Author's Note - Hi everybody. I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I know it's been a few months since I've posted a new chapter. I'm very busy but I'm doing my best to put up as many chapters as fast as possible. Enjoy.
Chapter 38 - Seeking Solutions
Kelly pulls up in front of the driveway. She quickly takes the food out of the car. She locks the car and walks up the steps to her house with the food.
She opens the door and walks in with the food.
"Sorry, I'm late. I lost track of time talking to...," said Kelly walking to the kitchen.
She turns around and is surprised to see Brandon at the kitchen.
"Brandon...you're home already," said Kelly surprised.
"Yeah, Nat let me go early to have dinner with you guys," said Brandon.
"Oh, that's great," said Kelly putting the food on the table.
Kelly goes and gets the food out of the bags. Brandon goes and helps her.
"So where were you?" asked Brandon.
"What?" asked Kelly surprised.
"Did you go somewhere? It sure took you a while to get back," asked Brandon.
"Oh, I saw Ryan when I getting into my car. So we chatted," replied Kelly lying.
"But when I got out there, your car was already gone," said Brandon.
"Not at the Peach Pit. I drove by the school to get something from my office," said Kelly.
"But isn't the school closed on Sundays?" asked Brandon.
"Brandon, I have a set of keys. Now, if you are done with the investigation, I think everyone would like to eat," replied Kelly who is tired of Brandon's questions.
Brandon gives Kelly a weird look.
"Ok. I was just curious. That's all," said Brandon backing off.
"I know. I'm sorry," said Kelly feeling guilty.
"Are you ok?" asked Brandon worried.
"Yeah. I'm just hungry," replied Kelly giving Brandon a kiss.
"Well, let's eat," said Brandon.
Kelly smiles.
"Silver; Sammy. Food's here," said Kelly loudly so that everyone can hear.
Later that night, Kelly is in bed checking her messages on her phone.
Brandon walks in.
"Hi," said Brandon.
"Hey, everything ok between you two?" asked Kelly as she shuts off her phone.
"Yeah. He knows that I'm sorry. We're going to spend the day together tomorrow," replied Brandon.
"Well, that's great...but I thought you want to spend the week looking for work," said Kelly.
"Work can wait. Besides, I hardly get to spend any quality time with Sammy, just the two of us," said Brandon.
"Yeah, go and be the best dad you can be," smiled Kelly.
"I will," smiled Brandon.
"How about you join us after work?" asked Brandon.
"I can't. I have several parent conferences," replied Kelly.
"No problem. We can just pick you up afterwards so we can have dinner," said Brandon.
"Sure, I'll call you when I'm finished," said Kelly.
"Ok," smiled Brandon.
"I'm sorry. I wish we can spend more time together as a family," said Kelly.
"It's ok. I ruined today's family day. We're even now," joked Brandon.
"Gee...I'm guess I'm as bad as you are now," joked Kelly.
"Want me to do something about that?" asked Brandon.
"Oooo, are you going to punish me?" asked Kelly giving Brandon a seductive look.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson you're never going to forget," replied Brandon getting on his side of the bed.
Kelly sneaks to Brandon's side of the bed. Brandon smiles. Brandon holds Kelly as they kiss.
The next day, while Kelly and Silver were at school, Brandon and Sammy spent the day together.
They went and played at the beach, went to the movies, ate, shared stories; but most of all, they learned about each other in more ways than they've ever been.
We see them in the car. Both Brandon and Sammy have a smile on their faces.
"Did you have fun today, Sammy?" asked Brandon.
"Yes. Thanks dad," replied Sammy smiling.
"Hey, what happened to calling me daddy?" asked Brandon.
"My friend, Kyle said that after a certain age, I should stop calling you daddy and start calling you dad," replied Sammy.
"What? I miss you calling me, daddy. It makes me feel like you're my special little buddy," said Brandon.
"But I like calling you dad too," said Sammy.
"Ok. How about you get to choose?" asked Brandon.
"Ok. Thank you daddy," replied Sammy.
"You're welcome, Sammy," smiled Brandon.
"Where are we going now?" asked Sammy.
"It's almost dinner time. So I was thinking that we go see if your mom is finished with her meetings and wants to join us," replied Brandon.
They pulled up at West Beverly High. Brandon parks the car and they go in.
