The rest of the night went smoothly despite the tension Blossom felt with Brick's eyes boring into her whenever she caught his stare. They had a lot to discuss, but she couldn't bring herself to focus on it. Not when everyone else was having a great time reminiscing and sharing stories. She hated being a party pooper.

Boomer stuck with the one shot by the river for Brick and Blossom. He highly doubted the two would be able to replicate such raw emotion, and once he went through all the shots, he was sure that one would be enough to sell the campaign. Then, everyone parted ways. BC, Mitch, Kamari, and Princess went off for late-night drinks after changing. Bubbles and Boomer set off to her apartment, and Butch followed Brick back to Concrete Rose for "quality brother time," as he put it. Blossom couldn't wait to go home. If Brick needed anything work-related from her, he knew how to reach her.

Walking through the doors, she saw the light on in the lab downstairs. It was nearly 1:30 am, and she didn't want the professor to sleep at his table and then complain about a crook in his neck (again). She padded down the metal stairs. She took in the white walls of the room where she was created, treated, and trained. The home of the mad scientist, where she learned so much about herself. A cold room to anyone else, but this is where she harbored her fondest memories. Over the years, the Professor's studying and prodding of the girls decreased. He concluded that their gifts would increase and wane as they got older, as typical humans did. He had no desire to treat his daughters like projects. He wanted them to live their life, and he was ready to be a part of it primarily as their father. Not their creator. Frankenstein's monster deserved better, he said. On his table slumped is exactly where she found him. Drool pooled from his mouth onto not lab reports but wedding magazines.

"Professor," Blossom began nudging him gently. He was quick to startle over the years of raising supers.

He shot upright with wide eyes, "No, Your Honor, I did not make a black hole in my downstairs bathroom! Oh, hello dear, you caught me in the 5D." He chuckled.

"I guess that's where I'll find myself if I open the lab bathroom, huh?" She chuckled back rubbing his shoulder.

"Not a black hole, but I wouldn't go in there if I were you," he rubbed his face and straightened his magazines. "I had a bean burrito for dinner."

"Miss Keane is going to have her hands full with you."

"It ain't love if it ain't a lot," he said. "She'll be back before the wedding. How was the shoot?"

Blossom took a shaky inhale, not knowing where to start. "It went well…"

"But?"

She twiddled her thumbs, trying to make sense of the day and the right question to ask for his advice. "He scares me now," she admitted. "The way I changed after him scared me. How do I keep that from happening again if…"

"If you allow yourself to give him another chance?" He finished. "You can't control it, Blossom."

"That's what Bubbles said." She grumbled.

"And she's right," he pulled the seat out next to him for her to sit. "Let's look at the facts. You're not the person you used to be, and from what I gather, neither is he. Same people, different persons. Life is an experience, and it teaches you to navigate different situations. Luckily, after the year you've had, you know how to detect when you're slipping. You may not always have control over how to get out of it, but that's just life. Some things are timing, but most of the rest is just mindset. You've got to let go of your ideals of perfection. You gotta roll with the punches."

Blossom was trying to receive his and Bubble's words, but she was still struggling. "But a plan and perfection is what brought me so much success. This unpredictable chapter and uncertainty have gotten me nowhere. I feel like I'm supposed to know. I'm supposed to follow a clear path and stick to it. I was supposed to stay away from Brick, get my shit together, figure out the next chapter—"

"There are so many holes in that plan, and I know you can see them too." He chuckled. "I know things used to really work out in your favor, but that's not the person you are anymore. That's not how things played out. You left your boyfriend and your job, and you thought you'd bounce back quickly, but you didn't. And that is okay! You're being humbled, Blossom. You're in your softening."

She blew air through her lips. "Softening? This is undoubtedly the hardest chapter of my life."

"Because you're being hard on yourself. You're denying the flow of the universe. You were supposed to stay away from Brick and get your shit together? Well, because of his presence, you have a job and are on the right track. You say you need to know your path, and your chemical x has granted you the gift of foresight. Now you're sitting here in my lab telling me these aren't the results you wanted. Of course, they aren't, but shit could be worse. It wouldn't hurt to practice a little gratitude." The professor crossed his arms.

It wasn't often the Professor called out Blossom's brattiness, but this was one of those moments. He was right; she was being humbled. She was not the leader girl with the right plan and the best way to go about seeing results. There was a greater power involved, and she was fighting it tooth and nail, even though it was working in her favor. But it was not a secret that when things got really good, they could also get really bad. She was avoiding the highs to escape the inevitable lows. She already saw it in her vision.

"C'mon now," The Professor rose from his seat. "Let's get some sleep; maybe you'll have a vision that'll knock some clarity into you."

*.*.*.*.*

The moment her head hit the pillow, she crossed the threshold to exit the Concrete Rose breakroom. It was late and quiet, but she could still hear voices coming from Brick's office.

"Damn, Boom works fast," Butch's muffled voice began. "I would've thought he would've spent the night buried in his baby momma the way she was eye-fucking him the entire shoot, but I guess the workaholic apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

"What's your excuse?" She heard Brick joke.

