When it finally hit Casey that she was in love with Brian - five months after Joe and Helen left for Vienna - she panicked and the realization sent her into a tailspin. "Holy shit," she whispered, running backwards into the kitchen, much to Fay and Antonio's confusion. She needed to call her sister to talk it out with her but she didn't want to deal with the epiphany right that very second.
"Are you going to feed us?" a hungry Antonio called through the door.
"Just wait a minute!" she yelled back. Casey took a deep breath, pulled herself back together, plastered a fake smile on her face, and then returned to the lunch counter. "I'm here. What do you want?"
"French fries and a burger," he responded.
"I'll get right on that!" She returned to the kitchen and started making Antonio's lunch, panic continuing to overwhelm her. She let out a little scream when she returned to find Brian in Fay's spot.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it!" She sent him a little grin and then returned to the kitchen, trying to avoid him as much as possible. But they still lived together, now temporarily residing in Joe and Helen's place while they were gone to keep an eye on the house, and she couldn't very well avoid him. But she at least tried. When he told her he planned to spend the night out with Antonio and Roy, Casey was so relieved she nearly burst into tears. Unfortunately, she almost did so right in front of Brian.
He looked her over in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice cracked and she winced. Damn the panic making her overemotional. This definitely wasn't helping her case.
"You sure?" he pressed.
"Yeah. Go out and have fun with the boys!"
"When do I ever?" He smirked, waved goodbye, and then headed out the door. Casey checked her watch to make sure she wasn't calling her sister too late and then dialed the number.
"Is something wrong?" Helen asked the second she answered.
"No. Why would you ask me that?"
"Because this isn't our scheduled time," she pointed out.
"Right." Casey didn't say anything for a few minutes and wasn't surprised when her sister finally ran out of patience.
"You want to tell me what this is about?" Helen prompted, fed up with her sister not saying anything at all.
Casey nodded before realizing Helen couldn't see her. She barked out a nervous laugh and Helen winced on the other end of the line. "You have to help me, Helen! Help me!"
"Help you with what?"
Casey inhaled and exhaled a few times, trying to work up the courage first. "I'm in love with Brian!" she finally yelled.
Helen responded right away, surprising her. "Holy shit. You're in love with Brian?" She waved her husband over. "Casey's in love with Brian," she whispered to Joe.
Joe's eyes widened. "Wow."
"Why are you telling him? Don't sell me out like that," Casey pleaded, her heart beating a mile a minute. Her hands were starting to shake now.
"Relax, Casey. Everything's going to be fine." Helen giggled. "Now we're going to come up with a plan because you're not keeping this to yourself."
"You're not? You were supposed to tell me to hide this for the rest of my life!" Why would Helen do this to her?
"Because I'm your sister and I love you, Cassandra."
Casey winced, realizing she had said that last part out loud too. "Don't full name me! Why are you full naming me now? Helen, be reasonable!"
"Casey, relax already! Fucking breathe," she chided.
"Yeah, this isn't the end of the world," Joe chimed in.
"No comments from men! I don't want to hear from you right now," Casey told him.
"Honey, don't take it personally. She's just freaking out right now," Helen told her husband with a smile as she patted his chest.
"You think?" Casey shouted.
"Casey, please." Helen groaned. "Now what is so bad about being in love with Brian? And don't be a smartass."
"He's a womanizer! He doesn't want to settle down. And there's absolutely no way he feels the same way about me. Is that being too much of a smartass for you?" Casey shot back.
Helen snorted. "Actually, yes. And Casey, he was going to take you to another island to live with him! You didn't even have to beg very much from what you told me. Just pull yourself back together and tell the man how you feel. Be honest with him," she encouraged.
"I hate you."
"I know you do. I love you too, Casey. Now you tell that man you're in love with him and call me back, I don't care how late it is."
"Fine," she grumbled. The two sisters hung up and Casey raided the fridge so she could eat her feelings. She sat and watched TV until Brian came home, surprisingly sober (which meant she couldn't stall and figure out a way to live with her feelings). "Have fun tonight?"
"Yeah. What did you do while I was gone?" he asked, grinning at her (and genuinely curious).
"You're looking at it." She patted the couch and he joined her. "You want to pick a movie for us to watch?" Okay, maybe she could stall just a little while longer.
"Nah, no tonight. I'm kinda beat." He yawned, immediately proving his point.
"That's not a fake yawn is it?"
"No! How dare you accuse me of fake yawning," Brian teased.
Panic surged through her again and Casey jumped up. A confused Brian glanced at her. "I'm going to bed!"
"I'm the one who's tired," he pointed out.
She laughed. "Right, forgot!"
Concerned now, Brian also stood up. "Is everything alright? Did something happen to Joe and Helen?"
"No, they're both fine - if something had happened, I would have led with that. But I did talk to them earlier."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. Fuck, she had to tell him, didn't she? This was one of the hardest things she ever had to do in her life, even beating crawling back to Nantucket when Stuart left her. But she could do this. She was Casey Chappel, damn it. "I have to tell you something."
He crossed his arms. "Okay. Go right ahead."
Casey wanted to throw up thanks to nerves but she restrained herself. "I am. Just give me a second, okay?"
"Of course. Are you alright? Did something happen to you?" he pressed.
"I guess you could say that."
"Then tell me - we'll figure it out," Brian assured her.
"Damn it, why do you have to be so sweet sometimes?" Damn Brian Hackett. But Casey stood her ground and straightened herself up. She nearly hit herself when her voice cracked. "This may ruin our friendship but I can't keep this inside any longer or it just may kill me. You're my best friend, Brian. I can't imagine this life without you anymore, and that scares me. I am head over heels in love with you." Finished, she closed her eyes, unable to look at him.
Casey gasped when Brian grabbed her face. "Open your eyes, Casey." She sighed but reluctantly did so when he prodded some more. The look on his face nearly took her breath away. The look of love on his face was overwhelming. "I'm in love with you too. Freaked me the fuck out when I figured that out but Joe talked me down. You're also my best friend, and I want to be with you."
"You do?" Her voice broke but she didn't even care.
"I do," he confirmed. And with a laugh, Brian kissed her.
Casey pulled back. "Hey, wait a minute. Did you just say Joe talked you down? When did this happen?"
"Yeah, about a month ago. Why?"
"Because I called my sister also freaking the fuck out and she didn't say a damn word other than to tell you. That bitch!"
"Probably didn't want to betray my confidence."
"Still. She let me panic, Brian!"
He laughed and kissed her again. "It worked out didn't it?" He was looking at her so lovingly that Casey wanted to finally give in to the tears and cry (this time from happiness but still).
"Yeah, but now I have to call them back - I promised." Casey kissed him one more time before she headed back to the phone, this time with Brian by her side. When Helen picked up immediately, Casey couldn't resist teasing her. "You bitch!"
Helen snorted. "So it all worked out?" she asked hopefully.
"He loves me back but you knew that already!"
"That we did," she confirmed.
"If it helps, I wanted to say something but couldn't betray Brian like that. But I'm thrilled for you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness," Joe told her.
"Thanks, Joey," Brian called back, having heard his brother.
"Now that I've probably woken you up - sorry about that - I'm going to go. Want to spend some time with the man I love." Casey giggled.
Helen teared up. "I'm so happy for you."
They hung up and Casey laughed when Brian swept her up into his arms.
Brian and Casey were meant to be, and it was about time the two of them finally realized it.