Callie needed a glass of water. And also she couldn't sleep, though she tried not to think of that. Whenever it hit her, she always seemed to have so much more trouble actually falling asleep. So she tried thinking of other stuff like, like... That glass of water. And Brandon. No, just the water. But Brandon... No. The water.

But shit. They'd had sex. Like, real sex, like his dick inside her vagina, sex. Shit. And it had just been so good. Shit. Just being wrapped around him was enough to have her come undone. And when she'd started rocking. The look in his eyes, oh god...

Stop. She had to stop thinking about this. Why?

Because that was her brother she was thinking about. That's why none of it mattered. It didn't matter that she wanted to run away with him right this second and marry him and have his babies and make love to him whenever and however she wanted. It didn't matter that looking into his eyes these last few days since he'd been inside her had her wishing he'd fuck her again, right there on the dinner table, in front of the whole family. It didn't matter that she loved that boy with every fiber of her being.

Because he was her brother.

God, she really needed that glass of water. Her throat got dryer by the second, thinking about him, thinking about how they could never... Okay, water. Right.

She was careful not to wake Mariana as she tiptoed across the room and opened the bedroom door. Her feet made creeking noises across the floor as she made her way to the stairs.

"Going somewhere?"

To say he startled her was an understatement. Brandon scared the living shit out of her, barely visible in the dark, sitting with the back to his door and gazing at her. She was surprised the entire house didn't wake at her sudden inhale.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Yes, what the hell was he doing there, just sitting outside his room, like 5 am in the morning?

"Making sure you don't run away this time."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You're not gonna do it this time, you hear me? I'm not letting you."

He was making sure she didn't... runaway?

Like she did last time. Like she did when they had first kissed.. and now they had shared another first.

"Brandon, I'm not running, I was just getting a glass of water."

"You're not? Oh, well... uhm good."

Callie wasn't running away. All of a sudden, Brandon felt kind of stupid. He didn't want to feel stupid, he wanted to yell at the girl in front of him.

"Wait, it's been three days since we... since what happened. Why are you... Why tonight?"

"Yes. it's been three days. And I've been sitting here for three nights."

Three nights of fearing he would fall asleep and she would slip past him, down the stairs, out the door and out of his life forever. Three nights of hoping she would try, because then he could finally, rightfully be angry with her.

Now he was just angry with her. For giving him all of her and then taking it all back on the very same night. But he couldn't really blame her for that, could he? But he did. He blamed her for not having the guts to stand up to moms, he blamed her for giving up so easily, and he blamed her for showing him just how incredible they could be together only to tell him they never would. Never again.

"Brandon..."

"What? You think I'm being weird, sitting here, just waiting for you to come out that door? Well, okay then. I'd rather be weird than risking you running away from us again. How was I supposed to know you weren't going to this time, I seem to have no idea what's going on inside your head! You tell me you love me, that you want a life with me and we have sex. And the next thing I know we're back to... I don't even know what we are these days! I just... I just miss you."

He really did.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? For what? Screwing me? For avoiding me afterwards like I have the plague or something? For telling me you love me?"

She wasn't. She would never regret what happened in that car. It was like a little piece of heaven amidst this purgatory she was stuck in, and would be stuck in for the rest of her life. Because she couldn't stay in that car with him She couldn't stay in heaven forever. Because this was life.

"I'm sorry that you're my brother."

Brandon wanted to scream at her. Tell her just how stupid she really was.

There might be a piece of paper somewhere stating that Callie was his sister by law but what Brandon felt for that girl went far beyond that. His heart went to strange places, places a brother never could reach. Because he wasn't her brother. He knew that. And he also knew she wouldn't listen if he told her this. The scared and stubborn Callie would never listen to him.

And even though she wouldn't listen to him, he still wanted her to hear something. The something that was the best and worst thing to ever happen to him.

"I love you, Callie."

This was the moment. This was the moment she would run to him, slide her fingers into his hair and kiss him until they became one, right against that door. She felt it. She wanted it. Wich was why she couldn't.

So she ran the other way. To a door to close behind her. To safety. To her room.

She didn't sleep at all that night. She still needed that glass of water but there was no way she would risk facing him again. She needed to fix this.. this thing between them.

And she just might know how.

It was early for a sunday, but she figured she'd catch him about to leave for his morning jog. And indeed, as soon as his house came into view she saw Wyatt step out the front door. Callie quickened her pace.

"Hey! Wyatt!"

"Callie?"

He seemed confused. She didn't blame him. It wasn't often she showed up at his door at eight a.m in the morning. Or try never. But this couldn't wait, she had to do this before she could have time to change her mind.

"Hi, uhm I need to talk to you.. Could we maybe go inside?"

This didn't seem to ease his puzzlement yet he opened the door and motioned for her to come inside.

"We - we should go to my room, my mom is still sleeping, and trust me, we don't wanna wake her."

His room? Perfect.

"Yeah, sure."

It had been a while since Callie had last sat on Wyatt's bed. Nearly a year had past since they'd broken up and whenever they hung out together it was usually at the beach or at Callie's for some reason. Perhaps because Wyatt liked to stop by to hang with Brandon. Brandon...