"I'm not an apple; I'm a kumquat. Speaking of fruit, what's going on with you and Blossom? Things seemed tense at the shoot." Butch poorly segwayed.

"What does that have to do with fruit? And what's going on with you and Kamari?" He retorted.

"Fruit comes from a flower, doesn't it? And don't act like you care. She's a widow, and we're both sexy it's a simple and done deal. I don't have eons of history with her or a tortured breakup. Boomer said he got a good shot of the two of you though?"

"Yeah," she heard him clicking through keys to the photo. "This is the one."

A long pause stretched on the other side of the door. She could've used her X-ray vision to see it, but if she were being honest, she was scared.

"If that isn't raw and heart on your sleeve, I don't know what is," Butch commented. "Y'all need to sort that shit out."

"It's complicated."

"Yeah, it looks like it, but it looks real too. You need to be honest with her, bro."

"I've been trying to be understanding of her wishes and keep my distance," Brick let out a heavy sigh. "I hurt her, Butch. I changed her, and I don't know how to come back from that."

"Have you told her why you let her go?"

Brick let out a hiss and if she knew him any less, she would guess that his shoulders were tense with his hands clasped in his lap. Attempting to squeeze the tension out of the room and his mind.

"I don't know how," He sighed. "I don't know if it'll even mean anything at this point or if it's even forgivable. Looking back on it, the reason was stupid and pathetic now."

"That's your opinion," Butch retorted. "She might not see it that way. You missed a whole chapter of her life, and you know she's not the same girl you fell for. The Blossom we've come to know is very different now. You've got to come back to earth regarding your opinion of her."

Blossom didn't know how to take Butch's words. Of course, at one point, she had been colder and more put together. She thrived on her perception of perfection, but she didn't realize how that perception affected the people around her. Especially not Brick. Had she missed something in their relationship he was reluctant to tell her? And if so, why keep it from her now?

Brick's office door opened and she was met with the broad composure of Butch Jojo. He looked down on her with a smirk. "The room is yours," he said, then strutted past her down the hall.

In the doorway, she met the eyes of her counterpart. He was relaxed in his chair, a glass of bourbon on his desk, and just over his shoulder was the photo. Their eyes met with the golden setting sun in the background. Her lips were parted, his eyes were bottomless, and his hand that moments before caressed her cheek was pinching the soft fabric of her off-the-shoulder sleeves. Raw looks of wonder and yearning for a deeper knowing of the other.

Her eyes met his again and everything that was left unsaid, she suddenly had the desire to know. "Brick I—" she began as her foot crossed the threshold to his office, but as soon as her foot landed on the carpet the vision disappeared. She awoke in her bed staring at the white ceiling of her bedroom. She heaved her back up against her headboard and pulled her phone off the nightstand to check the time.

10:45 am Saturday, and a text.

Brick Jojo: Designer- I think we should talk…

She didn't respond to the text. Instead, she got up and got dressed. Hair brushed into a ponytail. Sports bra, cream crochet sweater, and red True Religion sweatpants before finishing off with a pair of white Converse. They needed to talk; they might as well be comfortable. It was their off day, after all. She flew by Robin's to pick up some coffee and scones. It was pushing lunchtime by the time she landed on Brick's balcony door, but she figured he wouldn't mind. She went to jiggle the lock, but it was already opened.

"You're right on time," Brick said, emerging from his bedroom and pulling on a bleach-stained "Cityville" crew neck. "I just popped the lock."

Blossom passed through and sat the coffee and scones on the coffee table. "I didn't even respond."

He came around to sit on the loveseat as she planted herself in the armchair. "I know you, Blossom," he stated sincerely. "And I know I've missed some things, but I want to know. There are some things that I have to tell you, too."

Blossom took a sip of her coffee. "Last night was the first time I projected to the present, so I guess getting caught up, will get us caught up."

"Right," he agreed, reaching for his coffee and cranberry scone. "Do you want me to start, or is there a particular burning question you'd like to ask?"

Blossom scrunched her brows and chewed her bottom lip. The situation felt like they were handling it as professionals and not love-torn exes. She felt disconnected. She showed up and sat down in his living room with coffee and snacks as if it was a business meeting. A part of her knew she needed to feel this.

She got up and sat next to him on the loveseat. She could feel the warmth of him in his bubble and his started expression revealed how nervous he truly was. "Is it too early for wine?" She asked with a smirk.

He chuckled back settling into each other's presence. "Typically yes, today, no." He got up and procured a bottle from the kitchen. Blossom chose to follow behind him, pulling glasses from his cabinet.

"You remember where everything is?" He asked with an arched brow.

She nudged his shoulder happy to lighten the mood despite the intentions of the day. "I practically used to live here. I'm amazed you haven't ruined a set since I've been gone."

He followed her back to the living room with the bottle uncorked. "According to my memory, you were always the one to wash the glasses with the pots and pans. They all broke because you were rushing to do the dishes."

"It'd be a waste of water to do them separately! This apartment should've been renovated with a double sink!" She defended and sat her glass in front of the bottle.

He was beginning to pour then hesitated. "Do you need a decanter?"