Brandon and Sammy walked into the school towards Kelly's office. To Brandon's surprise, there was nobody at Kelly's office. All the lights were turned off and Kelly is nowhere to be seen.
Brandon gets out his cell phone and calls Kelly. No one picks up and it goes straight to voicemail.
"Hey Kel, it's me. I'm here at school and looks like you were already off for the day. Sammy and I were about to get dinner. So, give me a call when you can," said Brandon.
Brandon hangs up and calls Silver.
"Hey Brandon," said Silver as she picks up.
"Hey Silver. Do you happen to know where Kelly is?" asked Brandon.
"No, I thought you said she was working late," replied Silver.
"Well, I'm here at school and she's already gone," said Brandon.
"She's probably out grabbing dinner," said Silver.
"Ok. I'll see you back at home," said Brandon.
"Ok. Later," said Silver.
"Bye," said Brandon.
Brandon and Sammy walk back to the car. They get into the car.
"That's weird. Your mom said she would call me as soon as she gets off work," said Brandon.
"She might be having a meeting with Uncle Dylan," said Sammy.
Brandon turns and looks at Sammy.
"What?" asked Brandon surprised.
"Yeah, I heard mommy talking on the phone last night," replied Sammy.
"Talking about what?" asked Brandon.
"I can't say," replied Sammy.
"Why not?" asked Brandon.
"Because...," replied Sammy who feels pressured.
"Because?" asked Brandon.
"Because it's a surprise," replied Sammy.
"What kind of surprise?" asked Brandon.
"I don't know. I hope mommy will not be mad at me for telling you," replied Sammy.
"No, mommy won't be mad. I'll still be surprised," said Brandon who has a worried look on his face.
"Did mommy say anything about where they were going to meet?" asked Brandon.
Sammy shrugs his shoulders.
"Sammy, this is really important. Are you sure you don't know where mommy and Uncle Dylan are right now?" asked Brandon.
Sammy looks scared and shakes his head telling Brandon no.
Brandon takes out his phone and calls Dylan. Nobody picks up and it goes straight to voicemail.
Brandon suddenly remembers that Dylan had called the house phone a few times before and left his address of the hotel that he is staying in.
He called the phone back at the house to listen to the messages. He listened carefully when he got to Dylan's message.
"Hey it's Dylan. I got just in. I'm at BeLage Hotel, Suite 430. I'm only here for a few days so let's meet up. Bye."
Brandon starts the car and they drove off.
Kelly knocks on the door of the BeLage hotel room.
Dylan opens it. He sees Kelly and gives her a weak smile.
"Hey Dylan," said Kelly.
"Hey Kel. Right on time," said Dylan.
"Come on in," added Dylan after hesitating for a minute.
"Thank you," said Kelly.
Kelly walks in.
"Have a seat," said Dylan.
"Thanks," said Kelly.
Kelly sits down on the couch.
"Can I get you anything?" asked Dylan.
"Water," replied Kelly.
"I got hot chocolate, Kel. I know it's your favorite," said Dylan.
"Sure. Hot chocolate, it is," said Kelly.
"Coming right up," said Dylan leaving to get the hot chocolate.
Kelly didn't feel right about being at Dylan's hotel room. What made her feel guilty was that she didn't tell Brandon about it. Her mission was to make amends with Dylan, get him to come to the wedding, and possibly have him reconsider being Brandon's best man. She does not plan on staying for any other reason.
A few minutes later, Dylan returned with the hot cocoa for Kelly.
"Thanks," said Kelly.
Dylan sits down. Kelly sees that Dylan is drinking a beer. Dylan notices Kelly noticing his beer.
"Kel, I'm fine," said Dylan.
"What? No, I'm not judging," said Kelly.
"It's ok. I know that alcohol brought out the worse in me in the past and that it may have also helped ruined what we had but you can rest assured that I've changed. Alcohol is not that part of my life anymore," said Dylan.
"Ok. I'm sorry," said Kelly.
"You don't have to be sorry. It's nice that you still care," said Dylan.
"Well, you're a good friend and you always will be to me...and to Brandon," said Kelly.
"Then where is he?" asked Dylan.
"He actually doesn't know that I'm here," replied Kelly.
"Why? I thought I was buying both of you guys, dinner," said Dylan.
"Yeah, well; he wanted to spend the day with Sammy," said Kelly.
"Sammy's welcome to come too," said Dylan who is now confused.
