Disclaimer: The following fiction is loosely based on characters currently owned and operated by the producers and writers of NBC-TV's Days of Our Lives. I claim no affiliation. Gratuitous entertainment purposes only.
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter Seven
by Fidomom
"Brady Black. Oh, hey Tink, what's up? Okkkkaaayyy, why? Ok ok I get that you're not gonna tell me. Fine. Ok, it's on. Now what? I don't see anything. Oh wait, there you are. Yeah I can see you. Oh, right. Hang on. Ok the speakers are on now. What is this about?"
"Can you hear me through your speakers?"
"Yes."
"Ok, then I'm hanging up with you now. I love you Brady."
"Belle, wait, Belle what the ...?"
Brady looked away from the screen to give the telephone handset a perturbed look as a dial tone sounded. He hung up the phone. His head snapped up and the hair on his arms stood on end as he heard her voice over the speakers.
"Hi, Brady. I know this is completely unexpected and I'm sorry we didn't tell you straight away what we were doing. I have no way of knowing if you are even still listening and watching but I'll take my chances. I thought it would be easier if I didn't have to look at you but it isn't. It isn't at all."
Brady barely heard a word of her first five sentences, as his eyes drank in the sight of her.
"So beautiful, Diva." He whispered to himself as he found himself reaching out a finger to trace the line of the image of her face. He watched mesmerised as she licked her lips and continued her soliloquy.
"I was out of ideas as to how to contact you without going back on my word, when Belle suggested this. This is harder than I thought it would be. For all I know you aren't even listening or watching anymore, oh I guess I already said that. I just wanted to say that I ... I was wrong to just end our friendship the way I did. Then again maybe I wasn't I mean I doubt you miss my petty teenage problems or anything. Here's the thing though, I umm I miss you Brady. I really didn't expect to miss you ... well, not this much anyway. I want to see you, to talk with you. This feels so strange like I'm talking to myself. It's making it difficult for me to say what I have to say. I need a visual point of reference ummm hang on I'm gonna go grab something."
Brady's eyes were wet, and he kept trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. It felt like a physical pain when her image left his screen. When she returned moments later he felt the happiest he had in weeks. He saw what looked like the back of a framed picture in her hands. Then she reached above his visual range to put the framed photograph atop the monitor in front of her. Brady's desk phone rang. He buzzed the receptionist and told her he wasn't accepting calls until further notice. His eyes hadn't left the image on his monitor. Chloe cleared her throat and tried to keep speaking. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where she had placed the picture.
"Brady ... I ... I thought if I looked at this picture of you I could talk more freely but ... oh God Brady I can't do this ... not like this. I'm sorry. Just forget everything I said just now. It's too late anyway, I waited too long. I'm sorry for intruding on your day ... I really won't bother you anymore I'm sorry ... I'm turning the camera off now ... Goodbye Brady."
Brady watched as Chloe fought for control of her emotions. He saw her eyes fill with tears but none fell. He saw her reach out to turn off the camera. Then he saw her hand come away from it. Brady frowned in confusion. He waited for the image to fade or go blank but it didn't. He watched helplessly as Chloe's face crumpled and her tears fell in rivers down her face as she tried to hug her own sobs silent. She stood up and he could only see the waistband of her skirt and the bottom half of her shirt. He watched as she walked away from the computer and sank to the floor by Belle's bed. She was clutching the framed picture to her chest as her tears and sobs continued. She was oblivious to the fact that he could still see her and hear her. He saw her gaze at the picture and run her finger down the glass front much as he had done to his monitor screen earlier. His heart nearly stopped when he heard her address him.
"Oh, Brady! How am I supposed to continue like this? I thought I could just tell you, but how when I know you don't feel the same and that you don't want the burden of knowing how I feel. What would I really expect anyway? This isn't some romantic drama where I say Brady I'm in love with you and you say you love me too. Real life doesn't work like that. At least not my life. It's probably better this way anyway. I'll be going to Juilliard in a few short months and we'll likely never see one another again. God, Brady I miss you! I wish I had never walked away! I wish you had refuted what I said! I wish you loved me too!"