So, Wyatt's bed was really comfortable, Callie noted. That's how she felt around Wyatt. Comfortable. She liked comfortable.

"So, are you gonna tell me why we're sitting here so early in the day, it might be considered weird?"

"Hahaa, yeah. Sorry, I... Wyatt do you still like me?"

"What?"

He was surprised. No, shocked. But it was okay, she knew he'd be.

"Do you still like me? Do you still want me? Would you have a problem with me doing this?"

And she kissed him. And kissed him. Then, finally, she felt him kissing her back...

Until he stopped.

"You're using me."

Callie sincerely hoped her acting was as good as people said it was. But this was Wyatt, who always seemed to see right through her. Still, she looked at him, shocked and said:

"What?"

Yes, he saw right through her. Damn him.

"This time I'm actually mad, Callie. We all know you can't help how you feel about Brandon but is the solution really to make it all go away by pretending to feel something for someone else? Because it won't work Callie, you know that by now! You've loved this guy for what? Like, two years now? Dating me for a year didn't make you get over him, so why would it be any different this time? Or maybe you know it won't... Maybe you're not here to get over him but to hurt him enough to make him get over you? Jeez, Callie. You're just messed up, you know that right?"

He was right. She was messed up. This was so messed up. Life was messed up. So she didn't give a crap about trying to hold back her tears, she just wished she couldn't give a crap about anything.

"I'm sorry."

She really was.

"You know what? I really don't get why you can't just go for it now. You're both eighteen, right?"

"You don't understand, it's..."

"I think I do, because I know you Callie and I know you make things harder than they have to be, like you always do. Let me guess, somehing happened between you two, say... at my party the other day? And now he's saying you should just be happy for once in your life but you keep insisting that you can't, that it's impossible because you're supposed to be siblings and it's wrong.. Something like that?"

Callie just couldn't stop crying. And she wouldn't answer him.

"Well, then I'll just go ask Brandon. I'm sure he'll answer me because unlike you, he's an open book. I'll call him right now..."

"Yes. Yes.. It's something like that."

He almost looked smug.

"I thought so. I only have one more question for you. Doesn't the fact that you've tried getting over Brandon since like forever and that you've tried falling for me for exactly as long prove that I'm more of a brother to you than Brandon will ever be?

"I..."

"I shouldn't have to tell you this Callie, and I don't think I have to. Because you know he's nothing like a brother to you. But it's like you keep telling yourself he is because then you can ignore the fact that the thing that scares you the most isn't breaking the rules, it's putting your heart out there to the one person who has the power to hurt you."

Hearing him speak the truth, her truth wasn't as scary as she thought it would be. She never let herself think it because she always thought it would hurt so much, admitting it was her, ruining her life instead of the system, which she always loved to blame. It didn't hurt. It was exhilirating. Liberating.

Because as soon as she heard it she knew. She knew that fear might be part of her but it wasn't all she was made of...

"So I'm gonna say what I told you years ago and then I'm gonna shut up. If you're into Brandon, go for it. Be happy."

Be happy.

"Thank you, Wyatt. I really do love you... like a brother."

Callie smiled.

Wyatt smiled.

Of course he was sitting there, at the edge of the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him and a spoon in his hand. Like the universe wanted her to spot him as soon as she walked through the front door. Like the universe didn't want her to waste another second of her life. And she wasn't going to.

He dropped his spoon on the floor. And might have even spilled some milk on the two of them. She didn't notice. Callie clung to Brandon like she was making up for all the times she'd wanted touch him. There had been a lot of them.

"I love you. I love you, Brandon. I love you."

She leaned in to kiss him. He leaned away.

Pain. A lot of it. Too much of it.

Then... confusion.

Brandon looked to his right and then back at her. Then again, more persistent.

Callie turned. And stared straight into the eyes of Lena and Stef. Sitting at the other end of the table. In complete silence.

She turned again. There was a question in Brandon's eyes.

And Callie had an answer for that question.

She thought about how he'd always believed in her, even when he'd barely known her. She thought about his kindness. She thought about how he always had this way of making her feel safe. She thought about what a nerd he really was even if he'd like to believe he was such a badass. She thought about how his voice somehow made her insides melt and how, when he sang to her she just wanted to punch him for making her adore the cheesiness of it all. She thought about him inside of her and how it made her feel full, in so many more ways than one. She thought about how much she wanted him. How much she needed him. How much she loved him.

She met his gaze and he had been given his answer.

So when she pressed her lips to his he slid his tongue, which seemed to vibrate like his entire being was existent there, into her mouth.

She had to stop herself from moaning. After all, their moms were present.

Soooooo yeah, I hope you really liked this! Maybe you already noticed but the scene between Callie and Wyatt was inspired by their scene in 1x09 (Vigil) when they're talking about Brandon. It's one of my all time favorite scenes and I just love that part of their relationship (the part where Wyatt supports Callie like a true friend) because I think that's what the essence of that relationship is. Friendship. I really hope they stop with this romance nonsense they're back to at the moment because, c'mon she never really felt anything for Wyatt and it's just frustrating to see her try.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Would love to hear your thoughts! :D