"I know. It's just that Brandon is still a little disappointed that you're not coming to the wedding," explained Kelly.
"Yeah, I can tell that by the way that he's not returning my messages," said Dylan.
"Yeah, that's kind of the reason why I'm here," said Kelly.
"What is it?" asked Dylan.
"As you know, Brandon just lost his job. He's really stressed out right now. He really wants you to be his best man and we both want you to be at the wedding," replied Kelly.
"Kel, I've told you and Brandon that I've made prior commitments," replied Kelly.
"What kind of commitments?" asked Kelly.
"Work commitments," replied Dylan.
"I can't believe you can't miss one day of work to be at your best friends' wedding," replied Kelly.
"Kel, I don't get it. How's me not being at your wedding going to change anything? What, are you not going to get married if I don't show up?" asked Dylan.
"No," replied Kelly.
"Then what's the problem?" asked Dylan.
"The problem is that you're not being honest with us of why you're not coming," replied Kelly getting a little frustrated.
"Kel, I'm gonna tell you like I told Brandon. I'm going to be out of the country at that time," said Dylan.
"Oh right, your big project. Would you mind telling me more about it?" asked Kelly trying to get Dylan to tell her the truth.
"I'm sorry, Kel. But that information is classified," replied Dylan.
"Fine. But tell me this, is this all because of me?" asked Kelly.
"What about you?" asked Dylan.
"Is it because of me that you don't want to come to the wedding?" asked Kelly.
"Did I say that? I didn't think so," replied Dylan.
"You know what? I came here to get a straight answer from you and hopefully resolve our issues...but it looks like you don't even want to try," said Kelly.
Kelly gets up and heads for the door.
"Who are you to say that we have any unresolved issues?" asked Dylan.
"Then tell me why?" asked Kelly.
They look at each other for a moment.
Assuming that Dylan does not reply, Kelly turns, opens the door, and leaves.
Kelly gets down the lobby when Dylan comes chasing behind her.
"Kel...Kel, wait," said Dylan.
Kelly stops, turns around, and sees Dylan.
"Look, I'm sorry about giving you a hard time up there," said Dylan.
"Are you ready to talk?" asked Kelly.
Dylan looks at her for a few moments before responding.
"Yeah, I am. Let's go back to the room," replied Dylan.
"Ok," said Kelly.
From outside of the hotel into the lobby area, we can see that Brandon is in his car.
As Brandon looked into the hotel from the hotel parking lot, he can see Dylan giving Kelly a hug, before watching them head back upstairs of the hotel.
At first, Brandon's first instinct was to go in after them. As much as he wanted to deny the fact that Dylan and Kelly were having an affair, he wanted to know the truth. Then he realized that Sammy was in the car.
"Do you see mom?" asked Brandon trying to see if Sammy saw anything.
"No," replied Sammy.
"What are we doing here?" asked Sammy.
Brandon realized that it may not be in Sammy's best interest to see his jealous father going after his fiancé and her lover like a raging lunatic. He felt that even though Sammy may be too young to understand the complexity of a relationship, Sammy will still feel the hurt knowing that his mother was unfaithful and therefore ruining the chances him ever having a normal family.
He looked at Sammy who is looking back at him waiting for an answer.
"Nothing. Let's go home," said Brandon.
He started the car and they drive off.
Back at home, we see Brandon sitting on the couch with the lights off. He's not doing anything but staring at the space.
A lot of questions began to race through Brandon's mind. He wonders why Kelly was meeting up with Dylan. More importantly, why were they meeting up secretly? What kind of surprise were they planning for him? It wasn't his birthday. He could've easily assumed the worse but he knowing that these are his best friends, he won't jump into any conclusions. Given that he's out of work, Kelly's acting weird, and Dylan not coming to their wedding, the last thing he needed was another problem. Wait a minute! Maybe that was it, he thought. This might explain why Kelly came home late yesterday and why Dylan refuses to come to their wedding. He tried to fight off his assumptions that Kelly was having an affair with Dylan. But it's difficult when that's all he could think about.
The door opens and Kelly walks in carrying a bunch of groceries.
She smiles when she sees Brandon.
"Hey," said Kelly in a cheery mood.
"Hey," said Brandon who gives her a short and sad greeting.
"Why are all the lights off?" asked Kelly realizing it's dark.
"Oh, I was just resting my head," lied Brandon.
"Oh, I'm sorry for waking you. Why didn't you just rest in our room?" asked Kelly.