Brady watched fresh tears drip off her chin, as her sobbing started again. She clutched the picture to herself again and Brady wished it was really him she was holding and not just his picture. Brady wiped the tears from his own face. He picked up his phone and dialled Belle's cell phone.
"Hey Tink. Chloe said her piece. I think maybe she needs you. Why don't you take her out for coffee or something. What? Oh well whatever she said she took it all back in the next breath so I guess it doesn't really matter. Yeah I'm fine Belle don't worry about me. Worry about your friend Chloe. No Belle Chloe and I are not friends again, sorry. Listen I gotta get going we'll talk soon."
Brady watched as Chloe pulled herself together to answer her cell phone.
"Hi, Belle. Yeah, I'm finished. Where? Dot.com? Sounds fine with me. See you soon."
Chloe stood up and wiped at her face. She put her shoulder bag on the bed and left the room. He waited wondering what she was doing. Chloe came back into view clutching a sweater. She started to put it in her bag but stopped. She brought it to her face and inhaled. She sank back to the floor for a moment fighting tears again. She regained control quickly though, and stood again. She stuffed the sweater into her bag.
"I doubt you'll ever miss this sweater, Brady and I need it more than you do right now anyway. I need to feel close to you. Now more than ever."
Brady smiled slightly alone in his office.
"Oh Diva, by all means keep the sweater. Though, you won't need it much longer. Guaranteed. Now hurry up and go meet Belle so I can go over there and actually turn the blessed camera off. I have never been so grateful for modern technology as I am today. Thankfully you didn't know how to turn it off or I might still think you don't want me in your life. Hmmm ... so you love me, huh? ... YES!!! Clueless, beautiful girl, I do love you back and I won't rest until you say you love me to me in person and on purpose. Operation Romantic Drama is underway!"
To be continued ...
Stubborn and Clueless
Chapter Seven
by Fidomom
"Brady Black. Oh, hey Tink, what's up? Okkkkaaayyy, why? Ok ok I get that you're not gonna tell me. Fine. Ok, it's on. Now what? I don't see anything. Oh wait, there you are. Yeah I can see you. Oh, right. Hang on. Ok the speakers are on now. What is this about?"
"Can you hear me through your speakers?"
"Yes."
"Ok, then I'm hanging up with you now. I love you Brady."
"Belle, wait, Belle what the ...?"
Brady looked away from the screen to give the telephone handset a perturbed look as a dial tone sounded. He hung up the phone. His head snapped up and the hair on his arms stood on end as he heard her voice over the speakers.
"Hi, Brady. I know this is completely unexpected and I'm sorry we didn't tell you straight away what we were doing. I have no way of knowing if you are even still listening and watching but I'll take my chances. I thought it would be easier if I didn't have to look at you but it isn't. It isn't at all."
Brady barely heard a word of her first five sentences, as his eyes drank in the sight of her.
"So beautiful, Diva." He whispered to himself as he found himself reaching out a finger to trace the line of the image of her face. He watched mesmerised as she licked her lips and continued her soliloquy.
"I was out of ideas as to how to contact you without going back on my word, when Belle suggested this. This is harder than I thought it would be. For all I know you aren't even listening or watching anymore, oh I guess I already said that. I just wanted to say that I ... I was wrong to just end our friendship the way I did. Then again maybe I wasn't I mean I doubt you miss my petty teenage problems or anything. Here's the thing though, I umm I miss you Brady. I really didn't expect to miss you ... well, not this much anyway. I want to see you, to talk with you. This feels so strange like I'm talking to myself. It's making it difficult for me to say what I have to say. I need a visual point of reference ummm hang on I'm gonna go grab something."
