Dylan and Brenda's gala night was a riot of lights and flashes from photographers.
Dylan always held her hand. He smiled with her. His father's name occasionally echoed. It's McKay's son they said. Brenda stopped to take some autographs. It shone inside her silver dress.
"You're gorgeous," he said in her ear and she smiled.
They squeezed hands, made improvised shots. They sat at the reserved table lovingly talking. Brenda looked at Dylan and found herself in love again as a teenager. Like when he was waiting for her in front of the lockers. How many had passed, she thought
Her obsessive thinking was always about visits to be made, about treatments to start. About when she could have caressed her belly and waited to become a mother. She imagined himself in front of a window. Silent. The night to cradle her baby.
Then she looked to Dylan, she wanted to own him over the bathroom counter, she wanted him pushing up her dress and explore her body.
She approached him in his ear and asked him. Dylan's eyes widened, he nodded, they disappeared for half an hour, in the luxury bathroom of the hotel.
It was wild.
Then they went back.
"What are you thinking?" He asked as he approached.
"That I love you," she replied.
He smiled. He gave her a quick kiss and their attention was catalyzed by awards and calls on stage.
Brenda did her best to tell some anticipation of the show she was the author of. She said it was something new, never seen and that filming would start soon.
When they went up on the limousine it was already very late, they were exhausted. Brenda took off the shoes that had massacred her all the time.
"To gain a few centimeters they make you die" Dylan laughed and she laughed too.
They poured some champagne and drank in the fluûtes supplied to the car.
"I'm too excited for filming," she said enthusiastically, " but also scared, there are big expectations, what if it didn't work?"
"You are kidding me? ," Dylan replied, "it's going to be a success, something you love so much can't just be,. We struggled. We believe it. And if you believe it, everything comes true."
"Really everything?" She asked.
Dylan understood what she was referring to.
"Bran we talked about it again and again. We went to Andrea's. If your mind doesn't calm down, it's hard for us to come up with a solution. You have to relax." He kissed her on the neck.
"You're right," she said sadly.
Dylan was worried about Brenda. Every now and then he would stare at her silently, as she read, or while she was engaged in some conversation and saw that veil in her eyes that she knew how to name a name.
"I should go to Ecuador," he told her, "come with me?"
"'But shooting will begin soon"
"Just a few days, to check the situation"
"I don't know.. I wanted to attend every single minute."
"You're the usual perfectionist," he laughed.
"Yeah" she stroked him.
"And I received an offer to buy the Peach Pit" Dylan revealed this news almost softly.
"The fact that you tell me like that doesn't seem like a good sign to me."
"McDonald's is interested in buying" Dylan sighed almost in saying.
"It's a joke . No"
"It's been almost a year since Bren is on sale, no one has come forward. I don't know how else to do it and not to mention that I give up on my part and will give everything to Joan and Frankie. They settle down for life. At least think about that."
Brenda was silent, didn't answer him and immediately regretted it. It was certainly not Dylan's fault. He was right when he said he had been left totally alone but everyone was putting their mouth on his decisions. And it was always a no.
The car stopped in front of their house.
The house always immersed in the same silence.
Dylan began to kiss her on the neck.
"You were very good tonight, and ... in the bathroom..."
Dylan reached out his hands to her by sliding them down the dress.
"I love this dress.. " he said."
Brenda smiled mischievously "I bought it on purpose like this, wait a minute" she whispered "I'm going to the bathroom and come back to you"
"Okay" laughed Dylan "I'll eat something in the meantime... I mean I'm open-minded but those tiny portions of dinner pierced my stomach."
Brenda laughed.
She went to the bathroom and locked the door.
She took a hidden pregnancy test among the medicines.
She opened the shower and let the water flow and stifle the noises.
She diligently waited for the test result.
Negative.
Negative.
Negative.
She wrapped everything in toilet paper and hid it. Tomorrow she would have thrown it in a few bins.
She took a shower that should have taken bad thoughts out of her head. When she came out she took Dylan hard. She asked to be taken from behind. She wanted him. She was angry with life and deeply in love with him.
"The shower is good for you," he said.
Brenda kissed him deeply.
"If you give me some time to see at least the beginnings of the shooting I'll come with you to Ecuador.."
"Ok," he replied.
Walsh's house.
Brandon waited for Kelly's return asleep on the couch with the tv on.
By now she was getting later.
Five and a half, six, seven, even nine in the evening. Or she was gone all weekend. They barely spoke.
It wasn't exactly as Brandon believed, some cracks were forming but he didn't know how to give it a name and couldn't go back.
She touched his arm by waking him up.
"Hey babe.." he said opening his eyes.
"Hei" she smiled "are you okay? The kids?"
"They are sleeping"
"Damn you're really good with them"Kelly laughed.
"What time is it?"
"ten o'clock p.m.?"
"Seriously?"
"I'm sorry Bran but I'm preparing the programs, the slides."
"I feel you," he replied without conviction.
"Did you eat?"
'A bun'
"I made you dinner if you want" Bran got up and walked to the kitchen but his hand was stopped by Kelly's.
"Are you all right Brandon?"
"Yes" he replied "sure"
He took off his hand and approached the Kitchen.
"Bran, you have to talk to me."
"I'm just a little stressed that's all."
'For the kids?'
"It's harder than I thought," he said, "don't take it wrong Kel. I am very proud of you and everything else. But I didn't think you were so late every night. When you leave Grace is sleeping, when you come back Grace is sleeping. Sammy is asking about you."
"I think it's just the beginning. After that I will have a more certain schedule and we will be able to organize ourselves better."
"I'm starting to doubt it"
"You shouldn't have made me The proposal if you didn't feel like it," Kelly said harshly.
"That's not what I said. I said Grace doesn't even see you. That's not how it should go. And at least I would appreciate sincerity. I'm talking to you about us and our family."
"But when it was you the one to be late, everything was fine."
Without realizing it, they had begun to raise their voices with each other.
"When I was late at least had the decency to warn you."
They stood in front of each other for endless seconds.
"let's calm down," Brandon turned back, "look, pretend I didn't say anything, it's just hard. I Miss you"
Brandon put the plate with dinner in front of Kelly.
"I'm going to sleep," he said, "remember Sammy's party at school. Will you be there?"
"Yes, of course," she replied surrendered.
Brandon almost immediately regretted his aggressive attitude but by now it was late, he felt tired.
And not to mention that Betty had called him revealing to him that unexpectedly something was moving in the office. They were selecting the candidates and the best investigations. And he wasn't there. He had nothing in his hands. Nothing. They were proposing good exit checks and goodbye. Brandon was obsessed with the idea that it could happen to him. No idiot would have quit his job at that historical moment.
He felt for the first time that he couldn't talk to Kelly. Tensions would have started again.
He heard her steps to enter the room and stop behind him as he was turned to pretend to be sleeping. He heard her take a shower and then slip into bed.
She hugged him. From behind. Without saying anything. He shook her hand but kept his eyes open.
Let me know what you think of the story that is being built.
These tensions will lead to different problems for the two couples. Will they be able to deal with?