instrument lovingly. When she made the decision to run away, she left her guitar behind by necessity, not choice. She'd missed it, and seeing the precious gift from Brandon was like being reunited with an old friend. Knowing that he had thought to bring it, with her in mind, her heart filled with love for him all over again.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Brandon told her, pleased that she was so happy. He tilted her chin up, cupping it with his hand, and kissed her.

As they removed the rest of their belongings from the trunk, Callie saw that Brandon had also packed bedding, his keyboard, and the dress she'd worn to Stef and Lena's wedding. "Why did you bring this?" she asked, fingering the dove gray fabric of the formal gown.

Brandon shrugged his shoulders. "I just thought, you never know if you'll need it someday. Come on. Let's go inside."

Callie followed him to a side door, dropping the issue of the dress. She waited patiently as he took a key from his pocket, unlocking it, and letting her in. She found herself in a large room, painted the color of soft moss. It held a stove, sink, and refrigerator on one side, and a couch rested against another wall. wandering around a little more, she discovered there was also a bathroom, hardly bigger than the closet she'd shared with Mariana. A shower stall, toilet, and sink were crowded inside.

"It's a studio apartment," Brandon explained. "I know it's not much, but do you like it?"

Callie nodded, taking everything in. It was a shabby, cramped space, but it was practical and it was theirs, so she liked it. "It's perfect," she told him. "It has... possibilities." With some curtains, and something pretty hung on the walls, she envisioned the apartment as a homey, cozy space, perfect for two.

Brandon took her hand, and showed her the couch, which was incredibly ugly. "This is supposed to be a sofa bed," he told her. He messed around with it for a few minutes, and finally, the lumpy-looking bed folded out. He threw a comforter over it, and arranged their pillows. Then, because they were both exhausted, they kicked their shoes off and crashed on the bed.

For a while, Brandon and Callie just lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Brandon played with her hair, combing his fingers through it, while she studied a heart-shaped water stain, brown against the white tile. In the silence, something, a crucial detail, played on her mind. She rolled over, propping herself up on her elbow to face him. "How will we stay here?" she asked quietly. "I don't have any money."

To Be Continued