"I dunno," replied Brandon still in his grumpy mood.
"Where's Sammy?" asked Kelly.
"He's taking a nap in his room," replied Brandon.
"Oh...and Silver?" asked Kelly.
"At Annie's. She's gonna have dinner there," replied Brandon.
"Oh ok. Well, I was gonna cook dinner for everyone but I guess it'll just be the three of us," said Kelly who is getting busy in the kitchen.
Brandon doesn't give Kelly a response. Instead he just looks at her as she moves around the kitchen. To him, her hair, her face, her smile, her body, just everything about her looked perfect. How could anyone not fall in love with her? If it's not Dylan, it'll just be some other guy; some other guy who has a job, who has money, and better looking than him.
"Honey, could you hand me those tomatoes?" asked Kelly.
Brandon gets the tomatoes from the shopping bag and hands it to her.
"Thanks," said Kelly taking the tomatoes from Brandon. She realizes that Brandon keeps staring at her.
"Are you ok?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah, why?" asked Brandon.
"Nothing; it's just that you keep staring at me," replied Kelly.
"Sorry...it's only because I love you," said Brandon in a depressed manner.
"Well, I love you too, Brandon," smiled Kelly.
"Good. Glad to hear it," said Brandon.
"So, did you and Sammy have a good day together?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah, we went to the park, the movies, and the toy store. We had fun," replied Brandon.
"Good," said Kelly.
"Yeah it was. It was too bad that you couldn't join us," said Brandon.
"Yeah, it was a long day at work," said Kelly still busy cooking.
"You know I tried calling you around 4. I just thought you would be off by then," said Brandon.
Kelly has a worried look and stops cooking for a brief moment. Brandon notices.
"I thought I would be but Harry wanted me to be in the staff meeting," said Kelly.
"Oh, what was it about?" asked Brandon.
"You know the usual; budget reports, cuts, fundraiser, etc.," replied Kelly smiling back at Brandon.
"Ok," said Brandon trying to hide the fact that he's disappointed that Kelly was lying to him.
Kelly stops cooking and goes to Brandon.
"Are you really ok?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah; why do you keep asking me that?" asked Brandon.
"It's just you're acting kinda weird today," replied Kelly.
"I'm sorry. It's just that I have a lot on my mind," said Brandon.
"Like what?" asked Kelly.
Brandon pauses for a moment and looks at Kelly before responding.
"Work," said Brandon lying.
"Honey, I told you to stop worrying about that. You'll find another job. You're too good," smiled Kelly.
She goes and gives him a quick kiss and hugs him. Knowing that she's lying, Brandon did not want to put his arms around Kelly...but eventually he gives in, fearing that she may announce that she's leaving him soon. In a way, this is the calm before the storm. Brandon wanted to savor every peaceful and happy moment with Kelly before he confronts her with what he saw today.
"And I'm sorry that I couldn't spend the day with you two. But I'm sure that there will be plenty of other chances in the future...how 'bout this weekend?" asked Kelly.
"Sounds great," replied Brandon still hugging her.
They break.
"Thanks for the talk," said Brandon looking at her.
"You're welcome. Why don't you go and lie down. I'll call you when dinner's ready," suggested Kelly.
"You sure you don't want my help?" asked Brandon.
"Yeah, I think I'll be ok. You've had a long day," replied Kelly.
"Ok," said Brandon.
He turns around and walks slowly towards the bedroom. Before he leaves the kitchen, he turns slowly turns around and takes one final look at Kelly who is busy cooking.
Later that night, Sammy is tucked into bed and listening attentively as Kelly reads him his bedtime story.
"...and they lived happily ever after. The end," said Kelly.
"That was a good story," said Sammy.
"Yes it was. Ok, it's time for bed," said Kelly who goes and kiss Sammy good night.
"Mommy, today was so much fun," said Sammy smiling.
"I bet you did. But tell me this? Did you have a better time with mommy or daddy?" asked Kelly joking with Sammy.
"Oh, don't make me choose," replied Sammy.
"Ok, sorry," laughed Kelly getting up to leave.
"It would've been perfect if you were there," said Sammy.
Kelly sits back down.
"Awww...thanks honey. I know. I talked to daddy and we're gonna have a family day together this Sunday," said Kelly.
"Yay, I can't wait," said Sammy.
"Me too. Goodnight, honey," said Kelly.