"It's one in the afternoon," she giggled. "You own one now?"

"Aye, after so long drinking in solitude, I figured I would learn to drink snobbishly." He joked, but the air fell heavily around them. He finished their long pours and then took a full sip. "I shouldn't have let you go."

She matched his sip to settle her nerves. Nothing else for her to do but sit back and listen.

"You were amazing Blossom, far too good for me and my creative arrogance. I couldn't get my brand off the ground. You had this career you loved with equally as amazing people who had equally yoked partners, in my eyes I was always behind you, and possibly holding you back."

"I never saw you that way," I interrupted unintentionally. The words just flew out.

"I know you didn't, but you set a standard, Red, and I wanted nothing more than to live up to it. So when I didn't and was continually faced with the fact that I couldn't… it was easier to let you walk out that door than to tell you I couldn't afford a birthday present for you. It was cowardly and stupid but you deserved better than what I was offering you." He took another hefty sip of his wine, swallowing hard.

She clenched her jaw, trying to process his explanation. After the year she had, she understood it. Hell, it's how she feels about herself most days, but he had her by his side at the time. They could've gotten through it she would've given him her best effort to support the journey he was on.

"You could've told me that," she sipped. "We could've worked something out."

He let out a dry laugh. "No, we couldn't have. I was terrible to you. I was jealous and completely enamored with you. I took my terrible self-image out on you. I withheld a real commitment to you due to my pride. I had to humble myself to build myself, and I'm still in the beginning stages of that. I couldn't use you as a crutch anymore. I had to do it alone."

Her eyes stung as she fought the welling of tears. There was nothing she could've done to fix them. The relationship she was comfortable in, that she idealized, was flawed from the beginning. She didn't need Brick, she had wanted him, and she got him. The fact that she couldn't keep him was what stung the most. Then she remembered the late nights of him up designing, the sulking and attitudes from rejection emails, the bills she maintained in her name. But she loved him and no matter how bad it got she chose him. When he let her go he was forcing her to choose herself.

"You didn't do anything wrong." He confirmed with a light hand on her wrist. She didn't realize that she'd been staring into her glass for the past few minutes, trying to make sense of his truth. Now it was her turn.

"It may have looked like I had it all, but you were all I wanted." Blossom looked into his eyes before shutting them tight. "Our break up changed me. Everything I was, everything I accomplished felt meaningless. My world was different without you to come home to." She took another shaky sip.

"I quit my job, ended my lease, and moved back home to process. I thought I'd be back to Perfect Blossom in a month or so, three at the most. Then a year passed of rejection letters, and the feeling of being unwanted took root in me like a poisonous weed." A lone tear narrowly missed falling into her glass, now sliding down the stem.

"My failed relationship with you was only the beginning of my failures, and now that you're back…" she shook her head incredulously. "The moment you got back, shit started to turn around for me, and now I can't help but ask, what's the catch? I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop." She reached for a scone and then thought better of it. There wasn't much that could soothe her stomach at the moment.

Brick reached for the scone and then split it, handing her half. "I've never not wanted you, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, and put you back in the place I left you."

She accepted the peace offering. Sitting with the villain of her story that was written and read in misunderstandings. They were both in the process of finding themselves and on that journey, they were led back to each other. Now it was just where to go from there.

"I forgive you," Blossom decided. "I didn't understand it then, but since living in your shoes I get it now. It was never really about us… There are things I need to work out for myself as well."

"I just wanted to be better for you," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I knew you cared for me but I didn't realize that…"

"You were a crutch for me, too," she interjected. "I needed you too, just in a different way. It wasn't healthy for me either, all these external forms of validation that crumpled. I'm still trying to find that sense within myself…"

"I didn't feel like you needed me," the two had shifted closer slightly, now shoulder to shoulder.

"I don't know how to need anyone," she admitted.

"You think that's why the visions are about me? To help me help you?" He inquired.

She let out a dry chuckle. "That'd be pretty fucked up. The professor says I'm in my softening."

"Little Miss Perfect needs a humbling?" He tilted his head to her slightly with feigned disbelief. "Noooo."

She gave his chest a light smack, then rested her head on his shoulder. "I am far from perfect, that's for sure. I'm just trying to be better."

"Me too," his head rested on top of hers. "Think we can help each other out with that?"

"I'm not really in a place to get involved…" she began.

"Me neither, but we make a good team. We could be friends now that everything is out in the open. Just focus on ourselves together? Hold each other accountable?" He tensed slightly against her.

She considered the offer. It was somewhat of a fresh start. She did feel lighter with him now, more comfortable. Like they were returning to the best parts of themselves without going to the bad. According to her visions, this might be where she was being guided all along. Some form of reconciliation. As long as they continued to focus on themselves and maintained proper boundaries, they could, in theory, avoid disaster. She missed the friend she had in him. He made her better, even if the lesson was hard.

"Friends then." She acquiesced. "But no funny business."

"Wouldn't dream of it." The two shot each other a knowing look and let the laughter settle between them.

Finally, some closure. Let's see how long these new boundaries last.

Thanks for reading.