Author's Note - I'm glad everyone's enjoying this simple story. But don't be fooled; things are going to get a lot more complicated within a few chapters. And some of it is a real tearjerker. Sit back and relax because this story has only just begun!
Chapter 3 - It's Good to See You Part 1
A black car drives up the parking lot of West Beverly Hills High School. We see Brandon inside the car. Brandon turns off the car and sits there as he takes a look around. Aside from the paving on the ground and the flooring, the outside of the school looked pretty much the same as he remembered it when he attended there. He could still see himself on the first day of school eating lunch by himself. But today, he was the new guy trying to find somebody he knew. In the time after his flight landed in L.A., he was able to restrain himself from seeing Kelly for two whole hours. Not bad, he thought. Brandon contemplated on whether to go inside the building to look for her when he found out he didn't have to.
Brandon had a clear view of Kelly's office in the parking lot. Brandon sat as he admired her from afar. On the way to L.A., Brandon thought about what Kelly might look like after not seeing her for so long. He thought of what her hair, her smile, her face, and her body may look like. After anticipating the worse at one point, Brandon actually wished Kelly would be so unattractive that he wouldn't have to worry about falling in love with her ever again. Of course, he got his answer when he saw her through the window of her office. To sum it up, Brandon was disappointed. Kelly had not only changed but looked even more beautiful since the last time he saw her. To Brandon, this wasn't the same Kelly that he'd talk to on the phone as a friend. Still he knew if he didn't see her now, he would be thinking about her the entire time he'll be in L.A.
Brandon reached for his cell phone and dialed Kelly's phone. Kelly was too busy at the moment for phone calls but since it was her cell, she picked it up just in case of an emergency. She answered the phone without checking who was calling her.
"This is Kelly," said Kelly.
"Hey Kel, its Brandon," replied Brandon.
Kelly paused for a moment but smiled as she is glad that Brandon finally called her.
"Brandon, Hi. How are you?" asked Kelly.
"I'm doing alright. How are you?" replied Brandon.
"Better now that you called. I was getting worried that you may still be mad at me after Friday night," replied Kelly.
"Well, I have given a lot of thought about what you said. And I'm still mad," said Brandon.
"Oh...then why did you call?" asked Kelly.
"To give you a chance to make it up to me," replied Brandon.
"I'm sorry Brandon but can we talk later? I'm at work now," said Kelly.
"This won't take long," said Brandon.
"Ok. What do you want?" asked Kelly.
"Well, for starters, I would like you to join me for dinner," said Brandon.
"You're coming here?" asked Kelly.
"No, that would be too easy. I want you to come to me," said Brandon.
"What? Brandon, I can't just leave everything and go to Belize for dinner," said Kelly outraged.
"Good, because I would never make you do that. All I want for you to do is to look outside your window," said Brandon.
Kelly leans towards the window and smiles as she sees Brandon on the hood of his car.
"Oh my god...I can't believe you're here. What are you doing here?" asked Kelly.
"Waiting for you to come outside and meet me," said Brandon.
"Hold on, I'll be right out," said Kelly smiling.
Brandon and Kelly end their call and put their phones away. As Brandon saw Kelly walk outside the building towards him, he confirmed what he thought earlier was no mistake; she looked even more beautiful than ever. The hair, the smile, the warm fuzzy feeling when Brandon saw her; it was all there. Yes, to Brandon, she had the complete package.
"Oh, it's so good to finally see you," said Kelly as she hugged Brandon tightly.
"It's good to see you too," said Brandon as he hugged Kelly and secretly smelling her perfume.
"You looked great," added Brandon as they let go of each other.
"Thanks. So do you. When did you get here?" asked Kelly.
"About two hours ago. This is my actually my first stop after checking in," replied Brandon.
"And you came to see me first? That's so sweet," said Kelly.
"Well, I know you're a busy lady, Miss Taylor," said Brandon.
"I'll always have time for you. I admit you got me good when I thought you want me to go to Belize just for dinner," said Kelly smiling at Brandon.
"Yeah, I was just kidding about that. But I do want to know if you would still like to have dinner with me tonight?" asked Brandon.
"Oh tonight? I dunno, Brandon. That's kind of a short notice. I would have to get a sitter...Oh wait...maybe I can ask Silver to watch Sammy," said Kelly.
"Great, I'll pick you up after work around 6?," asked Brandon.
"Ok," replied Kelly.
"Great. So, I'll see you at 6. Bye," said Brandon.
"Bye," said Kelly.
Kelly looked at Brandon as he gets into his car. She still couldn't believe that Brandon was back in L.A. Kelly couldn't even remember how long it has been since she has last seen Brandon. She always thought about going to see him again in D.C. but were always too busy with her obligations here in L.A. After seeing Brandon, Kelly just wished that she could be a better friend. Brandon coming to L.A. made her feel that she was forgiven about last Friday night. She admired that Brandon would travel all this way to see her. Of course, she anticipated that Brandon may be here for another reason. Kelly didn't know why Brandon was back or how long was he back for. Regardless, she was happy to see her friend again.
As Kelly walks back into the building, she sees Silver.
"Silver, I was wondering if you're not busy tonight, can you watch Sammy?" asked Kelly.
"Sure. Where are you going?" asked Silver.