"Goodnight, mommy," said Sammy.
"Is that when we're going to surprise daddy?" asked Sammy.
"Surprise daddy with what?" asked Kelly confused.
"The surprise you're planning with Uncle Dylan," replied Sammy.
"Honey, what are you talking about?" asked Kelly worried.
"I overheard you talking on the phone with Uncle Dylan yesterday," replied Sammy.
"What did you hear?" asked Kelly who is now really worried.
"That you and Uncle Dylan were planning to surprise daddy with something," replied Sammy.
Kelly pauses for a second.
"Yes, we are. Did you by any chance tell daddy?" asked Kelly.
"Just a little bit. I thought it was ok since I didn't know what the surprise was," replied Sammy looking guilty.
Kelly starts to panic but tries her best to stay calm for Sammy.
"And what did daddy say?" asked Kelly.
"He said that he will still be surprised," replied Sammy.
"Oh ok," said Kelly who looks disappointed.
"I'm sorry, mommy," said Sammy who notices that Kelly is sad.
"It's ok, sweetie," said Kelly trying to assure Sammy that everything is ok.
"Are you sure?" asked Sammy looking worried.
"Yes, honey. I'll go talk to daddy and everything will be ok," replied Kelly.
"Maybe we can find another way to surprise daddy," said Sammy trying to make things better.
"Maybe," said Kelly nodding.
"Ok, good night, honey," said Kelly giving Sammy a kiss goodnight.
"Good night, mommy," said Sammy who closes his eyes.
Kelly slowly gets up from the chair and walks towards the door. She looks at Sammy sleeping before turning off the lights. She leaves and closes the door behind her.
Kelly started to walk really slowly not knowing what to expect when she sees Brandon. She began to recall what happened earlier with Brandon in the kitchen. She could tell that Brandon was acting really weird and sad. She knew that her intentions were good and that she really wanted to fully mend the friendship between Brandon, Dylan, and herself. Since she didn't know what to expect from Brandon, she would try to play along hoping that her plan was still doable.
Walking in the hallway, Kelly could see that the bedroom door is opened. There is a light on. She slowly opens the door a bit more only to see that nobody is there. She pauses not know knowing what to do next. She could intentionally try to step into bed and go to sleep. But she knew that sooner or later, she will have to talk with Brandon.
Standing by the bedroom door, she could hear someone in the kitchen. As Kelly walks towards the kitchen, she could hear a sound of something being poured into a glass. Arriving at the kitchen, she could see that Brandon was drinking wine alone. The image of Brandon drinking wine scared Kelly. She had known that image all too well from Dylan. She knew that nothing good can come from that.
Brandon notices Kelly was in the room and looked at her without a response.
"Whatcha doing?" asked Kelly slowly walking towards Brandon.
"Just trying to forget about some things," replied Brandon.
"Like what?" asked Kelly walking towards Brandon.
Brandon is hesitant to answer.
"Finding work," replied Brandon.
"Work?" asked Kelly who is now confused.
"Yeah, as you may notice, I'm not employed," replied Brandon who is trying not to bring up what is really bothering him.
"Oh," said Kelly who looks a lot more relieved.
"Was there something else I should be worry about?" asked Brandon.
"No," replied Kelly with a straight face.
"Good," said Brandon.
"Great! So why don't we just go to bed?" suggested Kelly who gets up from her chair.
"Nah, you go ahead. I'm not ready yet," said Brandon staring at the wine bottle.
"C'mon, Brandon. You know I don't like it when you drink when you're down," said Kelly.
"I guess you're right. I forgot how much it reminds you of Dylan," said Brandon who quickly looks at her.
Kelly looked as if she is caught off guard.
"I guess it does," said Kelly.
"I just don't want it to affect you the way it did to him," added Kelly.
"Thanks," said Brandon.
"Do you think about him a lot?" asked Brandon with a sad look.
"Not a lot but sometimes," replied Kelly.
"Why are you asking me this?" asked Kelly.
"How about today? Did you think of him today?" asked Brandon, completely ignoring Kelly's question.
"Brandon, what are you doing?" asked Kelly.
"What about yesterday? Did you think about him, yesterday?" asked Brandon.
"Brandon...," said Kelly.
"What about when we kiss, when we make love...what about when I asked you to marry me?" asked Brandon with tears in his eyes.