Brady's eyes were wet, and he kept trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. It felt like a physical pain when her image left his screen. When she returned moments later he felt the happiest he had in weeks. He saw what looked like the back of a framed picture in her hands. Then she reached above his visual range to put the framed photograph atop the monitor in front of her. Brady's desk phone rang. He buzzed the receptionist and told her he wasn't accepting calls until further notice. His eyes hadn't left the image on his monitor. Chloe cleared her throat and tried to keep speaking. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where she had placed the picture.
"Brady ... I ... I thought if I looked at this picture of you I could talk more freely but ... oh God Brady I can't do this ... not like this. I'm sorry. Just forget everything I said just now. It's too late anyway, I waited too long. I'm sorry for intruding on your day ... I really won't bother you anymore I'm sorry ... I'm turning the camera off now ... Goodbye Brady."
Brady watched as Chloe fought for control of her emotions. He saw her eyes fill with tears but none fell. He saw her reach out to turn off the camera. Then he saw her hand come away from it. Brady frowned in confusion. He waited for the image to fade or go blank but it didn't. He watched helplessly as Chloe's face crumpled and her tears fell in rivers down her face as she tried to hug her own sobs silent. She stood up and he could only see the waistband of her skirt and the bottom half of her shirt. He watched as she walked away from the computer and sank to the floor by Belle's bed. She was clutching the framed picture to her chest as her tears and sobs continued. She was oblivious to the fact that he could still see her and hear her. He saw her gaze at the picture and run her finger down the glass front much as he had done to his monitor screen earlier. His heart nearly stopped when he heard her address him.
"Oh, Brady! How am I supposed to continue like this? I thought I could just tell you, but how when I know you don't feel the same and that you don't want the burden of knowing how I feel. What would I really expect anyway? This isn't some romantic drama where I say Brady I'm in love with you and you say you love me too. Real life doesn't work like that. At least not my life. It's probably better this way anyway. I'll be going to Juilliard in a few short months and we'll likely never see one another again. God, Brady I miss you! I wish I had never walked away! I wish you had refuted what I said! I wish you loved me too!"
Brady watched fresh tears drip off her chin, as her sobbing started again. She clutched the picture to herself again and Brady wished it was really him she was holding and not just his picture. Brady wiped the tears from his own face. He picked up his phone and dialled Belle's cell phone.
"Hey Tink. Chloe said her piece. I think maybe she needs you. Why don't you take her out for coffee or something. What? Oh well whatever she said she took it all back in the next breath so I guess it doesn't really matter. Yeah I'm fine Belle don't worry about me. Worry about your friend Chloe. No Belle Chloe and I are not friends again, sorry. Listen I gotta get going we'll talk soon."
Brady watched as Chloe pulled herself together to answer her cell phone.
"Hi, Belle. Yeah, I'm finished. Where? Dot.com? Sounds fine with me. See you soon."
Chloe stood up and wiped at her face. She put her shoulder bag on the bed and left the room. He waited wondering what she was doing. Chloe came back into view clutching a sweater. She started to put it in her bag but stopped. She brought it to her face and inhaled. She sank back to the floor for a moment fighting tears again. She regained control quickly though, and stood again. She stuffed the sweater into her bag.
"I doubt you'll ever miss this sweater, Brady and I need it more than you do right now anyway. I need to feel close to you. Now more than ever."
Brady smiled slightly alone in his office.
"Oh Diva, by all means keep the sweater. Though, you won't need it much longer. Guaranteed. Now hurry up and go meet Belle so I can go over there and actually turn the blessed camera off. I have never been so grateful for modern technology as I am today. Thankfully you didn't know how to turn it off or I might still think you don't want me in your life. Hmmm ... so you love me, huh? ... YES!!! Clueless, beautiful girl, I do love you back and I won't rest until you say you love me to me in person and on purpose. Operation Romantic Drama is underway!"
To be continued ...