"Dinner with a friend," replied Kelly.
"You know, one of these days, you have got to be more specific with me," said Silver.
"I'm just going to dinner with a friend. I should be back by nine," said Kelly.
"Ok, do you need me to pick Sammy up too?" offered Silver.
"Could you? " replied Kelly.
"Sure. I just need your car keys," said Silver.
"Thanks," said Kelly as she hands Silver her car keys.
"So, what's this guy's name?" smiled Silver.
"We're not going through this again. I'll see you back home. Thanks again," said Kelly as she walks away.
"When you get back, I'm gonna need details," yelled Silver.
Brandon had some time to kill. He wanted to see all his favorite hangouts; one in particular was The Peach Pit. Even being away for so long, he didn't have trouble finding the joint. From the looks outside, Brandon was surprised of how much the place has changed. It looked more like a night club venue than a '50s restaurant. No, the sign didn't say "After Dark," just "Peach Pit." Brandon gets out of his car and walks into the restaurant. He noticed that everything is redone. The jukebox is now a digital boom box. The walls have been repainted with some crazy exotic look. Even The Peach Pit uniforms were different. Brandon had just hope the food hasn't changed. He scanned the room and found someone that looked familiar.
Nat was too busy talking to a customer to notice Brandon coming in. Brandon quietly walks up behind Nat.
"Excuse me. What do I need to do to get some service around here?" asked Brandon.
"Oh, I'm sor..." began Nat.
As Nat turns around and sees Brandon, a smile comes on his face. Nat leaned in and gave Brandon a big hug.
"Brandon, oh my god...it's so good to see you," said Nat happily.
"It's good to see you too, Nat," said Brandon.
"C'mon sit...," said Nat.
They sit at a nearby table.
"So, what brings you into town?" asked Nat?
"I'm here for a week to check out the L.A. Bureau of the NY Chronicle," replied Brandon.
"Why? You thinking of moving back here?" asked Nat.
"We'll see," replied Brandon.
"Well that's great. Either way, it's nice to see you. I even got a chance to read some of your articles online. You sure been around the world and back," said Nat.
"Thanks Nat. It's good to be back," said Brandon.
"What would you like? Anything you want is on the house," asked Nat.
"I think you know what I want, Nat," said Brandon.
"One megaburger coming right up," said Nat smiling.
"Thanks Nat," said Brandon.
"No problem," said Nat.
Nat leaves for a few minutes and brings back a megaburger, fries, and a milkshake for Brandon.
"Thanks. I sure miss this back in Washington," said Brandon.
"Well, eat up. So, where are you off to next?" asked Nat.
"I don't have to be at the office till Friday so I think I'm just gonna rest and do some sightseeing," said Brandon.
"Not a bad idea. Things have changed since you left," said Nat.
"Yeah, speaking of change, what happened here?," asked Brandon.
"People just weren't feeling the old joint anymore. Things just started to fall apart after that. So I decided to give it more of a modern-day look. What do you think?" asked Nat.
"It's nice but I'm glad the food hasn't changed....and you haven't change, Nat," said Brandon.
"Thanks, Brandon. I miss you a lot; everyone actually. It hasn't been the same since everyone left," said Nat.
"Yeah, I miss everyone too. But you still got Kelly," said Brandon.
"You should go see her," said Nat.
"I went by the school earlier. We're having dinner later," said Brandon.
"Sounds like you had a busy day. Why don't you two have dinner here?" asked Nat.
"I dunno, Nat. I kinda wanna take her somewhere special," said Brandon.
"Well, excuse me. I didn't know you became too good for the Pit," said Nat sarcastically.
"It's not that. I just want to talk to Kelly in private," explained Brandon.
"I promise you. Nobody will bother you. What do you say?" asked Nat.
"Fine; it's not like I got a choice anyway. I don't know anywhere else around here that's good," said Brandon.
"You got that right......Does she know about you moving back to L.A.?" asked Nat.
"Well, I haven't decided yet and I don't want her to know yet. So, I would appreciate it if you keep this bit of information to yourself," said Brandon.
"No problem. You're secret's safe with me," said Nat.
"Thanks Nat," said Brandon.
After lunch, Brandon decided to take a drive. Since he had to meet Kelly in a bit, he didn't want to go too far. After driving by the L.A. office to make sure he knew the route, he drove by the house he lived in for over eight years. He sat in his car as he looked at Casa Walsh from across the street. Everything from the outside look pretty much the same. The design and the color of the house were just as Brandon had remembered it. He saw a family talking in the lawn near the driveway. He smiled as he saw the little boy and girl playing in the lawn as it reminded him of him and Brenda. The mother began to work on her garden as the dad bent down to kiss her goodbye. The dad took his briefcase, waved goodbye to his kids, and got into the car. This family didn't know Brandon was watching them. They were too busy in their own little world. He didn't know why but he felt envy towards the family. Sure they had problems just like him. But they weren't as alone as he seemed to be. Sitting there, he can't help but wished that his parents didn't sell the house when everyone moved out. He wanted something familiar to hold on to as this house was the closest. If he had the money back then, he would've bought it. But then he realized change comes at a hefty price. And that's exactly what he got. He put his shades back on and drove away.
Coming Next - Brandon and Kelly have dinner together.