"No! Now, would you please tell me what you are trying to get at?" asked Kelly, who seemed frustrated.
"You tell me," replied Brandon getting up from the table and walking to her.
"Brandon, there is nothing to tell," said Kelly.
"I saw you today...with Dylan...at the BeLage Hotel," said Brandon.
"Yes, you did. Look, I don't know what Sammy told you but you know from the bottom of my heart that I would never cheat on you," said Kelly.
"I don't know anything anymore. All I know is that when I saw you two went upstairs together, I felt heartbroken," said Brandon.
"Brandon...," said Kelly starting to talk.
"No, let me finish...," said Brandon interrupting Kelly.
"So what is it? Is it because he has a job and I don't? Is it because he's rich and I'm not? Or is it because he gets to travel all around the world and I'm stuck here?" asked Brandon.
"I think you've had too much to drink," said Kelly.
"Kel, you know I don't like to drink when I'm mad. I wanted to but I just couldn't bring myself down to that level. But I guess since Dylan has been on your mind lately, it's easy for you to forget about me," said Brandon.
"...Or would you like to start so that I can be more like Dylan? That is what you want, right?" asked Brandon.
"Would you just listen to yourself? You are accusing me of cheating on you when you don't even know what happened," replied Kelly.
"And just so you know...I went there for you. Ok? Yes, I was there. Yes, we did go upstairs to his hotel room TO TALK! All we talked about was you. I told him how much I love you and how much he hurt you for not being your best man...and that if he was really our friends, he would be there ," said Kelly.
Hearing this, Brandon looks down.
"And you know what?; I always thought that Dylan was the baby and couldn't move on from this mess but I was wrong. He seems to be the mature and understanding one. You're the baby!" said Kelly who is angry.
Brandon looks up at Kelly with tears in his eyes. He could see that Kelly is getting teary too.
Brandon pauses for a brief second before looking at his keys on the coffee table. He goes and gets his keys and without looking at Kelly, opens, the door, and leaves.
Kelly just stood there listening as Brandon walks down the steps to the streets. She walks over to the couch and sits down. When she hears Brandon turning on the car and driving off, she puts her face in her palms and cries.
Back in Sammy's room, we can see Sammy also in bed. He is wide awake. It is obvious that he had heard Brandon and Kelly arguing. He had his covers over his head to drown out the yelling. Sammy soon heard footsteps walking towards his room. He quickly close his eyes and pretended to go to sleep. Kelly briefly and slowly opened the door and the dim light from the hallway shine through Sammy's room. Kelly sees that Sammy is still asleep. She closes the door and walked away.
Sammy opened his eyes. This was not the first time he's heard yelling like that before. This reminded him of the times when Dylan and Kelly used to argue over the phone. Afterwards, he would go to his mother's bedroom and stay with her to make her feel better. But this time was different for Sammy. Instead he peeked his head out of the covers, closes his eyes, and tried to fall asleep. He was too afraid to go out to the living room to console Kelly. Even though he was still very young to understand a complicated relationship, he had thought that after Brandon moved in, there wouldn't be any more yelling or fighting. He wanted to be a part of a happy and loving family.
Brandon puts the top down on the car as the drives fast, hoping that the wind will help dry his eyes. He was not sure where he was going and from the looks of it, he did not care. All he knew is that he just wanted to get far away. He wanted to clear his mind so he could think straight.
Back at the house, we can see Kelly asleep on the couch, holding a cordless phone. The front door slowly opens. Silver slowly and quietly walks in. She closes the door and takes off her shoes. She started to walk towards her room when she saw Kelly asleep on the couch. A question came to Silver's mind on why Kelly wasn't sleeping in her bedroom. Silver walked past the hallway and could see Kelly's bedroom empty. She shrugged and goes into her room.
Silver soon comes out of her room once again. This time, she's wearing her pajamas and getting ready to brush her teeth. She steps into the bathroom, applied the toothpaste on her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth. As she brushes her teeth, she could hear someone mumbling outside. She didn't think much of it but the sound continues to get louder. She sticks her head out of the bathroom to see Kelly tossing in her asleep on the couch. She spits out the toothpaste, rinses her mouth, and walks towards the couch.
It was obvious that Kelly was having a dream. Silver couldn't really make out what Kelly was mumbling about but she constantly hears the words, "I'm sorry," coming from Kelly's mouth. Silver takes the phone out of Kelly's hand which wakes her up.
"Brandon?" said Kelly when she woke up.
"No sweetie, it's just me," replied Silver.
Kelly sees Silver and sees me.
"What happened?" asked Kelly.
"Looks like you were having some kind of nightmare," replied Silver.
"Oh...did you just get home?" asked Kelly.
"No. I've been home for an hour now," replied Silver.
"Oh, what time is it?" asked Kelly.
"It's almost 1," replied Silver.
"Are you ok?" asked Silver concerned.
"Yeah, thanks for waking me up," replied Kelly.
"Sure...why were you holding the phone?" asked Silver.
"I was sitting here waiting for Brandon to call," replied Kelly.
"Where is he?" asked Silver.
"I don't know. We had a fight earlier and he left," replied Kelly.
"Have you tried calling him?" asked Silver.
"Yeah, a few times...but it just goes straight to voicemail," replied Kelly.
"But he hasn't called you at all?" asked Silver.
"No. I just hope he's alright," replied Kelly.
"Oh, don't worry. Brandon's a big boy. He can take care of himself," said Silver trying to assure Kelly.
"I don't know about that. Lately, he's been so depressed and difficult to be around, I just don't know what he's capable of anymore," said Kelly sadly.
"Where do you think he went?" asked Silver.
"I don't know," replied Kelly.
"Oooo, how 'bout the Peach Pit?" asked Silver.
"No, I called Nat and he said he's not there," replied Kelly.
"Ok...so you wanna tell me what happened?" asked Silver.
"Silver, you were right," replied Kelly.
"Right about what?" asked Silver.
"Right about trying to get Dylan to come and the wedding without letting Brandon know I had anything to do with it," replied Kelly.
"I guess that's why he was acting so sad before," said Silver.
Kelly feels guilty and puts her face in her palms. Silver moves closer to Kelly and puts her arm around and hugs Kelly.
"Thank you," said Kelly.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Now what happened?" asked Silver.
"I went to see Dylan yesterday but he was too busy to see me. So I went again to meet him today. Apparently, Sammy overheard my conversation with Dylan...," replied Kelly.
Silver has a surprising look on her face as she can tell what cause Brandon to be so angry.
"Yeah, exactly," said Kelly referring to Silver's surprised look.
"Anyway, go on," said Silver telling Kelly to continue with the story.
"Anyway, Brandon drove to the hotel and saw me and Dylan together. He immediately thought I was cheating on him. And when I told him that I was at a staff meeting, he knew I was lying. I didn't even know he knew until Sammy told me. Then when I tried to talk to him about it, he freaked out about me lying to him and left," said Kelly.
"Kel, I hate to say this but if there is something going on with you and Dylan, I think Brandon has the right to know about it," said Silver with a sad face.
"Silver, there is nothing going on with me and Dylan. What Brandon saw at the hotel was a friendly hug. He saw us going upstairs to his hotel room...but it was only to talk. I didn't do anything else with Dylan," said Kelly.
"Ok. Were you at least successful in getting Dylan to come to the wedding?" asked Silver.
"Yeah, he said he'll be there," said Kelly.
"What made him changed his mind?" asked Silver.
"Dylan has always had problems expressing his problems to anyone. Sometimes he's not even aware that these issues are affecting how he lives his life. I know that him seeing me with Brandon hurts him even if he said that he's over it," replied Kelly.
"Kinda like how it hurts Brandon when he sees you with Dylan?" asked Silver.
"Only today. Brandon has always been very trustworthy of me. I guess I just let that go too far," replied Kelly.
"I so wanted this triangle between me, Brandon, and Dylan to be completely over. It took a lot of persuasion but I think he understood that even though we're not together, I still care for him. I do love him as a friend. And that we all can learn from this experience and try to make it better with somebody else. I guess what made him change his mind was that after being open about how he felt and how this wedding will affect him, he saw me and Brandon as best friends again. I know that in his heart, he didn't want to shut us out. He just thought that if he showed up at the wedding, he'll feel lonely," added Kelly.
"Sounds like Brandon should be thanking you," said Silver.
"Yeah and I had to ruin that by lying to him," said Kelly.
"Well, I'd bet if you told him what you just told me, he would understand that you were only doing this out of love," said Silver.
"I would've if he hadn't left," said Kelly.
"Why was so bad that made him leave?" asked Silver.
"I called him a baby," replied Kelly.
"That was it? I used to get those all the time and I didn't run away," asked Silver.
"I guess in an argument, everything that people says matters even when you don't mean it," replied Kelly.
"He just kept going on and on about how I was unfaithful to him and how he can't be like Dylan because he doesn't have a job or a lot of money," added Kelly getting teary.
"Well, he was wrong for saying those things too. And I'd bet once he realized that, he'll be back. Kel, he loves you more than anything," said Silver.
Kelly looks up and faces Silver and gives her a weak smile.
"Thanks," said Kelly.
They both lean in for a hug.
"Thank you," said Kelly.
"You're welcome," said Silver.
They break the hug.
"Ok, why don't you go back to bed," said Kelly.
"What? I thought we stay up to talk and have ice cream," said Silver.
"Nice try. It's still a school night," said Kelly giving Silver a weak smile.
"Ok. Good night, Kel," said Silver getting up from the couch.
"Good night Silver," said Kelly.
Silver leaves to go back to her room.
Kelly reorganizes the couch when the phone rings. She looks at it for a brief moment before answering it.
"Hello?" asked Kelly.
"Hey, it's me," replied Brandon softly.
"Hey...Oh, I'm so glad you called," said Kelly relieved.
"Did I wake you?" asked Brandon.
"No; no...I was just getting ready for bed," replied Kelly.
"Where are you?" asked Kelly.
"I'm actually at Steve and Janet's right now," replied Brandon.
"You drove all the way to Santa Cruz?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah. I just had a lot to think and one thing led to another, and I thought I might as well return his car," replied Brandon.
"I'm still doubt that Janet will let him spend too much time in it," joked Kelly.
"Yeah," said Brandon laughing.
Kelly laughs too.
"How's Sammy and Silver?" asked Brandon.
"They're good. They're sleeping," replied Kelly.
"How about yourself? Are you ok?" asked Brandon.
"Yeah, I'm fine; you?" asked Kelly.
"I'm ok," replied Brandon.
"I'm sorry about earlier," said Kelly.
"I'm sorry too," said Brandon.
"So you want me to pick you up? I can come right now," asked Kelly.
"No, it's late. I'm just gonna stay here for tonight," replied Brandon.
"Ok. So I'll be by tomorrow after work then?," asked Kelly.
"No, it's ok. I think I'm gonna stay here for a while," replied Brandon.
"For how long? We're meeting with the reverend the day after tomorrow," asked Kelly.
"I think that can wait," replied Brandon.
Kelly has a worried look on her face.
"Brandon, what's wrong?" asked Kelly.
"Nothing. I just need some time away to think," replied Brandon.
"Think about what?" asked Kelly.
"About the wedding. I'm just not sure if this is the right time for that," replied Brandon.
"What are you saying?" asked Kelly softly but shocked.
"I'm saying maybe we should wait till we're actually ready for this," replied Brandon.
"But Brandon, I love you," said Kelly.
"I love you too," said Brandon.
"Then what's the matter?" asked Kelly.
"I don't want to get married having this feeling and worrying that you're loving somebody else," replied Brandon.
"Brandon, there is nothing going on with me and Dylan. You're the only man I love and the only one that I ever will love," said Kelly.
"I know. And I hate worrying about that. I wish I didn't have to feel this way," said Brandon.
"I'm sorry. And I think it's better for me to tell you this right now than waiting till minutes before the wedding to realize this," added Brandon.
Brandon senses that Kelly is not responding.
"It's not that I don't love you. Because I do. I love you more than anything. Please just let me think this over and I'll get back to you soon, ok?" asked Brandon.
Kelly doesn't answer.
"Kel, you there?" asked Brandon.
"Yeah, I'm here," replied Kelly.
"Ok. Take all the time you need," said Kelly.
"You're ok?" asked Brandon worried how quiet Kelly is.
"I'm ok," replied Kelly.
"We'll talk soon," said Brandon.
"Yeah...soon," said Kelly.
"Bye," said Brandon softly.
"Bye," said Kelly softly.
They hang up the phones.
Kelly sat there trying to process what just happened. She placed the phone on the table, lied back down on the couch, and pulled the covers covering her body. Her eyes get teary as she closes her eyes and cries herself to sleep.
Coming Next - Kelly feels guilty for Brandon's departure but not as guilty as Sammy feels as he tries to take matters into his own hands in getting Brandon back.
